Under Han Li's attentive gaze, the flying saber chopped at the stone wall in a display of blinding white radiance. Then with a slight change in expression, Lu Weiying waved his hand and recalled the flying saber.
Han Li clearly saw that the flying saber strike had left a shallow inch-long mark with faint grains of silver light floating around the area.
"That is..." Lu Weiying revealed a trace of surprise and hastily stepped forward to look at the saber mark. After carefully examining it, he muttered, "Tailstar Silver. This cave is made out of Tailstar Silver ore?"
When they heard the words Tailstar Silver, Han Li's expression vastly changed and he also stepped forward. He extended his finger and softly stroked the slash mark, examining the dust on his finger.
Han Li had naturally heard of Tailstar Silver as it was a material that could enhance the durability of a magic treasure. Its effects were only inferior to materials as precious as refined crystal. It was no wonder that Lu Weiying's strike barely damaged it.
Regardless of whether it be in the Scattered Star Seas or the Heavenly South Continent, it was something that was nearly extinguished.
Han Li stared at the saber mark and silently raised his hand. Over ten small azure swords shot out of his sleeve and directly struck the stone wall.
The other two were alarmed, but they immediately realized what Han Li was doing. With a series of clangs, over ten several-inch-deep holes appeared in the wall, each hole producing silver light specks.
Han Li momentarily revealed surprise and he said, "It truly is Tailstar Silver, and it is mixed into the rock. Moreover, it isn't evenly distributed so it isn't man-made. There should be a vein of Tailstar Silver within."
Seeing that Han Li's swords had struck deeper than Lu Weiying's saber, the other both had a change of expression, but Lu Weiying's eyes betrayed a trace of greed as he stared at the rock wall in silence.
A fiery passion also appeared on Marquis Nanlong's face, but after some thought, he regained his calm.
Marquis Nanlong calmly said, "Let's go. We'll search for the treasures in the valley depths first."
Lu Weiying hesitated and wore an expression of reluctance. "Go? Tailstar Silver is an incredibly valuable treasure. Wouldn't it be better to dig this out first?"
Marquis Nanlong frowned and faced Lu Weiying, speaking with a deep tone, "Brother Lu, how can you be so foolish at a time like this? Did you not personally witness how hard Tailstar Silver is? It may be possible that there is an entire vein of it, but a fist-sized chunk of ore can only be refined into a miniscule amount of it. How much time and magic power would you have to waste before it is worth it? And while this item may be precious, don't forget that what we lack isn't wealth, but materials to increase our cultivation and lifespan. When we reach our end, these possessions will mean nothing."
Lu Weiying paused for a moment before repeatedly nodding in realization. He saluted Marquis Nanlong with gratefulness and said, "Brother Nanlong, you are completely right. I was overcome with greed and lost sight of our main objective. Many thanks for reminding me!"
Afterwards, he paid the wall no more attention and walked into the cave as if afraid of being lured by the Tailstar Silver.
Marquis Nanlong's expression relaxed and he called out to Han Li before following after Lu Weiying.
Han Li was also reluctant to part with the Tailstar Silver ore and he unconsciously walked with slowed steps. Even though he had the Auric Essence infused flying swords and enough spirit milk to restore his magic power, cutting out enough Tailstar Silver ore still wouldn't be an easy task. And if he followed through, he would also provoke envy from the other party members.
Concluding that pursuing the Tailstar Silver would be unwise, Han Li could only sigh and follow his two party members into the cave.
At that moment, Han Li suddenly heard a voice from the back of his mind, "Hehe! There is so much Tailstar Silver. I've spent so many years looking for it, but I wasn't able to find any. Devilfall Valley deserves its reputation. The silver is able to be used in puppet refinement. With a bit of Tailstar Silver mixed into the puppet's body, common magic treasures wouldn't be able to harm them. You must take all of it!" The Monarch of Soul Divergence spoke with an excited tone.
Han Li bluntly rebuked him, "Take all of it? Old eccentric, are you dreaming? This is Tailstar Silver ore, not a vein. How can I take it away? Chip at it and take it away piece by piece?"
