A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248
Page 543
Chapter 1003: Hostilities
When Bai Yaoyi and Old Man Fu heard Han Li’s name mentioned with the Heavenly South, they looked back at him with bewilderment.
Han Li, however, only had his attention on the five white silhouettes as he gloomily stared at them in silence.
He had personally killed a mid-Nascent Soul Yin Sifting Sect Elder and seized their sect’s signature treasure, the Ghost Sifting Banner, from himm. Using words to dispel hostilities was no longer an option. It also stood to mention that he intended on acquiring the method to dissolve the Soul Seal Curse placed on his Dao companion from the very start, something that only the Yin Sifting Sect Master and the sect’s grand elder would know.
Originally, he planned on attacking the sect master, but now had an unexpected encounter with the sect’s grand elder, and began to consider if it was possible to stake an all-out battle. After all, the two were the most important people in the Yin Sifting Sect. There would seldom be an opportunity where he could find them alone.
This grand elder should prove to be a more brutal opponent than the Silver-winged Nightfiend. The nightfiend hadn’t possess any compatible treasures and there were restrictions present on his body, but even that was enough to nearly kill Han Li. However, Han Li hadn’t used the fullest extent of his abilities at the time, abstaining from using Monarch Soul Divergence's grand puppet. In that case, there should be a chance of victory.
And even if the Unbroken Cinque Devils were as powerful as rumor had it, his Divine Devilbane Lightning should be quite effective in restraining it.
As these thoughts quickly flickered through his mind, the middle of the five figures suddenly raised its hand in an incantation gesture and its body glowed with grey, condensing the image of a grey-robed cultivator in front of it. This strange turn of events was entirely freakish.
A layer of faint grey Qi was obscuring the his face, but the color of his grey hair revealed him to be advanced in age.
Old Devil Qian’s true body had emerged.
In that moment, the three all grew vastly wary as they stared at him. They weren’t able to see through what he was thinking.
The old devil had remained silent during this and slapped a storage pouch at his waist, taking out a small pitch-black flag. He then waved it in their direction.
Old Man Fu’s expression vastly dropped at the sight of this, and he hurriedly summoned a treasure into his hand. Bai Yaoyi covered her body in an icy light, instantly forming a barrier. As for Han Li, he simply observed Old Devil Qian’s actions with a raised brow. His expression turned ever more gloomy as time went on.
“How odd... strange, indeed...” The flag blinked with black light and showed no other unusual signs. This caused him to speak with a surprised tone.
“Brother Qian, why have you taken out your Ghost Sifting Banner? Could it be you wish to start a war between our sects?” Although Old Man Fu was quite fearful towards the Old Devil, his party consisted of three mid-Nascent Soul cultivators with one in particular possessing profound abilities. Together, they didn’t have much to fear.
Old Devil Qian looked at the three and calmly stated, “I have no interest in starting a war. However, that Brother Han and I have some unsettled business to attend to. As you two have nothing to do with it, I will not stop you if you wish to depart.”
“It seems we have the same idea,” Han Li said with a calm smile, “I’ve long heard of the impressive reputation of your Unbroken Cinque Devils. I wish to personally test them!”
When the two heard this, they exchanged a glance of dismay.
Old Devil Qian was also somewhat surprised and began to inspect Han Li.
Old Man Fu tensely frowned, “This... Brother Qian! Although I know there are greivances between your sect and Fellow Daoist Han, it is inappropriate to settle matters here. Doesn’t Brother Qian wish to take a deeper look at this mountain first?”
He hadn’t said this with any real intention to protect Han Li. Kunwu Mountain was an extremely dangerous place, and Old Devil Qian was a significant member of their Devil Dao alliance. He didn’t wish for him to suffer any mishap. Also, it wasn’t as if he was about to suddenly leave Han Li alone as they were still involved together.
