Chapter 516: Only In, No Out

"As the saying goes, one should not accept rewards without merit. I cannot take it." The Crab Immortal slowly shifted his gaze from Zhan Ting and said calmly.

"Fellow Daoist Crab, you have helped me a great deal on this journey from the Spirit Realm to the Immortal Realm. Although it was stipulated by the contract, there is still the bond of assistance. Moreover, I will likely need your help with many matters in the future. With this blade to aid you, your combat strength will increase, which is also good for me." Han Li, knowing the Crab Immortal's temperament, was not surprised and spoke.

"Very well." The Crab Immortal, after a brief deliberation, nodded and said.

With that, he took the war blade, gripped the hilt with both hands, and a glint of golden lightning flickered in his eyes.

With a series of crackling sounds, all the thundercloud patterns on the black war blade burst into dazzling golden light simultaneously. Layers of golden lightning surged like waves, their power far exceeding what Han Li had demonstrated during his test.

"What is given today will be repaid in the future." After a brief test, the Crab Immortal put away the war blade and said.

Han Li smiled and nodded, saying nothing more.

"Black Earth Immortal Domain... Could it be that the Crab Immortal's master was originally from the Black Earth Immortal Domain?" After recalling the Crab Immortal, he felt a bit puzzled.

After pondering for a moment, Han Li began to sort through the other items.

This time, his gaze fell upon a small white jade pixiu.

The pixiu looked like an ordinary trinket favored by mundane people, its surface slightly yellowed with a warm luster.

"Will you reveal yourself, or shall I force you to show your true form?" Han Li swept his gaze over it, a blue glint flashing in his eyes, and he smiled.

After his words fell, the pixiu remained still, as if it were a lifeless object.

"Since you won't shed tears until you see the coffin... don't blame me for being ruthless." Han Li narrowed his eyes, his voice turning noticeably colder.

After about two breaths, the white jade pixiu finally stirred. A glow suddenly lit up on its body, and it rapidly grew in size, transforming into a white beast as large as a house.

"A mere Golden Immortal, how dare you..." The white jade pixiu opened its massive maw and spoke in human tongue.

But before it could finish, it froze in place.

Around its neck, three Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had appeared without warning, their tips pointing directly at its throat, flickering with golden lightning.

Clearly, if the white jade pixiu made the slightest move, these three blades would slice off its head.

"Oh dear... you really are something... fighting and killing is so boring. How about we sit down and chat?" As it spoke, the white jade pixiu rapidly shrank to the size of a domestic dog, crouching before Han Li, muttering.

The three Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords followed like shadows, still surrounding it, their power undiminished.

"You must be Gongshu Jiu's tamed spirit beast, right? Your aura is not weak. Why didn't you help him when we fought earlier?" Han Li's expression remained unchanged as he asked slowly.

"Bah! I am a primordial true spirit from the wilds. Tame me? He... what qualifications does he have to treat me as a spirit beast? He only forced me to follow him because he lived long and had high cultivation." The white jade pixiu suddenly flew into a rage.

"Answer my question first: why didn't you act?" Han Li's face turned cold as he said.

"Why else... because even if I acted, I couldn't beat you. One of you has time law, another reincarnation law, and there's an old monster whose depth I can't fathom. Gongshu Jiu was foolish himself; I wasn't about to follow him to death." The white jade pixiu said resentfully.

"Didn't he have any countermeasures to drag you down when you refused to help?" Han Li asked suspiciously.

"He wanted to, heh... but he couldn't. As long as I refused to sign a contract with him, there was nothing he could do to control me except kill me outright." The white jade pixiu said smugly.

"Nothing? Isn't your current body trapped by his secret technique? Otherwise, with your true spirit form, how could you have turned into a small trinket, stuffed into a storage pouch, unable to escape?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile.

"That's... that's because..." The white jade pixiu was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Tell me, what ability do you have that made him think highly of you and not place a deadly restriction on you?" Han Li changed the subject and asked.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I have a talent for gathering wealth from all directions. Over the years, I've amassed quite a fortune for that old scoundrel Gongshu Jiu, which is why he didn't want to kill me." The white jade pixiu shook its head lightly and said.

"If you refuse to tell the truth, I wouldn't mind killing you. After all, your true spirit blood is still somewhat useful to me." Han Li glanced sideways at the pixiu with ill intent.

"Hey hey, don't... why are you humans all so cunning? I do have good fortune in wealth and can help you discover deeply hidden celestial treasures. Moreover, as my strength increases, this talent will advance further." The white jade pixiu, startled, spoke rapidly.

