Chapter 298: Calamity-Averting Talisman
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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As he landed on the half-destroyed sailing vessel along with the group, a middle-aged man with one arm missing hurriedly approached and bowed his waist.
“I pay respects to the seniors! This junior is called No Gyeong, who managed Flying Cloud City.”
“Flying Cloud City? Hmm… Do you perhaps have a map of the vicinity?”
“Of course.”
Examining the map jade slip held out politely, he could grasp their approximate location.
Fortunately, they had not been transported to the Asura territory.
It was still the Stone Heart Realm, and was a region not very far from the Blue Cloud Sea Region where the entrance of the Limitless Pure Land had been.
‘If we fly south from here for about one or two months, it is the Blue Cloud Sea Region.’
If he wanted to go to the center of the Stone Heart Realm where the Rank 7 immortal city was located, he just had to fly straight north.
“Fellow Daoist Jin. May I also take a look?”
“Ah, of course.”
He shared the map with the group members, and everyone’s expressions brightened.
“I did not recognize it because it is a featureless wasteland, but it was near the Blue Cloud Sea Region. It is a relief that we were not transported to an absurd place.”
“The closest Rank 6 immortal city from here… is Myriad Swords City.”
“Oh, isn’t Myriad Swords City the place where a Teleportation Array is installed? Returning to the Infinite Void Temple will not be difficult.”
Just as everyone was smiling in relief.
Jeok Song frowned.
“However, it is strange that Asuras appeared here in the middle of the Stone Heart Realm. Seeing the Origin Qi of heaven and earth fluctuating, the Asuras Fellow Daoist Jin disposed of seemed to have been of the Void Refinement Stage grade. Is that correct?”
“Yes. He was of the mid-stage Void Refinement Stage, and there were a few subordinates as well.”
“Heh. Could a war have broken out while we were trapped?”
“That might be the case.”
After a brief silence.
“You said you are No Gyeong. Do you perhaps know what the situation is?”
When he asked the Castellan of Flying Cloud City who was waiting slightly apart, an answer came immediately.
“I report to the seniors. A war has broken out due to a surprise attack by the Asuras twenty years ago.”
If it was twenty years ago…
it was roughly around the time he defeated Gwang-rim and was trapped in the secret realm.
“How is the current war situation?”
“I understand the front line is spread out long centering on the Blue Cloud Sea Region.”
“The Blue Cloud Sea Region?”
“Yes. I heard that the Gwang-myeong Dao Sovereign and the Avici Dao Sovereign are confronting each other there.”
“The Gwang-myeong Dao Sovereign is personally staying in the Blue Cloud Sea Region?”
“Yes.”
It was a strange thing.
Because the Blue Cloud Sea Region did not have a Rank 7 spiritual vein, nor was it particularly a strategic key point.
No matter how one looked at it, it was not a region for an Integration Stage Dao Sovereign to focus on.
“Do you know where the other Dao Sovereigns are?”
“I am sorry. Because the other two have not revealed their locations, I do not know.”
“There is no need to be sorry. How would you know what they have hidden?”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Ah, by the way, how are the movements of the Insect-Armor Race? It does not seem they would miss this kind of opportunity.”
If this Stone Heart Realm was a region bordering the Asuras, the Green Plains Realm, another land occupied by the human race, was a place sharing a border with the Insect-Armor Race.
“I am sorry. I have not heard any news about the Insect-Armor Race.”
However, the Green Plains Realm was extremely, extremely far. Even if he did not know news about that place, it was not a strange thing.
As he dismissed the Castellan who was apologetic and apologizing repeatedly, Jeok Song who was next to him spoke.
“It seems we must return to the Infinite Void Temple to obtain proper information in any case. What do you intend to do now, Fellow Daoist Jin?”
“Well.”
His original plan was simple.
After raising his realm as much as possible in the Limitless Pure Land, he intended to go to the Rank 7 immortal city and find out about the Integration Stage in the gaps of cultivating.
But to think war had broken out.
No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed it would be difficult to just leisurely cultivate.
Just as he was pondering what would be good to do, Jeok Song’s voice was heard.
“If you do not have urgent matters, how about dropping by the Infinite Void Temple for a moment? Since you helped us in the secret realm, we wish to repay you.”
“The Infinite Void Temple? Hmm…”
According to what Jin So-myeong had investigated, the headquarters of the Infinite Void Temple was in Destiny Piercing City, the Rank 7 immortal city.
