Not long after, Han Li walked out of the tree hollow and set off on his flying tool.
But this time, heading back, Han Li was far more cautious.
He kept his spiritual sense spread to its fullest at nearly all times, concealing himself the instant he sensed the slightest disturbance.
After all, with his current level of cultivation, running into any cultivator at random could prove extraordinarily dangerous.
And so, Han Li treated every rustle of grass and stir of wind as a potential enemy. It took him nearly half again as long as it had to reach the underground cavern.
Only when he stepped back into the Inverted Five Elements Formation did he truly let out a sigh of relief.
Qu Hun was still sitting cross-legged beside the transmission array, motionless — in exactly the same posture as when Han Li had left. The sight drew a small smile from Han Li.
He knew that restoring his cultivation was not something that could be accomplished in just three or four years, so he was in no rush to take pills and meditate.
Instead, in the days that followed, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to repairing the ancient transmission array.
Given his current situation, attempting a long-distance journey to another country in the chaotic cultivation world was far too risky. His only hope was that once the ancient transmission array was fully repaired, it would actually work.
Though Han Li's cultivation had plummeted, that did not hinder his restoration work.
After six or seven days and nights of sleepless toil, all the repairs were complete.
Gazing upon the fully restored ancient transmission array, even someone as composed as Han Li could not help feeling a stirring of excitement.
The next step was the most critical of all — the one that would determine success or failure.
He needed to test whether the corresponding transmission array at the other end still existed intact. If the array on the far side was similarly damaged, or had long since ceased to exist, then this ancient transmission array would remain unusable. He would have to abandon any notion of teleportation entirely and seek another way out.
With these thoughts in mind, Han Li placed several low-grade spirit stones into the slots around the transmission array one by one.
The moment the last spirit stone was set in place, Han Li hastily took several steps back and could not help holding his breath.
The ancient formation, built countless years ago, suddenly emitted a low hum. A flash of yellow light blazed across its surface, but just as quickly it faded — flickering into existence and vanishing like the briefest of blooms.
Han Li's heart sank.
Could it be that the transmission array on the other end had truly been abandoned? If so, everything he had done would have been for nothing!
Disappointment spread across his face.
But unwilling to give up, he clasped his hands behind his back and began circling the array, a contemplative look flickering across his features.
Suddenly he stopped, brow furrowed, as if something had occurred to him.
He bent down and pulled one of the low-grade spirit stones he had just placed back out of the array.
What he saw made him draw in a sharp breath.
The spirit stone had turned completely white — not a trace of spiritual energy remained within it.
A thoughtful expression crossed Han Li's face, and then a glimmer of joy appeared.
Without a moment's hesitation, he reached into his storage pouch and produced several gleaming mid-grade spirit stones, stepping forward to swap them out for the depleted low-grade ones.
If his guess was correct, it was not that the transmission array was broken — it was simply that the low-grade spirit stones did not contain enough spiritual energy to power the ancient formation.
When the last spirit stone was replaced, the array immediately let out another low hum. A massive wave of spiritual energy erupted from it, and a piercing beam of yellow light shot upward from the center of the formation, punching straight through the ceiling of the cavern. The restrictions of the Inverted Five Elements Formation could not block it in the slightest.
Seeing this, Han Li froze for an instant — then realization hit him, and his face drained of color in a flash.
At almost the same moment, a deafening rumble came from above the cavern. Even with the great formation's protection, the sensation of the ground shaking and the mountain trembling still reached him.
Han Li's expression grew even more tense. He waved hurriedly to Qu Hun at his side and strode to the edge of the transmission array.
But now he hesitated, a trace of uncertainty flickering across his face. He had no idea what lay on the other side. His original plan had been to scout out the far end first — to determine the terrain, to assess whether it was safe — before deciding whether to actually stay there.
But now the ancient transmission array had been exposed. If he stepped through, there would almost certainly be no going back.
While Han Li wavered, a thunderous boom erupted almost right on top of him. Startled, he jerked his head upward.
The entire ceiling of the cavern had been torn open by some unknown magical tool. Blinding sunlight poured in without mercy, illuminating every detail of the cavern below.
Beyond the now-exposed cavern, a large group of demonic-path cultivators hovered in the air, staring down in equal astonishment at Han Li and the ancient transmission array blazing with golden light.
"It's you again?!" an angry shout rang out from among the demonic cultivators.