Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 865

866. Conspiracy

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Han Li and his group covered a distance that would have previously taken them several days in just one day. They already knew the way back, and since the path was familiar, there were no delays.

However, Baek Byuk and Jin Hyo, whose cultivation was inferior to Han Li’s, were struggling with the heavy consumption of their spiritual power. Yet, seeing Han Li flying ahead, they couldn’t complain and gritted their teeth, continuing to fly.

Another day passed, and the marsh appeared. The entrance to the second level, where the black wind blew, was faintly visible. Han Li sighed in relief and entered it. Half a day later, they reappeared at the entrance of the mountain valley on the second level.

At this moment, Han Li made a decision that surprised his companions.

“We will act separately from now on. You don’t need to move together; return to the surface through different routes.”

As soon as they exited the mountain valley, Han Li spoke coldly.

“Separately? Brother Han, why do we have to do that?” Baek Byuk asked, surprised, speaking for Noe Ran and Jin Hyo.

“I’ll tell you now. We were noticed by a demon king-level being in the swamp! I am not strong enough to face such an opponent. I don’t know when they will catch up to us, but if we move separately, they are most likely to chase me. This increases the chances of you returning to the surface safely. And I can also run with all my strength, which slightly increases my chances of survival. There is almost nothing threatening on the first level of the swamp, so let’s part ways here.”

Han Li explained the situation with a grim expression.

“A demon king-level being? Why would such a monster… Brother Han, are you mistaken about something?” Jin Hyo asked, flustered, his face pale.

“I don’t know the reason either, but I’ve said what I needed to say. Now, each of you must protect your own lives, so choose as you see fit! But moving separately is the best option. The opponent could come after us at any time.”

At Han Li’s words, the three saints, including Noe Ran, exchanged glances.

Whether his words were true or false, they had no choice but to act as if Han Li’s words were true. Besides, they couldn’t persuade Han Li, who had already made up his mind.

When the rest of the group nodded, Han Li took the lead and left, and the others also chose their directions and flew away. Once they reached the surface, they would be much safer.

A streak of blue light passed through the wilderness.

The speed of the light was so fast that it was already at the end of the sky after a few blinks, and there was no sign or sound. By the time the demons on the ground discovered the streak of light in the sky, it had already disappeared far away.

Inside the blue streak of light, Han Li was holding extreme-grade spirit stones [high-quality stones that contain spiritual energy] in both hands, replenishing his magic power as he flew with all his might. He had used up all the ten-thousand-year spirit liquid at the spatial junction while crossing the spirit realm.

Extreme-grade spirit stones were still precious treasures, but it was necessary to maintain the fullness of his spiritual power.

Han Li’s decision to part ways with his group was also unavoidable. What he had told Noe Ran and the others was mostly true, but there was something he hadn’t mentioned.

It was his intuition that the high-level demons were targeting him. Noe Ran, Baek Byuk, and Jin Hyo were not the objects of their interest. In this situation, moving separately was the way to protect their safety.

He had done his best by protecting the Celestial Phoenix Clan saints, helping them find the Myungyeom Fruit, and bringing them to the first level.

Now, he had to leave the two saints to fend for themselves and find a way to save his own life.

Nothing had happened so far, but he couldn’t relax until he reached the surface. Rather than stopping to rest, he spat out essence blood, causing a faint crimson hue to appear in the blue streak of light. As a result, his speed increased slightly.

Even if it meant harming his vitality, avoiding a Fusion Stage [a high level of cultivation] demon king was the wisest course of action.

However, just as the blue streak of light was about to pass through the first level, Han Li’s expression changed drastically.

A black aura had appeared behind him and was rapidly approaching.

By the time he turned his head to look, the distance had halved. With a troubled expression, Han Li flapped his wings and transformed into a thin, blue-white thread, moving over a hundred yards. He then increased the power of the Wind Thunder Technique [a movement technique] and moved with all his might.

“Oh ho.”

A voice echoed from within the black aura, sounding as if it were speaking right next to his ear, startling Han Li. He flapped his wings again, and the thin, blue-white thread began to vibrate, leaving white afterimages as it disappeared into the void.

“It’s him. His escape technique is indeed useful! But if I let him escape when I’m chasing him myself, how much ridicule would I receive?”

The clear voice of a woman was heard again. The figures within the black aura were Mok Cheong and Hyul Gyo. They had somehow managed to follow Han Li exactly.

Mok Cheong smiled lightly and formed a hand seal with one hand.

Woong!

The black aura writhed and formed a black light formation. Then, a strange light flowed from the center of the light formation, and the figures of the woman and Hyul Gyo became blurry and invisible.

Soon, a mysterious thing happened.

A spatial fluctuation suddenly occurred in front of the thin, blue-white thread, and a huge black formation appeared. Han Li was surprised, but he couldn’t stop his light and had no choice but to jump into the black formation.

His vision went dark, and the surroundings became dark, with a biting wind blowing as if he had entered the underworld. Han Li was startled and released golden lightning from his body.

Kukwakwang! Kureureung!

The golden lightning bolts shot out, and the sound of thunder roared loudly. But as soon as the black aura wind touched the golden lightning, it disappeared as if it had met its natural enemy.

“Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning! You surprisingly possess the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning!”

The woman’s surprised voice echoed from the surroundings, sounding very pleased at the unexpected fact. Before Han Li could grasp the other party’s intentions, the black aura spun rapidly.

