Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 590

“Fire Essence Jujube? Surely you didn’t consume it raw, did you?”

“Of course, I consumed it raw. That’s the only way to fully extract its fire-attribute spiritual power.”

The gray-robed old man’s expression shifted, but the man inside the ice wall remained indifferent.

“To go that far! The fire-attribute spiritual energy of an unrefined Fire Essence Jujube is so overwhelming that it could incinerate all the magical power in your body. You must know that.”

“I know it’s dangerous, even without you telling me. But if I don’t take this gamble, am I supposed to just wither away inside this ice wall? Or should I suppress my immense power and be cautious about the leakage of my essence, like Old Man Hyang and Old Man Pung? Should I live in constant fear of exhausting my magical power, acting like a pathetic low-level cultivator?”

Old Man Baek asked with self-deprecating humor.

“A pathetic act? I think you’re being too harsh, Old Man Baek. They are doing that to find the Reverse Spirit Passage that Spirit Realm cultivators used when they descended to the Mortal Realm. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to ascend to the Spirit Realm without reaching the late stage of Spirit Transformation. In fact, if cultivators from the Upper Realm can suppress their magical power and descend, we could also use secret techniques to draw out our magical power and ascend through the same passage.”

“After the spiritual energy of heaven and earth changed drastically back then, how many Spirit Transformation cultivators searched for that Reverse Spirit Passage? They must have scoured every corner of the Mortal Realm, not just the Great Jin. The fact that there’s been no news until now means that the Reverse Spirit Passage either doesn’t exist or is located in the deep sea, not on land.”

“That may be so, but isn’t it better to hold onto even a slim possibility? It’s much better than just sitting around and waiting for death.”

Though he said this, the gray-robed old man knew that the man inside the ice wall had a point.

“Rather than chasing the illusion of finding the Reverse Heaven Passage, I believe it’s more likely to ascend by diligently cultivating and reaching the late stage of Spirit Transformation. If the spiritual energy of the Mortal Realm hadn’t become so scarce due to the machinations of the ancient Demonic Realm, our talents would have been enough to reach the Spirit Realm long ago!”

The man inside the ice wall expressed his dissatisfaction, recalling the past.

“What’s the use of resenting what’s already happened? After the last group of ancient cultivators ascended, only a handful of those who reached the late stage of Spirit Transformation went to the Spirit Realm! It’s a world of difference compared to the ancient era. Moreover, the situation has worsened recently, with almost no one ascending to the Spirit Realm for nearly ten thousand years. Isn’t that why Old Man Pung and Old Man Hyang are clinging to even the faintest hope?”

The gray-robed old man also felt disheartened when he thought about it.

“They are pursuing their own paths, and I am diligently cultivating in my own way. Now that I’ve said this much, you must understand my intentions, Old Man Ho. Either refuse Old Man Pung’s proposal or go alone, as you see fit. I need to enter secluded cultivation, so I can’t see you off. Oh, and have my disciples completely seal off the valley. Please inform the other old monsters as well!”

The man inside the ice wall hastily said what he had to say and then issued a dismissal. Now, no sound could be heard from inside the ice wall.

The gray-robed old man lingered in front of it for a while before finally starting to move.

“Two Blood Qi Pills should be worth the risk, right? If I gain a hundred years of life, it will be more than enough to compensate for the loss of essence from this.”

The old man muttered to himself and transformed into a streak of light, leaving the valley.

* * *

Mount Kunwu, in front of the 8th floor palace of the Demon Suppression Tower.

Han Li expressionlessly formed a hand seal, causing over a dozen flying swords to vibrate and merge into a giant sword.

*Thud!*

The golden light struck down, and the jade-like stone golem shattered into pieces. However, as the altar glowed, the stone fragments reassembled, and the stone golem returned to its original form.

He had already completely destroyed four puppets. They were almost immortal due to the formation, but if they were continuously broken, they would eventually cease to reform.

