The Chaotic Immortal Wood Sect: Immortal Cultivation War - Chapter 27

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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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27. Dream Mist and Demonic Cultivators of Chaotic Dark Valley

Demonic cultivators.

This refers to cultivators who cause harm to other monks.

If you think about it, which cultivator isn’t a demonic cultivator? But those who openly commit evil acts like now are called demonic cultivators.

“Could they be seniors?”

In Deok spoke for the first time after entering Chaotic Dark Valley.

They had already come more than ten li inside, but since they hadn’t discovered any traces of their pursuers, his mind had relaxed a little.

“I don’t know. But the possibility is high.”

Kang Hyeon answered with a still stern expression while checking the state of the concealment barrier surrounding himself and In Deok.

“Right? Those who are merely at Early Qi Accumulation wouldn’t dare attempt demonic cultivation without fear, would they?”

In Deok’s expression was also serious, thinking that their opponents must be at least Mid Qi Accumulation or higher.

“There might not be demonic cultivators among Spiritual Energy Technique practitioners, but still, this is Chaotic Dark Valley of the Muyeon Mountain Range, so mere Spiritual Energy Technique practitioners wouldn’t dare set foot here.”

“So this is a place where you need to be at least Early Qi Accumulation to come, meaning to act as demonic cultivators, they’d need to be Mid Qi Accumulation or higher.”

“Right. I think the same. But where did they go?”

“They definitely wouldn’t have given up on us easily.”

At Kang Hyeon’s question, In Deok also made a puzzled expression.

They had already come quite far into Chaotic Dark Valley.

And since they had passed several branching paths during that time, if their pursuers hadn’t followed closely, tracking would be difficult.

“I might not know, but avoiding your spiritual consciousness seems a bit unreasonable, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm, perhaps they really lost us or gave up.”

“You think so too, Kang Hyeon? Could they possibly be hiding nearby while avoiding your spiritual consciousness?”

“If they had such skill, we would already be caught in their grasp.”

Kang Hyeon thought that would absolutely never happen.

His realm was merely Early Qi Accumulation, but his consciousness possessed strength beyond Mid Qi Accumulation.

And what about his spiritual consciousness?

As strong as his consciousness was, his spiritual consciousness also had an incomparably wider range than other cultivators of the same level, and its precision and power were remarkable.

Even Mid Qi Accumulation cultivators would rarely be confident of winning against Kang Hyeon in a contest of spiritual consciousness.

Swirrrrrr! Whirrrrring!

As Kang Hyeon was thinking this and once again carefully examining the range of his deployed spiritual consciousness.

Suddenly, the surrounding mist began moving erratically, creating strange air currents.

“Be careful. The Dream Mist of Chaotic Dark Valley is moving.”

Kang Hyeon quickly pulled In Deok close and warned him.

“Huh? Dream Mist?”

In Deok was startled by Kang Hyeon’s sudden action, then quickly drew up lightning energy to protect his body upon hearing about Dream Mist.

Crackle crackle crackle! Sizzle sizzle sizzle!

Soon after, the approaching mist met the lightning energy surrounding In Deok’s body, creating friction as lightning sparks began to fly.

“Hup!”

At that moment, Kang Hyeon was also wrapping his body with Ancient Wood Armor to prepare for the Dream Mist.

But strangely, the Dream Mist that met Kang Hyeon’s Ancient Wood Armor simply seeped in harmlessly without any particular change occurring.

“Are you okay?”

Seeing this, In Deok, who was engulfed in lightning sparks, asked with a worried voice.

“I’m fine. The Dream Mist’s hallucinogenic effect appears when it seeps into the body, but right now the Ancient Wood Armor is absorbing the Dream Mist.”

“So it doesn’t affect you?”

“Right. The armor is absorbing it on its own before it reaches me.”

“That’s fortunate then.”

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if you’re okay. Won’t you not be able to last long if you discharge lightning energy like that?”

“Haha. Don’t worry. I can maintain this level for three or four months.”

“Really?”

“Well, about a hundred days, that much.”

“That’s fortunate then. I was worried about the consumption of Lightning Spirit Energy.”

“It only looks flashy, but I’m actually using only weak lightning energy. Don’t worry.”

“Good. Then let’s start moving in earnest now. They said that when Dream Mist begins activity, it means the natural formation spread throughout Chaotic Dark Valley has been activated.”

“After the formation activates, we need to step carefully on its life path to reach the center of Chaotic Dark Valley?”

“Right. Ah, over there.”

Kang Hyeon was responding to In Deok’s words when he noticed the mist swirling in a spiral pattern and led In Deok in a direction that followed the mist’s flow.

And after walking for a while, when the mist’s flow twisted again, he immediately changed direction.

After walking through the Dream Mist for about two days in this manner, they finally discovered a place where no mist lingered at all.

“Wow, what’s this place? Didn’t they say Chaotic Dark Valley is full of yin energy?”

“Where there is yin, there must be yang. This is a place where yang energy, pushed out by Chaotic Dark Valley’s yin energy, has gathered. It’s one of several anomalous points naturally created when the formation formed in Chaotic Dark Valley.”

