Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 550

The surrounding cultivators cast envious glances at the woman who had obtained the mutated demonic beast as a prize, but none were bold enough to covet what a high-level cultivator had bestowed.

Just then, lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a clap of thunder. The dark clouds overhead threatened to unleash a downpour at any moment.

“The heavy rain is coming right on time.”

Han Li glanced at the overcast sky and increased his pace.

*Crack!*

As lightning struck and heavy rain began to fall, the poisonous fog weakened, and the small peaks that had been hidden gradually revealed themselves.

Han Li was already standing on the summit of the mountain. Despite the downpour, his clothes remained completely dry.

The Qi Refining cultivators and two Foundation Establishment cultivators who had gathered there beforehand were dressed in local attire with hoods covering their heads. They cautiously observed Han Li’s sudden appearance.

Han Li scanned them and suddenly released a powerful surge of spiritual energy, coldly shouting,

“All of you, get lost!”

A gust of wind-like blue energy swept towards the low-level cultivators.

The cultivators, startled, released their protective barriers or activated their magical artifacts, but they were all swept away by the blue energy, flying back twenty to thirty feet. The cultivators, tumbling like fallen leaves, trembled in fear.

Realizing that a high-level cultivator had appeared, they immediately fled down the mountain. The two Foundation Establishment cultivators, sensing Han Li’s cultivation level, turned pale and immediately escaped on their magical artifacts.

Han Li watched the low-level cultivators disappear like black dots and then stared blankly into the void.

Lightning flashed incessantly across the dark, cloudy sky, like silver snakes dancing.

After shouting, Han Li felt a slight relief from the frustration he had felt since the Great Yan Divine Lord’s passing. Moreover, he needed to gather Heavenly Lightning, and he couldn’t have other cultivators watching nearby.

Taking a deep breath, Han Li brushed past his storage pouch and took out various formation flags and magical artifacts. Soon, the flags flew in all directions, deeply embedding themselves into the ground and disappearing from sight.

Han Li smiled as he watched the flashing lightning. He then levitated thirty feet into the air, forming hand seals and chanting an incantation.

*Thump! Thump!*

Light pillars rose from various points on the mountain peak, where the flags had been placed.

As his spell continued, spiritual energy emanated from the flags, forming a barrier about ten feet wide. At that moment, the lightning that had been falling haphazardly from the sky began to converge on Han Li.

He narrowed his eyes and flipped his palm, revealing a long-necked jade bottle. It was a magical artifact specially crafted to collect the Heavenly Lightning contained within the lightning.

He lightly tossed the bottle and cast a spell, causing the jade bottle to spin and then fix itself in a certain spot in the air. Then, as Han Li brought his hands together and spread them apart, thick golden lightning bolts struck the jade bottle.

*Crack!*

A thunderous sound echoed, and a strange phenomenon occurred.

As the golden lightning appeared at the mouth of the jade bottle, all the silver lightning fell into it. The lightning, gathered by the power of the barrier, was channeled into the jade bottle through the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning.

After an hour, the jade bottle, having absorbed an immense amount of lightning, began to make a sound like a tidal wave. Hearing this, Han Li nodded in satisfaction and reached out his hand.

As the golden lightning dissipated, the jade bottle landed in Han Li’s hand. Then, another bottle, similar in appearance, floated into the air from his sleeve. He was once again gathering Heavenly Lightning.

Han Li then carefully examined the jade bottle in his hand. The inside of the bottle, filled with the sound of thunder, was filled with silver light, pulsating as if it would burst out at any moment.

*Snap!*

He attached a silver talisman, and the thunder and light subsided simultaneously. Han Li closed the bottle and placed it back into his storage pouch, then focused his attention on the bottle in the air.

By the time half a day had passed, he had managed to collect four bottles. Yet, the downpour showed no signs of stopping, and lightning continued to strike in various places. He figured that filling one more bottle would be sufficient.

Just then, a white streak of light pierced through the dark clouds in the distance and flew towards him.