At the same time, it was fortunate that so many Core Formation late-stage cultivators were attacking together. If only two or three had gathered, they wouldn’t have been able to destroy all the stone golems before their magical power was depleted.

The golden blades held by the stone golems were made of some unknown material, making them extremely sharp and particularly effective against demonic arts. Therefore, those who practiced demonic arts couldn’t approach the golden blades because their protective barriers couldn’t withstand them.

Moreover, if anyone tried to break into the formation and enter the palace, the stone golems on the altar would immediately abandon their attacks on the external cultivators and unleash countless Dao energies [energies based on the principles of the Tao].

No one here was skilled enough to block all the Dao energies that converged in unpredictable trajectories, so they couldn’t rush inside and were instead destroying the stone golems one by one from the outside. Destroying these alone would mean half the success in breaking the formation.

Han Li looked around and saw that only a few puppets remained on the altar.

Just as he thought they would soon break the formation, he suddenly heard Yin Yue’s labored breathing and groans of pain in his mind. Startled, Han Li immediately sent a telepathic message.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“It’s not that. Something inside the palace… is trying to awaken, and it feels very strange and familiar… Ugh, my head hurts so much…”

Yin Yue barely managed to catch her breath and muttered before crying out in pain, unable to endure it.

At her words, Han Li looked at the palace in the center of the formation. It looked no different from before.

Han Li was about to ask Yin Yue again when an astonishing pressure of spiritual energy erupted from the palace.

*Thud!*

A yellow beam of light shot through the roof of the palace and transformed into a giant hand, trying to seize the Eight Spirit Ruler. The cultivators who were breaking the formation were startled by this bizarre phenomenon, and some even screamed.

And then, a captivating laughter that seemed to steal the souls of the cultivators was heard. A ripple appeared in the space next to the Eight Spirit Ruler, and someone with disheveled hair appeared.

As soon as the person appeared, they emitted a beam of light as thick as an arm, piercing through the giant yellow hand and causing it to dissipate. Someone enveloped in yellow light hurriedly retreated.

The person scoffed and moved like a ghost, crossing over a dozen feet. When they were pursued by someone, the cultivator in the yellow light released a blood-colored arrow.

The blood-based attack was extremely fast, but the figure blurred and easily dodged it, and the blood-colored arrow passed harmlessly through the air.

Shortly after, a miserable scream was heard from within the yellow light. The yellow light scattered like smoke, using some kind of secret technique, and reappeared in a completely different place in the form of a person.

The man who appeared after the yellow light dissipated was extremely pale, with deep claw marks from a sharp beast on his chest and covered in blood. One of his arms was missing, making him look utterly miserable.

“Uncle!”

A female Daoist from the outer edge of the formation recognized his face and cried out in surprise.

The cultivator with a missing arm was unexpectedly the Great Headed Monster of the Ye Family. The cultivators were bewildered by this. In particular, the expression of the scholar in white robes changed drastically.

Han Li and the young man from the Xu family didn’t know the Great Headed Monster’s identity, but they were shocked to realize through their senses that he was a late-stage Core Formation cultivator.

Han Li watched him with a cautious gaze. Judging by the blue robe, he seemed to be a cultivator from the Poison Sect, but his hair was so disheveled that his face was hard to see.

However, judging by his physique, it was probably Hwa Cheon-gi, the Grand Elder of the Poison Sect. But wasn’t he laughing in a young woman’s voice?

It was truly a bizarre situation.

If the cultivators gathered here hadn’t been so highly skilled, Han Li would have run away immediately, regardless of the Eight Spirit Ruler. The other cultivators also hesitated, staring at the mysterious, disheveled cultivator.

‘To turn a late-stage Core Formation cultivator into that state in an instant, could it be a Spirit Transformation cultivator!’

Everyone was thinking similar thoughts and was shocked.

The disheveled cultivator didn’t chase after the Great Headed Monster, who had fled far away. Instead, they turned their gaze to the other cultivators gathered there.

The cultivators lowered their gazes and cowered under the sharp, chilling gaze. The female Daoist of the Ye Family and the woman of the Hwaseon Sect even staggered backward because their cultivation was the lowest.

