Chapter 1251: The Immortal Vine’s Revival

The talismans clinging to the small horse transformed into layers of multicolored light shields, trapping the silver flames within.

Han Li’s divine sense stirred, and the Lunar Firebird still floating within the purple ice turned into a mass of crimson flame, enveloping the Solar Essence Fire.

He then formed hand seals and directed several incantations toward the purple ice.

The incantations vanished into the ice in a flash, and the entire block of ice immediately shimmered with purple light, rapidly shrinking in size.

In the blink of an eye, it condensed into a fist-sized ice sphere.

Han Li beckoned with one hand, and the ice sphere flew over, landing in his palm.

He examined it with great interest.

“To think your fortune is truly great—you actually managed to capture the Solar Essence Fire. If you can truly refine it by merging it with the Lunar True Fire in a yin-yang fusion, the benefits will likely far exceed your imagination. Even the few immortal flames of the Spirit Realm might pale in comparison,” a child’s sighing voice echoed in Han Li’s ears, carrying a faint hint of envy.

“Immortal flames?” Han Li’s expression flickered, but he did not press further. Instead, he rubbed his hands together, and thunder rumbled.

Slender golden arcs shot out, wrapping tightly around the purple ice until it was completely encased.

In an instant, a golden sphere appeared before him.

Han Li flicked his sleeve, and a small cyan cauldron flew out, hovering briefly before settling in front of his chest.

It was none other than the Void Heaven Cauldron!

He flicked a finger at the cauldron, and with a clear chime, the lid flew open. A dense mass of cyan threads shot out, ensnaring the golden sphere and pulling it into the cauldron.

Only then did Han Li form the Treasure Control Seal, and the lid snapped shut again.

He exhaled deeply, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

With this flame, he could now refine the Sun Returning Water. If he could gain several hundred more years of lifespan, even the notoriously difficult-to-cultivate Magnetic Divine Light should be within his grasp.

With these thoughts in mind, Han Li stored away the Five Devils and the humanoid puppet, dismantled the massive formation he had set up, erased all traces, and calmly left the volcanic crater with the Solar Essence Fire in hand.

At this point, all his objectives in the Great Jin had been accomplished. Without hesitation, he prepared to embark on his return journey to the Heavenly South.

Upon his return, his first priority would be refining the Sun Returning Water to secure his and Nangong Wan’s lifespans. Next, he would locate the spatial rift in the Fallen Devil Valley and refine it into a pocket dimension. Finally, he would use the soul power within the Ghost Luo Banner to cultivate the spatial treasure, the Crimson Soul Banner.

Once he used this banner to collect the Magnetic Mountain and bring it back to the Heavenly South, Han Li planned to retreat into the pocket dimension and focus entirely on mastering the Magnetic Divine Light, aiming directly for the Deity Transformation stage.

To ensure success this time, he had refrained from using the top-grade wood-attribute spirit stone he obtained from the Chaotic Star Seas during his previous bottleneck breakthrough with the Five Cold Extreme Flames, saving it for a more opportune moment.

Speaking of his upcoming attempt at Deity Transformation, after rescuing Violet Spirit at the Demon Tuo Mountain, Han Li had not forgotten about the “Demon Origin Pills” mentioned by Xiang Zhili. Before leaving, he had indeed managed to trade three of these pills from Old Demon Hu in exchange for some of his Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Jade, further increasing his chances of advancement.

However, recalling the steep price of this trade, even Han Li couldn’t help but wince.

The old demon, somehow aware that Han Li had taken a significant portion of the Profound Jade from the Small Extreme Palace, had demanded nearly half of his remaining stock. Whether the old demon truly believed the Demon Origin Pills were invaluable or was simply retaliating for the loss of his concubine remained unclear.

Though the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Jade was exceedingly rare, to Han Li at this stage, the Demon Origin Pills—which could aid in breaking through to Deity Transformation—were far more important. Even if the pills only offered a minuscule increase in his chances, he was unwilling to pass them up.

Thus, with Xiang Zhili present, he had gritted his teeth and made the exchange.

As Han Li flew through the sky, the memory of Old Demon Hu’s smug face after the trade still irked him. But he quickly pushed the thought aside and turned his mind to his future plans.

A few days later, a streak of cyan light flew out of the red mist, disappearing into the depths of the Fire Prison.

Not long after, various factions in the Great Jin who had taken notice of Han Li discovered that he had suddenly vanished without a trace.

This caused quite a stir among those with vested interests. Only when it was confirmed that Han Li had indeed left the Great Jin did they collectively breathe a sigh of relief.

Though Han Li’s name had yet to spread widely in the Great Jin’s cultivation world, whispers of his extraordinary feats had begun circulating among the higher echelons of major sects.

