A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu Transmigrates into a Book, the Dao Ancestor of Rein

Chapter 177: Charging Admission Fees, Fellow Villagers Meet, the Situation is Unpredictable

Ten days later.

Han Li arrived at a vast, empty sea in the southeast of the Inner Star Sea.

"Husband, shall we go in?"

Yuan Yaoyan asked.

Han Li thought for a moment before responding:
"You two go find a more secluded spot first, I'll come in later."

Some toll fees should still be collected.

Saving one life is better than building a seven-level pagoda.

In the following days, this sea area gradually became lively.

Every few days, cultivators would fly here at great speed.

Everyone was overjoyed when they looked up at the magnificent palace complex high in the clouds.

Looking up, the very first palace in that magnificent complex was about a hundred feet tall, made entirely of flawless white jade, emitting a faint glow, and extremely exquisite and beautiful.

The other palaces appear as shadows and illusions behind them.

The hundred-foot-tall palace was shrouded in a thick golden light, hanging in the sky like a mirage.

Many of the arriving cultivators transformed into azure rainbows and headed straight for the palace complex shrouded in golden light.

Upon reaching the light barrier, these people were enveloped in a flash of white light, allowing them to enter easily without any hindrance.

Han Li waited alone outside for five days, witnessing dozens of people enter one after another.

These people have varying levels of cultivation.

The weakest was a cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while the strongest had reached the late-Core Formation stage.

For those Foundation Establishment cultivators who were oblivious to their fate, he would knock them unconscious and then retrieve the fragments of the Void Heaven Map from their bodies. Then, he would place jade slips, each bearing only one word, into their storage bags.

"roll!"

For those in the early stages of Core Formation, the task is to collect the remaining fragments of the map.

In total, he collected more than twenty fragments of the map.

It was all as repayment for saving my life.

In addition, he would inspect the cultivators' storage bags and take any items that caught his eye. He would then purchase them all with spirit stones at half the price in Tiannan. Half the price in Tiannan was two to three times the price here.

"While we should respect other people's lives, I still enjoy doing things that are the best of both worlds."

I really am a living Bodhisattva.

And he can be said to have a clear conscience and have done his utmost in terms of benevolence and righteousness.

...

No one knows how these fragments of the map ended up in the hands of so many cultivators.

In short, these fragments of maps miraculously ended up in the sea area centered on Tianxing Island, spanning eight million li.

No one knows why the Void Heaven Palace suddenly appeared more than 10,000 years ago.

No one knows how the Star Palace came to sign an oath with the ancient cultivators who left behind the Void Heaven Palace.

How could the Star Palace have remained steadfast in its pursuit of the Void Heaven Palace for millennia?!
It's worth noting that during the peak of the Star Palace, it produced two Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

But Hoshimiya never crossed that line.

The reason for this is probably only known to the Star Palace itself.

On the sixth day after they arrived, a Nascent Soul cultivator finally came.

He was a middle-aged man with a cold and gloomy gaze.

Beside this man were an extremely ugly young man and three masked cultivators.

“Ugly…”

Han Li, who had spotted the three people from the shadows, narrowed his eyes.

He recognized the young man's identity.

It was Wu Chou from Jiyin Island, whom I had met once before, who had a cultivation level of mid-stage Core Formation.

The three masked cultivators possessed the same magical aura as Wu Chou. In terms of cultivation level, two were in the mid-stage of Core Formation, and one was in the late-stage of Core Formation.

As for that middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator? He's most likely the Extreme Yin Old Demon from Extreme Yin Island.

After arriving at this place, the group from Jiyin Island also followed Han Li's example and stopped people on the road to charge a fee.

The two Core Formation stage cultivators and one Foundation Establishment stage cultivator who arrived later were unfortunately stopped by the Extreme Yin Old Demon before they even entered the high-altitude light barrier, and then the demon snatched the Void Heaven Remnant Map that they carried with them.

One person attempted to avoid the extreme Yin and force his way into the Void Heaven Palace, but as expected, he was burned to ashes by the Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire, leaving behind only the fragments of the Void Heaven Map he carried with him.

