Tempering additional materials into completed magic treasures wasn’t a complicated task. However, it was rather pressing to do this is only in a month. Han Li could only sit down and do his utmost to temper his swords until they could form a minor version of the Grand Aureate Sword Formation, allowing him to battle against a late Nascent Soul-stage cultivator.
As for the person who placed the Soul Seal Curse on Nangong Wan, he should most likely be the Yin Sifting Sect Master. He needed to acquire the method of dissolving the curse, and the minor form of the Aureate Sword Formation would be his way of getting it.
With those thoughts in mind, Han Li placed his hand against his storage pouch and summoned several various-sized pieces of Auric Essence on the ground. He then summoned the supplementary materials from his storage pouch by their side.
Han Li sat down cross-legged and pointed to the smallest piece of Auric Essence. The faintly golden stone floated in the air and slowly flew towards Han Li.
Han Li stared at it unwaveringly and waited until it was a meter in front of him before it stopped. Then with his hands held in an incantation gesture, he spat out a dazzling azure Nascent flame.
With a light bang, it struck the Auric Essence and instantly enveloped it.
Han Li slowly began his incantation and the azure Nascent flame suddenly flared, glowing ever brighter, slowly melting the stone inside. He stared at it with a stern expression.
After an hour had passed, a majority of the impurities dripped onto the floor as quite liquid. The rest of the Auric Essence remained in the fire as a translucent liquid. Once Han Li saw this, he flung his sleeve and swept up a jade box from the ground. It instantly opened itself to reveal a fine silver powder.
The powder was then swept into the liquid Auric Essence in a streak of silver light, roiling the azure flames. The transparent liquid then began to shine with silver light, and after striking it with several spell seals, it was entirely absorbed.
Chapter 786: Sword Formation - Minor Completion
Suddenly, a strange scene occurred as the transparent liquid began to split into six thumb-sized silver beads that slowly swiveled in the air.
Han Li let out a deep breath before suddenly biting the tip of his tongue and spitting a cloud of blood essence onto the beads. They cleanly absorbed the entirety of the blood essence, turn them into pure gold.
His spirits were roused at the sight and he spat out a streak of azure light. The light circled once around him before stopping, revealing itself to be a sparkling inch-long sword surrounded by azure mist.
Han Li pointed to one of the purified beads of Auric Essence and had it cover the surface of the sword in a perfectly even layer. The small sword immediately began to flicker with a dazzling golden light.
Han Li raised his brow at this and pointed at the ground several times, summoning several of the supplementary materials to fuse with the flying sword. He then beckoned to the flying sword and it instantly flew into his palm where it became embroiled in azure Nascent flames.
Han Li slowly shut his eyes and used his spiritual sense to control the Nascent flames and begin the tempering. This process would only be completed when the blood essence infused Auric Essence merged completely with the flying sword.
Day after day passed, and Han Li refined each of the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords without a single moment of rest. Were it not for the Myriad Year Spirit Milk, Han Li’s magic power wouldn’t have been able to persist.
As time drew closer to the black-robed man’s appointed date, those who knew of the matter grew anxious but the most worried of them all was Senior Martial Brother Cheng. On the day before the deadline, someone delivered a jade slip to the Drifting Cloud Sect using a flying sword. The jade slip detailed the precise location for the coming appointment.
Not only was the terrain dangerous, but it was even somewhat far from the Dreamcloud Mountains. If Han Li did not leave seclusion soon, he may not have enough time to make it there.
As the silver-haired old man restlessly walked in circles inside the official hall, Han Li silently appeared at the entrance. The old man saw that Han Li arrived and shouted with delight, “Junior Martial Brother, you’ve finally arrived! Have you finished tempering your magic treasures?”
Appearing more confident than he was a month ago, Han Li sullenly responded, “I’ve managed to somehow finish refining the treasures. Senior Martial Brother, I heard that another jade slip has been sent explaining the meeting place. Is that true?”
