"Hehe, a self-sacrificing cultivation path? If that's truly the case, then the Immortal Realm wouldn't have kept the Refining the Divine Soul technique as a forbidden art for so long. It seems you're unaware that once this secret technique begins, one must progress continuously—there's no room for stopping midway. At your current second-level stage, if you don't reach the third level of the Refining the Divine Soul technique within ten thousand years, your divine awareness sea will inevitably be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of divine consciousness, leading to its explosion and your complete disappearance. Under such circumstances, even if you preemptively transfer your essence and start anew, you'd have absolutely no chance of survival." The man sneered, adding another matter that deeply unsettled Han Li. "Ten thousand years! Well, at least I still have some time to plan a rescue strategy. But the third level—doesn't the Refining the Divine Soul technique only have three levels in total?" After a few flickers of his gaze, Han Li exhaled deeply and asked back. He naturally could not simply believe everything the other had just said based solely on a single account, yet he still sensed certain points of doubt. "Three layers? Who told you that the Art of Refining the Spirit has only three layers? Ah, I now understand. You've only received the earlier half of the cultivation method, not the complete cultivation manual. The full Art of Refining the Spirit should actually have seven layers of cultivation. You've only achieved the first two, so your path to survival is still long indeed!" The man was momentarily stunned, but soon regained his composure and replied with a sense of clarity. "Thank you for your insight," said Han Li, sighing, "but I wonder—do you know the cultivation methods for the later layers?" "While the Art of Refining the Spirit may not be particularly rare in the Immortal Realm, it is certainly no ordinary common method. Moreover, the Realm has traditionally prohibited its transmission and trade. As a巡查 envoy, I myself am unfortunately not familiar with the later half of the cultivation method." But you need not worry too much. As long as you successfully master the third stage of the炼神术, your divine awareness will once again be at risk no earlier than another three or four ten-thousand years. With such a long span of time, given your current aptitude, you should have a genuine chance to ascend to the Immortal Realm and then seek alternative solutions." The man replied with evident intention. "Ascending to the Immortal Realm—how easy that could be. If it truly were that simple, then the cultivators from our lower realm who are currently stuck at the stage of Great Perfection would not be so much in need of assistance." Hearing this, Han Li could only shake his head with a wry smile. "Haha, that was true before you met me. Don't forget, before you, there stood a genuine True Immortal. If I were to offer any assistance, you would surely achieve at least a few additional percentages—perhaps even a substantial increase—in your chances of successfully ascending to the Immortal Realm." The man chuckled softly. "With the guidance of a senior True Immortal, I truly believe that, even as a junior disciple, I have a real chance of ascending to the Immortal Realm." "But Master has summoned me here for more than just to simply assist me, hasn't he?" After a moment of silence, Han Li suddenly sighed. "You're quite perceptive! If you were of no use to me, I would indeed help you defeat that Mother of the瞑, but I would certainly not go to the trouble of transporting you here. The reason I've done so is to leverage your strength in accomplishing a certain task for me. As my reward, I will provide you with methods to swiftly advance to the third stage of the炼神technique and successfully endure the celestial ascension trial. How do you find that?" The man did not hesitate, openly stating his intentions. "Master seeks assistance—shouldn't Daoist Bao Hua, as the sacred ancestor of this realm, be a more suitable choice? Why must it be me?" Han Li, though not surprised, calmly countered. "Hehe. If ordinary lower-plane cultivators could have helped me, why would I have endured these many years here, waiting patiently? I would have sought out those local cultivators who were said to be sealed long ago years ago." The man spoke calmly. "Then, what does the elder mean by that?" Han Li's expression grew serious, his face now somewhat grave. "Since we've come to this point, I have no intention of hiding anything further. I chose to seek you out precisely because you possess the extraordinary cultivation technique of refining the spirit—a truly unparalleled ability. Even if other lower-plane cultivators were several times stronger in power and cultivation level than you, they would still be of no help at all." The man slowly revealed a statement that left Han Li utterly stunned. "Wait—did the elder come to me specifically because I practice the spirit-refining technique?" Han Li was genuinely confused. "Yes. Though I haven't mentioned it yet, I'm now fully aware of my current predicament, and I believe you can already sense the depth of it." The man smiled faintly, a touch of sorrow in his eyes. "Given what you've just said, I now have some genuine doubts about the events of those days, and would be most grateful if you could offer a few insights. Specifically, is the spirit essence within the current mother of the