Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 872

‘This is!’

Han Li’s spine went cold, and he froze. It felt as if an invisible, enormous force had trapped his body. His face instantly changed, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.

Fortunately, the giant eye, the size of a door, shifted its gaze elsewhere, and everything returned to normal.

Only then did Han Li understand why the Ji Xue Old Monster valued this puppet so much.

The Blood Fiend Puppet’s strength might even surpass that of the Ji Xue Old Monster. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to exert such immense pressure just by looking at him.

He had almost used the Evil Breaking Eye to block its gaze!

Clearly, the Blood Fiend Puppet was not only large but also possessed a profound consciousness.

He passed the puppet’s head and descended straight down. After a while, he reached the puppet’s chest level, where the Ji Xue Old Monster was waiting for him.

Han Li looked at the armor the puppet was wearing, his face puzzled. Even up close, he couldn’t see the formation that Ji Xue had mentioned anywhere.

‘Could it be that Ji Xue Old Monster’s idea is…’

“Fellow Daoist Han, let me briefly explain the formation that will be engraved on the helmet and armor! Once the engraving begins, you must inject the Evil Breaking Divine Lightning accordingly, and finally, we will seal the power of the formation and the Evil Breaking Divine Lightning simultaneously.”

Ji Xue said something unexpected.

Injecting the Evil Breaking Divine Lightning into the formation and injecting it while engraving the formation were completely different matters. The former was simple, but the latter required considerable mental effort to match the progress of the formation engraving.

‘Is that why he was so nice to me?’

Han Li was inwardly uneasy, but outwardly, he showed no change in expression and replied that he would do his best. Pleased with his obedient answer, the Ji Xue Old Monster nodded with a satisfied look.

At that moment, the Ji Xue Old Monster moved and flew to one side of the puppet’s chest. He flicked his sleeve, and a red bottle flew out, releasing a purple liquid. The liquid floated in the air, shimmering with spiritual light.

Although his entire body was covered in a blood-red robe, he was constantly changing hand seals.

“Fellow Daoist Han, you must watch carefully! Once the formation is engraved, the puppet will possess much more mystical abilities. I will explain it later, but for now, try to understand by observing directly. If you understand well, my work will be much easier.”

A strange voice echoed from behind Han Li. Startled, Han Li turned his head and saw another figure in a blood-red robe standing there. The other person had a calm expression, as if he had been waiting there, and Han Li hadn’t sensed him at all until he made a sound.

“Thank you for your guidance, Senior. I will do my best to learn.”

He clasped his hands and spoke respectfully. When Han Li turned his head back, he saw the Ji Xue Old Monster, who had suddenly appeared, making a hand seal with one hand and dividing the purple liquid with the other.

Bang!

The purple liquid exploded and transformed into fist-sized spell characters, which were sucked into the giant armor.

Woong.

Spiritual light flashed, and the spell characters floated on the surface of the armor with a low hum. The spell characters continued to change shape. Han Li was mesmerized as he watched, and the other Ji Xue Old Monster, who had approached him, began to explain.

“A formation using spell characters, a ‘Talisman Array’ [a formation using written symbols]. The Talisman Array we are engraving now is called ‘Golden Inscription,’ which makes the armor extremely sturdy, so that ordinary magical artifacts cannot damage it at all! This Talisman Array consists of three layers. The first layer is…”

Han Li also had considerable knowledge of puppetry, so listening to Ji Xue’s direct explanation from the side resolved many of the questions he had had.

In just one hour, Ji Xue’s Talisman Array creation was almost complete. Now, the process of stabilizing the formation would begin.

“Now is the time. You must inject the Evil Breaking Divine Lightning into the eye of the last layer of the formation!”

The Ji Xue Old Monster who was with Han Li said hastily. Han Li pondered what he had learned and immediately moved.

Kwagwang!

As his two hands crossed, a loud thunderclap echoed, and golden lightning burst out, bathing the surroundings in a brilliant golden light. The Ji Xue who was standing beside him looked at the golden lightning with a strange glint in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

* * *

One and a half months later, Han Li returned to the secret chamber in the Wood Spirit Cave. He stroked the white jade pendant, lost in thought.

For over a month, he had gone down to the Blood Flame Palace almost every day to assist the Ji Xue Old Monster, and he had barely managed to finish the work.

And when the agreed time came, Mu Qing came directly to the Blood Flame Palace and took him back.

Although he had spent a great deal of mental energy pouring the Evil Breaking Divine Lightning into the Talisman Array day and night, it was not a loss.

Even if nothing else, the Spirit Eye Refining Method and the explanation of the Talisman Array he had heard from the Ji Xue Old Monster were quite a significant gain.

Moreover, just before leaving, the Ji Xue Old Monster had given him some of Ji Yan’s unique puppet materials and rare medicinal herbs.

He didn’t know what the other party’s purpose was in treating him so well, but it was a satisfactory transaction.

However, what Han Li was holding now was an incomplete copy of the Golden Jade Book’s outer volume. It contained several powerful talismans [magical charms], one of which was the Taiyi Azure Talisman, and the others were the ‘Nine Palaces Heavenly Dry Talisman’ used to trap enemies, the offensive ‘Heavenly Spear Talisman,’ and the shadow puppet talisman ‘Armor Origin Talisman.’

The Heavenly Spear Talisman, which was the most powerful, was too profound for him to study at his current level. However, he had already mastered a significant portion of the Nine Palaces Heavenly Dry Talisman and the Armor Origin Talisman, but he had not been able to gain enlightenment on some important parts.

However, after receiving guidance from the Ji Xue Old Monster and returning, several problems were understood at once, and he was able to refine the two talismans.

