Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 249

Han Li quietly made his way towards the ironclad ants’ location without delay. The black desert was intensely hot; not only was the ground burning beneath his feet, but the air itself seemed to be ablaze. Even with the White Jade Pendant and the Azure Essence Armor activated simultaneously, he felt breathless. The heat was clearly more intense than what he had experienced the previous day.

After walking another thirty yards or so, he sighed and took out a smooth bead from his pouch. As he channeled spiritual power into it, a white light flickered from the bead, and a cool energy emanated. Only then did his mind clear, and his steps became more resolute. However, using both the White Jade Pendant and the Ice Essence Bead consumed a considerable amount of magical power, making escaping this place the best option.

Han Li stopped about fifty yards away from the swarm of ironclad ants. He observed them quietly for a long while before shaking his head. The camouflaged ironclad ants were difficult to distinguish from the surrounding black sand. The fluctuations of their spiritual energy were so faint that even a cultivator with a strong spiritual sense would find it hard to detect them.

It seemed that trying to avoid the ironclad ants by relying solely on his spiritual sense was not the right approach. It was time to test the Gold Devouring Beetles.

Under Han Li’s cautious gaze, the spirit beast pouches floated into the air. He formed hand seals with both hands and opened the pouches.

*Buzz buzz buzz buzz….*

Numerous swarms of Gold Devouring Beetles flew out like a torrent, creating a bizarre spectacle of golden and silver light.

“Go.”

Seeing the magnificent sight before him, he felt more confident and gestured towards the distance. In terms of sheer numbers, they overwhelmed the ant swarm he had just seen.

*Buzz.*

The swarm of light quickly flew in one direction.

*Whoosh.*

However, before they could cover much ground, the black ant swarm surged up to meet them.

The two swarms of flying insects collided several times, and a large amount of black flames erupted. However, while the black light of the ant swarm was significantly reduced, the golden and silver light of the beetles enveloped them.

The ironclad ants, recognizing the power of the Gold Devouring Beetles, had countered with black flames from the start. If they had been other insectoid demonic beasts, they would have been burned long ago, resulting in a huge loss of power. However, the Gold Devouring Beetles were unharmed even in the black flames. Instead, they devoured the black flames imbued with spiritual power and overwhelmed the ironclad ant swarm.

The two-colored flying insects collided again, intertwining and emitting a dazzling light. A large number of flying insect corpses began to fall from the sky, mostly black, with very few golden and silver ones. The Gold Devouring Beetles had quickly gained the upper hand. It seemed that all that remained was to annihilate the enemy.

The ant swarm also realized that the situation was turning unfavorable. The remaining ironclad ants gathered together and suddenly formed a black arrow. Then, they began to flee quickly, breaking through the encirclement of the Gold Devouring Beetles.

*Swoosh.*

At that moment, a dazzling blue sword rose up and sliced through the arrow. The black arrow trembled, and its speed greatly decreased. In that short time, the Gold Devouring Beetles had already enveloped the black arrow. In the blink of an eye, the arrow disappeared due to the beetles’ voracious appetite. Only then did Han Li slowly move forward. He looked down at the corpses of the flying insects on the ground and stroked his chin.

There were not many Gold Devouring Beetle corpses, only a few hundred. It seemed that the overwhelming numbers of the Gold Devouring Beetles had played a significant role in defeating the ironclad ants. In any case, with a tenfold difference in numbers, they were bound to be dominant.

Han Li’s face was much more relaxed. He scanned the flying insects on the ground and whistled softly.

*Whee.*

At the same time, the Gold Devouring Beetles rapidly descended, devoured all the insect corpses, and returned to the spirit beast pouches. Han Li carefully secured the pouches and began to cross the black desert.

A day passed, and Han Li, who had already reached deep into the black desert, looked up at the sky. In the sky, the largest battle he had seen since arriving here was taking place. Hundreds of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles and ironclad ants were biting and killing each other. The flying insects that had lost their spiritual power fell like rain, forming a thin layer on the black desert.

It was truly a sight to behold. However, a dark look crossed Han Li’s eyes. In just one day, he had lost nearly ten thousand Gold Devouring Beetles. After dealing with one swarm of ironclad ants and passing a certain distance, another swarm would inevitably appear, ranging from three thousand to ten thousand in number. And the swarm of ironclad ants he was facing now numbered as many as fifty to sixty thousand. It was clear that at least seven thousand Gold Devouring Beetles would die in this battle. This made Han Li feel a pang of heartache. He had lost the Gold Devouring Beetles he had painstakingly raised over a long period of time, and he didn’t know when he would be able to replenish the losses he had suffered this time.

As time passed, the black swarm eventually retreated. Except for a few thousand that began to flee into the distance, all of them had entered the bellies of the beetles. Han Li no longer had the desire to chase them. The cold air emanating from the Ice Essence Bead above his head hastened his steps. Perhaps this was the center of the black desert, which was why he had encountered such a large swarm of ironclad ants. If he didn’t hurry, he would use up all his magical power due to the treasures activated to block the heat.

Han Li walked for a while before stopping and staring at a certain point on his right. Then, with a puzzled look, he climbed onto a small sand dune nearby. His brow furrowed even more as he reached the top of the dune. At the end of his gaze was a swarm of ironclad ants. Their numbers alone reached almost ten thousand. They were frantically attacking a navy blue protective barrier, and the fluctuating blue light seemed unstable. It seemed that the cultivator inside the barrier was barely holding on. Han Li’s face was expressionless.

