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

by Translator: Johnchen

Violet Spirit's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and she asked with a smile, "Your Vast Origin House has always been collecting all types of cultivation arts and secret techniques, so I'm sure you have a copy of this mantra, right?"

  "I don't actually possess this mantra. It's extremely specific, so very few people will be able to use it. As such, our Vast Origin House didn't bother to try and obtain it. However, I do know who has the mantra, but if you'd like to obtain it..." A hesitant look appeared on Lan Ying's face, and her voice trailed off here.

  "Is the mantra very difficult to obtain?" Han Li asked.

  "Truth be told, the mantra is currently in the possession of a late-Body Integration cultivator. His personality is extremely erratic, and his powers are superior even to Aunt Zhu. Our Vast Origin House has dealt with him on several occasions, and we can get into contact with him, but I can't guarantee whether we'll be able to obtain the mantra from him," Lan Ying replied.

  "That's alright, as long as you can get into contact with him, I'll pay him any price he asks for; I'm sure he wouldn't miss out on such an opportunity just to hold onto a useless mantra," Han Li said with a smile.

  "In that case, I'll get into contact with him and give you a response," Lan Ying replied with a nod.

  Violet Spirit also heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

  "Brother Han, shouldn't you be offering me some compensation for resolving such a major problem for you?" Lan Ying asked with a smile.

  "Of course, how many devil stones would you like?" Han Li replied with a smile.

  "Forget it, seeing as you're an acquaintance of Sister Violet's, I'll waive the fee required on this occasion," Lan Ying said.

  Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this, but after considering the situation for a moment, he nodded with a smile, and said, "In that case, I'll accept your kind offer."

  "You're agreeing just like that?" Lan Ying's eyes widened upon hearing this.

  "Why wouldn't I agree to something like this? Is there something else you have to tell me?" Han Li asked with a hint of a smile.

  "I didn't even get a 'thank you' from you; why does it feel like I didn't even do you a favor at all?" Lan Ying grumbled as she pouted with displeasure.

  Han Li merely smiled in response and remained silent.

  An amused smile appeared on Violet Spirit's face upon hearing this, and she interjected, "Let's skip all these silly games and lay everything out in the open; you want to take this opportunity to recruit a powerful ally for your Vast Origin House, right, Sister Lan? Brother Han, Sister Lan really is like a sister to me; if possible, please lend her your assistance in the future when required."

  "As long as it's within my capabilities, I'd naturally be willing to lend Fairy Lan my assistance, but let me make this clear: I don't want anything to do with the Vast Origin House; I'm only willing to offer my assistance to you, Fellow Daoist Lan," Han Li said as a serious look appeared on his face.

  Lan Ying was ecstatic to hear this. "You have my thanks, Brother Han."

  "Also, I won't be staying in the Elder Devil Realm for much longer, and once I return to the Spirit Realm, it won't be that easy for me to come back," Han Li cautioned.

  "Have you forgotten that our Vast Origin House spans several realms? For a normal Body Integration Stage being, it would be virtually impossible to travel between realms, but that's not an issue for us," Lan Ying replied with a smile, and Han Li was rather surprised to hear this.

  Chapter 2130: Stemborer Queen

  "Does your Vast Origin House possess treasures similar to Star Defying Plates or Realm Phasing Beads?" Han Li asked.

  "It would be impossible to accomplish this with something like a Star Defying Plate alone. Once I get into contact with the fellow daoist who possesses the Baleful Yin Qi refinement mantra, I'll invite you to come again, and I'll have everything prepared then. However, the treasure involved is extremely precious even to our Vast Origin House, and it can only be used for a set number of times. Even with this item, it won't be easy for you to return to our Elder Devil Realm, so use it with caution," Lan Ying said.

  Han Li was naturally elated by the prospect of receiving a treasure that could allow him to travel between realms, and he immediately replied, "Rest assured, I'll definitely use it with care."

  Lan Ying nodded with a pleased expression at the sight of Han Li's earnest display.

  All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Han Li, and after a brief hesitation, he asked, "By the way, there's something else I'd like to ask you, Fairy Lan."

