Chapter 1728: Collapse

However, a scene that startled Han Li unfolded.

As soon as the azure light enveloped the puppet before him, the puppet suddenly erupted with a violent radiance, emitting an extremely dangerous aura. With this aura alone, it forcibly dispersed the azure light.

Startled, Han Li instinctively flickered backward, leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake.

After a few flashes, he abruptly appeared in the void outside the high platform.

At that very moment, the nine puppets simultaneously swung their silver halberds, unleashing a dazzling silver arc that slashed toward the nearest puppet.

With several dull thuds, all nine puppets were cleanly bisected, collapsing to the ground before exploding into fragments.

The high platform was instantly littered with the shattered remains of the puppets, and the nine figures vanished without a trace.

Witnessing this, Han Li couldn’t help but feel regret. His gaze swept over the scattered remnants, and after a brief contemplation, he swiftly circled the platform in a streak of light. With a sweep of radiance, all the puppet fragments were swept away.

The light dissipated above the platform, revealing Han Li once more.

Though the puppets were crudely crafted, their materials were unlike anything he had ever encountered. He decided to collect them for further study or future use.

After completing this task, he lowered his head and peered downward.

The high platform was now completely empty, devoid of any objects—except for the massive star map, which remained perfectly intact.

Having personally experienced the potency of the illusion within the map, Han Li dared not gaze at it for too long, even with his enhanced cultivation.

Taking a deep breath, he flipped his hand, summoning a pale white scroll. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it downward.

The scroll transformed into a streak of white light, descending until it hovered about ten zhang above the platform.

Han Li formed a hand seal with one hand, murmuring an incantation before solemnly pointing downward.

With a soft *puff*, the scroll unfurled, revealing a blank canvas several feet long.

Under the influence of the chant, the scroll rapidly expanded, soon matching the size of the stone platform, resembling a white ribbon suspended in midair.

A faint smile crossed Han Li’s lips as he ceased his incantation and flicked his fingers downward. A series of spell seals shot forth, vanishing into the blank scroll.

The white ribbon erupted with multicolored radiance, slowly descending until it completely covered the stone platform.

Under the relentless activation of the spell seals, dazzling light swirled across the blank canvas, appearing both magnificent and profoundly mysterious.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the radiance gradually faded from the scroll, leaving behind a five-colored pattern where there had once been only white.

Without hesitation, Han Li beckoned with one hand. The scroll shimmered, rising from the platform and rapidly shrinking until it returned to its original size of several feet.

The once-blank surface now bore a miniature replica of the star map below. Han Li had successfully copied the celestial diagram using a secret technique.

The scroll rolled up, transforming into a five-colored shaft that trembled before shooting upward into the sky.

In a flash, it vanished into Han Li’s sleeve.

With this perfect replica of the star map, he was confident he could uncover its secrets—or at the very least, gain deeper insights into its illusory properties.

Thus, there was nothing left of value in this place.

Still, Han Li meticulously searched the area once more. Only after confirming that nothing remained hidden did he exhale deeply and shoot toward the exit as an azure streak.

Having spent nearly a full day in this pocket dimension, he had no desire to linger any longer.

With a thunderous *boom*, a section of the massive, solitary screen in the hall suddenly exploded, revealing a sphere of black light about ten feet wide. It rapidly rotated, forming a small vortex.

A piercing sound tore through the air as an azure streak shot out from the vortex, circling once before Han Li’s figure materialized at the center of the hall.

He glanced back at the screen, his third pitch-black Dharma Eye slowly closing before vanishing entirely.

“A pity this spatial treasure has already been fully refined by someone else, making it impossible for outsiders to claim. Otherwise, obtaining it would have been immensely useful,” Han Li murmured regretfully before surveying his surroundings.

As expected, Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun were nowhere to be seen.

His expression remained calm, betraying no urgency. After a brief consideration, he strode toward the hall’s exit.

Having spent so long in the pocket dimension, he assumed the two had thoroughly searched every corner of the palace by now. His intention was not to seek them out for any particular reason but simply to leave this place as soon as possible and find a quiet spot to meditate and restore his depleted mana.

