Chapter 221: Wine and Conversation
Over a year later, in a vast mountain range to the southwest of the Ancient Cloud Continent.
The entire mountain range was of an extremely vibrant crimson color, and the ground was riddled with countless volcanoes that were occasionally spewing forth pillars of molten lava.
One fiery pillar after another was erupting into the heavens, presenting a stunning marvel to behold. Bursts of thunderous rumbling were ringing out incessantly, and the sky was filled with fiery clouds, while a strong sulfurous odor was wafting through the air.
Deep inside the mountain range was a mountain that was riddled with holes, giving it the appearance of a honeycomb, and this was none other than the Fire Cloud Peak.
A streak of azure light arrived on the scene in a flash before fading to reveal Han Li, and he took a glance at his surroundings, then immediately flew toward one of the mine caves down below.
Around half a month later.
Two figures, one large and one small, were locked in a fierce battle inside a massive mine cave deep under the Fire Cloud Peak.
Each clash that took place between them resulted in a thunderous commotion that caused the entire mountain to tremble violently, while countless rocks came tumbling down like rain from above.
The smaller of the two figures was none other than Han Li, and there was azure light surging all over his body as he unleashed a flurry of fist projections.
The larger figure was a giant crimson lizard that was 70 to 80 feet in length, and it appeared to be extremely agile. Furthermore, it was blasting pillars of scorching fire out of its mouth, but none of them were able to strike Han Li even once.
In contrast, Han Li was frequently landing his punches, and with each punch that struck its target, a crack would be smashed into the crimson lizard's thick scales.
Before long, the lizard's entire body was already riddled with wounds, and its scales were broken over many parts of its body.
It had been attempting to flee the battle for quite some time now, but Han Li refused to allow it to get away.
Right at this moment, Han Li threw yet another punch at the lizard, yet for some reason, the lizard didn't bother to dodge at all this time, allowing itself to be sent flying before crashing into the rock face behind it.
A large section of the scales on its back were completely shattered by the punch, and it was bleeding profusely.
Right as it was approaching the rock face, the lizard abruptly opened its mouth to blast forth a pillar of crimson flames, which instantly melted the rock face into molten lava.
The crimson lizard was just about to scurry into the molten passageway that it had created for itself when a massive black saber projection swept toward it from behind.
The saber projection was imbued with a tremendous burst of law powers as it descended upon the lizard, and without the protection of its scales, the lizard's body was instantly sliced in half by the saber projection.
Immediately thereafter, the saber projection erupted into around a dozen smaller saber projections that flew in all directions, destroying the lizard's nascent soul before it had a chance to escape.
Han Li made a beckoning motion with one hand, and the black saber flew back into his grasp.
This giant crimson lizard was the culprit responsible for all of the miner disappearances. It wasn't all that powerful, but its scales were extremely resolute, and it was able to easily melt through rock faces to traverse through the belly of the mountain, allowing it to flee from battles or unleash effective surprise attacks.
Hence, even for Han Li, it had taken half a month to finally trap and slay the beast.
A series of crimson crystals, each of which was around the size of a human head, spilled out onto the ground from the beast's disemboweled belly.
The crystals were semi-transparent with a fiery red glow within them, and they were giving off scorching heat like red-hot pieces of charcoal, except countless times hotter.
"So these are Fire Origin Crystals," Han Li remarked to himself as he descended onto the ground and picked up one of the crystals, completely unaffected by the scorching heat that the crystal was releasing.
After examining the crystal briefly, he gathered all of the Fire Origin Crystals on the ground with a sweep of his sleeve.
He then turned his gaze to the crimson lizard, and he chopped off its four claws with a few casual slashes of his black saber and stowed them away before flying in another direction as a streak of azure light.
……
Over a year later.
A figure strode quickly toward the entrance of the High Profound Palace's side hall, and it was none other than Han Li, who had only just returned to the sect.
He heaved a faint sigh of relief as he caught sight of the building up ahead. Having already completed two missions, he only had one more left to complete, and after that, he would be free to do whatever he wanted for the next century.
With that in mind, he strode into the hall and was just about to say something, only to discover that the gray-robed elderly man wasn't there.
Thus, he made his way out of the room, then stopped a young servant who just so happened to have been passing by.
"I pay my respects to the esteemed elder," the young man hurriedly said at the sight of Han Li's elder robes, and he extended a respectful bow toward Han Li as he spoke.
"Do you know where the elder in the side hall went?" Han Li asked.
"Elder Hu Yan should be in the Hundred Wine Cottage on the Hundred Wine Peak at the moment," the young man replied as he pointed to a nearby mountain.
From where they were standing, Han Li was able to see a cluster of buildings on the summit of that mountain.
A peculiar look appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this, and he waved a hand to dismiss the young servant, then immediately flew toward the Hundred Wine Peak.
It didn't take long for him to arrive on the mountain, and he took a glance at the large estate up ahead, which had white walls and a red gate. Above the gate were inscribed the words "Hundred Wine Cottage" in extremely free-flowing text that was bordering on sloppiness, as if someone had made the inscription while drunk.
After a moment of hesitation, Han Li released his spiritual sense, and sure enough, the gray--robed elderly man was in the cottage.
He took a moment to adjust his robes, then made his way into the cottage through the gate.
