Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 468

As the blue cauldron blazed, rapidly raising the temperature of the secret room, a cold glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes. He continuously cast hand seals towards the cauldron.

*Bang.*

Shortly after, the cauldron’s lid opened automatically. He gestured towards the jade boxes around him, which opened to reveal what looked like black plant stems.

Han Li flicked his finger at the black stems, and a blue light flashed, cutting off one-fifth of a stem. A blue aura flew in, throwing the cut piece into the cauldron.

After the stem returned to the jade box, Han Li turned his gaze to another square wooden box. He cut off a small portion of the bluish spirit herb stem inside in a similar manner and tossed it into the cauldron.

He added various ingredients in the prescribed order. Finally, he took out the Spirit Nectar Fruit and placed it into the cauldron.

As the cauldron’s lid closed, Han Li opened his mouth again and spewed out a blue flame. Inside the increasingly hot secret room, his fingers moved incessantly, sending hand seals into the cauldron.

Soon, a thunderous vibration began to emanate from the small cauldron. Han Li stopped moving when he felt it. His expression was calm, but his pupils flickered in the blue flames.

* * *

While Han Li was refining the pill, the Guiling Sect Leader and his group were ascending the altar in the center of the basin, which was hundreds of feet high.

The pressure bearing down on them grew stronger with each step. The Nascent Soul cultivators [a high level of cultivation], such as the Guiling Sect Leader, were relatively fine, but the three Core Formation disciples [a lower level of cultivation] were barely holding on.

The one who seemed to be ascending the easiest was Wei Wuya.

Perhaps the restriction did not greatly affect late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, as he had shown no signs of difficulty from the beginning.

This was in stark contrast to the expressions of Wang Tiangao and the others. However, once they reached the top of the altar, the pressure that had been pressing down on them like a mountain vanished without a trace.

Although they had withstood most of the pressure with their protective shields, they could not help but feel aches in their backs and legs.

Wang Tiangao, forgetting his physical fatigue, looked around.

On the altar, which was over a hundred feet wide, there was nothing except a large jade table paved with white jade and four cyan stone pillars.

The stone pillars were ten feet tall, each intricately engraved with spells, and at the top, there were exquisitely carved Qilin [mythical hooved Chinese creature] statues.

Wei Wuya, realizing there was nothing particularly noteworthy, glanced at the Guiling Sect Leader. However, the Guiling Sect Leader was looking up at the sky with his hands behind his back, as if he found it interesting.

Wei Wuya also looked up at the sky, but there was nothing except blood-red clouds.

“Sect Leader Wang! We’ve come all this way, but where is the entrance to the Spirit Burial Garden?”

“Fellow cultivator Wei, the entrance to the Spirit Burial Garden is naturally hidden by a restriction. However, the avatar in the scroll knows how to break the restriction, so I will summon it.”

“That is also part of the deal between Fellow cultivator Wang and Merchant Chang Kun’s avatar.”

“That’s right.”

The Guiling Sect Leader smiled and took out a silver-white scroll from his sleeve. The scroll unfurled once more, and a green light flowed out, taking the form of a scholar.

“It’s right here. To think I would return to this place again!”

Merchant Chang Kun’s avatar was agitated after confirming that they were at the top of the altar.

“As promised, I have brought you to the altar, so please open the entrance to the Spirit Burial Garden.”

The Guiling Sect Leader said coldly.

“You still don’t trust me even after placing a restriction on me? The entrance to the Spirit Burial Garden is right above the altar. However, there is a special restriction in place that requires a specific spell to break.”

As he spoke, the scholar looked up at the sky and created a ball of fire with both hands, throwing it upwards. The ball of fire strangely disappeared somewhere in the void.

The scholar nodded and looked around at the stone pillars.

“If you all inject spirit energy into those four stone pillars, I will take care of the rest.”

At those words, the Guiling Sect Leader hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.

“Understood. You three, inject spirit energy into the stone pillars. Fellow disciple Wang, you will have to put in some effort.”

“Understood!”

The three Core Formation cultivators bowed and greeted him, and Wang Tiangao also walked towards one of the stone pillars without hesitation.

