Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 82
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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 82: Demonic Energy (1)
It’s a widely known fact that the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace has a snow leopard spirit beast called the Thousand-Year Snow Leopard.
The Thousand-Year Snow Leopard is like a guardian deity of the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace, having silently devoted itself to the palace for a long time.
Today as well, it had appeared carrying Baek Sin-yeong on its back and was waiting obediently.
But that Thousand-Year Snow Leopard opened its mouth.
It called Baek Sin-yeong ‘son’ while expressing regret.
“I thought you could handle things well on your own, but it seems I had too high expectations. Perhaps I raised my son wrong…”
Hearing that voice, the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace on the ground fell into confusion.
“The Thousand-Year Snow Leopard is speaking?”
“And calling the Palace Master ‘son’…”
They looked up at the Thousand-Year Snow Leopard with eyes filled with terror.
“Could it be… the previous Palace Master?”
The previous Palace Master.
Baek Sin-yeong’s biological father, who supposedly lost his life at his son’s hands and had all his spiritual power stolen.
Thinking of him, the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace became agitated.
“That’s impossible! The previous Palace Master definitely died! We even cremated his body!”
“The Thousand-Year Snow Leopard has been a spirit beast at the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace for hundreds of years! The previous Palace Master died twenty years ago…!”
“Besides, why would the previous Palace Master pretend to be a spirit beast and act loyal to the Palace Master…!”
It couldn’t be.
They desperately tried to deny it.
Just then.
Intense yin energy burst forth from the Thousand-Year Snow Leopard floating in the air.
The cultivators of the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace caught in that yin energy spat blood from their noses and ears as they collapsed.
They had all stopped breathing. The Decisive Realm Cultivators might be able to come back to life since they had Golden Cores, but the Foundation Establishment Cultivators would meet their death like this.
“Too much idle chatter. Be quiet.”
Muttering thus, the Thousand-Year Snow Leopard looked around.
Then it turned its gaze to the only one who was perfectly alive.
“But how did you endure it?”
“…”
Cheon Woo-jin turned around with his mouth closed.
Wi Ju-seon, who had been watching the fight between Cheon Woo-jin and Baek Sin-yeong from behind, had also lost consciousness and collapsed.
However, since Wi Ju-seon was a master of the Decisive Realm and was accustomed to handling yin energy, she was still breathing.
Still, it seemed she wouldn’t wake up for a while.
“Hmm, it seems you prepared in advance. Did you see through my identity from the beginning?”
“…”
That’s right.
Cheon Woo-jin had noticed the identity from the moment the Thousand-Year Snow Leopard appeared carrying Baek Sin-yeong on its back.
Because he could see a separate status window.
[Baek Gang-ryeon]
* Race: Human Race
* Age: 684 years
* Realm: Nascent Soul Stage (Late)
* Constitution: Water Spirit Root, Extreme Yin True Pulse
* Faction: Orthodox Sect
* Affiliation: Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace
* Destiny: Self-Interest
A cultivator of the late Nascent Soul Stage.
The previous Palace Master of the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace, Baek Gang-ryeon.
This was the true identity of the Thousand-Year Snow Leopard.
“So you’ve been deceiving your son from the beginning, Baek Gang-ryeon.”
Cheon Woo-jin spoke in a stiff voice.
“You pretended to be killed by Baek Sin-yeong, and only your Nascent Soul escaped to inhabit the Thousand-Year Snow Leopard’s body.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The Thousand-Year Snow Leopard, no, Baek Gang-ryeon showed an expression of approval.
“Baek Sin-yeong thought he had completely killed me. He destroyed my Golden Core and absorbed all my spiritual power. But… a Nascent Soul cultivator can survive even in such a state.”
“…”
“I made my Nascent Soul escape before Baek Sin-yeong destroyed my Golden Core. Doing so would make me lose all the spiritual power I had accumulated, but I could exist as a mental body freed from the physical form.”
Reaching the Nascent Soul Stage allows one to overcome material limitations.
Even if the entire body including the Golden Core is destroyed, as long as the Nascent Soul can escape, one can come back to life indefinitely.
“My Nascent Soul entered the Thousand-Year Snow Leopard’s body. The Thousand-Year Snow Leopard resisted to avoid having its body stolen, but eventually its soul was destroyed and it gave up its body to me.”
“After that, you’ve been watching over Baek Sin-yeong while hiding your identity.”
“Yes, I was watching to see how well my son would do.”
“Was Baek Sin-yeong killing you part of your plan from the beginning?”
“That’s right.”
Baek Gang-ryeon seemed to be enjoying his conversation with Cheon Woo-jin.
After feeling frustrated inside the Thousand-Year Snow Leopard for decades, he had finally met someone he could communicate with, so he couldn’t help but be pleased.
