Perhaps lacking the time to find another entrance or due to an immediate need to enter the valley depths, he began to test the restrictions but remained hesitant.
“What? Does Daoist Heavencrystal feel that he can't take on the restrictions alone? How about I help?” Suddenly, the old Daoist heard a gloomy voice speak from behind him.
The old man was Daoist Heavencrystal who had exchanged the soul stones with Han Li at Soaring Heavens City. As for the two fiendish puppets standing behind him, they were two of the ancient puppets that he had repaired, each possessing the power of an early Nascent Soul cultivator. When he had tested their power, it took great effort for him to subdue one of them. With these servants under him, he had gathered the courage to enter Devilfall Valley in search of treasure.
At that moment, Daoist Heavencrystal quickly turned around, startled from hearing a voice speak from behind. About two hundred meters behind him, there were several green-robed cultivators silently floating in the air. The one who spoke was the leading green-robed man that had a gloomy expression and long facial hair.
When Daoist Heavencrystal examined them he felt his heart drop. These men were all Nascent Soul cultivators.
Difficulty suppressing the amazement in his heart, he wryly smiled and said, “So it was the Controlling Spirit Sect’s Fellow Daoist Dongmen. I do not recognize these other Fellow Daoists. Are they also elders from your sect?”
The Controlling Spirit Sect Master Dongmen Tu glanced at the two fiendish puppets and said, “You should consider them as such for the time being. Moreover, those two puppets behind you seem exceptional. Their power can’t be underestimated.”
Daoist Heavencrystal cautiously said, “Fellow Daoist Dongmen must be joking. How can these meager puppets draw your attention? Nevertheless, how do you plan on comparing with me?”
Dongmen Tu stared at the old Daoist and said, “Although I’ve resided in the Controlling Spirit Sect for long, I didn’t make much outside contact. Despite this, I’ve heard of your reputation as a spell formation master. As lacking as I may be, I’ve also studied something of spell formations. Alone, it would take us too long to break through the restrictions, but together, the odds will be far greater.”
When Daoist Heavencrystal heard him, he frowned in thought and still appeared hesitant.
Dongmen Tu’s expression turned gloomy but he remained patient as he said, “What? Does Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal believe that I will be a liability? How about this? Let’s have our cooperation be limited to dissolving the restrictions. After that we’ll go our separate ways and I won’t make things difficult for you without reason. And don’t forget that even if you can break the restrictions alone, it will take up too much of your time. The valley depths are where one is most likely to find treasures, but I fear they will be swept away by the others by the time you get inside. According to my knowledge, this path to enter the valley depths has been well studied by other spell formation masters.”
When Daoist Heavencrystal heard this, his heart stirred and he raised his head to look at the other five green-robed cultivators standing behind him.
He eventually nodded and said, “Since you made the offer, I will accept. We will work together to break the restrictions, but after we enter the valley depths, we will go about our own business.”
Dongmen Tu immediately smiled and quickly said, “Hehe! That will do. Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal please rest assured. Given the power of your two puppets, how could I force you to do anything? After we enter the depths, we’ll rely on luck in our search for treasures!”
Chapter 816: The Valley Depths
At the bottom of a steep three-kilometer tall cliff, there was a small cave that the party had just emerged from not long ago. After glancing at everything in front of him, Han Li couldn’t help but wear a peculiar expression and mutter, “This is the valley depths?”
Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying stood side by side as they gazed at the scene before them, both wearing odd expressions. There was a huge mountain range before them with countless mountains of varying sizes that stretched as far as the eye could see. Additionally, the world that surrounded them had areas glowing with rainbow light, both in the sky and on the earth.
The areas of rainbow light varied in size, with some reaching several kilometers in size and covering the sky, while others were only about a meter wide and shined weakly, but in any case, all of them were extremely beautiful. What caused Han Li and his party members to be astonished were not the clouds of light, but the chaotic nature of the spiritual Qi around them. Regardless of the attribute, the Qi mingled together and gave people a feeling of immense unease as if the very world would lash out at them with a single wrong move.
