Chapter 2366 – 2366. The Ascent To Radiance
I hold out a palm to stop Yang Hongye, who approaches as if in a trance. Fortunately, it seems I haven’t completely lost my reason, as she stops in front of me. Her gaze, however, remains fixed on the Vajra Thunderbolt.
Her golden eyes seem to sparkle.
Dragon Eyes.
A congenital ability born from having dragon blood mixed in. She’ll be able to see through almost anything.
“A Vajra pestle, so it’s from the Buddhist side. And a Dharma artifact brimming with lightning energy… Sakra. To think a Dharma artifact symbolizing the Heavenly Emperor’s lightning would be in the Middle Realm… But the power it holds is weak. It’s too disappointing to call it a Dharma artifact. Well, it’s only natural since it’s in the hands of a human.”
By the time she finished speaking, she had calmed down. It felt like her interest in the Dharma artifact had waned slightly.
This is an unexpected variable.
“Come under me. In return, I’ll let you study the Vajra Thunderbolt whenever you have time. This opportunity will never come again in your life.”
“That’s not a very appealing offer. Unless you give me the Vajra Thunderbolt itself.”
“Are you crazy? Do you think you’re worth the Vajra Thunderbolt?”
“I’m the best craftsman in the human realm. You know that, which is why you came looking for me. Studying Dharma artifacts? Sure, that’s fine. But just because I study Dharma artifacts doesn’t mean I can make them. The Emperor’s offer to let me handle all the materials in this world is more appealing.”
“…The Emperor made you an offer?”
That didn’t happen in the original story. I wasn’t particularly surprised. Well, the Emperor didn’t exist in the original Ascent to Radiance story.
“Yeah. I met him in person about 50 years ago. He was a man I couldn’t dare to judge. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the greatest of all time. Compared to him, you… I don’t know the details. But well, you don’t feel bad compared to the other guys.”
“Other guys?”
“Guys who came to recruit me, like you. Most of them were black-hearted. Especially the ones who tried to take me by force.”
The fact that Yang Hongye is still here means that all of those guys failed.
‘She has dozens of Dharma treasures and thousands of Dharma tools, and she knows how to handle them all. Plus, she has the special trait of being a dragon descendant. Assuming they’re at the same level, it would be hard to beat her in a one-on-one fight.’
If I fought her with all my power? If I used the Shattering Heavens, I think I could somehow win.
‘The problem is Yang Hongye’s personality. There’s no point in taking her by force, she clearly wouldn’t work.’
The plan to lure her with the Vajra Thunderbolt has failed.
‘Should I try to lure her with the Ascent to Radiance?’
No. There’s no telling how Yang Hongye would react if she saw the Ascent to Radiance. The original protagonist never showed the Ascent to Radiance to anyone of his own volition. And every single person who somehow found out about the Ascent to Radiance tried to steal it.
‘…I’ll lure her with something else. Modern machines? Dharma tools are more amazing and perform better than machines, so she wouldn’t be interested. If I could, I’d like to put a hypnosis sticker on her.’
Considering her level, a hypnosis sticker wouldn’t work.
“What do you want?”
She grins.
“You’re the one who came looking for something. You’re the one who has to make an offer. If you have nothing, then get lost.”
“If I pique your interest, will you come under me?”
“I can work under you. If you can pique my interest, which even the Emperor couldn’t.”
“……”
The Emperor is practically the master of this world. He’s a being who can give you everything in this world.
‘Wait. Everything in this world?’
Then what about something that isn’t from this world?
I took out the Hwaryeon Blade and the Storm Breaker from my inventory. Yang Hongye’s eyes show interest as she looks at the red sword and the huge spear.
“That’s an amazing sword. It’s not quite a Dharma artifact, but I can tell it’s a special existence, a sword forged with a power and method I don’t know.”
“Hwaryeon Blade. It’s my favorite sword. Wouldn’t you like to study it?”
“A sword forged by a transcendent being with a special power. Even if I study that sword, I wouldn’t gain much. But that spear is a bit interesting. From the material to the unknown techniques engraved on it. No, is it not a technique? Anyway, it doesn’t seem like it was made by a transcendent being. What’s the name of that spear?”
“Storm Breaker. In your terms, it would be something like a Storm Destroyer. Actually, I was going to ask you to enhance the Storm Breaker after recruiting you.”
