Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 369

Ham Woon-ji and Ryu Ok had never been to the Taeaksan Mountains, but they knew that the cultivator who had subdued Ji Mok-ryeong from afar had stayed near there for about half a day.

Thus, Ryu Ok, her eyes gleaming, spoke, “We have never set foot in the Taeaksan Mountains. However, we did see a cultivator heading towards the Taeaksan Mountains from afar. Senior Brother Soon, are you perhaps looking for that person?”

“You saw it from afar. How can you know that person stayed in the Taeaksan Mountains just from that? Perhaps your sect’s cultivator went there with a purpose,” the man in the silk robe said, shamelessly scanning the two women. He chuckled, and Ryu Ok pretended to blush as she replied, “Senior Brother Gwol, what are you saying? What would we gain from deceiving you here in Wolguk? If you don’t believe us, ask that person directly. It’s true that he stayed in the Taeaksan Mountains, but we have our reasons for not being able to tell you how we know.”

The black-robed cultivator hesitated, half in doubt, before relaxing his stern expression after a moment. “Normally, I would believe what Junior Sister Ryu says, but this time it’s difficult. Because Sixth Junior Brother and his group were killed in the Taeaksan Mountains, and their bodies haven’t even been found, our master is already furious. And among the high-level cultivators passing through Wolguk, your group’s actions are the most suspicious. Since Junior Sister Ryu has pointed out another culprit, let’s have a confrontation with that person to find out what happened.”

“A confrontation?” Ryu Ok was momentarily flustered and showed reluctance. “Can’t you even cooperate to this extent?” the black-robed cultivator asked softly, but he had already signaled the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators to surround Ham Woon-ji’s group. It felt like they would be attacked at any moment.

At that moment, Ryu Ok’s expression changed, and she ‘whipped’ her head around. It wasn’t just her. All the cultivators in that place felt the chilling aura of a high-level cultivator and looked in the same direction. They hadn’t yet identified the source of the aura, but the chilling killing intent that seemed to cut through flesh was clearly conveyed. The elegant woman, sensing the powerful aura, angrily exclaimed, “Isn’t that a Nascent Soul cultivator! So the person you were talking about is a Nascent Soul old monster [a very powerful and old cultivator]. Are you trying to get us all killed here!”

“There’s no time to be talking nonsense. Scatter and run immediately!” Senior Brother Soon was just as angry, but it wasn’t the time to argue about it. As soon as he gave the order to his fellow disciples, he turned into a streak of black light and began to flee. The man in the silk robe was also surprised, but he didn’t run away immediately and hesitated. “There’s no proof that this Nascent Soul cultivator is the culprit who killed Sixth Junior Brother, is there? Why are you all trembling already?” “If you have a dozen lives, Senior Brother, you can wait and see if he’s the culprit! This junior sister is going first!” The only woman among the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Core Formation cultivators coldly warned and then turned into a streak of red light, fleeing in a different direction from Senior Brother Soon. Then, the man in the silk robe had no choice but to glare fiercely at the Spirit Controlling Sect group and took off. No one was unaware of the terror of a Nascent Soul cultivator, so the other low-level cultivators of the Ghost Spirit Sect also scattered and fled.

“Useless things! I knew they wouldn’t be of much help, but they just wasted time for us to escape.” “No, the situation has improved significantly. Since they’ve all scattered in different directions, our chances of survival have increased. Now it’s up to our luck,” Ham Woon-ji calmly replied to Ryu Ok’s angry voice and then summoned a giant bird that emitted a white aura, brushing past the spirit beast pouch [a pouch used to store tamed beasts]. The other Spirit Controlling Sect cultivators also didn’t hesitate and chose different directions, either riding their magical artifacts or flying on spirit beasts like Ham Woon-ji. They were all using different methods, but they were all rushing away from the directions the previous people had gone, which was the same. They were worried that if many cultivators gathered, they would become an easier target for the Nascent Soul cultivator.

In an instant, the sky, which had been bustling with cultivators, became empty. They believed that even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t possibly chase and kill all of them. At least a few of them would be able to save their lives. Han Li was already within a hundred miles. He was a bit taken aback when he sensed the addition of the demonic cultivators, and when they started scattering and running away, his brow naturally furrowed. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and the moment he took a deep breath, a pair of silver wings appeared on his back. As he infused the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning into the Wind Thunder Wings, Han Li disappeared as if he had become lightning itself, reappearing tens of miles away. Through a mysterious technique, he arrived at the places where the demonic cultivators had scattered, ‘flashing’ and ‘flashing’. Standing still and spreading his senses, he vividly felt the locations of all the demonic cultivators who were fleeing. Han Li lightly sneered and disappeared with a flash of light towards the Core Formation cultivator who had flown the farthest.

