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

by Translator: Johnchen

What came as a slight surprise to Han Li was that the Black Phoenix Race had sent a Body Integration Stage elder as opposed to Dai'er.

  It seemed that she really was still in seclusion. Otherwise, there was no way that Black Phoenix Monarch wouldn't have sent Dai'er as their representative to establish closer ties with him.

  "I am Ben Yue of the Spirit Race, and on behalf of the Spirit Monarch, I offer one each of the five-elemental spirit cores, three balls of Heavenly Light Spirit Flames, 10 top-grade treasures, 100 pieces of Azure Lock Wall, and five tons of Deepsea Purple Crystal Iron," a humanoid figure who was enshrouded in purple light said as he extended a respectful salute.

  "Welcome! I've heard much about the Spirit Monarch, and I'm truly honored to receive such lavish presents from him," Han Li said as he rose to his feet before returning the salute.

  The figure within the purple light didn't dare to accept Han Li's salute, and he stepped aside slightly as he continued, "Aside from offering his congratulations, our Spirit Monarch also instructed me to ask you some things, Senior Han."

  All of the cultivators on the plaza faltered slightly upon hearing this, but Han Li didn't seem to be surprised at all as he prompted, "Go ahead."

  "Our Spirit Monarch has instructed me to ask you about two things, and replies to both questions are optional," the Spirit being explained in a cautious manner.

  "I'd be happy to answer the Spirit Monarch's questions, but I'll only permit you to ask me those two questions, no more than that; do you understand?" Han Li said in a calm voice.

  The Spirit being's heart jolted slightly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly replied, "I understand; I definitely won't harass you with unnecessary questions, Senior Han."

  "Alright, then go ahead," Han Li replied with a nod.

  "The first question pertains to Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns; is she still alive?" the Spirit being asked.

  "No," Han Li replied without any hesitation.

  The Spirit being wasn't surprised to hear this, and he continued, "Who was she killed by?"

  "A devilish patriarch," Han Li replied as his eyes narrowed slightly.

  Chapter 2207: Black Owl Monarch

  The term "devilish patriarch" immediately sent a massive stir running through the crowd, and everyone's expressions changed drastically.

  Having just endured the devilish tribulation, they were naturally extremely fearful of the most powerful trio among all devilish beings.

  The Spirit being's expression also changed slightly upon hearing this, but he also didn't seem to be surprised by this answer. After heaving a long sigh, he extended another respectful salute.

  "Thank you for your response, Senior; please forgive me if I've caused you any offense, and I'll be sure to relay your answers to our Spirit Monarch."

  Han Li merely nodded in response.

  After the Spirit being sat down again, the other representatives of the foreign race also began to offer their congratulatory presents and good wishes, among which were several Wood Tribe representatives from the factions that had already become subsidiaries to the other races.

  Han Li offered his gratitude to these foreign representatives, and after that, a beauty in a yellow hooded cloak stood up from a corner of the plaza.

  After removing her cloak, an exquisitely beautiful set of facial features that resembled an artistic masterpiece was revealed.

  "Impossible! It's Fairy Rong!"

  "It really is Fairy Rong! Didn't the holy island declare that no news of her has surfaced since she ventured into the primordial world over 3,000 years ago?"

  A stir immediately ran through the crowd among those who were familiar with this woman, and all of them were incredulous to see her.

  It seemed that she was also quite a renowned figure.

  Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon seeing this, and he cast his gaze toward her to find that she was only at the mid-Body Integration Stage, but her aura was very peculiar, and there was faint light emanating from her skin, further accentuating her stunning beauty.

  It was clear that this woman was no ordinary Body Integration cultivator and was using very special cultivation arts.

  "May I ask your name?" Han Li asked.

  "I am Li Rong, and I'm here on behalf of the holy island to congratulate you on becoming our human race's second Grand Ascension cultivator. I bring with me a top-grade flying ark, 10 exceptional female servants, 100 top-grade spirit beasts, and 1,000 armored warrior puppets," Li Rong said as she extended a salute with a sweet smile, and her voice was as pleasant to the ears as heavenly music.

