Chapter 524: Transformation Calamity

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

Inside Han Li's newly constructed cave dwelling, a dedicated artifact refining room had naturally been set up.

After re-establishing the secret array within it, he entered the room with the refining crystals and the bottle of ten-thousand-year spiritual liquid. Once he entered, the secret chamber door closed tightly. It did not open again for a full year. All other operations within the cave dwelling were managed by several giant ape puppets stationed outside the secret chamber. As a result, the cave dwelling remained orderly and without incident.

However, on this particular day, an unexpected event occurred. A rumbling sound suddenly came from outside. Without any warning, the ground began to shake, and even the walls of the secret chamber trembled continuously. At the same time, faint sounds of thunder and colossal waves could be heard from outside, growing progressively louder, as if the entire small island was caught in a violent storm.

With a muffled thud, the stone door of the artifact refining room was pushed open from within. A figure flashed, and Han Li emerged from inside with a calm expression, though a look of surprise and uncertainty flickered in his eyes. He tilted his head, listening to the roaring sound outside the cave dwelling. With one hand, he suddenly pressed the storage pouch at his waist, and a yellow light shot out from it, spiraling before landing in Han Li's hand.

It was an array flag, pale yellow throughout, embroidered with some runes, and measured about two or three feet in length. Without further thought, Han Li opened his mouth, and a puff of green qi sprayed onto the flagstaff. Immediately, the yellow light flared brightly. Then, a cold glint flashed in Han Li's eyes, and he flicked his wrist. A stream of yellow light shot straight toward the ground. In a blink of an eye, the array flag burrowed into the earth, disappearing without a trace!

A low incantation, varying in emphasis, issued from Han Li's mouth. An astonishing scene unfolded. All the ground and walls glowed with brilliant golden light as the incantation continued, as if they had transformed entirely into pure gold. Simultaneously, the trembling, shaking, and the soul-stirring thunderous roar instantly subsided. Everything returned to normal.

Seeing this, Han Li's expression relaxed, but the doubt in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest. He suddenly transformed into a streak of green light and shot towards the main entrance of the cave dwelling.

Moments later, Han Li, enveloped in green light, appeared above the small island. Although mist enshrouded the area below, the array was set up by Han Li himself, so it naturally could not obstruct his vision in the slightest. However, the sight before him caused his expression to change several times. Due to the activation of the array's restrictions, the mountain range where his cave dwelling was located remained as stable as Mount Tai, but the areas outside the array's coverage were trembling with a wailing sound! Not only were mudslides occurring on hills and slopes, but the ground also, due to the intense vibrations, began to develop massive cracks, several *zhang* wide. As for the flowers, grass, and trees, they were overturned in an instant.

But none of this was enough to make Han Li lose his composure to such an extent! What shocked him even more was that terrifying, monstrous waves had risen on the sea surface on one side of the island. Those astonishing colossal waves, over a hundred *zhang* tall, crashed against one side of the island one after another, continuously washing over everything nearby. Nearly half of the island's area was completely transformed into a lake or swamp.

From the direction the colossal waves originated, beyond the vast sea mist, a low, strange roar was added to the thunder, as if some ferocious beast was raging furiously there. And with each rising roar, the thunder and colossal waves also intensified.

"Could there be some high-level demonic beast causing trouble in the nearby sea?" Han Li pondered, gazing in the direction of the colossal waves. Judging by this might, it must be a demonic beast of immense size; otherwise, such a display would be impossible. Upon this thought, Han Li's curiosity was greatly piqued.

After a brief moment of contemplation, a flash of light appeared on his body, and he plunged into the misty sea, flying directly towards the source of the roars. To be cautious, Han Li concealed his aura and restrained his breath. His escaping light also dimmed, becoming imperceptible. In a blink of an eye, his entire presence vanished without a trace.

As soon as he flew out of the sea mist, Han Li immediately spotted his target without needing to search. Just as he had suspected, there was indeed a demonic beast creating havoc on the sea surface not far away. But this demonic beast was enormous! Although he had already anticipated it, Han Li still gasped in surprise at its sheer size.

It was a turtle-like demonic beast he had never seen before. Its body was nearly a thousand *zhang* in size, floating on the sea surface like a colossal mountain. It had a jet-black hard shell. A dragon-like, greenish head roared skyward. Its limbs, thick as giant pillars, and a silver tail, dozens of *zhang* long, continuously swept the nearby seawater. Bursts of monstrous waves and white demonic winds swirled around the demonic turtle with each roar. This entire section of the sea was plunged into a frenzy.

