Lady Mu glanced at her, and annoyedly answered, “There is no point in thinking about it when we could be killed with a twirl of its finger.”
“So it was like that...” The young woman drew with a helpless tone.
“And you’ve brought the Four Skies Ruler, yes? We will have to rely on it to fight for the Dragon Call Emblem.”
The young woman rolled her eyes and smiled, “Senior Martial Sister has reminded too many times already. How could I have forgotten our sect’s signature treasure? But it is a pity that your cultivation art is unsuitable with it, or it’d be a better fit for you. Senior Martial Sister said that one of the two Divine Spirit Treasures used to suppress this person was the Eight Spirit Ruler, the treasure that the Four Skies Ruler is a replica of. I hope that we will be able to see it.”
“The Eight Spirit Ruler and the Black Wind Flag. I also...” Lady Mu’s line of thought was interrupted when she suddenly turned her attention back to the barrier. With a stiff expression, she said, “Old Devil Qian and the others had broken through. Let’s hurry.” The young woman’s heart trembled and she raised her head. She caught sight of them breaking through the light barrier and heading up the mountain gate.
Chapter 1019: Goldweight Spirit Wood
“We’ll follow, but keep your distance,” Lady Mu said, “Fortunately, the mountain’s restrictions limit spiritual sense, or we couldn’t shadow a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.” Then, the two flashed with white light and stealthily flew out from the stone pillars and followed after them with a secret technique.
Not long after, a green light flickered from where the woman was hiding a moment ago to reveal a huge green silhouette. It coldly watched the direction the two women left with a pair of icy crystalline eyes, only to strangely warp from sight a moment later.
When Old Devil Qian and the others arrived in front of the mountain gate, Han Li was already halfway through the path to the enormous palace. He managed to stand up and was slowly walking along the small road, but each step drew enormous strain on his body, enough to make him pause.
At that moment, azure and gold clashed as the lightning and light were coiling around his body along with a layer of beautiful purple flame. He even used the Spirit Subjugation Talisman to partially take the form of a flood dragon. When the others saw him, they were astonished.
A black-robed old man couldn't help but ask, “What sorcery is that? How could he undergo such a transformation?”
With a harsh expression, Ge Tianhao said, “Regardless, he seems to be under the effect of a restriction. This is a prime opportunity to dispose of him.” Then, he quickly waved his hand and released a fire-red halberd.
He was very bitter over the loss of his bone saber, utterly destroyed by the attack of the Triflame Fan. Now that an opportunity arose, he wasn’t about to easily let it go.
But when his halberd flew thirty meters away, it violently smashed into the floor and left a deep hole in the ground. It was still and incapable of being moved in the slightest.
“What?!” Shocked, he hastily channeled his magic power and willed the halberd to return, but it remained still.
When Lin Yinping saw this, she shouted, “Greater Suppressive Power?”
The Silver-winged Nightfiend glanced at the trees to either side and indifferently said, “Rather, it’s Goldweight Gravity. The Goldweight Spirit Trees lining the path have created a natural restriction. Anyone that steps into it’s range will have an immense force pull down on their body, rendering them immobile.”
“Then how is that youngster Han moving?” Grand Immortal Xu coldly laughed and took a glance at Han Li’s rear figure.
The Silver-winged Nightfiend glanced at him and scoffed, “Are you ignoring his transformation? In his current form, his cultivation is raised by nearly half. With cultivation at the peak of mid-Nascent Soul stage and the Divine Devilbane Lightning and those purple ice flames, he is displaying great power. If you were to proceed, I suspect you wouldn’t handle the weight nearly as long as him!”
Expressionless, Grand Immortal Xu asked, “Is that so? From your tone, I see that you’re quite familiar with that Youth Han. Do you recognize him?”
“It doesn’t matter, there is no relation between us.” The Silver-winged Nightfiend smiled in response to his probing.
Grand Immortal Xu’s bearing remained indifferent, but the response angered him greatly.
He frowned and said, “Aren’t those Goldweight Spirit Trees? The ancient tree also known as Treasure Fall Trees? They’ve long been extinct in the outside world, and it was said that metal-attribute treasures are completely restrained by them. It is no wonder your halberd had fallen to the ground. Furthermore, the tree has an innate gravitational power that even spiritual sense cannot detect.”
The square-faced cultivator solemnly said, “So it was like that. The trees release a harsh gravitational power that can be superimposed to increase the pressure several-fold. From the sheer number of them and the dense groups, I fear we’ll be under the effects of five simultaneously as we march forward. I don’t know about any of you, but I know my body wouldn’t be able to support such pressure.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure myself, so I’ll be giving it a try.”
When Lin Yinping saw Han Li’s figure slowly treading forward, her expression dropped and she slapped a spirit beast pouch at her waist, releasing a strange lizard.
It was covered in dense scales and had a pair of wings that consisted of thick flesh.
“Go!” Lin Yinping shouted and pointed at Han Li in the distance.
The serpent promptly covered itself in a layer of yellow light before shooting through the mountain gate.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the winged lizard flew for forty meters before crashing down right next to the halberd.