  "I see. I must thank the holy island for these precious gifts, and I'll be sure to pay the island a visit after the ceremony," Han Li replied with a nod.

  "We would certainly be honored to have you on our island, Senior Han; my fellow daoists on the holy island have some very important things to discuss with you," Li Rong said with a smile.

  Han Li merely nodded in an ambiguous manner in response.

  "There's also something else I'd..."

  "Who's sneaking around back there?"

  Just as Li Rong was about to say something else, Han Li's expression suddenly darkened, and he abruptly swept a sleeve toward the distance.

  A burst of invisible force passed through the restrictions around the giant mountain, then struck something with a heavy impact several kilometers away.

  A ball of black light abruptly exploded, and a burly black-armored man appeared out of thin air.

  The man wore a surprised expression, clearly not expecting to have been discovered by Han Li from so far away, but he then burst into nonchalant laughter.

  "Haha... I came of my own accord without an invitation, but I'm sure I'm still welcome here, right?"

  The burly man then cupped his fist in a salute from afar before covering a distance of several kilometers with a single stride, appearing right above the three-colored mountain, then descended in a nonchalant manner.

  The light barriers formed by the restrictions around the mountain were instantly torn apart by the burly man's body, and he arrived right above the plaza, looking on at Han Li from afar with his arms crossed.

  All of the cultivators present faltered initially upon seeing this, following which some of the more short-tempered human cultivators immediately began to hurl verbal insults at the intruder.

  Even some of the more steadfast individuals present were quite dismayed by the burly man's rude intrusion.

  "It's the Black Owl Monarch of the Yaksha Race!" Li Rong immediately drew a sharp breath upon identifying the burly man.

  "Black Owl Monarch?" Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

  Those who were insulting the burly man had clearly all heard of this name, and their voices abruptly cut off as horrified looks appeared on their faces.

  "Oh? You've seen me before?" the burly man asked in a surprised manner as he turned toward Li Rong.

  Li Rong's face was slightly pale as she hurriedly replied in a fearful manner, "I once saw you several thousand years ago with Master Mo, Senior."

  "So you're the little girl who was following Old Man Mo around; you've done quite well to have reached the Body Integration Stage in such a short time." There was undisguised lust in the Black Owl Monarch's eyes as he spoke, and Li Rong's heart immediately sank as the urge to flee surfaced in her mind.

  Thankfully, they were still in Deep Heaven City, and there was a new Grand Ascension Stage human being present, so she was able to repress her own fear and cast her eyes downward to avoid the Black Owl Monarch's sinister gaze.

  "Welcome, Fellow Daoist Black Owl; I'm truly honored to have you here." Han Li finally spoke, and his expression was completely calm, making it impossible to glean his thoughts.

  "Hehe, you are the second Grand Ascension Stage being of the human race, and the only new Grand Ascension Stage being in all of our races for close to 10,000 years; of course I had to pay you a visit and gather some experience from you," the Black Owl Monarch chuckled in respo
nse.

  "I see. Unfortunately, I've only just progressed to the Grand Ascension Stage, so I don't have any experience to offer. Prepare a seat for Fellow Daoist Black Owl," Han Li instructed.

  "Yes, Master," Qi Lingzi immediately replied.

  However, the Black Owl Monarch waved an impatient hand, and said, "There's no need for that; I only have some things to speak to you about before I leave."

  "Oh? What would you like to discuss with me, Fellow Daoist Black Owl?" Han Li asked calmly.

  "The primary reason I came here was to witness your powers for myself, and you certainly haven't disappointed me, considering you were able to detect me from so far away. Secondly, I want to borrow someone from you. Actually, I changed my mind; I want to borrow two people now," the Black Owl Monarch said as a sinister look appeared on his face.

  "Which two people are you referring to?" Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this.

