Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 837

After a long silence, Han Li, at a loss for words, asked again,

‘What is sealed in the Sky Peng Tower, and what are the Sacred Child and Kun Peng True Blood?’

‘Within the Sky Peng Tower is sealed half of the soul of the Kun Peng True Saint [a powerful, almost god-like being], which our clan painstakingly sought out during its most prosperous era. It is by relying on the power of that sacred soul that our Sky Peng Clan has maintained its existence to this day. As for the Sacred Child, it’s a general term used by the Bi Ling Clan for those of each race who inherit the blood of a True Saint. After a Sacred Child inherits the blood of their race’s True Saint and passes the trials, they can become the Sacred Lord of their clan,’ the girl explained earnestly, one by one. This time, it was as Han Li had expected. He didn’t even need to ask what a Sacred Lord was, and he let out a long sigh.

‘It seems you have no more questions. Then, it’s my turn, isn’t it? What treasure are those wings on your back, and what Kun Peng item did you refine that caused the Sacred Spirit to try to break free from the Sky Peng Tower’s seal? Such an event is extremely rare after the tower was built.’

‘It’s nothing special; I merely refined and mixed in a damaged Kun Peng feather.’

‘A Kun Peng feather? That’s impossible. Even a complete Kun Peng feather wouldn’t cause the Sacred Spirit to react like that.’

‘I don’t know either.’

Han Li shook his head, genuinely not knowing.

‘…Show me your wing treasure!’

Han Li felt heavy-hearted, but when he met her crystal-clear eyes, he had no choice but to shrug. Then, the white wings appeared behind his back and vanished without a sound. At the same time, he held a pair of small, crystal-like wings in his hand. Han Li reached out and handed them over. The Sky Peng Clan’s Great Elder looked at Han Li’s unreserved attitude with surprise.

She stared at them for a long time before taking the wings. Han Li maintained a blank expression on the outside, but inwardly, he was smiling wryly.

If he hadn’t completely finished refining the Wind Lightning Wings, he would never have given up such a precious treasure. He had left a powerful imprint, allowing him to use 60-70% of his spiritual power to utilize the treasure’s spatial divine ability and summon it back instantly.

The girl examined the Wind Lightning Wings carefully, and after a while, her expression turned strange. Then, with a light gesture, she returned the wings to him. Han Li felt a little relieved. He hadn’t done anything, but the Wind Lightning Wings flashed white and disappeared, reappearing on his back.

Seeing this, the girl slowly continued, ‘I didn’t expect that not only a Kun Peng True Saint’s feather but also a Sky Peng feather would be incorporated. I think I understand what happened. But how did you obtain the Kun Peng feather?’

It was an unexpected question, but there was no need to hide it. He roughly explained the situation in the Human Realm where the Kun Peng and Rahu [a mythical beast] had fought across dimensions.

After listening to the story, the girl pondered for a moment and then said something that left him dumbfounded.

‘Cultivator Han, do you have any intention of joining our Sky Peng Clan and becoming our clan’s Sacred Child?’

‘I must have misheard. Are you saying that you want me to join your clan?’

‘Yes, I would like that. Of course, this is a serious matter, so I will have to discuss it with the other elders.’

‘I am a human, not a Sky Peng.’

‘There is something you don’t understand, Cultivator. Usually, Kun Peng feathers or other Kun Peng items are obtained from dead Kun Peng. However, the Kun Peng feather you possess fell from the body of a living Kun Peng True Saint! Its energy is several times greater than that of an ordinary feather. Moreover, although you may not know it, I can sense that the feather contains a bit of essence blood. The Sky Peng Clan is originally the descendants of the Kun Peng True King, so you, who have refined a Kun Peng feather into your body and already possess some Kun Peng blood, can also be considered a Sky Peng, can’t you?’

Han Li’s eyes widened at the girl’s leisurely words. After a moment, Han Li regained his composure, narrowed his eyes, looked at the girl, and chuckled.

