Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 821

A young woman, appearing to be in her mid-twenties, was smiling warmly at Han Li. She had a very clear and clean impression.

‘Is that Fellow Immortal So? What kind of divine ability does she possess that she was specifically invited to deal with spirit insects?’

The remaining time passed as the other cultivators asked questions. Despite being a Nascent Soul cultivator, Senior Chu answered their questions one by one, improving the atmosphere among the cultivators gathered in the palace.

However, Han Li was bothered by the beautiful woman who remained silent beside the young man.

‘Isn’t it strange!’

Even when the couple had visited his residence, only Senior Chu had spoken, and the woman had not opened her mouth.

When no more questions were asked, the young man Chu began to assign roles.

In addition to Han Li and the woman So, who were invited to deal with the spirit insects, there were also those among the gathered who possessed rare lightning-attribute techniques. They naturally received the Mystic Azure Heavenly Thunder Flags and would later deploy the Heavenly Capital Thunder Ring Array.

All those present, including Han Li, were either Ascended cultivators or direct descendants of Ascended cultivators; there was not a single native cultivator. Having finished organizing, the young man Chu did not delay further and gave the order to fly west with the cultivators.

After flying for three days and nights, they arrived at a vast lake. The lake was shrouded in a thick fog, creating a mysterious atmosphere, which caused most of the cultivators to frown.

Usually, in the Great Desolate World, it was best not to enter such strange-looking places. There might be powerful ancient beasts living in the thick fog and lake, and if they were attacked or surrounded in their territory, it would be as good as a death sentence.

Without anyone giving an order, the cultivators’ flight slowed, and they stopped before the fog.

“Everyone, be careful. There are unknown strange birds living in the fog, but their cultivation is not high, so it will be fine as long as you are careful of the acidic liquid they spew. Also, leave the water fog to my wife and me.”

The young man Chu, who was flying in front, said loudly. He received the surprised gazes of the cultivators and opened his mouth to spit out a Lower-Grade Jade Bottle. The jade bottle spun around and headed towards the white fog.

As the young man Chu formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation, the jade bottle emitted a light of spiritual energy.

A blue gale flowed out from the bottle. The gale, which initially had a faint blue hue, flew up a few feet before fiercely rotating and swirling.

Then, the water fog above the lake was swept into the vortex and began to recede. Soon, a clear passage was opened, and the situation within the water fog was revealed.

“Let’s go!”

The young man Chu gave the order and entered the passage first with his partner. The jade bottle was still emitting a gale above his head. The cultivators followed behind with a much more relaxed feeling.

As the young man Chu had said, after flying for about ten miles, white birds with dark blue claws flew in from the surroundings.

Shushushuk.

As soon as the birds saw the cultivators, they opened their mouths and shot out black water arrows. The cultivators quickly took out their magic treasures to block the attacks, but the magic treasures that were hit by the water arrows were slightly scratched.

A cultivator examined his magic treasure and shouted urgently.

“We must kill them quickly. The liquid they spew corrodes treasures!”

No sooner had he spoken than the cultivators revealed their respective divine abilities and shot out various colored beams of light. The strange birds fell as bloody messes from the cultivators’ attacks, and in an instant, nothing remained in the sky.

Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!

Just as the cultivators, who had been slightly worried, were about to relax, the cries of strange birds were heard again from within the water fog, and flocks of white birds swarmed out, shooting black water arrows.

Shushung, shushushuk.

Flap, thud, thud thud. Thud!

The startled cultivators hurriedly used their magic treasures to kill the birds. However, the moment the last strange bird became a bloody mess, the shadows of more strange birds swarmed out from the water fog.

Flap.

The cultivators’ expressions hardened. Han Li, who had narrowed his brows, scanned the water fog with his consciousness. There were countless strange birds inside, easily numbering in the tens of thousands.

Even he, who had experienced many hardships, flinched at the number.

