Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 107
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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 107: Spirit Bird (3)
“The Flame Emperor Sect is my enemy…?”
Flapping her red wings, Poyeong tilted her head to one side.
“What are you talking about? The Flame Emperor Sect has cared for me since I was young…”
“Poyeong.”
Cheon Woo-jin interrupted Poyeong mid-sentence and asked.
“Do you remember your mother?”
“Mother…?”
“You wouldn’t remember.”
As Poyeong said, the Flame Emperor Sect had raised Poyeong since she was young.
So she would have no memories of her mother.
“Listen carefully, Poyeong.”
“What exactly…”
Cheon Woo-jin spoke in a cold voice.
“The Flame Emperor Sect killed your mother and kidnapped you when you were still a chick. Then they tamed you over many years.”
“…!”
In truth, this was common practice among sects that raised spirit beasts.
To instill loyalty in spirit beasts, capturing and raising them from a young age was most effective.
“Your mother became an elixir and was carefully preserved for the future new sect master. A Fire Attribute spirit bird like the Flame Sparrow that uses True Fire can become an extremely yang spiritual medicine.”
“Wha, what…”
“Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”
Cheon Woo-jin spoke again.
“The one who consumed that elixir was Jin Si-hyeok, the current sect master. You’ve been offering your loyalty to the man who ate your mother.”
“Th-that’s impossible…”
Poyeong weakly flapped her wings in denial.
“That can’t be true. How would you even know such a thing…”
“How do you think I would know?”
“Su-surely not from Guyang Hu…?”
Cheon Woo-jin neither confirmed nor denied it.
Instead, he spoke of something else.
“Jin Si-hyeok is said to use Fire Attribute Magic Arts far superior to cultivators of the same level. This is because Guyang Hu fed him the Flame Sparrow, a Fire Attribute spirit bird.”
“…!”
She had been offering loyalty to the one who devoured her own mother.
Understanding this fact, Poyeong’s eyes trembled faintly.
“Wh-what intention do you have in telling me this story…?”
Poyeong asked in a trembling voice.
“Are you telling me to betray the Flame Emperor Sect…?”
“That’s not my intention.”
Cheon Woo-jin looked straight at Poyeong and said.
“Whatever choice you make, I thought it would be good if you made that choice knowing yourself.”
“What…?”
In the Spirit Path Cultivation Chronicle, there was also a route to join the Flame Emperor Sect.
There weren’t many Flame Emperor Sect exclusive events, but one of them was an event to interact with Poyeong, the guardian spirit beast.
Poyeong, who accidentally realizes she’s being used by the Flame Emperor Sect, falls into great anguish.
The event’s ending changes depending on what actions are taken here, and there’s even an ending where she leaves the Flame Emperor Sect together with the protagonist.
When leaving the Flame Emperor Sect together, Poyeong becomes a good partner as the protagonist’s exclusive spirit beast.
Cheon Woo-jin had liked that development.
The reason he brought up this story instead of trying to kill Poyeong outright was because such memories remained with Cheon Woo-jin.
“I am… the guardian beast of the Flame Emperor Sect.”
A powerless voice flowed from Poyeong’s mouth.
“Even if my mother was sacrificed by the Flame Emperor Sect… I cannot betray the Flame Emperor Sect…”
“Is that so.”
“A dog remains loyal to its master even after watching its mother dog get eaten… I’m no different from a dog, so it can’t be helped…”
Cheon Woo-jin felt a slight sense of pity.
The words Poyeong just spoke were dialogue that had appeared in the game as well.
Cheon Woo-jin and Poyeong were meeting for the first time today.
There was no bond between them. So no matter what Cheon Woo-jin said to Poyeong, only this kind of reaction would emerge.
“Then it can’t be helped.”
Cheon Woo-jin decided not to indulge in useless sentimentality.
Even if she was a spirit beast he once shared hardships with in the game, here she was merely an enemy.
Erasing the emotions that remained in the center of his heart, Cheon Woo-jin drew up his spiritual power.
[Lightning Flash]
Crack!
He moved at ultra-high speed while generating thunder.
Immediately after, red True Fire swept through where Cheon Woo-jin had been.
Po-young, with resolute eyes, had released True Fire without any warning.
Po-young showed no hesitation.
