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

A short while later, Han Li appeared in the hall on the third floor before taking a seat with the young woman.

"Brother Han, no, I should be referring to you as Senior Han now. I knew that with your aptitude, you would reach the Grand Ascension Stage sooner or later, but I didn't think that day would come so soon," the young woman said with a smile.

"There's no need to be so formal, Fellow Daoist Lan; you and I are old acquaintances, so just refer to me as you did in the past. It looks like your Vast Origin House already knows everything that happened at the original sealed site even without a recount from me," Han Li said with a benevolent smile.

The young woman had done him a great favor in the past, so he naturally wasn't going to exert dominance over her now that he had reached the Grand Ascension Stage.

"In that case, I won't be so formal and rigid. Our Vast Origin House prides itself in being an all-knowing organization, so we've naturally received firsthand information regarding the two battles that took place in the original sealed site. However, never did we think that you and Fellow Daoist Bao Hua would actually be able to kill the Stemborer Queen. Now that such a major threat has been eradicated, I can continue to run my Vast Origin House without any qualms," the young woman chuckled.

"It was someone else who landed the killing blow on the Stemborer Queen in the end; Bao Hua and I just so happened to be in the right place at the right time. Otherwise, we would have struggled to even survive against the Stemborer Queen, let alone put an end to its life. As for the specific details, I'm afraid that I can't disclose them to you," Han Li replied.

"I see. In any case, even if you weren't the one who landed the killing blow, I'm sure you contributed greatly in the battle," Lan Ying insisted.

"You think far too highly of me, Fellow Daoist Lan. I came here today because I want you to contact Violet Spirit for me; I plan to take her back to the Spirit Realm with me," Han Li said in a straightforward manner.

"Hehe, leave that to me. Violet Spirit has constantly been cultivating in seclusion in a nearby area, so she should be able to get here in a few days; how about you stay at our Vast Origin House in the meantime, Brother Han?" Lan Ying suggested.

"Alright, I'll be in your care then, Fellow Daoist Lan," Han Li agreed after a brief pause for contemplation.

Lan Ying's smile became even more pronounced upon hearing this, and she asked a few more questions about the battles that took place in the original sealed site, listening with rapt focus to Han Li's answers.

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Han Li, and he said, "By the way, there's something else that I need your help with."

"Go ahead, Brother Han," Lan Ying immediately prompted.

"I have a few things that I'd like to show you." Han Li swept a sleeve through the air to release four balls of white light, which quickly revealed themselves to be four palm-sized translucent bricks.

Lan Ying's expression immediately changed slightly at the sight of these objects.

"A treasure map left behind by Sacred Ancestor Qi Ling is inscribed on these bricks, and I obtained them by chance many years ago. Unfortunately, my understanding of the Elder Devil Realm is very limited, so I've never tried to seek out these treasures, and that's where I require your assistance," Han Li said.

"Ah, so it's the secret treasure map left behind by Qi Ling. Truth be told, I've been searching for this treasure as well but haven't been able to find any leads; I didn't think that you would be in possession of the map. Rest assured, Brother Han, as long as the treasures are located in the Elder Devil Realm, I definitely won't disappoint you," Lan Ying assured with a smile.

Han Li nodded with a pleased expression.

......

Five days later, Han Li was finally reunited with Violet Spirit in the same hall.

The two of them were naturally elated to see one another, but there was also a series of complex emotions in their hearts.

Lan Ying had already vacated the hall in a thoughtful gesture to give the two of them some alone time.

Violet Spirit had already been informed by Lan Ying that Han Li had reached the Grand Ascension Stage, and she was stunned to hear from Han Li that Liu Ji had already perished.

After all, the event had only taken place several months ago, and none of the people involved had intentionally leaked this information, so very few people knew about this.

"So that means I've finally regained my freedom and won't have to fear being refined into someone else's clone," Violet Spirit murmured to herself as her eyes glazed over slightly.