“Well of course I will be taking a look at this mountain. However, my sect has been looking for Fellow Daoist Han for a long while. We will be settling the matter first; it cannot wait. Does Brother Fu wish to involve himself?” Old Devil Qian then let out a cold chuckle.
Bai Yaoyi’s bright eyes wandered for a moment and she resolutely said, “Outside of this mountain, I have no involvement in your dispute. But we intend on exploring this mountain while we’re still here. I'm afraid I cannot follow your suggestion.”
She feared losing Han Li, a powerful ally, which would cause this whole journey to become far more dangerous. Most importantly, she had personally witnessed Han Li’s fearsome abilities and believed that he didn’t fear this Old Devil at all. Else, she likely wouldn’t have been able to say that.
Seeing that the two wouldn’t give in, a cold glint flashed from the grey-robed cultivator’s eyes. When he looked at them, it felt as if his very gaze could freeze the air in their lungs.
Old Man Fu and Bai Yaoyi felt their heart drop but betrayed none of this on their face.
“Fine, it seems this is a matter that can be let go. However, my sect has a treasure that has fallen into his hands. I will leave him be if he gives me it, or I will take you three on, even at the cost of great strength.” With that said, Old Devil Qian withdrew his icy gaze.
Han Li laughed and openly said, “Oh, You mean that Ghost Sifting Banner?”
With a deep voice, Old Devil Qian said, “That’s the one. When our sect’s fourth elder perished in battle, the flag fell into your hands. Hand it over and I’ll leave you be... for now.”
After a moment of silence, Han Li glanced at the sky and sneered, “Your tone is quite arrogant. I can return the Ghost Sifting Banner to you, but I have one condition. Would you be willing to hear me out?”
“You killed our sect’s fourth elder and took from him a legacy treasure of my sect. You dare to ask for a condition? Do you think I won’t take your life!?” Old Devil Qian smiled with fury and the cinque devils behind him leaped up before drifting to his front.
The air suddenly drew thick with tension.
Old Man Fu was greatly shocked by this turn of events and a trace of amazement betrayed his face.
As fellow members of the Devil Dao alliance, the Nine Serenities Sect knew a bit about the disappearance of the Yin Sifting Sect’s fourth elder.
Old Man Fu was caught completely off-guard when he heard that Han Li had killed their famous fourth elder. And it seemed that one of the famous Ghost Sifting Banner had fallen into his hands as well. It was no wonder Old Devil Qian wasn’t about to release Han Li despite knowing it wasn’t an ideal opportunity.
As for why Han Li was concealing his origins, it wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Han Li snorted and his expression sank. “You make it sound so easy for me to return it. For some cursed reason, your sect’s fourth elder chased after me and attacked my Dao companion. How could I allow it to be returned?”
With complete resolution, the old devil said, “I have no interest nor relation to what he did in the Heavenly South. However, I am dead set on taking back our sect’s legacy treasure, or it will be a great loss of prestige.”
“So you mean to say you aren’t willing to hear me out?” Han Li narrowed his eyes.
“Hehe, if you were a grand elder of one of the ten great sects, I might’ve heard you out, but you are just some trifling cultivator from the Heavenly South. How could you possibly speak of conditions with me?” Old Devil Qian raised his head to the sky in wild laughter. Then, his body suddenly exploded into a cloud of baleful Qi before merging with the white silhouettes behind him.
The five suddenly blazed grey and their originally still eyes animated with bloodthirsty madness.
Bai Yaoyi frowned when she heard this and raised her hand without another word, summoning a crystalline flying sword to the air and had it revolve around her head.
Han Li narrowed his eyes and flicked his hand from within his sleeve, summoning the Triflame Fan into his grasp. Afterwards, he stealthily slapped his storage pouch with the other and quickly focused his spiritual sense on his grand puppet.
He had already resolved himself to go all out. When the other two began their attack, he would immediately unleash the puppet and deal a grievous injury to Old Devil Qian.