Unlike the cultivators he had forcibly silenced earlier, he was treating Cheon Woo-jin as a worthy conversation partner.
“I instilled ambition, selfishness, and pride in my son. I raised him to be someone who wouldn’t hesitate even to commit the unfilial act of killing his father. I thought that way he would grow well on his own.”
“But when things didn’t go as planned, you finally revealed your identity today.”
“Yes, I wasted a hundred years. He was a failure.”
Calling his own son a failure, Baek Gang-ryeon narrowed his eyes.
“I still have about three hundred years of lifespan left, so I can try about three more times.”
“….”
It was a disgusting story.
Not content with manipulating his own son Baek Shin-yeong’s life at will, he was planning to continue repeating such acts in the future.
“Well… if I obtain the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner here today, I probably won’t need to do that.”
Baek Gang-ryeon, who had been floating in the air, descended to the ground.
Then he walked with large strides using all four legs.
“I’m going inside the ruins. Follow me.”
“….”
It was a coercive command that brooked no refusal.
This was similar to Sama Moon whom he had met before.
To those who had reached the Nascent Soul stage, the will of a Foundation Establishment cultivator didn’t matter.
As absolute powerhouses holding the power of life and death, they naturally issued orders to Cheon Woo-jin as if it were obvious.
“….”
Cheon Woo-jin followed behind Baek Gang-ryeon with his mouth shut.
Soon he was able to encounter Ho Yeon-rin.
“Cultivator Cheon, that leopard couldn’t be….”
Thwack!
Ho Yeon-rin flew through the air and collided with a nearby stone pillar.
He then collapsed to the ground, leaving a large bloodstain on the stone pillar.
Fortunately, he wasn’t killed instantly.
Passing by the fallen Ho Yeon-rin, Baek Gang-ryeon continued forward, eventually reaching the space with the square altar.
“Cultivator Cheon, how did the battle outside….”
Oh Hwi-seong, who had been making preparations with Seo Seol-ryeong, opened his eyes wide and stared at the white snow leopard.
“It’s been a long time, Pavilion Master Oh.”
“Could it be… Elder Ancestor Baek Gang-ryeon?”
Oh Hwi-seong asked with a trembling voice.
“Were you alive all this time?”
“Just because I was caught off guard by my own son, do you think I’m someone who would die quietly?”
“…!”
Leaving Oh Hwi-seong, who was swallowing hard, alone, Baek Gang-ryeon turned his gaze to Seo Seol-ryeong.
“I’ve seen your face occasionally over the years. But it seems like it’s been a long time since we’ve had a conversation like this.”
“Elder Ancestor… you were hiding in the body of the Thousand Year Snow Leopard.”
Seo Seol-ryeong spoke with a tense voice.
“Were you plotting from the beginning? This incident too?”
“In the case of this incident, I got involved from the middle.”
Baek Gang-ryeon spoke in a leisurely voice.
“I became aware of this matter when Jongli Un appeared on the 6th Floor with the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner. However, since I couldn’t go get the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner myself, I moved you and Baek Shin-yeong.”
“…!”
Seo Seol-ryeong and the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace were the first to move after noticing that Jongli Un had entrusted the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner elsewhere.
He had been curious about where they obtained such information, but it seemed Baek Gang-ryeon had figured it out using the authority of the Nascent Soul stage.
“Elder Ancestor Baek… I don’t understand.”
Oh Hwi-seong asked while swallowing his saliva.
“If you were planning to continue scheming on the 6th Floor without even going up to the upper levels of Ghost Head City, why did you pretend to be dead? You could have just stayed in the palace master position and continued commanding the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace.”
“It was for my son’s growth.”
“You stepped down so that cultivation resources would be concentrated on Baek Shin-yeong? If that was the case, there were more efficient methods….”
Then Cheon Woo-jin spoke up.
“Elixir.”
“What?”
“You probably did it to make an elixir.”
Cheon Woo-jin directed his gaze to the square altar in the center.
“You were planning to grow your child as much as possible, then compress him in these ruins to make an elixir.”
“…!”
These ruins were a facility where the original Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace used to turn criminals into elixirs.
There was no way Baek Gang-ryeon could have been unaware of the existence of these ruins located in the snow mountain region.
“Elixirs that help Nascent Soul stage cultivators are hard to obtain. But if you make your own blood-related child into an elixir and consume it… there would definitely be an effect.”
“Amazing. That’s correct.”
Baek Gang-ryeon smiled, baring his leopard fangs.
“Actually, I also made mistakes during my cultivation process. Even if I continued cultivating, the possibility of reaching the Avatar Mirror stage was slim. So I tried to raise my son well. If I grew him sufficiently and then made him into an elixir, it would help break through the barrier.”
