“Do you think I have nothing better to do? Even if I could master the Divine Essence Magnet Light, and even if I managed to move this mountain after mastering a layer or two in a short time, it can’t be stored in a storage pouch. Without that, it’s impossible to transport it through a teleportation array. I certainly can’t just carry this mountain all the way back to Tiannan.” Han Li sighed and muttered under his breath.
“That’s true. If that’s the case, I don’t have any better suggestions either. If we were in the Spirit Realm and I still had my Qiankun Belt, I could’ve easily stored this mountain inside. But in this realm…” The boy shook his head regretfully.
Han Li didn’t know what this so-called Qiankun Belt was, but it was clearly some kind of spatial treasure. Though inwardly surprised, he realized he couldn’t rely on the Tianlan Sacred Beast for help this time.
It seemed he’d have to figure this out on his own.
While he wanted to use the Magnetic Divine Mountain to cultivate the Divine Essence Magnet Light and break through to the Deity Transformation stage, he didn’t want to be constrained by others. Even if he had to seclude himself somewhere to cultivate, he certainly wouldn’t stay in Starfall City. Nor would he consider practicing the Divine Essence Magnet Light in the Falling Cloud Sect.
Given his reputation in Tiannan, word would inevitably spread, and it might bring disaster to the Falling Cloud Sect, just like what happened to Star Palace.
The best option was to find an extremely secluded place where no one could possibly find him, master the technique in one go, and leave no opportunity for others to interfere.
But whether he would actually cultivate this technique was still up for debate. He first needed to attempt a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation stage using the Five Devils’ Coldflame. If he succeeded, he wouldn’t need to rush into practicing this technique. Otherwise, no matter how powerful the technique was, he didn’t want to trap himself in a cocoon of his own making.
For now, he had to focus on finding a way to store this mountain. If he could solve that problem, he wouldn’t have to worry about the rest.
With these thoughts in mind, Han Li temporarily set everything aside. He patted his storage pouch, and a dozen talismans appeared in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, all the talismans shot toward the small mountain.
This time, the talismans adhered to the mountain’s surface without any issues.
Seeing this, Han Li felt a surge of joy and immediately formed hand seals, channeling his spiritual sense with a forceful push.
A series of explosions rang out as bursts of spiritual light erupted across the mountain’s surface. The talismans, however, turned to ash in an instant.
Han Li’s expression darkened, but he sighed lightly and produced a stack of formation disks from his storage pouch. He tossed them into the air, and multicolored light orbs began circling the mountain slowly while low incantations echoed through the cavern.
The orbs spun faster and faster around the Magnetic Divine Mountain…
Three days later, a streak of azure light silently shot out from the peak of the Sacred Mountain, flickered a few times in the air, and then vanished without a trace.
Soon after, eighty-one clear bell chimes resounded from the Sacred Hall atop Star Palace’s Sacred Mountain, their sound soaring into the heavens like the roar of a dragon, audible in every corner of Starfall City.
Star Palace then announced that Han Li, the great cultivator, had officially joined their ranks as an honorary elder and would be entering seclusion on the Sacred Mountain for a hundred years.
Upon hearing this news, various factions reacted differently, though few were truly surprised. After all, during the war between Star Palace and the Inverse Star Alliance, if Han Li hadn’t personally slain Wan Tianming, Star Palace might have been the one to crumble.
Under the circumstances, any faction would naturally try to win over a great cultivator capable of intimidating the entire Star Sea, especially when the region’s stability was still uncertain.
To outsiders, Han Li’s willingness to aid Star Palace against the formidable Inverse Star Alliance suggested a deep connection between them. His decision to stay with Star Palace now seemed only natural.
With this development, those who still harbored ulterior motives abandoned their unrealistic ambitions. Many sects in the Inner Star Sea announced their own seclusions, locking down their islands. Apart from Star Palace’s continued pursuit of the remaining Inverse Star Alliance remnants, the islands entered an unprecedented period of peace.
Truth be told, the Star Sea had been in turmoil for centuries since the rise of the Inverse Star Alliance. Countless cultivators had perished in the conflict between the two factions, and many other sects had suffered collateral damage.
Numerous sects had been wiped out, and new ones had risen in their place. Now that Star Palace’s dominance was inevitable, and with the addition of Han Li as an honorary elder, these factions had no choice but to behave. None wanted to become an example of Star Palace’s wrath.
