However, right at this moment, a film of grey light suddenly appeared over one of the smooth mountain faces nearby, following which a sinister face that was over 100 feet in size appeared on the mountain face.
The face opened its cavernous mouth, and a burst of yellow light swept forth from within in a frenzy, drawing the white streak of light into the mouth.
Immediately thereafter, the massive mouth swung shut, and a gargantuan body that was as tall as a multistory building slowly emerged from the mountain peak. This was a devilish beast with a gigantic head and a body that resembled a toad.
The devilish beast's entire body was grey and completely smooth, and just its huge head alone took up half of its body, thereby giving it an extremely strange appearance.
However, regardless of how peculiar its appearance, its gargantuan size made it extremely terrifying to behold.
Right at this moment, a humanoid figure that was around 30 to 40 feet tall also slowly flew out of one of the mountain peaks.
Upon closer inspection, one would discover that this humanoid figure was a man with large eyes and bushy eyebrows, contributing to a simple and honest appearance. The man wore a suit of azure armor, and there was a pair of black fleshy wings on his back that were flapping incessantly.
Those wings were extremely massive, and when fully extended, the wingspan stretched to several hundred feet. There was not even a single strand of fur or hair on those wings, but they were filled with silver runes that were flashing erratically.
Looking at them from afar, the wings seemed to be shimmering with a starry light, thereby giving them an extremely mysterious appearance.
As soon as the humanoid figure emerged, the giant toad-liked beast asked, "Master Tie Mo, those were just a pair of Spirit Realm beings; why did we go to the trouble of ambushing them?"
"No particular reason. It's just that it's been a long time since any beings have dared to venture into these mountain ranges, and I found it to be quite strange that these two beings would suddenly appear here. This is a critical juncture in the matriarch's awakening, so I don't want to see any mishaps taking place during this time. If there are any volatile factors that present themselves, we have to take care of them immediately," the winged being replied in an indifferent manner.
"I think you're overthinking things, Master. According to the agreement our matriarch made with those top-grade beings from the Spirit Realm, this time period coincides with the one-month period during which Spirit Realm beings are permitted to enter our mountain ranges, so it's no surprise that some people would appear here," the giant toad beast replied.
"Alright, Ju Chu, hurry up and use your soul-devouring technique to digest the soul of the being that you just swallowed. I want to know if they're actually just normal devilish beast hunters," the winged being instructed in a cold voice.
"Yes, Master." At the sight of the hint of impatience that had appeared on the man's face, the giant toad beast didn't dare to say anything further as it immediately closed its eyes.
All of a sudden, a layer of five-colored light began to swirl around its massive body. At the same time, a series of black runes appeared in the nearby air before also rapidly revolving around it.
After around 10 minutes, the giant toad beast let loose a loud cry, and all of the black runes disappeared into its body before it reopened its eyes.
"Master, I've ascertained the reason why they've entered these mountain ranges; they're searching for a wounded immortal zoysia," Ju Chu reported in a slightly peculiar voice, clearly a little taken aback by its findings.
"Immortal zoysia? What's that?" the giant winged man manner asked in a perplexed manner.
"It's a sentient spirit zoysia that can adopt a human form," Ju Chu explained.
"A spirit zoysia that can adopt a human form? Is that true?" The giant winged man shuddered upon hearing this before an elated look appeared on his face.
"I've already completely digested that being's soul, so this information is definitely accurate. Are you interested in such a thing as well, Master?" Ju Chu scratched its head with a massive hand in a befuddled manner.
"Hehe, you know about the humanoid devilish spirit of our Elder Devil Realm, right? This immortal zoysia has the same function," the winged man explained with excitement shimmering in his eyes.
Chapter 1623: Silver Wyrm, Strange Insect
"It's comparable to a humanoid devilish spirit? No wonder these people have ventured into these mountain ranges; they're most likely all here to try and capture it. Wait, but these people don't actually know how to use the spirit zoysia!" Ju Chu exclaimed.
