Because the Rainbow Skirt Grass was so convenient to use and mature, Han Li had grown careless, as nothing happened to him in the past when he used it. Without any high grade concealment spell formations placed down, the Soaring Tribes elder saw Han Li’s beetle swarm in plain sight.
When the Soaring Tribes elder saw the ten thousand Gold Devouring Beetles floating above Han Li, he nearly passed Han Li by in shock. He promptly ignored the demon bird and immediately demanded Han Li to follow him to see some kind of holy woman of theirs.
Han Li couldn’t agree to such conditions and immediately set out to kill him. He promptly used several grand abilities along with his second Nascent Soul, resulting in the destruction of the cultivator’s physical body.
But Han Li then gloomily discovered that the Soaring Tribes elder cultivated a very strange technique. He was able to split his Nascent Soul into seven divisions, each of them skilled in evasion techniques. During a moment of carelessness, Han Li allowed one of them to escape.
It was then that Han Li realized that he stirred up the hornet’s nest. Not daring to linger for even a moment, he flew south throughout the night.
But by using some unknown method, Han Li suddenly found many Soaring Tribes Nascent Soul cultivators pursuing him several days later. Even one of the Soaring Tribes' four late-Nascent Soul cultivators were present.
Han Li repeatedly fought several battles and slew several high-grade cultivators, but the late-Nascent Soul cultivator amongst them struck a heavy blow against Han Li while he was distracted. Were it not for the Myriad Year Spirit Milk and the Bloodshadow Evasion, he feared his life would’ve been forfeit.
Although he managed to temporarily evade pursuit through these measures, Han Li suddenly discovered something immensely troubling affecting his body. Perhaps as a result from the loss of strength and injuries from the constant battles, the baleful Qi on his body broke out and began to undergo backlash. Fortunately, he was able to see this ahead of time with his immense spiritual sense and used secret techniques to forcefully suppress it.
This made his bad situation even worse. Helpless, he could only ask Monarch Soul Divergence for guidance out of this perilous situation.
As an old eccentric that had lived over ten thousand years, Monarch Soul Divergence immediately gave Han Li the Pestilence Demons Soullock Seal to temporarily seal the baleful Qi. However, the consequences were immense. Before he could find a method to dissolve the baleful Qi, he would need to seal the demons of pestilence along with his baleful inside of his body. This would contain a majority of his baleful Qi at the cost of most of his cultivation. If he rashly made use of his magic power during this time, the baleful Qi and pestilence demons would backlash.
Han Li was fully aware of the consequences of this technique and hesitated in using it. But as he evaded pursuit, the baleful Qi in his body underwent backlash with far greater intensity than before. In a moment of desperation, he hastily landed in the shrubbery and without the time to even place down a protective spell formation, he employed the Pestilence Demons Soullock Seal with frantic need.
When Ying Lu had arrived, Han Li was in the final stages of employing the technique. The youth Mu Teng parted the shrubbery just as Han Li’s face wore the appearance of one of the five pestilence demons sealed inside of him. It was incredibly gruesome, giving the youth much cause for fright. The youth currently believed the ghost face to be Han Li’s true appearance.
With that thought, Han Li couldn’t help but wryly smile.
“Although I am temporarily able to restrain the baleful Qi, a vast majority of my cultivation was sealed. It is fortunate that I am escorting these mortals to an Endless Sky Temple. Nothing should happen along the way.” Han Li muttered.
Monarch Soul Divergence coldly chuckled and said, “Although your cultivation is sealed and you aren’t able to use your ancient treasures and flying swords, you can still use your Gold Devouring Beetle and second Nascent Soul. However, you did give the Nascent Soul grade puppet you refined to your Senior Martial Brother Lu before you left and you also gave a majority of your Core Formation stage puppets to that concubine of yours. Those puppets would be rather useful right now.”
