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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Han Li chuckled internally before focusing his attention on the stone wall in front of him.

  As expected, the silver characters on the stone wall were all names of different types of materials and treasures, but strangely enough, none of the items had any prices listed next to them; they only had a number between one to 13 assigned to them.

  Han Li's heart stirred upon seeing this, and a thought occurred to him as he cast his gaze toward the distance.

  There just so happened to be 13 jade pavilions surrounding the crimson pavilion, and there was a shimmering golden number hovering above each of the pavilions.

  As such, it wasn't difficult to deduce what those numbers assigned to the materials meant.

  He wasn't in any hurry, so he carefully scanned his gaze throughout the entire stone wall, then headed toward the next one.

  Han Li was able to glean the contents of an entire stone wall virtually in the blink of an eye, yet even after looking through most of the stone walls present, he remained completely expressionless as if he hadn't found anything that caught his eye.

  Right at this moment, a rumbling boom rang out from the crimson pavilion at the very center, following which a thunderous roar of rage erupted from within.

  "What? You're saying this is fake, Eccentric Song? That's impossible! I went to great lengths to obtain this treasure, and I was almost killed by a bunch of Golden-winged Giants in the process!"

  "Quit yelling! I've made my final appraisal, and I can tell you with certainty that this thing is fake. You can leave now, Fellow Daoist Duan," a sharp voice replied from within the pavilion.

  "I was bedridden for seven years after obtaining this item, yet you're telling me it's fake? The person who supplied me with the information better pray that they don't bump into me again. Otherwise, I'll twist his head off!" Another resounding roar of rage rang out, and this time, a hint of spiritual power had been injected into the voice, making it clearly audible to virtually everyone outside.

  All of a sudden, red light flashed from the surface of the crimson pavilion, following which a massive figure that was around 30 feet tall leaped forth before landing on the ground nearby, causing the entire earth to tremor with the immensely heavy impact.

  Most of the people in the plaza turned toward the giant figure, and all of them drew a sharp breath in unison.

  From the head down, this giant figure possessed a body that was half flesh and half metal.

  The metal half was of a glistening black color and was emanating a peculiar grey light, while the other half of his body was of a tanned deep bronze color, and it seemed to be just as indestructible as his metallic half.

  The head attached to this body had a sinister set of facial features. Not only were his nose and eyes twice as large as that of a normal human, his head was conical in shape with a few sporadic tufts of green hair growing on top.

  Han Li swept his spiritual sense toward the strange being, upon which his expression changed drastically. He was completely unable to fathom his cultivation base, thereby indicating that this was a being at the pinnacle of the Body Integration Stage, just like Qian Jizi.

  However, just because Han Li didn't recognize this strange being didn't mean that the other foreign beings gathered here didn't recognize him.

  Almost as soon as he landed on the ground, a dozen or so beings rushed out of the nearby crowd before extending a respectful bow toward him.

  "We pay our respects to Elder Duan!"

  A string of greetings immediately rang out.

  These humanoid figures were far taller and larger than normal humans, and they were all Stone Cocoon beings like Tie Jian. As such, this strange being had to be an elder of the Stone Cocoon Race!

  "Oh, I see you've all come here to attend the auction as well. I wish you all good luck. I was swindled into risking my life for a fake treasure, so I don't even feel like staying for the auction anymore." The strange being waved a casual dismissive hand toward all of the other Stone Cocoon beings before making his way toward the exit.

  All of the beings in his path naturally stepped aside in a respectful manner to grant him passage.

  Coincidentally, this Elder Duan also happened to pass by Han Li, and Han Li shuffled back a little as well, planning to see off this astonishingly powerful being.

  However, in the next instant, an alarming turn of events abruptly unfolded.

  In the instant that Elder Duan passed by Han Li, his footsteps suddenly faltered, and his nose twitched before he turned an intense incredulous gaze toward Han Li.

