Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 66

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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 66: Dense Forest (1)

 

 

Seo Seol-ryeong’s shop looks like just an ordinary street stall from the outside.

But in reality, it was protected by extremely high-level magic arts.

 

Though it was an old tent that looked like it could tear at any moment, it possessed the strength to withstand attacks from Core Formation Realm cultivators from the outside.

Moreover, conversations held inside would never leak out. This was because security magic that prevented eavesdropping was constantly active.

There was even perception disruption magic deployed to prevent passersby from recognizing who was entering and leaving the shop.

 

Cheon Woo-jin hadn’t been able to detect the existence of such magic arts before.

But as he grew as a cultivator, he came to realize that this place was a space that surpassed most cave dwellings.

So every time he lifted the tent flap and entered inside, he would feel that Seo Seol-ryeong was an existence several levels above himself.

 

But… not now.

 

“Are you here for a fortune reading?”

“…”

 

What greeted Cheon Woo-jin as he entered the tent was not Seo Seol-ryeong.

A middle-aged woman with a gentle appearance was sitting there looking at Cheon Woo-jin.

 

To be honest, she looked more trustworthy as a fortune teller than Seo Seol-ryeong.

 

“Sorry. I came to the wrong shop.”

 

Cheon Woo-jin apologized and went outside.

Then he checked the tent once more.

 

‘This is the right place.’

 

He hadn’t come to the wrong place.

But Seo Seol-ryeong was no longer here.

He couldn’t feel any magic arts from the tent either.

 

Now this place was just an ordinary fortune-telling shop.

 

‘This is troublesome.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin fell into thought in front of the suddenly unfamiliar tent.

 

‘This seems like an event that happened in the game.’

 

In Spirit Path Cultivation Chronicle, Seo Seol-ryeong operates a shop in the market on Ghost Head City 2nd Floor.

But when the player reaches Core Formation Realm, Seo Seol-ryeong moves her shop to the 6th Floor.

 

Actually, once you reach Core Formation Realm, there’s no reason to go to the 2nd Floor.

So the developers probably moved Seo Seol-ryeong to the 6th Floor for the player’s convenience.

 

At that time, Seo Seol-ryeong makes meaningful remarks about having some special circumstances for moving up to the 6th Floor.

What those circumstances were is never explained anywhere.

There were rumors that it would be revealed in later DLC, but… nothing ever came out.

 

‘In the game, this was an event that occurred after reaching Core Formation Realm, but right now I’m still at mid Qi Accumulation Stage.’

 

When he last saw her, there was no talk of moving the shop.

Then it might be related to Cheon Woo-jin being captured by Sama Moon and his life or death becoming unknown.

 

That might have somehow influenced Seo Seol-ryeong’s circumstances, causing an event that occurs much later in the game to be moved up.

 

‘Anyway… if Seo Seol-ryeong really moved up to the 6th Floor, this becomes quite troublesome.’

 

It would be inefficient for Cheon Woo-jin to personally go around collecting information and conducting negotiations.

It would be much more beneficial to utilize a broker who had already formed connections within Ghost Head City.

 

But he couldn’t work with another broker at this point.

There was no broker in Ghost Head City as capable as Seo Seol-ryeong.

 

‘In the end, I have no choice but to go up to the 6th Floor and meet Seo Seol-ryeong again.’

 

The 6th Floor was also part of Ghost Beast City Middle Section.

It was a place that could be reached even with a Qi Accumulation Stage body.

 

‘The problem is… the path there is quite treacherous.’

 

The path that passes through the 5th Layer to reach the 6th Floor is one of the most troublesome sections in Ghost Head City.

 

He had visited Jakryang Mountain on the 5th Layer last time, but that was a place close to the connecting passage with the 4th Layer, and it wasn’t particularly difficult because he traveled with the Golden Wing Sect.

But to go up to the 6th Floor, he would have to pass through the most difficult section of the 5th Layer.

 

‘I need to prepare properly.’

