Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Cultivation Through Copulation.

Episode 61: Escape From The Ruins

“Take me with you. How am I supposed to get out of here?”

Elder Han, being a Core Formation stage elder, had gained much with both hands here, so she could easily maintain superiority even against elders from other sects like Sang-gwan Geuk or So Han-pyeong.

Did she say she was going to leave after she solidified her Mid Core Formation?

I don’t know much about the Core Formation stage yet, so I can’t say exactly what level it is. I can only guess since she said she can handle both Elder Sang-gwan and Elder So at the same time.

Anyway, now all that was left was for Yuk-gyeong to escape.

“As long as I don’t run into any of those Core Formation Elders, I should be fine. I can handle anyone below that, and even if it’s someone at the late Foundation Establishment, I can still run away.”

Elder Han will take care of the Core Formation elders, so I just need to be cautious of the inner disciples at the late Foundation Establishment.

Their numbers are few, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Should I stabilize my stage a bit more first?

There’s no safer place than here, being protected by a powerful barrier.

It would be good to stabilize my stage here before leaving.

Yuk-gyeong sat down in a lotus position and began to quietly observe his body.

As he observed his five viscera and six bowels, Spiritual Root, and his mental realm, he could feel that everything had grown since the Qi Condensation stage.

His five viscera and six bowels were full of vitality, and his Spiritual Root was more active than ever. The landscape of his mental realm had become much richer than during his Qi Condensation stage period.

Yuk-gyeong thus composed his entire body and cultivated his mental realm.

Yuk-gyeong’s Foundation Establishment stage had solidified, firmly establishing the early Foundation Establishment. To describe his current state more precisely, it was Foundation Establishment 3-Star! The very end of the early stage.

Thus, he laid the foundation of the Foundation Establishment and continued to pursue enlightenment…

Suddenly, a spell came to mind.

A Threefold Foundation Establishment spell!

Heaven-Severing Finger!

The Threefold Foundation was a cultivation bestowed by the will of the Heavens, thus, he had obtained the Earth technique that severs a fate decreed by Heaven…

Perhaps others who achieved the Threefold Foundation Establishment obtained spells related to earth or people.

Yuk-gyeong, while consolidating his enlightenment, retained a strong realization about Heaven and obtained it, but there would be those who retained a strong realization about Earth, and others who retained a strong realization about Mortals.

Heaven-Severing Finger, the Earth technique that severs the destiny bestowed by heaven.

This was a spell of enlightenment that could only be obtained when the Threefold of Heaven, Earth, and Mortal gathered to form a single will.

Heaven-Severing Finger was very closely related to destiny.

Cultivators value karma and deeds. There are good karmic ties and bad karmic ties, good deeds and bad deeds. Accumulating many good karmic ties and good deeds is beneficial, while accumulating many bad karmic ties and bad deeds hinders cultivation.

The problem is that karma and deeds do not clearly separate into one.

Can good karmic ties exist solely as good? It was common for ties formed with good intentions to turn into bad karmic ties.

Good deeds, too, though performed with good intentions, often sprouted into bad deeds.

Therefore, cultivators tried not to form karmic ties or accumulate deeds as much as possible.

This Heaven-Severing Finger was a spell that could sever such karmic ties and deeds.

‘With this, I don’t have to be so afraid of forming karmic ties and accumulating deeds. If it’s a bad karmic tie, I can sever it, and if it’s a bad deed, I can return it to nothingness. At the Foundation Establishment level, I can only sever light and recently formed karmic ties and deeds…’

Yuk-gyeong was satisfied as he deeply comprehended the Heaven-Severing Finger spell.

Of course, it could also be used as an attack. Since it could directly impact karma and fate, it was an attack that could meddle with the opponent’s destiny.

Above all, the best thing about this Heaven-Severing Finger was that it was a spell that grows.

Other Foundation Establishment stage spells were powerful only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and would become useless upon reaching the Core Formation stage.

But this Heaven-Severing Finger was different.

When the caster reached the Core Formation stage, it exhibited power at the Core Formation stage, and when they reached the Nascent Soul stage, it exhibited power at the Nascent Soul stage.

Thanks to this advantage, Heaven-Severing Finger became a spell that could be used indefinitely without an expiration date.

