Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 880

A month later, above a dark lake.

A giant with three rotting heads stood on the lake, battling a self-blood puppet. Around them, countless lake spirits and earth demons mercilessly slaughtered each other.

The number of earth demons had dwindled to about ten thousand, most of them mid- to high-level. Even the ghost soldier count, which had been at 8,000, and the puppet count, which exceeded 10,000, had significantly decreased.

***

A few days later, a golden flash from Han Li’s hand cleaved a bull-headed, human-bodied ghost in two.

Then, the gray aura behind him blocked the white bone arrows flying from all directions, and another arm spewed five-colored flames, turning the approaching evil spirits into ice blocks.

*Whoosh.*

Just then, a sonic boom was heard, and a powerful wind struck. Startled, Han Li’s figure blurred and disappeared from the spot. At that moment, a giant mace, about a dozen feet in size, slammed down where he had been, creating a large crater in the ground.

The one-eyed corpse, the owner of the mace, looked around with a bewildered expression. Suddenly, a blue light flashed above the giant corpse, and Han Li appeared, pointing at the space below.

A small, dark mound emitted a black light and swelled into a mountain a thousand feet tall.

*Thud!*

The black mountain crushed the giant corpse, turning it and the surrounding hundred-foot ghost creatures into dust. Han Li sighed deeply and soared high, surveying the surroundings.

The area was filled with swirling ghost energy and covered in mist, making it impossible to see beyond a thousand feet even with his Brightsight Spirit Eyes [a technique to enhance vision].

He could only guess that a considerable number of earth demons were still holding out against the ghost army’s offensive, based on the bursts of immense spiritual energy and the booming sounds coming from the surroundings.

The four Demon Kings were now scattered and nowhere to be seen. Han Li’s lips twitched.

For the first half of the month, although there were fierce battles, they were able to advance smoothly. However, for the next half of the month, they passed through a dozen or so dangerous areas without encountering any ghost creatures.

The souls in these dangerous areas possessed special abilities, making them creatures that even the four Demon Kings were wary of. That was why they had specially refined 8,000 Yin-Armored Dark Ghosts [ghost soldiers with special armor] and puppets to break through.

But unexpectedly, nothing happened, so the Six Clans had no choice but to continue moving forward while discussing the situation. Then, one day, when they reached the highlands, the powerful monsters that Mu Qing had mentioned swarmed in from all directions.

Among the massive ghost army, 30 had the strength of the Void Refinement stage [a high cultivation level], but they were scattered and struggling after being caught in a surprise attack.

At first, Han Li fought alongside Jin Ling and the others against the swarming ghost creatures. However, the eerie mist seemed to have a special power, and if he moved too far from his opponents during the battle, he would lose his way in the mist.

Even Han Li, with his powerful consciousness, could only locate the others after half a day. The only consolation was that even though the ghost creatures were numerous, they were only at the Transformation or Nascent Soul stage [lower cultivation levels], posing no real threat.

After fighting for a long time, he was finally able to clear the surrounding ghost creatures and catch his breath. Based on his experience, he knew that new waves of ghost creatures would soon swarm in.

Han Li’s eyes flickered, and he stretched out a hand, retrieving the giant mountain peak. Soon, he turned into a streak of blue light and flew towards the area where the sounds of battle were the weakest.

He had to survive first. But if it came down to it, he was prepared to release his Soul Devourer, even if it meant being discovered by the Demon Kings, to break through the ghost creatures’ encirclement.

Otherwise, he might end up trapped in the mist while killing the ghost creatures.

By then, Han Li had already flown a thousand feet away, using his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to avoid the battlegrounds and break through the mist. He instantly eliminated the few ghost creatures he encountered with his Evil-Slaying Divine Lightning, and he detoured around large groups of ghost creatures.

In this way, he remained safe in the eerie mist, but he still couldn’t determine his direction. Even after flying far, he couldn’t see the end. Helpless, Han Li risked danger and soared higher to try and find his bearings.

However, when he rose a few hundred feet, a massive barrage of attacks rained down on him. Fortunately, he had protected himself with his Primordial Magnetic Light and was on guard, or he might have fallen.

With a chill down his spine, Han Li flapped his wings and descended back into the mist before the next attack came.

‘There’s no hope above either.’

Now, the only option was to choose a direction and charge forward. He couldn’t understand what kind of mysterious restriction had created this mist that covered such a vast area.

Even after several hours, he was still trapped in the mist. Han Li’s expression grew increasingly grim.

He flicked his sleeve, and golden threads shot out, tearing apart the shadows in front of him.

*Kee-hee-hee.*

However, the ghost shadows merged into one and swung sharp claws.

Han Li sneered and opened his mouth, spitting out a silver fireball.

*Whoosh!*

The ghost shadows let out miserable screams and disappeared into ashes. Even the intangible ghost creatures could not withstand Han Li’s Netherworld Heavenly Flame [a powerful flame technique].

Just as he was about to fly away after cleanly dealing with the ghost creatures, a deafening roar shook the ground, and black flames shot up in the distance, followed by the angry shout of a woman.

“…”

He paused and looked back. The familiar voice was Yuan Yao’s.

‘Could she be here?’

Although he wasn’t sure, he turned into a streak of blue light and shot towards the sound. The black flames had exploded not far away, and a moment later, the blue light appeared at a spot thousands of feet away.

Concentrating his consciousness while in flight, his expression changed as he surveyed the surroundings.

About a hundred feet away, hundreds of blood-colored skeletons were firing arrows at about a hundred Yin-Armored Dark Ghosts. And within the Yin-Armored Dark Ghosts, two women were spewing black flames to block the blood-colored skeletons’ attacks.

