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Indeed, I am Can Ku, and Im the lord of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion. I was actually informed of the reason for your arrival earlier through a voice transmission talisman from Shopkeeper Zhang. This is not a suitable place to talk, how about we have a chat in the palace? the old man suggested in a respectful manner as he extended a hand toward the palace gates.

He was wearing a different ring on each and every one of his 10 fingers, some of which were emanating piercing light, while others were completely dull and lackluster. It was a rather peculiar spectacle to behold.

Han Li glanced at the rings on the old mans hand with a nod before turning to the monk beside Can Ku, and he asked, I have no objections. May I ask your name?

This monk was wearing a set of yellow monk robes, and his features were quite youthful, making him appear as if he were a 16 or 17-year-old young man. However, the fearsome spiritual pressure radiating from his body suggested that he was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

I am Yan Zhu. The youthful monk smiled as he brought his palms together in a Buddhist salute.

Yan Zhu? Han Li murmured to himself, but he was drawing a complete blank.

However, that wasnt something to be alarmed about. After all, the high-grade cultivators of the four major Buddhist sects were all quite secretive to begin with, and Han Li wasnt from the Great Jin, so it was no surprise that he hadnt heard of this monk.

However, a hint of befuddlement flashed through the eyes of the old man upon seeing the lack of reaction from Han Li. Even though he had disguised it quite well, Han Li was far too cautious to let that detail escape his notice. His expression remained unchanged, but he was quickly thinking about his situation.

Could it be that this monk was supposed to be an extremely renowned cultivator? Otherwise, why would this lord of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion have displayed such a reaction?

In contrast, the youthful monk merely smiled and didnt say anything.

At this moment, the two Core Formation cultivators had also finally reached the palace gates, and they hurriedly extended bows toward the old man.

Can Ku issue a few instructions to the armor-clad Core Formation cultivator before sending him away, leaving only the yellow-robed man remaining behind.

He then led everyone into the Hidden Fortune Pavilion, where everyone took a seat in what clearly wasnt the main hall of the building. Of course, the yellow-robed man and all of the other Core Formation cultivators could only stand. гeewbnovel.com

I heard that Fellow Daoist Han has paid our palace a visit in order to purchase the secret technique for refining a spatial pocket, is that correct? Can Ku cut straight to the point.

Thats right, that is indeed the purpose of my visit. Han Li replied in a straightforward manner.

Seeing as youre asking for this secret technique, you mustve discovered a spatial rift and wish to refine it into a spatial pocket, but you dont want anyone else to know of its location, right? Can Ku asked with a nonchalant smile.

This pavilion lord was only at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, but this was his territory. As such, even though he was treating Han Li in a respectful manner, he showed no intention of allowing Han Li to dominate proceedings.

Youve hit the nail right on the head, Han Li replied indifferently as his eyes narrowed slightly.

Hehe, ever since our pavilion first created spatial pockets, there have been other fellow Daoists like you who have tried to obtain the refinement method from us. Those fellow Daoists were all in a similar situation as youre currently in, Brother Han, they all discovered spatial rifts and wished to refine those spatial rifts into their person spatial pockets, but didnt want anyone else to be aware of the spatial pockets location. Furthermore, there has been no lack of great cultivators among those who have come to me seeking the refinement method, Can Ku chuckled.

Oh? Did you agree to their request, Fellow Daoist? Han Li was truly curious after hearing that.

No! Every single one of those fellow Daoists promised me that they wouldnt divulge the refinement method to anyone else, but if we were to give them the secret technique, it wouldnt be something thats unique to our Hidden Fortune Pavilion anymore, Can Ku replied in a frank manner.

Han Li was silent for a moment before speculating in a meaningful voice, I trust that you must have some alternative solution that you can offer, right? Otherwise, it would be quite unwise to turn down great cultivators like this, even for an organization as powerful as the Hidden Fortune Pavilion.

You are indeed correct, Brother Han. Our Hidden Fortune Pavilion would naturally prefer to avoid offending powerful cultivators if possible. As such, even though we cant hand over the refinement method, we have a substitute that can also satisfy those fellow Daoists requests, Can Ku replied with a carefree expression.

A substitute? Han Li was truly a little flabbergasted this time.

Our pavilion has actually devised a set of formation tools a long time ago, and those tools can create a formation that can transform an area into a makeshift spatial pocket. I cant guarantee you that the result would be exactly identical to a true spatial pocket, but its at least extremely similar, Can Ku announced confidently.

However, Han Lis brows furrowed upon hearing this, and he shook his head as he asked, Is that so? Seeing as its relying on the power of a restriction, a spatial pocket of this nature will surely have many flaws, right?

There will naturally be some flaws, but those flaws wont be an issue for someone like you, Brother Han, Can Ku replied nonchalantly.

You really have piqued my interest now, Brother Can. Would you be able to elaborate on that further? Han Lis expression had finally changed a little.

Theres not a whole lot of explaining to be done. Essentially, the former pavilion lord asked a few formation spell masters to create a spatial pocket formation based on the concept of a true spatial pocket. These formations were then virtually perfectly replicated in the form of formation tools that can be distributed. As long as the area isnt too large, the formation tools will suffice for creating a spatial pocket. As for flaws, there are only two, seeing as formation tools are being used, the spirit stone expenditure will naturally be quite high. It would take over 10,000 spirit stones to maintain a spatial pocket of this nature per year. Of course, if the spatial pocket itself contains a spirit vein, then those costs can be slightly lowered. Aside from that, the makeshift spatial pocket set up using these spatial tools will only be able to maintain itself for a maximum of 2,000 to 3,000 years. After that, the formation tools will lose their efficacy, and the entire spatial pocket would collapse. Im sure that with your current wealth, the first condition can be easily met. As for the second flaw, as long as youre not planning to pass down this spatial pocket for many generations, the time limit should more than suffice for your needs. Even if we were to reach the Deity Transformation Stage, our lifespans would only be extended to just over 2,000 years anyway, Can Ku elaborated with a slightly smug expression on his face.

Han Li began to stroke his chin with a contemplative look upon hearing this.

How about it? Are you interested in our pavilions formation tools? If so, well be sure to sell you a set at a discounted price. A confident smile appeared on Can Kus face, as if he were sure that Han Li would accept this arrangement.

However, in the next instant, Can Kus smile abruptly stiffened.

After contemplating for a long while, Han Li shook his head, and said, I still want the refinement method for the spatial pocket.

Not only did the yellow-robed Core Formation cultivators expression change upon hearing this, even the monk named Yan Zhu had turned to appraise Han Li with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Can Kus smile faded as he asked, Seeing as youre so insistent, you must have your own considerations, but you should at least provide me with a plausible reason for your insistence, right, Fellow Daoist Han? As he spoke, he was unconsciously tapping the jade armrest on his chair with his hand in a very rhythmic manner.

Han Li could see what Can Ku was doing, but he ignored it as he calmly replied, Its quite simple, the spatial rift that I discovered is already displaying signs of instability. I dont believe that a mere set of formation tools can prevent spatial collapse should it arise. As such, Im determined to obtain the refinement method, Han Li said in an implacable voice.

Can Kus brows furrowed upon hearing this. It was quite clear that Han Lis reply was completely unexpected to him, and a hesitant look appeared on his face for the first time.

You can have the refinement method for the spatial pocket if you want it, but youll have to spar with me first. Right at this moment, an elderly voice sounded from somewhere. Immediately thereafter, silver light flashed and a streak of light shot forth into the palace. The silver light then faded to reveal a monk in silver obes.

Can Ku and Yan Zhu immediately rose to their feet and hurried extended respectful salutes toward the monk. Can Kus expression lit up with elation as he greeted, Master Yuan Zhi, you came!

Yan Zhu pays his respects to Senior Martial Brother Yuan Zhi!

The two of them were treating the monk in an extremely respectful manner.

In contrast, Han Li remained seated in his chair as he appraised this monk with a somewhat intrigued expression.

This monk didnt appear to be as youthful as Yan Zhu, but he only looked to be around 30 years of age, and had a set of graceful and refined facial features. It was quite difficult to link this man to that elderly voice that had rung out earlier.

Unlike with Yan Zhu, Yuan Zhi was a name that Han Li had actually heard of. This monk seemed to be one of the three late-Nascent Soul Stage elders of the Lightning Sound Sect, which was one of the four major Buddhist sects.

In contrast with other Buddhist great cultivators, this man was extremely renowned throughout the Great Jin and at the same time, he was also one of the exceedingly rare Buddhist vajra protectors. That was the extent of Han Lis knowledge of this man.

Only after inspecting the silver-robed monk for a while did Han Li cup his fist in a salute. However, he remained seated his chair, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face as he said, Master Yuan Zhi of the Lightning Sound Sect, I didnt youd be the guest elder of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion. Forgive me for my rudeness.

A slightly cold light flashed through the silver-robed monks eyes at the sight of Han Lis lackadaisical display, and he asked coldly, Which sect are you from, Fellow Daoist Han? I dont recall ever hearing about you.

Its no surprise that you dont recognize me, Master Yuan Zhi, this is also the first time Ive seen you! Han Li chuckled lazily.

At this moment, Yan Zhu suddenly chuckled and said something quite unexpected. Senior Martial Brother Yuan Zhi, this may be your first time seeing Benefactor Han, but its definitely not the first time youve heard of him.

Han Lis expression changed slightly as he turned toward Yan Zhu.

Can Ku also faltered upon hearing this before a contemplative look appeared on his face.

Oh? What do you mean by that Junior Martial Brother Yan Zhu? The silver-robed monk was also a little taken aback.

Whos there? the armored cultivator exclaimed in shock. He immediately summoned a barrier or white light to protect himself, then made a hand seal as all of the puppet warriors began to shimmer with spiritual light and rose into the air at his behest.

The yellow-robed mans face paled upon seeing this, and he hurriedly yelled, Wait, Brother Cao, this is Senior Han! Dont you dare attack him!

Senior Han? The armor-clad man had no idea who that was.

However, the yellow-robed mans cultivation base was comparable to his, and he was clearly extremely wary of this Senior Han, so it could be deduced that he was definitely not just some ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. Otherwise, with the two of them situated within this spatial pocket, they would be powerful enough to combat even an early-Nascent Soul cultivator.

Could it be that this Senior Han was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator? That would not be something that he and a few puppets could handle.

With that in mind, the armor-clad man hurriedly swept his spiritual sense toward the warrior puppets, making them descend onto the ground again.

The unfamiliar male voice harrumphed coldly. Youve made the right decision. I was about to teach you a lesson there.

Immediately thereafter, azure light flashed above their heads, and an azure-robed man with his arms crossed appeared in the air above, looking down at the two of them with a cold expression.

The armor-clad man swept his spiritual sense toward that man, upon which a shiver ran down his spine, and an expression of incredulity and horror appeared on his face.

The man up above had made no effort to hide his cultivation base, and he was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator!

But when had a new great cultivator by the surname of Han appeared in the Great Jin? Why had he never heard of such a great cultivator?

The armor-clad man shuddered with lingering fear as he thought back to how close the puppets had been to attacking this man, and he hurriedly rose into the air before extending a deep bow.

My apologies, Senior. Please forgive me for any offense I may have caused!

The young man up above remained expressionless and didnt say anything. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the hovering palace nearby, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, the armor-clad cultivator down below was sweating profusely, and he didnt dare to stand up straight again without receiving an instruction permitting him to do so. After all, virtually all Nascent Soul cultivators had peculiar, and often foul tempers, so it would be very easy to irk them. He didnt want to be killed due to an oversight on his own part.

Thankfully, the yellow-robed man swooped in to save him.

A wry smile appeared on his face as he rose into the air, and he also bowed deeply as he asked, Senior Han, didnt you say that you were going to give me several months to inform the pavilion master of this matter? Why have you followed me here?

