Meanwhile, another Han Li was flying through the air over a lush forest as a streak of azure light.
A stone hall was hot on his heels in pursuit only around several kilometers away.
A massive mountain that was over 100,000 feet tall suddenly appeared in Han Li's field of view. The mountain was extremely lush and scenic, and Han Li's eyes immediately lit up as he flew directly toward the mountain.
After just a few flashes, he abruptly vanished at a certain point halfway up the mountain.
Not long thereafter, the stone hall appeared above the mountain summit, then released countless runes of different colors to instantly manifest a giant five-colored light formation.
The formation expelled a faint buzzing sound as soon as it appeared, and a giant ball of five-colored light with a diameter of several hundred feet appeared at its center.
A cold harrumph rang out from within the stone palace, and the giant ball of light immediately detached itself from the light formation before descending toward the highest point on the mountain peak.
Five-colored spiritual light flashed violently, and in the instant the ball of light came into contact with the mountain summit, it disappeared into the mountain without a sound, leaving only a gigantic black hole on the ground.
Not only was the hole extremely massive with a radius of over 1,000 feet, its edge was completely black and remarkably smooth, and a scorching aura was emanating from within it.
After the span of just a few breaths, an earth-shattering boom erupted from deep within the belly of the mountain, and the earth tremored violently.
Countless thick pillars of light then suddenly erupted from the surface of the mountain, punching countless holes into it in an instant.
The mountain swayed violently for a moment before completely collapsing, crumbling into a massive pile of rubble with countless rocks and stones flying in all directions.
At the center of the wreckage was a gargantuan crater that was several hundred feet deep with an area of over 10 acres.
The center of the crater was completely devoid of all matter, as if everything within it had been vaporized on the spot.
Immediately thereafter, over 100 thick pillars of light erupted from the light formation up above, then pierced into the wreckage down below. A string of resounding booms rang out from underground, but there was nothing amiss.
Only then did the stone hall gradually descend from above, only stopping once it was several thousand feet above the rubble.
White light flashed in the air above the stone hall, and Yuan Cha emerged with a slightly bewildered expression as she swept her gaze over the wreckage.
"That Han brat just escaped into this mountain, so there's no way he should've been able to escape the scope of my attack. However, it looks like that was only a clone of his, seeing as I was able to kill him so easily, but even if it's just a clone it should've left behind some remains. Could it be that it just so happened to be at the epicenter of the attack, and its body was completely destroyed?" Yuan Cha murmured to herself with furrowed brows.
After a brief pause for contemplation, she closed her eyes while pointing a finger at her own glabella.
A burst of enormous spiritual sense immediately erupted forth before spreading in all directions before scouring meticulously through every single inch of rubble, but all to no avail.
"Looks like I was overthinking things." Yuan Cha's expression eased slightly as she reopened her eyes.
Right at this moment, a peculiar type of fluctuation emanated from her body, and her expression changed slightly as she swept a sleeve through the air to release an antiquated mirror.
The mirror circled around in the air above her head before hovering in front of her, and moments later, the image of Xue Guang appeared on its surface.
"Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha, there's no need for you to continue in your pursuit; you're most likely chasing after a clone. The one that I'm chasing has killed most of the troops I sent to impede him, and he's displaying immense power; I'm confident that this is his true body! I've managed to trap him in a certain place with my All-encompassing Plate, but he's unleashed some type of concealment technique, and I'm unable to find him for now. The three of us need to focus on controlling the All-encompassing Plate to seal off the surrounding area, so you'll have to assist us with tracking him down," the Xue Guang clone said in a serious manner.
The remnants of Yuan Cha's suspicions were erased upon hearing this, and she replied, "I see, that confirms it, then; I've already taken care of the one that I'm chasing after, and it did indeed seem far too weak to be the true body. I'll come to you right away; make sure you don't allow him to escape!"
She then immediately stowed her mirror away before flying upward as a streak of white light.
After just a few flashes, she returned to her stone hall and departed from the scene. Thus, peace and quiet returned to the area.
Four hours later, a layer of green light suddenly flashed over a mundane-looking dead log situated in a certain corner of the rubble. The log suddenly transformed into a green-skinned young man who was identical to Han Li in appearance; it was none other than Han Li's spirit body!
As soon the spirit body emerged, it immediately laid a hand onto the top of its own head, and a ball of green light emerged, within which was an adorable little girl. The little girl's face was slightly pale, and she took a seat with her legs crossed in the air above the spirit body. After a long while, a hint of color had finally returned to her cheeks.
She cast her gaze toward the massive crater nearby with a hint of lingering fear in her eyes, and murmured to herself, "Master was right; the spirit body really is able to conceal itself flawlessly within a natural setting. I've completed my mission; now, it's time to hide somewhere, then find a way to reunite with Master later. I hope Master can survive this ordeal."
After that, she disappeared into the spirit body again as a ball of green light.
In the next instant, the spirit body reopened its eyes, then decided on a certain direction before flying away.
