Night fell, and in the inky black sky, countless stars emerged, their light shimmering.

Han Li sat cross-legged in the center of the white stone plaza, gazing up at the sky, his eyes like mirrors, reflecting the starlight in shimmering points.

Each year, only one cluster of Time Dao Runes on the Mantra Treasure Wheel could be restored, consuming an extremely long period of time.

Unable to find a way to escape, Han Li had no choice but to wait patiently. In the meantime, he planned to continue cultivating the Great Zhou Heavenly Stellar Art to open up more Xuan竅 (Heavenly Apertures) and try to break through to the Golden Immortal level.

With a casual flick of his wrist, a piece of blue crystal light flew from his palm, transforming into dozens of streams of light that scattered across the eighty-one stellar positions like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

As soon as these star stones landed within the array, their surfaces shimmered with crystal light, from which patches of starlight spread out, illuminating the entire plaza.

At the same time, Han Li opened his mouth and exhaled. Seven blue Stellar Rings flew out in succession, spinning in the air before separating and hovering in the night sky.

Although these Seven Luminaries Stellar Rings were not part of the formation, they were still stellar treasures, and could greatly aid in gathering the power of starlight. Han Li would naturally not leave them unused.

As he performed hand seals and chanted, the starlight illuminating the array gradually grew larger, enveloping the entire plaza little by little.

Han Li gazed into the depths of the night sky. He felt as if the distance between himself and the night sky was rapidly shrinking. Those stars that had seemed so tiny in the past were now becoming larger and larger, their light growing ever more intense.

Each star seemed like a miniature sun, dazzling to the extreme.

If anyone else had been present, they would have been shocked to discover that Han Li's eyes no longer contained black pupils. His entire eyeballs had turned snow-white, as if filled with shimmering starlight.

A loud "boom" echoed!

The starlight blazed, and countless snow-white rays of starlight condensed from the night sky, transforming into over a hundred snow-white pillars of light that descended from the sky, instantly covering the entire ruined city.

Among them, the seven pillars of light projected through the Seven Luminaries Stellar Rings appeared particularly thick and solid.

In the center of the city, the plaza where the Zhou Stellar Gathering Formation was located trembled violently. Each star stone emitted a white pillar of light that converged on Han Li in the very center.

The eighty-one pillars of starlight struck Han Li's body simultaneously, producing a series of drum-like sounds.

Han Li emitted a suppressed groan, and his bones cracked like popping beans.

The eighteen Xuan竅 (Heavenly Apertures) previously formed on his body simultaneously emitted a bright light. Each one was surrounded by a miniature vortex, attracting the starlight from the sky.

Powerful Stellar Power filled them, and Han Li's Xuan竅 (Heavenly Apertures) immediately felt a sense of bloating and fullness, as if a person who had already eaten their fill was being forced to consume an entire table of chicken, duck, and fish. The sensation was far from pleasant.

A trace of pain flashed across his eyes, and he gritted his teeth, allowing the completed Xuan竅 (Heavenly Apertures) to continue absorbing starlight.

Just then, the formation beneath him suddenly trembled violently. A void vortex appeared out of thin air, and an invisible suction force roared from within, attracting the white starlight covering the entire plaza towards Han Li.

The hundred or so snow-white pillars that had fallen from the sky were torn by this force and twisted, all projecting directly onto Han Li.

The Zhou Stellar Gathering Formation had been like a vast ocean formed by hundreds of waterfalls, and Han Li had been like a small boat floating on the sea, calmly drawing power from it. But now, things were different.

A hundred streams of starlight cascaded down simultaneously, the Stellar Power they contained was many times stronger than before. An unbearable force crashed down on Han Li.

Pressed down by this immense force, Han Li's body bent forward, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

Countless thin strands of Stellar crystalline threads pierced into every pore of his skin, instantly soaking his clothes in blood.

However, moments later, the blood that seeped out was evaporated by the starlight, disappearing without a trace.

Han Li gritted his teeth, emitting a low roar from deep within his throat. He placed his hands on his knees, his arms bulging with veins, and slowly pushed his body up, trembling uncontrollably.

His skin had been rendered translucent by the starlight, almost becoming semi-transparent. Through a layer of clothing, his veins and bones were visible.

Just then, Han Li suddenly raised his hand and waved it. A beam of light shot out, instantly transforming into a giant screen. It whirred and spun upwards, hovering above his head.

The screen was a dark, translucent color, inlaid with glistening blue orbs that resembled the night sky. It was the same screen he had taken from the hall containing the Great Zhou Heavenly Stellar Art.

As the screen hovered overhead, the blue orbs erupted with a brilliant light under the projection of the starlight, and a miniature version of the starry sky immediately emerged from within, twinkling with starlight.

At the same time, the entire screen became more and more transparent, eventually becoming completely ethereal, transforming into a layer of black gauze-like light that enveloped Han Li.

