Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 486

Reaching the restriction, Yeolhwa Old Monster and his two sworn brothers cast hand seals, and a passage appeared in the restriction. Through this passage, a middle-aged cultivator with a dignified presence appeared. It was Merchant Jiyang.

As everyone was about to step forward to greet him, Merchant Jiyang scanned them, and upon spotting Han Li, his face lit up with joy.

“Hahaha! Fellow Cultivator Han, you were here. I heard news of your visit to your esteemed sect and rushed here.”

“You came looking for me?”

“Indeed! I was passing through the state on urgent business when I heard news of Fellow Cultivator Han and came to visit.”

“I doubt you came just to reminisce about old times…”

“It’s a long story. I ask for the understanding of the other cultivators. Would it be alright if I spoke with Fellow Cultivator Han separately?”

Jiyang sighed and politely asked for the understanding of the other Nascent Soul cultivators.

“It seems you have urgent business. Go ahead. We will wait here,” Yeolhwa Old Man replied with a dry chuckle.

Even an aloof old man like Old Man Geum wouldn’t show displeasure at the words of Merchant Jiyang, one of the three great cultivators of Tiannan. There was no way Yeolhwa Old Man would do anything to displease him.

He soon flew down with the other cultivators.

Senior Brother Jeong and Ryo Rak exchanged glances, but having already witnessed Han Li’s strength firsthand, they were not too worried. Only after the other cultivators had descended to the ground did Han Li raise his head to look at his counterpart.

“Will you tell me now? I’m curious about this important matter.”

“First, I would like to express my gratitude for dealing with a Demonic Corpse in Chuma Valley. If not for you, the two souls of the Demonic Corpse would have taken root in the body, and the entire Tiannan would have suffered.”

Jiyang waved his arm to create a soundproof barrier and said with a smile.

“Are you perhaps asking about what happened to the Demonic Corpse’s main soul?”

“You have a keen eye, indeed. That is one of the things I wanted to ask about.”

“Rest assured. It was great luck that I survived the spatial rift, and the Demonic Corpse’s main soul died and vanished on the spot.”

“Then I am relieved. The split soul must have sensed the death of the main soul, so it won’t return here after all the trouble it caused.”

“But is the Demonic Corpse’s split soul really that powerful? Enough that even three late-Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t eliminate it?”

Han Li asked what he had been curious about.

“You probably still remember the Demonic Corpse’s strength from when you saw it in Chuma Valley, right?”

Jiyang did not answer directly but asked back.

“Fellow Cultivator Han may not know, but in the battle with the Demonic Corpse, it displayed the divine power of three heads and six arms! Its cultivation was amplified by almost double, making it nearly comparable to a Spirit Transformation cultivator. If we hadn’t set up a restriction beforehand and had a dozen or so mid-Nascent Soul cultivators with us, it would have been impossible.

After I and the other two late-Nascent Soul cultivators greatly depleted our spiritual energy and used consecutive secret techniques, we managed to cut off the Demonic Corpse’s head and several arms, and it fled.”

“It was that ferocious! It’s understandable why Fellow Cultivator Jiyang was worried about it merging with the main soul. If the Demonic Corpse’s power had been just a bit stronger, it could have caused great chaos.”

Han Li felt a chill upon hearing about the Demonic Corpse.

“It seems to have gone towards the Great Jin, so now it’s the problem of the Great Jin cultivators.”

Suddenly, Merchant Jiyang smiled. It seemed that Merchant Jiyang did not have a good impression of the Great Jin.

“But what is the other reason you came all the way here?”

“The matter of the main soul was something I looked into while I was here, but I came to see Fellow Cultivator Han for another important matter. Before that, congratulations on reaching the mid-Nascent Soul stage.”

“Thank you. It was just due to fate.”

“It’s just that I heard Fellow Cultivator Wei mention that you possess a magic treasure made from Golden Thunder Bamboo and can wield the legendary Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning. Is that true?”

Han Li was silent for a moment at Jiyang’s solemn face. He didn’t know what his intentions were, but since it was no secret that he could wield the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning, he immediately nodded.

“Yes, I possess several Golden Thunder Bamboo magic treasures. If you have something to say, please say it directly. I don’t like beating around the bush.”

“Then that’s fortunate. If Fellow Cultivator Han can wield the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning, then you meet the conditions I was looking for. It’s difficult to explain the reason here, but I can tell you that it’s related to the Tiannan cultivation world. Moreover, it’s also related to the giant vortex that recently appeared in the Boundless Sea.”

Jiyang was overjoyed when Han Li admitted to possessing the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning.

“I don’t know the details, but it seems you have a need for the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning.”

Han Li raised an eyebrow. Whatever the other party was about to say, it didn’t seem like good news.

“I was passing by Mount Unmong on other urgent business, so I can’t stay long. If you could visit the Seven Spirit Islands soon, Fellow Cultivator Wei Wuai, Fellow Cultivator Hehwan, and I will be waiting for you. I will explain the details then.”

Merchant Jiyang glanced at Old Man Geum and the others waiting below and made a suggestion.

“Are you referring to the seven islands that appeared around the vortex?”

“Yes, the islands where spiritual veins flow, surrounding the vortex. The three of us have been residing on three of those islands.”

Jiyang sighed deeply and looked troubled. Judging by his tone, there seemed to be a hidden reason behind the Seven Spirit Islands.

Considering the strength of the three great cultivators and the forces they represented, it would be inappropriate to refuse Merchant Jiyang’s request outright, but going to the Seven Spirit Islands without knowing anything was not appealing.

He couldn’t help but show a hesitant expression.

