Chapter 1269: Morning Departure, Evening Arrival

"No, I've searched far and wide over the years, but I still haven't found a suitable Corpse Slaying Art." Han Li shook his head.

"That won't do. Without the aid of a Corpse Slaying Art, the chances of successfully slaying the corpse are extremely low." Liu Le'er said, her face full of anxiety.

"No matter how low the chances, I must try my best. Otherwise, even that sliver of possibility will be lost." Han Li smiled and said.

"I've also been cultivating recently and am about to reach the peak of the early Da Luo stage. Patriarch Liu Qing bestowed upon me a Corpse Slaying Art for gradual comprehension. Brother, take a look at this art as well; perhaps it might suit you." Liu Le'er glanced around, flipped her hand to produce a jade slip, quickly pressed it into Han Li's hand, and transmitted her voice.

"Le'er, a Corpse Slaying Art is extremely precious; how can it be casually given to others? If the Heavenly Fox Clan learns that you've passed this art on, who knows what punishment you'll face. You should take the jade slip back." Han Li instinctively gripped the jade slip but immediately loosened his hand and offered it back.

"Brother, you're not an outsider! This art has no restrictive seals placed on it. As long as we don't tell, the Heavenly Fox Clan won't know. Even if they do find out, I now possess the true spirit bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Immortal Fox and am the hope of the Heavenly Fox Clan's rise; they won't do anything to me." Liu Le'er laughed.

"Then... very well, I won't stand on ceremony." Han Li listened to Liu Le'er's words, pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Holding the jade slip in his hand, a flicker of excitement appeared in his eyes.

"Brother, I cannot leave the Eight Desolates Mountain for too long. I was only able to come here this time thanks to a special permit from King Bai Ze. I must hurry back now. When you come to the Wildlands in the future, you must come see me." Liu Le'er glanced outside and said reluctantly.

Han Li nodded silently.

Liu Le'er took another look at Han Li, then moved her body, transforming into a gray-white light that shot into the distance, quickly disappearing beyond the horizon.

Han Li watched Liu Le'er leave but did not return to the Flower Branch Space. Instead, he began to examine the contents of the jade slip right there.

At the beginning of the jade slip were five large characters: Avatar Corpse Slaying Art!

Seeing this, his heart stirred, and he had some conjectures about the subsequent content. However, he did not let his mind wander for long and continued to study it.

The content in the jade slip was not extensive, and Han Li quickly finished reading it, his entire face showing slight excitement.

This Avatar Corpse Slaying Art was extremely profound. In general terms, it involved first refining an avatar connected by heart and mind, then using a secret technique of "stealing the essence and transplanting the branches" to transfer the Evil Corpse from within oneself to the avatar, and finally slaying it.

The reason the Three Corpses are difficult to slay is that they share the same heart and body with the original, inseparable.

The essence of this technique of severing the corpse by means of a doppelgänger lies in removing the Three Corpses from the body and sealing them within the doppelgänger. In this way, the connection between the Three Corpses and the original body is greatly weakened, making it much easier to sever them.

However, to perform this corpse-severing technique, two major requirements must be met.

First, the power of the divine soul must be sufficiently strong; otherwise, one cannot bear the burden of transferring the Evil Corpse.

Second, the doppelgänger must be sufficiently compatible with the original body, and the longer the doppelgänger has been refined, the greater the likelihood of success.

Han Li withdrew his divine sense from the jade slip, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

This technique of severing the corpse by means of a doppelgänger was very suitable for him. His divine soul, due to his cultivation of the Spirit Refining Technique, was already far superior to those of the same cultivation level, absolutely meeting the requirements for performing this technique. Moreover, he also had such a doppelgänger—the Earthly Deity incarnation in the Black Wind Sea region.

So many years had passed that he had almost forgotten about that Earthly Deity incarnation, but now it could unexpectedly come in handy.

Now that evil thoughts were constantly eroding his divine soul and time was pressing, Han Li did not delay. He immediately called over Gold Boy and Soul-Devouring Beast, then removed the array tools around his cave dwelling, intending to set off for the Northern Frost Immortal Domain.

However, just before departing, his mind stirred, and he instead flew toward the direction of the Eight Desolations Mountain.

Before long, Han Li stopped his遁光 a thousand li from the Eight Desolations Mountain and made a bow from afar.

"Hehe, young friend Han, are you leaving already?" A white shadow flickered in the void before Han Li, and Bai Ze's figure emerged, speaking with a smile.

"Indeed. I have an urgent matter to attend to immediately. I have come to thank Senior Bai Ze for your care," Han Li said, bowing once more to Bai Ze.

"It's a trivial matter, hardly worth mentioning. Young friend, you are about to take action, aren't you? With evil thoughts plaguing you now, you truly need to hurry," Bai Ze said, glancing at Han Li and speaking lightly.

"Senior has keen insight; that is exactly the case. However, the road ahead is uncertain, and I do not have complete confidence. If I unfortunately fail, I ask Senior Bai Ze to take care of Xiao Bai and Tianhu Clan's Liu Le'er," Han Li said.

"Of course. May I ask where young friend Han intends to go?" Bai Ze nodded and then asked.

