The Thousand-Year Spirit Herb
Fifteen days later.
Jin Somyeong left Gwangya Immortal City at dawn and flew southwest. Today was the day he had promised to go harvest Moonbright Grass with Madam Ryeo.
After roughly three hours aboard the Black Jade Flying Boat, the moisture began to vanish from the air.
So this is the Sahon Wilderness.
Before long, a desert of golden sand appeared below him. This was the place where the secret realm, the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda, manifested—and it was also where he had agreed to meet Madam Ryeo.
In the dry, sweltering air, Jin Somyeong gazed past the horizon.
They said Namju lies beyond this desert.
Of course, the Sahon Wilderness was vast and riddled with every sort of danger, making it no easy thing to cross. Anyone who wished to travel to Namju was better off paying Spirit Stones and taking a scheduled vessel.
He paused a moment, taking in the desert landscape, then set the Black Jade Flying Boat moving again.
Some time later, his gaze met Madam Ryeo’s where she waited in the shadow of a trident-shaped rock.
“Oh my, you arrived early.”
“I came ahead of time, just in case. What about the others?”
“They haven’t arrived yet. We agreed to gather by noon, so they should be here soon.”
Jin Somyeong nodded and took a seat in one corner of the shade. Closing his eyes as though entering meditation, he examined his status window.
It had already been eight months since he began pouring the Boundless Great Ability into this body-tempering art.
In that time, his proficiency had risen by roughly eight hundred and fifty thousand. Since there was also proficiency gained through his own direct cultivation, the total increase was slightly above eight hundred thousand.
Judging by the rate of growth, he would likely reach the next stage within a year and a half.
Good. The timing works out.
There were two years left before the secret realm opened. Fortunately, it seemed he would be able to raise the realm of his Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art before then.
In truth, he had considered raising his Seondanjisul first to increase the amount of pills he could consume, but he had postponed it for several reasons.
For one thing, obtaining large quantities of pills was not all that easy. More importantly, there was a high chance he would gain a new divine ability once the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art reached its next stage.
He had no idea what that divine ability might be, but he needed time to grow accustomed to it before entering the secret realm. If he raised Seondanjisul first, the schedule would become uncomfortably tight. He might have to enter the secret realm without properly studying the new ability.
And if no divine ability appeared?
No. Surely not.
An ominous thought flickered through his mind for only an instant, but he chose to believe otherwise.
He was still checking his cultivation progress through the status window when a horse’s neigh rang out.
Jin Somyeong turned his head and saw an ornate carriage flying in from the distant sky. Eight horses pulled it through the air, but there was something strange about them.
Are those even alive?
Their manes streamed in the wind, their thigh muscles flexed with springy movement, and their eyes blinked at regular intervals. The signs of life were vivid, yet for some reason, he sensed no vitality from them at all.
He examined them more closely, and the answer became clear. Not a single horse pulling that carriage was a living creature.
Puppets?
It seemed those horses were a special type of magical treasure known as puppets. A puppet was essentially a doll—a machine that moved using a power source such as Spirit Stones.
They were quite useful, but neither making nor handling them was easy. Only puppet masters, who were treated as a fringe path much like body refiners, could properly control them.
“Haha. Madam Ryeo, it’s been some time. Hm? And I see someone I haven’t met before.”
“I am Jin.”
“Oh... pleased to meet you. I am Hye-gong.”
Hye-gong swept his gaze over Jin Somyeong so quickly it was barely noticeable, then greeted him in a friendly manner.
Jin Somyeong also observed the other man. Hye-gong’s cultivation was at the first layer of Golden Core.
“Since everyone is here, let’s depart at once.”
After their brief introductions, the group climbed aboard the flying carriage Madam Ryeo produced and headed deeper into the desert.
Jin Somyeong’s party crossed the desert while taking turns piloting the flying carriage.
One day passed. Then two. Then a week.
The same desert landscape stretched on without end. How long had they flown over that desolate, silent sea of sand?
Hm?
It was Jin Somyeong’s turn at the helm, and his eyes narrowed. A riotously colored field of flowers had appeared in the middle of the desert.
Purple, crimson, pale pink... The flowers were so vivid and luxuriant that it was hard to believe they were growing in a desert, spreading all the way beyond the horizon.
“Madam Ryeo. I believe we’ve arrived at the colony of Mind-Bewitching Grass you mentioned.”
His voice, carrying magical power, rang through the carriage, and the others emerged from the passenger compartment where they had been resting.
“Yes, this is the colony. I’ll take the controls from here. Please keep watch on the surroundings, both of you.”
Jin Somyeong stepped back from the pilot’s seat and raised his Divine Sense. Just as he began sweeping over the flower field that stretched as wide as the sea, a faintly sweet fragrance brushed the tip of his nose.
