This foremost Demon Venerable of the demon race whom he spoke of had shown him insufficient respect, his manner and bearing far from deferential.
Of course, this was because he was not the true body of Blood Light Sacred Ancestor, but merely an avatar. Otherwise, even though the man's abilities were astonishing, he would never have dared to be so defiant.
Blood Light lowered his head and pondered for another moment, then suddenly raised it and called out loudly: "Guards! Have the ten great commanders come see me."
"Yes, my lord!" From beyond the door, someone respectfully acknowledged the order at once, and a guard swiftly went to relay the command.
Only then did Blood Light unhurriedly settle back into the seat of honor and begin to mull over matters in detail.
Meanwhile, in Sky Harbor City, that enormous phantom figure had finally absorbed enough spiritual energy. Its radiance contracted as it withdrew its dharma manifestation, transforming into a hazy azure sphere of light that flashed and dove into the stone tower.
A blinding flash, and the sphere of light vanished without a trace.
At that moment, deep at the base of the tower, Han Li let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes, his face filled with an expression of the utmost joy.
"So this is the Late-stage Fusion realm. The feeling is indeed entirely different from the early and middle stages. If I can cultivate this realm to perfection, it will be like having half a foot on the threshold of Mahayana cultivators. The path to immortality is finally faintly within sight." Han Li murmured to himself, sensing the explosive surge of magical power and spiritual sense within his body.
This successful advance to the Late-stage Fusion realm had increased his magical power and spiritual sense by more than half, and this was not even the limit—as he continued to cultivate, both could grow further.
The only slight regret was that his physical body had not improved significantly.
It seemed the rumors were true—that cultivators could only have their physical bodies recast upon advancing to the Mahayana realm. As for the effects of the recasting, that naturally depended on the cultivation technique and each person's potential and talent.
Han Li pondered thus, quickly setting aside the trace of regret in his heart, and closed his eyes once more to begin consolidating his current realm while recovering the vast amount of vitality he had expended during the tribulation.
During the tribulation, he had already expended considerable magical power and spiritual sense while battling his Heart Demon, so when resisting the later stages of the Heavenly Tribulation, he had no choice but to rely on the power of numerous treasures.
Even so, the ferocity of the Late-stage Tribulation far exceeded his expectations.
He was forced to detonate over a dozen top-grade treasures he had previously acquired in rapid succession, and even the seventy-two Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords had sustained some damage under the frantic strain.
Had it not been for the two Extreme Mountains, which possessed a remarkable ability to resist heavenly lightning and had unexpectedly displayed their full power to block the final waves at the critical moment, he would likely have survived the tribulation but been gravely wounded—unable to rise, far from unscathed as he was now.
It was only after experiencing this Late-stage Tribulation that Han Li's confidence in the Five Extreme Mountains grew enormously, and he resolved to spare no effort in refining the remaining three Extreme Mountains.
Otherwise, given the nearly irresistible power of the Late-stage Fusion Tribulation, the Mahayana and Ascension Tribulations would only be inconceivably more terrifying. Without the Five Extreme Mountains, he would have no confidence whatsoever.
Moreover, to withstand the Grand Tribulation that descended every so many years, such a treasure would be indispensable.
After his last lingering thought circled in his mind for a moment, a warm current of magical power flowed from his Dantian throughout his body. He relaxed completely, and his consciousness sank fully into cultivation.
Han Li remained in deep meditation for a full dozen days.
Half a month later, a long, resonant howl burst from the secret chamber at the tower's base like a wind that swept the clouds. The chamber door slammed open of its own accord.
A flash of green light, and Han Li appeared at the doorway, his expression calm, his gaze sweeping left and right.
"Greetings, Master!"
"Congratulations, Brother Han, on your great achievement!"
Qi Lingzi, Hai Dashao, Ice Phoenix, and the others had been standing guard nearby. The moment they heard the howl, they rushed to the door at once. Seeing this scene, they stepped forward one after another, beaming with joy, to bow and offer their congratulations.
"Hehe, if not for the fairy's assistance, whether I could have advanced successfully this time would have been uncertain. Fellow Daoist, let us continue our conversation in the main hall. You two have worked hard during this time as well—come along." Han Li addressed the three with a smile.
Ice Phoenix and the others naturally had no objections and followed Han Li toward the top of the stone tower.
After a short while, Han Li and Ice Phoenix were each seated in chairs in the hall on the top floor.