Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Cultivation Through Copulation.

Episode 54: Ancient Ruins

“This person is…”

Yeong-yeong formally introduced the beauty next to her, Yu Ah-yeong.

“Oh, my mind is slipping. This is my sister, Yu Ah-yeong. She’s an inner disciple at the Foundation Establishment stage and belongs to Iron Star Peak. She’s even a named disciple of the elder.”

“Ah-yeong, I’m disciple Lee Yuk-gyeong.”

“There’s no need to be so formal. It seems that you might soon be a junior brother anyway. I’ll call you junior brother. Nice to meet you.”

Ah-yeong seemed much more relaxed than when he saw her at the martial arts competition.

Although she had suffered humiliation, Ah-yeong was a strong person who overcame everything and stood up again.

After that day, Ah-yeong felt her intense desire for cultivation had lightened considerably. Before, she constantly thought about cultivation and sometimes couldn’t even sleep at night because of it, but now she doesn’t even think about it.

Ah-yeong thought that if she had lost something, she had also gained something.

She lost her virginity, but the obsessive thoughts that filled her mind disappeared.

When she had them, she didn’t realize how natural they seemed, but looking back, she thought, “Oh, I pushed myself really hard.”

Ah-yeong didn’t particularly expose or do anything about Hyun-nam’s disappearance.

She just quietly focused on her training.

That didn’t mean she forgave Jang Hyun-nam or anything like that.

She thought that if Hyun-nam ever returned, she would exact revenge with her own hands.

To do that, she needed to raise her level and reserve her strength.

Her obsession with cultivation disappeared, but instead, a desire for revenge took its place.

“I’ll be going now. The elder might be looking for me. Don’t overdo it and avoid conflicts as much as possible. There’s not much that Qi Condensation stage disciples can do.”

“Am I a child? I’ll be fine. I’ll dodge well and escape smoothly.”

After exchanging light farewells, Ah-yeong flew off to where the Foundation Establishment disciples were. She had ignored the camp for a moment to see her younger sibling.

Once she left, a voice was heard.

“Hmph, we’re all at the Qi Condensation stage, unless it’s Foundation Establishment.”

The Two Spiritual Root owner, Jang Mun-yeol. It’s been a while. Still grumbling, I see.

He was at Qi Condensation 2-Star along with Yeong-yeong, thanks to his Two Spiritual Root. Though he didn’t shine as brightly as Yuk-gyeong, his talent was still noteworthy within the Sect.

But under the sky, there can’t be two suns, so only the brighter sun, Yuk-gyeong, reaps the great benefits.

That doesn’t mean the Sect neglected Jang Mun-yeol, the Two Spiritual Root owner. He received noticeably more training resources and time compared to other disciples.

‘It’s still not enough. I have a Two Spiritual Root! It’s all because of that Yuk-gyeong.’

Regardless of Mun-yeol’s feelings, Yuk-gyeong was more curious about the news of the other peers. Jang Mun-yeol must have been doing well.

“I heard our two fellow juniors are still in the Sect.”

“Really? They’re still young. The outside world is too harsh for them. It’s better to stay in the Sect and train.”

“That’s true. But they seemed to want to come out. They were really envious when they heard we were leaving.”

They’re at that age. The age where they’re full of curiosity about the outside world. Those kids must feel stifled, cooped up in the Sect for cultivation.

After chatting with Yeong-yeong about various topics, Yuk-gyeong bid farewell.

“I should be going now. I want to explore around the ruins a bit more.”

Yeong-yeong waved goodbye to Yuk-gyeong and returned to her seat. Jang Mun-yeol was sticking close to her, and it looked unusual.

Does Jang Mun-yeol like Yu Yeong-yeong?

It seems like Yu Yeong-yeong likes me.

I need to sort this out.

Of course, with Jang Mun-yeol that is.

After parting with Yeong-yeong, Yuk-gyeong wandered around the area. He was inspecting the surroundings of the ruins, checking for anything unusual, looking just like a company commander on a casual outing.

Someone approached Yuk-gyeong.

“Senior Brother Deung.”

“Don’t call me senior brother. Just call me Sa-jin. We’re both at Qi Condensation Great Perfection.”

“Senior Brother Deung, why did you come to the ruins instead of going to the Foundation Establishment Festival?”

