Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 623

The figure chuckled lightly, then flipped a hand, activating a silver shield. A silver barrier, as smooth as a mirror, appeared. Mysteriously, all the red lights that had attacked exploded and bounced away.

The snake demon was startled, and the man beside her frowned, flicking his sleeve to release a cyan-green poisonous mist. Within the dense cyan-green fog, a green light flashed, revealing a poison needle magic treasure [a magical item] condensed from potent poison.

However, the man behind the silver wall also flicked his sleeve, sending out a crimson cauldron. The cauldron flashed, then rang out clearly, appearing outside the silver barrier and spewing out numerous fireballs.

The fireballs condensed into over a hundred crimson fire crows, causing the surrounding air to dry out. The cyan-green poisonous mist and the poison needles within it instantly turned into smoke and scattered.

The figure was Han Li, and the crimson cauldron was the giant, spirit-imbued cauldron he had found in Mount Kunwu.

The cauldron could command thousands of fire crows with extreme yang [positive, active] properties, making it highly effective against yin [negative, passive] energy or evil magic. Han Li, satisfied with the cauldron’s power, flicked his sleeve and held something tri-colored in his hand.

Before the fire crows could form a sea of fire and advance, Han Li used the Wind Lightning Shift [a movement technique], leaving behind a silver flash of lightning and disappearing.

The man, seeing the poisonous mist vanish, was enraged, then greatly startled, and hastily released his spiritual sense [a form of perception]. At the same time, he formed a hand seal, releasing a green net that covered the entire area within a dozen or so yards like a spiderweb.

At that moment, a thunderous sound was heard, and Han Li appeared behind the man. The green net fell, seemingly about to trap him.

*Kukung!*

A net of golden lightning extended from Han Li’s body, clashing with the green net. However, the green net vanished the moment it touched the golden lightning, causing the demon man to panic. He immediately decided to flee, attempting to use a movement technique.

At that moment, a tri-colored flame suddenly struck.

*Bang!*

The tri-colored flame collided and exploded, engulfing the man and his protective barrier. A scream erupted, and the barrier and the man vanished into blue smoke.

The power of the Three Yang Flames was something even an Asura [a powerful demon] wouldn’t dare face carelessly; there was no way an 8th-grade demon could avoid it. The snake demon woman, who had been about to help, trembled all over at the sight.

She was terrified to see Han Li annihilate her companions with a few gestures. Although she was more powerful than the demon man, she was no match for him.

At the same time, the woman’s red light exploded on its own, transforming into countless fire snakes that scattered in all directions. Han Li paused, then curled his lips into a smile and activated his Spirit Eyes [a technique to see through illusions].

The Wind Lightning Shift fluttered behind him, and a thunderous sound erupted. Then, a silver flash appeared, and Han Li, with a chilling gaze, appeared in front of one of the fire snakes.

The fire snake was so startled that its eyes widened, and it opened its mouth, spitting out a fingernail-sized red bead. It was a fire-attribute demon core obtained after arduous training, a desperate attack.

Han Li sneered and clenched his fist in the air.

*Chwareuk.*

A purple flame appeared, forming a giant purple hand that firmly grasped the bead. Explosions echoed within the giant hand, and the red light fluctuated before quickly fading away.

As a result, the flames surrounding the fire snake’s body dimmed, and she was terrified and tried to flee.

In an instant, a murderous intent flashed in Han Li’s eyes. The giant purple hand flew roughly towards the fire snake, but before it could reach her, the snake demon felt an immense chill engulf her body, rendering her immobile.

The chill alone couldn’t restrain a 9th-grade demon, but it could hold her for a fleeting moment. Helpless, the snake demon spat out blood to boost the flames around her body, but the flames vanished the moment she was caught by the giant purple hand.

In an instant, only a giant ice block remained in the air, shimmering with a purple light. Han Li flicked his sleeve, releasing a dozen or so golden lights that brushed against the ice block. The golden lights flashed a few times, and the snake demon inside the ice block fell apart into pieces.

Shortly after, a green light escaped from within, but Han Li, who had been prepared, released golden lightning from a dozen or so flying swords. The golden net contracted, wrapping the green light and compressing it into a bead shape.

