A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality

First, I want to thank everyone for their opinions and thoughts on how we should overhaul completed novels. We've reviewed nearly 2000 comments across multiple platforms and forum, and while we haven't responded to everything I can promise I HAVE read it all.  First, I'm going to briefly go into some of the things which were discussed which may or may not work, because I don't want people to think I ignored anything. I'm putting those in 'spoiler' tags so people who don't care can skip it.  Then, we'll talk...

Read More...

First, I want to thank everyone for their opinions and thoughts on how we should overhaul completed novels. We've reviewed nearly 2000 comments across multiple platforms and forum, and while we haven't responded to everything I can promise I HAVE read it all.  First, I'm going to briefly go into some of the things which were discussed which may or may not work, because I don't want people to think I ignored anything. I'm putting those in 'spoiler' tags so people who don't care can skip it.  Then, we'll talk...

Read More...

Now, for a much shorter announcement than the last two.  For several months now, we've been working on a super secret project, and it's time to accelerate it!  We have a new platform called Wutopia Comics (Wuxia Utopia) coming up soon, and everything is very nearly ready.  We are getting ready to launch soon, but we need to speed up the pace of manhua translation even further!  These are paid work-for-hire translation jobs, starting off at $40-50/3000 Chinese characters (roughly).  Those who do well and have...

Read More...

Chapter 253: Ghost Spirit Sect

When Han Li entered the third floor, he immediately felt several spiritual senses sweep past him, causing his heart to shiver.

These investigators’ magic power was of mid Foundation Establishment stage, far greater than an early Foundation Establishment cultivator such as himself. During his four years of secluded cultivation in his Immortal’s cave, his magic power had approached the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but he still had yet to pierce through a paper-thin bottleneck, much to Han Li’s disappointment.

However, these thoughts were rather ordinary. After all, with the speed of his four years of cultivation and having almost reached mid Foundation Establishment, he had already surpassed the speed of normal cultivators. Also, this final paper-thin bottleneck was the first he had encountered in Foundation Establishment. This was not something that could be broken through solely with medicinal assistance. It also required an auspicious opportunity.

If he were to just consume many different medicines, it would only deepen his magic power a bit, but he wouldn’t be able to easily step over and advance through this layer.

As Han Li thought of this, he acquired a rough understanding of the upper floors.

The people of the third floor were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, but it was obvious that they were divided into two groups. One group was dressed in the style of the Seven Great Sect of the State of Yue. The others were disorderly dressed, marking them as foreign cultivators.

There were only five cultivators from the Seven Great Sects. They all sat at a table and were talking about something with a soft voice. They seemed to be somewhat close. As for the other cultivators, there were seven or eight, sitting alone or in pairs. They were drinking tea with cold faces and weren’t whispering or talking.

With such a contrast between movement and stillness, Han Li felt an oppressive, hostile atmosphere.

Han Li’s arrival naturally aroused the other cultivators’ attention. Apart from the few who had examined him at the beginning, the others also turned to study him. Then, without hesitation, Han Li walked toward the table with cultivators from the Seven Great Sects. After all, he was one of them, an ally.

Han Li’s movement caused the foreign cultivators to turn a blind eye to him! Then the people from the seven sects stood up and welcomed him with a faint smile.

Wearing the Yellow Maple Valley uniform, Han Li naturally did not need to say anything about it. These people were already quite familiar with it.

“This one is Yellow Maple Valley’s Han Li! I see there are several Senior Martial Brothers and Sisters!” Han Li bowed. Of the five before him, three were actually mid Foundation Establishment and the other two were early Foundation Establishment like himself.

“Junior Martial Brother Han! This one is the Clear Void Sect’s Wu Fazi. This is Junior Martial Brother Wu Youzi. These three are Junior Martial Brother Wu of Spirit Beast Mountain, Senior Martial Brother Ba of the Giant Sword Sect, and Junior Martial Sister of Heavenly Imperial Castle.” The eldest of the two Daoist Priests sitting at the table politely saluted him and gave him a cursory introduction.

