Chapter 1263: Returning to the Island
During these past few decades, Han Li would consume Dragon Scale Fruits, which he had prepared in his storage pouch in advance, at regular intervals. As such his strength had exceeded the upper limit of human cultivators a long time ago.
He had planted the Dragon Scale Fruit in the Devilfall Valley, and it was among the spirit medicines that the humanoid puppet had begun to deliver to the spatial pocket.
However, Han Li was didn't consume one of these fruits every single day. Instead, he had one every half a month. The medicinal effect of the fruit wasn't very strong, but if he didn't absorb the medicinal effect in time, it would slowly build up within his body. If this trend were to continue for several decades, his body wouldn't be able to handle the backlash, even though he had mastered the third layer of Brightjade Arts.
The Golden Wyrm King was only able to consume one Dragon Scale Fruit per day as wyrms possessed far more powerful bodies than normal demon beasts.
Due to the fact that Han Li had spent most of his time in seclusion preparing for a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage, he wasn't able to dedicate much time to refining this fruit; only around a dozen years or so. After that, he stopped and began to focus wholeheartedly on cultivating his Azure Essence Sword Art instead.
Prior to arriving at the Five Dragon Seas on this occasion, Han Li had deliberately filled an entire storage pouch with ripe Dragon Scale Fruits.
As such, he had a steady supply of this fruit during his journey throughout the human world in the past few decades, and he was able to cultivate the Bone Tempering Art that he had unintentionally obtained, thereby allowing him to refine the medicinal effect of these fruits.
As a result, Han Li was astonished to find that the Dragon Scale Fruits and the Bone Tempering Art created an extraordinarily effective combination. The Bone Tempering Art had initially to be quite difficult to cultivate, but with the assistance of the Dragon Scale Fruits, Han Li was able to make rapid progress, mastering several layers during the short span of a few decades.
If he were to inspect his internal condition now, he would find that not only had his bones become noticeably thicker, they had also taken on a faint golden hue, similar to the color of his skin when he activated his Brightjade Arts.
In terms of strength, he was now able to easily lift massive rocks that weighed several tons without using any magic power.
What came as even more of a pleasant surprise to Han Li was that consumption of Dragon Scale Fruits also seemed to be quite conducive to the cultivation of the Brightjade Art. As such, as he was cultivating the Bone Tempering Art, he mastered the fourth layer of the Brightjade Art as well.
Due to this observation, he speculated that the Bone Tempering Art most likely really was somehow related to the Sacred Provenance Plate; perhaps it had even been created based on the Brightjade Art.
Otherwise, this cultivation art wouldn't act in such a complementary manner with the Brightjade Art.
After mastering the fourth layer of the Brightjade Art, he was able to cultivate several of its accompanying Buddhist secret techniques. When used in conjunction with the Brightjade Art, these secret techniques were extraordinarily powerful, and further contributed to enhancing his combat prowess.
While consuming the Dragon Scale Fruits, he would always conceal the Heavenvoid Cauldron temporarily to prevent the Endless Sky Beast from discovering this secret.
Otherwise, it would be very suspicious if he were able to bring out Dragon Scale Fruits on a regular basis.
"So once full mastery of the Divine Essencefused Light is achieved, it becomes grey. That's rather strange. I thought that it would become five-colored light. Now that you've achieved full mastery of the Divine Essencefused Light, I can use its five-elemental power to subdue five-elemental treasures. As your cultivation base continues to improve, as will the power of your Divine Essencefused Light, so there won't be any need to specifically cultivate it. This is quite a rare ability and even cultivators of a higher level will find it quite difficult to handle this power," the small child suddenly remarked.
"I didn't think that the Divine Essencefused Light would turn into such a monotonous color, either. While I was cultivating it in the past, it did indeed produce five-colored light, and it only changed into this color after I reached full mastery." Han Li was also stroking his chin with a rather perplexed look on his face.
He had been wondering about this for a long time, yet never articulated this internal query. Now that the small child was raising this question, his own confusion also rose to the surface.
"Hehe, this cultivation method was created by a cultivator of this world, so it's not really surprising that it can undergo some strange transformations," the small child said with a nonchalant chuckle.
"That's true. As long as the power of this Divine Esencefused Light isn't hampered in any way, it doesn't really matter that it's color has changed." Han Li nodded with a smile in agreement.
"Hehe, that's the best way to think about it. Looks like you're really planning to ascend to the Spirit Realm soon, Brother Han. In that case, I won't be returning to the Five Dragon Seas with you. Let's part ways here." As soon as the small child's voice trailed off, a ball of azure light shot forth from within Han Li's sleeve, revealing itself to be none other than his Heavenvoid Cauldron.
A crisp ringing sound erupted from the cauldron, following which the lid was lifted slightly. A burst of grey Qi flew out, transforming into a small child that was several feet tall.
"You can already leave the Heavenvoid Cauldron? I thought you'd still require some more time." Han Li was rather surprised to see this.
"I've been working on the restriction that's bound me this entire time as well, so the remnants of the restriction is no longer enough to confine me," the small child replied.
