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

by Translator: Johnchen

  “Chakravarti, what are you saying? Could it be you want me to let them go? And I am not fond of being called by my title. Call me by my name!” The first Yaksha frowned. Although the crimson light faded from his hand, he turned his head and wore a displeased expression.

  “Hehe, that was only something I overlooked. Esteemed Meng Xiang, why must we quarrel endlessly on this matter? Why don’t we make use of these two for a gamble?” The Yaksha named Chakravarti chuckled.

  “A gamble? On what?” Meng Xiang’s expression stirred, guessing what his companion meant.

  “It’s quite simple. Let’s settle our previous dispute on a gamble. We’ll act separately to kill them. Whoever is successful will determine the winner.” Chakravarti sinisterly smiled.

  Meng Xiang coldly asked, “Hmph, two trifling Deity Transformation cultivators? They’ll die in a single strike. How do we determine the winner?”

  With a plan in mind, Chakravarti said, “They aren’t common Deity Transformation cultivators. Furthermore, we won’t personally attack them. Why don’t we release our demented minions to attack them? We’ll bet on how they deal with the humans.”

  Meng Xiang’s expression wavered for a moment. After finding the conditions acceptable, he agreed, “Demented minions... Fine, let’s have it your way! Could it be that you fear that you’ll be outdone?”

  “Hehe, very good.” Chakravarti widely smiled and turned to the humans, sternly saying, “You humans heard us. Don’t say that we were bullying you. We’re giving you a chance at life. We’ll first let you go for five hundred kilometers. Then we’ll release our demented minions to pursue you. Take note that you had best not separate. If you separate more than fifty kilometers from one another, we will personally hunt you.”

  “Five hundred kilometers?” Han Li stroked his transparent wings with a calm expression.

  Chakravarti coldly said, “That’s right. If you don’t arrive in the time it takes to burn an incense stick, we’ll release our demented servants regardless. Don’t think about getting lucky.”

  Han Li’s eye twitched and he glanced at the nearby Lady Xiao. The woman forced a smile and her complexion slightly improved. The lovely smile complimented her dainty appearance.

  “Right, Fellow Daoist Xiao, let’s go!” After a moment of silence, his wings suddenly stirred and he disappeared into space. A moment later, he strangely warped three hundred meters away. Afterwards, Lady Xiao appeared at his side in the silent blur. She was riding the huge five-headed wyrm.

  As Han Li smoothly used his teleportation ability to its perfection, the two Yakshas exchanged a glance. A brief moment of surprise appeared on their face but quickly disappeared

  Lady Xiao was similarly astonished and wore an expression of joy.

  Since they were both fleeing for their lives, they had a greater chance of success given Han Li’s astonishing ability.

  Without needing a single word, she stepped on the five-headed wyrm.

  The wyrm moved its head back and forth, immediately wrapping the two in a rainbow mist. Then, they shot away at an astonishing speed. Several blinks later, they disappeared from the horizon.

  The two Yaksha Kings stood still in place. They emotionlessly looked at the two cultivators making their escape as if holding complete confidence in their so-called demented minions.

  Lady Xiao promptly commanded the rainbow light at a speed that would allow them to reach five hundred kilometers in nearly an instant.

  But since the two Yakshas gave them the time of an incense stick burning, when they arrived fifty kilometers away, the woman slowed them down. Afterwards, she slapped her waist and summoned a snow-white jade pendant, turning into a white mist that covered them.

  “This white light pendant is condensed from the utmost Yang energy. Even those Body Integration stage Yaksha Kings won’t be able to eavesdrop. We can talk here.” Lady Xiao gave a quick explanation, betraying worry from her face.

  “What do you want to say? I fear we have a slim chance at surviving.” Han Li’s lip twitched and he wryly laughed.

  Lady Xiao’s gaze flickered and she hesitantly asked, “Are you able to sense the approximate strength of the Yaksha Kings?”

