“Many thanks for your guidance.” Han Li paused for a moment and took another look at the old dwarf, “Could Fellow Daoist tell me why you were looking for me?”
“Before I answer that, I have a few questions I’d like to ask you. The Celestial Ice Flames are known to sparsely few, but you were able to recognize them at a glance. Could it be you’ve seen them before?”
When Han Li heard this, his heart roiled and he calmly replied, “I’ve seen the flames before in a record, but because it was unique I’ve kept it in mind.” Since North Night Palace had an unclear relation to Heavenvoid Hall, he didn’t dare to utter the truth.
Han Li’s blunt answer momentarily stunned Arctic Dragon, but he soon chuckled, “It seems I’ve been meddlesome. The Celestial Ice Flames is something that can be considered exclusive to our North Night Palace. In that case, I will speak truthfully. As you may have guessed, I need the assistance of Brother Han’s ice flames.”
With that said, the old dwarf’s expression turned grave. Han Li remained silent, knowing that Arctic Dragon would be sure to continue and explain himself.
But then, Arctic Dragon paused and looked at Han Li with a strange expression, asking, “Brother Han, what do you feel about my cultivation? Are you able to tell any difference between me and other late-Nascent Soul cultivators?”
Given what Arctic Dragon said, Han Li used his spiritual sense to examine him without any reserve. He then hesitantly said, “You are undoubtedly a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, but your spiritual sense and cultivation is much stronger than other grand cultivators I’ve seen before. In this manner, you are a bit different.”
Arctic Dragon calmly said, “As of current, my cultivation has reached the peak of late-Nascent Soul stage. I am only a half-step away from Deity Transformation stage. To tell the truth, I’ve been lingering at this stage for three hundred years. I’ve taken several medicine pills and used many secret techniques before finally breaking through halfway to Deity Transformation cultivation. My current appearance is a result of consuming medicine pills recklessly.”
A sudden realization shook Han Li, “So it was like that! Have you comprehended a few abilities of Deity Transformation stage?”
“Hehe! With my current appearance, I’ve been avoiding seeing other people. I’ve remained in secluded cultivation, researching methods to breakthrough the last meager barrier to Deity Transformation stage. As a result of those years of hard work, I eventually found a final solution after looking through several ancient records. The method is said to have a thirty percent chance of breaking the bottleneck and allowing me to ascend to Deity Transformation stage.”
“You wish to draw the support of a flame of great cold? In that case, shouldn’t many cultivators in your sect cultivate ice attribute techniques? It shouldn’t be hard to find an elder who cultivates ice flames. Why me?”
“This method requires five different Nascent Soul cultivators, each wielding a difference ice flame. The North Night Palace has two cultivators that possess an ice flame, and I also managed to find two from outside the sect. I’ve been searching for the final user for several years, but I’ve yet to find one until now!” With that said, the old dwarf’s face was filled with excitement.
Chapter 1085: The Three Great Ice Flames
Han Li breathed and promptly asked, “Five different flames of extreme cold? That is a rather demanding requirement. It is possible only something that your sect can achieve as no other sects would be able to gather so many cultivators that use glacial flames. Nevertheless, this method should only be effective towards ice-attributed cultivators, is that right?”
Master Arctic Dragon tensed his brow and replied, “Yes, this method is only usable for cultivators with ice-attributed cultivation techniques. Three of the other four cultivators have ice-attributed cultivation techniques as well. Only you and one other have come across an glacial flame unintentionally.”
A cold light glinted in Han Li’s eyes, “In that case, how do you plan on compensating me? Although I don’t know how I am involved in this process, I am sure it consumes a great deal of vitality on my part, not to mention any potential risks that are involved.”
Arctic Dragon appeared delighted by Han Li’s words, “I am happy you are such a straightforward person! If you have any conditions, please state them. On my name Shi, I am willing to fulfill what I can so long as you assist us!”
Han Li smiled at his straightforward words.
