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Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈
Chapter 85: The Importance and Necessity of Treasured Artifacts
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Kra-kaboom!!
The lightning bolt that struck down from the sky, still connected to his raised hand, took the form of a massive dragon. At the same time, storm clouds gathered overhead, drawing every eye in the area.
The moment he pointed with that raised hand, a huge spear of lightning crashed down in a brilliant flash, turning a wide area into a hell of lightning.
- Rooooar...!!
With the roaring lightning dragon at his side, he summoned the Wind-Cloud Spirit Tiger.
The tiger of clouds and storms, rapidly formed from his breath, let out a thunderous roar the instant it was born, causing every member of the Yao Tribe at the Yao Soul Stage or below to stagger. A few of the particularly weak ones had their heads burst or collapsed with blood pouring from their ears.
And so.
With the thunder dragon and cloudstorm tiger as his guards, Han Yujin began attacking and killing every member of the Yao Tribe he could see.
He sniped those farther away with Pure Yang Extreme Flame Thread Shot, while those nearby were crushed or squeezed to pulp by the Origin Power Great Hand.
Even amid all that, the divine ability Six Paths of Samsara continued to shine around him like a halo, making it difficult for anyone to look directly at him. The moment they did, they were swept up in a storm of emotions too overwhelming to endure.
- Stop!
But such overwhelming presence was bound to attract attention. At last, a Dharma Core Stage yao landed atop the city wall and blocked his path.
It resembled a massive toad. The tiny palace fashioned extravagantly from gold and jade on its back was both peculiar and alarming.
It was clearly the creature's Dharma Treasure.
More importantly, the aura it gave off was that of a fully matured mid Dharma Core Stage cultivator. In terms of human cultivators, that meant the mid Core Formation Stage.
- How can you bully your juniors when you're already at the Core Formation Stage?!
“Was that one of the rules of this war? I saw Yao Soul Stage monsters freely devouring Entry Stage cultivators.”
As he spoke, Han Yujin continued studying the creature. Even though Six Paths of Samsara was still active, it seemed unaffected. The glow from the palace-shaped Dharma Treasure on its back was likely protecting it.
Just then.
- Wait... Now that I look at you, you're not at the Core Formation Stage!
The creature realized Han Yujin's true level and, for some reason, became furious.
- You lowly Dharma Soul Stage worm! How dare you toy with me?!
“You're the one who jumped to conclusions. Are you a little slow?”
He did not have time to mock it further.
Yao power exploded from the creature's entire body, and its tongue shot toward him at terrifying speed.
Kra-rumble!
Han Yujin evaded with the Lightning Escape Art amid a thunderclap, but the tongue changed direction as if it had expected that and immediately pursued him. At the same time, toad-headed yao soldiers formed of gold and green began pouring from the creature's palace Dharma Treasure.
- I'll slice you into pieces and kill you!
The force of its mind-speech was nearly enough to make him dizzy.
The toad-headed yao soldiers rapidly fired arrows or charged with spears as though they intended to self-destruct. Each attack was not especially powerful, but there were far too many of them.
Pupupupupup!
“Argh...!”
“Gah!”
The barrage of arrows that fell where Han Yujin had just been struck innocent human cultivators at the Dharma Soul Stage or below, severely wounding or killing them outright.
Unfortunately, Han Yujin had no room to worry about them.
Avoiding the rain of arrows and the attacks of the spear-wielding yao soldiers, while knocking them aside and blocking them with the Origin Power Great Hand, was already more than enough. If he kept defending like this, he would inevitably be worn down to death, so he had to seek an opening.
- You slippery little eel!
The toad monster's own spells joined the assault.
Arrows filled with an eerie poisonous aura flew at him while forming the features of evil spirits. They clearly possessed considerable spiritual intelligence, as they relentlessly pursued Han Yujin through every use of the Lightning Escape Art.
In the end, he had no choice but to intercept and destroy those spell projectiles with Pure Yang Extreme Flame Thread Shot. He also tried to burn the toad's pursuing tongue, but although he struck it directly, he only managed to force it back.
Without the thunder dragon and Wind-Cloud Spirit Tiger circling him like guards, he would not even have had that much breathing room.
The battle continued with him on the defensive for a while longer.
Grrrroar...!!
