Cultivating Underground - Chapter 57

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

◈ Cultivating Underground ◈

Chapter 57

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Yi Hyeon pressed the jade slip to his forehead again.

「The flesh rots away in a hundred years, but white bones are the vessel of the true self, enduring a thousand years even buried in the earth. Cast off the flesh and blood of ordinary mortals, and inscribe the profound yin of the underworld into every joint.」

The general principles of the 《Profound Yin White Bone True Scripture》 were followed by the Qi Refining Section and the Foundation Establishment Section. At the end were a few essential instructions for refining true essence before core formation, but there were no cultivation methods for use after forming a golden core.

‘It seems they only pass on the later methods once you’ve formed a golden core...’

That was a little disappointing. Still, as expected of a true-lineage cultivation art, the secret techniques in its Foundation Establishment Section were far from ordinary.

They ranged from the White Bone Tempering Art, which tempered the skeleton like a magical implement, to White Bone Yin Flame, which compressed yin energy to melt an opponent’s Protective Spiritlight. There was even a secret method for carving bones into deadly lifebound bone nails. It also contained the Soul-Shackling and Spirit-Control Art, which gathered weak souls and bound them to a White Bone Banner. Its methods were remarkably varied.

He took the jade slip from his forehead and opened the book stored with it. Its pages were packed with annotations Gwak Jin-myeong had made while cultivating.

Those annotations also revealed the cultivation realm of the Lord of Skull Island.

Early Nascent Soul.

Skull Island was a branch of the Yin Bird Sect, but it was a powerful lineage with a Nascent Soul cultivator of its own.

‘He had quite a background.’

Yi Hyeon set down the book and examined the jade slip again.

Ultimately, the core of the Profound Yin White Bone True Scripture was refining spiritual qi into profound yin white bone true qi and putting it to use. The inheritance looked like a kind of demonic cultivation art, which made him reluctant to practice it.

‘There’s no reason to switch to the Profound Yin White Bone True Scripture...’

The passages explaining the spoken incantation and properties of profound yin white bone true qi did interest him, though. That true qi was needed to ritually refine bones for bone puppets.

The inheritance also contained anatomical knowledge about bones and arrangements of restrictions that seemed useful for controlling his own body. Even without practicing the inheritance, the knowledge itself had considerable value.

After studying the spoken incantation closely, he thought he could produce profound yin white bone true qi by transforming his primordial unity true qi.

‘Then I could make bone puppets too, couldn’t I?’

A substantial portion near the end of the inheritance contained detailed instructions for making bone puppets.

It explained how to judge the quality of bones, the order in which to remove different impurities from each kind of bone material, and even how to join bones with different properties into a single body.

Yi Hyeon blinked as he read the explanation of the materials.

‘They mostly use demonic beast bones.’

The seas around Skull Island were home to many marine demonic beasts.

Those with sturdy skeletons had far tougher bones than ordinary human cultivators at the same realm. Their large bodies also meant that a single beast supplied a great deal of bone material.

By contrast, unless a human cultivator practiced body tempering, reaching Foundation Establishment did not make their bones suitable materials for fine magical implements. Only an outstanding human body cultivator’s bones could compare with those of a demonic beast, so there was usually no reason to seek out human bones.

Yi Hyeon took the Six-Armed Bone Puppet from his storage pouch.

Thud.

The six-armed bone puppet lay on the cavern floor.

The bones forming its chest had gentle curves, while those in its arms were far too long and straight. They certainly weren’t human bones. It seemed to have been made by cutting, fitting, and ritually refining various demonic beast bones into a roughly human shape.

Now that he had read the inheritance, he noticed things he had missed before. His attention settled on a green stone fitted among the spirit stones inside its chest. It felt different from the others when his spiritual sense touched it.

‘So this wasn’t a spirit stone...’

He reread the relevant passage in the jade slip.

A soul stone.

It was a spirit material capable of holding soul power. According to the text, it was essential not only for bone puppets but also for puppets made from spirit wood or metal.

Of course, simply inserting a soul stone would not make a puppet move on its own. The processed stone had to be inscribed with workings that carried out commands, then linked to the restrictions in each part of the body.

‘I see. It needs something to act as a brain... Just as cultivators have essence, qi, and spirit, a bone puppet needs a center of intelligence in addition to bones and spiritual power. This part might be quite difficult.’

