Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 155

While Oh Mae was dying, Han Li sat in his room, reviewing his body, magical artifacts, and talismans. Having finished his preparations, he quietly gazed at the moonlight outside the window.

“By now, the seizure must have started,” he muttered, guessing her fate. Han Li left his room and headed towards the Clear Sound Garden.

In truth, he had been bothered by the youngest one ever since he had started to detoxify the Dream Mountain Five. Her body had the same kind of poison as the others, but only a tiny amount, not enough to kill her even if a seizure occurred.

Conversely, she was the most troublesome when it came to undoing the curse. Unlike the others, the curse had been placed long ago, leaving deep traces in her consciousness.

If suspicion arose, he had to defend himself. Han Li had taken simple measures while undoing the curse.

It was a simple restriction that temporarily hid the remaining potency of the antidote she had taken within her body. The potency could explode whenever Han Li wanted. The elixir that the Dream Mountain Five had taken was a famous detoxifying medicine called the Impermanence Pill, but it could also be used as a poison with special treatment. It was one of the spoils he had obtained from the demonic cultivators.

Tonight, when he had secretly called out the other four of the Dream Mountain Five to witness the young woman’s trickery, he had used acupuncture to seal her magical power.

This acupuncture, in addition to binding her magical power, had the effect of triggering the poison hidden in her body. If Han Li did not release the restriction, she would die without even being able to scream, turning into a lump of blood and disappearing.

Whether Han Li dealt with it himself or entrusted it to the Dream Mountain Four, he had to absolutely prevent her from escaping and leaking information.

Even when he had placed this restriction, it was only in preparation for a possible situation, and he had not predicted that it would actually lead to this result. If she had just been captured quietly, he had planned to release the seizure, so she was just unlucky.

Because of these preparations, he had remained calm even when the old man had rushed over to report it.

Also, whether they had made a mistake or done it intentionally, they had released an important hostage, so there was no fear of information leaking, and he could put the Dream Mountain Four in his debt. He had gained a favorable position to control them later.

When he arrived at the Clear Sound Garden, the four were waiting, having completed all preparations.

“Let’s depart!” Han Li announced the start of the operation simply as he entered the room.

The manor of the Hyung family exuded an imposing aura like a giant beast even at night. However, Han Li and the others, using stealth techniques, crossed the walls of the Hyung family manor.

Today, this place had been in an uproar all day due to the disappearance of Taoist Oh, but as the night deepened, most people except for the guards protecting the manor were lost in their dreams.

Once inside, Han Li captured the first guard he encountered and used the Mind Control Technique to find out the residences of Chief Wang and Young Master So.

“Young Master So’s cultivation is lower, so we’ll strike him first and then deal with Chief Wang.”

No one was surprised, as they had already heard that members of the Black Fiend Sect had infiltrated the Hyung family manor.

To these cultivators, the fact that Young Master So was a member of the imperial family was less frightening than the fact that he was a core disciple of the Black Fiend Sect. They then arrived in front of a small three-story pavilion where Young Master So was staying.

The guards protecting this place were immediately knocked unconscious by the Dream Mountain Four. Han Li was quite pleased internally at how they did everything without being told.

‘It’s not bad to have subordinates, is it?’

According to the guards, Young Master So was staying on the third floor, so Han Li alone went to investigate, while the others were to lie in ambush everywhere.

If the cunning Young Master So tried to escape from Han Li’s grasp, those in hiding would buy time.

Of course, he did not forget to use his magical power generously to create a massive soundproof barrier, just in case Chief Wang noticed anything beforehand. Having finished his preparations, Han Li suddenly flew up to the third floor and disappeared.

The Dream Mountain Four watched the spot where he had disappeared without blinking, when a person quickly rushed out. They were about to move in surprise, but they relaxed when they realized that the person was Han Li.

However, it was strange that Senior Han had finished his work so quickly. Han Li, with a dark expression, landed on the ground and called everyone back together.

“It was just a puppet made with illusion magic; Young Master So was not there. It seems he has gone out.”

“Did Oh Mae leak the information? Or is it a trap?”

“That’s unlikely. If the opponent had set a trap, they would have attacked us when we first arrived. That would have been when we were more vulnerable,” Han Li explained, shaking his head as the middle-aged woman expressed her concern. The others also seemed a little relieved at his words, but they checked their surroundings to see if anything was amiss.

“Then what should we do now? Are you thinking of withdrawing and trying again another day?” the second asked cautiously.

“We’ll go to Chief Wang’s residence first. If he’s not there either, we’ll have no choice but to withdraw,” Han Li said. The four nodded silently at Han Li’s words. Han Li chanted a spell to remove the barrier and then slipped into another part of the manor, with the four following closely behind.

Chief Wang did not stay in a three-story pavilion like Young Master So, but occupied a house with three rooms all to himself.

The fact that one of the rooms was still lit showed that he had not yet fallen asleep. Han Li’s eyebrows shot up.

First, he had the Dream Mountain Four secretly guard the surroundings, and then he used the nameless technique he had recently acquired to hide his spiritual power. Now, he looked no different from an ordinary person to anyone.

He then moved to the wall of the lit room and put his ear to it. He could not dare to unleash his consciousness to look inside because of the strange unease that Chief Wang gave him.

After a while, his expression changed, and he appeared from behind a large flower tree where the others were hiding.

The four were curious about what had happened, when Han Li’s telepathic voice echoed in their ears.

