Chapter 78 – Golden Core, Rank 3

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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In the bizarre place reached by being swept by the current.

In the mind of Jin So-myeong who was standing blankly, a single word flashed through.

‘Peach Blossom Spring?’

The very scenery that immediately came to mind when speaking of a place where immortals live.

In the sky, clouds and cranes flew companionably, and a gentle spring breeze embraced his exhausted body.

Looking at the exotic flowers and rare herbs spread out everywhere, he turned his gaze.

It was because a middle-aged man, frozen stiff in the very posture of drinking tea, was staring at him.

“I greet Senior.”

“…You. Just how did you enter this place?”

The master of this place. The Golden Core Sage asked as if he could not understand, and Jin So-myeong, who suddenly became an illegal trespasser, laughed awkwardly.

“I am truly sorry. To explain, it is a bit long.”

“Haha. Time is what I have plenty of. Well, this is also a connection, so come over here and have a cup of tea.”

Whoosh!

When the Golden Core Sage sitting in the pavilion gestured with his eyes, a few petals from the surrounding spiritual herb field flew over and turned to powder.

It mixed with the water Qi condensed in the empty air and then boiled bubblingly.

The tea water completed in an instant was contained in a cup, emitting a clear and dry fragrance.

“Drink. It is tea boiled with the Spirit Soothing Herb I grew myself. It will be slightly bitter, but it will help your divine soul.”

“…”

Sitting in the opposite seat offered by the Golden Core Sage, he turned his gaze.

Looking at the spiritual herbs gently swaying in the wind…

a question arose.

“By the way, Senior.”

“Hmm?”

The Golden Core Sage, who was kind from beginning to end, and the relaxed and peaceful scenery suited each other too well.

If there was just one problem.

“Just why are you growing the Speech-Opening Herb? And in such a remote place at that.”

It was that the majority of the plants spread everywhere were the Speech-Opening Herb.

“Hmm. To explain, my circumstances are also long.”

As Jin So-myeong stared blankly, he, who was leisurely savoring his tea, spoke with a broad smile.

“Must you know before dying? It would be comfortable for both of us if you just drink the tea, though.”

He glanced down.

Steam rose from the tea water. The bitter aroma unique to medicinal herbs brushed past the tip of his nose.

Although it was an ordinarily well-boiled spiritual tea, he could know what was inside without even asking.

‘Poison.’

Although he had confidence in his poison resistance from cultivating the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art, was there any need to drink it?

He flicked the cup and pushed it toward the opponent.

“How about Senior just drinks it instead? Then, you will not have to bear the stigma of having lost to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

“Ho. That is quite a funny statement…”

Just as he smiled back toward him, who exhaled a brief exclamation,

“It is really… a funny statement. Enough to go crazy.”

As if paint were spreading.

A crack formed in the tranquil smile. A vivid madness leaked from the strangely twisted mouth line.

“It is frustrating enough to be stuck in such a remote place. To even be ignored by a Foundation Establishment junior. Hehehe.”

“…A remote place? Did someone order Senior to stay in this place?”

He questioned, but no answer returned.

Along with a hair-raising laughter. The pressure that reached Rank 3 weighed down the surroundings.

“Kek. I, Hyeok Cheon-ung, have truly reached the absolute limit. Do you also look down on me because I am a False Core cultivator?”

It felt as if his accumulated anger exploded. Hyeok Cheon-ung, whose eyes were bloodshot, glared as if to kill.

Creak!

Was it because of the anger of one who reached Rank 3? The neat pavilion twisted like a pretzel, making a bizarre noise.

‘…This is my opportunity?’

To have to fight a half-insane Golden Core Sage in a place reached by being swept by a current.

Although it was a situation difficult to understand, in fact, such a thing was not very important.

‘The opponent wants to kill me.’

From the moment he offered the poisoned tea, his intention was clear. If he did not want to die, he had to kill.

‘…No. That is not it.’

If he wanted to flee in this situation, it was possible at any time. Just using the Rank 3 Teleportation Talisman gave a high probability of escape.

However.

Listening to the voice of his heart, he heard. He was rejoicing right now.

Toward the fact that an enemy worth risking his life to kill had appeared.

‘This is my choice.’

It was not some unavoidable situation swept up by the item called the Spiritual Seeking Talisman.

