Just as Han Li was observing, Xiong Shan had reached the doorway. He paused briefly to take a look, then charged through the opening in a single stride, plunging into the interior.

Han Li glanced back at the stone steps behind him and saw that Xue Han and the others were still rushing toward them, but they weren't far from reaching the top.

Without further hesitation, he joined Lu Yuqing and the others in rushing through the gatehouse.

Upon entering, Han Li saw three massive palace structures in the distance, all topped with glazed tiles and painted with vermilion-red walls. On the roof ridges and eaves, rows of exotic beast statues squatted.

The three palaces were arranged in a triangular formation, with their main entrances facing the gatehouse. Their bases were several feet above the ground, making them appear to be built on a high platform.

Between the gatehouse and the main halls lay a wide white stone plaza, paved only with square bricks. There were no other furnishings.

Han Li's eyes quickly scanned the entire plaza and the palaces, and a hint of surprise surfaced deep within his eyes. However, his brows furrowed slightly, as the scene before him seemed somewhat familiar.

"This layout, this feeling... Where have I seen it before?" he wondered to himself.

Before he could figure it out, Xiong Shan, who was at the front, leaped into the air and flew toward the palaces.

However, the next moment, something astonishing happened!

Just as Xiong Shan leaped into the void above the palaces, the surrounding space suddenly twisted, rippling with subtle waves.

Then, with a "poof," his body turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared.

Han Li's brows furrowed, and blue light surged in his eyes as he looked out over the plaza.

Under the examination of the Bright Clarity Spirit Eyes, a layer of white mist permeated the originally empty white stone plaza. Within it, faint streams of spiritual power flowed, seemingly chaotic but actually very methodical. It was clearly an extremely profound illusionary formation.

Han Li retracted his gaze and couldn't help but look back at the gatehouse behind him.

After a moment of contemplation, his eyes suddenly lit up, and a long-forgotten name immediately appeared in his mind:

"Guang Han Palace..."

The restriction-laden steps, the illusionary formation on the plaza, the triangular arrangement of the palaces... This area within the Underworld-Frost Immortal Abode was surprisingly seven or eight parts similar to the scene he encountered in the Guang Han Palace back then?

Could it be that there was some connection between this secret realm located in the Spirit World and one located in the True Immortal Realm? Han Li couldn't help but speculate boldly.

Just then, a heavy footstep sounded from the direction of the gatehouse. Han Li and the other two turned to see that Xue Han had chased after them alone.

"Not good, let's go!"

Old Ancestor Cold Flame gritted his teeth and hissed, taking the lead to fly toward the plaza, and Han Li and Lu Yuqing hurriedly followed.

The three figures disappeared into the void almost simultaneously.

Xue Han, who was chasing closely behind but was still a step late, snorted coldly. He didn't rashly rush into the illusionary formation but stopped at the edge of the plaza, concentrating on examining it.

When Han Li entered the formation, he didn't retract his Bright Clarity Spirit Eyes. He clearly saw himself falling into the misty illusionary formation, and in an instant, everything spun around him, and the scenery changed as if he had entered another world.

"Baozi, hot baozi..."

"The finest rouge and powder, more fragrant than flowers, sweeter than honey..."

...

The sounds of a bustling marketplace echoed from all around.

Han Li was slightly taken aback and looked around, only to find himself standing on a crowded street, surrounded by people coming and going, the noise deafening, making it exceptionally lively.

Not far from him stood a tall and wide city gate. Near the base of the gate, a beautiful woman was standing with a look of surprise, looking around.

It was Lu Yuqing.

Just then, Old Ancestor Cold Flame, still looking somewhat pale, walked out of the city gate and stopped beside Lu Yuqing, turning to wave in Han Li's direction.

As Han Li was about to step forward, he heard a shout from behind him: "Pancake... make way, freshly baked pancakes..."

He subconsciously stepped aside, only to see a short, stout man carrying two steaming baskets on a shoulder pole, quickly walking past him.

After stepping aside, he realized that the man wasn't talking to him but was telling a wealthy young master with a begonia in his hair and wearing pink silk clothes to make way.

Soon, Han Li discovered that to these people in the illusion, the three of them seemed to be non-existent, and they could pass right through their bodies.

However, what surprised him the most was that the man's expression and demeanor were no different from those of ordinary people. The smell of the pancakes in the basket didn't seem fake, and even the temperature radiating from the basket as it passed by him was identical to that of the real world.

He knew that he hadn't retracted his spirit eye ability at the moment, but what he was seeing was still an illusion.

"Fellow Daoist Cold Flame, this illusionary formation is almost indistinguishable from reality. My spirit eye ability can't even see through it," Han Li said as he walked up to Old Ancestor Cold Flame and Lu Yuqing.

