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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Han Li narrowed his eyes and he immediately stood up with a hearty smile, “Fairy Bai, it's been over ten years. I trust you are doing well?”

  Ren Bi’s face happily lit up, “Junior Martial Sister Bai, you’ve finally agreed to see me!”

  “On the day that we parted, I knew that Brother Han wouldn’t have made an appointment without reason. For the past several years, I’ve been waiting for your arrival in the sect. Your arrival has been expected,” Bai Yaoyi beamed a smile at Han Li, but then she turned to Ren Bi and her face turned cold, “As for you, Senior Martial Brother Ren, I wouldn’t have agreed to see you if it weren’t for Brother Han!”

  Ren Bi rushed to speak, “I’ve already found a method to resolve the problem. I definitely won’t leave you disappointed.”

  Bai Yaoyi shook her head and said, “In that case, speak of it later. Fellow Daoist Han has come a long way. Leave that matter for later!”

  Ren Bi’s expression blanked a moment as if something immediately came to mind. He then smiled, “That’s fine, I’ll find an opportunity to talk about it in more detail in the future. Now, I am already very happy that you’ve agreed to see me.”

  Bai Yaoyi nodded with a neutral expression and sat down at the main seat at the table. Han Li and Ren Bi sat back down.

  After examining her, Han Li smiled and said, “Fairy Bai, your cultivation has vastly increased since the last time I saw you!”

  Bai Yaoyi beamed in response, “Brother Han must be joking. My abilities can’t hope to compare to yours!”

  She clearly remembered Han Li’s display of abilities at the Yin Yang Cave and Kunwu Mountain, and therefore treated him with the utmost respect.

  When Ren Bi heard Bai Yaoyi’s respect for Han Li, his expression changed and he examined Han Li once more in surprise.

  Bai Yaoyi continued, “Brother Han, when you mentioned paying a visit to North Night Palace, you should’ve had some purpose in mind.”

  Han Li’s face turned pensive for a moment before answering with a grin, “Since you raised the question, I will be forthright. It is true, I came to North Night Palace because I had a request for you.”

  Chapter 1083: Goldwind Racoon

  Without any reservation, Bai Yaoyi said, “I’ve yet to forget the many times you’ve helped me. Please don’t hesitate to speak.”

  To tell the truth, even if Han Li hadn’t rescued her from the ice that sealed her in the Devil Suppressing Pagoda, he still possessed the fearsome abilities comparable to a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. She was happy to befriend such a character.

  Han Li calmly said, “It isn’t anything major. I only heard that North Night Island grew Profound Ice Flowers in abundance. I require them as the main ingredient for a medicine pill.”

  “Profound Ice Flowers? Those aren’t very easy to find. Although we don’t have many that are ripe, there are a few that will soon be ready. I’ll have a few of our disciples go look for any Myriad Year Profound Ice. The flower only grows on profound ice that had recently reached that age. There shouldn’t be a problem!”

  Han Li grinned, “It is great that you can help me. It would be quite troublesome if I had to handle it alone.”

  Bai Yaoyi wore a beaming smile and said, “It is only a minor affair. However, it isn’t something that will finish in a couple of days. Since Brother Han has come to our sect, how about he stay for a few days? I hold your abilities in great admiration. Perhaps we may converse on a few teachings.”

  “I am also greatly interested in the techniques of your sect. I have long heard that your palace has several of the most powerful ice-attributed techniques in the Great Jin. Although I don’t personally cultivate ice-attribute techniques, perhaps there are benefits to be had.”

  After this brief exchange, a discussion broke out between them.

  Because the two were in similar realms of cultivation, they began to talk about their troubles of cultivation. As Ren Bi was also a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, he also had a few original points to add. As such, time passed in the pavilion in a lively chatter.

  After half a day passed, Han Li bid farewells, feeling it inappropriate to bother her further after she only recently emerged from secluded cultivation.

  When Bai Yaoyi saw this, she hadn’t urged him to stay. Instead, she commanded her disciple surnamed Yuan to guide Han Li to an esteemed guest building for the time being. He would be notified as soon as the information of Profound Ice Flowers were acquired.

