"Elder Han, we've received urgent news from Cottonwood City, stating that high-grade devilish beings have infiltrated the city and our holy land."
Elder Han was already in an extremely foul mood in the wake of the Eight Wood Spirit Disciples' passing, and this piece of bad news immediately made him flare up with rage. "What?! How is that possible? Aren't all of the three Sacred Ancestors currently preoccupied? How did something like this happen? What are the guards of Cottonwood City doing?"
He reached out like lightning to grab onto the jade slip, then adhered it to his own forehead with a furious expression.
The other Wood Tribe elders were also astonished by this news, and they all turned to stare intently at Elder Han.
After the span of just a few breaths, the fury on Elder Han's face vanished, only to be replaced with complete despair, and it was as if all of his energy had seeped out of his body.
"Let me see!" One of the Wood Tribe elders couldn't wait any longer and rushed over to Elder Han before taking the jade slip from him, then also injected his spiritual sense into it.
Moments later, this Wood Tribe elder's face also completely paled, and he murmured to himself in a trance-like state, "The holy tree has been destroyed! The recuperating grand elder has also been killed... It's over! It's completely over for our Wood Tribe..."
The other elders' expressions changed drastically upon hearing this, and they passed the jade slip around to inspect its contents for themselves.
Even though they were already mentally prepared, seeing the news in the jade slip still dealt all of the elders a heavy blow, and two of them almost fainted on the spot.
"Alright, the tragedy has already taken place, so panicking now won't do us any good; let's think about what we need to do next. Our Wood Tribe will no longer be able to maintain independence in the Spirit Realm, but we have tens of billions of brethren that we must find homes for," Elder Han said through gritted teeth as he suddenly rose to his feet.
Even though his complexion was still deathly pale, he had managed to recover some of his former composure.
The other elders exchanged a few glances before mustering up the energy to chime in in agreement. "Indeed, we still have several backup holy trees. As long as we can ensure the continuation of our race, a Grand Ascension Stage being could emerge among us in the future, and we'll have a chance to regain our independence."
"What we have to do now is keep this a secret, then devise a plan to protect all of our brethren..."
Thus, the elders began to hatch a plan with grim looks on their faces.
......
Three days later.
In the air above a dense forest, a group of people, including Han Li, was quickly flying through the air.
The group was currently situated millions of kilometers away from the wood realm formation, and only half a day ago was he and Fei Xiaoxi informed by Cao Ji of the fact that the Wood Tribe's holy tree had been destroyed, and that their grand elder had been killed.
At this point, most of the Wood Tribe army had already retreated out of the formation, and the panel of Wood Tribe elders had decided to detonate the entire formation using the power of the second formation core to kill as many devilish beings as possible.
Thankfully, the panel of elders had notified the high-grade beings among their allied races in advance. Otherwise, they would've been caught up in the explosion as well.
Now that the holy tree and grand elder of the Wood Tribe were both gone, there was no point in continuing this battle.
Thus, Han Li departed from the second formation core with some human cultivators who had assisted the Wood Tribe in guarding the formation, and set course to return to Cottonwood City.
Presumably, the armies of all of the other races would also immediately retreat upon hearing this news.
Chapter 2176: Seclusion
Daoist Xie followed along behind Han Li in a nonchalant manner, while all of the other human cultivators were traveling in a dejected silence.
All of a sudden, a burst of rumbling suddenly rang out far in the distance behind them, following which a burst of astonishing shockwaves swept forth from the same direction, causing the earth to tremor slightly.
Everyone immediately looked around with different expressions to assess the situation.
It was clear that such an enormous explosion could've only been caused by the detonation of the Wood Tribe's wood realm formation.
Even from so far away, they could still sense the power of the explosion; one could only assume that all of the devilish beings within the formation would be killed aside from those remaining Sacred Ancestor clones.
It was no surprise that the Wood Tribe would do something like this; one had to realize that the current state of the Wood Tribe was caused entirely by the devilish invasion, so they naturally hated the devilish army with a vengeance.
As such, the panel of elders had decided to sacrifice the entire formation to exact some revenge on the devilish army and eradicate all of their elite forces.
However, having lost their holy tree and Grand Ascension Stage grand elder, there would be no way for the Wood Tribe to maintain its independence. It would either have to become a subsidiary to another race or move to a remote and desolate location.
Of course, the human race and all of the other races weren't going to continue to keep their promise and wage war against the devilish army for an allied race that no longer deserved to rank among them.
As these thoughts ran through Han Li's mind, he waved a hand, ordering the entire group to accelerate.
The devilish army had just received an extremely heavy blow, and the formation was no longer around to trap them, so who knew if the Sacred Ancestors were going to take revenge on the retreating united army?
As a safety precaution, it was best for them to get back to Cottonwood City as soon as possible.
All of the other human cultivators naturally responded to Han Li's instruction, and they all sped up in their flight.
......
Two months later, Han Li, Patriarch Ao Xiao, and Mo Jianli were having a calm discussion in the air above a mountain near Cottonwood City.
