Chapter 63: Star-Absorbing Great Art (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 63: Star-Absorbing Great Art (1)
The Chun-bong Spirit Herb Expedition traveled for about half a day before arriving at an unnamed mountain.
The forest was pitch-black, the dense canopy completely blocking out the sunlight. Seo-jun whispered quietly.
"Light."
Whoosh!
A flame erupted from his hand, brightly illuminating their surroundings.
Chun-bong tilted her head.
"Li-ght? I’ve definitely heard that word before."
"It means 'light.' It’s a Western word."
"Aha. But why is he acting like that?"
"Perhaps the young hero has some profound intention behind it?" Namgung Su-ah suggested.
"I doubt it. I know him too well."
Spot on, Geum Chun-bong!
Seo-jun, who had coated his hand in fire to serve as a makeshift torch, looked around.
"So, where do we go now?"
"Hmm… probably that way."
Chun-bong pointed in a direction after glancing back and forth between her compass and a map.
Caw! Caw!
As Seo-jun marched vigorously forward to the background music of cawing crows, Namgung Su-ah called out to stop him.
"Young hero, that consumes too much internal energy. We can enhance our vision by infusing our eyes with internal energy, so you don't have to go to such lengths."
"Ah, it’s fine. I’m refilling it as I walk."
In truth, ever since he broke through his Governing and Conception vessels, his efficiency had become absolutely absurd.
From Seo-jun’s perspective, he figured other Super Peak Realm martial artists could probably operate their heart methods while walking to some extent as well.
"I know that once you reach the Super Peak Realm, you can perform some level of Qi cultivation while moving, but the efficiency is usually poor. I heard it drains a massive amount of mental energy, and the internal energy recovery is negligible."
Was that so? That was news to him.
As Seo-jun nodded, Chun-bong, who had been watching him, let out a sigh.
"Leave him be. He’s been like that since before he even reached the Super Peak Realm. He just squanders internal energy like it’s water."
"Pardon?"
"I once saw him fill up a completely empty Dantian in just a few minutes while running."
"…How?"
"I don't know either."
Seo-jun chimed in.
"Hey, Miss Geum. I clearly explained it to you."
"You call 'Sss-sip, then hook! Whack!' an explanation?"
"I was telling the truth!"
"Sigh… forget it."
Chun-bong shook her head and pointed ahead.
"It’s that way. We’re almost there."
True to her word, after walking a bit further, they encountered a towering cliff. Near the center of the vertical rock face, something resembling a cave entrance was visible.
"Whoa…"
How were they supposed to get up there? As Seo-jun pondered, he drew his sword.
He could have used a Lightness Skill to lighten his body and then applied the Technique of Adhesion to run up the cliff as if it were flat ground, but that seemed a bit too tiring.
Flash!
Golden Sword Qi enveloped Seo-jun’s blade.
"It’d be easier if there were stairs, right?"
"Yay."
Chun-bong cheered half-heartedly and patted Seo-jun on the butt.
He suddenly felt energized.
Seo-jun grinned and swung his sword rapidly.
Swish-swish-swish!
Those weren't sound effects he was making with his mouth.
The Sword Qi firing from his blade carved deep notches into the cliff face at regular intervals.
"Let’s go."
Taking the lead, Seo-jun stepped into a notch and leaped upward.
Just as his upward momentum began to stall, he stepped into the next notch and jumped again, repeating the process.
Having reached the cave without much trouble, Seo-jun shouted loudly.
"Yahoooooo!!"
— Yahoooooo…
An echo returned.
Judging by his gut feeling, the echo didn't sound like it was coming from very far away. Since the information they bought said the entrance was blocked by a rock, there was likely a boulder just ahead.
Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah, who arrived shortly after, nodded.
"Shall we go in?"
Namgung Su-ah, cradling her long greatsword, took the lead while scanning the cave.
"Hmm… the cave looks quite old. Judging by the shape of the walls, it seems man-made… it really might be a secret cave."
"But why is it still intact?"
"I wouldn't know that, would I?"
"Aha."
Fair point.
As they ventured further in, they saw a massive boulder blocking the tunnel, exactly as the information purchased from the Hao Sect had described.
Seo-jun tapped the rock and nodded.
