WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈

Chapter 51: A Successful Escape

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The violet energy swirling around Casarnox's body, the same energy that had dragged Han Yujin into the heart of the battlefield, suddenly surged and brutally forced back the other Archmages' attacks.

It did not stop there. The halo flowing from Casarnox's horn and the galaxy-nebula light shining from its eyes intensified madly as well.

The dreamlike illusion rapidly grew denser, seeming to twist the surrounding space and time at will. It looked deadly even to brush against, so the Archmages' best option was to retreat in every direction.

“Ugh...!”

“What is this...?!”

It was a development they could neither understand nor anticipate. The enemy's counterattack was effective enough, but the amount of power required to achieve that effect was absurdly inefficient.

Naturally, the four Archmages held on with every defense and evasion spell they had. As long as Asterion's seal suppressed the target's power, this turn of events could only benefit them.

On the other hand.

Yankoti, the traitor, was deeply flustered by the dragon's actions, which seemed to throw away the future for the sake of an immediate advantage. Unless they all perished together, it was far too obvious what terrible fate awaited them at the hands of the four surviving Archmages.

Thus, they had no choice but to take the dragon's side by force and attack the four Archmages. They needed to reduce their numbers now, in preparation for when the dragon ran out of strength.

As they launched an all-out assault, raising sinister blood-red darkness from the crystal ball atop their staff.

They suddenly saw something they could not possibly believe.

Yankoti was not the only one to witness the incomprehensible sight. Despite the situation, no one could hide their shock.

The chest of the dragon Casarnox was splitting open.

!!!

An immense dragon's roar, whether from pain or something else, burst forth, and the violet energy it emitted grew even more violent. It created an environment where no one dared interfere.

“What...?! What the hell are you doing?!”

Yankoti's urgent cry was swallowed by the aftermath of the phenomenon Casarnox had created and could barely be heard.

From within its split chest emerged something endlessly dreamlike and violet, yet brilliant as a galactic nebula. Forming a perfect sphere, it continuously radiated endless waves of magic power and even pulsed as if alive.

It was a Dragon Heart.

Dreamlike violet light spread like clouds, warping the surroundings as though in a dream. Around the radiant glow that seemed to contain a galactic nebula, magic patterns in every color scattered ceaselessly like blood.

“I, Casarnox...!!”

Mixed with the dragon's roar, its immense will rang through everyone's minds like thunder.

“I have indeed ceded my heart to you, Han Yujin...!!”

Immediately afterward.

The dragon's body, bearing the majesty befitting a great existence, collapsed entirely amid a terrifying radiance.

The indescribably beautiful yet savage light shot forth like a meteor and struck one wall of Asterion's seal.

The flash and thunderous blast that followed seemed both to exist and not exist.

The seal's wall distorted wildly like a dreamscape, until a small hole large enough for one person to pass through opened in it.

Through that hole, a human named Han Yujin barely escaped in place of Casarnox, whose body had completely collapsed.

With the Dragon Heart in his arms.

“Stop him...!”

No one knew who had shouted, and the magically amplified voice vanished like an echo in a dream amid the explosion's aftermath.

At the same time, all five Archmages who had moved toward that exit, including the traitor Yankoti, were in no position to trust one another enough to pass through the hole in turn.

If they let the devil-worshipping Archmage leave first, they might flee and leave behind an enormous threat. But if they kept them there and escaped one at a time, whoever remained last would obviously be in danger. It was difficult to decide on an order.

“Let me go first! I need that heart too, so I won't simply run away! Do you think I betrayed everyone for nothing? That's how desperately I needed it!”

Yankoti shouted, but that only deepened their suspicions and made them even less willing to act rashly. How could they trust the words of a devil worshipper?

As time slipped away helplessly.

Han Yujin fled at the greatest speed he could manage, using Earth Escape Art, Lightning Escape Art, Wind Escape Art, and everything else at his disposal.

‘Is this enough...?! If I kill myself here, can I select this as my harvest...?!’

His heart pounded wildly, and his head felt so hot it seemed to boil. Waves of overwhelming spiritual energy continuously poured from the enormous Dragon Heart, which he could barely hold in both arms, making his entire body feel numb.

Yet at the same time, he coolly analyzed the situation and continued fleeing with all his strength. He had good reason to do so.

First, it would eliminate even the small possibility that the item would not appear among his harvest choices. At the same time, succeeding in this escape might reduce the Karma cost.

The value of the item itself mattered, but wouldn't how fortuitously he obtained it matter as well?

As he thought this, he tried somehow to suppress the Dragon Heart's spiritual energy waves for the sake of a successful escape, but it had little effect.

He did not even consider putting it in his Storage Pouch. If he put such an item inside in its current state, the pouch would surely explode.

Fortunately, outside Asterion's seal was in utter chaos due to the battle between Casarnox's subordinates and an army of several hundred thousand humans. Despite the Dragon Heart's immense presence, this allowed Han Yujin to draw as little attention as possible.

