Chapter 2474: True Immortals Descend The Spirit of the Bottle Returns

Given their incredible speed, the three naturally arrived at the center of the giant island in the blink of an eye.

From a distance, a seemingly ordinary mountain peak appeared before them.

Suddenly, a muffled sound echoed above the mountain, and a milky white pillar of light shot into the sky.

Immediately, the scenery ahead seemed to shatter like a mirror, revealing two verdant green mountain peaks and a valley brimming with spiritual energy.

The milky white pillar of light was precisely what had burst forth from the valley.

"Spirit Heaven Pillar!"

Upon seeing the pillar of light, Han Li's face showed a hint of astonishment.

The last time he had been here, this spiritual pillar had only appeared after its restrictions were broken.

Now, even before they arrived, the pillar had emerged from the Bitter Spirit Valley on its own.

Han Li's thoughts raced as he pondered the reason behind this. Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from his person, and a ball of green light shot out from his sleeve. After a blur, it transformed into a vague phantom, hurtling towards the distant pillar of light.

Han Li's expression changed drastically. He reached out with a large hand, and simultaneously, an invisible immense force swept forth, instantly immobilizing the green light hundreds of feet away.

As the green light dissipated, it revealed the small green-blue bottle.

However, at this moment, countless dark green runes appeared on the bottle's surface. Its entire form was nearly transparent and trembling violently, as if desperately trying to break free from its confinement.

Almost simultaneously, a piercing shriek suddenly emanated from the milky white pillar of light nearby. A flash of yellow light within it then shot towards Han Li like a meteor.

Han Li's heart tightened. Without thinking, he extended his other large hand to grasp at the distant object.

Immediately, ripples appeared above the yellow light, and a several-zhang-large golden giant hand materialized out of thin air. With a slight opening of its five fingers, it swiftly grabbed the yellow light below.

Suddenly, loud hissing sounds erupted from within the yellow light!

Countless green threads shot out from it, instantly piercing the seemingly indestructible golden giant hand, leaving it riddled with holes. After another tremor, it dissolved into specks of spiritual light and vanished.

The ball of yellow light then blurred again, directly appearing next to the green-blue bottle, several miles away.

As the yellow light dispersed, another pale yellow small bottle emerged from within.

This bottle's style and appearance were identical to the green-blue one, only its color was pale yellow. It shimmered with flowing light, giving off an eerie impression of not being a solid entity.

The moment it appeared, it immediately rushed towards the green bottle with great eagerness, seemingly intending to merge directly with it.

With a "bang."

The green bottle's surface suddenly surged with light, and a layer of dark green patterns materialized, forcefully bouncing the yellow bottle away.

The yellow bottle tumbled several feet away before its light solidified, allowing it to regain its stable form.

Two yellow specks of light flashed on the bottle's body. Two black, pea-sized eyes eerily appeared, displaying a very human-like expression of surprise.

Following this, the yellow bottle moved again, launching another frenzied charge around the green bottle. However, no matter what methods it employed, it was always forcefully pushed away by the layer of dark green patterns, preventing it from getting close to the green bottle.

The pair of black eyes on the yellow bottle flashed wildly, beginning to reveal an expression of extreme anxiety.

Meanwhile, Han Li, who was casting a certain immortal realm incantation nearby, let out a long sigh of relief upon seeing this.

The method of merging the replica into the Heaven-Controlling Bottle's body to temporarily control it proved effective on this bottle spirit as well. It was no wonder that Ma Liang, as an immortal, had been bestowed with a replica treasure when he descended to the lower realm. Most likely, Dao Ancestor Jiuyuan also harbored similar intentions.

Han Li thought this to himself, yet his face showed no expression. Instead, his form swayed, and he slowly floated closer to the two bottles.

Behind him, Saint Ancestor Yuan Yan, who had been following, was also stunned speechless by this unexpected scene.

He and the other two great ancestors had been guarding Bitter Spirit Island in rotation for tens of thousands of years. How could he not have known about the existence of such a rare treasure on the island?

Although the yellow bottle could not yet fully transform, it clearly possessed true sentience. Its immense value likely surpassed that of ordinary Profound Heaven Treasures.

As for why Han Li knew this treasure was here, and that it seemed to have a deep connection to another treasure on his person, the Demon Race Ancestor no longer wished to ponder the reasons.

Instead, a fervent desire arose within him, and he wanted to follow Han Li further forward.

But just then, a clap of thunder sounded nearby. Daoist Crab, at some unknown moment, had appeared to block his path. Countless silver arcs shimmered around his body, and he stared coldly at Yuan Yan without a word.

Saint Ancestor Yuan Yan's heart tensed, and he paused, stopping his advance. His purple eyes glanced at Han Li's distant back, then at Daoist Crab's expressionless face before him. He couldn't help but show a hint of hesitation, unsure for a moment whether he should truly force his way through.

Although he had not directly fought Han Li after his advancement to the Grand Ascension stage, Han Li had managed to save his life from him back when he was merely at the Integration stage. It was conceivable that his strength after advancing to Grand Ascension was far more formidable than rumored. Moreover, there was also a pseudo-immortal puppet, whose power was equally extraordinary, lurking nearby.

