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

by Translator: Johnchen

  “This was a great victory for the Devil Dao. Not only were the Six Sects of the State of Yue forced to flee from their homeland, catastrophe will also befall the State of Zijin and our very own State of Yuanwu!” A pale middle-aged man sighed deeply after speaking.

  “That’s right. In the last great battle, the Six Sect’s power had suffered great losses. The two countries that had fought alongside them also lost sixty percent of their forces as well! The Heavenly Star Sect and the other sects are now facing great pressure!” A youth about twenty years old spoke with schadenfreude.

  Among the other three in the discussion, two old men had unchanged expressions and didn’t reply. As for the middle-aged man who had just spoken, he couldn’t help but bitterly laugh, wanting to say something in response.

  But at that moment, he was interrupted by someone’s voice from the side.

  “While it is true that the Heavenly Star Sect finds itself in a dilemma along with the other great sects, the lives of us rogue cultivators and those from cultivator clans will also soon take a turn for the worse. Those of the Devil Dao espouse the belief that the strong should feed on the weak. When that time comes, we definitely won’t be able to enjoy free and easy-going lives.” Han Li slowly walked in and spoke the words that the middle-aged man intended to say.

  When the four realised that an outsider was nearby, they were startled and immediately grew silent.

  But when they were unable to perceive Han Li’s cultivation, they all revealed a trace of worry and respectfully saluted Han Li. The middle-aged man then hurriedly rushed to exonerate the youth, “Senior, my honorable nephew spoke without thinking. He doesn’t hold the slightest disrespect toward the sects. I hope Senior won’t take offense!”

  These people had unexpectedly presumed Han Li to be a high-grade cultivator from the State of Yuanwu’s cultivation clans. The youth who had just spoken appeared especially nervous.

  “Hehe, Fellow Daoists are mistaken. I am but a rogue cultivator. I was only casually adding onto the conversation.” Han Li smiled and warmly explained.

  The four relaxed upon hearing Han Li’s words. Although they didn’t know whether Han Li was truly a rogue cultivator, they clearly understood he wouldn’t be pursuing the rash words that had been previously spoken.

  Thus, they gave Han Li a respectful welcome. Han Li then took a seat next to the stone table within the kiosk.

  “Us Juniors are truly honored to have Senior here. However, why would Senior partake in such a lowly exchange of this degree?” An old man with a red-flushed face cautiously asked.

  It was obvious why this man was amazed. A small meeting place like White Pond Mountain would normally find it difficult to attract Foundation Establishment cultivators. If such high-grade cultivators wanted to converse, they would normally seek out a higher class gathering spot.

  “First was due to time as I came here from a desolate mountain where I was cultivating. Recently, I’ve heard news that the cultivators from my country, the State of Yue, had suffered a huge loss. I felt that the cultivation world was about to undergo great changes, so I thought I’d discreetly look for information. Do you Fellow Daoists have the latest information on the Devil Dao and the State of Yue?” Han Li gave a simplified explanation.

  The four looked at each other for a moment before three of them focused their attention on the shriveled old man among them.

  “The most well informed is naturally our Eldest Brother Ding. After all, the Ding Clan possesses many secular properties in the State of Yue!” The red-faced old man quickly said.

  The other two simultaneously agreed, causing Han Li’s eyes to flash with a queer expression.

  Old Man Ding expressed some embarrassment in response. He helplessly said, “Our Ding Clan members in the State of Yue have indeed given us information on recent circumstances. Of course, the clan doesn’t wish for this information to spread but since you are all my close friends and this Senior also wishes to know, I can talk about it. However, I hope you all won’t easily make this information known.”

  The other three couldn’t help but grow excited and repeatedly praise him. Even Han Li gently nodded his head.