Even though the Flame Emperor Sect had used him, his attitude showed unwavering loyalty.
In fact, that might be an attitude only possible because he wasn’t human.
Po-young had mentioned dogs earlier, but only animals could continue showing loyalty to a master who had devoured their mother.
Cheon Woo-jin felt a moment of pity, but immediately shook it off and drew up his spiritual power.
[Lightning Flash]
Crackle!
He changed direction in mid-air at a sharp angle.
Thanks to this, he barely managed to avoid the True Fire that Po-young had shot toward him while flapping his wings.
Whoosh!
Po-young flapped his wings and pursued Cheon Woo-jin.
He continued attacking by spewing True Fire.
Cheon Woo-jin moved freely in all directions using Lightning Energy to avoid being caught in the True Fire.
But Po-young persistently pursued Cheon Woo-jin. He probably thought that no matter how much he ran, he would eventually reach his limit.
However, Cheon Woo-jin wasn’t just running away.
He had already taken the Heaven Sight Pill and was extending spiritual energy like a spider web in all directions to analyze the True Fire.
‘I already know True Fire.’
Cheon Woo-jin had used Samadhi True Fire several times using the Red Sea True Fire Spear talisman treasure.
Thanks to that, he understood how True Fire differed from ordinary flames.
‘True Fire shouldn’t be viewed through the Five Elements. It must be viewed through Yin and Yang.’
True Fire is drawing pure Yang energy from the energy of heaven and earth.
In the Five Elements, Fire is called Yang within Yang, but it’s still different from pure Yang energy.
Since the Five Elements are created by the differentiation of Yin and Yang, they cannot become pure Yin and Yang once they become the Five Elements.
Therefore, Wood, which is Yang within Yin, must also be drawn in to return to the Yin and Yang before differentiation.
The primordial Yin and Yang before differentiation into various attributes.
That is the true nature of True Fire.
‘Then…’
The difference between Extreme Yang and Pure Yang.
He finally understood that.
Cheon Woo-jin focused his will on the Soul Devouring Spirit Flame Sword he had drawn earlier.
[Fire Spirit Orb Release]
[Wood Spirit Orb Release]
The Fire Spirit Energy and Wood Spirit Energy stored in the Soul Devouring Spirit Flame Sword were released.
Cheon Woo-jin first gathered the Fire Spirit Energy, which was Extreme Yang and Yang within Yang, in one place.
Then he drove the Wood Spirit Energy, which was Yang within Yin, into that spot.
Then the Fire Spirit Energy was activated by the principle of Wood generating Fire.
It was similar to adding wood logs to make a fire burn more fiercely.
But Cheon Woo-jin didn’t stop there.
‘The Yang energy contained within both Fire Spirit Energy and Wood Spirit Energy…’
The experience of using the Red Sea True Fire Spear talisman treasure until now.
The enlightenment gained from observing Po-young’s True Fire.
He weaves them together to create a new spell formation.
‘Reach Pure Yang beyond Extreme Yang.’
Cheon Woo-jin had told Seo Seol-ryeong not long ago.
In the fight against the Flame Emperor Sect, he didn’t want to share opportunities to clash with powerful opponents with others.
Now was exactly that opportunity.
‘Watch, Po-young.’
The times he had spent with Po-young in the game flashed by.
Sending that to the past, Cheon Woo-jin completed the spell formation.
‘This is my True Fire.’
Pure Yang energy that hasn’t differentiated into the Five Elements.
Since it’s not fire, it doesn’t extinguish when it meets water.
That’s why it’s called True Fire, different from ordinary fire.
Cheon Woo-jin reached his hand toward the sky to extend that Pure Yang energy.
[True Fire Roaring Heaven]
Immediately after.
The sky was dyed red.
Red flames with overwhelming heat illuminated all directions and shook the entire sky.
The True Fire that Po-young had been spewing was sucked into the new True Fire that Cheon Woo-jin had created.
Originally, Po-young was a flame bird specialized in True Fire, but he had consumed much strength continuously spewing True Fire while pursuing Cheon Woo-jin.
On the other hand, since Cheon Woo-jin used the energy stored in the magical treasure Soul Devouring Spirit Flame Sword, he was unaffected despite the intense chase.
“Ah…!”
