Сорилт илгээх Тэнгэр (5)

Kururung,

I fly, hearing the sound of thunder roaring from above.

Waljak,

Suddenly, a mouthful of blood bursts forth.

'Is this already my limit…?'

Flash!

Kwarurung!

A pillar of light strikes down at me.A Heavenly Punishment so swift that even Jeon Myeong-hoon struggles to react shatters my entire body and crushes me.

Kkudeuk, kkudeudeudeuk,

[Aaaaaaah!]

Wrapping the Formless Sword throughout my entire body amidst the Heavenly Punishment, I push the life force of the Demon Race to its very limit.

Simultaneously, I unleash a sword strike towards the sky.

[Ahaaaaah!!!]

Finally, an invisible sword cleaves through the lightning in the sky.

"Huuh, Huuuh…."

Once again, I overcame the Heavenly Tribulation.

Jeon Myeong-hoon is clenching his teeth, watching by my side.

"Seo Eun-hyun, include me in that sacrificial offering. Otherwise, you won't last!"

"Can't… last?"

I suddenly look at my arm.

Pitch black.

Truly pitch black.

'How many Heavenly Tribulations have there been?'

Heading towards Yeon Jin, I can't even think anymore.

I had Yuan Yu activate its devilish arts to absorb the devilish energy of the True Devil Realm, continuously transferring the accumulated damage to Yuan Yu whenever there was time, yet I have still come to this state.

Now, I don't even have the brain power left to calculate the strength of the Heavenly Tribulations.

Everything just feels numb.

"…Let's go, Jeon Myeong-hoon."

"…"

Jeon Myeong-hoon looks at me, seemingly wanting to say something, but then closes his mouth and starts flying again.

He's surprisingly worried about me.

No, it isn't worry.

It's guilt.

From Jeon Myeong-hoon's intent, I can feel the despair of not being able to save the sect, the regret of not trusting me, and the hatred towards the Heavenly Tribulation piling up.

Probably, if I were to be on the verge of death, he would try somehow to inhale my Heavenly Tribulation.

Of course, since it had become 'my' Heavenly Tribulation,

The moment Jeon Myeong-hoon starts to consume that Heavenly Tribulation, it will never end from that point on.

Knowing this, Jeon Myeong-hoon also remains silent.

"Jeon Myeong-hoon."

"…What?"

"Just keep looking forward."

"Of course, I will…"

I speak as I watch Jeon Myeong-hoon leading the way.

Flash!

But before Jeon Myeong-hoon can finish his reply.

Once again, golden lighting falls towards me.

Urrurung!

This time, I use the Lightning Predicting Eye to counterattack the golden lightning more proactively, driving it away.

Kwajijijik!

In the process, another golden lightning sweeps across my body.

Nonetheless, I succeed in driving away the Heavenly Tribulation once more.

"You…"

"Jeon Myeong-hoon."

I turn and speak to Jeon Myeong-hoon who is looking back.

"Look ahead."

"…"

"Until Yeon Jin is completely saved, I absolutely will not die."

"…Alright."

Jeon Myeong-hoon seems to clench his teeth, then moves forward as he was.

With half of my face melted and flowing down, I watch Jeon Myeong-hoon and follow behind him.

There's no more power for regeneration on my body.

I need to gather my energy even in such times to prepare against the Heavenly Tribulation.

'Let's prepare for death.'

Though I didn't tell Jeon Myeong-hoon, I am wrapped in the Formless Sword of Treading Heavens and continuously using Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains.

With every encounter with the Heavenly Tribulation.

With every resistance against the Heavenly Tribulation.

With every cleaving of the lightning, bit by bit.

The [power] accumulated inside my Colorless Glass Sword from clashing with the Heavenly Tribulation is raging.

After obtaining demon beast methods and Treading Heavens, the efficiency of using Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains has greatly increased, and having Yuan Yu means that when my life hangs by a thread and my spiritual veins are intensely pressured, I can drive the shock to Yuan Yu through curse techniques.

I have already given up on living further.

However, even amidst this, I am frantically using my mind, accelerating time.

