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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Otherwise, if these beetles were to exploit a chink in its armor and burrow into its body, it would be in a lot of trouble.

  However, none of this was what Han Li's attention was focused on at the moment.

  Instead, his gaze had fallen upon a shimmering object that was hovering before the giant ape. This was a segment of a blade that was around half a foot in length.

  The top half of the blade was nowhere to be seen, and it was shimmering with purple light. The entire segment of the blade was semi-transparent, and there seemed to be something moving around incessantly within it.

  Han Li's eyes narrowed as he focused his gaze on the object within the purple blade, quickly discovering that it was a creature that resembled both a wyrm, yet also a phoenix.

  At first glance, this creature bore a slight resemblance to the winged wyrms of the Jiao Chi Race, but upon closer inspection, one would find that they were completely different.

  Even though both had massive wings and bodies that were similar to wyrms, this creature's wings were covered in purple scales and were devoid of any fur. Furthermore, this creature had two pairs of wings as opposed to one, with one pair being bigger than the other.

  What was even more eye-catching was the remarkably long golden horn that was growing on its nose, which gave the creature a rather comical appearance.

  However, laughing was the last thing on Han Li's mind as his pupils contracted drastically.

  Every time the unknown creature moved, the blade would move as well, and the enormous spiritual pressure emanating from it was quite astonishing, even to Han Li.

  This was a damaged blade, yet it still possessed such astonishing spiritual pressure. If it were fully intact, it would be an insanely powerful weapon.

  It appeared that even though the holy-grade devilish beast had been severely wounded, these extraordinary treasures in its possession made it quite a difficult opponent to face.

  Just as these thoughts were racing through Han Li's mind, the cackling coming from within the purple suit of armor drew to an abrupt halt, and black Qi flashed from the suit of armor before the giant ape stood up on the bed, then strode down from it in a wobbly manner.

  Han Li's lips twitched as he suddenly made a grabbing motion, and countless pea-sized balls of silver flames appeared out of thin air around the devilish ape before raining down upon it in a torrential downpour.

  At the same time, spiritual light flashed from the walls of the hall, following which hundreds of talismans emerged before abruptly vanishing.

  A shimmering silver light formation appeared in the air above the giant ape, and a massive palatial projection surfaced within the silver light, as if the giant ape had been teleported to an ethereal realm.

  The entire palace was shimmering with silver light, and countless runes were dancing around it while delightful heavenly music was emanating from within.

  However, if one were to focus on the music and really try to listen to it, the music would suddenly fade.

  This was the Nine Palaces Heavenly Talismans, and the light formation rotated on the spot before blasting forth a pillar of silver light.

  In the blink of an eye, two attacks had reached the devilish ape, yet it made no effort to take evasive measures.

  A burst of cackling rang out from behind the visor yet again, and it merely clenched a fist before swiping an arm through the air.

  A burst of black Qi immediately erupted from its body amid a resounding boom, and all of the oncoming balls of silver flames were instantly snuffed out.

  The pillar of silver light descending from above was also stalled and prevented from traveling downward any further by the wave of black Qi.

  Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this, and he immediately made a hand seal.

  The heavenly music within the light formation instantly increased in volume while the palatial projection swelled to several times its original size, then plummeted directly toward the devilish ape from the light formation.

  The palatial projection was extremely life-like, and it was emanating an astonishing aura of superiority.

  The devilish ape raised its head to look up at the projection, following which the blade segment before it moved slightly, sending a thin and long purple streak slashing through the air.

  The purple light flashed past, and both the palatial projection, as well as the light formation up above, were both sliced in half before disappearing in a flash.

  Han Li's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, yet before he had a chance to do anything else, the blade segment suddenly aimed itself at Han Li before moving slightly again.

  Another purple streak appeared before his eyes, and at the same time, the seemingly slow and sluggish devilish ape's body blurred as it abruptly disappeared on the spot.

  In the next instant, purple light flashed, and the armored ape appeared beside Han Li before launching a massive fist directly at his head.

  There were two light barriers around Han Li's body, yet his ears were still struck by a ringing sensation even before the fist had made contact. An invisible soundwave had pierced through the light barriers before hurtling directly into his ears.

  "Crack!"

  "Boom!"

  Two different sounds rang out from within the hall almost in unison, and the purple streak flashed past while a powerful soundwave swept over the spot where Han Li was standing.

  Chapter 1632: Cave Spirit

  Just as Han Li and the holy-grade devilish ape were engaged in direct combat, Xian Xian and the azure Kirin projection had stopped before a black light barrier.

  Over 100 feet up ahead stood an inky-black stone wall, and this was already the end of the passageway, so there was no way to progress any further.

  The Kirin projection hesitated momentarily before confirming, "This should be the place!"

  "You better make sure this is the right place! The formation flags used to open the spirit cave are disposable objects, and I've only barely managed to refine one set," Xian Xian said in a cautious manner.

  The Kirin projection cocked its head to the side in contemplation for a short while before nodding in agreement. "You're right, it's better to be safe than sorry. Wait for me for a moment."