  Lan Ying faltered slightly upon hearing this before replying with a smile, "Go ahead, Brother Han."

  "I want to know why the Elder Devil Realm's invasion of the Spirit Realm is different from the past invasions. It seems that they're planning to settle in the Spirit Realm permanently, but after entering the Elder Devil Realm, I discovered that none of the ordinary devilish beings know anything about this. It seems that all of the invaders are directly connected with Sacred Ancestors or are low-grade and mid-grade devilish beasts that have been controlled," Han Li said in a solemn manner.

  Lan Ying and the devilish woman's expressions both changed slightly upon hearing this, and after a long hesitation, Lan Ying finally replied in an apologetic manner, "I know the reason behind this, but our Vast Origin House has a rule strictly prohibiting becoming involved in inter-realm conflicts, so I won't be able to tell you."

  Han Li naturally couldn't pry any further upon hearing this, and he nodded as a gesture of understanding. "I see, then just pretend as if I never raised the question."

  Meanwhile, Violet Spirit's expression changed a few times before she finally sighed, "Brother Han, I know the reason behind this due to my ties with Liu Ji, so there's no need to ask Sister Lan about this manner."

  Han Li was quite elated to hear this, but a solemn look then appeared on his face. "If it's convenient for you to disclose it to me, then that would be great, but if not, then forget it; I'm sure I'll be able to find out everything on my own if I do some digging."

  "It's alright. This is information that only Sacred Ancestors should have access to, but as time passes, there's no way this can remain a secret for much longer. Some disciples of Sacred Ancestors like myself have already become aware of it; I'm sure it wouldn't take long for all of the high-grade devilish beings in the realm to learn about the tribulation of the Elder Devil Realm," Violet Spirit said with a wry smile.

  "Tribulation of the Elder Devil Realm?" Han Li was quite stunned to hear this.

  "Sister Lan and Aunt Zhu already know about this, so I can disclose the information here with no issues. If I miss out on any details, please fill them in for me, Sister Lan," Violet Spirit said.

  "To be honest, we don't know much more than you do about this tribulation. All I know is that if it's not taken care of properly, our Elder Devil Realm will face complete destruction. All of the Sacred Ancestors and devilish patriarchs are working to address this major issue, and invading the Spirit Realm seems to only be one of their backup plans," Lan Yin said with a wry smile.

  Han Li was becoming more and more intrigued upon hearing this.

  "This is a long story that begins from not long after the Elder Devil Realm came into existence. It's said that at the time, there were many now extinct races residing in all of the realms, and beings of the upper realms like true immortals and true devils were occasionally able to communicate with the beings of the lower realms. However, during that period, a Stemborer Queen was suddenly born in a seemingly ordinary race of ancient insects. This creature was even more fearsome than the average true immortal, and not only does it possess an innate Dark Elemental Physique, it can devour all types of energy."

  "What's even more terrifying about it is its incredible reproductive abilities, and all of its descendants also possess the ability to devour all types of energy. It's said that the most feared insects of the realms, such as the Gold Devouring Beetles, may have inherited the bloodline of the Stemborer Queen, thereby
granting them the ability to devour all things." Violet Spirit paused here as she cast a meaningful glance toward Han Li.

  Han Li's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, but his eyes had narrowed slightly.

  Violet Spirit continued, "In just over 1,000 years, this Stemborer Queen had slaughtered all of the other living beings in its realm with its billions of descendants. After another 10,000 years, all of the energy within that realm had been devoured, and it began to crumble away. However, the Stemborer Queen was able to teleport itself and its descendants to a neighboring realm with its unfathomable powers right before the realm was destroyed. Tens of thousands of years later, that realm also suffered the same fate.

  "During the next close to 200,000 years, the Stemborer Queen and its descendants laid waste to several realms and finally attracted the attention of the upper realms. Two true immortals were somehow sent down to lure the Stemborer Queen and its descendants into the Elder Devil Realm, where a fierce battle took place. It's said that the battle almost destroyed this entire realm, and many of the perilous regions in the Elder Devil Realm were left behind by that battle. In the end, all of the Stemborer Queen's descendants were killed, and the Stemborer Queen itself was severely wounded before being sealed away in an eternal slumber by the two true immortals."

