Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 1062

Han Li knew that the Hao Yin Cold Soul Mountain he was looking for was so massive that once he mastered the Hanbai Divine Power, he would be able to sense the mountain even from tens of thousands of miles away.

Of course, there was a chance that this mountain might not be within the territory of the Human-Demon race, so whether he could actually find the Hao Yin Cold Soul Mountain was uncertain. However, considering the upcoming Great Heavenly Tribulation [a major, world-altering event], he couldn’t afford to let go of any hope.

That was why, upon discovering that Bai Guo’er possessed the Ice-Cold Hanbai physique, he had rescued her without hesitation.

Although he possessed a large number of pills, making it easier to assist Bai Guo’er than other cultivators of the same level, there was no other reason for him to delay his own cultivation by over a hundred years to save a strange girl.

If he succeeded in refining the Hanbai Extreme Mountain, he planned to find a way to seal his clone’s cultivation and send it to the Human Realm. He had seen traces of the Arctic Origin Light in two places in the Human Realm, so there was a high possibility that the Arctic Origin Mountain existed.

‘If everything goes smoothly, I will have gathered a total of four Extreme Mountains, excluding the last one.’

During that long period, he could either search for the materials for the remaining Extreme Mountain to refine the Yuan Convergence Five Extreme Mountains, or perhaps even break through to the Great Ascension stage.

After a while, he got up from his seat and headed to the side hall. He planned to invigorate his energy for two days and then go to the Heavenly Origin Sacred Emperor to receive the auxiliary materials needed to brew the Scarlet Cloud Immortal Wine.

Since he had decided to participate in the Black Market Exchange Assembly, it was best to brew the Scarlet Cloud Immortal Wine in advance. He might even meet a wine lover who valued good wine as much as their life and be able to trade it for a high price.

Although he had many treasures and elixirs, there weren’t many that were immediately useful for trading. Even the precious ten-thousand-year-old elixirs wouldn’t be as rare to the Composite Body stage cultivators as they once were, and he couldn’t part with the powerful treasures that he needed to use himself.

* * *

As the sun was setting, Hai Da-Xiao and Qi Ling-Zi returned, looking extremely excited. Han Li, sensing that they had used the first-floor teleportation array, used his restriction token to let them in.

Although they looked like they had a lot to say, Han Li quietly sent them back to their residence.

Two days later, Han Li went alone to visit the Heavenly Origin Sacred Emperor, who resided in another Immortal Palace, and received a large quantity of auxiliary materials for brewing the Scarlet Cloud Immortal Wine. Unfortunately, the Black Phoenix King and the Scarlet Fire Dragon King, whom the Sacred Emperor had promised to introduce, were not on Mount Nine Immortals due to other matters.

It seemed they would return on the day the Myriad Treasures Assembly officially began.

Although he was a little disappointed, Han Li didn’t mind much since he had obtained the materials. He didn’t stay long at the Heavenly Origin Sacred Emperor’s residence and quickly returned to his Immortal Palace. In his secret chamber, he began brewing the Scarlet Cloud Immortal Wine using a large number of Scarlet Cloud Fruits, referring to ancient scriptures.

He remained secluded in the secret chamber for over half a month.

He couldn’t use all the Scarlet Cloud Fruits at once, and he only made eight more jars, excluding the two jars he had promised to the Heavenly Origin Sacred Emperor.

Even though the Scarlet Cloud Immortal Wine was a rare item that couldn’t be found in the Spirit Realm, its value would decrease if too much of it was released at once.

Moreover, the Scarlet Cloud Immortal Wine had the effect of improving one’s physique and extending one’s lifespan, so he planned to enjoy it from time to time.

After finishing brewing the Scarlet Cloud Immortal Wine, Han Li spent the remaining time cultivating in a cross-legged position in the main hall, occasionally seeking out other cultivators of the same level. He even formed some friendships with two or three of them who were quite compatible with him.

In particular, the Myriad Bones True Person was consistently friendly to him and invited him to small-scale gatherings of cultivators at the Nascent Soul level and above, helping him obtain some necessary materials. His impression of the Myriad Bones True Person was improving day by day.

As time passed, the number of Composite Body stage old monsters in the Immortal Palaces increased, and a month before the Myriad Treasures Assembly was to be held, most of the Immortal Palaces were full.

