Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 239

The burly man’s voice didn’t back down, arguing.

“Hmph! So what if we’re discovered? If we two join forces, at worst, we’ll just return to the Ghost Realm. Even if we can’t defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator [a high-level cultivator] in an all-out battle, our Ghost Dao techniques are unmatched when it comes to escaping.”

The Corpse Merchant coldly retorted.

“What do you know! At least three or four of the Nascent Soul cultivators here possess magical treasures or methods that are extremely effective against Ghost Dao techniques. If you want to die, die alone, and don’t drag me into it. Otherwise, I’ll destroy you right now, and don’t blame me for breaking our agreement.”

The young boy cultivator was, of course, the Corpse Merchant.

“Corpse Brother, why are you so angry? If I keep quiet, it’ll be fine. But you must keep your promise to find me a suitable body. Otherwise, I’ll turn you into a ghost no matter what it takes.”

He was wary of the Corpse Merchant truly getting angry, but he still urged him to keep his promise.

“Don’t worry! I need your help to deal with that Extreme Yin bastard anyway, so of course, I’ll find you a suitable body. Besides, we’re in the same boat, having walked the path of the Ghost Dao, so I’ll keep my own promise.”

“Hehe! Then I’m relieved.”

With those words, the burly voice disappeared from the Corpse Merchant’s head. The Corpse Merchant sighed, leaned against a small fruit tree, and closed his eyes.

As time passed, more and more people emerged from the Ghost Realm. However, some were in severe condition, and it seemed that they wouldn’t be able to use their original cultivation for several years without proper recuperation.

Yet, their faces were filled with joy.

After all, they had passed through the Ghost Realm and overcome their first hurdle, so they could obtain some rare spiritual herbs that were hard to find in the outside world.

When about 60 or 70 people had gathered, the number of people emerging from the Ghost Realm drastically decreased. In the next half-day, only a few more walked out.

Among them was the young man who had been with Fairy Ziling at the beginning. His clothes were disheveled, and his complexion was pale, indicating that he had gone through quite a bit of hardship.

As soon as the young man entered the flower garden, he looked around, and when he realized that Fairy Ziling was not there, he showed signs of anxiety.

At this time, both Extreme Yin and the Corpse Merchant were also becoming anxious because Han Li had not appeared. The Corpse Merchant was relatively better, and he didn’t show any signs of anxiety on the surface. However, Patriarch Extreme Yin occasionally couldn’t help but scan the Ghost Realm with his gloomy eyes.

In fact, it was rare for someone with such a sinister personality to show such emotions, but Han Li possessed something that was crucial to this trip, so he couldn’t help it.

Others didn’t notice this behavior, but the old scholar next to him did.

The old man cleared his throat.

“It seems there’s someone among those who haven’t arrived yet that you’re concerned about?”

The old man’s eyes were filled with suspicion as he looked at Extreme Yin. Extreme Yin maintained his composure and replied naturally.

“It’s not that I’m concerned, but there’s a junior I know who’s a bit interesting.”

“An interesting junior? Then please introduce him to me. I’ve always been interested in nurturing the younger generation.”

At those words, Patriarch Extreme Yin internally seethed.

‘That old fox is so suspicious!’

But outwardly, he had no choice but to agree. He was genuinely worried about Han Li not appearing, so he didn’t have time to argue with the other party. Extreme Yin simply closed his eyes again.

At the same time, the burly voice echoed again in the Corpse Merchant’s head, who was sitting in a corner. The voice was filled with a tone that seemed to rejoice in others’ misfortune.

“Corpse, is that guy you were talking about still not here? Has he already been eaten by a demon? If he’s so weak that he’s this late, what use is he?”

The Corpse Merchant sighed. Judging by the other party’s personality, he would keep talking if he didn’t tell him the truth. But he couldn’t really destroy him because he would be very useful in the future.

Besides, since no one was looking at them strangely, it seemed that a few short words wouldn’t reveal anything.

Having made up his mind, the Corpse Merchant explained in a rather unpleasant tone.

“He’s someone with some tricks up his sleeve. He’s young, but he’s already at the early Core Formation stage [a mid-level cultivation stage], so he won’t be easily defeated by ordinary demons. Even if you were to face him, you would have been scattered or fled into the Ghost Realm, so don’t underestimate him.”

“Early Core Formation? Corpse, are you looking down on me too much? Someone like that wouldn’t even be a mouthful for me.”

“Weren’t you badly defeated by my Demon-Slaying Arrow made from Golden Thunder Bamboo? There’s no way you’d have a way to deal with a flying sword made from Golden Thunder Bamboo.”

The burly voice was silent for a moment, then asked again in a disbelieving tone.

“A flying sword made from Golden Thunder Bamboo? That’s ridiculous. Wasn’t the only Golden Thunder Bamboo used to refine your bow, Corpse Brother? How can there be another magical treasure made from Golden Thunder Bamboo!”

“Hehe! Believe it or not, you’ll see it soon enough. Don’t say I didn’t warn you then. Besides the Golden Thunder Bamboo magical treasure, he has many powerful techniques, which is why I, the Corpse Merchant, asked him to join forces.”

After speaking, the Corpse Merchant ignored the burly voice again.

Several more hours passed, and just as the Corpse Merchant was starting to worry if something had happened, the Ghost Realm split open, and three cultivators walked out side by side.

It was Han Li, Fairy Ziling, and Yuan Yao.

