A dull rumbling then erupted from nearby, following which white light flashed, and a humanoid figure appeared out of thin air, around several hundred feet away from the winged man.
This humanoid figure was an elderly man who appeared to be in his sixties. His hair had been organized into a triangular bun, and his remarkably long face was very attention-catching. As soon as this elderly man appeared, he grabbed the air before him in a vicious manner.
Spatial fluctuations erupted as a massive translucent yellow hand appeared above the winged man's head before swooping down like lightning.
However, the winged man seemed to have anticipated this well in advance. His wings merely flapped gently, and he disappeared on the spot as an arc of azure lightning. In the next instant, he appeared elsewhere nearby with a dark expression on his face.
"Eccentric Wind! You've been chasing me for over a month. You clearly know that you have no way to trap me, so why do you insist on prolonging this pointless chase?" the winged man roared with furrowed brows. His voice was like a string of thunderclaps.
All of the low-grade cultivators down below were caught off guard by this thunderous roar, and their ears immediately began to ring incessantly as they stumbled to the ground. The ones with the lowest cultivation bases among them had even fallen unconscious on the spot.
Only the few cultivators with higher cultivation bases or treasures with which they could use to protect themselves managed to remain conscious. However, they had also been completely immobilized and could only just barely tilt their heads back to look up into the air. Thus, all of them looked on with deathly pale features at the two seniors up above.
The pair of young cultivators who had discovered Han Li in the first place were among the few cultivators who had managed to retain their consciousness. However, they were also completely rooted to the spot like their companions.
Under normal circumstances, encountering a high-grade cultivator was a brilliant opportunity that they could only pray for. However, encountering two high-grade cultivators who were battling one another was a complete disaster to them. All of the young cultivators who were still conscious were completely horrified.
They hadn't witnessed a battle between high-grade cultivators in person, but they had heard from the seniors in their sects on more than one occasion about just how terrifying such battles were. All of those seniors warned them to get as far away as possible if they were to stumble upon a battle between such powerful beings. Otherwise, just the residual shockwaves from their clashes could prove to be lethal.
In the eyes of high-grade cultivators, the lives of Qi Condensation cultivators were barely worth more than that of ants, so they definitely wouldn't worry about trying to keep low-grade cultivators safe during their battles.
"Hmph, I don't care if you kill anyone else, but you killed one of my juniors right before my eyes! How could I let you off the hook for that? A mere Nascent Soul cultivator won't be able to last much longer anyway. Even if I have to sacrifice over 10 years of my lifespan, I'm going to take you down!" the elderly man said with a dark expression before pointing a finger toward Han Li, upon which the massive translucent yellow hand came crashing down again.
Han Li's wings flapped as he disappeared on the spot once again before reappearing over 100 feet away. Even though he had evaded that attack, he still wore a gloomy expression on his face.
This elderly man was an enemy that Han Li had unintentionally made when killing his last Yin Sifting Sect elder.
This man was a Deity Transformation cultivator that just so happened to be related somehow to that Yin Sifting Sect elder.
Han Li was quite remorseful for his decision to go after that elder. He was simply looking for Yin Sifting Sect elders to take their Ghost Sifting Banners, and he could've easily gone after someone else and avoided all of this trouble.
At the time, when this Eccentric Wind was with that Yin Sifting Sect elder, he had concealed his cultivation base, which made it appear as if he were only an early-Nascent Soul cultivator. As such, Han Li didn't pay any heed to this man and devised a strategy to lure out that Yin Sifting Sect elder. However, Eccentric Wind also arrived on the scene just in time to witness Han Li kill that elder.
He immediately erupted into a thunderous rage and revealed his astonishing Deity Transformation Stage cultivation base before pouncing toward Han Li.
If it weren't for Han Li's Thunderstorm Wings and Nine Gale Transformations, he most likely would've been captured.
