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

by Translator: Johnchen

  "Oh? This is the first time I've heard of this Heavenly Devilish Sovereign, but both of you seem to be quite familiar with it. Would you be able to fill me in on this topic?" Han Li raised an eyebrow, as he cast his gaze directly toward the two of them.

  The silver-armored man's expression darkened, and he merely harrumphed coldly, seemingly not intending to answer Han Li's question.

  Following a brief hesitation, Xian Xian explained, "I trust that you already know what a Heavenly Devilish Monarch is, Brother Han; a Heavenly Devilish Sovereign is a top-grade being among Heavenly Devilish Monarchs. They possess countless different forms, and even true spirit beings are susceptible to them during their tribulation transcendences. If they were to fall prey to a Heavenly Devilish Sovereign, they'd undergo devilfication and be reduced to puppets."

  "Even true spirits are susceptible to them?" Han Li was quite astonished to hear this.

  "Not just true spirits; it's said that even the immortals of the True Immortal Realm could be forced to undergo devilfication by a Heavenly Devilish Sovereign. Of course, this is only a rumor; no one has been able to confirm it to be true or false. Speaking of which, is it really true that this cave spirit was possessed by a Heavenly Devilish Sovereign?" Xian Xian explained with a wry smile, and at the end, she couldn't help but ask for confirmation.

  Han Li was naturally stunned upon hearing this information about these Heavenly Devilish Sovereigns, but his expression remained unchanged as he countered, "Do you think I'm lying to you, Fairy Xian?"

  "Of course not! It's just that this is quite an important matter, and I simply wanted to confirm this just to make sure I hadn't misheard."

  Before Xian Xian had a chance to say anything else, the silver-armored being interjected in an expressionless manner, "I think he's most likely telling the truth."

  Not only was Han Li rather surprised to hear this, Xian Xian was also quite taken aback as she asked, "What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist Gui?"

  "Hmph, you won't fool me by playing dumb. Don't tell me that you didn't notice anything strange about the cave spirit. You should be well aware that spirits of heaven and earth like this true spirit can't be possessed by normal beings, not even true spirit Kirins themselves! On top of that, that thing was most likely telling the truth when claiming that it had killed many beings like us already," the silver-armored man harrumphed coldly.

  "Even so, how did it find out about the true spirit cave and true Kirin essence?" Xian Xian rebuked with a shake of her head.

  "That's rather difficult to speculate. Perhaps when this soul fragment of the Heavenly Devilish Sovereign came to our realm, it unintentionally devoured one of the other 100,000 true spirit Kirin soul fragments, thereby giving it knowledge of this place. Alternatively, perhaps it really was a coincidence, and it stumbled upon this cave spirit first, then learned about the secret of this true spirit cave after devouring other beings," the silver-armored man mused in a dark voice.

  "Those scenarios do indeed seem plausible, but we can find out the truth, can't we? If I recall correctly, all living beings that have been possessed by Heavenly Devilish Sovereigns will disintegrate into devilish dust. The cave spirit is quite a special being, but it wouldn't have been able to escape that fate, either." Xian Xian cast her gaze downward as she spoke.

  Han Li also looked down with a curious expression, and he was shocked to find that a massive pile of black dust had appeared on the ground where the monstrous face had been before.

  Only after expending extensive effort did Han Li manage to glean a slight semblance of the monstrous face from the pile of black dust, and his lips twitch involuntarily in response.

  The other two had naturally also witnessed this.

  Xian Xian merely heaved a faint sigh before falling silent, while the silver-armored man raised a hand and made a grabbing motion downward.

  A clump of black dust instantly flew toward him as a stream of black smoke, and carefully inspected it for a long while before finally concluding in a calm manner, "There's no mistaking it; this is indeed devilish dust."

  "It appears that Brother Han was telling the truth then. No wonder this cave spirit was so difficult to deal with; the two of us unwittingly fell into the Heavenly Devilish Sovereign's trap, and we almost perished as a result. Come to think of it, I really must thank you for saving me, Brother Han." Xian Xian turned to Han Li with a grateful smile.

