The Tale of Cultivation and Demon Extermination - Chapter 33

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Chapter 33: Episode 5: Cheoryang Thunder Gate (3)

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Inside the box was a spear.

More precisely, it was an object that was difficult to call a spear. Spearheads protruded from both ends, while two prongs extended diagonally beneath them.

One prong bore the emblem of Great Exorcist Order, and the other a Vermilion Bird design.

It resembled a banner spear, but its twin spearheads and two prongs gave it an odd appearance.

The handle did not even look particularly sturdy. It seemed far too inconvenient to use as a weapon.

As Ise examined the puzzling object, Hong Mi-hee fluttered her fan and explained.

Her face brimmed with pride.

“Twin-Curtain Spirit-Domain Sealing Banner. I named it myself.”

“May I ask what kind of sacred relic it is?”

“It is a spirit artifact that creates a spatial warding barrier, modeled after the Great Exorcist Order Lord’s favorite artifact. Naturally, it cannot compare to the original.”

“A spatial warding barrier...!”

Hong Mi-hee added lightly, “Wouldn’t it be greedy to compare it to a divine artifact in the first place?”

Great Exorcist Order Lord. A copy of an item once used by a great cultivator of the Spirit Transformation Realm, who had ascended to the higher realm.

Ise calmed his racing heart and took hold of the object. The feel of it in his hand was anything but ordinary.

It looked roughly made at a glance, yet it fit his hand as though it had been made for him from the start.

“Using it is simple. Just drive it into the ground, and the warding barrier will activate. Infuse it with spiritual energy, and it seals spiritual energy. Infuse it with demonic qi, and it seals demonic qi.”

At first, Ise found the explanation difficult to understand. He went over her words again.

‘Infuse it with spiritual energy to seal spiritual energy... Ah.’

Now he understood why she had called it a sacred relic tailored to him.

Even if one type of energy was sealed, he could fight with the other.

Ise immediately gave it a try.

He poured in about a tenth of his spiritual energy and drove the banner spear into the ground. A warding barrier spread out from it.

It felt like a translucent film wavering through the air. Its radius was roughly three feet. Smaller than he had expected.

“The more energy you put in, the wider its range becomes. It gradually shrinks over time, though. It is not especially efficient.”

After pulling out the banner spear, Ise infused it with more spiritual energy and planted it again. The range expanded slightly.

The range was certainly disappointing for the amount of spiritual energy it consumed. Still...

‘Its usefulness speaks for itself.’

When facing demons, he could seal their demonic qi and fight with spiritual energy. When facing cultivators, he could seal their spiritual energy and fight with demonic qi.

For Ise, who wielded both powers, it would create a space where he was practically invincible.

Wide or narrow, anyone who entered its range would be the only one deprived of their weapon.

Three feet was enough. Considering the reach of Ise’s hatchet, it was almost the perfect range.

He understood why Great Exorcist Order Lord had treasured the divine artifact above all else, and why Hong Mi-hee had confidently promised him a sacred relic that suited him perfectly.

At the same time, gratitude swelled in his chest.

Perhaps seeing it in his eyes, Hong Mi-hee smiled.

“You seem to understand it well enough. Of course, it is not without a countermeasure. If someone physically pulls out the banner spear, the warding barrier disappears. An enemy whose realm far surpasses yours will naturally have some way to break a spatial warding barrier.”

Her fan fluttered. The warding barrier touching Hong Mi-hee shattered with a crack.

“But there is no better sacred relic for seizing a single instant, a chance to kill with one strike. Until the divine artifact’s effect became widely known, not a single being survived the spatial warding barriers deployed by the senior who served as Great Exorcist Order Lord.”

Ise looked down at the banner spear.

The great cultivator before him was a pillar of the order. He had heard that Hong Mi-hee played an important role in most fields of craft, including medicinal pellet refining, talisman making, and artifact forging.

Yet someone like that had spent so much time on an entry disciple.

Ise had a creed.

He never forgot a grudge. He never forgot a kindness, either.

He had received far too great a favor from her.

Ise bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Hall Master. I will certainly repay this kindness.”

“Use it well, little one.”

With those words, Hong Mi-hee left as casually as she had arrived.

She did not tell him to visit Vermilion Bird Hall someday, nor did she add any other demands. Her departure was simple and matter-of-fact. A great cultivator truly seemed to possess generosity as great as their realm.

The door to the private cultivation room closed.

Ise looked down at the banner spear in his hand once more, then carefully fastened it to his back.

As though handling a beloved companion.

* * *

From the day after receiving the Twin-Curtain Spirit-Domain Sealing Banner, Ise began camping in front of the administration office.

He wanted to snatch up every worthwhile mission as soon as it appeared.

He did not care if others competed for a mission. The moment the administration office opened, there was not an entry disciple who could reach the mission board faster than Ise, no matter how they moved.

He did not discriminate when it came to missions involving demon hunting.

Most were danger-level nine through seven missions.

The more dangerous they were, the better. If real combat could help him break through the wall of a minor realm boundary, there was no reason to refuse anything.

He could not handle every mission alone, but at least every mission that looked especially rewarding ended up in Ise’s hands.

Naturally, complaints began to pile up.

“People with plenty always want more...”

“Come on, leave some for the rest of us!”

“If you have gone out, can’t you at least take a break before coming back? Why are you so hardworking?”

No one confronted Ise directly.

The reason was simple. Ise’s mission record was too outstanding.

