Chapter 186
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Birds of a Feather (3)
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Whoooosh!
A cool breeze blew.
Taejin traversed the cliffs and sheer drops as if they were flat ground. All that training hadn't been for nothing—his body instinctively scouted safe paths, stepping on spots that wouldn't crumble like a ghost treading silently.
'This is practically flat ground.'
Compared to his father's training, even a thousand-foot chasm felt like a bed of flowers. The pace was just right, and it was incredibly safe. Even if he fell, he was confident he could climb back up. And that wasn't all—he'd gained an unshakeable mind and composure that held firm in any situation.
'Aside from Father, nothing surprises me anymore.'
In his short life, Taejin had never met anyone more bewildering than his father. As a result, he'd cultivated a calm that didn't flinch at sudden variables.
Clack!
He scaled the sheer cliff to its peak, where a steep descent opened up. The wide-open view was breathtaking.
The escarpment was a rift torn open by an earthquake. Judging by the weathering and erosion, it seemed recent.
'How the hell did Father know about this?'
He'd wondered this ever since his father announced they were heading out for millennium stone fungus. If spiritual herbs could be found just by wanting them, everyone and their dog would have them.
His father had a sixth sense for tracking down spiritual beasts, herbs, and fruits. As a kid, Taejin had gobbled them up without a second thought, but looking back, those herbs explained his current level of inner power. The energy writhing in his dantian wasn't something that came out of nowhere.
Still, the doubt lingered because his father was heading straight there without hesitation. You couldn't do that without knowing the exact location.
If he'd gotten the info from an information network like the Beggars' Sect or the Hao Clan, money alone wouldn't have cut it. To martial artists, spiritual herbs were worth more than gold. Bloodbaths over them were commonplace through the ages.
For Taejin, it remained an unsolved mystery, but he didn't ask. If his father said so, then that was that.
'This the place?'
-Yes.
Relying solely on the Demon King's memories, Mujin descended toward the target without pause. The space grew darker. It was a sunken zone near the mountain's peak, cracked by the quake. The escarpment was at least a thousand feet deep, making it hard to gauge.
Clack!
Half a ke down, they hit bottom. A naturally formed cave loomed ahead.
The damp, musty smell of the cave stung their noses. It was humid, yet a chill hung in the air. It was the perfect spot for moss to thrive, soaked in moisture and cold over long years.
Hm?
Midway through the cave, a presence stirred.
Millennium stone fungus was a spiritual herb, but it didn't come alive. He'd heard tales of humanoid ginseng using roots as legs to hop around, but who knew if that was true. Either way, the stone fungus wouldn't be scampering about.
'What the hell is this?'
-Do you think I'm the sort who keeps track of every trivial thing?
Fair point, so Mujin didn't press the Demon King. Whatever it was would show itself soon. It was charging at them like a starving beast spotting prey.
"Let's see what its face looks like."
He ignited the Samadhi True Fire. Surprisingly, it didn't scorch the surroundings. If you thought fire's nature was just to burn, you'd be mistaken.
Defining limits on a domain regresses martial arts.
In a way, martial arts were rooted in imagination. Beyond a certain realm, one could freely shape not just forms but properties themselves.
'Whoa, it can do that?'
Taejin, not yet at that level, was simply amazed. It made him rethink the Samadhi True Fire.
"It's not hot."
"Once you reach the Absolute Realm, you'll wield the Samadhi True Fire in any form or property you desire."
Whether form or property, they were mere byproducts of the user's will. Failing to control one's own energy meant your cultivation was lacking.
That said, reaching such a starting point required at least the Fire Realm. Before then, most were too busy grasping basic forms.
"Has Father entered the Mythic Realm?"
"They say the Mythic Realm lies beyond the Absolute, but there's no real need to distinguish. Once you're in the Absolute, realm doesn't dictate power. At that point, you've built your own domain."
Even among the Divine Continent's Top 21, only a handful had reached the Absolute. But that didn't mean they could instantly crush Fire Realm masters. Martial superiority wasn't so simply judged by realm.
Suddenly, Taejin grew curious.
It was embarrassing to admit, but his own achievements were far from lacking. Considering his age, they were excessive.
Why push this hard?
"Father, what should I do once I reach the Absolute Realm?"
"Protect the family."
Mujin didn't tell his son to save the world. Even if the world crumbled, protect the family first. Talking of the world when you couldn't even safeguard your kin was folly.
Kiiiyoyooot!
The cave's predator screeched grotesquely as it lunged. The darkness of the lightless cave didn't faze it, even with the unfamiliar brightness.
Thud thud thud!
It brimmed with invincible arrogance inside its domain. Understandable—it was the apex predator among the cave's lifeforms.
Kiiiyoyooot!
Whoa!
Unlike its bizarre cries, it had a human face. Pale, but quite beautiful. Yet it was more creepy than lovely.
And for good reason: it had a torso and eight legs. Who'd call a human-faced spider beautiful?
The cave's predator was no ordinary spider—it was a human-faced arachnid. It hadn't just aged into one; the spiritual herb's presence had mutated it. Indirect proof of the treasure within.
"Ugh, gross."
The Poison Horn Ink Dragon at least had a sleek cuteness. Plus, its skin cooled you in summer.
Kiiiyoyooot!
