I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

It became.

Li Hanshan achieved his goal.

The power of the Immortal Alliance and the Demonic Sect has reached a balance.

When the sect leader was undergoing his tribulation, he was actually very worried.

He wasn't worried about the Immortal Alliance. The three members of the Immortal Alliance were more than happy to see the Demonic Sect have fewer Dao Integration cultivators. What he was worried about were the other two old monsters—if the Yin Quan Ancestor succeeded, the Yin Quan Sect would have two Dao Integration cultivators, and from then on, the He Huan Sect would be suppressed to the point of being unable to raise its head; if Xue Qianzhong succeeded, the Xue Sha Sect would have one more Dao Integration demon, which would also take away the He Huan Sect's living space.

If either of the two "what ifs" happens, all his hard work will have been for someone else's benefit.

Furthermore, and more importantly, once the Demonic Sect produces another Dao Integration cultivator, there will be four Dao Integration cultivators—no, there's even a possibility of five. The fate of the Heavenly Demonic Sect Master remains unknown.

At that time, the balance of power will be broken again.

The Demonic Sect might launch a large-scale war against the Immortal Alliance, which is something Li Hanshan doesn't want to see.

Fortunately, none of that happened.

Yin Quan Patriarch has been defeated, and Xue Qianzhong is nearing his end as well. On the Demonic Sect's side, the new Dao Integration Realm only has one sect leader—the Hehuan Sect boasts two Dao Integration Realm members, thus standing shoulder to shoulder with the Immortal Alliance and even subtly surpassing the Yin Quan Sect.

The power of the Immortal Alliance and the Demonic Sect has been rebalanced. And after this night, the Hehuan Sect holds the fulcrum of the scales.

And it was he who brought all of this to fruition.

Li Hanshan couldn't help but smirk, but quickly suppressed it—being smug in front of his master would only get him a beating.

"Hanshan," the sect leader suddenly spoke.

"Disciple is here."

"The matter is settled." She turned and looked towards the direction beyond the secret realm. "The Immortal Alliance has suffered heavy losses this time and will not have the strength to launch another attack in the short term. We can go back now."

You can go back now.

Li Hanshan stood still, without moving.

"Master," he stroked his chin and chuckled, "There's no rush to go back."

"Um?"

"This disciple would like to... visit the Yaoguang Ruins again."

The sect leader turned his head and looked at him.

"Ruins?" She raised an eyebrow. "Sure!"

Not long after, the two entered the Yaoguang Ruins again.

The sect leader asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"

Li Hanshan raised his head, his gaze passing over her and landing in the direction of the mountaintop platform—the majestic palace built of bluish-white jade stood quietly through the clouds, the ancient characters on the stone tablet in front of the palace appearing and disappearing in the spiritual light.

One cannot enter without refining one's emptiness.

"Last time I came, my cultivation level wasn't high enough to enter that main hall." His voice was soft, but a glint of light shone in his eyes. "Now, I've reached the Refinement stage."

"That door—it should be opened for the disciple."

The sect leader followed his gaze.

She had noticed that grand hall earlier—it was made entirely of bluish-white jade, as pristine as if it were brand new after ten thousand years, standing out starkly against the backdrop of the ruins. With her current Dao-level eyesight, she could immediately discern the hall's extraordinary nature: within its walls, the layers of restrictions were unfathomably deep, overlapping each other, so deep that even her current divine sense could not penetrate them even slightly.

What exactly did the Yaoguang Sect, which existed eight thousand years ago, hide in this hall?

The sect leader followed his gaze and saw the main hall that had been sleeping for eight thousand years. His eyes flickered slightly.

"What's in there...?"

"This disciple doesn't know either," Li Hanshan said with a smile, "That's why I'm going in to take a look."

"If Master is curious—" He paused, blinked, "why not join us?"

The sect leader stared at him for a couple of moments, then shook his head: "No, this is your opportunity. Go."

She did not choose to go.

Li Hanshan didn't press the issue; he was just asking a question.

So, the sect leader and Ye Feiyan waited outside, while Li Hanshan walked towards the palace.