Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 657

Han Li strolled along, his sleeves fluttering, observing the buildings lining the street.

Many cultivators were already moving about the market, hurrying between the pavilions, seemingly wary of being noticed.

After a few more steps, he stopped and gazed at several pavilions. These were six two-story buildings that resembled small palaces. In front of the row of buildings, banners fluttered, each embroidered with one of six designs: a navy blue demon beast, a golden short sword, a blue spirit herb, and three other symbols.

‘The Six Linked Halls?’

He knew that many forces in the Chaotic Star Sea had joined the Reverse Star Alliance, but he hadn’t expected them to set up shop so openly. It seemed the Reverse Star Alliance had grown quite powerful.

Since he had some conflicts with a few Nascent Soul cultivators of the Reverse Star Alliance, he had no reason to show himself before them. Han Li shook his head and was about to move on to another building when several cultivators suddenly emerged from the Six Linked Halls.

Han Li’s expression subtly changed when he saw the two at the front.

They were an old man in his fifties wearing a blue robe and a Taoist in his thirties wearing a light-colored robe. Surprisingly, both were early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. Behind them, four Core Formation cultivators, dressed as shopkeepers of the Six Linked Halls, were receiving greetings from a middle-aged man.

It was understandable, as two Nascent Soul cultivators had simultaneously visited the shop, warranting such a warm welcome. However, it was the young Taoist that changed Han Li’s expression.

He looked about twenty years younger than the Myohak Daoist who had tried to kill him before, but his appearance was similar. Usually, cultivators who seize the bodies of other cultivators use various secret techniques to subtly alter their appearance and physique to match the previous one.

After all, it wasn’t very honorable for a high-level cultivator to seize another’s body to prolong their life. The fact that he looked similar to Myohak Daoist but much younger suggested that he had recently performed the related secret technique.

Han Li quickly concealed his surprise and casually walked past the Six Linked Halls.

He felt Myohak Daoist and the old man in the yellow robe glance at him, but apart from being surprised by the high cultivation of the thin old man, they showed no other reaction. They led their disciples and headed towards the center of the market.

Han Li also continued on his way without turning back. At that moment, Myohak and the old man next to him moved their lips, exchanging messages through sound transmission. Han Li, with his back to them, paused for a moment before nonchalantly moving away from them.

Turning into an alley, he entered a pavilion that seemed quite large.

An hour later, he walked out, receiving a respectful farewell from the shopkeeper, and repeated this process, entering another pavilion not far away. By the time he left the fifth shop, he had exchanged unnecessary magic tools and ancient treasures for rare materials and over a hundred high-grade spirit stones.

However, several unidentified Core Formation cultivators were suddenly loitering around outside. Han Li sneered inwardly and, contrary to his original plan, walked straight out of the market and towards the city walls.

The Core Formation cultivators, using stealth techniques, followed him out of the city gate, only to be dumbfounded. The person they had been tracking with their senses had vanished like smoke in the blink of an eye.

Some of them were sent by the shops Han Li had visited, while others had simply followed after seeing the shopkeepers’ respectful farewells.

They wanted to see what kind of valuable items a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator disguised as an old man had purchased before disappearing. After searching the area thoroughly, they had to return dejectedly without any results.

Not long after, a blue light flashed in the air, and Han Li appeared. He looked in the direction where the cultivators had disappeared and scoffed. If he hadn’t suddenly had an important matter to attend to, making it difficult to cause a disturbance here, they would all be dead.

Han Li looked around, then chose a direction and flew off as a streak of light. After a while, the blue streak of light circled around a small mountain near the city and landed. It was a place filled with the fragrance of flowers and thick fog.

Nodding in satisfaction, he raised his hand, and colorful formation flags flew in all directions. Immediately, white mist surged up, merging with the fog on the mountain, and Han Li disappeared into it.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Hiding himself, he touched the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and over a thousand Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed out, forming a golden cloud. Han Li sat cross-legged, chanting incantations, and his entire body flashed with blue light.

Bang!

The swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles shot out in all directions like an explosion, and Han Li remained motionless with his eyes closed. It was the Divine Sense Thousandfold Transformation technique, which he had once used in the Chuma Bone Valley, a divine ability he had comprehended with the help of the Great Evolution Technique.

By dividing most of his divine sense into over a thousand thin strands and lodging them in the bodies of the Gold Devouring Beetles, he could achieve the effect of releasing over a thousand spies.

The Divine Sense Thousandfold Transformation technique was similar to, yet different from, Han Li lodging his divine sense in a spirit beast. One involved dividing most of his divine sense into countless fragments to search the surroundings using the eyes and ears of the Gold Devouring Beetles, requiring him to directly control them and limiting their range.

However, the method of lodging an independent strand of divine sense in a living creature allowed the spirit beast to move on its own once it received the order. It had a similar effect to a transformation technique, and it didn’t matter how far away it was until a certain amount of time had passed.

As soon as the Gold Devouring Beetles left the white fog, some burrowed into the ground, while others flew into the sky and disappeared. Han Li, sitting cross-legged inside the simple barrier, closed his eyes and concentrated.

* * *

As the sun dipped below the sea, night fell over the entire Thunderclap Island.

However, the city walls shone with spirit energy-filled moonstones, contrasting sharply with the surrounding darkness, making the night wind feel even more desolate.

Originally, cultivators could see well at night using their spirit energy, and the distance was only shorter than during the day, so they didn’t distinguish between day and night.

