"This is..." After swiftly scanning the patterns on the ground and the armored soldiers, Han Li was struck by a sight that defied expectation: instead of the normally clear, pale blue sky, a golden orb now glowed at an altitude that seemed far beyond human sight. Within the orb, gentle waves of light spiraled and danced, creating an otherworldly, mysterious aura. This phenomenon immediately reminded Han Li of the existence of "spatial nodes." Though the orb might not be a true spatial node, it undeniably resembled a spatial rift. Gazing at the seemingly modest golden sphere, Han Li's eyes flashed with a steady blue light, revealing a touch of wonder and curiosity. Could it be that this very location connected to some other mysterious realm? After a while, with no further discoveries to make, he turned his attention back to the nine armored soldiers, examining them repeatedly. These soldiers shone with a silvery luster, their armor appearing as though perfectly fused and seamless. Yet, whether it was the armor or the long spear held in hand, both exuded the simple, refined style characteristic of ancient artifacts—without being inscribed with dense arrays of symbols, only a few faint golden characters appeared at key locations. These golden characters were remarkably intricate, clearly belonging to the Jin Zhuan script. Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly. Suddenly, he raised his arm and lightly flicked a finger at one of the armored soldiers. A sword-like surge of energy, as thin as a finger, shot out, flashing briefly and then piercing the soldier's shoulder—seeming intent on cleanly passing through. Yet, an unexpected scene unfolded. "Boom!" The armored soldier, who had appeared like a statue, swiftly moved his silver spear, the silver light flashing, and in a lightning-fast motion, cut through the jade-blue swordlight, dispersing it entirely. Han Li's face changed instantly. With a swift movement, he stepped back several paces, raising his hand in front of him, and at once a hazy glow of light materialized, forming a protective barrier before him—his demeanor now exceptionally cautious. Yet the next moment, the silver-scaled soldier drew his silver spear back, resumed his original gesture of pointing skyward, and remained motionless once more. "Automatons!" Han Li exhaled a long, barely audible sigh, murmuring the words, his expression slightly easing as he reflected on just how remarkable these figures were—capable of independent movement after so many years without any visible control. Yet precisely because he now confirmed these soldiers were merely mechanical, devoid of any spirit, Han Li felt a subtle sense of relief. After all, even if the automatons were exceptionally skilled, they were still lifeless constructs, and thus nothing to fear. Han Li turned his attention away from the soldiers and lowered his gaze, carefully examining the vast celestial pattern now revealed on the ground beneath him. At first, it seemed merely ordinary, very plain. But after gazing at it for a while longer, the entire starry sky suddenly blurred and came alive. The surrounding scenery grew hazy, and he found himself suddenly immersed beneath the stars, standing within a mysterious, extraordinary world. The once-stiff sun and moon emitted golden and silver light; where this light fell, stars of varying sizes burst forth with cool white radiance and began to orbit the sun and moon in a regular, unceasing rhythm. The sun and moon themselves swelled and shrank, rose and set, perpetually cycling through this motion—time flowed like a gentle river, calm and steady, yet with moments that passed swiftly. Han Li watched silently as these transformations unfolded, embodying the eternal truths of the cosmos. His mind remained empty, untouched by thought—neither wishing to think nor able to think—passively experiencing the passage of time. Decades, centuries, millennia passed, as if in an instant, he had traversed countless ages. Suddenly, a jolt ran through him, and a cool energy surged from his dantian, flowing smoothly along the meridians and circling once around his head. Stimulated by this icy spiritual essence, Han Li jolted and emitted a soft hum, finally regaining full awareness and recalling all matters concerning himself. Almost as soon as he came back to himself, the entire starry sky sensed something and instantly shattered into scattered patches of luminous light. When Han Li was fully awake, he remained standing by the edge of the platform, gazing intently at the celestial map on the ground. What had seemed like countless years of drowsiness had actually only lasted for a few breaths. Han Li drew in a sharp breath, quickly shifting his gaze away from the celestial map. To his astonishment, the map seemed to contain a magical array far beyond his comprehension—so powerful that even his strong spiritual awareness was completely powerless, swept effortlessly into it. Had it not been for the Dàyǎn Jué automatically rotating within him, forcibly drawing his spirit awareness back, he would have surely stumbled and permanently fallen into the previous illusion, unaware of his presence until he stood there as a skeleton. Yet even thus, the experience within that illusion had been so vivid and real that it had simultaneously flooded his mind with complex, seemingly contradictory sensations—between timelessness and reality, between feeling and reason—making them feel profoundly overwhelming. Despite his exceptionally strong and stable inner state, which far surpassed that of an ordinary person, Han Li had his brows furrowed and his expression strangely altered. Closing his eyes, he continuously circulated the Dàyǎn Jué within his body, gradually resolving the numerous disturbances in his mental state. Only after some time did he finally