"Why are you here on this island, Wan'er? I wasn't planning to make a trip to the Scattered Star Seas soon."
This person was none other than his Dao Companion, Nangong Wan.
"I was concerned about the spatial node, so I came to have a look. I've been waiting here for several decades now!" Nangong Wan replied with a smile.
"Several decades? Sounds like you arrived not long after I left," Han Li chuckled.
"That does appear to be the case. I also met Fellow Daoist Phoenix." Nangong Wan also chuckled with an amused expression.
"You met her already?" Han Li was rather surprised to hear this.
"Of course I have. Not only that, but we've become really close friends in the past few decades," Nangong Wan replied with a cunning smile.
Han Li was a little speechless upon hearing this.
Nangong Wan glanced around them before suggesting, "Let's go and talk on the island."
Han Li naturally wouldn't object to this and he nodded in response. Thus, they flew toward a pavilion on the island along with the group of cultivators that had emerged to greet him.
As soon as the two of them took a seat in the hall of the pavilion, Nangong Wan dismissed all of the other cultivators, allowing only Tian Qin'er to remain behind.
"Qin'er, how is your Dragon Cry Physique?" Han Li asked.
"Thank you for your guidance for these past years, Master. Fellow Daoist Phoenix bestowed a few drops of glacial essence upon me, so my physique has been completely cured. I'm now preparing to progress to the Nascent Soul Stage," Tian Qin'er replied with a grateful expression.
"That's good to hear. Looks like the efforts I expended won't be in vain, after all." A joyful smile appeared on Han Li's face in response.
"Qin'er, go and invite Fellow Daoist Phoenix here. Tell her that your master has returned, and that we have pressing matters to discuss with her," Nangong Wan instructed in a warm voice.
"Yes!" Tian Qin'er immediately nodded before departing from the pavilion.
A hint of surprise flashed through Han Li's eyes, and even though he didn't say anything, he immediately aimed an inquisitive glance toward Nangong Wan following Tian Qin'er's departure.
"I heard that you've been searching for ways to minimize the hazards involved in entering the spatial node; have you found anything?" Nangong Wan suddenly asked.
"My search wasn't entirely fruitless, but the items that I found are rather disappointing." Han Li shook his head with a slightly dejected look.
Nangong Wan's brows furrowed slightly as she said, "Looks like you'll have to join forces with Fellow Daoist Phoenix to ensure the best chance of success, then. There's no need for you to be overly concerned. After all, you possess two Divine Spirit Treasures and you've achieved full mastery of the Divine Essencefused Light. No ordinary cultivator can compare to you. I also have a treasure with powerful defensive properties with me here for you to take on your journey."
"What kind of treasure could this be?" A rather peculiar look appeared on Han Li's face.
Nangong Wan smiled and was just about to say something when she suddenly closed her mouth.
Moments later, the sound of footsteps rang out from outside the hall, following which a silver-robed woman strode in.
She was none other than that Ice Phoenix!
Nangong Wan immediately rose to her feet upon seeing her, and a faint smile appeared on her face as she said, "Please take a seat, Fellow Daoist Phoenix. My Dao Companion and I were just discussing your joint venture into the spatial node."
Chapter 1264: Six Divine Talisman
"There's no need for him to enter the spatial node with me, is there?" the silver-robed woman asked in an indifferent voice as she sat down in a chair.
Nangong Wan was completely unfazed by the silver-robed woman's aloof response as she continued, "Surely you jest, Fellow Daoist Phoenix. The spatial node is extremely perilous and entering it alone would be akin to suicide. I'm sure you've seen how unstable this spatial node has been in the past few decades, and it's most likely close to collapsing."
"It's not impossible for me to enter the spatial node with him. However, I have a condition that he must agree to before I can work together with him." The silver-robed woman glanced at Han Li with a peculiar look in her eyes.
"What's your condition?" Han Li was rather curious now.
