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

by Translator: Johnchen

He took a look up above at the heavenly omen in the sky and a strange expression flickered within his eyes. He then wrapped his body in white Qi once more and blurred his appearance before disappearing in a blur.

  The white silhouette had used a concealed movement technique, wanting to sneak into the island and investigate. At that moment, over ten streaks of red light flew over from the other side of the island while escorting a gorgeous flying chariot.

  The flying chariot was twenty-seven meters long and was manufactured from an unknown type of fragrant wood. It was layered with talisman characters and shined with a white light.

  The carriage was being pulled by three azure demon birds. These ferocious birds were three meters long, with six eyes, and four wings. They flew at an extremely quick speed and pulled the chariot to the small island in the blink of an eye.

  Chapter 570: A Powerful Enemy Appears

  “Stop!” A man’s voice ordered from within the chariot as it came to an immediate stop along with the streaks of red light that accompanied it.

  Soon after, each of the red radiances disappeared to reveal young beautiful women, each wearing light green palace robes. They had their black hair rolled up in a bun and two swords on their back. These female Foundation Establishment cultivators stood at the sides of the chariot and had their heads bowed in solemn expressions.

  An astonished voice came from the chariot, “How strange! How can there be someone using a heretical, heaven-defying technique here? From the Yin Qi that’s gathered, it seems to be the Soulrise Technique rather than the Sunform Technique.”

  A young woman’s voice soon followed, “With such an astonishing heavenly omen, why can’t it be the appearance of a wondrous treasure?” Although her tone was chilling, it carried an unconcealable sweet allure.

  The first voice chuckled and spoke with confidence, “You think I can’t differentiate between a heretical technique and the appearance of a treasure?”

  After a moment of silence, the woman icily snorted and bluntly said, “That’s just what you say, perhaps it truly is an omen of a treasure appearing. In any case, I can’t tell the difference between the two.”

  “It you want to know whether or not it’s true, then how about we go take a look! Regardless of whether it’s the Sunform Technique or the Soulrise Technique, they both require a Core Formation cultivation to perform. Additionally, one’s cultivation would greatly suffer after performing such a technique. Even having one’s cultivation drop an entire stage is to be expected. I am quite curious to see who is performing this technique. If their cultivation is deep enough, then let’s take them in. Our Divine Dove Hall is currently lacking a few enforcers!” The man appeared exceptionally indulgent to the woman.

  The woman hesitated for a moment before agreeing, “Fine, the beast chariot has flown for nearly a month, and I am feeling somewhat bored. Let’s go to the island for some relief.”

  “Just a moment. I’ll disable the protective barrier!”

  Soon after he said this, the chariot flashed with white light and the radiance slowly faded, revealing the man and woman sitting within.

  The hemp-robed man appeared to be in his late twenties and had his head held high, giving him an elegant and refined appearance. As a result of an unknown cultivation art, his forehead faintly glowed with golden light.

  At his side sat a young woman that appeared to be in her late teens. She was dressed in white muslin robes, with skin as smooth as jade, and long, black satin-like hair. However, the woman’s complexion was deathly pale, giving her the dream-like appearance of an otherworldly Immortal.

  The young woman leaned against a corner of the chariot and frowned as if she were displeased, but after seeing the light barrier dissolve, her expression stirred as she stood up and left the carriage.

  The man gently watched the woman and followed her out with a faint smile.

  The young woman glanced in the direction of the island and wantonly said, “Fellow Daoist Wen, do you think the odds of a ghost mist appearing nearby is high? According to what I know of the most mysterious natural disaster, ghosts mists have no clear set of patterns.”

  Accustomed to her odd behavior, the man held his arms behind his back and smiled, “There are no exact patterns that can be found from ghost mists. However, I have spent quite a bit of effort in gathering data for the ghost mists that have occurred in the last few hundred years and discovered something that was quite interesting. Ghost mists often immediately occur after there is a volcanic eruption nearby. Although this isn’t always the case, there is at least a one-third correlation. These seas happened to have had two volcanic eruptions nearby, so I reckon the odds of a ghost mist appearing are relatively high.”

