Both the man and the woman appeared young. The man was handsome and dignified, while the woman was gorgeous; together they appeared to be a lovely couple. And, they released a spiritual pressure that was quite powerful, signifying that the two were Core Formation-stage cultivators.
With Han Li’s sight, he was able to tell at a glance that they were about as young as they looked.
With such dense spiritual Qi in the spirit realm and the addition of large quantities of treasures and high-grade spirit stones, it was far easier to achieve Foundation Establishment and Core Formation than it was in the mortal realm. However, it was still astonishing that such young people could possess that level of cultivation.
When the man saw Han Li and Tian Xing, he swept his spiritual sense past them to find one of them a Qi Condensation cultivator. He harshly yelled, “Are you the shop attendants?” His words and face contained obvious pride.
As for the ring Han Li wore on his finger, it revealed he was a body refiner, but the youth was disinclined to speak with a body refiner that associated with a Qi Condensation cultivator.
Tian Xing sensed the two were Core Formation cultivators and hastily wore an ingratiating smile, “No. This Junior is only a guest that has come on business.”
“You’re customers? Then where is the shopkeeper!” The youth asked with a snort.
“Old Xu is upstairs fetching something. He will attend to you in a moment.” Tian Xing carefully replied.
The youth paid no heed Tian Xing and turned to the young woman at his side. He said with a warm tone, “Junior Martial Sister Lu, we’ll have to wait for a moment. Is that fine?”
“It is no problem. I reckon that my grandfather is currently speaking with the master. There is no need to rush and bother them. However, does this place truly possess what we want?” The gorgeous woman looked around, curious about the empty shelves on display.
“This is also my first time coming to this shop. According to my friend, this shop truly has rare and fantastical items. Even if we can’t find what you’re looking for, we may see something interesting.” The young man spoke to her with a fawning tone.
“Since Senior Martial Brother Qian said that, I will definitely take a look.” The young woman chuckled.
At that moment, footsteps sounded from above. The old man slowly descended while holding two decorated boxes.
“Oh? More customers have come.” The old man was surprised to see the two, but when he looked outside, his face sank, “Yi! It seems you’ve injured my guard beasts.”
“Don’t worry! I’ve only taught them a lesson. There is no risk to their life. Junior Martial Sister Lu is a descendant of Senior Huang Liang. Your guard beasts truly alarmed her, so I had no choice.” The youth seemed to know the shopkeeper’s origins, but his body remained still and his face still calm.
“So she’s a descendant of the Spirit Lord. I will overlook this only once!” The old man’s expression faintly changed and his expression remained normal.
Soon after, he was disinterested in continuing to speak with the two and he walked towards Han Li and presented the boxes to him.
Without reaching for the boxes, a glint flashed from Han Li’s eyes and he asked, “How about Shopkeeper Xu give me an introduction to these two items. They appear quite odd.”
Chapter 1297: The Silver Wick Stone and the Skyheart Pill
“One is called the Silver Wick Stone. The other is something that I don’t know. You’ll just have to take a look at it for yourself. The old man opened one of the boxes to reveal a silver fist-sized rock.
He then closed the box and tossed the box in Han Li’s direction.
When the beautiful woman heard that name, she cried out in delight. As for the youth, he immediately shouted, “Wait, we want that stone!” He quickly reached out for it.
An azure mist shot out towards the embroidered box.
When Han Li heard the name of the stone, his expression also stirred, but when the youth made an effort to take ahold of it, his face sank.
With a wave of his hand, a crack sounded and his arm burst forward, extending a meter in length and grabbing ahold of the two boxes.
At that moment, the azure mist continued to pull, dragging Han Li as it attempted to take the box by force.
Han Li coldly snorted and shook his shoulder. Like a spring, his body flew three meters forward and struck the azure mist with his other hand in the form of a golden palm.
In a gust of wind, the golden palm tore through the mist like paper and scattered it.
