"Rest assured, Senior Weng, we've made sure that there are no issues with this man. We're only using him so that others can be sent into the Vast Glacial Realm, and he's been under our surveillance this entire time, so he won't be able to do anything that's of detriment to us. After they enter the Vast Glacial Realm, they'll all split up, so there won't be any problems," Qian Jizi assured in a confident manner.
After contemplating this notion for a short while, the white-robed man also decided that this wasn't an issue, so he nodded, and said, "Seeing as you're so confident and the Vast Glacial Badge has already been activated by this person, then so be it. When the time comes, tell the others to conduct more surveillance on this man from the shadows."
Qian Jizi naturally accepted this arrangement as well.
After the three Myriad Ancient Race elders had taken their seats, a holy race being with dark green skin stood up, and reported, "Fellow Daoist Lu and the others have sent information back from the front lines; the Jiao Chi Race has increased the size of their army again, and there are even five or six more holy grade beings among them. This development has caught us off guard, and three of our cities have already been conquered, thereby placing us firmly on the back foot. It appears that the Jiao Chi Race fully intends to expand the scale of this war."
"Hmph, deploy five holy race beings and a thousand upper race beings from the city to the front lines right away. If they want to escalate this battle, then we'll be happy to respond in kind!" the white-robed man harrumphed coldly.
"Yes!"
After that, other holy race beings also began to report some important matters.
In the end, this meeting between the most powerful beings of Cloud City lasted for close to an hour.
Following its conclusion, all of the holy race beings immediately departed to make preparations.
Meanwhile, Han Li was still in seclusion, cultivating arduously in his cave abode.
On a certain day a year later, Han Li suddenly emerged from his cave abode and left Cloud City.
However, he mysteriously returned to the city just half a day later, then entered his secret chamber again.
Time slowly passed by, and three years flew past in the blink of an eye.
Within the secret chamber inside Han Li's cave abode, it was quite a dimly lit environment, and there were three humanoid figures seated on a futon each.
One of them was shimmering with golden light with a layer of golden scales over their skin. Another had black Qi surging all around their body, making it impossible to glean their true appearance. The final humanoid figure was glowing with purple light, but their skin was remarkably green.
All three of them were making different hand seals, seated in a completely stationary manner.
After an indeterminate period of time, the golden humanoid figure suddenly stirred before opening his eyes.
Two balls of piercing blue light immediately erupted from within his pupils.
"What's going on? Why has that person come to find me? Could it be..." the golden humanoid figure murmured to himself.
Immediately thereafter, he waved a sleeve through the air, and a ball of white light shot forth from within before hovering in the air above.
The entire secret chamber was immediately illuminated by bright white light, thereby revealing the three humanoid figures in a high level of clarity.
The golden humanoid figure sitting in the middle was none other than Han Li, and his brows were furrowed tightly, seemingly in deep thought.
The green-skinned being emanating purple light from its body was identical in appearance to Han Li, and he was appraising Han Li with curiosity in its remarkably clear eyes.
At this moment, a burst of Buddhist chants rang out from within the cloud of black Qi, which slowly dissipated to reveal a monstrous being with three heads and six arms.
The monstrous being was around 20 feet tall, and its body was also shimmering with golden light. Two of its faces had extremely clear facial features, while the final face was completely devoid of all features, striking the beholder with quite a harrowing sensation.
At this moment, the golden giant suddenly opened the eyes on its two clear faces, and its pupils were like a pair of black holes that threatened to suck in the beholder's soul.
"A guest has arrived; you two can keep cultivating on your own while I go out to meet our guest," Han Li instructed before flying toward a wall as a streak of golden light.
The streak of light disappeared into the wall in a flash, and moments later, azure light flashed from the stone door of the cave abode, which then slowly swung open as Han Li made his way out in a calm and collected manner.
"Han Li pays his respects to Senior Cai. May I ask why you've decided to pay a visit to my humble abode?" Han Li greeted with a respectful bow.
