Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 168

The protective barrier, now shimmering like a five-colored rainbow, stood firm as a rock, no matter how fiercely the crimson aura outside surged against it.

Those who had watched the entire process without blinking could sense that the formation Han Li had deployed was incredibly powerful.

Conversely, the Emperor, who had been looking down at the crimson aura from the sky and trying to break the barrier several times, felt that things had gone awry.

He frowned and withdrew the dark crimson aura. The black aura that had been spreading in all directions surged back like a flood, surrounding him, and he tried to fly high into the sky to disappear. His speed was so fast that it was comparable to Han Li’s.

However, as quickly as he flew away, he returned just as fast. Unexpectedly, after circling in the air, he returned to his original position. He tried several times, but he only returned to the same spot. Now, his face clearly showed signs of unease.

Han Li, who was watching this, sneered, while Song Meng and the other disciples were dumbfounded and speechless.

Han Li, who had no intention of explaining the Reversal Five Elements Formation [a complex formation based on the five elements and their interactions] to them, immediately protected himself with the White Phosphorus Shield and the Nine-Cornered Magical Artifact before sitting down on one side.

“If you have talismans, you must activate them all at this opportunity. Since that person is trapped in the formation and won’t be able to escape for a while, let’s attack and deal with him at once.”

Seeing Han Li take out a blue talisman and sit cross-legged, Jin Jiaotian and Zhong Weilang also immediately took out red and yellow talismans and sat cross-legged.

Only Jin Jiaotian’s senior brother and Song Meng, who were left, smiled wryly and looked at each other. They had no talismans to use, so they had to stand guard beside Han Li, Jin Jiaotian, and Zhong Weilang, acting as protectors.

Now, the Emperor, who was trapped in the sky, seemed to have decided that he could not just keep running around, so he stopped and stood still. He lowered his head and mumbled something.

After a while, he raised his head, threw off the golden crown he had been wearing, and let his black hair fly in the wind. Even though his hair partially covered his ferocious expression, he could not hide his monstrous aura.

He took a deep breath and suddenly used his sharp fingernails to slash his arms, spraying out a lot of blood.

As the blood mixed with the surrounding aura, the dark crimson aura became even darker, turning into a dark red color.

Now, the thick stench of blood could be sensed even by Song Meng and Jin Jiaotian’s senior brother, who were far away. They were at a loss, watching him perform his sorcery.

After confirming that the surrounding aura had changed, the Emperor opened his mouth and shot a red aura towards his arms.

It was some strange sorcery, as the deep wounds disappeared in an instant, but his complexion noticeably worsened.

He reached into his robes and took out a pitch-black hilt, which looked like an old, worn-out piece of junk with no luster. However, the way the Emperor handled it was so delicate that it felt like he was handling a dangerous object.

He glared with both eyes and began to chant a spell. His voice was not loud, and he was chanting slowly, but the occasional sounds that could be heard sounded like the language of ancient times.

“What is he doing?”

“I don’t know, but it seems like he’s about to unleash some great magic.”

Song Meng and his fellow disciple, who were listening nearby, spoke with worried expressions.

They did not know the enemy’s intentions, but considering the bloody aura and the Emperor’s desperate situation, it was clear that he was preparing some desperate move.

While Song Meng and the others were fidgeting, the Emperor’s chanting gradually sped up, and the pained expression on his face deepened. When he opened his eyes, something astonishing happened.

Suddenly, a black aura soared from the hilt and floated into the air.

The Emperor made a solemn expression and formed a hand seal. From the dark red aura surrounding his body, thin strands of blood were created and flew towards the hilt.

At first, there were only a few strands, but they became dozens and hundreds, enveloping the dark hilt. Then, they seeped into the black aura and became one, forming a shape like a pool of blood.

Looking closely inside, the blood-red color emitted a sinister aura that seemed to suck out the souls of those who looked at it. The Emperor showed a pleased expression upon seeing this.

However, when the dark crimson aura, which had been still, began to fluctuate erratically, fear appeared on the Emperor’s face instead.

He hurriedly looked at the pool of blood. Then, as if having made up his mind, he quietly chanted a spell and bit his tongue, spitting blood towards the hilt.

Upon absorbing it, the pool of blood barely stopped its agitation and ceased its fluctuations.

Then, as the Emperor quickly chanted more than ten more spells, the black light completely disappeared. The Emperor looked as if he had aged more than ten years due to spitting out pure blood.

The Emperor immediately resumed his chanting. However, because he had just bitten his tongue, his incantation was completely unintelligible.

As the chanting progressed, the pool of blood revealed a complete long blade, and the stench of blood was overwhelming.

Now, a maniacal smile appeared on the Emperor’s face. Without hesitation, he grasped the long blade and swung it a few times, showing a satisfied expression.

Looking down with a meaningful gaze, he turned into a streak of red light along with the long blade and charged towards the bamboo forest. Song Meng and the others, who were watching it, could not help but feel extremely tense.

At that moment, Han Li also opened his eyes and calmly stared at the blood-red light that was rushing towards them.

He was in the middle of activating the talismans, but he was using his consciousness to observe the opponent’s every move without missing a single detail.

However, the moment the dark long blade appeared, Han Li’s consciousness, which had been hovering around it, began to be drawn in.

Alarmed by the suction force that was trying to devour a part of his consciousness, Han Li hurriedly focused his mind and retrieved his consciousness.

