A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248

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A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 37

by Translator: Johnchen


  But even with Han Li’s magical hands that seemed able to bring the dead back to life, there were still quite a few high ranking sect members who had succumbed to their injuries. They either died in the battlefield or on the way back from the front lines, not even giving Han Li the slightest opportunity to save their lives.

  It was also because of this that both sides revealed their young prodigies, who assumed the positions of their fallen comrades.

  These talented youths included Wusha Sanying Erbao from the Feral Wolf Gang and Jie Shuangxiong from the Seven Mysteries Sect. Li Feiyu was also included among these talented youths because he had personally beheaded Zi Yizhang, thus obtaining the revered position of Division Head of the External Blade Division. Li Feiyu could already be considered as a person of high authority. His relationship with Zhang Xiuer was also progressing rapidly, already to the point where marriage discussions were held.

  Aware of the upcoming marriage, Han Li could only sigh. Who could know whether what Li Feiyu was doing was right? After all, he was not Li Feiyu nor had Han Li walked in his shoes. Thus, Han Li was incapable of making a decision regarding Li Feiyu’s course of actions

  But thinking back, Han Li would not have had the courage to seek for his loved one’s hand in marriage while knowing that his death was imminent.

  As a result, Han Li could only pretend to be deaf and mute. He was aware that no matter how close he was to Li Feiyu, there were some lines he could not cross. Li Feiyu was his good friend, so of course Han Li had to be considerate of his choices.

  Additionally, an extremely important matter recently occurred, forcing him to divert a large portion of his attention.

  Through countless failures, Han Li finally learned how to use the “Imperial Flight Technique”.

  The Imperial Flight Technique was similar to Heaven’s Eye Technique. Both of them were supplementary techniques and could only be performed on one’s own body instead of on others’. However, its practical use was better than Heaven’s Eye Technique by a substantial amount.

  After using Imperial Flight Technique, Han Li felt his body become as light as a swallow. Just by lightly tapping his toe on the ground, he was able to flash by several tens of feet without expending the slightest effort. In addition, the high speed sensation of rushing through the air was so addicting that Han Li would wildly run around the valley five or six times on a daily basis. Aside from his small addiction, he became an expert of Qinggong.

  (TL: Qinggong is a Chinese martial arts technique that involves running up a plank supported against a wall. In wuxia, the practitioner is eventually able to walk over water and travel as light as a feather, etc. For more information, here is a wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinggong)

  Of course, this acceleration was different from acceleration achieved by using the technique “Shifting Smoke Steps”. Shifting Smoke Steps was the sect’s secret technique that made the impossible possible by using a copious amount of power to increase speed within a short distance. This kind of movement technique could only reveal its greatest potential in narrow spaces.

  In contrast, Imperial Flight Technique gradually used magic power in small amounts throughout its execution, minimizing the burden on the body. Han Li was capable of running wildly at will without developing any of the symptoms that were normally exhibited when the body was undergoing extreme stress. Moreover, this technique would continue until he ran out of magic power or until he willingly stopped supplying magic power. As a result, Imperial Flight Technique was an essential technique commonly used by low level cultivators while travelling across the land.

  Chapter 75: Using Magic Techniques

  Since mastering the Imperial Flight Technique, Han Li had become even more intrigued by the potential of the other two magic techniques, “Soul-Lock Talisman” and “Telekinesis Technique”, so he spent large amounts of time and energy, hoping that one day he could make a sudden breakthrough like he did with the Imperial Flight Technique and gain a flash of insight.

  But after spending some time on valuable research, Han Li discovered that he was unable to use these two techniques. It wasn’t because of an inherent defect in Han Li’s constitution, but rather because his body wasn’t strong enough for either technique.

  As described in the book, the Soul-Lock Talisman was a type of charm that one had to prepare beforehand. Han Li used yellow paper that he bought from a nearby small town and followed the book’s instructions, drawing the pattern with a writing brush.

  Even though the book did not describe what materials should be used to create the talisman, he kept thinking back to Doctor Mo’s silver-colored talisman. He naturally adopted the use of this precious and luxurious silver powder. Whether this material was effective or not, Han Li did not know, but his homemade talismans soon looked exactly like the illustrations found in the book.

  What a shame! Even though the talismans’ appearance was identical, it was still not enough.

  Whenever Han Li performed the activation incantation, the writing on the magical talisman would not emit a dazzling silvery light that had appeared back when Doctor Mo used the Soul-Lock Talisman. Nothing strange or out of the ordinary occurred either. It was an utter failure, causing him to fall into a predicament with no room for improving it. He didn’t know whether his failure was due to an error in chanting the incantation, his inability to grasp how to do it, or a mistake in creating the talisman.

  But after a more recent investigation, a different result was revealed.

  After an intensive series of studies about materials, folklore, and magic techniques, Han Li finally discovered that the talismans used by cultivators were not objects that ordinary mortals would recognize. They were not made of ordinary papers and materials, but rather materials that only cultivators would know how to process into talismans. These materials could only be found in special areas accessible only to cultivators. Because of this, even though he had performed the incantation gesture perfectly, he never succeeded.

