Chapter 839: So That's How It Was

"How could this be?" Han Li's mind was in turmoil, but he didn't know whom to ask.

He looked around for a long while before gradually calming down. Composing himself, he flew slowly toward the river.

Although he had been here several times before, this was the first time such a situation had occurred, and it felt somewhat peculiar.

Lost in thought, Han Li arrived above the river, hovering in midair as he gazed down at the water.

Strange glowing orbs drifted past beneath him. Drawing on his previous experience, he didn't focus on any single orb but merely glanced at the fleeting images on their surfaces.

Just then, a particularly large orb drifted past beneath Han Li, moving noticeably slower than the others.

Catching a glimpse of its image, Han Li's heart tightened, and he couldn't help but fix his gaze on it.

But as soon as his eyes landed, he realized his mistake and silently cursed.

It was too late. The water-drop orb suddenly flared with light, releasing a tremendous devouring force.

With a soft "whoosh,"

Han Li was enveloped by a powerful force and yanked violently toward the water-drop orb.

His vision went black, and he lost consciousness once more.

…

After an unknown length of time, Han Li's eyes snapped open. He found himself lying on a black reef jutting out of the sea. Waves crashed noisily around him, splashing large amounts of seawater onto the rocks.

Pushing himself up with both hands, Han Li sat up and scanned his surroundings. He saw an endless expanse of dark, deep sea, looking gloomy and oppressive.

A faint ringing sounded in his ears, his breathing was somewhat heavy, and he felt an indescribable discomfort throughout his body.

The surrounding world seemed normal—the flow of spiritual qi and the haze of demonic qi were as usual—but he sensed something was off. This discomfort grew slightly with each breath, like snowflakes piling up one by one.

Each increment was so subtle it was barely noticeable.

Ordinarily, Han Li might have detected such minute changes but wouldn't have paid them much heed. However, given the unusual circumstances, he had to remain extremely vigilant.

Composing himself, he went to the edge of the reef and leaned over to look at the water. Reflected on the dark surface was his own face.

This time, it was indeed no longer a soul projection but a true physical traversal!

Han Li let out a long breath, uncertain whether to feel joy or sorrow. In a daze, he sat back down on the ground.

Out of habit, he looked up and saw that the phantom image of the Truthful Speech Wheel, which had appeared during his soul traversals, was gone. In its place was a blurry golden ring densely covered with time dao patterns.

After a rough count, Han Li found there were as many as 1,620 of them, seemingly the total number of dao patterns from the five time law manifestations: the Truthful Speech Wheel, the Radiance Pure Vase, the Eastern Yi Divine Wood, and the others.

It seemed the duration of the time traversal still depended on the consumption rate of time power. With this thought, Han Li's heart stirred slightly. He raised a hand to his brow and gently rubbed it.

Just then, his gaze caught sight of a huge black corpse half-submerged not far behind the reef. Its surface was somewhat decayed, emitting a foul odor.

Frowning, Han Li flew up and hovered closer for a closer look. He realized it was a fragment of a whale carcass, and it looked somewhat familiar.

At the same time, he suddenly recalled the image he had seen in the water-drop orb—more precisely, the figure he had glimpsed in that orb.

Han Li slowly lowered his hand from his brow, a huge question forming in his mind: Could that situation back then have been caused by this strange traversal?

At this thought, a storm raged in his heart. The more he pondered, the more he felt his guess might be true. He immediately stood up again.

After checking his condition and finding no major issues, Han Li closed his eyes and released his spiritual sense, spreading it in all directions.

A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He said slowly:

"Whether my guess is right or wrong, I'll know at a glance."

With that, he put on a Reincarnation Palace mask, then shot up into the air and sped off in one direction.

…

On a stretch of black sea tens of thousands of miles away, a dark green figure sat floating on the water, bobbing like a leaf on the surface.

The figure was gaunt, wearing a loose dark green robe that spread across the water like a lotus leaf. His face was gaunt, with a long beard swaying—truly the image of an immortal.

It was none other than the Bone-Reflecting True Man!

Above his head floated a fist-sized purple orb, emitting purple smoke and hazy light that enveloped his head.

The purple orb was a soul-nourishing immortal artifact, albeit only of the ninth grade.

