Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 553

554. Kunwu Mountain

On the edge of the Southern Border, an old man used movement techniques to travel. He chatted about various things with several Qi Refining cultivators, who listened intently, likely because it was their first time leaving their sects to travel.

If Han Li had seen this scene, he would have been shocked by the sly-looking old man’s face. It was Xiang Zhili, who was thought to be in the Transformation Stage [a high cultivation stage].

In fact, after Han Li left the Heavenly Talisman Sect and before the higher-ups intervened, Xiang Zhili had vanished without a trace. The Heavenly Talisman Sect cultivators were greatly surprised, but they assumed Han Li had done something and didn’t investigate deeply.

Years passed, and the old man was now acting as a low-level cultivator in another place.

Not only that, but the major powers of the Great Jin cultivation world had recently sensed that something unusual was happening. Some even began to suspect the Ye family, who were part of the imperial family, but they had no evidence, so they were only investigating secretly.

The entire Great Jin was like the calm before a storm.

Several months later, in the volcanic region of Mount Yinsha in the Southern Border.

A pleasant sound echoed far into the sky, and immediately, a dazzling blue beam of light shot out from a crevice in the volcanic area and disappeared.

The cultivators who saw the beam of light were speechless at its incredible speed.

Seven days later, the same blue beam of light shot westward through the largest primeval forest in the Southern Border. Soon after, it discovered a large basin area enveloped in a thick, yellow poisonous fog.

“Fellow Daoist Han, you’re a bit late. Fellow Daoist Bai and Fellow Daoist Yuan have been waiting for several days.”

As the blue light faded and Han Li landed on the ground, an old man among the cultivators who were sitting cross-legged stood up. It was Old Man Bu, who greeted him with a smile, along with Bai Yaoyi, the giant, and the black-clad woman he had seen half a year ago.

“The refinement of the magic treasure finished a few days ago, so I came as quickly as I could, but I was still late. Please forgive me.”

Han Li cupped his fist in apology to the cultivators.

“It’s alright. The period when the Yin Wind decreases lasts for three months, so a few days late isn’t a big deal! Since you came straight after finishing the refinement, it would be wise to rest for a while and recover your magic power.”

Bai Yaoyi said carefully, looking at Han Li.

“That’s right. As Fellow Daoist Bai said, it’s best to replenish your magic power as much as possible before entering the Yin-Yang Cave.”

Old Man Bu agreed, and the giant and the woman surnamed Shang didn’t say anything else.

“Yes, then if you’ll excuse me, let’s enter the Yin-Yang Cave in two days.”

Han Li nodded and stared at the yellow poisonous fog a hundred feet away. He flipped his palm and took out a wood-attribute intermediate spirit stone [a stone containing spiritual energy], then sat down cross-legged.

The other cultivators were already full of magic power, but they all closed their eyes again and entered meditation. Two days passed quickly, and when Han Li opened his eyes, Old Man Bu immediately stood up.

“Let’s depart.”

The cultivators all stood up and covered their bodies with various protective barriers.

“Since I have the poison-repelling jade, the Myriad Poison Valley is no problem. However, the tiny poisonous insects in the poisonous fog can easily penetrate the barriers, so be careful. It’s a pity that we can’t fly to the entrance of the Yin-Yang Cave because of the ancient restrictions in the Myriad Poison Valley.”

He took the lead and walked forward, and when the yellow poisonous energy appeared, he threw the jade into the air and chanted a spell. At the same time, a layer of silver waves spread out, dispersing most of the poisonous fog.

The giant began to sprint through the Myriad Poison Valley using movement techniques like the low-level cultivators, and the other cultivators followed behind, casting spells on their bodies.

* * *

Half a day later, deep within the Myriad Poison Valley, silver light flashed, and a dozen fireballs swirled around.

Poof.

The fireballs didn’t explode but instead turned into a dozen fire snakes that slithered across the ground. Flames rose wherever the snakes passed, instantly turning the poisonous insects to ashes.

“Fellow Daoist Han’s magic is incredibly refined. I would believe it if you said your main cultivation method was fire-attribute.”

“No, it’s just a minor skill called ‘Fireball Technique’ that I learned when my cultivation was low. I’ve just become used to it from using it for so long.”

Han Li explained calmly at the woman’s laughter. They soon emerged from the fog and walked through the gradually fading sea of fire.

Han Li looked into the distance and suddenly stopped, causing the giant, who was walking in the lead, to point to the jade above his head.

Then, silver light was emitted from the jade, illuminating the front, and the blurry front, which had been obscured by the thick poisonous fog, became much clearer. A huge cave appeared dozens of feet ahead.

Black Yin Wind was gushing out of the cave entrance, making it impossible to gauge its depth, and even the nearby poisonous fog didn’t dare to approach.

“It seems this is the entrance to the Yin-Yang Cave. Let’s all go.”

Except for Han Li and Bai Yaoyi, the rest of the group had been here before, so they approached without hesitation. The Yin Wind blowing from the cave was intense, but they all seemed calm.

Han Li examined the lower wall of the cave, and it was sparkling like crystal, as if it were frozen.

Inside, black wind blew, creating strange vortexes, and faint sounds like ghostly wails or the cries of beasts could be heard.

“What you’re seeing now isn’t the true Yang-Purifying Yin Wind. You have to go down several hundred feet before the Yang-Purifying Yin Wind starts to blow. If you went in without any preparation, even a Nascent Soul cultivator [a high cultivation stage] wouldn’t last long. But since we have the Violet Soul Pearl, its power will be greatly reduced. However, the intensity of the Yin Wind inside the cave isn’t constant, so you must be careful. Everyone here is experienced, so I don’t need to say much.”

