Chapter 261: Hunting a Void Refinement Stage-Level Demonic Beast (2)
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Jin So-myeong’s plan was simple.
Luring the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard by using himself as bait, and then having a refreshing fight. That was all.
‘There is no need to go around complexly.’
The Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard has extremely strong wariness, so if a Void Refinement stage cultivator is nearby, it absolutely never comes outside.
Since it hid inside a cave hardened over thousands of years built with the divine ability of crystallizing lightning Qi, a Void Refinement stage cultivator had absolutely no way to deal with it.
However, Jin So-myeong’s circumstances were different.
Whether looking at the surface or in reality, is he not merely in the Soul Formation stage? Just by wandering around the vicinity of its habitat, it would come to eat him up.
‘Hmm… But just in case, shall I investigate once more?’
No matter what, it was a matter of dealing with a Void Refinement stage-level Ancient Ominous Beast.
Because if he was careless, rather, this side might become the prey, so he had to absolutely pay attention.
Before entering the plateau desert,
he dropped by Sand Gate City, which was a city near the desert, and investigated meticulously. Because there might be information omitted in the jade slip given by the merchant union, he verified it again.
“Are you speaking of the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard? Oh dear, even without that, we have a headache because of that Ominous Beast.”
It was the statement that came from the manager of the Blue Sea Merchant Union active in the vicinity.
“What do you mean by a headache?”
“Is the desert not gradually widening because of that Ominous Beast? In the past, we could reach the Blue Cloud Sea Region in three years, but these days, we must allocate at least five years.”
Sand Gate City was a Rank 5 immortal city located to the west of the plateau desert, and if one crossed the desert from here and headed east, the sea came out.
The sea was exceptionally rich in cultivation resources, and purchasing various spiritual objects there and transporting them inland was the main source of income for the Blue Sea Merchant Union.
Under this situation,
they had to take a detour widely because of the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard settled in the desert, but since the desert was gradually widening, it was troublesome.
Although what Jin So-myeong was curious about was how strong the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard was, since useful information might come out if chatting like this, he did not shift the topic.
“There should also be a teleportation array in the Blue Cloud Sea Region, is there a need to necessarily go back and forth directly?”
“Haha… It seems the Daoist cultivated in a considerably good environment.”
“Yes?”
The manager, who stared like looking at a rich family’s young master for a split second, cleared his throat.
“Although high-stage spiritual objects would naturally be transported via the teleportation array, it cannot be so for those used by low-stage cultivators. Because the cost of the teleportation array is too great, it does not balance the budget.”
“Hmm… That point is so. By the way, you said the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard widens the desert; is there a related divine ability?”
“Well. If having a great appetite is also a divine ability, it would be a divine ability. Do you know that the plateau desert was a sea merely thousands of years ago?”
“I heard of it briefly.”
“The one who swallowed all the water of this place, which was originally a sea, is exactly the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard.”
“…The entire sea?”
“Yes. As if that was still not enough, even now it eyes the surroundings greedily. Since it tries to come out of the desert every time it has a gap, it only elicits sighs.”
It was said that three hundred years ago, it had even attacked a certain Rank 5 immortal city and swallowed it whole.
He wondered how people could live in a place like this, but they said that after a Void Refinement stage cultivator called the Violet Light Heavenly Lord settled down, the attacks almost vanished.
‘They said the Violet Light Heavenly Lord’s realm is the early Void Refinement stage.’
Seeing that it did not come out of the desert for hundreds of years fearing the early Void Refinement stage, the information that the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard’s realm was 6th-rank low-grade seemed to be true.
‘It can be viewed that it is at a level similar to Ra-heuk or even weaker.’
Could he win?
He asked himself one last time, but the answer did not change.
He could win.
Compared to when he fought Ra-heuk, he had grown at least three to four times stronger.
He believed that he would be able to deal with the Void Refinement stage even without using a divine ability carrying a massive aftermath like the Moon-Burning Realm-Crossing.
Nodding his head, Jin So-myeong left Sand Gate City and headed toward the desert.
