Chapter 262: A Lucrative Harvest
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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How many Soul Formation stage cultivators would be able to refuse resources related to the 6th-rank?
Of course, there would indeed be some, but…
at least Ha Do-jin was not one of them.
He, who was staring intently at the medium-grade immortal stones, exhaled his held breath and spoke.
“Good. I will go together with you.”
Going to the desert together with Jin So-myeong. In a way, he made an extremely natural choice.
“You thought well. When do you intend to depart?”
“I originally intended to go two days later, would that be fine?”
“Just perfect. Let us meet at the city gates then.”
The time of two days passed quickly.
As he wandered Sand Gate City to replenish cultivation resources, before he knew it, the day to head to the desert visited.
Arriving at the promised location, Ha Do-jin, who wore a wind-shielding cloak all over his body, was waiting.
“You came exactly on time.”
“Hmm.”
At that moment when he gestured to depart,
Ha Do-jin, from whose face all smiles vanished as if he was tense, spoke.
“Now slowly tell me the true reason you mean to enter the plateau desert. Only then can I also prepare, can I not?”
Listening quietly, a bitter smile came out on its own.
“I do not know how many times I must say it for you to believe me. I said I intend to hunt the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard.”
“…That was sincere?”
“Yeah. You just do as usual. If the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard attacks, I will deal with it, so you run away immediately.”
As he spoke with a serious expression devoid of playfulness, Ha Do-jin’s brow furrowed.
As if thinking of something, he who was silent for a long time let out a sigh.
“Whew… Okay. Since it is the statement spoken by the extraordinary person who gave me medium-grade immortal stones, I should believe it. Let’s depart.”
“Do you intend to fly?”
“No. I have a considerably stealthy flying carriage, so let’s ride this.”
Ha Do-jin took out a flying carriage whose walls were closely engraved with talisman characters, and despite floating in midair, it did not make any noise.
‘Is it a Rank 5 peak-grade Heavenly Spiritual Treasure? A Magic Treasure focused on stealth rather than speed.’
Simultaneously with boarding while nodding his head,
the flying carriage that soared into the sky headed toward the desert.
Until meeting the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard, he intended to do as Ha Do-jin wished.
*
How many days had passed?
Injecting spiritual power into the flying carriage alternately, before they knew it, they arrived in the very middle of the plateau desert.
‘Quiet…’
Wherever he looked, there was only the endlessly stretching desolate desert.
At that moment when the same scenery repeated to the point of being tedious,
“Found it.”
Ha Do-jin, who was looking around in all directions without resting even for a moment, brightened up, then controlled the flying carriage and descended to the ground.
Just what on earth did he find?
While he was puzzled because only sand was visible despite looking around,
Ha Do-jin, who was about to form a hand seal and deploy a spell, paused and looked this way.
“Let us make this clear first. Because there is no need to blush at each other in vain.”
“What?”
“We decide to share what we obtain from now on exactly half and half. Actually, it is my loss, but since you gave me medium-grade immortal stones, I am conceding.”
“I will do so. But surely you are not saying we should also share the byproducts obtained from catching the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard?”
Ha Do-jin, who wore an expression as if asking if he was still on that talk, waved his hand.
“You take all of that. Because if the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard appears, I will run away without even looking back.”
“If so, I have no complaints.”
Ha Do-jin, who nodded his head, deployed a spell, and
Koogoogoogung!
the ground covered with sand sank, and a distantly deep canyon was revealed.
Emitting his Divine Sense to examine, a building buried dozens of kilometers below was visible.
He was slightly surprised.
Since Divine Sense could not exert its full power in a place with many obstacles like underground, how did he find out about a building located deep underground?
“How did you know there was something like that underground?”
“I am sorry, but that is my secret transmission. I will only let you know that I used an earth-attribute spell.”
Asking just in case, sure enough. A flat refusal returned.
Although it was a bit regrettable, he did not pry forcibly. Because any proper cultivator was bound to possess their own secret transmission.
Following Ha Do-jin who descended underground, soon a palace built of blue-green mineral appeared.
‘A Dragon Palace?’
Wave patterns were carved on the columns half-buried in sand, and dried-up clam shells were embedded here and there.
In many ways, it was a palace of an appearance that would fit perfectly if in the sea.
Kreeeak…
Opening the rusted iron gate and entering, a space like a main hall came out, and mysteriously, sand did not enter this place.
‘Was this a place where a Soul Formation stage cultivator resided thousands of years ago?’
At that moment when he looked at the palace where traces of time were smeared,
“Oh!”
Ha Do-jin, who was scanning all directions with wide-open eyes, burst into an exclamation and ran toward a corner of the main hall.
He wore a broad smile while looking at the coral that was dried up and drooping, but the appearance of the coral was somehow familiar.
‘Where did I see that…’
At that moment when he was groping his memory, Ha Do-jin, whose mouth corners soared to his cheekbones, shouted in a voice filled with joy.
