Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 983

“What’s the point of us speculating? We’ll naturally find out once we capture and interrogate the one who eliminated the avatar. According to the last news we received, Bloodfiend’s daughter was also nearby.”

The blue-robed man spoke calmly.

“Heh heh, you don’t actually think my daughter is responsible for this, do you?”

The blood-robed giant asked with a chuckle.

“If it were just your daughter, perhaps not, but if Maak, who just advanced to the Saint Realm [a high cultivation realm], lent a hand, it wouldn’t be impossible.”

The blue-robed man stared intently at the giant, enunciating each word clearly.

“What did you say?”

“Are you really talking about that Maak?”

This time, both the blood-robed giant and the silver-robed old man raised their voices simultaneously.

“You’ll all receive reports from your subordinates soon enough. And is there any other crocodile demon beast in the Magic Gold Mountain Range? Of course, it’s that Black Abyss Crocodile.”

The blue-robed man explained with a reluctant expression.

“Hmph, this is….”

The silver-robed old man’s expression hardened at the news that Maak had become a Saint Realm demon beast.

“This is going to be troublesome. Isn’t he someone who used to be the mount of Saint Ancestor Myungra? Our Saint Ancestor had a deep friendship with Saint Ancestor Myungra, so it’s difficult for us to act rashly. I wonder how much more arrogant he’ll become!”

The blood-robed giant also frowned, displeased.

“There’s no need to worry. Now that Maak is our equal, the Saint Ancestor will not let him act as he pleases. Let’s casually mention it to the Saint Ancestor later.”

The blue-robed man revealed his thoughts.

“That’s a valid point. Once the Saint Ancestor awakens, we can just follow his orders.”

The silver-robed old man stroked his beard, agreeing.

“Hmm, I’ll follow your opinions.”

The blood-robed giant, after a moment of thought, did not object.

“But at this time when the Saint Ancestor is about to awaken, one of you sent out an avatar, and the other sent out his daughter. It seems you have very important matters to attend to outside.”

The silver-robed old man narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked this. At his words, the blue-robed man and the blood-robed giant flinched and exchanged glances.

“Daoist Daan, let’s not ask questions we already know the answers to. Your subordinates are also running rampant in the Magic Gold Mountain Range. Do you think we don’t know it’s because of the Earthly Essence?”

The blood-robed giant rolled his eyes and asked with a smile.

“Earthly Essence? What’s that? I sent my subordinates to capture the murderer who killed my son and take revenge!”

The silver-robed old man retorted sharply with a bewildered expression.

The silver-robed old man was a Saint Realm demon, Daanma, at the Fusion stage [a cultivation stage]. The old man had dispatched Guya and Oup, his left and right arms, to track down the murderer to avenge his son who was killed by Han Li.

As a result, Guya was killed by a Blood Spirit possessed by an extra-terrestrial demon while tracking alone, and Oup was killed by shadow puppets transformed from the Armor Talisman while chasing Han Li with a pack of mid- and high-level demon beasts.

The remaining demon beasts were hurrying towards the entrance of the Magic Gold Mountain Range under the command of a small beast. They were waiting in ambush for Han Li and his group.

Because of this, Daanma’s subordinates had no time to observe what other forces were doing. So, the silver-robed old man was completely unaware of the Earthly Essence.

The other two men were other Saint Realm demons called Cheolshima and Bloodfiend. When it seemed that Daanma was not lying, Bloodfiend and Cheolshima were rather surprised. After a moment of silence, Bloodfiend opened his mouth with a cautious expression.

“Did Daoist Daan’s son lose his life? Why didn’t you inform us?”

“Is it something to be proud of that I should go around telling everyone! Besides, you were all very busy for the past few days, so it’s understandable that you didn’t know my news.”

Daanma retorted with a displeased expression.

“Ahem… It seems I was mistaken this time and wrongly blamed you, Daoist.”

The blood-robed giant coughed awkwardly. He looked quite embarrassed.

“Enough about that, I’m curious about what this Earthly Essence you just mentioned is. Would anyone care to explain?”

“Haha, it’s nothing much, really. It’s just an incident that occurred when a heaven-and-earth spirit hid in the mountain range. You’ll find out soon enough even if I don’t explain.”

Cheolshima tried to laugh it off casually when Daanma asked indifferently.

“Ah, you’re saying it’s nothing much even though Daoist Cheol and Bloodfiend personally went out because of just one heaven-and-earth spirit? Do you think I wouldn’t know if you didn’t tell me? Hey there!”

Clap clap!

Daanma’s face hardened, and he clapped his hands twice to summon a subordinate.

From outside the main hall, a lean man with a black glow and wearing green armor walked in. He respectfully bowed to the silver-robed old man.

“Greetings, Master.”

“Immediately find out what this spirit called the Earthly Essence is and where it is now.”

“Yes!”

At Daanma’s command, the green-armored man turned into a blue light and exited the main hall. Cheolshima and Bloodfiend wore awkward smiles at his actions.

Daanma glanced at their expressions and cleared his throat to draw attention.

“Let’s put the Earthly Essence matter aside and get to the main point. There’s news that there’s been a change in the interface passage we blocked a few days ago. It seems the Saint Realm is still not giving up and is up to something.”

“The interface passage? The Saint Ancestor destroyed it with one strike, how could they do anything about it?”

Bloodfiend asked with a slightly tense expression.

“Are you doubting my words?”

“It’s important news related to the interface passage, I was just asking to be sure.”

Daanma retorted coldly, and Bloodfiend just chuckled awkwardly.

