"Eighth grade demon beast? I guess you can say that. However, I'm the one asking questions here, not you. Listen up, I want to know the whereabouts of a certain person. If you tell me where they are, I'll grant you a quick and painless death. Otherwise, I'll pull your soul out of your body and find the answer I seek using a soul search technique. I don't need to tell you how painful the latter option will be for you, right?" The young woman held herself in a graceful and refined manner, but her words were extremely cold and cruel.
The purple-robed man's grim expression darkened even further.
"You're clearly a prominent figure among the demon race, yet you're interrogating a mere body refinement warrior like me? What information could I possibly offer that would be of interest to you? Perhaps there's been some kind of misunderstanding and I'm not the person you're looking for, Senior?"
A cold light flashed through the young woman's eyes upon hearing this. She raised a slim finger, and a thin beam of red light shot forth, puncturing the purple-robed man's shoulder in a flash.
The man let loose a howl of agony, and the smell of burned flesh wafted through the air as a small hole appeared on his shoulder.
"Didn't I say that I was the one who was going to be asking questions? If you make the same mistake again, I'm going to chop off all of your limbs," the young woman threatened expressionlessly.
Only after a long which did the purple-robed man manage to recover from the excruciating agony shooting through his shoulder, and he said through gritted teeth, "I understand, Senior. Please tell me what you'd like to know."
The young woman looked at the purple-robed man with a cold expression, and said, "It's quite simple; I want to know the whereabouts of a little girl named Dai'er. Don't tell me you don't know her; she's your only granddaughter."
"Dai'er! You're from the Black Phoenix Race!" the purple-robed man exclaimed.
"Correct. Looks like you knew all along that Dai'er had the bloodline of our Black Phoenix Race. If it weren't for the fact that you're constantly hiding in your city with your granddaughter like a cowardly turtle, I wouldn't have had to go to the trouble of deploying such a massive Beast Torrent to attack your An Yuan City. The entire city's been destroyed, but I still haven't found your granddaughter, so I can only come to you for answers," the young woman revealed with a cold smile.
"I knew it. There was no way we could've kept the Black Phoenix Demon King in the dark," the purple-robed man murmured as the final trace of hope faded from his eyes.
"It's good that you know your place. But then again, you humans sure are brave; not only did you send someone to seduce the Young Master of our Black Phoenix Race, you even dared to sneak the bloodline of our holy race back to your human race. Do you really think that the Black Phoenix Race won't be able to do anything just because you fled back to the three regions of the human race?" The expression on the young woman's face gradually cooled even further as she spoke.
"My daughter has already passed away because of Dai'er; what more do you want?" The purple-robed man also cast aside all inhibitions as he gritted his teeth with an expression of resentment and fury.
"What do we want? We want to take Dai'er back to our Black Phoenix Palace, of course. Even though she's half-human, she still has the bloodline of our holy race running through her veins, so she can't be allowed to remain with you humans. I'm glad that your daughter already died; it saves me from having to hunt her down myself. Now tell me where that little girl is!" The young woman seemed to be losing her patience.
The purple-robed man glowered at her for a long while before spitting through gritted teeth, "I don't know!"
The young woman's expression remained completely unchanged, and it seemed that she was not surprised in the slightest by the man's answer. However, her body then swayed as she flashed through the air toward the purple-robed man, then grasped her five slim fingers over the top of his head.
"Take one final look at this world; you'll cease to exist in a moment," the young woman said in a cold voice before blue light flashed from her fingertips.
The purple-robed man's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he entered a state of complete sensory deprivation...
After a while, a dried corpse that had been reduced to only several feet in size plummeted from the sky and disappeared into the forest down below.
