WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Episode 15: To the Northern Continent (4)

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“You!”

For the first time, a demonic cultivator resisted Ise.

An early Foundation Establishment Realm demonic cultivator. Upon sensing someone at a similar realm, the demonic cultivator could not suppress the urge to fight.

The demonic cultivator formed hand seals, raising lightning in their palm. Ise immediately gathered primordial qi and closed the distance.

The demonic cultivator’s defensive spirit artifact activated at once.

Ise wrapped the Yellow Great Parasol in the Adamantine Chain and knocked away the incoming spell, then swung his primordial qi-infused hatchet at the demonic cultivator’s neck.

Slash.

The demonic cultivator’s head flew off with eyes wide open, without even getting the chance to cast a single lightning spell.

For several days, the heads of demonic cultivators were displayed throughout Sword-Ink Market.

The market city’s criminals did not even dare remove them. They only watched Ise warily as he sat in the middle of the city.

He felt sorry for the criminals who had been dragged into this through no fault of their own, but there was no other way to lure out his prey.

How long had he waited?

His divine sense caught the demonic qi of Foundation Establishment Realm demonic cultivators creeping toward him from every direction.

‘There are a lot of them.’

They were the ones Cheoryang Thunder Gate had sent to deal with the cultivator who had slaughtered their people.

More than ten had openly appeared, and his divine sense also detected demonic cultivators waiting in hiding.

“Be careful. That’s the one who guarded Gwisu Temple. The sect master told us to treat him as someone with strength practically equal to the Core Formation Realm.”

The demonic cultivators spoke freely as though they did not care whether Ise heard, then slowly tightened their encirclement.

At that moment, Ise used the Earth-Escape Art and vanished into the ground.

The demonic cultivators’ brows drew together. Then Ise appeared behind the demonic cultivator farthest to the right, his Black Phosphorus Axe rushing toward their head.

The demonic cultivator twisted away quickly.

Instead of taking their head in one blow, Ise only managed to cut halfway through their shoulder.

He immediately leaped onto the Dream-Saving Cloud and escaped. Powerful spells rained down where he had just been.

Only a few demonic cultivators with flight spirit artifacts chased after him. The others raced after him with all their strength or rode demon beasts in pursuit.

Having successfully split the demonic cultivators into two groups, Ise abruptly changed direction and cut down the nearest pursuer.

The demonic cultivator had focused all their divine sense on flying and could not react in time, falling to the ground.

Ise used the Telekinesis Art to pluck only the storage pouch from their body, then resumed his acrobatic flight.

After he shot down a third demonic cultivator, the others seemed to decide they could not face him while scattered. They regrouped and pursued him once more.

Instead of fighting him in the air, they tried to surround him on the ground.

They appeared to have changed tactics. Rather than confront him head-on, they would slowly wear him down.

But herding prey was also one of the Great Exorcist Order’s specialties.

Ise responded by picking them off one at a time, repeating hit-and-run attacks.

‘Three of them are dangerous.’

He used the Giant Weapon Art to enlarge the Yellow Great Parasol and block the flood of spells.

The attacks were so powerful that the wrist holding his shield hummed.

Just as he tried to widen the distance again, a sharply driven Blood Thorn pierced his ankle.

Ise healed the wound with the Vital Wood Art and increased the Dream-Saving Cloud’s speed.

The demonic cultivators who had reached the late Foundation Establishment Realm reacted to primordial qi.

Perhaps they had grown wary of Ise’s unusual attacks. They began forming a battle formation around the three late-stage demonic cultivators.

By then, it had become difficult to hunt even one of them properly. Most of his spells and methods of attack had already been exposed.

Just as he began to think this might be his limit, three Great Exorcist Order cultivators arrived on flight spirit artifacts and unleashed a barrage of spells at the group of demonic cultivators trying to circle around Ise’s right side.

A greatsword larger than a person plunged into the middle of the demonic cultivators, followed by hundreds of pillars of flame falling like rain.

Winged Dragon Hall reinforcements had somehow found him.

Irang, Gwak Chan, and Heeya.

All three were considered elites even within Winged Dragon Hall.

