Chapter 30
Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Severing Mortal Bonds: Manifestation (4)
Yong Yoo arrived at the warehouse where the black-robed man and woman had entered, only for chaos to erupt almost immediately. He took a moment to assess the situation, then spotted a glowing green fruit shining in the distance.
It resembled not so much an ordinary fruit as a glass artisan's masterpiece, radiating an extraordinarily dense wood spiritual energy—so potent that any Refining Qi cultivator who consumed it might ascend straight to the Foundation Establishment Realm in one go.
Surveying the scene, Yong Yoo took stock one by one: the verdant spirit lotus fruit under guard; the red-clad woman coveting it; the black-robed man and woman holding her in check; and the blood-robed man charging toward the latter.
The moment he confirmed they were so fixated on one another that they paid no heed to their surroundings, Yong Yoo immediately unleashed the Harmonizing Sound Binding Art.
‘Harmonizing Bell Subduing Melody.’
Having completed the spell, Yong Yoo promptly clapped his hands together.
Deeeeng! Deeeeeng!!
The clap reverberated like the tolling of a massive temple bell. Yong Yoo's wood spiritual power spread outward, binding the bodies of every being inside the warehouse.
Caught off guard, they were temporarily immobilized by the potent spell—even the Core Formation perfection man and woman, the late Foundation Establishment black-robed pair, and the tiger itself.
The tiger managed to tear free of the binding spell with the slightest twitch of its body, but by then Yong Yoo had already activated Water Escape Art through the Harmonizing Art and dashed straight to the verdant spirit lotus fruit.
Spotting Yong Yoo flying toward it, the black-robed man urgently turned to his junior sister.
“Junior Sister! If it's a wood-element spell, your fire-element spell can burn it away...!”
But as he shouted, he noticed his junior sister staring blankly at something as if entranced, which puzzled him.
She gaped vacantly toward the verdant spirit lotus fruit, her soul seemingly departed. The red-armored woman showed a similar reaction.
‘What the hell?’
Unable to make sense of the two women's behavior, the black-robed man glanced at Yong Yoo, who had reached the fruit—and suddenly understood.
'Crazy! How can a person look like that?!'
That overwhelming beauty could overpower even another man. Stronger than any spell or treasure, it shook women's hearts to the core, ensnaring the black-robed woman and the red-armored one like a bewitchment, leaving them unable even to think of breaking free.
'What? Why aren't they moving?’
In the heat of the moment, Yong Yoo had forgotten about his own face. Seeing the two women frozen in a daze, he seized the opportunity, stowing the verdant spirit lotus fruit in his storage pouch and activating Water Escape Art.
Kwaaaang!!
The instant he did, wooden vines erupted from where he had stood, pursuing him. At the same time, the tiger—robbed of its prize—roared in fury and lunged to devour him.
With a tiger's head bearing dragon whiskers and fangs, if it bit down, even the Dragon-Tiger Water Robe—which could block a Nascent Soul strike once—would be rent asunder with ease.
Zigzagging through the air, Yong Yoo maneuvered to pit the vines and tiger against each other, slowing their pursuit. In the meantime, he looped around, dragging the red-armored woman into the mix as he fled.
“You bastard!”
The black-robed man, witnessing this, shook off the Bell Subduing Melody and hurled razor-sharp metal slashes with his spell.
Yong Yoo tried to defend against them, but...
“Where do you think you're going!”
To his astonishment, the red-armored woman blasted away both the Bell Subduing Melody and the metal slashes, shielding Yong Yoo.
“Huh?! What the—!”
“Those scum—they're in cahoots!”
The black-robed man hadn't expected the woman—who had also been bound by the Bell Subduing Melody—to protect Yong Yoo. Shocked, he watched as the blood-robed man swiftly assessed the chaos and latched onto the red-armored woman.
“Junior Brother, handle that guy with your junior sister!”
“Me alone?!”
“That guy's cultivation is only Foundation Establishment second layer, even if his spells pack a punch! He's surely amplifying them with treasures. Don't worry!”
With those words, the blood-robed man tangled with both the red-armored woman and the pursuing tiger. As the two cultivators and spirit beast clashed in a tangled melee, the black-robed man lightly slapped his junior sister's cheeks.
“Ah, got it! Junior Sister! Snap out of it!”
“H-Huh? Senior Brother?”
“Quick! That man's stolen the verdant spirit lotus fruit!”
“Ah, ah! Oh!”
Thankfully, the shock snapped the black-robed woman out of it. She promptly incinerated the Bell Subduing Melody with her fire spell and broke free.
Now freed, she glared at Yong Yoo—only for his face to flood her vision. Unbidden, her anger melted away, a pleasant warmth filled her, her strength ebbed, and her heart fluttered.
“Ah...”
“Junior Sister! That filthy bastard—his face must be enchanted with some bewitchment spell!”
“It's just... how he looks!”
“......!!”
Yong Yoo yelled in disbelief at the absurd accusation, and the black-robed man realized: this was an enemy for the ages. A foe who must die!
The black-robed man and woman unleashed the artifacts and treasures bestowed by the blood-robed man, attacking Yong Yoo. In response, he drew from the Vast Bounty Gourd Bottle's nectar water to erect Water Shield Box, conjuring a watery enclosure around himself and the pair.
The Water Shield Box withstood the black-robed man's treasure-enhanced assault, but it shattered before the follow-up artifact's shockwave. The flames from the black-robed woman's spell then engulfed Yong Yoo.
