The black giant ship hovered over the sea for a brief moment before emitting a thunderous roar and soaring into the sky, disappearing into the horizon.
Two months later, above a forest filled with towering ancient trees, the colossal silhouette of the Demonic Spirit Sacred Ship flickered into view.
On the deck at the bow of the ship, Han Li stood with Silvermoon and Zhu Guo’er.
Hua Shi the Ancestor, a demonic cultivator at the Body Integration stage, stood respectfully a short distance behind the trio.
By now, this high-ranking demon had learned of Han Li’s identity as a newly ascended Grand Ascension cultivator of the human race. After the initial shock, any lingering thoughts of defiance had long since vanished.
During this time, he had dutifully guided Han Li and the others through most of the nearby regions, visiting several locations where the ancient altar had reportedly appeared.
Unfortunately, up to this point, Han Li and his companions had come up empty-handed, failing to locate the altar.
“Is this the next place you mentioned?” Han Li asked without turning his head.
“Yes, Senior! This Misty Savage Forest is quite notorious even among us demons, known as a death trap for those below the Deity Transformation stage. Only those at the Void Refinement stage or higher can barely survive here. Lower-level cultivators who enter have an eighty to ninety percent chance of losing their lives. The forest is filled with deadly natural hazards, powerful unenlightened demonic beasts, and several unique venomous insects that are best avoided. Of course, none of this would pose any challenge to someone of your stature,” Hua Shi the Ancestor replied respectfully.
“Has the Compass Altar truly appeared here before?” Han Li nodded slightly, his expression unreadable as he asked again.
“Reporting to Senior, several fellow cultivators have spotted the ancient altar from afar in the heart of the swamp below. However, the altar is already damaged. Aside from some ancient inscriptions that might be of reference value to formation masters, it holds little practical use for most. Hence, no one has ever bothered to inspect it closely,” Hua Shi the Ancestor answered.
“Heh, in that case, let’s head down. I have a feeling—about seventy to eighty percent certainty—that the altar is here,” Han Li chuckled.
Zhu Guo’er and Silvermoon brightened at his words.
Without delay, the group descended from the giant ship, flying straight toward a vast swamp hidden within the dense forest below.
The swamp was shrouded in a faint green poisonous mist. Unless they possessed special protective treasures, cultivators below the Void Refinement stage would find it impossible to linger here for long.
Moreover, the mist teemed with tiny venomous insects resembling leeches. If they infiltrated the body unnoticed, expelling them would be extremely difficult.
Thus, for ordinary demonic cultivators, this place was indeed perilous.
But to Han Li, it was as harmless as flat ground.
With a mere flick of his sleeve, several silver flames surged forth, unleashing waves of scorching heat that swept in all directions. In an instant, the poisonous mist within an acre-wide radius was completely dispersed, and the venomous insects were incinerated before they could even approach.
Occasionally, a few reckless demonic beasts appeared, but Han Li didn’t even need to lift a finger—Silvermoon alone dispatched them with ease.
Before long, the group arrived at an inconspicuous corner of the swamp.
Han Li’s eyes suddenly gleamed as he spotted a hundred-zhang-tall ancient altar floating above a water pit several li away.
“Found it! Hua Shi, you may stay here. We’ll go ahead,” Han Li said with a faint smile.
Hua Shi the Ancestor naturally had no objections and bowed in acknowledgment.
Meanwhile, Silvermoon and Zhu Guo’er eagerly followed Han Li toward the towering altar.
A short while later, they stood before the altar.
Han Li paused, raising his head to examine the structure carefully.
The altar was square-shaped, divided into three tiers from top to bottom. Its surface was covered in unknown ancient inscriptions, though most were obscured by a layer of pale green moss.
Moreover, all four corners of the altar had collapsed, giving it an extremely aged appearance.
“Indeed, this is the ancient Compass Altar passed down from antiquity! According to Lady Bao Hua, as long as we activate it with a secret technique at a specific time, we can calculate the spatial coordinates she mentioned and locate the entrance to the Minor Spirit Realm.”
