Chapter 912: The Man in the Coffin

Volume Six: Heavenly Spirit Treasure

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality VIP Volume Six: Heavenly Spirit Treasure

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"It's nothing; this matter can wait. Since there's such a grand event, I suppose..." Han Li paused for a moment in thought, then said calmly.

"Alright, junior will lead the way for senior," the shorter youth said with a smile after exchanging glances with his companion.

The two youths then each took out a disc-shaped magical artifact from their bodies, threw them into the air, and jumped onto them. Seeing this, Han Li casually tossed out a shimmering flying sword, and with a flicker of his body, he too landed on it.

"Senior's artifact is actually a high-grade flying sword! Senior must be an inner disciple from a major sect undergoing trials, right? Otherwise, ordinary disciples definitely wouldn't be granted an artifact of such quality by their sect," the taller youth exclaimed, glancing at Han Li's flying sword.

The shorter youth beside him also looked envious.

"Hehe! My sect has rules that forbid casually revealing its identity during trials. Fellow Daoists, please don't try to pry any information out of me," Han Li said with a light chuckle, directly dismissing their curiosity.

The two youths looked a bit embarrassed, as Han Li had seen right through their intentions, but this only made them more certain that he was indeed a disciple of a major sect. Their expressions became even more respectful.

The three then rode their artifacts through the sky, propelling themselves towards the southern part of the town.

The so-called "Snow Mausoleum Mountain" was not too far from the town; from the town itself, one could faintly see the continuous stretch of dark mountain peaks.

This Snow Ridge Mountain should actually be called the Snow Mausoleum Mountain Range. The range extended for tens of thousands of li and was considered one of the prominent mountain ranges within Liao Province. Furthermore, it was rumored that demons and monsters haunted the depths of this mountain range. Not only mortals but even cultivators with decent cultivation levels would sometimes mysteriously disappear within the mountains.

However, when the family, friends, and sect members of these vanished cultivators came in groups to search, they scoured most of the mountain range but found no abnormalities. Yet, cultivators continued to disappear without a trace within the range afterward.

Fortunately, not everyone who passed through the mountain range disappeared. Moreover, most of the missing individuals were low-level cultivators native to Liao Province. The outer perimeter of the mountain range was safe. Therefore, after repeated warnings and admonitions, local cultivators stopped venturing deep into the mountains. Disappearances immediately became rare, and gradually, no one pursued the abnormalities in the mountain's depths anymore.

The Ginseng King Assembly, hosted by the three great Jiangning families, was naturally not held deep within the mountain range. Instead, it took place on a tall peak located on the outermost edge, close to the town.

As Han Li looked towards the mountain peak from the sky, he saw a vast expanse of extraordinarily ornate pavilions and palaces appearing at the summit. His gaze flickered a few times.

He could tell at a glance that these buildings were exceptionally new, clearly having been constructed recently. A thoughtful expression couldn't help but appear on his face.

"Senior, we've arrived. This is the place. All Foundation Establishment cultivators attending will be assigned a private room, while seniors at Core Formation or above will have a separate pavilion to ensure their proper rest," the taller youth explained, pointing below, somewhat fawningly.

Han Li nodded, saying little. However, his divine sense quietly spread out, subtly and discreetly sweeping over the area. His brow imperceptibly furrowed slightly. There was actually a Nascent Soul cultivator inside. He wondered if it was a cultivator who had come to attend this event, or the Old Monster Kong that Feng Zhen had mentioned before his death.

The power of the Jin Dynasty's noble families truly couldn't be underestimated. One must know that in the Southern Sky Region, the highest cultivated family members were only at the mid-to-late Core Formation stage. Nascent Soul cultivators simply couldn't be cultivated by the immortal families of the Southern Sky Region.

However, one thing surprised him: the aura of this Nascent Soul cultivator actually contained some corpse qi.

Although it was very subtle and cleverly concealed, Han Li's divine sense far surpassed the other party's. Even though the other party had taken great pains, Han Li still noticed a trace of it when he paid attention.

Could this person be cultivating a heterodox cultivation method?

If he remembered correctly, the Kong family originated from the renowned Heavenly Saint Sect of the Confucian School, and they still received support from this sect to this day. Regardless of whether this Nascent Soul cultivator was the Kong family's Old Ancestor, merely associating with such a person would likely be highly inappropriate for the Kong family.

As Han Li pondered this, he followed the two youths and landed at the entrance of the manor. Immediately, four cultivators in blue robes emerged from the main gate to greet them.

Almost simultaneously, in a secret chamber more than twenty zhang deep beneath the ground, the lid of an ink-black coffin suddenly stirred. Then, a hand as white as jade emerged from the gap, gently pushing the lid open. A man in a jade crown and yellow robes abruptly sat up from inside.

The man was over thirty years old, with an extraordinary appearance, and a hint of surprise and doubt flickered across his face.

"What's going on? I suddenly felt a pang of fear just now. Is someone spying on me?" the man muttered to himself. After a moment of hesitation, he cautiously released his divine sense, scanning the entire mountain peak up and down, paying particularly close attention to the cultivators in the manor.

