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

by Translator: Johnchen

  "Alright, we'll do as you say, Fellow Daoist Han," Daoist Xie agreed.

  Han Li nodded in response, but he was slightly perplexed as he took another glance at Daoist Xie.

  For some reason, he felt as if this Faux Immortal Puppet had suddenly attained a higher level of intelligence compared to prior to his Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough.

  At this point, Silvermoon and the others had also arrived on the scene.

  Chapter 2192: Mysterious Acquaintance

  Silvermoon quickly inspected Han Li's bodily condition before a congratulatory smile appeared on her face.

  "Congratulations on progressing to the Grand Ascension Stage, Brother Han. You are now the third Grand Ascension Stage patriarch among our human and demon races; looks like I'll have to refer to you as a senior from now on."

  "Are you making fun of me, Silvermoon? With the bond that we share, I'll still regard you as an equal even though I've progressed to the Grand Ascension Stage," Han Li replied with a smile.

  Silvermoon was naturally quite pleased to hear this.

  Xu Qianyu was standing behind Silvermoon, and she carefully examined Han Li for a long while before finally asking in a hesitant voice, "Senior Han, is that you? Have you really become a Grand Ascension cultivator?"

  Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, and only then did he realize that there were some acquaintances among the group of cultivators accompanying Silvermoon.

  As for Xiao Guan and Mouse Monarch Dong Tian, they were also staring at Han Li with astonishment in their eyes.

  However, compared to Mouse Monarch Dong Tian, Xiao Guan was far more shocked by Han Li's rapid progression.

  She had met Han Li once before, and back then, he had only been at the early-Body Integration Stage, so the current situation naturally felt like a dream to her.

  "I didn't think that I would be visited by acquaintances right after my Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough. Fellow Daoist Xu, how is Fellow Daoist Ice Soul's blood soul?" Han Li asked.

  Xu Qianyu hurriedly repressed her own incredulity as she replied in a respectful manner, "So it really is you, Senior Han! Our matriarch's blood soul left our Xu Family many years ago, and we haven't received any news from her since then."

  Han Li was quite taken aback to hear this, and he said, "So she's disappeared again? That's rather surprising. Having said that, even though she's only a blood soul, I'm sure she'll be fine with her Body Integration Stage knowledge and experience."

  "I certainly hope so. The blood soul is our Xu Family's only hope of finding our matriarch; if something were to happen to it, then Matriarch Ice Soul most likely won't ever be able to return to our family," Xu Qianyu replied with a wry smile.

  Han Li nodded in response, then turned his attention toward Xiao Guan, upon which a faint smile appeared on his face.

  "I didn't expect to see you here, Fellow Daoist Guan. You don't seem to have aged a day since we last met."

  "Do you know this senior, Fellow Daoist Black Phoenix?" Mouse Monarch Dong Tian couldn't help but ask in a quiet voice.

  "Fellow Daoist Han... No, it's Senior Han to me now. I didn't think that you would progress to the Grand Ascension cultivator so quickly; your breakthrough is truly fantastic news for our two races. Fellow Daoist Dong Tian, you've actually heard of Senior Han as well; he's the renowned human cultivator who's been making rapid strides in his cultivation during the past few centuries," Xiao Guan said in a meaningful voice.

  "What? He's Han Li of the human race? Forgive me, what I meant to say was Senior Han." Mouse Monarch Dong Tian was so stunned to hear this that he was tripping over his own words.

  "Dong Tian? Could it be that you're Mouse monarch Dong Tian?"

  Han Li's heart stirred slightly as he swept his spiritual sense toward the burly man to find that his cultivation base was inferior to that of Xiao Guan, but his aura was extremely subdued, clearly indicating that he had cultivated some kind of extremely profound cultivation art and was not to be looked down on.

  Mouse Monarch Dong Tian quickly put on a fawning smile, and replied, "Indeed, Senior, I am the current leader of the Jade Mouse Race. It is truly an honor for me to have witnessed your Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough."

  Han Li carefully inspected Mouse Monarch Dong Tian for a while before suddenly saying something asking, "Have we met somewhere in the past? Your aura reminds me of a past acquaintance of mine."

