Under Han Li's gaze, the flying knife slashed into the stone wall and erupted with blinding white radiance.
Lu Weiying, who sensed the impact, changed expression slightly. He reached out with a summoning gesture and immediately recalled the knife.
Han Li looked closely. Where the knife had struck, a shallow blade mark roughly an inch deep had appeared on the stone wall, and within the mark, tiny grains of silver light faintly glimmered.
"This is—" A flash of surprise crossed the old man's face. He hurried forward in several quick steps, reached the blade mark, and leaned in for a careful examination.
"Astral Silver Sand — there's actually raw Astral Silver Sand ore in this stone wall?" After examining it for only a short while, his voice began to tremble.
The moment Han Li heard the words "Astral Silver Sand," his expression changed dramatically. He too stepped forward, extended a finger, and gently traced it along the blade mark, carefully inspecting the material.
Han Li had naturally heard of Astral Silver Sand. It was one of the few rare substances that could be added during artifact forging to make a magical treasure far more durable. In terms of effectiveness, it was second only to "Refined Crystal."
The material itself was incredibly hard — nearly impossible for ordinary treasures to damage. Whether in the Outer Star Seas or the cultivation world of Tian Nan, it was something on the very verge of extinction.
No wonder Lu Weiying's flying knife had achieved almost nothing when it struck the wall.
Han Li studied the blade mark with a grave expression for a moment, then silently raised his hand. Over ten small swords shimmering with green light shot from his sleeve, transforming into more than ten streaks of green radiance that struck points all across the stone wall.
Marquis Nanlong and his companion were momentarily startled, but quickly grasped Han Li's intent.
A clattering chorus of impacts rang out, and over a dozen sword holes — each several inches deep — appeared across the face of the wall. Every single one glinted with dots of silver light.
"It really is Astral Silver Sand. And the entire wall has been laced with it, though the density isn't uniform. It seems this wasn't done by human hands — the wall itself contains a vein of Astral Silver Sand ore." A hint of surprise appeared on Han Li's face, but his voice remained perfectly calm and unhurried.
When Marquis Nanlong and the other man saw that Han Li's flying swords had pierced the stone to a depth several times greater than Lu Weiying's knife, their expressions shifted subtly.
But upon hearing Han Li's words, greed flared in the old man's eyes. He stared fixedly at the stone wall and said nothing more.
A flicker of naked desire also passed across Marquis Nanlong's face, but after a moment's deliberation, his expression gradually returned to normal.
"Let's move on. We should explore the Inner Valley for treasure first," Marquis Nanlong said calmly.
"Leave now? This Astral Silver Sand is a rare treasure in its own right. Why don't we chip off some first?" The old man hesitated, his face full of reluctance.
"Brother Lu, how can you be so muddled? Didn't you just see for yourself how hard this stuff is? Forget that there may be an entire vein here — a single fist-sized chunk of raw ore yields only a tiny grain of Astral Silver Sand after refinement. How long would it take, and how much magical power would you burn, to cut off enough raw ore? Besides, while this material is certainly precious, don't forget that what we're lacking right now isn't worldly treasures — it's spirit medicines that can extend our lifespan and rapidly advance our cultivation. Otherwise, when our time comes, we'll be nothing but a pile of white bones." Marquis Nanlong furrowed his brow and regarded the old man with deep meaning.
Lu Weiying listened to Marquis Nanlong's words, went blank for a moment, then nodded repeatedly as understanding dawned.
"Brother Nanlong is absolutely right! This old man was momentarily blinded by the treasure and nearly forgot the true purpose of our journey. Thank you for the reminder, Brother Nanlong." The old man was no ordinary cultivator. The moment Marquis Nanlong had pointed things out, he snapped back to his senses and clasped his hands together in a grateful bow.
He then turned his gaze away from the stone wall and strode quickly into the cave, afraid of being tempted again.
Only then did Marquis Nanlong's expression soften. He called out to Han Li and followed after.
Han Li, too, was loath to leave behind an entire vein of Astral Silver Sand, and his steps slowed involuntarily.
But even though his flying swords were infused with Geng Metal and far sharper than ordinary ones, and even though he had spirit liquid that could instantly restore his magical power, cutting off enough raw Astral Silver Sand ore would still be no easy feat. Worse, it would very likely stir the jealousy of Marquis Nanlong and the other man.
Realizing there was really no good way to go about it, Han Li could only let out a soft sigh and, with a heart full of regret, prepare to follow the other two into the cave.
But just at that moment, a voice transmission suddenly echoed in his mind: "Heh heh! So much Astral Silver Sand — back in my day, I searched long and hard and couldn't find a fraction of this. As expected of the Demonfall Valley! This is exactly what I need for the puppets I've been developing. If I incorporate this Astral Silver Sand into their bodies, ordinary treasures won't be able to so much as scratch them. Take all of this Astral Silver Sand!" The Grand Sovereign's voice brimmed with excitement.
"Take all of it? Old monster, have you lost your mind? This is an Astral Silver Sand vein, not a spirit stone vein. How exactly am I supposed to take all of it — chip it away piece by piece with my flying swords?" Han Li replied irritably.
"Hmph! Since I've said it, I obviously have a way. Boy Han, don't you have Gold Devouring Beetles? I'll teach you a technique that commands the beetles to burrow into the stone wall, devour the Astral Silver Sand, and then regurgitate it in crystallized form. I obtained this method years ago from an insect cultivator I killed. It works not just with Gold Devouring Beetles — several other types of spirit insects can do it too, though none as conveniently as yours." The Grand Sovereign spoke as though he'd had this planned all along.