Chapter 328: Profound Glyph Jade Slip
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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The Dao Sovereigns of the Sacred Scale Alliance who arrived at the city enveloped in fog expressed their admiration.
“The scale is substantial. At this rate, there might even be a treasure that periodically produces Integration spiritual objects.”
“It seems to be a ruin far more precious than we thought. It would be best to inform the Sacred Scale Alliance to dig it up properly.”
“Before that, we must take what we can get for ourselves.”
“That is only natural.”
Because the Sacred Scale Alliance was a union of various races, they were not as tightly-knit as a single sect.
While they basically cooperated with each other, they had to secure their own shares.
“Exploring the ruins is fine, but let’s handle the matter of Baek Myo-hwa first. Wi-ryeon, do you know where Baek Myo-hwa is right now?”
“Wait a moment.”
As Wi-ryeon tapped his Beast-Taming Bag, over a thousand Golden Rune Fox Clan members poured out in a rush.
Most of them were low-realm cultivators below the Golden Core stage, and perhaps because they were suddenly thrown onto the ground, fear was clearly written on their faces.
“Ugh…”
Standing up awkwardly, they trembled and merely watched the Dao Sovereigns’ expressions.
Looking down at the scruffy Golden Rune Fox Clan members, Wi-ryeon curled the corners of his lips.
Fwip…!
The moment he lightly whistled.
“Aaargh!”
More than a thousand Golden Rune Fox Clan members shrieked.
Their skin here and there cracked as if cut by blades, and fountains of blood spurted out.
Thud!
By the time the pale-faced Golden Rune Fox Clan members collapsed.
The drops of blood splashing in all directions drew a spiral, gathered into a single point, and became a giant bead.
Hum…!
The surface of the bead created by gathering the blood of the Golden Rune Fox Clan members trembled like waves.
Wi-ryeon, who closely examined the wave pattern, nodded and said in a satisfied tone.
“She indeed hasn’t left. There is a Golden Rune Fox Clan member with an Unity stage cultivation within ten million li.”
“If it is within ten million li… that means Baek Myo-hwa is in that ruin.”
“In all likelihood, yes.”
Since Baek Myo-hwa was the only Unity stage cultivator among the Golden Rune Fox Clan, it was certain.
Wi-ryeon, who swept up the collapsed Golden Rune Fox Clan members on the ground like luggage, gestured with his chin.
“Let’s break that formation first, enter the ruin, and trace her again.”
Crack!
As the sound of bones cracking echoed from Wi-ryeon’s body, his muscles expanded and his limbs grew strangely long.
Wi-ryeon, who revealed his true form, poured spells toward the formation, and the others joined in as well.
The man with long black hair turned into a python, and the man with golden scales growing on his temples turned into an eagle with razor-sharp scales.
***
At the same time, Baek Myo-hwa, who was traversing the fog-shrouded ruin, paused.
As if she had sensed something, she narrowed her eyes while looking toward the outside of the ruin.
“To think they are already here…”
Biting her lip, she waved her hand.
Whoosh!
She scattered about a thousand flames in all directions, and the brightly blazing flames transformed into identical copies of Baek Myo-hwa.
“Scatter as much as possible.”
Following her command, the clones scattered in all directions and hid in various parts of the ruin.
After hesitating for a moment, she let out a sigh.
Shaking her sleeve, she took out a sailing vessel that had shrunk to a size smaller than a fist and spoke in a low voice.
“Heo Yun. I need your help.”
The bundle of light that popped out of the vessel turned into the shape of an old man, and the elderly diviner, who scanned the fog-covered surroundings, bowed his head.
“Please speak.”
“I know you do not have much lifespan left, but… the Dao Sovereigns of the Sacred Scale Alliance are right under our noses, so I have no other choice. Please find a Rank 7 spiritual vein.”
“Haha. Why are you feeling sorry? It is a body that will die soon anyway, so it is a relief to be used like this.”
Heo Yun, who wore a smile, closed his eyes tightly.
After a while.
He, who had concentrated to the point where sweat beaded on his forehead, opened his eyes, and several new wrinkles had appeared in that short span of time.
“It is that direction. I do not know the exact distance, but it is certain.”
“You went through a lot. Go rest quickly.”
She let the old man, who was visibly exhausted, board the sailing vessel, and enveloped in flames, she traversed the void.
How much time had passed?
“Ah!”
The complexion of Baek Myo-hwa, who discovered a building half-buried in sand, brightened instantly.
Its appearance was different from other buildings to begin with.
Unlike other buildings that were at least dozens of stories high, its number of floors was very low, but its horizontal area was extremely wide.