The starlight fell upon it, causing the light curtain to ripple like the surface of the sea. Han Li was sheltered by it, and the pressure around him eased slightly, becoming less unbearable.

He slowly exhaled, performed a hand seal, closed his eyes, and began to absorb the Stellar Power wholeheartedly.

...

Time flew by, and years passed.

Han Li drew starlight from the sky at night to nourish his body, and during the day, he used star stones as a source, cultivating the Great Zhou Heavenly Stellar Art day and night, without interruption.

In the first few years, Han Li would restore a cluster of Time Dao Runes every year, then interrupt his cultivation to go to the garden and try to decipher the Dream Concealment Rune on the stone platform, but to no avail.

After that, he knew that the Myriad Cold Immortal Mansion outside must have already closed, and that nothing had changed in this secret realm. Instead, he calmed down and focused on cultivating with all his might. Before long, he had condensed nineteen Heavenly Apertures.

After that, the cultivation of the Great Zhou Heavenly Stellar Art, although not entirely smooth, did not encounter any major setbacks. Han Li himself was immersed in it, gradually forgetting the passage of time.

In the blink of an eye, five hundred years had passed.

On this night, over a hundred pillars of starlight fell from the sky, their snow-white radiance illuminating the entire ruined city as if it were daytime.

Han Li sat cross-legged in the center of the plaza, enveloped in white pillars of light. His entire body was incredibly translucent, looking as if he had been carved from jade, crystal clear and flawless.

His originally jet-black hair, scattered behind him, had turned silvery, sparkling and translucent.

At his waist, strands of starlight gathered, emitting an eye-catching blue light, and a new Heavenly Aperture was being opened.

With this, all thirty-six Heavenly Apertures were formed. The Great Zhou Heavenly Stellar Art had finally reached completion!

A soft "crack" sounded.

The black screen that had been hovering above Han Li, acting as a buffer, suddenly shattered. The converging giant pillar of starlight slowly dispersed, eventually transforming into a thin, hazy light that dissipated.

The light in the entire ruined city dimmed, and everything returned to its original state.

Han Li slowly opened his eyes and stood up from the ground. The True Essence Membrane surrounding his body shimmered with light, becoming increasingly solid and thick.

He raised his hand and gently clenched his fist. He seemed to hear a faint sound in his ear, and a luminous glow gathered in his palm, as if filled with a strange power.

He knew that this was because the Xuan窍 (Heavenly Apertures) had just been formed, and the Stellar Power in his body had not yet stabilized. It would soon return to normal.

"Although I expected this cultivation to take a long time, I didn't expect it to take so long..." Han Li sighed and murmured to himself.

After speaking, he raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at the deep night sky, suddenly took a step back, and raised his fist to strike fiercely into the high sky.

A loud "Rumble" echoed!

An extremely powerful fist force roared out, condensing into a visible white gust of wind that shot straight into the sky.

The void vibrated with rumbling sounds, as if the night sky was about to be shattered by this force. A void area seemed to have formed in the void, blasted out by the fist force. The surrounding airflow poured in, creating a great roaring sound.

The white wind sphere flew out for hundreds of feet before its power gradually weakened, eventually dissipating slowly.

Han Li looked up at the trembling void, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. He slowly withdrew his palm.

He had not used his full strength in the previous strike, but judging from the power of the force, it was no less powerful than his all-out strike when he had previously cultivated half of the Great Zhou Heavenly Stellar Art.

According to his estimation, if he were to use his full strength to smash the stone platform now, he might be able to shatter it without even advancing to the Golden Immortal level, but at that time, this entire secret realm would probably collapse with it.

Han Li withdrew the spell in his hand, and the blue light on his body dissipated. The True Essence Membrane on his body also disappeared.

Now, his cultivation level had reached the peak of True Immortal. He was only one step away from achieving the Golden Immortal body, with only the thirty-sixth Immortal Aperture yet to be opened.

However, now that he had cultivated thirty-six Xuan窍 (Heavenly Apertures), condensing the last Immortal Aperture before achieving the Golden Immortal was naturally not difficult. The only thing that worried him was the last of the Three Calamities, the "Aperture Decay".

This tribulation was unavoidable. It was a necessary obstacle for him to ascend to the Golden Immortal level. Although cultivating Xuan窍 (Heavenly Apertures) and mastering the power of laws were both beneficial, he had never seen it with his own eyes, nor had he experienced it personally, so he was still somewhat uneasy.

Han Li took a deep breath and looked up at the bright moon.

He did not plan to continue cultivating tonight. He leaped lightly, soaring into the air, and after a flash, landed on the roof of a half-towered building.

He glanced at the bright moon in the sky again, a nameless emotion flashing in his eyes. Then, he slowly lay down on the slope of the roof and closed his eyes to rest.