"What!" The crimson-robed figure and the white-haired beauty were stunned to hear this.
Chapter 1511: Meridian Stone
"So that means only my tracking mark still remains in his body!" The white-haired beauty's expression darkened even further.
They had taken a massive risk to venture into the infernal river, and if they couldn't secure the Divine Infernal River Elixir nor the devilish treasures, then they would've expended so much effort and incurred all that risk for nothing.
Strangely enough, Liu Zu remained very calm, and the crimson-robed figure also quickly calmed down following that initial fit of rage.
Both of them seemed to be contemplating something while the white-haired beauty sat down in mid-air with her legs crossed. At the same time, the eight ghost monarchs behind her transformed into a burst of Yin Qi that surrounded her body, thereby enhancing her cultivation base significantly to allow her to try and activate the tracking seal within Han Li's body with all her might.
The black Qi surged erratically around her, and harrowing ghostly cries erupted from within. It was quite clear that the white-haired beauty was drawing on all the power she was capable of.
Time slowly passed, and close to two hours flew by in the blink of an eye, yet the white-haired beauty still hadn't succeeded in her efforts.
Liu Zu and the crimson-robed figure merely waited patiently in silence, and neither of them tried to hurry her.
A short while later, the white-haired beauty's enraged voice finally rang out.
"My tracking mark has also ben destroyed. There's no way that he could've done this on his own; could this be Mu Qing's handiwork?"
The black Qi dissipated to reveal the white-haired beauty with a thunderous expression on her face.
"It could well be Fellow Daoist Mu. She seems to be even more interested in the treasures of the devilish tomb than she is in the divine elixir," the crimson-robed figure mused as he stroked his chin.
Despite their wiles, none of the demon monarchs had imagined that Yuan Yao and Yan Li would be capable of unleashing a Yin-Qi-gathering secret technique that could help Han Li eradicate the tracking marks one by one. Of course, that was also due to the fact that the ghost Dao cultivation arts they were using really were quite unique.
A thought suddenly occurred to the white-haired beauty, and she asked, "Regardless of who's behind this, I'll make sure they pay for what they’ve done! Brother Di Xue, those devilish artifacts are more important to you than either Brother Liu Zu or myself, right? Despite that, you've managed to keep remarkably calm; could it be that you have some other tricks up your sleeve?"
Liu Zu also turned toward the crimson-robed figure with a hint of a smile on his face.
The crimson-robed figure chuckled in response before replying, "I did indeed plant something else on Han brat's body, but it'll still be quite difficult to find him. I won't be able to track him down as accurately as I could with my tracking mark, but I should be able to ascertain his approximate location with no issues. Having said that, though, that Han brat sure is alert; he's resisted the urge to summon the spirit servants I gave him even once. Otherwise, he would've already fallen victim to my secret technique and none of this would've happened."
A peculiar look appeared on the white-haired beauty's face, and her brows furrowed as she said, "Now's not the time for jokes, Brother Di Xue! With Han brat's powerful spiritual sense, how could it have escaped his notice that you planted a secret technique on those spirit servants?"
"Haha, there's nothing actually wrong with the spirit servants themselves; the key lies in the captivation blood pact that I invented and infused into those spirit servants. As long as anyone injects their spiritual sense into those spirit servants and uses them once, they'll definitely be unable to escape the allure of this secret technique. They'll want to use the spirit servants a second time, then a third time, until they're completely entranced by them and lose their sense of self. It's just a pity that he hasn't even used them once up to this point. Otherwise, I'd definitely be able to detect it and control him without him even realizing that anything was amiss." The crimson-robed figure seemed to be of the opinion that there was no point in hiding anything seeing as they were about to enter the devilish tomb soon, so he decided to reveal everything to the other two demon monarchs.
The white-haired beauty's expression changed slightly, and she fell speechless upon hearing this.
Liu Zu was also clearly taken aback by Di Xue's devious plan.
