Han Li was overjoyed to hear this and promptly handed the jade slip over to the bamboo tube on his back.
After that, Monarch Soul Divergence was absorbed in comprehending the contents of the jade slip. As Han Li waited, he began to look for the most valuable items in the Feng Clan’s secret cave.
He would’ve wanted to loot the entirety of these items for himself, but it was a pity that he had limited space in his storage pouch. Apart from the spirit stones, he would have to carefully choose what he would bring along.
Han Li took away the several magic treasures and a few of the materials and talismans that were useful to him. As for the magic tools, he took three of exceptional quality and left the rest behind.
With that done, he turned his attention to the large pile of jade slips. When he was looking through them with his spiritual sense, he found a technique that interested him. After he had seen all of them, he sat down cross-legged and began to silently meditate the technique that caught his attention.
As time slowly passed by, Monarch Soul Divergence eventually broke the silence in the room, immediately attracting Han Li’s attention.
He slowly said, “The Brightjade Arts is quite a bit heretical. It is said to be a Buddhist technique, but the cultivation method is overbearing to the point where it can be considered a partial devilish art.”
“A devilish art?” Han Li’s heart sank and he asked, “What do you mean? Is the technique able to dissolve the baleful Qi in my body?”
“There is no need to be impatient. The technique will truly be able to resolve your problem, however, the method to dissolve the baleful Qi is somewhat similar to the method of the Devil Dao. You will not be expelling the baleful Qi but refining it for your own uses. This method of cultivation is clearly dangerous as this Qi isn’t something that is easily controlled. You should consider the advantages of finding another Buddhist technique!” Monarch Soul Divergence muttered for a moment and tossed the jade slip out from the storage pouch.
Han Li caught the jade slip and his heart trembled. He then vigilantly asked, “Refine the baleful Qi for my own uses? After I cultivate this technique, won’t I be set on the path of the Elder Devils?”
“There is no worry of that. The Brightjade Arts is truly a Buddhist protector technique and will not set you on the path of the Devil Dao. Although its methods are somewhat extreme and share a few similarities with Devil Dao techniques, it will only have the baleful Qi to assist in your cultivation; it won’t have you directly use the baleful Qi to attack others. This way, you will be able to eliminate a majority of its harmful effects despite its overbearing nature. Tch tch! Buddhist sects have truly capable individuals and are even able to fold devilish techniques into Buddhist ones. I reckon they had someone on my level to accomplish this. This is a grand technique that rivals the abilities of even my Great Development Technique.” Monarch Soul Divergence said with admiration.
When Han Li heard Monarch Soul Divergence, he felt a wave of doubt and promptly sank his spiritual sense into the jade slip, examining the contents for the Brightjade Arts.
After a moment, he shouted in surprise, “Yi! This technique seems quite familiar. Where have I seen this before?”
“You’ve seen this before?” Monarch Soul Divergence asked in amazement.
“That’s right... I’ve remember now! This technique is similar to the demon race cultivation art!” Han Li then touched his storage pouch and took out a palm-sized copper plate into his hand. It was the Sacred Provenance Plate [1] he acquired from the Scattered Star Seas.
Without another word, Han Li began to compare the scripts on the plate and the jade slip.
After a moment, he discovered that the techniques were different, but they clearly stemmed from the same source. Of the two techniques, the Brightjade Arts was far more shallow, but the two gave the same indistinct feeling that something was missing, causing him to feel confused over the matter.
When Monarch Soul Divergence saw Han Li shifting his attention between the jade slip and copper plate, he felt that something was odd and couldn’t help but ask, “What is that copper plate?”
After a moment of hesitation, Han Li sighed and tossed the copper plate into the bamboo tube. “Senior, have a look. My aptitude is too poor so I am unable to see how they relate. Perhaps, Senior will be able to clear my confusion.”
Monarch Soul Divergence began to examine the technique on the copper plate. “These are demon characters. This should be a technique that came from an exceptional demon clan. Let me look...”
