Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 393

“Is Nan Longhou connected to the Heavenly Extremity Sect? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Oh, did I forget to mention it? My apologies. But Nan Longhou hasn’t actually joined the Heavenly Extremity Sect yet, so there’s no need to worry too much. If you’re still concerned, why not join the Ghost Spirit Sect and become elders? Then the Heavenly Extremity Sect wouldn’t dare to bother you!”

The old woman’s expression shifted as she questioned him, and Old Man Yun responded with a relaxed smile.

“Hmph! At my age, I have no desire for any constraints.”

“I’ve grown accustomed to a life of leisure, so joining your sect would be difficult for me.”

The old woman scoffed and refused outright, while the dark-skinned man calmly stated his position.

“It’s a pity, as the sect’s strength would have greatly increased if you two had joined! But rest assured, I have no intention of forcing you. However, once Nan Longhou is eliminated, the Heavenly Extremity Sect won’t seek revenge for a dead man.

What’s truly regrettable is that I’ve known Nan Longhou for a century, yet he kept silent about the Chuma Bone [a legendary, dangerous location]. I only heard that he had a hidden residence there and that there was a map hidden that the Chang Kun Merchant used when entering the Chuma Bone long ago. If we enter the Chuma Bone with that map, wouldn’t our safety be guaranteed? So, even if we manage to track him down, let’s not destroy his Nascent Soul [the core of a cultivator’s power] immediately, but use the Soul Searching Technique to extract the information.”

Instead of being angered by their refusal, the old man smoothly changed the subject.

“But what if that map is with that Han fellow? Things could become complicated.”

“I have a plan for that as well. We’ll let him escape and spread the word throughout Tiannan [a region] that he possesses the Chuma Bone map. Then, both the righteous and demonic paths, as well as the Heavenly Dao Alliance, will chase after him to seize the map.

Then, we can take advantage of the chaos to snatch the map. A mere Falling Cloud Sect won’t be able to monopolize the treasures of the Chuma Bone. What’s crucial now is the information about the Chuma Bone that Nan Longhou possesses. Even if the cultivators later find a way to enter the Chuma Bone, the outcome will depend on this information.”

When Wang Tiangao expressed his concern, Old Man Yun calmly explained.

“If that’s the only way, then so be it. But before that, couldn’t we try to trade with him? There’s nothing in this world that can’t be traded.”

Wang Tiangao considered his thoughts and shared his opinion.

“That’s a good point. Speaking of which, that Han fellow’s methods are quite peculiar. Is he really the same age as Junior Sister Wang? He seems to use more cunning tactics than most old monsters. If I were to fight him alone, I’m not sure I could handle him.”

“I asked Xianyi, and he said that he was originally just an ordinary Qi Condensation [the first stage of cultivation] cultivator from the Yellow Maple Valley. I don’t know how he reached the Nascent Soul stage in such a short time, but it’s clear that his abilities are extraordinary. If he hadn’t caused such a commotion, how would Nan Longhou have had the chance to escape?”

Wang Tiangao also pondered, but couldn’t understand it. He was terrified when Han Li attacked with the black mountain peak, and then he used the Tai Miao Divine Gold to block them!

The old woman and others also smiled wryly as they recalled the strange techniques.

“Then, I’ll go back to Senior Long first and check on his condition. Since he’s a Nascent Soul cultivator, there might still be a way to save him. I’m also worried about my nephew. Just before that Han fellow escaped, I was surprised to see him using a technique similar to the Blood Fiend Slash that I’ve been practicing.”

Wang Tiangao added.

“Very well. Since we can’t sense the opponent right now, let’s return for now. Once Nan Longhou’s secret technique loses its effect, we’ll pursue him again!”

Old Man Yun agreed, and they went back down the passage.

They quickly arrived at the ruins of the Jade Pavilion, where Lian Yu Yan was kneeling, fidgeting anxiously, and Wang Xian was lying motionless beside her.

