Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 482

As soon as Lyu Luo finished speaking, Senior Brother Zheng also released his spiritual sense. It was undoubtedly the cultivation of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

“I thought with your keen eyes, Senior Brothers, you would recognize it right away. Yes, that’s right. After obtaining a fortuitous encounter in Chuma Gul, I cultivated and reached this stage. I didn’t expect to reach the mid-stage so quickly.

However, if you two hadn’t taken care of Wan’er, I wouldn’t have been able to focus on my cultivation with peace of mind. It’s all thanks to you, Senior Brothers.”

“Since Nangong is my sworn sister, it’s only natural. Besides, I’m ashamed that I couldn’t do anything to protect her and just left her trapped in ice!”

Senior Brother Zheng, who had barely regained his composure, spoke with a somewhat embarrassed expression after hearing Han Li’s words.

“To reach the mid-Nascent Soul stage before the age of three hundred! If this fact becomes known, the entire Tiannan cultivation world will be astonished. There’s a high possibility that you’ll reach the late-Nascent Soul stage, and even the Soul Transformation stage.”

Lyu Luo couldn’t help but express his envy.

Han Li’s terrifying growth rate was among the top in the history of the Tiannan cultivation world. Such a cultivation speed depended more on the fortuitous encounters one had rather than individual talent, so it wasn’t something one could achieve just by wishing for it.

Han Li changed the subject and asked about what happened in Chuma Gul when he disappeared. There was nothing more accurate than hearing it from someone who had participated in the battle directly.

The old man gave a wry smile at Han Li’s question.

When Han Li was sucked into the spatial rift, the enraged Goma and the remaining cultivators were in a crisis. At that moment, other cultivators arrived.

They joined forces with Wei Wuai and others to attack again, but they couldn’t defeat even one of the two-headed Goma, putting them in a precarious situation. Just then, the people from the Peony Clan arrived.

Everyone worked together to surround the Goma and engage in battle. The Peony Clan’s evil woman summoned a sacred bird, severely injuring the Goma, and the Peony Clan’s middle-aged gentleman cut off one of its heads. However, when cornered, the Goma quickly escaped.

Many Nascent Soul cultivators died in that battle, and Nangong Wan’s senior sister was attacked by demonic flames, turning into ashes without even leaving behind her Nascent Soul. Fortunately, Elder Linghu only lost his physical body, and his Nascent Soul was able to escape.

The most unfortunate were the cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect. Elder Jong had his Nascent Soul extracted by the Goma and was devoured on the spot. Except for a few Core Formation cultivators, the high-level cultivators were annihilated, which was a terrible tragedy.

The events that followed were similar to what Hwang Won-myeong had described.

Han Li narrowed his brows and asked,

“I heard that when the encirclement was successful, there were two cultivators from the three great sects and even a Peony Clan gentleman, but even they were not enough?”

Now, Han Li’s expression had become more serious. Recalling the savage and ferocious appearance of the Goma still made him uneasy.

“Although we two didn’t participate in the battle, according to the news that came later, the Goma did suffer fatal injuries! But it broke through the encirclement with a strange secret technique and disappeared.

To eliminate any future threats, Shangren Zhiyang and others who were chasing the Goma to the border of the Peony Plains had to return because they were wary of the Doluo cultivators. Since there has been no news for so long and the Doluo side is also peaceful, it must have either died from its fatal injuries or gone to the Great Jin after passing through the Peony Plains.”

The old man explained in detail.

“To the Great Jin?”

Han Li’s expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to his original state. Senior Brother Zheng and Lyu Luo noticed his change in mood but didn’t ask the reason.

Han Li chatted with them for a while and then said he would try to use the medicine he found in Chuma Gul to lift Nangong Wan’s curse.

The two were delighted by this news. After all, if Nangong Wan recovered, the Falling Cloud Sect’s strength would greatly increase once again.

At the entrance of the restricted area, Senior Brother Zheng and Lyu Luo stopped and said they would personally stand guard. They told him to focus solely on releasing the Soul Sealing Curse without worry.

Han Li didn’t refuse and went inside alone. Soon, he stood in front of the stone door of the secret chamber.

