Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 462

After Han Li’s words, the Great Yan Divine Lord was silent for a moment before snorting.

‘I once discovered in the relics of ancient cultivators that a heaven-defying treasure called the Heaven Piercing Treasure exists. It’s a treasure that even ancient cultivators revered and feared, so of course, I was curious about it.

After that, I gathered related information, but it was extremely difficult to find. Now that I’m neither ghost nor human, with only a few decades left to live, I can’t afford to have any regrets.

I know you’re trying to use me with your shallow tricks, but I’ll play along! After all, finding substitute materials isn’t as difficult as researching a new refining method for the Heaven Piercing Treasure. But don’t forget that you agreed to fulfill one of my requests.’

‘I will definitely keep my promise.’

Han Li smiled faintly. Since he was going to have a unique individual like the Great Yan Divine Lord with him, there was no reason to waste manpower.

He already possessed the Void Sky Cauldron, a Heaven Piercing Treasure, but when he would be able to use it was still far off. Besides, the more treasures, the better!

After that, the Great Yan Divine Lord was silent. He was probably already opening the jade box and examining it. Han Li, having successfully persuaded the Great Yan Divine Lord, increased his speed by boosting his blue light.

* * *

Half a day later, as Han Li approached the mountain ridge where the Skywing Wyverns lived, Nan Longhou and Luo Weiying were passing through an unfamiliar underground passage.

In the pitch-black darkness and humid air, they could barely see a few feet ahead.

‘Brother Nan Long, who would have thought there would be such a gloomy and damp space next to the lava zone? It’s indeed a place where the Blood Lord’s Gate would be.’

Luo Weiying said, following behind Nan Longhou.

‘Did you have any doubts until now? I didn’t even tell Yun Ga about the Blood Lord’s Gate, so the information didn’t leak to the Ghost Spirit Gate.’

Nan Longhou smiled.

‘If opening the Blood Lord’s Gate didn’t require the power of two Nascent Soul cultivators, you wouldn’t have told me either.’

‘We’ve known each other for so long, of course, we should share such good things. You didn’t say a word to Fellow Daoist Han either, did you?’

At Luo Weiying’s words, Nan Longhou laughed it off.

‘Then I should thank Brother Nan Long for his kindness.’

Luo Weiying didn’t delve deeper and stopped there.

They were only warning each other enough so that neither would underestimate the other or try any strange tricks. It would be a disaster if they were dragged to an unknown place and had to fight.

After a long time in silence, the front became brighter. A fairly large stalactite cave appeared.

The cave was about thirty feet wide, with white, sparkling stalactites hanging down. But what was even more eye-catching was the blue pond in the middle of the cave.

It looked ordinary, except for its slightly jade-colored water.

‘The Blood Lord’s Gate is here?’

Luo Weiying looked around but couldn’t find any place with a restriction, so he couldn’t help but ask.

‘This is definitely it! Of course, the gate with the Blood Lord’s seal has been hidden again by Merchant Chang Kun with a restriction.’

Nan Longhou calmly replied and looked at the pond. Luo Weiying followed his gaze and looked at the pond.

Swoosh!

At that moment, a navy blue flag flew out of Nan Longhou’s sleeve and disappeared into the pond. As he chanted an incantation, the calm pond began to bubble and gradually turned into a huge whirlpool.

‘I didn’t know you had a Water Dividing Device.’

‘It’s just a useless item except for dividing the water surface.’

Nan Longhou shook his head indifferently and spread his arms. He sent two hand seals into the whirlpool.

Finally, the pond split open, revealing a passage.

Nan Longhou immediately turned into a beam of light and jumped into the passage, and Luo Weiying hesitated for a moment but had no choice but to turn into a white beam of light and follow him.

After a while, Luo Weiying’s face turned a little pale. The pond was far too deep. They had descended two or three hundred feet, but there was no end in sight. He felt suffocated looking at the increasingly distant entrance of the pond.

