Chapter 374: Exchange
Close to an hour later, Han Li appeared in the sky above the island.
With a sweep of his sleeve, a series of restrictions appeared around the island before disintegrating one after another, following which sets of array tools flew out into the open before vanishing up his sleeves.
He had already been cultivating on this island for several centuries without any incident, but during his cultivation, he had triggered astonishing phenomena on quite a few occasions on the island, so it was no longer safe to continue to stay here.
Han Li took one final glance at the island, yet right as he was about to depart, a white demon beast appeared on the surface of the sea down below with a loud splash, then began calling out to him.
Han Li raised an eyebrow as he looked down, and he was amused to find that the demon beast was none other than the Pig Dolphin Beast.
He descended toward the Pig Dolphin Beast, and the latter immediately began swimming toward him, splashing through the water with its tail.
"Have you come to say goodbye?" Han Li asked as he stroked the Pig Dolphin Beast's smooth head with a smile on his face.
The Pig Dolphin Beast began rubbing its head gently against the palm of Han Li's hand, and Han Li smiled as he flipped a hand over to produce a pill that he tossed through the air.
The Pig Dolphin Beast's eyes immediately lit up as it opened its mouth to catch the pill.
"I have to thank you for the Hard Ink Crystal that you have me. It really did help me a lot. That pill is my parting gift to you," Han Li said.
The Pig Dolphin Beast faltered slightly upon hearing this, seemingly rather unwilling to part with Han Li.
Han Li gave the Pig Dolphin Beast's head one final pat, then flew away as a streak of azure light, quickly vanishing into the distance.
The Pig Dolphin Beast stared blankly at the direction that Han Li had flown away in, and a long while later, a determined look appeared in its eyes as it sank down into the sea.
……
A month later, on the outskirts of the Black Wind Sea.
A streak of azure light appeared above an island that was close to 10 kilometers in size, then faded to reveal none other than Han Li in his azure tiger mask.
He was meeting someone from the Transient Guild, so he hadn't adopted a disguise and was merely wearing his Transient Guild mask.
He inspected his surroundings briefly, then descended onto the island.
This was an extremely secluded area of the Black Wind Sea, and there were sparse black clouds in the sky, obscuring the light of the sun like a layer of black mist.
These clouds weren't just normal dark clouds, and they were giving off a cold and forbidding aura.
Han Li took a brief glance at the thin black clouds in the sky, then quickly withdrew his gaze before sitting down with his legs crossed, and a layer of azure light quickly surfaced over his body.
This was the location that had been specified by the gray figure, and Han Li had actually already arrived here in secret two days ago.
During the past two days, he had conducted a thorough examination of the nearby area.
He had been invited here by someone completely unfamiliar to him, and they were about to engage in a transaction concerning a forbidden art, so he naturally had to take the necessary precautions.
Before long, close to a day had already passed by.
All of a sudden, Han Li opened his eyes before rising to his feet, then cast his gaze toward a certain direction.
There, on the distant horizon, a speck of gray light appeared before approaching the island at an incredible speed, appearing in the sky above the island in the blink of an eye.
The gray light then faded to reveal a gray-robed figure wearing an azure cat mask that bore the number "16", and it was none other than the same gray figure that Han Li had spoken to earlier.
The two of them examined each other momentarily, following which the cat-masked figure cupped their hand in a salute as they said, "You must be Fellow Daoist Raccoon 11. I am Wildcat 16. Sorry for being late."
"It's fine, I only just got here as well," Han Li replied as he returned the salute.
"That's good, I'm glad to hear I didn't keep you waiting for long," Wildcat 16 said.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he said in an indifferent, "Let's skip the formalities and discuss the matter at hand."
Wildcat's demeanor was very different from during their last communication, and that left Han Li feeling a little perplexed.
"Of course, but this is not the place to talk, so please come with me, Fellow Daoist Raccoon 11," Wildcat 16 replied with a nod, then flew through the air as a gray shadow.
Han Li hesitated momentarily before deciding to follow along.
Before long, they had been flying for half a day, and Han Li had remained a set distance behind Wildcat 16 this entire time while also constantly keeping tabs on his surroundings using his spiritual sense.
The further they flew, the denser the black clouds in the sky became, and in the end, the entire sky was filled with dense black clouds that were giving off an astonishing glacial aura.
The sea down below had also been influenced by the yin qi in these black clouds, and the water had been stained black while also releasing bursts of bone-chilling glacial qi that were so formidable that even Body Integration cultivator would've quickly been frozen solid here.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he inspected his surroundings.
