Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 232

The tremors grew stronger, and a massive figure appeared at the entrance of the main hall.

The grotesque man, with a long, yellow, curly beard, was draped in a navy blue robe. Each step he took caused the main hall to shake, as if each footfall weighed ten thousand pounds.

The grotesque man scanned the main hall, taking in everyone’s gazes, before his eyes settled on Man Cheon-myeong.

“Haha! I didn’t expect to see Fellow Man here. I’ve always wanted to test my skills against yours, and now that we’ve met like this, it’s like a dream come true,” he boomed.

It was a clear provocation. Man Cheon-myeong met his gaze coldly and replied without fear, “I, too, have been looking forward to experiencing Fellow Man’s ‘Heavenly Support Art,’ said to be the greatest demonic art in the Chaotic Star Sea. I hope you’ll enlighten me later.”

“Hehe! Very well. I’ll finally get to see Fellow Man’s ‘Heavenly Net True Art’ in person,” the grotesque man retorted.

The grotesque man constantly mocked his opponent with his eyes. However, Man Cheon-myeong had no intention of causing trouble right now.

He spoke in a low voice to the old Taoist and the farmer old man, and then the three of them flew onto one of the jade pillars.

The old Taoist smiled and said something to the immortal seated on the jade pillar. The old man, a Core Formation cultivator, looked flustered and vacated his seat.

The grotesque man scoffed at the sight and then flew to another jade pillar. Coincidentally, it was the one where Han Li was cultivating.

Han Li’s expression changed slightly.

“Get lost,” the grotesque man, Manhoja, said bluntly.

At Manhoja’s harsh words, Han Li’s face contorted. However, he hid his expression in a flash and silently jumped off the jade pillar.

The grotesque man’s laughter echoed from behind. Han Li’s face turned as cold as ice. Even if it was humiliating, he had to endure it for now.

Even though the restrictions inside the main hall greatly suppressed the immortals, he couldn’t be sure how much it would affect a Nascent Soul cultivator. He had no intention of losing his life due to a moment of recklessness.

Therefore, Han Li suppressed his gloomy mood and found a quiet corner to sit cross-legged again. At this moment, the scholar-like old man smiled and said, “You’re so late. I thought Fellow Man had changed his mind and wasn’t coming.”

“I’m planning to refine the Longevity Pill with the Suwon Fruit that only grows in the Void Sky Garden, so how could I not come? I was just delayed on the way. But it’s unexpected that Man Cheon-myeong is here too. Could it be that he knows the Suwon Fruit has ripened and is aiming for it?” the grotesque man pondered, stroking his beard.

“There are many precious things in the Void Sky Garden, so how can we know what he’s after?” the scholar-like old man replied.

At that moment, Extreme Yin seemed to remember something and said worriedly, “Man Cheon-myeong is a leader who ranks first or second in the righteous path. Could it be that he came to get the Void Sky Cauldron?”

Before Manhoja could answer, the scholar old man shook his head. “It can’t be the Void Sky Cauldron, can it? If it were that easy to obtain, the countless ancient cultivators who have searched the Void Sky Garden before would have already taken it.”

Extreme Yin frowned, his face full of worry. “That’s not something we can be sure of. After the rumor that the disciples of the Myriad Dharma Sect have been searching for the Golden Silk Silkworm for the past few years, there hasn’t been any other information. If they’ve already found the silkworm, then Fellow Man might be aiming for the Void Sky Cauldron.”

Manhoja looked at Extreme Yin and said bluntly, “Hmph! I don’t know if Man Cheon-myeong found the Golden Silk Silkworm, but I heard that you, Extreme Yin, obtained two mutated fire pythons from the Fire Separation Island. It seems you have great ambitions for this trip?”

His tone implied that he was disregarding Extreme Yin’s secret schemes. Extreme Yin’s expression changed slightly before returning to normal, but inwardly, he was cursing greatly.

Without a doubt, one of his confidants had leaked the information.