Irang formed another hand seal, and hundreds of whip-like flames split from her fingertips.

The streams of fire cut through the demonic cultivators’ ranks at once, breaking their formation apart.

The firepower was enough to make one’s jaw drop.

While Irang and Gwak Chan drove back the approaching demonic cultivators, Heeya, a formation expert, set up the Demon-Detecting Formation. Every hidden demonic cultivator was immediately revealed.

The demonic cultivators exchanged glances, then quietly withdrew.

Gwak Chan retrieved his greatsword as if the fight had been too easy and approached Ise.

“You brat. Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard alone?”

“How did you know to come?”

“You’re causing such a flashy scene. How could headquarters not know? Even if you’re venting your anger, be more careful.”

“Leave him be. It looks like he was about to pull out after doing enough.”

Ise nodded in agreement.

Bi Hyeongrang would not show himself anyway.

Headquarters was watching Ise’s actions closely. If Bi Hyeongrang, his sworn enemy, appeared, the vicious hunting dogs would be unleashed at once.

Cheoryang Thunder Gate had an overwhelming number of Foundation Establishment Realm demonic cultivators, but Bi Hyeongrang was its only Core Formation Realm cultivator.

A thick middle and a meager upper level. That was the defining trait of demonic sects.

The realm where the most demonic cultivators were produced was the Foundation Establishment Realm breakthrough, when heart demon tribulations occurred. The time when the most demonic cultivators died was the Core Formation Realm breakthrough, when heavenly tribulation descended.

Even so, demonic cultivators were like weeds that multiplied in an instant. Unless they were thoroughly trampled down, they would grow back before anyone noticed.

After gathering the spoils, Ise started walking away. Heeya asked, “That’s the opposite direction. Where are you going now?”

“Yes. Next, I’m going to Horyeong Marketplace.”

Having understood his intention, Heeya raised her voice dramatically.

“You aren’t going back after all this?!”

“I was planning to travel around Tabaro for a while and hunt demonic cultivators. Demonic cultivators should stay buried in the shadows. I’ll make sure they never dare to raise their heads in the light again.”

Gwak Chan gave a hollow laugh at Ise’s firm answer.

“This one really has no sense of self-preservation.”

Gwak Chan looked back at him in disbelief.

“You’re the first Great Exorcist Order Daoist I’ve seen who acts as recklessly as you. I heard you put demonic cultivators’ heads on display in Sword-Ink Market too? Like pins stuck all over a pincushion.”

“Yes.”

When Ise answered as though it were nothing, Gwak Chan snickered at his expression.

“You’re cruel enough to make demonic cultivators weep.”

“…That’s a bit harsh, Senior.”

Ise replied with a serious expression, and Gwak Chan was briefly taken aback.

Ise was usually serious, but he also took teasing in stride. This reaction did not suit him.

“Oh, how frightening. Why are you getting so serious? When did you become so sensitive? You used to be a junior with a decent sense of humor.”

“……”

Ise paused at Gwak Chan’s words.

Since Gwisu Temple had been attacked, he had become far more sensitive. Only now did he truly realize it.

Gong Wol-a’s final advice passed through his mind.

Do not lose your center. Return to your ordinary life.

She must have expected him to change this way and worried about it.

Ise controlled his heart demon.

His anger did not fade easily, but he felt that if he cut down a few demonic cultivators and vented it, he could regain his calm.

“…I’m sorry.”

Gwak Chan cleared his throat and scratched his head.

“Then again, it’s understandable that demonic cultivators make your blood boil. My joke went too far.”

“No. It was entirely my fault.”

Heeya clapped once.

“All right, don’t let the mood sink. We’ll come with you.”

“You don’t need to go to that trouble…”

“It’s no trouble. What else are seniors for, if not to help their juniors? Just thinking about those demonic cultivators who crawled into daylight getting grabbed by the scruff and thrown back into the dark already puts me in a good mood.”

“I’m really fine.”

Irang stepped between them and spoke firmly.

“No. We’re joining you. The Hall Master ordered us to bring you safely back to headquarters. Don’t apologize.”

