Chapter 518: Flame Mirage Moth

First, I want to thank everyone for their opinions and thoughts on how we should overhaul completed novels. We've reviewed nearly 2000 comments across multiple platforms and forum, and while we haven't responded to everything I can promise I HAVE read it all. First, I'm going to briefly go into some of the things which were discussed which may or may not work, because I don't want people to think I ignored anything. I'm putting those in 'spoiler' tags so people who don't care can skip it. Then, we'll talk...

Chapter 518: Flame Mirage Moth

Han Li nimbly grabbed one of the beads within the box and held it between his fingers close to his eye. After staring at it for a moment, Han Li slowly closed his eyes and reviewed the image of what he had seen in the jade slip.

The image was of a fist-sized pearl that emitted rainbow light and had over ten smaller beads floating around it. Those smaller pearls appeared exactly the same as the one currently in his hand. As for the large rainbow pearl, it was the Heavenmend Pill that he had seen shooting out of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. This strange image had appeared in the jade slip without the slightest description, provoking an air of mystery.

When Han Li had swept his mind past the image in the jade slip he had acquired from Gu Yu, he had been astonished. It was for that reason he had decided to add on a treasure talisman as payment for the jade slip. Were it not for this, he would’ve only given Gu Yu the medicine pills at most.

The jade slip possessed many bizarre images, but each of them lacked any kind of description. There were pictures of magic tools and treasures, as well as many demon beasts and ghostly monstrosities that Han Li had never seen before. After seeing the picture of the Heavenmend Pill among them, he felt that these images must be extremely significant.

Han Li carefully committed these pictures to memory and would treat them with great importance should he see them in the future.

However, Han Li glanced at the beads in the case with a trace of awkwardness.

There was no doubt that these rainbow beads had a strong relationship with the Heavenmend Pill. Why else would they appear together in the image? After considering that the beads had been refined from Zenith Brilliance’s skeleton, he suddenly recalled Zenith Brilliance’s Bloodjade Spiders. Could it be that the Bone Sage’s traitorous disciple had entered Heavenvoid Hall with the spiders and acquired a Heavenmend Pill?

This was one possible explanation as to why Zenith Brilliance’s bones had turned rainbow colored and why they had formed into beads after being exposed to flames.

From Han Li’s experience with taking many medicine pills, the Heavenmend Pill must’ve either not yet been fully refined, or its medicinal nature was so fierce that it required one to continue strenuously refining it after consumption.

From these conjectures and its prominent appearance in the jade slip, it appeared like these rainbow beads held a significant relation towards the Heavenmend Pearl.

Although using a cultivator’s body as a pill furnace to produce medicine pills was rarely seen in the cultivation world, Han Li had personally witnessed this once before. The Black Fiend School’s Blood Congealed Five Element Cores was one particularly bloody and tyrannical example.

But with all this being said, it was only Han Li’s wishful thinking in the end. He wasn't about to rashly swallow them without further deliberation.

With some further thought, he decided to leave this hidden room and head towards the insect rooms.

His current insect rooms weren’t as simple as they had been in Heavenly Star City. They were split into five stone rooms of differing sizes. Among two of these rooms were Han Li’s two separate groups of Gold Devouring Beetles.

One of the swarms had followed Han Li through Heavenvoid Hall in a display of amazing strength, with the tens of thousands Gold Devouring Beetles having consumed no small number of Ironfire Ants. The other swarm was made up of the thousand elites he had left in his cave residence at Heavenly Star City.

Perhaps due to eating a great number of Ironfire Ants, the tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles appeared to be on the verge of reproducing. They’d already started to devour one another, much to Han Li’s pleasant surprise.

As for the other stone rooms, one housed Han Li’s sole remaining Bloodjade Spider while another room housed his perpetually sleeping Weeping Soul Beast. The final room contained the Gold Threaded Silkworms he had acquired from Heavenvoid Hall.

Although Han Li had the Weeping Soul Beast’s control pearl in hand, he had always felt hesitant about refining it, and decided to put it away for the time being. Rather, his delay in refining it didn't seem to affect the spirit beast all that much.

