WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 20: Die Standing, Never Bow (1)
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Gyeon Donu, leader of the black Demon-Mind Armbands, headed toward the meeting place with his usual frivolous gait.
For once, he had summoned every subordinate he favored.
All it had taken to get his heavy rear moving was a single carrier pigeon from Jin Yeonhwa.
Gyeon Donu kept complaining about the disappointingly small number of independent cultivators under his command.
“These useless bastards. They always act like they worship me, calling me Big Brother and all that, but when I try to gather them, they tuck their tails and run. I need to make time to straighten them out.”
Still, the twelve black Demon-Mind Armband bearers Gyeon Donu cherished were all present.
Loyal little puppies who gathered the instant he called and always stayed at Gyeon Donu’s side.
Including Gyeon Donu, thirteen black Demon-Mind Armband demonic cultivators had gathered. The murderous atmosphere surrounding them was enough to make anyone think twice before approaching.
Gyeon Donu liked that atmosphere very much.
There had once been sixteen close aides, but heart demons had reduced that number to twelve. That was a trivial matter.
Naturally, Gyeon Donu never imagined that the danger posed by those black Demon-Mind Armband bearers was precisely why the other independent cultivators claiming to serve him could not answer the summons.
Having hurriedly arrived near the meeting place, Gyeon Donu found Jin Yeonhwa’s lackeys blocking the entrance.
When he tried to ignore them and walk past, a cautious voice hurriedly stopped him.
“Senior Gyeon. Forgive me, but word was sent that the subordinates were to wait here, and only the leaders were to enter. Do you remember?”
“I know! Who do you take me for, a chicken-brain?!”
Gyeon Donu raised his voice, then added a warning.
“Don’t try any tricks, you bastards. I’ll turn this place into fresh fish and seafood.”
He probably meant a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Whenever Gyeon Donu heard an impressive-sounding phrase, he always remembered it incorrectly and used it for a long time.
Of course, no one nearby could correct him. No one knew the proper expression either.
The demonic cultivator guarding the meeting place shook their head as they watched Gyeon Donu look pleased, apparently believing fresh fish and seafood was some refined four-character idiom.
Gyeon Donu kicked open the door and entered the abandoned building.
At the same time, he raised his booming voice.
“What do you mean Wang Gyu is dead?!”
It was meant to seize the initiative, but Jin Yeonhwa was not inside.
Gyeon Donu’s face immediately twisted.
“What? Why isn’t she here? That Painting Strategist bitch isn’t trying to pull another trick, is she? If she lied, I’ll destroy her spiritual root and make her my concubine today.”
The Bloodsucking Maniac clicked their tongue as if this had started again.
“It’s Flower-Midst Strategist. Say it properly.”
“Don’t correct me, you clot of blood!”
“You want to die.”
Flames soon sparked in their eyes.
Naturally, their confrontation would not turn bloody.
Even a cow would know that if the two fought, Cheon Uibaek, watching from the side, would be the only one enjoying it.
“Tch. What is that woman planning?”
These were not people who gathered just because someone told them to.
They rarely had any reason to gather in the first place, and they hated one another so deeply that they did not even try.
Still, the contents of Jin Yeonhwa’s message could not be ignored.
Wang Gyu had fallen out of Demon Valley’s favor and been killed. A meeting was needed to divide the spoils and redistribute the territory.
Wang Gyu’s death at Demon Valley’s hands. Spoils. Territory.
It contained three words none of them could afford to dismiss.
“That puppet master is really dead?”
The death of Wang Gyu, the undisputed strongest ruler of District 4, was news too sweet to pass up. No one could miss the division of spoils and territory.
“That coward would never offend Demon Valley. Why was Wang Gyu killed? Did Jin Yeonhwa kill Wang Gyu?”
“No chance. If that halfwit had that kind of strength, trouble would’ve broken out long ago. Unless she lured Wang Gyu into a trap.”
“That’s why I hate schemers. You all promise me this. If it turns out she set a trap, you’ll help turn that bitch into a crippled demonic cultivator today.”
“Fine.”
Gyeon Donu shouted at Cheon Uibaek, who was still silently picking at an ear.
“Baek Ui-cheon! Why aren’t you answering?”
“Shut up, mutt. Stop screeching so loudly.”
“What? Want me to skin you alive?”
Gyeon Donu growled fiercely.
At that moment, a faint divine sense slowly approached the meeting place from outside.
“Looks like they’re here. Hiding their divine sense like a rat.”
Gyeon Donu strode over and threw open the door.
He intended to intimidate Jin Yeonhwa and put pressure on her.
