A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu Transmigrates into a Book, the Dao Ancestor of Rein

Chapter 204 Dragging Others Down, Walking Alone

"Brother Xiao, now that you have avenged your great enemy, are you satisfied?"

At this point, the bearded man had lost his golden body and returned to his normal human form.

Han Li nodded upon hearing this:
"I do feel much better, but there are still some things I can't figure out."

"What's so hard to understand?"

“Fellow Daoists, tell me, how can a person be so complex and unpredictable? I treated my two traitorous disciples, Ji Yin and Ji Xuan, with all my heart back then, so why did they still betray me and plot against me?”

As Han Li spoke, a touch of sadness for the beautiful past was revealed at just the right moment.

"Brother Xiao, it's just that your two disciples don't know what's good for them."

Barbarian Beard shook his head.

This was followed by a sigh.

If Ji Yin Xuan hadn't betrayed Xiao Cha back then, the Ji Yin Island lineage would most likely have been able to produce three Nascent Soul cultivators!

After all, to be chosen as a personal disciple by the discerning Xuan Gu Shangren Xiao Cha, Ji Yin Xuan's aptitude must be top-notch.

The fact that extreme Yin can condense into a nascent soul is enough to illustrate this point.

If extreme yin is acceptable, extreme yang might not be out of the question.

If Xiao Cha were added to the mix, the power of this lineage would be formidable.

Definitely another major force in the Chaotic Star Sea Demonic Path.

It is completely comparable to the Qingyang Sect of the Three Yang Old Demon.

Unfortunately, this promising situation was ruined by two traitors.

"Yes, those two traitors really don't know what's good for them."

"But it's alright now."

"I will not enter the cycle of reincarnation and start anew. It all depends on how far I can go in the end."

Han Li sighed softly, appearing as if he had let go of the past. He then reached out, pinched and grasped at the air, and then clenched his fist, as if he had grasped some desired future.

In short, they put on a show of supernatural tricks.

Finally, the conversation shifted to another more important matter:

"Thank you both for your trouble this time."

The bearded man acted as a gatekeeper, blocking the way.

Although Qingyi did not help him, he also did not intervene to help Jiyin.

Without the cooperation and tacit approval of these two, he might not have been able to leave behind the extremely Yin Nascent Soul.

"Small things."

The bearded man waved his hand dismissively.

Qing Yi stroked his beard and smiled.

Seeing this, Han Li also smiled, and the three of them looked at each other and laughed.

"Alright, let's continue dividing the treasure."

"Are there any other treasures left to share?"

The two of them looked over at the same time.

Han Li then pointed to Wan Tianming's storage bag:
“I’ll take the Xuanhuang Mirror. Even if Aunt Wan wants to cause trouble, she should come after me, not you two. This pendant is a high-level ancient treasure that Wan Tianming always carries with him, so it must be extraordinary. This token is also a high-level ancient treasure. You two can take it and study it properly when you have time.”

Looking at the ancient treasure pendant and token in front of them, the two frowned and fell into hesitation and confusion.

"this…"

Anything that can be hung on Wan Tianming must be a good thing.

Of the three, Qing Yi, the poorest, was the most tempted.

It's important to understand that before entering the Void Heaven Palace, he only possessed a few high-quality ancient treasures. While high-quality ancient treasures have some effect in the Nascent Soul level battlefield, they are rarely decisive. High-level or even top-tier ancient treasures are more necessary.

Having one more high-level ancient treasure means having one more means to fight against a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

just.

The items were good, but we had to consider that Wan Tianming had come to our door.

Qingyi was still struggling with his decision, but Manhuzi didn't care about anything else:

"This token is made of good material; I'll take this one."

"Brother Man, you..."

Qingyi tugged at his beard, quite surprised.

"You're worried about Wan Tianming's revenge? Ha, you're afraid of him, but I'm not."

Who does Wan Tianming think he is? Just a defeated opponent.

It should be Wan Tianming who intimidated him.

Besides, the Xuanhuang Mirror isn't with him, it's with Xiao Cha. No matter how crazy that madwoman Wan Sangu is, she can't possibly vent her anger on him. If she's so capable, she should go find Jiyin Island and take her anger out on Xiao Cha.

