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

by Translator: Johnchen

  "You don't need to know the reasons behind my actions; all you need to know is that you possess the spirit medicine that I'm searching for, and that's why I followed you all the way here," Bao Hua replied.

  "In that case, why didn't you attack me and my companions earlier? Surely we pose no threat to you in your eyes," Han Li asked in a puzzled manner.

  "That's because I was previously unable to confirm whether you were the one that possessed that spirit medicine, Now that everyone else is dead, it can only be you," Bao Hua replied with a faint smile.

  Chapter 2102: Heavenvoice Lightning Core

  "What kind of reasoning is this? Setting that aside for now, even if I do possess the spirit medicine that you're looking for, you have to at least describe its general uses to me. I have a lot of spirit medicines in my possession; how am I supposed to know which one you want?" Han Li asked.

  Bao Hua paused momentarily before replying, "I don't know what it's general uses are, either. However, I'm certain that this spirit medicine is something you obtained before entering our holy realm, and it's extremely rare; perhaps it's not even something from the Spirit Realm."

  "Something that's not from the Spirit Realm?" Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and the spirit medicines he had obtained from the Vast Glacial Realm immediately sprang into his mind.

  The minute change in Han Li's expression naturally didn't escape Bao Hua's notice, and her smile became even more pronounced. "As I suspected, you really are in possession of a spirit medicine of this description. If you hand it over to me, I can allow you to leave this place safely and ensure that Fellow Daoist Yuan Yan doesn't trouble you any further. On top of that, I think I have someone here who will be of interest to you. Hei'e, bring out that little girl."

  "Yes, Mistress!" the burly black-armored man behind her immediately replied with a bow before laying a hand onto a yellow leather pouch that was hanging from his waist.

  A burst of black light emerged from the opening of the pouch, revealing an unconscious young woman who appeared to be in her teens.

  Han Li's pupils contracted drastically at the sight of the young woman; it was none other than Zhu Guo'er!

  "This little girl seems to be somehow related to you, so I'm sure you wouldn't abandon her. You give me the spirit medicine I want, and I'll give her back to you," Bao Hua said in a calm voice.

  "Seeing as she's fallen into your hands, I presume Fellow Daoist Lin has already perished," Han Li sighed.

  "Are you referring to the Body Integration cultivator who was with her? He possessed a true spirit bloodline, but it was of no use to me, so I naturally wasn't going to keep him around," Bao Hua replied in a truthful manner.

  "Hmph, if I were to fight with all my power, you two would have a lot of trouble on your hands. Having said that, there's no need for me to take such a huge risk over a mere spirit medicine. I'll bring out a few types of spirit medicine; take a look and see if any of them is the one you're looking for," Han Li harrumphed coldly.

  "You've made a wise decision, Fellow Daoist Han! Hei'e, hand the little girl over to him; I'm sure Brother Han wouldn't do anything rash," Bao Hua instructed with a smile.

  Hei'e immediately tossed Zhu Guo'er toward Han Li upon hearing this, and Han Li swept a sleeve to release a burst of green light, which carried Zhu Guo'er back to him.

  He then swept his spiritual sense over her body to find that she was only unconscious due to a simple restriction that had been placed on her. After ascertaining that nothing else had been done to her, he stowed her away into a special treasure amid a flash of azure light.

  After that, he began to consider which spirit medicines he was going to show Bao Hua.

  Ever since he had obtained those spirit medicines from the Vast Glacial Realm, he had been constantly gathering relevant information to try and figure out their uses.

  However, he was only able to find out this information for a small proportion of these spirit medicines, while the majority of them continued to stump him.

  These spirit medicines were from the True Immortal Realm, so they were naturally extremely valuable, but seeing as he didn't know how to use them anyway, he was more than happy to use one of them to avoid a battle against such a powerful enemy.

  However, most of the ordinary spirit medicines he had secured from the Vast Glacial Realm wouldn't be of any interest to Bao Hua, so she was most likely looking for one of the rarer types of spirit medicines he had obtained. Having said that, it would naturally be a good thing if he could fool her with one of the other types of spirit medicine.

