Their steeds resembled giant wolves with huge fleshy wings, and their entire bodies were covered in blue fur. There were also faint sparks of lightning running along their bodies, giving them quite a mysterious appearance.
However, none of these guards possessed any magic power fluctuations; they were a rare group of high-grade body refinement warriors. With their powerful bodies alone, they were virtually comparable to Core Formation cultivators.
The four guards were rather taken aback by the fact that not only had Han Li refrained from fleeing the scene, he was instead appraising them with an intrigued expression while standing on his flying carriage.
A hint of bewilderment appeared in the eyes of the leader of the four guards upon seeing this.
He waved a hand, and all four of the guards tugged on the reins of their beastly steeds, drawing to a halt at the edge of the sea of clouds.
"You must be the vastly renowned Lightning Guards of the Xuan Wu Region, right? You really do live up to your reputation. Seeing as you're here, I presume Fellow Daoist Tyrant Sovereign has already arrived at Nine Immortal Mountain," Han Li said in a calm manner.
The four guards were stunned to hear that Han Li was referring to the Tyrant Sovereign as his equal, and they immediately adopted more respectful mannerisms.
The leader of the group hurriedly cupped his fist in a salute, and said, "We are indeed part of Master Tyrant Sovereign's Lightning Guards, but he hasn't arrived here yet. We were sent to Nine Immortal Mountain in advance to help maintain law and order here. May I ask for your esteemed name, Senior?"
"Hehe, my surname is Han, but you may not have heard of me. Come to think of it, your Tyrant Sovereign sent someone to recruit me to join the Tyrant Sovereign Palace not long ago, but I had to turn down the offer due to certain reasons," Han Li said in a nonchalant manner.
"Could it be that you're the new Body Integration cultivator, Senior Han Li?"
"Oh? You know of me?"
Han Li was clearly taken aback by the fact that this guard was able to identify him based on his surname alone, and he began to take a closer look at this man.
Only then did he discover that even though this man was only a body refinement warrior, there was faint treasure light emanating from his body, suggesting that he was carrying many powerful treasures, so he seemed to be different from his three companions.
The guard hurriedly explained, "Forgive me for my rudeness earlier, Senior. My grandfather is one of the four personal guards of Master Tyrant Sovereign, and I was able to hear about you through him."
"Personal guards? Oh, I recall hearing about them. I've heard that all four of those fellow Daoists are top-grade body refinement warriors, and the Tyrant Sovereign has dedicated a lot of effort to train them. None of them possess any magic power, but they all have extremely powerful bodies with extraordinary strength, and can directly oppose top-grade treasures," Han Li said with a hint of recollection in his eyes.
"My grandfather would be honored to hear that Senior Han has heard about him. I'm sure you must be weary after traveling all the way here, Senior. Please follow me to the Immortal Welcome Palace so you can rest." The leader of the guards had quite a coarse appearance, but he was displaying a thoughtful side that belied his physical attributes.
"Hehe, now that you mention it, I really am feeling a little weary. Lead the way!" Han Li nodded in response.
"Gladly! Please come with me, Senior Han."
The four guards extended another respectful salute in unison before slowly flying back into the passageway that had opened up in the sea of clouds.
Han Li followed along behind them on his flying carriage.
The sea of clouds wasn't very large, and it only took a short while before Han Li and the four body refinement warriors emerged on the other side, then flew directly toward a certain massive mountain in the distance.
"Four of the peaks of the Nine Immortal Mountain are owned by our human race, while the demon race owns another four. The tallest Flying Immortal Peak is a neutral peak that is normally uninhabited by either of our two races, so that naturally became the venue for this edition of the Myriad Treasure Convention. We've gathered some human and demon cultivators who are adept in earth-attribute cultivation arts, and they're working night and day to set up the entire peak. Of course, a single mountain peak alone won't be enough to house all of the convention-goers, so during the period that the convention is being held, the other eight peaks will also be open to the general public.
"We'll be constructing eight secondary convention venues to ensure we have sufficient capacity for everyone. Even so, I think the convention will be extremely packed. After all, almost all past editions of the convention have had over 1,000,000 attendees. Fortunately, we've been preparing for this convention for over a year, so there shouldn't be any issues, but I've heard that this edition of the convention is going to be slightly different."
The leader of the guards was very thoughtful and introduced to Han Li the situation on Nine Immortal Mountain and surrounding the Myriad Treasure Convention. However, his voice clearly drew to a rather unnatural halt here.
"Oh? What's different about this edition?" Han Li asked in a slightly intrigued manner.
"I only stumbled upon some rumors, and I can't vouch for their authenticity. Please forgive me if I say something that doesn't prove to be true," the man said after a brief hesitant pause.
"Rest assured, I'll make my own decisions based on what you tell me; I won't blame you for anything," Han Li assured in an indifferent manner.
"Alright, then I'll go ahead. I've heard that beings from foreign races may be participating in this edition of the Myriad Treasure Convention, and that they'll be offering some extremely precious treasures from their races for auction," the man said in a careful manner after taking a deep breath.
"Foreign beings? Which foreign beings are going to be attending?" Han Li was truly surprised to hear this.
