Han Li examined the contents of the storage pouch and, without hesitation, transferred everything into his own storage pouch, while the original pouch was shredded to pieces by his random sword strikes.
Although this storage pouch was clearly superior to Han Li's own, he dared not carry it with him casually—there might be some markings on it that he couldn't detect.
After resting for another day, Han Li felt the time was about right. He set off with Qu Hun, altering his course to head toward Yellow Maple Valley instead of the Seven Sects Camp.
Han Li reasoned that if something had truly gone wrong at the camp, the various sects would be the first to hear the news. It was better to return to the valley first to gauge the situation. If all was well, he could still make it to the camp in time.
Thus, Han Li and Qu Hun flew for five or six days without incident, arriving at the Taiyue Mountain Range.
Without alerting anyone, Han Li first snuck back to his own cave dwelling.
Once inside, he reactivated the large formation at the entrance. Han Li felt much more at ease—after all, his own territory was the safest place.
Han Li hurried straight to the secret chamber of the Spirit Eye Spring.
Sure enough, the two spider eggs had successfully hatched. Floating within the spring were two fist-sized white spiders. Though small in size, they were exquisitely crystal-clear, clearly no ordinary creatures.
The moment the little spiders saw Han Li, they shot out from the water in white streaks.
Han Li was startled at first, but quickly realized what was happening and didn't dodge.
The two spiders landed steadily on his shoulders and playfully crawled all over him, acting as if they had known him for ages.
Han Li smiled faintly.
It seemed that the blood essence binding he had placed on them had truly taken effect. These two little spiders now regarded him as their parent, which explained their affectionate behavior.
Feeling pleased, Han Li curiously picked up one of the white spiders and placed it in his palm for a closer look.
Though spiders generally evoke feelings of ugliness and disgust, this little spider was entirely white and luminous—truly beautiful, making it hard to put down once seen.
What surprised Han Li most was that this little spider already possessed spiritual energy comparable to the third or fourth level of Qi Condensation. It was a genuine first-tier lower-stage demon beast.
Its future potential was truly immense.
Speaking of which, white spiders were also listed in the Strange Insect Rankings, known as "Blood Jade Spiders," ranked somewhere in the hundred-plus range. While not as formidable as the "Golden-Backed Demon Mantis," it was still a rare species.
After playing with the two little spiders for a while, Han Li placed them in a leather pouch and carried it with him. It would be who knew how long before he returned, so naturally he would take them along to gradually train.
Then, Han Li went to his bedroom and pulled out a small chest from under the bed.
Inside the chest were over a dozen storage pouches filled with various talismans. Han Li casually picked two to take with him. His previous talismans had been mostly depleted, and he needed to replenish his stock.
Having taken care of these matters, Han Li left Qu Hun in the cave dwelling. He then flew openly toward Yellow Maple Valley.
Perhaps because most of the manpower had been dispatched to the Seven Sects Camp, Han Li encountered only a handful of Qi Condensation stage disciples along the way. He casually stopped one to ask about the situation in the valley.
The news he received was nothing alarming, which put Han Li slightly at ease.
However, this person was merely a Qi Condensation stage disciple. Han Li naturally wouldn't stop there. After a moment's thought, he headed straight for the Hundred Herb Garden.
He figured that with the little old man's mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he should know more accurate information.
Shortly after, Han Li arrived above the Hundred Herb Garden but was blocked by the white, misty formation.
He had long since returned the entry token he had used when the formation was first set up, so he naturally couldn't enter freely anymore.
After witnessing the power of the "Inverted Five Elements Formation," the little old man's simplistic illusion formation no longer held any weight in Han Li's eyes.
Nevertheless, Han Li wouldn't force his way in. Instead, he took out a voice transmission talisman from his pouch, whispered a few words into it, and then threw the glowing talisman down into the white mist below.
Before long, the white mist below began to churn, then parted to reveal a passage roughly ten feet wide.
Seeing this, Han Li chuckled softly and descended lightly.
