Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 54
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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 54: Provocation (3)
“Those bastards from the Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect initially said they wanted to buy our magical treasure.”
In front of Cheon Woo-jin, who was drinking spirit tea, Gwak Gyeong-in spoke with anger in his voice.
“Naturally, we refused. It’s a divine artifact passed down through generations of our sect, so we had no intention of selling it no matter how much they offered.”
After all, the Golden Wing Sect was a wealthy sect.
They didn’t need urgent funds, and there was no reason to sell off the sect’s treasures.
“But those bastards didn’t back down quietly. They began plotting schemes to steal the magical treasure.”
“….”
“They first started poisoning Golden Wing Sect members one by one. There was even a day when they simultaneously poisoned over ten people.”
Anger crept into Gwak Gyeong-in’s voice.
“After belatedly discovering that Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect’s poison was being used, we went as a group to protest. But those bastards had prepared a trap even at the meeting place where they received us. In the end, many people lost their lives there.”
“….”
“After that, they began openly attacking us. We tried to counterattack, but… having already suffered major damage, we’re in a difficult fight.”
If the Golden Wing Sect had been in perfect condition, they could have gained the upper hand against the Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Sect.
However, due to suffering too much damage initially, they were struggling to avoid defeat.
“We also requested help from other sects, but they all backed away in fear of the Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect’s poison. If they earned those bastards’ resentment and faced retaliation, they might have important talents poisoned to death.”
“….”
“In the end, we had no choice but to hire scattered cultivators to deal with it.”
Saying that, Gwak Yeong-in let out a sigh.
“But honestly, I don’t really trust them. It feels like they’re just filling up numbers.”
“….”
“So, Cheon Daoist.”
Gwak Yeong-in made eye contact with Cheon Woo-jin as he spoke.
“Not just today, but couldn’t you continue helping us in the future as well?”
Finally, Gwak Yeong-in got to the main point.
“As I mentioned earlier, we lack Foundation Establishment Cultivators. We’re even more short on capable people. But if Cheon Daoist helps us, I think we could get some breathing room.”
Today, Gwak Yeong-in had directly witnessed Cheon Woo-jin’s capabilities.
It was Cheon Woo-jin who had played a more decisive role than even Lee Geuk-gyeol and others who were seasoned in the middle layer.
So Gwak Yeong-in had no choice but to cling to Cheon Woo-jin.
“Of course, we’ll pay compensation that won’t disappoint you.”
“….”
Cheon Woo-jin didn’t answer.
Instead, he brought the tea cup he had been provided earlier to his mouth.
After taking a sip of the tea water, he slowly opened his mouth.
“This tea water seems really excellent.”
“Hmm?”
He had felt it from the first sip, but it was truly spirit tea containing deep spiritual energy.
Just from drinking a few sips, his fatigue was being relieved and his body was being purified.
“Was this also cultivated in the cave heaven inside the magical treasure?”
“That’s right.”
Realizing that Cheon Woo-jin was showing interest in the spirit tea, Gwak Yeong-in leaned forward.
“If you like it, I’ll give you a whole container of tea leaves as a gift.”
He would give an entire container of spirit tea leaves worth tens of thousands of ordinary spirit stones per cup as a gift?
It was talk that couldn’t help but pique one’s interest.
“I’m sorry, but if you’re giving it as compensation for cooperation, I don’t think I can accept it.”
However, Cheon Woo-jin refused with a calm voice.
“Cheon Daoist….”
“I understand the Golden Bell Sect’s situation well. I’m also grateful that you evaluated me so highly.”
In front of Gwak Yeong-in, who was making a disappointed expression, Cheon Woo-jin explained his position.
“However, at this point in time, it’s an issue I can’t decide on. I’m also someone who hasn’t been on the 4th Layer for long, so I haven’t grasped the atmosphere yet. I can’t rashly decide to fully participate in a fight between two formidable sects.”
“Hmm….”
Gwak Yeong-in crossed his arms and groaned.
“Then… you’ll at least think about it?”
“That’s right.”
“It can’t be helped….”
Gwak Yeong-in sighed at Cheon Woo-jin’s cold attitude.
“From your position, that would be right. I think I was too hasty.”
“I’m sorry about this.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize for suddenly making such an excessive request.”
Gwak Yeong-in sincerely apologized in front of his much younger junior.
He was a person with character rarely seen in the Cultivation World.
Cheon Woo-jin had such thoughts while looking at Gwak Yeong-in.
However, he still couldn’t tell Gwak Yeong-in here and now that he would fight alongside him.
He needed to carefully examine the current situation and think about whether this was a fight worth participating in before making a decision.