 

He had been planning to go up to the 6th Floor eventually anyway.

It seemed he would need to prepare thoroughly and go up this time.

 

‘So I’ll break through the 5th Layer, go up to the 6th Floor, and then find Seo Seol-ryeong.’

 

He remembered the emotional side Seo Seol-ryeong had shown when contact was cut off for about a month while he was challenging the Foundation Establishment stage.

What kind of reaction would Seo Seol-ryeong show if he went up to the 6th Floor this time and showed her that he was alive?

Cheon Woo-jin was somewhat curious about that.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Cheon Woo-jin visited the Golden Bell Guild Main Hall again.

 

Gwak Gyeong-in didn’t know that Seo Seol-ryeong had left the 2nd Floor.

However, he said he had received a letter requesting that mission rewards be paid directly to individuals.

 

“The letter arrived after Cheon Daoist left yesterday.”

“…”

 

Cheon Woo-jin suppressed the urge to sigh.

Who would have thought things would go awry like this.

 

“I’ll collect my payment now.”

“Mm, I’ve already prepared everything. Take it.”

 

After receiving the agricultural storage bag packed full of rare seeds and saplings, Cheon Woo-jin left the Golden Hour Bell behind.

Then he used the key he received from Sama Moon to enter the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm.

 

‘First, let me plant the saplings.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin planted the saplings from the storage bag throughout various parts of his cave dwelling.

He planted tea trees next to the Spirit Fields, and planted various fruit trees on the hill.

 

‘As for the seeds… let me start by sowing the ones that are said to be easiest to cultivate.’

 

In the Spirit Fields, he sowed seeds of Purple Dawn Artemisia.

Purple Dawn Artemisia is a type of mugwort that emanates a subtle purple aura, and it’s a spiritual herb that trades for quite a high price.

If you sow the seeds and supply them with sufficient pure spiritual energy, you can harvest the young leaves for use within a week.

 

The problem is that it’s difficult to continuously maintain the proper environment for growth.

So unless it’s in a place like the Golden Hour Bell’s cave heaven where good conditions are consistently maintained, it dies quickly.

 

‘But this place is also a space where such good conditions are maintained.’

 

Since water containing pure spiritual energy continuously springs forth from the spring water, there’s no problem with spiritual energy supply either.

If cultivated here, he should be able to steadily harvest Purple Dawn Artemisia.

 

‘Now that I can enter the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm anytime, I can manage it even while ascending to the 6th Floor.’

 

After planting several other types of seeds as well, Cheon Woo-jin drew water from the spring and supplied it to the Spirit Fields.

He just needed to consistently manage them like this and then harvest.

Once he became familiar with it later, automation would also be possible.

 

‘I’ve also sufficiently stocked up on consumables like elixirs… now I should be ready to ascend to the 5th Layer.’

 

Right now, inside the hermitage, items brought from Sama Moon’s cave dwelling were piled up in abundance.

Since there were many consumables like elixirs and talismans, he wouldn’t need to separately purchase or craft them for quite a while.

 

There were even some useful dharma artifacts.

While there weren’t any dharma artifacts suitable for attack or defense, there were many good ones among the auxiliary dharma artifacts.

 

‘The seal on the Soul-Devouring Flame Soul Sword is also being maintained properly.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin checked the Soul-Devouring Flame Soul Sword wrapped tightly in white cloth.

 

Originally, the Soul-Devouring Flame Soul Sword is a dharma treasure rather than a dharma artifact, so just taking it out emits intense energy waves.

Even if kept inside a storage bag, its presence cannot be concealed.

 

However, by wrapping it with the Concealing Radiance Cloth found in Sama Moon’s hermitage, he could suppress its presence to the level of an ordinary dharma artifact.

By keeping it wrapped in the Concealing Radiance Cloth and stored in his storage bag, no one could know that Cheon Woo-jin was carrying a dharma treasure.

 

‘Of course, to unleash its true power, I’d have to remove the Concealing Radiance Cloth.’