The Wind-Cloud Spirit Tiger detonated even the power that composed its body, creating an opening in the downpour of attacks.
Drawing on the lightning dragon's strength, Han Yujin used the Lightning Escape Art repeatedly and passed through that brief gap in an instant. He immediately unleashed the Origin Power Great Hand and swung it toward the toad monster.
In that instant, Deep Sea Frigid Ice Water and the lightning dragon merged into the Origin Power Great Hand, erupting with a flash of light and an overwhelming sense of weight.
What appeared in response was a palace wall with an almost illusory quality.
Gwoooong!!!
A thunderous blast erupted, swallowing every other sound in the area.
An invisible shockwave spread outward in a sphere, cracking the city wall beneath their feet over a wide area and throwing back all the weaker fighters and the aftermath of countless spells.
Yet although the palace wall had defended the attack in its translucent form and had suffered some damage, it had not broken.
- You...! That power isn't from the Dharma Soul Stage! You're at the Core Formation Stage! How dare you toy with me?!
Unfortunately, he did not have time to mock the creature for jumping to conclusions again and ask whether it really was slow.
Its tongue shot toward him again with mind-speech, while the yao power pouring from its body grew denser. A terrifying dark-green poisonous aura began spreading like a swamp.
The moment the Violet-Gold Radiance collided with the tongue, instead of the impact he had expected, its incredible stickiness fixed his body in place.
Every attempt to use an escape art was rendered useless by the tongue's absurd adhesive force. As a result, he had no choice but to be swept up in the dark-green poisonous swamp.
Kra-rumble!!
The Dharma-Breaking Lightning Wall added to the Violet-Gold Radiance roared repeatedly as it fiercely burned away the poison. But when even the yao soldiers empowered by the poisonous swamp concentrated their attacks on him, his dharma power was drained at a terrifying rate.
It was fortunate that his defenses had not been breached all at once, but if he could not escape, he was destined to die.
Then Han Yujin suddenly remembered the Blood Spirit Crimson Flower Wine Bottle.
He took it out and aimed it ahead.
Fssssssh!
The moment he aimed it, countless black threads shot straight from the bottle and mercilessly pierced the toad monster's tongue, burrowing through it in every direction.
Grrrroooan...!!
Instead of mind-speech, the toad monster let out a deep cry of pain and hurriedly withdrew its tongue. It stopped spreading poisonous aura as it struggled to shake off the black threads clinging persistently to it, then leaped a considerable distance away.
- So you've been hiding such a vicious Dharma Treasure!
‘What kind of power is this...?!’
Han Yujin was as surprised as the toad monster. That was especially true because even Pure Yang Extreme Flame Thread Shot had failed to do anything to its tongue before.
At the same time, he naturally realized something.
The Five Elements Bracelet was not of a high enough grade to support his current strength, which could display power at the Core Formation Stage. It might be top-grade, but it was ultimately only a magical artifact.
Once he truly reached the Core Formation Stage, this lack of adequate gear would become even more severe.
Slosh!
As he evaded the continuing attacks of the yao soldiers with escape arts, he sensed that the liquid within the Blood Spirit Crimson Flower Wine Bottle had filled considerably. It appeared to have absorbed the essence blood of a mid Dharma Core Stage monster in that brief attack.
Still avoiding what he needed to avoid and blocking what he needed to block, he aimed the Blood Spirit Crimson Flower Wine Bottle at the yao soldiers.
Fsssssh!
The countless black threads shot out and pierced, tore apart, and scattered more than dozens of yao soldiers in an instant. The attack did more than simply destroy them. It even absorbed the spiritual intelligence that composed them.
It was overwhelmingly easier and more effective than fighting enemies with intermediate Five Elements Arts!
‘So this is why cultivators risk their lives over things like Dharma Treasures!’
He would have to reconsider what kind of Dharma Treasure he would create after reaching the Core Formation Stage.
Just as he thought the Blood Spirit Crimson Flower Wine Bottle had somewhat turned the situation around.
- That doesn't seem to be an ordinary Dharma Treasure.
Mind-speech with a sinister tone sounded from behind him, followed by an eruption of murderous energy.
He used the Lightning Escape Art, reinforced the Violet-Gold Radiance and the Dharma-Breaking Lightning Wall, and made every possible move to evade.
