Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 383

The fact that it was one of the top ten forbidden techniques meant it clearly wouldn’t be easy to break. However, a subtle look of doubt flashed across Han Li’s face before disappearing.

“I’ve heard that Brother Wang is a master of formations, but seeing that you even know about these ancient forbidden techniques, it seems the rumors were true!” Nan Longhou and the white-robed old man exchanged glances and praised him.

“You flatter me. I’ve only heard the name; I don’t know the specific effects of the restriction,” Wang Tiangao said, humbly stepping back as if he had noticed something. The white-robed old man smiled and continued to explain.

“After several years of research, we’ve found a way to break the restriction. One way is to use brute force, and the other is to find eight cultivators with strong spiritual senses to perform a ritualistic burning. It’s impossible to break the restriction by force alone. It might be possible if two Nascent Soul cultivators attacked it day and night for several days, but this is the Peony Plains, so we can’t do anything that would attract attention. However, if we use the ritualistic burning method, your strong spiritual senses should be able to break the restriction within a day.”

Only now did the gathered people understand Nan Longhou’s intentions.

If they had formed a group with mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, the task would have been easier. However, Nan Longhou and the white-robed old man didn’t want to be outdone in cultivation, so they only gathered early-Nascent Soul cultivators.

If two mid-Nascent Soul cultivators joined forces, they would be evenly matched even if the others joined forces, thus maintaining a balance. And the treasures of Chuma Valley were something that no one, including Han Li, could remain indifferent to.

Even if the Peony Plains were a dangerous area, it was an opportunity worth taking, as the white-robed old man had said.

While everyone was lost in thought, Nan Longhou asked several times, but no one refused the offer.

“Then, let me make a request first. If everything goes smoothly and we enter the cave, the two of us will each choose one treasure first. The rest will be distributed fairly. What do the other cultivators think?” In a friendly atmosphere, Nan Longhou smiled and laid out his conditions.

The others did not object to Nan Longhou and the white-robed old man’s conditions.

Considering their cultivation and the effort they had put into gathering information, the condition of taking one more treasure each was not excessive.

Fearing that variables might arise if they delayed too long, they decided to prepare for two days and leave immediately, even before the exchange meeting ended.

They all swore not to leak any information and left the place one by one.

However, Han Li thought that Nan Longhou and the white-robed old man were too confident. It seemed they were confident that they could control whatever tricks the other cultivators might try behind their backs.

Since the location of the cave and the method to break the restriction were in their hands, it was indeed difficult to have other intentions.

Han Li had other reasons for accepting this task. After succeeding in reaching the Nascent Soul stage, the elixirs he had taken during the Core Formation stage were no longer useful, and his training in the Azure Origin Sword Technique was also stagnant.

Perhaps with his aptitude, even if he focused solely on cultivation, he would not reach the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage even after 300 years.

In fact, after this exchange meeting, he had planned to spend about a hundred years cultivating the secret techniques and methods he had learned, and then travel around, exploring ancient ruins and places where treasures might be found.

But now that the treasures of the illustrious Chuma Valley were right in front of him, there was no reason to refuse this opportunity. This might act as another stroke of luck and greatly increase his cultivation.

The other Nascent Soul old monsters had probably been stuck at the early Nascent Soul stage for more than a year or two, so they would be just as desperate.

Moreover, the demonic cultivators buried in Chuma Valley were not ordinary ancient cultivators. According to the stories, they were among the most powerful at the time, so the elixirs and techniques they possessed would naturally be of a high level.

This situation moved Han Li’s heart.

And since he had met the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect and Qi Wang again, if he had the chance to eliminate them, he would not hesitate. What if Wang Tiangao of the Ghost Spirit Sect found out after he killed them? After all, the Demonic Path and the Heavenly Dao Alliance were enemies. Han Li, having hardened his resolve to kill, walked back to his residence along the stone path.

At the same time, Wang Tiangao was walking on another path, with Wang Xian and Lian Yu Yan quietly following behind him.