I have limited time and no longer want to wait any longer, so I decided to come here to speak with your pavilion master in person. So this is the legendary Hidden Fortune Palace, right? I had heard that this palace was situated in a spatial pocket, and an extremely rare free radical spatial pocket, at that. The location of its entrance will automatically self-adjust once every few years, so normal cultivators would never be able to find it. After coming here for myself today, I can see that this is indeed an extraordinary place. You can get up now. Youre a guard here and you were only doing your duty, so I wont take your actions to heart. However, I do want to see your pavilion master, so you can lead the way there for me. The young man turned to the armor-clad cultivator with an implacable look on his face.

Cao Weifeng was quite relieved after hearing the first half of Han Lis sentence, but his heart clenched tightly again upon hearing Han Lis instructions, and he turned to the yellow-robed man for help.

In all honesty, he still didnt even know why this great cultivator was here, nor whether he was friend or foe!

The yellow-robed mans lips twitched slightly upon hearing this, and after a brief hesitation, he turned to Cao Weifeng with a slight nod.

The armor-clad cultivator no longer hesitated any longer upon seeing this as he hurriedly asked, I would be happy to lead the way to our palace master, but hes currently entertaining a guest. Please allow me to inform our palace master of your arrival, then take you to him. Is that alright, Senior Han?

Hes entertaining a guest? A hint of surprise appeared in the young mans eyes, but he still nodded expressionlessly.

The armor-clad man was ecstatic. He hurriedly pulled out a voice transmission talisman from his storage pouch, then spoke into it in an urgent voice before releasing it into the palace.

After doing all that, he gave the young man up above a fawning smile before stepping up the jade staircase, leading the way to the palace master.

The yellow-robed man also hurriedly followed along behind them.

However, both of them were forging ahead on foot rather than flying up the jade staircase.

Theres a flight restriction!

The young mans brows furrowed upon making this discovery, but a cold smile immediately appeared on his face as he rose into the air as a streak of azure light, seemingly completely unaffected by the flight restriction.

The two people down below could only exchange wry smiles upon seeing this.

The surrounding flight restriction was able to prevent all cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage from rising more than three feet into the air. However, it was obviously next to completely ineffective against a late-Nascent Soul cultivator like Han Li.

The young man hovering in the air didnt seem to want to excessively challenge the palace masters authority, either, as he was flying slowly behind the two Core Formation cultivators, rather than accelerating and speeding up the staircase.

This young man was naturally none other than Han Li, who had arrived in the Great Jin.

Even though his cultivation base had taken large strides, it still took him half a year to reach the Great Jin through the Moulan Plains. frewebnovel.com

As he was passing through the plains, he encountered no difficulties whatsoever, and that leg of the journey had been extremely smooth.

This was rather surprising to Han Li.

He had prepared himself to teach the immortals of the Soaring Tribe a lesson as he passed through. After all, he had almost been killed by those Soaring Tribe cultivators once upon a time.

However, along the way, he only encountered some low-grade immortals, and not even a single one at the Core Formation Stage or above.

Only after doing research did he understand the reason for this. It turned out that over 100 years ago, the Endless Sky Saintess and the Illustrious Grand Immortal issued a joint order, gathering all of the high-grade immortals to the Endless Sky Temple to engage in seclusion for some unknown reason. Without orders or permission for them to leave, they were prohibited from exiting the temple. Through this order, the Endless Sky Saintess and the Illustrious Grand Immortal seemed to be trying to forcibly increase the overall power of the cultivation world in the Soaring Tribe.

Han Li was naturally a little disappointed after hearing about this information. However, he certainly wasnt going to rush over to the Endless Sky Temple to hunt them.

After all, the Soaring Tribe was quite a force to be reckoned with, and if he were to attack the Endless Sky Temple, hed be facing the might of their entire tribe rather than just a single cultivator or two. This was different from killing that Elder Ximen of the Star Palace, whom he had a personal vendetta against. The power of the entire Soaring Tribe was something that he still had to be rather wary of.

With that in mind, Han Li relinquished his plan to pick on the Soaring Tribe, leaving the Moulans Plains and continuing his travels toward the Great Jin.

Obtaining the refinement method for the spatial pocket was simpler and less time-consuming than the other two things that he had to do, so he decided to take care of this matter first.

He first visited a renowned market in a certain state within the Great Jin, then tracked down a branch of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion. He told the shopkeeper of the branch, who was the yellow-robed man, that he wanted to purchase the refinement method for the spatial pocket.

If a normal Nascent Soul cultivator had stated such a request, the shopkeeper wouldve most definitely rejected him without a second thought.

However, Han Li hadnt been hiding his cultivation base in the slightest, and the late-Core Formation Stage shopkeeper was petrified to be in the presence of a great cultivator. As such, he could only offer a respectful smile as well as a rather uneasy explanation.

He had no right to even know the refinement method for a spatial pocket, let alone sell it. As such, he would have to ask the master of the Hidden Fortune Palace for a verdict. This was quite an important matter, so it would be inappropriate just to send out a voice transmission talisman. Thus, he had to pay a visit to the palace in person, and he was asking for Han Li to wait two to three months for his reply.

Han Li felt this to be quite reasonable, so he agreed.

However, he wasnt actually just going to sit around and wait for so long. Instead, he unleashed a secret technique to track the yellow-robed man to this place.

As far as he was aware, even though the Hidden Fortune Pavilion was supposed to be just a chain of shops, they actually had connections with many of the renowned righteous sects, as well as Devil Dao sects. Furthermore, they also had a late-Nascent Soul great cultivator as their guest grand elder. Very little was known about this guest grand elder, and he was an extremely mysterious character.

However, none of that mattered to Han Li.

As long as this guest grand elder wasnt the master of the Yin Sifting Palace, even if he were an elder of the Heavenly Devil Sect or the High Zenith Sect, it wouldnt have anything to do with him.

As such, even though he intended to secure this secret technique through intimidation, he wasnt going to really ask for it free of charge. Instead, he had already prepared a large quantity of spirit stones and rare materials in advance.

As such, there really was no reason for them to risk offending a great cultivator just to maintain the confidentiality of a secret technique that was more trouble than it was worth.

Upon reaching around the halfway mark on the staircase, the sound of a tolling bell suddenly rang out from the hovering palace, extending a welcome to the guest of the Hidden Fortune Palace.

A dozen or so streaks of light then shot forth from within the palace, soon revealing themselves to be a group of cultivators. All of the hovered in the air on either side of the entrance to the palace, seemingly unaffected by the flight restriction in place.

Two people emerged from the center of the group, standing side by side as they looked down on Han Li and the others.

Han Lis brows furrowed upon seeing this, but his expression quickly reverted back to the normal. He abruptly raised a foot and covered a distance of over 100 feet with a single step. Following a few more steps, he had abruptly appeared at the entrance of the palace, where he was directly facing the two people at the center of the group.

The cultivators on either side naturally burst into a frenzy upon seeing this, and some of them had even laid their hands on their storage pouches with panicked expressions on their faces.

Insolence! Fellow Daoist Han is a guest of ours! You can all go away now. One of the two men in the center, a rather portly old man, scolded the two rows of cultivators beside him sternly before turning to Han Li with a smile.

Han Li inspected the old man with an indifferent expression as he asked, Are you the lord of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion?

Han Li was currently on his way to the Moulan Plains as a streak of azure light.

His objective was naturally to return to the Great Jin so he could secure those Ghost Sifting Banner from the Yin Sifting Sect.

Even though he had failed to progress to the Deity Transformation Stage earlier, what was undeniable was that he had reached the pinnacle of the late-Nascent Soul Stage. As such, he was feeling a lot more confident about this trip.

If he recalled correctly, following the death of Old Devil Qian, the Yin Sifting Sect shouldve only had only late-Nascent Soul cultivator left, and that was their sect master. As long as he didnt barge in like an idiot and try to fight the entire sect through brute force, it shouldnt be a difficult task for him to obtain the Ghost Sifting Banners.

The master of the Yin Sifting Sect also seemed to have a vendetta against him as he had slain his Dao Companion on the past.

In that case, taking advantage of this opportunity to kill this man would be killing two birds with one stone for Han Li. Otherwise, he could come back to bite Han Li later.

Prior to progressing to the late-Nascent Soul Stage, it wouldve been difficult for Han Li to ensure self-preservation in the face of such a powerful foe, let alone attempt to kill him, so he naturally wasnt going to take the risk.

However, he was far more powerful than he once was and he had to obtain the Ghost Sifting Banners anyway, so he naturally wasnt going to allow this man to live any longer.

Han Li couldnt ensure that he would constantly be at the Drifting Cloud Sect. If this great cultivator were about to reach the conclusion of his lifespan and was driven to launch a kamikaze attack against the Drifting Cloud Sect to take revenge before he died, Nangong Wan and the others would be in severe peril.

With that in mind, an intense wave of killing intent swept through Han Lis heart.

He was naturally very disappointed that he had failed to make a breakthrough using the Glacial Flame Cinque Devils, but he wasnt truly distraught as he still had the Divine Essencefused Light as a backup plan.

During this trip to the Great Jin, aside from taking the Ghost Sifting Banners, he also had two other things that he had to take care of. Otherwise, if he were to cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light, he would be confining himself to a certain place, and he wouldnt be able to take care of anything in person until he completely mastered the Divine Essencefused Light.

As such, he had to take advantage of this period of freedom to take care of everything in advance.

Among the things he had to do, finding the Puresun Flame Essence and using Glacial Essence to refine the Returning Sun Water was absolutely imperative.

As long as he could refine the Returning Sun Water, his lifespan would increase by a quarter. No cultivator would be willing to give up on something like this that absolutely defied the natural order. To Han Li, who already stood at the pinnacle of all cultivators in the human world, the temptation of this Returning Sun Water was even more immense.

After using a soul search technique on Master Arctic Dragons Nascent Soul in the North Night Palace, Han Li had discovered some leads about the Puresun Flame Essence. As such, everything was already in place, and he simply needed to set things into motion.

As for the other thing he had to do, it was nowhere near as important in comparison, and he was only going to do it along the way. It would be good if he could succeed, but whether he succeeded or not didnt matter all that much. The second thing that he had to do was to travel to the Hidden Fortune Pavilion and ask them for the secret technique required to refine a spatial pocket.

Back when he had participated in the grand auction in the Jin Empire, the shopkeeper of the Hidden Fortune Pavilion had told him that one could use a spatial rift to refine a spatial pocket. At the time, he had been very intrigued and wanted to refine a personal space of his own.

After all, virtually all Nascent Soul cultivators had their own secret cave abodes aside from the cave they were living in that was out in the open. Some of them would even have several of those secret cave abodes, and they would often store their most valuable treasures in there in case some kind of mishap would befall them.

Han Li had always been busy with his cultivation, so he didnt have the time to consider such things.

The reason why Han Li had suddenly thought of this naturally wasnt because he wanted to create a secret cave abode to store his treasures in. Instead, he wanted to create a secure place for himself to cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light in.

If he could refine his own spatial pocket and only leave an obscure teleportation formation in the outside world leading into the spatial pocket, as long as he could control the teleportation formation with the spatial pocket, even a Deity Transformation Stage assailant wouldnt be able to do anything to him.

Even if his enemies were to destroy the teleportation formation in the outside world in a fit of rage, with his current powers, it would be simple for him to tear through space so he could emerge from the spatial pocket, as opposed to being trapped in there. In contrast, cultivators capable of tearing through space in the outside world wouldnt be able to find his spatial pocket unless they were aware of the precise spatial incision point.

Han Li had learned about all this through arduous research.

Of course, if that plan failed to eventuate, it wouldnt be impossible for Han Li to find another obscure location to cultivate in. However, that clearly wasnt as safe and secure as a spatial pocket would be.

