Chapter 96: Green Liquid Reappears

Han Li temporarily put away the Heavenvoid Bottle, planning to let it continue absorbing the power of moonlight every night and wait to see what would happen.

As for the Soulbirth Flower needed to refine the Earthly Immortal Avatar, he would have to find another way.

Thinking this, he turned and returned to the secret chamber, standing before the wooden table.

On the table lay a jade plate containing a blue, head-sized object—the head of the Earthly Immortal Avatar that had previously been enshrined in the forbidden area of Wumeng Island.

A few days earlier, when he went to find Luo Feng, he had borrowed this head and conducted some research on it.

He took the head from the jade plate and placed it on the ground, then sat cross-legged on a cushion and began to chant incantations.

A layer of green light rose from his body, then left it to envelop the entire blue head, lifting it into the air.

Han Li moved his hands before him in strange, archaic gestures, like those of uncivilized tribes worshiping the heavens, while reciting ancient, obscure spells.

As he moved, a strange blue halo appeared on the head's surface, flickering in time with his motions, from which came faint sounds like countless people whispering prayers.

Points of blue light constantly appeared in the surrounding void, converging into the head.

These blue halos were the faith power that the Earthly Immortal Avatar's head had gathered from its believers scattered across Wumeng Island.

As the blue light flickered, an indescribable wave of invisible force emanated from it, causing visible ripples in the void, and even the entire secret chamber and the small courtyard began to shake incessantly.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but his chanting grew faster.

The blue light from the head flickered a few times before slowly stabilizing.

This power was extraordinary, containing the faith power accumulated over nearly ten thousand years. Unfortunately, Luo Meng had already fallen and could no longer control the power gathered in this Earthly Immortal head.

He was merely following the method recorded in the jade slip, slowly trying to comprehend and experience this faith power, preparing for his future cultivation of an Earthly Immortal Avatar.

Just then, Han Li's expression shifted. He waved his hand, and a gap opened in the禁制 light around the secret chamber, through which a white, glowing talisman flew in.

He drew the talisman into his hand, swept his divine sense over it, then stopped his movements, placed the blue head back on the jade plate on the table, and left the secret chamber.

Outside the courtyard, Luo Feng stood respectfully with his hands at his sides.

“Clan Leader Luo, you seek an audience so urgently—could it be that there is news about the high-level Earth Immortal technique?” Han Li asked before the other could speak.

“Senior Liu guessed correctly. Indeed, there is progress on the high-level Earth Immortal technique. Yesterday, I gathered with some fellow cultivators and inadvertently learned that the next grand auction at Black Wind Island will feature a high-level Earth Immortal technique. So I hurried back immediately.” Luo Feng bowed to Han Li and said with a joyful expression.

“Clan Leader Luo has been thoughtful. The next grand auction is still over a decade away… In the meantime, I would trouble you to continue inquiring about other high-level techniques and the Soulbirth Flower.” Han Li nodded, his mind stirred.

“Yes, Senior Liu, rest assured. I will give the orders right away.” Luo Feng nodded and prepared to take his leave.

“Clan Leader Luo, wait a moment.” Han Li suddenly called him back.

“Senior Liu, is there something else?” Luo Feng turned back, slightly startled.

“Nothing much. It’s just that you have gone to much trouble for my affairs these days. I, Han, will remember it.” Han Li opened his mouth as if to speak, but after a barely perceptible flicker of strangeness in his eyes, he replied calmly.

“Senior Liu, you flatter me. This is what we should do.” Luo Feng was overjoyed and quickly waved his hand.

After a few more casual words, Luo Feng took his leave again.

Han Li watched Luo Feng leave, then turned and returned to the secret chamber.

Just now, he had intended to tell Luo Feng about Luo Meng's remains in the secret realm, but upon reflection, he felt it was inappropriate.

This matter involved too much, especially the existence of the Soulbirth Flower. If someone with ill intentions learned of it, it would inevitably cause trouble. It was better to wait until the time was ripe to tell them.

…

One morning half a month later.

A bright red sun slowly rose from where the distant sea met the sky. The slightly warm sunlight pierced through the morning clouds, casting sparkling ripples on the sea.

The entire Wumeng Island was bathed in a gentle light. Before several statues of Luo Meng on the island, a large number of islanders and cultivators had gathered, all performing unified rituals of worship and prayer.

The small courtyard on the island was also brightened by the sunlight.

