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

by Translator: Johnchen

  Some of the more curious cultivators ignored the guards on the plaza down below and flew directly toward the giant mountain.

  At this moment, the silver light finally faded, and the three-colored mountain ceased in its expansion.

  A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face at the sight of the cultivators flying toward the massive mountain, and he made a hand seal in a nonchalant manner.

  Countless runes immediately flashed on the surface of the three-colored mountain, conjuring up a transparent restriction that encompassed all of the space within several kilometers of the mountain.

  All of the cultivators that reached this area were instantly repelled and kept at bay by an invisible light barrier.

  After steadying themselves, the cultivators exchanged a few glances, but no one dared to try and barge their way through any further.

  It was clear that this giant mountain was somehow related to Han Li, and if they were to irk this new Grand Ascension Stage patriarch, it would be akin to committing suicide.

  All of a sudden, a casual male voice rang out from the peak of the mountain.

  "I am truly honored to have so many fellow daoists attend my celebratory ceremony. Those who are eligible to attend the ceremony can enter through the teleportation formations down below; I will be awaiting your arrival on the Grand Ascension Immortal Platform at the mountain's summit."

  The voice belonged to none other than Han Li, and he had used some type of ability to make it clearly audible to all of the people attending the ceremony.

  "Senior Han!"

  "That's Patriarch Han's voice!"

  A stir immediately ran through the nearby cultivators upon hearing this voice, and they all descended toward the plaza down below.

  At the same time, some of the attendees had already been arranged into orderly lines by the armored guards in front of the dozen or so teleportation formations on the platform, and they were teleported away in groups.

  The first batch of cultivators to enter the teleportation formations arrived within a hall on the giant three-colored mountain, and as soon as they emerged, they began to inspect their surroundings in a curious manner.

  There was already a group of white-robed servants waiting for them, and after extending slight bows toward these cultivators, one of the servants stepped forward as he said, "Please follow me, seniors; I'll take you to the top of the mountain."

  These servants were mostly at the Core Formation Stage and Nascent Soul Stage, so the cultivators that had arrived didn't pay much heed to them; they merely nodded in response and allowed themselves to be led out of the hall, onto a winding path that led to the mountain summit.

  Some of these white-robed servants were Qi Lingzi's disciples, while the rest had been temporarily borrowed by Han Li from the elders of the city.

  Their cultivation bases weren't all that advanced, but they were certainly fit for such a simple task, and they had been teleported into the hall in the instant that the giant three-colored mountain had taken shape.

  More and more people began to pour out of the teleportation formations in the hall, and once the hall was crowded to a certain extent, a servant would guide everyone up to the mountain summit.

  As the cultivators walked upward along the mountain path, they were greeted by the sight of a series of beautiful buildings, as well as strange and exotic plants and flowers. There were also some spirit beasts and spirit birds roaming their scenic surroundings, and there was no lack of rare and legendary beasts among them.

  Some of the cultivators became very curious upon seeing this, and they wanted to take a closer look, but as soon as they strayed off the mountain path, they would find themselves in a space that filled with white mist, and the ground beneath their feet would also disappear, leaving them feeling as if they were hovering in mid-air.

  These people were all quite alarmed by this, and some of them stood still on the spot, not daring to move, while others unleashing different incantation seals to try and break out of the restriction.

  However, regardless of what they did, none of the measures that they had taken proved to be effective.

  In the eyes of those who were still on the mountain, it appeared that the cultivators who strayed off the path suddenly stiffened and became completely still, as if they had been turned into puppets.

  "They've fallen into an illusionary technique!"

  Those who were more adept in the art of formations immediately identified what was going on.

  The white-robed servant that was leading the group remained calm as he raised a hand to summon a silver badge, which he swept through the air to release a burst of five-colored light.

  The light swept up all of the cultivators who had fallen prey to the illusionary technique and dragged them back onto the mountain path, upon which they were immediately brought back into the real world.

  Before these cultivators had a chance to react, the white-robed servant extended a bow toward them, and said, "This mountain is a treasure created by Patriarch Han, and aside from the mountain path we're currently walking on, there are restrictions everywhere else, so please follow along closely behind me, seniors. Otherwise, if I fail to intervene and save you in time, something bad could happen."

  Everyone exchanged a few glances upon hearing this, then nodded with wry smiles on their faces.

  An illusionary restriction set up by a Grand Ascension cultivator was unfathomable to them, but one thing was for sure; it definitely wasn't something that they could contend with.

  The rest of the people to emerge from the hall were also issued the same warning by the white-robed servants, and aside from a very rare selection of reckless individuals, no one tried to oppose the restriction.

  As the first batch of people arrived on the mountain summit, the thin veil of mist there had already dissipated.

  A massive plaza that was paved with white jade bricks was revealed to everyone, and atop the plaza was placed countless futons of different colors.

  At the center of the plaza was a translucent pagoda with seven levels and was several hundred feet tall. There were countless green spirit patterns engraved on the surface of each and every level, and at the top of the pagoda was a giant azure lotus flower that was around an acre in size.

