Chapter 60: Wanted

Han Li ascended the stone steps until he reached the top of the Star-Gathering Platform, where he found a star chart of the Big Dipper on the ground near the center of the platform.

After a brief glance, he sat cross-legged, looked up at the sky, and saw that the canopy had turned deep blue, with a few sparse stars faintly emerging.

He slowly closed his eyes and began to breathe quietly.

About an hour later.

Han Li's eyelids twitched slightly, and he reopened his eyes, parting his lips to utter two words:

"Begin."

Upon hearing this, the four brown-robed elders around the platform each took out a palm-sized milky-white Star-Washing Stone and pressed it into a groove on the ground before them.

With a soft click,

the four round stones shattered simultaneously, and beams of white light rose from the grooves, winding along the runic carvings on the ground, quickly surging into the Star-Gathering Platform.

The entire nine-tiered platform instantly blazed with light, becoming crystal clear, and the star charts engraved on it burst forth with dazzling silver radiance. From afar, it looked like a miniature starry sky, extremely magnificent.

At that moment, the stars in the sky seemed to respond to the scene below, growing even brighter. Countless silver specks of light fell from the night sky like a pale silver mist, enveloping the Star-Gathering Platform.

Han Li, sitting amidst it all as if surrounded by countless stars, felt a vast and gentle power of the stars swirling around him.

He composed his mind, formed a hand seal, and chanted softly, silently activating the Little Big Dipper Star Origin Art.

With a muffled boom,

six white light pillars as thick as water vats suddenly descended from the night sky, projecting around Han Li. The star power within them was immensely abundant, radiating surging waves.

Dense, crystalline light threads emerged from the light pillars, suddenly tautening like countless steel needles, stabbing straight into Han Li's body.

At the same time, the pale silver mist that had enveloped the entire Star-Gathering Platform suddenly began to flow rapidly, as if stimulated.

Under the twisting force of a great power, countless silver specks of light converged above the platform into a silver vortex ten zhang high.

Han Li's heart stirred; the star power that had been so gentle moments ago suddenly became extremely狂暴.

Once the six light pillars were drawn into the vortex, their light suddenly intensified, their volume expanded severalfold, and the star power surging into them increased many times over.

Correspondingly, the pain Han Li now endured was far beyond what he had initially experienced.

His robes were instantly soaked with blood. The massive influx of star crystal threads continuously pierced his skin, and the seeping blood, pulled by the force of the silver vortex, rose into a hazy blood mist that enveloped his entire body.

The four brown-robed elders around the Star-Gathering Platform were all deeply shaken. In their long years stationed here, when had they ever seen such狂暴 star power, or such a crude method of infusion?

Even if a Body Integration cultivator were to enter the Star-Gathering Platform at this moment, they would likely only be able to struggle to save their lives.

But at that moment, Han Li, already drenched in blood, suddenly had a glow light up at his waist. Six palm-sized black round mirrors flew out from it, each flying toward one of the six light pillars.

The round mirrors were surrounded by black qi, with an antique design, and runes drifting faintly on their surfaces. These were the Star-Moon Treasure Mirrors he had refined from the Yin Chen Stones obtained from the Heavenly Ghost Sect.

As soon as the six mirrors settled, black light swirled on their surfaces, and countless runes the size of ants surged out, converging into a massive, brilliant light pillar that shot straight into the night sky.

"He's actually increasing the star power? How unbelievable!" the Body Integration brown-robed elder muttered in astonishment.

Before his words faded, the light of the six stars of the Big Dipper in the night sky suddenly intensified, and a patch of dazzling silver light appeared in the void, like an inverted Milky Way, pouring torrentially into the silver vortex.

...

Half a year later, in a stone chamber behind Jingtian Peak.

The golden-robed He Shan Daoist sat cross-legged on a three-tiered platform, eyes closed, forming hand seals and chanting softly.

Suddenly, he stopped his hand seals and quickly stood up.

A strange wind materialized in the chamber, and wherever it passed, dozens of yellow lanterns on the platform lit up with flames. Wisps of white smoke rose, converging into a white light mist in midair.

The surface of the light mist blurred, and the figure of an old man appeared, wearing a purple lotus crown, with gray hair and beard, of short stature and thin build, dressed in an ochre-yellow embroidered Daoist robe.

"Greetings, Patriarch Jingming." He Shan Daoist, his fat trembling, prostrated himself and said respectfully.

"Rise. Today I have descended to entrust you with several tasks." The purple-crowned old Daoist waved his sleeve and said.

"Please instruct, Patriarch." He Shan Daoist stood up and stood with his hands at his sides.

"The Hao Yuan Stones you offered last time were of good quality. I need another batch within ten years." The purple-crowned old Daoist instructed.

"Yes."

"The 'Star-Referencing Mystic Art' I created back then—my state of mind has since changed, and I have made some improvements to the technique. Take it and place it in the Sutra Library..."

