Chapter 1932: Strategy
Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this, following which a skeptical look appeared on his face. "Is that true? If I'm not mistaken, Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang has refined both of these treasures to become part of his body; how will I be able to take one of them?"
"I haven't told you this before, but among those two treasures, the Purple Word Cauldron used to belong to me," Che Qigong said in a meaningful voice as he stroked his own beard.
Han Li was naturally quite stunned to hear this.
A cold light surfaced in Che Qigong's eyes as he continued, "Hmph, I fell prey to Xue Guang's machinations, and I was only able to escape from him after my soul hid itself within this Devil Sealing Lock. However, both my physical body and my Purple Word Cauldron fell into his hands. He spent over 100 years to refine the spiritual sense that I had left in the cauldron, then refined the treasure to claim ownership over it, but what he didn't know is that I had actually left two types of spiritual sense within the cauldron, one of which was hidden while the other was out in the open. As long as he hasn't discovered that wisp of hidden spiritual sense, there's a good chance that you'll be able to take the treasure from him."
"In that case, there really is a chance that this could work. What chance do you think we have of pulling this off, Senior?" Han Li asked in a cautious manner.
"I specially refined that wisp of spiritual sense precisely for a situation like this one. As long as Xue Guang hasn't discovered it yet, there's at least a 50% chance that you'll be able to take the treasure from him. Even if you can't take the cauldron from him, if you do as I say, you'll be able to significantly weaken the treasure so that it no longer poses any threat to you," Che Qigong replied in a confident voice.
Han Li nodded in response before continuing, "It does sound like it's worth giving this a try. Do you have any countermeasures against the Rainbow Light Pagoda as well, Senior? Compared to the Purple Word Cauldron, I'm more concerned about that treasure."
"The Rainbow Light Pagoda never belonged to me, but it's a vastly renowned incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasure in our sacred realm. I've seen it a few times, and it is indeed extremely powerful; even if I were to go up against it in person, there's very little chance that I'll be able to counter it," Che Qigong said as a grim look appeared on his face.
Han Li's heart sank upon hearing this. "Does that mean there's no way to counter the treasure?"
"Indeed, I don't have any way directly oppose the Rainbow Light Pagoda's powers, but I know of a way that can help you stall for time against it. As long as you can take advantage of the opportunity to claim the Purple Word Cauldron, then use the cauldron against the Rainbow Light Pagoda, you should be able to at least ensure self-preservation," Che Qigong replied.
Han Li thought about this for a moment before cupping his fist in a salute. "Please enlighten me then, Senior."
"Hehe, do you really think I'll divulge this information to you free of charge?" Che Qigong chuckled with a roll of his eyes.
Han Li's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, seemingly having already predicted that this caveat would arise. "What are your intentions, Senior?"
"It's very simple; you just have to agree to the deal I proposed last time, and I'll tell you everything you need to know," Che Qigong replied without any hesitation.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, and only after a short while did he continue, "In that case, please specify the conditions. I left too abruptly last time and didn't get a chance to hear your conditions."
An elated look appeared on Che Qigong's face for the first time upon hearing this, and he replied, "Rest assured, I'm not an unreasonable person; the deal that I propose will benefit you greatly as well."
"I'll be happy to hear it, then." Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but he naturally wasn't going to just believe what Che Qigong said to be true.
"My first condition is that after you escape from Xue Guang, you must immediately make a trip to the place with Earthly Hellish Flames nearby and use those flames to extract some of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi within this Devil Sealing Lock. When that time comes, I'll disclose to you the method to extract the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, but you have to split me a third of it," Che Qigong said in a serious voice.
"How will you be able to receive the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi when you're trapped in this place?" Han Li asked.
"You don't need to worry about that. I may be trapped here in this Devil Sealing Lock, but I have my ways; you just have to tell me whether you agree to that condition," Che Qigong replied.
Han Li contemplated the condition for a short while before nodding in response. "A third is a reasonable amount to ask for, so I'll agree to this condition."
"In that case, the second condition is even simpler, and you may or may not even have to complete it. I can see that you seem to be quite powerful among Body Integration Stage beings; perhaps you'll be able to progress to the Grand Ascension Stage someday. Hence, all I want is a promise from you. If you do reach that level and are capable of doing so, kill Xue Guang for me," Che Qigong said with a nonchalant smile.