manage to stabilize the significant contrast in his inner experience and reopen his eyes. This time, naturally, he dared not look again at the starry sky map. He stood motionless, gazing blankly at the spot for a while, then sighed deeply, and his expression gradually returned to its usual calm. He subtly sensed that though the just-past experience had been perilously intense, this rare mental refinement had indeed brought significant benefits to his resolve, even strengthening his awareness slightly. Perhaps the Starry Map was no ordinary illusionary array—it was originally designed as a special seal to hone one's mental fortitude. And since the Starry Map was so profound, the object placed at its center must also possess its own unique significance. Thus pondering,韩立 felt this notion increasingly plausible. Turning his head slightly, he glanced at the jade-green chancellor's chair situated at the center of the stone platform. The chair was neither made of gold nor wood, yet its entire surface shimmered with an unusually vivid green hue, and a translucent, luminous glow seemed to emanate from it. Suddenly,韩立 fixed his gaze upon it, his face now expressing genuine astonishment. To his surprise, where the chairs should have been empty, a patch of floating silver script now shimmered in the air—only a few hundred characters, all composed of luminous silver kōtō, sparkling with delicate light. With his renowned ability to remember everything he saw, Han Li had effortlessly memorized the entire passage within moments. Yet he had no idea whatsoever how these script had appeared. Shortly thereafter, the silver script fragmented, dispersing into scattered points of light that gradually sank into the chairs below, vanishing without a trace. Han Li's gaze sharpened, fixed firmly on the chair, though his mind remained focused on the incantation he had just recalled. After a brief while, his expression changed slightly. The incantation turned out to be nothing more than a simple, straightforward one—complete with no beginning, no ending, and no explanatory words at all. How utterly strange! Han Li hesitated slightly, his eyes subtly shifting, scanning back and forth between the nine armored soldiers, the golden light orbs above, and the starry map and green chairs beneath, before carefully reconsidering the script that had just appeared. He stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face, with a vague notion forming in his mind. Han Li suddenly pressed a hand seal, and golden light surged from his body, golden scales rising on his skin, reactivating the Fàn Shèng Zhēn Mó Technique once more. After a low exclamation, his shoulders trembled, and a golden figure surged forth from behind him, instantly transforming into the original golden form that had vanished earlier. Han Li then raised his hand and struck the crown of his head, and a streak of black light shot upward, swiftly merging into the golden form. It was his second immortal embryo, "Little Black." As this embryo settled within the golden body, one of the three faces on the three heads suddenly had its eyes turn completely black and bright, as if restored to their natural vitality. With a flash of golden light, the towering, two-zhang-high, three-headed, six-armed golden form descended gently to the ground, standing steadily before Han Li. Seeing this, Han Li smiled slightly, then blurred slightly, dissolving into a stream of green vapor at his original location. At that very moment, a figure emerged from the void thirty zhang away from the dais. Han Li floated motionless, his hands behind his back. He had long noticed that, once he entered this space enclosed by the screen, all the anti-aerial and anti-floating seals on the ground had vanished. Thus, now that he felt secure floating at a low altitude, he kept his gaze steadily fixed upon everything unfolding on the dais. Under the steady urging of his inner consciousness, which had been guiding his second true immortal body, his six arms suddenly activated, each forming distinct hand seals. Then, a slow, ancient and profound incantation began to flow gently from his lively, bright eyes. Though the voice was slow, each character of the spell was clearly articulated—exactly the silver tadpole script he had first seen emerge from the chair. Though Han Li had encountered this script for the first time, such a simple activation of a spell was no challenge to a being of his refined, Xuangong stage. Yet, situated in this strange, otherworldly realm of Shu Mi, he dared not risk using his true body to awaken this unnamed technique. The golden form of his second prenatal essence—capable of constantly gathering and dispersing—possessed far greater resilience against various perils than his true body. Moreover, by invoking this incantation through his second prenatal essence, he was certain it would yield results no different from those achieved by his true self, making it the very best alternative. The incantation echoed continuously above the plaza, soon completed by the second prenatal essence, yet the stone platform remained utterly still, showing no signs of change. The golden form stood motionless upon the high dais, expression neutral, body unyielding. Upon observing this, Han Li's eyes suddenly narrowed slightly, a hint of doubt flashing across his gaze. However, after a brief pause and a subtle shift of his consciousness, he immediately prompted the second prenatal essence to recite the incantation once more. Thus, within the span of a single tea service, the technique was recited three times in succession through the golden form. Yet after the third chant had suddenly ceased, neither the nine silver armored warriors nor the golden luminous orbs in the air showed the slightest change, as though the incantations had had no effect at all.