Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 167

Han Li didn’t look at the Emperor directly but instead examined the dark crimson aura surrounding him. Within that aura, a golden ruler, a purple hook, and a navy-blue longsword were floating; these were the magical artifacts that Song Meng and the others had sent flying earlier. It seemed they were trapped within the dark crimson aura and had lost their spiritual connection. After observing, Han Li realized that the dark crimson aura was corrupting the magical artifacts. Since only the Emperor had revealed himself, it seemed the middle-aged man in the blue robe had died from the Heavenly Thunder Talisman’s attack. Han Li felt more at ease, but he didn’t let his guard down. Under his command, more than ten puppets fired various beams of light and light arrows without any gaps. Song Meng and the others, who were in despair after losing their precious magical artifacts, didn’t dare send out their artifacts again. However, they began to cast spells or throw talismans while continuously forming hand seals in response to Han Li’s attack. They knew that only by defeating the Emperor could they escape this nightmare where their fellow disciples were being brutally massacred. The Emperor, who had been standing on the ground with a blank expression, waved his hand and created a massive blood-colored shield, blocking all the attacks from the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators. However, the more he did so, the more the aura he emitted became faint and seemed about to disappear, which spurred Han Li and the others to attack more fiercely. The Emperor sneered and immediately reached into his robes, pulling out a small green bottle. He took out a pill the size of an eyeball, which was entirely a sinister red color and reeked of blood. The Emperor swallowed the pill without hesitation and threw the bottle away. The moment the red pill entered the Emperor’s stomach, something astonishing happened. A tremendous red aura was released from the Emperor’s body, which was trembling all over, and not only were his small wounds healed, but even the magical power he had lost from the Heavenly Thunder Talisman was restored. “How can this be!” Song Meng muttered, forgetting to send out dozens of ice spikes. Han Li also couldn’t understand how the opponent had done this with such an extraordinary method. “What that person consumed was a Marrow Refining Pill. It uses a type of demonic cultivation to replenish magical power. It’s said that it’s made by sacrificing one’s own cultivation, so if one consumes it, it becomes a miraculous medicine that saves one’s life in a moment of crisis, but it becomes a deadly poison to others.” A cool voice explained the situation from behind Jin Qiaotian. “Senior Sister Jong, are you alright?” “I’m fine. I just want to kill that bastard who killed Senior Brother Liu.” She barely managed to give Jin Qiaotian a faint smile, having barely regained her senses. “We also want to kill that person, but the problem is that he has the same idea.” Jong Wiran’s cold words made Han Li turn to look at her as he spoke. Everyone’s faces darkened upon hearing Han Li’s words. While they were talking, the Emperor withdrew his shield and raised his aura to its peak. The magical artifacts covered in the dark crimson aura gradually melted away. Various spells and puppet attacks poured down, but they were all blocked by the dark crimson aura, and his magical power was even higher than before. He raised his head and scanned his opponents, then suddenly bent his arm and brought it over his shoulder. Then, a red bead appeared from somewhere. Han Li’s eyes flashed at this sight. If that was the bead left behind by the middle-aged man who died from the Heavenly Thunder Talisman, then all the Blood Coagulation Five Elements Pills were now gathered. If he could kill the Emperor, he could obtain a treasure that would bring him one step closer to the Core Formation stage. “Do you have any more Heavenly Thunder Talismans? I want to test the defensive power of my demonic cultivation, so if you have any, throw them at me.” The Emperor, who had carefully put away the bead, asked Han Li coldly. “I’m more curious whether you are the Black Fiend Sect Leader or if the one who just died was the leader. I also don’t understand how there could be a cultivator in this world who would sacrifice himself to help another’s cultivation.” He didn’t answer the opponent’s question at all and instead asked another question, not losing out in words. However, the Emperor showed a look of regret at those words and revealed his killing intent. Han Li flinched but moved his lips to send a telepathic message to the four people, causing Jin Qiaotian and the others to be flustered. Seeing their flustered expressions, Han Li shouted decisively. “Whether you believe it or not is up to you.” The last words reached the Emperor’s ears on the ground, so he shot a red beam the thickness of a thumb at Han Li. Surprised by the red beam’s speed, Han Li blocked it with the white shield and turtle shell magical artifact he had deployed in advance, and even created a blue sword shield. He didn’t want to give the opponent any openings with his unknown attack. ‘Whoosh! Whoosh!’ At the same time as the sound, his right shoulder felt hot as he unconsciously twisted his body. Han Li turned his head with a grim expression and saw a hole the thickness of a finger pierced through his right shoulder, from which fresh blood was gushing out. Han Li looked at the defenses in front of him with disbelief. Like his shoulder, there were finger-thick holes in the White Phosphorous Shield and the Tortoise Shell magical artifact, and the Azure Essence Sword Shield he had wrapped around his body seemed not to have been pierced by the attack but melted away. Han Li’s mind quickly calmed down. If it hadn’t been for the Lateral Movement Steps, which had become a habit over the years, his heart would have been pierced and he would have died from that attack. The more he thought about it, the more his whole body felt like his hair was standing on end. He had expected that the Emperor’s abilities after absorbing the middle-aged man in the blue robe would be great, but the magical power he had actually experienced far exceeded his imagination. However, Han Li didn’t know that the Emperor was also flustered. He was greatly surprised that the opponent had dodged the attack and survived. It seemed like nothing since he had just casually shot it out without any preparation, but this attack, called the Blood Spirit Drill, was a technique where he compressed his true essence dozens of times during his cultivation, and it was a one-time, ultimate attack that he had hidden within his body to kill any opponent in one blow. The process of