Chapter 1391: Relinquishing the Great Dao

Right at this moment, all of the golden vortexes combined into a single, gargantuan vortex that descended upon everyone, who frantically attempted to resist, but the law powers in their bodies were rendered completely stagnant by the immense waves of time law powers sweeping over them.

Hence, they could only look on in helpless horror, but right as they were about to be devoured by the golden vortex, it abruptly dissipated.

The restrictive time law powers acting upon everyone quickly faded away, while the nearby shattered space also mended itself, and it was as if all of that had been nothing more than a harrowing nightmare.

However, the almighty power of the golden vortex had been emblazoned firmly upon their minds, and it felt to them like the most essential power of the Heavenly Dao.

Even just a casual display of power from Han Li was already beyond what Gu Huojin was capable of at his peak.

They were certain that if they had displayed even the slightest hint of dissent toward Han Li in that moment, then they would've been erased from existence by the almighty power of the Heavenly Dao.

All of the Dao Ancestors turned to Han Li genuine awe and veneration in their eyes.

"You're all free to leave," Han Li declared, and the rotund woman was very relieved to hear this.

She extended a deep bow toward Han Li, then immediately sped away with the Devil Realm cultivators, quickly vanishing out of sight.

The corpse-like man had also departed with them, too afraid to even look in Han Li's direction.

Bai Ze and the bald man also quickly departed with the surviving cultivators of the primordial land, and upon their departure, Liu Le'er took a glance at Han Li, but refrained from approaching him.

Even though the two of them were separated by no more than a thousand feet, it felt like an insurmountable gulf.

Wait for me, Brother Rock! One day, I will stand before you as an equal through my efforts!

Liu Le'er vowed to herself as she departed with Bai Ze and the bald man.

In the wake of their departure, Dao Ancestor Bai Yun approached Han Li with the Heavenly Court cultivators, and they extended a collective bow of gratitude toward him.

"Thank you for saving us, Fellow Daoist Han," Dao Ancestor Bai Yun said with a look of genuine gratitude in his eyes.

"I simply didn't want to see any more bloodshed in the wake of such a calamity," Han Li said in a calm manner.

"In any case, I will remember what you did for us today, Fellow Daoist Han. If you need anything from me in the future, feel free to call upon me, and I'll be sure to do everything in my power to repay you," Dao Ancestor Bai Yun said in an earnest manner, then departed with the remaining Heavenly Court cultivators.

"Why are you three still here?" Han Li asked as he turned his gaze to Li Yuanjiu, Chi Rong, and Chen Ruyan.

Li Yuanjiu took a glance at the other two Essential Dao Ancestors, then said, "Now that Gu Huojin is dead, the position of supreme lord of the Heavenly Court is vacant, and I'm sure everyone will agree that no one is more entitled to that position than you. Would you be interested in filling the role? If so, the three of us will lend you our full support."

Han Li raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and he realized that he had given the three of them some false signals by saving Dao Ancestor Bai Yun.

With that in mind, he declared in a categorical manner, "Don't misunderstand, I have no desire for power."

Li Yuanjiu's trio was very surprised to hear this.

"Many of the True Immortal Realm's Dao Ancestors have perished during this calamity, so all of the immortal regions will inevitably go through a period of turmoil. As Essential Dao Ancestors, the three of you should return to your sects and make preparations to ensure that this period of transition passes as smoothly as possible for the True Immortal Realm at large," Han Li said.

Li Yuanjiu's trio exchanged a glance with one another, and all of them could see their own relief mirrored in each other's eyes.

With that, the three of them departed together, but right as he rose up into the air, Li Yuanjiu seemed to have sensed something, and he turned back to discover Han Li cupping his fist toward him a salute from afar.

Li Yuanjiu faltered slightly upon seeing this, then returned the salute before speeding away as a streak of light, and before long, Han Li was left alone with Jin Tong.

"Why were you in such a hurry to dismiss those people, Fellow Daoist Han?" Jin Tong asked.

Han Li offered no response as he shot up into the air while bringing Jin Tong along with him, and in the blink of an eye, they were already in the Extraheavensphere.

From there, he flew a little deeper into the Extraheavensphere before drawing to a halt, upon which a slight grimace appeared on his face.

"What's wrong?" Jin Tong hurriedly asked.

The space above Han Li began rumbling violently as rays of golden light shone down upon him, and his body was beginning to fade away.

Only after a long while did the rumbling cease, and the golden light faded away, while Han Li's body returned to normal.

"The Heavenly Dao is already beginning to claim your body!" Jin Tong exclaimed with a grim expression.

"I was forced to use too much law powers during the battle against Gu Huojin, and that's left me on the brink of being assimilated by the Heavenly Dao," Han Li explained with a wry smile, and Jin Tong was stunned to hear this.

She had already endured several battles as a Dao Ancestor, so she was also beginning to suffer the effects of Heavenly Dao assimilation, but it was to nowhere near as severe an extent.

"Do you have a way to counteract it?" Jin Tong asked.

Han Li remained silent with tightly furrowed brows.

