Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 624

Han Li opened his mouth and spat out a purple flame, which instantly transformed into a purple firebird and charged towards the fire snake. White and purple lights collided, creating a low boom and a flash of light.

In an instant, the purple flame grew larger, gradually consuming the white ice flame. The white fire snake disappeared, and only the brightly glowing purple firebird flew through the air.

Baek Mong-hyung showed a hint of surprise at the sight.

At that moment, Han Li calmly gestured, retrieving the purple flame into his sleeve.

“It seems that Fellow Daoist’s Extreme Flame is indeed extraordinary, which puts my mind at ease. Fellow Han, please follow me. Other cultivators with extreme flames have already arrived and are waiting with the Grand Elder.”

“I see. It seems that Fellow Baek was testing my abilities because you were not confident in my skills.”

Han Li chuckled nonchalantly.

The woman did not reply but nodded, then transformed into a white beam of light and exited through the window.

Han Li scratched his nose. How surprised he had been when she first intruded through the window! He also transformed into a beam of light and followed her out the window.

After about an hour, Han Li and Baek Mong-hyung appeared in the Great Hall of Myriad Year Ice, where Han Ryeo Sangin resided. Inside the hall, a giant cauldron with burning cyan ice flames and four cultivators were waiting.

Han Ryeo Sangin was sitting with a middle-aged man in a blue robe, and a white-haired old woman was facing a monk in a gray robe.

As Han Li and Baek Mong-hyung entered, they drew the attention of the four cultivators. The old woman and the monk were more interested in him than in her.

Han Li also scanned them with his spiritual sense. The old woman was at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and the monk was at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage. He walked forward, clasped his hands towards them, and took his place.

Naturally, Baek Mong-hyung went to sit next to Han Ryeo Sangin.

“Madam Yong, Great Master Magu! This is Fellow Daoist Han. He is the fifth cultivator I have invited who wields extreme flames. With your cooperation, we can finally try the secret technique we have been researching for hundreds of years.”

Han Ryeo Sangin was the first to introduce them to each other, unable to hide his joy.

The old woman coldly stared at Han Li without saying a word, seeming eccentric, but the monk in the gray robe gave Han Li a gentle smile with a compassionate face.

“I heard from Fellow Daoist Han Ryeo that Fellow Han has not cultivated any related techniques and only possesses extreme flames. Is that true?”

The monk asked calmly.

“It was due to fate that I came to possess them.”

“I heard that Fellow Daoist’s cold flame was created by you. It has been tens of thousands of years since a new type of cold flame appeared! Could you show it to this old one?”

The old woman spoke in a cold tone, but her voice was so beautiful that it was discordant. Han Li, inwardly surprised, glanced at the old woman.

“Madam Yong is the Grand Elder of the Willow Emerald Sect. She has mastered a special technique to maintain the voice of her youth.”

Han Ryeo Sangin explained for him in a timely manner.

There were many women who cultivated secret techniques to maintain their youthful appearance, but Han Li was puzzled as he had never seen a cultivator who only maintained a youthful voice. Seeing his expression, the old woman snorted.

“Why? Do you have something to say about our Willow Emerald Sect’s techniques?”

“No, I just found it amazing. Also, my cold flame has not been refined yet, so how can it be compared to the cold flames of others?”

Although he had no reason to fear a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator with his divine abilities, he also had no reason to make an enemy without cause, so he laughed it off. The old woman did not say anything more.

At that moment, Baek Mong-hyung moved her lips, sending a telepathic message to Han Ryeo Sangin. Han Ryeo Sangin, after hearing the message, looked at Han Li meaningfully and cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Madam Yong and Great Master Magu are old friends of mine, and Fellow Daoist Han has a deep friendship with one of the elders of my palace, so they have come to help me. If things go as expected, the possibility of breaking through the bottleneck and advancing to a higher realm is only three out of ten, but given my situation, I can no longer delay and must try.”

“I know that Fellow Daoist Sa’s lifespan is nearing its end, but on the way here, I saw high-level demonic beasts gathering near the North Underworld Island. It might not be good for your palace to perform the secret technique now.”