“Since Junior Martial Brother has come, first sample the Yan Clan’s famed Snowbell Tea! This teahouse specializes in providing top-grade goods for us external cultivators!” Cultivator Wu of Spirit Beast Mountain was a cheerful middle-aged man. Once Han Li sat down, he immediately took the teapot and poured Han Li a cup of cloudy white spiritual tea.

Han Li nodded with a smile in response and then took a light sip.

Regardless of whether this person had sincerely poured tea for him, their appearances were convincing.

“Good tea!” Not paying particular attention to these people, Han Li could not help but praise the tea.

As the tea went down, he immediately a slight cold chill rise from his stomach. The tea had left a strong lingering fragrance throughout his mouth.

When Cultivator Wu heard this, his smile grew slightly stronger.

“Junior Martial Brother Han’s appearance is rather unfamiliar. Are you a newly accepted brilliant disciple of a Yellow Maple Valley Martial Senior?” The twenty year-old Junior Martial Sister Fang with a common appearance calmly asked.

“My master is Li Huayuan. I was formally accepted as his disciple upon achieving Foundation Establishment. My age is but a few trifling years! I hope Senior Martial Brothers and Sister will give me a pointer of two!” Han Li responded with a sincere expression.

“How could we possibly talk about giving pointers! Everyone mutually exchanges a pointer or two with one another. Since Junior Martial Brother Han was able to become Martial Senior Li’s disciple and was even dispatched to this location when you were so young, you are certain to be outstanding. There is no need to undervalue yourself so much!” The one speaking this time was the middle-aged man from the Giant Sword Sect. Although he appeared sincere and considerate, the words coming out of his mouth revealed none of that, leaving Han Li somewhat surprised.

Han Li naturally said a few more modest words. As such, apart from that thin, short and silent Wu Youzi, Han Li and the others broke into an excited discussion.

“What were you talking about just now?” After a few more niceties, Han Li steered toward this topic, asking as he wished.

“It was nothing! We were guessing the reason as to why so many cultivators from foreign countries had come to Yan Lin Castle. This is truly unusual! Although the Yin Yang Pagoda is very precious, it’s certainly not this attractive.” When Wu Fazi heard Han Li’s question, he answered with a solemn expression.

These words dispelled Han Li’s doubts. He could not help but repeatedly nod in agreement.

“We made a few comments about it a moment ago but weren’t able to come to a conclusion.”

“We all felt that the odds of an outstanding treasure appearing in this area were not high. Because if this were the case, not only would there be Foundation Establishment cultivators, Core Formation stage experts would have already long arrived and wouldn’t be nearly as peaceful. As for their true reasons, we have no way of knowing,” said the Fang woman from Heavenly Imperial Castle.

“We shouldn’t have careless suspicions. Surely in two days, on the start of the Treasure Seizing Assembly, everything will be made known. I actually feel a bit uneasy toward the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators who arrived today. Overall, I feel that these people are of the wrong sort! They actually repeatedly beat down the disciples of the Yan Clan and truly cause too much mishap. Do any of you know their origins?” The middle-aged man named Wu asked with a wrinkled brow. His chuckling smile could no longer be seen; it seems he was truly felt great unease toward these cultivators.

Cultivator Wu’s question immediately caused this group of cultivators to look at each other in dismay!

This was the first time they had heard of this sect, but how could they be a righteous group with that name of theirs? They most likely tread the Devil Dao. Nobody knew whether they were a sect from a nearby country, but regardless, they were able to cause a local powerhouse like the Yan Clan to be afraid of the consequences and remain timid even after they injured so many of their disciples. It seemed their aggressive arrogance knew no end.

The majority’s expression had changed except for that of Wu Youzi, who had yet to speak. Only his expression hadn’t changed. It seemed he knew something of this Ghost Spirit Sect, causing everyone to be somewhat expectant.

“Junior Martial Brother, do you know of this Ghost Spirit Sect?” Wu Fazi asked with great surprise. His Junior Martial Brother had never been fond of interacting with others, but he did enjoy flipping through all sorts of books. Perhaps he truly knew a thing or two!

