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

by Translator: Johnchen

  "Yes, Master!" The white figure extended a respectful bow in response.

  Han Li swept his spiritual sense toward this white figure, and his heart jolted as he discovered that this being was a late-Spatial Tempering Stage ghost monarch.

  Han Li had many questions left unanswered, but he could only leave with this white figure.

  After Han Li's trio left the hall, the elderly man withdrew his gaze as a contemplative look appeared on his face.

  Meanwhile, Han Li and the others followed his ghostly servant through a series of passageways, past a few smaller halls, then arrived in a courtyard.

  The courtyard consisted of a dozen or so stone cabins, and they weren't particularly spectacular or intricately crafted, but they were all quite clean and tidy.

  The white figure pointed toward the courtyard, and said in a cold voice, "The three of you can stay and rest here. If you don't have any urgent matters that need to be addressed, I suggest you don't go anywhere else. If you do have something that needs to be taken care of, call for me and I'll get here as soon as possible."

  After that, the white figure vanished on the spot, leaving Han Li's trio behind to glance at one another.

  "Let's go in and have rest first. We've been traveling non-stop these past few days, so I'm sure the two of you are quite tired as well. We can consider the other matters on hand after we've all recovered some of our energy. In any case, we've got three days to decide, so there's certainly no hurry," Han Li said in a slow voice as he turned to the two women with a smile.

  Yan Li forced a smile in response, whereas Yuan Yao's brows remained tightly furrowed.

  Thus, Han Li strode into the courtyard first.

  He made his way toward one of the stone cabins, and there were no restrictions on the door, so he opened it and walked into the room. The interior of the cabin wasn't very large; only around 70 to 80 feet in area, but it was completely furnished with extremely simple bluestone furniture.

  There was even a grass-woven futon sitting in a corner of the room.

  Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, and a dozen or so formation flags flew forth before disappearing into the corners of the cabin.

  An azure barrier of light slowly appeared.

  This was only a simple restriction to ward off surveillance. Even though it had no actual defensive properties, at least the elderly man wouldn't be able to see what he was doing.

  Han Li took off his shoes in an unhurried manner before immediately falling asleep on the bed.

  Ever since he'd entered the infernal river, he'd had to be wary of the ghostly beings that ran rampant in the area as well as the demon monarchs plotting against him, so he hadn't had any good rest to speak of.

  Even though he couldn't completely bring himself to trust this elderly man, it wouldn't matter no matter how cautious he was seeing as he was dealing with a Grand Ascension cultivator, so he simply decided to let down his guard for the most part and take this opportunity to rest and recover.

  Snores rang out in the stone cabin, and Han Li fell into a deep slumber.

  He dreamed of the scenes during his childhood when he'd lived together with his parents and siblings, and he even dreamed of some of his childhood friends.

  These people were all extremely familiar to him, but he somehow couldn't glean any of their facial features.

  In the air, a pair of gentle and loving eyes appeared in his dream, and those eyes belonged to none other than Nangong Wan, his wife in the human world.

  Nangong Wan didn't say anything after appearing in his dream. She merely appraised Han Li with a warm and passionate gaze, and Han Li also looked back at her, seemingly entranced by her beauty...

  After a long while, Han Li's eyelids fluttered as he woke up, but the image of Nangong Wan's beautiful eyes still remained in his mind.

  He didn't immediately get up. Instead, he lay on his bed, basking in the warmth that the dream had brought to his heart.

  After a while, the intoxicated look in Han Li's eyes gradually faded, and he reverted back to his usual calm expression.

  Perhaps it was a coincidence, but right at this moment, Yan Li's delightful voice sounded outside his door.

  "Are you up yet, Brother Han? If so, please come to discuss the matters at hand with my junior martial sister and myself."

  Yan Li was speaking in quite a polite manner.

  "Please wait for a moment, I'll be coming soon," Han Li replied as he sat up on his bed.

  "We'll be waiting in the stone cabin in the middle for your visit, then, Brother Han!" Yan Li chuckled before departing.

