Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 123

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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 123: Pyeonghwang Island (4)

 

Kwa-kwa-kwang!

 

Crimson flames devoured the Blood Soul Absorption Technique.

 

The red leeches that had tried to attack Cheon Woo-jin evaporated without being able to suck a single drop of blood.

 

“Keuaaaak…!”

 

“S-save me…!”

 

The screams of the Demonic Cultivators echoed throughout the underground space.

 

Some tried to deploy defensive magic, but it was useless.

 

After all, the Demonic Cultivators here were all at the Qi Accumulation Stage or Qi Refining Stage.

 

They couldn’t resist the True Fire manifested by a Core Formation cultivator drawing pure yang energy from his Golden Core.

 

“Aaaaak!”

 

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

 

The Demonic Cultivators screamed in agony in the underground space with nowhere to flee.

 

But the merciless flames of True Fire ruthlessly burned their bodies.

 

“P-please spare us! We were merely following orders!”

 

Then Dan Wu-ryang’s voice came from beyond the flames.

 

“If you spare our lives, I’ll tell you everything! What we were preparing here, what we were planning to do in the coming great chaos, everything…!”

 

Dan Wu-ryang was saying he would betray the Blood World Demon Sect and confess everything.

 

But Cheon Woo-jin replied with a cold voice.

 

“Not necessary.”

 

“Keuaaaaa…!”

 

Whoosh…!

 

With his entire body engulfed in flames, Dan Wu-ryang let out his final death scream.

 

When the flames finally subsided, Dan Wu-ryang’s form could be found nowhere.

 

He had burned away completely without leaving even a bone fragment.

 

Observing the results brought by the True Fire Burning Heaven, Cheon Woo-jin fell into thought.

 

‘Even with controlled firepower, I can annihilate those at the Qi Accumulation Stage.’

 

Just now, Cheon Woo-jin had only drawn out a small amount of pure yang energy.

 

Power sufficient to burn the underground space was enough.

 

If he had released True Fire at maximum power in this confined space, even Cheon Woo-jin would have been caught up and suffered damage.

 

‘With my current abilities, I can manifest firepower beyond the limits of the Core Formation Realm, but… I also need to practice controlling the firepower according to the situation.’

 

From that perspective.

 

Today could be said to have achieved some progress.

 

‘Fortunately, not even the blood pool was completely destroyed.’

 

Most of the blood had evaporated.

 

But there remained a thick red mass that had settled at the very bottom.

 

Cheon Woo-jin used his spiritual power to dig through that blood clot.

 

Searching through it like this, he was able to find a red orb hidden in the deepest part.

 

‘It’s a Blood Life Orb made directly by Blood Soul Horn Master.’

 

Even if you extract blood from people, it becomes corrupted over time and loses all value.

 

But using this Blood Life Orb, blood can be preserved in a fresh state for a long time.

 

Not only that, but spiritual binding structures form in the blood, allowing it to move like a living creature.

 

The reason it could take the form of leeches and rush at Cheon Woo-jin was because the Blood Life Orb was contained within.

 

‘Ultimately, a Blood Spirit with Core Formation level power would be born.’

 

Soul-Chaining Blood Demon, the leader of Blood Soul Horn, wields overwhelming power by controlling large numbers of such Blood Spirits.

 

Having subordinates like Dan Wu-ryang infiltrate to collect blood was also to prepare Blood Spirits in advance.

 

‘Could I utilize this?’

 

Cheon Woo-jin concentrated his consciousness while gripping the Blood Life Orb in his palm.

 

Then the blood clot remaining on the floor moved slightly.

 

But that was the end of it.

 

Though it wriggled a few times, after that it showed no reaction at all.

 

‘It seems the nutritive qi in the blood was damaged by the True Fire.’

 

The nutritive qi mentioned here refers to the vitality existing within blood.

 

It’s energy derived from nutrients absorbed from food.

 

The reason human blood is called nutritive blood is because it contains this nutritive qi.

 

Without this nutritive qi, no matter how much blood you secure, it’s useless.