In fact, this tiny fragment of the Void Heaven Map is also a rare treasure.

It is unknown what materials were used to refine it.

Not to mention that even the power of a Core Formation stage cultivator would be insufficient to destroy it, even an attack from a Nascent Soul stage would require sustained and powerful assault to break through. The restrictions on it are even more profound; even from millions of miles away, the precise location of the soon-to-be-born Void Heaven Palace can be sensed. Of course, beyond eight million miles, the sensing will fail.

The Ice Soul Fairy, who could forge such a magical artifact, and the one who could replicate the Void Heaven Cauldron, must have possessed extraordinary cultivation and artifact-forging skills when she descended to the mortal realm.

"Let's go, it's about time. Come with me to retrieve the treasure."

Ji Yin called out.

He first used a fragment of a celestial map in his hand to pass through the golden light barrier.

Four Core Formation stage cultivators, each carrying a fragment of the Void Heaven Map as a "pass," were about to ignore the Void Heaven Palace's restrictive light barrier and enter.

In the shadows, Han Li took a deep breath and frowned slightly:

"The situation has changed..."

According to the original plan, Ji Yin only brought Wu Chou into the Void Heaven Palace, without any other Ji Yin Island cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Core Formation.

However, due to his butterfly effect, the ancient cultivator's cave on that desolate island was opened a year and a half ahead of schedule. In other words, it alerted the Extreme Yin Demon more than a year ahead of schedule.

This also led Ji Yin to change many of his original plans and make more thorough preparations.

If even the most yin elements are affected this way, it's hard to say that others won't be similarly impacted by the butterfly effect.

The next ten days or so.

He would ambush any Foundation Establishment cultivators or early Core Formation novices who arrived, sending them far away.

Even those in the mid-stage of Core Formation would be given a warning by being hit on the head with a club.

He may be a bit shameless, but for ordinary early to mid-stage Core Formation cultivators to enter would be extremely risky, with only a slim chance of survival.

If someone enters during the Foundation Establishment stage, it's practically a death sentence.

The reason why Zi Ling in the original trajectory was able to pass through a group of Yin spirits was purely because she had latched onto a powerful figure.

The timely arrival at the Void Heaven Palace was also thanks to the flying treasure, the stone tablet, passed down from the Myriad Sound Sect. It was a testament to the Myriad Sound Sect's profound heritage.

That stone tablet, when activated in the late Foundation Establishment stage, could maintain the flight speed of the mid-Core Formation stage. When activated in the early Core Formation stage, it surpassed the escape techniques of ordinary late-Core Formation stage cultivators. Otherwise, even Zi Linglian wouldn't have been able to get close to this place, let alone enter the Void Heaven Palace to retrieve the spiritual herbs that could help her break through to the Core Formation stage.

"With dozens of fragmented maps in hand, wouldn't you say I've saved over eighty lives?"

Han Li stitched together the palm-sized fragments of the painting, managing to create a double-patterned shirt and double-patterned thermal underwear in the style of the Beggar Clan's Nine-Bag Elder.

Wearing the suit made from nearly a hundred fragments of the Void Heaven map, he felt a sense of security.

Although the Void Sky Remnant Map has no other function and is insufficient to completely neutralize a Nascent Soul level attack, it can still offset most of the power and buy him time to react.

It is highly suspected that this leather scroll was made from the leather of an ancient demon or monster at the Nascent Soul stage.

Now, it's actually a bargain for him.

Furthermore, as long as he places the clothes into the golden treasure chest in his storage bag before leaving the Void Heaven Palace, ensuring they are not activated, the Void Heaven Palace's Great Teleportation Restriction will not reclaim them. He can then continue to use them.

Three days later, another Nascent Soul stage cultivator arrived.

It was Wan Tianming, a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, and two early-Nascent Soul cultivators.

Upon seeing the three people, Han Li became even more careful in hiding.

After the three entered, he continued to wait for several more days.

It was noticed that fewer and fewer people were coming here, and the frequency was decreasing. It seemed that all the mid-to-high-level cultivators who possessed the fragments of the Void Heaven Map had already arrived in this sea area.

