Chapter 1041: A Thrilling Scene

"Didn't I tell you not to take everything, to leave some for them?" Han Li said, slightly taken aback, communicating with the Essence Fire Bird through his spiritual connection.

But the Essence Fire Bird did not respond for a long time; after devouring the Nine Sun Fire Gall, it had been in a daze, and it seemed it had not yet awakened.

Seeing this, Han Li could only shake his head helplessly, found a spot, and slumped down.

After a moment, the others reluctantly emerged and came to Han Li's side.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, are you alright?" Elder Yang finally remembered Han Li and stepped forward to ask.

"Nothing serious, just some superficial injuries." Han Li spread his two blackened hands and said.

"What a waste! Even the intact hall with its restrictions had nothing at all." Valley Master Fu frowned and cursed.

"Hard work, Fellow Daoist Shi. It's fine that we gained nothing this time. Let's go further in; there are surely good things waiting for us to seize." Yu Kuohai helped Han Li up from the ground and said.

"Thank you." Han Li said gratefully.

After resting briefly, they resumed their journey. Along the way, they encountered several more buildings. Han Li would break the restrictions, and the others would enter to search for treasures. They naturally did not obtain any major treasures, but each gained something.

Time passed, and several days went by.

Han Li and his group finally crossed a large mountain range and arrived before a gray canyon.

Inside the canyon, mist churned, and from afar, one could see a massive gray tower standing like a pillar supporting the sky.

"This tower looks extraordinary. Let's go check it out!" Yu Kuohai, seeing the gray tower from a distance, showed great joy and immediately urged everyone to speed up. Soon they arrived before the tower.

The gray giant tower was ancient in design, its body dozens of miles in size, comparable to the nearby peaks. Its height far surpassed the surrounding mountains, reaching into the clouds.

The tower's surface was engraved with patterns of gray lightning bolts, and from time to time, gray-black lightning would shoot out, dancing around the tower like mad snakes. Where it touched, the void trembled as if it might be torn apart at any moment.

At the top of the tower, a huge golden flame burned, blazing like a sun.

Yet, though the flame was extremely bright, it gave a sense of illusion, as if it existed in another space, utterly unreachable.

As the group approached the gray giant tower, the excitement on Yu Kuohai and the others' faces vanished.

Before the tower, the ground was densely packed with people.

"Hmph, they all came!" Yu Kuohai frowned and snorted.

Han Li paid no attention to the crowd on the ground, his gaze fixed on the golden flame at the tower's top.

Within that golden flame, he could sense traces of Time Law fluctuations, rolling with the flame.

However, this Time Law power seemed to be restrained by something, only emitting a faint residual wave.

Even just that faint residual wave allowed Han Li to perceive the profound Time Law power within, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

"Let's go down! Fellow Daoist Shi, since you're afraid of trouble, remember to be cautious with your words and actions." Yu Kuohai said, then turned to remind Han Li.

This Shi Mu was a bit dull, and since he was now one of their own, it would be troublesome if he caused any trouble.

"Yes, yes." Han Li quickly nodded.

Before the gray giant tower, the alliance's main force had mostly assembled.

Lei Yuce, Su Qianxi, and the leaders of several other factions that had arrived earlier were gathered before a tightly shut massive stone door at the tower's base. Above the door were three large characters: "Suiyue Tower" (Time Tower).

The stone door was gray-black, also densely engraved with lightning patterns, and crisscrossed with lightning bolts forming a gray lightning screen, emitting a terrifying hissing sound.

Lei Yuce, Su Qianxi, and the others seemed to be discussing something.

Speaking of which, Han Li had played dumb all the way and managed to gather quite a bit of information, having a basic understanding of Lei Yuce and the others' backgrounds.

He glanced at them a couple of times and quickly looked away.

The three factions—Lingxiao Sect, Qingsuo Valley, and Lieguang City—landed without attracting much attention from the crowd below. Most people glanced at them and then turned their eyes back to the tower, excitedly discussing.

At that moment, in an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, the Lan siblings stood side by side.

"I didn't expect such a giant tower deep in the secret realm. The treasures left by the Tai Sui Immortal Venerable are most likely here." Lan Yuanzi looked at the gray giant tower, a glint of fervor in his eyes.

Although their purpose in coming to the Jinyuan Immortal Domain was to capture Han Li, encountering such a great opportunity, they naturally did not want to give it up.

"The lightning power on this tower is very formidable. Do you recognize what kind of lightning this is?" Lan Yan also looked curiously at the gray giant tower and asked.

"It should be some kind of Yin thunder; I don't know much about the power of thunder and lightning either..." Lan Yuanzi said, but his expression suddenly changed mid-sentence.

A flash of blue light appeared in his palm, and a blue round mirror materialized, its surface rippling with layers of blue light that flickered incessantly.

"Brother..." Lan Yan beside him brightened.

"It's Han Li!" Lan Yuanzi's face also showed joy, and he immediately formed hand seals and pointed at the round mirror.

At the same time, as soon as Han Li landed, the Time Law within him suddenly fluctuated, as if stirred by something.

"Someone is sensing me with a detection immortal artifact!" His heart jolted, and he immediately understood what was happening.

