A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (Chapter 1801-Chapter 2000)

"On top of that, it was said that the ordeal had heavily taxed his body and caused him to fall severely ill after he escaped. The task that we've been assigned with is to capture the stone spirit alive, so even though Buddhist Master Tian Chan and I have made extensive preparations, our chances of success still aren't very high," Master Black Rain explained.

"I see. The innate abilities of spirit items such as stone spirits are generally all extremely powerful, so it's no wonder that the two of you are proceeding with such caution. By the way, would you happen to know the reason why the holy island sent you two to capture this stone spirit?" Han Li asked.

"It seems that the demon core within this stone spirit is going to be quite an important asset against the Elder Devil Race, and this task was delegated to us by Master Mo Jianli through the holy island; that's all the details that I'm aware of," Master Black Rain replied without any hesitation.

"The instruction came from Senior Mo?" Han Li drew a sharp breath upon hearing this.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Tian Chan and I are relatively powerful figures in our human race; if it weren't for the fact that Senior Mo was the one who delegated this duty to us, we wouldn't have come to this place," Master Black Rain said with a smile.

"In that case, it's only right that I do my part as well. Please tell me what you need me to do," Han Li said in a serious manner.

Buddhist Master Tian Chan was ecstatic to hear this, and he replied, "Hehe, I knew that you wouldn't turn us down, Brother Han. We don't actually need you to take on any complex tasks; all we need is for you to assist us as the situation requires. If the stone spirit manages to slip past us, we'll be counting on you to stop it so that it doesn't manage to flee back into the Earthly Hellish Flames."

Master Black Rain also expressed his gratitude toward Han Li.

A thought then suddenly occurred to Buddhist Master Tian Chan, and he asked, "By the way, why are you here when Deep Heaven City is in such a perilous situation, Brother Han? Do you have something you need to do here as well?"

"Indeed. I need to use the Earthly Hellish Flames to refine a few treasures of mine, but that naturally pales in significance next to the task that you two have been assigned," Han Li replied.

"Thank you for prioritizing our objective above your own, Brother Han. I'll have to ask you to refrain from approaching the Earthly Hellish Flames for now. Otherwise, if the stone spirit detects the presence of outsiders, things could become rather troublesome," Buddhist Master Tian Chan said as an apologetic look appeared on his face.

Thus, after exchanging some more pleasantries, Han Li joined the two of them and sat down beside the crater as well. He cast his gaze toward the bottom of the crater, and his brows furrowed slightly. The crater was several acres in area, but it was clearly divided into two completely different parts.

The top half was comprised of ordinary grey stone, but the bottom half of the crater was as smooth as jade. On top of that, that section of the crater was of a sinister dark green color, and at the very bottom was a cloud of yellow mist that was surging incessantly. The occasional burst of rumbling could be heard coming from within the yellow mist, and it was flashing erratically with faint light, as if it were concealing some type of living creature.

Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, and he abruptly flipped a hand over to produce a white formation plate.

He flicked his wrist, and the formation plate was instantly hurled toward the bottom of the crater as a streak of white light.

As the formation plate passed through the top half of the crater, nothing happened to it, but once it entered the bottom half, layers of ice suddenly began to appear over its surface. It was quickly completely sealed in ice, then thudded heavily into the mist before shattering amid a crisp crack.

"The Yin Qi here really is as powerful as the rumors proclaim!" Han Li murmured to himself, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Hehe, it's said that the Earthly Hellish Flames here arise directly from the depths of hell. Even though it's in the form of flames, it contains extraordinary glacial power. Unfortunately, this glacial power is completely different from normal glacial power and can't be refined by a living being. We humans can only use it to refine some special treasures, and that's quite a pity," Buddhist Master Tian Chan chuckled in a wistful manner.

"The powers of Yin, Yang, and the five elements stem directly from chaos; they're the foundation powers of the laws of heaven and earth. The Earthly Hellish Flames here are imbued with extremely astonishing glacial powers, so it only makes sense that its uses are very limited. Otherwise, if a person using a glacial cultivation art could absorb the Yin Qi here as they pleased, their cultivation base would progress at an unprecedentedly rapid rate; there's no way that such an outrageous cultivation shortcut could exist," Master Black Rain interjected in an indifferent manner.

"Indeed. However, I've heard that these Earthly Hellish Flames could be one of the entrances that lead directly into the infernal realm. If that's the case, then these flames really are very intriguing," Han Li said with a smile.

"That's a rumor that's been circulating since ancient times, but these Earthly Hellish Flames are incredibly lethal. Body Integration cultivators like us can only delve around 10,000 feet into it at most, and even Grand Ascension cultivators will be at risk of losing their lives once they reach any deeper than 100,000 feet. Hence, no one can verify that legend," Buddhist Master Tian Chan mused in a contemplative manner.

"Hehe, there's no need to entertain such a thought for too long. If these flames really do lead to the infernal realm, then what awaits us on the other side will only be a hellish landscape rife with malicious ghosts and vengeful spirits. The ultimate pursuit of cultivators like us is naturally to ascend to the True Immortal Realm, where we can truly attain eternal life," Master Black Rain chuckled.

Buddhist Master Tian Chan shook his head with a serious expression in response. "I beg to differ. Those of us who follow in Buddhist teachings believe in karma and causality. In order to pursue immortality, one must first..."

Thus, the two began to share their viewpoints on the matter, and an impromptu debate suddenly commenced, one that Han Li found to be rather amusing.





Chapter 1945: Trap


One of them was a devout follower of Buddhist teachings, while the other subscribed to Daoist mantras, so they naturally had conflicting viewpoints. As for Han Li, he was leaning more toward Master Black Rain's perspective.[1]

All those who embarked on the journey of cultivation should focus entirely on attaining the ultimate objective of immortality. In comparison, everything else really did pale in insignificance.

After that, Han Li slowly closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. As for Buddhist Master Tian Chan and Master Black Rain, their debate naturally wasn't going to lead to any definitive outcome, so they eventually fell silent and began to meditate as well.

Time slowly passed by, and three days and three nights flew by in a flash, but the yellow mist within the giant crater still hadn't displayed any changes.

On this day, Han Li opened his eyes and casually swept his spiritual sense toward the bottom of the giant crater, upon which his brows furrowed slightly. "How long has it been since the two of you have arrived here? Could it be that the date of the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit's tribulation transcendence has been misjudged?"

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han; the mighty figures on the holy island are renowned for their accurate divination. Buddhist Master Tian Chan and I only arrived around half a month before you, and according to the result of the divination, the stone spirit will be transcending its tribulation during this month, so the time will definitely come soon," Master Black Rain said in a calm manner.