A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248

by Translator: Johnchen

  Of course, there were also cultivators that desired the materials, but didn’t have the needed items to trade for it. They would often negotiate through voice transmission but most were met with cold rejection. Only a sparse few succeeded, one of which included Han Li.

  In his case, it was quite simple. He exchanged several rare thousand-year old spirit herbs and a few high-grade demon cores for a material that he required. Although one might be able to occasionally find one or two of these at a market, they’d never be able to gather such a large quantity in a single instance. As such, the cultivator had agreed to the trade with only slight hesitation.

  In addition to this, Han Li managed to trade for two more required puppet materials with some items in his reserve. Now, he was only missing the two rarest materials. However, they were so incredibly scarce, he reckoned that ordinary eccentrics wouldn’t use them to trade.

  Monarch Soul Divergence spoke to Han Li, “Youngster Han, what do you plan on taking out? If they aren’t of high enough quality, I fear that they won’t be traded for.

  “I’ve already thought about it. Since a majority of the cultivators here are from the Devil Dao, don’t I already possess their most sought after material?”

  “Really, you’re willing to part with it?” Monarch Soul Divergence asked with amazement.

  “There is nothing I can do if they don’t wish to part with them, but now that we’ve gathered everything except for the last two pieces, I can’t have my efforts be in vain. If Senior’s puppet is truly as formidable as you say, it is worth at least this much.” Han Li chuckled and then glanced around the room.

  When a dismayed cultivator backed down from the stage without managing a single trade, Han Li calmly stepped forward and arrived behind the table.

  The cultivators in the hall turned their sights on him, wishing to see what rare wonders he would take out.

  With a twist of his hand, he produced two exquisite jade boxes, but he wasn’t in a rush to open them. He glanced around the hall and spoke with a changed, hoarse voice, “This is a refinement material for precious Devil Dao treasures, two Devil Essence Diamonds[1]. I will exchange them for Elemental Jade and Brilliant Glow Gem.” With that said, he flicked his hand and the boxes all began to open, revealing dim black gems that were several inches large and released a faint black Qi.

  “Devil Essence Diamonds! The material used to refine Devil Dragon Blades? Did I hear correctly?”

  “Impossible, how could such an item appear in this world?”

  “Is it true?”

  After Han Li finished speaking, an uproar surged through the hall. Many cultivators had shouted out in alarm.

  The white silhouette that had been meditating since the beginning suddenly opened his eyes in amazement, staring at the two Devil Essence Diamonds in front of Han Li.

  “To tell the truth, I wouldn’t be trading these items if I were a Devil Dao cultivator. As for whether it is genuine, if you are able to produce the items I require, I will allow you to carefully inspect them.”

  Han Li’s confident tone had silenced the doubtful, and all of them quietly looked at the Devil Essence Diamonds with various expressions.

  Elemental Jade and Brilliant Glow Gems were rarely ever seen in this world, but they were less valuable than the diamonds and made the trade quite tempting.

  Greatly against everyone’s expectations, the master of the trade meet — the white silhouette — suddenly said, “I do have a Brilliant Glow Gem, but because it was too precious, I didn’t take it out for sale. If I have someone fetch this item, will you let me inspect the Devil Essence Diamond?”

  Han Li’s face wore an astonished appearance, but he immediately said, “I have no reason to doubt you. You can inspect them.”

  The white silhouette nodded and sent off a streak of fiery light, disappearing through the ceiling of the room. Then, he slowly stood up and walked over to Han Li.

  When the other cultivators heard their conversation, there was another unrest, but this time not much was said. Since the white silhouette was sent to be in charge of the trade fair, he was certain to be vastly experienced. Everyone in the hall looked over with wide eyes to see what he would determine.

  As if in a display of familiarity, the white silhouette nimbly took the Devil Essence Diamond into his hand and spit out a thread of white Nascent flame. When the flames made contact with the diamond’s black Qi, the flame was thoroughly blocked from approaching.

