Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 653

“Your intuition, honed by the Spirit Darkness Art, has never been wrong. So, there really is something to that person….”

The man’s voice became cautious.

“He might be hiding some special divine ability. Otherwise, how could a cultivator who just reached the late stage be so carefree in front of us?”

“Either way, if he’s difficult to eliminate, we have no choice but to actively recruit him. But even if we bring such a person into the Star Palace, I worry whether Okryeong can control him. If the two of us pass away, the Star Palace could fall into the hands of an outsider!”

A faint murderous intent flickered in the man’s cold voice.

“So, are you saying we should eliminate him even if it’s difficult? But if we fail to kill him in one go, we’ll just be creating an unnecessary enemy for Okryeong.”

“Once that person starts roaming the Chaotic Star Sea, the order of the Chaotic Star Sea will be broken in an instant. Even if there’s no hope for us to reach the Transformation Stage, we can’t let the Star Palace end with our generation, can we? If we can’t bring him to our side, we must kill him to eliminate any future threats, and I’m confident we can handle the risks that come with it.”

The man snorted and spoke without hesitation.

“That makes sense, but this is a serious matter, so we need to plan carefully.”

“Are you that wary of him? If we join forces within the influence of Mount Yuanzi, how could he possibly survive?”

“If we use Mount Yuanzi and move together, we might have a 70 to 80 percent chance of killing him. But he’s extremely cautious, so he’ll probably never walk into a death trap on his own. To corner him, the only way is to use Mount Yuanzi to trap the entire Success Citadel the moment he returns from the outer sea.”

“I know that too. I heard that we gave him a guest elder token from the palace. If he uses the token, it will be easier for us to track his movements. Then, it will be easier to predict when he will return, so a capture operation isn’t impossible.”

Upon hearing the man’s words, Wen Qing frowned and made a surprising proposal.

“Most of the past Star Palace Lords have been married couples. Okryeong is already in the early Nascent Soul Stage, but she hasn’t chosen a partner yet. If she cultivates the palace’s unique dual cultivation technique, her chances of reaching the late Nascent Soul Stage will greatly increase. But the Nascent Soul cultivators in the palace are too old for Okryeong, and there aren’t many of them anyway!

And it seems she doesn’t like any of them. In my opinion, how about that Han fellow as Okryeong’s partner? If they marry, we can immediately hand over the Star Palace to him. Then, it would be no different from Okryeong taking charge of the Star Palace. Moreover, considering his incredible cultivation speed, he might even reach the Transformation Stage. If he protects and guides Okryeong for the rest of her life, who knows, our child might also reach the Transformation Stage someday?”

“Him and our Okryeong? If that were to happen, it would be wonderful, but a cultivator who has already reached the late stage must already have a partner. He might even have countless concubines waiting for him!”

“Even if he has a partner, how can they compare to our Okryeong? We’re giving her the Star Palace as a dowry, how could any man refuse? If it doesn’t work out, he can make his main wife a concubine and take a new partner. It’s not uncommon in the cultivation world, is it?”

“Alright, let’s try it that way. If he refuses, then we’ll step in and eliminate him.”

“Even if he refuses, there’s no need to resolve it so harshly. We can just make it so he can’t interfere with our Star Palace matters.”

Wen Qing sneered with a strange expression.

“Is there such a way? But deceiving a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator won’t be easy.”

Wen Qing chuckled softly at the man’s reaction and moved her lips. She sent a voice transmission without speaking.

“Such a thing, I cannot agree to….”

The man’s expression changed as he listened to a few words. Wen Qing continued to explain her plan without concern, and eventually, the anger on the man’s face faded, and he listened silently.

Even after her voice transmission ended, the man remained lost in thought, not opening his mouth. After some time, he raised his eyebrows and said resolutely.

“Let’s do it that way. If it fails, we can use another method. Anyway, before we die, we were planning to resolve the Six Paths and Ten Thousand Evils [a major threat] to ensure that Okryeong wouldn’t have any future troubles in the Chaotic Star Sea!”

While the Heavenly Star Twins were devising a plan for him in the Star Mountain cave, Han Li was holding the wrist of a thin girl inside the quiet wooden building of the Silver Sand Island.

The girl was Jeon Geuma, the daughter of Moon Saseol. She was sitting on a wooden bed, sleeves rolled up, next to Han Li.

Moon Saseol and a man stood a little distance away, their hands clasped together, their eyes filled with longing as they looked at the girl. The other four Foundation Establishment disciples stood guard outside the room.

“This is a strange poison. It’s like it’s alive, devouring the spiritual power in her body and traveling through her meridians [energy channels]. If you hadn’t been replenishing her spiritual energy with large amounts of pills, she wouldn’t have lasted this long.

But it’s like drinking seawater when you’re thirsty! The poison is absorbing more spiritual power and becoming more potent. If I don’t resolve the poison within three months, the child will die.”

Han Li released the girl’s wrist and spoke. Upon hearing his words, the faces of Moon Saseol and her husband changed drastically, and the refined man asked with a trembling voice.

“H-Han Senior, are you saying that even with your abilities, you can’t do anything about this poison!”

“I said it was a strange poison, but when did I say I had no way to resolve it?”

Han Li glanced at the man and said coldly.

“I was hasty and acted rudely. Please forgive me.”

The man from the Jeon family felt cold sweat trickle down his back as he saw Han Li’s cold gaze. Han Li didn’t reply and turned his head to look at the girl, his eyes gleaming.

