Chapter 520: Extracting the Soul and Removing the Core

As for that Spirit-Nourishing Wood, after more than two years of continuous stimulation with the green 'liquid', it had fully formed. WWW. feiazw. COM

Like that Thunder Bamboo, this wood could no longer grow after ten thousand years; no matter how much green 'liquid' dripped onto it, not a single speck of spiritual energy could be added.

Han Li naturally had no intention of leaving this wood unused.

He carved the foot-long Spirit-Nourishing Wood into a dozen tiny black beads, each the size of a thumb, strung them together with golden thread, and hung the necklace around his neck.

This wood required no deliberate cultivation—simply wearing it directly against the skin provided the finest nourishment for the spirit and soul.

After settling everything within the cave, three days later, Han Li left alone, silently flying out of the Mist Sea.

Since he already possessed the Nebula Grass, he had no intention of getting involved in the Abyss.

That place teemed with eighth-rank and higher beasts, and surely brimmed with cultivators—unsuitable for him to deploy the green 'liquid' to set arrays and slay monsters.

With the Nebula Grass as his bait, every sea region was equally viable for him.

Thus, all he needed now was a location with coral reefs.

With this decided, Han Li glanced at the direction and immediately shot westward.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight.

A month later, Han Li landed atop a patch of fiery-red coral reefs.

Along the way, he had passed several coral islands, but fearing proximity to his cave might draw trouble, he ignored them all and flew straight here.

Though this place could not yet be called a coral island, it was more than sufficient for transplanting the Nebula Grass.

Han Li decided to begin his first battle of slaying beasts and extracting their cores right here.

He had already set up four arrays around the reef, sealing off the area completely, before carefully transplanting the Nebula Grass into the center of the formation.

To attract sixth-rank beasts, the Nebula Grass needed to be matured to roughly four hundred years.

That meant he would need nearly a month before the desired beasts would arrive.

Yet during this period, he would not idle.

The Nebula Grass's first three leaf sprouts would naturally attract lower-rank beasts—perfect for him to practice on.

Though fifth-rank beast cores held no value for his alchemy, they were still worth a considerable sum in spirit stones.

Han Li naturally would not let them slip away.

Indeed, before the fourth stimulation, three or four fifth-rank beasts arrived one after another; Han Li effortlessly slew them with several Green Bamboo Wasp Cloud Swords.

…

Gazing at the Nebula Grass, now displaying three leaves, Han Li exhaled softly and gently inverted the small vial in his hand.

A single drop of emerald-green 'liquid' fell upon it.

Carefully stowing the vial, Han Li sat beside it and closed his eyes to rest.

On the third day, the Nebula Grass unfurled its fourth leaf, releasing a potent aura that lured beasts.

And over these two days, Han Li had remained motionless, fully replenishing his vigor.

Though slaying fifth-rank beasts was now effortless for him, and sixth-rank beasts should pose no real challenge,

he was alone in the deep sea—he must remain cautious.

The beast-attracting grass was not infallible.

In the past, he had once mistakenly drawn sixth- or seventh-rank beasts using a three-hundred-year-old Nebula Grass, nearly losing his life and forced to abandon his array and flee.

Han Li had no desire to perish here due to a moment's carelessness.

After another half-day, Han Li, seated beside the Nebula Grass, subtly stirred.

He opened his eyes and coldly fixed his gaze on the distant sea.

Moments later, dark clouds gathered over the ocean, wind and rain surged, and an enormous whirlpool, over ten zhang wide, suddenly appeared, emitting faint, deep roars from within.

Han Li's expression remained calm, but in an instant, his body blurred into a streak of blue light, shooting upward into the air as he observed the scene below with a faint chill.

Several muffled thuds echoed from the whirlpool, then a mass of black mist surged forth, Guozhe a beast.

The beast was small, only several zhang in size, yet it roared furiously toward the Nebula Grass.

Seeing this, Han Li relaxed slightly.

