Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 944

“……!”

The woman’s expression shifted at the surge of demonic energy, and she quickly erected a white protective barrier to shield herself.

*Chiik!*

The demonic energy collided with the barrier, producing a strange sound as it was repelled. Han Li, with a subtle smile playing on his lips, formed a hand seal. Golden light emanated from his entire body as he summoned the three-headed, six-armed Dharma Image [a manifestation of spiritual power].

The three heads of the Dharma Image chanted incantations, and golden pillars of light shot towards the demonic energy-emitting armor. Then, something astonishing occurred.

The purple armor, struck by the golden light, spun and vanished. The next instant, black energy surged through the Saintly True Devil Dharma Image, and the purple armor strangely materialized onto the Dharma Image’s body.

The Dharma Image’s aura intensified several times over as it donned the armor, and black energy overflowed, obscuring its form within the demonic miasma. Han Li raised his head to observe the Dharma Image in the void, a look of great satisfaction on his face.

The armor still retained some of its spirit, and he could control it using the Saintly True Devil Art. This was because the Saintly True Devil Art itself was based on the mysterious demonic arts of the Ancient Devil Realm. Although Ancient Devils and Extraterrestrial Devils were different, they both utilized True Devil energy as their power source.

Of course, if the Extraterrestrial Demonic Armor hadn’t been damaged and was at full power, or if its original owner were still alive, controlling it wouldn’t have been so easy.

“Excellent, this demonic armor will definitely be useful to me. It’s a pity that the damage is so severe, otherwise…”

“If the armor were perfect, how could you have obtained it? Besides, if you are willing to pay the price, there is a way to repair it. At least two or three tenths of its original power can be restored.”

The Crystal Race woman stated calmly, concealing her surprise as she gazed at the Dharma Image.

“Oh, I almost forgot you’re a Crystal Race person. What is the price you mentioned?”

“Normally, this item is a priceless treasure, but since it’s demonic armor, it can’t be controlled by anyone who isn’t a demonic cultivator. Demonic cultivators are extremely rare on Thundercloud Continent, and it’s even more difficult to find someone who has reached your level of cultivation.

You can see that I’ve held onto the armor since I obtained it until I met you. How about this, Senior, if you provide some rare materials and spirit pills [medicinal pills that enhance cultivation]! And if you also add a few top-grade spirit stones [currency used by cultivators], I will give you the armor.”

The Crystal Race woman answered without much hesitation, as if she had already considered it thoroughly.

“Is it that simple?”

Han Li was taken aback by the unexpected answer. The conditions were too generous. The Crystal Race woman simply smiled at his words and remained silent.

“Let’s hear how to repair it first.”

Han Li immediately inquired about repairing the armor. The Crystal Race woman hesitated slightly before speaking with a sigh.

“Repairing the armor is straightforward. If you can obtain enough demonic cores, the armor can be repaired.”

“What is a demonic core?”

“Usually, a demonic core refers to the inner core of a high-level demonic beast. To repair the Extraterrestrial Demonic Armor to a usable state, you would need at least several hundred demonic cores. Moreover, they must be from demonic beasts with cultivation above the Upper Clan [a high cultivation level]. The higher the grade of the demonic core used as the main material, the better. If it’s the inner core of a Saint-level demonic beast, that would be ideal.”

“Saint-level demonic beast? You must be joking. Where can I find so many demonic cores? It seems like the cost of repairing the armor is higher than the cost of buying it.”

Han Li’s face hardened, and he questioned her directly.

“If you think so, then it’s a pity. If the armor is properly repaired, its power will double. It depends on the main material, the demonic core. If repaired with low-level demonic cores, the power will be greatly reduced, but if repaired with Saint-level demonic cores, the power will increase two to three times.

So, isn’t it natural that the price is high? Also, it’s not like there are no other options. I have two pieces of information about Saint-level demonic cores to share with you.”

The Crystal Race woman smiled as if she had everything planned out.

“Two pieces of information? Let’s hear them.”

