A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu’s Rebirth as the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor - Chapter 134

Chapter 132 Unexpected Gain, Setting Sail

“By the way, Han Li, I heard from Changfeng that you want to venture into the outer seas?”

After chatting about family matters and romantic affairs, Master Lu finally got to the point.

Han Li’s spirits lifted upon hearing this, but he didn’t show it on his face, simply nodding calmly:

“Yes, Master. I only managed to form my core after exhausting all my resources. If I want my cultivation to continue to advance rapidly, the best way is to go to the outer seas and try my luck.”

“Han Li, are you planning to kill demons and hunt for cores for a high reward?” Sect

Leader Lu suddenly interjected.

His expression was very serious:

“Have you thought this through? The outer seas are not peaceful; the dangers there are several times greater than those in the inner seas.”

“Sect Leader Uncle, I am not good at fighting, my resources are almost depleted, and I don’t have the time or spirit stones to prepare my natal magic weapon. Under these circumstances, how can I dare to kill demons and hunt for cores?”

When high-level human cultivators hunt deep-sea monsters, the deep-sea monsters will not let humans go unpunished.

After all, humans need the inner cores of high-level demonic beasts, and demonic beasts crave the golden cores of humans.

The two are essentially mutually beneficial.

“Then why do you still want to go?”

The three were immediately puzzled.

“Master, Sect Leader, Senior Brother, it’s like this…”

“I happened to hear that the Star Palace has been exploring the outer seas. If we cultivators can provide valuable intelligence to the Star Palace, once verified, we’ll definitely receive a high reward. I was thinking that the interests of the Inner Star Sea are almost entirely divided among various powerful forces, while the Outer Star Sea is where mid-level sects like our White Water Sword Sect can rise, and it’s the development trend of the Star Sea cultivation world. I’m afraid it won’t be long before the Outer Sea becomes a place where various parties compete for interests…”

“In that case, why not go ahead and learn a thing or two, and make some arrangements along the way?”

After a pause, Han Li continued,

“If I can complete the Star Palace’s exploration mission and receive personal rewards, and at the same time, plan a better foothold for the White Water Sword Sect in the outer seas in advance, wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?”

As he spoke, he handed over a storage bag.

The bag was filled with array-setting materials.

It contained tools for setting up the Inverted Five Elements Array and several other arrays.

Judging by the quantity of materials, it was enough to build a very sturdy base.

“This…”

Master Lu was astonished.

Sect Leader Lu was even more moved.

They hadn’t expected Han Li’s intentions to be so noble.

“Good, good, good, you’ve got heart.”

Although his primary motivation was for himself, the fact that he still cared about the sect made him a disciple they greatly appreciated.

The more they examined the array-setting tools, the more moved they became.

Beside them, Senior Brother Lu Changfeng secretly admired him.

He hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Han Li, when do you plan to depart?”

Master Lu asked after a moment’s thought.

“I’ll purchase some more materials and make more preparations before setting off,”

Han Li replied, putting away the storage bag containing a large number of array-setting tools and materials.

In recent years, besides cultivation, he had also studied Xin Ruyin’s array-setting insights in his spare time, gaining much knowledge in the field. Especially recently, he acquired the storage bag of the young master of the Qingyang Sect, and the various array-setting materials and tools inside were dazzling.

This amount of material alone would be worth tens of thousands of spirit stones in the Chaotic Star Sea.

Clearly, the Three Yang Venerable was not only a mid-Nascent Soul stage old monster, but also a grandmaster of array formations. He not only wanted to pass on his cultivation techniques to the young master, but also hoped that his successor could inherit everything about array formations.

His preparations were undeniably thorough.

In the end, everything benefited him.

Of course,

he wouldn’t actually show off these array-setting tools.

What he displayed were items he had purchased in the last ten days or so.

After all, he would soon be going to the Outer Star Sea to explore the traces of Biling Island, and he definitely needed to prepare quickly to avoid wasting a lot of time due to some oversight.