Marquis Nanlong sighed after collecting his thoughts and said, “This is definitely where the ancient cultivators fought. The worldly spiritual Qi is thoroughly destroyed here and as a result, it will have an influence on all of our techniques.”
Han Li wryly smiled and pointed to the sky, saying, “That is only a secondary concern. That’s what is going to be most troublesome.”
About a kilometer above them in the sky, there was a group of over ten foot-long arcs of white light floating there. Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were greatly startled when they clearly saw what they were.
Lu Weiying shouted in astonishment, “How can there be so many spatial tears? And how can they wander?”
Marquis Nanlong’s expression also grew unsightly.
After noticing Marquis Nanlong’s change in expression, Han Li chuckled and said, “This should be expected. Since this was the battleground of ancient cultivators, there should be more spatial tears here compared to the outside. Why else would so many Nascent Soul cultivators have entered only to never return? We can only rely on Master Cang Kun’s map regarding the path forward or else...”
“Brother Han’s words do make sense. We definitely can’t take any risks and tread off the recorded path. Else, we may encounter some invisible spatial tears there. However, there is still much to fear from the wandering spatial tears, but so long as we pay attention to them, they shouldn’t pose much danger.” After saying this, Marquis Nanlong regained his composure.
Lu Weiying tensely frowned as he stared at another area filled with spatial tears. He pensively mentioned, “However, the number of these spatial tears is over ten times greater than that on the outside. Your words only apply if the invisible spatial tears don’t wander as well. If the invisible spatial tears roam and scatter like the visible ones, then Master Cang Kun’s map might not be safe.”
When Han Li heard this, he was stunned and turned his head. Blue light brightly shined from his eyes as he glanced at an area over three hundred meters away, watching a vague arc of light motionlessly floating there. He only calmed down after watching it for a while.
But then, just as he pondered about whether or not he should leak this information to his party members, Marquis Nanlong hesitantly spoke as if misunderstanding Han Li’s pondering for worry, “There is no need for you Fellow Daoists to be worried. Master Cang Kun mentioned that the invisible spatial tears don’t move in his records.”
Lu Weiying’s spirits roused and he suspiciously asked, “Is Brother Nanlong certain? How did Master Cang Kun learn about it?”
Marquis Nanlong looked at the two and calmly said, “Brother Lu should realize that in the past, Master Cang Kun had suffered from grave injuries. What should come into question was how he was able to safely leave Devilfall Valley. By relying on a technique that he had cultivated, he was able to sense the locations of spatial tears before leaving the valley. How else could he have left with such grave injuries?”
Having heard this, Lu Weiying felt a wave of relief, “There are such techniques in this world? In that case, it wasn’t due to luck that Master Cang Kun was able to escape from Devilfall Valley.”
Han Li’s expression stirred as well and he sighed with relief. Marquis Nanlong’s worries faded away upon seeing this as he had f
eared that his party members would be intent on retreating. He was particularly worried about Han Li who he found immensely difficult to read. Since Han Li would be the main force in the fight against the Ancient Flame Toad, he needed to convince him to move forward.
With a stern expression, Marquis Nanlong then said, “Let’s go. According to what the records said, we cannot fly too quickly so it will be about a day of travel until we arrive at the Ancient Flame Toad’s nest. Be careful on the way there.”
Han Li faintly smiled and said, “Fellow Daoist Nanlong should be worried about taking care of himself, Fellow Daoist Lu and I will look after ourselves.”
Lu Weiying nodded in agreement.
Satisfied, Marquis Nanlong said, “Then let us set off. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.” He then got his bearings and wrapped himself in a ball of light before slowly flying off.
Han Li and Lu Weiying glanced at each other and also took to the air. They closely followed after Marquis Nanlong without taking even a step off his track as any deviation could lead them into a spatial tear or an ancient restriction. As such, the party was painstakingly careful.
