Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 266

The ice dragon lunged at the blue giant sword once more.

At that moment, Han Li sensed something.

From his opponent’s casual tone, he deduced that Hyun-gul was actually wary of the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning. Before Han Li could ponder this further, he unleashed the spell he had prepared.

The blue energy touched the giant sword, causing it to blur and split into two identical swords. It was the Sword Shadow Splitting Technique of the Azure Essence Swordplay.

Simultaneously, thick bolts of lightning erupted from both swords, hurtling towards the dark blue ice dragon and Hyun-gul.

“…!”

Hyun-gul seemed surprised.

He was taken aback that Han Li could still unleash such potent Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning. The Sword Shadow Splitting Technique, which transformed the giant sword into two, was also unsettling.

However, his surprise quickly turned to calm. Hyun-gul struck the ball of light again, causing dark blue flames to erupt.

The flames flickered and transformed into a triangular ice shield, blocking his front.

KWA-KWA-KWANG!

The faint golden lightning and the dark blue chill on the ice shield’s surface collided, neither giving way.

Far from being flustered, Han Li was relieved by the result.

The Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning hadn’t completely overcome the chill of the Azure Glacial Flames, but the Azure Glacial Flames were also unable to suppress the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning. In this situation, the key was who could exert more power.

As he pondered this, Han Li’s hand brushed against his storage pouch, and a blood-red Blood Wind Cloak draped over his body.

Though not yet cornered, he was preparing his final resort. Without delay, he clasped his hands together, and with a solemn expression, he spread his arms wide.

PA-CHI-CHIK!

A strange crackling sound filled the air between his hands, and a faintly golden sphere appeared, countless lightning bolts flashing within.

This lightning sphere, though only a few inches in size, rapidly grew as Han Li activated the Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword within his body, instantly reaching the size of a foot.

Hyun-gul, who was manipulating the Azure Glacial Flames to block the two giant swords, turned pale.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He couldn’t fathom how many Golden Thunder Bamboo swords were needed to generate such a large lightning sphere.

Hyun-gul grew impatient.

His sudden attempt to kill Han Li was based on his belief that the power of the newly acquired Azure Glacial Flames would easily deal with his opponent.

Although he had just obtained it and hadn’t yet merged it with the Asura Sacred Flame, he was barely managing to control it using his innate Dark Soul Yin Fire and the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning.

He already knew that the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning could counter the chill of the Azure Glacial Flames, and that Han Li could unleash the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning using the Golden Thunder Bamboo. However, this only strengthened his resolve to eliminate Han Li here.

He had estimated that Han Li had already exhausted most of his Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning while passing through the trials of the Illusionary Sky Palace, and even if he had some left, it wouldn’t be enough to stop him.

The Golden Thunder Bamboo was not a material that could be easily obtained and refined. The amount of Golden Thunder Bamboo Han Li possessed far exceeded his expectations.

The Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning would diminish with use, and if the magic treasure didn’t have time to recover, it couldn’t be replenished. This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate his opponent without giving him that chance.

While he was eager to avenge his grudge against Extreme Yin, his ambition had grown uncontrollably after obtaining the Azure Glacial Flames. If he could master the Asura Sacred Flame, he could dominate the entire Chaotic Star Sea, and delaying his revenge wouldn’t be a big deal.

Therefore, Han Li, who possessed the Golden Thunder Bamboo, had become the primary threat that needed to be eliminated. After all, there was no greater nemesis for the evil cultivators who practiced dark arts than the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning.

Furthermore, he had already finished his conversation with Manhoja, so dealing with Extreme Yin would be easy even without him. When Han Li unleashed the powerful lightning from the two giant swords, it had already exceeded his expectations.

But seeing him create such a massive golden sphere left him dumbfounded.

It was unimaginable.

The fact that a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator possessed an immeasurable number of Golden Thunder Bamboo magic treasures made Hyun-gul regretful and unable to accept reality.

‘How many does he even have?!’

This question constantly tormented him.

While Hyun-gul was momentarily distracted, the golden lightning sphere steadily grew, already reaching several feet in size. The sound and light it emitted were incredibly powerful.

The thunderous sound that deafened the ears caused Noma to regain his senses, his face pale. Compared to that lightning sphere, the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning from before was nothing.

Hyun-gul gritted his teeth and shouted,

“Very well. I don’t know where you got so much Golden Thunder Bamboo, but it will be a great obstacle for cultivators who walk the path of evil! Today, I will show you the power of the Asura Sacred Flame, the so-called sacred fire of the evil path!”

Since there was no turning back, he had no choice but to go all the way. He had to force the three powers to combine and imitate the legendary Asura Sacred Flame.

If he could defeat Han Li’s Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning in this battle, he would eliminate a huge threat. The secret technique to forcibly manifest the Asura Sacred Flame, even for a short time, was dangerous and would have adverse effects on him.

However, in the current situation, he didn’t have the luxury to consider the future.

There were other ways to slowly deplete Han Li’s lightning, but there wasn’t enough time. He gritted his teeth. He began to rotate his hands like windmills, pouring various spells into the ball of light.

In an instant, the ball of light writhed as if alive. The trapped dark blue flames began to rotate, while the Dark Soul Yin Fire and the black lightning rotated in the opposite direction.

Shortly after, the ball of light emitted a blinding light, and then countless grayish-white flowers bloomed, carrying a chilling aura as they shot towards Han Li.

Faced with an overwhelming barrage that seemed to cover the sky, Han Li paused. He had never heard of the Asura Sacred Flame, but it was undoubtedly more powerful than the Azure Glacial Flames.