At that moment, in the secret chamber of the courtyard, Han Li, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, slowly opened them, a glint of sharpness in his gaze.

Through this period of study, combined with research on Luo Meng's Earthly Immortal head, he had gained some insights into how to gather faith power and convert it.

In other words, if he could now possess his own Earthly Immortal Avatar and cultivate a suitable high-level Earth Immortal technique, then by accepting and converting the faith power provided by the believers on Wumeng Island, he would have a fifty to sixty percent chance of breaking free from the mysterious chains binding his Nascent Soul, thereby restoring his cultivation.

But the Heavenvoid Bottle still could not produce green liquid. It seemed that the fully aged Soulbirth Flower and the high-level Earth Immortal technique could only be hoped for at the grand auction over a decade later.

“Over a decade—still too long…”

Han Li murmured thoughtfully to himself, then, as usual, left the secret chamber and went to a spot in the courtyard, where he bent down and picked up a dark green bottle.

But as soon as the bottle touched his hand, his brow slightly furrowed. It felt different from usual—much heavier.

His mind stirred, and he quickly placed his hand on the lid, trying to open it.

This time, the lid came off effortlessly.

He quickly brought the bottle to his eyes and peered inside through the mouth.

What he saw filled him with great joy!

At the bottom of the bottle, a drop of dark green liquid the size of a soybean was slowly sliding along the inner wall.

The green liquid had condensed again!

But this drop was slightly different from before—its color seemed darker, almost black, casting a greenish glow inside the bottle.

Han Li held the bottle and examined it repeatedly before his emotions gradually calmed.

Although he had prepared for the worst, deep down he had always harbored a sliver of hope and expectation. If the bottle had truly become useless, the blow would have been greater than losing all his treasures.

Fortunately, it seemed to have been a false alarm. Truly, when one is at the end of their rope, a new path opens!

However, the time it took to condense this drop was nearly a month, which was far longer than before.

He wondered what the efficacy of this green liquid, condensed over such a long time, would be.

With this thought, Han Li immediately returned to the secret chamber, activated all the禁制, then waved his hand, took out the jade token, and opened the passage to the secret realm.

Inside the secret realm, everything was as before.

The purple Soulbirth Flower, as large as a lotus leaf, still stood alone in its place. Only Luo Meng's remains had been buried by Han Li beside the wooden hut, forming a small grave mound.

Han Li approached the large purple flower without hesitation, opened the Heavenvoid Bottle, and poured the drop of green liquid onto the center of the flower.

His eyes fixed unblinkingly on the green liquid as it slowly seeped into the flower's pistil, and his heart grew a little anxious.

This feeling was somewhat similar to when he first learned of the green liquid's effects and conducted his first experiment—a sense of eager anticipation.

After waiting a day and a night, Han Li entered the secret realm early the next morning and went to the large purple flower.

To his surprise, in just one day, the Soulbirth Flower had undergone astonishing changes.

On all its petals, a thin, thread-like golden line had appeared, circling the edges of the petals, as if a fine golden border had been embroidered around them.

According to the jade slip left by Luo Meng, a golden pattern appearing on the petals was a phenomenon that occurred only after the flower reached ten thousand years of age.

This Soulbirth Flower was originally eight thousand years old. By that calculation, the ripening effect of that drop of green liquid was at least two thousand years.

With this conclusion, Han Li finally showed a hint of satisfaction.

Although the collection of green liquid had become extremely slow since arriving in the immortal realm, the effect of this single drop was dozens of times greater than before in the Spirit Realm.

Next, he spent another month confirming that the Heavenvoid Bottle could indeed condense one drop of green liquid roughly every month. Only then did his hanging heart finally settle completely.

At the same time, he did not slacken his research on the method of refining the Earthly Immortal Avatar, often taking out the statue's head to study it carefully.

In the blink of an eye, another three months passed.

During this time, Han Li would mentally rehearse the detailed steps for refining the Earthly Immortal Avatar almost every day.

Now, he had almost fully grasped the refining method, confident that once the Soulbirth Flower matured and all the refining materials were gathered, he would be able to successfully refine the Earthly Immortal Avatar.

Under the ripening effect of the green liquid from the bottle, all the petals of the Soulbirth Flower had also grown a second golden line.

According to Han Li's estimation, this drop of green liquid, which took a month to condense in the immortal realm, had a relatively accurate ripening effect of about three thousand years.

Based on this effect, if all went smoothly, in about three or four years, he would obtain a Soulbirth Flower over one hundred thousand years old.