I Possessed a Cultivator Destined to Die at the Hands of the Protagonist - Chapter 53

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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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53.
“We have committed a grave error by not recognizing you, Senior. Please, we beg for our lives.”
Baek Un-jin flicked his finger, and the ice beneath the monastery practitioners vanished as if it had never existed.
The man, crushed beneath the spiritual energy, fell to his knees and broke into a cold sweat.
“Begone.”
Staggering to his feet, he gathered his subordinates and disappeared in an instant.
Among those Baek Un-jin had driven away were practitioners of the Jeongmun Paldae.
‘Impressive.’
Baek Un-jin’s technique was so refined that even watching from beside him, I could barely comprehend it fully.
I had known vaguely that he was strong, but witnessing it with my own eyes was an entirely different sensation.
“Let us return.”
“Ah, yes. Master, there is one thing I wish to ask of you.”
I retraced everything that had happened from the auction house until now.
Those who had fled were likely practitioners of Hyeonganmun concealing their identities.
‘Master successfully delivered the Mind-Calming Stone to Woo Tae-san.’
If the original work confirmed this, then the process of obtaining the Mind-Calming Stone itself posed no problem.
‘The issue likely arose after the Mind-Calming Stone was handed over.’
I made a proposal to Baek Un-jin.
“You wish me to participate in the conference to reveal the Hyeonbaek locations?”
“Yes. You obtained this Mind-Calming Stone yourself, Master. If you vouch for it, people will trust it.”
“Hyeonganmun may view it as interference.”
Baek Un-jin’s point was valid.
It was their unspoken rule that the internal affairs of the Jeongmun Paldae were not to be interfered with by one another.
“You could not possibly be ignorant of such matters. So what is your true reason for making this proposal?”
As expected, Baek Un-jin sought to discern my intentions with uncanny precision.
“Does Elder Go not realize he is under suspicion?”
Not all Hyeonbaek locations are equal.
When the elders pooled their knowledge of Hyeonbaek locations, it was to identify which places were important and which were not.
If multiple elders pointed to the same location, that place likely harbored a powerful Dragon Vein.
‘As the longest-serving elder of Hyeonganmun, Elder Go Jin-am would have gathered considerable information from his peers.’
In other words, he likely had a rough understanding of which Hyeonbaek locations were significant and which were not.
“Even if he were unaware, he would likely resort to schemes to prevent the Hyeonbaek locations from being revealed.”
“….”
“As the Vein-Severing Formation activates, the casualties among other Jeongmun Paldae practitioners continue to mount. If Paecheonmun is orchestrating something greater using the Vein-Severing Formation, this will no longer be merely Hyeonganmun’s problem.”
I was not unaware that I was making an unreasonable request of Baek Un-jin.
But there was no other way to compel the revelation of the Hyeonbaek locations.
After a moment of contemplation, Baek Un-jin spoke.
“I shall speak with Elder Yoon.”
“Thank you!”
By the time dawn broke, Baek Un-jin and I had returned to Chingwoo Immortal Sect.
***
The atmosphere in Hwangryong Jeonghaejeon, the grand hall of Hyeonganmun, grew heavy and oppressive.
Thirty-six elders of Hyeonganmun, dressed in ochre formal robes, filled the chamber in rigid formation.
Stretched across the central stone platform lay an expansive Palgwae Jimack Yeonseong Map.
“We shall now begin the revelation of the Hyeonjin Monument’s locations.”
The Palgwae Jimack Yeonseong Map was designed to automatically record positions when infused with spiritual power.
Just as the revelation was about to commence, Elder Yoon Hee-hyeon raised his hand.
“I have a proposal to make.”
“What is it?”
“The Jeongshim Stone used for revealing the Hyeonjin Monument’s locations is currently managed within Hyeonganmun. Therefore, that stone itself cannot be trusted.”
“Now see here, Elder Yoon! Are you suggesting there is a traitor among us?!”
“Have we not been discussing this very matter? If that were not the case, how could Paecheonmun be running so rampant?”
“It is lamentable that we cannot trust our own senior and junior brothers from the same sect.”
The moment the subject of betrayal was broached, the elders’ expressions shifted noticeably.
“Elder Yoon, what exactly are you proposing?”
“I suggest we use a Jeongshim Stone beyond Hyeonganmun’s control. This is a stone I recently acquired through auction in Hyeonbaek.”
“Hmph, I wonder which fool allowed Hyeonganmun’s treasures to slip away.”
One elder seized upon the fact that the Jeongshim Stone had been leaked externally.
As expected, objections erupted from all quarters.