The guest standing outside was a slender and elegant woman; it was none other than Cai Liuying of the Crystal Race.
"Am I not welcome here, Fellow Daoist Han?" Cai Liuying asked with a smile.
"Of course you are, Senior Cai. It is a great honor for me that you've decided to visit. May I ask who this fellow Daoist is?" Han Li chuckled before turning his attention to the woman standing behind Cai Liuying.
She appeared to also be a woman with a gorgeous figure, but she wore a white hood on her head, and her facial features had been obscured by a ball of crystalline light.
"This is a new disciple of mine," Cai Liuying explained in an extremely concise manner.
The woman also nodded in silence to affirm this. It would naturally be unwise for Han Li to ask any further questions, so he could only invite the two into his cave abode. Thus, not long after that, all three of them were seated in the hall of his cave abode. A humanoid puppet immediately arrived at Han Li's behest to offer some spirit fruits and a few cups of spirit tea.
Cai Liuying was quite intrigued as she took a sip of her cup of spirit tea, upon which a hint of surprise flashed through her eyes.
"What potent spiritual Qi! These tea leaves seem to have come from a tea tree that's over 1,000 years old. On top of that, the tea tree itself also seems to be of a rare breed. In that case, such spirit tea will be hard to find even in Cloud City," Cai Liuying praised after taking a few more sips.
"If you like this tea, I have some more of these tea leaves, and I can give them all to you, Senior," Han Li said with a smile before sweeping a sleeve over the table, upon which a white box appeared out of thin air.
"In that case, don't mind if I do, Fellow Daoist Han; I really am quite a fan of this tea," Cai Liuying chuckled.
Chapter 1675: Combination Secret Technique
She raised a hand as she spoke, drawing the jade box into her grasp before it then vanished in a flash.
Han Li smiled upon seeing this and began to discuss some matters revolving around cultivation with Cai Liuying, seemingly completely disinterested in finding out the purpose for her visit.
Cai Liuying smiled upon seeing this and also discussed some inconsequential topics with Han Li.
Thus, two full hours passed by, yet the two of them were still engaged in a spirited conversation, looking as if they could chat for another two hours.
However, the woman wearing the white hood was starting to become quite impatient. She was casting her gaze between Han Li and Cai Liuying incessantly and growing rather fidgety.
Cai Liuying's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, but a smile then quickly reappeared on her face as she said, "Fellow Daoist Han, it's only been a few years since I last saw you, but you've become a lot more patient since then. Even after this long, you still haven't asked me about the purpose of my visit; could it be that you cultivated some kind of special secret technique or experienced a spike in your cultivation base recently?"
"Surely you jest, Senior; I have no patience to speak of. It's just that I naturally wouldn't dare to ask the purpose of your visit before you decide to tell me," Han Li replied in a respectful manner.
"Looks like I was m
istaken then. However, I trust you've already guessed the reason why I've come here today," Cai Liuying said with a nonchalant smile.
"Er... I do indeed have a hunch that your visit has something to do with the Vast Glacial Realm, Senior," Han Li replied in a truthful manner.
"Hehe, as expected, you've hit the nail right on the head, Fellow Daoist Han. This is indeed why I've paid you a visit with my disciple in accompaniment, and I'm sure that Fellow Daoist Duan will also come to visit you with someone else soon," Cai Liuying chuckled in response.
Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, and he cast his gaze toward the hooded woman with a hint of surprise in his eyes. "In that case, could it be that your disciple is..."
"That's right, this disciple of mine is one of the beings who possess an Essencefused Body that we were talking about last time," Cai Liuying confirmed.
"If I recall correctly, didn't you say that this person should be a guest member of your race? How has she suddenly become your disciple?" Han Li asked in a surprised manner.
"What's so strange about that? I told you earlier that this is a new disciple of mine," Cai Liuying replied with a smile.
