Not far below Icy Flame Ancestor, the lightning around the pockmark-faced old man's body dissipated, revealing a badly damaged body.
However, this body was made up of several pieces of dark red wood. One could faintly tell that it was the remains of a wooden puppet. Each piece of wood was engraved with mysterious patterns.
Not far from the wooden puppet's remains stood a person. It was the pockmark-faced old man. Aside from his pale complexion, there were no injuries on his body.
The expressions of Icy Flame Ancestor and Xiong Shan changed when they saw this.
"A Life Substitution Puppet!" Han Li said slowly as he looked at the remains of the dark red wooden puppet.
The pockmark-faced old man took out a pill and swallowed it. His pale complexion quickly recovered.
"I didn't expect there to be such a restriction here. But it doesn't matter. There are many ways to kill without directly attacking." He sneered.
After saying this, the pockmark-faced old man slowly walked forward.
Icy Flame Ancestor's body trembled. He hurriedly lifted his foot, wanting to continue climbing the stairs.
Just as he lifted one foot, his face suddenly turned red. His injuries were aggravated. He spat out a mouthful of blood and slumped to the ground again.
Icy Flame Ancestor looked distressed. His gaze suddenly fell on Han Li not far away. A trace of hope appeared in his eyes. He transmitted his voice to call for help, "Friend Han, save me!"
Han Li frowned but didn't move.
It was already very difficult for him to carry Lu Yuqing. If Icy Flame Ancestor joined in, even if he tried his best, he might not be able to smoothly reach the top.
The hope in Icy Flame Ancestor's eyes dimmed when he saw Han Li's expression. But the next moment, he raised his eyebrows as if he remembered something.
"Friend Han, do you want to obtain the second half of the Great Cosmic Origin Art?" Icy Flame Ancestor's anxious voice resounded in Han Li's mind.
"You have the second half of the Great Cosmic Origin Art?" Han Li's expression changed. He suppressed the excitement in his heart and transmitted his voice.
"I don't have it. However, as long as you can save my life right now, I can bring you there to get it," Cold Flames Ancestor said.
"You mean the second half of the skill is in this You Han Palace?" Han Li raised his eyebrows and immediately understood.
"Exactly.
Actually, the first half of the Great Heavenly Star Origin Art was recorded on a stone tablet that I accidentally came across when I came to the Nether Frost Palace.
I'm here for the second half of the incantation.
That place is extremely secretive. Without my guidance, you won't be able to find the second half of the technique, "the Icy Flame Ancestor said immediately.
When Han Li heard this, he didn't reply immediately. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face as he considered the veracity of the Icy Flame Ancestor's words.
From the conversation between the Icy Flame Ancestor and Xiong Shan, the two of them had obtained a lot of benefits from the opening of the immortal mansion. The Icy Flame Ancestor had also told him that the Great Heavenly Star Origin Art was obtained from a secret realm. It made sense if it was in this You Han Palace.
Moreover, when he broke the restriction outside the immortal mansion, the blue stone tablet that recorded the first half of the incantation resonated with the restriction here. There must be some connection between the two.
Judging from this, there was a seventy to eighty percent chance that the Icy Flame Ancestor's words were true.
At this moment, the pockmarked old man had already climbed more than ten steps. He wasn't far from the Icy Flame Ancestor.
"Friend Han, are you suspecting that I'm lying in order to survive?
I'm willing to swear on my inner demons that I'm telling the truth. Otherwise, I'll be invaded by my inner demons and die eternally! "
When the Icy Flame Ancestor saw the pockmarked old man approaching, her eyes filled with fear. She hurriedly transmitted her voice again and swore on her inner demons.
"Alright, I'll believe you this time." Han Li felt relieved when he heard the Icy Flame Ancestor's oath. He nodded.
"Wait for me here." He placed Lu Yuqing on the step and walked toward the Icy Flame Ancestor.
Lu Yuqing had closed her eyes to relax earlier because she didn't want to increase the burden on Han Li.
She had already opened her eyes and seen the series of unforeseen events just now. She nodded and obediently stood on the step.
It was extremely difficult to go up from the bottom, but it was very easy to go down from the top.
Han Li's figure flickered. He walked to the Icy Flame Ancestor's side in a few steps and picked her up. Then, he immediately turned around.
The pockmarked old man was furious when he saw this.
However, he was still a distance away from Han Li and Lu Yuqing. It could be said that he couldn't reach them. Moreover, he didn't dare to attack again. He could only watch as Han Li rescued the Icy Flame Ancestor.
Xiong Shan continued to climb up. When he sensed Han Li's actions, a trace of contempt flashed through his eyes.
He might be able to carry one person by relying on his tyrannical body, but carrying two people was purely an act of seeking death. He didn't believe that a mere True Immortal could do this.
Han Li quickly returned to the previous step with the Icy Flame Ancestor in his arms. He also picked Lu Yuqing up.
His shoulders suddenly sank as he carried the two of them, and they swayed slightly.
The Icy Flame Ancestor and Lu Yuqing's expressions changed slightly when they saw this.
Han Li took a deep breath and muttered an incantation. A layer of dazzling purple-gold light appeared on the surface of his body once more.