“......?”
Yet the flames merely brushed harmlessly over his body and dissipated, even without him lifting a finger.
“Junior Sister! What are you doing?!”
Even Geum So-ryeo, a Soul Transformation expert of long standing, softened unwittingly before Yong Yoo's face. It was so captivating that if a small statue of him were placed beside the High Heaven Sect's founding ancestor's grand one, pilgrims might gaze only at his.
To the female disciples of Sea Severing Peak, Yong Yoo's visage was a source of joy—merely beholding it lifted spirits, filled the day with happiness, and soothed the soul amid the rigors of cultivation...
But arrayed against them as an enemy, it became a vicious weapon, shattering Dao Hearts by rending reason from instinct.
The red-armored woman knew she should dodge the tiger and blood-robed man to pursue Yong Yoo—yet her disordered mind led her to the fatal error of protecting him instead, leaving her exposed.
“This is insane...!”
Realizing his junior sister's Dao Heart had faltered and a heart demon taken root, the black-robed man gave chase as Yong Yoo slipped away.
Yong Yoo reached the warehouse entrance a step ahead—but...
Kuuung!
An invisible barrier sealed the exit like an iron wall, thwarting his escape.
“What the—?!”
“Hahaha! Looks like the tiger's divine ability! You can't run, thief!”
The blood-robed man crowed triumphantly at the sight, mounting the tiger's head and forming hand seals.
With the seals complete, the tiger's head split into two, four, eight, sixteen—engulfing the woman and tiger from all sides. Seizing the opening, the blood-robed man merged into one head via Wood Escape Art.
Riding it to circle behind the woman and tiger, he lunged at Yong Yoo, swinging his arm.
A flash erupted from the ring on his finger. Yong Yoo urgently layered defensive talismans and Water Shield Box to block the strike.
He then chained Water Escape Art and a stealth talisman to slip away from the blood-robed man, infusing his Refined Flying Sword with single-element spiritual power and drawing it.
Absorbing the power, the Refined Flying Sword spat a crimson blade aura, flying twice as fast as before and cleaving the tiger the blood-robed man had summoned in a single, terrifying stroke.
The cultivators' eyes naturally gleamed with greed at the sword's fearsome display.
Even the two women, enthralled by Yong Yoo until then, snapped free upon realizing he also wielded the verdant spirit lotus fruit and this sword—their avarice overpowering the bewitchment.
“Senior Brother, if we catch him, let me have the sword.”
“Junior Sister, you're finally coming to your senses?”
The blood-robed man rebuked her with a fierce glare, and the black-robed woman averted her eyes in apology.
“......Yes. I'm sorry. My cultivation must still be lacking.”
“Enough. The real problem is that tiger. I planned for you two to block the woman while I broke through with the tiger—but then this guy interfered.”
“Senior Brother, is that guy really only Foundation Establishment second layer?”
The black-robed man approached, asking the same.
“His spells are too strong.”
“Doesn't seem like treasure amplification either. No talismans or formations used.”
“You're right. My guess was off. He's not boosting with treasures. Still, judging by his spells alone, he's between early and mid Core Formation. Must be a natural prodigy with spells. I've heard single-element spiritual root holders often wield power beyond major realms.”
“Single-element!”
“......! Then if we refine him into a pill, we could reach Core Formation too!”
Yong Yoo assessed the situation.
It was dire.
All the cultivators were now watching his every move, and even the tiger—wary of being targeted if it acted rashly—eyed them one by one in vigilance.
Knowing he couldn't afford this stalemate, Yong Yoo downed a bottle of spirit liquor to recover his spiritual power, then retrieved the Sea Severing Armor from his storage pouch and slung it over his back.
As Yong Yoo drew his treasure, the Fallen Star Sect cultivators readied their attacks. In urgency, he sent a sound transmission to Ah Han outside.
‘Ah Han! Throw attack talismans and defense talismans to sow chaos, then flee with a stealth talisman!’
Ah Han obeyed at once, hurling explosive talismans into the warehouse, followed by defense talismans that erected useless barriers around the nearby black-robed man to draw eyes.
As the black-robed pair faltered in confusion and the blood-robed man charged, Yong Yoo unhesitatingly lobbed a bronze vessel artifact at him and detonated it.
Kwaaaaaang!!
Widening the gap as the blood-robed man reeled from the blast.
The tiger lunged to devour Yong Yoo, only to tangle unintentionally with the red-armored woman—who had the same target—forcing them to hinder each other.
Sowing chaos to buy breathing room, Yong Yoo swiftly formed hand seals in preparation.
“There you are!”
In that instant, a colossal tiger head erupted from the ground and swallowed Yong Yoo whole. Inside, razor-sharp branches lacerated his body.
Bzzt-crack!
Barrage after barrage struck. The Sea Severing Armor, bearing the brunt, finally splintered; the Dragon-Tiger Water Robe held a while longer before beginning to tear.
Sacrificing his two defensive treasures for time, Yong Yoo completed his spell. In the darkness within the tiger head, he murmured softly.
“Severing Mortal Bonds: Manifestation.”
⟨ Severing Mortal Bonds: Manifestation ⟩
The moment Yong Yoo unleashed the spell, endless mist billowed from the Vast Bounty Gourd Bottle, engulfing the entire warehouse.