Han Li walked forward and pushed aside the straw to take a look. He saw that the stone slab was covered in dark green moss, and the words carved on it were nearly buried by the moss. He could only faintly make out the words "Residence of the Heavenly Monarch".
The stone tablet's fracture was very uneven, and there was even a fist-sized gap in the middle.
"Uncle, look over there!" Jin Tong suddenly called out.
Han Li looked in the direction of the voice, and soon found the other half of the tablet in the grass. After sweeping away the dirt and weeds on the surface, he saw that the words "Yama" were carved on it.
The Weeping Soul Beast shifted its gaze away from the stone tablet and looked around. "Looks like this is where the Residence of Yama is. Since I don't see a cave mansion, there should be a mystic realm or a Dharma Formation here."
"It's here," Han Li said with a nod.
"Here?" Jin Tong was slightly puzzled.
Han Li smiled and made a grabbing motion in the air. A golden stream of light surged out of his palm and wrapped around the half of the tablet on the ground. He lifted it up and placed it on the other half of the tablet.
The fracture on the two pieces of the tablet matched perfectly, and they were embedded together seamlessly.
"Why is there another piece missing?" Jin Tong exclaimed softly.
In the center of the stone tablet that had been merged into one, there was a gap the size of a fist. It was incomplete.
"It looks like we're still missing a key." Ghost Shaman's voice came from Han Li's waist.
"Fellow Daoist Ghost Shaman, do you know what this key is?" Han Li asked.
"This Residence of Yama has existed for a long time, and I don't even know who built it. How would I know what the key is?
But Friend Han, since you're here to find this place, why don't you know? "Ghost Shaman asked.
Han Li stiffened when he heard this. When his physical body had traveled back and forth and met Patriarch Mi Luo, the patriarch had told him to look for the Residence of Yama if he had the chance. However, he didn't mention the specific location or the key to the restriction. What was he supposed to do?
He walked forward and squatted down to carefully examine the stone tablet. However, he did not see any obvious fluctuations of laws on it, nor could he detect any traces of a Space Array.
Han Li pondered for a moment before extending his finger to touch the hole. Suddenly, he found that the size and shape of the hole was somewhat familiar. He then extended his finger into the hole and carefully touched it. His eyes immediately lit up and a smile appeared on his face.
He retracted his finger and patted off the moss on it. Then, he flipped his palm, and a golden light flowed in his palm. A golden inkstone appeared, and on it, there was an engraving of a crouching ox. The ox was sleeping soundly with its eyes closed. The lines were smooth, and the shape was simple.
It was the golden inkstone that Wu Yang had given him in Jiuyuan City.
As soon as the inkstone appeared, it shone with a golden light and emitted waves of dense Earth-elemental Law Power.
At the same time, an expanse of dense talisman markings appeared on the damaged tablet, and the hole at the center lit up with an expanse of golden light that emanated waves of attractive force.
Han Li pushed his palm forward, and the golden inkstone immediately flew up by itself and fell into the hole. Then, it embedded itself in the hole and finally became one with it.
In an instant, the runes on the damaged tablet shone brightly, and a golden vortex suddenly appeared within it.
"Hey, it's open …" Jin Tong exclaimed in surprise.
"Is this fate, or is it your arrangement, Ancestor?" Han Li was somewhat puzzled, and he muttered in a low voice.
"What's wrong, Uncle? The door is already open. Why don't you go in?" Jin Tong asked when he saw the strange expression on Han Li's face.
Han Li shook his head and temporarily cast aside the distracting thoughts. Just as he was about to enter, he suddenly remembered something and stopped. He then instructed Jin Tong and Weeping Soul.
"Now that the barrier of this isolated island has been broken, the enemy may come in at any time. Don't go in for now. Guard the entrance for me."
"Don't worry, we'll stand guard outside." Weeping Soul nodded and said.
Although Jin Tong was very curious about what was inside the Residence of King Yama, he reluctantly agreed after listening to Han Li's words.
"I'll leave Fellow Daoist Ghost Shaman in your care for the time being," Han Li said as he removed the square box from his waist and handed it to Weeping Soul.
"Rest assured, Master. I'll take good care of him." Weeping Soul immediately understood what he meant.
The black square box remained silent for a long time.
With that done, Han Li turned towards the golden vortex and stepped into it.
Following a burst of powerful suction force, Han Li felt as if the world around him were spinning around him. When he stabilized himself, he found himself standing on a grassy plain.
The plain was not small, and he couldn't see the end of it at first glance. Only the vague silhouettes of majestic mountains could be seen in the distance.
Thousands of feet away, on a seemingly vast plain, stood a solitary jujube tree that was over a hundred feet tall. Under the tree was a thatched hut that took up less than a third of the area.
Although the thatched hut wasn't big, it was built in a very orderly manner. Even the thatch on the roof was neatly tied.
"What are you looking at? What are you waiting for?
I've been waiting for you for a long time. "At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from the thatched hut.
Then, a fat monk in a red robe squeezed out of the hut with prayer beads in his hand.
