Chapter 194: Betrayal (2)

Chapter 194: Betrayal (2) "Hmm..." Rustling I extract my upper body from the shattered drum and dust myself off. "Indeed, quite a formidable force." It wasn't the crimson river that had repelled me. As soon as I touched the crimson river, it was not my body, but rather the Pure Spiritual Force flowing within me that automatically reacted and repelled me. In other words, the crimson river merely touched my body. The fact that I was flung and crashed was entirely thanks to the power flowing within me. "Hmm, it seems you're in the same situation." The spider woman. Yu Hwa, as she is called, raises her arm while keeping her eyes closed. There is a sword scar left by my Formless Sword on her arm, from which blood is flowing. "I didn't expect you to penetrate my defense just like that." "I didn't know my internal spiritual power could move according to someone else's will... How did you do it?" "Do you really think I'd willingly teach you my technique? Try to figure it out on your own. I'll do my best to understand the ability of that sword as well." "Oh, you recognized it as a sword?" How did she recognize the Formless Sword, which has no shape? "Even if it has no form, the intent is so clear, how could I not know what you're wielding?" "It was a foolish question I see." I attack her with the Formless Sword again. But every time the crimson river touches my body, I am repelled this way and that. Its as if my body is not my own. Wo-woong! Feeling as if I am floating, I try to approach her, but the problem is the crimson river. Wo-woong, bang, bang, bang, bang! As the Formless Sword whirls around, the dressing room turns into a mess, but I focus solely on getting closer to her. After exchanging blows with her for who knows how long. "Wait..." Suddenly, she smiles and says. "Perhaps this is a good time to stop?" "Hm?" She detaches her hands from the zither and raises them. "There's no need for us to continue fighting." "What are you talking about? When martial artists meet..." Suddenly, it dawns on me that Im unsure whether Yu Hwa is a martial artist or not. "I understand what you want. There are many like you within the Heart Tribe Territory. Those who wish to prove themselves by comparing their Manifestations with others, or simply those who genuinely enjoy sparring. Our Esteemed One also has such tastes." "...Then why refuse to fight?" "Because I am not of that kind of Heart Tribe. While I am interested in your sword, I am more suited for infiltration, espionage, and inciting rebellion." "Hmm..." "Instead of this meaningless act, how about we exchange information more constructively?" I look at her and smile. "Is 'fabrication' also one of your specialties?" "Excuse me?" Wo-woong! Holding the Formless Sword in a reverse grip, I swing it towards my head. The Formless Sword grazes my skull, cutting out strange sound waves affecting my mind from the plane of Soul. Shuk! I feel something break, bringing my consciousness back to 'reality.' The situation is not much different from before. I am confronting her. But from the moment I was repelled into the drum, shattering it, to the traces of our exchange of blows, all have disappeared. "Quite an impressive illusion technique." The feeling that my body is not my own, the sensation of floating. Its all because it wasn't real, happening in my dream. "Fighting in an illusion was interesting... but since you openly tried to extract information without wanting to fight me, I came out." She suggested exchanging information, but theres no guarantee that the information exchanged in the illusion is real. She still speaks calmly, with her eyes closed, turning her head towards me. "Strictly speaking, what I showed you was not an illusion. I put you to sleep and made you dream, guiding the dream in the direction you desired." I retort. "In the process, you meddled a bit, asking questions you were curious about." "I won't deny it." "Your way of speaking has changed quite a bit since we last met." "As a Heart Tribe intelligence agent, would I use a manner of speech that easily identifies me? I've practiced changing both my voice and manner of speech as needed." "Changing the tone at will, is that your Treading Heavens... no, your second stage of Manifestation?" Wo-woong! Shuk! I swiftly launch a Formless Sword attack at her hand as she subtly reaches for the zither, causing a wound. It seems she was attempting to engage me in conversation while stealthily using the zither to put me to sleep with her scheming. She looks at the wound on her arm and laughs. "It's not easy to share, especially when I can't quite tell if you're from the Heaven Tribe or the Earth Tribe, or one of ours." "Figures... Well, forget that. Are you really not going to fight me? Itd be advantageous for your side to obtain my information, wouldn't it?" "That's true." However, she smiles subtly. "But, do you suggest we go all out when there are two