Chapter 91
Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Fortuitous Encounters Come with Dangers (2)
After escaping the room of seals, we made our way into the nearby forest and hid deep within its shadows before turning our attention to the Dharma Wheel.
I held the Dharma Wheel in my hand, and every time a massive shock rippled through from inside, it shook wildly. That alone told me just how fiercely the three cultivators, So-hu, and Pyeong Yurang were battling within.
If So-hu hadn't used her divine powers to protect the Sumeru space from the inside, and if I hadn't reinforced the dharma treasure from the outside with my pure water spiritual power, it probably would've shattered under the rampage of five Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.
'If I'm going to keep using it steadily, I need to reinforce it to make it tougher. Maybe I should get friendly with someone who can refine artifacts, or find a decent artifact refiner in the room of seals and ask them.'
Or I could ask that sect artifact refiner who said she'd make me the Tiger Dragon Tempest Armor once I reached Nascent Soul Realm. Geum So-ryeo promised to introduce me when she hit that realm herself.
'I have a pretty good idea who she is, though.'
Wasn't she a descendant of the Jin family? One of the few survivors of the Wi Hong-tak incident—and an original character from the novel.
I remembered her as this weird character plastered with issues like social phobia, agoraphobia, misanthropy, and deep distrust of people.
Back then, her backstory was a total mystery, so I had no clue why she was like that. But now that I knew about the Wi Hong-tak incident, it made sense.
Given her age, she had to be a direct survivor of that massacre.
Her name was definitely Geum...
"Ah, Yoo Lang! The dharma treasure!"
Hyang Mae's words snapped me out of it, and I looked down at the Dharma Wheel in my hand. The thing that had been rattling like crazy just moments ago now sat tamely in my grip, as if it had never bucked so wildly.
I floated the Dharma Wheel into the air a short distance away and formed hand seals, ready to unleash Bi Jun Island the instant an enemy emerged.
A short wait later, So-hu and Pyeong Yurang stepped out from the Dharma Wheel, looking a bit worn.
"We won, Young Master Yong."
Pyeong Yurang grinned as she dangled the heads of the three cultivators, and I recoiled for a moment at the sight of her holding another freshly severed head—still gushing blood—with such a beautiful smile.
"They were cultivators we'd never met before. Seemed like they planned to take you down first, then fight over the dharma treasure. No coordination whatsoever."
Even so, they clearly hadn't been pushovers.
Pyeong Yurang, who hailed from the Water Spirit School and boasted superior combat prowess among early Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, had her shield treasure from this haul split clean in half and tattered. So-hu was covered in wounds too.
Pyeong Yurang tossed the heads roughly to the ground and held out four storage pouches.
"Their storage pouches."
"Take a look first, Lady Pyeong. You and So-hu took them down, after all. If there's anything good for So-hu, hand it over to her first."
"Got it."
In case of pursuers, we moved again. This time, we settled inside a small mountain spring, tucked away in a valley.
Thanks to Hyang Mae's power, we stayed perfectly dry—not a drop of water on us—while hidden inside the spring, waiting as Pyeong Yurang inspected the pouches.
Once she'd checked them all, Pyeong Yurang pocketed a few pills, two talismans, a sword-shaped dharma treasure, and a defensive one from a cultivator's corpse to replace her ruined shield.
The defensive treasure was a wide black robe that draped nicely over Pyeong Yurang's crimson armor.
She wrapped it around herself, glanced over her body, and smiled in satisfaction.
"It kept getting in the way during the fight, so I really wanted one in pristine condition. This is a fine piece."
So-hu didn't find anything she wanted. To grow stronger, she needed demon beasts or spirit creatures at Soul Transformation Realm, so her standards were understandably high.
Hyang Mae and I then began sifting through the pouches one by one.
"Hm. Was the Dharma Wheel what they were after?"
Among them, I found blueprints for a dharma treasure.
It was ship-shaped. Crafted from various Buddhist treasures, it offered offense, defense, flight, and more—but its key feature was the 'power to aid breakthroughs.'
A wondrous treasure that bent lightning tribulations aside when they struck, diverted wind tribulations, and quelled fire tribulations, letting the cultivator break through in easier conditions.
'Ho. It only works up to Soul Transformation Realm... but that's plenty. If I make this, I could breeze through the next two breakthroughs with its help!'
I quickly checked the other pouches. The rest seemed to have followed me just for the Sumeru-space treasure; only this one had ulterior motives.
"Materials are almost all here too."
Just two more, and I'd have everything to build the ferry ship right away. The issue was those two key ones—the 'wood' for the hull and the heart of the ship... but I could figure it out.
'Alright. Gotta store this safely.'
It'd be a huge boon not just for me, but for Hyang Mae and A-han's Nascent Soul breakthroughs, and Pyeong Yurang's Soul Transformation one too.
The moment I mentioned the ferry ship, we all got fired up.
"A dharma treasure that aids breakthroughs?!"
"What an incredible treasure...!!"
We decided to gather the remaining materials for the ferry ship during this trip while pocketing our other gains.
