Returning Immortal

Chapter 41

Although the pushing force was not very strong, Gwi Seongjin carefully took a step back.

And he looked at the pond.

The pond was not even three zhang wide.

But in the center of such a small pond, there was a small island.

A single flower was blooming on the top of the desolate island where not a single blade of grass grew, but unfortunately, its petals were now closed.

'If the bud is so beautiful, how pretty will it be when the flower blooms fully?'

While Gwi Seongjin was thinking this, the yellow petals that had been closed like a water jar began to open one by one.

One petal.

Two petals.

As the petals opened, a faint and strange fragrance flowed out and instantly filled the cave.

Seeing that, Gwi Seongjin took another step back.

This time, the reason Gwi Seongjin had retreated was not because of the fragrance.

It was because there was a single black pearl in the center of the petals, and a thick smell of blood was coming from it.

When the black pearl revealed its form, the pond boiled like a wild grass, and foam like air bubbles began to rise to the surface of the water in a race.

In response, Gwi Seongjin's instinct whispered.

'It's dangerous, so retreat...'

Slosh, slosh.

It was when Gwi Seongjin was stepping back.

The pond, which had been churning like boiling water, surged greatly, and from within it, a cold yin wind rose, and a hideous demonic creature suddenly stuck its head out.

It was a small three-headed snake with three heads on one body.

But among the three heads, the snake located in the center had a very peculiar appearance.

While the other two were in the shape of a large snake, the head of the three-headed snake in the center had horns and even a beard.

'Is it a flood dragon?'

Looking at its appearance, one could say it was a flood dragon, but to say that, its size was too small.

Its head was only the size of two chi.

Even so, its personality was extremely fierce.

Kwwwwwaaaaang!

When the bastard looked at Gwi Seongjin and roared, the cave rang out.

Ugh!

Gwi Seongjin staggered and retreated.

His head throbbed as if it would break, and the world spun.

Staggering like that, he collapsed on the ground, and as fate would have it, it was right next to the golden skull.

Swoosh!

At that moment, the flood dragon in the center of the three-headed snake's head stretched its neck like a clothesline and shot out of the pond.

But a terrifying thing happened.

The flood dragon's head, which had been only two chi, suddenly expanded and grew to the size of a zhang in an instant.

It was a size that could swallow Gwi Seongjin in one bite.

Flash!

A strange radiance poured out from the eyes of the flood dragon that had come out of the pond.

The terrified Gwi Seongjin drew the Thunder Cloud Sword hanging from his side.

And as he was about to inject his spirit energy, for some reason, the spirit energy in his upper dantian had hardened and would not move at all.

The eye of the flood dragon located in the center of the three-headed snake.

It was because of the sinister radiance flowing from that eye.

The flustered Gwi Seongjin moved away from the monster while lying down, moving his two hands and feet.

What was fortunate was that the flood dragon, which had stuck its head out of the pond, had returned to its original place, looking pained as if it had been hit on the head by something.

At that time, a strange sound was heard in Gwi Seongjin's ear.

The sound of bones clattering.

Gwi Seongjin, who had turned his head to where the sound was coming from, opened his two eyes wide with a horrified expression.

It was because the skull in front was clattering its jaw and was muttering something with a strange sound.

A language Gwi Seongjin had never heard before.

Even so, Gwi Seongjin was sure that a divine energy that penetrated the laws of heaven and earth was contained in the words.

It was an incantation.

What was more surprising than the fact that what the skull was chanting was an incantation was that both offense and defense were dwelling in it.

Some of the silver-shining sounds became dozens of swords and sharply attacked the opponent, and some sounds gathered in the shape of a sturdy shield and blocked the enemy's assassination.

The three-headed snake, whose head was pierced by the dagger-patterned incantation characters, went into the pond and shook its upper body from side to side as if in pain.

Kwwwwwaaaaang!

Then it roared ferociously and stuck its head out of the pond again.

It was the two large snake heads.

Puff!

One of them opened its mouth and spewed a thick flame like sulfur fire at the skull.

Not to be outdone, the other one also opened its large mouth and burst out a pure white cold qi like an arctic cold wave.

But the three-headed snake's surprise attack did not inflict any harm on the skull.

They had fought a life-and-death battle dozens of times.

The skull knew all the secret arts the three-headed snake had learned.