Yi Hyeon examined the restrictions around the soul stone more closely.

Several connections were damaged, but the soul stone itself was intact. According to the inheritance, it could be reused after clearing away its master’s imprint and commands.

‘For now, I should make sure to preserve the soul stone.’

He took out some paper and drew the bone puppet’s structure, then carefully began separating the damaged knee and arm joints. He marked the direction in which each part connected and stored them separately, leaving the torso containing the soul stone untouched.

He would not be able to learn the puppet arts right away, but this bone puppet would be a valuable specimen to study later.

‘If I learn to control puppets... couldn’t I use them to tend or guard the spirit fields in my underground hideout?’

Next, Yi Hyeon looked toward the White Bone Banner lying to one side. Faint traces of resentful souls seeped from within it.

‘What an ominous thing.’

He added a Spirit-Sealing Talisman to the banner and placed it in a separate jade box.

He examined the restrictions and auras of the remaining items, sorting them by type.

He gathered the bone material for repairs, medicinal liquid for coating the puppet, and bone fragments that had not yet undergone ritual refinement into one pile. Some of the bone material appeared to come from Tier 2 demonic beasts.

Yi Hyeon’s hand stopped as he examined the medicine bottles. Two small jade bottles bore the same name.

「Spirit-Nurturing Pill」

“This is... I’ve heard about this in a lecture...”

Spirit-Nurturing Pills were Tier 2 alchemical pills that strengthened spiritual sense.

‘Skull Island cultivators have to control several puppets at once, so they must place a lot of importance on strengthening their spiritual sense. If I can verify these pills, I could take them myself.’

Yi Hyeon carefully set the two bottles aside, then put away the other medicine bottles.

Next, he took out the magical implements the cultivators had used.

There were two blood-red flying hooks, the one-eyed old cultivator’s flying sword, and a round shield.

The flying hooks were high-grade magical implements that had been ritually refined as a set. Their restrictions responded to one another, and the inner edges of their blades were densely engraved with patterns meant to tear through Protective Spiritlight.

The one-eyed old cultivator’s flying sword was also a high-grade magical implement. The round shield, which had lost its owner before it could be put to proper use, had only a few scratches around its edge.

Selling just these four items at a fair price would probably earn him eighty mid-grade spirit stones.

He marked the items whose purpose he did not know and stored them separately.

‘I’ll examine them further once I’m back at the Danso Sect.’

Unlike before, he kept most of the suspicious items this time.

Even if something contained a hidden means of tracking him, it would be difficult for anyone to come into the Danso Sect and act against him right away. Still, he would have to check properly for any remaining tracking measures after returning.

‘If I find anything that makes me uneasy, I can bury it somewhere in the Danso Mountains instead of bringing it to Underground Hideout No. 3.’

After sorting everything, the sight of his bulging storage pouch filled him with contentment. He had gained so many new things that he grew excited at the thought of examining them. He would not be bored for a while.

More than anything, he wanted to know whether he could grow Fireheart Orchids using Lesser Yang Stones. Yi Hyeon calmed his excitement and stood up.

‘First, I should return to my fellow disciples.’

* * *

That evening.

At the stone stockade near the realm gate.

Yi Hyeon emerged from behind a boulder on the western slope.

His robe was torn at the side, and dust covered his sleeves and hair. Before approaching too close to the stockade’s formation, he took out his identity token.

A cultivator standing guard on the stone wall spotted him.

“Which group are you with?”

“Yi Dong-sam of Yeonha Peak.”

A short while later, a passage opened in the formation’s curtain.

As Yi Hyeon entered, Ak Mu-gu stopped on his way out of a hall.

“Junior Brother Yi!”

He strode over.

“What took you so long? We received your Voice Transmission Talisman, but...”

Ak Mu-gu’s gaze lingered on the torn robe.

“Are you hurt?”

“Just a few scratches. I can move without any trouble.”

Do Mun-gyeom and Mae So-gun also came out of the hall.

Do Mun-gyeom studied Yi Hyeon’s face and aura. Only then did his shoulders relax.

“Good to have you back.”

Mae So-gun brushed the dirt from Yi Hyeon’s sleeve.

“You startled me when you vanished underground. I was worried about whether you’d escaped afterward, so I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I hid deep in a crack in the rocks and suppressed my presence. Once things quieted down above, I took a roundabout route back.”

