Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 690

691. Wood Life Orb

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‘Immortal Body’

Such a divine ability was extremely rare.

Even though it had been seen in ancient demonic beasts, ancient demons, or demonized Heavenly Fiends, it was the first time he had heard of a human cultivator using such a divine ability.

“One Wood Life Orb allows you to use the divine ability of the Immortal Body just once! While the orb is activated, even if your head is cut off or your body is split in two, you will recover as if nothing happened.”

“But wouldn’t that make it a consumable treasure?”

“Being able to use the Immortal Body is like having an extra life. That alone is more than enough. Besides, even though you have the Spirit Orb, the other materials are hard to find in the human realm, so it’s not a treasure you can refine just because you want to.”

“What kind of materials are needed? If they are wood-attribute materials, I have quite a few stored away.”

“I will immediately provide you with a list of the necessary materials. But if you want to know the refining method, the cultivator will have to make a deal with this old one!”

The young boy stated his conditions frankly.

“Then I will listen to what the cultivator desires.”

Han Li actually liked the young boy’s attitude.

If he had offered to tell him without any conditions, he would have been suspicious instead.

Although their relationship had deepened after enduring the Fire Tribulation Lightning, they were still a human and a demon, and their coexistence was based on mutual benefit.

He thought it was difficult for humans and demons to build true trust with such short interactions.

The reason the other party was helping him was probably because the Spirit Orb was in his possession, and he couldn’t survive alone without it.

“Although I succeeded in the Fire Tribulation, I need to take some pills to stabilize my cultivation. For a cultivator like you, those pills shouldn’t be too difficult to obtain.”

“Understood. Please write down the necessary pills on the jade slip as well.”

“Good! As soon as the cultivator returns to his residence, I will give you the materials and the refining method.”

The young boy seemed very satisfied with Han Li’s concise answer.

Han Li smiled, placed the Spirit Orb in a wooden box, and stored it in his storage pouch.

“Do you think the cultivators of the Guiling Sect were completely unaware of the side effects of the Spirit Orb, Fellow Daoist Cheonran?”

“That’s hard to say. The side effects would not have been known since the ancient cultivators gave up on refining it! If a Nascent Soul cultivator with wood attributes from the Guiling Sect had used this orb, they would have known, but how could they know just by having the orb? Do you think they intentionally gave you the orb to prevent you from reaching the Transformation stage?”

“At first, I suspected that as well, but there’s no reason for the Guiling Sect to do that. Even if I’m prevented from reaching the Transformation stage, I would still be the number one cultivator in Tiannan at the late Nascent Soul stage.

If this matter were to be exposed, the Guiling Sect would be finished that day. There must be some other hidden story. If there is someone who induced the Guiling Sect to do this, the mastermind must be a local power in Tiannan.

Whether I reach the Transformation stage or not has nothing to do with other cultivators.

After all, there is no one in Tiannan who can oppose me. It’s just that the time for the Falling Cloud Sect to dominate Tiannan will be shortened since my lifespan is limited to about a thousand years.

There are only a few forces that would be interested in such a thing. It would be one of the three sects: the Harmony Sect, the Joyful Union Sect, or the Taiyi Sect, or it could be a joint effort by all three sects.”

“Your words make it clear. So you think the other three late Nascent Soul cultivators were involved in this?”

“That might be the case, but it’s just speculation for now. Who knows what really happened.”

“Why don’t you capture the three Guiling Sect cultivators and use Soul Extraction on them? Then you could find out the truth.”

The young boy suggested with a low chuckle.

“It’s easy to capture them, but we can’t do anything to an entire sect based solely on the information obtained through Soul Extraction. Moreover, if I capture the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Guiling Sect at will, I could become the public enemy of the Tiannan cultivation world.

Even though I am the number one cultivator in Tiannan, most of them are actually filled with jealousy and fear.

If they use this opportunity to create a pretext to make me the enemy of the Tiannan cultivation world, no matter how capable I am, I cannot face them all alone. There is no precedent for such a thing.”

Han Li shook his head with a dark expression.

“You are being too cautious, Fellow Daoist Han. If it were me, I would just…! But do as you wish. As long as you stay alive, I won’t interfere.”

“Don’t worry. Now that I know someone is plotting against me, I will be even more careful. For now, I will pretend not to know anything about this matter. If they try another trick, I won’t let them get away with it. The moment I catch them with evidence, I will show them what true pain is.”

Han Li had a calm expression, but the chill in his tone was palpable.

After pacing around the main hall for a while, Han Li left and looked at another pavilion.

‘Ham Woon-ji is one thing, but what’s up with Dong Hwon-ah?’

He had never had a pleasant relationship with Dong Hwon-ah, and the image of the woman with overflowing coquetry was not a good one.

Moreover, according to the words of the cultivator who had been abandoned by the Joyful Union Sect, Dong Hwon-ah had made a decision and had been searching for his whereabouts for some time, hadn’t she?

Han Li looked at the pavilion and slowly moved his feet.

As he entered, two beautiful women were silently waiting for him.

One was a gentle-looking woman wearing a yellow robe, and the other was a captivating woman wearing a white robe.

They both turned their heads as soon as Han Li appeared.

“I was a little surprised to hear that the fellow daoists had come all the way here. It’s quite moving to see the two of you, whom I’ve known for so long.”

Han Li approached them first and smiled.

“Brother Han… no, Senior Han! I’m not sure if I was rude to ask you to meet when you’re so busy.”

The woman in the yellow robe greeted Han Li happily and quickly stood up.

