Han Li frowned. Although the sword streaks struck, they were ineffective.
With a rustle of wind, two forty-meter-long horned yellow dragons flew out from the ground and shot towards the bald cultivator. They then surrounded the bald cultivator and continuously revolved around him as if to protect him.
“This is? Han Li was amazed to discover the two fearsome yellow dragons were entirely formed from earth. They appeared as if they were truly alive. This lifelike aura seemed to originate from the yellow pellet on top of their heads. It pulsed with light, releasing a demonic yellow radiance.
“Hehe! Your esteemed self will be the first to witness the might of my constrained spirit beasts. Go!” The bald spell warrior furiously smiled and struck the earth dragons with yellow spell seals. The dragons subsequently charged towards Han Li with overbearing force.
Han Li furrowed his brow and lightly sighed. He opened his mouth and spat out a sliver of Celestial Ice Flames. The sliver of flames split into two even thinner flames and accurate struck the heads of each of the earth dragons.
The flames crackled and instantly enveloped the earth dragons in a layer of ice. The ice sculptures stopped ten meters in front of Han Li before dropping towards the earth.
Then with a flash of azure light, there were two clear explosions. The two frozen earth dragons had been easily shattered by two sword streaks that Han Li flung. Afterwards, he raised his hand and calmly summoned the two yellow pellets into his hand. He took a glance at them before placing them into his storage pouch.
Han Li leisurely said, “What other abilities do you have? Please don’t hesitate to use them. I wish to see the true might of the spell warriors’ spirit techniques!”
Silence looked over the yellow clouds for a moment as the spell warrior was shocked to the core at Han Li’s effortless disposal of his two earth dragons.
A moment later, the spell warrior’s sullen voice suddenly left the yellow clouds, “What sect do you come from? Might I know of your distinguished name? You don’t seem to match the description of any better known cultivators. Don’t tell me you also entered Nascent Soul stage in the last hundred years?” The last question was uttered with a savage tone.
“I am a nameless individual. If I said my name, you wouldn’t know of it. Since Fellow Daoist doesn’t intend to attack, I won’t be polite.” Han Li’s expression grew sullen and he slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist, releasing countless glistening golden flying insects into the air. They were the pure Gold Devouring Beetles that Han Li had meticulously nurtured.
This would be the first time that Han Li would be using them against an enemy. He wished to test how effective they would be against a Nascent Soul stage opponent.
“Gold Devouring Beetles! You actually possess them? And so many!?” Much to Han Li’s surprise, the yellow-robed spell warrior shouted the name of these insects with a voice of terror before Han Li could order the attack.
Without another word, the yellow-robed cultivator turned around and tore through the skies as a streak of yellow light. His swiftness had caused Han Li to hesitate and abandon the idea of pursuing him.
He wasn’t confident in being able to exterminate a Nascent Soul cultivator that was wholeheartedly focused on fleeing. Once a Nascent Soul manifested, even the lightning movement technique was lacking in speed to match it.
However, the bald spell warrior was able to recognize his Gold Devouring Beetles despite having somewhat inferior cultivation. It was truly shocking.
Although he felt somewhat puzzled, Han Li dropped the matter and recalled his still untested Spirit Beast Pouch. Afterwards, he slowly flew towards the Core Formation cultivators with a calm expression.
Before the Han Li drew close to them, the fat old man took the initiative to fly forward and deeply saluted him, “Many thanks for your assistance, Senior! Might Junior know your esteemed name? Junior is Yellow Maple Valley’s Lei Wanhe. We cannot thank you enough!”
In addition to Nie Yan who had introduced herself before, the others began to salute Han Li as well with gratitude and respect.
“The Giant Sword Sect’s Shi Qiyun, Masked Moon Sect’s Tang Minghua, Heavenly Imperial Fortress’ Qian Huan pays their respects to Senior.”
Chapter 709: Lei Wanhe’s Shock
“Senior!” Han Li stroked his chin and wore an odd expression on his face.
The fat old man was the “Senior Martial Uncle Lei” who had exchanged medicinal herbs for pill formulas. Although he was merely observing the common customs of the cultivation world, Han Li couldn’t help but find this action odd.