It was possible that Manhoja’s visit to the Void Sky Garden was just an excuse to refine the Longevity Pill and that he was actually here to monitor him. Though his insides were boiling, Extreme Yin’s expression remained calm.

“I did bring two pythons with me on this trip to the Void Sky Garden, but they are still lacking in spiritual power, so the path to success is still far off. If Fellow Man and Fellow Qing could help me, it would be more than welcome.”

The old man Qing asked, a little intrigued, “If we help Fellow Oh, what will we gain?”

Extreme Yin smiled at the other’s words and sent a telepathic message only to the old man Qing. “According to the writings left by the owner of the Void Sky Garden, inside the Void Sky Cauldron, besides the most important Heaven Mending Pill, there are also top-grade ancient treasures used by ancient immortals. We will divide everything equally except for the Void Sky Cauldron itself and one Heaven Mending Pill.”

At those words, greed flickered in the scholar old man’s eyes. He glanced at Manhoja and then sent a telepathic message back to Extreme Yin. “I don’t mind, but Fellow Man’s opinion is important. If Fellow Man doesn’t stop Man Cheon-myeong, I don’t think I can take such a big risk.”

Extreme Yin also knew that the Qingye Hermit in front of him was cunning enough, so he realized that if he couldn’t bring Manhoja into the fold, it would be difficult to persuade him.

Extreme Yin smiled and this time sent a telepathic message to Manhoja, offering him a deal. “Fellow Man, what do you think of my proposal? You know the value of the Heaven Mending Pill without me having to mention it. It’s an item that can replenish the five elements spiritual roots [the five basic elements of cultivation: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth], so after taking it, Fellow Man’s magic power will greatly increase, and there’s a good chance your lifespan will be extended. Such an item only exists in the Void Sky Garden!”

Extreme Yin spoke with a sincere tone, as if he didn’t care how the other had treated him just now.

However, Manhoja sneered and mocked him, “Hmph! You think you can take the Void Sky Cauldron with just two fire pythons? Have you both lost your minds! How many Nascent Soul cultivators have entered the inner garden and failed to return?

The inner garden is on a different level than the outer garden, and even Nascent Soul cultivators have a hard time surviving there. Many Nascent Soul cultivators died during the last Void Sky Garden expedition.”

“I appreciate Fellow Man’s concern for my life, but what if Man Cheon-myeong’s group is aiming for the Void Sky Cauldron?” Extreme Yin countered.

Manhoja’s sneer gradually disappeared at Extreme Yin’s words. A cold glint flashed in his narrowed eyes. “If Man Cheon-myeong enters the inner garden, I will naturally step in, even if you don’t say anything. I can’t let the righteous path get something that the demonic path can’t.”

“Haha, then that’s settled. As long as Fellow Man steps in for whatever reason, I will give you the share I promised in advance. Of course, it would be an honor if Madam On would join us as well,” Extreme Yin said, his gaze turning to Madam On.

“I will just collect some spiritual herbs and return. I will not step into the inner garden,” Madam On replied coldly.

Extreme Yin’s patriarch seemed a little disappointed at her cold refusal.

She was only in the early Nascent Soul stage, but she was the wife of the great demonic cultivator, Yukdo Geukseong, the leader of the demonic path, so even Manhoja couldn’t treat her carelessly. It was a shame that he couldn’t bring Madam On into their group.

However, he couldn’t force her to move, so he could only turn away with a smile.

In any case, with just Manhoja, Qingye Hermit, and Extreme Yin Patriarch, they wouldn’t be pushed around by the righteous path.

While the demonic cultivators were discussing among themselves, the righteous path cultivators, including Man Cheon-myeong, were focused on closing their eyes and calming their minds. It seemed they had already come up with a plan.

Han Li was watching the whole situation from a corner.

He was too far away, and Extreme Yin and the others were exchanging important words telepathically, so he couldn’t fully grasp the situation, but he could tell that they were devising a plan to confront the righteous path.