  Mouse Monarch Dong Tian's heart jolted upon hearing this, and his face paled slightly as he hurriedly explained, "Surely you jest, Senior Han; this is the first time that we've met. Perhaps you came into contact with one of my clones during the Myriad Treasure Convention. That clone of mine is extremely adept in transformation techniques, so perhaps you encountered it once but no longer recall the meeting."

  Instead of prying into the matter any further, Han Li smiled and suddenly changed the subject. "Perhaps so. By the way, why have you two appeared in this place? Don't tell me that you predicted my breakthrough in advance and came here solely to spectate."

  "Fellow Daoist Dong Tian and I are here to do something quite important, namely..."

  Han Li suddenly cut off Xiao Guan mid-sentence, and said in an implacable voice, "Forget it, I have no interest in hearing about your activities. However, I've only just made a breakthrough, and I plan to stay here for some time to consolidate my cultivation base. I don't want anyone else to receive news of my breakthrough, so as a safety precaution, I'll ask the two of you to stay at my cave abode for now. After I complete the consolidation process, I'll let you two go."

  Xiao Guan's heart sank slightly upon hearing this, but her expression remained unchanged as she replied with a smile, "Of course, we'd be honored to stay in your cave abode, Senior."

  In contrast, Mouse Monarch Dong Tian was rather hesitant, but he also quickly nodded to accept this arrangement.

  As for the group of Xu Family cultivators, they naturally didn't dare to raise any objections, either.

  Thus, everyone was led by Han Li back to his cave abode.

  Four hours later, Xu Qianyu found herself seated on a wooden chair in the hall of the cave abode, providing a recount of some events in an uneasy manner.

  Han Li was situated on the main seat of the hall, while Silvermoon was sitting on a chair next to him.

  As the two listened to Xu Qianyu's story, both of their expressions gradually became grimmer and grimmer.

  As for the other Xu Family disciples and the two demon monarchs, they were nowhere to be seen, and seemed to have been arranged places to stay.

  After a while, Xu Qianyu's recount concluded, and Han Li and Silvermoon couldn't help but exchange a glance.

  After a lengthy silence, Silvermoon asked with furrowed brows, "Fellow Daoist Xu, according to you, the Elder Devil Realm separated from our Spirit Realm 30 years ago, and the devilish army has already retreated out of our Spirit Realm, so why is that I encountered a group of devilish beings with even a Body Integration Stage elder devil among them not long ago?"

  "The majority of the devilish army has retreated out of the Spirit Realm, but a part of their forces were unwilling to leave, so they decided to stay in the Spirit Realm. Even though our races managed to quickly defeat these devilish beings, a huge number of them still managed to escape, and there's no lack of devilish lords among them. As such, it would be impossible to hunt them all down in a short time. I was sent here with my brethren to hunt down some low-grade devilish beings hiding in this area, but we ran into a trap set by the devilish beings instead. If Senior Ling Long hadn't stepped in to save us, we would all be dead by now," Xu Qianyu explained as a grateful look appeared on her face.

  "I see. However, prior to my seclusion, the devilish army had already conquered the Wood Tribe's territory; it's not like them to just give up on that territory so easily. What kind of agreement have our races made with the Elder Devil Race to convince them to make such a concession?" Silvermoon asked.

  "I'm afraid that information is not ac
cessible to a lowly Deity Transformation cultivator like myself. However, I've heard from the seniors of our family that some Grand Ascension Stage beings had made a mysterious pact with the three devilish patriarchs on behalf of our races, following which the devilish army agreed to retreat out of our Spirit Realm," Xu Qianyu replied.

  "What kind of pact could convince the three devilish patriarchs to abandon the territory they've claimed in the Spirit Realm?" Han Li murmured to himself in a contemplative manner.

  “Rest assured, Brother Han; at your current cultivation base, I'm sure you can go directly to either my grandfather or Senior Mo to clarify the situation. In any case, it's fantastic news that the devilish army has given up on on their invasion of our Spirit Realm,” Silvermoon said with a smile.

  "That's true. Organize a place to stay for Fairy Xu, Silvermoon; I'm going to have a chat with an old friend," Han Li suddenly said as he stood up with a smile.

  "Another old friend? Are you going to see Fellow Daoist Xiao?" Silvermoon was rather surprised to hear this.

