A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (Chapter 2001-Chapter 2248)

Han Li nodded with a pleased expression at the sight of Hu Yan's respectful display, then turned to the other devilish lords as he said, "You can all go now; I wish to speak to Fellow Daoist Hu alone."

The middle-aged man naturally didn't dare to go against Han Li's orders, and he immediately replied, "We'll be taking our leave then, Senior."

Moments later, Hu Yan and Han Li's trio were the only ones left in the area.

Hu Yan was naturally extremely nervous to be in the presence of two Grand Ascension Stage beings, but he maintained an extremely respectful expression and stood with his hands by his sides.

"I'm sure such a massive swarm of stemborers couldn't have gathered in a short time; when did they start attacking your Black Gourd City?" Han Li asked.

"Those stemborers only appeared in the area several years ago, and I've led many hunting parties to exterminate them, but was unable to kill all of them. Much to my surprise, they were able to organize a swarm of such terrifying proportions and attack our city only two days ago," Hu Yan replied.

"They only appeared two days ago? These stemborers may not be very intelligent, but it seems that they do have some organizational abilities," Han Li said as he stroked his own chin in a contemplative manner.

"Indeed, Senior. There are simply too many of these stemborers for them to be completely exterminated, and the swarms are constantly merging together to bolster their numbers. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many horrific instances of entire cities in our holy realm being massacred by stemborer swarms," Hu Yan hurriedly explained.

"Setting that aside for now, there's something else I want to ask you," Han Li said after a brief pause.

"Please go ahead, Senior," Hu Yan prompted.

"My fellow daoists and I have only recently come out of a long period of seclusion, and the appearance of these stemborers came as quite a surprise to us. What I want to ask you is where are the three patriarchs and other Sacred Ancestors? Why haven't they appeared to exterminate these stemborers? I heard that they all disappeared under mysterious circumstances not long after these stemborers appeared; why is that?" Han Li asked.

"Ah, so you've only recently come out of a lengthy seclusion; it's no wonder that I'm not familiar with the two of you. About the patriarchs and other Sacred Ancestors..." A hesitant look appeared on Hu Yan's face.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this, and he said, "Let me guess, the patriarchs and Sacred Ancestors are currently dealing with the Stemborer Queen, and you were told not to tell anyone about this, is that correct?"





Chapter 2218: Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian


Hu Yan faltered slightly upon hearing this before a relieved look appeared on his face. "So you already know about the Stemborer Queen. In that case, there's nothing for me to hide."

"I heard about the Stemborer Queen quite a few years ago, and it's why I decided to come out of seclusion. However, I'm not too familiar with the current situation in our holy realm, so you'll have to enlighten me," Han Li said.

"Yes, Senior. I only began hearing about these things in the past decade or so, so I don't know too much, either. What I do know is that these stemborers in our holy realm were once normal devilish insects that mutated after coming into the contact with the aura of the Stemborer Queen that seeped through the seal. Following their mutations, these stemborers become significantly more powerful, and their reproductive abilities are also enhanced by close to a hundredfold. Otherwise, they wouldn't have become such a huge problem in such a short time."

Hu Yan paused momentarily here before continuing, "According to what I've heard, the three patriarchs and other Sacred Ancestors are indeed dealing with the Stemborer Queen at the original sealed site. In the beginning, things seemed to be going quite well. With assistance from powerful beings of other realms, the seal was constantly being bolstered, and it appeared that the Stemborer Queen would be sealed away again. However, close to 30 years ago, the original sealed site suddenly lost all contact with the outside world, and no one knows what's happening in there."

"They lost contact? How is that possible with so many Grand Ascension Stage beings there? Hasn't anyone gone there to assess the situation?" Han Li asked with furrowed brows.

"By the time it was discovered that contact had been lost, it was already too late. Countless stemborers had appeared around the original sealed site, taking over many of the nearby cities. There are even high-grade stemborers among them that possess Body Integration Stage powers, and their presence makes it impossible for anyone to access the original sealed site," Hu Yan replied.

"Body Integration Stage stemborers? Considering how fearsome the Stemborer Queen is, it's no surprise to see stemborers of this level. Aren't there some Sacred Ancestors who haven't entered the original sealed site yet? Why aren't they doing anything?" Han Li asked.

"I don't know what those Sacred Ancestors' intentions are, but I haven't heard of any of them traveling to the original sealed site to examine the situation there. As for why that is, that's not something for a lowly city lord like me to know," Hu Yan replied with a wry smile.

"Interesting. It seems that the other Sacred Ancestors must know something that we don't. Among the Sacred Ancestors that have yet to enter the original sealed site, which one is closest to Black Gourd City?" Han Li asked.

"The Sacred Ancestor closest to this city is Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian of the Myriad Flower Mountain Range. Three years ago, Senior Xie Lian eradicated all of the stemborers near the Myriad Flower Mountain Range," Hu Yan replied.

"Where is the Myriad Flower Mountain Range? Do you have a map of that area?" Han Li asked in a nonchalant manner.

"I do. I once traveled to the Myriad Flower Mountain Range to request an audience with Senior Xie Lian, so I have a copy of the map of that area," Hu Yan said as he immediately produced a stone shard before offering it to Han Li with both hands.

Han Li accepted the stone shard before briefly injecting his spiritual sense into it, upon which a smile appeared on his face. "That's all I needed to know; you can go now, Fellow Daoist."

"Yes, I'll be taking my leave now, Senior." Hu Yan was very relieved to hear this, and he extended a respectful bow before departing.

A group of high-grade devilish beings that were waiting nearby immediately gathered around Hu Yan, and they flew into the city together.

"Let's pay this Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian a visit," Han Li said in a calm manner.

Silvermoon and Daoist Xie naturally had no objections to this.

Thus, Han Li raised a hand to release a black devilish flying carriage, and the three got onto the carriage before it flew away as a streak of black light.

......

A month later. Han Li's trio appeared in the air above a lush mountain range that looked as if it could easily belong in the Spirit Realm.

"So this is the Myriad Flower Mountain Range. I have to say, this Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian has found a really nice and scenic location. Where is he residing on this mountain range?" Silvermoon asked.

"The map indicates that this Sacred Ancestor Xie Lian is living on a mountain known as Sky Facing Peak, which is situated at the center of this mountain range," Han Li replied with a smile.

"In that case, it shouldn't be too hard to find him. However, our visit is quite abrupt, and we didn't get a chance to gather any information on what type of person this Sacred Ancestor is; I hope he's not too inhospitable," Silvermoon mused.

"Hehe, regardless of how hostile and inhospitable he may be, we have to make him tell us what's happened in the original sealed site; only then can we devise a plan for how to proceed. Of course, it would be even better if we can directly find out the whereabouts of Senior Ao Xiao and Senior Mo Jianli," Han Li said in a confident manner.

A hint of concern flashed through Silvermoon's eyes at the mention of her grandfather, and she nodded in response.