Chapter 143: Missing Person
Several days later.
Han Li was cultivating in his secret chamber when his eyes suddenly sprang open, and he emerged from the room before releasing an incantation seal with a sweep of his sleeve.
The gate of his cave abode was opened, and Mu Xue was revealed standing outside.
Mu Xue hurriedly extended a respectful bow toward Han Li as he said, "Senior Liu, I've managed to find out some information on the matter that you entrusted to me last time."
"Come in," Han Li replied with a nod, gesturing fro Mu Xue to enter the cave abode.
After entering the cave abode, Mu Xue jumped straight to the topic without wasting any time. "According to the information I've been able to gather up to this point, there are two official ways through which one can obtain a teleportation spot."
"What are they?" Han Li asked.
"The first way requires one to be at the True Immortal Stage or above and serve as a guest elder at the island master's manor, doing his bidding for 100 years, and at the end of that period, they would be given a spot. The second way is to complete some of the missions occasionally released by the island master's manor, and these missions will occasionally grant a teleportation spot as its reward," Mu Xue said.
Han Li fell silent upon hearing this.
The first of those two methods was naturally not one that he was going to consider.
The wanted notice from the Ubiquitous Pavilion and the person who had sealed his nascent soul were like a pair of swords constantly hanging over his head, and that was one of the main reasons he was in such a hurry to leave the Black Wind Sea. 100 years was simply far too long, and he had no idea what could happen during that time.
As for the second method, any missions that could grant a teleportation spot as a reward were definitely going to be quite difficult to complete, but it was definitely more feasible than the first method, so this was something that he could keep an eye on.
After a brief silence, Mu Xue lowered his voice slightly as he continued, "Aside from these two official methods, I heard that these teleportation spots have been traded in the black market as well, but the price is always... very steep."
"How much does it usually cost for a spot?"
"Five immortal origin stones at the very least, and even then, I've heard they're very difficult to purchase."
Han Li shook his head upon hearing this. In addition to the required teleportation fee, that would amount to a total of 10 immortal origin stones.
For an early-True Immortal cultivator, even if they didn't cultivate at all, it would still take 1,000 years to refine 10 immortal origin stones.
He had inquired about immortal origin stones in the Transient Guild earlier, and he was told that it was occasionally possible to find immortal origin stones up for trade, but the asking price for each one was generally around 100 top-grade spirit stones, and as soon as one appeared, it would immediately be traded.
Given the current circumstances, it was clear that the master of Black Wind City wasn't very keen on the idea of allowing people to leave the Black Wind Sea.
"Alright, thanks for your hard work."
Han Li flipped a hand over to produce a high-grade spirit stone as he spoke, then tossed it at Mu Xue.
Mu Xue was ecstatic, and he said in a grateful manner, "Thank you, Senior Liu! If you require my services for anything else, please feel free to tell me."
Han Li merely smiled and waved a hand to dismiss Mu Xue.
Following Mu Xue's departure, Han Li began to pace back and forth in his cave abode with his hands clasped behind his back, seemingly pondering something. Moments later, he left his cave abode altogether before flying toward a certain direction.
At the center of Black Wind City was a series of connected black buildings.
In stark contrast with their surroundings, these black buildings were entirely constructed from extremely high quality building materials, and they took up a vast area. The buildings had clearly also been arranged in a meticulous fashion, with countless pavilions, gardens, and bodies of flowing water inside. This was an enormous manor.
The entire manor was emanating a burst of faint black qi, making it appear as if it were enshrouded under a layer of black mist.
All of the passersby gave the manor a wide berth and were walking very quickly, not daring to approach the manor.
This was the island master's manor, which belonged to Island Master Lu Jun.
At the entrance of the manor was a huge plaza, at the edge of which stood a tall black palace. Above the entrance of the palace was a plaque that read "Talisman Letter Palace."
This was quite a lively and bustling place with many people frequently entering and exiting the palace. All of the visitors were at least at the Body Integration Stage, and the occasional Grand Ascension cultivator could be seen as well.
A streak of azure light shot forth from afar, then landed outside the palace to reveal Han Li.
He took a glance at the palace before him, then made his way inside.
The palace was rather empty, with only a bluestone wall that was over 100 feet tall standing at its very center, upon which was inscribed some lines of text.
A pair of black-robed men were standing on either side of the palace, and judging from their attire, they seemed to be serving the island master's manor.
At this moment, there were around a dozen cultivators littered throughout the palace, looking up at the stone wall, and there were also some familiar acquaintances among them discussing the missions on the wall.
Han Li drew to a halt near the stone wall before looking up at it to find that it was laden with around 20 to 30 missions, all of which were accompanied by clear descriptions and rewards.
Han Li immediately began searching for missions that granted teleportation spots as their reward, and he quickly found two, one of which was to search for a spirit material known as Azure Radiance Jade, while the other required one to be at or above the True Immortal Stage and oversee an island for 100 years.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.
