Han Li’s divine sense swept across a radius of several hundred miles, confirming that no other cultivators remained hidden in the area. With a flash of light, he shot toward the mountainside.
The green light dissipated as Han Li appeared before a blue stone wall. His eyes flickered with a faint blue glow as he examined the wall. With a flick of his wrist, several balls of green light flew out from his storage bracelet, transforming into towering ape-shaped puppets.
Without needing orders, the puppets raised their arms, their fingers emitting green blades of light a foot long as they lunged at the stone wall. Under the flashing green light, the hard rock was sliced apart like tofu. In moments, a massive doorway, about thirty feet tall, had been carved out.
The puppets moved swiftly, disappearing into the newly opened passage. Han Li, however, paid them no further attention. Instead, a golden light shot from his sleeve, circling once before landing on the ground—a small beast about a foot long, covered in golden fur, resembling a young leopard.
This was the Leopard Kirin Beast!
With a flash of golden light, the beast rapidly expanded, growing to a massive size in an instant. Its fangs bared, eerie black patterns emerged across its body, and a pair of silver horns sprouted from its head. An indescribably fearsome aura radiated from it.
“Patrol the area. Ensure no one approaches this mountain,” Han Li commanded.
The beast roared, black mist swirling around its paws before it vanished into the ground.
Han Li sat cross-legged, waiting patiently for the cave abode to be fully excavated. The transformation of the Leopard Kirin Beast had surprised even him.
The reason lay in the King-Grade Dark Beast’s inner core it had consumed in the Moonfrost Realm. After swallowing the core, the beast had fallen into a deep slumber for over a decade. Upon awakening, its cultivation had surged, effortlessly reaching the Void Refinement stage, and its appearance had become as fearsome as it was now.
Han Li had marveled at this transformation. Given the beast’s trace of Kirin bloodline and the King-Grade Dark Beast’s core, such a drastic change was not entirely unexpected.
Moreover, the beast’s potential seemed far from exhausted. Over the following decades, with Han Li’s nurturing through potent spiritual medicines, it had advanced again, reaching the mid-Void Refinement stage and gaining several formidable abilities.
Han Li estimated that even late-stage Void Refinement cultivators would struggle against it. And this was only the beginning of its adulthood. He couldn’t help but look forward to its future growth.
Now, with the beast guarding the mountain, he had little to worry about—unless a Saint Ascension cultivator appeared.
Lost in thought, Han Li slowly closed his eyes.
Hours later, the ape puppets finally completed the excavation, emerging from the cave entrance in succession. Han Li opened his eyes, flicked his sleeve, and the puppets vanished back into his storage space.
Rising to his feet, he produced a stack of formation flags with a wave of his hand. Dozens of colored streaks shot out, disappearing into the surroundings.
Thick white mist materialized out of nowhere, swiftly enveloping the entire mountain and the surrounding hundred-mile area in an impenetrable fog.
Satisfied, Han Li formed a hand seal, and a circular formation disk appeared in his grasp.
“Seal!”
With a tap of his finger, countless silver runes flickered within the mist before vanishing.
Han Li stored the disk and strode into the cave. As soon as he entered, a stone door slid down, sealing the entrance seamlessly into the wall.
Since he had personally overseen the excavation, he knew the layout perfectly. Without hesitation, he headed to the herb garden to plant some spiritual medicines. After setting up additional protective formations, he made his way to the meditation chamber.
As he turned a corner and glimpsed the chamber’s door, he patted his waist. A faint white shadow flitted out, materializing into a beautiful woman clad in white—his sentient puppet, “Doll.”
Doll had changed slightly over the years. A thumb-sized blue pearl was embedded between her brows, and her gaze had grown more lively—effects of the “Glaze Water Pearl.”
After nearly a century of refinement, her puppet body had grown icy cold, as if gradually transforming into a true Glaze Water form. Though the change was subtle, Han Li was pleased. Even more surprising, her sentience had slightly increased—an unexpected boon.
After issuing a few simple commands, Han Li entered the chamber.
A yellow meditation mat flew out as he sat cross-legged, closing his eyes. His face occasionally shimmered with a faint green glow.
For three days and nights, he remained in deep meditation.
Meanwhile, the surrounding region buzzed with unrest. Many cultivators he had expelled had either fled far away or sought refuge with allies. Word quickly spread—a formidable high-level cultivator had taken residence nearby, one whose divine sense alone could suppress Nascent Soul cultivators.
Fear rippled through the neighboring regions as cultivators worried this “senior” might expand his territory. Only when they learned that Han Li had sealed his domain in white mist did they relax, realizing he had no intention of claiming more land.
On the fourth morning, Han Li stirred. The green glow on his face solidified as his eyes snapped open, flashing with piercing blue light before fading.
He exhaled deeply. After three days of rest, his spirit and mana had fully recovered, and the fatigue from his long journey had dissipated.
Now, it was time to focus on his true objective.
After a brief contemplation, he retrieved an exquisite jade slip. The slip emitted a faint golden light, pulsing as if alive, threatening to slip from his grasp.
Unfazed, Han Li pressed it against his forehead and closed his eyes once more.
Time passed. Eventually, he sighed and lowered the slip, his expression thoughtful.
The jade slip contained the “Divine Refinement Art,” written in golden runes. This divine technique had three layers. Mastering even the first layer could amplify one’s divine sense by over twofold.
For Han Li, whose divine sense already surpassed his peers, this amplification would significantly ease the bottleneck at the Saint Ascension stage—far more effective than any elixir.
Since obtaining this scripture, he had devoted much of his time to studying it. Over the century-long journey back from the Thunder Continent, he had focused primarily on this technique.
The first layer was neither easy nor difficult—it simply required conditions rarely met in the Spirit Realm. Those who failed to meet them risked fatal backlash.
Han Li, with his powerful divine sense and robust physique, was more than qualified. After a century of cultivation, he had nearly completed the first layer.
However, as a celestial technique inscribed in golden runes, mastering each layer triggered a significant celestial phenomenon. Thus, the final step required a secluded location, free from powerful observers.
Years ago, he had hesitated to complete the technique in the wilderness, fearing it might attract ancient beasts. Now, safely within human territory, he could proceed without worry.
His earlier sigh stemmed from the realization that the second layer was far more complex. Fully comprehending it would take centuries, let alone meeting its stringent cultivation requirements.
With a flick of his wrist, the jade slip vanished. He then retrieved several vials, swallowing a variety of pills.
Nine silver disks flew from his sleeve, circling him before settling into stillness.
Han Li’s expression turned solemn as he formed ancient hand seals. A golden radiance burst from his body, and behind him, a three-headed, six-armed golden phantom flickered into existence.
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