Chapter 321: Are the Senses Out of Order
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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The glabella of Baek Myo-hwa, the sole Unity stage and patriarch of the Golden Rune Fox Clan, frowned minutely.
It was because the moment her eyes met with Jin So-myeong.
She saw countlessly many sword Qis raging deep within his pupils.
‘How on earth must a person with such a body be alive…?’
No matter how she looked, it was not a sharp energy that a mere Void Refinement stage could manage.
To be alive while holding an energy so strong that it was burdensome even to her, an Unity stage.
Although the sharp energy reflected in the pupils disappeared in an instant, it was still vivid in her memory.
Looking at Jin So-myeong who quietly closed his eyes as if nothing had happened, she narrowed her glabella.
‘What race is he?’
At a glance, he seemed similar to the Golden Rune Fox Clan, but his eyes and ears were different.
The Golden Rune Fox Clan had fox ears growing on top of their heads and their pupils were vertically elongated, but Jin So-myeong had ears on the side of his head and his pupils were circular.
And one more, there was a decisive difference; Jin So-myeong did not have a tail.
He seemed to be one of the Beast Soul Race… but she could not know precisely what race he was.
Usually, among the races that could be called animals, those without distinct characteristics or whose names were not known are collectively called the Beast Soul Race.
“…”
Was it because she recalled the Beast Soul Race. Baek Myo-hwa’s complexion turned visibly dark.
If this pioneering failed, the Golden Rune Fox Clan had no choice but to scatter in all directions.
Thinking that the Golden Rune Fox Clan, which boasted a brilliant civilization in the past, would become one of the numerous Beast Soul Races, she could not be in a good mood.
Around the time she forcibly took her eyes off Jin So-myeong and scanned the other Void Refinement stage cultivators.
A Fox Clan girl possessing a youthful appearance in her late teens approached and bowed her head.
“Patriarch. The preparations are finished.”
“…Right. Let’s depart.”
The pioneering team, who gathered according to their respective purposes, boarded a single sailing vessel and departed beyond the horizon.
***
A super-large sailing vessel resembling a whale cleaves the high sky.
On the deck of the vessel whose hull length alone reached several kilometers, large enough to be called an ark.
Jin So-myeong, who stood with one hand resting on his sword hilt, looked down and admired.
A mountain range unfolded in the shape of a lightning bolt, a lake containing the sky intact, a meadow where grass larger than typical trees grew lushly…
A unique yet familiar scenery brushed past under his feet.
‘It feels like embarking on an adventure.’
Was it because of the fact that he was advancing toward an unpioneered land where even a map did not exist.
Even though he had seen similar scenery many times, today his appreciation was somehow different.
As he was admiring the vast nature, turning his gaze, he saw Void Refinement stage cultivators gathered in threes and fives.
There were races that looked similar to the human race, and there were also races that made him doubt whether they were living creatures.
‘Did they call them the Floating Cloud Race?’
They said it was a race born by gathering cloud or mist that held spirituality, but frankly, looking only at the appearance, they were like cotton candy colored with pigments.
It was an appearance that could look funny in a way, but the Floating Cloud Race possessed a total of seven Unity stage Dao Sovereigns, making them a race more prosperous than the human race.
Perhaps because they looked similar to Mugeuk, he felt a sense of familiarity, but he did not bother to speak to them.
He just scanned the deck and fell into thought.
In fact, with his skill, he did not have to join a pioneering team like this and could roam alone.
Since he even beat an Unity stage Dao Sovereign, what would he fear.
However, drifting according to the touch of his feet was too inefficient.
The unpioneered land to visit in the future, the Ancient Wilderness, was so vast that if he roamed blindly, he might not even obtain a single treasure even if he wandered for hundreds of years.
To explore efficiently, it was better for several individuals possessing various abilities to join forces.
And if he moved in a group like this, he could cultivate comfortably even during travel.
Since he did not know how many years it would take to obtain an Integration spiritual object, he had to utilize the travel time well.
‘I heard the Golden Rune Fox Clan patriarch knows how to refine the Dao Integration Pill… Once I obtain an Integration spiritual object, I should request her to refine it.’
Just when he was continuing various thoughts.
“Daoist. May we have a talk for a moment.”
Turning his gaze at the slow tone unique to old men, he saw a member of a different race of small stature whose height was below his chest.
His beard grown on his chin was long enough to drag on the floor, and his skin was green, which brought a frog to mind.
“Let’s do so. I am Jin So-myeong.”
“I am Tae-ok.”
