Some of the mortals in the smaller cities also began to move toward the major powers. Of course, the information surrounding the devilish tribulation naturally wasn't going to be disclosed to normal people, but they were moved closer to major powers for one reason or another.
As the years passed by, the atmosphere in the human regions became tenser and tenser. In the past, cultivators very rarely appeared before mortals, but they were now appearing in all of the major cities in large groups.
They were either setting up all types of defensive formations out in the open, or putting the body refinement warriors among the mortals through specific training that would better equip them to face devilish beings.
Even though the body refinement warriors that were currently being trained would die of old age long before the commencement of the devilish tribulation, these training methods had to be ingrained very early on so that it could reach a certain scale several generations into the future, thereby making the future generations of body refinement warriors a viable source of assistance to all of the major powers.
After all, there were over 100 times as many body refinement warriors as there were cultivators, and even though the most powerful ones among them were only comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators, their staggering numbers made them a force to be reckoned with.
During the past devilish tribulations, it had been proven that when properly armed, these body refinement warriors could be very effective against low-grade and mid-grade elder devils.
Batches of spirit tools that had been hidden in the secret vaults of the major powers were also being brought out and distributed to the powers among the mortals.
Meanwhile, more powerful spirit tools were being refined in large batches by the tool refinement masters of the major powers.
At the same time, pills and treasures that could be used by low-grade and mid-grade cultivators were also being refined at all costs.
As such, demand for tool refinement and pill refinement materials naturally increased to an astonishing extent, and the prices for these materials had increased by several fold compared to in the past.
Even so, demand still outweighed supply, and there were often shortages of all types of materials.
The situation in the seven demon territories was also quite similar. Of course, the situation had slowly escalated over the span of over 100 years, so the two races weren't plunged into complete turmoil.
However, this seemed to have no bearing whatsoever on a certain person, and no news of him emerged during this past century.
On this day, a streak of white light suddenly flew over the city wall of Deep Heaven City, which were now around twice their original height.
Within the white light was a slender figure, and she vanished from the field of view of the guards stationed on this section of the city wall after just a few flashes.
A black-armored man faltered slightly upon seeing this before flaring up with rage. "Who's that? How dare a Core Formation cultivator like her fly over the city gate right under our noses?" Black light then flashed over his body as he prepared to set off in pursuit.
Another armored guard standing beside him hurriedly grabbed onto his shoulder, and said, "Please wait, Brother Hu! That's Fairy Bai, and she's granted direct passage into Deep Heaven City without having to be searched by us."
"Huh? Why's that? She's just a Core Formation cultivator; why is she granted such a privilege?" the black-armored man asked.
"She may only be a Core Formation cultivator, but her master is a Body Integration cultivator, and he took only several centuries to progress from the Deity Transformation to the Body Integration. There's a good chance that he could even reach the late-Body Integration Stage in the future. As for that Fairy Bai, it's said that she only took just over 100 years to reach the mid-Core Formation Stage, so she also possesses extraordinary cultivation aptitude. You only recently joined our Deep Heaven City, and that's why you don't recognize her," the armored guard explained.
"Could it be that her master is the Senior Han who once matched the Long Family patriarch in a battle?" the man with the Hu surname exclaimed as his expression changed drastically.
"Oh? So you've heard about Senior Han as well. That makes sense; even though there hasn't been any news about him for a long time, he's still a vastly renowned figure among our human race. Otherwise, the panel of elders wouldn't have granted such a privilege to that in-name disciple of his," the other armored guard replied with a smile.
The man with the Hu surname nodded before asking, "So that woman is Senior Han's in-name disciple; no wonder she's been granted free passage. Does she visit our Deep Heaven City often?"
"Not too often; at times, she visits once every one or two years, and at other times, she visits once every seven or eight years. However, I've heard from some friends of mine that every time she visits, she's always here to purchase materials from the markets. That makes sense considering how much of a shortage there currently is on all materials; only our Deep Heaven City is able to provide some materials for sale," the other armored guard replied.
"I see. Does this mean Senior Han resides somewhere close to our Deep Heaven City?" the man with the Hu surname asked.
"I don't know about that. After all, no one dares to follow this Fairy Bai back to where Senior Han is currently dwelling. In any case, it's not in our place to be discussing matters surrounding Body Integration Seniors; how about you tell me about that chunk of Purple Golden Iron you discovered in that market last time?" The other armored guard changed the subject in a rather cautious manner.
"Hehe, I really lucked out there and secured that material for a low price before selling it for a good profit. On that day, I was visiting a market and just so happened to pass by a small shop..." The man with the Hu surname seemed to be more than happy to tell this story, and he immediately gave a spirited recount of events.
All of the other guards on that section of the city wall listened with rapt focus, and the events that had just transpired were quickly forgotten.
At this point, the streak of white light was already heading directly toward a certain market within Deep Heaven City.
Several hours later, the streak of white light landed in front of the human and demon exchange center within the market.
The white light receded to reveal a silver-robed young woman who appeared to be around 16 to 17 years of age. She had an oval face and a pair of large bright eyes. Her delicate cheeks were tinged with a rosy complexion, and she had grown to become quite a beauty.
