Chapter 104
Translator: T_Fan
Lee Hyun scratched his head.
For a moment, his gaze caught on the white-robed mountain lord’s exposed nape and the faint pattern of snake scales beneath the skin. As baleful qi began to stir within him, Lee Hyun inwardly clicked his tongue.
‘Not this again.’
He stirred his vow power, and the impulse gradually subsided.
Killing the man before him would hardly put an end to the matter. If the mountain lord who had openly challenged him at the gathering suddenly disappeared, who would be the first suspect?
Besides, he had not even noticed the man watching him from high above. He could hardly be certain there were no other eyes watching nearby.
For that matter, he had no guarantee of swiftly defeating a Tier 4 demon beast on par with a Nascent Soul cultivator.
“I already told you that I spent a long time in the lands of the human race. The humans I bought this time treated me with great respect. That pleased me, so I let them go.”
“And you gave them spirit stones as well?”
“They helped me with my work. Surely I can spare them a few mid-grade spirit stones? More importantly, how long have you been following me, fellow Daoist?”
“I received a report that your ship had crossed the eastern border, which is under my watch. I was told it was carrying humans, so I came to check.”
“Check what?”
“Where they were going. Whether anyone was waiting for them.”
Only then did Lee Hyun understand why the man had waited until all the humans had left before revealing himself.
‘Did he think I was meeting a contact?’
“So, was anyone waiting for them?”
No answer came.
“Having ties to the human race is not the same as being human. Master Hu and fellow Daoist Tan have already confirmed what I am. I do not appreciate you calling that into question again on such grounds.”
The white-robed mountain lord’s fingers twitched ever so slightly inside his sleeve. But when he met Lee Hyun’s gaze and realized the gesture had not escaped his notice, the movement at his cuff quietly stopped.
“…That last remark was quite the bluff. You’ve only just become a Tier 4 great demon. Do you think saying you’re displeased will make me nervous?”
Suspicion still lingered in his vertically slit pupils. Lee Hyun made no particular effort to dispel it.
A Tier 4 great demon could live however he pleased. Going out of his way to justify himself would only seem stranger.
“Next time, come to Qingshi Mountain. If you stop me on the road like this again, I will not tolerate it.”
The white-robed mountain lord had no reason to fight a life-and-death duel then and there with Li Dongwu, who was radiating a menacing aura.
“Very well. I am Bai Lin of Xuelin Valley. Should you have business with me, fellow Daoist, you are welcome to visit.”
Bai Lin stepped back from the boulder as white light enveloped him. He immediately shot high into the sky and flew into the distance. Only after his presence had faded from perception did Lee Hyun fly off in another direction.
…
After returning to Qingshi Mountain, Lee Hyun rarely ventured out. During the day, he practiced controlling his new body; at night, he descended into the tunnel to study the Demon-Subduing Baleful-Qi Refining Scripture. He exchanged news with the outside world only occasionally, through the Two Heavens Society’s contact points.
A few years later, the items he had requested began arriving one by one.
The first thing he worked on was a Tier 3 Spirit-Concealing Formation. Once he had adjusted it to suit Qingshi Mountain’s terrain, it concealed the energy leaking from his cave abode even more effectively.
Around the mountain’s boundary, he installed the Tier 2 Earth-Listening Formation he had taken as spoils.
He also laid out the materials on bone preparation and artifact refining from various traditions that had arrived with the other items, placing them beside the 《Profound Yin White Bone True Scripture》 for careful comparison.
‘That should be enough preparation.’
He opened his storage pouch, revealing the demon beast bones he had accumulated over the years. Leg bones, bone plates, and ribs were sorted by size and properties.
From the pile of fragments he had salvaged from Yan Wuzhen’s White Bone Flood-Dragon Puppet and Six-Armed White Bone Demon, Lee Hyun took an arm bone and set it on the stone table as a reference.
‘Let’s give it a try.’
White Bone Yin Fire licked across the surface of the bone material. Using the Flame-Threading Art, Lee Hyun split the yin fire into fine threads and sent them deep into the marrow.
Hissss.
The ends of two bones taken from different demon beasts heated until they glowed white. As Lee Hyun moved his fingertips, the thick leg bone fitted together with the piece of bone material intended for the joint. The restrictions on their surfaces brightened, and magical power flowed between the two materials.
‘Did it work?’
He tested the completed arm by putting it under strain.
Crack!
With a dull snap, the bone fractured just below the joint and broke.
‘I still can’t get the hang of this…’
He spread out the remains of the Six-Armed White Bone Demon again, fitted the broken arm and shoulder bones together, and traced the bone channels.
Its entire body formed an interconnected structure that distributed force from the arm through the shoulder and into the sternum and spine.
Lee Hyun pushed aside the other pieces of bone material he had already prepared and spread out a sheet of paper.