 

Blood Soul Horn uses Blood Life Orbs to maintain blood freshness also to preserve the nutritive qi.

 

‘I’ll have to explore ways to utilize it later.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin hid the Blood Life Orb inside his storage bag.

 

He had to hide it well because the Taeul Yeokri Sect would immediately order its destruction if they knew about it.

 

‘Are there any other items to take…?’

 

Because he had burned everything with True Fire, even the Demonic Cultivators’ storage bags were lost.

 

So it was difficult to collect their belongings.

 

But there weren’t any more items to collect.

 

‘That’s the seven-stringed zither that was playing the Jade Maiden’s White Mountain Escape earlier.’

 

A half-burned zither was rolling around in the corner.

 

It seemed to be a high-grade magical artifact made by the Blood World Demon Sect, not an ordinary instrument.

 

‘It would be difficult to play music with this… but there must be some use for it somewhere.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin put the seven-stringed zither into his storage bag and went up to the ground.

 

Then he knocked over a lamp and set the pleasure house on fire.

 

“E-excuse me.”

 

As he came out of the blazing pleasure house, there were people approaching Cheon Woo-jin.

 

They were the disciples of the Sunryeong Sect who had been out of their minds inside the pleasure house earlier.

 

They had run out in surprise when Dan Woo-ryeong spread the poisonous smoke, but it seemed they had eventually returned.

 

“What on earth happened inside? To suddenly be engulfed in flames…”

 

“You’re the person who came on the same ferry as us, right? It seems you were investigating like us, so please explain.”

 

They didn’t even know that they had saved their lives thanks to Cheon Woo-jin.

 

If it weren’t for Cheon Woo-jin, they would have become part of the pool of blood.

 

“…”

 

Cheon Woo-jin tried to pass by them without responding.

 

“Hey! Don’t ignore us and… Ugh!”

 

The man who tried to grab Cheon Woo-jin’s shoulder fell on his buttocks.

 

It was because he had sharply extended his spiritual power to stab the man’s hand.

 

Cheon Woo-jin didn’t stop there and stared at them with cold eyes.

 

When he even revealed his killing intent, the disciples of the Sunryeong Sect stepped back with frightened expressions.

 

“N-no, never mind. Just go your way.”

 

“Why is he so scary? It seems we came to Hwangryeol Island for nothing…”

 

“Should we just go back to the Sunryeong Sect and quietly cultivate…?”

 

Cheon Woo-jin left while listening to their muttering.

 

Such naive people would only die a dog’s death if they stayed here.

 

It would be wise to return to their sect early instead of snooping around here and there trying to seize good opportunities.

 

That’s why Cheon Woo-jin deliberately scared them.

 

He had some connection with them after all.

 

‘Thanks to those people, I was able to eat delicious chicken noodle soup.’

 

Recalling the rich taste of the chicken noodle soup he had eaten in Myeongryun Town, Cheon Woo-jin escaped through the dark night streets.

 

* * *

 

The next day.

 

Cheon Woo-jin met Gwak Yu at a tea house and revealed that he had killed Dan Woo-ryeong last night.

 

“I-is that really true?”

 

“Last night, a pleasure house in the back alley would have burned down and turned to ash. That was their hideout.”

 

Saying that, Cheon Woo-jin showed the seven-stringed zither he had obtained yesterday.

 

“This is the seven-stringed zither they used to bewitch people with sound arts in that place.”

 

“This is… an instrument made by those demonic path bastards.”

 

Gwak Yu groaned after examining the seven-stringed zither.

 

“You really found and killed those demon bastards from the Blood Soul Horn overnight?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Huh…”

 

Gwak Yu nodded and admired.

 

“Your skill in assassination wasn’t a lie. You’re truly amazing, Fellow Daoist Shin.”

 

Saying that, Gwak Yu smiled.

 

“As expected, I should entrust the task of killing that bastard in Ghost Head City to Fellow Daoist Shin. When the work here is finished, I’ll formally request it.”

 

“…”

 

He meant to entrust the mission to kill Cheon Woo-jin.