About a quarter of an hour later, Monarch Soul Divergence came to a clear conclusion. With a decisive tone, he stated, “I have a general idea of what is similar. The Buddhist Brightjade Arts is an altered version of the demon clan technique. Furthermore, it is based on the portion of the copper plate that is missing.”
At that moment, Han Li finished his thoughts as well and said, “So it was like that. However, the last portion of the Brightjade Arts isn’t capable of being joined together with the copper plate. It should still be lacking an addition section.”
“I didn’t think that Youngster Han would be able to see that too. That’s right, the set of demon clan cultivation arts could be divided into three sections. The Brightjade Arts are using the most basic body refinement portion of the demon clan technique. As for the copper plate, it details the incantations for the final ability and is missing the middle portion that details the bodily transformations. These techniques are quite extraordinary. How interesting! Three heads and six arms, isn’t that the same technique the Elder Devil used? I’ve heard that the demon clan were those most in touch with the Elder Devil Realm. It seems the rumors were true.” Monarch Soul Divergence chuckled with great amusement.
After hearing that, Han Li added on, “Then the technique should’ve been something the Elder Devils passed onto the beast clans. Later, a Buddhist Sect acquired a portion of the technique’s foundations and changed it into the current Brightjade Arts. For the devils, demons, and Buddhists to hold this technique with such importance, it seems to have come from a single great origin.” Han Li then sank into thought for a long while before sighing and saying, “But regardless of the might of the technique, the pestilence demons in my body may soon fail to contain the baleful Qi and I don’t have much more time. I will have to cultivate the Brightjade Arts to resolve this crisis as soon as possible.”
Monarch Soul Divergence pondered for a moment and said, “Yes, it is as you say. Spending more time to find another technique will prove far too dangerous. Furthermore, the technique might prove difficult for others, but with the vast amount of baleful Qi at your disposal, it should be much easier to cultivate.”
“I hope that is the case, but it seems it requires a vajra relic in order to cultivate. Will there be any problems if I attempt to cultivate it?”
“Didn’t you just acquire a vajra relic? This is an opportunity. I might’ve not suggested you to cultivate the technique otherwise. Although you would barely be able to use the Feng Clan ancestor’s crystal relic to cultivate it, it would be far less effective than not using a vajra relic. Once your spirit beast finishes consuming the corpse flames in the vajra barrier, you will be able to finish refining it. I will impart another set of techniques to you for do so, allowing you to cultivate the Brightjade Arts without a problem. When I journeyed in the past, I became very interested in crystal relics and such; I even infiltrated one of the ten great Buddhist sects for over ten years. There is no need to worry too much over the matter, given how much I researched into it. Even if you didn’t cultivate the Brightjade Arts, you would need a crystal relic to cultivate other Buddhist techniques for dissolving baleful Qi. And given how widespread Buddhist sects are in the Great Jin, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find one.” Monarch Soul Divergence seemed to have already given the matter much thought.
After some careful consideration, Han Li felt that there was no problem in cultivating the technique and said, “If that’s th
e case, I can be at ease. Since the technique is suitable, I may as well hurry and leave. Ever since I entered these mountains, I felt that something was amiss. This is not a good omen. I better look for a spirit vein to cultivate with.”
Afterwards, he swept his gaze through the hall one last time before walking back into the transportation formation and disappearing in a flash of white light.
In the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li was directly flying out from the Snowmound Mountains in a streak of azure light. As he flew, he was discussing with Monarch Soul Divergence about where he could find a spirit vein and secretly cultivate.
After flying over a hundred kilometers, a large world-shaking boom echoed from the air and an entire group of mountains collapsed.
Han Li was caught off guard from the boom and lost balance as he felt a ring buzzing in his ear.
With a vastly changed expression, he turned to look in the direction of the sound. Then, he flew off in the opposite direction with greater speed.
As he flew a dozen kilometers away, he felt astonishing spiritual Qi fluctuations from behind him. Then, a cloud of grey Qi, a cloud of black Qi and a white windstorm began to tear through the sky pursuing one another as they headed in Han Li’s direction. With his current cultivation, they quickly closed the distance to only two kilometers away.
