Chapter 139: A Guest who Came to the Golden Core Grand Assembly

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Normally, righteous sects and demonic sects were one and the same.

However.

When a special event occurred, the stark difference between the two was revealed.

Gwan Ho-il, a Qi Condensation cultivator doing business in Natian City, acutely realized just how important of a meaning it had to at least save face.

For example,

The Young Master of the Thousand Corpses Sect achieved the Golden Core stage.

Naturally, the Golden Core Grand Assembly was held, and a grand festival was hosted in all regions ruled by the Thousand Corpses Sect.

Forcibly, that is.

Waaaah—!

The entire Natian City rumbled at the tremendous cheering. At the screaming heard outside the shop, Gwan Ho-il gnashed his teeth.

He did not know how many among them were truly happy.

In fact, having to forcibly participate in the festival and shout “Long live the Thousand Corpses Sect” all day long was no big deal.

The problem was that the shop Gwan Ho-il operated was a tavern selling spiritual wine.

A few months ago.

“They said the spiritual wine you brewed is quite good. We must use it for the festival, so sell it all.”

Disciples of the Thousand Corpses Sect visited and told him to present all the wine he had.

Although they said they would pay the price, naturally it was on credit, and debt meant spirit stones that could never be received.

‘Damn it! What does the Thousand Corpses Sect’s Young Master becoming a Golden Core cultivator have to do with me that I must congratulate him by even offering my entire fortune!’

Spiritual wine made by investing precious ingredients was his precious business capital. Only by selling it at a proper price could he buy spiritual wine ingredients and brew wine again.

On credit…no, handing it over for free was equivalent to his entire fortune disappearing, so he could absolutely not tolerate it.

‘So I only offered half and secretly hid the rest… Damn it!’

He was caught.

On the day of the festival, disciples of the Thousand Corpses Sect who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage visited, glared at him with murderous gazes, and treated him like a criminal.

“You must be desperate to die. How dare a mere Qi Condensation cultivator defy the Thousand Corpses Sect?”

Just as he was trembling, unable to even make an excuse while crushed by the massive spiritual power of the Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator.

The disciple of the Thousand Corpses Sect, curling up one corner of his mouth, spoke in a fishy tone.

“The matter related to the festival was an order handed down by the Patriarch. Since you violated this, you will have no room for excuse even if you are executed on the spot.”

“…Yes?”

Gwan Ho-il’s face became whiter than a sheet of paper. To think that hiding some wine made him defy the order of the Thousand Corpses Sect Patriarch?

He noticed that the situation was far worse than expected, but it was already too late.

“J-just once. Please forgive me just this once! I will offer all of the spiritual wine!”

“Humph! I have no interest in the spiritual wine you made. They say your son has a high-grade spiritual root, right? Since his talent is decent, I will accept him as a disciple.”

“A disciple! Absolutely not!”

Countless people who entered the Thousand Corpses Sect became Jiangshi and were used as weapons of war.

Though called a disciple in words, how could he know if he would become a Jiangshi? It was an absolutely unacceptable matter.

Wishing not to lose his son, he shrieked unconsciously, but his breath was choked off.

Physical spiritual power pressed down on his shoulders, and the gaze cold as a snake became a skewer, threatening his heart.

“Ha, this ruins my mood. I’ve changed my mind. I will make your son into a Ghost Child Jiangshi.”

“…!”

Ghost Child Jiangshi were called hungry ghosts in the mortal world.

After slowly starving a child over a hundred days, they refined them into a Jiangshi right before starving to death…a terrible existence suffering from eternal hunger.

“Mph! Mmmph!!”

He tried to beg, saying he was wrong and to let him off just once, but even his mouth did not open. Bound all over his body by spiritual power transformed into chains, he could not wiggle a single finger.

“D-dad!”

His son who had just turned seven was hiding in the underground cellar, but was discovered in an instant. Just as the Foundation Establishment cultivator who picked up the struggling child like baggage chuckled.

The colleagues beside him clicked their tongues as if he was pathetic.

“Geez. I wondered why you came all the way here in the midst of being busy, so you came just to pocket a kid?”

“Ever since I first saw this kid, I thought he was the perfect ingredient. Hehe.”

“I don’t know why you are so obsessed with a weak Ghost Child Jiangshi. Cultivate during that time instead. Don’t spend your mental strength on useless things.”

“Humph. Once the number of Ghost Child Jiangshi reaches ten thousand, even a Golden Core cultivator won’t be able to ignore it.”

“Puhaha! It would be so if ten thousand gathered. But would you even be able to control ten thousand Ghost Child Jiangshi?”

“What if I succeed?”

“Khehehe. What else? By the time you succeed, you’ll already be a Golden Core cultivator, so I’ll have to call you Senior.”