As for the gorgeous woman named Nie Yan, he had only met her once as “Senior Martial Sister Nie” before when she had protected the Murong Brothers from “Senior Martial Brother Lu” back during his time at Yellow Maple Valley [1]. Although Han Li didn’t have much of a relationship with her, he had heard much of her aptitude and her beauty both external and within. Back in the past, there had been countless male disciples that had admired her. He didn’t expect that after so many years, she would form a golden core.
Han Li remained silent and examined both Lei Wanhe and Nie Yan with a complicated expression. As this occurred, Lei Wanhe felt puzzled.
Not only did this “Senior” appear excessively young, for some unknown reason, Lei Wanhe found his face somewhat familiar as if he had saw him before. This had come as a shock to him and he began to feel apprehensive.
As Nie Yan looked at Han Li, bewilderment suddenly appeared from deep within her eyes.
Han Li was disinclined from wasting any more time with this silent display and eventually said, “It seems Martial Uncle Lei truly doesn’t remember me. However, the pill formulas Martial Uncle gave to me during that year had been of great help to me.”
When Lei Wanhe heard Han Li call him Martial Uncle, his jaw dropped and found himself at a loss for words. But after he heard him mention pill formulas, he suddenly recalled something and began to astonishedly stutter, “Martial Uncle? Pill formulas! You... You’re...” [2]
When the others heard this, they were also dumbstruck. This Nascent Soul Senior had actually called Lei Wanhe “Martial Uncle”. This had truly sent their minds spiralling into confusion.
But when Nie Yan heard him, she amazedly examined Han Li once more before saying, “You’re Martial Uncle Li’s disciple, Han Li... Junior Martial Brother Han?” The woman’s voice was filled with disbelief.
Han Li felt genuine surprise, “I didn’t expect that Fellow Daoist Nie would remember me.”
While Han Li was unknown during Qi Condensation stage due to his low profile and meager cultivation, truly few knew of him. But ever since he survived the [trial by blood and fire] and successfully became Li Huayuan’s disciple after entering Foundation Establishment, many shrewd individuals had taken notice of him. This “Senior Martial Sister Nie” was one of them.
Once the Six Devilish Dao Sects invaded the State of Yue, his reputation surged throughout lower grade disciples from his achievements in killing so many similar grade Devil Dao cultivators. Although she hadn’t seen his face since then, he had left a deep impression on her. With Han Li’s appearance exactly the same as before, she recalled the famous Junior martial brother Han from the past and unconsciously shouted out his name in shock.
“You truly are Martial Nephew Han!” Lei Wanhe felt his throat turn dry and his mind grew blank.
It was said that any strange events could happen in the cultivation world. Outstanding disciples rising to the same status as a senior was a common occurrence, but for a Foundation Establishment Junior to suddenly reappear at Nascent Soul stage was something that brought an individual as experienced as Lei Wanhe into a stupor.
Han Li glanced around and calmly said, “Martial Uncle Lei, there is no need to be so surprised. However, this isn’t the place to talk. Let’s have a chat as we travel instead.”
Lei Wanhe’s expression wavered several times before bitterly chuckling, “I don’t dare to accept the ti
tle as Martial Uncle. Since Senior Han has already entered Nascent Soul sage, I am your Junior.” His words still preserved the same respect from the very start.
Regardless of Han Li’s identity in the past, his current cultivation was far beyond his own. He didn’t dare to be addressed with such an inappropriate title.
The other three cultivators finally realized the relationship between Han Li and Wan Tianhe. After glancing at each other in dismay, weird expressions appeared on each of their faces.
Han Li didn’t pay this much heed. After a moment of silence, he nodded his head, “Since Fellow Daoist Lei says this, I won’t be polite. Let us immediately depart from here. Your speed is all rather slow, so I will be bringing you.
Once that was said, Han Li slapped his storage pouch and a small, exquisite item appeared in his hand. Once he flung it into the air, a squarish item appeared before them in a flash of red light.
Under control of spell seals, the Wind Riding Chariot quickly grew larger and appeared over thirty meters wide.
