Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 449

A moment later, the old man’s sigh echoed in his mind. “When I thought I had achieved everything and stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, I realized I had made a fatal mistake. My lifespan was running out, and there was no way to escape the late Nascent Soul stage [a high stage of cultivation]. No matter how talented I was, reaching the Transformation stage [a higher stage of cultivation] in just two hundred years was impossible. If I hadn’t wasted time creating puppet techniques and cultivation methods, I would have entered the Transformation stage and ascended to the Spirit World long ago. Would I have been trapped in a puppet for ten thousand years?” The Great Yan Divine Lord suddenly became dejected and lowered his voice. Hearing this, Han Li curled his lips in envy. Ordinary cultivators struggled to make a breakthrough and condense their Nascent Soul, yet for him, entering the Transformation stage was not a difficult task. “Although I was distressed by the fact that I couldn’t reach the Transformation stage, I couldn’t just sit still. Of course, there is an afterlife, but for me, an afterlife that doesn’t share the memories and emotions of this life is meaningless. Moreover, there was a high chance that I would be born as a mortal in the next life, without even a spiritual root. So, I researched a technique to preserve my consciousness in the next life, and that’s how I created the Great Yan Connection and the Spirit Transfer Technique.” The Great Yan Divine Lord sneered as he recalled his memories. “So, you lost your immense cultivation and only your consciousness remained, trapped in a puppet for nearly ten thousand years.” Han Li suddenly interjected, drawing a conclusion. “Not only that, but it was a big mistake that I had to use the incomplete Spirit Transfer Technique because I didn’t have much time left. Only after inhabiting the puppet did I realize that my cultivation had disappeared. I could barely use abilities related to consciousness, but nothing else was possible. Moreover, I had the secret chamber guarded by a powerful formation and over a hundred puppets, so there was no way for me to escape, having lost my physical body and magic power. Also, I didn’t tell anyone the location of the secret chamber, fearing that someone who held a grudge against me might launch a surprise attack, which is why ten thousand years have passed. If I hadn’t stored spiritual energy in the secret chamber, I would have died long ago.” The Great Yan Divine Lord’s voice suddenly turned cold. “Why are you so talkative today, old man? You never answered even when I asked before.” “Hmph! If I don’t talk to you, who else would I talk to in this situation? Since you’ve cultivated the Great Yan Connection, you’re half my disciple. Besides, you were the one who found me in the secret chamber of the Heavenly Bamboo Sect, when I was barely clinging to life. Come to think of it, you have a good eye. You found me among all those puppets. And you almost attacked me on the spot and killed me!” The old man seemed to express some resentment at the end. “If you hadn’t attacked me first with the Seven Emotions Seal, would I have attacked you first? In the end, you took control of my second Nascent Soul while I was off guard. But remember, I can also control my second Nascent Soul with my main Nascent Soul and destroy your soul and Nascent Soul at the same time.” “I didn’t know there would be a monster like you who had refined a second Nascent Soul at such a young age. Besides, at that time, I had no magic power except for my consciousness, so there was nothing I could do.” The Great Yan Divine Lord retorted, but Han Li had no desire to argue. “Still, I never imagined you would possess the Soul Nurturing Wood. Otherwise, even if I had subdued you, you would have only lived for about a year before passing away. It’s a blessing in disguise, I suppose?” The Great Yan Divine Lord muttered to himself when Han Li didn’t respond. “I lent you the Soul Nurturing Wood because you promised to teach me the last three formulas of the Great Yan Connection and the puppet technique. We just made a deal for each other’s benefit.” Han Li stopped walking and spoke calmly. “Hahaha! Boy, the more I see you, the more I like you! I’ve always hated those who hide their dark intentions and only pretend to be obedient. If only your talent was a little better and you could learn my cultivation method. I would have truly accepted you as my disciple and passed on my lifelong enlightenment…” “I