‘I heard that the Sky Peng Clan’s Sacred Lord has already passed away. Your clan is currently in a situation where you will soon be expelled from the 72 branches of the Bi Ling Clan because there is no one to inherit the Kun Peng True Blood. Am I correct?’

‘How did you know that!’

Finally, the girl’s expression changed slightly, and a huge golden Peng bird phantom appeared behind her.

*Puff!*

The phantom merely spread its wings, but a tremendous pressure poured down on Han Li’s shoulders, and he could hear the sound of his bones twisting throughout his body. His two legs sank about half a foot into the bluestone ground.

Han Li’s face turned pale. Then, the girl’s expression softened, and the huge Peng bird phantom disappeared in the blink of an eye.

‘I don’t know where you heard that news, but please keep it a secret for now. You wouldn’t want our clan to be thrown into chaos, would you? One thing you are mistaken about is that we have two Kun Peng Sacred Children who can inherit the Kun Peng True Blood. The problem is that their cultivation is low, and even if they succeed in inheriting, their chances of passing the trials are slim. That’s why I’m trying to recruit you into our clan.’

Suddenly, the girl’s expression returned to its previous leisurely state.

‘Does the Great Elder mean that you want me to protect the two Sacred Children?’

Han Li understood the Great Elder’s meaning and smiled.

‘That’s exactly what I intended. Although you are qualified to join the Sky Peng Clan, you are still a human, so even if you pass the trials, you cannot become our clan’s Sacred Lord. However, as a Kun Peng Sacred Child, you can help the other two Sacred Children safely complete the trials, can’t you? Of course, the compensation will be generous. I will bestow upon you some Kun Peng True Blood and a great reward!’

‘…’

The girl did not deny it and calmly stated what she wanted. Such good conditions were enough to accept immediately, but Han Li closed his mouth with a wavering gaze.

The girl did not urge him and sat on the chair, quietly waiting for him. After a while, Han Li opened his mouth.

‘The fact that you, Senior, have decided to bring an outsider like me into your clan for the sake of the Sacred Children means that the trials are very dangerous. I think it’s not too late to make a decision after hearing about the trials.’

‘Yes, the trials are extremely dangerous. Generally, about 60-70% of the Sacred Children from each participating race die. Also, the Sacred Children are usually at the level of a Flying Spirit General, similar to a Human Transformation stage cultivator [a high level of cultivation], but because our clan’s Sacred Lord had an unexpected accident, the Sacred Children participating this time only have the strength of an early-stage Flying Spirit General. If they participate in the trials as they are, they will most likely fail! Although I don’t know the details of your divine abilities, if you have the strength to travel alone from the Human Realm, across most of the Wind Origin Continent, to this place, you are not weak. Although the trials are dangerous, it shouldn’t be a big problem for you.’

‘Are the others all at the Flying Spirit General level?’

Han Li raised his eyebrows and carefully confirmed.

‘Would this Great Elder lie? Rest assured.’

‘I need time to consider it.’

‘It’s an important matter, so you should! Let’s do this. I’ll give you three days. After three days, I’ll wait for your answer here. In the meantime, you are free to move around within the city. Oh, I am called Jin Yeol, so remember that.’

The girl seemed to have anticipated Han Li’s answer and generously agreed. Han Li thanked her and immediately left. As he disappeared, Jin Yeol smiled and picked up a teacup from the table, bringing it to her lips.

‘Great Elder, is it alright to let that person go like that?’

From one side of the wall, a gray light flickered, and two Sky Peng Clan members, a man and a woman, appeared.

‘Then what do you suggest I do with him?’

Jin Yeol glanced at the red-bearded old man and asked.

‘That person’s wings contain a Kun Peng feather. Instead of letting a member of another race pretend to be a Sacred Child, wouldn’t it be better to take it and select another person to inherit the Kun Peng blood?’

‘If it were that simple, would I have spent so long talking to that outsider? I would have killed him on the spot and taken the wings.’