Inside the cottage was a large open-air area, on either side of which were rows of potted plants much like the one in the side hall. The plants were quite varied and diverse, and not only were they all looking extremely vibrant and healthy, they were all giving off their own unique aromas.
Han Li's eyes lit up slightly upon seeing this.
In a nearby pot was a green spirit plant that was taller than a grown man, and the plant was laden with yellow beans, which were very similar to that Warrior Bean that Han Li had taken from the two Grand Ascension cultivators of the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
Only after examining the plant for a long while did he withdraw his gaze, then made his way over to a hall in the courtyard before knocking on the door.
"Elder Hu Yan, Junior Li Feiyu has come to see you."
After that, he stood outside the door and began to wait.
Moments later, the door swung open, and the rich aroma of wine poured forth from within. Elder Hu Yan's face was red with intoxication, and he was holding a bright green cup in one hand.
"Oh, it's you. I didn't think you'd be back so quickly," Elder Hu Yan said in a casual voice, then downed the contents of his cup in one go before smacking his lips with pleasure.
He then stumbled back into the hall before laying down onto a reclining chair, where he picked up a nearby flagon to fill his cup with before downing the contents of the cup in one go again.
"This is truly an exceptional wine..." Elder Hu Yan sighed in contentment.
Han Li made his way into the room, and his brows furrowed slightly at the sight of the drunk old man, but he then composed himself as he said, "Elder Hu Yan, I've completed the second mission assigned to me. A lizard beast that was about to break through to the True Immortal Stage had snuck into the Fire Cloud Peak, and it's been slain by me."
"Ah yes, I already received a message informing me of this. You did quite well, kid," Elder Hu Yan replied without even looking at Han Li, and during this time, he had drunk two more cups of wine.
"Thank you for your kind praise, Elder Hu Yan. I would like my next mission now," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a salute.
"Why the hurry? You've already attained immortality, so why are you still scurrying around as if there were a limit to your lifespan? Do you desire more power, or do you wish to be revered by heaven and earth themselves? If you ask me, all of that is superficial, and it's nowhere near as appealing as this cup of wine in my hand. Come and have a drink with me, and we'll set everything else aside for later," Elder Hu Yan said as he pulled out another cup and filled it, then patted a chair next to his as an invitation.
Han Li didn't want to waste any time here, but a thought then occurred to him, and he sat down before picking up the cup.
"In that case, please pardon my intrusion."
"That's the spirit! Drink all the fine wine you can, and enjoy every moment of life to its fullest! That's my mantra! Cheers!" Elder Hu Yan tapped his cup against Han Li's before downing his drink in one go, and Han Li also followed suit.
The wine was very sweet and fragrant, and as it slid down his throat, it was initially quite cold, but transformed into a surge of warmth as it flowed into his dantian. That surge of warmth then spread through his entire body, striking him with an incredibly relaxing sensation.
He felt as if he had suddenly risen up into the clouds with immortal music playing beside his ears, and it was a truly blissful state.
"This is an exceptional wine!" Han Li exclaimed.
"I like you, kid! People always say that wine confounds the senses, but they neglect to mention that only when drunk can one cast aside all inhibitions and be true to oneself. The 3,000 Great Dao laws and the meaning of life can perhaps only be gleaned while in a drunken state! You and I may be immortals, but this is something we can't obtain from anything else! Here, have some more!"
Elder Hu Yan chortled with mirth as he filled Han Li's and his own cup again.
Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.
It seemed that Elder Hu Yan was only making drunken ramblings, but there was some deeper meaning to his words.
Following Han Li's return to the Immortal Realm, there had been danger at every turn, and he had constantly been on his guard, making him unable to cast aside his inhibitions and be true to himself. This was completely different from the carefree life of an immortal that he had previously envisioned.
However, after drinking this cup of wine and hearing these words from Elder Hu Yan, he felt as if all of his worries and frustration had faded away, and he couldn't help but want to agree.
He had once been just a boy in a village, and up to this point in his cultivation journey, he had constantly been under immense pressure. Was this how he was supposed to live out the rest of his existence?
He had already attained immortality, and he now owned a vast territory in a powerful sect, so it seemed that it was time that he also enjoyed life to its fullest.
On top of that, perhaps only by setting aside some of his shackles and inhibitions could he get closer to the Great Dao...
No, this isn't right!
All of a sudden, he shook his head forcefully to rid himself of these thoughts.
Back when he first entered the Immortal Realm, it was perhaps precisely because he had gotten complacent that he had ended up losing his memories and his treasures. Otherwise, given his cautious and steadfast nature, there should've been no way that he had fallen into such a terrible state.
He had only just re-established himself in the Immortal Realm, and if he were to let down his guard again, there was a very good chance that he would suffer the same fate.
It appeared that all was safe and well in the Immortal Realm, but in reality, there was danger lurking at every turn, and he had to be even more cautious if he wanted to survive in this hostile environment.
All of these thoughts passed through his mind in a flash, and in that instant, his determination and resolve toward pursuing the Great Dao was reaffirmed.
"This is Green Pear Wine, right? As expected, it truly is an outstanding wine," Han Li praised as he tipped his cup back, but his eyes had become extremely clear, and the complacent sensation that had clouded his heart had completely faded.
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