It wasn’t that Man Huzi didn’t want to kill Wan Tianming, but rather, Wan Tianming was the Sect Master of the Thousand Gates of Enlightenment. Had he truly killed him, he would become a target of the Righteous Dao. There was also the matter of the Thousand Gates of Enlightment’s Mad Matron, the number one figure of the Righteous Dao. He wasn’t yet her match and was unwilling to be relentlessly hunted down by her. As the main enemy of both the Devil and the Righteous Dao was still the Star Palace, he naturally only aimed for the medicine pill.
Seeing that Man Huzi had unexpectedly acquired the Heavenmend Pill and was about to escape, Tian Wuxi and the old farmer immediately chased after him.
Zenith Yin and Qing Yi had been momentarily stunned by the scene. After glancing at each other, they gave chase, unwilling to accept defeat.
But before Zenith Yin gaze chase, he turned into a black cloud and arrived above Han Li and Wu Chou. He coldly said, “Wu Chou! Stay here with Han Li and don’t wander. I will return in a moment. I will lend these two demon corpses to you for now.” After that was said, two Heavenwide Corpses appeared at Wu Chou’s side, and Zenith Yin blurred through the air with a flicker.
As such, the Nascent Soul cultivators were all chasing Man Huzi. Each of them blew a hole through the light barrier at the stairs in wild pursuit of Man Huzi. As for Wan Tianming who had just regained control of his body, he grit his teeth and followed suit.
Chapter 489: Killing Wu Chou
During the time when Wan Tianming was acquiring the Heavenmend Pill, Wu Chou was being restrained by the Bone Sage. He wasn’t so foolish that he could not understand how much stronger the Bone Sage was compared to himself. In addition, it appeared that the Bone Sage held a deep understanding towards the Profound Yin Arts. Each of his strikes had been dissolved with little effort.
Although that had frightened Wu Chou, he was now delighted to find the two Heavenwide Corpses at his side. Each of the demon corpses were no less powerful than a mid Core Formation cultivator. Despite the Bone Sage’s fearsomeness, even he shouldn’t pose much of a threat to him now. Even better, Wu Chou now had the opportunity to teach him a lesson. After the eccentrics left the stone platform, he immediately wore a sinister smile and looked at the Bone Sage with a malicious gaze.
After looking at the eccentrics exit at the bottom of the stairs, he turned around to see Wu Chou’s malicious expression and the two demon corpses at his side. He calmly smiled and said, “Han Li, this person is Zenith Yin’s sole descendant! If I kill him, won’t Zenith Yin suffer quite a bit of pain?”
Shock momentarily appeared on Han Li’s face, but his expression quickly returned to normal. He then indifferently gazed at the Bone Sage in silence. However, when Wu Chou heard this, he became vigilant and doubtfully glanced at Han Li. At that same time, the two demon corpses at his side had disappeared from sight.
Wu Chou harshly said, “Han Li, have you been colluding with him this entire time? That’s why he knocked the jade scepter in your direction earlier? How about you take that treasure out when my esteemed grandfather returns and let him decide who gets to keep it?”
Having heard these false charges in an attempt to seize his treasure, Han Li became dumbfounded. It was clear Wu Chou had shed all pretenses of not oppressing him now that he felt Han Li no longer possessed any value. Perhaps Zenith Yin had even given him these orders in secret before his departure.
With that thought, the corner of Han Li’s mouth twitched; the many flying swords contained in his body throbbed with excitement.
But it was the Bone Sage that was first to act. With a sweep of his hand, a green snake shot out from his cuff towards an empty location, resulting in a dull bang. Soon after, a green silhouette was revealed.
The Bone Sage smirked and spoke disdainfully, “Heavenwide Corpse Demon? Figures that Zenith Yin had refined so many of them!” The Bone Sage then quickly pointed at it, causing a green lotus to emerge from its body. The green lotus wildly flourished until the flower petals completely enveloped the demon corpse.
