novelraw Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Episode 39: Entering the Golden Restriction Formation and Slaying the Imoogi
Jang So-cheon was startled by the unexpected turn of events.
He knew the Water Spirit Orb was mysterious, but he hadn’t expected it to have such effects...
If that was the case, then perhaps the other elemental orbs as well...
Jang So-cheon briefly thought of the Wood Spirit Pill buried beneath the World Tree, but quickly shook his head.
He decided it was best to leave the Wood Spirit Pill where it was.
Even without testing it, Jang So-cheon could sense that the White Horse had grown incredibly powerful.
The White Horse was his Water-attribute Avatar, crafted by his own Alchemical Saint’s intent, so he could easily guess its strength.
After retrieving the Water Spirit Orb, Jang So-cheon approached the Poisonous Octopus and realized the monster was already dead.
Its brain had been reduced to mush, yet it had continued rampaging until now—only just now had it finally stopped moving.
Relieved, Jang So-cheon headed to where the Millennium Coral Herb grew and harvested the Spirit Herb.
Slice!
He used the Primordial Divine Sword to cut through the rock where the Spirit Herb’s roots had burrowed, then stored both the rock and the herb in the Heaven and Earth Pouch.
After leaving the cave, Jang So-cheon rode the White Horse, dashing through the water as he searched for the green glow.
No matter how much he searched, though, the glow was nowhere to be found.
Still, he didn’t give up and expanded his search range, eventually reaching the open sea.
Even then, he couldn’t find the Spirit Herb, so Jang So-cheon took to the sky without hesitation.
Unfurling the Flying Divine Artifact, he soared upward, and after half a shichen, he finally spotted the Leader’s Flying Magic Device.
There were four people atop the Flying Magic Device, including the Leader.
He was the last to return.
Makjang asked,
“Nothing, right?”
“Wow! If even you, the luckiest among us, couldn’t find it, then we’re in real trouble. Maybe it really is impossible to find?”
“That might be the case,” Han Sajeo replied in a tired voice.
Now that he looked, every member of their group was in rough shape.
They must have had a hard time underwater.
“In that case, let’s head back to the island with the lake. We’ve come all this way—we can’t return empty-handed, can we?”
“Of course not. Luck wasn’t on our side today, but maybe tomorrow will be better. Right, So-cheon?”
“Yeah. And if not tomorrow, we can always hope for the day after...”
“Yeah, yeah. Deputy Leader! Let’s go!”
At Makjang’s shout, Sanggwan Cheonse increased the speed of the Flying Magic Device.
He adjusted the mechanism so that more Spiritual Energy would be drawn from the Spirit Stone.
Back on the island, the group found a suitable place to rest.
It was a little ways from the lake, but a long, overhanging rock provided shelter from wind and rain.
The ground was flat, the view was excellent, and it was a perfect spot to hide.
Gazing at the distant lake, Makjang asked Jang So-cheon,
“So-cheon! Are those wings on your back a magic device too?”
The Flying Divine Artifact was transparent, but not invisible.
Seeing Jang So-cheon soar freely through the sky with his wings, Makjang couldn’t help but feel envious.
And who wouldn’t?
“There’s a tribe called the So-yo Tribe in the Nine Ancient Kingdoms. They made this artifact. It’s a strategic asset for their people, so it’s not something they share lightly. I only got it thanks to Princess Eun Dan-bi’s introduction.”
“You mean they handed over a strategic asset to a human?”
“The person who gave me this artifact is Princess Eun Dan-bi’s friend...”
“So, in the end, you got your hands on a treasure thanks to the princess. I’m seriously jealous.”
“You have a Flying Talisman too, don’t you?”
“Well, that’s true... Oh! What’s that?”
As Makjang spoke with Jang So-cheon, he pointed to the distant sky.
All four of them turned to look where he was pointing.
A large Flying Magic Device was heading toward the island.
The group instinctively hid themselves, but Jang So-cheon was the most shocked of all.
It was the same Flying Magic Device he had clashed with on his way back from the Demon Clan’s territory.
Remembering that there was a master with incredible detection abilities aboard, Jang So-cheon sent a voice transmission to his companions.
[There’s a Demon Clan master at the Void Refining Stage on that ship. Everyone, use your Invisibility Talismans and erase your presence.]
