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

by Translator: Johnchen

  "Fellow Daoist Yan, I'll entrust the duty of corresponding with the holy island to you. Find out who the holy island envoys will be, and whether there's a chance they can rescind their order. As long as the holy island is willing to give up on Fellow Daoist Han's disciple, we can accept any other condition of theirs as long as it's within reason," Elder Gu finally decided after a long pause.

  "Ever since the truce agreement was made with the Elder Devil Race, Senior Ao Xiao and Senior Mo Jianli have mysteriously disappeared; even their disciples have been unable to contact them, so I can only do my best," Fairy Silver light replied in an unconfident manner.

  "I have several good friends on the holy island, so it'll be easy for me to find out some information, but I'm guessing that it'll be next to impossible to convince the holy island to rescind its order," the black-robed man sighed.

  "I'm naturally aware that both of these tasks are very difficult, but we have to at least make an attempt. If we manage to succeed in either of these endeavors, then the issue will be completely resolved," Elder Gu said.

  The black-robed man and Fairy Silver Light could only nod in response.

  Thus, the issue regarding the holy island and Han Li was set aside for now, and the elders began discussing the extermination of the remnant devilish beings near Deep Heaven City...

  Three months later, over 100 armored guards were standing on either side of Deep Heaven City's giant city gate. On top of that, there were also several people in different-colored attire standing atop the city wall, peering into the distant sky.

  At the center of the group were Elder Gu and Buddhist Monk Jin Yue, and they were accompanied by several other elders, including Elder Yan and Fairy Silver Light.

  All of them were waiting atop the city wall in silence, as if they were waiting for someone.

  However, a long time passed, and there was still no sign of anyone arriving.

  Elder Gu looked up at the sun in the sky, and his brows finally furrowed slightly as he asked, "Elder Yan, didn't you say that the holy island envoys will arrive at noon sharp? Has there been a miscommunication?"

  "I wouldn't make a mistake on such a simple matter, Brother Gu; perhaps the holy island envoys were unexpectedly delayed for some reason," the black-robed man replied.

  "What could they possibly have been delayed by? There are three holy island envoys in total, yet even you were unable to find out any of their identities; it looks like the holy island has already run out of patience with us," Elder Gu sighed with a slight shake of his head.

  Elder Yan offered no response to this, but Buddhist Monk Jin Yue suddenly said, "We've discussed this issue on several occasions, but have still been unable to arrive at a consensus. As things are now, we can only go with the flow and make decisions on the fly."

  Wry smiles appeared on the faces of all of the elders upon hearing this.

  All of a sudden, Fairy Silver Light exclaimed, "They're here!"

  Everyone's hearts stirred upon hearing this, and they hurriedly looked up into the distant sky again.

  Azure light flashed in the distance, and a streak of azure light approached at an incredible speed, reaching the city gate in just a few flashes.

  The azure light then abruptly faded, and an azure jade ark appeared.

  At the front of the ark stood an azure-robed young man, and a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes at the sight of the elders down below, but he immediately cupped his fist in a smiling salute.

  "Brother Gu, Master Jin, why are you all here? Did you know that I was going to return to the city today?"

  All of the elders were immediately flabbergasted upon ascertaining who the young man was.

  Chapter 2198: Du Yu

  The young man was naturally none other than Han Li, who had finally arrived back at Deep Heaven City after traveling for close to half a year.

  At this moment, a man and two women also emerged from the cabin of the ark; they were Silvermoon, Daoist Xie, and Zhu Guo'er.

  A hint of surprise also flashed through Silvermoon's eyes at the sight of the elders on the city wall.

  Elder Gu finally returned to his senses, and even though he was feeling very apprehensive internally, he still put on a smile and returned Han Li's salute. "It's fantastic news for our city that you've returned, Brother Han, but we were actually unaware of your return and are waiting for someone else. Otherwise, we definitely would've been better prepared to welcome you."

