The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 86

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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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Surviving in the Martial Realm as a Mage: Episode 86
Ilhyang shared with Gu Sang-hak, Goe Cheol, and Gong Jeol-gang the plan he had devised for ascending to the Upper Realm.
Then, to procure the necessary resources, he immediately attempted a spatial transfer to the Immortal Celestial Realm in the Upper Realm.
Whoooosh—
Opening and closing spatial gates had once required preparatory movements and consumed mana at an alarming rate.
Now, the mana consumption was far less, and the preparatory movements had become nearly nonexistent.
Satisfied, Ilhyang lifted his head—then sensed something amiss.
‘What is this? The atmosphere is trembling.’
The place where Ilhyang had been staying in the Immortal Celestial Realm was the Purple Cloud Sect.
For the past several months, he had maintained the pretense of secluded cultivation in the Eastern Wing.
Upon his return after so long, the Purple Cloud Sect was chaos incarnate.
‘The formation has been breached.’
How was this possible?
Spirit Vein energy surged turbulently from all directions.
Accompanying it were screams and the sounds of violence.
The scent of blood that brushed against his nose made Ilhyang’s brow furrow.
‘An ambush? By whom? Why?’
The Purple Cloud Sect, built upon a 4th Realm Spirit Vein, had maintained perfect control over the Spirit Vein’s energy through its formation.
It had channeled the Spirit Vein’s power only where absolutely necessary.
So when Ilhyang had examined it, the formation had seemed quite robust and reliable.
Yet now it lay in complete ruins.
‘This would be impossible without internal assistance.’
This was a massive formation operating on the foundation of a 4th Realm Spirit Vein.
The formation had enveloped the entire territory of the Purple Cloud Sect.
To shatter it through force alone would require at least ten Won-yeong Order Practitioners of the 4th Realm working at full strength for roughly two weeks just to create a fracture.
Unless a 5th Realm practitioner like a Celestial Watcher arrived, 4th Realm Won-yeong Order Practitioners could not have breached it so swiftly.
Therefore, the fact that it now lay broken suggested a high likelihood of an insider among the attackers.
As Ilhyang carefully steadied his breathing and attempted to open the door to the Eastern Wing where he stayed—
Crack—
“Hm?”
The wooden door blocking the entrance shattered with pathetic ease, scattering into fragments across the floor.
Simultaneously, a scorching energy washed over him from all sides.
And then—
Grotesque spectral forms, pale and ethereal.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands of ghosts were collapsing halls and assaulting the sect members.
In the midst of this pandemonium—
A familiar face caught Ilhyang’s attention.
“Junior Guard!”
“Man Chong Senior?”
Ilhyang reached out as he watched Man Chong approach, drenched in blood.
He looked so unsteady that he might collapse at any moment.
“What on earth is happening here?”
“Tch… I transmitted the details through sound transmission. You didn’t hear it?”
I turned my head at Man Chong’s words and gazed toward the Eastern Wing where I’d been staying.
Completely shattered wooden doors came into view, along with torn talismans scattered about.
It seemed the talismans had been destroyed along with the doors when they were smashed.
“Ahem, as you can see, there was an attack from the Guiyin Sect. Won Young-jin, who survived the Blood Calamity in the past, used the Thousand Ghost Ten Thousand Soul Technique to launch a sudden assault on the Eastern Wing—yet somehow you survived? Thank goodness, truly.”
“I suppose I was simply fortunate.”
I couldn’t very well tell him I’d been away the entire time, so I deflected vaguely.
Now that I thought about it, Man Chong was examining me carefully despite his considerable injuries, expressing relief that I was completely unharmed without a single wound.
“The sect elders are gathering the Disciples to mount a resistance. Just hold on a bit longer.”
“….”
I half-listened to Man Chong’s words with one ear while my other ear caught the voices of passing ghost spirits, and I turned my gaze away.
“It appears the Black Night Sect has come as well.”
“Mm… All the sect’s Disciples have rushed out to stop the Jiangshi from the Black Night Sect. I sustained injuries during the battle and fell back temporarily.”
“I see.”
My situation assessment was complete.
And as a result, this current situation was very bad for me.
If the Purple Cloud Sect fell now, all my plans would unravel.
