"The Void Emperor Cauldron? Master Xuepo has brought this forth—does it mean this item alone can easily break the seal?" Han Li asked in surprise. "Of course not. The shortcut I mentioned still requires the senior to primarily use the Xutian Cauldron to break the seal. I can only hold the Xuhuang Cauldron and apply a certain secret technique to assist. This cauldron was personally crafted by me during my prime years, and thus contains a drop of my own refined blood within it—this endows it with some extraordinary functions that a regular key cannot achieve." Master Xuepo replied respectfully. "Since you are so confident that using both cauldrons together will suffice to break the seal, then let's try it. If that fails, I will attempt to forcibly shatter the seal with my own magical power." Han Li stroked his chin and declared decisively. Master Xuepo naturally had no objections and immediately nodded in agreement. Thus, Han Li, without a word, threw the small tripod into the air. Then, with a swift motion of his sleeve, a column of pale green light burst forth from within, flashing briefly before vanishing into the tripod. The Xuhuang Ding immediately emitted a clear chime, spinning smoothly and drawing in the blood mist surrounding it. As it swayed in the wind, a multitude of blood-colored characters surged from its mouth, coalescing into a remarkably eerie female face—her features strikingly identical to those of the blood essence, yet expressionless, veiled in a soft glow of blood light. "Master, I have only one strike. Please seize the moment to act," the face said, its voice calm and steady. Then, as it opened its mouth again, a burst of translucent blood filaments shot forth. After dispersing with a series of soft "shush" sounds, these filaments astonishingly penetrated the five-colored light veil with ease. The face then emitted a sharp, piercing cry. The filaments flickered and burst into fragments, and as the thick blood mist condensed, they reformed into individual blood characters, embedded within the five-colored veil—now appearing utterly strange and otherworldly. Han Li witnessed the scene, his eyes brightening as he instantly stepped forward to the near vicinity of the ethereal cauldron that had grown into a colossal form, then palm-down, striking it with a decisive motion. A deep, resonant sound, like a bell tolling, echoed forth. On the vast surface of the great jade cauldron, myriad streaks of emerald light shimmered, and the spectral images of flowers, birds, insects, and fish that had been formed instantly expanded in size, surging directly toward the five-colored light screens. A series of "pffft" sounds erupted as these images, seemingly unimpeded, swiftly pierced through the blood-colored seals and plunged directly into them. At that moment, the surface of the cauldron flashed erratically, while the five-colored light screens across several miles began to hum loudly. Simultaneously, fine strands of white vapor emerged from the blood-colored seals, dispersing into irregular waves of disturbance as soon as they touched the void. Han Li's face lit up with satisfaction—clearly, with their coordinated efforts, there was genuine hope of breaking the seal. But at that moment, a low groan suddenly echoed from beside her. The beauty's face, which had been streaked with blood at some point, now cleared completely, and she gasped, spitting out a mouthful of black blood. As her face twisted violently, it began to blur and grow hazy. "The counterforce! Well, then, I'll take care of the rest from here—first, you remove your spell," said Han Li, frowning slightly as he glanced at her. With a swift motion of his sleeve, a streak of emerald light shot out and vanished into her face. After the six eyes of the spiritual form gradually opened, several arms blurred slightly before each extending one palm to press firmly upon the massive tripod. A tremendous roar erupted, and a vivid jade-like glow surged across the tripod's surface, so bright and intense it seemed to transform into a radiant azure sun. The five-colored light screens responded in kind—the blood-colored runes on their surfaces radiated brilliantly, and the white vapor emerging from them grew denser and more abundant until, with a deep resonant crash, the entire seal shattered into fragments, revealing a dark, misty passage. "Go!" A look of delight crossed Han Li's face as he issued a clear command, immediately retracting the spiritual form and pointing his finger toward the tripod. A soft "pffft" sound followed. Two streaks of radiant light burst forth from the tripod's surface, engulfing Han Li and the blood essence within them. After a long, resonant cry, the tripod dissolved into a shimmering azure glow and vanished into the dark channel. A thunderous "boom" rang out! Almost as soon as the azure light had disappeared into the black hole, vibrant five-colored runes erupted at the entrance, and the seal began to heal immediately. When the azure glow burst forth from the black hole, Han Li felt a sudden brightening, and found himself standing on a lush green meadow bathed in warm sunlight. Han Li stiffened slightly, then, with a flick of his sleeve, the azure light on his body gathered into a compact orb, re-forming into a small jade cauldron, which he immediately grasped in his hands. Bloodspirit appeared behind the