Stirrings Overseas, Undercurrents Surging

Chapter 537: Stirrings Overseas, Undercurrents Surging

When Patriarch Extreme Yin heard the Taoist’s words, his heart tightened, and he silently cursed the man as an “old fox.” Yet not a trace of this showed on his face.

“Brother Qi seems to have asked this more than once. I have already said that the boy named Han struck down my grandson with a sneak attack inside the Void Heaven Palace. That is why I must capture him alive and refine his soul,” Patriarch Extreme Yin said coldly, his expression turning harsh.

“Heh heh! When Brother Wu first arrived two years ago saying this, I naturally believed it without question. But so much time has passed since then. You have neglected even your own Extreme Yin Island to remain here, unwilling to spare a thought for the great battle on your alliance’s front. Do you truly expect me to believe this is merely about avenging your grandson?” The Taoist shook his head lightly, unconvinced.

“Furthermore, besides your sudden arrival on this island, Xuanji—an elder from Ten Thousand Laws Gate—quietly crossed over here as well. In addition, at least two or three other Nascent Soul cultivators of unknown identity have disguised themselves and slipped into our waters. When did our Qiyuan Island gain such charm as to attract so many exalted figures? Only two days ago did I receive reliable news: these people, like you, Brother Wu, are searching for that insect-wielding boy named Han. Don’t tell me these fellow Daoists also want to avenge a murdered grandson?” The Qi-surnamed Taoist stared at Extreme Yin with a half-smile, speaking slowly as if intending to force a showdown.

A chill ran through Extreme Yin. His face grew cold, and he fell silent.

“Why continue to hide it for no reason, Brother Wu? Whatever great secret the boy Han carries, now that so many fellow Daoists know of it, having one more or one less confidant makes little difference. Speaking frankly might even work to your advantage. Besides, in these waters, not only are your disciples appearing as the ‘Bug Demon,’ but other cultivators are impersonating him everywhere—clearly trying to muddy the waters.” The Taoist seemed to sense Extreme Yin’s wavering resolve and continued his persuasion without changing his expression.

“Hmph! Since Brother Qi already knows so much, why not figure out the mystery yourself? Why bother asking me?” Extreme Yin finally replied in a hostile tone.

“I believe that even if Brother Wu is unwilling to tell the truth, I will still uncover the whole story in at most half a year. But by then, I fear the number of those in the know will no longer be limited to my Biyun Gate alone. That is not a situation I wish to see. If that is the case, it might be better to join forces now and give it a try.” The Qi-surnamed Taoist made no effort to hide his intentions.

Patriarch Extreme Yin’s expression shifted between darkness and uncertainty for a long moment.

After lowering his head in contemplation for a while longer, he finally let out a long sigh and smiled bitterly in concession:

“Sigh… It is not that I wished to deceive you intentionally. At the time, to prevent this secret from leaking, I and several other fellow Daoists all swore by our heart demons never to reveal it to outsiders. Since Xuanji of Ten Thousand Laws Gate has also tracked him here, regardless of how much Wan Tianming has already disclosed, the oath is at least partially broken. So I have nothing left to fear.”

“That’s right. Does Brother Wu truly care about some oath? I have never paid any attention to such things. If heart demons were truly so effective, we cultivators of side paths and demonic arts would have died out long ago.” Hearing this, the Taoist’s face lit up with joy as he clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

“Although I do not care about heart demons either, if too many people learn of this, even the dregs may be beyond our reach,” Extreme Yin said with a hint of helplessness.

Then, his face stiffening, he began to transmit his voice with barely moving lips.

The Qi-surnamed Taoist was initially dismissive of Extreme Yin’s caution. But after just a few sentences, his expression changed dramatically, and his eyes glimmered with exhilaration.

“Are you certain, Brother Wu? That thing has truly appeared?” the Taoist said, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

“If not for that treasure, do you think so many Nascent Soul cultivators would gather in this place?” Extreme Yin countered flatly.

“True! Your words ring true. Brother Wu has kept this hidden well indeed! That object has been revealed for so long, yet not a single rumor has spread outside. I have to admire that. If you had told me earlier, I would have assigned many more men, and we might have found that boy by now.” The Taoist’s ecstatic words carried a hint of reproach.

