Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 299

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 299

“Right, trees? You’re talking about trees?”

“Ah, come on! I told you to use voice transmission!”

“Right. Sorry, sorry. I should use voice transmission. Of course!”

The Green Forest’s secret mental cultivation method, the Azure Forest Blood Concealment Art .

And after teaching the Wood Pulse Hidden Flow that he had created based on observing how life force flowed through trees, Zhuge Munhyeon’s attitude had completely changed.

He treasured him like gold and jade, which was clearly evident in his words and expressions.

“But aren’t you hungry?”

“What? You’re hungry?”

“I had a poor breakfast…”

“Oh my! That won’t do! You can’t be hungry like this!”

When he clutched his rumbling stomach and grimaced, Zhuge Munhyeon looked at Mujin in alarm.

“Mujin, find an inn.”

“What? We haven’t been traveling long? If we go just a little further, we’ll reach Hwaeum County… Let’s eat when we arrive.”

“How long do we wait until we arrive? He’s hungry, hungry!”

“…”

“Find one quickly. Hurry! What are you doing, not moving?”

“…Yes.”

With even his eyes glaring, Mujin grimaced and inquired about inns.

Sitting in the inn they soon found, Jin Yalim couldn’t hide his satisfaction.

Did you see that?

You Wudang Taoist who can’t even share a table.

This is the difference between you and me.

Did you see that, daughter of Beast Palace?

Zhuge Gongja isn’t someone who favors you just because you have a pretty face.

Even the food ordered was different from the start.

While others only drank tea or barely ordered light side dishes, a feast was spread before him.

“Don’t be modest and eat plenty. Think of my money as your money.”

At Zhuge Munhyeon’s words, filled with laughter, Jin Yalim glanced around and tried to push a step further.

“Well, my throat is dry… I was hoping for a drink…”

“Alcohol?”

“Ah, it’s not that I really want to drink, just that it would be nice if there was some… something like that.”

“Of course it would be nice if there was some. When you want to drink, you should drink. Why worry about such things?”

“What?”

“Innkeeper! Bring us some alcohol here. The finest you have, one bottle… no, bring a whole jar!”

Zhuge Munhyeon showed generous hospitality.

What couldn’t he do for him?

Even a thousand gold wouldn’t be too precious.

The unity of spiritual energy and internal energy.

This was the one who would help him find that clue.

Though it was still too early to judge hastily, studying his mental cultivation method called Wood Pulse Heart Flow would surely be helpful.

How delightful this was.

“Come, drink.”

Jin Yalim drained the cup that Zhuge Munhyeon filled and offered in one gulp, wearing a pleased smile.

Good alcohol.

It made his insides tingle pleasantly.

If he had known he would receive such treatment, he would have taught the mental cultivation method much earlier…

Kidnapping?

That had already been erased from his mind.

This was like… an escort.

Wasn’t he finally receiving treatment befitting the Heavenly River Star of Green Forest?

In that case?

“Ahem! Zhuge Gongja.”

“Hm? What? Do you need something more? Should I get you water?”

“That’s not it… I’m thirty this year.”

“I know.”

“I heard you’ve just reached the age of cap ceremony?”

“Not yet. Nineteen.”

“That’s basically the same thing.”

“Is it?”

“So what I’m saying is, traditionally speaking about propriety… don’t they say even a dish of water has waves, and even the Yangtze River currents have precedence?”

“That’s right. That’s the proper order of age and youth.”

Zhuge Munhyeon nodded readily.

As expected of the Zhuge Family.

Not just fighting, but communication worked well too.

Well, what kind of place was the Zhuge Family?

Wasn’t it a family of gentlemen who learned etiquette from childhood and how to treat people?

It should have been like this from the beginning.

Making them understand through words, persuading them…

Gaining courage, Jin Yalim steeled his heart and revealed his true feelings.

“So since I’m older, it would look strange to others if I keep using honorifics, and at this point, since I’m the elder brother… It’s not that I must be treated with respect…”

“No.”