The human-faced arachnid, deeming Mujin and Taejin prey, gaped its mouth. Human-like at first, it split wide—twice the size. Sharp barbs inside amplified the horror.
Kiiiyoyoyoyoyook!
The arachnid's cry wielded sonic arts' power. Weaker foes in mind or inner force could fall to its demonic allure, becoming food without resistance.
With its Bewitching Technique, victims might die mid-tryst with a phantom beauty, blissfully unaware.
Seeing Mujin and Taejin's nonchalance, the arachnid scowled furiously. Never before had its charms failed.
You two are the first.
Slash!
Mujin swung his right hand. A blood thread hidden in his sleeve sliced space cleanly.
Shwaaaa!
Taejin swallowed involuntarily at the spatial rift's sharp aura. Whatever it was, it cleaved with lethal edge.
Craaaack!
The charging arachnid halved, sliding together left and right. Unaware of death, its graying eyes still burned with hunger.
'Not bad.'
-That Cheonmuja punk—weak in raw power, but decent.
The Mythic Demon Core Armor absorbed divine weapons, replicating their form and properties perfectly. Now, time to test spirit cores. How would it react?
"Wonder if it has an inner core."
Taejin gulped at his father's casual remark.
p>Even peak masters could end up as its meal if careless. Against his father, it was pathetic.
'Were human-faced arachnids that easy to kill?'
Taejin's doubt cleared quickly.
The venom oozing from its blood was so virulent it melted the cave walls. Father made it look simple, but any ordinary transcendent master would've been reduced to toxic sludge.
Slash, slash!
Mujin meticulously separated hide, bones, and silk, stowing them in a sack. From the Tang Clan, it resisted poison. Essential for gathering venoms and toxic herbs unsafe for normal bags. Woven from spirit beast hides like the Thousand Poison Serpent and special silks.
'Here.'
-Am I a dog?!
Mujin growled back, Then what are you?
He handed the arachnid's inner core to the Demon King.
They tested absorption via the Mythic Demon Core Armor. If viable, he could wield its venom in operation.
'How's it?'
-Possible.
Absorption worked, but usability needed more study.
Having looted the "King of Poisons," Mujin reached the cave's end and scraped off the millennium stone fungus. Spiders needed at least a millennium for human-faced mutation, unless accelerated by special means—like this fungus's spiritual potency.
"Son, want one?"
"Yes."
As his son consumed the fungus and sat cross-legged, Mujin assisted his True Qi circulation. He let the boy handle what he could, clearing only blockages.
Woooong!
A breakthrough to Fire Realm would be ideal, but it was too soon for the boy.
'Hurry and grow strong.'
To protect Mom and your sister.
If not for the Demonic Cult of the Demon God, Mujin would've stayed home. Other factions? He could wipe them solo. But even one hand can't fend off ten. Vengeance after loss was fools' consolation.
'I lose nothing.'
-Greedy.
'Can't help it.'
-That's your drive.
'Touch what's mine, and you all die.'
-Hm.
Mujin's calm confession carried resolve even the Demon King felt.
Repay favors in kind, grudges tenfold.
Leaving the clan, he'd never imagined this. Failing the mission and suffering humiliation to boot. Returning like this meant certain reprimand from the patriarch.
He had to choose—and he did. Fortunately, the foolhardy idiots provided an opening. An absurd stroke of madness with no other answer.
They picked a remote spot on the path back to the Huangbo Clan from Mount Tai. Detour otherwise, wasting days.
"Uncle, leave him to me."
"Private grudges later. No room for mistakes."
Handle it quietly, no traces. Word was they'd returned to the clan. Exposure here spelled disaster; failure could ignite a major incident.
Ak Jung-pil and Ak Hyo-sang had fled the Huangbo Clan like dogs but lingered for the right moment. The patriarch was ruthless—even blood kin got no mercy. Returning empty-handed branded them failures, denied respect. No retreat possible.
The sun hung high noon.
They'd endured boredom for revenge, steeling their vow.
Step, step!
Footsteps at the pass.
Two figures strolled under the midday sun. Ak Jung-pil and Ak Hyo-sang's eyes gleamed venomously—they'd waited for this. Target entering the gates of hell unsuspectingly.
They donned masks.
No hesitation. From the woods, they struck with spears.
Evil Family Spear Arts Sixth Form: Black Shadow Piercing.
Blind with dark shadows, maximize spin for penetration. Even frontal clash hard to block. Ambush declared killing intent.
Bang! Clang!
Weapons clashed, booming through space.
They'd deemed it defenseless.
Ak Jung-pil and Ak Hyo-sang recoiled at the deflected spear tips and vibrating shafts.
'...He blocked it!'
Unforeseen. No notice till spearheads neared. Then sword-flash veered them, sealing the path perfectly.
"Whoa, that scared me!"
Mujin, feigning shock on cue, paused a beat, then two, three—overacting wildly. Like screaming in pain minutes after a cut.
"What the hell are you idiots?!"
"Father! Those spears—definitely Shandong Evil Family warriors from the Huangbo Clan."
"Oh, those morons."
"Yes."
Taejin, blocking before his father, felt a moment of doubt. What am I doing? It looked like a son's desperate filial piety, but the protectee was backward.
'Who's protecting who?!'