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

by Translator: Johnchen

  After a brief hesitation, Shi Kun also chimed in, "I have no objections, either. The sooner we secure these treasures, the sooner we'll be able to go our separate ways. I'm still hoping to find a good place to go into seclusion so I can break through my bottleneck. As such, I'll also be using a restriction-breaking talisman that my master has bestowed upon me."

  A content look appeared on Han Li's face after hearing this, and he didn't say anything further as he strode toward the palace gate.

  Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun followed along behind him, one on his left, and the other on his right.

  In the end, all three of them stopped over 100 feet away from the gate.

  Han Li cast his gaze toward the gate before taking a deep breath. Following his experience in breaking the formation in the medicine garden, he had developed a certain level of confidence toward addressing the purple lightning here.

  In the face of the powerful purple lightning, it was quite clear that the first person to attack the gate would be the one to bear the brunt of the restriction's retaliative force.

  As long as he could withstand this retaliation, it would become a lot easier for the three of them to break the restriction.

  With that in mind, black Qi began to emerge from his body, and his suit of Heavenly Devilish Armor resurfaced. Layers of black runes appeared around the suit of armor, instantly concealing most of his body.

  He then let loose a long cry, and brilliant golden light radiated around him as a golden projection with three heads and six arms emerged behind him.

  Han Li made a hand seal, and golden light began to swirl around the projection's body. At the same time, the surface of the projection became extremely bright, as if a coat of golden paint had suddenly been applied to it.

  "That's a golden body!" Liu Shui'er was quite knowledgeable, and she immediately identified the nature of the projection as a stunned look appeared on her face.

  Shi Kun's expression also changed to mirror hers upon hearing her stunned words.

  Many high-grade cultivation arts could manifest projections when cultivated to a certain degree, but it was extremely rare for a projection to be cultivated into a golden body.

  Not only was this due to the fact that relevant cultivation arts were extremely rare, the materials required to manifest golden bodies were always extremely rare and difficult to gather.

  If it weren't for the fact that Han Li had been extremely fortunate and secured several of the main ingredients in quick succession, he wouldn't have been able to achieve this.

  As such, Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun were both quite astonished, and they looked on with bated breath as they waited for Han Li to take the lead.

  Immediately thereafter, Han Li flipped a hand over, and a miniature black mountain appeared over his palm before it was hurled through the air.

  Grey light flashed from the mountain, and it abruptly swelled to over 100 feet in size before crashing viciously toward the palace gate.

  A loud rumbling boom rang out, and as soon as the mountain struck the gate, countless arcs of purple lightning erupted forth before intertwining to form a lightning net.

  Even with the Extreme Essencefused Mountain's extraordinary weight, it was stopped cold in its tracks by the lightning net and unable to advance any further.

  Almost at the exact same time, a resounding thunderclap rang out, and several lightning snakes erupted from the gate before hurtling toward Han Li in a flash.

  Han Li's expression remained completely unchanged upon seeing this, and he only narrowed his eyes slightly as golden light flashed before him. His golden body abruptly appeared in front of him, and its six arms blurred as it waved its shimmering golden hands through the air at once to oppose the purple lightning snakes.

  Golden and purple light flashed, and the golden hands remained completely unscathed. They then grabbed onto the purple lightning snakes in unison, only for more purple arcs of lightning to erupt from the door in the next instant.

  However, those arcs of lightning were also caught by the golden body, and Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun were both stunned and ecstatic to see this. The two of them glanced at one another before taking this opportunity to strike without any hesitation. Shi Kun opened his mouth to expel a shimmering silver talisman, which transformed into a silver ball of light that shot forth toward the palace gate in a flash.

  Meanwhile, Liu Shui'er swept a sleeve through the air, and three shimmering golden short halberds instantly shot forth at once before also hurtling toward the gate amid a peculiar shrieking sound.

  The silver ball of light and three streaks of golden light struck the purple lightning on the palace gate almost at the exact same time, and spiritual light flashed as the silver talisman vanished without a trace into the lightning.

  In contrast, the three streaks of golden light struck the palace gate amid a resounding boom, and the three golden halberds were revealed to have pinned themselves tightly to the purple lightning net in a triangular formation.

  The rumbling thunderclaps from the lightning net instantly receded, and most of its power was absorbed by the three golden halberds, thereby significantly diminishing its effect.

  At this moment, Shi Kun began to chant something before pointing a finger at the gate with a serious look on his face.

  A muffled thump rang out, and white light flashed before a pristine light lotus that was as white as snow suddenly blossomed on the palace gate.

  Initially, it was only around the size of a human fist, but in the next instant, it swelled to as large as a human head.

  The purple arcs of lightning from the palace gate were still flashing violently, but they couldn't do anything to the illusionary spirit flower and were powerless to halt its growth.

  In the end, close to half of the entire palace gate was enshrouded within the white lotus projection.

  "Explode!"

  A vicious look appeared on Shi Kun's face as he cast one final incantation seal, and the light lotus projection immediately shuddered before exploding amid an earth-shattering boom at his behest.

  A scorching white ball of light that resembled a scintillating sun appeared on the palace gate, and the white light instantly inundated the entire gate along with the purple lightning net in an extremely emphatic manner.

  When the white light finally dissipated, the palace gate reappeared, and it was revealed that there were now countless craters indentations on its surface.

  The gate was in an extremely sorry state, but it hadn't been completely destroyed, and as purple light flashed over its surface, it quickly began to repair itself at a rate that was discernible to the naked eye.

  However, all of the purple arcs of lightning had been wiped out, and the Extreme Essencefused Mountain was free again as a result.

  Han Li immediately took advantage of this, and the Extreme Essencefused Mountain abruptly circled around at his behest before releasing a burst of bright greyish-white light, then swelled drastically to around twice its original size before crashing toward the palace gate once again.

  On this occasion, there was nothing to impede it, and the black mountain struck the palace gate amid a deafening boom.

  As the power of the restriction had been severely debilitated, the palace gate was finally shattered by the enormous force behind the Extreme Essencefused Mountain.

  Thus, the black mountain flew directly into the main palace, and Han Li was naturally ecstatic to see this. He swept a sleeve through the air, and the projection golden body before him abruptly vanished as if it had never even been there in the first place.

  Both Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun then rushed forward from behind him in a bid to enter the palace first, and both of them simultaneously appeared at the entrance to the palace in a wraith-like manner after just a few flashes.

  Immediately thereafter, they paused on the spot before looking on ahead with peculiar looks on their faces.

  "Brother Shi, my master's instructions to me were very clear; I have to secure the Spiritvoid Pill w
ithin the main palace. As for everything else, you can choose the treasures that Senior Duan stipulated from among them," Liu Shui'er said after a brief pause.

  Chapter 1717: Screen, Golden Cauldron

  "But I've also received instructions from my master to secure the Spiritvoid Pills no matter what. How about this? I can offer everything else to you aside from the Spiritvoid Pills. Of course, my master will offer alternative reciprocation to Senior Cai in exchange..." Shi Kun chuckled in response, but his voice had clearly taken on a more stoic tone.

  "What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist Shi? Haven't you repeated what I just said? My master made it very clear to me that I must secure the Spiritvoid Pills, and that she would accept no alternatives. If you're willing to back down, then I can promise you a vial of our Crystal Race's revered Crystal Moon Liquid in my master's stead. I'm sure you know what this spirit liquid entails for Stone Cocoon being like you, Brother Shi. This is an extremely sought-after item for even the holy-grade beings of your Stone Cocoon Race..." A cold look had appeared in Liu Shui'er's eyes, but her tone had become more gentle and benevolent.

  "Crystal Moon Liquid?" Shi Kun's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and it was quite clear that this was a completely unexpected offer that was truly quite tempting to him. However, he then immediately thought back to Duan Tianren's stern instructions prior to his departure, and his heart instantly jolted as he cast aside his personal desires. He immediately shook his head, and refused, "No. Crystal Moon Liquid is indeed very tempting to me, but without the Spiritvoid Pills, I won't be able to answer to my master, so this is a non-negotiable matter."

  "So you're not willing to back down or compromise at all, Fellow Daoist Shi?" Liu Shui'er's voice had also taken on a cold and forbidding tone.

  On this occasion, Shi Kun didn't offer a reply; he merely appraised Liu Shui'er with a cold expression, and his intentions were as plain as day.

  Liu Shui'er also fell silent and met his cold gaze with a frosty one of her own.

  All of a sudden, the atmosphere became extremely tense, and Han Li couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly upon seeing this.

  "This is not the time to be quarreling, fellow daoists. I don't know what extraordinary effect these Spiritvoid Pills possess to make them so desirable to our two seniors, but don't you think it's too early to be engaging in conflict when we haven't even ascertained whether these pills are truly in this palace?"

  Shi Kun's expression stirred slightly upon hearing Han Li's words, and Liu Shui'er also turned toward him as a peculiar look flashed through her eyes.

  "Our two seniors may be convinced that there are Spiritvoid Pills in this palace, but I would assume that this verdict was reached based on circumstantial evidence. After all, they haven't gained access to this place in the past, so it's yet to be seen whether their deductions are indeed correct. Why don't we enter the palace and ascertain whether these pills can truly be found here before the two of you make a decision?" Han Li suggested in a calm manner.

  Contemplative expressions appeared on both Shi Kun and Liu Shui'er's faces upon hearing this proposal.

  The two of them had naturally already considered the possibility that Han Li had just raised, but in the instant that the palace gate was broken, the two of them were so eager to get a headstart over the other that they had forgotten about their prior suspicions. Now that Han Li had reminded them of this possibility, both of them returned to their senses, and it naturally became quite clear to them that their top priority was to find the spirit pills first before deciding who would claim them.

  "You're right, Brother Han. Fellow Daoist Shi, let's determine whether there actually are Spiritvoid Pills in this palace before we discuss anything else," Liu Shui'er said in a slow voice.

  "I have no objections to this proposal, Fairy Liu." He knew that Han Li's presence could play a major role in which side claimed the Spiritvoid Pills in the end, so he squeezed a smile onto his face and agreed to compromise for now.

  "Seeing as the two of you have reached a temporary resolution, why don't we all head inside together?" Han Li said with a smile before taking a few steps and reaching the two of them.

  Shi Kun and Liu Shui'er naturally didn't have any basis to refuse, and they both nodded in response.

  Thus, the three of them entered the palace one after another, then arranged themselves side by side before appraising the entire palace.

  As expected of the main palace! The interior was close to 10,000 feet in size, and it could comfortably house several thousand people.

  The first things that everyone saw were the purple pillars inside the palace, each of which was as thick as a human, and there were over 100 such pillars.

  There were also many antiquated weapons that were hanging from the walls of the palace, all of which were either long halberds or giant axes, and they were all shimmering with silver light while emitting powerful spiritual Qi.

  At a rough glance, there appeared to be close to 1,000 such weapons, and placed at regular intervals at the foot of the walls were suits of colorful armor.

  The suits of armor were completely empty, and it was quite clear from the intricate patterns carved on their surfaces that these weren't ordinary suits of armor.

  On the other end of the palace that was directly facing the gate was a massive screen that was shimmering with azure light. There seemed to be something drawn onto the screen, but it was difficult to make out exactly what was drawn on it as it was too far away.

  There was a short table that resembled a tea table in front of the screen, upon which was sitting a golden cauldron.

  Aside from that, the entire palace was completely empty without any embellishments, so there was no need for them to make any extra effort in searching for treasures.

  Han Li's trio was naturally quite surprised to see this, and Han Li cast his gaze toward the screen and golden cauldron in the distance. Following a brief moment of contemplation, he strode directly toward that direction, and Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun exchanged a quick glance before immediately averting their eyes, then followed along behind Han Li.

  After all, there wasn't really anything that appeared to be worth investigating in the entire palace aside from the screen and the golden cauldron.

  Thus, three of them made their way to over 100 feet away from the screen and the golden cauldron under a strange atmosphere.

  Han Li stopped on the spot and began to appraise the two items from afar. Shi Kun and Liu Shui'er also reflexively stopped and began to inspect the two items with differing expressions.

  Han Li had his hands clasped behind his back, and his expression appeared to be quite calm and placid, but there was already blue light flashing deep within his eyes. The surface of the screen was concealed by a layer of azure light, but that certainly wasn't going to stump his spirit eye ability.

  Thus, he was instantly able to glean what had been drawn on the screen, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

  The artwork on the screen depicted a strange massive gate that had golden and silver runes inscribed on its surface. The gate was antiquated in design and completely black in color, but the two types of runes on its surface were constantly flashing, giving it an intriguing air of mystery.

  The golden and silver runes bore a slight resemblance, and they were none other than beveled silver text and golden seal text, both of which were spirit texts used in the True Immortal Realm.

  Han Li raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, and he instantly released a wisp of spiritual sense toward the giant gate on the screen.

  As soon as his spiritual sense came into contact with the giant gate artwork, a burst of enormous force erupted from the screen, and before that wisp of spiritual sense had a chance to react, it was dragged into the screen, thereby completely cutting off its connection with Han Li.

  Han Li's expression changed slightly, and he instantly developed a sense of caution toward this screen.

  Shi Kun let loose a muffled groan and stumb
led back a half-step before immediately catching himself. He had clearly also fallen victim to this screen's power, and it appeared that he had been affected more so than Han Li.

  Liu Shui'er's face was concealed by her hood, so it was impossible to glean her expression, but her body also swayed slightly before she managed to steady herself, so she had also definitely been made aware of the peculiar nature of this screen.

  Han Li had lost a wisp of spiritual sense, but it didn't affect him at all as his spiritual sense was far more powerful than that of his two companions.

  He temporarily turned his attention away from the screen and lowered his head to appraise the golden cauldron.

  The cauldron was shimmering with golden light, and a series of patterns that resembled clouds and mist were engraved on its surface.

  These patterns were extremely complex, and most of them were in a corkscrew form. They were spread over the entire cauldron, and upon closer inspection, he was struck by a sense of dizziness.

  Han Li's heart stirred upon seeing this, and he calmly released his spiritual sense once again, only to find that it was unable to seep into the cauldron at all.

  He didn't know what kind of material the cauldron had been forged from, but it was able to completely keep out his spiritual sense. However, he had also noticed that there were two square indentations on the sides of the cauldrons, and they seemed to be slots that certain items could be placed into.

  Han Li looked on with a contemplative expression for a moment before he suddenly sensed something, and he turned his gaze toward his two companions, upon which his heart immediately stirred slightly.

  Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun were currently staring at the ancient golden cauldron with intense unblinking eyes. To be more specific, they were staring at the square indentations on the golden cauldron, and there was an ecstatic look on Shi Kun's face.

  Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked, "Do the two of you recognize this golden cauldron?"

  The elated look on Shi Kun's face receded slightly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly shook his head in response. "Surely you jest, Brother Han; this is the first time I've come here, so there's obviously no way that I would recognize anything here."