A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm

Chapter 949: Unexpected Arrivals

Han Li paid no heed to the suction force acting upon him from the copper tree as he began carefully examining the pillar of white light before him.

This array was somewhat different from the one that he had bypassed to claim the previous crimson key, but they were both quite similar in nature, so it shouldn't be a difficult task to overcome this one.

With that in mind, he pulled out his Star Wave Pen and began to work.

With some experience already under his belt, Han Li was able to work much faster than before, and it didn't take long before his array was completed.

The pillar of white light slowly dissipated, and the crimson key fell into Han Li's grasp.

At the same time, the suction force emanating from the copper tree completely subsided.

Shao Ying was furious, thinking that he had fallen for a ploy collectively hatched by Han Li and Chen Yang, and he stomped down violently, snapping the branch beneath his feet as he launched himself at Han Li.

Meanwhile, Han Li and Shi Chuankong flew down from the tree, and before Shao Ying had a chance to come after him again, he raised the key high above his head as he yelled, "Everyone, get back! If you try to take the key from me by force, then I'll destroy it right now so no one gets it!"

Sure enough, Shao Ying immediately drew to a halt upon hearing this, glowering down at Han Li from the top of the copper tree with a dark expression, while everyone else in the hall also stopped what they were doing and disengaged themselves from their opponents.

"Haven't you already chosen not to get involved, Fellow Daoist Li? Why have you suddenly changed your mind?" Fu Jian asked with a displeased expression.

Han Li continued to hold the key aloft, and he offered no response.

"Do the cultivators of our Green Goat City have to follow your orders now, City Lord Fu?" Chen Yang sneered.

"It appears that we've fallen for their little ploy, Fellow Daoist Fu. We thought that they had turned on each other, but that was nothing more than an act to lure us into a false sense of complacency," Qin Yuan said.

"How dare you! Are you not afraid that I'll strike you down even at the cost of having the key destroyed?" Shao Ying threatened in a malicious voice.

Right at this moment, an authoritative voice rang out from outside the hall.

"That's enough nonsense from you, Shao Ying!"

Immediately thereafter, four more figures made their way in from outside.

The group was led by an unremarkable-looking middle-aged man and a short and well-built elderly man.

Neither of them should've commanded much attention, but they did, simply due to the fact that they were E Kuai and Mistress Liu Hua.

Standing behind them were Zhu Ziyuan and Zhu Ziqing, and to Han Li's befuddlement, he noticed that as soon as E Kuai came into view, Chen Yang immediately took a step backward, as if he had something to hide.

"Welcome, City Lord E," everyone hurriedly greeted.

Shao Ying rushed over to E Kuai before extending a deep bow, but before he had a chance to say anything, a cold look suddenly appeared on E Kuai's face as he smacked Shao Ying to the ground.

Shao Ying hurriedly clambered to his feet before bowing down again, not daring to say anything, while Qin Yuan and the others looked on with fearful expressions.

Han Li tightened his grip a little further around the crimson key upon seeing this, and he was carefully observing E Kuai's expression as considered whether to hand over the key or threaten to destroy it again.

E Kuai's gaze roamed over everyone in the hall, and a hint of approval surfaced in his eyes at the sight of Han Li. He was slightly taken aback to see Shi Chuankong standing behind Han Li, but he didn't display too much of a reaction.

However, as his gaze fell upon Qin Yuan and the others, a displeased look instantly appeared on his face as he sneered, "You two sure enjoy instigating internal conflicts, City Lord Qin, City Lord Fu. It seems like you're always jumping at the first opportunity to turn on your own allies."

"Please don't misunderstand, City Lord E. We were only trying to claim the key for ourselves so that we could offer it to you, and in our haste to do so, we got into a slight disagreement with Fellow Daoist Sun and Fellow Daoist Chen," Qin Yuan hurriedly explained.

"Is that really what happened, Fellow Daoist Qin?" Sun Tu sneered.

"If you had been clashing against Puppet City cultivators for the key, not only would I not be displeased, I would've rewarded you instead, but instigating internal conflicts at such a crucial juncture is entirely unforgivable," E Kuai said in a cold voice.

"My sincerest apologies, City Lord E. We were blinded by our excessive eagerness to get our hands on the key. Once we return to Profound City, we'll be sure to compensate White Rock City and Green Goat City for our transgressions," Fu Jian hurriedly said.

"I'll let things slide for now, but you two better make sure to compensate Fellow Daoist Sun and Fellow Daoist Chen once we leave the Great Ruins. Seeing as the key was claimed by Green Goat City, it can remain in the possession of Fellow Daoist Li for now, and no one is to try and take it from him. All of us must work together to claim the most precious treasures in the Great Ruins, do I make myself clear?" E Kuai declared.