Fortunately, this effect was due to the sword itself and not something the Emperor had intended, so he was able to easily pull his consciousness back.

Han Li’s back was already soaked with sweat. He did not know what terrifying consequences awaited him if his consciousness was absorbed.

Now, he knew that the power of the long blade was immense, but his faith in the Reversal Five Elements Formation was just as great.

In any case, the Core Formation cultivator Lei Manxue had said that the previous Reversal Five Elements Formation was difficult to deal with, so a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator in the late stage could not break a formation that had already been improved and was even more powerful.

Therefore, he had opened his eyes to observe the situation, but he had no anxiety in his heart. While Han Li was thinking this, the Emperor, who had already arrived, was blocked by the five-colored barrier.

As he had already expected this, he simply smiled slyly and immediately swung the Black Blood Blade.

A sharp noise spread, and a black aura flashed. Surprisingly, a black blade over ten feet long pierced through the Reversal Five Elements Formation, creating a passage that was about a foot wide!

The Emperor laughed and immediately jumped in, actually managing to enter the barrier.

“Oh no! This is a disaster!” Song Meng naturally cried out in surprise. The other disciples were silent, but it was clear that they were anxious.

“He has only broken through one layer, so don’t panic. This formation will not collapse so easily.” Han Li’s voice echoed in their ears, and at the same time, their minds calmed down. However, the fact that Han Li, who should have been busy activating the talismans, was even sending a voice transmission surprised them once again.

The Emperor, who had descended more than ten feet along the five-colored barrier, clearly witnessed the scene of the Huangfeng Valley disciples preparing their talismans. He sneered and swung the Black Blood Blade above where Han Li was.

* * *

Song Meng and the other disciples were shocked when they saw the Emperor attacking Han Li.

They had just seen the power of the Black Blood Blade, so they knew they could not stop it, but they could not just stand by, so they used talismans to shoot fireballs and millstone-sized stones.

Unfortunately, these attacks disappeared before they could even touch the giant blade, suppressed by its power. The long blade was about to cut Han Li in half with its vicious momentum. However, Han Li’s expression did not change, and he slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

The Emperor noticed this and was startled. Before he could even grasp the situation, the Black Blood Blade reached its target.

The moment the blade came down, the Emperor’s vision blurred, and he was instantly in the air.

He turned his head in surprise and was astonished to find that it was the same place where he had circled in the sky several times before, and the five-colored barrier was still shining brilliantly beneath his feet. Everything had returned to its original state!

The face that had aged drastically became even more distorted. He gritted his teeth and jumped back into the barrier, going through the same process to arrive above Han Li, who was sitting cross-legged.

This time, he did not rashly jump in. Instead, he shot out the red aura surrounding his body and had the Black Blood Blade follow behind to attack.

Having prepared himself mentally and calmly observing the situation, he was finally able to understand everything clearly. The red aura seemed to have been swallowed by something above Han Li’s head and disappeared, and it had transported him back to where he had been.

Surprised, he realized that even the long blade he had sent after it had failed to attack and had been moved outside the barrier. Now, his face was turning pale.

It was no longer the time to attack those below. He swung the Black Blood Blade, scattering crescent-shaped sword energies everywhere. He was trying to find a weakness in the formation to escape.

As a result, the sword energies that had flown out so boldly bounced back at him, and he could only barely dodge them in a panic.

When he first realized he was trapped in the formation, he thought it was just a minor illusionary formation and was not too worried. He thought he could break through it with his demonic arts. However, he was shocked to see that it could teleport him and deflect powerful attacks, making his heart sink.

Such an effect was only possible with a Great Restriction Formation [a powerful formation designed to trap or restrict], so how could this be a minor formation!

While he was at a loss, he sensed a powerful spiritual energy approaching from below. Startled, he gripped the black blade tightly, and the dark crimson aura surrounding his body completely covered and protected him.

Then, two objects emitting a powerful spiritual energy that was no less than the previous one rose from below with a buzzing sound.

A space large enough for a person to pass through opened in the five-colored barrier, and hundreds of dense blue needles flew towards the Emperor like a storm. It was Han Li’s talisman.

After the hundreds of blue needles passed, a burning small sword and a yellow crystal ball also emerged from the barrier. The small sword soon grew to an enormous size, and the yellow crystal ball began to emit a dazzling light.

Jin Jiaotian and Zhong Weilang’s talismans were also rushing towards the Emperor from different directions, guided by their control.

The Emperor’s face turned pale as he saw the three types of talismans covering him. He frantically swung the Black Blood Blade, unleashing seven massive streaks of sword energy.

‘Paba pabak pabak’

With a tremendous explosion, Han Li’s blue needles were shattered.

Han Li’s face, who was controlling the needles from below, turned slightly pale. He was controlling them by connecting his consciousness, and he had experienced a psychological backlash from the sudden explosion.

The power of the Black Blood Blade was immense, but fortunately, he did not have to face it alone. The one who was most desperate right now was the Emperor anyway.

He made a final desperate effort, using the Black Blood Blade to block the blue needles, the red sword, and the crystal ball, while he himself hid back into the dark crimson aura.

Then, with the massive blood-red light in the center, the three-colored lights fluctuated, and Han Li and the others’ talismans engaged in a fierce battle against the Black Blood Blade.

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