It was a place jointly managed by the three Integration Stage Dao Sovereigns of the human race, and it could be said to be the most important city in the Stone Heart Realm.
Pondering what to do for a moment, he nodded his head.
“Understood. Since I was just about to go to the Rank 7 immortal city anyway, let us go together.”
“Excellent. Let us depart immediately. Once we reach Myriad Swords City, there is a Teleportation Array, so it will not take that long.”
Just as he was about to soar up along with the group.
“Senior! May this humble one dare to say just a word!”
From among the people gathered on the deck, a Golden Core Stage old man popped out, and then fell prostrate.
“…”
Everyone was astonished at the sight of him bowing precisely toward Jin So-myeong.
To dare block the path of a Void Refinement Stage Heavenly Lord.
The reaction of the Castellan of Flying Cloud City, who had consistently acted extremely politely, was exceptionally unique.
His eyes grew so wide they almost popped out, and he clenched his fist with his single remaining arm, his shoulder and fingertips trembling.
Glancing at the castellan who looked aggrieved for some reason, Jin So-myeong turned his gaze.
An adolescent girl who had been clinging tightly to the old man until just a moment ago caught his eye, and surprised by the old man’s sudden action, she was in a state where she could neither do this nor that.
‘Are they grandfather and granddaughter?’
Indeed, that girl had caught his eye since earlier.
It was because since the moment he landed on the sailing vessel’s deck, she had stared intently at his face with round eyes.
For a kid who was only in the Qi Condensation Stage to look directly at the face of a Void Refinement Stage cultivator. She was an extremely cheeky kid.
Furthermore, because she possessed bright eyes and the Heavenly Spiritual Root, she could not help but catch the eye even more.
‘Her aptitude is not bad.’
However, that was all.
Even if she possessed the Heavenly Spiritual Root, she was not great enough for him, who was in the Void Refinement Stage, to care about. In the first place, once one reached the Void Refinement Stage, almost everyone came to possess the Heavenly Spiritual Root, whether congenitally or postnatally.
Gulp…
Amidst it having become quiet enough to hear the sound of someone swallowing dry saliva.
Jin So-myeong, who looked at the tightly tensed old man and girl, opened his mouth.
“Sure. If you have words you want to say, say them.”
As permission fell, the old man, who was delighted, pulled out a jade box from his storage pouch and offered it.
“It is the Calamity-Averting Talisman my ancestor obtained with difficulty. Please accept it.”
“Calamity-Averting Talisman?”
“Yes! It is a talisman known to block calamities.”
Scanning the inside of the jade box with his Divine Sense, a talisman so worn that it would crumble even with a light tap was inside.
The Calamity-Averting Talisman was known as a talisman that let one avoid bad luck, that is, misfortune, but whether it truly had an effect was uncertain.
In the first place, what was misfortune, and what was good fortune?
No one knew that.
The boundary between good fortune and misfortune was blurry, so a single event became good fortune at times, and misfortune at other times.
For example, if one luckily obtained a treasure and lived comfortably for a lifetime, but in his later years suffered a terrible accident where the family was annihilated due to a lack of strength.
Was obtaining the treasure in his youth good luck, or bad luck?
What the true good fortune was, was something that could only be known after a truly long time passed.
‘Still… it is not completely useless. It is a talisman made with a Rank 6 spiritual object in its own right.’
A Rank 6 aura was faintly felt from the patterns engraved on the Calamity-Averting Talisman.
Although it had weakened because it was made too long ago, it was certain that drops of a Void Refinement Stage-grade demonic beast’s blood were used as ingredients.
“Before accepting this, I want to hear the reason why you offered the Calamity-Averting Talisman to me first.”
“Th-That… If you perhaps have leeway, I would like it if you bring us along on the way.”
“Us? Do you mean all of you?”
“Yes. In truth, we were also on the way to Myriad Swords City. However, as you can see, the sailing vessel has been ruined.”
“Hmm.”
It was not a particularly difficult task.
Putting the half-destroyed sailing vessel inside the Beast-Taming Pouch, and merely letting it out upon arriving at Myriad Swords City was the end of it.
While looking at the old man who swallowed dry saliva as if tensed, instead of an answer, he pulled out the Calamity-Averting Talisman and shook it.
“How should this talisman be used?”
“I understand it is activated when Void Refinement Stage-grade energy is infused. It is said to block misfortune until the infused energy is completely exhausted.”
The words that it was so according to what the ancestor researched followed.
