WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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Episode 24: Great Exorcist Order's Utter Scoundrel (4)
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* * *
At the wind spiritual ground near Fallen Heavenly Realm, Byeolcheon, Ise refined his Wind-Riding Art amid ceaseless gales blowing in every direction.
What he needed most now was evasiveness.
His primordial qi was overwhelmingly suited to offense, making his poor defenses an obvious weakness.
If he could not cut down every attack, he needed to compensate for that weakness by avoiding being hit altogether.
They said that after the Wind-Riding Art reached Great Completion, it did more than simply make one as fast as the wind.
At first, one moved at the wind's speed. Then one became faster than the wind, until at last, one could become the wind itself.
Just as Ghost Lord Ancestor had scattered their own body into mist.
How could one cut or seize something without form?
It was the ultimate art of evasion.
There was a reason Order Lord Haeil had praised it as such an excellent cultivation art.
However, as a Core Formation Realm spell, its progress was agonizingly slow.
Several days had already passed just to reach the Second Star while enduring the fierce winds of Byeolcheon's wind spiritual ground with his entire body.
Bisang happily circled through the skies above the land where its egg had once lain, honing its flying skills.
Even as he trained in the Wind-Riding Art, unresolved concerns rose like stray thoughts and tormented him.
Should he travel to the Archipelago to acquire a life-bound treasure artifact, or abandon his journey and focus on cultivation?
He certainly coveted a life-bound treasure artifact. A spirit artifact that grew alongside its owner, what an enticing prospect.
Still, leaving his post weighed on his mind.
Considering Bi Hyeongrang's vile and treacherous nature, Ise did not think that man would move according to the Great Exorcist Order's plans.
It felt as though he must be preparing some sinister move.
Yet Ise could not simply remain here forever.
There were fifty years until Bi Hyeongrang was expected to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
What if Hall Master Woo Yu-hui failed to break through?
Or if Bi Hyeongrang reached the Nascent Soul Realm first?
What if the Zheng Empire suddenly started a war as though in the throes of a seizure?
Leisurely placing all responsibility on others while he only cultivated was far too complacent a choice.
The Core Formation Realm prey discovered recently was being funneled to Hall Master Woo Yu-hui by the Order to support her breakthrough, so there was little prey left for him to hunt as well.
After one concern led to another, Ise finally made his decision.
He would go to the Archipelago.
He would choose the option that could immediately increase his strength.
Even with his decision made, one problem remained. Resources.
He had heard that commissioning a life-bound treasure artifact required at least a million Spiritual Stones.
Even if he stripped himself bare and gathered everything he owned, he only had three hundred thousand.
There were clear limits to what could be earned within the Great Exorcist Order.
Their mines had all been taken, and squeezing low-ranking cultivators could only yield so much.
Yet raiding his enemies' pockets would further provoke the Zheng Empire, which was not a good choice either.
'I’ll cross over first, gather the Archipelago's Spiritual Stones on my own, then commission a life-bound treasure artifact.'
No matter how he considered it, that was the most rational choice.
If so, it would be better to bring his trusted people rather than go alone.
He had learned in the Northern Continent that he needed dependable subordinates if he intended to seriously amass Spiritual Stones.
'The problem is how.'
An endless ocean stretched between the Eastern Continent and the Archipelago.
That sea was no less terrifying than the Heaven-Demon Great Mountains.
Core Formation Realm demons, and even Nascent Soul Realm demons, ruled its waters.
That was why humans crossing the sea wall of the Southern Sea had to fly at the highest possible altitude.
The problem was the Human Realm's peculiar nature, where spiritual pressure grew fiercer with altitude.
Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment Realm would have their bodies burst apart by spiritual pressure if they rose past a certain height.
This was why only great cultivators at the Core Formation Realm or above could travel between continents.
Trying their luck and crossing the ocean at low altitude would be no different from consigning himself and his people to a watery grave.
“...Hmm.”
Ise furrowed his brow in thought.
Just as a clever idea crossed his mind, Bisang, keeping watch in the air, gave a sharp cry.
Squawk!
“An attack?”
Ise's eyes lit up at the welcome news, and he shot into the sky.
A demon was approaching from the north.
