Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 431

Ten barriers, each about seven or eight zhang [approximately 23-26 meters] wide and encased in white protective shields, floated between the two camps, jointly erected by both sides.

One cultivator and one mage from each side monitored the barriers’ operation.

Among the Tiannan cultivators, Song, a woman from the Falling Cloud Sect, guarded the second barrier. Her presence there indicated she would be fighting in that area. The old monsters would feel more secure with someone from their own sect watching, rather than a disciple from a potentially hostile force who might betray them at a critical moment. With the barriers complete, it was time for the participants from both sides to step forward.

From the mage group, ten black-clad figures emitted a sinister demonic aura.

‘Demonic beasts!’ Han Li muttered, then transformed into a streak of blue light, leaving the cultivator camp. Simultaneously, nine Core Formation cultivators stepped forward. Most were familiar faces, but three were new to him.

Among the familiar faces were Soul-Lock Daoist, Old Man Yunluo, and Madam Bai.

Everyone took their positions, and Han Li arrived at the barrier, giving a slight nod to Song below before looking at his black-clad opponent.

‘Strange. That explosive demonic aura… Could they have taken a pill similar to the Reversal Fiend Pill beforehand?’ He speculated, not feeling any fear.

The black-clad figure, of average build, glared at Han Li with chilling green eyes. Although his face was hidden, he was undoubtedly a Core Formation cultivator, with cultivation at the peak of the early Core Formation stage, close to reaching the mid-stage.

Han Li glanced at the other black-clad figures. They all seemed similar to his opponent. Confirming they were all of comparable strength, Han Li felt a chill run down his spine.

‘There’s definitely something going on with this duel.’ Surprisingly, not a single mid-Core Formation cultivator was present!

He planned to kill them instantly with the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning the moment they used demonic techniques. If he eliminated them without giving them any openings, no matter what tricks they had up their sleeves, he would be safe. In an instant, murderous intent surged within him.

At that moment, the black-clad figure took out a storage pouch from his waist and stared blankly at Han Li. Han Li also smiled and pulled out a storage pouch filled with various materials from his waist.

The black-clad figure threw his storage pouch first, and Han Li threw his own, exchanging them. Upon inspecting the opponent’s storage pouch, he found that while the variety was not as diverse as what the cultivators had prepared, the value was clearly slightly higher. This was as agreed upon beforehand, so there was no issue.

Han Li nodded and put the storage pouch back on his waist, and the opponent did the same. Song, who was waiting below, and the opposing mage confirmed this and simultaneously began chanting incantations. They each shot magic seals into the formation, and white light enveloped the dueling area. Han Li and the black-clad figure simultaneously swayed and appeared inside the barrier. As the white protective shield appeared, the two cultivators were completely cut off from the outside world.

Inside the shield, Han Li quietly stared at his opponent, gathering the blue light around his body. The Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords within him vibrated, ready to strike at any moment. The Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning, the optimal weapon against demonic arts, had already condensed into a fist-sized golden orb in his dantian [energy center]. Han Li’s nascent soul [spiritual soul] was gleefully holding the golden orb, ready to unleash a strike at any moment.

The black-clad figure began forming hand seals as soon as his figure was obscured by the shield. Then, a strange incantation flowed out, and the sinister demonic aura intensified, with pitch-black tentacles extending out. Han Li watched him without moving, but a faint crackling sound of lightning could be heard from his hands hidden in his sleeves. He planned to kill the black-clad figure in one strike the moment he attacked.

However, in an instant, the black-clad figure’s eyes turned crimson, and he growled like a beast. His body, hidden under his black robes, began to bulge and protrude. ‘Hmm?’ Han Li paid attention to this unexpected development. It wasn’t because of the opponent’s physical changes, but because the surging demonic aura had suddenly disappeared, replaced by a strange, unsettling smell. Instead of attacking, he retreated rapidly towards the shield. Then, his body suddenly shrunk, turning into a three-foot dwarf.

