The disciples of the Radiance Spirit Sect receive the hospitality of the Gi Clan and all unpack at the clan's main stronghold, Bizarre Mountain.
They expect to experience the culture and new customs of this Heavenly Domain, but their masters, the Esteemed Ones, immediately summon them.
"From today, you will each ascend to different Middle Realms of the Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain, and there you will eliminate the groups of Evil God worshipers that have taken root. According to your strength and the size of each cult, you have been assigned to your respective places. Any questions?"
Esteemed One Baek Geom explains, and some cultivators at the Integration stage raise questions.
"Yes, is there perhaps even a brief piece of information we can know about those worshipers?"
"For now, I will hand out jade slips, so read them along with the slips."
Paaaatt!
From Baek Geom's sleeve, several jade slips appear and fly into the hands of the disciples, and each accepts and begins reading.
Wol Ryeong, sticking close with Seo Gyeong, reads the jade slip and lets out a silent exclamation.
"They are all frightening beings."
"Yeah...but must you really sit this close, Ryeong?"
"What's the problem?"
"Master...seems to be staring at us."
"Hmph, let her stare if she wants."
By now Wol Ryeong is no longer afraid of Esteemed One Baek Geom.
Of course, if they actually fight, she will die, but as she has continued along her Immortal Cultivation, she has come to know her own value clearly, and understands that Baek Geom can never truly Kill her.
At Wol Ryeong's attitude, Baek Geom glares even harder with her eyes bloodshot, and for some reason, the head of the Gi Clan also narrows their pupils tightly as they look toward them.
Seo Gyeong, feeling the stares flying in from every direction, thinks he must separate from Wol Ryeong, but she pays it no mind and continues reading the information written in the jade slip.
Baek Geom, even while glaring at Wol Ryeong, continues her explanation.
"The places you must subjugate are three. The Lightning Sword Palace (B2/E) of the Sealing Spirit Realm. The Wii Society (#igi&) of the Bestowed Bliss Realm. And finally, the Thunder Resonance Valley (%& 4) of the Vast Cold Realm. The Lightning Sword Palace and the Wuji Society are groups claiming to have received revelations from evil gods, and all are skilled in Lightning Path Methods, Sword Path Methods, Ghost Path Methods, and Curse Methods."
Among the three sects, Wol Ryeong's eyes go to the one called Thunder Resonance Valley.
For some reason, she feels she will be assigned to subjugate that Thunder Resonance Valley.
It feels as though her fate is connected there.
Baek Geom continues the explanation about Thunder Resonance Valley.
"Lastly, Thunder Resonance Valley. The Lightning Sword High Person there is also famous as the grand master of the Palace Lord of the Lightning Sword Palace. They are renowned as a cultivator who surpassed the Integration stage, and may perhaps have even reached the Quasi-Star Shattering stage. In particular, this Lightning Sword High Person is said to have received direct teachings from the evil gods, so you must be extremely cautious. Now then, I will now assign disciples to each sect. To the Lighting Sword Palace—Eun Ryeok, Eun Rak, Pal Jin."
Baek Geom slowly assigns disciples, and at the end, calls out those who will be sent to the Thunder Resonance Valley.
"To the Thunder Resonance Valley—Wol Ryeong, Seo Gyeong, Mu Geom, Bi Hwa. These four disciples will go for the subjugation. An Esteemed One will accompany each subjugation area, so do not worry too much. For Lighting Sword Palace, Baek Jin. For Wuji Society, Baek Eun. For Thunder Resonance Valley, I will personally go..."
As she says this, Baek Geom fixes a fierce glare on Wol Ryeong, and Wol Ryeong only smiles without caring about that gaze.
Thus, under Baek Geom's assignment, Wol Ryeong holds Seo Gyeong's hand and smiles lightly.
"Huhu, Seo Gyeong. This time too, we're together."
Seo Gyeong glances toward where Baek Geom stands, and where the clan head of the Gi Clan is, then tightly shuts his eyes.
Deep into the night.
Blink—
Wol Ryeong opens her eyes.
"What is this?"
She half-opens her eyes and rises from her seat, sensing a strange feeling from Bizarre Mountain, the main base of the Gi Clan.
Normally, once one reaches the Four-Axis stage, sleep is unnecessary. But because they traveled through light-speed navigation to another Heavenly Domain, until they adapt to the power of that Heavenly Domain, they must sleep like ordinary people and eat the crops of that Heavenly Domain.
This adaptation period is a process every traveler between Heavenly Domains must go through, unless one is a Star Shattering Esteemed One. Those who do not go through this period inevitably find their strength weakened.
Thus, during this adaptation period, the Gi Clan supports them, and they are supplied with usable magic artifacts, dharma treasures, and talismans from the Gi Clan, a clan famous for producing dharma treasures in this star system. After about a year of adaptation, they are expected to ascend and carry out their mission.
"What is this...?"
Yet Wol Ryeong feels such an ominous premonition beneath the Gi Clan's main base that it makes her shudder.
"This is...
Although from the aftermath of Heavenly Domain travel she should not even be able to read celestial energy, she instinctively senses a powerful ominous foreboding. She summons a radiance halberd and points it toward the Gi Clan guards standing outside her room.
Thud!
A thrust through the halberd!
it is not a full strike, only a probing thrust, so the power amounts to no more than an attack from a Core Formation cultivator.
Yet within that thrust, she senses something.
"..Who are you?"
Wol Ryeong glares and asks the Gi Clan guard whose chest is pierced by the halberd, though not a drop of blood flows. The guard then smiles faintly and opens their mouth. [Second-class alert warning issued. Second-class dangerous individual, direct disciple Wol Ryeong, initiates hostile action.
Shiver!
Kwachijijikt
At that inhuman display, Wol Ryeong tears the guard apart without a moment to ask further.
And then, she understands the nature of the inhuman sensation she felt from the guard. "This thing...
They are, astonishingly, a finely crafted mechanical construct.
Realizing this, Wol Ryeong can't but widen her eyes.
Even if her cultivation is unstable due to coming to another Heavenly Domain and she requires an adaptation period, her consciousness domain is not sealed.
When she sweeps with her consciousness domain, she clearly perceives them as "human'.
In other words, this puppet is created with advanced techniques that can completely deceive her consciousness domain's detection.
At that moment, she finally realizes the source of the ominous premonition she has continuously been feeling.
Dudududududu—
ow
All the Gi Clan members of Bizarre Mountain surge toward the Bizarre Forging Pavilion where the disciples of the Radiance Spirit Sect reside.
(it's an ambush!)
Jjeooong!
Wol Ryeong's lion's roar shakes the entire Bizarre Forging Pavilion, and countless Radiance Spirit Sect disciples open their eyes and rise to respond.
Kwang, kwaaang!
Holes burst open throughout the Bizarre Forging Pavilion, and explosions erupt.
Wol Ryeong quickly grabs Seo Gyeong from the adjacent room and scans the surroundings.
"Damn it, I knew the face of the Gi Clan's head was suspicious from the start.'
She realizes what is happening now.
Kuguguguung!
Gi Clan's main stronghold, Bizarre Mountain, is sinking downward while a massive lid- ike thing rises from the ground, sealing off the entire area.
And the endless wave of Gi Clan members rushing toward them.
She realizes that all of those clan members are actually mechanical puppets made to look exactly like humans.
Tukwang, tukwang, tukwagwagwang!
Countless cultivators pour down barrages of spells, but perhaps because of the side effects of crossing a Heavenly Domain, every one of their spells is pitifully weak.
The power of a Grand Cultivator at the Integration stage has fallen to no more than the level of the Nascent Soul stage.
"Damn 1, to be attacked before we even have time to adapt. They targeted us at our weakest moment."
Kuuuuung!
The puppets of the Gi Clan all combine together and begin transforming into a massive puppet.
Flash!
Kurururung!
Then, enormous swords fly from the sky, shaking the ground where the seal is forming, and the voices of the Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones thunder across Heaven and Earth.
