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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Once that was said an astonishing pressure was released, causing the nearby cultivators to recoil in shock. A few of the cultivators with shallower cultivation felt as if the world itself now weighed down on them, and they fell onto their knees.

  The two Core Formation cultivators that happened to pass by fared somewhat better but their bodies were also shaken. One of them became panic-stricken and they cried out, “Nascent Soul cultivator! Senior, you...”

  Chapter 683: Two Choices

  Han Li turned his head and coldly glanced at the two Core Formation cultivators that were passing by, causing them to immediately swallow their words. He didn’t recognize the two middle-aged cultivators, nor did he know which sect they belonged to.

  At that moment, the shopkeeper and his two assistants had already been thoroughly forced to the ground due to their close proximity to the immense spiritual pressure. They were incapable of moving in the slightest, seeming panic-stricken, only to grow even more terrified upon hearing that Han Li was a Nascent Soul cultivator. They hurriedly tried to beg for forgiveness, but they could barely even gasp for air, let alone speak.

  The surrounding cultivators all paled, while a few of the more cowardly ones had already fled in fear of being implicated.

  Han Li showed consideration for Sun Huo, and the pressure had little effect on him apart from his initial recoil. But once he recognized Han Li, his expression changed before he deeply saluted him and said, “Disciple Sun Huo pays his respects to Martial Ancestor Han.”

  Paying no further attention to the three men in front of him, Han Li turned around and looked at the half-torn talisman in Sun Huo’s hand. He nodded his head and said, “It seems there is no need for introductions. You already know of my identity.”

  When Sun Huo recalled the rude words he spoke to Han Li at the sacred area, he felt greatly worried and humbly apologized with sincerity, “Disciple was unaware of Martial Ancestor’s true form. I hope he will forgive disciple’s arrogant words.”

  Han Li looked at Sun Huo and slowly said, “I had yet to become a sect elder at that time, so of course I won’t blame you. However, that torn talisman of yours seems to have something to do with me.”

  Sun Huo was stunned as something suddenly came to mind. He joyfully said, “Could this ruined talisman be...”

  Han Li waved and cut him off, “Leave this matter for later.” Han Li’s eyes then narrowed as he gazed at a silver streak of light flying across the sky.

  The only cultivators that were allowed to fly in Soaring Heavens City were obviously the Nine Nations Union protectors. They were responsible for keeping order during the entire duration of the trade fair.

  Sun Huo didn’t dare to speak any further and obediently stood still in place. However, his heart was brimming with uncontainable excitement, and his grasp on the talisman paper grew even more careful.

  At that moment, the streak of light arrived before Han Li to reveal a yellow-haired old man possessing mid Core Formation cultivation. A small golden sword was embroidered on his chest, the emblem of an enforcer.

  The old man could sense Han Li’s astonishing pressure from a distance. However, this area laid within his jurisdictions. Even if there was a Nascent Soul cultivator showing their might, he had no choice but to confront them.

  Once the old man spotted Han Li motionlessly standing on the road, he saluted him and said, “Junior is an enforcer of Soaring Heavens City, Wu Fei. I am unaware as to why Senior is angry. Might I ask how I can help?” Given the vast disparity in their cultivation, it was only natural for the enforcer to speak respectfully.

  Hands behind his back, Han Li indifferently said, “It’s not much. I was merely walking through the street when I heard this shopkeeper speak a few words about our Drifting Cloud Sect. Therefore, I merely wished for him to repeat what he said.”

  “Ah! The shopkeeper certainly spouted nonsense. How dare they offend Senior? You three, hurry up and apologize.” The old man felt an immense headache upon hearing Han Li. When the matter pertained to a sect’s reputation, it was hard to say how severe the matter was. As such, he first offered a word of appeasement before rebuking the shopkeeper and his associates.

  Han Li immediately withdrew his spiritual pressure, allowing the three to tremblingly crawl up from the ground. With a bloodless complexion, the shopkeeper immediately said, “Senior, Junior’s words were completely mistaken. Junior truly meant no disrespect to your sect. Just now that Fellow Daoist had ruined a firecloud talisman, but Junior will no longer be pursuing any compensation. Junior can only offer his apologies.”

