Chapter 436: Extreme Yin Patriarch

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

Leaving others aside, he immediately spotted Elder Xuan Gu, with whom he had only recently parted ways. The elder was sitting alone, cross-legged in a corner of the hall, gazing coldly at him with a visible hint of surprise in his eyes.

On another jade pillar stood a man and a woman. The delicate-looking female cultivator among them also looked at Han Li in astonishment, her face full of surprise. It was Fairy Zi Ling of the Profound Sound Sect, and beside her stood a calm and elegant man in a green robe.

Noticing Fairy Zi Ling's strange expression, the man couldn't help but follow her gaze, scrutinizing Han Li. Seeing Han Li's youthful appearance, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he asked Fairy Zi Ling something. Fairy Zi Ling gave a slight, graceful smile and whispered a few words to the man, apparently explaining Han Li's identity to him.

Han Li frowned, ignoring the man and woman's actions. Instead, his gaze coldly swept towards another area. The eyes coming from that direction clearly held ill intent, which puzzled Han Li. What met his eyes was an old man, looking at him with a furious expression.

Han Li was startled, then recognized the man. He inwardly sensed trouble. It was Elder Miao of the Sixfold Palace. Back then, because of the Infant Carp Beast incident, he and Elder Gu had tried to silence Han Li by killing him. Unexpectedly, Han Li, taking advantage of their severe injuries and the miraculous effects of the formation's restrictions, had eliminated them instead. So many years had passed since then, yet Elder Miao still remembered him. It seemed his bond with the slain Elder Gu was truly deep.

Although Han Li muttered a few words to himself, he didn't dwell on it much now. He quickly glanced at the other cultivators and found no one else he recognized.

After a moment of hesitation, he stepped through the blue light and entered the great hall. He casually found an unoccupied jade pillar, flew to its top, and sat down cross-legged, just like the others. Only then did he properly survey the cultivators he didn't know.

His spiritual sense was also restricted within the hall, so Han Li couldn't discern the cultivation levels of the other cultivators. He only knew that most of them were likely cultivators above the Core Formation stage. Foundation Establishment cultivators were probably very few, if any. It was even possible that many Nascent Soul stage old monsters had arrived. With this thought in mind, although Han Li sat still, he carefully scrutinized the other cultivators one by one.

After a while, he finally noticed something unusual. He identified two cultivators who were very likely at the Nascent Soul stage.

One was an elderly scholar with yellow robes, white eyebrows, and a gaunt face. This person had one hand casually clasped behind his back, while the other held a worn bamboo scroll, which he was engrossed in reading. He occasionally swayed his head, looking very much like a bookworm.

The other was a beautiful middle-aged woman in pristine white robes. Though her face was lovely, her entire body exuded bone-chilling cold, giving off a "do not approach" aura. At this moment, the ice-cold beauty was expressionlessly wiping a sheathed black longsword. From the moment Han Li appeared outside the hall until he entered, she hadn't even glanced at him, appearing extremely arrogant.

While some other cultivators also appeared calm and extremely aloof, compared to these two, their composure seemed somewhat feigned. Moreover, most cultivators here couldn't help but show a hint of reverence in their eyes when looking at these two. This was something absent when they looked at others. Based on this alone, Han Li was certain that these two were Nascent Soul stage grandmasters.

Of course, Han Li also knew that besides these two, there were certainly other exceptional individuals among the cultivators who should not be underestimated. The most obvious example was Elder Xuan Gu. In terms of cultivation, the old demon seemed to be only at the late Core Formation stage. But in a real fight, late Core Formation cultivators were no match for him. He could almost be considered an existence second only to the Nascent Soul stage. Who knew how many others among them were also 'pigs eating tigers' (hiding their true strength)?

Han Li kept muttering to himself, yet seemed to have forgotten that eliminating a cultivator of the same stage wasn't particularly difficult for him either.

Regardless, after some calculations, Han Li became even more cautious. He constantly pondered in secret: What was the true purpose of these people gathering here? Surely, it wasn't just for some boring cultivators' conference? After all, both the partial map on the brocade handkerchief and the floating Void Heaven Palace were incredibly mysterious, attracting even Nascent Soul stage cultivators. This indicated that something extraordinary was surely about to happen here. Unfortunately, he knew nothing about it. Otherwise, he could secretly plan his next moves to avoid being caught in a disadvantageous position if dangers or sudden incidents occurred. For now, he could only adapt to the situation as it unfolded.

