Chapter 1797: Ceremony

Volume 9: Myriad Races of the Spirit Realm

After passing through a long corridor and circling a significant distance, Han Li and the others bypassed the main hall of the ancestral temple and entered directly into the rear hall.

Inside a hidden chamber in the hall, a white stone staircase descended diagonally into the depths of the ground.

At the entrance of the staircase, several secret guards stood watch, vigilant.

Xu Jiao waved his hand, and the secret guards immediately bowed and moved aside.

The group entered the somewhat dim staircase.

The passage was dim, and intermittent chills wafted up from below. Fist-sized moonstones were embedded at regular intervals along both walls, causing the spiritual light in the passage to flicker, creating deep shadows that danced like ghostly moths.

Fortunately, the stone staircase was not long. After a short while, everyone emerged into a meticulously designed massive underground hall.

Han Li glanced around, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The entire hall was constructed from a pale black jade, spanning an area of three to four hundred zhang. Complex and mysterious white runes were inscribed on the surrounding walls and ceiling. These runes glowed with a white spiritual light, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daylight.

However, the most striking feature in the hall was an unusually intricate pool-like platform in the center.

The platform was hexagonal, surrounded by a massive formation.

Within the platform, a circular pool was filled with a bizarre, bright red liquid. Yet, there was no bloody scent; instead, a rich, fragrant aroma emanated from the pool.

Inside this massive formation, over a dozen Xu family cultivators were seated in meditation, forming a circle around the hexagonal platform.

Among them were Xu Yan and Xu Huo, whom Han Li had previously met.

“Greetings, Senior Han! Thank you for assisting the Xu family.” Upon seeing Han Li enter the hall accompanied by Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao, the two Void Refinement cultivators of the Xu family immediately understood his purpose. Overjoyed, they instantly rose and bowed to Han Li from a distance.

“Let’s not speak of gratitude just yet. Whether I can truly be of help is still debatable,” Han Li said, shaking his head.

Xu Jiao, the patriarch of the Xu family, paid no mind to this. Instead, he waved to the distance, signaling for the other Xu family cultivators to also greet Han Li.

These cultivators included both men and women, ranging from those merely thirty or forty years old to white-haired, downcast elderly individuals. However, every single one possessed a Spirit Transformation Stage cultivation, clearly indicating they were true core members of the Xu family. These cultivators had already been secretly eyeing Han Li with awe, clearly aware he was an Integration Stage cultivator. Now, upon hearing their patriarch’s instruction, they all immediately rose and, in unison, paid their respects to Han Li with a deep bow.

Han Li waved his hand dismissively and turned his attention to the blood pool, a look of great interest on his face.

“This was constructed according to the records of the Blood Soul Great Art. The spiritual liquid in the pool is a mixture of our Xu family members’ vital blood, along with numerous rare spirit herbs and materials, melted together. It is not only one of the essential components for awakening the blood soul but also helps to slow down its dispersion, even if only slightly, by utilizing the blood energy within the pool,” Xu Yuan explained softly from the side.

“I see. However, the most crucial element of the awakening ritual must be what lies beneath the spiritual liquid, isn’t it? Without that item, even with abundant spiritual liquid in the pool and the most profound formation, the Blood Soul Secret Art would be difficult to perform!” Han Li said faintly, a faint deep blue glow flickering in his pupils.

“Senior’s insight is truly profound; you’ve already seen through it. Beneath the spiritual liquid lies our Xu family’s treasured artifact, the Blood Crystal Coffin. Without it, the essential blood body required for the blood soul cannot be materialized, making it impossible for the blood soul to attach itself,” Xu Yuan explained, his expression subtly changing before quickly returning to normal.

“The Blood Crystal Coffin! Heh heh, I think I have a fair understanding of what this awakening ritual entails now.” Han Li scanned the massive formation below several times, seemingly recalling something. After a moment of contemplation, he smiled.

“Is that truly so, Senior?” Xu Huo and Xu Yan, standing nearby, were taken aback, clearly not entirely convinced by Han Li’s words.

The Xu family had mobilized the entire clan and spent nearly half a day just preparing and setting up this awakening ritual; it had barely been completed. Even if the individual was an Integration Stage cultivator, for them to discern its intricacies after only a few glances was naturally hard to believe.

Xu Yuan and Xu Jiao also showed surprise upon hearing this.

“There’s no need to be surprised, fellow Daoists. It’s just that your ritual bears a resemblance to a cultivation method of an alien race I once encountered; they share a striking similarity,” Han Li said, his smile fading.

However, his mind couldn’t help but recall a certain cultivation manual of an alien race he had seen during his time in Tianyun.

Although this alien race was not well-known, the cultivation method recorded could split the soul into numerous fragments. As long as a single fragment entered a carefully prepared physical body, it could immediately replicate an identical clone of itself.

This cultivation method appeared remarkably unique, and its incantations were somewhat similar to human cultivation methods.

At the time, Han Li had immediately inscribed a copy of it, treating it like a priceless treasure.

