Chapter 394: Temporary Separation
Han Li was enlightened upon hearing this.
It was no wonder that the mysterious red-robed female cultivator had been willing to pay such a high price for an incomplete Infernal Frost Scenic Painting. With that in mind, Han Li couldn't help but wonder which organization she was affiliated with.
"You just mentioned that the Blaze Dragon Dao also has one such painting. Could it be..."
"That's right, the Blaze Dragon Dao currently no longer has an Infernal Frost Scenic Painting. The painting has always been in the possession of Dao Lord Baili, but now that Dao Lord Baili and I have both left the sect, we naturally took the painting with us," Daoist Hu Yan replied with a smile.
Han Li shook his head as he heaved a faint sigh. "At the height of its powers, our Blaze Dragon Dao was ranked alongside the likes of the Vast Flow Palace and the Dawn Fall Sect, with 13 Golden Immortal dao lords and thousands of True Immortals among its ranks, as well as countless subsidiary powers.
“If Dao Lord Ouyang and the others hadn't colluded with the Northern Glacial Immortal Palace, there was no way that the Immortal Palace would've been able to do anything to our Blaze Dragon Dao."
Daoist Hu Yan and Yun Ni's expressions both darkened slightly upon hearing this, and it was clear that this was still something that weighed on their mind.
"To be honest, what you saw was only a surface-level picture. In reality, deep-rooted conflicts had already been raging between the 13 dao lords for a very long time, and if it wasn't for Dao Lord Baili, the Blaze Dragon Dao would've been left in the dust by the Vast Flow Palace and the Dawn Fall Sect long ago. There's no point in mentioning this now, let's focus on the matter at hand," Daoist Hu Yan sighed.
With that, he began to chant an incantation while making a rapid string of hand seals, and streaks of blue light flew out of his hands to form a circular array projection that was radiating dazzling blue light.
After that, Daoist Hu Yan swept a hand through the air, and the Infernal Frost Scenic Painting that he was holding flew through the air as a streak of blue light before landing at the center of the array in a flash.
Wisps of blue light that resembled clouds and mist instantly began to rise up from the artwork, and a glacial aura also began to spread through the surrounding area, causing the nearby air temperature to plummet.
In the blink of an eye, the surface of the sea within a radius of several dozen kilometers down below had frozen solid, while snowflakes were drifting through the air.
The Infernal Frost Scenic Painting was hovering at the center of the array, and the latter was revolving around the former.
The two were resonating with one another, and the blue light that they were radiating intertwined together before flashing in a rhythmic fashion, as if they were detecting for something.
A hint of curiosity appeared in Han Li's eyes upon seeing this, but he didn't ask any questions as he didn't want to distract Daoist Hu Yan.
As for Yun Ni, he wasn't very familiar with her, so he naturally wasn't going to ask her any questions, either.
Moments later, Daoist Hu Yan swept a sleeve through the air, and the entire blue array projection instantly disintegrated into specks of blue light that were then scattered in the wind.
The light radiating from the Infernal Frost Scenic Painting also faded before it returned to Daoist Hu Yan's grasp.
At the same time, the glacial aura in the air also receded, but the surface of the sea down below remained frozen solid.
"How are things looking?" Yun Ni asked.
"Judging from the current signs, there should be roughly three or four years left until the immortal manor emerges," Daoist Hu Yan replied.
Han Li took a glance at the blue scroll that Daoist Hu Yan was holding upon hearing this. It seemed that this painting wasn't just a key.
"What about the exact location?" Yun Ni asked.
"I'm unable to detect it from here, so we must be too far away. Thankfully, we still have time. We can decide on a few locations on the map, then try again from those places," Daoist Hu Yan replied.
Yun Ni nodded in response.
Daoist Hu Yan turned to Han Li as he asked, "Do you have any plans, Fellow Daoist Li? We still have some time left, would you like to stay with us or make some preparations on your own?"
Han Li considered his options for a moment, then replied, "If I'm going to be accompanying the two of you into the immortal manor, then it would be best for me to make some preparations, so I think I'll go off on my own for now."
"That's probably a good idea. The immortal manor is fraught with peril, so it would be in your best interests to make some preparations," Daoist Hu Yan replied with a nod.
He then flipped a hand over to produce a palm-sized red array plate before handing it to Han Li as he continued, "Find a safe place, and if you need anything from me, contact me using this Bonfire Plate."
Han Li accepted the array plate to find that there was a flame design emblazoned on its surface, and he nodded in response before stowing it away.
After that, Daoist Hu Yan cautioned Han Li not to be discovered by cultivators from the Immortal Palace, then promptly departed with Yun Ni.
Han Li lingered in the area for a moment longer, then flew away in a different direction as a streak of azure light.
Half a month later.