“How can we possibly use a Jeongshim Stone that was stolen and smuggled out?”
“There is no guarantee that stone is even authentic.”
“There is a guarantee.”
Elder Yoon Hee-hyeon bowed respectfully toward the sect leader, clasping his fist.
“The one who procured this Jeongshim Stone is Elder Baek of Chingwoo Immortal Sect. Since Elder Baek has personally offered his guarantee, I request that he be present at this gathering.”
“Outrageous! How can we allow a practitioner from another sect into such a critical proceeding as the revelation of the Hyeonjin Monument?”
“If we are to reveal it anyway, what difference does it make?”
“But the regulations of the sect….”
As anticipated, opinion split down the middle.
The sect leader, Jung Cheon, who had been stroking his beard from the seat of honor, finally spoke after a long pause.
“I grant permission.”
With Jung Cheon’s approval, Baek Un-jin and Yoo Yeon-seo entered Hwangryong Jeonghaejeon.
Baek Un-jin showed proper courtesy to Jung Cheon.
“I am Elder Baek Un-jin of Chingwoo Immortal Sect. I am grateful for your willingness to accommodate this unreasonable request.”
“I have done so merely because you have offered your guarantee for the Jeongshim Stone. However, what is seen and heard in this place today must never be disclosed beyond these walls.”
Baek Un-jin smiled lightly, assuring him there was no need for concern.
“Let us begin.”
At Jung Cheon’s word, the elder in the front unrolled the Palgwae Jimack Yeonseong Map.
As the elder lifted the map and channeled his spiritual power into it, the locations of the Hyeonjin Monuments under his management were laid bare upon its surface.
“These are all the locations of the Hyeonjin Monuments I manage.”
As the elder set down the map, a practitioner approached Yoon Hee-hyeon, carrying both the map and the Jeongshim Stone.
Yoon Hee-hyeon tilted his head as he watched the practitioner hesitate without handing over the map.
“What’s the matter?”
“Hack, ugh! Aaaahhh!”
The man suddenly dropped the map and screamed, clutching at his heart.
As his body convulsed and he coughed up blood, demonic energy suddenly erupted from within him.
“What, what is this…!”
“Demonic aura! Fall back!”
The practitioner’s eyes had turned completely black, devoid of whites, and veins writhed beneath his skin like earthworms, bulging outward.
“Gaaahhh!”
The practitioner let out a monstrous shriek and lunged at Elder Yoon Hee-hyeon with blackened fingernails extended, aiming for his throat.
Before Yoon Hee-hyeon could even form a seal, Jung Cheon, seated at the head table, flicked his finger with casual grace.
The ground trembled as a stone pillar erupted upward, blocking the path between Yoon Hee-hyeon and the practitioner.
Crash!
The practitioner’s technique shattered the stone pillar, and fragments scattered in all directions, transforming the surroundings into chaos in an instant.
His robes tore away, revealing a talisman of Paecheonmun embedded in his chest.
“How dare a Mano rampage in this sacred Hwangryong Jeonghaejeon! Subdue it!”
At someone’s cry, the elders all formed seals in unison.
[Earth Binding.]
Earthen energy surged up like ropes, binding the practitioner’s limbs.
“What in the world is happening…?”
“Look! That Jeongshim Stone brought in from the black market isn’t some corrupted abomination designed to annihilate Hyeonganmun, is it not? We nearly all perished! How do you intend to take responsibility for this! Baek Un-jin!”
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Elder Go Jin-am pressed the attack against Baek Un-jin.
Baek Un-jin set down his empty teacup onto the table.
“Are you suggesting, Elder Go, that I transformed that practitioner into a Mano?”
“This calamity occurred because of the Jeongshim Stone you vouched for! If that weren’t the case, there’s no way it would have shattered like that! What exactly did you bring here!”
“How could a mere stone create a Mano? I suspect, Elder Go, that you may have orchestrated this yourself.”
“Ha, don’t spout such madness! Why would I do such a thing! Drag that wretch out at once and hold Chingwoo Immortal Sect accountable!”
Go Jin-am pointed accusingly at Baek Un-jin, his voice rising.
Yet for some reason, an eerie silence had fallen over the surroundings.
“What are you all doing? Hey!”
“…”
“Elder Go.”
“Go, what happened to your face?”
At the words of an elder close to Go Jin-am, Go Jin-am looked down at his own hands.
Peculiar, distinctly unusual spots had appeared on Go Jin-am’s face.
At that moment, Yoon Hee-hyeon picked up the shattered Jeongshim Stone.
“Elder Go, this isn’t some corrupted abomination—it’s simply a Night-Luminous Pearl.”

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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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