As the four Guiling Sect cultivators, following the Sect Leader’s orders, slowly began to inject spirit energy, the stone pillars began to vibrate. The Qilin statues at the top of the pillars flashed with light and suddenly emitted a blood-red glow. Wei Wuya felt that the shape of the stone pillars was somehow familiar, but he could not recall where he had seen them before, so he fell into thought.

Suddenly, the Qilin statues slowly raised their heads as if they were alive, and their mouths shone with a multicolored light. They seemed ready to unleash something at any moment.

At that moment, Merchant Chang Kun’s avatar also stretched out both hands and sent out hand seals.

As the four Qilin statues simultaneously emitted pillars of multicolored light, the light pillars converged into a circle at one point.

*Kwakwakwang!*

The space around the ball of light warped, and a loud explosion erupted. Then, a massive wave of spirit energy washed over the cultivators on the altar.

After a while, all the explosions and light subsided, and everyone looked up at the sky. However, they were all greatly shocked by what they saw in the void.

Wei Wuya’s face immediately turned pale as he glared at the scholar.

“Is that what you call the entrance to the Spirit Burial Garden?”

Above the altar, about a hundred feet up, a crescent-shaped streak of light, about thirty feet wide, was floating in the air.

The widest part of the crescent-shaped light, the middle, was about five feet wide, making it an unusually large spatial rift. It had been so well hidden that it had even deceived the senses of the Nascent Soul cultivators.

“The Spirit Burial Garden is originally located between the Spirit Realm and our Human Realm. To enter such a space, one has no choice but to use a spatial rift. Of course, I don’t mean for you to enter as it is. You will have to take some risks, but there is a way for cultivators to pass through the spatial rift. However, it would be better for the Core Formation cultivators not to enter. With their level of cultivation, they would not be able to pass through alive.”

The scholar explained calmly with a chilling gaze.

“Why didn’t you mention that we would have to take risks beforehand?”

The Guiling Sect Leader’s tone became cold.

“Didn’t I just tell you? Even if the chances of returning safely are low, you are not the type to give up.”

The scholar sneered. The Guiling Sect Leader looked at the scholar’s expression and suddenly gripped a blood-red spirit tablet in his hand.

“Wh-what are you trying to do!”

The scholar’s expression changed as he shouted, seeing the spirit tablet.

The Guiling Sect Leader, his face already hardened, emitted a blood-red light from the spirit tablet without answering, and soon the scholar’s screams followed. Strange blood-red spells appeared on his skin and flowed around.

“Soul Binding Curse?”

Wang Tiangao immediately recognized it and muttered.

“If it’s the Soul Binding Curse, isn’t that one of the Guiling Sect’s unique curses? I heard it’s more potent than ordinary restrictions. It’s even said to be capable of scattering the soul of a cursed cultivator in an instant.”

Wei Wuya said, watching the scholar writhe in pain.

“Brother Wei has a wide range of knowledge. Merchant Chang Kun’s avatar is just a remnant, yet he acts as if he were Merchant Chang Kun himself. He needs to learn a lesson.”

The Guiling Sect Leader’s hardened face softened as he smiled at Wei Wuya. The scholar seemed to be in considerable pain, as he was still convulsing and unable to get up easily even after the blood-red spells on his skin disappeared.

“Now that you know your place, it would be best not to do anything foolish. Next time, it won’t end so easily, so open the entrance. If you guide us properly, I will not forget what we agreed upon.”

The Guiling Sect Leader put away the spirit tablet.

“Understood, I will open the entrance right away.”

The scholar condensed a green light from his body and slowly floated up, flying towards the spatial rift. The scholar stopped about twenty feet away from the spatial rift.

As he opened his mouth towards the massive spatial rift, a green light spread, and a pitch-black bead was ejected. The scholar’s face became extremely pale after spitting out the bead, and it seemed his energy had been greatly depleted.

“Go.”

The black bead shone and flew into the middle of the spatial rift. The Guiling Sect Leader and the other cultivators looked surprised but quietly watched what he was doing.

At that moment, the scholar, who was close to the spatial rift, hurriedly descended and created some distance. Shortly after, an explosion echoed from the spatial rift.

