Chapter 114
Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: The Second True Name Dharma Treasure (5)
Saran quickly transmitted the enemies' information to me via divine sense.
Among the foes, the ones to watch out for most were the three Soul Transformation Realm cultivators right in front of us.
The cultivator in the purple robe was a demonic path practitioner versed in aquatic beast control arts, commanding countless yokai and freely merging them to fight.
Next was the female cultivator in the white robe, a yao beast herself. Four arms sprouted from her body, each wielding a dharma treasure shaped like a sword, spear, axe, and hammer as she unleashed avatar divine abilities in battle.
The strongest of the three was the yellow-robed cultivator surnamed Park. A pure legal cultivator, he wielded a broken-poled dharma treasure, imposing prohibitions and rules on space itself through powerful formation divine abilities.
I gazed at those three cultivators while infusing divine sense into the Elastic Five Dragons Robe, now perfected by the Anti-Dragon Five Paths, to probe its functions.
Originally, I'd hoped the Elastic Five Dragons Robe would simply become a dharma treasure capable of basic offense and defense. But through the Anti-Dragon Five Paths, its form had transformed dramatically.
It could manifest dragons and star dharma images imbued with the five elements' attributes, absorbing the five elements' energies flowing through heaven and earth to heal itself or convert special five elements energies into its own power.
Using the dragon and star dharma images, it enabled attacks, defense, and flight. All of them were linked by the Three Lives Unitary Conclusion, each harboring their own unitary spirit power.
Moreover, each dragon dharma image possessed unique traits.
The fire dragon was swift and ferocious. If any shoddy formation, barrier, or trap blocked its path, it would shatter them all and charge ahead, smashing enemies with raw destructive force.
The water dragon was supple yet lethal. Among the five dragons, it boasted the most tenacious vitality and regenerative power, and at the same time, the sharpest edge—likely influenced by the Three Evils Water Lotus Banner Projection.
The wood dragon multiplied endlessly. It could grow trees into avatar copies of itself, and with sufficient personal spirit power and heaven-earth wood spirit energy, it could spawn infinite avatars to blanket the world.
The metal dragon was unyielding. The smallest among the dragons at about ten zhang (30 meters), it was also the sturdiest and heaviest, serving as my steadfast shield orbiting around me while doubling as a sword or spear to cleave approaching foes at my command.
Finally, the earth dragon was immense. By absorbing surrounding soil, stone, and ore to mold its body, it could grow to the largest size among the dragons—a veritable flying landslide that swept everything away with overwhelming mass.
The star dharma images resembled the dragon ones but required my deliberate control, unlike the autonomous dragons.
Additionally, like when deploying the Cloud Concealment Art, merging my power with a dragon or star to cast spells amplified those spells. The five elements dragons and stars also mutually generated unitary spirit power through elemental synergy, producing infinite spirit energy.
In simple terms, the Elastic Five Dragons Robe was an all-in-one offensive-defensive weapon-type dharma treasure wielding the full might of the five elements. At the same time, it was a living-type treasure commanding five dragons and five stars of varying powers and properties. It self-sustained through infinite spirit energy for recovery, regeneration, and maintenance; aided my cultivation as a training-type treasure; and amplified my spells as an auxiliary-type treasure.
'Plus, enlarging the concrete constructs to enter them allows forming defensive barriers.'
The tradeoff: maintaining construct form for barriers prevented using dragon dharma images.
That aside, why were its abilities so ridiculously diverse?
I tried organizing them mentally, only to feel dizzy from the sheer volume—it was overwhelming.
'...I see. No wonder Saran likes it.'
I newly realized that the Falling Star Sect Leader I'd slain was a 'genius' worthy of the affection from Saran, the talent fetishist.
He'd crafted a comparable dharma treasure purely through his own talent, intellect, and skill—without aid like my Anti-Dragon Five Paths.
Perhaps the Falling Star Sect Leader might have ascended in the distant future. Creating a treasure rivaling the Anti-Dragon Five Paths at the Soul Transformation Realm meant his talent reached even the Immortal Realm.
'...'
Yet despite such talent, he'd met his end. His precious wife and life's masterpiece dharma treasure both taken by me.
And it wasn't even his own fault.
'The Falling Star Sect Leader was cautious. He hid in Nameless Valley for centuries, moving prudently, only for one reckless elder under him to blunder into the Eight Myriad Phenomena Scripture Treasure Pagoda and bring doom.'
Ye Ga-seok.
The Core Formation Realm Perfected cultivator from the sect ruins who'd clashed with me over the Wood Spirit Lotus Association.
The grudge born between us had ripened into karma, leading to the Falling Star Sect Leader's downfall.
A mere grudge between Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators had felled a Soul Transformation Realm genius whose talent spanned the Immortal Realm.
This was the cultivation world.
This was a cultivator's life.
An insignificant being could ascend through sheer fortune, while one brimming with overflowing talent could crumble to trivial misfortune.
Heaven's fortune favored me now, but unseen misfortune could still topple me.
