Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 419

420. Fame

After occupying All-Heaven City, the Peony Clan immediately established it as their primary base in the Tiannan region, summoning a large coalition of mages from the Peony Plains.

To guard against any sudden moves by the Dolor people, almost all the tribes, except for the largest, the Geumyang tribe, mobilized their elites and gathered.

The Peony Clan planned to engage in a decisive battle once their coalition was fully assembled. However, the Tiannan forces, with their geographical advantage, were not to be underestimated.

In addition to the support forces mobilized by the four major powers, smaller and medium-sized sects not affiliated with any power also sent personnel to participate.

Even the reclusive cultivators realized that this war was different from the past and stepped forward themselves. They considered it an anomaly that could even change the fundamental history of the Yeon Clan’s presence in the Tiannan region.

With the cultivators of the capital region united, the four major powers demonstrated tremendous strength at the border between the Northern Liang Kingdom and the Woo Kingdom, building massive stone fortresses overnight. This was to serve as a base when engaging the mage army.

The capital region also needed time to deploy the cultivators gathered from numerous sects and reorganize their ranks.

They entered a temporary truce to prepare for a decisive battle. Like the calm before a storm, both sides maintained a peaceful state without any action.

It was at this time that rumors about Han Li spread, and his fame grew.

Unbeknownst to him, there was one more Nascent Soul cultivator who had returned alive from the battle inside the Yellow Dragon Mountain barrier. It was Old Man Ma.

Of course, the elder of the Howling Flame Sect, Old Man Ma, had been chased by the evil woman’s wind magic, abandoning his physical body and barely reaching the Righteous Alliance in the state of his Nascent Soul [a soul form achieved by cultivators at a certain level].

Also, the Core Formation cultivators, Lee Young-ah and the Moyong brothers, noticed that the situation was turning dangerous and quickly escaped, returning safely.

Thus, the news of Han Li instantly killing the black-robed Nascent Soul mage spread to everyone.

However, the fact that he and Cultivator Ryuk had exposed and eliminated a spy who was an elder of the Spirit Beast Sect was only known to a few high-ranking officials of certain powers and was not disclosed to the outside world. But what truly made Han Li famous was something else.

It was the information that he had escaped from the hands of a Peony Clan divine master.

The middle-aged scholar who had been chasing him joined the mage army and revealed that he had failed to kill Han Li.

To save face, the middle-aged scholar deliberately exaggerated Han Li’s abilities, saying that he overwhelmed an ordinary mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

In addition, his mysterious abilities shown in the battle with the evil woman and the fact that he had destroyed the body of the Heavenly Wind Division’s Mok Sang-sa in the Peony Plains became known, and Han Li’s fame grew even higher among the Peony mages.

Of course, besides Han Li, other Nascent Soul cultivators who had not been noticed before also stood out in the battles against the mages.

Unaware of this situation, Han Li was recovering his energy after nearly half a year and was on his way out of a mountain valley somewhere in the Woo Kingdom.

* * *

‘Bongtak’ was a Foundation Establishment mage from a small Peony tribe. In his tribe, he was a respected sage, but after coming to All-Heaven City, he was treated as a mere member of the army.

He was patrolling several hundred miles near the border of the Northern Liang Kingdom with a few Qi Refining mages. This was to prepare for an attack by Tiannan cultivators.

He had been patrolling for almost half a day, and calculating the time, it was almost time for the next mage to take over. He only had to go a few dozen more miles before he could return.

Bongtak pondered.

The dozens of spirit stones he had received two days ago seemed enough to overcome his early Foundation Establishment cultivation, which was in a slump. He wanted to sit in a meditative posture and cultivate as soon as possible.

If he could improve his cultivation even a little before the war started, he could earn more spirit stones as a reward for his achievements.

With these thoughts, the Peony Clan’s mid-level mage was flying on his sword. But suddenly, a blue light flashed, and a young man in a blue robe appeared.