"I guess people couldn't get in because of this."
It wasn't an ordinary rock.
As Seo-jun stared intently at the boulder, Namgung Su-ah drew her greatsword.
"I’ll do it, young hero."
Namgung Su-ah, whose eyes were usually half-closed, snapped them wide open.
Lightning flashed within her blue pupils, and a bolt of thunder descended upon her greatsword.
"Whoa."
The moment Seo-jun quickly backed away—
Rumble!
With a clap of thunder, Namgung Su-ah lunged forward.
KABOOOOM!!
A thick cloud of dust billowed out.
"Oh, my poor Chun-bong."
Seo-jun covered Chun-bong’s mouth and nose with his hand while waving his other hand to clear the dust.
"Wha wa dat?"
Seo-jun looked ahead at Chun-bong’s muffled question, his eyes widening.
"Oh."
Despite taking a direct hit from Namgung Su-ah, the boulder wasn't significantly damaged.
Seeing the rock only slightly chipped, Namgung Su-ah’s eyebrows twitched as she stepped back.
"This rock… it absorbs internal energy. I’ve never heard of such a stone before… What could it be?"
"Who knows. For now, shall I give it a try?"
Namgung Su-ah blinked at Seo-jun, then gave a soft smile and nodded.
"Thank you, young hero."
"Oh…"
If it had been Chun-bong, she would have kept swinging her sword until she collapsed from exhaustion, fiercely determined to see who would win—her or the rock.
Their personalities were certainly different.
Realizing this obvious fact anew, Seo-jun placed his hand on the boulder.
"Let’s see…"
When he funneled internal energy into it, the rock absorbed it, just as Namgung Su-ah had said.
He could have just poured in energy until the rock shattered, Chun-bong style, but the smart Murim expert Lee Seo-jun didn't do such foolish things.
Changing the nature of the internal energy he was emitting into Yang energy, Seo-jun watched the rock calmly.
Since it was Yang energy with maximized heat properties, the surface of the rock soon grew scorching hot, and the air began to shimmer.
Yin-Yang Reversal.
The Yang energy was instantly replaced by Yin energy.
Simultaneously, the boulder that had been heated to an extreme temperature cooled down at an unnatural speed.
Cr-cr-crack!
The rock was immediately covered in fractures, on the verge of crumbling.
"Nice! Noona, I’ll let you have the finishing blow. Get your revenge!"
As Seo-jun stepped back, Namgung Su-ah blinked blankly before giggling and striking the boulder with her palm.
Crumble!
Under the blow that carried a fair amount of strength, the massive boulder collapsed into rubble.
Namgung Su-ah stared at Seo-jun, who was clapping, and licked her lips with her red tongue.
"If you keep doing things like that… I’ll be… in trouble, you know?"
"Huh?"
"Fufu, it’s nothing."
Namgung Su-ah gave a coy smile, her eyes curving into half-moons.
In an instant, the hair on Chun-bong’s body stood on end, and she scurried over to cling to Seo-jun’s waist.
"Hey, hey! I just got a really weird feeling!"
"Hey, you too? Me too."
As Seo-jun and Chun-bong hugged each other and trembled, Namgung Su-ah blinked.
"Oh my, I’m not going to eat you."
"Gasp…!"
"Hey! You’re in big trouble!"
"Save me, Chun-bong!"
"Save me first!"
"What! You jerk!"
Their little comedy skit ended with Seo-jun pinching Chun-bong’s cheeks.
At any rate, after the ordeal, they stepped into the cave, only to be met with a darkness of unknown depth.
Fwoosh!
Seo-jun conjured a flame in his hand.
Tap, tap.
The sound of their footsteps echoed, creating a strangely eerie atmosphere.
Seo-jun shivered at the chilling energy brushing against his skin.
"What is this?"
"Is there something there?"
"Hmm… let’s go deeper for now."
Was it a relief that there were no branching paths?
As Seo-jun entered a massive cavern deep within the cave, he furrowed his brows.
The energy that had been bothering him earlier hung thick in the air.
"It’s Death Qi. The aura of death is heavy here," Namgung Su-ah muttered as she surveyed the area.
"What could it be? Gu poison? A seal?"
Countless bones were scattered all over the cavern.
