Chapter 397: Well-prepared

With that in mind, Han Li patted the Heavenly Water Pouch strapped to his waist.

He still had quite a large quantity of first level heavy water left. Up to this point, only around a third of the heavy water in the pouch had been converted into second level heavy water before being absorbed by the Heavy Water True Axis, and he couldn't help but wonder how much more the axis would be able to absorb.

He promptly stowed the axis away before flipping a hand over to summon the crimson communication array plate that had been given to him by Daoist Hu Yan.

Three years had already passed by, and according to what Daoist Hu Yan had said, the emergence of the immortal manor was imminent, yet Han Li hadn't been contacted at all.

Has there been a change of plans?

Initially, he hadn't actually been all that eager to go to this immortal manor. After all, there were many powers involved, including the Northern Glacial Immortal Region, and with so many Golden Immortals in the mix, it was going to be a very perilous trip. Even if there were many precious treasures inside the immortal manor, they were simply not worth risking his life over.

However, after learning that Daoist Hu Yan possessed three more levels of the Mantra Axis Scripture, he had no choice but to take this matter seriously, particularly after already having witnessed the tip of the iceberg when it came to the unfathomable power of the laws of time.

With these thoughts running through his mind, he was considering whether he should be the one to contact Daoist Hu Yan, but he quickly abandoned the idea after some contemplation.

Regardless of whether Daoist Hu Yan and Yun Ni had found the entrance to the immortal manor, he wasn't going to be able to help them, so the best thing for him to do was to remain patient and not disturb them.

Even though the Black Wind Sea wasn't very safe at the moment, with their combined powers, they should be safe unless they encountered an opponent of Xiao Jinhan's caliber.

With that in mind, Han Li stowed the array plate away as a contemplative look appeared in his eyes.

All of a sudden, he flipped a hand over to produce a storage pouch, which contained the remaining batches of Origin Void Pill ingredients.

After that, he stowed his Heaven Controlling Vial, then flew toward a certain direction, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Only after flying for several days without pause did Han Li stop on a deserted island countless kilometers away from Dark Veil Island.

This place was already quite close to the Soul Stirring Winds, so there was a great deal of disturbance in the world's origin qi, coupled with howling winds and enormous waves.

He paid no heed to the terrible environment as he released his spiritual sense throughout the surrounding area, and only after confirming that there were no potential hazards around did he withdraw his spiritual sense.

Immediately thereafter, he swept a sleeve through the air to release a thick stack of array tools.

He then began to chant an incantation, and all of the array tools flew to various parts of the island before vanishing out of sight.

Moments later, a yellow cloud restriction emerged to encompass the entire island.

In the blink of an eye, the island was completely isolated from the outside world, and it was as if it had become an independent space.

Before long, a thick azure restriction had also been set up outside of the yellow cloud restriction, following which a white mist restriction appeared outside of the azure one.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight restrictions had taken shape to encompass the entire island, and the outermost one was a blue restriction with countless ripples surging over its surface. As soon as this restriction appeared, the entire island instantly vanished, blending in with the sea around it.

These were the exact same restrictions that Han Li had used to protect his temporary cave abode, so he was able to set them up in a very well-rehearsed fashion.

Han Li took a glance at his surroundings, then sat down with his legs crossed onto a plot of flat ground at the center of the island.

He then raised a hand to release a burst of silver light, which transformed into a silver cauldron that landed in front of him.

Immediately thereafter came another streak of silver light. This time, it was the Flame of Essence ,and it landed on the underside of the cauldron.

After preparing everything, Han Li flipped a hand over to produce the storage pouch from before, then swept a sleeve through the air to release a batch of Origin Void Pill ingredients.

After taking some time to compose himself, he immediately picked up one of the ingredients beside him before transferring it into the cauldron.

He was planning to use the remaining time before the emergence of the immortal manor to try and refine another Origin Void Pill. He didn't know what the pill could be used for, but he speculated that Wyrm 3 was most likely planning to use it in the immortal manor for some purpose.

Initially, he was only a little curious about this pill, but seeing as he was also going to venture into the immortal manor, he may as well refine one for himself. It certainly couldn't hurt to be well-prepared, and perhaps the pill could come in useful.

He had chosen to come all the way here to refine the pill instead of refining it near Dark Veil Island in light of the pill tribulation that had descended the last time he had refined this pill.

Thanks to his prior experience, he was already quite proficient in the refinement of the Origin Void Pill, and he was flying through the steps with efficiency and precision.

