Just as Han Li was looking around, Xiong Shan had already reached the door. He only paused for a moment to look around before he dashed through the door and into the palace.
Han Li turned around to look at the stone stairs behind him. He saw that Xue Han and the rest were still rushing over, but they were not far from the top.
He did not hesitate and rushed into the gatehouse with Lu Yuqing and the rest.
After entering the gate, Han Li saw three extremely large palaces from afar. They had glazed roofs, cinnabar-red walls, and statues of exotic beasts squatting on the roofs and eaves were lined up in a row.
The three palaces were arranged in a triangular formation. The main doors faced the gatehouse, and their bases were a few feet above the ground. They looked like they were built on a high platform.
There was a wide white stone plaza between the gatehouse and the palace. There were no other furnishings on the plaza other than the tiles that were laid on the ground.
After Han Li quickly scanned the entire plaza and palaces, a hint of surprise appeared in the depths of his eyes. He could not help but frown. The scene in front of him seemed somewhat familiar.
"This layout, this feeling … I feel like I've seen it somewhere before?" He thought to himself.
Before he could figure it out, Xiong Shan, who was walking at the front, had already leaped and flew in the direction of the palaces.
However, the next moment, a shocking scene appeared!
The moment Xiong Shan leaped into the void above the palaces, the surrounding void suddenly distorted, and there was a faint ripple.
Immediately after, his body turned into a puff of green smoke and disappeared.
Han Li could not help but frown. Blue light surged in his eyes as he looked at the plaza.
Under the detection of Ming Qing Spirit Eyes, the originally empty white stone plaza was filled with a layer of white fog. There were faint waves of spiritual power flowing in it. It looked chaotic, but it was actually very orderly. It was obviously an extremely mysterious illusion array.
After Han Li retracted his gaze, he could not help but turn around to look outside the gatehouse behind him.
After a moment of silence, his eyes suddenly lit up. A name that he had not heard for a long time immediately appeared in his mind.
The staircase that contained restrictions, the illusory formation on the plaza, and the palace that was shaped like the character '品' … This area of the Netherfrost Immortal Abode was actually 70% to 80% similar to the scene he'd encountered in the Moon Palace all those years ago?
Could it be that there was a connection between the Spiritual Realm and the Realm of True Immortals?
Han Li couldn't help but make a bold guess.
At this moment, the sound of heavy footsteps suddenly came from the gate. Han Li and the other two looked back and saw that Xue Han had already caught up to them.
The Icy Flame Ancestor gritted his teeth and growled. He took the lead and flew towards the plaza. Han Li and Lu Yuqing hurriedly followed.
The three of them disappeared into the void almost at the same time.
Xue Han, who had caught up to them but was still a step too late, snorted. He did not recklessly rush into the illusory formation. Instead, he stopped at the edge of the plaza and concentrated on investigating.
When Han Li entered the formation, he did not put away his Brightsight Spirit Eyes. He clearly saw himself falling into the mist of the illusory formation. In an instant, the world was spinning and the scenery around him changed. It was as if he had entered another world.
"Steamed buns, hot steamed buns …"
"High-quality rouge and face powder. It's more fragrant than flowers and sweeter than honey when I smell it …"
The sound of hawking that could only be heard in a busy market could be heard from the surroundings.
Han Li was slightly stunned. He glanced around and was surprised to find that he was standing on a crowded street. There were people coming and going all around him, and it was very noisy.
Not far from him, there was a tall and wide city gate. Near the gate, at the foot of the city, a beautiful woman was standing there with a surprised expression, looking left and right.
At this moment, the somewhat pale Icy Flame Ancestor walked out of the city gate and stopped beside Lu Yuqing. He turned around and waved in Han Li's direction.
Han Li was about to walk over when he heard a shout from behind him, "Steamed biscuits … Come, let me through, freshly made steamed biscuits …"
He subconsciously took a step to the side, only to see a short and rough man less than five feet tall swinging a shoulder pole and carrying two sets of steamers. He quickly walked past him while emitting wisps of hot steam.
After moving aside, he realized that the man was not talking to him. Instead, he was asking the rich young master behind him, who had a begonia in his hair and was dressed in pink satin clothes, to make way.
Very quickly, Han Li realized that to these people in the illusory formation, the three of them did not seem to exist. They could directly pass through their bodies.
However, what surprised him the most was that the man's expression was no different from a normal person's. The smell of the steamed biscuits didn't seem fake either. Even the temperature of the steamers when they passed by him was exactly the same as in the real world.
One had to know that he had yet to retract his Spirit Eye ability, so what he saw was still an illusory formation.
