War
"What a refreshing morning." Birds were chirping in the sky, flowers were blooming, and Noona was lying there, my semen dripping from her pussy. It was a truly delightful morning.
"I didn't expect us to keep going until morning." Of course, neither she nor I lacked the stamina to be exhausted by a mere night of beastly mating. The main reason Noona had fallen into such a deep, dead sleep was likely psychological.
Seeing her completely limp and relaxed—a stark contrast to the vulnerable resistance she showed while pinned beneath me—made my hands itch. If I had it my way, I would have shoved myself right back inside her, but given the circumstances, I needed to wrap things up quickly.
The treasure I secured from the vault and the elixirs Kang Baek-jin promised to help me push my physical limits should have been delivered by now. I didn't plan on staying with them long-term, but I still needed to inspect and organize the Yaksha Squad. There was still so much to do.
"Ah, this is troublesome." I had finally crossed the line and slept with Noona. We had fucked raw, and I had left a definitive mark by filling her to the brim. I never intended to abandon her anyway, and even if time were wound back, I would have claimed her a hundred times out of a hundred. But now, my feelings were officially locked in. Which meant she was another person I couldn't cast aside.
There was so much I wanted to grasp, yet my hands were still far too small. It was time to grow my influence and power, to become a canopy sturdy enough to shield my women from any storm.
"Man, I just want a free ride." I wanted to coast through life. Why did the workload keep piling up while my cultivation realm crawled at a snail's pace?
[Stop whining. For someone of your caliber, your cultivation speed is exceptionally fast.]
"So what? I'm still just a measly Tong-un stage in the Qi Circulation realm. A half-wit who can't even wield a single Dharma treasure properly."
[Fufu. The geniuses of the continent would foam at the mouth if they heard you. Rising through the realms this quickly with such meager resources is no easy feat. Have some confidence in yourself.]
"I can't find that confidence when facing the Samgeuk." The elders of the Samgeuk realm I met at the clan council, and Kang Baek-jin himself... Now that I was hovering at the peak of the Qi Circulation realm, I could finally grasp the gap. A Tong-un cultivator stood absolutely no chance against a Samgeuk master. Reaching the pinnacle of at least one domain—the absolute limit of Essence, Qi, or Spirit—carried a weight that was entirely different.
Just thinking about those monsters unleashing Dharma treasures without any restrictions sent a shiver down my spine. Back in the Core Condensation realm, I could at least see a sliver of a chance to match a Qi Circulation cultivator, but beyond that, the gap was a sheer cliff.
[There are actually quite a few recorded cases of Qi Circulation cultivators slaying Samgeuk masters.]
"No fucking way, really?" Was I really just a big fish in a small pond after all? What the hell did they do to defeat those monsters at the Qi Circulation level?
[Of course, it is not a common occurrence even in my memory. Most of those cases involved extreme elemental counters, a severely weakened Samgeuk master, or the use of ancestral talismans, spiritual beasts, or puppets.]
"And I don't have any of those, do I?" What did my clan even have to pass down? Hmm... a tatami door? If I ripped off a legendary tatami door and swung it around like a shield, would even a Samgeuk master be thrown off? 'What the hell is wrong with this guy, swinging a whole door around?' Ryeo-ah snorted at my self-deprecating joke.
[That is why you have me.]
"Ah, right. You."
[And since we obtained that item from the vault, I will be able to assist you much more actively from now on.]
To be honest, the item we took from the vault was chosen entirely based on Ryeo-ah's personal preference. She had ignored all the actual treasures and made me walk out with nothing but a single scrap of paper.
[Ahaha! A scrap of paper? How terribly insulting. If handled correctly, this will eventually elevate your weapon, the Dokkaebi Club, to the rank of a Dharma treasure. It will allow you to borrow my assistance and authority, and it even benefits me. Is this not the ultimate win-win scenario?]
"Ryeo-ah. You're talking too much." And what do we say about people who talk too much?
[Eeeek! Fine, perhaps a tiny bit of my personal desire was involved, but there really was no other motive! Why must you grumble when it benefits both of us!]
"Well, I only chose it because you've helped me out so much." Despite my teasing, the final decision had been mine, so I had no intention of actually holding it against her. I just wanted to milk the favor so she would work harder for me.
[Hmph. Hurry up and pull out your club. I need to see how far the imprinting has progressed.]