After descending another hundred feet, Nan Longhou stopped first. They had finally reached the bottom of the pond.

The bottom of the pond was circular and almost fifteen feet wide, making it larger than the surface of the pond. The ground was covered with damp bluestone, which emitted a strange glow.

The flag that had disappeared earlier was deeply embedded in the bluestone, emitting a navy blue light.

‘To think it was hidden in such a place! You would never find it if you didn’t know the way. But how did Merchant Chang Kun discover such a place…’

‘Well… maybe he explored the bottom of the pond with a powerful spiritual sense.’

Nan Longhou hesitated for a moment before making a rough guess.

‘That could be it!’

The old man answered, touching his chin, and Nan Longhou also shook off the sudden anxiety. Nan Longhou struck his waist pouch again, and the white jade pendant that he had already used once when entering the center appeared.

As he sent out various types of hand seals, the jade pendant absorbed them all and emitted an even more brilliant light.

When the jade pendant stopped, pointing towards a certain spot in the water barrier, Nan Longhou silently extended his finger. The jade pendant, trembling, emitted a large amount of white energy and moved forward.

Then, a strange thing happened.

The pond water that touched the white light was distorted and disappeared as if torn like a painting. Instead, a crescent-shaped door, three feet high, appeared with a blood-red hue.

On the surface of the stone door was engraved a huge horned demon head, and its ferocious and eerie face looked like it was real.

‘Is this the Blood Lord’s Gate…?’

Luo Weiying muttered, narrowing his eyes. For some reason, as soon as he saw the door, his heart pounded and a sense of unease washed over him.

‘This is it.’

Nan Longhou looked at the crescent-shaped stone door, deep in thought.

‘Judging by the blood-red energy, the demonic attribute is too strong. Won’t there be a problem?’

‘It’s a seal placed by an ancient cultivator using their life’s essence, so it’s naturally different from ordinary restrictions. Or, Brother Luo, do you want to turn back now that we’ve come this far?’

‘Turn back after coming this far? Would I have such a foolish thought? I’m just saying we should be careful in case of anything.’

‘That’s right. It’s not a very pleasant place. Let’s try to break a few of the restrictions on the outside, and if there’s anything wrong, we can retreat then. What do you think, Brother Luo?’

‘Alright. Let’s do that.’

Thus, Nan Longhou and the old man began to take out several formation tools.

* * *

While Nan Longhou and the others were trying to break the restrictions on the Blood Lord’s Gate, in a certain part of the central Chuma Valley, several people were walking towards the summit of a pitch-black rocky mountain.

The middle-aged cultivator with a gloomy impression at the front and the old man in a blue robe next to him were unexpectedly the Ghost Spirit Gate’s Sect Master and Wei Wuai.

Behind them, Wang Tianguo was following them, and four Core Formation disciples were following him.

‘It’s strange that a no-fly restriction spanning a hundred miles is spread out in such a remote place. It’s impossible to even hover a few feet above the ground.’

Wang Tianguo, looking at the summit, muttered as he saw the blood-red mist not far away.

‘The more it is, the more it means we’ve come to the right place.’

The Ghost Spirit Gate’s Sect Master replied calmly.

‘I just hope we’ve come to the right place after all this trouble. We’ve already lost three disciples on the way here.’

Wang Tianguo showed a look of regret. At that moment, Wei Wuai, looking at the summit, opened his mouth expressionlessly.

‘It’s been three days since we entered the center and started walking. We should be almost there now, right? Don’t tell me we have to walk like this for a few more days.’

‘Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Wei! We just need to cross this mountain. If this is successful, the Ghost Spirit Gate will become the number one demonic sect, and if Fellow Daoist Wei reaches the Transformation Stage, what could be better than that?’

‘To be honest, I don’t completely believe the legend of the Spirit Realm Garden. It’s more likely to be one of the rumors that circulated among ancient cultivators. If a boundary between the Spirit Realm and our human realm existed, wouldn’t other cultivators have discovered it already?’