“Han Li, since you are interested in exploring the Outer Sea, your senior uncle won’t stop you. Take this.”

Sect Leader Lu said, handing over a jade slip and dozens of sea charts.

“What’s this?”

Han Li blinked.

“The jade slip contains information about our White Water Sword Sect’s ancestors’ explorations of the outer seas, and the sea chart is about dozens of demon beast islands…”

Sect Leader Lu casually explained.

“Thank you, Sect Leader Uncle.”

Han Li quickly thanked them, appearing very happy, as he accepted the jade slip and sea chart with both hands.

But in reality, he was quite disappointed.

It seemed that these two were quite wary of him and had no intention of telling him that the true master of the White Water Sword Sect was the Star Palace.

…

After seeing the two off,

Han Li took a deep breath to calm himself down:

“These two really have a lot to hold back about me!”

“Is it because I haven’t been in the sect for long, and they know too little about me, so they don’t trust me?”

That’s true.

In order to avoid being investigated by the White Water Sword Sect and to avoid attracting attention if his cultivation speed was too fast, he specifically applied to come to Tianxing City to cultivate after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

With so little contact between them, the sect’s higher-ups naturally had some reservations about him.

“What a pity, what a pity…”

“Those two clearly had high expectations for me.”

“Unfortunately, I joined the sect a little too late.”

“If I had joined the White Water Sword Sect as soon as I arrived in the Chaotic Star Sea, things would have been much better.”

“Back then, I was too hasty, too eager to have my Fiend Core clone form its core…”

One wrong step.

It affected all subsequent plans.

“But back then, in a completely unfamiliar new environment, I really needed a Core Formation stage fighter. Otherwise, I felt completely insecure.”

Putting aside his disappointment, Han Li examined the jade slip and the sea chart.

The next moment.

He froze.

He was overjoyed.

“Good, good,

good …”

He was so happy for several reasons. Firstly, the pile of sea charts contained information about Silver Shark Island and the surrounding waters. More importantly, the jade slip described tens of thousands of medium-sized islands, each over a hundred miles in size, in the outer sea.

There were also dozens of large islands exceeding a thousand miles in size.

For example, thirty million miles north of Silver Shark Island, there was a large island several thousand miles long, and a colossal island over ten thousand miles long.

Both islands were inhabited by numerous high-level demonic beasts.

The former, in particular, even had records of demonic cultivators in human form.

The latter, while larger and also inhabited by numerous high-level demonic beasts, seemed to be largely ignored. The information recorded on it was mostly summarized with terms like “exposed rocks” and “poor resources.”

“Is one Thunder Sky Island and the other Azure Spirit Island?”

“Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful…”

He had thought that the White Water Sword Sect had made a mistake, and he wouldn’t be able to find clues about Thunder Sky Island and Azure Spirit Island through this route.

But suddenly, things took a dramatic turn.

It was only then that he realized he might have overcomplicated things.

Take the White Water Sword Sect, for example.

As a branch of the Star Palace, even if they couldn’t share all the detailed information about the outer seas, they could still obtain most of it, such as the distribution of medium to large islands.

This way, the high-level cultivators of the White Water Sword Sect wouldn’t be running around blindly like headless flies when heading to the outer seas.

As for him,

he didn’t need detailed information about the many islands in the outer seas.

He only needed information about the large islands, even the giant islands, thousands of miles north of Silver Shark Island.

That was all.

Among them, Thunder Sky Island and Azure Spirit Island were definitely included.

The method for selecting these two islands was simple.

One was the distance between the two islands.

These two islands were only about two to three million miles apart, no more than that.

And the larger one was further north.

Another basis was that on Azure Spirit Island further north, many places were barren. In contrast, Thunder Sky Island, located further south, is teeming with life and abundant in spiritual herbs coveted even by Nascent Soul cultivators.

Once the two islands are located using big data and their approximate locations determined, traveling there wouldn’t be particularly difficult.

