Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 111
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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 111: Core Formation (4)
“Urgh…!”
Jin Si-hyeok hastily retreated far back.
He looked terrified by the massive black dragon-like energy wave that had suddenly burst forth.
“How could a mere Foundation Establishment mercenary do something like this…”
The flustered Jin Si-hyeok muttered to himself.
However, the massive energy wave quickly subsided.
The energy that had burst forth violently enough to shake the entire Secret Realm calmed down in an instant.
As everything became peaceful as if nothing had happened, Jin Si-hyeok wore a bewildered expression.
“What in the world is this…”
Before such Jin Si-hyeok.
Cheon Woo-jin breathed slowly.
The spiritual energy of the Blood Lake Secret Realm mixed with his inhale and was absorbed in his lungs.
Operating and circulating this received energy through the spiritual meridians is Qi Circulation Cultivation.
A familiar act he had repeated countless times.
But there was something different from before.
The speed at which spiritual energy flowed through the spiritual meridians had increased.
It could be described as instantaneous.
This was because the spiritual energy that had been filling the spiritual meridians until now had disappeared.
A path full of all sorts of things versus a completely clear path.
Which path allows faster passage is obvious.
Where did the existing spiritual energy go?
It exists beyond the Sea of Qi point in Cheon Woo-jin’s lower abdomen.
Sea of Qi means the sea of energy.
A large elixir-like organ existing above that sea.
That is called the Golden Core.
‘Now I am… in the Core Formation Realm.’
The spiritual energy from Qi Circulation Cultivation was sucked into the Golden Core.
Until now it had been divided and stored throughout his entire body, but now it was being stored within the Golden Core.
Just like how martial artists store internal energy in their dantian.
That this was possible was proof that Cheon Woo-jin had reached the Core Formation Realm.
‘It’s not just spiritual energy. Even my consciousness is dwelling within the Golden Core.’
Now Cheon Woo-jin wouldn’t die even if his neck were severed.
Because his consciousness exists in the Golden Core, not his brain.
A Core Formation Realm cultivator can regenerate even if their head flies off or heart explodes, as long as their Golden Core remains intact.
A realm where one truly begins to transcend the limits of living beings.
That was the Core Formation Realm.
“You, you bastard…”
Then Jin Si-hyeok called out to Cheon Woo-jin.
“Are you… Cheon Woo-jin?”
Hadn’t he asked this earlier too?
His repeated questioning looked ridiculous.
“You, you must have done some kind of cultivation.”
After clearing his throat, Jin Si-hyeok spoke again.
“You must be curious who I am. I am Jin Si-hyeok, Sect Master of the Flame Emperor Sect.”
“…”
Jin Si-hyeok introduced himself, but it wasn’t particularly necessary for Cheon Woo-jin.
He had already confirmed it through the Status Window.
[Jin Si-hyeok]
* Race: Human Race
* Age: 99 years
* Realm: Core Formation Realm Great Perfection
* Constitution: Fire Spirit Root, Yang Spirit Divine Meridians
* Faction: Orthodox Sect
* Affiliation: Flame Emperor Sect
* Destiny: Prestige
Core Formation Realm Great Perfection at 99 years old.
His achievement was even faster than Baek Sin-yeong of the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace.
Jin Si-hyeok was someone who had received all kinds of special treatment since childhood.
His patron Ouyang Hou had concentrated all of the Flame Emperor Sect’s resources to carefully nurture him.
He would have achieved great accomplishments especially by consuming elixirs made from Flame Sparrows.
However, reaching Core Formation Realm Great Perfection before even turning 100 would be impossible without his own talent.
As the biological son of the Taeul Yeokri Sect Master, he possessed genius-level talent that was not shameful.
That person was now glaring at Cheon Woo-jin and speaking.
“Cheon Woo-jin, you have committed two crimes.”
Jin Si-hyeok raised two fingers and spoke.
“First, you intercepted the Heavenly Silkworm Silver Shadow Cloth that should have been delivered to the Flame Emperor Sect. It seems various things happened in between, but you’re currently the one in possession of the Heavenly Silkworm Silver Shadow Cloth.”
“….”
“Second, you must have also killed Po-yeong, the guardian spirit beast of the Flame Emperor Sect. Po-yeong was a loyal spirit bird that had always devoted itself to the Flame Emperor Sect, so if you killed Po-yeong, you’ve committed a grave sin.”
After clarifying his justification like that.
Jin Si-hyeok glared at Cheon Woo-jin.
“Therefore, you must pay the price for your crimes.”
“….”
“If you have any excuses you want to make, go ahead and try, Cheon Woo-jin.”
However, Cheon Woo-jin still made no response whatsoever.
He stood quietly, only repeating his breathing in and out.
Getting accustomed to his renewed body after reaching the Core Formation Realm was the priority.
Whatever nonsense Jin Si-hyeok spouted wasn’t worth responding to.
“You bastard, are you even listening to what I’m saying?”
With no answer forthcoming, Jin Si-hyeok became irritated.
