Chapter 216: To the Sacred City
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Before leaving, he stopped by the Secret Realm of the Mind for a moment.
“Limitless, are you a bit better?”
Humm…
He examined the condition of Limitless, which had been limp from exhausting all its sharp energy, but the fellow had still not regained its original power.
Compared to one year ago, it was much better, but it was still clearly exhausted.
Should he say it felt like a person with a cold groaning? Even though he had poured out his Supreme Great Ability from time to time to cast the Myriad Flows Restoration divine ability, it was still so.
Anyway, the blow suffered while unleashing the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm was much greater than expected.
For Limitless to become perfectly fine, it seemed he would have to feed it plenty of Spiritual Treasures related to sharp energy or a long time would have to pass.
‘I should go to the Sacred City at least once.’
Since he had the jade token left by the Star-Shattering True Monarch, he would be able to open the treasury of the Sacred City; if he went there, obtaining Spiritual Treasures to feed Limitless would be no trouble at all.
Of course, since there would be countless treasures besides Spiritual Treasures, there was no reason not to go in the first place.
‘To go to the Sacred City from here… was White Night Immortal City in that direction?’
Having decided on the route, Jin So-myeong soared into the sky.
Although he had become a Soul Formation cultivator, the Middle Province was too vast. Since flying directly to the Sacred City would take a considerable amount of time, it was better to use a teleportation array.
He headed toward White Night Immortal City, the largest city nearby and the hub of transportation, and before long, he faced a Nascent Soul cultivator who came out to greet him with a very tense expression.
The middle-aged man, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, bowed ninety degrees and shouted.
“I greet the Senior! This junior is called Jang Baek-woo, and I am currently managing White Night Immortal City!”
Because he did not want to go through annoying things for no reason, he fully revealed his Soul Formation-class aura, and the man became polite to the point that it could be described as desperate.
“If there is anything you would command, please just speak. I will follow you with all my heart and strength.”
He said calmly to Jang Baek-woo, who was flustered as if serving an ancestor or a Grim Reaper.
“I only came to use the teleportation array, so do not be so nervous.”
“Ah! Where is your desired destination? I will guide you personally.”
“The Sacred City.”
Jang Baek-woo, who shivered his shoulders with a start, swallowed dry saliva and soon bowed.
“To go to the Sacred City from here, crossing over to Socheon City first will be the fastest. Let us go. I will guide you.”
How many minutes had passed?
As he crossed over to Socheon City using the teleportation array, a similar situation was repeated.
“I-I greet the Senior!”
Who soul-shattering expert would block his way when he openly revealed the aura of a Soul Formation cultivator?
Without any interference, he went straight to the Sacred City along the path opened smoothly.
Of course, moving like this meant the Sacred City would also know he was coming, but he had no particular intention to hide it.
If one is confident in one’s skills, there is no need to go around in circles.
Having defeated even the Star-Shattering True Monarch, who could be called a master of combat who had fought countlessly for two hundred thousand years, what was there to fear?
It might be jumping to conclusions too hastily, but
there was no one in the Human Realm who could stop him. The same was true even if measured by faction units rather than individuals.
If there was something he wished for, he could just do it.
He advanced toward the Sacred City without restraint, and before long, he faced the cultivators of the Sacred City lined up in a row.
‘Oh?’
Arriving at the entrance of the formation, which could be called the main gate of the Sacred City, Jin So-myeong paused.
This was because a truly vast number of people were packed together, including about thirty Nascent Soul cultivators standing at the head.
From boys and girls who still had a lingering touch of youth to elderly men with pure white beards.
He saw diverse people of all ages and genders, so many that they packed his entire field of vision.
Just the number coming into a single glance was at least tens of thousands.
A colossal crowd easily exceeding hundreds of thousands in total was waiting for Jin So-myeong, lined up in an orderly fashion.
“···”
Were they the ones living in the Sacred City?
So many people, enough to fill the entire horizon, stared at him.
Amidst the focused gazes and a silence filled with a strange heat…
“We greet the Lord of the Divine Wood!”
