The three-headed, six-armed Dharma idol instantly swelled once more, its golden light radiating body growing by a significant margin in the blink of an eye, soaring over a hundred zhang taller in a frenzy.
At the same time, below, Han Li's Nascent Soul and physical body sat quietly cross-legged and motionless, as if fully occupied with refining the vast celestial and terrestrial essence he had just absorbed.
The sheer volume of that essence was immense. Even with Han Li's abilities, he had merely forced it into his body to suppress it temporarily before. Only after roughly refining it could he truly control it at will and temporarily bolster his cultivation base.
However, for the Brahma Saint avatar of the Heaven-Defying Giant, this presented no problem whatsoever.
The colossal avatar opened its three mouths and spewed torrential streams of golden luminescence, inhaling all the spiritual haze spiraling down from the sky with an air of effortless ease.
And as it ceaselessly devoured, the avatar continued to grow!
In less time than it took to drink a cup of tea, a golden giant nearing a thousand zhang tall stood towering in the center of the basin. Its six arms gave a slight tremor, and heaven and earth shook as one.
By now, the surging spiritual tide from all horizons had begun to weaken, eventually flickering and vanishing completely.
Seeing this, the Nascent Soul merely swayed and transformed into a streak of golden light, plunging down toward the physical body below.
After a brief blur, the Nascent Soul returned to its place, merging with the physical body once again as one.
Han Li's body shuddered, then his eyes slowly opened. After a brief internal scan of the nearly surging Magical Power within him, a flicker of peculiar expression crossed his face as he murmured: "This technique is truly effective. With this, breaking through the bottleneck should be somewhat easier."
As soon as his words fell, he immediately formed hand seals, closed his eyes again, and resumed circulating his technique.
In an instant, brilliant golden light blazed from Han Li's body. One by one, golden scales emerged from within, instantly covering him from head to toe. A flash of azure light flickered atop his head, and a half-foot-long, azure-colored single horn materialized.
The golden vortex in the sky shattered with a crisp sound, and an aura several times more formidable than before erupted from Han Li's body.
Where this aura passed, the clouds in the sky were forced apart, allowing a few rays of sunlight to pierce through, blindingly intense.
Now, Han Li's hands flew through rapid changes in hand seals, low incantations issuing from his mouth. On either side of his body, golden luminescence gathered, and the phantom silhouettes of two additional golden heads and four golden arms flickered in and out of view, as if they could solidify completely at any moment.
Simultaneously, the color of the scales on Han Li's body deepened abruptly, beginning to emit a strange, purple-golden radiance.
At this moment, he fully activated the Brahma Saint True Devil Art. The colossal Magical Power within his body surged in great waves, crashing against his bottleneck one after another. Yet, within him, it felt as though an invisible dam stood firm, holding back these torrential currents of power without yielding the slightest give.
It seemed the process of breaking through this bottleneck was absolutely not something that could be achieved in just a few short days.
Han Li continued to urge his technique without pause while also monitoring every subtle change within him, his face betraying no emotion.
Breaking through the bottleneck of the Mahayana stage was naturally incomparable to any previous hurdle. He had long prepared himself for a protracted battle…
One month later, Silver Moon stood atop a hill, gazing toward the distant basin, her expression utterly devoid of emotion.
Beside her had appeared a petite figure – none other than the girl, Zhu Guo'er.
When Han Li had begun his attempt to break through the bottleneck, it had caused quite a commotion. Zhu Guo'er, cultivating nearby, could not possibly have missed it. Soon after, she had ceased her own practice and hurried to the vicinity of the basin to wait.
Currently, the basin was already shrouded beneath more than ten layers of shimmering, multicolored barriers. No matter how the girl poured spiritual power into her eyes, all she could see was a hazy, luminous expanse, unable to make out a single thing clearly.
"Senior Linglong, how is Senior Han doing now? It's been so long… could something have gone wrong?" the girl asked Silver Moon, a hint of anxiety coloring her face.
"The entire area is currently sealed off by restrictions. I cannot see clearly what is happening inside either," Silver Moon replied with a coldly indifferent tone, her gaze sweeping over the basin. "However, the aura emanating from that direction grows stronger by the moment, nearly rivaling my grandfather's now. I suppose he should be fine." Having said this, she paid no further heed, sitting cross-legged and immersing herself in her own cultivation practice.
Hearing this, Zhu Guo'er felt a slight wave of relief. Yet, seeing Silver Moon's detached demeanor, she couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
This "Senior Linglong" had shown such apparent concern for Han Li not long ago, and now she had turned utterly cold. If not for the fact that over these years she had learned this change in Silver Moon was due to the influence of a certain technique, she would have been stunned speechless for quite a while.
On a peak across the way, Daoist Crab stood with silver light flashing in his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the layers of barriers enveloping the basin. A faint look of something peculiar surfaced on his face.
Suddenly, the entire basin trembled violently. All the barriers covering it shuddered violently, and earth-shattering explosions erupted from within in a continuous barrage.
Golden light flashed, and more than ten thick pillars of radiance shot out from the barriers, surging toward the highest heavens and scattering the dark clouds that filled the sky!
A terrifying aura swept outward from within. Even when Daoist Crab's spiritual sense brushed against it, his pupils couldn't help but contract slightly.
"It's done. The aura has already reached the Mahayana stage. Whether he has truly succeeded in breaking through now depends on whether he can weather the heavenly tribulation that follows," Daoist Crab murmured in a voice barely audible. Then, in an instant, his expression returned to its original state of detachment, as if he still remained fully aware of Han Li's current situation.