Having said that, the refinement method of the spatial pocket was known only to the Hidden Fortune Pavilion, so it would most likely be rather difficult for him to request it. But then again, if a great cultivator were to request anything from any power, regardless of how reluctant that power would be to provide it, they would most likely still do their best to satisfy that great cultivators request.

After all, no power would be willing to make a late-Nascent Soul great cultivator their enemy if they could afford it.

As for why the Hidden Fortune Pavilion had been able to keep this refinement method confidential to this day, that was most likely because the secret technique was more trouble than it was worth, and simply couldnt attract the interest of all of the major sects. Otherwise, Han Li didnt believe that a mere Hidden Fortune Pavilion would be able to keep such an important secret technique confidential for so long.

Of course, he would have to employ some strategies if he wanted to obtain this refinement method.

With that in mind, a cold smile appeared on Han Lis face, and he disappeared into the distance following a few flashes.

Over half a year later, light rain was falling over a certain mountainside town in the State of Yu, which was tens of millions of kilometers away from the Heavenly South Region.

On a bluestone street that was glistening with the falling rain, there were almost no pedestrians. The few pedestrians that were on the street were all hurriedly walking along with umbrellas over their heads, and none of them were eager to linger on the streets.

A yellow-robed man holding a white oilcloth umbrella suddenly appeared on this street.

However, this man was walking in a calm and unhurried manner, as if he were taking a casual stroll in the countryside. His umbrella was tilted forward slightly, and it just so happened to obscure most of his facial features.

However, judging from the fair and supple hand that was holding the umbrella, the man appeared to be quite young, and was not a normal lowly citizen who had to engage in manual labor all day.

Some of the passersby couldnt help but take an extra glance at this man as they strode past him, but he remained unfazed and his footsteps were still unhurried.

Just as he was passing by a nondescript alleyway, he suddenly changed directions and made his way into the alley.

Even though this was a rather deep alleyway, it was quite apparent that the conclusion of this alley was a dead-end with no way out. There werent even any houses or shops on either side of the valley, only walls that were several tens of feet tall, and it was a place that was rarely frequented by anyone. However, the yellow-robed man paid no heed to all of this and continued to make his way forward. feewebnove.co

Just as he was about to reach the conclusion of the alleyway and appeared as if he were about to crash into the stone wall, white light suddenly flashed as he disappeared into the wall.

If a mortal had been present and witnessed such a bizarre scene, they would definitely be yelling at the top of their lungs about supernatural phenomena. However, cultivators would barely pay any heed to this. It was just an extremely simple illusion technique, so there was no need for alarm.

However, if that cultivator were to pass through the complex layers of restrictions beyond this illusionary wall, they would most likely be flabbergasted as well.

This was because there was a gargantuan jade gate over 1,000 feet tall behind those layers of restrictions. After passing through that colossal gate, a white jade staircase would be revealed, with every step hovering in mid-air, leading toward a huge green palace.

White spiritual mist swirled around the palace, and there was a pair of rare spirit beasts circling in the air above the palace in a leisurely manner. There were also many types of peculiar flowers and plants growing on the ground nearby, embellishing this place with their beauty and making it appear as if it were an immortal paradise.

However, if one were to sweep their spiritual sense through the surrounding area, they would discover that even though this place appeared to be quite cavernous, it was actually just a small restricted space. In fact, it was only just over five kilometers in size, but its height of several thousand feet was, admittedly, rather astonishing. However, that staggering height as necessary to construct such a peculiar floating palace in this place.

At the foot of this massive jade gate, there were two rows of warriors clad in golden armor. All of them were around 20 feet tall, and were standing completely stationary with wooden expressions on their faces.

However, among these warriors, there was an armor-clad man with a dark complexion, sitting on a rock beside a pillar. He was currently conversing with the yellow-robed man with the oilcloth umbrella in a lazy manner.

No matter what youre here for, I cant disrupt the pavilion master when hes entertaining guests. Otherwise, Ill be punished by the pavilion master. Why dont you sit here for a while and have a chat with me? Ive on duty here at the Hidden Fortune Pavilion, Ive been staying here with these mutes for over half a year, Im bored out of my wits, the dark-complexioned man chuckled.

This man was a Core Formation cultivator, yet he was only a gatekeeper here. That was quite extraordinary. The two rows of massive warriors beside the gate were merely puppets, so it was no wonder that he was unable to converse with any of them. However, each and every one of these puppets were extremely life-like, and it was very difficult to tell that they were puppets just by looking at them.

The yellow-robed cultivator had already put away his white umbrella, revealing a set of stern facial features. Cao Fengwei! Im not here to kid around with you, I really do have an extremely important matter to consult with the pavilion master about. Even if I can wait, that person may not be willing to. If we delay for too long and bring disaster to the pavilion, neither you nor I will be able to handle the repercussions!

The yellow-robed man was becoming rather enraged.

That person? Who are you referring to, Brother Zhang? the armored man asked with a bewildered expression.

Hes referring to me. The voice of an unfamiliar man suddenly interjected from up above.

Liu Yu was feeling quite excited.

If Han Lis cultivation base were to take another massive stride, then she would undoubtedly attain an even higher status within the sect, and that would naturally benefit her greatly.

In reality, after tasting the pleasure that power and influence brought to her, it was impossible for her to calm her heart and return to cultivation. After all, even Nascent Soul cultivators had to be very respectful to her at present, and that was very pleasing to her.

Besides, she was well aware of the limitations of her own aptitude. After attempting and failing several breakthroughs to the Nascent Soul Stage, she had completely given up in that endeavor, and was entirely dedicating herself to assisting L Luo in running the Drifting Cloud Sect.

Even if she couldnt attain the Great Dao, she didnt want to reach the end of her lifespan without having done something with her life first. As such, she really had contributed quite significantly to the Drifting Cloud Sects rapid expansion.

L Luo was very pleased with her dedication to bettering the sect, and had given her a lot more jurisdictive power when it came to matters in the sect.

The group from the Drifting Cloud Sect flew toward the interconnected peaks, but were kept out by a restriction.

They looked up as the tumbling spiritual cloud in the sky revolved and transformed into a giant funnel, looking as if it were about to slowly descend upon the interconnected peaks, and they hurriedly sent a voice transmission talisman into the restriction.

Moments later, the mist standing in their way surged before parting to open up a passageway, through which the group immediately entered without any hesitation.

After emerging from the mist, they were immediately greeted by the sight of Mu Peiling.

She was holding a yellow formation flag in her hand, and was silently awaiting their arrival.

Mu Peiling pays her respects to the elders of the Drifting Cloud Sect. Big Sister Nangong has been waiting for a long time, please come with me. Mu Peiling stowed away the formation flag before pointing toward one of the interconnected peaks in a respectful manner. frewbovel.cm

L Luo and his group naturally had no objections to this, and they immediately flew toward that mountain peak.

There, they discovered Nangong Wan standing at the summit in a pristine white palatial dress, appearing as if she were a celestial maiden who had descended from the heavens. However, her intricate brows were slightly furrowed, and she merely nodded gently to acknowledge the arrival of L Luo and the others. Her attention was still entirely focused on the phenomenon taking place nearby, and there were hints of concern and anxiety shimmering within her eyes.

Beside her stood a man and a woman who were none other than Tian Qiner and Shi Jian.

Both of them had also reached the Core Formation Stage several decades ago. Tian Qiner had taken an Evergreen Pill to ensure that she held onto the appearance of a young woman around 16 or 17 years of age. Even though so many years had passed, she still looked almost no different compared to when Han Li had first taken her under his wing.

After paying their respects to Song Yu and L Luo, the two of them stood behind Nangong Wan again with respectful expressions on their faces.

Elder Nangong, is Junior Martial Brother Han attempting a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage? L Luo asked with a hint of excitement on his face.

Aside from a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage, what other breakthrough attempt would create such a spectacle? Its just that the heavenly omen as already been around for a while, so the breakthrough doesnt seem to be progressing very smoothly, Nangong Wan replied with concern etched on her face.

Why is that? Junior Martial Brother Han has already been able to trigger such an astonishing phenomenon, hasnt he? L Luo was very surprised to hear this.

Nangong Wan seemed to have done quite a bit of research on Deity Transformation Stage breakthroughs, and she offered her own analysis. The breakthrough will only succeed after the spiritual cloud in the sky is summoned onto the mountain peak, then merged with his body. However, the spiritual cloud is falling very reluctantly, which is a sign that hes still unable to sufficiently control the worlds origin Qi. As such, this breakthrough may not succeed.

After hearing Nangong Wans words, everyone turned their attention to the spiritual cloud in the sky again. Just as she had said, the shimmering spiritual cloud had attempted to descend toward the mountain peak several times, but was repelled by an invisible force on all of those occasions. As a result, they were unable to truly descend onto the mountain peak, and the process didnt indeed appear to be quite a reluctant and laborious one.

L Luos heart sank upon seeing this, and he didnt ask any more questions. All he did was continue to stare intently up into the sky with an unblinking gaze. Song Yu didnt say anything, but the concern shimmering in her eyes betrayed her calm facade. The other cultivators all had mixed emotions, but with their two Nascent Soul Stage elders among them, none of them dared to make any comments.

Right at this moment, the spiritual clouds descending from the sky suddenly began to tremor violently. A peculiar ringing sound rang out, following which the massive cloud immediately began to tumble and surge unsteadily. An earthshattering boom then erupted, and a cloud exploded into spiritual light of different colors before completely vanishing.

All of the balls of spiritual light that were flying toward the mountain peak also disappeared amid an audible sigh.

All of a sudden, everything around the interconnected peaks returned to normal.

A slightly wistful look appeared on Nangong Wans face upon seeing this.

At this moment, Song Yu suddenly broke her silence. Senior Martial Brother Han clearly already has one foot in the door toward the Deity Transformation Stage, and he only failed on the final hurdle. With Senior Martial Brother Hans current lifespan and cultivation base, hell be able to make many more attempts, and its only a matter of time before he succeeds.

L Luo also wore a rather forlorn expression on his face, but he nodded in agreement with Song Yus words, and said, Indeed. Junior Martial Brother as already able to summon such an astonishing phenomenon during his first breakthrough attempt, Im sure it wont be an issue for him to progress to the Deity Transformation Stage.

Nangong Wan was silent for a moment before a wry smile appeared on her face, and she said, What youre saying is indeed correct, but Han Li has always been extremely careful and precise in his cultivation. If hes attempting a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage now, then he mustve made all of the preparations he possibly could. He must be unable to progress any further in his cultivation base before deciding to try and take this final step. In that case, unless he encounters some kind of opportunity, even if he attempts a few more breakthroughs, his efforts most likely wont amount to anything.

L Luo and Song Yu were naturally aware of this as well, and they were only trying to offer words of consolation. After hearing Nangong Wans frank admission, they didnt know what to say in response.

Liu Yu was naturally also feeling quite disappointed. Just as she was about to say something, Han Lis voice suddenly rang out from within the main peak. Even from so far away, his voice was clearly audible to everyone, as if he were speaking right before them.

Waner, seeing as Senior Martial Brother L and Junior Martial Sister Song have already arrived, why dont you invite them into my cave abode? Im going to have to leave the Heavenly South Region for some time after my failed breakthrough attempt, and I have some things to say to them before I go. Get Liu Yu to come with them as well.

Nangong Wan faltered slightly upon hearing this before she turned to L Luo and the others with a smile, and she said, Senior Martial Brother L, Junior Martial Sister Song, lets go together.

L Luo and Song Yu glanced at one another before flying toward the main peak together with Liu Yu in accompaniment.

Tian Qiner and Shi Jian were quite disappointed that they hadnt been summoned, but they could only wait on the spot with all of the other Core Formation cultivators. Without the orders of Nangong Wan or the other elders, the group of Core Formation cultivators didnt dare to leave, either. All of them began to discuss spiritedly among themselves after Song Yu and the others disappeared into the cave abode on the main peak.