  When Han Li heard this, he frowned and his expression grew gloomy. With a sinister smile, Han Li said, “What? You believe that I will let you off so easily? First let me take a look at the firecloud talisman in that box. If it truly was refined by a grandmaster, I will pay the spirit stones on this disciple’s behalf. But if it isn’t, hehe...”

  The shopkeeper reacted quickly and hurriedly spoke before Han Li could glance at the wooden box, “There is no need Senior! That firecloud talisman is an ordinary talisman. Junior accepts any punishment!”

  Han Li said nothing further and took a glance at the enforcer.

  When the old man saw this, he knew what to do. He immediately bowed and said, “Please be at ease Senior. This shopkeeper will be heavily punished for his transgressions. Senior may hand this matter over to me.”

  “Since that’s the case, then so be it. I don’t have the leisure to handle such a petty affair. Sun Huo, you’ll be coming with me!” Han Li’s body blurred, and reappeared at Sun Huo’s side. Then with flashes of blinding yellow light, the two disappeared into the ground.

  The cultivators nearby yelped in admiration at such a marvelous earth movement technique. They hadn’t seen such a thing before.

  Upon seeing Han Li depart, the old man immediately felt relieved. But when he glanced at the three offenders who were heaving large sighs of relief, his expression grew icy, “You three will follow me and tell me the truth about everything that happened. This matter won’t be forgiven so easily.”

  When the shopkeeper heard this, his relief instantly turned to misery.

  A moment after this exchange, Han Li appeared with Sun Huo in a flash of yellow light inside a secluded stone building.

  Han Li deeply glanced at Sun Huo and said, “Here will be fine. Let me take a look at that torn piece of talisman paper.”

  “Yes, Martial Ancestor!” Sun Huo presented the torn talisman paper to Han Li without any hesitation.

  Han Li took the talisman paper and quickly glanced at it before silently taking out the other half. Under Sun Huo’s unwavering gaze, Han Li put the two halves together and found that they matched without a single flaw.

  Sun Huo’s deepest fear disappeared without a trace before he deeply saluted Han Li without any hesitation, “Sun Huo pays his respect to Master.”

  Han Li calmly nodded his head and turned the talisman paper to ash with a flicker of red light. Sun Huo was startled by the sight but immediately calmed down. Han Li found the youth’s willpower to be satisfactory.

  Han Li calmly asked, “It seems you’re a descendant of Sun Ergou, but don’t go calling me Master in such a hurry. First, how about telling me what generation descendant you are?”

  Sun Huo immediately relied, “I am a seventh generation descendant of the ancestor.”

  “During that year, Sun Ergou pledged that the Sun Clan that he raised would hold me as their master [1], but because of a few peculiar matters, I had to leave the Heavenly South. As such, the Sun Clan has never truly served me nor have I offered the Sun Clan any protection. Now that a descendant of the Sun Clan has successfully entered the cultivation world, that pledge may no longer hold. But since I had some relation to your ancestor, I will give you two choices.”

  Han Li smirked and calmly continued, “The first option is that I directly give you some good cultivation supplies, such as medicine pills and magic tools. From then on, there will be n
o relation between us. Don’t hold any hope that I will show any further consideration towards you. The other choice is that you fulfill the pledge of your ancestor and serve me as my retainer. I would in turn place a restriction on your body to prevent you from betraying me. Also, I will assign you tasks that will be potentially dangerous. However, I will also do my utmost to increase your cultivation and provide you with cultivation guidance. There will be benefits far beyond your imagination and so long as your aptitude isn’t too poor, there may be hope of you achieving Core Formation.”

  Once this was said, Sun Huo’s expression wavered and he appeared to be at a complete loss for a moment. It was clear that this scenario was far from what he had expected.

  After a long while, Sun Huo’s expression grew resolute, “Martial Ancestor, I...”