[We have fallen into a trap. Survive on your own. If you wait in your positions for three shichen, this riot will be supp—]
But at that moment.
Flash!
Something that burns through the sky flies straight at Esteemed One Baek Jin who is transmitting their voice, and from Baek Jin, struck by it, an immense explosion bursts forth.
Kwaaruuuung!
The shockwave from beyond the planet shakes the entire planet.
[Kuaaaaaaaagh!]
Perhaps because the attack is unexpected, Baek Jin screams as they reveal their true body, while Baek Eun quickly assesses the situation and flies toward the Radiance Spirit Ship.
[E-Esteemed One Baek Geom, please assist us. We must fire the main cannon of the Radiance Spirit Ship...]
But immediately after.
Tukwang!
Something fires again, striking the Radiance Spirit Ship directly.
Jjeoooooongt
Under the force of that something, the Radiance Spirit Ship shatters completely, and Esteemed One Baek Eun is blown away as well.
Baek Geom does not even spare them a glance, only looking downward.
Kuguguguung!
The Gi Clan's main base.
From the place where the warhead that instantly disabled the Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones came from, stands Gi Yeon, clan head of the Gi Clan, now fully revealing their mechanical puppet body.
"Th-The Esteemed Ones are hit?"
Wol Ryeong joins up with Mu Geom and Bi Hwa who is assigned to her team, and looks toward the sky.
Esteemed Ones Baek Jin and Baek Eun.
And even the Radiance Spirit Ship they rode on are all being shattered by the vile scheme of the Gi Clan's head.
"W-We're all going to die..."
At the words of Bi Hwa, a girl at the early Integration stage, Mu Geom and Seo Gyeong both wear stunned expressions.
Wol Ryeong looks at them with a sharp expression.
"Stop spouting nonsense, Senior Brother, Junior Sister. We can survive."
"H-How can we possibly survive!? We can't use attraction force because of the adaptation period, and even the Flying Escape Technique only works at the level of the Nascent Soul stage!"
"At that speed we can't escape from within this sealing formation... Spatial movement using planes is blocked as well..."
"..There is a way."
Wol Ryeong's eyes shine as she encourages the others who have fallen into despair. "We can ascend. If it is the attraction force of ascension that leaps beyond dimensions, we can escape from here!"
"Stop spouting nonsense! Everyone's realm has dropped because of the adaptation period! Your cultivation at the Four-Axis stage has dropped to the Core Formation stage, and the Integration stage cultivation of Mu Geom and I have fallen to the Nascent Soul stage!"
"...As long as there are three at the Nascent Soul stage...we can, for a brief instant, raise one person's cultivation to the Heavenly Being stage and attempt ascension."
"What!? What are you even... No, even if that's possible, we still need one more at the Nascent Soul stage, but you and Seo Gyeong are..."
"I can just raise my realm right now."
Wol Ryeong quickly off Bi Hwa's words and begins taking out familiar things from her Golden Core.
"I wanted to stack the axes not with the Five Elements Axes, but with the Five Blessings Axes.
The orthodox Five Elements Axes she has gathered float into the air and are sucked into Wol Ryeong's body in an instant.
Her realm, which had only been at the early Four-Axis stage, begins to rise madly.
The Five Elements Axes instantly settle within her body, pulling her cultivation up to the Grand Perfection Four-Axis stage.
The heavens rumble as if to send forth a Heavenly Tribulation, but she ignores it and takes another step forward.
Kwarurururung!
A sound like thunder roars from within her body, and she pushes her realm straight into the Integration stage.
Woo-woong!
Though weakened enough by the adaptation period that even a Nascent Soul stage could break it apart, a faint dimensional veil appears around her body.
Seeing this, Mu Geom and Bi Hwa are so shocked their eyes nearly pop out.
"Wh-What in the world? Insane... No matter what, to completely ignore all the Axis rituals and stack the axes all in one go..."
"The axes should not even be stabilized yet, how in the world could she possibly reach the Integration stage...? How is that even..."
"I can. Because I'm a genius."
Wol Ryeong brushes past their astonishment, feeling her own strength now risen to the Nascent Soul stage, and extends her hands toward them.
"Senior Brother Mu Geom, Senior Sister Bi Hwa. Lend me your Nascent Souls for a moment. If it's me, through your Nascent Souls, I can briefly reach the Quasi-Star Shattering stage... In other worlds, in this Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain where our realms are lowered due to adaptation, I can—for an instant—release the power of the Heavenly Being stage. You don't need to give me all of it, half a Nascent Soul each is enough."
Overwhelmed by such talent, the two are at a loss for words, but soon they clench their eyes shut and take Wol Ryeong's hand.
Wooo-wooong!
Half of their Nascent Souls flow into Wol Ryeong's body, and with half-opened eyes, she forms the Three Powers Formation within her domain using the three Nascent Souls.
It's at that moment.
Flash!
She temporarily shortens the adaptation period required for dimensional acclimation, and instantly restores her realm to the Heavenly Being stage.
Woooong!
Holding the hands of Mu Geon and Bi Hwa, and biting Seo Gyeong directly by the nape and lifting him up, Wol Ryeong leaps straight toward the sky.
Woo-woooong!
Transforming the Celestial Energy Guidance of the Heavenly Being stage into attraction force and hooking it into the attraction force of a Middle Realm like hooking into a ring— that is the starting point of ascension.
Clang!
Through her genius sense, Wol Ryeong instantly locates the attraction force of the Vast Cold Realm, hooks into it, and ascends into the Middle Realm.
With her departure, the sealing formation that blankets the entire Bizarre Mountain shuts completely, trapping all the remaining disciples of the Radiance Spirit Sect.
The clan head of the Gi Clan, Gi Yeon, whose arm has completely transformed into a cannon barrel, manipulates their arm to eject a massive shell casing and loads another strike.
immediately after,
Jjeoooooongt
From the sky, Baek Geom's strike falls at a speed beyond reaction, aiming at them, but the mechanical tendrils bursting out around clan head Gi Yeon block Baek Geom's blow. Kwaaarururung!
The surroundings are scorched to ruin, and the planet trembles.
And in the midst of the collision, Baek Geom glares at Gi Yeon.
"What are you doing right now? We agreed to wait about seven days and nights for Seo Eun-hyun to slowly erode the disciples of the Radiance Spirit Sect, and only then begin the operation.
"..That is true. However...my authority sensed something suspicious. For the sake of Orabeoni and for your own sake as well, I judged it better to cause chaos now." "What...2"
Gi Yeon.
More precisely, Kim Yeon, who descended a split soul into the puppet body of the Gi Clan head, whispers a single quiet phrase amidst the turmoil to the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord.
"My authority caught another of the Eight Immortals watching you. I do not know exactly who itis, or where they are lurking...but you and Orabeoni must now stay apart."
"Rain Dew...is it? I understand, but..."
Shockwaves ripple as the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord frowns.
"Why in the world did you send Wol Ryeong and Seo Gyeong together?"
"What is the problem? Since it's the Vast Cold Realm, it is practically no different from being within my grasp, so there is no issue."
"Damn it... Even if the Vast Cold Realm is in your grasp, once they enter it, it becomes impossible for you to intervene in it again. Wol Ryeong's attraction force of fate is far stronger than the other candidates. The Radiance Eight Immortals directly invoked the full might of Heuk Sa's power to bestow the fate of the next Eight Immortals candidate to her...! Even with your power, you cannot completely ignore it."
"That is true, but...isn't it enough to simply watch whether the two remain unharmed?" "What I mean is...that depraved Wol Ryeong has gone with my Seo Eun-hyun! Do you think I can be at ease with what that thing might do to Seo Eun-hyunt?"
At Sword Spear's words, Kim Yeon looks at her with eyes as if finding it absurd.
"Leaving aside why Orabeoni is yours, you are also depra—"
"Galt"
Kim Yeon tried to press Sword Spear about something, but in the midst of the lion's roar she let out, her question is simply buried.
