Chapter 170: Blood Wings

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read more at Nineheavens.org
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Jin So-myeong, who returned to Cloud Dragon Immortal City, tilted his head.

‘Something is strange.’

The moment he entered the city, an atmosphere different from usual was felt.

Had some incident occurred?

A subtle excitement was glimpsed from the expressions of the cultivators busy moving about the streets.

Spreading his vast Divine Sense reaching thirty kilometers to gather the rumors floating on the streets, surprising news was heard.

‘The secret realms monopolized by the Sacred City have been released?’

A total of eight.

That was the number of secret realms whose specific locations were revealed as the formations sealing them shook.

A secret realm was also revealed in a place not far from Cloud Dragon Immortal City, and it was said that all kinds of forces had crowded in like a swarm of bees.

They were supposedly in the middle of trying to find a way to enter the secret realm while watching the Sacred City’s reactions.

‘A good opportunity.’

From his position as a rogue cultivator, this kind of chaos was not bad.

Although he did not know exactly what cause led to this situation, if he exploited this opportunity well, he would be able to get one step closer to the Soul Formation stage.

After grasping the general atmosphere through the rumors floating on the streets, he headed straight for Myriad Treasures Tower.

To find out more accurate high-level information, it was best to ask a giant force.

“Fellow Daoist Jin! You have finally come!”

Although he was flustered because Du Geum-bo, the chief administrator of Myriad Treasures Tower, welcomed him abnormally warmly, he could soon understand the reason.

“Did you say you sent a Voice Transmission Talisman to my cave dwelling?”

“Yes. Since there was no response to the Voice Transmission Talisman, I was just wondering what to do.”

“Ah, I did not know. I went out for a short while, and since Cloud Dragon Immortal City was in an uproar when I returned, I came straight here.”

“I see. At any rate, it is a relief that you have come even now.”

Du Geum-bo, nodding his head, explained the current situation to him, which was similar to what he had grasped through the rumors.

Something had gone wrong with the Sacred City, and thanks to that, the secret realms that had been perfectly controlled were opened.

“I heard that a secret realm was also opened in a place close to Cloud Dragon Immortal City.”

“Yes. Our Myriad Treasures Tower investigated ancient records and found out that it was called the Defeated Sage Dojo.”

Defeated Sage Dojo.

The name was unusual from the start. If it was a dojo, it was a place to polish mind and body. It clearly looked like it would be of great help to training.

However, the character ‘Defeated’ caught his mind. What had it lost to and collapsed…

Jin So-myeong, muttering the four characters of the Defeated Sage Dojo, asked the most important thing.

“Is there a way to enter the secret realm? I expect the Sacred City will obstruct it.”

“No matter how great the Sacred City is, it won’t be easy to settle this situation. To exaggerate a little, it is a situation where every cultivator in the Middle Province is rushing in to enter the secret realms.”

Indeed…

If he went to the Defeated Sage Dojo, what could he obtain, and what kind of dangers would be lurking?

Just as he was lost in various thoughts.

Du Geum-bo, casting a quick glance around, cleared his throat and spoke in a whisper.

“This is still a secret, but I obtained information that Heaven’s Palm Merchant Guild will hold a grand auction soon. They said they will sell items absolutely necessary for the secret realms.”

“If it is Heaven’s Palm Merchant Guild… is it not an alliance close to the Sacred City?”

“Correct. Apparently, the Sacred City has tacitly permitted entering the secret realms.”

To release the monopolized secret realms, did they offer them up on their own before losing face when control became impossible?

“Do you also know the timing of when the grand auction will be held?”

“It will probably be within a year. Because of that… Fellow Daoist Jin, how about entering the secret realm together with our Myriad Treasures Tower? When going to a dangerous place like a secret realm, is it not advantageous to join forces?”

“Does Chief Administrator Du also intend to enter the secret realm?”

“Yes. We cannot miss such an opportunity. I plan to gather trustworthy and exceptionally skilled people like Fellow Daoist Jin to aim for treasures.”

Though he said treasures, what he truly aimed for was likely the Soul Formation stage.

