Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 224

The black skull, now without its master, floated aimlessly in the air. The eerie energy that had been pouring from it remained, but it seemed to have lost its sentience.

Han Li frowned as he examined the skull. To be honest, he had never seen anything so strange before. He was suspicious of the skull’s origin, but feeling it was too valuable to discard, he stored it separately in a jade box.

After finishing his work, Han Li looked around to make sure everything was alright. Then, he began to retrace his steps with Qu Hun.

About halfway back, he encountered Jin Qing and the others who had come to help him. They were overjoyed to see Han Li return unharmed and quickly surrounded him.

Jin Qing spoke first,

“Fellow Daoist Han, what happened to that eerie person? Did he run away?”

“I’ve already eliminated him.”

Jin Qing seemed greatly relieved by Han Li’s answer.

“It’s a relief that you eliminated him. I was worried that we would suffer from having a bad connection with someone so full of eerie energy.”

However, Hu Yue and Fellow Daoist Gan’s expressions changed, and they looked at Han Li with a hint of fear.

In any case, the cultivation world was a place where only the strong were respected. Afterward, they returned to where Fellow Daoist Shi was anxiously waiting.

After everyone gathered and discussed, they concluded that it was better to break the formation quickly. There was no guarantee that another incident like the one just now wouldn’t happen if they delayed any longer.

Thus, each Fellow Daoist returned to their original positions, and Han Li, after calming his mind for a moment, began to activate the formation tools he had set up in advance.

The final barrier was smoothly resolved, the red protective shield shattered, and the fire demon Siak was annihilated by the various Fellow Daoists’ water-attribute magical treasures before it could even emerge.

Finally, all the strange stone pillars revealed themselves. Now that the restrictions were gone, the Fellow Daoists explored the stone pillars using their senses and eyes.

The patterns on the stone pillars were very bizarre. Eight huge ancient symbols spiraled from the bottom to the top, and countless other lines were etched into them. Moreover, rare Yin-Yang Jade [a type of jade with contrasting black and white colors] was evenly embedded throughout the stone pillars, emitting black and white light.

After looking at them for a long time without understanding anything, they glanced at each other’s expressions and fell into thought. Then, Shi Die, whose cultivation was the lowest, uttered the name of the stone pillars as if sighing.

“Spirit Sealing Pillars…”

Han Li and the others were startled by the term ‘Spirit Sealing Pillars’ and then looked at her with suspicion. Hu Yue asked, his voice trembling,

“Fellow Daoist Shi, are you sure you’re not mistaken? Is this really a Spirit Sealing Pillar?”

“How could I be mistaken? There’s a book in my residence that specifically records information about Spirit Sealing Pillars, and the patterns and symbols are exactly the same as those described in the book. They may look like ordinary stone pillars, but they are actually made by mixing over a dozen rare refining materials, making them worth about five to six thousand spirit stones [currency used by cultivators].”

Shi Die said, her eyes shining.

Spirit Sealing Pillars were actually a type of large magical treasure created by ancient cultivators to block the surrounding spiritual energy. And these rare magical treasures were typically used for two purposes.

First, they were used to seal precious spiritual herbs or medicines to prevent spiritual energy from leaking out and losing their potency.

The other was to seal powerful ghosts or demons to prevent them from escaping.

Regardless of which purpose they were used for, it was clear that Han Li’s group had made a great discovery.

Not to mention the spiritual medicines, if they could trap a powerful soul within the Spirit Sealing Pillar inside a magical treasure, they could significantly increase its power.

However, if the Spirit Sealing Pillar was suppressing a demon, it would certainly not be an ordinary soul, and if they recklessly entered, they might be the ones to suffer.

After a while, Jin Qing chuckled wryly and muttered,

“This is a bit of a headache. Still, I don’t think anyone who has put in this much effort would want to go back empty-handed, would they?”

Fellow Daoist Gan, with his hands behind his back, replied coldly,

“I must go in and see. Those who want to leave can leave. There’s no guarantee that there will be a demon, and even if there is, I’d like to face it.”