It clung to the ground, yet slid forward as though it were flying.
It was a Core Formation Realm Greater Demon that openly displayed its gleaming Golden Core, without any thought of concealing itself.
Ise felt both tension and anticipation as he looked over the lightly stepping Greater Demon, then furrowed his brow.
The demon somehow looked familiar.
“You are...”
It was the flower monster that had attempted a Core Formation Realm breakthrough in the Heaven-Demon Great Mountains near the Northern Continent, the one he had marked with a tracking scent.
It had been a very long reunion. Ise asked in disbelief.
“You said you'd come looking for me, and you really did? Don't tell me you crossed the Heaven-Demon Great Mountains?”
Meanwhile, Flower Demon Mother, who had finally found her enemy, could not conceal her bewilderment either.
It had been a long, long journey.
She had crossed snowy plains in pursuit of the man, then raced hundreds of thousands of li to track the enemy who had suddenly vanished southward.
They had been days of suffering.
She had fought Greater Demons that attacked in pursuit of her Golden Core.
She had been discovered by a Demon King and barely escaped death.
To cross the territories of other Greater Demons, she had lowered her head and endured every kind of insult and humiliation.
Yet the enemy she had finally found had already reached the same Core Formation Realm as her.
Who could have imagined that the brat who had only just entered the Foundation Establishment Realm would become so powerful in the meantime?
At this rate, she could not even be sure she would have her revenge properly.
'...Should I pretend none of this happened?'
She had come all this way, yet when she faced her enemy, the instinct for survival rose ahead of her burning resentment.
Ise, on the other hand, raised his momentum to the utmost before prey that had walked right up to him.
It was already as difficult as plucking stars from the sky to find Core Formation Realm prey because of the Order's circumstances.
And now, an opponent at exactly the right realm for gaining experience and replenishing primordial qi had rolled right up to him.
Though the one who had come seeking him seemed hesitant to fight.
“What? Are you scared?”
Even if the demon fled, Ise had no intention of letting it go.
He killed all demons. That was his iron rule.
Besides, if this was an enmity great enough to make it cross even the Heaven-Demon Great Mountains, he could not leave future trouble behind.
Perhaps deciding it could not retreat now, the demon slowly raised its fighting spirit.
“This is an unexpected situation, but... I will surely avenge my kin.”
“Your spirit is admirable. To apologize for what happened then, I'll let you strike first.”
The moment he finished speaking, scarlet flower petals swept out amid an immense aura.
The delicate-looking petals were not to be underestimated.
Each was filled with primordial qi like a sharp dagger, enough to tear chunks of flesh away with the slightest graze.
Ise pushed the Wind-Riding Art to its limits, but there were simply too many petals to evade them all.
Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!
The Greater Demon's attacks continued without end.
The petals were poisonous as well.
His body was immune to all poisons, but forcing the poison out still required effort.
Blood burst from his wounds, and poisonous qi settled wherever it touched, turning his flesh blackish-blue and festering.
After driving out the poisonous qi, Ise spread a defensive barrier with the Golden-Needle Ring.
Then stems extended from both of the demon's arms and tore the barrier apart with primordial qi.
Ise twisted away and cut the incoming stems with Wind Blade.
At that moment, Bisang intervened and breathed fire to aid him.
“Stay out of this!”
Ise immediately shouted.
This was no battle for a Qi Condensation Realm spirit beast to join.
Its desire to help its master was admirable, but a single graze from those petals would send it straight to heaven.
At his near-bark, Bisang flinched and backed away.
In the meantime, another storm of petals wrapped around Ise and slashed across his entire body.
Flower Demon Mother was growing impatient.
Her attacks were clearly landing.
Her demonic art was slowly but surely corroding the human's body.
Yet an inexplicable foreboding kept crossing her mind.
Was it the human's relaxed expression, or the miraculous regenerative power that filled his wounds the instant his skin was cut?
“Die, human!”
Flower Demon Mother pushed her demonic art even further.
She was already forcing herself, losing large amounts of primordial qi, yet she accelerated further.
In that instant, a spell tore through countless petals and burst her left stem.
Had she reacted even slightly later, its power would have blown apart her Golden Core.
