After flying just over ten miles, without the need for any words from the trio, Han Li’s spiritual sense detected an anomaly in the sky ahead. His mind stirred, and his flight speed increased slightly.
After a short while, their flight came to a halt.
Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, staring unblinkingly at a massive, hazy gray light sphere in the sky. He couldn’t help but inwardly gasp.
The spherical light was circular, with a diameter of nearly a mile. Though somewhat dim and indistinct, upon closer inspection, it seemed unfathomably deep. The glowing halo it emitted rotated slowly, exuding an eerie sensation that seemed to draw one’s very soul into it.
“So this is the spatial node?” Han Li exhaled softly, though he already knew the answer, and asked.
“Yes, Senior! This is the node where our Grandmaster and the others entered. However, to stabilize this entrance, they expended tremendous effort to set up a special seal, temporarily sealing it. This not only helps maintain the node’s stability but also minimizes spatial fluctuations, preventing other cultivators in the Five Dragons Sea from noticing,” the middle-aged female cultivator among the three Core Formation cultivators replied.
Yet, when she mentioned Xiang Zhili, her expression darkened slightly. Clearly, the three were well aware that Xiang Zhili and the others’ soul lamps had extinguished.
“I see. No wonder the spatial fluctuations here are so faint. Fellow Daoist Xiang and the others truly went to great lengths,” Han Li sighed softly before falling silent, his gaze fixed on the light sphere, his eyes flickering with thought.
The three Core Formation cultivators exchanged glances, seemingly communicating something unspoken.
“There’s something we’d like to inform you about, Senior,” one of the male cultivators hesitated before speaking up.
“Oh? What is it?” Han Li turned his head slightly, looking at him in surprise.
“It’s like this—we three have been guarding this place for over two hundred years. Despite Grandmaster Xiang’s seal, the spatial entrance has been experiencing brief periods of instability since a century ago. Over time, the intervals between these disturbances have grown shorter. Initially, they occurred once every few years, lasting only a day. But now, they happen once a year, lasting a full half-month,” the male cultivator replied honestly.
“Such a thing? Are you saying the seal can no longer maintain the node’s stability?” Han Li’s expression darkened slightly.
“I’m afraid so. If this trend continues, within a hundred years at most, this spatial node will either collapse or become extremely unstable. Senior may not be able to enter as easily as Grandmaster Xiang and the others did,” another male cultivator explained respectfully.
“A mere hundred years? That short?” Han Li’s expression turned grim.
“This is merely our speculation. Perhaps we are overthinking it,” the female cultivator quickly added with a conciliatory smile.
“Whether it’s speculation or not, staying here for a few years will tell me the truth. I plan to study this node carefully and won’t be leaving anytime soon,” Han Li said after some thought.
Naturally, Xiang Zhili’s three disciples had no objections and quickly voiced their agreement.
Han Li then waved his hand, dismissing them back to the island while he remained alone beneath the massive light sphere.
Soon, only Han Li stood beneath the glowing sphere, his expression shifting between gloom and contemplation. The trio’s words had clearly unsettled him.
“If what they say is true, and the entrance can only last another hundred years, then I must enter within that time. That would be far too rushed, undoubtedly increasing the risk of perishing. But if I don’t seize this opportunity, even with over a thousand years of lifespan left, it’s unlikely I’ll find another way into the Spirit Realm. Otherwise, why would Xiang Zhili and the others have waited so long, entering without hesitation the moment they found a node? As for the node information I haven’t yet handed over to them, only a few locations remain. I don’t hold much hope that any of them will yield another usable spatial node,” Han Li mused, his face darkening further.
He remained beneath the light sphere for most of the day before finally turning and flying back toward the island.
Upon landing, he found that the three cultivators had already prepared the largest pavilion for him, meticulously cleaned and arranged for the “Senior Han” to reside in.
Pleased with their efforts and acknowledging their hard work in guarding the node, Han Li rewarded each of them with three treasures and several bottles of pills.
