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

by Translator: Johnchen

  The old man chuckled, “It was nothing but a slight effort. However, those pursuers took the initiative to retreat before I even had the chance to test my ancient treasure. It was quite disappointing!”

  With trepidation on his face, Bu Yunhe said, “Fellow Daoist’s ancient treasure possesses truly astonishing might. The pursuing spell warriors naturally didn’t wish to encounter you as they felt uncertain of their victory. But it must be said that the current Moulan invasion is far different from the ones in the past. Not only do the spell warriors have far better training, they are supported by ancient, ferocious beasts. These beasts are incredibly huge, with dense rough flesh clad in battle armor. There are also many strange restrictions that are placed on their bodies. When these creatures charge into any grand formations, the grand formation’s destruction will only be a matter of time.”

  A strange expression appeared on Han Li’s face, “Don’t tell me that several Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn’t be able to slay this beast together?” Although he already knew the spell warrior armies brought along huge beasts, he had no idea they would be as unfathomably formidable as this.

  After a moment of thought, Bu Yunhe’s expression relaxed, “With the full might of a strike from my magic treasure, I was able to wound a beast. However, I was jointly attacked by two high grade spell warriors, and was too occupied to slay the beast before it destroyed the grand formation. Fellow Daoist Lu should be able to easily hold this formation with reinforcements from Fellow Daoist Ma and the others. It shouldn’t fall as easily as Sky Terrace Valley.”

  Gu Shuangpu gloomily said, “Fellow Daoist Bu, how many sage level spell warriors are there in this army? If there are few, our force of five Nascent Soul warriors should be able to catch them unprepared. Even if we can’t slay one or two of their Nascent Soul grade spell warriors, we should be able to gravely injure them.”

  Bu Yunhe sighed and said, “I’m afraid I must disappoint Brother Gu. I spotted one of the strange spell warriors that had been earlier described together with two of the sage level spell warriors. While that strange spell warrior didn’t attack, his body carried an extremely strange aura, perhaps due to some transformation. Moreover, I suspect there were more high grade spell warriors hidden amongst their army.”

  The large bald man nodded, “So its seems that we still have much to ponder if they’re hiding their strength. If they are too powerful, we will have to drag them into the grand formation. In any case, our main objective is only to stall for time.”

  Gu Shuangpu frowned, appearing dissatisfied with this decision, but he didn’t press the issue. Neither Han Li or Old Man Ma raised any objections as well.

  As a result, the large bald man had Chong Xuzi lead Bu Yunhe to a meditation room to recover, and had Yingning and the others make arrangements for the routed Sky Terrace Valley cultivators as well added them to the garrison.

  The large man’s thorough arrangements were much to Han Li’s approval. The Nine Nations Union had sent this man to guard this location for a reason.

  At that moment, the rumbling sounds of a drum could be heard from a distance. Additionally, the sounds began to echo like rolls of thunder. Those in the hall grimaced at its appearance.

  Suddenly, a layer of frost seemed to exude from Old Man Ma’s face. With killing intent contained in his voice, he said, “It seems the Moulan have arrived. They were only a step behind us.”

  The large bald man cupped his fist to Han Li and the other two Nascent Soul cultivators, “That’s fine. Let us test them first and see if the army of spell warriors have any formidable characters to speak of. For now, I’ll have to trouble you three Fellow Daoists.” He then turned his head to the two Core Formation cultivators that had arrived with Bu Yunhe, “You two, come and follow us out. As you’ve already fought them before, you should know of a few sinister tricks up their sleeve, and be able to give us a warning.”

  One of the Core Formation cultivators had thick eyebrows and tan skin; the other had a gloomy, horse-shaped face. When they heard the large bald man, they both glanced at each other before promptly saluting him and acknowledging his orders.

  Han Li then turned his head in the direction of the beating drums and expressionlessly gazed into the distance.

  To the south of the Yellow Dragon Mountains, a large number of Moulan spell warriors made their approach. They densely filled the horizon with dots in an orderly arrangement as they flew above the green mist down below them.

