Chapter 349: Hunting a True Spirit (3)

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The patriarch of the Black Crow Tribe barely held onto his fading consciousness.

“Arrogant bastards. How dare you pull such tricks behind my back. You must be prepared, right?”

His gaze, which made them look like toys, was as goosebump-inducing as a venomous serpent licking the back of their necks.

How on earth should they handle this situation?

Dao Sovereign Jade Wave, whom they had trusted, had disappeared somewhere, and only the hateful monster had returned.

The patriarch, who had been standing blankly in the desperate situation, suddenly snapped out of it.

Thud!

He immediately prostrated himself and slammed his forehead against the ground.

“I am sorry! Please forgive us just this once! We will make sure nothing like this ever happens again!”

“Forgiveness? Huhuhu, what a truly shameless fellow. Fine. I shall forgive you for the sake of that shamelessness.”

“Pardon…? Ah! Thank you, thank you so much!”

At the completely unexpected response, the eyes of the patriarch, who had been slamming his forehead against the ground, widened drastically.

Joy filled his face, but the happiness did not last long.

“However, it cannot be done for free. You must receive at least a minimum punishment.”

“If it is a punishment, what kind of…?”

“Well. I wonder what kind of punishment would be good.”

Gwang Hyo-wol, clasping his hands behind his back, strolled through the village as if taking a walk, and the members of the Black Crow Tribe could not help but tremble whenever his gaze landed on them.

How long did this silent pressure continue?

Stopping with a smile, Gwang Hyo-wol nodded and spoke.

“From now on, double the amount of sacrifices. I will let you off with that much.”

“…Pardon?”

“Did you not hear me? I told you to offer double the sacrifices from now on.”

His tone was soft and gentle, but the content was horrific.

The complexions of all the Black Crow Tribe members, including the patriarch, turned pale.

Double the sacrifices?

This meant they had to offer as many as ten Soul Formation stage cultivators every ten years, which was absolutely impossible even if they died and came back to life.

“Senior. Please reconsider just once. Our Black Crow Tribe does not have that kind of capability.”

“Haha. Do not worry. Would I order you to do something impossible? I, too, have mercy.”

“Then…”

“If you lack Soul Formation cultivators, offer Nascent Soul cultivators. I will count a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators for each Soul Formation cultivator. If you lack Nascent Soul cultivators, offer Golden Core cultivators. I will count them at the exact same ratio.”

The patriarch, prostrate on the cold ground, imagined blankly.

What kind of future would unfold for the Black Crow Tribe.

The sight of the elders driving their subordinates to death just to save themselves was…

Truly horrific.

“Could it be that even this is impossible? Surely you are not saying the Black Crow Tribe is a pathetic race without even this much capability?”

“…Senior, please bestow mercy upon us.”

“Sigh, it cannot be helped then. Fine. Then how about you die instead?”

“Pardon?”

“If you, the patriarch, agree to die, I will overlook this matter and keep the amount of sacrifices as it was.”

“…….”

His mouth merely agape, the patriarch unconsciously looked back, and his gaze met those of his tribe members.

From those who shook their heads stubbornly as if it were absolutely out of the question, to those who hung their heads low, unable to meet his eyes, and those who squeezed their eyes shut with sighs.

Every single one of them was like his own child.

‘If I, the only Void Refinement stage cultivator of the Black Crow Tribe, die…’

The future of the tribe was obvious.

To make a living on the rugged Hwado Plateau, the power of a Void Refinement stage cultivator was essential.

If he died, the Black Crow Tribe would not even be able to see the sun.

They would have to hide and live in rotten-smelling swamps and tunnels like before. Just like bugs.

However, if he refused here…

Would the tribe members trust and follow him? Would they be able to overcome difficulties with one mind like they did now?

Perhaps they would hate him, their patriarch, even more than Gwang Hyo-wol.

At some point, everyone was looking at him.

Reflecting on his past life in an instant, he let out a sigh and bowed his head.

“Thank you for your mercy. I will follow your words.”

“You say you will die?”

