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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Han Li immediately began to circulate his cultivation. He easily swept up the icy Qi with his sleeve and brought it towards his body without the slightest hesitation, much to Cultivator Liu’s shock. He took advantage of this opportunity to restrain the woman through the use of lightning movement and knocked her unconscious.

  With the absence of spiritual sense commands, the winged centipedes flew back into their spirit beast pouches.

  Han Li glanced at the beautiful woman in his grasp and wore a trace of hesitation.

  Killing the woman would only take a very slight effort. But in that case, he’d be incapable of acquiring the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes. Ordinarily, users of spirit beasts and insects placed down self-detonative restrictions to safeguard against having their animals falling into the hands of their killers. Once their master met an unexpected death and their soul scattered, the spirit beast would follow suit and self destruct. Naturally, if cultivators felt that their lifespan was drawing close to the end and wished to impart these animals onto their successors, they would get rid of these restrictions.

  Han Li’s Gold Devouring Beetles for example were also placed under similar restrictions.

  Since Han Li wished to acquire these centipede eggs, he couldn’t kill the woman. He was also interested in the Controlling Spirit Sect’s method of controlling insects. After all, the Controlling Spirit Sect was renowned in the entire Heavenly South for its beast and insect use. They were certain to have great experience in controlling insects, and were certain to possess a secret technique capable of better controlling his Gold Devouring Beetles.

  With that thought, Han Li placed several talismans on her body to restrict her spiritual power and prevent her from waking up. He then carried the woman off in a streak of azure light across the sky.

  As for Han Yunzhi, when he recalled that young girl that he met in his youth, he couldn’t bring himself to strike her down. In the end, he wasn’t a heartless man by nature and could only leave the woman alone.

  In any case, Han Yunzhi hadn’t seen his true face and would have little to report once she returned. And by the time he headed back to the State of Xi, even if these matters were all revealed, what could the Controlling Spirit Sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect do to him then?

  The Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Devil Dao were already hostile with each other. With the Heavenly Fiend Sect Master personally attacking the Dreamcloud Mountain’s sacred area, there were surely grievances being nursed by the three sects of Dreamcloud Mountains. So long as they were incapable of trapping the other, all the two powers would be able to do was menacingly glance at each other and speak boldly.

  These circumstances were fully known to Han Li, but for the time being it would be best for him to hurry on his way to avoid being surrounded by other Nascent Soul cultivators.

  With that thought, Han Li unconsciously increased his speed.

  Chapter 668: Five Element Spirit Nascents

  When the several Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators met their end, an isolated room in the old base of the Masked Moon Sect opened to reveal a black-robed cultivator leaving seclusion.

  When his many capable disciples simultaneously met a bitter end, the Nascent Soul eccentric was unable to continue seclusion in feigned ignorance. He wordlessly released several message talismans, delivering the news of his disciple’s tragic end to several Ghost Spirit Sect branches across the State of Yue. He was about to personally set off and discover who it was that was so bold as to have killed Splintered Soul’s disciples.

  However, his actions were too little too late. Before the Ghost Spirit Sect and Devil Dao cultivators even started their large scale search, Han Li had already left the State of Yue and began to head north in the direction of the State of Yuan Wu.

  Daoist Splintered Soul ultimately gained nothing. He merely had a rough impression that his disciples had been killed by an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator that had already left the country. As a result, he could do nothing despite his raging fury.

  Ten days later, Han Yunzhi returned to the Grand Spirit Mountains in the State of Tian Luo where she kowtowed in front of a pitch-black stone room. She had personally delivered a rough explanation of what had happened and had presented herself before the old man, begging for forgiveness.

  “You were detected over a hundred kilometers away? And you were the only survivor amongst our sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators as well?” The old man’s words were asked with an odd tone.

  “That is right Martial Senior. I and Junior Martial Sister Liu each fled for our lives, but I was the only one who managed to escape. The other’s whereabouts are unclear but it is likely that they were also killed.” For some unknown reason, Han Yunzhi decided to conceal the fact that this unknown Nascent Soul cultivator had recognized her. She merely mentioned her escape vaguely.

