Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 189

Two years later, to counter the forces of the Demonic Path and the Righteous Alliance, all the remaining nations united to form the Heavenly Dao Assembly, marking the beginning of a full-scale three-way power struggle and an era of endless warfare.

The six immortal sects of Yue Country, having fled to distant lands, eventually joined the Nine Nations Alliance. They now found themselves embroiled in conflicts over territory and interests with other sects, and were sometimes forced to fend off invasions by the Moran tribe’s mages, losing the peaceful lives they once knew.

Ultimately, many Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators from the six sects perished in battles against the Moran tribe’s mages, and even Han Li’s master, Li Huayuan, died in a fierce battle a decade later.

However, the new generation was also growing rapidly, and among the Foundation Establishment cultivators, some finally reached the Core Formation stage.

He and Qu Hun were enveloped in a yellow light and began to experience immense pressure as they were teleported. However, the Great Teleportation Token emitted a blue light in time, which nullified all the pressure. To achieve this, Han Li’s spiritual power flowed into the token at a rapid pace.

Han Li, having read about this in the scriptures, was not greatly alarmed.

In an instant, the flow of spiritual power ceased, and the yellow light disappeared. He and Qu Hun arrived in a dark space.

It was so dark that he couldn’t see anything around him, but fortunately, he didn’t sense the presence of anyone else. However, the moment he tried to step out of the teleportation array, Han Li felt dizzy and collapsed.

He had expected to be tired from the long-distance teleportation, but the loss of spiritual power made the side effects even worse. However, without time to care for his body, he ordered Qu Hun to destroy the teleportation array.

Once Han Li confirmed that Qu Hun had destroyed the teleportation array, he finally felt relieved. After resting for a while, he gradually became accustomed to the darkness.

The place where he was sitting was not only dark but also quite dusty, but it didn’t seem like there was any immediate danger.

After a while, when the discomfort disappeared, he got up and took out a moonstone from his storage pouch. As he had expected, it was a stone chamber with no signs of people having been there for a long time. There was no furniture, and only a stone door was closed.

Han Li checked once more to make sure the teleportation array was destroyed, and then, after a moment of hesitation, he gently pushed the stone door. The stone door opened much more easily than he had anticipated.

“This is…”

A seemingly endless marble staircase appeared before him, covered in dust, suggesting that it had been abandoned for a long time. Looking from the outside, the stone chamber he had been in was just a small cave.

He hesitated for a moment before slowly descending the stairs. Naturally, Qu Hun followed closely behind him. The stairs, which had seemed long, eventually led to a corner, and soon an exit appeared.

However, a huge rock blocked the circular exit. Han Li, slightly furrowing his brow, ordered Qu Hun,

“Break that.”

Han Li stepped back.

Qu Hun then shattered the rock with his silver sword. Finally, bright light poured in, and he could breathe fresh air.

Han Li took a deep breath.

He had been holding his breath and controlling his breathing since entering the teleportation array due to a strange smell.

Just as he was about to breathe freely, he was taken aback by the damp, salty air.

As he stepped out, the blazing sunlight made him squint. He looked around and was stunned by the scene before him.

Wherever he looked, blue waves surged endlessly. He stared blankly for a long time before regaining his senses.

“Is this the legendary Great Sea?”

He had only seen such a vast ocean in books, and experiencing it with his own eyes and ears was a shock. He was standing on a rather high cliff, and below him, waves were crashing incessantly.

Han Li was lost in thought.

Judging by the color of the water, this was not the Boundless Sea, but just an ordinary sea. The ancient teleportation array had indeed transported him from the Tiannan region to an unknown place.

He immediately got on his Wind Riding Shuttle and closed his eyes, trying to sense if there were any cultivators nearby.

After a while, he opened his eyes with a strange expression.

Without a word, he moved the Wind Riding Shuttle and soared into the sky. Unlike usual, he didn’t hide himself or prepare a protective barrier.

After ascending several dozen yards, he finally stopped his magical artifact and looked around. No matter how much he looked, he could only see the blue waves.

He was on a deserted island, and the exit he had just come from was just a small rocky hill on the island. Han Li scratched his nose and smiled wryly.

Things were getting complicated. There was no danger, but he couldn’t cultivate on an island with such sparse spiritual energy.

Even if he tried to accelerate the growth of spirit herbs, it was only possible in places with abundant spiritual energy.

No matter how miraculous the green liquid was, it couldn’t grow precious spirit herbs without sufficient spiritual energy.

And most of the spirit herbs he needed were old and required even more spiritual energy.

Han Li got back on the Wind Riding Shuttle and circled the island, confirming that there was no land or other islands nearby.

Moreover, the island didn’t have much in the way of flora and fauna, except for rocks, trees, and a few snakes.

Han Li returned to the cave and immediately fell asleep.

He had been cutting back on sleep for the past few days to complete the teleportation array and had flown here with all his strength, so he planned to rest well before making his next move.

Under Qu Hun’s protection, he fell into a deep sleep. After a long time, he woke up and climbed the rocky hill, gazing blankly at the sea.

Then, he got on the Wind Riding Shuttle, chose a suitable rock below the cliff, and blocked the entrance to the cave.

