Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 252

Having come this far, there was no way they could return empty-handed. No sooner had the Palace Elder finished speaking than several cultivators chose one of the limestone passages and entered.

However, the Demonic cultivators, who had been watching Man Cheon-myeong and the others enter the passages, did not seem to be in a hurry.

The Extreme Yin Ancestor, after sitting cross-legged and glancing at the remaining Palace Elders, hesitated for a moment before taking out a transparent bracelet.

Four nail-sized beads emitted a faint blue light from the bracelet.

“These are Paraju beads. If you carry these, you will be able to maintain a clear mind even if the illusions in the next gate become several times stronger.”

After speaking, he handed the bracelet to Han Li. Han Li expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

The fame of the Paraju was widely known, and it was said that even having just one bead greatly reduced the possibility of falling into Qi Deviation [a dangerous state where a cultivator’s energy goes out of control].

He had given him a bracelet made of four such beads to help him pass the final gate.

Frankly, it was unexpected. However, judging by the fact that he did not seem to regret it much, it seemed that he intended to take it back after the treasure collection was over.

The Paraju beads, which seemed to be made of wood but were not, had a golden hue and emitted a sandalwood fragrance that refreshed the mind.

There was definitely something special about them. At that moment, Qing Yi Hermit took out a blue talisman and handed it to Han Li.

“Normally, the Paraju would be enough, but for safety, carry this with you as well. It is a Qingming Needle Talisman that I have refined, and it is more powerful than ordinary magic treasures, so take it.”

‘Qingming Needle Talisman?’

His heart pounded as soon as he heard it. A Nascent Soul cultivator’s [a high-level cultivator] talisman was incomparable to the low-grade talismans he had seen so far.

Han Li, without hesitation, accepted the talisman and expressed his gratitude repeatedly. At the same time, Man Hoja silently threw him a black armor, which was covered with very dense silver scales.

The Extreme Yin Ancestor’s eyes were filled with greed when he saw it.

“As expected, Brother Man is generous. To unexpectedly lend out this Imperial Scale Armor, I thank you on behalf of my disciple.”

Man Hoja looked at Han Li with a cold gaze and replied with a vicious face.

“It was useful a hundred years ago, but I don’t need it much now that I’ve mastered the Turbid Sky Demonic Art. If you disappoint me after all this… Hehehe!”

Han Li’s expression changed, and he could not find the words to say. The Extreme Yin Ancestor opened his mouth, seeing his reaction.

“Since you have been given treasures to protect yourself, you should be able to pass the third gate safely without any problems. Then, let’s move on. The opening time of the passages is also limited.”

Man Hoja and Qing Yi Hermit had no reason to object. However, they did not move and looked at Han Li with meaningful eyes.

Han Li, who had been frozen for a moment, secretly smiled bitterly.

It was clear that they were worried that if he entered the passage first, he would not follow them and run away. Han Li smiled calmly and chose any passage to enter.

Only then did the Extreme Yin Ancestor and the others feel relieved and enter different passages. Now, only the two white-robed elders remained in the stone chamber. The cultivator with a blank face opened his mouth.

“The actions of the Demonic cultivators are suspicious.”

His voice was extremely cold. The elder with a benevolent face also frowned and agreed.

“We have taken precautions so that the old monsters cannot eavesdrop, but even with the naked eye, we can see that they are cherishing the Core Formation cultivator [a mid-level cultivator]. They are even giving him treasures to protect himself.”

“What do you think about this?”

“The Demonic cultivators are acting like this because there is a benefit to it. And the only thing that could move them here is the Void Sky Cauldron in the inner hall. It seems that the Core Formation kid is an important key to finding the treasure.”

If Han Li had heard the conversation, he would have been speechless. The cunning foxes had grasped the truth with just a few words.

It was truly admirable insight.

“Taking the Void Sky Cauldron is just a delusion. Unless they found a spirit beast that went extinct long ago in the Chaotic Star Sea, it is impossible. If it were possible, the previous Palace Lords of the Palace would have already taken it.”

“We cannot just stand by and do nothing. They might have found a demonic beast that has been passed down since ancient times. Otherwise, there is no way that those cunning people would have taken the time to come here. There was a case where someone almost took the Void Sky Cauldron before. They failed to bring it to the end and only got a single Heaven Mending Pill and were ambushed by others. Man Cheon-myeong’s Golden Silk Gu [a type of venomous insect] is not entirely without a chance either.”

“Then, let’s secretly infiltrate just in case. If nothing happens, it’s a relief, but we cannot let the Heaven Mending Pill fall into the hands of others.”

“Understood!”

* * *

Han Li was completely unaware that he was being watched by the Palace Elders. He was only surprised as he climbed the limestone stairs.

After entering a randomly chosen passage, he was met with endless stairs leading to the upper level, and even after a long time, he could not see the end.

‘Is the pavilion built in such a high place?’

Even with doubts, his feet were constantly climbing the stairs. Only after climbing more than a hundred zhang [a unit of length, approximately 3.3 meters] did he finally see light. As expected, at the end of the stairs, a plain-looking square exit appeared.

Han Li strode out of the exit. The dark yellow sky, the hazy air, and the red sun were all blurry.

A space of unimaginable scale had appeared. The dense fog made it impossible to grasp the detailed scenery.

It seemed that there was no one else in the vast space, which seemed to be over a thousand zhang. In front of him, a jade bridge, tens of zhang long, was connected to the void. At the end of it, the only square pavilion in this space could be seen.

