Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 228

Without pausing, Han Li formed another hand seal, causing the nine small swords to gather, scattering green light, and transform into a jade-colored greatsword about a zhang [approximately 3.3 meters] in length. The greatsword continuously emitted golden lightning.

The young man seemed surprised, focusing his gaze.

“A flying sword refined with Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, controlling insects, and even puppetry! It seems you’re not a disciple of the Extreme Yin or Extreme Profound sects. In that case, this old one might have room for discussion.”

Han Li, who was about to attack, flinched slightly at these words, but it was only for a brief moment.

“I was wondering if you could withstand my flying sword?”

*Kwa-kwang!*

Without hesitation, he moved his fingers, and the greatsword, as if it had become a green serpent, flew out, accompanied by a thunderous sound right beside it.

The young man’s expression subtly changed, and before the greatsword could get close, he made a move.

From the side, five black crescent-shaped energies appeared, rapidly growing in size and shooting towards the green greatsword.

The moment the two objects collided, the crescent-shaped energies scattered like clouds from the greatsword’s lightning, demonstrating that they couldn’t withstand even a single attack.

The young man maintained a calm face, but inwardly, he was greatly surprised. The power of the Golden Thunder Bamboo had exceeded his expectations.

In the blink of an eye, the greatsword reached the young man’s nose. However, the young man still looked composed, as if he had something in mind.

A green light flashed from the young man’s sharp hand, and an object of the same color shot out, blocking the greatsword.

*Kwa-kwa-kwang!*

A tremendous sound echoed.

Black and golden lightning burst and intertwined, forming a massive ball of lightning, and the hall vibrated with the sound of the clashing thunder.

Han Li’s pupils contracted.

‘Heavenly Thunder Bamboo!’

The opponent was also using a magic treasure refined with Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.

Could it be… A thought occurred to him, and he carefully observed the turquoise light emitted by the young man.

In the dazzling lightning, seven jade-colored arrows, each about a chi [approximately 0.33 meters] long, were evenly matched against the greatsword transformed from the Seven Bamboo Cloud Swords.

The lightning it emitted was completely different from the greatsword’s; it was almost devoid of gold, instead, it was a deep black, as if it had been refined with some kind of evil technique.

The power of the black lightning was immense, gaining the upper hand in the battle against the golden lightning.

Han Li couldn’t help but sigh. The situation he had suspected had come to pass.

The moment he saw the arrow embedded in the skull of the white bone corpse, Han Li felt a familiar sensation. It was as if it was the Golden Thunder Bamboo he had nurtured for so long. However, due to the faint, intermittent evil aura, he couldn’t be certain.

In any case, as far as he knew, the Golden Thunder Bamboo had only appeared once in the Chaotic Star Sea and had disappeared for countless years. It was hard to believe that he would encounter it by chance.

Now, it seemed that not only was the arrow that ambushed the white bone corpse made of Golden Thunder Bamboo, but the old ghost also possessed a magic treasure refined with it.

It was truly absurd. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that if the opponent had controlled the arrow to ambush him when he was unguardedly observing the white bone corpse, he would have most likely been sent to the Yellow Springs [the underworld].

This conclusion made him break out in a cold sweat. However, it wasn’t strange that the Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword couldn’t handle the enemy’s arrows.

The time he had spent nurturing the flying sword within his body was too short, so it was practically fighting with the raw power of the material, making it no match for the old ghost’s magic treasure.

If he had been given a little more time, he would have undoubtedly overwhelmed the opponent’s magic treasure, which was refined with only a single segment of Golden Thunder Bamboo.

However, this test confirmed that the opponent could indeed counter the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder of the Golden Thunder Bamboo, making a do-or-die approach reckless.

From the time he was a turquoise shadow until now, Han Li had not been able to grasp the young man’s true cultivation.

The opponent was cunning, quick-witted, and used unknown demonic arts and sorcery, so he had to consider the possibility that he might not be able to stop him even if he tried.

Moreover, even if he released tens of thousands of Silver Devouring Beetles, there was no guarantee that he would win.

Thinking about it, the reason the old ghost suddenly stopped fighting and proposed a deal was probably because he was wary of Han Li’s powerful magic treasure and his use of unknown sorcery.

Having made a decision, he immediately recalled the greatsword.

*Thud!*

With a heavy sound, the greatsword split into seven small swords and returned to Han Li. The young man also revealed his white teeth and, in the end, did not pursue, retracting his magic treasure.

“If you’re really a master of the Extreme Yin Sect, does that mean you’re over a thousand years old?”

Han Li’s incredulous tone made the young man examine his own hand, which had returned to normal, and he replied ambiguously.

“Before I cultivated the Profound Soul Refining Demon Great Art, I was already about six hundred years old. After becoming a Profound Soul, perhaps four or five hundred years have passed. If I hadn’t cultivated the Profound Soul Technique and dispersed my Nascent Soul [a higher stage in cultivation], I would have already passed away even if I had a physical body.”

Han Li was speechless.

If what the opponent said was true, then he was truly an old ghost who had lived for a thousand years!

At the same time, he became curious about the Profound Soul Refining Demon Great Art. A technique that could extend a cultivator’s lifespan beyond the norm naturally piqued his interest. Naturally, Han Li’s tone softened.

“Then I should really call you Senior.”

The young man sneered, realizing that these words were insincere.

“Hmph, Senior? I once commanded the cultivation world for so long, but now I’ve been reduced to something that’s neither human nor ghost, losing even the chance to reincarnate.

All of this is to capture those two treacherous bastards and wash away my bone-deep resentment! If you don’t reveal your origins, I will never let you leave, no matter how much your vitality is depleted.”

