Han Li stood beneath the glow, lifting his head to gaze upward. Nan Gong Wan stood beside him, silent and attentive. Everyone else remained quiet, as though waiting for something. This included Tian Qin'er and Shi Jian, another disciple who had now become the headmaster of Qianzhu Teaching. "Master, will Feng Senior truly arrive today? If the seal isn't lifted by noon, it might become quite troublesome," Tian Qin'er whispered softly, after an indeterminate length of time, as she stood behind Han Li and the two of them. "Rest assured," Han Li replied without turning around, "Feng has already sent word a month ago. She will certainly arrive today." Hearing this, Tian Qin'er fell silent and continued to wait. A little while later, Han Li's brow furrowed slightly, and he suddenly turned his head toward the sea mist on one side. The others, witnessing this gesture, stirred and became agitated. A moment later, a clear, pleasant trill echoed from the direction where Han Li was gazing, followed by a surge of sea mist that gave way to the emergence of a crystalline, snow-white ice phoenix several dozen feet long. This phoenix moved with an unusual speed—after only a few wingbeats, it appeared directly above the gathered group, then descended, its cold radiance fading into a silver-robed woman who gracefully settled to the ground. "Didn't I arrive too late?" the woman said lightly, glancing briefly at the group before settling her gaze upon Han Li. "Of course not! Qin'er has already lifted the seal. Feng, friend, let's go to one side and establish our mutual restrictions!" Han Li turned to issue the command, smiling warmly at the ice phoenix. Then, with a shimmer of light, he vanished into a streak of jade-green light, merging into the dense mist on one side. The silver-robed woman raised a delicate brow, and likewise transformed into a streak of silver light, following him. Nan Gong Wan remained in place, watching the two fade into the distance, a subtle concern now visible in her expression. At that moment, Tian Qin'er commanded a group of more than a dozen cultivators to rise into the air, guiding them to gather beneath the massive luminous sphere and form an unusual array. With swift movements of their hands, each cultivator revealed their array discs, banners, and other magical implements. Under her vibrant commands, these cultivators simultaneously raised their array banners and discs, releasing brilliant radiance—some projecting beams of light, others flowing ribbons of luminous mist—before vanishing into the sphere. Tian Qin'er and her companions began to lift the seals at the node. As time passed, the seals gradually loosened, and the originally hazy and indistinct sphere gradually became clear and brilliant, its hue shifting from gray to a radiant white, as though the sun itself were rising. This intense brilliance even caused Nan Gong Wan, a senior cultivator, to slightly narrow her eyes, unable to gaze upon it directly. The cultivators engaged in the seal-breaking—including Tian Qin'er—had already closed their eyes, relying solely on their spiritual awareness to guide and manipulate their magical tools. At that moment, a large hand suddenly appeared on Nan Gong Wan's shoulder, and a deep, resonant male voice echoed in her ears: "Are you still worried?" Nan Gong Wan was first startled, but soon relaxed, offering a forced smile and turning back. Behind her, Han Li was smiling gently at her. "Of course I'm worried. But pursuing the Great Way is inherently against the natural order—seeking that slender thread of life between life and death is something I can accept without regret. By the way, have you and Feng Daoist both set the seals properly?" Nan Gong Wan sighed lightly before asking with concern. "The seals are all in place, and they're all absolute—unless the one who set them personally intervenes, no one else can lift them. With that, I and Feng Daoist no longer need to fear each other making any moves behind the scenes." Han Li chuckled. "Hmph! As long as you don't secretly interfere, how could I possibly do anything behind the scenes?" A flash of white light behind Han Li, and the silver-robed woman materialized directly from the void. "Friend Feng, now isn't the time to casually employ spatial techniques. Hold onto your energy and be prepared for the dangers within the spatial nodes," Han Li said, frowning slightly. "Rest assured, I'll manage perfectly," replied the ice phoenix, who, perhaps due to the mutual seals, had not been cold or dismissive as before—her demeanor had softened considerably. Han Li smiled gently, said no more, and took a step forward to stand beside Nan Gong Wan, lifting his gaze toward the unfolding seal in the air. The silver-robed woman likewise remained silent. It passed a full minute before the luminous orb in the sky became so bright it was almost blinding. Then, a deep, resonant thunder rolled through the air. As the white light faded, the radiant orb suddenly transformed into a dark, ink-black hole, deep and profound, with no trace of light within—like the gaping maw of a great beast that selects its prey. Han Li was taken aback. At this sight, the silver-robed woman's eyes flashed with a sudden gleam, yet without hesitation, she said, "Friend Han, let's set out." Immediately, the woman's body shimmered with silver light, drifting slowly toward the black hole. Han Li drew a brief breath, then raised one hand and tapped his storage pouch at the waist. A flash of silver light instantly revealed a second "Han Li" standing before him—none other than the humanoid automaton. Without