However, without that approximate location, and relying solely on the information in the book that “Azure Spirit Island is located at the northernmost point north of Silver Shark Island,” it’s no exaggeration to say that it would take him at least forty or fifty years to find the right place!

It might even take longer.

After all, Azure Spirit Island and Thunder Sky Island are at least thirty million li apart.

Even a Core Formation cultivator traveling at full speed day and night would need at least nine months.

This is assuming they know the approximate location, aren’t directionally challenged, and don’t make any major directional errors.

Therefore,

one can imagine just how vast the explored sea area north of Silver Shark Island truly is.

Even exploring only the very end of a fan-shaped area spanning over thirty million li is an incredibly massive undertaking.

This reveals just how crucial the extraterrestrial intelligence provided by the White Water Sword Sect truly was.

Without intelligence, it would take decades to find it.

With intelligence, it would take at most two years.

Master Lu and the Sect Leader had been invaluable this time.

“Next, all we need to do is bid for a Flood Dragon Demon Core for Little Six, and everything will be ready…!”

…

On the thirtieth floor of the Holy Mountain, inside Lu Changfeng’s cave.

Master Lu and Sect Leader Lu sat facing each other.

Just as Lu Changfeng was brewing tea for his two elders, Master Lu suddenly spoke up:

“Brother, why did you change your mind at the last minute? Why didn’t you tell Han Li about the relationship between our White Water Sword Sect and the Holy Sect? If you had made that relationship clear, that kid would definitely trust the sect more, and he would definitely be more loyal and proactive.”

Upon hearing this, the sect leader initially tapped his knuckles on the table, then shook his head and explained:

“No, it’s not the right time yet.”

“Ah? When will it be?”

“Third brother, don’t be impatient, don’t act on emotion. I know you admire that kid very much, but recently, the Inner Star Sea has been a bit turbulent. You should have noticed this, right?”

“Yes, many mid-level sects have either been wiped out, or rumors have spread that their high-level cultivators have been controlled by demonic cultivators. This is clearly because some old guys can’t sit still and want to cause trouble.”

Master Lu nodded slowly with a solemn expression.

“Then, have you considered why the whereabouts of those high-ranking cultivators from various sects were exposed, leading to repeated attacks?”

“There must be an insider leaking the movements of the sect’s higher-ups…”

Master Lu said with certainty, then his expression changed slightly as he realized something:

“Wait, elder brother, do you suspect Han Li?”

“No, I don’t suspect him, but I’m being cautious, trying to avoid making mistakes as much as possible.”

Sect Leader Lu waved his hand:

“As long as this special period passes and he still has no problems, then I’m overthinking it. It’s not too late to tell him about the relationship between our White Water Sword Sect and the Holy Palace then. But if he really has problems, and we rush to expose the sect’s connection with the Holy Palace, it will harm over two thousand people in the sect and damage the family. If we ruin those two masters’ millennia-long plan, then you and I will be more than worth dying for.”

“Third brother, you must consider the implications carefully.”

The sect leader spoke earnestly.

Master Lu lowered his head thoughtfully.

In other words,

it wasn’t that Han Li’s calculations had made a major mistake or revealed any flaws.

Rather, the situation was changing too rapidly.

At this moment, the Chaotic Star Sea was rife with undercurrents and lurking dangers.

Apart from moderately neutral forces like the White Water Sword Sect, many forces that were originally closer to the Star Palace had been infiltrated, turned against, and controlled by both the righteous and demonic factions.

The Reverse Star Alliance had actually been taking shape for some time, but was still secretly accumulating power, trying to clip the Star Palace’s wings outside Tianxing City. They simply

hadn’t yet made

their move. The Star Palace had also sensed this undercurrent aimed directly at them.

However, with the two Saints in seclusion cultivating the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, they couldn’t leave the ten-thousand-mile radius of Tianxing City. Therefore, the Star Palace’s Nascent Soul stage leaders dared not act rashly, otherwise they might encounter two powerful late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, the Six Paths Extreme Saint and Wan Sangu.

