Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 793

“Let’s go. You handled the Green Shadow of the Spirit Race well.”

Han Li nodded, acknowledging the situation with a light gesture.

“Green Shadow? Haha, you really have no luck. Captain’s Nascent Soul Light is incredibly effective against other races. Even if it had been a Red Shadow instead of a Green Shadow, you would have been fine, Captain,” a cultivator with a boyish face chuckled, praising Han Li.

“Even Nascent Soul cultivators have difficulty dealing with Red Shadows, how could a mere Spirit Transformation cultivator handle it? Enough, let’s depart immediately! Once we finish patrolling the last area, we can rest for another half year. It hasn’t been long since the appearance of the Dongxu Race’s high-level beings, and now there’s the emergence of high-level Spirit Race members. It’s ominous!” Han Li’s eyes gleamed as he pondered.

“That’s right, something has been strange for the past ten years. The Burying Marsh was originally a place where spies from other races frequently came and went, but such frequent occurrences are very rare. Even high-level members of other races are appearing, risking their lives… I’ve heard that a large number of spies from other races have also appeared in the Bone Burial Desert, which is under the jurisdiction of the Demon Race. The Demon Race cultivators patrolling there have also suffered heavy casualties. Could it be that the other races are trying to attack our Human and Demon Races? I’m worried they might be planning to attack the Heavenly City,” Cultivator Ma expressed his concerns with a dark expression. Upon hearing this, the faces of the squad members instantly turned grim.

“That’s impossible. The last attack by other races was only 30,000 years ago. Usually, such events happen every 60,000 to 70,000 years, right?” Cultivator Xu said, blinking her sparkling eyes.

“It’s true that wars have occurred at intervals of 60,000 to 70,000 years, or even 100,000 years. However, if a major upheaval occurs, other races might start a large-scale battle even before that, risking significant damage to their vitality! 500,000 years ago, during the Great War of a Hundred Races, several other races joined forces and attacked five times in a row, almost wiping out the Human and Demon Races. It is said that it took 100,000 years after that for them to regain their former prosperity. Of course, the other races that started the war back then didn’t fare well either, and two of those races were annihilated because of it,” Cultivator Ma’s expression became serious.

“The Great War of a Hundred Races? Please, don’t even joke about such things. Do you think a large-scale war can happen so easily? And why would it happen when we’re in the Heavenly City?” Tak Chung’s eyes widened as if he hated the thought.

“Cultivator Ma, you worry too much. A war like the Great War of a Hundred Races is something that even if we were to be reborn a dozen times, we would hardly ever encounter. It’s said that during that war, even if ordinary people survived, eight or nine out of ten cultivators died,” Cultivator Xu also shook her head as if the thought was horrifying.

“That can’t be…” Other squad members also changed their expressions at the mention of the Great War of a Hundred Races, scolding Old Man Ma as if asking why he would say such things.

“Enough. It’s just that spies from other races have been appearing frequently recently, so don’t jump to conclusions. However, since it has happened once before, it could happen again. But there’s nothing we can do about it with our abilities anyway. Our priority is to complete our assigned patrol mission, so let’s leave the other matters to the elders to handle,” Han Li calmly settled the commotion and flew forward first. The other squad members stopped talking and followed him.

Several days later, Han Li and his squad returned to the Heavenly City’s tower on the Golden Essence Boat.

While the others rested, he left the garrison alone and went to the top of the stone tower. Han Li passed through a dozen or so floors and several doors, arriving at a seemingly ordinary great hall.

The walls of the great hall shimmered with golden light, and it was clear at a glance that powerful golden restrictions were layered upon each other. There was no one there except for a middle-aged man in a white robe sitting at a stone table and chair. As Han Li entered, the middle-aged man, who had been closing his eyes, slowly opened them.

“It’s Nephew Han. Did you have any gains this time? Did you bring back a prisoner or a corpse? Which is it?” the middle-aged man asked casually, as if he were familiar with Han Li.

“Reporting to Senior Moon, this time I captured a spy from the Spirit Race,” Han Li respectfully clasped his hands and then turned his palm over, taking out a jade box and placing it on the stone table with both hands.

“The Spirit Race! Oh, they’re a race that is rarely captured as prisoners. Let’s have a look,” the middle-aged man in the white robe finally showed a change in expression, as if he were intrigued.

He made a hand seal with one hand and struck the table, revealing a small formation on the table. He placed the jade box inside, and the jade box was completely covered in silver light.

The middle-aged man in the white robe didn’t mind and flicked one sleeve towards the jade box. The lid of the jade box opened, and a faint green bead of light appeared inside.

“A Green Shadow! A high-level member of the Spirit Race. And you captured it alive? Nephew Han, you’ve made a great contribution this time.”

“You flatter me. By the way, is it true that Elder Hyung from the Heavenly Spirit Realm will be giving a lecture on talisman techniques at the Heavenly Light Hall in fifteen days?”

“That’s right. Elder Hyung has been chosen for this lecture at the Heavenly Light Hall. He’s exceptionally talented in that area, so it’s probably true. Are you interested?” the middle-aged man in the white robe asked, as if surprised.

“I’ve been studying talisman techniques recently, but I haven’t had a place to seek guidance.”

“If you study talisman techniques deeply, they can be a great help in dealing with enemies. However, they are still just supplementary techniques. Nephew Han, you’ve reached the mid-stage of Spirit Transformation in a short time after your ascension, so your future is boundless! Such a cultivation speed is rare among us ascended cultivators. Don’t make the mistake of abandoning the path to the Great Dao [the ultimate path of cultivation] by getting distracted by trivial things,” the middle-aged man frowned but advised with a warm voice.

