Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 385

“Now I can finally catch my breath.”

Nan Longhou, who was leading the group, let out a long sigh and slowed down. The others followed suit, reducing their speed as they flew.

“Since nothing has happened so far, even if the Peony people chase us belatedly, they won’t be able to catch up.”

“Don’t be too relieved! Some mages possess unimaginable abilities… Hah!”

The white-robed old man was speaking when he suddenly gasped, his eyes turning serious as he looked behind them. Han Li was also surprised and about to say something when a faint, grating boom reached their ears from behind.

The bizarre sound grew rapidly, and the cultivators’ expressions changed as they all turned to look back.

Far in the sky, a white light flashed, and something was flying towards them at an incredible speed. It was an incomprehensibly fast pace.

“This is bad! It’s a mage’s Wind Chariot! There must be mages of our level riding it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to move at such speed.”

The white-robed old man immediately identified the Wind Chariot and shouted.

“There are five of them, and all are at the Nascent Soul stage like us. They are probably trying to stall us here until reinforcements arrive, rather than trying to defeat us.”

Wang Tiangao scanned them with his spiritual sense, his expression darkening.

“We can’t afford to waste time here. Once we engage them, it will be impossible to disengage quickly, so let’s move separately! The locations are marked on these jade slips. Let’s meet again there in three days.”

Nan Longhou spoke rapidly, taking out identical jade slips from his pouch and throwing them to the group.

“Then, take care, and let’s meet in three days.”

Without further delay, Nan Longhou wrapped himself in golden light and shot off. The white-robed old man and the others also took their jade slips and began to use their secret techniques.

The dark-skinned man ignited yellow spiritual flames all over his body and disappeared into the ground using earth evasion, while the old woman summoned a white crane that emitted pure white spiritual energy and was already over a hundred yards away.

Then, the Dragon cultivator released silver light from his body and transformed into a silver dragon using some treasure, disappearing through the clouds.

Wang Tiangao, Wang Xian, and Yan Yu Yan also used an unknown Ghost Spirit Sect secret technique, turning into a massive black light and flying away. Their speed was so fast that it was truly astonishing.

The moment Nan Longhou threw the jade slip, Han Li also flashed a red light and donned the Wind Piercing Robe, pouring a large amount of spiritual power into it.

Whoosh!

The red light surged, and he turned into a streak of crimson, disappearing at a speed that was by no means slower than the others. He even glanced back at the Wind Chariot chasing them from time to time.

Although it was still far away, he could clearly see it with his spiritual sense. It was a truly bizarre sight.

It was a square-shaped demonic beast carriage, but strangely, there were no demonic beasts pulling it, nor were there any wheels. Instead, there were blackish-red wooden wings on either side, covered in densely packed spells, fluttering with iridescent light.

After a closer look, Han Li realized that the Wind Chariot’s pure white body was made from the bones of an unknown demonic beast and was filled with immense killing intent.

Although he couldn’t see clearly due to the white light surrounding it, he could vaguely make out the five figures sitting in the center of the Wind Chariot.

However, since he had never fought a mage before, he didn’t rashly extend his spiritual sense into the Wind Chariot. Instead, he turned his head again and increased his speed towards the south of the Peony Plains.

In the blink of an eye, Han Li and the other eight cultivators flew off in different directions.

When the Wind Chariot stopped at the point where the Tiannan cultivators had split, Han Li glanced back at them again. After the white light faded from the Wind Chariot, four figures appeared, each wearing different colored robes—three men and one woman.

The four mages seemed to gather and discuss something before splitting up to begin their pursuit. Fortunately, no one followed Han Li’s direction.

Just as Han Li was feeling relieved, his expression suddenly tightened.

‘This is bad!’

The Wind Chariot flashed a white light and began to rush towards Han Li. The sharp sound of air being torn made Han Li grimace as he gathered all his light, increasing his speed with a brilliant crimson flash.

The crimson light flew ahead, and the white light chased behind, maintaining a distance of only about ten miles. The speed of the mage in the Wind Chariot was astonishing, but Han Li’s speed with the Wind Piercing Robe was not to be underestimated either.

Thus, the two lights disappeared into the depths of the Peony Plains.

With the incredible speed of Han Li and the Wind Chariot, they quickly entered within a hundred miles of the Peony Plains. As he shot forward in his crimson Wind Piercing Robe, he glanced back with his spiritual sense, his eyes widening in surprise.

Even with the speed of the Wind Piercing Robe, he couldn’t shake off his pursuer, and the distance was gradually decreasing. There was a reason why Elder Yun, who had reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage, had changed his expression upon recognizing the Wind Chariot.

The Wind Chariot was indeed a top-tier flying treasure. It seemed that there was no way to escape without using Lightning Evasion or Blood Shadow Evasion.

However, since reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he had never tested his skills against a cultivator of the same level. Although he was confident in his abilities, he didn’t know where he stood among the Nascent Soul cultivators.

During his years in the Fallen Cloud Sect, he had focused solely on cultivation as an elder, and he had only exchanged spiritual senses with Nan Longhou in the Allheaven Star Domain to gauge each other’s levels.

The mage in the Wind Chariot chasing him now was a good opponent to test his skills. Moreover, he had long been curious about the mages’ spiritual techniques.

It would be best if he could kill his opponent, but if not, he could just escape with the Wind Thunder Wings. However, this was the Peony Plains, so he couldn’t afford to drag out the fight for too long.

