Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 540

Han Li quickly gathered the Five Elements Jade and the essence and returned to his seat. It was fortunate that he had obtained such a large piece of essence. He could refine his flying swords with the essence, and if he could acquire a little more, he could complete another set of thirty-six Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords. After that, cultivators continued to come forward for trades, but perhaps because they followed the rare materials like the Demonic Beast Remains and the Five Elements Jade, the reactions of the other cultivators were not good. Few of them succeeded in making a trade. After a while, the cultivator in the white light calmly stepped back behind the jade table. “It seems that there are no more cultivators who wish to trade, so I will now introduce the last treasure remaining in this exchange. It could be said to be the most precious treasure.” He clapped his hands twice as he spoke. Unexpectedly, the cultivators who appeared at the sound did not have talismans on their bodies and revealed their true forms. The great hall became noisy, and the names of two cultivators passed among them. They were the old man in a black official hat and the middle-aged man with a square face who had been talking in a mansion somewhere in the imperial city. One was in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and the other was in the middle stage. They were the Nascent Soul stage elders of the Ye family, the imperial clan, who came forward when communicating with outsiders. Most of the cultivators were clueless, but some already knew what was happening, so they didn’t find it strange at all. Rather, those who had deliberately participated in the underground exchange after hearing this news were on high alert. The middle-aged man with a square face stepped forward, nodded to the cultivator in the white light, and then spoke to the other cultivators. “There are probably few here who don’t know the two of us, so I will skip the introductions. This time, our Ye family has used countless manpower and resources to refine a treasure over more than a hundred years. Recently, several sects have expressed their intention to purchase it, but we could not possibly go against the wishes of any sect. So, after discussion, we have decided to determine the final owner at this exchange. It will go to the person who has the right affinity.” The middle-aged man with a square face finished speaking and turned his head to signal the old man in the black official hat. The old man took out a square box about a foot long from his sleeve and handed it to the cultivator in the white light with a look of regret. “I won’t say much either. Everyone, see for yourselves.” The cultivator in the white light chuckled and flicked his hand, sending the lid of the jade box flying. Then, a blinding yellow light slowly rose and hummed softly. At the sight, the cultivator in the white light formed a hand seal and sent out a magic seal. The yellow light flashed wildly and then gradually returned to a circular shape. It was unexpectedly a small, yellow-earth-colored seal. The entire square seal was made of jade-like material, and faint gold and silver formations were engraved on it. Each time the light flashed, the magic of the formations completely changed. In addition, the spiritual energy emitted by the seal was calm, but the amount of spiritual energy it contained was enormous, causing the cultivators’ expressions to change. “This is a treasure called the ‘Leveling Mountain Seal.’ It is a replica made after the ancient Heaven-Reaching Treasure, the Heaven-Controlling Seal [a legendary artifact of immense power]. According to the Ye family’s examination, it exerts about one-tenth to two-tenths of the power of the legendary Heaven-Controlling Seal. If a cultivator’s cultivation is high, they can exert up to three-tenths of its power in an emergency. Of course, doing so will greatly damage the magic treasure.” The cultivator in the white light calmly explained and then manipulated the Leveling Mountain Seal to grow and shrink. Each time, the heavy yellow spiritual energy light made the hearts of the cultivators in the great hall pound. Han Li was startled by the appearance of the replica of the Heaven-Reaching Treasure. He had not even completely gathered the materials for the Three-Flame Fan, yet someone had succeeded in refining a replica and put it up for auction! As if anticipating his thoughts, the Great Yan Divine Lord said, “The Leveling Mountain Seal only embodies one-tenth or two-tenths of the power of the Heaven-Reaching Treasure, right? The Three-Flame Fan refining method I researched can embody four-tenths of the power of the Seven-Flame Fan.” “Yes, I know. I must hope to succeed in refining the Three-Flame Fan as soon as possible. If I obtain the treasure, I won’t be afraid even if I encounter a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator.” “You don’t think that the Great Jin has only one or two of these replicas like the Southern Border, do you?” “What do you mean, Senior…?” “Even when I was traveling, the Taiyi Sect and the Heavenly Demon Sect, the leaders of the righteous and demonic paths, and the Myriad Demon Valley, where ten thousand demons gather, each possessed more than one. Among them, the most famous is the Myriad Demon Banner of the Myriad Demon Valley. I heard that it has absorbed the souls of cultivators for many years and has already become comparable to the Heaven-Reaching Treasure, the Heavenly Demon Banner.” “That’s right. The Ye family is just a single clan, yet they succeeded in refining a replica of the Heaven-Reaching Treasure, so it wouldn’t be more difficult for sects with deep history and origins.” Han Li also pondered for a moment and then acknowledged it. “Don’t be too discouraged. The replica you are trying to refine is different from the others. You will be refining it with materials that are now rare and difficult to obtain. Besides, you already have the true Heaven-Reaching Treasure, the Void Sky Cauldron. If you can perfectly control it, no one in the mortal realm will be able to touch you.” The Great Yan Divine Lord said with envy. “To perfectly control the Void Sky Cauldron, one must have the cultivation of the Transformation Spirit stage. Anyway, if one reaches the Transformation Spirit stage, one can roam freely in the mortal realm even without the Void Sky Cauldron.” Han Li smiled wryly. The Great Yan Divine Lord also chuckled at those words and said nothing more. At this time, the cultivators in the great hall were overwhelmed by the presence of the Leveling