After issuing some spirit stones to the guard in front of the exchange center, then accepting a treasure that would conceal her identity, she strode into the hall, enshrouded within a ball of spiritual light.
Moments later, she appeared inside the main hall of the exchange center, where over 100 other people were present, all of whom had also been concealed within balls of spiritual light, creating quite a lively and bustling scene.
Bai Guo'er quickly inspected her surroundings before her gaze settled on a certain direction, and she strode toward a certain corner of the hall.
There, a demonic cultivator enshrouded within a cloud of black Qi was standing in silence.
As soon as Bai Guo'er approached the demonic cultivator, the black Qi around the latter churned slightly, and a pristine white hand reached out, holding half of a jade pendant.
Bai Guo'er flipped her hand over upon seeing this, and produced half a jade pendant as well.
The two halves of the jade pendant were then connected to form a whole, and Bai Guo'er was quite relieved to see this.
A pleasant female voice rang out from within the black Qi, and she seemed to be familiar with Bai Guo'er. "Hehe, so it's you again. Is your master still in seclusion?"
"Ah, I didn't expect you to come here in person, Senior Qin. Indeed, my master is still in seclusion," Bai Guo'er replied in a slightly surprised manner.
"The materials your master requested this time are extremely valuabl
e, so I couldn't entrust them to anyone else. I must say, your master never ceases to astound me; to think that he was able to nurture you to the mid-Core Formation Stage in just over 100 years," the woman within the black Qi sighed.
"This is all thanks to the pills that Master gave me, and the efforts he made to cleanse my essence. Otherwise, there's no way I could've reached the Core Formation Stage so easily with my aptitude," Bai Guo'er replied, and the tone of her voice suggested that she was very grateful toward her master.
The woman within the black Qi was none other than the Heavenly Fox being, Qin Su'er, who had engaged in many transactions with Han Li in the past. Every once in a while, Han Li would send Bai Guo'er to this place to exchange for items with Qin Su'er in his stead.
"In any case, it's still very impressive that you were able to make such fast progress. If you continue in this manner, there's a very good chance that you could progress to the Deity Transformation Stage or even Spatial Tempering Stage in the future. Alright, that's enough rambling from me; let's begin our exchange," Qin Su'er said as she pulled out a purple wooden box and handed it over to Bai Guo'er.
"Thank you for your words of praise, Senior." A sweet smile appeared on Bai Guo'er’s face, and she flipped a hand over to produce a blue ring.
Two hours later, Bai Guo'er re-emerged from the hall, then made her way over to a secluded corner before rising up into the air and flying back the way she had come from.
Two months later, she descended onto a massive mountain deep within a mountain range that was remarkably abundant with spiritual Qi.
Chapter 1845: The Small World Within the Mountain
"Hehe, you sure got back quickly this time, Junior Martial Sister; looks like your trip must've been quite a smooth one."
As soon as Bai Guo'er appeared in front of an azure stone gate halfway up the mountain, a boisterous male voice rang out from the other side, following which the gate opened on its own after a flash of azure light.
An extremely handsome yellow-robed scholar who appeared to be around 30 years of age then strode out from within; it was none other than Hai Yuetian, who had been sent by Han Li to Deep Heaven City 200 years ago.
Following the passage of 200 years, Hai Yuetian seemed to have become even more handsome. He was now a Core Formation cultivator as well, and his physical body was also far more powerful than it had been in the past.
Bai Guo'er initially faltered momentarily at the sight of Hai Yuetian before a hint of elation appeared on her face. "When did you get back, Senior Martial Brother?"
"Hehe, I just completed a mission assigned to me by Deep Heaven City and I almost lost my life there, but I earned half a year's break for my efforts, so I returned to see if Master had come out of seclusion yet," Hai Yuetian replied with a smile.
"Did you manage to meet Master?" Bai Guo'er asked.
"No, but I did manage to get a few vials of pills from Master's second Nascent Soul. If everything goes smoothly, I'll also begin attempting a breakthrough to the mid-Core Formation Stage in the next few years. Come to think of it, it's pretty embarrassing that my cultivation base is inferior to yours, even though I'm supposed to be the senior martial brother," Hai Yuetian chuckled.
"Hehe, surely you jest, Senior Martial Brother; you're pursuing the path of simultaneous cultivation, so your true overall power is far superior to mine. On top of that, Master is also pursuing simultaneous cultivation, so you'll most likely be the one to truly inherit Master's teachings; I should be the one who's envious of you. Even if we were only speaking in terms of magic power, my rate of progression can't compare with that of Senior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi; he's already reached the pinnacle of the Core Formation Stage in just 200 years and is about to prepare to manifest a Nascent Soul soon," Bai Guo'er chuckled in a modest manner.
"So what? No matter how powerful we become, I can only pose as an ordinary body refinement warrior in Deep Heaven City, and I don't even dare to let others know who my master is in case they try to get to Master through me. Junior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi is also in the same boat. Every time we come back to visit Master from Deep Heaven City, we have to sneak around like a pair of thieves, whereas you can come and go as you please from Deep Heaven City as Master's disciple," Hai Yuetian sighed in an envious manner.