And above all… rather than accepting right here on the spot, negotiating through Seo Seol-ryeong later would likely yield better compensation.
“Then I’ll take my leave now.”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard.”
As Cheon Woo-jin rose from his seat, Gwak Yeong-in saw him off.
“About that Spirit Tea from earlier.”
On his way out, Cheon Woo-jin brought it up as if making casual conversation.
“If you grow it in that Cave Heaven, would any tea tree produce such good Spirit Tea?”
“That’s not the case.”
Gwak Yeong-in shook his head.
“No matter how good the water and air are where you grow it, you can’t create legendary tea from cheap tea trees. It’s because the seed itself is special that such Spirit Tea is produced.”
“I see. Thank you for telling me.”
The seed itself is special.
Hearing those words, Cheon Woo-jin nodded.
‘That’s fortunate. It would have been hopeless if he said it became quality Spirit Tea because it was cultivated in a Cave Heaven.’
Honestly, Cheon Woo-jin had been quite tempted when Gwak Yeong-in offered him a container of Spirit Tea earlier.
But… even if he received the Spirit Tea, once he finished drinking the entire container, that would be the end of it.
If possible, he wanted to be able to cultivate such Spirit Tea himself and become self-sufficient.
‘There’s an empty Spirit Field anyway.’
The Cave Dwelling inside the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm also had Spirit Fields.
Taesa Ryang probably didn’t feel the need to farm with his own hands, so he had left the Spirit Fields neglected.
But Cheon Woo-jin had been thinking that since he had these Spirit Fields, he wanted to try cultivating crops once.
And if possible, he had the desire to cultivate precious crops that were hard to obtain in the market.
If it was something he could buy anytime at the market, there was no need to spend time and effort cultivating it directly.
‘Spirit Tea like this would be worth cultivating myself.’
Rather than receiving a container of tea leaves as a gift, receiving a tea tree sapling as a gift would be better.
That was Cheon Woo-jin’s thinking.
Moreover, the Golden Hour Sect must have various rare crops besides this Spirit Tea.
If he could obtain seeds or saplings of such crops and become self-sufficient… it would be of great help to his future cultivation.
If he ended up cooperating with the Golden Hour Sect, he planned to ask Seo Seol-ryeong to negotiate for obtaining such things.
* * *
After leaving the Golden Hour Sect, Cheon Woo-jin headed to the Commercial District of the 4th Layer.
As he had told Gwak Yeong-in earlier, he needed to understand what the current atmosphere was like.
However, he didn’t head to the Heavenly Dragon Tower.
That place was too noisy and exclusive, which didn’t match Cheon Woo-jin’s purpose.
The place Cheon Woo-jin headed to was just an ordinary Wine House.
He sat at a 3rd floor seat overlooking the Main Street, ordered alcohol, and watched the outside.
Just by observing the Status Windows of passersby, he could gather a lot of information.
‘There are quite a lot of Cultivators belonging to the Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Sect.’
There were quite a few cases where people who looked perfectly normal on the outside had ‘Affiliation: Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Sect’ listed.
Had they sent many Cultivators down to the 4th Layer because of the fight with the Golden Hour Sect?
‘The Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Sect’s Main Hall is on the 5th Layer. Should I go take a look there too?’
Of course, he would need to wear a Human Skin Mask and change his appearance with the Disguise Transformation Technique before conducting reconnaissance.
There might be people who would recognize Cheon Woo-jin’s face.
“Hey.”
While Cheon Woo-jin was having such thoughts and tilting his wine cup, a rough voice came from the direction of the stairs.
When he turned his gaze that way, a familiar face was glaring at Cheon Woo-jin.
“Drinking alcohol in a place like this, you’re quite leisurely.”
“…”
It was Lee Geuk-gyeol, the Foundation Establishment stage mercenary who had clashed with him during the earlier operation.
He was blocking the stairs along with several Cultivators of similar atmosphere.
“Does it feel good to make a fool of people?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Why didn’t you mention that you were separately recruited by the Golden Hour Sect?”
This time, Cheon Woo-jin had been hired through a different route than Lee Geuk-gyeol and the others.
But perhaps that fact wasn’t communicated, as Lee Geuk-gyeol had treated Cheon Woo-jin like his subordinate.
In the end, Cheon Woo-jin refused to follow Lee Geuk-gyeol’s orders and acted independently.
“Because of you, I was the only one who looked like a fool. Even the payment was distributed with only me left out.”
“Is that my fault?”
Cheon Woo-jin shot back with a cold voice.
“The condition was that whoever achieved greater results would monopolize the payment. I remember you agreeing to that.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s invalid.”
Lee Geuk-gyeol glared at Cheon Woo-jin with menacingly narrowed eyes.
