Chapter 153 : Summary (3)
Chapter 153: Summary (3)
When Cho Ryeong tilted her body and criticized Jang Woo-hyun—
Yong Seo-hee focused on Yongwangrin.
A peculiar sword made of countless blade-like scales.
Just a moment ago, that sword had devoured an artifact and a Dharma Treasure, and she thought its appearance resembled that of a dragon.
‘I feel like I’ve seen this before……’
A dragon that devours Dharma Treasures and minerals.
‘Where was it?’
It had been over a hundred years ago, so the memory was faint. But she was certain she had seen it somewhere.
While Yong Seo-hee tried to recall the hazy memory, Cho Ryeong moved again.
“It’s fine. Don’t apologize. You’re the one who saved us anyway. Just take whatever is left. I’m not such an ungrateful tree. Guys, grab the remaining trash quickly. Yeah, the junk rolling around over there. The completely useless scraps.”
Her behavior was obviously petty, but Cho Ryeong told the others to collect the remaining items.
Thanks to Jang Woo-hyun, who had swiftly raided the warehouse, the group headed to the next location, and again, they broke through the door without much difficulty.
The second location was where spiritual medicines and herbs were stored. It looked more like a workshop or laboratory than a warehouse.
“Is that weird sword going to eat again? Then let it hurry up and eat. That way we’ll have less to do.”
“This time, it’s really fine.”
Jang Woo-hyun shook his head and moved to one side.
“Really? Then we’ll take things this time. Hurry and collect, everyone.”
Where Jang Woo-hyun walked to, there were several bookshelves and a long table. On top of it were scrolls, books, and specialized artifacts for writing.
Jang Woo-hyun quickly checked the contents. Though he couldn’t see what was in the scrolls—since they were a type of artifact—fortunately, there were also regular books, so examining their contents wasn’t difficult.
‘Martial Arts Manuals and Cultivation Techniques.’
Most of them were footwork or movement techniques.
Perhaps trying to compensate for his own shortcomings, Yang Jeon-gun had mostly gathered materials related to movement.
Jang Woo-hyun selected two secret manuals that seemed useful.
“Here, take this.”
Before he knew it, Cho Ryeong approached and handed Jang Woo-hyun a small wooden box.
“This is the most useful among them. Don’t worry—it’s nothing strange. I picked it from the spiritual herbs, not the pills. I might not be good at identifying pills, but I can distinguish spiritual herbs quite well.”
As Jang Woo-hyun only stared, Cho Ryeong pushed the wooden box toward his face.
“Take it already. What, is this about what I said earlier? I was just ranting. I’m not that shameless of a person… I mean, not that shameless of a tree. You took care of that bastard Yang Jeon-gun and saved us. Even if you take everything here, we wouldn’t say anything. We’re fine just taking the leftover scraps. So take it.”
As if agreeing with her, those who had been rescued nodded behind Cho Ryeong.
Jang Woo-hyun accepted the wooden box and slightly opened it. Inside was a medicinal herb resembling ginseng, shaped like a bolt of lightning descending from the sky.
“It’s called Thunder Grass. It’s a good spiritual herb, but I don’t know how much it’ll help someone at your level. Well, if not, you can just sell it to someone else. So take good care of it.”
“I’ll use it well.”
With that, Jang Woo-hyun placed the wooden box inside his Inner Robe, and their task at this place was complete.
After raiding Yang Jeon-gun’s warehouse, under Cho Ryeong’s lead, everyone exited the building.
“What will you do now?”
“I plan to return to the Central Heavens Martial Realm.”
“What about you, unnie?”
“I’m planning to return to my clan.”
Cho Ryeong asked Jang Woo-hyun and Yong Seo-hee in turn.
“Then you can go together with this unnie. It’s the same direction, so it’ll be less boring.”
“I have a place to visit first. Do you know how to read this?”
Jang Woo-hyun retrieved a stone tablet that had been spat out from Yang Jeon-gun’s head, pulling it from his Inner Robe. Yong Seo-hee looked at it and spoke before Cho Ryeong could.
“That’s a coordinate of the Central Heavens. Is there something there?”
“There’s something I need to find.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“It’s a dangerous place, so I’ll be fine. Just tell me the exact location and how to get there.”
Yang Jeon-gun had mentioned that it was where the Ascension Cult’s branch was located, but those words couldn’t be taken at face value. It might be a trap, or something else entirely could be waiting.
That’s why Jang Woo-hyun declined Yong Seo-hee’s offer to accompany him.