"But if Han brat hasn't used those spirit servants, then how will you be able to detect his location?" the white-haired beauty asked.
"That's quite simple; I infused the bodies of the spirit servants with some Meridian Stone," Di Xue chuckled coldly in a sinister manner.
"Meridian Stone! That's an extremely strange material that takes on a Yang-attribute every noon and midnight, thereby allowing them to detect one another. In that case, you must also be carrying one of those stones yourself! Only in places rife with Yin Qi like the infernal river will this material's detection properties be able to take effect. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't be able to make use of that effect. I'm really surprised that you were able to find such a gimmicky item. As far as I know, our Tian Yuan Continent doesn't even produce this type of stone, and they also have extremely limited uses for cultivators like us." On this occasion, even Liu Zu couldn't help but praise Di Xue's resourcefulness.
"I didn't intentionally seek out this item. Many years ago, I killed a being from another continent, and they just so happened to be in possession of a small piece of this material. I decided to keep it more so due to its rarity than anything else, but who would've thought that it'd actually come in useful? The stones will only detect one another for an instant on the exact strokes of noon and midnight, and Han brat himself doesn't have another Meridian Stone, so there's no way he'd be able to notice that anything's amiss," the crimson-robed figure said with a cunning gleam in his eyes.
"Haha, that's brilliant! It's not far from midnight now, so let's head toward the direction where the tracking marks disappeared first. Using the detection properties of the Meridian Stone, we should be able to track him down. Just make sure to look out for that Mayfly Race puppet with the silver chopper. That chopper seems to be the legendary Five Dragon Chopper, which is a Divine Spirit Treasure that ranks very high on the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll, so it's best not to directly oppose it if we do encounter it. As for those two Infernal Lightning Beasts, they won't get far away from their lair, so we don't need to worry about them anymore," Liu Zu cautioned as he looked up into the sky.
"Come to think of it, neither of us had thought that you'd have a way to combat the Five Dragon Chopper, Brother Liu Zu. It was all thanks to you that we were able to force back that puppet and make our escape," the white-haired beauty chuckled.
"You're too kind, Fellow Daoist Lan. That puppet wasn't forced back by me; it had simply overexerted its spiritual sense while using the Five Dragon Chopper and was forced to retreat of its own accord. Otherwise, if the battle had dragged on for slightly longer, I would've fallen victim to that chopper." Liu Zu shook his head with a hint of fear in his eyes.
The white-haired beauty and the crimson-robed figure exchanged a glance, and their faces also paled slightly as they recalled the events that had unfolded in the underground palace following Han Li's departure.
The abilities unleashed by the Five Dragon Chopper had been truly fearsome. If the puppet had unleashed the full power of the treasure before Liu Zu had broken free from the golden formation over the green pond, then there was a good chance that both of them would've already perished.
"We don't need to be overly concerned, though. Even though the Five Dragon Chopper is extremely fearsome, the puppet had completely overexerted its spiritual sense, so it's yet to be seen whether it can come after us again. As long as we remain alert and avoid being divided and conquered, we should be fine," Liu Zu said as he recovered his composure.
The white-haired beauty and the crimson-robed figure both nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
After that, the three demon monarchs didn't delay any longer as they sped away into the distance.
Deep within the infernal river, crimson light flashed in front of a white cave, and a crimson-armored puppet stumbled out of space. It raised a foot and was just about to stride forward, only for spiritual light to flash erratically all over its body, and it fell flat onto the ground.
A ringing sound then erupted from the puppet's body as a silver streak of light flew out of its body, then disappeared into the cave.
"Why are you in such a sorry state? Could it be that my Five Dragon Chopper wasn't powerful enough?" The voice of the elderly man sounded again, and it was just as flat and indifferent as ever.
Indeed, there were very few things in this world that could attract its interest.
Green light flashed in the puppet's eyes before it struggled to its feet, and it replied in a respectful voice, "The Five Dragon Chopper is unfathomably powerful, but I was far too useless, and my spiritual sense was unable to support the chopper. Otherwise, all of the intruders would be dead already."