  Han Li clearly explained, “At the very least, they’re equivalent to our Body Integration cultivators. Although we aren’t capable of examining their exact strength, compared to the silver-tier wood spirit I’ve seen before, I sense that these two Yaksha are much more powerful. I fear they are unordinary existences.”

  Lady Xiao cried out in alarm, “You mean, they are possibly greater Yaksha Kings?”

  “Even if it isn’t the case, I fear they are absolutely close to it.” Han Li wasn’t completely certain, but even so, Lady Xiao wore a difficult expression.

  Han Li then asked, “Does Fellow Daoist Xiao know what demented minions are? They seem to hold confidence in them.”

  “I heard my sect elders mention them. They are half-ghost half-demon beings that are nurtured by Yakshas once they become a king-tier existence. Normally, the Yaksha Kings feed them their own blood essence, giving them a portion of the Yaksha King’s true strength. Furthermore, their breeds differ as well. They have anywhere from a tenth to a third of a Yaksha King’s abilities. They are incredibly fearsome. That is why if they are greater Yaksha Kings, I fear we don’t stand a chance.” Lady Xiao gritted her teeth.

  Han Li’s expression wavered when he heard this.

  Lady Xiao quietly said, “As the matter stands, we’d best quickly give an explanation of our abilities to each other and join together to deal with the enemy.”

  “What? Could Lady Xiao plan on staking it all against these demented minions?” Han Li asked with a frown.

  Lady Xiao paused, “If we can’t repel them, how will we escape?”

  Han Li took a deep breath and gloomily answered, “Didn’t Fellow Daoist hear what the Yaksha Kings said? If the demented minions pursue us, it would be better than if we defeat their minions and force them to personally attack. They didn’t promise us anything. They are only making a gamble with our lives.”

  When she heard this, her expression changed. She clearly hadn’t thought about it.

  “Then what do you have planned?” Lady Xiao looked at Han Li with bright eyes and asked with a serious tone.

  Han Li curled his lips and sullenly said, “I have nothing. I only plan on taking it a step at a time. If the demented minions are as fearsome as you say, we won’t be able to deal with them. Even if we can’t fight them we can still escape. Still, how will we escape the attention of the two Yaksha Kings? Unless our cultivation suddenly surged countless times to the point of entering Body Integration, it wouldn’t be possible. Perhaps if we immediately use a nearby teleportation formation and use it to travel myriad kilometers away, we’d be able to escape them.”

  When she heard Han Li, an odd expression appeared on her face.

  Han Li sighed and muttered, “However, we should use your suggestion and exchange details of our abilities. Whether we choose to fight them or not, we’ll stand a better chance at surviving either way.

  Lady Xiao could only give a wry smile and soon after, she began to introduce her own abilities and treasures.

  After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the two of them reached the five hundred meter mark despite their slow speed.

  At that moment, a large distance away, two wolf-like howls shook the sky.

  Chapter 1401: Setting up an Ambush

  Within the five-colored light, the woman with the Xiao surname was discussing something with Han Li. Upon hearing this peculiar howl, her expression immediately tensed up as she made a hand seal. The five-colored light around them immediately intensified in brightness before disappearing on the spot along with her and Han Li.

  The speed at which they had been flying had been multiplied by twofold to threefold! Han Li stood silently on the spot, sensing something with his eyes narrowed, allowing the woman to guide them forward.

  Even though they
were flying much faster than before, the howls erupting from behind them had become a lot clearer after traveling for several hundred kilometers.

  Han Li said in an indifferent voice, "Those two things are less than 150 kilometers away from us, and their speed outstrips ours, so we'll have to face them sooner or later. It's best to fight them as far away from those two Yaksha Monarchs as possible, so let me give you a hand."

  One of the wings on Han Li's back suddenly flashed as he spoke, and the projection of a massive azure bird abruptly flew forth from it before disappearing into the five-colored light around them.

  The entire ball of light shuddered violently before they sped up by around twofold once again, transforming into a faint blur that flashed through the air.

