Chapter 334: A Single Slash
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Jin So-myeong, who was heading to the place where his clone had died, paused.
Boom! Bang!
This was because a faint sound of explosions was heard from some point.
The clone, whose senses were dull, had not heard it, but now that he had arrived with his main body, he could hear it clearly.
‘Is someone fighting?’
Pondering while tapping the sheath of his sword, he first moved.
Pushing through the fog, he advanced straightforwardly.
Passing the place where his clone had died, he arrived at the place where the explosions resounded, and…
he saw a slightly strange scene.
‘A fortress?’
A fortress was built in the middle of the fog-covered city.
On the city wall where a formation was installed, more than several hundred thousand Golden Rune Fox Clan members were lined up, but their complexions were haggard and their conditions looked bad.
There was no need to even ponder why their conditions were bad.
This was because in the sky outside the fortress, an eagle with razor-sharp scales and a man with long black hair were looking down.
‘Both are of the Unity stage.’
Did they kill his clone?
Around the time he narrowed his brow, the eagle as large as a house spread its massive wings.
Rumble!
The sand that rose against gravity gathered in the void and became a giant meteor.
The meteor, which soared as if bouncing and then fell, collided with the barrier covering the fortress, and
Boom!
the city wall trembled frantically.
As the city wall, which was the axis of the formation, shook as if it would collapse immediately, the Golden Rune Fox Clan members hurriedly poured out their magic power.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
Integration-grade spells poured in succession and battered the city wall, but the wall, which seemed about to crumble immediately, surprisingly held out well.
This was because several hundred thousand Golden Rune Fox Clan members were doing their utmost to maintain the formation, and Baek Myo-hwa, who sat cross-legged in the center of the fortress, occasionally added her strength.
Jin So-myeong, who scanned the battlefield, crossed his arms.
He could not grasp the situation.
Who were the two Dao Sovereigns attacking the Golden Rune Fox Clan? They seemed to belong to the Sacred Scale Alliance, but it was not certain.
Just then, as he stood still to watch since he did not know the circumstances.
Baek Myo-hwa, who frowned with a start, lifted her head, and her gaze met with his as he stood with his arms crossed.
Her dark complexion brightened instantly, and she hurriedly cried out.
“Fellow Daoist Jin! If you help me just this once, I will reward you handsomely!”
Was it because of the word ‘Fellow Daoist’?
The two Dao Sovereigns, who were pouring spells toward the city wall, paused.
“That fellow is…”
“Ha, Fellow Daoist indeed. To call someone who is merely at the Void Refinement stage a Fellow Daoist. Now you are using even an insignificant thing to drag time.”
Glancing at him, they openly ignored him.
Wi-ryeon had tensed up the moment he saw him, but these two did not.
Were their senses duller than Wi-ryeon’s?
He pondered for a moment, but that did not seem to be the case. According to what he had observed so far, their skills were similar to Wi-ryeon’s.
‘Ah, is it because of this clothing?’
Lowering his gaze, he saw the ink-colored robe.
To name it, the Black Robe .
This clothing made by condensing the Black Cloud was extremely sturdy and tough, but it had one more advantage.
It had the effect of disrupting divine sense detection, so just by wearing it, the senses of others were thrown off.
Unlike the two Dao Sovereigns who glanced and ignored him, Baek Myo-hwa was desperate.
“Fellow Daoist Jin. If you make them retreat, I will refine a Dao Integration Pill for you.”
“…A Dao Integration Pill?”
To refine a medicinal pill that raised the success rate of breaking through a major realm for him. Naturally, his interest was drawn.
“There is a very high possibility that this ruin has an Integration spiritual object. If you drive them away, I will also help you find the Integration spiritual object and refine the Dao Integration Pill. I promise to do my best.”
“Mmm.”
“Even if we cannot find the Integration spiritual object, do not worry. I will at least give you another spiritual object that will be of help to you.”
Just as he was listening quietly and stroking his chin.
The black-haired man shook his head as if it was pathetic.
“Fairy Baek. Stop stubbornness and hand over the Heaven-Defying Treasure even now. Then we will help the Golden Rune Fox Clan settle down.”
“That is right. Give up now. Didn’t we say we would hand over one of the Rank 7 immortal cities possessed by the Sacred Scale Alliance?”
A Heaven-Defying Treasure?
What on earth was it that they would hand over a Rank 7 immortal city?
Simultaneously with his doubt, he saw the multicolored bundle of light that Baek Myo-hwa was cradling preciously.
Even at this moment, it was constantly sucking in the world Qi, looking like a precious treasure at a glance.
