Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 852

At the same time, Han Li and the other Celestial Peng Saints were flying at a low altitude, about ten zhang [approximately 33 meters] above the ground. The gray mist above them stretched endlessly, barely twenty zhang [approximately 66 meters] above their heads, making the sight oppressive.

What was even stranger was the constant, eerie wind blowing through the narrow space. Of course, Han Li and his group, being at the Transformation stage, were able to block the wind with their protective barriers.

Many Saints had departed before them, but most had chosen different paths, and some had deliberately taken detours. This was to avoid encountering and clashing with Saints from other factions before even entering the forbidden area.

Han Li did the same. He flew for about a hundred li [approximately 50 kilometers], then, taking Baekbyeok and Noeran with him, deviated from the original route and moved forward. Even though they had taken a detour and deliberately slowed down, they were able to reach their destination after one shichen [approximately two hours].

Then, the scenery before them changed. The low-hanging mist rose high, and the eerie wind became fierce, its color turning almost blackish-gray. When the wind touched their bodies, a thin layer of black frost would instantly form.

However, the black wind was no threat to Han Li and his group, so they each raised their protective spiritual energy, making it a little thicker.

After half a shichen [approximately one hour], having escaped the black gale, they found themselves in a surprising place as the scene before them brightened. In a space of immeasurable size, black gales blew, and gray mist still hung in the sky.

The difference was that the mist was writhing violently at a height of about a thousand zhang [approximately 3.3 kilometers], showing a completely different appearance from the mist in other places. However, what caught Han Li’s attention was something else.

The black earth had disappeared, and a vast abyss of unknown depth had appeared, constantly spewing out strange black winds. The huge pit was covered in black mist, making it impossible to gauge its size.

They were now floating at the edge of the abyss, feeling like tiny creatures.

“This must be the entrance to the forbidden area. Let’s descend carefully. It’s unlikely we’ll encounter monsters immediately upon entering, but it’s always good to be cautious.”

Han Li didn’t hesitate for long before flapping his wings and diving into the abyss. As he disappeared into the mist, Baekbyeok and Noeran, with stern faces, followed him into the forbidden area.

Han Li emitted a blue light from his body, illuminating the surroundings with seven or eight moonstones floating around him.

‘Hmm.’

Looking at the swirling mist around him, he couldn’t help but sigh. When he first entered the forbidden area, he could roughly see his surroundings without using his Brightsight Spiritual Eyes, but after descending several thousand zhang [several kilometers], the mist had become so thick that it was difficult to see clearly.

Fortunately, as he had expected, they did not encounter any monsters upon entering the forbidden area. How long had they been descending? The mist gradually thinned, and the black wind subsided without a sound.

Han Li and his group finally realized that they had reached the first level of the forbidden area. After a short while, Han Li opened his eyes and was able to clearly see the changed scenery.

On the dark, yellowish ground, unknown giant trees formed a dense forest, and strange gray birds were flying low around them.

“This is the first level of the forbidden area? It doesn’t seem that special,” Baekbyeok muttered after escaping the mist and seeing the ground.

“The first level of the forbidden area is the least dangerous place here. Many beasts, including those from the lower realms, live here! However, these beasts are all said to be ill-tempered and carnivorous, making them as powerful as mid-realm monsters,” Noeran explained what he knew. However, Han Li, with a blank face, scanned the surrounding thousand li [approximately 500 kilometers] with his consciousness, wary of powerful beings or Saints from other factions.

‘It seems safe here for now.’

“If I remember correctly, staying in the air for too long will cause trouble, so let’s go down,” Han Li ordered and headed downwards first. Noeran and Baekbyeok naturally followed his lead.

Kee-ack!

The gray strange birds discovered them and charged without hesitation. The birds had thick, long beaks filled with sharp fangs, and their bodies were covered in strange gray skin.

They also had a curved horn on their heads.

He snorted and flicked his finger.

Puff puff!

Golden sword energies flashed and pierced the strange birds, and blood rained down as the birds fell. The moment the bird carcasses fell into the bushes, beast-like howls were heard, and the area below became chaotic.

It sounded like beasts were fighting each other.

Han Li glanced at the source of the sound for a moment, then circled back about a hundred zhang [approximately 330 meters] above the ground and set his direction.

“According to the explanation of the Saints who participated in the trials from our clan, there are only a dozen or so safe entrances from the first to the second level. There’s almost no chance of obtaining the Myungyeom Fruit on the first level, so let’s hurry to the second level. The place we’re going is one of the most secluded, so it will take time, but we can avoid ambushes from other factions.”

At Han Li’s calm explanation, Baekbyeok frowned slightly, as if dissatisfied, but didn’t say anything, while Noeran looked indifferent.

Since the Celestial Peng Clan’s goal was for him to help the two Saints succeed in the trials, he was naturally the leader and decision-maker of this expedition.

Moreover, the two Saints’ cultivation was far inferior to Han Li’s, so even if they were dissatisfied, they had no choice but to follow. After that, the three of them flew at low altitude towards the entrance to the second level without a word.

It was said that each level of the forbidden area was more vast than the previous one. However, the first level was not small either, so it was estimated that it would take four or five days to reach the entrance to the second level.

The first day went smoothly. They flew through the dense jungle and encountered a few oblivious bird-type beasts, but nothing else happened.

However, on the morning of the second day, the three of them, while flying, suddenly felt the sky above them darken and the surroundings turn gray.

Startled, Han Li quickly looked up. He discovered that the strange light-emitting mist had disappeared, and a dark, towering stone wall, ten thousand zhang [approximately 33 kilometers] high, had appeared, with stalactite-like stone pillars hanging down.

