Chapter 1967: Refinement Technique
Han Li meditated for over two months, and when he reopened his eyes, not only had all of the potentially harmful medicinal effects been completely refined, his magic power and spiritual sense had both recovered to their peaks.
Only now was Han Li truly feeling relaxed.
In his current state, even if Yuan Cha were to track him down again, he would be confident in his own ability to face her in battle.
After awakening from his meditation, Han Li paused momentarily before flipping a hand over to produce a white wooden box and a blue jade vial.
Golden light flashed from his hand, and the white wooden box was immediately enveloped in a layer of golden light, then rose up into the air on its own.
Han Li then cast his gaze toward the blue jade vial, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.
"I've heard many extraordinary things about this Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, but I didn't think I'd be able to obtain it someday. If I can refine it, my breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage will virtually be guaranteed," Han Li murmured to himself before flicking a finger toward the lid of the jade vial.
The lid of the vial flew off on its own, and a ball of light emerged from within the vial before rising up into the air.
Han Li's expression darkened slightly as his hand immediately shot forth before making a grabbing motion, releasing a burst of enormous invisible force that encompassed the entire cave.
He pulled his hand back toward himself, and the ball of azure light tremored before being forcibly drawn into his grasp.
Han Li cast his gaze down toward the ball of azure light and began to carefully appraise it through narrowed eyes.
Within the azure light were two pea-sized specks of light, one black and one white.
Blue light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and the two specks of light that were originally slightly blurry immediately became clearer to him.
However, in the instant that he got a clear look at the two specks of light, he immediately shuddered as a blank look appeared on his face, and he was completely rooted to the spot.
After a long while, a conflicted look suddenly appeared on Han Li's face, and he gritted his before throwing up a mouthful of blood while abruptly falling backward.
"What a powerful illusion of reincarnation! This Chaotic Yin Yang Qi really is just as fearsome as the legends proclaim it to be. If it weren't for the fact that I managed to snap back to reality at the final moment, I would've completely lost myself for eternity within the worlds formed by the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi," Han Li murmured to himself with a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.
In the instant that he had used his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to appraise the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, he was drawn in by the essential power imbued within it and plunged into countless illusionary worlds, unable to return to reality.
Thankfully, he had foreseen this in advance, and planted a burst of energy within himself that would self-detonate at a set time to forcibly awaken him. Otherwise, he would've most likely sat here in a stupor until the day he died.
The ordeal was naturally a very alarming one for Han Li, but at the same time, it confirmed to him that this was indeed Chaotic Yin Yang Qi and couldn't be anything else. If he could refine this Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, then a breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage would be all but guaranteed.
However, prior to that, he had to pay another visit to the two old devils in the Devil Sealing Lock.
With that in mind, he suddenly pointed a finger at the azure ball of light, and a dull thunderclap rang out as a thin golden arc of lightning shot forth from his fingertip. The arc of lightning plunged into the azure ball of light in a flash, then immediately shot back. The black and white specks of light within the azure light remained completely unmoved, and it was as if nothing had ever happened.
However, a content look appeared on Han Li's face, and he pointed a finger at the blue jade vial, upon which the vial expelled a burst of white light that swept up the ball of azure light before drawing it into the vial.
Han Li swept a sleeve through the air to stow the jade vial away, then turned his attention to the wooden box that was hovering in mid-air. He opened his mouth to expel a string of beads, then laid a hand onto the top of his own head before slowly closing his eyes.
A short while later, spatial fluctuations erupted within a certain mysterious space, and Han Li's spiritual sense clone appeared high up in the air.
He inspected his surroundings, and his brows furrowed slightly upon discovering that he had found himself in a world of snow and ice.
Before he had a chance to do anything, spatial fluctuations erupted nearby, and two humanoid figures emerged in unison.
These were none other than Feng Xie and Che Qigong.
The two seemed to be very elated to see Han Li, and Feng Xie chortled as he asked, "What took you so long, Fellow Daoist Han? Brother Che and I were worried that you had landed yourself in some deep trouble."
"I was going to come and meet you much earlier than this, but during this past year, I was constantly being hunted by some powerful enemies, and only just managed to escape from them," Han Li explained with a smile.
"Seeing as you're here, I assume that you're safe now; I must congratulate you, Fellow Daoist Han. Did you manage to obtain the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi?" Che Qigong asked with an expectant yet slightly nervous look in his eyes.
