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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Moments later, the two of them appeared in the sky high above the Hidden Fortune Palace, facing one another with a distance of several hundred feet between them.

  The silver-robed monk stared at Han Li for a while before suddenly uttering a Buddhist prayer, upon which a layer of faint golden light appeared over his face.

  Han Li's lackadaisical expression faded upon seeing this, and his brows furrowed as he suddenly asked, "I had heard that Master Yuan Zhi was a Buddhist vajra protector; could it be that you've cultivated the legendary Brightjade Arts?"

  The silver-robed monk faltered slightly upon hearing Han Li identify his cultivation art, but a proud expression quickly appeared on his face as he replied, "Oh? I didn't think that you would be so knowledgeable about our Buddhist cultivation arts, Fellow Daoist Han. Indeed, I am cultivating the Brightjade Arts. Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Han."

  He joined his palms together and began to utter a series of Buddhist chants, following which silver runes surfaced over his silver robes. At the same time, all of the skin on his body began to take on a faint golden hue, making him appear as if he were a golden Buddha that had descended upon this world.

  Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but his heart jolted slightly upon seeing this.

  The signs displayed by the monk clearly indicated that he already mastered the fourth layer of the Brightjade Arts. This meant that his body was already as hard as the average treasure, so he would most likely be able to combat a normal flying sword with his bare hands alone.

  However, if that was the extent of his powers, then he was naturally no match for Han Li.

  Han Li wasted no further time with words as he swept his sleeve through the air. A crisp ringing sound immediately rang out as several tens of golden flying swords shot forth from his sleeve, transforming into streaks of light that were around a foot in length each as they circled around his body.

  Immediately thereafter, Han Li made a hand seal and cast an incantation seal into the air.

  All of the swords around him shuddered as they began to radiate brilliant golden light, multiplying by sevenfold in an instant to create several hundred identical streaks of light. All of a sudden, the entire sky had been illuminated by golden light, creating a dazzling and formidable golden wave.

  Can Ku and all of the other spectating Core Formation cultivators' expressions changed in unison upon seeing this.

  They could sense that just the golden swords that Han Li had summoned alone would be enough to vanquish an average Nascent Soul cultivator.

  In contrast, the silver-robed monk's expression remained completely unchanged upon seeing this. He merely raised his hands, and red and green spiritual light shimmered in his hands at the same time, transforming into a crimson Buddhist staff that was several feet in length, as well as a string of shimmering green Buddhist beads.

  Right at this moment, Han Li made another hand seal, and the several hundred streaks of golden light swept toward the silver-robed monk as a golden wave at Han Li's behest.

  In response, the monk let loose a loud cry as he abruptly raised a hand. The crimson staff that he was holding immediately transformed into a crimson wyrm that pounced toward the wave of golden light. At the same time, he also raised the string of green Buddhist beads, which transformed into a green barrier of light that shielded his body within.

  After doing all that, the monk cast his eyes downward and began to make a series of hand seals, appearing as if he were about to unleash some kind of extremely powerful ability.

  Meanwhile, the crimson wyrm shot forth through the air and plunged headfirst into the golden light manifested from Han Li's Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.

  The wyrm was struck by over 100 swords at once, but it wasn't immediately torn into shreds as Han Li expected. Instead, it was baring its fangs and swinging its claws through the air, launching a ferocious counterattack against the golden swords around it.

  "Myriad Year Flame Coral!" Han Li murmured to himself upon seeing this, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

  After adding Auric Essence to all of his flying swords, they possessed immense destructive power. However, there were a few materials that in the human world that could still withstand his flying swords, and Myriad Year Flame Coral was one of those materials.

  However, this material was even rarer than Auric Essence, yet this monk had somehow been able to source it and add it to his Buddhist staff. Furthermore, it appeared that the proportion of Myriad Year Flame Coral in the staff was quite high. Otherwise, it would definitely have been unable to remain unscathed in the face of so many flying swords.

  Han Li was rather surprised by this development, and he immediately changed his plan of attack. A small proportion of his flying swords remained behind to combat the red wyrm while most of them skirted around and hurtled toward the silver-robed monk.

  Chapter 1230: Angry Eye Vajra

  The monk paid no heed to the oncoming streaks of golden light and continued to make his hand seals, seemingly very confident in the light barrier manifested by his string of Buddhist beads.

  Han Li harrumphed coldly upon seeing this.

  Scintillating golden light radiated from his flying swords, and they became even more fearsomely powerful.

  A string of loud thumps erupted as the streaks of golden light crashed into the light barrier in unison, but it sounded as if they had struck a chunk of dead wood. The green light barrier tremored violently, but the golden swords were unable to puncture through it.

  Han Li stirred upon seeing this as he made a hand seal.

  All of a sudden, the streaks of golden light around the silver-robed monk rose into the air in unison.

  Golden light abruptly began to radiate in all directions and it was as if a golden sun was rising into the sky.

  After the incandescent golden light faded, a massive golden sword that was several tens of feet in length was revealed.

  At this moment, Han Li pointed a finger without any hesitation.

