Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 120
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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 120: Pyeonghwang Island (1)
Song Yu-hee explained in detail what had happened while crossing the Jin Hwang Sea.
After hearing the explanation, Song Mu-yeol stroked his chin and muttered.
“If that mercenary named Shin Hyeok really unleashed True Fire… he doesn’t seem like an ordinary fellow.”
True Fire is a flame created with pure yang energy.
While it’s not unconditionally superior to ordinary flames, it’s a power that can only be obtained through deep enlightenment.
Even Jin Si-hyeok, who was the sect master of the Flame Emperor Gate, couldn’t handle True Fire.
So how could a rootless mercenary handle True Fire?
“Did you hear about his master’s sect?”
“I didn’t hear about such details.”
“You should have tried to dig that out.”
“Then I would have had to reveal that I’m from the Taeul Yeokri Sect first, wouldn’t I?”
“Hmm…”
Song Mu-yeol fell into thought for a moment.
Among the masters whose whereabouts were unknown, was there anyone who could take in a disciple and teach True Fire?
As Song Mu-yeol was recalling his memories, Song Yu-hee spoke to him again.
“Father, how about inviting that person to the Taeul Yeokri Sect? We could accept him as a guest elder.”
“What? A guest elder?”
A guest elder refers to a master invited from outside the sect.
They play a role in advising the sect or helping with affairs.
Especially if they’re at the elder level, they’re called guest elders.
“Don’t talk nonsense. If he were from a well-known sect that would be one thing, but how could we take in such trash…”
“Father.”
Song Yu-hee suddenly cut off his words mid-sentence.
“Shin So-u is not trash.”
“…!”
At that moment, Song Mu-yeol felt a chill run down his spine.
His daughter was glaring at him with cold eyes he had never seen before.
‘This girl, why is she so…!’
Did she harbor special feelings for that man?
Song Yu-hee’s attitude was exceptional enough to make him think such thoughts.
What kind of person was he to capture Song Yu-hee’s heart like this?
If he could follow his heart, he wanted to meet that man directly and confirm for himself.
But Song Mu-yeol had to leave Pyeonghwang Island right now.
That said, he couldn’t exactly go find that man and bring him along either.
“Sect Master.”
Just then, a cold voice was suddenly heard.
A man with a stylishly grown beard stepped forward and clasped his hands together as he spoke.
“If you permit it, I will examine that mercenary.”
“Gwak Yu, you will?”
Gwak Yu was the left advisor of the Taeul Yeokri Sect, an executive just below the elders.
He had always handled affairs well and earned Song Mu-yeol’s trust.
“I was planning to remain here on Pyeonghwang Island anyway. While handling other matters, I’ll make contact with that mercenary named Shin Hyeok.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Today, Song Mu-yeol would enter Gongryeong Island with his subordinates and join up with the others.
But Gwak Yu was scheduled to remain on Pyeonghwang Island.
Gwak Yu’s mission was to stay on Pyeonghwang Island, which served as the gateway to the Hwangryeol Archipelago, and monitor the movements of other forces.
“I’ll have a conversation with him, and if he’s someone we can trust, I’ll try giving him some work. After all, aren’t we in a situation where we need talent capable of handling rough jobs?”
“Hmm, that’s true, but…”
Actually, catching Cheon Woo-jin wasn’t an urgent matter.
Securing human resources that could be used in the upcoming calamity was more urgent.
A disposable piece that could be given tasks difficult to assign to the Taeul Yeokri Sect’s disciples, and could be sacrificed as a scapegoat through cutting ties whenever necessary.
Could that man named Shin Hyeok perform such a role?
“I’ll take a good look at whether he’s a useful person, Sect Master.”
Gwak Yu, who spoke in a calm voice, also turned his gaze to Song Yu-hee.
“Since he’s a talent that the Young Sect Master took notice of, he must certainly be an extraordinary person. However, we need to confirm whether he’s someone who can help the Taeul Yeokri Sect. I’ll examine him carefully, so please leave the rest to me.”
“Hmm… I understand.”
Song Yu-hee nodded with a convinced expression at Gwak Yu’s words.
Seeing this, Song Mu-yeol let out a sigh of relief.