There was no way he could defeat a Rank 3 existence by fighting with such a mindset.

‘It happened that I was curious about how far my sword could reach.’

Once his will stood straight, he finally saw it.

The Golden Core-grade spiritual power weighing down on his shoulders. No, the mighty energy called dharma power.

‘It is heavy.’

The greatest difference between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core was the weight of spiritual power.

The energy condensed to a high density upon reaching Rank 3 naturally overwhelmed everything around.

He faced head-on the pressure under which an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would not be able to move even a single finger.

Screeech!

As his energy pushed back the dharma power, a friction sound echoed. Although he was not free, as if entangled in a net…

Shring.

in any case, he succeeded in drawing and aiming his sword.

It was the result of completely dominating the surroundings by compressing his Divine Sense that had reached the Golden Core grade, and dispersing his spiritual power and blood energy throughout his entire body.

“…Quite decent. You have the qualification to act cocky in front of me.”

“Senior. Can I ask just one last thing?”

Hyeok Cheon-ung, who was just about to form a hand seal, paused, and taking advantage of that gap, he spoke.

“So why are you growing the Speech-Opening Herb? I am curious, so I cannot concentrate.”

“Kahah! You are a truly persistent fellow. Fine. I will tell you as a gift for your path to the afterlife. It is because there are too many humans.”

“Because there are too many humans…?”

“Yes. There is a need to reduce them a bit. Although everyone does not know well, the Speech-Opening Herb increases the probability of a demonic beast rising to Rank 3 ever so slightly. If scattered in large quantities, there will be more Demonic Kings.”

What kind of answer was that?

He closely inspected his expression, and it did not look like he was joking. It meant he was truly serious.

Although he could not understand, only one thing became certain.

‘He is a fellow I can kill.’

Simultaneously with the last hesitation vanishing,

“Bind !”

the fellow shouted loudly and formed a hand seal.

Boom!

Tree roots surged at the place where he was just located.

Wriggling vines as if alive tried to bind him, but he avoided it by a hair’s breadth and kicked off the ground.

Ignoring the roots chasing from behind his back, he swung his sword.

Slice!

The moment the blade carrying Sword Qi sliced the neck,

the headless corpse transformed into a straw doll and lunged. It tried to restrict him simultaneously with the tree roots chasing from behind.

It was a proficient spell coordination. Just when it felt like he could absolutely not avoid it,

Jin So-myeong awakened the lightning in his mind.

Kaboom!

Red lightning surging as if exploding swept the surroundings. It burned not only the tree roots trying to bind him but even the straw doll.

The Five Elements Divine Thunder, the divine ability originating from the Mastery-grade Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art. Its power worked even against Golden Core-grade spells!

“…Fire-attribute lightning?”

Hyeok Cheon-ung, who appeared in a far distant place before he knew it, furrowed his brows and waved his hand.

Summoning dark clouds, he poured down rain.

Jin So-myeong’s eyes shone at the scene of him putting out the fire in the spiritual herb field.

Somehow he had thought the attacks were passive, but it was because he worried the spiritual herb field would be damaged.

‘He acts like a crazy guy, but he is calm.’

But to care for spiritual herbs? It was too arrogant an action to do in the middle of a battle that decided life and death.

There was no way he would miss such an opportunity.

Kaboom!

Scattering lightning, he charged. He swung his sword without caring whether the spiritual herbs burned or not.

“You bastard!”

Dozens of Speech-Opening Herbs were sliced away by a single slash. The enraged Hyeok Cheon-ung glared as if to kill, but it was just what he wanted.

In a fight against an enemy, there was only one thing to think about. Only victory.

He mobilized all available means.

He poured spiritual power into the Cloud-Sweeping Boots, the footwear dharma treasure that assisted movement.

Whoosh!

A red cloud made by burning spiritual power wrapped his entire body, and he raised his speed further.

He pushed Hyeok Cheon-ung, who deflected his sword strikes by condensing dharma power like a club.

They collided dozens of times in a moment of less than a few seconds. Just when he was sticking persistently to force a close combat,

Swish!

He turned his head reflexively at a faint killing intent.

Simultaneously with a tree root popping out from under his feet and brushing past his cheek,

Slash!

the tip of Jin So-myeong’s sword brushed past the opponent’s chest.

‘What a pity.’