 

What expression would Gwak Yu make if he knew that the person right in front of him was Cheon Woo-jin himself?

 

“But you said it burned down and turned to ash?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“That’s a bit regrettable.”

 

Gwak Yu stroked his chin and muttered.

 

“If we had investigated the scene, we could have found out what kind of conspiracy they were plotting…”

 

Cheon Woo-jin knew that much too.

 

Knowing that, he had deliberately burned the scene.

 

Cheon Woo-jin had no intention of helping the Taeul Yeokri Sect.

 

The information that not only the Blood Soul Horn Master but also the White Face Horn Master would appear on Hwangryeol Island was something only Cheon Woo-jin needed to know.

 

The Taeul Yeokri Sect would end up dancing in the palm of Cheon Woo-jin’s hand without knowing any accurate information.

 

“I’m sorry about that. I’m clumsy at controlling the power of my magic arts.”

 

“Ah, I’m not blaming Fellow Daoist Shin, so don’t misunderstand. The methods of those Blood Soul Horn bastards are obvious anyway, so it wouldn’t have made much difference.”

 

Saying that, Gwak Yu took out a talisman from his storage bag.

 

“Then I’ll give you payment for your trouble.”

 

It was a Taeul Protection Talisman.

 

And there were as many as ten of them.

 

“You’re giving me ten whole talismans?”

 

“Originally I was thinking of giving only five or six. But I’m grateful you handled the matter quickly, so I added a few more.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Cheon Woo-jin didn’t refuse and took all ten talismans.

 

With these, he wouldn’t have to worry about defense for quite a while.

 

“Fellow Daoist Shin truly seems to be someone with remarkable skills.”

 

Gwak Yu smiled as he praised Cheon Woo-jin.

 

“If it were up to me, I’d want to take you to Gongryeong Island right now and introduce you to our sect master.”

 

“The fact that you say that means…”

 

Cheon Woo-jin spoke in a calm voice.

 

“It’s difficult right now. Am I correct?”

 

“That’s right. I have many things to handle here in Pyeonghwang Island.”

 

Gwak Yu spoke with a serious expression.

 

“One of them is… Hmm?”

 

Cutting off his words mid-sentence, Gwak Yu turned his gaze toward the window.

 

Then he opened his eyes wide in shock.

 

“Oh no…!”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Look over there!”

 

Gwak Yu pointed to a group crossing the street.

 

“The old man in white robes among them is Yi Yul, an Elder of the Gwangmyeong Sect.”

 

The Gwangmyeong Sect was backing the Third Prince Gong Ui-se as the next emperor.

 

They were the greatest obstacle to the Taeul Yeokri Sect, which supported the Second Prince Gong Ui-un.

 

“Is the appearance of Elder Yi Yul the problem?”

 

“No, that’s not it. The person next to him is the problem.”

 

Grind.

 

Gwak Yu gritted his teeth.

 

“To join hands with those Dark Gate bastards… You’ve finally crossed the line, Gwangmyeong Sect!”

 

“…”

 

While watching Gwak Yu rage like that.

 

Cheon Woo-jin maintained a calm attitude.

 

Though he acted like he didn’t know much in front of Gwak Yu, Cheon Woo-jin had known from the beginning who had appeared.

 

‘The story is about to begin in earnest.’

 

Next to Elder Yi Yul of the Gwangmyeong Sect was a man with a large frame.

 

His bronze-colored face was covered with sword scars, making it clear at a glance that he had lived a different life from ordinary cultivators.

 

[Gwan Hu]

 

* Race: Human Race

 

* Age: 325 years

 

* Realm: Core Formation Realm Great Perfection

 

* Constitution: Metal Water Spirit Root

 

* Faction: Dark Gate

 

* Affiliation: Thirteen Alliances Under the Moon

 

* Heavenly Mandate: Harsh Taxation

 

Gwan Hu.

 

He was the younger brother of Gwan Hwang, the Black Spirit Blade Emperor, one of the Thirteen Venerables of the Thirteen Alliances Under the Moon.

