Han Yi's opening words immediately underscored the danger.
Yan Ru's expression turned serious. She had heard rumors of the Myriad Demon Mountain Range's perils and hadn't given it much thought.
Luo Yunzhou, however, knew Han Yi's astonishing strength firsthand. If even Han Yi considered the Myriad Demon Mountain Range perilous, it would undoubtedly be a slaughterhouse for ordinary disciples. This realization paled his face slightly.
Could it be that I escaped Heavenfall City only to meet my end in the Myriad Demon Mountain Range?
Han Yi glanced at him. "While the risks are real, there are numerous techniques to mitigate them."
Yan Ru and Luo Yunzhou's eyes lit up at this. Luo Yunzhou, in particular, clung to these words like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline, his gaze fixed intently on Han Yi.
"First, you must understand that the dangers of the Myriad Demon Mountain Range stem from two main sources."
"One is the Demon Beasts within the mountains themselves. You won't encounter Seventh-Tier beasts until you've ventured about a hundred kilometers deep, and even then, Demon Beasts of the same tier are generally stronger than Cultivators."
Han Yi recalled the Demon Tiger roaring under the moonlight, a chill running down his spine. His Shadowless Sword had failed to pierce even its throat bones, becoming lodged and unretrievable. In the end, he had been forced to abandon it.
The Shadowless Sword had taken Han Yi years to refine. He would never abandon it lightly, which demonstrated the direness of the situation—there hadn't been a single shred of hope for victory.
"The second danger comes from ambushes by Blood God Sect disciples."
"You've both experienced the Demon Cave War, and Senior Brother Luo Yunzhou even fought in the Heavenfall City Battle. You're no strangers to this kind of combat. If you encounter them, fight without hesitation. There's nothing more to say."
Han Yi concealed his killing of the four Blood God Sect disciples and recounted everything else he had encountered after entering the Myriad Demon Mountain Range. He focused particularly on the Demon Tiger and the corpses of his fellow disciples from the Profound Pill Sect.
Luo Yunzhou watched Han Yi, inwardly suspecting he was withholding certain details, such as his clashes with the Blood God Sect cultivators. However, he refrained from pressing the matter.
After finishing his account, Han Yi said gravely, "When you venture there, travel in groups—the larger the better. Coordination is essential. Stock up on Spirit Talismans of all types—communication, offensive, evasive, and defensive—to prepare for any eventuality."
"Finally, resist the temptation to loot Demon Beast corpses. Once your mission is complete, return immediately without delay..."
Han Yi shared all the key points he had gleaned from his experience with the pair.
Still feeling that his advice was too abstract and lacked real depth, he added, "Ultimately, no matter who or what you encounter, your own strength remains your greatest asset. This includes your Cultivation Realm, Mana, Magic Artifacts, Spirit Talismans, and Formation Arts. Equipping yourselves thoroughly should be your top priority. Everything else is merely icing on the cake."
After their conversation, Luo Yunzhou and Yan Ru seemed thoughtful, having undoubtedly gained some practical experience. However, Han Yi couldn't gauge the depth of their understanding.
The meal didn't last long. The pair needed to rush off to prepare for other matters, and soon after, Han Yi left the Immortal Chess Pavilion with two bottles of Spirit Wine, returning to his courtyard.
Activating the Courtyard Formation, Han Yi entered his Meditation Chamber and focused entirely on breaking the Cosmic Pouch's restrictions.
This time, there were no further interruptions.
Three days later, as the final, faint layer of divine sense restriction shattered, Han Yi's divine sense surged freely into the Cosmic Pouch for the first time.
In the next instant, he let out a soft gasp of surprise.
It wasn't that the Cosmic Pouch was overflowing with treasures, but rather that, contrary to his expectations, it contained only a single square purple jade box, roughly thirty centimeters in length, floating at the center of the pouch's spherical interior.
Instead of immediately retrieving the jade box, Han Yi measured the pouch's dimensions, unable to suppress a grin. The Cosmic Pouch had a diameter of at least fifty meters and was perfectly spherical, with the jade box suspended at its exact center.
With a sweep of his divine sense, Han Yi pulled the jade box out.
Back in the Meditation Chamber, he opened the box, his brow furrowing slightly.
Inside the jade box lay something Han Yi didn't recognize—a blood-red flower with three petals, each adorned with mysterious patterns.
The moment he opened the box, a potent floral fragrance assaulted his senses. Han Yi shuddered as his mana surged uncontrollably, and even some of the innate limitations within his body seemed to loosen slightly.
