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Flash!

As we leap over the dimensional barrier, we find ourselves in a familiar territory.

"Is this… Heaven-Earth Palace?"

It's Jeon Myeong-hoon's first time setting foot in the Heaven-Earth Palace.

The first time he was here, he had been sealed inside Jin Byuk-ho's Peach Garden Painting.

He looks around, and inspectors from the Heaven-Earth Palace begin flying towards us.

"Hoho, this is the Flying Immortal Platform connected to the Head Realm, but the time for the Ascension Gate to open has long passed, how come…."

Then, our eyes meet.

"Uh, umm! You're!"Their faces stiffen as they recognize me, who once had a bounty placed on my head by Penglai Palace.

Simultaneously, I feel a massive consciousness sweeping over me from within the depths of the Heaven-Earth Palace.

'Hon Won has noticed me.'

The Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique is powerful.

But I am quite confident.

"I, Seo Eun-hyun, wish to speak with Grand Cultivator Hon Won, the Palace Lord of Penglai Palace and the Heaven-Earth Palace. The warrant issued by the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect has been lifted by none other than Jeon Myeong-hoon here, the highest authority of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect."

Crack!

Space splits open, and a gust of dust surges through.

From within the dust storm, a middle-aged man appears.

He grows a solemn beard, his head adorned with a manggeon (traditional Korean headband) with his hair in a sangtu (topknot hairstyle), dressed in a purple robe.

Wo-woong!

'That's, Hon Won'

I glimpse a fiercely burning light in Hon Won's eyes.

The light draws a black and white Taiji symbol within each of his pupils.

'Yeon Wei mentioned that Hon Won seems to have acquired a powerful new Spiritual Eye ability recently.'

I heighten my alertness.

'Indeed, what will he do to me…'

I cautiously bow, glancing at Jeon Myeong-hoon.

Jeon Myeong-hoon nods, affirming my statement.

"He speaks the truth. As Seo Eun-hyun said, he is no longer wanted by the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect."

Hon Won looks at us intently for a while and then falls silent.

I try to read Hon Won's 'intention' but fail.

'Damn, I thought he was just in his ordinary state but he's enveloped by his domain….'

Reading him is futile.

Nevertheless, Hon Won continues to observe us with his unique spiritual eyes.

After a while, he slowly speaks.

"Fine. There's no need to capture you. After all, what I'm after is Jin Wei..."

Hon Won turns his head, and the spatial rift he had created seems to close.

But then.

"Dodge!"

I quickly push Jeon Myeong-hoon, Hong Fan, and Yeon Jin out of the way.

At the same time, a massive palm strike swirling with the Yin and Yang of Taiji surges towards me, and I grit my teeth.

'Damn it, this is…!'

I can feel it.

This strike will kill me unless I unleash the Three Great Ultimates.

Boom!

I conceal the aura of the Formless Sword as much as I can and swing the Three Great Ultimates at the palm strike.

Kugugugu!

And, I feel the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy crazily pressing down on me.

"Hmm…."

Cheok, cheok

He steps out from the spatial rift again.

Beyond the scattered dust cloud, I can see Hon Won's 'eyes'.

The look in his eyes is piercingly sharp.

The character for 'inspect' (監) now floats in his eye.

Zzzt, zzzt, zzzt!

I bite my lip as I look up at the sky.

A vision of fate appears in the celestial energy.

In the very near future, I see myself fighting Hon Won.

"At first, I was doubtful, but now it's clear. You…"

Wo-woong!

The Integration stage Grand Cultivator begins to exert his power.

"You are of the Heart Tribe."

"…!"

Kwaang!

The next moment, his palm strikes again.

Cheeong!

I couldn't even react properly and was smashed through the Heaven-Earth Palace, burying myself into a mountain range within the palace's central territory.

Dududududu!

The dragon vein trembles, the earth shakes, and volcanoes erupt.

The entire Heaven and Earth spiritual energy vibrates, and Hon Won's voice envelops the entirety of the area.