As Han Li was pondering, Elder Xuan Gu's leisurely voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

“Kid, I didn't expect you to have a fragment of the Void Heaven Map too. How about we cooperate to retrieve the treasure this time?”

“Retrieve treasure?”

Hearing those two words, Han Li's heart brightened. He knew he had finally come to the right place. However, he maintained his calm expression and calmly replied with a mental transmission.

“May I ask, Senior, how you intend to cooperate? Please elaborate first!”

The youth, into whom Elder Xuan Gu had transformed, hearing that Han Li didn't immediately refuse, felt a surge of energy. Just as he was about to send another mental transmission to discuss further, footsteps echoed from the hall's entrance. Then, two people swaggered in from outside. The moment Han Li and Elder Xuan Gu clearly saw these two, their expressions simultaneously changed drastically. Han Li was relatively better, his face merely turning a little pale. Elder Xuan Gu, however, had a completely twisted face, with a bloodthirsty madness appearing in his eyes. But fortunately, he was cunning and deep-minded! This expression flickered across his face for only an instant, before he immediately returned to his normal demeanor. The two who had just entered the hall did not notice Elder Xuan Gu's unusual state.

However, Han Li inwardly groaned as he looked at the two. Because one of them was none other than Wu Chou, the young master of Extreme Yin Island. Though the other person was completely unfamiliar to Han Li, a middle-aged cultivator with a pale face and narrow eyes, Han Li vaguely guessed his identity. He couldn't help but feel a little regret about coming here.

At this moment, the middle-aged cultivator led Wu Chou into the hall and swept his cold gaze around. His gaze then paused on the face of a sallow-complexioned cultivator, before he let out a few cold laughs. The sallow-faced cultivator's complexion turned ashen, and his body trembled slightly. However, he then seemed to remember something and immediately straightened his posture, standing upright once more. “Good, very good!” the middle-aged man said with a few cold laughs, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, before ignoring the sallow-faced cultivator and looking towards Han Li.

The moment this person's gaze fell upon Han Li, Han Li instantly felt as if he was being targeted by a venomous snake, and his hairs stood on end. Though his expression remained unchanged, he was, in fact, extremely uneasy within. But soon, Han Li was taken aback. Because after the middle-aged man clearly saw his face, a hint of unconcealable surprise appeared on his face. Although he quickly returned to normal, Han Li had already clearly seen it. Now Han Li was somewhat bewildered, and his suspicions grew.

When Elder Xuan Gu witnessed this scene, he was also startled. Then, after his eyes darted around a few times, he lowered his head in thought.

At this point, the middle-aged man had already spotted the elderly scholar and the beautiful middle-aged woman. After a slight pause, he withdrew the cold glint from his eyes, and with a genial expression, cupped his fist towards them and said: “I didn't expect Brother Qing from South Crane Island and Madam Wen from White Jade Mountain to be here as well. This Wu truly shows a lack of respect!”

“What lack of respect?” the old man said with a wry smile, gently putting down his bamboo scroll. “This Qing is not like Brother Wu, whose Extreme Yin Island has such a vast foundation. I merely came here to try my luck. After all, this opportunity only comes once every three hundred years. Moreover, I heard that Barbarian Beard also obtained a fragment of the Void Heaven Map gifted by someone, and will likely arrive here soon. At that time, us old fogeys can truly gather once more.”

“Barbarian Beard is coming too?” The middle-aged man's expression changed, seemingly exceptionally wary of this person.

“Indeed!” the old man said triumphantly, with a hint of sarcasm. “I heard his lifespan is nearing its end. This time, he wants to search for Longevity Fruits within the Void Heaven Palace to refine some Everlasting Pills, hoping to live for another fifty or sixty years.”

Meanwhile, the ice-cold beauty continued to wipe her treasured sword without raising her head, completely ignoring the conversation between the two men.

After listening to their conversation, Han Li couldn't help but take a deep, sharp breath. Though it was just a few brief sentences, it provided him with a lot of useful information. This middle-aged man was indeed Grandmaster Jiyin, who had possessed Wu Chou. Judging by their words, another Nascent Soul stage grandmaster was also expected to arrive. To think there were spiritual herbs within the Void Heaven Palace that could extend one's lifespan—it was truly unbelievable! No wonder even Nascent Soul stage grandmasters had eagerly rushed here.