After Han Li heard this, he immediately chuckled, but his smile soon disappeared as he solemnly said, “Be at ease. Although I appear young, I’ve cultivated for many years and am disinclined to make any rash actions. If it truly is impossible, I won’t pointlessly risk my life. However, I would still like to hear of the method.”
After some consideration, the plump old man replied, “Since that is the case, this old man won’t conceal it any longer.” He then walked to the hall’s entrance and raised his head to the sky with a pensive expression.
……
Mei Ning bit her red lips and asked, “Brother Han, what do we do? Could it be that you truly wish to climb Stormwind Mountain?” Her current complexion was extremely pale. After she heard the method to return, she began to despair, believing that it was impossible to achieve.
Han Li gazed at the sky and indifferently said, “I haven’t given it much thought yet, but I do know that I will be giving it a try eventually.”
When Mei Ning heard this, her expression stirred. Just as she thought to say something, someone suddenly approached them. It was a sixteen year old, dark-skinned youth with a curious expression.
The youth stared at them and elegantly said, “So you are the two new arrivals. I’ve received orders from the elders to bring you two to your residences. Since you have just arrived, three days of food will be given to you free of charge. However, later you will have to undertake assignments or else you will be ejected from the village.”
Han Li nonchalantly said, “That’s fine. Lead the way!”
The youth nodded his head and set off without another word. Shortly after, the youth brought the two of them to a neat stone building in a corner of the village.
When Mei Ning arrived in the room and saw that there was only one wide bed, her face suddenly grew scarlet.
The woman hesitantly asked the youth, “There is only one bed here?”
The youth blinked and curiously asked, “If a man and a woman are together, then wouldn’t they want to sleep in one bed?”
Having heard that, Mei Ning’s blush grew more intense. She thought to give an explanation, but she was unable to muster any words for the time being.
At that moment, Han Li had finished examining the building’s exterior and indifferently said, “We will be sleeping separately. Please bring us another bed.”
The youth curled his lips. Although he was somewhat unwilling, he agreed and walked out.
After the youth walked out, Han Li promptly said, “Go ahead and take a rest first. I’m going to take a look around the village!” When Mei Ning heard him, she wore a blank expression and silently nodded.
Without any further hesitation, Han Li walked out of the building and glanced around before heading towards the center platform. He was greatly interested in the methods to control umbra energy.
There was no one standing guard nearby the stone platform, so Han Li was able to easily approach it. With its great height, the lack of stairs made it appear even more towering than he had expected.
Han Li walked several times around the stone platform and easily climbed onto it.
Chapter 584: Stone Talismans and Beast Crystals
Han Li walked around on the platform and curiously examined a stone disc with a trace of astonishment.
The disc was over three meters wide and was placed flat onto the platform. There were many strange decorative patterns carved into it along with many profound talisman characters. Although there was no one currently operating it, it continuously emitted a purple mist that spiralled into the sky and covered the village.
As a proficient scholar of the Dao of formation spells, Han Li began to study the stone disc with narrowed eyes.
Not longer after, his expression fluttered before revealing a trace of enlightenment. He then furrowed his brow as he sunk deep into thought.
While Han Li was completely entranced, he suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice from behind him, “Could it be that Fellow Daoist has obtained some profound insights?”
Han Li’s heart was shaken and he inwardly cursed in surprise upon realizing that someone had unknowingly appeared behind him. It would’ve been quite dangerous if they had meant him any harm. However, it wasn’t entirely Han Li’s fault for his carelessness as he was accustomed to having his spiritual sense surround his body. He was still slowly adapting to the loss of his magic power and spiritual sense.
Han Li grew inwardly vigilant and wordlessly turned around.
A white haired old man with long hair stood before Han Li. His face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes exuded a strong spirit, and he was currently looking at Han Li with a wide smile.
Han Li hesitantly asked, “Are you a cultivator?” He could no longer tell due to the loss of his spiritual sense.
The old man smiled and replied, “I am Bao Huanzi, an old cultivator from the Five Dragon Seas. You must be one of the two newly arrived cultivators.”
‘The Five Dragon Seas?’ Han Li’s mind stirred with interest upon hearing the name.
Han Li’s expression relaxed and he said, “So it turned out to be Fellow Daoist Bao. My surname is Han and I am a vagrant cultivator of the Scattered Star Seas.”
“The Scattered Star Seas? There was previously a fellow Daoist that originated from the Scattered Star Seas, but unfortunately, he perished during a mission after encountering a fearsome umbra beast. Regardless, there are truly too few Fellow Daoists proficient in the Dao of talismans. From how deeply engrossed you were while looking at the stone talisman, you must hold quite some skill in the area!” The old man sighed and quickly changed the subject.
“Stone talisman? Are you talking about the disc?” Han Li wore a baffled expression. This was the first time he had heard of such a thing.
The long-haired old man narrowed his eyes as he proudly said, “Hehe! It’s no surprise that you wouldn't know of such things, as I reckon that stone and jade talismans have all but vanished in the other lands. Only a few sects in our Five Dragon Seas are still able to refine these ancient talismans.”
