A Name Shakes the Realm — Promise and Departure

Chapter 656: A Name Shakes the Realm — Promise and Departure

Faced with something that could easily destroy even a Nascent Soul's nascent soul, Han Li dared not be careless. Several methods for refining the demonic flame surfaced in his mind, but he ultimately settled on a secret technique from the Extreme Yin Scripture, judging it the safest course.

Having made his decision, Han Li gazed intently at the golden globe for a while before extending a finger and tapping the air calmly.

A crackling sound rang out as a fine electric arc leapt from his fingertip, striking the golden globe within the box.

The globe shuddered several times, flared with brilliant light, then, drawn by the arc, floated up from the box and rose to hover high in the center of the sealed room.

Seated cross-legged below, Han Li looked up at the golden orb, his eyes narrowing slightly. His ten fingers danced and shifted, forming several complex hand seals.

Dense, pale-golden arcs of lightning, accompanied by rumbling thunder, flickered and burst forth, weaving an impenetrable net roughly three meters wide that completely enveloped the orb, trapping it within as if poised to strike.

Only then did Han Li let out a breath. He then sent a mental command, connecting with the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning that had been encasing the outer layer of icy flame.

A sharp whistle erupted. The surface of the golden globe blazed blindingly as fine golden arcs leaped and bounced, finally releasing their hold on the orb. Within the net of lightning, a deep-blue pearl appeared—crystal clear, translucent, and spinning rapidly.

Staring at the Dry Azure Ice Pearl, Han Li held his breath. He had personally witnessed the power of the icy flame it had transformed into back then, and the memory still filled him with lingering dread.

Now that the pearl had revealed its true form, Han Li wasted no time. He opened his mouth, and a cyan flying sword shot forth. At the same time, he brought his hands together, then pulled them apart.

A thick bolt of golden lightning arced between his palms, striking the ice pearl simultaneously with the cyan light.

A crisp crack rang out. The ice pearl, flickering between light and shadow, abruptly transformed into a ball of blue flame. It expanded and contracted, then condensed into a beautiful, fist-sized blue lotus, its crystal-clear, shimmering petals slowly unfurling.

At the same time, a loud hissing sound arose. A layer of blue-white frost spread unnaturally thick along the walls and floor, advancing rapidly.

In an instant, the room became bitterly cold, like a world of ice.

But Han Li had prepared for this. Though his expression turned serious, he was not flustered. A flash of cyan light enveloped him as a thick protective barrier shielded him completely. With his current Nascent Soul-stage cultivation, these cold energies, while formidable, were no threat as long as he wasn't directly struck by the icy flame itself. The protective light was more than sufficient to keep him safe.

Seeing the pale-blue cold air blocked by the cyan light, Han Li felt reassured. Without hesitation, he pointed at the sky. The net formed from the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning flickered and contracted, slowly enclosing the flame within it.

Golden light and blue radiance flashed repeatedly. The form of the blue lotus shifted, reverting to a ball of flame as it struggled desperately against the shrinking, pressing golden net.

Watching the now-restrained Dry Azure Ice Flame, Han Li took a deep breath. With a thought, a thunderclap sounded. A small gap opened in the golden net, then sealed shut again in an instant. But in that fleeting moment, a wisp of blue flame, as fine as a thread, slipped through and shot straight toward Han Li with uncanny intelligence.

Han Li showed no expression. He simply formed a hand seal and closed his eyes.

Azure energy surged from his crown, and within the glow, a tiny, inch-tall infant suddenly appeared. Han Li had performed Nascent Soul Out-of-Body at this very moment.

The infant's face was taut. The moment it emerged, its eyes locked onto the approaching blue flame. It rubbed its tiny, chubby hands together, then raised them.

Two blinding beams of cyan light shot forth. At the same time, the infant opened its mouth and spat out another fist-sized ball of light. Three streams of cyan light converged on the wisp of blue flame.

Cyan and blue flashed once. The blue flame was instantly enveloped by the cyan light. It struggled frantically within its prison, trying to break free, but it was too fine a wisp. Even as the cyan light began to dissolve and erode where it touched, the flame remained tightly trapped, unable to escape for the moment.

Seeing this, a hint of a smile appeared on the infant's small face. It waved a tiny hand toward the ball of light formed from its own true essence, and the orb, carrying the wisp of blue flame, flew back before it.

It stared intently at the thing so close to its face, a look of hesitation and fear flickering across its features. But after a moment's pause, a sharp glint flashed in its eyes. It grabbed the cyan orb, and without a second thought, stuffed it into its mouth.

It swallowed the cyan light, along with the blue flame, in a single gulp!

Its body then flickered with cyan light, and the infant vanished from the crown, returning within.

Han Li's closed eyes trembled slightly, but his face showed no unusual expression; he seemed as calm as if he were asleep. But inside his body, the infant sat cross-legged in his dantian, its hands forming a seal, its tiny face solemn.