"Indeed. Not only was Liu Ji killed, none of her clones managed to survive, either," Han Li replied in a confident manner.

"That's quite a relief to hear. Why have you come to see me, Brother Han?" Violet Spirit asked as she cast a hesitant gaze toward Han Li.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to revert back to a human body and see where the human race is residing in the Spirit Realm? I found a few secret techniques that can eradicate the true devilish Qi within your body and return you to your former physique. After that, you'll be able to practice human cultivation arts even in the Spirit Realm," Han Li said with a smile.

Violet Spirit was unsurprised to hear this, but after a brief silence, she suddenly asked, "Brother Han, I want to ask you something; please tell me the truth."

A sense of foreboding arose in Han Li's heart at the sight of Violet Spirit's expression, and he said, "Of course, go ahead and ask me anything you want."

"I want to know roughly how much of a chance you have of ascending to the True Immortal Realm and becoming an immortal," Violet Spirit said with a serious expression.

Han Li was rather taken aback by this question. "Why did you suddenly think to ask me something like this?"

"Please give me your answer," Violet Spirit insisted with a determined expression.

Han Li hesitated momentarily before replying, "If anyone else had asked me this, I definitely wouldn't tell them the truth. However, I have nothing to hide from you. In the past, my chances of successfully ascending would've only been just over 20%, but I encountered some opportunities during my trip to the original sealed site; I'm not sure whether those opportunities will spell fortune or tragedy for me, but they've doubled my chances of successful ascension."

Violet Spirit was quite surprised to hear this. "So there's a roughly 50% chance that you'll be able to ascend to the True Immortal Realm. I knew that you would definitely be far more powerful than normal Grand Ascension Stage beings, but I didn't think you'd be this confident."

"Why have you decided to ask me this?" Han Li asked once again.

Instead of answering Han Li's question, Violet Spirit continued with a solemn expression, "Please allow me to ask you another question, Brother Han; if I were to eradicate the devilish Qi within my body and revert back to a human physique, my cultivation base will be severely impacted, right?"

Han Li could tell where this was going, and he was silent for a moment before replying, "If you had only attained this devilish physique not long ago, then there's a good chance I'd be able to to preserve your cultivation base. However, you've been cultivating under Liu Ji's guidance for many years, so your cultivation base will inevitably be impacted if I were to remove the devilish Qi within your body. However, with my current power, it wouldn't be a difficult task to return you to your former cultivation base, and I guarantee that it won't affect your future cultivation."

"Ever since we parted ways last time, I've considered my situation extensively, and no matter how I thought about it, I always arrived at the conclusion that staying in the Elder Devil Realm was the best option for me. Just like Liu Ji had once said, cultivating devilish arts is the ideal path for my physique. If I were to return to the Spirit Realm, perhaps I would be able to reach the Grand Ascension Stage with your assistance and by some immense stroke of fortune, but it'll definitely be very difficult for me to ascend. I don't want to see you ascend and become a true immortal while I remain in the Spirit Realm and await my death with each passing heavenly tribulation," Violet Spirit said with a determined expression.

Han Li was silent for a long while upon hearing this before heaving a faint sigh. "So you've made your decision? At your current cultivation base, I can still revert your back to your human physique, but as you progress, it'll become more and more difficult for me to do that. Once you reach the Grand Ascension Stage, there will be no way for you to attain a human physique again."

"Rest assured, Brother Han; I've considered this decision thoroughly. I don't want to give up on even the slightest chance of ascending to the True Immortal Realm," Violet Spirit replied in a determined manner.

Han Li looked into her resolute eyes for a long while before nodding as he sighed, "In that case, I'll leave the decision to you. During my two journeys through the Elder Devil Realm, I've obtained some devilish secret techniques and pills that will be very helpful to your cultivation; I'll leave them with you now."

"Thank you, Brother Han. With your powers, it shouldn't be too difficult to return to our holy realm, so I'm sure we'll have many more opportunities to meet in the future," Violet Spirit said as a faint blush appeared on her face.