Traversing countless worlds from the primordial era

Chapter 9, First Battle (Please recommend and add to your favorites!)

This was Han Li's first time in Jiayuan City. Being naturally cautious, he remained wary of Lei Ming, who had approached him. However, after seeing Lei Ming's cultivation level, Han Li felt much more at ease.

Lei Ming was only at the first level of Qi Refining, while Han Li had already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining.

"Han Li?" Heaven knows how shocked Lei Ming was when he heard this name. He looked at Han Li seriously again, and Han Li became wary again when he looked at him like that.

"So this is the world of 'A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality'." Lei Ming suppressed his excitement. He had already transmigrated to a mythological world, so transmigrating to a novel world wasn't so unacceptable. To Lei Ming's regret, he didn't remember the plot of the novel very clearly, only having a general idea.

"To be honest, Brother Han, I stumbled into the world of cultivation by accident, and I still don't even have the follow-up cultivation techniques. I originally planned to leave Jiayuan City to search for cultivators, but then I heard that cultivators were gathering here, so I stayed. I never expected to run into Brother Han by chance." Lei Ming's expression returned to normal as he drank a cup of wine.

Han Li believed him after hearing this, but he did not reply.

Lei Ming didn't care. He vaguely remembered Han Li's personality. Known as Old Devil Han, he would never easily trust a stranger.

The two drank and chatted, with Lei Ming doing most of the talking and Han Li listening.

Just then, the waiter led in a young man in his late twenties, wearing a blue overcoat. The young man had thick eyebrows and large eyes. He looked around and his gaze met Han Li's. His eyes seemed to have a certain attraction. Han Li was startled and quickly turned his head away. Lei Ming saw this and hurriedly asked him what was wrong, but Han Li just shook his head and didn't say anything. Only after the man in blue finished his meal and left did Han Li breathe a sigh of relief.

"I just ran into a cultivator, and his cultivation level is much higher than mine," Han Li said in a low voice.

Lei Ming already knew that there was a cultivators' gathering near Jiayuan City, and a considerable number of cultivators had come to the city.

"That's normal, isn't it? I heard there's a cultivator's market nearby, why are you so nervous?" Lei Ming asked curiously.

"Aren't you afraid he'll kill you?" Han Li asked.

Lei Ming was taken aback: "I didn't provoke him."

Han Li listened and then fell silent; the two had different opinions on this matter.

After finishing their meal, Lei Ming parted ways with Han Li. Although he knew Han Li possessed a great opportunity, he didn't try to take advantage of him. However, Han Li's appearance gave Lei Ming direction for the path he would take in the future.

Lei Ming knew that Han Li still had matters to attend to in Jiayuan City.

"I remember that market town was somewhere in Tainan Mountain..."

Lei Ming inquired with some people and learned that Tai Nan Mountain was quite famous in Lanzhou, so he quickly found out the direction. Lei Ming immediately set off south.

At the southernmost tip of Lanzhou lies Guanggui City, only one-fifth the size of Jiayuan City, yet boasting a beautiful environment. Not far to the west of Guanggui City stands a mountain over 3000 meters high, which is Tainan Mountain, the fourth highest mountain in Lanzhou.

Lei Ming spent two days reaching the foot of Tainan Mountain. Tainan Mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, with continuous forests at its foot and scattered villages in the forests.

Lei Ming inquired with nearby villages and learned that there was a mysterious hillside on the north side of Tainan Mountain. The hillside was shrouded in thick white fog all year round, so thick that one could not see their hand in front of their face. Every time someone went in, they would unknowingly lose their way, but would soon emerge from the fog without realizing it.

Lei Ming knew that was the entrance to the market.

Lei Ming vaguely remembered that the market town of Tai Nan Mountain was relatively safe. However, he dared not be careless, as the cultivation world in "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" was rife with conspiracies and killings.

Thunder roared through the forest, heading north, carefully concealing his presence.

In the middle of Tainan Mountain, two elderly-looking cultivators lay quietly behind a tree. One of them observed the surroundings and saw thunder.

"Boss, someone's coming," said the slightly overweight cultivator. Another cultivator also saw Lei Ming.

"First level of Qi Refining!" The slightly thin cultivator looked at it with his Heavenly Eye Technique, his tone filled with disappointment.

