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

by Translator: Johnchen

  "How could it be a counterfeit? The item was appraised by the auction house; I merely destroyed some of the mantras within it. Didn't you pursue me all the way here for the fourth holy brick?" Old Man Yang flipped a hand over to reveal a green wooden box as he spoke.

  Bing Qianren stared at the wooden box with a dark expression for a while before continuing, "I don't care who you are; this fourth holy brick is something I'm determined to obtain. What deal do you want to propose?"

  "You sure are a straightforward man, Brother Bing. In that case, I won't drag this out any longer, either. You and I are both aware that this fourth holy brick is related to the legendary hidden treasure left behind by Sacred Ancestor Qi Ling. It's said that when all four holy bricks are gathered, not only will one obtain all of Sacred Ancestor Qi Ling's abilities, they'll also obtain the map to the secret treasures drawn up by Sacred Ancestor Qi Ling himself. Setting aside everything else, just the Holy Inkspirit Canoe, one of the top three flying treasures of our holy realm, is already an extremely prized asset. If someone like you or I were to obtain it, even the average Sacred Ancestor would find it very difficult to kill us. I want to combine our four holy bricks to secure the map and split the treasures evenly; what do you say?" Old Man Yang proposed with a smile.

  "I have three holy bricks, yet you only have one, and you want to split the treasures evenly?" Bing Qianren sneered coldly, seemingly having already foreseen this response.

  "If you ask me, there's no difference between having one holy brick and having three. If you could piece together the map with the three holy bricks in your possession, then you wouldn’t have cowered in this Blood Crow City for so many years. As such, I think it's only right that we split the treasures evenly," Old Man Yang said in a determined manner.

  Bing Qianren thought about this for a moment before replying, "This is an important matter, so I need time to consider it. Prior to that, I need to verify the authenticity of your holy brick."

  A hint of wariness appeared on Old Man Yang's face upon hearing this. "How do you plan to do that? You're not expecting me to just hand over the holy brick, are you?"

  "Of course not. All you have to do is activate the holy brick with your spiritual power, and I'll be able to use a secret technique to verify its authenticity," Bing Qianren replied.

  Old Man Yang hesitated for a long while before finally reluctantly nodding in response. "I see. In that case, I'll make an exception just this once."

  Bing Qianren was naturally ecstatic to hear this. "I can see that you were truly sincere in your proposal for collaboration."

  He had thought that a dispute would arise from this, but to his surprise, Old Man Yang agreed without posing any opposition.

  "Take a good look, Fellow Daoist." Old Man Yang laid a hand onto the wooden box, and the lid flew off on its own, following which a long translucent brick emerged out of the box.

  Old Man Yang then pointed a finger toward it before injecting a burst of magic power into the brick.

  Bing Qianren immediately made a hand seal upon seeing this, and silver light flashed through his eyes as he stared intently at the translucent brick.

  At the same time, a burst of powerful spiritual sense was released out of his glabella, and it instantly enveloped the brick.

  However, right at this moment, a speck of silver light suddenly appeared at the center of the brick, and it abruptly exploded into specks of white light.

  The speck of silver light then swelled drastically in size and began to suck in all of the spiritual sense in the nearby area.

  "Crap!"

  A layer of crimson light instantly appeared over Bing Qianren's body, and at the same time, he tilted back slightly.

  Immediately thereafter, spiritual light flashed above his head, and a streak of golden light shot forth out of thin air before binding toward his neck like lightning.

  At the same time, spatial fluctuations erupted behind Old Man Yang, and a pale ghostly hand reached out in a completely silent manner before reaching viciously toward Old Man Yang's back with its five blade-like fingers.

  Both of them were being struck by lethal surprise attacks at the same time!

  Chapter 2041: Seven Kill Blood Baleful Qi and Blackbone Devilish Insects

  A furious look appeared on Bing Qianren's face as his body swayed incessantly in an attempt to evade the golden light, but he was a lot more sluggish than normal as his spiritual sense was being drawn into the silver vortex.

  A crisp clang rang out as the golden light struck his neck, only to be repelled by an eruption of crimson light.