  "There's no need to thank me; I was only able to slay this devil through sheer luck. Otherwise, this devilish sovereign's abilities would've been very difficult to combat." Han Li's lips twitched in involuntarily as he recalled back to the ordeal he'd suffered within the monstrous face's body, and there was still a hint of fear lingering in his heart.

  "Of course. Thankfully, this cave spirit isn't an actual being with a substantial body, so the soul fragment of the devilish sovereign was only able to unleash a small portion of its power through it. Otherwise, Heavenly Devilish Sovereigns are virtually just as powerful as true immortals. Even beings that have only been possessed by one of its soul fragments would definitely be far too fearsome for us to oppose. However, you've most likely made yourself a powerful enemy here, Fellow Daoist Han. The Heavenly Devilish Sovereign to which this soul fragment belongs will be seeking its revenge, so if you ever make it to a point where you can ascend to the True Immortal Realm, it will most likely return to try and interfere with your tribulation," the silver-armored man said as a cold light flashed through his eyes.

  "Hehe, I'm not going to think about something so far away," Han Li chuckled in a nonchalant manner.

  "Alright, seeing as Fellow Daoist Xian and I have answered your questions, it's time we talked about the true Kirin essence, isn't it?" the silver-armored man chuckled coldly as he changed the subject.

  "I don't know what this true Kirin essence looks like, but I definitely didn't see it within the cave spirit's body," Han Li replied in a concise manner.

  The silver-armored man's expression immediately darkened upon hearing this, and Xian Xian's brows also furrowed in contemplation.

  Strangely enough, neither of them were enraged by skeptical of his claim.

  Han Li's eyes narrowed in befuddlement upon seeing this.

  "What do you think, Fellow Daoist Gui?" Xian Xian suddenly asked with a smile.

  "I am indeed unable to detect any true Kirin essence fluctuations from Fellow Daoist Han's body. The essence comes from the true spirit Kirin itself, so there's no way to fool us using any treasures or restrictions, which means he's telling the truth. However, back when we were battling the cave spirit, we both sensed the essence within its body," the silver-armored man replied.

  "That means you've arrived at the same conclusion as I have, Fellow Daoist Gui." Xian Xian's expression immediately paled upon hearing this.

  "Indeed. Seeing as Fellow Daoist Han hasn't obtained the true Kirin essence, it must've dissipated and returned to the earth following the cave spirit's death or returned to the original true spirit cave, and the only way to obtain it would be to wait for the next cave spirit to be born," the silver-armored man confirmed with a dark expression.

  "If it's the first scenario, then we won't have any more chances, but if the second scenario was what actually happened, then we'll just have to wait for a few hundred years," Xian Xian said with a hint of forced optimism in her voice.

  "Oh? In that case, is there a way to find out which of the two scenarios actually took place?" Han Li asked as he crossed his arms and stroked his chin.

  "Of course not. There's no way to track the true Kirin essence regardless of what happened," Xian Xian replied in a dejected manner.

  Han Li was also quite disappointed to hear this. After all, that essential power could assist him in reaching the Body Integration Stage, but now, even if the true Kirin Essence still existed, he'd have to wait several hundred years for a chance to obtain it.

  However, even though neither Xian Xian nor the silver-armored man seemed to be lying, he natura
lly wasn't just going to take their word for it.

  Thus, blue light flashed through his eyes, and he also released his spiritual sense as he rose up into the air to search through the nearby area.

  However, after scouring carefully through the area in a radius of several kilometers, his search still proved to be completely fruitless, so he could only descend before Xian Xian and the silver-armored man again in a gloomy manner.

  At the sight of Han Li's dejected display, Xian Xian and silver-armored man were even more convinced that he had been telling the truth. Thus, all three of them fell silent as they became absorbed in their own thoughts.

  For Xian Xian, her trip had ended in complete failure, and she'd wasted several precious treasures in the process, so she was understandably quite depressed.

  The silver-armored man remained relatively calm, but he was also pondering something.