The few cultivators who were acquainted with Tian Qiner and Shi Jian approached the two of them and engaged them in conversation.

Tian Qiner and Shi Jian had already reached the Core Formation Stage, but due to Han Lis strict orders, they were cultivating in their respective cave abodes most of the time, and they were quite glad to have the opportunity to talk to someone.

Several hours passed, yet Nangong Wan and the others still hadnt emerged from Han Lis cave abode.

All of the cultivators waiting outside could only speculate about what matters they were discussing.

Three months later, a streak of azure light shot forth from within the Dreamcloud Mountains, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Only after several days did news spread from the Drifting Cloud Sect that Grand Elder Han had departed from the sect to embark on a journey.

The objective and timeframe of his journey had intentionally been made quite ambiguous, so no one could ascertain exactly why he had left.

This piece of news wasnt all that surprising to everyone. This was because news of his failed breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage had already spread throughout the cultivation of the Heavenly South Region, and virtually all of the sects had been made aware of this.

This came as quite a relief to all of the sects that were wary toward Han Li.

Even though Han Li was already the number one cultivator in the Heavenly South Region, if he were to progress to the Deity Transformation Stage, his lifespan would be extended to over 2,000 years. That was simply far too long for all of the sects that harbored ambitions of stamping their mark on the Heavenly South Region in the future. None of them wanted to be oppressed by Han Li for so long.

Seeing as Han Li was unable to progress to the Deity Transformation Stage, it only made sense that he was now embarking on a journey.

After all, cultivation alone clearly wouldnt be enough to help him make any further improvements, so he could only search for opportunities to act as a catalyst for a breakthrough. Of course, the chances of him actually succeeding were pitifully slim. Otherwise, the three great cultivators of the Heavenly South Region wouldnt have been stuck at the late-Nascent Soul Stage for so many centuries.

With Han Li gone, there were only two late-Nascent Soul cultivators left in the Heavenly South Region.

The grand elder of the Nine Nations Union, Wei Wuya, had passed away over 100 years ago. However, the Flowing Mind Sect had kept this a secret for many years, and news of this had only begun to spread several years ago. This was the most shocking event that had taken place in the Heavenly South Region in recent years.

The Nine Nations Union was plunged into turmoil as a result, and many sects and powers had erupted into conflict in the aftermath of this news being revealed.

Han Li was feeling rather forlorn after hearing about this when he had emerged from seclusion.

Even though Wei Wuya was only a step away from the Deity Transformation Stage, it was that single step that barred him from being able to continue his pursuit of the Great Dao.

That was a rather depressing end for such a legendary figure of the Heavenly South Region.

However, his passing only served to further cement Han Lis resolve in his pursuit of the Great Dao.

To him, everything was trivial if he couldnt attain immortality. No matter how powerful he became, everything would come to an end, and his legacy would cease to exist at some point.

He was unwilling to resign himself to such a fate.

It requires that many living souls to be sacrificed? Han Lis expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

Hehe, I was already giving you a conservative estimate. If you want to truly unleash the power of the Crimson Soul Flag, youd require tens of millions of living souls. I was only giving you an estimate of several million as youre only looking to use the flag to store an object. A true Crimson Soul Flag isnt a Divine Spirit Treasure, but it wont be too far away from a normal spirit treasure, either. Its sought after by countless cultivators for its spatial abilities, the small child chuckled.

Tens of millions of living souls? Unless I demolish an entire large city or island, theres no way Id be able to gather so many living souls! Wait… maybe I can gather those souls without having to do something so heinous. Han Li firmly shook his head initially, but a thought then suddenly occurred to him.

Have you found a feasible method, Fellow Daoist Han? The small child was rather taken aback by Han Lis reaction.

Han Li didnt give an immediate reply to the small childs question. Instead, he patted his storage pouch again, and green light flashed, following which two small green flags appeared in his hands.

Each flag was only several inches in size, but they were shimmering with green light and covered in runes, indicating that they were clearly remarkable treasures.

These were the two Ghost Sifting Banners that he had obtained during his journey to the Great Jin, and one of them had even been taken from Old Devil Qian himself. As for the other one, it had undergone devilfication from injection of devilish Qi, and had been in the possession of the second Nascent Soul.

What are these? A faint light flashed through the small childs eyes, but he didnt recognize these flags. It was no wonder that this was the case. During Han Lis journey to the Kunwu Mountains in the Great Jin, the avatar of the Endless Sky Beast hadnt developed intelligence yet, so it naturally wouldnt have seen Han Li obtaining these two treasures. However, it could naturally detect the astonishing soul Qi emanating from the two Ghost Sifting Banners.

Will I be able to refine the Yin souls on these banners again and use it to create the Crimson Soul Flag? Han Li asked.

The small child carefully examined the Ghost Sifting Banners in Han Lis hands before replying, That is indeed possible. However, even though these two treasures arent of the same caliber as a Crimson Soul Flag, theyre still extraordinary items in their own right. If you do that, they would be completely ruined. Furthermore, the souls contained within these banners are nowhere near enough to refine the Crimson Soul Flag.

Its alright, these two treasures are indeed quite powerful, but I already possess more than spirit treasure, and theyre no longer very useful to me at my current cultivation base. As for the lack of souls contained within these banners, if I had a dozen or so of these banners, thatd be enough, right? Han Li asked in a meaningful voice as he stroked his chin.

A dozen or so? I get it now, these are just two banners that are a part of a whole set, right? Does that mean you have even more of them with you? The small child was rather surprised after arriving at this revelation.

I dont have any other flags like this at the moment, but I know where the rest can be found. In reality, I know of another type of treasure containing far more souls than these Ghost Sifting Banners. Its a pity that the treasure is currently in the possession of a Deity Transformation Stage demon beast. Thats not someone I can mess with at the moment. Another thought occurred to Han Li, and a rather forlorn expression appeared on his face.

He was naturally referring to the Myriad Demon Flag in the possession of that old devil from the Myriad Demon Valley. He had personally experienced the immense might of that flag, and he knew that the demonic souls contained within that flag were of a far greater quantity and quality than those stored within the Ghost Sifting Banners. That treasure would undoubtedly be more suitable for refining the Crimson Soul Flag.

The small child naturally wasnt aware of what treasure Han Li was referring to, and he had no intention of asking about it, either. He merely said in an indifferent voice, If you can gather enough souls, then Id be willing to bestow the Crimson Soul Flags refinement method upon you free of charge. This Divine Essencefused Light is quite interesting, and Im also curious to see how powerful it would be after you master it. Are you planning to set about gathering those banners as soon as you return to the Heavenly South Region, Fellow Daoist Han?

Theres no hurry. Everything will have to wait until I reach the pinnacle of the late-Nascent Soul Stage and completely refine my Glacial Flame Cinque Devils first. After all, the remaining Ghost Sifting Banners are in the possession of a Nascent Soul Stage devilish cultivator as well, so Ill work on improving my cultivation base first. Lets return to the Heavenly South Region for now, Han Li replied with a shake of his head.

Alright, well do as you wish. After we get back, Ill give you the Crimson Soul Flags refinement method so you can gather all of the secondary materials and wont have to waste time on that later. The small child shrugged nonchalantly before the projection of its body vanished.

Han Li was ecstatic to hear this, and he accelerated through the air, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Several months later, Han Li returned to the Heavenly South Region using that ancient teleportation formation.

He stowed away the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes guarding the teleportation formation before destroying the formation once again and departing from the cave.

Another two months later, Han Li returned to the Dreamcloud Mountains in the State of Xi. He merely informed L Luo of his return through the use of his voice transmission talisman before immediately flying back to the interconnected peaks. At this point in time, Nangong Wan was still in seclusion.

Han Li naturally didnt go to disrupt her cultivation. A few short years of separation was nothing to cultivators like them.

The entire cultivation world in the Heavenly South Region wasnt even aware that the number one cultivator of their region had departed from the Drifting Cloud Sect at all.

However, L Luo heaved a long sigh of relief upon receiving news of Han Lis return. The Drifting Cloud Sect was being held up entirely by Han Lis reputation. Unless three or four more Nascent Soul cultivators appeared in the sect, the Drifting Cloud Sects status as a super sect would be in question if Han Li werent around.

As soon as Han Li returned to his cave abode, he deployed a flying sword to send a jade slip to Liu Yu. The jade slip contained a list of secondary materials required to refine the Crimson Soul Flag, and he was requesting for her to try and gather those materials during his period of seclusion.

After that, he entered the secret chamber again and continued to cultivate the final layer of the Azure Essence Sword Art, as well as to refine the Glacial Flame Cinque Devils.

Time passed by like flowing water.

50 years flashed past in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Han Li sensed that Nangong Wan had emerged from seclusion once, and he immediately also temporarily concluded his cultivation to meet her. The two of them then traveled together for half a year.

During their travels, Han Li completely basked himself in his intimate relationship with Nangong Wan and after the two of them returned, they began their bland seclusion again.

Come to think of it, cultivators were rather pitiful beings. On one hand, they possessed powerful abilities and lengthy lifespans far beyond the reach of mortals, but on the other hand, they were like hamsters galloping on a wheel, constantly cultivating prior to the conclusions of their lifespans to try and grasp the extremely infinitesimal chance of attaining immortality.

This lifestyle would be bearable for those who were naturally born with immense willpower, but it was enough to drive some normal cultivators insane.

If they were to continue cultivating, their chances of attaining the Great Dao were impossibly slim anyway, and they really didnt want to spend the rest of their lives in seclusion like this. However, they had already embarked on the path of cultivation and were unwilling to give up on the opportunity to attain immortality, no matter how negligible their chances were.

Furthermore, it was also extremely tempting to progress in ones cultivation base as doing so would further extend their lifespan.

As such, there were two extremes that existed in the cultivation world.

There were some mid-grade cultivators with lowly aptitude and cultivation bases who werent optimistic about their chances of making further breakthroughs, so they gave up on cultivation altogether. Some of them lived leisurely lives surrounded by concubines and enjoyed themselves until the ends of their lifespans, while others returned to their hometowns, founded an aristocratic family there, and ruled over the place from which they had hailed. frewebnol.com

On the other end of the spectrum, there were high-grade cultivators who felt themselves to be much closer to the ultimate objective of attaining immortality, and were unwilling to waste any time. They were completely absorbed in their cultivation, and paid no heed to anything else.

Han Li and Nangong Wan were clearly part of the latter group. One of them was at the late-Nascent Soul Stage while the other was at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, so they stood at the tip of the pyramid among cultivators of the human world. As long as they could ascend to the Spirit Realm, they really wouldnt be far away from immortality.

As such, even though the two of them loved each other very much, they were able to exercise a lot of self-restraint when it came to indulging in their relationship.

Dual cultivation was useful for advancing ones cultivation base, but the cultivation arts they were using didnt involve dual cultivation as a device of progression, and the improvements in magic power that dual cultivation brought about were quite negligible to them at their current power levels. The two of them were concerned that excessive indulgence in dual cultivation would negatively affect their mindsets and their determination in their pursuit of the Great Dao, so they had to hold back when it came to the physical aspect of their relationship.

Instead, due to their common pursuit of the Great Dao, the two of them had formed a very strong tacit understanding of one another, so even though they were exercising celibacy to a certain extent, the bond between them was still extremely resolute.

Thus, after going into seclusion again, neither of them were quick to come out again.

One day, a thunderclap suddenly erupted amid clear skies in the air above the interconnected peaks. All of the worlds origin Qi within a radius of several hundred kilometers around the main peak was suddenly triggered.

