Chapter 1221

So many living souls? Han Li heard these words, and his face couldn't help but change greatly.

"Hehe, what I said is already the minimum. To truly unleash the power of the Crimson Soul Banner, I'm afraid tens of millions of living souls are needed. If fellow Daoist is merely using it as a vessel, then one can consider reducing the number somewhat. Although the true Crimson Soul Banner is not among the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures, it is not far inferior to ordinary spirit treasures. Especially its spatial divine ability, which has moved countless cultivators." The child spoke with a light laugh.

"Tens of millions of living souls! Unless one carries out a massacre of a city or the destruction of an island, it is fundamentally impossible to find so many living souls. Eh, perhaps one doesn't need to do such a thing, and there is still a way to gather them!" Han Li first shook his head repeatedly, but then a flash of inspiration struck, and he softly exclaimed as he recalled something.

"What, fellow Daoist has some other clever method?" The child was somewhat surprised.

Upon hearing this, Han Li did not directly answer the child's question, but instead once again moved his hand to touch his storage pouch, resulting in a flash of green light, and two pale green small banners appeared in his hand. These two banners were only a few inches in size, but the green light shimmered, and runes covered them; at a glance, they were clearly extraordinary treasures.

These were precisely the two Ghost Luo Banners he had seized during his previous trip to the Great Jin, one of which was even an item personally held by the Dry Old Devil. The other had already been infused with demonic qi, transformed into a demon banner, and had fallen into the hands of the Second Nascent Soul.

"What is this?" The child's eyes flickered a few times, but he did not recognize this banner. This is not surprising, as during the trip to Mount Kunwu in the Great Jin, this Tianlan Beast's incarnation had not yet opened its spiritual wisdom, so naturally it had not seen Han Li take this treasure. However, from the astonishing soul qi emanating from the two Ghost Luo Banners, the child could not help but notice.

"I don't know if re-refining the yin souls on these banners once more could be used on the Crimson Soul Banner?" Han Li asked the child solemnly.

"As long as it is refined souls, they are naturally usable. But I see that although these two treasures are not as good as the Crimson Soul Banner, they are also not ordinary items. If done this way, they would be completely destroyed. Moreover, relying solely on these refined souls would still be far insufficient for refining the Crimson Soul Banner." The child carefully examined the Ghost Luo Banners in Han Li's hand before reminding him.

"No problem. Although these two treasures have decent power, I already possess a spirit treasure, and at this level I have long since had little use for them. As for the issue of insufficient refined souls, if such banners numbered ten or more, they would surely be sufficient for refinement, wouldn't they?" Han Li stroked his chin, speaking with deep meaning.

"Ten or more? I understand, these are two pieces from a complete set of treasures? Fellow Daoist must still have several more banners in hand." The child was first startled, then suddenly realized.

"I currently have no other banners in hand, but I do know where the remaining ones can be found. In fact, speaking of which, I also know of another similar treasure, on which the refined demon souls are so numerous that they probably far exceed these Ghost Luo Banners in hand. Unfortunately, that treasure is in the hands of a Spirit Transformation stage demon beast, and it is not something I provoked." Han Li recalled another treasure, and his expression suddenly became one of regret.

What he spoke of was naturally the Myriad Soul Banner held by the Che Old Devil of the Myriad Devil Valley. That day, he had personally suffered from this banner, and the demon souls hidden within it, whether in number or quality, were far beyond what the Ghost Luo Banners could compare to. If used to refine the Crimson Soul Banner, it would undoubtedly be even more suitable.

The child naturally did not know what Han Li was referring to with his additional remark, but he also had no interest in pursuing the matter, and simply said lightly:

"If Fellow Daoist Han can gather the refined souls, I can freely transmit the method for refining the Crimson Soul Banner to Fellow Daoist. After all, the Divine Magnetic Divine Light cultivation method does seem somewhat interesting, and I also wish to see what kind of power Fellow Daoist can achieve after mastering it completely. Fellow Daoist Han, do you plan to immediately begin this upon returning to Tiannan?"

"This matter is not urgent. Everything must wait until I first cultivate to the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, and fully refine the Five Demons of Crimson Flame. After all, the remaining Ghost Luo Banners have also fallen into the hands of some Nascent Soul demon cultivators, so it is better to let my cultivation advance further before speaking of it. For now, I will first return to Tiannan." Han Li shook his head, yet replied in this manner.

"Then do as Fellow Daoist wishes. Upon returning, I will first transmit the method for refining the Crimson Soul Banner to Fellow Daoist, so you can first gather the other auxiliary materials, saving time later." The child was unconcerned, his form flickered, and his illusory body dissipated and vanished.

Upon hearing this, Han Li naturally felt joy in his heart, immediately flicked his sleeve, his body erupted in azure light, and his escape light transformed into a faint azure shadow that pierced the sky and vanished. After a moment, he disappeared without a trace above the nearby sea.

Several months later, Han Li returned to Tiannan via the ancient teleportation formation.

He collected the six-winged frost centipedes guarding the teleportation formation, then destroyed the formation again, and quietly left the underground cave.

