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

The elation on Zi He's half of the woman's face also faded upon hearing this, and before the woman had a chance to do anything, two pillars of silver light suddenly erupted out of the ground below to encompass her, instantly immobilizing her.

Countless silver runes surged out of the pillars of silver light, forming a simple array in the blink of an eye, embedded at the center of which were two antiquated silver mirrors.

Bursts of formidable spatial fluctuations were rippling over the surface of the mirror, and the silver light that was emanating from it was also imbued with tremendous law power fluctuations that completely immobilized the woman in mid-air.

Right at this moment, Shi Chuankong's body was suddenly flipped over, following which another Shi Chuankong emerged from the ground beneath the body.

At this moment, his complexion was very pale, his eyes were out of focus, and he appeared to be rather unsteady on his feet.

He had truly sustained tremendous spiritual damage earlier, knocking him unconscious, but he woke up not long after he fell to the ground thanks to a protective treasure in his possession.

However, instead of immediately reentering the battle, he had hatched a plan, leaving a false body on the ground with a fragment of his soul deposited within it, while his true body sank into the ground using a spatial secret technique before setting up this array.

Only after shaking his head vigorously was the fog in his mind somewhat lifted, and he made a strange hand seal, then pointed a finger up at the sky, releasing a streak of silver light to strike the glass lantern in the sky.

With the woman trapped within the silver array, the lantern was completely defenseless, and it shuddered violently upon being struck by the streak of silver light before careening toward the ground in an unsteady fashion.

At the same time, the lantern projection in Han Li's mind also faded, and after being released from the clutches of the lantern, Han Li involuntarily plummeted out of the sky before crashing heavily to the ground, creating a huge crater.

However, he then immediately crawled out of the crater with a deathly pale complexion and his robes drenched in sweat, looking as if he had just gone through severe overexertion.

Shi Chuankong cast his gaze toward him, and the two of them exchanged a wry smile from afar.

"Why didn't you bring out this treasure earlier, Brother Shi? That was way too close for comfort," Han Li sighed.

"I'm afraid it's not so simple, Brother Li. These Twin Heavenly Silver Mirrors are a prized treasure of my third brothers, and they only arrived at the Traveler House a few days ago via teleportation array. I'm unable to refine the mirrors, so I can only channel their power with the help of this array," Shi Chuankong explained.

"Alright, let's focus on taking care of these two first. If they manage to break free again, then we'll truly be doomed," Han Li said.

Trapped in the silver array, the woman wasn't able to move her lips, so she could only threaten through voice transmission, "Shi Chuankong, if you dare to kill us, our master will be sure to torment you for all of eternity!"

"Don't flatter yourself, you're nothing more than a plaything for my brother! Besides, will Shi Zhanfeng be willing to spare me if I let you go?" Shi Chuankong sneered.

Before the woman had a chance to say anything else, Shi Chuankong made a hand seal before pointing a finger at the array on the ground, and the two mirrors in the array swapped positions amid a flash of silver light.

The two pillars of silver light shining out of them also twisted in mid-air, and Zi He and Qing Ling let loose a collective agonized cry as their body was reduced to a pile of mincemeat by the twisting space.

The nascent souls inside the body were instantly eradicated as well, and after the pillars of silver light faded, the pulverized remains of the woman's body spilled down onto the ground.

At the same time, specks of azure and purple light began to seep out from within before dissipating in all directions.

"I don't think I've ever seen a soul as formidable as this one. Even in such terrible condition, it's still able to somewhat hold itself together," Han Li remarked in amazement as he drew the specks of azure and purple light to himself with a sweep of his sleeve.

He then made a beckoning motion to recover all of his flying swords before making his way into the bamboo forest in the distance to pick up the glass lantern as well.

The lantern had already been snuffed out at this point, and he examined it momentarily before tipping the remains of the woman's soul into it.

The runes on the glass lantern instantly lit up, releasing a burst of faint radiance that enveloped all of the specks of light.

However, shortly thereafter, the light within the lantern faded again, and all that remained were the soul remnants sealed within the lantern.

He didn't know what had just happened, so he casually stowed the lantern away.

By the time he returned to Shi Chuankong, the latter had just fished a purple storage bracelet out of the woman's remains.