However, the lizard was extremely tenacious and through sheer force managed to struggle itself off the ground with its legs. At the same time, it flapped its wings with all its might in an attempt to fly.
When she saw this, a trace of happiness was betrayed from her face.
However, this soon disappeared with a muffled explosion. The serpent had ruptured; its flesh turned into mincemeat.
Lin Yinping’s complexion paled with disbelief. “How is that possible? Is the pressure truly so fierce? What did he do to withstand a pressure that even my lizard couldn't endure?”
“Don’t dwell on it,” Old Devil Qian calmly said, “I am able to sense a faint demonic Qi from his body. He used a secret technique of some sort to temporarily possess the strength of a demon beast. That is what caused his body to become unreasonably durable. However, it is clear that his abilities are quite outstanding as well. Without any magic treasures, he is using three different kinds of power, a feat that I am not capable of.”
With his words, Lin Yinping came to a sudden understanding, “With such techniques, he must have much understanding of heretical Daos!”
“Enough gibberish”, the horned woman impatiently chided, “Keep on speaking and he’ll already be inside Kunwu Hall.” Her voice sounded as harsh and unpleasant as a broken gong.
“Don’t worry,” Grand Immortal Xu calmly said, “The hall’s restrictions aren’t limited to the road. There will certainly be more formidable ones waiting for him. Since we know about the tree’s origins, it shouldn’t be very difficult to break through. So long as we use magic treasures void of metal-attribute materials, we should be able to easily break through.”
“Is it so simple?” The horned woman doubtfully said.
“The Goldweight Pressure is only effective on someone who is caught off guard. It shouldn’t matter to us,” Grand Immortal Xu said. He raised his arm and released a small yellow sword, striking at the nearest tree without reservation.
A huge boom sounded out and faint gold flashed from the trees around them. The flying sword left behind a gash, but it was nowhere close to cutting down the tree.
“Yi!” Grand Immortal Xu yelped in surprise.
Ge Tianhao and the others exchanged a quick glance before taking out various wood and jade treasures and striking at the trees to either side of them.
For a time, various colored light brilliantly flared, bringing down several trees from either side.
Unbeknownst to them, when the three beasts saw them cutting down the trees, they inwardly rejoiced. Although they spat out their own treasures and joined in, their attacks had minimal effect. However, the great force used managed to cleverly mask this, and the cultivators were none the wiser.
As Han Li strenuously made his way forward, Silvermoon sighed and said, “How foolish! I didn’t expect that these cultivators would chop down the Goldweight Spirit Trees!”
Han Li indifferently replied, “It is no wonder Old Devil Qian is so negligent. After all, they don’t have eyes like mine. I was able to see through the core of each of these trees and noticed the Devilward Talismans inscribed inside. If you hadn’t warned me, I wouldn’t have noticed anything strange. Who would’ve thought that the ancients would’ve carve a talisman inside a tree.”
Silvermoon hesitated for a moment and asked, “In that case, the three demons will be able to make it to the hall without resistance. Shouldn’t we warn them?”
Han Li smiled, “What is there to warn? Apart from the Ye Clan cultivator, the others are just passersby, so it’s good that those three have come to impede them. And if it wouldn’t have taken so much time, I would’ve definitely cut down the trees as well.”
Silvermoon chuckled and said, “Is that so? However, Master had best enter the hall as soon as he can. So long as the treasure is yours, you’ll be able to escape without any harm. Afterwards, we can just hide on the mountain for a few days and wait for the opening to clear.”
Chapter 1020: Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha
“It would be good for it to go that smoothly. However, we can only take it one step at a time,” Han Li replied with an indifference.
At that moment, a huge explosion sounded out from behind. He instantly knew that it was the sound of a felled Goldweight Spirit Tree, but he wasn’t nervous in the slightest as he was only a hundred meters away from Kunwu Hall now.
At the very top of its giant gate, he could already see a strange board made from neither metal nor wood. In bold calligraphy and ancient golden script, ‘Kunwu Hall’ proudly stood on it.
Han Li sighed and hesitated before taking out a jade bottle from his sleeve and pouring a drop of Myriad Year Spirit Milk into his mouth.
Resisting the Goldweight Gravity left his body drained. With the spirit milk, his power was replenished in an instant, causing the azure light, golden lightning, and purple flames to flourish.
Soon after, he quickened his pace towards the palace gate.
...
On the seventh floor of the Devil Suppressing Pagoda, a clear eruption sounded out. The crystal wall blocking the large-headed eccentric’s party had finally fell following their relentless attacks. The fragments that had erupted from it slowly faded away.
“The wall is worthy of being the Buddhist Sanctuary Sect’s signature treasure. It has stalled us for quite some time. Let’s move.” With that said, the eccentric waved his hand and recalled a sparkling small silver sword back into his garments.
The old Ye Clan Elder put away his white jade ruler and anxiously said, “After so long, could the Sacred Poison Sect have acquired the treasure already?”
“Don’t worry,” the Elder Devil calmly reassured, “Even if they did, they can’t use it immediately. We can seize it away from them.”