  Within the crimson light was a jade badge that was as red as blood; it was a top-grade protective devilish treasure that had activated on its own to save him from that lethal strike just in the nick of time.

  Even so, Bing Qianren's entire body was drenched in cold sweat, and he let loose a loud roar as fierce crimson winds erupted from his body. His spiritual sense was immediately forcibly swept back, and at the same time, he instantly vanished before reappearing over 100 feet away.

  The streak of golden light shot forth toward him in pursuit in a flash, but he was already prepared and instantly opened his mouth to expel an inky-black ghostly head, which began to battle the golden light.

  Right at this moment, a resounding boom rang out from the other side, and Old Man Yang was hurled through the air by the ghostly claw. However, he seemed to also be carrying a protective treasure. A layer of silver light flashed over his body, and immediately transformed into seven or eight projections that fled in all directions, thereby allowing him to survive the surprise attack as well.

  A faint cry of surprise rang out, and spatial fluctuations erupted where Old Man Yang had stood a moment ago, and seven or eight streaks of black light shot forth out of thin air in pursuit of the projections. Immediately thereafter, a ball of black Qi emerged, within which stood a brocade-robed humanoid figure who was slowly withdrawing his hand.

  The humanoid figure was extremely pale, but was identical to Bing Qianren in appearance, as if they were twin brothers.

  A resounding boom rang out as the fleeing projections were all destroyed by the streaks of black light, but one of them expelled a ball of green light backward that canceled out the oncoming streak of black light.

  The blurry projection then stopped and became clear again. Old Man Yang cast his gaze toward the humanoid figure within the black Qi, and said in a cold voice, "I was wondering why your cultivation base hadn't improved at all during all these years; I can see now that it's because you were busy cultivating this clone."

  "Do you think I would follow you here without a backup plan? Call out your hidden companion as well. Qi Ling's secret treasures can only be obtained by one of us; there's no way we can split them evenly!" Bing Qianren said.

  "Hmph, in that case, there's nothing else for me to say. Show yourself, Brother Ya. He may have a clone, but it's weaker than his true body; with our combined powers, there's still a very good chance that we can defeat him," Old Man Yang said with undisguised malice in his eyes.

  "I knew that the map wouldn't be that easy to secure. After all, Fellow Daoist Bing was able to steal three holy bricks from right under the noses of the Seven Scourges of the Lightning Sea and the Heavenly Abode Mountain."

  Immediately thereafter, golden light flashed, and a tall and broad barefoot man with a set of hideous features appeared.

  The man was completely empty-handed, but was carrying a large golden gourd on his back, and was appraising Bing Qianren with a hint of a smile on his face.

  "Devilish Lord Jin Hu!" Bing Qianren exclaimed at the sight of the hideous man.

  Devilish Lord Jin Hu cupped his fist in a salute as he smiled, and said, "I didn't think that you would've heard of me; I've also heard much about you, Fellow Daoist Bing. I'm looking forward to facing you today."

  Contrary to his rugged and unsightly appearance, the devilish lord spoke like a refined and unfathomable being.

  "Looks like I'll
just have to kill both of you here to claim Qi Ling's secret treasures for myself. I guess this is well worth the several centuries I've spent plotting for this," Bing Qianren suddenly cackled as he appraised his two assailants.

  "What do you mean by that?" Old Man Yang was immediately struck by a sense of foreboding upon hearing this, as was Devilish Lord Jin Hu.

  However, Bing Qianren didn't offer any explanation and merely laid both of his hands onto his waist with a cold smile on his face.

  Two leather pouches, one black and one red, flew out in unison, then tipped themselves over to release a ball of crimson light and a swarm of black insects.

  The crimson light appeared to be quite ordinary, but it was split up into seven barely discernible layers of different shades, and was emitting a faint buzzing sound.

  As for the thumb-sized devilish insects in the swarm, they were completely inky-black in color and had unsettling white skull patterns on their backs.

