Chapter 80
Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Battle of Myeongchim Valley (1)
The darkness of Myeongchim Valley writhed.
The corrupt, filthy qi that had stagnated within Myeongchim Valley began to boil over, soon surging skyward without end.
Before long, the qi of Myeongchim Valley split into six massive serpentine forms, each sprouting the head of a dragon.
The six flood dragon heads gazed up at the heavens and roared as if proclaiming their birth, scattering the clouds in the sky. In their place, the qi from Myeongchim Valley rose to blanket everything.
As the qi of Myeongchim Valley engulfed the world, the cultivators of High Heaven Sect found themselves unable to draw in the world's spiritual energy, their own inner qi thrown into chaos.
All but one. Yong Yoo alone was shielded by the power of the Eighty Thousand Buddhist Scriptures Pagoda, repelling the qi of Myeongchim Valley.
"This is..."
"Is it corrupting everything around it with Myeongchim Valley's qi?"
As they faltered in confusion, the flood dragons finished their roars and turned toward the High Heaven Sect cultivators, breaking into mocking laughter.
"Heh heh heh heh. High Heaven Sect... High Heaven Sect... Still wearing those dreary brown robes, I see."
Confirming the brown robes worn by half the disciples, the flood dragons emitted a grating, cracking sound like rusted metal, then spotted Geum So-ryeo and Elder Jang and grinned wickedly.
"Only two at Soul Transformation Realm?"
"What the hell are you?"
In response to Elder Jang's question, the flood dragons growled before continuing.
"I am the Sect Master of the Falling Star Sect. One of the leaders of the Demonic Alliance that raided you eight hundred years ago and slipped away. I owe you a great debt. Thanks to the cultivation resources I stole from your sect, I broke through to Soul Transformation Realm."
The flood dragons sneered at High Heaven Sect as they spoke. Enraged at the audacity of this man mocking them to their faces, Geum So-ryeo silently conjured a lotus flower of water in her grasp.
Spotting it, Yong Yoo instantly recognized the divine ability she wielded.
'That's... the Four Images Water Lily Manifestation.'
A Four Images Water Lily Manifestation in the form of a lotus, distinct from Yong Yoo's misty version.
This was the perfected enlightenment Geum So-ryeo had achieved through relentless refinement of her divine ability. She had erased the insights and ideology of Geum Yang-pyeong embedded within it, evolving it fully into her own Four Images Water Lily Manifestation.
As Yong Yoo stared at the water lotus in a trance, its size had already swollen to hold dozens of people.
The moment the massive lotus bud unfurled softly...
Sploosh!!
The flood dragon formed of Myeongchim Valley's qi crumbled to dust and vanished.
Having eradicated it in one stroke, Geum So-ryeo turned to her disciples.
"Tell me your sect's location. I'll wipe it from existence."
As Geum So-ryeo spoke...
"Hah hah hah."
The qi of Myeongchim Valley surged once more. Two flood dragon heads regrew, biting into Geum So-ryeo's Four Images Water Lily Manifestation.
The lotus shattered like glass, and Geum So-ryeo regarded the fully regenerated six-headed flood dragon.
"This is my core dharma treasure, refined over the past eight hundred years since reaching Soul Transformation Realm: the Nether Six Paths Flood Dragon! Its power rivals three Soul Transformation cultivators. Against just two of you, you stand no chance!"
With those words, the fully regenerated six-headed flood dragon lunged. Geum So-ryeo and Elder Jang immediately unleashed their divine abilities.
Elder Jang produced eight thick, crimson pillar-like dharma treasures and hurled them at the flood dragon. Geum So-ryeo conjured a massive mirror of water with her divine ability and slammed it down upon it.
The eight pillars crushed two heads, while the enormous water mirror pinned three more.
Two heads could match an early Soul Transformation cultivator, three heads a mid Soul Transformation one. The remaining head turned to assault High Heaven Sect's Nascent Soul cultivators.
Seeing this, the Guest Peak Elder and Peak Elders stepped forward, desperately deploying divine abilities to block the single head. In effect, this one Nether Six Paths Flood Dragon was tying down most of High Heaven Sect's key forces.
"...!"
"Hah hah. Mid Soul Transformation! As expected of Geum Yang-pyeong's bloodline!"
The Falling Star Sect Master marveled at Geum So-ryeo.
Yet this dharma treasure, forged from six dragon king offspring using Myeongchim Valley's qi, was the bane of all cultivators. He was confident he could handle them unless they had late Soul Transformation experts.
"When I ascend and meet Geum Yang-pyeong later, I'll tell him how bravely his descendants fought!"
The moment the Falling Star Sect Master spoke, his sect's cultivators emerged from Myeongchim Valley, ambushing High Heaven Sect.
Most bore grotesquely twisted features, having forcibly absorbed Myeongchim Valley's qi in a short time and fallen into yao-shui degeneracy.
Yong Yoo lightly cast a spell at those charging him.
'Severing Sword Strike.'
With middle and index fingers aligned, he swung casually. An orange-glowing slash streaked like an arrow, sweeping through the Falling Star Sect cultivators.
Though precise, the slash's ferocious power shredded them as it passed, tearing them apart.
Nearby, Do Mun-hyang spewed thick poisonous mist to ward off the Falling Star Sect cultivators, while So Hu moved freely through it unaffected, effortlessly dispatching those blinded by the fumes.
Yet not all cultivators could fight like Yong Yoo or Do Mun-hyang.