Recalling what Man Chong had told me before about the grudge between the Guiyin Sect and the Purple Cloud Sect, I sighed and walked forward.
If their relationship was bad enough to warrant such a deliberate assault,
then simply hiding or evading wouldn’t resolve the crisis.
The attackers had already assessed our full strength before striking.
The longer time passed, the worse it became for the Purple Cloud Sect.
“Eh? Where are you going? The Disciples should hide in safe places!”
“It’s fine. I’ll just take a quick look around.”
“Now listen here, Junior!”
I took a step forward and teleported instantly to where the fiercest battle was raging.
When the formation protecting the Purple Cloud Sect shattered, one thing improved—
‘Mana is overflowing.’
The spiritual energy from the spirit vein, which had been tightly controlled by the formation until now, was flowing freely in all directions.
In such an environment, I could recover quickly even after casting large spells.
Having reached the 6th Circle, my mana recovery speed had increased dramatically.
With enough ambient mana, I could even spam grand spells.
Of course, I couldn’t maintain such insanity for long.
The mana circuits in my body would burn out and fail.
‘I just need a big fish to catch.’
Boom-crash-crash-boom—!
Kyaaaaaaah—!
In the distance.
A massive Mental World filled my field of vision.
It was a Mental World deployed at full strength by two Celestial Watchers from the Won-yeong Order.
Even as their Mental Worlds clashed and consumed each other, shrinking rapidly in size,
‘the expanse still covers half the Mountain Range.’
If I stepped into that Mental World where they collided, my entire body would be shredded and torn apart in an instant.
The world within that Mental World was treacherous beyond measure.
‘Hmm… one must be a surviving Elder-class Celestial Watcher from the Guiyin Sect, and the other… is our Purple Cloud Sect’s Sect Master.’
Crack—crack—
Jeok Yang-jin, Sect Master of the Purple Cloud Sect, and the Won-yeong Order Practitioner from the Guiyin Sect.
Their duel was extraordinarily fierce.
From what I’d heard from Man Chong before, the Sect Master was at the mid-stage of the Won-yeong Order.
This Guiyin Sect’s Won Young-jin appeared to be at the same level, for each time they unleashed their cultivation techniques, they inflicted catastrophic damage upon one another.
After observing their battle for a moment, I made my decision.
‘This place won’t collapse immediately, it seems.’
Sect Master Jeok Yang-jin’s reserves were more formidable than I’d anticipated.
I’d originally considered intervening to help.
But with an opponent this thoroughly enraged, obtaining satisfactory results would take far longer than expected.
If that happened, other locations would certainly be endangered.
I turned my gaze to the side.
Toward the unusual collision sounds emanating from the opposite direction of this place.
And from there, I sensed a very familiar aura.
‘Nacheon Jingun.’
That strange old man was currently locked in a life-or-death battle with someone.
The problem was that Nacheon Jingun’s aura was trembling with an ominous instability.
When I’d seen him before, his aura had been clear and robust.
Now, for some reason, it was turbid and shaking unnaturally.
On the verge of death itself.
The moment that thought crystallized,
my body vanished from that spot like smoke in an instant.
* * *
Nacheon Jingun, his right arm severed, couldn’t even wipe away the blood pouring from his crown.
With his remaining left arm, he desperately controlled the spectral blades descending from the sky.
Boom—crash—crash—boom!
Dark Jiangshi swatting down the spectral blades.
The Black Spirit Jiangshi—the pride of the Black Night Sect.
“Haha, why not surrender now? If you yield gracefully, I’ll ensure you receive favorable treatment.”
“Shut your mouth, you cowardly mongrel! You demanded a fair duel, and now you resort to such pathetic tactics!”
“Hehe, surely I deserve travel compensation, do I not?”
A Won-yeong Order Practitioner of the Black Night Sect.
Sidokmagun gazed at the gradually weakening Nacheon Jingun with a sinister smile.
“Truly, what a splendid vessel. You’ve mastered Flesh Refinement to the 3rd Realm, I hear? Yes, as a Jiangshi, you’ll make a most durable puppet indeed. I’ll put you to good use, so let’s end this here. By now, the poison should be spreading throughout your entire body.”