He had only just become a Dao Ancestor, and he didn't have anything like Gu Huojin's Divine Dao Seal at his disposal, so there really wasn't anything that he could do.

"I have a way to help you escape this predicament," the vial spirit suddenly declared.

"What's your solution, Senior Vial Spirit?" Han Li hurriedly asked.

"Once one becomes a Dao Ancestor, the effects of Heavenly Dao assimilation will become inevitable and irreversible. Gu Huojin's Divine Dao Seal can only delay this process, but it doesn't address the problem at its roots," the vial spirit said.

"Do you have a permanent solution, Senior Vial Spirit?" Han Li asked as his eyes lit up slightly.

"You're very fortunate to have the Heaven Controlling Vial in your possession. The vial was born from chaos, so it can hold any and all law powers. If you want, you can inject your Dao Ancestor law powers into the vial, reverting your cultivation base back to the peak-Great Encompassment Stage, and you'll no longer have to worry about Heavenly Dao assimilation.

“However, the Heaven Controlling Vial has already taken in Gu Huojin's chaotic law powers, so injecting your time law powers into it in addition to that will most likely force it beyond its limits," the vial spirit replied.

"What will happen if its limits are exceeded?" Han Li asked.

"It'll cease to exist, which means that if you do this, then you'll permanently lose the Heaven Controlling Vial, so it's up to you whether you pursue this option or not," the vial spirit replied.

Han Li fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

Now that he had taken Gu Huojin's place as the Time Dao Ancestor, there were no longer any obstacles standing before him in his pursuit of the Great Dao.

He could easily become the foremost figure in the True Immortal Realm if he so wished, enjoying unmatched control over all of its immortal regions and the countless lower realms beneath them.

Wasn't this what he had always aspired for when he had first set foot on the path of cultivation?

However, immediately following this thought came the recollection of the scenes in which the likes of Bone Emperor and other Dao Ancestors had been devoured by the Heavenly Dao, putting him into a state of internal conflict.

The conversation between him and the vial spirit had taken place through voice transmission, so Jin Tong was oblivious to what had been discussed, and she merely thought that Han Li was still thinking of a solution to his predicament.

After a lengthy period of contemplation, Han Li finally made up his mind as he declared, "Senior Vial Spirit, please help me regress my cultivation base to the peak-Great Encompassment Stage. I'm willing to give up the Heaven Controlling Vial."

"Alright, then let's begin," the vial spirit answered, and for some reason, a hint of elation had crept into its voice.

The Heaven Controlling Vial rose up into the air to hover before Han Li at eye level.

Han Li swept a sleeve through the air to conjure up a door of silver light, and Nangong Wan flew out from within.

"I have something to take care of, and I'll need you two to stay far away in the process to ensure your safety," Han Li said in a calm manner.

Jin Tong faltered slightly upon hearing this, but didn't ask any questions as she flew back in retreat with Nangong Wan.

Even though Nangong Wan had been in the Flower Branch domain this entire time, she had been keeping a constant eye on the situation unfolding outside.

She had a feeling that Han Li was about to make a monumental decision, and that left her feeling a little concerned, but she had full confidence in him, so she didn't raise any questions, either.

Han Li pressed a hand against the Heaven Controlling Vial, and the immense time law powers in his body surged into the vial.

A ball of dark green light appeared within the vial, and it was as if it were a bottomless abyss, able to take in boundless time law powers without any trouble.

Han Li raised an eyebrow upon sensing this, and he immediately increased his time law power output, causing the Heaven Controlling Vial to glow even brighter.

Right at this moment, a thick beam of dark green light shot out of the mouth of the vial before vanishing into the space up ahead.

The nearby space split open to reveal a golden space-time passageway, which devoured both Han Li and the Heaven Controlling Vial.

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Nangong. With Fellow Daoist Han's powers, I'm sure he'll be able to overcome this problem," Jin Tong reassured.

"I'm not worried. He asked us to wait for him here, so let's wait," Nangong Wan replied with a calm smile, and Jin Tong couldn't help but admire her composure.

Situated within the space-time passageway, there was boundless space-time power raging around Han Li, but all of it was easily kept at bay by the green light emanating from the Heaven Controlling Vial.

"What's going on?"

This bout of space-time transmigration felt different from the past.

"It's fine, the Heaven Controlling Vial has automatically conjured up this space-time passageway in response to your time law powers. I'm now going to take in your Dao Ancestor law powers using the Heaven Controlling Vial. This is the most important part of the process, so don't get distracted!" the vial spirit warned.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Han Li nodded in response as he focused his full attention on channeling his time law powers.

A burst of golden light that was even more radiant than the sun erupted out of his hand before surging into the Heaven Controlling Vial, and a golden line that resembled a crack appeared on its surface.

Han Li's aura was instantly significantly weakened, but at the same time, the ever-present pressure of the Heavenly Dao hanging above his head had also waned slightly.

This was naturally a very encouraging sign of Han Li, and he continued to funnel his Dao Ancestor law powers into the vial.

As more and more golden light surged into the Heaven Controlling Vial from his hand, more and more cracks appeared over its surface, while his aura rapidly declined.