Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 621

“Didn’t the traitor already steal the Han-soo [a rare, cold-attributed spiritual liquid] we possessed? If we reveal the truth, why would we be attacked by monsters?”

The woman in white robes, who had been silent, asked coldly. Her voice was so chilling that it sent shivers down one’s spine.

“If only it were as simple as you think, Senior Sister Baek. If we reveal that the Han-soo was stolen, our So-Geuk Palace’s [a powerful sect] reputation will plummet. Would the monsters even believe us? We would only tarnish the reputation of the top sect in the Northern Region without gaining anything.

However, it’s been almost ten thousand years, and this time we are opening the Ice Jade Cave of the Illusionary Realm, so if we are lucky, we might be able to obtain some Han-soo. The outside world only knows that we possess one bottle of Han-soo, so who would know that we have already used it for cultivation?

Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to pass down the Three Great Cold Flames of our palace through generations. It’s fortunate that we are opening the Ice Jade Cave this time; otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to cultivate the Three Great Cold Flames in the future.”

The Hanryeo Merchant [a title, likely a high-ranking member of the merchant guild] looked at the blue flames in the giant cauldron with a relieved expression. The blue-robed cultivator could only smile wryly at his words.

“This matter is settled. I know that both of you have made no progress in refining the Black Water Ice Flame and the Wind Separation Ice Flame. If we obtain the Han-soo, you can each take a few drops! The more powerful the Cold Flame, the more it will benefit me.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother Hanryeo!”

The middle-aged man in blue robes bowed happily at the Hanryeo Merchant’s words, and the woman in white robes, though outwardly cold, was also pleased inside.

“Senior Sister Baek, go back and find out about that Cultivator Han from Yo-i. He survived unscathed in Mount Kunwu, where many Nascent Soul [a high level of cultivation] cultivators died over a decade ago, so he must be extraordinary.”

The Hanryeo Merchant instructed the woman in white robes.

“Understood. I will ask Jong-mae when I return.”

The woman replied coldly. After the woman and the middle-aged man bowed and left, the Hanryeo Merchant was lost in thought.

“…Heo Cheon-jeong.”

His muttering as he suddenly turned to look at the giant cauldron was unheard by anyone.

Han Li was staring blankly at the jade shelves in a large secret chamber. The shelves, which seemed to number close to a hundred, were densely packed, and each shelf was protected by a colorful barrier to safeguard the numerous jade slips placed on them.

At the end of the secret chamber was a staircase leading to the next floor, but its entrance was firmly blocked by a thick wall.

“Is this the Scripture Pavilion of your palace?”

Han Li asked, surprised, turning to look at an old man dressed in the robes of a So-Geuk Palace disciple.

“Yes, Senior! Our palace’s Scripture Pavilion is divided into seven floors, and each floor contains scriptures of the same type. It doesn’t mean that the higher the floor, the more precious the scriptures are. Each floor is separated by a barrier, so please call me if you wish to look around other floors.”

The old man, who looked quite aged, had drooping eyebrows and eyes, and surprisingly, he exuded the aura of a Core Formation stage cultivator.

“Understood. You may leave.”

Han Li nodded and instructed.

“Yes!”

The old man answered respectfully and retreated, closing the stone door again.

Now alone in the secret chamber, Han Li immediately went to one of the barriers and took something out. With a ‘pop,’ the barrier dissipated, and three jade slips appeared. Han Li randomly chose one and injected his consciousness into it.

At the same time, on the second floor of the White Eagle Pavilion, two women in white robes were facing each other. One was Baek Yo-i, and the other was the woman who had been with the Hanryeo Merchant.

Although they looked similar, one had a gentle and soft impression that was pleasing, while the other was as cold as ice, giving off a strange feeling.

“As I’ve already told you, that’s all I know about Cultivator Han. He claimed to be from overseas, but later, the Yin-La Sect and the Heavenly Orchid Holy Temple cultivators said he was from Cheonnam. His divine abilities are comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and he didn’t lose to the Silver Yaksha [a powerful demon] in the Yin-Yang Cave. I have no idea how he escaped from Mount Kunwu.”

Baek Yo-i, standing by the window, was fiddling with her black hair, her narrowed brows indicating that she was not pleased with these questions.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Jong-mae, but it’s strange that a mere mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator possesses such divine abilities, and it’s hard to believe that he’s from the remote Cheonnam. It’s quite an unbelievable story, isn’t it?”

The woman in white robes explained euphemistically, but her voice was chillingly emotionless. Baek Yo-i knew that it was due to the cultivation method the woman practiced, so she didn’t mind, but she was not pleased that she kept asking about Han Li.

“I haven’t known him for long, so I don’t know the other details. However, everything I’ve told you is true. By the way, why is the Great Elder suddenly interested in Cultivator Han?”

“Why? Because he possesses an extreme flame. He fits the conditions that Senior Brother Hanryeo has been searching for. Now that I think about it, why didn’t you mention this earlier?”

“I hadn’t heard from him for over a decade after we parted, so I didn’t even know if he had survived Mount Kunwu. What good would it have done to suddenly bring it up to Senior Brother Hanryeo? I was planning to ask him for a favor after finding the Mystic Ice Flower for him, but I didn’t expect Senior Im to report it to the Great Elder first.”

“Then there’s nothing more to ask. If he’s that skilled, it’s best to maintain a good relationship with him. However, we need to verify the power of that purple flame.”

“Yes, I’ll check it out when I get the chance.”

Baek Yo-i raised her thick eyebrows and answered casually.

“That would be best. Then I’ll take my leave. The monsters frequently invade Bukmyeong Island, so I have a lot to do.”

After finishing her words, the woman descended the stairs expressionlessly. Baek Yo-i watched her cousin’s light fade away from the pavilion through the window, her expression darkening.