Furthermore, the barrier protecting this building was at least dozens of times sturdier compared to the others.
It was clearly an important building at a glance.
Intuiting that she had arrived at one of the Rank 7 spiritual veins in the city, she took out the sailing vessel.
She called out all those of the Golden Rune Fox Clan who had reached the Soul Formation stage or higher, and they all joined forces to attack the barrier.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Exactly one month later.
After spending a considerable amount of time, they smashed the formation, and were finally able to enter the interior of the building.
“It is indeed a Rank 7 spiritual vein.”
“Ah! What a relief.”
Dense world Qi was flowing inside the building, and it was designed so that the world Qi welling up from here would spread to all corners of the city.
Looking at the smiling Golden Rune Fox Clan members, Baek Myo-hwa spoke quickly.
“It is not over yet, so do not lower your guard. We must hold out here for at least ten years, so build walls.”
“Yes!”
The Golden Rune Fox Clan members scattered in all directions, and under the command of those skilled in formations, they built walls.
Baek Myo-hwa, who was giving instructions, went to the center of the spiritual vein and sat cross-legged.
The moment she adjusted her breathing and gathered both hands at her chest.
A swirl of multicolored bundles of light gathered and became a sphere the size of a fingernail.
Hum…!
As the sphere that floated into the air vibrated, an invisible wave swept through the spiritual vein.
At that moment,
Whoosh!
Heaven and earth. Brilliant radiance arose from all directions of heaven and earth, turning into countless streaks of light that were sucked into the sphere.
Simultaneously,
the world Qi, which was dense to the point of ecstasy, began to decrease gradually.
What on earth was happening?
Was she absorbing the world Qi? That seemed a bit strange.
A person with sensitive senses would be able to tell, but it was not simply the world Qi that was being sucked in.
From the moment Baek Myo-hwa summoned the sphere,
the amount of world Qi generated from the spiritual vein decreased minutely. It was an amount too small to notice, but it was certain.
It was as if… the rank of the spiritual vein was lowering.
***
Five years after the day Jin So-myeong entered the ruin.
Jin So-myeong, who was heading toward the center of the city, narrowed his brow. This was because the journey was not as easy as he had thought.
‘The fog is getting thicker as I go…’
As the black fog grew rapidly dense, the distance he could scan with his divine sense decreased drastically.
Even at the entrance of the ruin, he could scan about one kilometer, but now he could not even see five hundred meters ahead.
Furthermore, a bigger problem was that the space was tangled like a maze.
There were times when it took over a month just to advance a hundred meters.
Still, one relief was that thanks to moving diligently over the past five years, he had mapped out about half of the intricately tangled maze.
‘Whew.’
He laid down the impatience that occasionally surged.
To avoid wandering around the same path, he was advancing step-by-step while drawing a map, when just then.
‘This pavilion is completely shattered.’
He came across a slightly unusual pavilion.
There was no roof at all, and more than half of the walls were collapsed, and even the formation protecting the building did not operate.
Was it because he was getting closer to the center of the ruins?
At some point, the atmosphere of the city changed.
The state of the buildings grew progressively messier. Previously, the buildings had been relatively intact with only a lack of people, but now even that was not the case.
He paused while examining a building ruined to the level of a wasteland.
‘A person?’
Inside the half-destroyed building, a human figure charred black as coal was visible.
The figure was crouching on the floor while hugging something, and it seemed they had died while trying to protect what was in their embrace.
‘…They are probably not of the human race.’
Just because they had limbs and looked like a human, they were clearly of a different race.
After contemplating for a moment, he moved his steps.
As he drew closer, he was able to tell what was in their embrace.
‘It is a jade slip.’
It was no ordinary jade slip.
Minute characters floated on the surface, and it was golden as if made of gold.
‘Is this… a Profound Glyph Jade Slip ?’
There was a saying that truly precious knowledge could not be recorded.
If one attempted to record certain knowledge through ordinary methods, the paper would burn or the jade slip would turn to powder.
To record such precious knowledge, a treasure was needed, and that was precisely the Profound Glyph Jade Slip.
‘The Primordial One Qi Art that the Star-Shattering True Monarch gave me was recorded on a Profound Glyph Jade Slip.’
He narrowed his eyes.
Just what kind of content was contained in the jade slip that they protected it even while burning to death like coal?
Looking at someone who had died while crouching on the ground, he offered a brief silent prayer.
The moment he extracted the Profound Glyph Jade Slip in their embrace using his magic power.
Crumble!
The ashes that had barely maintained the human form collapsed entirely.
“…”
Looking at the piled ashes, he offered a silent prayer once more.