Countless fist-sized balls of light of different colors emerged from the ground, the rocks, and the threes, then converged rapidly toward the main peak, creating a shimmering spiritual cloud several hectares in area, putting on a spectacular light show to behold. Han Lis cave abode stood at the very epicenter of this marvelous phenomenon.

Such a startling turn of events had naturally alerted all of Han Lis disciples, who were also living on the interconnected peaks, as well as Nangong Wan. All of them rushed out from their seclusion chambers and looked up into the sky with stunned expressions.

The interconnected peaks were very close to the Drifting Cloud Sect, so the higher-ups of the sect had naturally detected the events unfolding here. A dozen or so streaks of light immediately shot forth from within the Drifting Cloud Sects restriction formation, heading directly toward the interconnected peaks.

The two people at the forefront of the group were none other than L Luo and Song Yu, the latter of whom had also reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Both of them were wearing rather solemn expressions.

A short distance behind them, there was a white-robed woman flying through the air with an elated look on her face. She was naturally none other than Liu Yu.

During these past years, her cultivation base hadnt progressed very much, but she was the most important figure in the sect below the Nascent Soul elders due to the fact that she was essentially Han Lis spokesperson.

Even L Luo and Song Yu treated her with a lot of respect.

Do I look like I have a lot of time on my hands? Even if I master the first two layers of the Divine Essencefused Light in a short time and gain the ability to move this mountain, I wont be able to put it in my storage pouch, and nor will I be able to teleport with it. Do you expect me to carry this mountain back to the Heavenly South Region? Han Li sighed.

Thats true. In that case, I dont have any good suggestions, either. If we were in the Spirit Realm, Id be able to store this mountain in my All-Encompassing Pouch, but in this world… The small child shook his head in a forlorn manner.

Han Li didnt know what this All-Encompassing Pouch was, but it was clearly some kind of spatial treasures. While he was surprised to learn that such a treasure existed, he knew that he wouldnt be able to rely on the Endless Sky Beast to help him here.

It appeared that he would have to think of a way himself.

Even though he wanted to elicit the Divine Essencefused Mountains assistance to cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light and reach the Deity Transformation Stage, he didnt want to be essentially imprisoned in this place. Even if he had to be trapped somewhere for his cultivation, he definitely didnt want it to be Heavenly Star City. Similarly, he also didnt want to cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light in the Drifting Cloud Sect.

With his current resounding reputation in the Heavenly South Region, news of the fact that he had obtained the Divine Essencefused Mountain would be leaked sooner or later, and that could quite possibly result in disaster for the Drifting Cloud Sect, just as it had for the Star Palace.

It was best to find an extremely safe and obscure location where he could master this cultivation art in one fell swoop, not giving anyone a chance to plot against him.

However, it was still yet to be seen whether he was actually going to use this cultivation art. He had to use the glacial flames of his Unbroken Cinque Devils to attempt a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage first. If he could succeed in doing that, then he wont have to worry about cultivating the Divine Essencefused Light. Otherwise, no matter how powerful this cultivation art was, it wasnt worth giving up his freedom just for a chance to use it.

In any case, what he had to do now was to see if he could come up with a method to take this mountain with him. If he could resolve this matter, then he naturally wouldnt have to be troubled by these concerns.

With that in mind, Han Li cast aside his train of thought and patted the storage pouch hanging from his waist. A dozen or so talismans immediately appeared in his hand, all of which were tossed toward the small mountain.

On this occasion, the talismans were all able to plaster themselves to the mountains surface, and nothing seemed to have been amiss.

Han Li was ecstatic upon seeing this, and he hurriedly made a hand seal.

A loud explosion erupted as all of the talismans were reduced to ashes amid flashes of spiritual light. freewebnvel.cm

Han Lis expression darkened, but he could only heave a faint sigh as he flipped his hand over to produce a stack of formation plates.

The formation plates were thrown into the air, and balls of lights of different colors began to slowly revolve around the small mountain. At the same time, the sound of chanting rang out within the cave.

The dozen or so balls of light revolved around the Divine Essencefused Mountain, gathering speed as they did so. All of a sudden, a burst of azure light erupted from the summit of the Divine Essencefused Mountain, flashing a few times before disappearing.

Not long after that, 11 crisp tolls of a bell rang out from within the sacred palace at the summit of the sacred mountain. The tolls of the bell were like the cries of a dragon, rising straight up into the heavens, and was audible in every corner of the Heavenly Star City. Immediately thereafter, the Star Palace announced that the great cultivator, Han Li, was officially joining the Star Palace as a guest elder, and was going into seclusion on the sacred mountain for a century.

All of the powers that heard this news expressed mixed emotions in response, but not many of them were all that surprised. After all, if it werent for the fact that Han Li had personally slain that Wan Tianming, the Star Palace wouldve been the one that had ceased to exist, as opposed to the Starfall Coalition. The situation in the Scattered Star Seas hadnt truly settled, so any power would be trying to recruit such a powerful great cultivator to their side with all their might.

Seeing as Han Li was willing to go into battle against the Starfall Coalition for the sake of the Star Palace, he had to have a strong connection with the Star Palace, so it made sense that he was now becoming their guest elder.

As such, all of the powers who were still plotting against the Star Palace immediately relinquished those unrealistic plans. In the blink of an eye, many sects and powers in the Inner Star Seas had completely shut themselves off from the outside world. Aside from the Star Palace cultivators who were hunting down the remaining Starfall Coalition survivors, the Scattered Star Seas had become a picture of peace and serenity.

Ever since the rise of the Starfall Coalition, there had been several consecutive centuries of turmoil that had persisted in the Scattered Star Seas. Not only had a vast number of cultivators perished during the battle against these two colossal forces, many other sects had been affected as well. During this time, countless powers had been founded and eradicated. It was quite apparent that the Star Palace was going to rule over the Scattered Star Seas, and they had recruited an almighty great cultivator to their side, so all of these powers naturally became extremely docile and, none of them wanted to be eradicated as an example to the rest of the Scattered Star Seas!

Unbeknownst to all of these powers, the fearsome newly-instated Star Palace guest elder wasnt actually meditating and cultivating within a certain secret chamber in Heavenly Star City as was proclaimed. Instead, he was traveling over the ocean countless kilometers away from Heavenly Star City as a streak of azure light.

The amused voice of a small child sounded beside Han Lis ears. I didnt think that youd agree to become the Star Palaces guest elder. Even though they offered you so many spirit stones, I thought that youd be the kind of person to reject them regardless. Arent you always trying to avoid trouble?

I do indeed try to avoid trouble as much as I can, but theyre offering me a lot of spirit stones just to accept a false title without having to do any work in return, why wouldnt I accept such an arrangement? Besides, the situation in the Scattered Star Seas has mostly been stabilized, the Star Palace is merely hoping to use my name to intimidate all of the other powers. If I were to agree to join the Star Palace and actually stay there, all of the Star Palace elders would be much more concerned, Han Li replied with a cold smile.

Its no wonder that they would be concerned, at your current level, it wouldnt be impossible for you to forcibly settle into the Star Palace. As long as you take care of all of the Star Palace elders, then develop a bunch of loyal followers, the Star Palace would be yours in about 200 to 300 years, the small child replied with a faint smile.

If I had no aspirations of ascending to the Spirit Realm and only wish to establish a sect in the human world, that would indeed be a good option. Otherwise, what would I be doing all those useless things for? It would only hamper my cultivation. Han Lis reply was completely emotionless, as if he were entirely disinterested in such a prospect.

The small child was silent for a moment before heaving a faint sigh. I greatly admire the firmness of your heart in your pursuit of the Great Dao, Fellow Daoist Han. Even if I were in your shoes, I would be extremely tempted to take over such a powerful force. I wonder if all cultivators who ascended to the Spirit Realm from your human world had such immense willpower.

Im no saint, I would be lying if I told you I wasnt tempted in the slightest by the prospect of taking over the Star Palace. However, I cant afford to waste any time on such trivial matters at present. Youre a heavenly spirit beast, Fellow Daoist Endless Sky, and your lifespan far outstrips mine, so you naturally wouldnt pay any heed to a few short centuries, Han Li replied calmly.

Thats true. However, its a pity that you were unable to take the Divine Essencefused Mountain with you in the end.

Its alright, Ill store it at the Star Palace for now. Its not like its going anywhere, and I can come back for it when I truly need it for my cultivation. The only troubling thing is that I didnt think the mountain would be so troublesome to try and move. Ive tried all types of methods, but was still unable to shrink it. Han Lis brows furrowed as he spoke.

Indeed, you tried everything you could during those few days in that cave, but that mountain was like an indestructible object immune to all treasures and incantation seals. It doesnt appear as if anything exists in the human world that can shrink it. A thoughtful expression also appeared on the small childs face.

Didnt you mention a powerful spatial treasure that could encompass this entire mountain? Han Li suddenly asked.

Youre referring to the All-Encompassing Pouch that my true body in the Spirit Realm is carrying, right? Do you have a similar treasure to this? Let me make this clear to you now, a normal spatial treasure is definitely not going to be able to contain this Divine Essencefused Mountain, the small child cautioned.

Han Li was in a brief moment of silent contemplation before replying, I dont have a complete treasure of this nature, but I do have half of one. I only recalled that I had it a short while ago, and I could perhaps be able to use it to move this mountain.

Half a treasure? The small child was a little dumbstruck.

A faint smile appeared on Han Lis face, and he suddenly patted his storage pouch. Black light flashed, and a strange object immediately appeared before his eyes.

It was that incomplete Black Wind Flag.

This flag was an extremely powerful spatial spirit treasure, so it would naturally have no issues storing that mountain. The only concern was that there was only half of this flag left, so it was no wonder that Han Li was referring to it as half a treasure.

A faint cry of surprise escaped from the small childs lips upon seeing this item, and a ball of azure light immediately flew out from within Han Lis sleeve. The ball of light transformed into the projection of a small child in the blink of an eye, and he waved a hand toward the object that Han Li was holding.

The half of the Black Wind Flag swayed before flying directly toward the small child. The latter caught the flag and began to carefully appraise it.

This item used to be a spirit treasure, right? Spatial spirit treasure is quite rare, even in the Spirit Realm. But how was this treasure reduced to this state? What a pity. The small child only tossed the flag back to Han Li with a grave expression on his face after examining it for a long while.

Do you think this treasure can be repaired, Fellow Daoist Endless Sky? Han Li asked.

Seeing as this treasure used to be a spirit treasure, it would be very difficult to completely restore it to its former condition. However, if you were to refine it again, it wouldnt be impossible to change it into a spatial treasure of a slightly lower caliber. I recall that theres a spatial treasure known as the Crimson Soul Flag that was slightly similar to this treasure, but if you want to refine that treasure… The small childs voice suddenly trailed off here.

What is it? Han Li asked.

There are certain secondary materials required to refine this treasure, which wont be a problem for you to obtain with your current status. However, the flag requires the sacrifices of a large number of living souls in order to be refined. The power of the flag will also be directly and completely dependent on the number of living souls sacrificed during the refinement process. Its one of the Spirit Realms seven sinister treasures, and barely ever is it refined, even in the Spirit Realm. If you want to be able to store the Divine Essencefused Mountain into the flag, youd need to sacrifice at least several million living souls. As for changing this flag into other types of spatial treasures, that would theoretically be possible, but you wouldnt be able to source the materials required in this world. Only the Crimson Soul Flag is a viable option for you. Otherwise, you wont be able to refine such a treasure in your human world, the small child explained.

After her face returned to its normal pallor, Ling Yuling made her way into the space beyond the jade door.

Han Li naturally followed her inside.

Beyond the jade door was an astonishingly spacious cave close to 10,000 feet wide and over 1,000 feet tall. The walls of the cave were all paved with unidentifiable azure rocks, and there were some moonlight stones embedded into those walls, illuminating the cave in a faint white light.