"I'm sure the two of you are more aware than I am of whether any Chaotic Yin Yang Qi has gone missing in the Devil Sealing Lock," Han Li replied as he raised an eyebrow.
Not only were Che Qigong and Feng Xie not enraged by this response, both of them were ecstatic to hear Han Li's answer.
"Hehe, we did indeed sense a disturbance in the Devil Sealing Lock not long after we last parted ways, but we've been trapped in here and affected by the restrictions in this treasure, so we only had a vague sense of this disturbance. As such, we still require confirmation from you. Judging from what you said, is it safe to assume that you've already obtained the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi?" Feng Xie was suddenly speaking to Han Li in a far more polite manner than in the past.
"I encountered some mishaps during the process, but I have indeed already extracted the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. Isn't it about time you disclosed the refinement method to me now?" Han Li asked.
"There's no hurry. The two of us have full trust in you, but shouldn't you show us some proof that you've managed to extract the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi?" Che Qigong asked in a cautious manner.
Feng Xie also nodded in support of Che Qigong's words.
"I thought you'd ask that." Han Li had anticipated such a request, and he abruptly rubbed his hands together, then thrust them toward Feng Xie and Che Qigong. An arc of golden lightning erupted out of the palm of each hand, and they hurtled directly toward the pair of old devils.
The two devils' hearts stirred upon seeing this, and one of them made a grabbing motion, while the other opened his mouth wide.
Thus, one of the golden arcs of lightning was caught by Feng Xie, while the other was devoured by Che Qigong.
Both of them closed their eyes and directed their spiritual sense toward their respective arc of lightning, and Han Li merely waited in silence with his arms crossed.
After just the span of a few breaths, Feng Xie and Che Qigong opened theirs almost in unison, and content looks appeared on both of their faces.
"There's no mistaking it; the aura is very feeble, but it definitely is the aura of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. Now that we've confirmed that, let's discuss the terms of our collaboration," Feng Xie said as an excited look reappeared on his face.
In contrast, Han Li's expression darkened upon hearing this, and he asked in a cold voice, "Didn't you agree to give me the refinement method for half of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi? Have you changed your mind?"
"Not at all, Fellow Daoist Han. The original terms of our agreement naturally won't change, but further consideration must be taken when deciding how exactly we're going to facilitate the exchange. Otherwise, how will we decide whether we should hand over the refinement method first or if you should give us the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi first?" Che Qigong chuckled.
"I see. We're all bound by vows, but in the face of such an important treasure, vows of this nature are indeed rather lacking in gravity," Han Li said as his expression eased slightly.
"Indeed, and that's why Fellow Daoist Feng and I have thought of a way to facilitate the exchange that should be satisfactory for both sides; would you like to hear it, Fellow Daoist Han?" Che Qigong asked.
"Sure, go ahead," Han Li replied in an indifferent manner.
"It's actually very simple; we'll split the exchange process into several parts. We'll give a part of the refinement method first, and if you find it to be genuine, you can give us part of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi that you promised to us. After that, we'll continue to give you parts of the refinement method in exchange for portions of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. At the end of this process, there will only be a tiny amount of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi you'd still owe us, and I'm sure you wouldn't be willing to incur the risk of backlash from inner demons over such a small amount of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. Similarly, we wouldn't be willing to relinquish that final portion of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi just to withhold the final section of the refinement method, either," Feng Xie proposed.
Han Li remained silent upon hearing this, but the contemplative look in his eyes indicated that he was clearly carefully considering this proposal.
The two devils were confident that Han Li would agree, but they still couldn't help but grow a little nervous. However, both of them were beings who had lived for countless years, and they were more than capable of maintaining poker faces as they awaited a decision from Han Li.
"That's a good idea. We'll do as you say," Han Li finally decided.
Feng Xie was ecstatic, and he immediately replied, "Hehe, you've definitely made a wise decision, Fellow Daoist Han. Let's begin our exchange right away; this is the first section of the refinement method. If you see no problems with it, then you must hand over the first portion of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi to us within three days. If you're unable to do so in time, then we'll be giving up on this exchange. If that happens, not only will you have to suffer backlash from your inner demons, you'll also have no way of ever refining the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi."