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

by Translator: Johnchen

  "Oh? Then why is it that both of you seem so interested in something you don't even recognize?" Han Li asked with a faint smile.

  Seeing as Han Li refused to be placated, Shi Kun decided to kick the ball into Liu Shui'er's court. "Well... Why don't you ask Fairy Liu about that instead; she knows more than I do about this."

  Liu Shui'er was naturally quite disgruntled by Shi Kun's devious diversion tactic, but she could offer an explanation at the sight of the curious gaze that Han Li had turned to aim at her.

  "There's no need for you to be overly suspicious, Brother Han; this cauldron is most likely the treasure that contains the Spiritvoid Pills and the other treasures that my master and Senior Duan seek. Fellow Daoist Shi and I are both aware of this as each of us is carrying an item. Fellow Daoist Shi, how about you and I bring out those items for Brother Han to see?" Liu Shui'er explained.

  "Hehe, I'm really getting rather curious now," Han Li chuckled upon hearing this.

  "Er..." A hesitant look appeared on Shi Kun's face in response to Liu Shui'er's proposal, and he felt as if he had shot himself into the foot.

  "Is there something that you're reluctant to show me, Fellow Daoist Shi?" Han Li asked in a seemingly casual manner, and his tone was extremely benevolent.

  However, Shi Kun's heart immediately jolted at the sight of the tranquil expression on Han Li's face, and he hurriedly chuckled, "Of course not. Even if you hadn't asked, I would've revealed this item anyway. After all, the two items are required to secure the treasures within the cauldron."

  Thus, he flipped his hand over as he spoke, and golden light flashed as an item appeared over his palm.

  Han Li naturally immediately focused his gaze on the item and quickly ascertained what it was.

  Chapter 1718: Securing the Treasures in the Cauldron

  This was also a shimmering golden object that was rectangular in shape with a dragon's head carved on one end. It resembled a seal, and after inspecting the item for a while, Han Li turned his gaze toward Liu Shui'er.

  Liu Shui'er was naturally aware of Han Li's intentions, and she calmly raised a hand to summon an object that was also shimmering with golden light. At first glance, this object appeared to be extremely similar in appearance with the one in Shi Kun's hand.

  It was around the same size and shape, but there was an extremely life-like golden phoenix head carved on one end, as opposed to a dragon's head.

  A contemplative look appeared on Han Li's face after inspecting these two items.

  At this moment, Liu Shui'er began to offer an explanation. "These two objects are known as exquisite keys, and they are the only items that can open this golden cauldron. Furthermore, both of them must be present to accomplish this. We had no knowledge of the situation in the palace prior to coming here, but my master told me that the exquisite keys can open this cauldron, so it's most likely the case that the Spiritvoid Pills are contained within the cauldron."

  "Indeed, my master also told me the same thing." Seeing as Liu Shui'er had revealed the truth, Shi Kun no longer tried to hide anything, either.

  "In that case, why don't you two open the cauldron to see if the treasures requested by our two seniors are really in there. I wonder how many Spiritvoid Pills are in there; if there's an even number of them, the two of you two will be able to split them rather than argue over ownership," Han Li said with a nonchalant smile.

  Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun exchanged a glance upon hearing this, and peculiar looks appeared in both of their eyes.

  "Brother Han is right; this cauldron will have to be opened sooner or later, so let's insert our keys, Fellow Daoist Shi. It's quite likely that there's only one Spiritvoid Pill in there, but if there really are two or more, then we won't need to fight over them," Liu Shui'er proposed in a calm voice.

  Shi Kun seemed to have also made some kind of decision, and he suddenly smirked and said something that came as a slight surprise to Liu Shui'er. "I have no objections against opening the cauldron, but I think we should give our exquisite keys to Brother Han so he can secure the treasures from the cauldron, then decide how to split them among us. What do you think of that, Fairy Liu?"

  Liu Shui'er was temporarily at a loss for how to respond.

  "Are you doubting Brother Han's abilities?" A peculiar look appeared on Shi Kun's face.

  "Of course not. With Brother Han's unfathomable power, it would be ideal for him to secure the treasures for us. Brother Han, please accept my exquisite key."Liu Shui'er reacted quite quickly, and after quickly contemplating the situation, she immediately smiled and made a decision, raising a hand to toss her exquisite key toward Han Li.

  Shi Kun also chuckled coldly before tossing his key toward Han Li without any hesitation.

  Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, and azure light flashed, upon which both of the exquisite keys appeared in his hand at once.

  However, a wry smile appeared on his face as he inspected the pair of keys. "You two sure have a high opinion of me."

  "Haha, of course. Only by asking you to secure the treasures in our stead will Fairy Liu and I be able to avoid immediate conflict. Otherwise, neither of us will trust the other to secure the treasures," Shi Kun chuckled.

  "I also have full trust in Brother Han." Liu Shui'er's eyes flashed as a smile appeared on her face.

  "Hehe, I'm honored to receive your trust, but it's also quite a heavy burden." Han Li appraised the two keys as he shook his head in a resigned manner.

  However, he didn't return the keys to Shi Kun and Liu Shui'er. After a brief moment of contemplation, he really did make his way over to the golden cauldron.

  He was acting in such a calm and collected manner naturally because he was confident that he possessed more than enough power to dominate these two. In the face of absolute power, there really wasn't much any of them could do.

  Tense looks appeared in both Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun's eyes upon seeing this, but both of them acted quite wisely and remained on the spot.

  After Han Li reached about 10 feet away from the cauldron, he stopped again before glancing at the two indentations on either side of the cauldron. Immediately thereafter, he injected his magic power into the two keys in his hand before flicking his wrist.

  The exquisite keys shot forth, letting loose a clear cry along the way before transforming into a golden wyrm and a golden phoenix amid a flash of golden light.

  The two of them revolved around the golden cauldron before flying into the indentations, then vanishing into the cauldron in a flash. Immediately thereafter, the two indentations on the cauldron were filled with unerring accuracy.

  The two exquisite keys were completely embedded into the cauldron with only the dragon and phoenix heads revealed. They fit seamlessly into the indentations without any gaps to be seen.

  In the instant that the pair of keys entered the golden cauldron, a melodious dragon's roar suddenly rang out.

  Brilliant golden light then erupted, and the corkscrew patterns on the surface of the cauldron began to revolve as if they'd sprung to life. Even the golden light being emitted by the cauldron began to take on a peculiar vortex form, and Han Li was struck by a sense of disorientation at the sight of this golden vortex, as if he were going to be drawn directly into it.

  His heart immediately jolted in response, but he wasn't actually fearful toward the cauldron as there was no one wielding it, so it surely posed no threat to him.

  He hurriedly activated his Great Development Technique and at the same time, blue light flashed through his eyes, upon which his discomfort was instantly alleviated in its entirety.

  All of a sudden, he let loose a low cry before making a hand seal, and an azure incantation seal shot forth before vanishing into the cauldron in a flash.

  In the next instant, the dragon's roar that was being released by the cauldron transformed into the delightful cry of a phoenix.

  From a distance, it appeared as if the dragon and phoenix heads on either side of the golden cauldron had begun to
move, as if they had sprung to life.

  The scintillating golden lid of the cauldron rose up into the air before disappearing into nothingness.

  A loud commotion then rang out from within the cauldron, and following a rumbling boom, several golden balls of light of different sizes shot forth before attempting to escape into the heavens.

  However, Han Li was already prepared well in advance, so he certainly wasn't going to let these items slip through his fingers.

  As such, he immediately swept a sleeve forward, and grey light surged forth like lightning, instantly enveloping all of the golden balls of light at once.

  However, these golden balls of light suddenly dispersed, and the grey light receded in their paths, posing no impediment to them at all.

