Chapter 375
As I stood there, I suddenly realized that Ham-jin’s cultivation had advanced quite a bit.
“Ham-jin, you’ve already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment.”
Whoosh!
I arrived in the mid-realm of another star and asked.
“Ah… Actually… I caught a glimpse of Venerable Jang Ik and the Void Shattering Ghost King sparring in the Star Realm. In the middle of it, I fainted again, but thanks to that, I awakened my third eye, gained enlightenment, obtained a new divine ability, and my cultivation rose.”
“You’ve certainly received good karma. Congratulations. What is this new divine ability?”
At that, Ham-jin moved his body to form a seal, then pulled his law power from his dantian and channeled it to his fingertips.
‘This is…?’
The law power of Ham-jin’s Earth Earth Great Wall Art changed into pitch-black ink light.
It was a darkness that carried a quality much like the darkness of outer space.
And when Ham-jin swung his fingertip, the ink light turned into a blade of ink light — the Black Blade — and flew toward some star, slicing a small mountain in half.
Crack!
“……!”
A clear Core Formation-level strike!
“…Impressive. You made this after witnessing Venerable Heaven-Sinking cut stars?”
“Yes, exactly. Thank you for the praise!”
From its form, it seemed like a divine ability created from enlightenment gained from Jang Ik’s strike.
‘Indeed. Simply watching a Star Shattering strike as a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be enough enlightenment to create a new divine ability.’
Of course, using this one move had completely drained Ham-jin’s law power, but since the Earth Earth Great Wall Art was a method that drew infinite law power once he mastered the dragon veins, there was no real drawback.
Perhaps once he reached Core Formation, he could unleash it in rapid succession, and it would become a perfect life-saving technique for him.
Whoosh!
I moved with Ham-jin back to the mid-realm and asked.
“What is the name of this technique?”
“It’s called the Black Blade Slash! It’s also black, and the meaning is to cut with a single strike the Black Dragon Nom who tried to steal my body. The Black Dragon Nom was the great fate that threatened me, so I named it with the resolve to cut down my own fate!”
“Black Blade Slash… An extremely fine name.”
I nodded and, on the spot, created a supplementary method for the Black Blade Slash and a cultivation technique to refine it myself.
It was the Black Blade Earth Earth Great Wall Art — a fusion of the Earth Earth Great Wall Art and the Black Blade Slash.
After traveling through countless mid-realms for several days and nights, I finally arrived back in Ham-jin’s world.
Whoosh!
“Huu…”
I emerged from Ham-jin’s body and congratulated the exhausted Ham-jin.
“Thank you. Thanks to your cooperation, I’ve gained a great deal.”
“No, thank you. I myself received far too much good karma!”
“I shall grant you the elixir that will prolong your lifespan. Then one day we shall meet in the Upper Realm.”
Whoosh!
I recalled my consciousness and smiled at Ham-jin. Ham-jin bowed deeply toward me, who was returning to the Goryeok Realm.
* * *
Ham-jin looked at Seo Eun-hyun disappearing into the void, then gazed at his own fingertip.
Tchutchut!
His nails momentarily darkened, then a sharp Black Blade instantly appeared above his hand.
‘The Black Blade Earth Earth Great Wall Art… What a splendid cultivation technique you have bestowed upon me. How shall I ever repay such a favor?’
Ham-jin pondered, then finally decided.
‘Yes, he said we would meet in the Upper Realm. One day I will defeat him! I will become a Heavenly Person beyond the heavens — something even my master could not reach — and defeat him in the Upper Realm! In that way, I will sit beside the great Void Shattering Ghost King and repay the favor I received from him! I will properly join the main sect of the Void Sect!’
He finally set his life’s goal.
That was none other than to defeat him, sit beside the Void Shattering Ghost King, and repay the favor he had given!
Whoosh!
When Ham-jin swung his hand, a sharp Black Blade shot out from his hand and sliced the nearby cliff in half.
“I shall polish this Black Blade infinitely until I reach the person who gave it to me!”