  At the very front of the spell warrior army, there were over a dozen people standing side to side. With various spirit lights and treasure auras flickering from their bodies. They were the high grade spell warriors of the Moulan army. Among them, there were three that were particularly eye-catching: a man enveloped in red light with a thick, malevolent flame snake twisting all over his body; a shriveled man as tall as a bamboo pole, appearing as if the very wind could throw him to the ground; and a figure enveloped in black robes. This black-robed figure had covered their face, but a black demonic Qi exuded from their body along with the faint sounds of ghostly wails. This was enough to inspire fear from those around them. Despite this, there were two others that were escorting the black-robed figure. However, the black-robed spell warrior flew alone at the very front of the army as if he didn’t belong to it.

  The other spell warriors turned their eyes away from the black-robed figure as if possessing both fear and awe of him. However, if one were to closely examine them, they could also see a trace of hatred as well.

  Chapter 732: Fire Spirit Flood Dragon

  The two high grade spell warriors at the black figure’s side whispered something as if discussing how to destroy the grand formation ahead of them. Once the two finished their discussion, the oddly tall, shriveled cultivator blurred out of side and reappeared at the side of the black-robed figure while wrapped in azure light.

  “Sir Heavenweep, shall we start? The grand formation here should prove to be more powerful than the last. I’ve also heard that there should be a few Nascent Soul cultivators there. I fear that it will take quite some time.”

  “There is no need for us to attack first.” tThe black-robed spell warrior shook his head. “They have already decided to emerge. Let’s first see how powerful these cultivators are before we decide what to do.” He spoke hoarsely and unclear almost as if he didn’t have a tongue, much to the unease of those who heard him.

  When the lanky spell warrior heard this, he blinked in surprise and glanced down towards the green mist. As expected, a previously still area of the green mist suddenly began to roil and split into two with flickers of light that could be seen from within.

  Soon after, seven streaks of light shot out from within. They circled once around in the sky before revealing themselves — they were the party of five Nascent Soul stage and two Core Formation stage cultivators.

  Under the bald man’s command, there would be no low grade cultivators following them with the exception of the Core Formation cultivators from Sky Terrace Valley and Chong Xuzi.

  Han Li stopped in the air and glanced across the army of spell warriors. Of course, the ten spell warriors leading them had attracted his attention, particularly the sinister black-robed figure. He wasn’t able to stare for long as he unconsciously averted his gaze.

  When he saw this black-robed figure, he was immediately reminded of the Bone Sage, Xiao Cha.

  ‘Could it be this person was also a ghost Dao cultivator?’ Han Li’s heart trembled and he grew vastly more diligent.

  Before the Bone Sage seized Crooked Soul’s body, his material form was dense with Yin and ghostly Qi. However, there was something slightly different with the black-robed figure’s aura that Han Li couldn’t describe for the time being.

  As Han Li and company arrived, the spell warriors above began to stir. The spell warrior with the python wrapped around him suddenly transformed into a huge ball of light as it shot down towards the cultivators. When Han Li and company saw this, they coldly watched
in silence, revealing not a single trace of panic.

  So long as that spell warrior wasn’t seeking his own death, he wouldn’t dare to take the initiative to attack alone. As a result, the group of cultivators simply watched with hostile gazes as the huge fireball arrived twenty meters away from them. The flames emitted a scorching heat even from a distance, to the alarm of the many cultivators before them.

  A silhouette leaked through the flames, followed by a thunderous voice that shook the very air nearby, “I am the Fire Rite Tribe’s Great Sage Ku Yao. Since you’ve arrived, you must be planning to first test our skills. How do you intend to have a competition? One on one? Or a melee?”

  The bald man glared at the fireball and icily replied, “One on one. May the Heavens decide who survives.”

  Ku Yao wildly laughed from within the fireball, “Good, that’s just what I wanted. I will be the first of your opponents. Prepare someone to come forward.”

