Chapter 1268: Corpse Soul Severance Bottleneck

At the moment, Han Li hadn't begun cultivating right away. Instead, he put up all of the precious treasures and materials that he had obtained from Gui Lingzi's cave abode for sale in the Reincarnation Palace.

He didn't have many Immortal Origin Stones left, so he had to stock up on more.

Thankfully, everything that he had gathered from Gui Lingzi's cave abode would be enough to support his Immortal Origin Stone needs for the near future.

After that, Han Li sat down with his eyes closed to channel his Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra and began working on opening his remaining immortal acupoints.

However, he hadn't remained in a state of cultivation for long before his eyes suddenly sprang open.

His progress had been unexpectedly smooth, and it was a completely different experience from his past cultivation.

At this rate, it would only take a few years for him to open an immortal acupoint, and that was a virtually negligible duration of time in this space of accelerated time.

Could this have something to do with the fact that my remaining immortal acupoints are already in a half-open state from having my wicked corpse soul forcibly brought out?

He quickly banished these thoughts from his mind and refocused his attention on his cultivation.

Over ten years flew by in a flash, and right at this moment, an immortal acupoint was suddenly opened on Han Li's shoulder.

An ecstatic look appeared on his face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of concern.

By opening this immortal acupoint, he had elevated the powers of both himself and his wicked corpse soul.

The Origin Separation Law Chains around the wicked corpse soul seemed to have been forced open a little, and the baleful qi swirling around Han Li became even more potent as a result.

"Your struggles are completely futile. The more power you attain, the more powerful I become as well. Eventually, I'm going to break free from this seal, and when that time comes, your body will be mine!" the wicked corpse soul cackled with glee.

Han Li paid no heed to the wicked corpse soul's goading words as he closed his eyes and refocused his efforts once again.

Thirty thousand years flew by in the blink of an eye.

Han Li's entire body was riddled with glowing specks of golden light, amounting to a total of eight hundred and thirty-nine.

His aura had also swelled by roughly twofold, and it was now comparable even to that of mid-Great Encompassment cultivators like Immortal Lord Miao Fa and Gui Lingzi.

However, the baleful qi swirling around him also become much denser, and a strange, black rune had appeared on his glabella.

The rune resembled a sinister face that was flashing with black light, and it looked as if it could crawl out of his glabella at any moment.

The golden light radiating from his body faded away as he opened his eyes.

At this moment, around half of both of his eyes were glowing a deranged, dark red color, while the other halves of his eyes remained composed and sane and normal in coloration, presenting a very bizarre sight to behold.

A hint of elation flashed through Han Li's eyes at the sight of all of the immortal acupoints shimmering over his body.

This stint of seclusion had gone far smoother than he had imagined, and all that stood between him and the mid-Great Encompassment was a single immortal acupoint.

He still wasn't ready for a corpse soul severance, but the situation had become so urgent and dire that he couldn't afford to wait any longer.

If it wasn't for his tremendous spiritual sense and immense mental resilience, the overwhelming ill intent that had accumulated in his body would've already pushed him over the edge.

Jin Tong and Weeping Soul could sense that Han Li had awakened, and they also paused in their own cultivation to check on him.

Thirty thousand years wasn't a particularly lengthy period of cultivation for the two of them, and they couldn't help but be distracted by their concern for Han Li's condition this entire time, so neither of them had been able to make much progress.

"Are you alright, Uncle?" Jin Tong asked in a concerned manner at the sight of immense baleful qi swirling around Han Li.

"I'm still alright for now," Han Li replied.

"Are you planning to commence your corpse soul severance now, Master?" Weeping Soul asked.

"That's the idea, but prior to that, I still have to make some preparations," Han Li replied, then fell silent as if he were contemplating something.

Weeping Soul and Jin Tong exchanged a glance with each other, and neither of them said anything.

After a brief silence, Han Li made a hand seal to withdraw his spirit domain, then turned to Jin Tong and Weeping Soul as he said, "I'm going to start making preparations for my corpse soul severance now, so I'll get the two of you to stand on lookout duty for me outside."

The two of them nodded in response before flying out of the Flower Branch domain, and following their departure, Han Li put on his Reincarnation Palace mask before opening the trading interface.

Earlier, he had released a mission requesting methods or insights pertaining to the severance of the wicked corpse soul for early-Great Encompassment cultivators.

He had attached an extremely lofty reward to the mission, including a huge sum of Immortal Origin Stones, as well as all types of precious treasures, Time Dao Pills, and various cultivation arts and secret techniques, with even the Five Lightning True Mantra thrown into the mix.

Unfortunately, even with such a tantalizing reward on offer, there had still been no responders to date.

Han Li heaved a forlorn sigh upon seeing this, but he wasn't all that surprised.

Corpse soul severances were the key to cultivation progression fro Great Encompassment cultivators. For cultivators progressing to the Golden Immortal Stage, the High Zenith Stage, and even the Great Encompassment Stage, there had always been certain patterns that could be followed, thereby making it possible to devise certain methods to assist in those breakthroughs.