“That’s right. He wishes to meet you at the peak of Heavenpillar Mountain. Here’s the jade slip that he sent.” Senior Martial Brother Cheng nodded and handed over a green jade slip.
Han Li took it and quickly read through it with his spiritual sense.
With a snort, a stern expression appeared on his face as he said, “He wants me to come alone and bring the Golden Lightning Bamboo magic treasure. It seems he’s investigated me quite well. He even knew of my relationship with Wan’er, or else he wouldn’t have been able to use it against me.”
“With his vast abilities, it should prove to be an easy task to stealthily look into the matters between Junior Martial Brother Han and Little Sister Nangong. After all, low-grade cultivators are completely helpless against powerful Devil Dao cultivators. Junior Martial Brother, I can’t have you face this danger alone so I’ve already contacted the Child Fire Dragon and six other Fellow Daoists. When you take off, we’ll follow closely behind you. As soon as that person appears, we’ll surround him and will be certain to keep him trapped. We’ll make sure he knows that he can’t do as he wishes in our State of Xi.” Senior Martial Brother Cheng declared with a resentful tone.
“Senior Martial Brother’s methods are quite good, but this man will most likely be on guard. However, it’s fine if Senior Martial Brother and his companions follow me. If he is careless and arrogant, it will spell his death.” After a moment of thought, Han Li agreed. Help was exactly what he was looking for.
“Good, it’s settled. Although Heavenpillar Mountain is extremely tall, it may as well be flat to cultivators like us. I will put a marker on your body and we will use that to follow you. If the opponent truly isn’t someone you can fight, you only need to buy some time for me and my friends to arrive.”
“I must thank Senior Martial Brother for his troubles, and I will be sure to return the favor.” As Han Li seldom accepted help from others, he spoke these words with complete sincerity.
Senior Martial Brother Cheng smiled and chuckled as he said, “Junior Martial Brother Han is part of our Drifting Cloud Sect so we can’t treat you as an outsider. The arranged time is soon to come. You must hurry with your preparations and leave tonight, or you might not have enough time to arrive at Heavenpillar Mountain.”
Han Li nodded in agreement and quickly departed.
Senior Martial Brother Cheng sighed with relief after Han Li departed and wore a knowing smile. From Han Li’s promise of paying back this favor, he knew that his efforts had not been in vain. Once he reached the end of his lifespan, he knew that his Junior Martial Brother Han would do his best to repay the Drifting Cloud Sect.
Tension leaving the old man’s heart, he slapped his storage pouch after a moment more of thought and took out several talismans. He then flung them in the air before they flew out of the hall in streaks of red light. After doing this, the silver-haired old man sat in his chair with a pensive expression and pondered over what had just happened.
These sound transmission talismans would soon summon his good friends who had been staying at the sect’s guest hall over the past few days. Two hours after Han Li departed, Senior Martial Brother Cheng and them set off after him.
In order to preserve his magic power, Han Li only flew in an ordinary streak of light and while flew he fiddled with the three-inch-long sword in his hand. It was one of the thirty-six swords that Han Li had infused with Auric Essence.
For some unknown reason, the flying swords had turned gold after being infused with
Auric Essence. If he guessed correctly, the change in appearance was only temporary; once the Auric Essence had truly merged into the magic treasure, it’s original appearance would be restored. But when he saw that the thirty-six swords still retained their golden luster after fully refining them, he felt completely baffled.
However, the effect the Auric Essence had on the swords appeared to be even greater than the legends had described. From his tests, the flying swords were at least thirty percent more powerful and their sharpness far surpassed what they had before. Han Li was confident that if they clashed with any magic treasures that were made from inferior materials, his flyings swords would likely cleave through them.
However, there were some misgivings that accompanied his delight. He eventually recalled the main material of the flying swords, the Golden Lightning Bamboo, and the refined crystal that he had used to first temper them. Could it be that when these incredibly rare materials merged with the Auric Essence, they underwent some sort of unfathomable evolution? After some long thought, he found this to be the only explanation.
