Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 46
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 46: Foundation Establishment (1)
“Don’t worry! I might crush a few limbs, but I won’t touch your head!”
The voice of Blood Puppet Ancestor Gu Do-ryun echoed throughout.
Wooden puppets were charging at Cheon Woo-jin, even breaking down the warehouse walls.
These puppets were all connected to Gu Do-ryun’s consciousness, allowing them to exert power beyond the limits of low-grade puppets.
Moreover, unlike when ordinary cultivators gave commands, all entities were organically linked, enabling perfect coordinated attacks.
A life-or-death crisis.
Cheon Woo-jin kicked away a wooden box while leaping backward.
So he could smash through the warehouse’s only window and escape.
“It’s useless…!”
The moment Gu Do-ryun shouted as if he would never let him escape.
Cheon Woo-jin ignited the Red Sea True Fire Spear talisman treasure.
Immediately after, crimson flames exploded, instantly filling the entire field of vision.
Releasing Samadhi True Fire in such a confined space would catch Cheon Woo-jin in the aftermath as well.
However, Cheon Woo-jin used that very momentum to escape outside.
The puppet possessed by Gu Do-ryun’s consciousness reached out to grab Cheon Woo-jin, but ultimately failed by a hair’s breadth.
“This little brat…!”
Boom!
Gu Do-ryun’s roar echoed amidst the explosive sound of Samadhi True Fire.
If it were Gu Do-ryun’s own power, he could easily block this level of attack, but right now he was merely possessing a low-grade puppet.
While he could push the puppet’s performance beyond its limits, casting magic arts or releasing spiritual power was impossible.
In the end, all the puppets Gu Do-ryun had assembled were engulfed in flames.
Furthermore, the entire main base of the Blood Puppet Sect branch caught fire.
‘I ended up burning Qingyun Trading Company’s cargo unintentionally.’
Still, he felt no guilt toward Qingyun Trading Company.
After all, Qingyun Trading Company’s cargo was also goods forcibly taken from somewhere.
Originally, Qingyun Trading Company was a trading company that controlled the forest bandits and water bandits of the martial world, receiving tribute from them.
Powerless common people were exploited by forest bandits and water bandits.
Forest bandits and water bandits were exploited by Qingyun Trading Company.
Qingyun Trading Company was plundered by the Blood Puppet Sect.
It was a structure of survival of the fittest that could be found anywhere.
“Wh-what happened here?”
“The whole thing is engulfed in flames…”
Just then, the recapture team had broken through the valley and reached right in front of the branch building.
They showed bewildered reactions upon seeing the branch engulfed in flames.
Especially Bang Wi-sun of Qingyun Trading Company was gaping with her mouth wide open, unable to say anything.
Their goal was to storm in there and recapture Qingyun Trading Company’s cargo, but like this, they wouldn’t be able to salvage anything.
[Hyeok, you bastard…!]
Right then, a voice that snapped their minds to attention echoed out.
Gu Do-ryun’s voice burst forth from inside the burning building.
[I will remember you! I will track you down! I’ll examine every single person who has mastered Samadhi True Fire to find you, then dye your red daoist robe anew with dark crimson blood…!]
All the cultivators in the recapture team were terrified by the voice that resounded throughout the entire valley.
Some cultivators even wet themselves.
One of the Thirteen Venerables of the Thirteen Alliances Under the Moon, Blood Puppet Ancestor Gu Do-ryun of the Nascent Soul stage, was that terrifying an existence.
[Sleep trembling in fear every night, Hyeok…!]
People’s gazes turned toward a nearby ridge.
There, Cheon Woo-jin, who had escaped from the flames, had landed and was catching his breath.
People had expected that even if the Blood Puppet Sect branch was attacked, the Blood Puppet Ancestor himself wouldn’t even care.
But the Blood Puppet Ancestor had personally descended and was furious.
The cause was definitely that man wearing the red daoist robe.
That man must also be the one who burned down the entire branch, but what was the true identity of this man called ‘Hyeok’ by the Blood Puppet Ancestor?
Before the people wondering about this, Cheon Woo-jin showed no reaction whatsoever.
Without saying a single word, he kept his mouth shut and left that place.
Leaving behind the branch that had become nothing but pitch-black ashes.
* * *
‘From now on, Gu Do-ryun will be searching in the wrong places.’
Cheon Woo-jin returned to Ghost Head City two days later.
It took quite some time because he had taken a detour to avoid any possible pursuit.
Now Gu Do-ryun would be searching for the mysterious cultivator ‘Hyeok’ who used Samadhi True Fire.
Since Cheon Woo-jin’s Samadhi True Fire borrowed the power of the Taeul Yeokri Sect’s magical treasure, the Red Sea True Fire Spear, it reflected the philosophy and ideology of the Orthodox Sect faction.
