Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 728

Now, only the giant ball of light and Han Li remained floating in the void. He looked up at the massive light with a darkened expression.

He was troubled by the conversation he’d just had with the three cultivators. If what they said was true, the entrance would only last for a hundred years, and he had to enter the spatial node within that time.

The less time he had to prepare, the greater the risk of dying inside.

However, if he missed this opportunity, it would be difficult to find another way to reach the Spirit World, even with over a thousand years of life left.

Otherwise, Ancestor Xiang, Old Devil Feng, and the others wouldn’t have entered the spatial node without hesitation as soon as they found it.

Of course, he still had some information he hadn’t given to Ancestor Xiang, but the chances of finding anything useful among it were slim.

With these thoughts, Han Li’s face grew grim. After blankly staring at the giant ball of light for half a day, he turned into a streak of blue light and returned to the island.

The three cultivators had already vacated the largest pavilion for him and cleaned it so he could rest.

Han Li was satisfied with their sincerity, and considering their past contributions, he bestowed upon them three treasures and several pills on the spot. The Core Formation cultivators were overjoyed and deeply moved.

Afterward, Han Li used the Myriad Miles Talisman to contact Nangong Wan and the others far away in the Chaotic Star Sea.

He asked them to send some of the newly recruited Core Formation cultivators, especially requesting that Qian Jin’ya come along.

Currently, Qian Jin’ya was spending most of her time studying various formations while consuming the pills he had given her.

With her innate talent and ample time, her progress was significant, and in terms of formations, she had now far surpassed Han Li.

Her deep understanding of formations was essential for entering the spatial node this time.

Han Li flew under the giant ball of light almost every day to observe the changes in the entrance, and when he returned, he would ponder something diligently.

* * *

One year later, Qian Jin’ya finally arrived at the small island with four Core Formation cultivators.

Han Li allowed the three Core Formation cultivators who had been guarding the island to leave and instructed them to hand over their duties to Qian Jin’ya and the others.

Qian Jin’ya was still lingering in the late Core Formation stage, but her lifespan had greatly increased after Han Li had specially used the Rejuvenation Technique on her.

Of course, whether she could condense a Nascent Soul [a higher cultivation stage] before she died would depend on her luck.

As soon as Qian Jin’ya arrived, Han Li took her to see the spatial node.

He wanted to see if there was a way to strengthen the seal on the entrance to buy him some more time.

Unfortunately, even Qian Jin’ya could only come up with a plan to gradually strengthen the seal on the spatial node, where the mysterious force of spatial pressure was at work.

However, even with this method, the probability of preventing the collapse of the entrance was only 20 to 30 percent.

It was a very low chance, but Han Li had no other choice, so he told her to proceed and provided her with the necessary materials.

Thus, Han Li spent 50 to 60 years there.

* * *

During that time, he confirmed that, as the disciples of Ancestor Xiang had said, the entrance to the spatial node fluctuated every year and became more unstable with each passing day.

While Qian Jin’ya was setting up a very complex formation to add another layer of seal to the spatial node, he planned to travel around the human world to gather special defensive treasures and secret techniques to prepare for entering the spatial node.

However, a few days before he was about to leave, a burst of spiritual energy rippled outside the sea fog, and a silver light flew in.

When the light faded, a woman with stunning beauty wearing a silver robe appeared outside the sea fog. She was a young woman with thick eyebrows, a high nose, and sparkling eyes.

She scanned the sea fog with eyes that faintly shimmered with silver light, then flipped her palm and took out a jade slip. After scanning the contents with her consciousness, she smiled faintly.

“So, this is where the spatial node of the Heavenly Devil Sect cultivators is.”

Surprisingly, she knew that there was a spatial node here.

The woman turned into a streak of silver light without hesitation and plunged in, causing the sea fog to surge for a long time.

The small island in the sea fog was now very different from when Han Li had first arrived. This was because Qian Jin’ya had not only strengthened the seal on the spatial node but had also painstakingly set up several mysterious formations around the small island.

As a result, the silver-robed woman activated a formation that would trap even a Nascent Soul cultivator for a while.

Numerous lightning bolts formed in the surrounding space and fiercely flew toward the woman, followed by a dense barrage of sharp wind blades.

The woman seemed a little surprised by the unexpected attack, but she scoffed and raised one hand.

Then, a white gale surged around her, suddenly sweeping everywhere and forming a storm-like pillar of wind.

Kwarreung!

The sound of the wind alone made the sky tremble, and all the attacks were swept into the pillar of wind, never reaching the silver-robed woman.

With such a commotion, the Core Formation cultivators guarding the island couldn’t possibly be unaware.

Startled, they transformed into streaks of light and flew up, and a fierce glint appeared in the eyes of the silver-robed woman as she watched them.

In the midst of the storm, the woman raised her white hand, about to shoot something out. But then, Han Li’s voice suddenly echoed in her ear.

“Fellow Immortal Feng, please be lenient! They are my subordinates and were only acting on orders.”

“You?”

The silver-robed woman’s expression changed as soon as she heard the voice, and she slowly lowered the hand she had raised.

“How are you here? Could it be that Fellow Cultivator Han has also reached the Deity Transformation stage?”

The silver-robed woman was the 10th-grade Ice Phoenix, once known as the master of the Frozen Sea, who had transformed into a human.

She had personally witnessed Han Li advance from the mid to late Nascent Soul stage, and now, in just a few hundred years, he had become a Deity Transformation cultivator. It was astonishing.

There were quite a few late Nascent Soul cultivators in the human world, but Deity Transformation cultivators were rare!

“Hasn’t Fellow Immortal Feng also reached the Deity Transformation stage? I don’t know how you found this place, but you must have come because of the spatial node. If so, let’s talk. We should work together on this matter, shouldn’t we?”