“Khuuu, to think it is a living Jade Water Coral! What a windfall!”
Upon hearing the name Jade Water Coral, the memory came back clearly.
In the past, in the Nascent Soul stage days, he had gone to a secret realm called the Defeated Sage Dojo, and one of the spiritual objects obtained there was the Jade Water Coral.
“If it is the Jade Water Coral, I know it as a spiritual object that produces spiritual Qi. Is that correct?”
“Yes. On top of that, this Jade Water Coral has grown up to Rank 5. It is a truly uncommon fellow.”
At the statement that it was a moving Rank 5 spiritual vein, his head nodded on its own.
‘Geum-cheong would like it if I give it to her. …Ah, come to think of it, I could also copy it with the Myriad Flows Restoration divine ability.’
Actually, because he had so much wealth, he thought he would have no inspiration no matter what he obtained in the desert, but the first harvest was lucrative.
There were three Jade Water Corals in total planted in Magic Treasures shaped like flowerpots.
At that moment when he was contemplating how to share them,
Ha Do-jin, who subtly rolled his eyes, cleared his throat and spoke.
“Two for you, Jin So-myeong. One for me. How about sharing like this?”
“Hmm? You mean to concede?”
While he was puzzled by the attitude unusual for a rogue cultivator tight on cultivation resources,
“Instead, just give me five hundred medium-grade immortal stones. Is the Jade Water Coral not a rare object hard to find even if giving any amount of immortal stones?”
“Got it. I will do so.”
Even if speaking of five hundred medium-grade immortal stones, it was merely an amount obtainable in about ten days.
Since there was no need to contemplate, as he merely nodded his head, Ha Do-jin’s mouth gaped open.
“Hehe. I have met a truly proper backer. Suddenly I want to use polite language, can I do so?”
“You should have done so earlier.”
“Ha. What a lamentable thing.”
Around this point, he looked at Ha Do-jin again.
Actually, if he revealed this much wealth, it would not be strange even if he harbored greed. However, Ha Do-jin did not show that kind of sign particularly.
‘He has a mysterious personality.’
Although looking playful at a glance, it felt as if there was a solid core deep in his heart.
Anyway,
sharing the Jade Water Corals and searching the palace in earnest, there were many useful spiritual objects.
“You say this pearl is the Blue Sea Precious Pearl?”
The Blue Sea Precious Pearl was a treasure in which a broad ocean, a vast sea, was contained in a pearl the size of a thumb.
“Of course, compared to the real Blue Sea Precious Pearl, it falls short. The water contained in that pearl would merely be at the level of a lake.”
“A lake… Still, it is a decent object.”
He must not think of Earth. To be called a lake in the Upper Realm, the scale had to be immensely large.
“It is a considerably useful object for a cultivator who mastered water-attribute spells, so it is quite expensive. Well, for a wealthy person like you, it would be the price of a single meal.”
***
Prowling the desert while obtaining various harvests, a month passed before they knew it.
In the meantime, he became quite close with Ha Do-jin, and thanks to that, he could also hear this kind of talk.
“You say you will leave the desert taking this as the last?”
“Yeah. Since I collected immortal stones after suffering, I should cultivate in concentration for the time being now.”
“Where do you intend to go?”
“Well. I am thinking of going toward the Blue Cloud Sea Region.”
Suddenly, one of the contents he investigated while coming to the human territory, the Stone Heart Realm, brushed through his mind.
‘Does he intend to go to the secret realm opening fifty years later?’
The things he investigated with the most interest as soon as he came to the Stone Heart Realm were information on the Void Refinement stage spiritual objects and secret realms.
In particular, saying that he thoroughly knew about secret realms opening periodically in the same location was not an exaggeration, and the one opening in the nearest period was exactly the secret realm located in the Blue Cloud Sea Region.
‘If things go well, we might meet there again.’
Summing up the plan Jin So-myeong set up simply, it was breaking through to the Void Refinement stage within fifty years and going to the secret realm to obtain 6th-rank resources.
At that moment when he was nodding his head while recalling what to do in the future,
‘A lake?’
Near the very edge of his Divine Sense at 1,600 kilometers, he discovered a lake wide enough to be mistaken for a sea.
Soon after, Ha Do-jin, who grew noticeably tense, lowered his voice.
“From now on, pay real attention. Because this is a place I also go for the first time.”
“A place you go for the first time?”
“Yeah. If we go over there, a lake comes out, which is a bait the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard laid down to lure prey like us.”
For a split second, it was absurd.
He thought he should have let him know earlier if there was such a place, but he also understood in his own way.
From Ha Do-jin’s position, clashing with a Void Refinement stage-level Ancient Ominous Beast was identical to death.
“Ha, indeed. By the way, why do you suddenly mean to go to a place you normally did not even dare to because it was dangerous?”
“Haha. Do I not have you?”