After pausing for a moment, the giant winged man instructed in a cold voice, "In any case, we definitely can't let something so precious fall into their hands, but I can't afford to delay here either as our patriarch's emergence from seclusion is imminent. As such, I'll leave this to you. Go and gather a horde of devilish beasts and track down that immortal zoysia for me. They're much more familiar with these mountain ranges, so they'll definitely be able to find the immortal zoysia ahead of those outsiders. However, you have to remember to act discreetly so Duo Yan and Xue Bi's subordinates don't notice what you're doing. Also, kill all of the Spirit Realm beings that you encounter. We did make an agreement with those top-grade beings of the Spirit Realm, but as long we don't leave these mountain ranges en masse, they can't do anything to us just because a few people go missing in here."
"Alright, then I'll go back immediately. These beings have some treasures that can track the immortal zoysia, and even though it's only effective within a radius of 50 kilometers, we should have a better chance of finding the immortal zoysia if we manage to take all of those treasures. The other person's treasure had already been destroyed, but the treasure belonging to the being that I swallowed is still intact; I'll give that one to you, Master." Ju Chuu nodded before opening its mouth to expel a formation plate that was shimmering with faint spiritual light.
The winged being was quite elated to hear this, and he raised a hand to draw the formation plate into his grasp as he said, "I see. In that case, we really do have to kill all of the Spirit Realm beings in here. Otherwise, they'll constantly be competing with us to get their hands on the immortal zoysia first. You can go now."
"Yes, Master!" Ju Chu replied in a respectful manner before suddenly descending into the sea of mist down below, quickly disappearing in a soundless manner.
Meanwhile, the winged being stowed the formation plate away before flapping his wings and flying away as a streak of black light.
Two days later, two groups of foreign beings were hurtling through the air one after another over a strange area that was filled with massive trees that were each several tens of feet in length.
The group up ahead was flying through the air atop a yellow spirit ark that was around 30 to 40 feet in length. Their group consisted of three beings, all of whom were blue-robed men. One of them was seated with his legs crossed in a completely motionless manner, seemingly having sustained severe injuries, while the other two had spiritual light flashing erratically around their bodies as they injected their magic power into the spirit ark with all their might.
They were being pursued by a strange conical flying carriage that was entirely crimson in color. The carriage had been enshrouded within a ball of grey Qi, and ghostly shadows could be seen flashing indistinctly within.
There was only one humanoid figure on the flying carriage who was wearing a suit of silver armor that was riddled with extremely eye-catching sharp crimson spikes.
It was none other than the man with the Gui surname who had almost attacked Han Li in the Lightning Cloud Pavilion.
The man had his arms crossed as he looked on expressionlessly at the fleeing spirit ark with a hint of bloodlust flashing through his eyes.
The two groups flew through the air one after another, covering a distance of several tens of kilometers in the blink of an eye.
However, the silver-armored being clearly
held the advantage both in the caliber of his flying treasure and his magic power, so it only took a few moments for his flying carriage to close the gap significantly.
In his desperation, one of the people on the spirit ark turned around, and yelled, "Why do you insist on hunting us down, Fellow Daoist? The three of us haven't wronged you in any way, and we're willing to hand over our tracking plates and exit these mountain ranges if you let us go!"
"Let you go? Of course I can do that. Hand over your blood and souls to me, and I'd be more than happy to let you go!" the silver-armored man replied in a completely emotionless manner, and even though his voice wasn't very loud, it was clearly audible even from so far away.
"You really are an abhorrent being!" the blue-robed man who had just spoken cursed in an enraged voice.
Thus, the chase continued, and the three blue-robed beings were becoming more and more panicked by the second. The two beings who were uninjured were already coughing up mouthfuls of blood essence to forcibly stimulate their latent potential, and even the wounded being was forced to inject his spiritual power into the spirit ark as opposed to focusing on recovery.
