Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 51

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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 51: Middle Layer (4)

 

 

Even seeing Cheon Woo-jin holding the Black Strange Sword, the three Foundation Establishment mercenaries maintained a relaxed attitude.

 

Originally, the cultivators of Ghost Head City’s middle layer tend to look down on Foundation Establishment cultivators active in the lower levels.

They say they’re rolling around in the lower levels where Qi Refining small fry gather because they’re afraid to operate in the middle layer.

Since Cheon Woo-jin still carried that lower level scent, it was natural for them to underestimate him.

 

However, when the Black Strange Sword in Cheon Woo-jin’s hand disappeared, their expressions changed.

 

“What?”

 

The black blade supposedly made of black iron.

It had vanished. All that remained was the sword hilt that Cheon Woo-jin was gripping.

 

But since they were Foundation Establishment cultivators in name, they quickly grasped the situation.

 

“Wait, could this be…?”

“Did he break the blade into tiny fragments and deploy them all around?”

 

Sensing the metal fragments scattered in the air, all three hastily protected their bodies with spiritual power.

They thought it was a dharma artifact that attacked by launching large quantities of tiny black iron fragments.

 

In the martial world, black iron is considered the finest material for making bladed weapons.

While its killing power is strong, it wouldn’t be a problem if a Foundation Establishment cultivator protected their body with spiritual power.

 

They were just a bit slow in deploying their spiritual power, so their skin got slightly scratched.

 

“What a strange dharma artifact…!”

 

They tried to cast magic arts to subdue Cheon Woo-jin.

But among the three, none properly activated their magic arts.

 

All three coughed up blood almost simultaneously.

 

“Th-this is…”

“Poison…!”

 

Watching the three in shock.

Cheon Woo-jin confirmed that the Black Strange Sword was working properly.

 

When he sensed the three chasing him earlier, Cheon Woo-jin had already injected the Dark Dew Great King Centipede’s poison liquid into the Black Strange Sword.

 

‘This is originally a dharma artifact meant to be used in combination with poison.’

 

The Black Strange Sword is a dharma artifact that deploys tiny fragments of black iron to create a space like a black net.

These black iron fragments can be remotely controlled with spiritual power. They can be spread wide or concentrated in one place.

 

But simply deploying black iron fragments like this isn’t very threatening.

Since each fragment is too small, at most it can only scratch the skin.

 

The true power of the Black Strange Sword only appears when combined with poison.

By imbuing each tiny fragment with poison, it makes the poison penetrate the moment a body gets caught in the net.

 

The reason the Poison Master from the Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Gate tried to win the Black Strange Sword earlier was to use it this way.

When using poison arts, how to make that poison penetrate the opponent’s body is crucial, and using the Black Strange Sword allows very simple penetration of poison in various ways.

 

“Ugh, uaaaah…”

“W-we need to get out of here…”

 

The mercenaries struggled desperately to escape somehow.

But the poisoning had already progressed considerably, so they could no longer protect their bodies with spiritual power.

 

So every time they moved their bodies, the Black Strange Sword’s fragments wounded their skin.

Through those wounds, more of the Dark Dew Great King Centipede’s deadly poison penetrated into their bodies.

 

Just like struggling in a net to escape makes it harder to get out.

The more they struggled to escape from the poison-filled space, the closer they came to death.

 

“S-save me…”

“Grrgh…”

“Ah…”

 

Eventually, all three died just like that.

Without properly casting a single magic art, futilely.

 

‘Good, it’s working properly.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin tested deploying the Black Strange Sword’s black iron fragments in various forms.

Each time he extended fine spiritual power to control them, the net of black iron fragments formed various shapes.

 

‘The Heavenly Dragon Tower didn’t know how to use it this way, so they just thought it was an ordinary sword-type dharma artifact. If you know the usage method, it’s a dharma artifact that can be utilized more easily than expected.’

 

Moreover, Cheon Woo-jin had often extended his spiritual power like spider webs to explore his surroundings.

Using that experience, he could control the Black Strange Sword’s black iron fragments more freely.

 

‘It wouldn’t work well against opponents who are properly defending… but it would be effective when subduing them with surprise attacks like this.’

 

For example, if the black iron fragments were blocked by a dharma artifact like the Silver Spirit Steel Guardian Shield, it would have no effect.

Since each black iron fragment is just a metal piece, it cannot pierce defensive magical tools.

 

But it’s very effective when making surprise preemptive strikes against careless opponents like just now.

Since it’s not a flashy power like lightning energy or Samadhi True Fire, it can make stealthy surprise attacks.

If using the Dark Dew Great King Centipede’s poison liquid, it would display almost instant-death level power against Foundation Establishment opponents.

 

‘I’ll be able to gain a big advantage against Foundation Establishment cultivators from now on.’

 

In Ghost Head City’s lower levels, he often faced Qi Refining cultivators.

But in the middle layer, even the lowest minions are all Foundation Establishment.

 

Unlike before, these small fries could no longer be easily swept away.