“As for Foundation Establishment, I was always aiming for the Mortal Path Foundation, so the Earthly Path doesn’t interest me. Besides, doesn’t this ruin seem more interesting? I didn’t expect all three sects to get involved like this.”

His snake-like eyes were still unsettling. Is he really not a bad guy? He’s not going to stab me in the back, right? Facial expressions aren’t science, right?

Despite such doubts, Deung Sa-jin was always amicable towards Yuk-gyeong.

This time too, Deung Sa-jin came to share some information he had somehow obtained.

“It seems the Core Formation elders from the three sects are joining forces to break the formation at the entrance. Once they do, the exploration of the ruins will begin in earnest. At that point, anything could happen.”

“A fight will break out, won’t it?”

“Exactly. Everything that happens inside the ruins will be considered an accident. Be especially wary of the Deathblood Sect disciples. They face real combat every day, and their ferocity is beyond imagination.”

The dark circles under the eyes of the Deathblood Sect disciples are really because they can’t sleep, huh? Fighting like it’s real combat every day, how can they sleep peacefully? Who knows when someone might launch a surprise attack while they’re asleep.

Tough bastards.

Since they’ve been trained like that, it’s hard to match their experience in real combat.

It’ll be intense when we enter the ruins.

Meanwhile, at the back of the ancient ruins.

There was a small hole.

Dig, dig, dig!

The two people digging the ground with skilled postures were the grave robbers, Mr. Yung and Mr. Sung. They were shoveling in their tunnel, which felt like home to them, even today.

Mr. Yung, digging ahead, chuckled and said,

“No one will know there’s a back entrance here. We’ve erased it from the map.”

“That’s right. Only we, who first discovered the map, know about this path.”

Cunningly, they had hidden the fact that there was a secret back path on the map before handing it over to the three great sects.

How could ordinary people not be interested in the ruins left by the ancient immortals?

They might discover a fortuitous encounter left by the immortals and become immortals themselves. If not, they might at least find something valuable.

So they boldly deceived the three great sects.

The timid Mr. Sung asked cautiously,

“But all three great sects know we sold the map to all of them… Is it okay for us to enter the ruins like this without permission? The three great sects must be grinding their teeth.”

“We’re going to make a big score here and leave. The money we got from the three great sects is only enough for our generation. If we make a big score here? At least three generations will be able to live off it. We have to think about our descendants.”

“Well, that’s true, but… I’m a bit scared.”

“If you’re scared, step back. I’ll go in alone if I have to.”

“No, I’ll go in too. I’m just anxious, that’s all.”

“Haha, wouldn’t you be envious if I became an immortal?”

“True. There might be a chance to become an immortal. I just need enough money to eat well. It’s hard to give up the opportunity to become an immortal.”

“Ah, you’re selfish.”

Yung and Sung chatted idly to pass the time as they dug the ground.

Then,

thud, thud!

“Looks like it’s here. There’s a space underneath.”

Perhaps they were the first to reach the ancient ruins.

While the three major sects were bickering at the official entrance, these two, facing no obstacles, reached the ruins relatively quickly.

Yung was the first to descend into the space.

Plop!

“Come on down!”

It wasn’t a very high drop. Yung called Sung and surveyed the space. When he lit the torch at his waist, part of the ruins’ interior was illuminated.

The walls of the ruins were filled with reliefs depicting battles.

Figures of immortals fighting monstrous forms or something resembling humans.

The duo of grave robbers were mesmerized, marveling at the sight unlike any tombs they had looted before.

As they cautiously explored the space, they arrived at an area where the air felt peculiar. The flow of air there was distinctly different from elsewhere.

The moment they stood there,

Wooong!

The space of the ruins vibrated finely, sensing something.

“Did we touch something we shouldn’t have?”

“Come on, do you think I touched anything? I didn’t step on anything carelessly. What is this?”

“Oh, what’s this?”

“This…it’s different from an ordinary person’s grave… What’s this?”

Clank! Clank!

The sound of a door opening echoed from the deep, dark depths.

The two prepared to flee, sensing something ominous. The instincts of seasoned grave robbers were very precise.

But the ruins’ reaction was faster than theirs.

Rattle, rattle!

