Chapter 360: A Good Idea

***

Exactly nine people.

All the Dao Sovereigns belonging to the Heavenly Law Palace gathered in one place.

“Jin So-myeong…”

“Why is his cultivation speed so fast? Does he possess some secret to rapidly accumulate dharma power?”

Around the time the Dao Sovereigns reading the information about Jin So-myeong could not hide their admiration.

A woman with blue hair and delicate facial features tapped the table to gather their attention.

“Daoist Gok. Why did you send Yu Cheon alone? Disposing of the imitation of the Heaven-Stabilizing Precious Bright Pearl could have been done slowly.”

“…I thought that for once, it would not be a bad thing for Yu Cheon’s pride to be broken.”

“Do you mean you knew Yu Cheon would be defeated?”

As the hesitant woman knitted her brows, Gok Man let out a sigh.

“Yu Cheon would rather die than admit it, but in my eyes, Jin So-myeong was slightly stronger.”

However, since the proud Yu Cheon would not want to show himself being defeated, he had stepped aside for a moment.

“Heh, a mere rogue cultivator is that strong?”

“Yes. However, I judged that he was not strong enough to kill Yu Cheon, who possessed the Myriad Forms Dharma Sea Mirror.”

“If it is Daoist Gok’s discerning eye, it would be correct nine times out of ten, so I do not know why things turned out this way.”

The Dao Sovereigns who listened in silence groaned, but there was no sign of doubting Gok Man’s words.

And for good reason, too,

though Yu Cheon was extremely proud, he was not the type to seek out his own death.

Having seen Jin So-myeong, he must have judged him to be a worthy opponent and thus initiated the fight.

Therefore, it was even more of a mystery. What on earth had happened for him to even lose his life…?

“Either Jin So-myeong hid his true skills, or he might have gained enlightenment during the battle and surpassed Yu Cheon.”

“Either way, it is not good news.”

Not after decades of cultivation, but surpassing Yu Cheon, who held the Myriad Forms Dharma Sea Mirror, in a single battle?

If that were true, it meant Jin So-myeong possessed a truly monstrous aptitude.

Gok Man wore a bitter smile.

“I thought the fight would eventually end without them being able to kill each other… but things have turned out like this. It was my misjudgment, so there is no excuse.”

A brief silence followed,

and a muscular giant who was crossing his arms opened his mouth.

“More than anything else, losing the Myriad Forms Dharma Sea Mirror is the biggest problem. It could not have been completely destroyed… it was probably sealed.”

“Does it mean Jin So-myeong is strong enough to suppress the Myriad Forms Dharma Sea Mirror?”

“Well…”

While everyone was lost in thought,

the woman with blue hair froze for a moment, then spoke as if something had occurred to her.

“Could it be that Jin So-myeong actually possesses a real Heaven-Defying Treasure?”

“A real Heaven-Defying Treasure…?”

How much time had passed?

The Dao Sovereigns, who parted their lips several times as if trying to deny it, eventually let out a sigh.

“That could be the case.”

A real Heaven-Defying Treasure, not some imitation.

If he had suppressed and sealed the Myriad Forms Dharma Sea Mirror using that, then the recent event could be explained.

“We must also do our best. Let’s put aside trivial matters and focus on dealing with Jin So-myeong first.”

“Since we are facing a cultivator who suppressed the Myriad Forms Dharma Sea Mirror, we must not let our guard down. Just in case, let us report to the Profound Desolate Palace first.”

“…Understood. I will handle the report.”

If they reported it to the Profound Desolate Palace, which could be considered the superior of the Heavenly Law Palace, they could leave the aftermath to them if things went wrong.

“Fairy Yeon, has Jin So-myeong’s location been identified?”

The blue-haired woman, Yeon Mok-ah, nodded her head.

“He is still at the place where he fought Yu Cheon.”

“He has not run away yet? Heavens, is he looking down on us?”

“It could be that his injuries are too severe for him to move.”

“Either way, it is a good opportunity for us. Let’s go right away without dragging our feet.”

The nine Dao Sovereigns set out together toward Jin So-myeong.

It meant putting aside all the missions assigned to the Heavenly Law Palace just to deal with a single person, but no one hesitated.

Having decided to do their utmost to kill Jin So-myeong, they carried it out as planned.

They did not let down their guard.

***

Meanwhile, Jin So-myeong, who was examining the halved sword, let out a sigh of relief.

Although it was a pity that the Twilight Single Extremity Sword, a Rank 7 dharma treasure, was broken, the situation was not as bad as he had thought.

Mugeuk had already absorbed the core ability of the Twilight Single Extremity Sword, and Mugeuk, who had dwelt in the sword, was also in good condition.

‘What a relief.’

In the first place, because Mugeuk was a collection of countless Sword Qi, simply breaking the sword did not cause a heavy blow to him.

Although his spiritual nature was slightly damaged… he could quickly recover this much.