Wu Chou was greatly startled and hastily ordered the demon corpse to break free. But for some unknown reason, his connection to the demon corpse had been completely severed and he could no longer control it. In that moment, his body broke out into a cold sweat. Just as he thought to control his remaining demon corpse, the Bone Sage’s body blurred and suddenly reappeared right before him. A flustered expression of panic arose from Wu Chou’s face as he hastily protected his body with a large cloud of Profound Yin Qi. At that same time, a fierce glint flashed from his eyes and he opened his mouth, spitting out a small black sword that pierced towards the Bone Sage at a speed faster than lightning.
The Bone Sage’s face wore a trace of derision. His fingernails immediately grew several inches long and became razor-sharp, making for a sinister appearance. He then reached out to the small sword and caught it without the slightest resistance.
Wu Chou’s complexion became deathly pale from disbelief. He quickly ordered the flying sword to return, but the Bone Sage had already grasped it between his claws with a malicious expression. After many attempts to break free from his grasp, the small sword scattered into black dust. At that same moment, Wu Chou’s complexion paled at the destruction of his magic treasure and he involuntarily spat out a mist of black blood.
“Impossible, you...” Wu Chou only had time to incredulously say those few words before the Bone Sage moved to strike him. His ghostly claw was enveloped with spirals of green Qi.
No longer capable of further speech, Wu Chou whistled, ordering the entirety of his surrounding Profound Yin Qi to face the strike. At that same moment, his hand reached for the inside of his robes, wanting to take out a treasure.
A strange scene occurred. With a flash of black-green light, the Bone Sage’s ghost claw rapidly turned and the green Qi surrounding it turned pitch-black, piercing through the several layers of Wu Chou’s Profound Yin Qi as if nothing had been there.
Wu Chou lowered his head in terror and saw the ghost claw piercing through his abdomen. Eyes filled with disbelief, he muttered a few words before the Bone Sage coldly laughed and shot countless streams of green fire from his claw, turning Wu Chou’s body into ashes in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a black embroidered scarf, a ring, and a storage pouch.
No longer possessing a master, the other Heavenwide Demon Corpse appeared beside the Bone Sage in a flash of black light. Its eyes were completely spiritless and it motionlessly stood in place as if it were now truly dead.
After witnessing this sequence of events, Han Li’s heart trembled and a newfound fear towards the old devil had grown within him!
It was now clear that he hadn’t been lying when he had said that he was well acquainted with the weaknesses of the Profound Yin Art. When Wu Chou had used his Profound Yin Qi to block the attack, it didn’t have the slightest effect. But why was it that the Bone Sage chose this moment to kill Wu Chou? Did he not fear that he would alert Zenith Yin? Could it be that he was forcing him into battle, giving him no choice but to fight against Zenith Yin?
Han Li’s alarmed mind began to churn. As he did this, he readied the five colored copper bands in his hand. If the Bone Sage made any hostile movements against him, he would have to fight with his life on the line.
At that moment, the Bone Sage had already gathered Wu Chou’s spoils and looked at Han Li with a mysterious smile. “What are you doing, glaring at me like that? Quickly take out your other Bloodjade Spider. The others have been drawn away by Man Huzi, but we don’t know how long it will take for them to return. What, could it be that you aren’t interested in the treasures of the Heavenvoid Cauldron?”
The Bone Sage’s words shocked Han Li and caused Han Li’s gaze to wander. He had carefully concealed the existence of his other Bloodjade Spider. How could the Bone Sage possibly know about it?
He glanced at the corpse of the long deceased Bloodjade Spider. “What other Bloodjade Spider? My spirit beast has already been slain by the S
tar Palace elder.” Not knowing how the Bone Sage could possibly know, Han Li was unwilling to acknowledge it.
“Humph! Youngster, I don’t have the time to waste on you, so I will tell you the truth. Long ago, I found a pair of Bloodjade Spiders and put them into the care of my other traitorous disciple, Zenith Brilliance [1]. I thought to bring the spiders to the Heavenvoid Hall and seize the cauldron when they were a higher grade, but I hadn’t expected that my disciples would betray me before that happened. Since you had that jade talisman, I figured that your Bloodjade Spider had originated from the Zenith Brilliance’s pair. You may not know this, but Bloodjade Spiders possess some peculiar characteristics. Although a nest will have many eggs, only two of them will survive. These two spiders are certain to be a male-female pair. In addition, they can only ascend grades when the male and female spider are together. This was something that I had personally concluded after observing a pair of wild Bloodjade Spiders. After all, one must be familiar with a spirit beast’s properties if they are to promote its grade. However, this was unknown to Zenith Brilliance. He believed I had acquired both a male and female spider out of pure luck! Since the grade of your spider was so high, you must certainly have another. How about you take it out?”
