Chapter 2178: The Third Extreme Mountain

Han Li felt a surge of joy in his heart as he gently clenched the fingers of his other hand.

A sharp cry rang out, and countless golden threads materialized out of thin air, swirling around his fist before vanishing in a flash.

At the same time, a continuous series of thunderous crackles erupted within Han Li’s body, and a force far greater than before surged wildly from his meridians.

A faint blue light flickered in Han Li’s eyes before the internal sounds abruptly ceased. His fist blurred as he threw a punch toward the distant stone gate.

A deafening explosion erupted in the air, and as multicolored light shimmered across the stone gate’s surface, it shattered with a thunderous boom.

Satisfied, Han Li nodded and flicked his sleeve toward the scattered debris. A wave of emerald mist swept out, and with a flash of spiritual light, the fragments reassembled seamlessly, reforming the stone gate as if nothing had happened.

Next, Han Li sat cross-legged and meticulously examined every part of his body, sensing the various profound changes within. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Given his current physical strength, he was certain that cultivating the second layer of the Divine Refinement Art would pose no problem. Additionally, he decided to refine the True Phoenix Blood he had obtained from the demon world alongside it.

Three days and nights later, Han Li had fully mastered the intricacies of the Hundred Meridians Treasure Refinement Technique. After consuming a vial of True Phoenix Blood, he immediately began comprehending the second layer of the Divine Refinement Art.

Having already thoroughly understood the second layer over centuries of prior practice, Han Li found the cultivation process relatively swift now that his body and spiritual sense met the requirements.

In just over a decade, Han Li successfully completed the second layer of the Divine Refinement Art.

However, to his surprise, achieving mastery of the second layer did not trigger the same astonishing celestial phenomena as the first layer had. Instead, it was accomplished silently and without fanfare.

Yet, the enhancement to his spiritual sense was so immense that even Han Li himself was astonished. With a mere extension of his divine sense, he could now perceive everything within a radius of seventy to eighty thousand miles—a feat even most ordinary Mahayana cultivators could not achieve.

During this time, he had also fully refined the vial of True Phoenix Blood, granting him yet another avian transformation in his repertoire.

After testing the True Phoenix transformation a few times in the chamber, Han Li reverted to his human form with satisfaction. With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved two jade-green crystals of differing sizes from his storage bracelet—one about a foot in diameter, the other no larger than a fist—both emitting a faint green glow.

These were the nuclei containing the Yin-Yang Great Five Elements True Light. One had been obtained from an underground mine, while the other was refined from the core of the Magnetic Light Beast he had slain.

Combined with other rare materials he had prepared, these two items would allow him to forge his third Extreme Mountain.

As Han Li gazed at the nuclei in his hands, his mind silently reviewed the relevant sections of the Five Extremes Mountain refinement method.

After a full hour, his eyes sharpened, and he suddenly tossed the two green crystals into the air. A clear chime sounded from his storage bracelet as it detached from his wrist and floated upward.

With a leisurely gesture, he pointed at it.

The bracelet spun rapidly, releasing a vast expanse of radiant mist that swept across the ground.

In the next moment, numerous jade boxes, bottles, and jars materialized in neat rows, filling the space around Han Li.

Once everything was laid out, a muffled sound came from the bracelet, and a silver light shot forth, revealing a silver-white cauldron.

Initially only a few inches tall, the cauldron expanded with the wind, growing to a massive ten-foot height before crashing down with a resounding boom.

The entire chamber trembled slightly as the colossal silver cauldron settled firmly into the ground, its three legs sinking half a foot into the steel-hard floor.

Han Li beckoned to the two green crystals in the air, and they instantly transformed into streaks of green light, plunging into the cauldron.

With a *pfft*, he opened his mouth and spat out a silver fireball, which morphed into a foot-long silver firebird. Spreading its wings, it flew toward the base of the cauldron.

Silver flames instantly engulfed the lower half of the cauldron, causing the surrounding temperature to skyrocket. The air itself seemed to distort, as if on the verge of melting.

Meanwhile, Han Li’s fingers moved like a spinning wheel as he pointed at the various containers.

Their lids flew open, and their contents blurred into the air above the cauldron before pouring inside.

Simultaneously, under Han Li’s relentless infusion of magic power, the silver firebird circling the cauldron doubled in size, its flames nearly submerging the lower half of the vessel.

The surface of the silver cauldron shimmered with five-colored light, and dazzling runes the size of beans emerged, swirling around it.

For a moment, the cauldron appeared utterly mysterious!

Han Li slowly closed his eyes before the cauldron, but his hand seals never ceased—instead, they grew even faster.