Something tickled between his brows, as though a twig were lightly tapping him there.
“Oh, right! Be careful. The scent of Mind-Bewitching Grass damages not only the physical body but the Divine Sense as well. And holding your breath won’t help, by the way.”
After saying that, she placed what appeared to be an antidote into her own mouth.
“...”
Madam Ryeo smiled brightly, apparently unburdened by the gazes that immediately gathered on her.
“Don’t look at me like that. I prepared some for you as well.”
Everyone received an antidote, but no one actually put it in their mouth. How could they swallow something so readily when they had no idea what kind of medicine it was? That would be far too careless.
Hye-gong’s eyes darted this way and that before he gave an awkward laugh and tucked the antidote into his robe.
Jin Somyeong did much the same. He stared at the pale yellow pill for a moment, then simply stored it in his subspace.
“Not very manly of you.”
A mocking snort reached his ears, but Jin Somyeong only shrugged. He had never needed an antidote in the first place. Thanks to his cultivation of the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art, his resistance to poison was strong.
The scent of the Mind-Bewitching Grass had bothered him only at first; before long, his body developed tolerance. Both his flesh and his Divine Sense remained perfectly fine.
Body refinement may be difficult to cultivate, but it’s useful in all sorts of ways.
It had been worth enduring the pain and pouring in so many resources. He was inwardly satisfied when Hye-gong suddenly groaned.
“Ngh...”
Teeth clenched, Hye-gong groped at his chest. He seemed to be wavering over whether or not to eat the antidote, his fingers rubbing at it through his clothing.
Madam Ryeo let out a small laugh at the sight, as though she had expected exactly this.
An hour later, Hye-gong’s complexion had turned sallow, and he spoke with difficulty.
“Madam Ryeo. How much longer until we pass through the Mind-Bewitching Grass colony?”
“Let me see. About half a day?”
“H-half a day?”
Hye-gong’s eyes bulged as though they might pop out. With a deep sigh, he tossed the antidote into his mouth. It seemed he had no confidence in enduring another half day.
Now Jin Somyeong was the only one who had not taken the antidote, yet he was still perfectly composed.
Is it really that bad?
It seemed the scent of the Mind-Bewitching Grass was far more potent than he had expected.
Six hours passed. Then eight.
The others’ gazes toward Jin Somyeong gradually changed. At first, there had been a playful air of wanting to see how long he could endure, but as time went on, they began looking at him as though he were some kind of monster.
No matter how much time passed, Jin Somyeong remained unchanged. He did not even seem to be struggling.
“...Daoist Jin, your physical body is truly extraordinary.”
Madam Ryeo murmured as she stared at him blankly, unable to quite believe it. Perhaps having glimpsed even a fraction of his true ability, she seemed lost in thought.
She pressed her lips shut and pondered something deeply, only to flinch.
A vast canyon had appeared among the flower fields.
“This is the place. We’ll soon reach the Moonbright Grass, so prepare yourselves.”
The surroundings darkened as the flying carriage entered the dizzyingly deep canyon.
A canyon in the middle of a sand desert... What a strange place.
Jin Somyeong was scanning in every direction for possible danger when he stopped short.
The shape of the canyon was suspiciously straight. It was clean and precise, as if some colossal being had drawn a single line through the desert.
It did not look like a naturally formed terrain at all. In particular, the cliffs on both sides were so smooth they could reflect a face, resembling glass created when sand melted under intense heat.
“This... could it be a sword mark?”
“I’m not sure. This terrain has existed since ancient times, so even I don’t know whether it’s a sword mark or not.”
Just how powerful would a sword cultivator have to be to leave behind a trace like this?
Nascent Soul? Or perhaps the legendary Deity Transformation realm?
He stared as though entranced at the canyon, broad enough to fit an entire city, then suddenly came to himself.
The deeper they went, the more complicated the terrain became.
...A fine place for an ambush.
Countless intersections appeared, as though thousands of blade marks had been carved over one another. Jin Somyeong rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and sharpened his senses.
After staying alert for a long while against a possible attack, they arrived at a spacious clearing without incident, making his earlier tension seem almost foolish.
A formation?
Instead of the Moonbright Grass that should have been there, a restriction came into view. That meant someone had already claimed this place.
“Relax. It’s a formation I installed.”
When Madam Ryeo took out a formation disc, the restriction opened, and the scene revealed within was rather unexpected.
A middle-aged man at the third layer of Golden Core stood waiting with his arms folded.
“Ryeo Jeong. Who are the men behind you?”
“I brought them to help in case something goes wrong when harvesting the Moonbright Grass.”
“...The two of us should be enough, shouldn’t we?”
