Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 261

While they were wasting time, Manhoja and Cheon Oja, who were behind, finally arrived. As if they had made a pact, they all surrounded the Flame Wolf and began attacking the nearby cultivators.

The Flame Wolf seized this opportunity to escape downwards, avoiding the Nascent Soul [a high level of cultivation] old monsters. It fled towards where Hyun-gul and Han Li were standing, looking bewildered.

Han Li, his eyes wide, had already guessed the wolf’s identity. The two-headed Flame Wolf was clearly a transformed form of one of the treasures inside the Heocheonjeong [a powerful artifact], and it had escaped before the Heocheonjeong was pulled up.

Though he didn’t know exactly what it was, it seemed to be an incredibly precious treasure, judging by how it transformed and created a barrier against the blue hand’s attack.

When such a treasure unexpectedly flew towards the Core Formation [a mid-level of cultivation] cultivators, Han Li, without a second thought, took out a white object from his storage pouch. The white object glowed and transformed into an old-fashioned basket.

However, before Han Li could activate the basket treasure, a black aura serpent flew from afar and rushed towards the wolf first. It wrapped around the wolf and instantly pulled it in.

“……!”

Han Li cursed inwardly and looked to one side, where Oh-chuk was proudly using his magic to create the serpent.

For a moment, Han Li hesitated.

‘Should I take it even though it’s not in Oh-chuk’s hands yet?’

However, if this action were to upset the Gukeum Patriarch [a powerful leader], things would go terribly wrong. While Han Li was pondering, Hyun-gul moved first.

A coldness flashed in Hyun-gul’s eyes, and he spat out a green light from his mouth. The green light grew enormously, creating a huge, dark net that trapped both the Flame Wolf and Oh-chuk’s serpent that was wrapped around it.

Oh-chuk, not expecting Hyun-gul’s actions, became furious and shouted.

“How dare you steal this young lord’s treasure!”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Did you refine this treasure? It’s not yours, so how can you say it was stolen?”

At those words, Oh-chuk’s face turned red as if it would explode. But for some reason, he shut his mouth and focused on the black serpent.

Oh-chuk also realized that his threats wouldn’t work because his opponent had Manhoja backing him. Hyun-gul chuckled and pointed at the net.

At the same time, light soared from the net and thickened, beginning to constrict the wolf.

The wolf, doubly bound by Oh-chuk’s serpent and Hyun-gul’s net, still emitted a dazzling light and held out calmly.

The old monsters, who were fighting each other in the air, changed their expressions when they saw the treasure unexpectedly heading towards the Core Formation cultivators.

The righteous cultivators, including Mancheonmyeong, hurriedly tried to break away and chase the treasure, but the demonic cultivators blocked them without any sign of impatience.

In any case, all the Core Formation cultivators below were demonic cultivators, so there was no need to worry too much. Moreover, Manhoja and Gukeum especially believed that someone related to them would acquire the treasure.

Gukeum recalled the numerous treasures he had given to Oh-chuk and the famous demonic art, the Dark Sound Great Method. Also, Manhoja, who knew Hyun-gul’s true identity, had no choice but to trust him.

Elder Cheong-yeok seemed a little disappointed with the current situation, but he still blocked Cheon Oja, preventing him from interfering.

With the situation unfolding like this, the one who had the least to do was Han Li. But his whole body was frozen with tension.

He had just realized how he had obtained the treasure he had taken out without much thought. This basket treasure was something he had taken from the person guarding the place where Hyun-gul was sealed.

And yet, he had taken it out in front of Gukeum, which was like confessing that he was the culprit who had let Hyun-gul escape!

With this thought, he had no time to argue over the treasure. He was racking his brain, trying to figure out how to explain it to Gukeum. But soon, a shocking event occurred.

Gukeum’s gaze had clearly swept over the basket, but surprisingly, he showed no sign of recognizing it at all.

