Chapter 1930: Mysterious Wooden Box

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Volume 10: Battle in the Demon Realm

The burly man in black armor and the petite woman instinctively exchanged a tense glance, their expressions tightening. The previously impassive expression of the white-robed youth also subtly changed.

"Now that Emissary Yan has reminded us, it does seem possible," the burly man in black armor said thoughtfully. "Considering the time, there's a significant chance those two human cultivators encountered the three Revered Ones. If so, this person's strength might be greater than we anticipated. At least, I, Zang, could defeat the three Revered Ones with the help of a demon lord, but killing all of them on the spot would be impossible."

"In that case, we truly must consider this individual a formidable enemy," the petite woman murmured, a troubled expression on her face. "If he is indeed the one who killed the three Revered Ones, even with the aid of the Yin-Yang Duo, keeping him on the battlefield would be extremely difficult. With his power, if he were determined to escape, only the Saint Ancestor's personal intervention or trapping him in an inescapable dead end could stop him."

"Indeed. And if this person participates in the defense of Yitian City, it could introduce a major variable," the burly man in black armor said, his eyes flickering and his face darkening.

The hall fell silent for a moment as the others frowned, deep in thought.

"Hmph, if it comes to that, we can use that method again to deal with him," the petite woman suddenly suggested, a hint of something unusual in her tone. "As long as we lure him into it, he won't be able to escape, no matter how skilled he is. Wasn't that how we eliminated those two human Soul Transformation cultivators last time?"

"Use that method again? Absolutely not!" the fiery armored giant exclaimed, immediately objecting without hesitation. "The last time we used it, we lost nearly a thousand demon cavalry and over ten Garon Demon Warriors. If we use it again, the losses will surely far exceed last time. These are the elites painstakingly cultivated by our Saint Race; we cannot sacrifice them so easily."

"Hmph, but if we don't use this method and he escapes, the number of Saint Race members who die by his hand might far exceed these losses," the burly man in black armor retorted with a cold snort, without hesitation. "What's more, if he truly is the person Lord Bloodlight is seeking, and we let him escape, who among us can bear the Saint Ancestor's wrath?"

"My earlier words were merely speculation. How could it be such a coincidence that he's truly connected to the Revered Ones?" The fiery armored giant's eyes narrowed, and he let out a bitter laugh.

"Whether it is or not, we should investigate first. But regardless, we must prepare as if this is the case. However, it might not be absolutely necessary to use that method," the burly man in black armor said after a slight pause for thought.

"Brother Zang, what do you mean by that? Just now you said we had to use that method to deal with him, and now you say it might not be necessary?" The petite woman raised an eyebrow, looking displeased.

"There's no need for anger, Immortal Feather," the burly man in black armor explained, completely unruffled. "Although the Yin-Yang Duo's divine abilities are not weak, even together, they are at most comparable to my own. Since the Saint Ancestor was willing to send them to investigate and kill the murderer of the three Revered Ones, it's likely he also prepared a method for them to deal with this person. Otherwise, if that person could kill the Revered Ones, dealing with the Yin-Yang Duo wouldn't be too difficult."

"Indeed, Brother Zang's words make sense. Given Lord Bloodlight's methods, we truly don't need to worry too much. Let's consider the method we discussed earlier a last resort," the fiery armored giant replied with a hearty laugh, seemingly relieved.

"Brother Leng, what do you think?" The petite woman's expression didn't relax much upon hearing this. Instead, she turned her head and asked the white-robed youth.

"Whatever methods you prepare to deal with the humans, that person's life must be taken by me personally. He possesses a certain peculiar chilling power that would be greatly beneficial to me," the youth said, a frigid, bone-chilling coldness in his voice as a green light flashed in his eyes.

"Don't worry about that; I won't compete with Brother Leng for this. I wonder what Brother Zang thinks?" The petite woman was momentarily stunned, then let out a soft laugh.

"Since Brother Leng has this intention, I, Zang, will naturally fulfill it," the burly man in black armor said, his eyes shifting after a slight hesitation. "However, I must take half of the treasures on this person. The other half can be divided between Immortal Feather and Brother Yan. I trust Brother Leng has no objection to this?"

"I only want that human cultivator's peculiar chilling power. As for the other treasures, you can divide them as you wish," the white-robed youth replied indifferently.

"My junior sister and Daoist Yan also have no objection!" The petite woman blinked her beautiful eyes and, pressing her lips together, readily agreed.

The fiery armored giant, hearing the woman speak for him, remained silent, not raising any objections.

