Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 710

711. Ambush

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‘Your insight is excellent, Great Master. The feather fan is indeed a replica of a spirit treasure.’

At Han Li’s words, a slight smile bloomed on the monk’s otherwise indifferent face. Just as he was about to speak, Chango, the pavilion master, interjected.

‘If you two are agreeable, why don’t we go inside and chat? I just happened to acquire some ‘True Dragon’s Roar,’ an ancient spirit wine from the primordial era. Ordinary cultivators can gain a month’s worth of cultivation from just a sip, but the most important thing is its unparalleled aroma and taste.’

The plump old man rubbed his hands together, beaming. Now, Chango seemed more like a kind-hearted village elder than a pavilion master.

‘True Dragon’s Roar! If I recall correctly, brewing True Dragon’s Roar requires a blend of various fruits that have long been extinct in the Human Realm and then aged. Its fragrance is said to be so exquisite that it’s incomparable to any other spirit wine in the Human Realm.’

Great Master Wonji’s face lit up at the news, but he then cast a playful smile at Han Li’s astonished gaze.

‘Cultivator, there’s no need to look at me strangely. I may have long ago taken refuge in Buddhism, but it’s hard to forget the taste of spirit wine. In fact, it was Fellow Daoist Chango who lured me into becoming a guest elder here with dozens of casks of ancient spirit wine. Haha, but that doesn’t mean this old monk is just a wine-and-meat-loving glutton. I adhere to the other precepts quite diligently, you know.’

Wonji’s jest clearly revealed his friendly attitude towards Han Li. Han Li noticed it but only smiled, not saying anything in particular.

And so, they went back inside the pavilion.

* * *

High in the sky, a streak of blue light was slowly moving forward.

Inside, a young-looking man was fiddling with a red jade slip. It was Han Li, who had just left the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

‘I didn’t expect the refining method for the renowned mustard seed space to be so simple. Most of the required materials are also quite ordinary. If I refine it according to this, it shouldn’t be too difficult.’

Han Li muttered within the escape light.

‘Can that even be called a mustard seed space? It’s just a fixed spatial rift at best. A true mustard seed space is a treasure among treasures that can be carried around and entered at any time.’

A boy’s voice echoed in his ear.

‘You are right. However, it would be difficult for a cultivator in the Human Realm to refine such a treasure. The spatial treasures you mentioned, like the Universe Sleeve or the complete Black Wind Banner, are also inferior to a true mustard seed space, aren’t they?’

‘As far as I know, even in the Spirit Realm, only a few possess a mustard seed space. Those who possess such supreme treasures are almost always at the very top of the Spirit Realm. So, now that you’ve obtained the spatial refining secret technique, are you going to the Yin Fiend Sect to seize the Ghost Banners? It wouldn’t be wise to charge in like this, would it?’

‘Of course, I won’t charge in like this. Although the Yin Fiend Sect only has one Grand Cultivator, it’s one of the Ten Great Demonic Sects of the Great Jin, so who knows how powerful the restrictions are. I have no intention of entering a renowned ancient sect that has existed since the primordial era without any preparation.’

‘So, you mean…’

‘Yes, I need to strike the head first. If I deal with the Yin Fiend Sect’s master first, then dealing with the Nascent Soul elders one by one will be much easier. Moreover, I heard from the market that in recent years, many demonic sects have been vying for the Yin Fiend Sect’s position among the Ten Great Demonic Sects, so the Yin Fiend Sect’s master often leaves the sect.

If I seize the opportunity to kill him, the Yin Fiend Sect will be helpless with just the restrictions without a Grand Cultivator. Of course, I need to carefully select a suitable target before making a move. If I drag it out and a Deity Transformation cultivator gets involved, things will become complicated.’

‘I see. It must be difficult for the Grand Cultivators of the Human Realm to move carelessly! The Deity Transformation fellows won’t just sit idly by while you try to annihilate a huge sect.’

This time, Han Li didn’t reply. He retrieved the jade slip and then increased his speed, disappearing into the distance.

