Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 726

Han Li immediately transformed into a streak of blue light, leaving the herb garden and flying towards a secluded corner of the mountain valley. He landed near a small teleportation array, about the size of a mat.

Han Li stood there quietly.

After a short while, the teleportation array began to glow, and a blue figure materialized. As the figure stepped out, another Han Li approached.

“You’ve worked hard all this time. If you hadn’t sent the elixirs on schedule every day, I wouldn’t have reached the peak of the early stage of the Transformation Realm so quickly.”

The Han Li who emerged from the teleportation array smiled at the one who looked exactly like him.

“I am you, and you are me. There’s no need to distinguish between us.”

The ‘Han Li’ from the herb garden said calmly, his face expressionless. He was the human-shaped puppet controlled by the second Nascent Soul [a secondary soul formed during cultivation].

The real Han Li, who had just finished his secluded cultivation in the mustard seed space [a pocket dimension], had already been gone from the Fallen Cloud Sect for over 300 years.

He had taken Nangong Wan with him, left the Fallen Cloud Sect, and used an ancient teleportation array to travel to the Chaotic Star Sea.

Then, using some of his divine abilities, he secured a secluded place with spiritual veins [locations with high concentrations of spiritual energy]. After settling Nangong Wan and the others there, he returned to the Heavenly South Region’s Devilfall Valley alone.

His purpose was to open the mustard seed space and cultivate the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light inside.

Before that, Han Li had released the Heavenly Secret Talisman, introduced spirit insects like the Gold Devouring Beetles and spirit beasts, and created an herb garden. He had also brought the Profound Heavenly Immortal Vine, dragon scales, and trees from Mount Mozi to plant there.

Then, he left a human-shaped puppet there and entrusted it with a mysterious bottle to manage the garden.

Even after that, to prevent other cultivators from intruding and discovering traces, he spent over a year setting up a massive, strange ancient formation. This formation shrouded the central part of Devilfall Valley in a mist that confused the senses and consciousness of any investigators.

After finishing his preparations, he gave a few instructions to his second Nascent Soul and then entered the mustard seed space through the teleportation array.

Before cultivating the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, Han Li, following the boy’s advice, refined the Golden Flood Dragon King’s inner core in a special way, turning it into a metal-attribute Dan Spirit Root [a spiritual root that aids in cultivation].

Unbeknownst to them, this action, done for convenience, had solved a fatal flaw in the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.

This could only be described as Han Li having incredible luck.

Otherwise, he would have wasted a hundred years only to discover the problem, and if he had to start cultivating from scratch at that point, the setback would have been immense.

However, Han Li’s cultivation of the Yuan Magnetic Mountain was not entirely smooth.

The first few levels were manageable, but when he had only one level left, he frequently encountered obstacles and nearly suffered from Qi Deviation [a dangerous imbalance of spiritual energy] several times.

If he hadn’t had countless elixirs on hand and the mysterious bottle to mature them in time, it would have been difficult to overcome this hurdle.

The most challenging aspect was that because he had merged the Five Elements Power he cultivated with the Yuan Magnetic Force of the Yuan Magnetic Mountain, he couldn’t leave the Yuan Magnetic Mountain for decades.

Unless one was a cultivator with great willpower, it would have been impossible to continue cultivating in such pain.

After more than 200 years of cultivation in the mustard seed space, he finally mastered the technique. The Yuan Magnetic Mountain was also completely refined, allowing him to freely store it within his body and use it like a treasure.

After that, things went smoothly.

He took various elixirs like the ‘Demon Origin Pill’ at the right time, and with the help of top-grade spirit stones and five types of cold flames, he reached the early stage of the Transformation Realm in one go.

Although Han Li, now a Transformation Realm cultivator, was only at the initial stage, he could manipulate the natural energy of heaven and earth, summoning wind and rain, and displaying divine abilities no different from those attributed to immortals in the mortal world.

Han Li was overjoyed and immediately left Devilfall Valley to visit the Chaotic Star Sea.

In the meantime, Nangong Wan and his disciples had developed into a considerable force in the Chaotic Star Sea, controlling dozens of nearby islands, but he didn’t comment on it.

They were happy and congratulated Han Li on becoming a Transformation Realm cultivator.