Han Li realized that the situation was taking an odd turn. At that moment, thick lightning bolts immediately shot out from his hands, transforming into a massive golden net that flew towards the black-clad figure. Han Li once again brushed his storage pouch and held a bead in his hand. If anything strange happened, he would immediately activate the bead to break the restriction and escape. As he watched with unease, the golden net enveloped the black-clad figure.

Bang! A terrible scream was heard, and the black-clad figure’s body exploded, with blood and flesh flying everywhere. Han Li was dumbfounded as he watched this. He had worried that the opponent would use some gruesome secret technique by exploding his own body, but it hadn’t harmed Han Li at all. However, this situation made him even more suspicious. Soon, he sensed something was amiss. The blood clots that had exploded from the black-clad figure did not fall from the shield but began to wriggle. The flesh suddenly turned into a blood-colored mist, spreading across the shield, and the white shield was rapidly turning red. Moreover, the stench of blood was so strong that it stung his nose.

Alarmed, Han Li quickly threw the bead he was holding towards the back of the shield. Bang! The bead exploded with a pitch-black light as soon as it touched the shield. Then, the light began to flicker from the back of the shield, and the entire shield vibrated slightly. Han Li was delighted and moved his ten fingers, shooting out a series of blue sword energies, scattering them across the shield. The white light flickered violently, as if it would break at any moment. However, the speed of the blood-colored mist was even faster. Han Li, with a darkened face, examined the shield that had turned red in an instant. The red mist on the surface of the shield flowed, condensing into thick blood, and the stench became even more intense. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and unleashed a thick golden lightning bolt, striking the red aura in front of him.

Kwang! A loud explosion was heard, and the red mist seemed to scatter, but it quickly returned to its original state. He was about to unleash the Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords, but he stopped cautiously. Looking around, he saw the same scene unfolding in all ten barriers at the same time. Ten Core Formation cultivators were helplessly trapped inside strange light barriers. The ten Foundation Establishment cultivators who were monitoring the operation of the barriers also realized that the situation was taking an odd turn. They became wary of the opposing mages and hurriedly tried to break the barriers. However, as the shields turned red, the mages immediately fled back to their own camp. Song and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators realized that the situation had become even more serious and became tense. The strange changes in the shields were clearly the mages’ doing. As expected, even though they tried to break the barriers, the red shields remained, and blood formed on them, giving the impression of a scene of carnage where hundreds had been slaughtered. It was a terrifying sight to behold!

When even the Foundation Establishment cultivators sent to the shields failed to remove them, the three great Tiannan cultivators flew over in agitation. “Retreat. This is no longer a problem you can solve,” Shangren Zhiyang, having arrived above the barrier, looked at the strangely transformed shield and gave a somber order. The Foundation Establishment cultivators, relieved, hurriedly returned to their main camp. Song also looked at Han Li inside the shield, showing concern, but she had no choice but to return with the other cultivators. The gaunt old man from the mage camp and others were overjoyed to see the ten Core Formation cultivators trapped in the barriers. They didn’t care at all that the three great Tiannan cultivators were approaching the barriers. Behind them, a black-clad man and woman had been standing together since some time ago.

“Sect Leader Fang, it really succeeded! If the Blood Fiend Formation is as powerful as rumored, it should be able to trap the Core Formation cultivators for at least half a day, right? If ten Core Formation cultivators are missing from the Tiannan camp, we can decide the outcome in the meantime,” the gaunt old man turned and said to the black-clad man. “The Blood Fiend Formation is one of our sect’s six great secret techniques, so don’t worry! We had to sacrifice ten Blood Corpses that we had nurtured for a hundred years, and we even fed them the Demonic Spirit Pill beforehand to avoid suspicion. Moreover, I, along with ten Core Formation cultivators, manipulated them with our respective rituals to barely deceive the enemy. Even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator would need time to break the barrier.” As if to prove the black-clad man’s words, Shangren Zhiyang unleashed a dazzling sword energy at one of the barriers. Krrrr! However, the blood-colored shield only trembled and quickly returned to its original state. Shangren Zhiyang’s face darkened. Wu Wuai and Old Man Hehuan also saw this and did not attack. They immediately recognized how strong the shield was, having blocked Shangren Zhiyang’s attack. The three cultivators exchanged glances and smiled wryly. They had only worried that the opposing mages would use a powerful move during the duel, causing the participating cultivators to be severely injured or killed, but they had never imagined that they would be trapped like this.

