Two months later, Han Li finally emerged from the secret chamber.
Although his complexion was somewhat haggard, his heart brimmed with excitement.
At the thought of the seventy-two "Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords" now absorbed within his body, the corners of Han Li's lips curled upward, unable to conceal his delight.
He had spent more than twenty years of effort on this set of life-bound magical treasures, and they had finally been forged without a single mishap.
Although he had yet to test the power of these treasures, he was certain that after a period of nurturing refinement, even a single flying sword would far surpass an ordinary magical treasure like the Green Brilliance Sword.
Just as he was feeling pleased with himself, his spiritual sense detected a message from Qu Hun — the Gold Devouring Beetles had laid eggs.
This was joy upon joy!
Han Li returned to his living quarters to rest for a day, then went to visit the insect chamber.
What greeted him was a vast expanse of white — snow-white Gold Devouring Beetle eggs scattered everywhere.
Without hesitation, Han Li immediately carved out a new insect chamber nearby, identical to the original, then inscribed a massive Soul Control Formation on its floor and dripped a large quantity of essence blood into it.
He then transferred most of the eggs into the formation in the new chamber and performed the Soul Control Ceremony to bind them as his own.
In the original insect chamber, he left behind nearly a thousand of the most vibrant eggs.
Only after completing all of this did Han Li truly relax. He began visiting the cultivators he had befriended in the area, gradually returning to his normal cultivation routine.
During the years Han Li had been living among the world, the cultivation world of the Scattered Star Seas had been rocked by a series of major events, growing increasingly volatile.
The most impactful of these was that seven or eight organizations of various sizes — including the Six Links Palace — had suddenly experienced uprisings by subordinates or disciples overnight. Their leaders and sect masters were overthrown one after another, replaced by previously unknown figures.
Meanwhile, several inconspicuous small sects had been completely exterminated, their precious sect treasures seized.
For a time, every faction in the Scattered Star Seas was on edge, each retreating their forces and growing suspicious of the others.
But the worst blow came when, at some unknown point, a rumor spread through the cultivation world that the Heavenly Stars Dual Sovereigns had long since suffered qi deviation, their cultivation completely crippled.
It was even said that several of their subordinates had stripped them of their power, leaving them incapable of controlling the Star Palace.
The moment this news broke, uproar ensued.
Nearly everyone with a stake in the matter turned their attention to the Star Palace, watching for their response.
But to everyone's astonishment, the Star Palace offered no reaction whatsoever — neither denying the rumor nor confirming it.
This only deepened the panic throughout the Scattered Star Seas.
Similarly, some factions with long-held ambitions and hidden agendas began stirring restlessly.
Some plotted in secret, while others began forging shady alliances of offense and defense.
Yet on the surface, not long after the rumors spread, all the chaos seemed to vanish without a trace, as though everything had returned to normal.
But the perceptive among them understood that this was merely the false calm before the storm.
Therefore, when Han Li met with the cultivators he had befriended and discussed the matter, they all wore expressions of worry.
Han Li, for his part, was not particularly concerned.
To him, whether the Star Palace continued to dominate the Scattered Star Seas or some other power rose to take its place, it made no difference whatsoever.
He was alone and unattached. As long as he was careful and avoided being dragged into things for no reason, that was all that mattered.
According to his own plans, Han Li intended to spend the next few years entirely on nurturing his flying swords and forging several sets of powerful formation tools.
After that, he would head out to sea to hunt down and slay sixth-tier demon beasts.
After all, for a cultivator at the Core Formation stage, only pills refined from sixth-tier demon beast inner cores had a significant effect on advancing one's cultivation.
And so, in the days that followed, Han Li spent his days forging tools and studying the Dao of formations, while his nights were spent sitting cross-legged in meditation, using the fire within his dantian to slowly temper the seventy-two "Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords" within his body.
Not long after, the Gold Devouring Beetle eggs finally hatched.