Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 76

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

Chapter 76

 

Won Yang, who conducted the search as Woon-hwi had instructed, focused on examining behind heavy furniture and piles of luggage, and that’s how she discovered it.

 

This place they were in now was the Branch Leader’s Quarters.

 

Won Yang first examined the document piles that were on the bookshelf in the quarters.

 

She was thinking of taking them along because if these were ledgers, they would somehow be helpful to Woon-hwi, and while moving them aside, she saw it.

 

Traces that the bookshelf had been moved ‘frequently’.

 

So she moved the bookshelf aside and immediately tapped on the wall surface.

 

That confirmed it for her. There was empty space inside.

 

When she kicked the wall surface with her foot, stairs leading underground appeared.

 

Just as Woon-hwi had said, there was a secret space.

 

Won Yang, with a very triumphant expression, looked at Woon-hwi, and Woon-hwi patted her shoulder as if to say she did well.

 

Won Yang, whose shoulders rose even higher, now looked at Ju So-ah. It wasn’t an expression that seemed to be seeking praise.

 

Ju So-ah was a bit dumbfounded.

 

“Hey. Aren’t you being too triumphant over finding just one thing?”

 

“But Senior, you couldn’t find it.”

 

“…”

 

“You should have looked for it then.”

 

Ju So-ah let out a hollow laugh.

 

Why is this kid really so prickly?

 

She didn’t seem to have that kind of personality.

 

“Stop it and follow me.”

 

Woon-hwi began descending the stairs first, and the branch members immediately followed behind him.

 

The stairs required quite a long descent.

 

Judging by the height, at least a hundred zhang from ground level.

 

When they descended all the way to the bottom, Woon-hwi’s brow furrowed slightly.

 

It was a vast, wide space.

 

And the purple light of Demon Eye Stones was dimly illuminating the basement, with several small piles of ash remaining in the center of the basement.

 

Strange.

 

It was really strange.

 

First, it was strange that the space was so completely empty, and second, it was strange how clean it was.

 

“…They did do something here.”

 

Woon-hwi asked Ju So-ah, who was muttering quietly.

 

“Do you have any guesses?”

 

“Not at all.”

 

Woon-hwi, who let out a sigh, silently walked to the center.

 

Since no one knew, he had no choice but to find out himself.

 

He then carefully examined the floor.

 

He could see traces of something being drawn, erected, and erased.

 

But he couldn’t clearly tell what it was.

 

Even trying to deduce from the remaining energies wasn’t certain.

 

‘…I’ll have to sort them out.’

 

Woon-hwi extended both arms. Soon his Heo Hyeon Energy spread out like mist and began filling the space.

 

Then the mist, which had been colorless and transparent at first, began gradually changing color as it passed through certain points, and as if he had been waiting for this, Woon-hwi immediately waved his fingers and extracted the discolored parts.

 

Like scattered pieces coming together as one.

 

The discolored energies began drawing shapes in the air.

 

“…Wow…”

 

It was an exclamation that burst from Cheon Pung. Though Cheon Pung was the only one who spoke, everyone else including Ju So-ah was equally amazed.

 

“Really… you know all sorts of things.”

 

Heavenly Secret Investigation.

 

It’s a special technique that finds and reconstructs traces remaining in space.

 

It’s both a formation technique and martial arts, and can also be used as a mental cultivation method.

 

All formation techniques and martial arts leave traces of energy when used. These traces are inscribed in space, even if faintly, even after time passes or they’re erased, and particularly powerful energies like demonic energy or blood energy leave more distinct traces.

 

Now, since Woon-hwi’s realm was shallow, he had to activate it by spreading his Heo Hyeon Energy, but later when his realm improved, he wouldn’t need to unfold it.

 

Anyway.

 

Unlike everyone else who was admiring it, Woon-hwi wasn’t in a good mood.

 

“…Do you know what this is, Master?”

 

It was Won Yang.

 

Only Won Yang observed Woon-hwi’s mood, and Woon-hwi gave her an answer.

 

“This is a formation technique.”

 

“…A formation technique?”

 

“It’s called the Blood Demon Transformation Formation. Do you know it?”

 

Everyone shook their heads. That was right.