  With his request accepted, he saluted the two and followed the disciple out from the building.

  Ren Bi didn’t immediately depart. It seemed he had something he wished to further discuss with her.

  With the beautiful woman guiding Han Li, he was led to a span of dozen buildings built into the mountain wall, all beautifully constructed. It seemed these were the quarters for esteemed guests.

  Knowing that Bai Yaoyi viewed Han Li in high regard, the beautiful woman was extremely respectful towards Han Li and answered all his questions to the best of her knowledge.

  In the blink of an eye, the two arrived in front of one of the buildings. Before they entered, a young doll-like woman dressed in maid clothes emerged from the building.

  The woman immediately stepped forward and bowed, “I pay my respects to Martial Aunt Yuan!”

  Disciple Yuan sternly said, “Martial Niece Hua, this is Senior Han, an esteemed guest of the Martial Ancestor. Serve him well. If you are negligent, there will be punishments.”

  “I will do my utmost!” The maid’s heart trembled and she answered with a respectful tone. Meanwhile, she stole a glance at Han Li and hastily turned her head away when their eyes met.

  Han Li replied with a smile.

  Disciple Yuan turned to Han Li, “Senior Han, if you are dissatisfied with Martial Niece Hua, we’ll replace her immediately.”

  “There is no need. She will do.” Han Li shook his head and entered the building in stride.

  The other two closely followed after him.

  The building’s interior was well arranged and was to Han Li’s satisfaction. There were a few simple restrictions that prevented cultivators from prying inside as well.

  With a few brief words, he sent the disciple away and stayed in the residence.

  To tell the truth, he was left somewhat tired as he was traveling ever since he left the Snowchain Mountains. He planned on using this time to take a proper rest and bring himself back to peak performance.

  Two days passed with Han Li meditating on the second floor. He had yet to emerge.

  If he were to roam as he wished, he would certainly attract the attention of many high-grade cultivators of the sect.

  After all, he was a foreign Nascent Soul-grade cultivator. It was impossible for them to not be on guard.

  He also had no intention of stirring up trouble. Although he wanted more information on the Great Yin Trueflame, he wouldn’t risk taking action until after he finished refining the Profound Ice Pill.

  The removal of Nangong Wan’s Soul Seal Curse was at the top of his list of priorities.

  As for the maid that was assigned to serve him, he hadn’t spoken to her apart from telling her to wait outside.

  On the morning of the third day, his face began to stir as he sat in meditation. Azure light flickered from his body and a series of booms sounded out. He opened his eyes with a sullen expression.

  Someone’s spiritual sense had penetrated the building’s restrictions without any restraint and directly moved to probe his body. As such, he forcefully repelled it.

  However, this person’s spiritual sense was no weaker than his. It should’ve belonged to a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.

  Han Li’s mind quickly stirred, but before he could think of how to respond, he heard a delicate child’s voice in his ear.

  “You’re Fellow Daoist Han? I am Master Arctic Dragon. Would you be interested in meeting me?”

  “Master Arctic Dragon?” Han Li’s heart trembled. Wasn’t he North Night Pal
ace’s grand elder?

  He was an exceedingly mysterious person. Although he was known to be vastly powerful in the north, it was rather odd how no one had seen him take action. It was almost as if he became the grand elder overnight.

  Han Li felt a bit odd, but with his current abilities, he had nothing to fear from a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. He hesitated for a moment before resolving himself and promptly replied through his spiritual sense, “Since Fellow Daoist Arctic Dragon invited me, how could I refuse such kindness. I will immediately head over to pay my respects!”

  Pleased by Han Li’s response, Master Arctic Dragon happily said, “Hehe, very good! My spirit beasts will soon arrive. Fellow Daoist Han will only have to follow it. My residence will be honored by your presence!”

  Soon after, white light flashed and the threads of spiritual sense disappeared.

  Han Li didn’t immediately move. He stayed still as a light flickered from his eyes, then slowly moving down the stairs.

