Chapter 210: The Time Has Finally Come

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Although it might be an obvious story, as a force grows larger, factors other than combat also become important.

The Sacred City, called the ruler of the Middle Province, was also no exception to this rule.

In the Sacred City, there was an organization focusing only on information, and this place, called the Heavenly Net Division, carried out missions such as dispatching spies all over the Middle Province or sorting out rumors from truth.

They were always busy as they had to keep their feelers sensitive to everything happening throughout the Middle Province, but lately it was even more so.

It was because of the series of situations caused by the Myriad Cultivators Alliance.

One day, during their busy daily lives where they had no time to blink.

“Division Leader. A suspicious event has occurred in Yunlai Capital City in the northern part of the Middle Province.”

“The north? Give it here.”

The Heavenly Net Division Leader, who read the jade slip offered by his subordinate quickly, narrowed his eyebrows.

“That the Wind Snow Chamber of Commerce, the number one guild in Yunlai Capital City, suddenly cut off most of its transactions?”

Transactions that had been made several times a day stopped abruptly.

Because the Wind Snow Chamber of Commerce side could not properly supply the spirit stones or medicinal pills that they should have given as payment.

Although the elders leading the guild were moving diligently to resolve the situation, it was definitely not a normal thing.

“They claim they had no choice because they lost all their accumulated assets in an ambush by a mysterious assailant, but the story that they purchased a precious spiritual object by spending a large fortune is more credible.”

“A precious spiritual object…”

Should he investigate what had happened?

Honestly speaking, it was ambiguous to view it as an important incident.

Because the Wind Snow Chamber of Commerce was only the largest guild in Yunlai Capital City, and if considering the entire Middle Province, it was a very minor force.

Normally, he would not have paid attention to just this level of event.

Even more so, were they not in a highly busy situation lately due to the incidents caused by the Myriad Cultivators Alliance?

But it bothered his mind to pass over it casually.

Because an instruction had recently come down from the superiors not to ignore things happening in the north carelessly but to examine them carefully.

What should he do?

The Heavenly Net Division Leader, who was pondering silently, frowned.

‘It is indeed strange. Just what kind of item did they buy.’

The Wind Snow Chamber of Commerce was a reasonably large guild in its own right. They themselves must know better than anyone how important credibility was.

Yet to spend their entire assets even while risking the cutting off of transactions…

The more he thought about it, the more unusual it was.

“It is not an event to be passed over lightly. Dispatch an investigation team. We must find out how it happened.”

“Yes.”

The subordinate who received the command left hurriedly, and the Heavenly Net Division Leader focused on his work again.

How many similar events would occur throughout the Middle Province. He could not pay attention only to the Wind Snow Chamber of Commerce.

Because the Myriad Cultivators Alliance had run wild while smashing the teleportation arrays recently, there was a great deal of work to do.

***

Three months later, Lightning Fall Valley.

Jin So-myeong, who swallowed a Nine Heavens Jade-Core Grass he had just duplicated in a single bite, frowned.

‘Mmm…’

Shuddering his entire body once, he let out a shallow, long breath.

Since settling in Lightning Fall Valley, he had consumed a total of six more Nine Heavens Jade-Core Grass, thanks to which the range his Divine Sense could detect rose from a radius of 160 km to 175 km.

Although it was a highly excellent achievement, it was also slightly regrettable.

‘The efficacy of the medicine decreases as time goes on. Is it because I ate too much.’

There was a limit even to the Divine Sense that could be enhanced by the Rank 5 spiritual herb, the Nine Heavens Jade-Core Grass.

Once it exceeded 170 km, the growth speed slowed down drastically.

Of course, a Divine Sense of this level was already at the Soul Formation stage.

Since the Nine Heavens Jade-Core Grass had done its part sufficiently, there was no need to feel too regretful.

Jin So-myeong, who was adapting to the strengthened Divine Sense after consuming the spiritual herb, turned his gaze.

At a place about 150 km away from the grotto, a man in his mid-thirties dressed neatly like a scholar was visible, which was a clone he had created recently.

A clone created by consuming tens of millions of Supreme Great Abilities. Cheon Jin-il’s mission was to study and install formations.

‘Cheon Jin-il. Is the installation of formations going well?’