  Telekinesis Technique also followed the same logic.

  Han Li used to believe that he could cast the Telekinesis Technique on whatever item he casually picked. He practiced on common household items, such as knives, blades, etc, but failed in every attempt.

  But now that Han Li was more informed, he finally understood that the Telekinesis Technique could only control objects that had been specially crafted for cultivators. It would not work on ordinary items.

  As a result, Han Li took the weird and bizarre items he gained from Doctor Mo, including the Soul Luring Clock and the seven silver knives used in the Seven Soul Devouring Technique, and used them as a medium for the Telekinesis Technique. After some experimenting, however, not a single item could be used to perform the technique. This made Han Li be extremely disappointed. None of these items could be used with the Telekinesis Technique; he had no choice but to stop until he found a suitable object.

  (TL: The Soul Luring Watch is the watch that Han Li and Doctor Mo used to control Crooked Soul)

  Since he knew that his problem was a lack of suitable objects for the Soul-Lock Talisman and the Telekinesis Technique, Han Li could only shift his attention elsewhere. He intended to take the other secret martial arts skills and magic techniques in order to combine them and increase his own strength, raising him to new levels in a relatively short period of time.

  After entertaining this wild fantasy , Han Li once again resumed his bitter and difficult training. He quickly completed several small achievements.

  After several attempts, he successfully fused together the Shifting Smoke Steps technique and the Imperial Flight Technique.

  Although he thought of it as a fusion, it was actually just Imperial Flight Technique followed by Shifting Smoke Steps. The harmony and compatibility of the two techniques had to be carefully controlled; otherwise, mistakes would easily occur. For this reason, Han Li devoted quite a bit of energy and attention to these aspects.

  But just with this, he wa
s able to remove the disadvantages of the Imperial Flight Technique and the heavy energy consumption of the Shifting Smoke Steps, gradually perfecting both techniques. He appeared as a mixture of lightning and fire whenever he unpredictably shifted to the next location, appearing and disappearing in different spots.

  Not long after, Han Li also gained a novel insight on a different application of the Fireball Technique.

  Normally, the user would use their own magic to launch the small fireball towards the enemy. Although this was the technique’s original function, Han Li thought that this was not the technique’s limit.

  A movement expert would be able to easily avoid the small fireball, which depended on one’s magic power to fly slowly, thus restricting Han Li’s ability to fight at close quarters against the cultivators of Jiang Hu. He might as well use only half of the energy he originally needed to cast the flashy Fireball Technique. When the fireball appeared, instead of shooting it out directly, he would first control it with his hands like a small blade, taking advantage of its destructive, unstoppable power.

  Han Li was confident that he could easily kill any skilled opponent with his heavily modified technique.

  With his new trump cards to rely on, Han Li could finally relax, no longer having to worry about his own ability. He could finally be confident enough to travel to the Lan Province to get the antidote for the poison within Han Li’s body.

  (TL: Lan Province was Doctor Mo’s previous home, although this is the first time that it was mentioned by name)

  In addition to perfecting his techniques, Han Li had been treating precious herbs as if they were snacks, eating them to break through to the eighth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts and thus allowing his magic power to greatly increase.

  Simply based on the current density of his magic power, Han Li surpassed Yu Zhitong in his original corporeal form, but in terms of techniques, Han Li could not compare himself to him. Back when Yu Zhitong was cultivating in his clan, he had received pointers from his seniors and exchanged notes with his peers. He was much stronger than Han Li, a half a bottle of vinegar.

  Han Li was not aware of this, but even if he were, he would not have been concerned. He was not arrogant enough to believe that learning one or two basic magic techniques would allow him to compete and stand on even ground with other cultivators. His current enemies were still the mortals of the secular world, not the cultivators of Jiang Hu.

  As a result, Han Li was not arrogant; instead, he was merely enjoying his own success. Just as he was preparing to find an excuse to leave the Seven Mysteries Sect, the Feral Wolf Gang suddenly suggested holding peace talks.

  When the news spread, it caused the Seven Mysteries Sect to be in an uproar. In recent battles it had been the Feral Wolf Gang who had the upper hand, constantly pressuring the Seven Mysteries Sect. Under such circumstances, why would the Feral Wolf Gang want to engage in peace talks? Was it possible that there was a hidden trick? This raised suspicions within several people.

  In a short period of time, calls for accepting and rejecting the peace talks rang out in succession within the Seven Mysteries Sect. All of the elite members had their own views. Li Feiyu was among those who stubbornly refused.

  Those who opposed the peace talks and those who supported the talks voiced their opinions in equal clamors. Neither side could come out from the argument as a clear winner. In the end, Sect Leader Wang had to put his foot down and make a decision. He declared that the Seven Mysteries Sect would hold the peace talks, and if the conditions weren’t too ridiculous, then the two powerhouses would shake hands. If the conditions were too extravagant, they would continue fighting.

  Even though this kind of filthy decision was unable to satisfy either party, it was the only compromise available. The Seven Mysteries Sect was forced to proceed in this manner.