Thus began his life on the run. If he had followed his initial plan, he would've continued to lurk in the Yin Sifting Sect for several months to see if he could pick off a few more elders. However, now that he was being pursued by a Deity Transformation cultivator, he naturally had to relinquish that plan and flee for his life. Thus, the Yin Sifting Sect was extended a lifeline. At his current power level, Deity Transformation cultivators were the only beings that he had to be wary of in this world, and by a stroke of terrible luck, he was now being hunted by one of the few Deity Transformation cultivators in the human world. In fact, this Eccentric Wind was so intent on catching him that he was even willing to sacrifice some of his lifespan to chase him down.
Even though his movement techniques were slightly inferior to Han Li's, his superior cultivation base bridged this gap, thereby allowing him to keep up with Han Li. Furthermore, he must have planted some kind of tracking device on Han Li as he was always able to track him down even if Han Li had opened up some distance between them.
Han Li had checked his body on several occasions, but was unable to discover anything amiss.
This made Han Li even warier of Eccentric Wind, and he decided to try and wear his opponent down instead of continuing to flee. He knew the limitations of Deity Transformation cultivators, and he was planning to use his Myriad Year Spirit Milk to completely exhaust his opponent's magic power, then leave him behind once and for all.
However, Han Li was left completely speechless after half a month.
Perhaps this Eccentric Wind also possessed some Myriad Year Spirit Milk; in any case, he was able to continue to pursue Han Li through several states, and his spiritual Qi didn't seem to have waned in the slightest. But then again, as a Deity Transformation cultivator, it wouldn't be a surprise if he had some Myriad Year Spirit Milk.
As a result, Han Li really was almost captured by his pursuer on several occasions, and only managed to escape through the use of some of his treasures.
During their several encounters, Han Li had tried to persuade Eccentric Wind to give up in this pointless pursuit, seeing as he wasn't a Yin Sifting Sect cultivator, so there was no need for them to engage in a battle to the death.
However, this Eccentric Wind seemed to have grown very frustrated and humiliated by the fact that he had been unable to capture Han Li even after so long. As such, he brushed aside all of Han Li's attempts at persuasion and instead tried to persuade Han Li to surrender, in which case he would be granted a quick and painless death.
Han Li naturally rolled his eyes and paid no heed to those threats.
Thus, the two of them continued this game of cat and mouse for several days before finally arriving at this place. At this moment, Han Li finally stopped and decided to engage in a clash with this Deity Transformation cultivator. It would also be a good opportunity for him to assess the gap between himself and a Deity Transformation cultivator. As long as he could make his opponent understand that he would have to pay an extremely severe price to kill Han Li, then he would naturally have to give up.
After all, if things were to continue in this manner, he'd have to use his Thunderstorm Wings quite frequently, and he would seriously be in trouble once the Divine Devilbane Lightning in his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords ran out.
Of course, what was unbeknownst to Han Li was that even though this Eccentric Wind was acting tough, he was actually also finding Han Li to be very troublesome to deal with.
Han Li's possessed over twice the magic po
wer of a normal late-Nascent Soul cultivator; that much had been apparent to him from the beginning. However, what the elderly man found most troublesome to deal with was Han Li's Thunderstorm Wings. Eccentric Wind also had quite a powerful movement technique, but he was still unable to capture Han Li despite his superior cultivation base.
At this point, it had become an issue of pride for him.
He wasn't actually all that closely related to that Yin Sifting Sect elder. He was simply one of the descendants of his juniors. However, as more and more Yin Sifting Sect elders were killed, they naturally arrived at the conclusion that another Deity Transformation cultivator had to have been behind all this, so they had immediately sought help from him.
Seeing as the Yin Sifting Sect elder was one of the few juniors who still knew of his existence, Eccentric Wind couldn't bear to turn him down and accompanied him to the Yin Sifting Sect.
There were only several Deity Transformation cultivators in the Great Jin, and no matter who it was that was targeting the Yin Sifting Sect, they would surely back down if Eccentric Wind were to stand up for the sect. As such, he had cast a secret technique onto this elder that would make him identifiable to all of the Deity Transformation cultivators that Eccentric Wind was familiar with. At the same time, he deployed some people to visit these Deity Transformation cultivators, and inquire about which one of them was behind all this.
