Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 90

As the pillar of light vanished instantly, only the sun-like sphere of light remained floating in the air. However, the sphere’s lifespan was also fleeting, and it began to writhe and pulsate erratically. Han Li, who was watching this, couldn’t close his gaping mouth.

‘Boom!’

A tremendous explosion shook the heavens and the earth as the massive sphere finally burst in the sky. Its fragments transformed into countless large and small points, fluttering beautifully like a shower of light descending towards the sea of fog.

Each fragment of the sphere entered the fog, drawing in the surrounding mist. The white mist gathered and was absorbed into the light as if it were alive, and as it did, the light lost its vitality.

Once the numerous fragments of light finished their encounter with the fog, the entire fog area convulsed as if a tidal wave had struck.

The fog surged and subsided ceaselessly, resembling a pack of demonic beasts making their last desperate struggle before being caged. Han Li, who watched this without blinking, was not only astonished to the point of his mind going blank but also filled that space with longing and desire. It was the true power of a high-grade magical treasure [fǎbǎo] that he was witnessing for the first time in his life.

The massive fog also ended its final battle with the sphere and gradually faded away. It was at that moment that the tall and rugged form of the ring-shaped mountain came into view for Han Li and the other disciples.

‘It’s so high!’

The scale of the ring-shaped mountain that unfolded before their eyes was astonishing. The mountain peaks were hidden by the clouds, and the cliffs were made of all sorts of bizarre rocks, densely packed with numerous types of thick-trunked trees. What was even more impressive was the continuous, rugged mountain range. It was impossible to even guess how far it stretched to the sides.

However, the area that Han Li and the others were facing was relatively flat compared to the other steep regions, which was why it was called the path to the mountain.

Perhaps startled by the sudden change, the roars of demonic beasts echoing faintly from the mountainside were extremely ferocious. Han Li was also momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events.

‘Swish!’

A yellow figure shot out like an arrow from the undergrowth where Han Li was standing and disappeared into the dark depths of the mountain. This movement seemed to stimulate others, and several people shot out in a line at the same time.

However, they kept their distance from each other and plunged into the ring-shaped mountain in different directions. Han Li, on the other hand, did not rush and observed each of those who had chosen the same entry path as him.

* * *

After a while, a cold-faced man in blue, an old Taoist with white hair and beard, and a beautiful middle-aged woman in blue robes set off in quick succession. As if they had made a pact, they landed at different points and entered the forest.

After waiting another moment, no one else moved. Han Li checked the items he was carrying one last time, memorized the appearances of the few who had gone ahead of him, and then chose a direction that no one had taken, secretly moving his body.

Not long after he entered, the ugly man, Jong Oh, whom he had seen yesterday, appeared at the entrance. He looked at the dark mountain path, chuckled, and then shot out a dozen or so yellow dots. Only then did he begin to climb the mountain at a pace that was neither slow nor fast.

At this time, outside the forbidden area, the people of the Seven Great Sects were looking towards the forbidden area with worried expressions from the entrance where the restriction had been broken. Han Li’s granduncle, Lee, was also among them.

However, it was impossible to know whether he was more worried about whether his disciples were carrying out their mission well or about the outcome of his bet.

The situation was similar for the Taoist of the Qingxu Valley. After the old hag of the Eomwol Sect joined the bet, all his confidence had disappeared, and he was in a state of anxiety.

This was because the Blood Fiend Sect’s inner core was not something that could be easily obtained. Both he and the old hag had barely managed to get their hands on it after emptying their entire fortunes.

If it were to fall into someone else’s hands, even someone with his level of mental cultivation would be heartbroken and unable to sleep for years.

When the Taoist looked at who among the people gathered there seemed the most relaxed, it was none other than the Immortal Ye Sang, who had led the Eomwol Sect disciples. Ye Sang, the only woman among the seven Core Formation experts, had not shown a single moment of worry after the disciples of the Seven Great Sects had entered the forbidden area.

She had been chatting and laughing with others, as if she was full of confidence in the Eomwol Sect disciples and didn’t need to worry at all.

The more he saw this woman smiling, the heavier the Taoist’s heart became. He even began to wonder if the old hag had tricked him with the bet, and he felt as if his Blood Fiend Sect’s inner core had already left his hands and fallen into the old woman’s possession. As he continued to think this way, the Taoist became even more somber, and anyone who didn’t know him would have thought that he was worried about the safety of the disciples he had sent into the forbidden area.

After enduring for a long time, he finally couldn’t take it anymore and, avoiding the gazes of others, approached Granduncle Lee, who was standing on the other side.

“Venerable Lee, the disciples that the Hwangpung Valley has dispatched this time, are they skilled? Our two sects’ disciples cannot lose to the old hag’s disciples. I believe in the disciples that the Qingxu Sect has sent into the forbidden area.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying that you don’t trust our Hwangpung Valley disciples?”

“Haha! Of course not. I’m just saying that the Eomwol Sect’s dispatched disciples are a bit suspicious. I really can’t relax!”

When Granduncle Lee replied with displeasure, the Taoist forced a smile and explained.

“That’s true. I also thought something was strange. The Eomwol Sect has never sent only young disciples like this before! Surely, they’re not thinking of pairing them all up on this forbidden area expedition.”

Granduncle Lee also looked worried, unable to relax about this expedition and the bet. He nodded at the end of Granduncle Lee’s words, as if agreeing with what he had just said.