“Get in the chariot!” Han Li bluntly ordered them. Lei Wanhe and the others naturally didn’t have any objections and they all flew into the chariot with a blur.
Once Han Li stepped onto the Wind Riding Chariot, he began to infuse the chariot with his spiritual power. After gently trembling for a moment, it tore through the skies as a streak of white light. With its exceeding speed, it disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.
The speed of the Wind Riding Chariot delighted the others. At this speed, the spell warriors wouldn’t be able to pursue them, relieving them of worry that was on their minds.
As Han Li drove the Wind Riding Chariot, he casually asked, “Fellow Daoists, the State of Fengyuan should’ve already fallen into the grasp of the spell warriors. Why were you there and how did you come to be blocked by a Nascent Soul spell warrior? If that area weren’t so remote, it wouldn’t have been easy to escape even if I took action.”
When the five heard this, they glanced at each other with various expression. The clear leader of their party, Lei Wanhe, hesitated for a moment before answering, “Senior might not know this, but we didn’t act out of our free will. We were under orders from the Nine Nations Union to carry-out an important task. As a result, we were occupied for several days and were present during the Moulan invasion.
Helpless, we could only choose a remote route and fly back, however, we encountered a few low grade spell warriors along the way and had no choice but to kill them. But who could’ve possibly known that there was a Nascent Soul spell warrior that was located nearby. Just as we finished killing the last low grade spell warrior, we were discovered by the old eccentric and were chased down.
Although we knew we weren’t a match, if we scattered, we would’ve only met our end sooner, so we could only do our utmost. It was only by a fluke that Senior Han came our way, else we would’ve met our end.”
As Lei Wanhe spoke with gratitude, he examined this “Martial Nephew Han”. To tell the truth, he still felt as if all that happened was a dream.
When Han Li heard this, he lost interest and indifferently grunted. A short moment later, he then asked, “Fellow Daoist Lei, is my master Li Huayuan still doing well?”
As there was no point in concealing the matter, Lei Wanhe honestly answered, “Senior Han, Junior martial brother Li died a hundred years ago in the war with the Moulan spell warriors. As for his wife, she wasn’t able to form a golden core and reached the end of her lifespan.”
Han Li was slightly shaken by his words and revealed a trace of sadness. He then asked, “Were my Fellow Martial Brothers and Sisters able to form a golden core?”
Lei Wanhe sighed and said, “No, although three of Junior martial brother Li’s disciples had exceptional aptitude and entered false core stage, they weren’t fated to form a golden core.”
Han Li grew silent for a moment. The appearances of Yu Kun, Song Meng, Zhong Weiniang, and the others appeared through his mind. Past events slowly began to appear.
A moment later, he took a deep breath. Since his Martial Brothers and Sisters were unable to form a golden core, he didn’t further ask about them. It was likely that they died during meditation. His time spent at Yellow Maple Valley seemed as if it had all happened in an old dream.
At that moment, Nie Yan suddenly said, “Senior Han, would you happen to be interested in rejoining Yellow Maple Valley?”
Han Li raised his brow and immediately answered, “Return to Yellow Maple Valley? I have no such interest. I’ve already become an elder of the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s Drifting Cloud Sect, and I am satisfied there.”
Disappointment appeared from Nie Yan’s expression and Lei Wanhe’s expression wavered.
As for the other three, they didn’t dare to speak as they were unfamiliar with Han Li.
After a moment of hesitation, Nie Yan then asked, “Would Senior happen to recognize Xiao Cui’er?”
Han Li was stunned for a moment. He asked with an odd expression, “Xiao Cui’er [3]? Of course I do, you know that little girl?” At that same moment, the appearance of that young, strange-spirited girl came to mind.
Chapter 710: Information on Nangong Wan
Han Li had a deep impression of the young girl he had recommended to join Yellow Maple Valley. But soon after, he recalled the small old man that had accepted her as a disciple, Senior Martial Brother Ma. When Han Li recalled him, he felt a trace of sadness.
