Chapter 342: It Seems We Have Messed with the Wrong Person (2)
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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How should they handle Jin So-myeong?
The leadership of the Sacred Scale Alliance, having contemplated again and again, put forward their opinions.
“Let us dispatch the investigation team again, but let us approach slightly conservatively this time.”
“Conservatively?”
“Let us not rashly provoke him anymore, and observe him from as far away as possible.”
“Not bad. Let us first find out what faction he belongs to and what divine abilities he possesses.”
If Jin So-myeong had been an ordinary existence, there would have been no need to investigate like this.
They could simply go and trample him, so why bother with a bothersome investigation?
But they could no longer do that now.
Since the situation was already bad enough, they had to cope cautiously as if dealing with an opponent of the same rank.
“Let us also check if he is of a character with whom conversation is possible. Just in case.”
“…Hmm.”
The faces of the Dao Sovereigns turned dark.
If a situation where they had to request a conversation arose, that was not a very good thing.
Because it would mean they could not kill Jin So-myeong with their capabilities.
Just as everyone wore frustrated expressions.
The Crocodile Flood Dragon Patriarch, who was tightly gritting his molars, said.
“Let us conduct the investigation as planned, and leak a rumor.”
“What kind of rumor are you talking about?”
“That Jin So-myeong possesses a Heaven-Defying Treasure.”
Everyone flinched at the words casually spat out.
What was a Heaven-Defying Treasure?
Literally a treasure that could defy heaven.
To put it more concretely, it was a collective expression for the means, methods, and possibilities to ascend to the Great Ascension stage.
“A Heaven-Defying Treasure…”
High-ranking officials of factions with some degree of scale would vaguely come to know.
That in the current era, ascending to the Great Ascension stage was impossible.
It was not simply a matter of being easy or difficult.
Literally all methods were blocked. It was physically impossible.
Therefore, the Heaven-Defying Treasures circulating in the world were all fake. Or defective products.
Just in case.
Even if, by some rare chance, it was a true Heaven-Defying Treasure, that was also a problem.
Was taking it truly a good thing?
Well.
Although some arrogant individuals or those who did not know the secret craved and coveted the Heaven-Defying Treasure…
their ends were invariably miserable.
“It seems fine to at least leak a rumor. Instead, let us proceed covertly.”
“Very well.”
Although his relationship with Jin So-myeong was already at its worst, there was no need to provoke him further for no reason.
“Would it not be better to conduct a thorough investigation first before messing with Jin So-myeong further?”
“It is not as if we are moving openly. We will conduct the investigation as planned, and leak the rumor too.”
A few Dao Sovereigns opposed, but not to the extent of affecting the general trend.
“Let us gather the Dao Sovereigns who have leisure to move to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. And… it would be best to send word to the Supreme Elder.”
Startled, the Dao Sovereigns groaned.
The Supreme Elder was the one with the most outstanding capabilities in the Sacred Scale Alliance, an existence who would not step forward unless it was an exceptionally major affair.
In short, the Supreme Elder was the last resort.
“…Understood. Since the situation has turned out like this, there is no choice.”
“I also agree.”
In that way, the Sacred Scale Alliance’s attitude toward Jin So-myeong was decided.
***
At the same time, Jin So-myeong was organizing the newly obtained storage pouches.
Now that he had just ascended to the Unity stage, what was it that he needed most urgently?
Naturally, it was cultivation resources.
Medicinal pills to accumulate magic power, pill ingredients, and spiritual objects used to temper the mind and body.
He had scraped together every single cultivation resource, and it was somewhat satisfactory.
‘There are quite a lot. With this, I will have no worries for five years.’
Unity stage-grade cultivation resources were extremely rare and hard to obtain, but combining all the storage pouches obtained so far, the quantity was substantial.
For reference, the five years was calculated based on consuming twenty times more than others, and it included what he would refine directly using the pill ingredients.
Sweeping his gaze across the cultivation resources, he stroked his chin.
Although the pill refining methods obtained from the Sacred Scale Alliance Dao Sovereigns were quite numerous, the most outstanding cultivation pill among them was the Great Gold Essence Pill.
‘The other ingredients are fine since I can mass-produce them in the spiritual herb field. But this Golden Yang Immortal Dew is the problem.’
Opening the jade bottle smaller than a palm, dew emitting a golden radiance was visible.