Han Li smiled lightly and sent a voice transmission. As soon as he finished speaking, the lightning and wind blades that had been swirling around the storm disappeared on their own.

The four Core Formation cultivators who had been flying up from below also learned from Han Li’s voice transmission that she was a Deity Transformation stage demon cultivator, so they stepped aside and respectfully greeted her.

“…”

The Ice Phoenix thought with a dark face, then raised her eyebrows and, without even looking at the four Core Formation cultivators, turned into a silver light and flew down to the island.

The Core Formation cultivators secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately followed her, tactfully guiding the Ice Phoenix to the largest pavilion on the island.

There, the woman could see a young man standing with his robes fluttering.

“Fellow Cultivator Han, you’ve already taken possession of this place. You’re quite fast. So, where is the spatial node?”

The Ice Phoenix landed about a dozen feet away from Han Li, with an unfriendly attitude. Han Li smiled and waved his hand, dismissing the Core Formation cultivators.

“You’ve come all this way, there’s no need to rush. The spatial node is not far away, so I’ll guide you there after we’ve finished talking.”

“Do we have anything to talk about? Are you trying to show off just because you’ve also reached the Deity Transformation stage?”

The woman’s voice was cold, but it was clear that she was wary of Han Li.

“The reason you’re looking for the spatial node is to ascend to the Spirit World, isn’t it? I’m the same. That’s why I’m suggesting we cooperate.”

“Cooperate? With a human cultivator?”

“You must know what happened to Fellow Cultivator Xiang and the others. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to come here. You have a natural talent for spatial abilities and can tear through the surrounding space, which will be a great help in withstanding the pressure between realms when entering the spatial node. You’ve seen my abilities, so you know I’m no less capable than you. Moreover, I possess two Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures [powerful magical artifacts], so I won’t be a burden to you. If we cooperate, wouldn’t it be much safer than entering the spatial node alone? I heard that Fellow Cultivator Cha entered another spatial node alone. He didn’t leave behind his soul lamp, so we don’t know what happened to him, but he chose a much more unstable place to enter, so the outcome is obvious, isn’t it?”

Han Li persuaded her without rushing. Upon hearing this, the Ice Phoenix opened her mouth with an icy face.

“After reaching the Deity Transformation stage, my lifespan has doubled. It means I can stay in the human world for tens of thousands of years more. Why would I need to rush to ascend to the Spirit World with you?”

“Is that so? Then what will you do when your lifespan is about to end? Fellow Immortal Feng doesn’t believe that spatial nodes are scattered everywhere and will exist forever, does she?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The spatial node here will only last for a hundred years at most before collapsing and disappearing. If Fellow Immortal Feng is confident in finding another spatial node while remaining in the human world, then I’ll consider my proposal withdrawn.”

“That’s absurd! Are you trying to deceive me with lies?”

The woman was startled and showed disbelief.

“Whether it’s true or not, Fellow Immortal Feng will find out by observing it herself. I plan to leave this place for a while to find a way to resist the pressure between realms. I’ll leave my female disciple in charge here, so if you need anything, feel free to call on her, and if you have some free time, please give her some guidance in her cultivation. I’ll be grateful on behalf of my disciple.”

Han Li changed the subject without forcing the issue any further.

“You’re leaving this place? … It seems you really plan to enter the spatial node soon. Fine, since you’re so eager to cooperate, I’ll stay here for a while. But if there’s any falsehood in what you’ve said, I’ll leave immediately.”

The Ice Phoenix hesitated for a moment, as if surprised, then reluctantly nodded. She hadn’t completely rejected Han Li’s offer to cooperate.

Han Li was pleased and spread his hand, and a ball of fire shot through the air and disappeared. It was a voice transmission talisman.

Shortly after, a white streak of light flew from the direction of the spatial node and landed beside them. A slender woman in a yellow robe revealed her face.

“Greetings, Master.”

Qian Jin’ya bowed to Han Li and stood to one side with her hands clasped.

“Is this your direct disciple? Hmm? She has the Dragon Yin Physique [a rare and challenging constitution].”

The woman scanned Qian Jin’ya’s body and looked puzzled.

“You can tell, can’t you? It’s a great misfortune that my disciple was born with this physique as a woman. I heard that the Ice Phoenix clan’s cultivation of the Natal Cold Essence is so miraculous that it’s especially effective in regulating the balance of yin and yang. If you could share a few drops with my disciple, she might be able to break free from this constraint and achieve the Great Dao [the path to enlightenment] in the future.”

Although he hadn’t spoken about Qian Jin’ya’s Dragon Yin Physique, he had spent a lot of time and effort searching through various scriptures.

Now that a solution to the Dragon Yin Physique had appeared before him, it wasn’t difficult to ask for this favor.

“A few drops? Why would I give something as precious as the Natal Cold Essence to a human cultivator? Still, since Fellow Cultivator Han has mentioned it, let’s talk about it again when I’m in a good mood.”

“Very well! Jin’ya, you heard what Fellow Immortal Feng said, right? Fellow Cultivator Feng will be staying on the island for a while, so you must take good care of her during that time.”

Han Li smiled without showing any anger and gave Qian Jin’ya a meaningful order.

Qian Jin’ya, whose eyes had been sparkling at the possibility of overcoming her Dragon Yin Physique, was overjoyed at his words and replied that she would do her best.

The Ice Phoenix looked at Han Li as if he were absurd, but she didn’t say anything else. What followed was very simple.

Han Li personally took the Ice Phoenix to see the spatial node, and after staying on the island for half a month, he was relieved that the Ice Phoenix didn’t seem to be prejudiced against Qian Jin’ya, so he left the small island.

*