The materials needed for both types were extremely rare, but fortunately, they were not completely unavailable.

Han Li had collected the materials needed for the talismans as he saw them when he was in the Heavenly Origin City.

Finally, today was the day those materials would shine.

Originally, talisman refinement could only begin after thoroughly internalizing and practicing the related content for a long time. However, the Demon Kings were constantly eyeing him, so he didn’t have time for that.

Thanks to the Evil Breaking Divine Lightning, his safety would be guaranteed for a few years, but the situation would change depending on what they decided to do.

Han Li had climbed all the way to the Spirit Realm solely through his own strength. There was no way he would now do the foolish thing of entrusting his life to others.

‘Refining two types of talismans will increase the chances of saving my life.’

Han Li’s expression changed from moment to moment, but then returned to his usual calm face. He slowly closed his eyes, infused his consciousness into the jade pendant, and reviewed the talisman refinement method from beginning to end.

After a while, he flicked his wrist, and a blue light flew up, rotating in the air. It was the bracelet-shaped spatial treasure, the Lowly Wood Table.

Han Li extended his finger.

Whirr.

A blue light shot out, and dozens of medicine bottles and wooden boxes were scattered on the floor. He pointed to a white wooden box, and a silver, glittering object flew out from within.

Han Li spread his palm and floated it in front of his face. It was a beautiful demon beast hide, as smooth as silk.

The silver, shimmering spell characters were incredibly beautiful.

It was the hide of a rare ancient beast called the Windfire Beast, a material for the Spirit Puppet [a magical construct].

This ancient beast possessed both wind and fire elemental powers and preferred cool places, often sleeping for long periods under wetlands, making it very difficult to catch. Its tracks could only be followed when the Windfire Beast moved to hunt.

Refining a Spirit Puppet talisman with this would increase both the success rate and the power, making it extremely valuable. Han Li had barely managed to obtain a few pieces from a fairly large shop in the Heavenly Origin City, using ten-thousand-year-old spirit medicines.

He planned to use it to refine the Armor Origin Talisman.

The Armor Origin Talisman, like other Spirit Puppet talismans, could summon a shadow puppet when activated, which could replicate some of the caster’s divine abilities and cultivation. The magnitude of its power depended on the refinement level of the talisman and the caster’s cultivation.

Generally, Spirit Puppet talismans could only replicate about 20 to 50 percent of the original power and could only use a small portion of the divine abilities. Spirit Puppet talismans that perfectly replicated all of the caster’s abilities were said to exist in the Human Race’s Celestial Realm, but he had never seen one.

Of course, the abilities of these Spirit Puppet talismans were limited, and they could only be used by cultivators with cultivation levels at the Nascent Soul stage or below. Moreover, they were consumable talismans, disappearing without a trace once their power was exhausted.

The power of the Armor Origin Talisman that Han Li had found in the outer volume of the Golden Jade Book was, of course, on a different level from other ordinary Spirit Puppet talismans.

The shadow puppet of the Armor Origin Talisman could unleash more than 70 to 80 percent of the caster’s power and most of their divine abilities, and it could only be used by cultivators at the early Integration stage and below.

Of course, the materials and difficulty of refining the Armor Origin Talisman were also beyond those of ordinary Spirit Puppet talismans.

It was impossible to even dream of it without the true fire possessing extreme cold and heat properties, such as the Frostflame Heavenly Fire, and without thoroughly mastering the refinement method.

Han Li looked at the demon beast hide in front of him, calmed his mind, and opened his mouth.

Fwoosh.

A silver fireball was spat out. It was his Frostflame Heavenly Fire. The silver flame made a clear cry and transformed into a firebird the size of a foot, circling around the demon beast hide.

Han Li recited a hand seal in his mind, and the silver firebird plunged directly into the demon beast hide.

Chwaa!

The silver flame blazed over the hide. The demon beast hide within the flames remained unharmed, and the spell characters on its surface began to wriggle as if they were alive.

It was a mysterious sight.

* * *

A few days later, the door to the secret chamber opened, and Han Li, who had been in secluded cultivation, slowly walked out. He looked tired, but there was an undeniable joy in his expression.

The talisman refinement seemed to have been quite successful. However, he had come out not because Mu Qing was going to teach him a technique, but to relax for a while.

Relaxing was essential for restoring both body and mind. The Wood Spirit Cave’s garden was not as large as the Blood Flame Palace’s, but it was not bad for a leisurely stroll.

Half an hour later, he reached a semi-circular gate and paused, lost in thought as he looked at the shimmering jade-green light.

He had explored most of the Wood Spirit Cave, but he had never entered any place with a restriction. He was particularly curious about places with strong restrictions, even though he was wary of them.

One of those places was called the Emerald Echo Garden. Judging by the pure wood-attribute spiritual energy faintly leaking out from beyond the restriction, he guessed that it was most likely a garden.

Han Li was very curious about the inside, but he smiled wryly as he recalled Mu Qing’s warning from before. This was definitely one of the places she cherished most, among those where entry was forbidden.

And although there was no one around, someone might be watching him. Han Li shook his head and walked away leisurely.

An hour later, he returned to the secret chamber with a much more relaxed expression.

* * *

For almost half a year, Han Li’s daily life flowed in a similar pattern.

Whether it was because he had a natural talent for handling lightning, the Thunder Driving Incantation was not as difficult as Mu Qing had said. In the meantime, Han Li had mastered most of the Thunder Driving Technique, and now all that was left was to get used to it.

Mu Qing was greatly pleased with this and invited the Six Clans and Lady Mi to the Wood Spirit Hall again before the two years were up.