  The azure lotus was in a half-bloomed state, and at its center sat an azure-robed young man, who had his eyes closed with a faint smile on his face.

  This man was naturally none other than Han Li.

  The Leopard Kirin Beast was lying beside him, and it was appraising the approaching cultivators in a lazy manner.

  Even though Han Li didn't pay any heed to the cultivators who had entered the plaza, all of them extended respectful bows toward him from afar, and only then did they dare to allow themselves to be led to a corner of the plaza, where they took a seat on the provided futons.

  The ceremony-goers who arrived thereafter also paid their respects to Han Li before sitting down on the plaza as well.

  Among them were individuals of both genders and all ages, and there were even some demonic beings with animalistic appendages and features.

  After these people had taken a seat, they immediately closed their eyes to meditate, not even daring to chat with those around them. Thus, the entire platform was completely silent.

  The plaza that Han Li had set up on the mountain summit was very massive, but it still only had a maximum capacity of around 40,000 people. Shortly thereafter, almost all of the futons on the entire plaza were occupied, yet there were still close to 1,000,000 people ineligible for entry stuck outside the teleportation formations.

  After that, the representatives of the different powers also began to arrive on the platform.

  These people were guided by the white-robed servants to the inner circle that was quite close to Han Li, and these representatives also came from a variety of different races.

  After another hour, the entire plaza had reached full capacity, and the elders of Deep Heaven City had also arrived at the
entrance to the plaza.

  At this point, it was noon sharp, and there were seven scintillating suns hanging up in the sky.

  Qi Lingzi appeared at the foot of the pagoda amid a burst of spatial fluctuations, then extended a salute toward everyone before announcing in a serious voice, "It's time, let the ceremony begin!"

  As soon as his voice trailed off, the Heaven Shaking Bell tolled several more times, and five-colored light flashed in the sky as a series of beautiful figures began to dance up above amid bursts of heavenly music.

  Countless five-colored petals fell out of the sky from these beautiful figures, filling the entire plaza with a fragrant aroma.

  As soon as these cultivators breathed in this scent, they were immediately struck by a sense of great comfort and improved focus.

  "This is Grasswood Essence refined from the essence collected from 81 types of rare spirit plants and flowers!" someone immediately exclaimed before falling silent just as quickly, realizing that their sudden outburst had been rather inappropriate. Expressions of ecstasy instantly appeared on many people's faces, and they began to absorb the fragrance in the air with all their might.

  However, right at this moment, Qi Lingzi suddenly said, "You may now pay your respects."

  All of the human cultivators immediately rose to their feet upon hearing this, then extended respectful bows toward Han Li in unison.

  "Congratulations on reaching the Grand Ascension Stage, Senior Han."

  The envoys from the other races didn't say anything, but they also extended respectful bows toward Han Li.

  The congratulatory words were amplified by special restrictions, and they reverberated incessantly throughout the entire city.

  Chapter 2206: Envoys and Presents

  Han Li waved a sleeve through the air as he sat on his azure lotus platform, and said, "Please take a seat, fellow daoists. Thank you for traveling from afar to attend my Grand Ascension Stage celebratory ceremony. I haven't prepared too much; I can only offer you some tea to quench your thirst from your long journeys."

  As soon as Han Li's voice trailed off, Qi Lingzi immediately clapped his hands together twice in succession, and groups of beautiful white-robed women immediately strode into the plaza from all directions.

  Each of them was holding a platter, atop which sat cups of tea that they offered to the cultivators present.

  The spirit tea being offered was extremely exceptional, but it wasn't all that noteworthy considering Han Li's status as a Grand Ascension Stage being.

  What was much more astonishing to everyone was that even though all of these white-robed women were very beautiful, they were all completely expressionless, and their movements were rather stiff, clearly indicating that they were all humanoid puppets.

  The arrival of several hundred humanoid puppets that were so life-like filled most of the guests with amazement, and after the spirit tea had been presented, a burly man who was seated in the inner circle suddenly stood up before extending a deep bow toward Han Li.

  "I am the envoy of the Heavenly Radiance Sect. As a congratulatory present, our sect offers you a pair of Longlife Insect shells, both of which are over 10,000 years old. We hope that you'll reach the summit of the mountain of immortality, and that your powers will rival the might of the heavens."

  The burly man summoned a yellow wooden box as he spoke, then removed the lid to reveal a pair of fist-sized insect exoskeletons, both of which were translucent and strikingly crimson, as if there were balls of fire burning within them.

  Han Li smiled, and replied, "Your Heavenly Radiance Sect is one of our human race's three major sects, and I've heard much about your grand elder; I'll be sure to pay your sect a visit should the opportunity arise."

  The Heavenly Radiance Sect was extremely renowned in the human race, and not only did it have over 10 human cities under its direct jurisdictive power, the sect also had several Body Integration cultivators among their ranks.

  As for the grand elder of the sect, he also had a resounding reputation in the human race and had once slain two Body Integration Stage foreign beings in battle. Unfortunately, he had failed several times thus far in his attempts to progress to the Grand Ascension Stage.