Chapter 916: A Sudden Approach
‘Not good!’ Han Li shouted in his mind as his heart suddenly dropped. He had intended to avoid the ongoing quarrel but now trouble had come to find him.
From the pressure the three parties emitted, it was clear they were all Nascent Soul cultivators. However, the strength of the grey Qi was fluctuating as if its owner was injured. It appeared the other two parties were moving in for the kill.
Unable to completely avoid them, Han Li steeled his heart and flew to the side. He wanted to see whether or not the three would fly past and ignore an insignificant Foundation Establishment cultivator like him.
After Han Li flew for another forty meters, he came to a sudden stop and looked all around him with a bewildered expression.
The cloud of grey Qi soon took the lead and brushed past him. Concealed inside the grey Qi was a pale cultivator wearing a tall crown. When he coldly glanced at Han Li in passing, an odd expression appeared on his face before he continued shooting over a hundred meters away.
Following that, a series of world-shaking tremors erupted around him and a three-meter-wide yellow gourd flew over from three hundred meters away. The mouth of the gourd trembled and a cloud of yellow sand burst out, rushing in the direction of the fleeing grey Qi.
“Soulfall Sand!” When the figure in the grey Qi saw the incoming sand, he abruptly sped up with a fearful expression in an attempt to avoid it.
“Hehe! Brother Glorious Blaze, you’re too slow.” Accompanied by a wild howl of laughter, a large yellow-robed man with a thick beard emerged from the gourd. The large man then formed an incantation gesture before a huge bang sounded out, as the sky was suddenly covered in a deep yellow cloud of sand, inside of which formation flags could occasionally be seen.
King Glorious Blaze, the cultivator within the grey Qi, was alarmed by the sudden development and hastily shot downward only to be met with the sight of yellow sand. The incoming cloud of sand had already enveloped an area of over a kilometer around him.
King Glorious Blaze came to a stop and gave a menacing glare at the yellow-robed man standing on top of the huge gourd. Their standoff only lasted for a moment before the white windstorm and the black devilish cloud quickly arrived beside him, leaving King Glorious Blaze completely surrounded.
The large yellow-robed man calmly said, “Brother Glorious Blaze, when you fought the Grand Yang Sect’s Mister Song, you were struck by the Sunthrust Ruler and your incomplete Heavenly Corpse Body was heavily injured. And now, you find yourself surrounded. So long as you spit out your Heavenly Corpse Pearl and let us place you under a restriction, we’ll let you live. After all, you’ve associated with us for a while now, and I would find it somewhat cruel to just scatter your soul.”
King Glorious Blaze appeared exceptionally calm after hearing this and coldly said, “Master Wild Sand, I knew it was you. Ever since I left that ancient tomb, I had felt a faint sense of unease. It seems you were watching me this entire time. From how you lured me out into this trap, it appears you’ve been planning this for a long time. But aren’t you a bit too patient though? You were watching me for ten years while you were scheming. As such, it can’t be considered a surprise that I fell prey to you. But do you really think that a trifling yellow sand formation will be enough to stop me?”
After hearing this, the yellow-robed man replied, “It seems my words fell on deaf ears and now we definitely can’t allow you to escape. Brother Glorious Blaze, don’t blame me for being ruthless. We hadn’t expected that you would carry something as important as the Heavenly Corpse Pearl on your person. Also, don’t forget that in order to make sure this plan was perfect, I filled my gourd with the Bluecrystal Heavensand that Madam Heavenstone spent over a hundred years refining. If Fellow Daoist truly thinks that you can escape with earth movement techniques, then you’re delusional.”
King Glorious Blaze’s expression revealed shock, but after a moment of doubt, he smirked in disbelief and said, “Bluecrystal Heavensand? As if Madam Heavenstone would allow you to borrow something as precious to her as her own life! You sure know how to bluff.”
“Hehe...” Master Wild Sand coldly laughed when he heard this and didn’t bother to refute it, causing King Glorious Blaze’s heart to tremble.
