A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm
Chapter 756: Deal

Chapter 756: Deal

"Any Golden Immortal can wield a third-grade immortal treasure, but a Golden Immortal possesses nowhere near enough immortal spiritual power to unleash the true power of such a formidable treasure. Hence, all of you will need to combine your immortal spiritual power into one to accomplish this," Liu Qi said.

A hesitant look appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this.

"Why are you still hesitating at a time like this, Brother Li? We've completely turned the Infernal Tribe against us just to get here. Even if we manage to eradicate ourselves of baleful qi in the Baleful Cleansing Ponds, we're completely cornered! Only by saving Patriarch Liu Qi can we possibly survive," Fox 3 hurriedly urged.

"You came all this way for the Baleful Cleansing Ponds? I suppose that makes sense. Otherwise, for what other reason would True Immortal Realm cultivators like yourself have ventured so deep into Asura City? Having said that, do you know the perils of the Baleful Cleansing Ponds?" Liu Qi asked.

"Please enlighten us, esteemed patriarch," Fox 3 implored.

"You saw the power of the azure lightning chain just now, right? That was nothing more than the power drawn out by the runes on the Lightning Entrapment Chains. The true ponds themselves are hundreds of times more inhospitable. Pardon me for being frank, but if you enter the ponds as you currently are, you'll be killed long before you can cleanse your bodies of baleful qi," Liu Qi explained.

Han Li cast a wary gaze toward the lightning ponds upon hearing this, and at the same time, he became even more wary of Patriarch Liu Qi.

It was clear that he had intentionally refrained from stopping Fox 3 in his attempt to sever the chain, and that was most likely to show Han Li's group the true power of the lightning ponds so he could use that as leverage in the negotiations.

With that in mind, Han Li intentionally feigned a distraught expression as he exclaimed, "Doesn't that mean we risked our lives to come here for nothing?"

"Don't panic. I've been trapped here for quite some time now, and during this time, I've managed to gain a good understanding of these Baleful Cleansing Ponds. If I help you withstand a part of their power, then you'll be able to successfully cleanse yourselves of baleful qi in this azure lightning pond. However, in exchange, you have to help me sever these chains, what do you think?" Liu Qi proposed.

"That would naturally be best. Once we're cleansed of baleful qi, we'll be able to maximize the power of the Heavenly Fox Bloodform Saber, and that would increase our chances of severing the chain too," Han Li replied with a smile.

Shi Chuankong's eyes lit up slightly upon hearing this, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"There's no need to be so wary of me, my intention was always for you to enter the Baleful Cleansing Pond before helping me sever these chains. These ponds are extremely perilous, but not only can they cleanse you of baleful qi, they can also refine your bodies to elevate your cultivation bases by different degrees," Patriarch Liu Qi chuckled.

At this point, Fox 3 had already changed into a black robe, and he paid no heed to his own injuries as he declared, "In that case, let's not delay any longer."

"We can't rush into this too quickly. Let's all take some pills, then meditate for an hour or two before we enter the Baleful Cleansing Pond," Han Li said with a shake of his head.

Fox 3 hesitated slightly upon hearing this, but ultimately still obliged.

Thus, the three of them sat down with their legs crossed before taking some pills.

As for Weeping Soul, she didn't fear baleful qi due to her special constitution, so she naturally didn't have to enter the Baleful Cleansing Pond. Hence, she was focused on resting and recuperating while thinking to herself how she was going to answer to Yin Chengquan.

Two hours flew by in a flash.

Fox 3 was the first one to open his eyes before rising to his feet, and Shi Chuankong and Han Li quickly followed suit.

Liu Qi was laying on the wooden cross as he said, "Out of these four lightning ponds, the azure one is the least powerful, but it's sufficient for cleansing the baleful qi in your bodies, so there's no need for you to venture into any of the other ponds."

Han Li's trio nodded in response, while Weeping Soul was looking at Han Li with a hint of concern in her eyes.

The three of them strode over to the edge of the azure lightning pond, and in order to avoid disrupting each other, each of them made their way to a different corner of the pond, then peered into the azure liquid inside, but none of them immediately stepped in.

After waiting for a moment, Han Li took a deep breath, then began to step into the pond.

However, he had only just raised his foot when he stopped in his tracks, then withdrew his foot before sweeping a sleeve through the air, conjuring up a door of silver light that led to the first floor of the bamboo building in the Flower Branch domain.

Earlier, Immortal Lord Hot Flame had been restrained by Shi Chuankong and Fox 3, but he had suddenly woken up, and he called out to Han Li, "Can you let me out, Fellow Daoist Li?"

"Glad to see you're lucid again, Fellow Daoist Hot Flame," Han Li said.