  "I'm sure our grand elder would be extremely honored to know that he's in your thoughts, Senior Han. He's currently at a critical juncture in his seclusion, so he's unable to attend the ceremony in person, but he was the one who chose this pair of Longlife Insect shells as our sect's congratulatory present," the burly man said as he hurriedly extended another bow with an elated expression.

  "These shells are one of the main ingredients for refining Spirit Settling Liquid, which is something required by all new Grand Ascension Stage beings, so this is clearly a very thoughtful gift," Han Li continued with a smile.

  The elation on the burly man's face grew even more pronounced upon hearing this, and he handed over the wooden box to a white-robed servant with both hands, then extended another bow before sitting down again.

  An armored young man seated on the outskirts of the inner circle stood up, and said in a respectful manner, "On behalf of Cloud Guard City, I offer 15 tons of golden essence and five tons of Profound Yin Sand as a congratulatory present."

  "Your present is much appreciated."

  Cloud Guard City was only a medium-sized city on the border of the human and demon territories, so Han Li naturally wasn't going to treat the representative with as much enthusiasm, and merely gave him an indifferent nod.

  Even so, a hint of excitement flashed through the young man's eyes, and he hurriedly extended a deep bow before taking a seat again.

  After that, two green-skinned demonic cultivators with red hair presented a jade box in a respectful manner. "We are the envoys of Thousand Domain Mountain, and on behalf of our mountain master, we offer Senior Han our heartfelt congratulations, as well as three pieces of Profound Phoenix Wood, three Spirit Enchanting Beads..."

  Thus, one representative after another began to offer their congratulatory presents to Han Li, and it didn't take long for dozens of sets of presents to have been offered.

  The representatives were all of different cultivation bases, but they encompassed all of the important powers among the human and demon races. All of them were extremely respectful toward Han Li, and they either offered extremely precious presents or presents of staggering quantities, clearly doing their best to leave a good first impression with Han Li.

  As for the vagrant cultivators in attendance, it was also quite an eye-opening experience for them to witness so many rare and precious items that they had only ever heard of in the past.

  Of course, as long as they weren't mentally handicapped, no one would dare to try and steal these presents from right under Han Li's nose.

  In the face of all of these offerings, Han Li maintained a faint smile and reciprocated with brief words of thanks.

  However, as a woman in a white dress rose to her feet, Han Li initiated a conversation for the first time.

  "So you've also come to attend my ceremony, Fairy Xu. Are you here on behalf of the Xu Family?"

  The woman was none other than Xu Qianyu, and everyone was quite surprised to see this.

  After all, her cultivation base wasn't anything special, so it was very unexpected for Han Li to be so hospitable toward her.

  Xu Qianyu had been feeling quite nervous, but Han Li's benevolent display eased her anxiety significantly, and she replied, "I am indeed here on behalf of our Xu Family, Senior Han. I've brought with me one stick of East Sea Purple Flame Bamboo, three Boundless Spirit Fruits, and a Heavenvoid Cauldron; our Xu Family wishes you luck in your journey to immortality, Senior Han."

  A hint of enlightenment appeared in Han Li's eyes upon hearing this, and he said, "Heavenvoid Cauldron, eh? I understand. You and I are old acquaintances, so why don't you stay and explore this mountain for a while; perhaps you'll encounter some opportunities."

  "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Han!" Xu Qianyu replied in an elat
ed manner before taking a seat again, and many of the other cultivators present immediately turned toward her with envy in their eyes.

  It was quite clear that Han Li was implying that he was going to give her something, and that naturally evoked a lot of envy in everyone's hearts.

  After that, the representatives of the true spirit families presented themselves. Among them, the Gu Family had sent Fairy Xiao Feng, while Ye Ying was the representative of the Ye Family.

  Both of them were also old acquaintances of Han Li's, and witnessing this astonishing scenario made them feel as if they were in a dream.

  If they hadn't sensed the unfathomable aura being released by Han Li's for themselves, they wouldn't have even dared to believe that he had actually already become a Grand Ascension cultivator.

  As these two offered their congratulatory presents, Han Li also chatted with them, and that drew another round of envy from all of the other cultivators.

  This didn't appear to be anything important, but at the very least, it was clear that the two women really were acquaintances of Han Li's. As such, if anyone wanted to plot against them or their families in the future, they'd have to take Han Li's indirect intimidation into consideration.

  Of course, the Long Family had also sent someone, and it was their new grand elder.

  This grand elder was a Body Integration cultivator who had remained hidden in the Long Family this entire time, and he treated Han Li with the utmost respect, thanking him openly for informing the Long Family of the death of their patriarch.

  Back when Han Li was still on Wood Tribe territory, he had already sent messengers to inform the Long Family and Ye Family of what had happened.

  He didn't know what their reactions to this news had been, but now that Han Li had progressed to the Grand Ascension Stage, neither of the families dared to voice their suspicions, assuming they had any in the first place.