Nano-engineering Immortal Cultivation Chronicle

Episode 10: Encounter with the Fox Tribe

In a moment of crisis, Jang So-cheon fired a Talisman Paper he’d received from Makjang at the demonic beast.

Screeech!

Though the Talisman Paper was made of common yellow paper, it was wrapped in spiritual energy and could be hurled like a sword.

As soon as the Talisman Paper entered its mouth, the beast wrapped its tongue around it and swallowed it down its throat.

Right then—

Flash!

The Thunderclap Talisman exploded, blasting a hole through the beast’s tongue and throat, turning its mouth into a bloody mess.

“Graaaargh!”

The beast, struck by the Thunderclap Talisman, let out a scream that seemed to shake the heavens and thrashed about wildly.

In that moment, another Talisman Paper flew from Jang So-cheon’s hand, who had climbed up from the swamp.

Flash!

Crackle, crackle.

Right before Jang So-cheon’s eyes, a beast shaped like a crocodile convulsed and then fell to the ground with a thud.

It was the same beast that had leapt into the air, targeting Jang So-cheon.

He had made it out of the swamp, but the danger was far from over.

Dozens of demonic beasts were still chasing after him.

Clang!

To make matters worse, even his Blue Silver Sword snapped in two.

Startled, Jang So-cheon quickly pulled a red fruit from the Heaven and Earth Pouch and tossed it behind him.

Whoosh.

As the red fruit landed on the swamp, half of the pursuing beasts began fighting each other over it.

When he threw another, the remaining half also dwindled as they fought amongst themselves.

Having finally escaped the swamp, Jang So-cheon found a quiet spot, took a Yellow Essence Pill, and replenished his depleted spiritual energy.

Step, step.

With a weary expression, Jang So-cheon trudged toward Ghost Blood Valley. Suddenly, the sound of a waterfall reached his ears, and strength surged through his body.

Whoosh!

Unleashing the Cloud Moon Divine Technique, Jang So-cheon dashed toward the source of the water.

In less than half a mile, he discovered a massive waterfall.

The waterfall was over thirty jang high.

Looking around, he saw no sign of demonic beasts or monsters.

Still, Jang So-cheon washed off the mud and filth from his body at the edge of Dragon Swamp.

Splash, splash.

After washing his hair and face, he finally felt alive again.

His body—and even his mind—felt completely refreshed.

Just then—

From within the waterfall, the faint sound of war machines clashing echoed out.

Someone was fighting inside.

This place was close to Ghost Blood Valley.

There was a chance the person fighting could be an ally, so Jang So-cheon swam behind the waterfall.

Behind the falls, he found a surprisingly spacious area.

Climbing up the cliff through this space, Jang So-cheon soon discovered a small cave hidden between the rocks.

Drawing his broken Blue Silver Sword from the Heaven and Earth Pouch, he infused the blade with spiritual energy.

Crouching low, he entered the dark cave.

Fortunately, the cave widened as he went deeper.

Eventually, he came upon a vast chamber where a breathtakingly beautiful girl was locked in combat with a vicious-looking demonic monster.

The monster was the size of two men, with two heads—one resembling a wolf, the other a tiger.

It had two legs, four arms, and wielded a massive sword and a heavy iron mace that matched its bulk.

Screeech! Wham, wham!

Each time the monster’s weapons swept past, stalactites shattered and crashed to the ground, and the cave floor and stone pillars splintered into pieces.

In contrast, the girl wielded a small Spirit Sword, barely two feet long.

Yet her movements were fluid and swift, deftly dodging the monster’s attacks.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

Still, she seemed to be tiring, her movements slowing with each exchange.

The monster, too, was weakening.

Its body was covered in blood from the girl’s Spirit Sword.

It was a wonder how it could still swing such heavy weapons in that condition.

Roaaaar!

The tiger head let out a roar that seemed to shake the entire Eastern Region.

Then, ignoring defense, the monster charged at the girl, trying to crush her from above.

It was ready to sacrifice an arm if needed.

Startled, the girl spun her Spirit Sword like a windmill and leapt backward, lying flat as she flew.

The monster hurled its iron mace in her direction, shattering all the stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

Crack. Snap.

Crash!