"I still don't fully trust you, so if I were to enter the spatial node with you, we have to set restrictions on each other prior to entry. In that case, if one of us falls into trouble, the other side must assist them with all their might. Otherwise, neither of us will be able to leave the spatial node alive. I'll only agree to join forces with you if you agree to that condition," the Ice Phoenix replied.
Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Han Li's face as he immediately agreed, "I have no objections to this condition. In fact, it also puts me at ease."
In contrast, the silver-robed woman was rather taken aback by Han Li's quick response, and she aimed a cold glance at Han Li before continuing, "In that case, I have to leave this place for a while to make some preparations. This spatial node can last at least three more decades, so I'll come back to meet you here in exactly 30 years. I hope you won't change your mind by then."
The silver-robed woman departed as soon as she finished her sentence, not giving Han Li any time to state his opinion.
Han Li's brows furrowed, but he didn't say anything. It was instead Nangong Wan who rose to her feet to accompany the Ice Phoenix out of the pavilion. It appeared that Nangong Wan had something to say to her alone.
After the two women exited the hall, Han Li fell into deep thought, seemingly contemplating the suggestion the Ice Phoenix had just raised.
After a short while, he raised his head just as Nangong Wan returned to the room.
"Looks like you'll really be departing in 30 years." A hint of dejection appeared in Nangong Wan's beautiful eyes.
"My main concern now is that this spatial node will collapse soon, and you won't be able to reach the Spirit Realm even if you progress to the Deity Transformation Stage," Han Li sighed with furrowed brows.
"That's not a problem. This isn't the only spatial node in this world and I've already taken the Returning Sun Water. If I can reach the Deity Transformation Stage, my lifespan would be far lengthier than that of the average Deity Transformation cultivator. I'm sure I'll be able to find another spatial node in the human world during that time," Nangong Wan replied in a gentle voice.
She then made her way over to Han Li and slowly lowered herself into Han Li's arms.
Han Li wound his arms around her exquisite body, and was slightly entranced as he inhaled her faint fragrant scent.
Neither of them wanted to say anything as they basked in each other's warmth. The light spilling in from the window cast their shadow onto the ground, and it appeared from that shadow that they had already combined as one.
After a long while, Han Li asked in a gentle voice, "By the way, Wan'er what's that defensive treasure you were talking about earlier?"
Nangong Wan reluctantly freed herself from Han Li's embrace as she smoothed down her palatial dress, and asked, "Do you recall the golden box I found in that underground cave during the Trial by Blood and Fire?"
"Golden box? Oh, yes, I do recall that box."
"The bloody restricted area was actually the hidden abode of an ancient cultivator, and that golden box contained the restriction badge that would grant one access into the tallest tower at the center of the restricted area. Even with that badge, one would still have to at least be at the late-Nascent Soul Stage to enter that area and be unaffected by the strange restrictions there. Once I reached the late-Nascent Soul Stage, I immediately traveled to the State of Yue to venture into this tower and obtained the inheritance of this ancient cultivator. Aside from that, I also discovered the remains of a cultivator within a certain restriction in the tower. He had clearly ventured into the tower without a restriction badge, and had fallen there as a
result. The treasures that he was carrying were all quite extraordinary, so he must've been quite a powerful cultivator in his heyday. One of those treasures would most likely be very helpful to you, so I brought it along with me," Nangong carefully explained. As she spoke, she patted a storage pouch hanging from her waist to produce a ball of shimmering six-colored light, within which a silver talisman could be seen.
"This talisman is what you were referring to?" Han Li was struck by a sense of familiarity when he saw this item, but he was unable to put his finger on where he had seen it before.
"I'm not sure who refined this talisman, but let me show you its ability first." Nangong Wan smiled as she tossed the silver talisman into the air, then made a hand seal as she chanted in her beautiful voice.
An incredible scene ensued.
The silver talisman suddenly transformed into a burst of silver light as it flew toward Nangong Wan, enshrouding her entire body under a silver light barrier.
