Returning Immortal

Chapter 45

The Luminous Cult had its headquarters on the outskirts of Mount Tian, where the spirit energy was the densest in the land of Xinjiang.

A few days later, Gwi Seongjin was walking through the valley of Mount Shinmok with Academician Yu.

Mount Shinmok was a place where the mountain range, which had been gently continuing down from under the dormant volcano that was still emitting thick smoke, bulged out like a tree stump.

The mountain was rugged, and there were many wild beasts and poisonous insects, so even woodcutters were reluctant to climb the mountain.

Perhaps because of that, there were many old trees, and the scenery was also very beautiful.

But as its name suggested, there was not a single tree that could be called a divine tree.

In response, Gwi Seongjin asked.

"Why is its name Mount Shinmok?"

"It is said that in ancient times, there was a tree of enormous size here. It was called a divine tree because it pierced the clouds and stretched to the sky, but I heard that dragons and giants rushed in, chopped the base with axes, and burned it away by spewing flames from their mouths."

"What an absurd legend."

"Aren't all legends like that? I don't know if it's because of that, but there's a rumor spreading in the cult that if you cultivate on this mountain, your realm will rise quickly. That's the reason why there are many caves on this mountain..."

As Academician Yu had said, as they climbed the mountain, not a few caves were visible.

However, the location and size of each cave were different.

Some caves were precariously built at the end of a dizzying cliff, and some were so narrow that a person had to crawl to get in.

There were also places where a door was installed with wood or stone, and some caves had a restriction formation installed at the entrance.

"How should I get my meals?"

"Do as you please. You can dig for medicinal herbs or hunt beasts on the mountain, or you can buy and eat at the market at the entrance. You can also purchase daily necessities there."

"I understand."

Gwi Seongjin had received some silver coins before coming here.

It was a silver coin with a square hole in the center and the character 'Ming' engraved on the upper part.

The weight per coin was not very heavy.

Even if he combined the ten silver coins Academician Yu had given him, it was not even one-tenth of the gold ingot he had obtained from the Blood Scorpion Demoness's pouch.

When they went up a little further, the mountain began to get steeper.

Instead, the scenery was even more beautiful.

Trickle, trickle.

The valley the two were looking at now also had a very excellent landscape.

The shadow of a peach blossom was reflected in the clear water like a jade, and on one side of the valley, a cliff stood as if it had been cut.

And in the lower part of the cliff, a cave half a zhang high was drilled.

"Is that the place?"

"Yes, it's a cave located in a secluded place as you requested. Do you like it?"

"The location is to my liking, at least."

"It's a cave that a master of the previous generation had used, so you will also like the internal structure. Follow me."

Since it was the dry season, there was not much water in the valley now.

Academician Yu, who had flown down to the bottom of the valley, stepped on the rocks floating on the water a few times, then suddenly shot up his form and entered the cave.

Gwi Seongjin also followed him, but it was a very cautious step.

Academician Yu, who was watching Gwi Seongjin from the entrance of the cave, frowned without realizing it.

After returning from the absolute forbidden zone, Gwi Seongjin had changed quite a lot.

Should he say he had become more relaxed?

Although he knew that he had obtained a fortuitous encounter there and his realm had risen...

It felt a little ambiguous to say it was the mid-stage of the first-rate.

It was to the extent that a signal to be wary was even sent from his mind.

Swish!

Thud!

When Gwi Seongjin arrived at the entrance of the cave, the two moved their steps to the inside of the cave.

The cave was wider than he had thought.

There were also three stone chambers, excluding the central square.

"This room seems to be a training room."

Academician Yu said, looking around the stone chamber where traces of being dug by weapons remained on the walls.

Even to Gwi Seongjin's eyes, this room seemed suitable for cultivating martial arts.

The room was wide, and the ceiling was also quite high.

Moreover, the floor was even paved with hard heavenly steel stone.

That was all, there was no trace of the person who had lived there before in the cave.