  He swept his spiritual sense toward Han Li as he spoke, only to discover that he was completely unable to ascertain Han Li's cultivation base; all he could sense was that Han Li's aura had become even more unfathomable, and his heart immediately jolted upon sensing this.

  Even though he didn't know the outcome of Han Li's breakthrough attempt, it was clear that he had become significantly more powerful nonetheless.

  All of the other elders also attempted to detect Han Li's cultivation base, but with their spiritual sense, there was obviously no way they would be able to glean anything unless Han Li explicitly released his Grand Ascension Stage spiritual pressure.

  Thus, everyone was left feeling quite uneasy, and the smiles they put on were rather forced.

  Han Li could see how unnatural everyone's expressions were, and his heart stirred slightly, but his own expression remained unchanged as he said, "I see. It must be quite an important guest for all of you to be gathered here in welcome. Could it be one of Senior Mo Jianli or Senior Ao Xiao?"

  "I'm afraid not; it's been a while since we've lost contact with those two seniors," Elder Gu said in a slightly hesitant voice as his smile faded slightly.

  Even with his wealth of experience, he was unsure of whether he should disclose the matter about the holy island envoys.

  Fortunately for him, there was no need for him to mull over this issue any longer as right at this moment, a vast expanse of five-colored light came surging forth from the distance.

  It appeared to be moving quite slowly, but it arrived above the city in just a few flashes, revealing a pristine white giant ark that was around five times larger than Han Li's jade ark.

  Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this, then cast his gaze toward the giant ark to find that there were around a dozen people standing on it, and the trio at the forefront possessed auras far superior to those of the people behind them.

  The trio was comprised of a yellow-haired and green-eyed man who appeared to be in his thirties, a graceful and refined white-robed young man, and a hideous dark-skinned woman.

  Han Li swept his spiritual sense over the trio and immediately detected that the yellow-haired man and dark-skinned woman were both at the mid-Body Integration Stage, while the white-robed young man was at the pinnacle of the late-Body Integration Stage, seemingly ready to commence a Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough at any moment.

  However, what drew Han Li's attention the most was the massive "holy" character engraved upon the surface of the giant white ark.

  Han Li instantly recognized this to be the symbol of the holy island, and it became clear to him why so many elders of the city had gathered to welcome these guests.

  However, it was quite an uncommon occurrence for the holy island to send envoys to Deep Heaven City, and the expressions that the elders of the city had displayed earlier were quite suspicious.

  Could it be that the arrival of these holy island envoys had something to do with him?

  Within mere moments, Han Li had roughly deduced the nature of the situation.

  However, he displayed no reaction to this, and merely looked on in silence.

  At the sight of the holy island envoys' arrival, all of the elders present exchanged a wry smile.

  They didn't need to ponder what they had to tell Han Li anymore; both sides had arrived at the city at the same time.

  However, what was quite alarming to Elder Gu was that aside from the white-robed young man, the other two envoys were also very powerful, and were quite renowned even on the holy island.

&
nbsp; As for the white-robed young man himself, this was the first time they had met him, but they were all struck by a sense of powerlessness in his presence, and that made Elder Gu even more uneasy.

  Just as Elder Gu was mulling over the situation, Elder Yan suddenly transmitted his voice to him. "I think this is a good thing, Brother Gu. We'll get Fellow Daoist Han to communicate with the holy island envoys in person, and even if they end up taking his disciple in the end, he won't be able to blame us."

  Elder Gu's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he stole a glance at Han Li to find that Han Li was currently appraising him with a hint of a smile on his face.

  His heart immediately jolted at the sight of this, and he merely nodded in a seemingly casual manner instead of transmitting his voice in response.

  At this moment, Buddhist Monk Jin Yue extended a salute toward the three Body Integration cultivators on the giant ark, and said, "Greetings, envoys of the holy island; my name is Jin Yue."

  "Ah, so you're the vastly renowned Buddhist Monk Jin Yue. I am Du Yu, and it's an honor for me to make your acquaintance," the white-robed young man said with a smile.