“The Ghost Spirit Sect, one of the six sects of the State of Tian Luo. They are experts on controlling ghosts and enslaving demons. They are also proficient in poisonous techniques and a few dark techniques. Although they are the weakest of the six sects, they are more powerful and wealthier than the strongest sect in the State of Yue, the Masked Moon Sect.”

After Wu Youzi raised his head and coldly said this, he once again turned silent. However, these few words were enough to cause everyone’s expression to greatly change.

“A Devil Sect of the State of Tian Luo? No wonder the Yan Clan submitted themselves to humiliation! They are absolutely several times more powerful than our own seven sects. In our region, apart from the Righteous Dao Alliance of the State of Feng Du, no other country’s cultivators would have the power to resist an invasion from them.” The man from the Giant Sword Sect turned pale as he mentioned this.

“We can’t make a mistake about this. How would a great power suddenly come to our State of Yue and participate in such a small Treasure Seizing Assembly?” the Fang woman asked, not daring to be fully convinced. Her words naturally carried some doubt.

“《Heavenly South Letter》 Second Scroll, Article Four!”  Wu Youzi spoke with a cold voice.

“Ah...” The female cultivator didn’t understand at first, but after a moment, she understood his meaning.

Every great sect had a set of ancient records, in particular about the customs and relationships of every country, as well as a few fantastic tales and interesting anecdotes; they also touched quite a bit on the affairs of the cultivation world. However, because there was far too much, the female cultivator had only hurriedly looked through a few books before she became disinclined to look further. Could it be that the matters of the Ghost Spirit Sect could be found in these records?

She wasn’t the only one. The others also expressed doubt. Wu Youzi then reluctantly said, “On the second scroll, not only does it detail the Ghost Spirit Sect but it also roughly introduces the other five sects of Tian Luo!”

From Wu Youzi’s certain appearance, the others were convinced of his words. This time, apart from being shocked, the others began to ponder as to why the Ghost Spirit Sect suddenly appeared at the Yan Clan. Han Li habitually massaged his temples and sunk into deep thought.

The State of Tian Luo’s six sects intended to invade the State of Yue?

No, that’s not right. The States of Yue and Tian Luo were separated by two small countries, the States of Che Ji and Jiang. Before invading the State of Yue, they must first invade these two small countries.

Although these two countries are small, the strength of their cultivation worlds was not small at all. If they were to join with the seven sects of the State of Yue, it would be extremely difficult for the six Devil Dao sects to silently and easily invade the two countries.

Besides, the nearby Righteous Dao Alliance of the State of Feng Du would look upon them with a careful eye! Surely they wouldn’t give them the opportunity to expand their strength.

After Han Li thought it through, Han Li ruled out the most terrible situation!

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

When Han Li entered the third floor, he immediately felt several spiritual senses sweep past him, causing his heart to shiver.

These investigators’ magic power was of mid Foundation Establishment stage, far greater than an early Foundation Establishment cultivator such as himself. During his four years of secluded cultivation in his Immortal’s cave, his magic power had approached the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but he still had yet to pierce through a paper-thin bottleneck, much to Han Li’s disappointment.

However, these thoughts were rather ordinary. After all, with the speed of his four years of cultivation and having almost reached mid Foundation Establishment, he had already surpassed the speed of normal cultivators. Also, this final paper-thin bottleneck was the first he had encountered in Foundation Establishment. This was not something that could be broken through solely with medicinal assistance. It also required an auspicious opportunity.

If he were to just consume many different medicines, it would only deepen his magic power a bit, but he wouldn’t be able to easily step over and advance through this layer.

As Han Li thought of this, he acquired a rough understanding of the upper floors.

The people of the third floor were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, but it was obvious that they were divided into two groups. One group was dressed in the style of the Seven Great Sect of the State of Yue. The others were disorderly dressed, marking them as foreign cultivators.

There were only five cultivators from the Seven Great Sects. They all sat at a table and were talking about something with a soft voice. They seemed to be somewhat close. As for the other cultivators, there were seven or eight, sitting alone or in pairs. They were drinking tea with cold faces and weren’t whispering or talking.