Even if he couldn't take his life, it would be a satisfactory result if he could damage his cultivation. That way, he could be able to force the terms out of him the next time they battled.
Han Li had never once forgotten about the Soul Seal Curse that afflicted his Nangong Wan. So long as he could acquire the method to dissolve it, he could rest easy. Even if this would result in the endless pursuit of the Yin Sifting Sect, he wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest.
The cinque devils then all let out a strange cry and their bodies turned near transparent. They shifted into smoke before malevolently flying towards the three.
At that moment, however, the screen of light where the white silhouettes had emerged from suddenly let out an earth-shattering explosion and filled the air with a blinding radiance.
Before they could all clearly understand what was happening, the light let out unceasing explosions, followed by nearly a dozen various streaks. They flew in a circle and their light faded away to reveal a person for each one.
Chapter 1004: Stone Puppets
Old Devil Qian astonishedly recalled his attack and hastily turned around, assuming a careful attitude. “What just happened? Why are you in such a panic?”
The cultivators that had emerged from the screen of light were in sorry states, but all of them possessed Nascent Soul cultivation. No matter how arrogant he may be, he didn’t dare to turn a blind eye. More importantly, the explosions had given him a faint feeling of foreboding.
The newly arrived were the four elders of the Sacred Poison Sect and the group of five vagrant cultivators which included the dubious Master Scatterwind. One among them said, “Brother Qian is astonishingly capable. He had arrived a step faster than us. Yi! Is that the Nine Serenities Sect’s Fellow Daoist Fu? Who are those other two?”
“So it was Brother Hua. Your arrival is quite timely,” with a trace of lingering worry, Old Man Fu then quickly asked, “Could enlighten us on what was behind that recent explosion?”
A large man amongst the vagrants snorted and said, “That is what we should be asking. Since you arrived earlier, you must’ve been the ones who placed down the illusion formation outside. It had erupted after we passed through, sealing the opening.”
When they heard this, their expressions faintly changed, staring at Han Li, Bai Yaoyi and Old Man Fu with unfriendly bearings.
“You misunderstand. When we arrived, there were already others present. We had nothing to do with the illusion formation you speak of,” Old Man Fu’s face sank and he bluntly asked, “Could it be you plan on taking out your grievances on us?”
During such complicated situations, one couldn't reveal weakness or risk being assailed by all sides.
“There are others here?” This time, even Old Devil Qian was surprised.
Old Man Fu snorted and explained, “We were taken here unintentionally through an ancient spell formation. At the time, we heard the sounds of people breaking a restriction at the top of the mountain. However, we were trapped in a restriction for several days and had lost track of them. I reckon this illusion formation should have something to do with them.”
“Is that true?” The large man and the rest of the cultivators all appeared doubtful.
The Sacred Poison Sect’s Grand Elder Hua Tianqi said, “Brother Fu is the enforcement elder of the Nine Serenities Sect. If they truly opened the seal, then their Sect Elder Gu should be personally presiding over this matter.”
“That is a fair point!” The large man found this reasoning sound after a moment of thought.
Hua Tianqi curiosity glanced around and said, “But just as we entered, you three and Brother Qian appeared to be at odds. Could it be that you have done something to offend each other?” It was obvious to see that they were readied for battle.
“This is...” A trace of hesitation appeared on the old man’s face as he thought of a reply.
...
In a palace hall far on the top of Kunwu Mountain, the large-headed eccentric was holding a small golden hammer. With each wave, he summoned an arc of silver-white lightning, shattering stone puppet after puppet.
Behind him, the other Ye Clan elders were controlling their own magic treasures, fiercely attacking the stone puppets in front of them.
These puppets all took the form of birds or four-legged beasts. Not only were they incredibly sturdy, but were able to release many simple magic techniques from their mouths in a formidable fashion. They wildly rushed into the hall from the surrounding palace corridors as if there were no end to them.