  Han Li calmly put on his shoes, then raised a hand to conjure up a burst of azure light that revolved around his entire body.

  The creases on his robes were instantly smoothed out as a result, and Han Li was also feeling more alert as he strode out of his stone cabin.

  Yuan Yao and Yan Li had lived in the same cabin the night before, so they had most likely had a preliminary discussion already.

  With that in mind, Han Li made his way into the stone chamber at the very center of the courtyard.

  This cabin was around twice as large as the one he was residing in, and there was a stone table, as well as a few stone chairs, inside the room. Yan Li and Yuan Yao were sitting at the table, discussing something in a slightly heated manner.

  There was a black flag standing on each of the four corners of the hall, enshrouding the entire cabin in a layer of grey light.

  It appeared that they'd set up a restriction in the cabin as well.

  "I'm glad you're here, Brother Han, Junior Martial Sister Yuan and I have been racking our brains, trying to come up with the best solution here." Yan Li immediately rose to her feet with a seductive smile as Han Li entered the cabin.

  Yuan Yao also stood up to greet him.

  "Oh, so it looks like the two of you have indeed already discussed this matter. If you trust me, then feel free to tell me your opinions. My cultivation base may be rather lackluster, but I'm not bad at coming with strategies and ideas here and there," Han Li chuckled.

  Thus, he also made his way over to the table, and all three of them took a seat.

  "It's actually quite simple; it's naturally a brilliant opportunity for me that Senior Jiang is willing to take me as his disciple, but I'm more interested in returning to the human race to find whatever secret technique or cultivation art that would allow me to recover my human body. No matter how powerful that Chang Yuan Race ability is, it won't be able to resolve my current predicament. However, Senior Martial Sister Yan thinks that this is an opportunity that's not to be missed, and she wants me to stay here under Senior Jiang's tutelage," Yuan Yao sighed in a resigned manner.

  "Why are you in such a hurry to recover your human body, Junior Martial Sister Yuan? You can cultivate under Senior Jiang for a while, and when you master the ability that he mentioned, you can then return to the human race to find a way to recover your human body. If you miss this opportunity here, it may never come around again," Yan Li urged.

  "If that were possible, then I would certainly jump at this opportunity! However, you and I both know that ever since we began cultivating the Yin Yan Reincarnation Arts, our constitutions have been gradually shifting toward becoming true ghostly beings. Even though we've tried to repress this process with all our might, it most likely won't be long before we truly become ghostly beings. I can't afford to stay here and cultivate some other ability because we simply don't have time to waste!" Yuan Yao sighed in a dejected manner.

  "Of course I'm aware of this. That's why I propose that you stay here and cultivate under Senior Jiang while I return to the human race to find a way to recover our human bodies. That way, you can have the best of both worlds," Yan Li sighed in response.

  "There's no need to try and placate me, Senior Martial Sister! I'm sure you can read between the lines; his next heavenly tribulation seems to be coming up soon, and I barely have enough time to master that Chang Yuan Race ability with the current d
eadline. If I agree to become Senior Jiang's disciple, how will I be able to divert my attention to cultivate other things that will help me recover my human body?" Yuan Yao shook her head in a stubborn manner.

  "As long as the two of us can be together, so what if we become true ghostly beings? You've witnessed the perils of the Spirit Realm just as I have, Junior Martial Sister; if the two of us recover our human bodies, we may just end up dying again one day. In comparison, it's much better for you to cultivate under and receive the protection of Senior Jiang. After you master the required ability, we can then go find a way to recover our human bodies. After all, even if we transform into ghostly beings, we're still definitely different from true ghostly beings that were never human to begin with. There should be another way to reverse all of this. On top of that, forgive me for being blunt, but Senior Jiang clearly holds you in extremely high regard; if you turn him down, do you think it'll be a simple matter for us to leave this place?" Yan Li continued.

  "And what if there's no way to reverse the process?" Yuan Yao countered with a shake of her head.