The acceleration effect of Treading Heavens is insufficient, so I have to operate the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon alongside it to maximize acceleration.

'I'm almost there.'

I had determined the direction with Sudden Enlightenment.

Meanwhile, I have been imprinting my martial arts upon the world to the extent of changing the world to fill up Gradual Cultivation.

'Just a little more.'

The end of my frantic accumulation of martial arts is now almost at its peak.

Far away.

It feels like I can see the high ground.

'Just a little more.'

Following Jeon Myeong-hoon,

I awaken even more tension in my body and soul, groping for the next step.

What I have been trying to reach beyond Treading Heavens can be explained as follows:

A blind man must fully perceive the form of an elephant.

I had realized the direction of where the 'elephant' is through Sudden Enlightenment, and through Gradual Cultivation, I have been continuously engraving the shape of the elephant in that direction.

Reaching beyond Treading Heaven means,

As a blind man, after groping and touching the shape of the elephant, drawing an elephant identical to it by myself.

Of course, an elephant drawn by a blind man cannot be identical to the original.

Therefore, each blind person draws their uniquely shaped form and gives them different names, calling it an 'elephant.'

This is the Manifestation of the Heart Tribe.

Bo-oong!

With my face melted and no longer able to see forward, I look up to the sky and swing my Colorless Glass Sword.

I faintly feel through the tip of my sword the splitting of the Heavenly Lightning falling towards me.

Jeon Myeong-hoon is, as instructed, only looking forward.

'I can feel it.'

The speed of the Heavenly Tribulation striking down is accelerating, and the magnitude of the power within the Heavenly Tribulation is growing.

However, my enlightenment is also gradually reaching completion in proportion to the Heavenly Tribulation.

Swirling, whirling.

As the Heavenly Tribulation strikes down, I momentarily stop and draw circles on the spot with my footwork.

Simultaneously, I very naturally channel power into my sword and raise it towards the lightning.

Bang!

That's all it takes.

Just that is enough to feel the Heavenly Tribulation splitting apart.

I can no longer see or feel anything.

My eyes have turned into a liquid, and my skin has melted away, causing me to lose two of my senses.

Soon, it seems I won't even be allowed to smell as my entire face might melt away.

Kurung!

As expected.

A second Heavenly Tribulation strikes down soon after, lashing out at me.

Finally, my face completely melts away, and apart from a faint sense of hearing, I become unable to feel anything.

A world where all five senses have completely disappeared.

A space of nothingness (無).

With all the energy for regenerating my body concentrated at the tip of my sword, I swing it. And thus,

Sitting in front of a canvas, I begin to draw the elephant I had been feeling out all this time.

Bo-oong, bo-oong.

My sword is the brush.

With each strike of the Heavenly Tribulation, a stroke is drawn, starting to depict an elephant on the canvas.

Jeon Myeong-hoon suddenly remembers Seo Eun-hyun's words to only look forward.

'What in the world?'

His words were so full of resolve that it was impossible to refuse.

Therefore, Jeon Myeong-hoon decided to fly forward, just looking ahead.

However, the sounds coming from behind inevitably makes Jeon Myeong-hoon want to look back.

'You, what are you doing back there!'

Piing, piing, piing!

The sound of something thin slicing through the air.

No, even clearer than that, as if the sound of a single water droplet falling into a tranquil lake had been finely crafted.

Such a strange sound started to continuously come from behind him.

But what truly terrifies Jeon Myeong-hoon is something else.

Starting from Zhengli's voice, Jeon Myeong-hoon realized he can hear the 'voice of lightning.'

This new sense he had acquired must have the ability to hear the voices of 'all kinds of lightning.'

Since Zhengli is a kind of lightning, he had been hearing its voice all along.

But now, a strange voice began to reach Jeon Myeong-hoon's ears.

Thump, thump....

'What is it, what on earth is it...!?'

Jeon Myeong-hoon does not dare to look back.

Because from behind him, there is literally the sound of 'numerous people bustling' coming through.