The power of the black flames was strong, and the Yin wind emitted by the Yin-Armored Dark Ghosts was formidable, but the opponent’s abilities were even more bizarre.

The black shields worn by the Yin-Armored Dark Ghosts could block the arrows, but if a dozen or so hit at once, they would crumble. And the ghost soldiers who lost their armor would turn into black energy and disappear.

When Han Li arrived, eight Yin-Armored Dark Ghosts protecting the two women had been defeated in an instant, putting them in a precarious situation.

The two women were, of course, Yuan Yao and Lian Li.

After assessing the situation, Han Li confirmed that there were no powerful ghost creatures hiding nearby and immediately flapped his wings and disappeared from the spot.

The next moment, he appeared above the two women and flicked his sleeve, sending all 72 golden flying swords soaring, transforming into hundreds of sword lights that sliced through the skeletons. Wherever the golden light touched, the large-headed skeletons shattered like mud.

However, the blood remaining from the shattered blood-colored skeletons gathered and transformed into a single giant ghost creature. In response, Han Li extended his pale palm and flicked his five fingers at the blood-colored ghost creature.

Five skull heads flashed from his fingertips, and five-colored cold flames erupted, engulfing the giant blood-colored ghost creature.

*Crackle.*

Wherever the cold flames touched, the blood-colored ghost creature’s body froze, eventually turning into a giant ice sculpture.

*Crash!*

Finally, he flicked his finger, and golden lightning surged, attacking the ice sculpture and shattering it into pieces. The ghost creature was annihilated by Han Li before it could even display its full power.

Below, Yuan Yao and Lian Li gaped, unable to hide their astonishment. Han Li had appeared and instantly defeated a ghost creature that they had struggled against.

“Brother Han, thank you for saving us.”

“If you had come any later, you might never have seen us again.”

Lian Li was the first to regain her senses and bowed, while Yuan Yao smiled playfully. It was a smile that brightened the surroundings even in the eerie mist.

Han Li paused at the sight of it before calmly addressing the two women.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you with Gui Pa? And these ghost soldiers…”

“Brother Han, weren’t you also following Senior Mu Qing? Just like what happened to you, we were also separated from the group at some point and ended up here. We also participated in the refining of these Yin-Armored Dark Ghosts, so we can control some of them. These are all the Yin-Armored Dark Ghosts we can control, and we’ve barely managed to survive thanks to them.”

Lian Li smiled faintly.

“This ambush must have been planned by an intelligent ghost creature. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to set up such a massive trap and try to wipe us out in one fell swoop.”

Han Li nodded, his eyes gleaming.

“Then, what do you plan to do, Fellow Daoist? Judging by the number of ghost creatures, it doesn’t seem like we can end this by killing them one by one.”

Yuan Yao bit her lip, her face a little pale.

“Haven’t you two realized it yet? All the ghost creatures that have appeared so far are low- and mid-level beings, and not a single high-level ghost creature has appeared.”

“What do you mean, Fellow Daoist…”

Lian Li was startled and widened her eyes.

“That’s right. The Void Refinement-level ghost creatures are busy dealing with the combined forces of the Six Clans and the Fusion stage Demon Kings [powerful demon kings]. If even a few of them had come, we would all have been in danger.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

Yuan Yao looked at him and asked seriously.

“In my opinion, now is a good opportunity for us to escape from the Demon Kings’ grasp.”

“Then, now!”

Lian Li also stopped smiling.

“Yes, if we leave now, it will be difficult for Mu Qing and Gui Pa to find our tracks. If we find a place with pure Yin energy and you two remove the mark on my body, even the Demon Kings won’t be able to find us easily.”

Upon hearing his words, Yuan Yao and Lian Li exchanged glances.

“…Alright. We’ll follow Brother Han’s plan. Now that we’ve reached the land of the underworld, our lives are already hanging by a thread. Our honest desire is to escape from Gui Pa’s grasp as soon as possible.”

Yuan Yao made her decision after discussing it with Lian Li through telepathy.

“But the problem is this strange mist. I’ve been flying in the same direction for about half a day, but I can’t see the end.”

“If it were anything else, we, with our low cultivation, wouldn’t be of any help. But if it’s ghost mist, it’s a different story! Haha, have you forgotten that we are half-ghosts who have mastered ghost techniques?”

Lian Li chuckled at Han Li’s words.

“Do Fellow Daoists Lian and Yuan have a secret plan to escape this place?”

“The Yin-Yang Reincarnation Art [a special technique] we’ve mastered is far inferior to other powerful abilities, but it has its own mysteries. Fellow Daoist, you can rest assured and follow us. Actually, we were already planning to leave the mist, but we were held back by the ghost creatures’ attack.”

Yuan Yao explained confidently.

“There’s no point in wasting time, let’s leave immediately. The ghost creatures will reappear soon.”

Han Li calmed his excitement and spoke calmly. In response, Yuan Yao and Lian Li also led the remaining Yin-Armored Dark Ghost soldiers and flew up. As they went, Yuan Yao and Lian Li’s flight lights merged into one, and they joined hands and began to chant a spell.

Then, they emitted black and white spiritual light and spat out white and black beads from their mouths, respectively. The two beads spun and merged into one, transforming into an eyeball the size of a fist, clearly divided into black and white.

Lian Li and Yuan Yao, on the other hand, closed their eyes in the flight light and used only the eyeball floating in the air to gauge their direction, then led Han Li somewhere. Han Li was skeptical, but he still followed the women.

*