  “Since this person was able to confine the Spirit Nascent, this person is most likely a Nascent Soul cultivator. But to be able to sense your movements past fifty kilometers is a fearsome feat indeed. According to what I know, there are but a few late Nascent Soul cultivators in the entirety of the Heavenly South. Could it be this person is one of those undying bastards?” The old man’s voice grew sullen and contained a trace of deep dread.

  “This is something that is unknown to Martial Niece. Because of this person’s immensely powerful spiritual sense, I didn’t dare to closely pursue him. I merely felt him leave the State of Yue from far away. He headed north through the State of Yuan Wu, towards the direction of the Righteous Dao and the Heavenly Dao Alliance. As such, Martial Niece didn’t dare to follow him. In the end I was unable to identify who it was and could only return to the sect. Please forgive me, Martial Senior.”

  “You aren’t at fault, what is there to forgive? If this person was truly a late Nascent Soul cultivator, the result would be the same even if I personally went. It must’ve been hard to survive. Because I didn’t give it enough thought, I sent you and Liu Yu to track down the other party because of your secret sensing techniques. I didn’t think of the possibility that you’d encounter a late Nascent Soul cultivator. As of current, we are incapable of detecting the Spirit Nascent’s location, as wondrous as your secret technique may be. For the time being, just take some rest. Additionally, it seems Junior Martial Brother Han has left seclusion. Why don’t you pay him a visit?”

  “Many thanks for Martial Senior’s understanding. Martial Niece will be taking her leave.” With a curtsy and an inward sigh of relief, she respectfully departed.

  When Han Yunzhi was no longer in sight, silence filled the room. A moment later, the old man turned to an empty corner of the room, “Do you believe your Junior Martial Sister to be telling the truth? If a late Nascent Soul stage cultivator truly appeared, there was no way that girl would’ve been able to escape by a fluke.” The old man’s voice became void of emotion as if he were someone entirely different.

  A flash of light appeared from the corner as soon as the old man finished talking. A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and large eyes respectfully answered, “Martial Senior, I used a secret technique to sense Junior Martial Sister Han’s mood. It was calm for the most part. It was merely when she mentioned her escape that her heart was in turmoil. I reckon she was concealing something that had to do with her escape.”

  The old man released a long sigh and snorted. He gloomily said, “I thought the same. Were she not a descendant of Junior Martial Brother Han, I might’ve used a soul search technique on her to see what she is concealing. But out of consideration for her relationship with Junior Martial Brother Han, this vicious soul damaging technique cannot be used on her. After all, Junior Martial Brother Han is exceptionally fond of this particular descendant. He even exhausted much of his vitality to employ heaven-defying arts to cleanse her essence for the sake of allowing this girl to reach Core Formation.

  “But since she didn't conceal anything particularly crucial, I am disinclined to pursue the matter. However, it is quite troublesome fo
r the Wood Spirit Nascent to fall into this old fellow’s hands. It is but a silver lining that it was the Wood Spirit Nascent that was captured, and not the other two Spirit Nascents. I recalled the Wood Spirit Nascent to only be a spare. Although it was slightly inferior, it was nurtured at the time for observation. I truly don’t know whether or not there will come a day where the Five Element Spirit Nascents will come into existence.”

  The middle-aged man earnestly said, “The secret art of the Five Element Spirit Nascents is a magnificent technique that was originally lost by the sect. Were it not for the Earth Spirit Nascent that Martial Senior unintentionally refined a few years ago, I fear that the sect would still be unable to gather together the Five Element Spirit Nascents. So long as the Spirit Nascents are properly prepared, they are able to merge into a single disciple’s body through the use of a secret technique.

  “Not long from now, our Controlling Spirit Sect will come to suddenly possess five Nascent Soul cultivators, allowing us to contend with the Harmonious Bond Sect for the chief position in the Devil Dao. However, it is a pity that while they will possess a Nascent Soul cultivator’s abilities, they will lack the lifespan of one. As for the Wood Spirit Nascent, it turned out that the Spirit Nascent was truly refined too early. It was the most violent amongst them and was tremendously brutal and difficult to tame. It was reported to have devoured the Nascent Soul of one of our sect’s Nascent Soul cultivators long ago. It would've been extremely difficult to fuse it with a body, so it’s actually rather fortunate that it was the one that was lost.”