 

Next, Cheon Woo-jin also changed his clothes.

Among Sama Moon’s belongings, there were also useful daoist robes.

It was the Silent Radiance Robe, which had a black base with red accents throughout, and wearing it improved the efficiency of spiritual energy circulation.

Besides that, he replaced all his storage bags with top-grade ones, and improved various small equipment like shoes and belts.

 

After completing all preparations like this, Cheon Woo-jin left the Great Void Cave Heaven Realm and headed toward the 5th Layer.

 

* * *

 

The 5th Layer of Ghost Head City is a place where the power of Fire is strong.

 

Originally, among the Six Evils, there are two that correspond to fire.

Fire Evil and Heat Evil – if Fire Evil is intense flames themselves, then Heat Evil is closer to summer heat.

 

Basically, what’s deployed on the 5th Layer is Fire Evil.

However, the pathway to ascend to the 6th Floor has extreme Heat Evil.

It’s not just hot, but an environment like summer heat that drains stamina and bodily fluids.

 

‘Simply put, it’s like a sweltering jungle.’

 

As soon as Cheon Woo-jin ascended to the 5th Layer, he headed west.

The further west he went, the thicker the vegetation became and the higher the humidity rose.

Eventually, a dense forest that could only be seen in tropical regions spread out before him.

 

Clearly this was an indoor space inside the castle, yet after a volcano, now a tropical rainforest had appeared.

It was astounding, but since the Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace had used massive resources to create it this way, there was nothing to be done.

 

‘To ascend to the 6th Floor, I need to enter the tower inside this dense forest.’

 

In the center of the dense forest stands a tower that reaches up to the ceiling of the 5th Layer.

It looks like ruins of an ancient civilization, and to ascend to the 6th Floor, one must climb that tower.

However, the entrance to that tower is hidden somewhere in the dense forest where map-making is impossible.

Therefore, to ascend to the 6th Floor, there’s no choice but to directly explore the dense forest.

 

‘In the game, it wasn’t particularly bothersome, but trying to enter with my actual body is troublesome in various ways.’

 

Dryness and heat could be blocked by protecting the body with spiritual power.

However, this kind of humid sweltering heat is difficult to deal with.

Even if the heat can be blocked, there’s no way to block the moisture.

 

‘But dealing with it this way is possible.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin circulated water spirit energy to create a spherical barrier surrounding himself.

This was similar to the Water Shield Technique that Cheon Woo-jin had mastered before, but in reality, it was a much more advanced technique called the Water Heaven Circle Formation Technique.

It was a technique that Cheon Woo-jin had newly mastered by reading the secret manual he obtained from Sama Moon’s cave dwelling.

 

‘After deploying this water defensive barrier like this, I collect the moisture around me.’

 

As the sphere-shaped defensive barrier absorbed moisture, Cheon Woo-jin inside the barrier became considerably more comfortable.

It had the effect of a dehumidifier that lowered humidity.

 

‘This is much better.’

 

Cheon Woo-jin advanced through the dense forest while maintaining the Water Heaven Circle Formation Technique.

Normally, maintaining such a defensive barrier would continuously consume spiritual power, but he was minimizing spiritual power consumption by absorbing the surrounding water energy and utilizing that energy.

 

However, another obstacle soon appeared before his eyes.

 

“Shaaaaa!”

 

More than ten insect monsters were charging at him from the front at terrifying speed.

They had an appearance similar to ants but were walking on two legs, and possessed mantis-like front limbs specialized for pouncing on prey.

 

Among them was one particularly large specimen that emanated considerable spiritual power.

 

[Bone-Eating Evil Insect Captain]

* Race: Insect

* Age: 62 years

* Realm: Early Foundation Establishment

* Constitution: Wood-Water Spirit Root

* Faction: Neutral Path

* Affiliation: Bone-Eating Evil Insect Nation

* Destiny: Obedience

 

These monsters were the army of an insect demon group called Bone-Eating Evil Insects.