The rest didn't live up to expectations, but maybe because they were rogue cultivators without backing? Plenty of treasures for evasion—hiding tools, talismans, pills that temporarily boosted escape arts. Perfect for running.
"Alright, let's split them up evenly."
"Yes."
"Sounds good."
These were as good as extra lives. Even Hyang Mae and Pyeong Yurang happily stashed their shares.
"A-han, stick close to me. If things get dicey, hop right into the Dharma Wheel. Then So-hu and I will make our escape."
"Yes, Master."
"Oh, this is from the auction house."
Hyang Mae pulled a talisman carefully stored in a jade slip, examined it, and exclaimed in surprise.
I remembered it too. Low-level Core Formation Realm cultivators from the first floor had bid fiercely on it.
"What is it?"
Pyeong Yurang had ignored early auction items, so she had no recollection.
"A top-tier talisman that lets even Core Formation Realm cultivators use avatar divine powers."
"Ho."
"Very useful. Since you found it, Hyang Mae, you keep it."
"Yes."
Hyang Mae seemed to agree on its value and pocketed it without hesitation.
I glanced at it, then eyed another dharma treasure.
'Lightning spiritual power activated.'
It was spear-shaped and worked solely on lightning spiritual power.
Only So-hu or I with the Tiger Dragon Tempest Armor could use it.
'A powerful one fueled purely by lightning spiritual power? Must pack a punch. I'll take it.'
I had heavy hitters like the Eighty Thousand Sutra Pagoda, Folding Fan, and Six Paths Dragon of Enlightened Fate, but circumstances kept me from using them.
The pagoda was beyond my current level.
The folding fan needed days of spiritual power charging, then drained all my energy and vitality in one swing—no good mid-battle.
The Six Paths Dragon was still unrepairable.
So getting a potent offensive dharma treasure like this was a godsend.
With our unexpected haul sorted, we waited two days under the spring for the situation to settle before moving out again.
"So-hu, any scents?"
"Scents... there. Far away."
"Good. Everyone, inside."
I ushered the group into the Dharma Wheel, mounted So-hu, and activated Water Escape Art.
With my art active, So-hu blazed across the sky ten times faster than at Core Formation speed. The landscape below blurred past with every blink.
A ferocious headwind battered me, but the saddle treasure kept my body steady and comfortable.
"Still, So-hu, you picked up the trail after two days? They must be pretty far, being cultivators and all."
"Up to 5,000 li. I can smell it."
"Oh ho. Handy."
Great for fleeing, tracking, or hunting foes—this spirit creature was a keeper.
I slipped a hand under her mane to stroke her chin.
About half a shichen later on So-hu, I sensed an ominous aura nearby. I tucked So-hu into my spirit root space and used Water Escape to blend into the clouds and hide.
Peering cautiously at the ground from the clouds, I spotted three early-to-mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivators chasing a late-stage one.
Far off, a cultivator controlled five puppets in battle with another. Looked like Qi Baek-ran's pursuers had clashed among themselves.
Elsewhere, cultivators prepped joint attack arts, only for a massive pig-shaped spirit beast from another to disrupt them.
And Core Formation Realm cultivators lurked everywhere, fishing for benefits. Total chaos.
"So-hu. Qi Baek-ran's position?"
So-hu emerged small and sniffed, pointing somewhere random.
"There. Deep underground."
"Underground?"
"Yeah."
"...Someone faked a fight to swipe the treasure somehow?"
Avatar? Spirit beast? Soul slave? Plenty of methods.
No way it was a soul split. Even avatars risked the original's life due to backlash; no lunatic would split their soul for a mere heavenly treasure.
'Should I pursue?'
I stayed hidden in the clouds and followed So-hu's lead.
About 300 li from the battlefield, a cultivator emerged from underground—the puppet master from before.
"Heh heh heh. Finally, Qi Baek-ran's feather is mine...!"
I checked his level.
'Late Nascent Soul Realm... The world is vast. So many talents who could be High Heaven Sect elders.'
Sure, in the immortal realms, Nascent Soul was less than roadside pebbles.
But seeing this many outside High Heaven Sect really drove home how vast and deep the Water Spirit World was.
'Ambush won't work? Wait... oh!'
I'd been about to abandon surprise and team up with Pyeong Yurang when the guy suddenly vomited blood and doubled over. Jackpot.
'His battlefield puppet or avatar got wrecked!'
Backlash hit the original. Seizing the moment, I maxed Water Escape, coiled around him in a flash, and sucked him into the Dharma Wheel.
His soul shaken from backlash, he fell to my ambush like no late Nascent Soul should and got trapped inside. I snatched the wheel and soared back into the clouds to hide.
"Whew. That's why avatars scare me. You never know when or how they'll bite you from the shadows."
After a cautious scan for spotters and confirming no tails, I set the Dharma Wheel adrift in the clouds and dove inside.
The instant I entered, I found the group locked in fierce combat with the cultivator.
"So-hu, let's go!"
Krrrooowr!!
In response to my call, So-hu roared bravely and swelled to three times her usual size.
I crouched beneath her and hurled Bi Jun Island at the enemy.