"I see. However, I would still like to give it a try. However, prior to that, I want to try using a soul search technique on this true immortal; I'm sure you wouldn't have any objections, right, Brother Spirit?" Han Li asked as he stroked his own chin in a contemplative manner.

The Spirit Monarch faltered slightly upon hearing this before he replied, "If you're capable of killing this swine right away, then I would be more than happy to see that. However, unless your spiritual sense is far more powerful than his, there's no way you'll be able to successfully search his soul."

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. "Oh? Then what if I insist on giving it a try?"

The Spirit Monarch's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

A cold look then appeared on his face as he said, "If you're that confident, then I won't stop you. However, I sealed this immortal; if you insist on doing things by force, then you'll have to prove yourself to me first."

"How would you like me to do that?" Han Li asked.

"There are many people proclaiming you to be the number one Grand Ascension Stage being in the Spirit Realm. I daresay I'm also quite powerful among Grand Ascension Stage beings; if you can withstand three attacks from me without evading, then I can allow you to do whatever you want to this immortal," the Spirit Monarch said.

"Haha, that suits me just fine. Among cultivators like ourselves, power should be revered above all else. If I can't withstand three attacks from you, then I'll leave right away and won't make any mention of this again," Han Li said.

"In that case, let's go somewhere else so we don't damage the seal here," the Spirit Monarch proposed.

"As you wish," Han Li replied with a nod.

Thus, the Spirit Monarch flew out of the hall as a streak of light, followed closely by Han Li.

Around 15 minutes later, two violent tremors erupted from a certain point within the belly of Concealed Spirit Mountain, causing the entire mountain to tremor and quake.

All of the Spirit Race guards couldn't help but exchange alarmed glances upon sensing this.

They knew that this had to have something to do with Han Li, but they had no idea exactly what was happening, and they didn't dare to investigate without permission from the Spirit Monarch.

......

Within a hall in the belly of Concealed Spirit Mountain, a light barrier that enshrouded the entire hall suddenly disintegrated into specks of white light.

Han Li and the Spirit Monarch were facing one another from opposite ends of the hall with vastly contrasting expressions.

Han Li had his hands clasped behind his back with a nonchalant expression, looking as if he were taking a stroll through the park.

In contrast, the Spirit Monarch's aura had become even more powerful than before, and there was a silver Buddha Projection behind him with demonic eyes all over its body, but his expression was quite strained. There was a circle of short translucent blades all around him, but they seemed to have intentionally avoided him.

Between the two of them was a giant blade that was over 100 feet in length, and it was suspended in mid-air, but its tip had gone missing. Furthermore, the cross-section of the incision was as smooth as a mirror, as if the tip had been sliced off cleanly by something.

"You've already made two attacks; there's still one attack left," Han Li said in an unhurried manner.

"Forget it. Your powers are even more fearsome than the rumors suggest; I would only be heaping more embarrassment upon myself if I were to go unleash a final attack," the Spirit Monarch said with a wry smile.

He then made a hand seal, and the giant black blade immediately vanished alongside the silver Buddha projection and the short translucent blades.

"Hehe, you're far too modest, Brother Spirit; I'm sure you didn't unleash your most powerful attacks. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand them so easily," Han Li chuckled.

"I do indeed have several trump cards up my sleeve, but it's clear that you haven't unleashed your true power, either. In any case, I concede wholeheartedly, and you can do as you please with the true immortal that I've sealed. However, I have one condition: if you can kill that true immortal, then you must do it while I'm present. Otherwise, I won't be able to rest assured," the Spirit Monarch said with a serious expression.

"That's not an issue. I recently refined a new treasure that could come in useful here," Han Li replied in a meaningful voice.

The Spirit Monarch was rather puzzled to hear this, but he was ecstatic that Han Li had agreed to his condition and immediately led Han Li back toward the hall.

......

Half a month later, the restrictions above Concealed Spirit Mountain parted, and a streak of azure light flew out before landing on the giant black ark that was waiting in the sky above.

Moments later, a burst of rumbling rang out, and the ark flew away into the distance.

Han Li was seated in a secret chamber on the bottom level of the ark, appraising a small green vial in his hand with a contemplative expression.