In the end, after exchanging only a few more short pieces of information, the two clash with the full might of the bodies they inhabit.
Blink—
A dark stone cave.
That is where Wol Ryeong opens her eyes.
"Haht"
She quickly opens her eyes, rises, and takes up guard.
For in front of her, a human-shaped shadow is sitting in a lotus position.
Strangely, since that shadow does not emit the slightest sign of human presence, Wol Ryeong cannot help but feel an even greater chill.
"Who...are you?"
Wol Ryeong looks at the girl in black martial attire who appears to be of the Human Race and asks. The girl with her hair tied in a ponytail smirks, then ignores her completely and looks instead at Seo Gyeong.
"So this is your arrangement. I can guess what you are trying to do. You insane being... I it succeeds, it will indeed be like striking the king with a blow. Even if Myeon Woon is used, even if they personally attend, it will be extremely difficult to wipe away this arrangement. A sticky, stubborn stain, hard to wash off, hard to peel away..."
on
"If it succeeds, then for the first time since Silver Basket and Obsidian, I will see something amusing again. I support it."
"Who are you...?"
Wol Ryeong looks at the mysterious girl with puzzlement. The girl smiles with a sneer, rises from her seat, plucks a single weed from outside the cave, and points it at Wol Ryeong.
"I shall teach you a move. Engrave it upon your soul, and let me leave my trace within the mountain spirit's arrangement."
"What insane..."
At the nonsense of a mortal girl from whom not the slightest energy can be felt, Wol Ryeong summons a sword of radiance to drive her out.
For some reason, from the very moment she first saw her.
From the very moment she saw those hollow eyes, Wol Ryeong felt an unbearable revulsion she must raise her sword against.
The girl turns her back.
"The difference between you and this Venerable is such that to face you directly would be far too shameless...so I shall turn my back. Now..."
Shiver!
In the next instant, Wol Ryeong feels a powerful threat to her life. In that brief fleeting moment, through her sword of radiance, she unfolds the greatest defensive technique she knows.
The radiance sword draws a curtain.
"Annihilation Advancement."
That is the end.
"..Huh?"
In the very next moment, Wol Ryeong's four limbs are severed, and she is miserably flung backward, crashing straight into the rear wall.
As if that is not enough, she feels her organs spill out from her belly and chest, and she vomits blood in dumbfounded shock.
When she regains awareness, the girl in black martial attire is gone.
Seo Gyeong, Mu Geom, and Bi Hwa are still unconscious, and only she is left vomiting blood, her limbs and body severed in many places.
it feels like a dream.
Chiiili—
Only the sight of her body swiftly regenerating reminds her that what just happened is not a dream.
""J-Just now..."
Wol Ryeong tries once more to summon her sword of radiance, but suddenly her hand trembles and she realizes she cannot summon it.
"That existence just now...just what...2"
Humiliatingly, her talent swiftly reveals the reason.
The humiliation is carved into her soul.
The terror is engraved into her.
Because the sense of defeat that with a sword she can never surpass that existence is carved into her, Wol Ryeong realizes she cannot use the radiance sword.
"Ah, ahhh..."
As she falters in panic and staggers outside the cave to chase after the girl—
"Ah..2"
Hweeeeee—
She sees the world outside the cave, and her eyes shrink tightly.
"Th-This place is...2"
Everywhere, beings that look like mere mortals are walking about.
"Haha, take my greeting! Surpassing Radiant Heavenly Killing Method!"
"Heavenly Killing Method Counter!"
Kugwagwagwang!
One human mortal and one Small Green Race mortal clash with sword and saber, causing an uproar, and no one around them finds it strange.
"Cultivators...2 What is this, there is no restriction on flying techniques... Why is no one flying...2"
As Wol Ryeong looks around in confusion—
A tall being, eight chi in height and is half-human, half-spider, appears.
"Greetings. Are you perhaps a cultivator who has ascended from the Lower Realm?" "Y-Yes... am, but..?"
"I am a warrior of the Heart Tribe from the Half-Human, Half-Spider Race. At the same time, the current vice-alliance leader of the Vast Cold Martial Alliance."
"Martial Alliance...
"Welcome to the Heart Tribe territory. In this large and wide Vast Cold Realm, for a Human Race cultivator such as yourself to go out of your way to ascend into the Heart Tribe territory must mean your martial arts and heart are truly exceptional."
Kuung!
it's just when Wol Ryeong fails to understand.
The Half-Human, Half-Spider Races Yu Jin sets down a massive zither beside her with a resounding thud and laughs.
"Let us first begin with a "greeting'
-x-X-x-
"Hmm...this place is..."
When I regain my senses, what I see is a stone cave, and in front of it, Wol Ryeong is fighting a Half-Human, Half-Spider Race.
The two draw a circle about three zhang wide, and inside that circle they duel, but it looks like Wol Ryeong is being utterly overpowered.
"Damn it, I briefly shut down my consciousness in the clone and came back, and this is what I get.
Leaving behind an arrangement is an act that is exhausting beyond imagination.
In real time, I must align the flows of fate numbering in the tens of thousands, hundreds of millions, trillions, along with the measures of misfortune and fortune, and within it I must secretly intervene in such a subtle way that no one can notice, weaving fate together.
Because of that, ever since entering Seo Gyeong's body, I periodically retrieve my consciousness back into the main body and use it to govern the causality of the world. "As long as I succeed, the arrangement I leave behind will be so powerful that this suffering won't even matter."
But for now, it still feels like a distant effort.
On top of that, at times, variables like this also occur.
"This place...is it the Heart Tribe territory? That is..Yu Hwal? No, no. That is..a descendant of Yu Hwa."
As I watch Wol Ryeong fighting the Half-Human Half-Spider Race woman who appears to be Yu Hwa's descendant, I narrow my eyes.
"Hyeon Mu...did that one leave a trace in my arrangement?'
If that is the case, even if I leave behind an arrangement, Hyeon Mu may one day be able to interfere with it to some extent.
I can cleanse it, but to do so would require an unimaginable amount of time and effort. "And with only 110,000 years remaining, when it is already uncertain if I can leave behind an arrangement within that time, I can't afford to waste it on erasing Hyeon Mu's trace." Though Hyeon Mu's intentions are bothersome, I decide to let it go.
"Anyway, the Heart Tribe, huh...
I watch the techniques of the Half-Human, Have-Spider Race Heart Warrior pushing Wol Ryeong back.
"First Quarter, Flowing Sunset."
Dwoong, doong—
The strings of the zither bounce, creating a beautiful melody.
Wol Ryeong fails to withstand the power of the Half-Human, Half-Spider Race Yu Jin who announces the name of the technique openly and presses her.
"What in the world is this?'
itis neither a demon beast method nor Heaven Tribe methods.
'But...it is close. Like...clothing made just for me.'
Surprisingly, even with her talent, she cannot analyze the power of that strange method system.
But her essence tells her clearly that her talent and that method system are strikingly close.
"Above all..."
Kaang, kang, kaaang!
Excitement gleams in Wol Ryeong's eyes.
It's fun!'
Ever since the appearance of that ponytail girl, holding a sword has become impossible. Every time she grips a sword, the terrifying memories of defeat at that girl's hands resurface, making it impossible for her to hold a sword again.
That is why, instead of a sword, she holds a halberd (#;). As Wol Ryeong wields it, sweating as she faces Yu Jin, she finds pleasure in the principles of weapon use.
"First Quarter, Dusk Waterfall."
A waterfall of darkness pours onto her, amplifying her drowsiness to an extreme.
Wol Ryeong trembles, sinking into the desire to collapse and sleep soundly right there, but it is only for a moment.
Shukak!
Wol Ryeong perceives the Plane of Soul, and beyond that plane.
From within the Void inside, she cuts through Yu Jin's "grains'.
And for how long does she continue to do so?
"First Quarter, secret art. Yu Hwa (i##&/Oil Painting)."