Besides, the Heavenly Gang Cover isolates the inside from the outside, so how could Wan Tianming know that he had divided up the good stuff in the storage bag?
After much deliberation, Qingyi ultimately declined.

"Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Xiao! However, I am already fortunate to have obtained a copper coin treasure in the inner hall, making this trip worthwhile. Moreover, I also benefited greatly from the Treasure Pavilion, so I will not covet this pendant."

Although he was alone and fearless of all forces, he did not want to get involved with the Myriad Laws Sect.

This hot potato is better left untouched.

"Then, what about these spiritual herbs and the other treasures?"

Wan Tianming's gains at the Void Heaven Palace were considerable, in addition to the possessions of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator...

Qingyi was conflicted again.

Do you want it or not?
Especially when he saw more than a dozen medicinal herbs that were thousands of years old, Qingyi's hand, which was tugging at his beard, trembled.

Several of these plants were helpful to his spiritual practice.

He can refine a certain kind of elixir that he knows.

Upon noticing the subtle change in Qing Yi's expression, Han Li simply gave away one-third of it.

This time, the old man in the scholar's robe did not refuse!
And the further they went, the more uninhibited Qingyi became.

I finally understand what it means to have nothing to lose.

What is there for him to be cowardly about, being all alone?

So, he took the initiative to ask for some materials from an 8th-level monster.

Upon seeing this, Han Li finally smiled.

He clearly remembered that Wan Tianming's spirit beast, the "Fossil Beast," was hidden in a corner of the Hanli Terrace, and Wan Tianming had not taken it with him when he left.

Fossil Beast, a strange and mysterious beast.

Once it touches the ground, it becomes indistinguishable from stone. If it then hides underground, it becomes even more impossible for a cultivator's divine sense to detect. Even Han Li's powerful cultivator divine sense is no exception.

This beast carries a wisp of Wan Tianming's divine consciousness, which is why it can keep an eye on this area.

With this beast present, Wan Tianming can remotely monitor everything that happens here.

In other words, whether it was Ji Yin being eliminated, the revelation of Xuan Gu Shangren Xiao Cha's disguise, or the three dividing the spoils again, Wan Tianming, who was watching from afar, would know something about it.

Han Li saw through Wan Tianming's hidden move but kept it to himself.

Knowing this information, he naturally wanted to use it against him. For example, he used it as an opportunity to drag Man Huzi and Qing Yi into the mess.

As long as Man Hu Zi and Qing Yi take the good stuff from Wan Tianming's storage bag, they're practically in cahoots with him.

If Wan Tianming wants revenge, he will inevitably have to deal with these two people.

"Could we perhaps form an alliance with these two in the future chaotic Star Sea?"

...

After dividing Wan Tianming's storage bag, the three left the Hanlitai on the fifth floor of the inner hall. They then accepted Han Li's invitation and returned to the first four floors of the Void Heaven Palace to clear out the puppet guards left behind by the ancient cultivators.

As the saying goes... "He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding, and he who takes another's money is bound

Having received so many benefits from Han Li, the two of them felt uneasy if they didn't do something about it.

They only felt at ease after Han Li made a request.

If we don't make demands, they'll become restless.

Time flies, and several days pass.

The numerous puppet guards on the first four floors of the inner palace suffered a devastating blow.

Those once fearsome inner palace puppets were reduced to just a handful after the three of them thoroughly cleaned them up.

Never before have the puppet guards of the Void Heaven Palace's inner sanctum suffered such heavy losses.

The bearded man exclaimed that he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Qingyi also collected some materials this time, such as several pairs of long spears that even the strength of the barbarian bearded man could hardly damage.

Han Li, on the other hand, reaped an even greater harvest.

Including the puppets from the earlier round, the one on the fourth floor, he had collected eight. By replacing the damaged parts with the intact ones, he could piece together five more.

He collected more than twenty puppets from the third level. By replacing the damaged parts with intact ones, he could assemble eighteen puppets.

The second floor contains more than seventy bodies.

The first floor contained hundreds of corpses. This aroused suspicion from both Barbarian Beard and Qing Yi.

"Brother Man, does Fellow Daoist Xiao perhaps possess the inheritance of ancient puppetry?"