Han Li secretly cheered. The basket treasure was definitely not something Gukeum had given to that person, and it was clear that he didn’t even know he possessed such an item.

Regaining his composure, Han Li watched Hyun-gul arguing with Oh-chuk and fell into thought.

‘Consider yourself lucky. If Gukeum had found out about this, I wouldn’t have let you escape alone!’

*Kwa kwa kwak!*

Whether Han Li had a stroke of good luck or Hyun-gul had bad luck, at that moment, a tremendous noise and vibration came from the pit.

The Nascent Soul cultivators who had experience with the Heocheonjeong stopped their movements and looked at each other. Then, as if by unspoken agreement, six beams of light flew towards the pit.

The Heocheonjeong was almost at the entrance of the pit. The Nascent Soul cultivators, unable to withstand the strange cold emanating from it, used magic and took out treasures to maintain their body temperature.

Gukeum felt like his insides were about to burst. According to his plan, he was supposed to defeat the righteous cultivators, take out the Heocheonjeong, and divide the spoils.

Who would have known that the treasures inside the Heocheonjeong would come out on their own and fly around as it approached the entrance!

Now, who would take the treasures depended on each person’s ability. It was clear that whoever acquired a treasure would not give it up. Thus, his meticulous plan was completely shattered.

Gukeum began to frantically think about how to increase his share.

*Shwik! Shwik!*

At that moment, ear-piercing sounds of air being torn apart were heard, and yellow and white lights bounced out of the pit’s navy blue flames.

The six old monsters launched almost simultaneously at the treasures that had appeared nearby.

Among them, Mancheonmyeong, Gukeum, and Cheong-yeok aimed for the yellow light, but as a result, the purple fire dragon created by Mancheonmyeong swallowed the yellow light, and at the same time, two purple beads were spat out of his mouth.

Gukeum was horrified when he saw the small beads.

“Heavenly Net True Thunder [a powerful explosive]!”

Gukeum and Cheong-yeok retreated without daring to use magical treasures to block the beads.

While they were flinching, the purple fire dragon, carrying the yellow light in its mouth, turned its head and returned to Mancheonmyeong.

Mancheonmyeong, delighted, received it, and soon the yellow light revealed its true form. It was a square jade pendant with strange patterns and a shimmering light on its surface, which was clearly a good item even to the naked eye.

And the purple beads that had surprised Gukeum and Cheong-yeok stretched out and caused very small explosions. Gukeum and Cheong-yeok’s faces turned pale as they looked back and forth between the meager power of the purple beads and the jade pendant held by Mancheonmyeong.

Gukeum gritted his teeth and shouted.

“The famous Man Sect Leader of the righteous path is deceiving his opponents with fake Heavenly Net True Thunder! How despicable!”

Elder Cheong-yeok also glared at Mancheonmyeong, as if he was angry. But Mancheonmyeong maintained his smile, not caring about their anger.

“How is it my fault that the two elders who have made a name for themselves in the Chaotic Sea for so long couldn’t distinguish a fake? The Heavenly Net True Thunder is an item that is not used unless one’s life is in danger. How can I waste something made by sacrificing my magic power? If you two want to see its true power, I am willing to show you.”

As he shook his hand, a purple light flashed, and the square jade pendant disappeared, replaced by something that looked exactly like the purple beads he had seen earlier.

Then, Gukeum and Cheong-yeok’s expressions changed, and they didn’t know what to do. The Heavenly Net True Thunder was one of the few items that could directly harm a cultivator’s Nascent Soul, so they naturally had to be wary.

At this time, Manhoja also used the immense defensive power of the Takcheon Demonic Art to push back the black, withered old man and Cheon Oja, and he obtained the white light.

The white light, which had turned into an ancient coin-like currency, was extremely unique.

Gukeum’s expression worsened even more after confirming it. At that moment, Elder Cheong-yeok exclaimed in surprise.

“Huh!”

While they were not paying attention, Han Li was already holding a jade that was a mix of yellow and red, observing it closely. The jade was carved with the head of a wolf that seemed to be alive.