  “Hehe! I am well aware. That Wood Spirit Nascent had somewhat managed to gain a consciousness over a thousand years ago. Moreover, it had snuck into the Hidden Scriptures Pavilion and snuck a glance at many secret techniques, allowing it to acquire vast and powerful abilities and escape its restrictions. If there hadn’t been a late Nascent Soul cultivator elder that was standing guard at the time and had he not suppressed it in one fell swoop, a calamity would’ve been unleashed upon this world.

  “However, I reckon that if this Spirit Nascent were to fuse with a disciple, they would possess the abilities of a mid Nascent Soul cultivator. Although it isn’t very likely to occur, it still isn’t something that can easily be given up. It’s rather funny. Not only is it impossible to strengthen the Five Elements Spirit Nascent’s Spiritual Power, but it is actually required to constantly weaken the Spirit Nascent’s cultivation to prevent backlash to the disciple's soul when they merge with it. For that very reason, we sent a party to bring the Wood Spirit Nascent to cleanse its body of gold and wind in Gold Scarce Valley in the State of Yuan Wu.”

  When the middle-aged man heard this, he thought to say something as consolation, but he thought better of it and remained silent with a bitter smile on his face.

  ...

  A month later, Han Li had finally arrived in the State of Xi and returned to his own cave residence. Han Li sighed and placed the woman surnamed Liu inside a meditation room before paying a visit to Mu Peiling.

  Greatly satisfied to see that she was still in secluded cultivation, Han Li decided to pay a visit to the two elders of Drifting Cloud Mountain instead and let them know that he had returned.

  The two Nascent Soul cultivators were happy to see Han Li and asked him what he was doing on his travels. Han Li skirted around the question and merely mentioned that he had killed a few Ghost Spirit Sect and Devilflame Sect Core Formation disciples on his travels. Rather than display any sign of worry, the two Nascent Soul cultivators praised him instead.

  It appeared the two held deep grudges against the Righteous and Devil Dao. The silver-haired old man in particular had been forced to use a secret technique to preserve his life in a previous battle. This had caused great harm to his vitality that still hadn’t recovered, so Han Li’s actions had allowed them to vent their resentments vicariously.

  Han Li felt even more at ease about the matter and had a chat with them for a long while before he returned to his cave residence. On his way back, he began to ponder over how he should deal with the white-clothed beauty.

  When Cultivator Liu slowly awakened, she was absent-minded and her eyes were half opened. When she saw that there was a face so close to her own, she couldn’t help but jump up and walk back until her back hit a wall.

  At that moment, she discovered the owner of the face belonged to a beautiful young woman that was sweetly smiling at her. She glanced around to find herself in a sealed room. There was nothing in the room apart from a circular praying mat.

  The woman happily said, “Fellow Daoist has awakened. If there is nothing wrong, I will be taking you to see Master.”

  Liu Yu’s mind was still fuzzy and she still hadn’t realized what was happening. She hesitantly asked, “Master? Who is he? Where is this place?”

  Silvermoon examined the woman’s startled figure and slowly said, “If you follow me, you’ll have your answers. As for this place, it is the Dreamcloud Mountains in the State of Xi. You should know where that is!”

  After a moment of thought, she immediately realized something and couldn’t help but shout, “Dreamcloud Mountains in the State of Xi? You’re a Heavenly Dao Alliance member!”

  Chapter 669: Liu Yu

  Silvermoon’s eyes flickered and she said, “Fellow Daoist truly is intelligent. This place belongs to the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s Drifting Cloud Sect. You’d best go quickly and not keep my master waiting!”

  “Fine! This young woman also wishes to see this Senior. I will trouble Fellow Daoist to lead the way.” The white-clothed woman was able to quickly regain her calm, showing herself to be an unordinary character.

