Chapter 353: Devilish Cult (6)

Chapter 353: Devilish Cult (6)

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Chapter 353: Devilish Cult (6)

Tststsst!

Upon opening my eyes, I see the 'remains' glaring at me with eyes wide open right in front of me.

Tsst...

I transform into my human form and look at the remains.

'Did they call it a devotee?'

The True Persons seem to refer to beings that have been eroded by them as 'devotees (信者).'

'Who decided they are devotees?'

They are just pitiful victims who accidentally glanced at the sky and met the wrong gaze.

Who would willingly choose to become like this?

Woooong—

I grasp the All-Heavens Sword.

Just moments ago, I had hesitated to cut it down, but I will no longer.

—Cut.

'Cut.'

The will of the All-Heavens Sword and my own are united.

I raise the sword high and elevate the All-Heavens Sword to a higher plane.

A pure downward slash.

From a higher plane to a lower plane.

From a high position to a low position!

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.

Deep Mountain, Emerging Dao!

Booong!

Shukwak!

I cut down the True Person's devotee glaring at me from their plane.

The devotee, reaching about 30 zhang in height, is cleaved cleanly by the Deep Mountain, Emerging Dao and begins to scatter.

The ominous feeling I had earlier was merely the dread towards the True Person behind the devotee.

But due to the chaos caused from seeing the [Inverted Cone], there is no longer any reason to be afraid.

Chuaaaang—

Dozens of heads attached to the devotee's body melt all at once.

The pitch-black body scatters into pieces, flying in all directions.

Suddenly, amidst the spectacle, I notice an old woman in a neat black dress bowing slightly towards me.

—Thank you.

Her will is conveyed to me.

I simply nod my head in response.

Chalalalala—

As she disappears, all of the hyphae covering this desert area turn to ashes and vanish.

In the distance, I see Jeon Myeong-hoon and Oh Hyun-seok walking towards me, levitating the four disciples of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.

"We rescued all the disciples, but...was that you who destroyed it?"

I nod, looking at the rescued Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect disciples.u0026nbsp;

Skull-shaped mushrooms are growing all over their bodies, but they soon turn to ash and scatter.

"Are these the ones who went all the way to the Nether Ghost Realm?"

"Yeah. They were affected by the cultivator eroded by a True Person and collapsed like this. I seared their insides with Heavenly Tribulation to burn away all the toxins that had taken root inside. But they lack vital energy, so they won't wake up for a few days."

"We should probably leave them to Hong Fan."

I gently stroke the heads of the sleeping disciples.

'Finally...'

All the survivors of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect have been successfully saved.

It's been a long and arduous journey.

I close my eyes.

Hong Su-ryeong comes to mind.

"...For now..."

I open my eyes again.

Kugugugu!

Gathering ghostly energy, I transform once more into a Ghost King.

"Summon all the Four Great Law Protectors and all the Guardian Ghost Kings."

Kwarurung!

Jeon Myeong-hoon turns into lightning and flies towards the distant Twilight Domain. Shortly after, he returns with the Four Great Law Protectors and the thirteen Guardian Ghost Kings, now including Baek Rin.

[Everyone, listen.]

I speak, radiating ghostly energy.

[From now on, our order will establish itself on this land where a True Person's traces were found. There's no need to worry about the True Person's erosion. I have just erased all traces of the True Person, so there will be no problems.]

I look around at everyone gathered here.

Jeon Myeong-hoon, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, Hong Fan.

And the thirteen Guardian Ghost Kings.

They are all my precious connections.

[However, during the encounter with the traces of the True Person, I faced the will of many True Persons. The True Persons have decided to oppose our order from now on.]

At my words, the intent of everyone present stirs violently.

To prevent their fear and worry from spreading, I quickly continue.

[But their will is directed only at our order and myself. If you leave the order, there will be no problem. Anyone who wishes to leave from here can do so freely at any time. As you confirmed when you fled to this place, our order does not treat those who leave as traitors or enemies. Feel free to take your loved ones and leave.]

However, no one shows any signs of moving.

Wei Shi-hon cackles and speaks.

"Haha. Last time, the Cult Leader told those who did not trust the order to flee from the White Yin Domain, but in the end, we overcame all adversities and escaped, didn't we? Those who left the Wuji Religious Order must be regretting it by now."

He continues.

"If the Cult Leader says something like that, it must be because he has something to believe in, right?"

I smile bitterly at his words.

[That's right. There is something to believe in. But...it's not something impressive this time either.]

Wooong—

I display my cultivation realm through attraction force.

And I explain about the 'side path.'

[After successfully building the complete Longevity Axis, I will flee again. This time, it will not just be a change of region...but to an entirely different world. Even so, will you follow?]

At my words, they look at each other.

Wei Shi-hon strokes his chin and speaks.