A chill ran through her stem as she repeatedly thought, unable to say it aloud, that she wanted to call off the battle even now.
As the battle dragged on, Ise's entire body grew increasingly drenched in blood.
At first glance, he seemed to be on the defensive, but that was not the case.
He had deliberately focused on defense and evasion, studying the flower monster's attacks while gathering the blood he had shed.
'This should be enough.'
He needed sufficient blood as a medium to unleash Dokkaebi Bloodflame, the most concentrated and destructive of his spells.
Its power was certain, but it required enough blood as a medium.
If he deliberately drew blood, however, it would alert his opponent. The key was preparing the spell naturally.
Dokkaebi flames merged with the blood scattered throughout the area and flared up.
A violet sphere swelled larger and larger, radiating a sinister aura.
Then it shot toward Flower Demon Mother.
The Greater Demon, who had been pouring out demonic arts without rest, seemed exhausted, and its offensive had weakened considerably.
It belatedly layered petals around itself as a shield, but the sphere melted through every layer of defense before striking Flower Demon Mother squarely in the torso.
Boom!
Flower Demon Mother's Golden Core melted away as her eyes widened.
Even to the end, she extended her stems, seemingly intending to drag him down with her. But Ise, moving even faster, vanished beneath a vortex deep inside Prison Wind Gorge.
The Greater Demon's final attack became lost within a cage of wind.
Even after he sent a final blast of primordial qi to make certain, the corpse did not move.
Only after waiting for some time and watching carefully to the very end did he become certain the battle had ended.
'That was easier than Han Juok.'
He had not expected the demon to be completely unable to respond to that strike.
To Ise's eyes, the Greater Demon had not been in perfect condition.
Its strength had been considerably depleted.
He guessed it had expended much of its power crossing the Heaven-Demon Great Mountains.
Feeling slightly disappointed, Ise performed a spirit-sending rite for the demon.
Yet for some reason, the rite did not work.
Tilting his head, he devoured the remaining demonic qi. The flower petals forming the Greater Demon's body rotted black and scattered away.
Only a single seed remained.
“What is this?”
Ise examined the seed from every angle and considered its identity based on the information he had gained from the Library Pavilion.
This was likely a phenomenon called Scattering.
Core Formation Realm demons and above were said to separate and store a piece of their Golden Core in advance, allowing them to revive with part of their power if they were hunted.
Besides this seed, it must have left Scattering Seeds in many other places.
In truth, it was closer to leaving descendants than resurrection.
Having lost its complete rank and inherited only part of its former power, even if it came back to life, it would no longer be the same demon.
He had encountered such an existence before.
When he had lived at Gwisu Temple, there had been the scattered Greater Demon, the Infant-Cry Dragon Horse, which had harmed his friends and brothers.
Letting the unwelcome memory pass, Ise turned his gaze to Bisang.
“...What did you even do to advance?”
Bisang had passed the Ninth Star and reached Qi Condensation Realm Great Completion.
It seemed to have picked something up from the aftermath of the battle between Core Formation Realm cultivators.
It was not harmful to Ise, but seeing it advance so easily irked him somewhat... Perhaps that was due to the inadequacy of his Dao heart.
* * *
Ise went to Dine and Go and entrusted Buchun with appraising the seed.
“It is indeed a Scattering Seed, Hall Master.”
Perhaps because Buchun had run Dine and Go for so long, they had become a fairly experienced spirit artifact merchant.
Having also worked as an official in Spirit Beast Grove for many years, Buchun was quite knowledgeable in that area as well.
Buchun examined the seed with an appraisal artifact, then scratched their cheek.
“But something is strange. There are traces of a Golden Core, but I can't sense any demonic qi. I'm sorry. My appraisal artifact isn't effective enough to determine it exactly.”
“We'll find out if we watch it.”
Ise assumed it was because his physique had absorbed all the demonic qi and did not consider it important.
“Still, please be careful. We don't know when it could sprout and become dangerous.”
“All right.”
Ise pushed the seed into one side of his Cosmos Pouch, then took the opportunity to ask Buchun about a spirit beast's Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
“Bisang seems likely to attempt Foundation Establishment soon. What preparations do spirit beasts need?”