“Really?”

“And now that I see it, this place seems to be one of the axes of the formation covering Chaotic Dark Valley.”

“An axis of the formation? The axis of Chaotic Dark Valley’s formation that strengthens yin energy and bewilders those who enter the formation, making them lose their minds? How can such a place have such strong yang energy?”

The place Kang Hyeon discovered was filled with yang energy, completely unsuited to Chaotic Dark Valley.

But for that place to be one of the formation’s central axes surprised In Deok.

“I told you. Where there is yin, there is yang. There’s a limit to how much yin energy can naturally gather and accumulate. So there need to be yang energy spots like this for yin energy to be drawn in.”

“Spots? What are you talking about?”

“Just think of it as an acupoint. There needs to be an acupoint where yang energy gathers for yin energy to be drawn in.”

“Hmm, the principle of yin and yang is like that. But then what? Are you saying Chaotic Dark Valley isn’t a place that creates yin energy by itself, but a place that draws in and accumulates yin energy from outside?”

“From what I can see, it’s not a place where yin energy continuously springs up from some yin blood source, but rather a place that draws and accumulates yin energy from the entire Muyeon Mountain Range.”

“Then what about the formation? Didn’t they say the formation here in Chaotic Dark Valley was a naturally created natural formation?”

“That’s what I heard, but it might not be true.”

“Hey hey, look over there. That’s Heat Vine Grass, right? Then what’s underneath must be Yang Fire Stone?”

At that moment, In Deok pointed excitedly at a spot in the valley where the mist had cleared.

When Kang Hyeon looked there, he saw red rocks jutting out from the valley wall, with green vines growing luxuriantly on top of them.

Looking closely at those vines, he noticed that while the leaves were green, the stems had a reddish tint and were translucent, with clear crimson liquid flowing inside.

“That’s right, Heat Vine Grass. And what the Heat Vine Grass has rooted in is definitely Yang Fire Stone. Hey hey, don’t get too close. You could burn to death if you’re not careful.”

“Hey! Are you looking down on my Diamond Body Protection Technique?”

When Kang Hyeon stopped In Deok from rushing toward the Heat Vine Grass, In Deok pounded his chest indignantly.

But Kang Hyeon shook his head.

“I know your body is tough. But what if there are Flame Ghost Insects there too? You couldn’t withstand Flame Ghost Insects either, could you?”

“Flame Ghost Insects? No way!”

At the mention of Flame Ghost Insects, In Deok’s face turned pale.

Naturally, his momentum to rush toward the Heat Vine Grass was completely broken.

“Look over there. If you look at the roots of the Heat Vine Grass, can’t you see finger-thick holes in the Yang Fire Stone?”

“Ugh, th-that’s really there?”

When Kang Hyeon pointed out the details, In Deok was startled and rubbed his goosebump-covered arms.

Flame Ghost Insects are only about the size of a thumbnail, and they look like ladybugs.

However, unlike ladybugs, their heads are hidden so they can’t be seen separately, so when viewed from above, they appear completely hemispherical.

“There, there’s one!”

At that moment, In Deok spotted a Flame Ghost Insect near the roots of the Heat Vine Grass and shouted.

“You know that if you see one, there are a thousand, right?”

“Yeah, I know that from reading about it.”

“You also know that despite their small size, they have the power to burrow into bodies instantly?”

“They say a thousand Flame Ghost Insects could make even a Late Qi Accumulation cultivator disappear without a trace in less than a moment.”

“With ten thousand, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn’t stand a chance. Of course, the story would be different if they fought without fleeing.”

“Qi Accumulation cultivators can’t even run away. Aren’t they incredibly fast? Plus, if even one of those fast things burrows into your body, the heat poison makes it difficult to circulate spiritual energy.”

“Qi Accumulation cultivators like us should consider ourselves dead if we encounter Flame Ghost Insects. The fortunate thing is that they’re docile if you don’t provoke them first.”

“Docile? You’re talking about terrifying creatures that would send you to the afterlife that very day if you accidentally stimulated them?”

“Come on, so let’s pass by carefully. Don’t get greedy for the Yang Fire Stone or Heat Vine Grass.”

“Sigh, what a waste.”

When Kang Hyeon spoke as if they should just go, In Deok couldn’t easily lift his feet with a regretful expression.

Heat Vine Grass is a precious material for making fire-attribute spirit pills, and Yang Fire Stone is also a precious mineral.

Both were so precious that they were difficult even to hear about at the Artifact Refining stage, so both Kang Hyeon and In Deok had only seen them in illustrated guides, never the real thing.

But to have to pass by such precious things, it wasn’t easy for In Deok.

“If you find it so regrettable, come back next time with thorough preparation. Right now there’s no proper method.”

Harvesting Heat Vine Grass and mining Yang Fire Stone requires preparation, and thorough countermeasures against Flame Ghost Insects are also necessary.

With proper preparation, there would be safe methods for even those who are merely Early Qi Accumulation like themselves.