Zhuge Munhyeon flatly refused.

Though he was smiling, Jin Yalim, who had already experienced his touch several times, found himself speechless.

‘R-right. Suddenly dropping honorifics was too hasty.’

It was premature.

Becoming close takes time.

“Then perhaps semi-formal speech…”

“No.”

Even the smile disappeared and he became expressionless.

Jin Yalim gulped and quickly waved his hands.

“Haha! It was a joke, a joke.”

“Don’t do that kind of thing. It’s not funny at all.”

“Right, right. Unfunny jokes shouldn’t be made carelessly. Of course!”

Jin Yalim quickly turned his gaze away and drained his cup repeatedly.

The damn bastard was still scary.

Just a change in his eyes made his knees weak.

“Zhuge Gongja.”

“Ah, Hyeonmuk Daejang.”

“Let’s get up now. If we go just a little further we’ll reach Huashan, so there’s no need to stay here long. Since I sent word that you’re coming along, the Sect Leader will be waiting.”

“Ah, shall we?”

It wasn’t proper to keep the elder of a sect waiting.

Huashan.

One of the sacred places of Daomen and those said to be at the pinnacle of Central Plains swordsmanship.

He needed to meet them quickly.

According to his original purpose, he had to appeal to them about uniting the Nine Sects.

And after that.

‘Geollyeongji.’

That place was the real purpose of the Huashan trip.

Huabuyuan of Bosan Pavilion had said that at a place called Geollyeongji in Huashan, there was Taeudon, a force of Immortals.

A place where immortal arts originating from martial arts are practiced.

Perhaps through them, he might learn true immortal arts.

So there was no time to hesitate.

“Are you finished eating?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

Jin Yalim, who obediently stood up following Zhuge Munhyeon’s words, made a resolution in his heart.

‘It was premature.’

There was no possibility of being freed from this kidnapping anyway.

But there were still many opportunities to become close.

Someday he would definitely teach proper respect for elders…

In a corner of the inn that felt somehow empty after the Huashan disciples who had filled the interior disappeared.

A village man who could be seen anywhere put down his cleanly emptied noodle bowl.

Thud.

Whether his stomach was full, he wore an extremely satisfied expression as he looked toward the entrance where Zhuge Munhyeon’s group and the Huashan disciples had receded like the tide.

“Hmm, interesting fellows.”

Grinning, he put down money for the noodles on the table, stood up, and slowly followed after Zhuge Munhyeon’s group.

* * *

The Sword Ancestor.

He was one obsessed with the sword.

He had no interest in conflicts between Murim factions or warriors proving their strength through competition.

He trained as if he would die solely to comprehend the true meaning of the weapon called the sword.

Then one day he attained enlightenment of the Way, took refuge in Seonmun Taeudon, and reached the realm of Half-Immortal.

But the path ahead was still long.

On the long, long path of immortality, the Half-Immortal realm was merely taking first steps as a beginner.

Moreover, he had already seen higher realms.

Those in the supreme realm called Sangson.

But having entered Seonmun, he couldn’t just cultivate endlessly.

There was much to do, like catching beasts that had abandoned taboos.

Recently, heavenly energy had become chaotic and ominous winds were even blowing from the northwest, making the immortals of Taeudon extremely on edge.

Several had already departed for investigation under orders from Dongju.

Then one day, while in the midst of cultivation, the Sword Ancestor felt a tremendous explosion of spiritual energy somewhere in Shanxi.

What beast had violated taboos again…

So he fled to avoid catching Dongju’s attention.

If he was noticed carelessly, he would obviously be told to go investigate.

But anxiety always becomes reality, and an order fell to investigate the disturbance in Shanxi.

How bothersome…

He had just grasped the beginning of a new enlightenment.

It wasn’t a far distance.

For those who could cross mountains in a single step.

But when he actually arrived at that place, there were no beasts, only warriors everywhere.

Huashan Sect?

Since they lived near Taeudon, he could recognize them just by their clothing.

