Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 919

An intangible force of consciousness cautiously probed the two Han Lis. However, their reactions were completely different. The one with his eyes closed showed no reaction, as if he felt nothing at all.

The girl, upon releasing her consciousness, realized that the other person was not emitting any consciousness fluctuations, as if he were dead. She couldn’t understand what was happening.

This was only possible if the opponent was using a secret technique to completely conceal their consciousness, or if they were an empty body without a soul.

‘Oh, no!’

Suddenly, the girl’s expression changed drastically, and her lips trembled. As her consciousness stealthily approached the opponent, it was suddenly sucked into a massive vortex, becoming uncontrollable.

Startled, the girl quickly withdrew her secret technique and retrieved her consciousness, thankfully returning without any issues. Her expression was blank. At that moment, the Han Li who had his eyes open gave her a strange look, as if he was smiling.

However, Madam Hwa, seemingly oblivious, finished explaining the effects and usage of the Blazing Sun Divine Pill. Without another word, she bowed and left the room, taking her bewildered daughter with her.

“Jaehon, really now. Why did you suddenly tease a child?”

At that moment, the Han Li who had been tightly closing his eyes opened them after confirming that Madam Hwa and the girl had left, and then reactivated the room’s restrictions.

“Master! Isn’t that girl audacious? With only a Core Formation cultivation, she dared to test your consciousness.”

Jaehon chuckled and replied, then transformed into a small, jet-black monkey. Since developing intelligence in the Natural Cavern, Jaehon had read various scriptures, accumulating knowledge and experience, making it difficult to distinguish him even when he transformed into ‘Han Li’.

The small monkey climbed onto Han Li’s shoulder and lifted the jade box towards him. Han Li smiled and said nothing more.

As Han Li accepted the jade box, it opened on its own. A red aura emanated from it, and a hot energy filled the air, making it feel as if one were standing next to a furnace.

Han Li was delighted and carefully examined the pill. Within the red aura, a bead was emitting a radiant glow, drawing his attention.

“So, this is the Blazing Sun Divine Pill! It is indeed unique.”

He murmured, and as he reached out with his finger, the bead unexpectedly released a red flame that engulfed his hand.

If it were an ordinary cultivator, they would have been burned by the strange flame, but Han Li’s body was unaffected by this level of fire. He casually lifted the bead. Jaehon, sitting on his shoulder, rolled his black eyes, watching with curiosity.

Han Li examined the pill and pondered. According to Madam Hwa, this pill had an extremely strong fire attribute, making it complicated to process within the body if consumed directly. Those with incompatible constitutions could suffer seizures, and low-level cultivators could even be burned alive.

The best method was to consume it with a supplementary pill containing a large amount of cold energy to suppress the fire energy. However, Han Li felt it was a waste to forcefully suppress the pill’s attributes. So, he opened his mouth and released a silver bead. It was the Silver Spirit Heavenly Flame.

The Silver Spirit Heavenly Flame transformed into a fist-sized silver firebird and flew around him. Han Li raised an eyebrow and flicked his fingertip, sending the red bead slowly flying. The silver firebird let out a clear cry and rushed towards the red bead, engulfing the Blazing Sun Divine Pill in silver flames.

* * *

After leaving Han Li’s residence, Madam Hwa and the girl moved quickly on a white cloud.

“Your consciousness wasn’t damaged, was it?”

“I’m fine, Mother. I was just a little surprised.”

The girl smiled awkwardly.

“If you’re alright, that’s good. It seems that Master Han is definitely not someone to be trifled with. It was fortunate that we gave him the Blazing Sun Divine Pill.”

“Yes, I didn’t find out anything specific, but he certainly seemed to have some tricks up his sleeve. The problem is that Mother’s vital energy is greatly damaged, shortening her lifespan. How should we resolve that?”

“Haha, I am the High Priestess. Even if my lifespan is shortened, I should be satisfied if it can save our race from this crisis. If it weren’t for the sacrifices and protection of the High Priestesses throughout the generations, would our Hwayang Clan have survived until today? There are few High Priestesses in history who have lived out their full lifespans.

Now, let’s not dwell on this. Let’s go back and make other preparations. Master Han needs to see the effects of the pill as soon as possible to save us from this crisis…”

“But…”

The girl’s eyes turned red as she tried to object, but Madam Hwa, not wanting to discuss the matter further, increased the speed of the cloud. The cloud, transformed into a white mass of light, disappeared into the distance.

While Han Li was recuperating, the security of Hwaun Island became more stringent than ever. The snake-people living on the island no longer left to gather materials or food, and the tens of thousands of clan members all gathered in the earthen fortress.

The restrictions set up in the fortress were all activated, and the seemingly insignificant earthen walls of the fortress were surrounded by a barrier of red, yellow, and green light. In addition, thousands of elite soldiers, fully armed, patrolled the fortress at all times.

In the center of the fortress, all the Hwayang Clan priests gathered, following the orders of Madam Hwa and the girl, to stabilize their minds and bodies in the main hall. Inside the main hall, a mysterious five-colored barrier was spread out, and the source of its energy was a cone-shaped magical artifact in the center of the plaza.

As the defenses were strengthened, a different kind of tension flowed through the earthen fortress. While Madam Hwa and the girl were accumulating energy with the priests in the main hall, a man’s voice echoed through the barrier, reaching the main hall.

“Cultivator Hwa, I have refined the pill and have come out of seclusion. Open the restrictions.”

