Fame Spreads Far, Refining the Flame

Chapter 763: Fame Spreads Far, Refining the Flame

With only the two of them on the road, Han Li and the woman surnamed Song naturally had little to say to each other at first.

But when the distant silhouette of Heaven Star City came into view, she hesitated within her遁光 (escape light) and suddenly asked a question.

"Uncle-Master Han. From ancient times until now, no one knows how many Nascent Soul elders have entered the Fallen Devil Valley and never returned alive. As mere Core Formation cultivators, do we truly have a chance of finding the spirit fruit and getting out safely?"

Hearing this, Han Li was somewhat surprised. The azure light around him flickered as he slowed his遁速 (flight speed). He turned his head and glanced at the woman with a hint of curiosity.

That she would ask such a question at this moment was rather unexpected.

But after a moment of silent deliberation, he answered in a flat tone:

"In terms of pure technique and cultivation level, you are naturally far inferior to the treasure-seeking cultivators who entered the valley before you. Your chances of survival in a dangerous situation are much smaller than theirs. That's only normal. However, the reason most of those cultivators fell in the valley was, in nine cases out of ten, due to greed. Otherwise, with so many Nascent Soul cultivators entering the valley, it would be impossible for none of them to safely obtain one or two treasures. Most of them were moved by greed. Once they got one treasure, they wanted another. Or else they were determined to find a spiritual medicine that could extend their lifespan or allow them to break through a bottleneck in a short time. By venturing into one dangerous area after another, an accident was only a matter of time."

"According to what you say, Uncle-Master, our chances are still nine deaths to one life, even if we enter?" The woman surnamed Song frowned, growing somewhat忧心忡忡 (anxious).

"Without a method of entering the valley and a relatively safe route, it is indeed more than a matter of nine deaths and one life. Aside from a single individual, Old Man Cang Kun, how many other cultivators have managed to walk out of that valley? Without those two conditions, I myself would never consider entering the Fallen Devil Valley. Otherwise, it wouldn't be treasure-seeking; it would be suicide. You and your companions have lower cultivation, but as long as you don't act out of greed, and first ascertain the exact location of the Spirit Candle Fruit, then head straight for it upon entering the valley, you have a chance of succeeding, provided your luck isn't too poor. Of course, since the Fallen Devil Valley is reputed to be the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South, no matter how thorough your preparations, you must still be prepared to die within it. If the Spirit Candle Fruit were so easy to obtain, the Ghost Spirit Sect, who has known about it for the same length of time, wouldn't have waited until now to act. Their current decision to enter the valley to seek the treasure is most likely due to the fact that Nan Long Hou has also obtained a method of entry. Fearing that he might sweep all the valley's treasures out from under them, they are forced to take the risk. I suspect their method of entry is not without considerable peril." After hesitating for a moment, Han Li voiced his own conjectures.

"Since Uncle-Master suspects the Ghost Spirit Sect's method of entry is flawed, why didn't you just…" the woman surnamed Song said, her beautiful eyes flashing with surprise.

"Why didn't I say so earlier, in front of Zi Ling and the others? Do you think I had some other motive?" Han Li's lips curled into a faint smile.

"I wouldn't dare! I had no intention of doubting you, Uncle-Master," the woman surnamed Song said, startled, quickly offering a defense.

"Relax. It's only natural for you to be suspicious. However, the reason I didn't say these things earlier wasn't out of malice. If I had said them at that moment, it might have been useful for you and Mei Ning. But for Zi Ling, it probably wouldn't have had much effect. You see, while the Genesis Pill is extremely precious, it would be somewhat of a waste for a Core Formation cultivator. Setting Mei Ning aside, taking the pill would give her a great chance of entering the Core Formation stage. For her, it's worth the gamble. After entering Core Formation, her lifespan would increase by several hundred years. But you and Zi Ling are only at the early Core Formation stage, and both of you have extraordinary aptitudes. Even without the pill, you would most likely be able to safely break through the bottleneck and reach the mid-Core Formation stage. Taking the pill would merely save you a hundred years of struggling with a bottleneck. On one hand, you save a hundred years of cultivation time; on the other, you risk venturing into the Fallen Devil Valley, a life-and-death gamble. How one chooses is entirely a personal decision. I don't know what you would choose. But Zi Ling, for the sake of that hundred years, will most likely take the risk and enter the valley. She has no intention of remaining a mere Core Formation cultivator. Being able to save a hundred years of bitter cultivation would greatly increase her chances of entering the Nascent Soul stage." A meaningful expression appeared on Han Li's face as he spoke.

"Uncle-Master means… Fellow Daoist Zi Ling has a firm resolve and is set on becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator? So, no matter the danger, she will enter the valley and gamble everything?" the woman surnamed Song murmured, a strange look flickering across her face.

"Exactly. That's the gist of it. Zi Ling's life experience is somewhat different from yours and Mei Ning's. She has been coerced by powerful cultivators on several occasions, and even the sect her mother left to her was seized by other forces. Though she escaped and has never spoken of it again, I can sense, even if faintly, that her desire for strength is far stronger than most people's." Han Li raised his head to gaze at the distant, reddish evening glow, a sense of recollection in his voice.

Then, under the startled gaze of the woman surnamed Song, Han Li seemed to be in a talkative mood. After a brief pause, he continued.