The sound waves of Yu Jin's zither crash over her, and for an instant, Wol Ryeong feels as though the whole world is engulfed in an oil painting, the boundaries of reality blurring.
Then, at some moment—
"Heok!"
Wol Ryeong opens her eyes to Seo Gyeong's hand shaking her shoulder.
"Th-This place is..."
"Ryeong-ah, you lost. While you were asleep from being struck by Daoist Yu Jin's secret art, your citizenship in the Heart Tribe territory got registered too."
She looks around.
She is above a large bed.
Mu Geom and Bi Hwa are at the side, glancing about nervously, while Seo Gyeong is handing her a small wooden badge in the shape of a podao.
Wol Ryeong accepts the tablet and checks it.
"This is..."
The badge is infused with her own energy.
It seems Yu Jin made the energy she collected during their fight infuse into it.
"Quite the skill.
"...Where is this, Gyeong-ah?"
"This is Daoist Yu's house. To explain first..."
Just as Seo Gyeong is about to explain, the door of the bedroom she is lying in opens, and Yu Jin enters.
"Have you come to your senses, Daoist Wol? I apologize for suddenly requesting a duel as a greeting. However, in the Heart Tribe territory, such things are part of daily life, so I wanted to let you know in advance so you wouldn't be too shocked. By the way, during the duel, you never once used Blooming (B37). Was it something you wished to keep secret?"
"Blooming...2"
"It refers to blooming the paper flower. It means obtaining one's own Heart Dao. In the past, it was called Last Quarter First Stage, Fighting Spirit First Stage, Fighting Dance First Step, Entering Heavens, One Wheel, Red Lotus, and many different names. I do not know by what name Daoist Wol has called it, but here in the Heart Tribe territory, it is unified under the term Heart Dao Blooming (1:i&R37)."
Yu Jin kindly explains about what "Heart Dao Blooming' is.
"Heart Dao Blooming is divided into early, middle, and late stages, and within each there are many realms. The early stage, the introductory stage of Heart Dao Blooming, is simply the stage of learning internal methods and diligently practicing the martial arts one wishes to master.
"The middle stage is the stage of entering into Heart Dao Blooming, and in truth this is the most well-known part of the system.
"When you bloom a single paper flower containing your life compressed within your chest, that is the realm of Blooming."
At her explanation, Wol Ryeong, though flustered, commits the information about those realms to memory.
The realms of the middle stage of Heart Dao Blooming are as follows:
Blooming (Bd7£), blooming a single paper flower in the spirit, corresponding to the Core Formation stage in the Immortal Cultivation system.
Life Flower (£53), blooming at least three to as many as nine paper flowers, achieving the foundation of the Three Power, corresponding to the Nascent Soul stage.
Flower Bed (18), blooming at least ten to as many as fifty flowers, corresponding to the Heavenly Being stage.
Flower Garden (3M), blooming at least one hundred to as many as one thousand flowers, corresponding to the Four-Axis stage.
Flower Mountain ( LL), blooming countless paper flowers to cover at least one mountain, corresponding to the Integration stage.
Flower Sea (3), blooming enough paper flowers to fill an entire continent, creating a sea of flowers, corresponding to the Star Shattering stage.
Seven Brilliances (£3), gathering the paper flowers into a single "star, corresponding to the Sacred Vessel stage to True Immortality.
In total, these seven realms make up the middle stage of Heart Dao Blooming, the part that can be called the flower of the Heart Dao Blooming system.
"As for the late stage, I only know that those who reach it are called Flower Immortal (2 fll) and Brilliance King (Z). Beyond that, I do not know."
"Brilliance King...? Heart Dao Blooming..2"
All of this is a system and realms Wol Ryeong has never once heard of until now.
She has heard of Heaven Immortals, she has heard of Earth Immortals, but the name "Flower Immortal' is something she is hearing for the first time.
And on top of that, what in the world is a Brilliance King?
"There might have been something similar in the Buddhist Family Methods system...but I only glanced at that side, so I don't know."
However, one thing is certain.
Thump, thump...
"It looks...fun."
She trembles at the pounding in her chest she feels for the first time in her life.
"Of course, in this way the "common stage names' are set...but from the beginning, the Heart Tribe has an extremely strong individualistic tendency, so most of them create their own stage names. For example, even in our Yu Clan, the stage names of "First Quarter' and 'Last Quarter" that our 9th generation grandmother created still remain." "Ninth-generation grandmother...2"
At those words, Seo Gyeong looks puzzled, and Yu Jin smiles faintly as she speaks. "She is someone you could call the progenitor of our family. There is a grave and portrait in the backyard, would you like to see it?"
Perhaps her knowledge about the longevity of Heaven Tribe cultivators is shallow, as Yu Jin treats Seo Gyeong like a child and points kindly to the backyard, and Seo Gyeong, as if curious about something, asks Yu Jin.
"... wonder, may I ask what kind of life the ninth-generation grandmother lived?"
"Oh my, it would be an honor. Then let us do so. Daoist Wol, get up. Let's hear about it while taking a walk in the backyard."
And so, Wol Ryeong listens to Yu Jin's explanation about the Yu Clan's ninth-generation grandmother, Yu Hwa, as they tour the backyard of Yu Jin's home.
Seo Gyeong stands before Yu Hwa's grave, sweeps the grass growing on it, and Yu Jin speaks of Yu Hwa's accomplishments.
"Hundreds of thousands of years ago, in the ancient era...surprisingly, it is said that the system of Heart Dao Blooming was not yet established at that time. Because of this, there were countless people who did not even know properly about "martial arts,' and at that time there were very many who could not even practice the early stage of Heart Dao Blooming, let alone the middle stage. Of course, that did not mean they could cultivate Heavenly Path methods, nor, with their weak bodies, could they cultivate Earth Path methods either."
"...I see. Mortal Race (FL), huh."
Wol Ryeong mutters quietly.
She, too, once learned this when she was in the cultivator clan.
If humans who cannot cultivate are called mortals (J, A), then all races unable to practice the Immortal Cultivation system are collectively called the Mortal Race.
"..In those days, rather than such a refined term, they were called 'slave races". From the beginning, to the cultivators of the Heaven-Earth Tribes, races that could not cultivate the Heaven-Earth Tribe methods were not considered equals, but literally livestock' or slaves"
"...Blatant, indeed."
"A disgraceful history. In any case...the one who took those enslaved slave races away from under the Heaven and Earth Tribes and migrated them into the Heart Tribe territory was our ninth-generation grandmother Yu Hwa. As the Special Operative Liberation Envoy of the Heart Tribe, she truly...saved countless races and taught many disciples... She also kidnapped many men, devoured them, and laid many eggs."
Seeming delighted to talk about her ancestor, Yu Jin even brings out genealogies and biographies from her house, puts on glasses (£82), and continues her explanation with fervor.
Through the story of Yu Hwa, Wol Ryeong learns information about the beings of the Heart Tribe and their history, and she also comes to know of the new cultivation system called [Heart Dao Blooming].
Seo Gyeong, perhaps simply fascinated by the story itself, is absorbed in listening.
For some time, they listen to the tale of Yu Hwa, the Special Operative Liberation Envoy of the Heart Tribe.
The tale of Yu Hwa overcoming countless hardships to rescue the Goat Race from under the rule of the Sea Dragon Race.
The tale of how a disciple she takes in from the Goat Race betrays her, and after countless trials, she fights that disciple, kills the disciple, and gains enlightenment.
And after that, how she continues to serve as a Special Operative Envoy, raising her stage higher and higher, until finally she rises to the position of highest officer of the Heart Tribe, biting off the heads of many men, laying many eggs, and at last meeting a meaningful end in the arms of her children and descendants. As they hear the story, before long, they find themselves bowing in silent prayer toward the existence called Yu Hwa.
"Though our progenitor passed away...her will continues to be passed down in our clan. Because of that, her descendants have always taken key positions in the Martial Alliance, and we have thrown ourselves away like grass and weed for the cause."