“Guo’er, since you were born in the Minor Spirit Realm, your soul naturally carries traces of its aura. Later, I’ll need to borrow a wisp of your divine sense to refine the calculations,” Han Li turned to Zhu Guo’er and said.
“Understood. This junior will do her utmost to assist!” Zhu Guo’er replied eagerly, her face alight with joy.
From her expression, it was clear she longed to return to the Minor Spirit Realm.
Silvermoon, standing nearby, smiled without speaking.
Han Li had not concealed the possibility of Nangong Wan being in the Minor Spirit Realm from her, his confidante.
Given Silvermoon’s temperament, she harbored no jealousy like mortal women might. Instead, she was more than willing to accompany Han Li in searching for Nangong Wan.
Though Han Li trusted that Lady Bao Hua wouldn’t deceive him in this matter, using an ancient altar to calculate the entrance to another realm was a first for him.
Whether mishaps might occur during the ritual or how accurate the results would be remained uncertain.
Thus, though Han Li appeared calm on the surface, a trace of gravity lingered in his heart.
Had it not been for Lady Bao Hua’s warning that the altar required activation at a specific time, he would have attempted this long ago.
As thoughts raced through his mind, Han Li flicked his sleeve, releasing a golden light that enveloped both himself and Zhu Guo’er, vanishing them from sight.
The next moment, a ripple appeared atop the altar’s highest tier, and the two materialized there.
Silvermoon remained at the base, gazing up at Han Li’s movements with a hint of concern.
Han Li swept his gaze around.
The altar’s surface was barren, devoid of any objects.
But when he glanced at the ground, he immediately noticed a circular formation inscribed with markings along its edges.
The formation spanned over ten zhang, covering nearly the entire top tier. However, some of the corner runes were worn and indistinct.
Han Li’s expression flickered briefly, but he showed no surprise.
He had already learned that as long as the formation was mostly intact, minor damage wouldn’t significantly affect the ritual.
Taking a deep breath, Han Li formed a hand seal and sent a spell into the formation.
With a loud boom, the ancient formation flickered violently before activating. Simultaneously, multicolored specks of light began gathering above the altar, pouring into it.
Han Li’s brows twitched as his fingers danced, unleashing a flurry of spells.
The formation’s rumbling intensified, gradually causing the entire altar to tremble. Ribbons of soft light began coalescing around it, swirling and dancing in the air.
The spectacle was awe-inspiring!
At that moment, Han Li let out a low shout, halting his hand seals. He pressed a palm against the ground, fingers splayed.
A column of azure light erupted from his palm, flooding the altar through the formation.
As the altar absorbed this pure spiritual energy, its vibrations grew even more violent.
This continued for the time it took to finish a meal. By then, Han Li had poured nearly a quarter of his total mana into the altar, yet the formation’s pull showed no signs of stopping.
Han Li inhaled sharply.
No wonder few showed interest in these ancient altars despite their existence being widely known.
The sheer mana required to activate one was beyond the means of anyone below the Grand Ascension stage.
Of course, with the aid of top-tier spirit stones, some Body Integration cultivators with vast reserves might manage to trigger partial functions. But the effectiveness of such attempts was questionable.
Moreover, most of these altars served auxiliary purposes of little importance. Without pressing need, even Grand Ascension cultivators would hardly bother with such unrewarding efforts.
Just as these thoughts crossed Han Li’s mind, the formation below flared brilliantly, and the suction abruptly ceased.
With a loud pop, countless glowing runes erupted from the formation, swirling into a massive, luminous disk above the altar.
The disk was covered in markings resembling those on the formation—some dazzlingly bright, others dim.
A pleased expression crossed Han Li’s face. Straightening, he withdrew his hand from the formation and flicked his sleeve, releasing an object—an ancient azure mirror.
Without hesitation, Han Li pointed repeatedly at the disk in the air.
Several crystalline threads shot from his fingertips, vanishing into distant markings on the disk.
The dim symbols instantly brightened and began rotating slowly.
“Guo’er, now!” Han Li commanded, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes, Senior!” Zhu Guo’er responded instantly, tapping her forehead.
A wisp of divine sense shot from her brow, vanishing into the center of the disk.
Instantly, the rotating symbols trembled before spinning at an incredible speed.
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