"I'm afraid that's beyond me, Senior. I'm just a Lightning Guard, after all," the man said with a wry smile.
A contemplative look appeared on Han Li's face before his expression quickly returned to normal, and he flipped a hand over before tossing a few vials of pills to the four guards. "That's true. In any case, thank you for disclosing all this information to me. Here are a few vials of Heavenmend Pills for the four of you. You can take one once every few days to extend your lifespans. Feel free to come and tell me if you hear any more useful information; I'll be sure to reward you for your efforts." [IGT: Just to clarify, these are probably not the same Heavenmend Pills from the Scattered Star Seas arc]
The man was ecstatic to hear that they were being given vials of Heavenmend Pills, and his voice trembled slightly as he said, "Thank you, Senior. We'll be sure to notify you if we hear anything of value."
The other three guards also hurriedly expressed their gratitude in an elated manner.
Han Li merely waved a hand before falling silent as he stood on his flying carriage.
The four Lightning Guards left Han Li to his own thoughts, and after flying for a while longer, they finally reached the foot of the certain mountain peak.
There were many connected buildings and pavilions here that encompassed virtually the entire mountain, and among these buildings was a lavish white jade palace that was 3,000 to 4,000 feet tall, presenting a spectacular sight to behold.
A series of intricate pavilions surrounded this palace, amounting to a total of over 100, complementing the jade palace like stars around the moon.
"This is the Immortal Welcome Palace, Senior Han. All Body Integration Stage seniors can occupy a level of the palace with their entourage. Each level of the palace has a designated teleportation formation, so you'll be able to directly teleport to the public hall on the first floor without having to pass through any of the lower levels. All of these surrounding pavilions have been prepared for Spatial Tempering Stage seniors. However, only Body Integration Stage seniors are granted passage into this place at the momen
t. Every peak has an Immortal Welcome Palace like this one to accommodate Body Integration Stage seniors," the man introduced in a thorough manner.
"I see. Has anyone already moved into this palace?" Han Li asked in an intrigued manner.
"This palace is currently only being occupied by Daoist Master Myriad Bone and his entourage, who arrived a month ago," the man replied truthfully.
Chapter 1794: Daoist Master Myriad Bone
"I see. I have heard of Daoist Master Myriad Bone in the past. I heard that he was also a vagrant cultivator, but he founded the White Bone Sect around 10,000 years ago, and he seems to have lofty aspirations," Han Li replied.
"Come to think of it, the White Bone Sect is quite a powerful sect that can rank among the top 10 sects of our Xuanwu Region, and it's a testament to Senior Myriad Bone's powers that he was able to achieve this in such a short time. By the way, Senior Myriad Bone is currently residing on the top floor of the Immortal Welcome Place; you can inform the manager of this Immortal Welcome Palace of which floor you'd like to stay on, Senior," the man said in a respectful manner.
As they were speaking, the four Lightning Guards had already guided Han Li to the entrance of the white jade palace, where there were several azure-armored guards standing in a stoic manner.
The leader of the Lightning Guards hurriedly jumped off his giant wolf steed, then approached one of the azure-armored guards before pointing at Han Li while whispering something.
The cold expression on the azure-armored guard's face instantly changed, and after carefully inspecting Han Li for a brief moment, he immediately extended a bow toward Han Li before quickly rushing into the palace.
The man returned to Han Li's side, and said, "Senior Han, I have to go back on patrol duty now, so I won't be able to stay here any longer. The manager of the Immortal Welcome Palace will come out to greet you in person soon. We'll be taking our leave now."
The four Lightning Guards extended parting bows toward Han Li as their leader spoke.
Han Li naturally wasn't going to stop them, and he waved a hand to grant the Lightning Guards their leave.
Almost as soon as the four Lightning Guards rose up into the air and departed on their giant wolf steeds, two people emerged from within the palace.
One of them was none other than the azure-armored guard who had just rushed into the palace, and he was accompanied by a white-robed elderly man. The elderly man had his eyes slightly narrowed, and he was a mid-Spatial Tempering cultivator.
"You must be Senior Han. My name is Zong Mian; please forgive me for not coming out to greet you sooner," the elderly said as he extended a respectful bow from afar.
"No need to be so polite, Fellow Daoist Zong. I'm rather weary from my journey, so it would be best if you could organize a place for me to stay right away," Han Li replied in a calm voice as he appraised the elderly man.
"Rest assured, Senior, everything has already been prepared, and you can move in right away. Senior Myriad Bone has taken the top floor, and the first floor is a public hall, but the other eight levels are all vacant, and you can choose whichever one you like," Zong Mian said with a smile.
"I'll take the fifth floor, then. It's not too high and not too low; just right for me," Han Li decided after a brief pause for thought.
"I'll take you to the fifth floor right away, Senior. If there's anything you're displeased with, I'll make adjustments right away," the elderly man said in a fawning manner.
Han Li nodded with an indifferent look on his face, and he was led into the hall on the first level of the Immortal Welcome Palace.
