Chapter 989
Chapter 989
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 989
Chapter Title: Radiant Ascension Path
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Ten days passed, and the ninth-floor trial came to an end.
Nothing had happened in the meantime. We'd allied with the other four groups and banded together as one, so there was no reason for anyone to target us.
The soldiers approached and led us to the tenth floor. We were given a full month this time as well. I chose a spiritual elixir, as did Seong Ji-gon.
"Baldy. Why are you following us around like a lost puppy?"
"This humble monk wanders the jianghu in search of new and exquisite flavors. And you, young hero, are a walking bundle of novelty. Feel free to use this monk like a slave. Please, just introduce me to new tastes!"
"You think you're worth that much? You're just a stinky monk."
"Of course, compared to the foods you possess, this monk is sorely lacking. Even so, I cannot give up. Here—take this 150-year-old ginseng I obtained on this floor. I hope it proves useful to you, young hero."
"Well, you're not completely without manners."
I accepted the 150-year-old ginseng. But an elixir of this level wouldn't help me much anymore. It needed to carry at least 500 years of spiritual energy to make a difference.
'Better to enhance it with the Radiant Ascension Path and feed it to Seong Ji-gon. The monk's at the third stage of Ogi... two stages below me, but he's trained in Shaolin martial arts. Perfect as a sparring partner for me and Seong Ji-gon.'
High-level experts aren't easy to hire, even for money. To command one with just a few snacks? It was like luck falling into my lap. I couldn't let this opportunity slip.
"Baldy. What's your real goal in challenging the Myriad Martial Tower?"
He had immense pride in Shaolin techniques and no apparent obsession with elixirs or magic treasures. Even as a rogue monk, he showed no greed for anything else. Was there some food unique to the tower? Unlikely. The soldiers' rations were just slop—tasteless mush. They didn't even provide that during trials.
"This monk wanders in pursuit of fine cuisine... The Myriad Martial Tower is merely another stop on that journey."
"This guy's got a weird tongue too. You actually like that slop?"
"Yu-jin, this monk seems pretty off."
"...You're one to talk. Sigh. Am I the only normal one here?"
I ignored the looks from Seong Ji-gon and Jeong Bin that rubbed me the wrong way.
"There are delicacies unique to the Myriad Martial Tower. Gongcheong Stone Oil, for one. This monk entered the tower solely to taste it."
"...I see."
Gongcheong Stone Oil. Among spiritual elixirs, it was top-tier. Its effects were potent, but it was even more famed for its exquisite flavor.
"That means you need to reach at least the seventeenth floor, right?"
"Indeed. It might require conquering the entire tower. But this monk will never give up until he savors Gongcheong Stone Oil."
"A guy with a clear life goal."
I set aside my worries about Jeong Bin. In this backstabbing world, he was someone I could control. Feed the chicken-lover on time, and he'd stay in line.
We settled in a corner of the tenth floor and began training. Looking around, the crowds had thinned. Over 100,000 participants at the start, now fewer than 10,000 remained. It would drop even more after the tenth-floor trial.
"Hero Seong."
Hwangbo Gahye approached. I swallowed hard at her radiant beauty.
"Lady Hwangbo. What brings you here?"
"Am I intruding?"
"Not at all! I was just surprised, that's all!"
Hwangbo Gahye smiled. It felt like spring had arrived.
"Hero Seong, thank you. I had to tell you that personally. Without you, we never would've passed the ninth-floor trial so easily."
She stepped closer. Hwangbo Gahye gripped my hand tightly. A fragrant scent wafted over. My gaze dipped slightly, catching her pale nape. I wanted to lick it.
"Haha... I just did what needed doing. Without your leadership, it wouldn't have been easy."
"Thank you for saying that. Hero Seong, I want to... even on the tenth floor, no, throughout this Myriad Martial Tower, I want to stand with you. United, conquering it won't be hard."
"Music to my ears. Your wisdom and my strength... Together, we'll be unstoppable. Lady Hwangbo, care to train together?"
"...I'd love to, but... circumstances."
"Circumstances?"
As Hwangbo Gahye opened her mouth to explain, a group of about a dozen approached from afar. At the center was a slick-looking man who seemed familiar.
The first to enter the tower. His name was Oh Ji-mu, right?
"Gahye. What are you doing here?"
"...Young Hero Oh. I was thanking Hero Seong."
"Hero Seong?"
Oh Ji-mu's gaze turned to me.
Arrogant. The look of someone blessed with talent, skill, and background.
He openly released his aura. It screamed, Know your place—I'm this strong. He looked late twenties, mid-Chulji realm. A genius, no doubt.
Pathetic before me.
"Insolent."
I drew up my inner energy and unleashed my aura in all directions.
"Kh...!"
"Guh."
"Ugh."
Those around us groaned one by one. Faces paled. Oh Ji-mu, taking it head-on, trembled at the knees.
Chulji versus Ogi.
