WeTried Translations

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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈

Chapter 84: Return

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Though a few things had happened along the way, Jegyeong returned safely to Black Shark Island.

‘It was a good thing I came back alone.’

Had he remained aboard the Spirit Talisman Merchant Association's ship, it would have taken several more days to return, and he would not have made any unexpected gains.

“Welcome back, Dragon Lord.”

The moment he appeared before Black Shark Island, those who had sensed his return through the Island-Protecting Grand Formation lowered their heads in unison.

There were both Human Race cultivators and Demon Beasts among them.

The Human Race cultivators numbered around twenty and were led by Han Cheongyu. The Demon Beasts were two turtles, one large and one small.

The smaller turtle, about the size of a person, had bright, alert eyes. The larger one, more than twice its size, had dull, vacant eyes.

The clever-looking small turtle was Hyeon-gwi. The large turtle with the vacant gaze was Hyeon-gwi's child, Fat Turtle.

Hyeon-gwi had formally introduced Fat Turtle to Jegyeong four years ago. When Jegyeong first saw them, he had doubted that Fat Turtle was truly Hyeon-gwi's child.

How could someone as clever as Hyeon-gwi have such a foolish child?

Still, though Fat Turtle was dim-witted, their size alone made it clear that they were far more suited to physical labor than Hyeon-gwi.

They were also gentle by nature. They usually did whatever Hyeon-gwi told them to do, and if Hyeon-gwi told them not to do something, they did not.

Hyeon-gwi often traveled throughout the Black Jiao Waters with their foolish but loyal child, showing off their presence everywhere they went.

Jegyeong found the sight amusing, but he did not stop them.

In truth, he did not care how those under his command conducted themselves within his waters.

That was, as long as they carried out the tasks he gave them without fail.

“Good.”

Jegyeong looked away from the turtles and swept his gaze over the Human Race cultivators.

Han Cheongyu and several others remained steady as they bowed, but the rest looked pale and trembled now and then.

“Cheongyu. Your cultivation has improved.”

“It is thanks to the Dragon Lord's care.”

All the Human Race cultivators bowing before him were at the middle stage of Qi Refining.

Han Cheongyu was among the younger ones, yet his cultivation was the highest. He had nearly reached late-stage Qi Refining.

That rate of progress was partly due to talent, but it also owed much to Han Cheongyu's firm Dao Heart.

Jegyeong occasionally observed the Human Race cultivators living on Black Shark Island in secret. Aside from the hours he spent working, Han Cheongyu devoted nearly all his time to cultivation.

“Where is Cheongo?”

“Sleeping.”

Cheongo had noticeably begun sleeping more.

For the past ten years, they had spent more time asleep than awake.

At first, Jegyeong thought something might be wrong with them. But every time Cheongo woke, their eyes were clearer and their Aura thicker than before, so Jegyeong decided not to worry about it.

This world contained countless mysteries and strange things he neither knew nor could understand.

Cheongo's cultivation was one of them.

According to Cheongo, they built nests in their dreams.

Jegyeong did not know what that meant, nor could he understand it, but he vaguely guessed it was part of Cheongo's cultivation.

He did not know how such a thing was possible. Still, Cheongo's cultivation clearly improved each time they slept deeply and woke, so there was no other conclusion to draw.

“Good.”

After asking whether anything unusual had happened while he was away, Jegyeong headed for his residence, a place called Black Jiao Palace.

The Human Race cultivators working under him had given it that name.

They said that when the Black Sect Hall occupied Black Shark Island, the Hall Master's residence at its center had been called Black Shark Palace. They had simply changed the final character of that name.

It seemed a little careless, but it sounded acceptable.

At least it was better than the name Hyeon-gwi had given it, Dragon Palace.

Dragon Palace was certainly a grand name, but if it reached the wrong ears, it was exactly the sort of name that could invite disaster. Jegyeong could not bear to use it.

Deep within Black Shark Palace.

Jegyeong began sorting through the gains from his recent journey.

First, he took out the spiritual treasures he had acquired at the auction. Then came the various cultivation methods and art inheritances he had purchased here and there. Finally, he took out the storage bag and Beast-Containing Pouch he had obtained from the unnamed cultivator.

‘Precious Wheel Jade Liquid, Clearwater Heartroot, Water Horse Essence Blood, Vermilion Radiant Toad.’

The four spiritual treasures he had acquired at the auction could not be called top-grade, but they were still among the higher-grade treasures.

Precious Wheel Jade Liquid was a Cultivation Treasure that benefited anyone who consumed it, while Vermilion Radiant Toad was a fire-aspect spiritual treasure rarely found in Yangseo Lake.

And then there was this.

‘Essence Blood.’

Jegyeong examined the single drop of radiant liquid in a small transparent jade bottle with curious eyes.

This Water Horse Essence Blood was, as its name suggested, the Essence Blood of a Great Demon Beast called a Water Horse.

Essence Blood was blood in which life force had condensed.

Not just any living creature could possess such blood.

Even a Great Demon Beast with abundant life force could not necessarily form it.

To put it plainly, none of the Great Demon Beasts Jegyeong had hunted so far had possessed Essence Blood.

‘Hmm.’

Jegyeong observed the Water Horse Essence Blood in the jade bottle for a moment, then swallowed it in one gulp and examined the changes within his body.

The reaction was immediate.

An immense vitality, a storm of Qi and Blood, swept through his Spirit and Flesh.

Jegyeong's eyes twitched at the violent surge of life force.