  The other envoys remained silent, and it was clear that the white-robed young man was their leader.

  Elder Gu's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. "Du Yu? Are you the fellow daoist who's planning to attempt a Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough on the holy island?"

  Buddhist Monk Jin Yue was also quite surprised to hear this.

  "You must be Fellow Daoist Gu, right? I have only recently emerged from seclusion on the holy island, and I do indeed plan to attempt a breakthrough soon. However, I'll require your city's cooperation for this objective," Du Yu said in a modest manner.

  Elder Gu's lips lips twitched slightly upon hearing this, and he took another quick glance at Han Li as countless thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind.

  "Our city will be sure to cooperate with the holy island to the best of its abilities, but this is not a good place to talk; let's return to the city first. After you, Brother Han, Fellow Daoist Du."

  "Brother Han? Could it be that this fellow daoist is..." Du Yu's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he immediately cast his gaze toward Han Li.

  Du Yu had already noticed Han Li, and he could sense an extremely unsettling hint of pressure emanating from Han Li's body. On top of that, his inability to glean Han Li's cultivation base with his spiritual sense further exacerbated his uneasiness, and even though he had always held himself in high regard, he was still rather intimidated in Han Li's presence.

  He had heard all of the rumors surrounding Han Li as soon as he had come out of seclusion, and after learning that Han Li's disciple could help him nullify some of the power of his true lightning tribulation, he conducted even more research into Han Li.

  As a result, he learned about how Han Li had managed to progress from the Deity Transformation Stage to the late-Body Integration Stage in less than 2,000 years, as well as all of the miraculous victories that he had scored against all types of formidable enemies.

  There were even rumors that not only had Han Li killed an astonishing number of devilish lords during the devilish tribulation, he seemed to have ventured deep into the Elder Devil Realm and returned safely not long ago.

  If all of this were true, then Han Li was simply far too fearsome to fathom.

  Du Yu had always thought that his aptitude was inferior to no one in the history of the human race, but he had to concede that there was no way he could match Han Li's extraordinary feats.

  However, it was rumored that Han Li had left Deep Heaven City to prepare for a Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough, so why was he suddenly back? Could it be that he had received some news that his disciple was being targeted?

  If that were the case, then the situation could become very troublesome.

  Despite the shock and wariness in Du Yu's heart, he still cupped his fist toward Han Li in a polite salute.

  "I've heard much about your exploits, Brother Han. Seeing as you're here as well, we'll have to discuss my objective for coming here."

  "You wish to discuss your objective with me? It looks like there really is something going on. Brother Gu hasn't had a chance to disclose the situation to me yet, so I'll be hearing it firsthand from you, Fellow Daoist Du," Han Li replied as his eyes narrowed slightly.

  "Of course, let's enter the city now," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue said in a slightly awkward manner.

  ......

  Shortly thereafter, the elders, Han Li, and the holy island envoys arrived in a hall on the top floor of a massive stone pagoda, then each took a seat.

  A group of female servants immediately flocked into the room at Elder Gu's behest, carrying cups of spirit tea, as well as platters of spirit fruits and spirit wine that they placed down onto everyone's tables.

  Han Li took a customary sip of spirit tea before setting the teacup down, then asked, "Can you tell me why the holy island has sent envoys to our city now, Brother Gu? Could it be that this has something to do with me?"

  Chapter 2199: Turning on the Envoys

  At Han Li's current level of power, there was virtually no issue in the human race that could stump him, so he wasn't overly concerned about the situation.

  "I'd be happy to explain everything to you, Brother Han. Fellow Daoist Du, Fellow Daoist Han has just returned to the city, so you wouldn't mind if I filled him in on the recent state of affairs, would you? After all, this matter concerns his disciple," Elder Gu asked with a serious expression.

  "My disciple?"

  "Of course not."

  Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, while Du Yu immediately agreed to the request.