When Han Li’s acquisition of the Gold Threaded Silkworms hadn’t occurred on a whim. They had a position on the list of exotic insects despite being ranked quite low. Although they weren’t a match for the Bloodjade Spider, they had a seldomly known second evolution. Given enough time, they could possibly evolve into a Flame Mirage Moth. While they would still be somewhat weaker than the Gold Devouring Beetles, ranking seventeen on the list of exotic insects, they had an innate ability of transformation.

While its power was formidable, its description was quite vague. It seems this insect had seldomly been seen even in ancient times. Even if the Mirage Flame Moth’s high ranking was somewhat inaccurate, it was by no means insignificant.

As such, in spite of the old eccentrics flabbergasted gaze, he had chosen to gather up the Gold Threaded Silkworms that were on the verge of death. They had been discarded by Wan Tianming without the slightest hesitation as the Gold Threaded Silkworms had nearly exhausted the entirety of their Origin Qi at the time.

After acquiring them, Han Li continuously fed them Soul Nurturing Pills and other rare spiritual medicines. However, all this had seemingly accomplished at this point was prolonging the inevitable. With each passing day, they grew increasingly haggard and Han Li could only helplessly watch as they continued to decline.

At that moment, an idea suddenly came to him. He directly arrived at the Gold Threaded Silkworm’s room and frowned at what he saw through the spell restriction barrier.

At that moment, the huge dark-green silkworms were motionlessly lying on the ground as if they had already died. Were it not for the faint spiritual Qi emitted from their bodies, he would’ve believed them to be dead.

Han Li entered the room without hesitation and circled around the exotic insects for a moment before picking out the male and female silkworms with the strongest spirit amongst them. Afterwards, he took out two rainbow beads from the jade box and fed one to each silkworm before leaving the room.

Han Li’s thoughts were quite simple.

Since these insects couldn’t be saved, he may as well test test the medicinal effects of the rainbow beads. With the grand reputation of the Heavenmend Pill, their medicinal powers should be beyond miraculous.

If these beads were as he had imagined and were truly Heavenmend Pills, then he would stand to benefit even if the Gold Threaded Silkworms couldn’t be saved.

Naturally, if the Gold Threaded Silkworms responded negatively to the beads, he would no longer pay any heed to the beads.

The following days were spent looking after the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng with the utmost care. This unique root was of great importance to his later formation of a Nascent Soul.

At the center of his medicinal garden, Han Li sectioned off a small piece of earth. After placing down formation flags that he had specifically refined for the task, the surrounding soil became an impenetrable layer of golden stone.

With this, he could finally place the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng inside with confidence.

As for the ginseng’s white rabbit spirit incarnation, it was still trapped inside a jade box. Han Li had no intention of keeping it there for long. After all, it could have a negative effect on the spirit ginseng if they were separated for too long.

Han Li then brought the talisman clad jade box into the medicinal garden and placed it at the spirit ginseng’s side.

After tearing off the talismans and opening the box, a streak of white light shot out of the box and circled around the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng before disappearing inside it.

When Han Li saw this, he wore a knowing smile.

It seemed the white rabbit incarnation was filled with trepidation since it had already been captured once before. It was quite timid.

But when Han Li glanced at the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng’s body, he began to ponder whether or not the green liquid would have any miraculous effects on it.

He then put the thought aside for the time being. The spirit ginseng wasn’t going anywhere, and the green liquid was required elsewhere. These tests would have to be saved for later.

Furthermore, the green liquid might greatly increase the abilities of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, allowing it to possibly escape from the formation spell and leave him overcome with grief.

This wasn’t an ordinary plant, but a legendary divine medicinal plant. It was best to be careful.

With that thought, Han Li no longer paid any attention to the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng after successfully containing it.

As for the green liquid, Han Li was currently using all of it to mature the Soul Nurturing Tree, one of the renowned three divine woods. Although it was only a small root, Han Li was confident that within several years, it would regrow back into a ten thousand year tree.

Originally, Han Li intended to study the Heavenvoid Cauldron, and see if he could find a way to open it.

But in the process, he accidentally stumbled across the Bone Sage’s small rib bone, diverting his interest for the time being. Since it was able to withstand the fearsome Sacred Asura Flames, it should prove to be quite unordinary.

Laying down on his bed, he toyed with the sparkling white item in his hand as he curiously glanced at it.

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