Behind the clear sound emitted by Seo Eun-hyun, the voices of countless people are striking Jeon Myeong-hoon's ears in the form of the 'voice of lightning.'

Feeling as if billions of mouths had sprouted all over Seo Eun-hyun's body and are chattering, Jeon Myeong-hoon clenches his teeth.

However, he does not look back, as per Seo Eun-hyun instructed.

There must be some reason.

If not believing in him has led to this situation, then from now on, he must believe!

Thinking so,

Jeon Myeong-hoon accelerates towards the location of Yeon Jin.

Gradually, the speed and frequency of the Heavenly Tribulations chasing after Seo Eun-hyun and Jeon Myeong-hoon increases.

Now, the Heavenly Tribulation is striking Seo Eun-hyun almost once every breath.

Moreover, the power contained in the Heavenly Tribulation has grown to a point where it's no longer conceivable.

But strangely, Seo Eun-hyun is easily slicing through the Heavenly Tribulation.

With the minimum effort for maximum effect, he is performing his sword dance, yet still keeping pace with Jeon Myeong-hoon who is flying straight ahead.

And, unbeknownst to both Seo Eun-hyun and Jeon Myeong-hoon,

A faint milky-white mist is emanating from Seo Eun-hyun's body.

The potential of Immortal Beast Seo Eun-hyun is gradually blending with the Formless Sword that envelops his entire body.

Both Seo Eun-hyun of the Earth Tribe and Seo Eun-hyun of the Heart Tribe are unknowingly becoming one under the Heavenly Tribulations.

From Seo Eun-hyun's body, a thunderous sound similar to the Heavenly Tribulation is gradually emanating.

Perhaps the numerous voices that Jeon Myeong-hoon heard are that.

Seo Eun-hyun's Formless Sword, becoming similar to the Heavenly Tribulation, mixed with his power of Earth.

Seo Eun-hyun's immortal beast power has connected to his Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections.

The world Seo Eun-hyun sought to imprint is his Sincerity (Entire Heart).

And, Sincerity is Seo Eun-hyun's everything.

Indeed.

Seo Eun-hyun has always intended to imprint his entire being onto the world.

Bo-oong, bo-oong, bo-oong!

Jjeong, jjeong, jjeong!

Seo Eun-hyun's sword dance speeds up.

As the speed and power of the Heavenly Tribulation intensified, at some point, Seo Eun-hyun's speed began to increase even faster.

And finally.

"It's here, Seo Eun-hyun!!!"

Jeon Myeong-hoon has found the place where Yeon Jin is staying.

"This place is…"

Jeon Myeong-hoon looks troubled.

The land had now become Penglai Palace's territory.

A place once controlled by Seo Eun-hyun, where he had been plotting something.

Somewhere below, Yeon Jin is hiding.

"What is going on?"

One of the law enforcers of Penglai Palace asks Jeon Myeong-hoon on the territory of Penglai Palace.

From within the territory of Penglai Palace, one of the law enforcers asks Jeon Myeong-hoon.

Jeon Myeong-hoon speaks.

"There is a disciple of my sect inside. I apologize, but I just need to take one person out, so can I quickly go in and come back out?"

"Excuse me, but which sect are you from?"

"I am a Grand Elder of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect."

"Ah, the new sect that the higher-ups have been paying attention to recently?"

The law enforcer's tone changes as soon as he recognizes Jeon Myeong-hoon's affiliation.

"Why should I let you people in? Is there a prior agreement?"

"There isn't."

At that, the law enforcer of Penglai Palace speaks with a visibly displeased tone.

"You! I don't know who you are, but this land belongs to the great Penglai Palace. Even if your sect has been getting some attention from above recently, our Penglai Palace is a distinguished upper sect and riff-raff like you have no place to...""

"Shut up. Then die."

Kuarurung!

Jeon Myeong-hoon charges towards the Heavenly Being stage law enforcer of Penglai Palace, who was trying to say something.

A spear of red lightning shatters the Golden Core of the Heavenly Being stage law enforcer in one strike, blowing his body apart.

