Chapter 67
Translator: penrny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Caught the Tail (5)
After finishing my conversation with So-hu, I sorted through my items.
First up was the Munho-su robe.
I'd worn it into the Shanggu Secret Realm just in case, but the harsh environment there had shredded it, robbing it of all its effects.
Still, the fabric itself was top quality, so I figured I could repurpose it into smaller garments later. I tucked it away inside my storage pouch.
Next, the Refined Flying Sword.
It was a dharma treasure solid enough for Core Formation Realm, but I had a gut feeling the enemies I'd face going forward would mostly be Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.
Honestly, against a Core Formation cultivator, hurling a spell was way more efficient than pulling out the Refined Flying Sword.
'I could refine it further, but that'd require heading to the Immortal Realm and meeting Geum Yang-pyeong. Right now, the Refined Flying Sword... it's useless.'
I decided it'd be better to hand the Refined Flying Sword over to Geum So-ryeo and get a new dharma treasure in exchange.
The dharma treasures made from demon corpses would hold up through Nascent Soul Realm, so I kept those.
Next, I settled into cultivation to consolidate the power and insights I'd gained in the Shanggu Secret Realm.
Stabilizing the strength I'd rocketed up to the fourth layer of Core Formation wasn't too hard.
A near-perfect Kang Golden Core and a Yong Golden Core surpassing even dual-element root cultivators in refinement—these two cores performed so outstandingly that the churning power settled in an instant, like a lake gone utterly still without a ripple of wind.
'Good thing the heart demon is stably under the pagoda's control right now. Alright... let's tackle the Immortal Realm insights first.'
The Immortal Realm insights. More precisely, the Anti-Dragon insights? ...Let's call it Anti-Dragon Enlightenment.
Chatting with So-hu earlier about the Anti-Dragon, Dragon Birth Nine Children, and Dragon Gate had sharply deepened my understanding of the Anti-Dragon Enlightenment.
How much time passed as I delved into comprehending the Anti-Dragon Enlightenment?
After a few days immersed in it, I fully assimilated the Severing Dragon Claw I'd hastily unleashed back then, making it truly my own spell.
Next, I grasped the way a dragon moves.
Having comprehended the dragon's motion—treading clouds and soaring—I could now transform my body into a cloud for movement. I named this escapist art the Cloud Escape Art.
After deriving two escapist arts from the Anti-Dragon Enlightenment, I stepped out of the eastern wing and tested my new spells in a suitable spot.
Activating the Cloud Escape Art first turned my body into a single cloud, propelling me at tremendous speed. In the blink of an eye, I'd soared higher than the clouds themselves.
"Nice. Way faster and more stable than the Water Escape Art."
Plus, applying the Cloud Escape Art let me stand with my feet planted on clouds.
I stood atop a cloud, scanned the surroundings casually, then tested the Severing Dragon Claw.
A massive dragon claw materialized behind my back, and I swung it using the bare minimum spiritual power.
As expected from before, the Severing Dragon Claw was incredibly swift and lethal, shredding the clouds around me in a flash.
Amazed by the power, I layered on Amplification Art atop the Severing Dragon Claw. The dragon claw tripled in size, and I swung it toward the sea of clouds once more.
"...Hm?"
But the clouds, which had scattered under even light blows before, now showed no reaction at all. They lay perfectly still.
Sensing something off, I approached the spot I'd slashed with the Severing Dragon Claw. There, starkly etched, were three distinct claw marks.
"Whoa. So sharp it sliced clean through without disturbing the clouds?"
Maintained with minimal spiritual power, it served as a basic spell attack. With Amplification Art, it became a one-shot kill.
And at its core, it was a divine ability. Once I reached Nascent Soul Realm, the Severing Dragon Claw would shine alongside Worldly Chains Breaking Free Seal as my two signature divine powers.
Having tested the Severing Dragon Claw and Cloud Escape Art to my satisfaction, I returned to the eastern wing to continue consolidating insights.
Regrettably, I couldn't delve deeper into the Anti-Dragon Enlightenment with my current level, so I turned my attention to the Pagoda of Eighty-Four Thousand Sutra Texts.
A pagoda containing the true insights of Buddhist scriptures.
I figured it hid all sorts of Buddhist divine abilities and escapist arts within.
'I've got plenty of offensive spells from the Anti-Dragon Enlightenment, so something defensive that wards off heart demons would be ideal.'
