WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: WeTried Translations
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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈
Chapter 45: Bulmang City Gathering
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“The Bulmang City Gathering? This is the first I've heard of it. What is it?”
It sounded like some sort of gathering, and since its name included the “Bulmang” of the Forget-Me Garden, it seemed to be a rather prestigious event.
“The Bulmang City Gathering is a grand gathering for the entire Forget-Me Garden, led by True Lord Hyeondo. It will be held in a month, and I hear anyone may participate.”
True Lord Hyeondo.
This was another Nascent Soul True Lord, following True Lord Yingfu, whose name he had heard before.
“But even if that's what they say, can anyone truly participate? If there were plenty of time, perhaps, but it's only a month away...”
Jegyeong remembered Yu Gyeyun setting out almost ten years early just to hear the Lecture on the Dao in Vast Leisure Forest. Yu Gyeyun had even been a late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator at the time. If Jegyeong had to travel that same distance now, wouldn't it take closer to twenty years rather than ten?
The Forget-Me Garden was that vast. It might be called a Small World, but it was still a world.
“That is true. Those with high cultivation may not care, but for people like us, time and distance are serious problems. True Lord Hyeondo has taken that into account. They said they would soon install Teleportation Pillars throughout the Forget-Me Garden, allowing immediate travel to the gathering grounds. Once those pillars are in place, the Forget-Me Garden will undergo a great transformation.”
At those words, Jegyeong immediately understood why his seniors had been so excited. As Uh Dobaek said, calling it a great transformation was no exaggeration.
“Can those Teleportation Pillars always be used? Or can they only be used this once?”
“We don't know yet. Still, they can't be one-use artifacts, can they? If the gathering continues to be held in the future, we should at least be able to use them then.”
None of them could hide their excitement. They knew they might not even get to hear a Nascent Soul True Lord's Lecture on the Dao, and that even if they did, they would gain nothing from it. Lectures by Golden Core Stage cultivators were another matter.
Since a Nascent Soul True Lord would personally give a lecture, Golden Core Stage cultivators surely would not stand idly by. Even setting aside True Lord Hyeondo, there would certainly be people like Floating Cloud who wished to accumulate good karma.
‘A Nascent Soul True Lord...’
Jegyeong was not as excited as his seniors. They seemed to regard this as a fortuitous opportunity granted by heaven, but he saw the Bulmang City Gathering somewhat differently.
He had no basis for it, yet the title Nascent Soul True Lord filled him with a vague fear.
Golden Core Stage cultivators already felt unimaginably distant. A Nascent Soul True Lord was on an entirely different level. It felt as though his breath had caught in his throat.
That was only natural.
An elephant might have no intention of harming a person, yet people still feared elephants and could not easily approach one.
There was no escaping the instinctive fear one felt toward an existence that could kill them with ease at any moment, perhaps through no more than a small mistake.
‘Even though I have entered the Great Demon Realm, I am still an ant to those beings above the heavens.’
His resolve did not falter, but the thought left a bitter taste behind.
“All the cultivators of the Forget-Me Garden will gather here.”
“Most likely. I truly look forward to it. It will be a magnificent sight.”
“Come to think of it, how many cultivators are there in the Forget-Me Garden?”
“Who could know? Perhaps the Garden Master knows, though I doubt they care about such things.”
Jegyeong quietly listened to his seniors talk.
Watching their anticipation soar, his unease slowly faded.
‘That's right. A Nascent Soul True Lord might see me as an ant, but that's why I should be safe.’
To an ant, an elephant was an absolute existence to be feared. Yet that was also why it was safe.
Even the most ill-tempered elephant would not bear ill will toward a mere ant.
Once he thought of it that way, Jegyeong finally felt at ease and began joining his seniors' conversation from time to time.
* * *
Jegyeong thought his current situation was better than it had ever been.
The island he occupied was such a remote place, with no small Spiritual Lands nearby, that neither Great Demons nor Human Race cultivators cared about it.
The only things wandering around the area were Water Demons, and to Jegyeong now, they were no different from ordinary beasts.
‘If I only wanted to live safely and comfortably, there couldn't be a better place.’
A peaceful life.
It was something he had desperately wanted in his previous life, but not in this one.
Safety was good. Comfort was good. Yet cultivation had to come first.
If one had been born into a world where cultivation allowed transcendence, then naturally cultivation ought to come first...
“What are you doing?”
Jegyeong, who had been firming up his resolve as a cultivator, could no longer hold back and asked.