The law enforcer's Nascent Soul flees in utter panic, and Jeon Myeong-hoon gnashes his teeth and shouts.

"Since arguing with politeness is a waste of time, from now on, anyone who blocks my path will be killed. Everyone watching, get lost."

As Jeon Myeong-hoon exudes killing intent, disciples from various places of the Penglai Palace's territory appear and surround him.

"You! No matter how much the higher ups have favored your sect recently, you dare to kill a disciple of Penglai Palace, even a law enforcer at..."

Splat!

"Bastard, what are you doing!? Killing another Heavenly Being!? How dare you, the blood debt of the great Penglai Palace will be paid dearly by your Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect..."

Boom!

"H-haaak! Attack all at once!"

Jeon Myeong-hoon begins to slaughter the Heavenly Being stage cultivators of Penglai Palace without any hesitation.

Over 40 Heavenly Being stage cultivators attack Jeon Myeong-hoon all at once.

Jeon Myeong-hoon clenched his jaw, the veins on his face bulging.

[These fools who don't know their place... If they block the way…]

He reaches out his hand, and a spear of red lightning appears in his left hand.

Jeon Myeong-hoon grabs the lightning spear and swings it around.

Red Lightning Heavenly Tribulation (赤雷天劫).

[I said I'd kill them all.]

Kuarurung!

Lightning shoots out from the spear like a tsunami, sweeping everything in its path.

The 40 Heavenly Being stage cultivators are thrown backwards, and the mountain range behind them is pierced through, creating a path.

Jeon Myeong-hoon spits out with an annoyed look on his face.

"Do you not see the one dancing with his sword while being struck by Heavenly Tribulation behind me? Stupid fools..."

Jeon Myeong-hoon sneers and heads towards the basin beyond the mountain range.

As he arrives, his gaze turns towards one side.

Deep underground.

Jeon Myeong-hoon hears the voice of lightning whispering from that place.

"We've arrived."

Kuarurung!

The spear of lightning appears in his hand again.

Jeon Myeong-hoon plunges the lightning spear down.

Kurururung!

A pillar of light made of lightning illuminates the surroundings.

It looks as if a red pillar is shining in the sky filled with dark devilish energy of the Devil Realm.

Shortly after, a giant passage leading underground appears in front of Jeon Myeong-hoon, and he jumps into the passage without looking back.

Fwoosh!

Jeon Myeong-hoon arrives at a giant crystal cave.

Covering the crystal cave are layers upon layers of 'formations' numbering in the thousands, millions, billions.

"This is…"

As Jeon Myeong-hoon is stunned in front of the crystal cave.

A clear voice rings out.

"Jeon Myeong-hoon? No, Seo Eun-hyun is even behind you. No... in your arms, is that from the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect? The energy inside looks like disciples from there..."

From within the formation barrier, a woman steps out.

Her hair dyed black and white, she looks up at Jeon Myeong-hoon with her arms crossed and asks.

"What's going on, Jeon Myeong-hoon."

Jeon Myeong-hoon immediately knows.

The person in front of him is not the Yeon Jin he knows.

The voice of lightning is telling him.

That person is the traitor from the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, from 40,000 years ago.

Her name is Jin Wei.

"You…"

However, Jeon Myeong-hoon, instead of condemning the traitor in front of him, states his original intention rigidly.

"Bring out Yeon Jin. I plan to descend to the Head Realm with Yeon Jin from now on."

"Hmph. This young one, talking to the ancestor of the sect with such disrespect."

"If you beat around the bush one more time, I'll kill you."

At Jeon Myeong-hoon's blunt words, Yeon Wei chuckles awkwardly.

"Ha... this guy really... Well, alright. You've come at just the right time. Come inside first. Since Seo Eun-hyun was captured by you, I've been hiding here, concealing my energy for years. I was managing to hold out but recently, the celestial energy strangely changed, and I was curious about the situation..."

Flash!

At that moment.

A Heavenly Tribulation strikes down towards Seo Eun-hyun who follows behind Jeon Myeong-hoon, scattering bright light in all directions.

