Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 242

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 242
Baek Mu-jin began walking, and behind him came four martial artists of the Harmony Realm from the Ihwageomseonchong, along with the traitors of the Seong Jak Alliance, including Jang Cheon-woon.
Following them, roughly a hundred martial artists also began their march.
Today, they were all blades forged with a single purpose.
Carrying sharp and cold killing intent, they advanced toward Cheon Ryong Palace without a moment’s hesitation.
* * *
I had sensed something amiss from the very beginning.
Understanding the opponent’s true intentions—that is the most fundamental principle.
The moment a martial artist ceases to think is the moment their life as a warrior ends.
I have lived by this conviction.
After Yang Seol-jin’s death, I set a grand scheme in motion.
I conveyed to Yu Cheong my willingness to aid in the reconstruction of the Thousand Year Demon Cult, showing no hesitation whatsoever.
From that moment, Yu Cheong’s choices narrowed to two.
Either make me a blade, or eliminate me.
And Yu Cheong chose the former, at least for now.
This was inevitable.
Yu Cheong covets the final divine weapon of the Thousand Year Demon Cult, which lies dormant on Snow Mountain.
Yet Yang Seol-jin, who once stood foremost in pursuit of it, is long dead.
Without him, Yu Cheong needs someone of comparable standing, and I fulfill that need perfectly.
Initially, I considered using Seo Hyo to draw out Yu Cheong, but unfortunately, that was not the priority at this moment.
I needed to understand Yu Cheong’s true strength.
The Origin Blood Sect harbors truths unknown to me, and Yu Cheong is meticulous.
He must surely have subordinates at his command.
Yu Cheong had to reveal to me the power of the ‘forces’ he had cultivated.
That is why the Muk Se-hoe and Cheon Rim acted.
Yet their methods differed.
The Muk Se-hoe conducted a ‘transaction’ as my equal, while Cheon Rim moved differently.
No matter how I looked at it, Cheon Rim was attempting to draw me out beyond the Seongchakju.
By this point, I had grasped their intentions well enough.
But I was not entirely certain.
I held roughly sixty percent confidence, but after my conversation with Jang I-cheong, it became absolute certainty.
“Will you be alright without Pung Mu-hwi or the Cheon Rak Bu?” Manager Seong asked.
I let out a small laugh at his question.
“Were they not the ones who labored most intensely in the process of destroying the Green Forest Sect?”
“…That is true.”
“They have fulfilled their duty. This is not their battle—it is mine. Manager Seong.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Before I am anything else, I am a martial artist. How could I take back words once spoken?”
“…”
“I said your place would always be beside me. Are you thinking of running away now?”
Manager Seong let out a hollow laugh.
“I would not even refuse to follow you in death, Young Master.”
No matter how I looked at it, he seemed to mean every word.
I had meant it as a jest, but hearing him speak of following me even unto death left me momentarily speechless.
Manager Seong, who had been studying me intently for a moment, suddenly widened his eyes and asked.
“But… what are you doing?”
It was a natural question to ask.
I had just withdrawn a jewel overflowing with cold energy from my Storage Bag.
“…That… is that not a five-hundred-year Frost Gem?”
“You know your materials well.”
“This is maddening. You should refine and consume it properly, so why would you…?”
“I have another one.”
“Ah.”
“And I intend to deploy a Formation Technique, drawing upon the Frost Gem’s energy.”
Manager Seong scratched his head.
“…The grand work will have to wait, it seems.”
Without bothering to respond further, I gazed upon the five-hundred-year Frost Gem in my palm.
Within the transparent crystal, no larger than my hand, cold energy seeped forth in delicate wisps.
I first positioned myself in the very center of Cheon Ryong Palace, then marked a single point on the stone floor beneath my feet with the tip of my sword.
This would become the central palace.
‘Following the principles of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, the Later Heaven arrangement…’
Murmuring in a low voice, I marked the eight directions—north, south, east, west, and the four diagonals—centered upon the central palace.
I arranged the nine palaces in order: Water, Earth, Thunder, Wind, Center, Heaven, Lake, Mountain, and Fire.
In the northern Water Palace, I placed the essence of water.
In the southwestern Earth Palace, I placed the essence of earth.
In the eastern Thunder Palace, I placed the essence of thunder and lightning.
In the southeastern Wind Palace, I placed the essence of wind.
In the northwestern Heaven Palace, I placed the essence of heaven.
In the western Lake Palace, I placed the essence of a pond.
In the northeastern Mountain Palace, I placed the essence of mountains.
In the southern Fire Palace, I placed the essence of flame.
I had not expected to deploy this formation so swiftly, yet I had always known the day would come.
The skeleton of the Formation Technique was complete, but much remained undone.
Now I had to infuse this place with energy.
This was the most crucial part.
I clenched the Frost Gem firmly in my grasp.
Then, drawing a straight line from where I stood through the central palace, I condensed Void Manifestation Qi in the space between.
The cold energy of the Frost Gem began to descend toward the central palace along the Void Manifestation Qi, and soon its nature began to transform.
First, killing intent surged forth from each of the eight palaces.
“…You are transforming its very nature. Remarkable, Young Master.”
I didn’t answer. Or rather, I couldn’t.
I simply concentrated.
Soon, from the Northern Palace came the frozen aura of death, from the Southwestern Palace came the crushing pressure of heavy earth, and from the Eastern Palace came the destructive force that split like lightning in an instant.