Hearing this, Han Li couldn't help but wonder what Bai Ze meant by this question.

"Young friend Han, do not misunderstand. I am not trying to pry into your whereabouts. Yue Mian has a 'Roaming Heaven Divine Ability'; if the place you are going is not far, he can send you on your way," Bai Ze said with a smile.

"I see. Then I have misunderstood Senior Bai Ze. Please forgive me, Senior. I wish to go to the Northern Frost Immortal Domain," Han Li said, suddenly enlightened, and cupped his hands in salute.

"The Northern Frost Immortal Domain? That's not too far from here. Yue Mian, can your 'Heaven-Roaming Divine Ability' send Young Friend Han there?" Bai Ze's brow twitched as he turned to speak into the void beside him.

"Such a short distance, of course I can." The void stirred, and Yue Mian's figure materialized.

"Then I'll trouble you to make a move. Young Friend Han is currently wanted by the Heavenly Court, making travel very inconvenient," Bai Ze said.

"Thank you, Senior Bai Ze, Senior Yue Mian." Though Han Li did not know what Bai Ze meant by "Heaven-Roaming Divine Ability," he was still grateful for their assistance.

"Thanking back and forth—I hate this the most. Han boy, prepare yourself." A trace of impatience flashed in Yue Mian's eyes as he flicked his sleeve.

A ball of cyan light spun out from his sleeve, rapidly expanding tenfold into a ten-zhang-sized, semi-transparent cyan giant bird, which shot toward Han Li and reached him in an instant.

The cyan giant bird opened its mouth wide and, with a snap, swallowed Han Li whole.

Then it spread its wings, and with a tearing sound, ripped through space, burrowed in, and vanished without a trace.

The series of changes happened like lightning; Han Li had no time to react.

By the time he came to his senses, he was already inside the cyan giant bird, racing at incredible speed through the void turbulence.

Complex spirit patterns emerged on the cyan giant bird's body, forming a cloud-like design, while cyan runes flickered along its edges, spinning swiftly around the bird like flowing water, emitting a powerful yet exceptionally smooth law fluctuation.

The surrounding void turbulence, upon touching the giant bird's body, immediately parted to both sides, unable to hinder its advance in the slightest.

Han Li was now inside the cyan giant bird's belly, surrounded by a tremendous force that rendered him immobile.

He made no attempt to break free, merely glancing around curiously.

The cyan giant bird's flying speed was unimaginably fast, many times faster than his own; everything around him receded rapidly backward...

After about ten-odd hours.

The cyan giant bird flapped its wings, instantly flew out of the void turbulence, tore through the space ahead, and appeared above a dense forest.

Then, with a soft "bang," the cyan giant bird shattered, scattering into countless streams of cyan light.

The restraints around Han Li vanished; golden light flickered on his body surface as he steadied himself in midair.

He spread his divine sense to probe the surroundings, soon revealing a hint of joy, and transformed into a streak of golden light flying into the distance.

After a moment, Han Li stopped near a city situated in a hilly region.

The city below was not large, with three golden characters reading "Mingqiu City" on its gate.

Though he had never been to this city, he had heard of it during his journey from the Black Wind Sea to the Candle Dragon Sect; it was a city on the Huanglan Continent.

"It actually sent me here in one go—this divine ability is truly extraordinary," Han Li murmured, filled with awe for the Dao Ancestor's power.

The distance from the Eight Desolates Mountain to the Northern Frost Immortal Domain was immeasurable in miles; if he had traveled alone, he might not have arrived even in a hundred years, yet Yue Mian, with a wave of his hand, had sent him here in just a day.

Han Li composed himself, bowed once more in the direction of the Eight Desolates Mountain from afar, then turned and flew toward the Black Wind Sea.

...

Northern Frost Immortal Domain, Black Wind Sea.

Over a stretch of azure sea, a gentle breeze blew, stirring up sparkling ripples.

Amid the blue sea and clear sky, streaks of flowing light could be seen, with cultivators in colorful robes flitting like fireflies through the high sky, flying toward a lush green island in the sea.

The island's native area was not very large, but around it were built numerous floating islands with formations, connected to the main island, forming a striking seven-star island chain.

Viewed from afar, at the highest point in the center of the island stood a colossal humanoid statue, its arms open outward in a posture of embracing all under heaven and looking down upon all living beings.

At this moment, just past early morning, on a huge white stone plaza in the center of the island, hundreds of thousands of islanders had gathered, apparently having just completed a worship and prayer ceremony, and were now gradually withdrawing from the plaza.

When people heard the whistling sound overhead, many merely glanced up and then ignored it; more people didn't even bother to look, as if long accustomed to such scenes.

Among them was a white-haired old man with dark skin, his trousers and sleeves rolled up high, holding the hand of a child who was not very fair-skinned but had a sturdy, tigerish look, his face full of pride and contentment.

"Little Tiger, see that? Thanks to our Ancestral God's blessing, this sea area and the dozens of nearby islands have all submitted and come under our Wumeng Island's command. Their clan leaders must personally attend the assembly every year. Aren't we impressive?" the old man said with a chuckle.