Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 829

After receiving the recent news, Han Li sent his second nascent soul back into the puppet after a short while.

“So, those intermediary demons have attacked again? It seems they’ve found someone to help them.”

Han Li strode towards the main hall. There, a massive formation and a high platform resembling an altar were present, with an octagonal formation artifact placed at the center. Han Li immediately sent several hand seals into the formation.

*Woong.*

The formation hummed softly and flashed a white light, and a silver light barrier spread out from the octagonal formation disc. Han Li had created the cave and buried a large number of Myriad Dragon Pearls around it for hundreds of miles.

Now, on the light barrier in front of him, black dots were flickering somewhere over twenty miles away. He formed a hand seal and turned into a streak of blue light, disappearing from sight.

There, a three-headed blue-patterned serpent, a jade-colored small beast with a bull’s head and a lion’s body, and a vague gray shadow were whispering.

When Han Li appeared suddenly above them, the three demons quickly turned into two gusts of demonic wind and a gray light mass, scattering swiftly. Han Li snorted and shot out three red threads from his sleeve.

Immediately, red light appeared behind the demonic winds and the gray light mass, binding the demons tightly and immobilizing them. Han Li lightly gestured again, and the demons bound by the red threads were forcibly pulled back.

The small beast with the bull’s head and the serpent were terrified, but the demon within the gray light mass opened its mouth and began to speak. Han Li couldn’t understand a word, but judging from the tone, it seemed to be threatening him.

With a slightly darkened face, Han Li grabbed the space where the gray light mass was. Immediately, a beautiful five-colored aura spread out, and the demon’s protective barrier melted away as soon as it touched the five-colored aura.

The demon inside was sucked in, and Han Li grabbed its head. It was a half-foot-long fish demon with golden scales on its arms and legs, and a face similar to a human male on its head, which was quite unsettling to look at.

Of course, Han Li had seen countless demons, so he wasn’t fazed by a mere level 6 fish demon.

*Kuhak!* [Sound of a gasp or choking]

As golden energy was released from the palm of his hand that touched the demon’s head, the demon let out a miserable scream, convulsed, and then went limp. He intended to use Soul Extraction to find out what he wanted from the demon’s nascent soul.

The blue serpent and the bull-headed beast were shocked and nearly fainted at the sight.

For Han Li, using Soul Extraction on a mere level 6 demon was a piece of cake, and he obtained the information he wanted in less than an instant.

‘The Heavenly Peng Race, tribute, and the Radiant Light Venerable!’

He recalled the unfamiliar words, withdrew the golden light, and released his grip. Then, the red thread binding it turned into a thick fire rope and instantly reduced the fish demon to ashes.

The fire rope turned back into a red thread and returned to Han Li’s sleeve. He turned his head and stared blankly at the other two demons.

“You have quite the nerve. Trying to attack my cave just to get a Wood Bell Flower.”

Han Li opened his mouth after staring at them for a while, surprisingly speaking in the language of the other race. Through Soul Extraction, he had learned their language and the reason why they had tried to attack his cave.

“If we don’t have the Wood Bell Flower, we, who are cultivating in the Black Hidden Mountain Range, cannot prepare the tribute. Then, the Heavenly Peng Race will extract our souls and peel off our skins, scattering our spiritual essence again. Even though we knew the cultivator’s strength was great, we had no choice but to try.”

The bull-headed beast, who seemed to be the most intelligent, stepped forward and spoke first.

“Are you talking about this kind of spiritual herb when you say Wood Bell Flower?”

Han Li flipped his palm and took out a small purple flower. The purple flower looked like a small bell and had a strong fragrance.

“Yes, that’s it. It’s a spiritual herb that only grows on the mountain where the cultivator is staying in the vast Black Hidden Mountain Range.”

The bull-headed beast smiled bitterly, unable to take its eyes off the Wood Bell Flower.

