Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 384

As soon as the sound transmission talisman was sent, the cultivators who had been concealing their presence moved to avoid the center of the storm, where the winds were fiercest, and hid themselves. Wang Tiangao created a massive barrier to shield Wang Xian and Yan Yu Yan, who were not as skilled, and they disappeared together. Seeing them vanish before his eyes, Han Li’s lips curled slightly. How could he not be aware of Wang Tiangao’s movements with his spiritual sense?

The distance of a hundred li [approximately 30 miles] was quickly closed, and a dark, ominous wind blew, making it seem as if monsters or demons might leap out from anywhere at any moment.

Whirlwinds soared into the sky amidst the sandstorm, but they posed no threat to those who had already concealed themselves.

However, several mages were likely hidden within the whirlwinds. Even Han Li, who was using a concealment technique, could sense them with his spiritual sense as he approached. The storm was a means to conceal their presence. The mages seemed unaware of Han Li and the others, as they continued to move forward.

Just as the cultivators were carefully moving to slip behind them, Nan Longhou, who was at the very front, urgently sent a sound transmission.

“Be careful of the sides!”

Han Li immediately turned his head, and his eyebrows twitched.

A whirlwind pillar, seemingly a hundred zhang [approximately 330 meters] thick, was rushing towards them like a mad beast. A mage who could control such a large force must have extraordinary cultivation.

‘Could they have discovered us?’

Han Li took a deep breath, and the Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords within him stirred.

He had heard of the mages’ reputation for a long time, but he had never actually encountered one. Now that he had, he was not at all pleased.

Everyone watched the whirlwind pillar with wary expressions, and some had already drawn their magical treasures. However, the giant whirlwind pillar brushed past them and continued on its way.

Nan Longhou breathed a sigh of relief, but at that moment, the sandstorm darkened all around them, blocking the cultivators’ vision.

“Let’s be careful. This sandstorm is strange. We can’t send our spiritual sense far, so we shouldn’t get separated.”

Nan Longhou calmly muttered again. Of course, with their cultivation, it would be easy to blow away such a sandstorm, but that would expose their presence.

Believing that the sandstorm would soon dissipate, Han Li and the other cultivators advanced very cautiously, using their concealment techniques.

However, less than half an hour later, Han Li’s expression changed. He stopped moving and hovered in the air, scanning his surroundings. Nan Longhou and the others were surprised and stopped moving as well.

“Cultivator Han, why aren’t you moving?”

“Did the others not feel anything strange?”

The old woman asked, and Han Li replied expressionlessly.

“What do you mean?”

A dark-skinned man flashed next to Han Li. Wang Tiangao and the white-robed old man also looked at each other, puzzled by his words.

“I think everyone knows without me having to say it. How could we not have encountered any mages after passing through this sandstorm for so long? Even if the mages are all moving together, isn’t it strange that the surrounding scenery hasn’t changed? You all know what this means!”

Han Li’s face darkened.

“Someone has cast a restriction to trap us!”

The dark-skinned man’s face also darkened as he looked around.

“As Cultivator Han said, I was also feeling something was off. It seems the opponent sensed us and cast a spell. It seems we can’t avoid a full-scale battle.”

Nan Longhou nodded, agreeing with Han Li.

The cultivators looked visibly flustered. A mage who could trap them with a restriction would be a high-level mage, and if reinforcements arrived, it would be a disaster.

The old woman and the other Nascent Soul cultivators no longer concealed their presence, each emitting a variety of colorful lights. Han Li also extended one arm, and a blue streak shot out and disappeared into the wind.

Soon, ripples appeared in the air that had seemed like a sandstorm, and it tore apart like a thin piece of paper. As the others were puzzled by how easily the restriction was broken, Han Li flew through the torn gap.

The others quickly followed, escaping the restriction. Outside the restriction, the sandstorm was still raging, but the unnatural pressure had disappeared. Han Li breathed a sigh of relief, but he scanned his surroundings, pondering where to go.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he stared at something in the sandstorm. His expression was very calm, except for a faint blue light flickering in his pupils.

“Cultivator Han, what are you doing just standing there?”

Nan Longhou, who was following behind, saw Han Li staring at something without moving and spread his spiritual sense, but he could not detect anything unusual.

“I was just thinking about where to go.”

Han Li turned his head and replied calmly.

“It’s hard to spread your spiritual sense in the sandstorm. What can you possibly learn by staring so intently? This old man has the Star Compass, a rare treasure. Let’s use it.”

Nan Longhou reached for his waist and pulled out a red jade tray.

He held the treasure in one hand and formed a hand seal, chanting an incantation. Golden light shot from his fingers and touched the round jade tray, causing the jade tray to glow with a mixture of gold and red light.

Golden stars rose above the jade tray, making it look like the night sky had been released. Han Li was mesmerized, and the other cultivators, including the white-robed old man, joined him.

Nan Longhou poured his energy into the jade tray, then flipped his hand, and the treasure vanished without a trace.

“Follow this old man!”

After speaking, Nan Longhou turned into a golden streak and shot off in a certain direction. The old woman and the expressionless cultivator immediately followed him. It seemed they had a great deal of faith in this mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

Wang Tiangao also emitted a black light, binding Wang Xian and Yan Yu Yan together, and followed behind.

He glanced at Han Li as he passed, and Han Li raised one corner of his mouth, meeting his gaze naturally. Through the black light, Wang Xian could be seen with her head bowed low.