However, none of this was able to attract Han Lis attention in the slightest, his eyes had been completely drawn to the small mountain at the center of the cave.

It would actually be inaccurate to call it a small mountain. In reality, it was only a gargantuan rock.

The rock was around 500 to 600 feet tall with a wide base that tapered as it up toward the peak. From a distance, it would indeed appear as if this were a miniature mountain.

The surface of the mountain was completely black and very mundane-looking. It was quite a jarring notion that this massive nondescript rock was the legendary Divine Essencefused Mountain.

This is the Divine Essencefused Mountain? Han Lis footsteps faltered as he looked at the mountain before him through narrowed eyes.

Thats right. It was once greyish-white in color, but after my parents refined a small portion of it, it turned into this pitch-black color. Ling Yuling had stopped a few steps in front of Han Li, seemingly unwilling to advance any further.

Han Li stood on the spot and carefully examined the mountain for a long while before striding past Ling Yuling as he slowly approached the mountain.

As he drew closer and closer, Han Li could sense that the five-elemental power emanating from the mountain was growing noticeably more powerful. The spiritual power within his body was once again being whipped up into a frenzy.

However, Han Li was already prepared this time, so the effects of the five-elemental power were quelled after activating his Azure Essence Sword Art again.

Before long, he had already reached the small black mountain. frewebnoel.com

Han Li had his hands clasped behind his back as he walked around the mountain. There was blue light shimmering incessantly within his eyes, as if he were trying to completely see through the entire mountain.

However, his ever-reliable Brightsight Spirit Eyes disappointed him on this occasion.

Even after injecting all of his magic power into his eyes, his vision was still unable to seep into the mountain in the slightest, let alone glean its internal structure.

As for attempting to assess the mountain with his spiritual sense, the proved to be even more futile. Before his spiritual sense had even managed to approach the mountain, it was forcibly warped and kept out by the five-elemental power.

Han Li stood with a contemplative look on his face before suddenly stepping forward a few steps and stroking the mountain with his hand.

He discovered that the mountain was as smooth and cool as jade, a texture that completely belied its appearance.

A hint of surprise appeared on Han Lis face.

You seem a little bemused, Brother Han. Youre not suspecting this mountain to be fake, are you? Ling Yuling asked with a smile.

Hehe, regardless of whether its real or not, this thing can certainly disrupt the spiritual power of the Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if its not the so-called Divine Essencefused Mountain, its most likely a treasure of the same caliber, whats the point in forging something like this? Han Li chuckled.

Im glad you think that, Brother Han. If you really do plan on cultivating the Divine Essencefused Light, then youll have to think about what you want to do with this mountain. If you want to take this mountain with you, even with your extraordinary powers, you most likely wont be able to travel far with it. Back when my father had first discovered this mountain, he had to cultivate the first few layers of the Divine Essencefused Light first. Even then, he was only able to transfer it from the outer seas to the Star Palace with the assistance of many palace disciples, and the process took him over 10 years. I suggest you cultivate for a few years in our Star Palace first so you can at least master the first two layers of the Divine Essencefused Light, then consider moving this mountain, Ling Yuling suggested.

It sounds like what youre saying is that I wont be able to take this mountain unless I cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light first. Is it really that troublesome to transport? Han Li asked with a slightly skeptical expression.

Hehe, Im not saying anything of that nature. You are definitely no less powerful than my father was at his prime, so perhaps you have some other type of secret technique that will allow you to take the mountain with you. Otherwise, you really will have to devise a course of action before you act, Fellow Daoist Han, Ling Yuling replied with a smile.

Han Li considered the situation for a moment before murmuring to himself, Ill give it a try first.

After making up his mind, he made a hand seal before casting an azure incantation seal toward the pitch-black miniature mountain before him.

Azure light flashed and the incantation seal shot forth through the air. However, when it was still around a foot away from the mountain, the incantation seal was suddenly warped, and exploded before dissipating into specks of azure light.

Han Lis brows furrowed as he quickly made seral more hand seals, casting incantation seals of different colors one after the other.

However, no matter what kind of incantation seal he tried, his efforts remained completely futile. All of them merely self-detonated before they could reach the Divine Essencefused Mountain.

A grim expression appeared on Han Lis face as he pressed his palm against the surface of the mountain.

On this occasion, he didnt immediately withdraw his hand. Instead, he began to chant something, and spiritual light shimmered on his hand as he attempted to forcibly cast an incantation seal directly into the mountain.

However, as soon as the incantation seal left his hand, Han Li sensed an immense invisible power surging toward his hand.

The spiritual power within his body that he had just managed to settle instantly escaped from his body, surging violently into the mountain.

Han Lis expression changed drastically as he let loose a low cry. Scintillating golden light immediately radiated from his vajra barrier, following which he abruptly rammed his spare hand into the mountain.

His body shuddered as he stumbled back, cutting off the mountains enormous suction power.

Only then did Han Li heave a sigh of relief as his expression eased slightly.

If a normal early-Nascent Soul or mid-Nascent Soul cultivator had been in his shoes, their cultivation base would most likely have been damaged by that ordeal alone.

Ling Yulings heart also jolted with shock upon seeing this, and she hurriedly asked, Brother Han, are you alright?

Han Li nodded as he replied, Im fine. This mountain is indeed rather peculiar, it appears that I wont be able to take it with me through normal means. I want to stay here for a while and see if I can think of another way to take this mountain with me. If it still cant be done, then Ill devise an alternative course of action when that time comes, is that alright?

Of course! However, even though youre quite powerful, Id advise you not to stay here for too long at a time before you cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light. By my estimations, you should only stay here for a maximum of three to four consecutive days, any longer than that, and your cultivation base could be hampered. Ill come back to check on you in three days, Ling Yuling cautioned.

Han Li nodded in response, and Ling Yuling handed over her jade badge to him before departing after a respectful curtsey.

After Ling Yuling had left the cave, Han Li immediately waved the jade badge in his hand toward the jade cave. As he injected his power into the badge, countless talismans flew forth from within, plastering themselves onto the jade door again.

Following a burst of low ringing, the door closed itself once again.

After doing all that, Han Li didnt immediately begin to examine the Divine Essencefused Mountain. Instead, he released his spiritual sense to carefully assess the cave around him.

After verifying that there werent any restrictions within the cave, he pulled out a stack of formation flags from his storage pouch in an unhurried manner before tossing them toward various corners of the cave. A dozen or so streaks of light immediately flew through the air before disappearing into the ground.

Bursts of yellow mist began to billow out from the ground, concealing the entire interior of the cave in the blink of an eye.

Han Li was feeling quite reassured after that, and he focused his attention on the small mountain again.

He had seen a mountainous treasure like this once in the past in the form of a powerful ancient treasure by the name of the Thousandfold Mountain. However, the Thousandfold Mountain merely resembled a mountain but in essence, it was still identical to a normal treasure. As such, it was nowhere near as troublesome as this mountain to tackle. In comparison, the Divine Essencefused Mountain was like a hedgehog, and no matter how he approached it, its figurative spikes seemed to be unavoidable.

A ball of azure light suddenly flew out from within his sleeve before taking on the form of a small child. Hehe, that little girl seems to be very keen for you to cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light.

It was none other than a projection of the Endless Sky Beast in its human form.

I also get the feeling that this Palace Master Ling really wants me to cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light. If I recall correctly, the Divine Essencefused Light seems to be very difficult to cultivate, and even though its been circulating throughout the Scattered Star Seas for a long time, only the Heavenly Star Sages have managed to achieve much success with it. If I want to cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light, Ill most likely have to borrow the power of this mountain. However, in that case, Ill most likely be bound to this mountain, just like the Heavenly Star Sages were, Han Li analyzed in a calm manner.

Oh, so youre saying that little girl is trying to plot against you? the small child asked.

I wouldnt put it in such severe terms. However, according to her plan, Ill most likely be trapped in Heavenly Star City forever and be forced to join the Star Palace. Otherwise, do you really think the Heavenly Star Sages would be kindhearted enough to give me those secret techniques in exchange for my assisting their daughter on three separate occasions? On top of that, even though they gave me many secret techniques that could help me progress to the Deity Transformation Stage, it doesnt take much analysis to figure out that only the Divine Essencefused Light is a truly viable option. Theyre clearly setting up a trap for me here, Han Li chuckled coldly as he looked at the Divine Essencefused Mountain.

Arent these two afraid that youd see through their ploy? The small child pursed his lips.

As long as Im intent on progressing to the Deity Transformation Stage, Ill most likely have to take this route, even though I know its a trap. Hence, the Heavenly Star Sages arent afraid that Ill see through their tricks as Ill have no choice in the matter anyway. However, if I can somehow find a way to take this mountain away with me before I cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light, then I wont have any concerns. It appears that the Heavenly Star Sages are quite confident in this Divine Essencefused Mountain. But then again, its no wonder that theyre confident, they were trapped here by this mountain for several centuries, so theyve most likely tried everything they could. I probably wont be able to do anything about this, either, Han Li sighed as he stroked his chin.

Then why dont you emulate the Heavenly Star Sages and borrow the power of this mountain to cultivate the Divine Essencefused Light? After you reach a certain level of mastery, youll be able to take this mountain back to the Heavenly South Region, wont you? the small child suggested with a smile.

Magic power surged throughout Han Lis entire body in a frenzy as he let loose a low cry.

Brilliant spiritual light erupted from the surface of the huge sword, and it shuddered before instantly transforming into a wyrm-like streak of golden light, circling in the air above before crashing down with ferocious might.

A loud rumbling boom erupted as the golden light struck the massive bronze pillar.

In the face of the golden light, the mountainous pillar appeared as if it had been constructed from playdoh, and it was sliced in half with ease.

From a distance, it appeared as if a doomsday-like scenario was unfolding on the horizon.

All of the Starfall Coalition cultivators nearby hurriedly rose into the air atop their treasures.

Such a loud commotion had naturally drawn the attention of all of the cultivators on both sides.

Thus, Han Li was naturally thrust under the limelight.

At the sight of Han Li, completely contrasting expression appeared on everyones faces, some were horrified, while others were ecstatic.

Of course, not everyone had the spare capacity to turn their attention toward Han Li.

For example, Han Li was currently looking at a man and a woman who were caught in an extremely fierce battle with five massive ghostly heads, and were unable to pay any heed to the earthshattering boom that had just erupted.

Coincidentally, the devilish Qi and pink fragrant mist emitted by the twin Lan devils were being completely dominated by the greyish-white devilish flames erupting from mouths of the five ghostly heads, so they had been forced firmly onto the back foot.

Elder Zhao and Elder Ma were ecstatic upon seeing this, and they immediately cast their treasures toward the twin Lan devils to plunge them into an even more perilous situation.

As for the dozen or so swarms of golden beetles released by Han Li, they were also dominating the battlefield.

At Han Lis behest, the beetles only targeted Starfall Coalition cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage. They swept through the battlefield like golden clouds, and no matter what treasures were used to try and keep the beetles at bay, all of them were devoured into nothingness.

Within a span of a few moments, several tens of cultivators had been completely devoured by the Gold Devouring Beetles.

All of the Starfall Coalition cultivators nearby had been thrown into a complete panic, and all of them were desperately trying to get away from the swarms of beetles.

The fact that Han Li had just destroyed the core of the Heavenly Windfire Formation with a single sword strike further compounded their woes, and morale had dropped to an all-time low.

Many of the Starfall Coalition cultivators were already fleeing from the battle.

There were only a few at first, followed by a dozen or so, which quickly turned into hundreds of cultivators fleeing into the distance!

Han Li didnt even need to attack any further, and the Starfall Coalitions defeat had already been sealed. The old woman and the elderly man with the Long surname could see that the situation was in a drastic downward spiral, so they also immediately shook off their opponents and flew away as quickly as they could.

