Chapter 499: The Mystery of the Scroll

A Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Volume 4: Winds Rising from Overseas

The small arrow had just flown about ten feet when Han Li, who had been watching intently, flicked his middle finger. A streak of green sword qi shot straight out, hitting the arrow precisely. It caused the arrow to stumble and pause.

It was this slight delay that allowed the light mist sprayed by the Soul-Reaping Beast to immediately engulf the small arrow.

Instantly, the magic treasure began to flash incessantly, darting back and forth within the misty light, seemingly trying to break free and escape.

However, the yellow light seemed to possess a powerful suction force. No matter how much it struggled to break free, it remained trapped within the mist like a headless fly, utterly unable to escape.

Since the Soul-Reaping Beast was reputed to be the bane of all ghosts, the soul-absorbing divine light it sprayed from its nose was naturally more than just an ordinary mist.

As the small arrow's rotation slowed by merely half a beat, hundreds of earthy-yellow threads shot out from the misty light, instantly coiling around the arrow and wrapping it tightly.

Then, all the yellow threads simultaneously pulled outwards, forcibly extracting a ball of green light from the small arrow.

Entangled by the numerous yellow threads, this green light constantly shifted, transforming into various insects, fish, birds, and beasts, even expanding and contracting erratically, attempting to break free.

Yet, the yellow threads pierced directly into the green light, preventing it from escaping in the slightest, gradually dragging the green light towards the Soul-Reaping Beast's large nose.

At this, the green light ball panicked. After a flurry of flashes, it transformed into the aged, shadowy face of an old man, who then cried out in terror to Han Li from within the mist, begging for mercy:

"Young Friend Han, please spare this old man! As long as you let me live, I am willing to serve you as a ghost slave for the rest of my life! This old man possesses countless wondrous secret techniques, and I am willing to impart them all to you! Furthermore, Young Friend Han, don't you want to know about the complete Profound Yin Scripture of this land? Even to that renegade disciple, Extreme Yin, I never taught the final few layers. And what about the mysteries of the Profound Soul Refining Demon art? Don't you wish to learn a thing or two? Moreover, although my foundation was seized by Extreme Yin, I still have several secret cave dwellings hidden away, containing numerous hidden treasures. This old servant is willing to offer them all to his master..."

The ghostly face spoke faster and faster, its expression growing increasingly panicked. It even began referring to itself as a servant. This was because it was now only about a foot away from the Soul-Reaping Beast's large nose.

If it were truly sucked in, its demonic soul, no matter how solidified and tenacious, would have absolutely no chance of escaping again.

Upon hearing these temptations from the ghostly face, even Han Li, whose will was far more resolute than that of an ordinary person, couldn't help but feel a flicker of desire, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.

Perhaps sensing Han Li's hesitation, the ghostly face let out another low growl, as if clutching at a last straw:

"Even if you don't want these things, don't you wish to know Extreme Yin's cultivation weaknesses, or remove the tracking mark he placed on you?"

At these words, Han Li's eyes flickered a few times, and his expression finally changed.

Indeed, Han Li let out a soft sigh, gripped the Soul-鳴 Orb in his hand, and gave it a gentle wave!

The wildly swirling misty light immediately slowed, finally pausing the ghostly face's slide towards the Soul-Reaping Beast's large nose.

The ghostly face, wrapped in yellow threads, was overjoyed, and its spirit relaxed.

"Young Friend Han, this is truly a wise decision! Keeping this old man alive could completely..." The ghostly face forced a smile, attempting to flatter Han Li.

But just then, the Soul-Reaping Beast's large nose inhaled forcefully again. The slightly slowed misty light pulled with three times its original intensity, instantly sucking the unguarded ghostly face completely into its nose, giving it no chance to resist.

At this moment, a cold, mocking smile appeared on Han Li's face.

The Soul-Reaping Beast seemed to burp from overeating, clumsily patted its belly, and a human-like expression of satisfaction spread across its face.

Han Li subtly smiled, shaking the Soul-鳴 Orb in his hand. The Soul-Reaping Beast once again transformed into a yellow light and flew back into the spirit beast pouch.

"Take you as a slave? How could I dare plot with a tiger for its hide! An old ghost who has lived for thousands of years... when it comes to schemes, two of me might not be able to outwit you. Even if you spoke eloquently, it's still less trouble for me to just eliminate you. Otherwise, who knows when you might turn around and ambush me." Han Li walked a few steps, reached out, and took the green small arrow into his hand, muttering to himself as he gazed at it.