Watching them giggle as if playing around, Gwan Ho-il, who struggled to escape his binding, despaired.

The once-in-a-lifetime misfortune that befell him was nothing more than a joke to them.

“But aren’t you going to kill that fellow Gwan Ho-il?”

“Over fifty yet at the mid-stage of Qi Condensation? Keh! It’s already far too late for him to establish his foundation. Since there’s no possibility of him taking revenge on me, I will just leave him alone.”

“Hmm… wouldn’t it be better to just kill him cleanly?”

“No. It’s no fun if I kill him now. I must show him the sight of his son becoming a dignified Ghost Child Jiangshi.”

“Geez, what a terrible bad taste.”

It was terrible. If it was a nightmare, please let him wake up.

His son was being taken away right before him, yet he could do nothing…

Blood dripped from the edges of his wide-torn eyes. In hatred and despair, he prayed for anyone at all to please help.

Just as he glared at the departing disciples of the Thousand Corpses Sect with bloodshot eyes.

—!

A silent bolt of lightning descended from the sky,

A flash resembling moonlight vertically split the giggling and chatting disciples of the Thousand Corpses Sect.

Those who were like fiends manifested on earth died so easily.

“Ah.”

Gwan Ho-il, who staggered after being released from his binding, ran in a hurry. Hugging his sobbing son, he raised his gaze.

A young man wearing a grayish-white martial robe with no decorations had suddenly appeared.

The sword cultivator carrying an ink-colored sword at his waist was looking down at the corpses split in half…no, the pieces of trash.

“You say today is the day the Thousand Corpses Sect’s Young Master’s Golden Core Grand Assembly is held?”

“…Yes? T-that is correct.”

“I arrived at the perfect time. The timing is good.”

He was incredibly peaceful despite having killed disciples of a Golden Core-grade sect.

Looking blankly at his leisurely attitude with a thin smile on his lips, Gwan Ho-il snapped out of it.

“S-Senior! This is no time for this! The Thousand Corpses Sect will retaliate! You must flee right now! Ah! It shouldn’t be like this, I must also flee…”

“There is no need for that.”

Was it thanks to his consistently calm voice? His heart, which felt like it would go crazy with anxiety, calmed down a bit.

“W-why…”

The sword cultivator whose eyes met ours smirked and vanished like smoke.

“Since the Thousand Corpses Sect will be destroyed today, I said there is no need to leave.”

Leaving behind an utterly unbelievable, joke-like statement…

***

The entrance of the Thousand Corpses Sect.

The black marble main gate decorated with ivory was fifty zhang in height alone, more massive and magnificent than a typical city gate, naturally intimidating visitors.

Yet the gatekeepers guarding that massive main gate were only two.

-They said they are coming soon, right?

-Yes.

Just as the two men, who were somehow extremely tense, exchanged Voice Transmissions while looking at each other.

In a single instant, the sky darkened.

The Rank 3 Demon King possessing three tails enveloped in blue flames, the Three-Tailed Bird, appeared from the other side of the sky and flew to the entrance in a flash.

“Are you fellows seriously the only ones?”

The Golden Core cultivator who was riding the Three-Tailed Bird with hands clasped behind his back furrowed his brow.

It was because although he had come reluctantly due to the Thousand Corpses Sect inviting him to the Golden Core Grand Assembly, far from a proper welcoming crowd, there wasn’t even anyone out to greet him. This was not the posture of a host who invited a guest.

“That is correct. Where do you come from?”

“The Medicine King Sect.”

The gatekeepers broke into cold sweat at the freezing gaze of the elder of the Medicine King Sect, a Nascent Soul-grade sect, whom they normally wouldn’t even be able to make eye contact with, but they never bowed their heads.

Instead, they stiffened their necks and replied.

“I see. Please wait a moment. Someone to guide you will come out soon.”

“Ha! Absurd. To think a mere Golden Core sect treats me in this way? Even if your Patriarch came out to greet me directly, it wouldn’t be enough!”

Just as he stirred his spiritual power to pressure the gatekeepers.

“Haha. I do not know since when the Medicine King Sect has become so arrogant.”

“…!”

The startled Medicine King Sect elder tried to retreat reflexively, but before he knew it, an old man wearing a bizarre smile was positioned behind his back.

Without him even perceiving it, the old man who appeared as if teleporting tapped his shoulder and spoke.

“Why, is it insufficient even though this seat, the Great Elder of the Black Night Palace, came out to greet you directly?”

“N-no.”

Honestly, touching the body between cultivators who were not close was an extremely threatening action. This was because the moment skin touched, they could inject spiritual power to destroy internal organs.

