Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 65

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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 65: Elder Ancestor (3)

 

 

Although his head felt like blood vessels were bursting with a splitting headache, Cheon Woo-jin’s soul remained calm.

Within his spiritual domain, he coldly observed his current state while precisely creating new power.

 

A reaction came from the Soul-Devouring Sword in his hand.

One of the orbs—no, spirit beads—that had formed on the blade, which had been glowing blue, lost its light.

What was released simultaneously was a blue mystical energy—Wood Spirit Energy.

 

This was what he had just absorbed from Sama Moon’s Golden Core.

Though he hadn’t taken all the vast spiritual energy that Sama Moon possessed, it was still sufficient to cause the phenomenon Cheon Woo-jin desired.

 

[Azure Thunder]

 

Flash!

A blue lightning bolt pierced through the air.

It was Azure Thunder, the Five Thunder Method unleashed with blue Wood Spirit Energy.

 

In the Five Elements, Wood is like the power of new shoots that break through the earth and stretch toward the ground in spring.

Because this Wood comes first, Fire can exist to make leaves flourish abundantly in summer.

 

If Crimson Thunder, the Thunder Method of the Fire Element, specializes in explosive power that sweeps across wide areas, then Azure Thunder, the Thunder Method of the Wood Element, is a power specialized in penetrating force that pierces through one spot.

 

Blue lightning energy that penetrates enemies with a single flash.

That was the Azure Thunder of the Five Thunder Method.

 

“…!”

 

Flash!

The blue lightning flew toward the scorpion’s head at terrifying speed.

The scorpion, which had been charging with its house-sized body, could neither dodge nor block this attack.

 

Piercing through the exoskeleton that had been hard as armor, the blue lightning penetrated through the scorpion’s body.

The Azure Thunder that pierced straight through the cephalothorax ravaged the torso with overwhelming penetrating power, destroying all the internal organs and nerves.

Finally, it penetrated through the lower part of the tail, extending as a blue line all the way to near the hermitage in the distance.

 

“….”

 

Thud!

The scorpion collapsed to the ground.

Though it slid near Cheon Woo-jin due to inertia, it ultimately couldn’t touch a single hair on his head.

 

“Whew….”

 

Cheon Woo-jin extended his spiritual energy in all directions, just in case.

After confirming there were no other threatening elements in the cave dwelling, he sat down on the spot.

 

His body hadn’t fully recovered yet, and using the Dharma Artifact on top of that left his entire body battered.

Most importantly, Cheon Woo-jin’s body wasn’t yet suitable for handling Wood Spirit Energy.

Though he had grown to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and could handle Fire Spirit Energy, he wasn’t yet prepared for Wood Spirit Energy.

 

However, to eliminate a venomous insect with such a hard exoskeleton, he had to use Azure Thunder, which specialized in penetrating power.

 

‘Using Fire Spirit Energy for Crimson Thunder would have made it difficult to pierce the exoskeleton, and using Water Spirit Energy for Black Lightning would have made it hard to penetrate the entire body….’

 

Thinking this, Cheon Woo-jin examined the Soul-Devouring Sword.

 

The five spirit beads that had formed on the Soul-Devouring Sword originated from Sama Moon’s Five Element Spirit Roots.

And the five colors filling those spirit beads were the spiritual energy absorbed from Sama Moon’s Golden Core.

 

The blue spirit bead was Wood Spirit Energy.

The red spirit bead was Fire Spirit Energy.

The yellow spirit bead was Earth Spirit Energy.

The white spirit bead was Metal Spirit Energy.

The black spirit bead was Water Spirit Energy.

Each type of spiritual energy was stored in the Dharma Artifact.

 

Since he had used Wood Spirit Energy just now, the blue spirit bead had lost its light, but it would return if he accumulated Wood Spirit Energy from elsewhere.

 

‘I can now store spiritual energy in a Dharma Artifact, not just inside the human body.’

 

This had two meanings.

 

First, he could now carry around spiritual energy beyond his maximum storage capacity.

 

Until now, Cheon Woo-jin had experienced spiritual power depletion several times after using powerful techniques.

While Cheon Woo-jin could unleash attacks that transcended his cultivation level, the problem was that his spiritual power consumption was severe.

He had to recover by taking elixirs and absorbing spiritual energy, which took considerable time, making it impossible to fight consecutive battles against powerful enemies.