  Excitement appeared on the his face and he grasped his hands in an incantation gesture, recalling the Nascent flame and spitting out a ball of blue glacial Qi. The Qi covered the diamond, but it wasn’t able to freeze it.

  The white silhouette’s gaze flickered and he raised his finger to it, pouring in a stream of black devilish Qi into it. As a result, the Qi was completely absorbed and the diamond showed no reaction.

  “It’s true, a genuine Devil Essence Diamond! I want it.” As soon as he said this, a masked cultivator wearing grey robes suddenly appeared ten meters away.

  He saluted the white silhouette and handed over a jade box before disappearing from sight.

  Chapter 956: Unexpected Profit

  “This is a Brilliant Glow Gem. Fellow Daoist should see if it is acceptable.” The white silhouette handed over the box to Han Li.

  Han Li grabbed and opened it to reveal a pale yellow gemstone that glowed with a halo of faint purple light. It was nearly blinding to the eye.

  In a wave of happiness, he examined it as blue light flickered from his eyes. He then held the stone in between his fingers as he carefully examined it.

  While Han Li was examining the Brilliant Glow Gem with a calm appearance, the white silhouette was completely shocked. He could only look at the gem for a short while, yet this unknown cultivator was able to stare at the crystal for such a long amount of time.

  “Not bad. It is a top quality Brilliant Light Gem. Go ahead, take the Devil Essence Diamond.” Han Li then put away the gem into his storage pouch.

  “Then I won’t refuse.” The white silhouette chuckled and carefully put away the diamond. He looked at the other Devil Essence Diamond and said with a greedy tone, “Now then, since there is no one else that wants to trade for it with the items you desire, I’m willing to purchase it at a high price or exchange for other rare materials. No matter the method, I will be sure to satisfy you.”

  “Who said that nobody had any materials for it? I have a piece of Elemental Jade.”

  “Wait, That item is mine. I forbid anyone else from having it!”

  As soon as the white silhouette finished speaking, a woman and a man’s voice suddenly spoke out from the crowd.

  The man’s voice was deep and thunderous while the woman’s was smooth and sweet. Afterwards, streaks of black and silver flashed forward before Han Li.

  When this happened, the other cultivators began to fill the hall with whispers.

  While only a few people knew of Brilliant Glow Gems, Elemental Jade was resoundingly famous in the cultivation world as a top-grade material for refining jade magic treasures. However, this material was incredibly rare and would only appear in the cultivation world once every five hundred years.

  Now that someone had produced it, there were many that were envious and shocked. It appeared these cultivators did possess such rare treasures but that they were unwilling to reveal them.

  When the white silhouette heard the man’s voice, his expression wavered from the shock, though it was concealed by the mist of light surrounding him.

  The black figure ignored the slender silver mass that arrived first and stared at the white silhouette, forcefully saying, “Second Elder Ye, you dare to violate the rules of the trade meet and control the Devil Essence Diamond?”

  Although one couldn’t see his true appearance, his figure was tall and his voice was cold.

  “Brother Kun is far to worrisome. How could I do such a thing? I was simply giving this Fellow Daoist a suggestion. Since you two are here now
, I won’t further interfere with the matter.” The white silhouette spoke with wry voice and saluted him before returning back from his original location.

  “How tactful!” The black figure snorted and held his hands behind his back.

  The silver form to the side stood gracefully in place as if somewhat stunned by this display.

  A series of whispers then sounded out form all around them.

  “Kun... Could he be the Austere Blood Sect Elder Kun Wuji? His voice really sounds like its him.”

  “Apart from that late-Nascent Soul cultivator, who could be so bold?”

  When Han Li heard this, his expression changed. This black figure was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator from one of the illustrious great ten Devil Dao sects!

  After a moment of silence, the silver form let out a shallow breath and said, “So it was Elder Kun of the Austere Blood Sect. I’ve been too disrespectful. Do you also have the materials this Fellow Daoist needs? In that case, I will step down and give the item to you.”