The pavilion, which was only two stories high with a total height of about thirty zhang, had an exquisite and beautiful exterior, creating an atmosphere where immortals might live.

A large plaque hung at the entrance of the pavilion, with the ancient characters ‘Treasure Light Pavilion’ written on it. Han Li did not approach hastily but carefully examined the pavilion.

Although it could not be said to be large, he felt an astonishing surge of spiritual energy, and a white aura covered the building. A powerful restriction was in place.

Han Li took a step.

He slowly crossed the jade bridge, moving towards the Treasure Light Pavilion. While crossing the bridge, he unconsciously looked down below the bridge.

Only a black aura could be felt in the unseen abyss, which seemed to be more than ten thousand zhang deep. It was a sight that made his heart chill just by looking at it.

Even he, who could be said to have a strong heart, felt his head spin after looking below the bridge. With this unknown feeling, he withdrew his gaze without any gain.

Although his consciousness was strong, he did not have the ability to examine such an enormous scale. So, he walked towards the pavilion without hesitation.

The closer he got, the more the pavilion revealed its majestic appearance, and it looked much larger than an ordinary two-story pavilion. The entrance of the pavilion was semi-circular, and a yellow light curtain blocked it.

Han Li arrived in front of it and examined the light curtain. Tilting his head, he emitted a blue light, and a one-inch-long sword appeared. Following his gesture, the blue sword slowly pierced the yellow light curtain.

However, only a ripple occurred, and the sword entered without any resistance. It seemed that nothing was blocking it. Surprised, Han Li withdrew the sword and this time inserted his arm.

It felt a little cool, like being submerged in a liquid.

Han Li did not hesitate any longer and shot forward, disappearing into the light curtain. After passing through the light curtain and entering, he was momentarily stunned.

In front of him were countless jade tables, each about one zhang high. The sizes of the tables varied, and they were all carved with different patterns.

Above them, various light barriers were placed in a circular shape. It seemed to be a way of storing items inside.

Han Li felt a little excited.

After seeing the three characters ‘Treasure Light Pavilion,’ he had expected that he had chosen a pavilion that stored ancient treasures, thanks to his good luck.

However, since there was no one in front of him, it seemed that those who had come before had already chosen one ancient treasure each and entered the third gate or had gone up to the second floor.

After carefully examining the tables, he discovered that some of them were already empty, and the light barriers had disappeared.

However, there were no stairs leading to the second floor. Feeling a little strange, he carefully looked around, but it was the same.

As he searched every nook and cranny with curious eyes, a jade table that looked different from the others caught his eye. The table was located alone at the very back of the first floor and was engraved with strange patterns.

After scanning the table with his consciousness, Han Li was able to determine through his knowledge of formations that a simple teleportation formation was engraved on it.

Withdrawing his gaze, he now began to look at the items on the jade tables. With each one he looked at, Han Li’s brow furrowed.

‘They are ancient treasures, but they don’t seem to be anything special.’

After checking dozens of them, he completely lost interest.

The items on the jade tables were in the style of the ancient era, befitting the name of ancient cultivators’ magic treasures, such as long spears or double-bladed harpoons that were used in the past.

Although they were ancient treasures, they were not as powerful as the current excellent magic treasures, such as ancient flying swords, flying knives, or magic treasures.

They were not completely useless items, but Han Li, who had the Azure Bamboo Cloudpeak Sword magic treasure, needed something with special functions, like a basket-type ancient treasure.

Even while thinking this, he checked all the items on the tables again, wondering if he had missed something. However, after just sighing, Han Li approached the teleportation formation.

It was because he hoped that the items on the second floor would be different.

After placing a few spirit stones on the teleportation formation, a white light flashed, and he was teleported to a new location.

‘Is this the second floor?’

Han Li narrowed his eyes.

The space was not very large, and there was nothing except for the huge circular barrier in front of him. The barrier, which was about a dozen zhang high, emitted a deep blue light that captivated the eyes.

Inside, dozens of various ancient treasures were floating, including scrolls, jade pendants, bowls, and towels, which had recognizable uses, but there were also many items that he had no idea what they were.

Han Li was greatly pleased and thought that he had done well to come up to the second floor. However, if they were items that could be easily obtained, they would not have remained in such large numbers.

He put his hands behind his back and slowly walked around the barrier. His mouth opened, and a one-inch-long blue sword was ejected.

The small sword hovered above Han Li’s head and then pierced the lower part of the barrier as his consciousness directed it.

Thud.

With a light sound, a deep blue light surged, and the blue sword returned due to the rebound force. Han Li was not surprised by this.

The more difficult an item was to obtain, the higher its value.

With a slightly excited expression, he opened his mouth, and a total of nine small swords hovered above his head. The small swords emitted clear sounds and merged into a huge sword with a brilliant blue light.

“Break it!”

The blue sword was swung with the force to split even a mountain.

Clang!

The moment the sword and the barrier touched, a crack appeared with a tremendous sound.

Then, the corners of Han Li’s mouth also rose. However, before Han Li could take any action, a powerful force surged from the teleportation formation.

Clang!

The great sword was bounced back by the force. Surprised, Han Li stroked his chin with a stiff face.

After thinking for a moment, he smiled. With his gesture, the blue light, which had returned to nine small swords, was absorbed into his body.

Buzz buzz buzz buzz.

Afterward, a swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles rose from the spirit beast pouch on his waist. The familiar sound of the gold and silver beetles’ wings filled the space.

# 254