Wiping the tears from her glasses, Yu Jin ends her story in the midst of emotions she stirred herself.
"Was it a good story to hear?"
"...Yes. I was able to gain much information."
"...I truly gained great consolation. Thank you."
Wol Ryeong and Seo Gyeong each give thanks to Yu Jin.
Wol Ryeong, in particular, feels curious about the incident at the end of the story.
It is not about Yu Hwa, but about one of the Heart Tribe masters who comes to visit during Yu Hwa's final moments.
"By the way, the one who is both an Esteemed One of the Earth Tribe and Heart Tribe... What kind of existence is this Trampling Heaven Esteemed One Ham Rak?"
"Ah, you must be speaking of the Alliance Leader. He is one of the three heads who, together with the three Heart Tribe Esteemed Ones, protect the Heart Tribe. Are you curious about him as well?"
"...Not only about him, I am curious about the three Heart Tribe Esteemed Ones as well." At Wol Ryeong's words, Yu Jin smiles faintly and is about to speak.
Just then, her words are drowned out by a booming voice resounding from the sky. [Hey Yu Jiiiiintt!]
itis like a meteor.
A giant meteor crashes into Yu Jin's backyard, and in an instant, not only her backyard but even her house becomes a wreck.
Kwarururung!
"..My house..."
Before Yu Jin's pupils can even shake, a muscular woman emerges through the rising dust cloud, laughing heartily as she scatters the dust away.
"What's this, are these the fledglings who just ascended?"
"...Esteemed One...Jin Wol-ryeong."
The one who appears is a royal of the Fighting Ghost Race with seven horns, the Star Shattering Esteemed One with the title Final Heaven.
itis Jin Wol-ryeong.
"What was it, the sect said to be famous in the other Heavenly Domain? The Radiance Spirit Sect? I got word from that sect. They said some of their sect disciples just ascended and asked for some help. Since it's a sect backed by True Immortals, it's quite difficult to ignore. So, I'l be taking these ones."
Wol Ryeong looks flustered at the sudden appearance of a giant from the Fighting Ghost Race, and Yu Jin furrows her brow as well.
"Never mind that you smashed my house, this person has already received an identity tablet in the Heart Tribe territory. To suddenly take her away like that is against procedure."
"Hah, what procedure do you lot have? For your kind, the strongest is all that matters." "If you wish to ignore procedure..."
Yu Jin's narrowed eyes suddenly gleam with madness, and she pulls her zither to her side.
"...You must defeat me, the one in charge of ascenders."
"Oho. Indeed, your greetings" are fiery, just how I like it. Then, let's..."
Kugugugugu!
Power that distorts Heaven and Earth concentrates in Jin Wol-ryeong's hand.
Just then,
"...Huh?"
Jin Wol-ryeong's gaze falls upon Seo Gyeong.
oo
Jin Wol-ryeong's pupils contract sharply, and she hastily grabs Seo Gyeong's shoulder, ifting him up as she shouts.
"You, you...you! What relationship do you have with that existence!?"
At Jin Wol-ryeong's interrogation, who knows Seo Eun-hyun's original face, Seo Gyeong only shows a puzzled expression.
inwardly, he thinks this has become troublesome, but soon—
Seo Gyeong realizes he is in a situation more troublesome than meeting someone who knows his face.
"Damn it!
Surung—
Wol Ryeong summons a radiance halberd and points it at Jin Wol-ryeong's neck.
"Will. You. Not. Let. Go?"
The gazes of Jin Wol-ryeong and Wol Ryeong collide.
-x-X-x-
"...Hoooh, what is this audacious momentum?"
Kwachijikt
Jin Wol-ryeong neutralizes Baek Geom's spell resting on Seo Gyeong's shoulder with her bare hand, and she sneers.
That is the gaze of a hunter.
The gaze of one who sees prey whose flesh has fattened just right for eating dwells in Jin Wol-ryeong's eyes.
And after locking eyes with Wol Ryeong for a while, Jin Wol-ryeong seems to think of something amusing. She sets Seo Gyeong down and reaches her hand toward the void. Kuguguguk!
From inside her palm, attraction force activates and distorts the surrounding space. Flash!
In an instant, the surrounding environment transforms.
Wol Ryeong immediately understands what this phenomenon is and breaks into a cold sweat.
All around is a desert of jagged heaps of scrap metal, bristling with countless sharp spikes.
All of Heaven and Earth is covered with masses of scrap metal, and as Jin Wol-ryeong flicks her finger, a circular formation one zhang in radius is engraved with her at the center.
"You make me interested. You—fight me, and if you make this incarnation of mine go outside this circle, then I will return this child to your arms, and at the same time tell you a secret that exists within this child. A secret of deification (i4£) that even this child doesn't seem to know."
At those words, Seo Gyeong's face briefly shows disbelief, but it quickly settles, while Wol Ryeong's eyes gleam with interest.
"A secret of deification existing within Seo Gyeong? Does Seo Gyeong perhaps have a hidden bloodline? Could there be a reason behind Master's favoritism toward him all this time?"
itis a proposal that stirs much curiosity.
Above all, Wol Ryeong does not like the sight of Seo Gyeong being held at another woman's side.
Surely, at first, she merely desired Seo Gyeong in order to steal something from her master Baek Geom and draw her master's gaze.
But at some point, regardless of her master, she began trying to take Seo Gyeong for herself.
itis a small change she herself does not even realize.
"Will Senior really impose such petty conditions on a junior? My ability is no more than at the level of the Nascent Soul stage. If Senior will also seal your own cultivation, then I will accept."
"Oho, your eyes are brimming with greed toward this boy, yet is it fine if I just take him as my slave? You loser with neither dream nor hope."
Jin Wol-ryeong throws a taunt, but Wol Ryeong does not take the bait.
That level of bluff and insults are things she has already endured countless times from her master Baek Geom. Seeing Wol Ryeong remain calm at the insult, Jin Wol-ryeong smirks and speaks.
"Well, fine. I know well that you are not merely at the Nascent Soul stage, but I'l let myself be deceived this once. I won't use any cultivation of the Heaven Tribe or Earth Tribe. I won't even use the power of Heart Dao Blooming. I will face you only with the innate power of the Fighting Ghost Race royal bloodline, and with the basic form of Fighting Dance."
With those words, Wol Ryeong grips the radiance halberd and instantly breaks through the sound barrier.
Peong!
Wol Ryeong reaches Jin Wol-ryeong in an instant, slashes upward from lower right to upper left with her radiance halberd, and at the same time throws a kick.
But in that fleeting instant, Jin Wol-ryeong knocks the radiance spear aside with her fist and directly catches and plucks Wol Ryeong's leg.
Kwajijik!
Her ankle is torn out, but Wol Ryeong regenerates it swiftly, circles behind Jin Wol- ryeong, and again aims for her left shoulder.
Hwooong—
Ududuk!
Just then, Wol Ryeong sees Jin Wol-ryeong's left arm bend backward against itself as it strikes toward her, and she flinches in surprise and retreats.
Kwaaang!
Jin Wol-ryeong's fist, bent in reverse and thrown back, releases such immense fist pressure that it shoots out a powerful shockwave aimed at Wol Ryeong.
Wol Ryeong narrowly avoids the shockwave, but Jin Wol-ryeong's fist pressure continues past her, slamming into a house-sized heap of scrap metal in the distance, blasting the two-story-sized pile away.
"That body structure...'
Ududuk—
Wol Ryeong sees Jin Wol-ryeong's bizarre bodily transformation and breaks into cold sweat.
"Our Fighting Ghost Race possesses far superior combat abilities compared to your Human Race. Without dharma treasures, without talismans, without formations, without gang fights, without pills, without pet demon beasts, without sacrificial offerings, without traps, without hostages, without poison, without slaves, without the help of high-ranking cultivators one knows of—when we fight one-on-one with only our pure abilities, our Fighting Ghost Race has always defeated the Human Race."
