Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Western Duo (3)
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The Three Rings Sect had been devastated by its civil war.
The most serious problem was the lack of people.
Not a single intact Primordial Core cultivator remained in the capital sect.
One had died, and the other was half-dead.
They had mutually destroyed each other in perfect harmony.
Even the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators had been halved.
They had died in droves from raids, assassinations, betrayals, and executions.
The surviving investigators naturally came to hate one another.
Even the Qi Building investigator class had been utterly decimated.
The sect's chaos during the civil war had caused them to waste the crucial period when they should have focused on cultivation.
Recruiting spirit root holders had taken a backseat, ensuring a severe drought of talent across all levels.
Nor had only the people suffered.
The nearby spirit veins had dried up from being overexploited.
Spiritual herbs had withered entirely due to neglect.
The losses in techniques, spells, and spiritual tools were so vast they couldn't even be estimated.
Somehow, nothing was left in the capital sect.
And in the chaos of the era, a hero was born.
The Single Spirit Root Holder Wi Jimok was remarkably young for a Golden Core cultivator.
Had nothing happened to the Three Rings Sect, he surely would have reached Primordial Core soon.
But the civil war had already erupted, leaving him in no position to focus on cultivation.
Even after the final decisive battle, the chaos did not subside.
The grudges, hastily patched over, could erupt at any moment, and there was no sign of operations normalizing.
Even the desperate leadership kept making blunders.
Wi Jimok quickly realized the truth.
The Three Rings Sect would remain in turmoil for the foreseeable future.
Cultivators turned mortal enemies, production capacity in ruins, and a talent crisis striking every level.
For the Single Spirit Root Holder Wi Jimok, the Three Rings Sect was no longer wings but merely shackles.
So he decided to shatter the shackles.
First, he assassinated the Primordial Core cultivator who had become a living corpse.
The man was unconscious, rendering any difference in realm meaningless.
With the sect's sole hope for reaching Incarnation dying so pathetically, immense chaos ensued.
Wi Jimok diligently sowed discord among the leadership.
It was his first time doing such a thing, but it wasn't particularly difficult.
In the end, the already grudge-filled leadership turned on each other, killing and being killed.
Wi Jimok roamed about, inciting infighting and framing the innocent.
Though he hadn't realized it until now, his talents as a betrayer far outshone those as a cultivator.
The leadership splintered into factions, engaging in fierce power struggles.
Only five Golden Core cultivators remained alive.
And among them, only Wi Jimok was unscathed.
He easily disposed of the wounded.
As the sole survivor, Wi Jimok gathered all of the Three Rings Sect's cultivation resources and vanished.
The remaining Qi Building and Foundation Establishment investigators were appalled.
No high-rank cultivators or cultivation resources were left.
The Three Rings Sect had effectively disbanded.
All of this had happened within a mere two or three months.
The low-rank investigators were forced to choose.
Abandon cultivation and live as mortals,
Or continue cultivating alone deep in the mountains.
Some gave up and left for the secular world.
Some retreated deeper into the mountains with their acquaintances.
Some came up with slightly wicked ideas.
Gather comrades and raid another cultivation sect.
The outlaws who harbored such evil intentions numbered around three hundred.
They scoured the secret intelligence they had obtained long ago, back when the Three Rings Sect was still intact.
Finally, a target was selected.
The logistics hub of the Black Bamboo Sect and Gold Forge Sect, which had existed for centuries, looked the most appetizing.
They successfully plundered mountains of cultivation resources.
Having made a huge score, the bandit group immediately crossed the border and fled to the Yu Nation.
They then split into small groups and scattered.
After all, three hundred couldn't hope to defeat pursuit forces from two sects.
Investigator Yo and his friends continued living as outlaws even after the bandit group disbanded.
They couldn't forget the thrill of that single raid that had netted them vast cultivation resources.
They missed the exhilarating pleasure surging through their spines.
They no longer intended to cultivate diligently as before.
They began hunting for new prey.
Just as those who have tasted great wealth once easily become gambling addicts.
And for those seeking quick and easy results, few paths were as alluring as demonic arts.
*****
Investigator Beom had left the fallen Three Rings Sect for the secular world.
He headed to the bustling capital and began posing as a physician.
Thanks to his pill-refining skills honed through alchemy and his profound knowledge of the human body, he quickly gained fame.