That way, Ham-jin, who had refined the Black Blade Earth Earth Great Wall Art, would become a Core Formation expert and earn the title of Black Blade King — that future was not so far away.
The legend of Black Blade King Ham-jin had only just begun.
* * *
Snap!
I opened my eyes.
‘While sparring with Jang Ik, I had focused all my attention on my clone for so long that my main body must have been in a comatose state.’
My companions probably must have been shocked.
‘I must explain properly… Ugh!’
Clank, clank!
For some reason, my body and limbs were bound in a restraint formation, and my mouth was stuffed with a ball gag.
And on my back of the hand, knees, and head, candles were placed so that melted wax dripped down, and in front of me Yeon Wi, wearing a shaman’s robe, had stacked rocks like a mountain and was performing a shamanic ritual.
“Hwa…! Look, look! The sect leader has awakened!”
She stopped the ritual, wiped her sweat, and approached me.
“Are you all right? Did you receive the Sea Python’s Heart Contract?”
[Sea Python’s Heart Contract…?]
I asked in my muffled voice, and Yeon Wi explained what it was.
And she had been gathering rocks from the sea where I was rescued and collecting materials to treat the Sea Python’s Heart Contract.
I was grateful, but it was so absurd that I let out a bitter laugh.
[Hehe… Sorry, but I wasn’t affected by the Sea Python’s Heart Contract. I was temporarily confined to the lower realm because of a rather complicated event there. And the boiling blood was because I awakened my regressed talent, and the reason I performed the Seven Lights Blood Revival was probably because I faced the main body of the True Person head-on.]
Hearing my words, Yeon Wi was silent for a moment, then, furious, raised the bell she was holding and slammed it down on my head.
“You bastard! Judging by how you’re talking, you’re not the sect leader — you’re a demon who has taken over the sect leader’s body! Get out of this body at once, you demon!”
Splash, splash!
I took several hits from the bell that struck my astral body, sighed, and gathered strength in my body.
Crunch, crack!
The chains binding my body snapped, and the ball gag in my mouth was crushed.
“Y-You… Kyaaak!?”
Crack!
I grabbed Yeon Wi’s face, lifted her, suppressed her, and shook her brain with a foot strike to knock her unconscious.
She collapsed with her eyes rolled back and fainted on the floor. I called for Hong Beom.
Whoosh!
Hong Beom tore through space and appeared right in front of me, bowing.
“Master, you have returned? Was it truly the Venerable Yeon Wi’s method that worked?”
“Hmm…”
I explained the truth to Hong Beom and asked.
“While I was in a comatose state, was there any trouble?”
And Hong Beom’s face paled.
I sensed that something had happened.
“…Let us go to the conference room.”
* * *
Void Sect Conference Room.
I was able to hear an unbelievable report there.
“…So, while the leaders were away gathering rocks, the Void Sect main headquarters was left unattended, and the remaining Yuk Yo, Baek Rin, and… Buk Hyang-hwa and Kim Yeon were kidnapped by the Tuma Pirate Clan…?”
Crack!
Hong Beom said with a grim face.
“More precisely… When Yuk Yo and Baek Rin were taken, the two Venerables rushed over to rescue them and were themselves taken. Because of that, Venerable Yeon also wanted to wake you up earlier…”
“…Where are those bastards now?”
“It seems the Tuma Pirate Clan’s Bone Ship has the ability to dive into the deep sea of the Goryeok Realm. They are currently roaming around the deep sea of the Goryeok Realm…”
“…When they capture hostages, do they abuse them?”
At my question, Kim Young-hoon shook his head.
“Probably not. Most of the Tuma Pirate Clan are Tugu tribes, and the remaining 10% are demons who have nothing to do with humans. And Tugu tribes… look similar in form to humans, but their reproduction method is extremely unique.”
“Their reproduction method…?”
“Yes. The bastards… rush to anyone they find appealing, fight, and mate. Because of that, their children are insane beings who become aroused during battle and feel supreme pleasure through battle. That is why they show no interest in prisoners they cannot fight and simply leave them alone.”
At those words, Jeon Myeong-hoon trembled with a chill.
