As the birds grew closer, Han Li sighed. Light flashed from his body and he vanished. A moment later, he appeared at the center of a group of thirty yellow birds.
Before Han Li took any action, a robe of sparkling light appeared around him.
The robes wildly flashed and countless golden-silver arcs of lightning sparked, completely enveloping the surrounding three hundred meter area.
With an astonishing roar of thunder, golden and silver lightning violently flashed, vaporising the nearby birds in an instant.
The surrounding air was left clean.
Han Li expressionlessly looked around him and continued on his way.
...
The giant half-broken pillars and the remains of the three meter stone walls marked by gales clearly marked they didn’t belong to any ordinary construct as they still remained standing despite the countless years.
In the heart of the ruins, there sat a black-robed woman sitting against a wall. There was also a purple-robed youth that was pacing back and forth. They were both silent and wore solemn expressions.
The two were Xiao Hong and Long Dong.
The youth’s face appeared ordinary. It appeared he quickly recovered from the large quantity of blood essence he had burned to rid himself of his pursuers. It was unknown if this was a result of medicine or through some sort of secret technique.
Otherwise, it would’ve normally taken him several years to recover from at the very least.
A moment later, the two sensed something and they turned to look at the sky.
They saw a golden blur silently appear and fly in their direction.
It flashed several times and the light faded to reveal the white-robed young woman.
“Older Sister Xiao, Fellow Daoist Long, did you wait for long? I see that you two are doing fine.” the young woman giggled. She didn’t appear injured in the slightest.
Xiao Hong forced a smile and a flash of joy appeared from Long Dong’s face.
The youth sighed and said, “I knew that Lady Xie is quite clever and that nothing would happen to her. There are still two others that have yet to appear. On that day, I fear that they had done more to Brother Li after he was captured. As for Brother Han, he had yet to contact us. I fear something has happened to him in the shadow clan’s pursuit.”
The white-robed woman pursed her lips and her eyes flickered. Eventually, she decided to keep silent.
The young woman slowly drifted down from the sky and stood before the two. She leisurely said, “Brother Li might’ve only been captured, but Fellow Daoist Han isn’t so simple. We may as well wait a few more days.”
Xiao Hong insipidly said, “Wait a few more days? This is the time of the year where the Southern Skyline Sandstorm is at its weakest. If we miss it, we’ll lose too much time. We can only wait two more days at most.’
“Two days should be enough.” The white-robed woman said little more and readily agreed. Soon after, she sat at a clean corner and meditated.
As half a day slowly passed, a buzz sounded from the sky and caught the three cultivators’ attention.
Their expression faintly changed and they glanced at one another. Long Dong said, “I’ll activate the location plate. How fortunate! Nothing has happened to Brother Han!”
Soon after, the blood-marked youth shook his sleeve and the azure spell plate appeared in his hand. He struck it with a spell seal.
It brightly lit up and the blood-marked youth closed his hands. The plate then disappeared.
With that done, the youth stood up and held his hands behind his back.
Several hours later, an azure streak silently appeared. It flashed several times and appeared before the three cultivators. It circled in the air and the light disappeared to reveal Han Li.
Long Dong smiled, “Brother Han, it is good that you are well. It is good fortune that we all made it out of the shadow tribe’s ambush.”
“It is also fortunate that you are well!” Han Li swept his gaze past them and smiled.
Xiao Hong calmly proposed, “Since Brother Han has arrived, let’s go. If we’re slow, we’ll be tangled with the shadow tribe.”
Long Dong shook her head. “Fairy Xiao’s words are reasonable. This isn’t a place we can stay for long.”
Han Li and the white-robed woman also raised no objections.
Half a day later, the party flew off and traveled with diligent attention.
This time, they flew for thousands of kilometers before slowly appearing before a storm. It was violently stirring. Not long after, the party flew into the sandstorm. They were surrounded by yellow debris and countless gales of sand brushed past them.
Were it not for the protective light surrounding their body, he feared that the yellow winds would’ve forcefully landed them.
After traveling straightforward for a thousand kilometers, Long Dong, the one in the lead, came to a sudden stop. Soon after, the rest of the party heard a voice transmission from him, “We’ve arrived. We’ve arrived at the Southern Skyline. Hehe, were it not for the two Wind Steadying Beads they’ve given us, I fear even Spatial Tempering cultivators wouldn’t dare to rush here. With these beads, we can safely head in. However, everyone should be careful about the wind wyrms that live here. If we aren’t completely cautious, we will chance encounter one despite how large the Southern Skyline is.”
Xiao Hong added with a serious expression, “Fellow Daoists will also need to be careful of other dangers that exist. After all, the shadow tribe was already waiting for us outside. They could be inside as well. If we truly encounter something, you’ll have to depend on yourselves for survival."
Chapter 1374: Dream Sifting Spirit Trees
Han Li didn’t react to their words. His eyes simply glowed blue as his gaze penetrated the dense sandstorm. He was able to see into the far distance.
