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

Chapter 181 The Barbarian's Invitation: Seeking Cooperation

The safe space is like a garden in a traditional Chinese ink painting.

It is home to a large number of unknown exotic flowers and plants for people to enjoy.

Even after three hundred years of neglect, it still thrives and its living space has not been taken over by weeds.

Around the garden are eight exquisitely carved white jade pavilions, each with ten tables and thirty or forty stone benches.

At this moment, more than forty cultivators were scattered around in several pavilions.

Most of these cultivators were pale-faced or covered in blood, looking as if they had been through a fierce battle.

Because Han Li saved people by disguising himself, and those he saved were all rogue cultivators, he was not recognized by the people he saved.

Just as many people were quietly resting with their eyes closed, a deep, resonant voice transmitted into Han Li's ear:

"What do you call fellow Taoist?"

Looking at the angle of the sound transmission, it was indeed Barbarian Beard.

"Brother Man, it's been six hundred years. You've already reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage. It's a pity you don't break through soon, or your lifespan will be short."

Han Li responded silently via telepathy.

When he searched the soul and bones, he made a point of learning about their relationship.

More than six hundred years ago, Xiao Cha had already reached the Nascent Soul stage for over a hundred years when, by chance, he met the newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator, Man Hu Zi. He then helped Man Hu Zi, who was in danger, escape from the crisis, which could be considered a favor.

The two were birds of a feather; although they were on the demonic path, they often enjoyed doing righteous things.

They have always had a good relationship.

Even their initial style of dealing with people was exactly the same.

It wasn't until Xiao Cha's accident, when he was betrayed and killed by Ji Yin Xuan, that the barbarian bearded man learned from the previous example and immediately changed his previously kind attitude towards his disciples.

At first, Man Da Han treated his first few disciples like his own sons and daughters.

Later, those disciples passed away one after another, and he then trained several new disciples at the Core Formation stage.

He treated newly trained male disciples as mere employees and was extremely wary of them.

Female disciples were treated as bedchamber attendants.

In short.

The one who reacted the most and whose behavior changed the most to the incident of Xiao Cha being betrayed by his disciple was the barbarian bearded man.

This person also felt that there was nothing in this world that could be trusted.

He hid all the good stuff away, and even as his lifespan was about to end and he was about to pass away, he had no intention of leaving that wealth to his disciples.

"who are you?"

Barbarian Beard remained expressionless on the surface as well.

But a storm raged in my heart.

He always felt that the title was too intimate, too familiar, yet too distant.

Could this person be...?

"Brother Man, do you still remember when I invited you to discuss the Dao on Xuan Yin Island more than six hundred years ago?"

Han Li looked up, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

Eyes seem to speak volumes:

"Back then, how full of youthful vigor we were! But now, one of us is nearing the end of our lives, and the other has become a homeless dog..."

This sigh truly struck a nerve with the bearded man.

The thousand-year-old barbarian is nearing the end of his life. He entered the Void Heaven Palace this time out of unwillingness to accept his fate and to defy destiny. His main goal is to obtain one or two Longevity Fruits to refine an elixir that can extend one's life by fifty or sixty years.

On the other hand, it's a matter of trying one's luck to see if the Void Cauldron can be opened.

If it can be opened, then we can compete for the fortune within the Void Heaven Cauldron, the number one secret treasure of the Chaotic Star Sea.

For example, the "rumored" Heaven-Mending Pill can extend lifespan.

He doesn't have much time left to live.

Even if he were given another hundred years, he might not be able to break through his cultivation level.

But if given a few hundred more years, he might be able to make further progress.

"Brother Xiao, is it really you?"

Barbarian Beard still harbored some doubts about his old friend's identity.

"You big fool, how many people know about the relationship between us? Besides, who in this Chaotic Star Sea needs to pretend to be me?"

Han Li's two direct and pointed questions, along with his personal address, instantly dispelled the barbarian's suspicions.

It cured Man Dahan's acquired paranoia.

"Brother Xiao, have you come here for the sake of Extreme Yin?"

"Not just for him, but also for what's inside the Void Heaven Cauldron."

