Chapter 117: Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda (17)

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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-Why… how is it that I cannot regenerate?

The wound made by the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration shaped into a slash was thin.

A single pure white straight line.

Beginning from the crown of the head to the tips of the toes. It sliced and cleaved the left side of Perfected Wuyang’s body, which the monster had occupied.

Initially, the paper-thin pure white line began to gradually expand.

As if flames were spreading, it caused the monster that called itself immortal to turn to ash and scatter.

Even the absurd regenerative power that revived from a single drop of blood could not exert any strength this time.

-By what means does a mere Core Formation cultivator possess such a divine ability…?

The faltering voice, clearly showing signs of panic, was gratifying.

The emotion contained in the monster’s voice was only one:

disbelief.

As if facing an incomprehensible being, it only repeated the words that this could not be.

-I should have achieved an immortal body already?

Supporting his physical body which had become tattered as the price of using the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration, Jin So-myeong chuckled.

Although his entire body’s meridians were severed and it was hard to budge even a fingertip, his mouth was itching to speak, and he could not hold back.

“An immortal body with just that amount? What nonsense. It must have been your delusion.”

Though he spoke mockingly, he roughly knew how things had turned out.

‘The Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration hinders recovery.’

The first time Jin So-myeong noticed this fact was when he was on Sky Island.

At that time, he had fought the monkey Demon King called the Golden-Haired Sacred Ape, and the fellow had lost an arm while blocking the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

A few years after that. The Golden-Haired Sacred Ape he met again was still one-armed.

Despite being a demonic beast with naturally stronger regenerative power than humans, he had been unable to recover the wound suffered from the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

The power contained in the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration was, literally, destruction. It was to pronounce the end.

It was a destruction that occurred at a far deeper dimension than simply tearing and smashing.

Strictly speaking, since the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration was a divine ability derived from the Supreme Great Ability, it was not strange even if it contained a power that hindered recovery.

-I cannot accept this! How did I come out from the fourth floor!

The left face of Perfected Wuyang which the monster occupied. That place distorted like a malevolent deity.

The monster, which had behaved haughtily as if it were some god, saying it could not die even if it wanted to, became a mere mortal and craved life.

Crunch!

A vast spiritual power fluctuated to the extent of distorting the landscape, and a deep bloody stench wafted.

Bloody water overflowed from the dark red barrier summoned in the air. The blood that burst out like a waterfall drew a spiral and was absorbed by the monster.

At a glance, it clearly had the scheme of doing something…

“Uahaha! Do not behave so wretchedly, let us go together!”

Perfected Wuyang did not stay still either. He hindered the monster that struggled to escape the influence of the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

It was a situation similar to earlier, but this time Perfected Wuyang was far more advantaged.

This was because, the longer the deadlock lasted, the monster’s strength grew weaker by the moment. The wound of the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration that spread like wildfire led the monster slowly but surely toward death.

Around the time Jin So-myeong roughly gathered himself and recovered his messed-up body,

-No!!

Along with a brief scream, the monster’s presence vanished without a trace.

And,

as the price, Perfected Wuyang was also placed on the verge of death.

“Kuhu. I cannot even remember how many hundreds of years it has been since I struggled this much. Still…”

Perfected Wuyang, whose body was not even half…no, to be precise, not even a quarter remained…smiled faintly.

“It does not seem to be a loss. Because I forged a fun tie on my final path. Ah, but what is your name?”

The tired look was obvious in his voice that was barely audible, yet it was still full of laughter.

“I am Jin So-myeong.”

“I see. I am Wuyang. Your single strike was the most intense among what I have seen in my lifetime. If it is you, you will be able to reach the heavens someday… and, please take good care of my son…”

Whoosh!

Having spoken so, Perfected Wuyang turned to ash and scattered.

Because, say what one will, he was also in a state of having been hit by the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

“…”

Jin So-myeong, who looked at the empty ground where Perfected Wuyang had disappeared, lowered his head slightly.