already have enough cultivation methods that I’ve learned so far. However, I am interested in your secret techniques.” Han Li paused at the Great Yan Divine Lord’s unexpected words and raised the corners of his mouth. “If it’s secret techniques you want, you’ll be disappointed. My secret techniques are closely related to the cultivation methods I’ve practiced. If you don’t learn my cultivation method, you won’t be able to learn any of my secret techniques.” “Then that’s fine. I’m satisfied with just the Great Yan Connection and the puppet technique. But why didn’t you pass on the last formulas of the Great Yan Connection to your disciples and only left behind fake formulas?” “None of my disciples have reached the Nascent Soul stage in hundreds of years. If I had given them the last formulas of the Great Yan Connection without them reaching the Nascent Soul stage, it would have been a disaster. But for you, who is not a disciple of the Heavenly Bamboo Sect, to learn the Great Yan Connection and come to find me, I must have had foresight.” “I didn’t steal the Great Yan Connection from the extreme west region; someone brought it to me.” Han Li’s eyes flashed as he tried to clear up any unnecessary misunderstandings. “Don’t worry! The disciples I took in the Heavenly Bamboo Sect have long since disappeared, so I wouldn’t care even if you really stole it.” “I don’t care what you think as long as it doesn’t affect our deal. But I’ll ask one last thing. Do you really not know how to undo the Soul Sealing Curse?” “It’s not that I can’t undo it, but I don’t have much time left. Otherwise, a mere curse wouldn’t be a problem.” Han Li was greatly disappointed by the Great Yan Divine Lord’s answer. “If even you can’t solve the Soul Sealing Curse, then I must go to the Chuma Valley.” Han Li regained his composure and muttered. However, the Great Yan Divine Lord didn’t answer immediately and remained silent for a while before speaking again. “Boy, going to the Chuma Valley is not a wise decision. I also considered going to the Chuma Valley because my lifespan is running out, but I gave up the idea after creating the Spirit Transfer Technique. There are countless ancient restrictions there, not to mention the unimaginable power of the spatial rifts. Moreover, sometimes in the spatial rifts…” “Sometimes what?” “Sometimes… some spatial rifts are connected to other worlds, summoning beings like monsters and demons. If you encounter them, it’s game over.” “What do you mean by other worlds? Are you saying there are other worlds besides the Spirit World and the Underworld?” Han Li was startled and listened intently to the other’s words. “I’ve seen mentions of some other realms in books about strange events from the ancient times. The Immortal Realm is fundamentally unrelated to the Human Realm, and the Spirit Realm is also irrelevant unless one ascends. And the Underworld, the Yin Realm, is full of powerful evil spirits and souls, but they don’t cross over into the Human Realm. However, in the Ancient Demon Realm, which is similar to the Human Realm, the ancient demons are eager to cross over into the Human Realm. Even if only the avatars of the powerful ancient demons cross over, you won’t be a match for them.” “What are ancient demons? I’ve never heard of such things…” “It’s difficult to explain exactly what ancient demons are. They are neither humans nor demonic beasts, and their forms are diverse. I’ve heard that in ancient times, the Ancient Demon Realm was connected to the Human Realm, and a large number of ancient demons crossed over into the human world and wreaked havoc. The ancient cultivators fought a long war against them. Although the numerically superior ancient cultivators eliminated the ancient demons one by one, countless casualties occurred among the ancient cultivators, and many ancient cultivation methods and spiritual beasts disappeared at that time. The downfall of the ancient cultivators may also be due to that war.” The Great Yan Divine Lord recounted a series of ancient secrets that Han Li had never heard before. “The ancient cultivators fought against the ancient demons?” Han Li’s expression changed. He didn’t know the power of the ancient demons, but he could tell how great the abilities of the ancient cultivators were just by looking at the ruins they left behind. According to the old man, the ancient demons were clearly even more powerful, so he couldn’t help but be surprised. “Not only that, but some of the ancient demonic cultivation methods that current demonic cultivators practice were created by