Han Li shook his head and set aside his concerns for now, then summoned his Mantra Treasured Axis, upon which he discovered that two more Time Dao Runes had appeared on its surface.

He then gently exhaled before casting his gaze down into the dark ravine below.

Due to the fact that the baleful qi at this altitude had virtually been completely absorbed by Han Li, the baleful qi down below was quickly rising up to fill the void left behind. Despite this, Han Li was still unable to see the bottom of the ravine from where he was.

After devouring a pill and taking some time to rest, Han Li rose to his feet, then plunged rapidly down into the depths of the ravine, instantly sinking into the boundless baleful qi down below.

Just as he had anticipated, the deeper he descended, the more viscous the surrounding baleful qi became.

After descending for only around 30 kilometers, he could already sense that the yin winds and baleful qi swirling around him had become several times more powerful than before, and all types of horrific illusions began to surface in his mind again.

However, with his current spiritual sense, he had become significantly more impervious to these illusions, and he continued descending without pause.

After descending for close to another 20 kilometers, the surrounding yin winds subsided somewhat once again, but the baleful qi in the area had become even denser, to the point that Han Li felt as if he were encountering physical resistance in his descent.

Right at this moment, numerous specks of green light suddenly appeared directly in front of him, and they quickly converged to form the same giant green rat from before.

However, this time, it was several times more massive than before, and its body was so severely charred and ravaged that it looked as if hot oil had been poured all over it. The skin and fur on its face had been completely stripped away, and its two massive eyeballs looked as if they could fall out of its eye sockets at any moment.

A sharp screeching sound rang out as the giant rat came charging directly at Han Li, bringing along with it an indescribable odor of blood and gore, an odor so intense that Han Li felt as if there were a boundless wave of blood crashing toward him.

However, Han Li was already mentally prepared, and he remained completely unfazed as he channeled his Spirit Refinement Technique while letting loose a thunderous roar.

A burst of tremendous spiritual sense instantly swept through his consciousness, cleansing his mind like a storm on a hot summer's day.

The giant rat illusion was instantly dispeled before it could reach Han Li, and he took only a brief moment to compose himself before continuing his descent.

He knew that the purer and denser the baleful qi he had access to, the quicker he would be able to open his immortal acupoints and elevate his own cultivation base.

Time was quickly ticking down, and he had to make the most of every single moment. The more power that he could attain, the greater his chances of surviving this ordeal.

However, he was forced to draw to a halt after descending for only several thousand more feet.

This time, what had stopped him wasn't an illusion. Instead, it was the baleful qi, which had become dense to the extreme.The baleful qi that was currently beneath him wasn't even present in the form of mist anymore. Instead, it resembled an unmoving black wall that was formed by solidified ink.

Han Li could clearly sense that the baleful qi within this wall was different from the baleful qi that was currently swirling around him, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what was different.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he leaned down before attempting to plunge one of his hands into the wall.

However, as soon as he reached into the wall of baleful qi, his wrist and hand were instantly struck by a burst of sharp, bone-chilling pain as the surrounding baleful qi morphed themselves into sharp needles as if they were living creatures, then pierced themselves into his skin.

Han Li shuddered as he hurriedly attempted to withdraw his hand, only to discover that he was unable to do so as his hand had somehow been locked into place.

He immediately activated his Brightsight Spirit Eyes, upon which he discovered that those needles of baleful qi were anchoring his hand firmly into place, rendering it completely immobilized.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as a bolt of golden lightning shot out of the palm of his hand, and the intrusive needles of baleful qi immediately sprang back in the face of his Divine Devilbane Lightning, but they were still circling around his hand like a pack of predators stalking their prey.

Han Li took advantage of this opportunity to pull back his hand, and his pupils immediately contracted slightly in response to what he saw.

At this moment, the palm of his hand was riddled with countless tiny red spots, all of which were tiny holes as thin as strands of hair. As it turned out, the needles of baleful qi had pierced all the way through his hand, and there were wisps of black qi permeating throughout these tiny holes.

Another burst of Divine Devilbane Lightning erupted out of his hand, and the residual wisps of baleful qi were instantly eradicated, while the tiny holes on his hand also quickly healed, but there was still a hint of lingering fear in Han Li's eyes.