"The powerful bloodline power of the Immortal Beast that begins from the horns of the Fighting Ghost Race. A body far more suited for battle than yours..."
Jin Wol-ryeong's muscle-bound body swells even larger in an instant.
And Wol Ryeong realizes that Jin Wol-ryeong's left arm is far thicker than her right. "Unlike your fragile Human Race, we are born with more than one spine."
on
At that bizarre body structure, Wol Ryeong once again feels doubt.
"Beginning with the fundamental spine that supports the waist, depending on our individual talent, there exist additional "battle spines' all throughout the body. The purer and thicker the bloodline of the Fighting Ghost Race, the more there are. Compared to other Fighting Ghosts, who have at most two or two and a half spines... am born with four spines."
Udududuk!
Only then does Wol Ryeong notice two faint vein-like ridges rising along Jin Wol- ryeong's left arm.
"Insane... Her muscles are so thick I didn't even realize those were spines.'
Because Jin Wol-ryeong's muscles are so dense, Wol Ryeong did not notice that there are two spines lodged in her left arm.
"One basic spine in the waist. Another battle spine somewhere else in the body. And then these two battle spines in her left arm...
Wol Ryeong quickly analyzes the so-called "battle spines' of Jin Wol-ryeong, and her talent once again gives her the answer.
"These battle spines are overwhelmingly more flexible than ordinary spines. They are practically not spines, but bony tentacles. Moreover, they function more like muscles than like bones."
She even wonders why such things are called spines at all.
"Because of the battle spines, the parts of the body containing them can freely alter their trajectory, and at the same time gain enhanced muscular power. And that punch just now..."
Wol Ryeong recalls the elasticity from Jin Wol-ryeong's fist and coldly analyzes her opponent.
"The elasticity that these battle spines have is at a ridiculous level. I must be especially cautious of the left arm..."
But she takes her thought one step further and grasps Jin Wol-ryeong's intention.
"..is what she wants, making me focus my attention on her left arm.
Jin Wol-ryeong is no fool, so why would she kindly explain such theory to her enemy? "The left arm is a feint. No, the very explanation of battle spines is a feint. The real hidden card lies elsewhere. Then should I immediately suppress it for now? No, she must be expecting at least that much."
Countless simulated battle scenarios run through Wol Ryeong's mind.
The fate of war, iron, and victory endlessly feed her such talent.
Tadatt!
Wol Ryeong dashes toward Jin Wol-ryeong's left arm and thrusts her radiance halberd. "Ill first pretend to suppress the left arm first, while actually discerning her real hidden card.
Woo-wooong—
"And for that, there must be an actual threat to that left arm."
Wol Ryeong's overlays her Integrated Dao Domain on her radiance halberd.
A dimensional canopy cloaks the halberd's blade, turning it into a weapon that severs space itself.
Though her strength is diminished for a year in the Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain due to the adaptation period, her realm itself has not fallen, so it is not that she cannot use the abilities of her realm.
Feigning as if she is digging into Jin Wol-ryeong's chest, Wol Ryeong suddenly swings her halberd downward to target her ankle, while at the same time kicking the ground to scatter shards of scrap metal toward Jin Wol-ryeong's eyes.
In that instant, Jin Wol-ryeong's sturdy leg presses down hard on the radiance halberd, and with lips forming the shape of "pa,' she lets out a lion's roar.
"HAH"
Kugugugung!
The lung capacity of the Fighting Ghost Race seems to be utterly different from that of the Human Race, for merely exhaling the air in her lungs shatters not only the shards flying toward her eyes, but also everything in front of her instantly begins to crumble under the shockwave.
It looks much like the Dragon Wave of the Dragon Race.
But in that instant, Wol Ryeong sacrifices the arm holding the radiance halberd and dives into Jin Wol-ryeong's embrace, Kicking straight upward toward Jin Wol-ryeong's left arm.
For a moment, her leg becomes overlaid with a dimensional veil and the Radiance Spirit Sword Formula, turning into a deadly weapon that cuts through all things.
Just then,
Hwaruruk—
oi
Wol Ryeong, startled by the glass-colored flames burning before her eyes, fails to sever Jin Wol-ryeong's left arm and quickly retreats backward again.
It does not matter, as this attack aimed at the left arm was nothing more than a feint in the first place.
"...l thought you said you would not use your cultivation."
"Hahaha, of course. Did I not say I would only use my racial traits?"
Woo-wooong—
One of Jin Wol-ryeong's seven horns shines brightly in all of heaven's natural colors. "This is my racial trait. Try blocking it.
Jjeoek—
immediately after, Jin Wol-ryeong opens her mouth, and from her mouth bursts forth the Dragon Wave used by the Dragon Race.
One of her horns shines golden.
Jjeooooooong!
A massive stream of radiance surges toward where Wol Ryeong stands, and Wol Ryeong bites her lips tightly upon seeing it.
"Why does a Fighting Ghost Race have the trait of the Dragon Race...?"
In the Heroic Spirit Realm of the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain where she lives, there is no Fighting Ghost Race, so she is momentarily flustered by Jin Wol-ryeong's bizarre move, but she quickly finds the answer.
"The greatest characteristic of the Fighting Ghost Race as a whole is not something like their battle spine.'
Even though Jin Wol-ryeong does not explain this time, Wol Ryeong swiftly analyzes and discovers the truth of the Fighting Ghost Race's bloodline.
"Those horns...through the horn it is possible...to steal and use the traits of other races!" Her heavenly bestowed talent instantly sees through the secret of the Fighting Ghost Race, and she begins to form a strategy to counter it.
Seo Gyeong narrows his eyes while being held captive at Jin Wol-ryeong's side.
I see. I thought something was strange.'
He thought Jin Wol-ryeong recognized him due to being similar in appearance to Seo Eun-hyun.
That is not the case.
Even if the outward appearance is completely identical, fate and history have already been woven to disguise him entirely as a "different origin'.
For Star Shattering Esteemed Ones who are more sensitive to attraction force, it is all the more normal not to notice any commonality between Seo Eun-hyun and Seo Gyeong. For them, it is not appearance but the traces of attraction force, fate, and history that matter.
And as he investigates up close how Jin Wol-ryeong recognized him, he finally discovers the answer.
Seo Gyeong.
No—Seo Eun-hyun withdraws his consciousness for a moment from Seo Gyeong's body and, through his main body hidden in the Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, gazes toward the darkness of the distant Outer Sea.
"Come to think of it, you did carry the feeling of the Fighting Ghost Race."
When he first met the main body of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, he felt a faint lingering aura of the Fighting Ghost Race from him.
"...Are you related to the Fighting Ghost Race itself? Are you perhaps the creator of the Fighting Ghost Race? Or..."
Through Jin Wol-ryeong's back, Seo Eun-hyun recalls Gwak Am, who is provoking him all the way from the Outer Sea, and takes a deep breath.
"...is something that the Fighting Ghost Race longs for connected to you?"
The Fighting Ghost Race.
Oh Hye-seo.
And the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Seo Eun-hyun, with the intuition of an Immortal Beast King, discovers the subtle link connecting those three and recalls a single term.
"...Noble Blood True Sea Radiance Body (EMEEHE)."
Great Immortals are beings who can know of matters ten billion light-years away while merely sitting.
And Seo Eun-hyun and Gwak Am are beings of the Governing Immortal rank, surpassing even Great Immortals.
As if in response to Seo Eun-hyun's reaction to finding the correct fragment, the lingering trace of the Splitting Heaven Mantra surges from the Outer Sea.
—You deserve praise.
Though no actual voice is heard, Seo Eun-hyun feels as if that reaction is Gwak Am speaking those words to him.
Woo-wooong—
The bloodline of Seo Eun-hyun, fused with the True Blood of the Owner of Names, Pangu, analyzes the information contained within the [Name] of what is called Noble Blood True Sea Radiance Body.