‘It’s an all-purpose spell with endless utility and no limits.’

However, this spell was composed purely of enlightenment, so it couldn’t be passed on to anyone.

It didn’t matter much.

It wasn’t like I wanted to give this spell to anyone. Or maybe, it would have been nice to give it to Sister Kang or Elder Han? Thinking of it that way, it’s a bit regrettable.

Having roughly dealt with the Foundation Establishment stage, Yuk-gyeong prepared to leave the ruins.

“It’s a Foundation Establishment stage disciple of Dark Moon Sect! It’s a direct disciple level! Run away!”

“Aagh! Spare us!”

“We are disciples of the Perfected Dao Sect! Please have mercy!”

The disciples of Perfected Dao Sect screamed.

Yuk-gyeong did not kill the disciples of the Perfected Dao Sect. It wasn’t just because Perfected Dao Sect was a righteous sect, but also because they didn’t attack with lethal intent.

On the other hand, it was different with the Deathblood Sect.

“It’s a Foundation Establishment of the Dark Moon Sect! Charge!”

“Aargh! We can’t handle them! Run!”

“Hypocrites of Dark Moon Sect! Die!”

Many felt the difference in skill and fled, but when similar Foundation Establishment-stage ones charged, Yuk-gyeong had no choice but to deal with them.

‘The Deathblood Sect guys are strangely all flipped out. They look like they’re itching for a fight.’

Yuk-gyeong’s escape from the ruins faced no major obstacles. This was because both the Core Formation stage elders and their direct disciples had already left.

The rest were just stragglers lingering around the ruins, looking for something to eat.

Even they had mostly left, so there were hardly any people in the ruins.

Yuk-gyeong leisurely exited the ruins and headed towards Dark Moon Sect.

After the ancient ruins skirmish, the relationship between the Three Great Sects deteriorated rapidly.

Dark Moon Sect claimed ownership of the ancient ruins, but was ignored, damaging their reputation. Deathblood Sect suffered the most casualties, and Perfected Dao Sect had several disciples become incapacitated, tarnishing their image.

In conclusion, all three sects ended up with unsatisfactory results from this ruins skirmish.

The only saving grace was that Dark Moon Sect ultimately secured the ruins.

Thanks to the exploits of Elder Han Ryeo-un, who returned stronger from somewhere, Dark Moon Sect managed to drive out the Elders of the other two sects and gain ownership of the ruins.

“I commend the disciples who worked hard on both the Foundation Establishment Festival and the excavation of the ancient ruins.”

The Sect Leader personally praised the disciples, and the Elders under him gathered together.

Among them was Elder Han.

Yuk-gyeong could feel Elder Han’s gaze from beneath her veil, but he didn’t show it.

She told me not to make it obvious, yet she’s the one showing it the most. How can she keep looking this way all the time? Is there something to gossip about just because we had sex?

The fortunate thing was that Yuk-gyeong was among the disciples, so it was unclear who exactly she was looking at. Moreover, the fact that she wore a veil also helped obscure the direction of her gaze.

Only the disciples around Yuk-gyeong were excited.

“Did Elder Han look at me?”

“What are you talking about? She looked at me. She definitely noticed me.”

“How wonderful would it be to join Elder Han’s tutelage? That is my wish.”

Come on, I’ve even slept with Elder Han. She wasn’t looking at you. She was looking at me.

Yuk-gyeong overheard the disciples gossiping and drifted into other thoughts.

Ah, I heard that Mo-yong Jeong has become a recluse.

They say he returned to the Sect, stopped eating, and entered seclusion, but in reality, he’s probably just holed up in his room.

Having lost the Heavenly Path Foundation, his insides must be boiling. When it comes to the life of cultivators, if one is marred by the inner demon of trauma, it can severely impact one’s practice.

Mo-yong Jeong probably harbors a great grudge against Yuk-gyeong for this, but there’s nothing he can do.

Yuk-gyeong has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, while Mo-yong Jeong is still at the Qi Condensation stage, and this gap will never close.

“In the Foundation Establishment Festival, four people achieved Foundation Establishment, and I heard that the Single Spiritual Root owner also achieved Foundation Establishment in the ancient ruins?”

