A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm
Chapter 701: Provocation

Chapter 701: Provocation

"Indeed. Hopefully, this will be a fruitful trip," Han Li said as he looked into the distance.

Chief Xi Yan quickly returned with a group of Gray Lizard beings, carrying close to a thousand scriptures and some jade slips, but those were far rarer than the books.

It seemed like there weren't many avid readers in the Gray Lizard Tribe, and their books weren't very well-preserved, with many of them covered in dust and in a state of disrepair.

Chief Xi Yan apologized profusely for this, but Han Li and Shi Chuankong didn't really care, and they promptly dismissed him.

These scriptures varied drastically on their subject matter, which was perfect as the two of them were looking to learn as much about the Gray Realm as possible.

The next day, the Gray Lizard Tribe continued onward, but altered its planned itinerary in accordance with Han Li's instructions.

Han Li's duo remained in the tent, maintaining an air of regal mystique while also reading through the scriptures that had been provided.

The two of them were like sponges that were rapidly absorbing information on the Gray Realm.

Over three years flew by in the blink of an eye, and the Gray Lizard Tribe finally arrived at its destination, Wave Edge Lake.

Wave Edge Lake was situated in the central region of the Six Moon Grassland, and it was tens of thousands of kilometers in size. Its name was derived from a type of special crystal produced in the lake, known as Wave Edge Rocks.

Han Li and Shi Chuankong were standing in their tent, looking out at the massive lake up ahead.

The water in the lake was extremely clear, and there were only a few white birds flying over its surface, which was rippling slightly from the light breeze.

Han Li took a deep breath. The color tone of Wave Edge Lake was a little monotonous, but it was still quite a scenic location, much like some of the large lakes that one would replace in the Immortal Realm, and the moist air blowing in from the lake was very cool and refreshing.

At this moment, there was already a massive gathering on a giant plot of flat land to the south of the lake. Even though there was still some time until the commencement of the Tamda Festival, most of the tribes had already arrived.

All of a sudden, a white cloud suddenly appeared in front of the Gray Lizard Tribe.

Standing atop the cloud were several white-robed figures, all of whom had human bodies, but bird avian heads with gleaming eyes.

Their white robes were made from a high-end material and were embroidered with all types of shimmering designs, completely outmatching the attire of the Gray Lizard Tribe.

The group was led by a tall young man who was giving off a True Immortal Stage aura.

The man's face was devoid of feathers, and his facial features were very close to those of a normal human, except his nose was still a little long, and his eyes were slightly sunken, giving him a cold and haughty appearance.

"Are you the Gray Lizard Tribe?" the tall young man asked in a high and mighty fashion.

Xi Yan hurriedly rushed over to the white cloud, then extended a respectful bow toward the tall young man as he said, "Xi Yan of the Gray Lizard Tribe pays his respects to the esteemed Envoy Miao."

"Who is that, Xi Feng?" Han Li asked.

Xi Feng was one of the Gray Lizard Tribe's Body Integration Stage elders, and he had been ordered by Xi Yan to explain the festival's affairs to Han Li and Shi Chuankong.

"That man's name is Miao Kui, and he's one of the enforcers under Monarch San Miao," Xi Feng replied in a respectful manner.

"I see," Han Li mused in an indifferent voice.

......

"Your Gray Lizard Tribe sure arrived nice and early. There are only two months left until the Tamda Festival, and most of the good spots have already been taken by the other tribes," Miao Kui remarked in an indifferent voice.

"What? Only two months left? Shouldn't there be at least over a year left until the festival is scheduled to begin?" Xi Yan exclaimed.

In order to avoid disrupting the order of the festival, all of the tribe's settlement spots and trade areas had already been assigned in advance.

The settlement locations didn't really matter, but the location of a tribe's trade area had a strong impact on their business.

"Our monarch decided to hold the festival early this time. Does our monarch need to consult you before making such decisions?" Miao Kui sneered.

"No, no, of course not," Xi Yan hurriedly replied in an apologetic fashion. "My sincerest apologies for speaking out of turn, esteemed Envoy Miao. Here is a small offering from our Gray Lizard Tribe, please assign us a good spot."

He approached Miao Kui as he spoke, then stuffed a small black pouch into his hand.

Miao Kui inspected the contents of the pouch briefly with his spiritual sense, and only then did his expression ease slightly.

"All of the good spots have already been taken, but you can have Area twenty-two," Miao Kui said as he tossed a white jade badge to Xi Yan.

Xi Yan immediately caught the badge before cupping his fist in a respectful salute, and Miao Kui departed atop his white cloud.

Xi Yan heaved a faint sigh as he watched Miao Kui depart, then led the Gray Lizard Tribe to their assigned position.

Their spot wasn't too far back, but it definitely wasn't a good one, either. There were many tribes already spread out in front of them, and their spot wasn't very prominent at all.