Praying briefly for his soul, he sat down on a suitable piece of stone.

“Hoo.”

It was over.

Just as he was recovering his exhausted body and focusing on recuperation,

-Splendid. Truly splendid.

His eyes widened instantly at the voice that resounded from afar like an echo.

“…!”

The moment he reflexively gripped his sword handle and leapt up,

a colossal stone pagoda appeared abruptly in front. He recognized what stone pagoda it was the moment he saw it. It was the entrance to the fourth floor.

‘No, why is this?’

Jin So-myeong had absolutely no intention of going to the fourth floor.

This was because there was no guarantee that there would be only one monster-like entity trying to seize Perfected Wuyang’s body.

Yet, for the entrance to the fourth floor to find him on its own?

A chilling cold crept up his spine.

A clear voice flowed out from the stone pagoda, which continuously drew near and became close enough that it could be reached in just a minute’s walk.

-Do not fear. For I possess goodwill toward you.

Jin So-myeong’s pupils trembled slightly.

‘Did he just deliver a voice from beyond the pagoda, which is no different from another world?’

Just how strong must one be to perform such an absurd deed?

He instinctively knew he was targeted by a being even greater than the monster that tried to seize Perfected Wuyang’s body, but he forcibly maintained a tranquil expression.

“Who are you?”

-Invincible, Illusion God Immortal Ghost, Ten Thousand Year Soul Snatcher, Endless Ghost, Thousand-Generation Demon King… I was once called by numerous names, but all have been forgotten, so it would be suitable to merely be called the Dead One.

“…I see. I shall call you Senior Dead One. But what do you mean by possessing goodwill toward me?”

-Ah. I think you might be able to fulfill my long-cherished wish.

Though he was responding to the conversation for now, his head was complex enough to explode.

What does that monster…no, the Dead One…want? Should I flee even now?

‘No.’

As time passed and his panic subsided, his field of vision widened.

The Dead One appeared outrageously strong, but he was an entity beyond the fourth floor. Had he been able to influence the third floor at will, he would not have attempted a conversation in the first place.

He would have simply wielded his power as he wished.

‘The Dead One cannot intervene on the third floor. Even if it is possible, he would have to pay a price difficult to bear.’

Believing so, he asked carefully:

“Am I capable of doing what Senior Dead One describes as a long-cherished wish?”

-What I desire is only one thing.

Listening while swallowing his tension, he was startled.

-Come up to the fourth floor and end my life.

-If it is the divine ability you used just now, there is a possibility.

This was because the following detail was something unexpected.

So…

he wants to die?

Since he did not readily understand and was only parting his lips, the voice continued:

-It weighs on my mind that your cultivation realm is low, but I can resolve that much, so it won’t be a problem. First, I will help you reach the Nascent Soul stage.

-Nascent Soul spiritual objects are abundant enough to rot on the fourth floor.

-Even if you fail to break through the major realm, you can just challenge it again, so there will be nothing difficult.

-If you achieve the Nascent Soul stage and still cannot kill me, I shall assist you up to the Soul Formation stage.

It was a tone containing rhythm as if reciting poetry.

Should he call it a feeling of being oddly drawn in? Jin So-myeong, who listened with focus before he knew it, muttered:

“Up to the Soul Formation stage…?”

The Soul Formation stage was a realm no different from a legend. Just who is the Dead One that he speaks of the Soul Formation stage so easily?

-I hear humans need many resources when cultivating. I shall give you whatever you desire.

-So come up to the fourth floor and kill me.

As he listened blankly, as if possessed, his throat felt parched.

A shortcut lay before his eyes. It was said that if he only climbed to the fourth floor, he would assist him to the Nascent Soul stage, let alone the Soul Formation stage.

However, he was not pleased at all. Rather, doubt arose.

‘There is no such thing as a purely good thing in the world.’

Everything has a price.