The Bone Sage’s quick explanation had left Han Li dumbfounded for a moment, as he truly hadn’t known any of this. It seemed that the rainbow skeleton from back then had likely been Zenith Brilliance, but how did that fit together with the Emperor of Yue and Zenith Yin Island’s cultivation arts? Although Han Li’s mind was flooded with doubts, he licked his lips and calmly replied, “That's right, I do have another Bloodjade Spider. But why should I help you acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron? Are you willing to give me half of it? Moreover, there will be tremendous, world-shaking tremors as the Heavenvoid Cauldron is extracted. Wouldn’t this disturbance attract the attention of the other Nascent Soul cultivators and make them immediately return? That would just quicken our deaths. Also, it was only with the help of the flame pythons that the Bloodjade Spider had been able to slowly pull up the Cauldron. My remaining Bloodjade Spider isn’t enough to pull it up.”
Han Li spoke these words with a calm expression. Although he felt immense temptation towards the Heavenvoid Cauldron, he stifled the burning excitement in his heart, allowing reason to seep through. He didn’t wish to die just because of greed. After a moment of consideration, Han Li decided his best choice was to immediately escape. Without waiting for the Bone Sage’s response, Han Li flickered, blurring towards the exit.
However, it seemed that the Bone Sage had already predicted what Han Li would do. The next words he uttered caused Han Li to slow to a stop.
Chapter 490: The Cauldron’s Reappearance
The Bone Sage coldly said, “Youngster Han, don’t you wish to condense a Nascent Soul? The Heavenmend Pill’s greatest effect is that it purifies a Core Formation cultivator’s innate spiritual roots, allowing a cultivator to enter the Nascent Soul stage with greater ease.”
Han Li was silent for a moment before turning around. He narrowed his eyes and spoke with disbelief, “Purify one’s spiritual roots? You must think I am a child! How could there be such a legendary, heaven-defying medicine?”
“Hehe, it’s up to you whether or not you believe it. Do you think that I have lived my many years idly? Back then, I had captured a Star Palace elder and used soul searching techniques to acquire this information. The outside rumors that this pill can break through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage, causes a massive increase of one’s magic power, and can lengthen one’s life are completely false. It had been proven when a Star Palace Master had personally consumed the Heavenmend Pill.”
The Bone Sage calmly continued with a careless expression, “And since you’ve already acquired the Ninecurl Ginseng, with the complimentary effects of the Heavenmend Pill, your odds of condensing a Nascent Soul will reach forty percent. If you wait another three hundred years to acquire a Heavenmend Pill, its effects will be of little use by then. This is due to the long process of spiritual root purification. It will take over a hundred years for the effects to be fully displayed.”
“A forty percent chance at Nascent Soul condensation?” Han Li felt giddy with excitement.
As if having seen through Han Li’s thoughts, the Bone Sage smiled and added, “As for your worries that the tremors would be far too noticeable, even if a great catastrophe struck, there would be no way they could possibly know unless they saw it for their own eyes; the barrier completely isolates any disturbances that occur from within. They can’t use their spiritual sense to observe what happens in here either. Why else would this Tailstar Barrier have been so renowned even in the era of antiquity! And if you’re worried about your single Bloodjade Spider being unable to lift the cauldron, don’t forget that I am Zenith Yin’s master. Even as a demon ghost, I am still capable of refining corpses.”
With that said, the Bone Sage immediately opened his mouth and spat out a fist-sized ball of glimmering light towards the Bloodjade Spider’s corpse next to the altar. In the blink of an eye, a dense, green mist enveloped the spider corpse that quickly absorbed it. A short moment later, the two halves of the spider began to join together. Green light flashed from the point of incision, and the Bloodjade Spider shakily stood up, whole once more.