Nangong Wan had also taken the large amount of pills he had given her and was now in the late stage of her cultivation, planning to reach the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible to challenge the Transformation Realm.

And Shi Jian, the dual-spirit root cultivator that Song Yu had found, was so talented that he had already succeeded in condensing his Nascent Soul in a few hundred years.

These were joyful and reassuring news, but not everything was good.

As Mo Peiling’s lifespan was coming to an end, she had tried to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in a hurry and suffered from Qi Deviation during her secluded cultivation. She had been backlashed by her own magic power and died.

Han Li felt heavy-hearted when he heard the news. Although she was only his concubine in name, Han Li personally visited her grave and offered sacrifices.

After that, he stayed on the island with Nangong Wan for over a decade before returning to the Heavenly South Region to cultivate.

Han Li brought Shi Jian to the Heavenly South Region and ordered him to seize the position of the leader of the Thousand Bamboo Sect in the extreme west and inherit the lineage of the Great Yan Divine Monarch.

Shi Jian, who had heard about the Great Yan Divine Monarch from Han Li before, did not question it. As soon as he arrived in the Heavenly South Region, he paid his respects to Han Li and left for the extreme west alone.

Having already reached the Nascent Soul stage, taking over the Thousand Bamboo Sect would not be difficult. After Shi Jian left, Han Li returned to Devilfall Valley and immediately continued his Transformation Realm cultivation.

Using the secret technique he had learned from Feng Xi to transplant spirit trees, he was able to move the spirit herbs from the mustard seed space outside and make as many Crimson Cloud Pills as he wanted, which he had been unable to refine before.

Although the Crimson Cloud Pill was an elixir for Nascent Soul cultivators, its potency was so strong that it was also very helpful for Transformation Realm cultivators. Thanks to the abundant supply of elixirs, his stagnant early-stage Transformation Realm cultivation made rapid progress.

After a hundred years of arduous cultivation, he reached the peak of the early stage in one go and completely mastered the last level of the Azure Essence Sword Technique.

However, now the Crimson Cloud Pills had no effect, and the natural energy of heaven and earth in the human realm was too scarce, making it almost impossible to reach the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm through ordinary methods.

While in secluded cultivation, practicing the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light and overcoming the Transformation Realm bottleneck, he continued to contact the old monsters of the Transformation Realm in the Great Jin, such as Xiang Zhili, through the Myriad Miles Talisman [a communication talisman].

He gradually revealed the remaining parts of the information that Yin Yue had left behind to them.

Thanks to this, Xiang Zhili and the others continued their search and eventually found a usable spatial node [a gateway to another realm].

The old monsters were overjoyed at this long-awaited event and shared the news with Han Li, rejoicing together.

After a hundred years of preparation, Xiang Zhili, Old Monster Feng, and Old Devil Hu followed Cha Nuyao into the spatial node.

However, not long after, problems arose with the life lamps they had left behind in the human realm.

In an instant, the lamps containing their souls went out. Only Old Devil Hu’s lamp remained in a dim state, and even that went out weakly a few days later.

Whether Old Devil Hu had already ascended to the Spirit Realm and could no longer sense his soul, or whether he had died in the spatial node, no one knew.

Han Li, who had received the news through the Myriad Miles Talisman from the disciples of the three cultivators, felt a chill run down his spine.

‘The spatial node is more dangerous than expected!’

Even three old monsters of the Transformation Realm, working together, seemed to have been annihilated. It was unsettling news.

The danger of the spatial node that Yin Yue had warned him about was not exaggerated at all; it was truly a path where nine out of ten would die.

The only good thing was that Xiang Zhili had kept his promise and told him the specific location of the spatial node, so he didn’t have to search for it elsewhere.

Now that he could no longer progress through cultivation, it was time for him to personally inspect the entrance of the spatial node and prepare in advance.

However, the spatial node was not in the Great Jin or the Heavenly South Region, but in a very unfamiliar sea area called the Five Dragon Sea.

It was a place that few people knew about, but the old monsters of the Transformation Realm, such as Xiang Zhili, had long controlled the teleportation array leading to it.

