Chapter 1697: Entering the Realm

Other foreign cultivators preparing to enter the Guanghan Realm either continuously scrutinized the colossal formation or stared intently at the Guanghan Instrument, all wearing solemn expressions.

While the Guanghan Realm was indeed a mysterious place for breaking through bottlenecks, many had also perished there in previous expeditions. Most of those who died had aptitudes and divine abilities similar to their own. This naturally caused some apprehension among these foreign cultivators who were also about to enter the realm.

Han Li stood calmly in a corner, neither observing the formation nor focusing on the Guanghan Instrument. Instead, he gazed up at the several scorching suns high in the sky, squinting his eyes and remaining motionless.

Time passed slowly. After an unknown duration, a sudden dragon's roar echoed from the plaza, soaring into the sky. Han Li's expression stirred. He immediately lowered his head and scanned the plaza.

A faint light shimmered. On its surface, over a dozen dragon effigies suddenly opened their eyes, glowing with an unusual reddish-gold light, and raised their heads, roaring. Everyone beneath the five-colored light barrier, including the armored guards and other foreign cultivators, witnessed this sight and instantly fell silent.

"The Guanghan Realm has opened. Activate the formation and open the passage," a cold, bone-chilling voice suddenly rang out from the grand hall. It was the voice of the young man surnamed Weng.

At this command, everyone in the plaza felt a jolt. The foreign cultivators who had been waiting within the formation immediately activated the formation flags and array disks in their hands. Countless colorful magical incantations flew from their artifacts, dissolving into the formation. The two formations began to hum loudly. Spirit stones of various colors flashed rapidly, emitting an astonishing aura.

As if influenced by the formation's power, the area beneath the five-colored light barrier high in the sky suddenly darkened, and vast black clouds appeared out of thin air, completely obscuring the sky. Then, fierce winds began to howl. Silver streaks of lightning snaked through the clouds, accompanied by thunder, and black vortices of varying sizes suddenly formed, beginning to consume and tear at one another. For a moment, the celestial phenomena were utterly astonishing!

Between the formation and the celestial phenomena, the sphere of light enveloped in five-colored radiance now shattered inch by inch, revealing the glittering golden and silver tokens within.

"Fellow Daoist Han, Fairy Yue, you two may now lead your people into the formation and activate the Guanghan Tokens," Thousand-Mechanism Child proclaimed without hesitation upon witnessing this scene.

Han Li and Fairy Yue dared not delay and immediately strode towards the two formations. The remaining individuals also adopted serious expressions and followed closely behind. The foreign cultivators who had been activating their artifacts within this formation instead retreated from it, yet magical incantations continued to surge from their formation flags and array disks without any sign of stopping.

The moment Han Li stepped into the spiritual light of the formation, he felt a sudden jolt in his heart. His connection with the Guanghan Token in the air immediately strengthened severalfold. The already flickering Guanghan Token began to emit a low hum, as if dancing with joy at Han Li's arrival.

Thousand-Mechanism Child had, of course, already instructed him on how to activate this artifact. As Han Li reached the center of the formation, he swiftly formed hand seals, his ten fingers moving rapidly as if on spinning wheels. Streaks of magical incantations shot forth, and in just a few flashes, they struck the token suspended in the air.

The Guanghan Token immediately erupted in a great wave of golden and silver light. Countless golden and silver runes flew from its surface. These runes spun around the token, forming a luminous runic array approximately ten feet in diameter. The Guanghan Token rested at the very center of this light array.

Han Li took a deep breath. Halting his hand seals, he extended a finger and pointed solemnly towards the sky. A whooshing sound pierced the air. A pillar of green light shot forth, striking the token.

Instantly, the token emitted a loud, strange hum, and the entire light array began to tremble. Amidst a burst of golden and silver light, the formation slowly rotated and then shot forth a golden and silver pillar of light, as thick as a water vat. The pillar of light shot skyward, vanishing in a flash into one of the black vortices high above, showing no sign of stopping.

A rumbling sound echoed from the sky. The vortex, into which the light pillar vanished, seemed to be stirred by an immense force, causing black mist to surge and expand rapidly. Any other vortices nearby were immediately drawn in and torn to shreds, making the primary vortex even larger. In just a few breaths, all other vortices in the sky had vanished, leaving only two massive ones, approximately half a mile in size, continuously spewing thick black mist into the air.

At this moment, after a thunderous crack from the token in the light array, it transformed into a golden and silver electric light, vanished within the light array, and then suddenly reappeared at the center of the vortex. Following an earth-shattering bang, the golden and silver electric light burst forth, like the rising sun. A golden and silver halo emerged within the vortex, then plunged into its depths.

The next moment, a spatial fluctuation, as if capable of destroying heaven and earth, emanated from the black vortex. The entire vortex, along with the black mist, immediately dispersed and vanished, revealing a golden and silver rift in the void. It was only seventy or eighty feet wide, yet eerily motionless, as if painted into thin air.