Han Li said bluntly.

Upon hearing this, the bearded man's heart tightened.

If Xiao Cha also wants to compete for the Void Heaven Cauldron, then things will get complicated.

Just as he hesitated, Han Li's telepathic message reached his ears again:
"Don't worry, I once obtained a Heaven-Mending Pill, but it's of little use to me now. It's just right for you though."

"really?"

"Ah."

This nonchalant chuckle was like heavenly music to the bearded barbarian!
After all, his main purpose in coming here was to obtain the Heaven-Mending Pill.

If Xiao Cha's goal wasn't the Heaven-Mending Pill, wouldn't that be in his best interest?

Of course.

The premise is that the Void Heaven Cauldron can be pried open by these few Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

If it can't be opened, then everything is just empty talk.

"Brother Xiao, what has caught your eye in the cauldron? Could it be one of those top-tier ancient treasures? And judging from your confident demeanor, you seem quite certain you can open the Void Heaven Cauldron?"

"Without the help of a top-tier ancient treasure, relying solely on my knowledge of the extreme Yin weakness, I may not be able to destroy that traitor! It's still a bit risky!"

Han Li's tone was long and calm, yet it revealed a deep-seated hatred.

Barbarian Beard felt even more relieved.

"As for how to activate the Void Heaven Cauldron? Brother Man, do you know about the Blood Jade Spider?"

"What? Blood Jade Spider? Brother Xiao, do you have that kind of strange insect in your possession?"

The bearded man almost lost control of his facial expressions.

His eyes widened.

Realizing he had lost his composure, he immediately calmed himself down.

"Indeed, through years of investigation, I have found the burial place of that traitor Ji Xuan and obtained a level four Blood Jade Spider he left behind before his death. It's just a pity that the other one was accidentally killed by Ji Yin back then, leaving me without an ally. Otherwise, with the help of two level four Blood Jade Spiders, it would be much easier to open the cauldron. However, that traitor Ji Yin has obtained a rare Fire Python. If it can work with my Blood Jade Spider, it should be barely enough to pry open the Void Heaven Cauldron."

"Good good..."

The bearded man was overjoyed.

"Brother Xiao, our interests are not in conflict. Would you like to cooperate?"

Without any hesitation, the bearded man readily extended the invitation. With a Blood Jade Spider and an extremely Yin-type fire python, opening the cauldron was a sure thing.

Having an additional Nascent Soul stage helper would undoubtedly increase one's chances of success.

It could even be said that it's a sure thing.

OK OK.

therefore.

At this moment, his eyes were extremely eager, and he really wanted to hear a positive reply from his old friend on the other end.

Han Li was waiting for Barbarian Beard to take the initiative to invite him to cooperate.

If he were to ask for a favor, it would sound somewhat like he's begging someone for a favor.

When making requests later, if you ask for too much, it's seen as you taking advantage and being naive. If you ask for too little, it's seen as you being taken advantage of and not getting the better deal.

But if it were a barbarian from the north who came to invite him, the situation would be different.

"Brother Man, all you want is the Heaven-Mending Pill inside the cauldron to prolong your life?"

"good."

"Are you sure you only need the Heaven-Mending Pill?"

"of course."

"Alright, we can cooperate. I, Xiao, will help you snatch a Heaven-Mending Pill from a group of Nascent Soul cultivators, but in return, you need to help me seize a top-tier ancient treasure. After that, you also need to help me eliminate that treacherous disciple, Ji Yin, who betrayed his master and ancestors! How about it?"

He wanted the wolf-head jade ruyi.

With the wolf-headed jade ruyi residing in the artifact spirit formed from the silver moon, even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would have no chance of harming him in the short term.

"Just that?"

Barbarian Beard felt he had gotten a great deal.

I felt a little guilty.

Compared to the precious Heaven-Mending Pill, a top-tier ancient treasure and the easy task of helping to eliminate the Extreme Yin in a two-on-one fight seem insignificant.

"If you can get a lot of Longevity Fruits, Brother Man, you can give me some. Also, before entering the inner hall, come with me to eliminate some uncertain dangers, so that no one will ruin our plans at a crucial moment."

