Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 752

A deafening roar erupted, and the gray sand exploded around him as if struck by a top-tier magic tool. After the sand dust mushroomed into the air, a circular pit, several meters deep, appeared. In the center of the hole lay a storage pouch and three spirit beast pouches. Han Li was relieved to see that the storage pouch’s opening was intact, and then he turned his gaze to the spirit beast pouches. However, one of the spirit beast pouches was completely empty. It was the one that had contained the Six-Winged Sand Centipede. The openings of the other two were slightly ajar, but he could sense through their linked consciousness that the Gold Devouring Beetles and the Soul Devouring Spirit were still inside. Han Li’s lips curled into a slight smile, shaking off his last worry. He then tightened the opening of the pouch again and placed it in his bosom. The pouches were all small, so they were not very noticeable on the outside. However, the huge molt left behind by the Six-Winged Sand Centipede was a nuisance. Frowning, he punched the hole several times to widen it, then pushed the molt into the pit and covered it with sand. He looked around, satisfied that no traces remained. Han Li’s face flashed with a sharp glint as he raised his head to look in the direction where the black clouds had disappeared. However, he soon turned and headed in the opposite direction. This time, his destination was a well-known habitat of demon beasts, located ten million miles away. It was situated on the border between the Heavenly Origin Realm and a certain demon territory, with humans and demon beasts occupying parts of it. However, the largest part of the vast land was uncontrolled, acting as a kind of neutral zone. There were countless strange beings there, from ancient demon beasts of the Great Wilderness Era [a primordial age], and the deeper one went, the more dangerous it became. It was said that some had seen small spirit races and ancient giants tens of meters tall, and others had heard the cries of mythical beings like true dragons. Most people dismissed these as mere rumors, but it was true that Nascent Soul-level [a high cultivation stage] demon cultivators and human cultivators appeared there. The human and demon high-ranking officials were concerned about the situation in the neutral zone and, as an unwritten rule, set the cultivation level for those who could enter to be below the Nascent Soul stage. If cultivators of higher realms appeared and engaged in battle, it could escalate into a war between the human and demon races. Cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage had the power to disrupt the Heavenly Origin Qi [spiritual energy], reverse the flow of rivers, and flatten huge mountains. Beings like the Three Sovereigns or the Seven Demon Kings were those who had surpassed the Void Refinement stage and achieved great success in the Integration stage. It would have been better if fewer people had entered such a dangerous place, but it was an undeveloped area rich in spirit veins and spirit herbs, and some of the unique spirit herbs there were of interest even to the Three Sovereigns. As a result, it was natural for a large number of cultivators and body refiners to flock there. Some came to find good items to earn spirit stones [currency], while others came to kill and train to surpass their cultivation level. In a way, it was similar to a demon beast riot. Of course, the cultivators and body refiners who came here were not Qi Refining stage [a low cultivation stage] cultivators or low-level body refiners. In this situation, Han Li had wandered for several years and finally arrived at this place. “The Tomb of the Setting Sun!” This was the name that the human and demon races gave to this border region. It was said that in the very distant past, there were not seven but nine suns in the sky of the Spirit Realm. However, when the human and demon races first arrived in the Spirit Realm, a war between the True Spirits broke out. It was an incident where hundreds of immortals from the True Immortal Realm clashed in the Spirit Realm for unknown reasons. As a result, eight or nine out of ten of them died in the incident, and the topography of many mountains and seas changed, and even two of the suns in the sky were damaged. It was said that this border region was a low-lying area formed by the fall of one of the suns. This vast wetland was so large that it would take even high-level cultivators more than a year to fly from one end to the other at full speed using their magic treasures. There were countless mountain ranges and dozens of huge lakes over ten million miles in size. Of course, there were also other areas such as forests and plains. Therefore, even if more than ten million cultivators or body refiners entered the Tomb of the Setting Sun, it would not feel crowded. Because it was so vast, there were more than one or two cities located nearby, and the most well-known of them was the super-large city, the City of the Setting Sun. This city was very close to the Tomb of the Setting Sun, and the number of mid- and high-level cultivators who came and went was among the top three in the Heavenly Origin Realm. In addition to cultivators, many mid- and high-level body refiners also came and went. Body refiners were as powerful as Foundation Establishment or Core Formation stage [mid-level cultivation stages] cultivators, and their numbers were more than ten times that of cultivators. If the number of top-level body refiners had been small and this place had not been controlled by Nascent Soul stage cultivators, it would not have been called a city of cultivators. The funny thing was that there was also a City of the Setting Sun in the demon territory at the end of the Tomb of the Setting Sun, which was managed by demon cultivators. Rumor had it that the demon’s City of the Setting Sun was much more impressive than the human’s City of the Setting Sun. Mid- and high-level demon cultivators flocked there like clouds, and even human cultivators with great divine powers would only observe it from afar and then return to boast about it. However, Han Li was not interested in any cities of the human or demon races. He was currently walking through the streets of the City of the Setting Sun, looking at the shops lined up on the side with a puzzled expression. Those sitting in the shops were either Qi Refining stage cultivators or low-level body refiners. The items on display ranged from demon beast materials to spirit tools, but none of the shops were owned by ordinary people. He had just passed through the gates of the City of the Setting Sun and had looked around several streets in a row, but they were all similar. In such a large-scale city, there would be many ordinary people as