Cheon Jin-il, who nodded as if there was no problem, continued to install the Rank 4 formation, the Lightning Gathering Essence Extraction Formation.

The Lightning Gathering Essence Extraction Formation was a simple formation that absorbed the surrounding lightning Qi to gather it in one place, and installing this formation all over Lightning Fall Valley yielded an amazing effect.

All the lightning Qi within a three hundred li radius gathered to the grotto.

To Jin So-myeong who had achieved Great Success in the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art, lightning Qi was soon spiritual Qi, so as much as the lightning Qi became dense, his cultivation speed also naturally accelerated.

He had originally expected about nine months remaining until the Nascent Soul stage Great Circle, but it seemed half a year would be enough.

‘Good. It was worth taking the risk.’

In fact, it was a matter of course that a commotion would occur if he sucked in lightning Qi so openly.

It meant the probability of catching eyes increased, but he went ahead even while knowing it.

‘It is better to challenge the Soul Formation stage even a day earlier.’

Lightning Fall Valley was a fairly remote region, but it was not a perfectly safe place.

Since it was bound to catch someone’s eye eventually as time passed, he focused rather on drastically increasing his cultivation speed.

‘Half a year until the Nascent Soul stage Great Circle.’

Now it was truly a countdown. He pondered where to pour his last remaining time.

‘For now, let’s eat a few more Nine Heavens Jade-Core Grass.’

Although the efficacy of the medicine had decreased because he consumed too many, Divine Sense was a sense that directly influenced battle.

If he could become even a speck stronger, it was not a waste no matter how many spiritual herbs he ate.

Thereafter.

He consumed four more Nine Heavens Jade-Core Grass over two months.

His Divine Sense, which had been 175 km, grew to 180 km, but now it was truly the limit. The last Nine Heavens Jade-Core Grass he consumed had almost no effect.

‘Nine Heavens Jade-Core Grass is enough for now, should I try eating the Sacred Flower Grass too.’

The Sacred Flower Grass, which was an ingredient of the Mysterious Heaven Spiritual Transformation Pill that was said to improve a cultivator’s talent to the Heavenly Spiritual Root. He wondered if it would have an effect even if eaten raw.

He duplicated and ate one, but regrettably, the effect was so-so. There was almost no feeling of his talent being improved.

‘I should make the Sacred Flower Grass into a medicinal pill to consume later.’

Then, what should he do during the remaining four months…

Pondering for a moment, he decided to slowly prepare to challenge the Soul Formation stage.

Ordering his clones to install as many formations as possible around the grotto,

And to find the deficient parts missed while cultivating, he traced back the things he had accumulated up to now one by one.

*Whoosh…*

As he waved his hand as if fanning, wind rose.

The breeze, which was so faint that it was barely visible, became harsh in an instant and turned into a giant vortex, sucking in the surrounding thunderclouds.

*Rumble!*

Watching the wind that had developed into a typhoon in the time to breathe a few breaths, he felt a strange emotion.

Wind Control Art.

The basic spell he mastered in his Qi Condensation stage days had come this far before long.

*Rumble!*

As he added the Wind Transformation Body Force to the violently swirling wind, the entire Lightning Fall Valley vibrated as if it would collapse.

Staring quietly at the gale of wind that started from a single breeze and reached a level called a natural disaster,

He drew his sword and drew a diagonal line.

In the split second the sword light resembling moonlight traversed the empty air, the thick thunderclouds split according to the sword’s trajectory, revealing a blue sky.

The raging vortex split in two.

The typhoon that shook Lightning Fall Valley while showing off its power could not withstand a single sword strike.

In fact, this was why he had not mastered miscellaneous spells.

Since ordinary spells were worse than a single slash, there was no reason to waste his Supreme Great Abilities.

Quietly sheathing his sword,

He looked up at the clear sky visible between the split dark clouds, and extended his palm this time.

The moment the super-large palm falling from the sky arrived on the ground.

*Kaboom!*

A portion of Lightning Fall Valley turned into flat ground.

It looked as if the ground had been stamped with a seal carved from Mount Tai.

Even this alone could be said to be sufficiently powerful, but the lightning Qi that formed the Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal still remained on the ground, spitting out fearsome thunder.

If someone had been inside there, they would have been burned to crisp by the lightning Qi.

Next, in the moment he pointed his index finger at the empty air.

