In the following days, Han Li personally took Nangong Wan through every hall and pavilion of the Green Origin Palace, allowing her to choose a side hall as her residence and cultivation quarters according to her preference.
However, after visiting the Scripture Repository and the Treasure Hall of the Green Origin Palace, Nangong Wan was utterly astonished by the vast collection of esoteric techniques, countless magical artifacts, materials, and elixirs stored within.
Given Han Li’s numerous fortuitous encounters over the years, as well as the spoils obtained from vanquishing powerful enemies, his wealth was so immense that few in the entire Spirit Realm could rival him.
Such an abundance of treasures was far beyond what Nangong Wan, who had long been confined to the Small Spirit Heaven, could have imagined.
Han Li smiled faintly and allowed Nangong Wan to carefully select a few defensive treasures for herself. He also retrieved several types of elixirs before handing her the restriction tokens for these two locations, granting her free access whenever needed.
Naturally, Nangong Wan was overjoyed and accepted everything without hesitation.
In the days that followed, Han Li summoned several stewards of the Green Origin Palace to handle urgent matters, dispatched personnel to search for Frost Li the Transcendent, and then took Nangong Wan on a tour of the entire Yuanhe Island and much of the Boundless Sea.
For over a month, the two were inseparable, behaving like an ordinary mortal couple, indulging in deep affection and intimacy.
However, upon their return to the Green Origin Palace, they each entered seclusion one after the other.
All affairs on the island were once again entrusted to Hai Dasha for management.
Han Li sat cross-legged in a heavily restricted chamber, with three objects floating before him, emitting faint spiritual light: a golden page and two jade slips—one silver and one red.
These were unexpected gains from his recent travels, containing two celestial secret techniques—”Five Viscera Tempering Art” and “Primordial Aura Shield”—as well as a lightning essence refinement technique.
After a brief glance, Han Li frowned slightly and tapped the golden page.
With a slight tremor, it transformed into a golden streak and flew into his sleeve.
Although the “Five Viscera Tempering Art” recorded in the Golden Jade Book was incredibly profound and could drastically enhance his power, its cultivation speed was excruciatingly slow. It was not something he could leisurely study at the moment, so he set it aside for later.
As for the remaining “Primordial Aura Shield” and the refinement technique…
After a moment of contemplation, Han Li flicked his sleeve, and the silver jade slip vanished in a flash of light.
The “Primordial Aura Shield,” written in celestial script, was exceedingly abstruse. Merely comprehending it would take considerable time, let alone mastering it. Thus, it was also unsuitable for immediate cultivation.
That left only the lightning essence refinement technique.
Han Li gazed at the crimson jade slip, deep in thought.
He had already grasped eighty to ninety percent of this technique during his journey, and the remaining portion would likely take only a month or so to fully master.
Given that he already possessed the Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning, the refinement process shouldn’t take too long.
Moreover, when combined with his existing thunder techniques, the power of this method would far exceed ordinary expectations, promising a “big surprise” for future adversaries.
Having made up his mind, Han Li decisively beckoned the jade slip toward him.
With a faint blur, it silently landed in his hand, and he pressed it against his forehead.
Moments later, his eyes closed, and his body became as still as a wooden statue.
Two months later, the jade slip on Han Li’s forehead had long disappeared. Instead, thunderous roars erupted from his body as golden arcs of lightning coiled around him, rapidly converging into a golden thunderball before him.
The ball swelled to the size of a basin in an instant.
With a soft “puff,” Han Li formed a hand seal and spat out a wisp of silver spiritual flame.
The flame encircled the thunderball and instantly transformed into a blazing sea of fire, engulfing it completely.
Within the flames, the thunderball emitted low rumbles as it spun rapidly, its surface flickering with golden runes interspersed with hints of violet-gold, as if undergoing some mysterious transformation.
—
At nearly the same time, deep within a mountain on the Thunder Continent, the true spirit Yang Lu remained seated motionless beside a small green bottle, as if he hadn’t moved an inch in months.
Suddenly, the green bottle trembled slightly, emitting a faint glow as a ripple of spatial energy spread outward.