Han Li leisurely raised his hand, releasing a black jade bottle. The energy emitted from the bottle’s mouth sucked in the golden bead and disappeared, and he calmly retrieved the black jade bottle.

Below the glacier canyon, within the blue aura, a silver light flashed, and Baek Yo-i emerged, checking the situation and being greatly surprised.

She had only taken a brief moment to gather her energy before coming out, but two Transformation Stage demons had already been killed by Han Li.

Although the two demons were only 8th and 9th grade, in actual combat, each was equivalent to a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator [a high-level cultivator]. That was why she had suffered a setback!

She knew Han Li was powerful, but she couldn’t help but be shocked to see him kill two demons in an instant. While Baek Yo-i was stunned, Han Li retrieved the centipedes and Suh Gold Beetles into his spirit beast pouch and returned.

“Fellow cultivator Baek, it seems you are severely poisoned.”

“I didn’t expect the demon’s poison mist to be so vicious. I never thought it would penetrate my protective barrier and poison me. Fortunately, I took the White Grass Pill immediately, so I should be able to expel the poison after half a day of meditation.”

Baek Yo-i said gently, masking her surprise.

“It’s fortunate that I just finished refining the pills. If you had arrived a little earlier, I might not have been able to help you in time.”

“Then I guess I’m lucky?”

Baek Yo-i smiled at Han Li’s words.

“But how did you encounter two Transformation Stage demons, Fellow Cultivator Baek? I thought high-grade demons didn’t appear near the Northern Underworld.”

“It’s a long story. We can’t stay here long, so let’s leave first. I’ll explain in detail on the way.”

Suddenly, Baek Yo-i seemed to remember something, and her expression changed.

“Could there be other demons nearby? How many are there?”

“It’s not just a few. It seems like a big problem is about to befall our So-Guk Palace.”

Han Li was also startled by the woman’s answer, but he didn’t show it.

“Since you say so, we should return to your palace quickly. However, since you are poisoned, it’s difficult to leave immediately. I will help you.”

“Then I would be grateful!”

Baek Yo-i gladly accepted the help, and the two entered the blue mist again. The glacier canyon became quiet once more.

Two hours later, two streaks of blue and silver light shot up from below the glacier canyon and disappeared into the distance. Another half-day passed, and a dark, black cloud appeared from somewhere, covering several miles of the glacier canyon.

Shortly after, an enraged roar was heard from within the dark cloud, and black energy surged, with thunder and lightning raging. However, a sudden gust of wind swept away the dark cloud and the sounds as if they had been washed away.

A few days later, Baek Yo-i, having returned to the So-Guk Palace, stood in the place where Han Li Shangren resided.

“Junior Sister Baek, are you sure you saw correctly? Did they really join hands?”

“The Azure-Backed Wolf is a deputy palace lord of the Myriad Demon Valley, on par with the Ten Thousand Year Stone Bear. There’s no way I could mistake such a person! Besides, the demons that chased me to kill me were clearly from the Ice Sea.”

Baek Yo-i also looked tense.

“Then it’s certain that the Myriad Demon Valley and the Ice Sea demons have formed an alliance! Brother Han, thank you for saving Junior Sister Baek this time. You must be tired, so please return to the Guest Pavilion to rest first.”

Han Li Shangren spoke to Han Li with a gentle face, but it was clearly an order to leave.

Han Li didn’t want to get involved in unnecessary matters, so he calmly stood up to leave.

“I will introduce you to two fellow cultivators in two days. They are famous figures from the Great Jin, so it would be good to build a relationship with them.”

Han Li Shangren said to Han Li as he was about to leave.

“Understood.”

Han Li nodded and turned into a streak of light, disappearing into the passage. Once the blue light had completely vanished, Han Li Shangren turned to look at Baek Yo-i.

“Junior Sister, send a sound transmission talisman [a magical communication device] to gather the elders remaining in the So-Guk Palace. Immediately double the defenses.”

“Yes, Great Elder!”

