Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 71
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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 71: Search (2)
“You bastard…!”
Bang!
The man kicked off the sewage water flowing in the underground waterway and charged forward.
He leaped up with legs infused with spiritual power, aiming for Cheon Woo-jin’s upper body.
[Thunder Step]
With a crackling sound, Cheon Woo-jin’s body moved like lightning.
The man swung his fist filled with spiritual power, but only pierced through empty air.
Cheon Woo-jin had already moved to another location. So that when the man landed, he would be standing behind him.
“Huk…!”
His back was exposed. Understanding this fact, the man desperately tried to twist his body.
But Cheon Woo-jin’s palm reaching toward the back of the man’s head was faster.
Crack!
The bursting lightning energy struck the back of the man’s head.
“Keuak…!”
The man tried to struggle and resist, but with electricity flowing through his head, there was nothing he could do.
Splash!
Eventually, the man collapsed onto the sewage water.
Blood was flowing from his ears and nose, but he wasn’t dead yet.
If he received proper treatment, he would be able to recover without aftereffects.
“…”
Cheon Woo-jin tried to advance forward, leaving the man behind.
But he immediately sensed a presence.
“It seemed noisy, so I poked my head out to see.”
A man with a large scar on his face revealed himself from inside.
Despite his frightening appearance, his voice was calm.
[Lee Jin-gang]
* Race: Human Race
* Age: 169 years
* Realm: Foundation Establishment Stage Great Perfection
* Constitution: Metal-Water Spirit Root
* Faction: Black Gate
* Affiliation: Corpse Ghost Hell Prison Gate
* Destiny: Sincerity
Lee Jin-gang. A person he had seen in the game.
He remembered him being a True Transmission Disciple of the Corpse Ghost Hell Prison Gate.
“An opponent too difficult for the security guard’s skills has attacked. I’ll deal with you.”
Before Cheon Woo-jin could respond, an eerie energy was released.
Black smoke-like yin energy headed toward Cheon Woo-jin.
It was a curse magic art from the Black Curse Hell Prison Method that Lee Jin-gang had mastered.
It doesn’t cause physical destruction, but if you’re covered by that, your meridian flow becomes disrupted and you can’t properly utilize spiritual energy.
It’s similar to the poison of the Ten Thousand Poison Six Death Gate, but there’s a difference in that poison mainly affects the body while curses affect the spiritual aspect.
Light curses could be purified with the energy of Purple Mist Artemisia, but since Lee Jin-gang was a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection expert, countermeasures were needed.
But…
‘This is somehow.’
Cheon Woo-jin observed Lee Jin-gang’s curse magic art within the spiritual domain of his Manifest True Life Body.
This was the first time being attacked by curse magic since reaching Foundation Establishment.
But observing it like this within the spiritual domain… the spell formation structure and spiritual power wavelength composing the curse were very familiar.
‘There are many parts in common with Black Shadow Technique and Black Lightning.’
Curses are ultimately the power of yin energy.
For Cheon Woo-jin, who utilizes Water Spirit Energy that is the ultimate yin, it was an extremely familiar power.
Though it was a different form from the magic arts Cheon Woo-jin usually used, it was only that the spiritual energy structure was different.
If he set his mind to it, it seemed he could interfere with the spell formation.
“…”
Cheon Woo-jin stood still and stared at the curse.
Then he released Water Spirit Energy.
“What, what are you doing?”
Lee Jin-gang widened his eyes in bewilderment.
It must have looked like Cheon Woo-jin was accepting the curse without any defense.
But Cheon Woo-jin was now extending Water Spirit Energy like a spider web, inserting it into the curse’s energy.
By stirring up the spiritual structure composing the curse with that… he could destroy the vulnerable parts.
Poof!
A sound similar to an explosion was heard, and the curse’s energy scattered.
The magic art that had been like black smoke truly became mere smoke and was dissipating in all directions.
“My, my curse magic art…”
Lee Jin-gang couldn’t even string his words together properly.
He seemed to be feeling fear because he couldn’t properly understand what had just happened before his eyes.
“Urgh…!”
Even while trembling, Lee Jin-gang raised both hands.
