Instant-Death Cultivation: Surviving in an Immortal World with Instant Kill - Chapter 85

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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 85: Demonic Energy (4)

 

 

The spacetime rift closed quickly.

The bizarre tentacles were no longer visible. The waves that had been continuously flowing out also completely disappeared.

However, the eerie sensation of meeting those golden eyes could not be easily forgotten.

 

‘An unwelcome connection has been formed.’

 

The Suppressing Sea Demon Lord, a transcendent being from the Upper Realm, had observed Cheon Woo-jin before leaving.

Judging by how he spoke as if they would meet again next time, it seemed Cheon Woo-jin had caught his interest.

This was not particularly welcome news.

 

Receiving attention from a powerful being was a dangerous thing.

For those like Baek Gang-ryeon who sought to gain power by relying on such beings, it would be a good opportunity, but Cheon Woo-jin had a personality that tried to avoid situations he couldn’t control as much as possible.

 

Fortunately, it seemed the Suppressing Sea Demon Lord had no intention of directly interfering with Cheon Woo-jin who was in the Lower Realm.

If he didn’t deliberately get involved in matters related to the Suppressing Sea Demon Lord, at least while he was in the Lower Realm, he wouldn’t have to receive the Demon Lord’s interference.

 

‘It will be different after ascending to the Upper Realm though.’

 

When he suddenly turned his gaze toward the altar, the Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner was nowhere to be seen.

In the place where the Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner had been, only a handful of pitch-black powder had fallen.

 

It shouldn’t have been a disposable magical treasure, so had Baek Gang-ryeon made some mistake during the ritual?

Perhaps because Baek Gang-ryeon died in the middle, the facility had performed its original function and compressed and destroyed the Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner.

 

“Mmm…”

 

At that moment, Seo Seol-ryeong and Oh Hwi-seong, who had been collapsed, regained consciousness.

The two looked around in bewilderment.

 

“What’s the current situation?”

“What happened to Baek Gang-ryeon?”

 

To the two who didn’t understand the current situation, Cheon Woo-jin briefly explained.

 

“Baek Gang-ryeon failed to obtain the power of the Upper Realm and perished along with his Nascent Soul. The Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner also turned to powder.”

“…!”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong gasped, and Oh Hwi-seong also widened his eyes.

 

“Is, is that really true? Ah, now that I look, that lump of meat rolling around there seems to be the Thousand Year Snow Drift…”

“As expected, it was an item with a high failure rate. To think even Baek Gang-ryeon failed and perished along with his Nascent Soul…”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong, who had been looking around, suddenly startled and turned her head toward Cheon Woo-jin.

 

“Wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Cheon.”

“What is it?”

“What happened just now?”

 

With her blindfolded face turned toward Cheon Woo-jin, Seo Seol-ryeong pressed him.

 

“Your spiritual rank… has changed from earlier.”

“What did you say?”

 

Oh Hwi-seong also looked at Cheon Woo-jin in surprise.

 

“Ah, now that you mention it…”

“Don’t tell me you accepted the power of the Upper Realm? Instead of Baek Gang-ryeon?”

 

To that question, Cheon Woo-jin shook his head.

 

“It was power summoned by Baek Gang-ryeon, who was in the late stage of Nascent Soul. If I had accepted all of that, my body would have burst.”

“That’s true, but…”

“However, it’s true that a part of it affected my body. Thanks to that, it seems I’ve grown further as someone in the Qi Accumulation Stage.”

 

Saying that, Cheon Woo-jin turned his gaze to the remains of the Thousand Year Snow Drift collapsed on the floor.

 

“If I had been careless, I could have ended up like this too. I was lucky.”

“…”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong closed her mouth and fell into thought.

Meanwhile, Oh Hwi-seong smiled and looked at Cheon Woo-jin.

 

“If Fellow Cultivator Cheon had used the Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner to obtain the power of the Upper Realm, I couldn’t have just let it pass, but from what I can see, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It looks like you simply grew as someone in the Qi Accumulation Stage and your body advanced to the next level.”

“…”

 

Perhaps because it was well hidden within his dantian.

Oh Hwi-seong failed to perceive that Cheon Woo-jin had absorbed demonic energy and stored it in his dantian.

 

“The Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner was also destroyed, and thanks to Fellow Daoist Cheon, everything was well concluded…”

 

Oh Hwi-seong, who had been continuing his words, suddenly flinched.

 

“Wait, this seems somehow…”

“It looks like we need to go outside.”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong also had a serious expression.

When they all went outside the ruins together, a different scene from before unfolded.

 

“As expected, other forces have moved as well.”