Three stone chambers and one stone bed.

That was all.

"You should get the necessary items yourself."

"I understand."

"Do you have anything else to say?"

At Academician Yu's question, Gwi Seongjin slightly bit his lip.

It was an expression that said he had something to ask.

That too was only for a moment.

"No. By the way, the door... can I change it as I please?"

"Isn't it your house? Whether you install a side door or block it with a restriction, do as you please. And..."

Academician Yu looked at Gwi Seongjin intently.

It was an expression that said he knew all his inner thoughts.

"She is in the outer fortress now. Then, I'll see you in three days."

Leaving the words to come to the Dark Spirit Council in three days, Academician Yu performed his lightness skill and moved away from the cave.

After Academician Yu had left, Gwi Seongjin looked out of the cave with an empty gaze.

Then he shook his head and trudged into the cave.

Gwi Seongjin, who had gone inside, deployed his spiritual sense and examined the cave.

Gwi Seongjin, who had finished his thorough investigation of each stone chamber, went out of the cave again and looked to see if there were any other caves nearby.

Fortunately, there was nothing nearby.

The cave three hundred zhang away was also empty...

Gwi Seongjin, who had thanked Academician Yu in his heart, entered the cave again.

And after moving busily in and out of the cave, in half a day, he had installed a restriction at the entrance of the door.

Xuan Yan Mi Dun Formation.

It was a simple form of restriction that hid the entrance of the cave and would ring a sound if an uninvited guest invaded.

Gwi Seongjin, who had tested whether the restriction formation was working well several times, smiled with satisfaction.

And he entered the stone chamber located in the deepest part of the cave.

Thud!

Gwi Seongjin, who had opened the Qiankun Pouch, first took out the barrier banners he had taken from the Blood Scorpion Demoness.

A total of nine fell on the floor.

Although one of them was broken, it did not cause a big problem in deploying the barrier.

Puff. Puff.

In less than a jiao, the Nine Palaces Peach Blossom Formation was spread in the stone chamber.

Gwi Seongjin, who had installed the barrier formation in the center of the stone chamber, took out a maroon box from his bosom.

Inside it was the demonic beast, the Ghost-Patterned Red-Tailed Scorpion.

When he examined with his spiritual sense, there was still no movement.

Gwi Seongjin, who had placed the box inside the barrier formation, sat cross-legged next to it and cultivated the Primordial Chaos Art.

Then, when it got dark, he escaped the barrier and moved his steps outside.

Swoosh.

The smooth rock wall stirred, and a shadow shot out from within it.

Then it performed a movement technique and ran down Mount Shinmok.

* * *

There were more people in the market at the entrance of the mountain than he had expected.

There were also restaurants, and not a few shops that bought or sold goods.

Perhaps because business was good, there were even merchants who had set up stalls near the entrance and were selling goods.

The same went for the medicinal herb shop in front of him now.

"This mushroom is the Earth Deep Old Fungus, collected from a depth of a hundred zhang underground. Twenty taels of silver per geun. If you boil tea with this mushroom and drink it, you can live a long life."

"How many years can you guarantee?"

An old man with a face full of wrinkles showed interest in the item.

Although he looked so old that it seemed difficult to even walk, the momentum coming out of his body was at least at the supreme realm or higher.

"I don't know. It depends on the person, but you should be fine until you're a hundred."

"Then give me half a geun."

"I understand. Please wait a moment."

While the owner of the medicinal herb shop was packing the item, the owner of the cloth shop next to him also raised his voice.

But the items this person was selling were quite peculiar.

"Customer! This is the underwear that a famous dancer from Hangzhou wore for ten years without washing it even once. The price is three taels of silver. Today, I will give a special discount and only take two taels."

"Ten years? Did you confirm it yourself?"

"Of course. Not more, not less, but a full ten years."

"Then give me one set."

"Yes."

An old man with a face that looked like a rat's handed the underwear that smelled shabby to the middle-aged man in front.