  Silvermoon faintly smiled and elegantly walked out of the room as the white-clothed cultivator silently followed after her. A short moment later, the two women arrived before a large hall.

  Han Li was sitting in a stone chair, looking a a large, deep-yellow light barrier at the center of the room. It contained a spirit beast that was violently pounding against the barrier to no avail.

  Liu Yu attentively examined the spirit beast and discovered that it appeared like a green bull with scales on its back and hoofs of silver. It was a rarely seen Iron Rhino.

  Although this spirit beast isn’t a remnant of an ancient race, it is an immensely rare spirit beast in the cultivation world. The recently exterminated Fu Clan in the State of Yuan Wu kept such a spirit beast. It was said to have strength to rival a mid Core Formation cultivator. Could it be the same beast?

  If the bull was one and the same, then the person before her was the one who exterminated the Fu Clan.

  Liu Yu grew inwardly fearful of Han Li’s viciousness. There was nothing good that could come from being captured by this Nascent Soul cultivator!

  She was also amazed by Han Li’s youthful appearance. After all, male cultivators rarely cultivated appearance halting techniques. To reach late Nascent Soul stage, one usually appeared middle-aged at the very least. Of course, these “middle-aged” cultivators were often far older than their appearances suggested. It was merely because of their high cultivation that their appearances aged slower. As a result, it wasn’t rare for old men to address a middle-aged cultivator as Martial Uncle or Martial Ancestor.

  At that moment, Silvermoon stood in front of Han Li and solemnly said, “Master, I’ve brought the Fellow Daoist from the Controlling Spirit Sect.”

  Han Li nodded and said, “You may leave.”

  “Yes, Master!” Silvermoon replied to Han Li’s command with a smile and quietly withdrew. They both knew that Silvermoon wouldn’t be able to last much longer in her human form.

  Liu Yu restlessly walked towards Han Li and gracefully saluted him before standing at the side. She revealed a dainty appearance in her deferential and obedient actions.

  Han Li coldly glanced at the woman before turning his gaze to the Iron Rhino inside the light barrier. A sliver of lightning shot from his fingertip, penetrating the barrier and striking the spirit beast.

  The
Iron Rhino’s body sparked with electricity. With a wail, it fell onto its side and its legs began to incessantly twitch as it helplessly remained on the floor.

  Liu Yu’s obedient expression slightly changed upon seeing such a powerful spirit beast being struck down with a single blow, but soon after, she regained her calm. Han Li was able to sense this and could clearly hear that her heartbeat was slightly faster than before.

  At that moment, Han Li’s gaze returned to the white-clothed woman. He calmly asked, “What is your name, Fellow Daoist, and Why were you following me? It is quite understandable if the Devilflame Sect and the Ghost Spirit Sect were to track me down, but I don’t recall ever provoking your Controlling Spirit Sect.”

  Liu Yu was stunned upon hearing Han Li’s question and her expression became slightly warped. She bit her lip and softly replied, “Senior captured our sect’s Wood Spirit Nascent. This little woman had no choice but to follow orders to pursue your tracks. If I’ve offended you, I hope you won’t bring yourself down to my level. I was only following orders.”

  Given the amazing abilities of a Nascent Soul cultivator, this woman clearly understood that if she didn’t speak the truth, her knowledge could be forcefully obtained through a soul scouring technique. She had no intention of having her soul damaged and then turning into an idiot.

  Han Li frowned and immediately recalled the monstrous little silhouette, “Wood Spirit Nascent! You’re talking about that green Demon Nascent?”

  Liu Yu explained with a bitter smile, “That’s right. That is the Spirit Nascent. It was originally refined by our Controlling Spirit Sect with immense care and effort. It is extremely important to our sect, but we didn’t expect that it would manage to flee and end up being capture by you.”

  Han Li’s gaze flickered and he coldly said, “Refined? I originally believed this to be a demon spirit’s incarnation. However, this small thing was truly troublesome. If I hadn’t come along, your group definitely wouldn’t have been able to deal with it.”