  It then opened its mouth to expel an azure bead.

  The bead rotated on the spot before suddenly transforming into a burst of azure light that swept toward the stone wall up ahead.

  A peculiar scene then ensued.

  After the azure light disappeared into the stone wall, a low whistling sound suddenly rang out from within the stone wall mere moments later. Immediately thereafter, black light flashed from the stone wall, and the azure light was repelled out of it by some kind of immense force.

  Spiritual light flashed, and the azure light converged to form a bead again.

  "There's no mistaking it; this is definitely the place!" the azure Kirin projection said in an excited manner as it swallowed the bead again.

  After receiving confirmation from the miniature Kirin, Xian Xian was also ecstatic, and she said, "Alright, I'll set up the formation to open the spirit cave right away."

  Thus, she flipped a hand over, and a stack of azure formation flags that she'd prepared earlier appeared over her palm.

  These formation flags appeared to be rather mundane, but upon closer inspection, one would discover that there thin golden and silver lines embedded deep into the formation flags like layers of cobwebs.

  Xian Xian flicked a wrist, and several tens of streaks of azure light shot forth before pausing mid-flight, then abruptly converging toward the center.

  In the blink of an eye, an azure formation that was several tens of feet in size appeared before disappearing into the stone wall up ahead in a flash.

  However, the stone wall displayed no reaction, as if nothing had happened.

  Xian Xian seemed to have known this would happen in advance, and she wasn't disheartened in the slightest as she made a grabbing motion with both hands.

>   A small blue bell appeared in one hand while a white scepter appeared in the other.

  The bell was entirely translucent with a ball of blue liquid flashing with spiritual light within it, creating quite a vibrant sight to behold. In contrast, the scepter was rather antiquated with a dull surface, and there were even some parts of it that were damaged.

  Xian Xian was clearly quite reluctant to part with these two treasures, but she still hurtled them through the air in unison.

  A ball of blue light and a ball of white light immediately flew forth at once before changing directions and suddenly crashing into one another.

  The two treasure then shattered like earthenware objects, and countless fragments shot forth in all directions.

  After the lights faded, two balls of liquid, one blue and one red, appeared in mid-air.

  A hint of greed flashed through the miniature Kirin's eyes upon seeing this, but it immediately repressed its impulsive urges.

  Even so, it still couldn't help but murmur, "The spirit blood of this Octopede Essence Beast and Undying Bird cost you virtually all of the spirit stones you've saved up in the past few centuries, and even then, you were quite lucky to have been able to purchase them. After that, they were nurtured within these two treasures for over a century. If you were to consume them as is, they'd definitely be able to cleanse your essence and widen your meridians, and even my soul will benefit greatly from it."

  "Us Crystal beings are rather different from beings of other races, so consuming true spirit bloods will benefit me far less than what you think it will. Besides, these true spirit bloods are indeed quite precious, but they can't compare with the rewards awaiting us in the true spirit cave," Xian Xian replied in a calm manner.

  "Hehe, you're not wrong there! You Crystal beings do indeed possess rather unique constitutions, so it'll benefit you far more to secure the items in the true spirit cave. Using these true spirit bloods as a key to unlock this cave is unavoidable. After all, the two of us may be interconnected, but without true spirit bloods, we won't even be able to make the cave spirit reveal itself. For beings who aren't true spirits, it's extremely difficult to open this true spirit cave," the Kirin projection agreed with a chuckle.

  Xian Xian merely smiled and offered no reply as she flicked her 10 fingers through the air in rapid succession.

  A series of incantation seals shot forth from her fingertips before disappearing into the balls of liquid in a flash.

  After absorbing these incantation seals, the two balls of liquid swirled before converging together to combine as one, thereby forming a ball of blue and red liquid.

  Xian Xian pointed a finger up ahead, and the ball flew slowly toward the stone wall.

  The same whistling sound rang out from deep within the stone wall once again, following which azure light flashed from it, and the azure formation that had disappeared into it beforehand resurfaced.

  The runes within the formation surged, and a burst of azure light flew out from within to sweep up the ball of blue and red liquid.

  Immediately thereafter, the entire formation swayed before disappearing without a trace into the stone wall again.

  A solemn expression appeared on Xian Xian's face upon seeing this, and she began to chant something while making a series of hand seals.

  On this occasion, the stone wall didn't fall silent as it did before. Instead, blue light suddenly began to swirl erratically over its surface, as if it had come alive.

  Immediately thereafter, the stone wall suddenly shattered layer by layer, following which a shimmering object flew out from within.

  This was a large face that had no other features aside from two eyes, a nose, and a large mouth, and it was impossible to tell the face's age.

  The face had its eyes closed as soon as it appeared, and it was completely still and silent.

  "Quick! Now!" the Kirin projection hurriedly urged at the sight of this face of light.

  Xian Xian also let loose a nervous cry as she made a hand seal, and the azure light formation appeared once again, only to vanish for the third time in a flash.

  Thus, the only thing that remained hovering in mid-air was the ball of blue and red liquid.