His triangular face flushed red as he pressed Cheon Woo-jin.
“Why won’t you give even a single answer? Did you become mute from the aftereffects of cultivation?”
Cheon Woo-jin didn’t respond to those words either.
He only showed one reaction.
He looked at Jin Si-hyeok’s face with indifferent eyes.
As if telling him to keep babbling.
“…!”
Finally, Jin Si-hyeok’s face contorted.
He had probably never experienced being ignored like this before.
“How dare you…!”
Unable to contain his anger, Jin Si-hyeok raised his left hand.
Immediately after, intense flames struck Cheon Woo-jin.
Whoosh!
The flames developed very quickly.
Even Ouyang Hu’s Fire Attribute Magic wasn’t this swift.
Jin Si-hyeok had mastered the Flame Jade Blazing Sun Method, the pinnacle of Fire Attribute techniques.
Since it was a superior technique to the Flame Jade Burning Smoke Method that Ouyang Hu used, it was natural for him to show better performance than Ouyang Hu.
Boom boom bang!
Explosive flames swept through the entire shrine.
The shrine had already collapsed, but it was completely reduced to ashes by Jin Si-hyeok’s magic arts.
However, Cheon Woo-jin’s figure was nowhere to be seen in those ashes.
“What…?!”
The startled Jin Si-hyeok looked up.
Cheon Woo-jin had somehow risen into the sky.
Remnants of Lightning Energy were crackling and spreading from Cheon Woo-jin’s body.
“You bastard, when did you use Lightning Energy…!”
Boom!
Jin Si-hyeok spewed flames once again.
Watching this, Cheon Woo-jin began generating Lightning Energy in earnest.
Lightning Energy raced through his empty spiritual meridians.
That speed was incomparably faster than during the Qi Accumulation Stage.
Having pushed everything into his Golden Core and emptied his spiritual meridians, the speed of his Spiritual Power operation had improved incomparably from his Qi Accumulation Stage days.
Amplifying that once more with the Lightning Wheel Technique, he created transcendent speed.
[Lightning Flash]
Crack!
Cheon Woo-jin instantly changed positions.
Jin Si-hyeok’s flames scattered into empty air.
“…!”
Jin Si-hyeok’s face contorted again as he failed to land his attack this time too.
At this point, it couldn’t be dismissed as coincidence.
Recognizing that Cheon Woo-jin was fast enough to evade his attacks, Jin Si-hyeok glared at him.
“You bastard… are you really at the Qi Accumulation Stage?”
Tension filled Jin Si-hyeok’s voice.
“It’s impossible to achieve that level of speed with a Qi Accumulation Stage body. Even wrapping yourself in Lightning Energy wouldn’t make it possible. Just how did you do it?”
“What do you think I did.”
Cheon Woo-jin opened his mouth to respond for the first time.
“Indeed, how did I do it, Jin Si-hyeok.”
“…!”
At those words, Jin Si-hyeok gulped.
“You bastard, don’t tell me you performed the Core Formation ritual here…!”
Jin Si-hyeok looked at the shrine that had been burned earlier with an expression of disbelief.
“This is impossible. I heard you’ve been in the Qi Accumulation Stage for less than a year…”
Jin Si-hyeok tried desperately to deny it while recalling the information he had gathered from the lower floors, but seeing Cheon Woo-jin’s cold expression, he bit his lips hard.
“Kuk…!”
He had no choice but to acknowledge it.
Cheon Woo-jin, whom he had looked down upon as merely being in the Qi Accumulation Stage, had now reached the Core Formation Realm.
Jin Si-hyeok’s eyes changed as he accepted this fact.
“Fine, Cheon Woo-jin…”
Crack.
Jin Si-hyeok gritted his teeth and gripped the precious sword in his right hand tightly.
A divine aura rose from the Zhurong Annihilation Sword, the supreme-grade magical artifact that was the treasure of the Flame Emperor Sect.
“After I kill you here, I’ll take fragments of your Golden Core and show them to people. I’ll need to explain that you reached the Core Formation Realm but died by my hand.”
“So showing off your achievements to others is what’s important in the end.”
Cheon Woo-jin shot back with a cold voice.
“That’s your limit, Jin Si-hyeok.”
“Don’t you dare babble carelessly!”
Kwang!
Jin Si-hyeok moved.
It was clearly different movement from before.
He had acknowledged that this wasn’t an opponent he could unilaterally crush and began to use his full power.
Kwaruru!
The Zhurong Annihilation Sword burned through space as it aimed for Cheon Woo-jin’s side.
However, Cheon Woo-jin’s Lightning Flash was faster. Jin Si-hyeok only cut through empty air and achieved nothing.
“Kueuk…!”
Toward Jin Si-hyeok’s gritted face, Cheon Woo-jin threw the mass of lightning energy he held in his grasp.
[Thunder Pomegranate]
Kwakwang!
The lightning energy burst like a pomegranate fruit and spread out in dozens of branches.
Lightning with deadly power, clearly different from his Qi Accumulation Stage days, struck Jin Si-hyeok.
