Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 1055

3 vs 3

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Whoosh!

A flash of blue spiritual energy appeared, and a handsome man in scholar’s robes, a young Taoist carrying a black wooden sword, and a young man in a blue robe materialized. The young man held a silver talisman in one hand and supported a young girl with the other. It was Bai Ke’er.

Having arrived near Guxian Mountain, Han Li and his group had spent the night in a secluded mountain, planning to explore the nearby market the next day. However, before they could even rest, Shi Lun and other cultivators ambushed them, initiating a robbery.

While such occurrences were common in the Spirit World, Shi Lun’s actions of taking a young girl hostage and attempting to kill her even after stealing their treasures were despicable. Incensed by this injustice, Hai Daixiao and Qi Lingzi couldn’t stand it and secretly intervened to save the child.

Of course, all of this was because they trusted in the exceptional abilities of their Brother Han. They believed that, at the very least, they wouldn’t be in any danger. Seeing their indignant actions, Han Li could only smile wryly as he revealed himself alongside them.

“Who are you to interfere in our affairs?” Shi Lun, noticing that only two of the unfamiliar cultivators were Foundation Establishment cultivators and the other was a mortal without any magical power, wore a menacing expression once more.

“Qi Lingzi, your ‘Peach Stiffening Plum Substitution Talisman’ [a talisman that can swap a person with an object] is truly remarkable. To replace a child with an old puppet! But why didn’t you use such a technique when we were in danger before? Could it be that you were saving your last resort even then?” Hai Daixiao glared at Qi Lingzi, a look of ‘I’ll remember this’ on his face.

“What nonsense are you spouting! I barely managed to refine the Peach Stiffening Plum Substitution Talisman after emptying my entire fortune, and I still lack the magical power to use it properly. If Brother Han hadn’t used the talisman for me, how could I have saved the child?”

“Is that even possible?” Hai Daixiao, hearing this for the first time, reacted with surprise. As the two of them chatted, ignoring the black-clad figures, Shi Lun’s gaze turned fierce. The other two black-clad figures were the same.

Han Li placed the child on the ground and watched them with a faint smile, while Bai Ke’er, who had just escaped death, stared blankly at Han Li and his group, her mind still reeling.

“Attack! Kill them!” Shi Lun, unable to contain himself any longer, shouted with murderous intent. Among the three who had suddenly appeared, the most cautious one was the late-stage Foundation Establishment youth standing next to the girl.

The black-clad figures had all reached the peak of the late-stage Foundation Establishment, so they should have been able to subdue their opponents in terms of cultivation and combat experience. Moreover, Shi Lun, who commanded two cultivators of the same level, naturally possessed powerful divine abilities, making him comparable to a Core Formation cultivator. They had not committed robbery just once or twice, so they confidently issued the attack order.

Shi Lun waved a black formation flag, sending out a dozen black rays of light. Their target was not Han Li’s group but the middle-aged man closest to them.

The other two black-clad figures also launched a silver axe and a black shield with spikes, targeting only the middle-aged man. They planned to deal with the middle-aged man first and then slowly take on Han Li’s group.

Faced with their attacks, the middle-aged man’s face turned pale. He used a yellow flying sword to guard his surroundings and summoned a yellow sandstorm from his sleeve, hiding himself within it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions erupted, and the flying sword was easily pierced by the three types of attacks, but the yellow sandstorm held firm. Shi Lun and the other black-clad figures were slightly surprised but immediately moved their magical artifacts, trying to attack the yellow sandstorm again, which was now tainted with spiritual energy.

At that moment, Hai Daixiao let out a shout and kicked off the ground.

Thud!

The ground shook, and Hai Daixiao, who shot out like an arrow, appeared above the black-clad figure wielding the silver axe. As he swung his fist, which was covered in a golden glove, golden fists rained down like a storm.

The surprised black-clad figure abandoned the middle-aged man and hastily deployed another technique.

Two silver streaks returned from afar, transforming into a silver shield to protect him. The silver shield and golden fists collided, creating a thick cloud of spiritual energy that obscured the black-clad figure and Hai Daixiao.