  The golden light shimmering on the surface of the huge sword dimmed, but a layer of white glacial light appeared in its place. Soon, thick layers of ice crystals had materialized transforming the sword into a gargantuan ice sword over 100 feet in length.

  The entire sword was glittering and translucent, and all of the spectators drew a sharp breath in unison at the sight of its sheer enormity.

  The silver monk's expression finally changed drastically upon seeing this.

  Right at this moment, Han Li swept a hand downward with a cold expression, and uttered the word "slash".

  The ice sword tremored before crashing downward with devastating force. Before it had even struck the green light barrier, fluctuations that were visible to the naked eye began to surface in the surrounding space. A loud screeching sound also erupted a the same time, and it was as if a glacial mountain were crashing down from the heavens.

  The silver-robed monk was indeed quite confident in the durability of his green light barrier, but he definitely didn't dare to allow it to be struck by that fearsome attack.

  As such, he uttered a Buddhist Chant, and the white lotus flower beneath his feet twirled, following which he disappeared along with the lotus amid a burst of seven-colored Buddhist light.

  The giant sword's devastating attack struck thin air as a result.

  In the next instant, a burst of white light flashed several tens of feet away, and the lotus flower appeared once again. The monk then also emerged above the white lotus and at the same time, he made a final hand seal to complete the sequence. A wave of astonishing spiritual pressure immediately surged forth from his body, and a massive projection around 50 to 60 feet tall suddenly materialized above his head.

  This projection's entire body was shimmering with golden light, and its facial features were extremely sinister. It had a head of curly hair, and its upper body was entirely nude. The projection was the spitting image of the legendary Buddhist Angry Eye Vajra.

  As soon as th
e vajra projection appeared, the silver-robed monk immediately let loose a loud cry as he threw two punches toward the massive ice sword from afar.

  A resounding boom rang out as the golden vajra projection emulated the monk's movements, striking out at the sword with its fists.

  Two balls of golden light exploded, and the massive ice sword was sent flying through the air amid a thunderous boom, only managing to barely arrest its momentum after cartwheeling through the air several times.

  Han Li hurriedly turned his gaze toward the sword, upon which a hint of shock surged through his heart.

  He discovered that after being struck by the golden vajra projection, the layer of ice covering the section of the sword struck by the vajra's fists had been completely shattered, revealing the shimmering golden sword within.

  Han Li was quite bewildered upon seeing this. The silver-robed monk appeared to be using a cultivation art that wasn't exactly the same as the Brightjade Arts, but somehow seemed to be related to it.

  However, after refining all of his flying swords again during seclusion, there was an astonishing amount of Profound Jade infused into each and every sword, reaching the upper limit on the amount of Profound Jade each sword could contain. As such, there was definitely enough glacial Qi within the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords to support more than one attack.

  As such, Han Li made a hand seal, and white glacial light surfaced on the section of the sword where the layer of ice had been shattered. The ice layer immediately repaired itself before the ice sword swept toward the monk again. The power imbued within the gargantuan ice sword was just as formidable as ever, making it appear as if the monk's last attack hadn't actually dealt it any substantial damage.

  Only now was the silver-robed monk realizing what a troublesome prospect this massive ice sword was to deal with.

  His expression darkened, yet he unleashed no movement techniques to evade the oncoming attack. Instead, his body swelled and his arms suddenly thickened significantly, following which he clapped his hands together as fast as lightning.

  A loud thump rang out as the vajra projection emulated his movements, bringing its two massive hands together to catch the ice sword in mid-air, thereby preventing it from being able to continue in its descent.

  The vajra projection was objectively quite massive, but it was nowhere near the size of the gargantuan ice sword. As such, the vajra projection was made to look like a small child catching a sword. However, it really did manage to stop the ice sword cold in its tracks!

  Han Li's pupils contracted upon seeing this, and he really was quite shocked by this turn of events.

  Setting aside the enormous power imbued within the ice sword itself, just the glacial Qi emanating from the Myriad Year Profound Jade was capable of freezing all treasures that dared to stand in its way. However, the golden vajra projection had managed to keep the sword at bay with its bare hands, and it appeared to be completely unscathed.

  This really was an extraordinary secret technique.

  Han Li turned his attention toward the silver-robed monk to discover that he didn't seem to be in as good a condition as the vajra projection was. Even though his arms remained resolute, his body was hunched over involuntarily, and the golden light shimmering around him was wavering unsteadily, thereby indicating that he was under a lot of pressure and strain.

  Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this.

  This monk's secret technique appeared to be rather similar to the Six Apex Devils Art, but also completely different at the same time.

  The Six Apex Devils Art allowed one to manifest six devilish projections, but all of the devilish shadows had to rely on an external source of power. However, the vajra projection summoned by this monk was completely being supported by the magic power from within the monk's body, and the power of this secret technique was also directly related to his Brightjade Arts.

  If that monk hadn't mastered the fourth layer of the Brightjade Arts, the attack from the ice sword would've crushed his physical body, even if the vajra projection could've handled it.

  Han Li was quite amazed by this monk's resourcefulness, but this was certainly not the extent of the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords' powers. He made a hand seal once again as he activated another ability of the flying swords.