“It’s strange that it’s the most prioritized item among your millennium tributes, even though it doesn’t contain much spiritual energy. Perhaps you would indeed receive a great punishment from the Heavenly Peng Race if you didn’t have it. *Tsk tsk*, but to attack my cave with the help of a mere Nascent Soul Sea Dragon Beast! And judging by the fact that you promised ten pairs of Golden Marrow Crystal Insects as a reward, you must be desperate for the Wood Bell Flower. But the Golden Marrow Crystal Insects are close to being half-crystal and half-insect, and they usually hide deep underground in rare minerals. How did you find them? If you try to catch them, they immediately turn into crystal stones, so how did you catch living Golden Marrow Crystal Insects…?”

Han Li asked casually, stroking his chin.

“To be honest, when the Heavenly Peng Race discovered this place, there were many beings with higher cultivation than us in the Black Hidden Mountain Range. However, the Great Elder of the Heavenly Peng Race slaughtered them all and allowed only us to remain here. It was because we had special talents that allowed us to find and offer the necessary tributes. That’s why we have survived to this day.”

The small bull-headed beast explained with a cynical tone.

“So, you have a way to capture the Golden Marrow Crystal Insects alive.”

Han Li appeared calm on the outside, but he was secretly rejoicing.

“Yes, our Hao Beast clan can innately distinguish these crystal insects in minerals after cultivating to a certain level. Of course, we also have a way to prevent them from turning into crystals.”

“Good. Then I can overlook your attack on my residence, and I can also give you the Wood Bell Flower.”

Han Li suddenly smiled, and his expression became much more lenient.

“Really? What do you want?”

“What I want is simple. I’ll give you as many Wood Bell Flowers as you want, and in return, I want to exchange ten Wood Bell Flowers for one pair of Golden Marrow Crystal Insects. Also, I’m interested in the Golden Mother Coral Sand among your tributes. I’ll exchange one tael [a unit of weight] of this sand for one Wood Bell Flower.”

“Golden Marrow Crystal Insects are also part of the tribute, and we don’t have many. Moreover, those ten pairs are already promised to the Radiant Light Venerable.”

The small bull-headed beast said, rolling its eyes.

“Radiant Light Venerable? Isn’t he just a Nascent Soul sea demon? I also want the Golden Marrow Crystal Insects, so I’ll take care of that side. I’ll give you time to prepare, so come to my residence in a few days to exchange for the Wood Bell Flower. If you don’t come… *Ha ha!*”

Han Li laughed ominously and flicked his sleeve, disappearing into a gust of wind. By the time the bull-headed beast and the three-headed serpent were startled, the red threads that had bound them had already disappeared.

After a while, the serpent diligently peered around, then tilted its middle head and whispered to the small beast.

“Did he leave?”

The bull-headed beast hesitated before opening its mouth and spitting out a green bead of blue energy. The bead spun around, creating a blue protective barrier that enveloped the two demons.

“It’s okay now. I’ve created a soundproof barrier with my inner core, so if the other party tries to eavesdrop on our conversation with their consciousness, we’ll be able to detect it.”

The serpent asked with a relieved expression.

“Are you really thinking of trading the Wood Bell Flower?”

“The matter of offering tributes is not just a problem for the two of us. We need to discuss it with the others. But to meet this year’s tribute quota, we have to do it, don’t we?”

The small beast wore a bitter smile.

“Golden Marrow Crystal Insects and Golden Mother Coral Sand are also extremely rare. It will be difficult to meet the quota if we exchange them.”

“Now is not the time to worry about that. No matter how difficult it is to find Golden Marrow Crystal Insects and Golden Mother Coral Sand, we can gather enough of them eventually if we have time. But the Heavenly Peng Race wants a large amount of Wood Bell Flowers, and they are already extinct in other places, so we can’t get them.”

“In that case, how about we report this to the Heavenly Peng Race when they come to collect the tributes? They’ll take care of that strange person for us.”

