Chapter 946: Extortion
“I have no interest in shadowy characters like yourself. It’d be best for you to leave.”
Much to the small old man’s surprise, Han Li rejected him before he could continue. But soon, he thought of something, and the wrinkles on his face relaxed.
With a faint smile, he said, “Fellow Daoist, there is no need to make a decision so quickly. It’d be best to listen to what I have to say first or you might suffer misfortune.”
“Misfortune? Now I’m interested. Go on, enlighten me.” Han Li held his hands behind his back and wore a pensive expression.
“Fellow Daoist is quite wise. First, I’ll have you take a look at something and we can save the rest of the discussion for later.” The old man chuckled and slapped a pouch at his waist, releasing a streak of green light. It circled once around in the air before landing on the old man’s head to reveal a fist-sized spirit beast.
It appeared to be a giant slug, but with a body that was emerald-green and had long, translucent antennae slowly moving around it.
“A slug beast...” Han Li said with a sullen expression, “Why did you bring it out? Could it be you wish to shoot me with its venom?”
“This low-grade spirit beast couldn’t possibly pose a threat to you, Fellow Daoist Li, but it does have a minor mutation that has the capability of breaking through a few illusion techniques. During the time Fellow Daoist Li stood in confrontation against the cultivators of the Yin Sifting Sect, I had a thread of spiritual sense attached to the beast. You should understand what I’m implying.” The old man then stroked the slug on his head with a satisfied expression.
“What does Fellow Daoist plan on doing with that knowledge?” Han Li felt his heart tremble when he heard the capabilities of the slug, but his expression remained entirely calm.
The old man chuckled with a face full of greed. “There is no need for Fellow Daoist to be so cold. I didn’t mean anything by it — Well, so long as you agree to present a few treasures or a large sum of spirit stones of course. Then I will forget all about what I just saw, and I’ll be sure to leave you alone.”
Rather than show anger, Han Li wore a light smile and asked, “You’re blackmailing me?”
The old man took two steps back and wore a sinister smile. “What, you’re thinking about killing me? You’d best forget it.I have no fear of your threats as I naturally set up something to protect myself: I already had a disciple of mine following after the Yin Sifting Sect and that Endless Sky Saintess. Once something happens to me, he will immediately tell them of the bamboo tube’s illusion. I’m sure it will become quite troublesome for you. And don’t forget that many high-grade cultivators have come to the Jin Capital to participate in the grand auction as well. Do you feel that it is wise to kill me in the city? So long as I let out a whistle, you will be left helpless. While four or five Nascent Soul cultivators might not be enough to kill you, how about seven or eight? To my knowledge, there are quite a few Yin Sifting Sect Elders in the Jin capital. Do you have the confidence of fleeing so many? It is a wise decision to take the loss and avoid calamity. You have no choice.” Then with that said, a wooden shield flew out from his sleeve and transformed into a yellow light barrier that surrounded him.
Han Li tightly frowned while he stared at the barrier, his expression wavering as he pondered.
After a long while, his expression returned to normal and he calmly said, “It seems I’ll have to make a few concessions or it will be somewhat troublesome. Could you tell me what you want?”
The old man rejoiced upon hearing him and hastily said, “Good, I’m not particularly picky! I am only looking for wealth and have no intention of fighting. So long as Fellow Daoist gives me a few ancient treasures, I will be satisfied.”
The old man’s greed had caused Han Li to unconsciously raise his brow and grabbed his storage pouch with a solemn expression. Then, with a flip of his hand, an egg-sized golden-silver ball of light appeared.
“You want several ancient treasures? You have quite an appetite. While I don’t have other ancient treasures, I did encounter this Cloudnight Pearl in the past. Because it isn’t suitable for my uses, I will give it to you. Don’t be too greedy, or it will surely consume you.” Han Li spoke with an unhappy tone and then sent the sphere over with a shake of his wrist.
The old man wore a happy expression but his eyes flickered. Rather than reaching out to catch the treasure, he tossed the slug to the side and with a wave of his sleeve, he wrapped the golden-silver ball in black light.