Soon, Hai Daixiao’s laughter could be heard. Golden fist phantoms, filled with bright light, were pushing back the silver shield.

“Spiritual Tool, Chain Fist!” [A technique that uses a special glove to enhance fist attacks]

The other black-clad figure’s expression changed, and he tried to block Hai Daixiao with his black shield, but Qi Lingzi shook his head and sighed.

“Tsk, tsk, trying to gang up on one person, you shameless bastards! As a sect leader, I was a bit reluctant to deal with small fries like you, but for Hai Daixiao’s sake, I guess I’ll have to step in.”

The young Taoist unleashed a navy blue light and disappeared from his spot, reappearing above the black-clad figure wielding the shield. The black-clad figure, experienced in combat, felt a strange sensation and sent the shield, which he had been about to send elsewhere, towards the spot where the navy blue light had appeared.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

The navy blue light burst like water droplets, scattering into countless particles, but Qi Lingzi was not among them.

‘This is bad!’

The black-clad figure’s ominous premonition was correct.

Swish, swish, swish.

A faint navy blue cloud appeared behind him, launching a dozen navy blue ice spikes. Being too close, even the black-clad figure, who was stronger than Qi Lingzi in terms of magical power, could not avoid it and exposed his back to the navy blue ice spikes.

However, a black light flashed, and a black tiger head phantom appeared, blocking most of the ice spikes. Only a few actually pierced his back.

“Cough! You bastard, I will definitely kill you!” The black-clad figure staggered, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and went berserk. He formed hand seals with both hands, releasing black ghost faces from his sleeves. The ghosts spewed yellow flames from their mouths and charged at the young Taoist.

Startled, Qi Lingzi hurriedly raised the black wooden sword from his back and stabbed at the air. Each time, a navy blue light shot out from the tip of the sword, striking the black ghost faces.

The navy blue light itself did not inflict significant damage, but Qi Lingzi, having mastered some kind of evasion technique, moved through the air, his body flashing with navy blue light, skillfully dodging the ghost heads.

Shi Lun frowned. Even though only two of them had stepped forward, they were not easy to deal with. If they dragged this out, he couldn’t be sure how the battle would turn out.

Shi Lun made up his mind and, leaving the dozen black lights attacking the middle-aged man, took out a blood-red leather pouch. A faint buzzing sound could be heard from inside.

Just then, someone spoke coldly from behind him.

“Oh, a spirit insect, it seems. It’s quite useful for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, wouldn’t you say?”

Shi Lun was startled and swung the leather pouch behind him.

Bang!

The leather pouch exploded in mid-air, and blood-red poisonous bees flew out.

Buzz!

The swarm of blood bees turned into a blood-red cloud, engulfing the young man. The young man, who had teleported, was Han Li, who had appeared behind Shi Lun. Even as the swarm of blood bees rushed towards him, Han Li merely chuckled.

The swarm of 300 to 400 blood bees was something even a Core Formation cultivator would avoid, but to him, they were nothing more than insignificant insects. Without moving an inch, he opened his mouth and released a five-colored cold flame.

The next moment, the swarm of blood bees froze within the five-colored cold flame, turning into a massive block of ice.

“You bastard!” Enraged by this, Shi Lun summoned a blue ancient mirror, and the blue beam of light it emitted shot out at an incredible speed, reaching Han Li’s face in an instant.

However, Han Li still showed no intention of dodging. A gray aura appeared in front of him, forming a shield, and the blue beam of light was sucked into it, disappearing without a trace.

“… !” Shi Lun’s face was filled with disbelief at the sight.

Han Li calmly raised his arm and flicked his fingertip, and a strand of blue thread silently disappeared, reappearing in front of Shi Lun.

Shi Lun’s forehead was pierced by the blue thread, and his body stiffened. The blue thread then wrapped around Shi Lun’s body, cutting him into pieces.

After a flurry of blood and flesh, Shi Lun disappeared without even a chance for his nascent soul to escape.

