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

"You are the one with the most advanced cultivation base out of all of us, so the key should go to you for safekeeping," Chen Yang said as he cupped his fist in a salute.

"You clearly know more about these crimson keys than I do, so I think it should go to you," Sun Tu countered. "Before we discuss that, I can see that there's a restriction around the key. Do you recognize this restriction?"

"I've never been all that proficient when it comes to dealing with restrictions and arrays, so I'll have to trouble you, Fellow Daoist Sun," Chen Yang said in a modest manner.

"In that case, I'll do the honors," Sun Tu replied with a faint smile, yet right as he was about to make his way to the top of the copper tree, the gate of the hall suddenly exploded with a resounding boom before flying toward everyone.

Han Li and the others quickly sprang away to the side, and the gate crashed into the copper tree before exploding into pieces.

"If neither of you are willing to capture the key, then how about I do so in your stead?"

Han Li turned to the entrance of the hall with tightly furrowed brows to discover Qin Yuan, Fu Jian, and the black-robed man by the name of Shao Ying.

The three of them were standing side by side at the forefront, and trailing along behind them were two more figures, namely Duan Tong and a short and portly middle-aged man who Han Li didn't know the name of, but what Han Li did know was that he was an elder of Profound End City.

"When did you get here? How did you manage to bypass my Heavenly Star Eye?" Sun Tu asked with tightly furrowed brows.

"You thought that setting up a mere Heavenly Star Eye at the entrance of the altar would be enough as far as surveillance goes? You must think very little of us, City Lord Sun," Fu Jian chuckled.

Sun Tu fell silent as his expression darkened slightly.

"I would gladly hand over the key to the two of you if you had gotten here first, but isn't it a little unscrupulous of you to come in and try to claim the key after we've already done all of the dirty work and taken care of the puppets?" Chen Yang asked in a cold voice.

"I didn't think a smart man like you would be capable of saying something so naive, Fellow Daoist Chen. Would you not have done the exact same thing had you been in our place? Don't try to make yourself seem like a saint!" Qin Yuan chuckled with a cold sneer on his face.

"If you want to challenge all of us for the key, then go right ahead!" Chen Yang said as he took a step forward, and Sun Tu also took a step forward to stand beside him.

"I'll admit that you do have the numbers advantage, but quantity is hardly going to make up for inferior quality," Qin Yuan sneered.

"Get over here, Shi Kong! Do you intend to betray City Lord E?" Shao Ying asked in a cold voice as his hawk-like gaze fell upon Shi Chuankong.

Shi Chuankong remained completely unfazed as he gave Shao Ying a derisive sneer.

Right at this moment, Fu Jian suddenly said, "Fellow Daoist Sun, our two cities have always been quite close, so let me offer you a word of advice. Chen Yang is an extremely ambitious man who's willing to stoop to any lows to accomplish his objectives, and he's already colluding with Puppet City in secret, so choosing to work with him is nothing but a path to destruction!"

A slightly unnatural look appeared on Chen Yang's face upon hearing this, while Sun Tu's expression remained completely unchanged, and it was unclear if he already knew, or if he didn't believe Fu Jian.

Right at this moment, Chen Yang's voice suddenly rang out in Han Li's mind.

"Fellow Daoist Li, City Lord Sun and I should be able to take on Qin Yuan and Fu Jian, while Xuanyuan Xing and Fang Chan can handle Duan Tong and that Profound End City elder. Will you be able to keep Shao Ying occupied while Fellow Daoist Shi goes to claim the key?"

"My apologies, Fellow Daoist Chen, but I plan to stay out of this conflict," Han Li replied without bothering to resort to voice transmission.

He then took a few steps back with Shi Chuankong to distance themselves from everyone else.

Everyone was caught completely off guard by this turn of events, and they all turned to Han Li and Shi Chuankong with wariness and befuddlement in their eyes.

Han Li had always been quite wary of Chen Yang, and he had never regarded Chen Yang as a true ally, so he didn't want to get overly involved with him.

Hence, he was naturally unwilling to continue working with Chen Yang, and the best choice for him was to observe from the sidelines.

"You're a smart man, Fellow Daoist Li. As long as you stay out of this, I'm willing to let our past differences slide, and I'll also give you some compensation after all is said and done," Qin Yuan said with an elated smile.

"Cut the chit-chat!" Shao Ying suddenly yelled, and Fu Jian, Qin Yuan, and the others immediately launched themselves at the copper tree as profound acupoints lit up all over their bodies.

