Chapter 1333: Reunion

"Wan'er," Han Li called out in a gentle voice as he leaned down slightly with a gentle look in his eyes.

Nangong Wan was still looking rather dazed, seemingly yet to completely recover.

Han Li cast an incantation seal into her glabella upon seeing this, and a cool and refreshing sensation spread through her consciousness, instantly returning her fully to her senses.

She sat up on the bed, only to turn to Han Li in an expressionless manner.

Han Li's heart sank slightly upon seeing this. Could it be that he had been deceived, and Nangong Wan hadn't actually recovered her memories from this lifetime?

Despite his concerns, he reached out for her hand as he asked, "What's wrong, Wan'er? It's me."

Nangong Wan pulled back her hand so that it was out of Han Li's reach, then flew out of the bed with a wary look on her face.

"Who are you?"

"I am your dao partner, Han Li," Han Li replied.

"How can you prove your identity to me?" Nangong Wan asked in a cold manner.

A sense of relief welled up in Han Li's heart upon hearing this. It seemed that Nangong Wan had recovered her memories, she simply had reservations about his identity.

"Do you still remember the first time we met, Wan'er? It was during the Trial of Blood and Fire. At the time, you concealed yourself among us Qi Condensation Stage disciples to pick spirit medicines from all over the secret area. I have to say, that wasn't your finest moment," Han Li chuckled. [1]

A reminiscent look flashed through Nangong Wan's eyes upon hearing this, but it was only there for a moment before reverting back to the same apprehensive expression from before.

"After that, we worked together to defeat that flood dragon from what had seemed like a dire situation, and that was the beginning of our entwined fates..."

Han Li began to tell their story from the beginning, and even though countless years had passed since those events, they still remained fresh in his memory, as if they had taken place just yesterday.

"... We were separated after I ascended to the True Immortal Realm, and I had thought that perhaps that would've been a permanent separation, but fate has brought us back together," Han Li concluded.

Nangong Wan listened in silence the entire time, and it was clear from her expression that she wasn't swayed.

"These are all of our past experiences together, Wan'er. I'm sure no one else aside from the two of us is privy to this information," Han Li said with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"That doesn't prove anything. I can't tell what your current cultivation base is, but it's definitely above my own, so you could've easily searched my soul if you wanted to," Nangong Wan objected.

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, then sighed, "I suppose you're right. In that case, how would you like me to prove my identity to you?"

A contemplative look appeared on Nangong Wan's face as she considered the question.

All of a sudden, Han Li's expression changed slightly as he noticed that she was only giving off a True Immortal Stage aura.

He had been so caught up in the joy of their reunion that he had failed to notice this.

It seemed that with her memories recovered, the cultivation base that had belonged to Gan Rushuang and been bestowed upon her by the Six Paths Reincarnation Plate had been lost.

"I can see that your cultivation base has been regressed to the True Immortal Stage by the Six Paths Reincarnation Plate, but I've examined your condition, and this regression won't affect your future cultivation," Han Li assured.

"The Six Paths Reincarnation Plate... That's that underworld treasure in the Reincarnation Palace Master's possession, right? Do you know of that man's daughter?" Nangong Wan asked.

"I do. Her name is Gan Jiuzhen, and she was your daughter in your past life. If you have any other questions, then feel free to raise them," Han Li replied with a calm nod.

"How does that work? Also, why does the Reincarnation Palace Master look exactly like you?" Nangong Wan asked.

Han Li heaved a faint, internal sigh, then told Nangong Wan about his ties with the Reincarnation Palace Master, as well as how the latter had attempted to reawaken her memories of her past life using the Six Paths Reincarnation Plate.

Nangong Wan took some time to process this new information, then asked him a few more questions about the underworld, all of which he was able to answer.

"Surely you believe me now," Han Li said.

"That still doesn't prove it," Nangong Wan replied with a stubborn shake of her head.

A resigned look appeared on Han Li's face, but an idea then occurred to him.

With a sweep of his sleeve, he summoned his seventy-two Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, and the lightning flashing over them faded away to reveal the swords underneath.

"These Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords have always been my bonded treasure, even from back when we were together. I've refined them many times over the years, but the natural aura of the Golden Lightning Bamboo has been retained," Han Li said.

Nangong Wan stared blankly at the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords for a moment before turning her gaze back to Han Li, and her expressionless facade was finally beginning to crack.

"Oh, and there's also this. I've refined this treasure on multiple occasions as well, but it still retains some of its old traits," Han Li said as he summoned his Integrated Five Extremes Mountain.

Nangong Wan shuddered slightly at the sight of the mountain, and her resolve was clearly wavering as she turned back to Han Li.

"I've discarded all of my other treasures that you would be familiar with over the years, but I can still display some cultivation arts and abilities that you would've seen in the past, such as my Holy Nirvana Physique, and..."

Before he had a chance to finish, Nangong Wan had already dove into his arms, and she was embracing him with all her might as she murmured, "It's enough, I believe you."

After recovering her memories in the underworld, Nangong Wan had suffered a steep decline in her cultivation base, and everyone around her had been countless times more powerful than her, putting her in a constant state of unease.