As I examined the Pagoda of Eighty-Four Thousand Sutra Texts, a disciple from the Enforcement Hall visited the eastern wing.
"Greetings, Yong Yoo. The meeting's dragging on, so they said to deliver your pre-arranged reward first."
With that, the Enforcement Hall disciple handed me a jade slip and a sect inner area access token before leaving. Unlike their usual neat attire, his hair and clothes were disheveled—he looked utterly frantic.
"... "
Hm. They're completely losing it over the Falling Star Sect.
This is why cultivation worlds are scary.
If memories of being wronged and butchered linger, they become heart demons that hinder practice. Even grudges from centuries ago are never forgotten—they must be repaid.
I had scores to settle with that bastard too, so no complaints there.
Just don't head out to crush the Falling Star Sect without me.
I checked the jade slip first since I'd gotten it anyway.
'...Ah, so that's how you hide dharma treasures in your soul.'
The method was simpler than expected. I learned the art right away and stowed my Must-Return Whip inside my soul.
With the Must-Return Whip stored in my soul, the Pagoda of Eighty-Four Thousand Sutra Texts reacted. It seemed to scan the whip with a faint glow, then approved it settling in one corner of my soul, deeming it harmless.
'For anything suspicious, I can just stash it in my soul and let the pagoda filter it. Pretty reliable.'
Observing my inner soul, the Must-Return Whip looked smaller than my pinky finger, while the pagoda enveloped my entire soul—that gap said it all about the treasures' disparity.
'I worried it might be too powerful for my soul to handle... but if it accommodated the pagoda, a mere Must-Return Whip is nothing.'
With the Must-Return Whip issue resolved, I refocused on the Pagoda of Eighty-Four Thousand Sutra Texts.
The pagoda, unresponsive whenever I tried to use it before, now offered sutra passages freely the moment I thought to read them.
I began cautiously reading the proffered sutra text.
"Hngh!!"
"Master?!"
I screamed and had to withdraw my divine sense from my soul.
"Master! Master! What's wrong?!"
"... "
I waved off the worried A-han and So-hu rushing over, pinching my nose shut.
Drip, drip, drip.
Blood poured from my nose in terrifying volume.
"Master!"
A-han frantically dabbed at my nose with her sleeve, and it took a full minute for the nosebleed to stop.
"Why the sudden massive nosebleed?"
"...I tried comprehending insights so profound I couldn't handle, and suffered backlash."
Backlash.
A phenomenon where the recoil from destroying a true-name dharma treasure, soul-forged material, certain divine abilities, or formations harms the owner or caster's body.
In this case, sending divine sense to comprehend the sutra had shredded the divine sense itself, with the shock rippling into my body.
'It held the true Buddhist insights, so I figured it was top-tier even among Immortal Realm comprehensions...'
That's why I'd only meant to taste it. Just a taste.
'But I never imagined even reading it would be impossible.'
Scary. Terrifying.
'Gotta leave the pagoda alone until my cultivation deepens more.'
In the end, I gave up on the pagoda and spent time further comprehending the Severing Dragon Claw and Worldly Chains Breaking Free Seal.
These two spells degraded divine abilities into spell form, so comprehending them stimulated and grew my spirituality.
To reach Nascent Soul Realm, above all, the nascent soul within my golden core needed ample growth. Thus, delving deeper into such spirituality-stimulating spells accelerated my cultivation speed.
'Is Core Formation the nascent soul nurturing stage for that reason? I can grasp Worldly Chains Breaking Free Seal more deeply now.'
I spent a month like that, immersed in those two spells.
Afterward, I turned to the Crimson Thread Union Art, devoting another month to it.
Once I felt I'd grasped the Crimson Thread Union Art's foundations solidly, I focused on fusing it with Amplification Art to create the Crimson Thread Self-Amplification Art.
The sect distributed cultivation resources monthly, but I skipped actual cultivation, pouring all my time into comprehension.
Thus, three months passed since I'd emerged from the Shanggu Secret Realm.
Over those three months, I'd successfully consolidated every insight I could grasp at my current level.
I considered learning more spells, but comprehending the Severing Dragon Claw and Worldly Chains Breaking Free Seal had boosted the power of my existing ones, so I opted against new ones for now.
'I've got plenty already.