...

A month later, Han Li finally emerged from the sealed room, his expression somewhat grim.

That Dry Azure Ice Flame was truly fearsome. Even that single wisp had taken him this long to barely refine. But the flame was excessively cold and yin-natured; it would take another year or so of internal cultivation before he could truly control it. To prevent any accidents, he dared not rashly refine more of the Dry Azure Ice Flame for the time being.

As for refining the flame, he had received no indication that it would allow him to open the Void Heaven Cauldron. It seemed that the amount he had refined was simply too small.

The reason Han Li had come out of seclusion now, rather than continuing to cultivate behind closed doors, was to visit the silver-haired elder and his companion. He wanted to see if they knew anything about "Geng Essence."

Furthermore, he planned to take his leave of the Falling Cloud Sect for a time and travel to Yuanwu Nation.

He intended to take this opportunity to settle the matter he had once promised Xin Ruyin.

After all, with his current cultivation, exterminating a single cultivation clan should be within his power without much trouble.

Speaking of connections, the Fu Clan of Yuanwu Nation and the Fu Clan of the Hundred Artifice Institute were distantly related. It was said that the Yuanwu Fu Clan was a collateral branch of the Hundred Artifice Fu Clan.

However, over time, the two branches had drifted apart. By the time Yuanwu Nation fell into the hands of the demonic path, the Fu Clan, as a top-tier family of the nation, had not hesitated to join the demonic camp. This greatly displeased the main branch of the Fu Clan, which was a member of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. The two sides had completely severed ties.

This made Han Li even more at ease. Although Yuanwu Nation was now under the rule of the demonic path, with his Nascent Soul-stage abilities, how many cultivators in the nation could possibly harm him?

As he left his cave, Han Li glanced at the branch cave on Zi Peak. His divine sense swept through, and he saw Mu Peiling in quiet seclusion within a stone chamber, her face faintly glowing with spiritual light, her cultivation noticeably more advanced than before.

Han Li nodded to himself, not disturbing her. He departed silently, heading straight for the main peak of the Falling Cloud Sect.

...

Half a day later, Han Li left the silver-haired elder's cave with some disappointment.

He had not obtained any definite news about "Geng Essence" from him. However, the elder had told him that in two years, Yu Nation, one of the Nine Nations Alliance, would host a grand trading fair, said to be the greatest in the Heavenly South.

At this fair, the rarest treasures from across the Heavenly South would appear, and nearly half of the Nascent Soul cultivators in the region would be present. After all, at their level, these elders needed items of exceptional rarity that ordinary materials and spiritual medicines could hardly satisfy. This fair was their only chance to trade with one another.

The reason Yu Nation was chosen was that the Nine Nations Alliance was a neutral power. Constantly facing the threat of the Moulan Dharma Warriors, they posed no threat to the other three major powers. There was little fear of ulterior motives, allowing attending cultivators to participate without too many concerns.

For now, Han Li could only hope that the "Geng Essence" he sought would appear at this fair. Otherwise, he truly had no idea how he would ever complete the Great Geng Sword Formation.

Would he really have to go to the legendary "Great Jin Empire"? That seemed far too distant.

After inquiring about Geng Essence, Han Li did not reveal his destination. He simply told the silver-haired elder that, having completed the condensation of his Nascent Soul, he planned to travel for a while and was taking this opportunity to bid farewell.

Hearing this, the silver-haired elder harbored no suspicion. He merely offered a brief explanation of the power dynamics between the various nations, mentioned a few notable Nascent Soul cultivators to be aware of, and warned of a few ancient monsters that absolutely should not be provoked.

The "Heaven-Hating Old Monster" that Han Li had once heard of was among them.

Han Li, somewhat curious about these cultivators, committed the information to memory, expressed his thanks, and took his leave.

Early the next morning, Han Li packed several important items, thoroughly sealed his cave with a great formation, and left Cloud Dream Mountain alone, flying straight toward Yuanwu Nation.

...

The Fu Clan of Yuanwu Nation was a household name, one of the nation's three great families.

When the demonic path had invaded over a century ago, the clan had offered no resistance, immediately pledging allegiance to the Blazing Flame Sect, one of the Six Great Demonic Sects. Thus, the Fu Clan had suffered no losses in that great catastrophe. On the contrary, they had used the opportunity to boost their influence, surpassing the other two families to become the foremost clan in Yuanwu Nation.

Over the past century, the Fu Clan had frequently sent their own children to join the Blazing Flame Sect, and had married off several of their most talented female clan members to high-ranking figures in the sect as concubines. This had firmly secured their position as a client of the Blazing Flame Sect. With the backing of the demonic sect that dominated Yuanwu Nation, the Fu Clan had flourished, enjoying a century of unprecedented prosperity.