“Yes. I will die, so please appease your anger.”

A brief silence fell.

Was it not the answer he wanted? The corners of Gwang Hyo-wol’s mouth curled downwards.

“I have changed my mind. From now on, you shall offer twenty sacrifices every ten years.”

“…Pardon?”

Instead of decreasing, the sacrifices had doubled.

An absurd tyranny. The patriarch, his eyes wide, forced his lips open with difficulty.

“Senior. Twenty Soul Formation stage cultivators is truly impossible.”

“What a ridiculous fellow. If it is not painful, would it even be a punishment? And you shall choose the sacrifices yourself. Right now!”

“…”

“What are you doing standing there blankly? I told you to choose who is the most useless in the Black Crow Tribe!”

“……Ah.”

Where on earth did it go wrong? What kind of mistake did they make for the situation to turn out like this?

The patriarch’s slowly rising fingertips trembled violently.

Unable to point out anyone, his hand merely wandered through the empty air.

“Do you dare make me wait? If you do not choose immediately, I will kill every single one of them right before your eyes.”

It was only after hearing the voice laced with subtle ecstasy that he realized.

Nothing was wrong.

No matter what answer he gave, it was meaningless.

Because what Gwang Hyo-wol desired was for them to suffer.

No matter how he answered, even if they had not summoned Dao Sovereign Jade Wave, the situation would have eventually drifted to the worst.

It was unfair.

One hundred thousand years had passed since the first cultivator was born in the Black Crow Tribe.

From the first patriarch, who ended his life at the Golden Core stage, to the present day.

Everyone had strived throughout the long years.

Even so, the realm they could not reach was the Unity stage.

That supreme realm.

That lawless monster had obtained it from the moment he was born, simply because he was a True Spirit.

They had barely ascended to the Void Refinement stage by mobilizing all the capabilities of the Black Crow Tribe, yet they had been reduced to the toy of a newborn monster…

How could the principles of the world be like this? It was too unfair!

Gritting his teeth. Blood trickled down from his bitten lip.

Every time his trembling fingertips pointed in their direction, the terrified tribe members cast desperate glances.

Begging him to save them. Saying they did not want to die.

He understood it deeply. Who on earth would want to die?

In the end,

He could not point to anyone. His fingertips, shaking as if afflicted with a palsy, dropped limply and pointed to the ground.

“Foolish fellow. You only understand when you see blood. I shall show you the consequence of your choice.”

Gwang Hyo-wol, wearing a fishy smile, gathered his dharmic power, and,

“Wait a moment!”

Gritting her teeth, a woman pushed her way through the tribe members, rushed out, and prostrated herself.

“Father, I will die. Please choose me.”

“Ah.”

His daughter, who was designated as the next patriarch due to her outstanding talent, stepped forward, and the elders who had been enduring with clenched fists followed suit.

“Choose me as well!”

Before long, their number exceeded twenty, and he could not help but hang his head low.

To think that because he could not even make a single proper choice, they had to step forward themselves…

At that moment,

A voice laced with amusement was heard.

“Twenty-four people? Hmm. That will not do. Has it not exceeded by four? Patriarch, do not just sit there idly, and choose quickly. Whom to kill and whom to let live.”

“Dao Sovereign. Why on earth must you go this far…”

“Aha. You still do not know that? Truly foolish, fitting for a mere creature.”

Gwang Hyo-wol, exaggerating his surprise, chuckled and spoke.

“Fine. I shall specially bestow a teaching upon you.”

“…”

“It is simply because you are the weak. The principles of the world are originally like that. The only thing the weak can do is to obediently follow whatever the strong orders.”

The law of the jungle.

At that single word, all the strength drained from his entire body.

“If you understood, hurry and choose. Whom to kill and whom to let live.”

It felt as if he had fallen into an endless nightmare.

His sense of injustice and hatred toward the heavens had all vanished.

He merely prayed desperately. For this nightmare to end. For a miracle to happen.

Right as he repeated that prayer over and over,

“How strange.”

A clear voice rang out from the empty air.