“…”

 

Outside, legions gathered for a great battle had set up formations.

On the right side, the Sword Cultivators of Azure Wind Valley were dyeing the area blue.

On the left side, the demon cultivators of Shadow Scale Sunken Sect, including Na Chwi-ryang, had arranged their formation.

They had noticed through Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace’s movements that the Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner was here and had swarmed over.

 

“Fellow Cultivator Cheon, look at the sky.”

“….”

 

Above each faction’s airspace stood two Elder Ancestors with their hands clasped behind their backs.

One was a Daoist wearing blue Daoist robes with a white beard, and the other was a demon who hid a serpent’s face beneath a gray hood.

 

[Gwak Woo ]

* Race: Human Race

* Age: 854 years

* Realm: Nascent Soul Realm Late Stage

* Constitution: Wood Spirit Root, Wind Spirit Body

* Faction: Orthodox Sect

* Affiliation: Azure Wind Valley

* Heavenly Mandate: Self-Cultivation

 

[Yo Won-gyeon ]

* Race: Demon Race

* Age: 912 years

* Realm: Nascent Soul Realm Late Stage

* Constitution: Earth Spirit Root, Serpent King Body

* Faction: Black Gate

* Affiliation: Shadow Scale Sunken Sect

* Heavenly Mandate: Fierce Strength

 

Elder Ancestors of the late Nascent Soul Realm.

The two beings who reigned supreme over Azure Wind Valley and Shadow Scale Sunken Sect had revealed themselves.

 

They probably hadn’t come here simply to participate in the battle.

Perhaps they had sensed that Baek Gang-ryeon was about to reveal her true nature and cause great trouble, so they appeared.

 

“Interesting, truly interesting.”

“We should have come a bit earlier. It seems we missed many entertaining parts.”

 

Both Elder Ancestors were directing their gazes toward Cheon Woo-jin.

They had discerned that it was Cheon Woo-jin who had resolved this situation.

 

However, neither of them took any special action.

As if there was nothing left to see since everything had already concluded, they departed.

 

“I’ll remember you. Let’s meet again next time.”

“Come visit Shadow Scale Sunken Sect later. I’ll treat you well.”

 

After the two Elder Ancestors disappeared leaving those words behind, the cultivators of Azure Wind Valley and Shadow Scale Sunken Sect also began to retreat.

Watching their retreating figures as they withdrew empty-handed, Oh Hwi-seong let out a sigh of relief.

 

“If the destruction of the Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner had been delayed even slightly, those people would have jumped into the ruins and caused great chaos. What a relief.”

 

Oh Hwi-seong looked at Cheon Woo-jin and smiled.

 

“It seems things were resolved well thanks to Fellow Daoist Cheon.”

“I didn’t even touch the Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner. It was destroyed on its own.”

“Still, isn’t it the result of Fellow Daoist Cheon handling the Elder Ancestor Baek well?”

“….”

“I won’t pry into what methods you used. But ultimately, this matter being resolved so well is thanks to Fellow Daoist Cheon.”

 

Hearing those words.

Cheon Woo-jin spoke in a calm voice.

 

“Then please provide me with generous compensation.”

“That’s….”

 

Oh Hwi-seong scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression.

 

“Don’t worry. Anyway, I need to report this matter to those above me, so I can give you compensation beyond my authority.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“However, please understand that your existence might become known to the Dragon Clan. I apologize for that in advance.”

 

The Dragon Clan’s attention.

He had expected that much from the moment he made contact with Oh Hwi-seong anyway.

So it wasn’t particularly burdensome, but hiding those feelings, he opened his mouth.

 

“Then I’ll have to receive compensation taking that into account as well. Please proceed with negotiations considering that aspect too.”

 

When he said that while looking at Seo Seol-ryeong who would handle the negotiations, Oh Hwi-seong shook his head as if he couldn’t handle it.

 

* * *

 

The incident surrounding the Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner was concluded like that.

 

At first it seemed like a simple auction item theft case, but as its full scope was revealed, it developed into a major commotion that shook the entire 6th Layer and even brought out Nascent Soul Realm Elder Ancestors.

But ultimately, the Ghost Spirit Summoning Banner was completely destroyed and turned to powder, and each faction retreated like dogs chasing chickens.

 

Azure Wind Valley and Shadow Scale Sunken Sect ended with suffering slight personnel losses, but Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace suffered very heavy damage.

Palace Master Baek Sin-yeong had died, and even the former Palace Master Baek Gang-ryeon who had been hiding was annihilated.

At this rate, they would have to hand over their position among the 6th Layer’s Three Major Forces to Corpse Ghost Hell Gate.