Ise thought there was a misunderstanding, so he clarified the facts.

“I’m earning Spiritual Stones, so dividing the spoils would be difficult. Is that still all right?”

Irang stared at him blankly. For a moment, she wondered if she had heard him wrong.

Gwak Chan gave another hollow laugh.

“Look at this madman. I never thought I’d see someone come up with the idea of making Spiritual Stones by professionally looting demonic cultivators.”

When Gwak Chan finished, Irang added briefly, “…We don’t need them. We earned enough resources during the last war. Think of it as an escort mission. We’ll help you.”

Ise bowed deeply. If that was the case, he could only be grateful.

“Then, thank you.”

From Sword-Ink Market to Horyeong Marketplace, then Shintap City, and finally Gwangwol City.

Everywhere Ise and the three Winged Dragon Hall elites passed, demonic cultivators’ heads were neatly displayed in the middle of the city.

It was both an outlet for his anger and a warning.

It did not even take a month before the demonic cultivators who had roamed freely through Tabaro stopped showing their faces entirely.

* * *

After finishing his bloody venting of anger, Ise returned to his quarters and laid out both his old equipment and the new spoils to organize them.

First, the things he would take with him.

The Twin-Curtain Spirit-Domain Sealing Banner, Black Phosphorus Axe, Yellow Great Parasol, Dream-Saving Cloud, Vajra, Ghoststep Boots, Mind-Settling Mirror, Cosmos Pouch, Teleportation Black Ruler, and Clear Shadow Sword.

At least these were all things that could be useful at any time.

He set the Needle-Launching Armor aside.

While hunting demonic cultivators this time, he had acquired a new Foundation Establishment defensive spirit artifact, the Thunder-Repelling Armor.

He decided to take all the single-use talismans for spells he had not learned, as well as the medicinal pellets and pills. He had especially invested in keeping a generous supply of Regeneration Pellets.

There was no telling what he might need or how he might use it while traveling through dangerous lands.

He decided to sell the Spirit Fish-Breath Flute.

It seemed like it might be useful someday, but he had never found a reason to use it.

‘I should return the Life-Transmission Pearl to Seolryeong.’

Lastly, he set aside around a thousand Spiritual Stones and put them in a belt-type storage pouch, then placed all the rest in the Cosmos Pouch.

Once he had finished organizing his belongings, Ise moved to the cultivation chamber.

When he opened the adamantine stone box, a single Qi-Condensing Pellet the size of an eyeball appeared inside, pure white in color.

He had heard that taking too much would cause spiritual pressure to burst one’s body apart.

Ise placed it on his palm, scraped off a tiny piece with the tip of his nail, and put it in his mouth.

Crack!

An enormous amount of spiritual energy poured into his dantian.

His body jolted, and he quickly sat in meditation again.

Violent spiritual energy surged in every direction, pressing down on his entire body with crushing spiritual pressure.

It was enough to make him worry that his Dharma-Flower Dantian might burst.

‘I only ate a piece the size of my nail…’

What was this absurd amount of spiritual energy?

After barely bringing the rampaging spiritual energy under control, he let out a long breath.

If he could absorb the entire pellet, Ise was certain he could step into the middle Foundation Establishment Realm.

Even though minor realm boundaries in the Foundation Establishment Realm required an enormous amount of internal qi.

Ten days and nights passed after he entered circulation.

As Ise carefully refined the remaining energy of the Qi-Condensing Pellet, a Message Talisman tapped against his forehead.

He opened his eyes and checked the contents. It had come from the Mission Pavilion.

They had items to deliver and asked if they could visit his quarters.

Ise gave permission and rose to his feet.

A short while later, a Mission Pavilion official arrived carrying a bundle around six feet long.

“Senior, these are the messages and items that have arrived for you.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

The bundle the official handed him contained a stack of spiritual herbs. Ise checked the message’s contents.

- There are spiritual herbs here too, so I’ll send them as soon as I obtain them.

It was a Message Talisman from Gong Wol-a at Halla Gwitak.

It seemed she had received word of their agreement to send him spiritual herbs.

Footnotes:

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