flow of spiritual energy, gazing around in delight. This was a space nearly indistinguishable from the outside world—distant mountains rose in layered peaks, green trees shaded the ground, and in every direction, the horizon seemed to stretch endlessly. Han Li narrowed his eyes, a subtle crystalline glow flashing across his brows, and sent out his vast spiritual awareness. After a brief moment, however, his expression changed to one of sudden realization. "It was merely a illusion all along." Well now, such a refined illusion—so convincing that even at the very beginning, I almost believed it—rare indeed. As he spoke, he moved his arm, then suddenly swept a finger forward into the empty space. Instantly, a shimmering blade of azure energy shot out, stretching and flickering before expanding into a length of several hundred paces. With a mere, effortless stroke, it descended. At a distance of several miles ahead, the void twisted and shimmered, then blurred momentarily before suddenly transforming into a vast complex of palaces, halls, and pavilions—forming a grand imperial palace complex. Yet strangely, between these structures, towering, dense columns of radiant light rose in dense clusters. Each column supported a thick, luminous veil, enveloping the surrounding buildings and dividing the entire palace complex into over a hundred distinct zones. After a flash of blue light in his eyes, Han Li clearly saw the general layout within these veils. Beyond each main hall, there are another十余 buildings of varying sizes. However, when his divine awareness probes these structures, it is met with firm resistance—clearly, these buildings are under some kind of divine awareness-sealing spell. Yet, as he swiftly scans through these areas, he notices that the supporting light pillars near the central core of the palace complex grow thicker the closer he gets to the center, making it progressively harder for his awareness to penetrate. At the very heart of the complex, where the largest light shields enclose several zones, even his divine awareness—far surpassing that of peers—can only detect the broad outlines of the buildings. A typical large-stage cultivator would likely be unable to penetrate these shielded areas at all. "It seems the most precious treasures are located within those central zones," murmured Han Li, as he withdrew his awareness, pondering thoughtfully. "Indeed. However, judging by the nature of the seals here, the danger increases the deeper one goes." Xue Po's face remained slightly pale, and as his spirit senses lightly touched the invisible seals hovering above the area, a look of concern appeared on his face. "Since we've arrived, we naturally can't leave empty-handed. The outer regions' treasures have likely already been gathered by others, and most of the general items I find rather unimpressive. I'll simply proceed inward and explore further. By the way, have you sensed the location of our host body?" Han Li turned his gaze and suddenly asked Xue Po. "As a matter of course, I've been using spells to sense its position for some time now. Unfortunately, the seals within Tianding Palace are so numerous that their effectiveness diminishes significantly even at a moderate distance." Xue Po replied with a slight smile of resignation. "Ah, I see. But now that presents a challenge—perhaps you'll have to visit every single location here to determine exactly where Ice Po's body is currently trapped." Since the Tian Ding Palace has only been opened for a brief month, I can't be certain that I'll have the opportunity to traverse all its seals thoroughly," said Han Li, frowning and adopting a serious expression. "My true self originally possessed strong cultivation and was protected by several rare treasures; even against a late-stage cultivator, I had a fair chance of escaping. Therefore, if I were to become trapped, it should be within the inner regions. To be safe, however, I'd rather begin my search from the outer areas. Then, with the elder's precious blood, infused with a secret technique, carried on your person, you may directly proceed to the inner regions. Should my true self indeed become trapped nearby, I will surely alert the elder. This way, the elder's quest for treasures will not be delayed, and the entire palace can be explored more efficiently." After a moment's thought, the Xue Hún proposed. "This plan is indeed sound. However, if we were the only two here, it would work perfectly. But now, should you encounter those late-stage elders who harbor ill intentions, what then?" Han Li shook his head and said, "Senior, please rest assured. I have the fully-constructed puppets gifted by you, and with them, I should be able to hold my own against a Great Perfection stage being for a while." The blood spirit's face slightly changed, but immediately bowed respectfully and replied, "For an ordinary Great Perfection stage being, those two fully-constructed puppets would still be of some use. However, the Great Perfection stage beings who have managed to reach this place likely possess extraordinary capabilities. Then, how about this—I'll have Jin'er accompany you." After a moment's thought, Han Li finally made up his mind and spoke. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we kindly invite you to cast your vote or subscribe. Your support is my greatest motivation.)