Thus, the spirit ark accelerated drastically, making it slightly faster than the flying carriage behind him.
However, before the three of them even had a chance to celebrate this positive development, the silver-armored being chuckled coldly as brilliant silver light suddenly erupted from his suit of armor. He then made a hand seal before abruptly stomping a foot onto his flying carriage, upon which an incredible turn of events unfolded.
The grey Qi around the crimson flying carriage tumbled and surged violently before transforming into a massive cloud that was several acres in size, following which a dragon's roar erupted from within.
The three blue-robed beings all turned to examine the situation behind them with shock etched on their faces, and the sight that they were greeted by had them completely petrified.
Just as they were turning around, crimson light flashed within the massive cloud, following which a silver wyrm emerged from within before disappearing in a flash. In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted above the spirit ark, and the wyrm appeared out of thin air before swooping down in a vicious manner.
The three blue-robed beings were all stunned by this sudden development, but they reacted quite quickly as they made hand seals and raised their hands up into the air, summoning seven or eight treasures in an instant, all of which flew up to attack the silver wyrm.
In response, crimson light flashed from the wyrm's demonic eyes, and it opened its mouth to expel a crimson bead amid a crisp ringing sound.
The bead rotated in the air before suddenly releasing a vast expanse of dark crimson light, and all of the treasures that were struck by this light plummeted from the sky amid wails of anguish.
The crimson light continued downward, and the spirit ark had a yellow protective barrier around it, but that was instantly melted away by the crimson light like a thin layer of ice under the scorching sun.
Immediately thereafter, crimson light flashed before enveloping all three of the beings on the spirit ark amid bloodcurdling cries of agony.
In the blink of an eye, the three layers of protective spiritual light around the blue-robed being's bodies disintegrated along with their flesh and bones in a flash, reducing them to three fist-sized balls of blood.
The silver wyrm opened its mouth and a swath of crimson light swept forth, drawing the balls of blood into its stomach.
At this moment, spiritual light flashed around the silver wyrm's body, and it took on a human form; it was none other than the man with the Gui surname.
He raised a hand with a cold expression to wipe away the faint trace of blood on the corner of his lips, then cast his gaze deep into the ranges. Following a brief pause, he departed as a streak of crimson light.
...
Elsewhere in the mountain ranges, there was a vast expanse of murky white mist to which there seemed to be no end. Compared to the grey devilish Qi and the black mist everywhere else, this stretch of white mist stood out like a sore thumb.
Han Li's trio was currently hovering before this stretch of white mist in silence with contrasting expressions on their faces.
"Do we have to go through here? Can't we go around it?" Xian Xian asked.
"I'm afraid not. In order to avoid that swarm of devilish wasps that appeared a few days ago, we already had to take a detour that wasted an extra two days. If we take another detour here, we won't be able to make it in time," Yue Zong replied with a furrowed brows.
"But according to what you said earlier, there has never been any mist in this place, so this situation is really quite unsettling," Xian Xian sighed.
"It's not just unsettling; there are most likely powerful devilish beasts lurking in this mist or perhaps this mist was conjured up by a certain devilish beast," Han Li remarked in a solemn voice.
"With you on our side, even high-grade devilish beasts are nothing to fear," Xian Xian chuckled as she turned to Han Li.
"You're rating me far too highly, Fairy Xian. If there were only one or two devilish beasts in there, then I'd naturally be able to take care of them with no issues, but if there's a pack of them lurking in this mist, then I'll only be able to ensure self-preservation at most," Han Li replied with a calm shake of his head.
"How could there possibly be a pack of devilish beasts in there? There are very few high-grade devilish beasts that are pack-dwelling creatures," Xian Xian countered with a slightly forced smile.
