Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 289

The thicket had vanished, replaced by an unfamiliar mountain range radiating immense spiritual energy. A woman in navy silk robes exclaimed in surprise,

“It’s an illusionary formation!”

A sturdy young man, pleased by the unexpected turn of events, said,

“It seems a cultivator resides here.”

A middle-aged man muttered with a hint of suspicion,

“Perhaps. Let’s first see if the hawk-vultures are fooled by the illusionary formation.”

All eyes turned towards the sky above the illusionary formation.

Kee-rik, kee-rik!

Kee-reuk!

The grotesque birds, having lost their target, communicated with sharp cries. The hawk-vultures, however, did not change direction and continued their approach.

“It won’t work! The hawk-vultures aren’t affected by the illusionary formation. Let’s go deeper into the mountain range. I sense a restriction’s aura there; there might indeed be another cultivator.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he shot forward like a beam of light. The other cultivators exchanged glances and quickly followed him.

They hadn’t gone far when a white barrier appeared, blocking their path.

“……!”

The middle-aged man’s face lit up with joy. A transmission talisman appeared in his hand.

He muttered something and spread his hand, and the talisman vanished into the barrier instantly.

Shortly after, a dozen or so grotesque birds finally entered the illusionary formation and found their target. A piercing blue light pulsed from the ferocious birds’ bodies as they charged relentlessly.

The middle-aged man, his face darkening, glanced back and forth between the grotesque birds and the white barrier, then muttered something to his group in a low voice. They all looked grim and prepared to face the enemy by activating their magical artifacts.

However, just as the giant hawk-vultures were about to engage in close combat, another strange thing happened.

From within the white barrier, hundreds of light pillars suddenly shot up. Though only the thickness of a finger, the sharp attacks left countless holes in the hawk-vultures’ bodies.

Thud.

The sound of heavy objects falling echoed as the grotesque birds died without even a scream.

“What in the world……”

The group, including the middle-aged man, cheered and quickly assessed the situation inside the barrier. However, they were so shocked that they couldn’t move.

From within the light, a dozen or so giant monkeys had appeared. For a moment, the middle-aged man and his group were greatly startled, thinking another type of demonic beast had appeared.

However, upon closer inspection, they quickly realized that they were black-tinged puppets. All of them had their hands clasped together, and it was clear that the light pillars had been emitted from the puppets’ hands.

Then, the puppets quietly lowered their arms and suddenly disappeared into the light. As they stood there, unsure of what to do, the white barrier flickered and created a passage large enough for a person to pass through.

“……!”

As everyone was just sizing up the situation, a calm man’s voice flowed out from within.

“I am in secluded cultivation and cannot come out, so please rest within the formation and then depart!”

The middle-aged man sensed no malice from the other party, but he couldn’t accept an invitation from someone whose identity he didn’t know. He decided to politely decline the offer, risking offending the other party.

“Senior, you have saved our lives, and we don’t know how to repay this kindness. Now that the demonic beasts have disappeared, we will rest here for a while and then leave.”

“Hehe, you are quite cautious. Then tell me, why were you being chased by a group of second-level demonic beasts?”

Intrigued by his tone, the middle-aged man relaxed a little and answered respectfully,

“We are disciples of the Azure Spirit Sect. We were searching for spiritual herbs when we encountered a group of hawk-vultures and were chased. We would have been in great trouble if not for your help, Senior.”

The middle-aged man still expressed his gratitude, but the man’s voice disappeared without another word. The group became a little uneasy.

The middle-aged man was also restless, but he signaled to the others not to act rashly.

After a moment of silence, the voice asked coldly,

“Does your Azure Spirit Sect not even have an elder? How dare you come out to the sea with such cultivation? Isn’t that just courting death? If you had even a few more Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, you wouldn’t have been in danger of being killed by a mere group of second-level demonic beasts.”

The middle-aged man seemed a little flustered at those words, but eventually, he gave a bitter smile and told the truth.

“The Azure Spirit Sect is a small sect. After the Nascent Soul Stage elder passed away during the demonic beast rampage 20 years ago, we have only a few Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators left.”

As he spoke, he worried that the other party might have ill intentions after hearing about their sect’s situation.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, given the other party’s immense power, they could have annihilated them at any time if they had wanted to, so there was no reason to waste time like this. Lying and provoking the other party’s anger was a shortcut to death.

That was why he had honestly confessed the internal affairs of the sect, which should not have been easily revealed. Soon, a voice filled with complex emotions was heard again.

“A demonic beast rampage… When did that happen? Was it related to the abyssal demonic beasts?”

At those words, not only the middle-aged cultivator but also the young boys and girls were dumbfounded.

The middle-aged man barely regained his senses and opened his mouth.

“Senior, do you really not know about the demonic beast rampage? It seems you have been here for so long that you are completely unaware of the outside world.”

“Judging by your tone, it seems the situation outside is not good.”

The middle-aged cultivator was speechless for a moment. The current Outer Star Sea was far beyond just a ‘not good’ situation.

The other party was an old monster who had been in secluded cultivation for an unknown amount of time. Otherwise, how could they not know about something that had happened more than twenty years ago?

This made him even more relieved.

The higher the other party’s cultivation, the less reason they would have to bother with low-level cultivators like them. What could they possibly possess that would catch his eye?

After finishing his thoughts, the middle-aged man answered respectfully again.

“The demonic beast rampage happened over twenty years ago. I will explain it as I heard it from the elders of my sect. It was an incident where over ten thousand demonic beasts, which had been living in the abyssal sea, suddenly rose up without any warning and invaded Giyun Island.