While thinking, Han Li walked to the side of the Icy Flame Ancestor and Lu Yuqing and said, "Fellow Icy Flame, this illusory formation is almost the same as the real world. My Spirit Eye ability cannot see through it at all."
"Fellow Daoist Han is correct.
This formation is called the 'Boundless World'. It is the most incredible illusory formation I have seen in my life.
As the name suggests, the illusory formation it creates is not inferior to a world. If one were to randomly walk around in here, it is very likely that they will slowly become lost and never be able to escape, "the Icy Flame Ancestor said with a nod.
That's right, have any of you seen Xiong Shan? "Han Li suddenly changed the topic.
The Icy Flame Ancestor hesitated for a moment before saying, "The last time we came here, it wasn't like this. We were on a wild continent that was ravaged by demon beasts.
It can be seen that different batches of people entering this illusory formation will encounter different illusions.
He came in before us. Although there's not much difference in time, it's extremely likely that he's trapped in another illusory world. We might only be able to see him after we leave the illusory formation, "the Icy Flame Ancestor said after pondering for a moment.
Han Li glanced at him and couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Such a troublesome illusory formation. How did you guys get out of it last time?"
The Icy Flame Ancestor bitterly smiled and said, "At the time, there were eight of us. There was no lack of experts proficient in formations. They observed the position of the stars in the night sky and deduced the method to leave the formation step by step … But even so, only four people, including me and Xiong Shan, were able to leave the illusory formation alive."
When Han Li heard this, he raised his head and looked at the sky. It was early in the morning. There were white clouds in the blue sky, and the sun was shining brightly. There was still a long way to go before nightfall. There wasn't a single star in the sky.
He glanced at the Icy Flame Ancestor and asked, "The method of observing the stars you mentioned, is it only used to determine the position of the illusory formation's base, and then deduced the location of the gate of birth from the base of the formation?"
The Icy Flame Ancestor raised his eyebrows and said with some surprise, "That's right. It seems that Friend Han is also proficient in this?"
Han Li didn't pay attention to his compliments. He first raised his head and looked at the plaque on the city gate. Then, he looked around, looking at all eight directions.
"The plaque on the city gate says' East Gate ', indicating that the direction to leave the city is east. However, it's early in the morning right now, and the direction of the sun in the sky is completely opposite. It can be seen that one of the two is fake.
However, since you guys used the stars to determine the direction last time, it's more likely that the position of the sun is real. Therefore, it should be east. "Han Li raised his hand and pointed to the other side of the street.
When the Icy Flame Ancestor and Lu Yuqing heard this, they suddenly understood and nodded in agreement.
"Since we've determined the correct direction, the next step is to observe the base of the formation.
My Spirit Eye ability can't see through it. What about you, Miss Lu?
Can you see anything? "Han Li asked Lu Yuqing after pondering for a moment.
Lu Yuqing shook her head and said, "I've already tried it just now. As long as I use my Spirit Eye, all the people and things in the surroundings will disappear. I can only see a gray mist and nothing else."
When Han Li heard this, he sighed and said, "Since that's the case, I can only use a magic treasure to try it out."
After saying that, he raised his hand and touched the top of his head. The sky lit up with a dazzling golden light, and a huge golden eyeball emerged from it.
This golden eye wasn't a magic treasure. It was the Eye of Truth in his Wheel of Truth. It was just that he had used a camouflage technique to conceal its full appearance.
The reason why Han Li did this wasn't because he was afraid that people would know that he practiced a time cultivation method, but because he didn't want them to see the terrifying 360 groups of time dao patterns on the Wheel of Truth. After all, the Torch Dragon Dao's cultivation method was famous in the Northern Frost Celestial Realm. It was hard to say where the Icy Flame Ancestor had seen it before.
As soon as this object appeared, Lu Yuqing and the Icy Flame Ancestor immediately felt the fluctuations of laws coming from it. The former was fine, but the latter's expression changed slightly. The two of them only glanced at it before looking away. They tacitly didn't investigate it.
Han Li was also somewhat satisfied with this. He formed a spell with both hands and slowly closed his eyes. He activated the Eye of Truth and began to explore the surrounding space.
This time, the situation was really different!
The surrounding city walls, wine shops, flowers, trees, people, and animals had all disappeared. In the void, there was only a near-transparent fluctuation of spiritual power. All the signs of its flow were clearly presented in front of him.
It was like looking at the patterns with the back of one's hand.
Han Li observed for a moment. After remembering all the signs in his heart, he raised one hand and put the Eye of Truth back into his body.
Seeing this, the Icy Flame Ancestor hurriedly asked, "Friend Han, how is it? Did you find anything?"
Han Li said slowly, "I basically saw the distribution of all the positions, but there are real and fake ones among them. You still need to follow the direction in your memory to find the right exit."