Under Han Li's gaze, the flying dagger struck the stone wall. Lu Weiying, sensing something, frowned slightly and immediately extended her hand to retrieve the dagger. Han Li focused his attention and noticed that where the dagger had struck, a shallow, barely an inch deep incision had formed—within this incision, faint silver glimmers subtly emerged in scattered grains. "This is..." The elder's expression of surprise flickered, and he hurried forward, reaching the spot and examining it closely. "Gan Yin Sand—how is it possible that the stone wall contains original Gan Yin Sand?" After only a brief observation, the elder's voice trembled slightly. Upon hearing the name "Gan Yin Sand," Han Li's expression changed dramatically. He stepped forward as well, gently brushing his fingertip across the incision, carefully assessing it. Han Li was well acquainted with Gan Yin Sand—this material was one of several used in crafting artifacts, enhancing their durability. In terms of effectiveness, it ranked just below "Lian Jin" as a rare material. The material itself is exceedingly hard, resistant even to the most powerful法宝, and is virtually unknown—rarely encountered—across both the Luanxing Sea and the Tiannan Immortal Realm. It is no wonder that Lu Weiying's flying dagger made little impact. Han Li studied the dagger marks intently, then suddenly raised his hand silently, and from his sleeve launched a dozen small, shimmering jade-like swords that shot out in a dozen bright streaks, striking the stone wall at various points. The two officials from Nanlonghou were momentarily startled, but quickly grasped Han Li's intent. A series of sharp clinks followed, and a dozen sword-holes, several inches deep, appeared on the stone wall. Each hole emitted a faint silver glow. "Indeed, it is pure罡silver sand," Han Li said, his face showing a touch of surprise, yet his tone remained calm and measured. "Moreover, the entire wall appears to be infused with this sand, though the density is uneven—this seems to be a natural occurrence, not artificially engineered. It appears that the stone wall itself contains a natural vein of罡silver sand." When they saw Han Li's sword able to pierce the stone wall with holes deeper than his flying knives, the two officials from Nanlong County exchanged a slight frown. However, upon hearing this, the elderly man with the Lu surname grew increasingly greedy, fixing his gaze firmly on the wall and saying nothing. A faint warmth also passed over the face of Nanlong County's official, though after a moment's reflection, his expression gradually settled back to calm. "Let's go," he said with composure. "We'll first explore the inner valley for treasures." "But why leave so soon?" the elder hesitated, his face full of reluctance. "These Gansheng sands are truly rare treasures. We should first gather some before making our move." "Lu brother, how have you become so foolish now! How hard these Gansheng sands are, didn't you personally witness just now? Though there may be an entire ore vein here, a single piece of original ore the size of a clenched fist can only yield a speck of Gansheng sand, the size of a grain of rice. How much time and spiritual energy will it take you to cut enough original ore for use?" Moreover, though this item is indeed precious, don't forget that what we truly lack now are elixirs that can extend our lifespans and swiftly elevate our spiritual realms. Otherwise, when our time comes, we would merely be a pile of white bones. Nan Long Hou furrowed his brow, glanced at the elder, and spoke with deep intention. Lu Weiying listened carefully, first startled, then gradually enlightened, nodding repeatedly. "Nan Long brother speaks most accurately! I had been so absorbed by the treasures that I nearly forgot our primary purpose for this journey. Thank you so much for reminding me." The elder, no ordinary cultivator, instantly realized his oversight upon being reminded by Nan Long Hou, bowed gratefully and said, extending both hands in a respectful gesture. Then, he turned away from the stone wall, fearing further temptation, and hurried deeper into the cave. Nan Long Hou's expression eased, and he called out to Han Li, following suit. Han Li, equally reluctant to part with the Qi-silver sand of this entire ore vein, naturally slowed his pace slightly. Yet even though his flying sword, infused with Bing Metal, was far sharper than ordinary flying swords, and though he had the spiritual liquid to instantly restore his spiritual power, obtaining sufficient quantities of the Jang Yin Sand ore was no easy task. In fact, it might well spark jealousy among the two southern Lóng侯. Faced with such difficulty, Han Li could only sigh lightly, with a sense of regret, and follow the two into the cave. At that very moment, however, a voice from the Da Yan Divine Sovereign suddenly resonated in his mind: "Ha! Ha! There's such an abundance of Jang Yin Sand—back when I was searching for it, I spent years without finding much. Truly, this is no ordinary place! These sands will be perfect for my newly developed puppets. When I incorporate them into the puppet bodies, ordinary treasures will be unable to harm them at all. Take them all away!" The Da Yan Divine Sovereign's voice was filled with excitement. "Take them all away?!! Old fellow, are you not even fully awake? This is a Jang Yin Sand ore vein, not a spiritual stone deposit!" "How can I possibly move them all—one by one, with my flying sword?" Han Li replied with a scowl upon hearing this. "Hmph! Since the Sovereign of Great Derivation has already stated this, there must surely be a way. Han, you have those golden-feeding insects, haven't you? I'll teach you a spell that allows you to command them to burrow into the stone walls, consume the Qi-silver sand within, and then expel it to solidify into crystallized Qi-silver sand. This method was originally learned from a deceased insect cultivator. Not only the golden-feeding insects, but several other