Fifty kilometers away, an inconceivable omen suddenly appeared.
At the very edge of the vast horizon, he saw a black sky, yellow earth, and a white line right in between. The white line seemed to have no end and stretched out as far as the eye could see.
But as it was too far away, the image was vague.
Han Li raised his brow and the spirit light faded from his eyes.
At that moment, the party resumed their flight and headed towards the omen marked area.
A short moment later, the party saw something strange.
Originally, the black mist roiled in the sky and yellow winds stormed below it. A huge channel of white light appeared where they touched. Then, the black mist and the yellow winds parted to reveal a crack. No matter how much the black mist and yellow sands blew into the crack, it all vanished as if they entered an abyss.
“That’s the Southern Skyline? How interesting!” The young white-robed woman smiled at the sight.
Long Dong examined the scene for a moment and sullenly said, “Let’s go. The sandstorm is at its weakest. If we wait a few more days, we’ll have to spend great effort just to make it to the entrance.”
Soon after, he flipped his hand and a fist-sized azure bead appeared in his hand.
He flicked his finger and the bead spun before shrinking several times.
Long Dong then swallowed it.
The others took out a similar bead and swallowed it in the same method.
A layer of strange light surrounded their bodies and soon a whistling gale brushed past them. When they touched the lustrous light, the gales seemed to vanish.
They were Wind Steadying Beads that the upper echelon of Deep Heaven City had specially prepared for them.
Without any further consideration, the party already took off, arriving three kilometers away from the skyline. Without using any of their flight light, an invisible force suddenly appeared around them. Several streaks of light flashed as they were pulled into the crack.
Once Han Li entered the crack, he felt the attractive force relax and felt that his freedom was restored. However, countless white wind blades then appeared and he heard
sharp icy screeches. Inside the crack, the huge winds were incredibly harsh.
Were it not for the wind beads they consumed, they would immediately release their magic treasure to protect themselves.
This would’ve consumed quite some magic power.
Now, the wind blades disappeared upon contact with the lustrous light.
Han Li swept his gaze around him and discovered that his spiritual sense wasn’t able to leave his body. He could only use his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to look three hundred meters around him. As for the others, they had disappeared from his perimeter.
He frowned. Without any hesitation, the light around him glowed brightly and he shot forward in an azure streak, disappearing into the storm.
Several days later, the entrance to the skyline suddenly flashed with light and two streaks of light flew into it.
The light faded away to reveal two embroidered-robed middle-aged cultivators.
They were dressed similarly and there was a purple band worn on their heads. A shining light radiated from their eyes. Upon closer inspection, the two had faces that somewhat resemble Long Dong. However, one of them was rather pale while the other had torn robes as if they had gone through a battle.
The two carefully examined the huge crack and they spoke in voice transmission. They then entered the crack in each other’s embrace.
Not long after, a crimson shadow entered the sand storm, but it stopped in front of the skyline. It resentfully let out howls of rage as it flew in circles before it returned.
Soon, there was no one else that appeared apart from howling winds.
...
Several months later, on the top of a small green mountain, Han Li stood alone on a huge stone. He was looking off to the distance.
About ten kilometers away from the small mountain, there was a giant endless forest.
The forest was odd in truth. Regardless of the type of tree, their leaves would carry a few black designs. From a distance, it caused all the leaves to appear black and green.
The location was Han Li’s objective. It was the location of the Wood Tribe’s farthest border, the Black Leaves Forest.
After looking at it for a long while, Han Li withdrew his gaze and frowned in thought.
His passage through the Southern Skyline had taken much time, but it went smoothly. He encountered no surprises.
However, the other three had yet to arrive, leaving him somewhat worried. They were either lost or they encountered mishaps. He emerged from the skyline several days before and hadn’t encountered anyone since.
After cautious deliberation, he decided to no longer wait and bluntly tread forward.
On the way, he did encounter a few small problems, even exterminating several waves of low-grade tree beings before arriving at the mountain.
Before this, the blood-marked youth and Xiao Hong had already given them the details of their assignment.
Han Li clearly understood what he had to do.
According to what was said, the people that were dispatched to the Wood Tribe, Han Li included, were of high status. Their purpose was to conceal themselves deeply in the Black Leaves forest and collect information as they remained hidden. Afterward, they would observe the movements of the Wood Tribe and see if there were any large movements.
The mission sounded simple, but half of the danger was making it to the Wood Tribe territory through the wilderness. The other danger was to remain undetected in the Black Leaves Forest.
Of the surrounding tribes, the Wood Tribe had the least contact with humans. They would only know what was happening with the Wood Tribe from what they gathered from Black Leaves Forest. The humans and demons needed information on them or they wouldn’t dare to wage war on them.
Han Li quietly waited there for a month and saw no others had come. The deadline to start the assignment was drawing closer and closer.
With the deadline running close and the possible encounter with trouble, he could no longer stay there.
Han Li pondered for a long while before he raised his head to look at the distant sky.
It was the four suns that have been shining for three months. Soon, the sky would become dark.