However, the Outer Star Sea was different. There were so many demon beasts that it was safer to travel during the day and rest on an island in the evening to reduce the chance of being eaten by demon beasts skilled in stealth techniques.

Even for cultivators, it was difficult to constantly spread their divine sense to monitor their surroundings, and more were ambushed and eaten than those who died while formally hunting demon beasts.

Unless they were high-level cultivators with exceptional divine abilities, it was common to stay on an island in the evening and activate the island’s restrictions to strengthen their defenses. The eight stone pagodas of Thunderclap Island also emitted light simultaneously, enveloping the entire city in a navy blue protective barrier.

However, late at night, several cultivators wearing bamboo hats were quietly leaving the city.

The Core Formation cultivator and the Qi Condensation cultivators guarding the city gate quickly parted and cleared the way when one of the group removed his hat to show his face.

As soon as they left the city, they disappeared into the pitch-black night sky. The group flew at high speed without saying a single word.

“Huh?”

However, as they flew about a hundred miles, someone suddenly made a sound, and they all stopped. A white thread-like object flew through the air in that person’s aura.

Bang!

As the other cultivators turned around, not knowing what was happening, a golden light flashed in the air and collided with the white thread.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know, but it seems like some kind of spirit insect. Whether it’s being raised by someone or it’s a wild demon beast, it has a very tough body if the White Sorrow Needle can’t pierce it. You two, go down and bring back the spirit insect’s corpse. We need to examine it.”

After answering, the cultivator instructed the two behind him. The two cultivators respectfully replied and descended to search for the corpse of the golden spirit insect.

However, they returned after about fifteen minutes, looking pale.

“Reporting to the Sect Master, it seems the spirit insect isn’t dead. We couldn’t find the corpse.”

One of them reported with a nervous look.

“Not dead? Do you think the White Sorrow Needle is just a sewing needle? How could it not kill a mere spirit insect!”

“Brother Bai, the spirit insect might really not be dead. I can’t find any trace of it either.”

The cultivator wearing a hat next to him stopped him with a cautious tone.

“That can’t be…”

The cultivator who used the needle magic tool was shocked and quickly spread his divine sense to thoroughly search the surroundings. As a result, he also couldn’t find the golden spirit insect and looked troubled.

Then, he emitted countless thin white threads from his hand and moved his lips to send a sound transmission. The other cultivators immediately reached out and took out a green bell.

“I don’t know who you are, but stop hiding and come out!”

The cultivator who released the white threads shouted, scanning the surroundings, and an immense aura emanated from his body.

* * *

The surroundings were quiet, and no presence could be felt in the darkness. The cultivator who had shouted in anger seemed to be using a secret technique to force his opponent out.

Just then, a buzzing sound grew louder from all directions. The cultivators were startled and looked around, only to see golden beetles densely surrounding them in the darkness.

The startled cultivators continued to scan the surroundings with their divine sense to find the cultivator who was controlling the spirit insects, but they couldn’t find anything, making them even more anxious.

Either the person had a divine ability with excellent stealth techniques, or they were a cultivator with a higher cultivation than them, neither of which was good news.

“If you’ve trapped us, shouldn’t you tell us why? What’s the meaning of not showing yourself like this?”

The cultivator who had taken out a jade hammer shouted, and his treasure flickered with a green light.

“If you want to meet me, just wait a little longer. Cultivator Myohak, Han is on his way to meet you!”

Suddenly, a man’s voice was heard from the darkness. Judging by his tone, he seemed to be still far away.

“Cultivator Han? I don’t know who you are, but do you have some kind of grudge against us?”

At the man’s words, one of the cultivators removed his hat, revealing a young face. It was Myohak Daoist. Next to him, the cultivator who had released the white threads also removed his hat, revealing the old man in the yellow robe who had been with Myohak during the day.

Those standing behind them were naturally their disciples. At Myohak Daoist’s questioning, the man’s laughter echoed from all directions before abruptly stopping.

“Are you an enemy of Cultivator Myohak?”

“I’m not sure. An enemy with the surname Han, I don’t remember any.”

At the old man in the yellow robe’s words, Myohak flicked the horsetail whisk in his hand and replied, but he was the most curious about it.

“In any case, they didn’t stop us with good intentions, so be careful.”

“I know that very well. But why can’t I remember any Nascent Soul cultivators I have a grudge against…”

Myohak muttered, lost in thought. In that instant, a blue streak of light flew from the darkness and arrived at the swarm of golden spirit insects. When the light faded, a young man in a blue robe, Han Li, appeared.

He glanced at Myohak and sneered.

“It was worth the effort to find you. It seems you’re going to the Biling Island. Will you hand over the spirit stones you have, or shall I help you?”

The young man calmly disregarded Myohak and the old man, who were both early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. However, Myohak and the others looked fearful after scanning him with their divine sense.

They couldn’t accurately determine his cultivation, but the faint pressure of spirit energy alone suggested that he was likely a mid-stage or higher Nascent Soul cultivator. Moreover, the fact that the opponent knew their movements made their hearts sink.

“I don’t know who you are, but I am Huang Kun of the Lihlong Island. I don’t understand what you mean by handing over spirit stones.”

“Are you saying you don’t know now? I came here after personally hearing your sound transmissions, so how can you say you don’t know? If you want to blame someone, blame the fate that made you encounter me while traveling with Myohak. Myohak, do you remember me?”

The young man mocked the old man’s words and turned a cold gaze towards Myohak, revealing his face in detail. The old man in the yellow robe’s face hardened at Han Li’s blunt words.

# 659