His results were always flawless.

He never lowered his guard just because an enemy seemed weak.

He insisted on thorough analysis and proper countermeasures, and even on missions requiring coordination, not a single person had ever been injured.

No matter how much Ise accomplished on a mission, he divided the spoils fairly.

Among the peers who had gone on missions with him, people had even begun hoping Ise would choose them whenever a coordinated mission came up.

At some point, a saying began to circulate among the entry disciples.

The Qi Condensation Realm Demon Crusher.

It was hard to tell whether it was an insult or a compliment.

Whether Ise knew the nickname or not, he was staring greedily at two missions, deciding which one to take.

“Senior, would it be possible to carry out two missions at once?”

“You want to perform two missions in completely opposite directions at the same time? Then I will split your body in half so it is easier for you to do them both.”

“I misspoke. I will take this one.”

Faced with Ujeol’s clear solution, Ise immediately understood and stepped back.

* * *

There was an unused space in one corner of the Training Compound.

It had once been a makeshift storage room with little purpose, but Ise had paid contribution points to rent it.

His peers called it the butcher shop.

A sight rarely seen in the Training Compound was unfolding inside.

Thump! Thump! Chunks of demon beast flesh struck the spirit-artifact cuisine knife and were sliced into neat pieces.

The corpses of the Three-Tailed Foxes, Ye and Woo, had been stripped down to their edible cuts, while the rest splashed into boiling water.

The butcher shop was full of the fishy scent of blood.

It was an inauspicious sight worthy of names like demon crusher and demon butcher, but Ise’s expression was unusually serious.

He was earnestly honing the path of immortal cuisine.

It had started during one of his missions.

The mission had lasted a long time. Starving, he had prepared and eaten part of a demon beast he had killed, only to realize that a demon beast which had fully absorbed demonic qi had effects no different from the corpse of a spirit beast.

After eating it, his cultivation speed rose noticeably. From then on, Ise had one top priority when choosing missions.

They had to be demon beast hunting missions that could supply ingredients.

Until now, he had repeatedly practiced to produce the best results. Now, after combining spiritual herbs with medicinal ingredients, he was putting everything into practice for the first time.

At last, the cooking was complete, and the results looked quite convincing.

Ise looked down at the finished dishes and named them.

Three-Tailed Fox grilled meat. And Three-Tailed Fox restorative soup.

With a satisfied expression, Ise opened the butcher shop door.

Outside sat a crowd of entry disciples with uneasy looks on their faces.

They looked like livestock being led into a slaughterhouse.

“Relax your faces. Anyone would think I dragged you here by force.”

‘You did drag us here by force!’

His pure-hearted peers wore their thoughts plainly on their faces.

Ise paid them no attention at all.

Their dissatisfaction would soon turn into gratitude.

“I made plenty, with the heart of a mother feeding her children.”

No one could bring themself to argue, but their expressions said it all.

“He is really doing this...”

Seolryeong, the only one who knew the whole story, accepted the offered bowls with a disgusted look.

One held seasoned meat. The other held soup.

“At least it smells decent enough... This isn’t poison, right?”

“Today’s the only day it’s free, so don’t hesitate. Eat.”

Hae Unchan was the first to pick up his chopsticks. Pi Garam followed. Then the other entry disciples reluctantly began moving their utensils as well.

“Mm.”

Hae Unchan stopped chewing.

“Hey, this...”

He blinked and looked down at his hand. Spiritual energy was moving through him, clearer and faster than usual.

“This is immortal cuisine.”

“What? My spiritual energy is becoming more active.”

“It has an effect like taking a medicinal pellet...”

At first, there was only astonishment.

Immortal cuisine was precious, especially within Great Exorcist Order.

Then someone pointed out the problem in disbelief.

“Has this lunatic made meat soup out of a spirit beast at Great Exorcist Order?!”

“It is not a spirit beast. It is a demon beast. I purified it first.”

Purifying a demon beast was surprising enough, but what truly shocked them was that it tasted good.

The meat was tender and rich with savory flavor. The fragrant scent of herbs completely removed the gamey smell, bringing out the natural flavor of the ingredients in perfect balance.

It was the sort of taste that made one want to shout, “Approved.”

Seolryeong hesitated, then finally took a bite.

One piece. Then another. After chewing silently, she discreetly picked up one more piece. Her wary expression had vanished before she knew it.

Soon, a hellish scramble broke out as everyone tried to eat even one bite more than the others.

Cheongsan was thrown into an uproar.

News traveled fast. The tasters brought acquaintances, who brought more acquaintances. There were even a few cultivators of the Foundation Establishment Realm staying at Cheongsan.

By the time the sun began to set, Cheongsan disciples were standing in a long line before the butcher shop. Their complaints about being dragged there had long since disappeared.

Then someone came running from afar, gasping for breath.

“Sorry, but it is sold out.”

Someone spotted the peer and spoke as though they had arrived too late.

The peer who had come running looked around without even catching their breath. Upon spotting Ise, they approached him at once.

Ise remembered that face. It was Buchun, the peer who had given up their turn to choose a cultivation manual on their first day.

Buchun looked as though something terrible had happened.

“Buchun. What is it?”

Buchun paused at the fact that Ise remembered Buchun’s name.

A brief look of emotion crossed their face, but it soon hardened.

“I just heard...”

The grave expression silenced everyone nearby.

“Yeombo, who went out on a mission, has died.”