‘Anyone would think she has a very docile personality.’

Conversely, Yan Yu Yan looked at Han Li with shining eyes for a moment before turning her head away.

Han Li, who was left alone, smiled enigmatically and transformed into a blue streak, leaving the spot.

However, he did not go far before glancing back at the place they had been, his expression strange. Han Li sneered softly and increased his speed.

Not long after Han Li disappeared, a dazzling yellow light appeared where he had been looking, and a dark hole opened up. From within, a pitch-black insect crawled out without any warning.

This insect was very large, about six zhang [approximately 20 meters] long and four zhang [approximately 13 meters] wide, with an oval shape.

Its triangular head had a dozen blinking eyes and antennae, and a pair of sharp fangs created a terrifying atmosphere. Four transparent wings on its back flapped constantly.

Three figures were riding on the insect’s back. One emitted a white light from his entire body, another was shrouded in a turquoise mist, and the last one was flashing with a faint blue lightning all over his body, giving the impression that the god of lightning had descended upon the world.

“Great Master, is it alright to let them go like this? I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

The one glowing with white light expressed concern as he looked in the direction where Han Li and the others had disappeared.

“Hmph! If we didn’t let them go, how long could we have trapped them with just this illusionary formation? Most of them are Nascent Soul old monsters. Each of them has power comparable to mine. Even the two weakest ones are late-Core Formation cultivators. It’s absurd to think we could stop them with just our Yellow Sand Tribe!”

The figure in the green mist spoke coldly, sounding displeased.

“But what will we say to Master Mok of the Heavenly Wind Tribe? Didn’t he tell us to hold them back no matter what? The tribes at the vanguard are under their temporary command, and they have already contacted the other Great Masters. If we activate the Magic Dust Banner, we might not be able to kill them, but we could trap them.”

The figure glowing with white light suggested, but the figure in the green mist became enraged and rebuked him.

“Nonsense! Do you think the 36 Magic Dust Banners can be used at any time? The Magic Dust Banner should never be activated unless we are facing extinction. Besides, the opponents are so strong. What if they counterattack and damage the banner? Do you think we can maintain our position in the Ten Great Tribes Alliance without the tribe’s sacred treasure? It’s not impossible that we would be despised by the other tribes and face extinction.”

“This disciple misspoke.”

The mage in the white light broke out in a cold sweat and quickly apologized.

“You haven’t been a Great Master for long, so I’ll let it slide this time. It’s not like we let them go on purpose. It’s just that the enemy’s abilities were too great, and we lost them. Master Mok’s intentions are obvious. He wants our Yellow Sand Tribe to trap the enemy, and then he and the others will take advantage of the situation and reap all the benefits! They will get all the credit and the spoils. This is their way of retaliating against our Yellow Sand Tribe!”

From what the Great Master in the green mist said, it was clear that he had a very negative impression of Master Mok.

“Master Mok is targeting us and using petty tricks. Besides, the two tribes have never been friendly. We are part of the alliance, not in a master-servant relationship. There’s no need for us to engage in a battle that will result in a great loss of power and no gain. Moreover, with the terrifying speed of the Heavenly Wind Tribe’s Wind Chariot, it’s not impossible to catch up with them.”

The Peony mage, who was flashing with lightning, analyzed the situation calmly.

“The Wind Chariot’s speed is indeed amazing. But it might be too late if we have to gather enough people to set off.”

The Great Master in the green mist continued to mutter.

“Whether we can catch them or not is irrelevant to both them and us. One thing that is puzzling is that the young cultivator who broke through the formation first seems to have discovered us in the Sumeru Cave [a hidden space]… It’s strange. This Sumeru Insect is a famous insect from ancient times. Although its combat power is not strong, it is naturally gifted at creating spatial rifts to hide itself. Even though it’s still a larva and has spatial and temporal limitations, a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t detect it, but an early-Nascent Soul cultivator did. That young man is definitely not an ordinary cultivator. He must have mastered some special secret technique.”

* * *

Han Li flew behind Nan Longhou and the others. They passed through the massive dust storm for dozens of li without encountering a single mage. It was clear that someone had ordered them not to stop them on purpose.

This made Han Li recall the moment he broke through the restriction.

Unable to spread his spiritual sense due to the sandstorm, he had no choice but to channel his spiritual power into his eyes and attempt the Brightsight Spirit Vision. It had been many years since he had cleansed his eyes with the Brightsight Spirit Water, and he wanted to see how much it had changed.

The result exceeded his expectations. His vision, which had been yellow and hazy, cleared up in an instant. Han Li was overjoyed, but he was soon greatly startled when he discovered a dark, circular object not far away.

Pouring a large amount of spiritual power into his eyes, Han Li was able to identify several figures within the dark shadow. But that was all he could see. That was the limit of his current Brightsight Spirit Vision.

In any case, Han Li had learned that several mages were hiding nearby, secretly watching them.

He didn’t know what strange techniques they were using to avoid the attention of so many Nascent Soul cultivators, but only mages could display such abilities in this place.

It seemed that Han Li’s group was too strong, so they were watching the situation rather than engaging them directly. Just as they did not have the courage to attack, Han Li’s group could not stay there for long anyway.

Whether a high-level mage appeared to attack them or a large army of mages surrounded them, the situation was equally perilous.

Therefore, Nan Longhou and the others did not say a word and increased their speed. As a result, they arrived at the Peony Plains in just half a day.
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