  "Thank you, Brother Han!" The woman was elated by development.

  Han Li shook his head in response, and said, "This type of technique is very energy-consuming, so I won't be able to maintain it for too long. Also, we can't get too far away; otherwise, those two Yaksha Monarchs are most likely going to step in."

  "Of course. You should conserve more of your energy for our upcoming battle," the woman replied with a nod.

  Han Li gave a wry smile upon hearing this and didn't say anything further. In all honesty, regardless of how powerful those demented minions were, if he were to risk sustaining damage to his spiritual sense by releasing several hundred Gold Devouring Beetles at once, it'd be no issue for him to force one into retreat or even destroy it. However, there were two of them, and there were also two Yaksha Monarchs that were constantly monitoring the situation, so he didn't dare to adopt such a reckless course of action.

  With Han Li's assistance, the two demented minions behind them were unable to close the gap any further despite their fearsome speed.

  Thus, they traveled for over several thousand kilometers further in the blink of an eye.

  Han Li withdrew the azure bird projection when he estimated that the time was right, and he stopped in mid-air along with his female companion.

  The two of them hovered in the air, looking on into the distance with unblinking eyes.

  All of a sudden, fierce flames erupted in the distance. Two crimson clouds that were several tens of feet in size came hurtling toward the two of them like lightning amid thunderous roars.

  Han Li immediately rubbed his hands together before raising them in unison. Following two loud thunderclaps, two bolts of golden lightning that were as thick as large bowls shot forth directly toward the oncoming crimson clouds.

  However, the two clouds were seemingly completely insubstantial and extremely agile, evading the arcs of lightning as they continued on toward Han Li, having not been slowed down even in the slightest. Han Li's expression darkened as he quickly made a hand seal, following which the two arcs of golden light changed directions like a pair of spirit snakes, striking the two crimson clouds from an unexpected angle. However, the scenes that unfolded next immediately made Han Li's heart sink.

  After striking the crimson clouds, the golden arcs of lightning merely disappeared without inflicting any damage.

  Han Li's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and the two crimson clouds were soon within two hundred feet of Han Li and the woman. In such close proximity, the duo could even catch a whiff of the strong smell of blood and gore emanating from the clouds.

  Strangely enough, Han Li remained completely stationary as he stood on the spot. In contrast, the woman beside him wore a cold expression as she activated her cultivation arts.

  Two wyrms that were around 10 feet in length shot forth from the five-colored light before her, chomping down on half of each crimson cloud.

  The remnants of the crimson clouds also disappeared as a result, and the woman was elated to see this.

  She was just about to say something to Han Li when the latter's pupils abruptly contracted, and he cautioned, "Be careful, these two things are extremely fast; take care not to be fooled by them."

  "What?" The woman faltered slightly upon hearing this before hurriedly casting her gaze toward the direction that Han Li had his attention focused on. There, in the air several hundred feet away from them, two crimson monsters that resembled a cross between wolves and apes were situated.

  In the instant that the crimson clouds had been destroyed, these two creatures were able to flee from within the clouds in advance using their phenomenal speed. Their rapid evasion techniques coupled with the soundless manner in which they moved allowed them to fool the woman, but Han Li was able to immediately see through their ploy using his Brightsight Spirit Eyes. At this moment, these two creatures were standing extremely high up in the air on either side of Han Li's duo. They possessed half-wolf and half-ape bodies with pairs of bat wings on their backs, and their entire bodies were of a vibrant red color. Both of them also had forked tongues like those of snakes, and their red demonic eyes were flashing with a vicious yet cunning light. These were clearly monsters with extremely high levels of intelligence. These were the so-called demented minions!

  Even though the woman had heard about them before, she was still struck by a bone-chilling sensation upon seeing them in person for the first time.