  After a while, the silver-armored man seemed to have seen the silver lining on the situation, and he suddenly chuckled, "Hehe, looks like this trip was made in vain. Thankfully, I possessed a silver wyrm, so waiting several hundred years is nothing to me."

  "You're a silver wyrm, so even after waiting for so long, you still have a chance to reach the holy race and even beyond. If I were to wait for several centuries, even if I could obtain the true Kirin essence, I may not have enough time to completely refine it and use it in my cultivation," Xian Xian sighed with a complex expression on her face.

  "In that case, why don't you give up or become one with me?" the silver-armored man suddenly suggested upon hearing this.

  "I can certainly fuse my spiritual sense with yours. As long as you'll allow me to take over as the dominant consciousness, I'll take you up on your offer right away," Xian Xian countered with a dark expression.

  "Hmph! I tried to throw you a lifeline, but you seem intent on bringing punishment upon yourself!" A vicious light suddenly flashed through the silver-armored man's eyes, and he clenched his fist together as a faint odor of blood and gore began to emanate from his body.

  Xian Xian's heart stirred slightly upon seeing this, but she didn't back down in the slightest as she said, "Do you think you can take on myself and Brother Han at once, Fellow Daoist Gui?"

  A cold light flashed through the silver-armored man's eyes, and he turned to Han Li as he asked, "Fellow Daoist Han, are you going to intervene? If you leave right now, I'll be sure to give you a handsome reward!"

  Chapter 1646: Discovery

  "A handsome reward?" Han Li merely chuckled upon hearing this.

  "Do you not believe me, Fellow Daoist Han? In that case, I'm willing to issue part of the reward in advance," the silver-armored man insisted with a cold expression on his face.

  "Brother Han, only I've conducted enough research into the Heavenly Devilish Armor to be able to repair it. If you help me here, not only will I repair the armor for you, I'll take you here to search for the true Kirin essence again in a few hundred years, and I'm willing to split it with you." Xian Xian remained completely calm and unflustered, seemingly very confident that Han Li would help her.

  Just as she'd expected, Han Li only hesitated momentarily before shaking his head as he said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to just stand by idly here. If you know what's good for you, I suggest you leave, Fellow Daoist Gui."

  The silver-armored man was furious upon hearing this, and a ferocious look appeared on his face as the odor of blood and gore in the air intensified.

  Han Li's eyes narrowed, and a rumbling thunderclap erupted within his as arcs of golden lightning appeared all around him. At the same time, a golden projection with three heads and six arms emerged behind his back.

  Simultaneously, several tens of azure flying swords flew out of his sleeves, then transformed into blossoming azure lotus flowers.

  Meanwhile, Han Li merely stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he appraised the silver-armored man.

  A wide smile appeared on Xian Xian's face upon seeing this, but she wasn't just going to stand by idly, either.

  She flipped over both of her hands, and an azure talisman with the image of a Kirin inscribed upon it suddenly appeared in one hand, while a small black flag appeared in her other hand amid a flash of spiritual light.

  Both of the objects were covered in countless runes, and it was quite apparent that they were no ordinary treasures.

  She waved the two objects through the air, and a gust of black winds emerged alongside an azure Kirin projection.

  Both of them then instantly combined as one, and the Kirin projection was inflated to several times its original size by the gust of black winds. It opened its cavernous mouth and let loose a string of low roars as it appraised the silver-armored man in a menacing manner.

  The silver-armored man was normally quite a brutal and vicious character, but even he had to hesitate in the face of both Han Li and Xian Xian.

  The latter wasn't enough for him to be concerned about, but the fact that Han Li had taken care of the cave spirit on his own had shaken him quite a bit.

  He knew that if he were to face the cave spirit on his own, he'd only have a 50% chance of securing victory at most, and that probability was deflated even further by the fact that the cave spirit had been possessed by the soul fragment of a Heavenly Devilish Sovereign.

  "Alright, then this is where we'll part ways. I hope that you two will both be alive and well the next time I see you," the silver-armored man said in a cold voice as a vicious light flashed through his eyes.