The crimson flames engulfed Poyeong.
The True Fire was so intense that Poyeong’s form could no longer be seen.
Though he wanted to extend his spiritual energy to check the situation, Cheon Woo-jin couldn’t do so as he was currently focused on stabilizing his body with the strong qi of the Six Extremes Heaven Steel Divine Art.
True Fire was still a higher-level power that was difficult for Cheon Woo-jin’s body to manifest. If he had used it without strong qi, Cheon Woo-jin’s flesh would have burned as well.
“Ooooh…!”
Just then.
Poyeong flapped its wings and soared up from within the crimson True Fire.
Its appearance was like a phoenix being reborn from flames.
But Poyeong was definitely not a phoenix.
If its body continued to burn, it would inevitably lose its life.
Even now, its entire body was burning from the True Fire, presenting a miserable sight.
“My duty, my loyalty…!”
Whoosh!
New flames ignited on Poyeong’s body.
It was burning itself to kill Cheon Woo-jin.
“Here I burn everything…!”
Poyeong, now a firebird, flew toward Cheon Woo-jin.
It was true loyalty rarely seen among humans – burning oneself for one’s sect.
Watching this sight, Cheon Woo-jin bit his lips.
Neither dodging Poyeong’s charge nor deploying other magic arts to end Poyeong’s life was a desirable response for Cheon Woo-jin.
Cheon Woo-jin needed Poyeong’s Golden Core.
Because he had to use it as an extreme yang Core Formation spirit material.
Whether Poyeong burned its body until it became a handful of ash, or Cheon Woo-jin deployed a finishing attack to drive Poyeong completely to death… either way, he couldn’t obtain an intact Golden Core.
There was only one way to kill Poyeong while leaving the Golden Core intact.
‘This is as far as it goes.’
Cheon Woo-jin gazed at Poyeong flying toward him.
And making eye contact, he bid farewell in his heart.
‘Instant Kill.’
Whoosh.
Wind blew.
The flames covering Poyeong’s entire body subsided.
Wrapped in gray smoke, Poyeong crashed down.
Thud.
Poyeong fell onto a moss-covered area.
Cheon Woo-jin approached Poyeong and spoke his final words.
“I’ll send Jin Sihyeok to the same place soon.”
Right after speaking those words.
The thoughts of Poyeong, who should have already met death, were transmitted.
[Thank you, Cheon Woo-jin…]
What kind of gratitude was it?
Was it gratitude for ending a life of serving the enemy who killed its mother?
Or perhaps…
“…”
There was no way to confirm.
Poyeong had closed both eyes and fallen into eternal sleep.
Cheon Woo-jin gathered Flame Shadow Energy from the surroundings and set fire to Poyeong’s corpse.
The body that had endured being covered in True Fire quickly burst into flames.
After the cremation ended, a red-glowing orb was visible among the remains.
Cheon Woo-jin reached out and picked it up.
It was Poyeong’s Golden Core.
‘A Golden Core imbued with the power of extreme yang…’
Despite having its life activities stopped by the Instant Death Heaven Eye, the power that had constituted the existence called Poyeong was still stored within.
‘With this, I’ve secured an extreme yang Core Formation spirit material.’
The extreme yang Core Formation spirit material that couldn’t be obtained within Ghost Head City.
It had finally come into Cheon Woo-jin’s hands.
‘And… I’ve already secured the extreme yin Core Formation spirit material.’
Cheon Woo-jin turned his head.
On top of the distant rocky mountain, an artificial structure was installed.
It was a shrine housing a fragment of the Northern Extreme True Martial Dark Heaven Emperor’s scale – a piece of the Black Tortoise’s scale, which was a divine artifact of the Shadow Scale Sunken Sect.
The extreme yin energy flowing from there was promoting the growth of spirit herbs and enriching the cultivation resources of the Blood Marsh Secret Realm.
Cheon Woo-jin had already received permission from Yo Eun-hui to borrow it.
An extreme yang Core Formation spirit material.
An extreme yin Core Formation spirit material.
Both were now prepared.
‘The preparations for challenging the Core Formation Realm are complete.’
Before Zhen Shi-hyeok of the Flame Emperor Sect arrives.
Cheon Woo-jin will knock on the door of the Core Formation Realm.
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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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