condensing the true essence was extremely painful and it was something that reduced his cultivation, so it was the deadliest of the killing moves in the demonic cultivation he had learned. There had never been a cultivator who had not died from his Blood Spirit Drill, so he was flustered that Han Li had survived with a minor injury. Jin Qiaotian and the others turned pale upon seeing Han Li’s injury. They had believed that he was their core offensive power, so they began to waver with anxiety when he was injured. “Let’s go!” Han Li, taking his eyes off his wound, shouted without delay. Then, he injected spiritual power like a storm into the Wind Riding Boots that appeared under his feet and disappeared towards one side of the palace. Song Meng, Jong Wiran, Jin Qiaotian, and Jin Qiaotian’s last remaining senior brother simultaneously began to flee after him. The Emperor, who was momentarily flustered by the sight, immediately flew up. Just as he was about to go full speed, ten puppets surrounded him and blocked his path. “Get out of my way!” The Emperor shouted and spun around, following the puppets, and disappeared in the direction Han Li had vanished. Soon, the puppets, which had been standing blankly, were torn into several pieces, dropping their arms and legs, and were in a state that could never be restored. While the Emperor was dealing with the puppets, Han Li sensed the formation he had hidden in advance and gathered the others to enter the bamboo forest. The Emperor was pleased to see them hide inside the bamboo forest. The Emperor, who had landed in front of the bamboo forest, let out a sinister smile and removed the dark crimson aura from his body. ‘Crack!’ The dark crimson aura flashed and shot out, gradually growing in size and covering the entire small bamboo forest. A blood-red cover was created, creating a strange atmosphere. As the red aura covered the bamboo forest in front of him, a triumphant expression appeared on the Emperor’s face. He planned to trap them firmly with his barrier and then use other secret techniques to kill them all cleanly. Just as he was about to prepare a secret technique with a series of dazzling hand movements, a blue and white mixed light barrier suddenly spread out from within the bamboo forest, surprisingly pushing back the dark crimson aura and creating a shape that supported it. At that moment, the Emperor’s confident face hardened. “No wonder you hid in a place like this; you had set up a formation!” He seemed furious that they had done this in his base. “Hmph, how great can a hastily made formation be! It’s enough to break the formation and the people inside it all at once! I won’t let anyone leave the imperial city alive.” The Emperor made up his mind and focused even more on the hand seals to activate the secret technique. Then, the dark crimson aura, which had been gradually pushed back, emitted a glow and withstood the formation’s aura. Not stopping there, he cut his body with his fingertips, and an aura similar to the one that had just been released gushed out and merged with the dark crimson barrier. Then, the red aura became even more vivid and began to spread the stench of blood. The Emperor, with a cheerful expression, flicked his ten fingers and sent out various hand seals. The blood barrier, which had received them, began to shake and tried to narrow, increasing the pressure on the bamboo forest. The light barrier was barely holding on, but it seemed as if it would collapse at any moment. Now, the Emperor was completely at ease. It was only a matter of time before he killed Han Li’s group. “I should abandon the position of Emperor of Yue and hide for a while.” The Emperor muttered, sounding a little regretful. While he was leisurely planning for the future in the air, Han Li’s group inside the bamboo forest was on the verge of going crazy with anxiety. They had come here only trusting Han Li’s telepathic message. However, they had not expected to be trapped in this small bamboo forest. Although there was a defensive formation in the bamboo forest, even that was being pushed back by the blood-colored aura and seemed as if it would break at any moment, so how could they not feel frustrated and angry! Song Meng couldn’t bear his anxiety and asked. “Are you telling me that we ran here because of this?” “Yes. Is there a problem?” Han Li looked up at the situation above and answered casually without even turning his head. At those words, not only Song Meng but also Jong Wiran and even the man who had lost his companion all looked unwell. However, only Jin Qiaotian looked at Han Li with a strange gaze, as he had a normal expression. “If you have another plan, tell us quickly. Don’t make everyone feel frustrated! There’s no way someone like you would have come here just trusting in this protective formation!” At Jin Qiaotian’s cold words, the other three, who had become dazed, unconsciously looked at Han Li. They also thought that, judging from the way he had acted so far, Han Li would have some kind of plan. At those words, Han Li lowered his head, looked at everyone, and smiled. “Rest assured. I have a plan in mind, which is why I gathered everyone here.” As he calmly reached for his storage pouch, a bluish-purple flag was in Han Li’s hand, densely engraved with dense spells and patterns, which was extraordinary. “A formation artifact?” Jong Wiran exclaimed in surprise. Formation artifacts such as formation discs or formation flags were very difficult to find in the Yue Kingdom. “As expected, Senior Sister has excellent insight.” Han Li praised her. While they were staring intently, Han Li’s hand brushed against the flag, and the flag suddenly grew several times larger, emitting a strange glow of blue and purple. Han Li held the flag horizontally and chanted a spell, then finally commanded it to spread out, and the flag, which had been shot out in a certain direction, soon disappeared. Then, the same flag came out of the storage pouch three more times and disappeared in each direction. After finishing the work, Han Li held an apricot-colored formation disc and calmly looked up at the sky. The disc, which had no glow, suddenly began to shine as Han Li lifted it with a serious expression. Then, a thick beam of light was emitted vertically and shot out to the protective barrier that was protecting them. At the same time, four beams of light of gold, blue, red, and navy blue flew in from all directions and began to mix and enter at one point. The protective barrier, which had been gradually losing its light, began to shake with the influx of five types of light. The flow of the current, which was like waves, gradually became larger and faster, and as the flow became more complex, a tremendous sound like thunder that was heard in their ears made people lose their minds. # 169