  "Indeed, this issue concerns one of your disciples, Brother Han. Am I correct in stating that you have a disciple who possesses a recessive lightning spiritual root, Brother Han?" Elder Gu asked.

  "You must be referring to Hai Yuetian. He does indeed possess a recessive lightning spiritual root, but I don't recall ever telling anyone about this; how do all of you know about this?" Han Li asked as his expression changed slightly.

  "Apparently, your disciple unintentionally revealed this on his own during a drunk ramble at a gathering," Buddhist Monk Jin Yue explained.

  "I see. This disciple of mine has always been quite scatterbrained, so I'm not surprised to hear that. Go on, Brother Gu," Han Li sighed in a resigned manner.

  Elder Gu offered a rather awkward smile before continuing, "I'm sure you're even more aware of the special properties of a recessive lightning spiritual root than we are, Fellow Daoist Han. The elders of the holy island were informed of this matter, so they issued an invitation to your disciple not long ago to borrow the power of his recessive lightning spiritual root. I'll get Fellow Daoist Du Yu to disclose the rest of the situation to you," Elder Gu said, deferring to Du Yu to continue the explanation.

  All of the other elders present were thoroughly impressed by Elder Gu's wily deflection.

  If he were to tell Han Li everything in the stead of the holy island envoys, it wouldn't be right of them to express any displeasure here, but they definitely wouldn't be pleased, nonetheless.

  Thus, Elder Gu was essentially doing Du Yu a favor by allowing him to elaborate on the situation, and now that the negotiation was going to take place between Han Li and Du Yu, the panel of elders wouldn't incur the wrath of the holy island nor Han Li regardless of the final outcome.

  Du Yu immediately saw through Elder Gu's intentions, and he nodded as he said, "In that case, allow me to explain the situation. The recessive lightning spiritual root possessed by Brother Han's disciple is extremely important to both our human and demon races. Aside from Senior Mo Jianli and Senior Ao Xiao, there are no other Grand Ascension Stage being among our two races, and both of them are at quite an advanced age, so we won't be able to rely on them for much longer."

  Du Yu paused momentarily here, and solemn looks appeared on everyone's face upon hearing this. />
  "Without a Grand Ascension Stage being to act as a guiding force, the fate of our two races will immediately fall into dire straits. As such, the holy island has been doing its best to create another Grand Ascension Stage being for our two races. If another Grand Ascension cultivator could arise among our ranks, we still won't be able to compare with the superpower races of the Spirit Realm, but the safety of our two races will be guaranteed for tens of thousands of years. As such, the elders of the holy island have agreed to pool together all of the island's resources to assist the late-Body Integration Stage beings on the island in their breakthrough attempts.

  "As such, we are inviting your disciple to the island for the greater good. I hope you can see the bigger picture and allow your disciple to come with us to the holy island, Brother Han."

  It was clear that Du Yu had already recognized Han Li to be the biggest obstacle that stood before him, so he was speaking directly to Han Li and completely disregarding the elders of Deep Heaven City.

  "So what you're saying is that the holy island sent three envoys to the city for a disciple of mine," Han Li summarized as a cold look appeared on his face, and the displeasure in his voice was very apparent.

  Du Yu's heart jolted slightly upon hearing this, but he displayed no intention of backing down. "I can assure you that no mortal peril will befall your disciple on the holy island, and our holy island will be sure to reward him handsomely for his efforts."

  "This disciple of mine has only been with me for a short time, and his cultivation base isn't all that advanced. If he were to use his recessive lightning spiritual root to nullify a Grand Ascension Stage true lightning tribulation, he would at least have to progress to the Spatial Tempering Stage to be of any use at all. I know of around seven methods that can forcibly enhance one's cultivation base to that extent, and all of them require the overexertion of one's latent potential and lifespan. Even if my disciple doesn't perish during the tribulation, he won't be able to benefit from the rewards given to him by the holy island anyway." Han Li's expression darkened even further as he spoke, and a hint of mockery had crept into his voice.