“…Then that child… when I fight him…”
“Enough idle chatter.”
Whoosh!
My breath turned into frost, and frost began to form on the conference room walls.
“From now on, we shall find those bastards and rescue the sect disciples of the main sect.”
With eyes like ice, I concentrated my mind and began tracking Kim Yeon’s location.
Since Kim Yeon was connected through the Strange Parasite and the Strange Star-Mind Scroll, I could learn her location with time.
‘Just a little longer, wait.’
I gritted my teeth while thinking of Buk Hyang-hwa and Kim Yeon.
* * *
Deep inside the Goryeok Realm’s deep sea.
Inside the Bone Ship hull.
Inside the prison, two women were quarreling.
“No, you shouldn’t have rushed in so impulsively!”
“You should have at least run away and alerted someone! Do you even have any sense?”
Buk Hyang-hwa and Kim Yeon were locked in the adjacent cell, their limbs bound as they argued.
“You told me to abandon the sect disciples and run away?”
“It’s admirable that you value loyalty so much! We’re both locked up together, and what is this all for!”
After quarreling for a while, the two, who had been panting, sighed.
“What a mess…”
“Indeed…”
A while later, the cell next to theirs opened, and Yuk Yo was tossed into it.
The Tugu tribe warriors who tossed her threw Baek Rin into the cell next to Yuk Yo, then laughed and moved on to another place.
Kim Yeon looked at Yuk Yo.
The Tugu tribe did not abuse prisoners, but Yuk Yo was especially dragged in front of Jin Ma-yeol and abused.
“…Huu… We really need to escape quickly.”
At Kim Yeon’s words, Buk Hyang-hwa let out a bitter laugh.
“How are you going to escape? Even if we get out of here, the Bone Ship is submerged in the deep sea, so we can’t go outside.”
“I’ve tried controlling your Northward Ship before, so I think I can control this ship too?”
“Wake up. My Northward Ship is the essence of a half-puppet mechanical device, so it was controllable, but the Bone Ship is all manual. You won’t have time to take control, I tell you.”
Hearing those words, Kim Yeon suddenly asked Buk Hyang-hwa.
“Then… couldn’t we convert this Bone Ship into your Northward Ship?”
“Eh?”
“Last time, I saw that you instantly converted the ship I controlled and reclaimed it. Like that, if you convert this ship, it can be controlled, right?”
“It’s possible, but… how? Both of us are bound like this right now?”
“Hmm…”
Kim Yeon smiled wickedly at that, then moved her arms a few times.
And at some point.
Clang, clang, crash!
The chains on her arms snapped.
Seeing that, Buk Hyang-hwa’s eyes widened in shock.
“The, the law power suppression law treasure… with pure energy…?”
“The law power is suppressed, but my inner energy isn’t?”
Kim Yeon said with a soft smile.
“Of course, if I fight those Tugu bastards I’ll lose, so a frontal battle is impossible. I’ll free you too. We need to convert this ship as fast as possible and escape. Got it?”
Crunch!
Kim Yeon swung the bars and moved into Buk Hyang-hwa’s cell, then removed her handcuffs.
Buk Hyang-hwa looked at her with a dazed expression for a moment, then laughed.
“All right, sister.”
* * *
Jin Ma-yeol, captain of the Tuma Pirate Clan, stared out the window in the captain’s cabin with a cold face.
The space compression was heavy, so even though the interior of the Bone Ship was as vast as the Seopmyeong Ship, the captain’s cabin was the size of a small city.
Boom!
Jin Ma-yeol gazed out the window at the outside scenery.
“I have to obtain it as soon as possible… That flatfish-headed bastard Yuk Yo…”
Grind…
He ground his teeth while gazing at the scenery outside the window.
He stared at the enormous Sea Dragon statue deep in the ocean abyss.
“The Purple Soul Filling the Heavens secret art is right in front of me…”
Jin Ma-yeol’s eyes held strange excitement as he looked at the Sea Dragon statue.
“Yes… Just a little longer, hold on. Then… I will achieve immortality with a mortal’s body!”
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