  The doll-faced maid was sitting on a chair on the first floor, looking at a jade slip in her hand. When she saw Han Li descend, she stood up in a panic.

  He simply nodded at her and walked out of the building without paying her any further heed.

  The maid was left completely shocked, at a loss of what to do. At her cultivation, she couldn't have known what happened on the upper floor.

  When Han Li walked outside, he instantly spotted a cat-like beast perched on top of a tree. It glanced at Han Li with eyes glowing yellow. Its body glowed with shining golden fur as if it were made of pure gold.

  He narrowed his eyes and examined the small beast before revealing a trace of surprise.

  ‘A Goldwind Raccoon! These rare creatures should only be in male-female pairs. And it is said their concealment techniques are miraculous beyond compare,’ Han Li muttered to himself. Then, his expression became blank and he swept his gaze to another tree without discovering anything.

  Having made sure of Han Li’s identity, the raccoon yelped and golden light flashed from a nearby tree to reveal another small beast. The raccoon was slightly smaller than the one he saw first.

  Han Li’s heart trembled. Even with his vast spiritual sense, he wasn’t able to detect it in the slightest.

  The two Goldwind Raccoons exchanged a glance and immediately rushed off behind them.

  Without another thought, Han Li brightly glowed and he followed after the two beasts in an azure streak.

  As he continued to follow them, an inconceivable event occurred.

  One of the Goldwind Racoons blurred and disappeared in front of Han Li.

  In his alarm, he hastily swept his spiritual sense nearby but to no avail.

  He felt his blood run cold. Unwilling to give up, his eyes flickered blue and swept his gaze past his surroundings. He eventually found it near the raccoon guiding him as a shadow-like figure.

  Having finally found the beast, Han Li inwardly sighed with relief. If there was something he truly couldn't detect roaming near him, he would be ill at ease.

  The two Goldwind Racoons were only somewhat faster than ordinary flight techniques, Han Li was able to easily trail behind them.

  On the way, he encountered many inner palace cultivators. They were somewhat shocked upon seeing Han Li’s unfamiliar expression, but when they saw the Goldwind Raccoon flying in front of him, they seemed to realize something and left the matter alone.

  Of course, the wouldn’t dare to block Han Li in the first place given his Nascent Soul cultivation.

  Following the beasts, he flew swerved across several buildings before arriving at a stone gate in front of the mountain.

  The stone gate was about twenty meters tall and shined with a faint yellow light. Talisman characters shined from its surface as if under the effects of a grand restriction.

  Han Li came to a stop and looked at it with narrow eyes.

  Chapter 1084: Master Arctic Dragon

  The Goldwind Racoons blurred and phased into the stone gate as if they were never there.

  Han Li was stunned. Before he could react, the stone gate flashed and it opened with a rumble. A sparkling passage appeared before him.

  The passage was covered in a thick layer of frost as if it were a cave of ice.

  The Goldwind Racoon stood at the passage entrance and looked at Han Li with bright eyes of intelligence. At that moment, the other raccoon emerged from hiding as well.

  A chuckle sounded in Han Li’s ear, “Fellow Daoist Han, please come in! Please forgive me for not personally welcoming you in!”

  Han Li raised his brow and wordlessly stepped forward.

  When the Gold Wind Racoons saw that Han Li was following them, they turned around and leapt in the passage.

  Easily keeping close behind them, Han Li took several turns and felt the temperature sharply drop as he headed deeper in.

  Suddenly, the passage dropped straight down. His heart stirred and he briefly paused before dropping down.

  After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li finally arrived at the end of the passage and saw that the Goldwind Raccoons pounce into a large hall filled with mist.

  The large hall was made from translucent stone with lines of glacial light shining from its surface. They seemed to be made from Myriad Year Profound Ice.

  When Han Li stepped in the hall, he couldn't help but shiver from the cold, but after purple flames roiled across his body, he appeared entirely unaffected.

  “So it is true. You nurture a flame of extreme cold!” A delighted voice echoed through the hall.