Among the Composite Body stage old monsters, there were Supreme Elders of large forces and overlords who dominated certain regions, but there were not many like Han Li who were solitary cultivators.

And among the big shots, only the Eastern Sky Rat King of the Seven Luminaries Kings had arrived, besides the Heavenly Origin Sacred Emperor. Since arriving at Mount Nine Immortals, this Rat King had locked his doors and refused to meet anyone.

He was the most unknown figure among the Seven Luminaries Kings, and he usually hid his true appearance, so there were very few who had seen his true face. Moreover, few knew what kind of divine powers he possessed.

It was only known that those who had offended him at a higher cultivation level had disappeared without a trace, so it was clear that he was someone who should not be provoked.

The Eastern Sky Rat King was from the Qiong Rat Clan, which had a strong influence among the Demon race. Unlike the Human race, the Demon race required not only personal strength but also the backing of a powerful force to become a Demon King. This was different from the Three Sovereigns, whose positions were passed down based solely on strength.

Han Li was curious about this Rat King and wanted to visit him, but he had no intention of insisting on a meeting if the other party didn’t want it.

During the remaining time, he interacted with the Composite Body stage cultivators and researched Hai Da-Xiao’s strangely disappearing spiritual roots. After going through numerous scriptures and having Hai Da-Xiao draw some blood for examination, he narrowed down the possibilities to two or three.

It seemed that he would be able to find out the identity of the strange spiritual roots after a few more days of observation.

In the meantime, Han Li had taken good care of Hai Da-Xiao and Qi Ling-Zi, and he occasionally pointed out their problems in cultivation, which greatly helped them in their training.

One day, while explaining some cultivation techniques to Hai Da-Xiao and Qi Ling-Zi in the main hall, Han Li’s expression suddenly changed.

“Senior, is something the matter?” Qi Ling-Zi, who was quick to notice, asked.

“You will know soon enough.”

Rumbling.

It was only after a full quarter of an hour that a faint sound was heard from outside the main hall, and the ground began to shake, causing the Immortal Palace to tremble. Hai Da-Xiao and Qi Ling-Zi, startled, looked outside the main hall, while Han Li remained in his seat with a cautious expression.

The tremors grew stronger over time, as if a massive object was gradually approaching the Immortal Palace.

“Senior Han, this is…”

“You won’t be able to see what’s happening by sitting here, so let’s go outside and take a look.” Han Li sighed briefly and got up from his seat when Hai Da-Xiao couldn’t hold back any longer. Han Li emitted a blue aura, enveloping them, and then transformed into a streak of blue light, disappearing into the teleportation array.

Han Li, who appeared at the first-floor teleportation array, took Qi Ling-Zi and Hai Da-Xiao and soared straight to the top of the mountain. The booming sound, which had been faint due to the Immortal Palace’s restrictions, now roared loudly, as if the sky was about to collapse.

“Gasp! The ground is moving!” Qi Ling-Zi exclaimed, unable to close his mouth as he watched a massive object approaching from the edge of the Mount Nine Immortals mountain range. Hai Da-Xiao also widened his eyes in surprise.

A rugged, black land was approaching the mountain peak where they were, step by step. The tremors came from beneath the black land, and the rugged terrain was cracked as if it had been through a drought.

Even more astonishing was that a black castle stood tall in the middle of it, and black-armored soldiers were densely deployed around it. The black-armored soldiers held weapons such as spears and axes, and they vigilantly guarded their surroundings with cold expressions.

And above the castle, over a thousand soldiers were circling around on giant navy-blue wolves. It was Lei Wei, whom Han Li had already met.

He narrowed his eyes to get a better look, and a navy-blue light flickered deep within his pupils. But his expression suddenly turned strange.

“Which fellow cultivator is present here?”

“Fellow cultivator Han’s divine powers are truly remarkable. My humble skills cannot deceive your eyes. But isn’t the spirit beast that the Overlord is riding amazing? It’s most likely related to the legendary ‘Chariot Spirit’.”

A strange woman’s voice came from behind. It was a pleasant voice.

Han Li appeared calm on the outside, but he was a little surprised on the inside. It was very strange that even with his powerful consciousness, he hadn’t noticed the other party until she was so close.

When he turned around, he saw a beautiful young woman wearing a five-colored palace dress. Han Li scanned her with his consciousness and raised his eyebrows.

