Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 24
>Chapter Title: Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord (2)
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Spirit God Solitary Poison Technique.
It was a spell art known as a forbidden forbidden art.
Over sixty percent of all existing spell arts derived from Taoism, and once there had existed a Taoist sect that popularized them and ushered in an era of revival.
That was the Maoshan Sect.
The Maoshan Sect was a prestigious Taoist faction, but it had been wiped out long ago.
Now, not even a trace of it remained.
There were many theories about its destruction, but the most credible one held that during the sixth emperor of Yan State's purge of the martial world, they had bowed to the authorities and joined hands with them, which was the primary reason.
Most of the spell arts that had survived in the destroyed Maoshan Sect lost their lineages, but occasionally fragments of that ancient legacy would surface.
One such fragment was the Spirit God Solitary Poison Technique discovered by In Seo-ok, lord of the Primal Slaughter Pavilion.
Successive lords of the Primal Slaughter Pavilion, based out of Shaanxi Province, had long explored a collapsed valley once known as Sealed Grove.
Lord In Seo-ok was no different. When he reached his sixtieth year, he discovered various forbidden arts engraved deep within a cave in the valley.
Among them was this Spirit God Solitary Poison Technique.
[The spirits of heaven and earth have aided this pavilion lord.]
The Primal Slaughter Pavilion lord who found it could not conceal his joy.
But that joy did not last long.
Over eighty percent of the forbidden arts he had discovered were banned by the Barrier Origin Sixty-Four Arrays.
And with good reason, for the spells mostly demanded living sacrifices.
‘I cannot allow this.’
The Primal Slaughter Pavilion lord wrestled with the dilemma for a long time.
The forbidden realm, parched for so long, was on the cusp of opening, and as a sorcerer in pursuit of spell arts' pinnacle, he could not tolerate letting it fade away due to mere rules.
And so he abandoned the Barrier Origin Sixty-Four Arrays and joined the Heaven-Earth Society.
It was a decision born of his conviction that only the Heaven-Earth Society could fulfill his deepest wish.
-Sizzle!
“Guhhhh!”
Neung Hwa-yang staggered atop the cart.
No—the entity possessing Neung Hwa-yang's body, Gyo So-ha, could no longer endure the pain.
It was only natural. The immense spiritual pressure made maintaining possession nearly impossible.
‘Damn it...’
On top of that, the timing could not have been worse.
The dense foliage at least blocked the sunlight, but in the full blaze of daytime yang energy, even a wrathful spirit had no choice but to weaken.
The same held true no matter the grade.
-Bulge! Bulge!
The black-bulging veins were a symptom of the faltering possession.
‘I have to run.’
Gyo So-ha reached the instinctive conclusion.
The two humans before him were utterly unlike ordinary folk.
That old man clutching the staff in particular was nothing short of a monster.
The aura pouring from his entire body was upheaving the area around them.
-Pat!
Gyo So-ha leaped from the cart amid the pain, propelling himself backward.
But another problem arose here.
This flesh had its leg meridians severed and dantian ruined.
“Damn it all!”
Had it not been weakened and were it not daytime, he could have manipulated the body to recover somewhat, but that was impossible now.
After a split-second of torment, Gyo So-ha resolved to discard the body.
In this situation, the body was little more than an encumbrance to his flight.
-Slither! Thud!
Neung Hwa-yang's body crumpled to the ground.
In the same instant, Gyo So-ha burst free of it, surging toward the sky.
But then,
-Grooooar!
‘!?’
A gray veil blanketing a fifteen-zhang radius from the heavens downward.
The sight left him speechless.
‘What kind of human...’
Could a human form something akin to a ghost intent domain, the kind only high-grade wrathful spirits could manifest?
The spiritual pressure woven from aura was equally absurd.
Confined within that cliff in utter isolation, he knew little of the world, but even at night, this was no monster he could face.
‘Kuh!’
He could not simply sit idle, however.
-Swish!
Gyo So-ha extended a hand toward the empty air.
Countless iron chains erupted from the ground, converging on a single point.
He focused his power to pierce that veil somehow and escape.
But,
“Heh heh heh. You think I'd just let you be?”
-Pak! Pak! Pak!
Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok formed a hand seal with his left hand.