Cheongo, who had been rustling around in one corner of the cave, raised their head.
“Hm? I was thinking about how to make it pretty.”
Jegyeong had no idea what that meant, so he stretched his head out to look. A sizable pile of glittering objects lay before Cheongo's feet.
“What are all those?”
“Good things. Shiny things. Aren't they pretty?”
Looking closely, most of them were shells and stones. Every one was brightly colored, and some gave off a faint glow.
Jegyeong examined them carefully, wondering whether they might be spiritual treasures, but there was not a single one among them.
“Yes. They are pretty.”
Having nothing else to say, Jegyeong gave a vague response.
‘When did they develop a hobby like that?’
Cheongo had not been like this before. It seemed that after settling somewhere safe, they had begun taking an interest in all sorts of things.
‘Well, it's not bad.’
Whether he liked it or not, they would have to remain here for a while. There was nothing wrong with passing the time that way.
‘Is Muk-su still not ready?’
Jegyeong looked thoughtfully at the fruit that protruded halfway from the ground. It had grown noticeably larger than before.
Both its appearance and the Aura it gave off suggested that it should soon undergo some kind of change.
Yet the fruit only continued absorbing nutrients, showing no sign of anything else happening.
If it could speak, or at least express its thoughts somehow, he could have tried talking to it. Since it could not, all he could do was continue feeding it Demon Beasts.
Of course, catching a few Demon Beasts to feed it was nothing to Jegyeong now, but that did not make it any less frustrating. He could not keep serving as Muk-su's caretaker forever.
As that frustration slowly built, Jegyeong began to see the plump fruit as a pig grinning in satisfaction. Only then did he set aside his worries about Muk-su and begin thinking about his own cultivation.
‘The Demon Race's cultivation methods are not something I can use as a reference. Spiritual Essence may fill the role of a Bloodline, but Spiritual Essence is not a Bloodline in the end. I need to look to the Human Race's methods for my cultivation.’
The way Human Race Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators cultivated was simple.
They continuously nurtured and increased the Dharma Power they had formed upon entering the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Once they accumulated sufficient Dharma Power, they used Single Qi Penetration to condense it into the form of a core and plant a Dharma Seed. That was what it meant to Form a Golden Core.
It sounded simple when put into words, but countless Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators failed at this simple task and died without ever crossing the threshold to Form a Golden Core.
Forming a Golden Core was difficult enough, but most cultivators could not even reach that threshold.
Increasing and nurturing Dharma Power was not fundamentally different from gathering Spiritual Power during the Qi Refining Stage.
Still, considering that a single strand of Dharma Power was required to rise from the Qi Refining Stage to the Foundation Establishment Stage, one could guess how difficult it was to increase Dharma Power even after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage.
‘That's why Human Race cultivators are so desperate for Spiritual Veins.’
Having spent some time at a Spirit Spring, Jegyeong keenly felt how poor the island was.
It was like sleeping under a soft quilt on the finest bed, only to suddenly spend the night in a leaky animal shed.
‘If I can already feel such a difference, it will be even worse once I begin cultivating in earnest.’
He had learned that a Spiritual Land would be essential for his future cultivation, but Jegyeong did not rush.
He could endure this level of inconvenience for now.
Cultivation was what truly mattered, and until he began cultivating in earnest, this was a fairly good home. It was inconvenient in many ways compared to a Spiritual Land, but it was safe.
‘For my future cultivation... I need a way to steadily absorb Spiritual Energy.’
The reason he needed Spiritual Energy rather than demon power or Dharma Power was that those were powers already refined by cultivators of the same realm.
Simply put, they were someone else's power. Absorbing such power was likely to cause problems unless it came from the same fire aspect.
Could he hunt cultivators of the same realm who possessed fire-aspected power? Finding them would be a problem, and hunting them another. It was impractical in every way.
Therefore, Spiritual Energy was what Jegyeong could aim for.
The amount he needed would be great, and what he gained would be little, but it was the only way to steadily increase his demon power.
‘Hunting Human Race Qi Refining Stage cultivators is also an option.’
But that was dangerous.
To obtain the Spiritual Energy he needed that way, he would have to hunt a great many of them. That would certainly draw attention.
Once he was exposed like that, Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators would surely act. The two major sects of Yangseo Lake might even intervene.
‘Cultivation may be something one fights for, but it's better not to make enemies if possible. You never know when a blade full of resentment might come flying at you.’
Unless there was no other choice, Jegyeong did not want to create conflict with others.