"Brother Xiao, what use do you have for the Longevity Fruit?"

With a puzzled look, the bearded man glanced meaningfully at Yuan Yao and Yan Li:
"You've already gone through what happened back then, yet you still go to such lengths for your disciples and concubines?"

"Their Daoist partners, who are also the original owners of the bodies I possessed, have somewhat special identities. After I completed the possession, I needed to use these identities to do some things. Moreover, these two women are still very loyal to me. Alas, I still can't bring myself to mistreat the people around me."

Han Li sighed softly.

"It really was possession..."

And most of them became ghost cultivators!
Otherwise, the primordial spirit would have dissipated long ago!
Barbarian Beard pondered to himself.

Regardless of what Xiao Cha wanted to do with the Longevity Fruit, all he needed was a single, finished Longevity Pill.

More than that, taking it a second time won't help.

"Sure. But the prerequisite is that I need to get a lot of Longevity Fruits."

"That's natural. No one would complain about having too long a lifespan."

Cooperation intentions have been reached.

As for whether there will be any changes later?
It depends on the situation.

"By the way, Brother Xiao, what did Qingyi say?"

"Has he ever used an elixir of immortality before?"

"I didn't hear that."

“Then let’s promise him an elixir of immortality. You take the lead, he takes the second, and mine can be saved for last. Any extras can be given to me. Also, if we take out more ancient treasures from the Void Heaven Cauldron, we can give him one. Of course, he has to choose between the elixir of immortality and the ancient treasure. If he wants both, then we need him to help us deal with the three righteous people, Wan Tianming and his companions.”

Four against three, the advantage is in my hands.

After that, it was three against one.

The advantage remains with me.

"Don't tell Qingyi my identity for now."

"Understood. So that we can give that brat Ji Yin a surprise, right?"

"Brother Man, you really understand me."

"Hey hey hey..."

"Pleasant to work with."

"Must be pleasant."

Even Wan Tianming couldn't intercept their telepathic communication, let alone the others.

Soon, Qingyi Jushi also unconsciously looked up and glanced in this direction.

Their eyes met, and nothing was said.

...

Joining forces with Barbarian Beard was a change in his plan that he made after careful consideration.

His original plan for entering the Void Heaven Palace was to secretly follow them and wait for the Nascent Soul stage cultivators from both the righteous and demonic paths to leave the fifth level before going up to scavenge for any remaining loot.

This plan, though seemingly perfect, actually has many problems.

One reason is that neither the righteous nor the demonic paths will give him the opportunity to time his actions during the Nascent Soul stage.

Those old monsters aren't stupid.

Anyone who notices a lone Core Formation cultivator ascending to the third or even fourth level can realize their true cultivation level.

At that time, he will become the target of public criticism.

They became the outsiders targeted by six Nascent Soul stage cultivators from both the righteous and demonic sides.

therefore.

Instead of passively reacting to the situation at that time, it would have been better to join forces with the Barbarian Beard earlier, and also bring Qingyi Jushi along.

He had enough of that by focusing on the parts of Xuan Gu's memories related to the Barbarian Beard.

In the original trajectory, if Xuan Gu Shangren Xiao Cha could persuade the barbarian bearded man to join forces, why couldn't he do the same here?
This time, the test proved effective.

And the results were quite good.

...

Time quickly passed to the third day at the Void Heaven Palace.

At that moment, in the center of the garden's eight white jade pavilions, in the most open space in the courtyard, on a bare stone slab, a dazzling white light suddenly shone.

"coming."

This scene attracted everyone's attention.

After the white light, a teleportation array appeared on the flat ground, identical in design to the one they had entered through earlier.

The two elders of the Star Palace stepped forward to examine the matter again:
"This teleportation array is the only path to the next level, the [Ice and Fire Path]. After you teleport, you'll have some time to collect spiritual herbs and medicines as a reward for passing the first level..."

"If you find the next level too dangerous, you can teleport back here and wait for the Void Heaven Palace Secret Realm to end before returning together..."

(End of this chapter)