With her escape route suddenly blocked, the girl’s face turned grim.

Clenching her crimson lips, she poured the last of her spiritual power into her Spirit Sword.

In an instant—

A crimson sword aura unfurled from the tip of her blade like a silk ribbon.

It severed one of the monster’s arms and cut deep into the tiger head’s neck.

But it wasn’t enough to finish the beast.

Even with its tiger head half-severed and dangling, the monster didn’t stop attacking.

The wolf head, eyes gleaming with savage malice, brought its massive sword down on the girl.

“Aaah!”

The girl screamed instinctively, realizing she couldn’t dodge in time.

Right then—

Flash!

A Talisman Paper flew from somewhere and exploded against the wolf head.

The Thunderclap Talisman didn’t blow the head off completely, but it blasted its face, blinding both eyes and turning it into a bloody ruin.

“Graaaargh!”

The monster dropped its sword and howled in agony.

The girl didn’t miss this golden opportunity.

Summoning her remaining strength, she severed the wolf head completely.

Staggering, the monster reeled backward and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Huff! Huff!”

Catching her breath, the girl turned to look at a stone pillar.

A moment later—

Jang So-cheon emerged from behind the pillar she’d been staring at.

Realizing the girl’s cultivation was far higher than his own, Jang So-cheon humbly explained why he’d intervened.

“I happened to wander in here and saw you in trouble, so I offered a small bit of help. I’ll take my leave now, so please continue what you were doing.”

As Jang So-cheon performed a Salute with Fist and Palm and turned to go, a glint of curiosity flashed in the girl’s eyes.

“Wait!”

Hearing human speech from the girl, Jang So-cheon looked surprised.

She was not human.

She was a member of the Fox Tribe.

Though she tried to hide it, three tails poked out from behind her.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“This Thousand Mile Gorge is a declared forbidden zone. Outsiders aren’t allowed here. Did you come to gather herbs?”

At her words, Jang So-cheon realized he still had the Herb Gathering Net slung over his shoulder.

He looked every bit the herb gatherer.

“That’s right. I came to gather herbs and was resting by the waterfall when I heard fighting and got curious. I should get back to collecting herbs now.”

“What kind of herbs are you looking for?”

“Any kind will do. Herb gatherers can’t afford to be picky, can they?”

“You’re right. If you go down there, you’ll find some rare, ancient Spirit Herbs.”

She pointed deeper into the cave.

But Jang So-cheon didn’t move.

If there were rare, ancient Spirit Herbs inside, a blue glow should be leaking out toward the entrance…

But he saw nothing.

“What are you waiting for? This is a gesture of goodwill… Ah, you don’t trust me, do you?”

“If there are such valuable Spirit Herbs, why didn’t you collect them yourself?”

“They’re inside a Golden Restriction Formation. Just as the formation was about to break, that thing chased me here…”

She gestured at the dead monster with her chin.

She’d been chased and hadn’t had a chance to collect the herbs.

Still, when Jang So-cheon didn’t budge, she offered another explanation.

“I’m a Smoke Mage. I’m not particularly interested in Spirit Herbs.”

“A Smoke Mage?”

“Yes. I heard there were plenty of smoke materials in this Thousand Mile Gorge and came here three days ago. But contrary to the rumors, I haven’t found anything useful. Instead, I ran into monsters and nearly lost my life.”

At the mention of Smoke Mage, Jang So-cheon’s eyebrows shot up.

If she was a Smoke Mage, she might know the true nature of the stone he’d found.

But he wasn’t about to take it out rashly.

Whether human or Fox Tribe, greed could lead to death—or murder.

Still, the girl seemed kinder than he’d expected.

“We only just met, so it’s natural you don’t trust me. But I want to repay you for saving my life. Come with me!”

After some hesitation, Jang So-cheon followed her.

Given her cultivation, she wouldn’t need to lure him deeper into the cave to attack him.

Three tails—she was a Red Fox, and her cultivation must have spanned centuries.

Following her deeper into the cave, Jang So-cheon scanned the area for the Spirit Herbs.

But he couldn’t see any of the herbs she’d mentioned.

“Didn’t I say? The Spirit Herbs are inside the Golden Restriction Formation… I thought the formation was almost broken, but it’s still holding.”