“A high-grade body refiner!” The youth had formed an incantation gesture to launch that mist. But after seeing Han Li act, his face changed and he became hesitant.
“Senior Martial Brother Qian, please wait,” the woman surnamed Lu called out, “Let’s have a proper talk about it. There is no need to take action. Shopkeeper, this Silver Wick Stone hasn’t been sold yet. No matter the price, I am willing to pay double. What do you think?”
“That won’t do. Even if Fairy Lu is a descendent of Senior Huang Liang, you cannot break the rules of my Sky World Pavilion. This isn’t an auction house where you can claim things with a higher price. Furthermore, I will be serving those who arrive first. Unless this Fellow Daoist truly doesn’t want it, I will not be selling the Silver Wick Stone to someone else.” It was unknown whether there were truly rules in place, or if the old man was making things difficult.
Cultivator Lu couldn't help but turn to look at Han Li.
However, Han Li didn’t pay her any attention. He was currently opening the other box to reveal a grey rectangular ore. Its surface was as glossy as polished jade, but its dark color also gave a strange sensation.
The youth surnamed Qian looked at Han Li and slowly said, “My master is Honored Monk Qiu Long. If you let Junior Martial Sister Lu take that Silver Wick Stone, I will pay you double the price. Let it go.” His words were polite, but his voice was harsh as if he thought little of him.
Han Li looked at the grey stone and stroked it with his finger. Without raising his eyes, he said, “I will not.”
“What did you say?” The youth’s expression turned exceptionally unsightly. He didn’t think for a second that Han Li would refuse.
Han Li glanced at the youth and calmly said, “This item might be precious to your companion, but did you not think I might need it too?”
“I already said that I am willing to double the price.” The youth icily glared at Han Li, his words containing a thinly veiled threat.
Cultivator Lu frowned, but she made no attempt to stop him.
Han Li sighed and muttered, “I am not lacking spirit stones. If you are willing to turn away from the matter, I am willing to give you a sum of spirit stones.”
Although the two seemed to have much backing and support, Han Li was a solitary figure and was about to head into the Setting Sun Tomb. If he couldn't make a breakthrough and recover his magic power, he reckoned he wouldn’t come back. Naturally, how could he care about two Core Formation cultivators? If he restored his magic power and their supporters came after him, he might not be able to win, but he was confident he could escape them.
However, his relentless reply not only turned Tian Xing’s face pale, but the old man also couldn't hide his astonishment.
‘Could it be Han Li was someone of great origins?’ Old Xu thought, ‘After all, he didn’t shy away from dealing with the direct disciples of Spirit Lord Huang Liang and Monk Qiu Long.’
When the youth heard Han Li’s reply, his expression turned hazy.
The woman surnamed Lu had about the same idea as the old man and examined Han Li several times before eventually saying, “May I ask for your esteemed name? Who is your master? Perhaps they might know my grandfather!”
Han Li smiled and nonchalantly said, “I am a traveller with no master or sect. As for my name, I will not speak it.”
Cultivator Lu hesitated before taking out a green medicine bottle. She calmly said, “Is that so? If you won’t
tell me, then so be it. However, I have a bottle of Heaven Heart Pills you might want to trade for the stone. The medicine can temporarily expand your spiritual sense. It can make up for your weak point as a body refiner. It’ll be useful when making a breakthrough.”
When Youth Qian saw this, he hastily shouted in alarm, “The Heaven Heart Pills? This is a secret medicine exclusive to Senior Huang Liang. It is too much of a waste to trade it for a trifling Silver Wick STone.”
As for Old Xu, his face couldn't help but stir upon hearing this.
As for Tian Xing, he was somewhat at a loss as he hadn’t heard of the medicine name before.
Han Li’s heart stirred as well and he asked, “A temporary increase in spiritual sense? Is that effective to cultivators as well?”
