Chapter 47: Probing
It was already very late at night as Han Li emerged from his cave abode, and he took a moment to ascertain the correct direction before flying away as a streak of light.
However, he had only flown for a short while when an enormous white palm suddenly appeared above him without any warning, then came crashing down upon him.
At the same time, countless white fire lotus flowers appeared in the air around him before revolving on the spot, releasing countless flower petals that instantly encircled an area with a radius of over 1,000 feet, making it impossible for Han Li to avoid the descending giant palm.
A glacial aura swept through the area, causing the air temperature to plummet drastically, and a layer of frost had appeared on the nearby ground.
Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this, then threw a punch to release a burst of enormous power.
A string of dull thumps rang out, and almost all of the white fire lotus flowers disintegrated like apparitions, dissipating into countless specks of light.
The spiritual light on the surface of the giant white palm was also trembling violently in the face of the immense power unleashed by Han Li's punch, and the surrounding space began to warp as a burst of rumbling rang out.
The owner of the giant palm seemed to have been caught off guard by this, and the palm was withdrawn in a slightly panicked manner before vanishing into thin air.
Immediately thereafter, spatial fluctuations erupted not far away, and a humanoid figure appeared. The figure's entire body was enshrouded under a layer of white light, making it impossible to make out their physical appearance. They were holding a translucent blue jade ruler in their hand, and there were profound patterns etched all over the surface of the ruler.
As soon as the figure appeared, they immediately tossed the ruler in their hand high up into the sky.
The ruler circled around in the air before swelling to over 1,000 feet in length, and all of the patterns on its surface began to radiate dazzling blue light.
The white figure raised a hand, and the massive ruler immediately came crashing down toward Han Li with incredible might.
In response, Han Li reached out with one hand before making a grabbing motion.
Even though no direct contact was made, an enormous burst of force was still sent surging toward the massive ruler, stopping it cold in its tracks and causing the spiritual light on its surface to quiver violently.
Right at this moment, the light radiating from the patterns on the giant ruler brightened significantly, forming a monstrous projection of a creature with a cow's head and a dragon's body.
The projection opened its mouth to let loose a thunderous roar, and the blue ruler began to descend again.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he activated his Big Dipper Origin Arts. Five specks of blue light immediately appeared on his chest and abdomen, forming a clear Big Dipper constellation. However, the first five stars in the constellation were bright and dazzling, while the other two stars were dull and devoid of luster.
He then abruptly clenched the fingers of his outstretched hand together, causing the nearby space to warp and churn violently.
The monstrous projection released by the giant ruler let loose an anguished howl before disintegrating with a dull thump.
"Stop, Fellow Daoist Han! It's me, Sima Jingming!" the white figure hurriedly said upon seeing this.
The white light around him faded as he spoke, revealing a purple-robed man with a head of white hair.
A hint of surprise flashed through Han Li's eyes, and he stopped right before he was about to clench his hand into a fist.
Sima Jingming quickly made a series of hand seals, and the blue ruler shrank down to its original size before returning to his grasp in a flash.
Only then did he heave a sigh of relief.
Through the spirit treasure in his hand, he was able to clearly sense just how fearsome that grab from Han Li was. If he had hesitated even a moment longer, the ruler would've at least been severely damaged, if not completely destroyed.
He hadn't gone all-out in his attack, but judging from how casual and nonchalant Han Li looked, it was clear that he had held back as well.
"What is the meaning of this, Fellow Daoist Sima?" Han Li asked in an expressionless manner as he clasped his hands behind his back.
"Please don't misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Han. I have no intention of disrespecting you, I simply wanted to test your power. After all, your agreement with our patriarch is extremely important to our sect, and I have to see exactly what our sect is getting in exchange for all of the resources that you've taken," Sima Jingming said with a smile as he stowed his jade ruler away.
"So what do you think now?" Han Li asked with a hint of a smile on his face.
"You are far more powerful than I expected, Brother Han. In addition to that, it's truly astounding that you were able to cultivate the Big Dipper Origin Arts to this extent in such a short time. There have been some in our sect who have attempted to pursue this cultivation art in the past, but none of them were able to make any substantial progress," Sima Jingming praised in a heartfelt manner.
"You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist Sima," Han Li replied with a smile. "Regarding the scriptures that I took from the inner library, I can make replacement copies of all of them once I return from my errand."
"Thank you for the kind offer, but there's no need for that, Fellow Daoist Han. Our sect has backup copies of all of the lost scriptures. All I ask is that you don't forget your promise to our patriarch," Sima Jingming said as he cupped his fist in a salute toward Han Li from afar.
"Rest assured, I won't go back on my word," Han Li replied in a calm manner.
"That's very reassuring to hear. It looks like you still have some matters to attend to, so I won't hold you up any longer, Brother Han," Sima Jingming said as he cupped his fist in a salute.
