Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 656

Han Li stopped moving and assessed the situation.

A middle-aged man, his face hidden by a bamboo hat, was wielding an earth-toned flying sword, blocking most of the demon beast’s attacks. The other two Qi Condensation late-stage cultivators, an old man with white hair and a seemingly young woman, were assisting him with a blue harpoon and a bright red wheel.

The level 6 demon beast, however, was entirely white and made sounds like a baby crying. It was unexpectedly a rare Infant Carp Beast, seldom seen even in the Chaotic Star Sea. It was larger than the Infant Carp Beasts he had seen before, and the treasures it held in its pale hands—a sword, a drum, and a flag—also seemed quite formidable.

The sword, drum, and flag were all top-grade magic tools, but the drum, enveloped in a yellow aura, was an ancient treasure. Each time it was swung, it unleashed silver ripples, demonstrating its power. Both sides noticed Han Li’s appearance, and upon confirming that he was a human cultivator, the man in the bamboo hat called out in delight.

‘I am Jin Kyung of Thunder Sky Island. If you help us, I will surely repay you handsomely.’

Under the pressure of the demon beast, he assumed Han Li was a Core Formation cultivator without even checking his cultivation level. However, the level 6 Infant Carp Beast was also quite intelligent. Hiding in the mist, it assessed Han Li’s cultivation and realized he was a Nascent Soul cultivator, filling it with terror.

Before Han Li could respond, the Infant Carp Beast cried out and shot over a hundred blue lightning bolts at the three cultivators before attempting to flee into the deep sea.

But Han Li, seeing this, flicked his sleeve. A foot-long flying sword shot out, instantly transforming into a massive sword over a dozen feet long, and slashed at the Infant Carp Beast. The Infant Carp Beast felt a flash of gold and then, already trembling in pain, lost consciousness.

The golden light swirled around the demon beast’s body, tearing it apart within its blood vessels. The Infant Carp Beast was annihilated, its very soul unable to escape. As the remains fell, Han Li immediately grabbed the blue pearl that emerged from the demon beast’s corpse.

And as the demon beast died, the hundred-plus lightning bolts instantly dissipated. The three cultivators breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Han Li with respect.

The cultivators approached Han Li, and the man in the bamboo hat stopped at a distance and bowed deeply.

‘I am Jin Kyung of the Azure Yang Sect, paying my respects to Senior. We have been tormented by demon beasts for a long time, and we barely survived thanks to your help. May I ask for your esteemed name?’

The man subtly scanned Han Li with his spiritual sense and became even more respectful, though not in a servile manner.

‘Azure Yang Sect? Are you a disciple of the Three Yang Merchant?’

Han Li paused, recognizing the familiar name.

‘The Three Yang Merchant is indeed my master. Do you know my master?’

The man in the bamboo hat was surprised, guessing Han Li’s cultivation to be at the early Nascent Soul stage. After all, even mid-Nascent Soul cultivators were extremely rare in the Chaotic Star Sea.

‘I have only heard of him, as he is quite famous, but I have never met him.’

Hearing the name of the Three Yang Merchant of the Azure Yang Sect reminded Han Li of the incident where Yuan Yao killed the young master of the Azure Yang Sect and was pursued. However, no matter how famous he was, he was only a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator at best.

‘You must know the surrounding area well. What is the exact location of Azure Spirit Island?’

The man from the Azure Yang Sect smiled at the mention of Azure Spirit Island.

‘You must be going to Azure Spirit Island for high-grade spirit stones, right? If so, you can easily purchase them at several markets nearby without going all the way to Azure Spirit Island. Of course, if you have connections with the Inverse Star Alliance or the Heavenly Star Palace cultivators who manage the mines, you can buy them at a slightly lower price.’

‘Is the quantity traded in the market sufficient?’

‘Unless you are looking to buy more than 30 or 40 at once, you can easily find them in the market.’

‘Then I should check out the market first. If you guide me, I will reward you with this demon core. How about it?’