"Fellow Daoist Han is right. This formation is called 'The Grand Thousand Worlds.' It is the most incredible illusionary formation I have ever seen, without a doubt. As the name suggests, the illusion it creates is no less than a world in itself. If you wander around here randomly, you may slowly lose yourself in it, never to escape," Old Ancestor Cold Flame nodded.

"I see. By the way, has anyone seen Xiong Shan?" Han Li asked, changing the subject.

"The last time we came in, it wasn't this scene at all, but a desolate continent plagued by demonic beasts. It seems that the illusions encountered vary depending on the batch of people entering this illusionary formation. He came in a step ahead of us, and although the time difference is negligible, he is very likely trapped in another illusionary world. We may only be able to see him again after we leave the illusionary formation," Old Ancestor Cold Flame said after a moment of thought.

"Such a troublesome illusionary formation, how did you get out last time?" Han Li looked at him, puzzled.

"There were eight of us traveling together at the time, including several experts in formations. They deduced the method of exiting the formation step by step by observing the position of the stars in the night sky... But even so, only four people survived and left the illusion, including Xiong Shan and me," Old Ancestor Cold Flame said with a wry smile.

Hearing this, Han Li looked up at the sky. It was morning, with blue skies, white clouds, and a bright sun. It was far from dark, and there wasn't a single star in the sky.

"Is your method of observing the stars only used to identify the direction, so as to determine the layout of the illusionary formation's nodes, and then deduce the location of the life gate from the nodes, right?" he asked, looking at Old Ancestor Cold Flame.

"Indeed, it seems that Fellow Daoist Han is also proficient in formations?" Old Ancestor Cold Flame raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised.

Han Li didn't pay attention to his compliment. He first looked up at the plaque on the city gate, then looked around, examining all eight directions.

"The city gate plaque here says 'Dongzhimen,' indicating that the direction out of the city is east. However, it is morning, and the direction of the sun in the sky is completely opposite to that. It can be seen that one of these two must be false. But since you identified the direction through the stars last time, it is more likely that the position of the sun is true, so that should be east," Han Li said slowly, pointing in the direction at the other end of the street.

Hearing this, Old Ancestor Cold Flame and Lu Yuqing suddenly understood and nodded in agreement.

"Now that we have determined the correct direction, the next step is to observe the formation nodes. My spirit eye ability can't see through it. Lu Yuqing, what about yours? Can you see anything?" Han Li asked Lu Yuqing after a moment of thought.

"I've already tried it. As long as I use my spirit pupils, all the people and objects around me will disappear, and I can only see a hazy mist. I can't see anything else," Lu Yuqing shook her head.

"In that case, I have no choice but to use a magic treasure to try," Han Li said with a sigh.

With that, he raised his hand and wiped it across the top of his head. A dazzling golden light lit up in the sky, and a huge golden eyeball emerged from it.

This golden eye was not a magic treasure, but the Eye of Truth from his Mantra Treasure Wheel. He had simply used a trick to obscure its full appearance.

Han Li did this not because he was afraid of people knowing that he was practicing the Time Dao law, but because he didn't want them to see the terrifying three hundred and sixty Time Dao markings on the Mantra Treasure Wheel. After all, the Candle Dragon Dao's technique was well-known in the Northern Cold Immortal Domain, and it was hard to guarantee that Old Ancestor Cold Flame hadn't seen it somewhere.

As soon as this object appeared, Lu Yuqing and Old Ancestor Cold Flame immediately felt the Law fluctuations emanating from it. The former was fine, but the latter's expression changed slightly. Both of them only glanced at it before averting their gaze, tacitly not daring to investigate it without permission.

Han Li was somewhat satisfied with this. He made a hand seal with both hands, slowly closed his eyes, and activated the Eye of Truth, starting to explore the surrounding space.

This time, the situation was indeed very different!

The surrounding city walls, taverns, flowers, trees, people, and livestock all disappeared. In the void, only nearly transparent spiritual power fluctuations remained, and all their flow patterns were clearly presented before him.

Like observing the lines on his palm, every detail was revealed.

Han Li observed intently for a moment. After memorizing all the traces he observed, he waved his hand and retrieved the Eye of Truth back into his body.

"Fellow Daoist Han, how is it? Did you find anything?" Old Ancestor Cold Flame asked, seeing this.

"I have basically seen the distribution of all the formation nodes, but there are some true and some false among them. I still need you to guide me based on your memory of the direction so that I can find the correct exit," Han Li said slowly.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, I will do my best to cooperate," Old Ancestor Cold Flame said with a delighted expression, nodding his head.