Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 235

Now that only the two of them were left, Han Li waited for her, and they began to walk side by side, looking quite leisurely from a distance.

“You seem to know a lot about the Illusionary Sky Hall. Could you briefly explain it to me?”

Fairy Ja-ryeong glanced at Han Li’s face, feeling a bit conflicted. It was unexpected that someone only at the early Core Formation stage would act so relaxed in such a dangerous area.

However, a part of her also felt quite relieved. It clearly meant that the other party had something to rely on.

She obediently began to explain what she knew in response to Han Li’s question.

“The Illusionary Sky Hall is an ancient mystery of the Chaotic Star Sea. It only appears once every 300 years in a remote area of the Chaotic Star Sea, and it is known to contain countless treasures, including spirit herbs, ancient artifacts, and cultivation techniques. It is speculated to be a secret palace built by ancient cultivators of the ancient times with some purpose, so every 300 years, many high-level cultivators come to seek treasures.

The Illusionary Sky Hall is full of mechanisms and barriers, and the closer you get to the inner hall, which is the core of the palace, the more precious the treasures become, and the greater the danger. It is said that the true treasure of the Illusionary Sky Hall is located in the inner hall. However, even if you want to enter the inner hall, you must first pass through the three major gates, and only Nascent Soul stage cultivators and some lucky ones can pass through all three gates unscathed, so even the path to the inner hall is not easy.”

Ja-ryeong paused for a moment, observing Han Li’s expression.

“No matter how many treasures there are, it has been opened several times, so how much could be left?”

At the calm question, Ja-ryeong answered without certainty.

“I don’t know either. However, the opening of the Illusionary Sky Hall is limited in time, and it is said that important treasures are hidden quite secretly, so I can only guess that there are still many left.

Perhaps, even getting one or two would be considered lucky. I’ve heard that many people just get some ordinary spirit herbs and return empty-handed. Everything depends on one’s luck. If that weren’t the case, the Nascent Soul stage cultivators would have taken everything already.”

Han Li simply nodded and quickened his pace. He had been following the black-robed man’s trail for a while, but still nothing had happened.

For Fairy Ja-ryeong, she felt a little relieved. She hoped that the powerful ghost had moved elsewhere or was targeting another cultivator. Just as she had this thought, Han Li suddenly stopped walking.

Fairy Ja-ryeong also stopped in surprise and, feeling uneasy, asked,

“Why are you stopping?”

She spread her spiritual sense to investigate but found nothing. Han Li’s eyes gleamed as he replied,

“It seems the black-robed man is fighting that demon.”

“Then what should we do? Should we go and help, or should we take this opportunity to turn back?”

Han Li looked at Ja-ryeong. He knew that she clearly wanted the latter. Perhaps, if they weren’t trapped in the ghostly mist, Han Li would have made the same choice.

But now they were… Han Li shook his head, sighed lightly, and walked straight ahead. Ja-ryeong’s eyes widened at the sight, but after thinking for a moment, she eventually followed.

When she had followed Han Li for several dozen yards, she faintly heard the sound of magic exploding and a low whimpering.

The sound seemed to be that of a woman, and it was sharp, piercing the ears and never ceasing, making people’s minds unstable.

Even from a distance, she already felt her mind wavering, and it felt like she couldn’t control her limbs. Ja-ryeong was startled and quickly circulated her cultivation technique to calm her mind, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.

In the meantime, Han Li’s back was already out of sight. After hesitating for a moment, Fairy Ja-ryeong walked forward again with a serious face.

Not long after, she saw Han Li standing with his hands behind his back, seemingly lost in thought. The woman tried to approach him quickly.

However, before she could reach Han Li, the ghost’s whimpering echoed in her ears, and her head became dizzy, her vision darkened, and her body wouldn’t move as she wished. The color was draining from Fairy Ja-ryeong’s face.

‘Soul-Snatching Ghost Sound!’

The name of the ghost technique that had done this to her came to Fairy Ja-ryeong’s mind.

The Soul-Snatching Ghost Sound, which meant a sound that steals souls, was a natural ability of high-level demons. When used against cultivators of a lower level, it would cause their blood to flow backward and their bodies to become uncontrollable. It was an extremely insidious and vicious method.

In a moment of carelessness, she had mistaken what she thought was a normal ghost cry for something else. Watching her body lose control while her eyes were wide open, fear gripped her.

“Fairy Ja-ryeong.”

At that moment, a man’s voice echoed in her ear. The sound was not loud at all, but it shook her mind like a lightning bolt, causing her to collapse to the ground without realizing it.

Then, noticing that her body had returned to normal, Ja-ryeong looked at the man with joy and gratitude. The voice she had just heard was definitely Han Li’s.

Han Li’s voice transmission echoed in her ear once more.

“Fairy Ja-ryeong, if you strengthen your mind with your cultivation, there will be no room for ghost sounds to penetrate. You must not be careless.”

Fairy Ja-ryeong’s face flushed, and she replied that she would, and got up. Only after she had come right behind Han Li did she notice what he was quietly watching.

She couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Kwang!

From not far away in the ghostly mist, black and thick fog surged, emitting a mixture of green and red light, along with a huge rumble and the Soul-Snatching Ghost Sound that had almost bewitched her.

Inside, the black-robed man was swinging a red hammer, emitting countless blue flames, and fighting a black shadow.

The ghost shadow was shrouded in mist, manipulating a green bead the size of a thumb, and emitting a pitch-black chill from within, trapping the black-robed man. It seemed that the black-robed man was being pushed back.