Up to this point, Han Li still hadn't figured out whether the ghostly face was Xuan Gu's main soul or a remnant spirit he had separated using a secret technique beforehand.

Han Li was not at all surprised that ghost cultivators possessed divine abilities to separate souls.

However, after collecting the Five Elements Ring that had fallen nearby, Han Li did not immediately leave the area.

The ghostly face's words, however, reminded him that Grandmaster Extreme Yin had somehow tampered with him at some unknown time.

If this mark wasn't removed, he would likely be sensed by Grandmaster Extreme Yin the moment he exited the protective barrier.

However, Han Li had already scanned himself multiple times with his spiritual sense and found no abnormalities. But Han Li had another ingenious method in mind for finding this hidden mark; otherwise, he wouldn't have mercilessly destroyed the ghostly face.

Han Li activated a spirit beast pouch, and thousands of golden and silver beetles flew out from it, instantly covering his entire body.

Moments later, some Gold Devouring Beetles on Han Li's lower leg emitted unusual chirping sounds.

Han Li was delighted. With a thought, he issued a command. The Gold Devouring Beetles there stirred, then all the flying insects swarmed back into the spirit beast pouch.

Then, Han Li no longer hesitated and flew directly towards the stone steps.

He had lingered here for too long, which made him feel quite anxious.

A distance of several dozen feet was covered in the blink of an eye.

Han Li opened his mouth, and a streak of green light shot out. The Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword instantly sliced open a ten-foot-wide gap in the barrier wall.

Han Li transformed into a long rainbow and shot out from the gap.

According to his calculations, it would be best to secretly return to a secret chamber on the first or second floor, then break the restrictions and teleport out of the Arcane Celestial Palace from there.

As for the secret chambers on the other floors, they were simply too dangerous for him.

Thus, Han Li followed the path from his memory, flying silently along the original route.

On his way in, all mechanisms and restrictions had been cleanly bypassed, so Han Li had no other concerns apart from being careful not to run head-on into those old monsters. He could travel boldly.

Therefore, along the way, Han Li released his spiritual sense and took out the worn scroll. He finally had time to glance at it.

"Oh!"

After just a few stolen glances, Han Li couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. His forward-flying escape light also involuntarily slowed down.

At first glance, this scroll seemed unremarkable. Not only did it emit no spiritual energy when unrolled, but its contents were also extremely simple, outlining a rough diagram.

However, after a few more glances, Han Li immediately recognized the contents of the scroll: it was an architectural schematic of the Inner Hall's fifth floor.

Among other things, the tall platform and the small cauldron with two ears and three legs sketched on it, no doubt, marked the Arcane Celestial Cauldron.

And the crisscrossing identical patterns in front of the platform were certainly these passages and secret chambers.

What astonished Han Li, however, was that while all other patterns on the map were outlined in black ink, one route, traversing several passages, was drawn in vivid red.

The end of this route led to a high wall at the edge of the Inner Hall, and behind this wall, a pattern resembling a teleportation array was drawn.

Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help but slow his pace.

According to his original plan, he would have to walk from the fifth floor all the way down to the first or second floor, which meant a high chance of encountering those old devils along the way.

But if this marked pattern was real, wouldn't he be able to teleport to another location from this array?

Even if it didn't directly teleport him outside the Arcane Celestial Palace, it would still be much better than staying in the Inner Hall's fifth floor.

What tempted Han Li even more was that his current position, according to the map's markings, meant he could directly step onto the red-marked route after turning at the next crossroads.

His only concern was whether this route would contain any restrictions or mechanical puppets he couldn't handle.

As for the authenticity of the map, Han Li wasn't worried.

No one would bother to hide such a map within a bluestone unless it served a purpose.

Moreover, the map was ancient, and its brushwork exuded a primitive charm, clearly indicating it was from the same era as the Arcane Celestial Cauldron. No one would play such a prank.

While Han Li hesitated, he had already arrived at the next intersection.

Han Li couldn't help but look left and right, feeling a bit indecisive.

Fine! If he truly encountered danger, he could always return by the original route. According to the scroll's markings, this route wasn't very long. This risk was much smaller compared to returning to the first floor by the original path. Besides, he didn't believe that a map, which looked like an escape route, would mark an overly dangerous path for its user.

Thinking this, Han Li no longer hesitated and raised both hands.

After several streaks of white light shot out, a few giant ape puppets appeared before him.

Following Han Li's spiritual command, they immediately turned and stepped onto the passage on the other side. Han Li, with a cautious expression, followed closely behind them.