Five Elements Shattering Annihilation Wheel. The halo of light possessing five colors converged into a single point as if swirling, and became a pitch-black dot darker than a shadow.

*Screeech!*

Looking closely at the Five Elements Shattering Annihilation Wheel vibrating as if it would explode immediately, it was absorbing all the energy existing in the surroundings while repeating expansion and contraction.

Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal and Five Elements Shattering Annihilation Wheel.

One was obtained from a cultivator related to the Ice Flower Palace, and the other was obtained from a Nascent Soul stage cultivator belonging to the Sacred City.

It meant they were spells originating from completely different cultivation methods, but strangely, there was a part where the two connected in spirit.

Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.

Was it because of the common point that they were the fundamental principles that circulated all creation?

It seemed he would be able to obtain something if he studied the Five Elements Shattering Annihilation Wheel and the Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal.

Jin So-myeong, who unfolded the two spells alternately, stroked his chin.

He seemed to understand something, but when he actually reached out, it was out of grasp.

‘Let’s leave it for now.’

Next was the turn of Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration, the divine ability that had allowed him to defeat numerous strong enemies.

In the split second the white flash settled in his lightly extended fist.

………!

Everything existing in front disappeared silently.

*Rumble!*

Late, a roaring sound echoed. It was a commotion caused by wind rushing into the region that had become a vacuum in an instant.

Staring quietly at the swirling gust of wind, he extended his hand again.

The second Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

At the light punch, the entire Lightning Fall Valley fluctuated.

His entire body ached as if it would break, but he did not stop. Third, and then fourth… he cast the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration a total of five times consecutively.

*Gasp.*

His body, which had reached Rank 4 highest-grade, cried out in pain.

His body, which achieved the Undying Body by achieving Great Success in the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art, reached just before collapse.

Because the destructive power harbied in the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration spread from the inside, trying to reduce his body to ashes.

‘Let’s stop here.’

Thinking he would really die if he used the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration even once more, he focused quietly only on his breathing.

Just as he was focusing on recovery.

‘Hmm?’

An unexpected effect appeared.

His body, which he had thought to have already reached its limit, became slightly stronger, though by a very small amount.

It felt as if his body, which had reached just before collapse, was restructured from deep within his bones, tuning the parts that had been finely misaligned.

Even though he had thought there was no room for improvement as his body tempering realm reached Rank 4 highest-grade. It was a mysterious thing.

Could it be that reaching the Rank 4 highest-grade realm was a delusion?

Or was his body, which had hit a limit, moving little by little toward the region beyond Rank 4…the Soul Formation stage.

‘I don’t know.’

He pondered for a moment, but could not find out.

No, it was precise to say there was no need to distinguish between the two. It was sufficient that he had found a method to move forward.

‘I should unfold the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration as much as possible whenever I have time.’

He had found both the deficient part and the method to fill it at the same time.

Nodding his head in satisfaction, he moved his body, which had recovered before he knew it, and sat cross-legged.

In fact, the most powerful weapon he possessed currently was not the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword.

This sword formula, which he had not mastered properly yet, possessed infinite potential.

Did not even A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens, the divine ability that could be cast at the entry stage, display overwhelming power.

He anticipated how powerful the second divine ability would be.

He closed his eyes as if meditating.

He engraved the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword spell formula carved in a portion of his soul from beginning to end again.

To understand even one more character among the total thirty million characters of the spell formula, he chewed on it constantly.

Then suddenly.

The question that had settled in a corner of his mind for a long time arose once more.

What is the Dao?

For some reason, the answer to that question, which had only been bleak, came out.

The Dao is…

Is it not the way of life that each person pursues?

To some, fighting while risking their life was the Dao, and to someone else, living peacefully for a long time was the Dao.

He did not know whether this was correct or wrong yet.

However, he decided to believe.

A single trace left behind by the trajectory of life. That that was indeed the Dao.

***

Time flowed and flowed.

Exactly 119 years since the day he blindly went to Red Yang Market to become an immortal in the distant past.

About forty-three thousand days if counted in days.

He did not live a single day carelessly. He trained himself until fierce, life-and-death struggle became daily life.

And so, today.

He reached the Nascent Soul stage Great Circle.

The Soul Formation stage, which had been treated like a vague dream. It meant he had obtained the qualification to challenge that place.

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