"What's a Qi Refining Level 1 guy doing here?" the slightly overweight cultivator asked.

"I guess it's some rogue cultivator who accidentally obtained a legacy and came here to join the fun. Could it be that they're here to participate in the Ascension Ceremony?" the slightly thin cultivator said irritably.

"Boss, shall we make our move?"

"Even a mosquito is still meat, no matter how small. There are countless paths to Tainan Valley, but he chose this one. That's his fate," said the slightly thin cultivator. "Now that he's here, we can't let him go."

Before Lei Ming could react, two balls of flame suddenly fell from the two giant trees. Startled, Lei Ming drew his Xuan Tie sword with lightning speed and retreated swiftly.

At this moment, two cultivators floated down from the tree like leaves.

"Second brother, hurry up and make your move, lest you attract the others."

"Don't worry, boss, it's just a mere first level of Qi Refining..."

The slightly overweight cultivator was chanting incantations. Before Lei Ming could understand what was happening, he saw two large yellow hands emerge from the ground and tightly grab his legs. His expression changed drastically, and he repeatedly slashed at the large hands with his Xuan Iron Blade. After two or three strikes, one of the large hands shattered into a lump of mud, but his Xuan Iron Blade also chipped open.

"Earth magic!" Lei Ming snapped out of his daze, feeling much more at ease. He had been a bit hasty earlier, only using two or three tenths of his strength to cut down that giant hand. From this perspective, the magic wasn't as terrifying as he thought.

"Damn it, this kid's a body cultivator!" The slightly thinner cultivator was experienced and immediately recognized Lei Ming's immense strength. He raised his hand, and a soft green light descended, causing vines on the ground to grow wildly and wrap around Lei Ming.

At the same time, dozens of ice spikes shot towards Leiming.

"These Five Elements spells are truly profound." Lei Ming was more pleased than surprised to see the other party casting spells. The power of these spells was not strong to him, but they were very mysterious.

Lei Ming strode towards the two, slicing through the ice spikes and vines with his Xuan Tie Blade. The two cultivators paled and quickly retreated.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lei Ming summoned the Demon-Binding Net. The Demon-Binding Net was a treasure of merit, and the two who ambushed Lei Ming were merely cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, so they couldn't avoid the Demon-Binding Net at all.

Once bound by the net, the two immediately lost their strength; their magical powers dissipated, and they collapsed to the ground.

"What kind of extraordinary treasure is this?" The slightly thin cultivator kept tearing at the demon-binding net, but how could he possibly break the demon-binding net that even demon generals couldn't break free from?

Lei Ming subdued the two men, said nothing, and killed them with a saw. Cultivators possess many methods, making them impossible to guard against.

Lei Ming confirmed that the two were dead before retracting the demon-binding net.

"You two tried to ambush me, but you ended up doing me a favor."

Lei Ming obtained quite a few things from the two, most of which were useless. Come to think of it, if they were truly wealthy, why would they rob a mere Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator like himself?

What surprised Lei Ming the most was that the slightly thin cultivator actually had a storage bag on him.

Lei Ming opened the storage bag. The storage bag wasn't very spacious; inside, besides some clothes and food, there were three books.

Lei Ming glanced at it and immediately beamed with joy.

"It's a cultivation method!"

Lei Ming examined the three books carefully. One of them was called "Eternal Spring Technique," a basic cultivation method for wood-attribute immortality, but it was incomplete, only containing levels one through seven. This technique was widely circulated in the cultivation world, and many independent cultivators practiced it.

The two who robbed Lei Ming were also rogue cultivators. They wanted to participate in the Tai Nan Mountain Market to buy the complete "Changchun Gong" manual, but they didn't expect to choose the wrong target and lose their lives.

"This 'Eternal Spring Technique' is just what I need!" Lei Ming said happily.

The other two books, one of which recorded their experiences from the beginning of their cultivation journey to the present, were similar to their diary. Lei Ming flipped through them and found quite a bit of insight.

The last book is simple; it contains some basic Five Elements magic.

"It's a pity there are no spirit stones or pills." Lei Ming was still somewhat dissatisfied. He was penniless and could only watch helplessly even if he entered the market.

Lei Ming thought for a moment and decided not to go to the market for the time being. He dug a cave in the mountain and then sealed it with a demon-binding net.

(End of this chapter)