 

There was no way ordinary people would know the Origin Blood Sect’s formation technique for creating blood people.

 

“The Origin Blood Sect has those called blood people. What’s different between them and ordinary people?”

 

“Blood energy… isn’t it?”

 

Woon-hwi nodded at Ju So-ah’s words.

 

“Correct. But blood energy is very inappropriate and dangerous energy for ordinary martial artists to handle.”

 

It was obvious just from seeing how Woon-hwi had nearly died when he used blood energy recently. It was because it was Woon-hwi that he only stopped at that level even after deploying Ascending Martial Arts with blood energy – if it had been someone else, their body would have burst and they would have died.

 

Blood energy is that dangerous.

 

“To handle it like ordinary energy, one must either possess overwhelming talent or become very familiar with blood energy, but ordinary martial artists don’t do that. To put it clearly, the blood people of the Origin Blood Sect are treated well within the sect regardless of position. Only by using blood energy can one be called a true sect member.”

 

“…”

 

“This Blood Demon Transformation Formation modifies an ordinary martial artist’s blood vessels to make them a vessel for blood energy. But… something’s strange.”

 

Usually, whether formation techniques or martial arts, everything is ultimately a ‘combination’.

 

The Blood Demon Transformation Formation was also created by combining several formation techniques, but removing the subsidiary formations, there are five core ones.

 

The Spirit Separation Formation that separates the target’s mind from the body, the Soul Stabilization Formation that stabilizes the separated mind, the Blood Accumulation Formation that gathers and condenses blood energy, the Blood Vessel Opening Formation that modifies blood vessels to contain blood energy, and the Blood Unity Formation that injects refined blood energy into the modified body.

 

But two were missing.

 

The Spirit Separation Formation and Soul Stabilization Formation.

 

That wasn’t all.

 

“…This was a new formation technique that modified the Blood Demon Transformation Formation.”

 

The basic framework was definitely the Blood Demon Transformation Formation, but the energy being injected was different.

 

This was absolutely not a formation for injecting blood energy.

 

Cheon Rim were those helping rebuild the Thousand Year Demon Cult, and the Thousand Year Demon Cult naturally handled demonic energy.

 

So it was a formation for injecting demonic energy.

 

But why didn’t they protect the mind?

 

Demonic energy was extremely destructive energy no less than blood energy, and there were already several people using demonic energy, so why go through such trouble?

 

Ultimately, there were two cases.

 

Either it was for experiments that didn’t need mind separation.

 

Or they had no self-awareness from the beginning.

 

He stared intently at the formation created in the air.

 

This was too sophisticated to be considered an experiment.

 

The fact that they had modified the formation to this extent meant that at least someone at the end of the Five Realms of Martial God had intervened, and from Woon-hwi’s perspective, this was close to perfect.

 

“Won Yang.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“When did Cheon Rim establish themselves in Cheongsu Village?”

 

“…Six years ago.”

 

Six years.

 

There was no need to investigate why that period.

 

That’s when Yang-ryeong had swallowed Seol-ap’s mine, and Cheon Rim had played a central role in that matter before withdrawing.

 

He must have received this place in return for that.

 

I became curious for no reason.

 

Did he complete it?

 

I closed my eyes for a moment and traced back the memories of the past that had now become almost hazy.

 

The Murim is vast. Rumors are bound to spread in one way or another.

 

After Woon-hwi left, the Thousand Year Demon Cult was rebuilt. The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and Ten Thousand Year Snow Mountain are opposite regions. Then I need to trace back to before that… there must have been similar rumors.

 

A being that handles demonic energy without self-awareness, a being that only follows someone’s commands.

 

Whether it’s a vengeful spirit or a jiangshi, whatever.

 

My eyes slowly opened.

 

About 22 years from now, an incident will occur where Yasu Palace in Namman is completely destroyed.

 

They said the one who destroyed Yasu Palace at that time had no emotions or self-awareness.

 

He moved like a tool solely for slaughter, and there were two most peculiar things about him.

 

The fact that he didn’t seem to breathe and that he handled demonic energy.

 

And after that, he completely disappeared from the world, and people called him Mado Cheonin.

 

Tsk.