Since this change was for the better, he wasn’t willing to spend too much effort investigating the matter. Instead, he placed his mind on the Aureate Sword Formation. Han Li didn’t need to specifically cultivate it in order to use it. In fact, he had easily activated it while in seclusion to test its power.
The sword formation’s amazing power served to verify the words of the golden page. Although he was only able to form a simple version of the Aureate Formation, it already displayed a marvelous power that bolstered Han Li’s confidence in facing the black-robed man.
He needed to dispel Nangong Wan’s Soul Seal Curse, but if he didn’t possess the Aureate Formation, Han Li definitely wouldn’t have obediently sent himself off to death.
Of course, Han Li hadn’t ever fought against a late Nascent Soul-stage cultivator and he couldn’t truly know how well he would do. But he had fought against mid Nascent Soul-stage cultivators, and reckoned he would have at least an eighty percent chance of trapping and killing one. With such power, he should have more than enough ability to contend against a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.
However, it would prove rather troublesome to acquire the method of dissolving the Soul Seal Curse from his opponent. Han Li will need to use his own discretion once he met the black-robed man and carefully navigate the situation.
Han Li sighed and the small sword in his hand disappeared from his sight. He then swept his surroundings with his spiritual sense, discovering no trace of his Senior Martial Brother or his allies but wasn’t surprised. They were sure to be hiding in the distance from fear that the black-robed man would discover them since their opponent was possibly a late Nascent Soul cultivator.
Heavenpillar Mountain was an isolated, steep mountain tens of kilometers tall located to the west of the Dreamcloud Mountains.
From a distance, it appeared extremely steep with a third of the mountain reaching beyond the clouds. There were only a few short hills surrounding the mountain, allowing the surroundings to be clearly seen from the center of the mountain. This was also probably why the black-robed man had selected it.
But when Han Li arrived fifty kilometers away from the mountain, he suddenly felt his spiritual sense roil. While his spiritual sense was at the level of a mid Nascent Soul-stage cultivator, he didn’t dare to let down his guard. Who didn’t know whether or not the black-robed man was deliberately hiding something in order to lull him into a false sense of security.
As a result, Han Li simply had his spiritual sense probe his surroundings while feigning ignorance about being watched as he flew towards the peak of the mountain. At nearly the same time, a black-robed man sitting on the peak opened his eyes and stared in the direction of Han Li.
He muttered, “You’ve come. It seems the information I acquired was correct, and your relationship with that woman is quite deep.”
Chapter 787: A Black-Robed Youth
“Putting yourself in danger over a woman? It seems I’ve overestimated you.” The black-robed man muttered to himself and turned to look at the simple transportation formation next to him.
When he sensed that Han Li was only a few tens of kilometers away, he stood up and walked towards the transportation formation in large strides. A moment later, he disappeared in a flash of white light.
At that moment, Han Li felt the black-robed man suddenly disappear. Alarm ringing through his head, he thought, “What use is there in using a concealment technique? Is he plotting against me?” He then continued onward with complete vigilance.
“This is...” When Han Li arrived at the top of Heavenpillar Mountain and saw the eye-catching transportation formation placed there, his expression changed. His gaze then turned to the boulder at its side, which had the words, “Do not be late,” carved into it.
When Han Li read these words, his expression grew unsightly and he cursed his enemy’s cunning.
Although he was able to see that it was a simple transportation formation that couldn’t travel far away, if he took it he would fall right into the enemy’s trap. Even worse was that he couldn’t know whether or not Senior Martial Brother Cheng’s party would follow him.
From what was carved in the stone, it was clear to see that the black-robed man wasn’t willing to meet with him and give him the opportunity to negotiate. If Han Li delayed for too long, the black-robed man may decide to leave and he couldn’t afford to take that risk.
If Han Li wanted to find the method to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse, he could only take the risk of using the formation.