  (TL: The original Chinese said “mixed in mud”)

  Chapter 76: Negotiations and Eruptions

  After several discussions between the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Feral Wolf Gang, the two agreed to meet and discuss at a place called “Falling Sand Slope”, located between their two borders.

  As for the members of the delegate teams who will participate in the discussions, the Feral Wolf Gang adamantly proposed that both sides must have one figure of high authority as an expression of good faith. Otherwises, there was no need to hold this discussion.

  When this condition was brought forth, it did not cause an an uproar within the Seven Mysteries Sect since this was a very normal condition for negotiations.

  Of course, neither side was willing to send their highest ranking elite to such a dangerous situation. The Seven Mysteries Sect would at most send out an auxiliary sect leader while the Feral Wolf Gang would sent out an auxiliary member of a similar status to maintain their reputation. Hence, this condition was not a problem.

  As a result, both sides agreed on a set date for the negotiations, and when that day came around, both groups sent out a hundred or so members to join the meeting.

  In order to prepare for any possible ambush the Feral Wolf Gang may set during the negotiations, the members of the Seven Mysteries Sect participating in the negotiations had made a meticulous back-up plan.

  In addition to the delegate team, which consisted of five members, the remaining one hundred sect members formed a large squadron led by Vice Sect Leader Wu, the sect’s second strongest member. The one hundred sect members were all high level experts within the sect. These members were all known Protectors and were worshipped as core sect members. Among them included several Elders, Division Heads, high ranked members and the like. A squadron formed by such esteemed members was truly worth of being considered a grand battle formation

  With so many experts forming the procession, even if the Feral Wolf Gang’s entire elite troops attacked at once, they would probably not be able to block the sect’s advance. Each member of the Seven Mysteries Sect, from the highest to the lowest member, felt great deal of confidence.

  For this reason, if there was anything that hinted foul play, the negotiators could depend on these highly skilled martial artists to quickly kill their way out of the entrapment and return to their own territory, where there would be countless numbers of sect brothers responsible for receiving them, assuring them a safe retreat.

  Li Feiyu also volunteer to join. For him, who did not have much time to live, the more dangerous the place, the more his thirst to would grow.

  Once the negotiation date approached, the procession that took up nearly half of the Seven Mysteries Sect’s top experts set out on their journey. To them, this journey would take at least half a month’s time and would be slow and arduous.

  Han Li did not hold this matter with much importance. Whether or not the negotiations succeeded did not matter to him. He was getting ready to leave this place for the outside world to temper himself, so what did the rise and fall of the Seven Mysteries Sect have to do with him?!

  As long as they did not involve him, he too lazy to care about the matter.

  So during the days before the squadron would leave for the negotiation, he remained calm and leisurely about accelerating the growth of the medicinal herbs he might require in the future. Moreover, he started to collect a few precious seeds of herbs in preparation for future uses.

  Han Li already decided that once the delegate team returned to the mountain, he would official say his farewells to a few members of the sect. If the sect’s elite members were unwilling to let him leave, he did not mind revealing a bit of his true power in front of them for them to witness his might and completely give up on holding him back.

  In reality, secretly leaving would be the most convenient option, but Han Li was worried that when they couldn’t find him, they would cause trouble for his family. He decided that conspicuously bidding the sect’s elite members farewell while revealing a bit of his power to intimidate them was necessary.

  As for his excuse for leaving, Han Li had already spent a long time thinking it
through. All he needed to say was that he missed Doctor Mo and wanted to search for his master. As for whether the other believed him or not, Han Li did not care at all. With his power supporting him, how could he be worried about what they thought?

  Whenever Han Li thought of this, he couldn’t help but lift the corner of his mouth and reveal a hint of a cold smile. The current Han Li could extinguish the lives of a few sect members if he wanted, and it would be as easy as turning a palm.

  Of course, these was all just thoughts. He would not do anything drastic like killing sect members.

  But Han Li would have never imagined that four nights after the negotiating team left, a shabbily dressed person with long and unruly hair and covered from head to toe in dust would suddenly barge into his house. His eyes completely bloodshot, and with white lips, he hoarsely said to him a single breath:

  “The negotiation team is finished. Sect Master Wu, the Protectors, the Consecrated Elders, the Elders…they’re all dead.”

  Han Li was dumbstruck upon hearing this, but before he even opened his mouth to ask…

  Du….

  Suddenly from somewhere in the mountain range, a sharp and penetrating sentry warning rang through the air.

  Bang bang…

  It was followed by was another wave of muffled sentry warnings.

  Dong, dong…

  Ding ding…

  Peng peng…

  All sorts of warning sounds rang out in the same manner, followed closely by countless cries of battle rising and falling in succession throughout the mountain. Among the noise was the faint sounds of weapons clashing against each other. In that one moment, the entire mountain area, which had been covered with serene clouds tinged with sunset hues, became a giant battleground where members were massacred.

  Han Li’s face changed. He was unable to continue listening to the man talking in front of him, and with a flash of his body, Han Li appeared outside of his residence. He quickly looked in all four directions, found the highest building, and slightly stamped his foot, his body appearing on top of the building. He then looked into the distance outside of the valley.

 

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