A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248
Page 971
Standing behind him was Doll, and it was waving its blue jade fan toward a normal Dark Beast.
Blue light surged forth from the jade fan, freezing the Dark Beast and two black projections it had conjured up in a flash, completely immobilizing them by sealing them in a blue mountain of ice that was over 100 feet tall.
Further in the distance, loud explosions were erupting incessantly as spiritual lights of different colors flashed in an erratic manner.
Over there, Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun were also taking care of a few other Dark Beasts.
This was already the seventh group of Dark Beasts they'd encountered after leaving the central region of the forest.
Each group consisted of at least five or six Dark Beasts, while the largest groups consisted of seven or eight of them.
Thankfully, there were no silver-eyed Dark Beasts among them, so the most powerful ones Han Li's trio encountered were only ordinary Three-eyed Dark Beasts, and none of them were capable of fusing their bodies together.
As such, they were naturally no match for Han Li and the others, and were slain with ease.
Even so, Han Li and the others inevitably had to slow down over and over again to eradicate these groups of Dark Beasts, and in contrast with the previous groups they'd encountered, this group consisted of a dozen or so Dark Beasts.
If it weren't for the fact that Han Li and the others had all unleashed some of their trump card abilities, it wouldn't have been easy for them to quickly secure victory.
Han Li waved a hand through the air, and a faint buzzing sound rang out from the azure lotus flowers. Immediately thereafter, they hurtled through the air as several tens of azure threads, puncturing the body of the Dark Beast that had been sealed in the blue mountain of ice.
He then turned expressionlessly toward Liu Shui'er's battlefield, and all of the azure threads shot forth toward that direction.
10 days later, three humanoid figures were hovering motionlessly in mid-air at the edge of the Dark Beast Forest while facing the forest up ahead.
There, over 30 Dark Beasts had gathered, and close to half of them were Three-eyed Dark Beasts.
Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun both wore grim expressions, and Han Li's brows were also slightly furrowed.
Chapter 1695: Chance Encounter
These Dark Beasts were all comparable to Spatial Tempering cultivators, and so many of them had gathered all at once. Even though Han Li and the others were all far more powerful than their cultivation bases suggested, this was still a rather grim situation.
Han Li wasn't overly concerned as he had many trump cards, and in a worst-case scenario, he could just unleash his Gold Devouring Beetles or Profound Heavenly Fruit to kill these Dark Beasts. As such, he remained quite calm and collected.
In the face of so many Dark Beasts, Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun were naturally aware that they couldn't face them in a direct battle.
Otherwise, even if they could secure victory, there was definitely no way that they'd be able to do so unscathed. If they were to sustain severe injuries and expend too much magic power, the rest of the journey would be made exceedingly difficult, especially considering how they still had to track down those restricted ruins and secure the treasures in there.
Thankfully, even though these Dark Beasts had managed to cut off Han Li's trio, they were aware of the fate that had befallen their companions that had tried to stop Han Li and the others in the past, so they refrained from immediately attacking.
At present, it appeared as if they only wanted to temporarily stall the three of them until more Dark Beasts arrived.
After a brief silence, Liu Shui'er's brows furrowed slightly as her mouth began to move, transmitting her voice to Han Li and Shi Kun.
"Fellow Daoists, we're not too far away from the border of the Dark Beast Forest. With so many Dark Beasts standing in our way, it would be unwise to take them on in a direct battle, so I suggest we split up and get past them, then reunite after we exit the forest."
"Alright, that sounds like a plan," Shi Kun immediately agreed to this suggestion.
Han Li contemplated this suggestion momentarily before also nodding in response.
The group of Dark Beasts was being led by a Three-eyed Dark Beast that was far larger in size than its companions, and it seemed to have sensed that Han Li and the others were up to something. As such, it let loose a low snarl, and a stir immediately ran through the entire beast pack.
All of a sudden, they opened their mouths in unison, blasting forth several tens of pillars of black light, while also conjuring up countless claw projections that hurtled directly toward Han Li's trio.
The combined attack of several tens of Dark Beast was naturally quite fearsome, but after killing so many Dark Beasts on the way here, Han Li and the others had already devised courses of action against attacks of this nature.
Thus, spiritual light flashed from their bodies, and Han Li made a hand seal as a pair of translucent wings appeared on his back.
He flapped those wings gently, and his body shot forth as a thin azure and white thread. As it was speeding through the air, it changed directions a few times in an unpredictable manner, thereby allowing it to evade the pillars of light and claw projections. In the blink of an eye, it had bypassed the entire beast pack, then vanished into the distance after just a few flashes.
The measures taken by Liu Shui'er were far simpler in comparison. She opened her mouth to expel a blue ball of light, and at the same time, white light flashed from beneath her feet, following which that translucent jade mouse appeared once again.
Both the blue ball of light and the jade mouse began to glow brightly, and she propelled herself through the air as a ball of blue and white light.
The black pillars of light that struck the ball of light all vanished soundlessly into it like sandcastles in the rising tide, and the ball of light blurred before covering a distance of over 1,000 feet, then continued into the distance.
