If you can fuse with that immortal puppet, you'll be able to attain power comparable to a golden immortal, so I think it's worth a try. Would you be willing to take this gamble, Fellow Daoist Xie? "Han Li asked." Are you willing to take this gamble, Fellow Daoist Xie? "
Ever since he had slain Zhong Luan, everything had been peaceful for the past 200 years, but his heart had never been completely at ease. As such, after accumulating sufficient resources, he had been working hard on his cultivation in hopes of reaching the late-Body True Immortal stage so that he could refine a thread of the laws of time to increase his defensive prowess against Golden Immortals, but he still hadn't been able to do so.
However, through a series of fortuitous encounters, he had discovered an opportunity for a Golden Immortal to assist him, and he didn't want to miss it.
Daoist Xie was a little hesitant upon hearing this.
"Han won't force you on this matter, Fellow Daoist Xie.
However, I have to clarify something in advance; after fusing with the immortal puppet and the female bean as one, you'll have a closer connection with me, and you'll also be under my control due to the female bean.
This is unavoidable, so I hope you can consider it carefully, "Han Li replied in an honest manner.
A long while later, Daoist Xie turned to Han Li, and said, "As long as you don't forget what you promised me in the Spirit Realm, I'm willing to give it a try."
"Alright.
I'll set up the formation right away, "Han Li nodded in response.
Another month passed by in the blink of an eye.
Within Han Li's cave abode, there was a new secret chamber that was even more spacious. There were eight logs of Lightning-Gather Wood that were covered in talisman patterns, and a rather complex spell formation had been carved into the ground.
There were many types of materials, including the Immeasurable Sand, placed on the nodes of the formation, and there were a few indentations on the periphery of the formation with Immortal Essential Stones embedded into them.
At the center of the formation sat a yellow-robed man with thin eyebrows; he was none other than the immortal puppet that he had obtained from the Holy Puppet Gate.
Han Li stood outside the spell formation. With a flick of his wrist, a metal ball appeared in his palm.
With a slight sound, the golden ball quickly turned into a golden crab.
"Daoist Xie, everything is ready. We can begin." Han Li looked at the golden crab and said.
The golden crab didn't say anything. It turned into a golden ball of lightning and flew toward the yellow-robed man's chest. The golden crab disappeared into the ball of lightning.
Seeing this, Han Li also sat down cross-legged. He made a gesture with both hands and started chanting.
There was a buzzing sound.
Inside the secret chamber, a burst of yellow light lit up, and the spell formation began to produce the sound of wind.
A yellow whirlwind appeared out of nowhere and turned into an earth-yellow vortex that enveloped the immortal puppet. Many of the materials on the formation were sucked in by the whirlwind.
Immediately afterward, the yellow-robed man's body shone brightly. Ancient runes flew out of his robe and fell into the whirlwind.
As soon as the spiritual materials in the whirlwind came into contact with these runes, they immediately disintegrated into powder and rushed toward the yellow-robed man.
Seeing this, Han Li turned his wrist and took out a walnut-sized soybean. It was one of the two female beans he got.
As he threw forward with one hand, the female bean turned into a yellow shadow and flashed into the spell formation.
After the female bean entered the array, it floated above the yellow-robed man's head and was immediately attached by several runes. However, it didn't disintegrate. Instead, the light suddenly brightened, and the shadow of a Dao Soldier Tree slowly rose from it.
This shadow was more than ten meters tall. It was rooted on the spell formation, and the tree trunk just happened to shroud the yellow-robed man in it.
Han Li first made a gesture with both hands, then he stretched forward and slapped the ground with one palm.
As his palm fell, several Immortal Essence Stones on the spell formation lit up at the same time. Wisps of pure Immortal Spiritual Force flowed through the Dao Soldier Tree's roots and into the tree trunk.
The shadow of the Dao Soldier Tree shone brightly, and all of the spiritual materials that had been disintegrated were absorbed into the yellow-robed man's body. The yellow vortex that had enveloped him also disappeared.
"Tzlala!"
A crackling sound of electricity rang out, and the symbols on the eight pieces of Lightning-Restrain Wood that were erected on the periphery of the spell formation shone brightly. Then, bolts of golden lightning darted out like pythons, and converged on the yellow-robed man in the center.
At the same time, a large swath of purplish-golden lightning lit up on the man's chest, as if he had donned a loose robe of lightning.
Han Li knew that Daoist Xie had already begun to fuse with the puppet, so he immediately withdrew his hand from the ground and made another hand gesture.
Right at this moment, a thunderclap suddenly rang out, and the shadow of a massive golden crab appeared behind the yellow-robed man. Its eight thin limbs were covered in purple runes that were flashing with bolts of lightning.
"Go!"
Han Li yelled as he focused his full attention on the spell formation. He pushed his hands forward, and the Immortal Spiritual Force within his body surged into the spell formation like a torrential river.
"Boom boom boom!"
Explosions rang out incessantly within the secret chamber, and the walls began to tremor violently.
