A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality

A slightly awkward look appeared on the blood soul's face upon hearing this, and she replied, "At the time, my memories were still sealed, so I had falsely assumed that the Heavenvoid Cauldron was a true key. However, I can assure you that if this key really can't grant one access into the Heavenly Cauldron Palace, then I definitely wouldn't dare to force you to take a risk. Having said that, if you do manage to enter the palace, I'm sure the treasures in there won't disappoint you."

"You already told me a lot about Daoist Tian Ding. As a cave abode left behind by someone who had ascended to the True Immortal Realm, this is indeed enough to tempt me. Even setting those treasures aside, I agreed to help you rescue your true body, so I wouldn't revoke my promise for no good reason. Rest assured, with my current powers, there's a chance I'll be able to force my way into the Heavenly Cauldron Palace even without a key. Now that I have this replica key, my chances of entering the palace should be over 90%," Han Li said with a faint smile.

"Thank you, Senior Han. Once my true body returns, I'll be sure to..."

"Don't thank me yet; let's rescue Fellow Daoist Ice Soul first. Seeing as there's more than one key, and many replica keys have been refined using the secret technique from the Golden Jade Tome, I'm sure many powerful beings would've already gathered in this mountain range; this must also be the reason why Mistress Wan Hua and Daoist Qing Ping came to Blood Crane City find that grand elder of the Blood Bone Sect," Han Li mused.

"You've already met the Blood Bone Sect Grand Ascension Stage being in Blood Crane City? I recall that there were Blood Bone Sect powerful beings who had ventured into the Heavenly Cauldron Palace alongside my true body, and the Blood Bone Sect has one or two true keys. If the Blood Bone Sect sends many of its powerful beings into the Myriad Moon Mountain Range, then things could get very troublesome," the blood soul said with tightly furrowed brows.

"I don't think that grand elder is too keen on inviting other members of his sect. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been approached by other Grand Ascension Stage beings. Instead, he most likely hid the fact that he had a key to the Heavenly Cauldron Palace in his possession. Most of the other people who possess keys would've most likely also done the same thing. As such, aside from the holders of the keys, the other people who entered the Myriad Moon Mountain Range most likely only heard about the palace's opening recently.

"Regardless of how many of those people there are, they won't be able to enter the palace, so they pose no threat to us," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.

"In that case, the others most likely wouldn't be willing to allow the holders of the keys easy access into the Heavenly Cauldron Palace," Zhu Guo'er interjected.

"There's definitely going to be a battle prior to entering the Heavenly Cauldron Palace, but there's nothing to fear with me here. Having said that, there may be some hazards in the Heavenly Cauldron Palace, so I'll only be entering with Fellow Daoist Blood Soul. In the meantime, you two stay behind and take care not to get discovered; all those who dare to enter the Myriad Moon Mountain Range at a time like this are definitely no ordinary beings," Han Li instructed.

Zhu Guo'er and Patriarch Hua Shi immediately gave affirmative responses.

"Fellow Daoist Blood Soul, according to what you just told me, the Heavenly Cauldron Palace should be opening soon, and that once that happens, the Heavenvoid Cauldron should be able to guide us to the exact location, right?" Han Li asked.

"That's right, this is the main reason why there are people fighting over these replica keys as well," the blood soul replied in a confident manner.

"Good. All we have to do now is prime ourselves into the best condition and wait for the Heavenly Cauldron Palace to appear," Han Li said in a calm manner.

The blood soul naturally had no objections to this and immediately nodded in agreement.

Thus, Han Li and the others temporarily settled into this cave abode.

One day passed by after another, and the Myriad Moon Mountain Range gradually became more lively and busting as more and more cultivators arrived.

News of the Heavenly Cauldron Palace's imminent emergence had truly spread throughout Blood Crane City, and many of the powerful cultivators in the nearby area were converging toward this mountain range.

However, due to the close proximity of Blood Crane City to this mountain range, most of the cultivators present were from the city, and a large proportion of them were Blood Bone Sect disciples.

However, as time passed, more and more people from other areas began to arrive, and this trend was only becoming more and more pronounced, but the Myriad Moon Mountain Range was a massive place, so this new influx of people wasn't all that noticeable.

Some of the more short-tempered and confident arrivals had already begun to go after those whom they thought possessed keys.

Even though these actions mostly proved to be futile, a small cauldron really was discovered on the body of someone who had been killed on a certain day, and that cauldron immediately sparked even more bloodshed and conflict.