When the skull chanted an incantation and sent a qi that was opposite to the secret arts the large snake demonic creatures had performed, the attack was crushed at once.

Whoosh!

When the large snake demonic creature that was spewing out the yang qi increased its internal energy with a roar, the flame expanded explosively and melted the incantation characters in front like water.

But when the skull moved its mouth, a golden radiance flowed from within it and wrapped the silver characters in a golden light.

The power of the golden characters was as good as its reputation.

In an instant, the characters grew to the size of a door, then became a cold light and pushed the flame back a long way.

The same went for the large snake demonic creature that was spewing cold qi.

Although it had desperately increased its internal energy, it was counterattacked by the golden characters and even got a burn on its head.

When the large snakes' attack ended in failure, the flood dragon in the center stepped forward again.

Among the three heads of the three-headed snake, the one with the highest cultivation was the flood dragon.

Perhaps because of that, its head was also smart, and it knew many bizarre legal arts.

The flood dragon, which had made the pond water surge like a tidal wave by striking the water with its tail while twisting its body, flew on the water current and spewed a thick black poison mist at the skull.

Next, it shot out a red lightning like a flash, and then sent a single streak of transparent wave at Gwi Seongjin.

In response, the skull also spewed out golden characters like a net in the air and defended against the flood dragon's attack without a gap.

But was it a single mistake in a thousand considerations?

Although it had blocked the tidal wave, the poison mist, and the lightning with the incantation containing the true words, it had not been able to defend against the secret art sent at Gwi Seongjin.

It had not thought that it would attack Gwi Seongjin.

In response, a single streak of transparent wave dug into Gwi Seongjin's head.

This was a sinister spell that bound a cultivator's primordial spirit.

Thud!

Gwi Seongjin's body collapsed powerlessly.

* * *

Meanwhile.

The subsequent journey of the Grand Prince's group, which had lost Gwi Seongjin to the Blood Scorpion Demoness, was also extremely arduous.

It was almost three shichen after losing Gwi Seongjin that the three, who were covered in wounds, moved their bodies.

The Grand Prince, who had recovered his internal energy to some extent by taking the remaining Child Ginseng and the Demonic Poison Pill, was in a relatively good condition.

Although one of his arms had been torn off and the bone was starkly exposed, he led the group silently without showing any sign of pain.

But Ne Jinja, whose internal organs had been pierced by the Blood Scorpion Demoness's dagger, was in a more critical condition than he had thought.

When the Grand Prince had treated the poison that had spread in his stomach with the ring he had obtained from the Ghost Medicine Hall Master, Ne Jinja had immediately taken the Demonic Poison Pill.

But the gathered latent power was strangely small.

Was it because of the martial arts he had cultivated?

Or was it because the latent power dwelling in his body was originally small, he didn't know... but it was a truly absurd thing.

Still, he had no difficulty in performing his martial arts, but the Raging Fire Divine Lord was not.

The Raging Fire Divine Lord, whose internal organs had been ruptured by the Blood Scorpion Demoness's palm force and whose two eyes had even been blinded, was to the extent that it was difficult to even walk.

Another crisis had befallen the three.

A hideous great demon that surpassed the Three-Eyed Toad they had faced before had appeared.

In the end, the three, who were chased by the demon, had deviated from their intended return path and had hidden in an unknown formation.

It was two shichen ago that they had barely escaped after getting lost and wandering there.

Now, as if it were even difficult to walk, the Raging Fire Divine Lord fumbled for the tree next to him and then collapsed next to it.

Although he could grasp the form if he deployed his consciousness, he was now so severely injured internally and externally that he could barely distinguish large objects.

"Grand Prince! Shall we rest for a while?"

"Let's do that."

At the Raging Fire Divine Lord's request, the Grand Prince answered as if he had been waiting.

It was because his body was also tired.

"Wh-where is this place?"

The Raging Fire Divine Lord asked, leaning his back against the tree as if he didn't even have the energy to sit up straight.

After wandering for about two days, his sense of direction seemed to have disappeared.

"The Black Dragon Cliff. If we just cross this mountain, we won't be chased by demonic beasts anymore."

"The Black Dragon Cliff? The one with the legend of the Northern Nether Divine Art..."

"That's right. That very Black Dragon Cliff."

Ne Jinja answered, sitting his butt on a rock.

Ne Jinja, who had wandered in the formation he had been chased into by the great demon for almost two days, did not have a good expression on his face.