When Han Li heard this, his baffled expression disappeared and replaced with a frown. He glanced at the old man and said, “I’ve truly never heard of stone or jade talismans ever being created in this world. I’ve spent quite some time studying the Dao of talismans, and the talisman characters on the stone disk leave me filled with amazement. Your explanation has dispelled some of my confusion, but is it mistaken on my part that I’ve perceived spell formation characteristics in these talismans?”
The old man revealed a trace of shock before rubbing his hands together and wearing a wide smile, “I truly didn’t expect that Fellow Daoist was proficient in the both talismans and formation spells. You’ve earned my respect! Fellow Daoist Han isn’t mistaken, this purple cloud stone talisman is quite a bit different from true stone talismans. In order to utilize umbra energy, it was altered with a few spell formation characteristics, effectively turning it into both a talisman and a spell formation. But as a result of this modification, it’s power has also greatly decreased.
Han Li nodded his head with a pensive expression and took another glance at the stone disk. A trace of confusion flickered form Han Li’s eyes, “From what you’ve said, you are able to use umbra energy to perform magic techniques by using umbra beast gems and spell formations. However, I don’t see any beast gems embedded in the disc. Could there be something else that is peculiar about the stone talisman.”
“It seems there is still much that Fellow Daoist doesn’t know. Surely you’ve seen the Insidious Mauler from today. Although a majority of people in the village cultivate martial arts and have gained fleshly might beyond that of ordinary people, it isn’t possible for a lone person to challenge great umbra beasts with martial arts alone. Even if they were able to defeat one with superior numbers, there would be many casualties and would be an unsustainable tactic. As such, we’ve use umbra energy to disable the enemy with a few magic techniques during the village’s time of nee
d. However, this also consumes the village’s stockpile of gems so it must first be considered whether or not the village would be able to persist without them.”
The old man smiled and paused for a moment before continuing, “Regardless, these beast gems are incredibly difficult to acquire. Generally, the larger the demon beast, the more likely there’s a beast gem inside their skull, but that isn’t a guarantee. There were several times where we invested great amounts of effort and resources to slay a huge demon beast, but no beast gems were found on its corpse. As for the villagers that slayed a few of the Firescale Beasts on their way back, they were actually able to find a beast gem among them but this tends to be an exception.
“In summary, the demand for beast gems is astonishingly high due to the constant assaults by the umbra beasts. However, we’ve only managed to maintain a stockpile of about ten umbra beast gems over the years so we only use them with reluctance. As a result, the beast gems are kept among the village elders, and are only to be used when required. After the battle is concluded, they are immediately returned. As for the stone talismans, they are instilled with several days worth of power and the talisman is left to persist for several days. The beast gems aren’t allowed to be embedded in them, wasting the slots that were specifically refined for them.” The old man appeared somewhat dissatisfied with the village elders’ methods and rubbed a square groove at the side of the stone disc with a wry expression.
Han Li silently smiled in response. He reckoned the the old man had told him that last part in order to involve him in a power struggle within the village. However, Han Li didn’t have the slightest interest in becoming tangled up in the matter.
It appeared that the old man in front of him had started behaving like a mortal after he was severed from the path of cultivation, and had involved himself in a contest for political power. Han Li sighed and felt that this was quite lamentable.
A trace of disappointment appeared in the old man’s eyes when he saw Han Li remain silent. But soon, his expression recovered and he began to idly chat.
The old man casually mentioned, “It is unknown just how many years this forsaken land has existed. Although very few cultivators are sucked in, I reckon that over time several hundred cultivators have met their end here in the Umbra Realm. I’ve heard that Core Formation cultivators and even Nascent Soul cultivators have lived out their days in this land.”
Han Li’s expression stirred, “There have been Nascent Soul cultivators here?”
The old man sighed, “That's right. Although I don’t know how many years ago it was when that expert had been sucked into this land, but he had once been an elder of this village. I guess that he was the same as you two, and was sucked into the ghost mist when there was an eruption of Spirit Extinguishing Qi. Normally, the strange fog would be incapable of capturing such a figure.”
“That should be the case. However, the Spirit Extinguishing Qi is quite fearsome. I’d guess that only the Deity Transformation stage cultivators from legend would be able to resist it.”
“Deity transformation stage! Hehe, Fellow Daoist’s scope of thought is truly wide. With regards to the Nascent Soul cultivator, although he already died trapped in this place, he left behind a few records, some of which detail his cultivation experiences. While these items might be incredibly precious on the outside, but here? Heh...” The old man shook his head with a sense of regret.
Han Li animatedly said, “His cultivation experiences! I am very interested. Would Fellow Daoist happen to know where they are?”
Records of a Nascent Soul cultivator’s experiences are extremely valuable. It was only natural for Han Li to want to take a look.
