Chapter 78: Strange Signs of the Big Dipper

In the Spirit Huan Realm, atop a massive snow mountain over ten thousand zhang high.

A thick layer of leaden black clouds gathered in the sky, from which rumbling thunder rolled, and dark blue lightning flickered faintly deep within the clouds.

Below, howling winds swept wildly, carrying漫天 white snowflakes in a furious swirl, obscuring nearly the entire mountain peak.

Yet over a hundred li away from this peak, the night was serene with bright moon and sparse stars, forming a stark contrast.

The summit of the snow mountain had been sheared off by some great power, transformed into a vast platform a hundred zhang in diameter.

On the platform stood dozens of black stone pillars, each ten zhang tall, seemingly chaotic but subtly arranged, forming a massive circular formation with inner and outer rings.

The ground within the formation was etched with intricate spirit patterns, while the tops of the pillars were inlaid with spirit stones of extremely pure spiritual power.

At this moment, a tall figure sat cross-legged in the center of the formation, facing the raging snowstorm.

Clad in a thin blue robe, with an unremarkable but angular face and bright, deep star-like eyes that radiated a captivating light, it was Han Li.

He gently closed his eyes, formed hand seals swiftly before his chest, and chanted some obscure incantation in a low voice, as the Minor Big Dipper Star Origin Art within him began to circulate rapidly.

In an instant, brilliant light burst forth atop the peak.

Countless silver-white starlight pierced through the dark clouds, projecting down from the sky as seven thick silver-white beams, enveloping the entire mountain.

The snowflakes that had been swirling wildly in the wind instantly melted upon entering the silver light, turning into vapor and disappearing.

Han Li raised his hands above his head, forming seals as if reaching for the sky. A dark light flashed at his waist, and seven Star-Moon Mirrors flew out, each entering one of the light beams, radiating dazzling brilliance.

At the same time, a strange vortex suddenly appeared above Han Li's head, drawing the seven mirrors toward its center.

As the vortex grew larger, the pulling force from it increased, and the seven mirrors were irresistibly drawn toward the center.

The seven massive light beams were also pulled by this force, tilting and converging toward the center.

With a dull rumble like rolling thunder,

the seven silver beams finally merged into a single colossal beam over a hundred zhang wide, covering the entire mountain and connecting heaven and earth.

At this moment, the Big Dipper deep in the sky shone brightly and began to undergo astonishing changes.

Starting from Tianshu, the seven stars—Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, and so on—lit up with silver-purple light in sequence, then flickered one after another continuously.

After several cycles, the Big Dipper stars shifted positions, first forming a straight line from their original ladle shape, then connecting end to end into a ring.

Immediately, a thick beam of silver-purple light surged from the ring, as if crossing billions of li through the endless night sky, shining directly onto Han Li.

With a whoosh,

the moment the silver-purple light touched him, Han Li's robes instantly turned to ash.

His skin immediately reflected silver light, becoming utterly translucent.

Through his skin, one could even see that his muscles and bones were also changing. Previously covered only with a faint silver luster, they now seemed wrapped in silver paste.

A loud hum resonated from the snow peak.

Countless silver light specks replaced the falling snow, drifting down to form a huge spherical light curtain that enveloped the entire mountain, emitting terrifying fluctuations of spiritual power.

As the fluctuations intensified, the entire mountain shook violently, and the surrounding mountain range became extremely unstable.

Within a thousand li, the ground trembled constantly, with many places splitting into winding, narrow crevices, some even altering riverbeds and diverting streams.

In the dense primeval forests nearby, clouds of yellow dust rose everywhere, and countless beasts rampaged through the woods, roaring wildly.

Above the forests, dense flocks of birds and flying beasts flapped their wings, rushing out of the woods, darkening large swaths of the sky.

Rumble,

a towering volcano that had been dormant for over ten thousand years, hundreds of li away, erupted again under the continuous tremors.

Massive amounts of dark red magma, mixed with thick black smoke, spewed from the crater, reaching thousands of zhang into the sky.

Countless red-hot rocks were hurled high into the air, then fell like a meteor shower, trailing long tails across the night sky, piercing through layers of spreading volcanic ash, and crashing into the forests.

Vast stretches of forest immediately burst into blazing flames, lighting up half the night sky red amidst rolling black smoke.

Over a dozen streaks of light shot out from various places within the mountain range, all hovering hundreds of li away from the silver light sphere.

Among them were handsome young men and graceful middle-aged women, but most were elderly men, mostly alone, with few in groups.