"I'm only able to appear in public as Master's disciple as I have to regularly visit Deep Heaven City to run errands for Master, whereas you and Senior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi were sent to Deep Heaven City for training, so our situations are completely different. Speaking of Senior Martial Brother Qi Lingzi, his cultivation aptitude and the cultivation arts that he inherited have received glowing praise even from Master, so perhaps he'll go further than us when it comes to cultivation," Bai Guo'er said with a smile.
"That's for sure. Come to think of it, Master has been in seclusion ever since he returned to the human race with you a century ago, leaving his second Nascent Soul and Senior Ice Phoenix to instruct us in our cultivation; I wonder how Master's own cultivation is progressing." A hint of concern appeared in Hai Yuetian's eyes as he spoke.
"Rest assured, Senior Martial Brother. Master spent 100 years scouring the human regions and demon territories searching for someone, but after failing in his search, he decided to temporarily give up on it and went into seclusion to try and make a breakthrough to the mid-Body Integration Stage. If I'm not mistaken, he most likely won't be coming out of seclusion until he reaches the mid-Body Integration Stage," Bai Guo'er replied in a reassuring manner.
"Even with Master's extraordinary powers, surely it would take at least 1,000 years of arduous cultivation to reach the mid-Body Integration Stage; is he planning to be in seclusion for 1,000 years?" Hai Yuetian exclaimed.
"I don't know about how other Body Integration Stage seniors cultivate, but our master was once able to match a late-Body Integration cultivator in battle at just the early-Body Integration Stage, so his powers definitely aren't inferior to those of a mid-Body Integration cultivator, and I'm sure he has some methods to increase his rate of progression. I think he'll definitely emerge from seclusion prior to the commencement of the devilish tribulation," Bai Guo'er said in a confident manner.
"That's true. Master must've made the decision to try and progress to the mid-Body Integration Stage as quickly as possible precisely because of the imminent tribulation," Hai Yuetian replied with a nod.
Both he and Bai Guo'er were very confident that Han Li would be able to reach the mid-Body Integration Stage, and it was no wonder that this was the case.
During these past years, not only had Han Li given them many powerful cultivation arts, whenever they had encountered bottlenecks in their cultivation, he had been able to assist them in breaking through these bottlenecks with ease through nothing more than some words of advice or a few vials of precious pills. This was the main reason why they had been able to progress so quickly in their cultivation, and due to this, not only had they developed a great deal of respect and gratitude toward their master, they had also developed this impression that their master was an unfathomable, almost omnipotent figure.
After that, Hai Yuetian and Bai Guo'er chatted for a while longer before the former departed from the cave abode and flew away as a streak of blue light.
As for Bai Guo'er, she entered through the azure gate and made her way toward the backyard of the cave abode through a corridor.
After passing through several layers of restrictions, she arrived on a large grassland with white clouds drifting in a blue sky overhead, and an abundance of spiritual Qi in the surrounding area.
At the center of the grassland were two small mountains, each of which was over 1,000 feet tall. One of them was inky black, while the other was as green as jade.
In between these two mountains was a white jade pavilion with three levels, and was enshrouded within a dense five-colored light barrier.
An independent small world had been manifested behind the cave abode, and it appeared to be no different to the outside
world. There was currently a humanoid figure seated on each of the two small mountains, one of which was a green-skinned figure that was around 20 feet tall with purple light around its body, while the other was a shimmering golden figure that was enshrouded within black Qi.
From afar, both of these figures appeared to have facial features that strongly resembled Han Li's, and they both had their eyes tightly shut. In the instant that Bai Guo'er strode onto the grassland, the golden "Han Li" slowly opened his eyes before casting his gaze toward her.
"Greetings, Master; I've brought back the item that you requested," Bai Guo'er immediately said as she extended a respectful curtsey, then flipped a hand over to produce a purple wooden box, which she offered to "Han Li" with both hands.
"Thanks for your hard work, Guo'er. Now then, let me see if this item will actually prove to be useful to me," the golden figure said with a benevolent smile, and his voice was identical to Han Li's as well. The golden figure then waved a hand toward Bai Guo'er, and the purple wooden box immediately flew toward him before being drawn into his grasp.
He swept a hand over the wooden box, and its lid was immediately removed, revealing several egg-sized black demon cores within the box. The demon cores were giving off a strange repugnant odor that was very pungent and nauseating.
However, the golden figure was very pleased at the sight of these demon cores, and he nodded as he closed the box again before smiling as he turned to Bai Guo'er. "Well done, Guo'er, these are perfect for me; I've finally gathered all of the materials I need! From now on, I'll be withdrawing my second Nascent Soul and activating the formation here to completely seal off this place from the outside world. Don't disturb me unless your lives are in peril or the devilish tribulation strikes earlier than expected. The next century or two will be the most critical juncture of my cultivation, and requires my wholehearted attention. I've already given Fairy Phoenix all of the pills and spirit stones that you and your senior martial brothers will require for your cultivation. If you need something, you can go to see her. Hehe, I hope to see improvements from all of you when I emerge from my seclusion."
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1065