What price would accompany a method to reach the Nascent Soul and Soul Formation stages practically for free? Jin So-myeong was not naive enough to believe the Dead One truly possessed goodwill.

‘But why on earth does he ask to be killed?’

Wouldn’t it be enough to commit suicide himself? Is that impossible?

Suddenly, the monster’s words that it had achieved an immortal body and could not die even if it wanted to came to mind.

Of course, seeing how it struggled desperately when it was actually time to die, the fellow’s words were nonsense.

However, if there was a being that had achieved a true immortal body and lived for eons, and had grown tired of living…

wouldn’t it want to bring it to an end?

Jin So-myeong, who was guessing the Dead One’s intention, paused.

‘Wait. How did he know about the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration in the first place to come find me?’

Recalling the conversation slowly, it was full of strange points.

Failing to challenge the Nascent Soul stage and just trying again was enough?

‘Nonsense. If one fails a breakthrough of a major realm, nine times out of ten they die.’

Of course, it was not that there was no way to keep one’s life after failing.

The image of Perfected Wuyang reviving from a single drop of blood came to mind.

If it was that overwhelming regenerative power that claimed to be an immortal body, one could recover even after failing to challenge the Nascent Soul stage.

This meant Jin So-myeong would also become like that…

‘So… is that damn bastard trying to seize my body now?’

He could recover him through other methods, but his interest completely dropped.

As expected, going to the fourth floor was out of the question.

He carefully inspected the surroundings with his Divine Sense. Searching for a way to escape this spot, he opened his mouth to buy time:

“There is something I am curious about. You spoke as if you saw my divine ability directly… Are you perhaps observing the entirety of the third floor?”

-Why would I do such a bothersome thing? I came to know because you killed my incarnation body.

“An incarnation body…?”

As far as Jin So-myeong knew, an incarnation body was a presence similar to a clone, but it differed in that it could move far more independently than a clone.

Should he call it a second personality or a second body created by splitting off a part of oneself?

“The being that tried to seize Perfected Wuyang’s body was Senior’s incarnation body?”

-Yes.

Watching him calmly acknowledge it, a corner of his heart grew chillingly cold.

“…If you want to die, what is the reason for specifically creating an incarnation body to try and seize a body?”

-Because I was bored.

What did he just say?

His ears felt broken at the plain answer. Because he was bored?

-Why are you angry? Ah. You seem to think I tormented Perfected Wuyang, but that is a misunderstanding.

-I merely played with my incarnation body.

-Because watching my incarnation body rampage, believing it can escape from the pagoda, makes me feel good. Since it brings back the past.

It was an exceedingly tranquil tone, but the content was incredibly bizarre. It was to the extent of making one dizzy just listening to it.

He could not understand it from one to ten, but he organized it slowly one by one.

First, the Dead One seemed to not even know the meaning of the word ‘misunderstanding.’

It meant he had no intention of causing pain to Perfected Wuyang, but was that important? The fact that he tried to seize the body in the first place was the problem, wasn’t it?

“…What do you mean by the incarnation body rampaging, believing it can escape the pagoda?”

-Needless to say for myself, even the incarnation body cannot escape the pagoda. In the first place, this pagoda itself is an object created to imprison me. The Time Gate. It is the work of those detestable bastards.

When he spoke of the Time Gate, a vivid emotion, anger and malice, was felt from the Dead One for the first time.

The voice of the Dead One, which fell silent for a moment, became emotionless again.

-The sight of my incarnation body, which possesses only a part of my memory, challenging the impossible and falling into despair upon failure is something I never grow tired of watching, no matter how many times I see it. It is one of the few entertainments I enjoy.

“…”

Although the kind explanation continued as if to prove his words of possessing goodwill, Jin So-myeong’s expression only grew increasingly rigid.

‘His very way of thinking is thoroughly twisted.’

An alien species.

Regardless of the height of cultivation realms or the strength of power, he was a being naturally different from humans from birth.

Despite using his incarnation body to try and seize another’s body, he did not feel even a shred of guilt.