However, corpse soul severance was completely different. It concerned attachments that differed from person to person, and on top of that, Great Encompassment cultivators were extremely rare to begin with, so it was virtually impossible to devise a formula or a set of foolproof methods that could ensure a successful corpse soul severance.

However, over the countless eons that the True Immortal Realm had been in existence, some methods had been invented, and these methods were collectively known as corpse soul severance techniques.

However, such techniques were extremely precious, so it made sense that no one would be willing to offer them up for exchange.

Han Li had only released the mission under the very slim hope that it would reap dividends for him, so it was no surprise that it had failed to achieve the desired outcome.

At this point, he could only think of a single feasible solution.

He flipped a hand over to produce the Heaven Controlling Vial.

With no other alternatives, he would have to transmigrate to the past at the cost of his time law threads to seek guidance from Patriarch Miro.

Thus, Han Li channeled his Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra while simultaneously calling out to the vial spirit, but his calls remained unanswered.

What's going on?

He had already lost contact with the vial spirit last time in the Nine Origins Temple, and it was still displaying no reaction, even though so much time had already passed since then.

He continued to call upon the vial spirit for a while longer, but ultimately received no response, and his heart slowly began to sink.

Without the vial spirit's help, it would be impossible for him to transmigrate precisely back to the True Mantra Sect.

With no corpse soul severance technique at his disposal, he would have to proceed completely blind, and that would significantly reduce his chances of success.

Right at this moment, a voice transmission talisman flew in through the entrance of the Flower Branch domain, and Han Li was rather taken aback to see this, but he immediately caught the talisman before crushing it in his grasp.

The talisman transformed into a ball of white light, and Weeping Soul's voice rang out from within.

"Master, a woman by the name of Liu Le'er has come to visit, and she claims to be an acquaintance of yours. Do you know her?"

"I do. Let her in," Han Li replied.

Weeping Soul gave an affirmative response, and the ball of white light faded away.

Han Li rose to his feet and took a moment to compose himself, then flew out of the Flower Branch domain into the hall of his cave abode outside.

Waiting for him in the hall were Jin Tong and Weeping Soul, and they were joined by none other than Liu Le'er.

Han Li could sense that she had made significant strides in her cultivation base since they last parted ways, and just like him, she was closing in on the mid-Great Encompassment Stage.

Liu Le'er faltered slightly at the sight of Han Li's current appearance, but then immediately dove into his arms in an elated fashion.

"You're finally back, Brother Rock! I'm so glad to see you again!"

He immediately felt two pairs of accusing eyes lock onto him, and he could only rub his own nose in a sheepish manner.

Jin Tong and Weeping Soul exchanged a glance with one another, then left the hall in silence to give Han Li and Liu Le'er some privacy.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"What are you doing here, Le'er?" Han Li asked as he gave Liu Le'er a gentle pat on the head.

"I just so happened to have been cultivating on Eight Plains Mountain, and His Majesty, Bai Ze, told me that you were here, so I came right away," Liu Le'er replied with a smile.

A surge of warmth welled up in Han Li's heart upon hearing this, scattering some of the ill intent that had been plaguing him all this time.

"Now that you're back in the primordial land, you should stay for good. We have plenty of cultivation resources here, and there won't be any Heavenly Court cultivators coming after you," Liu Le'er said in a hopeful manner.

"I wish I could stay, but there are many things that I need to take care of outside of the primordial land, so I'm going to have to leave soon," Han Li sighed.

Liu Le'er's face fell slightly upon hearing this, but she then immediately put on a smile again as she said, "It's alright, I know that you're destined for great things, so I won't try to keep you. However, you have to make sure to pay me regular visits."

"Alright, I'll make sure to come and visit whenever I have some spare time," Han Li promised.

He was also quite glad to see Liu Le'er again, and in their ensuing conversation, he learned that all of the elite cultivators of the most prominent primordial tribes had gathered once again on Eight Plains Mountain to cultivate together in a mysterious space created by Bai Ze and Yue Mian.

"What's wrong with your eyes, Brother Rock? And why do I sense such intense ill intent within you?" Liu Le'er asked in a concerned manner.

"At the moment, I'm trying to sever my wicked corpse soul to progress to the mid-Great Encompassment Stage, but there's been a slight hiccup, and things have gone a little awry. Having said that, there's no need for you to worry. I'll be fine once I've completely severed my wicked corpse soul," Han Li replied, downplaying the severity of his condition to assuage Liu Le'er's concerns.

"You're already severing your wicked corpse soul? You're progressing so quickly! But I heard from His Majesty that if you progress too quickly in your cultivation, then you won't be able to accumulate sufficient insights at each cultivation rank, and that'll be detrimental to your subsequent cultivation.

“In particular, after reaching the Great Encompassment Stage, one has to carefully assess the enhancements provided by each successive immortal acupoint that's opened. Otherwise, there's no way they'll be able to ensure a smooth corpse soul severance," Liu Le'er said.

"That is indeed the case," Han Li replied with a nod.

"If I recall correctly, you've been cultivating on your own this entire time with no master to guide you, isn't that right, Brother Rock? Do you have a suitable corpse soul severance technique to use?" Liu Le'er asked.