Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 257

As Han Li picked up the mangled puppet’s spear, he felt Extreme Yin’s gaze flicker briefly in his direction before disappearing. It was just a fleeting moment, but Han Li couldn’t help but be startled. It seemed these short spears were quite valuable. However, since he needed them, he pretended not to notice. However, doing so would give Extreme Yin another reason to target him later. A wry smile appeared on his face as he bent down to pick up the spear, thinking this.

With the three Nascent Soul [A stage of cultivation in which a cultivator forms a nascent soul, a spiritual entity] cultivators taking action, the puppets here were quickly dealt with. Then, everyone stepped onto the teleportation array leading to the third floor.

* * *

Half a day later, the three cultivators, Man Cheon-myeong and the other two Righteous Path cultivators, were discussing something on the fifth floor of the massive tower. Not far from them stood a magnificent structure. It was a stone platform, about a hundred yards wide and thirty yards high, with hundreds of steps leading to the top. The high platform seemed to be carved from ordinary rock, but it was protected by a white light barrier. Strangely, the light grew denser as the steps ascended, making it impossible to see inside.

Man Cheon-myeong spoke quietly in front of it. “Now that our magic power has recovered, let’s move. Thanks to the Creation Device borrowed from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, we were able to avoid the puppet guards in advance, but we don’t have much time. Man Ho-ja’s Turbid Heaven Devil Art [A powerful demonic cultivation technique] is the best technique for dealing with puppets, so he might be slightly delayed on the fourth floor, but it won’t take him long to get here.”

Daoist Cheon O-ja agreed, a little excited. “Man Brother is right. Let’s go get the treasure!”

The old man dressed as a dark-skinned farmer simply nodded silently. Man Cheon-myeong didn’t mind the old man. Although he was dressed plainly and spoke little, he knew that the old man had mastered the great Jade Pill Art, making him practically superior to Cheon O-ja. The old man was from the Righteous Path, but he had been in seclusion for a long time and had little interaction with others, possessing a cold personality. Man Cheon-myeong smiled and led the two cultivators towards the barrier.

Swoosh.

A purple aura flashed, and a hole about a yard high appeared in the white barrier, allowing them to pass through. They ascended the steps and disappeared into the dark blue light at the top. After they vanished, the barrier covering the steps returned to its original state.

Time passed, and while Man Cheon-myeong and the others had not yet emerged, Man Ho-ja and Extreme Yin appeared at the bottom of the steps. Of course, the others followed closely behind.

Qing Yi looked up at the stone platform, his eyes gleaming. “We’ve finally returned to this strange place. If the three of us hadn’t worked together on the fourth floor, the golden-haired puppet would have taken much longer to deal with.”

Extreme Yin also spoke with a slightly stiff expression. “The puppets were expected, but if it weren’t for the restrictions on the third floor, we would have arrived much sooner.”

Man Ho-ja interrupted impatiently. “We’re here, so what’s with all the talk? Let’s check if those Man Cheon-myeong bastards are inside.”

Extreme Yin looked displeased at his words but didn’t say anything more. Qing Yi smiled and replied. “Don’t worry, Man Brother. After using our secret techniques to check, Brother Oh and I found that Man Cheon-myeong’s group entered several hours ago and haven’t come out yet. Since this is the only way to enter and exit the Cold Black Platform, it means we just need to guard this place.”

“Is that so? It wouldn’t do if those Righteous Path guys ran off somewhere else and we’re just guarding this place like idiots.”

“Hehe! That will never happen. The barrier in front of us is the Heavenly Gang Shield restriction, famous since ancient times. Except for the entrance, there’s no way to get in or out quickly. Let’s rest here and watch the situation.”

Only then did Man Ho-ja nod slightly, find a spot nearby, and sit cross-legged. Extreme Yin and Qing Yi also sat down and began to talk in low voices. Han Li observed everyone’s actions, sneering inwardly. The Demonic Path old monsters were right, but it was also possible that Man Cheon-myeong, with his deep scheming, was moving exactly as they had anticipated.

While analyzing this, Han Li looked around and noticed Hyun-gul sitting alone, staring at the barrier. His face was lost in thought. Han Li thought this was another chance to discuss things. However, after a moment’s thought, he realized that his value to Hyun-gul, who had already allied with Man Ho-ja, had become very low. Perhaps by now, he was only interested in using Han Li’s Blood Jade Spider to find the treasure, just like Extreme Yin. Otherwise, there was no reason to postpone killing Extreme Yin until after obtaining the treasure. There was no point in talking to him with such a troubled mind; it would only reveal his thoughts. It seemed he had to find a way to survive on his own.

“… !”

A chill flashed in his eyes, but unexpectedly, Hyun-gul turned his head and looked at him. Han Li was startled and immediately composed his expression, then began to walk away as if nothing had happened. Hyun-gul stared intently at his back, a faint suspicion arising. Now, Han Li was leisurely wandering around the massive barrier. Since Extreme Yin and the others had arrived on the fifth floor, they knew there was no way for a Core Formation [A stage of cultivation where a cultivator forms a core of energy] cultivator to escape, so they left him alone. After a while, he stood alone behind the high platform. Behind the barrier was a massive limestone wall. The wall was engraved with ancient demonic beasts and unknown patterns. He had seen countless such walls since entering the inner hall and knew that they had profound restrictions on them. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t break through this wall with powerful restrictions in a short time. That was why, even knowing that the other side of the wall was outside the inner hall, he couldn’t do anything about it.

