Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 981

The silver fireballs showed no mercy to the blood-red flames; wherever the silver flames touched, the blood-red flames vanished without a trace.

In the blink of an eye, the sea of blood-red fire had almost completely disappeared, and the palace lady’s face turned pale.

She spat out a stream of blood-red energy toward the fan, but before she could replenish its power, the blood-red fan shattered and burst.

‘How can this be!’ she exclaimed.

The blood-red fan was a treasure of extraordinary power. It released blood-red flames containing a potent poison that could contaminate anything it touched, including most treasures and protective barriers. The lady had defeated numerous enemies using this fan.

However, the blood-red flames couldn’t even reach Han Li and were devoured by the strange silver firebird.

As her treasure was linked to her consciousness, the lady coughed up blood, and her complexion turned ashen. But there was no time to be surprised. The silver firebird was retrieving its feathers and rushing toward her.

The lady wiped the blood from her mouth and took out a blood-red gourd from her waist, another cherished treasure. She chanted incantations, and a blood-red light flickered inside the gourd.

Swish!

The blood poured out like a waterfall, creating a blood-red wave that engulfed the silver firebird. The blood, reeking of gore, contained a dark energy, an attack that exuded a sinister aura.

The Spirit Devouring Firebird warily eyed the blood and, instead of charging straight in, spewed out a milky white energy from its mouth.

Tsutsutsut!

The milky white energy collided with the blood, creating a strange sound and white steam. The milky white energy was a transformation of the Golden Crow’s True Flame [a powerful, pure yang fire], containing pure Yang energy, the opposite of the sinister blood.

The milky white energy continued to flow from the silver firebird, and the blood from the blood-red gourd seemed endless. It appeared that the standoff between the two would continue for some time.

Han Li observed the palace lady, preoccupied with controlling the blood-red gourd, and the distant old man. His gaze, now cold, finally settled on the green-haired alien.

All three were at the peak of the Void Refinement Stage [a high cultivation level], but the old man’s aura was the weakest, and the palace lady’s was the strongest. If he could eliminate the green-haired alien in the middle, their combined attack would crumble instantly.

Han Li took a deep breath and summoned a pair of crystal wings and golden scale armor on his back.

Kwagwang!

He flapped his wings and disappeared into blue-white lightning. At the same time, the blue lotus beneath his feet transformed into over a hundred blue lights, shooting toward the old man and the palace lady.

The expressions of the lady and the old man changed as the blue sword lights rushed toward them.

The old man took out a plate from a silver disc and threw it. The plate multiplied into a dozen, forming a silver barrier that blocked the blue sword energy. The palace lady spat out a mass of blood-red threads from her mouth.

The blood-red threads turned into thin needles that collided with the sword lights, creating a dazzling display of sparks. For a moment, the lady and the old man’s attention was focused on the blue sword lights.

The green-haired alien, seeing Han Li disappear, felt a chill and immediately formed a hand seal, summoning a yellow bronze halberd with a right-angled blade.

Almost at the same time, blue-white lightning flashed above the green-haired alien’s head, and a snow-white hand reached out.

The five-colored cold flames spreading from the white hand transformed into a giant five-colored hand, attempting to grab the green-haired alien.

And from afar, the Heaven Refining Cauldron launched a mass of blue threads, which vanished as soon as they left the cauldron.

The green-haired alien, already on guard, didn’t hesitate to activate the yellow bronze halberd the moment Han Li appeared. The bronze halberd trembled and emitted a dazzling light, slicing at the giant hand.

The bronze halberd was a treasure the green-haired alien had found in an ancient ruin, and it was powerful in breaking spells. Most spell attacks couldn’t withstand a single blow and were cut down. However, the giant hand was also made by condensing five-colored cold flames.

The yellow light penetrated the five-colored giant hand but could go no further and was blocked. Han Li, his eyes gleaming, quickly activated a magic seal, and the five-colored giant hand firmly grasped the bronze halberd.

The green-haired alien, terrified, tried to raise his magic power and unleash another divine ability, but a ripple appeared in the void, and the mass of blue threads appeared, wrapping around him.

The green-haired alien fiercely ignited green flames from his body, trying to burn the threads, but strangely, the blue threads only shimmered with spiritual light and didn’t burn at all.

Han Li sneered and raised one hand, summoning the Heaven Refining Cauldron. He flicked the cauldron with his finger, and a deep resonance spread out.

Ding!

The blue threads binding the green-haired alien glowed and tightened even more. As Han Li’s cultivation increased, the power of the Heaven Refining Cauldron had become much stronger than before.

At this moment, the five-colored giant hand holding the yellow bronze halberd fell down.

The immense pressure caused the green-haired alien’s body to crack as if it were about to break. It was only because he had trained in a special technique that his body was so tough; if it were an ordinary cultivator, his entire body would have exploded.

But even so, the green-haired alien could only watch as the giant hand fell toward his head.

Crack!

The green-haired alien’s head split open like a watermelon, and the blue threads that had been binding his body disappeared. His headless body fell powerlessly to the ground.

As soon as the corpse hit the ground, a green fireball quickly soared up and began to flee. A spatial fluctuation occurred, and a small human figure could be seen inside the fireball that appeared in the distance.

However, before the green fireball could teleport again, a blue light flashed, and a flying sword flew toward it. The Nascent Soul [the core of a cultivator’s being] didn’t have time to dodge and screamed as it was split in two and scattered.

From afar, Han Li gestured, and the flying sword returned to his body. He slowly turned his head and looked at the palace lady and the old man with a cold gaze.

