"Let's go now. Once those creatures reach the city gates, we can always retreat then." A sturdy man with prominent facial tendrils spoke, somewhat unconvinced. "By that time, we might not have enough time to make our escape." Another elder, visibly weakened, spoke calmly, clearly supporting the young lady. "Hmph! After just one battle against these demonic clans, Master Wang has already become a nervous wreck!" The man with the tendrils scoffed, retorting. "You don't know what you're talking about, Master. You haven't seen the true power of the Ten-Thousand-Demon Banner firsthand. Though it's a replica of a spiritual artifact, its strength likely rivals that of the ancient Heavenly Demon Banner. Fortunately, it wasn't the old demon's true form that arrived this time. Otherwise, even with the Palace Master and us joining forces, we'd find it extremely difficult to stand a chance." The white-faced elder remained composed, speaking with quiet assurance. "Really that powerful?" Even so, it would not be easy for the other party to break through our final few layers of seals. To simply withdraw hastily without making full use of the opportunity still seems unsatisfactory to me." The broad-shouldered man expressed a mixture of doubt, shaking his head slightly. The graceful woman frowned, glanced at the others, and then said slowly, "The senior monks should not forget that members of the other party have already reached outside our city. Had it not been for Bai and Ye sisters working together to draw the Jade Phoenix into the Huaguang Xuan Tian Array, temporarily trapping the creature within the array, we might not have been able to discuss matters calmly here at all. After all, the Jade Phoenix is a true descendant of a celestial and terrestrial spiritual beast. Though it is only a level ten beast, it possesses nearly half the powers of a Small Immortal Stage cultivator—far surpassing even our human Yuanjing-stage cultivators. Although two senior monks are currently personally overseeing the array, they cannot hold the phoenix in place for long. Under these circumstances, it would be wise for us to make early preparations for evacuation. Yet the Elder Tong's words were not without merit. Here's the plan: first, have the lower-ranked disciples retreat into the Xuling Hall. We, along with the higher-ranked disciples, will utilize the several layers of defenses behind us to launch a powerful counterattack, inflicting heavy casualties among the beast creatures. Then, without lingering in battle, we will swiftly withdraw back to the Xuling Hall. All of you elders—make sure this is clear. Our primary objective is to preserve the strength of our palace, not to eliminate the greatest number of beast creatures. "The Yellow Springs Ghost Mother, if you don't wish to suffer the piercing of your soul, then simply stay put and be honest with me." The beautiful woman's expression remained unchanged, yet her awareness instantly responded with cold clarity—clearly recognizing the other woman's identity. "Heh, if you find my presence too formidable, then let me handle it. All you need to do is loosen the restraints binding me, and together, we'll easily overcome that Universal Demon Banner. What's a mere banner, after all?" The other woman chuckled softly, her tone surprisingly confident. "Loosen your restraints? You're dreaming, then." The beautiful woman sneered. "I'm genuinely thinking of you—should you be ungrateful, that's understandable. But this time, the beasts clearly have their own intentions. Otherwise, why would they have come so far and made such a grand effort? Your retreat into the Xuling Hall may not be the safest course of action. I believe the small Jixing Palace will hardly escape this crisis." The other woman smiled faintly, speaking with unyielding directness. "You may speak in glowing terms, but right now, I won't budge an inch on releasing your restraints." A ghost cultivator of your caliber, if released, would surely stir up no end of troubles. You should simply stay put within the Xuan Gui Mandate. The beautiful woman showed no signs of being moved. "Think about it—without my assistance, how could you have reached the late Yuan Yin stage in merely five or six centuries? And even without my repeated rescues, you'd have perished countless times before you could reach the position of Master of Xiao Ji Palace!" The woman paused silently, then spoke with a sharp, almost angry tone. "That's true. But don't forget—without me retrieving the Xuan Gui Mandate from the ten-thousand-year-old ice, you would have remained asleep underground for many more years. My help in reaching the Yuan Yin stage was precisely to empower me to lift the Symbiotic Curse. As for rescuing you, it was really saving yourself, wasn't it?" The beautiful woman replied calmly. "Yet you once promised me you would release me." The woman remained furious. "I promised you that, but who would have thought I'd discovered another secret technique that allows me to make efficient progress by drawing upon your yin ghost energy? As long as you continue to assist me in reaching the stage of Spiritual Transformation, the shared incantation will naturally dissolve. You are free to depart at any time." "Help me reach the stage of Spiritual Transformation? Do you think I'm a true celestial immortal descending from the heavens, or a supreme sovereign of the spiritual realm reincarnated? Back when I myself achieved that stage, wouldn't I have been forced to become a ghost cultivator?" the woman exclaimed, still furious. "If I am unable to help you reach the stage of Spiritual Transformation, then naturally, before I pass away, I will reseal you once again." The beautiful woman spoke with calm