  With that in mind, Han Li made a hand seal, and the small green sword in his hand vanished in a flash.

  He then flipped his hand over, and a white jade box appeared amid a flash of white light. The box had several restriction talismans plastered to its surface, and he tossed it toward Bao Hua.

  Bao Hua made a grabbing motion with one hand, and the jade box was drawn into her grasp.

  She gently laid a finger onto the lid of the box, and the restriction talismans were immediately removed while the lid flew off on its own, revealing a green spirit medicine that was releasing a fragrant aroma and glowing with gentle white light.

  Sacred Ancestor Bao Hua's expression changed slightly at the sight of the spirit medicine, but she quickly shook her head, and the lid of the box was replaced before the restriction talismans also returned to its surface.

  The jade box was then sent flying back to Han Li, who caught it in an unsurprised manner.

  At the same time, a green jade vial had appeared in her other hand, and he tossed it toward Bao Hua as well.

  Bao Hua caught the jade vial before removing the lid and inspecting its contents with her spiritual sense, upon which her brows furrowed slightly, and the vial was also tossed back to Han Li.

  Sacred Ancestor Yuan Yan wasn't aware of the content of Han Li and Bao Hua's conversation, but he had naturally figured out what was happening at this point.

  Despite this, he merely looked on with pursed lips, completely unconvinced that a Body Integration cultivator would truly be able to offer spirit medicine that would be of any interest to devilish patriarchs like him and Bao Hua.

  Thus, Han Li brought out eight spirit medicines in succession, all of which were rejected by Bao Hua.

  At this point, her expression had darkened slightly, and after returning another spirit medicine to Han Li, she said in a cold voice, "I can't say that the spirit medicines you've shown me are completely useless, but how could medicines of this caliber possibly be of any use of to me? If you're not going to show me anything of a higher caliber, then there's no need to continue this any further."

  A hesitant look appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this, but he then heaved a faint sigh before flipping a hand over to reveal another white jade box.

  In contrast with the containers that he had previously brought out, this one was clearly constructed from a far superior material, and there was faint glacial Qi emanating from its surface.

  On this occasion, Han Li didn't toss the box toward Bao Hua. Instead, he removed the restriction talismans and the lid of the box to show Bao Hua the spirit medicine within it from afar.

  As opposed to being enraged by this, a faint smile appeared on Bao Hua's face as she knew that Han Li was finally showing her the good stuff.

  As soon as the lid of the jade box was removed, a burst of glacial Qi erupted out of it, and a chunk of translucent five-colored ice slowly emerged.

  Within the chunk of ice was a red branch, attached to which were a pair of thumb-sized walnut-like spirit fruits, one of which was golden while the other was silver.

  "Heavenvoice Lightning Core!" Bao Hua exclaimed as a surprised expression replaced the smile on her face.

  Sacred Ancestor Yuan Yan's expression also changed drastically upon hearing this.

  "Heavenvoice Lightning Core? Isn't that something that only exists in upper realms? How could a human cultivator like him possibly
possess such a thing? Bring it to me so I can take a look at it!"

  "My apologies, Senior Yuan Yan, but I'm afraid I can't oblige to that request. Senior Bao Hua, is this the spirit medicine you're looking for?" Han Li asked after refusing Yuan Yan in a stoic manner.

  He had read about Heavenvoice Lightning Core in a certain tome before, but never did he think that it would be this particular spirit medicine, and a hint of excitement welled up in his heart upon making this discovery.

  This was a good opportunity for him to bring out the spirit medicines that he couldn't identify himself so that the two devilish patriarchs could tell him what they were.

  If he were to find out what these spirit medicines were, they would naturally become a lot more useful to him.

  An enraged look appeared on the black-robed young man's face after being dismissed by Han Li, but he forcibly repressed his own fury in the end.

  At the same time, he seemed to have become rather distracted, as if he were thinking about something else.

  "I've never seen this spirit medicine before, but judging from its appearance, I'm almost certain that this is a Heavenvoice Lightning Core. It's an extremely valuable spirit medicine to certain people using special cultivation arts, but unfortunately, it's not what I'm looking for," Bao Hua said as he stared intently at the spirit medicine within the chunk of ice.

