Li Xun turned back to Han Li and smiled, “Please wait shortly, Fellow Daoist. Although Gu Yu is only an Qi Condensation cultivator, he has done extensive research on ancient pill formulas and medicines. I’m certain that he won’t leave you disappointed.”
Han Li wore a slight smile on his face and thought to say something else, when a streak of red light flew into the room. The red light circled once around the top of the room, before accurately landing in the old man’s hand. It was a seeking talisman.
A strange expression flickered form Han Li’s eyes as the talisman combusted inside the old man’s hand.
The steward stared at the fire in his hand before he extinguished it. He then raised his head to look at Han Li with a surprised expression.
The old man’s attitude suddenly became far more cordial, “I am truly lacking in manners! I didn’t expect Brother Crooked Soul to have just arrived at Blackrock City today! This store owner should be treating you with the utmost respect!”
In that short moment, he had managed to discover Han Li’s general origins, much to Han Li’s shock. However, his expression maintained a calm smile, revealing none of his inner thoughts.
Han Li played it down, “Fellow Daoist is too polite. I had to use many tricks in order to arrive at Wondrous Depths Island. I didn’t mean to attract so much attention.”
The old man was able to see that Han Li didn’t wish to further speak of the matter and tactfully changed the topic. He then chatted about a few interesting tales about Wondrous Depths Island, much to Han Li’s interest.
At that moment, a middle-aged scholarly man entered the room and deeply saluted the two. He respectfully said, “Gu Yu pays his respects to these Seniors. Junior awaits your instructions.”
His appearance was elegant with a somewhat sophisticated aura. He had a long black beard and two shining, black eyes.
Li Xun nodded to him and beckoned him over.
The old man commanded him with an indifferent expression, “This Senior Crooked Soul has a few questions about ancient spiritual medicines. Answer him honestly.”
Gu Yu stood up straight and solemnly said, “As you wish. Junior will answer to the best of his abilities.”
Chapter 516: Demon Echo Grass
Forgoing any needless pretensions, Han Li bluntly asked, “Does Fellow Daoist Gu happen to know about Thousand Leaf Dew?”
“Thousand Leaf Dew?” Gu Yu paused for a moment before quickly replying in a mutter, “This name has a bit of an impression on me. Had you asked me about it a few years ago, I would’ve had no idea. In the past two years, this Junior obtained an ancient record that happened to mention it. This Junior happens to have a duplication of it on a jade slip. Would Senior like to take a look at it?” Having said that, Gu Yu revealed a somewhat cautious expression.
Han Li rejoiced and couldn’t help but reveal excitement in his eyes.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Han Li smiled and said, “It is even better that you have the records. If I do find it, then I must truly thank you.”
Gu Yu was also quite pleased. Being able to receive the favor of a Core Formation cultivator was a truly fortunate matter.
He quickly patted down his body before taking out a yellow jade slip and presenting to Han Li with both hands.
Gu Yu respectfully said, “This is the jade slip. Please examine it, Senior!”
Han Li bluntly accepted the jade slip and quickly immersed his spiritual sense into it.
In a mere moment, Han Li’s expression changed from excitement to doubt and then contemplation.
Li Xun carefully watched Han Li’s every movement. Upon seeing Han Li’s expression change several times, an indescribable emotion flickered from his eyes.
Gu Yu was particularly apprehensive, fearing that the Thousand Leaves Dew that was mentioned in the jade slip wasn’t the item Han Li was searching for.
Han Li eventually recalled his spiritual sense from the jade slip and slowly said, “Yes, this is the item.” However, the excitement in his eyes had greatly faded.
After the old man’s gaze flickered he probed, “What is it? Is there something troublesome about the Thousand Leaves Dew?”
Han Li bitterly smiled. “I didn’t expect that this item would be so troublesome to acquire. It’s closely related to grade eight demon beasts.”