His earlobes were extremely long and drooped over his shoulders. A warm smile hung on his face, and his two slender eyes narrowed into slits. Coupled with his incomparably plump belly, it was a sight that made people feel happy at first glance.
"Master?" Han Li raised his eyebrows in surprise.
However, he soon discovered that the big-eared monk in front of him was just a remnant soul of Old Ancestor Mi Luo.
"You look a little disappointed, haha …" Old Ancestor Mi Luo teased indifferently.
"At first glance, I thought that Master was still alive. I feel a little … a little regretful." Han Li's eyes dimmed as he sighed.
"Since you can appear here, my long wait has not been in vain. I have nothing to regret." Old Ancestor Mi Luo said with a carefree smile.
"I have no regrets to be able to listen to Master's teachings again." Han Li said with a smile.
"This secret realm was built with my remnant power. It has been sealed for many years and hasn't been consumed.
Now that the secret realm's seal has been lifted, my power will quickly dissipate.
Let's cut the chatter. Let me see the results of your cultivation first. "Old Ancestor Mi Luo said.
Han Li heard and nodded. He immediately activated the Major Five Elemental Illusory World Technique in his body.
Then, he casually snapped his fingers, and the Time Spirit Domain opened up. It enveloped a radius of a dozen miles around the thatched hut.
Han Li frowned slightly at the sight of this. He was slightly surprised.
"Don't be surprised. This space is only so big. The mountains and grasslands further away are all illusions." Old Ancestor Mi Luo said with a smile.
Han Li was slightly surprised. When he first entered this secret realm, he actually didn't notice it with his eyesight.
However, he didn't continue to dwell on this matter. Instead, he activated the time cultivation technique with all his might.
In an instant, a full moon hung in the sky, mountains stacked up, rivers meandered, forests grew, and the Five Elemental Illusory World appeared.
Old Ancestor Mi Luo scanned the surroundings and nodded in satisfaction. He praised, "Not bad, not bad.
"Not bad, not bad. It's already not easy for the five manifestations of the Laws of Time to have such a scene without all of them materializing.
When the five elements are complete, the power of the Five Elemental Illusory World will rise to another level. "
"I wanted to do this previously, but something happened and I was troubled by the evil corpse for a while. That's why it was delayed until now." Han Li said embarrassedly.
"I've already killed one corpse …" Old Ancestor Mi Luo frowned and said in a low voice.
"What's wrong, Master? Is there something wrong?" Han Li asked.
Old Ancestor Mi Luo thought for a moment and answered, "There's nothing wrong. It's just that you've cultivated the power of Time Law to such a level. Gu or Jin should've noticed you already?"
Han Li naturally knew that Gu or Jin was the name of Time Dao Ancestor. But when he heard this name from Old Ancestor Mi Luo, his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
"I've long been on the Immortal Execution Board of the Heavenly Court. As for whether that Time Dao Ancestor noticed me, I'm not sure." Han Li smiled bitterly.
"How dangerous is the battle of the Great Dao?
Back then, I didn't actually have the thought of fighting for the position of Dao Ancestor with Gu or Jin. I was just fascinated by the profundities of Time Law. I was still suppressed by him.
And your talent in the cultivation of Time Law surpasses mine. It's impossible to not attract attention. "Old Ancestor Mi Luo said.
"Master doesn't want to fight for the position of Dao Ancestor?
Why is that? "Han Li was puzzled.
"Haha, do you know why Dao Ancestor is called Dao Ancestor?" Old Ancestor Mi Luo asked with a smile.
"Ascending to the peak of the Great Dao can be called Ancestor. That's why it's called Dao Ancestor." Han Li quickly answered.
"That's right. Then do you know what peak the peak of the Great Dao is?" Old Ancestor Mi Luo asked.
"This …" Han Li thought for a moment and realized that this question wasn't easy to answer.
"Ascending to the peak of the mountain is the realm of Dao Ancestor.
But above this peak, there's always a sky.
This sky isn't anything else. It's the 'Dao' that cultivators painstakingly seek. It's also the various laws themselves.
When you're beneath the 'Dao', the execution of all laws and spells has to rely on the 'Dao' for support, and also be restrained by the 'Dao'.
And when you become a Dao Ancestor and truly stand on equal footing with the Great Dao, you'll be no different from the Great Dao. What will happen? "Old Ancestor Mi Luo asked.
"Can it be that … after becoming a Dao Ancestor, one will fuse with the Great Dao, and become a part of it?" Han Li asked, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
"According to what I know, after becoming a Dao Ancestor, one won't be immediately devoured by the Great Dao.
It's just that once a Dao Ancestor uses the power of laws, it will draw upon the power of the Great Dao. While its power is boundless, it will also accelerate the assimilation of the Great Dao. "Old Ancestor Mi Luo said.
"So that's how it is. I believe this is the reason why it's rare for Dao Ancestors to act?" Han Li was enlightened.
"Precisely so. But once a threat that threatens their position as Dao Ancestor appears, they will act all the same. And they will more or less have methods to delay their complete fusion with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Ancient and modern are such existences. "
Old Ancestor Mi Luo looked at Han Li and said.
When Han Li heard this, he knew what Old Ancestor Mi Luo was worried about.