Tae-ok, who made light small talk following their introduction of names, stroked his chin beard and spoke.
“By the way, what is Daoist Jin’s race? For reference, as you can see, I am of the Wa-oh Race.”
Jin So-myeong, who paused at the tone full of pride, scanned Tae-ok once again.
Because he heard the Wa-oh Race was a race that possessed thirty Unity stage Dao Sovereigns.
It could be seen as a race that escaped one layer from the weak races…
But for what reason,
why did he look this weak?
To put it bluntly, he looked weaker than a cultivator of the Asura race of the identical realm.
Although he must not let his guard down, it felt like he could win even if he just tapped him with a fist, which was puzzling.
Did his senses go out of order while surviving a life-and-death crisis? To the point where he could not even grasp the strength and weakness of the opponent?
Or…
did he possess an awesome skill enough to transcend his senses?
‘Interesting. Is it a race that has quite a single move?’
Because he looked too weak in mismatch with the race’s scale, he wanted to check whether it was real or not.
Suppressing the urge to have a bout, he answered the question.
“I am of the human race.”
“Human race? Mmm… I have lived boasting that I possess quite a wide knowledge, but it is a race I hear of for the first time. Haha, this is truly embarrassing.”
“You may not know it. Because I came from a very distant place.”
“If a distant place?”
“Have you by any chance heard of the place name Northern Mang Xuan?”
“I am sorry, but it is an unfamiliar place name. You seem to be from that place.”
“Yes.”
“Northern Mang Xuan…”
He asked just in case since he claimed to have wide knowledge, but he seemed to have no idea at all.
Tae-ok, who smiled with an embarrassed expression, spoke.
“If it is not impolite, may I ask how many Unity stage Dao Sovereigns are in the human race? Since I met a human by chance, I would like to find out in detail.”
“I do not know well. Because I left the human race quite suddenly.”
Although it was probably Gwang-myeong Dao Sovereign alone, still, he hoped that Taixu Sacred Venerable was alive if possible.
“Mmm, you seem to have suffered a transmission accident.”
“It is similar.”
Was it because it was unexpected that a race he had not even heard of possessed an Unity stage Dao Sovereign?
A trace of being quite surprised passed through Tae-ok’s expression.
Of course, he did not show it bluntly.
It was naturally felt because he possessed an extremely sensitive sense.
“You seem to be looking for a way to return to your hometown, and I hope it goes well.”
Tae-ok, who laid out formal stories, left without lingering, and went to find another Void Refinement stage cultivator to continue introducing names.
Glancing at that sight, he left the deck and headed to the assigned cabin.
To arrive at the unpioneered land, the Ancient Wilderness, they had to fly for two more years. He intended to concentrate on cultivation during that time.
‘Mm?’
The moment he arrived at the cabin.
A girl who seemed to be in her late teens was squatting in front of the door, and was engrossed in combing her tail while preciously hugging her soft-looking brown fox tail.
Combing the rich tail hair one by one with care so that they would not entangle, she looked truly harmless.
“…Who are you to be in front of my cabin?”
“Ah?”
The girl, who winced her shoulders as if startled, hastily stood up. Hiding her tail behind her back with an awkward smile, she bowed politely.
“I greet Senior Jin. My name is Yul-cheong, and I came because the Patriarch told me to serve Senior.”
“If the Patriarch, do you mean Senior Baek Myo-hwa?”
“Yes. If you have anything to order, please tell me. Errands are also fine.”
At the words that the sole Unity stage Dao Sovereign of the Golden Rune Fox Clan sent her, he scanned the girl once again.
When combing her tail, she looked slightly simple, but having a conversation, he could tell she possessed a smart personality.
‘To send a Soul Formation stage cultivator as a maid.’
It was an excessive favor.
Even if they were a powerful force where Soul Formation stage cultivators were overflowing, the Golden Rune Fox Clan was weak enough to be called right before ruin.
They were not a group leisurely enough to attach a Soul Formation stage cultivator as a maid to anyone.
‘Is it because of the energy stirring inside my body?’
When their eyes met with Baek Myo-hwa, because his injuries were not completely healed, his energy leaked a little.
With the sense an Unity stage Dao Sovereign possessed, she would have read at least a fragment of the skill he possessed.
“An errand… Coincidentally there were a few ingredients I needed, so this is good. If you can find out the whereabouts of these spiritual objects or obtain them, I will give a reward.”
Recalling his past life memories, he handed over a jade slip containing the necessary spiritual objects, including the ingredients for the 7th-rank medicinal pill, Life-Returning Pill.