Baek Shin-yeong was an unfilial son who even killed his own father to reach a higher realm.
However, Baek Gang-ryeon was a father who deliberately raised his own son to become such an existence and then tried to devour him.
Which one was the greater villain was obvious.
“As expected, you little one, I find you quite appealing. Seeing you fight Baek Shin-yeong earlier, your innate talent seems exceptional, and you appear to have good compatibility with ice attribute techniques.”
Baek Gang-ryeon said with a smile.
“Come into the Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace. I’ll place you in the position of Guardian.”
“Elder Ancestor.”
At that moment, Seo Seol-ryeong interjected.
“Please stop. That person is…”
“Seo Seol-ryeong.”
Cough!
Seo Seol-ryeong coughed up blood and lost consciousness.
“Don’t interfere.”
“…”
The power to make even Seo Seol-ryeong faint with a single glance.
The strength of Baek Gang-ryeon, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was truly overwhelming.
Even Oh Hwi-seong, a Dragon Clan member at the Core Formation Great Circle, was breaking out in cold sweat and couldn’t move carelessly.
“So… wait, what’s your name?”
“Cheon Woo-jin.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Hearing Cheon Woo-jin’s name, Baek Gang-ryeon nodded.
“Good, Cheon Woo-jin. From now on, you are my disciple.”
“…”
“So help me with my work.”
Saying this, Baek Gang-ryeon turned his gaze back toward the square altar.
“Since the preparations seem to be finished now.”
“Ah…!”
Oh Hwi-seong flinched in surprise and examined the altar.
Until now, Oh Hwi-seong and Seo Seol-ryeong had been working together to operate this facility.
Those preparations were now finally complete.
“You were trying to compress and destroy the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner using the power of Water Spirit Energy from this facility, weren’t you? But if you convert that Water Spirit Energy, it can be used as the driving force to activate the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner.”
“…!”
Why had Baek Gang-ryeon simply allowed the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner to be brought into the ruins?
The reason was now revealed.
He had planned to intercept it once the preparations in the ruins were complete and activate the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner.
“Then, let’s begin…”
Baek Gang-ryeon approached the altar.
Oh Hwi-seong watched his retreating figure with a serious expression.
But just then.
“Oh Hwi-seong.”
“Yes?”
Cough.
Oh Hwi-seong coughed up blood like Seo Seol-ryeong and fainted.
“You were thinking of revealing your dragon form to destroy this entire space, but I won’t let you do that.”
“…”
In the end, even Oh Hwi-seong was subdued.
Before the overwhelming existence of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, whether it was Seo Seol-ryeong or Oh Hwi-seong, resistance itself was impossible.
This wasn’t simply due to a difference in the magnitude of power.
It was because there was a difference in the speed of existence.
Nascent Soul cultivators are beings who transcend the limits of the Material World.
Therefore, they are divided into stages according to how much they have transcended those limits.
The entry stage, early Nascent Soul, is the stage of overcoming physical limitations.
One becomes a spiritual entity called a Nascent Soul and can escape from the physical body.
The next stage, mid Nascent Soul, is the stage of overcoming spatial limitations.
One can deploy Magic Arts that freely manipulate space or create Magical Treasures.
And late Nascent Soul is… the stage of overcoming temporal limitations.
One can finely divide time and think and act within those divisions.
The reason masters like Oh Hwi-seong and Seo Seol-ryeong collapsed without being able to do anything was because they couldn’t overcome this difference.
Still being at the Core Formation Realm, they could never catch up to the speed of the world in which a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator lives.
“Cheon Woo-jin, you act as my assistant.”
Giving instructions to Cheon Woo-jin, Baek Gang-ryeon extended his Spiritual Power.
The Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner that had been placed on the altar floated up into the air.
The cloth that had been wrapping it flowed down, revealing the form of a banner with bizarre patterns drawn in red cinnabar.
“I will summon the power of the Upper Realm into my body and reach a higher realm.”
Wooooong!
Water Spirit Energy condensed from the entire facility began to be supplied to the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner.
It was power that should have been used to compress and destroy the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner like making an elixir, but now it was being injected as the driving force to activate the banner’s functions.
However, Cheon Woo-jin wasn’t even glancing at the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner.
The only thing Cheon Woo-jin was staring at was Baek Gang-ryeon.
Cheon Woo-jin’s intuition, which had grown even stronger after reaching the late stage of Qi Accumulation Stage, was telling him to wait for the right moment.
There would only be one chance.
He had to wait until that opportunity came.
Otherwise, he would only meet a dog’s death.
Before Cheon Woo-jin, who was waiting while trusting his gambler’s intuition, the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner finally spewed forth massive darkness.
And beyond that darkness, a brilliant sea of stars became visible.
It was the moment when the gate leading to the Upper Realm opened.
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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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