He had to stop this unidentified intruder. That sense of duty seemed to suppress his fear.
[Black Curse Energy Kill]
A black curse was released from Lee Jin-gang’s body.
Unlike earlier when it looked like just pitch-black smoke, this time it was like a black projectile.
You could tell at a glance that it was a much more powerful curse than before.
‘Even so.’
Staring at the cursed projectile flying toward him, Cheon Woo-jin extended his hand forward again.
‘It’s only different in appearance.’
The moment his fingers were buried in the black curse.
Cheon Woo-jin tore apart the spiritual structure as if grabbing and pulling out machine wiring.
Directly inserting his hand was to more clearly grasp and experience the spiritual structure.
It was certainly more solid than before, but since the basic principle was the same, he could destroy the spell formation using the same method as before.
‘If I practice this repeatedly, it seems like it’ll become easier to deal with other cultivators’ magic arts.’
In the end, Lee Jin-gang had unintentionally only given Cheon Woo-jin a new practice exercise.
Lee Jin-gang, whose magic arts had been neutralized consecutively, looked at Cheon Woo-jin with a dumbfounded expression.
“Wh-what the hell are you…?”
“It seems you’ve finally decided to have a conversation.”
That guy from earlier too, they didn’t even think to listen to Cheon Woo-jin’s words and just attacked without warning.
“I didn’t come here wanting to harm your sect.”
“What?”
“I just want to meet Wi Ju-seon, the sect master.”
“…!”
Wi Ju-seon.
The sect master of Corpse Ghost Hell Gate, and a person who had connections with Seo Seol-ryeong.
Cheon Woo-jin had simply come to meet that person.
“Are you acquainted with the sect master?”
“I don’t have direct connections, but we know each other through mutual acquaintances.”
“…”
Lee Jin-gang fell silent for a moment.
“Then you should have visited through the official entrance and stated your business. Why did you sneak in through such a secluded place?”
“I don’t know where the official entrance is.”
“…”
“Put up a signboard next time.”
Corpse Ghost Hell Gate is a rather secretive organization.
They don’t hang up a sign saying this is the main gate of Corpse Ghost Hell Gate.
Those who usually have dealings here would know where the entrance is, but Cheon Woo-jin, visiting for the first time, had no choice but to approach this way.
“Even if that’s true, I can’t just guide someone I’m seeing for the first time to where the sect master is.”
Lee Jin-gang’s attitude had softened considerably.
“I need to ask the sect master first.”
“That would be right.”
“But what should I tell the sect master about who you are?”
To Lee Jin-gang’s question, Cheon Woo-jin answered in a cold voice.
“Tell her I’m a regular customer of the Fortune Teller Shop Without Customers on the 2nd Layer, and she’ll understand.”
* * *
A short while later, Cheon Woo-jin was guided to the Sect Master’s Hall located deep in the underground waterway.
Despite being a space created in the dirty underground waterway, the Sect Master’s Hall was quite impressive.
“Don’t make eye contact with the jiangshi.”
Lee Jin-gang warned him to be careful of the jiangshi guarding in front of the Sect Master’s Hall.
As you can tell from the character for “stiffen,” jiangshi are corpses that remain in a firmly hardened state without rotting and decomposing.
They’re much more powerful beings than the corpse ghosts he encountered earlier, but they’re correspondingly difficult to create.
“Sect Master, I’ve brought that person.”
“Let him enter.”
A cold voice came from the Sect Master’s Hall, and Lee Jin-gang gestured for him to go in quickly.
When Cheon Woo-jin walked into the Sect Master’s Hall, he saw a dark-skinned woman sitting in a chair.
[Wi Ju-seon]
* Race: Human Race
* Age: 297 years
* Realm: Core Formation Realm Grand Perfection
* Constitution: Metal Water Spirit Root, Spirit Command Magical Talent
* Faction: Dark Gate
* Affiliation: Corpse Ghost Hell Gate
* Heaven’s Name: Emotional Alliance
She was Wi Ju-seon, the sect master of the Corpse Ghost Hell Gate.