  "My Divine Devilbane Lightning is ineffective against them, so it looks like they aren't devilish creatures in nature. In that case, Yang-attribute attacks most likely won't be very useful in this battle. Looks like we'll have to face them in a head-on battle," Han Li analyzed in an indifferent voice before suddenly placing a hand on the back of his own head.

  Brilliant grey light erupted before abruptly transforming into a grey light barrier that enshrouded his body. At the same time, a small black mountain slowly emerged from within the grey light.

  The woman adopted a serious expression before chanting something, and the space before her immediately tremored violently once again. The body of the five-headed wyrm was also revealed, and it appeared to have grown to several times their original size.

  The wyrm was a spirit-like being, and it swayed its heads as it looked up at the demented minions up above, letting loose low snarls in an attempt at intimidation.

  Right at this moment, one of the demented minions took the initiative and sprang into action.

  It flapped its vibrant red bat wings, and its entire body shot forth as a crimson blur before disappearing in a flash.

  Brilliant crimson light erupted and the demented minion appeared right above Han Li and the woman before pouncing down without any hesitation.

  The five wyrm heads immediately attempted to chomp down on the demented minion in response.

  However, the demented minion merely swayed, and its body disappeared as if it were evaporating liquid. As such, all five wyrm heads sunk their teeth viciously into empty air. Before it had figured out what had happened, a series of thin crimson lines appeared over its bodies before vanishing in a flash.

  Immediately thereafter, the five wyrm heads along with the massive body they were attached to disintegrated into countless fragments without any warning.

  It had been destroyed by the demented minion in what felt like the blink of an eye.

  Crimson light flashed in the air once again, and countless more of those crimson lines appeared, descending toward the woman standing beside Han Li.

  Han Li harrumphed coldly as the grey light before him extended to instantly shield the woman within. At the same time, the small black mountain flashed and abruptly appeared over her head.

  Brilliant light erupted from the crimson lines as they flew through the air before slicing into the grey light, tearing it apart without any impediment before crashing into the small black mountain.

  Almost at the exact same moment, spatial fluctuations erupted in front of Han Li, following which a faint crimson shadow appeared.

  A pair of sharp claws were extended before swiping through the air in a completely soundless manner.

  Within the crimson shadow, a pair of cunning eyes were flashing with a vicious light.

  The other de
mented minion had taken advantage of the diversion set up by its companion and snuck over to Han Li before unleashing a sneak attack.

  Even with Han Li's powerful spiritual sense, he had completely failed to detect its approach. When those sharp claws made contact with the protective grey light around his body, it was already too late for him to adopt any evasive measures.

  The sharp claws swiped through the air to summon a series of claw projections which instantly slashed through the grey light before hurtling toward Han Li's back like lightning.

  At this moment, Han Li finally detected what was happening behind him, and he let loose a loud cry as the golden and silver lightning robe surfaced over his body.

  A loud thunderclap erupted as golden and silver arcs of lightning radiated from the lightning robe, crashing into the claw projections amid a resounding boom.

  After being struck by the arcs of lightning, the pair of arms to which the claws were attached began to smoke and char. However, the claws themselves continued onward as if they were divine weapons, instantly puncturing the lightning en route to Han Li's back.

  However, right at this moment, four indistinct golden arms suddenly sprouted from Han Li's back before unleashing a seemingly nonchalant attack toward the pair of claws. Even though they were set into motion after the claw strikes were unleashed, they somehow managed to seize back the initiative, keeping the sharp claws at bay as they clashed amid a sharp screeching sound of metal grating on metal.

  Crimson light flashed from the claws and the four golden arms were immediately shattered. However, during this brief moment of respite, Han Li was able to hurtle through the air as a white line. Over 200 feet away, spiritual light flashed as Han Li appeared again, appraising the demented minion that had just attacked him with a dark expression.

  The demented minion appeared to be rather surprised that its sneak attack had been thwarted, and its eyes darted around in a display of bewilderment.

  On the other end, the woman also flew back several hundred feet after the Divine Essencefused Mountain withstood the crimson threads for her.