Despite the obvious advantage the three devils had, they now found themselves at a standstill. It seemed like they either feared what would happen if he fought with his life on the line or were planning something else.
When King Glorious Blaze saw this, he rejoiced. Before he had fled, he sent a voice transmission for reinforcements and it shouldn’t be long before they arrived.
Silence filled the air as the four maintained their standoff.
Apart from these four old eccentrics, there was a fifth person trapped in the yellow sand. That person was Han Li, who had been caught off guard and was trapped in the large sand formation alongside them.
Han Li felt particularly gloomy and had remained silent this entire time, hoping he wouldn’t attract any attention. He was currently waiting for an opportunity to slip away when their fight began.
But before he could make his escape, a sharp voice from the cloud of black devilish Qi said, “That Junior over there is in the way. Before we finish our business, let’s get rid of him first.”
The large yellow-robed man glanced at Han Li and dully said, “Right. Let’s kill the pest before it can become a hindrance.”
When Han Li heard this, his heart was set ablaze with anger. It appeared he would have to utilize his last opportunity to lift the Soullock Seal or die.
Without any further hesitation, he grasped his hands in an incantation gesture and softly muttered an incantation, causing his face to quickly cycle through the images of five glowing green ghost faces. Then, five egg-sized green balls of light flew out from his body and disappeared without a trace.
While this was all happened, the old devil in the black cloud had already attacked. A portion of the black cloud condensed into a huge black python, which fiercely pounced towards Han Li with a gaping maw displaying its incisive fangs.
When the yellow-robed man and the cultivator within the white windstorm saw this, they didn’t bother to launch their own attacks against a meager Foundation Establishment cultivator. But when King Glorious Blaze saw what was happening, his brow faintly stirred and a trace of surprise appeared on his face.
The huge black python quickly arrived above Han Li with its mouth wide open, but then Han Li raised his hand and released a bolt of golden lightning. It struck the huge python whose body trembled before scattering into dust.
Soon after, Han Li began to circulate the magic power in his b
ody and released an astonishing aura, covering his body in sparkling azure light and abundant spiritual Qi.
After easily striking down the python, he looked at the old devils in front of him and calmly said, “You four can have your fight, but there is no need to involve me. I’m only passing through.”
The old devils around him simultaneously looked at Han Li in shock.
At that moment, they realized the cultivator had coincidentally trapped in the spell formation was an existence on par with their own. He was simply concealing himself through some unknown technique.
Did this person harbor any malicious intentions or was he truly only here by coincidence?
The three devils began to ponder about the situation and remained silent as they were absorbed in their thoughts.
King Glorious Blaze felt his heart tremble. Although he knew that Han Li was the cultivator who took the vajra barrier and should be somewhat capable, he didn’t expect that he would possess such an impressive cultivation. King Glorious Blaze’s expression wavered upon this discovery.
Han Li hastily spread his spiritual sense past the yellow sand restrictions and faintly frowned. There truly was some Heavensand inside of it and would need to spend quite a bit of effort to break through it.
After some thought, Han Li calmly spoke to the man standing on top of the large gourd, “Fellow Daoist, you should’ve heard me. I don’t plan on meddling in your affairs, so you should allow me to leave.”
After a moment of hesitation, the yellow-robed man slowly said, “Fellow Daoist, could you tell us your surname and why you were in the Snowmound Mountains?”
“My surname is Han and the mountains were merely along the way. That answer should be to your satisfaction!” Han Li answered with a cold and impatient tone.
There was only a limited amount of time before the Soullock Seal would come back into effect so Han Li couldn’t remain stuck in this situation for long.
“Release the restrictions and allow you to leave?” The yellow-robed man’s expression turned unsightly. He blinked several times and then said, “I fear that won’t do. The sand formation isn’t easy to release. If we were to relax the restrictions, we would be giving him an opportunity to escape. How about Fellow Daoist bear with it for the time being and we release you after we exterminate this old devil?”
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 496