Qingyi asked telepathically.

"So what if I have it? So what if I don't? What, Qingyi, are you envious?"

Barbarian Beard curled his lip.

Upon hearing this, Qing Yi shook his head and chuckled:
"To say I have no interest at all would be self-deception. However, my energy is limited. After taking the Longevity Pill, I only have two or three hundred years left to live, so I can't afford to be distracted by studying the art of puppetry. Besides, the inheritance I received is not bad either, so there's no need to abandon the essential for the trivial."

More importantly, Han Li is a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

Strength is the foundation of confidence.

"Qingyi, these puppets are good, but they're not so easy to repair. In the tens of thousands of years of our Chaotic Star Sea, have you ever seen anyone repair even a single strange puppet created by an ancient cultivator? Even the Star Palace and those two guys who specialize in puppetry have given up on these puppets from the Void Heaven Palace. Don't you think you're any special?"

Barbarian Beard's words were undeniably hurtful.

But that is the truth.

If the Star Palace's puppeteers and weapon refiners can break through the Void Heaven Palace's puppets, then the Star Palace's power will rise to another level. The commotion caused by the righteous and demonic paths is nothing but a joke.

After all, the Star Palace has been studying the Void Heaven Palace for tens of thousands of years. If they were so inclined, they could collect countless puppets from the inner palace.

Putting aside everything else, if there were twenty or thirty more puppets on the third or fourth floor of the inner palace on the battlefield, they would be comparable to a dozen or twenty Nascent Soul cultivators with decent strength.

What the Star Palace, which has been passed down for tens of thousands of years, couldn't accomplish, you, Qingyi, can do?

"As for whether Brother Xiao can accomplish it? Personally, I think it would be difficult for him, given his talent in the art of puppetry. Even if he could, it would only benefit us, without any harm, wouldn't it?"

They were the heroes of this operation.

Even if they didn't achieve great success, they still put in a lot of hard work.

Given Xiao Cha's personality, if things really work out, he will definitely not mistreat his old friend.

The bearded man's words left Qing Yi speechless.

"Brother Man, you and Brother Xiao used to be quite close?"

"Thank you for saving my life."

"understood."

This is indeed an immense favor.

Even though the barbarian had already repaid the favor, sometimes, even if the debt of gratitude seems to have been settled, it is actually still "connected by blood".

As for why Barbarian Beard himself wasn't tempted?

It's all because of the Heavenly Demon Art.

In Barbarian Beard's view, with this unparalleled skill and his current cultivation level, he was more than capable of standing above all others.

Puppetry is merely a minor skill.

Han Li remained unmoved.

He was well aware that his frantic collection of inner palace puppet parts would arouse some ulterior motives from the two of them.
But sometimes, face isn't given by others; it's earned by yourself.

He was a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, possessing the Xuanhuang Mirror of the Grandmaster Wan Sangu in his left hand and the Wolf-Head Jade Ruyi, another top-tier ancient treasure, in his right.

Advance to attack, retreat to defend.

Under these circumstances, once he demonstrates his puppetry skills, what he will face is not their greed, but rather their fear and anticipation!
Rather than offending someone destined for greatness, it's better to cultivate a good relationship early on.

Who knows, we might need it in the future?

...

the other side.

Wan Tianming and his companions secretly observed Hanlitai for several days and followed Man Huzi and Han Li's group for a few days as well. They discovered that the three members of the demonic path were only collecting puppets for the inner palace.

Having noticed this, they recalled the fossil beasts when there were only a few days left in the Void Palace instance, and each of them chose a stone palace to enter.

It is worth mentioning that the stone halls chosen by the righteous group were all on the third floor.

Qingyi Jushi also chose the stone hall on the third floor.

Only the bearded man made it to the fourth level.

Before the three parted ways on the third floor of the inner hall, Han Li made one last deal with the two of them.

That is, demanding the return of Geng metal.

Or rather, he asked Manhuzi and Qingyi to keep an eye out for information about Gengjin.

The Great Geng Sword Formation uses a significant amount of Geng metal.

It would be good to get one from Barbarian Beard and keep it as a backup.

