Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 253

With a low whistle, Han Li released a swarm of flying insects that quickly enveloped the lower part of the circular barrier.

Soon, the insects had gnawed a hole about four feet in diameter. However, the deep blue light intensified, rapidly filling the gap.

Without hesitation, Han Li shot through the remaining opening like a beam of light. Though the entrance sealed behind him, he found himself in a chamber filled with dozens of ancient treasures.

Knowing he couldn’t linger, he tried to use his spiritual sense to assess the treasures’ power. However, a wry smile appeared as he realized it was impossible.

The barrier was interfering with his spiritual sense, preventing him from gauging the treasures’ strength. He would have to rely on his intuition and experience to make a choice.

Reluctantly, he began to examine each item.

‘A strange knife? No, that’s clearly an offensive weapon.’

‘A spirit tablet? Not quite. Judging by the carved monster, it’s probably something that uses the souls of spirit beasts, like that painting scroll I saw earlier.’

‘A drum? I have no idea what that’s for.’

With each treasure he examined, he eliminated it from his list.

Finally, only three treasures remained.

The first was a golden oval mirror, the second was a set of five interconnected colored rings, and the third was a dark red cloak.

He had specific reasons for narrowing it down to these three.

In the cultivation world, mirror-type treasures often had unique functions, so he chose that. The five rings seemed to embody all five elements. He didn’t know their exact function, but they seemed powerful.

As for the cloak…

His gaze lingered on it the longest.

Its structure was unique, with two layers. The inner layer was made of finely woven silver threads, while the outer layer was covered in unknown feathers. The feathers emitted a strange, dark red, blood-like glow within the barrier, giving it an eerie feel.

He was also curious about cloak-type treasures, as he had never seen one before.

Moreover, he suspected it was a treasure with defensive and concealment abilities, which were crucial for surviving the countless battles in the inner war.

With these three treasures before him, a rare hesitation flickered across Han Li’s face. Touching any of them would immediately teleport him away due to the barrier, so he had to choose just one.

His gaze shifted back and forth between the three.

Han Li was usually decisive, but the abundance of treasures he could potentially obtain made him hesitate even more.

After a long pause, he took a breath and regained his composure.

After some thought, he came up with an idea. His heart pounded at the prospect of this method.

Based on his knowledge of formations and restrictions, he was currently in a high-level restriction that moved objects to another space.

Unless he found a way to control the restriction or break it with his magic power, there was no way to resist it. Once the conditions were met, he would inevitably be teleported.

Both of these methods were impossible for him.

Controlling the restriction was out of the question without a professional formation master for a long period of research. Trying to resist the restriction with magic power was futile, unless one was insane.

There was no way he, at the early stage of Core Formation [a cultivation stage], could succeed where so many Nascent Soul [a higher cultivation stage] old monsters had failed.

However, a theory from Shin Yeo-eum’s formation insights came to mind. It described a method to temporarily neutralize a space-controlling restriction.

Though it would only last a moment, it would be enough to obtain one more treasure, according to the theory.

To use this method, a cultivator had to completely conceal their spiritual power and sever their connection with the spiritual energy in the air.

Even Shin Yeo-eum, who proposed this hypothesis, noted that it was impossible even for a Nascent Soul cultivator, as it was simply too unrealistic.

If one had such power, it would be easier to break the restriction with magic power.

Concealing one’s spiritual power to deceive others was possible, but completely severing the connection with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was beyond one’s own power.

After discovering this passage, Han Li had conducted a small experiment in his cave dwelling. He used the Gold Devouring Beetles, which consumed spiritual energy, to temporarily consume the energy emitted from his body. The experiment was successful, but he had forgotten about it since there was no immediate need.

However, now that the time had come to use it, his resolve burned.

The probability of success was high, and even if he failed, he would at least obtain one treasure and be teleported. Having made up his mind, he no longer hesitated.

Buzz buzz buzz buzz.

He raised a hand and opened his spirit beast pouch, releasing tens of thousands of beetles into the air like a cloud.

Ignoring the Gold Devouring Beetles, he gauged the distance and direction of the three treasures, setting his target.

He first moved towards the dark red cloak, stopping about a foot away when he sensed a faint spiritual power fluctuation.

Suddenly, he formed hand seals and began to make strange sounds.

The Gold Devouring Beetles, which had been closely following him, moved in unison and covered him, creating a low hum in response to the strange sounds Han Li was making.

As the sound grew louder, the beetles’ mouths moved faster.

Inside, Han Li fell silent. Then, an unbelievable thing happened. Black spots began to spread on his body. The black light flickered and gradually grew larger.

Several small spots merged to form a large black spot, and those spots merged to create an even larger black aura.

It happened in an instant, like a black chrysanthemum bursting into bloom. Then, the black light enveloped both Han Li and the Gold Devouring Beetles like armor.

