After discussing quietly among themselves for a while, the three women rose only several tens of feet above the ground before flying slowly toward the distance, not daring to speed up in the slightest.
This realm of ice and snow wasn't very large in area, so it only took the three of them less than half a day to fly out of this region, upon which an extremely lush mountain appeared before their eyes.
The three of them were ecstatic upon seeing this, and they split up to search for the herb again.
A day and a night later, the three women gathered once again on the mountain's summit. After looking at once another, wry smiles appeared on all of their faces.
"There are many spiritual medicines here on the mountain that can't be found in the outer valley, but there are no Illusionary Spirit Herbs here," Liu Yu said in a gloomy voice.
"Same story on my end. I didn't find the Illusionary Spirit Herb, but I gathered all of the ingredients required for another pill that I'm trying to make. At the very least, I won't be leaving this place completely empty-handed." Mu Peiling didn't know whether she should laugh or cry.
"It looks like we won't be finding the Illusionary Spirit Herb on this trip. Let's return to the sect," Song Yu heaved a dejected sigh.
"Let's do another thorough search. Perhaps we might've missed some places." Liu Yu was unwilling to give up.
Song Yu shook her head as she said in an implacable voice, "Let it go. Don't try to force the issue. The inner valley is too dangerous and even if we only stick to an area near the entrance, accidents could still happen if we stay here for too long. We're leaving right away."
A hint of reluctance appeared on Liu Yu's face and just as she was about to say something, a loud rumbling thunderclap suddenly erupted in the distance.
The three women faltered upon hearing this and they all turned toward that direction in unison.
There, they discovered a shadowy mass of dark clouds that were rapidly flying toward them, moving at such an incredible speed that it was expanding in their field of vision at a rate that was discernible to the naked eye. The dark clouds were tumbling erratically and loud thunderclaps were erupting from within, creating a very intimidating sight to behold.
The three women were naturally able to identify that something was amiss with that mass of dark clouds, and Song Yu immediately exclaimed, "This is bad! There's something wrong with those clouds! It could be an ancient beast!"
Thus, the three of them leaped into the air and immediately flew toward the direction they had come in.
The rumbling creature within the dark clouds seemed to have caught sight of the three women, and it sped up even further as it hurtled toward them. At the same time, a burst of cold cackled rang out from within.
"It's not an ancient beast; it appears to be a Devil Dao cultivator!" Liu Yu's roots lay in the Devil Dao herself, so she immediately managed to identify what these dark clouds were upon hearing the cold cackling.
"Regardless of what it is, it definitely doesn't harbor any benevolence toward us. We can't engage it in a direct battle!" At the sight of the approaching dark clouds, Song Yu was starting to get quite flustered. She hurriedly patted the storage pouch hanging from her waist, and a white bead appeared in her hand.
She then began to chant something, and the bead swayed before transforming into a ball of white clouds and mist that enshrouded the three of them within.
The white cloud then shuddered before flying through the air like a shooting star, traveling at a speed that wasn't inferior to that of the dark clouds behind them.
"You dare to use these pitiful tricks against me?" An eerie voice sounded from within the dark clouds before they tumbled and materialized into a massive black hand.
The hand disappeared in a flash, transforming into a streak of black light over 100 feet in length. Its speed also increased drastically and just a few flashes later, it had already gained significantly on the three women.
"That's a Nascent Soul devil cultivator behind us! We have to think of a way to impede him," Song Yu's urgent voice sounded from within the white cloud.
"I'll release my spirit insects. Even if I have to sacrifice my centipedes, I'll make sure to stop him in his tracks for now," Liu Yu offered.
As soon as her voice fell, seven or eight snowy white centipedes that were around half a foot in length shot forth from within the white cloud before throwing themselves at the pursuing black light.
"Huh? Six-Winged Frost Centipedes! Haha, if it isn't Liu Yu, you little brat! Are you trying to use these little bugs to hold me off?" The man within the black light began to chortle with amusement.
Several thin pitch-black tendrils suddenly shot forth from within the black light, puncturing the bodies of the white centipedes in a flash. Meanwhile, the streak of black light itself simply skirted around the centipedes without any pause or hesitation.
The centipedes were completely stationary as they hovered in mid-air. Only after a short while were they completely engulfed in black flames and were incinerated into nothingness.
The Six-Winged Frost Centipedes were somehow completely unable to withstand these peculiar black flames.
The three women within the white cloud were horrified upon seeing this. In particular, Liu Yu was extremely stunned. She didn't know who this devil cultivator was and his voice sounded very unfamiliar to her, but he had somehow managed to glean her identity just from seeing her centipedes.
The black streak of light was simply far too fast and before the three women could think of any strategies to keep it at bay, it was already upon them.
It circled through the air before transforming into a massive black hand again, reaching out toward the white cloud without any inhibition.
The three women cried out in unison as three swords, a long halberd, and a scepter shot forth from within the white cloud at the same time.
Black light flashed over the surface of the massive hand and it grabbed ahold of all of those treasures. When it spread open its fingers again, all of the treasures had disappeared.
However, in that split second of delay, the white cloud suddenly exploded and three streaks of light hurtled toward different directions.