The path taken along the way was incredibly strange. There were times it would go straight and others where it would move in a complete circle. But regardless of the path, they would stop every two hours and make sure of their location before continuing forward. Additionally, Marquis Nanlong didn’t look at any jade slips on the way. It was clear he had already memorized the path.
Han Li maintained a neutral appearance, but on the way, he was memorizing every step of the path back. As such, if there were any unexpected developments, he would have a path to flee for his life. He reckoned that Lu Weiying was most likely doing the same. After all, cultivators who had mastered the basic elemental cultivation arts gained a perfect memory. This made remembering some directions an effortless task.
Their flight continued for almost an entire day and hadn’t encountered any danger. Han Li felt at ease, believing that the Marquis had acquired the genuine route Master Cang Kun had used when travelling through the valley depths.
As Han Li continued memorizing the path while following Marquis Nanlong, he diligently scanned his surroundings with his spiritual sense. He reckoned they had passed by at least four areas that were guarded with formidable restrictions along the way. There were also a few areas that seemed amiss but he wasn’t able to determine whether they were spell formations or abnormalities produced from spiritual Qi fluctuations.
Han Li was quite curious about these areas as he knew that they were likely to contain treasures left behind by ancient cultivators. Although he felt eager to explore these areas, he restrained himself.
Han Li possessed some understanding of certain ancient cultivator restrictions, but he also knew that they were incredibly formidable, and only the spatial tears posed a greater danger than the restrictions. Even with his Brightsight Spirit Eyes being able to see through, there was still a significant chance of him provoking a profound restriction.
Currently, common ancient treasures no longer tempted him. Having entered the valley, so long as he acquired the core of the Ancient Flame Toad, the remnant treasures of the ancient cultivator, the Spirit Kindle Fruit, and the Tailstar Silver, he would reap massive gains.
With the potentials benefits and drawbacks considered, Han Li abandoned any intention of doing anything dangerous. Then, his gaze was drawn over to Lu Weiying since he currently wore a sullen expression and occasionally glanced into the distance.
Han Li inwardly sighed. It seemed that if the old man couldn’t acquire the items he wanted from the ancient cultivator remains, he would most likely search the valley depths. It wasn’t a matter of greed, but rather desperation. Han Li knew that if his lifespan had also reached its end, he would take the risk. After all, if he succeeded, his life would be prolonged and his cultivation would advance.
As Han Li considered this, he couldn’t help but show a trace of sorrow.
At that moment, Marquis Nanlong ceased flying and looked to the area in front of him, his expression wavering. Han Li frowned at the sight of this and faintly felt a sense of dread. He glanced around him and immediately stared at Marquis Nanlong’s back in silence.
Below them was a small mountain over three hundred meters tall and entirely unremarkable. Ahead of them was an extremely tall mountain range.
Marquis Nanlong had clearly said that it would take a day of travel to reach the nest of the Ancient Flame Toad, but they hadn’t flown that long so it was clear this wasn’t their objective.
Lu Weiying was puzzled by this sudden stop and asked with a surprised expression, “Brother Nanlong, what happened? Why aren’t we moving forward?”
When Marquis Nanlong heard this, he slowly turned around to look at his party members. He bitterly smiled and said, “It seems we’ve encountered a problem. We might need to brave a bit of danger.”
Lu Weiying’s expression blanked and he bewilderedly said, “Brother Nanlong, what do you mean?”
Han Li stroked his nose but remained silent. However, he wore a curious expression.
“Fellow Daoists, do you see the two mountains in the distance?” Marquis Nanlong pointed to two mountains that were surprisingly alike.
“Of course we do. Does this problem have something to do with them?” Lu Weiying astonishedly asked.
“Precisely.” Marquis Nanlong spoke with complete certainty.
Chapter 817: Ten Supreme Poisons
Lu Weiying noticed nothing out of ordinary about those two mountains and asked, “Is there something wrong with them?”