Kuarurung!

Alongside it, a giant pillar of light plunges down from above Jeon Myeong-hoon towards the ground.

The pillar of light strikes Seo Eun-hyun and collides directly with the formation barriers Yeon Wei had set up.

The formation barriers crumble like brittle straw, and Yeon Wei dodges backwards in shock.

Kururung…

After the Heavenly Tribulation subsides,

There remains a charred figure.

"Seo Eun-hyun!"

"What…!"

Jeon Myeong-hoon screams out Seo Eun-hyun's name.

But the charred figure does not respond.

As even his face had completely burned away.

Yeon Wei quickly forms a hand seal seeing this.

Kugugugu!

Simultaneously, the formation barriers spread around activate.

"Since you were captured, Penglai Palace has been busy trying to take control and analyze your formations. Fortunately, they haven't found my formation barriers or discovered me... Anyway, they didn't dismantle the formations, so I've been able to gather plenty of life force!"

Chalalalalak!

As Yeon Wei forms a seal, golden light from the dragon vein flows into Seo Eun-hyun.

Seo Eun-hyun's charred body is restored in an instant.

Blink.

I slowly open my eyes.

It feels like I had been dreaming a long dream.

And then, I realize that I have almost completed drawing the elephant.

"This place is…"

I look around.

Yeon Wei is standing in front of me, and the surroundings are filled with a crystal cave shining with crystal light.

In the distance, a lake that transparently reflects the other side is visible.

It's the Void Spirit Pond.

"Haaaaa…"

Yeon Wei seems to want to explain something, but I shake my head to stop the explanation.

I feel like I understood the situation just by observing her intent.

I thought she had run away, but unexpectedly, she had been hiding and keeping her loyalty till the end.

Bo-oong!

I leap into the sky and thrust my sword towards the descending Heavenly Tribulation again.

The Heavenly Tribulation is cleaved apart.

Taat!

After landing back on the ground, I look at Yeon Wei and Jeon Myeong-hoon with a profound gaze.

"Seo Eun-hyun, you…"

"It's okay, Jeon Myeong-hoon. Everything turned out well, didn't it?"

"No, you almost died!"

"It's fine. More importantly, this is the Void Spirit Pond, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Yeon Wei responds.

"I heard the gist from Jeon Myeong-hoon. We don't have much time, so I'll ask briefly. Do you have the Heavenly Lightning Banner or not?"

"No."

"Has the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect fallen?"

"Not yet."

"I see. But you're still going to descend to the Head Realm?"

"Of course."

Seeing my eyes, Yeon Wei pauses for a moment before speaking.

"Jeon Myeong-hoon didn't ascend from the Head Realm, so it will be difficult for him to find it. Take out your Blood Body. From now on, I will guide you to the Head Realm."

I silently take out Yuan Yu and once again swing my sword towards the descending Heavenly Tribulation.

Swoosh,

As I swing my sword, I realize that my power of an immortal beast is intertwined with my sword.

And the power of the immortal beast is intertwined with the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections, which in turn is a technique of the Heaven Tribe.

I feel as if Heaven, Earth, and Heart are all entwined together.

Although I had practiced these in parallel before, I have never felt as perfectly unified as today.

'What is this feeling…?'

Yeon Wei emerges from Yeon Jin's body in front of me and enters Yuan Yu.

Creak,

Simultaneously, she begins to forcibly align Yuan Yu with herself using her consciousness at the Four-Axis stage.

Jeon Myeong-hoon quickly puts Yeon Jin into his compressed space, and Yeon Wei starts to forcibly amplify Yuan Yu's cultivation within Yuan Yu's body.

Kwajijijijijik!

An immense lightning power bursts from Yuan Yu, and in an instant, Yuan Yu's cultivation surges from the Nascent Soul stage to the Heavenly Being stage.

However, perhaps due to the rapid increase in cultivation, Yuan Yu's body begins to disintegrate.

But as soon as Yeon Wei forms a seal with Yuan Yu's body, the Longevity Formation activates.

Kugugugu!

