Han Li calmly asked, “May I ask what brings you three here?”
The three old men unconsciously glanced at each other. After a short moment, the long haired old man dryly coughed and spoke with a deep tone, “Fellow Daoist Han might not know this, but Elder Feng, the village’s instructor for martial arts, suddenly died after being devoured alive by a nameless, exotic insect. It is said that the exotic insect bit his neck in his sleep, and he died a miserable death as a result.”
With a completely unchanged expression, Han Li indifferently said, “Oh, so it was like that? What kind of exotic insect could possibly be so fearsome?” The three then began to mutter among themselves, as they were unable to tell whether or not Han Li was related to the event.
The long-haired old man stared at Han Li as he slowly said, “This isn’t entirely clear. By the time he screamed, he was already on the verge of death. When the other villagers saw a flying insect fly from his wound, they immediately struck it with their weapons, but as the insect was incredibly hard, they weren’t able to wound it in the least. As the insect was covered in blood, it was difficult to make out the exact details of its appearance.” The other two solemnly stared at Han Li in silence.
With an unchanged expression, Han Li leaned back in his chair and lazily said, “What? Could it be you three believe that I killed him? Are you three here to punish me?”
The old man’s expression slightly changed as he chuckled, “How could that be possible! We absolutely don’t believe that Fellow Daoist Han could’ve done such a thing. Even if he did it, we would be incredibly happy. That mortal named Feng had always viewed us with disdain just because of his martial arts. It is better that he is dead.”
Han Li narrowed his eyes and stared at the three in silence.
The long-haired old man’s eyes shifted and he probingly said, “However, I heard that Elder Feng paid a visit to Fellow Daoist’s room yesterday. Soon after, he left in a crestfallen manner. Additionally, they found that his arm was broken at the time of death. It seems even without any magic power, Fellow Daoist Han still possess some powerful techniques!”
Upon hearing their words, Han Li raised his eyebrows. It seemed these three held some influence in the village. They were actually able to find out that the man surnamed Feng had entered his room yesterday and that he was driven off.
After a moment of silence, Han Li’s voice grew cold. “Could you three Fellow Daoists be here for that matter? If that’s the case, please be direct. I have no interest in beating around the bush.”
“This...” The old men couldn’t help but glance at each other with hesitant expressions upon seeing Han Li be so direct.
Unwilling to speak in circles, Han Li’s expression grew impatient. “Since you are unwilling to speak, then I won’t force you. How about you come back some other time?”
Spurred by Han Li’s words, the hunchbacked old man said, “Fellow Daoist Han, would you be interested in governing the village with us?”
“What do you mean?” Han Li frowned, already guessing what he truly meant.
Seeing that his companion had already struck the main point of the matter, the long haired old man revealed everything, “Since we are fellow cultivators, I will speak bluntly. Surely Fellow Daoist saw that apart from the head elder, all of the others are mortals. They hold greater power in the village because they were here before us. Cultivators are held to the same standard as mortals, and eat and starve as they do. The mortals even have us risk our lives to hunt umbra beasts. Contrarily, we are the only ones that are capable of using spells with the umbra beast gems, yet they all hold the gems in their hands. It is utterly humiliating to be treated as criminals without cause. Since this is the case, us cultivators have joined hands to grasp authority in the village. Would Fellow Daoist Han care to join us?”
Chapter 590: Bone Case
After hearing their offer to take control of the village, Han Li indifferently asked, “So you wish to seize power?”
The red-faced old man spoke with a strange emotion flickering within his eyes, “That’s right, how can cultivators like us serve at the beck and call of those so-called elders? We should be the elders of the village, not those mortals. I am a grand Foundation Establishment cultivator. It is unbearable to have been controlled by mortals for this long. Because we had too few cultivators, we didn’t dare to take action, but with the addition of you two, success will be very likely.”
Han Li swept his gaze over the three and expressionlessly said, “I’m not interested. Please return. I’ll pretend that this discussion never took place.”