And taking this battle as an opportunity, Mugeuk surpassed the wall.

Before he knew it, his rank had risen to Rank 7, possessing sharp energy equivalent to the Unity stage.

Buzz!

However, Mugeuk, who had emerged from the halved sword, was not particularly pleased.

He puffed up his body like a blowfish, as if his pride had been wounded by the fact that the sword had broken.

Honestly, he understood why the fellow was angry.

The moment the sword broke was a shock to him as well.

Of course, he accepted that it was a situation where that could fully happen.

The entity born from the golden bead was literally on a different level.

Had he not almost died?

Still…

having the sword broken was by no means a pleasant experience.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Seeing Mugeuk saying that he would return to the nest and absorb more sharp energy, he nodded his head.

“Yes. Let’s work hard together.”

He gave the remaining Supreme Great Ability and the broken sword pieces to Mugeuk, and even entrusted him with the remaining energy from unfolding the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture.

‘At this rate, I will be able to use the Burning Moon Slash twice.’

Now that he had confirmed Mugeuk was fine, it was time to check his body’s condition.

Leaving Mugeuk who was heading toward the nest behind, he opened the status window.

【Jin So-myeong】

【Lifespan】 : 350 / 55,100

【Realm】 : Body Integration 2nd Layer

【Supreme Great Ability】 : 0.01 Trillion / 15 Trillion

【Dharma Power Amplification】 : +401%

【Divine Ability】 : <Secret Realm of the Mind>, <Myriad Flows Restoration>

His lifespan, which had been 56,510 years, had decreased to 55,100 years.

This meant that roughly 1,400 years of his lifespan had been consumed while unfolding the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture.

‘1,400 years…’

Just because he had reached the Unity stage did not mean the cost of the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture had decreased.

On the contrary, it had become larger.

He had unfolded the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture very briefly this time, yet the lifespan consumption was substantial.

Of course, he had not only lost things.

He had also gained much.

His dharma power amplification amount rose from +332% to +401%, an increase of roughly 70%,

and not only his dharma power but also what could be called his skill had developed.

He had become able to handle energy more efficiently, and he had learned how to forge even sharper energy.

Was that all?

His Yin-Yang Reversal divine ability, which deflected or shed the enemy’s attacks, had also developed by one stage.

In the past, he could only deflect the enemy’s attacks in the space dominated by A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens, but now he could unfold it even inside his own body.

‘I feel like I can develop it even further.’

If he developed the enlightenment he gained this time, it seemed he would be able to unfold Yin-Yang Reversal without any restrictions in the future.

And one more thing.

There was something he had learned while ascending to the Unity stage and unfolding the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture.

Originally, the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture was a secret art that burned one’s Dao to cross boundaries.

In theory, it meant he should reach the Grand Unity stage…

but no matter how much he thought about it, the realm he had reached earlier could not be called the Grand Unity stage.

It seemed to have stopped somewhere between the mid and late Unity stage.

‘Is it because I consumed too little lifespan?’

Although 1,400 years could not be called small by any means, it was utterly insufficient to reach the Grand Unity stage.

Or, it could be that one could not reach the Grand Unity stage through the simple Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture alone.

If the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture was not enough, then the next step was…

Discarded Dao, Two Moons.

The ultimate meaning of the Light-Moon Silent-Life Blade that the Taixu Sacred Venerable showed in the final moment of his life. He had to unfold this.

If so, how could he unfold Discarded Dao, Two Moons?

‘Do I simply need to consume a lot of lifespan?’

Would the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture develop into Discarded Dao, Two Moons then?

He had a faint intuition. Simply burning all of his lifespan was not enough.

Something more was needed.

‘…Let’s ponder this again later.’

Setting aside his thoughts on Discarded Dao, Two Moons, he reviewed the battle.

At any rate, in the end, what was important was this.

So, how strong had he become?

For starters, if he faced Yu Cheon again, he would be able to easily overwhelm him.

Even after excluding emotions and thinking as calmly as possible, he reached that conclusion.

Killing Yu Cheon was not difficult.

However, the problem lay afterward.

The mysterious golden bead.

The golden figure that had popped out of it was so chillingly strong even thinking about it now.

Honestly speaking, it was to the extent that it was difficult to be sure he could win without the Genesis divine ability.

To face the golden figure, he had to at least unfold the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture, and in that case, even if he won by luck, he would have to consume a massive amount of his lifespan.

‘They said there are ten Dao Sovereigns of the Heavenly Law Palace in total.’

Since Yu Cheon had died, nine remained. That was according to the investigation so far.

‘How will the Heavenly Law Palace act?’

If they were composed of arrogant people like Yu Cheon, they would come one or two at a time… but honestly, the possibility of that was low.

In the worst-case scenario, the nine individuals, who were stronger than Yu Cheon, might rush at him all at once.

In addition, if all the Dao Sovereigns possessed the golden beads, would he be able to face them?

