Amid shimmering rays of light and earth-shaking booms, a titanic mountain nearly ten thousand zhang tall materialized in the high sky.
Such a colossal object — its base alone spanned nearly a hundred li across — cast a vast shadow that blanketed the entire central district of Heavenly Abyss City.
The tremendous commotion was impossible for anyone near the square to ignore. Numerous cultivators looked up toward the sky in astonishment, but all they could see was the pitch-black underside of the mountain's base, and their jaws dropped in sheer disbelief.
A mountain of this size was not something the cultivators assembled below for the celebration had never seen before — but hovering in midair was an entirely different matter.
Especially since, just moments ago, the sky above had been completely empty.
Those further away, making their way toward the square for the celebration, were equally startled — yet they were able to make out the full view of the tri-colored peak from a distance.
But even as they stared in shock, they noticed something unexpected: the upper half of the peak was densely covered with a vast array of pavilions, towers, and palace halls, while the mountain's summit was shrouded in a thin layer of white mist, behind which something faintly stirred.
Some cultivators, driven by curiosity, paid no heed to the guards stationed at the square below and flew straight toward the towering mountain in the sky.
At that moment, the tri-colored peak ceased its expansion as the silver light across its surface dimmed slightly.
The moment Han Li spotted those cultivators flying toward the peak, a faint smile crossed his face. He formed a casual hand seal with one hand.
Countless runic symbols flashed across the surface of the tri-colored mountain, and a transparent barrier of restrictions materialized, sealing off all the void within several li of the peak in an instant.
The approaching cultivators had barely entered this zone when a series of muffled bangs erupted — they were all repelled by an invisible wall of light and thrown back outside the restricted area.
After steadying their flight techniques, these cultivators exchanged uneasy glances, but none dared attempt any further intrusion.
Everyone knew that this mountain had to be connected to Han Li, this newly advanced Mahayana existence. If they offended this newly ascended Grand Ancestor, they would simply be seeking their own destruction.
Just then, a calm, unhurried male voice drifted down from the mountain's summit: "To have so many fellow Daoists come to attend Han's celebration is a great honor. Those who qualify for the celebration may enter directly through the teleportation formations below. Han will be waiting at the Grand Immortal Platform atop the summit, and eagerly welcomes all of you."
The voice was unmistakably Han Li's.
No one knew what sort of divine ability he had employed, but although his tone was neither rushed nor loud, every single person attending the celebration heard his words with perfect clarity, as if spoken right beside their ears.
"Elder Han!"
"It's the Grand Ancestor himself transmitting his voice!"
Hearing this proclamation, the surrounding cultivators burst into excited murmurs. After calling out to one another, they descended toward the square below.
At the same time, under the order-maintaining efforts of the armored guards at the square, many celebration attendees had already formed over a dozen queues and were entering the teleportation formations set up throughout the plaza, vanishing one after another amid flashes of light.
On the tri-colored peak, among the dense sprawl of buildings, more than a dozen grand teleportation halls were distributed across various locations.
The first batch of cultivators materialized in these halls and stepped out of the formations, curiously taking in their surroundings.
Inside the halls, groups of attendants dressed in white robes — both men and women — had long been waiting. They gave a slight bow to the arriving cultivators, and then one stepped forward and spoke in a measured, respectful tone: "Esteemed seniors, please follow me. I will lead you directly to the celebration site atop the summit."
The others noticed that these white-robed attendants were mostly at the Core Formation or Nascent Soul stage and did not pay them much mind. After a few nods of acknowledgment, they followed the attendants out of the hall and up a winding mountain path toward the summit.
Some of these white-robed attendants were disciples personally taken in by Qi Lingzi, while others had been temporarily borrowed from Elder Gu and his associates by Han Li directly.
Though their cultivation was not particularly high, they were more than capable of serving as temporary attendants. The moment the tri-colored peak had taken shape, Han Li had teleported them directly into the teleportation halls.
Flashes of light within the teleportation formations continued without cease, and even more figures poured out of the halls in waves.
Once the number of cultivators in a teleportation hall reached a certain threshold, an attendant would lead the entire group directly up the mountain.
As the cultivators ascended along the mountain path, they saw not only exquisite jade pavilions and crystalline towers of exquisite craftsmanship on either side, but also all manner of rare spirit herbs and bizarre flora lining the roadside. In the more distant and scenic areas, various spirit birds and spirit beasts could be seen wandering about at leisure — and among them were even several mythical creatures that existed only in legend.
The cultivators were greatly intrigued by this sight. Some could not help but want to step off the path for a closer look, but the instant they set foot beyond the mountain trail, the scenery around them blurred, and they suddenly found themselves engulfed in a thick blanket of white fog. The spot where they had just been standing was now completely empty, as though they were suspended in the void.
They were horrified. Some froze on the spot, not daring to move a muscle, while others frantically formed hand seals in a desperate attempt to break through the restriction.
But no matter what they tried, the white mist remained undisturbed. Every incantation and hand seal vanished into the void like a stone dropped into the ocean — utterly without effect.
To those still on the mountain path, however, they saw only this: the moment those cultivators stepped off the trail, their bodies went rigid and they stood frozen like wooden puppets.
"An illusion technique!"
Some cultivators with a degree of expertise in formation arrays recognized the scene immediately, and their faces went pale as they blurted out the words.
The white-robed attendant at the front of the group looked startled for a moment, but without hesitation he raised one hand. A silver command token appeared in his palm, and with a flick, a beam of five-colored radiance shot forth from it.
Where the radiance swept, the cultivators who had been trapped by the illusion were caught up in it and pulled one after another back onto the mountain path.