The demonic beasts surrounded Black Stone City and launched a fierce attack. Despite the powerful formations and Nascent Soul Stage seniors, it was captured after a few days. According to the few cultivators who escaped, everyone else was killed.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man’s face darkened.

“Such a thing happened… What happened after that? Did the demonic beasts return to the abyss?”

“If they had returned to the abyss, the situation would have been much better. The abyssal demonic beasts turned Black Stone City into ruins and, unexpectedly, divided into groups led by high-level demonic beasts and began to wipe out the villages where people lived. Most people had already abandoned their homes and fled after the news spread, but many cultivators and mortals still suffered.

In less than half a year, all the villages in the sea area near Giyun Island had disappeared. As if that wasn’t enough, some intelligent high-level demonic beasts remained and are wandering around, searching for and killing hidden people.

It is said that most of the mortals and cultivators in the Outer Star Sea have died. Only a few lucky ones have fled to the sea areas far from Giyun Island and are taking refuge on remote islands. Giyun Island has now become a gathering place for high-level demonic beasts, and they immediately set out to subjugate any cultivators they hear about.”

The man sneered and spoke again, his tone filled with ridicule.

“Hehe, how ridiculous. Now, contrary to when the Outer Star Sea was first explored, cultivators have become the prey of demonic beasts.”

He didn’t say anything else and instead fired off a series of questions.

“The Nascent Soul Stage old monsters on Giyun Island couldn’t have all died during the demonic beast rampage. Why aren’t they stepping forward to reverse the situation? How could such a huge disaster happen on Giyun Island, and yet the Inner Star Sea hasn’t sent any reinforcements?”

The questions became sharper and sharper. After organizing his answers, he spoke cautiously.

“During the demonic beast rampage, two Nascent Soul Stage seniors died, and the rest managed to escape the crisis. Although we haven’t heard from them since, we have heard rumors that they are preparing a grand plan to reverse the situation.

The Inner Star Sea completely lost contact after the demonic beast rampage, so we don’t even know if they are aware of the situation here. Therefore, reinforcements are out of the question.”

As he finished speaking, the middle-aged man’s face also darkened.

It seemed that those who had survived the demonic beast rampage harbored resentment towards the Inner Star Sea’s indifference. The man’s voice, which had been silent, asked again,

“Isn’t it too dangerous for you to be wandering around in such a dangerous situation? Are you so eager to end your lives?”

The middle-aged man’s face showed concern at those words. As he was about to explain, a girl in yellow robes suddenly stepped forward and interrupted him.

“My father had a problem while cultivating his technique. His true essence reversed, causing his meridians to become a mess, and as a result, he became a paraplegic. Senior, your cultivation is so high, you must have a way to save my father! If you save my father, I will do anything to repay your kindness.”

The girl pleaded earnestly, tears welling up in her dark eyes, ready to fall at any moment. The middle-aged man pretended to scold the girl and continued,

“Heng’er, what kind of rude behavior is this? Your uncle has been bedridden for a long time, and there is nothing we can do with human power. The reason we tried to find spiritual herbs this time was just to ease his pain. Even if the Senior’s magical power is high, how could he possibly treat him?”

Although he said it was impossible, there was a glimmer of hope on his face. Seeing this, the man sneered and said leisurely,

“True essence reversed and meridians damaged? Another one who ruined his life by trying to achieve success too quickly. He must have tried to learn a higher technique without accumulating enough magical power.”

Without even seeing the patient, the man accurately identified the cause, and the middle-aged man’s face lit up with joy.

“Senior, you are indeed wise. My foolish uncle was indeed desperate and overdid his cultivation. Is there any way to save him?”

The man saw through the other party’s intentions and sneered.

“Such symptoms are nothing, but what reason do I have to help you? Did you really think I would help you, who I have no connection with?”

The middle-aged man’s face turned red and then white, his lips moving but unable to find the words. However, the girl in yellow seemed to have found hope.

She gritted her teeth and knelt in front of the barrier. Then, a resolute voice, which did not match her delicate and gentle appearance, was heard.

“I, Gongsun Heng, swear that if Senior treats my father, I will be your slave for life and serve you with all my loyalty. If you don’t believe me, you can place a restriction on me right now.”

After speaking, the girl immediately bowed her body and kowtowed [a deep bow showing respect] three times, hitting her head on the ground. She was a girl with a strong character despite her young age. The middle-aged man cried out in surprise,

“Why are you being so foolish? Would someone like the Senior need a girl like you?”

Only then did the others try to stop her. However, the girl in yellow remained kneeling, shaking her head with a pale face.

“Everyone, please don’t stop me. I am an unlucky person by birth. My mother passed away while giving birth to me, and my father became like this because he forced himself to cultivate the Azure Spirit Profound Technique to help me cleanse my marrow. I believe this is my chance to show filial piety. If you save my father, I will serve you for the rest of my life without any resentment.”

The man laughed coldly and suddenly asked in a chilling tone,

“Is this little girl trying to threaten me? If I don’t help, you will kneel here forever?”

“How dare I threaten you, Senior? You have already shown us great kindness by helping us. We have visited many seniors, but none of them could find a way to save him. But today, you said that treating my father’s symptoms is easy, so as a child, how can I not beg you? I have absolutely no other intentions. Please, grant my wish!”

By the time she finished speaking, she was almost sobbing. The area behind the barrier became as silent as a grave.

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