‘I should obtain and learn a Human Race cultivation method. That's the safest and easiest way.’
Human Race cultivators built their cultivation by practicing cultivation methods. In other words, they absorbed Spiritual Energy.
The problem was that this method had requirements.
First, he needed a cultivation method.
Second, setting aside where he could obtain one, he had to be capable of practicing a Human Race cultivation method.
‘For other Great Demons, that would be difficult or impossible. But I will be different.’
This was not baseless confidence.
Jegyeong had always possessed some confidence, and after gaining a Spiritual Seed through the Fire Crystal and forming Spiritual Essence, that confidence became certainty.
‘Humans are made up of heart and body. I have Spiritual Essence, which can serve as a Spiritual Root, and I have a human heart. What Demon Kings gain after undergoing the Transformation Tribulation can be called a human body. They become half-human and gain access to part of the Human Race's inheritance. I, on the other hand, am already half human. If I can learn the Transformation Secret Art and imitate a human body to some extent, it should not be difficult for me to learn a Human Race cultivation method.’
That was precisely why Jegyeong wished to learn the Transformation Secret Art despite already having a human heart.
Human Race cultivation methods were ultimately based on the body.
‘The Transformation Secret Art... Senior Uh mentioned it before. It's not valuable, but it becomes rare when you try to obtain it.’
It was not valuable because few people needed it, which made it difficult to acquire.
Still, Jegyeong remembered the meaningful tone Uh Dobaek had used when saying that.
It meant that if Uh Dobaek tried to obtain it, he would somehow be able to.
‘I should have asked this time.’
The news about the Bulmang City Gathering had shocked him so much during his visit to the Forget-Me Garden that he had not had time to discuss anything else.
‘It's fine. I have found my path, so time is no longer a problem.’
Jegyeong closed his eyes and began training his Divine Sense.
Like his earlier Spirit Awareness training, it was a daily routine he had not missed even once since entering the Great Demon Realm.
His goal was to extend his Divine Sense farther and with greater precision. Every time, he trained until his mental strength was completely exhausted.
From the island where he lived, large and small life forms in the nearby waters were caught in his Divine Sense.
Jegyeong focused to sense them in greater detail, and pain and exhaustion gradually appeared on his calm face.
“Urgh.”
When Jegyeong let out a groan without realizing it, Cheongo, absorbed in their hobby, briefly turned their head.
After seeing that it was simply his usual routine, they turned back and began sorting the glittering objects one by one with a wing.
“Hmm-hmm.”
The crow's humming and the snake's groans alternated through the cave.
* * *
Time passed quickly in both Yangseo Lake and the Forget-Me Garden.
“Is this a Teleportation Pillar?”
Uh Dobaek muttered as he looked at the pillar of light.
He examined it closely, trying to determine what mystery lay within, but gained nothing from it.
Jegyeong and the others were the same.
“Was it made of Dharma Power?”
“But can't we only use mental strength in the Forget-Me Garden?”
“That is true, but True Lord Hyeondo is a Nascent Soul True Lord. Just because we cannot do something does not mean they cannot.”
No one knew whether True Lord Hyeondo could use Dharma Power in the Forget-Me Garden, but they clearly possessed the ability to place Teleportation Pillars throughout it.
That alone showed that True Lord Hyeondo's abilities lay beyond the imagination of Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.
“Come. Let us go.”
The Full-Wing Gathering cultivators had decided to travel together.
They did not think anything dangerous would happen, but it was still better to stay with people they knew rather than mingle among strangers in an unfamiliar place.
After observing the pillar long enough, the members of the Full-Wing Gathering touched it.
The moment their minds came into contact with the Teleportation Pillar, they arrived somewhere unfamiliar.
“Ha!”
Choe Jutang's sigh of wonder perfectly captured the feelings of the Full-Wing Gathering cultivators.
Without saying a word, they silently took in everything around them.
Jegyeong did the same.
He saw stars.
Celestial bodies that radiated brilliant light.
Yet after looking more closely, he realized they were not celestial bodies, but independent spaces.
In other words, Small Worlds.
‘No, wasn't the Forget-Me Garden a Small World?’
Then should these be called Small Worlds within a Small World?
“That must be a Grotto-Heaven. But how can there be a Grotto-Heaven inside a Small World?”
Uh Dobaek's timely cry of confusion answered Jegyeong's question.
‘A Grotto-Heaven?’
Was that the name for those Small Worlds that looked like celestial bodies? A Grotto-Heaven.