If Song Yu-hee had been stubborn here, it would have created a troublesome situation.
“Good, let’s handle this matter that way.”
Saying that, Song Mu-yeol sent a mental transmission to Gwak Yu.
[If he’s a mercenary who entered the Hwangryeol Archipelago at this time, he’s probably snooping around here and there trying to grab a good opportunity. So make contact with him before he goes under another force.]
[Give him a few tasks to observe his character, and if he seems like talent who could greatly help the Taeul Yeokri Sect, bring him to Gongryeong Island.]
Gwak Yu had excellent judgment when it came to people.
Not only that, but he also possessed a special ability to discern the strength of others.
If he entrusted it to Gwak Yu, he would be able to figure out what kind of person that man called Shin Hyeok was.
[However… if he seems like someone who could become a source of trouble, you should quietly deal with him.]
Handle it quietly so that Song Yu-hee wouldn’t know.
After giving those instructions, Song Mu-yeol was about to quicken his pace again.
“…!”
But just then.
Song Mu-yeol felt his spine grow cold once more.
He had noticed that Song Yu-hee was staring directly at him.
It was impossible to eavesdrop on telepathic communication.
So why was she looking at him like that?
What exactly had she sensed?
‘She’s becoming more and more unsettling…’
Despite being the successor who would lead the future of the Taeul Yeokri Sect.
Song Mu-yeol felt an ominous premonition whenever he looked at Song Yu-hee.
* * *
‘By now, Song Yu-hee is probably bringing up my story to her father.’
On the 2nd floor of a tea house in the harbor district of Pyeonghwang Island.
From there, Cheon Woo-jin was drinking tea while looking down at Song Mu-yeol and Song Yu-hee departing.
As expected, they seemed to be heading toward Gongryeong Island.
‘If I followed them now, I could infiltrate the Taeul Yeokri Sect immediately.’
In the game, it was possible to enter the Taeul Yeokri Sect through Song Yu-hee’s recommendation.
However, if he moved too hastily at this point, he would be suspected by Song Mu-yeol and kept in check by the True Transmission Disciples, narrowing his room for maneuver.
‘Here, it’s right to step back for a moment and wait for the Taeul Yeokri Sect to make contact first.’
If things proceeded like in the game, there was a high possibility that one of Song Mu-yeol’s subordinates would approach Cheon Woo-jin.
They would assign Cheon Woo-jin several tasks to test him, and if they judged him to be useful, they would formally invite him to the Taeul Yeokri Sect.
‘Of course, I have no intention of formally joining the Taeul Yeokri Sect.’
Anyway, if Cheon Woo-jin’s identity was discovered by the Taeul Yeokri Sect, he would be executed immediately.
He might be able to stay for a short period, but he couldn’t remain there for long.
What Cheon Woo-jin was thinking about was only one thing.
Using the Taeul Yeokri Sect to prepare a foundation for challenging the Nascent Soul Realm.
‘To challenge the Nascent Soul Realm beyond Core Formation Realm, I need the cultivation resources of the Taeul Yeokri Sect.’
As Jin Si-hyeok had said when trying to persuade Cheon Woo-jin just before his death, from Core Formation Realm onward, an enormous amount of cultivation resources was needed for each stage of growth.
Gathering all of that with the status of a mercenary was no easy task.
But if he could utilize the resources of a massive sect like the Taeul Yeokri Sect… he could easily solve this problem.
‘And ultimately… I’ll deal a fatal blow to the Taeul Yeokri Sect.’
Thinking of the future, it wouldn’t be good if the Taeul Yeokri Sect maintained its current tremendous power.
He needed to weaken that power to make it easier for Cheon Woo-jin to operate.
Cheon Woo-jin planned to deal a major blow to the Taeul Yeokri Sect before returning to Ghost Head City.
Of course, it was impossible for an individual to bring down a massive sect like the Taeul Yeokri Sect.
But if he moved cleverly using his knowledge from the game, he could corner the Taeul Yeokri Sect.
‘That’s also why I approached Song Yu-hee.’
Cheon Woo-jin brought the tea cup to his lips and closed his eyes.
Even while taking such a leisurely rest, Cheon Woo-jin was devising strategies to survive in this harsh world.
