Chapter 1241: Again Journeying Far Away

Volume Seven: Traversing the Human Realm

Liu Yu felt a surge of excitement. If Han Li's cultivation truly advanced significantly again, her status would undoubtedly rise, and the benefits would be immeasurable. To be frank, having tasted the allure of power, it was unlikely she could calm her heart and focus solely on cultivation again. After all, the feeling of even Nascent Soul cultivators and powerful old monsters treating her with immense courtesy was something she truly relished.

Moreover, she was well aware of her own aptitude. After several failed attempts to form a Nascent Soul, she had completely given up on that aspiration, choosing instead to focus on assisting Lu Luo in managing everything related to the Falling Cloud Sect. Even if the path of cultivation eluded her, she had no intention of ending her life silently and without impact. Therefore, a significant portion of the Falling Cloud Sect's rapid development was genuinely the result of her diligent efforts and meticulous planning. This, in turn, greatly pleased Lu Luo, who consequently granted her more authority in day-to-day affairs.

However, when the Falling Cloud Sect entourage arrived outside Zimu Peak, they were blocked by a layer of restrictions. Seeing the spiritual clouds high in the sky begin to form a massive funnel, slowly descending towards the lower Mother Peak, they urgently sent a voice transmission through the restrictions. A moment later, the mist blocking their path churned and then split open on its own, forming a passage. Without hesitation, the group transformed into streaks of light and entered.

As soon as they emerged from the mist, they saw Mu Peiling waiting at the exit. She was holding a yellow magic banner, quietly awaiting their arrival.

“Greetings, Elders,” Mu Peiling said, bowing respectfully. “Sister Nangong has been waiting near the central library for quite some time. Please follow me.” She put away the magic banner and lightly gestured towards a distant subsidiary peak.

Hearing this, Lu Luo and the others naturally had no objections. They immediately led the group directly towards that subsidiary peak. Upon reaching the summit of the peak, Nangong Wan stood there dressed in a pristine white palace gown, spotless, like a fairy from the Moon Palace. However, her brows were slightly furrowed. Upon seeing Lu Luo and the others arrive, she merely gave a gentle nod, her bright eyes flickering as she gazed intently at the rapidly changing, massive spiritual cloud not far away.

Standing beside her were two other cultivators, a man and a woman: Tian Qin’er and the male disciple named Shi Jian. Both of them had successfully formed their Core back then, decades ago. Tian Qin’er, in particular, had consumed a Beauty-Retaining Pill, which kept her appearance perpetually like that of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. Thus, even after so many years, she still looked like a young maiden. After greeting the female cultivator surnamed Song and Lu Luo earlier, the two of them returned to stand respectfully behind Nangong Wan.

“Elder Nangong, is Junior Martial Brother Han attempting to break through to the Deity Transformation stage?” Lu Luo asked as soon as he saw Nangong Wan, a hint of excitement showing on his face.

“Besides attempting to reach the Deity Transformation realm, what other ordinary bottleneck breakthrough would cause such a grand phenomenon?” Nangong Wan replied softly, a clear look of worry in her eyes. “It’s just that this celestial omen has been going on for a while, and it doesn’t seem to be going very smoothly.”

“Not smoothly? But Junior Martial Brother Han has already caused such an astonishing celestial phenomenon, hasn’t he?” Lu Luo asked, surprised.

“If the spiritual clouds in the sky could be summoned to descend onto the peak and merge with my husband, then this breakthrough would be mostly successful. However, the trend of these spiritual clouds descending is very forced; it indicates an inability to fully grasp and control the elemental energy of heaven and earth. Therefore, I’m afraid this breakthrough won’t be very smooth,” Nangong Wan explained slowly, seemingly having considerable insight into breakthroughs to the Deity Transformation stage.

The others listened to Nangong Wan’s words and then looked up at the spiritual clouds in the sky. Indeed, they saw the shimmering cloud cluster attempt to descend towards the Mother Peak several times, but each time it was bounced back by an invisible force, unable to truly fall, appearing to struggle immensely.

Lu Luo’s heart sank as he watched, and he had no time to ask for further details. He could only stare intently at the distant sky without blinking. Although the female cultivator surnamed Song remained silent, her beautiful eyes flickered, clearly indicating her mind was not as calm as her exterior suggested. The other cultivators naturally felt varying emotions, but in front of the two Nascent Soul elders, none dared to speak casually, all maintaining a respectful demeanor.

Just then, the spiritual clouds in the distant sky, which had been fluctuating up and down, suddenly trembled violently and emitted a strange, rumbling sound. The massive cloud mass then churned erratically before exploding with an earth-shattering roar. Multicolored spiritual light flashed in the air and then vanished without a trace. And the spiritual energy light clusters that had been continuously flying towards the peak also blurred and dissipated into nothingness amidst a clear, unusual sigh that emanated from the Mother Peak. In an instant, everything around Zimu Peak returned to normal.

Seeing this scene, Nangong Wan couldn't help but show a trace of regret on her face. At this moment, however, the female cultivator surnamed Song spoke first:

“Evidently, Senior Martial Brother Han had already put half a foot through the door to Deity Transformation, but ultimately failed at the last hurdle. However, it’s alright. With Senior Martial Brother Han’s current lifespan and his astonishing cultivation, it’s only a matter of time before he enters the Deity Transformation realm after a few more attempts.”

