On the ground behind the bronze platform, there were seven or eight square lacquered wooden chests scattered about. The glyphs stuck to them were still intact.
It was clear that the Icy Flame Ancestor had stolen the cultivation method twice in a hurry, so he didn't have any extra time to steal what was inside.
After Han Li looked around, he stepped forward. His palm glowed with a green light, and he wiped the surface of one of the chests. The glyphs stuck to it were no longer recognizable, and they turned into powder like rotten wood.
He opened the lid of the wooden chest with one hand, and with a glance, the corners of his mouth immediately curled into a smile.
Inside the chest, there were layers of palm-sized sky-blue crystals neatly stacked. There were more than a hundred of them, and they were Star Stones that contained extremely pure power of starlight.
With such an abundant supply of Star Stones, cultivating the Great Heavenly Star Technique would naturally be twice the result with half the effort.
Han Li took a light breath and suppressed the joy in his heart. He opened all the remaining wooden chests, and found that without exception, they were all filled with Star Stones. In total, there were nearly a thousand of them.
With a wave of his hand, he unceremoniously stored all the wooden chests into the storage bracelet on his wrist. He looked around the entire rear hall, and after confirming that there was nothing else inside, he turned around and walked out of the secret door, heading for the front hall.
As he walked past the huge screen from before, Han Li's eyebrows suddenly twitched, and he stopped in his tracks.
He raised his head and looked at the starry night sky above. Suddenly, a strange feeling rose in his heart. After a moment of thought, he pressed his hand on the screen and put it away.
Then, he strode to the side of the Icy Flame Ancestor, opened the door, and walked out. He didn't look at the Icy Flame Ancestor the whole time.
As soon as he walked out, he saw Lu Yuqing coming up to him with an anxious expression.
"Liu … Brother Han, you've finally come out …" Lu Yuqing said hurriedly.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Han Li asked with a frown.
Lu Yuqing pointed in the direction of the White Stone Square and said, "Since just now, there have been flashes of various colors in the square. The commotion is astonishing."
As soon as his voice fell, there was a loud "boom" sound, and then a crimson beam of light soared into the sky.
"Looks like Xue Han and his gang are already breaking the array. We have to leave quickly," Han Li said as he glanced in that direction.
"We have completely deviated from the original path. The area marked on my map is limited.
How are we going to get back now? "Lu Yuqing asked worriedly.
Upon hearing this, Han Li did not immediately answer her. Instead, he leaped into the sky and looked at the back of the hall for a moment before returning to the ground.
"Since things have come to this, we can only take it one step at a time.
In any case, you came here for nothing but opportunities. There are many palaces and pavilions at the back of the mountain. You might have gained something, "Han Li said slowly as he looked at the other party.
"This … alright." Lu Yuqing was slightly startled and replied with some hesitation.
"Friend Han, for the rest of the journey, can I continue to follow you?" At this moment, the Icy Flame Ancestor walked out of the hall and asked with an uneasy expression.
"I don't want to argue with you about what happened in the hall. Don't push your luck.
For the rest of the journey, we should go our separate ways, "Han Li said coldly with an expressionless face.
As the two of them spoke, there was another rumble from the square, and two beams of light flew into the sky.
"Fellow Daoist Han, I'm no longer asking for the second half of the Great Heavenly Cycle Star Essence cultivation method. Can you take me with you for the sake of the Spirit Huan Domain?
If I stay here alone, I won't be able to get out of the secret realm. If I encounter Xue Han and his gang, I will definitely die. "The Icy Flame Ancestor knew that he was in the wrong, so he did not argue and pleaded.
When Han Li heard this, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. After a moment of silence, he said, "I will only take you away from this area. When we reach another place, you can find your own way and leave. In the future, we will have nothing to do with each other."
"Thank you." The Icy Flame Ancestor did not say anything else and immediately bowed.
Han Li slightly turned to the side and did not accept his bow. He only led Lu Yuqing down the platform in front of the hall and walked towards the mountain path on the right.
The Icy Flame Ancestor had a disappointed expression. After a light sigh, he hurriedly followed.
As they walked along the mountain path on the side of the hall, there were many palaces and pavilions of various sizes along the way. They were smaller than the three from before, but they took up a lot more space.
Han Li knew that the layout of this place was extremely similar to that of the Moon Palace. Therefore, there would most likely be a Spirit Herb Garden at the back of the mountain. He originally wanted to go there without stopping, but when he used his divine sense to explore the surrounding pavilions and buildings, he hesitated.
"Big Brother Han, what's wrong?" Lu Yuqing saw that Han Li had suddenly stopped halfway and could not help but ask.
"There are many buildings here, and almost all of them have restrictions and seals. However, the quality of the restrictions varies. Some of the restrictions are very crude, and some are quite exquisite. It is likely that there are treasures sealed inside. If we don't explore, it would be a pity," Han Li said in a low voice.