The old man rubbed the wrinkles on his face and casually said, “Hehe! I was excited like you when I first heard of this. However, after staying in this place for so long, I’ve completely lose interest in them. Without any magic power, the records are nothing more than drawings. If you’re still interested in taking a look, all of the cultivators’ remaining possessions are being kept in storage.” The old man then pointed to a shabby stone building in a corner of the village.
Barely restraining his excitement, Han Li calmly said a few words of thanks to the old man.
Han Li chatted a bit more with the old man, but he was able to see Han Li’s impatience and took the initiative to take his leave.
Han Li watched the old man’s departing figure and pursed his lips. After a quick moment of deliberation, he shook his head and descended from the stone platform. He then quickly walked towards the storage room with the cultivators’ remaining belongings .
Chapter 585: Reappearance of Demon Script
Many villagers along the way felt that Han Li’s face was somewhat unfamiliar and curiously glanced at him. However, none of them bothered to approach or question him.
As a result, Han Li was able to arrive in front of a rather worn black stone building unobstructed. After a moment of hesitation, he pushed the door in front of him, but it didn’t budge in the slightest.
Han Li was surprised by the door’s resistance and suspected that there was something wrong with the door. But after taking another deep breath, he used the entirety of his strength. Although he hadn’t cultivated any exterior martial arts, his body had passed through the essence cleansing of both Foundation Establishment and Core Formation and was able to muster great force.
With a heavy groan, the door slowly began to give way, inch by inch, and Han Li was elated at the sight.
At that moment, he discovered that for some reason, the door was twice as thick as an ordinary door. It was no wonder the door was nearly stuck.
Han Li quickly entered the room and was faced with a moist stench of decay. He grimaced and quickly held his breath until the outside air rushed into the room and cleared out most of the unpleasant scent. He then took a short breath of fresh air before he began to look through the room, using the faint light from the doorway.
The room was rather simple. Apart from the rows of stone tablets that took up a majority of the room, there were also a few stone tables. The stone tablets were about three meters tall and six meters wide, much to Han Li’s surprise. As for the stone tables, they had records and a few scrolls as well as what seemed to be lifeless magic tools.
Han Li quickly recovered from his surprise, and after some thought, he burst into laughter.
How could one find wood or bamboo to make paper with in this realm? As for jade slips, they were incapable of being used without magic power. As such, the stone tablets would be the only way to record something so these stone tablets should be the records they had left behind.
As for the magic tools on the table, they seemed to be just like his own flying swords and must be removed from this place before they could be put away. As for storage pouches, Han Li hadn’t spotted any of them in the room. It seems they had been dealt with in a different manner and weren’t left on display.
After glancing at the general situation in the room, Han Li casually walked over to a stone tablet and saw that it was covered in a thick layer of dust, obscuring whatever was carved into it. Han Li casually tore off a piece of his jacket with a frown and started to wipe it clean.
Soon, Han Li was able to see what was carved onto the tablet.
These weren’t characters that were widely used in the cultivation world but rather were a type of rarely seen script. Fortunately for Han Li, he was vastly experienced and could easily recognize them.
But as soon as Han Li glanced at the tablet, his interest immediately disappeared. This was merely the diary of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Han Li immediately set it to the side and began to look through the other stone tablets in the room.
There were about twenty in total. It was only when Han Li reached the sixth stone tablet that his interest finally began to stir. He had found what he was looking for, the cultivation experiences of the Nascent Soul cultivator! Han Li was entranced and motionlessly stood in front of the stone tablet for an un
known amount of time before letting out a long breath and revealing a complicated expression.
Han Li muttered, “So it turns out that condensing a Nascent Soul is such a fearsome affair. Even with the assistance of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, my odds of condensing a Nascent Soul still aren’t very high. It seems that being dropped into the Umbra Realm was somewhat beneficial after all.”
Although the tablet didn’t describe any specific method of cultivation, the nameless Nascent Soul cultivator had recorded his experiences from the Foundation Establishment stage to when he had condensed a Nascent Soul with impeccable detail. Han Li felt delighted surprise upon reading through them. With the pointers given through the Nascent Soul cultivator’s experiences, Han Li would make far less mistakes due to misconceptions when condensing a Nascent Soul.
After reading through the stone tablet several times to make sure that he hadn’t overlooked anything, Han Li put it to the side and began to look through the remaining tablets.
He had originally intended to depart, but after some thought, he figured that since he was already there he may as well read through them all and learn what he could. As such, Han Li looked through each of the tablets in a lax manner.
As expected, the remaining tablets didn’t contain anything truly useful. Although a few of them contained cultivation arts, they were all beneath his notice as he had the Profound Yin Arts in his possession.
After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li arrived at the final tablet.
He absent-mindedly swept the dust off of the tablet and examined it before revealing an astonished expression.
This tablet was completely different from the rest. It was filled with finely carved, rice-sized characters that were far smaller than anything on the previous tablets. Furthermore, when Han Li swept his gaze over them, he discovered that there were two different types of characters written on the tablet. One was a common ancient language, but the other was in demon beast script.
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