further words, Han Li lifted his hand and swiftly struck the automaton's head. A dark, ink-black infant spirit rose from the automaton's forehead, then vanished into Han Li's body with a flash of deep black light. With a gentle touch to the automaton, Han Li then caused it to radiate a brilliant silver glow, shrinking instantly into a wooden doll only a few inches tall. At the same time, as he shook his other sleeve, two small blue cauldrons and a cluster of tricolor flames floated out and spiraled around him. "Wan'er, these treasures are of little use to me in passing through the spatial nodes now." You haven't yet encountered any trials in the human realm—these items will be of great assistance to you. Take them well," Han Li said, sweeping his sleeve. At once, a surge of azure light erupted, carrying the four treasures toward Nan Gong Wan. Then Han Li launched himself into the air, transforming into a streak of emerald light, swiftly pursuing the ice phoenix. Nan Gong Wan clenched her slender fingers and gestured, gathering the humanoid automaton and the other treasures into her hands. She then raised her gaze to watch Han Li's retreating figure, her face slightly pale. At that moment, the ice phoenix halted before the deep, unfathomable black hole. Only after Han Li's luminous glow faded and he stepped into view behind her did the phoenix turn and ask, "Well, I didn't expect to leave so soon without speaking further with you, Nan Gong friend. I'm not in a hurry to enter—it's merely that I'd like to give you both a little more time." Could it be that this stage-attuned immortal cultivator had actually spoken with a touch of human warmth? "No need! Whatever words you might have, I and Wan have already said them all before." Now all we need to do is focus and pass through the nodes. "Han Li took a deep breath and replied calmly. Then, with a single palm strike on his forehead, a shimmer of green light appeared, revealing a small jade cauldron. With a gentle step, a flash of emerald light brought forth a green measuring rod, which, upon a slight rotation, revealed a silver lotus shadow beneath his feet. As he casually shook his sleeve, a silver scroll shot out, transforming into a three-colored battle armor that adhered tightly to his body. Immediately afterward, seventy-two golden small swords shot forth from his body, scattering into shimmering golden streaks that hovered in the air. At the same time, with a simple hand motion, Han Li held in his palms a golden circular ring and a jade parasol of several inches in size. The silver-robed woman observed this, her face briefly expressing surprise, yet she remained composed, gently shaking her shoulders, and sending out several white streaks that paused in the air before forming into slender, translucent plumes. They dipped low, making a brief spiral before plunging straight down, transforming into a layer of white veil that shielded the Ice Phoenix within. At the same time, the silver robe on the woman's body shimmered with luminous light, gradually unfolding into a miraculous pattern of thousands of birds gathering around the phoenix. Most astonishing of all, as she opened her mouth, she expelled a semi-transparent ice boat. "As he spoke, a vast expanse of gray light surged from behind Han Li. Then, a shadow flickered, and a miniature mountain—about one zhang in height—emerged, entirely black and unremarkable. Ice Phoenix was momentarily stunned, still unsure what kind of treasure this was, when suddenly the mountain spun upward from the gray light, completed a graceful spiral, and settled steadily upon the ice boat. Han Li then pressed his palms together, channeling a series of gestures, and the mountain emitted a broad sweep of gray light, fully enveloping the ice boat. Though the silver-robed woman had no clear understanding of the peculiar nature of this gray glow, she immediately sensed its extraordinary quality. Without a word, she summoned her spiritual awareness, and as a result, a layer of silvery light formed over the ice boat beneath her, then with a sudden "whoosh," it vanished in a flash, disappearing instantly into the black hole. The crowd below the black hole stirred in excitement. Everyone stared upward, their eyes wide open, motionless, as if frozen in awe. But not long after, most people began to feel disappointed. The black hole, much like when it first appeared, showed no unusual signs—calm and uneventful throughout. "Qin, send two disciples to guard this location. The rest may go. Staying here longer will bring no benefit," finally Nan Gong Wan turned her gaze away and calmly instructed Tian Qin. "Understood!" Tian Qin replied respectfully, then raised her hand to summon two Jin Dan cultivators to remain behind. The others followed Nan Gong Wan back to the small island. After a month had passed and still no changes were observed at the entrance of the node, Nan Gong Wan once again ordered Tian Qin to seal the entrance with a magical array and to leave a few disciples on duty. The rest followed her back to the Land of Chaotic Stars. Han Li had left no Yuan Shen Lamp for anyone, so no one—neither Nan Gong Wan nor anyone else—knew whether he had passed through the node and now resided in the Spiritual Realm, or whether, like Xiang Zhi Li and the others, he had ultimately succumbed to the spatial storm and the interdimensional forces and perished within the node. This was also one of the reasons Han Li had chosen not to leave a Yuan Shen Lamp behind, for those close to him always preferred a glimmer of hope over none at all. (Second update!)