Han Li’s expression wavered for a time, before he eventually came to a decision. He first swept the nearby area to see whether or not there were any devil cultivators hiding nearby. Then, he took out a sound transmission talisman and whispered into it before tossing it into the air, launching it through the sky in a streak of red light.
Afterwards, Han Li took the spirit beast pouch from his waist and summoned its contents into the air. Black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles that just appeared then swarmed around him and transformed into a tri-colored suit of armor covering his body.
With a fling of his sleeve, he summoned a small blue shield in front of him and in a flash of white light, an embroidered scarf appeared in his hand.
Han Li lowered his head to look at the embroidered scarf and a strange expression appeared in his eyes. The embroidered scarf was a protective treasure that Nangong Wan had given him, and he stroked its smooth cloth as he silently stood there.
A moment later, Han Li raised his hand and placed several protective barriers on his body before finally stepping into the transportation formation. He then took a deep breathe and raised his hands, striking at the corner of the formation with a spell seal. White light flashed and Han Li disappeared without a trace.
At the center of a nameless island in a small lake several thousand kilometers away from Heavenpillar Mountain, Han Li appeared in a flash of white light.
In the moment he arrived, he disregarded the discomfort from the teleportation and ordered his blue shield to enlarge and cover him, protecting a majority of his body. However, Han Li didn’t detect any attack and had the time to glance around him instead.
“There is no need to worry. I wouldn’t go so far as to launch a sneak attack against an early Nascent Soul cultivator like you, although I do hear that you are a rather extraordinary cultivator.” A strange voice spoke from close to him.
When Han Li heard this voice, his heart trembled. This wasn’t the voice of the Yin Sifting Sect Master. Could it be that this was another Devil cultivator? Astonishment on his face, he turned to look in the direction of the voice.
He saw a black-robed youth that looked to be in his twenties standing a hundred meters away with his hands behind his back, staring at Han Li. Although Han Li hadn’t seen the true face of the Yin Sifting Sect Master, this man’s body and voice were completely different from what he had seen.
Han Li looked at him
, unable to see through his cultivation. With narrowed eyes and a wary heart, he snorted and mockingly said, “If you won’t perform a sneak attack, then why did you need to place the Soul Seal Curse on my Dao Companion?”
After saying these words, Han Li took in his surroundings. He was at the edge of a swamp with muddied waters and damp air. He could hear the sounds of a lake and see a short grove close to them.
Han Li frowned for a moment before regaining a calm expression. He felt that there were strange spiritual Qi fluctuations around him and realized there were restrictions placed around them as he had expected. Although he reckoned they weren’t formidable spell formations, they were certain to put him at a disadvantage considering that he was forced here.
The youth chuckled and leisurely said, “I won’t be needing to use them since Fellow Daoist Han has obediently come. Although I possess some abilities, it isn’t to the extent that I would be able to resist your entire sect.”
Han Li glared at the youth and asked, “You truly aren’t the Yin Sifting Sect Master?”
“What? Do I look like my sect master?” Asked the black-robed youth with a chuckle.
“No. But you were able to easily sneak into the Drifting Cloud Sect and safely leave after injuring someone. I don’t know who else aside from your sect master who could’ve done it. Also, I don’t recall ever seeing you before; did you not appear during the great battle?” Puzzled, Han Li spoke as if musing to himself.
The youth smiled and wore an odd expression as he said, “Although I do wish to give Fellow Daoist Han an explanation, I did not invite you here to explain myself. Did you bring the Golden Lightning Bamboo magic treasure?”
When Han Li heard this, he glared at the youth in silence.
The youth sighed and confidently said, “If Fellow Daoist Han wishes to drag this on, I fear he will be disappointed. I specifically refined the transportation formation so that it will only work twice. After two uses, the other end of the transportation formation will destroy itself and your friends wouldn’t be able to get here in less than half a day. I believe that will be more than enough time to settle the matter between us.”
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 423