“Dream-Roaming Stone, Wandering Soul Lantern, Net-Heaven Flower, Golden Blood Wood Fruit…”
Yul-cheong, who was reading the jade slip, fell silent for a moment, then nodded her head.
“Understood. I will do my best to search for them.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
“If you ever need to find me, you can use this voice transmission talisman.”
Leaving a talisman made of jade, Yul-cheong departed, and he entered the assigned cabin.
‘It is decent.’
Although the width was only about three hundred pyeong, it included a cultivation room made of hard 6th-rank mineral, and a 6th-rank low-grade spiritual vein flowed.
Considering it was a cabin on a flying vessel, it was quite a decent room.
Scanning the cabin which had a bedroom, a study, a refinement room, etc., he headed straight to the cultivation room.
‘First, I should pull up the concentration of heaven and earth spiritual Qi.’
He took out a bronze-colored cauldron from his sub-space.
The moment he poured mid-grade immortal stones into the cauldron, which was large enough that he could not hug it even if he spread both arms.
Whoosh!
A blue flame flared fiercely from the cauldron, and dense heaven and earth spiritual Qi poured out.
The name of this cauldron was Vein-Fusing Spiritual Furnace.
It was one of the harvests obtained by opening the Asura race’s Dao Sovereign’s storage pouch, which was a 7th-rank dharma treasure that could make a temporary spiritual vein by burning immortal stones.
Should he call it a portable spiritual vein?
Burning mid-grade immortal stones made it a 6th-rank spiritual vein, and burning high-grade immortal stones made it a 7th-rank spiritual vein.
The immortal stones consumed for a day were roughly 100 to 300 pieces, which differed according to how high he pulled up the concentration of heaven and earth spiritual Qi.
Judging only by cultivation speed, burning high-grade immortal stones was naturally better, but currently, he possessed only a few thousand high-grade immortal stones, so it was burdensome.
‘Fortunately mid-grade immortal stones are so plentiful that they overflow. For now, let’s be satisfied with the 6th-rank spiritual vein.’
【Resource Production】: 40 High-grade Immortal Stones / 1 Day
For reference, currently, the Secret Realm of the Mind’s spiritual vein was at the very end of the 7th-rank mid-grade, which was in a state grew to the limit that his divine soul could manage.
Later when room was created in high-grade immortal stones, he could cultivate with the 7th-rank spiritual vein then.
As he was making such a resolution, suddenly a doubt arose.
The high-grade immortal stones possessed by the Asura race’s Dao Sovereigns were too few.
Combining all that the three Dao Sovereigns possessed, they were barely a thousand pieces.
‘Why are they this few? Did they burn them all?’
Come to think of it, the immortal stones Fairy Yeongwol possessed were also only a few thousand pieces.
Although better than the Asura race, it was the same that they were few.
Was it because it was too barren a place that the high-grade immortal stone production was small?
Suddenly, a rumor heard during the war came to mind.
Did they say the grade of the 7th-rank spiritual veins held by the Asura race was about to drop?
If that was true…
The human race right next to the Asura race would also not be in a very good state.
Just when he was continuing the thoughts arising without rhyme or reason, he paused.
Anyway, what was important now was to raise his realm as soon as possible.
If he became an Unity stage Dao Sovereign, the information and sphere of activity he could obtain would sharply increase. No matter what he did in the future, raising his realm was first.
Nodding his head, Jin So-myeong installed a simple array in the cabin.
After locking the heaven and earth spiritual Qi generated from the Vein-Fusing Spiritual Furnace so that it would not escape outside the cabin, he sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation room.
Erasing all stray thoughts, he entered full-scale cultivation.
Since accumulating dharmic power was naturally a deed he must do, he just had to do his best, and he contemplated what to spend his remaining time and Supreme Great Ability on.
After thinking for a moment, he chose the ones he was most drawn to.
【Dharmic Arts】
Mind-Splitting Art (Minor Success 0.5 Trillion / 10 Trillion)
Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm (Minor Success 0.3 Trillion / 10 Trillion)
While deciding to pull up the dharmic arts he usually used usefully to the Great Success stage,
he took out the jade slip he liked most among the harvests obtained from the Asura race’s Dao Sovereigns.
Heart-Shattering Blood Glyph – Blood Glyph Bone Engraving Chapter.
The Heart-Shattering Blood Glyph, which could be called the unique divine ability of the Asura race.
It was a method of permanent physical strengthening by performing the secret art that detonates the heart to amplify energy, and engraving that energy onto the bones.