“Rest assured, Fellow Cultivator Han. There is absolutely no ill intent, nor is it a dangerous task that exceeds your abilities. It’s merely to receive the help of the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning. Moreover, even if I don’t ask you now, in half a year, all mid-Nascent Soul cultivators in Tiannan will receive a letter asking them to come to the Seven Spirit Islands.

If you help now, you won’t have to come next time.”

“It seems like it’s a very important matter, considering you’re saying all this. Then I will visit the Seven Spirit Islands in three months.”

Han Li, after pondering for a while, finally accepted the offer.

“Three months… It’s an urgent matter, could you come a little earlier?”

“That won’t be possible. I have important matters to handle back at the Falling Cloud Sect, so it’s difficult for me to leave right away.”

“…I understand. Then, three months it is. We will be waiting for you at the Seven Spirit Islands then.”

Jiyang hesitated before answering and added,

“Actually, if you come to the Seven Spirit Islands this time, you might gain an unexpected harvest. It might even be beneficial for your sect.”

After finishing his words, he removed the soundproof barrier, said a few words to Old Man Geum and the other cultivators who were far away, and then turned into a white beam of light and left the White Cloud Garden.

* * *

“Do you really have to have this duel? You must know that your chances of winning are not high.”

Han Li asked his opponent from one of the many mountain peaks of the White Cloud Garden. Below, the other cultivators were looking up at them.

“I am the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect, and I cannot give up the sect’s interests without any justification. The ranking and distribution of Mount Unmong’s resources are closely related. Moreover, I’ve been curious about how a cultivator who has only condensed their Nascent Soul for 30 years has gained such immense fame. If I lose this duel, I will formally acknowledge that our Ancient Sword Sect’s power is below the Falling Cloud Sect.”

The curly-haired old man on the other side replied seriously.

“I understand. Since Senior Geum has said so, I will comply.”

Han Li smiled calmly and raised his hand, and a fist-sized dark blue flame appeared.

Old Man Geum also silently opened his mouth and spat out three golden rays. Unexpectedly, they were three identical swords. The swords, which were only a few inches long at first, turned golden and circled around their owner before suddenly growing to a foot in length.

Han Li examined his opponent’s flying swords and threw the dark blue fireball. The dark blue fireball exploded, and from within the flames, a half-foot-sized firebird flew up.

“Go.”

Han Li pointed at his opponent, and the dark blue firebird spread its two wings and turned into a beam of light. Old Man Geum’s face darkened, and he was inwardly furious.

To dare attack him with just a firebird without even taking out a magic treasure! Was this not an act of looking down on him?

Instead, he burst out laughing and moved his ten fingers, casting hand seals. He intended to decide the match with his most powerful sword technique in one go.

The three golden swords above his head wailed and suddenly disappeared in mid-air. Instead, golden threads appeared in front of Old Man Geum. Although they were very thin, they were long enough to be several yards.

The golden light flashed, and the threads appeared one by one. In the blink of an eye, their number exceeded a hundred, dazzling the eyes.

‘Turning Swords into Threads!’

A chill flashed in Han Li’s eyes. It was an astonishing amount of sword threads for one swordsman to create. As expected of the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect, he had some tricks up his sleeve.

At this time, the other cultivators who were watching were mostly surprised.

“It seems he’s going to use the Spring Silk Slash.”

“He just started the duel, and he’s already using such a secret technique…”

“Fellow Cultivator Han is being careless, he might get caught off guard.”

Yeolhwa Old Man and his group of three from the White Cloud Garden muttered.

The middle-aged cultivator who came with Old Man Geum looked delighted, and Ryo Rak’s expression changed, but Senior Brother Jeong and Senior Brother Myeong of the Falling Cloud Sect showed no change in their expressions.

At that moment, Old Man Geum in the void shouted and cast hand seals into the sword threads. The light intensified, and the threads formed a giant net, covering the incoming dark blue bird.

The confrontation between the net, which was at least ten yards wide, and the half-foot-sized firebird seemed like an egg hitting a rock. However, everyone was speechless at what happened after the firebird entered the golden net.

Bang!

The moment the dark blue firebird collided with the golden net, it exploded, and dark blue flames erupted. Countless golden threads tried to cut through it, but they couldn’t even approach the spiritual energy waves surrounding the flames.

The cultivators who knew the power of the Spring Silk Slash were very surprised. Old Man Geum also became enraged at the sight and immediately boosted his sword technique. The golden threads flashed and thickened, piercing through the dark blue light and reaching the lotus.

At that moment, the lotus began to bloom.

Paat.

Dark blue cold air emanated from the lotus petals, spreading out twenty yards. Old Man Geum unexpectedly felt his connection with his flying swords severed and hurriedly focused his consciousness.

However, the curly-haired old man’s face turned very dark.

In the place where the lotus had disappeared, a giant dark blue ice appeared, and inside it, three golden flying swords were sealed and unable to move.

With an ominous premonition, Old Man Geum brushed his storage pouch and summoned a white jade pendant. But before he could activate the jade pendant, a thunderous sound rang out from behind him.

“… !”

The terrified old man was shot out in a diagonal direction without even having time to think, but something lightly pierced through his protective barrier and grabbed his right shoulder as he tried to escape. The moment the palm covered in dark blue flames touched his body, half of his body turned cold, and he could no longer feel anything.

“Fellow Cultivator Geum! Let’s stop here?”

“With such skill, I admit defeat.”

Old Man Geum’s expression, having been subdued in an instant, was not good, but he immediately declared his defeat.

“It’s thanks to Senior Geum’s leniency.”

Han Li smiled and patted his shoulder before withdrawing his hand. He felt his shoulder instantly heat up as he patted it, and his body immediately recovered.

Old Man Geum hurriedly turned around and saw that silver wings had appeared on Han Li’s back, with lightning flashing around them.