This situation pleased Han Li.

The more complicated the relationships between the Nascent Soul old monsters, the more opportunities he would have to escape while they were bickering!

The best thing would be if they were so busy that they couldn’t even pay attention to him. As Han Li was thinking this, two white-robed figures appeared in the main hall.

The two immortals had silver hair and flowing robes, looking like true immortals. The immortals gathered in the main hall recognized their identities and showed respectful expressions.

The old man with a kind and benevolent face among the two immortals smiled faintly and said gently, “This time, the elders of our Law Enforcement Hall will supervise this Void Sky Garden expedition on behalf of the two City Lords who are in closed-door cultivation.

The rules for this treasure hunt are the same as before. If we see a strong person targeting someone with a lower cultivation level or killing others to steal their items while searching for treasures inside the Void Sky Garden, the two of us will step in to stop them.

Keep in mind that you may be pursued and killed by the City Palace afterward. However, our supervision will be limited to the outer garden of the Void Sky Garden, and we will not interfere with the situation after you enter the inner garden.

Therefore, we advise those who are not confident not to enter the inner garden. Also, we believe that everyone agrees that we will not intervene even if immortals are in mortal danger, due to the inherent nature of the Void Sky Garden.”

After that, the white-robed old man scanned all the immortals in the main hall, and those who met his gaze nodded and looked away. Only Man Cheon-myeong and Manhoja met his gaze directly.

At this, the white-robed old man muttered, seemingly surprised, “The two monsters are here too. This time, it will be a bit troublesome.”

At those words, the old man with a cold expression next to him also changed his expression slightly before sneering and returning to normal.

After that, the Law Enforcement Elders from the City Palace sat down on the left and right sides of the entrance of the main hall, ignoring the others. The faces of the Core Formation cultivators showed joy, while some looked worried.

It was a bit strange that the City Palace was taking on the role of supervision without any benefit.

‘Are they trying to show off their power in the Chaotic Star Sea?’ Han Li wondered.

At this moment, a telepathic message from the Skeletal Merchant was transmitted. “The City Palace is not acting out of goodwill, so be careful. As far as I know, they have been maintaining a balance by suppressing the demonic path when its power grows and suppressing the righteous path when its power grows. Moreover, many righteous and demonic cultivators have died for unknown reasons every time there is a Void Sky Garden expedition.

I can’t say for sure, but it’s possible that the supervisors from the City Palace have been involved. You don’t belong to either the righteous or demonic path, but it would be wise to be cautious. I don’t want to lose a helper I worked so hard to find so easily.”

Han Li was startled by his calm words.

Han Li thought that what the Skeletal Merchant said was most likely true.

Over the long years, the City Palace must have used many methods to reign as the overlord of the Chaotic Star Sea. It didn’t make sense to send people to supervise them without any purpose.

Han Li didn’t reply to the Skeletal Merchant, but he increased his vigilance against the two white-robed figures from the City Palace.

They remained seated in their places afterward, without showing any other actions or words. In this awkward atmosphere, another three days passed.

During that time, only three more immortals appeared, but none of them were Nascent Soul cultivators.

On the morning of the fourth day, an anomaly occurred.

Krrrrrr!

The entrance of the main hall was blocked without any warning. The white light swirling around the door was clearly a powerful restriction.

Moreover, similar sounds could be heard faintly from afar, indicating that the main gate of the palace had also been sealed off.

The immortals gathered in the main hall looked a little flustered, but everyone was relieved by the calm attitude of the Nascent Soul immortals.

At this moment, the two white-robed old men from the City Palace also calmly rose from their seats. At the same time, everyone’s eyes were on them.

The two white-robed figures stepped forward to the front of the main hall. Even before they had fully arrived, light began to emanate from the floor at the far end of the main hall.

A teleportation array about ten feet in size appeared on the floor, but none of the many immortals knew for sure how the teleportation array had appeared.

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