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

by Translator: Johnchen

  The rest of the group couldn't think of any alternatives, either, so they could only depart in a gloomy manner as well.

  Thus, Xiao Hong was the only one left in the hall.

  She sat in her seat with furrowed brows for a long while, and her expression changed several times as she explored different potential alternatives in her mind, but in the end, she also stomped her foot and departed in a resigned manner.

  As for everyone else, they had all gone back, either to prepare lavish presents or to seek out their backers.

  ......

  At this point, Han Li and the others had already been led by Elder Gu to an even larger hall on the highest level of the pavilion.

  Han Li was currently appraising a small formation that had been set up at the direct center of the hall, and Elder Gu strode toward the formation before making a hand seal to cast several profound incantation seals into it.

  The spiritual light formed by the incantation seals vanished into the formation in a flash, following which the formation was activated amid a loud buzzing sound.

  Only then did Elder Gu turn to everyone else with a smile, and said, "We can get to the sparring venue through this teleportation formation. Please follow me, fellow daoists; this formation will be able to teleport all of us into the venue at once."

  "Sure," Han Li replied with a smile before drifting to the center of the formation.

  With his current level of powers, a spatial rift wasn't going to be enough to trap him, so he naturally had no inhibitions.

  Master Azure Dragon was unwilling to display any weakness, and he also flew into the formation as a ball of azure light.

  Buddhist Monk Jin Yue shook his head in a resigned manner before following suit, and he was followed by the Ice Phoenix, whose brows were tightly furrowed.

  Elder Gu and Fairy Silver Light were the last ones to enter the formation, and as soon as the former stepped into the formation, he immediately made a hand seal.

  Five-colored light was instantly released by the formation before enveloping everyone, and Han Li felt his surroundings blur before he appeared in an unfamiliar place.

  He swept his gaze through the surrounding area to find that this was quite a large space that spanned several thousand acres in area. As was the case with all spatial rifts, the area was surrounded by murky grey spatial walls. There was a tall platform that had a diameter of over 1,000 feet at the center of the space, and there was faint spiritual light shimmering from the platform, clearly indicating that it had been fortified through the use of restrictions.

  There were also a dozen or so stone pillars standing around the platform, each of which was over 100 feet tall.

  There were extremely intricate patterns engraved on the surfaces of these pillars, and there were also top-grade spirit stones embedded into them as well, creating quite a lavish sight to behold.

  Fairy Silver Light was immediately able to identify the formation, and she exclaimed, "This is the Heavenly Bipolar Formation! You sure made a heavy investment into this place, Brother Gu. With this formation in place, it'll indeed be very difficult for a Body Integration Stage battle to affect the outside world."

  A hint of surprise also appeared on Buddhist Monk Jin Yue's face.

  "Hehe, you're far too kind, Fellow Daoist Silver Light. I have to test out some abilities and cultivation arts from time to time, so I decided to make this investment." Elder Gu was speaking in a modest manner, but there was a hint of smugness in his eyes.

  Han Li appraised this setup through narrowed eyes for a moment before flying onto the platform as a streak of azure light.

  The azure light faded in mid-air, and Han Li was revealed again before turning toward Master Azure Dragon with a cold expression. "Do I need to invite you onto this platform, Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon?"

  Master Azure Dragon's expression darkened as he harrumphed coldly, and he abruptly stepped forward, upon which his body was hoisted up into the air by a burst of azure Qi. He drifted lightly over to the platform, then descended upon it across from Han Li.

  Elder Gu immediately flipped a hand over to produce a silver jade plate upon seeing this, then tossed it toward the platform.

  The jade plate transformed into a silver ball of light that hovered high up in the air, and Elder Gu pointed a finger at it from afar while chanting an incantation.

  A loud rumbling boom rang out, and piercing light erupted from the spirit stones embedded onto the stone pillars. At the same time, a pillar of light shot forth from the top of each stone pillar before converging toward the silver ball of light.

  In the next instant, the silver ball of light exploded, releasing specks of silver light that transformed into a dense light barrier that encompassed the entire platform.

  Not only was the light barrier shimmering with silver light, there were countless white runes surging out of it, basking the entire stone platform in a mysterious white glow.

  "Alright, the restriction is ready; we won't be affected no matter how fierce their battle becomes now," Elder Gu said as he turned to Buddhist Monk Jin Yue with a smile.

  "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Gu. Hopefully, this is going to be nothing more than a casual sparring match," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said in a concerned manner.

  "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist; if it's only three attacks, then Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon will definitely be able to endure it. I'm sure both of them will be displaying their true power during this sparring match; I'm very much looking forward to this! In particular, I heard that Fellow Daoist Han has killed several devilish lords; I'm sure he'll put on a spectacular display for us," Elder Gu said with a faint smile.

  Buddhist Monk Jin Yue merely heaved another resigned sigh in response.

  As for the Ice Phoenix, she was appraising Han Li with a concerned look on her face.

  "Are you ready? Here I come!" Han Li said in a cold voice as a hint of baleful aura began to emanate from his body.