Chen Yang was about to try and convince Han Li to change his mind, but he was forced to focus his attention on the oncoming Fu Jian instead, while Sun Tu was challenged by Qin Yuan.

The elder from Profound End City grinned as he rushed at Xuanyuan Xing, who he perceived to be the weakest of the bunch.

Duan Tong took a glance in Han Li's direction, then leaped up into the air before swinging his enormous right arm down upon Fang Chan from above.

Fang Chan displayed no fear at all as he took a step back, then threw a punch up at the heavens in retaliation.

All of a sudden, Duan Tong raised his left arm to tug on the bandages around his right arm, and the bandages instantly slipped off to reveal a giant, black arm that was covered in fine scales.

There were close to a hundred profound acupoints glowing radiantly on the arm, and as it came swinging down, the space beneath it began to crackle and pop, as if it were being compressed to a breaking point.

Fang Chan opened his mouth to let loose a thunderous roar upon seeing this, releasing a wave of white soundwaves that swept through the air as his fist clashed against Duan Tong's.

……

A fierce battle ensued, and aside from Han Li and Shi Chuankong, Shao Ying was the only one without an opponent.

However, instead of rushing in to claim the key, he remained standing off to the side not far away, seemingly apprehensive of the possibility that Han Li and Shi Chuankong could be putting on an act.

After observing Han Li and Shi Chuankong for some time, he discovered that they really were displaying no intention of entering the fray, and only then did he turn a hesitant gaze toward the crimson key above the copper tree.

Immediately thereafter, he sprang up into the air toward the top of the tree, but he had only risen up from the ground when a streak of white light shot forth toward him at an astonishing speed.

It was a white flying dagger, and it almost struck his temple as it flew past him before embedding itself into the ceiling above.

Even though Shao Ying was able to evade the dagger, he was forced to descend onto one of the copper tree's lowest branches as a result, following which he turned to Chen Yang with a resentful expression.

It was Chen Yang who had hurled that flying dagger in his direction just now.

However, his top priority at the moment was to claim the key, so Shao Ying made no effort to retaliate against Chen Yang as he prepared to make his way up the copper tree, only to discover that his feet had suddenly become firmly rooted to the branch that he was standing on.

"Fellow Daoist Li, have I wronged you in any way? Why is it that you've chosen to end our collaboration at such a crucial juncture?" Chen Yang asked through voice transmission while warding off Fu Jian's attacks.

"I would like to help you, but you're harboring far too many secrets for me to trust you, so I have no choice but to proceed with caution for my own safety," Han Li replied.

"I understand that I've been keeping too much from you. How about this? You help us secure the key, and I'll tell you everything once the key has been obtained," Chen Yang proposed in an urgent manner.

"I'm afraid I have no intention of getting involved in this mess while I'm still completely oblivious to all of the circumstances involved," Han Li replied.

"'Fellow Daoist Li, I can tell that you've already obtained another key, and that's why you're not as eager as the rest of us to secure this one, but have you considered what's going to happen to you and Fellow Daoist Shi once all of us are dead and the others find out that you have another key?"' Chen Yang asked.

Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he was quite taken aback by the fact that Chen Yang was aware that he was in possession of another key.

However, he then quickly realized that Chen Yang had to have spotted some telltale signs back when the two keys had resonated with each other earlier.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Han Li asked as a cold look appeared on hsi face.

"Not at all, Brother Li, I'm just pointing out the fact that we are currently interdependent on each other for survival," Chen Yang replied in an urgent voice.

A hesitant look appeared on Han Li's face as he cast his gaze toward Shao Ying. At this moment, a series of profound acupoints had lit up over his legs, sending tremors running through the copper tree, thereby allowing him to free himself bit by bit.

All of a sudden, Han Li heaved a faint sigh before springing up into the air without any warning.

Thanks to his Wingform Ascension Arts, he was able to tread upon air to reach the top of the copper tree in the blink of an eye, much to the chagrin of Qin Yuan and the others.

Chen Yang and Sun Tu both heaved a faint sigh of relief upon seeing this, and they exchanged a glance with each other before launching a fierce barrage of attacks at Qin Yuan and Fu Jian to buy Han Li more time.

As soon as Han Li landed on the copper tree, he was also instantly rooted to the spot.

Shi Chuankong also flew onto the tree after him, temporarily serving as his guardian.

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