The three-headed, six-armed Dharma Form instantly expanded once more, its body swelling dramatically within the golden light, towering hundreds of feet in an instant.
At the same time, Han Li’s Spirit Infant and physical body remained seated motionless below, seemingly focused on refining the vast amounts of primordial qi they had absorbed earlier.
The sheer density of this qi was such that even with Han Li’s formidable abilities, he had only managed to forcibly contain it within his body, temporarily suppressing it. Only after thorough refinement could he truly control it at will, allowing his cultivation to surge temporarily.
However, this posed no issue for the colossal Vajra Dharma Form of the towering giant.
The massive Dharma Form spewed golden radiance from its three mouths, effortlessly absorbing all the spiritual mist swirling down from the sky, appearing entirely unburdened.
And as the Dharma Form continued its voracious consumption, it grew even larger!
Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a golden giant nearly a thousand feet tall stood at the center of the basin. With a mere sway of its six arms, the heavens and earth trembled.
By then, the spiritual tides surging in from the horizon had begun to weaken, eventually vanishing in a flash.
Seeing this, the Spirit Infant flickered and transformed into a streak of golden light, diving back into the physical body below.
In a blur, the Spirit Infant returned to its rightful place, merging once more with the flesh.
Han Li’s body shuddered before his eyes slowly opened. After sensing the nearly overwhelming surge of spiritual power within him, a flicker of astonishment crossed his face as he murmured, “This method truly works. Breaking through the bottleneck should now be somewhat easier.”
No sooner had he spoken than he swiftly formed a hand seal, closed his eyes again, and resumed his cultivation.
In an instant, golden light erupted from Han Li’s body as golden scales emerged from his skin, swiftly covering him entirely. A flash of cyan light appeared atop his head, revealing a half-foot-long azure horn.
With a crisp shattering sound, the golden vortex in the sky dispersed, and an aura even more terrifying than before erupted from Han Li’s body.
Wherever this aura passed, the clouds in the sky were forcibly parted, allowing piercing rays of sunlight to pour through.
At this moment, Han Li’s hands rapidly shifted through seals as low incantations spilled from his lips. Golden radiance gathered at his sides, forming the faint outlines of two additional golden heads and four more arms, as if they could solidify at any moment.
Simultaneously, the color of the scales covering his body deepened abruptly, emitting a strange violet-golden glow.
Now fully activating the Vajra Demon Subduing Scripture, Han Li channeled his immense spiritual power in relentless waves against the bottleneck within him. Yet, it was as if an invisible dam stood in his path, stubbornly blocking the surging energy without the slightest sign of yielding.
Clearly, breaking through this bottleneck would not be a matter of mere days.
Han Li continued to drive his cultivation technique while keenly observing every change within his body, his expression unwavering.
The bottleneck to the Mahayana realm was incomparable to any he had faced before, and he had long prepared himself for a protracted battle.
…
A month later, Silvermoon stood atop a mountain peak, gazing expressionlessly toward the distant basin.
Beside her stood a petite figure—none other than Zhu Guo’er.
When Han Li began his breakthrough, the commotion had been impossible to ignore. Zhu Guo’er, who had been cultivating nearby, naturally noticed and soon abandoned her practice to rush to the basin’s vicinity, waiting anxiously.
Now, the basin was enveloped in over a dozen layers of multicolored barriers. No matter how much spiritual power Zhu Guo’er poured into her eyes, all she could see was a hazy glow, with nothing discernible within.
“Senior Linglong, how is Senior Han? It’s been so long—has something gone wrong?” The girl’s face betrayed her anxiety as she couldn’t help but ask Silvermoon.
“The entire area is sealed by formations now. Even I cannot see what’s happening inside. However, the aura emanating from there grows increasingly powerful—almost rivaling my grandfather’s. He should be fine,” Silvermoon replied indifferently, her gaze sweeping briefly before she sat cross-legged and resumed her own cultivation, paying Zhu Guo’er no further heed.
Zhu Guo’er felt slightly reassured by the answer, but Silvermoon’s abrupt coldness left her both amused and exasperated.
This “Linglong” senior had shown deep concern for Han Li not long ago, yet now she was utterly indifferent. Had Zhu Guo’er not known that Silvermoon’s shifts in demeanor were due to the influence of a certain cultivation technique, she would have been stunned.
Meanwhile, atop another peak, the Crab Daoist’s silver eyes gleamed as he stared at the layers of barriers covering the basin, a faint trace of something unreadable flickering across his face.