The three women were splitting up so that at the very least, not all of them would be doomed. However, an incredible sequence of events then unfolded!
A large swath of black light suddenly erupted from the massive hand, sweeping toward all three women at once, and dragging them back despite the fact that they were all flying in different directions. Thus, the massive black hand captured all three of them at once.
The three women were stunned and horrified, and protective spiritual light was flashing desperately over their bodies as they attempted to free themselves with all their might.
However, right at this moment, a cold harrumph sounded beside their ears.
Bursts of black Qi wafted out from the massive hand, spraying the three women directly in the face, upon which all three of them immediately fell unconscious.
Only then did the black hand release the three women and transform into a vast expanse of black Qi. The black Qi then converged toward the center to form a tall and broad humanoid figure.
The humanoid figure's entire body was pitch-black in color, yet its eyes were shimmering with a harrowing green light.
The black figure looked at the three women and cackled, "Who would've thought that it would be these three? This is good; if I can capture them, then that man will be even more wary of me. Hehe, all three of these women are closely related to you; you probably won't sacrifice yourself to save them, but I'm sure I'll be able to extort you a little."
After an indeterminate period of time, Song Yu, who was the most powerful among the three women, awakened first.
She looked around to find that she was lying on the cold hard ground with stone pillars that were shimmering with white light all around her. A jolt of shock ran through her heart and she immediately sat up. At the same time, she made a hand seal in a
n attempt to unleash her protective spiritual light.
However, a cry of surprise erupted, and Song Yu slumped to the ground once again.
Chapter 1177: The Second Nascent Soul and the Sovereign Devil Corpse
"I've already placed a restriction on you, so don't even think about using your magic power. You're now no different from a mortal." A lazy voice suddenly sounded, drawing the horrified gaze of Song Yu.
In the corner of a cave, there was a tall and broad shadowy figure sitting with his legs crossed. Due to the fact that he had been sitting completely still, Song Yu had failed to notice him initially.
Almost at the exact same moment, she discovered that she was indeed unable to draw upon any of her magic power. It appeared that a powerful restriction really had been placed upon her, and her heart sank upon making this discovery.
"Who are you? And why have you captured us?" Song Yu looked around to discover Mu Peiling and Liu Yu lying next to her. Even though they were both unconscious, they appeared to be largely unscathed, and she was very relieved to see this.
"Hehe, I didn't think that I would encounter the three of you in the inner valley. You can only blame your terrible luck for running into me, and doing so right at a juncture when the three of you could prove to be useful to me. Martial Niece Song, if the three of you stay here without trying to pull any shenanigans, I won't hurt any of you. However, if you try to escape, then don't blame me for hurting you," the humanoid figure threatened in a cold voice.
Song Yu faltered slightly upon hearing this. "Martial niece? I don't recall having a senior like you in our sect. You must have the wrong person, Senior."
"It's no surprise that you don't recognize me. All you have to know is that you're my martial niece. How's that little brat, Violet Spirit?" the humanoid figure asked.
"You know Violet Spirit?! Who are you?" Song Yu yelled with alarm.
"It's simple for me to show you who I am," the shadowy figure murmured before suddenly rising to his feet and making his way toward Song Yu.
After just a few steps, the humanoid figure had emerged from the darkness and revealed himself to Song Yu.
He wore a set of long black robes with a skeletal head on his shoulders. There was also a pair of large tusks protruding from his mouth, creating an extremely terrifying sight to behold. Furthermore, the man had an arm exposed, and that arm appeared to have been constructed from shimmering metal, which was also very unsettling.
Song Yu repressed the horror and disgust in her heart as she asked, "Who are you? I definitely haven't met you before."
"Really? In my current state, it's no surprise that you don't recognize me," the black-robed figure mused calmly. However, a peculiar look suddenly appeared in his eyes as he turned toward Song Yu.
As their eyes met, Song Yu was abruptly struck by a sense of familiarity, and a thought suddenly occurred to her.
"You... You're... That's impossible!" Song Yu exclaimed.
"You've finally recognized me. Don't be so alarmed; the current me isn't that man yet. However, it won't be long before I'll become him." The black-robed figure chuckled eerily before his body swayed, and he sat down in his original spot with his legs folded, no longer paying any heed to Song Yu.
Song Yu's eyes were filled with incredulity and waves of shock were surging through her heart. The figure of a youth appeared in her mind, combining with this black-robed figure, then separating into two again.
Could it be that this man really was Martial Uncle Han? But he clearly didn't look like this in the past. Could it be that something happened to him during his journey, so he had been forced to resurrect himself through possession? But that couldn't be the case, either. Even though this martial uncle of hers was only at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, his combat prowess was not inferior to that of late-Nascent Soul cultivators, so how could he have been reduced to such a pitiful state? Furthermore, even if his body really had been destroyed and his Nascent Soul was forced to possess a new vessel, why didn't he return to the sect to rest and recover? Why would he hide in this Devilfall Valley instead, and why would he attack the three of them? "What do you mean by that?" Song Yu was an extremely intelligent woman, but even her brain was unable to keep up with what was happening.