“I have heard that every Grotto-Heaven has an owner. Then what kind of seniors are inside those Grotto-Heavens?”
“I don't know. More importantly, watch your words. If there are seniors inside, they may hear even our whispers.”
“Gasp!”
Jegyeong ignored his noisy seniors and took in the sights around him.
Even setting aside the striking Grotto-Heavens, there was much to see.
There were large and small peaks scattered everywhere, a structure built like a gigantic amphitheater, towers whose purpose was impossible to guess, and more.
All kinds of things stood mixed together in a space large enough to hold two or three cities.
‘This is the gathering grounds.’
If True Lord Hyeondo had personally designed this place, Jegyeong could confidently say that, if nothing else, their sense of aesthetics was terrible.
The gathering grounds as a whole felt quite strange.
The buildings were arranged in a free and unruly way, yet they had clear physical forms. But those gathered here existed as Spirit Bodies rather than flesh-and-blood bodies.
What purpose did those buildings serve? Decorations?
‘That may truly be all they are.’
Perhaps searching for a purpose and judging every little thing by practicality was itself a way of thinking trapped within mortal limits.
Once he considered that, the strange gathering grounds looked different.
“It seems there is still time before the gathering begins. Let us find a suitable place and wait.”
“Let us.”
The group settled on higher ground overlooking part of the gathering grounds.
They cautiously observed the Forget-Me Garden cultivators who had begun gathering.
Leaving Jegyeong aside, even Uh Dobaek, who had the highest cultivation among them and had been in the Forget-Me Garden the longest, had met fewer than a hundred cultivators there.
Yet the number of cultivators gathered at the gathering grounds had already exceeded several thousand.
They were not the countless mediocre people scattered across the Azure Basket Realm. They were true cultivators formally invited to the Forget-Me Garden.
Among the Human Race, every one of them was at least a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator.
Jegyeong was once again amazed by the Forget-Me Garden's foundation and scale.
The Forget-Me Garden might have little binding power over its members, being something like a club connected only by the shared identity of Reincarnators, but gathering this many cultivators in one place proved just how extraordinary it was.
‘Well, none of that is even necessary.’
There was no need to mention thousands of cultivators.
The existence of a Nascent Soul True Lord was enough by itself.
And there was not only one. Jegyeong had heard the names of two.
‘Come to think of it, both Nascent Soul Realm experts are Nascent Soul True Lords.’
A Human Race Nascent Soul Realm cultivator was called a Nascent Soul True Lord, while a Demon Race Nascent Soul Realm cultivator was called a Demon Emperor.
Long ago, a Demon Race Great Power had taken the titles used by the Human Race's Immortal Dynasty and applied them to the Demon Race's cultivation realms.
The highest was Emperor, followed by King, and so on.
Of course, this was the Human Race's claim. The Demon Race often dismissed it as nonsense.
Still, the Demon Race probably acknowledged it inwardly, even while denying it openly.
There were quite a few other names and systems that the Demon Race seemed to have borrowed from the Human Race.
‘It's better to use something that already exists and sounds fitting than to create something new.’
Even as he thought that, more cultivators continued entering the gathering grounds.
Jegyeong searched for Demon Race cultivators among those assembled.
‘I see them.’
Several Spirit Bodies felt distinctly different from those of the Human Race cultivators.
Their Spirit Bodies were clearly different from those of the Human Race, and they were different from one another as well.
Jegyeong could see at a glance that the Demon Race cultivators' Spirit Bodies were somewhat unstable. Unlike the Spirit Bodies of Human Race cultivators, which remained steady, theirs swayed like boats floating on water.
‘So that's what it means.’
Jegyeong finally understood what it meant for Demon Race cultivators to be unstable.
Their unstable Spirit Bodies meant their Heart States were unstable as well. Their personalities were likely difficult to predict and eccentric.
‘At that point, it can be called an inborn flaw.’
Most of the cultivators Jegyeong believed to be Demon Race did not mingle with anyone else and remained alone.
They were only a handful compared to the total number of cultivators gathered at the gathering grounds, yet they stood out strangely.
‘Not all of them are like that.’
Most Demon Race cultivators brooded alone like people unable to adapt to society, but a small number mixed with others without any issue.
Jegyeong guessed that their cultivation was at least at the middle or late Great Demon Realm.
Like Uh Dobaek, he could not obtain much information from their Spirit Bodies no matter how closely he focused.
Yet this was strange.