If he hadn't reacted as quickly as he did, then this hand would've been completely destroyed.

It seemed that the deeper he went, the more aggressive the baleful qi became, and at this point, the baleful qi was actively invading his body without requiring any guidance. With that in mind, it most likely wasn't going to be a simple task to control the baleful qi here and guide it toward his immortal acupoints.

A hesitant look appeared on Han Li's face as he stared at the black wall down below.

If he were to allow the baleful qi within the black wall to infiltrate his body, then he would be taking a huge risk, and he could easily fall to his demise. However, if he could control the baleful qi here, then he would undoubtedly be able to make rapid progress in opening further immortal acupoints.

After grappling with this dilemma for some time, Han Li finally made up his mind.

At this point, there really was no turning back. He had already chosen to place all of his eggs in one basket, so he could only continue down the path of no return.

With his mind made up, Han Li plunged straight into the black wall without any further hesitation.

As soon as he entered the black wall, he immediately felt as if an enormous weight had crashed down onto his consciousness. A sharp screeching sound was reverberating incessantly in his mind, and he felt as if he had been robbed of all of his senses.His entire body was enveloped in viscous baleful qi, which formed countless sharp needles that pierced through his skin and flesh, all the way until they reached his bones.

The physical and spiritual pain from the experience was so immense that Han Li immediately began to tremble uncontrollably, and his consciousness was on the verge of fading away.

He gritted his teeth with all his mind, and with his final shred of lucidity, he began to channel his Spirit Refinement Technique.

As soon as he did this, he immediately felt as if a gust of wind were sweeping through his consciousness, instantly silencing the sharp ringing sound while also restoring his spiritual sense to its normal state.

With his spiritual sense recovered, he was able to protect his own mind while simultaneously channeling the Profound Baleful Spirit Arts, guiding the immense baleful qi in his body toward his 63rd immortal acupoint.

However, to his alarm and horror, only a part of the baleful qi in his body was successfully guided toward his immortal acupoint, while the rest continued to surge toward all parts of his body in a completely unrestrained fashion.

A string of loud cracks and pops instantly rang out from within Han Li's body, and a series of massive bulges began to appear beneath his skin.

As a result, his body began to inflate rapidly like a balloon, and it looked as if he were about to explode at any moment.

Despite his alarm, Han Li was able to remain composed, and he began to make a rapid string of hand seals in an attempt to control the baleful qi that was continuing to surge into his body, but at this moment, his body was like a broken dam that was impossible to seal.

His body continued to swell further and further, but at the same time, a small vortex had appeared on his shoulder, and it was absorbing a portion of the incoming baleful qi.

That vortex was actually another one of Han Li's immortal acupoints. Due to the excessive influx of baleful qi, that immortal acupoint had opened up on its own, and it was absorbing baleful qi as quickly as it could alongside Han Li's 63rd immortal acupoint.

Han Li gritted his teeth tightly as he persevered through the excruciating pain. At the same time, he was channeling his Profound Baleful Spirit Arts with all his might, trying to guide as much of the baleful qi in his body toward the two immortal acupoints as possible.

......

Over 10 years flew by in a flash.

Jin Tong was seated with her legs crossed on the cliff at the entrance of the ravine, and in a rare display of discipline, she was cultivating through seated meditation.

Xiao Bai was laying on the ground not far away from her with its front paws resting beneath its chin, and it seemed to have fallen asleep.

Right at this moment, a burst of golden light descended from above before landing on the cliff.

Xiao Bai took a glance to discover that it was Daoist Xie, who had returned from examining the array, then closed its eyes again. Meanwhile, Jin Tong's eyes remained closed the entire time.

Right at this moment, a burst of rumbling akin to resounding thunderclaps rang out from deep within the ravine, immediately following which a cloud of baleful qi rose up from down below, all the way until it spilled over the edge of the cliff.

Only then did Jin Tong's eyes spring open, and she jumped to her feet, then rushed over to the edge of the cliff before peering down into the ravine with an anxious expression.

Xiao Bai had also gotten up from the ground, and it jogged over to her side before casting its gaze into the ravine as well.

"Uncle..." Jin Tong murmured to herself with a complex look on her face, one that was a combination of anticipation, concern, excitement, and unease.