“If it doesn’t satisfy you, speak honestly. I will resolve your complaint even if I have to ask our Black Night Palace’s Supreme Elder.”

Even though he tapped his shoulders arbitrarily, the elder could not get angry.

The Medicine King Sect elder instead sweated cold and was in a fluster. While pouring out all kinds of curses inwardly.

‘Damn it. Why is the Yin Moon Old Devil here?’

He could not understand. The Yin Moon Old Devil was the Great Elder of the Black Night Palace and a Nascent Soul stage expert. He was of too precious a status to visit a mere Golden Core Grand Assembly hosted by the Thousand Corpses Sect.

He did not know what his scheme was, but at least it would not be a favorable matter for the Medicine King Sect.

“Hmm? Why are you speechless? Did I not ask if you are dissatisfied with this seat coming out to greet you.”

“No. I made a slip of the tongue, unaware that Senior had come. Please forgive me generously.”

The Yin Moon Old Devil, who came to a sudden halt, bent his neck bizarrely and tilted his head. Staring intently at the Medicine King Sect elder, he grinned like a mischievous brat.

“Hoho, so it was your mistake, not my fault?”

“…Yes.”

“In that case, the fact that my heart is uncomfortable now is entirely your fault?”

“…”

“Khehehe, don’t be too terrified. Let’s enter first. Since everyone is waiting for you anxiously, let’s go talk inside.”

The Medicine King Sect elder clenched his teeth and nodded his head. He felt like he had fallen into a trap, but it could not be helped.

How long had passed after the two disappeared?

The gatekeepers, who had been so tense they couldn’t even breathe properly, grew extremely excited.

-Did you see? That arrogant Medicine King Sect elder couldn’t even budge.

-Of course, since the Black Night Palace’s Great Elder who reached the Nascent Soul stage is here!

With expressions full of joy, they looked at each other and fired off Voice Transmissions.

-Ah! I never expected to see a Medicine King Sect elder flustered in my life.

-What is the Medicine King Sect anyway? We are practically as good as belonging to the Black Night Palace, a Nascent Soul-grade sect, now.

One of the gatekeepers spoke while swallowing his dry saliva.

-Then will we also be able to learn the cultivation methods or secret manuals of the Black Night Palace?

-Well. If you establish merit, you should be able to obtain at least a Golden Core-grade cultivation method.

-Ooh.

Fearing that someone might hear them, they chattered via Voice Transmission, and only after a long while did they feel relieved enough to speak out loud.

“Anyway, everyone who is coming has arrived, right?”

“Yes. Honestly, I thought someone might pick a fight. But everyone behaved dead silent. Hehe.”

“It must be because they couldn’t ruin the Black Night Palace’s face. Even the Medicine King Sect elder bowed submissively, so who would dare act up.”

Just as they were giggling.

In the middle of the avenue…a road leading solely to the Thousand Corpses Sect, large enough for dozens of carriages to run at once…a young man appeared.

Although he seemed to walk leisurely as if taking a stroll, in the blink of a few eye movements, he had arrived in front of the main gate.

The startled gatekeepers completely erased their arrogant air.

What was most necessary to survive as a gatekeeper of a demonic sect was quick wits, not strength.

It meant they had to distinguish well when to hold their heads high and when to bow.

The quick wits that had saved their lives countless times warned them.

That the young man before them was an extraordinary person and an individual who must absolutely not be treated carelessly.

Gathering both hands at their navels, they spoke as politely as possible.

“Greetings, Senior. Would you happen to be someone who came to congratulate our Young Master’s Golden Core Grand Assembly?”

“Congratulate? Well, it could be viewed as such, I suppose.”

What was so pleasant, a faint laughter was embedded in the young man’s voice.

They had an intuition that something was wrong, but there was nothing the gatekeepers could do.

“…I am truly sorry. Because my knowledge is shallow, I do not know who Senior is. From where and as whom should I report you to have visited?”

At the question of who he was,

After standing still for a moment and admiring the distant sky, he grinned and tapped his scabbard.

Instantly, a feeling that a cold blade had grazed the nape of their neck was felt. The startled gatekeepers felt their necks, but they were perfectly fine.

Was it an illusion?

Their relief was only brief. From behind, a crackling sound of rupture was heard.

The gatekeepers, who winced their shoulders, forced their stiffened necks to turn and look back, and were horrified.

“…!!”

That which could be called the pride of the Thousand Corpses Sect.

The main gate, which exceeded fifty zhang in height alone and was comparable to a city gate, was split obliquely and collapsing.

Just as their minds were colored pure white at the shocking sight they hadn’t even imagined.

“Tell your Young Master that an ill fate of the past has come looking.”

The reply to the question of who he was returned.

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