The righteous and demonic forces were probing inch by inch.

The Star Palace, on the other hand, was making concessions step by step.

In this sensitive and delicate period, it was best for the White Water Sword Sect to remain cautious, not seeking merit but avoiding mistakes, lest they be wiped out by the hidden undercurrents.

“Brother, do you think it’s really a good idea to send that kid to the dangerous outer sea?”

“You, you haven’t really taught him much, how come you’ve developed some feelings for him?”

The sect leader laughed.

“He treats Changfeng very well. Even after he formed his core, he still treated us with the respect due to a disciple, showing no signs of arrogance or hubris. Such a well-mannered and respectful young talent is hard to find. Although he’s only been in the sect for a short time and hasn’t received much training from the sect, he still remembers the insignificant favors he received when he was in Foundation Establishment. After forming his core, he’s been thinking about strengthening the sect and seeking mutual benefit. Such character, magnanimity, and vision are extremely rare.”

After Master Lu finished speaking, the sect leader fell silent.

After a moment’s thought, he nodded in strong approval:

“Indeed, he is a talented individual. It would be a real pity if he were to perish in the outer seas. Why don’t you use the merit points our sect has accumulated over the years to ask the Holy Palace for a high-quality, unrefined magic weapon to give him for self-defense?”

“No, it’s too precious.”

Master Lu immediately waved his hand:

“Giving him a magic weapon now would inevitably make the sect appear subservient in his presence. It’s better to wait until he experiences some setbacks in the outer seas and realizes his true worth. Then, giving him a magic weapon will show our good intentions and the sect’s concern for him, which will surely win people’s hearts more easily.”

“Third brother, you’ve improved.” The sect

leader was very pleased.

“Eldest brother, I still have a long way to go to catch up with you.”

Lu Changfeng, standing to the side, listened with a sigh: “…”

Old ginger is indeed spicier.

However, this time, the old ginger might not be spicier enough.

Someone’s return would be at least fifty years later…

The situation fifty years later is not something these two can predict or control.

…

For the remaining day or two, Han Li continued his sweeping through Tianxing City.

On his return to the Holy Mountain, he encountered Yan Li:

“How’s the collection of magic weapons, metal scraps, and spirit insect larvae and eggs going?”

“Husband, I’ve collected another fist-sized piece of metal scrap. As for spirit insects, I found over a thousand eggs of green fireflies and silver blood moths. However, most of them are dead.”

A spirit beast pouch was placed before Han Li.

He examined it and nodded in satisfaction:

“I’m going to the outer sea; it should take over fifty years. So, from now on, you and Yuan Yao will need to go into seclusion and attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage. Don’t be lazy; condense your Golden Cores as soon as possible, the higher your cultivation, the better.”

He had already prepared the necessary pills for cultivation after they formed their Cores, storing them in his forty-eighth-level cave.

As long as the two women didn’t slack off after forming their Cores, with the remaining decades and a large quantity of high-quality and even rare pills suitable for Core Formation cultivators, their chances of reaching the mid-Core Formation stage were quite high.

“Husband, be careful.”

Yan Li said, pursing her lips.

“Mm.”

The auction arrived as scheduled.

The price of a level-six dragon’s demon core was inflated to 23,000 spirit stones.

A hundred years later, when the beast tide swept across the outer seas and demon cores were extremely difficult to obtain, this price wouldn’t be considered expensive at all, even very cheap. After all, its value was comparable to that of an ordinary level-seven demon beast’s inner core.

But now, reaching 23,000 is definitely a high price.

Of course,

there’s another reason for such a high price: this dragon’s inner core wasn’t from a mixed-blood dragon, but rather from a pure-blooded black dragon.

Black dragons are rare among all dragon species.

Like poisonous dragons, fiery dragons, crimson fire dragons, golden dragons, and ice dragons, they have much greater potential than mixed-blood dragons like the crested dragon. A mixed-blood level-six crested dragon’s inner core would be worth at most 15,000 spirit stones. That’s the difference.