"Things are a little more troublesome than I expected. I didn't think that man would be so stubborn and patriotic; he gave orders to his subordinates to execute his granddaughter if they don't meet up after 10 days. Who would've thought that he could be so cruel? Looks like rather sacrifice his only granddaughter for the sake of the human race than see another high-grade demon beast rise up among our Black Phoenix Race. Thankfully, he's just a body refinement warrior. If he were a cultivator instead, perhaps he would've developed into quite a formidable figure. So this means that he wasn't actually with his granddaughter on the day that An Yuan City was destroyed. Are you sure none of you saw the person I'm looking for on that day?" The young woman suddenly turned to the demon beasts beside her with a cold and interrogatory gaze.
The demon beasts glanced at one another before letting loose a string of strange cries in an extremely respectful manner.
The young woman's brows furrowed upon seeing this. All of a sudden, she flipped a hand over and a crimson bead appeared over her palm. She then made a hand seal and chanted something before opening her mouth, upon which a small ball of blood essence was expelled onto the bead as a layer of blood mist.
A burst of crimson light immediately appeared over the surface of the red bead. The young woman stared at the bead with an intense unblinking gaze. Only after a long while did she close her eyes with an exhausted expression on her face, but she quickly opened her eyes again.
"The person I'm looking for isn't dead, and she hasn't left this area. I don't care what methods you employ, but you have to find her for me within three days. If you can't do that, then there's no reason for you to continue to exist in this world. However, I am a fair individual who hands down punishments and rewards in equal measure. You've captured the lord of An Yuan City, so you'll naturally be rewarded for your efforts. You can take these pills and consume them now; they'll save you several centuries of arduous cultivation. If you can find the little girl, I'll have an even better reward waiting for you." The young woman flicked a finger, and several white pills shot forth, flying toward the group of demon beasts.
The demon beasts hurriedly opened their mouths with overjoyed expressions before swallowing the pills and letting loose a series of elated cries. After that, they transformed into balls of demonic Qi and sped away into the distance.
"How annoying; if it weren't for the fact that using my spiritual sense and magic power could attract the attention of high-grade human cultivators, I wouldn't have to ask those idiots to do my bidding. I can't stay here anymore; I have to go back as quickly as possible after taking care of this matter." The young woman heaved a faint sigh before raising a hand. Red light flashed, and a handkerchief-like treasure enshrouded her entire body before she disappeared on the spot as a plume of azure smoke.
Not long after she vanished, one of the seemingly ordinary trees in the forest down below suddenly warped and transformed into a black-robed elderly man with a set of sinister facial features. The man was holding a dried corpse in his hands, and it was none other than the corpse of the purple-robed man.
"I didn't think I'd see the Demonic Maiden of the Black Phoenix Race here. Looks like her cultivation base is far superior to mine, and I most likely wouldn't have been able to escape her notice if it weren't for the fact that she's really wary about releasing her spiritual sense. Who would've thought that someone with the bloodline of the Black Phoenix Race would be dwelling in An Yuan City? Haha, this is a brilliant opportunity for me. This body will be quite useful for me." the elderly man chuckled before tossing the dried corpse into the air. He then rubbed his hands together before raising them over his head.
The dried and shriveled corpse suddenly began to expand like a rehydrating sponge, rapidly reverting back to its original form. Even the dismembered arm had grown back once again.
"Hehe, with this body, I'll be able to find that little girl first, and then..."
"And then what?"
Just as the black-robed man was chuckling to himself, an icy cold voice suddenly sounded from behind him. His expression immediately changed drastically, following which he immediately shot forth into the distance as a streak of grey light like a rabbit that had just had its tail trodden on. In his haste to escape, he had even abandoned the dried corpse that he had just rejuvenated.
Chapter 1289: Nine Profound Brightjade Pond
Following a fierce cry, a jeg of black flames shot forth, transforming into a glistening inky-black bird that was around 10 feet in size.
The bird was able to cover a distance of over 300 feet simply by spreading its wings, upon which it appeared directly behind the elderly man and pounced.