composure. "Hmph! You haven't even passed this current trial yet, and your collected soul stones have been completely depleted, haven't they? Without these, your hopes of compelling me to assist you are nothing but mere fantasies." The woman's voice was as cold as ice. "I do not have the soul stones anymore. But my earlier statement was merely a hunch. How truly capable are these creatures of challenging the "The matter truly doesn't require your intervention—we, the Xiao Ji Palace, can handle it on our own," the beautiful woman said, her expression darkening. Then, with a single hand gesture, as if channeling a spell, the voice of the "Yellow Springs Ghost Mother" abruptly ceased, never to return again. The woman resumed her composed demeanor and slowly walked toward the outer hall. Two days later, after most of the lower-level disciples who had been overseeing the array had withdrawn, the various beasts outside swiftly advanced toward the heart of the ice city. The Xiao Ji Palace cultivators, relying on the final, powerful seals, prepared to engage the host of beasts in another fierce battle. The young child incarnation of the old beast, who had fully recovered from his injuries a few days prior, now moved alongside the elderly elder and other transformed beasts, arriving in overwhelming numbers. As a result of an exceptionally fierce battle, both sides suffered some casualties, yet the magic still held the upper hand. The young child, relying solely on the Ten-Thousand-Beasts Banner, managed to consume two senior elders from the Xiao Ji Palace, forcing the graceful woman to lead the group of cultivators to retreat and temporarily rely on the final seal to withstand the onslaught of the myriad beasts. Upon seeing this, the elderly demon immediately unleashed all the powers of the Ten-Thousand-Beasts Banner, causing countless beasts to coalesce into form within the swirling aura and then relentlessly pressing against the final seal. The cultivators of the Xiao Ji Palace were completely withdrawn into the Han Li Secret Realm and entered the Xuling Hall. At the woman's command, the secret realm's seal was instantly activated. Immediately, the three grand halls arranged in a triangular formation began to tremble violently, and cracks spread across the ground, rising from below to reveal a colossal magical array that encircled the three halls at its center. This array, when viewed at a glance, appears to be embedded with countless spiritual stones—dense and tightly packed, seemingly numbering in the thousands—most of them mid-tier or higher, with several exceptionally rare high-tier stones clustered at its core. The characters and inscriptions within the array swirl and shimmer, exuding an incomparable aura of mystery. A moment later, streams of luminous light begin to interweave and coalesce above, forming a brilliant, silvery glow that spreads across nearly the entire sky of the sanctuary. At this very moment, the three grand palaces suddenly emit a gentle, diffused radiance, followed by three towering beams of light shooting straight upward from their rooftops and vanishing into the luminous veil. A thunderous rumble rises, accompanied by unusual spatial tremors radiating through the light. Then, the light veil surges rapidly, and a sweeping arc of white light, stretching hundreds of paces in length, gradually emerges within it. As soon as the luminous arc appeared, a hurricane surged through the realm, carrying sand and stones, causing countless pavilions and towers to tremble, collapse, and crumble. The celestial energies became disordered, and the landscape was scattered with chaos. The three great halls, however, seemed connected to this spatial rift—their light intensified dramatically, and the white arc in the sky gradually lengthened and broadened, as if a monstrous eye were slowly opening. When the rift had nearly covered half the realm, a surge of silvery mist erupted from within, enveloping all three halls simultaneously. One hall shuddered violently and then rose steadily from the ground, moving toward the rift, its silver light flashing—after a brief moment, it vanished entirely. The second hall followed immediately, rising in the same manner. Yet when the third hall began to rise, a flash of white light suddenly appeared somewhere within the Li Secret Realm, and there, unexpectedly, a snow-white ice-wind, measuring a zhang in height, materialized. This ethereal bird, witnessing the scene within the sacred realm, flashed a moment of surprise in its emerald eyes. Yet, as it fixed its gaze upon the final great hall still suspended in the void, it suddenly opened its mouth and emitted a flash of pure white light that vanished instantly—then disappeared altogether. It then watched coldly as the hall was drawn into the spatial rift, making no move to intervene. Once all three great halls had been shot into the void, the rift began to slowly close, then shimmered with a silver glow before vanishing mysteriously. All the unusual phenomena within the realm faded away as if nothing had ever occurred. Only then did the ice phoenix emit a clear, resonant call, spread its wings, and after a burst of white light, vanish completely. Several moments later, a thunderous roar shook the entire mountain, causing it to tremble violently. Finally, the host of spirits breached the final barrier outside the ice city, the ancient crane with its broad back and the old man it had transformed into, along with the young child it had become, charging straight toward the mountain. Under these circumstances, the Cold-Li Master at the bottom of Xuanyu Cave had finally reached the final stage of breaking through his current bottleneck. Within the spell array, the