  Han Li was rather alarmed to see this, and he immediately made a hand seal before opening his mouth to expel a ball of azure light. There was a miniature azure cauldron within the azure light, and it was none other than his Heavenvoid Cauldron.

  His hand shot forth as a blur and struck the side of the cauldron, upon which its lid flew off of its own accord. Immediately thereafter, a plume of azure threads erupted forth before dispersing through the air.

  The countless green threads intertwined to form a giant azure net that encompassed all of the golden balls of light beneath it.

  As soon as the golden balls of light struck the net, they were all repelled back, and Han Li made another hand seal before pointing up into the air.

  The huge azure net abruptly folded in on itself, and all of the golden balls of light were trapped within it, thereby completely immobilizing them.

  Only then did Han Li calmly wave a hand through the air, and the azure threads instantly began to radiate dazzling light, causing Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun to blink involuntarily as they looked on with rapt focus.

  The azure net that contained the golden balls of light transformed into a streak of azure light that flew downward, then disappeared into the small cauldron in a flash.

  The azure cauldron lid then immediately descended to seal the Heavenvoid Cauldron shut. Han Li made a grabbing motion toward the small cauldron, and azure light immediately flashed, following which the treasure appeared in his hand.

  After that, he carried the treasure in one hand before turning around to face his two companions. "Fellow daoists, the treasures have been secured; you two will have to inspect them in person to see if they include the treasures that our two seniors have requested."

  As soon as his voice trailed off, he flicked his wrist again, and the Heavenvoid Cauldron rose up into the air before hovering in a stationary manner before him.

  He then crossed his arms and appraised his two companions with a hint of a smile on his face.

  Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun exchanged a glance upon hearing this, but Liu Shui'er then immediately chuckled before giving a nod and made her way gracefully over to the cauldron.

  Shi Kun rubbed his own chin and glanced at the azure cauldron before also striding toward it. The two of them then stopped around 10 feet away from the cauldron, and before they had even said anything, Han Li waved a hand forward in a calm manner.

  The small azure cauldron immediately rotated on the spot, and its lid vanished once again, revealing a burst of azure light flashing incessantly within it.

  "Brother Han, this is a spirit treasure, is it not? Does it have a name?" Shi Kun suddenly asked.

  "Are you interested in this spirit treasure, Brother Shi?" Han Li's expression remained completely unchanged as he replied with a question of his own.

  "Not exactly. It's just that I was fortunate enough to have seen a replica copy of the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll in our Stone Cocoon Race, and there seemed to be an item on it that was very similar to your cauldron," Shi Kun explained.

  "The Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll?" Han Li reflexively furrowed his brows slightly.

  "Have you not heard of it, Brother Han?" Shi Kun was rather taken aback.

  "I've naturally heard of it, but those are all rumors, and I don't really know the exact details of the roll. It would be great if you two could enlighten me on the subject," Han Li replied with a contemplative expression.

  "It's actually pretty simple. All of the races that have taken over a certain territory in the Spirit Realm have had a strange rock fall upon their land, and the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll is inscribed upon those rocks. The roll keeps a record of all of the most powerful treasures in the Spirit Realm, and it's constantly being updated. Every single item on the roll is quite extraordinary, and even Divine Spirit Treasures are all ranked quite low on the list. I recall that I just so happened to have seen a treasure on the roll's replica copy that bore a resemblance to this cauldron of yours, but it was ranked rather low, so I didn't pay much attention to it. As such, it's quite possible that my memory is merely playing tricks on me," Shi Kun explained in an honest manner.

  Chapter 1719: Golden Gourd and Metamorphosis Spirit Medicine

  "I'm not sure if this item is the one that you're referring to; perhaps it is, perhaps it's not. However, that's not the pressing matter at hand; we should focus on inspecting the items in the cauldron to see if the treasures requested by our two seniors are among them," Han Li said with a smile.

  Seeing as Han Li was clearly dodging the question, Shi Kun naturally couldn't keep pressing the issue, and he made no attempt to raise further questions as he nodded in response.