“Young Master So is with him, so be careful. Observe the situation before moving.”

The tense group held their breaths even more and stared only at the door.

‘Creak.’

The door opened, and a young man wearing a light green silk robe walked out. It was Young Master So of the Hyung family manor.

He turned his head and exchanged a few words with the person in the room, then began to walk towards the yard. After the door closed automatically, the lamp also went out. It seemed that Chief Wang was also trying to rest.

Han Li, who was watching Young Master So, was constantly feeling a sense of incongruity. He was clearly a body without any spiritual power, but how could he explain the sense of crisis that spread subtly whenever he appeared?

Perhaps because he was inside the manor, Young Master So was truly enjoying the leisure, looking at the moon in the sky like an ordinary person.

But suddenly, he sighed and began to stroll around Chief Wang’s yard instead of heading straight to his residence. His face was full of worry, as if he had something to think about.

Judging by his behavior, it seemed he would stay here for a while. The Dream Mountain Four had no choice but to hold their breaths and watch.

It would be a disaster if they attacked him now and Chief Wang woke up. The best way was to wait for Young Master So to return to his residence and then deal with them one by one.

Since they were all cultivators, they had a strong sense of patience and their stealth techniques were flawless. After the time when they would have had a full meal, Young Master So finally seemed about to leave the yard.

It was good news for those in ambush. However, the scene that followed was beyond everyone’s expectations.

As soon as Young Master So left Chief Wang’s yard, he used something similar to illusion magic to summon clothing, and he was soon covered in blood-red clothes and a mask. It was exactly the same appearance as when he had imprisoned the Dream Mountain Five and given them strange orders. The Dream Mountain Four felt their blood boiling with a desire for revenge, but they did not act rashly.

Young Master So, now in different attire, exuded a murderous aura from his entire body, and the fluctuations of his magical power were also revealed. He was a cultivator at the eleventh level of the Qi Condensation stage. He did not seem to have any intention of returning to his residence, as he immediately took out a long, blood-red magical artifact and flew into the sky.

Han Li’s eyes shone coldly, and at the same time, his command fell into the ears of the other four.

“Chase him. No matter where he’s going, we must catch him before he arrives.”

Following his command, the Dream Mountain Four immediately rode their magical artifacts and chased after him. Han Li looked at Chief Wang’s residence for a moment, hesitated, and then finally followed on the Wind God Boat.

Because the Wind God Boat was so fast, he was able to quickly arrive at the abandoned temple by following the traces of spiritual energy they had left behind.

The Dream Mountain Four were floating in the air, putting their heads together and discussing something.

“What’s going on?” Han Li asked quietly, narrowing his brow.

“That ghostly fellow must have discovered us, as he hid in a dilapidated temple. But there’s a barrier around the temple, and we had a hard time trying to break in, so we couldn’t go back in. There might also be an ambush inside,” the old man explained hastily, reading Han Li’s displeased expression.

‘A barrier!’

Han Li was also troubled by the mention of a barrier formed by a restriction [a magical formation].

He did not know much about formations. Still, he could not show such a thing in front of the Dream Mountain Four.

“I’ll take a look!” Han Li activated his Heavenly Eye Technique and carefully observed the temple. He felt faint fluctuations of spiritual energy everywhere, but Han Li actually breathed a sigh of relief.

The barrier was just a small-scale formation with a very basic earth attribute, the Falling Rock Formation. It was something that a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Han Li could easily break by force, even if it was difficult for a Qi Condensation cultivator.

Having finished his examination, he rummaged through his storage pouch and stretched out both arms. Then, four puppet monsters appeared. The Dream Mountain Four, who had already been attacked by the puppets, unconsciously took a step back.

Ignoring their fearful expressions, the monsters opened their mouths and emitted beams of light as thick as bowls. As the pillars of light rushed in, a yellow protective barrier surrounding the temple appeared.

As the surface of the barrier collided with the pillars of light, the yellow light surged and blocked the attack. Then, a pair of Black Dragon Talons made from the claws of a flood dragon flew towards the barrier.

With the pillars of light and the Black Dragon Talons added, the barrier could not withstand the continuous attacks.

‘Bang!’

A clear cracking sound rang out, and the barrier completely collapsed, the yellow light scattering like smoke. Even the Dream Mountain Four swallowed hard at the scene that had unfolded in an instant.

They knew a little about how difficult it was to destroy a barrier by force alone, rather than dismantling the formation.

It was only possible when Han Li’s attack power far exceeded the barrier’s defense power. Ordinary attacks would have difficulty causing significant damage to the barrier due to the subtle workings of the restriction.

“Go. You must not let him escape,” Han Li’s face was as cold as ice.

The four, who had already completely submitted to him in terms of both reason and skill, were about to move when they heard someone’s mocking laughter from behind them!

“Heh heh heh. Are you looking for me? This temple is just a temporary base and is empty, so you’ve only wasted your efforts.”

The surprised four barely managed to regain their balance on their magical artifacts and turned their heads.

Behind Han Li’s group, Young Master So, whom they had been chasing, was standing with a lean man dressed in the same attire as him. In addition, there were also about a dozen masked figures in black, who were undoubtedly external disciples under the control of the Black Fiend Sect, like the previous Dream Mountain Five.

However, the most eye-catching figure was the bald giant standing behind Young Master So.

Dressed in blood-red clothes like Young Master So, he was looking down at them with a murderous and greedy gaze. He was unexpectedly a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Han Li.

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