While he had always held himself in high regard, he firmly believed he had no chance of defeating Han Li. Seizing the treasure would be a pipe dream; instead, a reckless move might greatly provoke the other party, creating a true mortal enemy for himself.

After carefully weighing his options, Ancestor Yuan Yan sighed inwardly and abandoned his other ideas. He remained seemingly calmly in place, observing Han Li's next actions.

This Demon Race Ancestor, however, had no idea what a grand opportunity he was missing.

What he perceived as a sentient treasure was, in reality, a supreme artifact highly valued even by Dao Ancestors of the Immortal Realm.

If he had known the true origin of the Heaven-Controlling Bottle, even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance, this Demon Race Ancestor would absolutely not have stood idly by and watched the bottle fall into Han Li's hands.

At the same time, Han Li had approached the vicinity of the two small bottles with extreme caution, his face filled with an unusually solemn expression.

Although the opponent was merely a non-corporeal bottle spirit, having witnessed its ability to easily dispel his secret techniques earlier, he had long since adopted extreme vigilance, daring not to treat it as an ordinary spiritual item.

After failing to reach the green bottle for more than a dozen consecutive times, the yellow bottle finally ceased its futile, frantic attempts. Instead, it halted in the nearby void, its pair of black eyes instantly fixed on Han Li.

It wore an expression of both confusion and solemnity.

Seeing this, Han Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as this bottle spirit didn't attack or flee immediately upon encounter, everything else would be much simpler.

As he thought this, he shook one sleeve, and a golden talisman within it silently burst open.

Instantly, a thick green mist billowed out from his sleeve. After a surge, it completely enveloped the surrounding mile of void.

The situation between Han Li and the two small bottles was completely obscured by the dense mist. Even with Saint Ancestor Yuan Yan's divine abilities, his spiritual sense could not penetrate it.

Seeing this, the Demon Race Ancestor's expression subtly changed, and he secretly congratulated himself for not having made a move earlier.

Leaving aside other things, just the opponent's divine ability to directly obscure his spiritual sense would be a huge headache.

Time passed by slowly. No sound emanated from within the green mist, which remained as still as if frozen.

Yuan Yan's brows furrowed naturally upon seeing this, but he couldn't truly feel at ease leaving Han Li alone on the island.

Deciding resolutely, he simply summoned the three-headed black flood dragon with one hand and then directly sat cross-legged on its massive body to meditate.

This wait lasted for seven days and seven nights!

Just as Yuan Yan was growing extremely impatient and beginning to consider venturing into the mist to investigate, an unusually joyful, long cry echoed from within the mist.

The green mist began to surge and roll once more.

With a flash of escape light, a streak of green rainbow flew out from it.

Then, a figure flickered.

Han Li, looking refreshed and vibrant, appeared before Yuan Yan. After a glance, he said with a slight smile:

"Oh, Daoist Friend, you haven't left yet. I apologize for making Brother Yuan wait so long."

"Hmph, this island is in the Sea of Demon Source. How could I leave an outsider like you here alone? Have you finished what you needed to do? Since you have the treasure in hand, why don't you leave quickly?" Yuan Yan stood up from the giant flood dragon's back and retorted gruffly.

"Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I had no intention of lingering here. Heh heh, I wonder how long it will be until we meet again, Daoist Friend." Han Li yawned, the joy in his heart undiminished.

After that, he didn't converse further with the Demon Race Ancestor before him. After a greeting to Daoist Crab, the two flew back the way they came.

Yuan Yan watched their receding escape light, his expression becoming unusually grim.

In the secret chamber of the black giant boat, Han Li toyed with a verdant green bottle in his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips.

After a long while, he put away the small bottle and resumed his meditation with closed eyes.

As for the process of him subduing the bottle spirit and what truly transpired within the mist during those seven days and seven nights...

Whether after Han Li returned to the human race or later ascended to the Immortal Realm to become a supreme existence there, he never revealed a single detail to anyone.

This left many of his friends and disciples to secretly speculate for a long time without ever finding the true answer.

Months later, above a bottomless canyon in the Demon Realm, the black giant boat hovered silently in mid-air. Han Li and Daoist Crab flew out of it, standing shoulder to shoulder, gazing down at something below.

"Breaking through the realm here will take us to the Mohe Realm, which is closest to Dragon Island. That fellow Fan Paoxi was rather vague, saying there would be Dragon Island envoys specifically to pick us up in this realm, but he didn't reveal the exact location. This might be a bit troublesome," Han Li muttered with a wry smile. Then, he formed a hand seal with one hand and pointed at the black giant boat.

Immediately, the Spirit Ink Saint Boat buzzed and rapidly shrank, then, with a flicker, flew into Han Li's large sleeve.

Han Li then made a grasping motion in the air with one hand. A green sword mark appeared on his arm, and a dark green wooden sword instantly materialized in his hand. He then powerfully slashed downwards.