Chapter 111: Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda (11)

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Having arrived at the third floor of the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda with Madame Ryeo, Jin So-myeong surveyed the surrounding landscape.

‘It is a desolate place.’

A rough and parched land stretched out wide, making it a far greater wasteland than the second floor.

Since there was not a single blade of grass, the only thing that caught his eyes was the dust rolling in the wind.

This did not mean the entirety of the third floor was flat. There were also steep terrains like canyons and mountains.

It was just that there was not a single living, moving entity, such as grass or animals.

Suddenly moved by curiosity, he channeled his spiritual power. When he drew in the soil and touched it, it felt crumbly, like a sponge left unattended for a long time.

‘There is no life force in the soil at all. Even the sand in a desert is not to this extent.’

The first floor at least had a forest and felt somewhat like a place where people lived, but there was truly nothing here.

It was like a region where the word “death” had been materialized.

‘Did the restrictions on the third floor suck in all the spiritual Qi in the vicinity to make it like this?’

If so, how much spiritual Qi would be slumbering inside the third floor’s restriction?

Just as Jin So-myeong was lost in thought,

Madame Ryeo, who had also been looking around the surroundings, furrowed her brow.

“The third floor is somewhat chilling. Which direction should we head now?”

“Hmm… Let’s go that way for now.”

After pondering for a moment, Jin So-myeong pointed toward a rugged mountain range.

In his view, there was a higher probability of a restriction being in a place with complex terrain rather than flat ground.

This was because all kinds of battles were bound to occur around restrictions, transforming even normal flat ground into cliffs and canyons.

Hearing Jin So-myeong’s explanation, Madame Ryeo nodded her head.

“That makes sense. Let’s hurry.”

Sure enough, before long, they discovered a restriction hidden between massive cliffs.

The two, who were flying over with joyful expressions, faltered.

“…Ah.”

The restriction was already broken. This meant someone had already been here.

Just in case, he examined the inside, but it was completely empty. Judging by the fact that not even any spiritual Qi remained, it was a place that had been plundered a long time ago.

“I did not expect someone would arrive at the third floor before us.”

Madame Ryeo seemed slightly flustered, and Jin So-myeong felt similarly.

‘It is already plundered?’

After fighting the Dragon Elephant Demonic Palace, he had ignored all restrictions and come straight to the third floor. He had inwardly believed he would reach it the fastest, so to be late was unexpected.

Just who could have arrived first? As he pondered, a certain person suddenly came to mind.

“Do you remember the Nascent Soul stage senior we ran into when entering the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda?”

Madame Ryeo, who had been unable to hide her disappointment while looking at the already broken restriction, flinched.

“Ah! You mean Senior Perfected Wuyang, right?”

“Yes. If it is him, it would not be strange even if he arrived at the third floor first.”

“Sigh, indeed.”

After deep thought, Jin So-myeong asked in a low voice.

“By any chance, do you know what kind of person Senior Perfected Wuyang is?”

“No. Since I have never met him, I do not know. I do not think there were any particularly bad rumors, but rumors are just rumors.”

With a darkened complexion, Madame Ryeo shook her head.

She had a slightly frightened air, seeming to worry about what would happen if they ran into a Nascent Soul stage expert in a secret realm that was no different from a lawless zone.

Jin So-myeong also pondered, recalling the gaunt old man he had encountered at the entrance of the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda.

‘Can I win?’

He instinctively calculated his chances of victory, but it was not easy. Judging coldly, it was impossible with his current strength.

If so… he had to raise his realm as quickly as possible.

“Let us move for now. The secret realm is vast. No matter how great of a Nascent Soul stage expert he is, he could not have broken all the restrictions.”

Indeed, it was so.

As they moved around diligently, they were soon able to find an intact restriction.

“Wow, it is so large that the second floor cannot even compare to it. You are saying spiritual Qi is packed inside this, right?”

“That is correct.”

It was a canyon vast enough to fit a small village, and a deep blue barrier covered the entire canyon.

Madame Ryeo, who was carefully observing the terrain around the restriction, nodded her head.

“It is fortunately a canyon, making it a good place to set up the Spirit Gathering Formation. If it is here, we will be able to trap the spiritual Qi almost perfectly.”

It was joyful news. While Jin So-myeong was feeling pleased, her voice continued.

“Before setting up the Spirit Gathering Formation, shall we set up the Heavenly Clothes Precious Armor Formation? That is, a defensive formation first?”

“The Heavenly Clothes Precious Armor Formation?”

“To put its effect simply, it is a formation that can weaken the counterattack of the restriction.”

“How long does it take to set up?”

“It will take about three two-hour periods.”

This meant roughly six hours, which Jin So-myeong thought took too long.

“Please just set up the Spirit Gathering Formation right away. I will break the restriction myself.”

“Mmm… I understand.”