"Remove...the character for body (5)...
The Noble Blood True Sea Radiance Body does not simply mean the qualities of the legend of the Fighting Ghost Race.
Therefore, the character that signifies the body must be removed.
Then, what remains is:
Noble Blood True Sea Radiance (EEE).
Seo Eun-hyun frowns slightly at the unpleasant feeling brought by the name True Sea Radiance (E86).
itis the same name as the innate true method of the being who once slaughtered all his friends and lover.
[TL/N: Same Hangul but different Hanja from Yuan Li's method.]
In a world where the Owner of Names and the power of names exist, for the names to be the same is never a coincidence.
"Noble Blood True Sea Radiance... Is it perhaps the origin of the Blood Demon Suppressing Sea Light...2"
The authority of the Immortal Beast King traces back through the past, and the remnants of the Pangu True Blood read the information of the names within that past.
"The method created to recreate the Fighting Ghost Race's legend of the Noble Blood True Sea Radiance is the exclusive Fighting Ghost Race method "Fighting Devil True Sea Radiance'. That Fighting Devil True Sea Radiance, reinterpreted as a devilish art and made easier for humans to learn, became the Blood Demon True Sea Light handed down in Yuan Li's Yuan Clan...
"Yuan Li's Blood Demon True Sea Light is a method that extracts the souls of the Sea Demon Race and refines them into dharma treasures.'
Sea.
Refining.
Soul.
Various clues analyze themselves within Seo Eun-hyun's mind, and he quickly reaches one conclusion.
If I trace back the power of the Blood Demon True Sea Light, and compare it with the connection between Oh Hye-seo and the Great Mountain Supreme Deity...
"...Outer Sea. So that is it."
He recalls the power of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, who borrowed the power of the chaos within the Outer Sea to exert even greater strength there.
The Outer Sea, the world of chaos also called the Salt Sea (&:).
"The Noble Blood True Sea Radiance Body itself is an illusion that does not exist. But the "Noble Blood True Sea Radiance'..."
Wo-woong—
Seo Eun-hyun's gaze turns toward the rippling Outer Sea.
He breaks into a cold sweat.
"It means your Immortal Art or Mantra...that lets you seize the chaos of the Outer Sea." itis not without thought that Great Mountain captured Oh Hye-seo.
Seo Eun-hyun now understands why at first the Great Mountain Supreme Deity sought to challenge the Audience Chamber together with the Underworld, but later when the situation changed, he suddenly departed for the Outer Sea to recite the Splitting Heaven Mantra.
All were deceived.
Kugugugugu!
Seo Eun-hyun's main body trembles.
You... :
At first, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity did not possess the Noble Blood True Sea Radiance Body.
But after capturing Oh Hye-seo, who was born with the authority closest to it, and seizing that authority in his grasp, he departed without hesitation for the Outer Sea.
:: You are...seizing the Outer Sea, the chaos itself... :
-x-X-x-
Kang, kang, kaaaang!
Copying the power of the Candle Dragon Race's True Blood, Jin Wol-ryeong draws forth a sword of glass from her hand and faces Wol Ryeong.
Wol Ryeong uses every kind of trick and technique, striking Jin Wol-ryeong with the radiance halberd.
"Haha, yes. You do have the right to flaunt such impudent pride."
"Do you think that is all?"
Gradually Wol Ryeong's momentum grows fiercer, and Jin Wol-ryeong's face too fills with an expression of enjoyment.
Thus, when the duel between one Human and one Fighting Ghost Race reaches its peak Urrururung!
or)
oo
Heaven and Earth rumble, and both of them shudder.
Paaang—
The desert of scrap iron vanishes, and Wol Ryeong and Jin Wol-ryeong return to the Heart Tribe territory where they originally stand.
The spell that manifested a part of Jin Wol-ryeong's main body's surface is canceled. The reason for the spell's cancellation is simple.
"Wh-What is this...2"
Discomposure appears in Jin Wol-ryeong's eyes.
"The planes...are trembling..."
The Plane of Qi.
The Plane of Soul.
The Plane of Fate.
The Three Planes vibrate madly.
All spells, divine powers, cultivation, and the power of Heart Dao Blooming are sealed in an instant.
Before this terrifying and sudden celestial phenomenon, Jin Wol-ryeong can only be taken aback.
The trembling of the planes.
It does not occur only in the Heart Tribe territory.
The Human Race territory of the Vast Cold Realm.
in place of Jun Jae, who stepped down from the seat of the Grand Cultivator Association Leader some time ago, the Quasi-Star Shattering stage cultivator, Gol Maek, who rose to the position of leader, jolts in shock at the sudden cancelation of her divine power, and she reads the celestial energy while staring at the trembling of the planes. "What in the world is this..? What is this trembling...2"
The celestial energy has been temporarily cut off.
Human Race territory, Penglai Palace.
Deep within Penglai Palace, a Grand Cultivator at the Grand Perfection Integration stage, waiting for the end of his lifespan with a face full of wrinkles and weak breaths, suddenly shudders.
By his side, the maidservants and young attendants caring for him flinch in shock and speak.
"Palace Lord, it seems there is an anomaly in the planes."
"This trembling... Could it be that an Esteemed One or a Sacred Master from another Middle Realm has invaded the Vast Cold Realm..."
And to their worried voices, Penglai Palace Lord "Hon Jin' chuckles and speaks. "...Well..to me...it sounds almost like laughter."
"Pardon..?"
At Hon Jin's cryptic words, the maidservants and attendants wear puzzled expressions, yet diligently transmit his words to the next Palace Lord candidates who support them. Vast Cold Realm, Earth Tribe, True Dragon Alliance territory.
The Current Alliance Lord and Quasi-Star Shattering stage Dragon King, Gyu Ryeon, trembles all over.
"...What in the world...2"
As a direct descendant of the Immortal Beast Lofty Dragon, she can tell.
Her blood is resonating.
The blood of her distant ancestor is responding to the power of an Immortal Rank far surpassing even her progenitor.
"Great Immortal... A Great Immortal above the Progenitor is..using some kind of power...2"
The strange ripples of the Three Planes are not confined only to the Earth Boundary Heavenly Domain.
Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.
In the Nether Ghost Realm.
The leaders of the four great powers of the Nether Ghost Realm all tremble in fear.
[itis a great ghost aaaaaaaah!!!]
[A great ghost is using their power aaaaaaaah!!!]
From the Integration stage to the Esteemed Ones of the Star Shattering stage, all Esteemed Ones of the Nether Ghost Realm convulse and foam at the mouth.
Though they cannot see the essence of this trembling, their very essence as ghosts delivers to them a terror they cannot understand.
Ancient Force Realm.
The Ancient Force Realm Sacred Master Hae Lin, with a face shocked and pale, realizes the essence of the power and shudders.
"This is...the power of an Immortal Beast King... Grandfather Hae Nyeong, you may rest in peace. For the one who inherits your will already influences the Three Thousand World..."
Outside the Ancient Force Realm.
Employing every means at the fastest possible speed, the former Salt Sea Esteemed One Yuk Jeung, who has become an Entering Nirvana Quasi-Immortal, discovers the origin of that power and trembles.
"Amazing. I already noticed it when the Candle Dragon Race transformed not long ago...but is this the power of a true genius... Wait for me. I too will soon become a true Sea Dragon."
Purple Gold Realm.
Ban Ta Castle.
Sacred Master Ban Ta, seeing an Esteemed One in the midst of attempting the Sacred Vessel advancement fail due to the trembling of the Three Planes, screams. "Huaaaaaaaaah!!! Huaaaaagh!!! Kuaaaagh!!l"
Though the one who failed is the Esteemed One before him, it is Ban Ta who raves even more madly.
"You worthless parasite! You did it on purpose, didn't you!? Using the trembling of the Three Planes as an excuse, you deliberately stopped your Sacred Master advancement, didn't you!!!"
