Chapter 1940

"This is quite fair, Daoist friend—ask away." Han Li sank slightly into contemplation, then spoke without hesitation, though his tone shifted slightly.

This person is clearly trapped within the Demon-Suppressing Lock and cannot leave; naturally, he readily agreed.

"Good. I'd like to know first—exactly whose hands did you obtain this Demon-Suppressing Lock from?" Upon hearing this, the green-robed elder rejoiced greatly and immediately asked his most pressing question without hesitation.

"From several noble venerables?" Han Li had anticipated this and replied at once.

"Two venerables—could they be subordinates of that petty Xue Guang? But why would he entrust such an item to others?" The elder's eyes flickered as he murmured thoughtfully.

"I've already answered one question—may you now tell me your name?" Han Li ignored the elder's doubts and inquired.

"I am Che Qi Gong! You are of human birth—how could you encounter our holy race's venerables? Are you now within our holy realm?" The elder replied briefly, then swiftly posed a second question.

"Che Qi Gong—this name I've never heard before. Now is the time when our ancient demon realm infiltrates your spirit realm again; encountering your noble venerables is hardly strange." Han Li gave a faint smile in reply.

"What? Today is the Holy Sacrifice Day! I've actually been trapped for so many years. How long has the Holy Sacrifice begun? If it's still the initial phase, that petty Xue Guang's true form cannot descend immediately to the human realm—could that be why this Demon-Suppressing Lock has left his side?" The elder started in surprise, then furrowed his brows tightly.

"This seems like the next question!" Upon hearing the words "Holy Sacrifice," Han Li's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained composure and spoke.

"Very well, ask again." Hearing this, the green-robed elder's face flushed with renewed anger, but then he suddenly recalled something and forcibly suppressed his irritation as he spoke.

"My next question is simple: I wish to know whether you are one of the Holy Ancestors of the Ancient Demon Realm?" Han Li asked solemnly.

"Since you've already guessed it, why ask again? I am not only a Holy Ancestor of the Holy Realm, but also one of the longest-lived Holy Ancestors therein! Those whose lifespan rivals mine in the entire Holy Realm number no more than three or four." The green-robed elder spoke coldly.

"If that's the case, I've been remiss." Han Li startled slightly, then immediately chuckled lightly.

From the elder's tone of speech and the astonishing divine powers he'd previously displayed, Han Li found this answer unsurprising.

"What are you laughing at? Do you think it's funny that I, as a Holy Ancestor, have lived so long in vain, only to be trapped here?" Che Qi Gong's expression darkened, a flash of ferocity appearing in his eyes as he spoke.

"I would never think so. No matter how great your divine powers, I, as your junior, could not compare—how could I harbor mockery?" Han Li's smile faded, and he replied calmly.

But inwardly, he muttered: This old demon truly has a fickle temperament—I must remain more cautious.

"You know I am a Holy Ancestor of the Holy Realm, yet remain so composed—do you truly believe I won't devour this wisp of your divine sense incarnation?" Che Qi Gong spoke ferociously.

"If you were willing to act, you would have done so long ago—why wait until now?" Han Li appeared indifferent.

"You are quite clever. Had you not been trapped here, I would have seized and killed you, this insignificant human cultivator, at first sight. Well, answer my earlier question: Has the Holy Sacrifice just begun not long ago, and have those Holy Ancestors not yet descended their true forms?" Che Qi Gong finally calmed, letting out a snort as he spoke.

"Indeed, the Holy Sacrifice has only just begun—those Holy Ancestors wishing to descend their true forms now find it utterly impossible." Han Li concealed nothing, answering honestly.

"Indeed so!" Upon hearing this, Che Qi Gong's expression flashed with a brief stir of excitement before sinking into deep thought, as if pondering something intensely.

"Could you tell me one or two things about the uses of this Demon-Suppressing Lock?" Han Li disregarded the elder's demeanor and posed his next question.

"This Demon-Suppressing Lock—your human race cannot possibly drive it; asking this is merely wasting effort." The elder stared, glanced at Han Li, then suddenly revealed a hint of mockery as he spoke.

"Whether it's truly useless to me, I shall judge for myself." Han Li persisted, calm and firm.

"Since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you—this Demon-Suppressing Lock is actually an unfinished Primordial Heaven Treasure, containing nascent chaos yin-yang qi. Not only does it form its own space, but it also bears thirteen layers of ancient restrictions inscribed by a Holy Realm grandmaster versed in formation arts. Once a person is trapped within, unless they can personally dispel the chaos yin-yang qi with great divine power, even if external forces break all thirteen layers, it would be utterly futile. And how formidable is this chaos yin-yang qi? If this treasure were truly completed as a Primordial Heaven artifact, even a true immortal trapped within would be helpless without the proper means. Yet even in this unfinished state, it is more than sufficient to imprison a Mahayana cultivator and holy ancestors like ourselves."