purple lotus fire in Han Li's hands had ceased flowing at some point, and he now stared intently at the distant area, his face filled with astonishment. So too did the old woman and Bai Mengxin, and others—everyone maintained steady focus on the massive stone at the center of the array, their expressions marked by profound surprise. For on that stone, the previously visible glow had completely vanished, replaced instead by a delicate white lotus bloom. The Cold-Li Master sat calmly within the bloom, with strands of cold vapor drifting from the petals, wrapping around the surrounding area and gently veiling his form. On his composed face, however, a six-colored lotus-shaped mark appeared subtly between his brows, flickering unstably and intermittently. Even more peculiar was the faint fragrance emanating from his body—somewhat like sandalwood, yet also reminiscent of medicinal herbs, rich and inviting, yet subtly tinged with a delicate, fresh fishy aroma. Indeed incredible! (Second chapter!) ------------ Sixth Volume: Heavenly Immortal Treasures, Ascending to the Divine Stage of Transformation Although in the immortal cultivation realm, it is rare to witness cultivators actually breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage, numerous related anecdotes—some true, some fictional—have nonetheless circulated. "Physical transformation into a lotus form—never thought the legend was real. I suspect that once the lotus transformation is complete, Brother Hanqi should have successfully broken through his current bottleneck." The old woman murmured, her face filled with unmistakable admiration. "But that's not certain! Brother Hanqi's current condition seems somewhat unstable. It appears that while his physical body has met the requirements for the Divine Transformation stage, his internal immortal embryo is undergoing changes that are not proceeding smoothly. Otherwise, the divine awareness markers we've formed using our collective cold flame would not be flickering so erratically." The old monk frowned, pointing out with clear concern. "It's quite understandable. Although Master Hán had temporarily enhanced the Yuan-Emperor's strength through the power of Cold Flame, it was still not his own refined essence, and thus he controlled it with the awkwardness of a child wielding a hammer—struggling greatly. Achieving this level was no small feat. "With that said, I take a deep breath and speak," said Han Li. "Shall we intervene to help the Senior Monks stabilize his Yuan-Emperor within?" The middle-aged man in the blue robe, whose face had briefly shown anxiety, couldn't help but ask. "Absolutely not! Breaking through the Chāshén stage is far from simple—perhaps this very instability is precisely what Master Hán Lí has been hoping for, aiming to leverage this strength to achieve a single, decisive breakthrough. If we act too hastily, we might inadvertently complicate matters. It would be better to simply observe and see how things unfold." White Mengxin replied calmly. Han Li smiled slightly at this, showing no objection. The others exchanged glances and then fell silent. In truth, even if they wished to act, they likely found themselves both eager and unable. Because after two nights of continuous manipulation of the extreme cold flame, everyone had grown physically and mentally exhausted, with their spiritual awareness and magical power nearly depleted. Now, all that remained was for the onlookers to watch the Han Li Shangren break through the final obstacle on his own. Yet no one noticed that the deep blue glow within Han Li's chest flickered steadily, clearly capturing every subtle shift in the Shangren's internal magical flow and the transformations of his true essence, and silently recording them. These observations, once carefully verified later, would undoubtedly prove immensely beneficial to him. Simply on this account, Han Li felt that his decision to risk staying here was well worth it. After all, witnessing a cultivator break through to the Stage of Divine Spirit was a rare and precious opportunity, and to have encountered such a moment was indeed a fortunate stroke of luck. While the others could use their spiritual awareness to observe certain aspects, their insights were far less comprehensive and vivid compared to Han Li's, whose clear and thorough perception, enabled by his Qing Ming Ling Miao divination technique, significantly outperformed theirs. Time passed slowly, and it was unclear how long it had been before suddenly, the figure of Han Li, seated within the pale white lotus light, shivered. The strange fragrance emanating from his body instantly intensified several times over, and at the same time, the lotus markings on his brows suddenly expanded, unfolding into cascades of lotus shadows that fully blossomed and spread out. Han Li was greatly startled and immediately began to swiftly revolve his cultivation technique several times, only then managing to temporarily stabilize the disorder of his inner spiritual energy. The old woman and the young man in a green robe also looked pale, equally scrambling and agitated. It seemed that this strange occurrence was not limited to him alone. As Han Li's eyes flickered, still trying to grasp what exactly had happened, a sudden faint ringing sound came from several nearby spatial arrays at once. The surrounding light screens shuddered violently, and shimmering streaks of light shot off the screens and drifted directly toward the arrays. When these luminous streaks touched the body of Han Li's master, Han Li, they vanished into his form. In a short while, the light screens began to collapse and disintegrate, and the light streaks that had drifted in from outside turned milky