  When the young woman heard him, her eyes revealed a strange expression. After a moment of hesitation, she slowly asked, “Did Fellow Daoist Wen spend such a long time traveling with me to this place in order to see the ghost mist? When ordinary cultivators encounter a ghost mist, they perish. Why would you take the initiative to go searching for a ghost mist?”

  “Why shouldn’t I? I have no present matters at hand, and wouldn’t be better to see whether or not my hypothesis is true? Don’t tell me that if a ghost mist truly appears here that I won’t be able to flee?” The youth surnamed Wen waved his sleeve with an indifferent expression.

  When the young woman heard him, she remained silent for a time and pointed to the heavenly omen above the island and calmly asked, “Are we going now? It seems the cultivator is in the middle of a crucial period of the ritual. Wouldn’t we be bothering them?”

  An arrogant expression appeared on the elegant man’s face and he bluntly said, “Me, a bother? I, Wen Tianren, wish to have a chat with the Core Formation cultivator. If he dares to be rude to me, then I will kill him.”

  The woman glanced at the youth in silence, but it was true that this man’s abilities were vast and profound. Although he had yet to condense a Nascent Soul, he was peerless among cultivators of the same grade. He was famed as the strongest Core Formation cultivator in the Scattered Star Seas, and it was likely to truly be the case.

  “Yi!” The man’s expression suddenly stirred and he glanced at the island in astonishment.

  “What, is something the matter?” Although the young woman was curious, she asked with a cold and detached tone.

  A trace of seriousness appeared on his face as the man observed the island, “How interesting, there are three Core Formation cultivators on this island. Two of them are lacking and are at early Core Formation, and one of them is using a somewhat impressive concealment technique, but he is still beneath my notice. However, there is a late Core Formation cultivator present that appears abnormal, and has noticed my spiritual sense sweeping over him. In fact, his spiritual sense may be greater than my own.”

  When the young woman heard this, she was shocked. She had personally witnessed his spiritual sense rivaling that of Nascent Soul eccentrics, but now he had met a Core Formation cultivator with an even stronger spiritual sense. This was truly hard for her to believe, causing an odd expression to appear on her face for the first time in a long while.

  However, the young woman knew that while this man appeared gentle and refined, he was by no means magnanimous. Rather, he was a cunning, sinister, fickle and temperamental man that would kill others at a whim in a display of overwhelming power. Fortunately, the man seemed to view her personality as interesting and hadn’t treated her forcefully, much to her relief.

  Although his expression appeared normal, she reckoned that he was already filled with killing intent. After all, he was incredibly proud of having his spiritual sense match that of a Nascent Soul eccentric. How could he allow a similar grade cultivator with abilities superior to his continue to exist?

  The young woman sighed and could only feel a trace of pity towards the cultivator on the island.

  While this was occuring, there was a piercing whistle that shrieked across a rocky area on the small island several kilometers awa
y from the valley. Afterwards, an extremely huge tri-colored lance appeared from the south and passed through the area in an instant.

  Puff... Light glimmered as the huge lance suddenly struck a mist of white Qi. The person inside the Qi barrier wavered and revealed a panic stricken face.

  He gaped in terror and immediately spat out a violet jade club, but in that same instant, the barrier of Qi had been broken. Before the white silhouette could do anything with his magic treasure, a hole had already appeared through his body.

  The corpse filled the air with blood as it fell to the ground, and with a bang, the corpse disappeared into the rocky area below. The lance then transformed back into a swarm of insects that now enveloped a storage pouch and a violet jade club as they returned to the valley with a low buzz.

  A short moment later, Han Li grabbed the storage pouch and swept his spiritual sense through it. In his other hand, he held the violet club and was fiddling with it absentmindedly. A short moment later, Han Li put the items away and slowly turned his head to look into the distance with a gloomy expression.