The young-looking man’s expression did not change even when he saw the group of mages.

“Tiannan cultivator! He’s at least a Core Formation stage. I can’t judge the depth of his cultivation.”

Bongtak scanned the young man with his spiritual sense and shouted in alarm.

“Retreat! He’s an enemy we can’t handle!”

Bongtak quickly ordered the five or six low-level mages following him and threw a small spirit beast pouch he was wearing into the air.

Then, a red light burst out, circled, and shot towards the base where they had started their patrol. At that moment, a white light flashed in the air, and a beautiful woman in a white skirt blew pink breath towards the red light.

Squeak.

The red light immediately scattered, and the small bird that seemed to be burning fell straight down. The woman waved her hand and summoned the small bird.

Seeing this, Bongtak became anxious and hastily formed hand seals with both hands, emitting a large yellow light and instantly fleeing several miles away.

The young man, who was watching him from below, narrowed his eyes and sneered lightly. Then, Bongtak’s ears rang with a ‘thud,’ his head became muddled, and he began to fall to the ground.

The other Qi Refining cultivators were the same. However, the white-clothed woman only grabbed Bongtak and pulled him up.

“Master, this one seems to be leading the group. He must know more information.”

The woman said to the young man with a sweet smile. The two were Han Li and Eunwol, who had just emerged from their seclusion in the stone chamber.

They had already captured a low-level mage and learned that the Woo Kingdom had already fallen and the general situation, but they decided to capture another mage to learn more specific information.

It was better than trying to break through the place guarded by the divine master and suffering a setback.

With Eunwol’s bewitching illusion and his dream magic, they easily extracted the desired information. It was information that made Han Li feel a little relieved.

The border area was indeed guarded by the three divine masters in rotation, but the base in front of it was under the jurisdiction of a Peony Clan grand master.

With his cultivation, it was not a problem to pass by without being detected. Han Li frowned as he looked at the prisoner who was still unconscious and asleep.

He had used relatively violent means to quickly obtain information, so even if he woke up, he would be a mentally impaired wreck.

With a light sigh, Han Li flicked his hand and turned him to ashes with flames.

Then, he immediately turned into a streak of blue light, wrapped around Eunwol, and soared into the sky.

* * *

Inside the Thousand Sun Stone Fortress built by the Tiannan cultivators in one of the border areas of the Northern Liang Kingdom.

Inside a building in a certain part of Thousand Sun Fortress, Senior Brother Ryeo was talking with several high-level cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Everyone had worried expressions and looked unwell.

Ryeo Rak, who had originally participated in the battle as the vanguard to stop the mages’ advance, was able to return to the Falling Cloud Sect. However, there were only two Nascent Soul cultivators in the Falling Cloud Sect now: the silver-haired old man and himself.

The silver-haired old man, whose energy was greatly damaged and had not yet recovered, could not be allowed to lead the disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect to participate in the battle. In the end, Ryeo Rak volunteered to go out again, leading the disciples of his sect back to the front line.

The reason he could not leave this place was because of Elder Han of the Falling Cloud Sect, who was famous but currently missing. He was worried that something might have happened to Han Li, so he could not leave alone.

Frankly, he could not fully believe the rumors that Han Li had killed other Nascent Soul cultivators and escaped from the pursuit of a Peony Clan divine master.

Ryeo Rak had seen with his own eyes that Han Li had only formed his Nascent Soul a few years ago. How could he become a master who overwhelmed a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in such a short time?

Could it be that the Falling Cloud Sect had really recruited a talent that appeared only once in ten thousand years?

Ryeo Rak was lost in thought while sitting in the main hall and discussing.

“Senior Brother Ryeo, does your sect still not know about Elder Han’s news?”

A white-haired old man sitting across from Ryeo Rak asked cautiously.

Cultivator Seo Jang-kyung of the Water Shadow Sect in the early Nascent Soul stage was an elder of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and had only arrived at Thousand Sun Fortress yesterday. They had met a few times before.