"Certainly, us ghostly creatures cultivate best in the Nether Ghost Realm."

[Yes. As expected, you all are...]

"But what ghostly creatures fear the most is...the attraction force of the Netherworld."

He grins.

"And to us, having a 'physical body' that can escape the attraction force is extremely precious, something not easily traded even among family. Yet, the Cult Leader has provided us with such 'physical bodies' for free. We've even grown stronger through the 'procedure' and 'grace', so honestly, this gratitude is indescribable."

[...]

"Until we repay this gratitude, who would dare leave the order?"

[...It wasn't anything difficult for me, and it isn't anything that valuable. I just arbitrarily gave you puppet bodies.]

"If the recipient is pleased, isn't that enough? Haha. We, too, have accepted it arbitrarily and intend to remain in the order arbitrarily..."

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

All the Guardian Ghost Kings.

Even the newly joined Baek Rin who has recently undergone the procedure and grace, kneel down.

"Please accept us!"

Looking upon them, I tremble slightly.

[...Alright]

I smile faintly.

[Then let's embark on a slightly long journey together.]

At my words, they all respond in unison, loudly and powerfully.

"Yes!"

I put away my smile and shout with a serious face.

[Guardian Law Protector Hong Fan, Left Law Protector Kim Yeon, listen up! Bring the Twilight Domain here and have it land! From now on, we will reside on this land! The two Law Protectors will manage the Twilight Domain henceforth!]

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

[Right Law Protector Oh Hyun-seok, Chief Law Protector Jeon Myeong-hoon, listen up! From now on, this cult leader will enter a long, secluded cultivation to complete the Longevity Axis! Until now, I've been building it idly and slowly, but from now on, I will extend my consciousness properly to build the axis! I won't be able to move during this period, so guard this seat well!]

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Kugugugugu!

The Law Protectors and Ghost Kings begin dragging the Twilight Domain and landing it on the land, and I watch the magnificent scene below with gleaming eyes.

'From now on, all the forces of the Nether Ghost Realm will come here. I intended to get along with the Black Ghost Palace, but if the True Persons influence even the Black Ghost Palace, it's meaningless. I'm sorry for Yu Hye, but I can't let her go for now.'

We have truly become the public enemies of the Nether Ghost Realm.

Not just the three major factions, but even the Flower Painting Western Heaven Palace will join the fray.

Previously, they might have sent a few Integration stage Grand Cultivators to suppress the order, but from now on, they will designate the entire Wuji Religious Order as 'public enemy' and attack us with that intent.

If the True Persons, who have taken root in the Nether Ghost Realm for countless years, move their forces, the outcome is clear.

'They will truly come at us with all their might!'

Before they arrive, I must complete the Longevity Axis as quickly as possible, open the side path, and return to the Bright Cold Realm.

'This time, for sure...!'

I won't let my comrades die easily.

Ham Jin sits down and takes a deep breath, reminiscing about the past.

He was just an ordinary beggar born in the distant corner of Yuhwa Country on the Peaceful Clouds Continent.

Born in the outskirts of Yuhwa, he had no grand dreams, only wishing to grow adequately big enough to work someday.

However, that dream shattered when a band of robbers attacked his village.

And so, Ham Jin slightly altered his goal.

It was a worthless life anyway, so changing the goal wouldn't kill him.

As he was sold to a slave trader, Ham Jin thought.

It would be nice to meet an adequately good master and live while working.

Then, Ham Jin was sold to a cultivator.

A ruthless cultivator practicing devilish arts.

Ham Jin's goal was shattered again.

But he didn't tire and revised his goal once more.

As he was experimented on by his self-proclaimed master, he thought.

It would be nice if after being adequately experimented on, he could return to his hometown, even as an experimental subject.

Then, Ham Jin's goal was shattered again.

Because he discovered his master's research books and experiment journals that he had been studying when the master was away for a while.

His master intended to remodel his disciples, create the most suitable body for practicing devilish arts, and 'switch' to that body.

At that point, there were 40 surviving disciples.

Unable to contain his rage, he burns the corpse of the dead experimental subject and shouts.

"Gather here immediately! You useless things!"

At his command, his disciples quickly gather in front of Yeom Gok's cave residence.

Yeom Gok looks over his disciples.

Apart from two who have reached the 6th star of Qi Refining, the rest are at the 1st or 2nd star, with even some failing to properly achieve the Qi Gathering stage.

"You useless things! Why were you born without any useful qualities!? Why!? Your worthless lives only have value when they are used to extend the life of a Sage God like me!!!"

Kuang, Kuang!

He shouts, throwing objects from his laboratory at the disciples below the Qi Gathering stage.

Still unsatisfied, he begins beating the Qi Refining 1st and 2nd star disciples.

After a while, only three intact disciples remain in his laboratory.

Qi Refining 6th star disciple Wi Je.