One realm apart. But that gap was a mountain. I looked down from the peak; he stared up from the plains.
"Grrr, s-sorry...! I failed to recognize a senior! Please forgive me...!"
Oh Ji-mu bowed his head. I barely suppressed a grin. This was it—the moment I'd hidden my aura for. To crush the cocky bastard.
'Can't resist a good power hide-and-seek.'
And when I do it, I do it right.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Heavenly Demon Force.
Demonic energy poured from me, spreading everywhere. Oh Ji-mu's face whitened further.
Thud.
He dropped to his knees.
Not enough. Kneeling wasn't satisfaction. His forehead had to hit the ground.
"Stiff neck, huh? Do I look like a pushover?"
Oh Ji-mu gritted his teeth.
"...I'm from the Three Absolutes Sect of Shandong. I'm their young sect master."
A warning: Don't make enemies, or back off.
"I'm Sung Yu-jin, the Nangong family's son-in-law."
"......"
Oh Ji-mu's eyes widened. The Nangong family's fame outshone the obscure Three Absolutes Sect. With my superior skill and backing, his only option was to kowtow.
He didn't. Instead, he lifted his chin toward Hwangbo Gahye.
"Haa."
Hwangbo Gahye sighed deeply. She stepped in front of me. As I eased my aura, her color returned.
"Hero Seong! I'll apologize on his behalf! Please forgive him. He just didn't recognize you—no ill intent."
"He messed up. Why are you apologizing, Lady Hwangbo?"
"...We're unofficially engaged."
"...!"
It felt like a hammer to the crown. My mind reeled. That punk, her fiancé?
Hwangbo Gahye kept talking, but it didn't register.
'They don't act like lovers.'
Barely eye contact, keeping distance. Too distant for lovers. Something was off.
'Time to investigate.'
I looked at Hwangbo Gahye. Sweating as she defended him.
"Lady Hwangbo, enough. For your sake, I'll forgive him."
"...Thank you, Hero Seong. I'll repay this debt."
"Haha, no debt. I'm fine."
"...Sorry."
Oh Ji-mu apologized.
"Watch yourself from now on."
The confrontation ended, but the chill lingered.
Hwangbo Gahye and Oh Ji-mu's group bid farewell and left. I watched their backs. They stayed over two meters apart.
'I've marked Hwangbo Gahye. Even if I have to kill that guy, I'll have her.'
I licked my lips, eyeing her alluring hips.
???
To learn about the Hwangbo family, I visited Gongbi of the Flower Moon Tower. She wasn't pleased. Her gaze was prickly. No choice—her neck bore the Charm Spirit's curse.
A powerful seal that could kill her anytime, anywhere. Collared, she was a pure bitch in heat.
"...Young Master Seong, what do you want?"
"First... been a while since I tasted your pussy. Spread 'em."
"Kh...!"
Gongbi bit her lip in humiliation. Glaring murderously, she stripped and parted her legs. Desperate to live, she obeyed. And it wasn't our first time, so no big reluctance.
After three hours pounding her pussy, I sat by the bed kneading her E-cup tits. Big ones.
"You know about the Hwangbo family? I need info on Hwangbo Gahye."
"Heard you entered the tower... eyeing the Shandong Treasure, huh?"
Her nickname.
"Did I ever tell you I entered the tower? You investigated?"
"Don't underestimate our clan's intel. It flows in naturally, without effort. Especially on you—I ordered it myself. Regrettably, you hold my leash."
Slap.
Gongbi swatted my hand from her breast and rose. She wiped her naked body with a clean cloth nearby. My eyes lingered on the vermilion bird tattoo on her back. Sleek back and ass. Drip, drip. White cum leaked from her pussy onto the floor. Watching made my cock twitch again.
'Fuck her again after the info.'
I toyed with my erection, waiting.
"...The Hwangbo family of Shandong is declining. Their traditions and fame endure, but deep down, they've fallen to mid-tier sect level."
"Even so, mid-tier seems harsh."
"Fifty years ago, the family head erred against the imperial court. Three hundred Hwangbo warriors were executed as penalty."
"Error? What kind?"
"He touched an imperial lady. The head was quite the womanizer. But no rape—just flirtation."
"Grabbed her ass?"
"No. Held her hand."
"...That's it?"
"Yes. If rape, the Hwangbos and associates would've piled into mountains of corpses."
A handhold cost 300 lives. Terrifying.
"After, they lost city lord rights. Shandong sects seized their businesses one by one. Hwangbos resisted, of course."
"One imperial chop, and the slow collapse began."
"The killer blow was twenty years ago. Trying to eradicate the Five Demons Sect—formed by five fiends—they lost forty percent of their main force. From then, just a famed shell. Not lost arts or total infamy, so recovery possible. In a few centuries."
"Still called a sega."
"Roots run deep. Just a crisis now."
"What's the deal with Hwangbo Gahye's engagement to Three Absolutes Sect's young master Oh Ji-mu?"
"Can't guess? She was sold."