Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 251

252. The Pavilion with Treasures

Perhaps because of their previous conversation, the two walked in silence. However, the worries they had didn’t materialize, and even the usual ant swarms stopped appearing.

This was strange not only to Han Li but also to Yuan Yao, and their unease grew. As they continued on their path, they climbed a high sand dune and froze.

“What is this…” Yuan Yao was too shocked to speak. Han Li’s expression was much calmer, but he was just as surprised as she was.

In this black desert, an incongruous, enormous ice pillar, thirty yards high, stood tall. The pillar emanated a chilling aura, sparkling in the light, and it imprisoned a huge black giant within. The bald giant’s ugly face was contorted, his eyes wide open, and he was frozen solid in the ice.

Staring at it for a moment, Han Li scanned the surrounding ground. The black desert was pockmarked and uneven, with traces of a battle.

His gaze returned to the giant.

“… !” Yuan Yao, who had been in a daze, finally regained her senses and asked, “Did you find something? What happened?”

Han Li simply smiled, not answering her question, and spread his spiritual sense. Once it was clear that there were no hidden cultivators nearby, Han Li descended the sand dune and began to approach the ice pillar.

Annoyed by his attitude, Yuan Yao snorted. However, moving away from him would only result in her wasting her own magic power to withstand the heat, so she quickly followed him closely.

As she and Han Li approached within ten yards of the ice pillar, Yuan Yao’s red lips parted. “An ant swarm?” At this distance, she could clearly see the true form of the giant. Surprisingly, the bald giant was a figure made up of countless ants.

It was truly a mysterious sight. Although the Ironclad Ant was frozen in the ice, it was not clear if it was truly dead. Han Li stopped walking and looked up at the ice pillar before him.

“Since they’re all dead, let’s hurry on our way. We shouldn’t waste time.” Han Li was suspicious of her words. “How can you be so sure they’re dead?” “Then are you saying they’re alive?” She looked at Han Li and explained, “Haven’t you heard of the famous Myriad Laws Sect’s Xuanhuang Mirror? If you shine that treasure on a living being, it will immediately scatter their soul, and the remaining body will be left in a crystal pillar form. In a few days, even that will disappear.”

“I haven’t heard of it!” “…” At Han Li’s honest answer, the woman’s eyes widened, and she was speechless. After looking at the ice pillar once more, he muttered, “If that’s the case, then these insects must have been dealt with by Man Tianming.”

Yuan Yao glanced at Han Li, smiling as if she knew what he was thinking. “Who else could it be? What are you thinking right now? This crystal pillar will disappear on its own after a certain amount of time, but it can’t be damaged by ordinary magic treasures. That’s why the Xuanhuang Mirror is so famous.”

Han Li calmly looked at her, then took out the spirit beast pouch from his waist and released a large swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles. “Go!” With his gesture, the beetles swarmed like a cloud and surrounded the ice pillar.

“Are you trying to have them eat the remains of the insects? No matter how powerful your spirit beasts are, they won’t be able to do that…” Yuan Yao stopped speaking. The giant, covered in white ice, visibly shrank, and in a short time, its head completely disappeared.

Her mouth hung open, unable to close it for a long time. Under Yuan Yao’s astonished gaze, the Gold Devouring Beetle army devoured the giant completely, leaving behind only a black, crystal-like object.

This was called ‘Refined Essence,’ a rare material that the queen ant of the ant swarm accumulated in her body every day by eating ore. Although very few cultivators knew this information, Han Li had remembered reading about it in an old ancient book and had tried it out.

But it was unexpected that he would actually obtain the Refined Essence. Refined Essence was one of the best auxiliary materials for magic treasures. Once mixed into a magic treasure, it would greatly increase its power and make its hardness unimaginable, making it impossible to cut with any object.

Whether Man Tianming didn’t know this fact or didn’t care about the Refined Essence, Han Li had gained a great profit because of it. If he used it to refine the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords later, he would be able to further enhance the power of the magic treasure.

Yuan Yao didn’t know what the Refined Essence was, but she noticed that Han Li’s face was full of joy, so she guessed it was a good item. However, she didn’t make the mistake of asking about it. The two of them quickened their pace again in silence.

* * *

Inside the roughly made stone hall, besides the teleportation array, there were also huge limestone doors on each of the four sides. All the doors were tightly closed, making the inside like a sealed room. Inside the stone hall, a large number of stone tables and chairs were arranged in various ways. However, only about half a dozen cultivators occupied the space.

Extreme Yin Ancestor, Qing Yi Layman, and Man Tianming were present, and the rest were late-Nascent Soul stage cultivators. All of them had dark expressions and kept their mouths shut. In particular, Extreme Yin Ancestor’s face was extremely fierce, and his gaze towards the teleportation array was unusual.

The people here were the cultivators who had escaped from the Icefire Island. The black desert and the blood forest were not a big problem for Nascent Soul stage cultivators, but the late-Nascent Soul stage cultivators must have gone through a lot of hardship to get out. Of course, cultivators below that level couldn’t escape at all.

Extreme Yin and Qing Yi Layman were naturally worried about Han Li’s safety. If Han Li died in the lava furnace, the Blood Jade Spider would also be lost, and they would have dreamed in vain. In particular, Extreme Yin Ancestor had a greater guaranteed profit, so he was even more sensitive.

Man Tianming was also looking down at his palm with a cold face. The Nascent Soul stage cultivators couldn’t possibly not know that the changes in Icefire Island were the work of the Star Palace, so they had many thoughts. What exactly was the Star Palace’s intention in doing this? Could it be that they intended to tear apart both the righteous and demonic sides inside the Void Sky Hall?