Silver light was flashing violently on the barrier, and the barrier itself was rumbling incessantly.
Han Li didn't pay any heed to this initially, but as the rumbling became more and more pronounced and relentless, he discovered that it was drawing more spiritual Qi into the hall, thereby increasing the spiritual Qi density in the surrounding area.
Han Li stirred as he narrowed his eyes upon seeing this.
Right at this moment, a wisp of colorful spiritual light surfaced within the hall before surging toward Nangong Wan in a frenzy, disappearing into the light barrier in the blink of an eye.
The silver light barrier began to flash erratically as layers of barriers began to materialize around Nangong Wan, each of which was a different dazzling color.
A few moments later, six layers of light barriers had taken shape.
A thought suddenly occurred to Han Li upon seeing this, and he exclaimed, "That's the Six Divine Talisman!"
"The Six Divine Talisman? Is that what it's called? Do you recognize this talisman?" Nangong Wan was slightly taken aback by Han Li's reaction, but she continued to make hand seals.
The six layers of light barriers instantly transformed into a six-colored suit of armor that adhered tightly to her body. Exuberant spiritual light was shimmering over the surface of this suit of armor, creating quite a spectacular sight to behold.
"I think I do. Even though I haven't seen this talisman in person, I've seen descriptions of it in a tome from one of the Great Jin's sects. The Six Divine Talisman is a kind of talisman than draws upon the world's origin Qi in the surrounding environment rather than drawing power from the cultivator's magic power," Han Li replied with bright eyes.
This was one of the three secret talismans of the Heavenly Talisman Sect, and he had been trying to get his hands on the refinement method for this talisman for a long time. However, he has been unable to find any leads on it, so he could only give up. Could it be that the remains that Nangong Wan had found belonged to that elder of the Heavenly Talisman Sect? Was that also the reason why Xiang Zhili had entered the bloody restricted area?
A string of thoughts flashed through Han Li's mind, but he found them to be rather implausible in the end.
He didn't delve on these thoughts for much longer as he made his way over to Nangong Wan and began to carefully inspect the suit of six-colored arms she had donned.
Aside from her limbs and head, the suit of armor had covered virtually Nangong Wan's entire body. Furthermore, its surface was quite smooth, and the fainty shimmering runes on the armor lent it a sense of mystery and intrigue.
At Han Li's current cultivation base, he was able to easily detect the fearsome spiritual power imbued within the suit of armor.
"This is most definitely the Six Divine Talisman, but according to the description I saw on that tome, this shouldn't be the extent of the talisman's power; you haven't unleashed its full power yet, have you, Wan'er?" Han Li asked.
"You're right, I've only unleashed a tenth of its power," Nangong Wan replied with a smile.
"Good. This talisman will indeed be very useful for my venture into the spatial node. By the way, did you find the refinement method for this talisman on the remains of the cultivator you discovered in the tower?" Han Li asked.
"No, I only managed to find this talisman," Nangong Wan replied with a shake of her head.
Han Li was slightly disappointed to hear this, but after thinking about it, he shook his head and chuckled, "Forget it, I was too greedy there. It's already very fortunate that you were able to discover this talisman."
Nangong Wan gave Han Li a warm smile before patting the suit of armor around her body, following which it reverted back into its talisman form.
She then opened her mouth and expelled a burst of red light, which enveloped the talisman before sending it flying toward Han Li.
Han Li accepted the talisman without any objections.
During the coming days, Han Li stayed on the island and cherished his remaining time with Nangong Wan.
Both of them knew that regardless of whether Han Li would be able to successfully ascend to the Spirit Realm, this would most likely be the only remaining time they had together. In the future, it was quite possible that they would be separated forever, and the chances of them reuniting were quite infinitesimal.
As such, both of them cast aside all inhibitions and enjoyed their time with one another to the fullest.
However, three years later, Han Li and Nangong Wan were enjoying some tea on a scenic mountain when Han Li's expression suddenly changed.