The wind from the Southeastern Palace became a blade that pierced to the bone, the heavenly aura from the Northwestern Palace became divine retribution that struck down all things, the pond from the Western Palace became the swamp of the underworld swallowing countless souls, and the mountain from the Northeastern Palace became a colossal tomb crushing and destroying everything. The flames from the Southern Palace became the hellfire that burned all things to ash.
And in the Central Palace at the center, an absolute will of death pulsed, orchestrating and controlling all this killing intent.
“Hah….”
As if at a loss for words, Manager Seong simply closed his mouth, while I stepped back one pace and placed a small stone monument in the Central Palace.
At that moment, all the auras swirling around fell silent at once.
“…What is…this…?”
After a moment of thought, I opened my mouth.
“I was ambushed while heading toward the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace.”
“….”
“Masters of the Five Realms of Martial God that I had trained with my own hands and the Heaven Gate’s supreme expert came to kill me.”
“…And then?”
“My body was not in normal condition due to poison, so a direct confrontation was impossible.”
I sheathed the Jinwha Cheonryeong Geom and continued speaking.
“So I prepared a Formation Technique that I had only been conceiving in my mind.”
“…Is this it?”
I nodded.
“Its name is the Heavenly Net Killing Formation.”
“…How long does it last?”
“My realm is shallow, and I borrowed the power of five hundred years of frozen ice, so I can likely maintain it for about half a period, though I might not even manage that.”
A Formation Technique that uses the net of heaven to lead all things to death.
Using this Formation Technique, I annihilated the entire pursuit team on the spot.
I had killed countless others before that, but I thought it would end at that level.
However, the next day, Yeong Woon-seong, the Grand Elder of the Original Blood Sect, came seeking me with his subordinates, and that is how I died.
Tsk.
After clicking my tongue, I silently picked up another stone monument from the surroundings.
Then I quietly carved characters into it with my finger and set it up in front of the monument I had already erected.
“Manager Seong.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“They will come soon. Be prepared.”
Manager Seong nodded.
The blood wind that blows today will be considerable.
* * *
Late in the night.
At that hour when all were deep in sleep, figures entered toward Seongchakju’s Cheon Ryong Palace.
Their procession resembled that of an army marching to war.
In fact, that was accurate.
What they desired was everything that belonged to Seongchakju.
If not today, there might never be another chance.
This exact moment.
The day when all of Cheon Rak Bu had withdrawn, and Pung Geom Hall’s Pavilion Master Pung Mu-hwi was separated from Seol Woon-hwi.
Now was the optimal time.
After today, there’s no telling who might be at Seol Woon-hwi’s side. Once the renovations to Cheon Ryong Palace were complete, the members of Cheon Rak Bu would take residence there, and by then, this current force wouldn’t suffice—I’d need far more soldiers, and would have to employ additional stratagems to obscure our intentions.
Time and money.
No matter what I invested, it would only create uncertainty, but today minimized all those risks.
I couldn’t let this slip away.
Everyone entered Cheon Ryong Palace.
After that, as though bound by some pact, they made their way toward the central courtyard within Cheon Ryong Palace.
Baek Mu-jin, who led at the very front, suddenly came to a halt.
Two men stood before them.
A handsome man with ash-grey hair and sharp eyes.
Though he appeared quite young, the aura he emanated was that of a ruler commanding not just one region, but several.
‘…Remarkable. How is such presence possible at such a tender age?’
My gaze naturally shifted to the side.
There was a man with short hair—whether it had been shaved or simply cut close.
Too young to call middle-aged, yet too ambiguous to call youthful.
According to the information known, he was in his early forties, yet his appearance was nearly that of someone in his thirties.
It happened occasionally.
When ascending from Body Establishment Boundary to Divine Transformation Realm, undergoing Bone Transformation could cause one to rapidly grow younger.
I’d heard that if one continuously consumed and properly digested Spirit Medicine, Spirit Pills, and Training Resources, such effects were possible.
‘…He must have possessed considerable wealth.’
Just what and how much had he consumed to achieve an appearance nearly identical to someone in their early thirties?
My gaze lowered.
Beneath the two men lay a stone monument.
Upon it was inscribed:
[Heavenly Net Killing Formation – Those who enter shall depart only in death.]
A scoff escaped my lips.
“Quite the grandiose name. It seems you’ve prepared something, yet wouldn’t it have been better to simply flee?”
Seol Woon-hwi regarded Baek Mu-jin in silence.
Finding that gaze somewhat burdensome, Baek Mu-jin shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, setting aside your youth, you’re called something of a genius, so you should understand well enough what kind of place this Murim is.”
“I understand it well.”
“Then you must also grasp what this situation means, so there’s no need for lengthy words, is there?”
“There isn’t.”
Baek Mu-jin let out a hollow laugh.
The way he maintained his momentum without yielding even now—he was certainly someone capable of stirring up the Murim.
“Eight martial artists of the Heaven Earth Four Realms, and roughly one hundred twenty meat shields. Quite the variety.”
At Seol Woon-hwi’s words, Baek Mu-jin waved his hand dismissively.
“This isn’t merely a matter of overwhelming you with brute force. I’ve meticulously identified your weaknesses and prepared accordingly. You’re intelligent enough to realize you have no escape from this situation. Before we begin, I have one demand. You must consume what I’m about to give you….”
“Wait.”
“…What?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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