He then examined the golden jade slip in detail, but unfortunately, its condition was not good.
The entire jade slip was full of hairline cracks, appearing as if it would shatter at a mere touch.
Carefully examining it so that no force was applied, he infused his divine sense.
[I, Muk So-han. I have dedicated this one life to formations in order to inherit the will of the Dark Heaven Academy .]
‘Dark Heaven Academy?’
Could the name of the force that established this city be the Dark Heaven Academy?
[The Time-Flows-Like-Water Formation is a formation that coordinates the flow of time. This is for the sake of obtaining the primal causality…]
[To install the Time-Flows-Like-Water Formation, the Time Wheel must be used as the core instrument.]
…
[O descendant, the Time-Flows-Like-Water Formation is a path heading toward defying heaven, so it must be inherited. If so…]
[Life is finite, but the will alone shall be eternal.]
Because a large portion of the jade slip was damaged, it was hard to read properly.
Even so, he was able to tell what kind of effect the formation possessed.
‘A formation that isolates a certain area and controls the flow of time…?’
His eyes widened dramatically. It was so outstanding that it was hard to believe it was an object obtained by chance.
‘Amazing. Is it the secret legacy formation of the Dark Heaven Academy?’
If one could manipulate the flow of time at will, there were truly many things that could be done.
One could mass-produce precious spiritual herbs by creating a spiritual herb field where hundreds of years passed in just one year, or raise their realm within a short period by building a training ground.
Although it was knowledge great enough to be contained within a Profound Glyph Jade Slip, unfortunately, the jade slip was too severely damaged, making it impossible to comprehend the formation.
‘Let’s secure it for now and study it properly later.’
After placing the jade slip, which seemed about to shatter immediately, into a box filled with soft cotton, he stored it well in his spatial pocket.
He thought of restoring it later using his Supreme Great Ability and Myriad Flows Restoration divine ability once he had the leeway.
***
Meanwhile.
The Unity stage Dao Sovereigns of the Sacred Scale Alliance who entered the ruin had scattered in all directions.
“Whew… How annoying.”
Wi-ryeon, who had ended up alone, was traversing the fog-covered city, and his expression was not good.
This was because tracing her was not easy due to the strange fog that suppressed his divine sense.
After flying for a long time, his eyes gleamed.
He discovered Baek Myo-hwa sitting cross-legged inside a tunnel, and instantly extended his finger.
Fwip!
The moment the wind that flew in the shape of an awl pierced Baek Myo-hwa’s sternum.
Boom!
Baek Myo-hwa, whose heart was pierced, transformed into raging flames and tried to swallow Wi-ryeon.
Wi-ryeon, who swept away the flames with a single gesture, clicked his tongue.
He had traced the faintly felt aura to find Baek Myo-hwa, but it was a clone again.
Since it was already his seventh futile attempt, it was impossible for him not to feel annoyed.
“Hmm?”
Wi-ryeon, who was frowning, paused.
This was because as Baek Myo-hwa’s clone exploded, a golden jade slip buried in the sand was revealed.
“A Profound Glyph Jade Slip!”
A bright expression spread across his face which had been filled with annoyance.
It was only natural, as the knowledge recorded on a Profound Glyph Jade Slip was hundreds of times more precious than average treasures.
Licking his lips, he reached out his hand immediately. He grabbed the Profound Glyph Jade Slip and injected his divine sense.
“The Black Cloud Scripture …”
As Wi-ryeon, who had read the jade slip for a long time, reached out his hand, the fog filling the surroundings wriggled minutely.
How much time had passed?
The fog, which had only wriggled at first, began to respond to his gestures, and eventually came to gather in one place or disperse.
“Oh-ho.”
Wi-ryeon, who expressed admiration, gathered the surrounding fog and fashioned a shield.
He snapped his fingers to shoot a cutting wind, and…
Clang!
The shield was not even scratched. It had withstood the strike of an Unity stage Dao Sovereign.
Even though it was a shield clumsily made with a spell of which he had only grasped the knack, it was sturdy beyond imagination.
“Huh, looking at it now, the most precious treasure in this ruin was precisely this fog.”
Greed flashed in Wi-ryeon’s pupils.
Having trained in the Black Cloud Scripture for a month to be able to handle more of the fog, he only then set out on a full-scale search.
He moved without hesitation, dispersing the fog that blocked his path.
Then, one day.
Rumble…
He came to a sudden halt at the very faint, dimly heard sound of thunder.
Wi-ryeon, who narrowed his eyes, concealed his presence.
He stealthily approached the source of the noise, and was able to discover the pavilion covered in golden moss.