  Not long after he had released his Gold Devouring Beetles, he had felt a well concealed spiritual sense sweep past his body, causing him to nearly jump in fright. It had left an impression very similar to that of a Nascent Soul Eccentric. As a result, he had carefully tracked it back to a group of cultivators that had just appeared. He was shocked after discovering the owner of the fearsome spiritual sense to be an imposing late Core Formation cultivator with a young appearance. In fact, he didn’t seem all that different from Han Li himself.

  Han Li was dumbstruck! In the instant he had swept his spiritual sense past the cultivator, the cultivator had discovered his prying and used some sort of restriction to forcibly repel his spiritual sense. Han Li grew sullen at suddenly being blocked from further observation.

  Chapter 571: Disciple of Archsaint Six Paths

  After Han Li’s spiritual sense was repelled, he naturally concluded that these arrivals weren’t ordinary cultivators. With the sneaky white silhouette easily dealt with by his Gold Devouring Beetles, Han Li could now focus the entirety of his attention on the newly arrived late Core Formation cultivator.

  Han Li turned his gaze back into the valley and saw that the spell formation had become covered in an impenetrable barrier of pitch-black Yin Qi. He reckoned that Yuan Yao was at a crucial moment of the Soulrise Technique. If she were to be disturbed at this point, not only would Yan Li doomed to forever be nothing more than a disembodied soul, but Yan Yao would also receive terrible a backlash and injury.

  Han Li frowned and turned his head around with a pensive expression.

  Although he didn’t know where this youth had suddenly appeared from, he didn’t dare to underestimate him. Of course, Han Li wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest, either. Confident in his fantastical magic treasures, Han Li viewed no Core Formation cultivator as a threat.

  He then pondered about whether or not he should take the initiative to eliminate him. After all, the new arrival appeared to be a rather problematic individual and if he were to join hands with other cultivators, it could prove extremely troublesome. With a sudden change of expression, Han Li immediately stood up with narrowed eyes.

  The man had departed the carriage and was now flying towards Han Li with the beautiful young woman in tow.

  Han Li’s expression grew solemn and raised his hands, releasing over ten of his huge puppets to protect the valley while he was gone. He then stamped his foot without any further hesitation and flew towards the man and woman in a streak of azure light.

  If he had a confrontation with cultivators near the valley, it could disrupt Yuan Yao’s ritual. From how strong the enemy appeared, he reckoned it would take some time to kill him. As such, he could only take the opportunity to approach him and force him to stay away from the valley.

  The elegant youth didn’t fly particularly fast and after a moment, Han Li met him at the edge of the island.

  Han Li had already changed his appearance long before assuming the role of protector. As a result, he had no fear of being recognized as the one who had seized the Heavenvoid Cauldron.

  With about four hundred meters separating them, Han Li expressionly gazed at the elegant man and the beautiful woman following him. A trace of astonishment flickered within his eyes after he examined them.

  Although the golden light glowing from his forehead was eye-catching, it merely showed that his cultivation art was somewhat peculiar. However, Han Li couldn’t help but look at the astonishingly beautiful woman at his side in awe.

  For some unknown reason, Han Li felt a trace of familiarity towards her as if he had seen them somewhere before, especially with her clear eyes.

  However, Han Li was positive that this was the first time he had seen the gorgeous young woman. Had he seen her before, she definitely would’ve left an impression.

  At that moment, both of them were glancing at Han Li.

  Wen Tianren held his arms behind his back and a strange expression flickered within his eyes. He then smiled and said, “Might I know your esteemed name? Is the one performing the heaven-defying technique your Dao Companion?”

  When Han Li heard this, he felt his heart tremble. The elegant man obviously knew the origins of the heavenly omen, revealing that he was far more fearsome than he had imagined.

  “My name isn’t anything important. However, I must insist that you Fellow Daoists turn back! Since you already know that the heavenly omen isn’t a sign of a treasure emerging, then why have you two come to this island?” Han Li emotionlessly asked.