Han Li’s response had greatly shocked them. The long-haired old man then forced a smile and further attempted to persuade him, “Does Fellow Daoist truly wish to become an inhabitant of this village? So long as we seize the positions of elders in the village, the power will be divided amongst us few. As a result, even if the conditions are poor, we can act freely.”
Han Li stroked his chin and serenely said, “I think that you Fellow Daoists are misunderstanding something. The two of us never said we intended on staying in this village. We will be leaving in two days. As such, your words are based on nothing more than a fantasy. Lady Mei and I will have nothing to do with the matter.”
After a moment of shock, the long-haired old man couldn’t help but say, “Leaving? Are you two searching for another village since you are unsatisfied with this one? You two might not know this, but our village is the among the best villages in the area. The other villages’ conditions are far worse than ours.”
Han Li smiled and lightly shook his head in silence.
The hunchbacked old man wore a look of astonishment when he came to a realization. “Could it be that you two intend on climbing Stormwind Mountain?”
Han Li smiled and said, “What’s wrong? Since we are unwilling to remain here, is there anything strange about wanting to leave?”
With an odd expression on his face, the red-faced old man twirled his beard and said, “This isn’t something that is merely strange. Don’t you two realize that Stormwind Mountain is extremely dangerous?”
Han Li looked at him and flatly said, “Although I don’t know much about it, I’ve gained an approximate understanding from the chief elder.”
The hunchbacked old man’s face contorted several times before he fearlessly said, “Humph! What does he know of the Stormwind Mountain’s fearsomeness? He probably only knows from hearsay, but Fellow Daoist Yun and I have personally experienced the true terror of Stormwind Mountain. It isn’t something that cultivators can face without magic power. The tremendously powerful umbra beasts that surround the mountain are an instant death sentence if you alarm them. Even if you manage to luckily slip past them, the violent Yin winds and the illusory mist are incredibly deadly. There wouldn’t be the slightest chance of climbing to the top of the mountain. Furthermore, being able to leave the Umbra Realm during an appearance of a crevice in space is only a rumor as no one has truly tested it. Perhaps it isn’t even possible to begin with.”
Han Li’s expression stirred and he asked with great interest, “You two Fellow Daoists have already climbed Stormwind Mountain? Could you tell us about it?”
The red-faced cultivator revealed trepidation as he slowly said, “Of course, Fellow Daoist Han. We also wish to talk of it in the hopes that Fellow Daoist will abandon his hope of succeeding by a fluke. Originally, Fellow Daoist Jin and I were unwilling to spend the rest of our lives here when we had just arrived at the Umbra Realm. After spending a year in preparation, we set off to Stormwind Mountain together along with three other Fellow Daoists. Before we even arrived at the peak, one of our members was discovered by an umbra beast and was devoured. The rest of us painstakingly pushed forward, but two of our ranks were frozen from the Yin winds a quarter way up the mountain. As Fellow Daoist Jin and I carried a few ember stones on our body, we were able to persevere.
“But as we climbed higher, the Yin winds became increasingly more powerful and w
e were incapable of keeping steady footing. In the end, we only made it halfway up the mountain before were blown off a cliff by the gales; we hadn’t even reached the illusory mists. Surviving by sheer luck, we lost all will to continue onward and could only return helplessly. And after we managed to return to the village, we were bedridden for several months due to having the Yin winds penetrate deeply into our bones. Once we eventually recovered, we completely abandoned any thoughts of climbing Stormwind Mountain.”
Han Li rubbed his chin and pensively muttered, “That is quite fearsome!”
The old man spoke in a sincere tone, “It was far more fearsome than could be described. Please, perish the thought and abandon the attempt. Although it may seem possible, the mountain will take your life. Besides, you are still young. Once we reach our end, all the authority in the village will fall into your hands.”