“We still have no news. Senior Brother Seo, are you also very interested in Junior Brother Han?”

Ryeo Rak hesitated and replied with a smile.

“Haha! Of course. I think everyone is curious, not just me. As soon as I arrived at Thousand Sun Fortress, I heard a lot of rumors about Cultivator Han.

It’s unbelievable that he escaped from the hands of a Peony divine master despite being in the early Nascent Soul stage. Moreover, it hasn’t been long since he condensed his Nascent Soul. I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s truly amazing.”

At the white-haired old man’s words, the other cultivators looked at each other, looking curious and then at Ryeo Rak. They had heard a lot about Han Li, but it was the first time they had heard that Han Li had just entered the Nascent Soul stage.

“Is that so? It’s true that Junior Brother Han hasn’t been in the Nascent Soul stage for long.”

Ryeo Rak hesitated, but since it was something he couldn’t hide anyway, he told the truth.

“Huh!”

Many people in the main hall gasped in surprise.

“Elder Han is young and talented, so it’s possible for him to reach higher realms in the future. I should congratulate Senior Brother Ryeo in advance. The prosperity of the Falling Cloud Sect is guaranteed, and the Heavenly Dao Alliance will have another outstanding figure.”

Seo Jang-kyung said with an envious tone, and the others also offered their congratulations. Ryeo Rak was proud, but he did not show it outwardly.

“But Senior Brother Ryeo, even if Elder Han escaped from the divine master’s hands, wouldn’t he be severely injured? Seeing that he hasn’t appeared for so long, how about sending more cultivators to search for him? If there aren’t enough people, our sect can send disciples. We should help each other.”

A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows in the main hall said in a cold tone.

“I don’t know the situation either, but he must have damaged his energy. He’s probably recuperating somewhere.”

Ryeo Rak also had concerns, but he replied calmly. How could Ryeo Rak, who had lived for hundreds of years, not feel the hidden envy and jealousy in the other’s words?

The middle-aged man with thick eyebrows was an elder of the Lanmyung Sect, the largest sect in the Heavenly Dao Alliance. It was a sect where a couple capable of a combined technique that was comparable to the late Nascent Soul stage were elders, so they had always been superior to other sects.

He was upset by the news that an elder of the Falling Cloud Sect might reach the late Nascent Soul stage, so he threw a wet blanket over the atmosphere.

As the atmosphere became a bit awkward, a streak of red light suddenly flew in from outside the door and landed in Ryeo Rak’s hand. Ryeo Rak infused his consciousness to check the contents, and his face lit up, indicating good news.

“A junior brother of our sect has already entered the fortress. He’s at our sect’s garrison now, so I’ll go first.”

Ryeo Rak hurriedly moved, suppressing his excitement. The other cultivators who were watching Ryeo Rak disappear also showed signs of excitement.

The rumored Elder Han had finally appeared.

However, Seo Jang-kyung stroked his white beard and fell into thought, while the middle-aged man with thick eyebrows was expressionless, but his eyes had changed.

* * *

Although Thousand Sun Fortress was a newly built stone fortress, all the sects of the four major powers were stationed here.

The fortress was divided into four sections according to the range of power, and the middle of the fortress was a common area where reclusive cultivators could also come and live.

The Heavenly Dao Alliance was located in the western section, and the Falling Cloud Sect was located in the southernmost part of it, having been allocated a large area of several dozen acres.

The disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect who had come to support this time were almost 200, all of whom were disciples above the Foundation Establishment stage, and there were about six or seven Core Formation cultivators.

Han Li was currently sitting with his chin resting on his hand in the main hall of the Falling Cloud Sect’s garrison.

In addition, the Red-Clothed Old Man, the lord of the Hwaun Peak, and Madam Song, the lord of the Baekbong Peak, were also in the main hall, and both of them had faintly complex expressions on their faces.

# 421