Chapter 184: A Request
As soon as Mo Guang appeared, he looked down at the inky-black elderly man on the ground as he scoffed in an emotionless voice, "How insolent of you to think that low-tier trash like yourself is worthy of signing a heavenly devil contract with him!"
The inky-black elderly was terrified at the sight of Mo Guang, and black light flashed over its body as it attempted to flee by disintegrating into a cloud of devilish qi.
However, Mo Guang wasn't going to allow such a thing to happen, and he instantly extended a hand forward. Black light flashed from his palm, forming a large black net that descended onto the elderly man, enveloping the cloud of devilish qi that the man had transformed into before rapidly contracting.
"No!"
An anguished howl rang out from within the cloud of devilish qi, and it twisted and warped momentarily before reforming into the elderly man's body within the net.
Immediately thereafter, Mo Guang chanted an incantation in an unfamiliar language, and black light flashed within his eyes, following which he opened his mouth before inhaling sharply, and the elderly man reverted back into a cloud of devilish qi that flowed into Mo Guang's mouth along with the black net.
The other half of the heavenly devil's body on the other side of the rift wasn't spared, either, and it was also devoured by Mo Guang as a stream of mist, following which the storage bracelet that it was carrying clattered down onto the ground.
Meanwhile, Han Li had already collected the pair of fiery wheel spirit treasures before returning to his original spot.
Mo Guang's body blurred momentarily before he re-entered Han Li's shadow, and at the same time, his voice rang out within Han Li's mind.
"Please examine the contents of that man's storage treasure for me, Fellow Daoist Han. As a heavenly devil, I'm sure he must have a good collection of Devilish Deed Stones. If I can get my hands on those stones, I'll be able to recover a bit more."
After devouring the other heavenly devil, Mo Guang's voice had become slightly more expressive and wasn't as stiff and wooden as it had been previously.
Han Li swept a sleeve toward the ground upon hearing this, and the black storage bracelet rose up into the air.
Right at this moment, a white shadow flashed past, and the black bracelet abruptly vanished from the spot.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this.
The white shadow drew to a halt not far away, revealing itself to be Bai Suyuan, and she was clutching the black bracelet tightly in both hands.
"Thank you for slaying that devil for me, Senior Li, but this bracelet belongs to our Bai Clan. As a lofty immortal, surely nothing in the possession of our Bai Clan would be of sufficient value to catch your eye," Bai Suyuan said.
Her expression had eased significantly in the wake of the heavenly devil's death, and she was clearly extremely relieved. Furthermore, she wasn't displaying any fear at the sight of Mo Guang.
Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, then said, "Please don't misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Bai. I have no intention of taking anything that rightfully belongs to your Bai Clan. However, that Extrarealm Heavenly Devil most likely had some Devilish Deed Stones in his collection, and those stones are very important to me.
“Please check if there are any such stones present in the storage bracelet, and if there are, I'm willing to purchase them from you with spirit stones."
Bai Suyuan nodded in response as a smile appeared on her face, then directed her spiritual sense into the black bracelet.
Moments later, she flipped a hand over to produce a black stone that had wisps of black mist drifting around it and was giving off a peculiar aura.
"Is this what you're looking for?"
Han Li consulted Mo Guang through their spiritual connection, and after verifying that this was indeed a Devilish Deed Stone, he replied, "That's right. How many of these stones are in there? I'll take them all."
"Hold on, I'll count them now... There are 20 of these stones in the bracelet," Bai Suyuan replied.
"I can offer you 20 top-grade spirit stones for these Devilish Deed Stones. What do you think?" Han Li asked as he flipped a hand over to produce 20 top-grade spirit stones.
To his surprise, Bai Suyuan immediately shook her head and turned down his offer.
"Is the price too low for your liking?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Bai Suyuan shook her head once again as she replied, "That's not the case. I know that there's no way that a True Immortal like yourself would stoop to trying to swindle someone like me. In our Hundred Blessings Nation, a top-grade spirit stones is worth at least 100 high-grade spirit stones, and even back when our Bai Clan was in its heyday, I only received an allowance of no more than three high-grade spirit stones per year, and that was only because I was held in high regard by our patriarch."
"Then what would you like in exchange for those Devilish Deed Stones?" Han Li asked as he stowed his spirit stones away.
"I want you to fulfill a request of mine," Bai Suyuan replied with a mischievous smile.
"A request?" Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this, and he felt as if he were getting to know Bai Suyuan for the first time all over again.
Following the heavenly devil's demise, it was as if she had become a completely different person, as if her quirky and mischievous nature, which had previously been repressed by her stress and desire for vengeance, was only just returning to the fore.
"That's right. As for exactly what the request is, I haven't decided on it yet, but rest assured, my request definitely won't be a dangerous one to fulfill, or beyond the scope of your abilities. I'll only be a small request," Bai Suyuan said with a serious expression.
Han Li contemplated the situation momentarily, then nodded in agreement. "Alright, but I'll only give you three days to think of your request. If you take any longer than that, then the deal's off."
"It's a promise!" Bai Suyuan smiled as she tossed a small pouch at Han Li.
"I've already completed the mission that you requested for me, so I believe it's time you gave me the promised reward," Han Li said as he stowed the pouch away.
"Given what's just happened here, other people are most likely going to arrive on the scene to investigate soon, so let's leave this place first. Rest assured, Senior, if I don't give you your reward for completing the mission, even if you don't come after me, the Transient Guild wouldn't spare me," Bai Suyuan said.