No one raised any objections to this arrangement, but right at this moment, Han Li stepped forward as he said, "City Lord E, now that you're here, it would be unreasonable for me to hold onto the key any longer. It should be kept under your supervision instead."

"Perhaps all of you are unaware of this, but there are actually five of these keys in total, and only when combined in one place can they open a restricted area deep within the Great Ruins. Hence, having a single key isn't going to be of much use. Seeing as you were the one who obtained the key, you can keep it until we reach the entrance to that restricted area," E Kuai replied with a smile.

Han Li didn't say anything further upon hearing this, and he tucked the key down the front of his robes.

The sound of an urgent heartbeat rang out once again as the two crimson keys resonated with each other in front of his chest and began beating like a pair of hearts.

Immediately thereafter, another burst of heat surged out of the crimson key before entering his body, instantly stirring up both the bloodline power and the starpower within his body.

In this instant, the profound acupoint on his body that was yet to be fully opened finally burst open.

Han Li was ecstatic, and he hurriedly suppressed the energy fluctuations threatening to erupt out of his body to conceal this latest breakthrough, but despite his best efforts, everyone still noticed something and collectively turned to look at him.

Han Li's expression remained calm, and in order to divert attention away from himself, he asked, "City Lord E, would you be able to tell us exactly what treasure is resting deep within these Great Ruins?"

"According to ancient legends, a set of remains that harbor boundless power can be found deep within the Great Ruins. It's a set of remains with truly miraculous powers, and even just witnessing them can grant immense benefits," E Kuai replied.

The fact that this set of remains was receiving such glowing praise from E Kuai clearly indicated that it was indeed no ordinary treasure, and looks of longing and greed surfaced in everyone's eyes upon hearing this.

At the mention of this set of remains, Han Li couldn't help but think of the Scalptia Holy Remains that Shi Chuankong had mentioned, and he snuck a glance at Shi Chuankong, only to find a cold and distant look on the latter's face.

He then turned his gaze to Chen Yang to discover that the latter was currently looking rather concerned.

"You know some things, don't you, Fellow Daoist Chen?" Han Li asked through voice transmission.

After waiting for a short while, there was still no response from Chen Yang.

"Is City Lord E telling the truth or not?" Han Li asked through voice transmission.

"Fellow Daoist Li, I am indeed keeping some things from you, but I'm doing so for a reason, and I can't reveal these things to you right now..."

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you've already threatened me once, and if you're going to continue to keep secrets from me, then I think our collaboration should end here," Han Li interjected in a cold voice.

After a brief hesitation, Chen Yang sighed, "Fine, if you must know, then I'll tell you everything. In the beginning, I was actually from Profound City, not Green Goat City. My brother, Chen Lie, and I were both spies under the city lord's manor, and we were meant to be sent out to infiltrate other cities once our training was complete.

“For our final examination, we were both sent out to assassinate someone, and upon successfully carrying out the mission, we would receive vast quantities of cultivation resources and advanced bodily refinement cultivation arts. However, in a cruel twist of fate, our assassination targets for the mission were each other..."

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

Chen Yang paused here momentarily, then continued, "E Kuai sent Shao Ying to monitor us at the time, so we had no choice but to turn on each other, and in the end, I was the one who survived."

"Your past differences with E Kuai have nothing to do with me. I can work with you in order to better my chances of surviving in the Scalptia Spatial Domain, but challenging E Kuai would be no different from committing suicide, and I won't join you in such a futile endeavor," Han Li said.

"Of course, I have no intention of turning on E Kuai anytime soon. Right now, I'm just like you, Fellow Daoist Li, I'm just trying to survive," Chen Yang sighed in a resigned manner.

"So was he telling the truth just now?" Han Li asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question. After all, no one has ever found these remains before, but there are indeed legends that proclaim that a set of remains that harbor boundless power can be found deep in the Great Ruins.

“It's said that if one can obtain even a single finger bone from the set of remains and refine it into their own body, then their physical cultivation base and the number of profound acupoints they possess will be significantly elevated," Chen Yang replied.

Han Li was just about to say something else when E Kuai suddenly said, "Fellow Daoist Li, seeing as the key is in your possession, let's set off for that restricted area together right away. We can't afford to let the Puppet City cultivators get there before us."

"If all five keys must be assembled to access the restricted area, surely the Puppet City cultivators won't be able to go in even if they get there ahead of us," Sun Tu said.

"The Puppet City cultivators are all adept in the art of puppetry, so they may have some other tricks up their sleeves," Mistress Liu Hua said.