But if he could store spiritual energy in such an ‘external storage device,’ he wouldn’t run out of spiritual power even after using powerful techniques multiple times.

 

Second, he could now store spiritual energy other than Water Spirit Energy.

Cheon Woo-jin, who had single Water attribute spirit roots, could only accumulate Water Spirit Energy.

Though he could accumulate energy of other attributes depending on his cultivation method, it was more efficient to spend that time further refining his Water attribute power.

However, using these spirit beads of the Soul-Devouring Sword, he could carry around the spiritual energy of Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal as well.

And whenever he needed to use techniques other than Water attribute like before, he could take them out and use them.

 

‘I was able to use Crimson Thunder against Gi Sin-ryeo at Jakryang Mountain because it was a place abundant with Fire Spirit Energy. But using this, I won’t be constrained by the environment.’

 

The problem was that this was a Dharma Artifact, not a Dharma Tool.

Taking it out just anywhere could cause a great commotion.

So he would have to use it only at decisive moments.

 

‘Anyway, in most situations, using just Water Spirit Energy should be enough to resolve things.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin rested for a while to recover his strength.

The cave dwelling of the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm was a place where pure spiritual power was continuously supplied, making it good for recovery as well.

 

Once his physical condition recovered, the first thing he did was collect the scorpion’s venom.

Since there wasn’t much of the Dark Dew Great King Centipede’s venom left, he needed to replenish it with new venom.

 

‘It’s a shame I can’t take anything out of Sama Moon’s spatial storage.’

 

He had also examined Sama Moon’s corpse, but there wasn’t anything particularly worth taking.

There were surely powerful items stored in the spatial storage, but only Sama Moon could retrieve them.

 

‘Anyway, with my current abilities, they’d probably be items too difficult to use, so I’ll just give up on them.’

 

But there was no need to be disappointed.

Inside the cave dwelling’s hermitage, Sama Moon’s belongings were piled up in abundance.

 

They were probably items he used during his Core Formation Realm days.

It seemed he had left them behind after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm since he no longer needed them.

 

‘Elixirs, talismans, dharma artifacts, secret manuals… These might have been unnecessary items to Sama Moon, but to me they’re no different from a treasure vault.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin decided to select the useful ones and move them to his own cave dwelling.

 

He had no intention of ever setting foot in this cave dwelling again.

He didn’t know what conditions Sama Moon had contracted under in the past, and… there might be someone else besides Sama Moon who had the authority to enter this cave dwelling.

 

However, he decided to take the key that Sama Moon had placed on the table earlier.

 

‘If I use this, I can enter and exit the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm from anywhere. I’ll be able to use it much more conveniently.’

 

After deciding on a rough plan, Cheon Woo-jin decided to dispose of the corpses of Sama Moon and the scorpion first.

He couldn’t leave traces of what had happened here.

 

The fact that Cheon Woo-jin had killed the Nascent Soul Realm Elder Ancestor Sama Moon would never be known to anyone.

 

* * *

 

Erasing all traces and selecting and moving useful items took quite a bit of time.

After finishing the cleanup and leaving the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm, five days had already passed.

 

First, Cheon Woo-jin headed to the Golden Bell Sect Main Hall on the 4th Layer.

But when he arrived in front of the main hall, the atmosphere seemed strange.

Everyone was busily moving around, setting up tables and erecting banners.

There was even the smell of cooking coming from inside.

 

Were they perhaps preparing a celebration feast for victory in the war against the Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect?

Cheon Woo-jin grabbed a passing Golden Bell Cultivator and asked.

 

“What kind of feast are you preparing?”

“It’s not a feast, it’s a funeral.”

 

Ah, I see.

Well, many people had died, so they couldn’t just hold a celebration without consideration.

 

“A cultivator named Cheon Woo-jin died this time.”

“…?”

“Actually, he wasn’t killed but was captured, but since he was taken by a vicious Elder Ancestor, it’s safe to assume he’s dead. Since he was just a mercenary with no connections, our Golden Bell Sect decided to hold a grand funeral for him.”

“…”

 

Cheon Woo-jin was at a loss for words and peered inside the main hall.

He could see Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so wearing mourning clothes and walking around with gloomy expressions.

 

He wondered if it would be right to just disappear like this.

But the two spotted Cheon Woo-jin first.

 

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

 

Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so stared at Cheon Woo-jin with speechless expressions.

Cheon Woo-jin also wasn’t sure what to say, so he just kept his mouth shut.

