Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 926

In a deep, secluded chamber within an underground palace of the sea, twelve ancient bronze lamps burned with green flames. The largest was the size of an egg, while the smallest was no bigger than a thumbnail.

A large, withered figure sat cross-legged before them, head bowed.

*Whoosh!*

Just as Han Li killed the soul of the monster moth, one of the ancient lamps suddenly went out. The withered figure made a strange noise and slowly raised its head, revealing a skull with eerie green flames burning in its eye sockets. The skull stared at the extinguished lamp and emitted a black light in anger. From the black light emerged a square black seal, with a jet-black true dragon engraved on each of its four sides, rotating around it.

Strange incantations came from the skull’s mouth, and the black seal emitted a murky fog. Within the fog, the lamp reflected the image of a blue-green bull-headed monster.

The monster lay prostrate on the floor, motionless. If its chest hadn’t been rising and falling, one would have thought it was a corpse. The skull opened its mouth and spat green flames towards the monster’s body.

*Screech!*

As the monster absorbed the green flames, it suddenly began to tremble and make strange noises. Then, it slowly opened its eyes and rose from the floor.

*Krrraaang!*

The monster’s unfocused gaze gradually sharpened, and it clenched its fists, letting out a roar. Blue lightning erupted from the bull-headed monster’s body, swirling around it.

The skull issued a sharp command to the monster, and the bull-headed monster amplified the lightning even more.

*Kwagwang!*

With a thunderous sound, the monster disappeared in a flash of blue lightning. As the monster vanished, the skull’s eyes flickered, and it gestured towards the extinguished ancient lamp.

*Pop!*

The flame of the ancient lamp reignited, but it was very weak, as if it could go out at any moment. The skull tilted its head, muttered to itself, and then drew a circle in the air with one hand.

Instantly, a spatial ripple occurred, and a silver mirror appeared, floating in front of the skull’s head. The skull emitted green flames again, and the mirror’s surface glowed with spiritual energy, faintly revealing something.

It was the figure of a young man in a blue robe, with his hands behind his back. Who else could it be but Han Li!

The skull looked at Han Li’s image in the mirror and waved its hand. The mirror shattered and scattered into blue light.

* * *

At the same time, Han Li landed next to the corpse of the monster moth, which was stained purple, and was examining it closely.

The body of a high-level monster was full of rare materials, but besides the inner core, what interested him most were the scales that the monster moth used to form the crystal shield and the huge wings that created the sharp blades.

However, now was not the time to analyze the monster. Han Li shrunk the monster moth’s body and put it into his Demonic Treasure Pouch [a magical storage bag] with a flash of blue light. He retrieved the Demonic Treasure Pouch and immediately transformed into a streak of blue light, flying upwards.

He was heading towards the inside of the ice island where the monster moth had come from.

* * *

He soon reached his destination.

Han Li stopped in mid-air and saw that the buildings were broken and collapsed. Surprisingly, they were all built of ice.

Apart from the broken ice buildings, bloodstains, and torn clothing, there were no living beings to be seen. Han Li frowned and landed in front of a large palace. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he turned his head sharply and looked back at a nearby pavilion.

“Who is hiding there? Come out now!”

“Please spare us, Great One! We are the servants of Master Eunsa,” a woman’s voice said, and a group of young men and women emerged from the closed pavilion. They all had fair faces and looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old.

The oldest woman among them led dozens of others and bowed to Han Li. They were all terrified. However, Han Li also scanned their bodies and couldn’t hide his surprise.

They looked exactly like humans, but they emitted a faint chill from their bodies. They were wearing only thin clothes even in the blizzard, and they didn’t seem to feel cold at all.

Han Li was about to ask something when his expression changed, and he turned his head. Then, at the end of the sky, a light of spiritual energy flashed, and two streaks of light flew in quickly. When the light faded, it revealed Qing Suo and the woman in the black skirt. They were both excited with surprise and joy when they saw Han Li.

“Senior Han is here! Then you’ve already dealt with the monster moth…?”

Qing Suo looked incredulous.

“That’s right. I’ve already taken care of that monster,” Han Li said with a smile, and he summoned the monster moth’s corpse from the Demonic Treasure Pouch and dropped it to the ground.

The two women were even more delighted to see the monster’s corpse. Qing Suo regained her composure and bowed to Han Li.

“If it weren’t for Senior Han, there would have been countless casualties on our Hwaho Islands.”

“That’s right. Even Master Eunsa was no match for it, so that monster was nothing short of a disaster in this area. We are grateful that Senior Han’s great divine powers killed that fiend,” the woman in the black skirt said with even more respect.

“It was nothing! It just happened to be the opposite of my cultivation method, so I was able to catch it. It didn’t look like a sea monster, so do you know where it came from?”

“We don’t know either. It’s the first time such a monster has appeared here. We and dozens of cultivators gathered here to discuss how to deal with the sea monsters when that moth flew through the fog and onto the island.

In the unexpected attack, the cultivators who were not strong enough were immediately blown away by the roar. Fortunately, Master Eunsa stepped forward and held the monster back, allowing the rest of the cultivators to escape safely,” Qing Suo said, shuddering at the memory. Han Li frowned, nodded, and then turned his gaze to the young men and women who had come out of the pavilion.

“Are these people who lived on this island? They seem to have a special constitution, but they don’t seem to be cultivators.”

“Haha, these are the Hanjeong Tribe. They cannot manipulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but they are very intelligent and have the ability to emit a slight chill. They live their entire lives with the appearance of youth and only age when their lifespan ends. They are a minority tribe, and there are only ten thousand of them in the entire Hwaho Islands.