After another two months, Han Li returned once more to the Yunmeng Mountain Range of Xi State. After informing Lu Luo of his return via a sound transmission talisman, he did not meet this Elder Lu again, and directly flew back to Zi Mu Peak.

At this time, Nan Nangong Wan was naturally still in secluded cultivation.

Han Li naturally did not go to disturb this female cultivator's practice; this brief separation of a year or so, for us cultivators, was merely a moment's effort.

The entire Tiannan cultivation world, and even they did not know that this Tiannan's number one cultivator had once left Falling Cloud Sect for a period of time.

Lu Luo received Han Li's message of his return, and heaved a great sigh of relief. Now the Falling Cloud Sect could rely entirely on Han Li's prestige to sustain itself; unless three or four more Nascent Soul-level cultivators appeared in the sect, otherwise, aside from Han Li, the Falling Cloud Sect's status as a super major sect would indeed be somewhat strained.

However, after Han Li returned to his cave dwelling, he used a flying sword to transmit a letter to Liu Yu, sending her a jade slip. It recorded the auxiliary materials needed for refining the Crimson Soul Banner, asking her to find a way to gather them all during his secluded cultivation.

Then he entered the secret chamber and began to continue cultivating the final layer of the Qing Yuan Sword Art, while simultaneously refining the Five Demons of Crimson Flame.

Time flies, years pass!

Unbeknownst to him, another fifty years had passed!

During this period, Han Li sensed Nan Nangong Wan's emergence from seclusion, and immediately ceased his cultivation, specially came out to meet this companion of his, and they went out together for half a year.

During their travels, Han Li naturally enjoyed Nan Nangong Wan's tender affection, and when the two had their fill and returned again to Zi Mu Peak, they naturally began their dull secluded cultivation once more.

Speaking of which, this is also a kind of sorrow for cultivators: on one hand, they can possess great divine abilities beyond mortal reach and lifespans compared to the utmost longevity; on the other hand, they must not cease cultivation even a moment before their lifespan arrives, striving merely for that almost infinitesimal hope of extreme longevity.

If one were truly born with immense perseverance, it would be fine, and they would not feel cultivation to be painful; but for ordinary cultivators, it then becomes somewhat of a dilemma between advancing and retreating.

To continue cultivating, the Dao is infinitesimally vague, truly unwilling to spend this life merely in dull meditation and seclusion; not to cultivate, then this life, having painstakingly obtained the opportunity to embark on the path of cultivation, even if the hope of the Dao is small, one is unwilling to simply give up in this way. Moreover, as each realm rises, one can also bring about a powerful temptation of greatly increased lifespan.

Thus, this has also caused a polarization phenomenon among cultivators in the cultivation world.

On one side, those middle and low-level cultivators with inferior qualifications and cultivation, once they achieve minor success, again feel that the hope of further advancement is slim, so they will not cease cultivation in seclusion, but rather are more willing to live a carefree life of taking concubines and making friends; some simply return to the secular world, establish their own families, and become local emperors.

On the other side, those high-level cultivators who feel they are closer to the path of longevity, then will not waste even a moment of time, will focus all their mind and spirit on cultivation, and will become indifferent to any other matter.

Han Li and Nan Nangong Wan naturally belong to the latter. Now one is late Nascent Soul stage, the other is mid Nascent Soul stage, and in the human world they are also considered top-tier cultivators; as long as they can ascend to the Spirit Realm, they are not far from true longevity.

Therefore, although the two became companions and their affection is extraordinary, in pursuing male-female pleasure they are still able to exercise self-restraint.

Although the path of dual cultivation is also useful for advancing cultivation, neither of their cultivation methods involves this path, and furthermore, this increase in magical power relative to the two of them now is truly not worth mentioning. On the contrary, they both fear that excessive immersion in this would damage their mental state and Dao foundation, so they do not deliberately pursue male-female matters, merely sampling lightly and stopping there.

On the contrary, due to their shared pursuit of the same heavenly Dao, when they interact, they naturally achieve a feeling of mutual understanding and affection, as if their hearts and minds are printed together, and milk and water merge into one.

Thus, after the two again entered seclusion, they no longer easily emerged from it.

Until this day, above Zi Mu Peak, suddenly a sound of thunder from a clear sky echoed, and immediately, with this peak as the center, the heavenly and earthly qi within a radius of several hundred miles was stirred.

Countless fist-sized balls of spiritual light of various colors appeared out of nowhere in the underground, mountain rocks, and trees of the nearby mountain ranges, then rapidly gathered toward Zi Mu Peak, and finally, above the Mother Peak, formed a vast expanse of radiant spiritual clouds covering several mu, with variegated colors spinning incessantly in the high air, precisely aimed at Han Li's cave dwelling.

Such a great movement naturally startled Han Li's disciples on Zi Mu Peak, as well as Nan Nangong Wan who was in seclusion, who all came out of their seclusion chambers, their faces filled with surprise as they gazed at the heavenly omen in the sky.

net