According to his information, the Wood Tribe beings innately lacked their five senses. When they came into contact with enemies, they relied on their spiritual awareness. As such, the high-grade cultivators that gave them this assignment gave them a suggestion. When they entered the Black Leaves Forest, it would be best to move during night and stay hidden by day. It was safer that way.
Han Li took another look at the distant forest and eventually resolved himself. Regardless of whether the others would arrive, he was determined to unlock the bottle of Earth Cleansing Pills. He feared he would have to finish the mission alone.
Having resolved himself, Han Li immediately sat down on the rock and closed his eyes. Several hours later, the sky turned dim. Han Li waited until the forest was dark and silent like a predator lying in wait.
Han Li opened his eyes and suddenly shot forward in a burst of light. Then in a flash, the light became lightlessly dim.
He formed an incantation gesture and his body turned into a blur as if he were only an illusion.
In truth, Han Li already employed a concealment technique by the time he was in the air. Under the cover of night, he slowly made his way forward.
Tens of kilometers away, Han Li flew as quietly as he could. An hour later, he appeared at the edge of the forest.
With the forest’s endless expanse, it was impossible for him to make his way past every location with Wood Tribe beings. However, Han Li didn’t dare to take the risk.
Normally, it is said that inside the Wood Tribe being’s sphere of influence, there was always a Dream Sifting Spirit Tree.
This was the Wood Tribe’s sole protective tree. It had a range of control and commanded a number of other trees. It also possessed various other inconceivable abilities.
Of course, each Dream Sifting Tree had a different sized area they could monitor and a different number of trees they could command.
The Dream Sifting Trees in the Black Leaves Forest was already made certain by the scouts of Deep Heaven City.
Because Black Leaves Forest was at the very border of the Wood Tribe’s lands, the Dream Sifting Trees were particularly alert and had wide monitoring areas, filling various places in the forest. But on the other hand, the Dream Sifting Trees didn’t control a large number of trees. Also, they could only perceive existences at Spatial Tempering stage and above.
Of course, if there was a foreign tribe that dared to brazenly fly above the forest and escaped notice by the Dream Sifting Trees, there would be other Wood Tribe beings that would sense them.
Therefore, Han Li not only completely concealed his aura, but an empty shadow always appeared wherever his feet touched the ground. As soon as he entered the forest, he was an invisible blur.
With the overbearing power of Han Li’s flesh body, he used the Nine Gale Transformations and the Smoke Sifting Steps together to become a ghost-like existence.
He appeared to flicker in appearance with every step and treat fifty kilometers deep into the forest in the blink of an eye.
As Han Li heard the winds whistling through his eyes, he calmly pondered.
According to the mission details, if everything goes smoothly, he would arrive at the determined location in three days. So long as he acquired the information, the mission was already mostly complete. Finding out further information on the Wood Tribe was only supplementary. In truth, it wouldn’t be a problem if he did nothing more at that point.
He briefly stopped and blurred, strangely disappearing from atop a large tree.
Meanwhile, heavy footsteps sounded from his front and slowly approached his direction.
It seemed to be a giant creature.
At that moment, Han Li already concealed himself in exceptionally dense foliage and remained absolutely still.
A moment later, two thirty-meter
-tall green ape-like beasts boldly passed by, each of them carrying a huge copper prong.
Chapter 1375: Black Leaves Forest
At first glance, the two huge beasts appeared to be giant apes. But their green fur was exceptionally long and they had three black eyes. They were continuously flickering around out of vigilance.
Han Li calmly observed them as they walked past. After they were farther away, he blurred and arrived at a distant tree.
When he watched them disappear, a trace of bewilderment appeared on his face.
The two patrolling beasts weren’t wood tribe beings. Why would they appear in the forest? They were intelligent as they were carrying huge copper prongs.
Could it be another unknown tribe?
After some thought, Han Li couldn't help but shake his head.
According to what he knew, the wood tribe was extremely xenophobic. They wouldn't allow other foreign tribes to boldly strut in their territory. Could it be beasts of war bred by the wood tribe? Han Li thought.
So-called beasts of war were spirit beasts of another name. Like humans and demons, through secret techniques these foreign tribes were able to control spirit beasts. Other foreign tribes understood they could put ancient beasts to their own devices after training them with medicine or anything else.
Of course, various races had differing talents. The beasts they could train and control differed. Not all of them could tame the same beasts.
The shadow tribe’s two-headed Shen Beast was a powerful war beast exclusive to their tribe. He also reckoned only the shadow tribe had a method of taming it.
As for the wood tribe, he wasn’t aware that they had any war beasts. Could this be a new development?
Han Li held curious thoughts for half a day before eventually putting the matter away.
Since the two beasts with long green fur passed him by without discovering him, he reckoned, they would be the kind to have thick flesh and skin. He had nothing to fear.
As a result, Han Li’s body blurred and he vanished.
...
A day later, below a huge tree in the forest, Han Li was sullenly looking at eight long-furred beasts in front of him.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 768