When he was with Gwi Seongjin, he had easily resolved even difficult formations by discussing them, but when he was alone, it had taken him two days to dismantle one formation.

He had no choice but to re-evaluate Gwi Seongjin's abilities.

As he had just told the Raging Fire Divine Lord, if they just crossed the Black Dragon Cliff, there would be no more danger.

The formation beyond that had been dismantled and had already lost its function...

Even so, the reason he was so dazed was because of the future calamity that was to come.

The failure of this expedition was not such a big deal.

He just had to prepare more thoroughly next time.

But losing Gwi Seongjin was a truly painful mistake.

And to have been kidnapped by an enemy of all things...

Phew!

Ne Jinja, who had let out a long sigh with a troubled heart, was about to stand up but then sat his butt on the rock again.

It was because the Raging Fire Divine Lord in front did not look well.

Ugh!

The Raging Fire Divine Lord, who had frowned for a moment at the chest pain that felt like he was dying, stood up with difficulty, using his Sky-Piercing Halberd to support himself on the ground.

Thirty years ago, when he had fought the Blood Cult, there had been many times when he had been more seriously injured than this.

Still, he had persevered and had overcome it.

'This much is enough...'

The Raging Fire Divine Lord straightened his back with a crack, enduring the extreme pain that tore at his liver and gallbladder.

At that, the divine might of a supreme master was revealed for a moment.

It was a great mental strength.

But that too was only for a moment...

Ugh.

Crouching his body, the Raging Fire Divine Lord ended up vomiting black blood.

A rotten, fishy smell wafted from the blood.

But a strange thing happened.

A black grasshopper flew from somewhere and began to suck the blood he had vomited.

Thud.

It was not just one grasshopper.

With the sound of wings beating, about ten black grasshoppers flew in and began to compete to eat his blood.

Ne Jinja, who had accidentally looked at the grasshopper, raised his head with a strange sense of unease.

Thud. Thud.

From somewhere, thousands, tens of thousands of grasshoppers were flying low in the sky.

It wasn't just the swarm of grasshoppers.

A group of five-colored frogs with red bumps hanging from their backs and a group of centipedes with their tails split into three strands were also diligently running somewhere.

'What's going on?'

Ne Jinja's brow furrowed slightly.

Although it seemed something unusual had happened, frankly, Ne Jinja did not want to get involved in this matter.

The number of people who had first entered this absolute forbidden zone, including himself, was six.

But now, there were only three.

'I can't afford any more sacrifices.'

With that resolve, he had tried hard to ignore the strange behavior of the insects, but...

"Vice Director! Did you not smell a strange fragrance?"

The Raging Fire Divine Lord, who had just vomited blood, was asking him, sniffing.

"A fragrance? I don't know..."

"I smelled it too. It was a deep and clear fragrance that made me forget my worries in an instant."

He was about to say he hadn't smelled it, but this time, even the Grand Prince stepped forward.

'A fragrance? ...'

A single streak of faint fragrance brushed past the nose of Ne Jinja, who had been denying it.

As the Grand Prince had said, it was a clear and clean smell that made his whole body feel at peace.

'Is it because of this smell?'

Coming to his senses and looking around, he could easily specify the place where the insects were flying.

It was the source of the fragrance.

Whether it knew Ne Jinja's mind or not, the Raging Fire Divine Lord was immediately intoxicated by the fragrance.

It was because the moment he smelled the fragrance, the extreme pain had disappeared.

Although it was unlikely, he even had the absurd thought that if he found the source of the fragrance and consumed it, his body would be completely healed.

"Seeing the insects rampaging like this, it seems a peerless spiritual medicine has appeared nearby. Let's go and see what it is."

"A spiritual medicine in such a secluded place? For some reason, I have an ominous feeling..."

"Even so, what more can happen than dying?"

Ne Jinja, who had read the strong will from the fingertips of the Raging Fire Divine Lord, who was clutching his Sky-Piercing Halberd, could not stop his will.

"Since you, Divine Lord, want it so much, let's go and find the source of the fragrance. Instead, if you judge it to be dangerous, you must retreat right away."

"I understand."

When Ne Jinja, who was in charge of this expedition, gave his permission, the Raging Fire Divine Lord immediately moved his steps.

Although his eyes were not visible, since the procession of the insects was so bustling, it seemed there was no fear of him getting lost.

(End of Chapter)