The Spirit-Seeking Talisman
The next day, Jin Somyeong headed for the place where he had agreed to meet Baek Yu-geon. They were setting out to destroy a colony of Tongue-Fish Grass.
But when he arrived, Baek Yu-geon was the only one there.
"Is it just the two of us?"
"Yes. In truth, the original plan was for five of us to depart together. But after seeing your recent exploits, Fellow Daoist Jin, I realized the others would only get in the way."
"...I see."
"If that makes you uneasy, we can postpone our departure and gather more people."
"No. Let's go as we are."
Jin Somyeong considered it for a moment, but he doubted any ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would be of much help.
"Very well. Then please take this talisman first."
From the palm-sized slip of paper Baek Yu-geon held out, Jin Somyeong felt a familiar pressure.
"A third-tier Transfer Talisman?"
"Yes. If we happen to encounter a third-tier demon king during the mission, use it without hesitation. Once you're transported a hundred li away, return to Sky Island."
Jin Somyeong accepted the talisman and examined it carefully. For some reason, the object in his hand seemed impossibly distant.
As he stared at it, dizziness crept over him, as though his sense of distance had been twisted into knots.
Fascinating.
He nodded and tucked it into his robes. Baek Yu-geon said, "If there is no need to use the Transfer Talisman, then please keep it, Fellow Daoist Jin. Consider it compensation for helping with this mission."
"Compensation? You already gave me your Golden Core insights, did you not?"
"Haha. Do you think the Thunderclap Swordsman, called the foremost Foundation Establishment cultivator on Sky Island, can be hired with nothing but a few Golden Core insights? If you dislike it, simply return it to me."
"...No. I'll put it to good use."
He did not bother refusing out of empty pride.
If someone was giving him a talisman that might save his life, what reason was there to hand it back? Naturally, he stored it away with care.
"Now then, let us depart."
Baek Yu-geon took a flying carriage from his storage pouch and tossed it out.
It looked like a carriage, but with no beast to pull it, it rose into the air on its own and emitted a strange ripple. Its presence was faint, suggesting it was a flying artifact specialized in concealment.
Whoosh!
The flying carriage carrying the two of them shot through the sky and vanished beyond the endless sea.
Fifteen days.
That was how long Jin Somyeong drifted across the Demon-Mingled Sea.
During that time, they visited three places suspected to contain Tongue-Fish Grass colonies, and every one of them was a bust. A few second-tier demon beasts lived there, but there was no Tongue-Fish Grass.
It would have been natural to feel disappointed, yet Jin Somyeong felt more awe than frustration.
This world truly is vast.
They had flown by flying carriage for fifteen days straight, yet had only surveyed a small portion of the Demon-Mingled Sea. Even this immeasurable ocean was nothing but a speck compared to the world as a whole.
As the sun began to set, he stared blankly at the horizon turning gold. Listening to the slap of waves and watching the sea glitter beneath the sunlight made something in his chest itch.
Beyond that horizon, at the edge of the world, what was waiting there?
Someday, without fail.
He would see it with his own eyes. Just as he made that silent vow, Baek Yu-geon, who had been meditating, gave a wry smile and spoke.
"Hoo... I hope the next place has Tongue-Fish Grass. We'll be arriving soon, so please prepare yourself."
Perhaps his prayer had been answered.
On the fourth island they visited, they finally discovered a Tongue-Fish Grass colony.
It was a tiny island, no more than three or four kilometers in circumference. Brown plants filled the mist-wreathed hill.
There are a lot of them.
It felt like looking at a dense reed field.
Of course, reeds and Tongue-Fish Grass were utterly different in appearance. The spiral stems looked as if two plants had fused into one, and from the petals that opened and closed without rest came something like a faint whisper.
Once they destroyed this field of Tongue-Fish Grass, the promised mission would be complete.
Concealing their presence, they scouted the island, but there was nothing in particular to be wary of.
This may end more easily than expected.
There was one upper second-tier demon beast with a pig's head and bat wings sleeping nearby, but dealing with it would be simple. Jin Somyeong glanced at Baek Yu-geon beside him.
I will handle it.
He sent the message by Divine Sense and approached stealthily.
He drew his sword in silence, careful not to make a sound, then swung it at the demon beast sleeping in the middle of the Tongue-Fish Grass colony.
Ffft!
A faint gleam of sword light was all there was.
The late Foundation Establishment-level demon beast, which would have been a calamity to some, did not even react. It died in its sleep, knowing nothing.
Just as Jin Somyeong was collecting the demon beast he had killed, Baek Yu-geon, who had been clicking his tongue in admiration, froze.
"Hah. You dealt with an upper second-tier demon beast as though you were pulling weeds. At this point, I doubt I would even be a match for you."