He used the slug to further verify that the sphere wasn’t an illusion and that it didn’t have the aura of an owner. He then suspiciously stared at it for a long while before grabbing it. As he carefully examined it, he muttered, “This item’s decorative design is quite unique and is much different from ordinary treasures. Could you tell me its effects?”
“It’d be best if you were to personally give it a try. I can guarantee, it will certainly satisfy you.”
“Right, but don’t think that a single ancient treasure will be enough to send me away!” As the old man excitedly poured magic power into the sphere, thoughts of further blackmail filled his mind.
Han Li’s lips curled into a faint smirk.
“Yes, it isn’t enough,” Han Li’s voice suddenly turned void of emotion, “So how about I send you off to the afterlife?”
The old man was alarmed but was too late to react. All of his magic power was being violently absorbed by the golden-silver ball.
With a light bang, the ball suddenly ruptured into several tens of Han Li’s few remaining black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles. As soon as they appeared, they fiercely darted towards his face.
There was no dodging at such a short distance. Dread simply flashed through his mind as the beetles covered his head and began to gnaw. If it weren’t for the dense light protecting his body and his massive cultivation, the beetles would’ve torn him apart.
With so many fierce insects tearing at his face, he was temporarily blinded and began to furiously claw at them with hands glowing with black light. At that same time, he took a breath of air in an attempt to whistle and attract the attention of other cultivators.
But then, he heard a snort that caused his blood to run cold. He felt his spiritual sense tear apart in pain as his body convulsed and he let out an agonizing scream.
In his shock, he instantly took to the air and felt the sharp pain afflicting his spiritual sense disappear. Then, the beetles covering his face flew off of him, allowing him to see once more, only to reveal a meter-long golden sword wrapped in purple flames cleaving towards him.
“Ahhh!” A screamed sounded out. It was too late for the old man to do much except pour the entirety of his spiritual power into the light barrier in front of him and pray.
In furious alarm, he now realized that this overseas vagrant cultivator had planned on killing him from the start, with not the slightest intention of subjecting himself to blackmail. The old man only felt regret for provoking this person. Fortunately, his yellow wood shield was a powerful ancient treasure. It shouldn’t have a problem blocking even a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.
Just as the old man thought this, the golden sword sliced through the golden barrier like soft tofu.
The sword continued to fall and released a blinding flash of light as it cleaved the old man’s body into two, revealing an inch-large black Nascent Soul from the resulting gap. It was shocked still in terror and was then sealed in a chunk of purple ice.
The weapon circled once in the air after the strike and smoothly cleaved through the slug at the side, showering the air with its blood before taking back to the air.
Then, several bolts of dense golden lightning leapt from the sword and wrapped around the Nascent Soul before thoroughly destroying it in a series of rolling thunderous booms.
Han Li appeared relaxed, but he wasn’t done yet. He reached his hand out to the old man’s body and a storage pouch flew into his hand.
At that same moment, three fist-sized scarlet fireballs flew out from his other hand, turning the old man’s two halves and the slug beast into ash.
Han Li then calmly soared into the sky and disappeared without a trace.
A quarter hour later, five streaks of various-colored light flew through the sky and dropped down at the scene.
They were, Ge Tianhao, the other two Sifting Yin Sect Elders, the Endless Sky Saintess and an unfamiliar youth at Core Formation stage.
“Here! This was where Master’s aura had disappeared.” The youth looked at the magic tool in his hand with an uneasy expression.
Ge Tianhao swept his eyes nearby and spotted a few dark-red splatters. With a gloomy expression, he said, “There are still remnant spiritual Qi fluctuations and traces of blood here. The aura of that Cultivator Li is still present as well. It appears your master has already died.”
Chapter 947: Glacial Quintessence
The youth paled and said with an uncertain tone, “That’s impossible. My master’s cultivation may be inferior to that villain, but he should’ve still had a chance to escape.”