Bone-Eating Evil Insects were demons with an ant-like social structure, with the habit of breeding in such hot dense forests to create vast empires.

 

The Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace had various reasons for creating such an environment inside Ghost Head City, but cultivating species that could only survive in hot dense forests was surely one of them.

Bone-Eating Evil Insects had the habit of obeying the mental waves of the Queen Insect, and the Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace generated the same wavelength as the Queen Insect to utilize the Bone-Eating Evil Insects as soldiers.

 

Of course, in today’s world where the Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace had left Ghost Head City, they were nothing but evil insects that attacked cultivators without anyone’s control.

 

“Shaaaaa!”

 

Making distinctive cries, more than ten Bone-Eating Evil Insects charged forward.

They probably thought a human merely wrapped in water would be easy prey to hunt.

 

Looking at them, Cheon Woo-jin concentrated his consciousness on the Water Heaven Circle Formation Technique.

Since he had steadily absorbed moisture, sufficient water was compressed within the Water Heaven Circle Formation Technique.

 

[Water Blade]

 

Splash.

Ripples formed on the water barrier surrounding Cheon Woo-jin’s body, and sharply honed water blades were generated.

 

Swoosh!

The water blade flew toward the Bone-Eating Evil Insects charging at Cheon Woo-jin and bisected the one at the very front with a single stroke.

 

The sudden incident made them hesitate.

They instinctively looked around to figure out what had happened.

 

But that was a foolish act.

Dozens of water blades were already extending from around Cheon Woo-jin.

 

Swish swish swoosh!

The evil insects’ bodies were instantly cut into pieces.

The only one that survived was the Bone-Eating Evil Insect Captain who served as commander.

 

It deflected the water blades with its large mantis-like front limbs.

And without hesitating any longer, it began charging toward Cheon Woo-jin.

It seemed to have decided that it needed to settle this in close combat.

 

“Shaaaaa!”

 

A bizarre insect demon charging while making eerie cries.

Watching that sight, Cheon Woo-jin operated his spiritual power.

 

[Water Spear]

 

Whoooosh!

A spear as massive as the trees growing thick in this dense forest extended toward the Bone-Eating Evil Insect Captain’s torso, and with that pressure, punched a huge hole through its chest area.

 

“Shaaaa…”

 

With the chest area where major muscles were concentrated almost completely destroyed, swinging its front limbs powerfully was impossible.

It couldn’t even put strength into its neck to attack with its mandibles.

 

Toward the Bone-Eating Evil Insect Captain that could no longer do anything, a water spear extended once more, and this time completely pulverized its body.

 

“Shaaaa…!”

“Shaaaaa…!”

 

But that wasn’t the end.

Insects continued swarming from all directions.

Before he knew it, Cheon Woo-jin was completely surrounded by over a hundred insects.

 

Even in that state, Cheon Woo-jin calmly operated his spiritual power.

 

[Water Heaven Wheel]

 

The water composing the Water Heaven Circle Formation Technique completely changed form.

It became a disc like a fiercely rotating saw blade and swept through this entire area.

 

Screeeeech!

The massive disc rotated clockwise around Cheon Woo-jin as its center, cutting into pieces the insects that had been swarming from all directions.

 

Even after taking such damage, there were still those that kept charging forward.

With the unique vitality of insects, they continued their assault even with their heads blown off.

 

However, their bodies were already in a soaked state anyway.

Then let’s finish this now.

 

Cheon Woo-jin drew up his Lightning Energy according to the incantation of the Thunder Spirit Great Evolution Art.

 

[Thunder Spoke Wheel]

 

Kwa-kwa-kwang!

With Cheon Woo-jin at the center, Lightning Energy spread out like wheel spokes, ravaging the moisture-soaked insects.

 

A composite Magic Arts technique that reflected his growth thus far.

The desires of the insects that had swarmed to hunt their prey were crumbling to pieces before the harmony of water and lightning.

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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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