Namgung Su-ah, who was examining giant bones that definitely didn't look human, gestured to the group as if she had found something.
"It seems that, whether intentional or not, Gu poison was cultivated here."
If you trapped poisonous insects in a small box, only one would survive by eating the others, harboring a terrible poison in its body.
The survivor was called Gu poison, but it seemed that demonic beasts, not insects, had been used here.
Where her finger pointed, there lay a giant snake that took up about half of the vast cavern.
Seo-jun, only noticing it now, widened his eyes.
"Why is it so huge?"
Seo-jun approached the snake and tapped its massive body. A strange thump-thump sound echoed.
Blinking, Seo-jun turned his head.
He locked eyes with a massive eyeball the size of a human torso.
"Yikes!"
Startled, Seo-jun reflexively threw a punch.
KABOOOOM!!
The snake’s head was crushed, killing it instantly.
"Wait…?"
It didn't seem like it should have died that easily.
The snake’s aura alone was nearly at the Super Peak Realm. Given its size, it would have been quite a hassle if they had actually fought, but it just died in one hit?
As Seo-jun stood there bewildered, Namgung Su-ah giggled and pointed at the snake’s emaciated body.
"It seems it was already on the verge of death from starving for a very long time. If a demonic beast of this size starved to death… I can’t even fathom how old this cave must be."
"Well, damn."
As Seo-jun grumbled, he realized something had been caught by his Qi sensing, and his eyes went wide.
"Oh?"
He immediately drew his sword and coated it with Sword Qi. He then swung the blade to butcher the snake, causing a flood of blood and organs to pour out.
"Ugh…! Seriously! If you’re going to do something like that, give us a heads-up!"
Chun-bong complained, but it was a worthwhile endeavor.
Picking up an Inner Core the size of an adult male’s fist from among the spilled entrails, Seo-jun smiled with satisfaction.
"Whoa, jackpot. I hit the motherlode!"
Was this the taste of unearned income?
It was far too sweet.
*
The Soul-Stealing Demon, Hyeok Mu-gang, ran desperately.
Facing Shaolin alone was madness. No matter how much his head was filled with demonic energy, he still knew better than to walk into a fire.
'It’s fine, since I’ve succeeded in sneaking into Henan anyway.'
Long ago, he had seen a record left by a Demonic Physician from two generations back.
'What would happen if Gu poison were made with demonic beasts? A demonic beast harbors an Inner Core within itself to advance to the next stage. If so, a demonic beast that survives the Gu process will surely harbor an Inner Core with immense energy. Even if the timing is missed and the Inner Core cannot be recovered, it is fine. The powerful demonic beast created from the Gu will turn Henan into a wasteland.'
After reading the record left with a map, the Soul-Stealing Demon immediately chewed and swallowed it.
According to the contents, it seemed that no great defenses had been placed there.
Although the cave dug into the center of the cliff was said to be blocked with a mixture of soil and gravel, the entrance would likely have been exposed over time.
Other than that, there was only a single boulder that would be difficult for someone at the Peak Realm to break through.
The boulder was made of a stone material created by the Divine Cult at the time, but it wouldn't be that difficult to pierce for someone at the Super Peak Realm.
However, most Super Peak martial artists were usually busy sequestering themselves to reach the Transcendent Realm or wandering the Central Plains in search of a worthy rival.
Unless they discovered some legendary martial art, a fortuitous encounter didn't mean much at the Super Peak level, so there was a high chance the Gu poison experiment still remained untouched.
'If the Inner Core remains, this old man will put it to good use, Demonic Physician.'
For an ordinary martial artist, consuming an unprocessed demonic beast’s Inner Core would be a suicidal act that would trigger Qi Deviation, but the Soul-Stealing Demon was different.
Absorbing all kinds of Qi was his specialty.
The Soul-Stealing Demon was a master of the Star-Absorbing Great Art—the natural enemy of all Qi cultivation practitioners.
'I’m in luck!'
A group of young people entered his sight.
It was a group consisting of one man and two women.
They seemed like the perfect tonics to help him endure the pursuit of Shaolin.
"Geum Chun-bong, get over here!" a voice echoed in the distance.
Better to take care of the man first.
The Soul-Stealing Demon’s eyes gleamed chillingly.