Vajra finger, Tao finger, then Sword Mudra—he swept the staff across them and swung it wide.
Inexplicably,
-Shwaaaaa!
Branches from the thicket stretched forth, snaring Gyo So-ha's iron chains like whips in reverse.
‘Ah!’
Gyo So-ha frantically swept his hand downward.
A portion of the chains veered toward Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok.
In that moment, someone blocked their path.
It was Sorcerer Jo Ui-gong.
-Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!
Lin! Dou! Jie! Zai!
The Nine Character Protection Method's hand seals.
He overlapped the index fingers and thumbs of both hands, targeting the onrushing chains.
-Rattle rattle rattle!
-Baaang!
The chains rebounded outright, hurtling back toward Gyo So-ha.
A secret technique of the Nine Character Protection Method.
The instantly reversed chains pierced Gyo So-ha's thigh as he twisted away.
-Aaaaagh!
It pierced his already weakened spirit body, so the agony was inevitable.
Dissolving the chains would not only see them pulverized by the branches but also render futile his effort to gather them into a point and shatter the veil.
‘I must endure.’
-Rattle rattle rattle!
The chains collided with the gray veil, blue and red flames sparking like lightning.
The clash of aura and spirit power at work.
“Where do you think you're going!”
Sorcerer Jo Ui-gong drew a talisman from his bosom to chant a spell.
But Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok was faster, producing his own talisman and hurling it at the green spirit Gyo So-ha.
“Transform to flesh, absolute floral steel command, hasten yielding spirit!”
As the incantation ended,
-Fwoosh!
The flames took the form of a bird and flew at Gyo So-ha.
With the chain lodged in his thigh, Gyo So-ha could not evade and took the full brunt.
-Booooom!
-Aaaaaagh!
Along with the scream, the spirit-power-formed chains vanished.
Gyo So-ha plummeted to the ground.
His entire body charred black by the aura-forged flames.
His state was far from good.
-Damn sorcerers!
“Heh heh heh. Such a foul mouth. To you, this old man is as a parent.”
-Swish!
In Seo-ok shook his staff. Silver bells jingled, and the red script engraved on its surface glowed gold.
With that, earthen hands burst from the ground, seizing Gyo So-ha's arms and legs at once.
-Kwach! Kwach!
-Release me!
“You think you can escape?”
-Eeeeek!
Gyo So-ha summoned spirit power to forge chains anew.
Yet with his limbs pinned, his strength strangely ebbed away.
“Pointless. No matter the grade, once gripped by spirit ring beasts, your spirit power scatters—you cannot muster force.”
-Uhhh.
Even as he denied it, his power waned.
He could feel his spirit body sagging.
In Seo-ok approached Gyo So-ha, staff planted, then lifted his chin with the tip.
-Swish!
“Hoh. Riper than I'd hoped.”
-Grraaaargh!
Gyo So-ha gaped his maw like a beast, snarling menacingly at In Seo-ok.
It had no effect.
In Seo-ok merely tsked.
“Untamed still, baring fangs like a wild animal. Fear not. This old man shall mold you into something useful.”
-Don't make me laugh, human!
“Heh heh heh. You've quite forgotten your human days. Then again, proof of elevated grade—not a bad sign.”
Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok was pleased.
His disciple, Sorcerer Jo Ui-gong, drew near.
“Master, is this the one?”
“Indeed. A touch more ripening, and a blue spirit could have been forged in short order. What a shame.”
“Even so, truly remarkable.”
Jo Ui-gong spoke with genuine awe.
Small wonder. An artificial wrathful spirit of this caliber, born in a mere fifteen years.
No sorcerer had ever achieved as much.
Though none would celebrate the feat, of course.
“Shall we ripen it further in isolation?”
“No. Too late for that.”
“How so?”
“Once the ritual breaks, continuing the solitary poison art grows difficult. The grade fell short of hopes—a pity—but it's usable enough. Time for a new vessel.”
-Grrrr!
Gyo So-ha gnashed his teeth at the Primal Slaughter Pavilion lord's words.
He hadn't grasped their talk before, but these were the ones who forged that cliffish hell?
The truth ignited fury within him.
-Damnable old wretch. It was you!
-Grooooar!
