Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 429

“Our Yin Luo Sect’s treasure, the Ghost Luo Banner, was damaged by those righteous cultivators, so we urgently need to refine it with a large number of living souls. Otherwise, there would be no reason for our sect to get involved in the conflict between the mages and the Tiannan cultivators. Trying to obtain a large number of living souls in the Great Jin Kingdom would surely lead to conflict with those righteous cultivators. Although we are not afraid of conflict, we chose this alternative to avoid delaying our plans.”

The black-robed man spoke in an emotionless voice.

“Also, you have no objections to all the souls of the cultivators who die in this great battle belonging to us, do you?”

This time, the woman in black spoke. Her voice was thick and rough, contrasting with her slender figure.

“The souls of cultivators are naturally not a problem, but can’t you leave the souls of the mages aside? Because you have been collecting souls indiscriminately, we old folks have been having headaches. We will compensate you in another way.”

This time, the emaciated old man’s expression changed.

“That won’t do. There is no way to distinguish between the souls of cultivators and mages. How can we divide thousands of souls one by one during battle? Are the three of you gentlemen planning to break this agreement?”

The black-robed man narrowed his eyes, his pupils turning turquoise, and a sinister killing intent emanated from him. The scholar with the surname Zhong and the dwarf with the surname Bi were filled with resentment and glared at their opponent, their eyes flashing silver and red.

Everyone was disgusted by the act of devouring the souls of mages. If their help wasn’t absolutely necessary, they wouldn’t have tolerated it.

“Hmph, stop it! What are you all doing? Clan Leader Fang is a guest personally invited by Zhu, so are you not going to consider my face?”

The old man cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension. The woman in black next to him also moved her lips, whispering something to the black-robed man through telepathy.

After hearing the woman’s words, the black-robed man’s eyes returned to normal, and the cold aura that had been emanating from his body disappeared.

Seeing this, the mages also dispersed their energy. Even though they disliked each other, they knew that they shouldn’t cause internal strife now, before the great battle.

“Let’s do this. You can take the souls, but do it secretly, so that others won’t notice. Otherwise, we won’t be able to control the dissatisfaction within our ranks.”

The emaciated old man hesitated before gritting his teeth and making a decision.

“Alright. We agree to those conditions.”

The black-robed man also took a step back and agreed to the compromise. The scholar and the other mages had dissatisfied expressions, but they had no choice.

“Are you sure it’s okay for you to participate in the battle? There are demonic beasts in Tiannan that have mastered demonic techniques. What if they recognize your sect’s identity at a glance?”

The golden-robed giant, who had been silent all along, asked.

“They can also be called demonic beasts. However, they have only mastered a few crude techniques. They think they are great, messing around with techniques, but do they even know the true power of ancient demonic arts?”

The black-robed man was mocking the Tiannan demonic beasts.

“Is that so? But I heard that one of your sect’s elders was instantly defeated by a Tiannan cultivator. It seems you underestimated the Tiannan cultivators.”

The dwarf sneered, subtly refuting his words. The black-robed man’s gaze turned cold, but he didn’t reply.

The woman in black spoke.

“I also wanted to talk about that matter. The cultivator who uses golden lightning is useful to our Yin Luo Sect, so please capture him and hand him over to us. What do you think?”

“Capture him and hand him over?”

The emaciated old man’s expression was not good.

“Can’t you agree to even such a small condition?”

“If he were just an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, it would be possible, but he possesses a magic treasure made from Golden Thunder Bamboo.”

“So, Elder Zhu already knew.”

The woman in black’s expression darkened, slightly surprised by his reaction.

“Although the Peony people are poor and have shallow knowledge, how could this old man not know about the three great divine trees of the cultivation world? Although few know the identity of the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning, we cannot deceive everyone’s eyes.”

“If you recognize the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning, you should also know that a demonic sect cannot tolerate such an item being in the hands of another. If there are corresponding conditions, please state them.”

The black-robed man understood the old man’s intentions and asked coldly.

“It’s simple. I know that your sect brought over a dozen giant demonic beasts and armored zombies. Tomorrow, during the battle, I want Brother Fang to have the zombies decorate the battlefield. Although we have prepared thoroughly, it’s good to prepare for any eventuality, isn’t it?”

The old man smiled, his wrinkles deepening.

“I didn’t expect Elder Zhu to be so knowledgeable about our sect’s secret arts. Although the zombies are not difficult to refine, it would not be good for our sect’s development if they are damaged in the war. Therefore, under such conditions, you must capture the Tiannan cultivator who uses the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning.”

The black-robed man did not refuse but made his own condition clear.

“Capture him? Are you joking? He is a cultivator who fought with Elder Zhong and escaped with an incredible earth escape technique. He uses an unheard-of blood-colored earth escape technique and is also very strong. You want us to capture him? Do you think it’s possible? How about just killing him and obtaining the Golden Thunder Bamboo magic treasure?”

The emaciated old man’s tone also became unpleasant.

“If capturing him is so difficult, then it doesn’t matter if you kill him.”

Contrary to the old man’s expectations, the black-robed man readily changed his words.

* * *

At the same time, in the Tiannan camp, Shangren Zhiyang and Wuwei Wei were also discussing the upcoming battle in the main hall.

Apart from the three cultivators and Long Han, there was only a red-clad beauty and a bald, white-bearded old man with piercing eyes.

The old man had his eyes half-closed, fiddling with a jade ring in his hand. The patterns that appeared on the jade-colored ring surface indicated that it was a special treasure.