After doing all that, he used a secret technique to conceal his cultivation base and decided to leave this matter after accompanying his junior back to the sect. As for whether the Yin Sifting Sect fell or not, that naturally didn't matter in the slightest to him.
However, in his complacency, he had allowed Han Li to kill that Yin Sifting Sect elder right under his nose.
If he really was another Deity Transformation cultivator, then Eccentric Wind naturally wouldn't challenge him, and he'd simply be forced to swallow that bitter pill. After all, if beings of their caliber were to engage in a battle, the loss of lifespan would be too heavy a price to pay for both sides.
However, after identifying the fact that Han Li was only at the late-Nascent Soul Stage, he immediately decided to kill him.
Unfortunately for him, Han Li's movement techniques and other abilities were all very troublesome to deal with, making him unable to chase him down even after around a month. He had already expended several years of his lifespan, and almost half of the tiny vial of Myriad Year Spirit Milk he possessed had been used up as well.
If he were to give up now, he simply couldn't swallow his pride and allow Han Li to get away. Furthermore, the treasures that Han Li had used were all quite powerful, and he was very tempted to kill Han Li and take those treasures for himself.
Chapter 1237: Encountering Xiang Zhili Again
Meanwhile, Han Li was also becoming quite enraged by Eccentric Wind's relentless pursuit.
Ever since he had progressed to the late-Nascent Soul Stage, he hadn't yet unleashed his two Divine Spirit Treasures. On top of that, he had infused Auric Essence into all 72 of his flying swords, and even he didn't know how powerful his Aureate Sword Formation would be. However, he was confident that even a Deity Transformation cultivator wouldn't be able to remain unscathed if they were to be trapped in it.
In any case, he also had those two Immortal Vanquishing Beads as his trump cards.
Thus, after taking all of that into account, Han Li decided that he had the resources to engage his pursuer in battle. As such, when the massive yellow hand came hurtling toward him again, he didn't use his Thunderstorm Wings to evade any longer. Instead, piercing golden light flashed as a sword projection sliced the massive hand in half, instantly vanquishing it on the spot.
Han Li's retaliation came as a surprise to Eccentric Wind, and his eyes narrowed in contemplation.
He was already rather confounded by the fact that Han Li was no longer fleeing the scene, so the attack that he had just unleashed was merely something to test the waters with. Now that Han Li was actively retaliating, he immediately realized that this late-Nascent Soul cultivator seemed to have decided to face him in a direct battle.
Eccentric Wind's expression remained unchanged, but a sense of elation welled up in his heart.
If Han Li were to continue to flee, he'd have to reconsider whether it was worth sacrificing more of his lifespan to continue in his pursuit. However, now that Han Li had decided to face him in battle, he'd have an opportunity to kill him before taking his treasures.
As such, Eccentric Wind exhaled and wasted no further time with words as he laid a hand onto the top of his own head.
Blue light flashed, and a hexagonal jade plate appeared. It appeared to be an antiquated treasure with mysterious runes of different colors shimmering over its surface.
As soon as this treasure appeared, a sinister smile appeared on Eccentric Wind's face.
In order to end this battle as quickly as possible, he was naturally going to crush his opponent in one fell swoop, thereby minimizing the amount of lifespan he'd have to sacrifice. During his previous brief scuffles with Han Li, he knew that Han Li had some powerful abilities and treasures. As such, he didn't dare to underestimate Han Li, and immediately summoned his most powerful treasure.
The jade plate began to rotate in mid-air before rapidly expanding amid a loud ringing sound. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a massive plate that was several tens of feet in size before tipping over to face Han Li.
Piercing blue light flashed from the plate, and it appeared that something was about to reveal itself.
Han Li's heart stirred upon seeing this, and he immediately swept both sleeves through the air. Several tens of small golden swords shot forth from within, instantly transforming into 72 golden flying swords, all of which were around a foot in length.
