After traversing a long corridor and making a half-circle turn, Han Li and the others did not pass through the main hall of the ancestral temple. Instead, they found a white stone staircase sloping downward into the depths, hidden within a secluded chamber inside the hall. At the entrance of the staircase, several guards stood vigilant. Xu Jiao waved his hand, and the guards immediately bowed and stepped aside. The group entered the dimly lit staircase. The passage was somewhat dark, with a steady chill blowing from below, and at regular intervals along the walls, large moonstone slabs, the size of a human fist, were embedded, casting intermittent glimmers of light and creating deep shadows, making the passage appear like a realm of ghosts and spirits. Fortunately, the staircase was not very long. After a short while, they emerged into a grandly designed underground hall. Han Li glanced around, then slightly narrowed his eyes. The entire hall is constructed from a pale black jade stone, spanning an area of three or four hundred zhang in width. On the walls and ceiling, intricate and mysterious white glyphs are inscribed, glowing with a soft luminous light that transforms the hall into a bright day. The most striking feature, however, is a refined, pool-shaped platform at the center of the hall. The platform has a hexagonal outline and is surrounded by a vast and magnificent array of magical seals. At the heart of the platform, a circular pool contains an eerie, vividly red liquid, devoid of any scent of blood, instead radiating a rich, fragrant aroma. Within this array of seals, several Xu family cultivators are seated in meditation, forming a complete circle around the hexagonal platform. Among them are Xu Yan and Xu Huo, whom Han Li has previously encountered. "Respectfully bowing to Master Han, thank you for your generous assistance to the Xu family," they say. "The two Xu family cultivators of Lingxu stage immediately understood Han Li's intent upon seeing him arrive in the hall accompanied by Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao. Without hesitation, they rose promptly and paid him a distant bow. 'Let's not speak of gratitude just yet,' Han Li shook his head. 'Whether we can truly assist you with something—well, that remains to be seen.' Xu Jiao, the head of the Xu family, showed no sign of being surprised. Instead, he waved his hand toward the distance, summoning other Xu family cultivators to also pay their respects to Han Li. Among these cultivators were both men and women, ranging from those in their thirties and forties to elderly figures with snow-white hair and lowered gaze. Each of them possessed the achievement of Huashen stage, clearly representing the core members of the Xu family. They had already been quietly gazing at Han Li with reverence, knowing him to be a Huxing cultivator. Upon hearing their family head's instruction, they all rose at once and bowed deeply to Han Li in unison." Han Li waved his hand, turning his attention to the blood pool with growing interest. "This is an artifact crafted according to the records of the Blood Soul. The spiritual liquid within the pool is formed by blending and melting the refined blood of numerous members from our families, along with many rare spiritual herbs and treasures. Not only is it essential for awakening the Blood Soul, but it also helps slow down the rate at which the Blood Soul dissipates." Xu Yuan spoke softly from beside him. "Ah, I see. However, the most crucial element of the awakening ritual is undoubtedly what lies beneath the liquid. Without this, no matter how abundant the pool's liquid or how refined the incantation and techniques, the Blood Soul's secret arts will find it difficult to manifest." Han Li's deep blue pupils flashed slightly, then said softly. "Your insight is truly remarkable—you've already identified it. Beneath the liquid lies our family's ancestral treasure, the 'Blood Crystal Coffin.' Without this, the Blood Soul cannot coalesce into the necessary blood body and thus cannot be sustained upon it." Xu Yuan's face slightly changed, but he quickly resumed his calm explanation. "The Blood-Crystal Coffin! Hah, now I finally understand what this awakening rite is all about." Han Li scanned the massive array below several times, as though suddenly remembering something, then smiled after a moment of thoughtful contemplation. "Your words are truly so." Xu Huo and Xu Yan were taken aback, clearly not entirely convinced by Han Li's explanation. The awakening rite alone had required the entire Xu clan's combined efforts—spending nearly half a day—and had only been managed with great difficulty. Even though the other party was a Consolidated Stage cultivator, being able to grasp its subtle intricacies merely by glancing at it briefly made them find it hard to believe. Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao also looked surprised upon hearing this. "You needn't find it strange, friends," Han Li said, his smile fading slightly, "though your rite bears a strong resemblance to a unique cultivation technique I once encountered among a different ethnic group—quite similar in spirit, if I may say so." Yet in his mind, a certain exotic cultivation scripture he had once seen during his time at Tianyun came to mind. Though this ethnic group was not particularly renowned, the techniques they recorded enabled the separation of one's spirit into numerous fragments. As long as even a single fragment could enter a carefully prepared physical body, a near-identical duplicate of oneself could be instantly created. The technique appeared remarkably unique, and its cultivation mantras bore some resemblance to those of the human race. At the time, Han Li had immediately treasured it and inscribed a copy. However, later he discovered that the key to mastering this technique lay in possessing a certain hidden innate talent unique to that ethnic group. Without it, the