Old Man Bu examined the cave and then cleared his throat lightly. Then, he raised his hand, and a purple bead appeared.

As the Violet Soul Pearl appeared, Han Li naturally looked at it, and suddenly, a purple light flashed, making his mind dizzy and his consciousness uncontrollable.

He was startled, and his Great Development Technique automatically activated, clearing his head and returning his consciousness to its original state. Han Li was expressionless, but he was greatly surprised inside.

The treasures of a great demonic sect were indeed extraordinary. He glanced at the giant and Bai Yaoyi, and they also looked pale after seeing the Violet Soul Pearl. However, they each seemed to have used some secret technique to avoid being completely consumed by the soul-bewitching effect of the bead.

Old Man Bu pretended not to notice their changes and held the bead, chanting a low spell. Then, a light flashed, and an almost invisible energy emerged from the bead, enveloping the surroundings in a circle.

And after a while, they could feel that the cold energy of the Yin Wind had greatly decreased.

“As expected, the Violet Soul Pearl lives up to its reputation.”

The giant surnamed Yuan praised, retrieving his jade.

“Is that all? You’ll see its true power when we go down below. Now, let’s go.”

The old man held the purple bead in one hand and emitted red energy from the other, speaking nonchalantly.

Old Man Bu was the first to be enveloped in red energy and began to descend into the underground cave. The other cultivators, trying to stay within the purple energy, activated their protective barriers and followed behind.

The giant released a cyan jade pendant and threw it above his head, while Bai Yaoyi summoned an ice-like flying knife that hovered around her. The black-clad beauty, Shang, floated a black shield in front of her body.

Han Li simply released a few golden flying swords from his mouth, which circled around him. Soon, they too disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

As Han Li’s group entered the Yin-Yang Cave, seven or eight cultivators appeared on a small, nameless lake in the Southern Border. They were listening carefully to the words of a black-clad cultivator.

They were the Ye family cultivators who had gathered at the imperial palace a few months ago. Among them were a large-headed oddity and a square-faced cultivator. And behind them was a golem with an appearance similar to Han Li.

He didn’t care what the cultivators in front of him were talking about.

“Four hundred years ago, our Ye family discovered the approximate whereabouts of Kunwu from a stele in the tomb of an ancient cultivator. Kunwu Mountain is known as a sacred place for cultivation, but for some unknown reason, it was sealed underground by ancient cultivators.

Since it was a mountain where many ancient cultivators resided, its value is beyond doubt. More importantly, the ancient cultivators left behind two Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures [extremely powerful magical items] when they sealed this mountain.

If our Ye family obtains these, we will be able to overwhelm both the righteous and demonic paths. For this undertaking, countless disciples have searched all over the Great Jin for over a hundred years, and we have finally found a place that matches the records on the stele. We immediately dispatched the family’s formation masters to begin breaking the restrictions, and because the matter was so important, only the former Great Elder and a few elders knew about it.”

The black-clad cultivator paused for a moment.

“However, the ancient restrictions are so profound and cover an area of almost a hundred miles, so it took more than a dozen formation masters over a hundred years to finally find a way to break the restrictions.

We had to borrow the power of heaven and earth to break the formation and open the sealing restrictions, but the number of formations was so large that we needed a massive amount of materials, and the materials were so rare that it was difficult to gather them secretly. If we attracted the attention of other forces and this fact became known, we would be annihilated.

Finally, now, the family’s formation masters have been able to break the final formation that is spread out under the lake. In fifteen days, we will deploy the highest level of concealment barrier to hide the anomalies that will occur when the barrier is broken. Then, the elders can enter Kunwu Mountain and retrieve the treasures.”

After finishing his explanation, the black-clad cultivator stepped aside.

“Kunwu Mountain? The purpose of this undertaking was Kunwu Mountain!”

“Actually, I had guessed that we had discovered the residence of an ancient era.”

“Haha, Kunwu Mountain and Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures!”

For a moment, the cultivators, except for the large-headed oddity, the square-faced cultivator, and the golem, were surprised and clamored, all of them looking very excited.

“Don’t be too happy. Breaking the barrier is just the beginning of obtaining the Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures. If it were that simple, my third brother wouldn’t have gathered everyone here and asked for help from our uncle. Moreover, my third brother will arrive in a month to avoid the attention of other forces. Then, we will all enter Kunwu Mountain together, so keep that in mind.”

The square-faced cultivator’s words, with a stern expression, silenced the clamor.

“Brother, are you saying there’s a problem with Kunwu Mountain?”

A Ye family elder dressed as a Taoist asked.

“There isn’t a big problem right now, but we must consider the possibility that we might not come out alive.”

“That can’t be. This time, our seventh uncle and third brother will be accompanying us. No matter how great the restrictions are, is there a need to worry about our lives?”

A cultivator dressed as a scholar muttered in surprise.

“Have you ever wondered why Kunwu Mountain, known as a sacred place, was sealed deep underground? The fact that two Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures were left there means there’s a huge secret. And yet, you think it won’t be dangerous?”

The square-faced cultivator’s words made the other cultivators look at each other and shut their mouths.

“That’s enough. It’s all just speculation anyway. We don’t know why the ancient cultivators sealed it, but you don’t have to worry too much. If something happens, I will step in.”

The large-headed oddity smiled and reassured the cultivators, and they regained their composure. Then, the square-faced middle-aged man turned his head to look at the golem.

“Elder Han, since you are well-versed in ancient scriptures, I would like to ask for your help on this trip to Kunwu Mountain. I have already found two more demonic artifacts, so I will give them to you as soon as this matter is resolved.”

# 555