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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Yue Zong drew a sharp breath upon seeing this, and he immediately flew out of the cave as a streak of white light.

  However, as soon as he emerged outside, his expression darkened significantly as he found himself standing directly before a silver-armored man with an extremely cold and aloof expression.

  It was the foreign being with the Gui surname with whom he'd been in conflict earlier.

  Yue Zong's heart sank, but he forced a smile onto his face as he asked, "I didn't expect to see you here, Senior; I thought some other devilish beast had appeared in the area. Do you have some business with me, Senior?"

  The silver-armored man appraised Yue Zong in a cold manner for a long while without saying anything before finally replying, "Where are the others?"

  "Others? There are no other people here aside from myself, Senior," Yue Zong replied in a relatively calm manner.

  "Is that so? In that case, I'll send you on your way!" Crimson light flashed past the silver-armored man's face as a vicious look surfaced in his eyes.

  Yue Zong's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he immediately hurled the box in his hand toward the silver-armored man. Immediately thereafter, spiritual light flashed from within his sleeves, and several tens of talismans of different colors shot forth from within. At the same time, he opened his mouth to blast forth a white jade badge.

  The strange insect flew out of the box and swelled to around 10 feet in size before slithering toward the silver-armored being like a white snake. Meanwhile, the talismans all exploded into balls of light of different colors, while the jade badge transformed into a cloud of white mist amid a dull thump, covering an area of around an acre and enshrouding the silver-armored man within.

  As for Yue Zong himself, white light flashed beneath his feet as a pair of white wheels appeared, and his body swayed as he disappeared on the spot, only to reappear over 100 feet away from the cloud of white mist.

  After that, he fled the scene as a streak of white light. The silver-armored being chuckled coldly upon seeing this before suddenly laying a hand on the top of his own head, and his body blurred before manifesting three identical avatars.

  One of the avatars raised both arms into the air, and they transformed into a pair of crimson ghostly hands with sharp fingers and black Qi revolving around them. The pair of hands grabbed onto the oncoming giant insect, then clenched together tightly, and the 10 fingers tore the insect into several segments as if they were sharp blades.

  Another avatar abruptly opened his mouth to expel a burst of crimson light, which swept up all of the oncoming balls of light in a frenzy.

  After that, the avatar inhaled violently, and the crimson light flashed as all of the balls of light were sucked into his stomach, along with a small portion of the white mist nearby.

  As for the final avatar, silver light flashed through his eyes, and he suddenly transformed into a silver wyrm that shot forth through the air.

  After just a single flash, the silver wyrm appeared in the air above Yue Zong as if by instantaneous teleportation, then whipped its tail before grabbing downward with its massive claws in a menacing manner.

  Yue Zong's face paled significantly upon seeing this, but he naturally wasn't going to just allow himself to be killed. A resounding boom erupted from his body, following which a pair of white bone flying swords short forth from within.

  The flying swords had lightning flashing along their surfaces, and they appeared to be quite powerful as they swept toward the oncoming claws in a criss-cross formation.

  The bone swords were able to keep the massive claws at bay for a split second, but they were then immediately shattered into two clean halves in the face of the enormous force being exerted upon them.

  Yue Zong took advantage of this opportunity to expel a ball of blood essence that enshrouded his two feet, looking as if he were planning to use some kind of movement technique to aid him in his escape.

  However, a cold light flashed through the silver wyrm's eyes, and it opened its mouth to expel a crimson bead amid a clear ringing sound.

  The bead rotated on the spot before suddenly emitting a vast expanse of dark crimson light, which caught Yue Zong completely off guard and instantly inundated his body.

  He then essentially disintegrated into a puddle of blood before being gobble up by the silver wyrm.

  Immediately thereafter, the silvery wyrm circled around while the other two avatars also rose into the air to meet it.

  The three avatars then combined in one in an instant to form that silver-robed being again.

  However, he currently wore a contemplative look on his face, as if he were in deep thought about something.

  "Those beings also appeared in this place; could it be that they're after that as well? But there shouldn't be anyone else aware of that thing, unless they're like me... Hmph! In any case, only I have a right to obtain that thing; I'll kill anyone who dares to stand in my way!" the man murmured to himself with a ferocious look in his eyes.

  All of a sudden, he turned toward a certain direction, and yelled, "Who's there? Come out right now!"

  However, nothing emerged from that direction.

  The man's expression darkened as he abruptly raised a hand to hurl a silver flying saber through the air, and silver light flashed before a series of saber projections instantly descended upon that spot.

  Chapter 1629: Different Agendas

  However, even after all of the saber projections converged toward that spot, nothing was revealed to be there.

  A hint of surprise flashed through the silver-armored man's face upon seeing this, and a hint of confusion appeared on his face. After contemplating the situation for a moment, he let loose a cold harrumph before making a hand seal.

  The silver flying dagger immediately returned to him as he behest before disappearing up his sleeve in a flash. After that, the man flew away as a streak of azure light, and complete silence returned to the area with the exception of the sound of a few gusts of gentle breeze blowing past.

  Some time later, faint silver light flashed in the air, and a petite humanoid figure appeared.