Of course, that did not mean he had shaken off all attention.

“What the hell is that...?!”

“Uh, uh, uh...?!”

Quite a few people turned toward the fleeing Han Yujin as if entranced. Some among them were Core Formation Stage-level powerhouses who could not be ignored.

Just then.

“Stop!!”

A Grand Knight, wrapped in all manner of beneficial magical blessings, blocked his path.

It was unclear whether Han Yujin was friend or foe, but he looked suspicious and appeared to be fleeing with an extraordinary treasure. It would have been stranger not to stop him.

The sight of the knight's arrival alone was chilling. They had clearly been quite far away, yet their speed in reaching Han Yujin and blocking his way was insane.

The energy gathered at the tip of their threateningly aimed sword also contained a terrifying sharpness that Han Yujin's current spells could never block.

However.

The Grand Knight's soul was far too frail compared to their physical strength.

No matter how many magical blessings they wore, they were ultimately external powers and had clear limits.

They could defend against outside interference, but they could not forcibly elevate their own inherently weak senses and perception.

Kwakwoom!

Lightning flames flashed, and Han Yujin's figure seemed to vanish for a moment. It lasted only an instant, but the Grand Knight fell into confusion. They then tried to chase the enemy who seemed to have appeared to one side, only to stop again.

They realized that what they had taken for their enemy was merely a clump of dust wrapped in lightning flames.

In that brief span, they had lost all trace of their opponent.

Han Yujin burrowed deep underground with Earth Escape Art, maintaining his speed as he continued trying to conceal the Dragon Heart's presence somehow.

But there was no way a mere Dharma Soul Stage cultivator like Han Yujin could control a Void Refinement Stage-level Dragon Heart that had lost its original owner's control.

There should have been no way.

‘Huh...?!’

Had his persistent attempts finally paid off? Or was Casarnox's voluntary transfer producing some kind of magical effect?

For only the briefest instant, Han Yujin felt connected to the Dragon Heart.

Then, as if responding to his will, the heart's entire presence, including its brightness and spiritual energy waves, diminished dramatically. Its size shrank as well, until he could hold it in one hand.

The concealment effect that reduced its presence even spread to Han Yujin, who held the heart.

Thanks to that, he was able to continue his escape with ease, even as Core Formation Stage-level mages began pursuing him in earnest.

If they could not sense the magical presence of someone moving underground, it was naturally impossible to track them. For some reason, the Archmages, who should have had the ability to see through such concealment, had yet to join the pursuit.

And so, in the end.

Han Yujin succeeded in an escape that had felt truly impossible.

Not only had he eliminated even the faint possibility that the Dragon Heart would not appear among his harvest choices, but he had also achieved something that might reduce the Karma cost itself.

* * *

The Waiting Area was dark and empty, yet utterly peaceful and cozy.

Han Yujin stared at the Dragon Heart, which had returned to its originally magnificent form, with an enraptured expression.

As though it had been arranged in advance, he could select this incredible treasure as his harvest if he spent nearly all the Karma he currently possessed!

‘However...’

Though he could not sense it as clearly as the Karma cost, he could tell there was another price.

‘A deal.’

A Dao Heart oath that he would help Casarnox and its clan to a reasonable extent once he had enough leeway in the future.

He could faintly sense its existence.

The fact that he could sense a Dao Heart oath in this way was remarkable, but it also sent a shiver down his spine. It made him realize that this was a weighty contract which, once entered into, could never be broken.

It was even more frightening because he did not know how the price would manifest if he did break it.

‘Perhaps it's no coincidence that I can barely select it with the Karma I possess.’

The weight of the Dao Heart oath might have increased by as much as his Karma had fallen short.

Still, one fortunate fact was that the terms of this Dao Heart oath were not harsh at all.

‘To a reasonable extent, once I have enough leeway in the future.’

It was an abstract condition that could only be judged by Han Yujin's own conscience. At the same time, it was a condition under which he would be unlikely to suffer a loss.

‘Did you account for even this possibility when you proposed this deal, Casarnox?’

If the conditions had been even slightly more restrictive, he might have agonized over it for quite some time. Since he did not have to agonize now, he felt as though he had received even more help.

That feeling would inevitably affect the “reasonable extent” to which he helped them in the future.

In any case, thanks to this, he had acquired the Dragon Heart far earlier than planned.

After selecting it as his harvest, Han Yujin did not leave the Waiting Area immediately as usual. As long as he willed himself not to leave, he could remain there as long as he wanted.

What he intended to test was the connection he had felt with the Dragon Heart during his escape.

‘It definitely wasn't my imagination.’

After trying roughly a dozen times.

That sensation returned.

At the same time, the Dragon Heart responded to his will as if it were alive. Its brightness and size sharply decreased, and its presence grew extremely faint.

‘It worked!’

With this, he could avoid drawing attention whether he brought it into reality or another world.

Delighted, he continued practicing so he could do it more skillfully.

It would not take long.

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