So there was a high possibility that Gu Do-ryun would investigate the Orthodox Sect faction first.
Moreover, Gu Do-ryun probably didn’t see Cheon Woo-jin using the talisman treasure.
Because he had kicked the wooden box and hidden behind it while taking out the talisman.
Since low-grade puppets had limited senses, there was a high possibility he didn’t notice that Cheon Woo-jin had generated Samadhi True Fire with a talisman treasure.
So Gu Do-ryun would investigate Orthodox Sect cultivators with Core Formation stage power or higher first.
Reaching Cheon Woo-jin, a Qi Condensation Cultivator in the lower levels of Ghost Head City, would be virtually impossible.
‘From now on, I might need to act in disguise like this more often.’
As Seo Seol-ryeong had said, a tree that grows tall alone in the forest is easily broken by the wind.
Cheon Woo-jin already possessed the power to defeat even Foundation Establishment cultivators, but the monsters of the Nascent Soul realm and the great sects could kill him as easily as crushing an insect.
He had to avoid becoming their target before gaining the strength to oppose them.
From that perspective, creating a kind of ‘alternate character’ like this time was a good strategy.
While they focused on the mysterious Foundation Establishment cultivator ‘Hyeok’ who used Samadhi True Fire, the Qi Condensation Cultivator ‘Cheon Woo-jin’ of Ghost Head City could leisurely build his strength.
‘Someday I’ll have to face them directly. I need to build my strength until then.’
With that thought, Cheon Woo-jin reached into his robes and touched his Storage Bag.
Inside was the Yin-Yang Mysterious Pearl he had obtained this time.
‘With this, I’ll make a Foundation Building Pill and attempt to reach the Foundation Building realm.’
Cheon Woo-jin headed to his Cave Dwelling within the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm.
On the island floating in the pitch-black cosmic space, everything was already prepared.
‘First, I need to heat the pill furnace.’
The pill furnace he had obtained from Jo Hyu was installed next to the hermitage.
Lighting this furnace was the first step in creating the Foundation Building Pill.
However, ordinary fire wouldn’t work for making Foundation Building Pills.
To produce a proper Foundation Building Pill, True Fire was necessary.
Just as Taishang Laojun used Samadhi True Fire when tempering Son Oh-gong in the Eight Trigrams Furnace in Journey to the West, pill furnaces were originally meant to be heated with True Fire.
However, Qi Condensation Cultivators lacked the ability to create True Fire.
Even cultivators with Fire Spirit Roots were the same.
That’s why it was common for Qi Condensation Cultivators to borrow others’ power when making Foundation Building Pills.
‘But I have the talisman of the Red Sea True Fire Spear.’
Cheon Woo-jin used the Red Sea True Fire Spear talisman to generate True Fire.
Normally, flames capable of burning this entire Cave Dwelling should have erupted, but since Cheon Woo-jin drew only a tiny amount of power, that didn’t happen.
‘If I only draw such small amounts, it probably won’t reduce the number of uses.’
As True Fire was injected beneath the pill furnace, the entire furnace immediately began heating up.
He could feel the furnace’s reaction was different from when lit with ordinary fire.
After confirming it was sufficiently heated, he flicked his left hand to open the furnace lid.
Then he extended his spiritual power with his right hand and began adding the Foundation Building spirit materials one by one.
Wood attribute Five Elements spirit material, Blue Dew Spring Leaf Grass.
Fire attribute Five Elements spirit material, Red Root Fire Dragon Ginseng.
Earth attribute Five Elements spirit material, Yellow Earth Mountain Spirit Mushroom.
Metal attribute Five Elements spirit material, White Leaf Autumn Spirit Grass.
Water attribute Five Elements spirit material, the Golden Core of the Dark Dew Great King Centipede.
The final base spirit material, Yin-Yang Mysterious Pearl.
He put all six Foundation Building spirit materials into the pill furnace and closed the lid.
‘That’s all the materials added.’
Of course, just adding the materials wasn’t the end.
Cheon Woo-jin inserted a Spirit Stone into the hole at the edge of the pill furnace.
The Eight Trigrams patterns on the furnace began glowing intensely.
Watching this, Cheon Woo-jin extended both hands forward and released his spiritual power.
While activating the furnace’s functions with the Spirit Stone’s spiritual energy, he had to directly inject spiritual power to finely control the strength of the Eight Trigrams.
‘I need to carefully control each of Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui.’
First, he used Qian with the strongest yang energy and Zhen that bursts like lightning to break down the physical structure of the Foundation Building spirit materials.
Next, he stabilized the flames with Kun, the yin energy, while extracting the essence of the spirit materials with Kan, representing water.