“If another Saint Ancestor in the Saint Realm possesses a Profound Heavenly Treasure [a powerful artifact], it’s not impossible for them to open the passage again.”

“That’s absurd. Our Saint Ancestor was surrounded and had no way to retreat, so he forcibly opened the interface at the cost of damaging the Profound Heavenly Treasure and greatly reducing his cultivation. Would another Saint Ancestor make such a sacrifice even if they had a Profound Heavenly Treasure?”

Bloodfiend refuted Cheolshima’s words firmly.

“It’s not something we can be sure of. If there are two or more Saint Ancestors on the other side and they attack the passage continuously with Profound Heavenly Treasures, the interface passage might be opened without such a sacrifice.”

Daanma expressed his opinion with a serious expression. At his words, Bloodfiend and Cheolshima’s expressions darkened.

“Let’s stop. The change in the passage is still minimal, and it might take years for the interface passage to open. Whether we fight back or run away, it’s up to the Saint Ancestor to decide. By the way, when will the Saint Ancestor awaken….”

Cheolshima sighed and gave a bitter smile.

“That’s true. Anyway, there’s nothing we can do to stop the changes in the interface passage. We’ll have to wait and see what the Saint Ancestor has in mind.”

Bloodfiend nodded.

*Whoosh.*

Daanma was about to say something as he stroked his beard when the pitch-black stone door in front suddenly emitted light.

“It seems the Saint Ancestor is about to awaken.”

Bloodfiend raised his voice at the change in the stone door, and all the high-level demon beasts looked at the stone door with faces full of joy.

The light from the stone door, which had been sparkling for a while, gradually faded, and the brightly shining magic characters disappeared. The three demons stared intently at the stone door without blinking.

*Clunk.*

After half an hour, the stone door finally opened.

“It’s commendable that all three of you have been waiting here. Come in, all of you.”

A strange woman’s voice was heard from behind the stone door. Her voice was gentle and pleasant, with a sense of rhythm. A pink glow flickered through the half-opened stone door, giving a mysterious feeling.

“Saint Ancestor, we congratulate you on regaining consciousness.”

Daanma stepped forward and shouted loudly, and the other two demons bowed with him. The three demons walked into the stone door side by side with excited expressions.

Inside the stone door, a pink glow spread, making it seem like a completely different world. An endless expanse of green land with lush greenery stretched out under a clear azure sky.

And at the far end of the meadow, a giant flower tree stood tall.

Large pink flowers resembling lotus flowers hung from the purple tree. And beneath it stood a white figure of beautiful form.

Even though she was far away and had her back to the four demons, she seemed capable of stealing the hearts of all the men in the world. The demons bowed again upon discovering the woman.

“Come closer.”

The woman smiled gently and plucked a pink flower from the flower tree and threw it.

*Bang!*

The huge flower spun around and burst, spreading out in a pink aura. They were instantly transported to a place near the giant flower tree. Surprised, they quickly performed a grand bow.

“Enough, get up. You’ve followed me for a long time, so you know that I don’t care much for formalities.”

“Thank you, Saint Ancestor! We congratulate you on recovering your cultivation.”

The three demons bowed deeply once more without the slightest carelessness.

“It’s too early to be congratulated. I’ve only recovered half of my magic power, and it seems difficult to regain it just through cultivation. I need the help of a spirit.”

The woman sighed briefly.

“A spirit?”

At her words, the three demons exchanged glances.

“Yes, and it shouldn’t be an ordinary one. The Spirit Realm is no less than the Saint Realm, so I should be able to find one.”

The white-clad woman slightly raised her head and looked at the blooming flower tree.

“If you give the order, we will find any item without fail.”

Cheolshima expressed his loyalty with a bow, and Bloodfiend and Daanma did the same.

“Haha, I’ll accept your hearts. This is not the Saint Realm, so how can you roam freely? You are already beings of the Saint Realm, so the lower-level beings of the Spirit Realm might not recognize your identities, but if you encounter beings of the same level, you’ll be exposed quickly. I have no choice but to go myself.”

The woman, after a moment of contemplation, made a decision.

“You’re going yourself, Saint Ancestor?”

“Absolutely not. You haven’t fully recovered your cultivation yet, what if you encounter a being of the same level outside?”

“Saint Ancestor, please reconsider!”

“Don’t worry. The possibility of encountering a being of my level in the Spirit Realm is slim. When one’s cultivation reaches my level, they usually focus on cultivation in their abode to prepare for the heavenly tribulation [a trial to reach a higher cultivation realm]. Also, even with half my magic power, I may not be able to defeat a being of the same level, but I have the ability to save my life. Would beings like us, who can step into the final realm at any time, lose our lives so easily?”

The white-clad woman replied calmly.

At the woman’s words, the three demons could no longer dissuade her.

“If I don’t leave this place, there’s no way to recover. If the enemies from the Saint Realm cross over in this state, we won’t be able to resist. While I’m gone, there’s something you need to do here.”

“Just give us your orders, Saint Ancestor.”

Daanma replied respectfully, and the other two demons also listened attentively.

“While I was asleep, has the interface passage of the Saint Realm ever opened?”

“There was nothing until recently, when a faint wave was transmitted from beyond the passage. It’s a very subtle reaction, but it seems the Saint Realm is up to something.”

Daanma replied.

“They must have recovered as well, so it’s time for them to start moving. I’ll teach you a super-large formation. It has the effect of doubling the power of the interface, so it won’t be easy for them to break through the passage. Setting up the formation is not an easy task, so you’ll have to focus solely on this to complete it quickly.”

“Yes, we will obey your command!”

The demons rejoiced and accepted the command in unison.