“That’s quite far. Go with this unnie. She’s a dragon, so she can travel fast.”
“She’s right. I’ll help you. I haven’t given you anything yet, so let me at least do this.”
“I didn’t help you expecting compensation. It’s dangerous, so it’s better if I go alone.”
As Jang Woo-hyun and Yong Seo-hee exchanged light protests, Cho Ryeong watched them quietly before reaching inside the leaf covering her chest.
Crack. Rip.
“Ugh.”
Amid the sound of something being torn and a small groan, she pulled her hand out.
“Here, take this.”
“……”
Surprised by the situation, Jang Woo-hyun took a step back. What Cho Ryeong had just done looked like she had torn her own chest.
“I said take it.”
In the hand of the Tree Person was a seed about the size of a baby’s fist.
Watching her tear her chest, Jang Woo-hyun felt a headache coming on. It was impossible to predict the actions of this living tree.
“That just now……”
“Hmm? Just now what? Oh. Geez, what are you thinking? I thought you were a creepy mushroom, but you’ve got an innocent side, huh? Like a yellow fox flower.”
Cho Ryeong spoke nonsense again, but Jang Woo-hyun didn’t respond. Given the situation—her tearing her chest—trivial matters didn’t matter anymore.
“That… so…”
“You’re wondering if it’s my chest? It’s not, so don’t worry. This body is practically something that bastard Yang Jeon-gun made. Honestly, we don’t have clear male or female distinctions. It’s not a chest, so just take it.”
Just like with the wooden box, Cho Ryeong pushed the seed toward Jang Woo-hyun’s face.
“It’ll be useful later. You can plant it, or revive a dead tree, or even strengthen timber. It’s part of the core of the Wood Spirit Tribe, so it’s valuable. I may look like this, but I’m a high-grade tree. Take it.”
Though he felt uneasy, Jang Woo-hyun took the seed from Cho Ryeong.
While Cho Ryeong giggled with strange laughter, Lee Ahn, who had been watching the two, approached.
“You saved me too, so I’ll give you a gift.”
He gagged as if vomiting, then pulled something from his mouth.
“Do I… have to take that?”
Jang Woo-hyun frowned slightly, disliking the idea of receiving something regurgitated. The method of retrieval was just too disgusting.
“It won’t be bad for you. This is… what was it called here—Divine True Steel?”
“What? Divine True Steel?!”
The one who reacted first was Cho Ryeong. She snatched the object from Lee Ahn’s hand.
The fist-sized bead was entirely black, and the moment Cho Ryeong grabbed it, it transformed into something like a miniature planet.
“You know what that is, right?”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“It’s the finest metal in all dimensions. No, to be exact, calling it metal doesn’t do it justice.”
“And you’re giving that to me?”
Though he did not know the exact value of Divine True Steel, he understood it was no ordinary item. He also knew it was not something easily obtained.
“You saved my life. Compared to the value of a life, it’s nothing to be stingy about. If not for you, I would’ve been trapped in there for a long time. So take it—this is my thanks for saving me.”
Cho Ryeong, after examining the Divine True Steel, extended her hand and handed it to Jang Woo-hyun.
An object that constantly changed its form. At times it glowed all over, sometimes it looked like a small planet, and at other moments, it simply turned pitch-black.
Rather than a metal, it resembled a constantly shifting gem or an ornamental artifact.
“And take this one too.”
Following that, Lee Ahn handed him a necklace with a cross, emitting dull red smoke.
“Trying to curse me or something?”
“It wouldn’t be strange to think that, but it’s not like that. I’m giving it just in case.”
“What is this?”
Jang Woo-hyun looked at Lee Ahn with eyes full of suspicion.
“It’s something you can use to contact me. Just break the cross.”
At the mention of it being a means of contact, Jang Woo-hyun silently stared at Lee Ahn. He couldn’t discern his intentions.
“The Corpse-Blood Realm is different from the Central Heavens. Living beings shouldn’t go there. The Central Heavens merely reject beings like me, but if a living person enters the Corpse-Blood Realm, it won’t just reject them—the whole world will try to kill them.”
“Then why are you giving this to me?”
“You shouldn’t come to the Corpse-Blood Realm, but……”
Lee Ahn paused for a moment and smiled.
“……For some reason, I feel like you will.”
“Don’t jinx it.”
Words like that always preceded trouble, and Jang Woo-hyun frowned. Lee Ahn’s smile deepened at the reaction.
“Just take it, in case. So I can repay the favor someday.”
“This alone is already enough.”