 

As Woon-hwi clicked his tongue, Ju So-ah’s voice reached his ears.

 

“…You were right, Branch Master. With this much, Cheon Rim should come crawling on their own, right?”

 

At those words, Woon-hwi shook his head instead.

 

“It’s insufficient.”

 

“What is?”

 

“Evidence.”

 

“…Isn’t this enough evidence?”

 

Woon-hwi understood Ju So-ah’s thoughts at a glance.

 

Since there’s friction with Cheon Rim right now, if we threaten to publicize this, won’t they bow down and submit on their own?

 

No matter how much this is a world where demonic path sects flourish, if they’re connected to the Thousand Year Demon Cult, that would draw concern from many people, and that would grow into a matter of trust.

 

Since Cheon Rim is a merchant group, they would definitely be very sensitive about that aspect.

 

However.

 

Looking at the current situation, this place has been cleanly erased.

 

It’s clear they spent at least a day, no, several days cleaning thoroughly, and discovering that was entirely Woon-hwi’s personal ability.

 

If we publicize what happened here to damage Cheon Rim’s credibility, we’d have to reveal how we found out about this, explain about the Thousand Year Demon Cult, and explain about regression too.

 

Troublesome, and troublesome again. Most importantly, as I keep saying, extending the front lines is a foolish act.

 

It’s right to deal with Cheon Rim alone.

 

For now, it’s enough to know that those trying to rebuild the Thousand Year Demon Cult had already prepared more than expected.

 

Nothing more is necessary.

 

“We will move all the supplies in Cheongsu Village to Yang-ryeong.”

 

Since they had swept through even the upper warehouse while coming here, they knew. Not only the leftover goods from the black market, but also gold from the gold mine, since this was nominally Cheon Rim’s branch established near the gold mine.

 

It’s roughly the amount of six carts. But move it all?

 

“…All of that much?”

 

“All of it.”

 

“Yes…”

 

To Ju So-ah who was scratching her head, Woon-hwi asked.

 

“Do you still want to run away?”

 

Ju So-ah hesitated, then frowned and looked at Woon-hwi.

 

“Ah, really, why do you keep doing that? I’m not like that. I clearly told you I have no intention of living shamefully, didn’t I?”

 

A strange smile appeared on Woon-hwi’s lips.

 

I think I understood what she meant.

 

“Do you feel my sincerity a bit now?”

 

“I felt it a little.”

 

Ju So-ah smiled and put her arm around Won Yang’s shoulder beside her.

 

“He says a little, but I was really sincere.”

 

Then Won Yang pulled away and snapped.

 

“Don’t act friendly with me.”

 

I scratched my chin.

 

When I turned my head, Han Mu-rin was chuckling, and Cheon Pung was smiling brightly with both arms spread wide.

 

Tsk.

 

None of them are normal.

 

* * *

 

Even after returning to the Yang-ryeong Branch, Woon-hwi continued to ponder with a serious expression.

 

Just the fact that there was nothing to protect the mind in the formation technique allowed him to infer many things.

 

And that inference became fact when combined with Woon-hwi’s past experiences.

 

Demonic energy is truly dangerous energy.

 

It wasn’t for nothing that I was shocked seeing the Demon Blood Heaven Gang Art.

 

Without going far, even when creating blood people, there are devices to separate and protect the mind, but there’s no such device when using energy that’s even more extreme and destructively powerful?

 

Looking at it differently, this also means that ‘destroying’ the mind itself has already been done in advance.

 

Then at what level would Mado Cheonin’s realm be positioned?

 

It definitely wouldn’t be Flame Qi Four Stages level. If they went through this much trouble to create a Mado Cheonin of that level, that would be beyond inefficient—it would be insane.

 

At minimum it would be Four Stages of Heaven and Earth, and among those Four Stages of Heaven and Earth, Divine Transformation Realm would be the lowest.

 

The reason Woon-hwi is making such a serious expression right now is, to put it simply, because of ‘timing.’

 

The completion level of the formation technique was almost perfect.

 

But if they were already creating Mado Cheonin from this time period, then that Mado Cheonin who will appear in the distant future is just a part of them.

 

I rested my chin on my hand.

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