He promptly activated the Myriad Acupoints Void Technique, sealing all his immortal apertures, and simultaneously operated the Great Five Elements Illusion World Art. The five strands of Time Law intertwined, forming a seal-like existence that vanished deep within his body.

The immortal spiritual power within Han Li also converged, not emitting a single trace.

The Great Five Elements Illusion World Art, as the most顶尖 time technique, was not only powerful but also extremely adept at concealing one's aura.

With Han Li's current cultivation reaching the late Taiyi peak, the various wonders of the Great Five Elements Illusion World Art gradually manifested.

On the other side, Lan Yuanzi was urgently forming hand seals, anxiously activating the blue round mirror.

But the fluctuations on the blue round mirror suddenly disappeared, returning to its original state.

Lan Yuanzi was stunned, but ultimately accepted reality and stopped.

"What's wrong? Could it be a false reading?" Lan Yan frowned slightly and asked.

"The Sensing Heaven Mirror suddenly lost its connection to Han Li. It seems he sensed someone detecting him and concealed his aura. This man is quite alert." Lan Yuanzi's face darkened as he spoke slowly.

"How is that possible? The Sensing Heaven Mirror is a precious treasure bestowed by our master; even a Daluo existence might not evade its detection." Lan Yan said in surprise.

"It seems this Han Li is indeed not simple. But this trip isn't entirely without gain; at least we can confirm that Han Li is nearby!" Lan Yuanzi's pupils contracted as he looked toward the bustling crowd around them.

"Exactly! And that group that just arrived is very suspicious. The moment they got here, the Sensing Heaven Mirror reacted immediately. Han Li is likely hiding among them." Lan Yan glanced at the disciples of the three major sects, including Lingxiao Sect, and said.

"Very possible, but we can't completely ignore the others." Lan Yuanzi nodded thoughtfully and said.

Lan Yan nodded, about to continue investigating.

"Don't act rashly. We can't confirm Han Li's identity for now, and he probably hasn't spotted us. Now we need to compete with him in endurance and observation—see who finds whom first. I don't believe he can keep his aura completely hidden forever." Lan Yuanzi immediately stopped Lan Yan, grinned grimly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"With you on the case, brother, Han Li will be captured sooner or later. And now he's so obliging as to deliver himself—saves us trouble!" Seeing Lan Yuanzi's expression, Lan Yan's face showed admiration.

...

"Who could be sensing me... Qi Mozi? It doesn't seem like him. If Qi Mozi had such detection means, he would have used them before. Or maybe it's someone else, like the Lan siblings from Nine Element View who have arrived here?" On the other side of the crowd, Han Li concealed his aura, his thoughts racing, and he looked around at the crowd without moving a muscle.

"It's him!" His gaze suddenly stopped on a young man, but quickly shifted away without staring, to avoid drawing attention.

That person was none other than Xiong Shan, who stood at the edge of the crowd with a group of loose cultivators.

Although Han Li had only seen him briefly at the Golden Source Immortal Palace that day, his impression was deep, and he would never mistake him.

"This man's appearance is unfamiliar, yet he gives me a very familiar feeling. Who is he? And since he's here, Qi Mozi must be too. Could the one sensing me just now be Qi Mozi..." Knowing Qi Mozi was present, Han Li dared not act rashly and kept calculating in his mind.

Although his strength had greatly increased to the peak of Taiyi stage, facing Qi Mozi, a Time Daluo, he was not confident he could escape unscathed.

Moreover, if the Lan siblings from Nine Element View had also come, that would be quite troublesome.

While Han Li was pondering various scenarios, Yu Kuohai and the other two had arranged their respective teams and arrived at the stone gate of the giant tower.

"Alliance Leader!"

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Yu, Elder Yang, Valley Master Fu, how did the three of you fare?" Lei Yuce glanced at them and asked.

"Don't even mention it. Along the way, almost everything had been looted! Infuriating!" Yu Kuohai said angrily.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, don't mind it. Fortunately, the restrictions on this Age Tower remain intact and haven't been breached, so the treasures inside should still be there. However, the Thousand Thunder Yin Thunder Array on the door is not easy to crack. We are discussing countermeasures. The three of you are well-traveled and knowledgeable; since you're here, you might as well join us in deliberation." Lei Yuce nodded noncommittally and changed the subject.

Yu Kuohai and the other two exchanged glances.

"When it comes to breaking formations and restrictions, with you here, Fellow Daoist Lei, we have no place to speak. Since you've identified the restriction on this tower gate, you must already have a plan for cracking it." Valley Master Fu flattered.

"I wouldn't say I have a plan, but I do have a method in mind. However, it requires everyone's full support." Lei Yuce laughed heartily.

"No problem, just tell us what to do, Fellow Daoist Lei." Yu Kuohai and the others immediately patted their chests and said.

"In that case, I'll trouble everyone. We need to do this..." Lei Yuce's eyes showed satisfaction as he spoke.

The group discussed for about half an hour before dispersing. Then they each mobilized personnel, gathering nearly a hundred people to carve formation patterns and set up formation tools on the ground in front of the giant tower.