“One is that in three months, the Cloud Commerce Auction House, one of the auction houses in Cloud City, will be auctioning off the demonic core of a Saint-level Thorny Demon Beast. It’s such a rare demonic core that even some Saint-level beings are eyeing it.”

‘Even Saint-level beings!’

His brow furrowed involuntarily at that statement.

He wasn’t short on wealth, but he didn’t have the confidence to compete with beings above the Fusion stage [a high cultivation stage]. Those old monsters had lived for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years, so how much treasure and spirit stones would they have accumulated!

Of course, if he converted all the numerous spirit pills and materials he possessed into spirit stones, he might be able to compete with the Saint-level beings. However, if he did anything that drew attention, he would encounter trouble before he could even bid on the demonic core.

Han Li quickly considered the situation and shook his head.

“It will be difficult to obtain that item at an auction where Saint-level beings are participating.”

“Since you say so, I will tell you the second piece of information. It seems like you recently arrived in Cloud City, have you perhaps heard of the Demonic Gold Mountain Range?”

“Demonic Gold Mountain Range! I know there is such a place, but I don’t know the specifics.”

“It’s natural that you don’t know. It was discovered only in the last ten thousand years, so people from other regions hardly know about it. I will explain it in detail.”

The woman’s eyes widened, sparkling.

“Please do.”

Han Li nodded, recalling the location of the Demonic Gold Mountain Range from the map of the Cloud City area he had recently purchased.

“About ten thousand years ago, a spatial storm suddenly appeared in a wilderness area a month away from Cloud City. After the spatial storm passed, a black mountain range suddenly appeared.

The void of the mountain range, surrounded by thick demonic energy, became extremely unstable, with large and small spatial rifts appearing. A large amount of demonic energy leaked out from within, and high-level demonic beasts also emerged. Among them were Saint-level demonic beasts. Before long, millions of miles around the mountain range were covered in demonic energy, and it continued to expand its territory.

This led to the top-level cultivators of the Cloud Race taking action. Six or seven Saint-level beings joined forces, entered the demonic energy zone, killed most of the Saint-level demonic beasts, and tried to completely resolve the issue by entering the center of the mountain range.”

The Crystal Race woman explained in a serious tone. When she mentioned spatial rifts and the large amount of demonic energy being emitted, Han Li was reminded of the Land of Mingxia. The Crystal Race woman took a long breath and continued her story.

“The Saint-level cultivators returned only after half a year, and they immediately issued a strict order to completely seal off the surrounding area, leaving only one entrance.

They announced that only a certain level of demonic energy and Saint-level demonic beasts would emerge from the spatial rifts, and that the current area and number of demonic beasts would be maintained. However, since then, beings above the Saint-level were forbidden from entering the restriction, and only those below the Saint-level were allowed to enter to kill demonic beasts to obtain inner cores or find rare materials.

However, the time they could enter was only one month out of the year, and they could not stay longer than a month, regardless of whether they had any gains. This is because the demonic energy there is too dense, and even demonic beasts cannot withstand it for long, eventually becoming assimilated with the demonic energy and turning into demonic creatures.

The place was full of demonic beasts and good for finding rare materials, so for the first few years, many mid- and high-level cultivators flocked there whenever the area was opened. However, as time passed, the number of people decreased, and now there are hardly any who want to enter.”

The Crystal Race woman sighed deeply.

“Why is that?”

“Because those who returned had rare materials, but nine out of ten did not return. Moreover, even as time passed, the number of high-level demonic beasts only increased and did not decrease, so everyone became afraid.

Not only were there many high-level demonic beasts inside the Demonic Gold Mountain Range, but there were also a few Saint-level demonic beasts that had survived at the time. They basically resided in the center of the mountain range, but if you happened to encounter them, it was a death sentence.

To be honest, it has been a long time since cultivators have been going there to provide demonic beasts with sacrifices, rather than hunting them.

