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

by Translator: Johnchen

  "I was being pursued by enemies and accidentally fell into a spatial rift to enter the Elder Devil Realm. Prior to this, I was from the Small Spirit Sky," Zhu Guo'er replied.

  Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this. "Small Spirit Sky? Where is that?"

  "The Small Spirit Sky is the Small Spirit Sky," Zhu Guo'er replied.

  Han Li's brows furrowed tightly upon hearing this, and after a long while, he heaved a faint sigh as he murmured to himself, "So be it, I'll just have to gather this information myself."

  As soon as his voice trailed off, he switched to a different hand seal, and a translucent thread shot forth out of his glabella before vanishing into Zhu Guo'er's forehead in a flash.

  After that, the blue light in Han Li's eyes became even more pronounced.

  Zhu Guo'er was only at the Nascent Soul Stage, so Han Li was naturally being very careful in his soul inspection to avoid harming her.

  After around 15 minutes, Han Li easily procured all of the information that he wanted, and the translucent thread shot back into his glabella.

  As soon as the translucent thread vanished, Zhu Guo'er collapsed onto the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

  Han Li smiled upon seeing this, then closed his eyes as he began to process the information he had obtained from her.

  Shortly thereafter, he reopened his eyes and murmured to himself in a stunned manner, "So this Small Spirit Sky is a fragmented realm like the Vast Glacial Realm, and there are over 100,000,000 humans residing within it! That's truly very unexpected."

  Indeed, as it turned out, the Small Spirit Sky was an independent realm that was once a fragment of another realm. According to what he had seen in Zhu Guo'er's memories, the realm seemed to be around the same size as the Vast Glacial Realm, but the spiritual Qi within the realm was even less abundant than that in the Spirit Realm.

  There seemed to be around seven or eight foreign races residing in the Small Spirit Sky alongside the human race, and what was quite surprising was that many of the people in the realm had ended up there while attempting to ascend to the Spirit Realm from lower realms.

  As such, there was a very good chance that Nangong Wan could be there, and that would also explain why he had been unable to find any leads on her whereabouts in the Spirit Realm.

  Even with his current level of mental fortitude, the thought of his beloved wife still lit a fire within his heart, and he wanted nothing more than to travel to Nangong Wan's side right away so they could be reunited.

  Only after a long while did he finally manage to recover from his tumultuous emotional state, but his expression instantly darkened again as he considered the issue of how he was going to get to the Small Spirit Sky.

  In contrast with the Vast Glacial Realm, the Small Spirit Sky was a realm that was constantly slowly moving through space, so it was virtually a matter of complete luck whether he would be able to find an entrance into the realm, and Zhu Guo'er's arrival into the Elder Devil Realm through that spatial rift was also purely by chance.

  However, this information had all been derived from Zhu Guo'er's memories. As for whether it was all true, he would have to do some more research.

  However, seeing as Zhu Guo'er was able to accidentally enter the Elder Devil Realm, there had to be people from the Small Spirit Sky who had stumbled into the Spirit Realm, so he should be able to find some relevant information.

  After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Han Li cast his gaze toward Zhu Guo'er again.

  He wasn't completely sure that her Greater Incarnation Arts had been bestowed upon her by Nangong Wan, but there was a very good chance that this was the case. After all, he had been in the Spirit Realm for a very long time, and he had never heard of any human sect that possessed such a cultivation art. It seemed that this cultivation art was extremely rare, and the Masked Moon Sect had to have obtained it through an enormous stroke of luck.

  Chapter 2056: Layman Futian

  After thinking through all these matters, Han Li heaved a faint forlorn sigh, then flicked a finger toward Zhu Guo'er.

  A ball of azure light was expelled before vanishing into her body in a flash, and her eyelids fluttered before she slowly awakened.

  However, as soon as she recalled how she had fallen unconscious, she immediately sat up with a dark expression.

  "Did you search my soul?" she asked as she glared at Han Li.

