Upon hearing Lu Luo's words, Senior Cheng was also taken aback and hurriedly scanned Han Li with his divine sense.

He found that Han Li's aura was restrained, surrounded by a clear shimmer, clearly showing the appearance of advancing to the middle stage of Nascent Soul. He couldn't help but stay stunned.

"I knew both Senior Brothers' discernment was as sharp as a torch, and you would quickly see it. Junior Brother indeed had some fortuitous encounters in the Fallen Devil Valley, which led to his advancement after a period of arduous cultivation. To advance so quickly to the middle stage of Nascent Soul is something even I didn't expect. But if it weren't for knowing that Wan'er had you two looking after her, I would have been extremely anxious after being trapped for so many years. How could I have had the peace of mind to calmly cultivate? I'm truly grateful to both Senior Brothers," Han Li sighed and expressed his gratitude to the two with clasped hands.

"Junior Brother, what are you saying? Since Miss Nangong recognized me as her big brother, taking care of her is only natural. Besides, the so-called caretaking didn't actually help much; it only left our younger siblings trapped in ice. I feel quite ashamed," Senior Cheng finally recovered from his shock at Han Li's advancement and quickly responded humbly.

"Junior Brother advancing to the middle stage of Nascent Soul with less than three hundred years of life expectancy would surely shock the entire Southern Heaven. It seems that not to mention the later stage of Nascent Soul, Junior Brother even has a great chance of advancing to the Deity Transformation stage!" Lu Luo couldn't help but exclaim with envy. His words were filled with admiration.

With Han Li's terrifying speed of advancement, in the history of Southern Heaven's cultivation world, there were probably only a few who could match him. Such a cultivation speed had little to do with personal aptitude and was mostly due to personal opportunities and fate, which couldn't be forced.

Han Li naturally humbled himself with a few words, then deliberately changed the subject and asked about the events that occurred in the Fallen Devil Valley after his disappearance. The information he obtained from those who witnessed the battle firsthand was naturally much more accurate than the rumors from others.

Upon hearing Han Li's question, the elder couldn't help but smile bitterly.

It turned out that after Han Li was swallowed by the spatial crack, the other ancient demon was extremely furious. At the critical moment when the elder felt that his life was in danger, other cultivators happened to arrive.

Even with the combined efforts of those who arrived first and Wei Wuyan, they still couldn't subdue the other ancient demon transformed into a twin-headed, four-armed form, and were soon in a precarious situation. At a critical moment, the group of Muren people finally arrived.

As a result, under the joint efforts of both sides, they finally trapped the demon. After a fierce battle, with the assistance of the Muren sacred beast summoned by the Muren woman with the surname Le, they finally severely injured the demon. Even Muren's Primordial Divine Master managed to sever one of its heads. However, the ancient demon managed to escape.

In this battle, several Nascent Soul cultivators fell, and even Senior Sister Nangong's sister was hit directly by the demon's frenzy in the final struggle, and even the Nascent Soul was reduced to ashes. The situation of Lao Zi was a little better, but his body was destroyed, and only the Nascent Soul was lucky enough to escape.

The most unfortunate were the disciples of the Ghost Gate, and the old man named Zhong, who had been killed directly by the ancient demon.

Most of the Ghost Door Valley monks, except for the few who were able to reach the foundation, could not be said to be surprised.

Han Li chatted a little longer with the two before finally mentioning that he had found a good medicine in the Fallen Devil Valley. He intended to try to lift the curse on Nangong Wan.

Upon hearing this, the two were delighted. If Nangong Wan could return to normal, the strength of their Luoyun Sect would naturally increase significantly. They didn't have the heart to continue chatting and immediately accompanied Han Li to the forbidden area.

At the entrance of the forbidden area, Senior Cheng and the other senior brother voluntarily stopped and said they would guard the place themselves, reassuring Han Li to proceed with lifting the curse.

Han Li thanked them and walked in alone.

Soon, his figure appeared in front of the stone door of the secret room.

Glancing at the restrictions outside the stone door, Han Li noticed that they hadn't been triggered since he last left. It seemed that Senior Cheng and the others had only probed Nangong Wan's condition with their divine sense and hadn't broken into the forbidden area again. This made Han Li even more satisfied with their actions.

He didn't hesitate, thanked them verbally, and quietly entered.

A short while later, he stood before the sealed ice wall in the secret chamber.

Thanks to the moonstone embedded in the ceiling, the room wasn't dim at all. Due to the presence of restrictions, the room remained as clean as ever, without a speck of dust.