Han Li didn't say anything further as azure spiritual light appeared over his body, and he flew away into the distance, vanishing out of sight in the blink of an eye.
……
In the Northern Glacial Immortal Region of the Immortal Realm.
There was a mountain that was over 10,000 feet tall, enshrouded in a dense mist that was filled with spiritual qi. On the pinnacle of the mountain stood a resplendent golden palace that was shimmering under the rising sun.
At this moment, there was an elderly man with a long beard, seated on a sandalwood chair in the palace. The man was wearing a purple and golden daoist robe, and a lotus flower crown on his head. He was holding a jade teacup, out of which he took a small sip, then raised his head to cast his gaze toward the person standing before him.
The person in question was a black-robed young man who appeared to be around 20 to 30 years of age, and he extended a respectful bow toward the elderly man as he said, "Immortal Master Tong Xu, my name is Fang Ban, and I've come here today with the hope that you can track down someone for me."
"I have no interest in who you are. Do you know the rules of this place?" the elderly man asked in an indifferent voice as he gently set his teacup down onto the table beside him.
The black-robed young man immediately took a half-step forward as he declared, "I present to you a 10,000-year-old Voidsea Purple Yang Flower, two top-grade Golden Dragon Eye Stones, and a vial of Yin Yang Reversal Elixir. Will that be sufficient, Immortal Master?"
Two intricate purple boxes and a white jade vial appeared in the air before him as he spoke. The lids of the boxes and the stopper of the vial had all been removed to reveal the contents inside.
The elderly man's eyes lit up slightly upon seeing this, and he gave a slight nod of approval. "Looks like you've come to me with some sincerity. Who is it that you're looking for?"
"I'm looking for a formidable foe that I fought against 300 years ago. I thought that he had already perished during our battle, but recently, I learned that he's still alive. However, I don't know where he is right now, and I was hoping that you would help me find him," the black-robed young man replied as his brows furrowed slightly.
"Do you have anything related to his bloodline, or any clippings of his hair or nails or anything like that?" the elderly man asked.
The black-robed young man hesitated momentarily, then flipped a hand over to produce a white porcelain vial, which he offered to the elderly man as he said, "The person I'm searching for has a very special bloodline, and I was able to secure a drop of his blood essence during our battle. Would this be sufficient, Immortal Master?"
The elderly man accepted the vial before swirling its contents around, and to his surprise, the vial was unexpectedly heavy. He then removed the stopper of the vial before taking a slight whiff, upon which a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
"How strange! Who exactly is this person? His bloodline contains the powers of many types of true spirits," Immortal Master Tong Xu exclaimed.
"Truth be told, he was originally from a lower realm and ascended to the Immortal Realm. He possessed many strange abilities and was an extremely troublesome opponent. I was only able to defeat him by some strokes of fortune," the black-robed young man replied after a brief hesitation.
"I see. Come with me."
Immortal Master Tong Xu was silent for a moment before rising to his feet, then made his way toward the rear hall of the palace with his hands clasped behind his back.
The black-robed young man followed him as they passed by a beautiful golden screen, then passed through the rear hall to arrive in a secret chamber.
The secret chamber was extremely spacious with three circles of patterns engraved on the ground, clearly forming some type of extremely complex array. There were no tables and chairs in the room, and the only thing in the chamber was a large copper urn at the very center.
The urn was roughly three feet tall, and its surface was also riddled with strange patterns that connected seamlessly with the patterns on the ground.
The black-robed young man followed Immortal Master Tong Xu to the urn, then looked down to find that it was filled with black liquid, with a reflection of the two visible on the surface of the liquid.
Immortal Master Tong Xu removed the stopper of the vial in his hand, then tipped all of the blood essence inside into the urn.
A drop of golden blood flowed out of the vial, then fell into the urn with a small splash, sending ripples cascading across the surface of the liquid in the urn.
Immediately thereafter, the inky black color of the liquid in the urn began to recede in all directions, and in the blink of an eye, it had become extremely clear and transparent.
Through the liquid, it could be seen that there were circles of patterns engraved onto the bottom of the urn as well.
Immortal Master Tong Xu began to chant a complex incantation, then suddenly uttered the word "open".
At the same time, he poked his index finger against his own glabella, then pointed at the large copper urn.
A faint buzzing sound rang out, and the urn shuddered as soon Immortal Master Tong Xu's finger came into contact with its rim, following which a burst of bright azure light began to radiate from the patterns on the urn.
After that, the light quickly spread along the patterns, and soon, the entire array on the ground had lit up.
Before Fang Ban had a chance to react, he found himself enshrouded within a vast expanse of azure light.
He discovered that he was standing above a large body of water, and he inspected his surroundings to discover a lush mountain range.
"I'm... inside the urn!" Fang Ban murmured to himself as an enlightened look appeared on his face.
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