That’s a lie. I had no idea she’d be interested in the Storm Breaker. But it wouldn’t be bad to enhance the Storm Breaker on this occasion.
“No. You’ve piqued my interest, but it’s not enough. And offer a proper price. I don’t do free favors.”
“…You can enhance the Storm Breaker?”
“Who do you think I am? The techniques and spells that went into it are very complex and amazing, but they don’t transcend the laws. Unless it’s a completely new creation based on it. Enhancing it is no problem.”
She was full of confidence.
‘I’ve succeeded in piquing her interest, so the problem is the price. She wouldn’t be interested in elixirs, and the Dharma tools I got from the Thunder Sound Temple wouldn’t be up to her standards.’
As I was pondering, I took out a piece of star from my inventory. A piece of star given by the Heavenly Star System.
『Star Fragment
It contains the energy of a star.』
I had been holding onto it because I didn’t know what to use it for. I had a total of six now.
The star fragment on my palm sparkled like a star.
“A star?! If you had such a treasure, you should have taken it out sooner!”
“Do you know about star fragments?”
“It’s my first time seeing one in person. According to the records passed down in my family, you can make very special Dharma treasures with stones containing the energy of stars. If you give me this star, I’ll accept your offer. I’ll work under you for about 30 years? Ah, I don’t mean I’ll work like a slave. I’ll be paid fairly for my labor.”
It seems that star fragments were very expensive crafting materials.
“I have more star fragments. I’d like you to enhance the Storm Breaker with these star fragments.”
“You have something that even the Emperor doesn’t have. Fine. What exactly are the abilities of this Storm Breaker, and how do you want it enhanced?”
I used the Storm Breaker directly to show its abilities.
“The existing abilities should remain, of course… I’d like the defensive abilities to be enhanced.”
It’s good enough as a weapon. But it’s undeniable that its attack power is inferior to the Hwaryeon Blade or the Vajra Thunderbolt. On the other hand, I didn’t have any proper armor. I’ll take this opportunity to enhance the Storm Breaker’s defensive abilities.
“I have a few ideas. The problem is… there aren’t enough star fragments. You have more star fragments, right?”
“Not enough? Star fragments are priceless. Perhaps…”
“I don’t steal materials. I’ll let it slide this once. That’s a very serious insult to me.”
“……How many do you need?”
“Considering the size and abilities of the Storm Breaker, you need at least three.”
I took out three more. I can invest three star fragments in the Storm Breaker.
“And as you know… that’s not all the materials you need.”
“I’m not going to get materials like star fragments.”
“Fortunately, it’s not that bad. It’s a bit of a hassle, but you should be able to get them.”
“200 Heavenly Jades. A piece of the shell of the Great Demon Turtle, Taesan Simbyeol. Moonlight Water from Lake Dongjeong. Scales of the Lava Fish. And a skilled spellcaster. Of course, it has to be a trustworthy spellcaster.”
I can understand the need for Heavenly Jades. Heavenly Jades are pure spiritual energy in themselves, and they’re used in many places, such as maintaining barriers and making Dharma tools.
“Do you really need 200 Heavenly Jades? Really?”
“Think about the power of the Storm Breaker. It’s a treasure beyond a Dharma treasure. It’ll be relatively easy to get the materials except for the shell of the Taesan Simbyeol. You can get them with money. The important thing is the spellcaster. You need the help of a skilled spellcaster to safely interpret the Storm Breaker’s spells.”
“I have a trustworthy spellcaster. She’s at the Three-Essence Realm.”
“The most troublesome problem is solved. I’ll be studying the Storm Breaker, so bring the spellcaster. And of course, bring the materials I mentioned.”
“Does it have to be here? I have a place where I stay. Let’s go there. We can go there in one go with space travel.”
“Do you think the craftsmen stay here for no reason? This place has a spiritual vein, so it’s a good place for making Dharma tools.”
“There’s a spiritual vein there too.”
“Really? I need to bring my furnace and tools, so wait a moment.”
It was really just a moment.
Her building shrank like a toy and fit into a space container. The building itself was a Dharma tool.
‘The barrier is gone and it’s exposed. People will flock here if I stay like this.’
I handed Yang Hongye a space travel scroll and tore it.