Fweeet!

The girl pulled a Formation Flag from the Heaven and Earth Pouch and tossed it into the Golden Restriction Formation.

Immediately—

A surge of red energy burst out from within, attacking the flag.

But the flag she’d thrown was no ordinary thing.

Wooooom.

Howling like a beast, it radiated a purple light and began to battle the red energy.

As the purple energy seemed to falter, the girl frowned slightly.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

She threw more Formation Flags from her hand.

They turned into purple mist, rampaging like dragons and tigers.

Before long, the red energy retreated.

Only then did a green glow begin to seep from the Spirit Herbs.

The glow was even richer than what he’d seen from the Nine-leaf Immortal Herb before.

“Now! Hurry and collect the Spirit Herbs!”

At her shout, Jang So-cheon dashed to the herb patch.

He dug up all the Spirit Herbs—over a dozen—and stuffed them into his Herb Gathering Net.

The moment he stepped away from the patch—

Wooooom.

The Formation Flags began to wail, unable to hold on any longer.

The girl waved her hand, retrieving all the flags she’d thrown.

When Jang So-cheon offered her the Herb Gathering Net, she waved her hand again.

“They’re all yours. Consider it payment for saving my life.”

“I only used a single talisman. This is too much in return.”

When Jang So-cheon protested, the girl sighed.

Then she revealed her true identity.

“I am the princess of the Red Fox Tribe. And you say this is too much for saving my life?”

“Even if you are a princess, this is just…”

Jang So-cheon wasn’t protesting for no reason.

There were three kinds of Spirit Herbs in the net.

Three roots of Heavenly Peak White Peony, seven roots of Dragon Snow Herb, and one he didn’t even recognize.

The problem was, all three types were over a thousand years old.

Some were nearly two thousand years old.

“I told you, I’m a Smoke Mage. No matter how precious Spirit Herbs are, they’re nothing compared to smoke materials. I am Eun Dan-bi, the grand princess of the Red Fox Tribe. And your name?”

“I’m Jang So-cheon, disciple of the Extreme Heaven Sect.”

“I’m a Fox Tribe member, and you’re human. If we meet again, we’ll likely be enemies. Still, if I see you, I’ll save your life once.”

“Thank you. I have one request—would you hear me out?”

“A request? You don’t look it, but you’re rather bold. Fine, I’ll grant you one last favor. What is it?”

“I’d like to know what this is.”

Having received such a great favor, Jang So-cheon wanted to ease his burden, even a little.

So he thought of the stone he’d found in the swamp.

If it turned out to be valuable, he could offer her a share to balance out his excessive gain.

He handed her a piece no bigger than a fingernail.

But—

The girl reacted with surprise.

Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, and she asked in an excited voice,

“W-where did you find this? Do you have any more?”

“Could you tell me its name first?”

“This is Silver Essence. It’s a Heaven and Earth Treasure, an invaluable smoke material. Even a small amount can greatly enhance the power of Dharma Treasures and war machines.”

Jang So-cheon thought that no matter how precious Silver Essence was, it couldn’t compare to the Spirit Herbs he’d just received.

So, without hesitation, he took out a chunk the size of his fist from the Heaven and Earth Pouch and offered it to her.

“I’m glad it’s valuable. I found it by chance in the swamp today. Since you’ve saved my life, please accept it as a gift.”

“You’re giving me such a precious treasure?”

When Jang So-cheon nodded, Eun Dan-bi stared at him in a daze, as if her soul had left her body.

Then, suddenly, she pulled a sword from her Heaven and Earth Pouch and handed it to him.

“You must not realize how valuable Silver Essence is—it’s a Heaven and Earth Treasure beyond price. So please, accept this in return.”

“A sword?”

“It’s the Primordial Divine Sword, found in ancient ruins. It’s imbued with energy that opposes all things evil and demonic. It didn’t suit my swordsmanship, so I’ve just been carrying it around. But it seems it’s finally found its true owner.”

He should have refused, but he couldn’t.

The moment he saw the sword, it felt as if his soul was drawn to it—his hand moved on its own.

Shing.

As he drew the blade and examined it, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

There were characters engraved on the blade—three of them, identical to those he’d seen in the sword manual given by his master.