Chapter 1392: Freedom

After an unknown amount of time, with the final cluster of golden light shooting out from Han Li's palm, the violently fluctuating golden light on his body suddenly dissipated.

As his aura plummeted, his cultivation base also dropped at that moment to the peak of the Da Luo stage.

"Senior Bottle Spirit, thank you for your assistance." Han Li let out a long breath and released his hand from the palm that had been pressing on the Heavenvoid Bottle.

The Bottle Spirit did not respond to his words.

At that moment, the Heavenvoid Bottle suddenly trembled, the golden marks on it flashing wildly, and the dark green light inside the bottle also leaped frantically.

Han Li's expression changed slightly, and he quickly floated backward.

At the same time, a golden halo surged out from his body, blocking the surrounding temporal power.

With a loud bang, the Heavenvoid Bottle burst apart, transforming into countless dark green light clusters that slowly drifted away.

These dark green light clusters did not scatter but converged toward one spot, quickly condensing into a human form, which turned into an eight-year-old green-haired child, delicate and handsome, yet of indeterminate gender.

"Haha, after so many years, I've finally broken free from that damned bottle and regained my freedom!" The green-haired child looked at his own body and laughed heartily.

"So you are Senior Bottle Spirit? Congratulations on finally escaping the shackles of the Heavenvoid Bottle." Han Li was very calm, as if he had anticipated this.

"Oh, you knew about this?" The Bottle Spirit was quite surprised by Han Li's reaction.

"As the Bottle Spirit of the Heavenvoid Bottle, you often remained dormant in cultivation before, so I guessed you had an agenda. Moreover, with my Divine Refining Art perfected, my spiritual perception is extremely acute. Although you are not a living being, when you communicated with me, I could also detect some of your thoughts, so I roughly figured it out." Han Li said with a faint smile.

"Tsk tsk, the Reincarnation Palace Master is indeed a genius; the Divine Refining Art he created is so formidable. Since you sensed I had ulterior motives, how did you dare to cooperate with me?" The Bottle Spirit clicked his tongue and glanced at Han Li.

"Although you had an agenda, I sensed no malice. Cooperation benefits both sides, so why wouldn't I dare? Moreover, although my cultivation has dropped back to the Da Luo stage, my understanding of the Time Law has not diminished. I am not someone to be trifled with." Han Li said with a faint smile.

"Haha, good! Worthy of being Han Li. However, although you have returned to the peak of Da Luo, you must be cautious in wielding the Time Law... Also, rest assured, I bear you no ill will, only gratitude. Thank you for being willing to give up the power of a Dao Ancestor, allowing me to smoothly break free from the Heavenvoid Bottle." The Bottle Spirit laughed again and cupped his hands toward Han Li.

"We helped each other. Senior, there's no need to be so polite. May I ask what your plans are next?" Han Li raised one arm and returned the gesture.

"Having been trapped inside the bottle for countless eons, my next step is naturally to travel and explore the True Immortal Realm. If I have the chance, I'd also like to see what lies beyond the True Immortal Realm." The Bottle Spirit's face lit up with excitement.

"Beyond the True Immortal Realm? Senior means the Nether Realm and the Gray Realm?" Han Li was slightly taken aback.

"Fellow Daoist Han, your vision is too narrow. Do you think the True Immortal Realm, the Gray Realm, and the Nether Realm are the entirety of the world?" The Bottle Spirit smiled, but his expression turned somewhat serious.

"The various immortal domains of the True Immortal Realm were carved out within the boundless wildlands, so the area of the wildlands should be larger than the known map of the True Immortal Realm. As for what lies beyond the wildlands, I do not know." Han Li said after a moment's deliberation.

"Fellow Daoist Han, your horizon is still insufficient. To be precise, whether it's the True Immortal Realm, the Nether Realm, or the Gray Realm, they all originated from the primordial chaotic space, and the Heavenvoid Bottle was also born there. According to the original memories preserved in the Heavenvoid Bottle, chaotic space is boundless. How many realms similar to the True Immortal Realm have been born there is simply unknown, but certainly more than just two or three. So, Fellow Daoist Han, are you interested in joining me to explore the end of this world?" The Bottle Spirit looked at Han Li.

"Senior's lofty aspirations are admirable, but I have just gone through this great calamity and am truly mentally exhausted. Moreover, there are people waiting for my return, so I'm afraid I cannot accompany you on this journey." Han Li's eyes brightened slightly, but then he shook his head.

"Very well, each has his own aspirations. I won't force you." The Bottle Spirit's tone carried a hint of disappointment.

"Senior Bottle Spirit, we are currently in a temporal passage and no longer have the Heavenvoid Bottle. How do we return?" Han Li did not want to dwell on this topic and changed the subject.

"Rest assured, I am the Bottle Spirit of the Heavenvoid Bottle. What the Heavenvoid Bottle can do, I may not necessarily be unable to do. At least taking you back is not a problem. However, Fellow Daoist Han, if I guess correctly, there is still a regret in your heart. Otherwise, you would not have hesitated so long when choosing whether to give up the Heavenvoid Bottle earlier." The Bottle Spirit looked at Han Li and asked.

Upon hearing this, Han Li's mind involuntarily conjured the charming figure of Yuan Yao.

The Bottle Spirit just looked at Han Li with a smile, saying nothing.