He couldn’t be satisfied with his current power and had to continue pursuing new strength.

 

* * *

 

After resting in the cave dwelling of the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm, Cheon Woo-jin descended to the 2nd Layer.

He entered Seo Seol-ryeong’s shop and held out a large bag.

It was the snack bag he had purchased earlier in the 4th Layer commercial district.

 

“This is the token of gratitude I mentioned last time.”

“….”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong remained silent for a moment.

 

“What is this?”

“Snacks.”

“I know that, but what kind?”

“Various kinds.”

 

Cheon Woo-jin answered in a calm voice.

 

“It’s an assorted snack gift set.”

“….”

“I didn’t know what you’d like, so I bought one with various kinds.”

 

After hearing that explanation, a sigh escaped from Seo Seol-ryeong’s lips.

 

“It doesn’t feel very sincere.”

“Is that so?”

“The process of thinking about what the other person would like and choosing accordingly is also important.”

“Hmm….”

 

Cheon Woo-jin felt complicated emotions.

 

“My late mother once bought me something like this as a holiday gift. I was very happy then, so I thought this would be good this time too… I guess it wasn’t very appropriate.”

“What?”

 

To be precise, it was a Christmas gift.

She had bought him an assorted snack gift set, and he had been happy for several days.

 

“No, it’s not that it’s an inappropriate gift.”

“Didn’t you say this kind of gift lacks sincerity?”

“That was just a figure of speech….”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong showed a flustered expression, unlike her usual self.

 

“Now that I look at it, it seems very nice. I’ll enjoy eating it. Thank you.”

“Your excuse doesn’t sound very sincere.”

 

As Cheon Woo-jin chuckled while saying that, Seo Seol-ryeong’s atmosphere turned cold.

 

“Are you teasing me?”

“Of course not.”

“If you keep doing that, it might shake the trust between us, so I think it would be better if you restrained yourself.”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong warned coldly, but Cheon Woo-jin brushed it off with a smile.

 

“By the way, did you meet well with Ho Yeon-rin?”

“Yes, she asked me to send her regards.”

 

Cheon Woo-jin suddenly became curious and asked.

 

“Is Ho Yeon-rin also someone who received requests from you like me?”

“Similar.”

“Honestly, she seems like someone who would fit better in some respectable Orthodox Sect rather than Ghost Head City… I wonder how she ended up in Ghost Head City.”

 

This was a part that wasn’t particularly covered in the game either.

Not every NPC’s backstory was explained in detail.

 

“Everyone has their circumstances.”

 

Perhaps because it was Ho Yeon-rin’s personal information, Seo Seol-ryeong evaded the answer like that.

Cheon Woo-jin didn’t press further either.

 

However, this time he became curious about what circumstances Seo Seol-ryeong might have.

 

Seo Seol-ryeong was a True Human Race with superior spiritual qualities compared to ordinary Human Race, and also a skilled practitioner at the Core Formation stage.

Why such a person was running a brokerage business in the Ghost Head City lower levels was never explained in the game.

 

What circumstances could Seo Seol-ryeong possibly have?

He had been curious even when playing the game. Now that he was facing her like this, he became even more curious.

 

But he had no intention of prying into it persistently.

 

“Could I possibly hear some information about the Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect?”

 

Instead, Cheon Woo-jin brought up a different topic.

 

“The Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect?”

“I had a bit of a conflict with them.”

“You’re having conflicts with troublesome people as soon as you went up to the 4th Layer.”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong spoke in a cold voice.

 

“Then this works out well.”

“Works out well?”

“There’s a request related to that Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect.”

 

Last time, Seo Seol-ryeong had said she would look into new work suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage.

It seemed he had found work in the meantime.

 

“A sect called the Golden Wing Sect is currently engaged in a bloody battle with the Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Gate on the 4th Layer.”

“Golden Wing Sect….”

 

It was a sect he had never heard of.

At least, he had never encountered it in the Spirit Path Cultivation Chronicle game.

 

Perhaps by the time he would have reached Ghost Beast Fortress 4th Layer in the game, it had already been destroyed.

Defeated in the bloody battle against the Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Gate.

 

“The Golden Wing Sect is a very wealthy sect. They have several shops in the 4th Layer commercial district and abundant cultivation resources.”

“Hmm….”

“But recently, they got caught up in the Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Gate’s schemes and lost many talented disciples.”

 

No matter how many material resources they had, it was difficult to continue fighting without sufficient human resources.

 

“So they need reinforcements.”

“They’ve hired several mercenaries who were active in the middle layer, but it doesn’t seem to be very effective.”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong explained the situation in a calm voice.

 

“So they asked me to introduce a trustworthy person.”

“A trustworthy person, I wonder who that could be.”

“I wonder who.”

 

Brushing off Cheon Woo-jin’s question, Seo Seol-ryeong handed him a note.

 

“There’s a major operation in five days. Come to the location written here and participate in the battle.”

 

The note also contained information about compensation.

Cheon Woo-jin nodded and put the note in his pocket.