Meanwhile, Wildcat 16 continued to fly onward, displaying no indication of stopping.
Han Li was growing more and more apprehensive, and he suddenly stopped cold in his tracks.
Wildcat 16 also drew to a halt, then turned around and asked, "Why have you stopped, Fellow Daoist Raccoon 11?"
"We've already been flying for a very long time, so I think it's only right that you tell me where we're going. I don't exactly enjoy being led on a trip into the middle of nowhere," Han Li said in an indifferent voice.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Raccoon 11, we're almost there. This is a matter that concerns a forbidden art of the Immortal Realm, so even though we're already on the outskirts of the Black Wind Sea, we can't afford to get complacent. If anyone finds out what we're up to, we won't be able to remain in the Black Wind Sea any longer, so it's best that we go somewhere safe before we continue our conversation," Wildcat 16 said in a serious voice.
"Don't try to placate me, Fellow Daoist Wildcat 16. There's not a single soul to be seen here, so I suggest you come clean and tell me the truth. Otherwise, I'll have to take my leave," Han Li harrumphed coldly.
Despite his abrasive words, Wildcat 16 appeared to be completely unbothered, and after a brief moment of contemplation, they said, "I understand your concern, Fellow Daoist Raccoon 11. Truth be told, I do not have the second half of the Spirit Refinement Technique. Instead, it's in the possession of a friend of mine, and that friend is waiting up ahead for us."
Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, and Wildcat 16 continued, "Just as I said, this is a very serious matter, and my friend doesn't wish to deal with this matter in person. That's why they asked me to meet you on their behalf."
Han Li fell silent upon hearing this, and it seemed that he was contemplating something.
"I can assure you that I'm telling the truth, Fellow Daoist Raccoon 11. If you don't believe me, then there's nothing I can say to convince you, and we'll have to call off the deal," Wildcat 16 said in a resigned manner.
Han Li continued to remain silent, and his mind was racing as he weighed up his options.
Wildcat 16 also waited in silence, making no effort to try and hurry Han Li.
"Alright, in that case, I'll come with you, but do tell me how much longer we have to go," Han Li said after some extensive contemplation.
A hint of relief flashed through Wildcat 16's eyes upon hearing this, and they replied, "There's not far left to go. At our speed, we'll definitely be able to get there within two hours."
Han Li had noticed the fleeting hint of relief that had flashed through Wildcat 16's eyes, but he made no comment on it.
With that, the two of them continued onward, and after flying for close to another hour, a burst of faint rumbling suddenly rang out up ahead.
The further they went, the louder this rumbling became, and a wary look appeared in Han Li's eyes.
Shortly thereafter, the two of them drew to a halt.
Gusts of inky-black yin wind had suddenly appeared up ahead, with the largest gusts resembling enormous tornadoes, while the smallest ones were only the size of houses.
The countless gusts of black yin wind filled the entire space up ahead, and the sound of ghastly howling and sobbing could be heard ringing out within the yin wind.
Just these harrowing sounds alone were enough to strike Han Li with a sense of dizziness, and he hurriedly activated his Spirit Refinement Technique to alleviate this rush of dizziness, but the apprehension in his heart had been further exacerbated.
His current spiritual sense was not inferior to that of the average Golden Immortal, so there was no way that the sounds ringing out from within the gusts of yin wind should've been able to affect him.
All of a sudden, an alarmed look appeared on Han Li's face.
It was only very faint, but a hint of instability had arisen within his spiritual sense, and his heart immediately sank, thinking that the backlash from the Spirit Refinement Technique was about to strike again.
"Is this your first time seeing this Soul Stirring Wind, Fellow Daoist Raccoon 11? They have an extremely potent disruptive effect on one's soul, and unless the proper protective measures are taken, even True Immortal cultivators like ourselves won't be able to last very long in there at all," Wildcat 16 said.
Han Li was rather relieved to hear this, and he asked, "Are you saying that we have to venture into these winds?"
"That's right, but rest assured, we won't be venturing very far into these Soul Stirring Winds, and I've also prepared some things for this very purpose," Wildcat 16 replied with a nod.
Han Li offered no response to this, seemingly waiting to see exactly what Wildcat 16 had prepared.
Wildcat 16 didn't waste any more time words, either, and he raised a hand to produce an egg-sized black bead that appeared to have countless shadows flashing within it, presenting quite a profound sight to behold.
He then began to chant an incantation, and a ring of black light surged out of the black bead, stretching to a radius of over 100 feet to encompass both Han Li and Wildcat 16.
The ghastly sounds ringing out up ahead immediately became much more subdued, while the biting chill in the air also subsided significantly.
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