* * *

Seven or eight days had passed since Han Li entered the So-Geuk Palace’s Scripture Pavilion. He hadn’t gone outside once during that time, and he had found quite a lot of helpful information while examining the scriptures.

However, even with such focused study, he had only managed to look through three of the seven floors. It seemed like he would run out of time if he looked at the fourth floor.

On this day, he was reading an ancient scripture related to rare elixirs when a flame flickered and entered the secret chamber. As if there were no barriers, Han Li pulled the flame towards him, and a blazing fireball appeared.

Injecting his consciousness into the communication talisman, his face brightened at the welcome news.

He placed the jade slip he was holding back on the shelf and transformed into a streak of blue light, descending to the lower floor. After a short while, the blue light arrived in front of the White Eagle Pavilion.

There, Baek Yo-i was standing gracefully, waiting for him. When the light faded and Han Li appeared, she showed a hint of impatience.

“Cultivator Baek, is it true that you have found the Mystic Ice Flower?”

“It is true. I thought it would take a month, but with the Great Elder’s help, we were able to find it several times faster.”

“That’s a relief. If possible, Senior Baek, let’s depart right away.”

Han Li asked happily, suppressing his joy.

“It is possible. I was waiting to guide you, Brother Han. However, the place where the Ten Thousand Year Mystic Ice was found is a bit far, outside of Bukmyeong Island. It will probably take a few days to go and return.”

“It doesn’t matter how long it takes. As long as I can find the Mystic Ice Flower, I can travel for a year if necessary.”

Han Li said, laughing out loud. Baek Yo-i smiled silently at his appearance. Thus, the two immediately left the Hanryeo Secret Realm and headed outside the Ice City.

As they flew north, Baek Yo-i told him specific information about the Ten Thousand Year Mystic Ice.

“A pack of Snow Howling Beasts is inhabiting the area?”

Han Li said, surprised.

“The disciple who found the Ten Thousand Year Mystic Ice was careless and was discovered by the Snow Howling Beast pack, suffering serious injuries. He was almost killed.”

“What grade are the Snow Howling Beasts?”

“You might be disappointed. They are only around the 5th or 6th grade.”

“There’s no point in capturing them.”

Han Li raised the corners of his mouth at Baek Yo-i’s smiling words.

“If we go a little further, we will leave Bukmyeong Island and enter the Ice Sea region. It’s a complete den of monsters, so any kind of monster can appear. Fortunately, the further we get from the island, the higher the grade of monsters that appear, so normally, no monsters above the 8th grade will appear within a few days’ distance.

However, there are many terrifying monsters in the deep sea, and even 10th-grade monsters are said to exist. Even the previous Great Elder said that he saw a 10th-grade ancient Ice Phoenix in the deep sea. It is a true descendant of an ancient spirit beast, and if even one of them appears, half of our So-Geuk Palace cultivators would be dead.”

‘A 10th-grade Ice Phoenix!’

Han Li was also startled.

“But you don’t have to worry too much. When our founder established this palace, he fought against the great monsters of the Ice Sea who possessed immense divine abilities, and after that, they made a pact. Our So-Geuk Palace cultivators do not recklessly attack the high-grade monsters of the Ice Sea, and the high-grade monsters of the Ice Sea do not approach within a million miles of Bukmyeong Island.

If that were not the case, our So-Geuk Palace would not have been able to survive until now. The monsters that surround and attack the So-Geuk Palace each time are the monsters that advance from the mainland to the north, and if they had joined hands with the Ice Sea monsters, the So-Geuk Palace would have been occupied and destroyed several times already.”

Baek Yo-i explained the situation here in great detail.

“So that’s what happened. Still, according to the cultivator, there shouldn’t be any danger on this trip.”

“It’s not certain. A pact is just a pact, and sometimes the high-grade monsters can’t overcome their violent nature and invade. That’s why there are casualties among our disciples every year, so we must be careful.”

Baek Yo-i shook her head as if there was nothing she could do.

“It’s just a few days of travel, so that won’t happen.”

Han Li said calmly, looking at the distant glacier.

The speed of the blue light increased slightly, and Baek Yo-i also followed him, emitting a dazzling light. She had only told him the truth, and she didn’t think they would be in a dangerous situation.

After flying for three days and nights, they arrived above a huge crack in the glacier.

“The Snow Howling Beasts live here?”

Han Li looked down at the crack in the glacier, the depth of which was unknown. It was a canyon in the glacier where a cold wind blew eerily.

“Yes, this is exactly the location that the palace disciple mentioned.”

“Then I will lure the monsters out first.”

Nodding, he formed a hand seal and emitted light from his entire body.

Flap!

At the same time, sparks gathered and turned into fist-sized, bright red fireballs.

“Go!”

Swish, swish, swish!

As he flicked his sleeves, dozens of fireballs disappeared into the dark canyon. Han Li and Baek Yo-i looked down without blinking.

However, as time passed, there was no explosion, and no sound came from the canyon. Han Li and Baek Yo-i exchanged glances, puzzled.

“5th and 6th-grade monsters shouldn’t be able to extinguish fireballs so easily. It seems like there are higher-grade monsters.”

“That could be the case. The palace disciple probably didn’t have time to go deep and check. He said that he was discovered by the Snow Howling Beasts and chased away immediately after finding the Ten Thousand Year Mystic Ice and the Mystic Ice Flower at the edge.”

“It doesn’t matter, we need to make them come out.”

Han Li struck one of his spirit beast bags, and at the same time, twelve white lights shot out, transforming into foot-long white centipedes. The centipede monsters with transparent wings all had a ferocious appearance.

At his gesture, the winged centipedes emitted cold air from their entire bodies and fell downwards. Baek Yo-i watched them, her eyes shining, but she did not open her mouth.

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