“Mmm… since it is an important matter, I must consider it. May I give you an answer later?”

“Of course. However, I would like you to let us know before the grand auction is held.”

*

Jin So-myeong, who returned to his cave dwelling, stroked his chin.

First, he pondered whether to enter the secret realm or not, and as long as it was helpful to training, he wanted to enter even if it was somewhat dangerous.

Could he not obtain the treasures necessary to ascend to the Soul Formation stage?

‘I must postpone the secluded meditation for now.’

Actually, because the harvest obtained this time was substantial, he had planned to perform secluded meditation for a while and digest it calmly, but the situation had changed.

Since he could not miss such a good opportunity, he decided to postpone the secluded meditation and start preparing to enter the secret realm.

‘Is the remaining period roughly a year?’

It was not very long. Since he could not raise his realm in such a short time, there was a need to pull up his combat power in other directions.

Then what should he do first?

Was there any need to worry? The top priority to achieve was, of course, to use A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens freely at will.

It can neither be avoided nor blocked.

It was hard to find a phrase more suitable to express the power of A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens than this.

Did it not turn even the Supreme Elder of the Dragon Elephant Demonic Palace, who possessed a speed fast enough to react to the Lightning Escape Art and a robust body, into dust?

If he could only perform A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens properly at the necessary moment, it was no different from a sharp rise in combat power.

‘But how did I perform A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens again…?’

The problem was precisely this.

Perhaps because he had performed it in a state of selflessness that crossed the boundary between life and death back then, his memory was hazy.

Still, if there was a fortunate point, it was that the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword text began to be understood a little after performing A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens.

Furthermore, the text itself felt rooted in his mind, so it did not seem like it would be easily forgotten.

*Tap, tap.*

Jin So-myeong, who tapped the scabbard out of habit, nodded his head.

Recalling the memory of performing A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens, he decided to reproduce it as it was.

‘First, I must remake the blood armor.’

He refined the blood armor shattered during the battle again and recovered his body, which had grown weak from squeezing out physical essence.

Half a month later.

Having regained his perfect state, Jin So-myeong, who left Cloud Dragon Immortal City and arrived in a wasteland like a desert, quietly closed his eyes while pointing his sword at the empty air.

*Thud… Thud…!*

At the moment the pulsating sound of his heart felt like thunder, he triggered the energy accumulated in his heart.

Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration. The energy galloping along the meridians circulated through the five viscera.

Spleen, lungs, kidneys, liver. Every time it passed each organ, it was wildly amplified and became a ruinous light that would smash anything to pieces.

Just before the surging energy exploded, he withdrew it as it was and sent it back to his heart.

*Shhhhhh!*

As if a rough torrent swept through a narrow stream, energy that felt on the verge of exploding filled his entire body.

In a split second in which one could not even exhale a single breath.

*Clang!*

By the intense energy that destroyed the surroundings simply by its existence, the blood armor protecting his meridians was shattered at once.

His body, which he had barely recovered, turned to mush, and his skin split, spraying a mist of blood.

At this time, a mysterious phenomenon occurred.

The blood droplets erupted in all directions did not scatter but condensed in the empty air, and the shape looked as if huge wings were unfolded.

‘…!’

He grit his teeth at the splitting pain that turned his head white.

He had not known during the fight because he was focusing on the enemy, but performing it in a calm state was truly, damnably painful.

Barely holding on to his consciousness, which threatened to snap, he thrust his sword.

Into the single sword strike plunged vertically, he poured all the energy rushing like a torrent.

————!

Even sound was swallowed by the brilliant light that made his eyes sting. Everything lying in the path of the sword trajectory was devastated as if swept by a tsunami.

At the same time.

His vision distorted, and the meridians of his entire body broke strand by strand.

As the price of forcibly circulating the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration inside his body, he fell into a state on the verge of death.

Since even standing quietly was difficult, he tottered for a long time and barely caught his balance.

Just as he laboriously adjusted his breathing like a severely injured patient while connecting his broken meridians.

As his focus sharpened, a dumbfounding sight struck him.