“Anyway, Taoist, don’t worry. When I, Lee, make a bet, it’s because I have confidence in my sect’s disciples, so there’s no way their skills will be lacking.”

Granduncle Lee looked at the Taoist with deep eyes and confidently declared.

“Haha! Since you say so, I feel much more at ease. Then I won’t bother you any further.”

Having received a satisfactory answer, the Taoist’s expression finally relaxed, and he left with a smile. He returned to his original position, sat cross-legged, and began to wait for the results in a few days. Granduncle Lee, who had seen him off with his eyes, suddenly snorted.

“Bu Unja, do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking, you Taoist? You’re clearly hoping that our sects will unite to defeat the Eomwol Sect, and then the Qingxu Sect will overwhelm the Hwangpung Valley. Hehe! I don’t know what kind of great disciples the Qingxu Sect sent into the forbidden area, but our valley has dispatched all three of the most skilled disciples in the Qi Refining stage. Otherwise, would I have accepted the bet?”

Granduncle Lee muttered, revealing a cunning glint in his eyes. The worried look from before had completely disappeared, proving that he was also one of the old foxes whose true intentions were hard to fathom.

Han Li, of course, had no idea that two Core Formation cultivators outside the forbidden area were playing games with each other, using him as a pawn. He was simply blocked by a huge brown boar.

This boar was no different from an ordinary boar, except that it was much larger. As soon as Han Li saw this beast, he recognized it as one of the lower-level demonic beasts that most commonly appeared in the ring-shaped mountain, the Mountain-Pushing Boar [tuī shān zhū].

Apart from its rough and thick skin and its strength, it only had the innate Stone Skin Technique [shí fū shù], so its skills were extremely low, and it could be easily dealt with.

As the Mountain-Pushing Boar snorted, a yellow light spread, and a faint white stone armor formed on its entire body. It then charged towards Han Li with increased momentum. Han Li, who had been standing still with a calm expression, watched the beast’s charge. When the boar entered close range, he flicked his right hand and instantly moved behind the beast.

The Mountain-Pushing Boar’s massive body continued past the spot where Han Li had been standing, panting heavily. At that moment, it was split in half from its twitching snout to its tail, and all its organs spilled out. Han Li had completely severed it using his invisible thread magic weapon.

After retrieving the invisible thread and looking at the Mountain-Pushing Boar, Han Li shook his head. He then immediately leaped onto a nearby tree and began to move away. He knew that if the smell of blood spread from the demonic beast’s corpse, a pack of demonic beasts with sensitive noses would soon arrive. The only way to survive was to get as far away as possible before that happened.

Several hours had already passed since he had entered the ring-shaped mountain, and during that time, he had encountered three or four demonic beasts.

Three of them were lower-level, so they were easily killed by Han Li’s single strike. The mid-level Flying Feather Peacock [fēi líng kǒng què], on the other hand, had its five-colored feathers plucked out, which automatically attacked and defended, making it difficult for him. However, that demonic beast was lucky enough to be a bird, but its speed was not fast. Thus, Han Li used his movement technique to escape in an instant, reducing unnecessary fighting.

Now, Han Li was leaping through the trees as if flying, constantly sighing. He was finally beginning to get a sense of how many demonic beasts there were in the ring-shaped mountain range.

This area was still on the outskirts, so it was mostly the habitat of lower-level demonic beasts. However, once he went deeper into the mountain, mid-level or even high-level demonic beasts would appear one after another.

When that happened, there would be no other option but to run away with all his might.

The information was too scarce, except for the areas where spirit herbs were hidden. It seemed that most disciples were too busy avoiding or fighting these demonic beasts to even explore the seven or eight known locations. Even then, finding spirit herbs was not always guaranteed.

‘Haa, the chances of securing enough spirit herbs aren’t high.’

As he overcame his gloomy mood and continued to run, he was heading towards a hidden cave where Purple Monkey Flowers [zǐ hóu huā] were said to grow.

It was said that there were hardly any valuable spirit herbs in this cave. The cave had already been discovered a hundred years ago, and all the useful spirit herbs that had grown inside had been harvested. What remained now were only immature sprouts, which could not be used to refine elixirs.

‘Sprouts?’

As he thought of this cave, Han Li unconsciously smiled. What he needed were exactly these kinds of sprout-like spirit herbs.

The reason he had taken the risk of this forbidden area expedition was because he was confident that he could definitely find spirit herbs among the high-level cultivators.

This way, he could avoid conflicts with the disciples of other cultivation sects and travel to more places, obtaining items that were useless to others.

If he collected all the spirit herb sprouts and then returned to promote their growth with the green liquid from the mysterious bottle, it would be no different from taking fully grown spirit herbs.

Although, according to Ma Sabak’s story, these sprouts could not survive long outside the forbidden area and would only grow for about a year.

However, this time was more than enough to promote their growth. After all, the maturation period for the spirit herbs needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill was at most four or five hundred years.

The only problem was whether he could secure a sufficient quantity in the remaining three days.

The areas where only sprouts remained were scattered, one in the east and one in the west, so there was a risk of wasting time due to demonic beasts or other sect disciples while moving.

* * *

“Is this the cave?”

Two hours later, Han Li stood on a black rock the size of a person, looking at the cave.

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# 92