Due to the nature of their tribe, which cannot produce cultivators, they rely on powerful tribes or are protected by the disciples of high-ranking clans. These Hanjeong Tribe members were living in Master Eunsa’s residence and serving as his attendants,” the woman in the black skirt explained in detail.

“But now that Master Eunsa is gone, their future is bleak,” Qing Suo added, looking rather sorry for them.

“Oh, so there was such a unique tribe,” Han Li said, looking curiously at the young men and women, as he had never heard of them before. They were all bowing their heads, centered around the leading woman.

“You all want to join Senior Han’s sect, don’t you? Senior Han, how about taking them in? The Hanjeong Tribe is perfect for being attendants. They are talented not only in handling miscellaneous tasks but also in tending to herb gardens,” the woman in the black skirt suggested, realizing their intentions.

“You mean they know how to grow herbs?”

“It’s not just that they know how to grow them. In many cases, even ordinary high-ranking cultivators are not as good as them at cultivating spiritual herbs. That’s why they were able to live here under Master Eunsa’s protection. If they could leave the nearby seas and go outside, many high-ranking clans would be vying for their talents.”

“Unfortunately, I’m used to living alone and don’t need attendants. You two can arrange for them,” Han Li said, shaking his head without hesitation despite Qing Suo’s words.

“Yes, if that’s what Senior wants, I understand. Actually, I’m also short-handed in the east. What about you, Cultivator Qing?”

“I have enough attendants on the island. If you like them, take them all,” Qing Suo said generously, giving the Hanjeong Tribe members away. Hearing that, the woman in the black skirt approached the Hanjeong Tribe men and women and asked for their opinion.

They had lost their master right before their eyes, so there was no reason to refuse the woman in the black skirt’s request. They politely agreed, and following the woman in the black skirt’s orders, they cleaned up the ice palace and then guided Han Li and the women inside.

“Senior Han, what are your plans for the future? Do you still intend to kill the sea monster?” Qing Suo asked as soon as they sat down.

“I’ve made up my mind, so I have to see it through. I’m going to try it anyway,” Han Li said. Qing Suo and the woman in the black skirt exchanged glances.

“Do you think I can’t do it?”

“No, it’s not that. How could Senior, who even defeated the monster moth, not be able to handle the sea monster? But the reason we thought we could track the sea monster was because of the Silver Light Beast that Master Eunsa raised. Since that beast died with Master Eunsa, it won’t be easy to find that sea monster.”

The woman in the black skirt quickly explained.

“I see. How did the Silver Light Beast track the sea monster?”

“Master Eunsa said that the Silver Light Beast had a secret divine power that was naturally good at tracking, and it could sense anything it had seen within ten thousand miles. That’s why we were going to take the Silver Light Beast to the sea area where the sea monster frequently appeared and try to find where the monster was hiding.”

“That’s troublesome. Then I’ll have to wander around the places where the sea monster appears and leave the rest to luck.”

“Senior Han, how about you wait a month before you leave? There are still many cultivators who were supposed to gather in Namho Island. It would be better to search together with them than to wander around alone.”

The woman in the black skirt suggested after thinking it over.

“From what Cultivator Qing said, the sea monster’s divine powers are strong, so if we search separately, the cultivators will just lose their lives in vain. If we travel together, the speed will also be slower. I think it would be more convenient to travel alone.”

The two women had no rebuttal to Han Li’s words and closed their mouths.

“If I’m lucky enough to find Gongunjeong [a place name], you just need to repair the teleportation array.”

“You can rest assured about that. If you find Gongunjeong, leave the repair of the teleportation array to us!” Han Li nodded in satisfaction at the two women’s replies.

The rest was simple. Han Li asked where the sea monster had appeared and then flew away in a streak of blue light. Qing Suo and the woman in the black skirt saw him off outside the main hall, and their expressions changed as soon as he disappeared.

“I still can’t believe that Senior Han killed that monster alone. His cultivation seemed similar to Master Eunsa’s, but Master Eunsa didn’t last long and was killed.”

“Didn’t Senior Han say that he was able to kill the monster because he had a divine power that was the opposite of it?”

“Do you believe that, Cultivator Qing? I don’t. The monster moth’s strange divine powers and profound demonic power were enough to reach the ninth level of the High Clans. There must have been at least a two-level difference, so how can he kill it so easily just because his divine power was the opposite?” The woman in the black skirt winked with a strange look on her face.

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“It’s nothing much. Cultivator Qing, you don’t have a partner yet, do you? If it’s Senior Han’s ability, wouldn’t he be a good choice? If you’re not interested, I might try to challenge him myself.”

Qing Suo’s face flushed red for a moment. “Senior Han and I have only met twice. What are you thinking?”

“Everyone thinks that way. If my memory serves me right, it’s been quite a while since Cultivator Qing has been at the fifth level, hasn’t it? If you form a relationship with a cultivator with high cultivation and train together, it’s easier to overcome the hurdle and advance to the next realm.

So, it doesn’t matter that you haven’t met many times. Since we’re stuck living in the nearby seas, we’ll have to see each other often in the future anyway. With Cultivator Qing’s beauty and talent, which man wouldn’t be moved?” The woman in the black skirt burst into a playful laugh.

“You shouldn’t say such things carelessly. Senior Han wants to return to his continent as soon as possible, so he won’t stay here for long. Besides, he might already have a partner.”

“Ah, that’s a problem. But how are we going to find that cunning sea monster? If we can’t repair the teleportation array to the continent, he’ll have no choice but to stay in the Hwaho Islands. Then, what does it matter if he had a partner before?” At the woman in the black skirt’s words, Qing Suo silently looked in the direction where Han Li had disappeared.