Leaving behind the old man who finished the explanation,
he pinched the Calamity-Averting Talisman between his index and middle fingers and infused spiritual power.
Simultaneously,
he poured a massive 500 billion points of the Supreme Great Ability to amplify the talisman’s effect.
It was not that he believed in the Calamity-Averting Talisman which was close to a superstition, but simply because he was curious about what would happen if he used the Supreme Great Ability.
Woooong…!
As he infused spiritual power and the Supreme Great Ability, an unusual wave spread out from the talisman.
“Heh. The feeling is strange.”
“Honestly, the appearance is just so-so, but it seems to have been a properly made Calamity-Averting Talisman.”
Just as the group members who watched as if spectating were surprised and admiring.
Crumble!
The Calamity-Averting Talisman that was vibrating turned into ashes in an instant.
“…”
At the unexpected situation, everyone shut their mouths and only blinked their eyes.
For the Calamity-Averting Talisman activated just now to not hold out even for a moment and turn into ashes.
What did this mean?
Did it mean they were already in the middle of misfortune? Only ominous meanings came to mind.
The old man who offered the Calamity-Averting Talisman, and the group members who stood comfortably and watched. Everyone was flustered.
Isn’t it uncomfortable for no reason if a great disaster shows up in a fortune told for fun? Now was precisely like that.
How long did the silence continue?
“Interesting.”
Jin So-myeong, who smirked, brushed off the Calamity-Averting Talisman that turned into ashes.
“Good. I will take you to Myriad Swords City.”
“Ah… Th-Thank you.”
To the old man who bowed awkwardly, whether it was an unexpected result, he sent a transmission.
-By the way, did you hold me back merely to make a request to bring you to a nearby city?
The faltering old man swallowed dry saliva, then lowered his head.
-You said it is nearby, Senior, but to fly to Myriad Swords City at my speed, it will take dozens of years no matter how fast I go.
-Is that all?
For an old man who was merely at the Golden Core Stage to block the path of a Void Refinement Stage cultivator was an act prepared for death.
It did not seem he would risk his life because of dozens of years.
The hesitating old man eventually confessed.
-In truth, the Castellan of Flying Cloud City’s right arm was plucked off because of me. Fearing that I might have gained his disfavor, I overstrained myself.
From the explanation that followed, he could tell roughly what had happened.
To charge at a Soul Formation Stage Asura with only the single mind to protect his granddaughter.
‘Tremendous.’
Thinking of how one would not even be able to die nicely if they crossed a bad-tempered Soul Formation Stage cultivator, it was truly uncommon courage.
Although there was a late feeling because he was too old, it seemed he would become quite strong if he became a sword cultivator.
“What is your name?”
“Ah, this humble one is called the loose cultivator Im Heo-jin.”
While tapping the scabbard and pondering for a moment, he pulled out a jade slip and held it out.
“It is the price of the Calamity-Averting Talisman. Since taking you to Myriad Swords City is nothing special, I will give you one more item that will be of help to you.”
“Thank you, Senior!”
Im Heo-jin, who politely extended both hands and received the jade slip, trembled his shoulders.
That was because…
a Soul Formation Stage-grade cultivation method was recorded in the jade slip.
Starlight Soul-Destroying Sword.
It was one of the Soul Formation Stage-grade sword manuals piled in the sub-space, and it was a sword manual with a texture similar to the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword.
‘It is a fairly usable sword manual.’
A sharp energy that resembled starlight by burning the soul. It was a cultivation method that bloomed starlight, and its power was outstanding.
Although it was not as strong as the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword which could be called the essence of human cultivation civilization, it possessed top-tier power among ordinary sword manuals.
Of course, there were a few minor disadvantages.
Like the fact that injuries were easy to occur in the Divine Soul in the process of burning the soul?
Although it was quite painful, once overcome, the Divine Soul became stronger as a result, so it was not such a large disadvantage.
“Th-This is.”
“I am giving it because it seems to fit you well.”
“Is… that so.”
“Since I have no intention to force you, do as you wish whether you practice it or not. You can just sell it if you do not need it.”
“Yes. I will deliberate deeply and use it carefully. Thank you truly.”
Dismissing Im Heo-jin whose head looked complicated, he put the sailing vessel entirely inside the Beast-Taming Pouch.
“I am sorry to have kept you waiting. Let us depart now.”
“Not at all. It was fascinating because a Golden Core cultivator who did not look forward or backward like that is rare. It was a good spectating experience.”
He flew toward Myriad Swords City along with the lightly laughing group.
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