Several clear cries and low roars came from within the purple-gold light. Then, the phantoms of a Sky Dragon, a Rainbow Phoenix, an Azure Luan, a Thunder Roc, and several other different kinds of phantoms appeared. Then, they flashed and merged into his body.
Han Li's body suddenly grew several times larger. At the same time, layers of purple-gold scales appeared on the surface of his body. His shoulders and ribs blurred, and two more sinister heads and four more purple-gold arms grew out.
His body immediately stabilized. The four new arms held the Icy Flame Ancestor and Lu Yuqing, and he strode forward. His speed was no slower than before.
The pockmarked old man revealed an expression of disbelief when he saw this.
Xiong Shan also sensed something. He stopped climbing and turned his head to look. A trace of shock appeared in his eyes.
He took a deep look at Han Li before withdrawing his gaze and continuing to climb to the top.
The Icy Flame Ancestor's eyes flashed with a trace of joy as she praised, "Friend Han's body is unexpectedly powerful to this extent. I truly admire it!"
"There's no need to flatter me.
However, Daoist Icy Flame, I have a question, "Han Li said indifferently without stopping.
The Icy Flame Ancestor revealed a trace of embarrassment and said, "Friend Han, please speak."
"The person behind, you just called him Xue Han.
We all participated in the Sacred Puppet Sect's matter. Could this pockmarked old man be that Xue Han from back then? "Han Li's eyes flashed as he transmitted his voice.
The Icy Flame Ancestor's expression changed. She didn't speak for a moment. After a moment of silence, she nodded.
When Han Li heard this, a trace of a strange light flashed in his eyes. He transmitted his voice again and asked, "If that's the case, are the other Ghost Sobbing Sect cultivators also fake?"
"Friend Han, it's best if you don't ask too much about these things. Knowing too much won't do you any good," the Icy Flame Ancestor transmitted her voice in a profound manner.
"That's true. Han is just curious." Han Li raised his eyebrows and smiled. He didn't ask any more questions.
Lu Yuqing looked at the two people beside her. Her beautiful eyes flashed, but she didn't speak.
As they spoke, Han Li had advanced quite a bit.
At this moment, there were only thirty or forty steps to the end of the stairs.
Xue Han was far behind, but Xiong Shan was still walking steadily in front. He was about to reach the end.
Han Li looked at the stairs in front of him with a serious expression.
The remaining stairs were the most difficult to pass. He didn't dare to be careless and mobilized every bit of physical strength in his body.
Two-colored lights flashed on Han Li's body as he steadily advanced step by step.
After walking up a dozen more steps, Han Li's figure suddenly became extremely slow. Almost every time he took a step, he had to rest for a while before continuing.
Xiong Shan's situation was the same as his. He also paused with each step.
The strength of the gravity here had reached a frightening level. The air also let out a slight trembling sound.
Han Li's face revealed a slightly tired expression, and the two-colored lights on his body flickered continuously.
Lu Yuqing and the Icy Flame Ancestor couldn't help but look worried when they saw Han Li's situation.
The Icy Flame Ancestor suggested, "Friend Han, why don't you put one of us down first? You can take one of us to the top, then go back and take the other one."
Han Li looked at Xiong Shan, who was only five steps ahead of him and was resting, and said calmly, "This is a waste of time. You don't have to worry, I can still hold on."
As soon as he finished speaking, he took another step and climbed another step.
The stairs shook slightly and let out a low roar.
Xiong Shan's eyes looked behind him. The corner of his eyes twitched, and he immediately took another step.
Han Li's body was trembling at this moment. He squinted his eyes and took a deep breath. He adjusted his physical strength as fast as he could and took another step.
The top was already close at hand. The earlier he reached the top, the earlier he would have a chance to find treasures.
The two of them didn't give an inch and sprinted with all their strength.
The last dozen or so steps had a strong gravitational restriction. It took the two of them a full fifteen minutes to climb up.
Han Li stepped on the top, and the gravity around him instantly disappeared without a trace. His whole body was extremely relaxed.
With a "whoosh", his figure shot up more than ten feet.
A light flashed on Han Li's body, and he stopped and landed on the ground.
Although he climbed with all his strength, he was still carrying two people, and he had to bear three times the gravity. He was still one step behind Xiong Shan.
He let out a long breath and looked back. Xue Han was standing at the 50th or 60th step, looking over with a fierce expression.
Han Li grinned at him and put down the Cold Flame Ancestor and Xiong Shan. He waved his hand to cancel his transformation and looked forward.
At the top of the mountain, there was a purple gate that was dozens of feet tall. There were golden dragons coiled around the pillars on both sides of the gate. The dragon heads stretched out from under the eaves, and there was a golden dragon ball in each of their mouths.
There were no words written on the horizontal board of the gate. There was only a picture of a thousand miles of ice field. The brushwork was rough, but it was very lifelike.
On both sides of the gate, there was a tall purple wall that stretched endlessly, and no one knew where it led to.
Han Li looked up and examined the purple gate and the tall wall. He found that they were ordinary buildings. There were no ripples of restriction on them. The dragon balls in the dragon's mouths were not magic treasures, but just ordinary objects.
Only the picture of a thousand miles of ice field was special. The scene depicted on it was somewhat familiar to Han Li.