“When we return, tell me in detail about the grudges from back then. It seems that the other party is holding a grudge, so don’t leave my side.”

“Yes! I didn’t expect that letting that person live due to a moment’s mistake would cause such a big problem. But it’s strange that he achieved Core Formation and Nascent Soul in such a short time!” While answering respectfully, Wang Xian was quite dejected inside.

“Hmph! There’s no need to be discouraged. With the power of the Blood Spirit Great Technique [a powerful demonic cultivation technique], there are few who can withstand your couple’s combined attack. Moreover, if you master the Blood Spirit Great Technique to the seventh level, wouldn’t you and Lian condense your Nascent Souls at the same time? When that time comes, who would dare to touch you! However, you must be careful in the Peony Plains. Even if you are separated from me, you two must not move separately.”

“Yes! Thank you for your kind words, Second Uncle!” Wang Xian’s heart felt much lighter at Wang Tiangao’s words, and he quickly bowed his head.

“Hehe, among you brothers, don’t I cherish you the most? Otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought you to this exchange meeting. But to think that that fellow was a cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley… It might be related to Old Monster Linghu’s personal attendance at this exchange meeting.” Wang Tiangao muttered, seemingly very concerned about Old Monster Linghu of Yellow Maple Valley. Wang Xian and Lian Yu Yan simply exchanged glances and did not dare to speak rashly.

* * *

After returning to his residence, Han Li took a short nap and then moved quickly from the next day. He busily moved around all day, gathering the necessary materials, and then headed to Lieluo with Mo Peiling. He intended to ask her to take her with him on his way back to the Falling Cloud Sect.

Lieluo was a little taken aback by Han Li’s words that he had to go somewhere before the exchange meeting ended, but she didn’t ask for details and agreed. This made Han Li feel quite fond of Lieluo.

For the remaining day, Han Li did not go anywhere and spent his time alone in his room meditating.

At the appointed time, he left the pavilion and headed alone to a mountain a thousand miles south of Quancheng. There, Nan Longhou and the white-robed old man were already waiting in different attire than before.

In particular, Nan Longhou had discarded his purple gold robe and jade crown and was wearing a yellow scholar’s robe. After that, the others began to arrive one by one, and the last to arrive were the three from the Ghost Spirit Sect, Wang Tiangao.

Han Li’s expression changed for a moment when he saw them, but then returned to normal.

At Nan Longhou’s signal to ‘depart,’ the nine cultivators left Quancheng and flew towards the Peony Plains to the south.

* * *

The State of Ji, where Quancheng was located, was very close to the Peony Plains. The Nine Nations Alliance and the Peony Plains did not actually share a border but were separated by a desolate wasteland of about ten thousand miles.

In the wasteland, where no vegetation grew and sandstorms blew year-round, there were constant gales. Naturally, it also became a battleground for the cultivators of the Nine Nations Alliance and the sorcerers of the Peony Plains.

Over the years, countless cultivators had died here. Of course, even now, when there was no fighting, it was still a dangerous area.

Regardless of the reason, all the cultivators who entered this place had one thing in common: they were quite confident in their cultivation. Most of them were Foundation Establishment cultivators, but sometimes Core Formation cultivators would appear, and when rumors of a Core Formation cultivator appeared, the others would usually flee.

Ten thousand miles was only half a day’s journey for a Nascent Soul cultivator like Han Li.

Nan Longhou and the white-robed old man led the way, and the three, including Wang Tiangao, flew at the very back. Han Li was in the middle, grouped with the other cultivators.

On the way, they saw some low-level cultivators, but they ignored them and flew over them. However, after about half an hour in the wasteland, the white-robed old man’s figure paused, and he suddenly stopped moving.

“Brother Yun, what’s wrong!”

“There’s a huge wind coming from the front, and it’s not normal!” The old man Yun narrowed his eyes and stared at something in front of him.