  The old man lightly sighed and slowly spoke, “I’ve just received this information a few days ago. Currently, the State of Yue is in great turmoil. Although the Devil Dao had defeated the Six Sect’s allied armies, a large amount of the Six Sect’s cultivators have broken off from their retreat out of the State of Yue and have been incessantly launching guerilla raids utilizing their familiarity of the terrain. I’ve heard that there were also a few Core Formation cultivators who haven’t retreated, thus keeping the Devil Dao busy. After all, Core Formation cultivators aren’t so easily dealt with. In addition, as the Six Sects have existed in the State of Yue for so many years, they possessed a lot of hidden power and have been causing the Devil Dao’s takeover of the State of Yue to be rather troublesome.

  “As for the State of Yue’s cultivation clans, they have divided into three factions. One faction turned traitor once the Six Sects were defeated; they took the initiative to surrender and pay allegiance to the Devil Dao. Another faction consisted of those that were too closely tied with the Six Sects. Fearing that the Devil Dao would want to take revenge, they fled the State of Yue as the Six Sects had. As for the last faction, they are waiting to see how things will develop before taking action.

  “As for the Six Sect’s long-established key locations, those from the Masked Moon Sect and Giant Sword Sect have yet to be broken through by the Devil Dao. The other four sects have been completely broken through, but it was said that very little had been obtained from the attacks. A majority of the rare items had already been removed by the six sect’s disciples.

  “The way I see it, every day the Devil Dao isn’t able to pacify the State of Yue is another day where the State of Yuanwu or Zijin isn’t attacked. After all, their numbers are great and they were able to simultaneously take down two small countries and a mid rank country in one fell swoop. Since it is only a matter of time before they will fall upon us, they have no problem dealing with the disruptive Six Sect cultivators for the time being.” The old man’s slowly spoken words had revealed his own take on the matter.

  The red-faced old man couldn’t help but interrupt and ask, “Eldest Brother Ding, why do you think that the Devil Dao has given us time to breathe, allowing for our country’s sects to prepare for their attack?”

  “This is hard to say. After all, I am only aware of the surface information. As for the absolute truth of the matter, I’m afraid that only the highest echelons of the sects know.” Old Man Ding slowly shook his head and stole a glance at Han Li.

  It was obvious that he believed Han Li to be a cultivator from a sect of his own country and had refrained from speaking of certain matters.

  Old Man Ding didn’t wish to continue speaking of that issue and suddenly said something with a smile that left Han Li shocked instead.

  “Because the Six Sects of the State of Yue wished for a hasty retreat, they used the strategy of cutting off their own tail. They only brought along their talented elite disciples while leaving behind the rest of their many disciples as ignorant sacrifices. It is said that the ones who most effectively applied this cruel tactic were the highest echelons of Yellow Maple Valley’s disciples. They had their trusted elite make a smooth escape from the State of Yue while sacrificing two whole groups of disciples—nearly all of their cultivators apart from those that escaped. Tsk tsk. Their methods are truly impressive!”

  Although the old man said this indifferently, Han Li’s heart suddenly sunk, and his face became faintly twisted. But fortunately, the others didn’t dare to stare at Han Li for long, so none of them noticed this change.

  Strongly suppressing his astonishment, Han Li calmly asked, “Fellow Daoist Ding, you said that Yellow Maple Valley sacrificed two batches of disciples. How did this happen? I am quite interested!”

  “Hehe, since Senior is asking, Junio
r will naturally answer truthfully. I heard that when the upper echelon of the State of Yue received the news of their frontline’s defeat, Yellow Maple Valley immediately plotted to make a crafty escape. They would first have a group of disciples rush to evacuate but secretly divulge this information to the spies of the Devil Dao, claiming that the group contained their elite disciples. This group would also bring along a large amount of spirit stones and materials, completely attracting the attention of the Devil Dao soldiers. At the same time, they left behind another group of ignorant disciples and had them use the great formation to confront the Devil Dao. With these two groups drawing the enemy’s full attention, Yellow Maple Valley’s highest echelon then had the true trusted elite disciples retreat in the opposite direction with the sect’s thousand years’ worth of savings.