Therefore, Han Li did not linger any longer.

Disguised as a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, he walked towards the golden light barrier.

He channeled his magic power into one of the fragments of the celestial map, and a layer of white light immediately appeared on his body. When the white light came into contact with the golden light barrier, he could pass through it without any hindrance.

As he approached the magnificent Void Heaven Palace, he chose to follow another newly arrived Core Formation stage cultivator into a passage.

The passage was two zhang wide and forty zhang high, and was made of crystal-clear jade.

One second, he tried to use his divine sense to explore the depth of this place; the next second, his divine sense immediately rebounded when it touched the surrounding walls.

The walls were protected by powerful isolation barriers set up by ancient cultivators.

A similar situation occurred among those at the Core Formation stage.

However, the person's divine sense did not rebound; rather, it ached faintly, as if the outward-projecting divine sense had been pierced by the restrictions on the surrounding walls.

Having suffered a setback, how could that person dare to continue projecting their divine sense?
The two walked one after the other, and in the time it takes to eat a meal, they finished the passage and arrived in front of a blue light barrier.

Passing through the light barrier, the next moment, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

This is a huge hall.

Its area is as wide as three or four hundred zhang.

The hall is magnificent and grand, and it would not feel crowded even if it could accommodate tens of thousands of people.

There are sixty or seventy thick jade pillars evenly spaced here, carved with dragons and phoenixes, lifelike and full of spirit.

at this time.

More than forty cultivators dressed in various styles were gathered here.

The lineage that entered Jiyin Island earlier occupied one of the pillars.

There was also a reclusive, long-bearded old man sitting alone on a jade pillar not far away.

There was also a Nascent Soul stage female cultivator, quietly holding a precious sword and resting with her eyes closed. But Han Li's divine sense keenly detected that this Nascent Soul stage female cultivator's divine sense was always intentionally or unintentionally lingering in a certain corner.

In that corner, on a pillar, Yuan Yao and Yan Li sat cross-legged, heads bowed.

Judging from their state, he knew that the two women were compressing their true essence to strengthen the Yin Demon Slash within their bodies.

The power of the Yin Demon Slash depends on the degree of compression; the more compressed it is, the greater the power it will be when released at once.

Clearly, Yuan Yaoyanli took this secret realm instance very seriously and dared not slack off in the slightest.

Han Li nodded slightly and flew over.

Along the way, several cultivators gave him strange smiles, as if they were mocking him.

It wasn't until the two veiled women noticed his arrival and stood up to greet him with joyful smiles that the smiles of the several late-stage Core Formation male cultivators around him froze, and their faces twitched.

"what happened?"

Han Li erected a mid-level soundproof barrier and asked telepathically.

“Husband, some cultivators tried to strike up a conversation with us sisters, but we were rejected.”

Yanli, who was already petite and charming, now had her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter.

In an instant, Han Li understood why some Core Formation cultivators around him were giving him strange looks.

It turns out that someone had tried to chat him up but was rejected, so they wanted to see him make a fool of himself.

Unexpectedly, instead of seeing a joke, I witnessed the two women getting close and affectionate.

As a result, those who had tried to strike up a conversation but were met with a cold shoulder all seemed extremely frustrated.

"Alright, you can continue your cultivation. I will protect you."

Han Li smiled.

He ignored the jealous stares from the group around him.

The two women smiled happily upon hearing this:
"Thank you, my husband." The surrounding male cultivators: "Damn it!"

...

In the days that followed, more scattered cultivators arrived.

He even saw several acquaintances:

"Why are these people here?"

Where did you get so many fragments of the Void Heaven Map?

One of them was Sect Master Wang, who was in the mid-stage of Core Formation at the Miaoyin Sect.

The other person is Wang Ning, also known as Zi Ling, the young sect leader of the Miaoyin Sect and one of the Ten Beauties of the Chaotic Star Sea. The name of Fairy Zi Ling is still very well-known in the Chaotic Star Sea. Her cultivation has also reached the early stage of Core Formation.