The power of the Longevity Formation flows into Yuan Yu, sustaining his disintegrating body with tremendous life force.

Once Yuan Yu's body is restored, Yeon Wei once again forcibly aligns the wavelengths of consciousness with him.

Yuan Yu's body begins to collapse again, repeating this process several times.

How many times did I fend off the Heavenly Tribulation?

How much time has passed?

Finally, Yeon Wei successfully takes over Yuan Yu's body.

Kugugugugu!

A clear Heavenly Being stage presence is felt from Yuan Yu.

Ppajik, ppajijijik!

Simultaneously, Yuan Yu's body, which had been a mix of Yin and Yang, becomes a complete female body.

"After all, I prefer it when things are certain like this."

Yeon Wei smirks and looks back and forth between me and Jeon Myeong-hoon.

"Then, we're going to the Head Realm now!"

We nod without saying anything.

Yeon Wei grabs both mine and Jeon Myeong-hoon's hands and charges towards the Void Spirit Pond.

Jeon Myeong-hoon and I layer our energy against the spatial pressure.

The next moment.

Kuuuuuuu!

We enter a giant space of darkness.

'This is the outskirts of the True Devil Realm!'

But just then.

Kururung!

From afar, it seems as though the Heavenly Tribulation is arising from within the True Devil Realm.

It appears to chase me even outside the True Devil Realm.

But perhaps due to being outside the realm, the Heavenly Tribulation is noticeably slower in its pursuit.

Wo-woong―

Yeon Wei, paying no heed to the Heavenly Tribulation, stretches out her hand into the void and grasps some kind of [flow].

This flow becomes a thread linking Yeon Wei to a distant place.

She holds onto this thread and, with two additional arms sprouting from behind her, begins to fly, holding onto me and Jeon Myeong-hoon.

Kururung―

Eventually, a massive Heavenly Tribulation is shot towards me again.

Chalak!

The hand that Yeon Wei uses to hold me turns into a rope made of flesh and wraps around my waist to facilitate my movement.

After expressing my gratitude with a nod,

I look directly at the Heavenly Tribulation charging towards me.

"Huuuuu―"

From the outside of the world, the sight of lightning strands reaching out towards me from the inside is indeed a peculiar scene.

Feeling an indescribable emotion, I face the Heavenly Tribulation.

In that state, slowly,

Very slowly, I swing my sword to match the speed of the lightning.

Bo-oong!

And my sword, aligning with the speed of the lightning, cuts towards it.

"Ah…"

I know.

I feel it.

At this moment.

The elephant drawn by the blind man is completed.

The sword forms I had swung billions of times feels imprinted within my hand and throughout this entire world.

I look at the elephant I had drawn on the canvas.

The elephant's name is Seo Eun-hyun.

Bo-oong!

The next moment, I find myself already slicing through the Heavenly Tribulation.

Lightning Speed.

Kurururung!

From my entire body, from the Formless Sword I am swinging, thunderous cries ring out like lightning itself.

It isn't an illusion that the world seems to have stopped.

It's me, moving nearly at the speed of lightning.

I wrap colorless lightning around my entire body, elevating the heart I had been dedicated to in my martial arts.

The name of this heart is Sincerity (Full Heart / 盡心).

Simultaneously, True Heart (眞心).

My all-out (盡) truth (眞) is encapsulated at the tip of my sword.

At the same time, the Sincerity I had engraved becomes another self and starts moving on its own.

The Formless Sword gains life.

Kurururung!

Certainly, it's a Heavenly Tribulation that I would have never been able to block before 'completion'.

But the Formless Sword, unfazed, slices through the Heavenly Tribulation.

The Tribulation imposed by the heavens and the Tribulation imposed by humans collide one after another from outside the world.

The tribulation of the heavens does not cease with just one. They begin to strike endlessly towards me.

The interval which had been shortening, now reaches a point where it enters a split second.

Kugugugu!

Scorching through the immense darkness, the Heavenly Tribulation incessantly pours down on me like rain.

'Can I block them all?'

Bo-oong!