The girl was too calm, except for her face turning red when he held her wrist. Most cultivators were no different from ordinary people when their lives were at stake, but this composure was not ordinary.

What surprised him even more was the strange feeling that the girl was familiar. This sensation was very new, so faint that it was hard to tell if it was real or not. He probably wouldn’t have noticed it if his consciousness hadn’t become more sensitive after reaching the late Nascent Soul Stage.

However, the poison that the girl was infected with was not a big problem for him. With a strange feeling, Han Li carefully looked at the girl’s plain face.

Moon Saseol and the man from the Jeon family didn’t know what was happening, but they didn’t interrupt him. Suddenly, he trembled, thought of something, and looked at Jeon Geuma with an even stranger expression.

“Have you ever studied formations?”

It was a question completely unrelated to the poison. The girl was also surprised and looked at Han Li with wide eyes, and Moon Saseol and her husband also looked surprised.

“How did you know that?”

“It’s nothing. I had a friend who was proficient in formations, and this child seems similar to her, so I just asked.”

Han Li quickly returned to his expressionless face and recalled the figure of a familiar woman in his mind. It was Shin Yeoeum, a righteous woman he had befriended when he was not yet a powerful cultivator.

Their appearances were completely different, but their unique atmosphere and feeling were strangely similar.

‘Could it be a coincidence?’

It was a hunch, but Han Li didn’t think it was a coincidence. His eyes gleaming, he grabbed the girl’s other hand and examined her palm. A red spot the size of a bean was embroidered in the center of her palm in a bright red color.

“This can’t be!”

This time, even Han Li’s expression changed, and he raised his voice.

Moon Saseol and her husband were almost terrified by Han Li’s surprise. Before they could ask what was wrong, Han Li flicked his fingertip and touched the red spot on the girl’s palm.

At the same time, a blue light flashed and disappeared into her palm. Moon Saseol and the refined man didn’t know what was happening, but they didn’t interfere with his technique.

Soon, a mysterious thing happened.

The blue light disappeared, and the red spot became darker and gradually elongated, turning into a blood-red dragon pattern. The red dragon pattern on her palm was vivid, as if it were alive.

“I knew it….”

Han Li muttered, and his gaze towards Jeon Geuma changed.

“Han Senior, what about our daughter….”

Moon Saseol couldn’t hide her worried expression.

“I’ve found the reason why the poison is acting so strangely in the child’s body. According to you, she was bitten by an unknown poisonous insect, but….”

“Yes, it happened after she was bitten by a poisonous insect, but even when I was bitten, I didn’t show these symptoms.”

Moon Saseol also found it strange and quickly replied.

“That’s right. The poison isn’t the root cause of the child’s symptoms. The reason she’s in this state is because of her innate Dragon’s Roar Physique. Even if the poison hadn’t triggered it, her internal energy would have gradually dried up, and she would have died before she turned forty.”

Han Li pointed to the girl’s dragon pattern mark and explained calmly.

“Dragon’s Roar Physique? That can’t be. As soon as my daughter was born, my husband and I examined her internal energy, but there was nothing unusual.”

“It’s a very rare constitution, and it’s a latent symptom, so it’s generally difficult to detect unless there’s an external stimulus like this or it triggers on its own. Those with this constitution have a fast cultivation speed, but the yin and yang energies in their bodies gradually become unbalanced, and they die before reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage.”

“So, even if we completely remove the poison, she won’t be able to continue cultivating?”

“We’ll talk about that later. For now, I’ll remove the poison. You two go outside and come back when I call you.”

“Yes!”

As Moon Saseol and her husband left without question, the girl showed signs of anxiety for the first time. Han Li didn’t turn his head towards her and flicked his sleeve, and the moment a blue aura spread and brightened Jeon Geuma’s vision, she lost consciousness and fell onto the bed.

Only then did Han Li turn around and carefully examine the girl, as if he were looking for something.

“A similar atmosphere and the same constitution, and a woman who is proficient in formations… If this is all a coincidence, wouldn’t that be even stranger! Is this what they call the reincarnation of souls!”

After a long time, he muttered softly and reached out to take out a dozen thin needles.

*Pook! Pook! Pook!*

As he spread his fingers, the sound of silver needles piercing the girl’s body echoed continuously. As the silver needles disappeared, Han Li quickly formed hand seals and flicked his ten fingers, and various kinds of magic seals flew out, covering the girl like a net…….

In the small garden outside the wooden building, Moon Saseol and the man from the Jeon family stood, looking at the tightly closed door. Their worried faces showed how much they cared for their daughter.

As time passed, the refined man from the Jeon family became impatient, but there was nothing they could do until the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator called them. Just as the man’s face was at its lowest, Han Li’s calm voice suddenly reached his ears.

“It’s done, come in.”

At those words, the man entered the building without hesitation, and Moon Saseol followed.

Han Li was sitting on a chair, looking at a fist-sized blue flame, inside of which black threads were wriggling. The girl was lying on the bed, fast asleep, and a strange fragrance filled the room.

“Han Senior, how is my daughter….”

“I gave her a Dream Returning Pill, so she’s asleep. Go and check on her yourself.”

Han Li interrupted Moon Saseol and got up from the bed. She thanked him repeatedly at his words, and together with the man from the Jeon family, they approached Jeon Geuma to check her condition.

# 655