At that moment, an ironclad ant transformed into a sharp long sword and pierced through the navy blue barrier. ‘He’s going to die.’ Just as Han Li was making this prediction, a cyan sphere was emitted from inside the barrier.

*Poof.*

The sphere collided with the black sword and turned into a fist-sized cyan flame, burning leisurely. As the flames quickly incinerated the sword, nearly a hundred ironclad ants fell to the ground. Han Li was startled and watched the scene. He didn’t know what that cyan sphere was, but it was displaying such tremendous power. It was strange that it was attacking and killing insectoid demonic beasts that were naturally born with fire attributes with fire. There were truly many rare and bizarre items in the cultivation world, and his knowledge was not keeping up.

The appearance of the green flames further provoked the ant swarm. They scattered at an incredible speed to avoid the flames and then rushed back towards the navy blue barrier. Then, a second cyan sphere flew towards the weaponized ironclad ants. At that moment, the person inside the barrier discovered Han Li’s presence. Unexpectedly, while being attacked by the ironclad ants, they gradually began to approach the dune where he was standing. However, Han Li, realizing this, turned around and tried to go his own way. He had no intention of stealing someone else’s treasures, and he certainly had no intention of wasting his Gold Devouring Beetles for a stranger. In this strange black desert, the value of the Gold Devouring Beetles was higher than any treasure. He had taken about two steps when he heard a familiar woman’s shout.

“Wait! It’s Yuan Yao! I will definitely repay you, so please help me!” Her voice was filled with anxiety. ‘Yuan Yao?’ At those words, Han Li stopped and slowly turned around. ‘To encounter a familiar female cultivator in this huge lava furnace of all places.’ Han Li was speechless. They weren’t close, but he wasn’t so cold-blooded as to leave someone he knew to die. Besides, she had her own circumstances, so meeting her by chance like this wasn’t a bad thing. Seeing the navy blue barrier that was almost losing its light, he eventually reached for the spirit beast pouches. Numerous beetles flew out and began to fight against the ant swarm near Yuan Yao. The woman stared blankly at the scene. After losing a thousand Gold Devouring Beetles, he completely eliminated the swarm of ten thousand ironclad ants. Yuan Yao was so surprised that she couldn’t find her words for a long time. It was only when Han Li was collecting the Gold Devouring Beetles that she finally came to her senses and removed the navy blue barrier. Her face was pale due to extreme magical power consumption, and she exuded a pitiful aura. Where had her black mask and male disguise gone? Her thin clothes revealed the soft curves of her body. Moreover, with the tension and heat, she was sweating, making her figure all the more alluring! Han Li was momentarily stunned before immediately returning to normal.

“Thank you for helping Yuan Yao.” She bowed with a smiling face. Han Li looked at her and replied calmly, “It’s nothing. Now that you are out of danger, I’ll be on my way.” After saying that, he turned around to leave without any hesitation. Yuan Yao, who was still trying to calm her shocked heart, hurriedly spoke up at his actions. “Cultivator Han, why are you like this? I haven’t even repaid you for saving my life yet.” Her beautiful face looked like she was about to cry, making anyone who saw her feel sorry for her. However, Han Li didn’t even turn his head and said coldly, “The repayment has been made. However, while I can save you from a crisis once, I can’t be responsible for protecting you, can I? Then, farewell.” As soon as Han Li finished speaking, he had already moved more than ten yards away. Right now, she was lacking in magical power to even withstand the heat of the black desert, let alone the ironclad ants. Therefore, she couldn’t let go of the thread of hope she had barely grasped. She called out to Han Li desperately with her beautiful voice, but Han Li continued to walk as if he hadn’t heard her. Seeing him ignore her pleas with a heart of steel, Yuan Yao urgently brought up the words Han Li had expected.

“Wait! If you help me pass this checkpoint, I will definitely repay you. You won’t be wasting your magical power in vain.” She gritted her teeth. At those words, Han Li stopped again, showing a hesitant expression. “Repay me with what?” As he showed interest, Yuan Yao immediately offered a condition. “I will give you all the remaining Cyan Fire Thunderbolts I have.” “Are you talking about that green sphere I just saw? It didn’t seem like an ordinary item.” Now that he had saved the woman, he had no intention of abandoning her again. Besides, he also had something he wanted, so his previous attitude was just a way to make things easier. Now that she had asked for his help first, things were going according to his plan. Yuan Yao was clearly aware of this as well. However, since he had just saved her life and there was still a long way to go, she had no choice but to follow his wishes. “The Cyan Fire Thunderbolts are fire mines made with the secret techniques of the Cyan Yang Sect. It takes a huge amount of rare materials and a long time to make just one. Their power is comparable to the Yuan Yang Fire of a Nascent Soul cultivator [a high-level cultivator], and I will give you the remaining three.” After speaking, her white hand flipped over, revealing a jade box containing the green spheres. Han Li, who had calmly returned the way he came, looked at the three spheres. He spoke with a slightly mocking tone. “It’s true that the Cyan Fire Thunderbolts are great treasures, but I can’t risk my life for just this. If I take you with me, the magical power I consume will also double. Would you make such a deal, Cultivator Yuan?” Yuan Yao’s jade-like face darkened, but after a moment, she showed a beautiful smile. “Cultivator Han, please just tell me what conditions you want. I won’t beat around the bush. Do you perhaps desire me?” She twisted her waist, gathering her ample chest. Her hazy gaze was so captivating that it was impossible to look away. Han Li’s face showed genuine surprise at her seduction.