“…”
He wondered if he truly believed the statement that he would hunt the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard… but no matter how he looked, it did not seem so.
“Do you know what the method is to survive when clashing with a monster of a high realm?”
“Well. Can I not just fight and win?”
“What?”
Ha Do-jin, who stared like looking at a crazy guy for a split second, shook his head from side to side and continued speaking.
“Naturally you have to run away. But you do not necessarily need to be faster than the monster. You only need to be faster than the person next to you.”
“Huh.”
In other words, he had come because he was confident in running away faster than Jin So-myeong.
“Since you said you would hunt the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard anyway, there is nothing to be sorry about. If the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard appears, please endure as much as possible. So that I can run away.”
“I will do so.”
Since it was absurd, he merely ended up nodding his head, and Ha Do-jin, who chuckled, took out a wooden token.
“It is a joke. You must not know well how strong the Void Refinement stage is. Running away from a Void Refinement stage-level Ominous Beast with a Soul Formation stage level is close to impossible.”
“Is it difficult?”
“Naturally it is difficult, why do you even say that? Actually, I came trusting this.”
Ha Do-jin took out a jade box sealed with a talisman, and upon peeling the talisman and opening it, a wooden token was inside.
“That… I can feel the energy of the 6th-rank.”
“You can feel that? Your senses are quite something. It is a wooden token given by the Violet Light Heavenly Lord, and his energy is contained.”
“…”
“If we hold this, it will mistake that there is a Void Refinement stage Heavenly Lord here. Due to the characteristics of the highly wary Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard, it will withdraw immediately.”
Looking at the wooden token Ha Do-jin held, two thoughts occurred simultaneously.
‘Will that work?’
Just speaking of Jin So-myeong, he possessed a vast Divine Sense capable of examining a radius of 1,600 kilometers from where he sat.
The Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard would also be at a similar level, so it was questionable whether such a wooden token would work on an existence possessing that kind of sensing ability.
And also.
The intention of the one called Violet Light Heavenly Lord did not look that clean.
What would happen if the number of Soul Formation stage cultivators carrying around such a wooden token became large?
As time passed, the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard would regard the Violet Light Heavenly Lord’s energy as nothing serious.
At that point, was he not intending to personally step out and lure the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard?
Suddenly, that kind of thought brushed by.
He wondered if he should tell him this, but Ha Do-jin also seemed to have roughly noticed.
“Well, such a wooden token will not continue to work. I am using it because today will be the first and last time.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, let’s go. Because I was curious about what treasures would be in that lake.”
Simultaneously with arriving at the lake sparkling under the sunlight,
he was able to discover the treasure too easily.
“Mysterious Jade Crystal?”
Discovering a light-green jade stone reaching about three meters in diameter, Ha Do-jin’s complexion brightened dramatically.
The Mysterious Jade Crystal was the main ingredient for the Mysterious Heaven Brilliance Pill that pulled up the spiritual root talent to the Heavenly Spiritual Root.
The price of the Mysterious Jade Crystal he bought in the city where the Asuras lived was seventy thousand immortal stones.
In the human territory, it would be expensive if anything, and not cheaper.
A single lump of Mysterious Jade Crystal could buy roughly forty years’ worth of cultivation resources. And that was speaking based on the highest-grade elixirs without side effects.
‘Lucrative.’
Counting the Mysterious Jade Crystals scattered here and there in the lake, it exceeded ten easily. It was a splendid harvest even to the wealthy Jin So-myeong.
Since the amount of elixirs he consumed was too much, the spirit stones piled like a mountain were slowly decreasing, so it was a relief.
At that moment when he was nodding his head in satisfaction,
Ha Do-jin, who was agitated to the point of finely trembling his fingertips, swallowed his saliva and whispered.
“Since your senses seem outstanding, please guard the surroundings. I will mine the Mysterious Jade Crystals.”
“I will do so. Ah, since the Mysterious Jade Crystal explodes if touched wrongly, be careful.”
“I know, so do not worry.”
How much time had passed?
The Mysterious Jade Crystals rolling around the lakeside were entirely harvested, and Ha Do-jin, who could not suppress the smile leaking out, handed over the storage pouch.
“Here are nine. It is half of what we mined so far.”
“Good work.”
“Now I will go to mine what is inside there.”
At that moment when Ha Do-jin was about to leap into the lake this time,
“Wait.”
“Why all of a sudden…”
Before the words could even finish, an anomaly occurred.
Beyond the horizon, at a place so distant it could not even be reached by vision,
an ultra-large crystal pillar larger than an ordinary high-rise building. A giant spear enveloped in bright yellow lightning flew in while drawing a parabola.
The moment he perceived the giant spear rushing in at an immense speed,
wholly winding A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens around the sword, he spread his Blood Wings at the same time.
‘Has it finally come?’
Along with the smile forming on his lips, he stared straight beyond the horizon.
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