The light from the barrier gathering energy, the blue aura emanating from Han Li’s body, and the silver lightning falling from above made him extremely conspicuous.

The owner of the white streak of light noticed this and immediately flew towards Han Li’s location. Stopping thirty feet away, the light dissipated, revealing a woman dressed in palace attire.

Though petite, her eyes were clear and gentle, and she appeared to be no more than twenty years old. What was even more peculiar was that her clothes, made of some unknown material, shimmered with silver light, and a chilling aura surrounded her, making her look like a celestial maiden descended from the heavens.

However, what surprised Han Li was that she was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

The woman in palace attire smiled at Han Li.

“I am Bai Yao from the Northern Underworld Island. Are you also here to meet with Fellow Daoist Bu?”

“Northern Underworld Island… Fellow Daoist Bai, are you a cultivator from the Northern Night Small Extremity Palace?”

“I am an outer elder of the Small Extremity Palace. It’s surprising that you know about our secluded palace. May I ask for your esteemed name?”

“I am Han, a wandering cultivator from across the sea. I have heard of the Northern Night Small Extremity Palace’s reputation.”

“So, you are an overseas cultivator. Then, Fellow Daoist Han, are you perhaps acquainted with the Three Immortals of the Overseas?”

Bai Yao asked with a bright smile.

“No, I am not. I have been focusing on cultivation on a remote island, so I have not had frequent contact with other cultivators.”

“I see. It may be presumptuous, but it seems you are gathering Heavenly Lightning. Would you like some assistance?”

“Thank you for your kindness, but I am almost finished.”

“Then, I will rest for a while.”

Upon hearing Han Li’s reply, Bai Yao flew to another rock on the mountain peak and sat down. As soon as she settled, she released something resembling an umbrella, which emitted a white light, completely shielding an area of several dozen feet from the wind and rain.

Then, something flickered in her palm. Han Li glanced at it and saw a snow-white crystal emitting a chilling aura, clearly not an ordinary object.

‘Ice Jade.’

He immediately recognized its identity. Hadn’t he heard recently that the Cold Essence was produced from ten-thousand-year Ice Jade? The woman in palace attire held the Ice Jade in her hand, her eyes closed.

Han Li remained expressionless, but he unconsciously heightened his vigilance towards her.

The fact that the Northern Night Small Extremity Palace had not released the Cold Essence despite being invaded by high-level demonic beasts for generations meant that they valued it greatly. If she were to find out that he possessed the Cold Essence, it would undoubtedly lead to trouble.

Han Li averted his gaze from her and focused on the jade bottle in the air.

Soon, the fifth bottle was filled with Heavenly Lightning. He retrieved the magical artifact and landed in the center of the energy-gathering barrier.

He cast spells on the flags he had placed, causing the barrier to change its properties and form a blue protective shield. Then, he sat cross-legged, far away from the woman in palace attire, and closed his eyes.

The storm finally subsided after a full day, and the sun began to shine again. The surrounding air quickly became hot, and the poisonous fog, which had been pushed back by the downpour, began to rise again, enveloping the mountain peaks.

Han Li calmly released his consciousness, taking control of everything within a radius of several dozen miles. From the ants that had resumed their activity to the fruits falling to the ground, nothing could escape his awareness.

Occasionally, low-level cultivators would attempt to climb the mountain peak, but they would be terrified by the immense cultivation levels of Han Li and Bai Yao and flee in panic. Thus, Han Li and the woman in palace attire remained in their positions, spending three days and nights.

* * *

On the morning of the fourth day, another high-level cultivator finally appeared on the mountain peak.

This time, it was a giant with an ugly appearance and a pitch-black body, riding on a huge blue turtle, bringing with him a sinister wind.

The giant laughed loudly upon seeing Han Li and Bai Yao and settled down in another spot on the mountain peak. However, instead of meditating, he took out a golden book from his robes and began to read.

Han Li was puzzled by the giant’s actions but continued his meditation as if he had seen nothing. Upon closer inspection, the giant was also a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, so it seemed that all those summoned by Old Man Bu were of this level of cultivation.

