Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 273

Having distanced himself from the green-robed old man, he arrived above the harbor in an instant.

He glanced around at the busy Rebel Alliance cultivators and was about to speed away when he felt a powerful divine sense [spiritual perception] sweep over him without any restraint.

Although he was taken aback, Han Li remained calm and floated in the air without moving. He didn’t think that a Core Formation cultivator would be allowed to leave so easily.

Most likely, the Nascent Soul cultivator leading the group was using an illusion technique or some other method to filter out any Star Palace cultivators trying to secretly escape the island by changing their appearance.

Han Li maintained a calm expression, revealing nothing. He had never intended to deceive them with a false identity.

Unless one used two or three powerful secret techniques from legends or rare treasures, it was impossible to fool a cultivator with a strong divine sense by changing one’s appearance.

That was why he had risked being pursued by the Extreme Yin and others to expose his identity as an elder of the Myo-eum Sect. He planned to escape to the outer seas by the time those old monsters came after him.

It wouldn’t be a big problem if he was discovered then.

With these thoughts, he underwent the Nascent Soul old monster’s inspection. After a while, the divine sense was withdrawn without a sound. Han Li relaxed and flew out of the harbor again.

Not long after leaving the harbor, he went full speed.

Even though he couldn’t use the blood-colored cloak, he had no intention of going slowly.

Half a day later, as he was hurrying along and pondering how to infiltrate Heavenly Star City, he stopped with a frown. He began to suspiciously scan the surface of the sea nearby.

Suddenly, Han Li’s expression darkened, and he stared into the distance, waiting silently in the blue light.

After a while, a red and a navy blue light shot towards him from afar. When the light disappeared, two middle-aged cultivators appeared.

‘Silver robes with gold belts.’

They were righteous path cultivators from the Rebel Alliance, both at the early Core Formation stage.

One had a pale face and no beard, looking like a scholar, while the other was a burly man with dark skin. The two cultivators appeared and stared at Han Li with cold eyes.

It was clear they were ready to attack at any moment. Han Li composed himself for a moment and asked in a gentle voice,

“What is the matter? I am in a hurry, so if you have nothing to say, I will be on my way.”

The burly man spoke in a flat, commanding tone.

“That won’t do. You must come with us.”

“Have I committed any offense against you two? Or do Rebel Alliance cultivators just arrest anyone they please?”

This time, the middle-aged man with the scholar’s face stepped forward.

“Please calm down. We are under orders to pursue the remnants of the Star Palace, and one of the injured escaped this way using a strange flying technique. Since you happen to be here, and the Star Palace is known for its face-changing techniques, we need to confirm your identity.”

Although his tone was polite, his intention to take him away was clear.

Han Li’s expression changed at the words of the Rebel Alliance cultivator with the scholar’s face.

Seeing him hesitate, the two middle-aged men exchanged glances and watched him warily. Then, Han Li suddenly smiled and calmly replied,

“Very well. I wasn’t in that much of a hurry anyway, so I’ll go with you two.”

The scholar and the burly man relaxed simultaneously, their faces filled with smugness. Just as the middle-aged man with the scholar’s face was about to speak, Han Li began to move.

His right hand opened, and six blue lights shot out silently towards the burly man, while five-colored rings appeared on his left palm and began to vibrate.

“How dare you!”

The old man’s reaction was extremely quick. As soon as Han Li moved, he spat out a square-shaped magic treasure that was several inches long. The flat magic treasure was a strange object shaped like a pitch-black inkstone.

The burly man also reacted quickly, releasing a huge jade seal from his hand. The treasure grew in size and met the six blue lights.

At that moment, the middle-aged scholar saw the bronze rings in Han Li’s hand and shouted in surprise,

“Be careful! Those rings are ancient treasures!”

The six lights that were flying towards them made a clear sound and became blurry, then transformed into twelve swords. Six of them instantly merged into a huge blue sword that slashed into the white seal, while the other six changed direction and sped away.

The burly man was shocked and, without time to think, chanted an incantation. A navy blue light spread out, and several talismans flew up and grew in size. The brilliant navy blue talismans merged into a protective barrier, completely enveloping the burly man.

He intended to use the barrier to block Han Li’s Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords. The scholar beside him was not standing idly by either.

With a flick of his wrist, the inkstone magic treasure above his head began to spin wildly. Black mist, several yards long, spewed out from the inkstone, and the smell of ink filled the air.

The scholar did not hesitate to form a hand seal, and the black mist condensed, transforming into dozens of black birds in the blink of an eye.

Kioak.

The birds made strange noises and flew towards Han Li.

However, Han Li’s face remained calm as if he hadn’t seen anything, and the rings on his palm flashed and disappeared.

When he turned his palm over again, an old basket appeared.

Seeing that his opponent didn’t seem to care about his attack, the scholar felt both angry and excited. His Illusory Inkstone magic treasure was an item he had completed after immense effort using ancient refining methods.

He had poured all the wealth he had accumulated over half his life into refining the magic treasure, but he had never regretted it.

Since obtaining the Illusory Inkstone, he had been unmatched among cultivators of the same level, and he had even gained the ability to fight evenly with mid-Core Formation cultivators.