  An explosive thunderclap erupted as arcs of golden light each as thick as a human arm abruptly surfaced over the ice sword. The arcs of lightning manifested themselves into countless golden lightning pythons which swept directly toward the vajra projection.

  "Huh?!" The silver-robed monk's heart jolted with shock. He clearly hadn't anticipated that Han Li's flying swords would possess so many abilities, and he had no time to think as he abruptly opened his mouth.

  Even though nothing was blasted out of the monk's mouth, bursts of golden light erupted from the vajra projections mouth as it imitated his movement. Spiritual light flashed, and the lightning pythons were all kept at bay by the vast expanse of golden light.

  Almost at the exact same moment, the silver-robed monk let loose another loud cry as he brought his hands together with even greater force. A massive crack immediately appeared on the ice sword between the vajra projections hands.

  Piercing golden light erupted from the projections hands, and the crack instantly expanded as shards of ice detached themselves from the sword.

  The silver monk was planning to use the vajra projections immense power to completely snap the ice sword in half.

  However, he had clearly chosen the wrong strategy to proceed with. Han Li chuckled coldly as he switched to another hand seal, and the ice sword suddenly shuddered violently amid a loud ringing sound. The sword then disintegrated into golden threads as it dispersed from between the vajra projection's massive hands. The vajra projection attempted to grab the threads with its hands, but the golden threads were far too agile as they avoided its foundering hands with ease.

  The monk faltered slightly upon seeing this before exclaiming, "So you're a cultivator proficient in sword arts, Fellow Daoist Han!"Han Li summoned his flying swords back to him with a calm smile as he replied, "I wouldn't dare to proclaim myself to be a sword cultivator with my half-assed skills. Having said that, the secret techniques you unleashed have truly broadened my horizons, Master Yuan Zhi. May I inquire about the origins of this secret technique?"

  This wasn't a true battle of life and death, so there was no need for him to exert too much pressure on his opponent.

  "This is just a small trick to be used in conjunction with the Brightjade Arts; it's not worthy of a mention," the silver-robed monk replied with an ambiguous chuckle, clearly unwilling to divulge his secrets.

  Han Li merely smiled in response.

  "Your Buddhist arts are indeed quite powerful. If I continue using normal techniques, it'll be a long time before we arrive at a decisive result in our sparring match. I'm going to be using a few powerful treasures next. Do be careful, Master Yuan Zhi," Han Li cautioned in a calm voice.

  After delivering that warning, Han Li flicked his 10 fingers toward the monk in quick succession, and 10 thin red threads shot forth before disappearing mid-flight.

  His sleeve then rustled as a ball of three-colored flames tumbled out from within, transforming into a three-colored feather fan that Han Li caught in his hand. He injected his spiritual power into the fan in a wild frenzy before gently sweeping it through the air.

  The cry of a phoenix rang out as a three-colored Fire Raven that was several feet in size rushed directly toward the monk.

  He then opened his mouth to blast forth a white bead, which swelled drastically to reach around a foot in size in the blink of an eye.

  Bursts of purple glacial flames were shimmering over the surface of the bead.

  Han Li merely swept a sleeve through the bead, and a sea of purple flames appeared before him. Massive waves of fire several tens of feet tall were instantly swept up, creating an extremely formidable sight to behold!

  The silver-robed monk adop
ted an extremely solemn expression at the sight of Han Li's fearsome assault. He immediately flipped his hand over to produce a shimmering silver vial.

  However, before he had a chance to do anything with this vial, red light suddenly flashed in the air before the vajra projection. 10 thin fiery threads had emerged before striking the projection in unison. A string of loud metallic clangs rang out as the two clashed, but the fiery threads were completely unable to pierce into the vajra projection's body in the slightest.

  The monk completely ignored the fiery threads, turning his attention to the oncoming three-colored Fire Raven instead with a grave look on his face.

  Even though this was the first time he had seen the Triflame Fan, the astonishing spiritual power emanating from the three-colored Fire Raven struck him with a sense of immense pressure.

  Chapter 1231: You got a friend in Li

  The monk couldn't have anticipated this would happen.

  Although the ten fiery threads didn’t penetrate the golden projection, red light flashed, turning themselves into bulky fire chains. Like a bolt of lightning, they instantly coiled around the projection and firmly trapped them.

  When the monk saw this, he was stunned for a moment, then raising his hand and flicking in the air without any delay.

  A white swordlight shot out from its tip and directly struck at the fiery chains.

  A beautiful ring sounded as red and white light clashed together. The swordlight only left a pea-sized crack on the dense chains.

  The silver-robed monk grew sullen at the sight.

  When he saw the tri-colored fire raven and the purple flame wave race forward, the monk stomped on the white lotus below him, letting out a thunderous dragon’s roar and solemnly parting his arms outward.

  The huge golden projection seemed to sense the monk’s anxiousness and radiated blinding golden light from its body. Its already gigantic size swelled and it grew until it was over twenty-five meters tall, pulling on the fire chains until it was nearly brought to the point of destruction.