“That’s a ridiculous idea. Have you already forgotten what happened last time? Even if the Heavenly Peng Race kills that person, they’ll take all the Wood Bell Flowers left on the mountain. If we tell them that the Wood Bell Flower is becoming extinct in the Black Hidden Mountain Range, do you think they’ll let us live? If we have enough Wood Bell Flowers for this tribute, we can talk our way out of the slight shortage of other tributes. But if we don’t have enough Wood Bell Flowers, it won’t matter how much of the other things we offer. That’s how important the Wood Bell Flower is to the Heavenly Peng Race. If the Heavenly Peng Race weren’t wary of that Black Nether Mist, they would have sent their people here to stay long ago.”

The bull-headed beast retorted coldly.

“Even if we get through this time, we won’t have a way to prepare the tributes next time. The result will be the same then. Even if we try to run away, we have the Slave Mark planted by the Heavenly Peng Race, and if we leave this area by more than ten thousand miles, it will explode and kill us.”

“That’s a well-known fact! But there’s no need to worry. The great one inside the Black Nether Mist has made a promise. If we secretly bring him spirit stones for another hundred years, he will achieve great divine power and remove the Slave Mark. Then, we can just run away.”

The bull-headed beast persuaded him with a serious face, seeing the serpent’s anxious eyes.

“Can we trust him? Of course, he is a senior who has been in the Black Hidden Mountain Range for a very long time, but after entering the Black Nether Mist to survive, he swallowed the core of an ancient giant ghost and is now almost half-ghost and half-demon. If other variables arise…”

“Hwa Hyung [a term of address, like ‘brother’], are you worried that the great one won’t keep his promise? Don’t worry about that. The senior is also from the Hao Beast clan and holds a great grudge against the Heavenly Peng Race. There’s no reason for him to harm us. Besides, we’ve already secretly given him spirit stones for hundreds of years to help him cultivate. Are you saying we should stop now when success is just around the corner?”

“*Huu*, I was just worrying too much. But what exactly is in the Black Nether Mist that the Heavenly Peng Race is so afraid of? Has the great one found out?”

“No. But there must be something there. The great one is also staying on the outskirts of the Black Nether Mist and doesn’t go to the center. I heard that the Black Nether Mist has been there since the Heavenly Peng Race gained power and almost controlled the entire Flying Spirit Race.”

The small bull-headed beast smiled bitterly.

“Well, whatever exists in the Black Nether Mist, it won’t be something that will help us. If we enter that mist with our cultivation, we’ll be sucked dry and turned into skeletons.”

The serpent shook its head fearfully. Then, they exchanged a few more words before turning into demonic winds and flying away. As the two demons flew far away, a spatial fluctuation occurred nearby, and a blue figure appeared.

It was Han Li, who had left a while ago. He raised his head, looked at the demons flying away, and chuckled, then grabbed the spot where they had been.

*Weng!* [Sound of a hum or vibration]

Immediately, a golden light flashed, and a golden insect the size of a fingernail flew up. It was a greatly reduced Golden Marrow Insect. The beetle flapped its wings and landed on his palm.

As he pointed at the Golden Marrow Insect with his fingertip, a strand of consciousness returned, informing him of the conversation between the two demons.

“Black Nether Mist, half-ghost and half-demon, Slave Mark? Interesting. Even the Heavenly Peng Race is reluctant to stay here for long, so as long as the being inside the Black Nether Mist isn’t at the Fusion stage, I won’t have to worry too much for a while. But how can low-level demons have the ability to catch a body-refining sacred object like the Golden Marrow Crystal Insect! It’s something that even natural Fusion stage elders can’t easily obtain….

Now, with the Golden Marrow Crystal Insect and a few other materials, I can materialize the Brahma Saint True Devil Form, just like the Vajra Law Body of the Fire Seed. And if I refine and add the Golden Mother Coral Sand, I can make my body even stronger!”

Han Li muttered and smiled brightly. After a while, he stopped smiling and pursed his lips as if he had remembered something. Then, a large Peng bird and a five-colored illusion appeared and disappeared behind him, and crystal wings appeared.

As he lightly flapped his wings, a dazzling light was emitted, turning into a streak of shimmering thread that shot out instantly.

*