This dew was precisely the Golden Yang Immortal Dew, the core ingredient of the Great Gold Essence Pill, and it was a material monopolized by the Sacred Scale Alliance.
It meant that to obtain the Golden Yang Immortal Dew in large quantities, he had to go to the Sacred Scale Alliance.
He did not know if they would give it meekly if he asked, but he intended to go and start a conversation first.
‘I hope they are reasonable… well, it does not matter even if they are not.’
Nodding his head, Jin So-myeong examined harvests other than the cultivation resources.
The Thunderclap Essence Whetstone.
It was a flat stone slab the size of a human torso, which had been possessed by the Dao Sovereign who cultivated a thunder Dao technique.
To explain the ability of the stone slab in a single word, it could be called a whetstone for tempering lightning bolts.
Its usage was simple.
After injecting magic power into the whetstone to awaken its spirituality, he only had to pour in lightning.
‘Should I try using it?’
Tried it right away since it came to mind.
The moment he poured the Five Elements Divine Thunder onto the Thunderclap Essence Whetstone.
Boom!
The Five Elements Divine Thunder that collided with the whetstone shattered like a breaking glass window, dividing into thousands of fragments.
Just as he paused upon seeing the shattered thunder Qi.
The thunder Qi scattering in all directions came to a sudden halt, and then converged to a single point as if turning back time.
Crackle!
The fragments collided with each other and were shaved off, and the more the collisions repeated, the sharper the thunder Qi became.
‘The effect is decent.’
When the thunder Qi becomes sharp, it is convenient even when mixing it with Sword Qi, and it also becomes easier to penetrate deep into the mind and body to inflict fatal wounds.
He liked it. It was a treasure that could raise the power of his thunder Qi by several levels if used steadily.
‘I can use it every time I cultivate.’
Next, he examined other harvests, and there were many useful treasures.
The Lightning Meridian Diagram Manual.
It was a cultivation method that built virtual nerves and meridians using thunder Qi, an outstanding secret technique that raised not only response speed but also magic power efficiency and energy capacity.
Although it had the disadvantage of being easy to suffer internal injuries during the cultivation process…
it was literally a minor problem.
Had he not tempered his body with all kinds of secret techniques and even achieved the Undying Body?
His meridians being slightly damaged was not particularly a problem. It was something he had experienced too many times, so there was no need to care.
What was more important than such a minor problem was that if he mastered the Lightning Meridian Diagram Manual, he could grow significantly faster.
‘I must master this.’
Engraving it as one of the things to do in the future, he moved on.
The Heavenly Origin Qi-Absorbing Arrow.
It was a spell that shot an arrow that absorbed the surrounding energy.
It had the characteristic that the further the distance the arrow flew, the greater the power, which was useful when sniping from long range.
Although the power was somewhat not bad, he had no intention of mastering it as it was.
‘This will match well with the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm.’
If he studied the principles contained in the spell and applied them to the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm, he would be able to further develop the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm, which had already reached great success.
Putting away the jade slip carefully, he looked around at other harvests and a smile formed naturally.
It seemed it would take a considerable amount of time to properly digest the harvests obtained this time.
‘Good. The rest later… Hmm?’
Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze from his subspace, a treasure plaque made of transparent crystal caught his eye.
‘Myriad Spirits?’
Examining the treasure plaque engraved with exactly two characters, he could tell what kind of object it was.
A faction large enough to be counted among the top ten in the Xuanhuang Realm,
it was a membership card or qualification token for trading with the Myriad Spirits Merchant Union.
‘I do not know if the Myriad Spirits Token obtained in this manner will work… but it was something I happened to need, so this is perfect.’
Closing the subspace with the Myriad Spirits Token as the last.
Leaving the organization of the remaining harvests to his clones, he contemplated what would be good to do in the future.
What was the first thing he had to do?
Contemplating for a moment, the answer came out immediately.
‘I must grow the Secret Realm of the Mind first.’
Since his divine soul had grown stronger as he broke through the great boundary, he would be able to bear it even if he grew the spiritual veins of the Secret Realm of the Mind.
He immediately crossed over to the Secret Realm of the Mind, but unlike usual, it was quiet.
“…Hmm.”
Although it was slightly boring since Geum-cheong did not fly over, he did not force a visit.
She was currently cultivating hard in the training ground where time flowed three times faster.
Checking only that she was doing well, he concentrated on his original business.