Now that she was finally reunited with Han Li, she finally felt safe again, and she was gripping his arms with all her strength, as if she were afraid that he would disappear if she allowed her grip to relax even for a second.

Han Li returned her embrace with an affectionate and sympathetic look in his eyes.

He had been furious at the Reincarnation Palace Master's decision to awaken the memories of Nangong Wan's past life, but he had been powerless to oppose him at the time, so he was forced to leave her behind.

Now that Nangong Wan was finally back by his side, he felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from his chest.

His spiritual sense began to churn within his consciousness with this sudden and drastic change in his mental state, and he hurriedly closed his eyes to calm himself.

As he did so, he suddenly noticed that his nascent soul seemed to have undergone a curious change. It wasn't a significant change, and it would've completely escaped his notice had he not just so happened to have been inspecting his own internal condition.

It was this slight change that had resulted in an advancement in his cultivation of the Spirit Refinement Technique, and his spiritual sense had been significantly enhanced.

With his cultivation of the Spirit Refinement Technique, his spiritual sense had become more and more powerful, but it had never been a single, unified entity in his consciousness. Instead, it was as if it had been split up into individual bursts of power that refused to fuse with one another, resulting in a rather chaotic state.

He was able to unify his spiritual sense whenever he drew upon his Spirit Refinement Technique, but as soon as he stopped, his spiritual sense would return to its normal, chaotic state.

However, just now, his spiritual sense seemed to have found a point of unification.

It felt like a scattered and broken soul that had suddenly found a home, or a nascent soul that had returned to its host body after many years of roaming.

It was an indescribably blissful feeling, as if his nascent soul had been made whole, and what was even more of a pleasant surprise was that he had take a significant stride toward reaching full mastery of the seventh level of the Spirit Refinement Technique.

Upon sensing this change in Han Li's emotions, Nangong Wan gently pulled back to look at him as she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just really happy to have you back," Han Li replied in a gentle voice as he enveloped her in his embrace once again.

The two of them held each other in an intimate silence for a long time before releasing one another and exchanging a smile, and it was as if they had gone back in time to the days of old.

"I'm sorry for suspecting you just now," Nangong Wan said as an apologetic look appeared on her face.

"It's fine. In fact, it's very reassuring to see that you're so careful and cautious," Han Li said with a smile as he stowed his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords and Integrated Five Extremes Mountain away, then sat down on the edge of the bed with Nangong Wan.

"What have you experienced during your time in the True Immortal Realm? I've heard some things about you from Gan Jiuzhen and the Reincarnation Palace Master, and they've mentioned some feats of yours that seem almost too extraordinary to be true," Nangong Wan said.

"I don't have any significant feats to my name. All I've been doing is running away from all types of adversaries over the years," Han Li replied with a wry smile.

"I know you like to keep a low profile, but you don't have to be so modest when you're with me," Nangong Wan complained. "Let me ask you this: where do your powers rank in the True Immortal Realm right now?"

"At the moment, the most powerful cultivator in the entire True Immortal Realm has to be the Time Dao Ancestor, Gu Huojin. As for who's second, I don't think it's any of the other Dao Ancestors. Instead, I think it's the Reincarnation Palace Master. As for myself, I should be able to squeeze into the top ten," Han Li replied with a smile.

"I knew it! You're still the same dominant force that you were back in the Spirit Realm! Tell me everything that you've done during your time in the Immortal Realm, and don't try to keep any secrets! Also, I have a gift for you," Nangong Wan said as she pulled out half of a green jade pendant.

The jade pendant was as translucent as water, and there was an elegant figure etched onto its surface.

The figure was none other than Violet Spirit, while the jade slip that Violet Spirit had given to him had carried a visage of Nangong Wan.

"Alright, if you want to hear my story, then we'll have to start from the very beginning. After I ascended to the True Immortal Realm, I ended up in a secluded immortal region called the Northern Glacial Immortal Region..."

With that, Han Li commenced his tale, detailing his journey through the True Immortal Realm.

He glossed over some parts that contained sensitive information or concerned Violet Spirit, but he was very candid about everything else, even fully revealing the role that the Heaven Controlling Vial had played in his cultivation, something that he had never revealed to anyone else before.

Nangong Wan quickly became fully absorbed in his story, and her emotions fluctuated wildly with each twist and turn that was unveiled.

Her brows would furrow tightly whenever she heard about the people who had attempted to harm Han Li in the past, and she would heave a long sigh of relief upon learning how Han Li was able to save himself from his predicaments.

It was as if Han Li were a war veteran husband who had returned from the battlefield to tell his wife about his glorious feats.

As Nangong Wan listened to his story, her heart was filled with pride at his achievements, concern at the tribulations that he had been forced to endure, and elation at their long-awaited reunion.

Even though Han Li had discarded most of his attachments over the course of his cultivation journey, he retained a pure and earnest heart when it came to Nangong Wan, and it was only in her presence that he could truly be himself.

1. For more information on the Trial of Blood and Fire, please refer to https://a-record-of-a-mortal-is-journey-to-immortality.fandom.com/wiki/Trial_by_Blood_and_Fire ☜