But then, the Formless Sword, residing within the Colorless Glass Sword, cries out.

―Cut.

That alone is enough.

I entrust my body to the Formless Sword, endlessly performing the sword dance while cutting through the Heavenly Tribulations.

The tribulations grow stronger and faster, but I continue to cut through them without care.

Furthermore, Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains has yet to cease.

I too continue to grow stronger, but my body is increasingly struggling to endure.

What should I do?

―Cut.

Once again, the Formless Sword gives the same answer.

I smile.

I gather all the turbulent flows of power running through my entire body into one sword strike.

Then, without hesitation or stray thoughts, just,

Cut!

Kurururung!

Once more, I laugh as I cut through the lightning.

Not alone, but together with the Formless Sword.

Kugugugugu!

Seo Eun-hyun and Jeon Myeong-hoon.

And the flow caught by Yeon Wei's group begins to speed up.

Yeon Wei, holding onto the flow, rapidly heads [downward] while looking upwards.

Above, Seo Eun-hyun is endlessly performing his sword dance, becoming even stronger.

'What in the world is that?'

Yeon Wei is startled each time Seo Eun-hyun swings his sword, continuously growing stronger and amplifying his power.

'Is he becoming infinitely stronger? Is his body even able to withstand it? We need to gather energy to avoid attacks from monsters as we move to the Lower Realms for at least the next three days...'

That is when.

Twitch!

Yeon Wei heightens her alertness.

'This momentum, at least a Four-Axis stage?'

The space between dimensions. The void seen by cultivators during ascendance.

The Interdimensional Void.

Monsters without intelligence occasionally appear in this place called the Interdimensional Void.

Commonly known as 'Monsters of the Dimensional Rift.'

These monsters, lacking any intelligence and sometimes displaying bizarre abilities, often capture and consume ascending cultivators, making them a subject of caution among such cultivators.

And Yeon Wei senses something terrifying ascending from [below] towards them.

It's a gigantic golden Peng Bird.

As Yeon Wei frowns and begins to prepare to counter the monster,

Flash!

The Peng Bird simply brushes past Yeon Wei.

'What? When?'

However, the problem is that Yeon Wei didn't feel the Peng Bird passing by her at all.

It had passed by without her realizing it.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the Peng Bird does not hunt them. It merely grazes past Seo Eun-hyun alarmingly and ascends towards [above].

'What was that?'

It's when Yeon Wei feels something odd.

Fwoosh!

She strangely feels the [flow] she had caught speeding up.

'What? The attraction got stronger? It's from the Head Realm. Something is strongly calling one of us by fate!'

She shows a look of delight.

"Kids, rejoice. We got lucky!!!"

Kugugugugu!

Simultaneously, the trio begins to cross the Interdimensional Void at a tremendous speed.

"I was expecting it to take about three days... but now we have just thirty seconds left! Everyone, brace for the impact against the dimensional barrier!!!"

The next moment.

Gwaahhhhh!

The three of them hit something massive like a 'wall'.

But in the next moment, they pass through the 'wall' and enter within.

Fwoosh!

A burst of blue light greets them.

Jeon Myeong-hoon frowns at the infinitely sparse spiritual energy but relaxes his expression, feeling a familiar energy.

Yeon Wei also looks down with a nostalgic expression.

Seo Eun-hyun, who had been blocking the descending Heavenly Tribulation from above, finally stops his sword dance.

At last, the endless Heavenly Tribulation that had been striking down ceases as it could no longer follow them.

Seo Eun-hyun's gaze turns downwards.

"Shattered Heaven Peak…?"

They had landed at the edge of Shattered Heaven Peak, located at the western end of the Head Realm where the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect was originally situated.

This was where the Heavenly Lightning Banner was once originally kept.

Thump, thud,

The eastern edge of the Head Realm.

Far beyond the tribal nations to the east of the Heaven-Treading Desert, across the sea, protected by the World Shield Force, the World's End.

There, a man in black attire, with only an old saber at his waist, is pounding on the 'World's End' with his fist.

Suddenly, he looks towards the west.