  All of the nearby beings were naturally quite taken aback by this sudden development, and many of them turned to Han Li as well, trying to determine what it was about him that had caught the interest of such a powerful being.

  "Do you have any business with me, Senior?" Han Li was struck by a sense of foreboding, but he still extended a respectful salute as he squeezed a smile onto his face.

  "What's your name and which race are you from?"

  Han Li didn't know what this being's intentions were, so he naturally didn't dare to speak the truth. As such, he fabricated a response on the spot.

  "Good! I am Duan Tianren of the Stone Cocoon Race. If you encounter any troubles in Cloud City, you can refer to me as your backer!" Elder Duan nodded with a meaningful expression, and it was impossible to tell whether he believed Han Li's fib. All of a sudden, his body blurred before reverting back to normal, but Han Li's expression changed drastically.

  He could clearly sense that in the instant that Duan Tianren's body had blurred, he had thrust a palm lightly onto Han Li's shoulder. With his spirit eye ability, he was able to see the trajectory of Duan Tianren's palm, but he was simply too fast for Han Li to evade.

  A burst of strange spiritual Qi flowed from Duan Tianren's palm into his arm, and it only dissipated after circulating throughout his entire arm.

  "What's the meaning of this, Senior?" An enraged look appeared on Han Li's face.

  There were only a dozen or so beings present that had actually caught sight of what Duan Tianren had done to Han Li, so to everyone else, it appeared that Han Li had suddenly gotten angry even though Duan Tianren was clearly extending a gesture of kindness toward him.

  In the face of Han Li's enraged interrogation, Duan Tianren merely swept his gaze over Han Li's face as he chuckled, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist; I could see that you'd also cultivated quite a special body refinement technique, so I wanted to see what that was all about."

  After Duan Tianren's gaze had swept past his face, Han Li was stunned to find that his face began to throb with pain.

  He had used that black veil in conjunction with a disguise technique to conceal his original appearance, but there was simply too much of a cultivation base disparity between the two of them, so Han Li wasn't confident in the slightest that he'd fooled Duan Tianren.

  However, Han Li naturally wasn't going to believe the excuse that Duan Tianren had offered to placate him, and his mind raced as he attempted to glean the intentions behind that palm.

  However, he was unable to think of any potential reasons why this being would target him. After all, this was most definitely the first time that he'd met him.

  At this moment, Duan Tianren suddenly transmitted his voice to Han Li. "Save your brain cells, little fella; I'll be waiting for you at the Rich Aroma Pavilion across the street. Don't even think about getting away; I didn't intend to harm you with that palm, but with my residual spiritual Qi circulating within your body, I'll be able to detect your location within the next few hours."

  After that, he gave no further explanations before departing with a hearty laugh. Moments later, he left the plaza and strode into the exit, leaving behind a befuddled Han Li, as well as a bunch of bemused beings who were all looking at him with peculiar expressions.

  Han Li was struggling to calm himself down in the wake of what had just happened, and the widespread scrutiny he was receiving certainly wasn't helping matters. Thus, he also turned and
made his way toward the exit.

  Chapter 1600: Nine Fragrance Spirit Wine

  Han Li had originally planned to disguise himself before selling off some of his spirit medicines and spirit herbs in exchange for spirit stones.

  However, after what had just happened, he had become the center of everyone's attention, so he naturally wouldn't be able to act according to his initial plan.

  As such, following a brief moment of contemplation, he departed from the side hall, seemingly in a calm manner. He then arrived at a plot of empty land reserved for beast-drawn carriages to park at, then cast a solemn gaze across the street.

  When he had first arrived, he hadn't noticed this so-called Rich Aroma Pavilion, but now that he was actively searching for it, he discovered that there really was such a place.

  The pavilion wasn't very large, but it was situated almost directly across from the auction house. The building was three levels tall, and there was a sign hanging above the door with flowing and elegant text inscribed upon it.