  As for Liu Shui'er, her gaze had been fixed on the Heavenvoid Cauldron this entire time, and following the conclusion of Han Li and Shi Kun's conversation, she immediately said, "Please reveal the treasures to us, Brother Han. Spiritvoid Pills are very easy to identify, so we definitely won't be mistaking them."

  She seemed to be more interested in the treasures in the cauldron than Shi Kun was.

  Han Li naturally had no objections to this, and he swept a sleeve through the air, sending several formation flags hurtling forth before disappearing into the surrounding space as streaks of light of different colors.

  All of a sudden, a white light barrier appeared to encompass an area with a radius of over 100 feet around the Heavenvoid Cauldron. This was a simple restriction formation, and it had naturally been set up to prevent any mishaps from occurring after the treasures were revealed.

  Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun took a brief glance at the light barrier before paying it no further heed. This restriction could be easily broken by them, and they had no reason to suspect that Han Li harbored any ulterior motives.

  After the formation was set up, Han Li cast his gaze toward the small cauldron in the air before opening his mouth to expel a burst of azure light.

  The azure light swept over the cauldron, and a rumbling noise rang out from within amid flashes of azure light. Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun both looked on with bated breath. Meanwhile, Han Li wore a relaxed smile as he raised a hand before pointing a finger at the small azure cauldron. The cauldron was only around a foot in size initially, but it then immediately expanded to around 10 feet in height. Han Li then immediately made another hand seal, and a dull thump rang out, following which a ball of light suddenly flew out of the cauldron.

  The ball of light was only around the size of a human fist, but it was bound tightly by countless azure threads, which were pulsating slightly.

  Han Li let loose a low cry before raising a hand, and an incantation seal flew through the air before vanishing into the ball of light.

  Immediately thereafter, the azure threads around the ball of light were shattered before vanishing as specks of azure light.

  As soon as the azure threads faded, golden light flashed, and the item attempted to fly away again.

  A cold light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and he immediately reached out with a single hand. An enormous burst of invisible force instantly descended, and the item was completely immobilized in mid-air.

  Han Li focused his gaze on the item to find that it was a shimmering golden gourd. There were complex patterns all over its surface, and spiritual
light was flashing erratically from it.

  Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun's expressions changed slightly upon seeing this, but they didn't do anything in response.

  Han Li made a pulling motion with his hand, and the golden gourd immediately hurtled toward him before landing in his grasp.

  It seemed to have attained a hint of spiritual nature and was trembling incessantly within his hand in an attempt to break free.

  Han Li raised an eyebrow before sweeping a sleeve over the gourd, and white light flashed as a white talisman was adhered onto its surface.

  The restrictive force of the talisman immediately stifled the light emanating from the gourd, and it fell completely still.

  Han Li raised his hand in a calm manner and brought the gourd up to his eye level for further inspection. Blue light flashed through his eyes, and he swept a wisp of his own spiritual sense toward the treasure.

  After a full 10 minutes had passed, the spiritual light in Han Li's eyes faded, and he tossed the gourd forward.

  The item immediately flew through the air as a ball of golden light, then came to an abrupt halt between Liu Shui'er and Shi Kun, where it hovered in mid-air in a stationary manner.

  "This is not a spirit medicine container, but a rare metal-attribute treasure instead. Not only does the gourd itself seem to possess some abilities, it's nurturing several flying swords within it, although I can't determine the power of these swords."

  "In that case, this must be a sword gourd that has only been around in ancient times. I've heard that the refinement method for this type of treasure had already faded into complete obscurity on all of the continents; I'm very intrigued to inspect this treasure for myself. Fellow Daoist Shi, you wouldn't mind if I took a look at the treasure first, would you?" Liu Shui'er suddenly asked as she turned to Shi Kun with a smile.

  "Hehe, of course not; you can go right ahead," Shi Kun chuckled in a nonchalant manner.