In this atmosphere, time passed quickly. Man Huzi, Tian Wuzi, a cultivator dressed as a farmer, and Wu Chou and Xuan Gu, among others, came out of the teleportation array one after another. Judging by the terrible expressions on everyone’s faces, they were clearly cursing the Star Palace in their hearts.

Now, there was less than half a day left before the passage of the Icefire Island gate closed. Since Han Li still hadn’t appeared, Extreme Yin’s face, which had improved slightly after Wu Chou came out, began to harden again. Wu Chou had managed to escape this place safely with the help of the ancient treasure that Extreme Yin had given him earlier, but there was no guarantee that Han Li would have such a treasure.

Thinking this, Extreme Yin, feeling depressed, unconsciously looked at Qing Yi Layman and Man Huzi. Qing Yi Layman was lost in thought, staring at the teleportation array. Man Huzi was looking up at the ceiling of the inner hall, his jaw twitching as if he was muttering something.

Extreme Yin could only sigh. If he lost the Blood Jade Spider, the possibility of obtaining the Void Sky Hall would be too low, and he didn’t know what would happen to the alliance. Xuan Gu chose a stone table to sit at and closed his eyes, as if he was replenishing his magic power. He was a little surprised that Han Li hadn’t appeared, but it was understandable.

In his opinion, Han Li’s abilities were at most at the late-Nascent Soul stage. Whether he could pass through the Icefire Island, which had undergone a change, was a fifty-fifty chance. If he lost Han Li as an ally, it would be difficult to deal with Extreme Yin. Perhaps he would have to wait for another opportunity.

Feeling dejected by the sudden change in the situation, Xuan Gu cursed the two elders who had come from the Star Palace in his heart. Man Tianming’s situation was not good either. His plan to receive the help of the Nascent Soul stage cultivators had fallen apart.

While everyone was worried, the elders of the Star Palace appeared. At the same time, unkind gazes focused on the two of them. The white-robed elder with a benevolent face scanned the cold gazes of the crowd and sighed. “Ah! I don’t know which reckless cultivator touched the powerful restriction of Icefire Island and caused chaos in the canyon. The two of us went to investigate, but we couldn’t find any solution. Perhaps many cultivators will not be able to avoid disaster in this expedition, and we, who are in charge of supervising the Void Sky Hall, will probably receive a hundred years of solitary cultivation when we return to the Star Palace.”

His face showed that he was extremely sorry that this had happened. However, the faces of both the righteous and demonic sides who were listening to him became even more distorted. They were trying to avoid responsibility with such vague words, as if they knew nothing! However, the situation in the great hall was as the two elders had predicted.

The cultivators gathered here sent icy glares, but no one directly stepped forward to question them. Man Huzi, Man Tianming, and other Nascent Soul stage cultivators also withdrew their gazes and went back to their own business. The name of the Star Palace was a force that they dared not touch carelessly.

The two white-robed elders exchanged glances and then found a corner to sit cross-legged. Everyone, thinking that there was nothing they could do, went back to their own business when the teleportation array lit up again, and two people appeared. It was Han Li and Yuan Yao.

Yuan Yao was once again dressed in black, disguising herself as a man, and she seemed wary of some of the people in the stone hall. As soon as Extreme Yin saw Han Li, he raised his voice. “Han Li!” He smiled broadly and gestured for him to come to his side immediately. Man Huzi and Qing Yi Layman also looked surprised, but they gathered around Extreme Yin.

Han Li, who had secretly sighed, said a few words to Yuan Yao and then walked towards Extreme Yin Ancestor. He believed that the demonic old monsters wouldn’t touch him until they had obtained the treasures. Moreover, he felt much more at ease when he found Xuan Gu as soon as he arrived here. Extreme Yin asked Han Li what had happened with the appearance of a benevolent master.

Han Li gave a vague answer. In fact, he knew that the other party wasn’t really curious about it. As expected, Extreme Yin didn’t ask any further questions and praised him repeatedly. Next to him, Qing Yi Layman also greeted him with a smile and asked how he was doing. Only Man Huzi, who valued his reputation, didn’t join in the act, but when Han Li tried to return the Ice Soul Pearl, he waved his hand generously, indicating that he should keep it.

It seemed that he had become the center of attention after escaping from Icefire Island despite the unexpected danger. However, only Wu Chou showed his hostility, glaring at him with a venomous look. Extreme Yin Ancestor also noticed this and suddenly gave him a look and moved his lips. Wu Chou, who had heard the transmission, lowered his head and returned to a calm expression.

Han Li took in this scene and decided that he needed to talk to Xuan Gu. He was worried that not telling him the exact plan meant that they were just going to do whatever they wanted. As he was thinking, the remaining time quickly passed.

Soon after, the teleportation array in the middle of the stone hall suddenly disappeared. Only about a dozen people had survived until the end. Thud! At the same time, the four stone doors on the four sides opened, revealing deep passages. The white-robed elder stood in front of the passage and began to explain.

“Three of the four passages are connected to a pavilion. Each pavilion connected to each passage has different items, such as ancient treasures, elixirs, or cultivation techniques. However, due to the restrictions of all the pavilions, everyone is given only one chance to choose one item. Once you have an item in your hand, you will be immediately teleported to the next gate, the world of dreams. If there are any cultivators who wish to give up on the third gate, please wait here for a moment, and you will be automatically sent out of the Void Sky Hall.”

No one was grateful for his explanation. Despite the hostile atmosphere, the elder simply smiled.