It was clearly the treasure that the Flame Wolf, which had been flying around just now, had transformed into.

Not far from him, Oh-chuk and Hyun-gul were looking at him with dumbfounded expressions. And the Gukeum Patriarch was also looking down at it with a questioning expression, remaining silent.

He seemed quite surprised that the treasure was in Han Li’s hands, not Oh-chuk’s or Hyun-gul’s.

Han Li, who had obtained the treasure, couldn’t hide his joy.

While the Nascent Soul old monsters were engaged in a chaotic battle in the air, the Flame Wolf, which Hyun-gul and Oh-chuk had been controlling, had taken an unexpected turn.

The wolf roared lowly, and then its two heads merged, transforming into a giant silver wolf with horns. Then, a dazzling silver light was emitted from the wolf’s horns.

The light was only half a foot in size, but it pierced through the body of the golden serpent with a sharp tearing sound and reached the net, where it exploded.

It was unknown what properties the silver light possessed, but when the green net was engulfed in the explosion, it turned into a grayish-white gas and spread into the air.

Oh-chuk and Hyun-gul were both stunned at the same time.

Oh-chuk hurriedly used magic to emit black light on the body of the black serpent to reduce the hole, and Hyun-gul, with surprised eyes, stared at the giant silver wolf before taking out a cyan small sword from his mouth.

The blade was only a few inches long and had no hilt, but it emitted a cool light that seemed extraordinary. Han Li was also surprised and unconsciously examined the blade closely.

If his senses were not mistaken, that small sword was a variation of an arrow made of Gold Thunder Bamboo. It was just concealing its appearance with magic.

‘Is he crazy?’

He couldn’t understand Hyun-gul taking it out even though Gukeum was floating in the air. It was the arrow that Gukeum had used to ambush him in the past.

Although the magic to conceal its true form was powerful, only Han Li, who had refined Gold Thunder Bamboo several times, could recognize it.

‘Is that silver wolf worth it?’

The more Han Li thought about it, the more suspicious he became. At that moment, the silver wolf fiercely shrunk its body, transformed into a small baby wolf, and, shining silver, escaped through the serpent’s wound.

Hyun-gul immediately threw the green small sword to attack.

*Bang.*

The small sword and the baby wolf collided and bounced off at the same time. But coincidentally, Han Li was standing right in the direction the wolf was flying.

Seeing the unexpected good fortune, he immediately activated the basket treasure. At the same time, worried that the basket treasure might not be enough, he shot out the five-colored rings he had stored in his storage pouch.

Then, the rings, emitting five-colored light, disappeared into the air.

*Kuhak!*

As soon as the five-colored light disappeared, the wolf floating in the air was entangled by the rings around its four legs and neck, unable to move. The silver wolf began to fall helplessly to the ground. At that moment, the basket treasure, which had turned into a white light, flew and instantly embraced the wolf before returning to Han Li.

Hyun-gul, who had already retrieved the green small sword, and Oh-chuk, who had taken out a black silk handkerchief, froze at the same time. Oh-chuk, who had quickly regained his senses, glared at him with a murderous face.

The situation had turned too strange. Oh-chuk had thought that he could easily catch a beast that had transformed from a treasure using the Dark Sound Great Method.

But first, Hyun-gul had stepped in to try to steal it, and in the end, it had fallen into Han Li’s hands, which angered him.

Hyun-gul also looked at Han Li with a strange gaze.

Although he had returned with a nonchalant face, he couldn’t take his eyes off the rings that had subdued the silver wolf. Han Li had no intention of resolving his doubts, so he examined the basket with a thrilled heart.

The five rings were tightly constricting, preventing the wolf from moving. Then, a white aura swirled from the basket, and the wolf poked its head out.

Han Li smiled lightly and reached out his hand to stroke the baby wolf’s head. Then, he emitted a blue light from his hand, enveloping the wolf.