The old man snorted and said, "Since I've mentioned it, there is a method of course. Youngster Han, don't you have those Gold Devouring Beetles? I can teach you a method to control the Gold Devouring Beetles and have them drill through the rock and consume the Tailstar Silver. They will then spit it out as crystalized silver. This method was something that I had acquired from an insect cultivator I killed. This applies to all spirit insects, but it is particularly suitable for your Gold Devouring Beetles."
"Alright, then how about you teach it to me? I'll immediately have the Gold Devouring Beetles search for the Tailstar Silver." Han Li immediately replied with delight, perhaps not only for Tailstar Silver, but also the mighty incantation.
"First let me tell you that regardless of how much Tailstar Silver you acquire, you will have to set aside enough for the final puppet I will refine. Also, you cannot waste it for other uses, particularly for mixing it with your magic treasure. If there is still Tailstar Silver after I refine the puppet body, you can use the rest as you wish."
Han Li couldn't help but smile and said, "Senior might not know this, but my magic treasures have already been tempered with Refined Crystal [1]. It is quite a bit more effective than Tailstar Silver."
The Monarch of Soul Divergence paused before yelling in alarm, "Refined Crystal? You had such a heaven-defying material? Do you still have any leftover? It will be greatly useful to me even if you only have a little bit left." There seemed to be a trace of delight in his voice.
Han Li bluntly replied, "You should know that I use a set of flying swords. While I had acquired a large chunk of refined crystal, it was barely enough to temper my flying swords. There is nothing leftover."
"There is nothing left? What a waste!" The old man's tone was filled with sorrow and disappointment.
When Han Li heard this, he couldn't help but inwardly roll his eyes. Using the Refined Crystal on his own magic treasure couldn't be considered a waste, but since he was asking for a favor, he pretended not to hear this.
At that moment, Han Li had followed the two into the cave, but had managed to keep a distance away from them, intentionally or otherwise, to prevent them from discovering anything strange.
The cave was dark, but this was easily solved for cultivators by pouring spiritual power into their eyes. Due to this, they were able to see clearly without any problems. The cave's width and height were exactly the same as the entrance, and the colors of the stone were a consistent yellow.
Along the way, Han Li casually used one of his swords to cut the stone wall. As a result, it revealed specks of silver light, much to Han Li's astonishment.
As Han Li walked forward, he learned the insect control technique from the Monarch of Soul Divergence. Although the incantation for the technique was cryptic due to being formed from ancient characters, Han Li was able to learn it with a bit of explanation from the old eccentric. With a sudden understanding, Han Li was able to smoothly employ the technique.
With the technique imparted, the old man grew silent once more. Han Li contemplated the incantation a moment more and verified that it was correct before casually brushing his sleeve across his waist and removing a spirit beast pouch. A short moment later, Gold Devouring Beetles began to silently fly from his sleeve and across the passageway.
With his other party members over thirty meters ahead of him, they were unable to sense Han Li's actions. In the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the Gold Devouring Beetles had completely left him.
Han Li then withdrew the sleeve and formed an incantation gesture. Following that, he uttered an incantation in his mind and spread it with his spiritual sense to the cave entrance where a large swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles was gathered.
The Gold Devouring Beetles suddenly shined with golden light and the flying insects soon grew vague as they tunneled into the stone walls without the slightest resistance. They were no longer in sight and the rock's surface wasn't damage in the slightest.
Sensing this with his spiritual sense, Han Li recalled it with relief and began to quicken his steps.
After walking for a time more, they arrived at the start of a winding road. The other two had stopped walking, much to Han Li's shock. He hastily looked forward and saw that the passageway had doubled in width.
The spacious path was covered with stalagmites and stalactites that faintly released lines of silver light, illuminating the cave. The silver lines were exceptionally strange; although they were incorporeal, they each appeared to nearly contain their own form.
Marquis Nanlong stared at the lines of silver ahead of him and deeply sighed, "These must be the Greatnorth Essence Lights. Although you two Fellow Daoists might know something of it, I must warn you to not rashly use any spiritual power or treasures apart from the Yin Yang Ring when inside. If the Greatnorth Essence Lights sense any spiritual power leak, we will certainly die."
Han Li grew silent and he didn't reply. He simply waved his sleeve and summoned a jet black ring that circled once in the air before dropping into his hand, revealing a flicker of light.
[1] Refine Crystal is a rare material that was found in chapter 466. It is something that is found from Ironfire Ants and is one of the top materials for hardening magic treasures.