A cultivator who was not yet a Deity Transformation expert but could interact with them as an equal, effortlessly slay fellow late-Nascent Soul cultivators, and remain unaffected by the loss of Heaven and Earth’s primal qi—such a figure naturally inspired deep wariness among many old monsters.

Now that it was clear Han Li had no intention of establishing a sect in the Great Jin, they all relaxed and dismissed the matter from their minds.

……

Time flowed on from the day Han Li disappeared, and in the blink of an eye, thirty to forty years had passed.

During this period, the Great Jin’s cultivation world remained relatively stable. Though conflicts still arose, no earth-shattering events occurred. Meanwhile, in a distant mountain cave in the Heavenly South, a burst of triumphant laughter echoed.

“All this time and effort wasn’t wasted—I’ve finally refined this flame! Now, I can refine the Sun Returning Water.”

The laughter gradually faded before ceasing abruptly.

A month later, a figure quietly emerged from the mountain, transforming into a streak of cyan light that shot into the distance.

Three months after that, a young man appeared deep within the Fallen Devil Valley, vanishing without a trace.

Days later, an isolated, nameless hill in the inner valley suddenly erupted with boundless ghostly energy.

Pitch-black mist engulfed the area for miles, accompanied by howling winds and eerie wails, as if the surroundings had transformed into the netherworld itself.

This phenomenon persisted for half a year before the ghostly energy gradually dissipated.

A month later, the young man mysteriously emerged from the valley and departed as a streak of cyan light.

Thanks to his exceptional concealment techniques, no cultivators detected his entry or exit.

This man was none other than Han Li, who had just completed refining the Crimson Soul Banner and the pocket dimension.

Decades earlier, after returning to the Falling Cloud Sect from the Great Jin, he had painstakingly refined and subdued the Solar Essence Fire. Months ago, he had successfully brewed several vials of Sun Returning Water.

Since Nangong Wan was still in seclusion, he consumed one vial himself and sent another to her cave via flying sword before leaving to refine the Crimson Soul Banner in the Fallen Devil Valley.

With ample soul power from over a dozen Ghost Luo Banners and guidance from the Heavenly Lazure Beast’s avatar, the process, though lengthy, was ultimately successful.

The broken Black Wind Banner had been reforged into the Crimson Soul Banner.

Now back in his sect, Han Li began studying the first two layers of the Magnetic Divine Light. Even with the Crimson Soul Banner, moving the Magnetic Mountain into the treasure required at least some control over the mountain itself.

Before entering seclusion, Han Li suddenly recalled something. After a brief hesitation, he took a vial of Sun Returning Water to the medicine garden, returned empty-handed, and immediately entered his cultivation chamber.

The humanoid puppet remained in the cave, tasked with using the mysterious small vial to nurture spirit insects and accelerate the growth of certain herbs.

……

Ten years later, Han Li opened his eyes in the quiet chamber, a troubled expression on his face.

“The Magnetic Divine Light is indeed incredibly difficult to cultivate. Without the Magnetic Mountain’s assistance, mastering it seems impossible. I’ve only just completed the first layer—it’s time to retrieve what I left at Star Palace.”

“If I were you, I’d first secure a pure metal-attribute demon core to complete the Five Elements spiritual roots. Though this is my first time hearing of this technique, it clearly involves all five elements. Without the corresponding spiritual roots, fully controlling it would place immense strain on your body. Moreover, multi-attribute techniques grow increasingly difficult to cultivate as you progress,” the child’s illusory figure appeared before Han Li, speaking calmly.

“You’ve mentioned this before. I know. But metal-attribute demon beasts are exceedingly rare, and the required core must be from at least a transformed-level beast. They’re not easy to find,” Han Li sighed, flipping his palm to reveal a shimmering five-colored glow.

“What about that Golden Flood Dragon King you encountered in the Chaotic Star Seas? That beast was a genuine tenth-grade demon, its core perfect for refining a metal spiritual root,” the child suggested after a moment’s thought.

“That flood dragon would indeed suffice. But as the leader of the Outer Sea’s flood dragon tribe, it won’t be easy to deal with. I’ll prepare some metal-attribute artifacts first. Didn’t you say artifacts can also substitute for spiritual roots?” Han Li frowned.

“Using artifacts as substitutes is possible, but the refinement process is slower and carries risks,” the child replied dismissively.

“With the Sun Returning Water, time isn’t an issue. I’ll handle this once I reach the Chaotic Star Seas,” Han Li nodded, rising to his feet and stretching before leaving the chamber.

A silver flash later, another “Han Li” appeared before him, expressionless.

At first, Han Li paid it no mind. But when his divine sense exchanged information with the second Nascent Soul hidden within the puppet, his expression abruptly changed.

“What?! The Profound Heaven Vine has truly revived?!”