Despite her surprise, Cultivator Lu explained, “As a cultivator possesses powerful spiritual sense to begin with, its effects are minimal on a cultivator.”
Han Li shook his head. “In that case, please put the bottle away. I won’t be making the trade.”
This time Cultivator Lu’s expression turned unsightly.
Old Xu wore an amazed expression.
The well-known Heaven Heart Pill was no only a superb medicine for breaking through bottlenecks, but it was refused for a trifling spirit tool material. Were it not for the fact the poison in the old man’s body rendered the pill useless to him, he might’ve broken his own rules and traded with the woman at that moment.
The woman casually put away the bottle. It was clear to see that Spirit Lord Huang Liang doted on her greatly.
In the old man’s astonishment, Han Li began to ask the price for the two items.
Feeling somewhat apprehensive over what just happened, the old man had no intention of being too greedy, but he still uttered a price that would be astronomical to a common cultivator.
When Han Li heard this, he nodded and took out a storage bracelet. He swiped his spirit ring over the bracelet and produced a pile of high-grade spirit stones, a sum more than enough for the two items.
These high-grade spirit stones were exchanged for large quantities of low and mid-grade spirit stones he brought along from the mortal realm.
In the spirit realm, low and mid-grade spirit stones held little use towards Han Li’s cultivation, so he exchanged them for high-grade spirit stones.
Without saying a word, the shopkeeper received the spirit stones in his bracelet and concluded the trade.
With the two boxes in hand, Han Li made his way to the exit. In his alarm, Tian Xing quickly followed after him.
The youth’s face wavered for a while, unable to determine Han Li’s true identity, he made no effort to block him. However, he had already resolved himself to immediately send men to investigate his identity and see if he was anybody of status.
Cultivator Lu looked at Han Li’s back and bit her lip, feeling somewhat gloomy.
As Han Li walked out of the store, he was in a rather good mood, satisfied he could acquire these two items.
Of the two items, the grey stone was considerably more valuable to him.
It was a variant spirit tool material that was incredibly rare.
If Han Li wasn’t well learned in spirit tool techniques or if he hadn’t read through most of Yu Yang City’s record archives, he feared he might’ve not recognized the item.
But to normal spirit tool masters, this material couldn't be considered particularly good. Rather it was inferior to other quality materials. However, it was a wondrous material for the refinement of particular magic tools and treasures.
To a strange character such as Han Li, it was a material with countless optimal uses.
In the following days, Han Li followed Tian Xing through many of the other material shops in the city and collected various other materials before dismissing him. He then sought out an unremarkable spirit tool refinement and rented a forging room before secluding himself in it.
...
A month later, Han Li calmly departed from Setting Sun City and walked for nearly a month before arriving at a huge canyon.
It was the entrance to the Setting Sun Tomb.
The entire valley was several kilometers wide, but the stone and earth within and surrounding the valley was a striking crimson.
There were a few cultivators standing nearby the entrance of the huge valley as well as small groups of body refiners. A few of them were whispering to one another while others quietly meditated. Most of these people were mid-grade cultivators and body refiners. They would only dare to enter the valley after forming a temporary group.
Of course, there would be a few already formed groups that entered the valley as soon as they arrived.
There were also a few high-grade cultivators and body refiners that boldly entered the valley alone.
But regardless of whether one was a body refiner or a cultivator, none dared to venture too high in the air and kept their travel at low altitudes.
If one wasn’t stupid, they would know that flying too high into the air would mark yourself as a target, either to demon cultivators or humans harboring malicious thoughts. In addition, there were countless ancient bird-type beasts that lived in the Setting Sun Tomb, turning the sky into a forbidden area.
Chapter 1298: Appearance of the Spirit Clan
Han Li stopped at the outskirts of the valley entrance, sensing a dozen threads of spiritual sense repeatedly brush past him.
Han Li calmly waited for a short while and refused invitations from those that recognized him as a high-grade body refiner.