[I always had my suspicions. The law enforcers of Penglai Palace who tried to control the puppets you made all suffered from madness. And now I understand why you were so strong. You were secretly mastering not only Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation, but also the power of the Heart Tribe...]

I spit out a mouthful of blood and retort just as fiercely.

[What's wrong with mastering the power of the Heart Tribe! I am a legitimate Heaven Tribe member!]

[If you were merely of the Heaven Tribe, it wouldn't matter. However, you openly obstructed the Human Race Grand Alliance's campaign against the Devil Realm. You triggered madness with your puppets using the power of the Heart Tribe... And you used a technique suspected to be of the Blood Yin Realm on my daughter and law enforcer, Hon Wei.]

I clench my teeth.

'Did he discover the traces of the Mysterious Bizarre Gu I implanted? Damn it, normally almost no traces remain once they're removed!'

It seems to be because of those 'eyes.'

[Moreover, since the disappearance of Thunder Spirit Island, the power of the Heaven Tribe has weakened. I cannot simply let you go. You, who are suspected to be a spy of the Heart Tribe, a spy of the Blood Yin Realm, and a spy for the recently notorious Mad Lord.]

Wo-woong!

I sense the flow of intent in the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.

I couldn't read it earlier because he was wrapped in his domain, but now, as he begins to expand his domain, I begin to see the flow of his intent.

Catching on to his 'intention', I spit out fiercely.

"Ridiculous. Regardless of being a spy, were you not planning to kill me from the start?"

[Ho, you're quite perceptive. Indeed, you're right.]

Flash!

Before I know it, the glint of the Flying Escape Technique sparks before my eyes, and Hon Won suddenly arrives in front of me.

[You and Jeon Myeong-hoon, who once again destroyed the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect… Neither of you needs to be alive. Moreover, by openly bringing along the descendant of Jin Wei, can you prove that you did not collude with her and contribute to the downfall of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect?]

"Wait! We have sustained the lineage of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect in the Lower Realm…"

[Are you trying to argue that after killing someone and burying only part of their body underground, the microorganisms that lived inside that person are still alive under the ground?]

"No, what does that even…?"

[You continued the lineage in the Lower Realm? Good for you. Shall I wait another 40,000 years for the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect of the Lower Realm to rise up?]

Bo-oong!

Kwaang!

Covered in the glow of the Flying Escape Technique, Hon Won's fist slams into my face.

Flash!

Suddenly, I'm flying from the eastern end to the northern end of the central territory of Heaven-Earth Palace.

'Crazy….'

It's merely the Flying Escape Technique.

Covered only by the Flying Escape Technique, he moved insanely fast.

Thankfully, it's at least possible to react, unlike with Kim Young-hoon.

'No choice. Now that it has come to this, I have to fight!'

Burning with determination, I visualize the Three Great Ultimates behind me.

Paaat!

The Flying Escape Technique of the Heaven Tribe, the physical body of the Demon Race, the acceleration of the Heart Tribe.

Combining everything, it feels as though the world has come to a halt.

And in that halted world, I prepare myself for death and take out the White-Red Wine to drink.

Bo-oong!

The Colorless Glass Sword becomes even more synchronized with me.

[Come, Hon…]

Before I can fully regain my senses.

Hon Won's palm has once again crossed space to strike my head.

Jeeeoooong!

But this time, I dodge his palm and cut through space.

―――――!

Moving at a speed that even sound can't catch up with, we exchange thousands of blows in mid-air.

His Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, due to being a method of Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation, seems to allow him to move his body better than other Heaven Tribe cultivators..

He wields the power of Yin and Yang in his left hand and the Five Elements in his right, continuously assaulting me while I draw upon the full power of Heaven, Earth, and Heart, even incorporating the Mad Lord's circuits throughout my body.

Bo-oong!

Cheeooong!

His palm and the tip of my sword collide.

Kugugugugugu!

Due to that shockwave, the central territory of Heaven-Earth palace, larger than the Head Realm itself, melts into a sea of lava.