However, he later discovered that a crucial aspect of this method required a specific hidden talent unique to that alien race. Otherwise, practicing it would instead lead to a backlash from the cultivation method itself.

Consequently, he could only lament his misfortune and abandon it.

Of course, alien races inherently differ from humans, and the two secret arts had significant differences in their details. However, in terms of soul splitting and reattaching to a new physical body, there was much to learn from it.

Han Li, who had initially felt only 30-40% confident, mused that if he carefully contemplated the commonalities between the two, he could achieve 70-80% confidence.

Naturally, Han Li wouldn’t disclose these things on the spot at that moment.

Instead, under the varied gazes of the cultivators, he slowly walked around the blood pool and the entire formation, his eyes never leaving the formation and the central blood pool.

“Alright, I will act at the appropriate moment. You should proceed with the ritual on time, following your original methods.”

After completing several circuits, Han Li spoke a few faint words, then turned and walked to a corner of the hall, where he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

Xu Jiao’s brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. After waiting a while longer and seeing Han Li truly enter a motionless meditative state where he was, he finally couldn’t help himself and moved his lips as if to say something.

But just then, Xu Yuan’s telepathic message suddenly sounded in his ear.

Although it was only a few brief words, it caused the Xu family patriarch’s heart to constrict. After a slight hesitation, he dismissed the thought of speaking.

Instead, after waiting a moment longer, he, like the other Xu family cultivators, entered the formation and sat cross-legged around the platform to regulate his breathing and cultivate.

Time passed by little by little. In the sky above the mountain range on the ground, dusk slowly began to settle.

As night descended, the Xu family cultivators, who had been meditating with closed eyes, gradually stirred.

Many cultivators couldn’t help but lift their heads to gaze at the platform within the formation, their expressions quite peculiar.

After waiting a while longer, Xu Yuan, Xu Jiao, and the others also opened their eyes and looked over intently.

It was unclear how much time had passed, when suddenly, the ceiling of the grand hall burst forth with light. Individual white runes began to flow continuously high above, forming several simple small formations in mere moments.

The next moment, a loud buzzing sound erupted!

After a tremor, several milky white beams of light shot out from these small formations, striking the hexagonal platform below and instantly vanishing into the blood pool.

Han Li’s expression stirred, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

Almost simultaneously, the previously unusually quiet blood pool began to boil.

A strange vortex materialized in the center of the blood pool and began to spin rapidly. Amidst the crimson waves, silver runes of varying sizes flickered in and out of existence, mysteriously.

“The time has come! Activate the formation!” Xu Yuan, who had been waiting quietly, roared, his voice reverberating throughout the entire hall.

After a unified affirmative shout, the Xu family cultivators, seated at various points within the formation, invigorated their spirits. They formed hand seals and chanted continuously.

Muffled "pupu" sounds followed one after another. As soon as the spiritual light within the formation flickered, eighteen blood-red pillars of light shot out from various points. Each pillar was as thick as a bowl, shimmering with bloody light, and its top disappeared directly into the ceiling of the grand hall, with no end in sight.

Xu Yuan, Xu Huo, and Xu Yan, being Void Refinement cultivators, naturally occupied the three most crucial formation cores. As the others chanted incantations and activated the formation, they each flipped their palms, revealing a vivid red banner several inches long in their hands.

With a blow, the three small banners immediately stood upright and began spinning ceaselessly.

The three Void Refinement cultivators of the Xu family were clearly well-versed in this. Upon seeing this, they immediately opened their mouths again, each biting their tongue tip and spitting out a mouthful of vital blood.

As soon as the three clots of vital blood shot out, they immediately burst with a bang, transforming into bloody mist that completely enveloped the small banners.

A sharp whistling sound emanated from the small banners, followed by a surge of glowing mist from each, which devoured all the bloody mist.

In an instant, the three small banners rapidly expanded in size amidst a dazzling burst of blood-red light.

After a few flashes, they transformed into three enormous blood banners, as thick as a bowl and exuding a heaven-piercing malevolent aura.

Waves of blood-red radiance surged from the banners, continuously pouring into the entire formation. They mingled with the other blood-red lights emanating from the formation, enveloping the entire blood pool.

A bloody stench and a strange, exotic fragrance simultaneously surged forth, then intricately intertwined and merged, transforming into another peculiar aroma that made those who smelled it feel deeply intoxicated.

And just then, as if drawn by this bizarre scent, a rumbling, strange cry emerged. Following this, a massive orb of light, resembling crimson flames, slowly rose from the deepest part of the blood pool’s vortex.

Within the crimson flames, a crystal-like coffin, shimmering with a blood-red spiritual glow, quietly hovered motionless.

Upon the appearance of the coffin, all three Void Refinement cultivators and the other members of the Xu family wore solemn expressions.

Various spiritual lights flickered unsteadily around their bodies. Some even had pale faces and trembling bodies, clearly having pushed their inner spiritual power to its absolute limit.