Simultaneously, a terrifying wave of malevolent energy erupted from the blossom. This exceptionally pure yet complex aura threatened to freeze even Han Yi's soul.
A Heavenly Treasure! Han Yi's eyes blazed with divine light. In a split second, he slammed the lid shut and swiftly stowed the jade box in his Cosmic Pouch.
The Blood Blossom's preservation within the mysterious purple jade box was undoubtedly meant to prevent its medicinal potency from dissipating.
That single whiff had already revealed the flower's terrifying power. Combined with the intangible killing intent it exuded, the Blood Blossom's enigmatic nature was undeniable.
Only then did Han Yi realize how extraordinary it was to use his Cosmic Pouch specifically for this single jade box.
But what exactly is this flower?
Han Yi pondered for a moment, coming up empty. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead.
"Just because I don't know doesn't mean others don't!"
"And even if I can't ask directly, I can still research it."
No sooner said than done. Han Yi had a faint sense that this Blood Blossom held immense significance for him. That single sniff had loosened some kind of internal restraint, leaving him feeling remarkably lighter. Though he couldn't yet pinpoint the changes occurring within his body, he was certain they were positive.
This Blood Blossom deserved his time and attention.
The Profound Pill Sect naturally had a Scripture Repository, a place distinct from the Scripture Pavilion. Unlike the Pavilion's collection of cultivation techniques and spells, the Repository housed ordinary martial arts manuals, sect disciples' recorded breakthrough experiences, travel logs, battlefield accounts, and even anecdotes about the sect's Golden Core Stage Supreme Elders' wanderings across Great Qin, the East Sea, the Northern Wilderness, the Southern Border, and the Western Desert.
Han Yi recalled that before his transmigration, his predecessor had once become obsessed with these texts, hoping to glean some hidden Immortal Opportunity from their pages. Little did he know that these books had long been thoroughly scoured; any such opportunities would have been seized by others ages ago, leaving nothing for him.
How to Confront Heavenly Demon Temptations When Breaking Through from the Third to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement—a book written by a disciple of the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement.
One Hundred and Eight Days in the Hidden Fragrance Pavilion—the Hidden Fragrance Pavilion in this book is a secular brothel in Great Qian. The author, likely deceased, was merely a disciple of the Second Layer of Qi Refinement.
Records of Eastern Sea Demons—an unsigned collection of notes by a Supreme Elder, documenting the various Demon Beasts and Demon Cultivators he encountered in the East Sea.
Detailed Explanation of the Blood River—a study of the Blood River written by Qi Xiu, a Foundation Establishment Stage Elder. He journeyed westward out of Great Qian for ten years, observing the Blood River and recording its bizarre phenomena.
Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven Days in the Demon Cave—a relatively recent work by an Eighth Layer Qi Refining disciple who participated in the Immortal-Demon War in Qian Prefecture. Despite his cultivation level, his account describes a series of harrowing near-death experiences.
Records of the First Inner and Outer Peak Great Competition—an updated compendium divided into numerous chapters, each critiquing a specific battle. Han Yi paused to flip through it, shaking his head as he found numerous errors. "Isn't this misleading future generations?" he muttered before returning it to the shelf.
Han Yi flipped through the books one by one, finding them quite interesting. Occasionally, he would pause to read, his divine sense allowing him to imprint an entire book into his mind in less than three breaths.
The first row primarily contained miscellaneous notes and records by the Sect's cultivators. Some were accurate, others flawed, but the Sect simply collected them without verifying their contents.
Moving to the second row, Han Yi found martial techniques from the mortal world:
Heavenly Crippled Leg, Heavenly Turbid Art, Iron Wall Fist, Iron-Cutting Blade Technique, Crimson Sand Palm, Plum Blossom Step...
These techniques offered him no useful insights, so he skipped them.
The third row featured introductions to the various major factions in the Jade Balance Realm: the Great Qin and Great Qian Empires, Holy Lands, Sects, Secret Realms, Forbidden Zones, Cave Heavens...
In the sixth row, Han Yi stopped before a particular book, his heart filled with anticipation.
The Compendium of 108 Extraordinary Flowers of the Cultivation World: An Illustrated Compendium.
This was exactly what he had been searching for. Han Yi carefully picked up the book and swiftly flipped through the pages until he reached page seventy-six. His eyes froze on the illustration: a blood-red flower with nine petals, each etched with intricate patterns resembling talismans, radiating an aura of profound mystery.
Above the illustration, the book provided a description of this extraordinary flower:
One of the wonders of the Jade Balance Realm.
Blood Bone Spirit Flower.