Chapter 188: The Tribe of the Earth (8)

Chapter 188: The Tribe of the Earth (8) What does that mean? I look at her momentarily confused. [Ahahaha!] Suddenly, her voice, which had been that of a delicate woman, changes into a deep male voice. [Such talk of the Heart Path Method is just a term forcibly applied by the Heaven Tribe and Earth Tribe to try to understand us... It's impossible for us to have such a systematic structure like methods. Don't you know? If you've reached the second stage of Manifestation, you should realize that everyone in this world possesses different possibilities, right?] "." Theyre right. I narrow my eyes, pondering the words of this person, whose gender I can't discern. "So... the Heart Path Method, no... what does the Heart Tribe call this 'realm'? Although heart essences differ, isn't the process of reaching this 'realm' the same? Is 'Manifestation' just the end of it?" [Hmm I do feel like telling you... ] Once again, their voice changes to that of a child. [Could it be jealousy? To obtain our power while studying under the Earth Tribe with a body of the Heaven Tribe. If one fully masters the three talents of Heaven, Earth, and Heart, imagine the kind of monster that would be born.] Sarararak The scarlet river flows around me. I realize that this river's existence is not actual water but the heart essence of this being. 'Theres no substance?' Yet, Im startled by this bizarre river. Treading Heavens must ultimately be the state of becoming one with the heart essence one has manifested. Yet, this river, while emanating an aura similar to the Treading Heavens realm, seems to have no substantial body to be its source. 'What is this?' When I peer into the being with my hidden thoughts, [Haha, to think theres such a transparent hell of agony...] The next moment, the river's voice changes back to that of an old man. [Neither the Heaven Tribe nor the Earth Tribe, and not even among us, have I seen such an extreme heart essence... Indeed, if only I could know which direction this monster of the three talents will take, I could decide how to deal with you...] The river wraps around me, its voice flowing out. It feels as if the Heart Tribe being is standing with hands clasped behind his back, looking at me while circling around. However, as I watch him, I invoke the Formless Sword. Severing Mountain Swordsmanship. Mountain Echoes Valleys Responds Ting! A clear sword cry strikes the mind. The vibration resonates from the plane of Qi to the plane of Soul, awakening the spirit. "I seem to encounter a lot of beings who love brainwashing, especially after coming to the Earth Tribe." [Oh no, you've caught on already. But what was that? Did your energy transform into consciousness? Did you move across planes?] "." I do not respond to his nonsense, focusing instead on surveying my surroundings. "!" Suddenly, the slaves who were setting fire to the cotton plantation have all disappeared. It seems I had moved far while my attention was distracted on this being. 'Was I trapped in an illusion? Me?' I grit my teeth and glare at the river. "What were you trying to do to me? Brainwash me for what purpose?" [Ah, just in case there's any misunderstanding, the power of my Manifestation isn't brainwashing. It's deep sleep. The immersion into a dream is the enlightenment I've achieved. I just wanted to put you to sleep soundly, then tie you up nicely and send you to the highest council of the Heart Tribe.] "." What is this person? I open my mouth in disbelief, yet I am on high alert mentally. "So after all this, you're asking me not to interfere with you?" [Don't take it too hard. We, the Heart Tribe, can't trust anyone. The Heaven Tribe and Earth Tribe have been so eager to kidnap us and turn us into pills that we've had to become cunning to deal with them. But since I've opened up to you like this, please forgive me for that. Now that I know your strength, I won't attempt to kidnap you anymore.] "." Their true intentions are unreadable. Perhaps due to being in the same realm, this being is also able to protect their deep heart essence from me. "How did you deal with those Sea Dragon warriors?" I glance at the unconscious Sea Dragon warriors. [I put them to sleep. However, they seem to mistake my process of deep sleep for the process of death, so if they are not awakened within an hour or two, their souls will truly mistake it for death and die.] Terrifying. And utterly bizarre. But more than that, I glare at the being before. "You're stalling for time. What are you aiming for?" Even though the heart essence is unreadable, I can tell that this being is wrapping me up in needless words to waste time. They must certainly be trying to delay. [Oh, you've caught on already. It's nothing significant. I am a special envoy sent by the Heart Tribe's highest council, tasked with infiltrating the Heaven and Earth Tribes, helping the weak slave races among them to give birth to members of the Heart Tribe. Once a Heart Tribe member is born, I guide them along with their race to the territory of the Heart Tribe. In the process, if I encounter any Masters of the Four-Axis stage from the Heaven or Earth Tribes, I also have the task of killing them.] "!?" I look at this being's energy. "Are you waiting for Gyu-ryeon, the owner of this domain?" [It would be nice if that were the case If the owner of the domain doesn't show up, I guess I'll just focus on leading the races to escape.] To kill a Four-Axis stage cultivator. That seems to be the ace up their sleeves. 