The middle-aged man, who was looking around at the surrounding eyes, quickly hid the item in his bosom as soon as he received it and then calmly left the stall.

"Now, there's only one last piece left. This item was worn by a famous princess from Tianzhu for a whopping thirteen years..."

Gwi Seongjin passed by in front of him with a look of disbelief.

It was because in the box the rat-faced old man was sitting on, there were dozens more of similar-looking underwear.

When he walked a little further, he saw a shop that sold paper and brushes.

Next to it, there was also a furniture store...

Looking at the buying and selling of goods, it wasn't just silver coins that were used in the market.

Cheap items were paid for with iron coins or silver coins, and for high-priced items, the price was paid with silver ingots or gold coins.

However, the value of silver coins or gold coins was a little higher than silver or gold of the same weight.

"How much?"

"Three iron coins."

"Here you go."

When Gwi Seongjin, who had finished his meal, threw a silver coin, the owner gave him a whopping 97 iron coins in change.

The value of one tael of silver was the same as 100 iron coins.

After his meal, Gwi Seongjin went into the cloth shop next to him and bought a few sets of clothes and a pair of shoes.

The money Gwi Seongjin had paid after buying the items was two taels of silver.

"I'll have to be frugal with my money."

Although the ten taels of silver he had received from Academician Yu seemed like a lot, it was not that big of a sum.

Clang! Clang!

When he went to the blacksmith's, a usable sword was being traded for thirty taels of silver.

Although there were also swords that were traded at a cheap price, their quality was much lower...

While he was at it, Gwi Seongjin went deep into the market.

There were all sorts of things there.

They were even selling an item that measured time by letting sand flow through a narrow gap.

Gwi Seongjin, who had bought an hourglass for fun, stopped his steps in front of a large, three-story building.

Thousand Treasures Hall.

Gwi Seongjin, who was about to open the door and go inside, turned his steps.

Although he had no money...

It was because he had not a few things to do when he returned to the cave.

* * *

Gwi Seongjin, who had returned home to the cave, deployed his spiritual sense out of habit before entering the Nine Palaces Peach Blossom Formation.

Then he was so surprised he almost fainted.

The Ghost-Patterned Red-Tailed Scorpions, which had been lying in the maroon box as if dead, had woken up and were waging a war.

Two against one.

Two had joined forces and were attacking one, and the fight was so fierce that the Nine Palaces Peach Blossom Formation was shaking.

Screech!

In the end, the fight ended when the neck of the Ghost-Patterned Red-Tailed Scorpion that had been attacked jointly was cut off.

Crunch. Crunch.

The one with the relatively larger body among the surviving individuals began to chew and eat the body of the dead Ghost-Patterned Red-Tailed Scorpion.

When the other one approached the head, a blood light flashed from the eyes of the Ghost-Patterned Red-Tailed Scorpion that was chewing the body.

In response, the remaining one retreated and opened the maroon box with its hind legs.

Inside it was also a Ghost-Patterned Red-Tailed Scorpion.

It was the Ghost-Patterned Red-Tailed Scorpion that had been seriously injured while fighting the Blood Scorpion Demoness.

Crunch. Crunch.

The demonic beast, which had fainted and had not yet woken up, ended up in its comrade's stomach.

The Ghost-Patterned Red-Tailed Scorpions, which had cruelly eaten their comrade, crawled to a corner of the formation.

Then they began to spew a white thread from their mouths.

How much time had passed?

Two white cocoons had newly formed in the Nine Palaces Peach Blossom Formation.

Gwi Seongjin, who had watched this whole situation with his spiritual sense, did not dare to enter the barrier.

It was because he was worried that the Ghost-Patterned Red-Tailed Scorpions would break through the cocoons and shoot out.

But he couldn't just dismantle the barrier.

Gwi Seongjin, who was in a dilemma, had no choice but to give up the barrier banners he had obtained from the Blood Scorpion Demoness.

(End of Chapter)