But Jin Si-hyeok was no amateur either.
He reflexively raised the Zhurong Annihilation Sword to defend against the lightning energy.
The power of the Zhurong Annihilation Sword, which could burn even space itself, devoured the lightning energy, and as a result, the lightning energy couldn’t deal significant damage to Jin Si-hyeok.
However, it succeeded in blocking his vision.
[Black Shadow Curse Kill]
Puuk!
Black energy that had disguised itself as a shadow and extended forth pierced into Jin Si-hyeok’s right sole.
Jin Si-hyeok urgently tried to pull his foot away, but the black energy that had burrowed in like an awl was faster at injecting the curse.
“Kueuk…!”
Jin Si-hyeok leaped high, accepting that his right foot would be torn apart.
Even so, his complexion had already turned pale. It was the effect of the curse.
If it was Jin Si-hyeok, a Core Formation expert, he could dispel the curse in a short time, but battles between Core Formation cultivators could be decided within that short time.
Here, Jin Si-hyeok relied on the Zhurong Annihilation Sword.
He gripped the precious sword tightly with both hands and drew up his spiritual power to the maximum.
Since it had become difficult to construct high-level magic arts on his own, he tried to unleash an attack relying on the power of his magical artifact.
“Haap…!”
Kwaaaang!!
Intense flames burst forth.
The Flame Shadow Energy that Jin Si-hyeok possessed was being amplified by the Zhurong Annihilation Sword and released.
Though the effect of burning space wasn’t granted, the firepower alone was overwhelming.
Seeing the tremendous flames approaching, Cheon Woo-jin focused his consciousness on his Golden Core.
‘I need pure yang energy.’
Cheon Woo-jin’s Golden Core was in a state where various energies had merged into one to form harmony.
From within that, he needed to extract only pure yang energy. Not fire energy, but yang energy.
Though Cheon Woo-jin had Water Spirit Root, he possessed yang energy sufficient to unleash one great technique because he had also absorbed the energy of extreme yang spirit materials during the Core Formation ritual.
‘The Golden Core that forms the Supreme Ultimate… I extract pure yang energy from there.’
Energy that shone brilliantly like the sun surged up.
Cheon Woo-jin controlled it and manifested it according to his mental image.
[True Fire Thundering Heaven]
Flames that transcended flames.
Red True Fire burst forth and shook the world.
And with overwhelming heat, it devoured Jin Si-hyeok’s flames, then dyed the entire sky with its red color.
“…!”
Jin Si-hyeok’s eyes widened greatly.
The firepower surpassed the flames amplified by the Zhurong Annihilation Sword, a Supreme-Grade Magical Artifact.
It was even True Fire, not ordinary flames.
Just because it was True Fire didn’t mean it was unconditionally superior to ordinary fire, but the True Fire that Cheon Woo-jin had just unleashed clearly surpassed Jin Si-hyeok’s.
“You, you bastard… don’t tell me you used Po-yeong’s Golden Core as a Core Formation spirit material?”
Jin Si-hyeok’s deduction was sharp. He had hit the answer exactly.
He was by no means a spoiled young master who relied on others’ power. He was a genius cultivator with a brilliant mind sharp enough to reach the Core Formation Realm’s Great Perfection in a short time.
Such a genius was trembling before Cheon Woo-jin.
“Could it be that you planned this from the very beginning when you approached us…?”
Jin Si-hyeok’s pupils shook as he reached that possibility.
It was the look of someone seeing an existence beyond their comprehension.
“Uuugh…!”
Right after that.
Flames erupted from Jin Si-hyeok’s entire body.
The momentum was more violent than the flames he had unleashed moments before, but it wasn’t directed toward Cheon Woo-jin.
Instead, it gathered around Jin Si-hyeok as the center, creating a massive form.
[Flame Emperor’s Majestic Form]
A giant of blazing flames.
Tremendous heat poured out from Jin Si-hyeok, who had transformed into such an existence.
Realizing that ordinary methods could never defeat Cheon Woo-jin, he had unleashed the ultimate technique of the Flame Prison Blazing Sun Method.
“I’ll acknowledge it, Cheon Woo-jin.”
Jin Si-hyeok’s voice came from within the flame giant of wondrous scale.
“You are the greatest rival of my life. I’ll defeat you with all my strength.”
“…”
Cheon Woo-jin didn’t respond.
He was concentrating his consciousness deep within his body, stabilizing his Golden Core.
Cheon Woo-jin was still unable to properly draw out his power from reaching the Core Formation Realm.
‘Now I’m starting to understand.’
Jin Si-hyeok had just called Cheon Woo-jin the greatest rival of his life.
But to Cheon Woo-jin, Jin Si-hyeok was merely a practice opponent to test his Core Formation Realm power.
Tremendous energy vibrated within his Golden Core.
Cheon Woo-jin felt it like a black dragon writhing within.
He dominated that surging energy with his consciousness and thrust it out powerfully.
The test operation was over. Now was when he would unleash his Dharma Power.
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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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