  "Brother Han, what do you think? Please talk some sense into her!" Yan Li could only turn to Han Li for help.

  "Alright, so I can understand where the two of you are coming from. Fellow Daoist Yuan is concerned that she won't be able to revert back to her human body in the future, so she doesn't want to cultivate under Senior Jiang, but Fellow Daoist Yan wants her to stay as this is a brilliant opportunity, is that correct?" Han Li analyzed in a calm manner.

  "That's right! We've been arguing all night last night, but neither of us has been able to convince the other!" Yan Li replied with a wry smile.

  "I can understand your unwillingness to become a ghostly being, Fellow Daoist Yuan, and I can also understand that you want what's best for her, Fellow Daoist Yan. Neither of you are in the wrong here," Han Li said with a smile.

  "Brother Han, my junior martial sister and I need someone to help us make a decision, not a mediator." Yan Li furrowed her brows with a hint of displeasure in her eyes.

  "Hehe, mediating was never my intention, Fellow Daoist Yan. What I want to say is, it's not impossible for both of these predicaments to be resolved at once," Han Li said with a smile.

  "What? Is that true?" A skeptical look appeared on Yan Li's face upon hearing this.

  Yuan Yao was also clearly quite taken aback.

  Chapter 1520: The New Azure Essence Sword Art

  "This is an extremely important matter, so I certainly wouldn't make jokes about it," Han Li replied with a serious look on his face.

  "If we can find a perfect solution, then that would naturally be for the best. Tell us what it is, Brother Han," Yan Li urged with an elated expression.

  "The two of you don't actually have to struggle with this matter on your own; you can simply inform Senior Jiang of this predicament. Don't forget that Senior Jiang is a Grand Ascension cultivator; things that seem extremely difficult or impossible for us may be quite simple for him. Even if he can't reverse the process and allow the two of you to recover your human bodies right away, I'm sure he had some method to prevent you two from further transitioning toward ghostly beings. Why don't you raise the issue with Senior Jiang before making a decision?" Han Li suggested with a smile.

  Both Yuan Yao and Yan Li were enlightened upon hearing this.

  "That's a brilliant idea, Brother Han! We were too caught up with trying to convince the other person that our solution was the best one, and it made us lose sight of the bigger picture," Yan Li said with an excited look on her face.

  Yuan Yao also nodded in agreement with this idea after a brief pause for contemplation.

  "In all honesty, I have some other concerns that I'd like to raise," Han Li suddenly continued after a brief hesitation.

  "Please do tell, Brother Han," Yan Li prompted.

  Yuan Yao also turned to appraise Han Li with an unblinking gaze.

  Han Li chuckled, but didn't immediately respond. Instead, he flipped a hand over to reveal a black object in his palm, which instantly expanded to around 10 feet in size.

  It was none other than his Divine Essencefused Mountain.

  He swept a sleeve through the air, and the small mountain flew out onto the roof as a streak of black light, then transforming into a grey light barrier that enshrouded the entire cabin.

  The two women were a little surprised by what he was doing, but neither of them asked any questions.

  Only then did Han Li raise his aforementioned concerns.

  "My Divine Essencefused Light is nothing in the face of a Grand Ascension cultivator, but it'll alert me as soon as any spiritual sense attempts to infiltrate it. What I'm about to say next may be a little disrespectful to Senior Jiang, but I believe it needs to be discussed. Fellow Daoist Yan, you're adamant that Fellow Daoist Yuan should become Senior Jiang's disciple, but have you considered the notion that perhaps this senior doesn't want to use Fellow Daoist Yuan's powers to help him transcend his next heavenly tribulation, but for some other purpose instead? Or perhaps helping him transcend his next tribulation could be an extremely harmful or dangerous process to Fellow Daoist Yuan; in that case, what will you do?"

  The two women exchanged a glance upon hearing this, but they weren't very surprised to hear these issues being raised. Yan Li forced a smile onto her face, and said, "Surely that's going too far, Brother Han. Senior Jiang is a Grand Ascension cultivator; he wouldn't lie to insignificant juniors like us."