Jin Qing then looked at Hu Yue.

“What is Fellow Daoist Hu’s opinion?”

Hu Yue was silent for a moment, then finally made up his mind and opened his mouth.

“As you know, we cultivators of the mountains and rivers dislike being restrained and live freely, but we are always poor! Now that we have this opportunity, we must try to challenge it.”

Jin Qing didn’t seem surprised by that answer and shifted his gaze to Han Li.

“I don’t mind. If everyone wants to explore, I’ll join you.”

Han Li’s face was calm.

He had seventy-two Heavenly Bamboo Cloud Swords made from Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, which dispelled evil energy, so he had no reason to fear demons or ghosts.

Shi Die spoke up before Jin Qing could even ask her.

“There’s no need to ask me. Although my cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment stage, I have a magical treasure from my father that dispels evil energy, so I can protect myself.”

Jin Qing looked at everyone with a serious expression.

“Alright. It seems that no one wants to return empty-handed, so let’s move the pillars! Everyone be careful.”

Fellow Daoist Gan’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly spoke,

“Hehe, Fellow Daoist Jin doesn’t need to worry about that, does he? Who doesn’t value their own life? I’ll say this in advance, if there are any demons or demonic beasts, whoever subdues them first gets them. No changing your mind later.”

“That’s only natural. In this situation, whoever shows their strength and subdues them will get whatever they find.”

Jin Qing agreed, and the others seemed to have no objections. A smile appeared on Fellow Daoist Gan’s face as he looked around at the Fellow Daoists.

Shi Die glanced at him and asked with a strange expression,

“It seems Fellow Daoist Gan has mastered some special techniques suitable for this place?”

“Ah… to be honest, among the various techniques I’ve learned, I have one specialized in dealing with demons, but I’ve never had a chance to use it until today.”

Fellow Daoist Gan hesitated for a moment before speaking, and Fellow Daoist Shi questioned him with a disbelieving expression.

“Just now, that strange man was also using skulls refined from demons, but Fellow Daoist Gan couldn’t do anything about it?”

At those words, Fellow Daoist Gan shook his head and explained, looking embarrassed,

“That’s right, I made a fool of myself. The skill I learned requires preparation beforehand, so I didn’t have time to use it just now.”

Only then did Shi Die nod slightly and look at the stone pillars without saying anything.

“Let’s move quickly! We’ll have to rotate these stone pillars with all our strength several times before they’ll finally fall over.”

Some of them were taken aback by Shi Die’s explanation.

Even though they were cultivators, they were not naturally strong, so even if they used the Giant Strength Talisman to boost their power, it would be difficult to rotate such thick stone pillars.

Han Li raised an eyebrow and subtly moved Qu Hun.

“I’m confident in my strength, so I’ll give it a try.”

He headed towards the stone pillars without hesitation, and Hu Yue and the others looked at him with surprise. They were a little surprised that he, who had hardly spoken, suddenly took the initiative.

Shi Die said with a curious expression,

“Then, please do the honors, Fellow Daoist Qu.”

Qu Hun listened to her words and strode forward, using the Giant Strength Talisman to cast a spell on his body.

“Hya!”

Then, with a surge of yellow energy, he rolled up his sleeves and firmly gripped the stone pillar with both hands.

Krrrrrr!

The stone pillar, which was as thick as two planks, slowly began to rotate in the direction he was applying force. The other Fellow Daoists were filled with joy.

The veins on Qu Hun’s thick arms bulged and turned red as he pushed the stone pillar with all his might.

Thud!

The stone pillar fell, and the ground cracked, making them realize its immense weight. However, everyone’s eyes were not on the stone pillar but on the large cave it had been blocking.

A cold draft blew from the cave, and a white stone staircase led down endlessly. Fellow Daoist Gan immediately took the lead.

“Let’s go.”

The others hesitated for a moment, but no one was going to turn back now.

