Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 284

On the other side, the red light emitted by the Poisonous Flood Dragon was entangled with the old man’s jade ring, the two forces clashing like living creatures.

Judging by how the Golden Haze Elder kept his eyes fixed on the red light and avoided getting too close, its power was clearly formidable.

The Poisonous Flood Dragon’s solo attack on the three cultivators was undoubtedly a ploy to buy time for the turtle demon, who was undergoing its tribulation [a trial of heavenly lightning to achieve a higher level of cultivation].

The old man and the red-robed men were also slowly depleting the Poisonous Flood Dragon’s magical power, hoping it would attempt to escape. The giant turtle, even if it survived the lightning tribulation, would be severely weakened and no longer a major threat.

While the three cultivators battled the demon in the sky, the turtle’s tribulation reached a critical point.

The lightning that had been falling from the sky transformed into silver thunderbolts, relentlessly striking the turtle’s body. Each time a silver thunderbolt hit, a painful roar echoed.

This situation was a boon for Han Li, who had been secretly hiding.

He had no foolish thoughts of trying to take advantage of the situation. If either side won in such a fierce battle, he would surely be killed.

When the optimal opportunity to escape arose, Han Li poured all his magical power into his Bloodwind Cloak, turning into a red streak that tore through the sky.

His incredible speed startled the three cultivators and the demon who were in the midst of battle, but they quickly dismissed it.

Although the red streak was fast, the cultivator inside was only at the early Core Formation stage [a stage of cultivation], so they didn’t pay much attention to it.

Han Li, fearing that he might be discovered by the demon or the cultivators, flew in a direction different from his dwelling. The astonishing speed of the blood-colored Bloodwind Cloak allowed him to travel thousands of miles in a single breath.

After confirming that no one was following him, he relaxed and returned to a normal speed.

After flying for half a day, Han Li briefly landed on a deserted island. He spent several days there before cautiously returning the way he came.

The sea, which had been turbulent, had calmed down, and the demon, the cultivators, and the lightning that had been falling from the sky were all gone.

Han Li surveyed the area and slowly released his spiritual sense to explore the vicinity. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he plunged into the sea.

After a while, Han Li emerged from the water, holding something in each hand.

One was a silver object several yards long, a part of the turtle’s tail he had seen a few days ago. The other was a piece of a skull staff that was still emitting a large amount of spiritual energy.

From these alone, it was impossible to determine the outcome of the battle.

Han Li looked down at the objects in his hands, thinking carefully.

Then, unexpectedly, he casually flicked his hands, letting the tail and half of the staff sink back into the sea. Although the chances were slim, greed could lead to pursuit, endangering his life.

After confirming that there were no hidden demons or cultivators, he flew towards his dwelling. The restrictions on the island were still intact.

He had originally planned to leave this place before the great battle, but after witnessing the fierce fight between the three cultivators and the demon, he changed his mind.

The giant turtle’s fate was unknown, but it was unlikely to return to its exposed habitat after suffering a severe injury like having its tail cut off.

Moreover, finding such a well-hidden island again would not be easy. How could he be sure that there were no high-level demons around the island he would choose as his new dwelling?

Considering everything, this place was much safer. However, he couldn’t let his guard down. On a whim, Han Li circled the island, reinforcing several illusion formations, and created two fake dwellings in the mountains, disguising them with barriers.

With multiple escape routes, he would have time to flee even if a powerful enemy attacked. Having completed his tasks, he finally felt at ease.

Han Li was completely unaware that the great battle he had witnessed had become the spark for a war between demons and cultivators in the Chaotic Star Sea.

The enraged Flood Dragon clan of the Chaotic Star Sea joined in the massacre of human cultivators, causing immense casualties. However, he soon forgot about that day’s events.

He focused all his efforts on refining formation tools for his future hunts. He now had to face sixth and seventh-level high-level demons, so he couldn’t afford to be careless.

Meanwhile, the Gold Devouring Beetles, having finished their cannibalistic feast, finally laid eggs. Han Li, who was happily checking the eggs, widened his eyes.

The white eggs looked like ordinary insect eggs, but this time, they had black spots that caught his attention.

“How can this be…”

His first thought was that the Gold Devouring Beetles had finally reached their long-awaited adult stage, but that wasn’t it.

Although the Gold Devouring Beetles had become more powerful, they were still far from becoming the immortal, complete beings. It was impossible for their evolution to be over already.

Then, he remembered the tens of thousands of Ironfire Ants that the Gold Devouring Beetles had devoured.

‘Could it be that this anomaly occurred because they consumed a large swarm of Ironfire Ants?’

Curiosity surged within him. However, based on his past experience, he would have to wait a year for the eggs to hatch.

He calmed his excitement and activated a mental control formation, placing all the eggs inside. He dripped his blood on them, making them recognize him as their master.

Afterward, he turned his gaze to the Golden Silk Silkworm breeding room, separated by a wall.

Except for the two that had consumed the five-colored beads, the other silkworms were gradually dying, despite being fed spiritual medicine. The condition of the two was not improving significantly either.

Faced with this, Han Li had no choice but to give up. He immediately prepared the Anticipation Grass and decided to observe whether the two silkworms would produce silkworm eggs like the Gold Devouring Beetles.

At least he had confirmed that the five-colored beads, even if they weren’t the Heaven Mending Pills [legendary pills with miraculous effects], were not harmful to the body.

Half a month later, all the formation tools he had been preparing were ready.

After feeding the Golden Silk Silkworms the Anticipation Grass, Han Li entered a secret chamber for seclusion, intending to consume the five-colored beads. He still had six left.

