The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 57: Awakening to a Dead Foe

A cold, icy sensation slowly emerged from the depths of Han Li's heart, quickly spreading throughout his entire body and jolting him awake from his deep slumber.

As soon as Han Li regained consciousness, he felt an overwhelming heaviness in his head, accompanied by a dull ache. His limbs were weak and limp, as if he had just recovered from a severe illness. Struggling to open his eyes, he found his eyelids unbearably heavy, unable to move even slightly.

In his dazed state, Han Li recalled everything that had happened before he lost consciousness.

A shiver ran down his spine, and his mind cleared somewhat. He immediately began to assess his current condition.

"Huh?" It seemed his body hadn't been taken over. Although he couldn't open his eyes, the discomfort throughout his body confirmed that he was back in control of his own flesh.

"Could it be that Doctor Mo's ritual failed?"

Struck by this unexpected realization, Han Li considered the only plausible explanation.

Suppressing his excitement, Han Li patiently waited until he regained some strength before forcing his eyes open just enough to see his surroundings.

The moment he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of a gaunt, haggard, and extremely aged face—Doctor Mo's elderly visage. However, he appeared to have aged another ten years, now looking like a decrepit old man on the verge of collapse.

At this moment, Doctor Mo's eyes were wide open, staring at Han Li with a look of sheer terror.

Startled, Han Li immediately tensed up, his earlier weakness vanishing in an instant. His first thought was to strike first and gain the upper hand.

After the last ordeal, Han Li was determined never to let himself fall into someone else's control again.

But then, Han Li noticed something unusual. Doctor Mo's expression was frozen, his body motionless, and there was no sound of breathing, as if he had been dead for some time.

Frowning, Han Li remained cautious, not letting his guard down. He focused intently on Doctor Mo's face, searching for any signs of life.

After a thorough observation lasting a full quarter of an hour, Han Li had to admit that Doctor Mo indeed appeared to be dead.

Hesitating for a moment, Han Li cautiously approached the body. He reached out and grabbed Doctor Mo's wrist with one hand while placing the other under his nose to check for breath. After a while, there was still no movement.

Only then did Han Li finally relax, feeling an immense weight lifted from his heart.

Even now, Han Li found it hard to believe that his formidable enemy, the cunning and ruthless Doctor Mo, had died so quietly and inexplicably, so easily.

He reached up and touched his forehead, only to find that the so-called "Calming Talisman" had disappeared without a trace. He couldn't find it anywhere nearby, which puzzled him. It wasn't until later, when he learned the art of Talismanic Incantations, that he realized the yellow talisman must have disintegrated into ashes after its spiritual energy was depleted, which was why he couldn't find it.

With his mind now at ease, Han Li began to scan the area around Doctor Mo's corpse, hoping to find some clues as to how the old man had met his end.The oil lamps and candles around were still lit, indicating that he hadn't been unconscious for too long. The few pieces of green jade nearby had turned dull and gray, as if their quality had suddenly dropped several levels, becoming utterly unremarkable.

As his gaze shifted, something in the corner of the stone room, trying to avoid Han Li's line of sight, caught his attention.

This object was not unfamiliar to Han Li. It was the enemy he had fought with in his dream and had slipped away from his grasp—the green light sphere that had been devoured by a third.

At this moment, it was desperately trying to burrow into the corner, seemingly terrified of Han Li and attempting to hide.

Han Li was initially surprised but then thoughtfully stroked his chin with one hand, lowering his head in contemplation for a while.

After a moment, Han Li stood up and walked towards the light sphere.

He stopped only when he was half a zhang away from it, then slowly spoke:

"I think it's time we got acquainted. You must be Yu Zitong, right?"

The green light sphere trembled, its glow flickering unsteadily. Upon hearing Han Li call out its name, it dimmed for a while before brightening again.

"You guessed it. Your Excellency truly lives up to being Doctor Mo's disciple, just as troublesome and hard to deal with as he is," the light sphere spoke in a human voice, its tone matching that of the young man.

It didn't try to deny or argue, directly admitting to Han Li's guess.

"Then, Your Excellency, shouldn't you give me some explanation and tell me the whole story?" Hearing that the other party was indeed one of the culprits who had plotted against him, Han Li showed no sign of anger, still speaking in a calm and unhurried manner.

However, Yu Zitong, seeing Han Li's composed demeanor, inexplicably felt a chill in his heart, as if a great disaster was looming.

In the recent battle of Divine Senses, he had just experienced the ferocity of this formidable opponent, having part of his Primordial Spirit devoured alive and losing most of his magical power. Now, with only a remnant of his power left, he could only perform a few minor illusions, with no offensive capabilities whatsoever. Facing the Immortal Master without any means of self-defense, he naturally felt an indescribable fear.

"What do you want to know?"

He knew that the other party had just narrowly escaped death and should be emotionally unstable, posing a great danger. Despite the calm exterior, beneath the surface, the other party might be brewing with rage, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Now that he had been discovered, the best course of action was to cooperate and not challenge the other party's patience with words. He had no desire to be senselessly destroyed by the other's impulsive actions.

"First, tell me who you really are. Then, recount how you met Doctor Mo and the original plan you two had, in detail. I have plenty of time now and can listen to your story slowly," Han Li spoke with a mask-like expression, showing no emotional fluctuations.

(End of Chapter)