“What happened? Was Xian injured?”

Wang Tiangao’s expression turned cold, but his voice remained calm.

“No, it’s just that my husband’s legs…”

Lian Yu Yan hesitated, her anxiety evident. Wang Tiangao took a few steps closer to assess the situation and frowned.

Both of Wang Xian’s legs had been severed and left lying beside him, but strangely, there wasn’t a single drop of blood.

“My husband and I were using the Blood Spirit Great Technique to protect our bodies with blood mist, but an unknown secret technique was unleashed in an instant. The attack was too fast, and the blood mist couldn’t block it at all. At the last moment, my husband jumped up to avoid being cut in half, but his legs…”

“Then, you should have used a technique to reattach his legs immediately.”

Wang Tiangao asked coldly, despite Lian Yu Yan’s regretful explanation.

“I’ve tried various techniques, but none of them worked. Although no blood is leaking from the severed areas, there’s a mass of black energy that seems to be blocking the techniques! That’s why my husband is unconscious right now.”

“I see. If it were an ordinary technique, it wouldn’t have been able to penetrate the Blood Spirit Great Technique that you two used together. Let me take a look!”

Wang Tiangao’s expression softened as he carefully examined Wang Xian’s wounds. Indeed, there was a mass of black energy at the severed areas of his legs.

Wang Tiangao raised his hand and stirred the black energy, causing the evil energy to gather into a small ball. He originally intended to use true fire to burn it away, but he suddenly took out a small bottle from his waist and stored them inside.

*Shuk.*

Wang Tiangao planned to use this to research the nature of the technique that Han Li had used. Unbeknownst to him, a subtle expression appeared and disappeared on Lian Yu Yan’s face.

Wang Tiangao collected the evil energy from the other leg and gathered the scattered limbs. Lian Yu Yan immediately cast a spell to connect the severed areas.

Finally, Wang Tiangao turned around with a satisfied expression, but Old Man Yun and the others were gathered around Senior Long, looking dumbfounded.

“Why haven’t you released the seal yet?”

Wang Tiangao asked, approaching them with a puzzled look.

“Seal? How do you expect us to release it? It’s an unimaginably vicious technique!”

The old woman muttered, unable to hide her fear. Old Man Yun also seemed lost in thought with a dark expression.

“What are you talking about?”

Wang Tiangao turned the ice sculpture around and suddenly realized.

“… !”

“Did you see it?”

The dark-skinned man suddenly raised a hand towards the ice sculpture, and a fist-sized jade flew out.

*Bang!*

The jade turned into an identical dark blue ice mass as soon as it touched the surface of the ice and shattered into dust.

That wasn’t the end of it. The dark-skinned cultivator raised his hand again and unleashed a blazing white true fire towards the ice sculpture. The true fire flickered as it touched the dark blue ice and then vanished immediately.

It was as if it had been absorbed by something. Wang Tiangao gasped.

“There’s no way to save Senior Long’s body while it’s encased in this ice. We’ll just have to extract his Nascent Soul and find a suitable body for it. Senior Long hasn’t already used his chance before, has he?”

Old Man Yun sighed and asked the surrounding cultivators.

“I don’t think so. I believe it’s Senior Long’s own body.”

The dark-skinned cultivator’s face was grim, as he seemed to have a connection with Senior Long.

“Then let’s help his Nascent Soul escape!”

As if he had heard their conversation, Senior Long suddenly emitted a white light from his body.

*Thud!*

Senior Long’s body turned to ashes and disappeared, and a tiny, one-inch-sized Nascent Soul appeared inside the dark blue ice, holding a nail-sized jade pendant in its hands. Although it was a small face, it was filled with venom.

It opened its mouth and spat out red flames. As the Nascent Yang Infant Fire touched the jade pendant, red and white flames erupted from the small Nascent Soul’s entire body and shot towards the ice without hesitation.

“Wait!”