  "No, I'm going to see Mouse Monarch Dong Tian," Han Li replied before vanishing from the hall amid a flash of golden light.

  "When did Mouse Monarch Dong Tian become an old friend? Haven't they only just met for the first time?" Silvermoon was quite perplexed.

  At the same time, Mouse Monarch Dong Tian was seated in an uneasy manner atop a futon in a quiet secret chamber.

  All of a sudden, spatial fluctuations erupted, and Han Li emerged amid a flash of golden light.

  Ironically, the uneasiness on Mouse Monarch Dong Tian's face faded upon seeing Han Li's arrival, and he said with a wry smile, "So you came, after all."

  "Looks like you've been waiting for me. You must've known that you hadn't managed to fool me earlier," Han Li said with a smile, then sat down before Mouse Monarch Dong Tian in a casual manner.

  Chapter 2193: News About the Centipede

  "You've progressed to the Grand Ascension Stage and noticed me right away, so of course I wouldn't be deluded enough to think that I could fool you so easily, Senior," Mouse Monarch Dong Tian said with a wry smile.

  "Hehe, I didn't think that the vastly renowned Endless Sky Beast of the human world would be a clone of one of the seven demon monarchs. That Endless Sky Beast clone of yours sure knows how to keep a secret," Han Li chuckled.

  Indeed, no one could've imagined that the true body of the Endless Sky Beast would be Mouse Monarch Dong Tian.

  "I also didn't think that a human cultivator who was far beneath me less than 2,000 years ago would now be a Grand Ascension Stage being whom even I have to look up to. Having said that, there's no bad blood between us, and that clone of mine assisted you somewhat in the human world, so I'm sure you're not here to pick a bone with me, right, Senior?" Mouse Monarch Dong Tian asked.

  "I did indeed form a bit of a bond with your clone in the human world, but prior to that, it had plotted with others to take my life and almost succeeded, so I don't think it would be inappropriate for me to repay the favor," Han Li replied with a faint smile, and Mouse Monarch Dong Tian was left feeling rather speechless upon hearing this.

  "What happened back in the human world was a complete misunderstanding. Back when my clone first descended into the human world, it had no intelligence and was used by other malicious individuals. Besides, didn't you befriend that clone of mine in the end, Senior?" Mouse Monarch Dong Tian was scrambling to make excuses for himself.

  "That seems to be reasonable, but it's entirely my choice whether I want to accept this alibi of yours," Han Li said with a meaningful smile.

  Mouse Monarch Dong Tian finally realized what Han Li's intentions were upon hearing this, and he gritted his teeth before asking, "What do I need to do for you to let bygones be bygones, Senior Han? As long as it's something within my capabilities, I definitely won't refuse."

  Even though Han Li was being rather unreasonable, in the face of their absolute power gap, Mouse Monarch Dong Tian could only conform to his demands.

  "That's a good attitude to have, Fellow Daoist Dong Tian. How about this? You tell me what's happened to my Six-Winged Frost Centipede, and I'll let everything slide," Han Li said in a nonchalant manner, but his words were like rumbling thunderclaps in the ears of Mouse Monarch Dong Tian.

  "The Six-Winged Frost Centipede? Surely you jest, Senior Han; didn't that centipede run away on its own? How would I know what's happened to it?" Mouse Monarch Dong Tian hurriedly gave a panicked response, but as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, he was left regretting his rushed reply.

  "Oh? When have I ever told anyone that the Six-Winged Frost Centipede ran away on its own?" Han Li asked as a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

  Mouse Monarch Dong Tian's expression darkened significantly, and he knew that he couldn't hide things any longer, so he could only heave a resigned sigh as he conceded, "Alright, I'll admit that I do know some things about that Six-Winged Frost Centipede, but before I divulge this information, I'd like to know how you were able to tell that I've come into contact with that centipede; I don't think I've told anyone about this."

  "That's quite simple; I'm sure you can guess the reason even if I don't tell you," Han Li replied with a faint smile.

  Mouse Monarch Dong Tian's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, following which a hint of enlightenment quickly appeared in his eyes. "You don't mean... Could it be that the centipede had once accepted you as its master?"