He had to go to the Great Jin to use the teleportation array, and the travel time was considerable, so he decided to visit the Chaotic Star Sea first before leaving for that place.

Having made up his mind, Han Li had the human-shaped puppet guard the mustard seed space and quietly left Devilfall Valley.

* * *

A small island with beautiful scenery.

Nascent Soul cultivators were sitting in a pavilion on the mountain, chatting happily.

“Immortal Bi, I heard you refined the Fragrant Heart Pill this time. It’s said to be so good for cleansing the meridians. Could this old man get a few?”

An old man in a gray robe asked with a smile, facing Immortal Bi, who was sitting opposite him.

“Who doesn’t know that Fellow Han is proficient in alchemy? Why would you need Immortal Bi’s Fragrant Heart Pill? I, on the other hand, would really like to exchange for that pill for my disciples.”

Before the woman could answer, a middle-aged cultivator in a navy robe interjected with a smile.

“Fellow Zhao, you shouldn’t say that! Even if this old man is proficient in making pills, the Fragrant Heart Pill is difficult to refine. I can’t miss such a good opportunity.”

The old man didn’t get angry but narrowed his eyes and smiled.

“There’s no need for everyone to be like this. I brought most of the Fragrant Heart Pills I refined for this trade fair, so I can share them with both of you. I only hope that the items you want to trade aren’t too disappointing.”

Upon hearing that, the old man and the middle-aged scholar breathed a sigh of relief. They were unexpectedly holding a small trade fair.

At that moment, two cultivators who had not yet joined the conversation in the pavilion looked at each other and smiled. Among them, a burly man with a sallow complexion suddenly raised a hand and placed a golden wooden box on the table.

“This is an item that Fellow Sun and I obtained together. I would like to exchange it for two of Fellow Han’s Transformation Dragon Pills. I need them so that my Gale Python can evolve into a Flood Dragon.”

“Gale Python? Fellow Fan, didn’t I already tell you last time? That’s a pill that my Azure Spirit Snake also needs, so I can’t exchange it.”

The old man shook his head with a displeased expression.

“Don’t be so hasty. Check the item inside and then we can talk again.”

“Unless it’s a material like the Azure Spirit Mushroom, no matter how precious the item inside is, it won’t do.”

The old man was intrigued but didn’t show it. He pulled the wooden box over and opened the lid. Inside was a dazzling, sapphire-blue bead.

“The inner core of a Thunder Whale Beast!”

The old man exclaimed upon seeing it, and the other cultivators were equally surprised.

“As expected, Fellow Han’s erudition is something to be admired. This is indeed the inner core of a level 7 Thunder Whale Beast. Although it’s only a level 7 demon beast, everyone knows how rare this beast is, right? Fellow Sun and I chased it for three days and nights before finally catching it. How about exchanging it for this?”

Fellow Fan proposed again, but the old man, who was staring at the wooden box, didn’t even blink. It was clear that he coveted the inner core, but he was reluctant to give up the Transformation Dragon Pills.

“If it’s the inner core of a Thunder Whale Beast, it’s indeed a rare item. May I take a look?”

At that moment, a strange man’s voice came from outside the pavilion.

“Who is it?”

The Nascent Soul cultivators who had gathered all looked towards the source of the voice. A young man in a blue robe was standing outside the pavilion. He had ordinary features, but his eyes were very clear.

The cultivators in the pavilion exchanged glances. However, none of them seemed to know the other party. This place looked like an ordinary pavilion on the surface, but it was hidden by a restriction, making it difficult for those who didn’t know its location to find it.

However, the reason they didn’t get angry and question the other party was because the other party felt like an ordinary mortal without any magic power.

But if he was really a mortal, how could he have appeared here?

“This, fellow cultivator…”

Fellow Fan, who seemed to be the host, hesitated and cautiously opened his mouth.

“I was just passing by this place, but if I startled you, please forgive me.”

The young man said calmly, cupping his fist in greeting. He was Han Li, who had arrived at the Five Dragon Sea using the teleportation array from the Great Jin.

The illusion restriction set up here was extraordinary, but it couldn’t deceive his eyes, which possessed the Brightsight Spirit Eyes.

He had come down after seeing high-level cultivators gathered while passing through the sea area.