Another of the same stage, Yu Eun.

And Qi Refining 3rd star Ham Jin.

Looking at the Qi Refining 6th star disciples, Wi Je and Yu Eun, Yeom Gok speaks with bloodshot eyes.

"You bastards should be ready to perform the Seven Star Ritual by now, right? If you're not ready today, I'll grind you into pills!"

The two disciples tremble and nod their heads.

"Yes, yes, Master! I have fully reached great completion in the 6th star. I only need to perform the Seven Star Ritual!"

"Me too!"

"Hmph! Foolish things..."

He looks at them with dissatisfaction before finally turning to Ham Jin.

"Hmm..."

He slowly approaches Ham Jin, feeling his body and checking his teeth.

"Good...very healthy. Have you been brushing your teeth well lately?"

"Yes, yes. Thanks to the high-quality salt Master provided last time, I clean them thoroughly every day and use perfume oil to make them smell good."

"Good, you must be used to bathing by now, and you're exercising diligently?"

"Yes, I think I'm starting to build muscle recently."

"Haha, very good. Excellent. And let's see...oh, surprising. You've already reached the mid stage for the 3rd star of Qi Refining?"

"Yes..."

"Hahaha! Wonderful. But as I've told you many times, don't focus solely on training. Go outside, get some sunlight, and put your best effort into building a healthy and robust body."

"...Understood."

Yeom Gok pats Ham Jin's head with a kind expression.

A demeanor that anyone would think is that of a master doting on his favorite disciple.

However, none of those present envy or look at Ham Jin with jealousy.

On the contrary, every time Yeom Gok pats Ham Jin as if handling a precious item, everyone looks at Ham Jin with pity.

There isn't a single disciple who doesn't know that Yeom Gok has half-decided to use Ham Jin as the target for his body-swapping technique.

"Now then. I'm going out to gather some materials, so clean the entire research hall thoroughly while I'm gone."

After patting Ham Jin, Yeom Gok doesn't even glance at the other disciples as he grabs his storage stroll and leaves the cave residence.

He uses the Flying Escape Technique to exit the valley.

'...Since the earthquake, Ham Jin has been acting strangely.'

Yeom Gok furrows his brow.

A few months ago, a large earthquake struck the Split Turtle Valley.

As a result, some of the materials Yeom Gok had painstakingly acquired were destroyed, driving him into a rage.

But the real issue is that after the earthquake, Ham Jin has changed subtly in a strange way.

Previously, Ham Jin would often sneak into Yeom Gok's library to steal glances at the books.

Of course, Yeom Gok let it slide, knowing that Ham Jin's body would become his in a few years anyway.

However, Ham Jin has not once snuck into the library since the earthquake.

The multiple layers of barriers Yeom Gok has cunningly set up around the library are all functioning without any issues.

And today.

Today, once again, an unexpected earthquake caused his experiment to fail, resulting in the experimental subject dying without yielding any results.

And once again, Ham Jin had acted strangely.

Normally, Ham Jin would flinch despite trying to hide it whenever Yeom Gok touches him.

But today was different.

'There was no reaction at all.'

No, beyond having no reaction, Yeom Gok felt as if Ham Jin was looking down on him.

'Why has that little brat suddenly changed? Hmm...That kid must be hiding something from me. He's up to something.'

Yeom Gok ponders for a moment before smirking.

"As expected...is it that? The secret at the bottom of the valley. That mysterious power must have caused the earthquake and affected Ham Jin, who is susceptible to external forces."

Yeom Gok clenches his fist, his face showing a greedy expression.

"If I can obtain that power, reaching Grand Perfection Core Formation might not be a dream! With that power and Ham Jin's body, I might even reach Nascent Soul in this lifetime! Hahaha! If I reach the Nascent Soul stage and offer Ham Jin's body to an otherworldly entity for their power, even the Heavenly Being stage won't be out of reach!"

Black Tomb Old Monster Yeom Gok.

Laughing maniacally, he leaves Split Turtle Valley.

"Upon reaching the Heavenly Being stage, I won't just be a 'so-called' Sage God but a 'true' Sage God!"

Tiiiiing—

A clear wave emanates from somewhere.

A thread of my consciousness descends into a Decaying Corpse Realm.

From that realm, someone's lifespan is being drawn towards me.

I receive the lifespan and convert it into Longevity Axis, building it.

Recently, I have nearly synchronized my mind with the Void Spirit Pond, extending my consciousness to numerous Lower Realms to accept even more offerings at a faster pace.

Today alone, I have been given offerings three times.

Of course, two of them were from vile devil path cultivators, so I didn't accept any compensation and instead crushed the heads of the devilish cultivators that conducted the ritual.

One-third of the countless offerings are like this.

Sacrificial offerings from devil path cultivators.

