Embroidered carpet covered the hall’s floor and a long sandalwood table embedded with gold and silver was at the center of the room. There were over a dozen chairs around it, occupied by several people chatting. Once Han Li and Crooked Soul entered, several icy, stern gazes swept past them.
Their gazes merely swept past Han Li before focusing their eyes on Crooked Soul.
Crooked Soul blurred and covered Han Li’s front. He then expressionlessly said, “I am Crooked Soul. This is my Martial Nephew Han Li! What are you Fellow Daoists called?”
Chapter 379: Going out to Sea (2)
A middle-aged woman that appeared to be about forty years old stood up and spoke with a beaming smile, “Welcome, Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul. I am the Six United Palace’s Feng Sanniang. I will be in charge of controlling the formation that everyone will be maintaining.”
Although this woman couldn’t be said to be gorgeous, she still had hints of beauty.
“My greetings, Fellow Daoist Feng.” Crooked Soul spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly and brought Han Li towards the table.
The many unfamiliar cultivators in the hall had already entered Han Li’s view: a middle-aged Confucian scholar with an ordinary appearance, a charming young woman that appeared about twenty years old, an old man with ash-colored eyes, a youth covered in glowing red light. With the addition of Feng Sanniang, there were exactly five people.
The charming young woman was an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, however, and sat closely together with the Confucian scholar. From their intimate appearance, it seemed they were Dao companions.
As Han Li was pondering, Feng Sanniang started talking with a charming smile, “Fellow Daoist Crooked has arrived just in time. I was just talking about the transformations of the Six Flowing Ripples Formation! If we become more familiar with the formation in advance, the matter will definitely proceed much more smoothly when the time comes. But before then, I must introduce Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul to you all!” Feng Sanniang was clearly very adept at dealing with others, and with a only few words she reduced the distance between everyone in the hall.
“These two were sent by Tail Star Island’s Island Master, Senior Zhan Tai. This is his brilliant disciple, Fellow Daoist Mao, and his Dao Companion, Fellow Daoist Xue!” Feng Sanniang first introduced the middle-aged Confucian scholar and the young woman to Han Li.
After coldly glancing at Han Li, the middle-aged Confucian scholar arrogantly said, “Crooked Soul, a cultivator from Stalwart Star Island? I know of many people, but why is it that I’ve never heard of your esteemed self?”
For some unknown reason, this middle-aged Confucian scholar found Crooked Soul displeasing to the eye and shot an insulting statement at him.
Feng Sanniang’s beaming expression involuntarily dropped for a moment before recovering.
“I wasn’t originally a Stalwart Star Island cultivator. It was only recently that I arrived the island to visit my Martial Nephew Han Li, so there is nothing odd in not knowing my name! Moreover, this is the first time I’ve ever heard your name as well.” Crooked Soul calmly mocked in return.
“You...”
The middle-aged Confucian Scholar appeared furious. Just as his face darkened and he was about to say something, Feng Sanniang quickly interrupted and changed the subject, “I’ll now introduce this elder, Goldturtle Island’s hidden cultivator, Fellow Daoist Qing Suanzi. Although few know of him, there are few Foundation Establishment cultivators that can match his wood element magic techniques! As for Fellow Daoist Yan, he is even more impressive. With his hidden fire constitution, he managed to cultivate his Pure Yang Truefire to perfection by himself.”
“Fellow Daoist Qing! Fellow Daoist Yan!” Han Li nodded his head towards the old man and the youth.
Although the two were also late Foundation Establishment, Han Li felt a far deeper pressure from them than the middle-aged Confucian scholar. As their cultivation was by no means shallow, Han Li was unwilling to casually slight them.
“Hello, Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul!”
“I send you my regards!”
The two weren’t high-handed and gave Crooked Soul a faint smile.
This caused the middle-aged Confucian scholar to feel even more uneasy.
As such, without waiting for Feng Sanniang to speak further, he suddenly stood and said with a wooden expression, “I am going to return to my room and meditate. I’ll leave the matter of the formation spell for later.”