Only because his Spirit and Flesh were exceptionally strong could he endure this much. An ordinary Human Race cultivator would have screamed and rolled on the ground.

‘No wonder they said to take a Meridian-Protecting Pill with it.’

He had expected some reaction, but the violence of the Water Horse Essence Blood far exceeded his expectations.

Even so, it was not beyond his ability to endure. He focused his mind and observed the changes in his Spirit and Flesh.

As the violent current continued without pause, his Spirit and Flesh slowly absorbed every trace of the Water Horse Essence Blood's energy.

His already vigorous Qi and Blood began to boil.

He could even clearly sense the signs of Molting, which had seemed so distant that he had expected it to take at least another ten years.

If he spared none of his remaining Spirit Stones, he could undergo another Molting within two or three months.

‘So this is Essence Blood? Terrifying.’

The Essence Blood he had swallowed was only a single drop.

Could the Great Demon Beast known as a Water Horse have formed only one drop of Essence Blood? If not, just how formidable had it been in life?

“Hoo.”

A little later.

Having completely digested the Water Horse Essence Blood, Jegyeong's eyes gleamed as he looked at the Vermilion Radiant Toad, but he soon calmed himself.

Consuming spiritual treasures one after another was harmful in many ways.

The differing energies of the treasures could mix and cause unforeseen accidents. A cultivator's fragile Spirit and Flesh could also suffer from digesting spiritual treasures consecutively.

Of course, that was a concern for the incomparably fragile Human Race cultivators, but Jegyeong decided to be careful.

There was no harm in caution, and more importantly, the spiritual treasures would not run away just because he left them alone for a few days.

‘Good.’

He was satisfied with the effects of the Water Horse Essence Blood.

If the opportunity arose, he decided to seek out more Essence Blood like this.

‘That one really does sleep well.’

Jegyeong glanced at Cheongo, who was sleeping soundly in a nest atop a small, colorful mountain that shimmered with light.

Cheongo was even smacking their beak as though enjoying a pleasant dream. They looked utterly peaceful.

* * *

At the summit of the highest mountain on Black Shark Island stood an enormous tree.

The tree looked as though it had become the mountain peak itself. Dozens of branches spread wide toward the sky, as though it were trying to embrace the heavens.

“Muk-su.”

Jegyeong stood before the enormous tree, Muk-su.

“You've grown again.”

His last visit had been four months ago.

Yet Muk-su had grown again during that time. At this point, Muk-su was not much smaller than Jegyeong's true body.

‘Considering how much food I've poured into it, that makes sense.’

It was not just Muk-su's size. Its Aura was already more than sufficient for it to become a Great Demon Beast.

As a Wood Demon that had yet to become a Great Demon Beast, Muk-su had already reached its limit.

Until now, Jegyeong had hoped Muk-su could naturally reach the Great Demon Realm, but no matter how long he waited, there was no change.

At first, he thought it might be because Wood Demons had long lifespans and cultivated slowly, but close observation proved that was not the case.

Muk-su had simply hit a wall.

Just as countless members of the Demon Race without Bloodlines did.

Once Jegyeong realized that, he considered the matter carefully.

When one reached a dead end, there were only two choices.

Give up and remain where one was, or carve out a path forward.

Any cultivator walking the Immortal Path would be drawn to the latter.

But from experience, Jegyeong knew how dangerous and arduous it was to carve out one's own path.

It was like distinguishing ninety-nine paths of death from one path of life.

Those without enough strength died. Those without enough resolve died. Those without enough luck died.

Jegyeong wanted Muk-su to become a Great Demon Beast and be of greater help to him, but he did not want to force Muk-su onto a path that could kill it.

So he let Muk-su choose for itself.

Muk-su considered it for a long time, but in the end, it made a decision and gave Jegyeong its answer.

That was what had led to this moment.

“This is Clearwater Heartroot. If you can refine it into your foundation...”

Muk-su lifted one root and wrapped it around the Clearwater Heartroot.

Wooooo.

After a sound like a ship's horn, the branches that had stretched toward the sky drooped weakly.

At the same time, Muk-su's Aura, which had rested quietly as though it had become one with the mountain, gradually began to stir.

Jegyeong stood some distance away and watched the change.

‘It is certainly different.’

Previously, Jegyeong had used the fire energy of a Fire Crystal as a Spiritual Seed to open his Spiritual Essence and pass through the threshold of becoming a Great Demon Beast.

That could be considered the artificial creation of a Bloodline.

Muk-su's method, on the other hand, was not to create one, but to take one.

Jegyeong had heard that some members of the Demon Race possessed a Bloodline Devouring ability, which allowed them to seize another's Bloodline and make it their own.

What Muk-su was doing now could also be considered a kind of Bloodline Devouring.

Muk-su was transplanting the Bloodline of the Clearwater Great Demon Beast contained in the Clearwater Heartroot. The Bloodline energy within the heartroot was not powerful, so its effects would not be great. In exchange, the danger should not be great either.

‘Having even a little is different from having nothing at all. If it can sprout even a small bud, it can be nurtured from there...’

Muk-su's changes continued for several days.

During that time, countless leaves turned to ash and scattered in the wind. Some branches and roots rotted away.

In less than three days, more than half of Muk-su's enormous body had withered and lost its vitality.

But three more days passed, and a strand of life force rose from beneath that withered, decaying surface.

It was faint, but the dense energy within it was something Muk-su had never possessed before, even when its body was at its largest.

That faintly rising vitality spread through the declining Muk-su like paint soaking into paper, quickly coloring it anew.

Footnotes:

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