Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 675

Outside Chuma Valley, three women emerged from a cave, their faces etched with anxiety.

“We’ve searched everywhere the Spirit Return Grass might grow, but we haven’t found any. Did someone sweep up all the Spirit Return Grass from the outskirts?” Liu Yu asked, pausing with a hesitant look.

“That’s possible. If it’s not on the outskirts, we might find it quickly if we go to the center,” Song said.

“We can’t go to the center of Chuma Valley. With our cultivation, we’d be as good as dead,” Mo Paeryeong said, her face immediately changing at Song’s words.

“We can’t be so sure. I received a map from Senior Brother Han’s old friend that allows us to safely pass through the center. Following that route, the chance of encountering a spatial rift is very low!”

“Senior Brother Han’s friend? Could it be…?”

Mo Paeryeong couldn’t finish her sentence.

“That’s right, I mentioned it to you once, Mo. It was given by Cultivator Jaryeong. She went into Chuma Valley with Senior Brother before, so she knows a safe path.”

“I saw Miss Jaryeong once, decades ago. She was so beautiful, I could believe she was a fairy descended from the heavens. Even as a woman, my heart fluttered. I heard that many high-ranking men were vying for her attention, even fighting over her. They even call her the most beautiful woman in the Southern Sky Cultivation World. But we should be careful because we don’t know her background, and she’s known Master for a long time. Right, Mo?” Liu Yu said playfully with a smile.

“What reason would I have to be careful?” Mo Paeryeong replied.

“Liu, stop teasing Mo. What are we going to do now?” Song asked, her expression becoming serious. Mo Paeryeong and Liu Yu also began to ponder with serious faces.

“Senior Sister Song, is the map that Miss Jaryeong left really the path that Master used to take? If so, there’s no reason not to try. Anyway, the Spirit Return Grass is essential for breaking through cultivation bottlenecks, so we can’t go back like this.”

“If we can find the spirit grass in the center, I should go too,” Mo Paeryeong said, sighing with an uneasy expression.

“I’ll say this in advance, we’ll only go a few hundred miles into the center, and if we still don’t find the Spirit Return Grass, we’ll turn back immediately. No matter how important the elixir is, nothing is more precious than our lives. We absolutely must not go any further!” Song said, nodding firmly.

“Of course. Even if we know the way, we, as Core Formation cultivators, must always be careful. Some of the ancient demonic beasts in the center are so powerful that even Nascent Soul cultivators would run away if they encountered them.”

“Those ancient demonic beasts usually reside deep in the center, so the area around the entrance should be fine. We don’t have much time, so let’s leave right away,” Mo Paeryeong said decisively, responding to Liu Yu’s concerns.

They didn’t plan to stay long in Chuma Valley, so they immediately took flight. Five days later, in an ice-covered area of the center, the three women passed through the biting wind.

Behind them, a huge glacier crack was visible, the very passage where Han Li and Jaryeong had chased the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators into the center. The three women had deployed thick protective barriers to withstand the cold wind.

The ice zone wasn’t very large, so they thankfully escaped it in half a day, and soon, lush green mountain peaks appeared. The women, filled with hope, scattered and began searching for spirit grass around the mountains.

After a full day, when the three women gathered at the mountain peak, they could only look at each other and smile wryly.

“There are many spirit grasses that we didn’t see on the outskirts, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find the Spirit Return Grass,” Liu Yu said, dejectedly.

“Me too. I didn’t find the Spirit Return Grass, but I did get some other materials needed for elixirs, so we won’t be going back empty-handed.”

“It seems we’re not meant to find the Spirit Return Grass. Let’s go back now!”

“Should we search one more time? We might have missed something,” Liu Yu suggested, feeling sorry for Song’s sigh.

“No. It was always something that required luck. Besides, the center is too dangerous, and even if it’s near the entrance, it’s not good to stay long. Let’s leave this place quickly before something happens!” Song said, shaking her head and making a firm decision. Liu Yu was about to say something, still feeling regretful, when they heard a thunderous sound in the distance.

Kuururung! Kwa-kwang!

In the distance, ominous clouds were approaching at an incredible speed. The ominous clouds, which had grown in the blink of an eye, surged violently, creating thunderous sounds.

“Is it an ancient demonic beast!” Sensing danger, the three women quickly kicked off the ground and began to flee. As if noticing the three women, the black clouds chased after them even faster than before.

“It’s not an ancient demonic beast, it’s a demonic cultivator!” Liu Yu said, her face changing as she examined the black energy, alerting everyone.

“Whether it’s a cultivator or a demonic beast, they wouldn’t be chasing us with good intentions, so we can’t get caught!” Song said, seeing the black clouds approaching, and took out a white bead from her sleeve. As she chanted an incantation, the bead glowed, and a white mist enveloped the three women.

The energy, transformed into a white cloud, flew through the sky like a meteor, but unexpectedly, a mocking laugh came from the black clouds following behind.

“To display such childish tricks in front of me!”

As soon as the eerie voice was heard, a black hand suddenly appeared, explosively halving the distance between them.

“A Nascent Soul demonic beast is chasing us! What should we do now!”

“I’ll release my spirit insects! They won’t be able to stop them, but they’ll buy us some time,” Liu Yu quickly replied to Song’s urgent voice. As soon as she finished speaking, seven or eight white, cold-energy-covered centipedes emerged from the clouds.

“Six-Winged Centipedes! So it was Liu Yu! But do you dare to face me with these?” The black clouds recognized the centipedes and burst into laughter.