Han Li recomposed his surprised expression before asking, "I see. Are you planning to stay here, Fellow Daoist Endless Sky? Why don't you go back to the Heaventide Prairies or go somewhere else? This continent is actually nothing more than a massive island, so it really can't compare to other places with cultivation foundations."
"I'm just an avatar of my true body in the Spirit Realm, so there's no need for me to cultivate too quickly; cultivation resources are completely pointless to me right now. I've decided to stay here on this continent because I've discovered the aura of one of my brethren recently. Even though their bloodline isn't very pure, I've still decided to grace them with my presence," the small child explained calmly.
Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before a smile appeared on his face, and he said, "I see. I must congratulate you then, Fellow Daoist."
"Haha, I didn't think that I would encounter one of my brethren here in this human world. In this case, I won't accompany you on your journey any longer, Fellow Daoist Han. I'll be taking my leave now."The small child cupped his fist in a salute before transforming into a burst of greyish-white Qi and disappearing into the distance.
He had left without so much a single trace of hesitation.
Han Li was rooted to the spot for a long while as he gazed into distance in the direction that the demonic Qi had disappeared in.
After a long while, Han Li murmured to himself, "With this demon beast here, this continent's peaceful days are most likely over. That doesn't have anything to do with me, though."
After that, he also disappeared into the distance as a streak of azure light.
Two years later, a streak of azure light flew over the misty seas of the Five Dragon Seas, disappearing into the mist in the blink of an eye.
When Han Li appeared in the sky above the island, around a dozen or so cultivators immediately emerged to meet him.
Han Li faltered slightly as a cold light flashed through his eyes, but his expression immediately eased at the sight of a familiar lithe and graceful figure.
"You've finally come back, Han Li." The alluring figure flew toward Han Li, reaching him in the blink of an eye as she appraised him with a smile so beautiful that everything in this world paled in comparison.
"Why are you here on this island, Wan'er? I wasn't planning to make a trip to the Scattered Star Seas soon."
This person was none other than his Dao Companion, Nangong Wan.
"I was concerned about the spatial node, so I came to have a look. I've been waiting here for several decades now!" Nangong Wan replied with a smile.
"Several decades? Sounds like you arrived not long after I left," Han Li chuckled.
"That does appear to be the case. I also met Fellow Daoist Phoenix." Nangong Wan also chuckled with an amused expression.
"You met her already?" Han Li was rather surprised to hear this.
"Of course I have. Not only that, but we've become really close friends in the past few decades," Nangong Wan replied with a cunning smile.
Han Li was a little speechless upon hearing this.
Nangong Wan glanced around them before suggesting, "Let's go and talk on the island."
Han Li naturally wouldn't object to this and he nodded in response. Thus, they flew toward a pavilion on the island along with the group of cultivators that had emerged to greet him.
As soon as the two of them took a seat in the hall of the pavilion, Nangong Wan dismissed all of the other cultivators, allowing only Tian Qin'er to remain behind.
"Qin'er, how is your Dragon Cry Physique?" Han Li asked.
"Thank you for your guidance for these past years, Master. Fellow Daoist Phoenix bestowed a few drops of glacial essence upon me, so my physique has been completely cured. I'm now preparing to progress to the Nascent Soul Stage," Tian Qin'er replied with a grateful expression.
"That's good to hear. Looks like the efforts I expended won't be in vain, after all." A joyful smile appeared on Han Li's face in response.
"Qin'er, go and invite Fellow Daoist Phoenix here. Tell her that your master has returned, and that we have pressing matters to discuss with her," Nangong Wan instructed in a warm voice.
"Yes!" Tian Qin'er immediately nodded before departing from the pavilion.
A hint of surprise flashed through Han Li's eyes, and even though he didn't say anything, he immediately aimed an inquisitive glance toward Nangong Wan following Tian Qin'er's departure.
"I heard that you've been searching for ways to minimize the hazards involved in entering the spatial node; have you found anything?" Nangong Wan suddenly asked.
"My search wasn't entirely fruitless, but the items that I found are rather disappointing." Han Li shook his head with a slightly dejected look.
Nangong Wan's brows furrowed slightly as she said, "Looks like you'll have to join forces with Fellow Daoist Phoenix to ensure the best chance of success, then. There's no need for you to be overly concerned. After all, you possess two Divine Spirit Treasures and you've achieved full mastery of the Divine Essencefused Light. No ordinary cultivator can compare to you. I also have a treasure with powerful defensive properties with me here for you to take on your journey."
"What kind of treasure could this be?" A rather peculiar look appeared on Han Li's face.
Nangong Wan smiled and was just about to say something when she suddenly closed her mouth.
Moments later, the sound of footsteps rang out from outside the hall, following which a silver-robed woman strode in.
She was none other than that Ice Phoenix!
Nangong Wan immediately rose to her feet upon seeing her, and a faint smile appeared on her face as she said, "Please take a seat, Fellow Daoist Phoenix. My Dao Companion and I were just discussing your joint venture into the spatial node."