Han Li indifferently said, “I didn’t know when I’d be able to return to the Heavenly South, so I had left the puppets behind in case of contingencies. Even if Senior Martial Brother Cheng will soon perished, Lu Luo will have the Nascent Soul stage puppet to assist him. And Mu Peiling will be safe with the tortoise puppets I’ve given her. Otherwise, I would’ve felt ill at ease heading towards the Great Jin.”
“In that case, don’t complain about any dangers you encounter.” Monarch Soul Divergence said with disapproval.
After a moment of silence, Han Li’s expression stirred and he asked, “Is there any way to temporarily dissolve the Pestilence Demon Soullock after it is placed? My Gold Devouring Beetles and second Nascent Soul shouldn’t have any problem dealing with Core Formation opponents of course, but it will be dangerous if I run into an enemy at Nascent Soul stage. I don’t know how long it will take before I can find a method to dissolve my baleful Qi.”
“Temporarily dissolve the seal?” Monarch Soul Divergence paused for a moment before slowly replying, “It might not be possible for others, but it could be possible with the many treasures in your possession. However, the cost will be steep.”
“What cost? So long as it doesn’t affect my future cultivation, I will accept the cost. It will be better than losing my life at a desperate moment.”
“In that case, it will be quite simple. Each time you wish to dispel the seal, it will require two drops of the Myriad Year Spirit Milk. I’ll give you another set of secret techniques to release the pestilence demons and temporarily allow the baleful Qi. According to present circumstances, your magic power will be restored for about two hours. After that time passes, the spirit milk will be completely devoured by the pestilence demons and your magic power will be sealed once more. And each time the seal is released, the baleful Qi will take over a portion of your soul. After a certain number of times, even the pestilence demons will not be able to restrain the baleful Qi backlash.”
“Although Myriad Year Spirit Milk is precious, it isn’t as precious as my own life, but aggravating the baleful Qi backlash won't be good by any means. Will this cause any future problems after I dispel the baleful Qi?"
“There will certainly be problems after releasing the baleful Qi. Under your current circumstances, I reckon that you will only be able to lift the seal five of six times before the pestilence demons lose control. It is up to you to weigh what there is to gain and lose.”
“There isn’t much to think about,” Han Li said with decisiveness, “I will only use it during matters of life and death. How about Senior pass the technique onto me?”
“I will only say the incantation once, so remember it properly!” Monarch Soul Divergence then uttered the incantation for the technique. Han Li closed his eyes and committed the incantation to memory.
Han Li opened his eyes and calmly said, “Alright, it appears this technique isn’t very difficult. I should be able to use it after a few days of comprehension.”
“Of course. It is but a common method of removing seals. But Youngster Han, do you truly plan on following these mortals to the Endless Sky Temple?” Monarch Soul Divergence curiously asked. “Surely you would know that this event of theirs will attract many Soaring Tribes cultivators.”
“Has Senior heard of the proverb that the most dangerous areas are actually safest? If I wholeheartedly wished to conceal myself, I am confident that I would be able to stay hidden for some time, but with the baleful Qi winding around my body, I would need to urgently hurry to the Great Jin Empire. As for my pursuers, they would be looking everywhere for lone travellers such as myself. In that case, it’d be better for me to mingle among the cultivators near the temple. Since there are many cultivators there, it would be impossible for my pursuers to look at them all. And given that I’v
e already lived several months in the Moulan Plains, I am confident I’ll be able to disguise myself as a low-grade cultivator. In any case, the temple just happens to be in the direction of the Great Jin.”
“It seems I was just being meddlesome as you already have a plan.” Monarch Soul Divergence chuckled and then said nothing else.
When Han Li heard this, he sighed and immediately asked, “Silvermoon, how are you faring? In that last battle, you also sustained heavy injuries.”
“Many thanks for your concern,” Silvermoon replied with a faint voice, “Since I am an artifact spirit, wounds don’t affect me much, but my fox suffered significant damage and can’t be used to assist Master for a time.”
Feeling relieved, Han Li gently replied, “It will be no matter. In the future, I will act carefully, so there should be no need for you to take action. Take your time to recover.”
