Just as last time, entering the magical aura under the protection of the golden arc, as the thunder grew softer, the golden light of the divine thunder of Hanyi gradually faded into the darkness, eventually vanishing without a trace. On the sea surface, Zhiyang and the others were conversing. "Zhiyang brother! Do you truly think that Han's divine thunder is not sufficient for a round trip, as he claimed?" Wei Wuyacha, with his hands behind his back, asked Zhiyang. "Then what do you mean, Brother Wei? Are you suggesting that my earlier statement was false?" The Taoist's expression darkened, and he grew slightly impatient. "Ah, no, no, please don't misunderstand. I simply find that Han brother was overly enthusiastic in his promises, so I wanted to verify it with a question." Wei Wuyacha smiled gently. "If that's the case, then I'm not entirely certain. However, the deeper one goes into the realm of magical aura, the greater the consumption of spiritual power becomes." Indeed, the number of divine thunder bolts required to ensure a smooth journey back and forth is truly astonishing. I don't think Mr. Han actually possesses that many such thunder bolts at his disposal. Perhaps, besides the divine thunder bolts, Mr. Han has some other divine abilities that can temporarily counteract the magical malaise. With a slight easing of his expression, Zhiyang said this calmly. "That makes sense. After all, the realm of cultivation is constantly producing remarkable feats and secret techniques! Nevertheless, no matter what, if we can successfully weather this trial, it will surely be a positive outcome." Wei Wuyi smiled and then glanced over toward the side, fixing his eyes on the Héhuā Elder Demon beside him. The tall, black-robed man had been standing with his hands clasped at his chest, silently observing the vortex at its center, expression unchanged. A quiet stillness settled among the three of them. … In the place where the magical malaise reached three thousand zhang deep, the luminous shield was steadily flashing with golden electric glimmers, suspended motionless in the air. Inside the shield, Han was holding the jade scroll that recorded the location of the array, intently studying the contents within. After a while, Han Li withdrew his divine awareness and glanced around. The surroundings seemed pitch black, deep within the abyss, with no visible distance beyond. Han Li furrowed his brows. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and expelled a small sword, about an inch long. A flash of golden light erupted as the sword formed a protective shield, and delicate electric arcs shimmered along its surface. After a spiral motion, it ascended to hover above Han Li's head, then spun rapidly in the electric glow, transforming into a golden disc about an inch in diameter—remarkably unusual. Han Li then pressed a series of hand seals and pointed at the golden disc hovering above his head. The disc paused momentarily before shooting out as a beam of golden light. Without hesitation, Han Li moved forward, maintaining the protective shield and following closely behind. After flying horizontally for several hundred zhang, the golden sword suddenly changed direction, plunging downward with a resonant "thud." It struck something solid, embedding itself halfway before coming to a complete stop. Seeing this, a flash of joy crossed Han Li's face, and he materialized about a zhang above the small sword. Where his gaze fell, the surroundings remained dark, yet faint glimmers of electric arcs on the sword revealed parts of the scene clearly. Han Li noticed that the spot where the sword was inserted appeared to be a flat, massive stone. After a moment's contemplation, he raised both hands and simultaneously pressed his palms against the outer surface of the luminous dome. Suddenly, the grid of light on the dome became brilliantly intense, and several golden arcs, as thick as large bowls, shot out from the dome, coiling and spiraling like several great golden serpents in the vicinity. Within a radius of over ten zhang, all the magical energies were completely cleared away by the swift movements of these golden serpents. Under the glow of the spiritual light, the "massive stone" beneath revealed itself clearly. Han Li examined it closely, his expression then growing stunned. It wasn't a stone at all—it was clearly a platform resembling a sacrificial altar. The platform appeared spacious, yet within the range of the golden arcs, its full extent could not be seen. Han Li was somewhat astonished. The sites identified by these array practitioners as optimal for placing the array discs turned out to be so far from ordinary—this indeed suggested something significant. Immediately, Han Li activated the Golden Arc and swiftly circled the altar platform, gaining a general sense of its layout. It was a square platform of about one mu in area, both in form and the inscribed patterns on its surrounding stone walls indicating that it was of extremely ancient origin—certainly constructed by ancient cultivators. When Han Li returned to his original position, he gestured to the small sword still embedded in the ground. Instantly, the sword transformed into a streak of golden light and shot back to him. After a brief assessment, Han Li headed toward the center of the platform. A few moments later, several flashes of white light appeared intermittently at a distance. He quickened his pace slightly. Finally, he clearly observed the scene at the platform's center: a stone stele, shattered into several pieces, lay quietly there, with only a small portion of its base still standing upright. His gaze flickered several times, studying the remnants of the stone stele. Though damaged, the inscriptions still bore some fragmented characters that he could not decipher. The stele, made of an unknown material, still exuded a lingering vitality, with occasional flashes of milky luminous light pulsing across its surface. "Could this be something as precious as golden thunder bamboo?" Han Li thought in astonishment. Then, with a gesture toward the ground, he reached into the air and summoned a fragment of the stele, roughly the size of a clenched fist, which shot upward into his grasp. With a swift