types of spiritual insects can also perform this feat—though none are as convenient as your own." The Sovereign of Great Derivation spoke with clear preparation. "Indeed, such a spell exists! Excellent—pass it on. I'll immediately have these spiritual insects gather the Qi-silver sand." Han Li was both astonished and delighted, and promptly interjected. Whether it was the Qi-silver sand itself or the power of the spell, he could not tell. "Before you begin, I'd like to make one thing clear: no matter how much Qi-silver sand you collect, you must first reserve It absolutely cannot be wasted elsewhere, nor should it be mixed into your divine artifacts. Should any remain after the final refinement of the puppets, you may handle the remainder as you see fit—I shall not interfere in the slightest. As I speak these conditions to Master Han Li, the elder calmly states, "I suppose you are unaware that my divine artifacts do not require any mixing of the Jingsheng Sand. In fact, I have already refined them through crystal cultivation, and that material is far superior to the Jingsheng Sand." Upon hearing this, Master Han Li cannot help but smile lightly. "Crystal cultivation? You possess such an extraordinary material? Do you still have any left? Even a small amount would be of great use to me." The elder is first stunned, then quickly becomes excited, his voice brimming with joy. "As you know, my divine artifacts are an entire set of flying swords. Though the initial amount of crystals I obtained was not insignificant, it was only sufficient to meet the demands—there is truly nothing left over." Master Han Li replies calmly. "Nothing? Truly, you have been exceedingly generous in extracting the finest materials!" The Grand Divine Sovereign was now utterly disheartened, murmuring expressions of regret and sorrow. Han Li couldn't help but roll his eyes several times. To use refined crystals for his own life-support法宝—how could that be considered an excessive exploitation of natural resources? Nevertheless, since he now had pressing needs with the other party, he had to feign ignorance and patiently listen to their complaints. At this point, Han Li had already followed the two ahead of him into the mountain cave for some distance, deliberately maintaining a slight gap between himself and them to prevent them from noticing his unusual demeanor. Though the cave was somewhat dim, all three were deeply rooted in spiritual power; with only a slight infusion of inner energy into their eyes, they could clearly see their surroundings and perceive everything without difficulty. The cave's size remained unchanged, just as it had at the entrance, and the walls, still retaining their original hue, remained a soft yellow. Along the way, Han Li casually used a flying sword to cut through the stone walls. Yet, what revealed itself was still a shimmering silvery color. Han Li was somewhat startled, but his determination to secure these mineral veins grew even stronger. Han Li walked steadily, listening to the divine incantation on pest-repelling passed to his consciousness by the Great Derivative Immortal. Though the incantation was composed entirely of classical Chinese, somewhat obscure and difficult to grasp, under the brief guidance of the Great Derivative Immortal, Han Li—already somewhat familiar with pest-repelling techniques—immediately understood it fully and seamlessly integrated it into his practice. Once the incantation was fully transmitted, the voice of the Great Derivative Immortal fell silent. Han Li then lowered his gaze, reviewed the incantation once more, and confirmed his understanding. With a seemingly casual sweep of his hand at his waist, the magical creature bag suddenly vanished. His walking posture remained unchanged, yet one by one, golden gold-devouring insects emerged silently from his sleeves and drifted gently back toward the direction from which he had come. The two individuals walking ahead of him remained completely unaware of Han Li’s subtle movements. After a period of about a cup of tea’s worth of time, all the gold-devouring insects within the bag had been released. Han Li, with both hands pressed against the sleeves of his robe, chanted a series of incantations and formed a seal, transmitting the low, resonant spell through his consciousness to the large swarms of golden insect creatures floating before the entrance, hovering near the stone wall. Suddenly, the golden insect cloud burst forth with intense radiance, and the insects momentarily blurred before all rushing en masse toward the stone wall—yet they encountered no resistance, seamlessly vanishing into the wall without a trace. The surface of the stone wall remained undamaged, untouched. Feeling this through his awareness, Han Li finally relaxed, drawing his mind back and slightly stepping forward. After walking a little further, just as he rounded a bend, the two ahead halted. Han Li felt a sudden sense of alertness and hurried to look ahead. To his sight, the passage suddenly opened up, becoming significantly wider. Throughout the broad corridor, stalactite-like, strangely shaped stones stretched from ceiling to floor, each emitting delicate threads of silvery light that illuminated the entire passage with a bright, ethereal glow. These silver filaments were most unusual—though clearly intangible, each strand of light was remarkably distinct and vivid, as if tangible. "This is the Prime Light of the North Pole," said Nan Long Hou, gazing at the filaments ahead. "Though you two may already be familiar with it, I shall remind you once again: besides the Two-Principles Ring, never move any spiritual energy or magical artifacts at all. Should any of your spiritual energy leak out and be sensed by the Prime Light of the North Pole, our three of us will surely perish." Han Li remained silent, offering no reply. Yet, he shook his robe slightly, and a black ring shot forth, spiraling before landing in his palm. The ring shimmered with vibrant light!