The third person, who came together with the mother and daughter of the Miaoyin Sect and flew towards a jade pillar, was a late-stage Core Formation cultivator. Dressed in white, he looked even more heroic and dashing!

The woman's eyes widened as she looked at Han Li.

"what happened?"

"He...he...he..."

Is that brat surnamed Han here too?
"Huh? How did his cultivation level drop to the mid-stage of Core Formation?"

wrong.

The young man surnamed Han must be hiding his true cultivation level.

Moreover, who are the two female cultivators beside him?
He brought two beautiful female cultivators to participate in the Void Heaven Palace Secret Realm, but deliberately didn't bring his sword attendant, himself? He didn't even inform her.

Am I really that unpopular with you?

Grandma Gan was secretly furious.

At this moment, for some reason, her originally calm and undisturbed state of mind was stirred by a few ripples.

I felt inexplicably frustrated and slightly aggrieved.

Seeing Han Li's doting affection for the two women made her even more uncomfortable.

Meeting Gan Rushuang's beautiful eyes, which held a complex expression, Han Li turned his head away, pretending not to see her.

"Husband, do you know any of them?"

Yanli, observing people's expressions, was the first to make a guess.

Yuan Yao then peered over with an inquiring gaze.

"Just a fellow villager."

Han Li's answer was concise and clear.

In fact, not only Gan Rushuang recognized him, but the youngest of the three women from Miaoyin Sect also recognized him.

However, this woman concealed it very well.

Gan Rushuang has always lived a secluded life, rarely interacting with outsiders. Even after becoming a well-informed guest elder of the Miaoyin Sect, she still prefers to be alone and has not yet managed to keep every detail hidden from her mind.

The younger Zi Ling is different.

From childhood to adulthood, I have seen too many different kinds of cultivators and had to put on too many forced smiles, so that the art of pretense has long been ingrained in my bones.

Even if they are very surprised, they won't easily show it.

When interacting with people, one knows instinctively what attitude to adopt to gain their favor and trust, even if it's not something one can master perfectly.

Ever since.

Gan Rushuang, whose cultivation was higher, subtly revealed her emotions.

Zi Ling, whose cultivation level was slightly lower and who was younger, did not show her emotions.

"Does Sister Gan know that person over there?"

Zi Ling's voice carried a hidden meaning.

"Just a fellow villager."

Gan Rushuang gave the exact same answer as Han Li.

"A fellow villager?"

No wonder this person's emotions fluctuated so much.

The mother and daughter of Miaoyinmen nodded.

I didn't investigate further.

...

"Tsk tsk..."

Just as the women from Miaoyin Sect were about to say something, several unfriendly gazes swept over from Jiyin Island, scrutinizing the three women with interest, startling the mother and daughter.

Looking up and meeting that extremely cold and indifferent gaze, a chill ran down my spine.

"It is the Extreme Yin Old Demon of Extreme Yin Island."

Master Wang of the Miaoyin Sect broke out in a cold sweat.

Her Miaoyin Sect and Jiyin Island had a blood feud that began more than twenty years ago.

Although the Miaoyin Sect suffered a great loss, how could they dare to cause trouble for the Jiyin Island?

They were even more worried that the people on Jiyin Island might think they were still holding a grudge.

"not good."

originally.

With their disguises, they could easily fool some Core Formation stage cultivators.

However, it was not enough against the Nascent Soul stage Elder Yin.

"It's alright, Mother. We won't venture into the Ice and Fire Path of the second trial. We'll just gather some spiritual herbs in the outer hall and then leave. The outer hall's safe zone has always prohibited killing. I think as long as we're not too greedy or go too deep, Extreme Yin Island won't break any rules."

The girl in the purple palace dress comforted her.

Upon hearing this, Sect Leader Wang suppressed his anxiety and fear.

Gan Rushuang, on the other hand, was filled with worry and was skeptical about the so-called safe zone in this area.

Just then, a mocking voice rang out:

“Ji Yin, your gaze is quite impolite. This is not your Ji Yin Island.”