 

Despite his fierce-looking face, he served as an aide who assisted his elder brother and handled all sorts of trivial matters.

 

The fact that Gwan Hu had shown himself meant that Gwan Hwang would appear before long.

 

The Gwangmyeong Sect had joined hands with one of the Dark Gate’s top masters to oppose the Taeul Yeokri Sect.

 

‘More and more masters are gathering.’

 

Gwak Yu wasn’t the only one disturbed by Gwan Hu’s appearance.

 

The cultivators mixed among the crowd watching Gwan Hu also had tense expressions.

 

However, some of them couldn’t hide their excitement.

 

They were showing anticipation while expecting that a truly great calamity would unfold.

 

‘If this were a matter to be decided by political fighting alone, neither the Thirteen Alliances Under the Moon nor the Blood World Demon Sect would intervene.’

 

The succession struggle was a political matter.

 

Orthodox Sect forces with close relationships to Wei Jin Kingdom’s major prestigious families might be involved, but there was no reason for the Dark Gate or Demonic Path to participate.

 

However, the Thirteen Alliances Under the Moon was preparing to send one of the Thirteen Venerables into battle, and the Blood World Demon Sect was also planning to send two Branch Masters.

 

Not only that, but even mid-sized sects like the Seonryeong Sect and rootless mercenaries were hovering around, wondering if there was something they could gain.

 

This meant a great battle over the imperial throne was about to unfold.

 

‘And…’

 

Cheon Woo-jin looked at Gwak Yu again.

 

Right now, Gwak Yu was furious at the Gwangmyeong Sect’s dirty scheme of bringing in Dark Gate forces.

 

However, Cheon Woo-jin was looking at Gwak Yu with contempt in his eyes.

 

‘The fight that’s about to unfold stems from the disgusting conspiracy that these hypocrites of the Orthodox Sect have been orchestrating for a long time.’

 

* * *

 

Wei Jin Kingdom’s Imperial Palace.

 

It was a palace located on Nakryeong Island, the most difficult island to approach among the various islands of the Hwangryeolbiyeol Archipelago.

 

In the bedchamber located in the deepest part of the imperial palace, Emperor Gong Ui-ryun of Wei Jin Kingdom was eating white porridge.

 

Although Gong Ui-ryun had been in a hazy state of consciousness for the past few days, today his condition was good enough that he could even eat a meal while sitting up in bed.

 

“Your Majesty, I have something to report.”

 

When he finished eating the white porridge, Eunuch Yu Seon, Gong Ui-ryun’s loyal servant, carefully brought up the topic.

 

“Many people are currently engaged in conflicts beneath the surface.”

 

Yu Seon explained in detail what kind of secret struggle was currently taking place over the position of the next emperor.

 

However, Gong Ui-ryun was only half-listening, staring blankly into space.

 

“Therefore… we hope Your Majesty will decide who should inherit the imperial throne.”

 

Yu Seon bowed deeply as he made this request.

 

“Tell them to handle it themselves.”

 

However, only an indifferent answer came from Gong Ui-ryun.

 

“It’s not something that goes according to my will anyway, is it?”

 

“Your, Your Majesty.”

 

“Everything is according to the will of the Daoists from the Cultivation World.”

 

In front of Gong Ui-ryun, who answered in a self-deprecating tone, Yu Seon bowed even more deeply.

 

“Still, if Your Majesty designates the next emperor, we might be able to resolve the situation smoothly. Considering the current atmosphere, the princes might be in danger…”

 

“Heh heh heh…”

 

Gong Ui-ryun let out a weak laugh.

 

“Why should I worry about the princes’ safety?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

In front of Yu Seon, who unconsciously raised his head, Gong Ui-ryun twisted his face and smiled with a miserable expression.

 

“All three of them aren’t my seed but seeds prepared by the Cultivation World. There’s no reason to worry about children who aren’t even my own flesh and blood. Tell them to go ahead and fight for the imperial throne, killing each other. I couldn’t care less.”

 

Hot tears flowed from Gong Ui-ryun’s eyes as he mentioned this nauseating truth.

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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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