  The young man indifferently said, “I’m not here for the heavenly omen, but for you!”

  “For me?” Han Li frowned. This was beyond what he had expected.

  A trace of hostility appeared on Wen Tianren’s elegant face as he icily said, “That’s right! If your esteemed self is unwilling to tell me your name, then I won’t demand it. However, I do have some knowledge of the Core Formation cultivators in each sect, and from your unfamiliar appearance, it appears that you are a vagrant cultivator. Since that is the case, I will give you and your Dao companion two choices. You either enter the coalition, and become an enforcer of my Divine Dove Hall, following all of my commands. Or you will die here by my hand.”

  “Listen to your orders? Enter your coalition? You’re a member of the Starfall Coalition?” When Han Li heard him, he was stunned, but soon reexamined the man with gaze of doubt.

  The young woman said with a neutral tone, “Young Master Wen is a brilliant student of the Starfall Coalition’s Archsaint Six Paths. It wouldn’t be considered a disgrace if you were to swear allegiance to him. Additionally, with Fellow Daoist’s cultivation, you will be placed in an important position within the coalition.”

  “You’re a disciple of Archsaint Six Paths?” Han Li’s expression stirred. Although he knew the man’s identity had to be unordinary, he hadn’t expected it to be shocking to this degree.

  When Wen Tianren saw Han Li’s shock, his expression remained the same despite a trace of pride appearing in his eyes. He happily enjoyed the amazement he saw from Han Li when he heard of his identity. He didn’t feel any shame in using his identity as Archsaint Six Paths’ disciple, as he considered one’s identity to be a resource.

  However, Wen Tianren’s spirits quickly fell when Han Li’s expression turned into a sneer.

  Using a derisive tone, Han Li said, “So it turned out to be a young master of the Starfall Coalition. I apologize for my lack of manners! However, I don’t possess the slightest intention of entering your esteemed coalition, nor do I have any intention of dying. Rather, I have another proposal. How about I take Young Master Wen’s life instead?”

  From Wen Tianren’s overbearing manner, he clearly understood that this man wasn’t benevolent in the slightest. Not only did he feel a trace of killing intent from his spiritual sense, but he faintly felt that the young master planned on killing him regardless of whether or not he surr
endered. Since Han Li was going to end up fighting him either way, he saw little reason to bother entertaining him. Others might hold the enormous Starfall Alliance in fear, but Han Li held it in little regard. After all, with the Heavenvoid Cauldron in his possession, he may as well be a fugitive from everyone in the Inner Star Seas.

  “Good, very good!” Wen Tianren furiously smiled and stared at Han Li with an increasingly icy gaze. In the instant, he finished speaking, he spat out a streak of blue light.

  Just as the blue light left his mouth, it burst with dazzling light and disappeared from sight.

  Han Li’s face grew stern, and he unconsciously waved the jade scepter in his hand, causing a barrier of red and yellow light to instantly cover him.

  In the moment the barrier appeared, the blue light had struck the light barrier with a muffled thump.

  Han Li’s expression faintly changed after being pushed back ten meters by the strike.

  At that moment, he clearly saw that the blue streak was a peculiar awl that was several inches long. It crackled with blue light and had talisman characters winding around it.

  Without any further thought, Han Li flicked his fingers, sending ten streaks of azure sword Qi in the direction of the blue awl.

  Without any further reservations, Han Li slapped his storage pouch and took out his Five Element Bands. They immediately shined a rainbow light and hummed. With his other hand, he flung out over twenty flying swords in the direction of Wen Tiannren.

  Wen Tianren didn’t appear surprised in the slightest at having his attack blocked. Instead, he calmly pressed his hands together and summoned a small flag. The four-inch long flag flickered with purple light and possessed an astonishing spiritual Qi.

  At that same moment, he glanced in front of him to see a swarm of flying swords and revealed an expression of surprise. He didn’t dare to be negligent and quickly waved the purple flag in his hand, causing countless purple clouds to be spurt out. They completely enveloped him and hid him from view.