  This was a being who resembled a beautiful woman with a pair of pointy ears; it was none other than the devilish beast, Jiu Ye.

  She looked on toward the direction that the silver-armored being had departed, and her brows furrowed as she murmured to herself, "Who was that? He's not the one who killed the young master, but he's quite powerful nonetheless. If it weren't for the fact that I used a secret technique to move my aura elsewhere in advance, I most likely wouldn't have been able to fool him. These outsiders are all far too powerful for me to deal with alone; I have to call for some reinforcements."

  As soon as her voice trailed off, the woman tore off a small tuft of fur from her tail before chanting something, then raising her hand up into the air.

  These strands of fur transformed into thin streaks of silver light that flew through the air before disappearing into the distance after just a few flashes.

  The woman's expression eased slightly upon seeing this, and she then cast a hesitant gaze toward the mountain ranges where Han Li and the silver-armored being had disappeared before heaving a faint sigh.

  She made a hand seal, and her body blurred within the silver light again before vanishing into nothingness.

  ...

  Meanwhile, Han Li was following the Devilish Smoke Bird as he slowly traversed through the dense black mist.

  The bird was chirping urgently from time to time as if it were urging him to pick up the speed, but Han Li merely ignored it and continued at his own leisurely pace.

  Thus, the Devilish Smoke Bird had no choice but to slow down to accommodate his speed as it led him further on ahead.

  The devilish Qi in the surrounding area was dense to the extreme, to the extent that one couldn't even see their five fingers if they were to hold their hand up in front of their face. It was as if this were the darkest pits of hell.

  However,
with the golden light that was flashing from Han Li's body and the blue light that was shimmering in his eyes, he was able to see everything in the surrounding area with great clarity.

  At this moment, he was currently situated in a massive square passageway.

  The passageway was over 100 feet in both length and width, and the four surfaces were all paved with a type of inky-black rock material that he'd never seen before.

  The dense devilish Qi in the passageway was pouring out incessantly from none other than those rocks, and Han Li was quite curious about just what they were.

  If it weren't for the fact that a restriction could've potentially been cast onto these walls, he would've chipped off a few of the black rocks for further examination.

  This passageway wasn't just a singular one. Instead, it was part of a system of passageways that spread throughout the entire belly of the mountain like a maze, and the further one progressed, the deeper underground they went.

  Thus, time passed by slowly.

  It hadn't taken the Devilish Smoke Bird long to make a return trip last time, but Han Li had already been walking for quite a while, and there were still no signs to suggest that he was close to reaching the end.

  This made Han Li develop a sense of distrust and animosity toward the black bird.

  The Devilish Smoke Bird seemed to have also sensed Han Li's discontent, but it couldn't do anything aside from continuing onward. After forging ahead for a while longer, the Devilish Smoke Bird suddenly stopped up ahead, just as Han Li was contemplating turning back.

  Han Li's heart stirred upon seeing this, and he focused his gaze up ahead to find that the devilish Qi there seemed to have thinned out significantly. Furthermore, there was a massive exit that was shimmering with white light right before his eyes.

  Han Li's expression finally eased slightly, and he took a deep breath before suddenly gesturing toward the Devilish Smoke Bird.

  The bird had a wisp of Xian Xian's spiritual sense within its body, so it was naturally quite intelligent, and a hint of confusion appeared in its eyes upon seeing this. However, after a brief hesitation, it still flew obediently toward Han Li.

  As soon as the bird reached the air above Han Li's head, he suddenly swept a sleeve upward, and a swath of grey light erupted forth like lightning before sweeping up the hapless bird in a flash.

  The Devilish Smoke Bird was naturally quite stunned by this development, and it opened its beak to try and cry out.

  However, its voice was naturally unable to escape through the Divine Essencefused Light around it.

  At this moment, Han Li pointed a finger up ahead in a calm manner, and azure light flashed from his fingertip as an azure rune struck the immobilized Devilish Smoke Bird's body.

  Azure light then swirled all over the entire bird before it disappeared within the grey light in a flash.

  After doing all that, Han Li dusted off his hands as a faint smile appeared on his face.

  However, in the next instant, he cast his gaze toward the exit, and a grim expression surfaced in his eyes.

  He suddenly opened his mouth to expel a ball of silver flames, which transformed into a silver Fire Raven in a flash.

  The Fire Raven flew around Han Li a few times before disappearing without a trace into a nearby wall.

  After that, Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, and 72 small golden swords also shot forth in a soundless manner.

  These flying swords circled around in the air at Han Li's behest, then transformed into countless azure lotus flowers that appeared all over the passageway, only to disappear like soap bubbles in the next instant.

  After doing all that, Han Li paused momentarily before flipping a hand to produce two silver talismans. The talismans shot forth toward the ground below before transforming into a pair of faint golden shadows that disappeared underground.

  Those were none other than his two Armor Origin Talismans.

  What he was about to face was a Body Integration Stage Devilish Beast, and even though it had sustained severe injuries, Han Li still didn't dare to grow complacent in the slightest.

