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

by Translator: Johnchen

  The three cultivators then swayed and transformed into three streaks of light as they flew toward a certain direction. Furthermore, as they rushed away into the distance, the three streaks of light suddenly combined into one massive pillar of intertwining red, yellow, and white light several tens of feet in length, sweeping toward the opposing Starfall Coalition cultivators in that direction with astonishing speed.

  It appeared that the elderly man knew that his trio would be no match for such a large number of enemies, and he immediately decided to escape.

  However, the two Starfall Coalition cultivators situated in that direction weren't flustered in the slightest at the sight of the oncoming three-colored pillar of light. Instead, they merely glanced at one another before raising their hands in unison.

  A vast expanse of azure light suddenly erupted from their hands without any warning, catching the three-colored pillar of light completely off guard before ensnaring them within the azure light.

  The two of them then began to chant something, and azure light flashed as a massive azure net was revealed, trapping the three Core Formation cultivators. All three of them were attacking the net with all their might, but were still unable to break free.

  "Haha, cease your futile struggles, Brother Lu. This All-Encompassing Net was given to us by an elder of our sect. With your Core Formation Stage cultivation bases, there's no way that you'd be able to break free from it. Besides, even if you did manage to escape, it wouldn't do you any good anyway. The entire Heavenly Star City has been surrounded by our Starfall Coalition, and it'll only be a matter of time before it's vanquished. Allow me to send you three on your way first!" The middle-aged man chortled as he abruptly opened his mouth. A small white sword shot forth from within, flying directly toward the three Core Formation cultivators trapped within the net.

  "Oh? From the sounds of it, Heavenly Star City seems to have been surrounded for some time already. Can you tell me about the situation here?" An unfamiliar male voice suddenly rang out nearby, and was clearly audible to everyone present.

  "Who's there?!" The middle-aged man's heart jolted with shock as he hurriedly surveyed his surroundings with a wary expression.

  The other Starfall Coalition cultivators also hurriedly released their spiritual sense, and they also began to look around with bewilderment and caution on their faces.

  However, their search proved to be completely futile, and all of them could only look at one another with confusion in their eyes.

  "What are you all looking for? I'm right here, aren't I?" The unfamiliar chuckled coldly, following which azure light flashed in front of the three ensnared White Water Sword Sect cultivators, and a humanoid figure was revealed.

  This was an azure-robed young man who appeared to be in his twenties, and he was appraising the Starfall Coalition cultivators around him with an indifferent expression.

  The two Starfall Coalition cultivators closest to the young man swept their spiritual sense toward him, upon which their expressions changed drastically, and they exclaimed in unison, "A Nascent Soul cultivator?"

  Even though they couldn't ascertain Han Li's exact cultivation base, there was definitely no mistaking the fact that he was a Nascent Soul cultivator.

  The middle-aged man's expression also changed upon hearing this. He carefully sized up the young man before him, and a look of astonishment and horror suddenly appeared on his face. Immediately thereafter, he made a hand seal without any hesitation and fled into the distance as a streak of white light. Following just a few flashes, he was already several hundred feet away.

  Not only was Han Li slightly surprised to see this, the other Starfall Coalition cultivators were also quite flabbergasted.

  Even if this young man were a Nascent Soul cultivator, with so many Core Formation cultivators present, they should still have been able to at least put up a fight. Furthermore, that middle-aged man was the leader of the group, and his cultivation base was the pinnacle of the late-Core Formation Stage, so why was he fleeing the scene before they had even verified whether this young man was friend or foe?

  "You recognize me?"

  This young man was naturally none other than Han Li, who had finally gotten here after over a month of intensive traveling.

  His expression darkened as he casually flicked a finger toward the distance, upon which a red line immediately shot through the air amid a piercing whistling sound.

  The red line swayed and completely disappeared. Meanwhile, an anguished cry suddenly rang out from within the streak of white light several hundred feet away.

  The white light dissipated, and a humanoid ball of fire plummeted into the ocean, where it sank like a lead weight.

  Han Li merely waved a hand through the air in a nonchalant manner, and that same sharp whistling sound erupted again as that red line flashed through the air, disappearing into the Han Li's hand in the blink of an eye.

  Han Li turned his gaze toward the other cultivators, and asked, "Are you willing to answer my questions now?"

  Even though Han Li's voice wasn't very loud nor deliberately menacing, all of the Starfall Coalition cultivators felt chills run down their spines.

  Only then did they realize why the middle-aged man fled without so much as a second thought.

  The man standing before them was clearly unfathomably powerful, and they didn't appear to have any chance of victory even if they were to attack all at once. Most importantly, he seemed to be harboring a lot of enmity toward their Starfall Coalition!

  With the precedent of the middle-aged man being insta-killed, all of the other Starfall Coalition cultivators were feeling quite weak in the knees, and none of them dared to act recklessly.

  After a while, a man with a hook nose cleared his throat and forced a smile onto his face as he asked, "What questions do you have for us, Senior?"

  "Didn't I already state my question? Do you want me to repeat myself?" Han Li turned toward the man with a cold expression.