Heaven and earth echoed. As countless cultivators bowed and shouted in unison, the entire sky and land vibrated.
At the hospitality that felt like welcoming a king, Jin So-myeong, who narrowed his eyes, waved his hand.
“Everyone, rise.”
Dismissing the bowing crowd, he glanced at the Nascent Soul cultivators standing at the head.
“I want to hear an explanation. You must also know that I fought the Lord of the Divine Wood, so why do you welcome me like this?”
Did they also know that the purpose of the Star-Shattering True Monarch was to find a successor?
However, to say so, Hong Seol, who was from the Sacred City, seemed not to know about the Star-Shattering True Monarch.
His doubts were short-lived.
The woman who introduced herself as Myo Seol stepped forward and said, politely bringing her hands together.
“We report to the Senior. It is because of a rule that has been handed down since our Sacred City was first established.”
“A rule?”
“The rule is that the position of the Lord of the Divine Wood is held by the strongest in the Sacred City, or rather, in the Human Realm. Although it is a rule that became obsolete long ago because the Lord of the Divine Wood was always succeeded within the Sacred City, everyone is clearly aware of it.”
“…What if that person refuses to become the master of the Sacred City?”
Pausing, Myo Seol answered with a bright smile.
“If you refuse, we cannot help it. Having killed the Heavenly Venerable means you are an expert we cannot oppose, so how could we force you? Please do as you wish, Senior.”
Contrary to her submissive words, the positions of the Nascent Soul cultivators overlapped with the formation.
This meant that if Jin So-myeong intended to kill them, they would resist even by using the formation.
Of course, it was obvious who would win and lose.
Even if they risked their lives to use the Rank 5 formation, it would not pose a threat.
It would be fortunate if they could at least buy time for the people inside the formation to escape.
Of course, since he had no intention of slaughtering them uselessly, he would not attack them.
“Whether I will become the next Lord of the Divine Wood or not will be decided later, and for now I wish to see what he left behind.”
When he took out and shook the jade token with “Star Capital ” written on it, the Nascent Soul cultivators let out low groans.
What would possessing the jade token symbolizing the Lord of the Divine Wood mean? It was as good as proving the fact that he fought and defeated the Star-Shattering True Monarch.
“Ah…”
Myo Seol, who stared intently at the jade token, let out a breath like a sigh, and the Nascent Soul cultivators occupying the formation also showed a similar reaction.
Their subtly sharp attitude softened.
As if mourning, those who closed their eyes gently or looked up at the sky quietly withdrew, calmly opening the formation and clearing the way.
Myo Seol, who seemed somehow drained of energy, said,
“I understand. I will guide you to the treasury he managed.”
Following her as she flew quite fast, they moved for a long time before a spatial rift with a radius of about ten meters appeared.
‘A secret realm?’
For a secret realm to exist inside the Sacred City.
Examining with the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye, he saw over a hundred Rank 5 formations installed centering around the spatial rift.
“It is a treasury created by the Lord of the Divine Wood from dozens of generations ago by remodeling a micro secret realm. Even I have never entered it.”
“Huh.”
Using a secret realm as a treasury was surprising to see once again.
“Please be careful, as I heard that if you try to break the formations by force instead of opening them using the jade token, it will disappear beyond space along with the secret realm.”
“I see. Is there anything else I should know?”
“…The Heavenly Venerable said that if the one who killed him appeared someday, to guide him here.”
Jin So-myeong, who was silent for a moment, nodded and took out the jade token, and the complexly entangled formations vibrated and began to open.
Rumble…!
It looked as if elaborately constructed clock parts were moving simultaneously.
His inner admiration was only for a moment.
A single path just wide enough for one person to pass appeared.
The spatial rift, which had felt like half an illusion because it was somewhat unstable, also became completely stabilized.
‘Indeed.’
Thanks to the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye, he could see. Beyond the translucent spatial rift, countless treasures faintly reflecting shone in various colors.
Glancing away, he saw Myo Seol standing two or three steps behind him with her head bowed. She did not seem to have any intention of entering the treasury.