  It appeared the woman wasn’t about to give up on the Devil Essence Diamond with regards to her opponent’s cultivation and identity.

  Kun Wuji chuckled and said with an eerie tone, “Although I don’t have Elemental Jade or Brilliant Glow Gems, I have materials on an equal level. If you’re wise, you’d best step down.”

  The silver form let out a chuckle and said, “That will be quite a problem. I’ve been wanting a Devil Essence Diamond for quite a long time. How about this? I’d be willing to hand over the item to Brother Kun if this Fellow Daoist prefers your materials over my Elemental Jade.”

  “Fine, since I’m not an unreasonable person, I’ll have him decide it.” Surprising many, Kun Wuji displayed complete confidence in his words.

  Han Li was indifferent to who the Devil Essence Diamond would belong to. Although he felt unhappy about having to go through this trouble, he was somewhat relieved to see that the Elemental Jade had made an appearance.

  At that moment, she raised her hand and sent out a green wooden box onto the table. There was a faint silver talisman sealed on top of it.

  “Fellow Daoist should see whether my Elemental Jade is genuine,” the silver form said with a sweet voice.

  Kun Wuji sneered and then took out various jade boxes of differing sizes and also placed them on the table. “You should understand that the items I’ve taken out are far more valuable than some Elemental Jade.”

  Han Li didn’t speak any further and pointed to green wooden box, summoning it into his hand in a gust of wind. With his other hand, he brushed it and released the talisman from it, causing the box to open and reveal a round piece of rainbow jade. Curiously, it didn’t glow with a multicolor light, but was filled with abundant spiritual Qi.

  Han Li held the piece of jade in his hand and examined it for a moment before forcefully suppressing the excitement in his heart. He nodded to the silver silhouette and said, “Not bad, it’s genuine Elemental Jade.” With that said, he shut the box and turned his sights on the other boxes on the table.

  He wished to simply trade for the Elemental Jade and leave matters there, but he wasn’t about to rashly offend a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. Furthermore, from his bold tone, Han Li was somewhat curious about what the boxes contained.

  Kun Wuji pointed at the table and the lids of the boxes began to open of their own accord.

  “Phoenix Fall Wood, Soul Focusing Stone, Myriad Wheel Flower...”

  Before Han Li could recognize what was inside, observant cultivators from the crowd began to name the objects in the boxes, causing most of them to gasp.

  The silver form was also deeply shocked and turned to look at Han Li in alarm.

  It was no wonder why Kun Wuji was so confident. They were incredibly rare and above the Elemental Jade in rarity. The Myriad Wheel Flower in particular was no less valuable when compared to the Devil Essence Diamond.

  Han Li’s gaze wasn't focused on the most valuable material on the table, the Myriad Wheel Flower, but on the faint golden ore.

  When the silver form saw this, her heart sank.

  Han Li raised his hand, summoning the golden ore and closely examining it.

  When Kun Wuji saw this, he chuckled and proudly said, “It seems my Auric Essence had caught your eye. You’re quite discerning. Sword cultivators will gain a massive increase in strength with this, and I reckon that only I was able to acquire a piece this large in the entire Great Jin.”

  “I will exchange the diamond for this Auric Essence,” Han Li said.

  “Please wait, Don’t you want my Elemental Jade-”

  “QUIET! Do you truly wish to anger me?” Kun Wuji’s initial joy suddenly changed to fury and his body released an astonishing pressure, suppressing the silver form. Han Li watched from the side and saw her recoil a few steps before she managed to recover.

  Kun Wuji then grabbed the diamond in front of Han Li and examined it with immense excitement.

  “It’s a true Devil Essence Diamond. My trip was worth it. If those old devils knew that one would appear at this trade fair, they would be filled with regret.” He put away the diamond and wildly roared with laughter. With a wave of his sleeve, he took away the remaining jade boxes on the table and made his way to the entrance of the hall in a blur.

  The white silhouette then said, “Brother Kun, don’t you want to remain behind until the end and look at the grand treasure I have to offer?”

