Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 749

The Inheritance Pearl

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The purple-robed giant, riding the Mountain Wolf, began to gallop wildly soon after leaving the encampment. His subordinates found it strange but followed without question.

After the Mountain Wolf had run for nearly a hundred miles, a small mound appeared, and the purple-robed giant, his eyes gleaming, climbed onto it. His subordinates, puzzled by his actions, followed, stopping abruptly at the top of the mound.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the Mountain Wolf’s feet split open, swallowing the mounts and the accompanying soldiers without a trace.

As the others, shocked, rushed to help, a bone spear shot up from the ground, impaling and killing two more.

The last remaining man, terrified, tried to turn his Mountain Wolf to flee, but suddenly, three serpents appeared and tore his body to shreds.

Then, the ground trembled, and two snake demons and a giant insect beast emerged. The purple-robed giant slowly turned his head to confirm this, then gave an order.

‘Clean it up neatly, leave no trace.’

He stomped his foot, got off the giant wolf while holding the girl, and coldly swung his sword at the Mountain Wolf. The wolf couldn’t even resist and died instantly, its head split open like a watermelon, collapsing to the ground.

‘You fool! You almost ruined the plan because of you.’

The giant muttered ominously.

Yet, strangely, even as the Mountain Wolf died and blood splattered, the child in the giant’s arms remained expressionless, as if she had seen nothing.

The demons moved busily, devouring the corpses of the cavalry and the remaining Mountain Wolves, cleaning up so thoroughly that it seemed as if nothing had happened.

Satisfied, City Lord Cho nodded, then raised a hand, condensing black energy into a short blade, about three or four feet long, and threw it into the air.

The black spear flashed and flew towards a certain direction.

Bang!

A golden fist appeared in the air, scattering the black spear’s attack, and as the golden light faded, a young man slowly walked out.

It was Han Li.

Using some method, he had quietly followed the galloping Mountain Wolves from a hundred miles away, without being detected by the giant.

‘Kill him!’

The purple-robed giant narrowed his eyes and coldly commanded, and the snake demons and the giant insect beast simultaneously lunged at him.

One of the snake demons, recognizing Han Li as the one who had attacked it at the city wall, howled more fiercely and threw two bone spears with all its might.

Also, the three-headed snake demon crossed its heads and charged with a body slam.

Not stopping there, the giant insect beast opened its mouth, trying to spew a strange green liquid.

‘No!’

The girl, seeing this, was startled, and the indifference she had shown until now vanished in an instant.

However, the purple-robed giant standing beside her showed no reaction.

Despite the simultaneous attacks, Han Li sneered and knocked away the bone spears one by one with his fists.

Thud! Thud!

The bone spears shattered into bone dust as they hit the golden fists. And before the green liquid could be spewed, his shoulder blurred, leaving an afterimage, and he slipped back a few steps.

Then, the green liquid poured down weakly where Han Li had been.

Large bubbles fizzed and emitted a foul odor, seeming to have a powerful corrosive effect.

And just then, the three-headed black snake lunged like lightning.

Crack.

It was as if Han Li hadn’t dodged, and he was bitten on both shoulders and neck. Seeing this, the other snake demon and the giant insect beast rejoiced and rushed in.

Seeing their reaction, Han Li snorted and grabbed the snake heads biting his neck with both hands. Then, blood spurted as one of the snake heads was twisted and torn off.

The remaining two heads bit down mercilessly on his shoulders, but as Han Li lightly swung his hands, golden light flashed, and the two heads tumbled to the ground.

By fully manifesting the fourth level of the Vajra Body [a cultivation technique that enhances physical strength and defense], his hand blades had become like sharp weapons.

Then, Han Li’s figure twisted strangely, emitting multiple afterimages, and he met the two flying demons. The demons’ strange screams echoed eerily as blood poured down like raindrops.

‘Not knowing your place, where do you think you’re going?’

Han Li’s calm voice was heard from within the blood droplets, and his figure appeared a dozen steps away. Then, the fragmented corpses of the demons fell to the ground, staining it with blood.

He had used the power of the fourth level of the Vajra Body to slaughter the three demons.

‘Who are you? To dare to deceive people by borrowing a corpse’s body, you have some nerve!’

Han Li looked coldly at the giant standing on the mound, and killing intent surged from his entire body, emitting a gray-white aura. He had unconsciously released the killing intent he had refined with the Nether King Art [a dark cultivation technique].

If it were an ordinary opponent, they would be overwhelmed by the thick killing intent and unable to fully display their abilities. However, the purple-robed giant, who hadn’t even blinked when the three demons were slaughtered, showed a surprised expression upon seeing the dense killing intent.

‘If you’ve mastered the Vajra Body to the fourth level, it’s not strange that you’ve come all this way. Using light and the surrounding environment to hide without magic power is also impressive for a mortal, but what I’m curious about is the killing intent in your body. How can an ordinary corpse possess such dense killing intent? Who are you?’

The giant asked in an emotionless voice. Han Li, instead of answering the question, frowned as the other tried to probe his identity.

‘I have no intention of talking to a puppet. Decide whether to retreat on your own or die by my hand.’

Han Li’s entire body flashed with golden light as he strode towards the giant.

‘If you don’t want to talk to a puppet, how about this palace?’

A spatial ripple occurred in the sky above the mound, and black flames appeared strangely, condensing into a palace lady with a cold face.

She scanned Han Li with an unkind gaze, confirmed that he was an ordinary mortal, and then raised her hand slowly, aiming at him.