The one who suddenly spoke was Tian Wuzi, the old Taoist priest of the Tianji Sect.

This person is fairly upright.

There seems to be some unpleasantness between him and the Extreme Yin Demon.

They seemed to be at odds with each other.

"Tian Wuzi, it's not your place to tell us what to do on Jiyin Island."

He responded with an extremely cold and sinister snort.

We're evenly matched, so who's afraid of whom?

"Can someone named Wan do something about it?"

Beside Tian Wuzi, a refined middle-aged man spoke softly.

The extremely yin turned to face it, and its momentum immediately weakened by three points:
"Sect Master Wan, why must you make things difficult for me over a few young women?"

Wan Tianming, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, was someone he didn't want to provoke for the time being.

"Women? Ha, extremely Yin, are you looking down on us female cultivators?"

The Nascent Soul stage female cultivator, who was holding a precious sword, suddenly looked up and stared at him coldly.

“Madam Wen, that’s not what I meant.”

Ji Yin hurriedly waved his hand.

He cursed inwardly at the woman's behavior.

As the partner of the number one demonic cultivator, not only did she not help him, a member of the demonic path, but she also went to speak up for the righteous cultivators?

Is there something wrong with it?
Immediately, he began to make plans in his mind, and finally flew to the jade pillar where the lone Nascent Soul elder was located: "Brother Qing, would you be interested in joining forces with me to explore the inner hall?"

The so-called Brother Qing is none other than Qingyi Jushi.

"... "

the other side.

Sect Master Wan looked at Madam Wen, the Daoist partner of the Six Paths Supreme Saint, the number one demonic cultivator in the Chaotic Star Sea, and revealed a gentle and refined smile:

"Thank you for speaking up for justice, Madam."

"Wan Tianming, don't give me that. This isn't over between us, since your disciple injured my disciple."

"... "

The Nascent Soul stage cultivators from both the righteous and demonic paths clearly didn't get along.

But no one knows whether these people are truly at odds or if they are putting on an act for the people of the Star Palace.

While everyone was still waiting anxiously, a series of loud, earth-shaking sounds suddenly came from the passage connecting to this place.

Those who followed the righteous path all wore solemn expressions, with Tian Wuzi and another Nascent Soul cultivator disguised as an old farmer showing particular concern.

On the other hand, the demonic path laughed.

When a tall figure emerged from within, displaying a golden Dharma form tens of feet in size, Ji Yin immediately stepped forward to greet him warmly:
"Brother Man, you've finally arrived."

The newcomer was none other than Barbarian Beard, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from the Chaotic Star Sea Demonic Path.

The cultivation technique he practiced, "The Heavenly Demon Technique," was hailed as the best defensive technique in the Chaotic Star Sea.

It is also an important part of the "Brahma Saint True Demon Art".

"Huh, am I too early?"

As the bearded man spoke, the golden illusory image dozens of feet tall behind him retracted into his body, revealing his towering, dark, muscular physique.

"Brother Man, you've come at just the right time."

Qingyi Jushi stroked his beard.

"But why are there so few people coming in this time?"

It's as if they've been laid off in large numbers.

In the past, at least a hundred cultivators would enter the Void Heaven Palace, and sometimes even two or three hundred.

This time, there were only sixty or seventy people, and most of them were from both the righteous and demonic paths.

There are very few rogue cultivators at the Core Formation stage.

Even the three women of the Miaoyin Sect are a force to be reckoned with in this space.

"Brother Man, have you also noticed something amiss?"

This unusual behavior is one of the main reasons why Qingyi Jushi has been frowning all the time.

He felt that the rogue cultivators, who should have been lucky in this Void Heaven Palace instance, might have been targeted by a certain faction.

His instincts were always spot on.

But he had no evidence.

"The Ghost Mist Pass isn't exactly friendly right now. It would be better for those small, independent cultivators and minor factions to stay out of the way, wouldn't it?"

Tianwuzi murmured something.

"Oh? Could it be that this was done by your Heavenly Mystery Sect?"

"Ji Yin, stop trying to smear us righteous people..."

"Alright everyone..."

(End of this chapter)