From afar, moss and vines could be seen growing around the stone pillars. Surprisingly, they had now just left the border area of the forbidden area and officially entered the first level of the underground world.

The trees on the ground seemed to emit their own light, having grown in the darkness for a long time, and the same was true for the unknown minerals. Even in this dark underground world, they could vaguely perceive objects.

The deeper they went, the more eerie and dim it became. Black mist and a chilly wind rushed in, making their hair stand on end.

However, not long after they entered the darkness, their consciousness was restricted. Now, the range they could scan with their consciousness was only a few dozen zhang [approximately 100 meters]. Even he, who had a much stronger consciousness than other cultivators of the same level due to practicing the Great Connection Technique, was affected, so it would be difficult for Baekbyeok and Noeran to extend their consciousness even a few zhang [approximately 10 meters]. When Han Li scanned behind them with his consciousness, he could feel the two Saints looking troubled.

Still, no one panicked. They had already heard before leaving the Celestial Peng Clan that consciousness would be restricted. Not only them, but also the dark monsters living in the forbidden area were subject to these restrictions.

After flying for several shichen [several hours], he suddenly narrowed his brows and raised one hand, pointing at the moonstones in front of them.

Pop pop!

The moonstones exploded and disappeared, and Han Li also withdrew his blue energy. Then, the surroundings became hazy, and a series of black winds blew, making their chests feel cold.

Baekbyeok and Noeran also unconsciously stopped their light, following him, but they had no idea what was happening. Noeran was about to speak with a puzzled expression when they heard faint buzzing sounds from the surroundings.

Soon, the sounds grew louder, and countless green lights rushed in from all directions.

‘Shadow Spider Bees.’

Noeran, startled, mentioned a name. Baekbyeok’s expression also changed upon hearing those words.

“They must be lower realm bee monsters. They are one of the most troublesome types of lower realm monsters in the forbidden area. They attack moving light sources,” Han Li calmly replied, but Noeran and Baekbyeok already knew this well. Inside the green lights were strangely shaped bees with dark blue-green bodies, spider heads, and bee stingers. Judging by the way they were densely swarming, there seemed to be at least ten thousand of them.

Baekbyeok and Noeran’s expressions became serious. They were not afraid of mere bee monsters, but rather worried about the spiritual energy they would waste by annihilating so many Shadow Spider Bees.

It was only the first level, and they had only been in the forbidden area for two days, so wasting spiritual energy already would be a big problem for the future. They reluctantly prepared to face the menacing bees.

One spread his wings, flashing thousands of thin silver lightning bolts, and the other formed hand seals, his whole body glowing gold. However, Han Li glanced at them and immediately opened his mouth, spitting out a silver flame orb.

Bang!

The flame orb transformed into a silver firebird, spread its two wings, and then exploded in mid-air. Then, hundreds of silver flames shot out in all directions.

Soon, an unbelievable thing happened. The silver flames flickered and turned the nearby green lights into ashes. Due to the hundreds of silver flames moving around, the green lights flying in from the surroundings could not get close to Han Li and his group at all.

Baekbyeok and Noeran were shocked by this sight. The reason why Shadow Spider Bees were difficult to deal with among the forbidden area monsters was that they were not easy to kill. They were created by the condensation of dark energy over a long period, making them difficult to kill with ordinary attacks.

If they were not destroyed in one blow, they would absorb the dark energy and immediately recover. Of course, this ability only worked in the forbidden area filled with darkness. In fact, many of the forbidden area monsters only displayed their abilities within the forbidden area and became weak when they came out.

That was why the Bi-ryeong Clan was able to seal the entrance to the forbidden area. If the forbidden area monsters did not have this weakness, it would have been impossible for a single clan to guard the entrance to the forbidden area.

The Silver Spirit Heavenly Fire did not seem threatening at all, but every time it touched a Shadow Spider Bee, it turned it into ashes and even absorbed the dark energy contained within the bees. Therefore, there was no chance for the Shadow Spider Bees to recover.

Moreover, the Silver Spirit Heavenly Fire originally possessed a bit of spirituality, so it automatically destroyed the Shadow Spider Bees without Han Li having to control it with his consciousness. While Han Li stood with his hands behind his back, watching for a moment, the more than ten thousand Shadow Spider Bees were all annihilated by the Silver Spirit Heavenly Fire.

After that, he casually gestured, gathering the silver flames into one, and it transformed back into a fist-sized firebird, disappearing into Han Li’s body.

“Let’s go!” Han Li said nonchalantly and took off first.

Noeran and Baekbyeok calmed their surprised hearts and silently headed in the same direction. After flying for a full day and night, they finally escaped the jungle. But this time, a bizarre silver-gray desert unfolded before them.

No matter how far they looked, all they could see were the coolly shimmering grains of sand, creating a desolate atmosphere.

“Is my memory wrong? According to the map, there was clearly a huge river flowing underground. What happened?” Han Li stopped with a puzzled expression and checked the formation compass.

“Brother Han is right. According to the map, there was definitely a river flowing here,” Baekbyeok and Noeran also checked the map and expressed their doubts.

“Could the river have dried up in the meantime, or could the water have flowed into the second underground level?”

“I don’t think so. It’s strange for a desert to appear immediately just because the water dried up,” Noeran said, his eyes flashing, and Han Li shook his head.

“Then what do you think happened, Brother Han?” Baekbyeok asked with a smile, stroking his chin.

“I don’t know either. But since we didn’t come here to study the terrain, let’s hurry on our way. However, we must be even more careful when we enter the desert.”

“You are right,” Baekbyeok smiled faintly.