  "I heard that one of your disciples possesses a recessive lightning spiritual root; I'd like to employ his services to help me transcend my next heavenly tribulation. As for the second person, that would be this fine celestial maiden here. She's caught my eye, and I'd like her to be my servant," the Black Owl Monarch said in a rumbling voice, much to the astonishment of all of the cultivators present.

  "What? He wants to take Senior Han's disciple?"

  "And he wants Fairy Rong to be his servant? How dare he!"

  Many of the cultivators present immediately flared up with rage, but they didn't dare to actively oppose a Grand Ascension Stage being, so they could only look on with fury burning in their eyes.

  Li Rong's expression became extremely strained upon hearing this, and she said in a cold voice, "How dare you, Black Owl Monarch! Have you forgotten Master Mo's warning to you?"

  "Master Mo? Haha, you humans sure do like to deceive yourselves. Do you really think that I don't know that Old Man Mo and Old Man Ao have disappeared from your races? If I hadn't known that, do you think I would've dared to come here?" The Black Owl Monarch burst into raucous laughter, and everyone's expressions changed drastically upon hearing this.

  "What's happened to Senior Mo and Senior Ao?"

  "He must be lying! How could something happen to those two seniors?"

  "Having said that, there really has been no news about those two seniors for the past several decades."

  ......

  Everyone on the plaza had become extremely panicked upon hearing this, while the foreign representatives all displayed differing reactions.

  "Fellow Daoist Han, you're not going to bring disaster to your race over those two people, right? You've only just reached the Grand Ascension Stage, and it would take you at least several centuries to fully master your newfound power, so you're no match for me," the Black Owl Monarch threatened in a cold voice.

  "I see, so you're here to cause trouble rather than actually attend my celebratory ceremony," Han Li chuckled in response.

  "Cause trouble? I guess you can say that, Fellow Daoist Han." The Black Owl Monarch had done away with all semblance of pleasantries.

  "Alright, in that case, it'll be my duty to kick out an unwelcome guest like you and teach you a lesson," Han Li said as a cold look appeared in his eyes.

  As soon as his voice trailed off, he made a hand seal, and countless streaks of five-colored light erupted from all parts of the plaza, sweeping directly toward the Black Owl Monarch.

  At the same time, golden and silver lighting flashed in the air above the plaza, then came crashing down with devastating power.

  Han Li had unleashed the restrictions around the giant mountain without any hesitation.

  "You dare to attack me? What an insolent fool! In that case, everything I do from here onward will be justified self-defense," the Black Owl Monarch guffawed with glee.

  Immediately thereafter, he clenched his fists before smashing them together, and black soundwaves instantly erupted forth in a frenzy.

  Chapter 2208: First Grand Ascension Stage Battle

  Both the five-colored streaks of light and the lightning crashing down from above were instantly destroyed by the black soundwaves, and the Black Owl Monarch let loose a loud cry as he made a grabbing motion downward.

  The black soundwaves immediately converged toward his hand, then transformed into a black Kirin projection that pounced forward violently.

  Gusts of glacial Yin winds were swept up around the projection, causing the air to warp and blur as if it were about to be frozen solid.

  Han Li's expression remained unchanged, and he merely pointed a finger upward.

  A burst of silver flames flew out of his fingertip, then transformed into a giant Fire Raven that opened its beak to release a pillar of crimson light directly upward.

  A huge hole was instantly punched into the Kirin projection's body by the pillar of light, and the projection disintegrated into nothingness along with the glacial winds.

  The silver Fire Raven then unleashed another pillar of crimson light directly toward the Black Owl Monarch, and it traveled extraordinarily quickly, reaching the Black Owl Monarch in the blink of an eye.

  However, the Black Owl Monarch merely opened his mouth to devour the pillar of light, then smacked his lips as he praised, "Not bad!"

  All of the cultivators down below were stunned to see this, but a smile appeared on Han Li's face as he said, "We're both Grand Ascension Stage beings, so let's do away with these little tricks; let's use our true powers to decide this battle."

  "My thoughts exactly!"