Thankfully, Han Li had anticipated this, and he had set up fortification formations and isolation formations in advance. Otherwise, the tremors would've caused quite a commotion on the entire Crimson Afterglow Peak.
As the tremors continued to intensify, the yellow light and purplish-golden lightning within the secret chamber began to flash violently.
Han Li continued to inject his Immortal Spiritual Force into the spell formation, and his spiritual sense also extended into the spell formation to forcibly fuse the female bean Immortal puppet and Daoist Xie together.
Within the secret chamber, the golden crab shadow and the Dao Weapon Tree shadow slowly shrank at the same time, shrinking from around ten feet tall to six to seven feet tall, then to two to three feet tall, and the yellow lightning around them converged toward the center.
After an indeterminate period of time, all of the light converged to form a fist-sized golden ball of light that hovered above the yellow-robed man's chest. Within the ball of light, one could faintly see the shadow of a small tree and a golden crab.
Almost all of the Immortal Spiritual Force within Han Li's body had flowed into the spell formation, and his spiritual sense had been greatly depleted, so his face was quite pale.
"Fuse!" A cold light flashed through his eyes as he roared.
In the next instant, all of the Immortal Spiritual Force within his body surged toward the yellow-robed man without any reservation.
A soft crack sounded from the ground, and the Immortal Essential Stones within the seven or eight Immortal Essence Stones also flowed out before shattering into a greyish-white color.
A vortex of light abruptly appeared on the yellow-robed man's chest, which instantly engulfed the golden ball of light.
In an instant, the sound of thunder exploded!
A thick bolt of lightning emerged from the yellow-robed man's body like a pillar of purple gold lightning. It suddenly soared into the sky, pierced through the ceiling of the secret chamber, and shot into the sky, causing the entire Crimson Afterglow Peak to shake violently.
Fortunately, the lightning only lasted for a few breaths of time before disappearing without a trace.
Inside the secret chamber, because Han Li's body was empty of Immortal Spiritual Force, he could only block it with his Xuan Immortal body. He was blasted away by the lightning and slammed into the wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
After stabilizing himself, he glanced at the yellow-robed man, who was still motionless, and sat cross-legged again. He took out a glistening yellow pill and swallowed it. Then, he flipped his hand and took out an Immortal Essential Stone. He held it in his hand and closed his eyes to meditate.
About a quarter of an hour later, he slowly opened his eyes and spat out the remaining blood in his mouth.
The yellow-robed man sitting opposite him suddenly moved his eyelids and opened his eyes, revealing a pair of pale golden eyes.
"Congratulations on your rebirth, Fellow Daoist Xie.
Han was worried that some issues would arise during the fusion process, but it looks like I was overthinking things, "Han Li congratulated upon seeing this, but his heart jolted.
Just now, when he released his spiritual sense to detect the aura being released by the yellow-robed man, he discovered that the yellow-robed man really did possess a cultivation base equivalent to the early-golden immortal stage.
Fortunately, perhaps it was because of the Mother Bean, there was a Soul Restriction that was deeply planted within the core of the Soul Formation.
"This is all thanks to Friend Han's help.
However, even though I've successfully fused with the immortal puppet, the power within my body is a little impure due to the fusion of the Dao Weapon, so I'll need to go into seclusion for a while longer to completely stabilize my condition, "Daoist Xie continued.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Xie. If you need any spirit stones, just let me know," Han Li said with a nod.
Daoist Xie nodded expressionlessly upon hearing this before closing his eyes to meditate.
Only then did a hint of elation appear in Han Li's eyes, and he stood up before making his way out of the secret chamber.
Seeing as this matter had come to an end, he had something else to consider.
At the central region of the Bell Chime Mountain Ranges, Gourd Peak.
A streak of azure light descended from the sky before landing in front of the golden palace at the foot of the mountain, revealing Han Li.
He took a glance at the plaque above the palace before making his way into the palace.
There were many medicine cabinets within the Immortal Herb Pavilion, and Ye Nanfeng was standing in front of one of the cabinets at the entrance, greeting an elderly man with a long beard.
A smile appeared on Ye Nanfeng's face at the sight of Han Li, and he extended a greeting.
Han Li nodded in response while he began to browse through the medicine cabinets in the palace.
Not long after that, the elderly man seemed to have found what he was looking for, and he departed after completing the transaction.
"Hehe, long time no see, Elder Li," Ye Nanfeng said with a smile as he quickly made his way toward Han Li.
"Elder Ye, it seems like your Immortal Herb Pavilion has grown a lot since I last visited," Han Li said as he withdrew his gaze from a cabinet.
"Hehe, I really can't hide anything from you, Elder Li.
Come to think of it, this is all thanks to Dao Lord Mu, "Ye Nanfeng chuckled.
"Dao Lord Mu of the Flying Feather Peak?" Han Li faltered upon hearing this.
"Is there a second Dao Lord Mu in our sect?" Ye Nanfeng blinked in confusion.