Chapter 266: Years Flashing By in an Instant
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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The moment he unfolded the Golden Body Dharma Image divine ability.
The giant phantom that appeared like an illusion extended a fist following Jin So-myeong, and a massive canyon was created in the desert.
It was a trace as if something very, very large and long, for example, a creature like a dragon, had dug through the sand and moved forward.
“Heh.”
He had not intended it.
The overwhelming physical force contained in the fist had merely pushed the air, and the fist wind that flew like an artillery shell had simply carved a massive path through the sandy desert.
Looking at the terrain hollowed out deeply like a riverbed, he kept his body still this time and manipulated only the giant phantom separately.
The moment the fist struck down from midair hit the earth.
Kwaaaaang!
A massive crater was hollowed out as if a meteor had fallen.
As if lightly warming up, he unleashed fists in succession, devastating the desert.
Moving for a long time to get used to the newly obtained divine ability, he suddenly realized a powerful advantage of the Golden Body Dharma Image.
‘There is almost no burden.’
Even though he had unleashed Void Refinement-grade blows dozens of times, there was almost no load applied to his body.
Which meant…
‘At this rate, I can fight a Void Refinement Heavenly Lord even without the Blood Wings.’
It meant that, starting from today, he had obtained a Void Refinement-grade weight class in both name and reality.
Nodding in satisfaction, he tapped the scabbard.
Seureureung!
The moment he injected spiritual power into Limitless, which had soared into the air.
Limitless, which was the size of an ordinary longsword, grew rapidly larger until it became the perfect size for the giant to hold.
The Magic Treasures Limitless had absorbed so far surpassed tens of thousands in total.
It meant he had obtained a variety of divine abilities so numerous that they were difficult to count individually, and one of them was the Giant Sword Art, a divine ability that made the sword colossal.
Holding the enlarged Limitless with the Golden Body Dharma Image, he amplified the sword’s weight this time.
The moment he swung Limitless, which had instantly surpassed one million geun, horizontally.
……………!
From one end of the horizon to the other, the desert that was full of sand dunes turned into flat ground in an instant.
With a single horizontal slash, all the sand mountains that blocked his view disappeared.
Jin So-myeong, who was staring blankly at the dumbfounding scenery, had his eyes sparkled.
‘This is fantastic.’
The terrain changed with a single light gesture.
There was no sentence more suitable than this to describe the power of the Golden Body Dharma Image.
Although the Golden Body Dharma Image was lacking in diverse variations, it was a divine ability whose physical power alone was overwhelming.
Suddenly, curiosity arose.
What would happen if he attacked the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard’s stone cave with the Golden Body Dharma Image?
After pondering slightly, he judged that there would be no particular problem and tested it immediately.
Concentrating his mind, he made the Golden Body Dharma Image charge forward.
He raised the giant sword, weighing one million geun, high into the sky before striking down vertically, and
Jjeooo-oong…!
A shockwave so intense that it was difficult to steady his body swept over.
Simultaneously with stepping back to let the shock flow away,
A dazzling lightning poured out from the stone cave, which did not even have a single scratch.
Pajijijijik!
Bundles of lightning that poured down like whips lashed the Golden Body Dharma Image, and the giant phantom engulfed in lightning Qi became hazy as if it would disappear at any moment.
That was also temporary.
The phantom that wavered like a mirage soon regained its fine appearance.
It was thanks to the characteristics of the Golden Body Dharma Image.
Strictly speaking, the Golden Body Dharma Image summoned into reality was a phantom without substance. It was able to exert physical power thanks to the unique authority of Void Refinement that did not distinguish between substance and illusion.
As long as the substance in his mind was not destroyed, the Golden Body Dharma Image would recover again as time passed no matter how severe of a blow it sustained.
It meant he could carry out attacks accompanied by danger without hesitation.
In any case…
Should he say it lived up to its reputation?
‘It is incredibly hard.’
The Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard’s stone cave was perfectly fine even after being hit by the blow delivered by the Golden Body Dharma Image.
Worthy of a stone cave reinforced over thousands of years, it was sturdy enough that not a single scratch would form from ordinary impacts.
Jin So-myeong, who shook his head in amazement, approached the stone cave and placed his palm on it.
He was trying to see if he could enter the stone cave using the Thunder Dao Refining Art, which was the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard’s divine ability.
‘It seems like it should work…’
While in contact with the lightning Qi solidified like crystal, he concentrated his mind.
Since it was an innate divine ability possessed by a demonic beast, it was difficult to express in words, but he judged that he could enter the stone cave by performing the process of solidifying lightning Qi in reverse.
Woo-oong!
The wall touched by his palm vibrated, and a heavy sound echoed.
The moment the crystal, which had hardened over a long period, was about to return to lightning Qi.
The half-melted crystal caused resistance.
‘Hmm?’