"That's not necessarily the case. This stretch of mist may be thin, but it's extremely vast in area, so it doesn't look like something that can be conjured up by just one or two devilish beasts. There's either an immensely powerful devilish beast in there or a pack of high-grade devilish beasts lurking within," Yue Zong disagreed.
Xian Xian's smile faded upon hearing this, and only after a brief silence did she ask, "So what do you two want to do? Are you planning to turn back?"
"We don't have to go that far, but what I'm saying is that we have to take extra care in there. If we encounter some dangers, it'll always be better to be prepared. If there really are beings in there that are too powerful for us to oppose, then we'll have no choice but to turn back," Han Li said with a smile.
Xian Xian's expression eased upon hearing this, but Yue Zong displayed the opposite reaction as he asked, "Have you decided to enter this mist as well, Senior Han?"
"That's right. This trip is also very important for me, so I won't turn back unless there's a very convincing reason for it. Are you thinking about turning back, Fellow Daoist Yue?" Han Li asked as he cast his gaze toward Yue Zong.
Yue Zong hesitated for a long while before finally gritting his teeth as he said, "You saved me from those two beings earlier, so I owe you a great debt. If you're going to enter this place, then I'll accompany you, even if it means risking my life."
Han Li merely smiled upon hearing this and didn't say anything in reply.
Xian Xian also smiled, and said, "Seeing as both of you have made your decisions, then let's go in. If we encounter some powerful devilish beasts in there, don't worry about me. My cultivation base may be quite lackluster, but I have some trump cards that will save me in perilous situations, so I can look after myself."
"In that case, I have even fewer qualms about continuing onward," Han Li chuckled before leading the way as he flew into the mist as a streak of azure light.
With his current powers, he'd be able to save himself even if he were to encounter a holy-grade devilish beast, so he wasn't actually overly concerned about this thin mist.
Xian Xian and Yue Zong exchanged a glance before following along close behind him.
The azure streak of light flew through the at low altitudes in an unhurried manner. Within the streak of light, Han Li was constantly surveying his surroundings with blue light flashing within his eyes.
At this point, he had already activated his spirit eye ability to its
maximal extent, and at the same time, there was a small translucent shield that was slowly revolving around his body with barely visible runes flashing on its surface.
This was none other than the crystalline shield that he'd forged from the materials obtained after slaying that monstrous moth. In such a perilous place, he certainly wasn't going to hold back his defensive treasures. Yue Zong was flying along behind him with a pair of wheels under his feet, and he'd summoned a strange grey box.
After unlidding the box, a strange insect with silver dots all over its white and chubby body was revealed.
The insect bore a close resemblance to a silkworm, but there was a peculiar ghost face pattern on the top of its head, and the pattern was extremely life-like, as if it were a living creature.
Chapter 1624: Human-faced Vultures
As for Xian Xian, she was still enveloped within a ball of golden light, but eight palm-sized copper mirrors had appeared outside the golden light, and were revolving around her body.
These mirrors had antiquated patterns on their backs while their mirror surfaces were shimmering with a cold light.
Aside from these treasures, the two of them were also holding other things with their hands concealed up their sleeves.
It was quite clear that the two of them were also aware that this misty area was potentially quite a perilous place, and they'd both made some preparations.
Even Han Li was holding several azure lightning beads in one of his hands that was hidden up his sleeve. If they were to encounter any powerful enemies, he'd be able to immediately attack them with these lightning beads.
The murky white mist around them was similar in nature to normal devilish Qi, but it was naturally a lot less potent than the black sea of mist down below.
At the very least, they didn't have to worry about devilfication for the time being.
However, Han Li's spirit eye ability was also greatly restricted here, cutting visibility down to only around 500 meters.
As such, even though Han Li appeared to be quite calm, he didn't dare to grow complacent in the slightest. At the same time as he was scanning his gaze throughout the surrounding area, he had also released his spiritual sense to encompass an area with a radius of several hundred feet in case any devilish beasts proficient in concealment were to try and approach him.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 924