 

“From now on, Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace will be busy selecting a new Palace Master and rebuilding their sect. It seems unlikely they’ll bother us.”

“I see.”

 

Clatter, clatter.

Inside the shop where organization was in full swing, Cheon Woo-jin answered in an indifferent voice.

 

The place where Cheon Woo-jin was now located was the shop that Seo Seol-ryeong had decided to newly establish in Central Mirror Town on the 6th Layer.

Since they had closed the shop on the 2nd Layer, they decided to open a new shop on the 6th Layer with this opportunity.

There was an event in the game where the shop moved to the 6th Layer too, and although the circumstances were different, the same thing had happened.

 

“Meanwhile, Azure Wind Valley and Shadow Scale Sunken Sect seem very interested in Fellow Daoist Cheon.”

“In me?”

“It’s not just Azure Wind Valley and Shadow Scale Sunken Sect. Currently, the entire 6th Layer is paying attention to Fellow Daoist Cheon.”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong said while neatly organizing the items in the cupboard.

 

“He killed Jongli Un of the Jongli Family, demonstrated his skills against cultivators from various factions in Central Mirror Town’s commercial district. And he even defeated Baek Sin-yeong, the Palace Master of Ten Thousand Night Ice Palace.”

“Hmm….”

“There are also various speculations going around regarding Baek Gang-ryeon’s death and the disappearance of the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner.”

 

It was definitely Baek Gang-ryeon who obtained the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner in the end, but ultimately Baek Gang-ryeon died and the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner also vanished.

There were bound to be many people exercising their imagination.

 

“Some people are saying that your true identity is the Avatar Mirror, so you turned both Baek Gang-ryeon and the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner into dust at once.”

“That’s quite an absurd story.”

“Well. Wouldn’t people be even more shocked if they knew the truth?”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong had noticed that Cheon Woo-jin had resolved this matter through some method.

However, she didn’t pry into those details.

 

Originally, if there was something Cheon Woo-jin didn’t want to talk about, Seo Seol-ryeong would let it pass without pressing him.

Maintaining such boundaries was one of Seo Seol-ryeong’s strengths.

It was one of the reasons why Cheon Woo-jin worked with Seo Seol-ryeong.

 

“Anyway, it’s a good phenomenon.”

“Is that so?”

“Because your value will rise even more.”

“….”

 

It was the same attitude as when they were in the 2nd Layer.

Watching her back, Cheon Woo-jin remembered there was something he wanted to ask.

 

“Come to think of it.”

“What?”

“I heard that Baek Sin-yeong consistently courted you.”

 

As soon as he brought up that topic, Seo Seol-ryeong stopped her hands.

 

“Where did you hear that story?”

“Baek Sin-yeong herself told me.”

“She really knows no shame….”

 

Her voice was full of displeasure.

 

“If you had paired up with Baek Sin-yeong, who has similar qualities, and cultivated together, you could have gained great power too.”

“I don’t need it. What I pursue isn’t simple power.”

“….”

 

What exactly was it that Seo Seol-ryeong pursued?

 

This time, Seo Seol-ryeong had tried to steal the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner for her own purpose.

If Cheon Woo-jin hadn’t returned alive, Seo Seol-ryeong might have used the Ghost Spirit Radiance Domain Banner.

What transcendent being was Seo Seol-ryeong trying to summon and what power was she trying to obtain?

 

And… what was she expecting from Cheon Woo-jin?

 

‘I’ll be able to hear it someday.’

 

Just as Seo Seol-ryeong respected Cheon Woo-jin, Cheon Woo-jin intended to respect Seo Seol-ryeong as well.

Even if he didn’t press her now, he would be able to know when the time came.

 

Thinking this way, Cheon Woo-jin changed the subject.

 

“But what kind of shop is this place?”

 

Seo Seol-ryeong’s main profession was being a broker.

But in the 2nd Layer, she had disguised herself as a fortune-telling shop in a corner of the market.

What kind of shop would she disguise as this time?

 

“Well. I haven’t decided yet.”

“….”

 

Cheon Woo-jin was at a loss for words and stared at Seo Seol-ryeong’s back.

Had she been organizing the interior without even deciding that?

 

“What would be good?”

“If you’re asking me that….”

 

When he was lost in thought in front of Seo Seol-ryeong, who asked back with a calm expression,

loud footsteps could be heard from outside.

 

“Sniff sniff, what is this smell!”

 

Crash, crack!

Na Chwi-ryang, the lizard cultivator from Shadow Scale Sunken Sect, broke through the shop door and stuck his face in.

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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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