That’s why Kang Hyeon suggested waiting for next time.

“But what if other people take them first while we’re doing that?”

However, In Deok’s attachment wasn’t easily severed.

To this, Kang Hyeon shook his head and said.

“Our entry here was due to heavenly fortune. Now I see that Chaotic Dark Valley’s formation encompasses the entire Muyeon Mountain Range, so its scope is vast, and among all that, discovering the axis of the formation is like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“Is that so?”

“If it weren’t, would those precious treasures have remained until now? They must be at least several thousand years old?”

“Ah, that’s true.”

“If you understand, don’t think of other things and follow me. If we stay here too long, we might be attacked by the formation.”

“Attacked by the formation?”

“A formation of this scale would have excellent self-defense capabilities. Right now it’s not reacting because we’re not doing anything, but if we delay, who knows how that might change. This is the axis of the formation, as I said.”

“Got it. Let’s go, let’s go!”

In Deok finally took his eyes off the Heat Vine Grass and Yang Fire Stone.

Kang Hyeon led such In Deok and stepped back into the Dream Mist of Chaotic Dark Valley.

The Dream Mist could be said to be Chaotic Dark Valley itself, so finding the natural habitat of the Thousand-Year Mystic Spirit Mushroom within this Dream Mist was the core of this commission.

***

“Huh, how did things end up like this?”

“What do you mean how? It’s because that young punk disturbed the Dream Mist of Chaotic Dark Valley.”

“It was just mist touching the entrance, but disturbing that caused the formation to activate so strongly?”

“It means his stimulation was extraordinary. It wasn’t ordinary wind, so the formation must have stirred greatly.”

“Those guys are really lucky. If things hadn’t turned out that way, they’d already be dead.”

“That’s true. We were going to cut off their breath the moment they entered the valley, but somehow the formation twisted at that very moment.”

Two cultivators were looking regretfully at the cave entrance where Dream Mist was swirling.

They were Late Qi Accumulation cultivators who had been robbing people in Chaotic Dark Valley for decades already.

This time too, they had discovered two Early Qi Accumulation cultivators trying to enter Chaotic Dark Valley and proceeded as usual.

They would ambush them from inside the valley while they were outside, and if successful, immediately rush out to finish the job.

But if the ambush missed or was blocked with no success, they would provoke the targets to make them enter the valley.

If they didn’t enter, there was nothing to be done, but if they did enter, they would use prepared talismans and magical instruments to subdue the opponents.

This had been their main method of playing bandits in Chaotic Dark Valley until now.

Of course, occasionally unexpected situations arose making things troublesome, but they had still managed to clean up the aftermath so that no word of bandits got out.

But this time, things had gotten twisted in a really strange way.

It started when one of the young punks used wind magic to disperse the valley’s Dream Mist.

It was wind-type magic that didn’t seem particularly special, but the massive formation spread throughout Chaotic Dark Valley moved on its own.

Due to this, they who were within the formation’s range were instantly in danger, and had no choice but to hide inside the cave.

But by then, their position had already shifted to somewhere close to the center of Chaotic Dark Valley rather than the entrance.

Chaotic Dark Valley’s formation is ever-changing, sometimes even swapping reality and illusion.

This time they had fallen victim to a method that instantly changes positions within the formation to cause confusion, and unfortunately they were moved to somewhere close to the center of Chaotic Dark Valley.

Chaotic Dark Valley’s formation brings Dream Mist, and the closer to the center, the denser the concentration of Dream Mist and the more powerful its effects.

Dream Mist that confuses the target’s mind and bewilders with illusions.

The reason the two cultivators had dug into the cave and were holding out with the entrance blocked by several layers of barriers was precisely because of that Dream Mist.

“They’re the ones who got away anyway. So for the time being, we should either leave Chaotic Dark Valley or carefully observe any outside movements.”

“Right? Since those bastards know of our existence, they’ll report to Liaison Trading Hall, won’t they?”

“That’s why I’m saying we should lay low for a while.”

“Tsk, if it weren’t for that formation, I would have caught and killed them, so we wouldn’t have this worry.”

“Even if you regret it… Hmm?”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Someone got caught in the detection formation I set up. And from the feeling, it seems like those bastards we missed at the entrance.”

“What? Is there such good fortune? They didn’t run away but came into Chaotic Dark Valley? And even to where you set up the formation?”

The detection formation isn’t meant to detect something coming from outside.

It was set up because of monsters that approach while hiding their presence within Dream Mist.

So if they got caught in that formation, it means they’ve come quite deep into Chaotic Dark Valley.

“Hahaha. They’re coming to find their burial ground.”

After Kang Hyeon and In Deok got caught in his formation, the monk who had been paying more attention to the detection formation suddenly burst into loud laughter and slapped his knee.

It was because Kang Hyeon and In Deok were detected again in a formation further inside.

The closer to the center of Chaotic Dark Valley, the closer to the cave where they were, so what else could it be but them coming to find their own death?

“Hehehehe.”

The monk who was with him also guessed this fact and began letting out a sinister laugh.

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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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