“Everyone, there is no need to fear! The strange birds are testing us. Once we neutralize their attacks about a dozen times, they will retreat on their own.”

The clear voice of the young man Chu rang out again from the front. Hearing his words, the cultivators took out various treasures and killed all the white strange birds that came out of the water fog.

After about a dozen attacks were repeated in succession, a long cry of a strange bird was suddenly heard from within the water fog, and the white birds scattered and disappeared like the wind. Only then did the relieved cultivators hurriedly fly forward.

* * *

Half a day later, the water fog that had filled the surroundings disappeared, and a large lake unfolded before them. In the center of the lake, a huge mountain, about ten thousand feet tall, rose up. It was full of dark black rocks, and moss-like plants grew densely, emitting a strange light.

“This is it! Haha, thanks to Fellow Immortal Ok and the cultivators, we have found this place.”

The young man Chu, who had stopped his flight, burst into laughter in front of the huge mountain.

“We also accidentally entered this place while chasing mutated beasts. In a way, we were lucky.”

Fellow Immortal Ok, who had her face covered with a veil, smiled.

“Indeed, it is a stroke of good fortune! It is not easy to find such a secret place. Thanks to that, the Azure-Eyed Toad is still here. If it were not for a place like this, others would have found it first.”

The young man Chu laughed loudly with a joyful expression. The other cultivators also smiled and agreed with his words.

“The Azure-Eyed Toad’s lair will be in the underground cave formed below the mountain. First, let’s summon the Black Blood Ants and kill them as planned. But everyone must be careful. The Black Blood Ants have the strength of an eighth-level demon beast, but they are naturally adept at penetrating cultivators’ various barriers and defensive magic treasures, and their black blood contains a strange poison. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator must immediately take an antidote pill after being bitten to survive. That’s all for the explanation, everyone, be prepared! I will light the Sandalwood Crane Incense.”

The young man Chu gave a few instructions and then turned his palm over to take out a small incense burner. Inside it was a foot-long piece of dark blue sandalwood.

The incense burner floated into the air and began to spin. As the young man stretched out his hand, a red light flew and lit the incense burner, and blue smoke billowed out. A look of doubt flashed in Han Li’s eyes as he carefully watched the incense burner.

‘Is that the Sandalwood Crane Incense? It looks like ordinary sandalwood, and the scent is nothing special… Can it really lure the Black Blood Ants?’

Without receiving separate instructions, the cultivators all scattered in all directions and used stealth techniques. Han Li also transformed into a blue beam of light and ascended to a high altitude, intending to cast a spell from a height of about a hundred feet.

However, a white beam of light flew in from the side, revealing a slender silhouette. He paused and looked over, and it was Fellow Immortal So. She also seemed surprised that Han Li had come here, but she smiled.

“Fellow Immortal Han, I have the Hundred Barrier Bewildering Light Banner, which is excellent for hiding the body. If you don’t mind, would you like to hide with me?”

“Haha, in that case, please trouble Fellow Immortal So.”

Han Li also nodded without objecting.

“It’s no trouble at all!”

Fellow Immortal So smiled and raised one hand to shoot out a pure white flag. The flag spun in the air and floated above their heads, and as she infused it with a magic seal, it emitted a white aura that enveloped the two of them.

When the white light disappeared, the figures of Han Li and the woman So vanished completely. Han Li stood in place and tried to look at his palm with his dark blue eyes, but he could not see it at all.

Surprised, he praised his opponent.

“Fellow Immortal’s treasure is truly miraculous. It is on a different level from ordinary stealth treasures.”

“You flatter me. Although the Hundred Barrier Bewildering Light Banner is strong in stealth, it cannot withstand someone deliberately searching with their consciousness. It is only useful when dealing with spirit insects that do not have very strong consciousness.”

The woman So smiled calmly. At her words, Han Li spread his consciousness to search for the woman, and as she said, he could sense her figure.