cultivation process itself would instead provoke a counter-reaction, undermining the very foundation of the practice. Thus, he had to quietly lament his missed opportunity and abandon it. Of course, the exotic group differed from the human race in many fundamental aspects, and the details of their respective secret arts also varied significantly. Nevertheless, in the areas of spirit fragmentation and the re-embedding of the spirit into new physical bodies, there were substantial points of reference that could be effectively drawn upon. Han Li, who originally had only about three or four in ten confidence, felt certain that with a bit more careful consideration of the shared aspects between the two, he could boost his confidence to seven or eight in ten. Of course, he would not reveal these insights right then and there. Instead, he slowly walked around the blood pool and the entire array, his eyes never leaving the array or the central blood pool. "All right," he said calmly, "I'll intervene at the right moment. You all proceed with the ceremony as before." After completing several circuits, he simply turned and walked to a corner of the hall, settled himself cross-legged, closed his eyes, and settled into meditation. Xu Jiao, observing this, slightly furrowed his brows. After waiting a moment, seeing Han Li truly motionless and deeply immersed in meditation, he finally grew impatient and opened his mouth to speak. But at that very moment, he suddenly heard Xu Yuan's voice in his ears. Though only a few sentences were exchanged, it sent a sudden chill through the heart of the Xu family elder, who hesitated slightly before deciding to drop the idea of speaking. Instead, after waiting a little longer, he joined the other Xu family cultivators and entered the array, sitting around the platform to meditate. Time passed slowly, and gradually the sky above the mountain range began to grow dim. As night fell, the Xu cultivators who had been quietly meditating with their eyes closed started to stir. Many of them raised their heads toward the platform within the array, their expressions now curious and puzzled. After a while, even Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao, along with the others, opened their eyes and turned to gaze at the platform. It was not clear how long this lasted, until suddenly the entire hall's ceiling burst into bright light. White characters began flowing dynamically in the upper part, forming several simple small arrays within moments. Then, a resonant hum rose instantly. After a slight tremor, several pale white light columns erupted from the small spell arrays and struck the square, elevated platform below, vanishing instantly into the pool of blood. Han Li's expression changed, and he suddenly opened his eyes. At the same moment, the usually serene blood pool began to boil violently. A strange vortex appeared spontaneously at the center of the pool and spun rapidly. Within the surging crimson waves, silver runes of varying sizes flickered in and out, appearing mysterious. "It's time—activate the arrays!" Xu Yuan, who had been quietly waiting, roared, his voice resonating throughout the entire hall. Upon hearing the command, the Xu family cultivators seated on the various platforms at the array instantly stirred, raising their hands to form seals and chanting continuously. A series of deep, muffled sounds followed, and as the spell lights first flickered and then stabilized, eighteen crimson light columns burst forth from different points of the array. Each one as thick as a bowl, glowing with blood, their tips plunging directly into the ceiling of the great hall, vanishing without trace. Xu Yuan, Xu Huo, and Xu Yan—all cultivators at the Liangxi level—naturally occupied the three most crucial array points within the formation. As others recited their incantations and activated the array, each of them simply flipped their hands, and in the palm of each, a slender crimson banner several inches long appeared. A gentle breath sent the three small banners standing upright, spinning continuously. The three Xu family cultivators at the Liangxi level had clearly mastered this technique effortlessly; upon seeing this scene, they immediately opened their mouths again and, with a single breath, bit through their tongue tips, spitting out a surge of pure blood. As soon as the three streams of blood were expelled, they burst with a sharp "thump," instantly transforming into blood mist that completely enveloped the banners. A sharp, piercing sound rang out from the banners, followed by a wave of radiant light that swiftly absorbed all the blood mist. In an instant, the three small banners swelled in size, radiating brilliant bloodlight. After a few flashes, it transformed into three immense blood banners, thick as large bowls, radiating an intense aura of ferocity. Waves of blood-colored light streaks surged forth from the banners, continuously pouring into the entire spell array and blending with other blood-like glows emanating within the array, fully enveloping the entire blood pool. The bloodiness and a strange, unusual fragrance rose simultaneously, intertwining in a most remarkable way to form a new, captivating aroma that filled the air, inducing a deep, intoxicating sensation. At this moment, as if drawn by this peculiar scent, a deep, resonant roar echoed out, followed by a massive orb of blood-colored flame rising gradually from the deepest part of the blood pool's vortex. Within the radiant blood flame, a crystal coffin shimmering with delicate crimson light floated steadily, motionless. Upon the appearance of this coffin, expressions of serious concentration spread across the faces of both the three Xuanshi cultivators and the other members of the Xu family. Their bodies radiated constantly shifting hues of luminous light; some even turned pale, their forms slightly trembling, clearly having drawn their inner qi to its utmost limit.