Four-Axis stage Earth Tribe members just a few floors above us? We'd surely get caught. There's no benefit in sparring right now." I catch her drift. "If there's a benefit for you, you'd spar with me?" "If that's the case, I see no reason why not." "Alright, tell me what you want." "You're currently staying at the palace of the Sea Dragon Race, correct?" "Yes." "In the palace of the Sea Dragon Race, I'm aware that a member of the White Goat Race, Baek Nyeong, whom I had previously rescued and attempted to escape to the Heart Tribe Territory, is being imprisoned. If you promise to help me rescue him, I see no reason why I can't spar with you." "...Hmm..." Imprisoned... Should that be described as imprisoned? Noticing my serious expression while I conceal my heart essence with the Treading Heavens realm, she misunderstands it for something else and clicks her tongue. "Perhaps I've asked too much of you. If you truly feel a sense of belonging to the Sea Dragon Race..." "No, that's not it." I think of the White Goat Race who have become the ruling class near the Cloud Heart Lake and their leader, Baek Nyeong, feeling a mix of emotions. "...Seo Hweol will be leaving the True Dragon Alliance in a day or two for his Axis Foundation Practice. I'll arrange a time for you and Baek Nyeong to meet after that." "Ah...!" "However... Hmm. I'm not sure about helping with the rescue. I'll ensure you can enter and exit the dwelling of the White Goat Race near Cloud Heart Lake by holding off the Sea Dragon Race patrol, but escaping with him will be up to you." "Thank you. That will be a great help." I smile brightly at her enthusiastic response and then ask out of curiosity, "What if Im lying? Were both at the Treading Heavens... no, the second stage of Manifestation, so I should be able to lie too, right?" "Hehe... Have you never sparred with someone of the same realm from the Heart Tribe?" "...No." "Well, that's even better. I can teach you." "...?" As she touches the zither, she says, "Let's control our power while sparring. As I mentioned, with two Four-Axis stage Earth Tribe members above us... and a barrier set up in the dressing room, not to mention the Immortal Demon Tower's restrictions suppressing our consciousness, we can easily get caught if we're not careful. Let's keep our power at the early stage of Qi Refining and compete using only our Manifestations." "Fine." A pure competition of capabilities and enlightenment is something I welcome. The next moment. Thwoong! Her zither sounds, and my sword surge through the air. However, just as Im about to adopt a stance and employ a technique, I struggle to keep my body from collapsing. Sleepy! A drowsiness demon attacks me. With this level of sleepiness even when restricting our power to the Qi Refining stage If we were to fight without restraining our power, fully employing Treading Heavens, I would have fallen into a dream without even realizing it, just like before. Thump, thwoong, thump! But her performance is just beginning. As her zither plays and melodies emerge, my entire body's strength disperses, and my eyelids feel unbearably heavy. "Ugh!" Thump! I force myself up and glare at her. Wo-woong! Gradually, a faint light of the crimson river begins to swirl around her. "This is my Last Quarter (Moon phase), Illusory Play under the Rosy Afterglow. Please enjoy." It isn't the crimson river. Its the evening glow. The time when those who have finished their day start to prepare for bed, the sunset! Teeing! I exert all my strength, barely managing to fend off the sleepiness using Mountain Echoes Valley Responds. The Formless Sword transforms into vibrations, striking my soul across planes, bringing me back to my senses. But the clarity is fleeting. As her performance continues, I realize I am succumbing to sleepiness again. "A fearsome technique." Even using only Qi Refining stage power, she brought me to the brink of unconsciousness with sleepiness. Even a Heavenly Being stage cultivator, if caught off guard by her determined performance, would end up sprawled on the floor, asleep. Moving even a single finger became difficult. 'This is especially lethal for me.' I'm sleepy. I want to rest right now. If I were to lay down and sleep right now, it feels like I can finally sleep peacefully for the first time in ages. 'After joining Seo Hweol 7 years ago... I havent slept properly even once.' Not just that. In my previous life, when I was a governor in the Devil Realm. Before that, when I was beaten all over at the Azure Heaven Creation Sect. Even before that, when I was captured by the Mad Lord and underwent modification, enduring for a thousand years. I never really rested. Insanely sleepy. 'Everything before me is becoming blurry.' Before I know it, I'm drifting in and out of consciousness, teetering on the boundary between dreams and reality. Yet, even so, my body faithfully swings the Formless Sword as it has always done. At the same time, I see the waiting room before me disappear, transforming into a mystically eerie mountainous ravine. 