Wooden puppet-like figures suddenly emerged in numbers and charged toward the grave robber duo.

Crack, crack, crack!

“Ahh! What is this! The wooden puppets are moving!”

“Ouch! It hurts, it hurts!”

The wooden puppets mercilessly swung their fists at the grave robbers.

The very solid wooden fists brutally pummeled the robbers’ bodies, and the frail, ordinary grave robbers were reduced to minced meat by the puppets.

‘The wooden puppets move on their own and beat people to death!’

“Ughhh….”

The faithless grave robbers slowly exhaled their last breaths in a corner of the ancient ruins.

Eventually, the three major sects finished coordinating their opinions and hurried to enter the ruins.

The entrance to the excavated ruins was quite spacious. While all the disciples of the three sects couldn’t enter at once, a vanguard could likely enter together.

So they did just that.

“The vanguard will enter the ruins first!”

A group of disciples swiftly moved and entered the ruins. Knowing that the faster they went, the quicker they could obtain the fortune of the ruins, they maximized the use of arts and tools to propel themselves forward.

Inside the ruins, loud noises erupted with a clatter.

They knew it too. If they couldn’t move quickly, they just needed to slow their opponents down.

The sound of spells bursting, incantations being chanted, and Spiritual Qi exploding came one after another. Screams and shouts were interspersed in between.

“How brutal…as expected of the cultivation world.”

Yuk-gyeong was part of the rear group.

For some reason, Yuk-gyeong found himself among the Foundation Establishment inner disciples, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under their gaze.

‘Why am I even here with them?’

Regardless of Yuk-gyeong’s discomfort, the rear group moved in such a formation. It seemed as if they were protecting him by keeping him in the center.

“Rear group, advance!”

Thus, Yuk-gyeong entered the ruins.

Whoooosh-!

The ruins had a flow of wind, as if air was circulating somewhere. The first thing Yuk-gyeong noticed upon entering was that the air was a bit cold.

There was a clear difference between the concealment techniques of the Foundation Establishment cultivators and the Qi Condensation cultivators.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators should have entered long ago, yet the Foundation Establishment inner disciples around Yuk-gyeong didn’t advance easily. They merely matched his pace.

But that was only for a moment.

“The Deathblood Sect is using poison!”

“Those cowardly Deathblood Sect bastards! As expected of demonic cultivators!”

“Also be wary of the Perfected Dao Sect! They might stab us in the back!”

Sure enough, as soon as the rear group entered, a fight broke out.

The interior of the ruins quickly turned into chaos. The Deathblood Sect initiated an ambush, but the Dark Moon Sect and the Perfected Dao Sect, having anticipated this, dealt with it efficiently despite the confusion.

Nevertheless, it was impossible to prevent the situation from becoming chaotic.

Boom!

Swish!

Whooosh-!!

“The Perfected Dao Sect’s inner disciples are weak!”

“What do the Deathblood Sect fools know to be babbling!”

“Such cowardice! Dark Moon Sect, attacking from behind!”

Magical tools and spells ran rampant.

A rope-shaped tool squirmed, trying to bind the Deathblood Sect’s inner disciple, but the disciple countered by spitting blood to contaminate the tool.

The Dark Moon Sect and Perfected Sect also aimed their magical tools at each other, sometimes fighting more fiercely than when battling the Deathblood Sect.

A Foundation Establishment disciple scattered countless needle-shaped magical tools, while the opponent summoned a gust with a fan-shaped magical tool, sweeping everything away.

Upon entering the ruins, the battlefield belonged to the Foundation Establishment inner disciples.

It was a fight that Qi Condensation cultivators couldn’t dare to intervene in.

Whoosh!

Bang!

A bead-shaped magical tool exploded like a bomb, and a Perfected Dao Sect disciple gathered the explosive force to scatter it towards a Dark Moon Sect disciple.

“Die! You hypocrites of the Dark Moon Sect!”

Boom!

The explosion echoed, and Yuk-gyeong fled from the aftermath of the attack. Most of the explosive force struck the Foundation Establishment disciple, but even the remaining shockwave could severely injure Yuk-gyeong.

All around, Foundation Establishment disciples were caught up in the fight. Only Yuk-gyeong could escape.