  "I see." Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, and the spirit medicine descended back into the jade box before the box vanished in a flash.

  After that, he produced a green jade box, then opened it to reveal another chunk of five-colored ice.

  Within this chunk of ice was a pristine white flower that was around the size of a large bowl.

  Bao Hua's brows furrowed slightly at the sight of this white flower.

  Even with her vast wealth of knowledge and experience, she was unable to identify the flower; she could only sense that it was also an extraordinary item.

  At the same time, a peculiar look appeared on Sacred Ancestor Yuan Yan's face. He felt like he had heard of a similar spirit flower before, but was unable to recall exactly what it was.

  Han Li could tell from Bao Hua's reaction that this wasn't what she was looking for, so he stowed the spirit medicine away before producing another jade box.

  Thus, he brought out several spirit medicines in succession, but aside from the first Heavenvoice Lightning Core, even the pair of devilish patriarchs were unable to identify the rest of them, and that was rather disappointing to Han Li.

  However, as he brought out a silver spirit herb that was also encased in a chunk of five-colored ice, Bao Hua and Yuan Yan suddenly let loose cries of surprise in unison.

  Chapter 2103: Re-emergence of the Silver Seed Pod

  "Devil Refining Herb!" Bao Hua and Yuan Yan exclaimed in unison at the sight of this new spirit medicine, and the latter immediately sprang forward, instantly vanishing on the spot.

  In the next instant, a burst of black light flashed before Han Li, and Sacred Ancestor Yuan Yan reappeared amid a gust of fierce winds before reaching out toward the spirit medicine like lightning.

  His face was currently slightly twisted, and he was staring intently at the silver spirit herb with bloodshot eyes, as if he had become completely fixated on it.

  Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this, and he immediately swept a sleeve through the air, upon which the chunk of five-colored glacial ice vanished in a flash. Immediately thereafter, he let loose an enraged roar as he launched a golden-scaled fist through the air.

  A resounding boom akin to an explosive thunderclap rang out, and golden and black light intertwined as powerful shockwaves erupted in all directions.

  The entire sky tremored violently, and countless thin white rifts appeared in the nearby space before quickly fading again.

  At the epicenter of the explosion, two humanoid figures flew back in opposite directions, and only after shooting back several hundred feet did they both manage to steady themselves.

  It seemed that Han Li and Sacred Ancestor Yuan Yan had been evenly matched during that clash.

  Han Li turned toward the black-robed young man with a frosty expression, and yelled, "Are you planning to take my spirit medicine by force? If so, I'd be more than happy to take you on!"

  As soon as his voice trailed off, a golden devilish head appeared on one of his shoulders amid a flash of golden light, and a golden-scaled devilish arm also emerged on either side of his body.

  Having attained two heads and four arms, Han Li clenched his four fists at once, and a terrifying aura that was several times more powerful than what he had previously possessed erupted from his body.

  "Second Nirvana Transformation! So you really have cultivated the Holy Nirvana Physique to a higher level!" Bao Hua murmured to herself as a hint of surprise flashed through her eyes.

  As for Sacred Ancestor Yuan Yan, a wary look had appeared on his face at the sight of the new form that Han Li had adopted.

  However, the Devil Refining Herb was clearly extremely important to him, and he took a deep breath before announcing, "That Devil Refining Herb has no use to you; if you're willing to hand it over to me, I'll immediately leave this place, and I won't interfere with this matter any longer."

  "Devil Refining Herb? That's the first time I've heard this name. Would you be able to introduce it to me?" Han Li asked in a cold voice.

  "Just like the Heavenvoice Lightning Core, the Devil Refining Herb is a spirit medicine that should only exist in the upper realm. As for its effect, just as Fellow Daoist Yuan Yan said, it's only useful to devilish beings like us. However, due to certain reasons, this herb is far more important to Fellow Daoist Yuan Yan than it is to me. It's a vital factor behind whether Fellow Daoist Yuan Yan will be able to take that final step in the future. He's been attempting to nurture a Devil Refining Herb for many years using several other types of similar spirit medicines, but he's still yet to..."