  Immediately after his voice trailed off, he waved a sleeve through the air to expel a ball of grey Qi, which then transformed into a crimson conical flying carriage with ghostly shadows flashing within it.

  The silver-armored man's body swayed, and he disappeared into the carriage before it sped away as a streak of crimson light, leaving a burst of ghostly howls in its wake.

  After just a few flashes, the carriage disappeared into the distance without a trace.

  The silver-armored man had been quite decisive, choosing to immediately back down after deciding that his chances of securing victory were quite slim.

  Xian Xian's expression eased slightly, and she made a hand seal to dispel the Kirin projection up above, which reverted back into a talisman and a small flag before descending into her grasp.

  She then turned to Han Li and extended a respectful curtsey as she said, "Thank you for stepping in, Brother Han. Otherwise, I would've been in grave danger."

  "Hmph, you seem to trust me a lot. Aren't you afraid that I'll turn on you, then use a soul search technique to obtain the method for repairing the suit of devilish armor?" Han Li harrumphed coldly as he shot a glance toward her.

  Xian Xian remained unfazed by Han Li's cold threats as she smiled, and replied, "I haven't known you for very long, but I've interacted with you enough to be able to tell that you're not that heartless of a person. Besides, my cultivation base may be quite lackluster, but I do know a few soul-locking secret techniques. Even if my soul were to be completely destroyed, no one will be able to get any information from me."

  Han Li was a little speechless upon hearing this.

  His main objective for making this trip was to repair the suit of Heavenly Devilish Armor, so he didn't want to draw any unnecessary trouble to himself.

  As for this true Kirin essence, it was the first that he'd heard of such an extraordinary item. In any case, there was no way to obtain it for now, so it would naturally be best to go back and do some research on it for himself. Furthermore, the matters surrounding the Heavenly Devilish Sovereign and the Weeping Soul Beast had him feeling rather bemused, so he had to ponder those issues carefully as well.

  After a brief silence, Han Li said in an implacable voice, "I'm taking all of the materials from the holy-grade devilish ape's body."

  "No problem. After we go back, not only will I repair the suit of devilish armor for you as I promised, I'll offer you another present as thanks for saving my life," Xian Xian replied in an extremely obed
ient manner.

  Han Li's expression eased slightly upon hearing her response, and he nodded in reply.

  Xian Xian glanced at the vast expanse of black dust down below, and a hint of dejection flashed through her eyes as she said, "Brother Han, that battle from earlier must've disturbed many devilish beasts in the area, so we should get away from here right away."

  Han Li quickly assessed their surroundings before nodding as he replied, "We did indeed cause quite a commotion. Let's go, then."

  Thus, the two of them flew through the air as two streaks of light, one white and one azure, heading out of the mountain ranges.

  Moments later, peace and quiet returned to the area.

  Around half a day later, Han Li and Xian Xian emerged from the mountain ranges and reappeared before the mountain where they'd parted with Yue Zong.

  Xian Xian abruptly raised a hand, and a streak of silver light shot forth, whizzing around in the nearby area before flying up her sleeve.

  Her expression changed slightly, and a wry smile appeared on her face as she turned to Han Li, and said, "As expected, Fellow Daoist Yue has most likely already perished. He must've been killed by either that man with the Gui surname or high-grade devilish beast that was killed by the cave spirit earlier. If we'd known that this would happen, we should've taken him into the mountain ranges with us. As things are now, our return journey may be rather perilous."

  "It's indeed quite unfortunate that Fellow Daoist Yue passed away, but even if he'd followed us into the mountain ranges, he wouldn't have been able to enter the devilish Qi passageway, so his death would've been unavoidable anyway. As for our return journey, let's go back the same way we came. After all, we've already taken that route once, and it seems to be relatively safe," Han Li replied after a brief pause.

  "Looks like we'll have to do that. Let's set off right away," Xian Xian sighed.

  Han Li nodded in response, and the two continued on their journey.

  Unbeknownst to the two of them, there were hundreds of metamorphosis stage devilish beasts gathered at a certain location countless kilometers away, and all of them were pursuing Han Li along the same route.