Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 848

849. Chuk Eumja

*

The Five Lights Clan woman’s eyes sparkled at Han Li’s calm demeanor. She was about to ask more when the white-robed girl, who had been guiding the group, stopped in front of a pavilion about six or seven stories high.

“Each clan may choose one pavilion. You must not fight anywhere on Jade Emperor Peak except for the sparring arena in the east. Violating this rule may result in punishment, even the loss of your cultivation, so please be careful.”

“Understood. Thank you for your hard work, Miss.”

While most were startled by the girl’s words, a handsome man from the Scarlet Rong Clan was the first to respond.

“I am Sojuk. I will be in charge of you all from now on. Please call me anytime if you need anything.”

The white-robed girl smiled and bowed to the others before stepping back.

Following this, the group chose their pavilions and entered without much conversation. Han Li chose the highest floor, while Baekbyeok and Noeran each took the floors below him.

They entered their respective rooms and rested to recover from their fatigue.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already dark outside. He got off the bed, stretched, and quietly went downstairs. Baekbyeok was still resting, and Noeran was nowhere to be seen.

He was disregarding Geumyeol’s request not to stray from the group to avoid giving the enemy an opening. After a moment of hesitation, Han Li, feeling uneasy, put his hands behind his back and walked out of the pavilion.

Whether he succeeded in his mission at the Trial of Destiny depended entirely on those two.

“Oh, isn’t that Brother Han? What a coincidence!”

Just as he was about to step out of the pavilion, a leisurely voice came from behind. Han Li turned toward the voice.

A round-faced young man was walking out of the pavilion where the Scarlet Rong Clan’s Saintly Ones were staying, smiling. Han Li sneered inwardly.

‘What a ridiculous coincidence. He must have been waiting for us to come out.’

He didn’t know the other party’s intentions, but it was clear they weren’t friendly. Han Li stared at the man without a word.

“Haha, why so stiff? Although there’s been some conflict between our clans, we’ll enter the Trial of Destiny together anyway, so it’d be good to get along. And if your clan joins our Scarlet Rong Clan in the future, we might even live as members of the same clan.”

“If the two clans become one, that might be possible!”

Han Li suddenly smiled lightly and replied. The round-faced young man was momentarily stunned by his quick change of attitude but soon smiled.

“I’m Jeokcheon. It’s my first time at Jade Emperor Peak, so how about we look around together?”

“Together?”

Han Li raised an eyebrow.

“Are you worried I might attack you?”

“I’m not afraid of an attack, but I’m not used to doing things with someone else.”

Han Li’s face hardened again. Jeokcheon’s eyes turned fierce at Han Li’s words, but he maintained his smile.

“Perhaps you came out looking for Miss Noe?”

The round-faced young man spoke slowly after a moment of silence.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing much, but I think I saw Miss Noeran going out with our clan’s Hongsa. They said they were going to look at the sparring arena. I’m just telling you in case you waste your time looking elsewhere.”

“Then I should thank Brother Jeok.”

Han Li narrowed his brow slightly but showed no agitation as he clasped his hands and left. Jeokcheon, watching his back, sneered.

“Good job, Junior Brother Jeok.”

As Han Li’s figure disappeared, a tall, thin man appeared from behind. His skin was much darker than the average Scarlet Rong Clan member, and his eyes were fierce.

“Senior Brother Chuk! Anyone could do such a trivial thing. But even if that guy is a High-Grade Spirit Master, do we really need to be so concerned? Any of us could deal with him.”

Jeokcheon quickly turned and replied respectfully.

“Junior Brother Jeok, you’re mistaken. If that person is who I think he is, none of you would be a match for him.”

“Do you know him?”

“You must know about the incident a few months ago when Cheonmyeong and the others returned empty-handed.”

“I’ve heard a bit about it. I heard that Senior Brother Cheonmyeong not only failed his mission but also lost the High-Grade Red-Throated Bird and the Fire Dragon Pearl’s sub-bead.”

“The one who single-handedly defeated Cheonmyeong and killed the Red-Throated Bird was probably that Saintly One.”

Chuk Eumja licked his lips, making a strange face.

“That can’t be! Senior Brother Cheonmyeong was a Mid-Grade Spirit General, and the others were all Spirit General level. The Red-Throated Bird also had power comparable to a Mid-Grade Spirit General.”

“Cheonmyeong himself told me about the man’s appearance, and the Heavenly Peng Clan also brought him from overseas, so it’s probably him. At the very least, it means he has the cultivation of a High-Grade Spirit General.”

“Then isn’t this going to be difficult? When their Clan Lord died in an accident, there were no Saintly Ones in the Heavenly Peng Clan. But suddenly, three Saintly Ones appeared, and one is a High-Grade Spirit General. I never imagined this would happen.”

“What’s the big deal? Since ancient times, the Heavenly Peng Clan has been one of the most powerful branches of our Spirit Wing Clan. Although they’ve declined, it’s not strange they’ve made such preparations in secret! But the elders’ instructions this time are only one thing. Even if we have to share the Heavenly Peng Clan with other clans, we must never let the next Clan Lord appear. Han Li is probably the last hope of the Heavenly Peng Clan, so we need to check his strength before the Trial of Destiny.”

“That makes sense. Then let’s go to the sparring arena quickly. He’ll definitely show up there.”