‘The Great Elder means…’

The petite woman grabbed the old man’s sleeve before he could say anything and asked about the Great Elder’s intentions.

‘There is no Sky Peng who knows as much about humans as I do. Humans are different from us Flying Spirit races. Their inherent strength is ordinary, but they possess divine abilities of tremendous power and numerous treasures. They refine treasures for a long time and completely assimilate them. We can forcibly take them, but it’s difficult to erase the original owner’s traces in a short time, and the treasure’s power will be much weaker. After examining that person’s wings, I realized that they were that type of treasure. According to the information we have, the Sacred Children’s Earth Abyss Trials are about to begin. There is no time to wait for someone else to refine the treasure after taking it.’

Jin Yeol pondered for a moment and added a few words of explanation.

‘I see. But the Kun Peng blood should not be leaked to the outside.’

‘Elder Seo, get a grip. Which is more serious, our clan being expelled from the Bi Ling Clan because our Sacred Children fail the trials, or giving away a little of the True Saint’s blood? Also, it’s not like we don’t have a way to prevent such a thing from happening.’

The girl’s eyes lit up at the red-bearded old man’s words.

‘Haha, the Great Elder’s words make sense. A mere Flying Spirit General level outsider is nothing. Once we get through this crisis, we can do whatever we want with him.’

The woman said with a smile.

‘We must not kill him. Even though he is an outsider, once he merges with the Kun Peng True Blood, he can be considered half of our clan. He will be bound by the same ‘Sky Peng Oath.’ Moreover, why should we harm a benefactor who helped us overcome our clan’s crisis? We just need to make sure he doesn’t leave our clan.’

Jin Yeol looked at the woman coldly and said with an emotionless face.

‘That will do. Then, should we send cultivators to monitor the outsider? What if he runs away in a few days?’

‘Elder Seo, that’s unnecessary worry. I’ve placed a mark on his wings, so we’ll know immediately if he leaves our clan.’

‘We were really worrying unnecessarily. The Great Elder has thought of everything.’

The beautiful woman smiled at the Great Elder’s words.

‘No, it’s natural that we should discuss this together since only three of us remain out of the five Great Elders. This matter concerns the very survival of our clan. If it weren’t so, I wouldn’t have sent word to the other two elders to return. Do you two have any other opinions on this matter?’

Jin Yeol stared at the two people.

‘No, we don’t.’

‘We will follow the Great Elder’s wishes.’

This time, the beautiful woman and the old man agreed at once. The three Sky Peng Clan elders had not considered the possibility of Han Li refusing from the beginning. In their view, a mere Transformation stage outsider could not possibly refuse their demands.

Meanwhile, Han Li, who was hundreds of miles away from where he had been with the girl, was flying low, flapping his wings. On the surface, he was calmly looking at the surrounding buildings, but inside, he was pondering how to overcome this situation.

This time, his identity had been exposed unexpectedly, putting him in a difficult position. Judging from his previous rich experiences, whether he accepted Jin Yeol’s demands or not, the outcome would not be good. However, he couldn’t just openly refuse and leave.

Scanning the Wind Lightning Wings behind his back with his consciousness, Han Li couldn’t help but smile wryly. The Sky Peng Clan’s Great Elder had deliberately placed a noticeable mark on his wings. It was a mark that allowed them to track his movements within a certain area.

It was possible for him to forcibly remove the mark with his cultivation, but it would take at least a few days, and during that time, the Great Elder could kill him a hundred times over.

It seemed that the only way was to propose some ingenious conditions. Even if it meant risking his life to escape if the conditions were not accepted, he would never become a Sacred Child.

‘I need to carefully consider what conditions to propose after understanding the Sky Peng Clan’s situation.’

Fortunately, he had experienced countless crises so far, and he was not too flustered even in a dilemma. Han Li slowly flew away, quickly turning his mind.

During the remaining time, he went to a building similar to the Star Palace’s library. There, he spent the whole night reading books and returned to his residence with a tired face.