The Ye Clan cultivators all remained calm in the face of these relentless enemies and focused on controlling their magic tools as if they were simply stalling for time.
Then shortly after, a violent explosion sounded out from the distance. A corridor had collapsed and halted a stream of stone puppets with it.
The Ye Clan cultivators all smiled.
Not long after, three other corridors had collapsed with explosions one after another, completely cutting off all streams of puppets. The elders then soon exterminated the remaining few in the hall.
One of them mused, “What in the world are these? They are quite different from the mechanisms of the current age...”
With the assailants now cleared, those present now relaxed and sat down cross-legged with spiritual stones in their hands. Although the situation hadn’t appeared very dangerous, they had been using the full might of their magic treasures and consumed much of their strength.
A streak of white light flew out from the last destroyed corridor and quickly arrived before them to reveal a white-robed Confucian scholar.
He smiled and said, “Elder Han, you were correct. These corridors lead to various side chambers where they were emerging. I’ve destroyed all the restrictions in accordance to your guidance.”
“It was nothing,” the disguised Elder Devil calmly replied, “I only happened to know of this grand puppet formation from an ancient book I happened upon. If we were to rather endure, we would’ve slowly been worn away.”
The scholar chuckled and happily said, “It seems bringing you along was the right choice. I fear we’ll have to rely on you again in the future.”
“The Grand Elder flatters me. I would’ve done my utmost regardless.” The Elder Devil faintly smiled and spoke with a polite tone. The scholar nodded with satisfaction at his response.
Then, the large-headed eccentric abruptly laughed, “It should be about time for the formation we placed to explode. If we’re lucky, it might buy us some time.”
“Indeed,” the scholar replied with a stern expression, “There should be people rushing through by now given the time we spent here. The formation should collapse the opening for a time. Regardless, the seal would’ve weakened after some time even without our meddling.”
“There is still some time before the seal completely collapses. It should be long enough for us to seize the treasures.” The eccentric then turned to the scholar and asked, “But where exactly are we on the mountain? Surely we can’t be too far away from the main buildings?”
The scholar pondered for a moment and slowly said, “Yes, that should be about right. However, we’re now encountering restrictions with far great
er frequency. It should illustrate that we’ve arrived near an important place on Kunwu Mountain.”
“That is good. However, there is a troublesome matter to address. That Silver-winged Nightfiend has been following us. Why is this? Does it wish to mount a sneak attack?” The eccentric then turned to look at the entrance of the large hall with a trace of apprehension.
The others unconsciously followed his gaze, but found nothing there.
Nevertheless, they knew that it was most likely hiding and was observing them from a distance, much to their distress.
Were it not for the fact that they had two late-Nascent Soul cultivators, they wouldn’t have dared to continue forward.
The scholar muttered to himself for a moment and said, “That refined corpse is somewhat troublesome. If we had enough time, we could injure it or even hunt it down. However, time is of the essence. Currently, it is only observing us, and we would risk enraging it if we take action. Perhaps it will later trap itself in a restriction.”
When the others heard this, they found the words to be reasonable and agreed. After all, the devil possessed masterful movement techniques. It was nearly impossible for them to escape from it.
Once they all restored a portion of their magic power, they immediately left the hall and made their way out.
When their surroundings lit up, they were all dumbstruck.
In front of them laid a dozen different stairways that stretched off in different directions. However, each path was clouded by a white fog so no one could tell where they led. This was much to their shock.
One of the older cultivators sighed and turned to the scholar with a wry smile, “How will we deal with this? Even if we had one person search each area, we can’t cover everything.”
The scholar quickly calmed the old man, “There is no need to be nervous. This clearly shows that we’ve arrived at the heart of Kunwu Mountain. Splitting our numbers individually is out of the question as we can’t protect ourselves alone. How about we head over to there and take a look first?” He pointed to a platform made of white jade where all the steps joined. It was a couple of kilometers away, but it was clearly massive.