  Han Li abruptly interrupted Sun Huo and said, “There is no need to rush. Give me your answer once the trade fair ends. Consider this an opportunity for you to make certain of your decision. Take this time to make careful deliberations and you find me at my cave residence once you return to the State of Xi.”

  Sun Huo felt that this was a rather generous proposal after some further thought and hastily agreed, “Disciple will do as you command. Many thanks for your understanding, Martial Ancestor!”

  “Good. Now, that that’s taken care of I have other matters to attend to. Look after yourself!” Han Li nodded with a relaxed expression and disappeared in a flash of yellow light.

  Sun Huo didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he muttered to himself for a long while and sighed before slowly walking out.

  By the time Sun Huo was leaving, Han Li had already returned to his residence and raised his head to look at the night sky while a strange expression slowly surfaced on his face.

  Chapter 684: Ancient Puppets

  Mu Peiling was currently seated in the first floor of their pavilion when Han Li arrived. When she saw him, she immediately stood up and greeted him with bright eyes and a graceful curtsey.

  Han Li waved his arm and had her stand, “There is no need to wait on me when I’m not around. During the trade fair it will be inconvenient for me to be with you, so you may do as you wish. Keep this on hand. If you encounter something important or dangerous, just pour your spiritual power into it. Not only will it cover you in a spirit barrier, but I will also know your exact location so long as you are within five hundred kilometers.”

  Han Li then took out a pair of blue jade ornaments and handed one over to her.

  Mu Peiling blushed slightly and whispered, “Many thanks, my Lord!” She then took the jade ornament and hung it at her waist.

  After telling Mu Peiling that he was turning in for the night, Han Li walked up to the second floor.

  Once she saw Han Li had disappeared from sight, she glanced at the jade ornament on her waist and wore a complicated expression.

  Han Li casually picked a room and began meditating on the bed. After two hours of rest, he opened his eyes and glanced out the window before muttering a few words to himself, “It’s just about time. I should go and pay a visit.”

  Han Li silently left the pavilion and headed directly to a familiar area of Soaring Heavens City. He arrived shortly after at the building that he had previously visited.

  He stared at the silver signboard with “Crystal Dragon Pavilion” written in gold as he rubbed his chin and glanced into the pitch-black interior before promptly heading inside.

  Just as Han Li entered the building, the entire room suddenly brightened. Sitting at the end of a long table, Daoist Heavencrystal smiled at Han Li and said, “Welcome Fellow Daoist! You honor my pavilion with your presence once more, and you’re right on time. I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Han to be such a punctual character. ”

  “Since I’m the one that took the initiative to make the appointment, how could I be late? Judging by Daoist Heavencrystal’s appearance, it appeared as if you’ve waited for some time. You gave me quite the scare!” Han Li swept his arm and an invisible force gently closed the door behind him.

  Daoist Heavencrystal chuckled and said, “After you left, you suddenly sent a voice transmission saying that you have more soul stones. Were you telling the truth?” The old Daoist narrowed his eyes in doubt as he spoke.

  Han Li replied by simply slapping his storage pouch and taking out a green gem that was just as large as the one he took out earlier in the day. It was glistening and emitted an astonishing Yin Qi while Han Li gazed at the old Daoist in silence.

  After seeing how Han Li took out a soul stone of a similar grade as the one from before, his face revealed a trace of excitement and he impatiently said, “It’s clear that you were telling the truth. If Brother Han has even more soul stones of this quality, this humble Daoist is willing to buy all of them from you. Spirit stones, materials, please don’t hesitate to name your conditions!”

  “Daoist Heavencrystal, don’t be so hasty. I definitely plan on trading soul stones with you, but before that, I wish to ask you two questions. So long as you answer them to my satisfaction, consider the soul stone yours.” Han Li casually tossed the soul stone over to the Daoist Heavencrystal as he finished speaking.

  Daoist Heavencrystal caught the soul stone with slight surprise as he stared at the item, bewildered. After a long moment of silence, he sighed and said, “Fellow Daoist truly acts magnanimously! It seems the questions won’t be simple. So long as I am able to answer, this humble Daoist will be certain to satisfy you.” Once that was said, Daoist Heavencrystal carefully put away the soul stone and recovered his calm expression.