“Spirit beasts use a medicinal pellet made specifically for them, called a Spirit Beast Foundation Establishment Pellet, for their breakthroughs. Shall I acquire one?”
“Can you get one?”
“Yes. It's much cheaper and easier to obtain than a Foundation Establishment Pellet or a Foundation Reservoir Pellet.”
“Then please do.”
Once he had finished his business, Ise asked after the children Buchun had taken in.
“How are the children?”
“They are all doing well. As you know, they have such a good environment.”
“Gangseo is doing well, right?”
“Yes. Gangseo is determined not to let a single child fail the test.”
“Good. Don't neglect feeding them.”
“Of course not.”
After praising the warmly smiling Buchun, Ise installed the Secret-Realm Key on the door of the guest room.
There was something he wanted to test while he was here.
“Come on, let's go in.”
“...Pardon?”
He brought Buchun into the Living-Spirit Cave Abode, returned to his residence, and called Buchun out again.
Remembering how Ryu Seonghan had entered and left the Living-Spirit Cave Abode in the past, he had come up with a better idea.
If he could transport people inside the Living-Spirit Cave Abode, he intended to bring Azure Dragon Hall members across to the Archipelago inside it.
As expected, the Living-Spirit Cave Abode could be dismantled and installed even with people inside.
Buchun seemed not to have felt any motion sickness, stepping out with a confused expression before nearly fainting upon seeing that their location had changed.
“What in the world is this?!”
“So transportation works...”
He was somewhat cautious about revealing the Living-Spirit Cave Abode's existence, but if necessary, he would accept that risk.
There was no point in guarding its secret so closely that he limited its usefulness.
Now the question was pressure.
Could the Secret-Realm Key block the spiritual pressure of the high heavens?
To prove it, he would have to place someone inside and ascend, but...
If it failed, he needed the cooperation of at least a Core Formation Realm cultivator.
The only person he could reasonably ask was Woo Yu-hui.
Since they had once belonged to the same hall, she would surely help willingly.
'...Should I ask?'
It was not an easy task, even if it would only take a moment.
After sending Buchun back, Ise sent a Message Talisman to Woo Yu-hui.
Perhaps she had been nearby, because she appeared in an instant. Her eyes gleamed as she looked over Ise's residence.
“What is it?”
“There's something I want to test.”
After hearing his explanation, she looked intrigued.
“I'll help.”
“Thank you, Hall Master.”
Ise placed her inside the Living-Spirit Cave Abode, rose to an altitude with intense spiritual pressure, then came back down.
He asked Woo Yu-hui, who was staring curiously at the Secret-Realm Key.
“Could you feel the spiritual pressure?”
“Not at all.”
“Not at all?”
“Mm.”
Ise beamed. External pressure could not affect the inside of the Living-Spirit Cave Abode.
It seemed to be a space in a completely different dimension, like a storage pouch.
Crossing the ocean as a group would not be difficult now.
While Ise rejoiced at the favorable result, Woo Yu-hui stared fixedly at the Secret-Realm Key with bright, sparkling eyes.
“Uh... Why are you looking at it like that?”
“That. I want it.”
For a moment, he nearly wavered at the sight of her looking like a child coveting candied fruit, but Ise resolutely subdued his heart demon.
“But this is precious to me too.”
“...Mm.”
Looking disappointed, Woo Yu-hui murmured that it could not be helped.
“But why check the spiritual pressure?”
“I was considering going to the Archipelago to obtain a life-bound treasure artifact. Gathering resources alone would be difficult, so I thought I would bring Hall members with me.”
Woo Yu-hui immediately replied.
“I want to go too.”
“...You as well, Hall Master?”
“Mm. There isn't any prey lately.”
Even though the Order was funneling prey to her, there seemed to be too few Core Formation Realm demons left.
Still, having two Hall Masters leave their posts was by no means a small matter.
“If you leave your post, Hall Master, the gap in our strength will be too great.”
“I'll ask for permission.”
Woo Yu-hui immediately sent a message to Haeil.
His reply came back with cruel speed.
“Do you think that would be allowed?”
Woo Yu-hui became dejected again.
Even behind her half-mask, her crestfallen mood came through clearly, and Ise somehow had to suppress the laughter trying to escape.
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