  “What grand treasure is valuable to me? Now that I have the Devil Essence Diamond, I wish to hastily return and refine the pure devilish Qi it contains. I’m not in the mood for any ‘grand treasure’.” Cackling with laughter, Kun Wuji’s silhouette flashed from the hall’s teleportation formation and he disappeared without a trace.

  ‘Refine devilish Qi?’ Han Li was surprised, but then came to a sudden realization.

  These Devil Essence Diamonds were something that were condensed in the deepest depths of devilish Qi and should contain a significant concentration of devilish Qi. A Devil Dao cultivator would be sure to gain many benefits from it. It was no wonder why Kun Wuji had no interest in any other treasures after he managed to acquire it.

  At that moment, silver form was furious from having the Devil Essence Diamond seized from her, and reached out to recall the Elemental Jade back into her grasp.

  Suddenly, Han Li held the box to the table and said, “Wait! I also want this.”

  Chapter 957: The Mountain Crushing Seal

  “What does Fellow Daoist mean?” The silver silhouette’s voice suddenly grew cold.

  When the other cultivators saw this, they all revealed alarm.

  Han Li faintly smiled, and with a hand still holding the box down, he slapped his storage pouch and took out another jade box.

  The silver silhouette unconsciously received the box and annoyedly said, “I will only trade for a Devil Essence Diamond. I have no interest in anything else.”

  “You should take a look at what’s inside first. There’s no harm in that,” Han Li said with a deep tone.

  The silver silhouette hesitantly opened the box and took a quick glance before letting out a gasp of surprise.

  “Good, the Elemental Jade is yours!” the silver silhouette cheerfully said. She had only opened the box halfway before carefully putting the box away and returning to the crowd.

  All the cultivators around them were left completely baffled. They hadn’t caught sight of what was contained in the third jade box Han Li had taken out, but it was enough to get the woman to agree to the exchange.

  Of course, there were a few people that guessed that it was a third Devil Essence Diamond, but it was already shocking for a single person to possess two of them, let alone a third. Since it was so unlikely, most people had guessed Han Li took out a great treasure to tempt the woman.

  At that moment, the gazes in the crowd were looking at Han Li with various emotions ranging from envy to hostility.

  Han Li paid no attention to this and took another glance at t
he silver silhouette and unconsciously frowned. Her figure gave him a rather familiar impression.

  ‘Could it be her?’ A shocking thought suddenly crossed Han Li’s mind. Although the voice wasn’t the same, cultivators of their stage could change their voice with ease.

  With that thought, Han Li used his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to look at her. Although he wouldn’t be able to completely see through the mist of light, it would allow him make out a more concrete outline.

  As a result, he wore an odd expression. This woman did appear to be the Endless Sky Saintess, but because of their circumstances, she hadn’t discovered his identity and carried off with the Devil Essence Diamond in delight.

  The last of the materials he toiled to collect was actually in the hands of a hated enemy. Han Li felt at a loss of whether he should laugh or cry at this rather ridiculous affair.

  While his heart was assailed by this indescribable feeling, he quickly put away the Auric Essence and Elemental Jade he had acquired and returned to his seat.

  He no longer paid further attention to anything as he was able to accomplish his objective, and managed to gain a large piece of Auric Essence without much trouble as well, much to his satisfaction. This chunk would be enough for him to temper most of his remaining swords.

  Another forty-some odd cultivators later went on stage to trade their items, but none of them revealed anything as rare as the Elemental Jade and Devil Essence Diamonds. As such, most attendees were bored with the display, and matters were proceeded in a hurry.

  Eventually, the last trader had finished and returned to their seat. The white silhouette then clapped his hands twice and said, “Since Fellow Daoists had finished their trades, we will begin the auction for the final treasure of this meeting, an item that is truly a marvel to behold.” With that said, two cultivators appeared at the entrance of the hall.

  Surprisingly, the two hadn’t placed the concealment talismans on their body and were revealing their true appearance.