“You speak lightly. Could such a matter be casually disclosed? If I hadn’t sensed that the others might have already let something slip, I wouldn’t be telling you even now. The fewer who know, the better.” Patriarch Extreme Yin said irritably.

“That is true! If I had learned of such information, I too would not want one more person to share in the spoils.” The Taoist nodded, agreeing without the slightest objection.

“But as things stand, this secret cannot be contained much longer. News of this treasure’s emergence will inevitably spread,” Extreme Yin said, a muscle twitching in his face, a flash of unwillingness in his eyes.

“Heh! Brother Wu should know well that no wall is completely airtight. I will take my leave, then. I will immediately deploy more men, striving to find this person ahead of the others.” The Qi-surnamed Taoist casually offered a word of comfort, then rose to bid farewell, a trace of excitement visible on his face.

Patriarch Extreme Yin did not detain him. After clasping his fist in farewell, he watched the Taoist exit the door and vanish from sight.

He sat back down in his chair without moving, a cold sneer spreading across his face.

When profit was at stake, the other party grew more anxious than he was.

It seemed that choosing to reveal the matter of the Void Heaven Cauldron to this man had not been the wrong move.

That boy Han Li… Where had he hidden himself? To this day, not a trace of his whereabouts could be found.

If not for the fact that he had previously slain those Biyun Gate cultivators, Extreme Yin would have suspected the boy had pulled an escape trick and gone to some other demon beast island.

Now, with time running out, he could only rely on Biyun Gate’s local influence and take things one step at a time.

After weighing the pros and cons in his heart, Extreme Yin let out a long breath. The room fell into absolute silence.

…

Above a certain stretch of sea, a young man of ordinary appearance dressed in a green shirt stood coldly watching several low-level cultivators whose faces had lost all color. Above his head hovered a massive swarm of gold and silver insects, buzzing loudly.

“The Bug Demon!” one middle-aged cultivator among them called out the other’s identity, his expression deathly pale.

Hearing this, the young man let out a few cold chuckles. Without another word, he pointed at the men before him. The insect cloud above roared and surged forward like an overwhelming tide.

Though the low-level cultivators desperately tried to defend themselves with their protective magical tools, the flying insects quickly engulfed them entirely. In a mere moment, they vanished from the world without a trace.

“With such meager cultivation, you thought you could struggle to the death? What delusion,” the young man muttered nonchalantly as he collected the storage pouches they had left behind.

Then, casting a casual glance in a certain direction, he transformed into a streak of green light and flew away.

Half a minute later, a white light flickered in the air where he had looked, revealing a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a pale face. His expression was extremely sour.

Staring hatefully in the direction the young man had disappeared, he stamped his foot in frustration before flying off in the opposite direction.

…

Half a month later, Han Li finally returned to the small island in the Sea of Fog.

Though several years had passed, everything in his cave dwelling was intact, allowing the worry that had been weighing on his heart to finally settle.

He first rested within the dwelling for a few days, then organized the various rare materials and demon cores he had obtained during his sea voyage, sorting them by category in preparation for future alchemy.

After another ten or so days, when he felt the fatigue in both body and mind had been washed away, Han Li gathered all his materials and entered the alchemy chamber.

Recalling the last batch of pills he had refined in his Heaven Star City cave dwelling years ago, he sensed that his alchemy skill had reached a certain bottleneck. It seemed that with just a little more effort, he could step into an entirely different state of pill refinement.

Thus, Han Li had no intention of immediately using the level-six and level-seven demon cores. Instead, he first took out a batch of level-five demon cores and placed them on the ground beside him.

In his estimation, though his natural talent for alchemy was quite ordinary, his skill was not far off from that of a master alchemist.

After all, no one else had been as extravagant as he in using so many demon cores for hands-on practice.

And the way of alchemy depended most heavily on experience and proficiency.

With this in mind, he decided to first warm up with the level-five demon cores, to see if he could truly break through to a new realm in the art.

Harboring this thought, Han Li gazed at the furnace before him. With a gesture, a level-five demon core flew up of its own accord and settled above the cauldron as the lid slid aside on its own.

(Heh heh. Finally managed to finish a chapter. Now on to the next one. A new week has begun—I hope everyone will support me with a few recommendation votes!)

(End of this chapter)