“Yes, Master.” After strenuously forcing out an answer, Silvermoon spoke no more.
With a grimace, Han Li wryly chuckled in his mind.
Han Li quietly meditated for a moment more in the carriage before brushing his hand past the storage pouch, producing a foot-long jade box in his hand. Several white sparkling talismans were stuck onto the box as if sealing it.
Han Li then stroked the talismans on the jade box with his fingers with a wavering expression.
Chapter 883: Another Perspective
On the day Han Li struck down the flesh body of the Soaring Tribes mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, a portion of cultivator’s Nascent Soul managed to escape, but the fully matured Gold Devouring Beetle that was under his control were left behind. Familiar with the characteristics of the beetle, Han Li easily captured it alive with his second Nascent Soul and restrained them in a jade box.
He originally planned on waiting for a safe time before examining the differences between the mature Gold Devouring Beetles and his own, but given his current drop in cultivation, he needed to deal with the insect as soon as possible. If the abilities of the mature Gold Devouring Beetle was far greater than what he originally anticipated and it broke out of its restrictions, it would be hugely troublesome with his current cultivation as he wouldn’t be able to restrain it.
With that in mind, Han Li took a deep breath and suddenly flipped his hand, producing several variously colored formation flags in his palm. With a flick of his fingers, the formation flags scattered and formed a restriction barrier enveloping the carriage.
Han Li placed the jade box on his knee and slowly closed his eyes. Black light flashed and a black-green Nascent Soul appeared from the top of his head. The Nascent Soul rubbed its hands together and summoned the jet-black Yin Sifting Banner into its grasp.
Because he handed over the flag over for his second Nascent Soul to refine, it was the sole magic treasure that was able to escape the restraints of the Pestilence Demons Soullock Seal.
Gold Devouring Beetles couldn’t be harmed with heat or cold and were impervious to blades. The only method he had currently that could kill them were the Yin essence devil heads formed from the banner. Their refinement method was something he had acquired from the soul of the Yin Sifting Sect Elder.
Of course, wiping away the soul imprints on the fully matured Gold Devouring Beetle wasn’t something that could be done in a short amount of time. In truth, if the Gold Devouring Beetles’ master had perished instead of being severely weakened, he wouldn’t have dared to make an attempt.
He was incredibly cautious of the mature Gold Devouring Beetle and placed down several restrictions as a result, fearing that they run rampant.
Then, the black-green Nascent Soul waved its small flag above its head and a foot-long cloud of devilish Qi appeared above it. The Nascent Soul leapt forward and disappeared into the cloud before the cloud sank downward and wrapped around the jade box.
The sound of the soft buzzing within the box suddenly grew louder and fervent.
The devilish cloud wrapped around the jade box began to roil and the buzzing became sharp and deafening, but Han Li was indifferent. With his hands grasped in an incantation gesture, his body remained still. Under these restrictions, he had no fear of the buzzing alerting the Grey Heron Tribe outside. He simply drew out the beetle’s primal soul.
The difficult refinement process had started.
The Grey Heron Tribe members were greatly interested in Immortal Han, but ever since he entered the carriage, he hadn’t emerged.
Clan Leader Ying Lu had particularly forbidden anyone from disturbing the Immortal’s cultivation, much to the disappointment of many of the youths.
Ten days later, they found a pack of wild goats across the canyon and hunted quite a bit of them. And after half a month, nothing out of the ordinary had happened, much to the relief of Ying Lu.
After another few days, they arrived at a very safe place for rest. The Endless Sky Temples would use magic power to quickly set up temporary encampment nearby, specifically as rest stops for any tribes passing through. Once the Day of Spirit Release passed, these rest stops would be immediately dissolved.
As Ying Lu thought this, a sound suddenly appeared from above and he unconsciously raised his head to take a look. It was a streak of blinding white light streaking past them. A faint silhouette could be seen within the light, and it disappeared an instant later.
When Ying Lu and the youths saw this, an uproar broke out.