Ordinarily, the Bone-Reflecting True Man wouldn't use this artifact, but now he had no choice.

Earlier, while pursuing the two murderers of his disciples, he had been caught off guard and severely wounded by a strange divine ability from that Taiyi cultivator, causing severe soul damage that even several soul-nourishing pills couldn't fully heal.

Left with no other option, he had resorted to using this artifact, which was not originally meant for treating soul injuries.

"To wound me with soul techniques, you must be in a bad state yourself. Next time, when we meet again, I'll show you what it means to be reduced to bones and ashes," the Bone-Reflecting True Man said through gritted teeth, his eyes dark.

As soon as he spoke, he saw a streak of light speeding toward him from afar, stopping abruptly a hundred zhang away.

The light faded, revealing a familiar figure with a familiar aura, yet the feeling was vastly different.

Startled, the Bone-Reflecting True Man quickly stood up and exclaimed, "You again?"

"So that's how it is, haha..." Han Li rejoiced inwardly, laughing heartily.

Earlier, he had suspected that, for some reason, his physical traversal had brought him to the Ink Sea region where he had once fought the Bone-Reflecting True Man. Seeing the man now confirmed all his guesses.

Thus, it seemed that the one who had severely wounded the Bone-Reflecting True Man, nearly destroying his soul before Han Li himself killed him back then, was none other than his present self who had traversed back!

The Bone-Reflecting True Man watched Han Li, who seemed lost in thought and laughing to himself, his confusion growing. He felt something strange about the other party.

This strangeness made him uneasy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was off.

"Boy, you're quite bold to come after me alone, leaving Shi Chuankong behind?" the Bone-Reflecting True Man steadied himself and shouted.

"Your soul injury hasn't fully healed yet, has it?" Han Li replied with a noncommittal smile.

"So what? Do you think you can use that soul secret technique again so soon?" the Bone-Reflecting True Man said bravely, though his heart was pounding.

"Soul secret techniques consume a lot of spiritual sense; indeed, they can't be used again in a short time. But how do you know, Senior, that I don't have other means?" Han Li said with a playful smile, looking at the Bone-Reflecting True Man.

For some reason, seeing that expression sent a chill down the Bone-Reflecting True Man's spine.

But soon he laughed at himself: a mere Taiyi cultivator intimidating a Daluo cultivator like himself?

"Pretending to be mysterious."

The Bone-Reflecting True Man snorted. With a wave of his hand, a hazy white light expanded, instantly forming a Bone Domain that enveloped the surrounding area.

A thin mist spread, and eight huge bone mounds reappeared, surrounding them.

The Bone-Reflecting True Man exhaled a turbid breath. Sharp stabs of pain still shot through his sea of consciousness, slowing his spiritual sense and, consequently, his demonic qi circulation.

Han Li merely frowned at the sight, showing little tension.

He turned his hand over, and a strangely shaped琉璃 lamp appeared in his palm.

"Th-this... the Soul-Devouring Lamp? How did you get it?" the Bone-Reflecting True Man exclaimed in surprise, his expression changing.

"So you recognize this treasure, Senior. But do you have a way to counter it?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and said.

With that, Han Li waved his hand, and the琉璃 lamp spun and flew toward the Bone-Reflecting True Man.

The latter, without hesitation, twisted his wrist and produced a purple-gold talisman, pressing it against his brow.

The talisman flashed and instantly burned away, dissipating into a wisp of smoke.

On the Bone-Reflecting True Man's brow, purple-gold lines intertwined, forming a complex talisman pattern.

Han Li frowned slightly but didn't pause in his hand gestures, quickly forming incantation seals.

As the Soul-Devouring Lamp approached within a hundred zhang of the Bone-Reflecting True Man, the wick suddenly flickered, emitting purple and green light like two eerie fire pythons twisting together.

The purple and green flames in the lamp were dim rather than bright, casting a gloomy light. The Bone-Reflecting True Man's gaze involuntarily fell upon them, and his eyes grew hazy.

In a daze, he seemed to see two graceful, enchanting young girls in the lamp, leaning against each other, dancing in a soul-stirring manner.

In moments, the Bone-Reflecting True Man's gaze became fixed and vacant.