Baek Yo-i immediately flipped her palm and took out a bundle of sound transmission talismans. Han Li returned to the pavilion where he was staying and sat cross-legged on the second floor.

On the way back, Baek Yo-i had told him in detail about what had happened while he was refining pills.

She had been looking around when she found a gathering of high-grade Transformation Stage demons, and surprisingly, they included both demons from the Ice Sea and those from the mainland. Moreover, the leaders of the group were the Azure-Backed Wolf, another deputy palace lord of the Myriad Demon Valley, and the Twin-Headed Black Dragon, a famous ferocious beast from the Ice Sea.

However, before she could investigate the details, she was discovered by the demons and had no choice but to flee. Fortunately, the two demons who had chased her earlier were the only ones who had pursued her.

He sat quietly, pondering this matter repeatedly.

Contrary to Han Li’s expectations, the So-Guk Palace only increased its security and showed no other movements. Also, Baek Yo-i seemed to be busy with other matters and was nowhere to be seen.

He had not yet decided on a clear stance regarding this matter.

As long as he wasn’t being pursued by a Deity Transformation cultivator [a very powerful cultivator] or entering a dangerous place on his own, he didn’t have to worry about his life. Otherwise, he would have left this chaotic situation long ago.

Of course, he had already agreed to help Han Li Shangren with the secret technique to reach the Deity Transformation stage, but more than that, he needed to confirm how the entire secret technique worked and whether it was truly effective.

Unexpectedly, the secret technique that Han Li Shangren had given him was only a part of it, and he wouldn’t know the full details unless he participated directly. He felt a little down after realizing this later. Besides, he hadn’t found any clues about the Solar True Flame, so it was a pity to leave so soon.

He went to the Scripture Pavilion again and spent the remaining two days there, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find any information about the Solar True Flame. However, he wasn’t greatly disappointed. In fact, he would have been surprised if he had found the Solar True Flame so easily.

After that, he stayed quietly in the Guest Pavilion, not taking a single step outside. He focused solely on cultivation, as if the So-Guk Palace were his own cave dwelling.

Fifteen days passed in the blink of an eye, and the So-Guk Palace had no problems, but he knew that this was the calm before the storm.

On this day, Han Li finally stopped cultivating. Someone had come to visit him, a woman with a peak mid-Nascent Soul cultivation.

“I heard you are cousins with Fellow Cultivator Baek.”

Han Li looked at her with a puzzled expression, his hands behind his back.

“Yes, I am Baek Mong-hyung, an inner palace elder. I am one of the cultivators selected internally who can wield extreme flames.”

“Ah, I heard about you from Fellow Cultivator Han Li. May I ask why you have come to see me, Fellow Cultivator Baek?”

Han Li asked, twitching his lips at her introduction.

She was very beautiful, but her face was as cold as an ice sculpture, making one’s heart chill just by looking at her. It was probably a characteristic related to the cultivation technique she practiced, so she was not someone to be taken lightly.

“It’s nothing special. I heard that Fellow Cultivator Han’s divine abilities are extraordinary, comparable to a late-Nascent Soul grand cultivator, and that you possess a mysterious flame called the Violet Extreme Flame. I would like to learn from you by comparing my Wind Frost Ice Flame with your extreme flame.”

She raised her hand, and a chill flashed at her fingertips, revealing a white ice flame. The ice flame was surrounded by a faint blue smoke, making it difficult to gauge its power, but Han Li, who also wielded similar extreme flames, could vaguely sense the power of the white flame.

“Very well. I have heard rumors about your palace’s three great flames, so I would be honored to learn from you. But you don’t mean to spar here, do you?”

Han Li looked around and smiled.

“Why not? I only want to confirm the power of the flames, not to fight with you.”

*Hoo!*

A rare, calm smile appeared on Baek Mong-hyung’s face, and she immediately exhaled, sending the white flame from her fingertips flying.

The white ice flame instantly multiplied several times, circling in the air before transforming into a white snake, attempting to bite Han Li. Narrowing his brows, he flicked his sleeves in all directions, and various colored formation flags flew out and disappeared.

A red protective barrier enveloped the surroundings, forming a restriction.

# 625