He abruptly fell silent and began studying the Tongue-Fish Grass colony closely.
"...Is something wrong?"
Baek Yu-geon thought in silence for a long while before frowning.
"One moment. Something is strange."
At his serious tone, Jin Somyeong quickly scanned their surroundings. Wondering whether there might be a trap, he even brought the Boundless Great Ability to bear.
He heightened his senses, but felt no danger.
"Ah! I understand what was bothering me. Every one of these Tongue-Fish Grass plants is growing far too well."
Jin Somyeong wondered why that was a problem, but Baek Yu-geon's explanation soon made clear what was wrong.
"Their quality and age are uniform as well. No matter how I look at it, this is not a natural colony. Someone cultivated them deliberately. And whoever did it is an extremely skilled spirit planter."
"Can demon beasts use spirit planting arts?"
"...It is possible, but delicate spirit planting of this level would be absolutely beyond them. Look here. Every spiritual herb is brimming with vitality, and not a single petal is damaged."
A human had cultivated Tongue-Fish Grass?
Jin Somyeong did not know who had done it or why, but the more he thought about it, the less it seemed like a good sign.
Baek Yu-geon, his expression hardened, pondered for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"For now, let us leave this place as it is. I should report this to my master first."
"Understood."
"Ah! Fellow Daoist Jin, you only need to help me up to this point. Whatever the circumstances, the Tongue-Fish Grass colony is as good as destroyed."
Jin Somyeong had felt it before, but Baek Yu-geon was the sort of man who kept his promises to the letter.
"Then I will take care of some personal business before returning. Fellow Daoist Baek, you may go ahead."
"Personal business? Don't tell me you obtained some sort of treasure map."
"Mm... It happens to be nearby."
There was no point denying what Baek Yu-geon had already guessed.
Jin Somyeong acknowledged it because he considered him reasonably trustworthy, but Baek Yu-geon's expression turned peculiar.
After hesitating as if swallowing back what he wanted to say, he muttered, "Maps like that are mostly scams... Ahem. No, never mind. My tongue has run away with me. I wish you luck."
Jin Somyeong merely laughed it off.
Surely an object given to repay the grace of having saved a life would not be fake.
If he had purchased the map with Spirit Stones, even Jin Somyeong would not have trusted it this much.
After parting with Baek Yu-geon, he immediately followed the map. Since he had no flying artifact like the flying carriage and had to move with his body alone, he proceeded with caution.
He amplified his senses with the Boundless Great Ability to avoid encountering demon beasts, and he even wore the Invisible Pearl, an artifact that concealed his presence.
He simply had fewer opportunities to use them these days, but Jin Somyeong had always possessed deep attainments in various concealment arts.
I think this is the island.
He carefully examined the rocky island where gull-like birds were resting. The blade-scar-shaped canyon matched what was drawn on the map.
Northeast from here.
Using the rocky island as his reference point, he moved exactly 238 li farther.
There was nothing but open sea in every direction, not a single island in sight, yet he had arrived at the right place.
Splash!
He placed the Clear Wind Pearl, an artifact that allowed him to breathe underwater, in his mouth and dove into the sea.
He descended straight down for a long time.
By the time the sunlight no longer reached him and the water had grown dark, he finally arrived at the seabed.
It should be around here...
Using his Divine Sense, which extended a full kilometer, he scoured the area and eventually discovered an underwater cave among the rocks.
It had been cleverly hidden by a formation, but thanks to his Golden Core-level Divine Sense and the map, finding it was simple.
The moment he approached and took out the jade slip containing the map—
Just in case, he examined the inside of the cave with Divine Sense, but nothing looked particularly dangerous.
Splash!
Once he crossed the formation barrier, there was, curiously, no water.
I can breathe too.
He swept his gaze over the cave, which felt like a storage room, but in truth there was hardly anything worth examining. As expected of a place already emptied by the great-great-grandfather of the cultivator who had given him the map, it was bare.
All that remained was a table, a single talisman placed atop it, and a jade slip.
The talisman is... a Spirit-Seeking Talisman!
Having found what he had been after, his fist clenched tight. It was obvious that the so-called great-great-grandfather had left it behind for his descendants.
His joy lasted only a moment. Something felt strange.
The Spirit-Seeking Talisman felt entirely different from the one he had seen before.
Much higher grade.
He did not know exactly what kind of hide it was, but the talisman had been made from a parchment-like material, and the talismanic characters written on its surface looked extraordinary.
They were silver letters written in an unrestrained hand, yet even while looking at them, he could not perceive their shape. The more closely he examined them, the more his mind went blank, until he could not even remember their form.
This is definitely not a first-tier talisman...
Could it be Golden Core-grade?