He then made a hand seal, and the 72 flying swords swayed before manifesting hundreds of identical swords. These swords danced through the air before transforming into a vast expanse of golden light, creating a rather formidable sight to behold.
Eccentric Wind faltered slightly at the sight of the vast number of flying swords that Han Li had summoned, but a cold smile then appeared on his face as he said, "No matter how many flying swords you have, it'll be nowhere near the number of my flying sabers. Let me show you the might of my Myriad Blade Plate!"
Han Li's eyes flashed as he turned his gaze toward the hexagonal jade plate.
The runes on the plate flashed and a blue pillar of light shot forth, then dispersed into several streaks of blue light. Those streaks of blue light then flashed before instantly transforming into shimmering blue flying sabers, each of which was several inches in length. Blue pillars of light were still erupting incessantly from the jade plate, creating countless flying sabers that hovered above Eccentric Wind's head like a mountain of blades.
It was quite an intimidating sight for anyone to behold!
Han Li's expression changed drastically upon seeing this.
There had to be more than 4,000 flying sabers lined up in the air before him.
Right at this moment, Eccentric Wind swept a sleeve toward Han Li, and all of the blue sabers began to emanate brilliant spiritual light.
They then shot forth toward Han Li as streaks of blue light, and due to the sheer number of blades, the entire sky was obscured by blue light, making it appear as if there were a vast lethal wall of blue blades rushing toward Han Li.
Han Li's golden flying swords created an impressive spectacle, but it was nothing compared to the oncoming mountain of blades.
Han Li took a deep breath as his expression returned to normal. At the same time, he let loose a loud cry, yet instead of unleashing his flying swords to clash with the oncoming sabers, he raised a hand instead, A ball of green light slipped out of his palm, within which a green wooden ruler could be seen.
It was none other than the Eight Spirit Ruler!
As soon as the ruler left his hand, it began to dance through the air of its own accord. The projectio
n of a silver lotus flower appeared on the ruler, and following an injection of magic power from Han Li, it expanded further and further, and the silver light emanating from it also became more and more scintillating.
Moments later, the silver lotus flower had reached over 100 feet in size, completing shielding Han Li behind it.
"That's the Eight Spirit Ruler! You're that Han brat that appeared on the Kunwu Mountains!" Eccentric Wind immediately exclaimed as he identified the spirit treasure.
At the same time, the mountain of blue blades faltered in mid-air, and didn't immediately come crashing down toward the massive lotus flower.
"You recognize me?" Han Li asked with furrowed brows.
"I don't, but Fellow Daoist Xiang once mentioned you to me. I heard that you're very familiar with Devilish Concubine Ling Long of the Spirit Realm?" Eccentric Wind's eyes flashed with a contemplative light as he spoke.
"I wouldn't say that, but I am indeed acquainted with her. When you say Fellow Daoist Xiang, are you referring to Xiang Zhili?" A peculiar look had also appeared on Han Li's face.
"Hmph, who else could I be referring to? Setting that aside for now, let me ask you this; before Devilish Concubine Ling Long returned to the Spirit Realm, did she mention anything about the spatial node to you or leave you any shortcuts to the Spirit Realm?" Eccentric Wind asked with his gaze focused intently on Han Li.
"Why are you asking that? Didn't Fellow Daoist Ling Long already offer guidance in this area to Master Xiong of the Myriad Demon Valley? Seeing as you're familiar with Brother Xiang, there's no way you wouldn't be aware of this." Han Li's heart jolted with surprise, but his expression remained calm and collected.
Eccentric Wind didn't believe Han Li in the slightest as he said in a cold voice, "There's no need for you to try and play dumb. I did a lot of research on what happened at the time, and that Devilish Concubine Ling Long was clearly very close with you. There's no way that she wouldn't have left you with a shortcut to the Spirit Realm. Hand over what she gave you, and I can let bygones be bygones."
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 684