stem-blight we have just slain still that of the original fierce creature from back then? Of course, if it would be inconvenient for you, we can simply set that aside." After a moment of hesitation, Han Li carefully asked. "Though the events of those days were not exactly glorious, speaking of them now poses no great difficulty. When the mother of the stem-blight first ravaged the lower realms, the Celestial Overseer from the upper realm noticed and dispatched me, together with another envoy, to descend and eradicate this demon. Indeed, while it was not easy for us celestial beings to journey to the lower realms, we were able to accomplish this through certain special means..." After a brief silence in the bowl, a man's voice gradually began to speak. To personally hear one of the ancient participants recount their firsthand experiences from that time—such an experience is certainly not something every Dharma-being can claim. Han Li naturally paid close attention, his mind fully focused. At that time, we had already noticed that after the great celestial transformation, we lost all contact with the Immortal Realm and were no longer able to return there using our previous methods. Thus, we took advantage of our status as high-ranking members of the Demon Clan to quietly investigate several renowned lower-plane realms. We discovered that the celestial transformation had affected all such realms, amplifying the power of the realm interfaces by nearly tenfold compared to before—indeed, we found no means to actively return to the Immortal Realm. With no other choice, we returned to our sealing site in this realm, established a small magical array, and sent our immortal essences into it to enter a state of deep sleep. At that point, we could only hope that some close friends and relatives in the Immortal Realm would still remember us and would manage to break through the interface to rescue us. Over the course of such a long time, we would awaken temporarily every several thousand years, only to be disappointed each time. As time passed, one of our companions grew increasingly despondent, and eventually, we began to have serious disagreements. After several disputes, upon one awakening, she suddenly seized me and truly sealed my true spirit within this very vessel. The man's voice echoed across the altar, finally carrying a subtle shift in tone. "She herself carried the jade-clear lamp oil—originally used to sustain the immortality of the divine soul—and journeyed to seek out the mother of the trapped insect spirit. As for her fate, you should have a good guess by the time you meet that insect spirit mother. As for me, had it not been for a keen insight, and had I not preserved a portion of the jade-clear lamp oil in advance, I likely would have dissolved into spirit fragments long before this very moment. As to why she chose to do this, I suspect she intended to harness the insect mother's body to cultivate into a true supreme form, then attempt to forcibly transcend the interface force and return to the immortal realm. Of course, there may be other reasons as well—but those remain beyond my knowledge." The man finally concluded his account of the events from that time. "Indeed, so many things have happened since then—no wonder the elder has been trapped here for so long. The task you asked me to assist with—does it not involve helping you regain your freedom from this artifact?" After listening carefully, Han Li's thoughts raced swiftly, yet his voice remained calm and composed. "Heh, although I was initially sealed within this black walnut basin, over the years I've gradually broken through the seals and have already achieved considerable freedom. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to assist you just recently. What I truly need from you is for you to cultivate and strengthen your divine spiritual power, enhancing your divine awareness, so that I may activate a precious divine scroll in my hands. Once this scroll is activated, it will transmit a message directly to one of my close friends in the Immortal Realm, bypassing the interface's transmission force. I am confident that, given our long-standing relationship, upon learning of my current predicament, my friend will do everything possible to rescue me and bring me back to the Immortal Realm." Han Li was somewhat surprised by the serious tone the man adopted. "Do you have a scroll that can directly reach the Immortal Realm?" Han Li asked, his face clearly expressing his astonishment. "You won't be too surprised. Ordinary talismans, of course, cannot achieve this. The precious talisman I hold was crafted by a renowned immortal king from the immortal realm—few copies have reached the outside world—and typically, lower-tier immortals, due to their insufficient spiritual awareness, simply lack the strength to activate such a talisman. That's why I've come to you, Friend Han." The man spoke with a touch of resignation. "Then, Senior, you mean that with the spiritual awareness I've enhanced through my current stage of refining the divine essence, I am capable of activating this talisman!" Han asked, furrowing his brows. "Your spiritual awareness is indeed strong—far exceeding that of peers by several times—but still slightly less than when I was at my peak. I'm referring specifically to the point when you've reached the third stage of refining the divine essence; only then do you have a reasonable chance of accomplishing this." The man replied with a light smile.