  "If I didn't search your soul, how would I have found the information I wanted? Rest assured, I only obtained the specific pieces of information that I'm interested in, and I didn't harm your soul during the process. It came as quite a surprise to me to learn that you're from the Small Spirit Sky as opposed to the Spirit Realm," Han Li said in a calm manner.

  Zhu Guo'er bit down on her lower lip upon hearing mention of the Small Spirit Sky, and she didn't say anything.

  "I've already planted a restriction in your body, so act as my servant for now here in Illusion Night City. If you serve me well, I can consider freeing you when I leave the city. You can go and find a room to rest in now; don't come to me unless it's an important matter. Also, you have to start referring to me as master from now on," Han Li continued in a nonchalant manner.

  "Yes, Master; I'll be taking my leave now," Zhu Guo'er could only reply in a resigned voice before extending a curtsey toward Han Li, then obediently departed.

  She was well aware that it would be both futile and foolish to try and resist a Body Integration Stage devilish lord.

  However, judging from her dejected expression, it was clear that she wasn't very hopeful that Han Li would fulfill his promise.

  Following Zhu Guo'er's departure, Han Li looked up at the ceiling and became engrossed in his own thoughts once again.

  For the next three days, Han Li remained on the top level of the pavilion to meditate, and didn't go anywhere else.

  However, on the fourth day, someone came to see him.

  "Did the master of the Zhao Family send a messenger?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.

  Zhu Guo'er replied, "Yes, Master. An elder of the Zhao Family just delivered a message, and he insisted that I relay it to you."

  "Let me take a look..."

  Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he made a grabbing motion to draw the letter into his grasp, then gently opened it.

  A ball of golden light immediately erupted out of the letter before transforming into the projection of a graceful and refined middle-aged man.

  The man had black scales on the corners of his eyes and a pair of golden pupils; it was none other than the master of the Zhao Family!

  The projection cupped its fist in a salute toward Han Li, then relayed two things in a polite manner.

  The first thing was that he had heard from Shopkeeper Huang of the Myriad Slave Tower about the arrival of Han Li, and he wished to befriend Han Li while explicitly stating that the Zhao Family wouldn't hold any grudge against him over a mere slave. The second thing was that the Zhao Family was going to hold a ceremony to worship their ancestors in a month, and he was inviting Han Li to attend as a guest.

  After that, the projection extended another salute toward Han Li before fading into nothingness, leaving only the letter behind.

  Han Li looked down at the letter to find that it was covered in black devilish symbols with a shimmering golden "Zhao" character at the center.

  He rubbed his hands together expressionlessly, and a ball of silver flames emerged to instantly incinerate the letter into ashes.

  "When the Zhao Family sends someone for a reply from me, tell them I accept their invitation," Han Li instructed.

  "Yes, Master," Zhu Guo'er replied before taking her leave.

  Han Li closed his eyes again to meditate, but to his surprise, he was paid another visit by Zhu Guo'er the very next day, who informed him that a woman with the Bai surname had come to visit him.

  Han Li immediately guessed that this was most likely Bai Yunxin.

  It seemed that the Bai Family had become aware o
f his status as a devilish lord, after all. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so eager to pay him this visit.

  Even so, Han Li had no intention of turning away. Thus, he instructed Zhu Guo'er to take her to the hall on the first floor, and only after a while did he make his way down from the top floor in an unhurried manner.

  As soon as he arrived at the hall on the first floor, he discovered that it was indeed Bai Yunxin who had come to visit him, and a smile appeared on his face as he said, "Greetings, Fairy Bai. Please forgive me for my tardiness."

  Han Li released his Body Integration Stage aura without making any attempt to disguise it as he spoke.

  Bai Yunxin swept her spiritual sense toward Han Li, upon which she immediately stood up from her seat before hurriedly extending a curtsey.

  "I was unaware that you were a devilish lord, Senior Han; please forgive me for any offense I may have caused you!"

  "You didn't know, so you're not to blame. I disguised my own aura precisely because I was worried that you would be too stiff and reserved if you had known the truth," Han Li chuckled as he motioned for Bai Yunxin to take a seat, and he also calmly made his way over to the main seat before sitting down himself.