And the spirit beast, Soul Devourer, which was said to devour ghosts, was being attacked by two humanoid demons with fur all over their bodies.

The two monsters looked exactly like green-furred zombies, except for their pointed heads and the bone claws in their hands. They were constantly attacking the Soul Devourer, emitting green ghost flames from the bone claws in their hands.

The monkey-shaped spirit beast was spraying yellow light from its nose, grabbing the fiercely burning flames and swallowing them into its belly. Looking at it this way, it seemed that the Soul Devourer was gaining the upper hand.

The two green-furred zombies could not approach the spirit beast at all, except for throwing ghost flames. They clearly seemed to fear the yellow light.

However, because of this, the Soul Devourer could not quickly get rid of the two demons and go to help the black-robed man. Ja-ryeong swallowed hard as she looked at the two demons.

“Ghost Yaksha…”

“Fairy Ja-ryeong, do you know those monsters?”

“It must be a Ghost Yaksha. It’s my first time seeing one, but it matches the descriptions I’ve seen in books. It’s a very rare type of zombie, a ghost that can roam the world even in broad daylight. Because they are Ghost Yaksha, they can dare to attack the Soul Devourer.

They have physical bodies, so they are safe as long as they don’t touch the light that absorbs souls. It seems that the Soul Devourer is still young and cannot use any abilities other than the Soul Absorption Light.”

Han Li’s face showed no expression, but inwardly, he was sighing. Her cultivation was lacking, but her knowledge was incomparable to his.

He had looked through many scriptures in Yellow Maple Valley, but at that time, his cultivation was low, so he could not access truly precious materials.

Even after coming to the Chaotic Star Sea, he had collected and learned many scriptures, but unless it was information specifically collected by a sect, there were many overlaps and many facts that were not written down. Usually, it was not noticeable, but at such important moments, his lack of knowledge was exposed.

It seemed that if he returned safely this time, he would have to obtain related books through the Myriad Sound Sect. It would be difficult for them to refuse his request as an honorary elder. While Han Li was thinking this, the situation changed.

The black-robed man’s red hammer, which had been emitting blue flames, was completely engulfed by the black yin energy of the green bead. Even to the eye, the flames were almost extinguished.

The black-robed man couldn’t help but be surprised and angry. He had made many preparations for this trip to the Illusionary Sky Hall.

He had believed in the power of the Soul Devourer and was confident that he would easily pass the first gate, so he had ignored Han Li’s requests.

But suddenly, the demon that had attacked was not only profound in magic power but also effectively countering all of his attacks. It had taken advantage of his carelessness to attack and separate him from the Soul Devourer, bringing him to this dangerous situation.

Unfortunately, other than refining the Soul Devourer and learning some special techniques, he lacked the ability to directly confront a powerful demon. So, he could only watch as the light of his treasured Demon Fire Hammer gradually faded.

As he thought about what would happen after he died here, the black-robed man’s heart grew cold, and he became extremely anxious. At that moment, Han Li arrived nearby, and the black-robed man was overjoyed, feeling like he had grabbed a lifeline.

However, he was so furious at Han Li’s attitude that he wanted to spit blood. Han Li was just watching without any intention of helping, even in this urgent situation.

The black-robed man gritted his teeth at Han Li’s spitefulness. After that, Fairy Ja-ryeong also arrived. Seeing the black-robed man barely holding on, she also became suspicious of Han Li’s attitude.

‘Is he deliberately letting him die because of the attitude the black-robed man showed earlier?’

However, she also knew that Han Li was not such a simple-minded person, so she became even more curious about the reason for his actions.

But she was also embarrassed to question the person who had just saved her life, so she simply watched the fight between the black-robed man and the demon.

The black-robed man’s life was hanging by a thread. His hammer magic treasure was broken by the cold energy emitted by the green bead, and eventually, it lost its light.

‘Kuhuhu!’

The black demon made a sharp sound and turned into a black light, lunging at the black-robed man’s chest.

Because his face was covered, the expression of the demonic cultivator could not be seen. But the fact that he did not move from his spot made it seem like he had given up on everything, anticipating his death.

The black-robed man knew that the defensive magic techniques and other magic treasures he had on his body were useless against such a powerful demon.

He had already lost his only magic treasure, the Demon Fire Hammer, and he had no other magic treasures prepared, so he thought it was the end. At the moment of crisis, Han Li, who had been watching the situation with cold eyes, began to move.

Without any warning, he raised his arm, and five blue lights flew out, aiming for the vital points of the black shadow that was attacking the black-robed man.

If the demon ignored this attack and rushed at the black-robed man, it would surely be able to kill him, but the demon would also suffer a fatal wound and be shattered by the sword energy.

There was no way the demon would do that, so it immediately blurred and returned to its original position. Its green eyes flashed as it looked at Han Li, showing no sign of agitation.

At that sight, Han Li’s eyes also gleamed, and he took out an exquisite spirit beast bag. But instead of opening the spirit beast bag, he flicked his ten fingers, firing ten blue lights at the two zombies.

The two demons also quickly noticed the surprise attack, and their forms blurred, turning into smoke and disappearing.

‘Kihak!’

The zombies, who had reappeared next to the demon, bared their black teeth at Han Li, expressing their anger.

In this gap, the black-robed man gathered all his magic power, retrieved his hammer, and quickly turned into a beam of light, trying to fly to Han Li’s side. Han Li’s face hardened when he saw that.

“Be careful! There’s another demon!”

At those words, the black-robed man hesitated, but it was already after something gray had popped out of the ghostly mist and stood in front of him.

Fear seeped into the black-robed man’s eyes.

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