Li Xun shockingly glanced at Han Li with an expression of disbelief, “Grade eight demon beasts?”
Han Li sighed and helplessly explained, “That’s right. The Thousand Leaves Dew is actually an extract of Demon Echo Grass. To be more exact, from Demon Echo Grass that grows close to grade eight demon beasts.”
Li Xun was left speechless by Han Li’s words.
He naturally knew what Demon Echo Grass was. It was something that often grew near demon beast nests as it required long years of exposure to demonic Qi to grow and sustain itself. However, Demon Echo Grass found near the den of a grade eight demon beast was an entirely different matter altogether.
Although it was rumored that grade nine and even grade ten demon beasts had been sighted in the Outer Star Seas, at the end of the day, they had only appeared in rumors. As for the old man, the highest grade demon beast he had seen at Blackrock City was a grade seven demon beast, let alone a grade eight demon beast.
Li Xun saw that Han Li’s gaze held a trace of astonishment and discouragement. Just what kind of precious medicine pill did he plan on refining, to actually require such an incredulous material?
After toying with the jade slip in his hand, he revealed a trace of hesitation before saying something to Gu Yu that surprised him, “This jade slip has some records that I may need to further examine in the future. Would it be acceptable for Fellow Daoist Gu to give this jade slip to me?”
Gu Yu paused for a moment and then frankly said, “If Senior has a use for it, then please feel free to take it!”
Seeing that Gu Yu was being quite agreeable, Han Li nodded his head and flipped his hand, summoning a small bottle and a talisman with a drawing of a small yellow sword on it.
“As your Senior, I naturally can’t let you come out of this empty handed. The bottle has some medicine pills that can increase your cultivation, and this is a treasure talisman. Go ahead and take them.” Han Li then casually tossed the items over to him.
“Many thanks for Senior’s generosity!” After receiving the items, Gu Yu was unable to contain his joy and repeatedly thanked Han Li. To a Qi Condensation cultivator like himself, these items were truly precious.
“Since Senior Crooked Soul has already bestowed treasures upon you, you may leave for the time being, Gu Yu.” Li Xu was quite shocked at Han Li’s display of generosity, but he still remembered to dismiss Gu Yu with a calm expression.
In the blink of an eye, they were once again the only two people in the room.
“Is there anything else that I may assist you with apart from that matter? Please don’t hesitate to ask.” Li Xun spoke in an exceptionally forthright manner.
“Since that’s the case, there is one other thing that I wish to trouble you with. Might you be selling the horn of an Agate Beast?”
“Hehe, Fellow Daoist came to the right place! Although Agate Beast Horn is an exceptionally rare material, I managed to purchase two such horns last month. If Fellow Daoist desires it, I can sell one to you right away.” The old man clapped his hands with a smile and immediately gave the order for it to be delivered without a moment of pause.
Pleasant surprise appeared on Han Li’s face as he repeatedly expressed his thanks.
Not long after, a young servant entered the room while carrying an exquisite wooden box on a silver plate.
“Fellow Daoist, take a look. Does this Agate Horn fulfill your expectations?”
Han Li solemnly nodded his head and reached out to the wooden box. As soon as he opened the box, blue light was released, revealing a half-foot-long spiral horn. The sharp horn shined with a strikingly brilliant blue light.
Han Li then clos
ed the wooden box with a satisfied expression, “Not bad! This will be quite suitable. Could Fellow Daoist tell me how many spirit stones this will cost?”
Li Xun pleasantly smiled and said, “This store acquired the horn for five thousand spirit stones. Since Fellow Daoist requires it, you only need to return the cost.”
Naturally, Han Li wasn’t going to haggle over the price. He immediately expressed his thanks and took out the equivalent in mid grade spirit stones before handing it over to the old man.
