"If this person truly ascends to the rank of Spiritual Commander, wouldn't they also be capable of helping us lift the enslaving traces?" "Logically, yes. But why would they choose to assist us?" The cow-headed creature's eyes flickered with a moment of anticipation, then faded, and he chuckled. "The one in the Black冥Mist either encountered an unforeseen event or simply abandoned us. We haven't been able to reach contact with them for over a hundred years. If we don't make an effort now, our very lives may soon be in jeopardy." The golden ape, who had remained silent throughout, also spoke with a smile. "Oh, so the two of you are suggesting..." The cow-headed creature's green glow flashed on his face. "If this person indeed succeeds in their ascension, why don't we offer them our shared treasure object, ask them to help us release the seal, and then allow them to depart and journey far beyond?" The giant ape murmured. "That object is our very foundation for future ascension—how can we simply hand it over to a stranger like this?" Should he accept our offerings yet reneg upon our promise to lift the restrictions, that would indeed be disastrous. The cow-headed creature hesitated. "If he has no life at all, then even the finest gifts we offer would be of little use to us. As for the latter, though he is not one of our kind, he has been fair in our previous transactions—likely he will not break his word. Even if there are some risks involved, given our current situation, we would regret not seizing this opportunity now. After all, he is an outsider—how long might he remain here, we cannot tell." The three-headed serpents grew increasingly anxious, their great tails repeatedly striking the ground, creating a depression several feet deep. The golden ape, listening attentively, nodded in agreement. "Since both of you have expressed such strong intentions, I cannot very well oppose it. Still, we should first observe the outcome of his advancement. Should he fail, then all our efforts would be in vain." The cow-headed creature sighed and finally agreed. The other two beasts naturally agreed, immediately ceasing further discussion and intently gazing toward the distant celestial phenomena. At that moment, the milky-white cloud ring atop the five-colored peak gradually expanded outward, appearing slow at first, yet each passing moment saw it grow with a remarkably vast diameter. In just a short while, the cloud ring had expanded sufficiently to fully encircle the entire mountain. As the ring grew, the gales within intensified, becoming increasingly fierce and unstoppable. The five-colored light halos beneath began to be rapidly drawn upward by these powerful winds, causing the luminous veil surrounding the mountain to thin steadily. Over this extended period, the number of five-colored light halos converging toward the mountain also began to diminish. Eventually, these celestial essences, originally dispersed as ethereal lights, gathered into a single concentrated mass and were swept up by the gales, vanishing into the expanding cloud ring. The entire base of the ring now appeared as if it were a massive, five-colored bowl. When even the final layer of light on the great mountain had vanished, the hurricane suddenly ceased, and the entire cloud ring fell into an abrupt silence—save for the flickering of multicolored lights scattered throughout, resembling the quiet before a storm. Suddenly, a roar like a dragon's voice erupted from deep within the mountain. The golden light at the mountain's summit flashed, revealing a colossal form with three heads and six arms. This figure stood a thousand zhang tall, radiating a brilliant, solid golden glow. As each of the three heads slowly lifted, the previously blurred faces revealed two brilliant golden spots that shone vividly, and each opened a pair of lifeless, glowing golden eyes, fixed steadily upon the cloud ring above. Then, all three heads shook simultaneously, and three resonant, stone-like roars issued forth. The roars surged continuously, echoing like thunder rolling across the sky. The ordinary beasts at a distance remained unharmed, merely growing more startled and agitated, with no other unusual reactions. The lower- and mid-tier beast spirits already possessing some spiritual power merely felt a roaring buzz in their ears, as though immersed in a tumultuous sea of waves, their awareness momentarily empty and devoid of any other thoughts. The mighty, long-drawn cry of the three-headed, six-armed form lasted for the full duration of a cup of tea before suddenly ceasing. Then, each of its six arms performed a series of gestures. A few deep, resonant sounds followed, and with a flash of various hues of spiritual light, four translucent images—each half the size of the original form—emerged around it. A large green phoenix, a five-colored peacock, a five-clawed golden dragon, and a magnificent colorful phoenix. As these four distinct true-spirit images appeared, each emitted sounds of dragon roars and phoenix calls, then either spread their wings or shook their heads and swayed their tails, circling and dancing around the three-headed, six-armed form. The faces of the two of the three faces of the form gradually became clearer, and with a sudden flash of radiance, they simultaneously revealed the ordinary, unremarkable appearance of Han Li. The faces of the two figures emitted radiant golden light, their expressions solemn and intense. Yet the face of the final head remained hazy and indistinct, its features completely blurred. One of the faces roared aloud, causing the four true spirit ethereal forms swirling nearby to momentarily halt, then turn and rush toward the massive body of the Dharma form. In an instant, the four ethereal forms vanished, dissolving into nothingness. The three-headed, six-armed Dharma form shuddered, and as its six arms swept outward, its body surged