He then took Qu Hun and flew towards the setting sun. Surely, there must be other islands or land near the island with the teleportation array.

If it was truly a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, who would bother installing such a valuable teleportation array?

He didn’t know which direction to go, so he decided to fly for days, even if it took that long, to find traces of cultivators or mortals. It was a crude method, but it was the only way for Han Li, who knew nothing about this place.

He had plenty of spirit stones in his storage pouch, so he didn’t have to worry about running out of spiritual power.

Whether it was luck or not, Han Li discovered a huge ship after only half a day. The strange thing was that there were no masts or sails.

Instead of people, a dozen or so huge fish he had never seen before were pulling the ship. The fish had large bodies and sharp teeth, but they didn’t emit any spiritual power, so they didn’t seem to be any kind of sea monster.

Han Li observed the giant fish from afar and circled above the ship.

The sailors must have spotted him, as loud voices were exchanged, and nearly 200 to 300 people gathered on the deck.

They were wary of Han Li floating in the air but still showed respect. Among them, a middle-aged man in luxurious attire stepped forward, bowed politely, and waited for Han Li.

However, Han Li could only smile wryly. The man’s language was so unfamiliar that he couldn’t understand a word.

When Han Li didn’t respond, the flustered middle-aged man quickly shouted something, seemingly trying to explain himself.

After thinking for a moment, Han Li suddenly spoke in the language of the Tiannan region.

“If anyone understands me, step forward!”

He scanned the crowd, but the middle-aged man looked confused and indicated that he didn’t understand, and the others were no different.

After sighing for a moment, Han Li shouted again using various ancient languages. He had learned these ancient languages while memorizing various spells.

As he switched between languages, an elderly man with gray hair finally seemed to understand something.

Han Li pointed at him.

“Old man, can you understand me?”

Han Li asked slowly, using the ancient language he had just used. It felt very awkward to use this ancient language for everyday conversation for the first time.

The old man hesitated for a moment before finally stepping forward next to the middle-aged man and answering respectfully.

“This old one is called Wang Zhangqing. I learned the language of the immortals when I was young, so please command me.”

Finally, someone who understood him appeared, and a smile appeared on Han Li’s face. He immediately moved and appeared in front of the old man.

The old man, as well as the middle-aged man standing next to him, were startled.

Han Li said gently,

“As you can tell, I don’t know your language, so tell them. I’m just passing by and have something to ask, so tell them not to be nervous.”

He had just scanned the entire ship and found that they were all mortals, with no cultivators among them. He saw Wang Lao explaining something to the middle-aged man and put away the Wind Riding Shuttle into his storage pouch.

As he glanced at the people, they all seemed wary but not surprised. They all seemed familiar with the ways of cultivators.

Perhaps the people on this ship were not ordinary, or perhaps there were many cultivators in this region who lived openly among mortals.

The middle-aged man was surprised by the old man’s words and suddenly spoke excitedly.

Han Li had no choice but to look at Wang Lao.

“Immortal Master, Master Gu is the owner of this ship, and he invites you to his residence on Kui Xing Island. He will cover all expenses for your cultivation and living there.”

Kui Xing Island?

Han Li rubbed his chin, not giving an immediate answer.

Thinking that he was still considering, the middle-aged man spoke even more passionately than before, and even without Wang Lao’s translation, it was clear that he wanted to take him to the island.

So, before the old man could explain, he waved his hand.

“I don’t know the situation in this area, so I can’t accept the invitation so easily. Also, since I don’t understand the language here, I would like to stay on this ship for a few days and learn the language and customs from the old man. After that, I will decide whether or not to go to Kui Xing Island. Ask if that is possible.”

The old man listened intently and immediately conveyed it to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was clearly disappointed by Han Li’s answer, but he bowed respectfully. He then shouted loudly to the gathered people, and they all disappeared from the deck, and he also left after speaking to the old man.

In the end, only the old man and Han Li remained on the deck. The old man smiled and said,

“Master Gu has accepted the Immortal Master’s request, so please follow me to the room prepared for you.”

Han Li nodded. Qu Hun and Han Li followed the old man named Wang Zhangqing into the ship.

The interior of the ship was much larger than he had expected. Passages connected to various places, and he couldn’t even guess how many rooms there were.

As they moved, the mortals they encountered all showed reverence and made way for them. Following the old man, Qu Hun and Han Li arrived at a relatively large wooden door.

Wang Zhangqing opened the door without hesitation and allowed Han Li to enter first.

Han Li entered without hesitation and looked around the room. It was indeed quite nice. The space was large, so it didn’t feel cramped, and there was even a pot with a strange tree planted in one corner.

The tree only had a trunk, with no branches at all, but it was covered with palm-sized triangular leaves. The tree also shimmered with a silver light, making it look like it was made of silver.

When Han Li showed a hint of surprise, the old man noticed and explained respectfully,

“You haven’t seen a Silver Horn Tree before, have you? The Silver Horn Tree is not only beautiful on the outside, but it also purifies the air in cramped spaces, making it fresh. It’s a treasure for those who live at sea. Even someone as wealthy as our master only has four of them.”

Han Li smiled calmly. The old man was emphasizing that Master Gu was being very generous.

# 191