Ying Lu frowned and felt somewhat apprehensive. From his experience in the past sacred war, those streaking lights were produced by high-grade immortals. This strange scene was rarely seen. High-grade immortals only flew across the highest of places where mortals could rarely see them.
If he remembered correctly, in the past few days he saw four streaks of light flying at a low altitude. Could it be that something important happened in the past few days? Was a tribe robbed of their tribute?
Despite the puzzlement he felt, the old man felt relief. With high-grade Immortals patrolling the skies, they should be safe for the time being.
After some further consideration, Ying Lu loudly called out the escort behind him and urged them to gain more speed.
Unbeknownst to Ying Lu, the white light had actually scoured a perimeter of fifty kilometers at a low altitude before heading off south. And a streak of red light not far away flew in its direction.
When the two streaks of light encountered one another, their light disappeared to reveal a middle-aged man wearing faint yellow fur clothes and a beautiful woman in her late twenties wearing palace robes.
The middle-aged man took the initiative to salute the woman and said, “So it was Immortal Xiu. I didn’t discover anything on my side. How about you?”
“Brother Li, does it look like I’ve found anything?” The woman spoke coldly with a grimace.
The middle-aged man sighed with an anxious expression and said, “In the last few days, we already searched an area of a thousand kilometers only to find no trace of him. Even if his concealment techniques were brilliant, we should definitely be able to find traces of him with our cultivation. How about we interrogate the tribute carriages travelling down below?”
“It seems Immortal Li is truly tempted by the reward, but is the Venomous Dragon Pill worth your life?” The woman said with a cold laugh.
The middle-aged man paused for a moment before asking with bewilderment, “What is that supposed to mean? Could it be that Immortal Xiu isn’t tempted by the reward?”
The woman didn’t directly respond and indifferently asked, “When Brother Li received the mission, what did those Nascent Soul grade elders tell you?”
After some hesitation, the middle-aged man honestly replied, “My superior told me that there was a foreign Nascent Soul cultivator that is trespassing in our Endless Sky Plains. He also grievously injured one of our elders. As such, he must be captured alive. Given that he is injured, it should be possible for Core Formation cultivators like us to capture him.”
The woman snorted and a mocking smile appeared on he
r face. “Brother Li, because you’ve come late, you don’t know much of the situation. If it were me, I absolutely wouldn’t want to find this foreign cultivator.”
“Since Cultivator Xiu has spoken as such, there must be a reason. Could you tell me why?” The middle-aged man asked with a solemn expression.
After a moment of silence, the woman sighed and said, “We’ve known each other for many years. I will tell you the truth and prevent you from foolishly throwing away your life. I arrived earlier and heard some information about this foreign cultivator from one of the elders. It is true that this foreign cultivator is at Nascent Soul stage and is grievously wounded, but the one who personally dealt the blow wasn’t any Nascent Soul cultivator, but the one of the Grand Immortals.”
“What? A Grand Immortal was the one to injure him?” The man asked in shock.
“That’s right. I also heard the Grand Immortal was only able to launch a successful sneak attack on the foreign cultivator when he was surrounded by many other elders. Before this, he had already killed three Nascent Soul grade Immortals. It was said this person possessed extremely vicious abilities and that he was unphased by the attacks. Even under heavy injury, he was able to escape the Grand Immortal through the use of a secret technique. From the way I see it, this foreign cultivator is likely on par with our Grand Immortal. In that case, he will be able to easily slay two measly Core Formation cultivators like us, no matter how injured he may be. I don’t wish to forfeit my life over a Venomous Dragon Pill!”
The woman’s face turned sullen as she continued, “And from the way I see it, the Nascent Soul Immortals that dispatched us are most likely leaving us to die. Didn’t they employ a soul guiding technique on each of us before they sent us out? They said it was so that they can find us when we’re in danger, but they’re most likely just using us to scare him out of hiding! Then when we fall, they will use the soul guiding technique to track him down.”
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 477