“No one followed you?”

“No.”

Do Mun-gyeom nodded.

“Then that’s all that matters. We brought the supplies back safely, and no one on our side has any serious injuries. Now that you’re back too, we can finally breathe easier.”

So Bul-ui approached from the neighboring hall.

“Fellow Cultivator Yi, if we have the chance, please give me some pointers on the Earth Escape Spell. After seeing you today, I think I ought to learn it too.”

“It takes some time to get used to.”

“I suppose I must be prepared for that.”

‘It really does take a long time...’

...

After receiving quarters inside the stockade, Yi Hyeon used the Cleansing Spell to remove the dirt from his body and clothes.

He applied medicine to his bruised side and changed out of his torn robe.

Then he took the Dark Iron Buckler from his storage pouch.

Hummm.

The palm-sized shield grew large enough to cover his upper body.

Yi Hyeon put the shield away, then brought it out again. He changed the direction in which he extended his hand and repeated the same motions while turning his body.

He also examined the cracked Body-Guarding Bell, but it seemed unlikely to withstand any powerful attacks for the time being.

Yi Hyeon stored the bell separately, then put away the Dark Iron Buckler again.

* * *

A few days later.

News reached the stone stockade.

A Byeokra Sect scouting group had found a route leading to the enemy’s realm gate. A newly captured courier’s testimony had reportedly provided the clue.

As the news spread, the atmosphere in the stockade changed.

“We’ve finally caught their trail.”

“Now they’ve got somewhere they have to defend too.”

Cultivators with bandaged arms came out of the halls. Even those who had said little for some time went around looking for maps. Many cultivators from the Danso Sect and Byeokra Sect burned with the desire for revenge.

However, no immediate order to attack came.

Do Mun-gyeom gathered his fellow disciples and explained.

“The reinforcements will arrive on the fifteenth day as planned. We’ll send some of the wounded out first. The rest of us will delay our rotation and join the attack.”

Ak Mu-gu asked, “What about the places we’ve been guarding?”

“We’ll pull more people back from some of the spirit fields. We still need enough strength to guard the realm gate and stockade, so we have no choice but to gather the people scattered around the realm.”

Do Mun-gyeom looked at Yi Hyeon.

“How are you feeling, Junior Brother Yi?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then come with us.”

“Understood.”

...

On the fifteenth day after they entered the secret realm.

New cultivators emerged from the realm gate one after another.

Some took charge of the wounded, while others distributed the formation flags and talismans they had brought to the cultivators stationed there.

Starting that night, the attack force left the stone stockade in several groups.

Yi Hyeon went with Do Mun-gyeom’s party. They flew low along the valleys and forests checked by the scouts, while neighboring groups traveled alongside them with mountain ridges between them.

...

Four shichen later.

Yi Hyeon sat in the shade of a boulder and looked toward the ridge ahead.

The enemy’s realm gate lay beyond that mountain.

It was just over two thousand li from the gate managed by the Danso Sect, in an area rarely visited because it had no spirit fields.

A short distance away, two cultivators spoke in low voices.

“Then does that mean there’s another realm gate two thousand li from the Danso Mountains outside?”

“I doubt it. I’ve heard that distances inside a grotto-heaven don’t match those outside exactly.”

“So it could be in the Ram Kingdom or Chang Kingdom.”

“It could even be tens of thousands of li away.”

While Yi Hyeon listened, Do Mun-gyeom returned from the meeting of group leaders.

“Our group will enter along the southern slope. Another group will handle the formation at the front. Stop any enemies leaving their main camp, but don’t chase them close to the realm gate.”

Mae So-gun folded the map.

“Understood.”

...

The attack began.

Light flashed!

A huge streak of sword light shot up beyond the ridge.

Dozens of streams of spiritual light followed, pouring into the valley at different heights. As magical implements and talismans battered the enemy’s outer formation, a curtain resembling blue scales appeared in what had looked like empty air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out one after another.

Enemy cultivators rose into the air from behind halls and boulders. Some filled gaps in the formation, while others scattered to either side, trying to circle around the attackers.

The cultivators hidden on the southern slope revealed themselves.

“Let’s go!”

A long stream of red flame shot from Do Mun-gyeom’s sleeve.

