A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality (Web Novel)

"This type of captivation technique is very potent, but it's not a cause for concern if one is aware of it in advance. Having said that, I've heard that Che Qizis are one of the vastly renowned 10 great beasts of the ancient Asura Realm, and it's said that they're born from the sinful energy of countless living beings and possess several extremely troublesome innate abilities; I didn't think that I would encounter such a beast here," Han Li mused.

"Be careful, Fellow Daoist Han; this beast doesn't possess a substantial body, and most of its abilities seem to stem from its wings. I engaged in several clashes against it earlier, and its abilities are all indeed quite troublesome to face. However, it seems that your Divine Devilbane Lightning has a suppressive effect on it," Mo Jianli said.

"I've also noticed that it seems to be rather fearful of Divine Devilbane Lightning," Han Li said with a faint smile before making a grabbing motion, and an azure longsword was manifested in his grasp amid a flash of azure light.

He slashed the sword through the air, and a giant sword projection that was over 1,000 feet in length appeared above the Che Qizi in a flash.

Countless arcs of golden lightning then erupted over the surface of the sword projection before it came crashing down with devastating force.

The Che Qizi let loose a wary hissing sound at the sight of the descending sword projection, and it immediately flapped its wings, upon which its entire body exploded disintegrated into a burst of turquoise mist, which plunged straight into the ground down below at an incredible speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this before the giant sword projection sped up severalfold in its descent at his behest, and it also struck the area that the mist had just vanished into at an astounding speed.

An earth-shattering boom rang out, and a massive trench that was over 10,000 feet in length was created.

The trench was unfathomably deep, and the ground near it was entirely charred black, but the Che Qizi was nowhere to be seen.

"That's some impressive decisiveness and speed," Han Li murmured to himself, and he thought about it for a moment, but decided against giving chase in the end.

Che Qizis were indeed vastly renowned, but they served no purpose for him, so there was no need for him to pursue it.

"Che Qizis are quite intelligent as well; it must've immediately fled as it knew that it was no match for you," Mo Jianli said as a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"It is indeed quite a cunning creature. How did you end up being chased by such a thing, Brother Mo?" Han Li asked.

"This was actually quite an unfortunate accident. I was searching for Asura Spiders, but unintentionally ventured into the lair of another type of spider, and there was a Che Qizi lurking beneath the lair," Mo Jianli explained as an awkward look appeared on his face.

It was extremely rare for Grand Ascension Stage beings to be chased in such a sorry manner, so this was quite embarrassing for him.

"I see. Considering there are even Che Qizis in this realm, this most likely really is a fragment of the ancient Asura Realm," Han Li mused, and he wasn't very surprised by this conclusion.

"I agree. I've seen many things thus far that should be unique to the Asura Realm, but I still haven't seen a single Asura Spider. We can only stay in this realm for around half a month, and close to half of that time has already elapsed. Have you discovered anything, Fellow Daoist Han?" Mo Jianli's brows furrowed slightly as he spoke.

"Hehe, rest assured, Brother Mo, I've already tracked down the lair of the Asura Spiders," Han Li said with a smile.

Mo Jianli faltered slightly upon hearing this before an ecstatic look appeared on his face. "Is that true?"

"I wouldn't lie about something like this," Han Li replied with a smile.

A thought then suddenly occurred to Mo Jianli, and he asked with a hint of anticipation in his eyes, "With your abilities, could it be that you've already slain the Asura Spider and obtained a Thread of Time?"

"I'm afraid not," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.

"Oh? Why is that?" Mo Jianli was rather taken aback to hear this.

"I wasn't powerful enough to hunt down the Asura Spiders on my own," Han Li sighed.

"Even you aren't able to handle the Asura Spiders? Are there a lot of mature Asura Spiders in that lair?" Mo Jianli asked with a surprised expression.

"I'm not sure how many mature Asura Spiders are in there, but I did discover an Asura Spider that was no less powerful than a true spirit being," Han Li replied.