He had read about Azure Radiance Jade in scriptures on Dark Veil Island, so he knew that it was a spirit material that was said to contain the power of laws, so that definitely wasn't going to be easy to find.
Even if he could track down this spirit material, he would have to ponder whether it was worth exchanging it for a teleportation spot.
As for the other mission, that required 100 years to complete, so it was definitely not something that he was going to consider.
Right as a hint of disappointment appeared in his eyes, he suddenly spotted something that caught his attention.
There was a rather special mission at the very top of the stone wall, and it required one to search for a missing person, but the identity of the missing person wasn't specified.
The reward for this mission was massive, and anyone who completed it would be able to state a request to the island master to be fulfilled, as long as it was within reason.
The mission had only been released not long ago, and there was a note attached to it, stating that only those at or above the True Immortal Stage could take on the mission.
A contemplative look appeared in Han Li's eyes.
This was a rather mysterious mission, and it didn't look like it was going to be easy to complete, but it was definitely more feasible than the other two missions.
After some contemplation, he began to approach the stone wall.
One of the black-robed men extended a salute toward Han Li, then asked in a respectful voice, "Would you like to take on a mission, Senior?"
"I'll take on this mission. Are there any more details available?" Han Li asked as he pointed at the mission.
Everyone around him immediately turned their attention to him with different looks on their faces.
The black-robed man's eyes immediately lit up, and he began to make his way out of the palace while gesturing for Han Li to follow along. "Please come with me, Senior."
"Does that mean he's a True Immortal cultivator?"
"That should be obvious! The fact that he dares to take on this mission clearly indicates that he's a True Immortal."
"I've never seen him before, so he's most likely not from the city."
As Han Li and the black-robed man made their way out of the palace, everyone erupted into spirited discussion.
There were countless cultivators gathered on Black Wind Island, but True Immortals were still exceedingly rare in the Black Wind Sea, and no one had expected such an unremarkable-looking young man to be a True Immortal.
Han Li paid no heed to the chatter behind him as he followed the black-robed man toward the island master's manor.
The guards at the entrance of the manor granted them free passage, and after passing through a series of winding corridors, they arrived in a large hall.
At this point, there were already around a dozen people gathered in the hall.
Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, most of them turned to glance at Han Li for a moment, then averted their eyes again.
All of these people were giving off enormous auras, clearly indicating that they were True Immortals as well.
Han Li didn't display any outward reaction to this, but internally, he was rather taken aback to discover that there were so many True Immortals on Black Wind Island.
"Please take a seat and wait here, Senior, someone will be here to deliver a debriefing on the mission soon," the black-robed man said.
Han Li nodded in response, then found a place to sit in the hall.
An azure-robed attendant approached him before offering him a cup of spirit tea that was giving off a delectable aroma.
Han Li raised the teacup to his lips, taking the opportunity to size up the other people in the room.
It was clear that they had taken on the same mission as him, and their cultivation bases were also all quite similar to his. Most of them were seated on their own with no verbal communication taking place, and some had even already closed their eyes to meditate.
However, not everyone was on their own.
There were three people seated next to one another in a rather conspicuous spot in the hall, and the trio consisted of a burly and imposing man, a young woman with a black veil over her face, and a thing young man, all of whom were chatting amicably with one another.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist, my name is Guan Yong."
While Han Li was observing the people around him, a voice rang out beside him, and as it turned out, he had been approached by a chubby young man with a smile on his round face.
"My name is Liu Shi. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fellow Daoist Guan," Han Li replied with a nod as he set down his teacup.
"I don't recognize you, Brother Liu. Could it be that you only recently came to Black Wind Island?"
Guan Yong clearly had a very naturally outgoing personality, and he was already referring to Han Li as brother.
Han Li raised an eyebrow as he replied, "Indeed, I only arrived at Black Wind Island just a few days ago. How did you know that?"
"I have a very outgoing personality and like to make friends, and there aren't many True Immortal cultivators in Black Wind City, so I know almost everyone," Guan Yong explained with a smile.
"I see. Your ability to make friends is very admirable," Han Li said with a nod.
Guan Yong was a rather chatty man, and Han Li had nothing better to do anyway, so he engaged in a casual conversation with Guan Yong.
He asked Guan Yong about some of the other people present, and he was able to learn quite a bit from the conversation.
Close to half a day passed by, during which time two more True Immortals had arrived in the hall.
At the stroke of noon, the sound of footsteps rang out from behind the hall, and an authoritative-looking middle-aged man wearing a black brocade robe emerged.
As soon as he arrived, the entire room instantly fell silent, and even the trio that had been chatting amicably with one another had stopped their conversation.
Han Li's pupils contracted slightly at the sight of the man standing before him.
He felt as if he were looking at a tall mountain, and the aura emanating from the man's body was making his heart shudder with apprehension.
"Island Master!" Guan Yong was the first to rise to his feet before extending a salute toward the middle-aged man.
Han Li and the others also extended salutes of their own as he carefully sized up the most powerful figure in the entire Black Wind Sea.
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