Chapter 1202: Volume 7: Across the Human World, Chapter 1197: Seclusion

Within the secret chamber at Mother-Child Peak of the Dreamcloud Mountains, the surroundings were shrouded in a hazy white mist, as if the entire chamber was enveloped in restrictive formations.

At the center of the chamber, a figure sat cross-legged with azure light flickering around his body, while five pristine, jade-like humanoid skeletons also sat cross-legged, encircling him.

These skeletons were cloaked in a faint layer of ashen-gray demonic qi, their mouths slightly open, each containing flickering flames in black, white, blue, yellow, and green hues.

The azure figure in the center held his hands in a loose gesture before his chest, where a dazzling violet flame flickered faintly, appearing and disappearing.

It was Han Li, who had been secluded for an unknown number of years.

Suddenly, a flash of silver light appeared on the wall, and an azure figure emerged mysteriously from the restrictive formation. After a momentary mirage-like flicker, the figure stood in silence to the side.

Half a day later, Han Li abruptly opened his mouth, and the dazzling violet flame transformed into a thread-like violet fireline, immediately consumed into his mouth.

The five skeletons around him instead closed their mouths abruptly, the flames within their mouths flashing momentarily before disappearing entirely. Then, the ashen-gray demonic qi around their bodies rapidly dissipated, and their once-pristine bones changed into faint shades matching the flames that had been within them.

At this moment, Han Li slowly opened his eyes, though his face bore a trace of confusion. After a long while, his gaze finally returned to clarity.

Turning his head slightly, his eyes fell onto the azure figure standing to the side, his brows furrowing faintly.

The azure figure was, naturally, the humanoid puppet that Han Li had stationed outside his cave residence to roam freely. Over the years, apart from occasionally integrating his second Nascent Soul with the puppet for synchronization, Han Li had tasked it with managing everything within the cave residence. Its sudden appearance here clearly signified a matter of great importance, one that it could not resolve on its own and required Han Li’s personal judgment.

Feeling somewhat curious, Han Li thought to himself–his second Nascent Soul possessed divine skills rivalling that of any great cultivator, so what could it possibly encounter that would leave it unable to decide? Without hesitation, Han Li activated his spiritual sense and directly intruded into the humanoid puppet, initiating synchronization with the second Nascent Soul’s divine sense.

After a full quarter-hour, Han Li’s face revealed a hint of bewilderment. The otherwise immobile humanoid puppet raised its hand and retrieved an object from its storage pouch at its waist, solemnly extending it toward him.

Han Li instinctively accepted it without hesitation. It was none other than a fragmented jade talisman, only half the size of a palm.

Injecting a small amount of spiritual power into it as he examined, the surface of the jade talisman revealed a dense cluster of blood-red, miniature inscriptions.

After gazing at the talisman for a moment, Han Li fell into contemplation.

“Daoist Tian Lan, you’ve awakened as well, I assume. This recent seclusion of ours has not been brief, has it?” he murmured in a deep voice. Perhaps due to a prolonged silence, his speech sounded slightly stiff.

“A mere hundred and thirty years, two sixty-year cycles–it’s hardly long. Why? Are you planning to exit seclusion now? Your Frostheart Devouring Moth has reached a critical point in its refinement; another ten years would enable the Five Devils to truly solidify their mastery over the Five Extreme Cold Flames. Leaving now would be such a pity, wouldn’t you agree?”

With a flash of light, a small cauldron flew out of Han Li’s sleeve, spinning once before floating before him. From the cauldron emerged the projection of a child-like figure, who had visibly aged by two or three years since its earlier appearance. Shaking its head in disapproval, it spoke.

“A pity doesn’t quite capture it. I can easily resume refining upon my return. However, this Ten Thousand Miles Talisman has brought news of significance from the Scattered Stars Sea. Years ago, I struck a bargain with the Heavenly Star Sages, and now Ling Yuling–a close associate–has encountered trouble. I cannot remain indifferent to this matter,” Han Li said with a faint shake of his head.

“Heavenly Star Sages? You must mean that late-stage couple from Scattered Stars Sea. I recall peering into their vitality through secret techniques. Though strong in mana, their life essence was waning, their lifespans close to expiration. Even if they faced no calamities, they’ve likely passed away by now. With these two no longer present, what predicament would prompt them to seek your aid?” the child figure mused, rolling its eyes.

“Indeed. Judging by the message Ling Yuling sent, there’s no mention of the Heavenly Star Sages, suggesting they’ve likely perished. Yet, therein lies an opportunity. I’m intrigued by Star Palace’s Divine Essencefused Light. Back then, the Sages proposed several methods purportedly beneficial for advancing to Divinity Transformation. Their other suggestions were unreliable, but achieving mastery in Divine Essencefused Light appears genuinely suitable for such progression. My trip will grant me the cultivation method,” Han Li responded slowly.

“Divine Essencefused Light? I’ve never heard of such a technique in the spirit realm–it’s likely a unique creation of this world’s cultivators. Are you certain you wish to undertake this path? Diversifying your focus might hinder your pursuit of the great Dao,” the child figure cautioned.

“I am well aware. Before delving into the cultivation of Divine Essencefused Light, I intend to achieve mastery of my mana at the late-stage level and attempt a breakthrough using the Extreme Cold Flames. If it succeeds, so be it. If not, I’ll have no choice but to resort to cultivating Divine Essencefused Light. Otherwise, there’s no alternative for reaching Divinity Transformation,” Han Li said gravely.