Several days ago, he had successfully searched the soul of that sealed immortal with his immense spiritual sense.

Actually, it wouldn't be accurate to refer to it as a complete success.

Even though he had successfully infiltrated the immortal's mind, he discovered that most of the immortal's important memories had been sealed by some type of mysterious energy.

After inspecting all of the accessible memories, Han Li directed his spiritual sense toward that part of the immortal's memories, only for the immortal's head to instantly explode like a watermelon.

As a result, the immortal's spiritual sense was instantly destroyed, and even his body was reduced to ashes by this burst of mysterious energy.

Han Li and the Spirit Monarch were naturally both astonished by this outcome.

Even so, through the memories that Han Li had managed to glean, he was able to figure out what this small vial was, as well as how it was related to Ma Liang and the Nine Origin Daoist Temple.

Furthermore, he had received a piece of very important information, which was that the vial spirit could be present in the Elder Devil Realm.

He was unable to find out why the immortal had betrayed the Nine Origin Daoist Temple, nor how he had managed to obtain the Heaven Controlling Vial, but he did discover the reason behind why the Heaven Controlling Vial had been split up into two parts that had fallen into different lower realms.

As it turned out, the immortal had expended a massive price to obtain a Great Teleportation Talisman to escape to another immortal region in order to flee from the Nine Origin Daoist Temple.

However, during the teleportation, the talisman was affected by some type of mysterious power. As a result, not only did his teleportation fail, he was forced to descend into a lower realm.

During this process, the Heaven Controlling Vial that he had only just barely managed to seal suddenly began to struggle with all its might.

He immediately attempted to restrain it using a variety of secret techniques, but it was already too late.

The vial spirit unleashed some type of innate ability to split up into two, and each of its constituent parts fell into a different realm.

Thankfully, the immortal had the presence of mind to unleash a tracking technique on the vial spirit from afar.

As long as the tracking mark wasn't erased, he would always be able to track down the vial spirit in the future.

Once he managed to do that, he would be able to make use of the vial spirit's ability to sense its vessel, and it would be very much possible for him to recover the entire Heaven Controlling Vial.

Unfortunately for him, he was severely wounded by the power of the Spirit Realm while descending into the realm, and not only was his physical body almost completely destroyed, his powers were severely debilitated as well.

As such, he could only sink to the seabed and slowly reforge a true immortal body while also gradually recovering his powers.

During this time, he had unleashed the same tracking technique on multiple occasions, thereby allowing him to ascertain that the vial spirit was situated in the Elder Devil Realm.

Furthermore, a clone of his had traveled throughout most of the Spirit Realm to find spirit medicines that were useful to him, and he had even entered the Vast Glacial Realm through the Thunder Continent on one occasion.

The silver lotus seed pod that Han Li had obtained from that realm was extremely useful for manifesting a true immortal body, but it still wasn't ready to be picked at the time, and the other spirit medicines there were of no use to the immortal, so he had left them all there.

Never did he imagine that Han Li would infiltrate that area countless years later and plunder all of the spirit medicines in that area; that unexpected turn of events had the immortal livid with rage!

As such, he had rushed out of seclusion as soon as he had reforged an immortal body, and at the time, he still hadn't completely recovered his powers.

He then immediately tried to track down Han Li, only to be sealed by the Spirit Monarch before he was even able to get to Han Li.

With that in mind, Han Li couldn't help but marvel at the unpredictable nature of fate and fortune.

He gently shook the small green vial in his hand, and a faint sloshing sound rang out.

The liquid in the vial wasn't its usual spirit liquid. Instead, it was a drop of blood essence that he had extracted from the sealed true immortal's body with immense difficulty.

With this drop of spirit blood, he would be able to unleash the same tracking technique, thereby allowing him to track down the vial spirit in the Elder Devil Realm.

A hint of irrepressible excitement welled up in Han Li's heart at the thought of the incredible abilities that the complete Heaven Controlling Vial could possess.

"It looks like I'll have to make a trip to the Elder Devil Realm right away."

Right at this moment, a faint dragon's roar rang out from his body.

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before hurriedly stowing the small vial away, then released a shimmering silver scale out of his sleeve.