‘It doesn’t seem like it will be easy…’

If he did not fight head-on but engaged in guerrilla warfare, he might be able to kill one or two, but he could not handle it if a golden figure popped out every time he killed one.

It seemed he would have to go through quite a bit of hardship to survive.

‘It should be fun.’

Although he realized it was a difficult situation, rather than being afraid, he thought as positively as possible.

How much stronger would he become if he got through this crisis? Thinking of that, he actually looked forward to it.

First of all, since he keenly felt that his current strength was insufficient, he needed to sharply raise his strength in a short period of time.

Fortunately, many methods came to mind.

‘Since I obtained the fruit of the Golden Blood Wood, I have become able to make the Heaven-Turning Reviving Pill.’

If one consumed the Heaven-Turning Reviving Pill, their regenerative power would be amplified to the point that even an ordinary cultivator would temporarily obtain an Undying Body.

What would happen if he consumed hundreds of such pills and stored them in the Chaos Origin Wheel?

He would be able to pull up his regenerative power dozens of times over in the necessary moments.

‘Then, I will be able to endure the Blood Wings that have entered the next stage.’

He would be able to do training that put a strain on the body without hesitation, which would also be helpful for his body-tempering cultivation.

Deciding to mass-produce the Heaven-Turning Reviving Pill once he had some leeway with his Supreme Great Ability, he waited for a moment.

As soon as his Supreme Great Ability recovered, he absorbed Yu Cheon’s storage pouch into the Secret Realm of the Mind divine ability.

Looking at the treasures piled up like a mountain in the subdimension, he immediately summoned his clones.

‘This is…’

The first thing that caught his eye was a jade box containing three medicinal pills.

It was a medicinal pill that looked as if it were made by compressing pitch-black ash and gray mist, and as he examined it closely, he froze.

‘The Bright Soul Unforgetting Pill?’

It was said that if one consumed the Bright Soul Unforgetting Pill, they could preserve their memories when reincarnating through samsara after death.

It was a precious pill that Dao Sovereigns whose lifespans were running out searched for with fiery eyes, but it was unnecessary for him.

‘What a pity. It would have been useful if it had been in the state of raw materials instead.’

One of the core ingredients of the Bright Soul Unforgetting Pill was the Forgetful River Flower.

And the Forgetful River Flower was the main ingredient of the Life-Returning Pill, a pill that allowed one to recall their past life.

As he was about to close the jade box, he froze.

‘Anyway, does this not mean that the Forgetful River Flower is indeed inside this pill?’

Utilizing his Supreme Great Ability and the Myriad Flows Restoration divine ability, would it not be possible to extract the ingredients in reverse?

He conducted a simple experiment.

After choosing a low-grade pill rolling around in the subdimension, he tried to extract the ingredients contained in the pill.

‘Hmm, it works, but it consumes too much of the Supreme Great Ability.’

Strictly speaking, the spiritual herb that went into the pill was already dead. It was not easy to even copy the components.

To copy the Forgetful River Flower, a Rank 7 spiritual herb, it seemed he would have to put in a truly vast amount of effort.

Satisfied with the fact that a possibility had arisen for now, he set the Bright Soul Unforgetting Pill aside.

Next, he examined the other harvests, and the cultivation resources were substantial.

‘At this rate, I won’t have to worry for the next eight years.’

Considering the amount of pills he consumed, eight years’ worth of cultivation resources was a truly massive amount.

Befitting a force associated with the Grand Unity stage, the quality of the pills was also top-tier, and he liked it even more because it included body-tempering resources.

After looking around at all kinds of spiritual herbs and pills, he averted his gaze.

It was a truly satisfying harvest, but there was something else that caught his greatest interest right now.

Among the items in the storage pouch, he selected only the jade slips and quickly scanned them.

It was to check if there was a Mahayana-grade cultivation method.

Because the situation was not leisurely, he scanned as quickly as possible…

‘There is none.’

Truly regrettably. No matter how much he searched, there was no Mahayana-grade cultivation method.

In a way, it was only natural.

There was no way he would carry around such a precious treasure as a Mahayana-grade cultivation method.

Could it not be leaked in a situation like this?

It was natural to store it in a place like a secure vault.

‘Tsk.’

Smacking his lips, he averted his gaze from the subdimension.

Leaving the verification of the remaining treasures to his clones, he pondered on what would soon unfold.

Soon, people from the Heavenly Law Palace would come. He had to decide how to respond.

Just as he was pondering deeply,

his eyes flashed wide at a fact that suddenly occurred to him.

‘If all the Dao Sovereigns of the Heavenly Law Palace are coming to me… doesn’t that mean the Heavenly Law Palace is empty right now?’

Although there might be those guarding their base, he could handle one or two of them.

A good idea occurred to him.

Although it was a slightly dangerous gamble, if it succeeded, it seemed he would be able to obtain the cultivation methods held by the Heavenly Law Palace.