"It's simple. Fellow Daoist Xuanji and I would like to join forces with Fellow Daoist Han once more. The three of us alone will venture into the Demonfall Valley to retrieve the treasure. Once we find it, our strength will naturally increase dramatically, and we'll have nothing to fear from anyone." Marquis Nanlong spoke with a flicker in his eyes, his expression perfectly calm.
Upon hearing these words, Han Li did not respond immediately. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and stared at the two people across from him in silence.
The moment he learned that the black ring was the legendary Yin-Yang Ring, he immediately recalled the other ring he had obtained from Senior Sister Nangong Wan.
If he guessed correctly, that one should be the Yang Ring.
He had never imagined that just as he had finally gathered both rings, he would immediately learn their purpose.
Han Li laughed bitterly to himself, feeling that fate truly loved its coincidences.
"From Fellow Daoist Nanlong's words, it seems you've already obtained a method to enter Demonfall Valley. But I wonder—even with the help of the Yin-Yang Ring—how confident are you that we can actually find the treasure and make it out in one piece? Demonfall Valley is hailed as the most dangerous place in the Tiannan region, and that's no laughing matter. I have no desire to end up like the man who dies for wealth or the bird that perishes for food." Han Li let out a sigh, his words thick with hesitation.
Hearing Han Li's words, Marquis Nanlong and Xuanji exchanged a glance. After a brief moment, Marquis Nanlong spoke in a deep voice: "Since Fellow Daoist Han has asked, I won't try to hide anything. According to what Cangkun Shangren left behind, Demonfall Valley is indeed rife with dangers. One careless step and you could be sucked into an ever-shifting spatial rift, and the ancient formations left behind in many areas are virtually impossible to guard against. To be honest, getting you into the valley isn't a problem—at the very least, we have eighty to ninety percent confidence that we can enter safely. But as for treasure hunting, that's another matter entirely. The more dangerous a place is, the more likely it is to contain treasure. What you might encounter inside—forget about this Marquis, even Cangkun Shangren himself couldn't say for certain. Because of his severely depleted cultivation back then, Cangkun Shangren never ventured deep into the heart of Demonfall Valley. He only searched the outskirts for treasure. But that also means the true treasures of the valley have never been claimed by anyone since the primordial era. Take a small risk, and you're certain to return with a full haul."
As he spoke, a note of enticement gradually crept into Marquis Nanlong's words.
"Of course, if Fellow Daoist truly doesn't wish to take this risk, you could also sell the Yin-Yang Ring to the two of us. We don't have much else, but we can certainly produce some spirit stones. But let me be frank—ancient cultivators possessed many pills of inconceivable efficacy. If you obtain them, breaking through to the mid or late stage of Nascent Soul would be just a matter of time. You might even find clues about the mystery of what happens to Deity Transformation stage cultivators. After all, once a cultivator reaches the Deity Transformation stage—whether they truly ascend to the legendary Spirit Realm or some other fate befalls them—the Tiannan cultivation world has known nothing for a long time. Wouldn't Fellow Daoist like to get to the bottom of it?" Xuanji, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
Han Li's eyes gleamed as he pondered for a moment, then he uttered several words that caught the other two completely off guard: "If I understand correctly, the two of you seem rather eager to have me join the expedition to Demonfall Valley. Might I ask why? After all, there's no shortage of Nascent Soul cultivators. Why must you rope me in specifically?"
The moment these words left his mouth, Marquis Nanlong and Xuanji's expressions tightened, followed by a hint of embarrassment.
Marquis Nanlong pressed his lips together, gave a couple of bitter laughs, and then adopted a helpless look: "Actually, even if Fellow Daoist hadn't asked, I would have brought this up. In addition to the formations and spatial rifts, there are several ancient primordial beasts still living in Demonfall Valley to this day. One of them is the Ancient Fire Toad—a creature that should have gone extinct long ago. Though this Fire Toad has never developed spiritual intelligence, it has lived for untold tens of thousands of years, and its Heavenly Scale Demon Fire is extraordinarily powerful. According to Cangkun Shangren's final words, it's several degrees more formidable than the Nascent Soul flame of a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, I recall that the blue cold flame Fellow Daoist unleashed that day was capable of instantly freezing a Nascent Soul cultivator's magical body—far beyond the reach of ordinary ice-attribute techniques. It should be able to suppress this Fire Toad."
"What do you mean by that? Has the Fire Toad blocked the path into the valley?" Han Li asked with a look of surprise after a brief pause.
"That's not it. Rather, this ancient beast is connected to the remains of an ancient cultivator. The location of these remains is extremely safe—there are no ancient formations nearby, nor do spatial rifts appear in that area. But the Fire Toad just happens to have made its lair right beside those remains. Cangkun Shangren once had his eye on those remains as well, but after only a brief clash with the Fire Toad, he knew he was outmatched and hastily retreated. Even so, he still suffered from the Fire Poison and nearly didn't make it out of Demonfall Valley alive." Xuanji's expression had returned to normal as he explained.
"I see. You two want me to deal with the Fire Toad so you can seize the treasure." Han Li gave a few bitter laughs and muttered.
"Dealing with the Fire Toad beast is far safer than facing ancient formations and spatial rifts. With the right approach, combined with Fellow Daoist's ice-attribute techniques, it shouldn't be a problem at all. Besides, we're not asking Fellow Daoist to kill the beast—just lure it away, and we can still obtain the treasure. As long as we get the ancient cultivator's storage pouch, there'll be more than enough inside for all of us." Marquis Nanlong added, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"According to what you've said, as long as we focus solely on the Fire Toad after entering the valley and don't wander into other areas, it should be relatively safe?" Han Li tilted his head and considered the matter before asking, neither confirming nor denying.
"If we're lucky, the treasure in the remains alone might be enough—naturally, there would be no need to take any additional risks." Marquis Nanlong nodded in affirmation.