"Big Brother Han, this … Xue Han and the others are still chasing us. Should we …" Lu Yuqing's eyes flashed with a trace of worry as she hesitated.
"It's fine. Even if they find a way to break the formation, it will take them some time to come out.
On top of that, when we arrived at the three palaces, they were able to resist the urge to search through them and chase us instead, "Han Li said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Alright then … We will search here for a while." Lu Yuqing looked at the halls not far away, and a trace of passion flashed in her eyes.
Since she had spent so much effort in order to enter this place, how could she not want to search for the opportunity that everyone in the outside world wanted to obtain?
"Let's split up and search for treasures with our own abilities. We will meet here in an hour.
If there are any changes along the way, we will leave this place early, "Han Li said.
"Okay." Lu Yuqing nodded, then turned around and flew off in a certain direction.
The Icy Flame Ancestor stood to the side, feeling a little uneasy, but he did not dare to say anything.
Han Li only glanced at him coldly, and his figure flashed in the opposite direction from Lu Yuqing.
After the Icy Flame Ancestor saw him leave, he silently sighed. He flipped his hand and took out a jade slip. He looked at it with eyes full of treasure and gently rubbed it in his hand for a while. Only then did a smile appear on his face.
This jade slip recorded the second half of the Great Heavenly Cycle Star Technique. When Han Li was fighting with the copper puppets in the hall, he used the stone tablet to secretly copy it.
With such a harvest, this trip was not in vain.
With this thought in mind, he put away the jade slip, and the light in his eyes disappeared. He also chose a direction and flew off.
On a small bluestone plaza in front of a three-story pavilion, there was a flash of azure light, and Han Li's figure floated down.
After he stabilized himself, he looked up and down at the pavilion. He found that under each of the eaves, there was a golden bell that looked like a small bell. It was unknown how many years had passed, but there was not the slightest bit of rust on them. Even their luster had not dimmed in the slightest.
With a thought, Han Li raised his hand and waved his sleeve. A gust of wind blew out from his sleeve and hit the door of the pavilion.
There was a soft crashing sound, and the door shook slightly.
The twenty-four bells under the eaves of the third floor of the pavilion vibrated at the same time, and a clear and melodious bell sound rang.
When the sound entered his ears, it was beautiful at first, but soon Han Li found something unusual.
The ringing of the bell, which should have been gradually weakening, did not become softer. Instead, it became louder and louder … In the end, it was like a huge bell. Every time it struck, it caused Han Li's mind to become dizzy and his vision to become blurred.
"Twenty-four eaves copper bells … It turned out to be a complete set of Soul Restriction. It's really rare."
At this time, a blue light suddenly flashed in Han Li's eyes, and his eyes instantly became clear. He could not help but click his tongue in wonder.
With the strength of his divine sense, which had been cultivated to the fourth level of the Spirit Cultivation Technique, if he was caught off guard, it would be even more difficult for others to escape.
"If I were fighting with an enemy, just this moment of interference is enough to determine the outcome …" Han Li thought, and he had already moved to pick the bells.
However, when his palm reached out, grabbing at this object through the air, that object actually didn't budge in the slightest, unable to descend at all.
Han Li gave a faint cry of surprise before carefully inspecting the entire pavilion, upon which he came to a sudden realization. It turned out that this set of Soul Restriction did not just consist of the twenty-four bells, but the entire three-story pavilion as well.
According to his guess, the bell restriction outside the pavilion was only the tip of the iceberg of the might of the pavilion's restriction, and there was probably another world within the pavilion. Once someone mistakenly thought that the bell restriction had been broken and swaggered into the pavilion, that would be the time that person would truly suffer.
After a moment of contemplation, Han Li waved a hand through the air, and Daoist Xie reappeared amid a flash of light.
"Did you summon me again? Is there some trouble?" Daoist Xie asked.
"There is indeed something that I need to trouble you with, Fellow Daoist Xie," Han Li said in an apologetic manner.
"Please go ahead, Fellow Daoist," Daoist Xie said with furrowed brows.
"This pavilion is an extremely high-grade restriction spirit treasure. It will take me some time to refine it, so I'll have to trouble you to search for treasures in the nearby halls for me.
I'll give you Immortal Essence Stones as thanks no matter what you find, "Han Li said.
"Alright," Daoist Xie nodded without any hesitation.
Han Li's eyes suddenly lit up, and he flipped his hand over to produce a yellow gourd before handing it over to Daoist Xie.
"You can use the bean soldiers in here to search for treasures together."
"That's a good idea." Daoist Xie accepted the gourd before vanishing on the spot amid a flash of lightning.
Han Li secretly activated the Spirit Cultivation Technique, and azure light condensed in his hand as he pushed open the doors of the pavilion and strode in.