The old man received the spirit stones with a wave of his sleeve and then asked with a wide smile, “Does Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul have any plans in mind following his arrival on the island? Although Fellow Daoist’s magic power is profound, the demon beasts here are truly hard to handle. No small number of Core Formation cultivators have been seriously injured by tackling the seas alone. How about I introduce you to a few similar grade cultivators? It would be considerably safer if you were to set out to sea together.”
Han Li smiled upon hearing this. The purpose of the old man’s courteous and friendly behavior from the beginning was for drawing him in.
“Many thanks for Fellow Daoist Li’s kindness. However, I must soon prepare to refine a few medicine pills. And after I consume the pills, I will have to enter seclusion for some time. I won’t be heading out to hunt demon beasts in the near future.” Han Li gave a smooth refusal with an embarrassed expression, but in truth, he was absolutely unwilling to travel out to sea with unfamiliar cultivators.
Although a trace of disappointment flickered across his face, he immediately continued without a care, “That is fine too. It is considerably safer to first increase one’s cultivation and one’s familiarity with the region. However, if Fellow Daoist Crooked Soul does later wish to find companions, please don’t forget about me!”
Han Li naturally agreed and further chatted with the old man for a moment before taking his leave.
The old man saw Han Li off at the building’s exit before returning inside.
Just as the old man sat down, he suddenly heard a voice calmly say, “How about it? Will this person be useful to us?” A vague silhouette soon emerged from the landscape painting on the wall, bringing forth another person into the room.
The white-clothed man remained in the air while covered in azure light, making for a rather mysterious display.
The old man confidently said, “There is no need to worry. Although we only chatted for a short moment, from his strange appearance, that cultivator Crooked Soul should be a vagrant cultivator that travels alone. So long as he witnesses the dangers of travelling the depths alone, he will come to know the advantages of my offer. He will come back sooner or later.”
The white-clothed man coldly refuted, “Humph! That isn’t guaranteed.”
Li Xun shook his head, “What? An early Core Formation cultivator can roam the depths and hunt demon beasts alone?”
The white-clothed cultivator grew silent before solemnly saying, “He isn’t an ordinary Core Formation cultivator. When you were chatting in the room, I was able to feel someone watching me for some unknown reason. Although he didn’t glance in the direction I was hidden, I suspect that he was aware of my existence and only chose not to disclose it.”
The old man was stunned. He then bewilderedly said, “Are you not mistaken? Your concealment technique is something that even higher grade cultivators are incapable of uncovering. Don’t tell me that this Crooked Soul fellow is actually a late Core Formation cultivator.”
The white-clothed man doubtfully said, “That’s hard to say! It is quite possible that he cultivates an unusual cultivation art or possesses some peculiar treasure.”
After circling the room several times, the old man eventually frowned and said, “Leave it be. Regardless of whether this cultivator is exceptional or ordinary, we’ve already tried our hardest to befriend him. It was the correct decision either way!”
The white-clothed cultivator nodded in approval and spoke no further.
Chapter 517: Island in the Mist
By the time the white robed cultivator and the old man finished their discussion, Han Li had already entered a nearby miscellaneous goods store near the Golden Thumb Pavilion. He purchased a map of the local seas and information on the demon beasts that roamed around there before leaving. After finding a secluded area, Han Li started to look through the information.
After only a cursory glance, Han Li unconciously frown.
There were truly far too many dangerous areas in the vicinity of Profound Depths Island. Could it be that high grade demon beasts often roamed through these areas?”
As for the location of the famed depths, it wasn’t too far away from the island. Han Li would be able to reach it after only flying half a month south at full speed. However, the depths were truly vast, spanning over five million kilometers of jagged, uneven territory. This was without even mentioning the territory’s unfathomable depths, as no one had yet to truly explore its farthest reaches.
After Han Li skimmed once through the jade slip, he quickly put it away. Standing in place with a solemn expression, he lowered his head as began to think deeply.