Though the black mist obscured the beast's true form,

the spiritual energy radiating from it was unmistakably that of a sixth-rank beast.

This was perfect for him—likely no danger.

Han Li remained still in midair, watching the beast below without moving.

Within moments, the beast, driven mad by the Nebula Grass's aura, grew frenzied.

Finally, with a deafening roar, it lunged violently toward the coral reef, dragging behind it a wave over ten zhang high.

Having witnessed the colossal waves generated by the seventh-rank giant turtle's tribulation, this display meant nothing to Han Li.

As the black mist drew within dozens of zhang of the reef, Han Li's lips curled into a cold smile; he flipped his palm, and a palm-sized emerald array disc appeared.

A flash of blue light surged over his palm, and without hesitation, he struck the disc lightly.

Blinding yellow light erupted from the disc.

The next instant, over a dozen yellow beams shot up from the sea, followed by a pale yellow barrier that instantly trapped the advancing black mist.

The beast within the mist was clearly startled!

But instantly, two iron-blue giant pincers burst from the mist and slammed violently against the yellow barrier.

A thunderous boom echoed.

The entire yellow barrier trembled, on the verge of collapse, as if unable to withstand even a few more strikes.

Yet for Han Li, this slight restraint was sufficient.

The Five Elements Ring, a relic long prepared in his hand, emitted a clear chime as he launched it—it vanished instantly.

Above the black mist, a low hum resonated.

Then five-colored auroras suddenly appeared, plunging into the mist and vanishing without a trace.

A terrified, monstrous roar erupted—the thick black mist instantly dissipated, revealing the beast within.

A three- to four-zhang-long blue giant shrimp stood there, six emerald eyes on either side, radiating panic.

It was now bound tightly by five bronze rings, like a wrapped dumpling, utterly immobilized.

At that moment, two dazzling streaks of blue light shot down from the heavens, crossing over the shrimp, slicing it cleanly into several pieces, spraying emerald fluid across the ground.

The five-colored bronze rings trembled slightly, vanished again within the aurora, and reappeared instantly in Han Li's hand.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face as he flicked the array disc.

A flash of yellow light, then it vanished.

Simultaneously, the barrier below silently disappeared.

Han Li retracted the Five Elements Ring, flipped his palm, and revealed a pitch-black round bowl.

Holding the bowl with both hands, he floated gently down, landing beside the giant shrimp's corpse.

A flash of cold light gleamed in Han Li's eyes as he stared at the shrimp's head; without hesitation, he extended one finger and began chanting.

White light began to glow at his fingertip, growing brighter with each incantation.

Suddenly, Han Li let out a cold snort—several fine, thread-like white lines shot from his fingertip, piercing straight into the shrimp's skull.

His finger trembled slightly, and a fist-sized green glow, bound by the white threads, was pulled from within the shrimp's head, drawn toward the Soul-Collecting Bowl in his hand.

The green glow seemed to sense its doom, struggling desperately mid-air—but to no avail, slowly dragged closer.

When it came within a foot of the bowl, a sheet of black light shot out from within, engulfing the green glow, then—*whoosh! *—it was sucked inside.

Seeing this, Han Li smiled faintly.

He stepped forward, rummaged through the giant shrimp's corpse for a moment, and pulled out a pale blue spherical object.

Compared to fifth-rank cores, this sixth-rank core was not only larger, but partially translucent, faintly glowing with beauty beyond compare.

After a few glances, Han Li stored the core in his storage bag, then stared at the shrimp's corpse, as if struck by a thought.

Suddenly, he raised one hand—two streaks of blue light sliced through the air.

Two massive shrimp claws were cleanly severed; Han Li waved his hand without hesitation, and both claws vanished into his possession.

Then a small fireball shot forth, reducing the shrimp's remaining corpse to ash.

Only then did Han Li calmly fly back to the Nebula Grass, sat cross-legged once more.

He was certain this sea region could not hold only one sixth-rank beast—now he merely needed to wait for the next.

Han Li mused calmly.

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