With such a contrast between movement and stillness, Han Li felt an oppressive, hostile atmosphere.

Han Li’s arrival naturally aroused the other cultivators’ attention. Apart from the few who had examined him at the beginning, the others also turned to study him. Then, without hesitation, Han Li walked toward the table with cultivators from the Seven Great Sects. After all, he was one of them, an ally.

Han Li’s movement caused the foreign cultivators to turn a blind eye to him! Then the people from the seven sects stood up and welcomed him with a faint smile.

Wearing the Yellow Maple Valley uniform, Han Li naturally did not need to say anything about it. These people were already quite familiar with it.

“This one is Yellow Maple Valley’s Han Li! I see there are several Senior Martial Brothers and Sisters!” Han Li bowed. Of the five before him, three were actually mid Foundation Establishment and the other two were early Foundation Establishment like himself.

“Junior Martial Brother Han! This one is the Clear Void Sect’s Wu Fazi. This is Junior Martial Brother Wu Youzi. These three are Junior Martial Brother Wu of Spirit Beast Mountain, Senior Martial Brother Ba of the Giant Sword Sect, and Junior Martial Sister of Heavenly Imperial Castle.” The eldest of the two Daoist Priests sitting at the table politely saluted him and gave him a cursory introduction.

“Since Junior Martial Brother has come, first sample the Yan Clan’s famed Snowbell Tea! This teahouse specializes in providing top-grade goods for us external cultivators!” Cultivator Wu of Spirit Beast Mountain was a cheerful middle-aged man. Once Han Li sat down, he immediately took the teapot and poured Han Li a cup of cloudy white spiritual tea.

Han Li nodded with a smile in response and then took a light sip.

Regardless of whether this person had sincerely poured tea for him, their appearances were convincing.

“Good tea!” Not paying particular attention to these people, Han Li could not help but praise the tea.

As the tea went down, he immediately a slight cold chill rise from his stomach. The tea had left a strong lingering fragrance throughout his mouth.

When Cultivator Wu heard this, his smile grew slightly stronger.

“Junior Martial Brother Han’s appearance is rather unfamiliar. Are you a newly accepted brilliant disciple of a Yellow Maple Valley Martial Senior?” The twenty year-old Junior Martial Sister Fang with a common appearance calmly asked.

“My master is Li Huayuan. I was formally accepted as his disciple upon achieving Foundation Establishment. My age is but a few trifling years! I hope Senior Martial Brothers and Sister will give me a pointer of two!” Han Li responded with a sincere expression.

“How could we possibly talk about giving pointers! Everyone mutually exchanges a pointer or two with one another. Since Junior Martial Brother Han was able to become Martial Senior Li’s disciple and was even dispatched to this location when you were so young, you are certain to be outstanding. There is no need to undervalue yourself so much!” The one speaking this time was the middle-aged man from the Giant Sword Sect. Although he appeared sincere and considerate, the words coming out of his mouth revealed none of that, leaving Han Li somewhat surprised.

Han Li naturally said a few more modest words. As such, apart from that thin, short and silent Wu Youzi, Han Li and the others broke into an excited discussion.

“What were you talking about just now?” After a few more niceties, Han Li steered toward this topic, asking as he wished.

“It was nothing! We were guessing the reason as to why so many cultivators from foreign countries had come to Yan Lin Castle. This is truly unusual! Although the Yin Yang Pagoda is very precious, it’s certainly not this attractive.” When Wu Fazi heard Han Li’s question, he answered with a solemn expression.

These words dispelled Han Li’s doubts. He could not help but repeatedly nod in agreement.

“We made a few comments about it a moment ago but weren’t able to come to a conclusion.”

“We all felt that the odds of an outstanding treasure appearing in this area were not high. Because if this were the case, not only would there be Foundation Establishment cultivators, Core Formation stage experts would have already long arrived and wouldn’t be nearly as peaceful. As for their true reasons, we have no way of knowing,” said the Fang woman from Heavenly Imperial Castle.