“Indeed. There are only three Saintly Ones in the Heavenly Peng Clan, so they won’t be able to ignore it if something happens. Then he won’t be able to avoid responsibility either.”

Jeokcheon grinned slyly, and Chuk Eumja also smiled. They immediately flew up and headed east.

*

Han Li walked along the blue stone path, admiring the scenery. There were hardly any people passing by, but when he looked up, he could see quite a few people flying in the sky.

Since the Spirit Wing Clan basically had the habit of flying, laying down paths was just for decoration.

He sighed inwardly, thinking about the powerful members of the Spirit Wing Clan gathered here. The elders of the 72 clans who had come with the Saintly Ones and the members of the Joint Elder Council [a governing body] who were staying here already had power surpassing Heavenly Origin City.

The Heavenly Origin City only had 10 Integration Stage elders staying there.

Of course, during wartime, nearly a hundred Integration Stage beings from the Human and Demon Clans would gather, but this was because the two clans were united, and neither could match the Spirit Wing Clan alone.

There were also clearly more Transformation or Void Refinement level beings than in the Human and Demon Clans.

‘It was true that the Human Clan was barely surviving in the Spirit World and was one of the weaker clans among the various races.’

In comparison, the Spirit Wing Clan seemed to be maintaining a mid-level power in the Spirit World. While Han Li was lost in thought, a small pavilion appeared, with several paths leading to it.

Inside the pavilion, two girls in white robes were chatting with laughter. When Han Li appeared, the laughter stopped, and they turned their heads. One had a familiar face; it was the girl who had guided them.

“Miss Sojuk, it’s you. Have you perhaps seen my clan’s group pass by here?”

“Are you talking about Miss Noeran? I saw her passing by here a while ago, and it seemed like she was heading to the sparring arena.”

Sojuk stood up, bowed, and smiled as she informed him.

“Towards the sparring arena? Alone?”

“No. She was with the Scarlet Rong Clan’s Hongsa.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

Han Li smiled calmly and moved towards the sparring arena. Seeing this, the two white-robed girls exchanged puzzled glances. However, unlike his calm expression, Han Li was fuming inside.

‘How can a Saintly One of the Heavenly Peng Clan be so reckless!’

He didn’t know how the Scarlet Rong Clan woman had lured her, but it was clearly malicious. If the opponent made a mistake and seriously injured Noeran, the Heavenly Peng Clan’s hope of passing the Trial of Destiny would become even more distant.

And Han Li couldn’t just stand by. He had sworn the Heavenly Peng Oath of Allegiance and made a separate agreement with Geumyeol.

If a Clan Lord didn’t emerge from the Heavenly Peng Clan this time, the elders would take their anger out on him.

Recalling the agreement for the Trial of Destiny, Han Li sighed. He had gained immense benefits by joining the Heavenly Peng Clan, but he had also been swept up in a huge mess. Even if he succeeded, he would have to make separate plans to escape the Heavenly Peng Clan.

He reached an alley, flickered a few times, and disappeared.

After about an hour, he could see a huge curtain of light in the distance, along with booming sounds. The sparring arena was easy to find and not too far from the pavilion where Han Li was staying.

Han Li stopped his movement technique and approached normally. With his dark blue eyes, he looked inside the curtain of light. Someone was already fighting, using their divine powers.

Fortunately, they weren’t using transformation techniques. One was using flames, and the other was using dark blue cold energy. After confirming that Noeran wasn’t there, Han Li breathed a sigh of relief.

The woman wielding the flames was the Scarlet Rong Clan’s Saintly One, Hongsa. Han Li was puzzled and looked around when someone in the crowd sent him a hostile glare.

Han Li, with his keen senses, immediately detected it and tried to find the source, but the gaze disappeared, and he couldn’t find it.

With a darkened face, Han Li pondered for a moment and then moved towards the sparring arena. Before he arrived, the flames and cold energy clashed fiercely, and a winner was decided.

The man with dark blue wings was gradually pushed back by the flames and eventually admitted defeat and landed on the ground.

“Junior Sister Noe, I’ve won, so if you can beat me, the Thunder Star Stone is yours.”

Han Li heard those words and tried to intervene, but the woman with silver wings had already transformed into a white ball of light and flew up.

Han Li’s expression darkened. The Scarlet Rong Clan woman had skillfully defeated her opponent just as he was approaching and provoked Noeran to come out.

This was no coincidence. The person who had given him the cold glare had secretly tipped her off. However, he took a deep breath and walked calmly into the sparring arena, taking a spot nearby.

“Using the Thunder Star Stone as bait to lure me here is probably to fight me. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you have to take responsibility for saying you’ll give me the Thunder Star Stone if I win.”

Noeran said expressionlessly, spreading her silver wings, and silver lightning covered her body, making her look like a creature of lightning.

“Haha, if you have the skills, I’ll give you the Thunder Star Stone with both hands.”

Hongsa ignored Noeran’s words and glanced at Han Li, who was standing there, and smiled. The people from the other branches below knew about the conflict between the Scarlet Rong Clan and the Heavenly Peng Clan, so they murmured but didn’t interfere.

Han Li also stood with his arms crossed, showing no intention of stopping them. Seeing this, Hongsa was smiling on the outside but was getting impatient. If Han Li didn’t step in, her plan would fall apart.

‘I need another method.’

*