His voice was calm, but a deep hatred could be felt. Han Li smiled wryly and thought for a moment.

“Wouldn’t that be too much of a loss for me? I also have many questions, so I think I’ll need Senior’s help.”

Surprised by those words, the young man raised his head and laughed.

“You’re quite something! Fine, I’ll agree to your conditions. But remember, the more you know, the shorter your life will be.”

The young man’s face was fine, but his mind didn’t seem to be entirely sound.

“Hehe, Senior doesn’t need to worry about that. If my guess is correct, Senior’s cultivation is at most in the late Core Formation stage, right?”

Han Li probed, carefully observing his expression. However, the young man smiled coldly, revealing no hint of his thoughts.

‘Like an old fox!’

“Enough nonsense. You said you learned the related techniques from a book, not from those treacherous bastards, so show me the book.”

The young man was still arrogant. Han Li frowned, hesitated for a moment, but still rummaged through his storage pouch.

A book emitting a grayish-white aura flew towards the young man. Instead of taking the book directly, the young man raised a hand and sent out a black aura to retrieve it.

Then, he seemed to focus on the book, his red eyes flashing.

After a while, the young man’s eyes returned to normal, and he flicked his hand, returning the book.

“Tell me how you obtained this book. This alone isn’t enough to prove that you have no connection to those two treacherous bastards.”

Han Li smiled. And without paying attention to the opponent’s question, he asked his own question.

“Someone as great as you must have been famous. May I know your esteemed name?”

The young man was enraged that Han Li didn’t answer directly and instead asked a question. However, for some reason, he answered immediately.

“This old one is the Profound Bone Merchant, Sota. Have you ever heard of me?”

‘Profound Bone Merchant?’

No matter how much he racked his brain, he had never heard of him. Han Li didn’t mind and calmly replied.

“Even after examining the book, you still don’t believe me. Then I’ll show you that my techniques are not related to yours. Please observe carefully.”

After speaking, he pushed the Azure Origin Sword Art to its peak, and a blue light soared from his body, emitting a dazzling radiance that was impossible to see with the naked eye.

Then, Han Li’s ten fingers flicked, and eighteen Azure Origin Sword Nets, a unique sword technique of the art, shot towards one of the walls, creating holes the size of bowls.

Han Li dusted off his hands.

“The source of the book is even simpler. I obtained it from a sorcerer who practiced evil arts. If you still don’t believe me, then I have nothing more to say. Let’s talk with our strength again.”

Sota’s face darkened when he saw Han Li’s blue radiance. After a long while, he opened his mouth with a much softer expression.

“This old ancestor can see that the techniques you’ve learned didn’t come from the Extreme Yin Sect, and they’re not even demonic techniques. However, you’re carrying a Nascent Soul avatar and found this place under the guise of coincidence, so this old one has to be cautious. Let me ask again, besides that book, what else did you find from that person?”

Han Li flinched at the old ghost’s words. He felt that the opponent’s threats had all been to get the answer to this question.

After thinking, Han Li didn’t answer immediately and instead asked a question.

“The reason you’re stuck here as a Profound Soul is because of the limitations of the Profound Soul Refining Demon Great Art, right? For example, you can’t move around during the day or you need a special magic artifact…”

The young man interrupted him, revealing his anger.

“Hmph! Do you think I’ll tell you that?”

“Then you’ll understand why I can’t tell you anything either.”

Sota was stunned by Han Li’s calm words, and his anger gradually subsided.

“If you won’t tell me…”

*Chirrrp.*

Just as the Profound Bone Merchant Sota was about to change the subject, a clear cry suddenly came from his body.

The sound was clear and pleasant, but Han Li was startled. The young man was stunned by the sound, and then he made an expression of disbelief.

He ignored Han Li and suddenly punched himself in the center of his chest.

*Puhwak!*

A white rib bone popped out of his body, circled around the Profound Bone Merchant, and fell into his hand.

The clear sound they had just heard was surprisingly from that bone. Han Li blinked, looking puzzled.

The old demon held it in his hand, his smile deepening.

He applied force to his five fingers, crushing the white bone, and a light burst out from within, and a white cricket-like creature flew out.

The insect, enveloped in a white light, chirped clearly without stopping, then suddenly stopped chirping and was absorbed into the Profound Bone Merchant’s body.

“Haha!”

The Profound Bone Merchant burst into laughter, and a light appeared in his hand, revealing a yellowed silk handkerchief.

Han Li was startled when he saw it.

Wasn’t that piece of silk cloth too similar to the map fragment he had taken from the Black Fiend Sect Leader!

Han Li sensed that this was the clue to unlocking the map’s secret and carefully observed the opponent’s actions. Unfortunately, the Profound Bone Merchant quickly glanced at the handkerchief and put it back into his pocket.

“Since you have no connection to those two treacherous bastards, then I have no time to waste on you. I have other matters to attend to, so let’s go our separate ways! But I advise you, if you stay here too long, those sharp-eyed treacherous bastards might find you, so it’s best to leave quickly.”

After speaking, the Profound Bone Merchant didn’t wait for Han Li’s reply and turned into a blood-colored light, passing by Han Li.

Han Li was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyebrows.

*Puff-puff-puff.*

He also turned into a streak of blue light and circled the hall once. He collected the magic treasures of the other cultivators, such as Jin Qing, and the storage pouches, and then spat out fireballs to dispose of all the corpses.

Now was not the time to think about the silk handkerchief. If the old demon who had just left did something at the entrance, things would get complicated.

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