Everyone existed as Spirit Bodies in the Forget-Me Garden, and between cultivators of the same realm, it was almost impossible to see through one another.
Jegyeong had been exposed as a Demon Beast before because his realm had barely reached that of a Demon Beast, while the people he met had all been at least Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.
But things were different now.
When Jegyeong entered the Forget-Me Garden after reaching the Great Demon Realm, the cultivators there could not see through him. At least, that was true for the Full-Wing Gathering cultivators, including Uh Dobaek.
On the other hand, Jegyeong could see through their Spirit Bodies to some degree.
In Uh Dobaek's case, perhaps because of the difference in realm, he could learn nothing beyond the fact that Uh Dobaek was human. Yet through the Spirit Bodies of Ye Janggyeong and Choe Jutang, he could even make out their rough appearances.
Jegyeong did not know why, but he could not ask anyone about it either.
Doing so would be like boasting that he alone could see what others could not.
All he could do was take the advantageous situation at face value and assume his mental aptitude was better than most.
As he glanced at the Spirit Bodies of the Demon Race cultivators, Jegyeong thought about his own Heart State.
A Heart State referred to the realm of one's heart. Unlike a cultivation realm, though, it did not remain fixed once one had reached a certain level.
It was like the surface of water, liable to tremble dangerously when wind blew from outside. In a sense, it could be considered a temporary condition rather than a realm.
Even so, it was called a realm because, despite its frequent instability, it had a clear center. That center gave a shaken heart the strength to return to its proper state.
Cultivating and raising one's Heart State could be easy or difficult. Even cultivators with high cultivation sometimes possessed Heart States far below their cultivation realm.
‘I have talent in this area instead. My Heart State is certainly exceptional among cultivators of the same realm, and I can even compare with cultivators one stage higher.’
But that was all.
If the gap reached two stages or more, he could grasp nothing.
‘Even this is excellent.’
Jegyeong was fully satisfied.
Possessing an ability that surpassed the gap in cultivation stages was remarkable, whatever that ability might be.
Until now, his sturdy body had been his only point of pride.
Now that he had confirmed he possessed another advantage in his Heart State, he felt as though he had found hidden savings that no one else knew about.
A little later.
The number of cultivators, which had already seemed great when it reached several thousand, had grown to tens of thousands.
The gathering grounds, which had once felt empty, were now filled with large and small clusters of light.
The vast space, broad enough to contain several cities, could not possibly be filled by only tens of thousands of people. Yet the presence radiating from the cultivators' Spirit Bodies was enough to fill the gathering grounds.
Jegyeong felt that every cultivator gathered here was a star, large or small, while the gathering grounds that held them were like the universe.
“What a sight.”
“I have never seen anything like this in my life.”
Such exclamations did not come only from their group. Everyone gathered here likely felt the same way.
“How much longer must we wait?”
“Who knows? What does it matter?”
How often did one have the chance to hear a Nascent Soul True Lord's Lecture on the Dao?
Even for Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, it was an opportunity one might never receive in an entire lifetime. It would be nearly impossible even for cultivators belonging to great sects with Nascent Soul True Lords.
Yet they had been granted a blessing that few could enjoy even once in their lives. Would it matter if they had to wait one month or two?
Of course, no one expected to fully understand a Nascent Soul True Lord's teachings before they had even Formed a Golden Core. Still, if they could gain even one sentence from ten thousand teachings, they would gladly endure not months, but years of waiting.
Even if they gained not a speck of insight from the Nascent Soul True Lord's lecture, Golden Core Stage cultivators would lecture afterward.
It could not compare to a Nascent Soul True Lord's Lecture on the Dao, but it was still a fortuitous opportunity that was difficult to obtain.
No matter how one looked at it, they were certain to gain greatly. The tens of thousands of cultivators gathered here were filled with joy and anticipation.
Then, a violent wind blew in from somewhere.
It was not a real wind.
It was a spiritual wind that shook only the souls and minds of cultivators.
Tens of thousands of cultivators reacted at once.
Some swayed so violently that it seemed their Spirit Bodies might scatter apart. Others were swept away as though caught in an actual typhoon.
Jegyeong focused his mind and endured.
If he let his guard down for even an instant, he felt he would be swept away like those flying about in such an unsightly manner.
What kind of wind was this, to possess such power? How could it affect Spirit Bodies?
There was much to consider, but he had no room to dwell on such questions now.
“Senior Sobyeok, what sort of mischievous prank is this?”
A dignified voice spread out, and the typhoon-like wind lost some of its force.