Madame Ryeo tilted her head in confusion but did not query further.

It was probably because her faith was greater than her doubt. The strength Jin So-myeong had shown so far must have surpassed her expectations by several times.

Swish!

The moment she pulled out a pure white folding fan and tossed it into the air,

the fan split into over a hundred pieces and scattered in all directions as thin needles.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A total of 108. The silver needles, which were so thin they were called needles, instantly thickened and drove into the ground as pillars.

Wuuu!

Over a hundred pillars vibrated in unison and resonated.

They were connected by blue threads, drawing patterns so complex it made one’s head spin; if one looked down from the sky, one could see that they formed a shape where dozens of spirals intersected.

Jin So-myeong, who was watching this, marveled.

‘I heard that the Spirit Gathering Formation is at least a relatively easy formation, but it is more complex than I thought… It will be quite a headache to learn formations.’

Before they knew it, thirty minutes passed.

Madame Ryeo spoke with a somewhat tired look.

“Preparation is complete.”

“You have worked hard. Since I will break the restriction, please step back for a moment. Just in case, please guard the surroundings.”

“Yes. Ah! If possible, please break the part I marked.”

Using her spiritual power, she carved a mark in the air. It was the point where the restriction and the Spirit Gathering Formation touched.

Nodding his head, Jin So-myeong cast the divine ability engraved in his body.

Pat!

A clone that looked exactly like him was summoned, which was the Blood Spirit Clone created by infusing forty percent of his power.

“…Daoist Jin is a person of many talents.”

“It is a divine ability I obtained through good luck.”

Exclaiming in admiration, Madame Ryeo nodded her head. She only stared with eyes full of curiosity and did not ask further.

In fact, upon reaching the Core Formation stage, there were many who possessed some sort of clone divine ability.

However, most of them were mere trickery or carried fatal restrictions. In comparison, the Blood Spirit Clone was, literally, a top-tier divine ability.

The moment Jin So-myeong stepped back and threw the Five Elements Sword toward the clone,

Clang!

the clone, which had transformed into a rogue cultivator in his fifties, unleashed a slash simultaneously with drawing the sword.

Kwaaaaang!

The eardrums were on the verge of aching from the deafening noise. It was certainly noisier compared to the second floor.

It was not just the volume of the warning sound that had changed.

Chwaaaak!

The restriction’s counterattack. A half-moon-shaped slash flew toward the clone, its speed several times faster than the attack that had been made.

‘…This is good?’

Bending his waist backward to dodge the Sword Qi that flew toward his neck, Jin So-myeong’s eyes gleamed.

He liked it. If it was a counterattack this sharp, it would also be helpful for his training.

It was to the extent that he even wished there was a scarecrow with such a counterattack function in the training ground of his Secret Realm of the Mind.

Kwa-kwa-kwang!

The clone, which had been measuring the restriction’s defensive power by unleashing Sword Qi a few times, began to swing the sword at an increasingly faster speed.

It rampaged wildly, pouring out dozens of Sword Qi all at once…

and a thrust that gathered all its destructive power into a single point pierced through the restriction.

Crack!

With the penetrated part as the center, web-like cracks spread.

An unusual vibration was felt. Just as the entire restriction shook violently as if it would collapse right away,

Kwaaaaang!!

the trapped spiritual Qi literally exploded. It felt like lava that had been suppressed by the ground was pouring out.

‘Spectacular.’

The concentration of spiritual Qi was incredibly dense.

Just from it gushing out violently, the clone stumbled, unable to keep its balance.

In truth, in some ways it was just ordinary spiritual Qi, but it was like a wind stirred up by a wind-attribute spell.

At that moment,

Madame Ryeo, who had been watching the clone without even blinking, formed a hand seal.

At the same time, an intense light burst from the entire Spirit Gathering Formation and melted into the broken gap.

Wheeeew…

The flow of spiritual Qi, which had been raging with ferocious momentum, slowed down drastically. The typhoon that had been shaking the heavens calmed down like a gentle breeze.

“It is done! We succeeded!”

Madame Ryeo was normally a woman of elegant demeanor, but right now, she smiled brightly and rejoiced like a child.

Of course, Jin So-myeong was the same. It was the first restriction he had broken after coming to the third floor of the secret realm. He looked forward to seeing what was inside.

This was because, starting from the third floor, unless one was extremely unlucky, one could obtain spiritual herbs that had reached Rank 4, which were Nascent Soul-grade spiritual objects.

After scanning the inside through the clone, Jin So-myeong nodded his head. There was nothing that appeared particularly dangerous.

“Let us enter.”

Unlike the desolate outside, the inside of the restriction had abundant vegetation.

Although there were no animals, all kinds of rare flowers and exotic plants filled the surroundings, and there was even a spring that emitted dense spiritual Qi.

In particular, the absolute highlight was…

the giant tree situated at the center of the restriction.