Silence, he pondered for a moment, then Jin So-myeong squeezed out a drop of vital blood and left it near the entrance.
‘Just in case.’
With just a single drop of vital blood, he could swap positions with his main body.
Preparing an escape route before entering the secret realm, he entered beyond the spatial rift along the single path…
“Huh.”
No modifiers were needed; treasures were literally piled up like mountains.
The entire heaven and earth were truly filled with treasures.
‘…Incredible.’
Honestly, he had not let go of a shred of doubt regarding the Star-Shattering True Monarch, but seeing this, it seemed he could believe him a bit more.
‘Did he really gather them for a successor?’
He slowly scanned the treasures well-organized by attribute.
The wood, fire, earth, metal, and water Five Elements spiritual objects were naturally there, and there were also plenty of rare ones like lightning-attribute spiritual objects.
It was to the extent that it would be faster to find what was missing, no matter what he wished for.
It felt as if he had prepared them as diversely as possible, since he did not know what kind of cultivation method the successor might have mastered.
Even the quality of the treasures was outstanding, let alone the quantity.
Counting just the Rank 5 grade ones, they reached about a hundred. It was a scenery as if all the treasures existing in the Human Realm were gathered.
‘Let’s restore Limitless first.’
Heading to the area where Spiritual Treasures were gathered, he chose ones related to sharp energy and gave them all to Limitless.
Buzz!?
Smiling as he watched Limitless rejoice at suddenly receiving a pile of Spiritual Treasures while sleeping in the spiritual herb field of the Secret Realm of the Mind, he returned to the treasury.
‘Are there no Rank 5 Magic Treasures?’
He checked the remaining hundreds of Spiritual Treasures one by one, but regrettably, they were all Rank 4 or below.
Rank 5 Magic Treasures seemed to be far more precious than expected, seeing that they were not even in such a place.
He glanced along the treasures that still had a long way to go.
A few jade slips and talismans caught his eye, but since he had handled his urgent business, he stepped out of the treasury for now.
Sure enough, Myo Seol was still waiting in the same spot.
“You asked me to become the Lord of the Divine Wood, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me about the Sacred City. I must at least know what kind of group it is to decide whether to take charge of it or not.”
Myo Seol, who seemed to ponder for a moment, said in a voice that carried almost no ups and downs of emotion:
“The purpose of our Sacred City is to block the connection with the Upper Realm and preserve the cultivation civilization of humanity.”
“···”
“Of course, these are superficial reasons, and in my view, the Heavenly Venerable seemed to have been waiting for someone.”
Glancing this way, she fell silent for a few seconds before continuing her words.
“So, it is safe to say that the purpose of our existence has already ended.”
Jin So-myeong, who was silently lost in thought, soon nodded refreshingly.
“I understand. I will take charge of the Lord of the Divine Wood for the time being. And there is no need to forcibly block the connection with the Upper Realm anymore.”
“…Yes?”
“As time flows, will other Soul Formation cultivators not eventually emerge besides me? Unless you plan to kill them all, connecting with the Upper Realm is inevitable.”
In the first place, just the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword mastered by Jin So-myeong accelerated the connection with the Upper Realm.
Since he had no intention of controlling the entire Human Realm like the Star-Shattering True Monarch…
it could not be turned back anymore. It was safe to say that a giant wheel had begun to turn.
“You should ponder how to live in the future. You may just leave if you wish, and even if you challenge the Soul Formation stage, I will not block you, so do as you please.”
“Ah…”
He said to Myo Seol, who was so surprised that she could not continue speaking and only twitched lips:
“I will ascend to the Upper Realm as soon as my preparations are finished. I will leave after choosing a successor, so do not worry too much.”
Of course, preparations would not finish in a day or two.
He planned to visit various connections he had met so far, including Hong Seol who had vanished after being injured, and he also had to digest the various treasures in the treasury.
Still, the goal itself was clear.
Ascending to the Upper Realm to verify with his own two eyes what kind of world would unfold.
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