The others said nothing either, seemingly waiting for something. Among them were
"Master, will Fairy Feng really arrive today? If the seal isn't broken before noon, things could get troublesome." After an unknown stretch of time, Tian Qin'er spoke softly from behind Han Li and Nangong Wan.
"Rest easy. Fairy Feng sent word a month ago — she will be here today." Han Li replied without turning his head.
Hearing this, Tian Qin'er fell silent and could only continue to wait.
A short while later, Han Li's brow twitched. He abruptly turned his head toward a patch of sea fog to one side.
The others noticed his movement and stirred with murmurs.
Moments later, a clear, melodious cry echoed from the direction Han Li had been watching. The sea fog churned violently, and from within it soared an Ice Phoenix several zhang in length, its entire body crystalline and snow-white.
The phoenix moved with astonishing speed. A few beats of its wings brought it directly above the group. Then a burst of cold light blazed forth, and it transformed into a silver-robed woman who descended from the sky.
"I'm not too late, am I?" the woman said lightly, her gaze sweeping across everyone's faces before settling on Han Li.
"Not at all. Qin'er, begin breaking the seal. Fellow Daoist Feng, let us step aside and place restrictions on each other!" Han Li turned to give the order, then smiled toward the Ice Phoenix. Without waiting for a reply, he shot off as a streak of cyan light, vanishing into the dense fog nearby.
The silver-robed woman arched a delicate eyebrow and likewise transformed into a silver streak, following after him.
Nangong Wan remained where she stood, watching the direction in which the two had disappeared, a faint trace of worry visible between her brows.
At that moment, Tian Qin'er directed over a dozen cultivators into the air. They flew up beneath the enormous sphere of light and arranged themselves in a peculiar formation. Then, spiritual light flickered across their hands as formation disks, formation flags, and various other magical tools materialized.
With Tian Qin'er's sharp commands, the cultivators raised their formation flags and disks in unison. Brilliant light surged forth — some released beams of radiance, others trailed wisps of luminous mist — all of it pouring into the sphere of light and vanishing without a trace.
She and the other cultivators had begun to break the seal on the node.
Time passed slowly. As the seal loosened bit by bit, the sphere of light — originally hazy and indistinct — grew increasingly clear and dazzling. Its color shifted from gray to a searing, incandescent white, as though a blazing sun had materialized in the sky.
Such piercing radiance forced even a great cultivator like Nangong Wan to narrow her eyes, not daring to look directly at it for long.
Those responsible for breaking the seal, including Tian Qin'er, had long since closed their eyes, relying solely on their spiritual sense to control the magical tools in their hands.
Just then, a large hand suddenly came to rest on Nangong Wan's shoulder, and a man's deep, warm voice sounded beside her ear:
"What's this? Still a bit worried?"
Nangong Wan startles at first, but her body quickly relaxed, and she managed a faint smile as she turned around.
Behind her, Han Li stood gazing at her with a smile.
"Of course there's some worry. But pursuing the Great Dao has always meant going against the heavens — chasing that single thread of life between life and death. There's nothing to regret about that. Oh, and did you and Fellow Daoist Feng finish placing the restrictions?" Nangong Wan let out a soft sigh, then asked with concern.
"The restrictions are all in place. They're the kind of dead restrictions that only the one who placed them can undo — no one else stands a chance. That way, neither she nor I need worry about the other pulling any tricks." Han Li let out a bitter laugh.
"Hmph. As long as you don't scheme behind my back, why would I pull any tricks?" A flash of white light flickered behind Han Li, and the silver-robed woman tore her way out of thin air directly.
"Fellow Daoist Feng, it would be best not to casually wield spatial abilities right now. Save your Magical Power for dealing with the dangers inside the spatial node." Han Li furrowed his brow.
"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing." Perhaps because the mutual restrictions had been placed, the Ice Phoenix no longer spoke with her earlier coldness, and her demeanor was noticeably more placid.
Han Li smiled faintly and said nothing more. He stepped forward to stand beside Nangong Wan, raising his gaze to watch the unsealing unfold overhead.
The silver-robed woman likewise fell silent.
A full quarter of an hour passed. When the sphere of light above reached the peak of its brilliance, a deep, rumbling boom rolled through the air. The white light contracted sharply, and the sphere suddenly transformed into an opening as black as ink — its depth unknown, not a shred of light emanating from within, like the gaping maw of some colossal beast ready to devour all who approached.
Han Li felt his heart tighten. The silver-robed woman's phoenix eyes flickered with an odd gleam as well, but without the slightest hesitation, she said:
"Fellow Daoist Han, let us be on our way."
With that, silver light rippled across her body, and she drifted slowly toward the black void.