However, Dong Hwon-ah, wearing the white robe, only parted her red lips and couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Her complex feelings were clearly visible on her face, a mixture of agitation, joy, and resentment.

“I’m just happy that Miss Ham came to visit. Since we’ve known each other for so long, you don’t need to call me ‘Senior.’ Just call me Brother Han. You’ve already reached the mid-Core Formation stage, so it seems like it won’t be long before you reach the late stage.”

Han Li smiled at Ham Woon-ji, and the woman in the yellow robe blushed and nodded.

“The reason I came to see you this time is actually to thank you for your kindness, Brother Han. You saved me twice. If I had encountered another cultivator, I would have already died.”

Ham Woon-ji murmured softly with a grateful heart.

“It seems you’ve regained your memories from the Blood Forbidden Trial. And it seems you’ve also learned about what happened in Yue Country.”

“I met Senior Sister Ryu Ok a while ago and heard about what happened back then. If not for that, I wouldn’t have dared to come and see you like this, Brother Han.”

Han Li had saved her several times, thinking of her as his younger sister, and Ham Woon-ji felt a similar affection for him.

As they talked without any pretense, she forgot his status and looked at him affectionately.

As they talked, they reminisced about their meeting at the Tiannan Small Gathering and the Blood Forbidden Trial, and they were filled with emotion.

How could they have known that they would have changed so much after only 200 or 300 years! Han Li, who was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator back then, had now become someone everyone looked up to.

“Oh, right. This is Miss Dong, whom I met recently. I heard that she was your fellow disciple, Brother Han.”

Ham Woon-ji suddenly remembered and turned to look at Dong Hwon-ah with a smile.

“I did train with Fellow Daoist Dong in the Yellow Maple Valley, but we only saw each other a couple of times and didn’t build any close relationship.”

Han Li looked at Dong Hwon-ah only after her introduction.

“…It’s all because of you that I’ve become like this.”

Dong Hwon-ah, who had been blushing, gritted her teeth and shouted at his indifferent tone.

Han Li was bewildered, and Ham Woon-ji blinked in surprise.

“Fellow Daoist Dong, what are you talking about? How is my cultivation progress related to you?”

“If you hadn’t become my inner demon and caused me to fail in overcoming the bottleneck of my cultivation, I wouldn’t have wasted my time like this.”

Dong Hwon-ah couldn’t hold back her anger and started to argue, forgetting Han Li’s status. Her face was almost filled with injustice and resentment.

“Inner demon…”

Han Li muttered, still not understanding.

“After I was kidnapped by Jeon Gyeol from the Yeon family and went to the Joyful Union Sect, I finally learned about my identity. Unexpectedly, I was a direct descendant of Yunro Noma of the Joyful Union Sect. Without knowing this, I had entered the Yellow Maple Valley.

Before I was even born, Yunro Noma had cast a secret technique called the Eokmong Decision, which allowed me to easily master the cultivation methods related to charm techniques and have the aptitude to achieve great success.

However, these cultivation methods easily invite inner demons, and while simple ones are easy to overcome, if not, one may never overcome that hurdle for the rest of their life. In severe cases, cultivation can even regress!”

“Even so, how did I become your inner demon, Fellow Daoist Dong? We didn’t have any significant interactions.”

“How would I know? After I succeeded in Core Formation, your image appeared in my mind with all sorts of random thoughts, hindering my cultivation. I barely managed to overcome the early Core Formation stage with external help, but after reaching the mid-stage, no method worked.

In the end, I asked my ancestor, Yunro Noma, for the reason, and she said that it was probably because of the special cultivation method you had learned at the time, which allowed you to see through the charm techniques, and the strong impression you left when you were kidnapped by Jeon Gyeol.”

Dong Hwon-ah was also at a loss.

At those words, Han Li was speechless, and Ham Woon-ji, who was listening, widened her eyes and couldn’t close her mouth.

“I heard that you were looking for me not long after you achieved Core Formation. If you had found me back then, how would you have tried to resolve your inner demon?”

Han Li regained his composure after a while and asked.

“What methods are there to resolve an inner demon? There is no other way than to overcome it yourself or to find and kill the person who became the inner demon. Back then, I was going to resolve my inner demon using the second method.”

Dong Hwon-ah finished speaking hesitantly, and her cheeks turned red.

Han Li understood the words she couldn’t bring herself to say, and his expression became awkward.

“I understand the purpose of your visit. You want me to use a secret technique with my spiritual sense to help you overcome your inner demon.”

“That’s right. When the Morans invaded, I saw you and tried to ask for your help, but I hesitated when I realized you had already become a Nascent Soul cultivator and missed the opportunity.”

“Did you think I would help you?”

“You are already the number one cultivator in Tiannan, so why would you help a Core Formation cultivator like me? It’s just that this is the only way for me to reach the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime, so I came here without any expectations.”

“Although we weren’t on good terms before… but since we were fellow disciples and my actions caused your inner demon, I will help you this once.”

“Really?”

Dong Hwon-ah couldn’t hide her joy at Han Li’s words.

“Why would I lie about such a thing? However, after this, Fellow Daoist Dong and I will have no further connection, so please live your life well.”

“I am extremely grateful that Fellow Daoist Han is helping me. I will not harbor any other delusions, so please don’t worry.”

Dong Hwon-ah, who had turned pale and silent for a moment, replied expressionlessly.

“Then, Fellow Daoist Dong, please rest here for three days. After three days, I will come here and help you overcome your inner demon.”

At his calm words, Dong Hwon-ah simply nodded.

After that, he chatted with Ham Woon-ji for a while longer, told her to rest in the Falling Cloud Sect for a few more days, and then left the pavilion.

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