Then, a green light flashed in the center of the spatial rift and rapidly expanded.

“Now it’s your turn. You must pour spirit energy into the green light to stabilize the passage to the Spirit Burial Garden.”

The scholar landed on the altar and spoke calmly. Wei Wuya and Wang Tiangao hesitated, looking suspicious, but the Guiling Sect Leader stepped forward.

“Let’s give it a try.”

Wei Wuya frowned but said nothing, and Wang Tiangao did not object to the Sect Leader’s words.

The three cultivators simultaneously formed hand seals and released pillars of light. It was a moment that clearly showed the difference in their cultivation levels.

The green pillar of light extending from Wei Wuya’s hand was at least the thickness of a bowl, while the pillars of light transformed from the spirit energy of the Guiling Sect Leader and Wang Tiangao were much thinner.

As their spirit energy was absorbed, the green light gradually expanded.

After a while, the green light turned into a pitch-black hole, looking like a passage of unknown depth. And as it received the spirit energy of the Nascent Soul cultivators, the dark green light gradually deepened.

After about a quarter of an hour, the passage had widened to almost three feet.

“You can enter now, but the entrance to the Spirit Burial Garden might become unstable and close in the middle. Since there are no more Breaking Realm Pearls left, if you plan to return, it would be better to inject more spirit energy to stabilize the entrance.”

At the scholar’s words, Wei Wuya and the others were startled and continued to send out pillars of light. The more spirit energy they consumed, the more stable the pitch-black passage became.

The Guiling Sect Leader instructed the remaining Core Formation cultivators.

“You too, lend a hand, even if it’s weak.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

The disciples immediately condensed their spirit energy and sent out pillars of light.

Time passed, and only after the Nascent Soul cultivators had consumed about half of their spirit energy did the pitch-black passage become completely stable without shaking.

The cultivators, relieved, withdrew their pillars of light.

“Is this really a passage to the Spirit Burial Garden?”

The Guiling Sect Leader asked after withdrawing his magic power. However, instead of the scholar, Wei Wuya spoke.

“I can faintly sense that there is a wide space at the end of the passage. It’s probably not a lie.”

At Wei Wuya’s words, everyone showed signs of joy.

“If Brother Wei says so, then we must believe it. However, to be cautious, we should do some testing.”

Wang Tiangao calmed his pounding heart and flicked his sleeve, sending up a black aura. It was an aura that faintly contained the form of a small ghost.

*Bang!*

The black aura containing the small ghost entered the passage and exploded, leaving behind a gloomy smoke before disappearing.

Wang Tiangao’s face turned pale for a moment, as he was connected to the small ghost through his consciousness.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Wang Tiangao, angered, questioned the scholar.

“Do you think the entrance to the Spirit Burial Garden is an ordinary passage? Even a powerful ghost, not just a small one, would scatter and disappear without a physical body. I also need to borrow the special power of the scroll to enter… Anyway, as promised, I have opened the entrance, so you are free to enter or not.”

After speaking, the scholar turned into a green light and entered the scroll, as if he had nothing to do with it. Wang Tiangao’s face darkened at those words, and he looked at the Sect Leader’s expression.

“Through my consciousness, I can see that there is definitely some space, though it’s blurry due to the spatial rift. We don’t have time to hesitate, so I will go first.”

Wei Wuya was the first to leap towards the passage. The Guiling Sect Leader’s expression changed as he hesitated.

“You three, guard this place. Fellow disciple Wang, let’s not hesitate and enter as well. If it’s truly the Spirit Burial Garden, what danger can we not endure? Besides, I have placed a curse on this one, so he wouldn’t dare to play tricks at the risk of his life.”

The Guiling Sect Leader gave orders to his disciples and then looked down at the scroll. Soon, he and Wang Tiangao also turned into streaks of light and flew towards the passage.

They could not afford to be late and lose out to Wei Wuya in the Spirit Burial Garden, where it was said that spirit herbs were abundant. Thus, Wei Wuya, the Guiling Sect Leader, and Wang Tiangao disappeared into the black passage.
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