“Fellow Daoist Shi, I’ll be blunt. I’ll need a detailed explanation of this method to provoke a breakthrough. If the danger is within acceptable ranges, I am willing to help. But if the danger is too great, I won’t accept no matter how great your price. Of course, I’ll be taking the secret technique as a reward as well.”
Arctic Dragon confidently said, “It is no problem! I guarantee that this method poses no danger to you or any of the others that are helping me. Of course, a bit of damage to your vitality is unavoidable.”
“That will be no problem. Furthermore, you should know my reason for coming here. I require a few Profound Ice Flowers to refine medicine. Although I’ve already asked Fairy Bai for assistance, I would feel more at ease if you also agreed to help.”
With the same smile on his face, Arctic Dragon answered, “Hehe, that is only a trivial matter. I will immediately dispatch the full force of the palace. They’ll find the flowers as soon as possible.”
“Additionally, I’d like the technique to refine ice flames that you spoke of. I’d like to use it to increase the strength of my Purple Apex Flames.”
“That’s fine!”
“As for my last condition, I am interested in looking in your sect’s records storage. I heard your palace was a sect that has existed since antiquity.”
“That... will be fine. Go ahead!” After some brief hesitation, Arctic Dragon eventually nodded.
With a satisfied smile, Han Li said, “Fellow Daoist Shi is quite straightforward. I’ll do my best when the time comes.”
“Haha, Fellow Daoist Han, please wait here for a moment. I will give you a copy of the ice flame refinement technique!” Arctic Dragon slapped his storage pouch to summon a white jade slip and began to record the technique in it.
Han Li silently waited with a happy expression.
A short moment, the Arctic Dragon was done and he handed over an additional jade slip and pendant towards Han Li.
Han Li reached out for them and summoned the three items into his hand.
Arctic Dragon looked at Han Li and sternly said, “The other jade slip contains the method I researched to breakthrough cultivation realms, but remember that this is only to be used for late-Nascent Soul cultivator. As for the jade pendant, it is used to enter our Hidden Scripture Pavilion, but there is something I must make clear first. Although it holds countless records, many of them have particular restrictions placed on them, preventing them from being duplicated. You will have to commit them to memory. Furthermore, I’m only giving you access for ten days. I will take back the pendant when the time comes. Do you have any objections?”
Han Li paused in surprise and looked at the jade pendant in his hand. A wry smile appeared on his mouth.
“Only ten days? Since I’ve already taken these items, I suppose I can’t give them back to you. Had I known this would happen, I would’ve made myself more clear.”
“What is done is done! Fellow Daoist doesn’t want to bite off more than he can chew.” Arctic Dragon beamed at Han Li with a cunning expression.
With a chuckle, Han Li stood up and said, “Now that I’ve taken these things, how can I go back on the deal? I’ll be going to take a look at your Hidden Scripture Pavilion. If there is any news of the Profound Ice Flower, you can find me there!”
Arctic Dragon stood up as well, “I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t see you off. I’ll have to gather the others immediately. If you have no pressing business, you may stay at the palace for a while longer. If you require anything for your cultivation, p
lease refer to my Junior Martial Sister Bai. I will order her to accept your requests to the best of her ability.”
“Thank you for your trouble Fellow Daoist!” Han Li briefly saluted before flying out in a bright azure streak.
When Arctic Dragon saw Han Li disappear, his smile gradually faded. Two of the crystalline pillars in the hall then flashed with light to reveal a man and a woman.
The man appeared to be in his forties. He had a common appearance and wore azure scholar robes. The woman was in her twenties, wearing white robes and displaying a beautiful face. She bore a strong resemblance to Bai Yaoyi but her face was extremely pale, to the point where it was almost translucent.
Wearing an ever tense expression, the middle-aged scholar frowned and said, “Senior Martial Brother, we haven’t tested the purple flames yet. Will there be any problems? What if they aren’t strong enough?”