  All of a sudden, the expression on the face changed slightly, and it slowly opened its eyes as if it had been awakened by the azure light formation, revealing a pair of pupils that were as black and bright as the night sky.

  It stared at the ball of blue and red true spirit blood before suddenly swallowing it whole. Blue and red light then flashed over the entire face as it put on a content and satisfied expression.

  After taking a glance at Xian Xian, it opened its mouth, which then rapidly expanded to be around the same size as the entire face.

  Immediately thereafter, spiritual light flashed, and the face solidified into white stone. The gaping mouth also transformed into a white passageway that led downward on a sloped descent.

  "We've done it! The cave spirit is asleep; let's go in right away," the miniature Kirin exclaimed with elation.

  Xian Xian's face was also filled with unbridled excitement as she nodded before sweeping a sleeve through the air. The Kirin projection was swept up into her sleeve, following which she flew directly into the passageway.

  In the instant, that Xian Xian and the Kirin projection had entered the passageway, they'd failed to notice a discreet flash of crimson light in a certain corner.

  Moments later, a ball of golden light emerged from the devilish Qi, then also flew into the white passageway.

  At the same time, a streak of crimson light shot forth from outside the mountain, following which a humanoid figure appeared at the entrance to the devilish Qi passageway in a flash.

  This humanoid figure wore a suit of silver armor with a dark expression on his face, and it was none other than the man with the Gui surname.

  "The restriction I set up earlier has been triggered, so those two being really did come for true spirit cave. Good! I won't have to go to the trouble of opening the cave on my own, then," the silver-armored man murmured with a cold expression on his face.

  Brilliant crimson light then erupted from his body as he flew directly into the passageway as a streak of crimson light.

  The crimson light that he had cultivated seemed to possess some mystical properties as all of the surrounding devilish Qi was repelled back as soon as it came into contact with the light, thereby allowing the man to enter the passageway with ease.

  Not long after he'd disappeared into the devilish Qi, silver light suddenly flashed nearby, and a petite figured appeared out of thin air.

  It was none other than the female devilish beast, Jiu Ye, and she was staring at the devilish Qi passageway with astonishment etched on her face.

  "The devilish Qi here is so dense; only a few devilish beings are capable of conjuring up such powerful devilish Qi. Could this be a secret cave abode belonging to Tie Mo or Xue Bi?" the woman speculated to herself as she stood hesitantly on the spot, then stomped a foot onto the ground as she also flew into the passageway was a streak of azure light.

  As a high-grade devilish beast, the devilish Qi in the area only further enhanced her powers, so she naturally didn't fear it in the slightest.

  ...

  Han Li stood in one corner of the hall with a shimmering golden head on each shoulder. At the same time, four golden arms had sprouted from below his ribs.

  The four arms were each holding a different weapon, respectively, a staff, a pestle, a wheel, and a ruler. The weapons were being held up in a criss-cross formation in two groups of two, and each group of two weapons was keeping a massive fist at bay.

  The four weapons were trembling incessantly while emitting a low anguished ringing sound, as if they were being strained to a significant degree.

  Meanwhile, black Qi was swirling around the pair of massive fists, and bursts of Qi blasts were erupting from the fists from time to time.

  However, as soon as those blasts of Qi struck the crystalline light ba
rrier that stood before Han Li, they were refracted off to the sides, thereby failing to inflict any damage to Han Li.

  Further away in the distance, two fist-sized golden beetles were flying along in hot pursuit behind a purple blade segment.

  Every time the blade segment flashed through the air, a purple streak would hurtle forth to send one of the Gold Devouring Beetles flying for over 100 feet.

  However, the other Gold Devouring Beetle would then take advantage of the opportunity to approach the blade segment, thereby forcing it into retreat.

  The blade segment was capable of unleashing extremely powerful attacks, but it seemed to be unable to unleash two attacks in quick succession. Furthermore, it also seemed to be rather frail, and wouldn't be able to withstand a collective attack from the two Gold Devouring Beetles.

  In contrast, the Gold Devouring Beetle that had been sent flying remained completley unscathed, and it merely set off in pursuit of the blade segment again in a fearless manner.

  The blade segment was more agile than the two Gold Devouring Beetles, and the purple streaks it unleashed were also extremely fast and unavoidable, but in the instant before it unleashed every each slash, it would always have to pause for a split second.

  As such, even though the blade segment wanted to switch targets to attack Han Li, the two Gold Devouring Beetles would get in its way, taking its attacks with their bodies before chasing after it again.

  Chapter 1633: Body and Soul Division Technique

  In the face of the devilish ape's fierce retaliation, the Divine Essencefused Light and five-colored glacial flames that Han Li had set up were almost instantly destroyed. In the end, he was only barely able to withstand this round of attacks using the small crystalline shield.

  Not only was the devilish ape immensely powerful, the purple blade segment was also an extremely lethal weapon, and Han Li was having a very hard time coping with its attacks, even from afar.

  With his vast wealth of battle experience, Han Li naturally immediately decided that the best course of action available to him was to use his Gold Devouring Beetles to keep the blade segment at bay.