  Prior to making this journey, he had specifically refined some beveled silver talismans to take with him.

  The materials required to refine these talismans were all extremely precious, but in a super city like Cloud City, it was naturally possible to gather those materials as long as he had sufficient spirit stones.

  After making all of those preparations, a cold light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and plastered a purple talisman onto his own body.

  Brilliant silver light flashed, and a ball of purple mist permeated forth, following which Han Li's body disappeared amid a flash of silver runes.

  As a safety precaution, he decided to use a High Zenith Invisibility Talisman as well.

  After that, Han Li's insubstantial body drifted toward the exit as if he really were about to try and slay the holy-grade devilish beast.

  ...

  Outside the mountain, Xian Xian let loose a cry of surprise in the instant that Han Li cast a restriction on the Devilish Smoke Bird.

  The azure Kirin projection was rather startled by this, and it hurriedly raised its head as it asked, "What happened?"

  Xian Xian exhaled with a hesitant look on her face as she replied, "My Devilish Smoke Bird has been restricted by that person."

  "What? Why would he do that? Could it be that he's already noticed something?" the Kirin projection asked with furrowed brows.

  "It's unlikely that he's noticed something. Perhaps he's simply very cautious in nature and doesn't wish for us to be able to conduct surveillance on him while he battles the holy-grade devilish beast," Xian Xian replied in an unconvincing voice.

  "In that case, things are a little troublesome for us. We don't know what's going on in there, so we won't be able to go in at the ideal opportunity," the Kirin projection said in a dark voice with a frustrated swipe of its tail.

  "I'm naturally aware of that as well, but we have no choice. Regardless of what's happening in there, let's go in right away as well. No matter how powerful he is, he's still just an upper race being, so there's no way that he'll be able to kill a holy-grade devilish beast anytime soon. In any case, we'll have enough time to open the true spirit cave," Xian Xian decided as she gritted her teeth.

  "Looks like that's our only choice. Let's go!" The Kirin projection also quickly nodded in response.

  Thus, Xian Xian flipped a hand over to produce a triangular badge.

  The badge was entirely black in color, and there was a black Kirin image on one side, while several silver runes had been inscribed onto the other side.

  "It's a pity that we have to use up this Devilish Kirin Badge. I had to go to great lengths to gather the materials, and I failed on many occasions before I finally managed to refine this one," Xian Xian mused as she stroked the badge in a wistful manner.

  "No matter how precious that badge is, it can't compare with the things that lie in the true spirit cave. Only with that thing will you be able to avoid being rejected by the devilish Qi in the cave, thereby allowing you to infiltrate with ease. With that Han brat holding off the holy-grade devilish beast for you, even if it notices that something's amiss, it won't be able to stop you from opening the true spirit cave," the Kirin projection urged.

  "Even so, this is a disposable item, and it's a huge waste to use it solely for aura concealment," Xian Xian sighed with a wry smile.

  The Kirin projection rolled its eyes upon hearing this, and it was just about to say something when Xian Xian's expression abruptly changed as she tossed the badge in her hand into the air.

  The badge rotated in mid-air, and fierce gusts of black winds were suddenly swept up.

  These gust winds were extremely unsettling as a disconcerting low roar could be heard emanating from them, as if there were a giant beast lurking within them.

  Xian Xian's expression darkened as she made one hand seal after another while raising her other wrist, then opening her mouth
to expel a small azure sword.

  The sword revolved around her wrist as a streak of azure light, then flew back into her mouth, and a large amount of blood essence immediately gushed out of the gash that had just been inflicted on her wrist.

  "Go!" Xian Xian let loose a low cry.

  The blood essence instantly converged to form a fist-sized crimson ball before flying straight toward the gusts of fierce black winds.

  Strangely enough, after the ball of blood disappeared into the black winds, not only did the unsettling roaring come to an abrupt halt, even the ferocious winds themselves gradually abated.

  In the end, the black winds vanished in a flash, but an inky-black Kirin that was around 10 feet in length had appeared in their place.

  Chapter 1630: Sneak Attack

  The Kirin had black light flashing all over its body, and it was only an extremely blurry and indistinct projection.

  However, even in the face of a mere projection, Xian Xian was carrying herself in an extremely careful manner. She pointed a finger into the air several times to conjure up one black rune after another, all of which disappeared into the black Kirin.

  The vicious light in the eyes of the menacing black Kirin instantly subsided as a result, and in the end, it transformed into a ball of black light that hurtled through the air, encapsulating both the azure Kirin projection and Xian Xian within the black light.

  "It's a good thing that I still remember where this Kirin perished, so we were able to use a hint of residual corpse Qi from its remains to refine this treasure. Due to the fact that the two of us are interconnected, you also possess the aura of a Kirin within your body. Otherwise, not only would you have been unable to use this treasure, you would've suffered backlash from it as well," the azure Kirin projection chuckled.

  "That's why I didn't want to part with this treasure. In a dire situation, this treasure could save my life," Xian Xian lamented with a wry smile.

  However, after her voice fell, she didn't hesitate any longer as her body swayed, and she disappeared into the devilish Qi while enveloped by black light.