Jang Woo-hyun held up the constantly morphing Divine True Steel. Just obtaining this rare metal was enough for Lee Ahn to have repaid his debt.
“It’s just my own discomfort. My life isn’t that cheap. It might be useful later, so take it. It won’t harm you, so don’t worry.”
“If you can’t trust it, give it to me.”
Cho Ryeong, who had been listening, interrupted and snatched the necklace. She then handed it to one of the people rescued from Yang Jeon-gun’s bedchamber.
“He’ll verify it. He’s not good in battle, but he's great at identifying these kinds of things. That’s what he used to do here.”
After a short while, the boy examined the necklace and nodded.
“He says there’s nothing wrong with it. Just keep it for now. Let’s go—we’ve already spent a lot of time here.”
After Cho Ryeong spoke, a brief conversation followed between Jang Woo-hyun and Yong Seo-hee.
And in the end, Jang Woo-hyun decided to accompany her. The coordinate Yang Jeon-gun had given was too far to reach alone.
“Thank you for saving us. I won’t forget this kindness.”
Starting with Cho Ryeong’s gratitude, several others from various races who had been trapped in the bedchamber bowed repeatedly to Jang Woo-hyun in thanks.
After their farewells, under Cho Ryeong’s command, they departed aboard a large Flying Apparatus.
“I’m thankful too.”
Once even Lee Ahn had left, only Jang Woo-hyun and Yong Seo-hee remained.
After parting with everyone—
Jang Woo-hyun ascended into the sky with Yong Seo-hee. Then, he swung his sword and demolished Yang Jeon-gun’s manor.
Watching from beside him, Yong Seo-hee shuddered at the strength Jang Woo-hyun had displayed.
“Please ride me.”
With the completely destroyed Yang Jeon-gun’s manor behind them, Yong Seo-hee spoke up.
“Huh?”
The sudden suggestion made Jang Woo-hyun widen his eyes. He couldn’t comprehend what he’d just heard.
“Oh, I skipped a part.”
Realizing her mistake, Yong Seo-hee chuckled quietly and drew forth her power. Her small horn began to glow.
‘It feels like she’s pulling something from deep inside.’
A sensation he had never felt before.
It wasn’t drawing power from the dantian, but rather retrieving strength hidden deep within. It felt different from martial arts.
That power steadily grew.
The small horn on Yong Seo-hee’s head radiated brighter and began to enlarge, soon enveloping her entire body in light. Her body, surrounded by light, expanded continuously.
One jang, then two, three, four……
When the light disappeared shortly after—
A massive creature with sky-blue scales appeared before Jang Woo-hyun.
【Now, please climb on.】
The enormous creature, with deep blue eyes, lowered its head toward Jang Woo-hyun.
“A dragon……?”
A long-bodied creature with two horns and scales.
For the first time since arriving in the Central Heavens, Jang Woo-hyun encountered a dragon.
At first, Jang Woo-hyun refused to ride atop the dragon-formed Yong Seo-hee.
It felt awkward, and he had Yongwangrin, which was sufficient for travel.
But after hearing Yong Seo-hee’s explanation, he changed his mind.
–Since we’ll use the Wind and Cloud Path, please hurry and get on.
The invisible path known as the Wind Road or Wind and Cloud Path.
It could only be used by the Dragon Tribe, and it allowed for travel at far greater speeds.
Persuaded, Jang Woo-hyun mounted the great dragon’s head, and as they began to move, he understood her reasoning.
‘It’s on a whole different level from a Flying Apparatus.’
The speed was incomparable to that of standard Flying Apparatuses. Even Yongwangrin couldn’t match this velocity.
‘But you’ve been eating all that stuff and haven’t changed at all?’
Jang Woo-hyun glanced down at Yongwangrin and muttered inwardly.
Despite devouring massive amounts from Yang Jeon-gun’s Martial Arts Repository, it hadn’t visibly changed. No apparent improvement either.
‘Last time, Cho-su said your functions had improved, but nothing seems to work. Reflect on yourself, damn it.’
Seated on the dragon’s head, Jang Woo-hyun mentally scolded the Dharma Treasure resembling a dragon as he flew through the skies of the Central Heavens.
【It’s not a one or two-day journey. I’ll handle the flying, so do as you please. It’s been a while for me too, so I need to concentrate.】
At the dragon’s words, with its sky-colored scales, Jang Woo-hyun took out the two secret manuals he had collected from Yang Jeon-gun’s Martial Arts Repository from his Inner Robe.