The old man and the lady, busy blocking the attacks of the flying swords, clearly saw what had happened. Their eyes were filled with fear.

Just as Han Li was about to activate the cauldron again, a bull’s bellow was heard from afar, followed by an earth-shattering roar.

Han Li, the old man, and the palace lady simultaneously turned their gazes. The black waves and red clouds that had been fighting in the distance were now separating and rushing toward them.

The black waves were a fierce tide, and the red clouds were a sea of crimson flames.

The black and red lights that covered the sky changed the expressions of not only Han Li but also the old man and the palace lady.

Han Li quickly retrieved the small cauldron and extended his hand toward the old man and the lady.

Then, the silver firebird exploded, leaving behind sparks and disappearing, and the black mountain peak that had been confronting the white clouds above the old man’s head also vanished like an illusion.

As Han Li retrieved the black mountain and the silver firebird, the blue sword lights that had been tormenting the old man and the lady retreated at once. The flying swords that had been flashing around Han Li also entered his body.

Even the yellow cauldron that had lost its owner was sucked into his hand.

Han Li gathered all his treasures and flapped his wings, emitting blue-white lightning. After the lightning flashed a few more times, he disappeared into the distant sky.

However, the old man and the lady didn’t dare to chase after him. They had seen his power in killing the green-haired alien in an instant. No matter how important the Immortal Essence was, it was not more important than their lives.

They reacted differently to the approaching black waves and red clouds. The lady remained still in the blood-red light, but the old man retrieved the treasure that had turned into white clouds and fled, cutting through the sky.

His speed was so fast that he was not far behind Han Li, who was using the Thunder Escape Technique. Now, only the palace lady was left alone in the void.

She narrowed her brows and stared at the approaching red clouds and black waves, lost in thought. After a while, a roar and wind blew, and the red clouds and black waves arrived.

“Blood Shadow, where is the Immortal Essence?”

A giant toad demon beast, Ge Seo, appeared from within the red clouds. The toad, whose skin was burning red, had its eyes closed, and a gray bead on its forehead was emitting a strange light.

“Are you joking? If I had the Immortal Essence, Uncle Tie Bai would have recognized it immediately. Besides, if I had obtained such a spiritual object, I would have already run away, not waited here,” the palace lady answered Ge Seo politely.

“You and Blood Fury are both outwardly docile, but you are the type of people who have hidden agendas. I can’t just let you go without asking clearly. You know what will happen if you deceive me, right?” A chilling voice flowed from Ge Seo’s mouth. The owner, Tie Shima, was residing in Ge Seo’s body.

“This is not the time to waste time with such useless talk. We must hurry and chase after the Immortal Essence. Don’t forget that you promised to give me the Lishui Pearl if I help you,” the black waves surged, and an alligator with a long mouth suddenly poked its head out.

“Cultivator Maak, you haven’t been a Saint Realm [a very high cultivation realm] for long, and your cultivation isn’t even stable yet, so you should watch your words a little? Even though I’m just an incarnation, I think I can still beat you in your current state,” Tie Ma coldly warned, borrowing Ge Seo’s mouth.

“Is that so? I’m starting to want to see if that’s true,” Maak’s eyes flashed fiercely. In response, the gray bead on Ge Seo’s forehead glowed, and the surrounding red clouds blazed. Maak also opened his large mouth, and the black waves surged violently. They were on the verge of clashing.

“Hmph! I’ll let it go for the sake of your former master’s reputation. If we find the Immortal Essence, I will give you the Lishui Pearl as promised,” despite his cold tone, Tie Ma seemed wary of Maak.

“I’ll believe that you won’t lie about such a thing, being in the same Saint Realm. By the way, if the Immortal Essence isn’t with that child, does that mean it’s with an outsider who ran away? Shouldn’t we ask what happened?” Maak let out a strange laugh.

“Ask that child? Do you think either Blood Fury or that child would want the Immortal Essence to fall into my hands? It would be better if the two of us each chased after one of them,” the giant toad snorted as if he found it ridiculous.

“Understood. I’ll go that way. Once I find the Immortal Essence, I’ll come back to exchange it for the Lishui Pearl,” Maak laughed and submerged his head into the black waves.

Kurung!

The black waves flew in the direction the old man had fled. And the Ge Seo in the red clouds flew toward Han Li. Once again, only the palace lady with a complicated expression was left behind.

As the receding red clouds and black waves disappeared from her sight, she muttered bitterly, “Maak has entered the Saint Realm! I need to inform my father about this quickly. Tsk, it would be better if that Han kid had taken the Immortal Essence and run away.”

She transformed into a streak of blood-red light and tore through the void.

Far away, Han Li was using the Thunder Escape Technique to flee when he heard a loud noise behind him, and the red clouds were chasing after him.

Han Li sighed. He didn’t have much of the Evil-Slaying Divine Thunder left, so he couldn’t keep using the Wind Thunder Wings. Moreover, the pursuer’s momentum was extraordinary, and if he didn’t deal with it quickly, it would be difficult to escape.

‘This should be far enough,’ he thought.

After flying for a while, Han Li stopped among the giant mountain peaks. He retracted the lightning and emitted countless blue lights. The blue lights flew into the void everywhere and disappeared.

He had deployed the Spring Dawn Sword Formation, thinking that the pursuer was not ordinary. With the sword formation, he was confident that he could kill even a Combined Body Stage [another high cultivation level] existence.

Kwarurung.

Not long after he deployed the sword formation, the surroundings were dyed blood-red, and the red clouds rushed in. It was a spectacular sight, as if the god of fire had descended.