Suddenly, the entire basin trembled violently. The barriers above rippled wildly as earth-shaking booms erupted from within.
Golden light flashed as over a dozen thick beams shot through the barriers, piercing the heavens and scattering the dark clouds.
A terrifying aura surged forth, and even the Crab Daoist’s divine sense recoiled slightly upon contact, his pupils contracting.
“Success. His aura has reached the Mahayana realm. Whether he truly breaks through now depends on whether he can survive the heavenly tribulation,” the Crab Daoist murmured in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, his expression quickly returning to its usual calm, as if he still understood Han Li’s situation perfectly.
Yet no sooner had he spoken than the barriers shattered with a deafening crash, crumbling into countless golden fragments to reveal a golden Dharma Form shadow towering over a thousand feet tall. At its feet, a violet-golden halo over thirty feet in diameter hovered in the air, within which Han Li stood with his arms crossed.
Han Li remained in his demonic transformation, his body drenched in blood and covered in countless fine wounds that were healing at a visible rate.
Stranger still, his body had grown significantly taller, his arms and legs thicker, as if he had transformed into a powerfully built warrior.
Below, the massive crystalline platform that had once stood dozens of feet high was now completely gone, leaving behind only a pockmarked ground littered with powdered remnants, as if crushed by some immense force.
Within the violet-golden halo, Han Li’s eyes were closed, silver spirit patterns swirling across his body. Though he appeared motionless, a closer look revealed veins bulging on his forehead and muscles writhing beneath his skin, as if an unfathomable power brewed within.
The terrifying spiritual pressure radiating from him had nearly solidified the surrounding air for miles, ensuring any living being that entered would be instantly obliterated.
High above, the dark clouds scattered by the golden beams had begun to gather once more with thunderous roars. Amid their churning, faint glimmers of five-colored radiance flickered, rapidly expanding in size.
Within moments, the five-colored lights had each grown to the size of an acre, filling the sky with rolling brilliance that nearly blotted out the clouds entirely.
“The Five Elements Tribulation!” Silvermoon, watching from the distant peak, showed a rare flicker of emotion on her otherwise icy face.
Though Zhu Guo’er was somewhat bewildered, Silvermoon’s reaction told her the celestial phenomena above the basin were extraordinary. Her eyes widened as she stared unblinkingly into the distance.
By now, Han Li’s aura had grown even more fearsome, the air around him visibly distorting.
Suddenly, Han Li raised his head, his eyes snapping open as he gazed expressionlessly at the sky.
At the same moment, the five-colored radiance above abruptly shifted, transforming into a blazing gold before unleashing countless foot-long golden blades that rained down like a storm upon the entire basin.
Each blade gleamed coldly, exuding a deadly sharpness.
“Golden Vajra Qi!”
Han Li narrowed his eyes, a chill running through him as he uttered the name, though his expression remained composed. With a flick of his sleeve, over a dozen spell seals shot out, vanishing into the surrounding void.
Instantly, the formations around the basin hummed to life, layers of barriers flashing into existence to shield the area once more.
A deafening roar erupted as the golden blades struck the outermost barrier, exploding into bursts of golden light.
The barrier rippled violently, flickering under the assault.
Within minutes, the outermost barrier shattered under the relentless onslaught, its supporting formation crumbling into useless fragments.
The golden blades surged forward, striking the next barrier with the same devastating force.
And so it continued—the golden blades fell endlessly, each strike as powerful as a flying sword or blade.
Under this relentless barrage, five layers of barriers were breached in rapid succession.
Yet at this moment, Han Li merely formed a single hand seal. The thousand-foot-tall Dharma Form shadow blurred as its six arms lashed out, fists hurtling toward the sky.
A tempestuous gale howled as colossal fist shadows, each the size of a pavilion, materialized beyond the barriers and shot toward the massive golden lights above.
Wherever the fist shadows passed, the golden blades in their path shattered without even making contact.
In a few flashes, the fist shadows struck the golden lights directly.
A metallic clang rang out as the fist shadows rebounded and vanished, while the golden lights trembled violently before dispersing into countless fragments.
The rain of golden blades ceased abruptly.
Yet in the next moment, the scattered golden fragments churned and shifted, their color transforming into a verdant green before coalescing once more into a massive emerald light, no smaller than before.
A rich, woody fragrance wafted from the newly formed emerald radiance.
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