Unless it was a cultivator with an extremely high cultivation level, once someone was trapped in the black mist, they would be trapped in an illusion and unable to escape on their own.

Seeing the strange birds flying towards Han Li like arrows, he grinned wickedly, intending to detonate them.

But then, he heard a faint ringing in his ears, and five bronze rings appeared on his neck, arms, and legs. In an instant, his entire body was constricted, and his magic power scattered, making it impossible for him to break free.

The scholar could only panic. He had been so wary of the ring treasure that had just disappeared, but he had ended up being captured by it.

The scholar was almost terrified and began racking his brain to figure out how to escape this predicament.

A huge rumble came from the other side. Blue light and white energy were intertwined, and the blue giant sword and the giant seal were colliding with each other.

The white energy, emitting a brilliant light, easily suppressed the blue light, and the giant sword shattered after only a short time.

At this moment, the remaining six lights reached the strange talisman barrier.

Bang. Bang.

Despite the continuous sounds of impact, the talisman barrier blocked the blue light and remained intact.

It was an unexpected situation.

It seemed that the Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords, which had not been imbued with the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning, were not very powerful because they had been refined for too short a time. Before he could assess the situation further, the black birds flew right in front of him.

Although the scholar was unable to inject magic power into them, the inkstone magic treasure, sensing his consciousness, was still controlling the birds.

Seeing this, Han Li’s basket grew in size and emitted a white light, devouring the birds. The scholar’s face turned pale at the sight.

“No way. Another ancient treasure! What on earth is your identity!”

It was already considered lucky for a Core Formation cultivator to possess an ancient treasure. Usually, when an ancient treasure appeared, it would be taken by Nascent Soul cultivators.

But now, with the appearance of the bronze rings followed by the basket treasure, it was impossible not to be surprised. However, Han Li had no reason to answer his question.

The basket treasure shot out, emitting a white light that enveloped the giant seal. The seal struggled and refused to be sucked in, but it could not completely escape the power of the light.

Then, Han Li flicked his fingers, and more than ten blue swords shot out with a fierce aura towards the scholar who was bound by the rings.

“Ah, no…”

The scholar screamed as more than a dozen holes appeared in his body. He twitched and died. Unfortunately, he was helpless against the Five Elements Rings, which had restrained his core power before he could even use his techniques.

With a flick of Han Li’s wrist, the Five Elements Rings turned into light and returned. His cold gaze now turned to the other side.

The burly man was sweating profusely, chanting incantations, trying to retrieve his seal magic treasure. Moreover, the blue swords surrounding his barrier were still attacking relentlessly.

When the scholar cultivator was killed in an instant, he was scared out of his wits. When Han Li’s gaze fell on him, his whole body went cold.

He gritted his teeth and turned into a navy blue light, fleeing, not even caring about his natal magic treasure that was connected to his nascent soul.

It was a bold move. But Han Li’s eyes narrowed, and the ring treasure disappeared once more.

Not long after, a five-colored ring appeared above the fleeing burly man’s head and bound his limbs as if the talisman barrier did not exist.

“Ugh…!”

The burly man, with an incredulous expression, began to fall, and the blue light that shot up from the ground sliced him into pieces.

Han Li leisurely collected the storage pouches of the two cultivators. He also collected the giant seal inside the basket and the inkstone magic treasure that was floating without an owner.

Han Li lowered his head and spoke casually,

“You’ve been watching from the shadows for quite a while, it seems like it’s time for you to come out.”

His voice was not loud, but it clearly carried over the surface of the sea. Only the sea breeze swept across the surface, creating waves, and the surroundings were completely silent.

At this, Han Li sighed lightly.

“Are you still hiding in the sea? Do I have to drag you out?”

There was a hint of displeasure in his tone. Perhaps it was because Han Li had discovered his hiding place, but finally, another cultivator’s voice rang out.

“Senior, please wait a moment. I will come out.”

Han Li’s expression was a little strange upon hearing the voice.

Then, ripples appeared on the surface of the sea below, and a white light was emitted as a cultivator slowly floated up.

A cultivator wearing the white robes of the Star Palace, with black hair hanging down to his shoulders and a jade-colored band with a jade inlay on his forehead, calmly looked at Han Li.

Han Li was a little stunned as he examined the person’s face.

The person had a fair face, distinct black eyebrows and eyes, and delicate but clear lips, making them exceptionally beautiful. However, what surprised him was that, unexpectedly, it was impossible to tell whether the person was male or female based on their appearance alone.

To call them a woman would be to ignore the relaxed smile and the easygoing demeanor of a scholar, but to call them a man would be to ignore the beautiful face and the seductive charm that could captivate a man.

“I do not know your esteemed name, Senior, but I thank you for helping Ling Yuling, who is in charge of external affairs for the Star Palace.”

It sounded pleasant, but Han Li raised an eyebrow at the androgynous voice. He was reminded of Quan Bujue of the Harmonious Union Sect, whom he had met in Tiannan. But upon closer inspection, the two were completely different.

Although Quan Bujue was a beautiful person, his actions and voice were completely masculine.

However, the person who called themselves Ling Yuling had a bold demeanor, but also exuded a feminine charm that was hard to describe. Even though their voice was low, there was something about it that captivated a man’s heart.

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