Worthy of the lightning Qi wielded by a Void Refinement-grade demonic beast, its spirituality was strong. It resisted, as if noticing that the person using the divine ability was not its owner.
Although the half-melted crystal tried to solidify hard again, this much of a gap was enough for Jin So-myeong.
Unfolding the Infinite Void Formless Robe, he took a step forward.
Squeezing through the minute gap created as the crystal melted, he dug into the interior.
Although the instantly solidified crystal blocked the path, it was already too late. Jin So-myeong had entered the stone cave long ago.
‘It is done.’
Passing through the crystal wall, which was ten meters in thickness alone, the first thing he saw was countless starlight, numbering over tens of millions.
The crystal cave was closed off in all directions, but it was not dark. This was because both the walls and the ceiling were made of crystals containing lightning Qi.
Looking at the crystals sparkling like stars in the night sky, he lowered his gaze and scanned the cave.
‘It is incredibly wide.’
Fitting for a place where the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard, which possessed a size as large as a mountain range, had lived, it boasted a colossal scale, wide enough to establish a castle.
He had thought the cave he saw on the ground was quite large because its height exceeded five kilometers, but that was extremely partial compared to the whole.
The cave was in a shape that dug deep underground like an iceberg floating in the sea.
Looking at the endlessly stretching underground cavern, he felt as if a city could even be established.
‘The spiritual Qi is also dense. It is a perfect place to cultivate.’
Looking around the cave, he chose the spot where the spiritual Qi was densest.
Using the Thunder Dao Refining Art, he built a three-story house and a training ground.
And in order to cultivate with a peaceful mind, he erected several more barriers that completely enclosed the training ground and the house.
If he created barriers in multiple layers like this, he could buy time to respond even if the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard’s stone cave suddenly collapsed.
‘Good.’
After establishing a base that made him feel secure just by looking at it,
He went to the Secret Realm of the Mind and brought Geum-cheong.
“Bieeeek!?”
The reaction displayed by Geum-cheong upon witnessing the crystal cave filled with lightning Qi was…
Shock.
And disbelief.
“T-To think such a place exists…!”
The fellow, who had been frozen for a long time with her beak wide open, moved only her head and examined the stone cave.
“Bieeeek! Lightning Qi! There is so much lightning Qi! It is scattered all over the place!”
Like an adventurer who had discovered a mountain of treasure made of gold coins, he stopped Geum-cheong, who was running toward the crystal cave blindly.
“Be careful. If you touch it, it will emit lightning to attack.”
“Bik?”
Geum-cheong, who had been happy as if she would even do a body slam, paused, but her excitement did not cool down.
The fellow, who was thinking deeply about something, went to the Secret Realm of the Mind and returned holding a blue stone in her beak.
Looking at it without much thought, he was startled.
“Is that by any chance a Jade Thunder Pearl?”
“Correct. I raised it with great effort.”
“Heh…”
The Jade Thunder Pearl could be viewed as an ore that constantly spewed lightning, and he had obtained it on Sky Island during his Foundation Establishment days.
Although it was an object imbued with memories, its rank was too low to use now that he had ascended to the Soul Formation stage. To put it a bit harshly, it was safe to view it as on the level of gravel rolling on the roadside.
However…
The Jade Thunder Pearl Geum-cheong pulled out was different.
‘Even looking at it roughly, it seems to be 5th-rank peak-grade…?’
Geum-cheong had a talent for extracting the essence of lightning Qi contained in a lightning-attributed spiritual object and transferring it to another spiritual object.
It seemed she had raised the Jade Thunder Pearl tremendously by utilizing that talent.
“Master! Keep good guard of this. Because this is the core of our nest, you must not lose it.”
“…Sure.”
Just as he was watching silently, feeling both absurd and fascinated.
Geum-cheong, who had gone to the Secret Realm of the Mind again, brought another Jade Thunder Pearl.
This time was also 5th-rank peak-grade. It meant that lightning Qi on the level of the Soul Formation stage Great Circle was contained in that fist-sized stone.
“…”
Even two were not the end.
Three, four, five…
A total of thirty-seven.
Combining all the Jade Thunder Pearls Geum-cheong had brought, it became an absurd quantity.
Could she have poured all the lightning-attributed spiritual objects he had given her so far into the Jade Thunder Pearls?
“Correct!”
When he asked, she said yes.
Seeing Geum-cheong nodding proudly, only a hollow laugh escaped him.
‘An ordinary 5th-rank Immortal City would be devastated just by exploding those Jade Thunder Pearls.’
Just as he was shaking his head,
Geum-cheong, having moved all the Jade Thunder Pearls, drew close to the crystal stone cave.
Looking at that sight, he felt slightly anxious.
Although Geum-cheong was a demonic beast born with lightning, the lightning Qi contained in the stone cave was of the 6th rank. If she were attacked, she could be severely injured or die.