'At the boundary between dreams and reality, is it trying to suppress my mind through dreams?' Swoosh! The fog in the mystical mountainous ravine seems alive as it envelops me. Simultaneously, in reality, the river engulfs me. Though I am in a dazed state, I manage to split my focus, cutting through the fog in the mountainous ravine, then use my half-conscious body to dodge the sunset glow. Her massive counterattack follows. Before me, the profound ravine suddenly becomes a sea surrounding me, and waves crash over me. Then, before I know it, I am swallowed by a sandstorm above the scorching desert. However, in reality, my body constantly moves around, and contrary to myself in the heart essence, I keep landing different attacks on her. Forced to fight in different environments, with my mind split between them. 'How formidable.' With the right compatibility, its a technique capable of assassinating a Heavenly Being stage cultivator in a one-on-one fight. Of course, with a surprise attack, compatibility wouldn't matter, and a fatal blow could be dealt regardless. Juggling my view between reality and the illusory I continue to exchange blows with her, enduring the sleepiness. 'The crimson river is the physical manifestation of her melody.' Touching that river puts my 'power' to sleep, and the heart essence of sleepiness is infused into my body, eventually putting me to sleep. Although I barely managed to distort the heart essence to the parallel state of dream and reality, a direct hit would undoubtedly knock me out. 'The river itself possesses physical force, and while not strong in force, the terrifying part is falling asleep upon contact... By laying down her strings like spider webs everywhere, she ensures her tune can be played from any location...' The entire waiting room was filled with a sunset glow I have to find a crack within the sunset glow to sneak through and exploit her openings, while she bombards me from all directions. 'This is fun.' However, each of the crimson rays she fires is optimized to read each other's intent and heart essence, shooting in the best path possible. My Formless Sword is no different, and exchanging moves with her, I gradually feel exhilarated. Our exchange of blows intensify. And then, I can feel a golden intent emanating from her. Joy Fun And at some point. In the world of dreams, I find myself in a world filled with crimson rivers. 'This place is...' Swoosh... Every time I dip my foot into the river, overwhelming fatigue assaults my mind. I'm tired. I want to rest.... Please, just a little... 'This is...' When cultivators of the same Treading Heavens clash, it seems they not only exchange intents but also share each other's heart essence. Navigating through Yu Hwa's heart essence, I feel her fatigue. Fatigue. That is the essence of the enlightenment she has reached. 'This is...' Not just the vision of Treading Heavens but also with the vision of the Earth Tribe, the flow of Yin and Yang within this heart essence shows me fleeting scenes. Its Yu Hwa's life. She was born into a species known as half-human half-spider. Her race was famous for producing webs and creating pleasant sounds by plucking their webs. Of course, they had no other abilities and, congenitally unable to withstand the violent flow of spiritual power, couldn't learn demon beast methods. Thus, her race was treated as slaves and sold across the Bright Cold Realm. Yu Hwa was sold from place to place, learning to play the instrument, forced to play without a moment's rest. Her skill at playing was indeed excellent, and for her owners, having her perform was directly equivalent to wealth. They never allowed her to rest. If she was tired, they gave her spirit fluids to eliminate fatigue, and if she showed any laziness, they threatened to grind her up into medicine, forcing her to perform incessantly for five years. Yu Hwa began to go mad. Who could endlessly draw upon their talent, playing without rest, and not grow tired? I want to sleep. Not just dozing off while being transported to another venue but to properly, deeply sleep. She hoped, and hoped, and hoped again. The rest she longed for did not come easily. If she were to fall asleep during a performance, her owner would immediately grind her up into medicine. Since they forced spirit fluids on her to eliminate fatigue, excuses of being tired were not accepted. But having not slept for years, she felt like she would lose her mind if she did not sleep, and thus, she found a solution. The solution she found was to immerse herself in something else. She immersed herself in her music, pouring all her madness about wanting to sleep into playing her instrument. Her playing skills eventually grew to be unparalleled among her half-spider peers. She craved more perfect performances, more perfect tones. Then, one day, she