  The Black Owl Monarch was infuriated by Han Li's condescending attitude, and he opened his mouth to release a green jade fan that landed in his grasp. At the same time, his body swelled drastically to several thousand feet tall amid bursts of swirling black light.

  The jade fan in his hand had also expanded to around 1,000 feet in length, and its surface was riddled with countless golden and silver runes.

  On top of that, the fan was enshrouded within seven layers of light, creating quite a mystical sight to behold.

  The Black Owl Monarch's muscular arm bulged as he swept the giant fan through the air, sending a vast expanse of seven-colored light crashing down toward Han Li and the people on the plaza.

  The cultivators on the plaza immediately adopted defensive measures in a horrified manner, and thus, countless treasures rose up into the air in retaliation.

  A cold smile appeared on the Black Owl Monarch upon seeing this, and he pointed a finger at the jade fan, upon which a burst of black Qi shot out of his fingertip before vanishing into the fan.

  As a result, the seven-colored light it had unleashed swelled even further, and the attacks from all of the opposing treasures were instantly nullified.

  In the next instant, many of the weaker cultivators present threw up mouthfuls of blood essence, both from magic power backlash and due to the enormous spiritual pressure of the giant fan weighing down upon them from above.

  The more powerful cultivators were able to just barely repress the effects of the backlash, but their blood and magic power were also churning violently, rendering them unable to unleash any further attacks.

  The Black Owl Monarch had crushed all of the cultivators on the entire plaza, and even though it was only for a short while, this was still an extraordinary feat.

  The Black Owl Monarch was very pleased with himself, yet just as he was about to burst into hearty laughter, his gaze fell upon Han Li, following which his expression immediately stiffened.

  Han Li was standing atop his giant azure lotus with azure flames rising up over 1,000 feet from his body to keep the seven-colored light at bay with ease. He was currently appraising the Black Owl Monarch with a hint of a smile on his face, completely unaffected by his attack.

  The Black Owl Monarch was further incensed upon seeing this, and the seven-colored light focused most of its power on Han Li at his behest.

  Immediately thereafter, a giant ball of seven-colored light took shape above Han Li, and
Han Li's smile faded at the sight of the ball of light, but he then immediately harrumphed coldly, "Know your place!"

  As soon as his voice trailed off, he made a hand seal, and a purplish-golden projection with three heads and six arms emerged behind him amid a flash of golden light.

  Not only was the projection completely enshrouded in purplish-golden light, there were silver spirit patterns all over its body, and it instantly transformed into the substantial Provenance Golden Body.

  As soon as the golden body appeared, it thrust all six of its shimmering golden palms upward in unison.

  A resounding boom immediately rang out up above as six bursts of enormous power erupted upward, forcibly keeping the ball of seven-colored light at bay.

  The Black Owl Monarch expression changed slightly upon seeing this, and he rubbed his hands together before raising them, sending a torrential barrage of incantation seals flying into the giant fan.

  Even so, the giant fan was still unable to descend any further.

  The Black Owl Monarch was truly astonished to see this, yet before he had a chance to do anything, Han Li swept a sleeve toward the massive azure lotus flower below him, and it immediately exploded as 72 streaks of azure sword Qi rose up into the sky unison.

  The streaks of sword Qi then combined to form a giant azure sword projection, which came crashing down toward the Black Owl Monarch at an incredible speed.

  The Black Owl Monarch harrumphed coldly upon seeing this, and he raised a mountainous hand to catch the oncoming sword projection before tightening his grip, upon which the sword projection immediately exploded, unable to withstand the crushing force of his grip.

  The Black Owl Monarch immediately burst into raucous laughter upon seeing this, but in the next instant, the azure light that had exploded through the air shot forth as a translucent thread that revolved around his wrist in the blink of an eye.

  A geyser of blood erupted over 100 feet up into the air, and the giant hand was completely detached.

  The Black Owl Monarch howled with agony as he hurriedly tossed his giant fan aside before reaching for his detached hand.