Then he removed moisture and concentrated with Li’s flames, maintaining center and condensing with Gen, unshakable like a mountain.
Finally, he lightly heated with Xun like wind, then gently refined with Dui’s power that ripples gently like a pond, completing the alchemy of the Foundation Building Pill.
Cheon Woo-jin stood before the pill furnace, continuously injecting spiritual power.
He couldn’t leave his position because he had to finely control the strength of the Eight Trigrams according to each stage.
Hot heat emanated from the pill furnace heated by True Fire.
The fragrance of spirit herbs filled with spiritual energy permeated the surroundings.
Honestly, it was such a harsh environment that it was difficult to breathe properly.
He wanted to step away briefly and catch his breath, but it was impossible since he couldn’t predict what might happen inside the pill furnace.
In just a moment, the flames inside the pill furnace might run wild and burn all the spirit materials to ash.
If that happened, he would have to start everything over from the beginning.
Considering such risks, he couldn’t leave his position even for a moment.
‘These are spirit materials I risked my life to obtain. I absolutely cannot fail.’
How much time had passed?
After at least ten days of forgetting food and sleep while performing alchemy, Cheon Woo-jin saw light.
Auspicious light was seeping out from beneath the pill furnace lid.
With trembling hands, Cheon Woo-jin extinguished the fire and opened the lid.
From inside the still-warm pill furnace, a single elixir emitting an indigo light floated up.
“Ah…!”
He extended his palm and drew it with spiritual power.
The moment the indigo elixir entered his grasp, he could feel the auspicious principles contained within it.
He could instinctively tell.
This was a Foundation Building Pill of the highest quality.
Cheon Woo-jin felt something surging up from within his chest.
He had endured countless hardships to obtain this single Foundation Building Pill.
He had to throw himself into life-and-death battles that he couldn’t have even imagined in the Real World, and boldly challenge opponents who were a step above him.
He even had to risk the danger of confronting monsters at the Core Formation stage.
But it was precisely because he took such risks that he could obtain this Foundation Building Pill.
Because he fought battles where his life was on the line, he was able to gain the power to continue surviving in the future.
‘This is the power I need to survive.’
Taking the Foundation Building Pill and ascending to the Foundation Building stage wouldn’t just extend his lifespan.
He would also gain the power to deal with various dangers.
This world was full of transcendent beings who could kill Cheon Woo-jin as easily as crushing a bug.
To avoid dying a dog’s death at their hands, he needed to cultivate even more power.
This was the only way to survive in this cruel Murim World.
‘Then…’
First, Cheon Woo-jin washed his body in the Spring Water in front of the Hermitage.
This Spring Water was a Spirit Spring containing Spiritual Energy.
The reason he could cultivate Rice Fields on an Island floating in the Sky was because of such Spirit Springs.
After completing his ritual purification, Cheon Woo-jin climbed the Mountain in the center of the Island.
If this Island was viewed as a single Formation, the Mountain Peak was the center of the Formation.
Sitting there, Cheon Woo-jin placed Spirit Stones in all directions.
After consuming almost all the Spirit Stones he had collected so far to strengthen the Formation, he put the Foundation Building Pill in his mouth and swallowed it.
“…”
Even after taking the Foundation Building Pill, he felt no changes within his body.
But this was natural.
He hadn’t even started yet.
“Whoo.”
After taking a deep breath.
Cheon Woo-jin brought his hands together and opened his mouth.
“Heaven and Earth are natural, impure energy disperses, the void within the cave is mysterious, brilliant and vast is the primordial.”
The moment he began reciting the incantation to purify Heaven and Earth, summon spirits, and open the Altar.
The entire Island began to respond.
The Sky that had been pitch black began to glow blue, and the Ground of the Island was dyed red.
Within this, changes also appeared in Cheon Woo-jin’s body.
He began emanating an aura of golden-yellow color.
“Mighty spirits of the eight directions, make me natural, spiritual treasure talisman command, proclaim to the nine heavens.”
Until now, Cheon Woo-jin had continuously hit walls as a Cultivator.
His sense of handling Spiritual Power and techniques for casting Magic Arts had steadily grown, but his rank as a cultivator had remained stagnant.
His maximum Spiritual Power amount had remained the same, and his physical condition had shown no growth since reaching the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation.
Today, he would break through that wall.
“Qian Luo Da Na, cave stars supreme mystery, slay demons and bind evil, save tens of thousands…!”
The moment the Altar utilizing the entire Island was completed and everything was connected with Cheon Woo-jin at the center.
Suddenly, the medicinal effects of the Foundation Building Pill spread throughout his entire body.
At the same time, explosive energy swirled throughout his body.
The Ritual to ascend to the Foundation Building stage had begun.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————