Inside the tent, Han Li and Shi Chuankong were observing the surrounding tribes, all of which varied drastically in appearance, and it was quite an eye-opening sight to behold.

At this point, around twenty to thirty tribes had already arrived.

Furthermore, all of the nearby tribes were quite large, severely outnumbering the Gray Lizard Tribe, and most of them had True Immortals among their ranks.

In contrast, the Gray Lizard Tribe was made to look quite feeble.

Han Li naturally didn't really care about this, and he turned to another massive clearing beside the lake.

That area had also been split up into different sections, every single one of which was filled with stalls that were laden with all types of different wares.

Countless people were moving through that area, presenting a lively and bustling sight to behold.

Han Li's eyes lit up slightly upon seeing this, and Shi Chuankong also turned in that direction.

All of a sudden, the Gray Lizard Tribe's procession was stopped in its tracks by another group.

A hideous middle-aged man emerged from the opposing group as he jeered, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Chief Xi Yan. Your Gray Lizard Tribe hasn't grown at all over the past century! You used to be such a powerful tribe, but you've really fallen from grace. What a pity."

The man had a long and sunken face, but his nose was very flat and wide, presenting a very unbalanced sight to behold.

Despite his hideous appearance, he was at the early-True Immortal Stage, making him far more powerful than anyone from the Gray Lizard Tribe.

"What does it matter to you, Yun Zhao? Get out of our way!" Xi Yan said in a cold voice.

"Of course it matters to me! Back in the day, our tribes were rivals. Now that your Gray Lizard Tribe has fallen so far, it truly saddens me," Yun Zhao said with a mocking sneer, displaying no intention to move.

A furious look appeared on Xi Yan's face upon hearing this.

The attention of all of the nearby tribes was drawn to the commotion, but not only did no one intervene, everyone was looking on with schadenfreude on their faces.

"Who's that, Xi Feng?" Han Li asked inside the tent.

"That man is Chief Yun Zhao of the Shadow Snake Tribe. Our two tribes got into a conflict over a mine some years ago, and we've been enemies ever since. He's an extremely petty man who picks on us every Tamda Festival," Xi Feng replied with a dark expression.

"How did your Gray Lizard Tribe ever stand up to them?" Han Li asked with an intrigued expression.

An embarrassed look appeared on Xi Feng's face as he explained, "Chief Xi Yan was once also a True Immortal, and our Gray Lizard Tribe had two Grand Ascension Stage elders as well. However, we were attacked by an extremely formidable True Immortal gray beast several hundred years ago.

“Both of our Grand Ascension Stage elders perished in that battle, and our chief also sustained severe injuries. We managed to save his life, but he reverted back to the Grand Ascension Stage from his injuries. Otherwise, there's no way our tribe would be in such a state of ineptitude."

"I see," Han Li replied with a nod.

Meanwhile, Yun Zhao was still standing firmly in front of the Gray Lizard Tribe procession, displaying no intention to move.

"I'm not here to bicker with you today, Yun Zhao. The Tamda Festival is overseen by Monarch San Miao. By standing here and blocking our way, you're going directly against Monarch San Miao's arrangements!" Xi Yan declared.

Yun Zhao's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing mention of Monarch San Miao, but he then chuckled, "Don't be so quick to pile on the accusations, Chief Xi Yan. I'm just catching up with an old friend here, so why don't we have a nice little chat? Could it be that you're afraid of me?"

Many of the spectating tribes burst into laughter upon hearing this, while a look of fury and indignation appeared on Xi Yan's face, an expression that was mirrored by all of the other Gray Lizard beings.

Han Li's expression also darkened slightly upon seeing this.

Inside the tent, Xi Yan was so furious that he was trembling uncontrollably, and he suddenly turned to Han Li before extending a deep bow as he implored, "Esteemed immortal, the Shadow Snake Tribe has gone too far! Please..."

Han Li took a glance at Xi Feng, then made his way back into the tent.

Xi Feng's face complexion instantly turned deathly pale upon seeing this. If Han Li didn't stand up for them, then the Gray Lizard Tribe was going to suffer extreme humiliation here.

"Hurry up, Xi Yan, I don't have time to waste waiting for you to bicker with these fools," Han Li said as he sat down in the tent.

His voice wasn't very loud, but it reverberated throughout the surrounding area like rumbling thunder, instantly drawing everyone's attention to the tent.

Some of the people gathered nearby immediately put away their mocking expressions upon hearing this, while Yun Zhao's brows also furrowed slightly.

Xi Yan was ecstatic to hear Han Li's scolding voice, and he turned to the tent and extended a deep bow as he replied, "Yes, esteemed immortal!"

He then turned back to Yun Zhao, and his demeanor completely changed as he said in a cold voice, "Get out of the way, Yun Zhao. I have no time to waste with you here."

"So you're suddenly acting all tough now just because you have someone to back you up. Who exactly have you got in that tent? Why don't you get them to come out so everyone here can take a look?" Yun Zhao sneered as he turned to the tent.