"I see. Apologies for my foolishness," Han Li said with a wry smile.
"Do you think I only accepted this disciple due to the matter surrounding the Vast Glacial Realm?" Cail Liuying suddenly asked with a meaningful look in her eyes.
"I wouldn't dare to think that." Han Li's expression abruptly changed slightly upon hearing this.
"It's alright even if you do think that way. However, I can assure you that my disciple was fully willing to accept me as her master, and I didn't force her into this arrangement in any way," Cai Liuying said in a nonchalant manner.
"I was indeed wholeheartedly willing to become master's disciple." the hooded woman finally spoke for the first time.
Her voice was a little low and deep, but it was very captivating and pleasant to listen to.
A sheepish look appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this, and he could only offer an awkward smile.
"The purpose of my visit is actually very simple; I only wanted you to get to know this disciple of mine. Once you enter the Vast Glacial Realm, the two of you have to work together," Cai Liuying said in a slow voice.
"Does that mean the Vast Glacial Realm is about to open soon, Senior?" Han Li asked.
"Indeed, Fellow Daoist. Barring any mishaps, the Vast Glacial Realm should be opening a month from now," Cai Liuying replied as her smile faded.
"A month? It's coming up that soon?" Han Li really was quite surprised to hear this.
"Are there some matters that you haven't finished attending to, Fellow Daoist Han?" Cai Liuying asked.
"No, it's just that if I had another few decades to work with, I could perhaps get my cultivation base up to the pinnacle of the seventh-tier. Perhaps then, I'd be able to use the abundant spiritual Qi within the Vast Glacial Realm to make a breakthrough," Han Li sighed in a resigned manner.
"That is indeed a wasted opportunity. However, at your current cultivation base, it won't be too difficult to break through the bottleneck. On top of that, Brother Xu and I have already promised you many benefits, so you should learn to be content with what you have, Fellow Daoist Han," Cai Liuying said in an indifferent voice.
Han Li's heart stirred upon hearing this, but he still forced himself to maintain a smile as he replied, "Rest assured, Senior; even if I wanted to refrain from entering the Vast Glacial Realm, Senior Qian Jizi definitely wouldn't allow it."
"It's good that you understand that, Fellow Daoist. Aside from introducing my disciple to you, I also have some other matters to discuss with you. The Vast Glacial Realm and those restricted ruins are extremely perilous, so you must prepare some treasures prior to embarking on your journey." Cai Liuying nodded before changing the subject.
Han Li was quite elated to hear this, and he said in an earnest manner, "Please enlighten me, Senior."
Cai Liuying nodded with a pleased expression upon seeing this before continuing, "I'm not going to tell you about the main aspects to look out for in the Vast Glacial Realm; someone will notify you of all that prior to your departure. Instead, I'm going to be telling you about some insights I gleaned from my past trip into the Vast Glacial Realm, as well as some hazards that may be easily overlooked. Firstly, after entering the Vast Glacial Realm, it's best to avoid the regions that are extremely hot or extremely cold. Those places have either been inhabited by powerful ice-attribute beasts or had extremely powerful restrictions set up. At your cultivation bases, entering those regions will almost definitely spell certain death. Secondly, if you encounter..."
Thus, Cai Liuying passed on her experiences with a serious look on her face, and both Han Li and her disciple listened with rapt focus.
After all, this advice could potentially save their lives, so they certainly didn't dare to ignore it.
"Lastly, remember if you see a strange crimson cloud in the distance, run away as fast as you can, and get as far away as possible from it. If you hesitate even for a split second, you'll be dead for sure. As for the specific reason behind that, I'm not going to elaborate on it; you'll find out why if you encounter such a phenomenon. Alright, I've said everything that needs to be said. Have you committed all of that to memory, Fellow Daoist Han?" Cai Liuying asked as she turned to Han Li.
"I have. Thank you for disclosing this valuable information, Senior," Han Li replied in a respectful manner.
