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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Of course, Han Li wasn’t about to reveal the Dragon Scale Fruit and all else. He gave a simple explanation, “Brother Qin is quite sharp. Some of my power comes from an innate nature.”

  The embroidered-man nodded, feeling that most of his suspicions had disappeared.

  Following that, the embroidered man said nothing else. Rather, Mistress Fang had a friendly chat with Han Li, but when she asked about his origins, Han Li gave a vague answer.

  Mistress Fang didn’t pursue the matter when she saw this and instead informed him that Pan Qing and the others were to assist An Yuan City with the beast torrent on orders from their master. The upper echelons of An Yuan City had ties to the Gold Jade Sect. The sect would send out low-grade cultivators to use the beast torrent as an opportunity to make breakthroughs. The Foundation Establishment cultivators were likely sent for this reason as well.

  Of course, the Gold Jade Sect wasn’t the only sect that sent disciples over to the city. There were at least a dozen more.

  When the men of the Heavenly East Enterprise entered An Yuan City, they were also conscripted to fight against the beast torrent as per law. As such, Mistress Fang had Han Li act as Zhang Kui’s second in directing the guards.

  When Han Li heard her, he nodded in agreement after brief consideration.

  When Mistress Fang saw this, she wore a satisfied expression and had Han Li depart. According to what she said, the beast torrent could start at any time. Furthermore, it would be a grand beast torrent consisting of several types. It would be best for Han Li to rest and hone his spirit.

  Han Li smiled and promptly left the room.

  When the door was shut, Mistress Fang’s smile vanished and was replaced with hesitation.

  The embroidered-robed man stroked his chin and asked, “What? Does Mistress Fang feel this person is a rare find and has changed her mind?”

  Mistress Fang frowned and openly expressed her thoughts, “That is so. This person is young, yet holds his current cultivation. If he were nurtured, I suspect that he will become an existence on the level of Old Fire. Otherwise, I would’ve gone with the original plan and have Zhang Kui or the Liu Brothers follow you on your journey after the beast torrent.”

  Chapter 1279: Azure Wolf, Crimson Python, Leocon Beast

  The embroidered-robed man shook his head, “I’ve already seen Captain Zhang and the mistress’ Liu Brothers. If Brother Han wasn’t here, we would use either of them, but now that we have a more suitable candidate, we will have to make the more reliable choice. After all, he completed the third layer of the Vajra Arts; he has nothing to fear from the attack of low-grade spirit tools, and his immense strength will make him even more suitable for the journey. If we were to take someone else, the odds of defeat will be greater. If we startle those demon beast guards, we won’t get a second chance. Mistress, could it be you don’t wish for Junior Martial Brother Pan to achieve Core Formation?”

  Mistress Fang sighed and she said with a tone of helplessness. “Senior Martial Brother Qin’s words are reasonable. Even if this person has as much potential as ‘Old Fire’, I feel like Qin’er’s Core Formation will possess far more potential.”

  The embroidered-robed man felt relief and he smiled, “Lady Fu is quite a sensible person! The breakout of this beast torrent turned into an exceptional opportunity. It appears those demon beast guards aren’t involving themselves. When the time comes, we might be able to escape from them. That’s why although we need a body refiner, he won’t necessarily be needed. So long as the matter succeeds, I won’t treat him unfairly and make sure he doesn't harbor a grudge against you.”

  “Immortal Qin’s magic power is quite strong. After you acquire it, there should be no problem in Core Formation. In the future, I hope you’ll look after my son.” When that was said, she smiled and didn’t directly address him.

  The man glanced at the blue-robed youth and warmly said, “Hehe, Junior Martial Brother Pan’s aptitude is no less than mine. If I can achieve Core Formation, Junior Martial Brother should have no problem with the item in hand. The mistress should feel at ease.”

  Pan Qing saluted his Senior Martial Brother with a deep expression and uttered words of thanks.

  As for the pair sitting next to the embroidered robed man, they glanced at one another with a knowing smile.