 

The most awkward silence in the Cultivation World flowed between them.

 

* * *

 

“I’m sorry. The mourning atmosphere continued, and it even led to our Golden Bell Sect offering to hold a funeral… We got swept up in the mood and it ended up like this.”

 

Gwak Gyeong-in scratched his head and apologized.

 

“We don’t usually go this far either. We don’t hold sect-wide mourning just because one cultivator died. But your contributions in this battle were so significant… we wanted to do something for you.”

“Hmm… I understand.”

 

Cheon Woo-jin had nothing more to say either.

He decided to just let it pass.

 

“But how exactly did you manage to return alive? I’d like to hear about that.”

 

When Gwak Gyeong-in brought this up, Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so, who were nearby, also nodded.

 

“We were curious about that too.”

“This time we really thought we’d never see you again.”

 

He had been captured by Sama Moon, an Elder Ancestor of the Nascent Soul Realm.

It was more natural to think he wouldn’t return alive.

 

“Sama Moon was looking for something.”

“Looking for something?”

“He seemed to be searching for someone with special qualities.”

 

Cheon Woo-jin slowly fabricated his story.

In fact, since Sama Moon had been looking for special constitutions to absorb into the Soul Devouring Spirit Flame Sword, it reflected the truth to some degree.

 

“He said he was trying to complete some magical treasure, but he didn’t tell me the details.”

“A magical treasure…?”

“He did various tests and examinations on me… but it seemed he lost interest when he realized I didn’t have the qualities he was looking for. He told me to get lost since he was busy and just chased me away.”

“…!”

 

Everyone showed surprised expressions.

 

“That terrifying Elder Ancestor Sama Moon just let you go? He’s someone who treats Foundation Establishment cultivators like insects….”

“No, maybe he let you go precisely because he treated you like an insect. Don’t we also just leave bugs alone in our rooms when we find them bothersome?”

 

Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so exchanged opinions with each other.

Beside them, Gwak Gyeong-in spoke up again.

 

“Cheon Daoist, you didn’t make some kind of contract with Sama Moon, did you? Like having to live as Sama Moon’s puppet forever….”

“Do you think Sama Moon would bother with such troublesome things for a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator?”

“Hmm, that’s true too.”

 

Gwak Gyeong-in muttered while stroking his chin.

 

“Then we really have to think he just let you go on a whim. It’s fortunate, but….”

 

In front of the convinced Gwak Gyeong-in, Cheon Woo-jin spoke again.

 

“And Sama Moon seemed to have no particular attachment to the Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect.”

“Is that really true?”

“This time he only looked into it because he was curious about who killed his direct disciple Gi Sin-ryeo, and his tone suggested that whether the Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect perishes or not is no longer his concern.”

“…!”

 

Gwak Gyeong-in’s expression brightened at Cheon Woo-jin’s answer.

 

“Then there won’t be any chance of Sama Moon leading the Ten Thousand Poison Six Evil Sect to attack us again!”

“I think that’s highly likely.”

“Actually, that part was what worried me the most. Thanks to you, Cheon Daoist, I can now sleep peacefully.”

 

Of course, this was because Cheon Woo-jin had killed Sama Moon.

Still, he couldn’t reveal that truth, so he just conveyed that Sama Moon wouldn’t attack them in the future.

 

“Cheon Daoist, let me say it again, but I’m truly grateful.”

 

Gwak Gyeong-in expressed his gratitude to Cheon Woo-jin once more.

 

“Our Sect Master also said he owes you a tremendous debt. He told me to give you all the seeds and saplings you need.”

“Thank you.”

 

The rare crop seeds and saplings that the Golden Wing Sect possessed.

That was exactly what Cheon Woo-jin wanted.

 

If he planted them in his cave dwelling’s spirit fields, he would be able to be self-sufficient with all kinds of crops that were hard to obtain even with money.

 

“And… Cheon Daoist.”

 

Gwak Gyeong-in spoke carefully.

 

“Let me bring this up one last time. Don’t you have any thoughts of joining the Golden Wing Sect? We’ll give you the best treatment.”

“….”

 

It was a serious proposal.

But Cheon Woo-jin slowly shook his head.

 

“I’m sorry, but there’s a place I’m trying to reach through the path of mercenary work. I will never belong to a sect in the future.”

“I see….”

 

Gwak Gyeong-in showed a regretful expression.