well as cultivators and body refiners. However, most of the ordinary people walking the streets were young or middle-aged, and they all seemed very busy, mostly helping the cultivators or body refiners in the shops. Just as Han Li was entering an alley, he spotted a skinny man spitting out words. He was a Qi Refining stage cultivator, and those listening to him were ordinary people. They all looked miserable and were quietly listening to the cultivator’s chatter. “You all don’t know! That beast, the Fanged Beast, flew right over my head, and I, a cultivator, just took out my Black Cloud Sword with one hand and sliced off its claws! Even a low-grade magic tool has power…! Who, who are you?” When Han Li placed a hand on the skinny man’s shoulder, he was startled and turned around. Then, he saw a young man with a smiling gaze looking at him. The skinny man was about to scold him, but he inadvertently saw the yellow-glowing ring on Han Li’s hand, and his expression changed. He asked with an awkward smile, “Oh, I am Jeon Heung. Do you have something to say?” A body refiner wearing a spirit tool ring was likely a mid-level or higher expert, and a Qi Refining stage cultivator could not recklessly provoke them. “It’s nothing like that. I saw you talking so happily, and I thought you might know a lot about the City of the Setting Sun. If possible, I would like to hire you to guide me around the city for a few days.” Han Li explained calmly. “It turns out you’re new here. You’ve done very well to find me. I may not know anything else, but when it comes to the City of the Setting Sun, I know it like the back of my hand. So, how much are you thinking of paying me?” “Let’s make it ten spirit stones a day.” “Hey, that’s too little. Can’t you pay a little more? I’m a cultivator, after all… I could earn that many spirit stones by just going out and picking a few spirit herbs.” The skinny man rolled his eyes and looked at Han Li’s clothes, then chuckled. “Ten spirit stones is already a lot. If you go out of the city to find spirit herbs and encounter a demon beast, that’ll be the end of you, right? Twelve spirit stones a day, no more.” Han Li didn’t like haggling over the hiring fee, but he said this on purpose to prevent the other party from asking for an unreasonable amount. “Okay, then you all keep talking. I’m busy, so I’ll go first.” The skinny man quickly accepted the offer when Han Li showed a slightly displeased expression, and he waved his hand at the surrounding ordinary people. Then, the ordinary people quickly scattered as if they had been saved. “Where would our great master like to go first?” The skinny man asked enthusiastically, inwardly gauging Han Li’s strength. Unlike cultivators, body refiners’ bodies became stronger, so it was difficult to determine their cultivation level at once through consciousness. “First, let’s look around the shops that sell spirit tool materials while you explain the situation in the City of the Setting Sun.” Han Li turned and walked away first. “Sure! The City of the Setting Sun is roughly divided into eight districts, three of which are residential areas for ordinary people. The other five districts are where cultivators and body refiners like us stay and do business. But even these five districts are different. Four of them are like this place where you can freely buy magic tools and pills, but one of them requires you to pay one spirit stone per person to enter. This area is located in the center of the City of the Setting Sun, where you can buy high-quality spirit tools and top-grade treasures, and all the giants of the Heavenly Origin Realm gather there, and they even sell spirit treasures.” “Spirit treasures? I’m not very interested in that, so tell me about other places.” “Well, you’re a body refiner, so what use would spirit treasures be to you! But these giants also handle quite a few top-grade spirit tools. Ah! Come to think of it, I heard some news that might interest you… One of the auction houses is putting up for auction a set of Heavenly Origin Martial Gear that was once used by the Holy Emperor himself. The Heavenly Origin Martial Gear, which consists of five spirit tools, is each of the highest grade, and they are comparable to cultivators’ magic treasures. So, how amazing would it be if you combined all five of them? I heard that it exerts completely different power depending on the body refiner’s strength, and when the Heavenly Origin Holy Emperor possessed it, he killed many famous enemies with it. As this news spread, there are rumors that many high-level body refiners are leaving the city to gather spirit stones in preparation for the auction.” The skinny man blurted out the story that had suddenly come to mind, and Han Li stopped walking. “Is the Heavenly Origin Martial Gear that miraculous?” “Of course! It’s information that the auction house has publicly announced.” The skinny man patted his chest and guaranteed it. “When will the auction be held?” “The exact date hasn’t been set yet, but it should be held within three or four months at the latest, right? The auction houses won’t make the high-level body refiners wait indefinitely.” The skinny man was startled by Han Li’s question and answered. If the young man in front of him was really a high-level body refiner, then he was very lucky today. He looked young, but he could be someone who took pills to maintain a youthful appearance. After that, Han Li asked a few more questions about the Heavenly Origin Martial Gear, but he no longer showed any interest in the auction. And he wanted to know more about other things in the City of the Setting Sun. The skinny man answered in detail and led Han Li through several streets to a street that specialized in trading spirit tool materials. Although they said that they sold top-grade treasures in the center of the City of the Setting Sun, Han Li had no intention of going there right away. Even if spirit tool materials were precious, they were ordinary compared to magic treasure or ancient treasure materials. So, it was difficult to find spirit tool materials in places that handled high-end items. ‘Of course, completed top-grade spirit tools would be an exception.’ Han Li focused his mind and looked around. The purpose of this journey was to take risks in the Tomb of the Setting Sun and fight to reach a higher realm. But that didn’t mean he was going to risk his life without any preparation. He was planning to make two satisfactory top-grade spirit tools before entering the Tomb of the Setting Sun. The Heavenly Origin Martial Gear seemed like a good option, but it would not be easy to win the bid. He had a lot of spirit stones, so it was possible, but it would attract too much attention. After briefly weighing the pros and cons, he decided to just refine spirit tools that he could use himself.