Three days later, Han Li appeared on another unnamed desolate island. Standing on a massive boulder by the shore, he gazed at the small humanoid automaton floating before him, which bore the essence of the Da-Yan Immortal. "Master truly intends to pass away naturally now. Given my current condition, I still have the means to extend Master's spiritual essence for another month or so." Han Li spoke slowly. "For me, living a few more days makes no real difference. Please don't worry about it. If I can naturally return to the cycle of rebirth, that would be a blessing." The small automaton shook its head gently and spoke calmly. "Then, I shall say no more. I hope that the path of rebirth truly exists, and that Master will have the opportunity to embark upon the journey of cultivation in a future life." Han Li's voice was low. "The path of rebirth isn't so easy to follow. Even if it exists, there's no guarantee that Master will be born again as a human. By the way, Han junior! After I helped you develop the method for replicating the Seven-Flame Fan, you once promised me a request. Do you remember?" "The Grand Divine Sovereign suddenly mentioned this matter. "Of course I remember. It's just that the Elder never brought it up, so I thought perhaps you had forgotten it." Han Li said with a苦笑. "Since we've reached this point, there's no point in making the request now without fulfilling it. My request is quite simple: if possible, I would like you to recover the Thousand Bamboo Sect in the far west and appoint one of your disciples to lead it, ensuring this lineage continues and does not truly come to an end. The current leaders of the Thousand Bamboo Sect are not from my own disciples at all. Just thinking about it makes me deeply uncomfortable." The Grand Divine Sovereign said, humming slightly. "Absolutely no problem. When the time comes, I will select a promising disciple to receive all the techniques I have learned from you, especially the puppet arts, and appoint him as the head of the Thousand Bamboo Sect." Han Li replied without hesitation. "Ah, that's exactly what I hoped for. With your words, I am truly satisfied." The elder has inscribed his secret techniques and all the experiences and insights accumulated throughout his life onto a set of jade scrolls known as the "Da Yan Treasure Scripture." I have kept these scrolls at the Cave of Heavenly Blessing. You may study and absorb as much as you can from them. Then pass this scripture on to the disciple who will inherit the Thousand Bamboo Sect. Only then will the true lineage of this divine sovereign be carried forward. The Da Yan Sovereign burst out with a thunderous, resonant laugh. Immediately, as the small man opened his mouth, a massive green glow, the size of a clenched fist, surged upward, followed by a series of low, profound incantations drifting gently from the sky. The green glow rapidly expanded, and within moments, a luminous green disc, spanning several zhang in diameter, rose to hover at a height of dozens of zhang above. Its brilliance was dazzling and intense. Even the observer, Han Li, who had been gazing intently below, could not help but narrow his eyes in awe. The incantations suddenly ceased, and the surrounding area fell into complete silence. Yet shortly thereafter, the disc contracted sharply, and with a powerful "boom," it exploded, spreading a dense Seeing all this, Han Li finally felt a touch of sorrow on his face. As a great master and founder of the Daxian Sect, he had now vanished entirely. He looked up at the sky, silently, not knowing how long he had stood there, until finally, after a deep breath, he lowered his head. His gaze shifted to the small humanoid automaton still floating before him. Without the spirit essence dwelling within it, the figure now seemed lifeless. With a gentle sweep of his robe, the faint glow of Qing Xia caused the automaton to vanish instantly. Then he raised his hand and lightly tapped the bamboo cylinder behind him. Instantly, several jade scrolls shot out and landed in his palms. Han Li briefly scanned his consciousness through these scrolls, and indeed, they contained the accumulated wisdom and efforts of the Daxian God Sovereign throughout his life—numerous secret techniques and cultivation methods, as well as many rare and well-kept anecdotes from the realm of immortals. After only a brief glance, he carefully stored the scrolls into his storage bag. Then, with a thoughtful expression, he settled into deep contemplation. Now that the automaton was complete, the next step was to begin crafting the Three-Flame Fan. If this fan can be crafted, he should be able to stand a match against an ancient demon. However, the production of the San-Yan Fan is somewhat complicated—all the raw materials must be refined into spiritual substances using the true fires of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity before the fan can be forged. When he first observed the ceremony at Bai Qiao Pavilion, Han Li was particularly impressed by their Earth-Heart Fire Pulse, as he had taken a strong interest in their Earth Fire and had even considered borrowing it to refine certain spiritual materials. Now that they have arrived in Dajin, such a plan is no longer feasible. To produce the Earth Fire-based spiritual materials, they would have to seek out another source of pure Earth Fire. Dajin is home to many renowned Earth Fire veins, some of which belong to no sect at all, but instead lie in remote, less-energized, barren regions. Thus, finding a suitable location with Earth Fire is not particularly difficult. As for Human Fire—the true fire cultivated by the practitioners—such as the Dan Fire of a Condensed Qi cultivator or the Infant Fire of a Yuan Ying cultivator—this is entirely manageable. The only difficulty remaining is the need to blend heavenly fire into the spiritual materials. According to the scroll, what is known as heavenly fire is essentially the fire generated by thunderstorms—specifically, the natural lightning fire formed between heaven and earth during rainy weather. One must seize such opportunities to collect this fire and then use it to refine the spiritual materials. Such favorable conditions are not easy to come by. The heavenly thunder orbs that Han Li once used were themselves crafted using the natural thunder and lightning fire