At this time, Yuan Yao was still wearing her mask and using her magic to hide her beautiful face. Seeing that so many people had already come out, Han Li seemed a little surprised, but he simply looked for an empty spot and walked towards it.

Fairy Ziling and Yuan Yao seemed to have a mutual understanding, and after looking at each other, they naturally followed behind him.

At that moment, a handsome young man in a blue robe rushed towards Fairy Ziling.

“It’s such a relief, Ziling! I was worried that something might have happened.”

After speaking, he took another step closer and scanned the woman’s body to see if she was injured, revealing his caring heart. Forced to stop, she forced a smile.

“Brother Yi, I’m fine.”

Yuan Yao looked at the two of them with a meaningful gaze, then flicked her sleeves and went her own way. Han Li, who was standing alone in an empty spot, was a little surprised to see Yuan Yao following him.

He frowned slightly and said,

“Miss Yuan, we’ve already left the Ghost Realm, do you have any further business with me?”

It wasn’t that he wasn’t attracted to the beauty, but he had no intention of traveling with someone he didn’t know, so he drew a line.

Yuan Yao sighed instead of getting angry at his words.

“I had no choice but to follow Senior Han. As you know, my magical treasure was severely damaged in the battle with the Ghost King, and the Void Sky Palace is full of dangers! But the only person I know here is Senior Han, so I have no choice but to ask for your help. Surely you won’t just watch me die here!”

The black-clad girl’s eyes turned slightly red, and tears seemed to be forming, making Han Li’s face even more stern.

“Miss Yuan, since we’re on the topic, let me ask you a few things. I’m not some saint, so I have no intention of being used by someone without knowing the situation.”

She was a little frustrated that Han Li wasn’t moved at all, but she calmed herself down because there was something she absolutely had to obtain on this trip.

“Ask me anything. I’ll answer as long as it’s not a secret.”

Han Li put his hands behind his back and fired off a series of questions, staring at her face without blinking.

“It’s simple. What is Miss Yuan’s exact goal? How many levels do you intend to go? Why were you flustered when you first saw me? I don’t want to get dragged into your hidden circumstances.”

Yuan Yao didn’t show any particular reaction to the first two questions. They were questions she had already expected. However, her face stiffened at the last question, and she tried to hide her fluster with a fake smile.

“Hidden circumstances? The reason I was flustered at first was…”

Han Li waved his hand before she could even speak.

“If Miss Yuan doesn’t intend to tell the truth, then it’s fine.”

“You!”

She finally revealed her anger at his cold words. Unable to contain her anger, she turned and left. Han Li was completely indifferent as he watched her back.

Then, he looked towards Fairy Ziling in the distance.

Fairy Ziling was calmly talking to the young man, and when she felt Han Li’s gaze, she gave him a slight smile before turning back to continue her conversation with the young man.

He withdrew his gaze and was about to ponder something when the Corpse Merchant’s voice echoed in his ear. The boy’s voice was a little dissatisfied.

“Weren’t you too slow! I thought you had been eaten by some evil ghost. Did you perhaps meet a Ghost King?”

Han Li looked at the distant Ghost Realm and replied through telepathy.

“I encountered a powerful demon on the way and defeated it, and then I encountered another group of soul-devouring ghosts and wasted some time.”

“A group?”

The Corpse Merchant seemed a little surprised, and Han Li asked back while probing the other party.

“I thought you were familiar with the Ghost Dao, Senior, are you afraid of such things?”

“How could I be afraid of such things? I’m just curious about what kind of tricks you three used to deal with them.”

Han Li sneered inwardly and still replied briefly.

“We were lucky.”

The Corpse Merchant cursed him countless times in his mind, calling him a ‘fox-like bastard’.

“If you don’t want to talk, then fine! Let’s move together next time we teleport. I’ll guide you to the place where the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng is, and then you must help me deal with the Extreme Yin traitor.”

“Of course! If you hand over the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, I’ll risk my life to help you.”

He answered immediately without any hesitation, as if he had made up his mind about this matter. Of course, the Corpse Merchant was quite pleased with this attitude.

The Corpse Merchant chuckled lightly and didn’t speak any further. He didn’t know that after the conversation, Han Li’s lips curled up, and he gave a cold look to the other party in the distance.

Suddenly feeling someone’s gaze, Han Li looked in that direction without realizing it. It was indeed Extreme Yin, who was constantly watching him.

He turned his head expressionlessly, but he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It seemed that even if he had no intention of doing anything to Patriarch Extreme Yin, the other party had no intention of letting him go.

He really couldn’t understand why he was doing this. But it seemed that Patriarch Extreme Yin also had his own plans. Otherwise, he would have tried to control him from the very beginning in the main hall.

With a gloomy heart, Han Li sat down on the floor in a cross-legged position. He needed to recover the vast amount of magical power he had wasted in the Ghost Realm to prepare for the events to come.

The black-clad woman, Yuan Yao, stood far away, looking at Han Li with an unpleasant gaze. Her eyes contained both anger and curiosity.

Fairy Ziling was also lost in the sincere care of the young man, but she was unconsciously looking at Han Li, paying attention to him.

Han Li pretended not to see their actions and began to meditate.

Time flew by like an arrow, and another day passed.

Many cultivators couldn’t stand it any longer and surrounded the center, when a dazzling light suddenly rose from a shining stone slab, attracting the attention of the cultivators.

Since they had experienced this when they first came here, no one was greatly surprised. As expected, after the white light passed, a teleportation array appeared in the same shape as before.