Ak Mu-gu’s iron token hurtled toward two enemies flying low to avoid the flames, while Mae So-gun’s blue-green silk swept between the trees and blocked another cultivator’s path.

A little farther back, Yi Hyeon sent the Dark Iron Buckler into the air.

Thud!

A blast of energy from the forest struck the shield, sending violent ripples across it.

An icy blue chill rose from its surface.

Yi Hyeon turned his head.

A cultivator in a navy-blue robe walked out from between the trees. He was a man at roughly the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment.

A strange blue-black gourd the size of a human head hung at his waist. Patterns like fish scales stood out on its surface, and intense cold poured from its mouth.

The cultivator unfastened the gourd, held it in one hand, and lightly slapped its base with his palm.

Hissss.

Cold mist gushed from the gourd’s mouth and spread in every direction, forming a dense curtain in an instant.

“A Danso Sect brat dares to step forward with nothing but a shield to rely on.”

The cultivator gave a sinister laugh and formed a hand seal.

Whoooosh.

The roar of rushing water erupted from within the gourd. Twelve gleaming throwing knives shot out amid the deep blue chill.

The crescent-shaped knives sliced through the airborne mist like fins as they rushed at him. They resembled a school of flesh-eating fish charging in to bite after catching the scent of blood.

Yi Hyeon angled the Dark Iron Buckler.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three or four of the leading knives bounced off its edge. But the deflected knives twisted through the air as though flicking their tails, concealed themselves in the mist, and darted toward Yi Hyeon’s blind spots.

Yi Hyeon drew the Dark Palace-Gate Sword.

The blade made a short sweep to the side.

Clang!

A throwing knife cutting through the mist toward his flank struck the sword and flew upward.

Yi Hyeon stepped back half a pace and watched the man.

The cultivator flicked his fingers, arranging the knives again. The twelve scattered blades swam through the mist, exchanging positions, while frost-sharp energy layered over their paths.

Yi Hyeon loosened his grip on his sword a little.

‘For now, I can just keep this man occupied.’

...

Clang! Clang!

The Dark Palace-Gate Sword knocked aside the descending knives one after another.

Yi Hyeon retreated with the force of each impact, checking his surroundings with his spiritual sense.

Forty-odd jang to his right, Mae So-gun was pressing her opponent hard. Ak Mu-gu and So Bul-ui were in similar situations.

‘Everyone’s doing well.’

Just then, a throwing knife shot up from below his feet.

Whoosh!

Yi Hyeon stepped aside and used the Dark Palace-Gate Sword to deflect the knife following behind it. He then lowered his shield slightly and thrust out his sword.

As another knife struck the blade and turned away, he saw the man beyond the mist clench his teeth.

It must have been a deeply frustrating fight for his opponent.

The man was facing someone at a lower cultivation realm who had even shown openings several times. Yet every attack missed by a hair, and whenever one came from an angle difficult to block with a magical implement, Yi Hyeon slipped away with strange footwork.

As the knives wove together and flew toward him again, Yi Hyeon retreated a little farther this time.

Two knives crossed through the spot where he had stood.

Through the scattered mist, he briefly glimpsed the center of the valley.

Boooom!

One side of the enemy’s outer curtain was collapsing.

Cultivators at late Foundation Establishment and Great Perfection poured through the breach. Do Mun-gyeom drove off a nearby enemy, then used his flames to block those trying to flee south.

A familiar sound of waves rang out in the distance.

The owner of the clam-shaped magical implement who had attacked Jeoksu Garden seemed to be inside the valley too. This time, however, the sword light of the Byeokra Sect cultivators converging on that position kept the spell-empowered voice from continuing for long.

Yi Hyeon turned his attention back to the enemy before him.

The navy-robed cultivator thrust his gourd forward at chest height.

“You little vermin... I’ll grind you down to your bones!”

Rumble.

The gourd’s mouth opened wide. A torrent burst out and swallowed the twelve knives circling through the air.

The water and knives tangled together into the shape of an enormous flood dragon. Keen blades flashed in every swirl of water as it crashed toward Yi Hyeon with enough force to crush every tree in the forest.

At the same time as he unleashed it, the man threw himself sideways. He was no longer intent on killing Yi Hyeon and meant to retreat toward the valley, where his allies still remained.

‘Time to finish this.’