“Hah!” The middle-aged man, who had survived the brink of death thanks to this, was the first to notice and gasped. The black-clad figures who were fighting Hai Daixiao and Qi Lingzi also turned pale as if they had seen a ghost.

When Han Li turned his head and coldly scanned them, Shi Lun’s dead companions stopped fighting and scrambled to flee. One of them launched a flying dagger and turned into a white streak of light, trying to escape, while the other took out a black talisman, stuck it on himself, and disappeared into a black aura, fleeing in another direction.

Hai Daixiao and Qi Lingzi could only blink their eyes and watch. Feeling like dogs chasing a chicken, they couldn’t help but curse in frustration.

At that moment, Han Li’s calm voice echoed.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

A thunderous sound erupted, and two streaks of golden lightning shot out, chasing after the two fleeing black-clad figures.

Bang! Bang!

With two explosions, the black-clad figures were reduced to ashes within the golden lightning without even a whimper. Hai Daixiao and Qi Lingzi, who had been flailing about, were simultaneously stunned into silence.

“Qi Lingzi, you’re also a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and Brother Han is also a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but how can there be such a huge difference in strength? Brother Han can eliminate them with just a flick of his finger, while you struggled for so long. I can’t tell if you’re too weak or Brother Han is too strong.”

After a long while, Hai Daixiao scoffed and scolded Qi Lingzi. At his words, Qi Lingzi flared up and began to defend himself.

“Daixiao, you’re also a mid-stage Chain Fist user! You, who are comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, couldn’t do it either, so what do you expect from me? Besides, I’m poor, and all I have is a Black Silkworm Wood Sword. I can’t use any other powerful divine abilities!”

“Either way, it means that Brother Han can beat you with just a flick of his finger. It’s a blessing that I didn’t join the Wuhai Sect because of your boasting!”

Golden light flashed in Hai Daixiao’s hands, and the golden gloves disappeared, replaced by a fan. He leisurely fanned himself, gloating about his foresight and teasing Qi Lingzi.

Qi Lingzi, his face flushed red, wanted to argue but had no retort, so he just snorted and shut his mouth. At that moment, Han Li slowly descended from the sky.

“I am Bai Huaji. May I ask for your esteemed names? I don’t know how to repay the kindness of saving my life. If it weren’t for you three, not only I but also my daughter would have lost our lives.” The middle-aged man approached with his daughter, expressing his gratitude. His gaze towards Han Li was particularly different.

‘To kill three cultivators of the same level so soon after appearing means that he already possesses strength comparable to a Core Formation cultivator!’

Hai Daixiao and Qi Lingzi were receiving such respectful treatment from a cultivator of the same level for the first time.

“It was nothing.” They replied quickly, feeling a bit smug, and told him their names and Han Li’s name. However, Han Li looked at them for a moment before turning his gaze to the girl. The girl, as if embarrassed, hid behind her father, looking at them with curious eyes.

When she made eye contact with Han Li, the child seemed frightened and hid behind the middle-aged man.

“There seems to be something wrong with your daughter’s body.”

After a moment, Han Li revealed a look of puzzlement.

“You recognized the cold poison in my child’s body?”

“The cold energy has already penetrated her dantian [energy center] and meridians [energy channels]. If it’s not resolved, she will die within three years. However, it’s different from ordinary cold poison, so it won’t be easy to cure.”
Han Li activated his Bright Sight Spiritual Eyes to examine the girl and said something that shocked the middle-aged man.

“Does that mean you can cure the cold poison?” Bai Huaji’s voice trembled. Han Li smiled and was about to answer when he narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky, as if he had discovered something. However, when the others looked in the same direction, they saw nothing.

“Brother Han, why are you…”

Hai Daixiao folded his fan and was about to ask when a white streak of light flew down from the end of the sky.

“Ah, it’s Grandma!” As soon as the girl saw it, her face brightened, and she clapped her hands. The middle-aged man also looked delighted.

“A Core Formation cultivator! Could that be the Evil Flower Immortal we heard about earlier?” Qi Lingzi’s expression changed as he asked Han Li. Han Li nodded, watching the white streak of light.