Then, with a wave of his sleeve, he turned around and left the hall. The young woman glanced apologetically at the others before following after him.
“Humph! What right does he have to be arrogant, the fact that he has an island lord for a master?” The youth surnamed Yan whose body shined with red light spoke with slight anger.
The old man’s and Feng Sanniang’s expressions slightly shifted. While the old man’s face became expressionless immediately after, Feng Sanniang called for Crooked Soul to sit down with a wide smile, as if wanting to brush away the matter with the Confucian Scholar.
“Don’t we need six people? Fellow Daoist Xue doesn’t appear to have the cultivation required to maintain the formation!” Crooked Soul calmly asked, sitting down without any further decorum.
Feng Sanniang smiled before giving an explanation,“There is still Shiftcry Island’s Fellow Daoist Dou. However, he is currently cultivating a ferocious technique and hasn’t left his room in the past few days.”
“Oh, so it was like that!” Crooked Soul nodded his head and didn’t say anything further.
But as Feng Sanniang was quite curious about Crooked Soul, she would occasionally ask him a few irrelevant questions. Han Li, who stood behind Crooked Soul, found this somewhat surprising as he didn’t know what the woman intended.
When she asked whether or not Crooked Soul comprehended the “Six Flowing Ripples Magic Formation”, Han Li willed Crooked Soul to reply that he did not.
The woman smiled, stating that neither did the others. Then, she began to give the three present cultivators an explanation of its wondrous intricacies.
It was truly surprising; Feng Sanniang was a rarely seen formation spell expert!
……
Although the middle-aged Confucian scholar had a problem with the others, he eventually returned to the main hall the next day to hear about the important aspects for maintaining the formation. After all, the Six United Palaces had invited him to come, and it would be unbecoming for him to shirk his responsibilities!
Three days later, the remaining cultivator ended his seclusion in his room, allowing Han Li to finally see him. He was a bulky, seven-foot tall man with a fierce-looking face. Although his appearance seemed violent, he was an outspoken and frank person that quickly formed a close relationship with the others.
With their final member present, Han Li and company finished listening to Feng Sanniang’s explanation on the profound intricacies of the spell formation. Afterwards, their ship would often stop, and they would fly around the nearby seas, continuously practicing the shifting forms of the “Six Flowing Ripples Formation”. This way, they would succeed on their first attempt to capture the demon beast when the time came. Everyone was satisfied with this arrangement.
As such, the ship naturally slowed down, but the Six United Palaces didn’t seem impatient at all. Even with the constant stops, Feng Sanniang maintained her beaming smiled and didn’t show the slightest impatience.
When the formation spell transformations were finally practiced to perfection, Feng Sanniang no longer delayed their journey and had the ship continue on at full speed. One month later, the ship arrived at a nameless, desolate island.
Led by Feng Sanniang, Han Li and company descended from the ship.
Just as they stepped onto the small island, a blinding golden light flew down from the sky, and several people were suddenly hovering above them. Once the light faded away, an old man whose face had a dim, golden sheen expressionlessly glanced at them.
> This person lacked any noticeable magic power fluctuations despite obviously not being a mortal, it seemed he was able to restrain his unfathomably deep magic power with ease. The appearance of such an expert caused Han Li’s heart to tremble.
Feng Sanniang stepped forward without hesitation and deeply bowed to the old man and spoke with an expression of respect, “Subordinate Feng Sanniang pays her respects to Elder Miao!”
At that moment, Han Li and the others standing behind her paid their respects as well. They obviously couldn’t afford to slight a Core Formation cultivator.
With a calm expression, the old man slowly said, “There is no need to be so polite! Feng Sanniang, you did quite well. You’ve managed to bring these assistants very quickly! Are they familiar with the formation spell drills? The demonic beast we’re dealing with is quite troublesome, and we cannot be careless!”
“Elder, be at ease. Everyone has already fully mastered the many variations of the Six Flowing Ripples Formation. We will definitely be able to trap the beast!” Feng Sanniang voice brimmed with confidence.