At that moment, a hand completely transformed into black light grabbed the cloak and immediately turned towards the five-colored rings.

As soon as he grabbed the cloak, the blue light around Han Li intensified and tried to envelop him, but it dissipated upon touching the black armor.

However, the blue light did not back down and continued to grow stronger, rushing towards him. The black armor also gradually trembled under the constant attacks. Though in a hurry, Han Li moved carefully.

The distance of only five or six feet felt like an hour, but he eventually reached the five-colored rings.

“… !”

Calming his excitement, he extended his black light-covered fingers and carefully collected the rings.

Crackle.

As soon as he obtained the five-colored rings, Han Li’s black armor seemed to reach its limit, tearing apart with a violent sound.

Before Han Li could react, the blue light enveloped him. A strange sensation of the sky and earth turning upside down washed over him, and he disappeared.

When the dazzling light faded, he appeared in a small stone chamber. Shaking his head, Han Li barely regained his senses, straightened his body, and looked around warily.

In an instant, he felt at ease. He couldn’t find any other cultivators. Otherwise, they would have found his current appearance, covered in flying insects, strange.

Han Li calmed his mind and let out a low whistle. The Gold Devouring Beetles fell from his body and floated into the air, their gold and silver light shining brilliantly.

Han Li had no time to examine them and looked down at the two treasures in his hands. He had already examined them several times, but now that they were his, he felt even more nervous.

As he fiddled with the treasures, he felt a faint warmth from the soft material of the cloak. The five-colored rings, on the other hand, were very cold, like ice.

Looking at the treasures, he shifted his gaze to the stone chamber. There was nothing here except for the teleportation formation in the center. There was only a square passage in the front that led somewhere.

The square passage would likely lead to the third gate. With the Great Connection and the Paraju [likely a magical item] that the Extreme Yin had temporarily lent him, he didn’t think it would be difficult to pass.

Thinking this, Han Li looked down at the treasures again. If he didn’t know their abilities, he wouldn’t be able to use them effectively, so he put the cloak aside for now and kept only the five rings in his hand.

The five-colored rings had unknown patterns and symbols engraved on them, creating a mysterious atmosphere. When Han Li picked one up and shook it, it emitted a light and a faint resonance.

His eyes lit up as he slowly infused the five-colored rings with his energy. After a while, he blinked, puzzled. The ring had suddenly disappeared after flashing.

Startled, he looked up and saw the five rings floating above his head, strangely appearing and disappearing while flickering.

Raising an eyebrow, he released a blue magic seal. The rings spun rapidly and suddenly appeared, crashing into the opposite wall.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each time the rings flashed, they appeared in unexpected places. It seemed they were not for direct attacks.

Han Li called the rings back and infused them with energy. Then, they instantly transformed into a huge copper hoop, emitting a brilliant light. They were not for attack but for defense.

Staring at it quietly, Han Li shouted.

“Come!”

Whoosh.

At the same time, the giant hoop descended, trapping him like five layers of a snare. The rotation of the rings gradually accelerated, and the five-colored shields became blurred, completely enveloping him.

Han Li revealed a faint smile.

It was clear that this treasure was for defense, so he would have to learn about its power in actual combat.

Thinking this, he pointed his finger at the shield. Instantly, the shield split into five, returning to its original ring form.

However, the rings, which had been flashing for a moment, disappeared from his sight again. Han Li calmly opened his palm, and the five-colored brilliant light disappeared, revealing the rings, each the size of his palm.

He was lost in thought for a moment.

After a while, unintelligible incantations poured from his mouth, and the five rings suddenly disappeared, fastening themselves to his limbs and neck. It was fortunate that he had prepared in advance, or he would have collapsed if he hadn’t immediately chanted the spell to release them.

Han Li rubbed his neck, as if he felt discomfort from the rings’ tightening, and showed a look of joy. With this, he could catch his opponents without a trace if he ambushed them.

Even someone with a strong spiritual sense like himself had barely sensed the moment the rings trapped him, so others wouldn’t even have time to react.

Even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, not to mention a Nascent Soul cultivator, could be caught off guard if they weren’t prepared.

Of course, he didn’t know how long the rings could hold an opponent. With a satisfied look, he put the rings into his storage pouch and took out the dark red cloak again.

Han Li simply put on the cloak and infused it with spiritual power. Then, a blood-like light surged, and he felt a heat as his spiritual power began to drain rapidly.

Startled, he quickly cut off his spiritual power, and the cloak returned to its original form.

“…”

With a bewildered look, Han Li took off the cloak and examined it, narrowing his brows. After a moment, he put the cloak back on and slowly infused it with spiritual power.

As expected, his spiritual power was rapidly drained, but since he had prepared himself, he was able to observe the changes in the cloak.

When spiritual power was infused, the feathers on the outer layer grew longer and red, enveloping the entire cloak in a blood-colored shield. Raising both hands, he looked around and disappeared into the void.

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