“Fellow Daoists, please don’t try to change my mind. I will only abandon my hopes after personally failing in the attempt. Naturally, if I am truly incapable of reaching Stormwind Mountain’s peak, then I will give deep consideration towards your proposal.”
The three were somewhat displeased at his response and further attempted to persuade him. However, Han Li remained completely determined.
Helpless, the three turn their gazes to Mei Ning, but she only said, “I will follow Brother Han’s decision regardless.” Their gazes turned blank at her response.
Fortunately, Han Li hadn’t refused them. If he managed to survive his attempt to climb the mountain, they would have another opportunity to recruit him. Since they were unable to persuade them, they could only force a smile before taking their leave.
After they reached a distance away, the hunchbacked old man solemnly asked, “Do you think they will betray us?”
The long-haired old man shook his head. “Betray us? What do they have to gain from betraying us? Surely you saw that the youngster surnamed Han is an intelligent person. He wouldn’t do something so foolish, and the woman is following his lead as well. We can only hope that the two will realize the truth once they draw close to Stormwind Mountain and will turn back. After all, our revolt only has a fifty-fifty chance of success. With the other two, our strength would be considerably increased. Fortunately, Youngster Han unwittingly eliminated the greatest obstacle, Feng Tianji. His martial arts would’ve posed a difficult problem otherwise.”
The red-faced old man nodded his head, “That’s right. This person is truly cautious and wouldn’t do something so strenuous and unrewarding. But just in case, we should send people to monitor them to avoid any potential mishaps.”
“Brother Yin is quite thorough. Please have it done. However, we must be careful and avoid having him discover them. Regardless...” A doubtful expression appeared on the long-haired old man’s face.
The hunchbacked old man was confused and asked, “Regardless?”
The long-haired old man muttered, “It might be an error on my part, but I felt that Youngster Han seemed completely confident that he could depart from the Umbra Realm. He was completely unphased when we mentioned the dangers of Stormwind Mountain. Could it be that he truly has a way to climb to the peak of Stormwind Mountain?”
The hunchbacked old man shook his head and dubiously said, “How is that possible? The Yin winds are unsurmountable. Brother Yun, I, and the countless frozen corpses around the mountain can attest to this. It is only a vain thought to believe one could actually escape this place.”
“Yes, it must’ve been a trick of the eyes!” After some thought, the long-haired old man concluded that it was truly impossible and smiled in self-mockery.
But when the red-faced old man heard this, his heart suddenly stirred and a thought came to mind.
When the three old men departed, Han Li spoke a few words to Mei Ning and left the room. He went over to the residence of the middle-aged man surnamed Feng and saw that he did truly die from having his throat torn open by the Gold Devouring Beetle.
After taking a look at his corpse from a distance, Han Li left and began to continue his inquiries with the villagers about the circumstances of the land, the whereabouts of other villages and the distribution of the umbra beasts. Eventually all of these small details were gathered together in his mind as information vital to escaping this land, and he was able to draw a detailed map from the villager’s descriptions.
In the following two days, Han Li finished most of his preparations and went to inform the village chief elder that they intended on climbing Stormwind Mountain.
The plump old man naturally felt that this was a pity and urged Han Li to stay, but after seeing Han Li’s unwavering resolve, he didn’t push the issue.
After Han Li returned to the residence, he and Mei Ning slept through the night. But in the early hours of morning on the next day, someone stealthily paid them a visit and knocked on their door.
When Han Li saw the red-faced old man, he was shocked. “Fellow Daoist Yun!”
“Fellow Daoist Han, I will keep matters short. Although I don’t know whether or not you truly have the ability to leave this land, you could be considered my last hope. If you truly are capable of slipping past the disasters of Stormwind Mountain, I hope that you can deliver this box to my Heavenly Talisman Sect.” With a serious expression, he took out a rough case made of bone and handed it over to Han Li with both hands.