It was Han Li. Hearing those words, the other priests seemed slightly surprised, but Madam Hwa showed a delighted expression. Honestly, she had been secretly worried that he might not fulfill his promise.

However, with the threat of annihilation looming, there was no other option but to trust the outsider.

Madam Hwa happily waved her hand and took out a red disc. The five-colored energy protecting the main hall flickered and created a crack. Of course, the crack disappeared in a few breaths, and the five-colored barrier returned to normal.

In that fleeting moment, a golden light flashed outside the main hall, and someone flew in strangely and walked in calmly. The young man in the blue robe had a radiant glow on his face.

Han Li’s complexion was noticeably different compared to two weeks ago. He had benefited from the Blazing Sun Divine Pill.

“Master Han, you have come to help us! How much has your magical power recovered?”

Madam Hwa rose to her feet and greeted him personally. Jua also stood up, looking uncomfortable.

“The Blazing Sun Divine Pill is good for healing, but because my injuries were severe, I have only recovered about 70 to 80 percent of my body. For the rest, I think time is better than relying on pills. However, if your enemies are not too strong, it will be enough for me to lend a hand.”

Madam Hwa’s expression subtly changed when she heard that Han Li had not fully recovered even after taking the Blazing Sun Divine Pill, but she felt relieved by his confident words.

The Hwayang Clan priests in the main hall whispered about him, but he didn’t pay much attention. After he sat down at Madam Hwa’s guidance, they exchanged a few words out of courtesy.

Then, Madam Hwa looked around the main hall with a solemn gaze, and the priests who had been whispering quietly fell silent at once.

The main hall became quiet again. Just then, Han Li felt a gaze on him and opened his eyes. Baek Jua was secretly glancing at him.

When their eyes met, the girl looked frightened and immediately turned away. It seemed that the incident when she came to deliver the pill had left quite an impression. Han Li raised the corners of his mouth and closed his eyes.

The Blazing Sun Divine Pill could be easily refined by absorbing its fire-attribute spiritual energy with the Silver Spirit Heavenly Flame. It was not an exaggeration when Madam Hwa spoke of the pill’s efficacy; even the damage to his essence and consciousness had recovered significantly in a short time.

Having seen the effects of the pill, Han Li had no intention of going back on his promise. His cultivation had reached the Void Refinement stage, and he possessed several powerful divine abilities, so even if he was injured, he could sufficiently protect himself.

Coincidentally, less than half a day after his arrival, the enemy revealed themselves.

Thump!

Loud noises echoed from all directions of the earthen fortress. It sounded like a giant monster was fiercely attacking the fortress. The Hwayang Clan priests sitting in the main hall immediately rose from their seats with tense expressions.

Madam Hwa raised an eyebrow with a cold expression.

“Why are you all so flustered! We have already prepared. With three layers of restrictions surrounding us, no matter how powerful the enemy is, they will not be able to enter the fortress at once. First, let’s identify the enemy and devise a plan.”

Madam Hwa displayed her authority as the leader of the clan.

Han Li also opened his eyes at her voice, but he looked very calm. Having experienced countless battles, there was no way he would be flustered by this level of conflict.

At that moment, Madam Hwa flicked her sleeve and took out a red spirit tablet, illuminating the center of the main hall. A red light shot out from the spirit tablet and seeped into the floor of the main hall.

Whoosh!

A red aura flickered on the floor, and a formation appeared, blazing with flames. Then, the spirit tablet in Madam Hwa’s hand flashed and condensed into a palm-sized crystal ball, slowly rotating within the flames.

The snake-people in white robes gathered and positioned themselves outside the formation. They chanted incantations and threw hand seals into the crystal ball. The flames of the formation burned more fiercely, and numerous sparks transformed into fire snakes, leaping towards the red crystal.

Then, the surface of the crystal ball flickered, and it began to vividly display the situation outside in the flames.

Everywhere in the earthen fortress, armed snake-people were quickly climbing the walls to prepare for defense, and some snake-people who controlled lizard monsters gathered near the gates.

With murderous intent, thousands of snake-people moved to their designated positions in an orderly manner. Seeing this, a look of surprise flashed in Han Li’s eyes.

‘The effect of the formation and the crystal is similar to the Myriad Dragon Pearl [a powerful artifact].’

He had not expected that the Hwayang Clan, a small faction, would possess such an item.

“Show us the outside of the fortress walls!”

As Madam Hwa gave the order, the priests threw in more hand seals, and the crystal ball became clearer, showing the fortress walls.

Except for the twilight sky, nothing could be seen. However, those inside the main hall held their breath and watched intently.

Not long after, the ground suddenly shook, and the rumbling sound stopped. The priests were startled and their expressions changed.

In the darkened sky, a huge, cow-shaped monster wearing black scale armor appeared. On the backs of the cow monsters were baskets as large as houses, and countless figures were densely packed inside.

The cow monsters were huge, but they walked slowly, making their presence barely noticeable.

“Those are the Black Armored Beasts! Then, those riding on them are…”

One of the snake-people widened his eyes and muttered.

“The Aura Clan! That’s impossible. They were said to have been annihilated by the Wassi Clan, so how could they have appeared?”

“That’s right, it’s impossible.”

“For the Aura Clan, who were extinct tens of thousands of years ago, to attack us, this is absurd.”

The snake-people in the main hall had differing opinions, but as the Black Armored Beasts drew closer and those riding on them became clearly visible, they all fell silent with troubled expressions.