Although Han Li managed to maintain a calm expression as he watched the scene, he was inwardly overwhelmed with shock. The world of cultivation truly had no shortage of extraordinary things! There was even such a technique that can refine a corpse in nearly an instant.
The Bone Sage made the spider corpse walk several steps before he turned to Han Li and confidently said, “My corpse refinement technique is passable, yes? Although the refined spider corpse won’t last for long, and it is somewhat weaker than when it was alive, it will have no problem lifting the cauldron with your surviving Bloodjade Spider. After we acquire the treasure, I will give you all the Heavenmend Pills as I have no need of them. Also, I will cede half of the Heavenvoid Cauldron’s other treasures to you, but the cauldron is mine. How do you feel about this trade?”
“Humph! Your words may be extravagantly beautiful, but how do I know you won’t immediately attack me after the Heavenvoid Cauldron is secure? After all, your cultivation and techniques are both an entire realm above me.”
When the Bone Sage heard this, he inwardly rejoiced. Although Han Li’s tone was quite harsh, it was clear he was on the cusp of agreeing. Now, it was only a matter of haggling over price.
As a result, the Bone Sage smiled and hastily said, “Han Li, you’re being far too humble! If I guessed correctly, if we were to fight to the death, the odds would be fifty-fifty. Moreover, such a battle wouldn’t be concluded in a short amount of time, allowing an increased window for the others to return. Do you truly believe me to be so foolish as to bring about both of our deaths? Naturally, so long as you agree to help me acquire the treasure, I will hand over the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng refinement formula over to you as a token of our sincere cooperation.”
After this was said, the Bone Sage flipped his hand and tossed a white jade slip with an ancient aura towards Han Li.
Han LI quickly raised his hand and beckoned to the approaching jade slip. With an azure flash, a ball of azure light enveloped it, quickly bringing it to his palm.
The Bone Sage responded to Han Li’s great carefulness with a chuckle and said nothing else.
Han Li quickly swept through the contents of the jade slip with his spiritual sense. Although he didn’t have enough time to mull over whether or not the pill formula was genuine, it did mention the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng as well as three supplementary medicinal ingredients Han Li had never heard of before.
After some consideration, Han Li bluntly put the jade slip into his storage pouch and raised his head. He calmly gazed at the Bone Sage and said, “Fine, I will agree to these conditions. Let’s immediately start retrieving the cauldron!”
Since he had agreed to act, Han Li n
o longer delayed, as it would only allow their enemies more time to return. He quickly pat his spirit beast pouch causing his other Bloodjade Spider to appear with a flash of light.
“Very good, you made the right choice.” With an expression of excitement, the Bone Sage approached the hole and ordered the refined spider corpse to spit out a web at the cauldron, finishing his preparations first.
Han Li followed suit, calmly ordering his Bloodjade Spider to shoot a web at the Heavenvoid Cauldron as well.
The Bone Sage cast several magic seals of varying colors at his Bloodjade Spider as he gave an explanation, “Let’s be quick. We don't have much time. Although I cannot make use of the Berserking Technique in my current form, I can still use other slightly weaker supplementary techniques.”
Suddenly, the Bloodjade Spider entered a frantic state. Apart from its blood-red shell, distinct black and green radiance were interweaved, making for quite a strange display.
Han Li frowned but remained silent. After all, without these supplementary techniques, the Bloodjade Spider would be incapable of lifting the Heavenvoid Cauldron.
With the combined power of the Bloodjade Spider and the spider corpse, the cauldron began to rise with violent quakes and flares of blue light.
Without the protection of Layman Qing Yi, Han Li could only rely on himself. He hastily cast a fire attribute barrier around himself and utilized the White Rhino Emblem to its maximum potential, immersing him in a blistering white light. And for the innermost layer, he released the Azure Essence Swordbarrier. A layer of azure radiance appeared close to Han Li’s body with faint sparks of gold mixed within.
As for the Bone Sage, green Qi violently surged from his body, enveloping him in a dense ghostly barrier.
‘I can still hold!’ Although the cold glacial Qi filled Han Li with a bone-chilling sensation, the full-strength circulation of the Azure Essence Sword Art allowed him to painstakingly avoid being frozen.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 265