  "Those are Seven Kill Blood Baleful Qi and Blackbone Devilish Insects! Fellow Daoist Yang, we have to retreat!" Devilish Lord Jin Hu exclaimed upon seeing this, and he immediately laid a hand onto his golden gourd, upon which it instantly flew up into the air, then transformed into a burst of golden light that swept him up before flying away.

  Old Man Yang's heart also sank at the sight of the crimson light and insect swarm, and he knew that he had underestimated Bing Qianren. Thus, he immediately swept a sleeve through the air, and a burst of green flames rose up from beneath his feet as he fled toward the same direction.

  It was quite clear that the two of them were extremely fearful of the crimson light and black insect swarm.

  "Don't you think it's too late to be running now? It's taken me all my years in Blood Crow City to nurture these creatures, and they were meant precisely for the two of you!" Bing Qianren guffawed as he made a hand seal, and the crimson light and insect swarm immediately surged forth in pursuit at an even faster speed than the two fleeing devils.

  Old Man Yang and Devilish Lord Jin Hu had naturally also discovered this, and they frantically expelled mouthfuls of blood essence to raise their own speed.

  Bing Qianren's expression darkened upon seeing this, and he and his clone shot forth in unison as streaks of grey light, plunging into the cloud of Seven Kill Blood Baleful Qi up ahead after just a few flashes.

  Immediately thereafter, their bodies blurred and released layers of crimson light, and they seemed to have melted away within this light.

  As a result, the Seven Kill Blood Baleful Qi were sped up by about twofold, catching up to the two fleeing devils in just a few flashes before skirting around them to intercept them from the front.

  The crimson light faded, and Bing Qianren re-emerged alongside his clone, both with sinister smiles on their faces.

  Old Man Yang and Devilish Lord Jin Hu were forced to stop, and they hurriedly looked back to find that they had been sandwiched right between the cloud of Seven Kill Blood Baleful Qi and the swarm of insects flying toward them from behind.

  The two exchanged a glance upon seeing this, and both of their expressions had darkened significantly.

  Old Man Yang was quite a decisive character, and he immediately decided, "Alright, you win. I'll hand over this final holy brick to you in exchange for our lives."

  "Sure, hand over the holy brick so I can verify its authenticity, and I'll let you go once I confirm that nothing is amiss," Bing Qianren immediately agreed.

  At this point, the swarm of insects and Seven Kill Blood Baleful Qi had formed a massive circle that completely trapped Old Man Yang and Devilish Lord Jin Hu.

  Bing Qianren's fast response came as quite a surprise to Old Man Yang, and his brows furrowed slightly with skepticism.

  "Before I give you the holy brick, you have to swear a vow on your inner demons and sign this blood pact that was refined by a Sacred Ancestor," Old Man Yang said in a cautious manner.

  "I can do that, but before that, you have to show me whether you actually have the holy brick. Otherwise, I'd rather destroy you, then search your souls to determine the whereabouts of the holy brick," Bing Qianren said in a cold voice.

  "Brother Jin..." Old Man Yang turned to his companion with a dark expression.

  "We can let Fellow Daoist Bing take a look at the holy brick. If he dares to try and attack us, we'll just have to destroy the holy brick," Jin Hu said in a cold voice.

  "You're right, Brother Jin; I'll show Fellow Daoist Bing the true holy brick right away. However, just as you did before, you can only observe it from afar using that secret technique of yours," Old Man Yang said.

  "Of course. If the holy brick is genuine, then I'll swear the vow and sign the blood pact right away," Bing Qianren replied in an expressionless manner.

  Old Man Yang nodded before opening his mouth to expel a ball of black Qi, within which was a green wooden box that was around half a foot in length.

  He laid a hand onto the box, and the lid flew off, following which a brick that was identical to the one from before emerged.

  "This is the true fourth holy brick. If you want it, then..." All of a sudden, Old Man Yang's words were cut off as a spatial rift opened up in front of him, and a golden hand reached out in a casual manner before grabbing onto the holy brick.

  "Crap!"

  "Don't you dare!"

  Old Man Yang and Devilish Lord Jin Hu faltered momentarily upon seeing this before immediately springing into action.