Suddenly, pitch-black threads pierced through the black clouds and impaled the centipedes. Surprisingly, the Six-Winged Centipedes didn’t even resist and exploded, engulfed in black flames.

In an instant, the spirit insects were reduced to ashes. Whatever strange technique was used, the Six-Winged Centipedes couldn’t withstand the black flames at all. The women were terrified, especially Liu Yu, whose heart sank.

‘Who is it that recognized me and the Six-Winged Centipedes so quickly? It’s a voice I’ve never heard before!’

The black light approached rapidly before the three women could come up with a plan, catching up to the white cloud. As the light faded, a huge black hand appeared, and without hesitation, it tried to snatch them. At that moment, three streaks of sword light shot out from the white cloud.

The giant hand flashed with black light, seizing all the treasures, and when it opened again, the treasures had strangely disappeared.

In the white cloud, the women caused an explosion in a split second, transforming into three streaks of light that shot out in different directions. But as soon as they scattered and fled, something mysterious happened.

Black energy flowed out from the giant black hand, rushing in three directions. In an instant, the three women were caught by the giant hand of black energy.

They were so shocked that they tried desperately to escape, but only someone’s sneering laughter echoed in their ears, and as the black energy enveloped them, they lost consciousness.

Shortly after, the giant black hand led the unconscious women to the cultivator who had been chasing them. He was a strange figure, his whole body pitch black, and his two eyes glowing eerily green.

“To think I’d meet them here! If things go well, they could be a great help. I won’t risk my life for these women, but I can certainly threaten them.” The voice in the black energy didn’t stop its chilling laughter as it looked at the three women. How much time had passed? Song, the one with the highest cultivation among them, began to regain consciousness first.

Looking at the sparkling stalactite pillars around her, she tried to get up and form a protective barrier.

“Ugh!” But Song’s strength immediately drained from her body, and she collapsed again.

“I’ve placed a restriction on you, so it’s best not to think about using your spiritual power recklessly,” a calm voice said, drawing Song’s attention. The owner of the voice was sitting cross-legged on one side of the cave. Unable to condense her internal magic power, she trembled with fear.

“Who are you, and why have you imprisoned us here!” Song shouted, looking at Mo Paeryeong and Liu Yu, who were still lying down.

“Senior Sister Song, if you behave, I won’t bother you for a while, out of our past affection. But if you try to escape, you’ll taste bitterness.”

“Senior Sister Song? I’ve never considered you a senior of our sect. Perhaps you’ve mistaken me for someone else?” Song asked, startled.

“It’s not strange that you don’t recognize me. But it’s enough if I know you. So, how is Jaryeong doing?”

“You know Jaryeong? Who are you!”

“You want to know my identity that much? Then I should tell you.”

The black figure muttered, got up, and approached her. Then, he revealed his face from the darkness. His black robe, skull-like head, and fangs protruding from his mouth were extremely bizarre. Moreover, his forearms were shining as if they were made of gold or silver, making him even more grotesque.

“Who are you? I don’t think I’ve ever met you before,” Song said, momentarily startled by the opponent’s hideous appearance but not showing it.

“Is that so? Well, it would be difficult to recognize me in this form.”

The man in the black robe suddenly changed his gaze as he looked at Song, without showing any anger. As their eyes met, Song felt a sense of familiarity and immediately thought of someone.

“Y-you are… No way!”

“So you finally recognized me. But there’s no need to be surprised. I’m not human yet! Soon, I will become him.” The man in the black robe chuckled lowly, his form blurring before returning to his original position, sitting cross-legged and no longer paying attention to Song.

The woman’s face was filled with confusion.

‘Could it be Senior Brother Han? Did something terrible happen to him that he became like this? No, he’s in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, but he’s not inferior to late-stage cultivators, so what could have happened to him? And if his body was damaged, he could have returned to the Falling Cloud Sect to recuperate, so why is he in Chuma Valley? And why would he treat us like this…’

Song quietly stared at the man, lost in thought.

“If you’re awake, there’s no need to pretend to be unconscious,” the man in the black robe said, opening his eyes and snorting. Song flinched and looked back with a happy heart, but Mo Paeryeong spoke.

“You are not the Young Master. You are just the Young Master’s second Nascent Soul! How did you break free from the Young Master’s control and seize consciousness? Where is the Young Master now?” The woman’s voice was filled with worry, suspicion, and bewilderment.

“Senior Sister Mo, what are you talking about? Is that person the incarnation that Master refined?” Song asked, her face filled with disbelief. Liu Yu, who had also sat up, covered her mouth with one hand, unable to hide her surprise.

“I don’t know much either. But I do know that the Young Master cultivated a rare secret technique and condensed a second Nascent Soul, and that it was very dangerous and could be counter-controlled if he lost control,” Mo Paeryeong said, her expression grim as she watched the black shadow.

“It’s surprising that you know my identity? Ah, I remember. That guy Eunwol must have blabbed. Indeed, I was that guy’s second Nascent Soul. But after devouring his nascent spirit, I will become him. This place is hidden deep in the center of Chuma Valley, so even if that guy comes here himself, he won’t be able to find you.”

The man in the black robe admitted it lightly without hiding anything. Surprisingly, he was the second Nascent Soul that had transformed from the Earthly Fiend Spirit that Han Li had lost while fighting the Great Cultivators of the Dolol [A powerful group of cultivators].

# 677