“Five disciples reached Foundation Establishment this time.”

“When will I reach Foundation Establishment?”

In the Foundation Establishment Festival, four disciples made great achievements and were awarded the Foundation Pill.

Geum Mook, Yang Hwa-young, Jang Su-wi, Seok Chun-sam!

I heard that Man Sa-yeong, who specialized in Fire-attribute spells in the martial arts tournament and magic arts competition, was killed by a disciple of the Deathblood Sect.

‘Even though we fought together in the martial arts tournament, to think he died in the Foundation Establishment Festival.’

The widespread disregard for life in xianxia society felt strangely unfamiliar.

The Foundation Establishment Festival was quite a terrifying place.

Yuk-gyeong learned a lot from the death of a fellow disciple. Life and death are not that far apart.

I need to quickly elevate my level to achieve immortality. I must raise my level to avoid being killed by others.

“The five disciples who have reached the Foundation Establishment rank, prepare to enter the inner sect.”

Yuk-gyeong, having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, was to become an inner sect disciple.

There were many things to move, from the outer sect to the inner sect, including the registry. Yuk-gyeong had packed everything worth moving into a spatial pouch, so there was no headache over luggage.

“Yuk-gyeong, it’s been a while.”

“Hwa-young?”

Yuk-gyeong encountered Yang Hwa-young, who had once competed against him and lost during the magic arts competition.

He had excelled in the Foundation Establishment Festival and received the Foundation Pill. Thus, he achieved the Earthly Path Foundation Establishment that day and entered the inner sect alongside Yuk-gyeong.

Having achieved the Earthly Path Foundation Establishment, he should have been digesting the medicinal properties, but it seemed he postponed his seclusion due to the ceremony of entering the inner sect.

“Yuk-gyeong, I knew you would achieve Foundation Establishment anywhere. What kind of Foundation Establishment did you achieve? Since there was no Foundation Establishment pill, was it the Mortal Path Foundation Establishment?”

“Oh, I achieved them all. The Heaven, Earth, Mortal, Threefold Foundation Establishment, all three.”

“What? The Threefold Foundation Establishment? What’s that? Wait…is it the legendary simultaneous achievement of the Heavenly Path, Earthly Path, and Mortal Path Foundation called the Threefold Foundation Establishment?”

“I don’t know what legend you’re talking about, but yes.”

“The Threefold Foundation Establishment, how did you… Is that even possible? Where was the Heavenly Path Foundation, and how did you… I’m sorry. It’s rude to ask such things in the cultivation world. I am just so surprised.”

In the cultivation world, it was taboo to pry into others’ levels or secrets.

Every cultivator had at least one secret they kept hidden, and being curious about it was akin to being curious about the color of their underwear.

“It’s okay. Somehow, I managed to achieve the Threefold Foundation Establishment. I was lucky.”

At Yuk-gyeong’s response, Hwa-young’s eyes inexplicably sparkled.

The Threefold Foundation Establishment. They say even achieving the Mortal Path Foundation Establishment is beneficial when it comes to achieving the Core Formation stage, so what about a Threefold Foundation Establishment? It might even apply to reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Moreover, isn’t he a Single Spiritual Root owner?

Hwa-young’s demeanor became even softer.

“Somehow, it seemed like it hadn’t been long since you achieved Foundation Establishment, but Yuk-gyeong’s level seemed higher than ours. Ah, should I call you senior brother then?”

“Just be comfortable. Is there even a need to worry about seniority between us?”

Yuk-gyeong didn’t take the hierarchy of senior brother or sister seriously. After all, levels keep rising, and once he reaches the Core Formation stage, there will come a day when the inner disciples will call him Elder.

“Between us? What sort of relationship do we have?”

Hwa-young asked playfully. Her question seemed to carry a subtle signal.

“Uh…a relationship where we’ve shared hands? Haha, it means I want to get closer.”

Hwa-young slyly smiled at Yuk-gyeong’s answer.

“I too want to get closer to you, Yuk-gyeong.”

Hwa-young’s response didn’t seem particularly superficial. Being drawn to the strong and handsome was not limited by gender.

Such affection was something Yuk-gyeong was familiar with.

The popularity of this guy.