  The hook-nosed man's heart jolted, and his smile stiffened even further as he hurriedly replied, "My apologies, Senior, I'll answer your question right away. The Star Palace has indeed been surrounded by our coalition already. Otherwise, we wouldn't dare to appear in an area so close to the Star Palace."

  "I see. Looks like your Starfall Coalition decided to attack before the announced date to catch the Starfall Palace off guard. You'll also be able to kill all of the cultivators loyal to the Star Palace in the process. What a great ploy you've devised." A hint of a smile appeared on Han Li's face as he spoke.

  "I'm not aware of the specific details. Our cultivation bases are not very high, and we only did as we were told," the hook-nosed man replied with a sheepish smile.

  "But even if the Starfall Coalition has gained the upper hand in this battle, Heavenly Star City is an extremely massive place; even with tens of thousands of cultivators gathered, there's no way that they'd be able to surround the entire city, right?" Han Li asked.

  Chapter 1206: Battle at the Star Palace (2)

  "You're more likely not aware of this, Senior, but Coalition Leader Wan had set up 108 Windfire Copper Pillars, then gathered a few powerful formation spell masters to set up a Heavenly Windfire Formation around the island that Heavenly Star City is situated on, and he's using the boundless powers of fire and wind to attack the Star Palace. As long as the coalition's cultivators can guard the 108 Windfire Pillars, that'll be enough to trap the entirety of Heavenly Star City."

  The hook-nosed man knew that he would be punished by the coalition for revealing this information, but the cold glare that Han Li had directed at him had tipped him over the edge, and in his horror, he blurted out this information without thinking.

  As soon as those words escaped from his mouth, the hook-nosed man was sorely regretting his decision. However, even a Core Formation cultivator like him was aware of this information, so it clearly wasn't very confidential. With that in mind, he was feeling slightly more relieved.

  "A Heaven
ly Windfire Formation?" Han Li stirred slightly upon hearing this.

  He hadn't ever studied this formation in detail, but many of the formation spell tomes that he had read had mentioned this formation on quite a number of occasions. It was said that in ancient times, there was a restriction formation that could draw upon the powers of fire and wind within this world, and the staggering enormity of this formation was vastly renowned. If the Starfall Coalition had managed to set up such a formation, then there really was a possibility that they could've used it to surround Heavenly Star City.

  After all, with Wan Tianming guarding the formation core in person, even if the Star Palace cultivators managed to destroy a few Windfire Pillars, those pillars could be easily repaired. As long as the formation core remained intact, there was no way to truly destroy the formation.

  A contemplative look appeared on Han Li's face. Meanwhile, tension was rolling off the bodies of the Starfall Coalition cultivators in almost palpable waves.

  It didn't take a genius to be able to tell that Han Li was here to reinforce the Star Palace, so they were in a very perilous situation.

  In contrast, the three White Water Sword Sect cultivators ensnared with the azure net were ecstatic. The elderly man hurriedly yelled, "Senior, we've come here to reinforce the Star Palace, and those people are all cultivators from the Starfall Coalition's enforcement division. They've killed countless cultivators who have pledged their allegiance to the Star Palace, and they deserve to die countless deaths for their crimes! Don't let these people live, Senior!"

  All of the Starfall Coalition cultivators' faces paled upon hearing this.

  The two cultivators who were standing the farthest away from Han Li glanced at one another before flipping over their hands in unison, producing a small yellow flag each. They then immediately tossed those flags into the air, upon which they transformed into two yellow clouds that enshrouded the bodies of the two cultivators.

  Within the blink of an eye, the two yellow clouds had completely vanished.

  In the next instant, the yellow clouds appeared over 200 feet away before quickly disappearing again.

  "Teleportation?" Han Li's pupils contracted minutely as a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

  However, a cold chuckle then escaped his mouth as he abruptly raised a hand, feigning a grabbing motion toward the azure net that had ensnared the three White Water Sword Sect cultivators.

  The two Starfall Coalition cultivators controlling the net felt as if a resounding boom had rung out directly in their heads, and they were struck by an intense spell of dizziness.

  They lost control of the All-Encompassing Net as a result, and it reverted back into a ball of azure light, allowing the three ensnared cultivators to escape while the net landed in Han Li's hand.

  Han Li paid no heed to the words of gratitude extended toward him by the three rescued cultivators as white and azure light flashed behind him, materializing a pair of wings on his back. The wings flapped gently, and Han Li disappeared amid a gust of wind. It was quite clear that he had set off in pursuit of the two cultivators who had just teleported away.

  The remaining Starfall Coalition cultivators were both shocked and elated to see this, and they all glanced at one another before fleeing in different directions.

  Han Li was an extremely fearsome enemy, so they were certainly not going to take a gamble with their lives and hope that Han Li would spare them out of the kindness in his heart.

  However, the three White Water Sword Sect cultivators were naturally unwilling to allow their enemies get away. As such, all three of them let loose enraged roars as they also set off in pursuit of the Starfall Coalition cultivators.

  In the distance, two muffled thumps erupted in mid-air. Immediately thereafter, white light flashed, and two yellow clouds shot back as if they had been struck by some kind of immense force.