“Heh heh heh. Wrathful spirits gonna wrathful spirit—gathering spirit power from mere rage. But...”
-Jingle jingle!
-Aaaaaagh!
The staff's silver bells rang, and Gyo So-ha clutched at his ears in torment.
The curse-etched bells' chime stimulated spirit bodies, pure agony for wrathful spirits.
“Best stay meek if you value avoiding subjugation.”
-Auuugh.
At "subjugation," Gyo So-ha shuddered in dread.
Even a wrathful spirit could not face that without fear.
Stroking his beard, Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok regarded him.
“Yet I am most curious.”
“About what, Master?”
“This pavilion lord's Spirit God Solitary Poison Technique was flawless. How then did you escape? I cannot fathom it.”
There had been no flaw in the ritual.
Yet it had shattered.
Had this green spirit reached blue spirit completion, it would make sense.
But it hadn't, leaving the matter baffling.
“Then perhaps Brother Yoon slacked on cliff duty?”
“Impossible. This pavilion lord checked regularly.”
At his master's firm denial, Sorcerer Jo Ui-gong scratched his head sheepishly.
In Seo-ok shook his head and drew a talisman from his bosom.
“No matter. If not the work of that demon-veil net, we can investigate in time.”
He brought the talisman to Gyo So-ha's brow.
Sensing ill omen, Gyo So-ha twisted away.
“Futile, as I said.”
-Pak!
In Seo-ok slapped the talisman onto his forehead by force.
Red ink scripted upon it: [Fate Bond]
Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok spoke, as if for his disciple Sorcerer Jo Ui-gong's benefit.
“Watch well. Behold, I shall bind a wrathful spirit born of the Spirit God Solitary Poison Technique as my familiar.”
Anticipation lit In Seo-ok's face.
Well it might. Commanding a wrathful spirit as familiar was near impossible by convention.
Yet this rite, chained to the Spirit God Solitary Poison Technique, rendered the impossible possible—defying every established paradigm of spell arts.
“Beast-Rearing Fate Bond Spirit-Extension Method.”
With the words, In Seo-ok incanted.
“Heaven-earth yin-yang underworld fortune not one day, ancient tomb spirit-earth god, incense-time water-hand seal command-time, gold-day lord enter-tomb, communicate water-five elements, water-five kill, root-two cross, water-god ascend, hasten yield command!”
-Fwoosh!
No sooner had the incantation ceased than the talisman blazed in blue flame.
Its ashen motes glowed faintly, dusting Gyo So-ha's form.
Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok's lips curved upward.
At last, the long-awaited moment.
‘Command a high-grade wrathful spirit as familiar...’
Even ‘that,’ deemed calamity, might yet serve as one.
Smiling at the green spirit Gyo So-ha, In Seo-ok said,
“Who am I?”
Soon, "Master" would pass Gyo So-ha's lips.
He watched with eager eyes.
-Damn old wretch.
‘!?’
Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok scowled.
What?
By the Beast-Rearing Fate Bond Spirit-Extension Method, it should have become his familiar.
Why refuse to name him master?
High grade engendering strong ego?
Very well.
“Call this pavilion lord your master.”
-Scram!
“...”
Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok's eyes narrowed to slits.
Something had gone awry.
The ritual had been flawless—why reject him as master?
In a voice thick with ire, In Seo-ok declared,
“This pavilion lord is your master. Obey my command at once.”
-Who the hell says you're my master? Damnable geezer. Fancy yourself lord? Bark like the dog you are before me.
“You dare!”
Enraged at last, In Seo-ok smashed his staff down on Gyo So-ha's head.
-Thwack!
Struck by the curse-etched staff, Gyo So-ha wailed in agony.
-Aaagh!
“This pavilion lord is your mas—”
A voice cut in.
“Elder. Why manhandle someone else's dog so?”
“What?”
Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok grimaced toward the voice.
There stood an astoundingly handsome youth, having approached undetected.
It was Mok Kyung-un.
“Its master is me, after all.”
At the voice, the green spirit Gyo So-ha cried out in delight.
-Master!
'Master?'
Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord In Seo-ok's face twisted horribly.
[Chapter 24: Primal Slaughter Pavilion Lord (2)] End