This valley was only one of several entrances from the human side of the Setting Sun Tomb.
Other entrances were sealed by several strange formations by human cultivators. This was the sole entrance nearby and was naturally guarded by a few cultivators from Setting Sun City to make sure nothing happened.
Of the cultivators secretly guarding the entrance, the weakest of them possessed Core Formation cultivation while the strongest of them was at Deity Transformation stage.
As Han Li began to slowly make his way into the valley, he began to recall the information he gathered about the Setting Sun Tomb over the past few days.
At that moment, he was wearing unremarkable grey battle armor underneath his robes. He also carried a covered long spear on his back.
The spear pole was pitch-black, but it was embedded with several azure crystals that sparkled with light.
The head of the spear was a faint silver, but it was unclear what material it was refined from. As for the earth wyrm tendon, it was wrapped around his arm and remained hidden underneath his robes.
Of course, the trump card Han Li relied on the most were the two Immortal Vanquishing Beads he possessed in his storage bracelet. With those two peak treasures in hand, he could protect himself against even Deity Transformation-stage threats.
The valley was incredibly wide. When Han Li walked for over fifty kilometers, the last of the road disappeared.
Han Li stood in place and looked around him with a sigh.
It was incredibly inconvenient for him to be unable to release his spiritual sense. He couldn't determine his direction and could only venture off in a random direction.
In the first few days, he encountered nothing apart from a few small beasts and serpents.
In an area this large, it wasn’t particularly odd that he didn’t encounter any demon beasts or people.
But five days later, Han Li found himself in front of a dense jungle with no end in sight.
The threes were over a hundred meters tall with dense leaves and branches. It was incredibly dark with beast roars that would occasionally sound in the distance.
Han Li narrowed his eyes for a moment before treading forward. Then after he blurred several times, he appeared behind a large tree.
With the power of Han Li’s current body, the Shifting Smoke Steps he cultivated during his time was a mortal allowed him to move as if he was a bodiless ghost, even in a place with such dense vegetation.
> If any others were to see this, they absolutely wouldn’t dare to provoke Han Li in this place.
As Han Li traveled forward, a silver line shot out with a flash and flicked around a nearby giant tree before returning.
A miserable scream then sounded and the stench of blood filled the air. A six-meter-tall yellow horned bear then emerged from behind the tree and changed at Han Li with a roar.
Han Li’s body blurred several times and arrived ten meters away. He continued forward as if he hadn’t noticed the bear.
Then with a crack, the huge bear suddenly burst with blood. It had been split into two in the middle of its charge.
The huge tree the bear was hiding behind soon let out a muffled groan before falling to the ground.
Han Li’s attack split both the huge tree and the bear. Even now, the silver whip refined from the earth wyrm tendon was still as sharp as ever.
As of current, Han Li had already treaded deeper into the jungle.
Thus began Han Li’s path of carnage into the Setting Sun Tomb.
...
Three months later, sharp cries and beastly roars sounded from deep within a mountain range. Following the echo of one giant roar, the entire area became silent.
At the source of the sounds stood Han Li with his arms behind his back. He stood on top of a tree that was over thirty meters tall and wore an exceptionally calm expression.
His surroundings were littered by the shredded bodies of azure apes. There were at least twenty corpses.
The apes all appeared burly and had exceptionally dense fur. They also had fangs that were several inches long, giving them a savage appearance.
However, these ape corpses were either dismembered or had bloody holes pierced in their throats and stomachs.
But what was most astonishing was giant red three-headed demon ape at the top of the tree. A black spear pierced through its abdomen and nailed it to the tree.
Blood flowed from every one of its orifices and its body was riddled with scars. It had only recently died.
Han Li examined the huge ape corpse for a long white and muttered, “I haven’t been here before. The rumors of the Setting Sun Tomb are true. To think I would encounter a Core Formation-level demon beast.” He then held his hand out to the spear.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 721