“From now on, we’re setting off to one of those two mountains. The point where they join together will be the Ancient Flame Toad's nest. However, there is a group of Soaring Purple-lined Scorpions that dwell on the left side of the mountain range. Although they only number in the tens, each one of them is ferocious. I fear that we will most likely alarm them. It will be quite troublesome.”
Lu Weiying shouted in alarm, “Soaring Purple-lined Scorpions? Those fearsome insects that eliminated all the cultivators of the Ocean Mist Sect in the State of Wangsui?”
Han Li felt a wave of shock when he heard the name ‘Soaring Purple-lined Scorpions’.
Marquis Nanlong sighed and said, “That’s right, it's those vicious insects. Additionally, this lot is much more fearsome than the swarm that emerged in the State of Wangsui. These have lived for tens of thousands of years and their bodies are entirely purple-black.”
Lu Weiying lost his composure and glared at Marquis Nanlong as he bluntly said, “Fellow Daoist Nanlong, please tell me you’re joking! How could we afford to provoke Purple-lined Scorpions? If there were only two or three of them, we could deal with them if we were careful, but there are over ten of them. Wouldn’t we be sending ourselves to our deaths if we approach them?”
Marquis Nanlong wore a helpless expression and explained, “There is one other path, but it is even more dangerous as it is filled with a large number of invisible spatial tears. It isn’t something that we can tread through. Since we can’t identify the location of the invisible tears, the Purple-lined Scorpions is definitely the safer option.”
Lu Weiying remained dumbfounded for a long while. Needless to say, Purple-lined Scorpions were preferable to spatial tears, especially invisible ones.
When Han Li heard of the invisible spatial tears, he looked into the distance and his gaze began to wander.
Han Li finally broke his silence and spoke with a wry smile, “It seemed Master Cang Kun had taken the path with the spatial tears. He should’ve been able to avoid them with his abilities.”
When Marquis Nanlong heard this, he bitterly smiled and said, “Brother Han is right. Without Master Cang Kun’s abilities, we have no way to safely avoid the spatial tears. In comparison, a battle with the Purple-lined Scorpions is far less dangerous.”
Lu Weiying strongly shook his head and said, “That won’t do. We definitely cannot fight the Purple-
lined Scorpions. You only heard of what had happened in the State of Wangsui, but I personally took part in the Purple-lined Scorpion’s extermination as a representative of the Heavenpeak Sect. They are fearsome beyond your imagination. Provoking all of them at once is a death sentence.”
The old man’s fear towards the scorpions was beyond what Marquis Nanlong had anticipated. He originally believed that they would prevail over the scorpions despite a bit of challenge. Now, he wore an expression of hesitation.
At that moment, Han Li frowned and began to recall the information regarding the Purple-lined Scorpions from the exotic insect rankings.
Soaring Purple-lined Scorpions were ranked fourteenth, close to the Gold Devouring Beetles. If it weren’t for the small number of eggs that the scorpions laid and their limited numbers, their ranking would likely be above the Gold Devouring Beetles.
Although they didn’t have the same ability to devour everything like the Gold Devouring Beetles, their defenses were about the same and they couldn’t be harmed by ordinary magic treasures. Additionally, their speed was amazingly fast and they were incredibly venomous, earning them their high position on the exotic insect rankings. Not to mention that these Purple-lined Scorpions had resided in Devilfall Valley for countless years. They had already reached the peak form of maturation where their bodies turned purple-black.
However, it appeared Marquis Nanlong only knew a smidgen of how fearsome these insects were. Contrarily, Lu Weiying had witnessed their power before and paled at the very mention of them.
As Marquis Nanlong’s expression turned gloomy, Han Li coldly chuckled. Marquis Nanlong had only mentioned the Purple-lined Scorpions after they arrived this far. It seemed it wasn’t done out of any good intentions but to keep them from fleeing. Since they had traveled so long, they would both feel reluctant to return without having made any gains and would feel obliged to face the danger.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 440