Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 574

The giant cauldron, which had regained its stability, trembled and flashed red light all over before shrinking in size. In an instant, it transformed into a half-foot-long object and fell to the ground with a clear thud.

The cauldron lid, which had been flung far away, also flew over, decreased in size, and landed with an even clearer sound. Seeing the cauldron brimming with spiritual energy, Han Li smiled in delight and waved his sleeve, emitting a blue aura that pulled the cauldron into his grasp.

The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He formed a hand seal with one hand and struck the cauldron with a blue light.

Red light spread in all directions from the small cauldron, and the lid shook as countless fist-sized firebirds flew up. They were all hideous-looking crow firebirds with bright red bodies.

The crows emitted small sparks from their mouths and flew around the main hall as Han Li directed.

They were the crystallization of the fire energy that the cauldron had accumulated over a long time, and each one was so spiritually powerful that they were comparable to fire-attribute spirit beasts.

Han Li was delighted by the unexpected power of the cauldron and retrieved it.

After examining the main hall once more, he flew his flying sword towards the dozen or so red dragon pillars before leaving.

*Clang!* *Whoosh.*

He also intended to take the giant pillars carved in the shape of flood dragons. Although they did not possess spiritual energy like the giant cauldron, they were made of bronze and had absorbed a considerable amount of fire energy, making them valuable items.

They had become rare items, both as materials and as magical artifacts. Han Li smiled and left the palace, then looked around the remaining buildings.

Unfortunately, he did not find any useful items, only a few ordinary objects and several jade slips related to magical artifact refinement.

This was quite a good haul for the Spirit Control Hall.

Half a day later, after examining all the remaining pavilions, Han Li returned to the front of the Spirit Control Hall plaque and looked at the white light barrier.

It was still early, so he could have explored other places, but that would mean taking risks. Who knew if other cultivators had already finished their searches and were moving to other areas?

It would be fine if he encountered Old Man Bu, but if he ran into Old Devil Gan, the Poison Sect cultivators, or the cultivators who had entered before him, it would be a big problem.

However, even if he stood here and waited for the gap in the sealing barrier to open again, wouldn’t it be the end if those who had finished searching other places came to the Spirit Control Hall? Moreover, quite some time had already passed, so Old Devil Gan and the others might have already encountered the first group and started fighting.

In that case, it wouldn’t be bad to wander around other places and try to get lucky. In fact, he had already obtained treasures like the Lunar True Flame in the Spirit Control Hall, so who knew if there were even greater treasures in other places?

Besides, with his current strength, unless he was attacked by a group of Nascent Soul [a high level of cultivation] late-stage cultivators, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to escape. After making up his mind, he unhesitatingly took out the Three-Flame Fan and fanned it.

At the same time, inside a blue-lit main hall somewhere in Mount Kunwu, a big-headed monster, Goma, and a Nascent Soul early-stage Ye family cultivator were fighting against red-haired demons with disheveled hair.

The naked demons all had hideous appearances and emitted yin energy [negative, dark energy], swinging their black fingernails as if they would tear the three cultivators to pieces.

However, they were wearing layers of gray protective barriers and defensive magical artifacts, so they were not harmed by the yin energy or sharp fingernails at all.

Nevertheless, they could not easily shake off the demons. Even if they cut the demons in half with their flying swords or crushed their heads, the demons would immediately return to their original forms and attack again when another demon released a mist.

“Uncle, Elder Han! This won’t work. The demons here have already reached the realm of Yin Soul Manifestation [a state where a soul can take physical form]. Ordinary magical treasures won’t work; we need treasures with extreme yang energy [positive, bright energy],” said the Ye family elder with a tired expression.

“If it were that simple, I would have done it already. The demons are merely clones of the Ghost King. The reason we haven’t killed them in one blow is to find the real Ghost King’s location,” the big-headed monster replied coldly.

“Are these all just clones?”

“That’s right. No matter how many times they revive, their vitality should be greatly damaged after being killed two or three times in a row, but these ones don’t seem to tire at all. The Ghost King is trying to wear us down before appearing,” Goma said calmly as he killed a demon with his sword.

“I see. It would have been great if my fifteenth brother were here! My brother’s divine powers would have been the perfect counter to these demons. He was ambushed by the Shadow Serpent on the first floor and escaped as a Nascent Soul…”

The elder’s face darkened as he looked at the gray aura around him.

“There’s nothing we can do about it. Who would have thought there would be a monster that could hide in the shadows and deceive a Nascent Soul cultivator? When Mingli’s shadow exploded on its own, there was no time to help. Mingli’s body melted away instantly from the Shadow Serpent’s venom,” the big-headed monster sighed as well.

“I’m not blaming you, Uncle. It’s just that the Demon Suppression Tower is strange, and the demons are getting more and more difficult to deal with. Even after all this time, we’re only on the seventh floor… If there are nine floors as Elder Han said, I’m worried about what kind of demons will appear on the last two floors. Is it okay to keep going like this?” The elder seemed reluctant to go down recklessly.

“Hmph, are you shrinking back at this level of danger? The more powerful the demons imprisoned in the Demon Suppression Tower, the higher the chance that there will be a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure [an extremely powerful and rare treasure] here. It’s a known fact that ancient cultivators borrowed the power of treasures when sealing powerful demons. Are you planning to ruin our Ye family’s centuries-long ambition?”

“No, I would never do that,” the Ye family elder replied, while continuing to kill demons with his magical treasures.

“I’ve found the Ghost King,” Goma said at that moment.

“Where is it?” The elder asked urgently, as if he had suddenly woken up, but Goma’s expression suddenly changed.

*Bang.*

Light flashed at the entrance of the main hall, and four cultivators appeared from within a green light mass. The four cultivators were clearly surprised to see the demons running rampant in the main hall and Goma surrounded by them.