  "Indeed. Even though that Six-Winged Frost Centipede severed our master-servant connection, there's still an extremely feeble spiritual connection between us. You've interacted with it for some time, so some of its aura has inevitably rubbed off on you. Even though it's barely detectable at this point, it's still not faint enough to escape the notice of my spiritual sense," Han Li explained.

  "I see, but your recent breakthrough must've also contributed to this, right, Senior Han? Otherwise, there's no way that a normal person could sense a hint of residual aura from so many years ago through their spiritual sense. I guess I was simply unlucky to have encountered you at a time like this," Mouse Monarch Dong Tian said with a resigned expression.

  "Alright, I've already told you what you want to know; tell me about that Six-Winged Frost Centipede. I'm sure you wouldn't be foolish enough to lie to me, Fellow Daoist. Otherwise, once I find that centipede, I'll be able to easily verify the authenticity of your words," Han Li said in an indifferent voice.

  Mouse Monarch Dong Tian's heart jolted upon hearing this, and what little remained of his intentions to deceive Han Li instantly disappeared as he hurriedly replied, "Rest assured, Senior Han; I only encountered the Six-Winged Frost Centipede by chance, and we struck a mutually beneficial deal as I could see that it possessed astonishing potential."

  "A deal?" Han Li raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

  "Indeed. I'll have to begin this story by telling you about the Reverse Spirit True Yin Technique, which is an incredibly powerful ability recorded within the Golden Jade Tome. Many years ago, I..." Thus, Mouse Monarch Dong Tian began his recount.

  Han Li sat silently across from him, listening to his story with an unchanged expression, but internally, he wasn't quite as calm as he looked.

  "After separating from that Six-Winged Frost Centipede, I haven't received any further news from it. If it isn't for the fact that it left me with a soul badge, I wouldn't even be sure that it's managed to survive for all this time in the primordial world," Mouse Monarch Dong Tian sighed as he finally concluded his story, then immediately laid a hand onto his own waist to produce a translucent blue badge, which he offered to Han Li with both hands in a respectful manner.

  Han Li took a glance at the badge, but didn't accept it right away. Instead, he asked in a contemplative voice, "So you're saying that with your Reverse Spirit True Yin Technique, not only has the Six-Winged Frost Centipede already progressed to the Body Integration Stage, there's even a chance that it could reach the Grand Ascension Stage in the future; i
s that an exaggeration?"

  "Not at all, Senior Han; the Reverse Spirit True Yin Technique truly is an extraordinary cultivation art. If it isn't for the fact that I'm completely incompatible with the cultivation art, there's no way I would've given it away," Mouse Monarch Dong Tian replied with a shake of his head.

  After a brief moment of contemplation, Han Li's expression eased slightly, and he waved a hand through the air to draw the blue badge into his own grasp. "Looks like you're telling the truth. In that case, everything between us is all in the past now."

  Mouse Monarch Dong Tian was naturally very relieved to hear this.

  Han Li swept his spiritual sense over the blue badge briefly, then immediately rose to his feet as if he were planning to leave.

  Mouse Monarch Dong Tian also hurriedly stood up to bid Han Li farewell.

  However, a thought suddenly occurred to Han Li, and he said, "By the way, I don't want anyone else knowing about the Six-Winged Frost Centipede."

  "Rest assured, Senior Han, I swear on my inner demons that I definitely won't tell anyone else," Mouse Monarch Dong Tian replied without any hesitation.

  "Good. Rest easy here for a while, and I'll let you go when the time comes," Han Li said with a pleased smile, then instantly vanished into thin air amid a flash of golden light.

  In the next instant. Xiao Guan was startled by the sudden appearance of Han Li in another secret chamber, and she immediately stood up to extend a curtsey.

  Han Li waved a dismissive hand to do away with the unnecessary formalities, then immediately said, "I came here to ask you a question; I hope you can answer me truthfully, Fairy Xiao."

  "Of course, I'll be sure to tell you everything I know," Xiao Guan replied in a cautious manner.

  Han Li could see the wariness in Xiao Guan's eyes, and he said, "There's no need to worry, I'm not going to ask you any difficult questions; all I want to know is how Dai'er is doing. I've lost contact with her ever since the devilish tribulation commenced; is she doing well?"