The black-robed elderly man was clearly no ordinary cultivator, either; he knew exactly what was happening behind him without even turning his head, and he immediately let loose an almighty roar. He swept a sleeve behind him while laying his other hand over the top of his head. A small grey flag and a green jade fan immediately appeared behind him in unison, transforming into two robust barriers of light, one grey and one green, which shielded the man's body within.
However, an incredible turn of events then unfolded!
As soon as the massive black bird crashed into the light barriers, it transformed into a vast expanse of surging black flames.
The seemingly robust light barriers were immediately reduced to nothingness by these black flames, as if they were papier-mâché structures. Immediately thereafter, the protective spiritual light around the elderly man's body was instantly incinerated by the black flames as well, transforming it into an unsettling pitch-black color.
The elderly man didn't even get a chance to utter a single sound before his body and his Nascent Soul were reduced to ashes within the flames.
The black flames then swept up into the air, transforming into a huge black bird again before flying back the way it had come.
At this moment, spatial fluctuations suddenly proliferated from several hundred feet away beside the purple-robed man's body. A lithe and graceful figure then emerged, seemingly out of thin air, before waving a hand toward the approaching black bird.
The bird immediately transformed into a plume of black smoke that disappeared into the bracelet around her wrist.
This person was none other than the young woman from the Black Phoenix Race who had just departed.
She took a cold glance toward the distance where the elderly man had perished, then cast her gaze toward the corpse hovering before her, and a deriding sneer appeared on her face.
"To think that a pathetic Dark Corpse Valley Nascent Soul cultivator would dare to follow me when he's no match even for my spirit beast! He's not entirely useless, though; the Corpse Transformation Technique of the Dark Corpse Valley is quite intriguing. I can make use of this rejuvenated corpse for myself," the young woman murmured to herself before opening her mouth. A fist-sized ball of black light immediately shot forth from within, then disappeared into the purple-robed man's body in a flash.
The young woman immediately made a hand seal thereafter and began to chant something.
A few moments later, a layer of black light abruptly surfaced over the corpse before disappearing again.
The purple-robed man's body swayed before it landed on its two feet in front of the young woman. However, its eyes were completley blank and devoid of any soul.
The young woman flipped a hand over, and that crimson bead appeared once again. She raised a hand, and the bead flew directly toward the purple-robed man, only for him to open his mouth in a robotic manner before swallowing the bead.
A hint of surprise appeared on the young woman's face upon seeing this. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but didn't say anything.
Almost at the exact same moment, the purple-robed man before he adopted the same expression that was on her face, and he opened his mouth to speak in her stead in an identical voice to the one he used when he was still alive. "Not bad. As long as no Nascent Soul cultivators appear, there should be no one who can notice anything amiss with this body. It can act as my avatar and take care of everything for me."
The women giggled to herself in a rather unsettling manner before vanishing on the spot again.
The purple-robed man was left standing by himself in the middle of the forest.
After a while, the man suddenly began to walk away, and disappeared into the forest in the blink of an eye.
Thus, peace and quiet quickly settled over this area again, as if nothing had ever happened.
At the same time, in Mistress Fang's Wooden Cabin, Han Li had already heard her description of the duty that was to be assigned to him, and he currently wore a contemplative look on his face.
"So you're asking me to accompany Immortal Qin to a demon beast nest to secure a Seven-Leaf Yin Blood Clover, but a restriction has been set up on the only passageway leading to the spirit herb. As such, you need a powerful body refinement warrior to break that restriction, is that correct?" Han Li asked in a slow voice.
"That's right, Brother Han. Even though cultivators like us can also forcibly break through this restriction, there's a good chance that the guardian demon beast there will notice us if we were to use our magic power, and it'll consume the herb itself rather than allow us to take it. As such, we can only enlist the help of a mortal without any magic power. Of course, I won't be asking you to take this risk for me free of charge, Brother Han. I'll be sure to reward you handsomely after the event," the brocade-robed man replied in an earnest voice.
"A handsome reward, eh?" A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face.