  Han Li raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and only after staring at the two women for a while did he nod with a faint smile.

  "It appears I was overthinking things, then. Seeing as the two of you have already considered this issue, I won't speak any further about it, but allow me to issue one final reminder to Fellow Daoist Yuan; Senior Jiang is extending an invitation for you to become his disciple, leaving you with the power to make the final decision, rather than forcing you under his wing. This indicates that the objective he wants to achieve can't be accomplished by force. In that case, you do have a certain level of leverage against him, which means that you're not completely doomed to follow his bidding. It would be very dangerous to try and abuse that leverage, but do be aware that it exists."

  "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Han," Yuan Yao replied with a wry smile.

  Han Li smiled before waving an arm through the air, and the Divine Essencefused Mountain instantly disappeared along with the grey light barrier.

  After that, Han Li discussed a few more things with the two women and also speculated about why he was residing in a place like this.

  However, Yuan Yao then insisted on going to see the elderly man right away to determine whether he'd actually be able to help them recover their human bodies.

  Han Li and Yan Li naturally wouldn't oppose her, so the three of them emerged from the stone cabin together.

  Yuan Yao then called out for the white ghostly figure that had brought them to this courtyard, and it immediately appeared as if it had never even left in the first place.

  After hearing their request to see the elderly man, the ghostly being nodded before leading the way.

  A short while later, Han Li and the others returned to the cavernous hall, where they were greeted by the sight of the elderly man once again.

  The man was still sitting on the same chair as before, and a faint smile appeared on his face at the sight of Han Li's trio as he asked, "Have you already decided to accept my offer, Fellow Daoist Yuan?"

  Yuan Yao extended a respectful bow toward the elderly man, and considered her response for a short while before carefully replying, "I am forever grateful for your immensely kind offer, and I would love to cultivate by your side. However, there is an issue that I need to address or I won't be able to accept your offer right away."

  "Oh? An issue, you say? Hehe, why don't you tell me about it?" The elderly man's eyes immediately lit up, and he seemed to be quite confident in his ability to take care of any issues that Yuan Yao could
raise.

  Thus, Yuan Yao immediately revealed to the man her wishes to return to her human form.

  "Haha, you made it sound like some kind of impossible predicament, but this is merely a trifling matter. I can refine several types of pills for you, then expend some magic power to expel the Yin power within your body, and it'd only be a matter of a few years before you can recover your human body. On top of that, it won't hamper your cultivation of the Chang Yuan Race ability at all," the elderly man chortled with glee, as if this were merely a simple task to him.

  "In that case, I would certainly be willing to accept you as my Master, Senior Jiang! Yao'er pays her respects to her master!" Yuan Yao was also overjoyed by this outcome, and she immediately extended another respectful bow.

  "Good, good! Rest assured, my disciple, I can wait a few years with no issues. Whenever you completely recover your human body is when you can begin cultivating that Chang Yuan Race ability." The elderly man swept a sleeve through the air, sending forth a burst of gently invisible power to help Yuan Yao back into an upright posture.

  Tears suddenly welled up in Yuan Yao's eyes as she continued, "Master, you've already agreed to help me recover my human body, so I really shouldn't be asking for anything else, but Senior Martial Sister Yan Li has been like a true sister to me for many years. Would you be able to accept her as your disciple as well, and also help her recover her human body?"

  A conflicted look appeared on the elderly man's face, and only after a long while did he heave a faint sigh. "I've already made an exception by accepting you as my disciple, so I won't be able to take Fellow Daoist Yan under my wing no matter what. However, I can help her recover her human body if that's what you want."

  Yuan Yao still wanted to insist on the matter, but Yan Li cut her off with a surreptitious shake of her head toward Yuan Yao.

  "I'm already extremely grateful that Senior Jiang is willing to expend the time and effort to help me recover my human body; I couldn't possibly hope to become Senior Jiang's disciple with my mediocre aptitude, so please don't ask for anything more, Junior Martial Sister."