However, the moment Han Li stepped outside and prepared to let out a long whistle to signal his companions, the ground beneath him trembled violently, accompanied by a deafening roar akin to thunder.

Before he could react, the sky darkened abruptly as an enormous mass of black clouds blotted out most of the heavens.

Lightning crackled within the clouds, and gray cyclones—like coiling flood dragons—rose from the earth in the distance, merging with the ominous canopy above. From afar, it appeared as though countless colossal pillars now connected heaven and earth, a sight both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

Han Li’s expression darkened. Even without further investigation, he could sense the chaotic upheaval of the surrounding spiritual energy, with various oppressive auras saturating the sky.

What alarmed him even more was the erratic fluctuation of nearby spatial restrictions, their power waxing and waning unpredictably—a clear sign that the dimensional barriers were on the verge of collapse.

Without hesitation, Han Li enveloped himself in azure light and ascended to a height of about five or six zhang, hovering there motionless.

Though the anti-flight restrictions hadn’t completely dissipated, their power had weakened by more than half. At this altitude, low-altitude flight was now feasible.

Within moments, the tremors intensified, and even the main hall behind him began to emit flickering violet light.

From one of the rear pavilions, a streak of yellow light shot upward, accompanied by a long whistle as it raced toward the front of the palace.

Simultaneously, a white streak emerged from a side hall, heading in the same direction—undoubtedly Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun.

Clearly caught off guard by the sudden upheaval, their faces bore traces of panic.

Han Li’s eyes flickered, and without further delay, he transformed into an azure streak, sweeping past the plaza before the main hall. In a few flashes, he reached the mountain path outside the palace gates, then descended at breakneck speed, skimming just above the ground.

Initially concerned about the lingering gravitational pull along the path, he was relieved to find no resistance after flying a dozen zhang. Whether due to the spatial anomaly or because the restrictions only affected ascent, his descent was unimpeded. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the mountain’s base.

Almost simultaneously, Shi Kun and Liu Shui’er’s streaks of light appeared beside him.

“What in the world is happening? Why is this space collapsing? I was just about to retrieve a precious treasure!” Shi Kun roared, his face a mask of fury and disbelief the moment he materialized.

“Hmph, you’re not the only one. I’d just broken the restrictions on a hidden chamber and was about to enter,” Liu Shui’er retorted sharply, her tone equally aggrieved.

Though neither directly accused Han Li, their gazes inevitably settled on him.

“What, do you two suspect this has something to do with me? I’ve only just emerged from that spatial restriction myself. How could I possibly be responsible?” Han Li’s expression darkened; he had no intention of taking the blame for this.

“But—”

“Save it for later. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be buried here when this space collapses!” Liu Shui’er cut Shi Kun off before he could continue.

At her words, Shi Kun fell silent, and Han Li saw no need to argue further.

The trio took to the skies once more, their combined speed doubling as their lights merged.

Within moments, they arrived at the nearby teleportation platform. Without pause, they stepped into the formation.

Han Li flicked a spell seal toward the edge of the array.

With a resonant hum, white light erupted, engulfing the three figures before vanishing—along with them—into nothingness.

…

An azure streak flashed across the sky, circling once at an altitude of several thousand zhang before revealing Han Li’s form.

Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun materialized a dozen zhang away, their expressions tense.

Wordlessly, the three turned their gazes downward, where a massive luminous vortex churned ominously.

Within the vortex, multicolored lights flickered incessantly, accompanied by unending thunderous roars. The edges of the vortex pulsed and writhed like a volcanic crater on the verge of eruption.

“Let’s go! We can’t stay here either—the collapse is imminent. Getting caught in a spatial vortex would be just as deadly,” Han Li stated flatly, ignoring the others as he turned and shot toward a distant horizon.

Shi Kun and Liu Shui’er exchanged a glance before wordlessly giving chase, their lights trailing closely behind Han Li’s.

At their speed, they covered thousands of li in mere moments.

Then, from the distant horizon behind them, an earth-shattering explosion reverberated across the heavens.