“Liu Qing greets Fellow cultivator Han. As you may have already noticed, I am merely a puppet avatar!”

The young woman bowed to Han Li and frankly revealed her identity.

“I remember hearing the name Liu Qing. It is said that there were two most capable cultivators under the command of the former Heavenly Cat Sacred Emperor. One was proficient in puppetry, and the other was skilled in illusions. Among them, the one skilled in puppetry was called the Heavenly Spirit Immortal, and I know her real name is Liu Qing.”

Han Li greeted her, recalling the memories related to her.

“I didn’t expect you to know my name. I also wanted to come to the Myriad Treasures Assembly, which happens once every thousand years, but I couldn’t leave my secret chamber due to a secret technique I’ve been practicing recently. Fortunately, my puppet avatar is somewhat known, so the cultivator guarding this place recognized me and let me in.”

The woman spoke in a very calm tone.

The Heavenly Spirit Immortal was one of the subordinates of the Heavenly Cat Sacred Emperor and was said to have been born with a natural talent for puppetry. After joining the Heavenly Cat Sacred Emperor, her puppetry skills improved even more, and she grew to be known as the second-best puppeteer among the Human race.

Of course, the number one puppeteer among the Human race was the Heavenly Cat Sacred Emperor himself. It was a famous anecdote that the Heavenly Spirit Immortal and another cultivator, who were both at the Composite Body stage, had been so impressed by the Heavenly Cat Sacred Emperor’s puppetry and illusion techniques that they had stayed by his side long ago.

Han Li knew that the puppet avatar possessed the strength of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator [a high level of cultivation].

“I almost made a mistake without knowing that the Heavenly Spirit Immortal had arrived. But, the ‘Chariot Spirit’ you mentioned earlier, is it referring to the ancient divine turtle of the Black Tortoise City?”

“Yes, it is the very Chariot Spirit that inherited the bloodline of the True Spirit Black Tortoise. I was lucky enough to see it once before, and its size was beyond imagination. Moreover, it possessed powerful divine powers of water and earth attributes, and its defense was so strong that even ordinary Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures [powerful magical artifacts] could not harm it. The turtle that the Black Tortoise Overlord brought today is probably a direct descendant of the Chariot Spirit.”

“A direct descendant of the Chariot Spirit?”

Liu Qing chuckled lightly, and Han Li’s lips twitched as he looked at the giant spirit beast in the distance.

“Compared to the true Chariot Spirit, the spirit beast in front of us is not even one ten-thousandth of its size.”

“After hearing Fellow cultivator Liu’s words, I wish I had the chance to see the giant turtle called the Chariot Spirit myself.”

“Oh dear, it will be difficult for you to see the Chariot Spirit in person. I only saw it once by chance while staying in the Black Tortoise City with the Sacred Emperor. That was on the day when the Chariot Spirit appeared to swallow the essence of the sun and moon, which happens once every three thousand years. Usually, the giant turtle buries its body in the soil and hides its limbs under its shell, falling into a deep sleep.”

“I see. I have gained a lot of knowledge today.”

Han Li cupped his fist towards the young woman with a regretful expression. Hai Da-Xiao and Qi Ling-Zi, who were beside him, were mesmerized by the strange stories they had never heard before.

While they were talking, the black continent in the distance had come to a stop about ten miles away from the mountain peak. At this moment, something slowly rose from beneath the continent, scanning the surrounding cultivators with sinister eyes.

Han Li and Liu Qing were also among them.

The giant beast’s head was ferocious, with a dozen or so curved horns on its head, and its neck was covered with thick black scales, firmly protecting its vital points. A sinister breath emanated from its slightly open mouth, and its large, sharp teeth were terrifying to behold.

By rough estimate, it seemed like it could swallow a hundred ordinary cultivators in one bite.

Qi Ling-Zi’s face turned pale, as if he was a little frightened by the giant spirit beast’s ferocious appearance, while Hai Da-Xiao raised his fingers and waved them around, comparing his body to the crowd. Qi Ling-Zi, looking puzzled, asked.

“Da-Xiao, what are you doing?”

“I was just measuring the size! To see if my body is bigger or if that monster’s teeth are bigger.”

Qi Ling-Zi was speechless at Hai Da-Xiao’s casual reply without even turning his head.