Chapter 117

Translator: penny

Chapter: 117

Chapter Title: To the Lesser Star Sect (3)

They'd lured the others into chasing after the Soul Transformation cultivators to stir up chaos, but now suddenly I was the prey.

Whenever I closed and opened my eyes, the situation flipped in an instant. I clicked my tongue, wondering if this was what the cultivation world was really like, all while fleeing atop my fire dragon.

But whether they'd come prepared to chase down fleeing cultivators from the start, or if the yellow Daoist robe cultivator's banner I'd snatched was that powerful of a treasure, shaking off the frenzied pursuers wasn't easy.

"Looks like there's one Soul Transformation cultivator among them. And a dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators are pooling their power to reinforce a flying treasure and close in."

At those words, I glanced back at the Nascent Soul cultivators flying toward me.

They rode a massive disk-shaped treasure, which seemed to be under extreme strain—cracks were visibly spreading across it, threatening to shatter at any moment.

"They're chasing us that hard?"

"That banner must be one hell of a treasure."

I eyed the yellow banner flapping in my hand, then stowed it into my soul.

"This thing?"

"The pole's broken and it's faded, so it's hard to say for sure, but if it's the Net of Ten Thousand Laws Banner—one of the pinnacle treasures among Soul Transformation-grade dharma artifacts—then their obsession makes perfect sense. They'd sacrifice decades of cultivation without a second thought to claim it."

"What's the Net of Ten Thousand Laws Banner?"

"It's a banner that lets you nullify, absorb, and freely deploy spatial laws or restrictions from the cultivation world whenever you want."

"..."

A treasure that let you control restrictions and spatial laws at will? In an instant, I understood my pursuers' mindset. Hell, if it were me, I'd lose my mind chasing it down too.

"I hear it's originally a five-colored banner representing the hues of all creation, but with the pole snapped and only yellow left, it looks like the other banners—red, blue, white, and black—got scattered."

"...So the cultivator we fought imposed those laws and restrictions on the space around him by combining his array mastery with the power of this banner to unleash some kind of secret art."

"Yes, that's probably it. If you track down the other banners and repair the pole, it'd become an incredibly powerful weapon."

I nodded in understanding, then turned to the pursuers.

"Then it'd be best if no one who knows I have the Net of Ten Thousand Laws Banner lives to tell the tale."

Saran flashed a sly smile at my words.

From earlier, I'd figured she was deliberately matching their pace just enough to keep them from falling too far behind. But it seemed Saran had planned from the start to lure them to a remote spot without shaking them off entirely—and slaughter them all.

'Well, doesn't matter. I waved that banner around like crazy in the secret realm while snatching it from those cultivators, so word's bound to spread anyway.'

Still, wiping out everyone chasing me would sow enough fear to slow the rumors' spread, at least a little.

"Shall we get started, then?"

As I spoke, I steadied myself atop the fire dragon and formed hand seals.

'Harmonized Golden Crow Falling Tears.'

The moment I completed the spell, the fire dragon flipped upside down to face the Nascent Soul cultivators, opened its maw, and spat out a fist-sized lump.

True to its name of "tears," the Golden Crow Falling Tears was tiny to begin with, but empowered by the harmonization art and the fire dragon's might, it had swollen to fist size.

Kirurururu!

With a deafening screech tearing through the air, the Golden Crow Falling Tears hurtled forward at terrifying speed and slammed into the Nascent Soul cultivators. They unleashed talismans, defensive treasures, spells, and divine abilities in panic to block my attack.

Creeeeeeeng!!!

The clash between their defenses and my Golden Crow Falling Tears shook the space itself.

'As expected, too many Nascent Souls make this tough.'

Recognizing their strength and resilience from that exchange, I leaped from the fire dragon, landed atop the earth dragon, coiled the metal dragon around my left arm, and summoned the five-star dharma images.

Channeling the earth dragon's single-element spiritual power into the metal dragon triggered mutual generation, making the metal dragon swell larger and denser. I entrusted my defense to it, then gripped the water star in my right hand and the fire star in my left, channeling spells into them.

I hurled the two stars at the enemy. The fire star ballooned hundreds of times over, generating immense suction that herded them together, while the water star spewed a fog so thick it choked their breath. Riding the One Pearl Jade Scepter's pull, it enveloped the foes.

One Pearl Jade Scepter. And Three Elements Universal Link Radiant Aspect.

The two mighty spells ravaged the cultivators. Two or three Nascent Souls on the outskirts, slow to react, got devoured by the Three Elements fog and crumbled to dust in seconds.

Sensing their positions through the mist, I grinned and infused it with offensive power.

'Perfect. A few more like that... Hm?'

One Nascent Soul cultivator, seeing the deadly fog and the inescapable sun corralling them, freaked out and unleashed all his spiritual power in a burst. A lightning bolt thick as an ancient tree trunk erupted, shredding the sun and fog alike.

I swiftly withdrew the fire and water stars, stunned as my spells shattered in an instant.

"Hah. A lightning spiritual power Nascent Soul cultivator."

Was it right to call it the most ferocious of pure spiritual powers, unadulterated by any refinement or special energies?

I hadn't expected him to rip apart spells reinforced by treasures and harmonization arts just by compressing and blasting his spiritual power.

Possible with raw spiritual power alone?

I doubted it. He'd probably refined it through some special technique, honing it to greater potency. The shocked looks from the surrounding Nascent Souls confirmed my guess.