It was as if cultivators in the early Nascent Soul stage were not qualified!

After the giant arrived, no one else appeared for a while, but the three cultivators seemed to have no intention of interacting with each other, each focusing on their own tasks.

After a full fifteen days, when the poisonous fog had almost completely dissipated, two streaks of light flew from the distant sky.

The streaks of light circled above the three cultivators and landed between them. When the light faded, Old Man Bu Youzhong and a woman in black robes appeared.

“It is an honor to have all three of you here. I had prepared for the possibility that someone might not come, but it seems my worries were unfounded.”

Old Man Bu looked at them with satisfaction, but the woman in black robes stood beside him with an icy expression, not saying a word.

“I have come, but if Fellow Daoist Bu’s request does not meet my expectations, I will leave immediately. I am at a crucial point in my cultivation, and I do not wish to waste time on trivial matters.”

The giant said bluntly with a sneer.

“Fellow Daoist Yuan, rest assured! Would I gather everyone here just to talk nonsense? Before that, let me introduce everyone. This is my junior sister, Fellow Daoist Chang Zhifang, who holds the position of inner elder in the Gu You Sect. Fellow Daoist Yuan is a local cultivator from the Southern Gang Poison Sect, so I believe he will be of great help in this matter. Fellow Daoist Han is an overseas cultivator with extraordinary abilities. Fellow Daoist Bai is…”

Old Man Bu introduced the gathered cultivators one by one.

The other cultivators were surprised to hear Old Man Bu’s introduction of Han Li. However, Han Li frowned instead.

“You flatter me. Fellow Daoist Bu’s assessment of my extraordinary abilities is not true.”

“Why are you being so modest? I heard that you killed an early Nascent Soul cultivator in Jing and then, after the trade fair, you eliminated the notorious Monk E’hua with a single blow.”

Old Man Bu said meaningfully in response to Han Li’s modest reply.

“Fellow Daoist Han eliminated Monk E’hua?”

The giant surnamed Yuan’s expression changed drastically as he looked at Han Li, and Bai Yao also looked surprised. Only the woman in black robes showed no particular reaction, as if she already knew.

“You misunderstand. It is true that I killed an early Nascent Soul cultivator in Jing, but I had nothing to do with the so-called Monk E’hua.”

“There were two cultivators with similar appearances at the time. Then, are you saying that it wasn’t a cultivator who killed Monk E’hua?”

Old Man Bu did not seem entirely convinced.

“If I had the ability to eliminate a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator in an instant, why would I have tried so hard to avoid the Yin Fiend Sect cultivators?”

“That is true, but the Elder Chu you killed, though his cultivation was low, was cunning and proficient in earth techniques! Just killing him shows that your skills are not ordinary. By the way, are you acquainted with the cultivator who annihilated Monk E’hua? In fact, it would take a late Nascent Soul cultivator to do that, and if it’s an unknown cultivator, they are likely an overseas cultivator.”

Old Man Bu showed interest in the cultivator who had been with Han Li at the time.

“I heard that a demonic beast resembling a two-headed serpent appeared not far from the Jing auction house. It devoured several Nascent Soul cultivators on its own and only fled when a nearby late Nascent Soul cultivator appeared. Were you there, Fellow Daoist Han?”

The giant also suddenly expressed interest.

“I am indeed acquainted with the one who killed Monk E’hua. However, the demonic beast incident seems to have happened after I left. I know nothing about it.”

“Is that so? That’s a pity. If we could find that cultivator, this matter would be much easier.”

Old Man Bu chuckled and tried to brush it off, but the giant looked at his face with suspicion. At that moment, Bai Yao spoke up.

“Fellow Daoist Bu, I have come all the way here because of a promise made a few years ago, so please explain what this is all about. If I hadn’t owed you a small favor back then, I wouldn’t have come here.”

“Of course! But this is an important matter, so let’s set up a restriction first and then discuss it further.”

# 552