‘Damn, I’m running away now because I’m still at Qi Condensation, but once I reach Foundation Establishment, they’ll all be dead. The Deathblood Sect, Perfected Dao Sect? Just wait.’

How frantically did he run?

Yuk-gyeong realized he was alone, separated from the people of Dark Moon Sect.

Did he run too recklessly? Trying to avoid getting caught by the Foundation Establishment disciples, he ran like mad.

“According to my intuition, if I go this way, I can reach deeper inside… Is this where the Dark Moon Sect people are?”

Yuk-gyeong’s excellent Spatial Perception accurately pinpointed the depths of the ruins. However, Spatial Perception couldn’t help him locate people, which was a problem for Yuk-gyeong.

Still, Yuk-gyeong trusted his intuition and headed deeper into the ruins.

Anyway, there was no guarantee that wandering around recklessly would lead me to encountering someone from Dark Moon Sect. If I could venture deeper and seize a fortuitous opportunity, I should.

As Yuk-gyeong wandered aimlessly, he gradually entered the area being searched by the Perfected Dao Sect.

Meanwhile, in the area where the Perfected Dao Sect group was stationed.

A disciple was inspecting the ruins with a tense expression. Despite his nerves, he moved around with a confident demeanor, as if he knew exactly what this place was.

‘I will achieve the Heavenly Path Foundation here.’

The Qi Condensation stage disciple of the Perfected Dao Sect, Mo Yong-jeong.

He knew the destiny prepared for him.

His fate to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in these ruins.

His ancestor, Won Yeong-gi, had even read the heavenly secrets for him.

‘The will of the heavens for you lies in those ruins. Go there. Your Foundation Establishment awaits you.’

Won Yeong-gi, who read the heavenly secrets for him, had entered seclusion. The backlash from reading the heavenly secrets had greatly depleted his vitality.

If not for his extraordinary talent, his ancestor, Won Yeong-gi, wouldn’t have read the heavenly secrets. Along with the reprimand, his family had insisted he must achieve Foundation Establishment and return.

Thus, he boldly abandoned the Foundation Establishment Festival and came to the ruins.

He, the Qi Condensation Great Perfection member of the Perfected Dao Sect, who had the highest chance of obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill at the festival, abandoned it to come to the ruins.

It was an extremely risky decision.

The leader of the Qi Condensation Great Perfection disciples at the Foundation Establishment Festival had left and fallen into the ruins.

‘If not me, who else would dare to achieve the Foundation Establishment? Today, I will gain an understanding of the heavenly tribulation and soar to the Foundation Establishment stage.’

He was exploring the ruins away from the other disciples of the Perfected Dao Sect.

It was true that Nascent Soul cultivators can read heavenly secrets. However, it was so fragmented and scattered that extracting meaningful information from it was extremely difficult.

For instance, that Nascent Soul ancestor only knew there were ruins, but not their location, nor what challenges he would face there or how he would attain the Heavenly Path Foundation.

He could only discern that there were ruins somewhere and that there was a clue to the Heavenly Path Foundation.

‘According to the heavenly secrets read by the ancestor, these ruins were where ancient cultivators practiced their techniques.’

It was said that ancient cultivators had formations to artificially draw in heavenly tribulations, so there must be a place here for practicing techniques by drawing in such tribulations.

.

.

.

This is the place.

Here, the formation to summon heavenly tribulations was inscribed.

Mo-yong Jeong, proficient in formations, analyzed the formation at the center of the area with a hole in the roof open to the sky. Of course, he hadn’t completely analyzed the ancient formation.

“A formation pattern signifying lightning… That’s enough to identify it.”

Mo-yong Jeong glanced at the hole in the ceiling.

The hole for the heavenly tribulation to fall through was small enough for a fist to fit through. However, it was large enough for lightning to pass through.

Good.

The formation seems intact enough, and the hole for the heavenly tribulation isn’t blocked. The cavern is clear of obstacles and tidy.

“I should start preparing.”

Mo-yong Jeong diligently took out and set up the preparations he had made for the Heavenly Path Foundation.

A device to weaken the heavenly tribulation, talismans to aid in gathering Spiritual Qi, a catalyst for the formation to fix the direction of the heavenly tribulation….

‘I will definitely achieve the Heavenly Path Foundation!’