  Almost at the exact same moment, he clenched his fists, and a loud thunderclap rang out.

  Golden lightning erupted from his arms, then converged to form a pair of menacing golden lightning pythons that sprang up into the air.

  Chapter 1985: Crushing Azure Dragon

  "Divine Devilbane Lightning? Hmph, I'm not a Devil Dao cultivator; what is that lightning going to do to me?" Master Azure Dragon harrumphed coldly as he raised his hand, and a clear ringing sound erupted from the book that he was holding. It then transformed into a five-colored light barrier before him, and immediately thereafter, he flipped his hands over to summon a pair of giant brushes, one golden and one silver, each of which was around 10 feet in length.

  Despite what he was saying, he didn't dare to treat Han Li with any complacency and immediately summoned his bonded treasures.

  Han Li remained completely expressionless as he swept both sleeves through the air to release 72 small azure swords, which then combined as one at his behest to form a giant azure sword that was over 100 feet in length. He then pointed toward the two golden lightning pythons from afar, and a rumbling thunderclap rang out as the two pythons abruptly pounced toward the giant sword before vanishing into it in a flash.

  The giant azure sword instantly swelled to over 1,000 feet in size, and countless arcs of golden lightning erupted from within it in a frenzy.

  However, that wasn't all. Han Li looked up at the huge sword before opening his mouth to expel a ball of silver flames, and as soon as it emerged, the silver fireball transformed into a silver Fire Raven.

  The Fire Raven flapped its wings and swelled drastically to around 10 feet in size before also flying toward the massive sword like a speeding arrow.

  In the next instant, a layer of silver flames appeared over the surface of the entire giant sword, following which Han Li uttered the word "slash".

  As soon as his voice trailed off, the massive sword immediately came crashing down toward Master Azure Dragon. It wasn't descending very quickly, but it was radiating a scorching aura that instantly t
urned the space down below red-hot, as if it had been set alight.

  Master Azure Dragon's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and bright light erupted from the tips of his two brushes, following which countless ancient runes surged forth in a frenzy. All of the runes were shimmering with spiritual light, and they combined as one before sweeping upward as a burst of golden and silver light.

  A loud thunderclap rang out as the giant sword clashed with the golden and silver light, and virtually the entire platform was inundated by golden lightning and silver flames.

  The explosion of scintillating light forced the onlookers to look away as bursts of shockwaves erupted forth in all directions.

  The stone platform tremored violently, and ripples ran along the surface of the silver light barrier overhead, as if it were about to crack at any moment.

  All of the spectating cultivators drew a sharp breath upon seeing this.

  Han Li's first attack was far more powerful than they had anticipated, and Elder Gu's expression changed slightly as he immediately flicked his fingers through the air, casting a series of incantation seals toward the surrounding stone pillars.

  These incantation seals transformed into streaks of light that vanished into the pillars in a flash, and the pillars of light stemming from the tops of the pillars became around twice as thick as before, fortifying the light barrier so that it became as solid as it originally had been.

  As a result, the stone platform also instantly recovered its stability.

  Moments later, the scintillating light encompassing the entire stone platform finally faded, and Han Li and Master Azure Dragon were revealed again.

  Han Li had his hands clasped in an expressionless manner, and he was still hovering at the exact same spot as before.

  In contrast, Master Azure Dragon had descended onto the stone platform. The five-colored light barrier before him had vanished, leaving only a tattered white book in its wake. At the same time, his two brushes had also dimmed significantly and seemed to have lost a lot of their spiritual nature.

  As for Master Azure Dragon himself, he appeared to be completely unscathed, but his face had turned quite pale, and it was clear that Han Li had gained the absolute upper hand.

  Buddhist Monk Jin Yue and Elder Gu couldn't help but exchange a glance upon seeing this, and both of them could see their own astonishment mirrored in one another's eyes. They knew that Han Li was supposed to be more powerful than Master Azure Dragon, but it still came as quite a shock to them that he was able to force Master Azure Dragon down onto the ground with just a single attack.

  They couldn't help but wonder if Han Li were truly that unfathomably powerful, or if Master Azure Dragon were simply too weak.

  Han Li chuckled coldly as he waved a hand through the air, and spatial fluctuations erupted nearby, following which countless small azure swords emerged out of thin air before flying back into his body.

  He had gained the upper hand during that last clash, but the giant azure sword had been shattered, and he had no intention of using his flying swords for the second attack, so he naturally recovered all of them.

  Immediately thereafter, he made a hand seal, and his body began to swell drastically in size as a layer of golden fur appeared over his skin.

  In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a giant golden ape that was several tens of feet tall.

  The giant ape was extremely menacing in appearance, and it let loose a thunderous roar as it thumped its own chest with its fists, then swelled even further to several hundred feet in stature.

  It turned toward Master Azure Dragon with a bone-chilling gaze, and Master Azure Dragon's expression changed slightly before he yelled in an enraged manner, "Do you think you're the only one with a transformation technique? Have a taste of my Azure Dragon Avatar!"