“Indeed, with Junior Martial Brother Han’s cultivation, to cause such an astonishing celestial phenomenon on his first attempt means entering Deity Transformation should definitely not be a problem,” Lu Luo agreed, nodding after withdrawing his gaze, though he too felt it was a pity.

“While that may be true,” Nangong Wan said with a wry smile after a moment of silence, “my husband has always been extremely cautious. Since he decided to attempt a breakthrough to Deity Transformation, he must have made thorough preparations. His cultivation must have reached a point where he couldn’t advance any further before taking this final step. In that case, without other fortuitous encounters, even several more attempts would likely be futile.”

Lu Luo and the female cultivator surnamed Song naturally understood this logic; their previous words had merely been words of comfort. Hearing Nangong Wan’s explanation, they found it difficult to say anything further. Liu Yu naturally felt a similar deep regret. Just as she was about to speak, Han Li’s clear voice suddenly emanated from the Mother Peak. The voice wasn’t loud, yet even from such a distance, many could hear it distinctly, as if he were speaking right beside them:

“Wan’er! Senior Martial Brother Lu, Junior Martial Sister Song. Since you’ve arrived, please come to my dwelling. My attempt to break through to Deity Transformation was unsuccessful, so I’ll likely have to leave Tiannan for a while again. There are some things I need to discuss with them. Oh, and ask Liu Yu to come along as well.”

“Senior Martial Brother Lu, Junior Martial Sister Song, let us go together,” Nangong Wan said with a faint smile to Lu Luo and the others, momentarily startled by Han Li’s words before her expression returned to normal.

Lu Luo and the female cultivator surnamed Song exchanged glances. Naturally, they wouldn’t refuse. Immediately, along with Liu Yu, they transformed into several streaks of light and shot towards the Mother Peak.

Tian Qin’er and Shi Jian, who were standing nearby, had not been summoned by Han Li. Though their disappointment was evident, they could only remain respectfully in place with the other Core Formation cultivators, quietly waiting for the others to return. Without orders from Nangong Wan or the other elders, the remaining Core Formation cultivators dared not leave easily. It was only after the female cultivator surnamed Song and the others had disappeared into the Mother Peak that they began to whisper among themselves. Some, who had a good relationship with Shi Jian and Tian Qin’er, came over and engaged in unusually enthusiastic conversation. Although Tian Qin’er and Shi Jian had already formed their Cores, due to Han Li’s strict orders, they usually spent most of their time cultivating in seclusion on the Mother Peak and rarely ventured out. Thus, they chatted very amicably with the others.

Nangong Wan and the others remained in Han Li’s dwelling for several hours, yet no one emerged for a long time. The cultivators on the subsidiary peak, naturally surprised and puzzled, privately speculated about what important matters the sect elders were discussing.

Three months later, a streak of green light flew out from the Falling Cloud Mountain Range, vanishing into the sky in the blink of an eye. Several days later, news spread from the Falling Cloud Sect that Grand Elder Han had departed the sect and was once again traveling. As for the purpose of his travels and their duration, the information was vague, and no one could clarify it.

While this news surprised some, no one was overly alarmed. This was because, half a month earlier, the news of Grand Elder Han’s failed attempt to break through to the Deity Transformation stage had already secretly spread, becoming known to almost all sects, big and small, throughout Tiannan. This event caused those sects secretly wary of Han Li to inwardly sigh with relief. Although Han Li was already the foremost cultivator in Tiannan, if he had successfully advanced to the Deity Transformation stage, his lifespan could extend to over two thousand years. Such a prolonged existence would be too long for certain ambitious sects. Naturally, they were unwilling to be suppressed by such a dominant figure for such an extended period.

Since his attempt to reach Deity Transformation had failed, Han Li’s current travels were seen by others as a logical progression of events. After all, if bitter cultivation alone wasn't enough, one would naturally go out to seek fortuitous encounters. Of course, the chances of success in doing so were pitifully small. Otherwise, the three great cultivators of Tiannan would not have remained stuck at the late Nascent Soul stage for centuries, with none successfully advancing to Deity Transformation. The high-ranking members of these sects were not particularly concerned about this.

Incidentally, apart from Han Li, there were now only two late-Nascent Soul cultivators left in Tiannan. It turned out that Grand Elder Wei Wuya of the Nine Nations Alliance had already passed away over a hundred years ago. However, the news of his demise had been kept sealed by the Spirit Transformation Sect, where Wei Wuya resided, only truly spreading in recent years. This was the most earth-shattering event to occur in Tiannan in recent times. This caused considerable turmoil within the Nine Nations Alliance, and some sect forces were re-divided.

When Han Li emerged from seclusion and heard this news, he felt a wave of emotion. Although Wei Wuya was seemingly only one step away from the Deity Transformation realm, it was precisely this single, failed step that completely severed his connection with the Grand Dao. It was truly a regrettable and lamentable outcome! However, this only strengthened his resolve for longevity. To Han Li, without the art of eternal life, everything he possessed now would be fleeting, mere smoke and mirrors. Even with divine abilities to overturn rivers and seas, it would ultimately amount to nothing. He was absolutely unwilling for his life to end this way.