Elsewhere, there were over 100 devilish elites hovering in the air around a giant jade plate. They were situated above a valley, and were looking down below with solemn looks in their eyes.
Chapter 1957: Diversion
At this point, the giant jade plate had already transformed into a scintillating red sun, and the red spiritual light radiating from it had encompassed the entire valley down below.
Within this red light, there were countless silver runes flashing incessantly, and they seemed to contain some type of mysterious power.
Within the jade plate, the three Xue Guang clones were standing next to one another. They were all making hand seals with crimson light shimmering around their bodies, staring at the crystalline wall up ahead with intense unblinking eyes.
Within the image on the crystalline wall, a series of crimson balls of light were scouring through the valley in search for something, and nothing was able to impede these balls of light.
As the balls of light roamed over the landscape, the image on the crystalline wall was constantly changing. However, there was nothing to be seen aside from rocks, trees, and spirit beasts that possessed no intelligence.
The three clones' expressions naturally darkened even further upon seeing this, and they continued to control the balls of light to search through the area.
Not long after that, a ball of white light shot forth from the distance, and it was none other than Yuan Cha's stone hall.
The stone hall reached the jade plate in a flash before stopping on the spot, and almost at the exact same moment, Yuan Cha emerged from the stone hall amid a flash of white light.
"You've finally arrived, Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha," the Xue Guang clone at the center said with a smile.
"Cut the chit-chat; are you sure that Han brat has been trapped in the valley?" Yuan Cha asked.
"Of course, I wouldn't dare to lie to you about something like this. After I caught up to
him, he tried to use an earth movement technique to get away, so I sealed off this entire area with my All-encompassing Plate, There's no way he can escape from here, but he's used some type of concealment technique that's managed to escape my detection, so I'll have to trouble you, Fellow Daoist," another Xue Guang clone replied.
"Alright, I'll unleash my Great Origin Devil Technique right away to force him out into the open," Yuan Cha said with a nod.
"Please allow one of us to enter the valley with you to protect you against potential sneak attacks while you unleash your ability," the final Xue Guang clone said in a cold voice.
"Protect me? Hmph, it sounds like you just want to keep an eye on me." Yuan Cha's expression darkened upon hearing this.
"Hehe, you're misconstruing my intentions, Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha. That human brat is full of tricks, and he's carrying several powerful treasures that could potentially be very dangerous," the Xue Guang clone in the middle chuckled in response.
"Do whatever you want, then. I won't stop you from sending someone to accompany me, but you'd better not try anything. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, don't blame me for turning on you," Yuan Cha said in an expressionless manner.
Immediately thereafter, she returned to her stone hall without waiting for a response from Xue Guang.
The smile on the face of the middle Xue Guang clone immediately faded, and he said to another clone, "Alright, just as we planned earlier, you go and keep an eye on her. If she tracks down that brat, notify us right away; we can't allow her to get her hands on him first."
"Rest assured, I'll be sure to keep a close eye on her. That brat is most likely a spent force by now, but Yuan Cha still definitely won't be able to capture him easily. Before he appears, make sure to maintain the All-encompassing Plate restriction so he doesn't get away again," the clone replied.
The other two clones naturally gave an affirmative response.
...
Meanwhile, a rumbling boom suddenly rang out from the stone hall, and countless runes flashed from its surface as it split up into the two stone giants.
Yuan Cha was standing atop the head of one of the giants, and she made a hand seal, upon which the two stone giants descended toward the center of the valley.
At the same time, a ball of crimson light emerged from the jade plate before also flying downward.
Moments later, both Yuan Cha and one of the Xue Guang clones had landed on a patch of flat ground within the valley.
Yuan Cha inspected her surroundings before issuing an instruction to the two stone giants. "Elders, begin your transformation."
"Yes, Mistress Yuan Cha!" the two stone giants immediately replied.
Bright grey light erupted from their bodies, and they instantly transformed into a pair of stone pillars, each of which was over 1,000 feet tall. There was a series of strange patterns and runes engraved on the surfaces of the two pillars, creating quite a mysterious sight to behold.
"Shilun Totems! I'm very impressed that these two subordinates of yours managed to cultivate such an ability," the Xue Guang clone said in an intrigued voice.
"These two are definitely among the top 10, if not the top three most powerful beings in the Stone Devil Race. If they can't even do something like this, then why would I have protected them in our holy realm for so many years?" Yuan Cha replied in a cold voice.
"Hehe, if the Stone Devils under my command were this powerful, I'd also do everything in my power to protect them. Alright, setting that aside for now, have you summoned these totems to enhance the power of your Great Origin Devil Technique?" the Xue Guang clone asked.
"Even your All-encompassing Plate was unable to track down that Han brat, so just using the Great Origin Devil Technique may not be enough, either. However, with the Shilun Totems to assist me, I'll be able to find him for sure," Yuan Cha confirmed.
The Xue Guang clone nodded in response before falling silent.
Yuan Cha also had no intention of speaking any further, and her body swayed before she appeared in between the two stone pillars.