Only his clothes were cut. Although it narrowly did not reach, it did not matter.

It was because his speed, which had slowed down under the pressure of the Golden Core grade, was gradually accelerating.

Had he adapted?

It felt as if the pressure weakened as the battle continued.

“You are truly crazy to die!”

Whether his patience reached its limit, the expression of the opponent, who had focused only on defense, turned cold.

The moment his finger pointed over here, he twisted his upper body at a spine-chilling sensation.

Swish!

A faint sound of breaking the air was heard, and intense pain surged from his left shoulder.

Checking with his Divine Sense, a fingernail-sized hole had been pierced in his shoulder before he knew it.

‘…Water?’

Recalling the situation just now, he could realize what he had been hit by.

His shoulder was pierced by a thin stream of water discharged at ultra-high pressure.

Boom!

A beat late, a roaring sound raged from behind.

It was because the water stream that passed through his shoulder collided with the ground, creating a giant crater.

‘Crazy power.’

A part of the hill turned to powder. Hundreds of spiritual herbs were swept in the explosion and vanished in an instant.

Had someone seen it, it was a sight wasteful enough to vomit blood, but let alone Jin So-myeong, even Hyeok Cheon-ung no longer cared about the spiritual herbs.

They only glared at each other instead of the destroyed spiritual herb field.

Rumble!

The entire hill vibrated. The spiritual power of the two collided without rest, turning the peaceful spiritual herb field into ruins.

“You avoid that again? Phew… annoying. I did not want to use it because it hurts my pride, but forget it now.”

Hyeok Cheon-ung, who spoke coldly, flicked his storage pouch.

The moment a dark-colored millstone popped out into the empty air,

the pressure that had been at a bearable level strengthened rapidly.

‘Rank 3 Magic Treasure!’

He realized instinctively. He must not leave it alone.

Jin So-myeong was enveloped in lightning. He became a ray of light and crossed the empty air.

Even if he was a False Core cultivator, a Golden Core was a Golden Core. The difference in spiritual power was massive. He must absolutely not drag it into a long-drawn-out battle.

The split-second gap created as the enemy infused dharma power into the Magic Treasure.

He squeezed into that gap and stabbed his sword, but…

leaving barely three inches to the heart, his entire body including the tip of his blade froze stiff.

Wuuung!

It was because of the millstone that rose into the empty air and began to rotate.

The moment he touched the spiderweb-shaped dharma power emitted before he could even avoid it,

he could not move, as if he had become a stuffed insect.

Creak!

He tried applying strength enough to make his bones creak, but the result was the same.

“Kek. Useless. Can a bastard like you resist the Black Binding Wheel?”

Hyeok Cheon-ung, who curled the corners of his mouth, walked over leisurely with his hands behind his back.

“Quite decent for a Foundation Establishment stage, but at best Rank 2. Since you dared to seek me out and interfere at a time like this, I will extract your soul and make it so you cannot even die.”

“…”

“Do you know what it feels like when your soul is extracted by force? I heard it is very, very cold. So, I will make you slightly warm.”

The fellow who approached in an out-toeing gait as if taking a walk took out a hot brazier and shook it threateningly.

He smirked as if predicting that he would burn his soul with this flame.

“It is too late to regret now. Had you just drunk my poisoned tea, you would have died comfortably instead. Hehehe.”

Looking at the guy who mocked him as if playing with a toy,

Jin So-myeong’s completely frozen mouth moved slowly.

“Truly arrogant.”

Enough that it would not be unfair even if he died.

An instant.

He awakened the divine ability engraved in his physical body, the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

Heart, lungs, spleen, kidneys, liver.

The five organs that could be called small dantians poured out all the spiritual power they had accumulated.

Running through his meridians, it mixed with his blood energy and resonated.

Adding even the energy in his dantian, the moment the force amplified dozens of times condensed at a single point,

the restriction of the Rank 3 Magic Treasure tore apart in a single breath.

Although his body felt like it would burst from the tyrannical power, he took another step forward.

He poured in even all of the remaining nearly 6,000 points of the Supreme Great Ability.

Within the world that had slowed down to the point of stopping, he moved leisurely on his own.

The moment he lightly extended his fist,

——!

a dazzling flash dyed the world. Hyeok Cheon-ung, who approached defenselessly, was enveloped in the light.