  During this time, the atmosphere in the hall became rather friendly.

  Han Li couldn't have known that his first contact with humans in the spirit realm already involved him in a scheme.

  It was unknown if he was cursed by the heavens or just had bad luck. In case he knew about this matter, he would’ve simply found himself not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

  A few trifling mortals and Foundation Establishment cultivators thought of using him, a Deity Transformation cultivator. They were beyond reckless. Even without his magic power, he had methods of easily killing them.

  But as he was kept in the dark and intended on remaining with the Heavenly East Enterprise, he left the courtyard and went to see the large scarred man.

  Not long after, Han Li was appointed a hi second in command but there were others that weren’t convinced.

  But when Han Li revealed a portion of his immense strength, he alarmed them and kept them quiet.

  Because Han Li was given his own room, he didn’t have to mingle with the others.

  In the following days, he began to grasp the chant for the fifth layer of the Vajra Arts.

  According to the Brightjade Arts, It would be much smoother if he could cultivate using the magic power present in his body. But now, he would have to cultivate the Vajra Arts by infusing spiritual Qi into his body.

  He had no choice but to familiarize himself with this strange method before starting his cultivation.

  Three days later, Han Li left the inn and disappeared half a day.

  Apart from those with a discerning eye, most people hadn’t noticed that Han Li was gone.

  But on the seventh day, Han Li was sitting cross-legged on his bed when he suddenly heard huge bell clangs from outside the room. The sound loudly droned and faintly shook the inn.

  Han Li opened his eyes in shock.

  The rumbling clangs repeated without end and was soon followed by resounding horns, crying out to the city one after another.

  Han Li frowned and wordlessly walked out.

  The west courtyard was already scrambling into action. The guards and cavalrymen were walking out from their rooms with weapons and armor in hand. Their expressions ranged anywhere from excitement to fear and worry.

  As panicked voices sounded through the courtyard, Zhang Kui walked through with an icy expression and loudly rebuked, “What is there to panic about? It is only a beast torrent. It hasn’t reached us yet. Return to your rooms and properly rest yourselves. When the time comes, rest will only be a delusionary thought.”

  When the soldiers heard the large man, they all calmed down and obediently returned to their rooms.

  Han Li saw this with a smile.

  As Zhang Kui held his position as the guard commander for over ten years, his reputation was as high as one would expect.

  Zhang Kui glanced over at Han Li and said, “Junior Brother Han, follow me to observe and size and scope of the beast torrent. Let’s see how it compares to what we expected.”

  Han Li quickly replied, “Brother Zhang, I am ready to follow.”

  In truth, although he didn’t take this beast torrent to heart, he was indeed a bit curious.

  He wasn’t about to refuse an opportunity to broaden his horizons.

  When the two walked onto the street outside the inn, he discovered there was something amiss. The bustling streets no sparsely had anyone. There were only a few wanderers and their movements were all flustered.

  There were several beast carriages on the street, but they were in a mad rush. There were also horned wolves, the same that the Heavenly East Enterprise cavalrymen rode. However, the ones who rode them this time were wearing the armor
of city guards. They were rushing through the city, loudly declaring martial law on the city as a result of the upcoming beast torrent.

  They were not only drafting body refiners and soldiers, but common mortals were to stay put in their residences. If they were outside and hindered the efforts of resisting the beast torrent, they would be immediately executed.

  When Han Li and Zhang Kui rode two horned wolves to the nearest wall, there was a large purple-robed man standing at the top of the southmost tower in the city. He looked outside the window with one hand pressed against it and the hand held behind his back. He silently looked in the distance with a sullen expression.

  Suddenly, the door to his room opened and a soldier covered in azure bone armor quickly entered. He kneeled behind the azure-robed man and softly reported, “City Lord, we’ve verified that the beasts gathered in three waves: the Jade Grassland’s Azure wolves, the Black Tomb Mountain’s Crimson Pythons, and the Leocon Beasts.”