Han Li casually tossed the Infant Carp Beast’s demon core he was holding. Jin Kyung caught the demon core, inwardly rejoicing.

‘Leave it to me. I have been traveling around this sea area for decades, so I know the market locations well.’

A level 6 Infant Carp Beast’s demon core was a great haul for a Core Formation cultivator. It was an excessive reward for just guiding the way, so he couldn’t help but smile. Thus, Han Li began to move with the guidance of Jin Kyung and the other two cultivators.

According to them, Azure Spirit Island was about fifteen days away, and they said there was an island where they resided on the way. After flying for over ten days without stopping, an unnamed island appeared.

It was an island with a scale of thousands of miles, with high mountains and lush forests.

‘This is Thunder Sky Island. It is the largest market among those around Azure Spirit Island, and I assure you, Senior, you will not be disappointed.’

‘The spiritual vein is not bad.’

Han Li nodded, observing the island from afar as Jin Kyung kindly explained beside him.

‘It is the best spiritual vein in this area. Moreover, it is a place where several rare spiritual herbs grow, so the Inverse Star Alliance and the Heavenly Star Palace also coveted Thunder Sky Island. However, thanks to the two forces checking each other, other forces united and took control.’

‘And your Azure Yang Sect is among those other forces, right?’

‘Ah… Our Azure Yang Sect cultivators do stay here for a while, but we cannot say that we occupy it.’

Jin Kyung chuckled at Han Li’s playful words. Of course, Han Li wasn’t really interested in the internal affairs of the Azure Yang Sect, so he didn’t ask further.

However, Jin Kyung first introduced him to the major and minor forces on the island and several Nascent Soul cultivators.

‘Daoist Myohak! Are you talking about Myohak of the Azure Cloud Sect? I heard he was severely injured before, but he is staying on this island?’

‘Do you know about that? It is said that his physical body was destroyed a long time ago, but he obtained a new body under the protection of the Azure Cloud Sect. I heard that he came to Thunder Sky Island this time to establish a base for the Azure Cloud Sect, but other forces have united to confront him.’

Jin Kyung was inwardly surprised but obediently shared what he knew.

‘I see.’

Han Li replied nonchalantly, and soon they arrived on the island and flew to the center. There, a small city could be seen between the high mountain ridges, which was clearly recently built.

All the buildings were made by cutting gray-white rocks, and there were four gates on each side of the city. Only low-level cultivators in the Qi Refining stage were entering and exiting through the gates, while everyone else was flying over the city.

‘How many cultivators are staying on the island? Do most of them reside in the city?’

Han Li asked, observing the rather bustling scene.

‘I don’t know exactly, but if you include the Qi Refining cultivators, there must be 30,000 to 40,000. Most of them stay in the city, and some live in groups in various parts of the island. Of course, high-level cultivators create their own residences in the mountains and stay alone.’

Jin Kyung paused for a moment, surprised by the unexpected question, before answering. Han Li nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied, and didn’t ask further.

Now, everything in the city came into view. Han Li scanned the surroundings and noticed eight stone pagodas towering in the center of the city. The semi-circular pagodas were each about six feet tall, with mysterious formations engraved on them, emitting various lights.

‘The eight pagodas are part of the city’s guardian formation, designed by a famous formation master in the Chaotic Star Sea. Once activated, it is said to be comparable to the large formations of major sects. Each pagoda is guarded by Qi Condensation cultivators throughout the day, and it is thanks to this formation that the city has survived several crises.’

‘Did demon beasts attack the island?’

‘No, you don’t have to worry about that. What I mentioned was a long time ago, and there has been no more disturbance since humans and demon beasts divided and occupied Azure Spirit Island. Shall we go down? There is a shop I know that specializes in selling high-grade spirit stones, so I will introduce you.’

Jin Kyung smiled and pointed to the south of the city.

Looking in the direction Jin Kyung pointed, the buildings were taller and more luxurious than in other parts of the city. Some were five or six stories high, and cultivators were busily entering and exiting each pavilion.