Blazing Palm Seal. Water Essence Bullet Art. Nameless Binding Chains. Water Escape Art. Water Shield Box. Worldly Chains Breaking Free Seal. One-Handed Jade Seal. Nameless Subduing Spear. Two fire spells I rarely use. And capping it off, Cloud Escape Art and Severing Dragon Claw.
Nameless Binding Chains became obsolete after creating Nameless Subduing Spear, which itself hasn't shone much against the powerhouses I face.
Water Essence Bullet Art relied on the Vast Bounty Gourd Bottle for quick, powerful casts like basic spells—but without it, probably won't see much use.
Water Escape Art? Cloud Escape Art is a strict upgrade. The latter fuses wind, water, and even thunder escape profundities into a high-tier escapist art.
So left with Blazing Palm Seal, One-Handed Jade Seal, Worldly Chains Breaking Free Seal, Water Shield Box, Cloud Escape Art, and Severing Dragon Claw.
Hold on?
'Tidying up, I've only got six left? Nah, without the Vast Bounty Gourd Bottle, Water Shield Box won't feel the same either. Subtract that, and it's five.'
Five spells. Minus Cloud Escape Art, all offense.
'That's a problem.'
For now, Dragon Wind Guard Armor protected me, but if an enemy sealed my dharma treasures, I'd be defenseless in a heartbeat.
'After the Dao Debate with Pyeong Yu-ran, I need to hunt down some defensive spells.'
With that in mind, I left the eastern wing to request a Dao Debate with Pyeong Yu-ran.
"Young Master Yong! Where are you off to?"
No sooner had I stepped out than women came scurrying from somewhere, clinging to me. All members of the Yong Young Master Fan Club.
At first, women latching on like this felt awkward, but after a few outings over the past three months, I was getting used to it.
'Plus, from divine sense scans, some seem like my escorts.'
The sect must've secretly assigned guards, using the fan club as cover. No clue why the pretense, but there was probably a deeper reason.
"Greetings, ladies. I've got a Dao Debate scheduled with Senior Sister Pyeong Yu-ran, so I'm heading there."
Ladies. Ladies?
Isn't that a pickup line?
"Kyaaa!"
"He called us ladies!"
...Fine, if it makes you happy.
If a word from me cheers up folks working hard for me, I'll say it anytime.
"Oh! C-can we come watch the Dao Debate too?"
"Heading to Main Peak—got access rights or passes?"
"I-I do!"
"Me too!"
I took A-han and a few women toward Main Peak.
As a core direct disciple, I breezed in without checks, found Pyeong Yu-ran, and said we should Dao Debate as promised.
"Dao Debate? Sure thing, Young Master! I'll guide you to the arena!"
Despite my sudden arrival, Pyeong Yu-ran accepted the request with crisp enthusiasm.
At the same time, the High Heaven Sect Sovereign and elders were still locked in meetings about the Falling Star Sect.
Debates raged so fiercely that some elders stepped out midway for duties and returned later, while others who missed the initial sessions jumped in upon learning the situation.
They'd started clashing over how to handle the Falling Star Sect but soon settled on notifying nearby righteous sects of the crisis to attack head-on, showcasing High Heaven Sect's might.
Next issue: locating the Falling Star Sect inside Gloom Mist Valley.
Over the past three months, they'd sent Enforcement Hall disciples skilled in stealth, tracking, and scouting, but hadn't pinned down the Falling Star Sect's position yet.
Still, it wasn't zero gains.
They'd found hundreds of eastern wings presumed used by the Falling Star Sect, scattered in groups of dozens far apart—suggesting the Falling Star Sect was moving their entire sect via some method.
"If it weren't for Gloom Mist Valley..."
"Its energies poison righteous cultivators like us. If we could resolve the valley first..."
"Ah, you missed last month's meeting? Similar idea came up—we're probing the valley's source, but it's tricky."
"I see..."
As the Sovereign and elders agonized over the Falling Star Sect, the steward entered to report Yong Yoo's Dao Debate with Pyeong Yu-ran.
"Ho?"
"Hohoho. Dao Debate with a Nascent Soul."
"Heavenly Prodigy's Dao combat talent really shows—quite bold."
"How about we all go watch to clear our heads?"
"Sounds good. Sovereign?"
"Agreed. Let's go together."
And so, Yong Yoo and Pyeong Yu-ran's impromptu Dao Debate ballooned into a grand spectacle overseen by the High Heaven Sect Sovereign and over half the elders.