If this were standard lightning spiritual power, they wouldn't be so surprised.

'Right. Most Nascent Souls have lived centuries. They've had longer than me to claim fortuitous encounters. Each one must have some hidden ace up their sleeve.'

I shelved my confidence that harmonization arts and the Elastic Five Dragons Veil could handle Nascent Souls, readying my next move.

But in that interval, their treasures and spells came flying at me.

I wrapped myself in the metal dragon. Their attacks crashed against it with deafening roars before bouncing off.

Scanning with divine sense, I saw Saran already locked in combat with the Soul Transformation cultivator. She couldn't break away to help—not without risking vital energy loss before her regeneration kicked in, no matter how superior it was.

'Looks like a Soul Transformation cultivator highly skilled in Dao combat. His movements are leagues beyond those three from the secret realm—qualitatively different.'

As I focused on defense, a divine sense transmission suddenly probed me.

"..."

"...Fine. I'll give you one. Hell, I snagged the best Heart-Mind Soul Stone available in that secret realm, so I can spare it."

My reply drew a smooth, jade-pearl-rolling chuckle through divine sense. Moments later, the Nascent Soul cultivators' behavior turned bizarre.

"This is...!"

"Everyone, be careful! My senses are going haywire!"

"The sun looks right in front of me!"

"...Illusory formation! It's an illusory formation! Who's arrayed us?!"

Some dove madly toward the ground and crashed. Others unleashed spells at phantom foes, striking their own allied Nascent Souls.

"..."

I watched silently, then spotted a woman in green robes riding a flying chariot a short distance away.

Ink dripped from her fingers as she traced a go-board-like grid in midair, placing dots, inscribing glyphs and runes to activate her formation.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Cho Hyeo-ryeo."

"...Pleased to meet you, Senior Cho."

"No need for that. Though your realm is lower, our power's a match, so treat me as an equal."

With that, Cho Hyeo-ryeo sketched another formation on the grid. This time, several Nascent Soul cultivators spewed blood from all seven orifices and collapsed.

"It's hard handling this many ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cultivators in my formation alone. Mind helping out?"

I agreed, seized the metal dragon, and cast a spell.

'Harmonized Severing Black Dragon Leg.'

As I invoked it, the metal dragon's body melted down, reforming into a massive golden dragon leg twice the size of a standard Severing Black Dragon Leg.

Feeling the ferocious aura radiating from it, I swallowed hard in tension.

'One slip in control, and I'll hurt myself. Feels like shaving with a straight razor.'

A single mistake, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it'd slice flesh instead of whiskers—hell, it wasn't a razor; it was a damn sword.

That coworker with the thick beard who'd made shaving a hobby once lent me his straight razor. I ended up needing five stitches after drawing blood.

'Handle with care.'

Tense, I swung the metal dragon Severing Black Dragon Leg.

It carried a heavy weight unlike any normal version—slower for it, but razor-sharp enough to chill the spine.

Slicing through the disoriented Nascent Souls amid the formation, it cleaved six or seven in half or scattered their limbs in one stroke.

Their defensive treasures, protective secret arts, and talismans parted like tofu under a knife.

"...!"

Cho Hyeo-ryeo's eyes widened in shock at the Severing Black Dragon Leg's might.

"Impressive formation. No Nascent Soul cultivator would take a spell that fast lying down."

I grinned at her as I spoke. She wiped cold sweat and smiled back.

"Yes... thank you. I'm shocked too. A spell like that... You don't seem Core Formation at all."

After that, Cho Hyeo-ryeo helped Yong Yoo butcher the Nascent Soul cultivators without issue, then assisted Saran in slaying the Soul Transformation one.

Those who'd come to hunt Yong Yoo and Saran ended up the hunted instead. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠As thanks for her aid, Cho Hyeo-ryeo obtained a Heart-Mind Soul Stone to deliver to Mun Yoo.

"..."

But separate from securing the stone, a new worry plagued Cho Hyeo-ryeo.

'Young Master Mun isn't weak by any means. No, he's shockingly strong. To fell a Soul Transformation cultivator despite being only Nascent Soul defies realms—so I have no doubts about his power.'

Yet... having witnessed Yong Yoo's strength today, Cho Hyeo-ryeo grew anxious.

'If Yong Yoo reaches Nascent Soul, Young Master Mun might be in danger.'

Though she'd planned to leave with just the stone, she hesitated. Seeing Yong Yoo reorient toward the Lesser Star Sect, she found herself speaking unbidden.

"I know the way to the Lesser Star Sect."

"Pardon?"

"I happen to have business nearby. Let's go together."

It was a lie.

She had no business near a minor branch sect like the Lesser Star Sect.

She just wanted to gather intel on Yong Yoo, however little.

'I know the need for vengeance. I sought my clan's revenge too. But... Young Master Mun's hatred stems from his cultivation method twisting his mind.'

If Mun Yoo could regain his senses and abandon that grudge, he should. So she planned to collect info on Yong Yoo, emphasize how dangerous and powerful he was, and persuade Mun Yoo otherwise.

Cho Hyeo-ryeo didn't realize that, in trying to protect Mun Yoo, her actions would only crush his already battered pride even more cruelly.

And so, the three cultivators—Yong Yoo, Saran, and Cho Hyeo-ryeo—turned toward the Lesser Star Sect and flew onward.