  "Why didn't the true immortals kill it instead of going through the trouble of sealing it away? Could it be that it's recently awakened?" Han Li asked with furrowed brows.

  "Everything happened too long ago, so it's unclear why the true immortals didn't kill the Stemborer Queen; perhaps it had some type of life-saving trump cards that made it unkillable. Alternatively, it could be because the two true immortals were too severely wounded at that point to kill the Stemborer Queen. In any case, the Stemborer Queen did indeed reawaken over 10,000 years ago, and it's produced more offspring. They're currently constantly attacking the seal, and the three patriarchs have joined forces to fortify the seal, as well as to kill the stemborers that have made it through the cracks in the seal, but they're only delaying the inevitable."

  "The stemborers take no prisoners or slaves, so once the Stemborer Queen breaks free from the seal, the Elder Devil Realm will be doomed; that's the tribulation we're currently facing," Violet Spirit said with a concerned expression.

  "If this Stemborer Queen really were to destroy the Elder Devil Realm, wouldn't the Spirit Realm be next?" Han Li asked as his expression darkened significantly.

  "There are several realms neighboring the Elder Devil Realm, including the Spirit Realm, so if the Elder Devil Realm were to be destroyed, there would indeed be a chance that the Spirit Realm would be next. Even if that doesn't turn out to be the case, the Spirit Realm will eventually get its turn once the nearby realms are all destroyed," Lan Ying said.

  Han Li fell into a contemplative silence for a long while before musing, "So that means if we can take care of this Stemborer Queen, not only will the devilish army retreat from the Spirit Realm, a major future tribulation for the Spirit Realm would also be circumvented."

  "Indeed. If the threat of the Stemborer Queen could be eradicated, the Elder Devil Realm can cease its invasions of the Spirit Realm altogether. However, this would be impossible to accomplish unless true immortals were to intervene," Violet Spirit sighed.

  "This is indeed something that we won't be able to do anything about for now. Thankfully, it sounds like the seal will be able to last for a while longer, so we'll just have to wait and see," Han Li also sighed in a resigned manner.

  This was a major issue concerning multiple realms, so it would be best to leave it to the Grand Ascension Stage beings; a mere Body Integration cultivator like him was ill-equipped to shoulder such a heavy burden.

  With that in mind, Han Li moved on to other topics and chatted with everyone for a while longer before departing with Violet Spirit in accompaniment.

  After Han Li and Violet Spirit emerged from the pavilion and made their way out of the lush forest, they were met by eight armored devilish guards, who were standing in front of a lavish beast-drawn carriage.

  "Brother Han, you're returning to the city anyway, so why don't you come with me on my carriage? I have something to discuss with you along the way," Violet Spirit said.

  "Sure, I wanted to talk to you about something as well," Han Li replied with a nod.

  Chapter 2131: Private Mine

  After the two entered the carriage, Violet Spirit issued an instruction, and the coach driver immediately spurred the black devilish beasts that were drawing the carriage into motion.

  At the same time, red light flashed on the carriage, indicating that a restriction had been activated, and inside the carriage, Han Li said, "Violet Spirit, there are some things that I couldn't directly ask Lan Ying, but I know that you have some forces in the Blue Waterfall Lake; I'd like you to find out some information about a local devilish man by the name of Wu You. I suspect he may be..."

  Violet Spirit listened to Han Li's request, and a hint of surprise gradually appeared on her face.

  Several hours later, Han Li returned to the inn that he was staying in.

  He had drawn a lot of attention in the city due to his extravagant purchases of Foreign Devilish Metal, but no powers dared to send people to spy on him as they were aware that he was a late-Spatial Tempering Stage being.

  After all, someone of at least the same cultivation base would have to be sent to spy on him, and no powerful being of that caliber would be willing to stoop to something like that.