* * *

Another half a year passed in a flash. The border region between Feng Prefecture and Hang Commandery.

A massacre was taking place in the sky above an unnamed mountain range. Half a dozen black-clad figures were leading over a thousand Copper-Armored Refined Corpses, attacking dozens of cultivators.

With the copper-armored corpses and the black-clad figures attacking together, all but a few Core Formation cultivators were killed within an hour.

The remaining Core Formation cultivators were not in a safe situation either.

Then, suddenly, a sharp cry was heard. The fighting cultivators felt a sharp pain as if needles had been stuck in their ears, and their ears went numb.

‘…!’

The expressions of the black-clad figures who were attacking changed drastically at the sound, while the besieged cultivators showed signs of joy.

A cloud of cyan demonic energy was swirling in from afar, instantly covering over a hundred yards and approaching the place where the cultivators were fighting.

‘I wondered who had dared to invade our sect, but it was Fellow Daoist Pi of the Blood Bone Sect?’

At that moment, a cold voice echoed in the void, and a figure flashing with black light appeared. He casually flicked his sleeve, turning gray, and flew towards the cloud of cyan demonic energy.

‘Old Devil Fang!’

A startled voice came from within the cloud of demonic energy. Unexpectedly, he changed direction without hesitation and tried to flee.

‘Hmph, you’ve already entered our sect’s territory, where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?’

Someone scoffed, and the gray escape light gradually turned black, doubling its speed.

The pitch-black escape light and the cyan demonic cloud chased each other for over a hundred miles before finally disappearing into the distance.

Seeing this, the black-clad figures resumed their fierce attacks with the copper-armored corpses.

Conversely, the besieged cultivators were filled with despair at the mention of Old Devil Fang and struggled until their deaths, but in the end, they all lost their lives.

The black-clad figures retrieved all the copper-armored corpses into black leather pouches. They didn’t leave immediately but looked towards the distant sky.

Not long after, a streak of black light flew over quickly.

The black-clad figures, who had been chatting, immediately split to both sides and waited with their hands clasped. The black light flashed and stopped in front of them, revealing a pitch-black figure.

‘Greetings, Sect Master.’

The black-clad cultivators bowed deeply, looking tense.

‘Did you deal with the Blood Bone Sect cleanly?’

The man surrounded by black energy asked calmly.

‘Sect Master, you can rest assured. All 72 cultivators of the Blood Bone Sect who invaded our sect have been annihilated, and not a single one was left alive.’

A tall old man stepped forward and reported respectfully.

‘I destroyed the physical body of Blood Bone Sect Elder Pi Hua and only let his Nascent Soul escape. Perhaps this will prevent the Blood Bone Sect from looking down on us. If our sect wasn’t short on manpower, I would have rushed to the Blood Bone Sect to make them pay the price!’

The black figure muttered grimly.

The other black-clad figures didn’t dare to agree and quietly waited for the next order.

‘For now, you all go back. I have something to deal with alone, so I will return in a few days.’

‘Understood!’

The black-clad figures obeyed the order and flew away under the direction of the black energy, which took the form of a middle-aged man. The black figure remained quietly suspended in the void for a long time.

…….

How much time had passed? Suddenly, the man in the black energy opened his mouth.

‘…Are you going to keep watching? Why don’t you show yourself?’

After speaking, he glared at the empty void.

‘To think you discovered me, Fellow Daoist Fang is indeed worthy of being the Yin Fiend Sect’s master. So, sending your disciples back in advance was for their sake?’

A calm voice of an unfamiliar man was heard, and a blue light flashed as a young man wearing a blue robe appeared with his hands behind his back.

The young man was Han Li, and the middle-aged man in the black energy was none other than the Yin Fiend Sect’s master.

Han Li had been monitoring the Fangmang Mountain Range, where the Yin Fiend Sect’s main headquarters was located, for over half a year to deal with his target, and today he had finally found the perfect opportunity.

‘You are?’

The Yin Fiend Sect’s master immediately glared at Han Li after confirming his face.