Unbeknownst to these scheming factions, the very figure they feared—Star Palace’s nominal honorary elder—was not meditating in some hidden chamber in Starfall City. Instead, he was soaring through the skies countless miles away from the city, a faint streak of light darting across the horizon.
“I didn’t expect you to agree to become Star Palace’s honorary elder. Though they offered millions of spirit stones, I thought you’d refuse, given your usual aversion to trouble.” The boy’s teasing voice echoed in Han Li’s ears.
“I do dislike trouble, but when someone offers so many spirit stones for nothing more than a title, why refuse? Besides, the Star Sea’s situation is stabilizing. Star Palace just wants to use my name to intimidate others. If I actually joined them and stayed in Starfall City, those old foxes in Star Palace would probably lose sleep.” Han Li chuckled coldly.
“No wonder! With your current cultivation, forcibly taking over Star Palace wouldn’t be impossible. Eliminate their elders, cultivate your own loyalists, and in two or three centuries, Star Palace would bear your name…” The boy spoke with familiarity, as if such schemes were trivial.
“Hmph. If I weren’t aiming to ascend to the Spirit Realm and only wanted to establish a sect in the mortal world, that might be an option. But why waste time on such distractions? It would only hinder my cultivation.” Han Li remained indifferent to the boy’s suggestion.
“Your dedication to the Dao is truly admirable. Faced with such an opportunity, I might not have resisted. Are all ascendants from the lower realms as resolute as you?” The boy fell silent for a moment before sighing in admiration.
“I’m no saint. Claiming I’m not tempted by Star Palace’s vast resources would be hypocritical. But right now, I won’t waste a single moment on illusions. You, as a celestial spirit beast, have a lifespan far beyond mine. A few centuries mean nothing to you.” Han Li’s gaze flickered as he replied calmly.
“A fair point. Still, it’s a shame you couldn’t take the Magnetic Divine Mountain with you.”
“No matter. It can stay with Star Palace for now. It’s not going anywhere. When I truly need to cultivate, I’ll retrieve it. The only issue is that I didn’t expect the mountain to be so stubborn. I tried every method, yet none could shrink it.” Han Li frowned.
“Indeed. Over those days in the mountain’s belly, you tested everything. The mountain is impervious to water, fire, blades, and spells. Such an object shouldn’t exist in the mortal realm.” The boy mused thoughtfully.
“But you mentioned earlier that a high-tier spatial treasure could envelop the entire mountain.” Han Li suddenly brought up the topic.
“Are you referring to my Qiankun Belt? Do you possess such a treasure? But let me be clear—ordinary spatial artifacts won’t work on the Magnetic Divine Mountain.” The boy sounded puzzled.
“I don’t have a complete one, but I do have half of something. It only recently occurred to me that it might work.” Han Li pondered before speaking slowly.
“Half?” The boy was taken aback.
Han Li smiled faintly and tapped his storage pouch. A black flash later, a peculiar object appeared before him—the damaged Black Wind Banner.
This treasure was a formidable spatial spirit treasure, fully capable of containing the Magnetic Divine Mountain. However, only a small fragment remained, hence Han Li’s claim of it being “half.”
At the sight of it, the boy let out a soft exclamation. A wisp of azure light flew from Han Li’s sleeve, materializing into the boy’s projection. He beckoned, and the broken banner flew into his grasp. He examined it closely.
“This was once a spirit treasure, wasn’t it? Spatial spirit treasures are rare even in the Spirit Realm. What a pity it’s been damaged to this extent.” After a long inspection, the boy tossed it back with a grave expression.
“Given your knowledge, do you think it can be repaired?” Han Li ignored the boy’s question and countered with his own.
“Since it was originally a spirit treasure, full restoration is unlikely. But reforging it into a lower-tier spatial artifact isn’t impossible. I recall a spatial treasure called the ‘Crimson Soul Banner,’ somewhat similar to this banner. It could be reforged into that, but…” The boy trailed off.
“But what?” Han Li pressed.
“But reforging it requires certain auxiliary materials. Given your status, those shouldn’t be an issue. The real problem is the need for a vast number of living souls to refine the banner. Its power depends entirely on the number of souls sacrificed. It’s one of the Spirit Realm’s Seven Sinister Artifacts—a truly bloody tool. To contain the Magnetic Divine Mountain, you’d need millions of souls. As for reforging it into another spatial treasure, while possible, the required materials don’t exist in this realm. The Crimson Soul Banner is the only feasible option, as its materials mostly overlap with this banner’s. Otherwise, even this banner couldn’t be reforged here.” The boy spoke solemnly.
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