"Your spiritual sense was insufficient? You must've unleashed the power of the Five Dragon Chopper twice and used it for too long on both occasions, right?" The elderly voice remained completely emotionless, as if it were simply elaborating something completely inconsequential.
"I was too greedy. I didn't unleash the full power of the Five Dragon Chopper from the beginning as I wanted to lure out all of the outsiders before killing them together, but there was a traitor from our race among them who possessed an ability that was able to withstand the power of the Five Dragon Chopper for a short period of time. The backup measures that I'd set up had also been ruined due to unforeseen circumstances, thereby allowing them to escape," the crimson-armored puppet replied in a feeble voice.
"I see." The elderly voice in the cave merely gave a clipped response before falling silent.
All of a sudden, the crimson-armored puppet raised its voice slightly, and said, "Senior Jiang, I have one more request!"
"Hmm? I seem to recall that you've already requested a favor from me; don't expect me to fight for your Mayfly Race!" The elderly voice cooled slightly upon hearing this.
"I wouldn't dare to dream of something like that. I only wanted to request Senior Jiang to use this remaining shred of my spiritual sense to guide my true body into this infernal river. Those intruders have already taken the divine elixir, and if I don't recover the elixir, I'll be dealt a severe punishment," the crimson-armored puppet explained.
"Guide your true body here? Have you gone mad? Mayfly beings can't stay in this place for any extended period of time or their cultivation bases will be severely damaged by the Yin Qi here. From the sounds of it, the intruders are all quite powerful, so even if your true body arrives here, you most likely won't be a match for them anyway. Could it be that you want to borrow my Five Dragon Chopper again?" A hint of surprise had finally crept into the elderly man's voice.
"I do indeed intend to borrow your Five Dragon Chopper again, Senior Jiang, but I may not actually need to use it this time as my true body would be arriving here with a divine nest," the crimson-armored puppet replied in a grim voice.
"A divine nest? Hehe, am I hearing this right? You're going to use such a thing just to take care of a few Golden Mayfly Tier beings? Speaking of which, how to do you have the power to use such a thing? If I recall correctly, those things have always been under the control of those old monsters in your Mayfly Race. Aren't they the trump cards of your race that wouldn't be used unless your race was on the brink of collapse?" The elderly man in the cave was truly intrigued now.
Chapter 1512: Beginning of More Troubles
"You're not mistaken about that Senior, but the item I'm going to take into this place isn't one of the holy artifacts of our race. Instead, its a replica treasure that was refined not long ago by the elders of our race, and to be completely accurate, it should actually be called a false divine nest. The treasure can only manifest one type of holy insect, and it's only a kind of holy insect of a very low caliber. On top of that, this type of replica is a disposable treasure, so it can only be used once," the crimson-armored puppet replied in a truthful manner.
"A false divine nest, eh? Interesting! I've heard a lot about the vastly renowned divine nests of the Mayfly Race, but I've never had the pleasure of witnessing one in action for myself. This isn't going to a real divine nest, but a replica will suffice. I can summon your true body here free of charge, but you'll have to pay a price if you want to borrow my Five Dragon Chopper again," the elderly man said in a slow voice.
"But I've only brought one vial of Yin Water Essence with me." A hint of hesitation crept into the puppet's voice.
"That's alright, just bring the remnants of your false divine nest to me after you're finished with it; that's not too much to ask, is it?" the elderly man asked.
"You want the false divine nest, Senior?" The crimson-armored puppet was truly becoming quite hesitant now.
"Hehe, if you don't want to, then so be it. I only wanted the item so I could broaden my horizons. Do you really think I can glean the secrets of your divine nest just by inspecting a set of remnants?" the elderly man said in a nonchalant voice.