"Oh, there will be plenty of time to verify that later. Tell me, will you sign a true spirit contract with me, or provide me with true spirit blood?" Han Li nodded and said.

"Do I have a choice... But you seem much more agreeable than that old scoundrel Gongshu Jiu..." The white jade pixiu glanced at the sword tips hovering beside it and the time domain enveloping the surroundings, and said bitterly.

Han Li saw this, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth. He raised his other hand and pointed toward the center of the white jade Pixiu's brow...

After the contract was signed, the white jade Pixiu spoke on its own:

"Master, now that we're in the same boat, let me give you a piece of advice—destroy that thing first."

Han Li followed its gaze and saw a golden hollow disk. His heart stirred, and he asked,

"What is that?"

"It's the thing that old scoundrel Gongshu Jiu used to communicate with other Celestial Court Inspectors and Patrol Envoys. As long as it exists, once the Celestial Court learns of Gongshu Jiu's mishap, they will trace it here," the white jade Pixiu explained.

Han Li reached out, grabbed the hollow disk, and examined it closely.

After a moment, his expression suddenly turned cold, and he asked in a harsh tone, "If this thing is forcibly destroyed, the Celestial Court will likely know immediately. What do you mean by telling me to destroy it?"

"Destroying it by ordinary means would naturally lead to that result. But if I do it, there will be no such trouble. Rest assured, we've already signed the contract. If you die, what good would come to me?" the white jade Pixiu said with displeasure.

Han Li, half believing and half doubting, handed the disc over.

As a result, he saw the white jade Pixiu open its mouth and bite down, swallowing the hollow disc whole into its belly.

"I was born without an anus; my belly forms its own world, and it only takes things in, never letting them out. Now that this communication disc has entered my stomach, it is absolutely isolated from this world, and no one can ever find its trace again." The white jade Pixiu smacked its lips and said smugly.

"Your belly is practically a must-have tool for silencing witnesses and destroying evidence... Is this your true talent?" Han Li said with a slightly strange expression, a hint of teasing in his tone.

"Don't you think about throwing any dirty things into my belly! Little master here only eats non-magical treasures and spiritual objects!" The white jade Pixiu, realizing it had misspoken again in front of this fellow, was stunned for a moment before shouting in some annoyance.

Seeing this, Han Li finally showed a trace of a smile and continued sorting through Gong Shujiu's remaining possessions.

The white jade Pixiu was also intimately familiar with Gong Shujiu's treasures, and together with Han Li, it was a great help in the inventory.

There were also a considerable number of spiritual materials and medicines, of astonishingly high grades, along with an incomplete map of the immortal realm, which included many regions of the Northern Cold Immortal Domain.

Among these, what surprised Han Li the most was that there were actually two items containing the power of time law.

One of them was a round fruit covered densely with tiny golden spots, and the other was a broken dagger about a foot long, engraved with a pattern of swirling runes.

……

The sun gradually slanted westward, and the sky had turned dusky yellow, nearing evening.

Han Li had spent most of the day just counting his spoils of war without realizing it.

He stretched, let out a long breath, and showed a satisfied smile like a wealthy landlord.

After a moment, he waved his hand, and a golden light spun around and landed on the ground.

A delicate little girl of eight or nine years old emerged from it, staggering in place for several circles before plopping down on the ground.

Han Li quickly looked at her and saw her cheeks flushed red, her little ponytail shaking nonstop, her eyelids drooping, and yawning repeatedly, looking as if she hadn't woken up.

"Uncle, you woke me up from my sleep. So annoying..." The Golden Boy rubbed his bleary eyes, but didn't seem to want to open them at all, muttering discontentedly.

"Stop sleeping, get up and eat something." Han Li said with a smile.

"Eat what..." Upon hearing there was food, the Golden Boy barely opened his eyes a slit, still half-squinting as he spoke.

"See for yourself..."

As Han Li spoke, he waved his sleeve, and seventeen or eighteen treasures glowing with various colors appeared on the ground, accompanied by waves of strong spiritual energy fluctuations, including the white stone pillars that the Golden Boy hadn't finished eating before.

"Wow, so many..." The Golden Boy's eyes lit up, and this time he was completely awake.

His figure flickered, leaving a blur in the woods, and he was already in front of the treasures.

She hugged one of the stone pillars, patting it up and down, her face full of joy.

Just then, as if suddenly thinking of something, her expression darkened, and she looked at Han Li with suspicion.

"What's wrong..." Han Li, stared at by her unblinking eyes, felt a prickling sensation on his back and asked.