Inside the cauldron, the two green crystals and the rare materials began to emit bizarre glows under the unimaginable heat. Some even started to melt slowly…

Whether due to a slight shortage of materials or the inherent difficulty of refining the Yin-Yang Great Five Elements Extreme Mountain compared to the previous two, the process took over a month.

Finally, with a thunderous explosion, the refinement was complete.

The silver cauldron had shattered into countless fragments scattered across the floor. Floating in the air, three feet above the ground, was a dazzling, foot-tall mountain.

This mountain was not only crystalline throughout but also radiated piercing five-colored light. A mere glance at it caused an eerie burning sensation in the eyes, making prolonged viewing impossible.

Han Li gazed at the mountain with satisfaction. No one understood the terrifying power contained within this seemingly small peak better than he did. His efforts had not been in vain.

However, the prolonged and uninterrupted refinement had drained his mental energy, necessitating a period of rest.

With this thought, Han Li raised his hand and summoned the mountain.

In a flash, the radiant peak shrank to the size of a miniature artifact before vanishing into his palm.

After storing the newly refined Extreme Mountain, Han Li closed his eyes wearily to meditate.

Two full days and nights later, he reopened his eyes, all traces of exhaustion gone, his spirit fully restored.

After a moment of contemplation, Han Li formed a single-handed seal. Golden light flickered behind him as the three-headed, six-armed Sacred Vajra Dharma Form reappeared. With a flick of his sleeve, seventy-two small azure swords swam out like fish, swirling around his body.

Then, with a flip of his hand, he produced a jade-green slip. A tap of his finger sent countless white runes flying out, coalescing into a scripture that hovered motionlessly before him.

A closer look revealed it to be the Green Origin Sword Art he had cultivated in the past.

Though he had long memorized this technique, Han Li’s expression was solemn as he studied it intently. His gaze soon became as still as clear water—he had entered a state of profound meditation, re-examining this foundational cultivation method.

As he pondered, the seventy-two small swords exhibited astonishing behavior—some gathered together, others scattered apart, some forming small sword arrays, while others soared alone, emitting chilling gleams.

It was as if each sword had gained a life of its own, a sight both incredible and surreal.

This meditation lasted five full years.

When a soft sigh finally echoed in the chamber, the seventy-two swords let out long cries before vanishing into Han Li’s body. His eyes regained their usual sharpness, and without a word, he stored the jade slip and retrieved a pale golden plaque instead.

Another tap of his finger released a flood of golden runes, forming another scripture—this one far more profound, unmistakably the original text of the Sacred Vajra Demon Art.

Han Li’s eyes burned with intensity as he studied the scripture. Though his body remained still, the six eyes of his Dharma Form suddenly opened, and its six hands simultaneously formed different seals.

At the same time, golden light shimmered across his seated form as golden runes surged from his skin, transforming into golden scales that covered his body. A faint horn flickered into visibility atop his head.

This re-examination of his primary cultivation method took far longer than the previous one.

Seasons passed—spring turned to summer, autumn to winter—and eleven years slipped by unnoticed.

When a triumphant roar finally erupted from the chamber, Han Li’s fearsome Dharma Form dissipated, and the golden scales and horn vanished, restoring his human appearance.

Opening his eyes, Han Li could not suppress a smile.

These sixteen years of renewed comprehension had not only clarified previously obscure aspects of his techniques but also allowed him to derive several new divine abilities from them. He was confident these would astonish any opponent.

His decision to undertake this endeavor stemmed from insights gained from Mo Jianli and Ao Xiao regarding breaking through the Mahayana bottleneck.

Now, having mastered the Hundred Meridians Treasure Refinement Technique, possessing three Extreme Mountains to withstand heavenly tribulation, and armed with newly comprehended divine abilities—not to mention having nearly fully refined the Netherworld Spirit Lotus—Han Li estimated his chances of success at sixty to seventy percent.

Such odds would leave any other Body Integration cultivator speechless with envy.

Most late-stage Body Integration cultivators, even after exhausting lifelong resources and spending millennia in preparation, rarely achieved even a ten percent chance of breaking through to Mahayana. Some, lacking sufficient power or talent, perished outright under the tribulation’s fury.

Over the millennia, tales of cultivators falling to heavenly tribulation were common, but those who succeeded remained vanishingly few.

Han Li, confident in his preparations—both physical and spiritual—saw no reason to delay further. He resolved to attempt the breakthrough immediately.

The process of breaking through to Mahayana was incomparable to previous advancements. The violent upheaval of heaven and earth’s spiritual energy could devastate the surroundings, making it impossible to trigger the tribulation within the chamber.

With unwavering determination, Han Li stood and strode toward the stone gate.