Published: September 5, 2025
Chapter 704: Encountering an Old Acquaintance on the Road
Han Li opened the remaining jade boxes one by one.
Inside one jade box was a small green porcelain bottle. Another contained a fist-sized cluster of purple misty substance.
He casually opened the green bottle and brought it close to his nose to smell. An exceptionally pungent and spicy aroma immediately assaulted his senses.
Han Li’s expression changed drastically, as if he had encountered a venomous scorpion. Quickly, he screwed the cap back on, then cautiously examined the small bottle a few more times before carefully stashing it into his storage pouch.
Finally, his gaze fell on the purple-glowing item. He picked it up and gently squeezed it between his five fingers. It was incredibly soft. Instantly, threads of light flickered within the glowing orb, bright and dazzling.
“Eh!” Han Li let out a surprised sound. Concentrating, he condensed his spiritual awareness into a pinpoint and probed the item.
Moments later, he suddenly shook his hand, and the orb transformed into a swirl of purple mist, hovering above his head. But after a spell formation struck it, it revealed its true form and fell back into Han Li’s palm.
It was a sheer purple silk net, layered delicately like light gauze. The threads were incredibly fine and crystal-clear, clearly a rare exotic treasure.
“Isn’t this the ‘Purple Cheng Dou’?” The White Fox exclaimed in surprise after recognizing the purple crystalline net. “This is a rather famous ancient treasure from the Wild Era.”
“You know this item? It’s renowned—could it also be a Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure?” Han Li’s eyes flashed with joy, though he restrained his excitement as he asked.
“Not quite. The Purple Cheng Dou is indeed a top-tier ancient treasure, but compared to Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasures, it falls far short. However, it’s incredibly useful defensively. Depending on the refining power, this treasure can expand to cover areas ranging from hundreds to even thousands of zhang, making it a rare large-scale defensive item. I’ve heard that the top-grade Purple Cheng Dou ancient treasure can shield all creatures within a hundred li from harm—though I don’t know if that’s true. Of course, it’s also excellent for trapping enemies, as it can release ‘Jade Yang True Fire’ to incinerate powerful foes.” Silver Moon spoke about it as if recounting a treasured possession.
“Silver Moon, you seem to know a lot about the Purple Cheng Dou. Have you seen one before?” Han Li’s face showed a flicker of disappointment, but he weighed the purple net in his hand, his expression somewhat strange as he asked.
Silver Moon fell silent at the question. After a long pause, she smiled bitterly and said, “Now that you mention it, I realize that before I was refined into an artifact spirit, I seem to have possessed a Purple Cloud Dou ancient treasure. That’s why I know it so well.”
As she spoke, a thoughtful look crossed her eyes, as if recalling something, but she then shook her head and gave up in frustration.
“This Purple Cloud Dou is so powerful, yet I’ve never heard Master Cangkun use it in battle. It seems most likely this treasure was obtained from the Fallen Demon Valley. Unfortunately, none of the four jade boxes we got contained any information about Fallen Demon Valley. Those details probably lie in the two jade boxes belonging to the Marquis of Nanlong. A pity, really,” Han Li said self-mockingly, though no real disappointment showed on his face.
He understood well that although having the Fallen Demon Valley’s secrets might open opportunities to enter the valley for treasure, it would also likely attract many old monsters and powerful forces if the news leaked out.
The pros and cons of this were truly difficult to weigh.
“Master, was there nothing in the jade slip?” Silver Moon finally couldn’t resist asking.
“The jade slip recorded Master Cangkun’s cultivation techniques and magical abilities. Although I cannot cultivate the primary technique ‘Moon Gazing Formation,’ I can still learn from a few secret arts and cultivation insights. They’re quite useful to me,” Han Li replied calmly without hiding anything.