Elder Miao swept his gaze over the Foundation Establishment cultivators. He then said in a friendly manner, “Good! Fellow Daoists, our Six United Palaces require your assistance. So long as you properly exert yourself, we will treat you fairly without a doubt.”
Without waiting for the others to speak, the middle-aged Confucian scholar rushed to speak with an ingratiating smile, “Be at ease, Senior. We will definitely try our best!”
Although the others revealed odd expressions upon seeing the Confucian-scholar’s flattery, they could only express their mutual agreement.
Satisfied with their responses, Elder Miao nodded his head and said, “We’ve already placed down the formation several days ago. You will only have to maintain it. As for Elder Gu, he is in the nearby seas chasing after the demon beast, and I will be joining him after this. I reckon by tomorrow morning, we will be able to draw the beast into the formation and you all will be able to display your skill. You should rest on the island until then.”
Elder Miao then turned into a streak of gold light and flew into the sky, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Feng Sanniang turned her head over, speaking with a solemn voice, “Fellow Daoists, you’ve heard Elder Miao. Let’s rest for the day and properly prepare ourselves for the hard battle coming tomorrow.”
The others naturally didn’t contest this and nodded their heads.
But at this moment, Qing Suanzi, who seldom spoke on the journey, suddenly said with a stiff voice, “Fellow Daoist Feng, we’ve all asked what kind of demon beast we would be dealing with along the way. In the end, you never clearly answered us. But now that we will act tomorrow, will you finally give us a clear answer?”
The old man’s question stirred the hearts of the others, bringing all of their questioning gazes upon Feng Sanniang.
This demon beast was apparently terrible and rarely seen, even requiring great efforts and long planning from the Six United Palaces. This definitely wasn’t some ordinary grade six demon beast!
Chapter 380: Infant Carp Beast
When Feng Sanniang heard this, she revealed a bitter smile. She dragged the hair on her forehead to one side and slowly said, “Fellow Daoists! It wasn’t that I was unwilling to state the facts. I was under orders to not divulge this information until we arrived on the island. Now that we’ve arrived, I have no restrictions in telling you all! The foe that our United Six Palaces wish to battle is an ‘Infant Carp Beast’. That is why we had to be a bit careful!”
“Infant Carp Beast!” When Qing Suanzi heard this, he couldn’t help but shout out in shock!
Han Li detachedly gazed on. Although he didn’t know what sort of demon beast they were facing, judging by the pale expressions of the others, it was by no means some trifling beast.
“I don’t blame your palaces for being this careful. If it really is this demon beast, it was right to be careful! If other powers were to know of this, who knows how much of a disturbance would be brought about!!” Qing Suanzi muttered in disbelief. Han Li’s heart stirred upon hearing him.
The youth surnamed Yan and the large bald man’s expressions continuously shifted as their hearts were in turmoil.
Only the middle-aged Confucian scholar with an unsightly expression coldly spoke to Feng Sanniang, “Your Six United Palaces have overreached themselves! Everyone knows that the Infant Carp Beast is an innate water demon beast with formidable water type divine abilities. If it were grade six, it’d be a match for common grade seven demon beasts. By claiming it to be a grade six beast when you were asking for our assistance, were you deliberately trying to take advantage of us?” The middle-aged Confucian scholar asked.
Qing Suanzi and the others eventually recovered from their shock, all revealing their displeasure.
Although they were all rogue cultivators, those that walked the road less traveled, they didn’t dare to rashly offend the Six United Palaces. They all wordlessly stared at Feng Sanniang, waiting for an answer.
Feng Sanniang’s face darkened and she replied without a trace of politeness, “Fellow Daoist Mao, you speak wrongly! Our Six United Palaces did not deceive you! Although the Infant Carp Beast is a bit difficult, it is a genuine grade six demon beast. How could you say we called a grade seven demon beast a grade six demon beast? Besides, since our palaces offered a reward as precious as the Dustfall Pill, you should have understood that you weren’t going to deal with a common grade six beast. Otherwise, our palaces would be operating at a loss.”