All the while, more and more people from further away were beginning to travel toward the Myriad Moon Mountain Range, but it was already too late for them to arrive on time.

A month and a half later, a mysterious burst of five-colored light suddenly erupted out of a certain pond within the Myriad Moon Mountain Range, then dissipated into countless runes.

Almost at the exact same moment, Han Li awakened from his meditation, then swept a sleeve through the air to release a shimmering azure miniature cauldron.

Han Li quickly inspected the peculiar runes that had newly appeared on the cauldron's surface, then immediately transmitted his voice out of the secret chamber he was situated in. "Prepared to set off, Fellow Daoist Blood Soul."

The blood soul was meditating in another room in the cave abode, and she immediately rose to her feet as an elated look appeared on her face.

Moments later, a long streak of azure light shot out of the belly of the mountain before flying toward a certain region of the Myriad Moon Mountain Range.

Similar scenes were unfolding in over 30 other secluded locations in the mountain range.

Countless streaks of light emerged from all directions, but all of them were flying toward a common target.

These completely undisguised actions naturally alerted many more cultivators in the mountain range, and they immediately followed along.

Those who were particularly fast even managed to catch up to the people ahead of them, upon which fierce battles instantly erupted.

The blood soul was too slow for Han Li's liking, so he had already swept her up into his streak of azure light so they could continue onward as one.

At his incredible speed, it was next to impossible for anyone to chase him down.

In the eyes of all of the people he passed by, they merely witnessed a flash of azure light before it faded into the distance in a flash, leaving only the sound of his flight echoing throughout the nearby area.

All of the bystanders were astonished to see this, and they immediately abandoned any thoughts of pursuing that streak of light, turning their attention to other targets instead.

However, beings on the Blood Sky Continent were renowned for their valiance, and there were many courageous and conceited individuals on the continent.

As the azure streak of light was passing over a wide canyon, a loud buzzing sound suddenly rang out from down below, following which countless runes surged forth in a frenzy to form a profound light formation.

"Please wait, Fellow Daoist; I have something I wish to discuss with you." A rumbling voice rang out within the formation.

The voice held quite a polite tone, but the light formation was releasing a burst of astonishing suction force that was sweeping directly toward the streak of azure light.

A cold look appeared in Han Li's eyes upon hearing this, and he didn't bother to offer a response as he thrust a palm down toward the canyon below in a nonchalant manner, releasing a burst of devastating power that was over 10 times as potent as the oncoming burst of suction force.

An earth-shattering boom rang out as the suction force and light formation were both instantly destroyed, and even a section of the canyon that was several kilometers in length had caved in significantly.

The person hiding in the area didn't have a chance to evade before his body was reduced to mincemeat, and even his Nascent Soul had been destroyed.

As for the streak of azure light, it didn't even pause for an instant as it quickly vanished into the distant sky.

Moments later, several streaks of crimson light flew out from behind a nearby small mountain, then converged in the air above the canyon.

This was a group of seven or eight people in different attire, and all of them possessed powerful auras, but they were currently appraising the remains of their companions with dark expressions.

"Should we give chase and avenge Fellow Daoist Ya?" a green-robed young man asked.

"Are you kidding me? Fellow Daoist Ya picked a fight with the wrong opponent, so he can't blame anyone for this," a long-haired man replied without any hesitation.

"Brother Ya's powers weren't inferior to ours, so even against a Grand Ascension Stage being, he should've been able to hold his own for a while. The fact that he was instantly killed indicates that he picked a fight with someone who's extremely powerful even among Grand Ascension Stage beings, and we definitely wouldn't be able to fare any better. If you want to avenge him, then go on your own; there's no way we're getting involved," a hideous elderly man said.

"It seems I was too rash in my proposal; I wouldn't dare to challenge such a formidable being, either. Having said that, we can no longer keep waiting here like this, so we'll have to hurry to the site where the Heavenly Cauldron Palace is going to appear to see if we can do something there," the young woman replied with a slightly awkward smile.

Thus, the group quickly departed from the canyon after a brief discussion.

......

A dull thump rang out as Han Li pointed a finger from afar toward a giant of a man who was several tens of feet tall, and the man's head immediately exploded alongside the Nascent Soul within it.

His headless body plummeted out of the heavens, and the azure streak of light pierced directly through the bodies of several people standing behind the man, slicing them in half before vanishing into the distance.