He rustled his sleeve, and a jade talisman emerged before landing in his hand.
It was none other than a Myriad Distance Talisman.
Han Li immediately cast his gaze toward the talisman in his hand.
Even though the message on the talisman was quite brief, it was enough to bring an elated expression onto Han Li's face.
The message had been sent to him by the humanoid puppet, informing him that the Profound Goddess's Palm had finally borne fruit.
One year later, a streak of azure light flashed into an obscure ravine within the Devilfall Valley's inner valley.
Han Li stayed within the ravine for several months before departing once again.
Time flew by and 30 years flashed past, seemingly in the blink of an eye. Within the misty seas, a group of cultivators in different attire gathered below a massive ball of light.
Chapter 1265: Entering the Spatial Node
Han Li stood below the ball of light, looking up with a solemn. Nangong Wan stood beside him in silence.
Everyone else was also completely silent, and they seemed to be waiting for something. Among this group of people were Tian Qin'er, as well as Shi Jian, who had already become the Thousand Bamboo Sect Master.
After a long while, Tian Qin'er couldn't help but ask, "Master, will Senior Phoenix Really come here today? It'll be quite troublesome if we can only lift the seal after noon."
"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Phoenix sent me a message a month ago, so she'll definitely arrive today," Han Li replied without even turning his head.
Tian Qin'er fell silent again and continued to wait upon hearing this.
A short while later, Han Li abruptly turned his gaze toward a certain patch of mist.
Everyone else also turned their attention in the same direction.
A heavenly cry soon rang out from that direction, following which the mist tumbled and surged before revealing a snowy white Ice Phoenix that was several tens of feet in length.
The phoenix only flapped its wings several times before reaching Han Li and the others, upon which it transformed into a silver-robed woman amid a brilliant flash of spiritual light.
The woman turned to Han Li with an indifferent expression, and asked, "I'm not late, am I?"
"Of course not. You can lift the seal now, Qin'er. Fellow Daoist Phoenix, we can set up each other's restrictions now." Han Li issued an instruction to Tian Qin'er before turning to the Ice Phoenix with a smile. He then d
isappeared into the mist as a streak of azure light.
The silver-robed woman raised an eyebrow before following him as a streak of silver light. Nangong Wan remained standing on the spot, looking at the direction that the two had disappeared in with a hint of concern in her eyes.
At this moment, Tian Qin'er and a dozen or so other cultivators rose into the air, where they assembled in a strange formation directly beneath the massive ball of light. After that, spiritual light flashed as they produced a series of formation plates, formation flags, and various other types of treasures.
Following an instruction from Tian Qin'er, all of these cultivators raised their formation tools in unison. Scintillating light radiated forth as the formation tools released either pillars or wisps of light, all of which disappeared into the ball of light up above.
Tian Qin'er and the group of cultivators then set about lifting the restriction around the spatial node.
Time slowly passed and as the restriction was gradually loosened, the ball of light that had previously been quite blurry and indistinct became clearer and more dazzling. Furthermore, its color also transformed from a dull grey into a scorching white, making it appear as if a new sun had surfaced over the misty seas. In the face of such piercing light, even a great cultivator like Nangong Wan was forced to narrow her eyes and look away.
Meanwhile, Tian Qin'er's group of cultivators had already closed their eyes and were manipulating their formation tools through the use of their spiritual sense alone. Right this moment, a large hand suddenly appeared on Nangong Wan's shoulder. At the same time, a warm male voice sounded beside her ear. "Are you still worried?"
Nangong Wan's body stiffened before relaxing as she put on a rather forced smile and turned around. Han Li was standing behind her, appraising her with a smile on his face.
"I definitely am still worried, but we're defying the natural order by pursuing the Great Dao anyway, so there are bound to be hazards involved. Have you and Fellow Daoist Phoenix already finished setting up restrictions?" Nangong Wan asked in a gentle voice after heaving a faint sigh.
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