Chapter 62
Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Forming the Golden Core (5)
Ok Ha-hui, who had returned to the immortal realm, went back to her abode near the hole leading to the mortal world.
Upon entering the abode, there was another Ok Ha-hui seated in meditation.
The body of Ok Ha-hui that had descended to the mortal world dispersed and seeped into the meditating Ok Ha-hui. Receiving the memories of the lingering soul she had sent to the mortal world, Ok Ha-hui smiled.
"I've finally found you, my husband."
The place where she resided was on the farthest outskirts of the First Layer Heaven of the immortal realm, a hidden location she had discovered while wandering for ages alongside The Budhist Sect.
Thus, during the 180,000 years it took to bore the hole, no one had come here except for Battle Guardian Buddha, who had visited to send treasures from the lingering soul and The Budhist Sect to the mortal world.
After boring the hole at 70,000 years of age, she watched Dong Bi-mun ascend to the Fusion Realm over the next 10,000 years. Once she achieved perfection in the Great Vehicle Realm, she was forcibly sent to ascension against her will, separating her from her husband.
150,000 years after her ascension. She waited here for her husband until he would reach 250,000 years of age, but midway, she could no longer sense his presence.
The lifespan of a Great Vehicle cultivator is 100,000 years. Even with various methods to slightly extend it, there were limits.
Dong Bi-mun had been at the Fusion Realm when she ascended, around 14,000 years old. Her husband must have entered reincarnation long ago, likely repeating several lives by now.
Unable to transcend life and death or interfere with reincarnation, she could not chase after the cycle to find her husband.
Thus, she had waited only for the day he would recall his past life's memories and ascend...
"Hehehe. So you've become a mundane immortal."
To think he would escape into the Mundane Immortal Realm without entering reincarnation.
There was no way to reverse one who had entered the Mundane Immortal Realm.
A Mundane Immortal was a being frozen in place, neither progressing nor declining.
For cultivators who endlessly trained in pursuit of the Grand Dao, the Mundane Immortal Realm was a path chosen only by those terrified of death and failure in ascension.
"This is troubling, though. With the secret realm, I could at least send down a lingering soul without issue since it's connected to the immortal realm, but I can't go beyond it."
Feeling regret that she couldn't meet her husband right away, she decided to find a way.
'That child was truly peculiar.'
Finishing her thoughts on her husband, Ok Ha-hui naturally recalled Yong Yoo.
'How could someone have two spiritual roots? Even if he had seized a body—something only possible for Nascent Soul cultivators and above using their nascent souls—spiritual roots couldn't increase to two.'
Curious about how such a being could be born, she tried peering into his past but could see nothing.
Even trying to examine Yong Yoo closely, she couldn't pierce through.
As if that child, who had just reached the Core Formation Realm, existed in a realm higher than her own.
'Such beings aren't born without reason. Whatever it is, something massive will happen in the mortal world where my husband resides.'
Everything has cause and effect. If an extraordinary existence like Yong Yoo was born, a calamity befitting it was surely impending.
To ensure her husband wouldn't suffer in that calamity, she had given him the Must-Return Whip, hoping he could overcome it on his own without relying on her husband's power.
'Yet... what manner of calamity could be born alongside a being possessing two spiritual roots, power transcending major realms, and an origin even I can't discern...'
Was a calamity arising?
Or was Yong Yoo the one causing the calamity?
Or perhaps Yong Yoo himself was the calamity?
She still knew nothing.
Once the chaotic situation passed, I remained with the Must-Return Whip, touching the now-empty spot at my waist where the Vast Bounty Gourd Bottle used to hang, feeling its absence.
I'd carried it almost every day since acquiring it, so its absence felt utterly awkward.
'How am I supposed to make Nectar Spirit Liquor now?'
That was the biggest problem.
I had been using the pure water from the Vast Bounty Gourd Bottle to brew the Nectar Spirit Liquor, but now that was impossible.
For me, Nectar Spirit Liquor was a crucial resource that properly balanced the amount of spiritual energy when practicing the Triple Life Unity Art and accelerated my cultivation speed.
I tapped the Must-Return Whip against my palm, pondering. This thing clung perfectly to my hand, with excellent weight balance.
'Both Elder Battle Guardian Buddha and Senior Ok were kind enough to even perform the ownership ritual, but the issue is these treasures I can't handle.'
The Eighty Thousand Sutra Treasure Pagoda was safely hidden within my soul, which was fine. I planned to keep even the High Heaven Sect in the dark about this pagoda as my trump card.
But the Must-Return Whip was just an ordinary dharma treasure. If I encountered a stronger cultivator, it could easily be taken from me.
'I need to learn how to conceal dharma treasures. I hear there's a secret art for storing them inside the body.'
I cautiously glanced at Senior Ok's and Dong Bi-mun's residence. My divine sense detected some spellbooks and manuals inside, but...
'Forget it. Better not invoke an immortal's wrath.'
I gave up on them without regret and descended the mountain.
Setting up on the plain at the Ancient High Secret Realm's entrance, I decided to test the Must-Return Whip.
The pagoda was a treasure I couldn't use yet despite obtaining it, which was regrettable, but the Must-Return Whip could be forced if needed.
Grasping the Must-Return Whip and channeling spiritual power into it, it sucked it up endlessly like a bottomless jar.
"Whoa, this is no joke."
I'd have to carry spiritual power recovery means and use it as a last resort.