  “Since you’ve agreed, I’ll be blunt. Do you have any information on Auric Essence? When I mentioned this information during the exchange, your expression grew odd. You seem to know something.”

  Maintaining a calm expression, Daoist Heavencrystal slowly replied, “That’s right, this humble Daoist does have some information on Auric Essence. However, this information isn’t reliable and as such I was unable to make the trade earlier. If Fellow Daoist Han truly wishes to know, I can tell you.”

  “Even if the information is inaccurate, I still wish to hear it. Please, go ahead.” Although Han Li had predicted this would be the case, he smiled nevertheless.

  “Even if I don’t say anything, Fellow Daoist will come to know this in a few days. According to my old friend, the manager of an auction house, there is a chunk of auric essence that will be put up for auction for the duration of the trade meet. However, it seems that the owner of the Auric Essence only wishes to trade it for another item. Since they’ve yet to officially put it up for action, the matter is still uncertain. However, if the Auric Essence is truly put up for auction, those sword cultivation sects would be willing to spend their entire fortunes to acquire it. Fellow Daoist’s hopes of acquiring it are truly poor!”

  Han Li’s happy expression was gradually replaced by a wry smile, “While a three thousand year old Scarlet Essence Mushroom might be worth a hundred thousand spirit stones, something as rare as a chunk of auric essence should be valued at several hundred thousand. If put up for auction, that cost could double.”

  He was still aware of his limitations. Although he possessed plenty of wealth, he couldn’t compare with entire sects.

  After that was said, there was slight change in Han Li’s thoughts. He calmly said, “Regardless, I must thank Fellow Daoist for the information. Knowing this, I have the chance to prepare some more spirit stones in advance. Ah yes, would Fellow Daoist happen to know the identity of the owner of the Auric Essence? I wish to pay them a visit ahead of time.”

  The old Daoist twirled his long beard and smiled, “I am not sure of their identity. I only know that this person is a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Nine Nations Union. They are currently staying at a small mountain to the west of the city. If Fellow Daoist makes the attempt, it shouldn’t be too hard to find them.”

  “Many thanks for Fellow Daoist’s information. That will be enough information with regards to the Auric Essence. F
or my next question, I wish for Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal to tell me about those soul stones.”

  The old Daoist’s amiable expression instantly changed upon hearing Han Li. With bright, flickering eyes, he sullenly asked, “Fellow Daoist, what do you mean? This humble Daoist doesn’t entirely understand.”

  Han Li unwaveringly gazed at the old Daoist and said, “I won’t conceal that I also understand a bit about puppet refinement. Moreover, I found some ancient puppet remains from an ancient cultivator’s cave residence and it was within those remains that I found these soul stones. If I guessed correctly, these soul stones should be crucial for how ancient cultivators refined puppets. From how you are gathering these soul stones, it seems like that you’ve acquired a method to refine ancient puppets, and you plan on personally refining some particularly powerful ones. Am I correct? If that is the case, could you tell me more about it?”

  In the same instant he said those words, Han Li had immediately grew vigilant. Although it was unlikely, Han Li put himself on guard in case the old Daoist suddenly launched an attack.

  When Daoist Heavencrystal heard this, his face became expressionless and his eyes became exceptionally cold. He then stared at Han Li in silence.

  Han Li became particularly careful once he saw the old cultivator’s reaction, but his expression still remained calm. He slapped his storage pouch and he took out a palm-sized jade box. He then opened the jade box and slid it across the table to the old Daoist, revealing two soul stones that were even larger than the ones from before.

  Daoist Heavencrystal’s icy expression was eventually broken with excitement. With an astonished expression, he gloomily asked, “How did you acquire such large soul stones? Do you have more?”

  When Han Li heard this, he smiled at Daoist Heavencrystal but said nothing.

  The old Daoist responded to his silence by saying, “Humph! I can answer your question, but in exchange, you must tell me how you acquired these soul stones.”

  “That’s not a problem!” Han Li had already anticipated this would happen and instantly replied.