  The large purple-robed man sighed and he worriedly said, “So it is an attack by three beast types. Very troublesome. If they were other beasts, it would’ve been fine, but azure wolves and crimson pythons only join beast torrents every three hundred years. Not to mention these astonishing numbers, the Leocon Beasts will make things more troublesome as well.

  They will attack the weakest point of our city. Although we already prepared bows and crossbows, they fly too quickly so common arrows won’t be effective.”

  “Didn’t you place an order from the Heavenly East Enterprise for exploding crystal arrows, Sir? We should be able to hold our own against them. Besides, we have cultivators assisting us. They will be a powerful force to defend the skies. With their assistance, the hawks shouldn’t be a problem.” The armored soldier consoled.

  The purple-robed man commanded, “We can only hope to rely on them. Arrange the cultivators together and have them keep watch on the hawk’s actions. We will have the soldiers and body refiners join forces in dealing with the wolves and pythons. Ah yes, quickly bring our forces to the ready. Have our guards take turns standing guard.”

  “Yes, Sir!” An armored soldier yelled and went off to execute his order.

  The large purple-robed man was the An Yuan City Lord. He looked out his window with a heavy expression.

  ...

  Han Li stood on top of a segment of the city wall and looked at the distance. Although he appeared calm, his heart was shaken.

  He saw yellow earth tens of kilometers from the city turn azure. An azure sea spanned as far as he could see. Upon closer inspection, he could make out the silhouette of wolves within them. Their eyes were green and their bodies were azure. Their bared fangs created a savage appearance.

  The number of wolves were too many to count. They could no longer determine how many hundreds of thousands there were.

  Apart from the wolf howls, there were the sounds of other beasts mixed in. They sounded in some sort of pattern as if they were communicating with one another.

  Zhang Kui’s face turned somewhat pale, but he gripped his hands in a fist and muttered, “Fortunately, the most common beast are the azure wolves. If we encountered red, yellow, or even the rare silver wolf, I fear that An Yuan City wouldn’t be able to survive the beast torrent.”

  “Silver wolves?” When Han Li heard this, something suddenly came to mind.

  In his surprise, the scarred man explained, “What? Has Brother Han never seen silver wolves before? They are several times harder to handle than other wolves. A common silver wolf is a match for a dozen azure wolves. In the last beast torrent, I was lucky enough to see several of them. Their fearsomeness is fresh in my memory.”

  Chapter 1280: Wild Beast Torrent (1)

  Han Li felt his heart roil.

  When he heard him mention 'silver wolves', he was instantly reminded of Silvermoon.

  She was a giant silver wolf that hailed from the Silvermoon Wolf Clan. Perhaps the silver wolves were of the same clan.

  But regardless of whether this was true, it was no use to him in his current realm. He could only set aside the thought in the back of his mind.

  Zhang Kui solemnly said, "If it were only common wolves, we wouldn't have anything to fear with our high walls, but unfortunately, they are being led by intelligent low-grade demon beasts.

  They are also mixed with variant beasts that are halfway to becoming a demon beast. While the variant beasts don’t possess the same inconceivable abilities as demon beasts, they are still far more fearsome than any ordinary beast. The size, power, and vicious far exceed their ordinary kind. At the very least, an ordinary low-grade body refiner wouldn’t be able to take one alone.”

  "How troublesome! Are there many of these variant beasts in the wave?"

  Zhang Kui pondered briefly and doubtfully said, "There is about one variant beast in a thousand."

  "A thousand?" Han Li swept his eyes past the azure beast sea and couldn't help but wryly laugh.

  Even if he couldn't guess their number, they numbered in the millions at the very least. There should be several thousand variant beasts among them. And with no Core Formation cultivators guarding the city, those numbers could prove fatal.

  After taking another look, Zhang Kui sighed, clearly discouraged by the sight, and said, "Alright, let's go to other areas and take a look at the other beasts."