“Ah.”

The trace made by the single sword strike he had just performed.

A canyon so deep and long that its end was unknown filled his vision.

Truly…

it was a spectacle. To the point that he forgot to breathe for a moment.

Looking at the scar engraved on the earth, which was too massive to capture in a single glance, a surge of emotion hard to express in words suddenly rose.

It had been seventy years since he started cultivating.

Before he knew it, he had risen to a realm where he could engrave a trace on the earth with a single swing of his sword.

“……”

Soaked in the sudden emotion, he closed his two eyes.

Exhaling a shallow and long breath, he composed his feelings.

He was happy beyond measure, but it was too early to be satisfied here. Did he not still have a long way to go?

Folding the sense of achievement neatly in one side of his heart, he focused on the current situation. First, there was a need to analyze the single sword strike he had just performed.

‘Regrettably, it is not A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens.’

Although it was a very powerful strike, strictly speaking, it was merely performing the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration more strongly.

Compared to A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens performed in selflessness during battle, something was lacking.

It meant he had failed, but…

it was fine.

How could one be full with the first spoonful? If there was something lacking, it was enough to try again. Until it worked.

‘Alright. Then what should I improve first?’

Should I temper my body to the point that it can withstand circulating the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration continuously inside?

Pondering for a moment, it seemed this direction was not it.

Recalling the memory of receiving the Star-Shattering True Monarch’s teachings, the Nascent Soul sword cultivator back then performed A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens after hundreds of days of teaching, yet was perfectly fine.

He showed no sign of overexertion and was not injured. There was light in the lightly thrust sword strike, and that was all.

‘Perhaps it is a proper A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens only when performed without the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.’

If so, the direction of training became clear. He simply needed to practice performing A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens purely with the sword.

Reflecting on the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword text, there would likely be achievements.

‘Let’s do that for this.’

It was also a waste to throw away the technique of using the continuously circulated Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration as an energy source.

Although a severe load that would shatter his body in a few seconds was applied, it was a technique powerful enough to bear that.

If only he could withstand the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration that grew endlessly stronger?

His combat power might amplify to the point of transcending his realm in an instant. Since it was a technique with potential, it was fully worth researching properly.

‘I should call it Blood Wings.’

Since the blood poured out through his pores spread like the shape of wings, it was a perfectly fitting name.

Thinking of the lacking points to display the Blood Wings, it was a basic skill problem. He had to temper his body further to withstand the absurd load.

Simply put, it meant he had to raise his body tempering realm, and fortunately, the method for this was clear.

*

Jin So-myeong, who returned to his cave dwelling, soaked his body in the warm water contained in a tub.

“Heuuueee…”

A strange sound naturally came out. The water permeating his torn and split skin healed his wounds.

This water was a treasure named the Pale Red Decoction, a recovery medicinal bath that the Supreme Elder of the Dragon Elephant Demonic Palace possessed.

“Phew… nice.”

He felt his ruined body recovering in real time. Leaning his back leisurely against the tub, he pulled out a jade slip.

Six Souls Incarnation Art.

This was also a body tempering cultivation method that the Supreme Elder possessed.

Tendons, bones, blood, meridians, skin, flesh.

A body tempering method that trained the six elements composing the physical body to their limits, it had points similar to the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art, which completed internal organs first and trained the exterior.

Although inferior in many ways to the Minor Success-level Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art, it was still a considerably outstanding cultivation method.

As it was a cultivation method where one would obtain a Soul Formation-grade body if perfectly mastered in theory, simply reading and researching it calmly was useful enough to raise his Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art proficiency.

How much time had passed?

Jin So-myeong, who recovered all his wounds, took out the jade box containing the golden drop of blood this time.

‘True Dragon Blood.’

That was the identity of the golden drop of blood he had found out by investigating in between after returning to the city.

There were very many uses for true blood, and one of them was precisely using it for body tempering training.

Pondering for a moment, Jin So-myeong made a decision.

He absorbed the energy contained in the golden drop of blood little by little, and his body tempering realm began to rise rapidly.

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