Mae So-gun’s opponent was already down, and Ak Mu-gu and So Bul-ui were finishing off the remaining enemies.

Just then, a huge explosion erupted in the center of the valley. A powerful wave of spiritual power swept outward, drawing everyone’s attention.

At that instant, the black line running down the center of the Dark Palace-Gate Sword’s blade shone so brightly it hurt the eyes. Yi Hyeon’s arm moved like lightning.

Slash!

Sword light flashed, and the enormous torrent and its dozen or so throwing knives were cleanly split in midair.

Crack! Boom!

Fragments of broken knives scattered in every direction as the water fell apart.

At the same time, Yi Hyeon slipped into the mist.

‘What just happened...!’

The retreating man turned deathly pale. He thrust the gourd in his hand up before the sword and pushed his Protective Spiritlight to its limit.

But then,

Light flashed!

The sword light did not stop after cleanly slicing through the gourd. It cut straight through the Protective Spiritlight and the man’s upper body as well.

His eyes widened.

‘How...?’

It was the sword of the same enemy who had traded dozens of exchanges with him only moments before.

He had never imagined that the same magical implement could unleash such power. While he had been fighting with everything he had, just how little strength had his opponent been using?

The man collapsed into the mist.

Yi Hyeon took the storage pouch from the falling man’s waist. He also caught the two halves of the gourd and several broken throwing knives before they reached the ground.

He flicked the water from his sword.

The mist around him gradually thinned.

...

As Yi Hyeon walked out from between the trees, Mae So-gun turned her head.

“Junior Brother Yi, are you all right?”

“Yes. Were you hurt, Senior Sister?”

“Not a scratch. Let’s join our eldest senior brother.”

Yi Hyeon put away the Dark Palace-Gate Sword and Dark Iron Buckler, then rose into the air after her.

* * *

The fighting inside the valley was also drawing to an end.

Once the outer formation collapsed, the enemy retreated to the low stone platform surrounding the realm gate. There was a fissure in the rough rock face there, and formation flags placed around it held the light within the opening in place.

When several cultivators jumped through the realm gate first, those holding the rear could no longer maintain their positions either.

Cultivators from the Danso Sect and Byeokra Sect closed in from both sides.

Whooosh!

A cultivator fleeing toward the realm gate was struck in the thigh by a flying sword and fell. Another looked back, but the next streak of sword light arrived before they could reach out to help.

The last remaining enemies activated their talismans all at once.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amid the light that covered the front of the stone platform, several streams of spiritual light vanished through the realm gate.

“Don’t cross over!”

The cultivator commanding the attack force shouted.

“Stop! We don’t know what’s on the other side!”

The pursuing cultivators halted in midair.

A cultivator who had let the last enemy escape ground their teeth and recalled their flying sword.

While the guards aimed their magical implements at the realm gate, the formation masters stepped forward. They planted formation flags before the gate and laid out a formation to seal the passage.

Hummmmm.

A curtain covered the fissure in the rock face. The turbulent light within narrowed, and the faint view of the other side disappeared.

Long sighs escaped the cultivators guarding the area.

“It’s sealed,” someone murmured.

Do Mun-gyeom checked Ak Mu-gu, Mae So-gun, and Yi Hyeon in turn. So Bul-ui and the other Byeokra Sect cultivator who had accompanied them were also there. All six had gathered safely. Only then did the flames lingering in his hand die away.

...

Even after the realm gate was sealed, several groups scattered to search the forest and rock faces. There could still be enemies left inside the secret realm.

Under the protection of the reinforcements, the formation masters began setting up a defensive formation around the entire camp. The Danso Sect planned to build a stone stockade here as well and station a garrison, ensuring that even if the passage was reopened from outside, the enemy could not charge straight in.

Yi Hyeon sat on a boulder on the slope.

Ak Mu-gu approached while applying medicine.

“You really are completely unhurt, Junior Brother.”

“Were you injured, Senior Brother?”

“Just a small cut on the back of my hand. And here I am, putting medicine on it as though it’s a proper wound...”

Ak Mu-gu chuckled and closed the medicine bottle.

...

Three days later.

Before the Hwacheon Secret Realm’s gate leading to the Danso Sect.

Do Mun-gyeom checked their numbers one last time and held out his identity token.

“Four from Yeonha Peak. We’re returning.”

The cultivator guarding the realm gate marked the register.