Chapter 422

"Is the Seven-Rain Lotus famous? What special use does it have?" came Han Li's calm voice from behind the other cultivators.

At the sound of his voice, the Brother Jian cultivator and others froze, their minds clearing slightly, and they turned back toward Han Li with awkward expressions.

These men had all seen the power of the Golden-Consuming Insects. Even combined, they were no match for those strange insects. Now that they'd found something so precious, they couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Even Jin Qing, who had invited Han Li along, showed a flicker of hesitation.

With Han Li's cunning, he read their expressions instantly and understood their thoughts—he couldn't help but flash a faint self-mocking look.

But he quickly buried that odd expression deep inside, his face still blank as he asked again:

"The name 'Seven-Rain Lotus' is strange! I've read countless cultivation texts—why do I have no memory of it?"

The cultivators exchanged glances, then Hu Yue cleared his throat and smiled to explain to Han Li:

"It seems you've always buried yourself in cultivation, rarely bothering with anything outside it. The name 'Seven-Rain Lotus' won't appear in any herbal compendium, no matter how hard you search. But in oral legends, it's a common subject. It's said that mortals who consume it can be resurrected, flesh regrowing from bone. For cultivators, it can cause a massive surge in cultivation base—even a full realm leap. It's a legendary immortal artifact!"

Even though Hu Yue now felt a hint of suspicion toward Han Li, he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

"Really? That miraculous?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, sounding skeptical.

"I don't know for sure. If I hadn't seen the Seven-Rain Lotus with my own eyes today, I wouldn't believe such a thing existed. But it's certain that some cultivators would pay a fortune in spirit stones for it," Hu Yue chuckled.

"I see," Han Li nodded indifferently, no longer glancing at the Seven-Rain Lotus, instead lowering his head to examine the pure white skeleton with clear interest.

Seeing Han Li's indifference, his lack of intent to seize the lotus alone, the others silently exhaled in relief.

"Brother Jian Daoist, go harvest the Seven-Rain Lotus. After the auction, we'll split the spirit stones evenly. Shi Shi Xianzi, please check if there are any arrays or restrictions around the pool," Hu Yue signaled subtly to Brother Jian and Shi Die.

Both nodded, casting a thoughtful glance at Han Li before agreeing.

Having judged Han Li's strength too formidable, the group had unconsciously united against him, developing a subtle sense of exclusion.

Jin Qing's face flickered with hesitation—he seemed about to speak, but after a moment's thought, he said nothing.

Meanwhile, Han Li crouched beside the skeleton, carefully examining it, his expression unchanged. This slight relaxation eased Hu Yue's vigilance.

"There are no restrictions around the pool. Brother Jian Daoist may harvest safely," Shi Die confirmed after checking with several artifacts.

Hearing this, the Brother Jian cultivator immediately stepped forward eagerly.

"Be careful! I've heard the Seven-Rain Lotus cannot be touched by any artifact—only bare hands may pluck it. Otherwise, it withers instantly!" Hu Yue suddenly remembered something and shouted a warning.

The Brother Jian cultivator waved his hand without turning back, signaling he knew.

His entire focus was now on the tricolor flower bud.

Standing at the edge of the pool, built of luminous jade, he bent slightly and extended two fingers toward the bud with extreme caution.

Shi Die and the others held their breath, eyes locked on every movement.

"Huh!" he uttered a sound of surprise.

"What's wrong?" Hu Yue and Shi Die asked in unison, faces filled with concern.

Whether they feared for the harvester or the lotus itself, it was unclear.

"Strange—why is the root so stubborn? It won't budge at all," the Brother Jian cultivator retracted his fingers, flexing them slightly, puzzled.

"If you can't pull it, just snap it off!" Hu Yue's eyes darted, suggesting.

"Snap it? That'll ruin the Seven-Rain Lotus's value!" Shi Die shook her head, clearly disapproving.

"Wait—I'll cast the Great Strength Spell and try again." The Brother Jian cultivator pulled out a yellow talisman, slapped it onto his body, then gripped the stem three inches below the bud with all five fingers and yanked hard.

"Stop!" Han Li, still studying the skeleton, suddenly spoke without looking up.

Hu Yue and the others froze, startled and uncertain.

The Brother Jian cultivator's heart turned cold, but seeing the dazzling bud so close, he gritted his teeth and ignored the warning, wrenching hard.

Yet the Seven-Rain Lotus remained utterly unmoved, as if forged of iron.

Now desperate, the Brother Jian cultivator tightened his grip without thought, switching from pulling to pinching.

Finally, the bud reacted—trembling slightly, then retracting into the pool, vanishing without a trace.

*Plop! * The Brother Jian cultivator, unprepared, was yanked into the pool by the sudden force, milky-white liquid splashing everywhere.

Shi Shi Xianzi, standing nearby, was struck by several droplets on her face.

A scream erupted instantly!

"Poison! The water's poisonous!" The female cultivator clutched her face, shrieking in shock and fury.

She frantically fished a red pill bottle from her storage bag, poured a handful of fiery-red pills into her mouth, and swallowed them.

In that instant, Hu Yue and Jin Qing glimpsed her face—covered in yellow blisters, rotting and grotesque—and drew in a sharp breath.

Even Han Li's expression shifted slightly.

She'd only been splashed by a few drops—and already looked like this. What of the Brother Jian cultivator who'd fallen into the pool?

At that thought, Jin Qing and the others stared at the milky-white pool.

The Brother Jian cultivator had vanished after falling in—no screams, no cries for help.

Their skin prickled with dread.

At last, Shi Die stopped moaning. She tore a strip from her robe and tightly wrapped her head, then exhaled shakily, fixing the pool with a venomous glare.

*Gurgle-gurgle*—a string of bubbles rose from the pool's depths. Then, a half-rotted corpse surfaced.

Everyone's faces turned ashen.

From the tattered remnants of clothing, it was clearly the Brother Jian cultivator's body.

But now he was riddled with holes, bones exposed and glistening, eyes hollow—his eyeballs long gone—sending chills down every spine.

"How could this happen? How could a thousand-year stone milk be poisonous?" Hu Yue muttered in disbelief.

"Thousand-year stone milk isn't poisonous. But if someone deliberately poisoned the pool, that's another matter," Han Li stood, exhaled softly, and spoke calmly.

"Han Daoist! You shouted to stop—did you already know the pool was poisoned?" Shi Die's voice was hoarse and icy as she demanded.

"I didn't know if it was poisoned. But I saw that the Seven-Rain Lotus isn't so easily harvested. Look at the right hand of this skeleton," Han Li lightly tapped the bone beneath his foot, expression unreadable.

Hu Yue and the others stared intently—and their faces twisted in confusion.

The entire right hand bone was blackened, and the index finger was missing a small segment, the break jagged—as if bitten off.

Han Li didn't look at their puzzled expressions, nor did he explain further. His eyes flashed cold as he fixed them on the pool.

There, in the milky liquid, the "Seven-Rain Lotus" had reappeared, still glowing brilliantly—but Hu Yue and the others now stared at it as if it were a scorpion.

Without a word, Han Li spread his fingers. Five small fireballs floated above his fingertips. He flicked them lightly—the fireballs lined up in a row and shot toward the lotus.

Jin Qing and the others were startled, but given what had just happened, they didn't stop him.

*Boom! Boom! *

A series of explosions rocked the air. The Seven-Rain Lotus swayed violently in the flames, then suddenly retracted into the water. A dark shape shot out like an arrow—flying straight for Han Li.

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