“A huge wind? What’s so strange about that? Such gales are common here,” Nan Longhou said, finding it strange and releasing his spiritual sense. He knew that the white-robed old man would not act like this without a reason.

Han Li and the old woman in the back also heard Nan Longhou and Yun’s conversation and took action. Although they had not yet entered the Peony Plains, it was never a bad idea to be careful. Since everyone had strong spiritual senses, they would feel more comfortable if they checked for themselves.

As a result, as soon as everyone released their spiritual senses, they sensed a strange energy.

“It’s definitely a problem. It’s definitely not a naturally formed gale!” The old woman’s expression darkened.

Through his spiritual sense, Han Li confirmed that a huge sandstorm, as if covering the sky, was rising to a height of over a hundred feet. It was filled not only with sand but also with rocks, making its momentum extremely fierce.

His spiritual sense was almost as strong as a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, but after entering the sandstorm, it became vaguely blurred, and he could only sense things within a few dozen feet.

Everyone was bewildered as the cultivators withdrew their spiritual senses.

“It’s the Wind Spirit Technique of the Peony people. When I fought with the sorcerers before, the spirit technique they used was like this. Once the spirit technique is activated, it can limit the spiritual senses of cultivators like us and trap enemies inside the storm, making it very troublesome. However, this is the first time I’ve seen it spread so widely,” Nan Longhou explained with a dark face.

“The Peony people?” The others’ expressions also changed slightly. Wang Xian and Lian Yu Yan also immediately turned pale, but as the lowest in cultivation here, they did not dare to interrupt the conversation.

“Brother Nan Long is right. Only a sorcerer’s spirit technique can create such a huge sandstorm. Judging by its power, it’s not certain how many sorcerers are hiding inside, but we can’t rule out the possibility that there are sorcerers of the same level,” the white-robed old man said, his tone also becoming serious.

“How could this be? How could so many Peony sorcerers suddenly appear!”

“Madam Tai, how long ago was the last truce with the Peony tribe?” Wang Tiangao answered the old woman’s question with a question.

“It must have been about 100 years ago! What are you saying, Brother Wang…?”

“100 years is enough time for the Peony tribe to raise sorcerers again and prepare for war,” Wang Tiangao said, a coldness flashing across his face.

“Brother Wang is right. It’s about time for another war. I wonder how many cultivators will die this time… But to think that we would encounter the vanguard of the Peony tribe just as we were moving,” Nan Longhou said, shaking his head as if in regret. The others also felt that this was too coincidental.

“In a world where all sorts of coincidences and opportunities abound, isn’t it normal? However, we have two options. The first is to turn back and avoid the vanguard of the Peony tribe. We can find the treasure later.

The treasure won’t run away, so we can wait until the war with the sorcerers is over. But the Peony tribe’s invasion won’t end in a year or two, so it won’t be possible in the near future. Besides, it would be difficult to gather so many cultivators of the same level again,” the white-robed old man said in a low voice.

“There’s no need to hear more. The second option is to break through the storm with our strength, isn’t it? But that would be too dangerous. Is there no way to avoid them and go around?” The old woman seemed dissatisfied with both options.

“It’s too late to turn back. The Peony people have already started their invasion, so how could the vanguard be just them? Even if we succeed in escaping, we’ll only encounter other Peony people. It’s better to hide for now and wait for them to pass. If we can really pass by without being discovered, it will be even easier to get the treasure from the Peony Plains,” the old man, who had been lost in thought, carefully suggested another plan. Everyone thought that his opinion was the best. After all, if they missed this opportunity, no one knew when the next one would be.

Of course, it was a bold decision that was only possible because they were all Nascent Soul cultivators. Otherwise, no matter how greedy they were for the treasure, they would have immediately fled.

They first sent a sound transmission talisman to the nearest base of the Nine Nations Alliance cultivators. This way, the Nine Nations Alliance could prepare in advance, and the Peony tribe’s surprise attack would fail.
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