After turning the Spirit-Seeking Talisman over and examining it from several angles, Jin Somyeong set it aside for the moment. He was curious what was written in the jade slip beside it.
I used the Spirit-Seeking Talisman three times in all, and on the third, I lost both arms and my bonded lifebound artifact.
"...Hm?"
The very first sentence was shocking.
Jin Somyeong narrowed his eyes and continued reading the information inside the jade slip.
Another name for fortunate opportunity is calamity. I understood this only when I stood on the verge of death.
To my descendant who will find this place—no, to my junior. I beg you, do not cling to fortune you cannot bear.
The jade slip, which began with a warning, continued as a diary.
Most of it was personal advice meant for his descendants and had little practical use. The only useful piece of information was that the first-tier Spirit-Seeking Talisman Jin Somyeong had used in the past was a crude imitation of the genuine article.
He refused to even leave behind the method for making replicas because he feared his descendants would become obsessed with the Spirit-Seeking Talisman... What a shame.
In any case, Jin Somyeong reflected on the warning left by the Golden Core merchant.
Another name for fortunate opportunity is calamity...
Isn't that obvious?
Jin Somyeong had always lived that way. He had never feared challenging danger in order to seize the opportunities hidden within crisis.
He could not simply refuse to use something as useful as the Spirit-Seeking Talisman just because it was dangerous.
Still, he had no intention of ignoring a warning left behind by a third-tier existence.
I was originally planning to spend fifteen thousand units of the Boundless Great Ability...
It seemed he would have to reduce that a little.
Since he did not know what situation might arise, he felt the need to leave some in reserve for emergencies.
After weighing it from several angles, he made his decision.
He would use exactly ten thousand.
If there are any side effects to the Spirit-Seeking Talisman, remove them. And may any effect beneficial to me be amplified.
The moment he made his wish, ten thousand golden beads turned to powder and became an invisible wave.
An unidentified sensation suddenly arose, pointing in a single direction.
Hmm...
It was a vague premonition that something good would happen if he went that way. The feeling was close to an impulse, so strong that it was difficult to remain still.
After concentrating for about a minute, Jin Somyeong shook his head.
If possible, he had intended to learn this sensation for himself, but honestly, he could not even understand what principle it operated on.
At my current realm, it seems impossible.
Because he had often used the Boundless Great Ability, he could sense it dimly.
To acquire this sensation, he would have to expend a truly absurd amount of lifespan. Even if he died tomorrow, it would not be enough.
Forget it. Let's find the opportunity.
He hurriedly moved in the direction indicated by the Spirit-Seeking Talisman.
He had to reach the place where the fortunate opportunity lay before the sensation disappeared.
Please be a Golden Core spiritual object.
He repeated it like a prayer.
There was only one reason he had deliberately used the Spirit-Seeking Talisman in the dangerous Demon-Mingled Sea.
The White Spirit Grass.
He hoped the Spirit-Seeking Talisman would guide him to a place where a Golden Core spiritual object existed.
But the direction of travel was rather strange.
The deep sea?
If it was a place where White Spirit Grass grew, it should have been an island, which meant it should have been above the sea. Yet Jin Somyeong was currently going in the exact opposite direction.
As he descended deeper and deeper into the ocean, disappointment welled up inside him.
I don't know that for certain yet.
He clung to his fading hope and continued moving for a long time.
At last, he arrived at the place indicated by the Spirit-Seeking Talisman...
There was nothing there.
Only cold, dark seawater surrounded him. Looking at the empty, desolate scenery around him, he frowned.
...Did the talisman break because it was too old?
Was this really how it ended? Just as absurdity left him dazed—
Wooong!
A current like a sudden gale surged up and swept him away. At the abrupt flow, he tried to escape by reflex, then stopped.
Could this be the fortunate opportunity?
After an instant of hesitation, he made his decision.
He relaxed his strength and did not resist the water pushing him toward an unknown place.
Ugh.
The current grew rougher and rougher. Its speed increased without end, making it difficult to keep his wits about him.
Bang!
Coral, floating stones, large clams, and all manner of objects caught in the current slammed into him. Every collision made his bones ache.
If his body had not been tempered to the highest second-tier level, some part of him would have shattered long ago.
Just as the water, still growing faster, was beginning to blur his consciousness—
A cliff!
The damned current was driving him straight toward an enormous cliff. His eyes widened at the wall rushing up before him with no time to dodge.
He crossed his arms in front of his face.
The moment he roused blood energy from his five viscera and prepared for impact—
Splash!
He was thrown out of the water, as if flung somewhere beyond it.
...What?
The impact he had expected never came.
He rolled across the ground and hurriedly rose, only to find the scenery around him strange.
He had definitely been in the deep sea only moments ago.
Yet before he knew it, he had arrived on a peaceful hill where warm sunlight tickled his skin.