Most struggled to control their disrupted qi under Myeongchim Valley's influence, unable to unleash half their strength. Casualties began mounting among High Heaven Sect cultivators.
"Senior Brother!"
"Kaaack!"
"You bastards!"
High Heaven Sect initially took heavy losses, but those gathered here had come prepared for battle in Myeongchim Valley.
Regaining their composure after the initial ambush, they deployed their secret arts to resist the qi and counter the Falling Star Sect. Soon, spells clashed brilliantly across the sky between the two sects.
Especially the divine abilities from Nascent Soul cultivators devoured surrounding spells, melting spiritual qi and Myeongchim Valley's qi alike before colliding with devastating force, shaking heaven and earth each time.
'What a mess.'
The large-scale battle was far more chaotic than Yong Yoo had imagined.
Distinguishing friend from foe was difficult, and in a blink, unidentified spells whizzed past nearby.
'I'm fine since my divine sense isn't restricted by the qi, but others must be struggling.'
As he thought this, Yong Yoo scattered a vast golden radiance.
Subduing Tiger Divine Light. A new defensive spell he'd learned, protecting everything within its glow.
Thanks to Subduing Tiger Divine Light and Tiger Dragon Stormwind Armor, Yong Yoo weathered several blind spells unscathed.
'Sect wars end quick if short, drag on if long.'
From what Yong Yoo knew, they could conclude in an instant with an overwhelming powerhouse's intervention or stretch centuries.
'Sorry, but a centuries-long war is a no-go. Can't waste time on that.'
Harboring such thoughts, Yong Yoo relentlessly unleashed Severing Sword Strikes, thinning the Falling Star Sect cultivators' ranks.
They had cultivated with Myeongchim Valley's qi, making them strong against others but weak to Yong Yoo's pure spiritual power or Do Mun-hyang's, infused with Xuanwu's death qi.
Centered on them, the number of Core Formation and lower Falling Star Sect cultivators dwindled rapidly.
"What the...!"
"It's the Flame Perfected Immortal! The rumored one!"
"High Heaven Sect's Heavenly Pride!"
Some Fallen Star Sect cultivators, retaining sanity despite yao-shui transformation, cried out in terror. Far off, Ye Ga-seok reacted.
'Yong Yoo!!'
Ye Ga-seok wrung out his divine ability excessively, shoving his High Heaven Sect opponent onto another comrade before charging madly at Yong Yoo.
As the Nascent Soul elder barreled forward heedlessly, intervening Core Formation cultivators burst into bloody mist.
Simultaneously, Elder Hong nearby grasped the situation and pursued Ye Ga-seok.
With two Nascent Soul elders suddenly charging purposefully, High Heaven Sect had no choice but to respond.
"Stop them!"
Blocking the abrupt charge of the two Fallen Star Sect elders wasn't easy, especially near the Nether Six Paths Flood Dragon where Myeongchim Valley's qi was thickest.
Thus, they were only intercepted once somewhat close to Yong Yoo.
"They're targeting Young Master Yong!"
"Not on my watch!"
The moment their target became clear, Yong Admirer Squad members swiftly converged.
The two Nascent Soul cultivators and several Core Formation ones executed perfectly coordinated combined spells against the Fallen Star Sect elders. Elder Hong swung his immense aura to clash with them.
Boooom!!!
The collision's shockwave crumbled a nearby small mountain.
Enduring the assault bodily, Ye Ga-seok broke through and swung his crimson-black wooden spear at Yong Yoo.
"Yong Yoo!!"
Ye Ga-seok shrieked Yong Yoo's name like a beast bereft of human speech.
Having sensed his movements with divine sense, Yong Yoo swiftly widened the distance with Cloud Escape Art while countering with Piercing Claw Dragon Hand.
Knowing collision was inevitable, there was no hesitation in his movements.
Leaving the crimson-black spear to Piercing Claw Dragon Hand, Yong Yoo fired multiple Severing Sword Strikes. Ye Ga-seok donned wooden armor to block them, summoning countless wood dragons to engulf Yong Yoo.
Yong Yoo's One Palm Jade Seal crushed the wood dragons, but Ye Ga-seok's seeds exploited the gap, peppering Yong Yoo's face.
Ignoring the seeds embedding from cheek to neck, Yong Yoo unleashed his sharpest honed slash.
The keen stroke pierced Ye Ga-seok's wooden armor, rending flesh and spilling blood.
In the span of a few breaths, their fierce exchange concluded.
Having traded blows, the pair paused to size each other up and regulate their spiritual power.
Yong Yoo used his spiritual power to extract the seeds from his face and neck, blood finally streaming from the myriad tiny punctures.
Ye Ga-seok, eroded to the shoulders into yao-shui form through training, regenerated swiftly via its rapid healing.
High Heaven Sect disciples nearby boiled with morale seeing Yong Yoo confront a Nascent Soul elder head-on. Conversely, Fallen Star Sect disciples cowered in fear at the Core Formation cultivator yielding not an inch to a Nascent Soul one.
Flame Perfected Immortal.
Heavenly Pride.
One who transcends great realms.
Youngest and lowest-realm winner of the Dao Leader Tournament.
Rumors of Yong Yoo flashed through their minds, drawing every nearby cultivator's gaze to him and Ye Ga-seok.
In that instant...
Do Mun-hyang's poisonous mist and So Hu's lightning struck Ye Ga-seok.