  The cultivators were furious by this, but Old Man Ma was particularly sullen. With an expression filled with killing intent, his body transformed into a streak of white light and he flew forward. The bald man hesitated for a moment, but he didn’t stop the old man and silently allowed him to be the first to battle.

  From his point of view, he had no idea who amongst them possessed the greatest strength. Of course, he hadn’t considered Han Li, who had just recently entered Nascent Soul stage.

  When Ku Yao saw the streak of white light fly forward, he silently flew back and Old Man Ma followed until they were at the center between the spell warrior army and the green mist. In this manner, both of them would be able to act without any need to hold back or fear of a sudden ambush from either side.

  The bald man turned to look at the horse-faced cultivator and solemnly asked, “What are the abilities of this Moulan Sage? Does he have any particular techniques?”

  A trace of resentment appeared on his face as he answered, “His fire attribute techniques are incredibly powerful. The flame python on his body is particularly nimble as well — it is difficult to defend against. A fellow Core Formation guard of Sky Terrace Valley had been turned to ashes by that python after being caught.”

  “Oh, it was like that!” The bald man then turned to the side and doubtfully said, “Brother Gu, if I remember correctly, the Grand Pavilion’s Grand Righteousness Arts is impervious to heat and flame, not to mention ghosts and wickedness. He should have an advantage against this spell warrior.”

  With a hesitant expression in his eyes, Gu Shuangpu slowly said, “It’s hard to say. If they’re common fire attribute techniques, the Grand Righteousness Arts would be able to deal with them without a problem. But if it’s against a spell warrior’s techniques that display the three essences of worldly spirit flames, I fear it would be beyond the scope of the Grand Righteousness Arts.

  Regardless, Fellow Daoist Ma is still the most suitable among us to fight this person. Even if his Grand Righteous Arts are unable to suppress the flames, they should be able to withstand the devilish influence of the flames. There won’t be any worry of inner demon backlash.”

  When the bald man heard this, he felt his thoughts were certain and he relaxed for a moment before breathing out a long sigh.

  Han Li glanced at the fire python that laid within the huge fireball and he felt his heart stir. With blue light flickering from his eyes, an odd expression was momentarily betrayed from his face.

  At that moment, Old Man Ma held his hands together in an incantation gesture and a layer of soft white light began to glow from his body. At that same moment, he opened his mouth and spat out a silver speck of light the size of a walnut. In a large gust of wind, the silver light transformed into a ruler. It trembled for a moment before flickering with a thousand silver lights and releasing a cry similar to the holiest phoenix of the highest heavens.

  Rather than act, Ku Yao remained still and indifferently glanced at the old man with folded arms with a sneer on his face. This display had inspired fury in Old Man Ma, and he coldly snorted before deciding to take the initiative to attack.

  At that moment, he suddenly heard a faint voice transmission in his ear, so faint it was nearly inaudible but clear nonetheless. Old Man Ma was alarmed by what he heard, and he bewilderedly glanced around before his gaze fell onto Han Li.

  Han Li gently smiled at the old man in response. With both amazement and doubt in mind, he turned his gaze back to Ku Yao and his expression sank.

  Old Man Ma’s gaze flickered several times and he sullenly said, “That fire python of yours isn’t an ordinary spirit beast!”

  Ku Yao paused for a moment before sneering, “Oh? So you have some judgement after all. My fire python is formed from a worldly fire spirit. It isn’t comparable to a spirit beast in the slightest.”

  His body trembled for a moment and the fire python on his body brightly shined with red light before taking to the skies. A horn suddenly emerged from the python’s head and fierce claws grew from its body, revealing its form to be a fire flood dragon with sparkling red scales. It roiled in a fierce display as it flew above Ku Yao’s head.

  “Transformed fire spirit!” The bald man couldn’t help but shout from his alarm. As for Gu Shuangpu, his expression grew unsightly.

  Old Man Ma felt his heart drop. His opponent’s flame techniques had reached a stage where he could refine and transform fire spirits. This wasn’t something an ordinary Nascent Soul stage spell warrior was capable of. There was going to be a fierce battle ahead of him.