Han Li cursed the ancient cultivators who had built this massive inner hall and then disappeared. He casually hit the wall and was about to turn away. Thud! The small sound of his fist hitting the wall made him stop after taking three or four steps. Han Li slowly turned around with a strange expression. If an ordinary cultivator had heard that sound, they would have ignored it and gone on their way. The reverberation was that ordinary. However, Han Li, who came from a martial arts sect, had studied mechanisms and secret rooms early on. The moment he heard the reverberation, he had a sudden feeling that something was wrong. There was no way that a structure built by an ancient cultivator who could set up high-level restrictions would have a double-layered wall used for mechanisms or secret rooms. After hesitating for a moment, he quickly moved to the wall.

Tap.

He tapped each of the bricks around where he had punched the wall. Tap. Ting! “… !” The moment he tapped the third brick, his eyes lit up. It was the red eye area of the bird-like demonic beast carved on the wall. The carving was not quite at the level of divine craftsmanship, but it was so lifelike that it seemed as if it would roar and flap its wings at any moment. He scanned the carving and then tapped the surrounding wall again. ‘It’s certain!’ There was definitely a hidden space beyond the wall, and something was hidden inside. Han Li didn’t move immediately. He spread his consciousness to confirm that the old monsters weren’t paying attention to him. Without delay, he raised his finger, and a blue light flashed, revealing a short sword. He carved a circle in the limestone wall, and the blue light disappeared. He pushed the section with his other hand, and a fist-sized hole appeared. Knowing that time was short, he didn’t hesitate and put his hand inside. The space inside wasn’t large, and his hand immediately touched something. “… !” It was long, round, and soft, like a club. He pulled his hand out of the hole, and it turned out to be an old, yellowed scroll. He was about to open the scroll but hesitated, put it in his chest, and covered the hole. From a distance, it looked like he was resting.

Just as Han Li finished this action, Extreme Yin’s sinister voice echoed in his ears. “Han Li, come back here immediately. We need to move now.” He was just bewildered. Didn’t they say they were going to rest just now? Why are they moving so quickly? Could it be that the old monsters have noticed something…? He turned back to the front as if nothing had happened, and everyone was looking up at something. Han Li followed their gaze and looked up, his face stiffening. Extreme Yin, seeing that Han Li had arrived, nodded and said to Man Ho-ja, who was standing next to him. “Man Brother, let’s go up. I didn’t expect Man Cheon-myeong’s Golden Silk Silkworm to be able to move the Void Heaven Well. We need to check what’s going on.”

Without waiting for a reply, Man Ho-ja walked towards the barrier. Bang! Without a word, he used his Turbid Heaven Devil Art and punched the barrier. A huge hole several yards wide appeared in the barrier, and Man Ho-ja began to ascend the steps first. Extreme Yin and the old man Qing also ascended the steps, with Han Li in the middle, and Hyun-gul and Oh Chuk entered the barrier last. ‘It’s so cold!’ Although he had prepared himself mentally, he was assaulted by an intense cold as soon as he entered the barrier. He quickly deployed his barrier to block the cold. Man Ho-ja didn’t even think about waiting for the others and rushed towards the dark blue light at the top. Seeing this, Extreme Yin and Qing Yi smiled wryly, exchanged glances, and hurried to follow him. They didn’t forget to signal Han Li to hurry up. He had no intention of running away, but he was angry at Extreme Yin for not giving him a chance to open the scroll he had put in his chest. The place where the scroll was found was the highest floor of the inner hall, so it might contain useful information that could help him. Not only was Extreme Yin signaling him, but Oh Chuk, who seemed to have received some order, was also watching him with fire in his eyes. Hyun-gul was also watching him with suspicious eyes. He was forced to increase his speed, but he slowed down before he could take a few more steps. This time, it wasn’t his intention. The closer he got to the dark blue light at the end of the steps, the more intense the cold became. It felt like his body was freezing with every step. Han Li stopped breathing, his face pale, and prevented the cold from seeping into his lungs. At this moment, Extreme Yin’s voice echoed in his ears again. “The White Jade Pendant I gave you blocks not only heat but also cold. What are you waiting for? Use it!” Only then did Han Li remember and take out the White Jade Pendant from his waist and hang it there. As expected, a white light began to emanate from the White Jade Pendant, and the surroundings became much warmer. Now that he had some leeway, he quickened his pace and observed how the others were avoiding the cold. Man Ho-ja and the other Nascent Soul cultivators were walking leisurely with just their barriers, and Hyun-gul seemed unaffected by the cold after putting on a red bead that was flashing on his neck. Also, Oh Chuk, who was right behind him, was protected by a pink light emanating from a snake-patterned bracelet on his shoulder. After confirming that the others were fine, he looked away. He had already reached the end of the Cold Black Platform and could see a small altar. Eight golden lights were fluctuating above the altar, and in the middle was a large pit emitting a blinding dark blue light. Han Li’s mind sharpened, and he examined it closely. In the middle of the golden lights was a surprisingly blue-green silkworm, spitting out golden threads as thick as a finger, desperately pulling something. Each time the golden light shone, the dark blue light in the pit also fluctuated.

# 259