As always, Jin Yeonhwa would probably cower and bow her head.
Yet the person who entered was a stranger.
“Who are you? Did Jin Yeonhwa send you? Tell her to get her ass here right now. How dare a snot-nosed brat barge into a place where elders are talki-”
In the next instant, Gyeon Donu’s head flew into the air as a black hatchet swung like lightning, and a jet of blood surged upward.
* * *
Ise dealt with Cheon Uibaek first, the more troublesome of the two demonic cultivators who attacked him at once. He immediately turned and brought down the fleeing Bloodsucking Maniac, then performed a spirit-sending rite for all three corpses and absorbed their demonic qi.
The subordinates realized something had happened inside and tried to join the battle, but they were already too late.
Three heads impaled on Earth Spears floated through the air and slowly emerged from the building.
The subordinates of the three rulers went pale and trembled as they faced Ise, drenched in blood.
The heads of the rulers who had controlled District 4 only moments ago hung in the air, impaled on the ends of Earth Spears.
The man standing beneath them in a pool of blood did not even have a ragged breath.
“If anyone wishes to avenge the person they served, I’ll gladly take their head as well.”
No one stepped forward.
Instead, they watched one another warily and slowly backed away.
“If not, disperse.”
The moment he finished speaking, the demonic cultivators fled in a panic.
Ise casually tossed the three heads impaled on Earth Spears toward Jin Yeonhwa, who was hiding to one side with her eyes wide in disbelief.
“Clean this up. I’ll go ahead and wait.”
A while later, Jin Yeonhwa arrived at the residence they had agreed upon after taking care of the aftermath.
Shock still lingered plainly on her face.
Ise received the Heart Art manual from her.
Then he took out one hundred mid-grade Spiritual Stones selected from the storage pouches of the three demonic cultivators and pushed them toward her.
“…I said I would not accept payment for the manual.”
“No, exchange these for a high-grade Spiritual Stone. Not one of them was carrying any.”
Jin Yeonhwa lowered her head with an awkward expression, then took one high-grade Spiritual Stone from her storage pouch and offered it to him.
Ise put it away and added, “If there’s anyone else you want to have learn the Heart Art, you can use it. I’ll wait a few days.”
“Thank you, but the moment it is opened, the cultivation art is naturally learned and the manual disappears. It is designed to prevent copies from being made. Since we do not know its inner principles, making a copy is impossible as well.”
“A Heart Art learned without understanding its inner principles. Interesting.”
There were many strange techniques in the cultivation world.
It was probably meant to stop people from copying high-grade cultivation methods without restraint.
Come to think of it, the high-grade secret manuals on the Eastern Continent might be controlled in a similar way.
His experience only extended as far as the Five Library Pavilions.
‘The Two Principles Return-to-Origin Art might be the same.’
The thought suddenly crossed his mind.
If it was, should Haeil, the Order Lord, use it, or should he himself?
It was a difficult question, but Ise decided to put it aside.
Both volumes were in his possession, but they clearly belonged to the Order Lord.
It was only right to leave the decision to him.
“I’ll give you my token.”
Jin Yeonhwa held out a jade hairpin.
“If you carry it, you can send me a Message Talisman at any time. I’m not sure whether I can be of help to you, but… please contact me whenever you need me.”
She might only be a ruler who held influence in District 4, but her intelligence network spread through the entire southern region like a net.
That ability might prove useful.
Ise accepted the hairpin, then handed her a key used together with the Formation Plate.
It was a formation artifact that granted permission to enter the warding barrier.
“I may use Wang Gyu’s residence from time to time, so manage it for me.”
“…Understood.”
Jin Yeonhwa respectfully put away the key, then suddenly looked up at him.
“I will not forget this favor. I hope you achieve what you seek further inside.”
“You too.”
With that farewell, Ise finally headed toward District 3.
* * *
After having the Heart Art manual verified at District 3’s checkpoint, receiving a new identity token, and listening to the precautions for District 3, Ise stepped inside.
The areas farther in were where Demon Valley’s disciples lived, so this was effectively the true center of Demon Valley City.
It also appeared larger than Districts 4 and 5.
At first glance, District 3 looked like an ordinary city of cultivators.
The treatment of mortals was even similar to that of the Eastern Continent.
Most mortals, usually treated as less than human, like livestock or slaves, were smiling here.
Ise had traveled through quite a few cities on the Northern Continent, but Demon Valley City was the only place where he had seen mortals smile.
It was enough to leave him dumbfounded.
As he quietly walked through the lively city, he occasionally sensed the divine sense of Core Formation Realm cultivators.