After that, Han Li returned to the second floor alone and waited for most of the day. Feeling that most of those who were supposed to leave had already left, he then returned to the fifth floor alone.

Along the way, he suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and loneliness.

This feeling is extremely complex.

The further you go, the stronger it becomes.

However, his steps became exceptionally steady and firm as he stepped onto the Hanli Terrace.

"Is this what it feels like to be at the top and feel lonely?"

Han Li turned around and saw that there was no one behind him.

Hundreds or thousands of years later, both Manhuzi and Qingyi will pass away, turning into a handful of yellow earth.

Countless people who knew him will also pass away, turning into dust under the wheels of history.

All their relatives, and even their few concubines, have probably already passed away.

At that time, the loneliness he felt, having survived, was the most intense.

"The path to immortality, the path to immortality..."

"The further you go, the lonelier you'll feel!"

Cultivating immortality, perhaps what we're cultivating is also the ability to bear loneliness.

With one step, he passed through the Heavenly Gang Cover and entered the Cold Li Terrace.

To prevent the fossil beast from still existing, he used his Azure Fire Thunder to scorch every inch of the hundred-zhang-high platform.

They thoroughly plowed this place.

He only took further action after confirming that there were no fossil beasts or other spirit beasts lurking there.

His spirit beast pouch began to emit balls of light continuously.

The next moment, two Blood Jade Spiders at the peak of level 7 appeared around him.

Behind him, a large swarm of gold-devouring insects emerged, and then quickly condensed into a set of gold-devouring armor to prevent any unforeseen events from occurring.

"Xiao Bai, Xiao Yu..."

Upon receiving the order, the two Blood Jade Spiders arrived at the cave entrance in the center of the platform and immediately sprayed out more resilient and cold-resistant spider silk downwards.

After these spider silks wrapped around the Void Heaven Cauldron, they pulled it upwards.

The Azure Ice Flame was also affected.

The process cannot be simply described as "easy".

It can only be described as as light as a feather.

With the two of them working together, the Void Heaven Cauldron was pulled up in just a few breaths!
Where are the times when retrieving treasures used to take several quarters of an hour or even one or two hours?!
"Xuan Gu, it's your turn."

Han Li took out the Golden Thunder Bamboo Arrow and summoned its first soul servant, which was also the only arrow spirit: Xuan Gu Shangren... Xiao Cha.

The Xuanhun body then drifted out.

The summoned Xuan Gu slowly raised its head, looked at Han Li, and its eyes were full of respect:
"Your subordinate Xuan Gu greets your master."

The memories of this main soul have been altered.

Many unnecessary things have been eliminated.

This is why Han Li is highly regarded.

Now, it has become the spirit of the Demon-Slaying Arrow made of Golden Thunder Bamboo, and its life and death are entirely in the hands of the young man in front of it.

As for how to force a soul to bind to a magical artifact and thus become its spirit?

It is naturally a binding method passed down from the Silver Moon!

This step is crucial!
Otherwise, someone can't guarantee that Xiao Cha's main soul won't suddenly awaken the sealed memories and then trick him at a crucial moment!
Combined with this method of binding the artifact spirit, it's just the right way to manipulate it!

Even if Xiao Cha regains his memories, he will still be manipulated.

What can you do if you're unwilling at that time?
As ghost cultivators, they have no afterlife. Ghost cultivators do not enter the cycle of reincarnation. Therefore, once they die, they truly and utterly vanish into nothingness. Surely, even a powerful figure like Xiao Cha wouldn't want such an end.
Furthermore, after Xiao Cha saw and learned more, and developed a greater expectation for his ascension to the Spirit Realm, she no longer thought about breaking away from him to gain so-called freedom, but instead came up to him and clung tightly to his leg.

After all, that's ascension to the Spirit Realm!

This is a link to a higher-level interface!
This is a giant leap on the path to immortality!

This is a temptation that most cultivators in the lower realms would find hard to resist.

"Xuan Gu, didn't you want to master the Asura Sacred Flame? Today, I will grant your wish!"

Han Li pointed to the blue ice flames swirling around the Void Heaven Cauldron, then to the Golden Thunder Bamboo Arrow:
"Go, and do not disappoint me."

(End of this chapter)