The purple-crowned old Daoist's lips moved continuously, issuing several important tasks, and He Shan Daoist agreed to each without hesitation.

Finally, the old Daoist spoke again:

"Additionally, there is another important matter that you must carefully attend to."

Upon hearing this, the Daoist of All-Mountain Sect composed his expression and focused his gaze on the old Daoist, quietly awaiting his next instructions.

The latter waved his sleeve, and the light screen trembled. A sheet of gold foil, a foot in size, passed through the screen and floated down before him.

"If you have any news of this person, report back immediately." The purple-crowned old Daoist said in an unquestioning tone.

The Daoist of All-Mountain Sect received the gold foil with both hands and looked at it intently. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.

On the gold foil was a portrait of a young man, whose features were unmistakably none other than Han Li.

"What, is there something wrong?" The purple-crowned old Daoist asked indifferently.

"Reporting to the Patriarch, this person... this person is currently in our temple." The Daoist of All-Mountain Sect quickly replied.

"Are you certain it is this person?" The purple-crowned old Daoist's expression remained unchanged, but his speech quickened slightly.

"Although the man in the painting is much thinner, his demeanor and features are exactly the same. There is no mistake; it is him." After a brief deliberation, the Daoist of All-Mountain Sect said with certainty.

"Why is this person in my Jingyuan Temple?" The purple-crowned old Daoist nodded slightly and asked again.

"Forgive me, Patriarch. This person is actually a member of the Cold Flame Sect..." The Daoist of All-Mountain Sect first apologized, then recounted in detail everything he knew about Han Li.

After hearing this, the purple-crowned old Daoist fell into contemplation, remaining silent for a long time.

A slight sweat broke out on the Daoist of All-Mountain Sect's forehead, but he dared not speak and could only wait quietly.

"This person has a significant background; he is most likely an immortal banished from the Immortal Realm, now heavily wanted there. Do not alert him; wait for my subsequent arrangements. Until then, no matter what, you must keep him in our Jingyuan Temple." The purple-crowned old Daoist said solemnly.

"As you command." The Daoist of All-Mountain Sect immediately replied.

...

Immortal Realm, an unknown sea area.

The seawater here was a strange pitch-black color, like ink. The black sea stretched endlessly, with surging waves extending to the horizon.

Above the black sea floated nearly a hundred black peaks, upon which stood octagonal black giant tower structures.

Although these giant towers varied in height—some towering ten thousand zhang, others only a hundred—their exteriors were identical: entirely black, with octagonal flying eaves.

In the hall atop a small black tower, an old Daoist wearing a purple crown sat cross-legged before a square altar. He was none other than Jingming Zhenren.

On the altar floated a white formation, emitting a bright white light.

The old Daoist waved his hand and cast a spell, causing the white formation to immediately stop operating, its light rapidly dimming.

Then he stared ahead, motionless, but his eyes flickered continuously, as if hesitating over something.

After a long while, the old Daoist gritted his teeth, as if making a decision. He flipped his hand and produced a crystal bead the size of a thumb, crystal clear, and tossed it to float before him.

As a spell entered it, the bead's surface immediately rose with countless mosquito-sized crystal runes, coalescing into a foot-sized formation that rotated gently.

Every second, the formation pulsed once.

Time passed little by little. A full quarter of an hour went by, but the formation showed no change.

The old Daoist showed no impatience, waiting calmly.

After another half quarter of an hour, the formation suddenly brightened, and a shadowy black figure appeared within—a black-robed man with a broad forehead and wide face, but looking like a withered tree, sallow-complexioned, appearing gravely ill.

"Bone Flame Scatter, a thousand years have passed. You still look splendid, my friend." Jingming Zhenren cupped his hands and smiled warmly.

"Jingming, get to the point. Keep it brief." Bone Flame Scatter showed no good humor toward the old Daoist, appearing somewhat impatient.

"I wonder if you are currently in Blackwater City? I have a great opportunity here." Jingming Zhenren's smile faded, and he spoke somewhat mysteriously.

"Go ahead and tell me." Bone Flame Scatter's expression remained unchanged as he said flatly.

"You must have received the bounty notice from the Ten Directions Tower, right?" Jingming Zhenren said slowly.

"What do you mean? Do you have news of the person on the bounty?" Bone Flame Scatter raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed, that person is currently in the Linghuan Realm!" Jingming Zhenren's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his words startling.

"Is that true?" Bone Flame Scatter showed some interest, confirming with caution.

"True or false, you only need to contact your disciples in the lower realm, and you'll know soon enough." Jingming Zhenren stroked his chin and shook his head.

"From what you're saying, you mean to..." Bone Flame Scatter's eyes brightened slightly.

"Exactly. That person has hidden in this realm—a golden opportunity not seen in a thousand years. How about our two sects join forces to capture him and split the reward from the Ten Directions Tower evenly?" Jingming Zhenren said with a sly chuckle.