Published: September 9, 2025
Chapter 833: The Altar
After a moment, the small azure cauldron shimmered within the nascent fire, emitting a scorching aura. The entire secret chamber began to swell with waves of heat, the temperature rapidly rising.
A cold gleam flickered in Han Li’s eyes. He raised his hand, and a spell formation struck the cauldron.
With a light “puff,” an azure light shot up from the cauldron. The lid flew off on its own, circled around once, and then hovered motionless above the small cauldron.
Seeing this, Han Li quickly pointed at a square jade box lying on the ground before him. The lid silently vanished, revealing a dark, tuber-like object inside, several inches in size, somewhat flat and round.
Han Li studied the object for a moment, then beckoned with his hand in midair. Immediately, the tuber-like item floated out of the jade box and hovered about ten feet above the ground.
Calmly, Han Li flicked his finger and a flash of azure light passed over. One-fifth of the tuber silently broke off and fell.
With a sweep of his sleeve, azure rosy light shot out from the cuff, wrapping around the fallen piece and flicking it into the cauldron.
Then, Han Li cast another spell formation towards the tuber, causing it to fall back into the jade box.
He ignored the tuber after that, casting a spell to open another long wooden box, revealing a fresh, vividly green, unidentified spiritual herb stalk.
Using sword radiance, he sliced off a small piece and placed it into the cauldron.
In this manner, Han Li carefully placed various materials into the cauldron according to the pill formula. Finally, he took out a Spirit Candle Fruit.
An azure sword light flashed, dividing the fruit into four parts. He took one and put it in the cauldron.
Only then did Han Li gently tap the suspended cauldron lid.
The lid fell straight down, sealing the small cauldron tightly.
Han Li exhaled lightly and opened his mouth again. The azure nascent fire burst forth, intensifying the blue flames. The temperature inside the room surged even higher.
Fixating on the small cauldron in the flames, Han Li’s ten fingers flicked rapidly, continuously casting one spell formation after another, each striking the cauldron without a miss.
Soon, booming thunder-like sounds emerged from within the cauldron, growing louder and louder.
Han Li arched his brows. His hand seal speed suddenly shifted, alternately fast then slow.
The thunderclap sounds inside the cauldron mirrored this, rising and falling in a strange and eerie rhythm.
His expression remained impassive, but blue light flickered in his eyes, as if he was directly peering through the cauldron’s walls to observe the pill’s condition, void of any joy or sorrow.
Time passed bit by bit.
While Han Li focused intently on pill refining, atop the altar in the basin, the Ghost Spirit Sect’s party finally reached the summit hundreds of feet high.
It was unclear what the ancient cultivators who built the altar had been thinking, but the restrictions on the altar’s stairs were truly abnormal. From the base upwards, every certain height climbed caused an immediate increase in the gravitational force pressing down on their bodies.
So, from the altar’s base to its midpoint, the group took over two hours to ascend slowly. Yet, from the midpoint to the summit, it took a full day and night, forcing them to rest for almost half a day to recover their magical power.
The Ghost Spirit Sect’s sect master and other nascent soul cultivators fared reasonably well, but three foundation formation disciples struggled immensely. Approaching the last dozen steps, each step was like bearing a thousand pounds of weight. These foundation formation cultivators inched forward inch by inch.
Of course, the easiest was Wei Wuya.
Throughout, the restriction seemed to have little effect on this late nascent soul cultivator, who never showed signs of strain. Even Wang Tiangu and the others only managed a step, then had to pause, with their faces visibly strained.
Wei Wuya’s effortless demeanor made the Ghost Spirit Sect’s sect master inwardly uneasy, causing him to regard Wei Wuya with greater respect.