But from the moment he heard that mind-speech, his opponent had already found an opportunity they would never miss. If not, they would never have revealed their presence.
Unlike the toad monster's assault, this attack did not come endlessly in numbers. It was focused into a single instant meant to take his life.
It pierced Han Yujin's back and burst his heart.
- Ha...! So you really weren't at the Core Formation Stage?
As the attacker sent that incredulous mind-speech, Han Yujin coughed up blood and died.
Then, in an instant.
His body scattered into a violet dream, and he appeared unharmed some distance away, aiming the Blood Spirit Crimson Flower Wine Bottle.
His opponent was a batlike yao monster, more than half of its body stained by shadow and constantly dripping away.
- What...?
It seemed briefly flustered to see the target it had surely killed revive unscathed, but it melted into the shadows and vanished one step ahead of the black threads from the Blood Spirit Crimson Flower Wine Bottle.
‘What are our Core Formation Stage cultivators doing, and where are they?!’
Having failed to counterattack, Han Yujin irritably complained to himself as he avoided the renewed assault of the toad-headed yao soldiers.
It felt deeply unfair that two Dharma Core Stage monsters, both at least mid-stage, were attacking him when he was only at the Dharma Soul Stage, yet no support arrived.
They were an extremely troublesome combination. One flooded him with constant attacks to keep him overwhelmed, while the other hid in the shadows and waited for a lethal blow.
- Heh heh heh...! You're not at the Core Formation Stage? Yet you're fighting this well? Could you perhaps be some true disciple of Taicheong Palace?
The toad monster's mind-speech was filled with greed. It clearly coveted the spoils that would naturally follow from killing an opponent who was anything but ordinary.
- That red bottle is mine!
- ...Fine. In exchange, that bastard's spirit meat is mine!
- We'll inspect the rest and divide it fairly. Kihihihik...
- Heh heh heh heh...
Since they showed no concern at all about intervention from other human Core Formation Stage cultivators, Han Yujin thought there was surely a reason for that and inwardly sighed.
It seemed his experience of slaying a mid Dharma Core Stage monster would have to wait until next time.
* * *
There were limits to reviving through the divine ability Dream Illusion, Mind-Only. That was even more true once an opponent had already experienced the technique.
It consumed a great deal of dharma power and required a preparation period that could be called a cooldown. If he were attacked continuously, he would inevitably be caught.
After selecting his harvest in the waiting space and waking in reality, he calmly sorted through the results of this series of visits to Thousand Origin City.
He had regained the Jade Dew Wine Bottle that had been consumed as material for the Blood Spirit Crimson Flower Wine Bottle, learned the basics of artifact refining and talisman crafting, confirmed the extent of his current strength, and properly experienced the Blood Spirit Crimson Flower Wine Bottle's power.
Realizing once more the importance and necessity of Dharma Treasures was also a harvest in its own right.
Squeak! Squeak!
Muyong, who had fallen asleep with him, woke and made its presence known. He reflexively picked the little creature up in his arms and stroked it as he continued thinking.
Thanks to the benefits of animal therapy, it felt as though his mind was working far more smoothly.
‘If it had stayed one-on-one, I might have won.’
At the very least, it had been possible. Even if he had lost, he would never have gone down easily.
That was against a fully matured mid Dharma Core Stage monster with a Dharma Treasure.
Which meant...
‘There's a more than sufficient chance I can beat that bastard bear in the primeval forest.’
It had given off the aura of someone at the mid to late Core Formation Stage, but it could merely wield power similar to a divine ability. It likely possessed no Dharma Treasure and could not use spells.
If he found it first and began the battle with an ambush, his chances of victory would clearly be even greater.
The same would be true of that pterosaur bastard.
‘And I have enough Karma, so I won't need to leave behind the harvest from hunting them, either.’
The more he thought about it, the more every condition seemed to fall neatly into place.
Was it because he had just experienced defeat?
He felt an intense urge to reach the Core Formation Stage, and since there seemed to be no reason he could not, it became even harder to resist.
He had already activated his awakening ability twice in a row, but so what?
He would only end up spending the entire day asleep.
“Let's go, Muyong.”
It was time to reach the Core Formation Stage.
As though it were ridiculous that he had only just woken up, he lay back down on the bed.
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