“Hand over the Spirit Stones I should have received.”
“You’re no different from a bandit.”
Cheon Woo-jin said as he brought the wine cup to his lips.
In any case, Cheon Woo-jin hadn’t received his payment yet.
So even if he wanted to return Lee Geuk-gyeol’s share, he couldn’t.
Of course, he had no intention of returning it anyway.
“A mere brat reeking of the Lower Levels’ disgusting stench… If you act too arrogantly, you might get hurt badly.”
“Who was it that got beaten by that brat and couldn’t earn a single Spirit Stone?”
“You bastard…”
Lee Geuk-gyeol’s face turned bright red.
Most cultivators tend to have strong pride.
This is because they feel proud of being beings who transcend ordinary humans and walk the path of cultivation.
Even mere Qi Refining Cultivators have such tendencies, so Foundation Establishment Cultivators have even stronger pride.
That pride had been wounded. The only way to resolve it was through retaliation.
“It seems I need to teach you how to respect your seniors today.”
Swoosh.
The cultivators Lee Geuk-gyeol had brought stepped forward.
Just from their faces, they looked like people with rotten personalities.
How did he manage to gather only such people?
While Cheon Woo-jin was wondering about this.
“Hey, cultivator.”
Just then.
A voice came from a room in the inner part of the 3rd Floor.
“I stayed quiet thinking you’d know when to stop appropriately, but this is getting more ridiculous by the minute. Is that behavior befitting a Foundation Establishment senior?”
“Stop doing things that ruin the taste of alcohol and wrap this up, cultivator.”
Lee Geuk-gyeol was startled when he saw the faces of the two men who poked their heads out of the room.
“Cultivator Jang, Cultivator Won, why are you here…”
Lee Geuk-gyeol wasn’t the only one surprised.
Cheon Woo-jin was also looking at the two men’s faces in amazement.
‘I hadn’t encountered them even once since the Poison Sword Sect attack, so I thought they had gone somewhere else… To think I’d meet them here.’
They were Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so, whom he had worked with before.
When they first met, they too had been displeased with Cheon Woo-jin like Lee Geuk-gyeol.
But after the battle ended, they parted on good terms, laughing together.
They were the people who had even encouraged him to quickly reach Foundation Establishment.
‘However, they don’t seem to recognize me.’
Cheon Woo-jin had recently undergone Bone Transformation Rebirth when he reached Foundation Establishment.
His facial features had changed considerably.
“Mind your own business and just drink.”
Lee Geuk-gyeol, who had initially flinched, spoke harshly to Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so.
Since his side had more people anyway, there was no need to cower here.
“If you have the leisure to meddle in others’ affairs, worry about rebuilding that sect of yours instead. Looking at how you’re wandering in and out of the Lower Levels, rebuilding seems impossible forever.”
“Huh, this person…”
“Cultivator, are you done talking?”
Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so had the goal of rebuilding their old sect.
Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so flared up when that aspect was mocked.
Harsh words continued to be exchanged between both sides, and the atmosphere grew increasingly hostile.
Objectively speaking, Lee Geuk-gyeol was largely at fault, but he became increasingly arrogant.
This was probably because his side had more people.
As if trying to recover the pride wounded by Cheon Woo-jin earlier, he used increasingly harsh words and mockery.
“Well, this won’t do.”
Jang Ryang, angered by the repeated provocations, looked toward Cheon Woo-jin.
“You should leave now. It seems we’re the ones who need to have it out with this cultivator.”
Jang Ryang still didn’t recognize Cheon Woo-jin.
Meanwhile, Lee Geuk-gyeol sneered at this sight.
“How ridiculous. I’ll destroy all three of you at once.”
Lee Geuk-gyeol’s mercenaries could be seen drawing their Dharma Artifacts one by one.
This wasn’t just a simple attempt at intimidation.
Seeing them clearly display killing intent, Jang Ryang took out a talisman and Won Pil-so formed hand seals.
“Kill them!”
Lee Geuk-gyeol shouted at his companions.
But no one responded to his voice.
Because they had all collapsed, coughing up blood.
“What…?!”
Lee Geuk-gyeol didn’t know, and neither did Jang Ryang or Won Pil-so.
The fact that Cheon Woo-jin had been keeping the Black Strange Sword ready under the table all this time.
Tiny metal fragments flew through the air, injecting poison liquid into the cultivators’ bodies.
While Lee Geuk-gyeol stood there with his mouth agape, unable to comprehend what had happened.
Crack!
A black blade erupted from the shadow that Cheon Woo-jin had secretly extended, piercing through Lee Geuk-gyeol’s lower body.
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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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