flick of his fingers, his entire palm, enveloped in a clear glow, closed around the stone fragment. He lowered his head and examined it closely. It appeared dull and unremarkable, grayish and ordinary. Had it not occasionally emitted faint streaks of luminous energy from within, Han Li would have failed to notice anything special about it. He studied it again and again, then his brow furrowed slightly. Suddenly, with a firm press of his fingers, a strong force was transmitted to the fragment. A strange phenomenon unfolded. The stone did not prove as impenetrable or as easily reducible to a pile of fine powder as Han Li had imagined. Instead, it flashed with white light several times before suddenly became soft and yielding, deeply sinking into Han Li's fingers. Han Li was startled. "What is this? Master Daxian, do you know what this substance is?" Han Li furrowed his brows and sent a message to Master Daxian. "No, I have never seen anything like this before. That's not surprising at all. Ancient materials were often peculiar—no one could possibly recognize every single one. Nevertheless, why don't you throw a piece into the bamboo cylinder and see? I'm just idle at the moment, and would be delighted to study it further." Came Master Daxian's languid voice. Han Li didn't hesitate. He simply threw the stone toward the bamboo cylinder behind him. The cylinder shimmered, and a wave of white mist shot forth, drawing the strange stone into its interior. At the very moment Han Li had first picked up the stone, he had already noticed the traces of the fracture. The stone stele had not been destroyed for very long, suggesting it originally served as a crucial component to stabilize the array's core—thus, it was also destroyed simultaneously when the magical array failed. This alone indicates that the material of the stele could not have been ordinary. Reflecting on this, Han Li did not hesitate. With a sweep of azure light, he gathered the remaining fragments of the stele into his storage pouch. Then, with a series of quick finger movements, he launched several streaks of azure sword energy directly at the base of the stele, aiming to shatter and carry away the materials. A series of thunderous impacts echoed, far exceeding Han Li's expectations. After a flash of bright azure light, the sword energies vanished silently into the base of the stele, completely absorbed—without leaving a trace or producing any visible effect. "Hmm! Indeed, this is rather unusual." Han Li was taken aback. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to set the remaining materials aside and instead shifted his direction, launching another series of sword energy strikes. Although the remaining divine thunder of the exorcising deity was still sufficient to last for a long time, Han Li dared not stay any longer in such a hazardous location, and thus prepared to begin setting up the array disk. A series of deep, resonant sounds echoed, and by the stone stele, a deep pit measuring nearly ten feet in depth suddenly appeared. Han Li remained composed, flipping his palm with a smooth motion; after a flash of white light, the exquisite array disk materialized in his hands. Without hesitation, he shook his hand, and the disk instantly transformed into a sphere of white light, soaring into the deep pit. With a quick gesture of his hands, he pressed the seals of his hand, and the array disk in the pit began to glow with vibrant light, pulsating continuously. Han Li maintained a serious expression, his eyes fixed on the disk, not blinking once. A moment later, the disk emitted a clear, resonant chime, followed by a thick, milky-white light column of arm-thick suddenly shooting upward from the disk, vanishing into the sky. Han Li felt a sense of relief. Since everything about the array disk was functioning normally, it clearly meant that he had chosen the right spot, and the placement Thinking of this, Han Li relaxed his expression, swept his robe, and a stream of pale, misty wind surged forth. After the gale subsided, all the scattered stones around were neatly swept into the large depression. With a single spell cast, the slightly bulging pile of stones emitted a faint glow under Han Li's low, resonant incantations, then gradually melted and coalesced under the influence of magical energy into a unified mass. Soon, the surface of the depression became exceptionally smooth and level, as if it had never existed at all. After walking around the area where the depression once stood several times and confirming that everything appeared normal, Han Li nodded, satisfied. With a few casual spells cast outward, they precisely struck several golden electric serpents lingering nearby. A series of explosive sounds followed, and the serpents dissolved into scattered golden sparks, vanishing completely. The previously isolated magical aura immediately surged and gathered once more, flowing upward in waves. Han Li pondered for a moment, and at that instant a golden arc flashed over the light shield, preparing to lift him and return to the sea surface. Yet just then, a voice from his consciousness spoke—the voice of the Divine Sovereign of Great Derivation. "Wait!" "Master, what would you have me do?" Han Li was startled, his body halting, and he did not immediately leave the platform. "Since this is the location of the array's core, it should be the place where the magical miasma is most dense—miasma that has been suppressing the area since ancient times. Perhaps here, several Magmatic Drills have formed. Indeed, according to ancient texts, such materials are the only ones used in crafting a supreme treasure of the magical school. Go inside this platform and examine the surrounding underground—see if you can find such a substance." The Divine Sovereign spoke calmly. "Magmatic Drills!" Han Li's face brightened with a touch of surprise. Yet after a moment's thought, he did not hesitate. With a single hand motion, he pressed on his storage scroll, and a yellowish jade如意 with the head of a wolf appeared in his hands. This was one of Although the spirit of the vessel has vanished, a basic earth-style technique can still be performed. However, it falls far short of the refined mastery demonstrated by Yin Yue.