of heaven and earth. However, the thunder orbs required raw lightning power, while Han Li utilized the transformed form of that lightning—namely, thunder fire—to produce his spiritual materials. As long as the conditions are met, it should take only a few months to complete the refinement of all the materials. Producing three copies of the Three-Flame Fan would then be merely a matter of time. Moreover, Han Li has an appointment with the wealthy elder from the Nine-Depths Sect to meet in the southern region, and the timing appears to align well. Although Han Li does not place much emphasis on agreements where both parties harbor mutual reservations, there is a mountain known as Silver Serpent Mountain in the southern region, which experiences continuous volcanic eruptions and is renowned as Many cultivators have come especially to this mountain in order to refine their treasures and artifacts. This proves to be an ideal location for him to gather rare materials, and also allows him to fulfill the appointment he has made with the wealthy elder. He still finds the appointment rather intriguing, given its significance. Indeed, his primary objective has now been accomplished halfway—he now needs to obtain the sealing and releasing incantations from Yin Luo Sect, as well as recover his two flying swords from the ancient demon. Additionally, he plans to search for more Xing Jing throughout the region, hoping to gather enough to form a complete set of flying swords. After careful consideration, Han Li finally reached a decision. However, before that, there were still two tasks to complete. Immediately, he transformed into a streak of green light and flew directly toward a small mountain range on the island. Upon reaching one of the smaller peaks, he released the Tianji Fu, set up several seals to conceal the inner sanctuary, and then entered a private chamber. First, he spent several days refining and absorbing a few drops of the Spirit-Enlightenment Scroll he had received from the Tian Fu Gate, integrating it into his body. Then, he settled onto the cushion, removed a spirit-beast satchel from his waist, and tossed it into the air. As the opening of the satchel unfolded, a cascade of white light surged forth, and a yellow mythical beast several feet in size materialized on the ground. It was the earth-armored dragon he had captured and kept alive for several years. The creature's appearance was remarkably similar to that of a typical pangolin, its entire body covered in colorful seals and incantations, with several gleaming golden needles embedded in its limbs and legs, motionless as it lay on the ground. When Han Li released it, the beast's small eyes darted rapidly before settling on him, revealing a look of helpless appeal. It seemed that years of being confined within the spirit-beast satchel had significantly diminished its wild nature. "There's no need to act foolish or dramatic," Han Li said. "As a seventh-rank beast, you possess high intelligence and should certainly understand human speech." I'm short on time and don't have the patience to waste much, so I'll be direct. If you agree to submit to me, simply open your awareness and let me cast the Divine Spirit Seal upon you. If you refuse, I'll instantly eliminate you—your entire exoskeleton and seven-tiered spirit pearl will be worth a considerable amount of spiritual stones." Han Li said in a cold, solemn tone. The Terracotta Dragon shivered, a flash of fear passing through its eyes, before quickly shifting to a resentful gaze, fixing Han Li with a sharp, intense stare. "Being my spiritual companion is far better than serving other cultivators as a mere servant. Your species live far longer than we humans do. I never intended for you to become my heirloom spirit beast—I only require that you serve me as long as I remain alive. Once I either ascend to the higher realms or meet my end, you'll be free." Han Li met the dragon's gaze with unwavering composure and spoke without hesitation. Hearing this, the Terracotta Dragon seemed momentarily stunned, then its gaze flickered uncertainly, revealing a thoughtful, hesitant expression on its humanoid features. Han Li, with a half-smiling motion of his lips, suddenly slapped his palm against the storage pouch, and a small bottle of jade-green hue appeared in his hand. A purple glow flashed, instantly enveloping his palm in a layer of purple flame. At the same time, the bottle's lid shot skyward, and a surge of cold light erupted from within, causing the temperature of the entire room to plummet sharply. The earth-armored dragon, startled by the sudden chill, though protected by its scales, could not help but tremble, and its eyes flashed with surprise. Han Li gently shook his palm, and a drop of silvery liquid rose from the bottle, hovering at the mouth of the vessel before instantly solidifying into a bead, spinning continuously. Upon seeing this silver bead, the earth-armored dragon's gaze went blank, its nostrils quivering with excitement, and suddenly it emitted a series of guttural, indistinct roars, clearly agitated. "It seems you have recognized this item—good. As long as you agree to become my spiritual beast, I will personally grant you two drops of the cold marrow from the bottle, enabling you to survive the transformation lightning storm." "The conditions have now been laid out—what you choose will depend on you," Han Li said coldly. The earth-armored dragon continued to fix its gaze on the silver orb formed from cold marrow, its face contorted with hesitation, its determination hard to discern. After waiting a while and seeing no clear response from the beast, Han Li gave a cold sigh, said nothing further, and closed the small vial. With a single hand motion, a flash of purple flame surged across his entire hand, coalescing into a shape, and a slender purple flame sword slowly rose to rest in his palm. With a slight movement of his fingers, the sword trembled and launched itself, drifting gently toward the earth-armored dragon. Upon witnessing this, the dragon's expression changed dramatically. As the sword reached its head in a matter of moments, the creature calmly raised its sword to strike. The immense spiritual power contained within the blade finally caused it to gasp in fear, open its mouth wide, and emit several plaintive cries of submission.