The twin Lan devils clearly also knew that it would be unwise to stay any longer, and they suddenly summoned several powerful treasures before detonating them all once. In doing so, the five ghostly heads were temporarily forced back, thereby creating an avenue of escape for the two of them.

Han Lis brows furrowed upon seeing this, and he immediately flapped his Thunderstorm Wings without any hesitation, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The twin Lan devils had only just escaped from the ghostly heads when a dull thunderclap erupted up ahead, following Han Li appeared out of thin air, directly cutting them off.

The two devils hearts immediately sank upon seeing Han Lis cold and expressionless.

However, both of them were powerful Devil Dao cultivators in their own right, so they certainly werent going to give up and allow themselves be killed. As such, they glanced at one another before raising their hands in unison, summoning several treasures of various different colors. At the same time, their bodies swayed, and both of them unleashed devilish techniques to attack Han Li.

A hint of killing intent surfaced in Han Lis eyes upon seeing this.

Several days later, the entire Scattered Star Seas was in a massive uproar. Not only did the final battle between the Star Palace and the Starfall Coalition commence far earlier than everyone had expected, the end result also had most peoples jaws dropping to the ground.

Not only had Wan Tianming of the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment perished during this battle, many high-grade Starfall Coalition cultivators had also been killed, as had the vast renowned twin Lan devils.

As such, Han Lis name became known to virtually everyone in the Scattered Star Seas. Some people had even dug up some information about Han Lis past, particularly about how he had obtained the Heavenvoid Cauldron from the Heavenvoid Hall even prior to reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, and how he had been hunted by the Starfall Coalition in the aftermath of that incident.

Countless cultivators in the Scattered Star Seas were amazed by those legendary tales, and there were no longer any Nascent Soul cultivators who dared to go after the Heavenvoid Cauldron.

In the next few months, the Star Palace deployed a large number of cultivators to recover their lost territory while also hunting down the high-grade Starfall Coalition cultivators who had managed to escape. In the end, they reached the main base of the Starfall Coalition in one fell swoop.

The Nascent Soul elders of the Starfall Coalition were unwilling to concede, and they gathered a group of powerful cultivators to engage the Star Palace in another battle at the Starfall Coalitions main base.

On this occasion, the Starfall Coalition naturally crashed to an even heavier defeat without a late-Nascent Soul cultivator among their ranks.

They had deployed three mid-Nascent Soul cultivators at once to take care of Han Li, only for two of them to be slain by Han Li with ease. The final cultivator was able to escape with his Nascent Soul intact using some kind of secret technique, but his body had been sliced in half and even if he could successfully possess a new vessel, he would most likely be unable to recover to his original cultivation base.

Thus, in the short span of just half a year, the Star Palace had become the ruler of the Scattered Star Seas again, and all of the other sects and powers pledged their allegiance to the Star Palace once again.

Ling Yuling took this opportunity to extend an olive branch the low-grade Starfall Coalition cultivators who had managed to escape, but she showed no mercy to the very few Nascent Soul Stage Starfall Coalition elders that remained.

As such, the Starfall Coalition began to crumble from the inside as all of the low-grade cultivators switched their allegiance to the Star Palace, while the remaining high-grade cultivators fled for their lives. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the mighty Starfall Coalition had been wiped off the face of the Scattered Star Seas.

Half a year later, there was a man and a woman making their way through a long passageway within the belly of Heavenly Star Citys sacred mountain.

This passageway had been completely paved with pristine white jade, creating spotless mirror-like surfaces.

The woman was an exquisite beauty while the mans appearance was much more mundane, they were none other than Han Li and the master of the Star Palace, Ling Yuling.

Han Li was walking behind Ling Yuling, and he inspected the jade walls around him as he asked, I cant believe the Divine Essencefused Mountain was placed in such a location, is it really that fearsome?

Fearsome is an understatement, Brother Han. Any cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage who accidentally approach this mountain would immediately suffer from spiritual power backlash, and they could easily perish as a result. Nascent Soul cultivators can stay around the Divine Essencefused Light a little longer, but prolonged exposure to the mountain could still result in a regression in cultivation base, Ling Yuling explained with a smile.

Im even more curious about this Divine Essencefused Mountain now. I wonder how this mountain was discovered in the first place, Han Li mused with a contemplative look in his eyes.

Father did actually mention this to me in the past. During one of his journeys to the outer seas, he witnessed this mountain erupting out from an underwater volcano. In order to transfer the mountain to this place, Father had to expend extensive efforts, and there were even several Core Formation cultivators whose cultivation bases had severely regressed during the process. After that, my parents attained initial mastery of the Divine Essencefused Light before attempting to refine this mountain bit by bit as if it were a treasure. However, this is an extremely time-consuming task, and even when they passed away, they had only refined a small portion of the mountain, Ling Yuling explained.

Hehe, if they had successfully refined this mountain, they most likely wouldnt have been bound to it as they were, Han Li chuckled.

Ling Yuling merely smiled in response, yet gave no reply to this. After rounding a corner, her footsteps came to a halt.

There was a massive green jade door up ahead further down the corridor, and there were countless shimmering restriction talismans of different colors plastered over the door.

This is where my parents once cultivated. These are the restrictions that they painstakingly set up in order to isolate the Divine Essencefused Mountains five-elemental power. As she spoke, Ling Yuling raised a hand, and a snowy white jade badge surfaced over her palm.

She then waved the badge gently toward the gate, upon which a clump of white threads short forth from the jade badge, sweeping away all of the restriction talismans on the jade door.

The jade door abruptly began to tremor violently, following which a low buzzing sound rang out, and the entire door began to move.

A serious expression appeared on Ling Yulings face as she opened her mouth to blast forth a blue jade hook.

The hook seemed to possess some kind of mystical property, and it transformed into a veil of blue light that settled over Ling Yulings body.

Only then did she turn to Han Li as she cautioned, Treasures that dont contain any powers of the five elements are affected the least by the Divine Essencefused Moutain. Youre obviously a lot more powerful than I am, but its still best to exercise caution in there.

Dont worry, Fellow Daoist Yuling, I know my limits, Han Li replied with a smile.

Golden light abruptly shimmered all over his body, following which a shiny golden light barrier suddenly appeared.

It was none other than the vajra barrier that Han Li had cultivated. Even though this wasnt an item constructed from jade, it was something that was outside of the realm of the five elements.

Ling Yuling faltered initially upon seeing this before a smile appeared on her face. She raised a hand to toss the jade badge into the air, then chanted something in a heavenly voice.

The jade badge shuddered as runes of all types of different colors flew out from it before disappearing into the jade door.

The ringing emanating from the jade door also came to an abrupt halt, following it opened outward, revealing a cavernous space and a vast expanse of white light.

As soon as the jade door was opened, Han Li was struck by a bone-chilling sensation as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end. His heart jolted with shock as pure wood-attribute spiritual power surged through his meridians like frantically galloping wild horses.

Thankfully, he was somewhat mentally prepared for this and activated his Azure Essence Sword Art. Only then was he able to shrug off this asphyxiating spiritual pressure, and spiritual power within his body began to circulate in a normal manner again.

Han Lis expression remained unchanged, but he was slightly shaken internally.

He had been struck by such a fearsome sensation after activating his vajra barrier, if he had refrained from doing so, he wouldve been in a bit of trouble just then. Han Li was not surprised that mere exposure to this mountain could threaten a normal cultivators life.

With that in mind, Han Li couldnt help but turn his gaze toward Ling Yuling.

Even though she had that blue light barrier shielding her body, her blood had also churned violently in her veins just then, and her delicate cheeks had become faintly flushed, making her appear extremely alluring and seductive.

You know me? Han Li said with a tone of bafflement.

Although he knew many female cultivators, he didnt know any at Nascent Soul-stage apart from Ling Yuling.

After a long pause, the Nascent Soul eventually spoke with an odd tone, Youre Han Li? When Heavenvoid Hall opened, I saw you once before. It was later said that you acquired the Heavenvoid Cauldron. I didnt expect that you couldve escaped the pursuit from those old eccentrics and reach cultivation of this level.

When he heard her mention Heavenvoid Hall, he recalled where he heard her voice before. A flash of realization sparked in his mind and he doubtfully asked, Youre… Lady Wen?

I didnt expect that youd remember me. She let out a long sigh.

When she confirmed her identity, Han Li wore an astonished expression.

This female Nascent Soul belonged to a woman named Lady Wen, who he originally saw at Heavenvoid Hall. Although her cultivation at the time was significant to begin with, she mustve acquired quite a few medicines in Heavenvoid Hall and made much progress.

He also remembered what relationship she had with Six Paths.

If I remember correctly, you shouldve been his Dao Companion!

Lady Wen resentfully snorted and hesitantly asked, His Dao Companion? Have you ever seen someone seal their Dao Companions Nascent Soul in a magic treasure? But more importantly, you truly killed that wretch Six Paths?

Han Li smiled and wordlessly extended his finger.

After a brief pause, Lady Wens eyes followed where he pointed.

Not far away, there was a block of purple ice that sealed a ruined corpse. It originally belonged to Archsaint Six Paths.

Then, the azure hand holding down Lady Wen wildly flickered before disappearing without a trace.

Lady Wens Nascent Soul was now freed.

With her freedom restored, Lady Wen quickly shot forward and flew several circles around the corpse before letting out a frigid laugh to the sky, It really is that old wretch! As scheming as you are, I didnt expect that you would die first!

Han Li frowned. Although he didnt know what happened for Six Paths and Lady Wen to fall out, he had no interest in hearing about it. Soon after, he began to consider what he should do next.

The Nascent Souls laughter eventually came to a stop and she looked over to find Han Li wearing a pensive expression. There is no need for Fellow Daoist Han to trouble himself. Ive been kept inside that magic treasure for such a long period of time that Ive weakened to the point where I can no longer possess a body.

My Nascent Soul will have to immediately dissipate for a chance of reincarnation. I am truly grateful that Fellow Daoist Han managed to eliminate my enemy, but with my current abilities, I have no way to compensate you. I can only hope to repay you in my next life.

With that said, she abruptly slapped the top of her head.

A blinding red light shined and covered the Nascent Soul entirely. Gradually, the Nascent Soul scattered inch by inch before hl until it was no more.

Han Li was shocked.

He didnt think that Lady Wen would be so decisive that she would end herself without speaking another word to him. Was what happened so disastrous that she would keep this secret to the grave? But even if she didnt want to tell him what happened, he could fancy a guess.

Although he was somewhat gloomy over what happened, it was better things ended this way. It wouldve been troublesome to figure out what to do with her.

Han Li shook his head and sighed. He raised his hand and summoned the green bottle back into his grasp before placing it into his storage pouch.

Then, he released an arc of golden lightning from his hand and pulverized the purple ice and the rest of Six Paths corpse, turning it into nothing more than shining specks.

As for his storage pouch, Han Li simply took it into his possession.

He quickly swept over its contents and found that most of them didnt catch his attention at his current level, despite many treasures being amongst them. But there were a few slips detailing Devil Dao techniques that piqued his interest. It is a pity that he didnt have the time to look at them.

With all that done, Han Li beckoned to his puppet and directly head over to the bone banner. The puppet blurred and strangely disappeared.

When he arrived at the bone banner, the five ghost heads cleanly devoured the skulls and had nearly devoured the entirety of the banner itself.

When Han Li arrived in front of it, he shook his head.

Although the bone banner was somewhat famous, it possessed too much fiendish Qi and wasnt suitable for him. As such, he made no attempt to stop them.

A short moment later, the cinque devils finally finished destroying the banner and they let out odd screams as if in an expression of joy. The devil Qi they emitted seemed to be more concentrated than before.

When Han Li saw this, his expression remained unchanged. He waited until their laughs finished before commanding them with a single hand.

Although the cinque devils were somewhat unwilling, they didnt dare to disobey and obediently arrived at Han Lis side, having experienced the pain from Han Lis restrictions several times before.