The ice wall flickered with a faint spiritual light, and Nangong Wan, still in her childish appearance, remained sealed within it, her eyes closed tightly, her face pale.

A trace of pity crossed Han Li's face as he walked a few steps and stopped about ten feet away from the ice wall.

Gazing at Nangong Wan's pale face, Han Li's eyes were filled with complex emotions at this moment.

Standing still and staring blankly at Nangong Wan sealed in the ice, he sighed after some time passed. He patted his waist pouch and a jade box appeared in his hand out of thin air.

With one hand holding the jade box, Han Li lightly flicked the lid with a finger.

The lid bounced open, revealing a thumb-sized red spherical object inside, which was the demon core of a Fire Toad Beast.

This demon core, nestled in the immaculate jade box, intermittently emitted a mysterious and splendid red light.

Han Li carefully observed the demon core for a while with narrowed eyes, then suddenly opened his mouth. A faint green aura enveloped the demon core, lifting it gently into the air. Han Li then floated towards the ice wall.

At this moment, a low incantation sounded, and a spell struck the ice wall.

The blue light of the ice wall flashed, and the demon core seamlessly merged into the thick ice wall, flying towards Nangong Wan's lips.

Han Li aimed a finger calmly at Nangong Wan. Her lips, like a puppet's, half-opened. Seizing this opportunity, the demon core instantly flew into her mouth.

Immediately, a faint red light shrouded Nangong Wan's pale face, but her eyes, with long eyelashes, remained tightly closed without any signs of awakening.

Han Li sighed. He knew this matter couldn't be rushed. Even if the demon core was effective, it would take more than ten days to half a month to lift the Soul Sealing Curse.

However, Han Li didn't leave immediately. He simply stood quietly in front of the ice wall, gazing at Nangong Wan without saying a word. For some reason, the stunning scene of their first meeting flashed through his mind.

Time passed slowly. Han Li's figure remained motionless in front of the ice wall...

Half a day later, Han Li calmly walked out of the secret chamber door. After reactivating the restriction, he retraced his steps.

Senior Cheng and Lu Luo were still guarding outside the forbidden area. They naturally asked a few concerned questions when they saw Han Li come out.

Han Li forced a smile and simply said he needed to observe for a few more days to see if the Soul Sealing Curse could truly be lifted.

Due to days of travel, Han Li was a bit tired and didn't continue chatting with them. He bid farewell and returned to his cave residence.

After all, there was plenty of time in the future to discuss things slowly.

Han Li transformed into a cyan rainbow and flew straight towards the Submother Peak.

In their previous conversation, he had learned that despite his disappearance for over twenty years, his cave residence had remained intact under the strict orders of the elders and Lu Luo.

As for his concubine, Mu Peiling, she had continued to reside in the Subpeak. The elders had taken good care of her. Now, she was already at the False Core stage of cultivation, and with only a few years of cultivation, she could start attempting to form her Core.

This was quite an unexpected joy. Han Li's heart moved upon hearing this. Naturally, he thought of the Dual Cultivation Technique of the Upside-down Phoenix Cultivation Art.

Knowing that there were various spirit pills and rare medicines that could increase the success rate of Core Formation, and considering her excellent aptitude, as long as he devoted all his efforts to help her form her Core, she would have at least a seventy percent chance of success.

Unexpectedly, another opportunity had arisen in the Fallen Devil Valley, allowing him to break through this bottleneck before she could even attempt Core Formation.

As a result, this deviated from his original plan.

However, that was okay. The Dual Cultivation Technique of the Upside-down Phoenix Cultivation Art was also useful for breaking through to the later stages of Nascent Soul. Of course, cultivating this technique would require deeper understanding. She would also need to reach the later stages of Core Formation to benefit from it.

However, the original plan of allowing her to cultivate this technique for decades, picking her Yuan Yin Body at any time, had to be changed.

After all, under normal circumstances, he might not reach the top stage of the later stages of years. such a long time, so he would need to cultivate Mu Peiling in the ways of the Upside-down Phoenix Cultivation Art. After all, the technique wasn't top-tier, so it might take years for her to cultivate to the later stages of the Core Formation without the aid of elixirs.

Han Li thought for a moment, and after a short flight, he arrived in front of the Submother Peak.

Looking at the cloud-sealed restriction in front of the peak, Han Li smiled faintly.

With a flick of his sleeve, the dense fog split apart, creating a path for him.

He leisurely flew towards the main peak.