Ban Ta, with his eyes rolled back, rushes at the Esteemed One who abandoned their Sacred Vessel advancement using the trembling of the Three Planes as an excuse.
The Entering Nirvana Quasi-Immortals of the Source River faction in the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain shudder.
They still remember.
That moment—when that terrifying being crushed the seven Upper Immortal-level projections of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords, while only at the Entering Nirvana stage, then attempted True Immortal advancement—is still carved into their bodies.
They tremble all over in terror and kill their breath.
To the Entering Nirvana cultivators of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain now, that terrifying being is known as 'the existence whose name must not be spoken."
They even fear that the waves radiating from that existence might find them and crush them.
Heavenly King Heavenly Domain, Palace of Radiance.
At its center, the main bodies of the Eight Immortals sit in silence.
Dududududut
A vibration imperceptible to mortal beings.
Yet every Heavenly Lord present here feels it clearly.
itis "laughter'.
The laughter of a single being is madly shaking all of Mount Sumeru.
:+..In truth, is this one not more dangerous than the Great Mountain Supreme Deity? : : : How can one of at most Great Net Immortal so vividly manifest the power of top- ranked Supreme Deities or Heavenly Venerable rank beings? : :
: + And while shaking Mount Sumeru with laughter alone, the main body's location still cannot be detected... In some aspects, they surpass ordinary Heavenly Venerable ranks. : + If such an existence does not perish together with the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, but instead inherits the Seat of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity and even advances to Heavenly King... : :
At that dreadful thought, seven of the Radiance Eight Immortals present shudder.
: If that one truly becomes a Governing Immortal...then it would be no different from the return of the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord. : :
: : Yet unlike the Vast Cold Heavenly Lord, who showed us goodwill enough to frighten us, if it is this one has suffered much at our hands... : :
: : Perhaps, on the very day they ascend to Heavenly King, Radiance Hall shall meet its end. : 1
The Rain Dew Heavenly Lord's eyes gleam as they speak.
: : We must prepare countermeasures... That one has grown strong enough to handle not only the Radiance Eight Immortals, but even the power of the Radiance Ten Heavens. If that being becomes a Governing Immortal...then they will truly be an Eul (Z) grade...a top-tier Eul (Z) grade threat. Therefore, we must make preparations in advance. : :
:: Preparations? : :
:: That is right. We must amass power. : :
Even the power of the God-Killing Spear could not end the Enders who joined forces. Thus, the Rain Dew Heavenly Lord begins discussion of a plan to "amass' the power of Heuk Sa, the strength that the Radiance Eight Immortals have summoned only in times of necessity, in order to magnify its strength to the greatest extent.
Kugugugugugu!
Twin Holding Heavenly Domain, Heavenly Escape Realm.
My main body there bursts into laughter.
How long do I laugh?
I stop only before my laughter causes a disaster across the entirety of Mount Sumeru. "...You're telling me to come, right?"
The reason why I notice now, together with the "Noble Blood True Sea Radiance, the scheme of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is simple.
Through Jin Wol-ryeong, through the bloodline of the Fighting Ghost Race, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity has sent me a message.
That he is preparing a move right now, and that I should enter.
"..Isn'tit far too obvious?"
Am I afraid?
I am afraid.
Certainly, to seize chaos is something unheard of, and the very fact that such a thing can be realized is absurd to me.
But precisely because of that, I can easily read the hidden meaning contained in this message from Gwak Am.
"...Are you afraid?"
Of course, no answer comes.
But I can tell.
Gwak Am is currently wary of the arrangements I am leaving behind.
Naturally so, for if this arrangement comes to fruition, I will hold an overwhelming type advantage against all beings who bear the name of "Light'.
Especially now, as Gwak Am once again dons the mask of light under the pretense of executing the Splitting Heaven Mantra.
If this arrangement is completed, then he too will be at a disadvantage against me in terms of compatibility.
In other words, the arrangement I am setting up right now is not merely out of fear of my later annihilation, but a cornerstone to defeating Gwak Am.
"Of course you wouldn't want to leave even a single variable behind."
Even if he completes the Splitting Heaven Mantra, even if he seizes chaos, the moment I complete this arrangement, the arrangement itself will become a spear piercing into Gwak Am's vitals.
If this spear is completed, then even should Gwam Am defeat me, the probability that he loses when challenging the Audience Chamber afterward will rise exponentially. So it seems he wishes to clash with me before I complete the arrangement.
"You must want me to come rushing as though fire is lit under my backside, right, Senior Brother?"
Again, there is no answer.
"Sorry, but that will not happen. I will complete this arrangement, defeat you...and prepare a move so that, no matter what Enders of later generations may come, they can receive salvation from light. My arrangement itself is the deadliest poison to be released within Radiance Hall."
And perhaps, even become the fangs that may reach the Owner of Fate who is currently ruling from the shadows behind Radiance Hall.
That is my arrangement.
Woo-wooong—
Feeling the formula of the Vast Cold Heavenly Circle swirling inside me, I clench my hand.
"..1 will not go to you. Do you think that by seizing chaos you can prevent my arrangement from being fulfilled? That will not happen."
War at its core is about doing what your opponent least desires.
Since Gwak Am is provoking me and wishes for me to come rushing, I will simply remain here and calmly complete my arrangement.
only...
"From now on, I must press forward with my arrangement a bit more."
Wo-woong—
I grasp the void with my hand as my eyes gleam.
"...Yeon-ah, it seems you must begin now."
A move to hinder Gwak Am, to divert the eyes of the Radiance Eight Immortals, and in the end seize victory in the Great Mountain War.
At my single sentence, Kim Yeon's will turns into the wind and begins to cover the world. Her consciousness domain, already vast from the beginning, spreads out across all of Mount Sumeru, and begins to directly interfere with all affairs of Mount Sumer, bringing about a certain phenomena.
itis a plan she herself originally said she would attempt after reaching Heavenly King. "Artificial Gandhara...from this moment, please create it."
"Yes, Orabeoni."
Kim Yeon sits upon the shoulder of my main body, leaning her body against my neck, and nods.
The time is arriving when we must truly extend our influence over Mount Sumeru. Kugugugung!
The vibration of some transcendent being that spreads their influence across the Three Planes subsides.
Jin Wol-ryeong, drenched in cold sweat from that chilling presence just now, breathes heavily.
If that vibration had resounded just a little longer, all cultivators in the Heavenly Domain at the Nascent Soul stage above and below the Sacred Vessel stage would have gone mad, rampaging in frenzy.
But Jin Wol-ryeong soon notices that more than that, something else catches her attention.
"..You.."
Wol Ryeong's foot.
Her foot pushed Jin Wol-ryeong's foot aside, forcing her body slightly but unmistakably beyond the boundary of the circle."
"...The bet, I have won, haven't 12"
"Heh..."
Jin Wol-ryeong realizes what has happened.
"llusion arts! While fighting me, she used illusions to shift my position little by little, and when that vibration of the Three Planes arrived, without panicking, she focused solely on our bet and kicked my foot, sending me beyond the boundary of the circle."
From the faint moonlight radiating from Wol Ryeong, she understands the situation.
"Is it a spell obtained from a True Immortal? I got tricked. If I knew you hid such a hidden move, I should have set a harsher condition."
"...If you lost the bet, then stop with the unnecessary talk and keep your promise."
"Ha, impudent one. Be grateful that I am a kind Esteemed One."
Jin Wol-ryeong, laughing heartily at Wol Ryeong's bold stance, sends Seo Gyeong over to her.
"I will keep my promise. That child's secret...is as follows."
Jin Wol-ryeong hints at what she suspects about Seo Gyeong's true identity.
And the words that follow, Wol Ryeong's eyes can't help but widen.
"That Seo Gyeong, he is probably a direct descendant of the Mountain Divine Spirit. Because... I have personally seen the incarnation of the Mountain Divine Spirit, and I even copied the Immortal Beast True Blood of that Evil God into the bloodline of the Fighting Ghost Race, I am certain."