Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 501

After the young man appeared, they spoke in the language of the Great Jin, so the Dolol people didn’t understand what was happening. However, Han Li, who had learned the Great Jin language beforehand, was inwardly surprised.

‘A palace lord? A commander? These aren’t titles used in ordinary cultivation sects… Does the Great Jin also have a complex network of large and small factions like the Chaotic Star Sea?’

Although they didn’t understand the words, the commoners secretly retreated as the situation took an odd turn. Naturally, the Dolol cultivators couldn’t leave rashly for fear of being misunderstood.

As the fire cloud and mist collided, steam filled the surroundings in the fierce battle between heat and cold. No matter how miraculous the Snow Crystal Bead was, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn’t fully unleash its power.

Before long, the cold mist began to dissipate, and although the young man did his best to pour spiritual power into the bead, he couldn’t stop the fire cloud. Still, he managed to buy some time.

“Commander Go, please step forward. We need to capture him alive; he’ll be useful.”

The woman, who had been observing, turned to the man beside her.

“Don’t worry.”

The man nodded and transformed into a white streak of light, shooting into the cold mist. The six Foundation Establishment cultivators simultaneously withdrew the fire cloud.

Soon, the mist churned, and a ‘thump’ sound came from within, gradually clearing the view. The man stood arrogantly, holding the unconscious young man and the Snow Crystal Bead in each hand.

The Core Formation woman examined them and showed a satisfied expression.

“Guard him well.”

The man tossed the young man to one of his subordinates and then cast a cold gaze towards Han Li and the others who were watching the scene.

The man was about to turn back when he unconsciously noticed something on the ground and exclaimed in surprise. Han Li also quickly saw what it was: a translucent stone lying there.

“Gold Flame Stone! No, it’s a Gold Flame Stone! Boy, you really have incredible luck.”

Han Li thought it looked familiar but couldn’t recall what it was until the Great Yan Divine Monarch exclaimed in surprise. Then Han Li remembered.

That stone was the very material most needed to refine the Seven Flame Fan. It was a rare treasure that had long disappeared in the Heavenly South and was hard to find even in the Great Jin.

At this moment, the man also seemed to recognize the stone and, delighted, moved towards the Gold Flame Stone and bent down.

*Whoosh!*

Before the man’s eyes, a golden light flashed, and the Gold Flame Stone floated into the air and shot away. The Great Jin cultivators, as well as the Dolol people who knew nothing, were stunned.

Before the man could react, the Gold Flame Stone had turned into a beam of light and entered Han Li. Han Li, as if no one else mattered, began to examine the stone in his hand.

The Core Formation man’s face turned pale at the sight.

“If you hand that over right now, I’ll spare your life.”

He glared at Han Li and muttered ominously. However, Han Li, after confirming the authenticity of the stone with the Great Yan Divine Monarch, simply put it into his storage pouch.

“I like this too, you see. I don’t want to hand it over to a cultivator, nor do I want to be crippled, so just leave.”

At Han Li’s words, the man, enraged, clenched his fists and was about to attack.

“Commander Go, what’s the matter? What is that stone that makes you act like this? If it’s not important, let’s just go.”

The Core Formation woman, realizing that Han Li’s identity was not as simple as it seemed, spoke up. Commander Go hesitated for a moment at her words and then moved his lips, sending a voice transmission [a method of communication using spiritual energy].

Shortly after, the woman in white robes was also shocked into silence.

“Is it really that item…? You’re not mistaken, are you?”

“Absolutely not. As you know, I’m from the Weapon Refinement Department. I’ve memorized the records, so how could I not recognize such a treasure? If we bring that to the palace lord, it would be far more valuable than merely recovering the Snow Crystal Bead or capturing a traitor.”

At the man’s words, the woman once again scanned Han Li’s body, confirming that he was indeed a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and her eyes flashed coldly.

“Move! Not only that person but all the Dolol people gathered here must be eliminated without exception. If there are no witnesses, the Heavenly Orchid Holy Palace won’t be able to do anything to our Immortal Palace for the sake of a few low-realm cultivators and commoners. At most, they’ll just reduce the price of the goods we’re trading this time.”

The woman raised her eyebrows and immediately spat out a silver light, which flew towards the Foundation Establishment Dolol cultivator.

The Dolol cultivator had already put up a blue protective barrier, but he couldn’t possibly withstand the attack of a Core Formation cultivator. He screamed and fell, cut in half along with his barrier. The silver light circled back, revealing itself to be a foot-long flying knife.

The other Foundation Establishment Great Jin cultivators, upon hearing the woman’s order, immediately activated their magic tools and attacked the remaining three Dolol cultivators. The commoners who had fled far away could be dealt with later.

The Dolol cultivators were shocked and enraged by the sudden attack from the Great Jin cultivators. But how could one early Foundation Establishment cultivator and two Qi Refining cultivators withstand the combined attack of six Foundation Establishment cultivators?

They fought back with all their might, but they were quickly killed one by one.

Two Great Jin cultivators immediately turned towards the carriage where Feng Yue was, intending to kill him for not showing himself yet.

The Core Formation woman on the giant bat showed no expression as she watched. However, she was greatly surprised when she looked at the Core Formation man.

As soon as the woman’s order was given, the man immediately released his natal magic treasure [a magic tool refined with one’s own essence], a flying sword, to slash at Han Li, but surprisingly, it bounced off the protective barrier that Han Li had activated.

The man cast another magic seal, and the white light circled in the air, transforming into a giant serpent several feet long, which coiled around the black protective barrier. The serpent opened its red mouth as if it would tear the barrier apart at any moment.

However, the black protective barrier was as solid as if it were made of steel, showing no cracks. The woman in white robes felt a heaviness in her heart at the sight.

