With their swift flight speed, the three of them reached the center of the massive island in the blink of an eye.
From a distance, an ordinary-looking mountain peak appeared before them.
Suddenly, a muffled sound echoed from above the peak, and a milky-white light pillar shot into the sky.
Immediately afterward, the scenery ahead shattered like a mirror, revealing two emerald-green peaks and a valley brimming with spiritual energy. The milky-white light pillar was emanating precisely from this valley.
“Lingxiao Heavenly Pillar!”
Upon seeing the light pillar, Han Li’s face showed a trace of astonishment.
When he had last visited, this spiritual pillar had only appeared after breaking through a restrictive barrier.
Now, before anyone had even arrived, the pillar had emerged on its own from the Bitter Spirit Valley.
Han Li’s thoughts raced as he pondered the reason behind this. Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from his body, and a ball of azure light shot out from his sleeve. After a brief blur, it transformed into a faint shadow and streaked toward the distant light pillar.
Han Li’s expression changed drastically. He reached out with a massive hand, and an invisible force swept forth, instantly trapping the azure light several hundred zhang away.
As the azure light dissipated, it revealed the small green bottle.
However, the bottle’s surface was now covered in countless dark-green runes, and its entire body trembled violently, nearly transparent, as if desperately trying to break free from its confinement.
Almost simultaneously, a sharp screech erupted from the milky-white light pillar nearby. A flash of yellow light shot out like a meteor, streaking straight toward Han Li.
Han Li’s heart tightened, and without hesitation, his other hand reached out and grabbed toward the distance.
A golden hand several zhang in size materialized above the yellow light. With a slight flex of its fingers, it seized the yellow light in a flash.
A hissing sound erupted from within the yellow light!
Countless green threads shot out, piercing the seemingly indestructible golden hand in an instant. After a brief tremor, the hand disintegrated into specks of spiritual light.
The yellow light blurred once more and traversed several li in an instant, appearing right beside the small green bottle.
As the yellow radiance dispersed, it revealed another pale-yellow bottle.
This bottle was identical in shape and design to the green one, except for its pale-yellow hue and the eerie, flowing light that made it seem almost intangible.
As soon as it appeared, it lunged impatiently toward the green bottle, as if attempting to merge with it.
*Bang!*
The green bottle suddenly flared with light, and a layer of dark-green runes materialized, forcefully repelling the yellow bottle.
The yellow bottle tumbled several zhang away before stabilizing, its glow solidifying once more.
Two specks of yellow light flickered on its surface, and two black, bean-sized eyes eerily appeared, displaying a human-like expression of shock.
The yellow bottle surged forward again, circling the green bottle in a frenzy, but no matter what it tried, the dark-green runes repelled it each time, preventing it from getting close.
The black eyes on the yellow bottle flashed frantically, revealing extreme anxiety.
Meanwhile, Han Li, who had been silently reciting an immortal-world incantation, let out a long sigh of relief upon seeing this.
The method of integrating the replica into the body of the Heaven Controlling Vial to temporarily control it seemed equally effective against the vial’s spirit. No wonder Ma Liang, that immortal, had been bestowed with a replica when descending to the lower realm. Most likely, the Nine Origin Dao Ancestor had harbored similar intentions.
Han Li concealed his thoughts, his expression unreadable. With a slight movement, he drifted slowly toward the two bottles.
Behind him, the Venerable Yuan Yan, who had been following all along, was stunned by this unexpected turn of events.
He and the other two Venerables had taken turns guarding the Bitter Spirit Island for tens of thousands of years—how could they have been unaware of such a treasure’s existence?
Though the yellow bottle had yet to fully take form, it had clearly developed sentience, making its value no less than that of an ordinary Profound Heavenly Treasure.
As for why Han Li knew of its presence here and how it was connected to another treasure he possessed, the demonic Venerable had no desire to delve deeper.
Instead, his heart burned with greed, and he considered moving closer.
But at that moment, a crack of thunder sounded nearby, and the Crab Daoist suddenly appeared before him, his body wreathed in silver lightning, staring coldly and wordlessly.
The Venerable Yuan Yan hesitated, stopping in his tracks. His violet eyes flickered between Han Li’s distant figure and the Crab Daoist’s impassive face, his expression conflicted.
He had never fought Han Li after his ascension to the Grand Ascension stage, but given that Han Li had survived encounters with him even at the Body Integration stage, his current strength was undoubtedly far more terrifying than rumors suggested. Coupled with this formidable pseudo-immortal puppet, any rash action would likely provoke a deadly enemy.
After careful consideration, the Venerable Yuan Yan sighed inwardly and abandoned any further thoughts of intervention, merely watching Han Li’s next moves with feigned calm.
Little did he know the magnitude of the opportunity he had just missed.
What he perceived as a mere sentient treasure was, in fact, a supreme artifact even the Dao Ancestors of the immortal world coveted.
Had he known the true origins of the Heaven Controlling Vial, even with the slimmest chance, he would never have allowed it to fall into Han Li’s hands.
Meanwhile, Han Li cautiously approached the two bottles, his expression grave.
Though the yellow bottle lacked a physical form, its earlier display of power had left him deeply wary.
After a dozen more futile attempts to reach the green bottle, the yellow bottle finally ceased its frantic movements, hovering nearby as its black eyes fixed on Han Li.
Its gaze held both confusion and wariness.
Han Li inwardly relaxed.
As long as the vial spirit didn’t attack or flee immediately, the rest would be manageable.
With a flick of his sleeve, a golden talisman silently exploded within, releasing a thick azure mist that swiftly engulfed the surrounding area, obscuring everything within a radius of several li.
Even the Venerable Yuan Yan’s divine sense could not penetrate the dense fog.
The demonic Venerable’s expression darkened slightly, silently relieved he hadn’t acted rashly earlier.
Time passed slowly.
The azure mist remained eerily still, with no sound emerging from within.
After seven days and nights of tense waiting, a triumphant roar suddenly erupted from the mist.
The fog churned once more, and a streak of azure light shot forth.
Han Li emerged, his demeanor radiant, and glanced at the Venerable Yuan Yan with a faint smile.
“Oh, you’re still here? My apologies for the wait.”
“Hmph! This island lies within the Demon Source Sea. How could I leave an outsider like you here alone? Now that you’ve obtained your treasure, leave at once,” the Venerable Yuan Yan snapped, rising from the three-headed black flood dragon beneath him.
Han Li chuckled. “Indeed, I have no intention of lingering. Who knows when we’ll meet again?”
Without further ado, he summoned the Crab Daoist, and the two swiftly departed.
The Venerable Yuan Yan watched their retreating figures, his expression darkening.
—
Inside the black ark’s secluded chamber, Han Li toyed with the emerald-green bottle, a faint smile playing on his lips.
After a long while, he stored it away and resumed his meditation.
As for how he had subdued the vial spirit or what had transpired during those seven days in the mist—
Even after returning to the human race, and even after ascending to the immortal world and becoming a supreme existence, Han Li never revealed a single detail.
This left many of his friends and disciples speculating endlessly, never uncovering the truth.
—
Months later, above a fathomless canyon in the demon realm, the black ark hovered silently in midair.
Han Li and the Crab Daoist stood at its edge, gazing downward.
“Breaking through the boundary here will take us to the Moksha Realm, closest to the Dragon Island. Fan Paozi was vague—claiming a Dragon Island envoy would receive us but giving no precise location. Troublesome,” Han Li muttered with a wry smile.
With a gesture, the black ark shrank and vanished into his sleeve.
Drawing a dark-green wooden sword from the void, he slashed downward with full force.
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