She was born with Spirit Command Magical Talent specialized in commanding the dead, and was also a prodigy who had reached the Core Formation Realm at the young age of not even 300 years old.
“Are you Cheon Woo-jin?”
Wi Ju-seon suddenly spoke Cheon Woo-jin’s name.
She sat slanted in her chair and spoke with a smiling face.
“I knew that Seo Seol-ryeong had been introducing some newcomer named Cheon Woo-jin here and there for the past few months. But I didn’t expect you to come up to the 6th Floor so soon.”
It seemed there was no need for self-introductions.
“What brings you here today? Did Seo Seol-ryeong send you on an errand?”
“I’m looking for that Seo Seol-ryeong.”
“What do you mean?”
Cheon Woo-jin explained that Seo Seol-ryeong had left the 2nd Layer and seemed to have come up to the 6th Floor.
After hearing the explanation, Wi Ju-seon touched her lips with her finger, looking perplexed.
“This is the first I’m hearing of this. Seo Seol-ryeong coming up to the 6th Floor…”
“Then Sect Master Wi doesn’t know Seo Seol-ryeong’s whereabouts either.”
Though somewhat disappointing, it was something he could have expected.
It didn’t seem likely that Seo Seol-ryeong would come to see Wi Ju-seon immediately after coming up to the 6th Floor.
“Sect Master Wi, where do you think Seo Seol-ryeong would go if she came up to the 6th Floor?”
“…”
Wi Ju-seon fell into thought with her finger pressed to her lips.
“Cheon Woo-jin, how much do you know about Seo Seol-ryeong?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s difficult to judge whether I should tell you about Seo Seol-ryeong’s circumstances. I don’t know how close you two are.”
“…”
In truth, Cheon Woo-jin didn’t know that much about Seo Seol-ryeong either.
Even after coming to this world, they had only worked together and never talked about personal matters.
In situations like this, there was only about one thing Cheon Woo-jin could mention.
“I only know that she’s Guye True Person from Mount Miaogushe.”
“Seo Seol-ryeong even told you about her hometown?”
Wi Ju-seon showed a surprised expression.
“She really must have trusted you a lot. Even I could only hear about it after we had been close for over 10 years.”
“…”
In fact, it wasn’t that Seo Seol-ryeong had told him, but rather he knew because it was information displayed in the Status Window, but Cheon Woo-jin just kept his mouth shut.
“In that case…”
Wi Ju-seon, who was about to say something, closed her mouth again.
“I’m sorry. I need to think about this a bit more.”
“Think about it?”
“I understand that you and Seo Seol-ryeong have a close relationship. But I’m not sure if it’s right for me to talk about parts that Seo Seol-ryeong didn’t tell you.”
“…”
It wasn’t wrong.
Wi Ju-seon was more tight-lipped than expected.
“Still, if you and Seo Seol-ryeong have missed each other, I’d like to help you meet again. Can you wait just a few days? I’ll also try looking for Seo Seol-ryeong. Maybe she’ll come here to see me.”
“Understood.”
Cheon Woo-jin nodded.
“But… may I ask one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“Currently, someone named Jongli Un has stolen some magical treasure from the Auction House on the 4th Layer and disappeared.”
Finding Seo Seol-ryeong was important, but he also needed to gather information about this.
“He seems to be hiding on the 6th Floor. Have you seen any suspicious individuals in the Underground Waterway or this area?”
“…”
But Wi Ju-seon’s reaction was strange.
Her expression was much more serious than when he had brought up Seo Seol-ryeong’s disappearance.
“The stolen magical treasure, is it by any chance a Legacy of the Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace?”
“That’s right.”
Did she have some idea about it?
“It’s a magical treasure called the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner that can supposedly exert Avatar Mirror level power.”
“…”
Wi Ju-seon’s expression hardened even more.
“Cheon Woo-jin, can you wait a moment?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something I need to check. I’ll be right back.”
Saying that, Wi Ju-seon got up from her seat.
And as she went outside the Sect Master’s Hall, she spoke in a serious voice.
“Perhaps… it might be related to Seo Seol-ryeong coming to the 6th Floor.”
Two things he had thought were completely separate.
A line connecting them began to come into view.
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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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