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the seclusion chamber, he stared at the beads in the box.

Having already made his decision, there was no reason to hesitate. He swiftly picked up a bead and put it in his mouth.

At that moment, a puzzled look appeared on his face.

The bead, which had been hard, turned soft the moment it entered his mouth, dissolving with a slightly bitter taste. He felt a warm sensation near his dantian [the energy center of the body].

When he checked his body with his spiritual sense, the five-colored bead was still in its original shape in his stomach, emitting a faint light.

After thinking for a moment, he put his hands together and chanted a magic incantation.

Then, a thin blue flame erupted from his golden core, enveloping the bead and slowly melting it.

The gentle warmth instantly turned into a burning heat. Han Li closed his eyes, gradually reaching a state of complete tranquility.

Two months later, the bead had been melted away by his core fire, but he couldn’t feel any immediate changes. Hesitantly, he began refining the second bead.

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

When he emerged from the seclusion chamber, all six beads had completely dissolved into his body. He felt that his ability to absorb spiritual energy from the heavens and earth and convert it into magical power had increased compared to before. The beads were just beginning to show their effects.

Although it wasn’t a dramatic change, Han Li was overjoyed. However, bad news was also waiting for him.

The Golden Silk Silkworms that had consumed the Anticipation Grass had laid eggs, but they were all dead. Moreover, the male and female silkworms that had hatched had also died. Han Li was speechless for a while as he looked at the secret chamber filled with dead eggs and silkworms.

Having no harvest was disappointing, as if he had been slapped in the face. However, he had verified the general effect of the Anticipation Grass.

He had only speculated that feeding the fully bloomed leaves of the Anticipation Grass to high-level demons would stimulate their reproductive abilities. Now, the fact that the Golden Silk Silkworms had laid eggs proved it.

The rarer the high-level demon, the more difficult it was to produce offspring. With this effect, it was no wonder that high-level demons would swarm towards the scent of the fully bloomed Anticipation Grass.

It was true that good and bad things always came together.

While Han Li was feeling down about the Golden Silk Silkworms, the Gold Devouring Beetle eggs began to hatch. Once the hatching was complete, the Gold Devouring Beetles gave him another surprise.

The newly hatched Gold Devouring Beetles looked the same, but in addition to the silver spots, they had black stripes. Moreover, the spiritual energy they emitted felt different from before.

It was clear that the previous generation of Gold Devouring Beetles had consumed too many Ironfire Ants, causing them to become different from ordinary Gold Devouring Beetles.

Han Li filled a spirit beast bag with the Gold Devouring Beetles and entered a new secret chamber. Half a day later, he emerged from the chamber with an undisguised look of excitement on his face.

The power of the new Gold Devouring Beetles had exceeded his expectations. He felt even more confident in hunting demons in the sea.

He postponed the research on the Void Sky Cauldron and the Void Sky Puppet parts, as it was not something that could be done overnight. First, he needed to go out to sea and collect enough demon cores from high-level demons.

Han Li packed the formation tools and the Anticipation Grass he had prepared. He also didn’t leave behind the Blood Jade Spider and the Soul-Seizing Banner, in case they might be useful.

The spiritual herbs and medicines he had left at his dwelling, especially the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, held him back, but he couldn’t just uproot them and carry them around. He didn’t know how long he would be gone, and it wasn’t appropriate to keep the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, which belonged to the plant kingdom, away from the soil for too long.

After much deliberation, he decided to leave half of the newly hatched beetles at his dwelling. He had ordered them to annihilate anyone who entered, whether cultivator or demon. Unless a Nascent Soul cultivator [a high-level cultivator] or an eighth-level demon invaded, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Thanks to the green liquid he had given it for the past two years, the Soul-Nourishing Wood had regained its original appearance. This tree, like the Thousand Thunder Bamboo, had stopped growing after becoming a ten-thousand-year-old tree. No matter how much green liquid he gave it, its spiritual energy didn’t increase.

Han Li carved ten thumb-sized black prayer beads from the one-foot-long tree and strung them together with gold thread, wearing them around his neck. The Soul-Nourishing Wood had a mysterious effect of calming the mind and boosting the spirit just by being worn, without needing to be refined separately.

After carefully arranging everything in the cave, Han Li left the island’s sea fog alone.

With the Anticipation Grass, he had no intention of mingling with others in the abyss. The probability of encountering eighth-level or higher demons was higher there, and cultivators would be swarming like clouds, making it unsuitable for using the Anticipation Grass.

For him, who could lure demons with the Anticipation Grass, any sea was a great hunting ground.

He just needed to find a suitable coral island. With these thoughts, Han Li flew towards the west.

One month later, Han Li landed on a colorful coral island.

There had been several coral islands along the way, but he had deliberately come far away to avoid any trouble from hunting too close to his dwelling. It was a small island, but it was enough to plant the Anticipation Grass.

He decided to start hunting demons here.

After setting up four formations around the coral island to protect it, he carefully planted the Anticipation Grass in the center.

He wanted sixth-level or higher demons, which would require at least 400 years of growth. It would take a month to attract demons.

However, he couldn’t just sit idle during that time. The Anticipation Grass would attract low-level demons by blooming its leaves in the first three stages.

The pills refined from the cores of fifth-level demons were now useless to him, but they were still valuable for exchanging for high-priced spirit stones [currency used by cultivators].

As expected, before the fourth leaf bloomed, four fifth-level demons attacked, and Han Li easily defeated them with the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.

# 286