Han Li immediately activated his Brightsight Spirit Eyes, emitting a blue light to block the person’s gaze, but he couldn’t help but feel goosebumps all over his body.

“This is… you…!”

The disheveled cultivator spoke in a woman’s voice, unable to take their eyes off Han Li. They looked surprised, as if they were seeing something mysterious.

At that moment, Han Li’s spirit beast stirred, and a white light emerged on its own, revealing a snow-white baby fox that stepped forward.

The spirit beast rolled on the ground without hesitation and transformed into a young, beautiful woman in silver light. It was Yin Yue, transformed by the illusion technique of a demon beast.

“So it was you!”

As soon as the cultivator saw Yin Yue, they spoke coldly and pushed back their disheveled hair, finally revealing their face.

“Hwa Cheon-gi!”

The cultivator with a wrinkled face and wearing the Poison Sect’s attire was clearly Hwa Cheon-gi. But strangely, his eyes were dyed a sinister jade color.

The cultivators’ hearts grew heavy at the bizarre sight. They all realized that someone had possessed his body.

At that moment, the Great Headed Monster, who had fled far away, took out a pill from his pocket and swallowed it, then attached a talisman to his severed arm. A white light spread, and the wound that had been dripping blood quickly healed completely.

Only then did the Great Headed Monster look at Hwa Cheon-gi with a pale face.

Han Li was racking his brain, wondering what to do in the current situation. It was likely that this person had called Yin Yue here, and he was very curious about their relationship.

“So, you’ve finally returned here! But your energy has become so weak that you’re only inhabiting the body of a fox demon. Are you trying to tarnish the name of our Silver Moon Heavenly Wolf?”

The surprised look on Hwa Cheon-gi’s face disappeared, and he spoke calmly.

Yin Yue asked after a while,

“Are you Linglong?”

At those words, Hwa Cheon-gi’s eyes changed as he looked at her, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“The most beautiful woman of the clan and the beloved concubine of the Heavenly Kui Divine Wolf has lost her memory. What an unimaginable thing! Well, it’s not easy to be unscathed after having your body taken by a clone of the Origin Slaughter Saint and barely escaping. Listen, I’m not Linglong, I’m Longmeng!”

Hwa Cheon-gi was clearly in a man’s body, but his laughter and gestures were full of coquetry.

Han Li, who was watching, had a bad feeling. He didn’t know the relationship between that woman and Yin Yue yet, but her tone clearly showed that she was gloating over Yin Yue’s misfortune.

Yin Yue frowned, looking at Hwa Cheon-gi, her expression changing every moment.

“Although it’s still blurry, if my memories are correct, then I am you, and you are me!”

“Hmph! So you haven’t forgotten everything. Yes, you and I were originally one, and we were called Linglong. We were cultivating the Silver Moon Wolf Clan’s supreme secret technique to withstand the fifth millennium thunder tribulation when a problem occurred, and our souls split in two. We were reborn as independent nascent souls [a soul in its early stage of development], but before, your consciousness was stronger, so I had to remain dormant for a long time. Now the situation is completely reversed! Your nascent soul has become so pathetic. I could kill you with just one finger.”

Hwa Cheon-gi’s voice became sinister. Yin Yue tensed up for a moment, then regained her composure.

“Although I don’t remember much, I clearly remember the Blood Devouring Soul Seal. You can’t kill me. If I really die, you won’t be in a good state either.”

Yin Yue said calmly. At those words, Hwa Cheon-gi’s face hardened, and he emitted a green light from his eyes. Yin Yue’s body immediately trembled and began to be pulled by an invisible force.

At this, Han Li moved his lips, and a giant hand appeared, grabbing Yin Yue and pulling her back to her place. Hwa Cheon-gi glared at Han Li, as if he was enraged by this.

‘This is bad!’

With a bad feeling, he stretched out one hand, and the Yuan Magnetic Shield grew large, blocking his path.

# 592