No further explanation was needed.
Jang So-cheon explained to his group, now hidden with the Invisibility Talismans Makjang had given them, that he’d once shaken off those pursuers using the Flying Divine Artifact.
Makjang sent him a voice transmission.
[If they’re at the Void Refining Stage, can’t they fly through the sky too?]
[Even so, they can’t keep up with the Flying Divine Artifact. There’s a reason it’s called a strategic asset.]
[What about the Flying Magic Device?]
[Forget the Flying Magic Device—even the Chang-eung Tribe masters following behind couldn’t catch me.]
Jang So-cheon’s confidence had a reason.
The first time he’d encountered them, he was only at the late Foundation Stage.
Now, his cultivation had leapt to the mid-Core Formation Stage.
With his advancement, the Flying Divine Artifact’s speed would have increased as well, so he no longer feared them.
[Then why not tail them for a bit? They wouldn’t have come all this way for nothing, right?]
[Should I?]
It was unlikely the Demon Clan had come to harvest Dragon Scale Leaf Herb, but Jang So-cheon’s curiosity was piqued.
When he said he’d tail them, the Leader objected, saying it was too dangerous.
Jang So-cheon promised he’d only observe from a distance and managed to win the Leader’s reluctant approval.
Of course, he wasn’t reckless enough to follow right behind the Flying Magic Device.
He waited patiently until all the masters aboard had disappeared underwater.
Surprisingly, there weren’t many Demon Clan members on board this time.
Last time, there had been over a hundred, but now there were fewer than twenty.
But every one of them was a master.
The last remaining Void Refining Stage master used Law Power to shrink the ship and vanished into a whirlpool...
Seizing the chance as the Chang-eung Tribe masters who had followed behind entered the lake, Jang So-cheon discreetly followed.
There were three Chang-eung Tribe Investigators in total.
They entered the whirlpool in a rather unique way—folding their wings and joining hands midair.
Now that he thought about it, the masters aboard the Flying Magic Device had done the same.
That way, they wouldn’t get separated and could travel together.
Impressed by their meticulous planning, Jang So-cheon dove into the whirlpool as well.
Splash!
Though he entered the whirlpool, Jang So-cheon didn’t just let the current carry him as he had before.
He summoned the White Horse to shield him and used his Special Ability to track the Demon Clan members swept along by the current.
He desperately followed the flow, but in the end, he was swept away by the current against his will.
“Urgh.”
When the pressure suddenly eased, Jang So-cheon regained his senses and began searching for the Chang-eung Tribe.
For this, his Water-attribute Avatar, the White Horse, was perfect.
Mounted atop the White Horse, Jang So-cheon sped through the water, searching for the Chang-eung Tribe masters.
He could feel the White Horse’s speed had increased dramatically, thanks to its newly awakened Innate Spirit.
“There you are. Stop.”
Upon spotting the Chang-eung Tribe, Jang So-cheon transformed his Avatar to envelop his body.
This created a transparent barrier, making him nearly invisible from a distance.
Of course, up close, he could still be detected.
Though he kept his distance, Jang So-cheon’s extraordinary eyesight never lost track of their movements.
“What’s that? Is that a magic device too?”
Looking closely, the lead Chang-eung Tribe master was holding something like a blade of grass.
He was running in the direction the grass pointed.
“So that’s it! They have a magic device for tracking those who went ahead. That’s why they didn’t all jump in together.”
Once again impressed by their thoroughness, Jang So-cheon widened the gap between them.
He could still see everything from afar.
After nearly two shichen of travel, a massive mountain rose from the sea floor, and the Chang-eung Tribe headed toward it.
Climbing about halfway up, they finally spotted the group that had gone ahead.
But they couldn’t rush to greet them, as those ahead were locked in battle with underwater monsters.
Whoosh!
Rip!
The monsters fighting the Demon Clan were Imoogis—two of them.
Watching from afar, Jang So-cheon recognized one of the Imoogis.
It was the very same one that had ambushed their group from the clouds and fled after losing its horn and whiskers to the Primordial Divine Sword.
Unlike in the air, the Imoogi displayed several strange Divine Miracles underwater.