  Although Han Li followed the large man through the city, he still wore a smile and asked, "What, Brother Zhang worries the city defenses won't hold?"

  Zhang Kui replied with an anxious expression, "I am worried, yes. I've seen several beast torrents in the past, but never against a city that was just established in the last thousand years. Against a grand beast torrent like this one and with our lacking preparations, they should be able to breach our defenses.

  Furthermore, this beast torrent also has Leocon Beasts. Although there won’t be too many of them, they will all be grade one demon beasts. As we won’t be able to protect against them, they will be a large threat to the city.

  “Are Leocon Beasts so fearsome?” A glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes and his voice carried doubt.

  “Leocon Beasts aren’t considered strong amongst the rank of demon birds, but they carry a formidable toxin that can kill ordinary people. Unless they approach us, we will only be able to attack them from afar. And even worse is how nimble and quick these birds are. While they may be lacking in strength, they are unable to suppress them as they attack the weakest points in the city’s defense.

  With a tone of surprise, Han Li asked, “How did this lack of aerial power come to be? Could it be the An Yuan City Lord didn’t know this matter would be so critical?

  From what he came to know, all positions of secular power within the city belonged to mortals.

  “Even if he knew about it, what could he do? I heard the last beast torrent to attack the city left disastrous damage. Their numbers were almost exhausted. Being able to restore their defensive strength to this level had already exhausted the city lord’s influence. The other nearby cities also lent them a few weapons and soldiers. There is nothing else he can do about the air.”

  When Han Li heard this, he was at a loss for words.

  Not long after, Han Li followed Zhang Kui to another side of the city wall and saw rows of meter-long pythons forming a red beast sea. It appeared even more fearsome than the sea of wolves.

  The only good news to hear from this was that these snakes weren’t venomous. As such, their defenses were more lax towards them.

  As Han Li gazed at the sea of pythons from a distance, he would occasionally spot pythons that were several times larger than the others and he inwardly gasped.

  These variant pythons were over thirty meters long, no smaller than a crimson wyrm. They could easily devour a man. And because the hoard of crimson pythons was larger than the azure wolves, it was only natural there would be more of variants.

  After looking at these two beast hoards, Han Li felt some regret at not being able to see the Leocon Beas
ts.

  According to what the Zhang Kui said, the hawks were perched at a concealed area. They wouldn’t show themselves until it was time to attack.

  As Han Li looked at the distant pythons, he suddenly asked, “Why haven’t the beast hoards launched their attacks?”

  “The beast hoards are led by intelligent demon beasts. They won’t attack us of their own accord. They will be certain to cooperate with the other two demon hoards in a joint assault and strain our forces. Normally, something like this will only occur for another day. Let’s go. We need to lead the Heavenly East Enterprise soldiers to the center of the city in preparation for orders. If we are lucky enough to make a breakthrough or comprehend something, it may be worth it to put ourselves in danger.” Zhang Kui let out a cold laugh and led Han Li back to the inn.

  As expected, the guards at the inn had received orders from An Yuan City and were preparing to move out. They were already gathered together.

  The Gold Jade Sect cultivators were asked for their presence earlier and had already left.

  Without any hesitation Zhang Kui immediately shouted and commanded the two hundred soldiers of the Heavenly East Enterprise to move out, marching out of the inn in a powerful display.

  When they arrived on the street, they saw private troops and body refiners head in the direction of the palace, but most of these groups were nowhere as large or formidable as the Heavenly East Enterprise. Their numbers ranged anywhere from five or six to a dozen.

  As Han Li traveled together with the others, they caught quite a bit of attention, particularly with the fifty mounted horned wolves.

  After all, the horned wolves were one of the many beasts that were tamed by the humans of the spirit realm. Each one was meticulously raised from birth, completely erasing their savage nature. As they were able to exhibit greater power when joined together with cavalrymen, their price was considerably high.

  Only a business as overbearing at the Heavenly East Enterprise had the ability to purchase so many trained horned wolves for their guards.