He was relieved, but also a little disappointed. If a treasure that could not be seen through by the Brightsight Spirit Eyes [a technique to see through illusions] could also not be detected by consciousness, it would be extremely useful. Thus, the two hid their figures and even concealed their auras.

In an instant, only the small incense burner floating in the air remained in the area.

The effect of the Sandalwood Crane Incense appeared not long after. About an hour later, a buzzing sound echoed from the huge mountain, and a swarm of giant winged ants emerged from a cave in the mountainside.

Each was a foot long with fangs protruding outward, and from a distance, they could be mistaken for birds.

Weeeeng weeeeng!

The Black Blood Ants, having emerged from the cave, swarmed towards the incense burner in the middle of the area where the cultivators were lying in ambush.

“Attack!”

A ripple appeared in the space near the incense burner, and a silver-haired young man and woman emerged. At the same time, various lights of spiritual energy flashed from all directions, and dozens of treasures attacked simultaneously.

Beams of light and various auras surged towards the ant swarm with a fierce momentum, and among them were wide-ranging attack spells such as fireballs and lightning. Everyone seemed to be doing their best to deal with the Black Blood Ants in one blow.

Kukwakwang! Kwakwang!

Loud noises rang out, and a colorful explosion of various lights followed. The pressure of spiritual energy, like a storm, alternated between cold and heat, causing even the cultivators a hundred feet away to step back.

When the gale subsided, the place where the Black Blood Ant swarm had been was completely empty, with no trace left.

The young man Chu and the woman Chu had satisfied expressions, and the other cultivators were also pleased.

It was not something to be proud of to have barely defeated a swarm of Black Blood Ants with their cultivation, but it was a satisfaction that came from taking the first step of the plan smoothly.

The young man Chu gestured, and the flames on the dark blue sandalwood went out silently, and the incense burner turned into a yellow ball of light and returned to his hand.

Paat.

When he turned his palm over, the incense burner disappeared, and a set of small, silver, glittering flags appeared in its place. Each was a few inches long, and the flags, which were engraved with purple magic characters and lightning patterns, gave a strange feeling to those who saw them.

“Now that we have dealt with the Black Blood Ants, it is time to annihilate the Azure-Eyed Toad. The cultivators in charge of the Mystic Azure Heavenly Thunder Flags, come out and take one each!”

The young man Chu said, scanning the cultivators. Several people caught his gaze and came out to take a small flag, including Old Man Liu.

“Fellow Cultivator Jo and Fellow Cultivator Soon will remain outside to keep watch, and the rest will follow us inside!”

The young man Chu pointed to an old man and a middle-aged man, and then, with his wife, transformed into a beam of light and flew towards the mountain peak. The two cultivators exchanged bitter smiles, and the others flew up without hesitation.

With the young man Chu and his wife in the lead, the group entered a natural cave in the mountainside.

* * *

It was gloomy and damp. Stalactites and puddles were visible everywhere, and unknown blue moss grew nearly a foot long, making it slippery. The winding and complex path continued endlessly underground.

It was a wide cave for a natural one, so everyone could fly while floating above the ground. Otherwise, the speed of movement would have been much slower.

Han Li looked around and flicked his fingers at the poisonous insects that appeared on the cave walls. Then, red threads shot out and turned the poisonous insects into ashes.

And next to him, Fellow Immortal So had a cautious expression and was wearing a faint protective barrier that was barely visible. Occasionally, poisonous insects that flew towards her would turn into ice blocks and fall powerlessly.

The other cultivators also used various methods to deal with the poisonous insects that approached them. Although it seemed like nothing, no one wanted to be bitten by the poisonous insects.

There were too many unknown life forms in the Great Desolate World, and there were many terrifying insects that looked ordinary. The group moved very quickly, and only the auras that were shot out to kill the poisonous insects filled the passage.

Throughout the passage, there were rocks similar to moonstones that human cultivators often used, so it was not very dark. Thanks to that, the cultivators moved forward comfortably.