Chapter 591: Spirit Subjugation Talisman
Han Li glanced at the case made of bone, but didn’t move to receive it. With an indifferent expression, he asked, “What do you mean?” He wasn’t about to take the case before realizing what it was.
The red-faced old man let out a long sigh and said, “There is no need for Fellow Daoist to think much of it. The case contains the refinement method for one of our sect protecting talismans, the Spirit Subjugation Talisman. Originally, only the sect master could learn it. I only have one intention; I wish for Fellow Daoist Han to deliver the talisman refinement method on my behalf. I don’t wish for the talisman to forever be lost from the sect.” Soon after, he lifted the cover of the case to reveal several pieces of engraved bone.
A trace of hesitation appeared on Han Li’s face, “The Spirit Subjugation Talisman? Since only the sect master could learn, then your esteemed self must be the Heavenly Talisman Sect Master?”
The old man conceded, “I shamefully admit that I am the fifty-seventh sect master of the Heavenly Talisman Sect, a small dying sect from the State of Jin’s Flower Cloud Province. It is quite laughable that a Foundation Establishment cultivator like myself acted in the position of sect master.”
A strange expression momentarily appeared on Han Li’s face but he soon frowned. After a short moment, he glanced at the old man and slowly said, “The Spirit Subjugation Talisman should certainly be unique considering that only the sect master could learn it. Fellow Daoist Yun doesn’t fear that I would learn of its contents? Additionally, while I have heard of the resounding name of your country, I’ve never been there before, and I am unsure of whether or not an opportunity would truly arise for me to visit. From how I see it, aren’t you being a bit too rash?”
When the red-faced old man heard Han Li’s questions, he didn’t reveal the slightest surprise. Instead, he replied with an appreciative expression, “Since I am giving this item to you, I’ve already accepted that Fellow Daoist Han will learn the talisman refinement technique as payment. To tell the truth, I’m not sure whether you would be interested in learning it after taking a look at it. Although the refinement method of the Spirit Subjugation talisman has been passed down from generation it generation, it had only been refined a scarce few times by the founders. It has merely continued to be passed down despite not being refined by the later sect masters. And since my own sect was already greatly weakened, this talisman will only serve as a sentimental dream of mine.
“As for whether or not Brother Han can arrive in the country of Jin, it doesn’t really matter. I merely find peace of mind that the sect founder’s creation isn’
t forever lost from the cultivation world. Even if the talisman refinement method truly isn’t capable of returning to the sect, it will be good enough if Fellow Daoist Han passes it down so that it doesn’t remain lost. When I later face the previous generations of sect masters in the underworld, I will have an excuse.” The red-faced old man spoke with a bitter smile.
When Han Li heard this, he was somewhat dumbfounded.
The Heavenly Talisman’s sect master was only seeking peace of mind. It seemed that the exchange was incredibly one sided in Han Li’s favor and that he wouldn’t suffer any loss. If he truly was incapable of going to the Great State of Jin, then he had no obligation to return the bone case. But if he was able to visit this famed country, then delivering the item would only take a minor effort.
Furthermore, it seemed that the Spirit Subjugation Talisman was a rather miraculous talisman for it to be so difficult to refine. It greatly piquied Han Li’s interest! According to his vast experiences, apart from the commonly refined talismans of the five elements, there were talismans with unfathomable and extraordinary effects known as secret talismans.
These secret talismans weren’t difficult to differentiate among the five elements. Additionally, each sect had their own unique method of refining their own secret talisman, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to copy them.
For example, when the Star Palace Elders had nearly killed him in a sneak attack from Heavenvoid Hall, they had used a proxy produced by the Incarnation Talisman. Afterwards, they used a transportation talisman unique to the Star Palace to escape. Of course,the Incarnation talisman was worth far more than the teleportation talisman despite both being secret talismans.
After some further thought, Han Li accepted the bone case without any further hesitation and solemnly pledged, “I can only promise that I will try my best. Fellow Daoist Yun shouldn’t expect too much.”
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 318