"Very well, then it's decided. First, we'll dispatch some personnel to investigate the demise of the three Revered Ones, and then we'll await the arrival of the Yin-Yang Duo. I believe that before the Day of Five Suns Transforming into Moon arrives, we will have enough time to ascertain who was responsible for the Revered Ones' deaths. If it truly is that human cultivator in Yitian City, we will proceed according to the method we discussed earlier. If not, we will stick to our original plan," the burly man in black armor announced, delivering the final conclusion.

***

In Yitian City, within an exquisite pavilion nestled in a quiet bamboo grove, Han Li sat in a secret chamber on one of its floors. Layers of strict restrictions were placed around him, and he was toying with a milky-white wooden box, a thoughtful expression on his face.

This wooden box was precisely the spoils of war he had obtained after killing the bald demon lord that day. However, it was sealed by a strange restriction, and he had no time to decipher it on his journey. Now that he had entered Yitian City, he could finally dedicate some time to studying it.

From time to time, subtle emanations of both icy cold and scorching hot energy seeped from the wooden box, and it could block all spiritual sense probing, making it quite remarkable.

Han Li scrutinized the wooden box carefully for a while. Suddenly, two dazzling blue lights erupted from the depths of his pupils, looking directly into the box. As the blue light in his eyes flickered, his expression subtly changed, yet he did not immediately retract his Spirit Eyes.

Time passed little by little, and Han Li remained motionless, staring at the wooden box as if he had transformed into a wooden puppet. Three days and three nights passed in the blink of an eye. Han Li's face was slightly pale, and the blue light in his eyes had dimmed a little compared to before.

After a full quarter of an hour, Han Li's expression became somewhat strange. With a single hand sign, the blue light in his eyes dispersed and vanished.

"Interesting," Han Li murmured. "This box itself is a spatial artifact, sealed with thirteen types of ancient restrictions. If I didn't possess the Bright Clarity Spirit Eyes and wasn't quite knowledgeable about ancient restrictions, I probably wouldn't have found any clues."

"However, each of these restrictions is extremely powerful; it would be impossible to open this box without spending several hundred years meditating and deciphering them layer by layer. Yet, it seems unlikely that these restrictions were set by that bald demon, so I wonder what's inside that warrants such extreme caution," Han Li mumbled in a barely audible voice, his expression fluctuating between cloudy and clear.

He then placed the wooden box on the ground in front of him and gazed at it intently, deep in thought. After about the time it takes to eat a meal, Han Li's eyes lit up as if he had suddenly recalled something:

"Although breaking this seal is currently impossible, I might be able to probe its contents using a certain secret technique of an alien race. But what if it contains something sinister? That could be problematic!" Han Li seemed undecided, his eyes slightly narrowed as he fell into thought again.

This time, however, after only a moment, he let out a wry chuckle. "Even if I encounter something sinister, it would at most be a minor loss of spiritual sense, which I could recover from in half a month of meditation. Since this item is sealed by such powerful restrictions, it's definitely worth investigating."

He made up his mind instantly, and without the slightest hesitation, he flicked his sleeve. With a flash of light, over a dozen crystalline five-colored orbs flew out from his sleeve. They spun around him for a moment, then transformed into clusters of spiritual light, hovering motionlessly. Within these spiritual lights, five-colored eyes were faintly encased, flickering with an eerie glow.

Han Li flipped his palm, revealing another five-colored orb. He cupped it before his chest and immediately began chanting a strange, ancient incantation of an alien race. With his other palm, he abruptly patted the top of his head. A shimmering golden aura rolled, and a naked golden Nascent Soul emerged. Its hands formed a strange magic seal, and it too began to chant.

The five-colored eyes within the surrounding spiritual lights suddenly flared brightly, emitting streams of five-colored light beams as thick as fingers, which instantly vanished into the Nascent Soul. At the same time, the golden Nascent Soul let out a sudden low shout, and its hand seal abruptly pointed at the orb hovering before the chest of the physical body below.

A golden phantom surged out from the Nascent Soul, flickering once before merging into the pointed orb. Inside the orb, a blurry phantom of a Nascent Soul lay hidden, its expression serene. Seeing this, the golden Nascent Soul's small mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile, and its tiny hand unhesitatingly beckoned toward the orb again. The surface of the orb glowed with shifting five-colored light, slightly expanding and contracting. With a "whoosh," it transformed into a streak of light and entered the wooden box on the ground.

Within a hazy gray space, the five-colored streak of light flickered and appeared strangely inside. The streak of light then shifted and transformed into a blurred human figure. Although its face was somewhat indistinct, judging by the attire, it was unmistakably Han Li!

As soon as he appeared, he raised his head and looked around, blue light flickering in his eyes. "Hmm, this doesn't quite seem like a spatial dimension. It's more like some kind of illusionary restriction. Could it be that this wisp of my spiritual sense didn't penetrate the wooden box, but instead got trapped within one of its layers?" Han Li's phantom whispered, seemingly quite surprised.