Han Li nodded in satisfaction but said something unexpected.

‘There is no need for an introduction. You can go do your own things now.’

‘Yes, I understand.’

‘If others find out that I am here, you know what will happen to you, right?’

‘Don’t worry! I will never speak carelessly.’

Han Li suddenly scanned the three cultivators with a chilling tone, and Jin Kyung was startled and answered respectfully.

‘I hope your words match your actions!’

Han Li chuckled and then strangely disappeared in a flash of blue light. Jin Kyung and the other two cultivators looked around in surprise, but they could not find him.

‘Senior Jin, should we…’

‘Be quiet! Let’s go back.’

As the young woman was about to speak, Jin Kyung immediately cut her off and flew out of the city. The Qi Condensation woman and the old man followed closely behind, puzzled.

After flying about a hundred miles, they landed on a small mountainside and entered a hidden cave. Jin Kyung entered a small cave, activated the protective restrictions, and sat down in the main hall without a word, closing his eyes.

The young woman and the white-haired old man only exchanged glances and did not say a word. After a full hour, Jin Kyung opened his eyes with a more relaxed expression.

‘Now that he is not monitoring us with his spiritual sense. Unless the restrictions on this place are touched, he won’t be able to spy on us. Junior Sister Un, you can say what you were about to say earlier.’

Jin Kyung turned his head towards the young woman.

‘It’s nothing much, but I’m suspicious of Senior Han’s identity. It’s not common to see a Nascent Soul senior we’ve never heard of. Shouldn’t we ask our master and investigate?’

The young woman hesitated before answering, and the white-haired old man nodded beside her.

‘What would you gain by knowing his identity? Our master is in closed-door cultivation to reach the late stage, is this something that would be worth disturbing him for? Besides, it’s a situation where our master can’t easily intervene, so there’s no need to create trouble.

Judging by how much he knows about the Chaotic Star Sea, he must be a cultivator who has been in closed-door cultivation for a long time. The other party has already warned us to be careful with our words, so if any unnecessary news leaks out, do you think we, as disciples of the Azure Yang Sect, will be safe? Even if all of us are killed here, the sect will have no choice but to pretend they don’t know.’

Jin Kyung scoffed and scolded them. The woman’s heart turned cold at his words, and she nodded.

‘Besides, if we get caught up in the grudges of Nascent Soul cultivators, we might end up suffering…’

As Jin Kyung was lecturing his junior disciples, a faint golden light fell from under his feet and silently disappeared into the floor of the main hall. The golden light met a faint blue barrier a moment later and revealed itself as a golden beetle. It was Han Li’s Gold Devouring Beetle.

The Gold Devouring Beetle immediately rushed forward, bit into the cave’s restrictions, and quickly escaped. Even as it did so, the restrictions were not triggered, and the three cultivators inside were completely unaware.

An hour later, a gaunt old man walking through the streets of the southern part of the small city suddenly brightened his eyes and retrieved the golden light that had sprung up from the ground. The old man, with a smirk, was Han Li in disguise.

After reaching the late Nascent Soul stage, his spiritual sense was comparable to a Transformation stage cultivator, far surpassing the level of cultivators at the same stage. Although not permanent, it was not difficult for him to temporarily attach a trace of his spiritual sense to any living creature.

Of course, it was even better to use a spiritual beast like the Gold Devouring Beetle, which was in tune with his spiritual sense. Han Li had sent out the Gold Devouring Beetle with a trace of his spiritual sense when he parted ways with Jin Kyung and the others.

If the three cultivators behaved themselves, it would be fine, but if they secretly tried to do something, he intended to instantly move his spiritual sense and kill them with the Gold Devouring Beetle.

Although the Gold Devouring Beetle was not yet fully grown, it was a simple matter to deal with a Core Formation early-stage cultivator and two Qi Condensation cultivators without them noticing. When the Gold Devouring Beetle returned, Han Li retrieved his spiritual sense, heard the story of Jin Kyung and the two cultivators, and decided not to worry about it anymore.

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