discovered how to imbue her music with Qi. And then, another day. She realized while playing music that she could see the colors of emotion in the sound. From that day, she could see the intent of the guests who came to listen to her play. Again, one day, she saw countless colors of emotions merge into one, forming a single field of consciousness. From then, she realized her music had a direction. And to reach that direction, she continued to practice, even if it meant her hands and feet bled. Finally. On the day when her playing reached perfection, adding perfection to perfection and ultimately reaching the pinnacle of understanding. She succeeded in combining the basic Qi she had with the intent flowing from her playing, achieving what she had longed for years. She wanted to sleep. Her performance, which actualized the 'rest' she had never properly obtained in her lifetime, put all the guests who came that day, her owner, and even herself to sleep. While asleep, she continued to play and killed the malicious brothel owner who never gave her a moment's rest. Thus, she awakened as a member of the Heart Tribe. Later, she fled to the territory of the Heart Tribe and joined them. That is her story. Boom! In a flash! I open my eyes. My Formless Sword is already at Yu Hwa's throat, and her instrument is split into two. "You've lived a tumultuous life." Only now can I understand why she had agreed to spar with me. When members of the same Heart Tribe spar with others of the same realm, it's possible to see the opponent's heart essence and the essence embedded within that heart essence. After receiving a promise from me to meet Baek Nyeong, she sparred with me to see if I am trustworthy. Whether I was lying or not. 'It wasn't about whether to accept the spar or not. From the moment she saw me, the spar was inevitable.' Quite an audacious woman. As I look down at her, she chuckles. "It seems you, too, have lived a life no less eventful than mine. Really... I thought I was going to die entering your heart essence." "My heart essence is indeed not easy." Certainly. The reason I was able to emerge from her dream and heart essence and defeat her is because she had entered my heart essence as well. Entering my transparent hell of agony and feeling like her entire body is being pierced must have distracted her. "How curious." I say, looking at her with her eyes closed. I had thought she was just closing her eyes, but having briefly read her heart essence and memories, I became certain. "Have you been sleeping all this time, not just closing your eyes?" Yes. She wasn't just closing her eyes; she has been sleeping all along. From the day she became a Heart Tribe, she has never woken up from her sleep. Continuously sleeping, she controls her body through her dreams a remarkable yet peculiar being. "Oh, deep sleep is really important. If you never slept properly in your childhood, it's only natural to keep sleeping to make up for it, right?" "No, that's not the issue... Never mind." How is it possible to control one's body in a dream while sleeping? "By the way... You've read my memories, haven't you? I felt the sticky gaze of the Earth Tribe scanning through my head..." "Sorry about that. The vision isn't something I can control." "Well, it's okay. Although your heart essence is that of a madman, I clearly felt that you are not a wicked person. Just your transparent Last Quarter alone." "Last Quarter... what's that?" "It means Manifestation. Heart Tribe members, when meeting each other, try to maintain some uniformity by calling it Manifestation 1, 2, 3 stages, etc. But honestly, every Heart Tribe member calls 'Manifestation' by a different term. I prefer to call it Last Quarter" 'I see...' It's similar to my Treading Heavens. Then she asks me with her eyes still closed. "So, what do you think of me as a being?" "Ah..." That's right. I look at her, organizing my thoughts. This time, using both the vision of the Heart Tribe and the Earth Tribe simultaneously, I discovered something new. The Treading Heavens vision that reads the opponent's heart essence. And the Earth Tribe's vision that reads the trajectory of spiritual energy. When these two visions combine, it was like seeing the flashbacks of my life through the trajectory of Yin and Yang when I reached the Nascent Soul stage. I realized that I could briefly see another's life. "It was a life full of hardships." I continue, looking at Yu Hwa. "After all the hardships, you obtained what you wished for, so it's also a life to be celebrated." At my words, she beams. "Thank you for the compliment." And what she says next takes me by surprise. "After my current mission ends, If you wish, I will formally invite you to the Heart Tribe Territory and make you a member of the Heart Tribe." Translator Notes: Donated Chapter by Wong. Thanks for the support! *** Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried Link to donations in the discord!