  Bai Yunxin's heart eased slightly upon hearing this, but she still didn't dare to sit down as she extended words of gratitude toward Han Li in a careful manner.

  Han Li didn't force the issue any further and allowed her to remain standing as he asked, "You didn't come here just to apologize, did you, Fellow Daoist Bai?"

  "Indeed, Senior; I had already informed Senior Futian of your arrival in the city, and I was sent here to extend an invitation to you on Senior Futian's behalf," Bai Yunxin replied.

  "I see. In that case, I would be more than happy to meet Fellow Daoist Futian. Please lead the way, Fellow Daoist Bai," Han Li said with a nod.

  Bai Yunxin was ecstatic to hear this, and she immediately gave an affirmative response.

  Han Li instructed Zhu Guo'er to remain in the pavilion, while he followed Bai Yunxin out of the room.

  When they arrived at the massive entrance, there was already a giant carriage being drawn by eight unicorns waiting for them.

  There was a purple banner with an inky-black "Bai" character emblazoned on its surface protruding from the top of the carriage, and it was clear that this was a carriage that the Bai Family reserved for esteemed guests.

  On either side of the carriage were 16 black-armored guards atop two-headed giant wolf steeds, all of which were also clad in suits of black armor.

  The guards were each carrying two huge swords on their backs, and they were all at the Deity Transformation Stage.

  Han Li's expression changed slightly as he glanced at these armored guards, and Bai Yunxin smiled as she introduced, "These Baleful Tiger Guards are the elite guards trained by our Bai Family. All of them have once lived alone on the plains for over 100 years and have slain countless devilish beasts; what do you think, Senior Han?"

  "They seem to be no less powerful than the elite guards of major cities," Han Li replied with a nod before making his way into the carriage, where he sat down and closed his eyes.

  Bai Yunxin naturally didn't dare to ask any further questions, and she also got onto the carriage before issuing an instruction.

  The carriage immediately set off with the 16 Baleful Tiger Guards following along close to the sides.

  All of the ordinary devilish beings on the streets immediately parted for the carriage and armored guards with reverent and envious looks in their eyes.

  Thus, the carriage raced along without any impediment, and after several hours, it finally drew to a halt in front of a fortress within the city.

  Han Li emerged from the carriage, and a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes as he cast his gaze toward the fortress.

  This was naturally where the Bai Family was situated, and not only was the entire fortress completely seamless, its walls were as smooth as jade virtually without any gaps.

  On top of that, the material used for the walls was neither metallic nor jade in nature, and he couldn't identify exactly what it was even with his vast wealth of knowledge and experience.

  Judging from the menacing aura being given off by the fortress, it was clearly laden with restrictions and definitely wasn't as simple as it appeared.

  Directly in front of the fortress was a giant gate that was over 1,000 feet tall, and on either side of it were several tens of devilish beast statues of different sizes, creating a long path.

  All of the statues were dull and black, but they were extremely life-like, and there were also eight yellow-robed devilish beings standing in front of the gate in an expressionless manner.

  Under Bai Yunxin's guidance, Han Li strolled through the gate past the slightly bewildered yellow-robed devilish beings, and around 15 minutes later, Han Li was seated on a purple chair in a hall with antiquated decor, sipping from a silver teacup.

  A fragrant scent was emanating out of the cup, and there were four extremely beautiful devilish female servants standing off to the side in an extremely respectful manner.

  Bai Yunxin was currently nowhere to be seen, and the entire hall was completely silent.

  A short while later, gentle footsteps suddenly rang out from outside the hall, and a person strode into the room in a graceful manner.

  The newcomer turned to Han Li with a faint smile, and said, "I am Layman Futian; it's a pleasure to have you at our Bai Family, Fellow Daoist Han."

  "You're Layman Futian?" Han Li asked in a slightly dumbstruck manner.

  Chapter 2057: Trouble

  The person who had walked in was a tall and slender purple-haired woman who appeared to be in her twenties with a short white horn on her forehead. She had a graceful disposition, and was appraising Han Li with a faint smile.

  The appearance of this Layman Futian had truly come as a surprise to Han Li.