At the end of the passage was the center of the Hundred Herb Garden, where two people stood waiting for Han Li's arrival.
"Senior Brother Ma, it's been a while!" Han Li greeted one of them with a smile.
The person was none other than the owner of the Hundred Herb Garden—the little old man.
"Hmph! We may not have seen each other, but you certainly know how to cause me trouble," the little old man retorted, rolling his eyes at Han Li.
"Hehe, surely you're not dissatisfied with such a well-behaved disciple as Miss Xiao?" Han Li remained nonchalant, smiling at the other person.
The young woman blushed slightly and bowed to Han Li, expressing her gratitude:
"Xiao Cuier greets Uncle-Master Han. Thank you for your great kindness!"
She was a young girl—indeed, the granddaughter of Old Man Xiao.
The little old man, hearing Han Li's words, looked exasperated and was about to say something when Han Li cut in:
"Senior Brother Ma, I've come this time with important matters to discuss. It's truly a matter of grave importance!" Han Li's expression suddenly turned serious.
The little old man frowned upon seeing Han Li's solemn demeanor, then turned to the girl beside him:
"You stand guard at the garden gate. Your Uncle-Master Han and I have matters to discuss!"
"Yes, Master!" the girl replied respectfully, then promptly walked to the gate.
This obedient behavior clearly pleased the little old man, a hint of doting affection appearing in his eyes.
Han Li observed this scene and secretly found it amusing. This Senior Brother Ma might complain about trouble, yet he doted on Xiao Cuier—he was truly stubbornly prideful.
The little old man led Han Li into the sitting room. After they both sat down, he asked calmly:
"Junior Brother, aren't you supposed to be at the camp on the border? What brings you here to ask questions? If there's something important, let's hear it!"
The little old man adopted an indifferent expression.
"Ah, it's a long story!" Han Li sighed with a bitter smile.
Since Han Li had known the little old man for so many years, he understood that while the man spoke harshly, he was actually kind-hearted. So he roughly recounted the encounter with the Spirit Control Sect cultivator on his way back. Of course, he glossed over the specific details of the fight, focusing instead on the possibility that Spirit Beast Mountain might be an undercover agent for the Demonic Path.
The little old man's indifferent expression froze completely after hearing Han Li's account.
A long moment later, he asked with a peculiar look on his face:
"Junior Brother Han! You destroyed a Core Formation cultivator's Nascent Soul? Spirit Beast Mountain might be an undercover agent for the Demonic Path?"
He looked utterly disbelieving, as if listening to a fantastical tale.
Seeing this, Han Li wore a bitter expression.
It was understandable for the other to react this way. Anyone hearing such news would find it hard to believe for a while.
But Han Li still said with furrowed brows:
"That's precisely why I wanted to return to the valley first—to see if any news had come from the camp. If not, I would dare to go in peace." In front of the little old man, Han Li felt no need to hide his extreme concern for his own life.
"No, nothing like that. The only communications from the front are requests for large shipments of spirit stones and supplies. There's been no unfavorable news—everything seems normal," the little old man said gravely.
Hearing this, Han Li let out a slight breath of relief, rubbed his nose, and muttered:
"Based on what you're saying, I've been completely played by that fellow! Should I curse three times to vent my frustration, or laugh three times to celebrate that the camp is safe?"
Just as he finished speaking, loud bell tolls—*"Clang!" "Clang!"*—rang out continuously from the direction of the Discussion Hall.
The little old man and Han Li stared at each other, their expressions turning grave simultaneously.
The bell tolled for a full tea's worth of time before stopping.
The little old man's face was grim. After taking a deep breath, he said solemnly:
"It rang eighty-one times. It seems your news is mostly true. The situation is really dire."
"Let's go see what's actually happening. It might not be related to my information," Han Li said after a moment of silence.
"Hmph, if it weren't, that would be strange!"
"If the front hasn't suffered a major defeat, why would they ring the Dragon-Warning Bell eighty-one times—the signal for catastrophic doom?" the little old man said coldly.