"Here." The club was slung across my back, but its appearance had changed significantly. As I unwrapped the cloth bound tightly around it like a mummy, it revealed the familiar Dokkaebi Club I had wielded for so long. Yet, it was undeniably different now.
[Let me see. Yes, the mantra has seeped in perfectly. If we let it steep like this for about seven days and nights, it will be ready for actual combat.]
"The mantra."
[Indeed. This is one of the original mantras scattered across the world by none other than the great Lord of Hell, Nataparyeo, when he ascended—or rather, fell—to be sealed as a ruler of the underworld.]
Nataparyeo. An unprecedented existence who had once swept across the continent, said to have reached the Deity Transformation stage and ascended in the ancient past. Having comprehended all the laws and truths of the mortal realm, he split his massive mantra into fragments and scattered them across the world just before leaving the secular world behind. The truth, power, status, and authority comprehended by a being on the verge of ascending to the high heavens... As if to prove the legend that the mantra was a miniature world containing everything within the cycle of reincarnation, the fragments had scattered across the globe, taking the form of stones, wood, statues, and even living creatures.
[Unless one possesses an eye like mine, a unique talent, or is directly chosen by the fragment itself, no one would ever recognize it. A distant ancestor of your Kang Family must have sensed that this paper mantra was unusual, but his cultivation realm was likely too low. Seeing how he ended up shoving it into the vault without ever uncovering its true identity, that is.]
Ryeo-ah cackled with genuine delight. It made me realize she was capable of laughing in such a boisterous, mischievous way. Was this thing really that valuable?
[Of course it is. It is a fragment of a being who reached the Deity Transformation stage and beyond. Even if you gathered every single trinket in that vault, they wouldn't compare to this single piece.]
"Hmm, is it really that good?" I felt like I could have reached the Samgeuk realm long ago if I had just looted everything in the Kang Family's vault. As expected of a clan with deep roots, it had taken an immense amount of time just to browse through all their treasures.
[Pfft.]
"What's with the smirk?"
[Fufufu. I only laugh because you are so obsessed with a mere Samgeuk realm. One of the largest fragments of the mantra became a True Spirit—a cultivator just below the Deity Transformation stage—the very moment it was split.]
"Fuck, life is so unfair." Here I was, busting my ass just to reach the Samgeuk realm, and that bastard got to start at the True Spirit stage with a single click of birth? For me to reach the True Spirit stage... "Since I'm currently in the Qi Circulation realm, I'd have to pass through Samgeuk, then reach the peak of the Creation realm to finally hit True Spirit."
[And it is even more so because the one you obtained is the Mantra of Sacrifice. I wondered where it had gone, and to think it was in a place like this.]
The effect of the Mantra of Sacrifice that Ryeo-ah explained was simple.
[If you commit murder or destruction with an object that has absorbed the Mantra of Sacrifice, a supreme ritual of sacrifice is instantly performed without any tedious procedures. There is absolutely no need for sacrificial arrays or rites.]
Every act of destruction and slaughter committed with a weapon imbued with the Mantra of Sacrifice would serve as an offering. This meant Ryeo-ah's recovery speed wouldn't just grow wings—it would rocket straight to Mars. Uh, well. Honestly, I was a little, just a tiny bit nervous... but I trusted Ryeo-ah. Even if our first meeting had been more than a little bizarre, the countless days we had spent together, our friendship, and the non-aggression pact we made beneath the Peach Tree of Immortality would last forever.
[I have never agreed to such a pact.]
"Come on, let's try to get along here."
[Fuhu. You do not seem particularly afraid, though?]
"To be honest, our first meeting was a bit awkward, but we've been getting along great lately. You don't seem like a bad person, and you've helped me out a lot." I trusted Ryeo-ah. Hell, it was precisely because I trusted her that I had hesitated but ultimately chosen this mantra thing.
[It is not a bad choice for you either, considering you need immediate power. If reaching the Samgeuk realm takes longer than expected, you can always borrow my strength. Just like those legends of Qi Circulation cultivators defeating Samgeuk masters.]
"Right. I need a wild card." Even if I reached the Samgeuk realm, I wouldn't be guaranteed to kill another Samgeuk master; I'd still be at a disadvantage. Having this as a definitive trump card was like having an extra life that was always charging. Aside from the fact that this card possessed its own ego, there was nothing better I could ask for in my current situation.