The entire hall was several thousand feet in size, and the walls and ground were all shimmering with light. There were white fist-sized phosphorescent beads embedded into their surfaces, illuminating the entire hall and making it resemble an immortal paradise.
There were some white jade tables and chairs placed around the hall, and they were littered throughout the corners.
At the center of the hall was a faint silver teleportation formation that appeared to be around 70 to 80 feet in size.
The elderly man strode directly into the formation, and Han Li followed along in an expressionless manner.
Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi exchanged a glance, and they also entered the formation. Even though this was the first time the two of them were using a teleportation formation, they weren't afraid or uneasy at all.
The elderly man cast an incantation seal onto the teleportation formation, and a buzzing sound immediately rang out.
He then flipped a hand over to produce an intricate silver badge, and Han Li cast an errant glance toward it to discover that one side of the badge was filled with complex runes, while the other side of the badge had the number "5" engraved upon it in faint golden text.
Zong Mian gently waved the badge through the air, and a burst of silver light flew forth before vanishing into the formation underfoot.
In the next instant, silver light swirled throughout the entire formation, and the four of them disappeared in unison.
Young Master and Qi Lingzi had both closed their eyes, but they were still instantly struck by a sense of vertigo, and when they opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing on an open-air platform.
There was a garden around them with several winding paths meandering through it, and the garden was filled with unidentifiable exotic flowers and plants. On the other side was a green pond that was several acres in size, within which a series of five-colored spirit fish that were around a foot in length each were swimming in an energetic manner.
A gentle breeze blew forth, sending bursts of abundant spiritual Qi sweeping toward them.
Young Master Hai faltered momentarily before a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he raised his head to cast his gaze upward to discover a blue sky up above with several white clouds drifting lazily.
However, the suns that should've also been present in the air were nowhere to be seen; they had been replaced by a massive white ball of light that was hovering in mid-air, releasing a gentle white light.
Young Master Hai was completely flabbergasted by this sight, and Qi Lingzi was also struggling to pick his jaw up from the ground.
Right at this moment, Han Li's voice suddenly sounded in both their ears. "Stop looking. Everything up there has been manifested by a restriction; you won't be able to see how it works at your current cultivation bases."
Only then did they return to their senses from their enraptured state, only to discover that Han Li had already emerged from the formation, and was standing over 100 feet away, appraising them with a faint smile.
Zong Mian was standing further away, and he was also looking at the two of them with an amused smile.
Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi blushed slightly, and they hurriedly emerged from the formation in an embarrassed manner.
However, the two of them were still filled with excitement, and they were constantly looking around as they followed along behind Han Li.
After following a path for a while, a large green hall appeared up ahead. It wasn't particularly massive, but it had been extremely intricately constructed, as evidenced by the meticulous patterns carved on its surface.
On either side of the hall was a separate courtyard, and a smaller side hall. These buildings were clearly there for the cultivator's entourage to inhabit.
They were all surrounded by lush green bamboo plants, and there were a few pavilions that were visible through the bamboo poles, presenting a mesmerizing sight to behold.
Who could've imagined that this paradise would only be a single level of this massive palace?
Han Li stood near the hall and looked around before asking in a seemingly casual manner, "Is every level in the Immortal Welcome Palace set up like this?"
"Hehe, of course not. Every single level of the Immortal Welcome Palace is set up differently to cater to different preferences. If you don't like this level, I can take you to another level, Senior Han," Zong Mian replied.
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"There's no need for that; I'm quite pleased with this level," Han Li said with a nonchalant wave of his hand.
"In that case, please keep this restriction badge safe, Senior. The restriction on each level is different, and only one badge was refined for each level, so I'll have to ask you to return this badge to me at the conclusion of the convention, Senior," the elderly man said with a smile as he passed the silver badge over to Han Li with both hands.
Han Li accepted the badge before nodding in response, and the elderly man departed after taking his leave.
Thus, Han Li's trio was left to their own devices.
"You two can live here during the duration of the convention. You can choose any one of the courtyards to stay in. I need to rest, so if there's anything that needs to be discussed, leave it until tomorrow," Han Li instructed.
"Yes, Senior!" Young Master Hai and Qi Lingzi replied in a respectful manner.
The two of them then rushed toward the cluster of buildings beside the hall with unadulterated excitement on their faces, and Han Li could hear the sound of them bickering and fooling around in the distance.
Han Li shook his head and strode toward the main hall. He found a quiet room in the hall and began to meditate to rest.
The next morning, Han Li was still meditating on his futon with azure spiritual light flashing over his body when his expression suddenly changed, and he immediately opened his eyes.
In the next instant, a ball of white flames phased directly through the wooden door of his room, then reached him in a flash.
Han Li's eyes flashed as he reached out with a finger and gently tapped the ball of white flames.
The ball of flames exploded amid a dull thump, vanishing into countless specks of light. At the same time, a voice suddenly rang out within the room.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Han, I am Myriad Bone. I heard that you moved into the Immortal Welcome Palace yesterday. If you don't mind, please pay me a visit on the top floor."
The voice was quite an elderly one, and it concluded after that brief message.
"Daoist Master Myriad Bone, eh?" Han Li stroked his chin with a contemplative look on his face.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1034