“Ye Yuesheng! Didn’t you die a long time ago? Could it be that the Ye family created a gap in the seal!” Hua Tianqi, who recognized the Ye family’s seventh uncle at a glance, shouted with a complicated expression. The three cultivators in the main hall also recognized the Poison Sect cultivators, and their expressions were not good. To run into them when they were tied up by demons!

“Who would have thought it was Fellow Cultivator Hua. I didn’t expect the Poison Sect to move so quickly. However, there are many other places, so why did you come to the Demon Suppression Tower?” A sinister light flashed in the monster’s eyes, but he asked as if nothing had happened.

“That’s what we should be asking. If the news that Ye Xing, who disappeared hundreds of years ago, has not died and has appeared as a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator, there will be quite a few people who will be restless.”

“Senior Brother Hua, do they also know that there are treasures here?” One of the Poison Sect elders sent a voice transmission to Hua Tianqi.

The Poison Sect cultivators had come after confirming the contents of a letter left by their founding patriarch, which stated that treasures were hidden in the Demon Suppression Tower. Therefore, it was natural for them to come here first, no matter what the treasure was.

They also knew that other cultivators were ahead of them as they descended the Demon Suppression Tower, but they never imagined that a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator and his group would be waiting for them.

If they had not been surrounded by demons, Hua Tianqi and the other Poison Sect cultivators would have fled without a second thought.

“It’s not certain, but they must have some clues like us,” Hua Tianqi regained his composure and stared at the big-headed monster and the others.

“It seems like you don’t intend to just turn around and leave,” the big-headed monster said, while simultaneously opening his mouth and emitting a silver light.

However, at that moment, a silver light spread from one side of the main hall, and a roar was heard. A vague gray shadow appeared and spat out a fingernail-sized gray bead from its mouth to block the silver spear.

Before the Poison Sect elders could move, Goma moved first as the ghost creature retreated while screaming. He took out a black mirror from his pocket and shined it on the creature.

Black energy flowed out and enveloped all the surrounding demons, and the demons screamed miserably as they were torn to pieces. However, this time, the Ghost King was caught by the silver spear and could not revive, only turning into a mass of silver yin energy.

Hua Tianqi’s expression changed at the mirror’s energy that Goma was emitting.

“Let’s go!” Hua Tianqi suddenly discovered an exit beyond the big-headed monster and the others trapped in the mass of yin energy and quickly spoke. He took out a green flag from his palm and released a green aura as he flew towards it.

“Hua Tianqi, you bastard!” The big-headed monster’s heart sank, and he released countless finger-thick yellow sword energies from his entire body. The yin energy that had been enveloping them instantly scattered.

However, the Poison Sect cultivators had already flown dozens of feet away and entered the exit. By the time the big-headed monster and Goma combined their strength to blow away the yin energy, a white light had spread greatly at the exit, which had originally been empty, and a solid crystal wall had formed.

The monster quickly stretched out his arm and sent out a sword energy several feet long. However, a colorful light burst out, and the sword energy melted away.

“The Sumeru Five Elements Wall!”

The monster was startled and examined the crystal wall, then became furious.

“Isn’t this a treasure of the Sumeru Sect? The Sumeru Sect is also one of the sects in the Southern Border, so they must have borrowed it.”

“I’ve heard of the Sumeru Five Elements Wall’s reputation,” the Ye family elder said with a changed expression, while Goma narrowed his eyes.

“This has become troublesome. It seems that there really is a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure on the lowest floor of the tower. Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare to do this!” The monster glared at the crystal wall, revealing his anger.

“Don’t worry, Elder Ye. While they are opening the path to the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure for us, we can deal with the Ghost King and follow them,” Goma sneered. At those words, the big-headed monster paused for a moment, then nodded after thinking it over.

“Fellow Cultivator Han is right. I was too impatient because of the treasure,” the monster said, then looked at the shadow that was fighting the silver spear with cold eyes.

Beyond the crystal wall, the Poison Sect elders were taking a breather.

“Senior Brother Hua! What you’re doing is too dangerous. The Sumeru Five Elements Wall won’t be able to block them forever, and you’ve only provoked them for no reason.”

“Do you think they would let us go if we gave up on the treasure? Ye Yuesheng survived the ambushes of several sects and hid, only to be discovered by us. It means that no matter what we do, they won’t let us live. Besides, the treasure that our sect’s patriarch valued so much is most likely the legendary Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, so it’s natural to take this level of risk,” Hua Tianqi said with a stern face to his fellow sect member who was feeling uneasy.

“A Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure? If it’s such a heaven-defying treasure, then it’s natural to take this level of risk. However, Ye Yuesheng is guarding the outside, so I’m worried about our retreat,” another elder said worriedly.

“Don’t worry about that. Do you think I would have done this without considering that? Before we left, I brought the sect’s treasure, the Poison Dragon Pearl. If we take it with the intention of recuperating for about ten years, escaping won’t be a problem.”

“You were prepared in advance. That’s a relief.” The faces of the other three elders became much more relaxed. No matter how important the treasure was, nothing was more important than their lives.

“It’s a pity that Fellow Cultivator Yuan isn’t here. If the five of us had attacked together, we could have taken on even a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator.”

“We left a message, so he might be on his way here.”

“I hope so. Be more careful from now on! If the demons on the seventh floor are this strong, who knows what the eighth and ninth floors will be like. If the Ye family cultivators hadn’t gone ahead, we wouldn’t have been able to descend this quickly,” Hua Tianqi carefully instructed, and the other cultivators nodded. They flew dozens of feet along the passage leading downwards before being able to descend to the next floor.

# 576