Fortunately, high-level demonic beasts usually stay deep within the mountain range and rarely appear in the surrounding areas. Otherwise, no one would even think of entering. Even now, if someone returns alive from that place, they say they become rich overnight. That’s why the place is called the ‘Demonic Gold Mountain Range,’ combining fear and envy.”

“You’ve told me all this in such detail because you want me to go there and hunt a Saint-level demonic beast?”

Han Li asked calmly. Although he was expressionless on the outside, he had already made up his mind. The Extraterrestrial Demonic Armor was indeed impressive, but it wasn’t worth risking his life for.

“How could I ask you to do that when the center of the Demonic Gold Mountain Range is so dangerous? What I was suggesting to you was about the demonic core of a Saint-level demonic beast in the Demonic Gold Mountain Range, but…”

The Crystal Race woman raised the corners of her lips and shook her head.

“What does that mean?”

“A hundred years ago, an unknown Saint-level demonic beast broke through the barrier of the Demonic Gold Mountain Range for some unknown reason and attacked nearby cities. It was severely injured and fled after several Saint-level beings rushed to the scene upon hearing the rumors. I happened to find out where that demonic beast was hiding.”

“Is that true?”

Han Li’s expression became serious.

“It is the absolute truth. Moreover, the demonic beast’s injuries were so severe at the time that it is hiding on the outskirts of the Demonic Gold Mountain Range, deep in slumber. It means that it cannot even exert one-tenth of its original strength.

The only troublesome thing is that there is a barrier of demonic energy around the place where the demonic beast is sleeping. If it is not a high-level cultivator who can control demonic energy, the demonic beast will awaken the moment they touch the barrier. That’s why I couldn’t do anything even though I knew the demonic beast’s whereabouts.

What I want in exchange for repairing the armor for you is the other materials of the demonic beast, excluding the demonic core. If you think it’s a fair price, I’ll tell you the location where the demonic beast is sleeping right away.”

The Crystal Race woman finally presented her real terms of the deal.

“Is it certain that the demonic beast is really sleeping near the Demonic Gold Mountain Range? And that its divine abilities are only one-tenth of its original strength? How did you find out such specific information?”

Han Li pondered for a long time before asking. He was tempted by the woman’s words, but he had to be sure about important matters.

“It’s all true. If I show you this, all your doubts will be resolved.”

The Crystal Race woman was rather pleased with Han Li’s cautious attitude and emitted black smoke from her sleeve. The smoke condensed above her head, and it turned out to be a fist-sized strange bird with a black body and golden eyes.

“A Demonic Smoke Bird!”

Han Li, recognizing the identity of the strange bird at a glance, understood everything.

“That’s right. The Demonic Smoke Bird is one of the rare demonic beasts even in the Spirit Realm! It doesn’t have any offensive abilities, but it has mysterious abilities in exploration and stealth. It can even carry a strand of its owner’s consciousness for a long time and be directly controlled. After finding the whereabouts of the Saint-level demonic beast, I used the Demonic Smoke Bird to confirm the sleeping demonic beast several times.”

The Crystal Race woman wore her unique smile.

“Since you’ve seen the Demonic Smoke Bird, I’ll trust your words. But I have a few more questions. Even if it’s a Saint-level demonic beast, if it escaped the attacks of several Saint-level beings at the time, it wouldn’t be low-level. Moreover, depending on the type, it could be a demonic beast that far surpasses the divine abilities of its peers. Since you’ve seen it yourself, you must have confirmed what type it is?”

“I didn’t see the battle between the demonic beast and the Saint-level beings directly… but I heard that it had divine abilities comparable to the second or third level of a Saint-level being. Of course, that’s just a conclusion I drew from listening to other cultivators, so it’s not accurate. And it’s hard to say what kind of demonic beast it is. It looked like the legendary True Spirit [a powerful mythical creature] ‘Mountain Giant Ape’ on the outside. It might be a type that has some True Spirit blood mixed in.”

‘Mountain Giant Ape!’

Han Li’s expression changed slightly at the Crystal Race woman’s words.