While Han Li was refining the Origin Void Pill, a blue-robed middle-aged man was standing in mid-air above a nameless island countless kilometers away.

The man was none other than Luo Qinghai, and at this moment, his brows were tightly furrowed in agitation, in stark contrast with his normal composed and measured demeanor.

Standing behind Luo Qinghai was the effeminate young man by the name of Nan Kemeng, and at this moment, his brows were also tightly furrowed.

Neither of them were saying anything, and the atmosphere was a little heavy.

Right at this moment, a streak of blue light appeared on the distant horizon, and both of them immediately turned to that direction.

The streak of blue light quickly arrived in front of Luo Qinghai and Nan Kemeng, then faded to reveal a middle-aged man with a coarse beard.

As soon as the man appeared, he cupped his fist to extend a salute, only for Luo Qinghai to raise a hand to stop him as he asked in an urgent voice, "No need for formalities. Have you discovered anything?"

The bearded man was silent for a moment, then shook his head in response. "The seven of us have scoured the areas that we're responsible for several times, but none of us have been able to find anything."

Luo Qinghai's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, but Nan Kemeng could clearly detect that the air temperature had dropped slightly.

"Should we continue, Palace Master?" the bearded man asked in a hesitant voice.

"Yes. Expand the scope of the search, and make sure no detail is missed," Luo Qinghai instructed in a grim voice.

"Yes, Palace Master," the bearded man replied, then flew away as a streak of light.

"Master, is it possible that the information we've received is inaccurate, and the Infernal Frost Immortal Manor isn't actually going to be emerging in the Black Wind Sea?" Nan Kemeng asked.

"No. The signs of the immortal manor's imminent emergence have become more and more apparent in the Black Wind Sea in recent years, and the Infernal Frost Scenic Painting is also reacting here, so there's no mistaking it," Luo Qinghai replied with a shake of his head.

"In that case, why are we unable to find the entrance? According to past records, as long as one has the painting, it shouldn't be difficult to find the entrance of the immortal manor," Nan Kemeng said.

"There's only one possibility..." Luo Qinghai mused as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"What is it?" Nan Kemeng asked.

Luo Qinghai offered on reply as he flipped a hand over to produce a small blue mirror, then cast an incantation seal into it, and immediately swelled to several times its original size while radiating dazzling blue light.

A series of images rapidly flashed over the mirror, and only after a long while did the image stabilize, revealing a middle-aged man with a purplish-red face.

"How are things going on your end, Junior Martial Brother Fan?" Luo Qinghai asked, and he was speaking in a much warmer tone than when he was speaking with the bearded man from before.

"Not well, I'm afraid. The people from the Northern Glacial Immortal Palace suddenly disappeared some time ago along with some important figures from Black Wind Island, and we've been unable to track them down up to this point," the man in the mirror replied with a shake of his head.

Luo Qinghai's expression darkened even further upon hearing this.

After hearing this exchange, Nan Kemeng also realized what Luo Qinghai had been alluding to earlier, and he asked, "Master, are you speculating that the people from the Northern Glacial Immortal Palace have done something to prevent us from finding the entrance?"

"It's most likely the case that Xiao Jinhan has sealed the entrance using some type of secret technique. Otherwise, it would've definitely already appeared by now, given that there's less than a year left before the emergence of the immortal manor," Luo Qinghai replied.

"I don't know much about the Infernal Frost Immortal Manor, but I do know that the entrance of the immortal manor is a connective point between two realms, so there's no way it could be sealed discreetly in a short time," Nan Kemeng said with furrowed brows.

"He was most likely somehow able to ascertain the location of the entrance in advance, then set up some restrictions there beforehand," Luo Qinghai harrumphed coldly.

An incredulous look appeared on Nan Kemeng's face upon hearing this.

"There's not much time left until the emergence of the immortal manor. What should we do, Palace Master?" the man in the mirror asked.

"We have to find the entrance of the immortal manor no matter what. Keep searching for leads on the people from the Northern Glacial Immortal Palace and the master of Black Wind Island. There are so many of them, there's no way that they could've simply disappeared into thin air without leaving any traces behind. Employ some extreme measures if necessary," Luo Qinghai said in a meaningful voice.

"Yes, Palace Master," the man in the mirror replied, then quickly vanished from the mirror.

Luo Qinghai made a hand seal, and the blue mirror rapidly shrank down before flying back up his sleeve.

After that, he remained standing on the spot for a moment longer, then abruptly swept a sleeve through the air to envelop both himself and Nan Kemeng before flying away into the distance.