The three Core Formation cultivators were overjoyed and deeply grateful.
Han Li then used a long-distance communication talisman to contact Nangong Wan and others in the Chaotic Star Sea, instructing them to send several newly recruited, reliable Core Formation cultivators—including Tian Qin’er—to the island.
Tian Qin’er, thanks to Han Li’s medicinal assistance in her cultivation, had devoted most of her time to studying formations and restrictions. Her innate talent in arrays was extraordinary, and with ample time to refine her skills, her achievements had surpassed even Han Li’s in this field.
Given that he intended to enter the spatial node, her expertise in formations would be invaluable.
In the following days, Han Li visited the light sphere daily, observing its fluctuations before returning to the island to ponder deeply.
A year later, Tian Qin’er arrived with four Core Formation cultivators from the island. Han Li promptly allowed the original three Core Formation guards to leave, replacing them with his own subordinates.
Though Tian Qin’er remained at the late Core Formation stage, thanks to a bottle of Sun-Returning Water Han Li had left her, her lifespan was far from exhausted. Whether she could form a Nascent Soul in the future depended on her own fortune.
As soon as Tian Qin’er arrived, Han Li took her to inspect the spatial node, hoping she could devise a method to strengthen the seal and buy him more time.
Unfortunately, despite her unparalleled mastery of formations, Tian Qin’er found spatial nodes—entities involving spatial laws—beyond her full comprehension. After months of contemplation, she could only propose a method to gradually reinforce the seal, though she admitted to having only a twenty to thirty percent certainty of success.
With no better alternative, Han Li allowed her to proceed. The rare materials required for the formation were swiftly gathered by Han Li himself during a brief trip outside the misty sea.
Thus, Han Li remained on the island for five or six years.
During this time, he observed with growing concern that the spatial node indeed behaved as Xiang Zhili’s disciples had described—experiencing disturbances roughly once a year, with the intervals shortening and the disturbances growing more violent.
Any joy Han Li had felt upon advancing to the Deity Transformation stage was now completely overshadowed.
After watching Tian Qin’er complete an incredibly complex formation to reinforce the node’s seal, he began considering whether to scour the human world for special protective treasures and secret techniques to prepare for entering the node.
But just as he was about to set out, a flash of silver light appeared in the distance beyond the misty sea, streaking toward the island and stopping at its edge.
The light faded, revealing a stunning silver-robed woman in her twenties, with delicate brows, a jade-like nose, and eyes shimmering with silver radiance.
After surveying the misty sea, she produced a jade slip and scanned it with her spiritual sense, a faint smile appearing on her face.
“The spatial node mentioned by those juniors from the Heavenly Demon Sect must be here,” she murmured, clearly aware of the node’s existence. Without hesitation, she transformed into a streak of silver light and flew into the mist.
By now, the island was no longer as defenseless as when Han Li first arrived. Tian Qin’er had set up several intricate formations around it, powerful enough to temporarily trap even Nascent Soul cultivators.
Unaware, the silver-robed woman flew straight into these restrictions upon reaching the island’s airspace.
Instantly, countless bolts of lightning and fire erupted around her, followed by a barrage of wind blades and ice spikes.
Startled at first, the woman snorted coldly, halting her flight and raising a single hand.
A bone-chilling gale surged from her body, expanding rapidly into a colossal whirlwind that swept away all attacks, reducing them to nothing.
The commotion naturally alerted the four Core Formation cultivators on the island, who immediately flew up to investigate.
Seeing them approach, the silver-robed woman’s brow furrowed with killing intent. She raised her hand, fingers poised as if to unleash something.
But then, Han Li’s calm voice echoed in her ears:
“Fairy Feng, please spare them. These are my subordinates, acting under orders. I hope you won’t hold it against them.”
“You?” The woman’s expression shifted dramatically, but she slowly lowered her hand.
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