“Thank you for your concern. I will keep your words close to my heart. However, I really want to attend Elder Hyung’s lecture this time. Is there any way I can get a chance to enter the Heavenly Light Hall with my past contributions?”

“If you want it that much, I won’t stop you. Combining your previous contributions with the contribution of capturing the Green Shadow alive, you have more than enough to enter the Heavenly Light Hall. Haha, you never miss a lecture by an elder, which happens once every ten years. Good, I’ll calculate your contributions, so go to the Merit Hall and receive the Dao Transmission Token [a token that grants access to special events or teachings],” the middle-aged man in the white robe took out a jade pendant from his sleeve, engraved something on it, and gave it to Han Li. Han Li received the jade pendant, bowed to the middle-aged man, and retreated.

The middle-aged man watched Han Li leave, nodded, then closed the jade box and made a hand seal, pointing at the stone table. The formation on the table then emitted a dazzling light, and the jade box disappeared, enveloped in white light.

Han Li left the stone tower and headed towards the Heavenly City market. A few hours later, he landed in front of the Tai Xuan Hall in the middle of the market. He paid spirit stones, received a light-blocking talisman to hide his appearance, and entered without hesitation.

After passing through a long passage, a huge hall appeared in a silver glow, filled with Human and Demon Race cultivators trying to trade items. The silver and black lights flickered, and there seemed to be at least three or four hundred people.

There were dozens of stalls in the hall, but Han Li’s gaze was fixed on a certain stone pillar. There, a Demon Race member shrouded in black aura was standing still, waiting.

After taking a deep breath, Han Li walked towards him.

“You’ve finally arrived. After our last transaction, I thought you had gone into secluded cultivation, Cultivator,” before he could even approach, a low chuckle reached his ears, welcoming him.

“I came just in case. Luckily, Cultivator Yeom was really here. It seems you’ve also sensed that something is amiss these days. We should probably hurry and finish our transaction,” Han Li also smiled and replied through telepathy.

“Amiss?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. The number of Human and Demon Race members gathered in the hall for trading is several times higher than before. What does that mean?” the woman in the black aura asked coldly, but Han Li remained calm.

“Have you heard anything?”

“I don’t know about anything else, but I do know that high-level cultivators are frequently being dispatched, and the number of spies from other races in my area is five or six times higher than before. How is it on your side?”

“…It’s similar. The old folks here are also showing their faces more often, and there are many unfamiliar faces in the city. Judging by their cultivation, they seem to be new recruits from the Seven Lands [a region or area],” the woman hesitated for a moment and then answered honestly.

“I see. Something is really happening. In your opinion, what is the probability that the other races will attack the city?”

“At least 30%. Otherwise, there would be no such changes in the city.”

“30%… That’s quite high.”

“That’s right. So, I’m thinking of not showing up again after this transaction. If you want to live, it’s better to leave the city as soon as possible. Once a war breaks out with the other races, it will be difficult for people like us to avoid disaster.”

“It’s easy to say, but leaving the city isn’t easy. Besides, I have to every year…” Han Li, who was speaking with a bitter smile, stopped talking as if he had thought of something.

“It’s difficult to leave now. We all have different circumstances, so we should each take care of ourselves. It seems we’ve exchanged enough information, shall we trade the items now?” the woman smiled lightly and got to the point.

“How many spirit herb seeds did you gather this time, Cultivator? Some of the ones you brought last time were relatively rare, but not very useful.”

“Don’t worry. This time, I’ve obtained not only other spirit herbs but also some that you specifically asked for. To be honest, I wouldn’t have traded these seeds if it weren’t for the possibility of a large-scale battle. But do you have enough ten-thousand-year spirit herbs?”

“Have I ever been short in our previous transactions?” Han Li looked at her and smiled back.

“That’s true. But the seeds I’ve obtained this time are so precious that, in the long run, they’re more valuable than your ten-thousand-year spirit herbs. If the market price of ten-thousand-year spirit herbs wasn’t so high right now, I wouldn’t have been able to part with them.”

The woman turned her palm over and took out a jade-colored wooden box and threw it to him. The box was engraved with antique patterns, and faint magic characters flickered.

Han Li carefully pulled the box towards him, used his Brightsight Spirit Eyes [a technique to see through objects] to see through the box, and then infused a powerful consciousness to examine it in detail.

For a moment, he stood there with a blank expression, not moving.

However, the woman in the black aura did not urge him or find it strange. She was just intently watching Han Li in the silver aura.

“Hoo.” After a while, she sighed briefly and averted her gaze.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t curious. A person who continuously trades rare spirit herb seeds with a huge quantity of thousand-year spirit herbs could not be ordinary.

She speculated that he was a member of the mysterious True Spirit Clan of the Human Race. In particular, she thought he was likely a member of the ‘Min Family,’ which was famous for cultivating spirit herbs.

However, the other party was so cautious that she had tried to probe him several times during their interactions, but she couldn’t find out his background, and she even made the mistake of revealing her own identity. The woman had been uncomfortable for a long time because of that.

After that, she gave up trying to find out the other party’s identity. She was worried that she might be careless and reveal her own identity.

The woman felt excited when she thought about the ten-thousand-year spirit herbs she had obtained through her transactions with him.

She also had a special status and enjoyed a considerable position within her race, but so many ten-thousand-year spirit herbs were not something that could be gathered just with money.