‘It seems Sect Master Fang recognizes me.’

‘Indeed, you have already reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Did you appear here to kill me?’

The Yin Fiend Sect’s master dispersed the black energy, revealing a young face. The combination of his unusually pale face and his cyan-glowing eyes was eerie.

‘That’s right. Since we’ve met, shouldn’t one of us be buried here?’

Han Li spoke leisurely, as if talking to a close friend.

‘Good. Since you came looking for me, you’ve saved me the trouble of going to Tiannan. I heard that Old Devil Gan and Han Lishang of the Soaring Palace died at your hands? Frankly, I don’t believe such rumors. This time, I will kill you to avenge my wife and the elders of my sect.’

The Yin Fiend Sect’s master’s expression changed countless times before he let out a maniacal laugh, his eyes glowing cyan.

Now, black demonic energy was spewing out around him, engulfing him, and within it, ghostly wails echoed as several large figures appeared eerily.

The black energy was extremely dense, but Han Li’s blue eyes clearly saw the monsters within.

There were three large corpses wearing pitch-black armor. One corpse held a yellow short spear in each hand, another held a cyan long spear in one hand, and the last held a silver, glittering spiked mace.

The three corpses bared their sharp teeth, their eyes glowing green. The armored corpses had the appearance of Corpse Kings, and each seemed to possess the cultivation of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

In particular, the corpse with countless thorns embedded in its head had a dense corpse aura and seemed to be at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

Han Li was surprised but not at all afraid. He flicked his sleeve, activated a small black bottle, and formed a hand seal.

Five gray-white energies escaped from the bottle, rolled in the void, and then transformed into human-shaped skeletons.

Whoosh.

The skeletons ground their sharp teeth, making strange laughing sounds, and then emitted an astonishing aura from their entire bodies.

‘Five Fiend Heart Demons!’

The Yin Fiend Sect’s master’s heart grew heavy at the sight of the five fiends. He and Old Devil Gan had been sworn brothers for many years, so there was no way he wouldn’t recognize the Five Fiend Heart Demons.

Regardless of the opponent’s expression, the five fiends, having absorbed the hand seals cast by Han Li, simultaneously drew bone blades and charged forward.

‘Go!’

The Yin Fiend Sect’s master also shouted without hesitation, and the corpses within the black energy also rushed towards the five fiends.

Then, the Yin Fiend Sect’s master flicked his sleeve, and a pitch-black bead appeared in his hand. When he flipped his other palm, a thin, cloth-like yellow object appeared. However, before he could activate the two treasures, the three corpses and the five fiends had already clashed.

The corpses in pitch-black armor immediately opened their mouths and spewed out green energy, which emitted a terrible stench even before it touched the five fiends.

It was the corpse poison that the three corpses had accumulated over many years.

If an ordinary cultivator were hit by such a potent poison, they would suffer a great blow, but the Five Fiend Heart Demons did not possess human bodies and were not afraid of the cyan poison at all.

They opened their mouths in the same way and spewed out five different colored extreme cold flames.

Han Li had already resolved to kill the Yin Fiend Sect’s master, so he had used the extreme cold flames from the very beginning.

The five cold flames gathered together, forming a five-colored sea of fire, instantly dispersing the corpse poison and engulfing even the armored corpses like a giant wave.

The corpses, which had been displaying a ferocious aura, moved extremely slowly within the five cold flames.

It was as if the Five Fiend Heart Demons were facing the skeletons on the Six Paths Extreme Bone Banner.

However, the corpses were also quite powerful. Although their speed was slow, they were releasing pitch-black corpse energy from their entire bodies to block the cold flames and hold on.

Seeing this, the five fiends retreated a few yards and once again unleashed the extreme cold flames.

The Yin Fiend Sect’s master’s face darkened. He had never imagined that the Corpse Kings, which he had selected and cultivated from tens of thousands of copper-armored corpses over hundreds of years, would be captured by the Five Fiend Heart Demons in a single blow.

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