"Alright, that's all I came here to do, so I'll be going back with my disciple now. The next time we meet will most likely be on the day when the Vast Glacial Realm opens," Cai Liuying said with a smile before rising to her feet. Her disciple also followed suit and stood up as well.
"I'll see you out, Senior." Han Li naturally also hurriedly rose to his feet to accompany the two of them out of his cave abode.
"There's no need for that; my disciple and I can leave on our own. Otherwise, suspicions may be raised if we were to be seen together," Cai Liuying replied.
"Alright, then forgive me for not being able to accompany you to the door," Han Li said with a slight bow.
Cai Liuying nodded before departing with her disciple. However, a thought then suddenly seemed to have occurred to her, and she turned around as she said, "How foolish of me; there's something that I almost forgot to tell you."
Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before immediately asking, "What is it, Senior?"
"Take this and make sure to keep it safe. A combination secret technique is recorded in here, and it's best for you to memorize it before you set off into the Vast Glacial Realm. After the three of you are teleported into the realm, don't be in a hurry to set off immediately. Instead, practice this secret technique that combines your Divine Essencefused Light into one first. This secret technique is not only necessary to break the restriction on that place, it's also a powerful weapon that can be used against enemies. I wanted to get the three of you to rehearse it prior to entering the Vast Glacial Realm, but there was a possibility that the secret technique could've been stolen by someone else in Cloud City, so you'll have to rehearse it after entering the Vast Glacial Realm." Cai Liuying raised a hand as she spoke, sending a streak of white light flying toward Han Li.
Han Li made a grabbing motion in a rather surprised manner to draw the white light into his grasp, then looked down to discover that this was a white jade tablet.
"A combination secret technique?" Han Li murmured to himself before seeping his spiritual sense into it in a curious manner. He had seen this type of secret technique before.
Generally speaking, they were designed to combine the powers of many beings to create power superior to that of the sum of the participants, and they were very rare secret techniques.
After a while, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade tablet, only to find that Cai Liuying and her disciple were already nowhere to be seen. Han Li wasn't surprised by this, and he swept a sleeve through the air in an expressio
nless manner. A burst of bright azure light immediately radiated from his body, and he abruptly vanished.
Moments later, golden light suddenly flashed within the secret chamber, and Han Li reappeared out of thin air before casting his gaze toward the monstrous being and the green Han Li, both of whom were still in seated meditation.
However, they seemed to have also sensed his arrival, and they both opened their eyes to meet his gaze.
"I wanted to cultivate the two of you further before entering the Vast Glacial Realm, but it looks like there's no time for that now. I have to prepare some things and refine the Extreme Essencefused Mountain for the Integrated Five Extremes Mountain first," Han Li murmured to himself before sweeping a sleeve toward the monstrous being in the secret chamber.
A swath of golden light swept forth, and an incredible scene ensued.
As the golden light descended upon the monstrous being, a burst of Buddhist chants suddenly rang out from within its body. Immediately thereafter, it disintegrated into countless golden runes of different sizes, as well as a cloud of black Qi.
The golden runes flashed and absorbed all of the golden light into Han Li's body, while the black Qi surged before forming a pitch-black Nascent Soul that was several inches tall.
This was none other than Han Li's second Nascent Soul, the Nascent Devil.
At this moment, the Nascent Devil wore a smile on its face, and had donned the suit of Heavenly Devilish Armor in a miniature form.
Chapter 1676: The Nascent Devil and the Spirit Body
Han Li smiled as he appraised the Nascent Devil before waving a hand toward it. Spiritual light instantly flashed from the Nascent Devil, and it disappeared into Han Li's body as a streak of black light.
It turned out that after using the precious materials gathered to manifest a substantial form for his golden projection, Han Li unintentionally discovered that his Nascent Devil could easily possess the golden body, and use the devilish Qi within it to continue cultivating its Profound Yin Devilish Qi.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 958