'If I take disciples, keep it to an elite few. Not hordes like Geum So-ryeo... only as many as I can personally watch over.'
Lest a disciple's karma threaten me.
I etched this hard-earned lesson into my heart and eyed the enemies before me.
Three Soul Transformation Realm foes, dozens of Nascent Soul Realm.
Coldly assessed, it was hopeless. Yet I felt no worry.
Saran had held off those three Soul Transformation Realm cultivators and dozens of Nascent Soul Realm ones with ease for days. Now I was here too.
'No complacency. Stay cold, calm, perceiving and accepting the world clearly.'
Reciting the Five Skandhas Enlightenment Art's incantations mentally, I steeled my mind against disturbance and decided to test the new dharma treasure's prowess.
'Let's dust off some spells I haven't used in ages.'
I summoned the water dragon from the five orbiting me, transferred from the fire dragon to it, then formed hand seals.
As I sealed and cast, a massive water orb formed in the water dragon's slightly parted maw. Far easier and faster than with the Vast Bounty Gourd Bottle, the orb brimmed with immense power. Four nearby Soul Transformation Realm cultivators instinctively turned toward me.
"Hah. A Core Formation Realm casting something like that?"
"The dharma treasure's power?"
"Good grief."
Even Saran, who knew my strength, was startled enough to glance over. The others, ignorant of me, sensed the spell's might and marveled at the treasure.
And they were right.
The Elastic Five Dragons Robe fit me perfectly in every way, performing flawlessly.
'Amplified Water Essence Bullet Art.'
Muttering the spell's name inwardly, I aimed at the distant Nascent Soul Realm cultivators flickering into view and fired the Water Essence Bullet Art.
BOOOOM!!!
The moment the Water Essence Bullet Art launched from the water dragon's maw, surrounding water spirit energy churned violently. hurtling at terrifying speed, it engulfed the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in a massive explosion.
A colossal shockwave erupted, water pillar surging into a mushroom cloud.
Confirming dozens of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators blasted away in one go, I marveled at its power.
'This strong? A powerful spell could even check the Soul Transformation Realm foes.'
A Core Formation Realm 'checking' Soul Transformation Realm? Skipping two major realms.
'The Elastic Five Dragons Robe as my true name dharma treasure fits me perfectly, plus its spell amplification makes it possible.'
Amplified arts.
Synergy with true name dharma treasure.
The treasure's functions and performance.
All meshed artistically perfect. Impossible without the Anti-Dragon Five Paths perfecting it.
But even without such perfect fit, its performance was astonishingly superior.
Desire flickered in the eyes of our three hostile Soul Transformation Realm cultivators. Even the purple-robed one, fixated on Saran until now, eyed the Elastic Five Dragons Robe.
Saran and I didn't miss the opening.
I immediately summoned the fire star dharma image and infused it with the One Sun Jade Seal.
What power from infusing my top-tier spell into the fire star dharma image, empowered by absorbing the Star Flame Heart Flower?
With faint anticipation, I directed the fire star toward the Soul Transformation Realm cultivators.
That instant, the three didn't think offense or defense.
'I want to test how strong that dharma treasure—soon to be mine—truly is.'
Their eyes brimmed with that thought alone. They knew even my strongest attack was less than a leaf on the wind to Soul Transformation Realm cultivators.
I knew it too. Well... pairing Dismembering Slave Dragon Claw with a dragon dharma image might tear a Soul Transformation Realm cultivator's robe sleeve, like fingering gold from a Nascent Soul puppet back in Foundation Establishment.
'My role is supporting Saran anyway.'
I wasn't fool enough to misjudge from the treasure's might or my surprising power.
My task: solely assist Saran. That is, irritate these three Soul Transformation Realm cultivators somehow.
The fire star bearing the One Sun Jade Seal arrived between the three, ballooning hundreds of times larger and engulfing everything around.
Previously mere crushing destruction, the One Sun Jade Seal amplified by the fire star shifted to immense suction, drawing in all nearby objects and growing ever larger.
Shattered boulders lifted into the sun; surrounding air sucked in, whipping up fierce gales.
The Star Formation Secret Realm had turned chillingly cold since I claimed that Star Flame Heart Flower or whatever, but this One Sun Jade Seal zone sweltered sweat-inducing heat.
As that searing gale raged endlessly, a bone-chilling sword intent suddenly erupted, pulverizing my sun to dust.
"That all?"
"Hahaha! Feeling heat from a Core Formation Realm spell? No fellow Daoist would believe it!"
"... "
"Hey, don't move first alone."
"Hah! As if you two aren't planning to flee with that treasure!"
In that brief moment, the three Soul Transformation Realm cultivators—enchanted by my dharma treasure's performance—chattered and eyed each other warily.
Saran seized that sliver.
Worth the days battling them? She closed on the three Soul Transformation Realm cultivators faster than I could register, slamming a fist into the yellow-robed one's head.
Of course, the yellow-robed cultivator, mesmerized by the Elastic Five Dragons Robe, couldn't dodge the body cultivator's psychologically timed ambush and took it full-on.