  "Were you not aware that I'm a woman, Fellow Daoist Han?" the purple-haired woman chuckled.

  "Indeed, Fellow Daoist Bai Yunxin didn't mention this to me. Please forgive me for my rudeness," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a salute toward the woman, and his expression immediately returned to normal, but there was still a hint of shock in his eyes.

  "That's alright, this isn't the first time this has happened to me. After all, the title of Layman Futian is quite prone to causing misunderstandings. It's just that the past patriarchs of our Bai Family had all been referred to as such, so it wouldn't be right of me to change the title," the woman explained with a smile.

  Han Li was quite enlightened upon hearing this.

  There were indeed some families in which certain titles were passed down in order to improve cohesion and as a piece of heritage.

  This may seem like a bit of a gimmick, but it was actually quite effective in some cases.

  The purple-haired woman took a seat across from Han Li, then waved a hand to dismiss the servants in the room, all of whom obediently departed, making sure to close the door behind them.

  The woman swept her spiritual sense briefly over Han Li's body, and said, "I heard from that junior of mine that you don't show yourself in public much; it's no wonder I've never heard of you. However, I can sense that you're very proficient in your devilish art; you must've become a devilish lord quite a while ago, right? Even I'm unable to ascertain your exact cultivation base."

  "I cultivate in the dao of slaughter, so I'm always cultivating in the plains where there's an abundance of devilish beasts, and as a result, I don't interact much with others. As for the time I've spent as a devilish lord, I'm afraid you're wrong there; I only became a devilish lord several centuries ago. The only reason you're unable to ascertain my exact cultivation base is because I've cultivated a special secret technique," Han Li replied with a smile.

  At the same time, he also swept his spiritual sense toward Layman Futian, only to find that her cultivation base was completely unfathomable to him as well.

  It was clear that this woman either h
ad an aura concealment treasure or had cultivated an ability of that nature. With Han Li's current level of power, there was surely no one of the same cultivation base who could possess magic power that was unfathomable to him, so that wasn't a viable alternative.

  The woman's heart jolted slightly upon hearing this, and a barely detectable hint of elation appeared on her face. "The dao of slaughter? I haven't come into contact with devilish arts of that nature much, but I'm aware that all fellow daoists who cultivate in the dao of slaughter possess combat prowess that's far superior to others of the same cultivation base."

  "Devilish arts of the dao of slaughter are indeed very powerful, but they're also very difficult to cultivate. I'm aware that I won't be able to break through my current bottleneck through cultivation and slaying devilish beasts alone, and that's why I've decided to emerge from seclusion," Han Li explained.

  Han Li's words seemed to have resonated with the purple-haired woman, and she sighed in agreement, "I'm not cultivating in the dao of slaughter, but I've also been stuck at my current bottleneck for over 1,000 years. Making progress after becoming a devilish lord is a very arduous task, and fortune often plays a big role."

  Han Li nodded before suddenly changing the subject. "I've heard that the Illusion Howl Desert is a renowned restriction area in our holy realm, and I was planning to rest in this city for a few days before entering the desert to continue my cultivation. If I can encounter some opportunities in there, then that would naturally be ideal."

  "Our Bai Family isn't exactly a massive powerhouse, but we have some influence around these parts and we know quite a bit about the Illusion Howl Desert. If you need anything, feel free to tell me; I'll get my juniors to fulfill your needs as best as possible," the purple-haired woman said.

  "In that case, I really do have something to ask of your Bai Family," Han Li said with a smile.

  "Oh? Go ahead, Fellow Daoist. As long as it's something within our Bai Family's capabilities, I definitely won't turn you down," the woman replied.

  "I heard that any being who enters the Illusion Howl Desert will be rendered unable to use any movement techniques, and that the only way to traverse through the desert is by walking, which would take 50 to 60 years. I intend to cultivate in the Illusion Howl Desert for a while, but I don't want to spend that much time in there, so I was planning to purchase an Eight-footed Devilish Lizard from your Bai Family as a steed; would you be able to sell me one?" Han Li asked in a straightforward manner.