Chapter 423: Ancient Treasure of the Primordial Wilderness

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Volume 4: Winds Rising from Overseas

Han Li had just finished setting up the formation flags and plates and was about to cast a spell when he suddenly heard a whistling sound rapidly approaching from a distance. Then, a blue light flashed on the horizon, and a blue arc, like a dragon emerging from the sea, swiftly flew towards them. In an instant, it was above the group.

The blue arc retracted, revealing a bizarre figure in the air with two swords strapped to their back.

Han Li and the others below were startled when they clearly saw the person's attire.

The person was gaunt, with disheveled white hair reaching their shoulders. They wore a dark, short-sleeved leather jacket and carried a strange flower basket at their waist. Their face was covered in peculiar red spots and featured a pair of fierce, triangular eyes. Judging by the spiritual energy fluctuations, they were a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

The strange person was also surprised to see so many Core Formation cultivators in the area. But their expression changed drastically when their gaze fell upon the red light barrier and Han Li's formation tools.

"You younglings want to die?" the strange person roared, their eyes gleaming with ferocity. "How dare you snoop around what this island master protects while I'm away? Get out of this island immediately!"

"Island master?"

"Your belongings?"

Hu Yue and Jin Qing exchanged bewildered glances. Han Li and the others were even more confused. Wasn't this an uninhabited, deserted island?

"Fellow Daoist, are you the island master here?" Hu Yue asked calmly, furrowing his brows.

"This old master has lived on this island for over a few hundred years, so of course I am its master!" the strange person retorted unceremoniously.

"But when Brother Jin and I came here last time," Hu Yue calmly asked again, "we didn't seem to see you, Fellow Daoist!"

"What? You've been here before? Hmph! It must have been just like this time—you came when this island master was out on business!" the strange person said, their eyes widening in even greater anger.

"So, you're the only one on this island," Hu Yue said with a cold laugh, a hint of mockery at the corner of his lips. "You're actually a self-proclaimed island master, aren't you?"

Seeing that the restriction was about to be broken, he naturally didn't want to bother with the strange person in front of them.

"Hmph, stop stalling. Breaking the restriction is a capital offense anyway! If you don't want to leave, then stay here and go nowhere!" A strange yellow light gleamed in the strange person's eyes. Then, they snatched the basket from their waist and suddenly threw it downwards.

Instantly, the bamboo basket transformed into a chilling white mist, shooting directly towards Hu Yue.

At this, Han Li and the other cultivators were stunned. Was the person opposite them insane? Didn't they see how many Core Formation cultivators were on the other side? They just attacked without warning. Were they out of their mind?

Hu Yue was even more shocked and enraged that the other party had attacked him. He flicked his sleeve, and two red lights flew out, heading straight for the white mist.

With a muffled "thump," the white mist was shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions.

"Just a loudmouth, it seems. Nothing but empty bluster!" Hu Yue felt a sense of relief at this sight and retorted sarcastically.

The strange person said nothing, but instead cackled strangely. Hu Yue felt a chill, then his expression suddenly changed as he cried out, "What's going on? My flying daggers!"

The two flying daggers, after breaking through the white mist from the flower basket, were now swaying precariously in place, seemingly malfunctioning. Then, the scattered white mist, which had turned into tiny specks, quickly gathered back together. With a flash of light, it reformed into the shape of the flower basket. The two flying daggers were now inside the flower basket, completely trapped by a mass of white mist, unable to break free for the moment.

This scene of his magic treasures being subdued left Hu Yue with an expression of disbelief. Han Li and the others looked slightly pale.

But the strange person didn't give them time to think. With a cold sneer, they swayed their shoulder, and two streaks of gray sword light descended from the sky, slashing directly towards Hu Yue.

Jin Qing, standing near Hu Yue, naturally couldn't stand by. He flicked a finger, and a thumb-sized white seal flew out from his palm, growing larger against the wind as it fiercely smashed towards the gray light.

After a crack of thunder, the three magic treasures emitted dazzling light, intertwining in combat.

At this moment, the cultivator surnamed Jian glanced at Han Li and Qu Hun, then silently raised his hand. A flying trident, imbued with black and white energy, shot directly towards the strange person.

Han Li secretly sighed. Since everyone was fighting, it seemed he and Qu Hun couldn't just stand by. They would have to deal with the strange person first. Thinking this, Han Li and Qu Hun also released their respective "Primordial Bowl" and "Green Radiance Sword," sending them flying towards the battle.