At this moment, Han Li felt his spiritual sense being rapidly drained by the rift in the air, flowing away swiftly and continuously. His expression changed dramatically. He immediately shouted sternly: "What are you waiting for? Now is the time! I cannot hold on for much longer."

Upon hearing Han Li's words, the foreign cultivators around the formation, who had been continuously activating their formation flags and array disks, immediately responded by throwing their artifacts into the air, then forming hand seals and chanting incantations. Instantly, their artifacts transformed into luminous orbs, which then fell one after another, submerging into the formation.

The entire formation radiated an extraordinarily vibrant aura. Large, ancient runes emerged across its surface. As the incantations grew louder, these massive runes spun rapidly within the formation, accelerating continuously until they transformed into a stream of five-colored light. This light enveloped Han Li and the others, then shot skyward, plunging into the golden and silver rift high above. On the other side, the team led by Fairy Yue similarly plunged into the other golden and silver rift.

Almost the instant the two glowing mists vanished into the rifts, both spatial rifts abruptly flickered and disappeared. Everything in the sky returned to normal. Thousand-Mechanism Child and the others had been observing the entire process from the grand hall, and only upon witnessing this outcome did they all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

However, at this very moment, the cold voice of the young man surnamed Weng once again echoed from the grand hall: "In one year, the Guanghan Realm will open again. After reactivating the formation, they can be retrieved from their original locations. During this period, both formations must be strictly guarded. No one is allowed to approach them without permission. Violators will be killed."

"As you command!" Everyone in the plaza bowed towards the grand hall and responded in unison. Subsequently, the foreign cultivators who had been activating the formation flags and array disks dispersed from the formations. Then, teams of silver-armored guards and over a dozen tall puppets surged forward, completely surrounding the two formations.

The moment Han Li entered the golden and silver rift, he felt a sudden dizzy spell, and his vision went black. He nearly lost consciousness. But after a moment, a sudden splitting headache surged through his head. Only then did his vision return to normal. He hastily scanned his surroundings, finally discerning everything nearby.

He found himself high in the air, with an empty expanse beneath his feet. As far as his gaze reached, there was only a boundless expanse of azure sky and rippling green waves, seemingly an unknown sea. Shi Kun, Liu Shuier, and the other fourteen individuals were also within a few hundred feet around him. However, most of them still had dazed eyes, apparently not yet fully recovered from the cross-realm effects of the spatial rift.

"Haha! We've finally reached the Guanghan Realm! Now that I am here, this old man has hope of breaking through to the Saint Rank, fellow Daoists. I shall seek a secluded place for solitary cultivation. I'll be leaving first," a gray-haired old man exclaimed with a sudden burst of wild laughter after surveying his surroundings. With a flick of his sleeve, a spiritual light flared, transforming him into a silver rainbow that shot through the air. After just a few flashes, the old man's escape light vanished without a trace.

Upon witnessing this, the others exchanged glances. Immediately, three more individuals, without a word, activated their escape lights simultaneously and shot off in different directions, also vanishing into the distant sky. The remaining dozen or so individuals stood in place, their expressions varying, but none made any hasty moves.

"Fellow Daoists, while this Guanghan Realm offers a great opportunity to break through bottlenecks, a few months should suffice for that. For the rest of our time here, we mustn't return empty-handed from this treasure-filled place. Why don't we act together to seek treasures and look out for one another along the way?" The speaker was an unusually short, peculiar individual with a triangular head.

"Join forces? While I do intend to do so, I have no interest in cooperating with Fellow Daoist Jin. Among our peers from Heavenly Cloud, who doesn't know that Brother Jin is notoriously untrustworthy? Even if we found treasures, I would fear your ruthless methods. Brother Feng, Brother Yun, let the three of us depart," a burly man with an ordinary appearance but several thick golden rings on his arms scoffed, refusing the offer, then motioned to two men from the Azure Race. Those two seemed to have already reached an agreement with the burly man. Without a word, their bodies flared with spiritual light, and they transformed into three startling rainbows, flying off with him.

In the blink of an eye, only a meager six or seven individuals remained.

"Fellow Daoists, let us depart as well." Han Li showed no surprise at this turn of events; instead, he greeted Shi Kun and Liu Shuier with a slight smile.

"Indeed, we'll naturally act together," Shi Kun agreed with a laugh. The cloaked woman, however, simply gave a slight nod.

Thus, under the surprised gazes of the remaining few, Han Li and his two companions also activated their escape lights and shot off in a specific direction. As for whether the remaining individuals would join forces or act independently, Han Li naturally gave it no further thought.

The three's escape lights moved at a considerable speed. In just a short while, they had already traveled several hundred miles away. At this moment, Liu Shuier suddenly spoke from within her escape light: "Fellow Daoist Han, according to my master's instructions, we should first find a secluded spot to practice the combined attack of the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light. That way, if we encounter any danger, we'll have a greater chance of defending ourselves."