I Possessed a Cultivator Destined to Die at the Hands of the Protagonist - Chapter 48

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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48.
“This Muk-hyeon that Yu fought is no elder of Paecheonmun. An elder of such standing would never come to a place like this without reason.”
Jin Seok-jun’s words held merit.
Given the circumstances, it wouldn’t be amiss to ascertain exactly what Paecheonmun’s people were attempting and how they planned to do it.
‘In the original story, they triggered the earth calamity. But….’
My intervention had forced Paecheonmun into a defensive position far sooner than anticipated.
There was no guarantee they would act identically to their original counterparts.
“Fine, let’s take a look inside.”
We returned to the Abandoned Mine where we had fought Muk-hyeon.
The cavern bore the unmistakable scars of combat throughout its passages.
Jin Seok-jun meticulously examined the area while recording the formation patterns, hoping to glean something useful.
“What exactly was Paecheonmun trying to accomplish by turning criminals into Mano?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Converting martial artists into Mano makes them useful as combat strength, but criminals transformed into Mano are hardly worth calling combat strength, are they?”
“About that—could it simply be that they needed sheer numbers?”
In the original story, Paecheonmun’s objective was to trigger the earth calamity and absorb the earth’s vital energy.
For such a purpose, they would naturally require a massive sacrifice.
‘Converting martial artists into Mano would be ideal, but it wouldn’t be easy.’
Martial artists were far fewer in number than criminals, and even if cultivators were stronger, resistance couldn’t be ignored.
“Numbers, you say?”
“It’s merely speculation, but perhaps converting the criminals was merely one step in preparing something far greater.”
“Gwak Jun also mentioned that recreating Mato on the continent was their objective.”
“Converting criminals into Mano could be just one component of recreating Mato.”
“But how exactly do they intend to create Mato….”
“Hmm.”
Naturally, I didn’t know the specific method either.
Even the original story didn’t reveal everything.
Jin Seok-jun and I were putting our heads together in contemplation when it happened.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
“What—what is this?”
“Aaah! I-I only touched it with my hand, I swear!”
A section of the cavern wall twisted, revealing a hidden passage beneath.
Eun Hui-gyeom explained he had merely touched the wall because it seemed unnaturally artificial.
“We found something, didn’t we?”
“Looks like it.”
Jin Seok-jun rushed forward first, examining the earthen vessels nearby.
“There’s a barrier here that completely blocks the flow of earth energy in the vicinity. Quite sophisticated work.”
The formation was so subtle that even Jin Seok-jun wouldn’t have noticed it without the passage appearing.
Eun Hui-gyeom had accidentally triggered it by touching the wall.
“You’ve got a sharp eye.”
“Please, just tell me I didn’t cause a disaster.”
“A disaster? You did well.”
“That’s right. If it weren’t for Eun, we would have walked right past it.”
“Let’s proceed carefully and explore further.”
Jin Seok-jun activated his illumination technique and ventured deeper inside.
Beyond lay another chamber.
“What… what is all this?”
The second chamber was filled with countless stone statues in human form.
As I drew closer, I could sense a faint but unmistakable aura of souls.
“These are all the perpetrators, aren’t they?”
“It appears so.”
“That’s a terrible thing to do.”
The original work had described such events, so I knew this had occurred.
Yet knowing something intellectually and witnessing it with my own eyes were entirely different matters.
The more I learned about Paecheonmun, the more impossible it became to leave them unchecked.
“Look over there.”
At the center of the statues rose an altar.
Jin Seok-jun climbed onto the altar.
The altar’s surface was densely covered with unfamiliar characters.
“What does it say?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen these characters before.”
I glanced at Kang Jin-heon hopefully, but he shook his head, equally puzzled.
While we stood baffled, Jin Seok-jun’s expression darkened the moment he saw the characters on the altar.
“This is Hyeongan Script.”
Hyeongan Script was a specialized writing system transmitted only to inner disciples of Hyeonganmun.
To be precise, one didn’t read the characters themselves but rather interpreted the intent of the vital energy embedded within them.
Since Paecheonmun was a branch sect derived from Hyeonganmun, their use of Hyeongan Script was unsurprising.
“What does it say?”