"If the Spirit Candle Fruit truly exists in the valley, I would most likely take the gamble as well. At the Nascent Soul stage, advancing even a single level is incredibly difficult. If I don't seize this opportunity, I might remain trapped at the early Nascent Soul stage for the rest of my life. But before a trip to the Fallen Devil Valley is absolutely necessary, I don't want to belabor the point with useless words. When the time truly comes for us to enter the valley, I will naturally re-emphasize the dangers of this journey and point out the possible flaws in the Ghost Spirit Sect's method of entry. However, all of this is just my speculation. It's entirely possible that the Ghost Spirit Sect has already studied the entry method far more thoroughly than Old Man Cang Kun. That is one of the reasons I didn't voice my suspicions immediately."

Upon hearing this, the woman surnamed Song fell silent, but a look of comprehension appeared in her bright eyes.

"Alright, I hadn't intended to tell you these things now. But since you asked, I've explained a little. Now that you've arrived at Heaven Star City, your primary task is to ensure you don't die in the upcoming great war. That is the most pressing matter. If your luck is bad and you fall in the battle, then there will be no need to worry about the Fallen Devil Valley. I am the same. Once I return to Heaven Star City, I will put this matter aside and not concern myself with it again." After saying this, a trace of self-mockery appeared at the corner of Han Li's mouth.

"Thank you for the guidance, Uncle-Master!" The woman surnamed Song felt a chill in her heart and, performing a formal bow, expressed her thanks.

"It's hardly worthy of being called guidance. Even if I hadn't said it, a little thought on your part would have made it clear. Enough, let's enter the city. It's getting late." Han Li waved his hand, his expression indifferent.

"Yes, Uncle-Master!"

The azure escape light once again shot forward at full speed, flying straight towards the city gate.

…

Several days later, in a secret chamber within the Falling Cloud Sect's compound at Heaven Star City, Han Li sat cross-legged in the center. The room was heavily sealed with layer upon layer of restrictions. He held a massive sword, half a Zhang in length, and stared at it with knitted brows.

Burning on the sword was a strange flame of purple and azure, the two colors intertwined. This was none other than Han Li's Violet Luo Extreme Flame and that eerie azure lamp flame.

Since returning from Zi Ling's place that day, Han Li had spent the following days being dragged around by Lu Luo to meet with various Nascent Soul cultivators who were on good terms with the Falling Cloud Sect.

In the past, meeting a single cultivator of this rank would have been a difficult task. But in the short space of a few days, Han Li had met over a dozen. It was a rare experience.

These cultivators were naturally well aware of Han Li's reputation and did not dare to be negligent. They got along quite well with him. He even found a few of them to be quite congenial.

But once those days were over, Han Li immediately found this quiet chamber and began to deal with the aftermath of his battle on Yellow Dragon Mountain. The problem was this azure flame that stubbornly burned on the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.

The only reason the flame had not harmed the sword was the balancing and suppressing power of the Violet Luo Heavenly Flame.

This azure lamp flame was a strange demonic fire, its power actually no less than Han Li's own Violet Luo Heavenly Flame. Although Han Li had managed to barely suppress it by overwhelming it with volume, how to refine it was a real headache.

If this flame was not removed, not only could he not use the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, but he would also be unable to easily use the Dry Azure Ice Flame or the Violet Luo Heavenly Flame to attack.

This was something Han Li could not tolerate.

Now, with a flickering gaze fixed on the sword, he pondered for a long moment.

After a while, he tossed the massive sword in his hand into the air. With a flick of his wrist, he shot a streak of azure spell formation energy at it.

The massive sword circled once high above the secret chamber, then let out a humming sound and split into dozens of slender flying swords.

With a thought, Han Li directed most of the flying swords to transform into several dozen streaks of azure light and shoot directly into his body. Only one flying sword remained, slowly descending to hover levelly before his eyes.

Han Li stared at the purple-azure flame on the sword. His eyes narrowed slightly. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and shot a stream of purple flame directly onto the surface of the flying sword.

Instantly, the violet flame on the sword blazed up, pressing down on the smaller amount of azure flame.

Then, under Han Li's urging spell gestures, the surging purple light began to drive the azure flame towards one end of the sword. After a while, he had slowly forced it onto the very tip of the blade, where it condensed into a small, soybean-sized ball of azure light.

Seeing this sight, the expression on Han Li's face only grew more solemn.

He took a deep breath, and his ten fingers began to dance and flicker. Beams of multi-colored spell energy shot out rapidly, striking the sword.

The violet flame on the sword, stimulated by the spell energy, grew even more potent, forming wave after wave of violet flame that bore down fiercely on that small point of azure light.

The azure flame, forced to a foothold at the very tip of the sword, began to flicker unsteadily, as if it might be snuffed out at any moment.

But under the relentless pressure of the violet flame, the small point of azure light began to glow with an increasingly brilliant and dazzling intensity after a short time.

No matter how the violet flame pressed down on it, it remained as if it were a part of the sword tip itself, refusing to be extinguished.

A flash of anxiety crossed Han Li's eyes, and his spell gestures grew even more urgent.

After another long moment, seeing no improvement, Han Li's face fell.

After a brief thought, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He raised one hand and gently shook it.

In an instant, his five fingers and his entire palm were covered in a glaring violet flame.

Then, without any hesitation, Han Li closed his five fingers and reached directly for the small azure flame on the flying sword.