Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 1001

As time passed, the frequency of encountering Dark Beasts slightly increased. Now, they mostly moved in groups of two or three rather than alone. After seven days, the Dark Beasts were gathering in packs of six or more, sometimes even a dozen or more.

The group became even more cautious. With their mystical stealth techniques and high cultivation, they were able to move without being detected by the Dark Beasts.

Fortunately, whether it was due to their good luck or something happening in the Dark Beast Forest, they hadn’t encountered a single high-level Three-Eyed Dark Beast the entire time. If they flew for another three or four days, they would be able to pass through the center of the Dark Beast Forest and reach the outer edges.

However, Han Li, Liu Shui’er, and Shi Kun did not let their guard down. Based on their past experiences, a single mistake could cause their efforts to crumble.

Moreover, the fact that they hadn’t seen any high-level Dark Beasts despite venturing deep into the Dark Beast Forest made them feel uneasy rather than happy.

* * *

Han Li moved as silently and quickly as a ghost. Even though there was a brown giant tree in front of him, he passed through it as if he had no form. However, he furrowed his brow and constantly looked around.

Since he couldn’t spread his consciousness far to avoid detection, he had to rely solely on his Brightsight Eyes [a technique that enhances vision] to spot and avoid the Dark Beasts.

Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun also seemed to have their own methods, as they quickly sensed and avoided the Dark Beasts from afar. They were no slower than him, even with his Brightsight Eyes.

‘Did they master a divine ability related to the five senses? Or are they relying on treasures?’

Through his Spirit Eye Divine Ability [a technique that enhances spiritual perception], Han Li could see that the Dark Beasts that Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun had transformed into were moving at a very fast speed, far apart from each other. He felt relieved and turned his gaze away.

But then, something incredible happened!

Suddenly, a golden shadow shot out from the front and slammed into the Dark Beast that Shi Kun had transformed into from the side. Shi Kun was horrified and tried to dodge, but the golden shadow was too fast.

He had no choice but to remove the yellow light that was concealing his form and focus his magic power into a protective barrier.

Bang!

A loud sound echoed. The yellow light and the golden light clashed, and the golden shadow staggered back, quickly regaining its balance.

The Dark Beast that Shi Kun had transformed into was also thrown backward, crashing into a massive tree. Shi Kun finally stopped after breaking the tree and was in great pain. He couldn’t even stand properly.

Han Li and Liu Shui’er’s expressions changed. They had never imagined that Shi Kun, with his sturdy body, would be in such a state after colliding with the golden shadow. Han Li’s eyes flashed with a blue light as he identified the golden shadow in the distance and was shocked!

The golden shadow was a small Dark Beast with black eyes and golden fur.

‘The legendary Dark Beast King! It can’t be…’

They had discussed it before their departure, but the chances of encountering the Dark Beast King in this vast Dark Beast Forest were slim.

Yet, they had accidentally bumped into the Dark Beast King before even encountering a high-level Three-Eyed Dark Beast. Although they didn’t know the exact strength of the opponent, judging by its aura, it was definitely at least a Star Realm level [a high level of cultivation].

Han Li stared intently at the golden Dark Beast from afar. Several treasures within his body vibrated in response to his emotions. The Dark Beast that Liu Shui’er had transformed into was also standing on a thick branch, watching the golden Dark Beast.

The Dark Beast King also seemed surprised by the collision, but soon glared at Shi Kun with fierce eyes. The Dark Beast swished its two feet and was about to charge at Shi Kun.

‘What should I do?’

Seeing this, Han Li hesitated whether to go and help. Shi Kun was just unlucky to be discovered by the Dark Beast King, so if they ran away now, Han Li and Liu Shui’er could save their lives.

On the other hand, even if the three of them joined forces to kill the Dark Beast King, if the opponent let out a loud roar and summoned hundreds of Dark Beasts, everything would be over.

But if they ran away now, Shi Kun would die. Without a cultivator with the Origin Body [a specific type of physique], they wouldn’t be able to break the restrictions of the ruins, and their mission would fail.

If they returned without completing their task and having lost Shi Kun, Cai Liuying and Dan Tianren would not let them off easily. It would be a headache, but that was a problem for later. Right now, their priority was to save their lives.

In a split second, Han Li made a decision and quickly looked at the woman. However, Liu Shui’er was already poised to jump out, her body emitting a white light.

Just as he was about to run away, something surprising happened.

The golden Dark Beast, which had been glaring fiercely, suddenly perked up its ears, its expression changed, and it became inexplicably furious. The beast growled lowly and turned into a golden shadow again, quickly running away into the bushes.

‘What is going on…’

Han Li and Liu Shui’er were dumbfounded and exchanged glances. Only then did Shi Kun fully stand up and send them a telepathic message with an angry face.

“How could the Dark Beast King appear alone in a place like this! Even with bad luck, how could I accidentally bump into the Dark Beast King while flying, even though I was hiding!”

“Brother Shi, are you alright?” Liu Shui’er sent a telepathic message as if she was quite worried.

“I’m fine. My body was numb at first, but I’m okay now.”

His voice sounded like he wasn’t seriously injured. Han Li was about to say something when another incident occurred in front of them.

Roar! Grrr!

The roars of a herd of beasts were approaching. The sound of thousands of beasts roaring at the same time made their ears ring and their bodies tremble.

“What’s going on…” Liu Shui’er exclaimed in surprise, and Han Li and Shi Kun also looked shocked. The next moment, the roars stopped abruptly, and countless demonic beasts were rapidly approaching from the front.

Soon, they could hear the sound of a large herd of beasts moving with their ears.

“We have to escape quickly!” Han Li, his face pale, sent a telepathic message to Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun, then jumped into a nearby giant tree and disappeared. Shi Kun and Liu Shui’er also quickly moved after hearing Han Li’s message.