Behind Han Li stood Daoist Xie and Zhu Guo'er, while Silvermoon stood behind Patriarch Ao Xiao.
At this moment, Silvermoon's expression was very aloof, and she was listening to the conversation in an emotionless manner.
"Who would've thought that this would be the outcome of our attempt to reinforce the Wood Tribe? The Wood Tribe has already decided to split their brethren up into several groups, most of which will become subsidiaries to our races, while one group will venture into the primordial world and find a secretive location to settle," Mo Jianli said in a wistful voice.
"This is a wise decision. If another Grand Ascension Stage being could emerge within the Wood Tribe soon, they could reunite their brethren, and it wouldn't be impossible for them to regain their independence. However, if no Grand Ascension Stage beings appear among them within the next 100,000 years, then the Wood Tribe would truly disappear off the face of the Spirit Realm," Patriarch Ao Xiao said.
"It looks like the Wood Tribe will inevitably fall into obscurity for at least the near future. Without their inclusion, our strategy to combat the devilish army will most likely be severely impacted as well; have you worked out a plan, seniors?" Han Li asked.
"We may have lost the Wood Tribe as an ally, but the devilish army isn't in a very healthy state, either. It won't be long until our two realms separate again, so if we persevere for just a while longer, we'll be able to prevail. Even if the devilish army can claim the territory of the Wood Tribe, they'll be no match for our races without any forces to back them up. What we have to do now is return to the human race and see if any of the three devilish patriarchs really have descended into the Spirit Realm. Only after addressing the current crisis can we consider other matters," Patriarch Ao Xiao replied.
"I see. After we return to the human race, I'll have to go into se
clusion, so I won't be able to assist our two races much in the near future," Han Li said in a slightly forlorn manner.
"Haha, if you can progress to the Grand Ascension Stage, then that would be the greatest help for our two races. At your current age, our two races would be able to rely on you for the next 100,000 years; leave the current crisis to Fellow Daoist Ao and myself," Mo Jianli chuckled in response.
After learning that Han Li and Daoist Xie had slain 12 Sacred Ancestor clones in the wood realm formation, Mo Jianli had become even more confident in Han Li's chances of progressing to the Grand Ascension Stage.
"Are you really going to find another secluded place to cultivate rather than return to Deep Heaven City?" Patriarch Ao Xiao suddenly asked.
"Deep Heaven City has managed to weather the assault from the devilish army, but it's still definitely not a safe place. I don't want to be disturbed during my seclusion, so I'm planning to go elsewhere, and I most likely won't come out of seclusion until I advance further in my cultivation base," Han Li replied with a smile.
Han Li's confidence stemmed from the huge batch of Foreign Devilish Metal in his possession.
With that much Foreign Devilish Metal, he would be able to easily reach the pinnacle of the late-Body Integration Stage.
"That's not a bad idea. The devilish army has planted many spies in our human race, so the fewer people that are aware of your seclusion, the better. We won't ask where you're going; we only wish you luck in your cultivation," Mo Jianli said.
"Come here, Ling Long. According to our prior agreement, I'll be leaving her with you. I hope you can master the secret technique soon so you can repress the backlash she's suffering from her cultivation art," Patriarch Ao Xiao said to Han Li with a benevolent expression.
"Rest assured, Senior; I'll be sure to prioritize mastery of the secret technique during my seclusion to help Fellow Daoist Ling Long out of her current predicament," Han Li immediately promised.
Patriarch Ao Xiao nodded in response before turning to Silvermoon. "Ling Long, you have to listen to Fellow Daoist Han's instructions for now, and you're not to leave his side unless I tell you to do so. Otherwise, don't bother coming back to see me."
"Yes, Grandfather," Silvermoon replied as she cast an indifferent gaze toward Han Li.
"It's about time you set off, Fellow Daoist Han; the two of us will also be returning to our two races in a few days after we take care of everything here," Mo Jianli said.
"Alright, then I'll be taking my leave," Han Li replied with a nod before cupping his fist in a farewell salute toward the two Grand Ascension Stage beings.
The duo returned his salute with faint smiles on their faces.
Han Li then swept a sleeve through the air to release a green jade flying boat, then flew onto it right away, followed closely by Daoist Xie, Zhu Guo'er, and Silvermoon.
After casting an incantation seal onto the flying boat, it shuddered slightly before flying away, quickly vanishing into the distance as a ball of azure light.
......
Five months later, a green jade boat was hovering in the air above a winding mountain range situated on the border of the human and demon territories.
Han Li stood on the flying boat with his eyes closed, but his enormous spiritual sense was being released in all directions without any reservation.
Silvermoon and the others were all standing behind him in silence.
"There's no one else in a radius of tens of thousands of kilometers; I'll make our cave abode here," Han Li said as he opened his eyes with a pleased expression.
He then raised a sleeve to release around a dozen balls of spiritual light, which transformed into giant ape puppets that immediately descended onto the mountain down below at his behest.
Azure light flashed from the fingers of these giant ape puppets, allowing them to claw through the mountain rocks with ease, and it didn't take long for them to create a huge cave abode in the belly of the mountain, complete with all types of facilities.