They were all rogue cultivators hidden in this mountain range, with varying cultivation levels, the weakest at late Core Formation and the strongest at mid-Integration.

Besides them, there were also some with strange appearances—some with vertical horns on their heads, some with colorful patterns on their bodies, some covered in fur, and some with beast heads—clearly demon cultivators.

But whether human or demon cultivators, they all looked toward the snow peak with both fear and confusion, yet none dared approach to investigate.

"With such power, could it be a Mahayana cultivator about to undergo tribulation and ascend?" a white-robed youth asked, gazing at the strange signs above the snow mountain.

A gaunt old man who had come with him shook his head and said,

"I don't think so. There's no sign of tribulation lightning. It looks more like someone cultivating a profound technique that is about to reach completion, causing such heavenly phenomena."

"Cultivating a technique? That's impossible..."

The white-robed youth gasped, unable to believe that merely cultivating a technique could trigger such widespread heavenly phenomena.

Just then, a thunderous roar came from the peak, and a powerful shockwave swept outward in a ring from the snow mountain.

The crowd hundreds of li away turned into streaks of light and flew backward. A demon cultivator of shallow cultivation, failing to retreat far enough, was caught by the shockwave, spurted blood, and was battered, nearly perishing.

After fleeing another hundred li, they stopped and looked back with lingering fear.

The spherical light curtain covering the entire snow mountain had expanded twofold, enveloping an even larger area. The snow mountain became blurry, only a faint outline visible.

...

Meanwhile,

at the Nine Peaks Palace of Jingyuan Temple, the corpulent He Shan Daoist stood on the Star-Gathering Platform, gazing at the altered Big Dipper in the night sky with a complex expression.

Under Han Li's coercion earlier, he had been forced to destroy the temple's communication array with the Immortal Realm, effectively betraying Jingming Zhenren.

Now that this person was about to leave, how to deal with the repercussions when the ancestor in the Immortal Realm used some means to investigate was a matter requiring careful consideration.

Moreover, the Cold Flame Sect had developed rapidly in recent years, openly and covertly absorbing many small and medium forces, nearly rivaling Jingyuan Temple. Once Han Li left, the Spirit Huan Realm would likely face turmoil again...

At this thought, He Shan Daoist couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

...

Similarly, at the Sacred Flame Peak of the Cold Flame Sect,

Sima Jingming, clad in a purple robe, stood with both hands on the white jade railing, looking up at the night sky, his expression equally complex.

After a long while, he let out a long breath and said with relief,

"Senior Han, you are finally leaving..."

Although the Cold Flame Sect had greatly increased in power after absorbing the Heavenly Ghost Sect, Han Li's existence had always been like an invisible mountain weighing on his heart.

Though the Cold Flame Sect had not clashed with Han Li and had even maintained a harmonious relationship, having someone who could destroy an entire sect with a flick of his wrist was like placing a talisman that could explode at any moment beside you—no one would find that easy.

...

At this moment, in a secluded cave dwelling on Cloudrise Peak,

Gu Yunyue, dressed in white, sat opposite Yu Menghan, who wore a palace robe, at a stone table in the courtyard's patio.

The latter looked up at the Big Dipper, now a ring in the night sky, and the strange silver-purple beam, her gaze somewhat dazed.

"This Elder Han treats you unusually well. Not only did he leave you this cave dwelling, but also so many treasures and elixirs. All these resources together amount to no less than a small sect, more than enough for you to use up to the Nascent Soul stage," Gu Yunyue said with a gentle smile, teasing her slightly.

Yu Menghan was startled, then came to her senses and said,

"Elder Han probably remembers that I once brought him and Sister Le'er into the mansion, which is why he treats me so generously. Actually, that favor was repaid long ago. Instead, I owe Elder Han more."

Gu Yunyue smiled and shook her head without speaking.

The master and disciple fell silent, and the small courtyard grew quiet.

...

In a cave dwelling halfway up Cloudrise Peak,

an elderly Daoist with a lotus crown and gray-white robe sat cross-legged in a secret chamber. It was Bai Shi Daoren.

Before him lay a yellowed blue ancient book with five archaic characters: "Xuan Shui Lian You Lu" (Profound Water Refining Ghost Record).

This ancient text was a superior ghost path technique of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, a crucial secret that would never be passed on. So when Han Li suddenly appeared and casually gave it to him, he could hardly believe it.

On the day he received it, he began to study it intently. Now he had reached the second layer, and the bottleneck of the early Core Formation stage that had trapped him for years finally showed signs of loosening.

This filled him with joy and also a sense of fortune, grateful that he had been blessed to briefly follow Han Li.