After wiping away the blood and filth on the storage bracelet, he refined it before opening it to find many treasures inside, all of which required devilish qi to wield, and there were also many pills and spirit medicines that were beneficial for the soul.

"These treasures won't be of much use to you, but these pills and spirit medicines are perfect for you, Brother Li," Shi Chuankong remarked.

"Both of us have sustained severe spiritual damage during this battle, so let's split the pils and spirit medicines evenly among us. I won't take any of the treasures in the storage bracelet, but I would like that little book. Is that alright?" Han Li asked as he pointed at a thin book with a green cover.

Shi Chuankong took a glance at the cover of the book to find the words "Soul Devouring Refinement Technique" inscribed upon it, and after a brief hesitation, he nodded in response.

"I don't know what type of cultivation method this is, but seeing as it's caught your eye, you can have it."

"Thank you, Brother Shi," Han Li said with a smile as he grabbed the book for himself.

After that, the two of them split the pills, then each took some before resting for a moment.

"Not even a single guest elder from the Cloud Mountain Inn came to check on us during the course of that entire battle. In fact, the area seems eerily quiet. It looks like they've already been notified in advance," Han Li mused.

"My eldest brother has always possessed the most power and influence out of all of us, so it's no surprise that the inn would bend to his will. However, there's one more problem. Perhaps the Heavenly Ax Marquis could've pretended to be oblivious to our presence in the city prior to this, but in the wake of this massive commotion, he'll be forced to take a side," Shi Chuankong replied with tightly furrowed brows.

"Does that mean we have to leave Preeminent City?" Han Li asked.

"That's right, we have to get out of here as soon as possible," Shi Chuankong replied with a nod.

"But isn't your third brother sending reinforcements?" Han Li asked.

"We have no choice in the matter. I'll just have to leave behind a message for him," Shi Chuankong sighed.

……

Several minutes later, two figures arrived in a secluded alley in the northern region of Preeminent City.

Both of them were dressed in scholar's robes, and they walked briskly into the alley. One of them appeared to be quite advanced in age, while the other was a young man, and they were none other than Han Li and Shi Chuankong in disguise.

At the end of the alley was a tiny shop with its door slightly ajar, revealing a dimly lit interior.

Han Li and Shi Chuankong exchanged a glance with each other, then rushed into the shop in unison.

All of the shelves in the shop, sending their contents spilling onto the ground.

Shi Chuankong paid no heed to this as he made his way straight to the back of the shop, then pressed a hand against a certain unremarkable-looking brick on the wall.

A faint crack rang out as the brick wall slowly rolled back to reveal a hidden doorway, and Shi Chuankong stepped into it first, followed immediately by Han Li.

The secret chamber behind the brick wall turned out to be just as cluttered and chaotic as the state of the shop. There was a small array inside that had already been completely destroyed, and laying beside it was a young man who appeared to have been an employee of the shop.

There were no injuries on his body, and his eyes were wide open, but they were completely devoid of light.

"His soul is completely gone. Those sisters must've gotten to him," Han Li concluded after a brief examination.

"In that case, it looks like there's no point in leaving a message here," Shi Chuankong replied in a grim voice.

"Where should we go after we leave Preeminent City?" Han Li asked.

"We'll go to Grain Mountain City. I've been there even longer than I have Preeminent City, and it's technically my territory, so it should be a little safer. On top of that, there's also a teleportation array there," Shi Chuankong replied.

"If it's your territory, then why didn't we go there right away instead of coming here?" Han Li asked.

"Everyone knows about my history in Grain Mountain City, so I thought that going straight there would've been too predictable, and I was worried that we would run into an ambush on the way. However, at this point, it hardly matters," Shi Chuankong explained with a wry smile.

"Seeing as your eldest brother has already been tipped off and sent people to Preeminent City, it should indeed be a little safer for us in Grain Mountain City," Han Li replied with a nod.

"I certainly hope so. Time is of the essence, so let's go right now," Shi Chuankong said before making his way out of the shop, and before long, the two of them had left Preeminent City through the northern city gate.

Shi Chuankong swept a sleeve through the air to summon his flying carriage, and after the two of them had flown onto the carriage, it sped away into the distance as a ball of black light at Shi Chuankong's behest.