  “I heard that although the number of people to safely retreat from Yellow Maple Valley was the fewest, they had the smoothest retreat. As for the other five sects, although they retreated en masse, they encountered repeated attacks and had to fight for their lives on many occasions. Much of their valuables have fallen into the Devil Dao’s hands as a result. This matter then became widely spread throughout the State of Yue by the Devil Dao.” Not daring to slight Han Li, the old man gave him a complete explanation.

  Han Li’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke unhurriedly with a soft voice, “Oh, so it was like that! Those abandoned Yellow Maple Valley disciples sure were foolish!”

  Chapter 358: Endless Sea, Moulan

  Han Li then suddenly spoke with a gentle smile, “Well then, knowing that the the State of Yue is currently in turmoil is enough for me!”

  These incomprehensible words left the four with a feeling of profound mystery. They could only force themselves to give him a smile in return.

  Han Li stood up and said amiably, “You can all go ahead and continue chatting! I am going to go to a different room.”

  “As you please, Senior!”

  “Best wishes, Senior!”

  ……

  The four hastily saw off Han Li with respect.

  Han Li casually beckoned with his arm and called out to Crooked Soul who had stood outside throughout the conversation. They then walked together to another stone kiosk.

  ……

  Four hours later, Han Li stood at a corner of the mountain peak and lowered his head in contemplation.

  He had participated in many discussions about the current affairs of the State of Yue. As a result, he had come to the conclusion that the current situation in the State of Yue could only be described as ‘chaotic’.

  Under these circumstances, he only had two options.

  One was to use a flying magic tool and fly to a country far away from the State of Yue, in order to find a place suitable for cultivation.

  The other option was to restore the ancient transportation formation and take a gamble to see where the transportation formation would take him. After all, this precious ancient transportation formation was built underground for a reason. It was certain to be linked to a distant location.

  At first glance, he felt that he should obviously choose the first option as it was more reliable. But after some consideration, Han Li felt that it was just as risky.

  To the east and west of the State of Yue were the Devil Dao’s State of Tianluo and the Righteous Dao Alliance’s State of Fengdou. As a result, he would only be able to head north or south.

  If he were to flee north of Yuanwu, there would be several tens of small and mid ranked countries, but Han Li knew that their cultivators wouldn’t be able to resist the attacks of either the Devil or Righteous Dao. Some of them had even attached themselves to the two great powers, becoming their puppets and occasionally engaging in both open and covert struggles with the other side. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for the State of Tianluo and Fengdou to conduct a wide-scale turf war, especially since they originally only had a small stretch of common border with one other.

  Those countries would soon be turned into battlefields by the Devil Dao and Righteous Dao Alliance, and Han Li naturally wouldn’t be able to stay there.

  But if he were to brave the dangers of travelling through these countries and continue north, he would arrive at the Heavenly South Region’s northmost area, the “Endless Seas”, where few cultivators dared to travel.

  Not only was this sea extremely dark, it was also limitless and had many rare species of fishes living within. The fish were extremely violent and were no less vicious than their high-grade demon beast counterparts on land. Even Core Formation cultivators would find themselves in extreme danger if they fell into the sea.

  The thought of flying across the sea was but a mere fantasy! There was once a Nascent Soul cultivator who was curious about the end of the sea. After preparing fully, he then flew over the ocean water. After flying for over a year, he was still unable to see any end of the sea and hadn’t seen the slightest hint of land.

  At that point, over half of his medicine pills and spirit stones had been exhausted, and he could only resentfully turn back. Otherwise, he would only be able to die at sea when he ran out of spiritual power, even if he was a Nascent Soul cultivator.

  Naturally, Han Li wouldn’t indulge himself in the fantasy of crossing the sea. His only thoughts were to head down south.

  South of the State of Yue, after passing through the State of Zijin and then another six countries, one would arrive at the Nine Nations Union, an inseparably close alliance of nine countries of various sizes.

  This alliance between the nine countries was formed mostly for the purpose of combating their fearsome invaders, the Moulan Race’s “Spell Soldiers”.