“Fellow Daoist, this is the level-six black dragon inner core you won in the auction,”

a Core Formation cultivator said with a smile as he approached from the back-end trading area, carrying the item.

Both parties were satisfied with the exchange of spirit stones and demon cores.

After receiving the demon core, Han Li immediately left the auction house.

He returned to the Holy Mountain and headed straight for the fiftieth floor, showing no intention of lingering in Tianxing City.

That was the location of the Starry Sky Palace,

the site of the Star Palace’s external teleportation array.

“Fellow Daoist, would you like to teleport?”

A white-robed Core Formation cultivator from the Star Palace asked calmly,

“Silver Shark Island, teleport only me.”

“Seven hundred spirit stones.”

“Alright.”

Han Li promptly gave the spirit stones, and even gave seven hundred more than usual. In other words, he gave fourteen thousand. Not a single stone more, not a single stone less:

“Fellow Daoist, if anyone is following me, please inform them that I have gone to Emerald Island.”

Silver Shark Island is in the northern part of the Outer Star Sea. Emerald

Island is in the south.

If someone really is following, things will get interesting.

He did this just in case.

It’s always good to be on the safe side.

Beside the teleportation array, the Core Formation cultivator from the Star Palace responsible for teleporting to the outer sea narrowed his eyes to slits:

“Easy, easy.”

These spirit stones are easy to earn.

And it doesn’t violate the rules of the Holy Palace.

“Fellow Daoist, please come this way.”

“Thank you for your trouble.”

“This is a teleportation talisman…”

“Thank you.”

A few breaths later, the teleportation light shone, then quickly went out again.

Less than thirty breaths after the teleportation light went out, two burly figures entered the Star Palace together.

Both were in the mid-Core Formation stage.

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, it’s been a long time…”

“Would you two like to teleport?” The white-robed cultivator decisively interrupted. “

Fellow Daoist Zhang, did someone borrow the teleportation array to go to the outer sea earlier?”

One of the two offered one hundred spirit stones, but the Core Formation cultivator from the Star Palace didn’t accept it. Instead, he gave a straightforward reply:

“One person.”

“Where did he go?”

“Ningcui Island.”

“Thank you, Brother Zhang, I will definitely repay you handsomely later.” What an empty promise. “

You’re welcome… Would you like to teleport now?”

“Of course.”

“Where to?”

“Ningcui Island, naturally.”

The teleportation light quickly lit up again, then swiftly disappeared.

However, the specific location of this teleportation was vastly different from the previous one.

Time flew by, and after about a hundred breaths,

the two who had just teleported away returned to the Star Palace with grim expressions. The two teleported back from Emerald Island:

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, that person clearly didn’t go to Emerald Island.”

“Didn’t? Then I must have misremembered.”

“You…”

“Oh dear, I remember now, that fellow Daoist went to Silver Shark Island in the far north.” The one from Star Palace said with a grin, “Gentlemen, would you like to teleport again? This time I’m sure I haven’t misremembered.”

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, why bother?” “I ‘m just doing my job

, taking their money and solving their problems.”

The white-robed cultivator’s smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

“We already paid them.”

One of the two retorted angrily.

Hearing this, the white-robed cultivator from Star Palace’s face hardened:

“Hmph, I didn’t take anything without permission, so don’t talk nonsense.”

He was a man who valued rules above all else.

Unless someone offered more money,

or the cost was higher.

Of the two mid-stage Core Formation cultivators, the other immediately understood the implication:

“I understand, sigh.”

“Brother, what does Zhang mean?”

“That person offered more than we did initially.”

“Ah? Heh, I see. What a pity, what a pity, such a fat sheep already in our mouths…”

“Do you two still want to teleport?”

the white-robed cultivator from the Star Palace asked again with a smile.

“No.”

They were too late.

(End of Chapter)