* * *

The cultivator who had gone the farthest wasn’t Senior Brother Soon, who had left first, but a thirty-year-old woman. It was as if she was a monster engulfed in red flames, flying at breakneck speed, thanks to some bizarre technique she had trained in, even though she was only at the early stage of Core Formation. Outside the flames, lights of different lengths flashed blue, cutting through the air like oars. The woman was quite proud of herself right now. Her technique wasn’t the best for fighting enemies, but it allowed her to display outstanding abilities when fleeing. This method, which utilized both wind and fire attributes, was being maximized by the wind-attribute spirit banner magic treasure [a magical item]. She was confident that her speed was comparable to that of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. ‘If only one person survives among those who fled, it will definitely be me!’ While she was feeling quite relieved, a rumbling sound ominously followed her. The elegant woman hurriedly looked back, but she couldn’t find anyone. However, the thunderous sound continued, growing louder with each passing moment. The woman’s beautiful face turned pale, and she frantically looked around, pouring all her spiritual power into a desperate attempt to flee even faster than before. However, there was no way she could escape the pursuit of Han Li, who had silver wings. The woman wasn’t the only one surprised. Han Li was also surprised by the woman’s incredible speed. He realized that there were many mysterious techniques in the world as he had lived for a long time. It was a terrifying escape technique for a Core Formation cultivator. ‘There must be quite a few secret techniques or magic treasures that are comparable to the Wind Thunder Wings.’ Even while thinking this, Han Li continuously flapped the Wind Thunder Wings. Soon, the silver light flashed in an arc, and he was already in front of the woman. “Senior, please spare my life!” Han Li silently looked at her and released five streaks of blue sword energy from his fingertips. *Phew, phew, phew.* The power of the protective barrier imbued with wind and fire attributes was considerable, as it blocked the first three energies, but the fourth one pierced through without resistance, ending the woman’s life. Han Li lightly shook his head as he watched the falling corpse, then snapped his fingers, turning the corpse into ashes with a flame. He had, of course, already taken the storage pouch and the long belt-shaped magic treasure she had been carrying. “If I don’t kill you here, there will be pursuit from the demonic Nascent Soul old monster.” He immediately flashed and flew to where another cultivator was. His next target was the black-robed cultivator, who had the highest cultivation among the cultivators. He was already at the late stage of the mid-Core Formation, and it seemed possible for him to reach the late stage if he had the chance. As Han Li flew, he tapped the spirit beast pouch, and a large number of three-colored spirit devouring beetles flew out. The spirit devouring beetles, transformed into a dozen or so three-colored flying swords, were aimed at the Foundation Establishment cultivators who were desperately fleeing and shot out respectively. It was too cumbersome to go around killing them one by one, and this way, the Foundation Establishment cultivators could be dealt with at once. However, he planned to deal with the Core Formation cultivators himself.

* * *

The black-robed cultivator was stepping on a dark-colored dagger, hurrying with a gloomy face. ‘I was trying to find the culprit who killed Sixth Junior Brother, and now I’m being chased by a Nascent Soul old monster!’ He didn’t know if this person was the culprit, but he was definitely involved. Moreover, seeing the Spirit Controlling Sect cultivators fleeing in fear, it was highly likely that they had done something to displease him, and they were being dragged into this mess and were about to shed blood. Since he wasn’t someone who had come to Wolguk with good intentions, it was highly likely that he would kill them to silence them. Now that he had found a clue that the Nascent Soul old monster was involved in Sixth Junior Brother’s death, the matter was already out of his hands. ‘I need to inform Master of this fact as soon as possible!’ Judging by the fact that he was killing the demonic Core Formation cultivators without hesitation, it was possible that he was a lone cultivator not belonging to any faction. Given the vastness of the demonic forces, such an action would be difficult if one were to consider the future. As the black-robed cultivator was flying while worrying about various things, a strange thunderous sound began to approach from behind. *Rumble! Rumble! Crash! Rumble!* “……!” He turned his head back as if his neck would break, but he only caught a glimpse of a flash of blue light before it disappeared. *Cough!* Han Li expressionlessly retrieved the blue greatsword from the black-robed man’s body. Even though he had meticulously protected his body with a barrier while fleeing, he couldn’t withstand the blow from the greatsword created by combining the Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword. Han Li turned his gaze and immediately flew to another place.

* * *

While following two green skulls, the man in the silk robe kept looking around with a tense face. No matter how far he had flown, the opponent’s powerful senses could find him at any time. He was flying at full speed while keeping his senses as open as possible, paying close attention. “Hic!” He turned his head this way and that, and when he looked ahead, he was so surprised that his heart almost dropped. A young man in his twenties was waiting for him not far away. “You’ve worked hard to fly this far. Now you must go the path I’ve prepared, right?” *Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.* As Han Li opened his mouth and flicked his sleeve, countless golden dots covered the sky. The man in the silk robe couldn’t even let out a scream, let alone use a magic treasure, and disappeared, trapped within the golden dots. “The spirit devouring beetles that have evolved this time are much stronger. They even devoured the magic treasure in an instant.” Then, he took out the spirit beast pouch again, and the golden spirit devouring beetles circled above his head a few times before entering it. ‘The stronger they get, the harder they are to handle.’ The spirit devouring beetles were becoming increasingly difficult to control as they continued to evolve.

* * *

Ham Woon-ji was flying on a pure white avian spirit beast. The bird’s entire body was spotless white, and its spiritual power also emitted a white light, so from afar, it looked like a white rainbow hanging in the sky. Unlike her calm nature, she had a very tense expression as she tightly gripped a green jade plate. The jade plate was as transparent as crystal and as beautiful as jade, with large characters and symbols engraved in gold and silver ink, emitting a surprisingly powerful spiritual energy. It was clear at a glance that it was an extraordinary treasure. On the smooth surface of the jade plate, colorful lights flickered, as if it contained various colored fireflies. Then, one of the lights lost its light and disappeared. “…….” Her red lips were tightly closed, and she stared at the treasure without blinking. Two more red dots disappeared. A change in expression finally appeared on Ham Woon-ji’s immaculate face. Another one of the lights on the plate had gone out, and the directions of the disappearing lights were appearing in all directions, making it impossible to guess the opponent’s path. “All the other disciples except for me and Junior Sister Ryu have been defeated. If he’s not using a clone technique, then he’s using a strange technique. Most of the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators must have been defeated as well. If I had known this would happen, we should have fought together.”

# 371