This was strange.

There were no Taoists among Huashan who had attained immortal ways.

Then he saw her.

A beautiful woman who possessed spiritual energy, albeit faintly.

He was a bit surprised.

Sealing spiritual energy?

Given the location, she would have known the symptoms.

Was there a physician in human territory who could handle spiritual energy?

Whether she sensed him, she glanced over, startling him so much.

He barely managed to scatter his spiritual energy to avoid attention.

And another one.

This time it was someone who mixed spiritual energy with internal energy.

How mysterious.

What method had he used exactly?

But the beast he had sought to find could not be found anywhere.

If it had created a spiritual energy explosion that could be felt even from Taeudon, it would certainly be a Half-Immortal.

He should have followed the traces.

But the overwhelming annoyance slowed his steps.

Though a Half-Immortal’s life spans a thousand years, with insufficient time for cultivation, he couldn’t chase after a beast that had fled and hidden somewhere unknown.

Rather, he could just say he couldn’t find it and receive a scolding from Dongju.

At most he’d be punished with wall meditation.

But then he ended up seeing two more peculiar fellows.

A Wudang Taoist.

The one who supposedly learned immortal secret arts harbored violent-looking energy within his body.

The flow was that of what humans call strong energy, but the energy still kept in his body that he couldn’t yet dissolve was of such vast quantity it was astounding.

It far exceeded the level of an ascetic.

How could such a thing be possible?

But even more surprising was the very next fellow.

Because he had hidden it so cleverly, he hadn’t noticed at all at first, but the man possessed both spiritual energy and internal energy simultaneously.

Though he watched carefully for a long time, since he was breathing according to internal energy cultivation methods, the hidden spiritual energy could only be felt faintly.

But even that alone was tremendous.

Among the group, he possessed the greatest amount of spiritual energy.

The Sword Ancestor immediately knew.

That’s him.

That fellow must be the owner of the spiritual energy felt from Taeudon.

Though he had learned the cause of the situation, by his nature he should have felt annoyance.

Though he had violated taboos, he hadn’t done anything greatly wrong…

But curiosity, which surpassed annoyance, kept leading his steps.

To follow.

The steps he had taken in pursuit had already reached near Hwaeum County.

“Hmm, should I drop by Huashan while I’m at it?”

The Sword Ancestor, who had followed Zhuge Munhyeon’s group, looked at the white mountain standing tall in the distance.

Huashan.

Seonin, Nakan, Yeonhwa.

A rocky mountain where all three peaks were composed of granite.

But the fellows living there were a bit peculiar.

Though no plum blossoms bloomed in the temple grounds situated on Yeonhwa Peak, they used martial arts with names containing “plum blossom.”

Actually, plum blossoms bloomed abundantly at the foot of the mountain.

“Crazy bastards.”

Probably some crazy Taoist had seen plum blossoms somewhere and created techniques that were passed down to become Huashan’s representative martial arts.

Anyway, he occasionally visited Huashan.

Because like swordsmanship created from observing flowers, there were sometimes those who attained enlightenment of natural principles and opened their Way.

Conversing with them could yield at least one small enlightenment.

When had he last visited? Two hundred years ago?

“Unfortunately, in the end he couldn’t comprehend the true meaning and just spouted nonsense before dying. Tsk tsk. Making a memorial hall claiming that was ascension to immortality… Really ridiculous fellows.”

The Sword Ancestor, reminiscing about the past, clicked his tongue and laughed.

Ascension to immortality, indeed…

Such a thing doesn’t exist.

In the first place, the reason the Taoist Sect cultivates Alchemy is for ‘immortality,’ so what’s all this talk about Ascension to Immortality?

Death is annihilation.

For humans and Immortals alike.

Those who have truly awakened to the Way do not die.

They simply remain in the other side of the world in a new form.

“In any case, this visit should be quite entertaining. There are four fascinating fellows.”

Recalling the Young Martial Artists he had seen, the Sword Ancestor moved his steps with delight.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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