I always ignore such offerings, so the completion of the Longevity Axis was not particularly fast.

Nevertheless, with my mind synchronized with the Void Spirit Pond and extending my consciousness to the Lower Realms in earnest, the completion of the Longevity Axis became quite rapid.

'...How peculiar.'

However, recently, I began to ponder something as I observe the rapidly completing Longevity Axis.

To be precise, it was after facing the Entering Nirvana True Persons.

'The Entering Nirvana True Persons pulled my spirit out of the dimension through attraction force.'

Their method is strikingly similar to how I extend my consciousness to the Lower Realms to draw in my contractors' minds into the world of consciousness.

The contractors who have offered tributes are 'connected' to me, allowing me to reconnect and pull them in anytime.

And this fact allows for a certain hypothesis.

'To draw someone in with attractive force, is 'providing' required?'

'Providing' my power.

Benefiting them.

Such acts seem necessary to establish a connection with my mind through attraction force, allowing me to pull them in at any time without the need of an offering.

As evidence, no connection was formed with those devilish cultivators whom I only crushed, caused earthquakes and tsunamis, cursed, or inflicted irreversible fatal injuries upon right after being summoned.

'If I could connect with such vile beings, I'd visit them for fun and shove calamities upon them, but alas.'

In short, those who are given the 'act of providing' by me are connected through attraction force, while those who aren't are not.

And 'acts of providing' signify blessings.

The fact that acts of providing establish a connection through attraction force means that blessings are the true force of attraction.

Why do cultivators handle attraction force starting from the Four-Axis stage?

This hypothesis allows me to understand this a little.

It's because cultivators at the Four-Axis stage are qualified to oversee blessings, and sharing blessings means connecting people.

And the connection between people means attraction force.

'But when I think about it this way, it's strange that the Entering Nirvana True Persons pulled me in with attraction force.'

They never bestowed any blessings upon me. On the contrary, they only scattered calamities.

Even so, I was drawn to them.

'In that case, there are two possibilities.'

Either they bestowed blessings upon me without my consent at some point.

Or, their summoning of me was due to misfortune (厄) rather than a blessing.

'Misfortune has no substance.'

It merely refers to the absence of blessings.

'Giving misfortune' is just an expression. In reality, it's closer to the concept of 'taking away existing blessings.'

But I cannot form connections with those who have taken away my blessings.

If they never bestowed blessings upon me, how are they connected to me?

'...Did they summon me [intending to give] blessings?'

Only now do I understand the principle by which the Entering Nirvana True Persons drew my spirit above the dimension in an instant.

My contractors and I give each other what we need.

In this way, attraction force is generated between us.

Just as the living beings of the Lower Realms call upon me with the Wuji Ghost King Ritual Scripture with offerings to summon my mind, the Entering Nirvana True Persons also performed a summoning ritual from outside the dimension.

The calls of the Lower Realm beings are so small that I can choose not to respond to their summons.

However, the voices of the True Persons are so immense, and the attraction force of their existence is so powerful that I have no choice but to be drawn to their summoning ritual.

'The way the beings of the Lower Realms call upon me is based on the concept of [offering] something. The act of offering is merely stated as such due to the difference in realms. In reality, it's just a matter of giving and receiving. In short, the Entering Nirvana True Persons summoned me by performing a ritual [to give] blessings to me. In doing so, they hoped to connect with [the being they mistakenly perceive to be behind me] through attraction force...'

"..."

When my thoughts reach this point.

I touch upon [something].

'Wait.'

If the essence of attraction force is the exchange of blessings.

Wealth, Longevity, Health, and Love of Virtue entail exchanging what is needed with beings of the Lower Realms, connecting with [them] to acquire these concepts.

But think about it.

"...From the beginning...if I just [give] my lifespan to the Nether Ghost Realm, and the Nether Ghost Realm [gives] me the Longevity Axis..."

Wouldn't an attraction force be formed between [the Nether Ghost Realm and myself]?

Since the Nether Ghost Realm symbolizes Longevity, wouldn't the direct attraction force with the Nether Ghost Realm be the true Longevity Axis?

'The lifespan needed to build one axis is 10,000 years.'

Each time an axis is built, a lifespan of 10,000 years is granted.

"Ah...haha...hahahahaha!"

A cultivator at the Four-Axis stage receives a total of 50,000 years of lifespan.

10,000 years when first reaching the Four-Axis stage.

And 10,000 years for each axis built thereafter.

'I understand now.'

My simple reflection, which evolved from the realization of the true nature of attraction force and the methods of the Entering Nirvana True Persons,

Finally reaches a conclusion that cultivators who practice Immortal Cultivation solely for longevity and immortality would 'never' arrive at.

"The 'true' name of the Four-Axis stage...isn't the Four-Axis stage."

I now realize the 'true' name of the Four-Axis stage.

***

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