Mountain Seal and became as quiet as mice. “I believe everyone knows the value of this item without me having to ramble on. The Ye family has prepared a list for this trade. The cultivator who can offer the most items from the required materials will receive the Leveling Mountain Seal. Of course, even if they offer the most, if it doesn’t meet the value of the Leveling Mountain Seal, it will go to auction for spirit stones. The starting price is three million.” Three million spirit stones was an enormous number. However, no one expressed any opposition because several sects had already allocated funds to participate in this trade. Han Li’s heart grew cold at the price, but he wondered how many spirit stones he could get if he put the Demonic Beast Remains up for auction. He had investigated the so-called Demonic Dragon Blade, a rare treasure of the demonic path, and there was a record that someone had refined it in ancient times and killed a Transformation Spirit stage cultivator with it. If so, its power would not be less than that of a Heaven-Reaching Treasure. While Han Li was having these miscellaneous thoughts, the old man in the black official hat took out a jade slip and recited the materials written on it one by one. The old man’s voice was not loud, but the cultivators in the great hall could hear it clearly. Unlike the other cultivators who were listening intently, Han Li had no interest. No matter how many spirit stones he had, they were a drop in the bucket compared to the sects of the Great Jin. So, if he coveted this, it would be foolish. Among the materials the old man wanted were rare materials such as the Five Elements Jade and essence. It felt like the Ye family intended to sweep away the assets of other sects with this opportunity. At this, Han Li stood up abruptly and walked out of the great hall. The gazes of the cultivators poured onto him. Everyone remembered that he was the cultivator who had offered two Demonic Beast Remains. “Cultivator Han, why are you leaving like this?” When Han Li stood up, the old man Bu sent a voice transmission. Han Li’s figure paused for a moment, and then he moved his lips to reply. “I’m becoming the target of many people, and if I leave any later, there will be trouble. I remember what you asked, Brother Bu, so if it’s not urgent, how about we talk again in a few years?” “It’s not urgent, but if you had such a treasure as the Demonic Beast Remains, you should have given me a hint. I understand why the Yin Fiend Sect cultivators are looking for you. Then, how about this? Let’s meet at the Joyful Cloud Mansion in the southern border in three years. I have an appointment to meet some other cultivators at Twin Peaks Mountain then. I guarantee that if you help me with this, it will be beneficial to you as well.” “Three years? It’s tight, but I’ll see you then. Goodbye for now.” Han Li quickly finished the voice transmission and left the great hall. A white light flashed, and Han Li disappeared in an instant. After a short while, Han Li, who had turned into a blue streak of light, exited the exchange entrance and shot out to the east. And not long after he left, several cultivators inside the exchange secretly followed him. He flew a thousand miles in an instant, and as he passed a certain mountain peak, the flying swords in his body cried out. Han Li’s expression changed drastically, and he stopped in mid-air. After catching his breath and looking around, he flicked his sleeve and released dozens of golden flying swords. “Since my tracks have already been revealed, there’s no need to hide. Come out.” With his blue-tinged eyes flickering, Han Li stared at a certain place and muttered coldly. “As expected of a cultivator who killed my main soul, you are very sensitive.” A black light flashed in the space Han Li was looking at, and a young man with similar features to him appeared. He was wearing the same blue robe and had an ordinary face, but his eyes flickered with black and purple, giving him a strange feeling. “So it really was you. How did you find me?” “It seems you know who I am. I didn’t expect your flying swords to be so spiritual that they would warn you. I didn’t expect to find you so quickly, but I guess I’m lucky.” “You have two of my flying swords. It would be foolish if I didn’t know who you are.” “Yes, your flying swords are in my hands.” The Demonic Avatar nonchalantly admitted, raising one hand and lifting up two small, golden, shining flying swords. Bound tightly by black energy and unable to move, the flying swords were struggling to fly towards Han Li. Han Li’s expression darkened. “They were refined with Gold Thunder Bamboo. So are your other flying swords. I don’t know where you got so much Gold Thunder Bamboo. It seems there was a reason why my main soul was defeated by you in the Chuma Bone [a dangerous and mysterious location]. I don’t know if I should be happy that my main soul is no longer suppressed or regret that I will never be able to regain my original cultivation.” The Demonic Avatar had a strange expression. “You didn’t wait here in hiding just to have a leisurely chat with me, did you?” “That all depends on you. If you tell me how you obtained the Gold Thunder Bamboo, I will spare your life. If you refuse, I will just kill you and torture your nascent soul to find out.” The Demonic Avatar looked down at the flying swords in his hand. At those words, Han Li’s lips twitched. “There is a world of difference between wanting to kill me and being able to kill me. I don’t want to chat leisurely anymore either, so why don’t you show me your skills? I remember hearing that you were seriously injured in the Southern Border, I wonder how much you have recovered in such a short time.” Han Li’s eyes turned cold. The secret of his mysterious bottle could never be revealed under any circumstances. “I was going to listen to a few words before killing you, but I guess that won’t work.” The Demonic Avatar also revealed his killing intent, and his aura became menacing. Han Li instantly transformed the flying swords circling above his head into a golden barrier and placed it in front of his body. His other hand was placed on the spirit beast pouch containing the Devouring Gold Beetles. Han Li intended to exchange blows with the Demonic Avatar for a moment to test how much the opponent had recovered. At that moment, the Demonic Avatar glanced at a certain place. Noticing this, Han Li also immediately sensed something and cast his gaze in the same direction. Shortly after, a streak of light flew in from the distance. Even to Han Li, it was an astonishing speed, and a faint sound of thunder could be heard.