upward in a cascade of golden light, swelling rapidly. In a short while, the originally thousand-zhang-tall form rose even higher than the great mountain beneath it. Now, the golden silhouette stood with its feet firmly on the earth and its head reaching into the sky; with a simple lift of its hands, it seemed capable of extending directly into the luminous halos of the cloud rings. At this moment, a series of奇妙 sounds, reminiscent of sacred Buddhist chants, emanated from one of the now-visible heads, followed by a simultaneous point of each of the six arms toward the celestial circular void. At once, the previously still cloud ring came to life. A flash of霞light, and the massive ring descended silently, enveloping the great form completely. It halted abruptly at the level of the form's waist. Yet, as it encircled the form, it began to rotate smoothly and continuously. A strange phenomenon unfolded! The five-toned light radiance within the ring surged vigorously into the form's body, transforming its hue from golden to a vibrant, lustrous jade-like color. During this process, the form trembled incessantly, and both of its faces expressed growing pain, as though each increment of light absorbed into its body intensified the suffering. The intensity of the light infusion was astonishing—within mere moments, all the light radiance within the ring vanished completely. Even the pale, milky spiritual clouds at the edge of the ring, upon a sharp cry from the form, instantly transformed into hundreds of floating, luminous white spheres, drifting aimlessly in the vicinity. At that moment, the three heads opened wide, spewing out streams of golden radiance, which instantly absorbed the white light spheres, merging them into one seamless whole. After completing this, the pain etched on the Dharma Form's face significantly lessened, though the lustrous jade-like hue on his body began to ripple and flow, causing his form to shrink dramatically. In the span of a moment, the mountain-sized Dharma Form transformed into a human figure wrapped in layers of five-colored light, hovering motionless in the air above the mountain peak. The figure settled cross-legged, hands pressed in ceremonial gestures, silent and still. The astonishing spiritual pressure and celestial phenomena vanished completely, as if everything had returned to normal. Only the beasts and lower-to-mid-tier creatures at a distance gradually regained their composure. Ordinary beasts rose from the ground, emitted a few mournful cries, then fled in panic toward their own dens, refusing even to glance back toward the towering mountain. The younger, newly-established spirit beasts also seemed to be granted a special pardon, turning and fleeing at incredible speed, as if in a rush. "Does he finally make the breakthrough?" asked the golden monkey anxiously, though the mid-level spirit beasts, though slightly better off, had only just managed to maintain their standing moments ago. "I don't know. His attempt to ascend to the Ling Shuai level has likely not yet concluded. The extraordinary celestial phenomena we witnessed earlier were merely him drawing upon the surrounding earth and heavenly qi for his own use. Though now it seems as though his momentum has vanished entirely, this very moment is precisely when he is at the most critical stage of his ascension." The ox-headed spirit beast, appearing to have some insight, gazed intently at the vibrant five-colored light on the distant mountain, speaking slowly. The three-headed serpents and the spirit monkey both found this surprising and turned to gaze once again at the distant mountain. "Let's go!" This person will not easily break through his current bottleneck—either in days or perhaps even a month. Should we remain here for an extended period, we risk arousing his suspicion, and might even end up making matters worse! The Niu Shou small beast seemed to recall something and said just that. The other two beasts, upon hearing this, were immediately struck by the insight and wholeheartedly agreed. At once, the three immortals summoned a gust of mystical wind, leapt into the air, and shot off in the opposite direction. In a short while, the wind vanished at the far end of the sky, leaving no trace. Meanwhile, the figure within the five-colored light curtain on the distant mountain peak remained motionless, eyes closed, as if completely unaware of what had transpired. Day after day, two days, five days, ten days… two full months passed, yet the figure still hovered motionless above the mountain summit, unchanged. The five-colored light curtain, however, grew ever more luminous and radiant. This sight amazed several mid-level immortals who had secretly returned to observe the scene on multiple occasions. At the same time, they were all somewhat puzzled. However, during this period, occasionally some of the beasts that had previously forgotten the celestial phenomena would re-enter the range of a hundred li around the great mountain, only to vanish suddenly as waves of white mist rose up. It seemed that an immense seal had been mysteriously established around the entire mountain, growing increasingly refined and powerful as one approached its center. After another half-month, the figure within the luminous screen suddenly trembled, with vibrant hues of five colors swirling across its body, and finally opened its eyes. Then, a long, resonant roar burst forth from its mouth. This roar, though devoid of any specific magical power, clearly conveyed great joy. When the roar subsided after a brief moment, the figure rose to its feet, raised its arms, and the surrounding five-colored light screens instantly dispersed into scattered points of luminous energy. Then, the figure pressed its palms together in a gesture, and a pair of feathered wings emerged from its back. With a sudden thunderclap, the figure mysteriously vanished into the air.