Arctic Dragon let out a long sigh and he shook his head, “The purple flames appear somewhat impure, but they contain the Celestial Ice Flames. It shouldn’t be lacking in power, and we can’t afford to wait. If we don’t take the risk, I fear there won’t be another opportunity.”
With blatant worry, the scholar said, “Senior Martial Brother’s lifespan has already reached that point? To the best of my knowledge, Myriad Demon Valley has become restless once more. Many of our disciples have discovered traces of low-grade demons at North Night Island’s outskirts. Additionally, many disciples that have been recently returned or joined have had high-grade demons possessing them. As per your command, we’ve been secretly monitoring them in secret.”
With an unchanged expression, Arctic Dragon calmly said, “Let’s not alert them just yet. It has been nearly a thousand years since the demons last invaded. This is to be expected. What is there to fear?”
The middle-aged scholar hesitantly said, “But Senior Martial Brother wishes to make a breakthrough. Isn’t this taking too much of a risk? Wouldn’t it be better to do this after repelling the demons?”
Arctic Dragon twirled his beard and calmly said, “Repel them? How much time will that take? Each time Myriad Demon Valley took charge, they would surround us for a dozen years. I only have a sparse few years of life remaining. Furthermore, Fellow Daoists Ma and Li are rushing over, not to mention Fellow Daoist Han who is already here. When the time comes, do you believe they will sit still as demons attack us?”
The white-robed woman then broke her silence, “However, our Glacial Quintessence has already been seized by a traitor. Why can’t we make the matter public? Why must we provoke the attack from so many demons?”
Arctic Dragon sighed and turned his sights to the huge cauldron nearby that was lit with blue flames. “That’s a rather simple way of thinking. If we were to make this matter known, our prestige would plummet and harm our reputation as the greatest sect of the north. And why would the demons believe that we have no Glacial Quintessence? The announcement would only be in vain. You should understand that when the ten thousand year period is over, the Ice Jade Caves within Void Spirit Hall will open. If we are lucky, we should be able to gather some Glacial Quintessence. The outside only knows our sect to have a single bottle of it, but who could’ve known we’ve been using it to cultivate and maintain our three great ice flames throughout generations? It wouldn't have been possible otherwise. Fortunately, we lost the bottle of Glacial Quintessence just before the Ice Jade Caves open, or else several generations of disciples would be unable to cultivate the three flames!”
When the scholar heard this, he could only wryly smile.
Then, Arctic Dragon changed the subject and said, “Your Black Ice Flames and Ice Phoenix Flames have become weaker. When we acquire more Glacial Quintessence, take a few drops to restore them to strength. They will increase my odds of breaking through.”
“Many thanks, Senior Martial Brother!” The middle-aged scholar happily shouted. Even a trace of happiness was betrayed by the white-robed woman’s icy exterior.
Glacial Quintessence was something of extreme importance.
“Junior Martial Sister Bai, return and ask Yaoyi about Fellow Daoist Han. This person was involved in the matters of Kunwu Hall ten years ago. Many great cultivators fell there, but he managed to make it out alive. He should be an individual of exceptional skill.”
“I understand. I will ask my younger sister of this matter.” The white-robed woman indifferently replied.
“Good. You may leave now.” Arctic Dragon nodded with satisfaction.
The two promptly took their leave and left in streaks of light.
Arctic Dragon remained in place and turned around towards the cauldron, muttering to himself.
Were there anyone remaining the hall, they would’ve clearly heard the words, “Heavenvoid Cauldron.”
Chapter 1086: Ice Sea Demon Beasts
Han Li now stood in a huge hidden room with endless rows of three-meter-tall steps carved from fine jade. He appeared baffled.
The stairs were at least three hundred meters wide and each of the steps sparkled with various colored barriers, each containing a variety of their own jade slips.
At the other end of the room, there was a flight of stairs heading upwards. The floors seemed to be separated by thick dense stone.