The restrictions outside the stone door were the same as before he had left. Senior Brother Zheng and Lyu Luo had only checked Nangong Wan’s condition with their spiritual sense and hadn’t violated the restrictions. Han Li was even more satisfied with the two cultivators’ careful actions.

He formed a hand seal and released a magic seal, and the stone door shimmered and opened automatically.

Upon entering, everything inside the secret chamber was as it had been.

Thanks to the moonstones embedded in the upper part of the cave, it wasn’t dark at all, and it was kept clean and tidy without any dust due to the restrictions.

Inside the ice wall, which shimmered with spiritual energy, Nangong Wan was in the form of a young girl, her eyes closed. Han Li approached the ice wall with a pitiful expression.

His heart grew complicated as he looked at her pale face.

After watching Nangong Wan for a long time, he let out a long sigh and took out a jade box from his storage pouch.

Inside was a Fire Essence Elixir. The elixir emitted a bright red light, creating a mysterious and dazzling atmosphere.

Han Li exhaled a blue spiritual energy, which enveloped the elixir and sent it flying towards the ice wall. Soon, he chanted an incantation, followed by a magic seal. Then, a blue light flashed from the ice wall, and the red elixir flew straight into the ice, heading towards Nangong Wan’s mouth.

Han Li calmly pointed at Nangong Wan, and her lips slightly parted. The elixir quickly disappeared inside through that gap.

After a while, a faint red glow began to appear on Nangong Wan’s pale face, but her eyes were still closed, and there was no sign of her waking up.

Han Li let out a deep sigh. He knew that there was no need to be impatient. Even if the elixir worked, it wouldn’t be able to lift the Soul Sealing Curse within a few days.

Han Li didn’t leave immediately but stood quietly, watching Nangong Wan. He then recalled the first time he had met her.

* * *

It was only after half a month that Han Li walked out of the secret chamber with a calm face.

After restoring the restrictions, he left the restricted area, and Senior Brother Zheng and Lyu Luo, who were still guarding the place, approached him.

Han Li managed to smile, but he said that he needed to observe her condition for a few more days.

Tired, Han Li didn’t talk with them for long and returned to his residence.

Although he had been missing for over twenty years, Elder Zheng and Lyu Luo had given strict orders to keep the cave as it was. And his concubine, Mo Peiling, was still living on the adjacent peak, and under the care of the old man and Lyu Luo, she had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

She could attempt to form her core in about a year. With this good news, Han Li naturally thought of the Phoenix Nurturing Art.

He had quite a few elixirs that could help with core formation, and with her talent, she should be able to successfully form her core.

However, due to the fortuitous encounter he had in Chuma Gul, he had overcome his cultivation bottleneck and reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage before she could form her core.

But, the cultivation of male and female cultivators using the Phoenix Nurturing Art was equally useful even when reaching the late-Nascent Soul stage. However, the female cultivator’s cultivation had to be higher, and the Core Formation stage would be sufficient.

Han Li had originally planned to have Mo Peiling cultivate the Phoenix Nurturing Art for a few decades, take her Yin essence, and then let her stay or leave freely. But now, he changed his mind.

Since it would be difficult to reach the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage within two or three hundred years, he would have her cultivate the Phoenix Nurturing Art during that time and assist her progress with elixirs.

The inside of the cave was unchanged. Even the three-colored Gold Devouring Beetles that he had left behind to guard the residence were still clustered together in three-colored orbs, hanging in the middle of the main hall.

The Profound Sky Immortal Lantern and Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng planted in the herb garden were also intact, as if he had just left the residence yesterday and was returning.

The root fragments of the Profound Sky Immortal Lantern were one thing, but the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng was truly precious. It was an extremely rare spiritual herb that was almost extinct and possessed the power of the Soul Transformation stage.

If it weren’t difficult to carry around, he would have kept it with him at all times.

It was a pity to leave it as it was because there were still some ingredients missing to make the elixirs that could be made from the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng.

When he left the residence last time, he had taken the eggs of the Six-Winged Frost Cicada and most of the Gold Devouring Beetles, except for the spiritual herbs in the herb garden. The eggs of the Six-Winged Frost Cicada had even hatched not long after he headed to the extreme cold region.