After withdrawing the giant ape puppets, Han Li descended from above with everyone else, then flipped a hand over to release a series of formation flags and formation plates, all of which vanished into the nearby space.
He had set up several powerful restrictions to protect the entire cave abode.
Upon arriving in the hall of the cave abode, Han Li issued a few instructions to the others before making his way into the deepest secret chamber, where he began his seclusion.
After taking a seat in the secret chamber, Han Li recited the mantra for the spiritual sense secret technique that Patriarch Ao Xiao had bestowed upon him, then began his cultivation.
He was preparing to completely master the secret technique so he could address Silvermoon's issue once and for all, then move on to his other cultivation arts.
Moments later, layers of five-colored light began to revolve rapidly all over Han Li's body, while he sat in a completely still manner like a wooden statue.
......
A year and a half later, the dazzling five-colored light suddenly faded, and Han Li reopened his eyes with a contemplative expression.
"Not only has this secret technique slightly enhanced my spiritual sense, it's also very effective for calming the heart and soothing the mind. As expected of the only Grand Ascension Stage being to have come out of the demon race for tens of thousands of years; he has truly created a brilliant secret technique," Han Li murmured to himself before suddenly sweeping his spiritual sense throughout the entire cave abode.
As a result, he discovered that Silvermoon was also cultivating in another secret chamber nearby, and her calm expression indicated that she was completely unaware of the presence of Han Li's spiritual sense.
After appraising her for a short while longer, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense, then flipped a hand over to summon a piece of black and white ore.
Chapter 2177: Mastering the Hundred Meridian Refinement Mantra
The piece of ore was only around the size of an egg, and its pitted and bumpy surface was giving off a cold metallic sheen.
This was one of the pieces of Foreign Devilish Metal that Han Li had secured from the Elder Devil Realm.
Han Li swiped a finger toward the piece of ore, and an azure thread shot forth before slicing the piece of ore in half to reveal a pea-sized crystalline bead, which was instantly caught between two of Han Li's fingers.
Han Li inspected the crystalline bead for a while before sweeping a sleeve through the air, releasing around a dozen five-colored flags that disappeared into the surrounding space.
In the next instant, a five-colored light barrier appeared over the entire secret chamber.
Only after setting up all of this did Han Li abruptly rub the bead together between his hands.
A dozen or so arcs of golden lightning sprang forth amid a loud thunderclap, and the bead was shattered between his palms, following which a grey pillar of light erupted forth amid a burst of energy fluctuations.
Han Li was already prepared for this, and he immediately thrust a palm through the air.
A massive golden hand instantly appeared overhead, then came crashing down without any hesitation, releasing a burst of enormous force that compressed the pillar of light into a fist-sized grey ball of light.
After that, Han Li began to chant something, and countless golden runes surged out of his mouth, forming a ball around the ball of light.
Only then did Han Li's expression ease slightly, and he drew the ball of light into his own grasp.
Immediately thereafter, blue light flashed within his eyes, and a series of translucent threads shot out of his glabella, all of which vanished into the ball of light in a flash.
The ball of light tremored slightly before emitting a faint buzzing sound, but it quickly returned to normal after the golden runes around it flashed a few times.
Han Li then closed his eyes and began to meditate, and when he reopened his eyes half a day later, the translucent threads and the ball of li
ght enveloped within the golden runes had already vanished.
Han Li inspected his internal condition with his spiritual sense to find that his magic power had been slightly enhanced, and a smile appeared on his face, but his brows then furrowed slightly upon detecting the green thread that had also appeared in his body.
He immediately switched to a different hand seal, and a dark grey layer of light appeared over his body alongside a peculiar aura.
This was none other than the refinement method for Baleful Yin Qi that he had received from Lan Ying of the Vast Origin House.
As long as he could refine the accompanying Baleful Yin Qi in a timely fashion after absorbing the energy within the crystalline beads, he wouldn't have anything to worry about.
Around an hour later, Han Li flipped a hand over to produce another piece of Foreign Devilish Metal, which was also sliced apart by an azure thread to reveal another grey crystalline bead.
He then repeated the process and began to absorb the energy within this bead as well.
Thus, Han Li repeated the same process over and over again, absorbing energy before refining Baleful Yin Qi, and he could clearly sense that his magic power was quickly being enhanced.
Two years flew by in the blink of an eye.
After refining the residual Baleful Yin Qi within his own body once again, Han Li heaved a long sigh before casting his gaze through his surroundings.
Scattered all around him were halves of pieces of Foreign Devilish Metal, arranged in several piles that were each around 10 feet tall.
This amount of Foreign Devilish Metal comprised around 90% of all of the Foreign Devilish Metal he had brought back from the Elder Devil Realm.
The energy within the final crystalline bead that he had just absorbed was no longer able to improve his magic power at all, so it was clear that he had already reached the pinnacle of the late-Body Integration Stage. At this point, his magic power had been enhanced by as much as 30% compared to when he had first begun his seclusion, and this had been achieved in just two short years.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1249