Old Man Yun hurriedly tried to stop Senior Long, who was about to break out of the ice, but it was already too late. Senior Long’s Nascent Soul crashed directly into the dark blue ice.

The result was a sight that chilled the cultivators to the bone.

As if Senior Long’s powerful attack had ignited the dark blue ice, dark blue flames blazed up instantly and swallowed Senior Long’s Nascent Soul whole.

The Nascent Soul’s desperate screams echoed as it was engulfed in the dark blue flames and flew into the air. It didn’t last long before it rolled and wailed.

Even that ended quickly, and the Nascent Soul turned into a white light and disappeared before their eyes. Senior Long’s body, as well as his soul, had been completely annihilated.

Han Li, who had used the Thunder Escape Technique to fly a hundred miles away in an instant, finally paused to rest and get his bearings. He took out his blood-colored wind cloak and put it on before continuing to fly through the air.

After flying about a thousand miles, he noticed a sight below him: tens of thousands of Mo Lan commoners marching.

‘What is this?’

When he was in the Falling Cloud Sect, he had heard from the elders about the battles between the Mo Lan shamans and the Tiannan cultivators. The Mo Lan tribesmen couldn’t learn spirit techniques, but they would select young adults to form temporary villages every time they advanced.

Then, while the Tiannan cultivators were distracted, they would steal spirit stones and materials from various places in Tiannan. This way, even if the Mo Lan shamans were defeated and retreated, they wouldn’t return empty-handed.

The National Salvation Alliance would be furious over these thefts, but they couldn’t do anything about it when the war reached its peak.

If they assigned a small number of cultivators to guard the resource sites, they would be annihilated if even one high-level Mo Lan cultivator appeared. If they dispatched a large number of cultivators to guard them, they would lack the forces to fight at the front lines.

The only option was to let the shamans plunder the resource sites first, and then send cultivators to retrieve them and kill the Mo Lan commoners.

Unfortunately, the Mo Lan people didn’t care at all about the deaths of the commoners, and they would select new ones to carry out the task after killing a group. It was as if they were paying for resources with the lives of the commoners. Moreover, they would frequently set traps to eliminate the cultivators.

After losing a considerable number of cultivators, the National Salvation Alliance had come to ignore these plunders. After all, the amount they could take was limited even if they mined for a short time, and it was better to quickly attack the shaman army and force them to retreat.

There were many carriages and carts in the procession he saw now. Most of them were young men and women, and it seemed to be the temporary village he had heard about, meant to plunder Tiannan’s resources.

Han Li scanned them with his spiritual sense and found only one Qi Condensation shaman and three Foundation Establishment [the second stage of cultivation] shamans. Naturally, they were completely unaware of his presence.

Han Li pondered for a moment, then formed hand seals and hid himself in the air. He reappeared on top of an old cart belonging to the Mo Lan tribesmen. It was a cart piled with old cowhide and pickaxes for mining.

Han Li waved his hand, clearing a space in the middle for him to sit cross-legged and rest.

If he flew alone towards Tiannan while the Mo Lan shamans were advancing, he was bound to run into trouble. Of course, except for the top-level shamans, they wouldn’t pose a threat, but if he was outnumbered, problems could arise.

Moreover, he had to avoid not only the Mo Lan shamans but also the pursuit of Wang Tiangao and the others.

He observed with his spiritual sense that the commoners’ procession was very slow, but if they continued like this, they would be able to safely leave the Mo Lan grasslands in two or three days.

Once he was out of the Mo Lan territory and into the wasteland, he planned to fly towards Tiannan at full speed. As he sat in the cart, he could hear the Mo Lan people talking.

The Mo Lan language was naturally different from that of Tiannan, but Han Li had studied the relevant books before starting this journey and had grasped the Mo Lan language.

With his powerful spiritual sense, he could learn it roughly in a day or two. They were mostly talking about whether they could gain merit with the ‘superiors’ by bringing back many spirit stones and materials from Tiannan. They had faith, worship, and awe for the shamans.

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