“Daoist Yi, do you know what kind of demonic technique this is? There must be a similar technique among the six demonic sects, right? It’s a terrible thing to explode your own people to deploy a technique,” Wu Wuai sighed. “No, I’ve never seen such a bizarre technique before. It seems we underestimated the cultivators of Jin!” Old Man Hehuan frowned. However, before the cultivators could discuss further, the sound of drums echoed from the mage camp. Some mages soared into the sky, while the rest changed positions to form a formation, ready to launch an attack. The large army of cultivators behind them had also seen what had happened at the barriers, and they moved without much commotion, following the orders of the high-ranking cultivators. “It seems we’ve been tricked this time, but they will only be trapped for a while, and their lives are not in danger. Let’s buy time and rescue them. Anyway, our side has more high-ranking cultivators than theirs, so even if we’re ten short, we can’t be considered at a disadvantage.” “Let’s do that! Then, let’s do our best to handle the Moran Clan’s divine envoys!” Old Man Hehuan shouted with a fierce glint in his eyes. Then, without waiting for the other two cultivators’ reactions, he roared at the opposing mage army. “I’ve long heard that the Moran mages’ spiritual arts are amazing. I would like to ask for your guidance, so please step forward!” He used some secret technique, and his voice echoed for several miles. The chanting of spells from both camps subsided for a moment, and even some of the lower-ranking mages floating in the air staggered. The gaunt old man, hearing Old Man Hehuan’s voice, frowned and said to the black-clad man. “It seems we can’t avoid a showdown with the three great Tiannan cultivators. However, I must stay behind to command the battlefield. If you don’t mind, Sect Leader Fang, could you go? I’ve heard that Sect Leader Fang’s Heavenly Fiend True Demon Art has already reached its peak, and you can even borrow the power of the Heavenly Fiend True Demon.” “Since we’ve already made an agreement, I will go. I’ve also been curious about the number one demonic art of Tiannan!” The black-clad man replied coldly, his eyes flashing green, and he soared into the sky. The middle-aged scholar and the dwarf with the surname Pi immediately transformed into streaks of silver and red light, following behind him. Shangren Zhiyang and the other two cultivators did the same. The six cultivators soared into the clouds and disappeared, and soon, red and black lights and explosions began to erupt and shake the nearby sky. While they were soaring and fighting, the war began in the lower sky and on the ground. However, each camp maintained its distance and engaged in a battle of strength. The Tiannan cultivators used formation artifacts to create a defensive barrier faster than the mages. Seeing this, Ryongham, who was commanding the war, did not hesitate to order a preemptive strike. The first to be activated were about a dozen exotic treasures capable of long-range attacks. Among them was the giant gong that Han Li had seen. The gong flew dozens of zhang and stopped, with six or seven burly men in yellow robes holding iron hammers, guarding it on either side. And a little further away, two cultivators were holding black triangular flags that were several zhang long. The flags, with their brilliant black light, had black flood dragons painted on them, which seemed to be alive. Also, nine girls in red clothes were each holding trays covered with red silk, and something seemed to be bulging out from inside. The girls floated in the air in a strange formation, waiting for the right moment. Finally, three old men in gold robes, each carrying a huge gourd that reached the waist of an average man, stepped forward to the front of the formation with their eyes half-closed.

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