He had gone to lure the Void Refinement stage-level Ancient Ominous Beast by using himself as bait.
***
Two months later.
Jin So-myeong, who was standing blankly in the middle of the endlessly stretching sand desert, scratched his chin.
‘To think it still does not come… Did I show the signs of baiting too much?’
Although he wandered the desert for over two months, the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard did not reveal its appearance even once.
Did it not attack because it was suspicious of him wandering around too openly?
He had heard that the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard’s wariness was strong, but this was beyond imagination.
‘Should I have lowered my realm further? No, it does not seem like that kind of problem.’
Currently, he was in a state where his strength was lowered by about forty percent utilizing the Blood Spirit Clone. Anyone would view him as an ordinary Soul Formation stage cultivator.
The reason the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard did not attack was probably because he behaved too much like bait.
If he had held his breath and pretended to be scared, would the result have been different?
Apparently, he seemed to have looked down too much on it just because it was an Ancient Ominous Beast whose intelligence had not awakened.
‘I should change the method a bit.’
Contemplating for a moment, Jin So-myeong deployed the Infinite Void Formless Robe.
Hiding his presence, he headed toward the place where the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard resided in the middle of the desert.
‘It said it lives in a stone cave… It looks like a cave made of crystals.’
The Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard’s stone cave was made of crystals where bright yellow lightning Qi wavered, and worthy of a structure reinforced over thousands of years, an immense energy was condensed.
Utilizing the Supreme Great Ability to amplify his senses, he deployed the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye.
He gauged whether he could break the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard’s stone cave…
‘It would be difficult.’
Among the hardest substances he had seen in his life so far was the Severed Realm Mountain Range that the Unity stage Dao Lord was said to have raised.
However, today that ranking changed. The stone cave in front of him was much harder than the Severed Realm Mountain Range.
Was that all? Since it even emitted lightning Qi when attacked, it was hundreds of times harder to pierce than the Severed Realm Mountain Range.
Of course, it was absolutely not that the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard’s ability was superior to a Unity stage Dao Lord.
The Severed Realm Mountain Range was merely the Unity stage Dao Lord compressing ordinary earth to draw a border line. It was not a subject of comparison in the first place.
‘But it is still grand.’
It was true that if the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard hid inside the stone cave, a Void Refinement stage cultivator could do nothing about it.
Jin So-myeong, who smacked his lips while looking at the stone cave, quietly turned back.
‘I want to try piercing it once, though…’
Although he wanted to attack with all his might, if he touched it in vain, it would only arouse wariness uselessly.
If he wanted to hunt the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard, now was the time to temporarily withdraw.
*
Returning to Sand Gate City, he inquired about a person who knew well about the plateau desert.
Because he needed to obtain more information.
“The person who knows the plateau desert best? Naturally, it is Daoist Ha. It has already been over fifty years since Daoist Ha entered and exited the desert.”
In the cultivation world, fifty years was frankly an ambiguous time.
He wondered why a person with merely that much was the person who knew the desert best, but they said that without exception, every single person with more experience than him had died.
In any case, because he had things to ask, he searched and inquired, and was able to meet a youth with a cheerful impression in a small tavern that low-stage cultivators would frequent.
His realm was the Soul Formation Stage 9th Layer.
Should he call it frugal, or should he say it looked poor?
Even though there was no particular problem with his attire, the impoverished feeling unique to a rogue cultivator drifted out.
Approaching the youth who was sipping Rank 1 spiritual wine that Qi Condensation stage cultivators would drink, he asked.
“Are you Daoist Ha Do-jin?”
“…Who?”
“I am Jin So-myeong. I came to find you because I heard Daoist Ha knows well about the plateau desert. I want to seek some advice; would it be possible?”
The moment he laid down about two hundred immortal stones in front of Ha Do-jin, who frowned as if annoyed,
“Ah, of course it is possible.”
His attitude changed abruptly.
The frowned eyebrows straightened in an instant, and the harsh voice also turned soft.
Was that all? Ha Do-jin, who subtly watched his mood, cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem. But could you not give me a bit more? Because my circumstances are tight lately.”