  As soon as his voice trailed off, he laid a hand onto the top of his own head, and a pillar of azure light erupted from his head before transforming into an azure dragon projection.

  He then swept a sleeve through the air to release seven small black swords, all of which plunged into various parts of his body like lightning.

  Immediately thereafter, he opened his mouth to expel seven balls of blood essence, all of which disappeared into the seven swords.

  In the next instant, the seven swords vanished, but countless crimson threads suddenly erupted from all over his body, binding around the azure dragon projection in a flash before abruptly pulling it downward.

  The azure dragon projection instantly combined as one with Master Azure Dragon, and he let loose a low roar as azure scales appeared all over his limbs and face. White light flashed above his head, and a pair of green horns emerged, while a giant azure tail sprouted out of his back.

  In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a half-demon monster.

  "I had heard that Fellow Daoist Azure Dragon was a half-demon, so this transformation isn't all that remarkable, but what's this transformation technique that Fellow Daoist Han is using?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue asked with a curious expression.

  "It doesn't seem like an ordinary transformation technique; could it be that Fellow Daoist Han also possesses true spirit blood?" Elder Gu speculated.

  "That doesn't sound very plausible! Fellow Daoist Han is an ascended cultivator, and true spirits have been extinct for countless years in the lower realms; there's no way that he could've inherited a true spirit bloodline," Fairy Silver Light said with a shake of her head.

  "Perhaps Fellow Daoist Han obtained the spirit blood after ascending to the Spirit Realm. In any case, the next attack is definitely going to be far more powerful than the last one. Fellow Daoist Gu, will the restriction be able to withstand the impact?" Buddhist Monk Jin Yue asked in a concerned manner.

  "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, there won't be any issues," Elder Gu replied in a confident manner.

  "I certainly hope so." Buddhist Monk Jin Yue was clearly a lot less confident, but he didn't force the issue and fell silent as a wry smile appeared on his face.

  At this moment, the giant golden ape sprang into action.

  It made a grabbing motion with its giant furry hands, and a ball of spiritual light emerged within each of its hands. The balls of spiritual light then transformed into a pair of small mountains, one black and one azure, and it was clear that they were extraordinary treasures.

  Han Li let loose a deafening roar before violently hurling the pair of small mountains downward, and an explosive boom rang out as the mountains transformed into two streaks of light.

  The space before the two streaks of light warped violently, and a piercing whistling sound rang out as the mountains arrived right above Master Azure Dragon in a flash.

  Two enormous bursts of invisible force descended upon Master Azure Dragon, and the air immediately tightened around him, immobilizing him in the process.

  He was naturally very alarmed by this and immediately let loose a loud roar, upon which bright azure light erupted from his body. All of his scales also instantly stood up on end, and a burst of tremendous power surged out of his body, allowing him to recover his mobility.

  Immediately thereafter, he reached out with his dragon claws viciously toward the pair of descending mountains

  Among all true dragons, the Azure Dragon's physical prowess ranked among the top three. This Azure Dragon Avatar of his couldn't compare with an actual Azure Dragon, but due to the presence of the Azure Dragon bloodline within his body, his physical constitution was far more powerful than the average human.

  Not only was his entire body as resolute as a top-grade treasure, after activating his true dragon bloodline, he could attain a part of the Azure Dragon's enormous power. However, in the instant that his claws came into contact with the pair of mountains, he immediately regretted his decision.

  He had thought that his claws would've been able to crush the pair of mountains into rubble, but instead, it was his claws that were shattered by the mountains.

  He immediately withdr
ew his arms like lightning, then opened his mouth to expel a ball of azure light. The ball of light struck one of the mountains while he swept his tail toward the other mountain like a giant whip.

  Two resounding booms and a muffled groan rang out, and Master Azure Dragon flew back like a tossed rag, backtracking over 10 steps before just barely managing to steady himself.

  An astonished look had appeared on his face, and he opened his mouth to say something, only to throw up a mouthful of black blood instead.

  Chapter 1986: Forced Departure

  With the recent improvement in Han Li's power, his Giant Mountain Ape transformation was now far more fearsome than back in the battle of Heavenlean City.

  Even if his strength couldn't compare with that of an actual Giant Mountain Ape, he still possesses around 30% to 40% of its strength, and that, in conjunction with the two extreme mountains, was far too much for Master Azure Dragon to handle.

  Thus, he was immediately sent flying by the pair of mountains.

  If it weren't for the fact that he had instinctively withdrawn his hands in time and summoned a treasure to save himself, not only would his fingers have been shattered, his arms would've been snapped as well.

  Even so, excruciating pain was spearing through all of his meridians, and he was unable to muster up most of his magic power.

  Right at this moment, a ferocious light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and he abruptly stepped, covering a distance of over 1,000 feet in a single step, thereby taking him to only several tens of feet away from Master Azure Dragon.

  "Third attack!"

  Han Li's cold voice rang out, and his giant furry fist was thrust violently through the air.

  Master Azure Dragon's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he immediately tried to unleash some type of cultivation art to take evasive measures, only for a bone-chilling harrumph to suddenly ring out in his heart.