Startled, he summoned golden lightning and wrapped it around his body like a robe.

Just then, the woman’s laughter was heard.

“There’s no need to be so tense. I don’t have any ill intentions. Just stay here for a while.”

Han Li had no intention of complying with the other party’s invitation. He immediately flapped his wings to escape. But the woman seemed to have anticipated this and struck the void with one hand. An invisible force pressed down on his body, making him unable to move.

Han Li’s heart grew heavy.

Woong!

The black formation flashed for a moment, and the three figures disappeared simultaneously. Feeling as if the sky and earth were turning upside down, Han Li quickly activated the Great Connection Technique [a technique to stabilize one’s senses] within his body to regain his senses.

‘This place is…’

By the time he regained his senses, he had already been teleported to another place. Another teleportation formation was installed beneath his feet, and not far away, the woman and Hyul Gyo were looking at him.

Judging from the dense black aura around him, it seemed to be a swamp even deeper than the second level. But what made his heart even colder was the various demons around the altar where the formation was located.

They were mostly Core Formation and Nascent Soul stage demons [levels of cultivation], but it was clear that he had fallen into a den of demons. Feeling frustrated, Han Li decided not to act rashly and observe the situation.

The woman was definitely the master Hyul Gyo had mentioned. Otherwise, how could she have suddenly teleported him here?

“Follow me to the main hall for now.”

The black shadow woman chuckled softly and flew towards one of the buildings in the distance. At the woman’s words, Hyul Gyo looked at Han Li with a strange expression and immediately followed her.

It seemed they didn’t think Han Li could escape. Han Li glanced around at the surrounding buildings and smiled bitterly.

The gray clouds above faintly flickered with black lightning, creating an unknown sense of oppression. It was a restriction set up with immense magic power, so it would be impossible to break through and escape in a short time.

However, judging from the woman’s tone, it didn’t seem like she was going to kill him right away. In that case, it would be better to listen to what she had to say and not offend her. Once he made the decision, he felt much more at ease and transformed into a blue streak of light and flew away.

Guided by the black woman, he arrived in front of the tallest and largest main hall among the buildings.

The black woman and Hyul Gyo entered the main hall first, and Han Li, following behind, scanned the demons guarding both sides of the main hall, his expression becoming strange.

They were small monkey demons, all stepping on dark, black flowers. The huge black flowers were deeply rooted outside the main hall door.

At this, Han Li’s eyes lit up, and he sighed. Only then did he roughly understand why he had been caught. He quickly entered the main hall, receiving the sharp gazes of the monkey demons.

However, inside the main hall, there was only the black woman and Hyul Gyo, who had just entered, and wooden chairs lined up on both sides of the hall.

The woman went up to the huge golden flower in the main hall and sat cross-legged, while Hyul Gyo stood quietly beside her, bowing respectfully.

“Bring tea, for our honored guest has arrived!”

As Han Li entered the main hall, she gestured for him to take a seat and clapped her hands.

Then, a maid in a green robe appeared, carrying a tray with white teacups. The white teacups contained a black liquid with a fishy smell.

The black liquid was so repulsive that it was hard to bear even the smell, and it was clear at a glance that it contained numerous poisons.

‘Any of these poisons would kill an ordinary person instantly.’

No matter how strong his body was, he couldn’t gulp down poison.

“Rest assured. The Yin-Slaying Tea is made by mixing 81 of my strange poisons! Each one is highly toxic, but when they interact with each other, they don’t exhibit toxicity. Rather, they are very helpful in nourishing the consciousness.”

Noticing Han Li’s hesitation, the woman chuckled and drank the Yin-Slaying Tea without any concern. Han Li, who had been looking down at the black liquid, hesitated for a moment before taking a sip.

The tea tasted bitter when it entered his mouth, but as it went down his throat, it became hot and circulated throughout his body. Moreover, a refreshing energy surged, clearing his mind. When he checked his body with his consciousness, there was indeed no toxicity.

“Senior, I don’t know how to thank you for your hospitality. But why did you bring me here? I’m new to the swamp, so I don’t know if I’ve offended you in any way.”

Han Li put down the teacup and spoke cautiously.

“I brought you here because I have something important to discuss with you. But it’s not urgent, so stay here for a few days! We can talk slowly during that time. By the way, what should I call you? I am Mok Cheong!”

Mok Cheong scanned him thoroughly, making Han Li’s skin crawl, but he calmly replied.

“Mok Cheong Senior, I am surnamed Han.”

“Hmm, Cultivator Han! Byuk Ah, take Cultivator Han to the VIP Pavilion so he can rest. If he needs anything, provide it.”

Mok Cheong nodded and ordered, and the green-robed woman who had brought the tea flinched at the words and immediately obeyed. Han Li had no choice. He simply got up and followed the green-robed woman named Byuk Ah out of the main hall. Now, only Mok Cheong and Hyul Gyo remained inside the main hall. Mok Cheong watched Han Li leave, her expression unreadable.

“You must be wondering why I suddenly changed my mind?”

“I believe there must be a reason for your actions, Master. What would I gain by asking?”

“Haha, it’s not a secret, so I’ll tell you. The reason I decided not to use him as a blood sacrifice is because he has a greater value.”

“If it’s a greater value, is it perhaps because of his Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning?”

“That’s right. It’s difficult to find top-grade blood sacrifices, but we can gather them somehow. But if we have the Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning, the chances of the grand plan succeeding will be much greater.”

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