"That's right. Have you heard of our sect's Nine Profound Brightjade Pond, Brother Han? The water in the pond possesses some kind of incredible power. It isn't very useful to us cultivators, but it's extremely beneficial for mortals cultivating body refinement arts. It can stimulate the entire body and assist one in making a breakthrough. Of course, this effect is only applicable once per person. After you use it once, it won't work again no matter how long you bathe in it. This is why many body refinement warriors are quite friendly with our sect, and there's no lack of high-grade body refinement warriors among them. If you can help me secure this spirit medicine, my martial brothers and I will request for an opportunity for you to bathe in that pond. What do you think, Brother Han?" The brocade-robed man turned to him with an expectant gaze."The Nine Profound Brightjade Pond? That's the first time I've heard of it." A hesitant look appeared on Han Li's face.
"That's no surprise, seeing as you seem to have come from a faraway land, Brother Han. Our Golden Jade Sect isn't an overly large sect, but all of the body refinement warriors in the surrounding area are aware of our sect and our pond. You'll only have to ask around to verify the authenticity of my offer," the brocade-robed man said with a smile.
Han Li fell silent again upon hearing this. Only after a long while did he ask, "I'll only be responsible for breaking the restriction, right? My services won't be required in any other areas?"
Han Li was expressing a degree of interest toward the offer, and the brocade-robed man was ecstatic to see this. "Of course. We're requesting for your assistance specifically to break that restriction; you can leave everything else to myself and my martial brothers. The Beast Torrent has just subsided, so the number of normal beasts around the demon beast nest must've suffered a sharp decline. This will be the perfect opportunity for us to infiltrate the nest and take the herb."
Han Li nodded with a contemplative look upon hearing this. In all honesty, if any reward other than a chance to bathe i
n the Nine Profound Brightjade Pond had been offered to him, he would've turned down the proposal. After all, there really was no reason for him to help a few Foundation Establishment Stage juniors secure some spirit herb. However, this was a reward that could help him make a breakthrough in his body refinement arts, and that was a very tempting prospect as it would save him over 10 years of arduous cultivation.
For Han Li now, he had to get stronger as soon as possible in order to bolster his chances of survival in this world, so the opportunity to completely master the Vajra Arts was a very tempting one indeed. For a formation spell master like him, any restriction set up by some low-grade demon beasts would surely pose no challenge at all. "Alright, if you can convince me that I'll be assured of an opportunity to bathe in the Nine Profound Brightjade Pond, then I'll agree to secure the herb with you." Han Li had made up his mind, so he cast aside all pleasantries and cut straight to the point.
This brocade-robed man had clearly already detected that he was no ordinary body refinement warrior, so there was no need for him to hide anything anymore.
The change in Han Li's tone of voice came as a slight surprise to both Mistress Fang and the brocade-robed man. However, Mistress Fang was an extremely intelligent woman, and she quickly grasped the reason behind Han Li's shift in demeanor. Even so, she merely smiled while remaining, refraining from making any interjections."It's understandable that Brother Han would want a guarantee from me. Bring out that thing." The brocade-robed man laid a hand on the storage bracelet around his wrist, upon which a white jade pendant appeared over his palm.
The pair of young Golden Jade Sect cultivators also brought out identical items.
The brocade-robed man collected all three jade pendants before handing them over to Han Li.
"What's this?" Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he glanced at these jade pendants.
"An incantation seal has been cast onto these jade pendants, so they each contain a wisp of our souls within. These pendants were all made in pairs, and if any sect disciple departs from the sect, the other pendant has to be left in the sect. That way, if we encounter any trouble or life-threatening danger, the seniors of our sect will be able to track us down using these pendants. Of course, if these pendants were to be destroyed, our cultivation bases would be negatively affected as well. I'm offering them to you now as a sign of good faith and sincerity. If you still don't believe me, then I can't really do anything else to try and convince you."
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 716