Seeing this, the strange person showed no fear; instead, they burst into a wild laugh. They opened their mouth, and a dark, blood-stained bead shot out, heading directly towards the cultivators' magic treasures.

A rumbling sound was heard! To Han Li and the others' great surprise, the moment the bead touched their magic treasures, it emitted a burst of dark light and then self-destructed. The explosion severely damaged the spiritual essence of their magic treasures, causing their radiance to dim immediately.

The cultivator surnamed Jian felt a sharp pang of pain in his heart, his expression one of extreme regret. He quickly formed a hand seal, about to recall his flying trident. With just this one attack, his flying trident would need at least a year of spiritual nourishment in his primordial spirit to recover.

However, it was already a bit late for him to recall his magic treasure. Amidst the strange person's cold laughter, the bamboo basket in the air flickered with white light. Suddenly, a large burst of white mist surged out, and with a swift sweep and retraction, it immediately trapped all of the cultivators' magic treasures within it.

"Ancient treasure! You're using an ancient primordial treasure!" The cultivator surnamed Jian exclaimed in a daze, as if something suddenly dawned on him.

Han Li was startled by this remark.

The so-called "ancient primordial treasures" were simply magic treasures cultivated by ancient cultivators. These treasures typically had a single, powerful divine ability, and their might was immense, far surpassing that of ordinary modern magic treasures. Furthermore, the ancient methods of refining treasures and the materials used were vastly different from those of today. It was impossible to store them within one's body; they could only be carried and used like ordinary artifacts. This was also the only way to distinguish ancient primordial treasures from ordinary magic treasures.

Now, seeing how strange the flower basket was, and recalling that it had been at the opponent's waist from the beginning, the cultivator surnamed Jian immediately understood the true origin of this magic treasure. Speaking of which, the "Heavenly Trident" used by the Sixfold Palace to subdue the "Infant Carp Beast" back then was also an ancient primordial treasure.

Although Han Li was somewhat surprised by the mention of an "ancient treasure," and he himself had several killer moves, he didn't intend to stand out in front of so many people. He always believed that the more trump cards he kept hidden, the more effective they would be in times of danger. Moreover, he knew very well that even if the opponent possessed an ancient treasure, they wouldn't gain any advantage against so many Core Formation cultivators working together. He only needed to display the level of a normal Core Formation cultivator.

With this in mind, Han Li fully controlled his Green Radiance Sword, making it dart and strike within the white mist, but he didn't make any special moves himself or have Qu Hun do so. Instead, he observed the performance of the others with cold eyes. He believed someone would eventually take the lead!

As expected, upon hearing that the flower basket was an ancient treasure, a hint of joy appeared on Hu Yue's and the others' faces. Since the strange person had initiated the attack, it seemed only natural for them to work together, eliminate him, and seize the treasure.

After a brief hesitation, the cultivator surnamed Jian formed a hand seal, and three dark lights flew out from his storage pouch. These were three black banners, each about ten feet high, emanating fierce malevolence. Then he opened his mouth again, and a stream of black energy shot onto the black banners. Immediately, a wailing sound, like ghosts crying and wolves howling, filled the air, causing the cultivators to feel dizzy and their minds to waver!

At the same time, Hu Yue simply gave up controlling his flying daggers. After rubbing his hands together, he unleashed a series of green thunder-flames, one after another. Jin Qing raised his eyebrows, and suddenly cast a spell onto his magic treasure. Immediately, a faint dragon's roar emanated from the large white seal, which then grew several times larger in mid-air, instantly suppressing the two gray flying swords.

Witnessing the scene of the three displaying their might simultaneously, Han Li smiled inwardly, feeling that the strange person was about to suffer greatly.

However, seeing the fierce offensive from Hu Yue and the others, the strange person's expression only changed slightly before quickly reverting to a sneer. They suddenly ripped their short-sleeved leather jacket, exposing their upper body. Han Li took one look and was so astonished he nearly bit his tongue. On his shriveled chest, one on the left and one on the right, were two fist-sized skull heads clamped onto him. These two skulls were jet-black, with long, shaggy hair, and they constantly wriggled on his chest, as if they were alive.

At this moment, the green thunder-flames and the three black banners had already reached the strange person. The strange person extended two fingers, gently waved them, and chanted an extremely peculiar incantation. The two skull heads immediately let out low whimpering sounds. Suddenly, they flew out from his chest, one after the other. Each then bit off one of the strange person's fingers in a single bite, before excitedly lunging towards the incoming thunder-flames and black banners.