After an unknown amount of time had past, Han Li raised his head, wearing an indifferent expression. He then directly flew out of Blackrock City without any further deliberation. Upon leaving the city, Han Li immediately turned into a streak of azure light and soared through the skies.
Profound Depths Island was a medium-sized island, but apart from Blackrock City, the island was completely barren. Not a single village or town could be seen.
For some unknown reason, it seemed that both cultivators and mortals weren’t setting up residence on the other parts of the island.
Han Li quickly flew away from Wondrous Depths Island. After raising his head to the skies and determining his direction, he headed north.
Currently, he wanted to find an island where cultivators scarcely appeared. He didn’t want to be in a crowded area and attract attention. As a result, he deliberately chose to fly far away from the Wondrous Depths.
There weren’t many cultivators in the seas around Wondrous Depths Island. In addition, all those islands had cultivators and mortals residing on them. Han Li didn’t bother to stop at any of them and shot past them without regard.
It was clear that the northern seas had far fewer cultivators as he had expected.
After flying for about twelve days, he sparsely saw any other cultivators. And when he did encounter them, the low grade cultivators would immediately veer out of his way, and high grade cultivators would watch him with vigilance. Like other demon beast islands, killing others for their treasures was a common occurrence.
Han Li was particularly vigilant as well.
After flying for another two days and finally seeing no trace of other cultivators, Han Li changed direction and started flying west.
According to the map, there would be a few islands with small spirit veins in that direction. As the spirit veins on these islands were low grade, and the distance from the Wondrous Depths was far, along with a complete lack of safety and other various reasons, very few cultivators resided there.
In the case of mortals, they all took residence on the islands nearby Wondrous Depths Island, ensuring some degree of safety.
Of course, Han Li didn’t care about these conditions. He merely wanted to take a look and see if any of the islands were to his liking.
...
About thirty kilometers ahead of him, Han Li spotted a small island. This would be the fourth uninhabited island with a spirit vein he had encountered so far.
The island wasn’t large, but its terrain was both uncommon and varied. There were barren landscapes, dense forests full of unknown trees, grasslands with beautiful flowers and even a small mountain range.
Han Li swept his spiritual sense over the island and found no traces of any other cultivators staying there.
The spirit vein on this island wasn’t low-grade. Despite its
small size, it was actually a peak mid-grade spirit vein. While it couldn’t be considered a top-grade spirit vein, it still released an abundance of spiritual Qi.
It seemed the reason why other cultivators had left this island alone wasn’t due to the spirit vein, but rather the small island’s exceptionally strange environment.
However, there was something about the island that Han Li fancied in particular: the vast white mist that surrounded it. The mist wasn’t natural; it was produced by a few nearby whirlpools. While the mist did cover the island’s sides, it didn’t surround it from above.
Han Li was quite amazed by the sight, but when he dived into the nearby waters and saw the island from underwater, the source of the mist was made clear.
At the bottom of the island, there were countless finger-sized holes along with thousands upon thousands of slender silver fish darting through them. While the fish appeared no different from common small fish, after catching one with his hands covered in spiritual power, Han Li discovered that it had no scales. Instead, it was covered in sharp spikes of silver bone. Had an ordinary person attempted to hold it, they would’ve been left with shredded hands.
As Han Li looked at it, a thought suddenly came to mind, “Sea Shredder Fish!”
This small fish is a low grade one demon beast that lives in large schools and spouts water out from the surface of the sea as a source of enjoyment. The source of its ridiculous name is likely due to the iron-like spikes protruding from its body.
With so many Sea Shredder Fish in the island’s vicinity, they were able to spout out enough sea water to completely cover the entire island in mist. It made for a rare sight indeed.
If Han Li hadn’t encountered a Silverwing Bird on his way and chased after it through the fog, he never would’ve found the island. He undoubtedly would’ve just brushed past the fog. Seeing a bit of sea mist in the distance was extremely common.
After circling around the island several times, he quickly came to the decision to establish his cave residence on this island.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 279