"Senior is right. I do have one regret. I wonder if Senior could lend me another hand?" Han Li sighed lightly, then bowed solemnly to the Bottle Spirit.

"The emotions of you humans are truly strange. What is there to cling to in love? Death is merely reincarnation. If one cannot attain enlightenment, it's only a matter of time. Very well, since you have helped me so much, I can assist you in fulfilling your wish. But I will not involve myself in your affairs." The Bottle Spirit looked at Han Li with a peculiar gaze and spoke.

Before his words faded, the Bottle Spirit clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and a layer of emerald light enveloped his hands, rapidly brightening and merging together.

The emerald light came and went quickly, fading away swiftly.

The Bottle Spirit separated his hands, revealing a thumb-sized transparent vial in his palm, very similar to the Heavenvoid Bottle, and emitting a similar aura.

"This is the last trace of the Heavenvoid Bottle's power. You can treat it as a temporary Heavenvoid Bottle. Use this to go back and handle your matters yourself." The Bottle Spirit raised his hand and tossed the transparent vial to Han Li.

"Thank you, Senior." A hint of joy flashed in Han Li's eyes.

"Given your current mastery of the laws of time, you should be able to accurately locate a point in the past. However, this object contains only a limited amount of power, preventing you from staying in the past for long, so you must act quickly." The bottle spirit thought for a moment and then cautioned earnestly.

"I understand. Thank you, senior." Han Li nodded and bowed once more in gratitude.

"Well then, Fellow Daoist Han, I have repaid your kindness. Let us part ways here. From now on, the mountains are high and the waters are far—we shall meet no more." The bottle spirit waved at Han Li, then flickered and flew off into the distance.

Han Li was about to wave farewell, but the bottle spirit seemed unable to linger even a moment longer, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

His raised hand froze in midair, and he touched his nose with a hint of self-mockery.

Then he shifted his gaze to the transparent small bottle in his hand. After a moment's deliberation, he formed a hand seal and pointed.

A beam of golden light shot from his fingertip and sank into the bottle.

The surface of the transparent bottle immediately rippled with a layer of green light, faint runes flickering across it. The temporal energy nearby began to fluctuate, as if controlled by the power surging from within the bottle.

Han Li closed his eyes, silently sensing the transparent bottle and the fluctuations of temporal energy around him—a feeling both familiar and strange.

After a moment, he abruptly opened his eyes and once again formed a hand seal and pointed.

The green light on the bottle blazed brightly, enveloping Han Li's body and flying deeper into the temporal passage.

Enveloped by the bottle's light, Han Li felt no influence from the surrounding temporal passage and flew forward at great speed.

However, the originally translucent walls of the bottle were slowly becoming even more transparent.

Han Li's heart tightened. He quickly calmed his mind and focused more intently on controlling the bottle.

After flying forward for about half a quarter of an hour, his gaze sharpened.

"Almost... this should be the place." Han Li murmured to himself, raising his hand and waving.

A dark green light shot from his fingertip, slashing at the temporal passage.

With a tearing sound, a white scar was cut into the temporal passage, and a blinding white light burst forth from it.

He only felt his entire body lighten as he was flung out of the spacetime passage. His vision brightened, and he found himself above a boundless desert.

Rumble!

The nearby void trembled violently, unable to withstand the pressure from Han Li's body, and large sections began to collapse and crumble.

He hastily executed the Myriad Apertures Void Stillness Technique, fully restraining his aura and the surging laws within him.

Han Li's brow twitched. Although his cultivation had receded to the peak of the Da Luo stage, his control over the Time Law within him had become more自如, and his aura was more easily concealed.

The nearby void immediately ceased collapsing, but still rippled violently like water's surface.

Han Li paid no heed to this for now and spread his divine sense outward.

Then, he frowned and muttered inwardly, "Damn, my control over spatial power is off. This isn't the Spirit Realm!"

Without the aid of the Bottle Spirit, he couldn't perfectly control the transparent vial, and had been transported to this place, though it shouldn't be too far off.

This place was an unfamiliar realm, covered in yellow sand everywhere. He had no idea where it was.

Although the vial in Han Li's hand was not activated, he could clearly feel that its contained power was still slowly draining away.

He felt a bit anxious and immediately formed hand seals. Golden lightning flashed around him, and he vanished without a trace. The next moment, he appeared inside a huge sandcastle-shaped structure, where many alien cultivators with horns on their heads and scales on their bodies lived.

The void around Han Li was still rippling, causing the sandcastle to shake incessantly.

Those alien cultivators were greatly alarmed. Several with high cultivation, reaching the Heqi stage, roared and lunged at Han Li, but couldn't even get close.

With time pressing, Han Li disregarded any shock he might cause. He waved his hand and grabbed the highest-cultivation alien, performing a soul search.

"So that's it. This is the Yellow Sand Realm, not far from the Spirit Realm. At least it's not too off," Han Li thought with relief. He tossed the alien aside, lightning flashed around him, and he disappeared again.

The aliens in the sandcastle looked at each other in bewilderment, as if everything that had just happened in the blink of an eye was like a dream.

As for the alien who had been grabbed and thrown away by Han Li, he felt as if he had walked the edge of death. Though there was nothing wrong with his body, he trembled all over, still shaken and terrified.