* * *
Pyeonghwang Island was the largest island in the Hwangryeol Archipelago.
It had bustling streets and a large population.
The reason this island in the middle of the Jinhuang Sea was so prosperous was because it served as a castle town for the Wei Jin Kingdom’s imperial palace.
Most officials working in the court had homes on Pyeonghwang Island, and merchants and craftsmen who supplied goods needed by the imperial palace also had shops here.
In the market, there were several shops with large banners proclaiming they supplied goods to the imperial palace, and most of the people passing by were dressed in wealthy attire.
‘I can see cultivators everywhere.’
Gwak Yu surveyed his surroundings as he walked through the market.
The man choosing a leather belt at a nearby general store was a Qi Refining cultivator.
Looking up, he could see a Foundation Establishment cultivator drinking on the 2nd floor of a wine house.
Some were probably cultivators who had lived on Pyeonghwang Island for a long time, but the rest were cultivators who had newly arrived to participate in the upcoming conflict.
‘I can sense the energy of the Bright Enlightenment Technique from over there. They must be disciples of the Bright Light Sect.’
He could see cultivators disguised as martial artists moving around in groups.
Their true identity was disciples of the Bright Light Sect who were supporting the Third Prince Gong Ui-se.
Gwak Yu could accurately identify the surrounding cultivators because he had trained in the Taeul Yeokri Sect’s Divine Perception Technique.
Currently, invisible divine limbs were sprouting from Gwak Yu’s body.
The divine limbs were sensory organs created by Gwak Yu using spiritual power, serving a role similar to an insect’s antennae.
Thanks to mastering the divine limbs through training in the Divine Perception Technique, Gwak Yu had gained transcendent senses.
Song Mu-yeol had left Gwak Yu on Pyeonghwang Island because he highly valued Gwak Yu’s such abilities.
‘I can sense a faint energy wave from that direction.’
Compared to Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was incredibly weak.
But that was precisely the aura of a Core Formation cultivator who was thoroughly trying to hide his energy.
‘He’s probably acting like an ordinary person without spiritual roots, but he can’t fool my Divine Perception Technique.’
Gwak Yu walked toward that direction, extending his divine sense.
Then he was able to spot the man sitting on the 2nd floor of the tea house.
‘That man must be Shin Hyeok. As expected, he was not far from the dock.’
A broad forehead and sharp chin.
A blazing flame-like red Daoist robe.
It matched exactly with the description he had heard from Song Yu-hee earlier.
‘At least he’s hiding his energy well.’
From the faint aura, he could only deduce that the man was at Core Formation Realm or above, but nothing more than that.
However, Gwak Yu was a cultivator who had trained in the Divine Perception Technique.
No matter how well someone hid their energy, if he directly probed them with his divine sense, he could read the wavelengths of their spiritual energy.
By analyzing that, it was possible to deduce detailed information about the opponent.
What kind of spiritual roots they possessed.
What cultivation techniques they had practiced.
He could even guess such things.
‘No matter how tightly they hide it, everything will be revealed before my divine sense.’
Gwak Yu extended his divine sense.
The man was leaning against a window seat on the 2nd floor, drinking tea.
He wasn’t paying any attention to this side at all. He wouldn’t notice the approach of divine sense.
‘Just what kind of fellow is he to have caught the young lady’s interest… I’ll take a look myself.’
The divine sense that extended toward the 2nd floor window moved like a feeler, trying to touch the man’s body.
But at that moment.
“…!”
An invisible thread-like current struck his divine sense.
Like a spider binding its prey with webs, spiritual threads wrapped around his divine sense without any gaps.
Then they burrowed into the precise spiritual structure and tightened terrifyingly, finally brutally rupturing the divine sense itself.
“Urgh!”
His divine sense, which possessed sensitive perception, had burst.
The shock flowed back and struck Gwak Yu’s consciousness hard.
Thud.
Unable to control his body, he fell to his knees right there.
Dark blood was dripping down from his nose.
‘He really is an extraordinary fellow…!’
Gwak Yu looked up at the 2nd floor again with trembling eyes.
The man was putting the tea cup to his lips as if nothing had happened.
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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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