On the off chance, he stayed close to Geum-cheong’s side and prepared for a situation where the lightning Qi might attack.
“Bik! Can I use the lightning Qi on that wall?”
“Hmm… wait a minute. I will just detach a chunk for you.”
He placed his palm on the stone cave wall and concentrated.
The moment he unfolded the Thunder Dao Refining Art to return the crystal to lightning Qi.
He grabbed the half-melted crystal, and
Chwaak!
Tore it off immediately before it could solidify again.
Examining the tiny crystal fragment obtained in that manner, it contained a weak lightning Qi compared to the entire stone cave.
Thinking that she would not be severely injured even if lightning Qi erupted at this level, he gave it to Geum-cheong.
“Here. Be careful.”
“Bik!”
Although he was tightly tensed when Geum-cheong pecked the crystal fragment with her beak, nothing happened.
Even though she was extracting the essence of lightning Qi and transferring it to the Jade Thunder Pearl, the crystal remained calm.
‘Fascinating…’
Was it because the stimulation was too weak that it did not react?
Or it could simply be because Geum-cheong’s ability to handle lightning Qi was outstanding.
Watching Geum-cheong, who seemed to have gotten into a good mood as she chirped while raising the Jade Thunder Pearl, he summoned a clone.
Summoning the Golden Body Dharma Image and lending it to the clone, he instructed it to stay close to Geum-cheong.
‘This should be fine.’
Although the stone cave was calm now, he had it perform escort duty just in case.
Although the power possessed by the clone was weak, it could exert quite a powerful strength if it utilized the Golden Body Dharma Image using the 6th-rank inner core as a power source.
Blocking the thunderbolts poured out by the stone cave once or twice was fully possible.
“Geum-cheong. If you need more crystal fragments, tell this clone.”
“Understood!”
Leaving Geum-cheong, who was diligently pecking at the crystal fragments and Jade Thunder Pearls alternately, he detached a few more fist-sized crystal chunks.
‘I should use these.’
He planned to absorb the lightning Qi contained in the crystals to build up his spiritual power.
After that, utilizing the Thunder Dao Refining Art and the Infinite Void Formless Robe, he went outside the stone cave.
He burned a sound-transmitting talisman to contact Ha Do-jin, but there was no response.
He had contacted him because he decided to give him three thousand more mid-grade immortal stones once the hunt for the Thunder-Pattern Hermit Lizard was finished, but he did not answer.
‘Hmm… did he already leave, since he said he was going to the Blue Cloud Sea Region?’
In fact, about two years ago, because he thought learning the Golden Body Dharma Image would take longer than expected, he had contacted him a few times. He had not answered then either, and now too there was no response.
It seemed he had departed so far that the sound-transmitting talisman could not reach.
‘It cannot be helped.’
Deciding to give the remaining mid-grade immortal stones if they met again someday, he returned to the cultivation room built in the crystal cave.
Since he had finished all the work that needed urgent handling, he now only needed to focus on cultivation for the time being.
Closing his eyes tightly, he operated the Primordial One Qi Art.
His current realm was the Soul Formation stage 7th layer.
He gauged how long it would take to reach the next step, the 8th layer…
‘Twenty years?’
Including going past the Soul Formation stage 8th layer to the 9th layer and Great Circle, it seemed it would take roughly seventy years in total.
Seventy years until Void Refinement.
It was absolutely not a slow speed.
Rather, it was a speed so fast that no one would believe it even if he told them.
Originally, once one reached the Soul Formation stage, it was normal to cultivate for several hundred years just to see if a single layer would rise.
However, he felt a slight pity.
Because his goal was to achieve Void Refinement before entering the secret realm that had fifty years…no, now forty-seven years remaining.
Then what should he do?
Should he increase the concentration of spiritual Qi in the air by replicating the 5th-rank Jade Water Corals, which were spiritual objects that produced Qi, in large quantities?
He could do that, but there was another method that appealed to him more.
【Cultivation Method】
Primordial One Qi Art (Proficiency 17.52 Million / 3 Trillion)
Raising the proficiency of his Natal Cultivation Method.
A proficiency of three trillion was an astronomical figure, but the Supreme Great Abilities recovered each month were also not to be scoffed at.
At the Soul Formation stage 7th layer currently, the Supreme Great Abilities recovered each month were 16 billion, so…
Under the condition of investing the Supreme Great Abilities entirely, raising the proficiency of the Primordial One Qi Art took roughly sixteen years.
However, since he also had to use the Supreme Great Abilities during ordinary cultivation, investing them entirely was unreasonable.
‘If I invest within a limit where the cultivation speed does not slow down too much, it will take roughly twenty years at a generous estimate.’
Jin So-myeong, who was considering various factors, nodded his head.
He plunged into full-fledged cultivation, and
A period of seventeen years passed in an instant. And news about a Void Refinement spiritual object arrived.
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