White light flashed, and an antiquated stone platform rose up from the ground, carrying her over 100 feet up into the air.
She took a deep breath before making a hand seal, then swept her other sleeve through the air to release a dozen or so small black flags, all of which took root firmly on the ground near the stone platform.
She then let loose a delicate cry, and a streak of black light emerged from her back before transforming into a giant devilish projection with three heads and six arms. The projection wore a suit of glossy black armor, and its entire body was giving off an overwhelming baleful aura. Its six eyes were bright red and completely devoid of emotion.
Yuan Cha began to chant in a low voice before casting around a dozen incantation seals into her surroundings, all of which vanished into thin air in a flash.
The small black flags immediately released a buzzing sound in response, and they quickly swelled to over 100 feet tall amid a flash of black light.
Right at this moment, the giant devilish projection behind Yuan Cha suddenly raised its heads before making a grabbing motion upward with all six of its hands.
Six black balls of light emerged over its palms, then transformed into six plumes of black smoke that converged high up in the air.
A devilish cloud instantly took shape up above, then began to take on the forms of different living creatures, as if it possessed spiritual nature.
Yuan Cha's chanting ceased upon seeing this, and she pointed a finger up toward the huge flags.
Black light swirled over the surfaces of the flags, then transformed into around a dozen bursts of black Qi that rose up into the devilish cloud.
As a result, the cloud swelled drastically in size, and soon, it had encompassed virtually half of the entire valley.
A cold light flashed through Yuan Cha's eyes, and she abruptly opened her mouth before expelling several balls of blood essence toward the devilish cloud up above.
The blood essence transformed into droplets of blood rain that vanished into the cloud in a flash, and at the same time, the two stone pillars were also releasing halos of five-colored light.
With each halo that passed through the devilish cloud, the cloud would swell slightly in size, and not long after that, countless crimson threads emerged within it amid a flash of crimson light.
They intertwined with the black cloud and manifested countless fist-sized balls of black Qi, all of which then transformed into palm-sized black crows.
There were over 10,000 of these crows in total, creating a harrowing sight to behold.
"Go!" Yuan Cha instructed as she swept a sleeve through the air.
The crows circled around before flying toward a certain direction in the valley, while Yuan Cha closed her eyes before pressing a finger against her own glabella, seemingly sensing something in silence.
The Xue Guang clone's expression changed slightly at the sight of the massive murder of crows, but he didn't do anything.
The crows seemed to possess insubstantial bodies as they were able to pass through all physical obstacles in their way, and mere moments later, they had scoured through close to half of the entire valley, but still hadn't been able to discover anything.
Just as the crows were summoned back by Yuan Cha before being sent toward a different direction, a sharp ringing sound suddenly erupted, and the Xue Guang clone faltered slightly before hurriedly laying a hand onto his own waist.
An egg-sized crystal ball instantly shot forth before transforming into a translucent light screen, within which the other two Xue Guang clones could be seen.
"We've got bad news! Come back with Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha right away! Another Han Li has suddenly been sighted elsewhere, and he broke through several of our defensive lines, killing two devilish lords en route to Deep Heaven City! That Han Li used an incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasure and released a swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles, so he's almost definitely the true body. We've all been h
ad; we're currently pursuing just another clone of his! I've already issued an order to stall him at all costs. If we hurry over now, we should still be able to catch him!" one of the two Xue Guang clones said in an urgent manner.
The Xue Guang clone's expression darkened significantly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly turned to Yuan Cha. "Did you hear that, Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha? Forget about this clone; we have to leave this place right away!"
Chapter 1958: Pursuing the Nascent Soul
Yuan Cha's eyelids fluttered, and she suddenly reopened her eyes, revealing them to be flashing with green light.
"Hmph, how can you be sure that you haven't gotten the wrong target again? I've already gone through this much hassle and I'm on the brink of success. Even if this isn't his true body, it'll still be useful for me to capture it. If you can't wait, then you can go on ahead. After I capture this clone, I'll meet up with you," she said in a cold voice.
The Xue Guang clone was rather taken aback to hear this, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he said, "In that case, I'll be going on ahead. With your powers, I'm sure you'll have no issues capturing a mere clone. However, his true body is very troublesome to deal with, and you and I will have to join forces to take him down, so don't get any other ideas."
"Rest assured, I won't intentionally ruin something that's mutually beneficial to us. I'm pursuing this clone for my own purpose. As for what that is, perhaps you'll learn of it soon," Yuan Cha replied in a nonchalant manner.
The Xue Guang clone was still rather befuddled, but it wasn't appropriate for him to pry any further, so he could only set the matter aside for now. "I'll be leaving behind half of my subordinates for you to use as you see fit. There aren't that many of them, but I'm sure they'll be of some help to you."
"Thank you for that," Yuan Cha replied with a nod as her expression eased slightly.
Immediately thereafter, the Xue Guang clone rose up into the air as a streak of crimson light, then disappeared into the jade plate after just a few flashes.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1130