"This domain of yours can keep out baleful qi, and there's plenty of world's origin qi in here to nourish me, so I was able to regain my lucidity, but it's only temporary, so I contacted you right away in order to tell you some things," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said in an urgent voice.

"What do you need to tell me?" Han Li asked.

A pained look appeared on Immortal Lord Hot Flame's face, and a burst of baleful qi flashed over his glabella as he switched to voice transmission and said, "At this point, my body is too tainted by baleful qi for me to even dream of a recovery, but I don't want to be reduced to a mindless zombie, so I want you to put me out of my misery and into the cycle of reincarnation..."

Han Li was just about to cut him off when he continued, "All of my treasures were taken by the Infernal Tribe, and all that remains is the bonded treasure in my body, which you can have. Prior to that, I also want to pass my cultivation arts onto you. Our True Mantra Sect has already fallen, but its heritage must continue."

"Fellow Daiost Hot Flame, right now, we've already arrived at the Baleful Cleansing Ponds, in which it's possible for one to eradicate the baleful qi in their body, but the process is extremely risky. Would you be willing to give it a try?" Han Li asked.

"Really? Is there really a way to eradicate baleful qi here?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame hurriedly asked.

"I wouldn't lie to you about something like this. The Baleful Cleansing Ponds are real, but the risk involved is also very real," Han Li replied.

"Of course I'm going to give it a try!" Immortal Lord Hot Flame hurriedly said as an ecstatic look appeared on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, Fellow Daoist Fox 3," Han Li called out as he turned to the duo, and the two of them quickly undid the restrictions in Immortal Lord Hot Flame's body.

After Immortal Lord Hot Flame staggered out of the domain, Han Li turned to Weeping Soul and asked, "Weeping Soul, can you remove the restrictions that the Infernal Tribe planted in his body?"

"I can do that, but if I do, the baleful qi in his body could erupt and drive him insane again," Weeping Soul replied in a hesitant manner.

"Go right ahead. If I lose my sanity, then please throw me straight into the Baleful Cleansing Pond, Fellow Daiost Li. If that happens, just leave me in the hands of fate," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said with a wry smile.

"Alright, in that case, I won't try to dissuade you," Han Li said.

"Thank you, fellow daoists," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said as he cupped his fist in a salute toward Han Li and Weeping Soul.

Han Li gave Weeping Soul a slight nod, and the latter began to work on removing the restrictions in Immortal Lord Hot Flame's body.

Initially, Immortal Lord Hot Flame's expression remained largely unchanged, but it didn't take long before his face became twisted with agony, and wisps of baleful qi began surging out of his body.

At this point, Immortal Lord Hot Flame's pupils had already almost turned completely gray, and Han Li realized that he had underestimated just how heavily contaminated by baleful qi Immortal Lord Hot Flame had become.

With a flick of his wrist, an Origin Separation Law Chain slid down his arm before trailing out of his sleeve.

Right at this moment, Weeping Soul brought her palms together in a strange hand seal before clasping her hands against Immortal Lord Hot Flame's back, and he immediately gave a muffled groan as blood trickled down from the corner of his lips.

Immediately thereafter, a string of cracks and pops rang out from all of the joints in his body, and it was as if he had suddenly grown by half a foot. Furthermore, dense baleful qi began to swirl around his entire body, and he looked no different from a Gray Immortal.

Han Li's brows furrowed tightly upon seeing this, and he was just about to intervene when a terribly raspy voice rang out from between Immortal Lord Hot Flame's lips.

"It's alright, Fellow Daoist Li, I can still hold on..."

He began to make his way toward a corner of the azure lightning pond as he spoke, then leaped into the pond without any hesitation before Han Li had a chance to stop him.

As soon as he jumped into the pond, the lightning within it instantly began to churn violently, like a pot of bubbling oil that had just had a drop of water spilt into it, and countless formidable arcs of lightning surged violently toward him.

Patriarch Liu Qi feigned a concerned look upon seeing this, but in reality, he held nothing but contempt for Immortal Lord Hot Flame, who he viewed as a reckless fool.

However, he immediately sprang into action, wrapping a tail around the azure chain once again before tugging it toward himself.

The lightning pond shuddered violently as the azure light within it became even brighter, and countless arcs of lightning began to surge along the chain toward Liu Qi, diverting most of the danger away from Immortal Lord Hot Flame.

All of a sudden, Liu Qi turned and opened his mouth to release a dark green ball roughly the size of a human head, and it released a green light barrier that kept the oncoming arcs of azure lightning at bay.

The arcs of azure lightning unleashed a ferocious barrage upon the green light barrier, but were unable to get through, and even though so much of the lightning had been diverted away by Liu Qi, the lightning that remained within the Baleful Cleansing Pond was still extremely formidable.