“Exactly. That’s exactly what I plan on doing.” The large-headed eccentric heartily laughed and then led the way through the seventh floor.
The old Ye Clan Elder nodded and dryly smiled as he followed after them.
In the blink of an eye, the three travelled down the stone steps and arrived at a stone room with the two formations.
They saw a black and a white short-range teleportation formation. The three were just as surprised as the Sacred Poison Sect Elders had been. But when the Elder Devil focused his gaze on the black one, a trace of pleasant surprise emerged on his face.
The old man muttered, “How can there be two teleportation formations? Which one leads to the eighth floor?” As the recent use of the white formation had left remnant spiritual Qi fluctuations behind, his gaze was focused on that one.
The Elder Devil stared at the black formation and said with an odd tone, “There is no need to choose. Use this one.”
“That one? But the Sacred Poison Sect Elders...”
Just as the old man thought to interject, the Elder Devil suddenly waved his sleeve without any hesitation. A jet-black devil arm emerged from it in an instant, grabbing a hold of the old man’s head before he even realized what had happened.
“Ahhh!” The old man shouted in fright before his head was obliterated, spilling blood and brains around them like a smashed watermelon.
However, that was not the end of his attacks. Next, he spat a stream of pitch-black devil flames, covering the headless body before the sounds of its crackles could even burn, turning it into threads of smoke.
With the old man’s body turned to ash, a white Nascent Soul emerged from the flames. It was carrying a white jade ruler and wore terror on its face.
“Seventh Uncle, save me!” The Nascent Soul channeled the entirety of its spiritual power into the ruler as it cried out to the large-headed eccentric. The black flames engulfing it was preventing instant movement.
However, a strange scene occurred. The eccentric just expressionlessly examined the old man’s Nascent Soul bitterly struggle against the flames and didn’t move in the slightest.
As a result, the Nascent Soul was only able to endure for a moment more before the flames began to fracture it.
Screams wrenched out of the old man’s Nascent Soul, consumed by the devilfire.
Unfortunately, he had been in denial of his death until the very last moment and passed with complete resentment.
Eventually, the eccentric calmly spoke with a trace of annoyance, “Why now? Didn’t you say that you would attack at the very last level?”
The Elder Devil shot a glance at the eccentric and replied, “I originally believed she would be at the final floor, but I already sense her aura. The old man’s presence would be an insult. Could it be you feel sorry over him?”
After a moment of silence, the eccentric betrayed a complex expression, “What is there to regret over a single junior?”
“Ah, Fellow Daoist’s line of thinking is very good. So long as we are able to rescue the incarnation of the sacred ancestor, the ancestor will use a secret technique to infuse devilish Qi into your body. With your aptitude, there is a very high chance of raising to Deity Transformation stage.”
The eccentric snorted and his gaze flickered, “If it weren’t for the fact that the end of my lifespan is approaching, I wouldn’t be betraying my clan for a devil like you.”
The Elder Devil curled his lips and contemptuously said, “Devil? If the infusion is successful, you will later become a member of our holy race yourself. In our realm, there are many humans that have turned. There is no need for hesitation.”
“Enough nonsense, let’s hurry. Best not to allow any chance for mishap!” The eccentric then stood inside the teleportation formation.
The Elder Devil scoffed and walked in beside him as well.
Then in a flash, the two disappeared without a trace.
Soon, they a
rrived in an identical formation, but were in an area with flashing black light and dim surroundings.
“This is...?” When the eccentric recovered from the vertigo, he looked around with bewilderment.
“Fellow Daoist should also look up at the sky,” the Elder Devil rang with an excited tone.
The eccentric quickly turned his head up when he heard him and was shocked as a result.
Three hundred meters above him, there were various restrictions densely shining with spiritual light. At the very center, there was something resembling a small mountain floating there. Thick black chains coiled around it and countless restraints had been placed on top.
There were mirrors shining yellow nearby, forming a huge net around the black mass.
The eccentric sharply gasped when his eyes landed on a black figure in there.
He saw a two-headed wolf over three hundred meters long. Although its body was surrounded by restrictions, silver light twinkled from its fur as if it was silver. To a mere mortal, the wolf would appear to be a god.
But it was quite strange that one of its heads was silver-white in color, but the other was a glossy black with a layer of faint inky Qi enveloping it and its purple horn arrogantly placed atop its head.
As of now, the two heads were completely dormant as if in eternal slumber.
“This...is the sacred ancestor incarnation you mentioned?”
“Yes, this is the incarnation of the Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha, among the top five in strength in the holy realm. Of course, this isn’t the ancestor’s true form, but a soul fragment possessing a demon wolf from the spirit realm. Even so, she far exceeds the abilities of common Deity Transformation cultivators. So long as there is no intervention from the spirit realm, she would be an unrivaled existence in the mortal realm. Of course, it stands to mention that Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha was one of the three commanders of our invasion of the mortal realm.”
“Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha!” The eccentric muttered her name.
The Elder Devil turned his head to the eccentric, “Protect me for a moment, Brother Ye. I will use a technique to communicate with the ancestor’s soul.”
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 551