A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (Chapter 1401-Chapter 1600)

Han Li was completely taken aback to hear this, and only after a while did he reply in a respectful voice, "That is indeed quite unfortunate for me, but such is life."

"However, seeing as you obtained the sword art left behind by Qing Yuanzi in the human world and used Golden Lightning Bamboo to refine your 72 Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, you're technically half a disciple of mine. If you're still interested in the new Azure Essence Sword Art and refining your Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords again, I can bestow those methods upon you. However, you're not a true disciple of mine, after all, so you'll have to offer me something in exchange," the elderly man continued.

"The new Azure Essence Sword Art?" Han Li's heart stirred upon hearing this.

"That's right. The sword art that Qing Yuanzi left behind in the human world was only half-complete, and he only finished the second half after entering the Spirit Realm. With both halves, the sword art can support your cultivation all the way up to the early-Body Integration Stage. Only after taking over the body of this Chang Yuan being did I switch to a Chang Yuan Race cultivation art, but if you can master this sword art, then refine your flying swords again to rid them of their impurities, the sword formation you set up will allow you to fight on even terms with late-Body Integration Stage beings," the elderly man said with a smile.

"But I'm only a mere Deity Transformation cultivator; what could I possibly offer that would catch your interest, Senior?" Han Li was very tempted by this offer, but he still retained a hint of clarity and calmness in his mind.

"You may not have anything else, but surely you have some spare Golden Lightning Bamboo leftover, right?" the elderly man asked with narrowed eyes.

"Golden Lightning Bamboo?" Han Li was quite surprised to hear this.

"That's right. If you can give me enough of this material to refine three flying swords, I'll pass this new sword art onto you. If you have more than that, I can even help you refine your 72 flying swords," the elderly man chuckled.





Chapter 1521: Bamboo Leaves


"How are you so sure that I have leftover Golden Lightning Bamboo, Senior?" Han Li asked with a peculiar look on his face.

"I can't be absolutely sure, of course, but seeing as you were able to refine 72 flying swords with the materials, there's a good chance that you'll have some spare Golden Lightning Bamboo, which is why I mentioned it," the elderly man replied.

"I'm afraid I'll have to let you down, Senior; I don't have any spare Golden Lightning Bamboo. I came across the Golden Lightning Bamboo I used to refine my swords by chance, and there was only just enough of it to refine these 72 flying swords," Han Li sighed.

"You don't have any left?" The elderly man furrowed his brows, seemingly slightly taken aback by this.

"That's right. I really do want the new sword art, as well as to refine my flying swords again, but I'm afraid I simply don't have the resources to facilitate this exchange," Han Li replied with a wry smile.

He was telling the truth here. Even though he had that mysterious small vial and a spiritual root of the Golden Lightning Bamboo, the Divine Devilbane Lightning contained within the 72 flying swords had always been sufficient for him, and there were countless other things that he had to use that small vial for. As such, he didn't nurture any additional Golden Lightning Bamboo.

He was quite tempted by the exchange that the elderly man was proposing, but he could only decline.

The elderly man stared at Han Li for a long while before determining that he didn't seem to be lying, and only then did he continue, "If you don't have any Golden Lightning Bamboo left, then I won't be able to give you the sword art. Actually, when you were harvesting the Golden Lightning Bamboo, you must've obtained a lot of its leaves as well, right?"

A thought suddenly occurred to the man, and he enquired about the leaves of the Golden Lightning Bamboo instead.

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this before replying, "I did indeed procure a lot of these leaves. Those leaves were quite peculiar, seemingly not wooden nor metallic in nature. I never managed to find a use for them, but they didn't seem like ordinary items, so I kept all the leaves in a safe place."

"Great! If you don't have Golden Lightning Bamboo, then I can give you the sword art and the refinement method for your flying swords in exchange for those leaves. However, I won't be helping you refine your swords, what do you think?" the elderly man asked as a hint of elation appeared in his eyes.

"That would be fantastic!" Han Li replied without any hesitation.

He knew that these leaves had to be quite useful for something or the elderly man wouldn't be asking him for them, but it was naturally a great exchange for him to be able to offer something that he didn't know the purpose of for something that was extremely useful to him.

Thus, Han Li immediately swept a hand over his storage bracelet, and azure light flashed as two faint green wooden boxes appeared in his hands.

He then tossed both of wooden boxes toward the elderly man, and a faint light flashed through the man's eyes as the two boxes drew to a halt, hovering in mid-air before him.

The lids of the boxes were then lifted amid flashes of white light, and stacks of shimmering golden bamboo leaves were revealed.

"There's no mistaking it; these are indeed Golden Lightning Bamboo leaves." The elderly man was able to instantly ascertain the authenticity of these leaves, and a pleased expression appeared on his face.

He swept a sleeve through the air, and boxes disappeared after the lids were placed back onto them.

He then flicked a finger to send a streak of white light hurtling directly toward Han Li.

Han Li caught the streak of white light in his grasp to find that it was a white jade slip.

"I've put the new sword art and the refinement method of the flying swords into that jade slip; you can have a look at it to make sure that I'm not swindling you," the elderly man said with a smile.

"I wouldn't dare to think that!" Han Li stowed the jade slip away without so much as a second glance at it.

The elderly man nodded upon seeing this.

"Senior Jiang, would you be able to enlighten me and tell me what those leaves can be used for?" Han Li couldn't help but ask.

"Hehe, you must still have some of these bamboo leaves left in your possession, right, Fellow Daoist Han? Rest assured, these leaves will be enough for me, so I won't make you hand over the rest. The purpose of these leaves is something that's known to very few people in the human race, but its common knowledge in the Chang Yuan Race, so there's no harm in telling you. These leaves can be used for two purposes; the first is to refine them into a type of divine lightning known as Golden Devil Vanquishing Lightning. In terms of potency against devilish beings, this type of lightning is superior even to Divine Devilbane Lightning. It's a powerful weapon for Grand Ascension cultivators like me against Extrarealm Heavenly Devils. They can also be fed to some spirit insects, and there's a very good chance that a mutation could occur. Of course, a considerable amount of these leaves must be fed to the spirit insects for that to happen," the elderly man revealed.