Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 174

Han Li didn’t answer and withdrew the blue energy.

‘Ding.’

With a flick of his finger, the bell chimed, and Gokhun’s body, which had been trying to escape, rolled on the floor.

“A natal magic artifact! It’s a magic artifact that binds this body!” the person inside Gokhun’s body shouted, fear evident in his voice.

“Good that you know. If you don’t want to suffer needlessly, tell me your background. Cultivators aren’t supposed to take over the bodies of ordinary people, so I’m curious how you ended up in that body.”

Han Li’s expression was calm, his tone conversational, as if chatting with a friend.

However, Gokhun was inwardly terrified. A cultivator who had taken over another’s body was an abomination in the cultivation world, often killed on sight or treated with hostility.

Moreover, Han Li’s strange calmness made him even more uneasy.

“Cultivator, please calm your anger. I was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator before, but I lost my body in a battle with my enemy and had no choice but to take refuge in this body.”

“Is that so?” Han Li replied, unimpressed. Gokhun had avoided answering his questions directly. The fact that the other party was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator was unexpected.

Gokhun, unable to gauge Han Li’s thoughts, became even more terrified by his nonchalant attitude and hurriedly continued, “Although my current cultivation is only at the low level of Qi Refining, I have some magic artifacts and spirit stones. If you don’t pursue this matter, I’ll give them all to you.”

Gokhun finished cautiously. Han Li’s face darkened at the offer, and he paused for a moment, lost in thought.

“Are you a cultivator from one of the Seven Great Sects?”

“The Seven Great Sects… Ah, yes! I’m a cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain. Are you perhaps a cultivator from one of the Seven Great Sects?” He tried his best to sound normal, but he couldn’t hide the trembling in his eyes. Han Li’s suspicion deepened, but he smiled lightly and asked gently, “You were a cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain, then do you know Miss Ham Woon-ji from your sect?”

“Ham Woon-ji… I’m really sorry, but I’ve been in closed-door training all the time, so I don’t know the disciples with lower seniority very well,” Gokhun said, flustered at first, but then he gave a sly smile and explained his difficulties.

“You don’t know her? Then tell me the names of the people you knew. I have frequent contact with the cultivators of Spirit Beast Mountain, so there must be one name I recognize.”

“That is…” Gokhun, who had now completely lost his composure, was rolling his eyes, and it was obvious to anyone that he was lying. At that sight, Han Li’s face hardened instantly, and he emitted a gloomy chill.

“You disappoint me. If you insist on drinking the punishment wine [a metaphor for facing consequences], I’ll have to give you what you want.”

Han Li’s body seemed to blur, and then he instantly returned to his original position.

Gokhun was standing still, a mind-binding talisman attached to his chest. He had been caught without even having a chance to react. Gokhun shouted with a desperate expression, “What does this mean? If we talk it out nicely…”

If a mind-binding talisman was attached to an ordinary person, their whole body would stiffen, and they wouldn’t be able to move or speak. However, since a cultivator’s spiritual power was residing in his body, his speech and expression were not affected.

Han Li ignored him and took out a jet-black bowl from his storage pouch.

The surrounding air seemed to turn cold as this eerie object emerged. Moreover, a mournful wailing sound could be heard from within, and black energy swirled around it, truly overflowing with ghostly energy. It was the Soul-Gathering Bowl he had acquired not long ago.

Han Li, holding the magic artifact and sending a sinister gaze, approached Gokhun.

When he saw the strange energy of the bowl, his expression changed drastically as if he had thought of something. He had no choice but to open his mouth. “What are you trying to do? You’re not going to use Soul Refinement Technique, are you?”

The infamous magic techniques using the Soul-Gathering Bowl were something that any cultivator would fear and avoid. Even when cultivators cursed and insulted each other, the Soul-Gathering Bowl often appeared.

It was said that these sorcerers could extract a cultivator’s nascent soul [a cultivator’s core spiritual essence] and torture them professionally.

The pain inflicted on the soul was something that even the most strong-willed cultivator couldn’t endure, and the stronger the nascent soul, the greater the pain. This was why every cultivator’s face changed at this story.