‘Planning is the most important part of puppet design. First, I need to decide what problem I want it to solve.’
…
Some fifty years into his research, the first body had taken on a human shape.
He had taken care with its appearance as well, so it would not resemble one of Haigu Island’s puppets.
He also kept it roughly human-sized. An oversized body would only get in the way when moving through tunnels and narrow passages.
Designing a structure that could transmit force and withstand impacts meant taking it apart and reshaping it countless times, using up a considerable portion of his stockpiled bone material.
…
One day, a loud noise echoed underground.
Thud!
A gray Bonefuzz lifted a house-sized chunk of rock. Still holding it, Bonefuzz slowly straightened its back, then walked to the spot Lee Hyun indicated.
Thud, thud, thud.
Looking pleased, Lee Hyun withdrew his divine sense.
“…It works! Haha!”
He opened Bonefuzz’s chest panel, revealing a newly carved Tier 3 soul stone and the high-grade spirit stone fitted beneath it. He had put considerable effort into adjusting the spell formula so that the spirit stone’s immense power would not surge out all at once and damage the restrictions.
“Go on in.”
The control method remained the same. A waiting Tier 2 fuzzbee crawled into the skull, and a moment later, Bonefuzz’s empty eye sockets lit up. The fellow turned its head from side to side, then raised one hand to touch its face. Next, it casually picked up a nearby empty wooden crate.
Crunch!
The sturdy crate splintered in its grip.
Squeak?
Startled, the fuzzbee held Bonefuzz’s hand out to Lee Hyun, still clutching the broken crate.
“…You’ll need to learn to control your strength first.”
Since the fuzzbee itself was still only a Tier 2 spirit insect, it seemed to have trouble gauging the tremendous strength of a Tier 3 Bonefuzz powered by a high-grade spirit stone.
Even so, having built a Tier 3 puppet himself gave Lee Hyun a tremendous sense of accomplishment!
…
After that, Lee Hyun spent his days peacefully, cultivating and researching Bonefuzz. From time to time, he visited Tunnel No. 3 to tend the spirit field.
He passed much of his time reading popular novels, and when he was not in the mood to work, he put off his research for months at a time.
Time was the one thing he had in abundance, and whenever he grew tired of novels, improving his Tier 3 puppets made for an enjoyable diversion.
He also kept up with the materials sent by the Two Heavens Society. As he studied the various inheritances of artifact-refining arts, he began to wonder whether he might one day forge his own life-bound magic treasure.
He could finally refine Vajra Baleful Qi to Grade 7 as well.
With the accumulated baleful qi purged from his body, his intent to kill no longer flared so readily over trivial matters. He was back to how he had been before slaughtering Tier 3 demon beasts en masse.
He also continued his absurd experiments mixing Clear Yang Purifying Fire with White Bone Yin Fire. Had the cultivators of earlier generations at Baoguang Temple and the Yin Bird Sect seen this research, they would have clutched the backs of their necks in exasperation. It had yet to yield any real results, but playing with fire was always fun to watch!
He also resumed studying his Way of the Sword inheritance.
It was the 《Great Unity Earthly Fiend Sword Canon》, which he had paid 950 contribution points to copy at the Danxiao Sect.
The foundation he had built with the Great Unity Heavenly Dipper Sword Art made the introductory portions familiar, but the mnemonic formulas for condensing and refining sword qi with Golden Core magical power were on an entirely different level from what he had studied before.
‘Good thing I got hold of this in advance.’
***
Five hundred years had passed since his breakthrough to Golden Core.
Over those long years, Lee Hyun had scarcely left Qingshi Mountain.
In the lands of the human race, even the Golden Core members of the Two Heavens Society had reached the ends of their lifespans, giving way to a new generation. Among the demon race of Cangmang Forest, ‘Li Dongwu of Qingshi Mountain’ was fading from memory, regarded as someone who had spent centuries sleeping in his cave.
Fortunately, such near-hibernation was not particularly unusual among the demon race.
In the cultivation chamber of his cave abode on Qingshi Mountain, Lee Hyun sat in the lotus position as spiritual qi from beneath the mountain flowed gently around him, guided by the formation.
Lee Hyun continued the qi circulation cycle of the Primordial One-Qi Art, directing his magical power toward his waist, the last part of his body still lagging slightly behind in its transformation. Unhurriedly, he completed one qi circulation cycle, then another.
Hummmm―
Then, as though a blocked channel had opened, the magical power flowing through his body completed a smooth, uninterrupted circuit. A faint golden light rippled beneath his skin.
‘That’s it.’
Lee Hyun reined in his excitement and continued practicing the cultivation art for three days, until he was thoroughly accustomed to the new flow of power within his body.
When he opened his eyes and flexed his hand, he felt a richer flow of magical power coursing through his joints, muscles, and bones.
“That feels good!”