As for Shi Kun, he chose to do things in a far more violent and domineering manner.
He let loose a cold harrumph as brilliant yellow light erupted from his suit of armor, and he suddenly thumped his hands together in front of his chest, upon which specks of yellow light immediately began to emerge around his body.
Immediately thereafter, the specks of light swelled drastically in size before fusing as one, forming a strange light barrier that enshrouded his entire body.
The reason why this light barrier was strange was because its surface was riddled with countless runes. The oncoming pillars of black light struck the light barrier amid resounding booms, only to be repelled by those runes. Meanwhile, Shi Kun took advantage of this opportunity to make his escape.
His body swayed, and he suddenly burrowed deep into the ground, then began to flee while situated over 100 feet underground, and his speed wasn't inferior to that of Liu Shui'er during her escape.
These Dark Beasts naturally weren't just going to allow the three of them to escape so easily.
The Three-eyed Dark Beast that appeared to be the leader of the pack let loose an enraged roar, and the beast pack immediately split up into three groups, each of which immediately set off in pursuit of one of Han Li's trio.
However, at Han Li's full speed, these Dark Beasts were naturally nowhere near fast enough to catch up to him. As such, the azure and white thread that he'd transformed into was quickly widening the gap between himself and his pursuers by the second.
Due to the fact that he was flying rapidly through the air in a very conspicuous manner, some other Dark Beasts emerged from the forest down below along the way to try and attack him. However, Han Li merely swept a sleeve through the air, and several tens of streaks of azure light shot forth in a frenzy.
The Dark Beasts were naturally no match for his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, and all those who attempted to get in his way were instantly sliced into countless pieces.
There was the occasional Dark Beast or two that managed to react quickly
enough to unleash a few claw projections in an attempt to keep the swords at bay, but the azure flying swords merely pierced through these claw projections like hot knives through butter before striking the Dark Beast targets and instantly killing them on the spot.
Thus, Han Li continued onward in an unstoppable manner, brushing aside all obstacles in his way with peerless might, and he finally emerged from the Dark Beast Forest after flying for over half a day.
Following his emergence from the forest, he was greeted by the sight of a set of boundless grasslands.
It was still nighttime, but he could smell a rich earthy fragrance that stemmed directly from nature.
Even though he'd escaped out of the forest, Han Li didn't show any intention of stopping as he continued to hurtle through the air at full speed.
After flying for close to 50,000 kilometers, the azure and white thread finally stopped atop a hill that was several hundred feet tall, and Han Li re-emerged amid a flash of spiritual light with a calm expression on his face.
Blue light flashed through his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings. On a vast and flat terrain like the one he was currently situated on, he was able to take full advantage of his spirit eye ability.
Thus, he was instantly able to clearly see everything within a radius of 50 kilometers.
He could also extend his vision into areas beyond that, but the details became rather blurry.
After failing to discover any potential threats nearby, Han Li heaved a faint sigh of relief before releasing his spiritual sense to scan through the surrounding area, then instantly withdrawing it in a flash.
The translucent wings on his back vanished amid a dull thunderclap, and he turned around as he cast his gaze toward the Dark Beast Forest through narrowed eyes.
Having traveled so far away from the Dark Beast Forest, the Dark Beasts would most likely have to give up on pursuing him regardless of how furious they were.
However, if they really did dare to continue to try and hunt him down, then he certainly wouldn't mind killing them on the spot.
He had initially fled from them not because he was actually afraid of them. Instead, he was simply trying to avoid a situation where more Dark Beasts would flock to the scene, in which case he'd be completely surrounded.
Han Li clasped his hands together behind his back and stood atop the hill in a motionless manner. A gentle breeze blew over him, and his robes flapped gently in the wind, giving him the appearance of a profound immortal.
All of a sudden, he flipped a hand over to produce a crimson formation plate, upon which a series of silver threads were flickering incessantly.
Han Li stared at the formation plate for a while before his brows furrowed slightly.
"The two of them have already reunited with one another, and they're not too far away from here, either, so why aren't they coming to join me? Could it be that they've run into some trouble?" Han Li murmured to himself before stowing away the formation plate again. He then raised his head and cast his gaze toward a certain direction, following which azure light suddenly flashed from his body.
He rose up into the air, then flew into the distance toward the direction he'd cast his gaze toward before.
Even though he wasn't moving as quickly as he had with his Thunderstorm Wings activated, he was still flying at an incredible speed.
Thus, he sped over a distance of close 15,000 kilometers in a short time, taking him to another region of the grasslands.
As he flew through the air, blue light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and a peculiar look appeared on his face.
All of a sudden, the azure light faded, and Han Li reappeared as he cast his gaze forward in an expressionless manner.
Over 1,000 feet away from him, there were two pairs of beings facing one another from afar.
One pair consisted of none other than Shi Kun and Liu Shui'er.
Liu Shui'er wore a cautious look on her face, whereas Shi Kun had already put on a cold smile, and his hands were balled up into tight fists as if he were eager for a battle.
Before them stood a man and a woman.