However, since he was trapped in the spatial rift and couldn’t use the mysterious bottle for twenty years, the Six-Winged Frost Cicada were still in their larval form. Han Li kept them in a specially made spirit beast pouch.

Now, he put the Gold Devouring Beetles back into one of the secret chambers for their evolution and walked to the secret chamber where he had raised the Six-Winged Frost Cicada.

Han Li tilted the spirit beast pouch towards the stone door of the secret chamber. Then, a white light flowed out, and centipede larvae about a few inches long appeared in the secret chamber.

The larvae of the Six-Winged Frost Cicada were entirely white and transparent like crystal, and they didn’t have wings. When he first obtained the Six-Winged Frost Cicada, he wasn’t sure, but he was overjoyed to learn that these spirit insects also evolved by eating each other after consuming the Expected Grass.

Originally, he had only planned to use the cold energy of the spirit insects to refine the Extreme Cold Flame, but the expedition to Chuma Gul had given him a different idea.

The Gold Devouring Beetles were very sturdy, but they were a bit slow. Even if they fully evolved into adults, they would be limited when facing fast enemies. However, the Six-Winged Frost Cicada possessed extremely fast escape techniques while emitting cold energy.

When they had two wings, they were no different from other spirit insects, but when another pair of wings grew, their speed would greatly increase, reaching speeds faster than most magical treasures.

But what was more important was when they had a total of three pairs of wings. At that time, they would be among the top three fastest spirit insects, capable of traveling thousands of miles in a single movement.

Of course, this was only what was written in the scriptures, and even in ancient times, there were hardly any cases of spirit insects evolving to have six wings.

It was impossible to know how fast they would actually be, but there was no doubt that they were ancient spirit insects with extremely fast escape techniques.

Han Li was a little relieved that the Six-Winged Frost Cicada seemed to be adapting well to their new environment. Then, Han Li suddenly sensed something and turned his gaze towards the east gate.

Soon, he flicked his sleeve and summoned Yin Yue.

“Mo Peiling is outside the door, bring her to the main hall. I have something to say to her, so I might as well talk about it now!”

“Yes, Master!”

Yin Yue replied respectfully and disappeared from the spot. A moment later, Han Li, who was sitting in the main hall with his chin resting on his hand, seemed to be lost in thought.

Yin Yue walked in with a bright smile, and Mo Peiling, whom he hadn’t seen for several years, followed behind her.

However, the woman had become even more beautiful than before. As her previous slightly cold demeanor diminished, she began to exude an aura like a delicate orchid.

“Greetings, Young Master. I sincerely congratulate you on your safe return and great progress in your cultivation!”

Mo Peiling smiled and bowed.

“It seems you’ve already heard the news about me, seeing as you’re congratulating me right away. There’s no need to be so formal. We went through hardships together in the extreme cold region back then. There’s no need to be so distant.”

Han Li smiled. The two of them had spent three years together in the extreme cold region and had become quite close.

“Thank you.”

“I never thought that we would meet again after more than twenty years since we parted in the extreme cold region. Thank you for guarding this place all this time.”

“I am Young Master’s concubine and have received great kindness, so it is only natural. Besides, I believed that Young Master would definitely return.”

“I didn’t know you had such faith in me. But this time, it was truly dangerous, and I almost didn’t make it back. But with the help of elixirs, your cultivation is progressing really fast. I heard you’ll be forming your core soon, are you confident?”

Han Li smiled and changed the subject.

“How can this concubine be confident? The probability of successfully forming a core is originally less than one in ten, so I can only hope for the will of heaven.”

“The will of heaven? I don’t know about that, but if I help you, the probability of successfully forming your core will increase slightly.”

Han Li looked at her and smiled brightly for the first time in a while.

“Really? I’ve never heard of such a spiritual medicine in Tiannan.”

“Most of the spiritual medicines in my possession are not from Tiannan. I guarantee that with your talent and these spiritual medicines, the probability of successfully forming your core will be close to half.”

Mo Peiling knew his personality well after spending so much time with him. If he said this, the probability was not half, but closer to seven or eight.