Still, he didn’t persist further.

 

“I’ll continue to pray that you can reach your goal, Cheon Daoist.”

 

In front of Gwak Gyeong-in, who clasped his hands together and gave sincere encouragement, Cheon Woo-jin also clasped his hands in greeting.

 

* * *

 

After leaving the Golden Wing Sect.

Cheon Woo-jin had a brief drinking session with Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so.

It was a kind of after-party.

 

Jang Ryang and Won Pil-so were very disappointed that their collaboration with Cheon Woo-jin was ending like this.

But if they continued operating in Ghost Head City, there would be opportunities to fight side by side again.

 

Cheon Woo-jin also knew that these two were trustworthy people, so he planned to approach them first if he needed help with work.

 

“By the way, Cheon Daoist.”

 

Just when he was thinking about wrapping up the drinking session, the heavily drunk Jang Ryang asked Cheon Woo-jin a question.

 

“How did Seo Seol-ryeong react when she saw that you had returned alive?”

“Ah, I’m curious about that too.”

 

Won Pil-so nodded while munching on side dishes.

 

“When we went to deliver the news, Seo Daoist showed quite a dejected reaction.”

“She showed a dejected reaction?”

“Yes, it was the first time I saw that ice-cold woman act like that.”

 

Actually, Cheon Woo-jin had never seen her act like that either.

Not in the game, and not since coming to this world.

 

“Whatever the case, it means she cares about you the most, Cheon Daoist. Among the cultivators she works with, doesn’t she think of you as the most reliable? When such a person was captured by a Nascent Soul Elder Ancestor and his life or death became unknown, even Seo Daoist must have felt heartbroken.”

“….”

“So when she saw that you returned safely alive, she must have been very moved… What was her actual reaction?”

 

To the two people curious about Seo Seol-ryeong’s reaction, Cheon Woo-jin answered calmly.

 

“I haven’t met with Seo Seol-ryeong yet.”

“What?”

“I haven’t met her yet.”

“….”

 

A moment of silence passed.

 

“Wait, you didn’t let her know you returned alive?”

“I didn’t really have any reason to go to the 2nd Layer.”

“No, Cheon Daoist, that’s not right!”

 

Won Pil-so slammed the table in anger.

 

“Is this really the time to be drinking with us? You should have gone to Seo Dou first!”

“That’s right, hurry and go tell her you returned safely. Honestly, isn’t Seo Dou the person who cares about you most in all of Ghost Head City? You should deliver news to someone like that as quickly as possible.”

“….”

 

He suddenly remembered when contact had been cut off for about a month due to his Qi Accumulation Stage challenge.

Back then, Seo Seol-ryeong had thought Cheon Woo-jin was dead and had nagged him about this and that.

 

“Even though Seo Dou has a somewhat cold personality, she’s definitely not a heartless person. It would be good to go quickly and show your face.”

“That’s true.”

 

Cheon Woo-jin stood up from his seat.

He had been thinking of wrapping up the drinking session anyway.

 

“Then I’ll head down to the 2nd Layer now.”

“Yes, go quickly and show your face.”

“Let us know how it goes later!”

 

After saying farewell to the two men, Cheon Woo-jin went down to the 2nd Layer.

 

The 2nd Floor Market was still bustling.

Up until two months ago, when he walked around the 2nd Layer, people would recognize Cheon Woo-jin and avoid him.

But after reaching the Qi Accumulation Stage and undergoing Bone Transformation Rebirth, that no longer happened.

His new face hadn’t become known yet.

 

Would his face become known again once he built more fame in the Middle Layer?

By that time, he thought it would be better to normally wear a Human Skin Mask or disguise his face with the Disguise Transformation Technique.

 

‘Come to think of it, Seo Seol-ryeong wouldn’t be confused at all even if I changed my face.’

 

Thinking of Seo Seol-ryeong, who always covered her eyes with cloth, he headed toward a corner of the market.

There was a shop that no one visited.

Seeing the tent with the character for “divination ” written on it, he suddenly remembered when he first set foot in Ghost Head City.

 

‘Thanks to forming a connection with Seo Seol-ryeong back then, I’ve been able to grow smoothly until now.’

 

Reminiscing about the old days, Cheon Woo-jin tried to enter the shop.

But the moment he touched the tent flap.

 

“….”

 

Cheon Woo-jin felt his mind grow cold.

And with an expression different from usual, he entered the tent.

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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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