[With war on the horizon, the more you kill, the more strength I shall regain, and the more you will be able to achieve. I look forward to our continued partnership.]
"Yeah. Let's keep getting along, just like we always have."
[And yet, your tone is quite casual. Address me as Senior Ryeo.]
"Haha, Senior. Keep quiet before I sell this mantra club of yours."
[Impudent brat.]
Patriarch Kang Baek-jin had arranged an express delivery of the elixirs. First, the most important peak had already been planted in my body, and I had also received various minor elixirs to strengthen my physical vessel for the Samgeuk realm. While they weren't decisive on their own, they meaningfully boosted my chances of ascending to the Samgeuk. It was a clear testament to how much the clan expected of me.
Over the course of several months, I fully absorbed all those elixirs. Now, alongside the obsidian peak, a dark brown peak had sprouted on my body. I wasn't some kind of Pokémon, so why did I have to carry two of these things on my back? I felt like I was drifting further and further away from being a proper Dokkaebi.
[Is that not a good thing? Breaking free from the limitations of your species is a resonance that signifies you are drawing closer to ascension.]
"Well, I guess what's good is good." Ever since I turned into a Dokkaebi, I had no idea what my identity even was anyway. At any rate, I had done everything I could. I had even received the Dharma treasure bestowed upon clan successor candidates.
"Ahem!" I deliberately fluttered my robe, which was embroidered with shimmering gold thread, showing off a bit. As expected of a Dharma treasure, the quality was absolutely stunning.
[Sigh.]
"What's with that sigh? You sound like an aunt looking at her immature nephew."
The Golden Command Robe. Tailored to my current Qi Circulation realm, it was a passive-type defensive Dharma treasure that was easy to trigger. Since I already had the Red Agate Bow for offense, they had bestowed a defensive treasure to balance things out. Looking at this, the clan actually had pretty good sense. It was a shame I was going to run away, though.
Ryeo-ah glanced at my figure, let out a soft chuckle, and added:
[There are very few in the Qi Circulation realm who could match you now.]
"So there are some."
[Of course. The world is vast, and you are merely at the top tier of the Qi Circulation realm. You would still have to grovel before even the weakest of the Samgeuk—]
"Tsk. Can't I at least put up a fight now?"
[It would be difficult. Unless you had an absolute elemental advantage. The Samgeuk realm is still a stage where one can be affected by compatibility or bad luck.]
What was that supposed to mean? It sounded like she was implying that even luck and compatibility wouldn't matter once one reached the Creation realm.
"I'm ready." Before I knew it, Jeongha had approached, fully armed. She had become a core executive of my faction and was appointed as a centurion for this war. Considering she had recently reached the middle stage of the Qi Circulation realm, her rank was fitting, though slightly lacking. A thousand-man commander in the Qi Circulation realm was usually at the Tong-un stage, so a centurion who was only at the early stage of Qi Circulation felt slightly out of place.
Jeongha chuckled and patted my shoulder. "Being a centurion is perfect for me. I actually get along pretty well with the subordinates I met this time."
"I'll be in trouble if you get along too well with other guys."
"As if that would ever happen!" Thump, thump. Jeongha playfully punched my chest in annoyance. A golden ripple shimmered across the Golden Command Robe, effortlessly deflecting her petulant fist.
"What is this?"
"A Dharma treasure."
"No way! I don't even have one, so how do you have this? Give me one too."
"It's normal not to have one, you know."
And then, the other women began filing into the room one after another.
"Master. We are ready."
"You. I remember your promise to look after our cultists the more enemy cultivators we slay. For the rights of the Heavenly Demon Cult, I shall become your blade."
"Brother. I have finished organizing my forces. I have requested the Elder to station us as close to you as possible, so coordinating our cooperation should be swift."
Now that they were all gathered, there were quite a lot of them. From this moment on, I had to pull off a grand escape with these women. Before all kinds of vultures caught wind of the City Lord's failing health and descended for a feast. Before Yagwi City became known as a free buffet, I had to quickly reach the Samgeuk realm and get the hell out.
With a grim expression, I checked the tension of the Red Agate Bow's string.
[The Kang Family is truly pitiful. To think the talent they poured so much support into is about to run off, taking all their resources and even their people with him. Tsk, tsk. This is why one must cultivate an eye for people.]
Hey, read the room, will you?