The black-robed man suddenly opened his eyes, and harrumphed, "Hmph, you two are clearly already awake, so why do you continue to pretend to be unconscious."
Song Yu faltered slightly upon hearing this, and before she had a chance to look beside her with elation, Mu Peiling's voice sounded from behind her.
"You're not my Lord, you're his second Nascent Soul! How were you able to escape from my Lord's control and attain a sentient will of your own? Where is my Lord right now?"
Her words were extremely peculiar, and from the tone of her voice was filled with concern and horror.
"You're right, Junior Martial Sister Mu; this man is indeed the second avatar that Master refined!" Liu Yu suddenly chimed in in a startled voice. She also wore an incredulous look on her face.
Song Yu turned to discover that both of the women beside her had sat up, and Liu Yu had her hand pressed over her face, leaving only her astonished eyes visible.
Mu Peiling stared intently at the shadowy figure as she said, "I don't know the specifics, but I've heard that my Lord cultivated an extremely rare secret technique in our human world that can allow him to materialize a second Nascent Soul. However, this is an extremely perilous endeavor, and the one using this technique could easily suffer backslash from this second Nascent Soul after it attains sentient will of its own."
Song Yu and Liu Yu both looked at one another upon hearing this.
"I'm surprised you were able to recognize me. Oh, I remember now; you're the girl that Silvermoon once mentioned to me. In any case, I don't plan on hiding anything. I was indeed once that man's second Nascent Soul, but after I engulf his soul, he will be me, and I will be him. The three of you had better stay here and not try to escape. If everything goes smoothly, then I'll release all of you. This is an extremely obscure location in the inner valley and even if that man were to search for you in person, there's no way that he would be able to find this place," the black-robed man willingly admitted.
He was none other than Han Li's second Nascent Soul, which had gone missing during his battle with the Illustrious Grand Immortal of the Soaring Tribe.
At the time, the Nascent Soul had been severely wounded by an Illustrious Grand Immortal, and it should've been completely destroyed. However, the second Nascent Soul had cultivated in the Profound Yin Devilish Qi that Han Li had bestowed upon it, which activated the protective ability of the Ghost Sifting Banner, which had been injected with Myriad Depth Devilish Qi. As such, the Nascent Soul was sucked into the banner, where pure devilish Qi had been injected into it as part of emergency treatment.
If Han Li weren't too far away from the Nascent Soul, once the second Nascent Soul awakened, it would automatically return to Han Li's side.
However, Han Li had also been severely wounded at the time and was forced to seal himself in ice before drifting all the way to the Great Jin.
As such, after the second Nascent Soul was completely healed, it was unable to find Han Li, and began to roam the grasslands.
About two or three decades later, it finally developed a hint of sentient will and immediately returned to the Great Jin. It then traveled to the Devilfall Valley and easily found the Sovereign Devil Corpse, which was stumbling around in the inner valley like a zombie.
Even though the devil corpse had been severely damaged by an ancient devil before, it was able to slowly recover to its former state.
However, it was moving around completely instinctively as it had lost Han Li's guidance. If several centuries were to pass, it wouldn't be impossible for the devil corpse to attain sentient will of its own.
However, after being discovered by the second Nascent Soul, it was able to use the restriction that Han Li had used in the past to easily take over the devil corpse a
nd engulf the tiny hint of essence within.
This was why the second Nascent Soul hadn't possessed any other cultivator, and instead headed straight for the Devilfall Valley.
After all, it would be very difficult to possess a Nascent Soul cultivator's body, and there was a good chance that the roles would be reversed, and the prey would kill the hunter. This devil corpse had the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator, but it just so happened to not have any sentient will, so it was the ideal possession target.
Thus, the second Nascent Soul sought it out without any hesitation.
The Nascent Soul drew upon the residual devilish Qi left behind by the ancient devil's body in the spatial rift, then used the Sovereign Devil Corpse's corpse Qi as a foundation, and recruited the assistance of the Ghost Sifting Banner, allowing it to cultivate most of the Profound Yin Devilish Qi in just a short few decades. As such, it was able to reach the mid-Nascent Soul Stage.
After that, it discovered a few treasures within secret locations in the valley and refined them before preparing to exit the valley, and it just so happened to bump into Mu Peiling's trio.
Initially, he didn't know that it was these three women that he was hunting down. However, due to the fact that it had cultivated the Profound Yin Devilish Qi, then been injected with pure devilish Qi, and finally engulfed the Sovereign Devil Corpse's essence, the Nascent Soul had become completely different from Han Li. It was extremely aggressive and vicious, and it immediately attacked these three Core Formation cultivators. On the one hand, killing them would completely eradicate any possibility of them revealing its location to anyone, and on the other hand, it would be a good way to vent its ferocious tendencies. However, after sifting through Han Li's memories, the second Nascent Soul was able to identify the three women, and after a brief hesitation, it changed its mind. Instead of killing them, it captured the three women and set up a restriction to detain them here.
Mu Peiling was lamenting over her misfortune, but she still mustered up her courage, and asked, "How long do you plan on holding us captive?"
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 645