  After a brief moment of observation, Han Li discovered that in contrast with all of the other nearby buildings, which were all quite lively and bustling, there was no one entering or exiting the pavilion at all.

  This was the place that Duan Tianren had asked him to go to.

  Han Li was feeling rather hesitant about how to proceed. The auction wasn't going to commence for some time, and before ascertaining Duan Tianren's true intentions, he wouldn't be able to focus on the auction anyway.

  As such, he suddenly rustled a sleeve, and his hand reached out from within as he appraised it in an expressionless manner.

  The hand was inky-black in color, and it was none other than the hand in which the Divine Essencefused Mountain had been infused.

  Han Li's brows furrowed slightly.

  Duan Tianren had done his best to disguise this, but through the use of his spirit eye ability, Han Li was still able to see that his gaze had almost been focused entirely on this sleeve of his.

  However, he didn't know whether it was just his hand that had caught Duan Tianren's interest or his entire arm instead.

  If it were the former, then he was most likely interested in the Divine Essencefused Mountain, but if it were the latter...

  Han Li's heart sank slightly as a realization dawned on him.

  At the thought of his arm, Han Li abruptly raised his other hand and stroked a certain section of his arm through his sleeve.

  Even though he couldn't sense anything amiss in that arm, it was undeniably true that the longsword that the Profound Heavenly Fruit had transformed into was sealed within his arm.

  Could it be that Duan Tianren had managed to detect the existence of that sword?

  Han Li was growing more and more uneasy as he followed this train of thought.

  He was still oblivious to the fact that the many races, including the human race and the Flying Spirit Race had been indirectly affected by this profound heavenly treasure, and nor was he aware that some smaller races had even been entirely slain to facilitate a blood sacrifice due to this. However, he had witnessed the power of the sword in person, and he knew that if he could use the sword at will someday without being crippled by it, he'd essentially be invincible in the Spirit Realm.

  As such, even though he had only used the sword once, it had already become one of his biggest secrets, second only to that mysterious small vial and it was even more important to him than his mature Gold Devouring Beetles.

  However, it wasn't very likely that this Stone Cocoon Race elder had actually managed to detect the presence of the profound heavenly treasure within his body. Otherwise, Qian Jizi would've been able to detect it as well.

  Even though the profound heavenly treasure was sealed within his arm, even he couldn't detect its presence unless he attempted to wield it.

  Of course, it wasn't impossible that Duan Tianren possessed some kind of special secret technique that allowed him to detect the profound heavenly treasure.

  In any case, he was no match for a being at the pinnacle of the Body Integration Stage as he currently was, and even without the wisp of spiritual power that Duan Tianren had injected into his body, it would be next to impossible for him to escape from the heavily guarded Cloud City anyway. Hence, he essentially had no choice but to do as he was told regardless of whether it would spell fortune or disaster for him.

  Thus, after hesitating for a long while, Han Li finally gritted his teeth and made his way toward the Rich Aroma Pavilion.

  Thankfully, even if Duan Tianren really were interested in his profound heavenly treasure, there was no immediate threat to his life.

  Han Li made his way into the Rich Aroma Pavilion in a slightly resigned manner to find that there was a handsome young Crystal being standing inside by the entrance.

  This was a Core Formation Stage Crystal being, and he immediately greeted Han Li with a smile as he said, "Senior Li, right? Elder Duan has already been waiting in the fourth VIP booth for a long time. Please come with me, Senior."

  Han Li glanced around at the first level of the pavilion, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes, but he merely nodded, and said, "Lead the way."

  The entire hall around him was completely empty without any ornaments or furniture at all, and the walls were constructed from some kind of unknown material that was flashing with faint blue light.

  Thus, the Crystal being led Han Li up a staircase, and a short while later, Han Li found himself on the third floor of the pavilion, standing in front of a booth that was enshrouded under faint golden light.

  The Crystal being stopped there and made a hand seal before raising a hand toward the door of the booth.

  A burst of silver light immediately shot forth from within his sleeve, following which he stepped away to the side in a respectful manner.