cultivators who learned about the existence of the Ancient Demon Realm. It means that they are cultivation methods created by imitating the abilities of the ancient demons. They even temporarily amplify their own abilities by borrowing the demonic energy of the ancient demons through secret techniques. I’ve heard that if you master these demonic cultivation methods to the extreme, you don’t ascend to the Spirit World but go to the Ancient Demon Realm and become a member of the ancient demons. Of course, it’s just a rumor, so there’s no way to verify it, and it’s irrelevant unless you reach the Transformation stage. Also, there’s a high chance that nothing will happen while you’re there.” The old man explained calmly, but Han Li, who was listening, felt a chill down his spine. He had seen demonic beasts transform into demonic creatures or use strange powers that resembled the forms of evil spirits, so he thought there was some credibility to it. “If ancient demons can really cross over into the human world through spatial rifts, shouldn’t the Tiannan cultivation world have already experienced a crisis?” “What do you know! Spatial rifts are not true passages to other realms, so the things that can cross through them are either the incarnations of demonic beasts or low-level demonic creatures. They can’t defy the laws of the human world at that level. They can’t stay for long, and their bodies explode, or they escape through the spatial rifts themselves.” “That’s a relief. Only low-level demonic creatures or incarnations can cross over, and there’s a time limit.” Han Li relaxed his tense face and thought that the Saint Ancestor that the Moran Dharma Masters had summoned might have been similar. “Don’t be too relieved. It’s just a guess, but if a monster like an ancient demon appears in the Chuma Valley, it will be much stronger than you think.” “You said you’ve never been to the Chuma Valley either, so aren’t these just stories you’ve heard?” “I haven’t been there, but some cultivators I was close to went to the Chuma Valley. Unfortunately, they encountered an ancient demon from another realm as soon as they entered, and only one of them barely escaped with his avatar. They all didn’t reveal their cultivation, just like me, so very few people know about this. That’s enough! I’ve told you everything I have to say, so go to the Chuma Valley and find treasures or not, it’s up to you! And here are the formulas for the 5-star Great Yan Connection cultivation method and two methods to refine the Core Formation stage puppets. It’s part of what I promised you, so take it for now.” As soon as he finished speaking, a white jade slip popped out of the bamboo tube behind Han Li and fell to the ground. “I thought you had forgotten your promise.” Han Li was delighted and infused his consciousness into the jade slip that the other had handed over. “Now, I’ll rest and continue my puppet research inside the Dongfu Heaven [a portable space], so don’t bother me.” The Great Yan Divine Lord said, sounding annoyed, and then closed his mouth. Han Li immediately looked at the bamboo tube behind him, his face hardening. The old monster was clearly hiding something more, but there was no way to find out if the other didn’t speak. The Dongfu Heaven was the bamboo tube he was carrying, which looked ordinary but was actually an invaluable treasure. Inside, there was another world where the main body of the puppet that the Great Yan Divine Lord inhabited was kept. Otherwise, he would have put it in the storage pouch long ago. * * * As the day turned to dusk and the sky darkened, Han Li put away the jade slip and flew up. After flying for a while, he landed in a forest outside the city and approached a large tree. Surprisingly, there was a large head with disheveled hair under the tree. If someone who didn’t know the situation found it by chance, they would have been terrified, thinking it was a severed head, but in fact, only the head was out of the ground, while the body was buried. His strange green hair was covering his face, but when Han Li approached, he sent a sinister gaze. Confirming this, Han Li forced a smile and circled around the head. “You’re already showing simple consciousness, so you’ll be useful in the Chuma Valley.” Han Li muttered, then set up a barrier around the buried zombie and sat down in a cross-legged position. However, he didn’t immediately start cultivating but took out a yellow spirit tablet from his storage pouch and fiddled with it. It was a spirit tablet with the words ‘Heavenly Extremity Gate’ written on it. # 451