Ge Tianhao coldly snorted in annoyance and said, “What do you know? Let alone early-Nascent Soul cultivators, that scoundrel has already killed cultivators of a similar grade. It is no surprise that your master wasn’t able to protect himself. You had best explain in detail what Old Man Xiao had told you.”
At that moment, the Endless Sky Saintess quickly swept her spiritual sense through the area and blurred twenty meters away. She took an picked something off the ground and carefully examined it before wearing an unsightly expression.
“Master didn’t say anything,” the youth muttered, “He only gave me a magic tool and told me to come find you if something strange happened to it or if he didn’t return in time.”
The Saintess waved her hand and tossed the item to the youth. “There is no doubt that your master has met mishap. Isn’t this a part of an ancient treasure your master used?”
The youth hastily reached out and his heart dropped at the sight of it. It was a small piece of yellow wood and it faintly shined with a familiar light.
“How could my master’s wooden shield possibly be destroyed? It possessed astonishing defensive power and durability...” The youth’s complexion had become completely bloodless.
“Fellow Daoist Lin, you mentioned that you weren’t convinced that this person truly had the ability to kill opponents of equivalent cultivation ⸺ it appears he is more vicious than we originally believed. Although the old man had early-Nascent Soul cultivation and was skilled in many exceptional evasion techniques, he was killed before he even had the chance to call for help. He could already possesses the capabilities of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, we don’t have the strength to capture him.”
The Saintess frowned and asked, “What? Brother Ge, don’t tell me you’ve given up on taking back your sect signature treasure? Since the Ghost Sifting Banner is in his hands, he is most likely the culprit who killed your sect’s fourth elder.”
Ge Tianhao dryly laughed. “Even if he was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, our sect would still pursue him for killing one of our sect elders and seizing our sect’s signature treasure. However, your people seem to have a deep hatred for this person as well. Why else would you stay away from your people for so many years?”
The Saintess pursed her lips before wearing a sweet smile. “So long as this person is killed, I’ll increase the reward by a fifth of what was agreed. However, our sacred temple requires one of the treasures in his possession.”
“Make it three-tenths! The sect will lose a vast number of men in the hunt for this formidable cultivator. As for that treasure, we’ve already agreed to it previously and don’t intend to go back on our word.”
The Saintess hesitated and then said, “Our temple will agree to those conditions.”
“Very good. I’m sure with your status, you will keep your promise,” Ge Tianhao turned to the Yin Sifting Sect Elder at his side and said, “Junior Martial Brother Hu, send out a voice transmission talisman to gather all of the sect elders and disciples near the Jin Capital. Since he’s appeared in the market, he will definitely be participating in the grand auction. We must use all our strength to take advantage of this opportunity. However, our actions must avoid attention from the other sects and our low-grade disciples mustn’t act without the support of several sect elders. In truth, it would be safest to draw him into a spell formation and attack him there.”
“Should I report this to Sect Master Fang? After all, he was the one who sent the Fourth Elder to take care of him in the past.”
With a trace of hesitation, Ge Tianhao said, “With the plan to restore our Ghost Sifting Banners left half-completed and the loss of the Fourth Elder, the Grand Elders have become dissatisfied with Sect Master Fang, and I heard he is currently refining a vicious treasure in seclusion. Even if he were to immediately come, he wouldn’t be able to make it into the grand auction in time. We can later send him a sound transmission talisman though. That way, if we fail, we can make another attempt with the aid of his forces.”
Having settled the matter, they immediately departed. Of course, they had disturbed many mortals with their appearance before they vanished from sight.
Although the Jin Capital had rules that restricted flying, cultivators from sects as large as the Yin Sifting Sect didn’t take them to heart.
...
Meanwhile, Han Li was walking down a small road over ten kilometers away, looking through the large assortment of items in the old man’s storage pouch.
Then, he came to a sudden stop as a trace of astonishment appeared on his face.
Monarch Soul Divergence lazily asked, “What, Have you discovered something?”