  Moments later, a voice sounded from within the booth.

  "Seeing as you're already here, then come in."

  Han Li was rather bewildered to hear this voice as it belonged to a woman.

  Right at this moment, golden light flashed up ahead, and the door to the booth slowly opened of its own accord.

  After a brief hesitation, Han Li strode into the booth, and the door swung shut again amid another flash of golden light.

  "I pay my respects to my two Seniors!" Han Li cupped his fist in a calm salute after cast his gaze around the booth.

  This was an antiquated room that was over 100 feet in size, and there were two beings sitting beside a table in there.

  One of them was Duan Tianren, while the other was a Crystal Race beauty who appeared to be in her thirties, and she was at the early-Body Integration Stage.

  The female voice that Han Li had heard earlier undoubtedly belonged to this woman.

  "No need for excessive formalities, Fellow Daoist Li, please take a seat," the woman said with a smile.

  Meanwhile, Duan Tianren was pouring wine directly into his mouth from a pink wine flagon, and he showed no sign of stopping even as he glanced at Han Li out of the corner of his eye.

  Even for Han Li, who very rarely consumed alcoholic beverages, the rich fragrant aroma emanating from the wine was quite tempting.

  Thus, after extending another respectful salute, Han Li took a seat on one of the other chairs in the booth.

  At this moment, the woman turned to appraise Han Li, and he could sense that her gaze paused momentarily when it traveled to his sleeve.

  It appeared that Duan Tianren had to have told her something.

  Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, and he felt as if he had landed himself in a lot of hot water. All of the Crystal beings were extremely intelligent, and high-grade Crystal beings that could cultivate to the Body Integration Stage were all supremely prodigious beings.

  As such, it wouldn't be easy to try and swindle these two.

  Duan Tianren finally finished the contents of the entire wine flagon before wiping his mouth with his sleeve as he said, "Alright, he's here, and I've told you everything
I need to tell you. The rest is up to you now, Fairy Cai. I'm just a thick-skulled idiot, so using my brain certainly isn't my forte, but I have to get the biggest share out of the things that we obtain in the end."

  "There's no rush, Brother Duan. I've only heard a verbal account from you, so I have to verify the specific details for myself," the woman said with a smile.

  "You can do whatever you want. In any case, I've verified it in person, and I'm sure it's real. By the way, your Nine Fragrance Spirit Wine is becoming more and more delectable by the day; get me another flagon, will you?" Duan Tianren waved the empty wine flagon in his hand in a demanding manner.

  "Do you really think my Rich Aroma Pavilion is a pub, Brother Duan? It takes 100 years just to brew around 10 jugs of this Nine Aroma Spirit Wine, and you've already drunk three flagons. Next time you come here, I can only bring out some ordinary spirit wine for you." The woman rolled her eyes at Duan Tianren, but she still complied in the end. A green wine jug appeared in her hands amid a flash of spiritual light, and she refilled the pink wine flagon in Duan Tianren's hand.

  "Haha, that's because you're the only one in Cloud City who knows how to brew this wine. I've asked to purchase the brewing method from you on several occasions, but you refuse to sell it to me. It really is quite strange how you're able to brew the finest spirit wine in the entire Cloud City when you don't even drink wine yourself," Duan Tianren said with an amused smile after downing another large mouthful of wine.

  "I never proclaimed that my wine is the best in Cloud City; this is merely an honorary title given to me by other fellow Daoists. On top of that, I'm not refusing to give you the brewing method because I'm stingy. Instead, it's because the brewing method is closely related to the cultivation arts that I'm using, so you wouldn't be able to brew this Nine Aroma Spirit Wine even if I were to give you the method," the woman chuckled.

  Duan Tianren merely smiled in response before continuing to chug down wine without offering a reply.

  Meanwhile, the woman flipped a hand over to produce a fist-sized golden cup, which she filled with wine from her jug before offering it to Han Li.