'That's why it foretold great misfortune if I attacked him.' A rash move would have been a death sentence. Apparently, the reason this being is leaving me alone for now is simply because I also fall under the category of 'Heart Tribe.' Just then. The goat standing beside us suddenly looks in one direction. [Here it comes.] A subtle anger is present in the goat's eyes. Kugugugu! From afar, a boar, its body dyed red, is flying towards us. White steam billows from the nose of the boar, who possesses the energy of the Nascent Soul stage.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only [The administrator of the Long Spirit Cotton Plantation The bastard who tormented and oppressed us on behalf of the lord, Gyu-ryeon.] Crack The whip in the goat's hand thrashes as if alive. [Yes, let's have a go at it. I'll help out if it looks like you're losing.] [Yes, elder. But who exactly is this person?] [Hmm, I don't know myself. That's why I'm holding him here while we talk. But it seems he doesn't intend to antagonize us deliberately, so it would be refreshing to resolve our grievances and then return.] [Yes!] The goat firmly responds, gripping the whip and flying towards the boar with void steps. 'Walking on air.' I asked the river, "Can you explain exactly what the Heart Tribe is?" The river responds in a young woman's voice, [What kind of question is that? It naturaly refers to those who have integrated their heart essence.] "Integrated their heart essence?" [Yes, those who have unified their external and internal heart essences into one complete heart essence. Those who can manifest such a heart essence are collectively called the Heart Tribe.] "Then, those who can reach this 'Manifestation' through consciousness methods are also Heart Tribe? It sounds like mastering consciousness methods alone can lead one to become Heart Tribe..." [Ahaha, reach the Heart Tribe by mastering consciousness methods?] That is That is the trump card they kept hidden! A strike from the Esteemed One! However, Seo Hweol, raises his other hand unconcerned towards the dead bodies of the Sea Dragon warriors lying at his feet. Crack! The bodies of the Sea Dragon warriors are lifted by spiritual energy, blocking the crimson river. The crimson river hesitates for a moment, shocked not by the corpses but by Seo Hweol's attitude of using his own race as shields without any emotion, but then pushes through. Crack! The charge of the crimson river shattered the bodies of the Sea Dragon warriors. However, Seo Hweol, undeterred, continues to emit a strong gravitational force from his hand. Chrararak! And in the moment when the river hesitated, In the moment when the bodies were shattered, Those moments combine to create an opening, and Seo Hweol uses it to suck Baek Nyeong into the spatial rift that had formed above his hand. [Noooooo!] Chrararak! The river charges towards Seo Hweol's form, but Seo Hweol's form merely disperses into the air. Seo Hweol's bright voice echoes through the void and then fades away. [Thank you for the wonderful gift. Thanks to you, the heroes of my race who died unjustly will also be able to rest in peace.] Sssss. The spatial rift created by Seo Hweol disappears as well, and the crimson river, having not managed to unleash the strike of the Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One, swirls around in dismay. [.] I reflect on Seo Hweol taking Baek Nyeong through the spatial rift, remembering his words about using it to take me if I were in danger. Was Seo Hweol originally prepared to sacrifice his own warriors to forcefully bring me to the Sea Dragon Palace if things went awry? Of course, it might not have been the case. He could have just said that but intended to do something to Gyu-ryeon through the Sea Dragon warriors or steal something from Gyu-ryeon's domain. But if the original target he intended to take was indeed me, He must have realized our value through Oh Hye-seo! Kim Yeon, a mortal with a Four-Axis stage consciousness. Jeon Myeong-hoon, said to have the same constitution as Yang Su-jin. Oh Hyun-seok, expected to reach Heavenly Being stage combat power within 100 years. Kang Min-hee, expected to reach the Star Shattering stage within 500 years... The value we hold, discovered by Seo Hweol and the three Heavenly Being stage