Han Li quickly made up his mind, and the red light abruptly dimmed. In its place, a dense blue aura began to rise.

At the same time, his figure suddenly swerved, immediately turning to face the rear.

Han Li, who had been coldly pursued by the white light, flicked his sleeve, and dozens of blue swords poured out like a swarm of bees, buzzing loudly. The formation of the blue swords, layered like a fishing net, was impressive to behold.

In addition to releasing all 72 Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords, he also swept his hand over the Spirit Beast Pouch, summoning the Three-Colored Gold Devouring Beetles. The beetles formed a massive cloud, circling around him.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Han Li’s eyes flashed as he spread his arms, and two blue magic seals split and disappeared into the beetles. At the same time, the beetles were enveloped in blue light, surrounding Han Li.

The three-colored beetle armor appeared on Han Li’s body, emitting an ancient blue light.

The mage in the Wind Chariot, who had been rapidly closing the distance, witnessed the extraordinary scene of the armor forming as Han Li stopped. The Wind Chariot, which had been flying unhindered, immediately slowed down, stopping about a hundred yards away from Han Li.

Han Li, who had been watching it expressionlessly, didn’t care and flipped both his hands. A basket appeared in one hand, and a small bell appeared in the other, floating in the air.

He immediately threw the small bell forward, and a silver light flashed, revealing its true form as a massive bell, several yards in size.

At the same time, following his will, the 72 flying swords created illusions, tripling in number to over 200 blue sword lights that covered the sky.

“Go.”

In a clear resonance, the sword lights merged into one, forming a massive wave over a hundred yards long, and fiercely charged towards the enemy.

The silver bell, which had started moving first, was already showing its power. It arrived above the Wind Chariot and began to rotate rapidly, creating a massive sonic wave that trapped the Wind Chariot within its undulations.

If the mage hadn’t prepared in advance, this attack alone would have dealt a significant blow. The power of the silver bell, Gobo, had changed as Han Li’s cultivation had progressed.

Indeed, the mage in the Wind Chariot couldn’t withstand it, and the Wind Chariot’s wooden wings vibrated, retreating about ten yards to escape the sonic wave’s undulations.

When someone jumped out of the square carriage, emitting a white light, the wave of the giant blue sword was already rushing in like a storm. The figure floating above the Wind Chariot calmly extended one hand upon seeing it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A blue light surged, forming a protective barrier above his head. The wave of the giant blue sword collided with the barrier, causing violent explosions.

The light of the barrier flickered wildly, but it seemed to be able to hold for a while.

“……!”

Han Li, who was watching this scene from afar, narrowed his eyes.

The mage muttered something and opened his mouth wide, spitting out a thin, dark blue thread that attacked the blue wave Han Li had sent, like a giant serpent.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

At the same time, blue and dark blue clashed, creating a tremendous roar.

The mage then immediately shot a magic seal at the Wind Chariot below, causing the Wind Chariot to shrink rapidly and disappear into the mage’s storage pouch. Then, he raised his head, finally revealing the mage’s gaunt face with a sinister expression.

The old man, who appeared to be in his sixties, had blue tattoos on both cheeks and wore a unique dark blue silk robe. However, what was surprising was not his appearance but his spiritual power. He was unexpectedly a mage who had reached the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage. It was no wonder he had easily blocked his attack.

And the mage’s dark blue barrier was not a spiritual technique but was emitted from a fist-sized bead he held in his hand.

Han Li increased his vigilance, his face becoming even colder, and immediately tried to activate the basket Gobo.

“Stop! You are skilled, but you seem to be quite impatient. Why attack without saying a word?”

The old man stopped Han Li’s actions with a dissatisfied tone.

“Is there anything to say between a cultivator and a mage?”

Han Li frowned and replied coldly, but he extended his hand to stop the attack. He wanted to hear what the mage was trying to say.

“That’s not entirely wrong. But is there a need for those of us who have reached this level to risk our lives fighting each other? If the cultivator gives me a satisfactory answer, I am willing to let you go.”

“An answer? I don’t know about an answer, but I have a question for you.”

Han Li raised one corner of his mouth. He could roughly guess what the other party was trying to say. He was surprised by the sudden appearance of so many Nascent Soul cultivators.

“It seems the cultivator is trying to refuse my goodwill.”

The old man’s face became even more sinister. Han Li sneered and suddenly raised his hand towards the sky. A blue wave condensed, turning into a giant sword twenty to thirty yards long.

The giant sword sliced through the dark blue serpent and then struck down with momentum, as if it would split the barrier and the old man in one go.

Seeing this, the old man, Mok, distorted his face menacingly and immediately threw the bead he was holding, sending out a clear aura. The bead flashed a dark blue light and rotated at high speed, and dark blue threads emerged from it, forming a giant net.

At the same time, the old man chanted a spell and formed a hand seal, causing a dark blue light to burst from his body, creating a massive barrier.

The giant sword collided fiercely with the barrier, but the giant sword, condensed from over 200 sword energies, could not be easily blocked by any barrier.

In the end, the barrier split in half, and the blade of the giant sword aimed for the dark blue net again.

However, the situation did not unfold as Han Li had expected. The thin threads, which were almost transparent, were incredibly sturdy.

The giant sword struck the dark blue net several times without breaking through, and conversely, the net gradually narrowed its encirclement under the old man’s control. After a while, the giant sword was firmly trapped in the net, unable to harm each other and only checking each other’s power.