He had acted somewhat aggressively in Districts 4 and 5. For a while, he intended to focus on cultivation, both to shake off any watchful eyes and replenish his spiritual energy after gaining demonic qi by devouring three late Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.
After making a round of the area and completing his investigation, Ise rented a nearby room for an extended stay. When he finally rose after about a full year of cultivation, a year felt no different from a day or two.
Feeling his sense of time grow stranger, Ise used the Water-Release Art to water his garden.
During that time, the Five-Element Life-Accelerating Art and the Life-Accelerating Art had reached the tenth star.
It seemed he would now have time to train other cultivation methods and spells.
The sight of spiritual herbs sprouting bright green and pouring out spiritual energy refreshed him.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and Ice Jade Herb he had planted in a low-temperature chamber made with a formation were also growing steadily.
To gather information, Ise wandered through Welcoming Market Town at the entrance to District 3.
As its name suggested, it was packed with demonic cultivators eager to politely overcharge newcomers to Demon Valley City.
What he found while wandering wherever his feet took him was a spirit artifact shop for demonic cultivators.
Wondering what sort of spirit artifacts demonic cultivators traded, he went inside. It was not much different from the spirit artifact shops used by cultivators.
The only real differences were that the proprietor was extremely unfriendly to customers and charged absurdly inflated prices.
There were spirit artifacts used by cultivators and artifacts made specifically for demonic cultivators.
Most were related to demonic qi.
The shop was full of bizarre things, such as talismans whose sole purpose was to inflict pain and artifacts that trapped sleeping victims in dreams before draining their vital essence.
‘If I brought these to the Eastern Continent, I’d be treated as a demonic cultivator without question.’
Ise turned away.
There were no medicinal pellet shops in the city of demonic cultivators.
Instead, there were places called Qi-Absorption Houses, where one absorbed the demonic qi within the strange treasures known as Demon-Soul Stones, which he had learned about before.
The Qi-Absorption House was filled with an inauspicious aura.
It all flowed from the Demon-Soul Stones.
It felt as if only the coldest, most yin-tainted aspect of demonic qi had been gathered together.
“Shopkeeper, what are these made from?”
At Ise’s question, the late Foundation Establishment Realm demonic cultivator looked him up and down as though they had just heard the strangest question imaginable.
“What kind of question is that?”
The suspicious gaze grew deeper.
“I am a wandering cultivator who has not been in the city long.”
“Even for a wandering cultivator, that is ridiculous. A demonic cultivator from the Northern Continent doesn’t know what a Demon-Soul Stone is? At your realm?”
“…I was holed up in the remote mountains for a long time.”
Realizing his mistake, Ise hastily made an excuse and quickly left the Qi-Absorption House.
Then he acknowledged his mistake and criticized himself.
He had suspected the Demon-Soul Stones were made through the Essence-Draining Ghost Art, yet he had carelessly asked a question to confirm it.
Get a hold of yourself.
What was he thinking, gathering information here as though he were in a city of cultivators?
Unlike Districts 4 and 5, which were little better than garbage dumps, this was truly Demon Valley’s territory.
He could not gather information here recklessly.
‘First, I need to blend into Demon Valley naturally, even if it takes a long time.’
He had spent ten years getting this far. He could not ruin everything with his goal so close.
* * *
The days passed as he calmly settled into Demon Valley City and carefully gathered information.
He devoted himself to cultivation for a year while wandering the streets in his spare time, making his face familiar to the demonic cultivators and nearby mortals who came and went.
The effects of his Disguise Talisman had weakened, so even when he used a new one, he kept the same appearance rather than changing it.
Once they recognized his face, he would at least no longer seem unfamiliar to them. That alone would make him more familiar than a complete stranger.
Using the same approach, he spent three years visiting every market town in District 3.
By then, he had acquaintances nearby with whom he could exchange light jokes, and he had begun adapting to Demon Valley City’s atmosphere and culture.
Over the next five years, he began gathering information in earnest.
How to join Demon Valley City.
The restrictions imposed upon joining.
How to obtain internal secret manuals without joining.
The location and status of Library Pavilion C.
Information steadily came in, but he had no suitable means to act on it.
He devised several plans, but the risks were too great, so he discarded them immediately.
‘It is practically impossible with my current circumstances. I need an outside variable.’
Around that time, a Message Talisman arrived from Ryu Seonghan.
It was a long-range Message Talisman specially crafted by the Heavenly Ice Palace, capable of being sent anywhere on the continent.
-I have succeeded in receiving an inspection mission for Demon Valley City. I will see you in Demon Valley City soon.
It was one day, roughly ten years after Ise had entered Demon Valley City.
Footnotes:
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