Suddenly harboring curiosity, he unfolded the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye to the extreme, and
he was able to tell what the sphere enveloped in rainbow radiance was, and also why it was called a Heaven-Defying Treasure.
Remaining silent for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“Helping you is not difficult… but let’s change the conditions slightly. I will handle the Integration spiritual object on my own, so please also teach me the refining method of the Dao Integration Pill.”
“I will do so.”
He took his eyes off Baek Myo-hwa who agreed immediately without even having to think.
Alternating his gaze between the black-haired man and the eagle, he spoke.
“Before we begin, let me ask one thing. Who was it that killed my clone?”
“Haha.”
Unlike the eagle that let out a chuckled laugh like a human, the black-haired man did not even react.
He openly ignored him and did not even look.
Hum…!
He merely aimed a dark green arrow, summoned in the void, toward him.
Looking at the arrowhead glistening with poison, a laugh escaped him naturally.
“It was you.”
As he spoke with a smile, the man’s brow furrowed.
Perhaps sensing that something was strange only now, he wore a suspicious expression, but he was late, far too late.
To let his guard down to this extent. If so, he had to repay him.
Fwip!
Staring at the arrow that flew right before his left eye,
he unfolded the Annihilation Slash.
Although the injuries he had suffered from fighting Wi-ryeon were not fully recovered yet, he ignored them.
He amplified his energy with the Blood Wings and the Heart-Shattering Blood Glyph, and added the simplified Burning Moon Dao Realm on top.
He walked forward step-by-step with the surging energy.
Traversing the world that had lost its color, he thought.
Just how far could he go with the simplified Burning Moon Dao Realm currently?
Reflecting on his past experiences, he could generally tell.
The leeway to move in the Annihilation Slash state was proportional to his realm and skill.
The last time he unfolded the simplified Burning Moon Dao Realm, Wi-ryeon had not been able to react until the blade touched his neck.
If it had not been for the scales made with the Black Cloud Scripture, his neck would have been severed then.
Then what about his opponent now?
The outcome was one of two.
To die in a single slash, or to futilely blow away his last remaining simplified Burning Moon Dao Realm.
Step, step…
Before he knew it, he swung his sword toward the nape that drew close.
And,
that was the end.
A faint slicing sound, and a head floating in the void.
The frozen scenery began to move, and the sharp energy flowing along the blade penetrated deep into his mind and body, even cleaving his soul.
An Unity stage Dao Sovereign had died.
A demigod capable of overturning heaven and earth and evaporating oceans had died in a split second in which he could not even blink.
It was a shocking result… but it was not strange.
Originally, there were countless numbers between 0 and 1.
However, there was no such thing in the Annihilation Slash.
The important thing was whether there was a leeway to sever the neck, and if there was, that was the end.
“…!”
Shock surged in the eyes of the eagle that had been looking down with a lofty posture.
In the world that flowed slowly in his extreme concentration, seeing the pupils slowly dilate, he kicked off the void.
Now, while the opponent had not grasped the situation, was his chance.
Swish!
Gathering all his remaining energy, he guided it into his blade.
Fully containing even his physical strength, he brought it down diagonally.
The blade that advanced while cleaving the void touched the wing joint, and
Crack!
the scales covering it like armor shattered.
The soft flesh hidden beneath the scales split, and drops of blood poured.
Right at that moment.
Boom!
The magic power that surged as if exploding parried his blade.
Blown away by a resilience as if struck by an iron hammer, he balanced himself.
‘It was shallow.’
Unfortunately, his sharp energy was lacking.
Although he could not sever it in a single slash, it did not matter. If once did not work, twice, and if even that did not work, he just had to swing until it did.
“It was you who killed Wi-ryeon!”
The eyes of the eagle bleeding from its wing joint turned blood red, and it spread its massive wings.
Rumble…!
As it flapped its wings, a typhoon arose.
The wind was so strong that even the Black Cloud, which did not disperse under average impacts, fluctuated.
Just as heaven and earth were turned upside down by the sudden gale.
Boom!
Enveloped in the wind, the eagle fled without even looking back.
‘…?’
It was an event that occurred just as he was concentrating to launch a counterattack the moment the attack flew.
Looking in the direction the eagle fled, he clicked his tongue.
If he unfolded the Burning Moon Dao Realm and pursued tenaciously, he might catch it, but his lifespan was too precious for that.
‘It’s fine.’
Actually, it was a situation he had anticipated to some extent.
To begin with, the energy of the simplified Burning Moon Dao Realm was lacking.