"Surely you jest, Senior? How could I possibly be capable of killing a Grand Ascension Stage being? Besides, even if I do reach the Grand Ascension Stage someday, Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang will most likely already be back in your Elder Devil Realm; do you expect me to venture into the Elder Devil Realm to hunt him down?" Han Li immediately refused as he shook his head vigorously.
"Don't be in such a hurry to turn me down. I won't force you to complete this condition, and I certainly won't expect you to venture into our sacred realm. All I want is a promise from you that you'll complete this condition when all the circumstances are in your favor. If such a situation never eventuates, then we can scrap this condition," Che Qigong urged with a wry smile.
Han Li contemplated this condition for a long while before finally agreeing. "In that case, I make such a promise. I hereby swear upon my inner demons that if a situation arises where I'll be able to kill Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang with ease, then I'll definitely..."
The higher one's cultivation base was, the more binding an inner demon vow became. After all, no one wanted to suffer inner demon backlash when attempting to break through a bottleneck.
A pleased look appeared on Che Qigong's face upon seeing this, but that was quickly replaced by a serious expression. "I can disclose to you the method to oppose the Rainbow Light Pagoda, as well as the secret technique to trigger my spiritual sense in the Purple Word Cauldron, but I'll be withholding the method for extracting Chaotic Yin Yang Qi until we get to the place where Earthly Hellish Flames can be found. Once I receive my share of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, I'll tell you the method to refine it; do you have any objections to this, Fellow Daoist Han?"
"Is there a special refinement method for this Chaotic Yin Yang Qi?" Han Li asked in a slightly surprised manner.
"Of course! Do you think Chaotic Yin Yang Qi can be refined through conventional methods? I don't mean to boast, but even among all of the Sacred Ancestors of our sacred realm, there are definitely no more than three who are aware of this special refinement method," Che Qigong said with a proud expression.
Han Li considered these conditions for a long while before finally nodding in a slightly resigned manner. "We'll do as you say, then. That clone of Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang isn't far away from me; I'll travel to the place where Earthly Hellish Flames can be found as soon as I shake him off."
"Hehe, you've made a wise decision, Fellow Daoist Han. This is a jade slip that I've just prepared; it contains the aforementioned information that you require. You won't be able to take this item out of the Devil Sealing Lock, so memorize the information here," Che Qigong said with a smile as he swept a sleeve through the air, sending an inky-black jade slip flying directly toward Han Li.
"Thank you, Senior." Han Li drew the jade slip into his own grasp, then placed it against his own head to inspect its contents in silence.
Che Qigong merely stood on the spot and waited patiently.
After about 10 minutes, Han Li exhaled as he removed the jade slip from his forehead, then crushed it into specks of spiritual light between his fingers.
"I see, so in order to counter the Rainbow Light Pagoda, I'll have to use spatial treasures against it. I do indeed possess a few spatial treasures; are there any requirements for the caliber of the treasures used, and will similar talismans also be able to achieve the same effect?" Han Li asked.
"The Rainbow Light Pagoda is an incompletely Profound Heavenly Treasure, so the higher the caliber of the spatial treasure used, the more you'll be able to affect it. However, seeing as you're only aiming to stall for time, you should be able to detonate a spatial treasure of any caliber to produce the desired impact; a talisman that can affect the stability of space will suffice as well," Che Qigong replied with a smile.
"I see. In that case, I should be able to employ these methods to shake off that clone of Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to mention that this clone is very different from a normal spiritual sense clone. Firstly, Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang possessed someone to create this clone, and following the possession, the host's magic power was significantly enhanced, as was his ability to use the two incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasures. On top of that, the clone was able to manifest two more clones and split up into three; do you know what kind of ability this is, Senior?" Han Li asked.
Che Qigong's smile immediately stiffened upon hearing this before being replaced by an incredulous expression. "What? The clone can manifest other clones? That's impossible! There's no way that a spiritual sense clone sent to an alternate realm can accomplish something like that!"
"I also thought that was rather strange as there's already another clone of Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang leading the devilish army nearby. If all of the Sacred Ancestors possess the ability to send such powerful spiritual sense clones into our Spirit Realm, then our human race would've most likely been erased long ago," Han Li said with his brows furrowed in befuddlement.
The shock on Che Qigong's face receded, and his eyes narrowed into slits as he said, "Hmph, there's definitely no way that other Sacred Ancestors could possess such an ability. Let me think about this; I seem to recall a similar type of ability, but I heard about it too long ago, and my memory of it is a little fuzzy."