  In his alarm, Han Li looked up and instantly shouted, “The Celestial Ice Flames!”

  At the corners of the hall, there were huge crystal pillars, surrounding the twenty-meter-large blue cauldron at the center. This cauldron released threads of blue flames, releasing a wondrous cold and spiritual pressure that Han Li was all too familiar with, much to his shock.

  “Fellow Daoist Han recognizes the Celestial Ice Flames? What a surprise!” A yelp sound form behind the cauldron and a figure blurred from behind it to reveal a meter-tall figure.

  A short old dwarf with deep wrinkles, snow-white hair, and blue robes was looking at Han Li with an odd expression.

  “You are Master Arctic Dragon?” Han Li’s expression returned to normal and he saluted the old man.

  “That’s right. I’m Arctic Dragon. However, that name is a title that has been passed down by all grand elders of the North Night Palace. Few know of my true name.” A glint flashed from the old man’s eyes when he spoke to Han Li and he calmly waved his hand, striking one of the pillars in the room with a spell seal.

  With a flash, white light brightly glowed from several places from the hall’s floors, summoning several white meditation mats.

  With a kindly tone, the old man said, “Because I rarely have guests, I don’t have any tables or chairs prepared. I hope you don’t take offense!”

  “You are already being too polite. Cultivators like us aren’t supposed to pay attention to such things in the first place,” Han Li smiled and took several steps forward before taking a seat on one of the mats and taking another look at the huge cauldron.

  At that moment, he realized that cauldron appeared rather similar to the Heavenvoid Cauldron. The Celestial Ice Flames were completely restricted by the cauldron, preventing any of its power from leaking, else the hall would’ve been long been frozen over.

  This puzzled Han Li greatly.

  Master Arctic Dragon sat down on the mat across from Han Li and sincerely said, “Although I have nothing to discuss with you in particular, my senses tell me you’re the one I’ve spent years searching for.”

  Stifling his bewilderment, Han Li slowly said, “I’m a bit at a loss over what you said. Could you tell me what you meant by that?”

  Arctic Dragon smiled and said, “Brother Han doesn’t need to be nervous. I’ve invited you here because you were able to consume two Ice Spirit Fruits without a problem. But now that I see that you
cultivate flames of extreme cold, I have no further tests for you. You’re the person I’ve been searching for.”

  Han Li pursed his lips and frowned, “Why would you be looking for me?”

  Arctic Dragon’s face turned stern and he solemnly asked, “Could I ask the name of the purple flame of yours? Although I know of many purple spirit flames, I’ve never heard of one that was ice attributed. Please enlighten me.”

  Han Li glanced at the purple flames wrapping around his body and calmly said, “The flames were something I produced from wanton cultivation. There is no official name for them. For the sake of convenience, I’ve named them the Purple Apex Flames. Their power can’t be much better than the Celestial Ice Flames, as powerful as they may be.”

  Of course, Han Li wouldn’t give the truth until he understood how things stood.

  When Arctic Dragon heard Han Li, he smiled with satisfaction and said, “Your words are true. Although the Purple Apex Flames were born of a fusion, its cold nature is impure. If it had gone through specialized refinement, its power should be even greater.”

  A trace of amazement was betrayed from his face. “Even greater? I’ve already refined the flames once before. How can they become purer?”

  “Hehe, it seems Brother Han doesn’t understand much of cold flames. Few ice flames of these kinds exist in the world. However, all of these flames have a particular method to purify them further, with the exception being flames used for refinement. Of course, the final increase in strength would depend on one’s personal skill and the strength of the flame itself. That doesn’t mean it can become several times greater in strength like the Celestial Ice Flames.” The old man twirled his beard and looked at the huge cauldron with a trace of pride.

  Han Li gasped in shock and he immediately lifted his fingers and produced a thread of purple flame on top of it. “Several times its strength? You mean to say that this flame can be purified?”

  “That is an ice flame that has been refined once before, but the process is not complete. Did Fellow Daoist compress it with magic power to reach that stage? Not only does such a reckless method waste your magic power, but it only results in a sliver of flame being refined.”