After exhausting all my spiritual power, I absorbed the thin spiritual energy left in the Ancient High Secret Realm to recover, then infused more into the Must-Return Whip.
With each infusion, the Must-Return Whip began emitting a faint jade light. Over several days of steady infusion, I finally made the entire thing glow.
Gripping the now-activated Must-Return Whip, I targeted a distant waterfall, assuming a stance. Then, my divine sense naturally flew out and imprinted a mark near the waterfall.
"......"
Perplexed by the Must-Return Whip marking on its own, I backed far away from the waterfall, turned my back to it entirely, and swung.
The moment I swung the Must-Return Whip, a massive jade trajectory swept through, striking the marked waterfall.
As if my facing away meant nothing at all.
Kwaaaaaang!!
A tremendous impact erupted. Looking back in shock, the waterfall and even the cliff it poured from had vanished without a trace.
"......"
Considering this place mimicked the immortal realm's environment, where even a single blade of grass could slice a cultivator, destroying a waterfall and cliff meant the Must-Return Whip had the power to level a mountain.
What if enhanced with Combined Strike?
No, first, if my realm rose enough to wield it freely?
'The problem is it takes about 50 full spiritual power dumps per use.'
No good for combat like this. And moreover...
'Swinging it consumes spiritual power too.'
One swing drained all my spiritual power and even damaged some vitality from insufficiency.
I stowed the Must-Return Whip in my storage pouch and sat in meditation to recover my vitality.
But having absorbed all the remaining spiritual energy nearby for the swing, recovery took far too long.
'Right, what about this pedestal.'
Then, recalling the glowing pedestal, I took it out and sat atop it.
"......Feels a bit better?"
This pedestal was the only item in that dharma hall—overwhelmed by the Eighty Thousand Sutra Treasure Pagoda—that remained intact and uncovered.
It undoubtedly had extraordinary functions.
Elder Battle Guardian Buddha hadn't explained a thing, so I didn't know what, but... sitting here seemed to let me cultivate more focused, and now vitality recovery felt faster.
'Probably an immortal realm treasure too, so hide it well.'
Even the High Heaven Sect wouldn't hand immortal treasures to disciples lightly. They'd seize it as a sect relic no matter what.
'Hide the pagoda and pedestal obviously... Say I broke through to Core Formation 4th Layer in one go thanks to Elder Geum's fortuitous encounter, gaining immortal enlightenment. For the Must-Return Whip...'
I eyed the Must-Return Whip, still leaking presence even inside the storage pouch.
'Storage pouch isn't enough; to hide it, store it in my soul.'
Given its power, it could become a sect relic too.
So, bring up Jin Yang-pyeong, acknowledge the immortal connection from the Refined Flying Sword, say an immortal gifted it honestly... With such heavy karma, they'd hesitate to take it.
'Overly great treasures come with too many headaches.'
With such thoughts, I borrowed the pedestal's power to swiftly recover vitality, then spent time reading the Combined Strike manual Senior Ok gave me.
"Red Thread Combined Strike Art."
Scanning with divine sense beforehand, it contained theory for combined strikes between those with deep bonds, five spells usable thereby, and one divine ability.
'Red Thread from the fated string connecting destined man and woman?'
The spells and divine ability required high realms I couldn't use yet, but I could grasp some of the theory and subtleties of this Red Thread Combined Strike Art.
'Fortunately, not strictly for male-female pairs. Just needs exquisite harmony between two. Then, with my Combined Strike, it might unleash even greater power than Senior Ok and Dong Bi-mun.'
I poured all remaining time into applying the Red Thread Combined Strike Art to my Combined Strike. Thus, when one year in the Ancient High Secret Realm ended, High Heaven Sect disciples came from outside.
"Sea Severing Peak's Yong Yoo. Time's up."
"Time to head out."
"Understood."
I exited with the two Nascent Soul cultivators who had brought me into the Ancient High Secret Realm.
Ahh, the mortal world's air after so long...
'Not great.'
Isn't the air a bit turbid?
I first went to the main peak to return the Ancient High Secret Realm entry token.
Whether there was an Immortal Path Grand Meet operations committee or not, they meticulously inspected the token, declared it genuine, and began sealing it.
Proving I'd returned the token and exited the Ancient High Secret Realm, some people sensed the Must-Return Whip's aura leaking from my storage pouch and questioned me, but I said I had to report to my master first, shook them off, and returned to beloved Sea Severing Peak.
"Where's Master?"
"The Elder is out."
Regrettably, Elder Geum So-ryeo was away. Next, heading to Junior Sister Hyang's quarters, she too was out on an external mission.
'Wait till she returns? ...No, looks like Ah-han and So-hu went too, so I'll go meet her.'
I stripped off my tattered clothes from entering the Ancient High Secret Realm, donned the blue robe given to Immortal Path Grand Meet winners, boarded my shield-shaped flying dharma treasure, and flew toward Junior Sister Hyang's mission site.
After Yong Yoo left, a core disciple visited Sea Severing Peak.
The sect leader, hearing their heavenly proud son had ended his one-year seclusion in the Ancient High Secret Realm, immediately sent someone to summon Yong Yoo.
However, Yong Yoo had left right after arriving at Sea Severing Peak. With no choice, the core disciple asked around for his whereabouts and flew to Do Mun-hyang's mission site.
As the core disciple took flight, the red armor she wore gleamed vividly in the sunlight.