Tear.
I moved to Mount Nakwol with Yang Hongye. It didn’t take long to meet Mireyeong. Mireyeong stared at Yang Hongye, then smiled brightly.
“Oh my. My husband has brought a guest. I’ll bring some tea.”
She was a little different when she greeted Yu Yeoryeo and Danmok Soha. More friendly, you could say. Even Mireyeong couldn’t treat a woman of a similar level carelessly.
“A fox clan. How unique.”
Unlike her words, Yang Hongye’s reaction was indifferent. I wondered how I could make Yang Hongye fall for me. Even when I recalled the information from the original story, I couldn’t think of a good way.
I explained the situation to Mireyeong, who brought the tea.
“If that’s the case, of course I’ll cooperate! Just leave it to me!”
Since Mireyeong said she would cooperate, the Storm Breaker research would proceed without any major setbacks. Even if it gets stuck in the middle, I can go to Yuria and ask for the answer. Things are going smoothly.
• • •
I focused on finding the other materials.
It was hard to get 200 Heavenly Jades at once. I sold all the elixirs, Dharma tools, and treasures that I got from the Thunder Sound Temple and even the elixirs I had personally, but it still wasn’t enough.
Kill warriors and take them? There weren’t many warriors who carried Heavenly Jades. The weaklings who were easy to kill didn’t even carry Heavenly Jades.
And it was hard to destroy all the small and medium-sized sects and take their Heavenly Jades. If I did that too much, I’d be marked as a public enemy, and the Imperial Palace would step in.
So I held back for now. Even if you’re an absolute master, you can’t take on the world alone.
‘I thought about selling the Thunder Sound Temple’s martial arts… but the other forces in the martial world and the Imperial Palace are wary of martial arts above a certain level being released to the public.’
What was left was the shell fragment of the Great Demon Turtle, Taesan Simbyeol, and the Moonlight Water of Lake Dongjeong.
First, I headed to Lake Dongjeong to get the Moonlight Water, which was relatively easy to obtain.
Moonlight Water is a mysterious water that can be obtained from Lake Dongjeong on the night of the full moon. The owner of Lake Dongjeong is naturally the Emperor, and the Emperor didn’t put any restrictions on obtaining Moonlight Water.
It was an elixir that anyone could obtain. That was the problem.
There was a long line in front of Lake Dongjeong. Roughly, there were about 6,000 warriors in line.
‘6,000 people… If I wait in line honestly, I’d have to wait 180,000 days for my turn. Am I crazy to wait that long?’
It seemed that the people in line were taking turns waiting in line at regular intervals.
Thunder Heaven Style Electromagnetic Wave.
I spread my senses to check the surroundings. Most of the people in line were at the Foundation Realm. There weren’t even 100 warriors who had reached the Origin Realm. In other words, there was no one stronger than me.
I confidently walked past the line and went forward. Most of the warriors in line were overwhelmed by my aura and couldn’t even make a sound.
As I got closer to the front of the line, the level of the warriors also increased proportionally. Among them, there was a warrior who dared to block my path.
“Senior. If you’ve come to get Moonlight Water, please wait in line. The juniors here have been waiting in line for a long time. Please understand the hardships of the juniors.”
He was making a fist salute, but his eyes were shining sharply. His attitude was so confident that I suspected he was an absolute master like me, so I looked at him again. He was a weakling in the middle of the Origin Realm.
“I understand. But I’m in a bit of a hurry. You, as a junior, should understand my situation as a senior. That’s the right way of the martial world. I’ll take tonight’s Moonlight Water.”
The other warriors in the Origin Realm all looked at me at once. Their gazes became a silent pressure that covered me.
“Senior. It is said that a long time ago, there was no day when blood didn’t dry in front of Lake Dongjeong. If the order that is being maintained now collapses, blood may flow again in the peaceful Lake Dongjeong.”
“Are you daring to lecture me?”
“Senior! This isn’t a lecture, but…!”
Thunder Heaven Style Thunder Flash.
Slash!
I cut the weakling in front of me in half. I shook off the blood on the blade of the Hwaryeon Blade and looked around.
“From now on, anyone who blocks me will be killed. No exceptions.”
I kicked the corpse of the warrior blocking my way and strode forward. No one stopped me.