If the opponent was coveting the items of a Core Formation cultivator, he must have something to rely on. The woman immediately gestured towards the flying knife. Her magic treasure trembled and turned into a silver beam of light, fiercely striking the black protective barrier.

However, the black protective barrier did not budge despite the attacks of the white serpent and the silver flying knife. The woman in white and the man exchanged glances.

“You guys don’t worry about the guy in the carriage; just deploy the Flame Formation.”

At those words, the Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately took out red formation flags. As the formation was activated, a large fire cloud rose into the sky and slowly began to descend.

“Good. There’s no need to waste any more time.”

At that moment, Han Li’s calm voice came from within the protective barrier. Soon, a dark green Nascent Soul [a manifestation of a cultivator’s soul] appeared, chuckling and holding a black flag in its hand.

“Nascent Soul! W-were you a Nascent Soul cultivator! P-please stop for a moment! We’ll retreat immediately. We absolutely did not intend to take your things.”

The woman’s heart sank when she saw the Nascent Soul. She hurriedly pleaded and tried to retrieve her magic treasure. However, Han Li’s second Nascent Soul sneered and threw down the small flag it was holding.

In an instant, the flag grew several times larger, and black energy surged out, forming a large cloud of demonic energy. The flying knife, the giant serpent, and even the fire cloud were all swept into the cloud of demonic energy.

The man, the woman, and the Foundation Establishment cultivators soon felt their connection with their magic treasures severed.

“Yin Fiend Banner! Were you a formation elder of the Yin Fiend Sect!”

The man shouted in panic, recognizing the shape of the flag. He mobilized all the spiritual energy in his body and began to flee.

The woman in white also realized that the man had recognized the Yin Fiend Banner, a treasure of the Yin Fiend Sect, and immediately cast a magic seal into the giant bat’s body, instantly changing direction.

The giant bat grew in size, emitting a green light and howling. Soon, the giant bat and the woman turned into a green beam of light and flew in the opposite direction from the man.

Knowing the habits of demonic sects, they didn’t think the opponent would spare them. The woman resented the man for creating unnecessary trouble and bringing things to this point.

The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators were also shocked when the two Core Formation cultivators fled, and they simultaneously flew away in different directions on their magic tools.

Han Li watched the Great Jin cultivators scatter and flee, then brushed his storage pouch, summoning white centipedes and a swarm of black-energy-infused Gold Devouring Beetles.

The white centipedes chased after the six Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the blood-red Gold Devouring Beetles flapped their wings, turning into golden beams of light and chasing after the Core Formation man.

Then, the Nascent Soul flew up after the Gold Devouring Beetles, sat on the Yin Fiend Banner, and disappeared into the cloud of demonic energy.

The cloud of demonic energy surged and appeared above the sky, a hundred feet away, with a sharp sound, and extended towards the giant bat. As the black cloud covered the sky, it felt as if a demon god was descending.

Han Li floated in the air, watching everything with a blank expression. The Dolol commoners were seeing such a spectacular sight for the first time in their lives, and they were terrified as their cultivators were killed or disappeared, already fleeing far away.

Some of the bolder ones remained nearby to watch, but they didn’t dare approach Han Li due to his overwhelming aura.

Shortly after, the white centipedes caught up with the six Foundation Establishment cultivators. There was no way that mere Foundation Establishment cultivators could be a match for the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes. Although they were still larvae, the cultivators were turned into huge blocks of ice and shattered by the massive amount of cold air they emitted.

The man, who had turned into a white beam of light, had lost his natal magic treasure and was soon caught by the Gold Devouring Beetles. He writhed in pain and soon lost his life.

The giant bat ridden by the woman in white was fast, being a species specialized in escape techniques, but it was eventually caught by the cloud of demonic energy controlled by Han Li’s second Nascent Soul after a chase of tens of miles.

Thus, the woman and the Great Jin cultivators also disappeared from the world without a sound. However, when the second Nascent Soul returned with the cloud of demonic energy, Han Li’s expression was not good.

Han Li found the Snow Crystal Bead that the dead Great Jin cultivators had taken from the young man, but he was already dead, collapsed on the ground. Han Li had intended to wake the young man and ask about the identities of the Great Jin cultivators, but he had committed suicide by using poison.

The young man seemed to have made up his mind, having taken a potent poison before the battle. This way, even if he was captured, his soul would not be extracted and refined.

Han Li shook his head, feeling troubled. He pondered for a moment and then turned the young man’s corpse into ashes.

Shortly after, the cloud of demonic energy returned, and the second Nascent Soul waved the black flag. A gale swept through, and as the cloud of demonic energy disappeared into the flag, the second Nascent Soul also disappeared into Han Li’s crown, vanishing without a trace.

Only then did Han Li look around, seeing the Dolol commoners trembling with fear as they watched him from afar.

“We can’t stay here any longer; let’s go. I need to tell you the location of the secret cave before the poison takes effect.”

Han Li said, addressing one of the remaining carriages.

“You were a Yin Fiend Sect elder! No wonder you killed that evil old man, Feng Chen, so easily. And to possess such precious pills like the Guardian Pill, you must be a Yin Fiend Sect elder.”

The curtain of the carriage slowly rose, and Feng Yue stepped out, wearing a bamboo hat.

“A Yin Fiend Sect elder… Let’s talk about that later; let’s go for now.”

Han Li sneered and immediately released his flying sword, soaring into the air. Feng Yue hesitated for a moment and then followed him. At the same time, two beams of light disappeared into the distance.

Only then did the Dolol people who had been watching from afar return to the carriages. They all looked at each other, exchanging wry smiles. They had no idea what had happened, as the cultivators they had hired had either died or disappeared.

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