Among the Four Arts of Immortal Cultivation.
Flesh Refinement strengthened the body more robustly the higher one’s cultivation realm ascended.
Soul Forging tempered the heart and soul.
Elixir Alchemy naturally developed the heart’s blood.
Formation Mastery elevated the stages of heart qi.
“…Among them, the most suitable body for creating a Jiangshi is said to be a Celestial Watcher who has mastered Flesh Refinement. It seems that assessment was indeed accurate.”
Grrk—
Nacheon Jingun bit his lower lip desperately, clinging to consciousness as it blurred.
The Mental World he had unfolded lay shattered long ago.
That vicious Black Night Sect demon servant was merely stalling for time by deploying Jiangshi after Jiangshi.
Yet even that alone had already driven Nacheon Jingun into the worst possible situation.
In truth, Sidokmagun was deliberately prolonging this to obtain Nacheon Jingun’s corpse intact.
Had they clashed at full power, Nacheon Jingun would have perished long ago.
The poison erupting explosively from within his body was no trivial matter.
“When… when exactly did you poison me?”
As Nacheon Jingun asked in despair while watching the dark crimson blood flow from his lips, Sidokmagun smiled broadly and replied.
“The Ghost Shadow Demon Lord and I have prepared meticulously for this day over a very long time. Fortunately, the Purple Cloud Sect’s security was lax enough to warrant the attempt. We’ve been mixing poison into the Spirit Essence Pills consumed by the Won-yeong Order Practitioners. Just tiny amounts. And yet they kept purchasing them eagerly, thinking the price was cheap… Did you not realize that everything cheap has a reason?”
“Damn it….”
The Purple Cloud Sect was impoverished.
Completely unprepared, one day the Hyeoncheon Sect, a superior sect, suddenly gifted them a 4th Realm Spirit Vein.
To perfectly protect and manage this suddenly acquired 4th Realm Spirit Vein, they hired an exceptionally skilled Formation Master from outside to establish protective formations.
Installing and maintaining those formations required truly astronomical costs.
As a result, the already struggling Purple Cloud Sect fell deeply into debt and couldn’t afford to purchase expensive Spirit Essence Pills.
And their enemies seized upon this poverty to orchestrate their scheme.
Nacheon Jingun’s left arm trembled faintly, and he could see the movements of the Flying Sword he was controlling becoming sluggish as a tortoise.
Simultaneously, beyond his dimming vision.
He could see Sidokmagun gazing at him with a beaming smile.
‘Should I just detonate my Won-yeong?’
So thoroughly that no corpse could be found.
Wouldn’t that be a better way to die?
Becoming a Jiangshi puppet under that monster’s control seemed a hundred times worse.
Yet that decision was truly not easy to make.
Abandoning centuries of accumulated cultivation was not something anyone could choose lightly.
A moment of hesitation.
Feeling his consciousness fade, Nacheon Jingun released a deep sigh.
And in that instant, the twelve Jiangshi surrounding Nacheon Jingun moved in unison, slamming his body against the ground.
Boom—!
“Kahahaha! What fortune is this!”
Sidokmagun burst into maniacal laughter from the rooftop, gazing down at Nacheon Jingun’s unconscious form collapsed on the ground.
To think I could recover the corpse of a Won-yeong Order Practitioner in such pristine condition.
Sidokmagun hastily retrieved Nacheon Jingun’s right arm—which he had severed in that initial ambush—from the storage pouch at his waist, then swiftly performed sutures to reattach it to Nacheon Jingun’s empty right shoulder.
After all, this body would soon become his Jiangshi, and it deserved to be treated with care.
“Hehehehe, am I not generous? Let us get along splendidly from this point forward.”
“….”
Nacheon Jingun, already unconscious, naturally could not respond.
In the meantime, Sidokmagun surveyed Nacheon Jingun’s body and, upon discovering his storage pouch, greedily reached to claim it for himself.
It was in that fleeting moment of vulnerability.
A figure materialized like a phantom beside Sidokmagun.
“Huh?”
And then.
Without hesitation, he unleashed the spell he had been preparing.
[Hellfire.]
The most devastating offensive magic available to a 6th Circle Grand Mage erupted from Sidokmagun’s flank.

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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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