It was a blackish tree with a height of twenty meters; at the ends of the branches that should have been filled with leaves, only gray-white mist gathered, giving it a somewhat desolate feel.

“Ah!”

Turning his gaze toward the sudden gasp, he saw Madame Ryeo beside him with tears welling in her eyes. She looked like a person who had found something she had desperately yearned for.

“Is that the Ten Thousand Souls Tree?”

“…Yes? Ah, that is correct.”

Seeing her seemingly distracted for some reason, he turned his gaze back to the Ten Thousand Souls Tree.

There were a total of three fruits on the Ten Thousand Souls Tree.

They were round fruits of a deep black color, with glittering silver spots embedded on the surface, making them resemble the Milky Way in the night sky.

“Congratulations. As promised, please take two first.”

“Ah… Thank you so much.”

Her voice trembled slightly as if she were choked up. Bowing her head, she hurriedly ran over and harvested the fruits.

Watching her place the fruits into a jade box with careful hand movements and seal it with a talisman made him slightly envious.

‘To have already found what she wanted. Should I call it good luck?’

Suddenly, the information he had investigated before entering the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda came to mind.

It was the information that if one earnestly yearned for something, the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda would guide them to it.

‘I was half-doubting it, but was it real?’

If that rumor was true, Jin So-myeong would also obtain the Nascent Soul-grade spiritual object, the Void Shadow True Blossom Herb.

By what principle on earth did it allow one to obtain what they wanted?

Along with a sense of wonder, a strange feeling of déjà vu arose. For some reason, it felt like he had experienced something similar to this before.

It was frustrating as it hovered on the edge of his memory.

Just as he was furrowing his brows and searching his past,

‘Ah! It is similar to when I used the Spiritual Seeking Talisman.’

The talisman that found a suitable opportunity for the user. The result was similar to when he had used the Spiritual Seeking Talisman on Sky Island.

Stunned for a moment, he looked up at the sky of the secret realm.

How many cultivators must have entered the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda? Including the Qi Condensation stage cultivators, it would exceed one hundred thousand.

To produce an effect similar to the Spiritual Seeking Talisman for so many people…

‘Just how high must one’s cultivation realm be to create such a secret realm?’

Just as he was inwardly tongue-tied in amazement,

Madame Ryeo, with a flushed expression, approached and held out the jade box containing the fruit of the Ten Thousand Souls Tree.

“Here is Daoist Jin’s share. I have said it several times, but thank you so much. I will not forget this favor.”

“I only kept my promise, so you do not need to be so grateful.”

“Sigh, I did not know the word ‘promise’ could sound this sweet.”

Whether it was because she had obtained what she wanted, Madame Ryeo behaved like an intoxicated person.

Chuckling, Jin So-myeong received the jade box and carefully inspected the spiritual Qi inside the restriction.

Thanks to the Spirit Gathering Formation, the speed at which the spiritual Qi dissipated was very slow.

‘At this rate… I could train for one or two months?’

The concentration of spiritual Qi was twice as dense compared to the second floor. He could probably amass a year’s worth of spiritual power from training for just a single day.

Reviewing his plan in his mind, Jin So-myeong nodded his head.

“Let us train here for about a month and then go break other restrictions.”

“A month?”

“Yes. Since we might encounter bastards like those of the Dragon Elephant Demonic Palace, I must raise my cultivation realm.”

Although he did not speak it aloud, what Jin So-myeong worried about was a Nascent Soul stage expert.

Madame Ryeo’s face, which had been filled with excitement, also grew serious, and the two parted ways, promising to meet a month later.

It was easy to keep a distance so as not to disturb each other’s training. The restriction on the third floor was spacious enough for an entire village to fit in.

Left alone, Jin So-myeong first roamed the restriction and gathered spiritual herbs; excluding the Ten Thousand Souls Tree, they were at least Rank 3 high-grade spiritual herbs, so the harvest was quite bountiful.

‘Should I transplant the Ten Thousand Souls Tree to the Secret Realm of the Mind?’

Since he had learned the Rank 3 Spiritual Crop Art up to the mastery level, he was confident in transplanting most spiritual plants.

However, the Ten Thousand Souls Tree was Rank 4. He was not sure if it would be possible.

‘It seems like it might work if I use the Supreme Great Ability…’

Stroking his chin, Jin So-myeong postponed his decision.

He decided to focus on training first, break through to the mid Golden Core stage, and then think about it.

Next, after settling down in a suitable location,

he pulled out the storage pouches of the Dragon Elephant Demonic Palace cultivators and his eyes gleamed. He looked forward to what they, who were Spell and Body Dual Cultivators, had left behind.

The moment he focused his mind,

the three storage pouches absorbed into the Secret Realm of the Mind turned to dust, and numerous spiritual objects appeared in the sub-space.

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