 

“Show them your trustworthy side.”

“I’ll try.”

 

Saying that, Cheon Woo-jin stood up from his seat.

But there was something bothering him, so he spoke up.

 

“Seo Seol-ryeong.”

“What is it?”

 

Cheon Woo-jin looked at Seo Seol-ryeong as she gathered up the Assorted Snack Gift Set he had given her earlier and asked.

 

“Isn’t that too much?”

 

At that question, Seo Seol-ryeong moved the package behind her and replied coldly.

 

“It’s already mine.”

 

* * *

 

Since there was a major operation in five days, Cheon Woo-jin entered the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm.

And just like when he challenged Foundation Establishment, he climbed to the summit of the cave dwelling and took a Clear Spirit Pill.

 

As a result of practicing Qi Circulation Cultivation for five days while dissolving the energy of the Clear Spirit Pill, a considerable amount of spiritual power had accumulated.

Though it was still insufficient to reach mid-stage Foundation Establishment, his spiritual power had greatly increased compared to when he had just entered Foundation Establishment.

 

Feeling more confident, Cheon Woo-jin headed to the western section of the 4th Layer.

 

“You reek of the disgusting miasma energy from Ghost Head City’s lower levels.”

 

As soon as he arrived at the meeting place, a man with long, narrow eyes glared at Cheon Woo-jin.

 

[Lee Geuk-gyeol]

* Race: Human

* Age: 188 years

* Realm: Foundation Establishment Great Perfection

* Constitution: Earth-Metal Spiritual Root

* Alignment: Neutral

* Affiliation: Ghost Head City

* Destiny: Authority

 

Seeing his affiliation listed as Ghost Head City, he was a mercenary not belonging to any specific sect.

He seemed to be one of the middle layer mercenaries directly hired by the Golden Wing Sect.

 

“I don’t know if you’re a coward who’s been wallowing in the lower levels all along, or a greenhorn who just reached Foundation Establishment… I hope you don’t drag us down.”

“….”

 

There were other mercenaries around, but this man Lee Geuk-gyeol was the only one at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

Perhaps that’s why Lee Geuk-gyeol seemed to be in command of the entire group.

 

“Today we must completely devastate that Spirit Mountain where the Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Gate cultivates poison herbs.”

“….”

 

The mountain Lee Geuk-gyeol pointed to had Spirit Fields set up throughout.

 

The 4th Layer had an extremely dry climate where plants had difficulty growing, but among spirit herbs that fed on spiritual energy, there were some that grew well only in such dry places.

It seemed the Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Gate was cultivating poison herbs that fed on dry energy here.

 

“We’ll attack simultaneously from the south and north, with the Golden Wing Sect disciples taking the north. We’ll go up from the south.”

“….”

“For now, you just follow along and do as you’re told. Absolutely obey my commands. Understood?”

 

The operation seemed somewhat different from the note Seo Seol-ryeong had initially given him.

Moreover, it seemed they hadn’t properly communicated how Cheon Woo-jin came to be here.

 

“….”

 

Cheon Woo-jin ignored Lee Geuk-gyeol and turned his gaze toward the Spirit Mountain.

After observing for a while to see what kind of mountain it was, he spoke again.

 

“Let’s just do it separately.”

“What?”

“You go up from the south as planned. I’ll move alone from a different direction.”

 

The other mercenaries’ eyes widened at Cheon Woo-jin’s statement.

Meanwhile, Lee Geuk-gyeol glared at Cheon Woo-jin with a coldly hardened expression.

 

“What are you talking about right now?”

“It doesn’t seem like we’ll work well together anyway.”

 

Unlike Jang Ryang or Won Pil-so who he had fought alongside before, this man called Lee Geuk-gyeol didn’t seem like he’d be much help.

He must have some skill since he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, but with this kind of personality, he would definitely hold Cheon Woo-jin back.

 

“It would be better to move separately rather than holding each other back.”

“You’re out of your mind. If you do it that way, I won’t share the reward with you.”

 

It seemed information about Cheon Woo-jin hadn’t been properly conveyed.

 

Cheon Woo-jin receives his reward through Seo Seol-ryeong.

Seo Seol-ryeong would handle all kinds of negotiations, so there was no need to squabble with Lee Geuk-gyeol over reward distribution.

 

But since the other side was picking a fight with such misunderstandings.

It wouldn’t be bad to respond to the provocation.

 

The Middle Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were already acting territorial, saying he smelled like the Lower Levels, were starting to get on his nerves anyway.

 

“How about we make a bet?”

“What?”

“Whichever of us two contributes more to devastating Spirit Mountain gets to take the other’s entire reward.”

 

If you win, I’ll give you all my reward.

If I win, you hand over all your reward.

 

Lee Geuk-gyeol, understanding Cheon Woo-jin’s meaning, showed strong displeasure.

 

“You crazy bastard, what are you talking about?”

“What’s wrong?”

 

Cheon Woo-jin looked at Lee Geuk-gyeol with cold eyes and asked.

 

“Are you scared?”

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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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