Shocked, Han Li took a shallow breath and turned to an old man dressed in the sect’s attire. “This is the palace’s Hidden Scripture Pavilion?”
“That’s right, Senior. There are seven separate floors of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion. Every floor has different types of records deposited with rarer records on higher floors. There are separators on each floor, preventing disciples from grabbing the wrong jade slips. When Senior wishes to head down, please give me the order. I will be waiting outside on your command.” The old man spoke with a lowered head, but his body displayed the spiritual pressure of a mid-Core Formation cultivator.
Han Li nodded, “I understand. You may head out!”
“Yes!” The old man respectfully withdrew and closed the stone gate behind him.
With Han Li alone in the room, he bluntly walked in front of one of the light barriers and waved his hand through it.
With a light bang, the light barrier shattered, revealing three jade slips underneath.
He took them into his hand and immersed his spiritual sense into them.
At the same moment Han Li was perusing the records, two white-robed women were speaking on the second floor of the Pure Focus Pavilion.
One of them was Bai Yaoyi and the other was the woman that was earlier speaking with Master Arctic Dragon.
The two bore a strong resemblance, but one of them had a gentle beauty while the other appeared ice cold.
Bai Yaoyi stood next to the window with one hand resting on the windowsill and the other fiddling with her hair. She frowned, appearing somewhat annoyed. “Second Sister, I’ve already told you, I don’t know much about this Fellow Daoist Han. Although he claims to be an overseas cultivator, the Yin Sifting Sect and the Endless Sky Temple both claimed he was from the Heavenly South. His abilities are on par with a late Nascent Soul cultivator and managed to even match the Silver-winged Nightfiend in the Yin Yang Cave. I’m also not sure as to how he managed to escape Kunwu Mountain as well.”
“Seventh Sister, please don’t take offense! It is rather hard to believe how a mid-stage cultivator from an area as remote as the Heavenly South could possess such abilities.” The other white-robed woman had a smooth voice, but it was cold and lacking emotion.
Bai Yaoyi didn’t seem to mind the other woman’s tone as she knew it was caused by reaching the height of her cultivation technique. But she was losing her patience with repeated questioning about Han Li.
Bai Yaoyi took several steps away from the window and said, “I’ve only known him for a short time, having met him the last time I left the sect. I am unable to offer more details. Everything I’ve told you is true. What’s going on? Why has the grand elder suddenly grown so interested in Fellow Daoist Han?”
&n
bsp; “This is the person Senior Martial Brother Arctic Dragon has been searching for, a person who harbors a flame of extreme cold. Speaking of which, why haven’t you mentioned this person to us?”
“The last time I met him was ten years ago at Kunwu Mountain. I couldn't have known if he would return from the mountain alive. What point would there be in mentioning him?
“In that case, I won’t ask anything else,” the white-robed woman bluntly said, “Since Fellow Daoist Han possess such vast abilities, it’ll be best to rope him in and make certain of the flame’s true power.”
Bai Yaoyi frowned and reluctantly said, “I understand. If there is an opportunity, I will look into it.”
“Very good. Then I will take my leave!” With that said, the white-robed woman expressionlessly descended to the first floor.
Bai Yaoyi didn’t reply. She merely looked out the window and watched her senior martial sister fly through the air with an expressionless gaze.
...
Time quickly passed by and Han Li found himself on his eighth day in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion. He had already looked through several interesting records and had received much useful knowledge. However, he only managed to look at the third floor.
When Han Li thought of this, he felt that it was a pity. He reckoned he wouldn’t have enough time to look at the records on the fourth floor.
At that moment, he was looking through a record detailing rare spirit medicines found during ancient times. Suddenly, a fiery streak entered the hall.
In his alarm, he reached out to the streak and took it into his hand. It was a burning voice transmission talisman. Once he read it with his spiritual sense, a trace of happiness appeared on his face.
He put away the jade slip in his hand on one of the tables and immediately flew out. After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, an azure streak arrived in front of the Pure Focus Pavilion.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 585