【Resource Production】: High-Grade Immortal Stones, 41 / Day
【Resource Production】: High-Grade Immortal Stones, 42 / Day
…
【Resource Production】: High-Grade Immortal Stones, 79 / Day
【Resource Production】: High-Grade Immortal Stones, 80 / Day
From Rank 7 medium-grade to the very edge of high-grade.
He strengthened it in one go. Refreshingly and cleanly.
Rumble…!
The heaven and earth shook, and the concentration of heaven and earth Qi in the atmosphere rose rapidly.
Simultaneously, the boundaries of the Secret Realm of the Mind expanded.
The gray mist acting as heaven and earth grew endlessly distant, and even with his Divine Sense reaching sixty thousand kilometers, he could not estimate the end.
‘Haha.’
What was the radius of the Earth again?
He could not remember the exact figure, but it was roughly six thousand kilometers.
That meant,
that the Secret Realm of the Mind, which had been at the level of a tiny hill during his Qi Condensation days, had now become wider than the entire surface area of the Earth combined.
At the end of hundreds of years of cultivation, he had become the master of a land wider than the Earth.
Indeed, his growth so far was vividly felt. Just as he was submerged in emotion.
Rumble!
A noisy thunderclap resounded, and Geum-cheong, enveloped in blue lightning, flew in with the speed of a flash.
“Squeeeeeak! Squeak! Squeak-squeak!”
Arriving in the blink of an eye, she deployed transformation magic, turned into a tiny sparrow, and burrowed into his embrace.
“Squeak-squeak-squeak!”
“Why are you like this all of a sudden?”
“Are you asking because you do not know! Squeak!”
Because she was picking at him with her beak, fully angry, he wondered why she was acting like this.
Then, suddenly.
‘Ah.’
He realized that she was exceptionally afraid of the moment the Secret Realm of the Mind expanded.
Finding out the reason, he was even more dumbfounded.
For a fellow who would be called a Void Refinement stage Heavenly Monarch if she went outside, to be frightened by a mere shaking of the sky.
A bitter smile came out naturally.
“Sorry, sorry. Next time, I will tell you before doing it.”
He apologized, but it was useless.
He placed a crystal mixed with the Supreme Great Ability and thunder Qi in her beak as she squeaked continuously, and only then was her beak shut.
“Squeak…?”
Her eyes resembling black beans blinked a few times, then snapped wide open.
“It became even tastier! Owner, you have ascended to the 7th rank! Amazing!”
Fluttering her wings to fly up, Geum-cheong circled above his head while scattering lightning bolts.
Was it because she was a bird?
Whether she had already forgotten about being angry, she made a fuss, saying congratulations.
Looking at that foolish yet pure appearance, a smile came out without his realizing.
*
Spending time with Geum-cheong, he headed to the cultivation ground.
Since he had ascended to the Unity stage, there was a lot to do.
After gathering what he had realized through the series of battles,
he intended to increase the proficiency of the Primordial One Qi Art while restoring the stone monument discovered in the center of the Dark Heaven Academy.
And after that…
it seemed it would be perfect to return to the Dark Heaven Xuan.
***
The leadership of the Sacred Scale Alliance visited the Supreme Elder to inform him about Jin So-myeong,
and the old man with a snow-white beard chuckled.
“Haha. To visit me because of a single fellow who has only just ascended to the Unity stage. Are you playing a joke on this old man?”
“We are sorry for disturbing your peace, but the situation is slightly serious. Already fourteen Unity stage Dao Sovereigns have died.”
“Fourteen?”
The smile hung at the old man’s mouth vanished as if washed away.
“Yes. The more we learn about Jin So-myeong, the more unusual it is. We informed the Supreme Elder before the matter grew larger.”
“…I see that it is not a joke. Please explain in detail.”
“They say Jin So-myeong already displayed Unity stage-grade divine abilities since his Void Refinement stage days. Although it is hard to believe literally, if it is true…”
A brief silence flowed, and a finely trembling voice followed.
“it is highly possible that now, having ascended to the Unity stage, he has become an absurd monster.”
***
Two years later.
Jin So-myeong finished the restoration of the stone monument discovered in the center of the Dark Heaven Academy.
The harvest obtained thereby was truly strange.
The stone monument was a kind of jade slip, and it contained these sentences.
[If you have mastered the method of grinding ink, next is the method of writing.]
[Heaven is the paper, and clouds are the ink.]
[Using the Dao as a brush, one carves their will upon the heavens, which is called the Sky-Writing Divine Ability.]