After a brief moment of contemplation, the crimson-armored puppet arrived at the conclusion that it was too risky to take on the intruders with the false divine nest alone, so he gritted his teeth, and replied, "Alright, I'll do it, but on one condition; I can only leave the remnants of the nest here for a month. After that, I'll have to return it or I won't be able to answer to the elders of our race."
"Haha, that's all I needed to hear! I'll summon your true body here right away. It's a good thing that I have a wisp of your spiritual sense here to work with. Otherwise, even I wouldn't be able to draw you into this place." A burst of laughter rang out from within the cave, followed by a dull thump, and a plume of silver threads short forth, sweeping up the crimson-armored puppet, then dragging it into the cave.
The puppet disappeared in the blink of an eye, and around five minutes later, an extremely powerful burst of spiritual pressure suddenly erupted into the air from the white mountain ranges, following which a thick pillar of golden light surged into the air.
Gusts of Yin winds converged toward the pillar of light in a frenzy as boundless black Qi appeared in the surrounding area amid a string of resounding booms.
This phenomenon obscured the entire surrounding area, making it impossible to see what was happening inside. After a long while, a bolt of lightning pierced through the darkness like a powerful wyrm before disappearing in a flash, following which a sharp screech that was filled with resentment and baleful energy erupted from within
...
Han Li exhaled as he opened his eyes, and his expression was filled with elation.
"Fellow Daoist Han, the final tracking mark has been successfully eradicated." Yuan Yao's delightful voice sounded from behind him.
"Thank you for your assistance. I didn't think that the final tracking mark would be so difficult to get rid of. It was if it had taken root within my body, and we had to refine it without expelling as it simply refused to be ejected. Now that all four tracking marks have been destroyed, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief." Han Li turned around and cupped his fist in an earnest salute toward the two women.
"Hehe, there's no need to thank us, Brother Han; you saved our lives as well," Yuan Yao chuckled in a slightly exhausted manner.
Yan Li also wore a smile on her face, but her face was quite pale.
That wasn't much of a surprise; anyone would be suffering from symptoms of overexertion after controlling such a formation for over half a day.
Han Li immediately rustled his sleeve upon seeing this, and two small green vials flew forth before hovering in front of the two women.
"These two vials contain Green Yin
Pills, which are Yin-attribute pills that will surely be quite beneficial for both of you."
"My junior martial sister and I really are in need of such pills, so I'll gladly accept them, Brother Han." Yan Li smiled as she swept a sleeve through the air, drawing a vial toward her before tipping out a dark green pill that immediately began to emit a strong Yin aura.
Yan Li's eyes lit up at the sight of the pill, and she picked it up between two of her fingers before carefully inspecting it for a while.
She then swallowed the pill and closed her eyes as she activated her cultivation arts in order to better absorb the power of the pill.
Yuan Yao hesitated momentarily upon seeing this before extending words of gratitude toward Han Li and accepting the other vial, then also consumed one of the pills.
Han Li stood patiently beside the two women as they absorbed the power of the pills they'd just consumed.
At this point, the vortex in the sky had already disappeared. As for the black ball, it had shrunk down to around 10 feet in size, and due to the fact that the formation had stopped functioning, it was slowly dissipating into black mist, looking as if it would also vanish not long from now.
After a while, the two women opened their eyes one after the other, and their complexions were looking a lot better.
Brother Han, those pills you gave us were quite precious, right? Junior Martial Sister Yuan and I both managed to recover most of our lost Yin Qi in such a short period of time," Yan Li said.
"I'm glad they're useful to you," Han Li replied with a smile.
"Brother Han, this isn't a safe place for us to stay; what do we do next?" Yuan Yao asked with a concerned look on her face.
"Indeed, we have to get away from here right away. In the instant that those tracking marks were destroyed, they would've revealed our approximate location to the demon monarchs. As for how we proceed from there, we'll naturally have to break through this space and return to the Spirit Realm. Of course, that's going to be easier said than done, but at least it's a goal that we can strive toward. Let's discuss this in detail while we leave this place," Han Li said with a solemn expression.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 853