That small old man couldn’t have formed a golden core given his age, but he was the one who Han Li shared the deepest friendship with at Yellow Maple Valley. Odds were that he already passed away.
With both feigned annoyance and delight, she faintly smiled and said, “Little girl! Junior Martial Sister Xiao is no longer some little girl. She is already married and entered Core Formation stage several tens of years ago.”
Once Han Li recovered from his surprise, he smiled and said, “Oh, she also entered Core Formation? Now that is surprising.”
Nie Ying gently said, “I have heard Junior Martial Sister Xiao speak several times about how Senior drew her into the sect. Junior martial sister Xiao always felt deep gratitude and concern for Senior Han.”
Han Li’s smile faded away and he insipidly said, “At the time, I simply introduced her to Senior martial brother Ma because her aptitude was good, nothing more. It is now only a matter of the past.”
Nie Yan and Lei Wanhe could only bitterly smile at each other in silence at her failed efforts in an attempt to make Han Li rejoin the sect.
As for the reason why Han Li was unwilling to rejoin, the two could guess. During the year the core disciples joined the Nine Nations Union, since Han Li wasn’t amongst them because he was but a minor Foundation Establishment disciple, he was grouped up to be bait and was abandoned. It was no wonder why he felt so detached towards Yellow Maple Valley and had no intention of returning.
As the two had nothing better to say, Han Li suddenly asked the middle-aged Masked Moon cultivator, “Did you have a female cultivator by the name of Nangong Wan? How is she now?” Han Li’s voice suddenly grew gloomy.
The middle-aged man named Tang Minghua was surprised and he soon respectfully replied, “Ah! Senior knows Martial Aunt Nangong? She is currently overseeing the sect and is doing well.”
In Han Li’s shock, he wasn’t able to conceal a trace of joy, “Martial Aunt? She already entered Nascent Soul stage?”
“Martial Aunt Nangong successfully entered Nascent Soul stage over a hundred years ago, and she is now an elder of our sect. Is Senior an old friend of Martial Aunt Nangong?”
Han Li sighed and his eyes became dim, “Old friend? It could be considered so. I received great kindness from your Martial Aunt in the past, and I’ve always wanted to meet her again. It’s a shame that I was occupied with so many matters over the year and I’ve never had the opportunity.”
“Hehe! Although Martial Aunt Nangong rarely sees guests, Senior should be able to easily see her. In three months, Mart
ial Aunt Nangong will marry the Flowing Mind Sect’s Elder Wei, and their Dao Companion Ceremony will officiallize them as pair cultivators. This celebration originally only invited high grade cultivators of the Nine Nations Union, but since Senior is her old friend, he will certainly...”
Han Li felt his mind buzz and he couldn’t hear anything else the middle-aged man said. He suddenly faced the Masked Moon Sect cultivator and coldly asked, “Dao Companion Ceremony?”
“Yes, she plans on marrying Elder Wei Lichen of the Flowing Mind Sect, who formed a Nascent Soul three hundred years ago and possesses profound abilities. He is a cultivation genius who didn’t come from the Heavenly South. Both of our sects spent much effort to make this matter possible.”
Han Li’s icy expression frightened the middle-aged cultivator. All kinds of strange thoughts began to well up inside him but under Han Li’s freezing gaze, he couldn’t help but continue to speak.
Lei Wanhe and the others revealed an odd expression. Even an idiot could tell that the relationship between Han Li and Nangong Wan wasn’t so simple! Why else would Han Li have such a strong reaction upon hearing this?
Must to the others’ surprise, Han Li’s icy expression lasted only a moment more before suddenly disappearing. With a gentle tone, he said, “There is no need for Fellow Daoist Tang to be afraid. I have no evil intentions. I merely heard that an old love of mine is about to become someone else’s woman and I became somewhat restless. Now that I know of this matter, I will naturally have to celebrate my good friend’s ceremony.”
The middle-aged cultivator sighed in relief at seeing Han Li so calm and repeatedly uttered words of welcome.
However, Han Li only replied with a slight smile.
The others in the chariot were also relieved. After all, the Six Sects of Yue were now practically one united existence. They didn’t wish for anything to happen to one another.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 380