  Old Man Yang opened his mouth to expel several inky-black ghostly heads that flew directly toward the golden hand, while Devilish Lord Jin Hu swept a sleeve through the air to send a sword projection that was over 100 feet in length hurtling through the air, trying to slice the golden hand in half along with its owner.

  Chapter 2042: Taking the Brick

  A faint chuckle rang out, and the golden hand suddenly swelled to around 10 feet in size, then released a ball of piercing spiritual light alongside a burst of powerful shockwaves that swept forth in all directions.

  The black ghostly heads and oncoming sword projection were all swept out of control by the shockwaves, and the two devils were very alarmed to see this as they hurriedly made hand seals to recover their treasures.

  However, the spiritual pressure imbued within the golden shockwaves was far more powerful than they had imagined, and it forcibly severed their connections with the two treasures. As such, they could only look on as the giant golden hand unleashed a dozen or so golden fist projections that instantly struck the treasures.

  A string of resounding booms rang out, and the two devils shuddered as they each took an involuntary step backward and threw up a mouthful of blood.

  The ghostly heads and golden light had been damaged by the ordinary-looking fist projections, and the two devils were also affected due to their spiritual connections with the treasures.

  Thankfully, those weren't their bonded treasures, so they didn't sustain any major injuries. Even so, the two of them were extremely stunned, and they hurriedly backtracked as they scrutinized the giant golden hand with wary expressions.

  As for Bing Qianren, he was also quite alarmed by this development, but he wasn't overly concerned as this entire place had already been surrounded by his Seven Kill Blood Baleful Qi and Blackbone Devilish Insects.

  At this moment, the giant golden hand dissipated, revealing the azure-robed Han Li, who was holding the holy brick in a calm manner.

  "Who are you, and why are you robbing me of this holy brick?" Old Man Yang asked with a dark expression.

  Their earlier clash had told him just how fearsome Han Li was, so he could only repress his own fury.

  "You've already decided to part with this item, so why can't I take it? By the way, you have the other holy bricks, right, Fellow Daoist Bing? You can hand them over as well," Han Li said as he turned to Bing Qianren.

  Bing Qianren jolted upon discovering his inability to ascertain Han Li's exact cultivation base, but he refused to concede. "You sure are a courageous m
an; not only are you taking this holy brick from right under my nose, you're even going after the holy bricks in my possession now; looks like you heard our entire conversation. Indeed, I have the other holy bricks; come and get them if you think you can."

  With the Seven Kill Blood Baleful Qi and Blackbone Devilish Insects at his disposal, even late-stage devilish lords would have to flee from him, so he naturally wasn't going to fear this unfamiliar young man.

  "Alright, in that case, don't mind if I do," Han Li chuckled before making a stride toward Bing Qianren.

  It seemed to only be an ordinary stride, but in the next instant, Han Li had covered a distance of several hundred feet in a blur, and he was now only several tens of feet away from Bing Qianren.

  Bing Qianren's heart jolted upon seeing this, and he immediately swept his sleeves together, upon which the crimson light around him rose up into a wave that was over 100 feet tall before crashing down toward Han Li.

  Meanwhile, Bing Qianren himself had retreated to over 300 feet away.

  At the same time, his clone had vanished amid a flash of crimson light.

  "You think you can harm me with this baleful Qi?" Han Li chuckled coldly as golden light erupted behind him, and a projection with three heads and six arms appeared.

  The projection was over 100 feet tall, and had three faces that were identical to Han Li's. It opened its six eyes and swept its arms through the air, upon which a ball of golden light emerged in each of its six hands. Immediately thereafter, they were brought together and fused as one into a golden vortex that was around 10 feet in size.

  Countless golden and silver runes flew out of the vortex, then swept forth in all directions with unstoppable force.

  As soon as the crimson light reached close to Han Li's body, it was drawn into the golden vortex, and within the span of just a few breaths, close to half of the baleful Qi in the air had vanished.

  "Impossible!" Bing Qianren exclaimed, but he didn't miss a beat as he immediately began to make a series of hand seals.

  The crimson light that was surging toward the golden vortex shuddered, then released a burst of power to try and struggle free from the suction force.