“We shouldn’t have careless suspicions. Surely in two days, on the start of the Treasure Seizing Assembly, everything will be made known. I actually feel a bit uneasy toward the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators who arrived today. Overall, I feel that these people are of the wrong sort! They actually repeatedly beat down the disciples of the Yan Clan and truly cause too much mishap. Do any of you know their origins?” The middle-aged man named Wu asked with a wrinkled brow. His chuckling smile could no longer be seen; it seems he was truly felt great unease toward these cultivators.

Cultivator Wu’s question immediately caused this group of cultivators to look at each other in dismay!

This was the first time they had heard of this sect, but how could they be a righteous group with that name of theirs? They most likely tread the Devil Dao. Nobody knew whether they were a sect from a nearby country, but regardless, they were able to cause a local powerhouse like the Yan Clan to be afraid of the consequences and remain timid even after they injured so many of their disciples. It seemed their aggressive arrogance knew no end.

The majority’s expression had changed except for that of Wu Youzi, who had yet to speak. Only his expression hadn’t changed. It seemed he knew something of this Ghost Spirit Sect, causing everyone to be somewhat expectant.

“Junior Martial Brother, do you know of this Ghost Spirit Sect?” Wu Fazi asked with great surprise. His Junior Martial Brother had never been fond of interacting with others, but he did enjoy flipping through all sorts of books. Perhaps he truly knew a thing or two!

“The Ghost Spirit Sect, one of the six sects of the State of Tian Luo. They are experts on controlling ghosts and enslaving demons. They are also proficient in poisonous techniques and a few dark techniques. Although they are the weakest of the six sects, they are more powerful and wealthier than the strongest sect in the State of Yue, the Masked Moon Sect.”

After Wu Youzi raised his head and coldly said this, he once again turned silent. However, these few words were enough to cause everyone’s expression to greatly change.

“A Devil Sect of the State of Tian Luo? No wonder the Yan Clan submitted themselves to humiliation! They are absolutely several times more powerful than our own seven sects. In our region, apart from the Righteous Dao Alliance of the State of Feng Du, no other country’s cultivators would have the power to resist an invasion from them.” The man from the Giant Sword Sect turned pale as he mentioned this.

“We can’t make a mistake about this. How would a great power suddenly come to our State of Yue and participate in such a small Treasure Seizing Assembly?” the Fang woman asked, not daring to be fully convinced. Her words naturally carried some doubt.

“《Heavenly South Letter》 Second Scroll, Article Four!”  Wu Youzi spoke with a cold voice.

“Ah...” The female cultivator didn’t understand at first, but after a moment, she understood his meaning.

Every great sect had a set of ancient records, in particular about the customs and relationships of every country, as well as a few fantastic tales and interesting anecdotes; they also touched quite a bit on the affairs of the cultivation world. However, because there was far too much, the female cultivator had only hurriedly looked through a few books before she became disinclined to look further. Could it be that the matters of the Ghost Spirit Sect could be found in these records?

She wasn’t the only one. The others also expressed doubt. Wu Youzi then reluctantly said, “On the second scroll, not only does it detail the Ghost Spirit Sect but it also roughly introduces the other five sects of Tian Luo!”

From Wu Youzi’s certain appearance, the others were convinced of his words. This time, apart from being shocked, the others began to ponder as to why the Ghost Spirit Sect suddenly appeared at the Yan Clan. Han Li habitually massaged his temples and sunk into deep thought.

The State of Tian Luo’s six sects intended to invade the State of Yue?

No, that’s not right. The States of Yue and Tian Luo were separated by two small countries, the States of Che Ji and Jiang. Before invading the State of Yue, they must first invade these two small countries.

Although these two countries are small, the strength of their cultivation worlds was not small at all. If they were to join with the seven sects of the State of Yue, it would be extremely difficult for the six Devil Dao sects to silently and easily invade the two countries.

Besides, the nearby Righteous Dao Alliance of the State of Feng Du would look upon them with a careful eye! Surely they wouldn’t give them the opportunity to expand their strength.

After Han Li thought it through, Han Li ruled out the most terrible situation!