"An unfinished Primordial Heaven Treasure!" Though Han Li had remained calm as water, hearing this caused his expression to shift dramatically.

The might of a Primordial Heaven Treasure is naturally known to few better than him, who possesses such an item himself. Even as an unfinished half-finished product, it was enough to stir his heart deeply.

"Heh heh, unfortunately. This Demon-Suppressing Lock was born in our Holy Realm—unless our ancient demon race possesses a Holy Ancestor capable of communicating with the Holy Realm's heavenly and earthly laws to barely operate it, even if outsiders obtain this treasure, they cannot activate it in the slightest. It can only serve as a dead object! Were it not for your ability to let your divine sense penetrate the restrictions, and for me having just exhausted nine oxen and two tigers' strength to use my Primordial Spirit to break through to this layer, cast a spell, and intercept you—once your divine sense incarnation reaches the depths of the box, it would instantly be annihilated by the chaos yin-yang qi, yielding nothing at all." Che Qi Gong spoke calmly.

"Ah, I see—only those capable of communicating with the ancient demon realm's heavenly and earthly power can use this treasure!" Han Li murmured, lost in thought.

"Don't entertain such thoughts. Even if you cultivate our holy race's arts and can stir some true demon qi, unless you cultivate demon arts to the level of a Holy Ancestor, you cannot even discuss communicating with the Holy Realm's heavenly and earthly power. And if you truly reached that level in demon cultivation, your very presence could not be tolerated in the Spirit Realm—you would be forced to tear through space and fly to our Holy Realm, becoming one of us." Che Qi Gong seemed to perceive something, speaking with deep significance.

Han Li's facial muscles twitched slightly, then after a moment, he slowly said:

"As you said, Che Daoist, this thing truly has no use for me whatsoever."

"Indeed so—thus I said asking about this treasure's use is utterly meaningless. Moreover, because this treasure remains uncompleted, it also bears a fatal limitation, making it rather useless even among our Holy Ancestors." The green-robed elder smiled strangely again.

"What limitation?" Han Li frowned, instinctively asking.

"Hahaha, this point—I won't tell you." Che Qi Gong laughed heartily and flatly refused.

"If Che Daoist won't say, then forget it." Han Li's expression darkened slightly, but he did not directly reveal displeasure.

The elder chuckled hehe, dropped the topic, and after a brief pause, inquired about something new.

"I still wish to know one thing—I hope you answer well. Do you know whether there exist in the nearby regions 'Yin-Yang Ming Pool' or 'Huangquan Earth Fire'—these two spirit lands formed by heavenly and earthly evolution?" Che Qi Gong asked solemnly.

"Yin-Yang Ming Pool, Huangquan Earth Fire? Why do you ask this?" Han Li's expression stirred, but he did not answer directly—instead, he cautiously countered.

"Your questions are truly many—you haven't even answered my earlier question yet!" The green-robed elder's expression turned unpleasant, and he spoke each word icily.

"Then let this be my next question." Han Li replied, showing no change in expression.

Upon hearing Han Li's reply, the elder's face flushed with renewed anger, and after a flicker of silver light in his eyes, it suddenly became blazingly dazzling.

"It seems you've asked again—I am here merely as an insignificant incarnation." Han Li paid no heed as he reminded him.

"Hmph, if your true self were truly before you, you'd have no right to bargain with me!" Che Qi Gong snorted coldly, the silver light in his eyes retracting as he forcibly suppressed his anger once more.

Han Li smiled faintly, then ceased to concern himself further.

After a moment's hesitation, the green-robed elder reluctantly explained:

"These two places are the only locations where the Demon-Suppressing Lock can be reforged. If you place this treasure within, then use a Holy Race secret art to cast and refine it, you can extract some chaos yin-yang qi. We Holy Ancestors, whether using chaos yin-yang qi to forge artifacts or absorbing and transforming it for our own use, gain boundless benefits. And since the Holy Realm is filled with true demon qi, only in the Spirit Realm can these two places be found. Otherwise, this Demon-Suppressing Lock would never have left Xue Guang's side by even a hair's breadth, nor would it have accidentally fallen into the hands of a human cultivator like you."

"Placing the Demon-Suppressing Lock in these two places to extract chaos yin-yang qi—is that truly possible?" Han Li exclaimed in astonishment after hearing this.

Some ancient texts also contain records of chaos yin-yang qi, which indeed possess various inconceivable mortal efficacies—he could not help but feel delighted!

"Why would I deceive you on this? Since you can condense a divine sense incarnation, you must be a Body Integration cultivator. If you could absorb even a trace of this chaos qi, you might later have a chance to advance to the Mahayana realm! At worst, it could let your cultivation rise spontaneously by one realm. And if you use chaos yin-yang qi to refine treasures, even an ordinary treasure would instantly become a miraculous spirit treasure with immense divine power!" Che Qi Gong spoke lightly.

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