It created massive whirlpools to keep the Demon Clan at bay and blew huge bubbles from its mouth, trapping Demon Clan members inside.
Those trapped in the bubbles couldn’t fight properly.
They clutched their throats, unable to breathe, and when the bubbles burst, the Demon Clan members’ bodies burst along with them.
The Imoogi also moved effortlessly with the current, as if it was born to rule the water.
The Imoogis rampaged underwater, but the Demon Clan’s counterattacks were formidable as well.
Especially the rooster-like Demon Clan member who had lost the Golden Wheel Magic Spear to Jang So-cheon—he unleashed chains hundreds of feet long, attacking both Imoogis at once.
Clang, clang, clang.
Once the chains wrapped around them, the Imoogis couldn’t easily break free.
The Imoogi that had lost its horn to Jang So-cheon was quickly immobilized by the chains, while the other, frightened, tried to escape.
Unfortunately, it fled in the direction where Jang So-cheon was hiding.
Glance!
As the Imoogi passed by, it looked right at his hiding spot, and Jang So-cheon realized that transforming the White Horse to conceal himself wasn’t very effective.
The Imoogi wasn’t the only problem.
The Demon Clan members who had just sliced the hornless Imoogi in two were now chasing after the fleeing Imoogi—straight toward Jang So-cheon’s location.
“Tch!”
At this range, his identity would be revealed anyway.
Jang So-cheon transformed his Avatar back into the White Horse, mounted it, and shot after the Imoogi like a streak of light.
“Whoa!”
As Jang So-cheon revealed himself, the Demon Clan members let out furious shouts and picked up speed.
The sudden appearance of an unknown human made them feel even more threatened.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Chasing the Imoogi, Jang So-cheon’s eyes widened.
The massive Imoogi was being sucked into a cliff.
A Formation Technique.
Sensing the Golden Restriction Formation spread across the cliff, Jang So-cheon glanced back, then shot forward.
The Demon Clan was right on his heels.
Using his Special Ability, he saw the Golden Restriction Formation closing.
Panicking, Jang So-cheon urged the White Horse to go even faster with his Alchemical Saint’s intent...
He barely slipped inside before the Golden Restriction Formation closed.
Boom!
The sound of the formation sealing echoed in Jang So-cheon’s ears like thunder.
He was inside the formation, but the danger wasn’t over yet.
The Imoogi that had entered first charged at Jang So-cheon, slashing with its razor-sharp claws.
Inside the Golden Restriction Formation, the environment was just like land.
Whistle!
Jang So-cheon absorbed the White Horse into his core and used the Cloud Step Shoes to leap through the air, dodging the Imoogi’s attack.
He flashed the Flying Divine Artifact, soared upward, then spun in midair.
That was just the beginning.
He summoned the Vermilion Bird, his Fire-attribute Avatar, and ordered it to attack the Imoogi.
He then unleashed three Thunder Strike Talismans in rapid succession.
He dove into the flames himself, striking at the Imoogi’s head with the Primordial Divine Sword.
Rumble!
Flash!
The Imoogi, struck in the head by the Thunder Strike Talisman, roared at the sky and tried to swallow Jang So-cheon whole.
Jang So-cheon responded by firing another Thunder Strike Talisman straight into its mouth.
Screeeech!
With thunder exploding inside its mouth, the Imoogi screamed so loudly it seemed the sky would split.
It shook its head, trying to throw off the Vermilion Bird, and its head swung right in front of Jang So-cheon.
Jang So-cheon wasn’t about to miss such a golden opportunity.
He poured Spiritual Energy into the Primordial Divine Sword, leapt onto the Imoogi’s head, and drove the blade deep into its crown.
Thunk!
Sword energy unraveled from the tip, rampaging through the Imoogi’s skull like tangled threads.
With that, Jang So-cheon dealt a fatal blow, pulled out the Primordial Divine Sword, and soared into the sky once more.
At that moment—
The Vermilion Bird seized the Imoogi’s thrashing head with its razor talons, then incinerated the beast in hellish flames, reducing it to ashes in an instant.
Whoosh!
Letting out a quiet sigh, Jang So-cheon absorbed the Vermilion Bird back into his core and turned to look deeper into the Golden Restriction Formation.