Swoosh.

Shi Kun flashed a bright yellow light and disappeared into the ground, while Liu Shui’er emitted a blue aura from her mouth, gradually turning transparent and disappearing into the air.

Even after they scattered and ran away, Dark Beasts continued to emerge from the darkness in the distance. It was as if all the Dark Beasts living in the Dark Beast Forest had gathered.

Han Li ran with all his might and glanced back, noticing that most of them had an extra gray eye on their foreheads. They were the Three-Eyed Dark Beasts that hadn’t appeared until now!

No wonder they hadn’t seen a single one on their way; they were all gathered in one place. But suddenly, countless consciousnesses spread out from the herd of Dark Beasts, searching every corner.

Han Li no longer relied on luck and released a black cloth to wrap around his entire body. It was a mysterious black handkerchief he had obtained from the Oura Royal Family. He also opened his mouth and released a purple talisman.

Swoosh.

As the talisman stuck to his body, a purple aura containing numerous silver magic characters enveloped him. The Dark Beast that Han Li had transformed into became an intangible phantom, but its speed was significantly reduced.

He quickly turned his gaze to the direction where Shi Kun and Liu Shui’er had escaped. They were flying away at a distance, emitting faint auras without slowing down at all.

Unlike Han Li, who had done his best to conceal himself, they seemed to be trying to escape as quickly as possible. Which choice was wiser remained to be seen.

If the high-level Dark Beasts couldn’t see through Shi Kun and Liu Shui’er’s stealth techniques, then leaving this place quickly would be a good option. However, no matter how fast they flew, they would be in a much more dangerous situation if they were discovered by the Dark Beasts.

On the other hand, Han Li, who had the Taiyi Azure Talisman [a powerful talisman] and the black handkerchief, was moving slowly but was unlikely to be detected.

The Three-Eyed Dark Beasts released numerous consciousnesses, scanning Han Li as well as Shi Kun and Liu Shui’er, who were flying away. However, the consciousnesses didn’t stop and just passed by. They hadn’t been discovered.

Only then did Han Li and the other two feel relieved. But as they examined the herd of beasts more closely, they made a surprising discovery. The golden Dark Beast King suddenly appeared in the group. Unlike the Dark Beast King they had encountered earlier, this one was slightly larger and was accompanied by several high-level Three-Eyed Dark Beasts.

The Three-Eyed Dark Beasts beside the Dark Beast King had silver eyes instead of gray ones. When the golden Dark Beast appeared, the other beasts, except for the silver-eyed Three-Eyed Dark Beasts, tucked their tails and moved away, creating space.

The herd of beasts stopped and looked at the golden Dark Beast King with awe. Then, the Dark Beast King, with a cold gaze, scanned the surroundings and released a powerful aura. It was a completely different and stronger consciousness than before.

Startled, Han Li stopped moving altogether and hid himself inside a nearby tree. Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun, who were far away, also felt the massive wave of consciousness and hid their auras, waiting.

Han Li’s phantom form was not caught by the powerful wave of consciousness, but the consciousness paused after scanning Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun. The atmosphere instantly froze.

“Let’s run!” Shi Kun whispered as the power of consciousness took on an eerie aura, and he turned into a yellow streak of light, cutting through the air. He seemed to have given up on stealth.

Liu Shui’er, also realizing that she had been discovered, summoned a jade mouse and turned into a ball of light, flying away.

Now, not only the golden Dark Beast but also the other high-level Dark Beasts had discovered them, and the herd of beasts was in turmoil. The golden Dark Beast King’s black eyes filled with a cruel aura, revealing its killing intent, and its lips moved.

Roar!

But the next moment, the Dark Beast King’s expression changed drastically, and it raised its head and let out a long roar towards the direction where the other golden Dark Beast had escaped. The roar was clear and beautiful, yet it possessed a strange power.

The ordinary Dark Beasts around it trembled and collapsed, while the Three-Eyed Dark Beasts also shook.

Roar!

The long roar echoed through the forest, and soon, a similar roar was heard from far away. It was similar but filled with immense rage.

Grrr.

Upon hearing that, the Dark Beast King contorted its face and growled lowly, and the herd of Dark Beasts that had stopped began to run madly again. They were clearly chasing after the golden Dark Beast that had gone ahead.

However, the Dark Beast King didn’t seem to want to let Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun go either. It turned its head and growled at the silver-eyed Dark Beasts around it.

The silver-eyed Dark Beasts, having received the order, bowed respectfully and turned into silver streaks of light, chasing after Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun. And the Dark Beast King leaped and joined the herd of beasts in the pursuit of the golden Dark Beast.

Suddenly, the herd of beasts, the Three-Eyed Dark Beasts, and Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun all disappeared from sight.

Han Li hid in the giant tree for another hour before removing the Taiyi Azure Talisman and the black handkerchief. He couldn’t keep the Taiyi Azure Talisman and the black handkerchief activated at the same time. The Taiyi Azure Talisman had a time limit, and the black handkerchief consumed a considerable amount of magic power.

He sighed as he looked in the direction where Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun had flown. Han Li set a direction and flew up. The dazzling blue light gradually darkened and eventually turned into a faint blue shadow, barely visible.

If they hadn’t shared treasures that allowed them to check each other’s locations before they departed, he wouldn’t have been able to follow them. It seemed that Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun were flying with all their might to shake off their pursuers.

Even with Han Li’s speed, it wasn’t easy to close the distance. The problem was that the silver-eyed Dark Beasts were still chasing them at an incredible speed. Han Li pondered for a moment, then flashed a silver light and returned to his human form.

Boom!

As he retrieved the Dark Beast hide and formed a hand seal, a pair of crystal wings unfolded behind him with a thunderous sound.