  The next morning, Han Li emerged from the inn once again to attend his agreed meeting with Wu You.

  He was originally very interested in the crystalline beads within the Foreign Devilish Metal, and now that the metal was potentially tied to Five Elemental Yin Yang True Light, he was naturally determined to get his hands on them.

  Even though the Foreign Devilish Metal provided by Wu You may not necessarily contain any of those mysterious crystalline beads, the sheer amount still filled Han Li with anticipation.

  Thus, he arrived at the same hall as the one he had visited a day ago, and a pair of familiar devilish beings immediately greeted him in an ecstatic manner.

  "Please come in, Senior Han; Brother Wu You is waiting for you inside."

  Han Li nodded in response before making his way into the hall, and the pair of devilish beings quickly closed the door before standing on guard outside in a careful manner.

  Inside the hall, Han Li was greeted by Wu You and his subordinates, and Wu You made no attempt to hide his elation as he rose to his feet before making an inviting hand gesture toward Han Li.

  "You're finally here, Brother Han! I've been waiting for quite some time."

  "I haven't arrived any later than the agreed time, so you must've come here early, Fellow Daoist Wu You. Alright, that's enough chit-chat, let's begin the transaction right away; I hope your Foreign Devilish Metal can satisfy me." Han Li cut straight to the chase as soon as he sat down.

  His brusque demeanor would most likely evoke displeasure within anyone else, but Wu You was also very eager to get the transaction under way. Thus, he swept a sleeve through the air to release several badges, all of which vanished into the surrounding space.

  A light barrier instantly appeared around them, following which Wu You flipped a hand over to summon a blue storage bracelet. "Here's all the Foreign Devilish Metal; please examine them to see if they're up to your standards, Brother Han."

  He then immediately tossed the storage bracelet toward Han Li without any hesitation.

  Han Li was rather surprised by this, but it quickly occurred to him that Wu You had most likely set up some prophylactic measures, so he wasn't concerned that Han Li wouldn't pay for the Foreign Devilish Metal.

  Han Li nodded in response as he caught the storage bracelet, then pressed it against his own forehead before injecting his spiritual sense into it.

  Wu You merely looked on in silence, awaiting Han Li's verdict.

  Around 15 minute
s later, Han Li finally opened his eyes, but his expression didn't betray any emotion whatsoever.

  Wu You's expression stiffened slightly upon seeing this, but thankfully, what Han Li said next came as quite a relief to him.

  "These are indeed all premium pieces of Foreign Devilish Metal; here are the devil stones that you asked for," Han Li said as he produced a black storage bracelet, then tossed it toward Wu You with a flick of his wrist.

  Wu You was ecstatic to see this, and he immediately caught the bracelet before also injecting his spiritual sense into it.

  Mere moments later, he withdrew his spiritual sense from the storage bracelet, then stowed it away with a pleased expression. He then cupped his fist in a salute toward Han Li, and said, "You are a man of your word, Fellow Daoist Han; our transaction is now complete."

  "In that case, I'll be taking my leave," Han Li said as he rose to his feet in a calm manner.

  "Of course, I'll deactivate the restriction right away." Wu You made no effort to keep him, and he also stood up before making a hand seal, upon which the light barrier around them disintegrated amid a dull thump.

  Thus, Han Li began to depart from the hall, but right as he reached the entrance, he suddenly stopped and turned back toward Wu You.

  "Fellow Daoist Wu You, would you be willing to tell me where you obtained this Foreign Devilish Metal from? I'll be willing to give you an additional third of the devil stones I just gave you for this information."

  Wu You's heart jolted upon hearing this, and his expression changed a few times, but he didn't immediately give a response.

  Meanwhile, expressions of greed appeared on the faces of all of his devilish subordinates.

  After a long contemplative pause, Wu You repressed the impulsive urge to accept the offer, and shook his head in a forlorn manner. "I appreciate the offer, but unfortunately, this is not something that I can tell you, so I'll have to turn you down."

  "I see." Han Li gave Wu You one final meaningful look before departing.

  Wu You stood on the spot with his brows furrowed slightly with concern.