Yang Lu’s eyes snapped open, and after a quick glance at the bottle, he stood and bowed deeply. “Congratulations on your emergence, Master!”
As his words faded, a golden flash appeared at the bottle’s mouth, and a blurry figure slowly materialized before him, taking the form of a frail young man clad in black robes.
“Well done. My injuries are fully healed, and it’s time to leave,” Ma Liang said, eyeing his new spirit servant with indifference.
“As you command, Master!” Yang Lu replied without hesitation, bowing again.
Ma Liang nodded, storing the green bottle with a flick of his sleeve before spitting out a peculiar black-and-white array disk.
The octagonal disk was covered in dense, enigmatic runes of both colors.
Without a word, the black-robed youth tossed the disk forward, where it transformed into a swirling mass of black-and-white energy, shifting between forms—now a mirror, now a scroll, now other objects—in constant flux.
With a slow motion, the youth extended a finger and lightly touched the shifting mass.
With a soft “puff,” the energy solidified into a fist-sized crystal sphere.
Chanting under his breath, the youth flicked several blood-red incantations into the sphere.
Moments later, a crimson ghostly face emerged from the sphere, grinning savagely at the youth before turning to growl in a specific direction.
But soon after, the face exploded with a “bang,” scattering into fragments.
“Hmph, those two fledglings are quite fast. They must have left this continent already. Otherwise, my Thought-Demon wouldn’t have reacted so weakly. That direction… leads to the Wind Origin Continent, correct?” The black-robed youth snorted, glancing at Yang Lu.
“Indeed, Master. The Wind Origin Continent lies in that direction,” Yang Lu replied promptly, still unsettled by the ghostly face.
“Wind Origin Continent… Very well. The blood sacrifices are nearly complete. It’s time to focus on the main task. I’ve already searched the Blood Sky and Thunder Continents with no trace of that traitor’s soul. It seems I must visit this realm’s final continent.”
With a stroke of his chin, the celestial resolved himself.
Without delay, he inhaled, swallowing the crystal sphere back into his body as black-and-white energy.
“Take me to the nearest cross-continental teleportation array. We’re heading to the Wind Origin Continent.”
“At once, Master. Please follow me.”
With that, their figures shot into the sky as golden and white streaks, vanishing into the distance after a brief hover.
—
Above a secluded valley on the Wind Origin Continent, Liu Yi’s expression darkened as he faced four elderly cultivators, each radiating power on par with his own.
Beside him, Frost Li the Transcendent, clad in white, wore a look of surprise.
After secretly returning to the Wind Origin Continent with Frost Li, Liu Yi had chosen this inconspicuous location to recuperate. Yet, barely half a year later, these unfamiliar Great Ascension cultivators had tracked them down.
Though Liu Yi reacted swiftly, they were already trapped.
A sweep of his divine sense revealed that while only four elders stood before them, the surrounding area was densely layered with restrictions. A massive formation had been covertly deployed, making escape impossible in the short term.
“Who are you? To go to such lengths—are you here specifically for me?” Liu Yi asked coldly, a fierce glint in his eyes.
“Hehe, no need for alarm, fellow Daoist. We mean no harm. We merely wish to invite you and this fairy to accompany us for a discussion,” a round-faced elder replied with a smile.
“And if I refuse?” Liu Yi’s eyelids twitched as his expression turned savage.
“I’m afraid that’s not an option,” the elder said leisurely.
“Hah! Do you really think four of you and a flimsy formation can stop me? Killing you and breaking this array will be child’s play!” Liu Yi burst into laughter, his face darkening.
“Oh? What if I join them? Does Fellow Daoist Liu Yi still feel so confident?” A hoarse voice echoed from above.
Startled, Liu Yi looked up to see a red-haired elder hovering high above, gazing down at him with an enigmatic smile. Though the elder seemed devoid of aura, his presence was unnerving.
“And you are…?” Liu Yi’s pupils contracted as his divine sense swept over the newcomer.
“I am Ming Zun, here to invite both of you as guests of our alliance,” the elder replied with a faint smile.
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