  A gentle breeze blew past, and Han Li appeared out of thin air, appraising the two yellow clouds nearby with a cold deriding sneer on his lips.

  A third inky-black eye had appeared over his glabella, and it disappeared again following a flash of black light.

  The two Starfall Coalition cultivators within the yellow clouds were revealed again with bloodstained robes and extremely pale faces. They both appeared to have been severely wounded, and were in a state of shock and horror.

  Ever since they had obtained these two Yellow Sand Buddhist Flags, they had managed to use them to escape from Nascent Soul cultivators on several occasions. As such, they were extremely confident in the ability of this pair of treasures. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to flee the scene even after witnessing Han Li's fearsome might.

  However, Han Li had merely thrown two nonchalant punches through the air, and their confidence had been completely shattered. Only then did they realize that this young man was even more fearsome than they had anticipated.

  Even so, the two of them certainly weren't going to give up and allow themselves to be killed.

  Thus, they immediately gritted their teeth and let loose loud cries in unison as they blasted mouthfuls of blood essence into the yellow clouds.

  The clouds immediately tumbled and surged before turning into a crimson color. The two cultivators then began to join their voices in a chant, clearly preparing to unleash their final trump card.

  A cold light immediately appeared in Han Li's eyes as he abruptly opened his mouth. Two piercing streaks of yellow light shot forth from within, appearing in front of the crimson clouds in the blink of an eye before instantly puncturing them.

  Two anguished cries rang out from within the crimson clouds before the two cultivators plummeted toward the sea down below.

  Right at this moment, Han Li pointed a finger at them expressionlessly.

  The two small golden swords emerged from thin air again before revolving around the two Starfall Coalition cultivators. Balls of golden light erupted, instantly enshrouding the two cultivators within, following a vast expanse of blood began to rain down from above.

  Han Li didn't even afford the two a chance to unleash their secret technique before putting an end to their lives.

  Only then did he wave his hand toward the two crimson clouds.

  The crimson light on those clouds quickly receded, and they reverted back into yellow clouds before flying toward him.

  Han Li cast two incantation seals, both of which disappeared into the clouds.

  As the yellow clouds approached him, they transformed into two yellow flags again before being stowed away up his sleeve.

  These two ancient treasures were quite useful for fleeing from perilous situations. Of course, they served no purpose for him, but they would be extremely valuable for his disciples.

  After stowing away his two flying swords, Han Li turned his attention toward the rest of the fleeing Starfall Coalition cultivators in a calm and collected manner.

  During this brief delay, all of them had fled to over 1,000 feet away, and the fast cultivator among them had already become a black dot in the distance.

  Han Li heaved a faint sigh before grabbing onto a spirit beast pouch hanging from his waist and tossing it into the air.

  A loud burst of buzzing rang out as a swarm of golden beetles emerged from within. The beetles split up into five smaller swarms at Han Li's behest before hurtling toward different directions as fast as lightning.

  Meanwhile, Han Li flipped his palm over and the two yellow flags appeared again for his inspection.

  The swarms of golden beetles and the fleeing cultivators disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.

  Not long after that, golden light flashed in the distance again as the swarms of beetles flew back from different directions one after the other. The three White Water Sword Sect also flew toward Han Li behind the swarms of beetles, but they were looking at the swarms with horrified and traumatized expressions.

  It appeared that the three of them had just witnessed the Gold Devouring Beetles devouring living people, and
had been greatly shaken by that gruesome visual experience.

  After Han Li stowed away the beetles into his spirit beast pouch again, the elderly man stepped forward in a respectful manner, and said, "Thank you for saving our lives, Senior. If it weren't for your intervention, the three of us would most likely be dead by now."

  "There's no need to thank me; I only saved the three of you because I just so happened to be passing by anyway. Now that Heavenly Star City has been surrounded, the three of you won't even be able to access the island at your cultivations bases. You should hurry up and go back. I have no interest in carrying useless baggage while I try to break through that Heavenly Windfire Formation," Han Li replied in an aloof voice.

  The three cultivators knew that Han Li was right, and wry smiles appeared on their faces. As such, after extending some further words of gratitude to Han Li, the three of them returned the way they had come.

  Han Li looked on with narrowed eyes for a while as the three cultivators departed before flying toward Heavenly Star City.

  A journey of several tens of thousands of feet was naturally not a very lengthy one for Han Li. Along the way, he noticed several groups of Starfall Coalition cultivators hidden beneath large rocks or under the surface of the ocean.

  Even though none of them as powerful as the first group he had encountered, which had seven or eight Core Formation cultivators among their ranks, there were still two or three high-grade cultivators in each group. These people were clearly stationed here to take care of anyone who managed to escape from the Heavenly Star City.

  Han Li couldn't be bothered to pay any heed to these cultivators. He simply transformed into a faint azure shadow and glided soundlessly through the air above them.

  None of these Starfall Coalition cultivators were alerted to the fact that they had just brushed shoulders with death.

  When Han Li was only just over 50 kilometers away from Heavenly Star City, he finally saw some flashes of red light in the distance. After drawing even closer, he discovered that the entire island had been completely enshrouded under a veil-like layer of azure and red light.