Immediately thereafter, she turned and flew away into the distance as a streak of white light without waiting for a response from Han Li.
Han Li also rose up into the air and followed along behind her.
A short while later, the two of them descended onto a lush mountain several thousand kilometers away from the Grand Loft Mountain.
The environment on the mountain was quite peaceful, and there was also a quaint river at the foot of the mountain, presenting a captivating sight to behold.
On the mountain was a grave, complete with an old tombstone with some text engraved upon it. The text had already become quite indistinct from age and natural wear, but the initial Bai character could still be made out.
Bai Suyuan descended onto the ground in front of the grave, and a film of tears appeared in her eyes at the sight of the tombstone as she sank to her knees.
"That devilish creature is finally dead, Grandpa. Your soul can rest now..." Bai Suyuan sobbed as her thin and delicate shoulders trembled.
Han Li waited patiently as Bai Suyuan paid her respects at her grandfather's grave, turning to look away from the grave in order to give her some privacy.
Bai Suyuan's sobs continued to ring out from behind him, and only after a long while did they gradually subside.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Senior Li. I was momentarily overcome with emotions," Bai Suyuan said as she slowly made her way toward Han Li.
"There's nothing to apologize for, Fellow Daoist Bai, you were only displaying normal human emotions. Having said that, as those who remain in the world of the living, we have to remain strong, so don't dwell too much on your grief," Han Li consoled.
The rims of Bai Suyuan's eyes were still a little red, and there were still some tear streaks on her cheeks. Both her expression and her aura indicated that her emotions were completely genuine.
Having seen so much throughout his life, Han Li wasn't moved by her emotional display, but he didn't have a heart of stone, either, so he naturally offered her some words of consolation.
"Thank you, Senior Li," Bai Suyuan sighed as she flipped a hand over to produce a palm-sized azure badge. On one side of the badge was inscribed the characters for "Blaze Dragon", while the visage of a strange dragon with a pair of wings on its back and a single horn on its head was engraved on the other side.
Han Li's eyes lit up slightly as his gaze fell upon the badge.
"This is a Blaze Dragon Token. Seeing as you're not from the Ancient Cloud Continent, you may not be aware of how rigorous the standards are for someone wishing to join the Blaze Dragon Dao. For a start, they must possess exceptional aptitude and have a pure and untarnished background.
“However, this token can allow one to directly enter the Blaze Dragon Dao's inner sect regardless of their aptitude. The ancestor of our Bai Clan was only awarded with this token after making a significant contribution to the Blaze Dragon Dao," Bai Suyuan said as she gently stroked the badge with her fingers.
"I see. This is indeed quite a precious token then," Han Li replied with a nod.
"After my grandfather passed away, I originally planned to join the Blaze Dragon Dao using this token, but I couldn't bear the thought of allowing that heavenly devil to remain at large for the foreseeable future, and that's why I used the token to release this mission instead," Bai Suyuan sighed as she offered the badge to Han Li.
A hint of sympathy flashed through Han Li's eyes, but he still accepted the badge from her.
All of a sudden, Bai Suyuan raised her head as she asked, "Your promise to fulfill a request of mine still counts, right?"
"Have you thought of what you'd like to request from me?" Han Li asked.
"I don't have very strong emotional ties with the rest of the members of the Bai Clan. In fact, most of them hold negative views of me for what happened in the past, so I can't stay here any longer. Even though I no longer have a Blaze Dragon Token, I still want to go to the Blaze Dragon Dao and try my luck.
“Who knows? Maybe I'll be fortunate enough to be accepted. Seeing as you accepted this mission for this Blaze Dragon Token, I presume you must intend to join the Blaze Dragon Dao as well. Hence, I would like you to take me there," Bai Suyuan said.
Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, clearly not anticipating such a request.
The Ancient Cloud Continent was extremely vast, and there was still a very long way to go before one could reach the Bell Toll Mountain Range where the Blaze Dragon Dao was situated. The journey wouldn't be as perilous as that of crossing the Primordial Wave Continent, but it still definitely wasn't going to be smooth sailing.
Given her Deity Transformation Stage cultivation base, attempting the journey on her own would've been extremely risky, and even the slightest mishap along the way could result in her demise.
Despite her frail appearance, Bai Suyuan was quite a crafty girl, and Han Li had no good reason to turn down her request.
After a moment of contemplation, Han Li said, "If you've made up your mind, then I could certainly bring you with me. However, once we reach the Blaze Dragon Dao, your request will be fulfilled, so don't expect anything more out of me."
"Really? Thank you so much! I'm already extremely grateful that you're willing to take me there, I wouldn't dare to trouble you for anything else, Senior Li!" Bai Suyuan said as an exuberant smile appeared on her face.
Han Li wasted no time with words upon hearing this, and he swept a sleeve through the air to release a white jade boat shaped like a flying bird before drifting onto it.
This was a top-grade spirit treasure that he had found in Fang Pan's storage treasure, and it was only a sliver away from becoming an immortal treasure.
Bai Suyuan hurriedly flew onto the boat as well before taking a seat. Her smile then faded as she put on a serious expression and vowed, "I'll be sure to remember everything you've done for me, Senior Li."
Han Li offered no response as he released an incantation seal, and the jade boat immediately began to glow with bright white radiance before shooting rapidly away into the distance.
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