However, after a long while, the man found nothing and did not detect any other Nascent Soul cultivators. He frowned deeply in thought.

"Perhaps it was just some old geezer passing by, occasionally probing around. With this black jade coffin concealing my corpse qi, it shouldn't arouse their suspicion," the jade-crowned man murmured to himself. He lay back down in the coffin, and the lid closed automatically. Stillness returned to the secret chamber.

On the ground, Han Li had been led by a blue-robed cultivator into a vast square constructed in the center of the manor. Inside, cultivators in various attires were densely packed, numbering as many as five or six hundred.

These cultivators, however, were divided into several groups, gathering in clearly designated areas, either discussing matters or trading items. All around the square were stalls of varying sizes, some set up on tables, others directly on the ground, creating a bustling scene.

Han Li smiled knowingly; this reminded him of his early days in the cultivation world, when he first attended the Small Gathering of Tai Nan. Thinking back on it now truly evoked a sense of nostalgia!

However, Han Li was somewhat surprised to see a massive, temporarily erected tent in the very center of the square. It glowed with white light, revealing it to be a magical artifact. The tent was over a hundred zhang wide, and people were going in and out of its entrance.

His gaze shifted to the left and right sides of the square, where there were two bluestone halls, also glowing with spiritual light. Although cultivators were active inside them, there were far fewer people compared to the main square and the central tent. Some cultivators were either lingering indecisively at the hall entrances or whispering to their companions, discussing something.

Those qualified to be here, apart from a few low-level disciples from the three families, were naturally all cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or above. Han Li's divine sense even detected over a dozen Core Formation cultivators. Such a scale, excluding Nascent Soul cultivators, was comparable in number to a first-rate major sect in the Southern Sky Region. Yet, this was merely a trade fair hosted by some local noble families of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Pondering this silently, Han Li felt a touch of emotion.

Before entering, a welcoming disciple had already informed him that the morning was for free trade, and the auction would begin in the afternoon. Any rare materials, magical artifacts, or treasures could be submitted to the auction in advance. The scheduled duration for the trade fair was three days, and it was currently the second day. The climactic auction of the thousand-year Ginseng King would only take place on the third day. Most likely, the Core Formation cultivators who came here were all drawn by this item.

After a few glances, Han Li strolled into the square.

As a newly arrived Foundation Establishment cultivator, his face might have been unfamiliar, but no one paid him any particular attention.

Once inside, Han Li immediately blended in as an ordinary cultivator.

As expected, there was nothing truly noteworthy at the surrounding stalls. Perhaps some items might have held a certain appeal for Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators, but for Han Li, who had handled countless rare materials, they naturally held little interest.

The only stalls that made him pause were those displaying rather peculiar magical artifacts or materials.

However, there weren't many such items. After careful examination, Han Li recognized the origins of most of them. Although he had never seen the remaining few, they held no research value either.

After spending a good amount of time wandering around without finding anything, Han Li was about to head towards the central tent to see what the sect was selling. Suddenly, his expression shifted, and he turned around vigilantly. Two zhang behind him stood an old man with pointed ears and a monkey-like jaw, looking at Han Li with some surprise. He had a cultivation of early Foundation Establishment.

"Fellow Daoist, it seems you've been following me for quite a while. Do you know me?" Han Li's eyes flashed with a cold light as he spoke.

"Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand. I, Jin Yuan, have no ill intentions towards you; I was merely curious. This is the first time we've met, but seeing how knowledgeable you seem about various items, I am truly filled with admiration!" The old man gave an embarrassed smile, then explained casually.

"Oh! I didn't expect Fellow Daoist to be so observant. However, after following me for so long, surely you don't just want to tell me this?" Han Li remained expressionless.

"Heh heh! It seems Fellow Daoist is also a discerning person. Besides curiosity, this old man actually has a favor to ask."

"What is it? Speak," Han Li said, folding his arms across his chest, his face devoid of emotion.

"I, Jin, have an unusual treasure here whose purpose and origin I haven't been able to determine. I'd like to ask Fellow Daoist to appraise it. Of course, if Fellow Daoist recognizes its value, it wouldn't be an issue to sell it to you right away. With Fellow Daoist's wealth, you'll surely be able to afford this treasure!" The old man chuckled, his eyes narrowing into slits, as he glanced at the spirit beast pouch and storage pouch on Han Li's waist.

"An unusual treasure!" Han Li's brows furrowed, and his gaze lingered on the old man for a moment.

"Alright. Since Fellow Daoist has followed me for so long, it seems you're sincere. There's no harm in me taking a look. Let's find a private room to talk. Coincidentally, I also have some things I'd like to inquire about," Han Li nodded, then suddenly pointed to a side hall nearby.

"A private room? That costs a spirit stone; isn't that a bit extravagant?" The old man was taken aback and hesitated.

"It doesn't matter; I'll cover the spirit stone. I just hope Fellow Daoist's unusual treasure doesn't disappoint me too much," Han Li said slowly, staring at the old man with a half-smile.