For minor ailments, he simply prescribed medicine.
For severe cases, he secretly used spells to heal before prescribing medicine.
He even saved someone who had been stabbed multiple times in the abdomen.
He even treated the poor without charge.
That was why people called Physician Beom a living god.
One day, while foraging for herbs in the woods, Investigator Beom detected traces of ominous spiritual power.
Enduring the revolting stench, he arrived to find about twenty cultivators gathered.
Spotting one among them, Investigator Beom said,
"Yo Baek? No, what has become of you?"
The investigator called Yo Baek and his comrades turned their heads.
Investigator Yo smiled silently.
"Come now, say something. What is that turbid spiritual power?"
Investigator Yo replied,
"Beom-ga, what does it look like to you?"
He proudly unleashed his spiritual power.
The horrific spiritual power surged and rippled violently.
Realizing something, Investigator Beom cried out in horror.
"D-Demonic arts! Why would you resort to such a vile thing?!"
Demonic arts were techniques that extended the user's lifespan by devouring others' lives.
They typically involved gruesome methods like cannibalism or bloodsucking.
Extremely inefficient, they required mass slaughter to yield any worthwhile lifespan extension.
In the process, both spiritual power and soul became tainted.
The impure spiritual power made further advancement impossible, and a fully corrupted soul often led to madness.
All demonic arts users inevitably ended up as cannibalistic yokai, meeting tragic ends.
Investigator Beom pleaded earnestly.
"Yo Baek, my old friend! Are you in your right mind?! It's not too late—disperse that spiritual power at once!"
Investigator Yo and his friends sneered at Investigator Beom.
"I'm always in my right mind. Aren't I?"
"Right, I've never felt this refreshed."
"Why didn't we use this wonderful thing sooner?"
Investigator Beom's face paled in an instant.
It seemed too late to save his childhood friend.
He also grasped their purpose in coming to the capital.
They undoubtedly planned to devour the capital's mortals to advance their demonic arts.
Investigator Yo issued an ultimatum.
"Listen, Beom-ga. For old times' sake, here's a proposal. Learn demonic arts and join us, and we'll let you live."
The cultivators began surrounding Investigator Beom.
"Decide quickly. We won't wait forever."
Investigator Beom had already resolved himself to death.
So he immediately ambushed Investigator Yo.
He wanted his childhood friend to die as a man, not a yokai.
The spell he unleashed at full power was futilely blocked.
Investigator Yo, who had already set up a barrier, sneered.
"Yes, I figured you'd do that."
A merciless barrage of attacks soon poured down on Investigator Beom.
Looking down at his gravely wounded fallen friend, Investigator Yo said,
"You'll die pretending to be noble to the end."
He raised his hand to finish him off.
But someone else shouted first.
"Wait!"
The thick underbrush rustled, and two small heads popped out.
One was a mature woman, the other a young girl.
It was none other than Geum Yeongyeong and Ryu Seoran.
On their way to the capital, they had sensed the turbid spiritual power just like Investigator Beom and traced it to the source.
Geum Yeongyeong stepped forward and said,
"Is it time for judgment?"
Seoran extended her arm to hold her back.
"No, not yet. Let's not act rashly. We can't repeat the same mistake. We need to grasp the full situation first."
Geum Yeongyeong nodded and retreated.
Investigator Yo asked the duo who had suddenly appeared and started spouting nonsense.
"What are you two? From your auras, you're both Foundation Establishment cultivators, no doubt. Can't you count?"
Their numbers differed by more than tenfold.
From Investigator Yo and his demonic arts comrades' perspective, their attitude was absurdly relaxed.
Seoran suddenly shouted,
"Have you cultivated demonic arts?"
"Yes, we have."
The questions continued.
"Were there any special circumstances? Like not knowing it was demonic arts, or being forced against your will?"
"We chose to cultivate demonic arts ourselves."
The final question, deciding life and death, was posed.
"Have you harmed people to advance your demonic arts?"
"Yes, and now we're heading to the capital to devour more."
They had secured a confession.
Geum Yeongyeong asked again.
"Now is it truly time for judgment?"
Seoran, holding a photon cannon in each hand, replied,
"Yes, judgment time has come."
It was time for Ryu Seoran, aficionado of Hong Kong kung fu films and American Westerns, to step up.
Behind the Single Spirit Root duo, the sun was setting.