cultivators, must have been immense. That's why he was prepared to take me away, even by sacrificing three Nascent Soul stage warriors of his own race. But then, a thought strikes me. But now, hasnt the means to kidnap me disappeared? Was Baek Nyeong considered more valuable than me in Seo Hweols eyes? At that moment. A chill runs down my spine as I consider a possibility. Seo Hweol openly stated in front of me that he was prepared to sacrifice three Nascent Soul stages to take me away. That means he values me higher than three Nascent Soul stages. That also means he has realized the value of Oh Hye-seo, who is similar to me. And by observing my actions and words over the past 10 months, he figured out that I am trying to find the whereabouts of my colleague, Oh Hye-seo. He already realized the value of Oh Hye-seo and me, predicting that I would eventually come back to him to find Oh Hye-seo anyway!? Understanding that I cherish my colleagues over the 10 months. He informs me that he has discovered the value of my colleague and me. Thus, due to my nature, I will inevitably return. A method even more certain than directly capturing me through a spatial rift. No, if I had been thoroughly brainwashed by Seo Hweol over the 10 months, I would have already sworn my allegiance to Seo Hweol, shedding tears of gratitude for the situation where he sacrificed three Nascent Soul stages to save me when I was in danger. I shudder at Seo Hweol's cunning, and the crimson river, disheartened by what happened to Baek Nyeong, circles around before flying off towards where the other enslaved races had escaped. [Had circumstances been better, we could have talked more, but given how things have turned out, lets meet again someday.] Paaaat! With those words, the crimson river disappears into the distance. I stand dumbfounded in the cotton plantation, watching the boar that is healing from the injuries inflicted by Baek Nyeong. The boar looks confused, staring at the spot where Seo Hweol vanished. "...Hey." I approach the boar. "Can you contact the lord of this domain, Senior Gyu?" "Um? Oh, yes, but" "Please send a message. I regret to inform Senior that the suppression of the rebellion has failed." "Iunderstand." The wild boar looks at the place where Seo Hweol disappeared with a puzzled expression and absentmindedly nods. "...That technique. I feel like Ive seen it somewhere before" "...?" "No, never mind. I'll contact the lord. Damn it" Thus. The brief yet intense encounter with the Heart Tribe came to an end. "Well, if that's how things turned out, there's nothing we can do." Gyu-ryeon sighs as she looks at me and the boar, Hong Guk. We decided to keep quiet about Seo Hweol directly killing his own race and descending. Regarding the annihilation of all the Sea Dragon warriors, Hong Guk wasn't sure if he had seen Seo Hweol kill his kin properly and said so. I also agreed, though for different reasons. For me, it was due to my relationship with Seo Hweol. But whether Hong Guk genuinely didn't see it properly or had another reason, I don't know. Anyway, with Gyu-ryeon's sigh, the incident came to a temporary close. Following the agreement with Gyu-ryeon, I decided to begin the refinement of the Immortal Beast True Blood. Deep within Gyu-ryeon's domain. There, a ritual circle drawn with Gyu-ryeon's dragon blood is set up, and I enter its center to sit in a lotus position. In front of me is a jade bottle containing a drop of the Black Dragons True Blood. "Then, let's start refining the Immortal Beast True Blood now." Perhaps due to the guilt of having caused the death of Seo Hweol's subordinates and the rebellion, Gyu-ryeon forms hand seals a bit listlessly. A crimson, blood-colored light rises around us. Kududuguk! The jade bottle in front of me resonates with the light, shaking violently, and I see the drop of the Black Dragon blood flying towards me. The next moment. Huh? I find myself engulfed in pitch-black darkness. In the darkness, I can sense a massive dragon looking at me. I see, this is the remnant will contained in the Black Dragons True Blood I need to overcome this remnant will to refine the Immortal Beast True Blood. Now, to suppress the remnant will. The next moment. [Why does someone who has lived less than half a century possess over 2000 years of history?] The massive dragon in the darkness speaks to me. [How dare you attempt to deceive history in front of an Immortal Beast. By the name of the Black Dragon that governs Taiyin (Supreme/Great Yin), I command you, mortal, to recount your true history.] The refinement of the Immortal Beast True Blood has begun. However, I have never once heard from Gyu-ryeon that the Immortal Beast itself will directly speak during the refinement of the True Blood. Translator Notes: Donated chapter by Dragonk105. Thanks for the support! *** Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried Link to donations in the discord!