The man had a thick and curly beard with a suit of silver scale armor encasing his upper body. He had a giant trident-like weapon on his back, and he appeared to be quite a boisterous being.
In contrast, the woman had a pair of delicate brows and black eyes. Her skin was very fair, and she wore a green beast hide garment that accentuated the curves of her alluring voluptuous body to perfection.
Strangely enough, both of their lower bodies had been enshrouded within clouds of white Qi, and the sound of flowing water could be heard from within those white clouds.
"Those are Sea Monarch beings!"
Han Li was able to identify the origin of this duo almost instantly, and his expression changed slightly upon making this discovery.
The Sea Monarch Race wasn't a direct enemy of the Heavenly Cloud Races, but it was common knowledge that they were allies of the Jiao Chi Race.
As such, it was no wonder that they were in such a tense confrontation.
The reactions of the two groups were naturally vastly different at the sight of Han Li's arrival.
A hint of elation appeared in Liu Shui'er's eyes, and she was immediately feeling a lot more reassured.
Shi Kun's smile also widened even further, and he greeted Han Li in a respectful manner.
In contrast, the pair of Sea Monarch beings both turned to appraise Han Li with cold and unfriendly expressions.
Both of them were quite surprised to sense that Han Li was only a seventh-tier upper race being, and they couldn't help but exchange a bewildered glance with one another.
"Are you a Heavenly Cloud being as well?" the man asked in a booming voice that matched his appearance.
"I guess I technically am at the moment. Are you two preparing to attack my companions?" Han Li asked in a calm manner.
"Are we planning to attack them? If we had intended to do so, they'd be dead already!" the male Sea Monarch being chuckled in a derisive manner.
Shi Kun was enraged to the point of laughter upon hearing this, and he stepped forward with a menacing look on his face as he said, "What did you say? You sure can talk big! Hehe, let me see if your race is truly worthy of being known as one of the three great water races."
Chapter 1696: Profound Heavenly Holy Artifact
A ferocious look appeared on the Sea Monarch man's face upon seeing this, and he made a grabbing motion with a single hand, upon which the trident that was originally strapped to his back abruptly appeared in his hand amid a flash of blue light.
Immediately thereafter, arcs of silver lightning appeared around the sharp tips of the weapon, and it began to emanate an extremely astonishing aura.
"Wait!"
"Brother Shi, stop!"
Liu Shui'er and the seductive Sea Monarch woman exclaimed in unison.
Immediately thereafter, the Sea Monarch woman began to transmit her voice to her companion.
"Have you forgotten what we came here for? This is not the time to be engaging in unnecessary battles; we still have an important mission that we need to carry out."
The Sea Monarch man stopped cold in his tracks upon hearing this before transmitting his voice in reply, "We can just release the Nine-eyed Holy Whale and kill these three with ease!" He clearly didn't think that Han Li's trio could pose a threat to them at all.
"I've managed to persuade the Nine-eyed Holy Whale to accompany us, but it's best not to release it unless we absolutely have to. Otherwise, if we were to ask it to go into battle for us too many times, it could become enraged and turn on us. After all, I don't possess much of the royal bloodline within my body, so I can only just barely communicate with the holy whale. Besides, we may be allies of the Jiao Chi Race, but we're not direct enemies of the Heavenly Cloud Races; there's no need to engage in such a pointless battle," the Sea Monarch woman persuaded.
"I see..." The Sea Monarch man became rather hesitant upon hearing this.
"Brother Shi, we've just managed to shake off those Dark Beasts, and both of us have expended a lot of magic power. Those two Sea Monarch beings certainly aren't to be underestimated; even if we can take them down with Brother Han's help, there's no way we'd be able to emerge unscathed. Our main objective is to find the restricted ruins, so it's best not to draw unnecessary trouble to ourselves"
Shi Kun wore a dark expression on his face as he replied, "Even if we don't want to fight, they may not be of the same opinion."
"Rest assured, Brother Shi. Allow me to converse with them first, and if they really do harbor ill intentions and insist on a fight, we certainly won't have to fear them with Brother Han on our side." Liu Shui'er's voice also cooled slightly as she spoke.
After that, she transmitted her voice to Han Li and said something to him as well, in response to which Han Li nodded slowly in agreement.
After that, a smile appeared on Liu Shui'er's face, and she said in a pleasant voice, "Our Heavenly Cloud Races don't seem to have any direct conflict with your Sea Monarch Race, so there's no need for us to fight one another. I can tell that you're not entirely confident in your abilities to kill the three of us either, so why don't we just go our separate ways and pretend as if this encounter never happened?"
"My thoughts exactly, Sister. The two of us aren't Jiao Chi beings, so there's certainly no vendetta between us. In that case, we'll be taking our leave now," the Sea Monarch woman agreed as a vibrant smile appeared on her face.
After that, she turned to her companion with a meaningful look, and the white Qi encompassing her lower body swelled to sweep up the Sea Monarch man as well.
The man hesitated momentarily, but didn't raise any objections in the end.
Thus, the clouds of white Qi around their lower bodies combined together, and they flew into the distance as a ball of white light, disappearing from view after just a few flashes.