white, their density becoming increasingly dense. "The fundamental energies of heaven and earth have been stirred!" Someone murmured softly, their tone filled with awe, admiration, and even a hint of envy and envy. Upon hearing this, Han Li felt a sudden sense of alarm. At that moment, the body of Han Li seemed like an endless abyss. No matter how much icy, cold energy poured into it, aside from the golden light in his eyes becoming increasingly bright and the radiance around his eyebrows growing more intense, there were no other noticeable changes. This unusual phenomenon persisted for the duration of a cup of tea before a sudden, crisp cracking sound resonated from within Han Li's body. His seated form instantly rose several inches. Simultaneously, the luminous lotus blossoms on his forehead rapidly expanded, eventually covering half his head, before suddenly contracting and finally settling into a compact, translucent bloom the size of a thumb, embedded firmly within his brow. The swirling light mists surrounding him instantly stilled and then gradually dispersed. The fluctuations of spiritual energy within Han Li and the others also ceased, returning to normal. Han Li, his expression solemn, gently pressed his palms together in a series of gestures and slowly closed his eyes. The six-colored lotus blossoms on his forehead gently settled, restoring calm and stillness. "Has he successfully transcended the stage of Spiritual Form?" everyone thought to themselves, without hesitation. The mid-aged man in green robes and Bai Mengxin both subtly revealed expressions of delight on their faces. Yet before either of them could utter a word of inquiry, a deep, resonant sound suddenly erupted from Han Li's mouth. Immediately, his face twisted and distorted without warning, and the hands that had been forming gestures suddenly clutched his head as though overwhelmed by unbearable pain. Han Li, the Monastic Master, let out a piercing cry, his body wavered several times before he plummeted from the sky, landing precisely within the pool of luminous white lotus blossoms below. His form curled tightly, shivering uncontrollably. "Big Elder!" White Mengxin could no longer contain her astonishment. She immediately greeted the middle-aged man in green robes, and the two of them swiftly transformed into streams of white and black light, rushing toward the lotus. Just as they were about to ask questions carefully, the Cold-Period Master hurriedly uttered a sentence, then swiftly raised his hand, causing sixteen previously used silver short blades to appear in his grasp. With a single gesture of his palm, the silver blades flashed with light, all shooting out in a swift arc. As soon as the blades left his hands, they immediately spun in a circular motion, their tips pointing inward, hovering gracefully around his body. Then, with a low command, the Cold-Period Master caused all sixteen blades to flash simultaneously, each piercing deeply into his flesh. Except for his head, every part of his body revealed only short segments of the blade handles, the blade edges almost fully embedded within him. Han Li observed this scene, his eyes suddenly half-closed, fixed intently on the figure ahead, not blinking once. At that moment, a shimmering, blended aura of light and flame suddenly emerged over the Master's body, predominantly blue and white, with accents of yellow and green. "My fellow cultivators, quickly draw back your cold flames!" the Cold-Period Master spoke with great solemnity, his eyes still closed. The monk uttered a single Buddha chant, then raised his hand in a sweeping gesture toward Han Li the Master. The green cold flames shimmering on Han Li's body transformed into delicate streaks of spiritual light, coalescing into a small orb, which shot swiftly toward the monk. With a swift sweep of his sleeve, the monk absorbed the flame within. Han Li and the others followed suit, each casting their own spells to draw back their intensely cold flames. In a short while, Han Li's body was left with only a thin layer of blue, dry blue ice flames, and the distinctive fragrance he had been emitting vanished entirely. Yet the young Grand Elder of Xiao Ji Palace did not relax; instead, he pressed his palms together in a strange hand seal, while murmuring an odd incantation, causing the silver blades embedded in his body to tremble slightly. After a low hum, a fresh wave of pale green, cool vapor rose along the handles of the blades, instantly making all the silver blades translucent. When the incantation ceased, Han Li's hand seal suddenly changed. "Boom," "boom," the sounds followed one after another, sharp silver light piercing through the crystal blade, causing the surface ice to crack and vanish into nothing. Yet immediately, coldness surged along the silver blade, forming successive layers of crystalline ice, which then shattered again under the force of the spell. Repeating this process several times, Han Li's lips moved slightly, and a sudden clarity dawned upon him. This young senior elder of Xiao Ji Gong had been drawing out the originally absorbed Xuan Yu "cold energy" from within his body, using the power of the artifact. It seemed he had truly failed to break through his Huashen stage bottleneck; otherwise, with Huashen-level strength, these cold energies would have been the ideal nourishment for his vital energy. Han Li's thoughts raced swiftly, and he instantly formed his own judgment. A long, deep sigh escaped from Han Li's lips. The elder opened his eyes. Now, his irises had regained their original black-and-white hue, and though his physical appearance remained that of a man in his thirties, he gazed upward at the sky with a quiet, melancholy expression.