Han Li stopped injecting Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning into the lightning sphere and quickly deployed various spells. A faint golden light transformed into a golden net, covering him, and then countless grayish-white flowers collided with the net.

KWA-KWA-KWANG! BANG BANG BANG BANG.

The fiercely intertwined energies created a chaotic sound.

Han Li’s expression was grim.

The net of electricity was blocking the grayish-white flowers, but the flower-shaped flames were burning with a ferocious intensity, as if they were alive.

He was trapped within the grayish-white flames. Even if he wanted to escape now, there was no way.

What was even more concerning was that the grayish-white flames were gradually consuming the golden lightning. Although it was at a very slow pace, the net protecting Han Li was shrinking.

Of course, the grayish-white flames were also losing their momentum, but they still had the upper hand. Seeing this, Hyun-gul felt relieved and couldn’t help but smile.

He believed that even if a Nascent Soul cultivator [a high-level cultivator] were trapped, they would barely escape after severely injuring their vital energy. Therefore, he was confident that his opponent trapped in the Asura Sacred Flame would not be able to escape.

If he succeeded in refining the Asura Sacred Flame and recovered his peak cultivation, wiping out half of the cultivators in the Chaotic Star Sea would be no problem.

Hyun-gul had already accepted Han Li’s death as a certainty and was dreaming of a rosy future.

The situation was becoming increasingly dire.

The golden net made of Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning was shrinking, and it seemed like it would soon fail to protect him. However, Han Li, with a dark expression, was expressionlessly spreading his hands.

Golden lightning erupted from his hands and merged with the net.

The golden lightning flowed out continuously, revitalizing the light of the net that had been waning, restoring it to its original form, and even causing finger-thick lightning bolts to shoot out at an astonishing speed.

It was now not only strong enough to withstand the surrounding flames but was also preparing to counterattack.

Hyun-gul was so startled that he almost jumped up.

Now he understood what it meant when people said that no matter how hard you try, you cannot defy the will of heaven.

He never imagined there could be so many.

Even if the Asura Sacred Flame was a higher-grade energy than the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning, if it was overwhelmed by quantity, the outcome would become unpredictable. Hyun-gul stared at Han Li with eyes that seemed to see a ghost.

He wished he could see through the small frame to know how many Golden Thunder Bamboo magic treasures he was hiding.

‘Is it endless?’

Unable to control his bewildered mind, Hyun-gul bit his tongue. The taste of blood in his mouth cleared his mind.

He shook his head, dispelling the absurd thoughts.

The Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning couldn’t be endless. He had simply underestimated the amount of Golden Thunder Bamboo his opponent possessed.

No matter how many he had, he had unleashed the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning continuously, so he must have very little left. If he could overcome this crisis, all those Golden Thunder Bamboo magic treasures would be his.

With a change of heart, his eyes filled with greed, and his energy surged. Hyun-gul glared at Han Li with a ferocious gaze, then looked up at the ball of light floating in the air.

Just as his opponent had saved some Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning, he had also saved half of his power, fearing the aftermath of the dangerous secret technique.

It was now clear that he couldn’t defeat Han Li with the original Asura Sacred Flame.

He had to pour all his remaining power to kill him in one go. Hyun-gul took a deep breath and began to chant spells again.

Seeing this, Han Li felt a chill run down his spine.

Hyun-gul was right. By continuously unleashing the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning to block the Azure Glacial Flames and the Asura Sacred Flame, he had exhausted eight or nine tenths of his reserves. If his opponent attacked with the Asura Sacred Flame again, he would have no way to stop it.

The only option was to break through the flames and escape immediately. No matter how powerful the flames were, they couldn’t harm him if they didn’t touch his body.

Having made up his mind, Han Li gathered all the remaining Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning and released it. Simultaneously, two lightning bolts as thick as his arms shot out of his hands and towards the net.

The golden light surged, increasing in size before exploding and emitting golden energy. Countless golden lightning bolts instantly began to push the grayish-white flames away.

At the same time, Han Li’s body flickered and disappeared, reappearing several feet away. During the movement, it felt like cold sweat was running down his entire body.

If he had made even the slightest mistake, he would have crossed the Yellow Springs [a metaphor for death] at that moment. Han Li’s red Blood Wind Cloak fluttered without wind after escaping the Asura Sacred Flame.

It was a phenomenon that occurred before the ancient treasure was activated.

Having made his decision, he rushed towards the stone steps in one breath, planning to break through the barrier at the entrance with the Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword and make a run for it.

However, there was no way Hyun-gul wouldn’t know Han Li’s intentions. Growing impatient, he squeezed his magical power, increasing the refining speed of the ball of light.

The ball of light completely burst into flames, transforming into grayish-white flames. It was as if the Asura Sacred Flame was already complete.

However, strangely, a small dark blue flame still remained in the center of the fire, causing instability. Hyun-gul frowned slightly but didn’t think much of it.

Han Li was about to disappear, and he had no intention of letting him go. Following his gestures, the grayish-white flames trembled, ready to attack at any moment.

Then, an anomaly occurred.

The dark blue light remaining within the grayish-white flames suddenly flickered and, surprisingly, exploded.

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG.

At the same time, the flames themselves made a sharp sound and fluctuated unevenly. Hyun-gul was shocked and hurriedly tried to control the grayish-white flames.

However, he was forgetting one fact. The current grayish-white flames were not something he had refined himself, but something he was barely controlling. Now that the flames had lost their stability, there was no way he could control them with his remaining magical power.

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