The middle-aged Confucian scholar was left dumbstruck for long while, and Han Li inwardly frowned. Although the woman’s outspoken words held reason, he still felt very uncomfortable and couldn’t help but glance at the others.
The other three appeared to have the same attitude as Han Li and revealed slight displeasure.
Then, Feng Sanniang suddenly flashed Crooked Soul a smile and said, “Naturally, our palace acted in this manner to ensure that the existence of the Infant Carp Beast is kept hidden. As a result, arrangements were made before we came here. In addition to the Dustfall Pill you will receive after this matter is concluded, you will all be paid an advance of a thousand spirit stones as compensation for keeping the matter secret. Is this to your satisfaction?”
Everyone’s resentment had slowly faded away, and they each nodded their heads in agreement.
The middle-aged man still seemed somewhat unsatisfied, but his young, beautiful Dao companion then whispered something into his ear. His expression changed, and he kept silent.
Soon after, everyone went off in their own direction on the island and found a quiet location to meditate and rest. Han Li and Crooked Soul found a huge reef near the ocean shore and sat down cross-legged while facing each other.
Under Han Li’s meticulous commands, Crooked Soul quickly entered a state of strength honing. As for Han Li, he slowly closed his eyes, wishing to meditate. But after the the time it took to make a cup of tea, Han Li opened his eyes with a frown. He then looked at the surging waves while lost in thought.
For some unknown reason, he felt somewhat ill at ease, as if something incredible was about to occur. After pondering in restless apprehension for a long while, he helplessly smiled as he was unable to single out the cause.
He was still quite nervous. Although a spirited rest was normally easy to come by, he would be assisting two Core Formation cultivators with the Six Flowing Ripples Formation tomorrow. Although the demon beast seemed quite unordinary, a demon beast was still a demon beast. Facing against cultivators of superior strength, how could it possibly prevail? They shouldn’t have any problem taking it down.
After calming himself down with a few comforting words, Han Li attempted to forcefully enter meditation. But after a while, his heart still felt heavy, and he was unable to get into the mood.
Han Li sighed and stood up, it seemed that unless he did something, he wouldn’t feel at ease!
Han Li helplessly looked around and released his spiritual sense. Fortunately, there was nobody around.
Han Li quickly patted his storage pouch and took out over a dozen sparkling formation flags and six formation plates, the formation setup tool set for the Jadewater Azure Armor Formation.
Although this formation couldn’t be compared to the Five Elements Reversal Formation or the Six Flowing Ripples Formation, it was still far stronger than common magic formations. In addition, it was extremely simple to setup due to its tools.
Han Li called out to Crooked Soul without the slightest hesitation and had him use the reef as the formation’s center, setting up the rest of the formation flags and disks within a hundred meters of it.
As he watched Crooked Soul placing down the flags and burying the formation disks, Han Li felt his anxiety gradually dissipate. He couldn’t help but make a slanted smile and self-mockingly say, “It seems I am still quite fearful of death!
...
The next day before the sunrise, Feng Sanniang and the others gathered together, flying over five kilometers to sea.
At this same moment, in the waters five hundred kilometers away, a streak of gold light and a streak of yellow light were quickly flying in the direction of the nameless small island.
A kilometer behind them, there was a large white mist spanning about four hundred meters chasing after them at the same speed while faintly releasing an infant’s cry. Anybody who heard the miserable wail would feel their blood run cold.
“Elder Miao, should I send a flying sword over to them and see if they’re prepared?” A deep voice suddenly came from the rushing yellow light.
“Sure!” Elder Miao agreed without hesitation. His body blurred and reappeared at the center of the yellow light. At the same time, the golden light enveloping him turned into a golden rainbow and disappeared in an instant.
The huge white mist chasing after them appeared upset by this and the infant’s weeping became even more intense. The sound gradually changed to that of thunder and became increasingly deafening.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 207