But what startled Han Li the most was not these phenomena. Above where the turtle roared, with its head raised, the sky for ten thousand *li* was covered in dark clouds. Bolts of lightning, as thick as arms, descended crisscrossing from the churning clouds, forming vast, terrifying networks of thunderous lightning that continuously struck the demonic beast, enveloping it. Yet, the turtle, relying on the colossal waves and demonic winds it stirred up, actually withstood these heavenly lightning strikes, remaining unharmed. However, this made the giant turtle even more agitated. Its originally emerald-green eyes gradually began to turn red.

"Form Transformation Tribulation?" Han Li murmured with a strange expression on his face, his gaze flickering uncertainly. The so-called "Form Transformation Tribulation" refers to the heavenly lightning tribulation that a level seven demonic beast must endure when advancing to level eight. After enduring this tribulation, a demonic beast can shed its original form and transform, partially converting its body into human form. As its cultivation deepens, the degree of transformation varies among demonic beasts. It is said that by level ten, a demonic beast can become completely indistinguishable from a human.

Although Han Li had seen related information about the Form Transformation Tribulation multiple times in ancient texts, he was now witnessing this scene with his own eyes. He truly didn't know whether to consider himself lucky or unlucky. The fortunate part was the appearance of this demonic beast; it indicated that level eight demonic beasts truly existed in the sea around Qiyuan Island. In the future, there was hope for him to obtain the Thousand-Leaf Dew.

The unlucky part was that since the giant turtle was undergoing its Form Transformation Tribulation in this sea area, its lair was very likely also in this area. Han Li had no interest in being neighbors with a level eight demonic beast! Even a newly advanced level eight demonic beast was something Han Li would rather avoid. Currently, this demonic turtle was still a level seven demonic beast, so it naturally couldn't detect the presence of his cave dwelling. But once it advanced to level eight, Han Li was not confident he could hide from its divine sense. Perhaps one day, while he was cultivating in his cave dwelling, this demonic turtle might come knocking. High-level demonic beasts have an extremely strong sense of territory.

"Must I abandon this newly established cave dwelling again?" Han Li felt a surge of annoyance. The flying swords within his body also stirred restlessly. Just as he emerged from the secret chamber, his seventy-two Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had been fully refined. The difficulty of refining these crystals this time far exceeded his expectations. He had originally thought that half a year would be sufficient, but to truly complete the refining, it had taken almost a full year. During the remaining time, Han Li took the opportunity to enter secluded cultivation, specifically for nurturing his flying swords. Had it not been for this demonic beast's disturbance, he would likely have remained in secluded cultivation for several more months.

"Why not take advantage of this demonic beast after it completes its tribulation, when its essence qi is greatly diminished? I could launch a sneak attack. If I can seize the opportunity to eliminate it, that would be ideal. If not, I'll immediately leave the island and find another place." This thought made Han Li's heart tighten! But moments later, he shook his head and dismissed it. Even a greatly weakened level eight demonic beast was not something he could handle alone. How powerful a level eight demonic beast was, Han Li didn't know. But the divine abilities of Nascent Soul stage cultivators, he had witnessed with his own eyes. Faced with such immense danger, he would rather relocate his current cave dwelling. It was a pity that his Gold Devouring Beetles had finished devouring and laid new eggs; otherwise, if he had them with him, he might have even attempted a strike!

Han Li watched the numerous lightning bolts intertwining and flashing on the giant turtle's body, sighed lightly, and prepared to return to his cave dwelling. He certainly didn't want to wait for the demonic beast to finish its lightning tribulation, only to be discovered peeking from the side and bring trouble upon himself!

But just as Han Li turned around, a sharp whistling sound came from the distant sky. Then, a faint golden light flickered on the horizon. From the opposite direction, a pleasant whistling sound of wind arose. A stretch of fiery red light also flew swiftly towards this location. Han Li was momentarily stunned by this sight. But before he could react, strong winds picked up on another part of the sea, not far from the giant turtle. Dozens of thick water columns shot out. Then, large sections of the seawater rapidly surged and swelled, as if some colossal creature was about to emerge from the sea.

Han Li was naturally startled. He quickly concealed his presence and shot backward some distance, only then staring in astonishment at the scene before him. After a flash of blue light, a colossal beast, entirely scarlet, broke through the waves from the sea. As soon as it surfaced, it let out a strange howl, like the neigh of a warhorse, which directly caused Han Li's ears to buzz. Startled, Han Li nearly fell from the air. He hastily boosted his magic power, only then regaining his balance. The Great Evolution Art circulated rapidly within his body. Han Li, his face pale, stared at the strange beast, his expression one of horror.