Not many people had seen the appearance of such a soul-binding magic artifact, but the Soul-Gathering Bowl, which was said to be able to hold the souls of more than 100 cultivators while emitting a sinister ghostly energy, looked exactly like the magic artifact that Han Li had taken out.

The appearance of this strange magic artifact and Han Li’s warning led to the misunderstanding that he was trying to use the Soul Refinement Technique. The first technique that came to mind as a way to torment someone who was left with only their soul was the Soul Refinement Technique.

When Han Li heard Gokhun’s words, his expression remained the same, but he was a little surprised.

In fact, he had only taken out the Soul-Gathering Bowl to torment and punish the other party with its strange energy, but since the other party had already started a strange misunderstanding, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to take advantage of it.

“I’ll ask you one more time. What is your identity? Why did you lie about being a cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain?” Han Li didn’t address the Soul Refinement Technique and immediately asked what he wanted to know. When there was no accurate answer, he assumed it was a yes, and Gokhun’s face contorted, and he didn’t open his mouth.

At that sight, there was no need to say any more useless words. Han Li immediately chanted a strange incantation that he didn’t even know himself and held the Soul-Gathering Bowl in front of the other person’s face.

The eerie energy of this bowl was so shocking that even Han Li, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, trembled, so it was impossible for Gokhun, who had fallen to the Qi Refining stage, to endure it.

As the bowl approached Gokhun, he already felt a chill all over his body, and his nascent soul felt as if it was being pierced by thousands of silver needles while frozen solid.

He screamed in unbearable pain, his face contorted.

“There’s no need to be impatient. Once the magic technique is fully deployed, 100 times the pain you’re feeling now will be waiting for you,” Han Li’s leisurely words pierced his ears.

“100 times!” This pain was already unbearable, and if the pain became more severe than it was now, his nascent soul might explode. He was convinced that the magic technique Han Li was about to use was the legendary Soul Refinement Technique.

As Han Li began to form hand seals, he desperately pleaded, “Please don’t do this! I’ll tell you everything, so please take away the magic artifact.”

The cold energy of the Soul-Gathering Bowl had seeped in, and his mouth was so frozen that he couldn’t speak properly. It was only because his spiritual power was protecting him and Gokhun’s body itself was strong that he was able to endure it; otherwise, his body would have already stiffened.

“You should have done that from the start. Then this wouldn’t have happened,” Han Li immediately retrieved the Soul-Gathering Bowl and put it back into his storage pouch. The eerie energy was so chilling that even Han Li couldn’t hold it for long.

Gokhun took a long breath as the soul-binding magic artifact disappeared from his sight.

“I can verify with magic techniques, so don’t even think about trying to deceive me with lies. If you foolishly harbor any hidden intentions, your soul will be shattered, and you won’t even be able to reincarnate,” Han Li’s tone was firm and cold. Gokhun, who had just escaped the pain, trembled, and his face darkened.

“I am…”

“If you say anything about mountains and rivers [a common idiom for avoiding the truth], I won’t even listen to what you have to say,” Han Li cut off Gokhun’s words as he was about to speak. At those words, Gokhun gave a bitter smile. He had been thinking of trying to say something about mountains and rivers without changing his mind.

After hesitating for a moment, Gokhun began to speak, “As you suspect, I am not a cultivator from Yue Country.”

‘Not a cultivator from Yue Country?’ His first words surprised him.

“I am actually a cultivator from the Spirit Control Sect of the Heavenly Capital Country, and I was traveling in Yue Country.”

“Spirit Control Sect?” Han Li narrowed his eyes and sent a sharp gaze.

“That’s right. A few years ago, I came here and met a powerful cultivator, lost my physical body, and ended up in this state,” he looked regretful as he mentioned losing his physical body. Han Li, who had been pondering the story for a moment, raised his eyebrows.

“You lost your physical body 5-6 years ago?” Gokhun, not understanding why Han Li was asking this, simply answered truthfully, “That is correct.”