He had broken through to Golden Core Stage 2!
He rose to his feet and stretched out his limbs.
“Whew… That took long enough.”
Lee Hyun took the stone tablet from his storage pouch.
【Age: 3,707 years】
【Realm: Golden Core Stage 2】
【Magical Power: 50,000 → 62,000】
【Techniques (Minor Attainment): Sumeru Visualization Scripture (Nation-Guarding Heavenly King manifestation)…】
【Techniques (Major Attainment): Demon-Subduing Baleful-Qi Refining Scripture, Great Unity Earthly Fiend Sword Art…】
【Techniques (Perfection): Vajra Wisdom Sword Scripture (Sword Condensation Section), Sumeru Visualization Scripture (All-Hearing Heavenly King manifestation), Sumeru Mountain-Suppressing Seal, Metal Escape Art…】
【Crafts (Tier 2): insect control, formation, artifact refining】
【Crafts (Tier 3): spirit-plant cultivation, alchemy, puppet crafting】
Lee Hyun propped the stone tablet against the wall and admired it for a while.
…
When he went underground, three Tier 3 Bonefuzz puppets stood in a row. He usually removed the high-grade spirit stones from their chests to keep them from being needlessly depleted. Today, as on other days, a fuzzbee was resting inside an inactive Bonefuzz. As Lee Hyun approached, the fellow poked its antennae out through the eye sockets.
“High-grade spirit stones are too expensive…”
Squeak!
The fellow disappeared back inside.
Lee Hyun walked to the cavern that housed the Heaven-Origin Divine Tree. The tree had grown much fuller since he transplanted it. He had widened the cavern once more to make room for new branches and repositioned the water pipes to follow the spread of its roots, but it still had no flower buds.
Lee Hyun inspected the tips of the branches one by one, then lowered his hand.
When he placed his hand against the trunk, he could feel its life force. Although this was an excellent environment compared to his old tunnel, the spiritual qi reaching such depths was thinner than at the surface.
“The Heaven-Origin Divine Tree’s growth is a problem, and so is the pace of my cultivation. It’s always been this way, but… cultivating my entire body really is slow.”
Since attaining the Leakless Golden Body, he had felt less urgency and no longer tried to hurry his cultivation along by supplementing it with alchemy as he once had. With his body radiating intense demonic qi, he also found it bothersome to visit human cultivator markets to procure alchemy ingredients.
…
Two months later, Master Hu came to visit.
He clicked his tongue at the sight of Lee Hyun sipping his tea.
“At first, I hoped you’d picked up some diligence in human society. But I suppose your laziness about cultivation is only to be expected of a born demon. You must be the only great demon content to spend five hundred years sleeping with nothing more than a Tier 3 spirit vein.”
“I am ashamed.”
“A good bloodline is no excuse to take things so easy. Five hundred years is no short time, even for the demon race. Which brings me to my point. Have you considered finding yourself a proper mountain?”
“Do I need to leave this place?”
“No, that’s not what I mean. You are welcome to keep using Qingshi Mountain. An opportunity has simply arisen for you to settle somewhere with a Tier 4 spirit vein.”
‘A Tier 4 spirit vein!’
Lee Hyun’s eyes lit up!
Master Hu seemed somewhat relieved by his reaction.
“Have you heard of Dulin Valley?”
“I’ve heard the name.”
It lay beyond several mountain ranges to the northwest. Dulin Valley was marked on the maps Lee Hyun had seen, but he had never had any particular reason to visit.
“There has been talk of driving out its ruler.”
According to Master Hu, the Dulin Valley Master was an Ink-Scaled Venomous Python that had long dwelled at the bottom of Dulin Pool. The great demon had undergone human-form transformation relatively recently.
After reaching Tier 4 a little over a thousand years earlier, he had brought the smaller clans nearby under his rule and expanded his power. Recently, he had begun encroaching on the territories of neighboring mountain lords.
At first, the disputes had been limited to places where they gathered resources. Then he began moving prohibition markers at will and attacked a transport convoy from a mine used by Heiyi Ridge, killing a Tier 3 black hawk.
The mountain lord of Shiling Mountain to the north had also suffered losses when waterways in two valleys were blocked, forcing the clan members who lived there to abandon their homes.
“Have you tried to mediate?”
“I sent people three times. But he even detained the ones who went to collect the ore he had promised to return.”
Master Hu removed his jade spectacles and wiped them clean.
“This time, even I could no longer persuade them to hold back.”
“Couldn’t the Black Horn Immortal Lord and the mountain lord of Shiling Mountain deal with him together?”
“They could drive him out if they joined forces. The problem is what comes afterward. The Dulin Valley Master knows that, which is why he’s been able to hold his ground. While his two neighbors keep each other in check, he’s been expanding his own territory.”