“It is Hyeongan Script, but… it doesn’t appear to be written in the conventional manner. Script this intricate would require someone of elder rank to decipher it.”
Jin Seok-jun formed a hand seal and summoned clay figurines from his possession.
The figurines withdrew a large sheet of paper and carefully transcribed the Hyeongan Script scattered across the altar.
“Once we’ve copied it, I intend to return to the sect and seek guidance. However…”
“What’s the problem now?”
“Upon reflection, it may have been fortunate that we rescued the victims without first requesting the sect’s assistance.”
According to Jin Seok-jun, the formation was on the verge of activation.
Had we delayed to request reinforcements, the Soul-Severing Formation would surely have triggered, causing far greater catastrophe.
“What happens if the Soul-Severing Formation activates?”
Kang Jin-heon, who had been silently examining the Hyeongan Script, asked quietly.
“It forcibly reverses the essence of the earth’s meridians, converting them into demonic energy. If activated, the meridians across an area of at least thirty li—possibly fifty li—would be completely corrupted. And this part here…”
Jin Seok-jun pointed to a section of the Hyeongan Script inscribed on the altar.
“I honestly have no idea what’s written here either. But one thing is certain… this isn’t the end. I have a feeling this is merely part of something far greater.”
Jin Seok-jun’s intuition was never wrong.
The Soulvein Annihilation Formation was merely an intermediate step toward unleashing a catastrophe of earth-shattering proportions.
“By the way, I’d really like it if we reported this to the Chingwoo Immortal Sect. Would that be alright?”
“I have no objection. In fact, I believe we should.”
Surprisingly, Jin Seok-jun accepted the proposal without hesitation.
“I don’t believe there’s only one location like this. If the Soulvein Annihilation Formation activates at another site, the damage would be catastrophic.”
To seek counsel regarding the Hyeongan Stone Inscription, word had to reach the upper echelons, and it spread like wildfire to other sects in mere moments.
“However, I must ask for your understanding regarding the specific contents of the Hyeongan Stone Inscription—I cannot disclose those details.”
“That’s fine. We’ll share anything we discover as well.”
“Thank you.”
While conversing with Jin Seok-jun, the clay figurines had transcribed the entire Hyeongan Stone Inscription.
“Um, sister.”
“Yes?”
“What happens to the people who turned to stone here?”
I gazed down at the countless criminals beneath the platform.
Their expressions were utterly varied.
Some had closed their eyes, sensing death’s approach, while others had grown rigid mid-struggle, their final moments frozen in stone.
“They’re already dead, but it would be proper to give them a funeral rite.”
“I’d like to, but I’m not sure how.”
“While we cannot build them graves, we could scatter them on the wind.”
Kang Jin-heon’s suggestion seemed far more dignified than simply shattering them to pieces.
As Kang Jin-heon formed a seal, powerful winds swept through the entire cave, and the stone slowly crumbled into dust.
He swung his fan, and the particles followed the wind’s current, flowing out of the cave.
For a long time afterward, an unceasing wind swept through Hwangsa Valley.
The earthen remains of the criminals rose high into the sky, dancing upon the wind.
After conducting a simple funeral rite, we parted ways with Jin Seok-jun and returned directly to the Chingwoo Immortal Sect.
Eun Hui-gyeom and I made our way back to Bikyun Pavilion to report to Baek Un-jin.
“Um… are you perhaps a monastery cultivator?”
I turned at the sound of a young girl’s voice.
“Seol-hwa sister? …No, that can’t be right.”
The person before me bore a striking resemblance to Myeong Seol-hwa in her teenage years, yet she was not her.
“I’m Yang Ye-hee. Myeong Seol-hwa is my grandmother’s name.”
Grandmother.
Hearing that word, the passage of time suddenly felt cruel.
I had become a monastery cultivator and often sat in Bikyun Pavilion chatting with Myeong Seol-hwa.
Yet at some point, I had stopped seeing her.
I could not see her.
There was an unspoken rule among the criminals who worked in the sect.
Unless a monastery cultivator initiated conversation first, one must never speak to them.
When I first stepped onto the path of cultivation, I thought such rules were unreasonable.
As time passed, I came to understand why such rules existed.
“Your grandmother has been quite unwell.”

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