Rather than simply being shameless…

it felt like he had no perception of it being wrong at all. Should he say he was like a young child playing while tearing off dragonfly wings?

If there had been a purpose like ‘using others to escape the pagoda,’ it would not have been this shocking.

But for it to be merely a pastime.

He was different even from demonic beasts that had parts somewhat similar to humans. He felt like he had thoroughly realized what it meant to be non-human.

‘A fellow not to be associated with.’

Still, it was fortunate. Though he did not know to what extent the fellow’s words were true, at least the fact that he could not escape the pagoda seemed real.

“I am sorry, but I cannot go to the fourth floor.”

-Mmm… I cannot understand. There should be nothing harmful to you at all.

If the Dead One could project power to the third floor, it was meaningless no matter how he refused. He would bring him forcibly.

“I cannot trust you.”

He rejected it flatly. Just as he was about to distance himself from the pagoda,

-Think again. If you only come to the fourth floor, I will grant you whatever you desire, whether it is the Nascent Soul stage or the Soul Formation stage.

His body froze stiff and did not listen to him. The voice containing rhythm dug through his head.

-Whether it is the Nascent Soul stage or the Soul Formation stage… if you only come to the fourth floor…

His thoughts slowed down and his head grew blank. It felt as if someone were whispering the same words in his ear.

It was like experiencing sleep paralysis. Since not even a fingertip budged, even though he knew something was wrong, there was nothing he could do.

-As I said earlier, I possess goodwill toward you. Had I intended to harm you, I would have used another method.

Wuuuung!

The presence of the pagoda grew increasingly intense. No matter where he looked…front, back, left, or right…he saw only the stone pagoda.

Feeling as if he were being sucked in somewhere, his hair stood on end.

Just as he was about to try using the Supreme Great Ability,

Kwaaaaang!

he abruptly snapped to his senses at the deafening explosion generated as the restriction was attacked.

‘Ah.’

The pagoda that had approached right before his nose receded beyond the horizon before he knew it. The intense presence also grew faint.

‘Was it an illusion?’

It felt like waking from a dream after having ice water poured over him.

He pricked his index finger using his thumbnail.

As reality returned, he realized his body could move, and immediately kicked off the ground.

While he increased the distance by even casting the Lightning Escape Art, a voice that seemed to speak from a very distant place was heard:

-What a pity. That you would insist on taking the long way around… If your mind changes, come find me anytime. For I shall be waiting.

With that last invitation, the Dead One’s presence snapped completely.

It was a disconnection like slicing with a knife, feeling as if the connection broke because his strength was exhausted.

‘Like hell. As if I would enter here again, crazy as I am.’

He had no intention of returning to the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda after this.

If, by one chance in ten thousand, he returned… it would be when he gained the confidence to kill the Dead One.

‘I am curious whether he will truly ask to be killed or saved when that time comes.’

Suddenly, the scene where Perfected Wuyang turned to ash flashed by.

“…”

Clamping his mouth shut, Jin So-myeong raised his middle finger toward the 4th floor stone pagoda.

He waited for a moment, but there was no response. Seeing how quiet he was even after being insulted, he had clearly departed.

***

Kwaaaaang!

Madame Ryeo, whose restriction was attacked, bit her lips. Straightening the shaking formation, she shouted:

“You people. If you do not want to regret it, you had better leave right away. I clearly warned you.”

Despite her heartfelt tone, the two men and one woman who attacked the restriction merely sneered.

Because they had waited without attacking the restriction until now at the mention of companions, but the colleague who was said to arrive soon was nowhere to be seen.

“Do it in moderation. It is already exposed that Fairy is alone.”

“No, it isn’t! Soon, a very terrifying person will return…”

“Tsk! Stop bluffing and open the formation already. If you continue to hold out like that and we break the restriction…”

The man who had reached the late Core Formation stage twisted the corners of his mouth.

“Fairy will be the one to regret it. For daring to waste our time and spiritual power.”

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