“What could this be? I’ve never seen something like it before.” With a flip of his hand, Han Li took out a slender jade bottle that was seven inches tall and had an exquisite appearance.
He stroked the bottle to find a stinging icy sensation, causing him to reveal a trace of surprise. Then, he shook the small bottle and heard the faint sounds of splashing liquid.
Han Li raised his brow and muttered, “Maybe some sort of spirit liquid? Though the bottle itself is quite strange, I can’t see into it with my spiritual sense.”
Monarch Soul Divergence warned, “You’d best wait until you return to open it. This is a mortal’s road and it could attract attention if something strange happened.”
“Obviously.” With a shake of his hand, the small bottle disappeared from sight.
Monarch Soul Divergence added, “Youngster Han, since you’ve revealed your identity, you’ll have to be more careful. The Yin Sifting Sect and the Endless Sky Saintess won’t leave you be. They’ve probably already guessed that you’ll be participating in the grand auction.”
“It is of no concern,” Han Li replied, “I don’t believe there will be another spiritual beast in the Jin Capital that can see through illusions. So long as I avoid the late-Nascent Soul cultivators, nothing should happen. Even if it's dangerous, we’ll have to take the risk to be able to gather the materials we need in time.”
Monarch Soul Divergence indifferently said, “That will be fine. But since you’ve come here to find materials for my grand puppet, I will make an exception and use the Great Development Technique’s Soulfright Thorn Technique to assist you in combat when it becomes too dangerous.”
“Many thanks, Senior. Your words have put many of my worries at ease.” Han Li replied with a happy heart.
Two hours later, Han Li slowly walked back to the Daoist monastery he last stayed at. He chatted with the building’s master for a moment before calmly returning to his room.
The room was then quickly surrounded by several temporary spell formations and Han Li proceeded to thoroughly examine the slender dark-green bottle.
As he nimbly opened it, a cloud of glacial light shot out, causing the temperature in the room to violently drop. Even Han Li felt his body sh
iver in contact with the cold light despite having cultivated the Purple Apex Flames.
In his alarm, he hastily covered his body in a layer of purple flames and the mist was immediately repelled when it made contact, spreading across the room and covering it in a thick layer of ice. Were if not for the restrictions he placed on the room, he feared the icy Qi would’ve left the room.
Its coldness was about the same as the Celestial Ice Flames.
“What in the world is this?” With purple flames covering his hand, he shook the small bottle with an interested look and gazed at the glacial light that shined out from it.
He saw it dissipate midair and cover the room in more frost. He eventually brought the bottle to his his eye as blue light flickered from it. Past the sparkling white mist, he could see a silver liquid that shined with blinding brilliance.
Monarch Soul Divergence’s voice suddenly spoke with excitement, “This is... Carefully pour a drop of the liquid onto a jade disk and let me look at it.”
Han Li’s heart stirred and he wordlessly took out a palm-sized jade disk from his storage pouch. With a slight tremble from the small bottle in his other hand, a drop of silver liquid dropped onto the platter and released a clear ring upon landing. Unexpectedly, it had turned into a silver pearl after landing and continued to roll around in the plate.
To Han Li’s surprise, the silver pearl didn’t release the slightest glacial energy and appeared rather ordinary.
Monarch Soul Divergence took a deep breath and said, “As I thought, only a bottle of Myriad Year Ice Jade could nurture Glacial Quintessence.”
“I’ve never heard of Myriad Year Ice Jade before, nor Glacial Quintessence. They seem quite rare.”
Monarch Soul Divergence calmly replied, “Glacial Quintessence is a type of jade essence that is used in tool and pill refinement. However, finding one being nurtured in Myriad Year Glacial Jade is something that is rarely seen in this world. If I remember correctly, the North Night Palace in the Great Jin’s northwest should have a small bottle that they keep as a legacy treasure. I’ve never heard of this item existing in another place in this world. Ah yes, that Snow Crystal Pearl of yours is something that was refined from the Myriad Year Glacial Jade as well.”
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 513