Mo Jianli's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

Han Li continued, "In addition to that, there was another Grand Ascension Stage being that was no less powerful than the aforementioned Asura Spider, and I discovered at least three mature Asura Spiders. Hence, after a brief clash, I immediately retreated. If we want to take down all of the Asura Spiders, then the four of us will need to join forces. Also, these Asura Spiders have recruited many powerful beasts near their lair, most of which are at the Deity Transformation Stage and Spatial Tempering Stage, but there are some Body Integration Stage beings among them as well."

"That does indeed sound like something that we won’t be able to take on on our own. Looks like we'll have to take some risks," Mo Jianli said as his expression darkened slightly.

"This is why it's necessary for us to join forces if we want to obtain Threads of Time. Did you happen to encounter Xue Ran and Hei Lin on your way here?" Han Li asked.

"I haven't met them, but as I was passing through a forest, I discovered a trail that they left behind, and judging from that trail, they should be heading toward this direction as well," Mo Jianli replied.

"In that case, they shouldn't be far away from here. What we need to do now is track them down as quickly as possible," Han Li replied with a contemplative nod.

"Alright, let's get into contact with them and discuss a collaboration," Mo Jianli agreed without any hesitation.

Thus, after a brief discussion, the two of them flew away in different directions.

......

Over half a day later, Han Li and Mo Jianli were both seated on a giant azure stone.

Xue Ran and Hei Lin were also seated nearby across from the two of them.

Following their separation, Mo Jianli had encountered Xue Ran and Hei Lin after searching for only a few hours, and he was naturally ecstatic.

He immediately disclosed the situation to Xue Ran and Hei Lin, then sent a message to Han Li.

In the end, the four of them met up in this rather secluded mountain range.

A short while ago, Han Li had told Xue Ran and Hei Lin about the powerful Asura Spiders he had encountered, as well as his plan for a collaboration.

Xue Ran stroked his chin with his brows tightly furrowed, and said, "If those Asura Spiders really are as powerful as you proclaim, then we may not be able to gain the upper hand even if we join forces. Hei Lin and myself will only be able to keep the most powerful Asura Spider or that foreign Grand Ascension Stage being occupied; will you and Fellow Daoist Mo be able to take on the rest?"

Instead of offering an immediate response, Han Li turned to Mo Jianli with a smile, and asked, "What do you think, Brother Mo?"

"I wouldn't be able to take on the most powerful Asura Spider or that foreign Grand Ascension Stage being, but I should be able to stall those three mature Asura Spiders for some time," Mo Jianli replied after a brief moment of contemplation.

"In that case, does Fellow Daoist Han intend to face one of the two most powerful Grand Ascension Stage beings on his own?" Hei Lin asked as he glanced at Han Li out of the corner of his eyes, clearly not very confident in Han Li's abilities.

"That's exactly what I intend to do. Which of those two are you planning to take on?" Han Li asked.

Xue Ran and Hei Lin were rather taken aback by this response, and only after exchanging a slightly bewildered glance did Xue Ran reply, "I can see that you're very confident. In that case, the two of us will do our best as well. Judging from your description, that female Asura Spider seems to be the most powerful of the bunch, so we'll take her on. However, let's clarify one thing first: how are we going to split the cores of the Asura Spiders if we secure victory here?"

"That's simple; the one who kills the Asura Spider gets to keep the core," Han Li replied without any hesitation.

Mo Jianli's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, while Xue Ran and Hei Lin were very pleased by this answer.

"You're a straightforward man, Fellow Daoist Han! In that case, wouldn't you be at a disadvantage?"

"Not necessarily. If I can take care of my opponent before you do, perhaps I'll be able to track down other mature Asura Spiders in the lair, and I certainly won't be holding back. Alternatively, perhaps I'll land the killing blow on your opponent if you take too long," Han Li chuckled.

"If you really can defeat your opponent faster than we do, then you're entitled to step in; neither of us will have any complaints," Xue Ran replied with a confident smile.

"In that case, let's rest for half a day and head to the lair tomorrow morning. We don't have much time left, so it would be best to make haste," Han Li suggested with a smile.

Xue Ran and Hei Lin naturally had no objections to this.

"Before that, let me take care of this pesky little pest first," Hei Lin suddenly said as he rose to his feet.