“Since you’ve resolved to proceed, I’ll refrain from arguing further. It’s a shame, though. While I know numerous methods for advancing to Divinity Transformation, the sparse spiritual energy of this world renders them ineffective. By the way, your mana seems to have grown considerably over this century. How fared your cultivation?” the child figure inquired casually, sweeping its gaze over Han Li’s body.

“True, my mana has improved somewhat. However, reaching mastery at this stage is still far off–another fifty or sixty years of arduous cultivation at minimum. Even with the aid of continuous Spirit Pill consumption, relying solely on self-discipline and meditation would demand an additional century for similar results,” Han Li replied with a sigh.

At this moment, he recalled the Azure Cloud Pill he’d once refined in that mysterious medicinal herb garden. If he still possessed sufficient quantities of this Spirit Pill, he could compress his cultivation time significantly.

Unfortunately, a crucial Spirit Grass required for its formulation had long been depleted, with no viable method to extract or transplant this grass from the garden space. The other medicinal pills currently at his disposal offered limited utility for enhancing his present cultivation realm.

Nonetheless, Han Li hadn’t squandered the jade green liquid from the small mysterious bottle. Beyond fulfilling the needs for pill refinement, he had used the remaining Spiritual Liquid for Brightsight Water cleansing and nurturing the Gold Devouring Bugs.

However, after twenty years of Brightsight Water purification, he ceased this practice.

His eyesight, having undergone countless rounds of cleansing, had reached a point where the Brightsight Water yielded no further benefits–continuing would only waste the green liquid.

Yet, compared to before, Han Li’s eyes had transformed to an unparalleled degree.

Now infused with potent spiritual power, they granted him vision sharp enough to pierce through clouds and fog. At their full strength, he could perceive objects over a thousand feet away with pinpoint clarity, as though they were mere inches from him. This ability proved invaluable under restrictive formations that obstructed spiritual sense.

Additionally, the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes cultivated for a century finally grew their second pair of wings, elevating their abilities from the equivalent of fifth-grade demon beasts to seventh-grade mastery. Now capable of wielding both wind and snow powers simultaneously, their combined efforts could transform an area spanning over ten miles into a frozen wasteland.

By contrast, Han Li’s specially bred Gold Devouring Bugs showed no signs of advancing. Although he possessed the Daoist Heaventide Saintess’s incantation for utilizing Five Element Spiritual Energy as the final step in their maturation, it was clear the time wasn’t yet ripe for employing this technique–these spirit insects still required additional years of cultivation.

Meanwhile, the Earth Armor Dragon obtained from Great Jin continued its closed-door training in solitude within the cave, bolstered by consuming abundant Demon Cores. Despite its steady progress, it remained far from attaining eighth-grade transformation.

In terms of cultivation techniques, Han Li not only refined the Azure Essence Sword Arts but also practiced the Great Development Technique.

Whether due to an enhancement in spiritual root aptitude or Han Li’s innate talent for spiritual sense cultivation, he had surprisingly mastered the final layer of the Great Development Technique with remarkable ease, even more so than the earlier layers.

As a result, his divine sense had strengthened over twofold compared to before. Once he mastered the last layer as well, his spiritual sense would rival that of a Deity Transformation Cultivator.

Beyond spiritual sense, Han Li’s physical body had become unimaginably resilient.

Through the process of cultivating Nine Gale Transformations, he fortified his body by advancing to the third layer of the King Ming Art. Though the duration of training was brief, its grueling difficulty and immense pain had nearly led Han Li to abandon it midway. No wonder even in the spirit realm, few dared to train beyond the third layer.

However, after achieving mastery of this technique’s third layer, the physical enhancement resulting from marrow cleansing significantly exceeded Han Li’s expectations.

Currently, without activating protective brilliance, his mere physical form could withstand ordinary Magic Artifact attacks unharmed.

The Nine Gale Transformations, however, proved far simpler to master. Within a mere year, Han Li fully comprehended its principles and could deploy it effortlessly.

During his seclusion, Han Li also crafted several treasures.

Foremost among them was the Wood Birth Pearl, capable of manifesting the indestructible body divine skill. Its primary auxiliary materials were astonishingly sourced from two of the Three Great Spiritual Woods: the Soul Nurturing Tree and the Spirit Well Tree.

While acquiring such rare items would pose an insurmountable challenge for others in the human world, for Han Li, it was trivial.

Thus, he easily crafted the Wood Birth Pearl and refined it within his body.

In addition to this pearl, Han Li also forged two sets of potent Daoist paper talismans during his seclusion. These included the poison stingers of the Twin-Tailed Human-faced Scorpion and the Fire Dragon Pillars acquired from Kunwu Mountain.

Reflecting silently on these accomplishments, Han Li’s sleeve suddenly trembled before unleashing a jet-black jade bottle, accompanied by the soft muttering of incantations.

Immediately, the five skeletons nearby convulsed as ashen-gray demonic qi emerged anew, transforming into five wheel-sized demon heads that spewed demonic fire with ferocious vigor.

“Quick!” Han Li commanded, releasing an incantation.

The demon heads spun fiercely as they shrank swiftly to the size of fists, subsequently absorbed by a radiant beam emanating from the black jade bottle.

Han Li retrieved the jade bottle and, with a flicker, stood upright.

Waving his long sleeve toward the chamber’s white light, the restrictive formation dissolved instantaneously, revealing the stone door at the chamber’s entrance.

With an impassive expression, Han Li strode toward the exit, while the humanoid puppet disappeared amidst a flash of silver light within the chamber.

(To be continued. For additional chapters, please visit www.wuxiaworld.site and support the author through official reading platforms!)