  With that thought, Old Man Ma erased his original plan of only using seventy percent of his strength to fight the enemy. He took a deep breath and widely swept his sleeve, summoning an item that was wrapped in a rainbow glow. It circled once around his head and stopped a meter above it.

  At that moment, the cultivators below and the spell warriors in the distance both watched with curiosity. A treasure that was able to flicker with rainbow light was likely something of exceptional quality.

  Han Li also glanced at this item. The item was round and slim, a meter-long faintly yellow scroll. The scroll faced Ku Yao and slowly unrolled itself as Old Man Ma began to gravely chant a incantation. As a result, the scroll revealed a drawing of an ordinary eight trigram diagram.

  Old Man Ma then struck the scroll with a seemingly basic spell seal and had the scroll shine brightly, suddenly releasing astonishing fluctuations from the diagram.

  When Ku Yao saw these fluctuations, he knew things were far from good and immediately pointed at the old man. The fire flood dragon floating above his head suddenly opened its mouth and spouted an unending stream of scarlet flames, instantly engulfing Old Man Ma and the eight trigram diagram in a sea of flames.

  Chapter 733: Supreme Eight Trigrams Diagram

  The bald man and the others wore an anxious expression when they saw the Old Man Ma enveloped the flames. However, they all secretly knew that Old Man Ma had taken out the scroll for a reason.

  Sure enough, Old Man Ma was standing safely within the sea of flames. His hands were formed in an incantation gesture and the scroll was rolled out in front of him. Then in pulsing white light and roaring gales, a pillar of white wind emerged from the scroll, surging around an area over thirty meters around him. The sea of flames surrounding him had been mostly swept away with ease. Then with a furious howl from Old Man Ma, a streak of silver light shot out from the pillar of wind, directly striking at Ku Yao without any concern for the flood dragon floating above him.

  It seemed that Old Man Ma clearly understood that so long as he could injure Ku Yao, the spirit-connected fire flood dragon would greatly decrease in might.

  Curling the corner of his mouth, Ku Yao waved his arm, releasing a translucent flying saber that shined with brilliant, scarlet light from his palm. The saber instantly moved to block the silver streak and collided with it in midair, resulting in an an equal clash as red and silver light intertwined.

  When Ku Yao saw this, a cold glint appeared in his eye. With a flip of hi
s hands, he summoned two red inch-large flags into his grasp before tossing them into the air. In a burst of wind, they instantly grew to three meters tall.

  Following a cryptic incantation from Ku Yao, red light suddenly glowed from the flags and two thick columns of flame erupted, converging onto the fire flood dragon’s horn — giving rise to a large cloud of weak flames nearby.

  “Go!” Ku Yao ceased his incantation and puffed a mist of red Qi onto the fire flood dragon above him. With roused spirits, the flood dragon roared with delight before charging into the fire cloud, turning it crimson and causing it to roil. But soon, it began to rapidly shrink.

  Down below, Han Li narrowed his eyes at the sight of this with pupils glowing blue. Through the Brightsight Spirit Eyes, he was able to astonishedly discover that the fire dragon hiding inside the cloud was breathing in the fire cloud with reckless abandon.

  In the blink of an eye, the fire cloud was cleanly devoured and the flood dragon rapidly increased in size, raising to over thirty meters in height. With its head the size of a small building and its bared fangs, it appeared truly malevolent.

  At that moment, the surging white pillar of wind had entirely blown away the sea of flames, revealing only Old Man Ma who stood inside it.

  As he held the eight trigram scroll in his hands, he coldly watched the tremendous flood dragon for only a moment before wordlessly flinging the scroll into the air. The scroll then shot into the sky in a streak of rainbow light and promptly disappeared into the skies above, as if attempting to reach its farthest reaches.

  Ku Yao blinked in astonishment. In his hesitation, he suddenly sensed a series of odd spiritual Qi fluctuations from above him. Slivers of rainbow light then began to shine down from the sky, revealing a hundred-meter-wide eight trigram formation enveloped entirely in rainbow light. It directly shot down from the sky without any resistance.