Gwang Hyo-wol, who had been sneering, flinched and snapped his head around.

“I clearly came here seeking a True Spirit, but I do not know why such a greenhorn is here.”

Gwang Hyo-wol furrowed his brows.

He scanned his surroundings as if trying to find the owner of the voice, but he could not easily pinpoint the direction.

“The True Spirit I know is an existence that extends a fist toward the sun, but you act in the exact opposite way. Do you truly deserve to be called a True Spirit?”

Gwang Hyo-wol spoke with a tense expression.

“I do not know which Daoist friend is being so rude, but if you are confident, state your name first.”

“Jin So-myeong.”

“Hmph.”

Groaning inwardly, Gwang Hyo-wol closely scrutinized the man who had appeared in the empty air without a single trace of presence.

‘It does not seem like he used a transformation art… Is his true body really that small?’

His build was small, and his skin looked fragile, as if it would tear at a light tap.

No matter how he looked at him, he was just one of the common Beast Soul Race.

Honestly, he did not look strong at all. To the point where his previous tension felt pointless.

However, the fact that he had not sensed his presence weighed on his mind.

Since there was no harm in being careful, he heightened his senses to the maximum.

“It seems you are not active in this vicinity.”

“I did come from afar. But is that important?”

“…Fine. Why are you looking for a True Spirit?”

Jin So-myeong, who was staring intently, smiled brightly, but that smile was incredibly chilling.

“Because I am curious about how strong you are.”

In an instant, he was dumbfounded. It was because it was such an absurd statement that he doubted if he was speaking sincerely.

Just curiosity?

He could not understand at all that someone would seek out a True Spirit for such a reason. Was it not an act that was only dangerous and brought no benefit whatsoever?

‘Is he a madman?’

The moment he saw those unusually clear eyes, he was certain.

He was an eerie fellow whom there was no benefit in associating with.

What was the point of clashing with someone who was not in his right mind?

It was the wise course of action to accommodate his mood as much as possible and send him away.

“Daoist friend. Let us move to another place first. I happen to have obtained a bottle of decent spiritual wine…”

“Concentrate. If you do not wish to die in vain.”

“No,”

Before his words could even finish, his vision was filled with a fist as large as a house.

The fist, which appeared as if teleporting, was right on the verge of striking his face.

Thanks to being highly alert, he barely perceived it.

However, it was too fast. He moved alone in a world that appeared to have stopped in extreme concentration.

How on earth should he avoid this?

In an instant, he squeezed out numerous methods, but all were meaningless.

None of them were of any use against the fist that had approached right before his nose.

Crunch!

Following the sound of bones shattering, his body floated up, and his consciousness was severed in an instant by the profound pain.

“Keo-heok!”

He was forcibly awakened by the powerful impact felt on his back. As he exhaled his blocked breath, blood poured out.

Forcing his rapidly blurring vision together, he saw himself crashed in a mountain valley.

Looking at the unfamiliar scenery, he realized. He had flown an immense distance while he had lost consciousness.

Following the pain, anger surged.

Throwing a fist out of nowhere?

He had lived for five hundred years since his birth. He had undergone numerous experiences, but someone this reckless was a first.

Just as he raised his dharmic power to recover his ruined body,

“Did I not tell you to concentrate? You would not feel aggrieved only if you died after showing at least your true skills.”

Jin So-myeong, who had landed within arm’s reach, looked down at him quietly.

Madman.

He barely swallowed the curses that were about to burst out on their own. Instead, spitting out the blood that welled up, he spoke.

“Daoist friend, why on earth are you doing this upon our first meeting? What kind of grudge do we have?”

“The law of the jungle. Was that not what you liked?”

In an instant, he was choked up, speechless.

“Or did your preference change now that the tables are turned?”

As he nudged him with his toes to get up, the anger he had barely suppressed exploded at the discourteous behavior he was experiencing for the first time in his life.

“You bastard…!”

His soaring rage transformed into lightning, and,

Rumble!

The thunderbolts that dyed heaven and earth poured toward Jin So-myeong.