The monk said cautiously.

“Fellow Daoist Magu, please rest assured. If this matter succeeds, it will be for the best, but even if it does not, my palace has already made preparations. Even if I die, the entire palace will not be annihilated.”

“Since Fellow Daoist Sa has made preparations in advance, this humble monk can rest assured.”

“I am also fine with it. I have been wanting to see the true effects of the secret technique.”

The old woman nodded in agreement. Han Ryeo Sangin, with a satisfied expression, looked at Han Li, who also nodded.

“You can start whenever you wish.”

“Very well. Since the three of you have agreed, please follow me. I have already prepared everything.”

Han Ryeo Sangin clasped his hands together and stood up briskly.

Han Li and the other three cultivators stood up and followed Han Ryeo Sangin.

Han Ryeo Sangin walked ahead of them, reaching the giant cauldron, and muttered an incantation, extending his hand. The giant cauldron, struck by a blue magic seal, hummed and vibrated, then a blue light flashed, and its size shrank to that of a fist.

Then, a black underground cave appeared on the ground where the cauldron had been, with ice stairs leading down.

Han Ryeo Sangin gestured, put the small cauldron into his sleeve, and walked down first. Baek Mong-hyung and the middle-aged man in the blue robe closely followed behind, and the old woman and the monk exchanged glances and followed.

Han Li also briefly examined the entrance to the underground cave before starting to walk down with a strange expression.

Soon, the pitch-black passage became brighter. The walls of the passage were entirely made of ice, and at regular intervals, there were moonstones the size of eggs embedded in them.

After walking down for about a hundred feet, the ice stairs ended, leading to a flat passage. Even the cultivators who were here for the first time were experienced, so they strolled leisurely as if they were walking in their own gardens.

After about an hour, everyone was able to exit the ice passage and reach an underground hall. The hall was a space carved out of ordinary jade, but its unique style was quite antique.

However, at the end of the hall, instead of a wall, there was a huge stone gate. The milky-white stone gate, about twenty to thirty feet high, was densely engraved with incantations and layered formations.

And in front of it, there were about a dozen cultivators, all of whom had Nascent Soul cultivation. Although most of them were at the early Nascent Soul stage, their numbers were considerable.

Among them, Baek Yo-yi and an old man with gray-white hair were at the forefront. Han Li blinked and glanced at the monk, Baek Mong-hyung, and others.

The So-Guk Palace cultivators were calm, but the monk and the old woman also narrowed their brows as if they were surprised.

“Fellow Daoist Han Ryeo, what is this…?”

The monk in the gray robe could not help but ask.

“Do not be alarmed. They are all elders of my palace. To enter the Jade Mystic Cave within the Void Spirit Hall, we need their help, so I have gathered them. This is because the extreme energy within the Jade Mystic Cave is necessary for the secret technique to have a high chance of success.”

“Void Spirit Hall!”

At his words, not only the monk but also the old woman and Han Li were startled.

“When you entered the Han Ryeo Secret Realm, you must have seen three Void Spirit Hall buildings. Although they are called by the same name, they each have different functions. The Jade Mystic Cave is located in the middle Void Spirit Hall. And the entrance to the Void Spirit Hall is not through the three palaces outside but through another secret underground passage.”

The middle-aged man in the blue robe continued the explanation.

Although he had not been introduced, Han Li knew that the middle-aged man in the blue robe was one of the cultivators with extreme cold flames. This man had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were subtly sinister.

At that moment, Baek Yo-yi and the other cultivators approached first.

“Grand Elder, are you opening the Void Spirit Hall? Isn’t that against the rules? We have never opened it unless the So-Guk Palace is in great danger and unable to defend against enemies. Moreover, taking outsiders into the Jade Mystic Cave is unprecedented.”

The gray-white-haired old man, like the other cultivators, paid his respects to Han Ryeo Sangin, but his tone was firm.