It still required deliberate effort to endure, but one would no longer be swept away simply by relaxing for a moment.
“It's Senior Ak!”
Ye Janggyeong brightened upon hearing the voice.
“Senior Ak?”
“Senior Ak Sosan. They guided me when I first came to the Forget-Me Garden.”
At those words, Jegyeong thought of Yu Jeonggyeom, who had guided him.
Was Yu Jeonggyeom here as well? A Nascent Soul True Lord's Lecture on the Dao would be a precious fortuitous opportunity even for cultivators who had Formed a Golden Core.
“Hmph!”
With that scoffing sound, an enormous presence descended upon the gathering grounds.
The moment it appeared, every cultivator froze.
They could not move their eyes. They could not speak.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the owner of that presence appeared in the direction where Jegyeong's gaze had rested.
‘What is that?’
That being's Spirit Body was different from everyone else's.
The Spirit Bodies of every cultivator gathered at the gathering grounds, including Jegyeong, were made of brilliant clusters of light. Yet this newly arrived being's Spirit Body was a dim shape without any light at all.
The shape was enormous, and looking at it gave him a dizzying feeling, as though he might be drawn inside.
If Ak Sosan had not spoken again, Jegyeong, unable to turn his eyes away, might truly have been drawn into that dim Spirit Body.
‘Is this a cultivator who has Formed a Golden Core?’
Though it was merely a Spirit Body, merely looking at it made Jegyeong feel as though his body were being crushed. Its presence was so overwhelming that the Foundation Establishment Stage could be dismissed as nothing before it.
“Senior Sobyeok. No, should I call you the White Thunder Wing King? Either way, stop your pranks there.”
“Since when am I your senior? And what if I don't stop? Are you actually trying to stop me?”
As the being called the White Thunder Wing King replied curtly, another presence appeared in the gathering grounds.
Jegyeong could not look at it because his gaze was still held by the White Thunder Wing King, but he could guess without seeing that this presence belonged to Ak Sosan.
“In this Forget-Me Garden, are we not kindred and Fellow Wayfarers? If not, why did you come here, Senior Sobyeok? Did you not come to hear Senior Hyeondo's Lecture on the Dao?”
“Hmph. What a boring fellow.”
With a reply tinged with a hollow laugh, the wind stopped as abruptly as if it had been a lie.
Only then did the cultivators regain their freedom, and Jegyeong was no exception.
The first thing he did was turn his gaze away.
The White Thunder Wing King's Spirit Body covered the entire area around him like a shadow. Nearby cultivators turned their eyes away as Jegyeong had and hurriedly fled elsewhere.
“If you wished to come, could you not have simply come? Did you have to make such a commotion?”
Jegyeong could finally look at Ak Sosan.
Their Spirit Body was not dark like the White Thunder Wing King's, but neither did it shine brightly. It had the form of an ordinary person and lacked that strange pulling force.
“The outside world is dangerous. All kinds of vicious pranks happen every day, so a mischievous prank is nothing. I believe it was not a bad lesson.”
“Is a lesson still a lesson when it is forced upon people who did not want it and were not prepared for it? What if it damages their Dao Hearts? Have not many seniors spoken about that temperament of yours before?”
“Are you lecturing me?”
Sharp words passed between the White Thunder Wing King and Ak Sosan, but the wind did not rise again.
Still, this was clearly the calm before a storm.
Every cultivator, including Jegyeong, could feel it.
The moment the White Thunder Wing King's tone changed, this false calm would shatter in an instant.
“A great many have gathered.”
At that moment, a low voice cut off the conflict between the two Golden Core Stage cultivators and ended the worries of tens of thousands of cultivators.
Their attention was drawn to that low voice, forcibly yet naturally.
“We greet Senior Hyeondo!”
More than ten immense presences descended upon the gathering grounds at once.
Golden Core Stage cultivators who had appeared at some point floated before the Grotto-Heavens that shone like stars.
Each of their presences was extraordinary enough to make the tens of thousands of cultivators gathered at the grounds seem insignificant. Yet their Auras were restrained so completely that they gave the cultivators not the slightest pressure.
“We greet Senior Hyeondo.”
“We greet Senior Hyeondo.”
The White Thunder Wing King and Ak Sosan also became respectful as though they had never argued, and they restrained their Auras like the other Golden Core Stage cultivators.
“Those who wished to come seem to have all arrived, so let us begin without delay.”
After those words, it sounded as though someone lightly snapped their fingers.
Footnotes:
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