‘If you don’t believe it, why did you agree to our sect’s request?’

The Ghost Spirit Gate’s Sect Master asked, not in a bad mood, but rather with interest.

‘I figured that if someone as cautious as Fellow Daoist Wang was leading half of the sect’s elite on an expedition to Chuma Valley, there must be a reason. Even if it’s not the Spirit Realm Garden, wouldn’t you find the relics of an ancient cultivator? Your sect can use my reputation to prevent other cultivators from interfering, and I can take the opportunity to obtain some treasures.’

Wei Wuai answered honestly.

‘Haha! Brother Wei’s answers are always straightforward. But let me make one thing clear. The reason our sect is doing such a big thing is not because of the ancient relics, but to really go to the Spirit Realm Garden.

The Spirit Realm Garden is not an illusion, but real! The entire Chuma Valley was actually created to protect the Spirit Realm Garden. You’ll be able to see it for yourself in a few hours after we cross this mountain, so please wait.’

The Ghost Spirit Gate’s Sect Master laughed wildly. Wei Wuai’s expression changed, surprised by his confidence.

‘Judging by Sect Master Wang’s tone, it seems you’ve already found evidence to confirm the existence of the Spirit Realm Garden.’

‘You could say that. You’ll know when we arrive, Fellow Daoist Wei.’

The middle-aged man in the black robe smiled mysteriously. Although he was only a Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator, the Ghost Spirit Gate’s Sect Master was not at all intimidated in front of Wei Wuai.

Wei Wuai just nodded, but inwardly sneered.

No matter how much the Ghost Spirit Gate’s Sect Master whispered sweet words, he wouldn’t believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.

‘I don’t see the sect elder of your sect, Sect Master Wang. Aren’t you worried? Are you letting a Nascent Soul mid-stage elder wander around Chuma Valley as he pleases?’

Wei Wuai changed the subject.

‘I won’t hide it from you. The sect elder is looking for treasures elsewhere. They are precious, but compared to the Spirit Realm Garden, they are not even worth mentioning.’

When the other party admitted that they were also after other treasures, Wei Wuai didn’t pursue it further and quietly began to climb the mountain.

* * *

Among the uneven piles of rocks, six or seven Ghost Spirit Gate disciples were scattered, looking for something.

The Ghost Spirit Gate’s Sect Elder was floating in the center, motionless. He had been searching the desolate wilderness for dozens of miles, but it was not easy to find a specific mark.

* * *

Boom!

At the exit of the giant canyon, where various colors were shining, a group of cultivators emerged with a roar like a thunderbolt.

The old Taoist at the front and the old man in a green robe didn’t seem to be injured, but they looked quite exhausted.

It was none other than True Person Tian Jing and Elder Dong Wendo of the Spirit Control Sect.

Behind them, five green-robed cultivators also appeared with pale faces and dirty clothes. They all looked like they had gone through a lot of hardship, but only True Person Tian Jing’s two puppets emerged from the canyon looking exactly the same as before.

‘We finally broke through the restrictions and entered the center. But True Person Tian Jing’s puppets are amazing. They seem to have reached the peak of the Nascent Soul early stage. I can only be envious!’

Dong Wendo stopped his escape technique only after getting a few dozen feet away from the canyon entrance and looked closely at the puppets.

‘Puppets are just puppets! How can they compare to the cultivators that Brother Dong brought with you? If the five cultivators combine their different Five Elements techniques, they could even face a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator.’

True Person Tian Jing, still wary of Dong Wendo, distanced himself from him as soon as he exited the canyon.

‘I’m disappointed that True Person Tian Jing is still so wary of me. I thought your prejudice against me would have disappeared after overcoming the obstacles for two days. If we search for treasures together in the center, we can reduce the danger compared to going alone.’

‘It’s absurd to be wary of Fellow Daoist Dong. It’s just that I prefer to travel alone, so please don’t worry about it. Now that we’ve entered the center, I’ll go first.’