Han Li suddenly reached for his storage bracelet with one hand, and in an instant, an ordinary-looking leather pouch appeared in his grasp.
Tilting the pouch downward, a small green vial rolled out and was swiftly caught.
It was none other than that mysterious vial.
Holding the vial in one hand and the Profound Heavenly Fruit in the other, Han Li brought them together and narrowed his eyes in scrutiny.
Though the two objects differed vastly in size and shape, the dark green patterns on their surfaces bore an uncanny resemblance.
Could there be some connection between them? Was the mysterious vial also crafted from a Profound Heavenly Fruit?
The thought sent Han Li’s heart racing.
The more he pondered, the more plausible it seemed.
While the vial’s material differed from the fruit, both were made of substances yet to be understood. The idea that the vial might be another Profound Heavenly artifact was not far-fetched.
Weighing the objects in his hands, Han Li exhaled softly and finally fixed his gaze on the vial.
Suddenly, he placed the Profound Heavenly Fruit on the ground, twisted open the vial’s lid with both hands, and let a single drop of emerald-green liquid silently fall onto the “rod.”
To Han Li’s delight, the green liquid flashed with a faint blue light before vanishing entirely into the fruit.
With his eyes glowing blue, Han Li peered into the fruit’s interior once more.
The moment the green droplet entered, it dissolved into the faint white light at the core. Moments later, the dim glow expanded slightly.
Intrigued, Han Li observed for a while longer. When the white light showed no further changes, he finally withdrew his blue gaze and lowered his head in contemplation.
It seemed the only thing that could affect the Profound Heavenly Fruit was this mysterious green liquid. Though the purpose of the white light remained unclear, further study would require nurturing it with more droplets.
After careful consideration, Han Li stored both the vial and the fruit away, resolved to continue the experiment whenever possible.
Unbeknownst to Han Li, at the very moment the green liquid merged with the white light in the Profound Heavenly Fruit, a towering crystalline jade stele—engraved with golden and silver runes—erupted in radiant light and emitted a piercing chime that echoed across the heavens.
This phenomenon occurred on a floating island high above the Human Clan’s Celestial Spirit Realm, countless billions of miles from Sky Abyss City.
Two green-robed cultivators meditating beneath the stele snapped their eyes open in shock.
“Golden light! Could another Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure have emerged?” one exclaimed in awe.
The other remained silent but stared at the stele with undisguised excitement.
Within moments, over a dozen streaks of light shot toward the stele from across the island.
Soon, a crowd of green-robed cultivators gathered beneath the jade monument, their faces alight with anticipation as they watched the golden radiance flicker.
Gradually, the glow faded, but the tension among the onlookers only grew. Their eyes remained glued to the stele, unwilling to miss even the slightest change.
Suddenly, the golden runes below the third row blurred and shifted downward, making way for a new line of unfamiliar script to appear in their place.
The assembled cultivators froze, their expressions turning to disbelief as they stared at the newly revealed inscription.
“A Profound Heavenly Artifact… A Profound Heavenly Artifact has manifested!” an elderly, white-haired cultivator murmured in shock. “‘Profound Heavenly Severing Spirit Sword’—ranked third! Could this herald the arrival of another True Spirit Calamity in the Spirit Realm?”
The others, pale-faced and trembling, remained silent, their eyes filled with dread.
Eventually, the golden light dissipated entirely, restoring the stele to its usual tranquility.
Above the monument, a silver plaque bore the inscription in ancient script: “Chaos Myriad Spirit Ranking.”
Not long after, streaks of light shot from the island, heading toward the three realms and seven lands of the human world.
Simultaneously, similar jade steles in the forbidden territories of other races across the Spirit Realm displayed the same revelation in their respective scripts, sending shockwaves through their highest echelons.
Soon, the leadership of various races—including humans and demons—began mobilizing, issuing secret orders through covert channels.
Though the Spirit Realm appeared unchanged on the surface, beneath the calm, a storm was brewing. Every faction tightened its defenses while maintaining an outward facade of normalcy.
Of course, all this unfolded later.
For now, Han Li—the unwitting catalyst—remained oblivious, meditating peacefully in his cave, preparing to return to Sky Abyss City at dawn.
Time passed quietly until, just before daybreak, an inexplicable sensation stirred Han Li’s spirit. His eyes snapped open, and a look of joy crossed his face.
Without hesitation, he rose, pushed open the chamber door, and strode toward the beast room.
Peering through a small window into the stone chamber, Han Li froze in astonishment.
The black cocoon had split open at the top, revealing a head-sized hole—now empty.
Above, a mass of pitch-black clouds hovered near the ceiling, shimmering with an eerie, profound light.
Though startled, Han Li quickly composed himself. With a frown, he cast a spell toward the chamber door.
A flash of azure light later, the invisible barrier dissipated, and the door slowly rose.
Han Li stepped inside.
The cloud of darkness paid him no heed, remaining motionless in the air.
Gazing upward, Han Li formed a hand seal and spat out a gray-black orb—the long-refined Soul-Calling Pearl.
Muttering an incantation, he tapped the pearl with a finger.
It pulsed with green light, its surface flickering erratically.
The dark cloud above finally reacted. A sudden gust of wind sent it spinning before it condensed into a dense mass, crackling with black lightning as thunder rumbled.
The orb before Han Li hummed violently, its green glow intensifying to a blinding radiance.
Han Li’s expression shifted.
Through the pearl, he sensed a faint resistance emanating from the cloud—as if it sought to defy the summoning.
Much like the Six-Winged Frost Centipede before, the evolved Soul-Crying Beast seemed intent on breaking free.
Now at full strength, Han Li had no intention of allowing that. Channeling his mana, his fingers blurred as he sent a flurry of spells into the pearl.
With a mournful chime, the orb’s glow dimmed once more.
Amidst a deafening thunderclap, the swirling cloud coalesced into a shadowy figure wreathed in black lightning. In a flash, it landed directly before Han Li, its blood-red eyes fixed on the hovering gray-black orb.
Han Li’s heart skipped a beat—but when he saw the figure’s face, his expression twisted into a mix of shock, disbelief, and sheer bewilderment.
Standing before him was another “Han Li,” clad in black robes. Apart from the color of his attire, this doppelgänger matched him in every detail—face, build, even the style of his clothing.
Now mirroring Han Li’s stunned expression, the black-robed figure created an uncanny illusion of staring into a mirror.
After a long pause, Han Li finally spoke cautiously, “Are you… the Soul-Crying Beast?”
The figure’s face shifted into a dopey grin as it replied in a deep, halting voice, “M-master… I… am… Soul-Crying!”
Though the words were garbled, like a child’s first attempts at speech, the confirmation sent a chill down Han Li’s spine.
“Did you assume human form naturally, or is this a transformation?” he pressed.
The black-robed Han Li gaped, clearly at a loss for words.
Realizing his mistake, Han Li sighed. Of course—even with awakened intelligence, the beast wouldn’t instantly grasp such concepts. It needed guidance.
For most cultivators, this would pose a challenge. But for Han Li, it was trivial.
Placing a hand atop his head, he summoned a pitch-black infant—his second Nascent Soul, restored during his recovery. Though only at the Nascent Soul stage and no longer crucial in battle, it remained useful for controlling puppets or managing his abode.
The tiny figure darted toward the black-robed “Han Li,” merging with it in a flash of dark lightning.
The doppelgänger convulsed briefly, its face contorting in pain.
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