“So, you’ve had a physical body for several years, but you haven’t thought about going back.”

“Of course, I wanted to go back! But you don’t understand the demonic path.”

“What do you mean? Although I’ve heard of the demonic path, explain it in detail.”

“The demonic path is a world of the survival of the fittest. The strong monopolize power and benefits, so it means that you have to have power to enjoy it. Originally, I had a high position in the Spirit Control Sect, so I had a beautiful partner and servants who were also my disciples, but now that my cultivation has fallen like this, what would happen if I went back? It’s obvious that I would be killed by my fellow disciples.”

Han Li didn’t say anything as he looked at Gokhun, who was speaking self-deprecatingly.

“Although my cultivation has fallen after taking over another’s body, I was confident that I could regain my original power if I cultivated here for 30 or 40 years. If I didn’t plan to return with dignity, would I have wanted to hide in this insignificant place?”

“So, you’ve been staying near Gawon Castle all this time and haven’t had any contact with other cultivators?”

“Not once. You are the first cultivator from Yue Country that I’ve met since I took over this body.”

“You should have said that from the beginning. Why did you pretend to be a cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain?”

“I thought you were a cultivator from one of the Seven Great Sects, and I was afraid that the situation would turn unfavorable.”

“Is everything you’ve said so far true?” Han Li suddenly smiled as he listened to Gokhun’s gloomy answer. His tone was calm, but Gokhun’s back was sweating.

“Of course! Is there anything strange about it?” He asked cautiously, feeling uneasy.

“There’s a saying that if you want to deceive someone, you have to mix lies with the truth. So, how much of what you said is true?” Han Li stared straight into the other person’s eyes and recited each word clearly.

“Ha! Ha! You’re very suspicious. Everything I said is true,” Gokhun also felt that things were going strangely, but he was holding on because he was afraid of the consequences if he told the truth.

“Then, I’ll give you some information first. Your Demonic Path Six Sects have already invaded Yue Country, so you are an enemy force. I’m tired of asking you for secrets, so I’m just going to pull out your nascent soul and kill you to save time,” Han Li’s face, which had been peaceful, turned sinister in an instant. At that, Gokhun’s face turned ashen.

“You’ve already invaded Yue Country? That’s impossible. It shouldn’t be time yet…” He spoke anxiously, and then his face turned pale in an instant. Han Li was also startled inside.

“To think that you knew even that, I really underestimated you. But no matter how high your previous status was, you are now just a Qi Refining cultivator, so don’t blame me for being harsh.” As soon as Han Li finished speaking, he revealed a murderous intent on his face. As he flipped his palm, the Soul-Gathering Bowl reappeared, emitting an eerie energy. However, this time, Gokhun had a look of resignation on his face.

Seeing that face, Han Li also became a little uneasy. The Soul-Gathering Bowl and the Soul Refinement Technique were meant to threaten the other party, not to kill them. If he didn’t speak even if he died, he would have no choice but to break him along with Gokhun’s body.

Just as he was falling into thought, Gokhun sighed deeply and opened his mouth first, “I do have a secret that I’m hiding, and it’s also important information related to the life and death of the Seven Great Sects. But what will change if I tell you everything? In the end, I’ll just be killed by the Soul Refinement Technique.”

Han Li scratched his nose as he listened to the other person’s words and immediately put away the Soul-Gathering Bowl.

“What kind of guarantee do you want? I’ll listen and consider it if it seems reasonable,” he asked as if he was doing a favor, pretending not to be too interested in the other person’s words.

“I can’t trust ordinary oaths. I heard that those who practice the Soul Refinement Technique fear the oaths made on soul-binding magic artifacts the most. If they break the oath, they mostly die from the backlash of the Soul Refinement Technique, and the consequences are said to be terrible. So, after getting all the information, please swear on a soul-binding magic artifact that you won’t kill me,” Gokhun immediately presented his condition without much thought.

“Alright, I’ll do that!” Han Li accepted the other party’s condition without hesitation and was inwardly sneering. Then, he took out the Soul-Gathering Bowl and did as the other party wanted.

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