Han Li didn’t sense anything with his consciousness, but because he had already reached the realm of communicating with the natural energy, he felt an unknown danger.

That’s why his expression changed slightly the moment the palace lady appeared, and he stopped abruptly.

Especially when the lady began to raise her hand, he felt like all the hairs on his body were standing on end. It was the first time he had felt such a sense of crisis since entering the cultivation world.

Han Li quickly shook his sleeves, grabbed two round objects in his hands, and glared at the lady without saying a word. The black and red beads were emitting a mysterious aura.

‘Extinction Pearls! To possess two of them, what is your true identity!’

The palace lady’s face changed as if she had seen a ghost upon seeing the beads, and she instantly stopped the black flames she had been summoning from her bracelet. Seeing that the opponent was wary of the Extinction Pearls, Han Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

‘It’s fortunate that the cultivator recognizes this item.’

Han Li smiled calmly, but in reality, cold sweat was running down his back. He had never dreamed that such a high-level cultivator would appear, and he didn’t think that the Extinction Pearls would be a great threat to the opponent.

‘I thought it was just a split soul of a demon that was controlling a corpse to deceive people! A Nascent Soul-level demon cultivator.’

It was shocking that a high-level demon cultivator had appeared in the Three Realms where humans resided. Even if he used the Extinction Pearls to threaten the opponent, he could be killed in an instant if he showed even the slightest opening.

He knew the terror of a Nascent Soul cultivator best. The palace lady’s expression changed constantly, but she glared at Han Li with a cold gaze, not hiding her killing intent.

‘Do you think you can kill this palace with just Extinction Pearls?’

‘It’s impossible. But I am somewhat confident in inflicting serious injuries on the cultivator with two Extinction Pearls.’

‘If the Extinction Pearls are activated, a mere mortal like you won’t be able to escape? Are you trying to commit suicide?’

‘That’s unnecessary worry. If I’m going to die anyway, there’s no reason not to.’

‘Even so, do you think this palace will spare you because I fear a minor injury?’

The lady, annoyed by Han Li’s leisurely attitude, let out a hollow laugh.

‘Of course not! Since you’ve entered the human territory, it will be difficult to hide your demonic energy if you’re injured. You might be able to hide for a while, but you won’t be able to escape the pursuit of high-level cultivators in that state. If I remember correctly, if a demon cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage invades human territory, it’s considered a violation of the agreement, and anyone can kill them, right?’

Han Li chuckled dryly, watching the opponent’s reaction.

‘You have quite the nerve to threaten this palace, despite being a mortal.’

The lady’s voice changed strangely for a moment, her pupils flashing purple and becoming hazy. It was a gaze that felt like a strange magic that drew in people’s minds.

Han Li, who had been watching the opponent, couldn’t avoid her gaze, and his eyes glazed over, revealing a blank expression.

Seeing this, the palace lady rejoiced and was about to move her shoulder when a sneer appeared on Han Li’s wooden face, and his pupils shone brightly with a navy blue light.

The lady felt dizzy and her consciousness was struck, causing her to stagger and almost fall from the sky.

‘Bewitching Soul Technique! You know how to use the Bewitching Soul Technique?’

The lady’s consciousness was strong, and she quickly regained her senses even after the Bewitching Soul Technique [a mind-control technique] was countered by Han Li’s Bright Sight [a technique that enhances perception]. But now, her expression towards Han Li had completely changed.

Seeing the lady’s surprised face, Han Li smiled meaningfully, but he didn’t take this opportunity to attack.

The palace lady was troubled about what to do as she looked at Han Li. Even though she was an arrogant woman, she realized that the opponent was not an ordinary mortal as he appeared.

‘So, what are you going to do? Are you going to continue to confront this palace here?’

The lady’s eyes went back to the Extinction Pearls, and she glanced at the girl watching them, her expression darkening.

‘You can leave the child behind and go.’

‘That’s not possible. Da-ah is a direct descendant of our Black Wind Clan, so she must return to where our clan resides.’

It was a firm refusal. Han Li’s expression darkened at the opponent’s resolute attitude, and he didn’t speak. The lady also had no room for negotiation, so she remained silent, and their confrontation continued.

The wind blew, and the sand on the mound rustled, creating a lonely sound.

‘Mister, please don’t fight with Aunt So because of me. I’ll go with Aunt.’

The girl, who had been in the purple-robed giant’s arms, suddenly shouted loudly. Han Li frowned at her words, but the palace lady seemed unfazed.

‘Da-ah, you need to think carefully. Do you know who she is?’

Han Li, slightly surprised, asked coldly.

‘I know. Aunt So used a technique to tell me everything.’

‘A technique? What did she do to you?’

Having experienced many things, Han Li immediately became suspicious.

‘What do you mean, what did I do? This palace merely injected our Black Wind Clan’s Inheritance Pearl into the child’s body, allowing her to learn about related matters. She may not be able to fully refine the Inheritance Pearl right away, but she has accepted that she is a half-demon.’

The lady said casually, brushing back the black hair that fell over her shoulder. Han Li also had an idea of what it was.

He didn’t know the exact effects of the Inheritance Pearl, but it was probably a kind of treasure that allowed the transfer of the experiences, secret arts, and even a part of the soul of the family elders. Such items were not absent in the human realm either.

However, the transfer conditions were too strict, and even a minor mistake could kill the inheritor.

Moreover, only about one-tenth or two-tenths of the refined content was safely transmitted, and the rest was lost.

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