“As I said, it’s only a precaution. Oh, and their compensation will come out of my share, so there’s no need for needless concern.”
The middle-aged man clicked his tongue softly, displeasure creasing his brow, but stepped aside.
Seeing how Madam Ryeo had handled things as she pleased without him daring to get angry, it seemed ownership of the Moonbright Grass leaned heavily toward her.
The flying carriage entered the formation completely.
At the center of a clearing as wide as a sports field stood a white spirit herb wrapped in a yellow glow.
“Moonbright Grass?”
Hye-gong, who had been observing the situation, spoke as though something felt off.
“Madam Ryeo. Didn’t you ask us to help harvest Moonbright Grass? From what I can see, that spirit herb looks as though we could pluck it simply by reaching out.”
“I’m sorry. The truth is, I lied a little.”
Jin Somyeong’s and Hye-gong’s eyebrows twitched, but neither of them lost their temper rashly. They waited in silence for her next words.
“That Moonbright Grass is not actually five hundred years old. It is on the verge of reaching a thousand years.”
“A thousand years? Then...”
“On the night of the next full moon, it will transform into Moonbright Gold Grass.”
Moonbright Gold Grass.
Its name differed from Moonbright Grass by only one word, but its value was in an entirely different realm.
Moonbright Grass was famous for being a spirit herb that, strangely enough, almost never lived long. It would be eaten by insects, discovered by demonic beasts or humans, struck by a bolt from the blue, or perish in some other absurd fashion.
Call it ill fortune, perhaps. Calamities descended on it, and most specimens failed to survive more than a few years.
But if it survived for a thousand years despite all that, its once-white petals would be completely dyed gold.
From that point on, it was called Moonbright Gold Grass, and its medicinal efficacy, previously useful only to Golden Core cultivators, became powerful enough to affect even the Nascent Soul realm.
Of course, there were several conditions.
All twelve petals of the Moonbright Gold Grass had to be perfectly intact, and one person had to consume the entire spirit herb alone.
However...
“A pity. It’s missing petals.”
It was exactly as Hye-gong muttered.
This Moonbright Grass was already missing three petals. Even if it became Moonbright Gold Grass, it would not be effective enough to affect a Nascent Soul cultivator.
“Hmph. If that spirit herb had been intact, do you think the opportunity would have come to you?”
The middle-aged man’s sharp tone chilled the atmosphere.
“Un Bi.”
“...Forgive me. Guarding the spirit herb for years has frayed my nerves.”
Madam Ryeo, having rebuked Un Bi, let out a sigh. She offered Hye-gong an apologetic look, then continued her explanation as if to refresh the mood.
“The moment the Moonbright Gold Grass transforms, a strange fragrance will spread in every direction. Interlopers may gather, so that’s when I need your help.”
“Can’t you simply block the fragrance?”
“Even with the formation installed, it leaks out, so that is difficult.”
Hye-gong hesitated, then shifted his gaze. He looked at Jin Somyeong as if seeking his opinion, and after pondering briefly, Jin Somyeong nodded.
“I’ll do it.”
How could he give up after coming this far? The matter had become more dangerous than before, but the compensation had risen accordingly.
Even an incomplete Moonbright Gold Grass was upper-grade third realm if judged by rank. Eating even a single petal would greatly aid a divine soul at the mid-Golden Core level.
Moreover, from Jin Somyeong’s perspective—someone who had constantly honed his combat power—it did not seem especially difficult.
“Good. The full moon will rise soon. Please assist us then.”
How many days did they wait?
At last, chillingly bright moonlight poured down between the canyon walls.
Is it beginning?
The faint yellow energy lingering around the Moonbright Grass gradually deepened.
Then, as though it were being gilded, golden light welled up from within the petals.
A clear, refreshing fragrance burst forth, cool enough to cleanse the depths of the chest.
Merely smelling it cleared Jin Somyeong’s mind. Stray thoughts vanished, and his concentration surged. He understood not through knowledge but through instinct just how precious this spirit herb was.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed.
Amid the group, steeped in excitement and tension, Jin Somyeong silently drew his sword and rose.
“Daoist Jin? Why all of a sudden...”
“It seems we have guests.”
“The fragrance only just started spreading, and already?”
Hye-gong muttered as though something was wrong, then his face turned pale.
The pouring moonlight stopped. The strip of sky visible through the canyon had, at some point, turned pitch-black.
“B-Black Cloud Insects!”
Like a black cloud.
A swarm of monstrous insects, multiplying at terrifying speed, covered the sky. There were so many that the canyon trembled from the buzzing of their wings alone.
Black Cloud Insects had another name: calamity. As everyone instinctively took a step back, there was one person who alone stepped forward.
It was Jin Somyeong.