“If the answers are to my liking, I will give more.”
By the way, his speech was quite short.
So this side also spoke comfortably, but Ha Do-jin merely laughed and nodded his head.
“Right. What are you curious about?”
“I want to draw out the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard; what should I do?”
“…You want to do what?”
“You heard it correctly.”
As if it was absurd, Ha Do-jin, who scratched his head, let out a hollow laugh.
“Is that difficult? Just roasting and eating meat in the middle of the desert, it would come on its own.”
“I tried, but it did not come. Its wariness is worse than expected.”
“Haha.”
Ha Do-jin, who let out a hearty laugh, drank from his cup while looking out the window. He did not show any signs of listening seriously at all.
“…Actually, I intend to hunt the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard, but how it noticed, it did not visit. In this case, what should I do?”
“Ah, so that was it. Your worry must be great.”
Staring blankly at Ha Do-jin, who still treated it as a joke, he tapped the scabbard.
‘It seems I have to give him a few beatings to make him believe.’
However, hitting a person who did nothing wrong abruptly was a bit off.
Contemplating for a moment, he decided to ask something else. Actually, his personal curiosity was greater on this side.
“By the way, for what reason did you enter and exit the desert, where a Void Refinement stage-level Ancient Ominous Beast loiters, for fifty years?”
Was this question different?
Ha Do-jin, who paused while lifting his cup, was silent for a moment and then answered.
“…Is there any special reason? Just because of cultivation resources.”
According to what he investigated, they said that in various places of the plateau desert, there were several spiritual objects that the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard had sprinkled like bait.
Since the value of those spiritual objects was not small, he heard that some Soul Formation stage cultivators searched the desert while taking risks, and Ha Do-jin was one of them.
“Is it not a bit much to even risk your life to obtain cultivation resources? You could cultivate a bit safely.”
As he asked as if testing him, Ha Do-jin, who stared out the window, let out a sigh.
“My aptitude is humble, but I have many greed. It seemed hard to reach my goal by living comfortably.”
“Hmm.”
It was a pleasing and satisfying answer.
Because he directly confirmed with his own two eyes that there were people who cultivated while risking their lives even in the Upper Realm.
Contemplating for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“I heard you go to the desert periodically; next time you go, could you take me along?”
“Why? Ah, because of hunting that Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard?”
He nodded his head seriously at the words spoken while chuckling.
“Correct. Frankly, since it is a dangerous matter, I will pay the price definitely.”
He intended to stay together with a person who usually entered and exited the desert to observe their behavior. Because then he would naturally be able to lure the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard.
“Nonsense. Did you say Jin So-myeong? How could I trust you and go to the dangerous plateau desert together…”
Ha Do-jin’s mouth, which was flatly refusing, froze.
It was because of a single storage pouch laid down with a thud.
“Ha. With merely a few spirit stones it is far from enough… M-medium-grade immortal stones?”
“Three thousand. I will give you that much more once the work is over.”
Staring intently at the crystal where a spiral halo wavered, Ha Do-jin’s pupils trembled violently.
A medium-grade immortal stone was an immortal stone containing the energy of the 6th-rank, and depending on how it was used, it could exert a truly powerful strength.
For example, just by giving it to the Black-Flame Boundary-Stone, which was a 6th-rank Magic Treasure, it could exert a Void Refinement stage-level might even if briefly.
While Void Refinement stage Heavenly Lords used it as currency, for a Soul Formation stage cultivator, if used well, it was an opportunity to turn their life upside down.
“…You look like a rogue cultivator like me; where on earth did you obtain this?”
Where did he obtain it?
【Resource Production】 : 40 medium-grade immortal stones / 1 day
As he reached the late Soul Formation stage, his Divine Sense became strong, and he reinforced the spirit stone mine in the Secret Realm of the Mind up to the limit of 6th-rank medium-grade.
Medium-grade immortal stones were accumulating incessantly even at this exact moment.
However, since he could not tell him that…
“Is that important?”
he had no choice but to ask back like this.
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