Master Hu took out a small map. Dulin Valley lay at its center, bordered on one side by the mountain ridges extending from Heiyi Ridge and on the other by the waterways of Shiling Mountain.
“Both of them want the Dulin Valley Master dead, but neither relishes the prospect of getting hurt or watching the other claim his spirit vein. As it happens, they are willing to cooperate with you, since you have no significant ties in the Cangmang Demon Realm. Dulin Valley’s outer borders would be drawn back to their original extent, and you would take his main mountain and the lands attached to it. Naturally, you would have to do most of the fighting.”
“They have no objection to me claiming it?”
“Haven’t they all seen how content you’ve been with a mere Tier 3 spirit vein for the past five hundred years?”
Lee Hyun was briefly at a loss for words.
He studied the map. Below the main mountain, through which a Tier 4 spirit vein ran, three waterways branched off toward a fairly broad basin and a small lake.
‘A Tier 4 spirit vein…! With a meal already laid out for me, how could I pass it up?’
“I would like to hear what they both have to say in person.”
…
Ten days later, they met in a small hall at Lulin Pavilion.
Once the Black Horn Immortal Lord had finished speaking, the mountain lord of Shiling Mountain, seated opposite, began to speak.
He was a gray-haired, middle-aged man with two short, thick horns protruding from the sides of his forehead. The backs of his hands were cracked like rough stone. He was said to belong to the Stone-Armored Mountain Ox clan. His broad jaw, which looked strong enough to chew through stone, moved as he spoke.
“He’s still in the early stage of Tier 4. Away from Dulin Pool, I can force him to retreat on my own. The problem is that, in his stronghold, he draws on the poisonous water he has accumulated in the pool.”
“Is the spirit vein itself poisonous?”
“No. He made the pool that way by growing poisonous herbs and breeding poisonous insects in it over many years. The spirit vein itself is perfectly ordinary.”
Lee Hyun nodded.
‘As long as the Tier 4 spirit vein is unaffected…’
“Couldn’t you draw him out by attacking from above?”
“That was the first thing I tried.”
The Black Horn Immortal Lord rolled up his left sleeve. Among the black feathers layered like scales along his forearm were bare patches where new feathers had yet to grow.
“He kept drawing poisonous water out of the pool. When I scattered it with wind, it turned into poison mist and clung to me… You cannot avoid it simply by taking to the air.”
Lee Hyun looked again at Dulin Pool on the map.
The Black Horn Immortal Lord pointed to the map.
“I will clear the poison mist from above. Fellow Daoist Shiling, block his northern escape route and advance from there. Fellow Daoist Li, you can take the southern route.”
Dulin Pool was marked at the inner end of the southern gorge. The main mountain rose behind it, and the Valley Master’s cave abode lay between the two.
“If the three of us press him at once, he won’t be able to direct all the poisonous water toward a single side. I will create an opening for fellow Daoist Li to get close.”
‘Poison…’
“I would like to inspect the spirit vein myself. If it is as you’ve described, I will join you.”
“Of course. There is someone who can guide you.”
As Lee Hyun accepted the jade slip from the mountain lord of Shiling Mountain, Master Hu spoke up.
“Let us settle the borders here as well. It would defeat the purpose of all this if we began quarreling after the Dulin Valley Master was driven out.”
They quickly reached an agreement.
Heiyi Ridge would reclaim the stolen mine and transport route, while Shiling Mountain would recover the two valleys and their waterways.
The two mountain lords who had suffered losses would divide the valuables from the Dulin Valley Master’s storehouses between them. In return, Lee Hyun would claim the main mountain, the basin to its south, the lake, and the surrounding forests.
“That arrangement is acceptable. But what happens to the demons already living there?”
“My clansmen will return home. Those who originally lived within Dulin Valley will remain. Most have little connection to his bloodline. If you take over, fellow Daoist, they will become subjects of Dongwu Ridge and will have to obey your orders. If they refuse, you can kill them all.”
“I wasn’t planning to go that far…”
…
A few days later, Lee Hyun crouched behind a boulder on a ridge south of Dulin Valley, looking down into the gorge. The water flowing from upstream was clear, but after passing beneath the black rocks deeper in the valley, it emerged a dark green.
That water filled Dulin Pool, while mist rising from its surface climbed several hundred zhang (about 3.3 m per zhang) into the air, blanketing the sky above the valley like dark storm clouds.
Yet the wind curling back toward him also carried pure, dense spiritual qi. It came from the main mountain beyond the poison mist. After briefly circulating his qi according to the Primordial One-Qi Art, Lee Hyun looked that way again.
‘This is just the spiritual qi leaking out?’
The heaven-and-earth spiritual qi here was extraordinarily abundant. Its density was beyond anything Qingshi Mountain could offer.
‘I’ll be taking this mountain for myself.’
***
TL Note: Shorter chapter than usual.
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