  When speaking of the Moulan Race and their magic soldiers, one wouldn’t be able to avoid mentioning the Moulan Prairies, home of the Moulan Tribes and a close neighbor of the Nine Nations Union.

  The Moulan Race were completely different from the Yan people of the States of Yuanwu and Yue. Their people were completely nomadic, possessing a culture of fearlessness and a love for brandishing their sabers and spears. The Moulan Race were made up of countless tribes of various sizes, where small tribes would consist of several hundred thousand people and the large tribes would number several tens of millions.

  Cultivators also existed within these tribes, but they were called “Spell Warriors” instead of cultivators. It is said that they are indistinguishable from common cultivators, and the divisions of cultivation as well as the cultivation techniques are extremely similar. The only thing that differed were that the Spell Warriors of Core Formation rank and higher didn’t care much about external items such as magic tools and talismans. Instead, they were focused on mastering their elemental Daoist magics to perfection. They even had secret earthborn techniques where they merged with the prairie. Their research had produced a variety of extremely strange and formidable magic techniques, and in turn created a new school of magic techniques that distinguished the Moulan, which they called “Spirit Techniques”.

  By relying on these incisive “Spirit Techniques”, the Moulan Race’s spell warriors were able to contend and even gain the upper hand against cultivators of equivalent rank.

  As the Moulan Race’s spell warriors grew increasingly numerous, their need for spirit vein locations and spirit stones intensified to the point of significantly worsening the depletion of cultivation resources. This shortage was further exacerbated by the extreme lack of natural cultivation resources in the Moulan Prairie.

  As a result, the Moulan Race’s spell warriors had their gazes set upon the abundant Spiritual Qi and resources of the nine countries for as long as anybody could remember. They had often launched attacks against these countries in order to seize their spirit veins, spirit stone mines, and other such resources vital to cultivators.

  Naturally, the cultivation world of the nine countries were unwilling to allow their resources to be seized by these savage cultivators. In the end, a bloody war of magic had erupted.

  In t
he beginning, the nine countries had individually resisted, but they had quickly suffered defeat at the hands of the united armies of the Moulan Tribes, surrendering a large portion of their resources and land.

  Having now experienced the ferociousness of the Moulan, they learned from their defeat and hastily formed the “Nine Nations Union”. By using underhanded and deplorable methods, they were able to gradually defeat the Moulan Race’s spell warriors and retake their land.

  But having just tasted victory, the Moulan Tribes were naturally unwilling to simply give up. After endless years of strife and warfare, mutual hatred had bloomed within both sides. The death toll had grown to such a degree that even the mortals of Moulan and Yan had been influenced.

  As of now, the people of Moulan didn’t dare to set foot within the borders of the Nine Countries. Likewise, those of Yan didn’t dare to travel too deeply into the Moulan Prairies.

  As for how many people there are in the Moulan Tribes, nobody truly knows. The Moulan Prairie was far too large, and the Nine Nations Union had only tangled with a small portion of the Moulan Tribes.

  Although the Moulan Prairie wasn’t endless like the Black Devil Sea, it was said to require five years for someone to travel from one end of the prairie to the other end. Furthermore, “Moulan Prairies” was just a name given by the Moulan tribes. At the other end of the prairie lay the Moulan Tribe’s true enemy: the “Soaring Tribes”.

  The Soaring Tribes were another nomadic tribe, who called these grasslands the “Heaventide Prairies”. This was due to their long-held beliefs in their patron God, the “Heaventide Beast”.

  There was no reason for two nomadic tribes to live on the same prairie, and the two ethnicities had formed a relationship of fatal enmity. It was unknown for how long their soldiers and cultivators had been fighting one another.

  In any case, a huge battle was certain to take place every hundred years or so at the center of the prairie. Ten million mortal soldiers would fight, while tens of thousands of cultivators battled throughout the sky. Naturally, the ultimate victor would be decided by the battle in the sky.