  "That's enough, Bao Hua!" A furious look appeared on the black-robed young man's face as he cut off Bao Hua before she could elaborate any further.

  Bao Hua merely glanced at him with a faint smile before falling silent.

  "I see." A contemplative look appeared on Han Li's face.

  "Seeing as Bao Hua has already revealed everything to you, I'll admit it; this Devil Refining Herb is something that I'm determined to obtain. If you're unwilling to give it to me, I'm going to keep you here for the rest of eternity even if I have to sacrifice my main soul to do so," the black-robed young man said with a fierce expression.

  "Seeing as it has no use to me, I'm certainly willing to hand it over, but don't you think it's far too naive of you to expect me to hand it over free of charge?" Han Li asked in an indifferent manner.

  The black-robed young man was ecstatic to hear this. "I'm willing to give you anything in exchange for that herb. I may be a devilish patriarch, but I have many treasures that are definitely extremely sought after by human cultivators like you."

  After witnessing Han Li's Second Nirvana Transformation, he wasn't confident in his ability to capture Han Li by force, so he was switching to a more gentle approach.

  "Hehe, we'll discuss this later; I still haven't completed my exchange with Senior Bao Hua yet," Han Li chuckled in an ambiguous manner.

  Sacred Ancestor Yuan Yan hesitated momentarily before nodding in response. "Alright, I'll wait for you to take care of this matter first."

  "Senior Bao Hua, I'm afraid I do not have many more spirit medicines to show you. If I don't possess the spirit medicine you're searching for, then there's nothing I can do," Han Li said as he turned toward Bao Hua.

  "Bring out what you have; we'll take things one step at a time," Bao Hua replied in a calm manner.

  Han Li didn't waste anymore time with words and swept a sleeve through the air to release a blue jade vial amid a flash of blue light.

  He tossed the vial forward, then rapidly flicked his fingers toward it in succession, sending a string of incantation seals va
nishing into the vial in a flash.

  The jade vial tremored, and a burst of rich water-attribute spiritual Qi erupted out of its opening, following which a white spirit spring emerged.

  The spring was quite small, but at its center sat a fist-sized silver lotus seed pod, and a silver lotus root that was around as thick as an infant's arm.

  The seed pod was attached to the lotus root by a thin shimmering silver stem that had an extremely smooth surface, and it gave off a pristine sense of surrealism.

  After releasing the contents of the vial, Han Li cast his gaze toward Bao Hua to find that her composed expression had been completely replaced by one of elation.

  Even though she hadn't said anything, her reaction told the entire story.

  He then cast his gaze toward the Sacred Ancestor Yuan Yan to find that the latter was appraising the silver seed pod and lotus root with a perplexed expression, clearly unfamiliar with what they were.

  Thus, Han Li turned back to Bao Hua, and said, "Looks like this is what you're searching for. Would you be able to enlighten me by telling me its name?"

  Bao Hua finally shifted her gaze away from the silver lotus seed pod before turning to Han Li. "What's the point in asking questions if you don't even know its name? As I suspected, you really do have the spirit medicine that I want. Having said that, it doesn't appear that you're going to just hand it over to me."

  "These spirit medicines are most likely all from the True Immortal Realm, and even though I don't know what they are, I'm sure you won't be able to find any replicas in the Spirit Realm and Elder Devil Realm. If you were in my place, would you be willing to hand one over so easily? Besides, I only said that I would show you the spirit medicines I have; I never promised to give one to you," Han Li replied in a calm manner.

  Bao Hua wasn't surprised in the slightest to hear this, and she said with a confident smile, "Alright, what conditions do you have? I possess some treasures and cultivation arts that I've obtained from some old geezers from the Spirit Realm; I also possess some true spirit bloods and pills that are extremely useful to Body Integration cultivators. Unfortunately, the cultivation arts we're using are different, so the experiences and insights I derived from my breakthrough to the Grand Ascension Stage wouldn't be of much use to you, but I would certainly be willing to give them to you."