Rather than withdrawing them, he calmly flew back in the direction of Heavenly Star City and had the cinque devils closely follow after him.

The battle between him and the old devil didnt last very long. Victory was achieved in only the time it took to finish a meal.

If the city fell in that amount of time, Han Li would simply turn around and leave without care for anything else.

It would simply illustrate that the city wasnt worthy of his help!

Fortunately, this matter didnt come to pass.

By the time Han Li let the Cinque Devils back to the Heavenly Windfire Formations core, the vast battle between the Star Palace and the Star Defying Alliance was still being fought with great intensity.

Truthfully, it appeared the Star Defying Alliance had somewhat of an upper hand.

This was because the Twin Lan Devils were truly formidable. As the blue devilish Qi and the pink fragrant mist spread forward, it pushed back the Star Palace cultivators. The two original elders of the Star Defying Alliance were clearly superior to Old Man Zhao and the large purple-robed man. They could barely hold them back, let alone deal with the Lan Devils.

The lower-grade cultivators, on the other hand, would be immediately shredded to mist upon contact with the blue Qi, or fall as if drunk upon touching the pink mist.

As a result, the Lan Devils wreaked havoc unchecked.

In such turbulent fighting, Han Lis silent return hadnt caught anybodys attention.

Han Li first swept his gaze at the huge windfire pillar and then glanced at the eye-catching display of the Twin Lan Devils. He sneered and wore a fierce expression on his face.

He wordlessly pointed at the Lan Devils. The cinque devils at his side let out a series of low roars and soon charged towards them in five grey streaks.

Then, Han Li slapped a spirit beast pouch at his waist and produced a ball of golden insects above him.

Han Li raised his hand and let out a soft yell. The insect swarm loudly buzzed and with a bang, turned into a dozen smaller clouds before dispersing.

After Han Li was done with that, he waved the wings on his back and disappeared in a gust of wind.

Although the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Star Defying Alliance were fighting away from the formation core, there were still several Core Formation stage cultivators standing on guard above it.

This was to prevent the Star Palace from destroying the formation core in a surprise attack.

The guards whispered to each other on top of the pillar and they couldnt help but reveal their delight upon seeing that the Star Defying Alliance held the slight advantage in the battle.

One of them turned around to speak to another cultivator, but then they saw something that made his complexion bloodlessly pale.

When the other guards saw this, they turned around in fright and immediately let out frightened shouts.

Thirty meters in the air behind them, there was a youth silently floating there. He had his arms crossed and he wore a mysterious smile.

This youth was the same grand cultivator that left the battle with their alliance leader. How could he be here?

These Core Formation cultivators suddenly felt an icy chill down their backs. Before these cultivators could even think of running or calling out for help, Han Lis expression suddenly sank and he flicked his hand several times from within his sleeve.

Suddenly, golden sword streaks shot towards them.

The many Core Formation cultivators trembled in fright, each moving to flee away.

But several flashes later, the sword streaks flew past them and the guards fell down, all of their bodies riddled with holes.

There were a few that managed to summon their magic treasures, but they promptly exploded and their owners fell without resistance.

The sword Qi Han Li produced from the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were incredibly sharp, rivaling the power of even a top-grade magic treasure. Even Nascent Soul cultivators wouldnt dare to casually receive them, let alone trifling Core Formation cultivators.

In a single breath, the Core Formation cultivators were extinguished. He retained a calm expression and indifferently looked at the giant pillar before him. Then with a wave of his sleeve, a clear sound rang.

Several small golden swords flew out from his sleeve like a school of fish and swelled to the size of a meter before fusing together.

In flourishing golden radiance, a ten-meter-long golden sword appeared above the pillar.

The three skulls were faring even worse than the flood dragon.

When the black Qi they spat contacted the rainbow flame, it slowed and was soon wiped away by the flame.

When the skulls saw the flames slowly draw closer, a trace of fear appeared from their eyes and their whimpers grew louder.

The cinque devils sinisterly cackled at this display and soon the icy flames from their mouths halted, suddenly turning to five grey streaks into the sea of flame.

In that next moment, when the rainbow flames nearly arrived at the top of the bone banner where the three skulls resided, five clouds of grey Qi flew out from the flames and took the form of malevolent ghost heads.

They bared their fangs with excitement and sped forward without any abilities.

Crack! The five ghost heads fiercely bit down on the three skulls.

Of course, the three skulls werent about to accept their fate. They bit back at the cinque devils.

Suddenly, strange howls and violent screams sounded as the ghost heads and skulls tore at each other with their teeth.

Due to the vast amount of black Qi they earlier released, the three skulls were lacking in vitality. Their position was even worse since they were outnumbered.

In the blink of an eye, the two of the three skulls were torn apart by four of the ghost heads and devoured in large mouthfuls. It took all the strength of the last ghost head to ward off the fifth ghost head for the time being.

When Han Li saw this, he smiled with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the small cauldron he held in his hand let out a faint sigh.

What? Does Fellow Daoist Endless Sky have any suggestions for my rainbow glacial flames?

Nonsense! But your rainbow glacial flames remind me of many five elemental type techniques from the Spirit Realm. After these techniques are fully used, they are divided into five colors like your glacial flames. However, your glacial flames are incredibly cold. If an opponent mistook your flames for an elemental technique, they would suffer quite a bit.

Azure light flashed and an azure-robed young boy appeared on top of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. He had red lips, white teeth, and a pair of plump white feet. He spoke leisurely as he glanced in the direction of the cinque devils.

An elemental technique? Han Li asked with a start.

Thats right, The boy smiled with a trace of mockery, Since Ive arrived in your mortal realm, Ive discovered that there are few cultivators that learn multiple elements. Most only learn one. Hehe, If any of those people ascended to the Spirit Realm, I fear they will have no hope of ascending to the Void Refinement stage.

What do you mean? Han Li quickly asked with a shaken heart.

Its nothing much. Its still too early to speak with you about the Void Refinement stage. However, I will mention that a crucial point of ascending to the Void Refinement stage is to fuse the five elements into one. If you manage to raise yourself to the Deity Transformation stage, it would be best for you to primarily cultivate as many of the five elements as you can. Peculiar elements such as wind and lightning are too difficult to fuse together. This way, youll have a greater chance of breaking through to Void Refinement. Of course, cultivation methods with multiple techniques are far more difficult to cultivate than ordinary techniques. The rate at which magic power gathers will be inferior to single element techniques as well. If you dont have high hopes for reaching Void Refinement, it would be better to only cultivate a single element. With the increased rate at which you gain magic power, youll be able to more easily survive the minor heavenly tribulations that occur every three hundred years!

Han Li was left stunned by these words. After a long while, he eventually brought himself to say,

Five elements into one? That is quite troublesome. My Azure Essence Sword Art is only a wood-attributed technique. As for the wind and lightning attributed techniques that is understandable. After all, they are variant elements that are formed by combining others. But shouldnt I cultivate techniques that conform to my bodys spiritual roots? Could it be that heavenly spiritual roots are ordinary in the Spirit Realm? And what is this minor heavenly tribulation that you mentioned? Do humans in the Spirit Realm experience similar tribulation to metamorphosed demon beasts

The boy flashed a mysterious smile and chuckled, I didnt expect that a few of my words would attract so many questions. In that case, Ill give you a bit of an explanation.

Heavenly spiritual roots are also remarkably rare in our Spirit Realm. Powers and sects of all sizes do their utmost to attract these disciples. After all, those with single elemental spiritual roots would have difficulty entering Void Refinement Stage. Heavenly Spirit Roots are far more difficult to cultivate, but the Void Refinement cultivators they produce are hegemons and sect leaders. When those with Heavenly Spirit Roots breakthrough to Void Refinement, a majority of them will be cultivating techniques with two or more attributes. As for the problem with spiritual roots, that is easily solved. The humans in the Spirit Realm devised a method to use particular demon beast cores to substitute their lack of spiritual roots. This Core Spiritual Root method is somewhat inferior to genuine spiritual roots, there should be no problem in cultivating techniques of other elements. Of course, the core spiritual root method can only be used with preexisting spiritual roots. Mortals cannot use them. In fact, there was a method in the past that used magic tools and treasures as a substitution for spiritual roots. However, this method is incredibly dangerous and slow, so this method is hardly being used. There are cultivators with anywhere from three or four elemental spirit roots that do manage to breakthrough to Void Refinement Stage, but they all possess incredible perseverance. They cant be compared to ordinary cultivators, haha! The so-called minor heavenly tribulation is something that all cultivators above Core Formation stage much experience.

The boy briefly paused before continuing.

In the lower realm, Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation cultivators experience a tribulation every three hundred years, thus earning the name minor heavenly tribulation. At the middle realm, Void Refinement, Integration, and Grand Ascension level cultivators experience a grand tribulation every three years. As for cultivators in the very last stage that ascended to the true Immortal realm, they experience Immortal tribulation. Normally, if your cultivation no longer progresses, the following tribulation will be far more powerful than the last. Also, the increased abundance of spiritual Qi in the spirit realm leads to greater speeds in cultivation, but once one condenses a Nascent Soul, it is a race against time. Many famous cultivators die each year from tribulation. Fellow Daoist Han should think that you will have no problems past Void Refinement Stage. Although these cultivator techniques technically have a limitless lifespan provided enough worldly essence, their lives arent so peaceful or long. So long as you ascend to the spirit realm, death by heavenly tribulation is only a matter of time. With that said, the boys face grew sullen and his eyes possessed deep fear.

Han Li wore a grave expression.

The boy didnt speak much, but his words clearly illustrated that the spirit realm was no paradise. But when Han Li heard that Void Refinement Stage cultivators didnt have a lifespan, Han Li was overjoyed.

Although he already read through a few records mentioning the limitless lifespan of a Void Refinement cultivator, he now possessed the full and certain truth.

From his tone, it appeared that a limitless lifespan can only be achieved after he ascended to the spirit realm. Even if he managed to achieve, Void Refinement in the mortal realm, the worldly essence is lacking, this limiting his lifespan. At the Deity Transformation stage, one is able to join with worldly essence. Their span wont be limited by two thousand years once they entered the Spirit Realm. It was no wonder why these Deity Transformation eccentrics were so desperate to find a method to ascend.

As for the tribulations that he mentioned, Han Li was somewhat cautious of them, but he didnt take them too much to heart.

The matter was a bit too far away from him for his consideration.

After Han Li asked a few more questions related to core spiritual roots and artifact spiritual roots, he eventually grew silent, his eyes twinkling in deep thought.

A short moment later, Han Li fiddled with the dark-green bottle in his hand and flicked off its cap.

Azure light flashed and the bottle rumbled before the cap shot off.

In the next moment, he found that there was absolutely nothing inside of it.

In his surprise, as he thought about what action to take next, a green light abruptly streaked out from the bottle and flew off.

Although Han Li was caught unprepared, he wasnt about to allow it to escape. With a cold snort, he reached his hand out.

A large azure hand appeared above the green light and slipped down to grab it.

The escaping green light seemed to have already been weakened. Although it was fleeing with the utmost speed, the large hand easily grabbed it from the air.

Within the flickering green light, one could see the vague appearance of a female Nascent Soul.

Han Li couldnt help but stroke his chin at the sight.

He stared at the Nascent Soul and slowly asked, Who is your esteemed self? Why has Six Paths trapped you inside the bottle?

Who are you? Where is that devil Six Paths? Although the Nascent Soul was trapped, it replied boldly.

Facing a mere Nascent Soul, Han Li simply smiled and lazily replied, If youre thinking about seeing him, I fear you will be disappointed. I already sent him to the underworld.

What? You killed that old devil? How is that possible? Yi! Youre… The Nascent Soul trembled and spoke with a tone of disbelief.