Han Li was puzzled. How could he, a mere mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, be so rude to Han Ryeo Sangin, who was the Grand Elder and had reached the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage!

The old woman and the monk were also thinking similarly.

“Elder Yeop, how could that be? It is true that the Void Spirit Hall has only been opened in times of crisis, but there is no rule that it should never be opened in normal times. We have already received news that disciples outside the palace are gathering demonic beasts, so opening it in advance is not unreasonable. Besides, as the Grand Elder, do I not have this much authority?”

Han Ryeo Sangin was calm, as if he had expected the gray-white-haired old man to object.

“Even so, it is not appropriate for outsiders to enter the Void Spirit Hall. As the supervising elder, I cannot overlook this.”

“Elder Yeop, who is in charge of supervising the spirit treasures, has the right to object to the Grand Elder’s decision. However, you should know that if more than two-thirds of the elders within the So-Guk Palace agree, they can enter.”

Han Ryeo Sangin said calmly without changing his expression. However, what caught Han Li’s attention was the term ‘spirit treasure supervision.’

‘Could it be referring to the Heaven Piercing Spirit Treasure or a replica of a spirit treasure?’

If so, then the arrogant behavior of the mid-Nascent Soul cultivator was understandable. And the gray-white-haired old man seemed to be from another faction within the So-Guk Palace and was a person who often clashed with Han Ryeo Sangin.

The old man’s expression changed at Han Ryeo Sangin’s words, and he looked at the elders, but some of them avoided his gaze.

“So that’s why you sent Fellow Daoist Geum and others to do the work. You had prepared in advance. In that case, I will no longer play the villain. I wish the Grand Elder success in overcoming the bottleneck and reaching a higher realm! Then, I will go on patrol first.”

The old man showed a troubled expression and immediately strode out of the hall. Han Ryeo Sangin did not stop him and let him leave alone.

“Fellow Daoists, let’s prepare to open the seal.”

The middle-aged man in the blue robe immediately spoke to the elders. The So-Guk Palace elders had come prepared, so they immediately took out various jade pendants and activated them. Seeing the jade pendants emitting various lights, Han Li was momentarily startled but quickly returned to his usual expression.

The jade pendants looked exactly like the one that Han Ryeo Sangin had taken back from him. He glanced at Han Ryeo Sangin, but he did not take out a jade pendant.

At that moment, under the leadership of the middle-aged man in the blue robe, the elders chanted incantations, and the jade pendants emitted a bright light, gathering together and rising high into the air. The large ball of light soon formed the image of a woman in five colors.

She had a slender figure, and although her face was vague, her eyes, which shone like stars, were impressive. At her appearance, the So-Guk Palace cultivators bowed deeply and respectfully.

The woman created by the ball of light was most likely the founder of the North Underworld So-Guk Palace. However, the fact that the ancient cultivator who founded this place was a woman was beyond Han Li’s expectations.

‘What is the relationship with the Void Heaven Hall of the Chaotic Star Sea…’

While Han Li was thinking this, the woman’s shadow, empowered by the strength of several cultivators, slowly flew towards the stone gate.

*Phat.*

When the light touched the stone gate, it exploded on its own, scattering into a light of spiritual energy, and the incantations engraved on the stone gate disappeared.

*Thud thud thud!*

At that moment, the jade pendants floating in the air fell to the ground as if they had lost their spiritual power. The So-Guk Palace elders quickly waved their hands and retrieved their jade pendants.

Han Ryeo Sangin smiled and stepped forward, extending his arms towards the stone gate. A blue aura extended from his sleeves, and the stone gate opened silently.

Just as everyone was about to look inside, Han Ryeo Sangin hurriedly stepped back and shouted.

“Everyone, be careful!”

Han Li did not know what was happening, but suddenly, a deafening roar was heard from inside the stone gate, and a white chill was emitted. The cultivators were startled, and those with weaker cultivation ran back to avoid it, while those with higher cultivation deployed protective barriers or used magic treasures to protect themselves.

A wind carrying a white chill swept through the entire hall.

# 626