Since only a single Burning Moon Slash was possible, killing both of them was difficult.
If he had unfolded the Genesis divine ability, he might have killed both simultaneously, but…
‘Then I wouldn’t have obtained this storage pouch either.’
Securing the storage pouch and the corpse of the black-haired man who had reverted to a python due to his disguise magic unraveling, he turned his gaze to the fortress right next to him.
Beyond the Golden Rune Fox Clan members standing blankly in shock, he looked at Baek Myo-hwa in the center of the fortress.
“…Ah.”
Baek Myo-hwa, whose lips trembled, swallowed dryly and gestured to the surroundings.
“Everyone withdraw the formation and rest.”
At her command, the Golden Rune Fox Clan members hurriedly withdrew, and the formation that tightly enveloped the entire fortress opened.
“Is it fine to open the formation like this?”
“What meaning does such a formation have to a fellow Daoist who cleaved Myeong Cheon-ak in a single slash?”
“Mmm.”
To think even her tone changed.
In all likelihood, there seemed to be a slight misunderstanding.
Currently, as the energy of his simplified Burning Moon Dao Realm was depleted, breaking the formation was not easy, but he did not go out of his way to correct her.
Flying to where Baek Myo-hwa was, she spread a barrier to block the gazes of others.
“You were a far more amazing person than I thought. Could it be that you were originally at the Unity stage, but your realm fell due to an unfortunate accident?”
“No.”
“Then it is even more surprising. To handle such a divine ability at the Void Refinement stage…”
Trailing off her words, she started with a gasp and bowed her head slightly.
“I am sorry. I almost asked about your divine ability without realizing it. Ah! This is the refining method of the Dao Integration Pill I promised.”
“May I check it?”
“Of course.”
Infusing his divine sense into the jade slip, the method of making the Dao Integration Pill using various Unity stage spiritual objects was written.
‘The refining method using the Ink Lotus Flower as the core ingredient… Oh, fortunately it is here.’
Although there were quite many auxiliary ingredients required, it was at a level he could somehow obtain.
‘Stygian Cold Water, White Lotus Small Root, Crimson Heart Spirit Fire Powder…’
Around the time he was repeating the names of the auxiliary ingredients he had to obtain in the future.
“Fellow Daoist Jin. Did you perhaps secure the Integration spiritual object already?”
At the question asked cautiously, he pondered for a moment and nodded his head.
Since he intended to entrust the refining of the Dao Integration Pill to her anyway, he did not hide it.
“Yes. I have secured one Ink Lotus Flower.”
“Mmm… If you intend to entrust the refining to me, could you wait five years?”
“Five years?”
“I am sorry, but it is because it is currently difficult for me to move.”
His gaze instantly locked onto the multicolored sphere held in her hand.
It seemed she could not move because of that thing which was sucking in the surrounding world Qi.
Staring at the sphere, perhaps she felt anxious; she drew his attention with a dry cough and spoke quickly.
“Instead, if you wait five years, I will prepare the other ingredients except for the Ink Lotus Flower.”
“All of the auxiliary ingredients?”
“Yes.”
“It is good for me, but will it really be fine for you?”
“Of course.”
“Understood. Then I will see you again later.”
Jin So-myeong, who wore a smile, departed quietly, and Baek Myo-hwa, left behind, let out a sigh of relief.
The moment she infused her divine sense into the sphere she held preciously.
A vast earth. Mountains and fields unfolded.
Another world was contained inside the fingernail-sized sphere, and surprisingly, countless Golden Rune Fox Clan members were leading their daily lives inside the sphere.
***
Meanwhile, Jin So-myeong, who returned to the Thunder Light Forest, stroked his chin.
To say he did not covet the sphere held by Baek Myo-hwa at all would be a lie.
According to what he had grasped with the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye, that sphere was similar to the Secret Realm of the Mind.
Should he say another world was inside the tiny sphere.
A Mobile Heaven . It was literally a moving world.
It seemed to also possess the ability to absorb spiritual veins and grow the spiritual veins inside, but…
‘Perhaps that is why it is called a Heaven-Defying Treasure.’
If it absorbed an extremely large number of spiritual veins, a Rank 8 spiritual vein might arise inside the sphere.
‘Well, that won’t be as easy as it sounds, though.’
At any rate, it was a highly useful treasure, but he had no intention of taking it by force.
Did he not possess the far superior Secret Realm of the Mind? There was no need to obtain it through unreasonable means.
Putting the sphere out of his mind, he focused on what he had to do now.
‘First, check the storage pouch I just obtained, and then…’
He pondered on what to obtain with his powerful wish.