“Immortal Tianhan, this time, please trust only us. While we hold off the enemy’s main force here, if you infiltrate Qiancheng and plunder all the warehouses, no matter how victorious the Peony people are, they won’t last long without resources.”

Shangren Zhiyang smiled, looking at the renowned Old Monster Tianhan. It was as if he had forgotten what had happened before.

“As long as you draw the attention of the Peony Immortals, infiltrating Qiancheng is not a problem. Moreover, since Cultivator Wei has provided a teleportation array, we can enter Qiancheng directly. The only thing that concerns me is why the Peony people have placed all their resources in Qiancheng. Could it be a trap?”

The old man with piercing eyes made a metallic sound that was grating to the ears.

“Don’t worry about that, Cultivator Tianhan. According to the spy we planted within the Peony people, they have occupied Fengyuan and Wu, but the Gu Kingdom Alliance destroyed the spirit stone mines and raw material production areas as they retreated. Therefore, the spirit stones they are currently using are being hastily sent from each tribe. Because they gather and distribute the spirit stones and materials from various places, they have placed a strong restriction on the secret warehouse and have several great merchants guarding it in shifts. So, they are at ease. They believe that they can safely move the items in the warehouse while we hold them off with the barrier.”

The old demon of the Joyous Union Sect spoke calmly.

“However, just as they have planted spies, our Gu Kingdom Alliance has also trained spies during our long war with the Peony people. One of the great merchants guarding the warehouse where the resources are gathered will cooperate with us. He will lift the barrier, and if Cultivator Tianhan moves secretly, they will be caught off guard.”

Wei Wuai finished his explanation with a sneer.

“If you are so confident, then so be it. But after the job is done…”

“After the job is done, our four forces will join hands and hand over the Western Kingdom to the cultivator. We will not interfere with the establishment of a sect there. From then on, the cultivator will be the founder of a sect.”

“Since the cultivators have made a promise, this old man will give it a try. It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave first. I need to leave early tomorrow.”

Old Monster Tianhan got up with a satisfied expression after hearing the answer he wanted. Soon after, he completely left the main hall and disappeared.

“The success rate of that old monster will be high. He has many capable subordinates. The Peony people will also be surprised by the unexpected attack, so there is no reason for failure.”

The old demon of the Joyous Union Sect spoke with a frown.

“As Cultivator Yi said, if we can hold off the Peony Immortals, the success rate of Cultivator Tianhan will be higher. However, I didn’t expect the old monster to suddenly decide to establish a sect at his age. Moreover, he has already gathered quite a few subordinates.”

Long Han’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“It’s not strange. It’s been 300 or 400 years since Old Monster Tianhan reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He has failed to break through for a long time, so he has probably given up on reaching the late stage. Therefore, it is natural for him to focus on other things. Establishing a sect brings great glory. However, I know that he has a lot of karma with other sects, and he is using the opportunity of war to make demands on us… I feel like we’ve been taken advantage of.”

Shangren Zhiyang continued leisurely.

“It’s good that Old Monster Tianhan is helping us. The great battle is about to begin, so we can’t let our guard down. However, if we suffer a major defeat in this battle, even if Old Monster Tianhan cuts off the enemy’s supplies, we won’t be able to win. Brother Wei, is there any problem with the Gu Kingdom Alliance’s preparation of the restriction to suppress the enemy’s spirit art barrier?”

Shangren Zhiyang asked Wei Wuai with a serious expression.

“We have been studying spirit art barriers for a long time while fighting against the mages. If there are no problems with the techniques, the Gu Kingdom Alliance can reproduce the same spirit art barrier as them.”

Shangren Zhiyang was satisfied with Wei Wuai’s calm answer. Although he didn’t say anything, he looked at the black-robed giant this time. The old demon of the Joyous Union Sect met his gaze and spoke.

“Our six demonic sects are also ready. The Spirit Control Sect has brought three spirit beasts that have been passed down for generations, and the Joyous Union Sect has prepared the Yin-Yang Double Demon Harp. The Myriad Soul Grand Formation of the Ghost Spirit Sect is also ready to be used at any time, and the other three sects are also said to have prepared powerful secret arts. But what kind of killing moves has the Righteous Path Alliance prepared, Cultivator Zhiyang?”

“Before we departed, the Righteous Path Alliance had already opened the ancestral halls of each sect and prepared a dozen useful ancient treasures. So, you won’t be disappointed.”

Shangren Zhiyang spoke vaguely, but the old demon of the Joyous Union Sect’s expression relaxed, and he nodded.

“Although our Heavenly Path Alliance is a loose coalition, each sect has prepared diligently. I don’t know the specific circumstances of each sect, but our Lanming Sect’s ancient jade talisman will surprise the Peony people. It’s an old item, so we will have to discard it after using it in this war.”

Long Han’s expression clearly showed that he was reluctant.

“An ancient jade talisman? I didn’t expect the Lanming Sect to bring out such a treasure. I’m also looking forward to the methods of the other Heavenly Path sects. Now, the only concern is the bet with the black-robed people. Brother Yi, the black-robed people’s techniques are demonic techniques, can you find out their origins?”

Shangren Zhiyang asked while organizing various matters.

“If it’s just a demonic technique, I can recognize it, but I haven’t seen it directly, so how can I make an accurate judgment? What is certain is that their demonic techniques are purer and similar to the Ghost Spirit Sect’s than our six Tiannan sects’.”

The black-robed giant replied.

# 431