Han Li emerged near Dark Veil Island amid a flash of azure light.
He took a glance at the island to find that all of the restrictions were still in place, indicating that the island remained in lockdown.
He then withdrew his gaze before flying away into the distance.
On the surface of the sea not far away from Dark Veil Island was an enormous vortex that was rumbling like thunder. All of the seawater within a radius of tens of thousands of kilometers were converging toward the vortex before being sucked into it.
Han Li flew straight into the sea, and before long, he arrived on the seabed.
Within a blue restriction sat his Earthly Deity Avatar with its eyes closed and its legs crossed, and there was a water law thread hovering above its head, slowly revolving in the same direction as the vortex up above.
The surrounding seawater was constantly converging toward the vortex before being rapidly converted into drops of heavy water, and at this point, there was already a ball of heavy water the size of a human head between the Earthly Deity Avatar's palms.
The ball of heavy water didn't appear to be remarkable in any way upon first glance, but Han Li could clearly sense that it was different.
In particular, its density far exceeded that of heavy water of the first level.
Han Li flew into the blue restriction as an azure shadow, then sat down with his legs crossed.
With only three or four years left, he couldn't be bothered to search for another place to go into seclusion, so he decided to return to Dark Veil Island.
He made a beckoning motion, and the ball of second level heavy water flew out of his avatar's grasp before landing in front of him.
Just this small ball of second level heavy water was already as heavy as a mountain that was several thousand feet tall.
Han Li closed his eyes as he released his spiritual sense, and he could sense tremendous water-attribute spiritual power surging out of the ball of second level heavy water, striking him with the false impression that he was currently standing in front of a vast lake.
He opened his eyes, and a pleased look appeared on his face.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, and he began considering refining all of his first level heavy water into second level heavy water.
However, he then shook his head to dismiss the thought.
He didn't have much time on his hands at the moment, and it was best to leave such a time-intensive task until after he returned from the immortal manor.
With a sweep of his sleeve, Han Li returned the ball of heavy water to his Earthly Deity Avatar, following which a contemplative look appeared on his face.
With only several years left before the emergence of the immortal manor, there wasn't enough time for him to make any substantial progress in any of his cultivation arts. Hence, the only way that he could maximize his powers in a short time would be to work on his spirit treasures and immortal treasures.
Immortal treasures that he had taken from others like the Seven Bright Star Rings weren't going to be easy to refine, so it seemed that his only options were the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords and the Heavy Water True Axis.
With that in mind, Han Li raised a hand, and a series of streaks of azure light flew out of his sleeve, transforming into 72 small azure swords with thin arcs of golden lightning flashing over them.
These were none other than his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, and they were giving off a tremendous and peerlessly sharp aura, causing the nearby seawater to quiver and shudder.
The swords had been slightly damaged during his battle against that Yin Wraith, but after being nurtured in his body over the past few days, they were close to making a full recovery.
Han Li lifted his other hand, and his Heavy Water True Axis also flew out of his body.
He looked back and forth between the two treasures for a moment, then ultimately decided on the Heavy Water True Axis and stowed his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords away.
While his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were his bonded treasure, it was not going to be easy to enhance their powers in a short time, and doing so without a proper plan could have a detrimental effect.
As for his Heavy Water True Axis, this was a faux immortal treasure that he had created using a cultivation art, and it still had much room for improvement. On top of that, even if it were damaged from a failed refinement attempt, the consequences would be far from catastrophic.
After making up his mind, Han Li took a deep breath, then made a hand seal, and the Water Dao Rune on the Heavy Water True Axis instantly lit up, releasing waves of blue ripples.
A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this.
As he had progressed in his cultivation through the years, he had developed a deeper understanding of how to use the Heavy Water True Axis in battle. It wasn't going to be very difficult to enhance its power, and he had even considered refining the treasure again on multiple past occasions.
He flipped a hand over to produce a jade slip, which contained the refinement method of the faux axis.
After that, he pressed the jade slip to his own forehead and closed his eyes.
Only after sitting completely still for three days did he reopen his eyes, then rose to his feet before pulling out some materials and beginning to make some inscriptions on the ground.
A day and a night later, an extremely complex array had appeared on the ground.
Within the array were eight ring designs that were giving off bursts of blue light, and Han Li was seated at the center of the array.
His Earthly Deity Avatar had also stopped manifesting heavy water and was seated across from him.
Han Li made a hand seal while opening his mouth to release a ball of azure nascent flames, and at the same time, his Earthly Deity Avatar also opened its mouth to release a ball of blue flames that mixed together with the azure nascent flames.
The two flames came together to form a blue and azure fireball that was several feet in size, and it enveloped the Heavy Water True Axis to scorch it with intense heat.
All of the runes on the Heavy Water True Axis instantly lit up as it began to tremble and buzz.
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