Han Li watched as everyone excitedly went down into the underground cave, then stroked his chin and fell into thought.

However, after briefly touching the red-glowing scroll, he eventually followed them. Qu Hun also began to descend the stone steps right behind him.

The underground cave was very deep, and it took them a while to reach the bottom.

Soon, their eyes adjusted to the light, and a square hall of about twenty yards appeared before them.

Besides the entrance, there were semi-circular passages on the left and right sides of the hall, leading to other places. There were also fist-sized night-shining pearls embedded everywhere, making it as bright as day. They didn’t know what kind of spell had been used, but it was an extremely beautiful sight.

Hu Yue and the others, who had gone down first, were standing in the middle of the hall, whispering among themselves. Han Li was curious about what was going on and quickened his pace.

“This is!”

Seeing what everyone was staring at, Han Li’s face also showed surprise.

A jade-white skull was lying by a small pond, and a jade-green arrow, about a foot long, was stuck in its head, making it look extremely bizarre.

However, everyone’s gaze was not on the skull but on the three-colored lotus floating in the center of the pond.

The lotus had not yet bloomed and was only a bud, but it emitted a mixed glow of blue, red, and yellow. What was even stranger was that a magnificent rainbow was floating above the lotus. Also, the pond where the lotus was floating was filled with a viscous white liquid that had a strange fragrance.

Hu Yue stared at the scene without blinking and muttered,

“It’s definitely the Seven-Colored Cloud Lotus. I thought it only existed in legends, but it’s really here! And this pond… could it be the Thousand-Year Stone Milk [a rare, nutrient-rich liquid] I’ve only heard about?”

Shi Die’s eyes were almost glazed over.

“No wonder they put so many restrictions in place. If I had these things, I wouldn’t mind putting up dozens of formations.”

Jin Qing, who was somewhat more composed, looked at the skull again and said with a strange expression,

“Then what is that skull? Surely it’s not the owner of this place?”

“Who cares who the skull is? The Seven-Colored Cloud Lotus may only have three colors, but if we put it up for auction, we could get an astronomical sum. Wouldn’t that be like hitting the jackpot!”

Fellow Daoist Gan said without even looking at Jin Qing. His eyes were already full of greed.

Above them, Han Li asked in a calm voice,

“Is the Seven-Colored Cloud Lotus that famous? What is it used for?”

His voice made Fellow Daoist Gan and the others feel a chill, and they turned to look at Han Li.

They had all seen the power of the Gold Devouring Beetles, so they knew that even if they attacked together, they might not be his match. In this situation, it was natural for them to feel uneasy after discovering such a treasure.

Even Jin Qing, who had asked Han Li to come, hesitated slightly.

Han Li, with his extraordinary mind, could not fail to read their thoughts.

However, he hid his bitter feelings and continued to speak with an ignorant expression,

“It seems to mean a seven-colored lotus, but even after reading countless books, I don’t remember ever hearing of it.”

The other Fellow Daoists exchanged glances, and finally, Hu Yue cleared his throat and explained to Han Li,

“Fellow Daoist Han has been focusing solely on cultivation and hasn’t interacted with other Fellow Daoists, so that’s understandable. The Seven-Colored Cloud Lotus cannot be found in any book about spiritual herbs, but it is a legendary spiritual herb that has been passed down by word of mouth in the cultivation world.

It is said that if an ordinary person consumes it, even the dead can come back to life, and if a cultivator consumes it, it greatly increases their cultivation. Some even say that it can elevate one’s cultivation to a higher realm.”

“Could it really be that miraculous?”

“We don’t know. No one has actually seen the Seven-Colored Cloud Lotus, so how can we be sure? However, it is true that it can fetch a huge amount of spirit stones at auction.”

“I see.”

Han Li nodded, then turned his gaze away from the Seven-Colored Cloud Lotus and instead lowered his head to observe the pure white skeleton.

It seemed that he was more interested in the skeleton than the lotus. Seeing that he didn’t seem to have any particular greed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

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