In the Lower Realms, such a strike would have destroyed the world several times over!

Jeon Myeong-hoon can't keep up with our fight and only protects Yeon Jin and Hong Fan.

However, I, managing to fight Hon Won to a considerable extent, am actually dripping cold sweat.

'This guy... still has reserves left.'

The longer our duel lasts, and the more we exchange blows directly, the easier it becomes to read his intent.

He is 'quite surprised.'

An intent that means it's surprising to him that I am holding my own against an Integration stage cultivator like him.

That is all.

He does not think for a moment that he might lose to me.

[I heard you were at the Nascent Soul stage, but the enlightenment I feel from you seems to be at the Heavenly Being. Did you advance recently?]

[....]

I exchange blows with Hon Won without any chance to answer his question.

Every time he throws a punch, the very dimension of the Heaven-Earth central territory contorts.

Every time I swing my sword, thousands of spatial rifts form.

[As a Heavenly Being, to think you could exchange blows with an Integration stage cultivator I to this extent. Unmatched in ten million years before and ten millions years after. You are truly a once-in-an-epoch genius.]

[....]

[And having created a debt to such a genius... it would be better to kill you quickly.]

Cheong!

Hon Won aims a kick at me.

From the perspective of martial arts, while there is precision, there are many openings. However the sheer [force] behind the kick is so overwhelming that, despite knowing the gaps, I can't counter.

'Damn it!'

I put all my effort into blocking his kick.

Kugugugu!

Just that sends me flying from the northern end to the southern end of the Heaven-Earth central territory.

Shiiiiii―

Even though I raised my arms to block, it feels as though my internal organs have been thoroughly shaken.

I look at my arm.

Hon Won's footprint is distinctly imprinted on it.

'Tribulating Heavens, Earth Tribe's defensive power, defensive spell techniques, and yet there's still a mark left...'

The problem is that this isn't even his full power.

[Well, I've had fun. Now off you go.]

Kugugugu!

The Heaven and Earth spiritual energy vibrates and begins to bind me.

'He's using that technique!'

I feel a chill and quickly escape the constriction of Yin and Yang and Five Elements before it can fully secure me.

Wo-woong!

And as I look up to see Hon Won folding space above, I grit my teeth.

[What a bother. Can't you just quietly let it happen?]

I smirk.

[I know your attack pattern. Using the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, you'd annihilate anyone, but what's the point if it doesn't hit, no?]

Purely in terms of speed, Hon Won is absolutely below Kim Young-hoon.

Therefore, having reacted to Kim Young-hoon's speed, I can surely dodge Hon Won's techniques.

[Right. If it doesn't hit, it's meaningless.]

That was what I thought.

Kugugugu!

"...What?"

I see, across the entire central territory of Heaven-Earth, the bindings of Yin and Yang appear.

[Then try dodging this.]

Wo-woong!

Hon Won placed himself within the bind.

Yin and Yang and Five Elements, they cover everything between Heaven and Earth.

[Great Mountain.]

"Insane!!!"

My eyes bloodshot, I run towards the Heaven-Earth Palace.

'The entire central territory is the domain!?'

The Bright Cold Realm is immeasurably wider than the Head Realm.

And the central territory of Heaven-Earth Palace is also much larger than the Head Realm.

Just escaping from this place will take ages.

'I miscalculated.'

I shouldn't have confronted Hon Won.

Had I fled madly from the start, I could have preserved my life.

After all, Hon Won does not leave the central territory!

I finally reach Heaven-Earth Palace and spot Jeon Myeong-hoon protecting Hong Fan and Yeon Jin.

"Jeon Myeong-hoon!!! Hong Fan!!! Yeon Jin!!!"

Kwaang!

As soon as I arrive, I strike down the Flying Immortal Platform and crush the dimensional barrier.

"Get out! Get out now!!!!!!"

And then, Hon Won's voice bellows thunderously throughout Heaven and Earth.

[Emperor Splitting.]

"Get ouuuuuuuut!!!"

Kwaang!

Having punched a hole in the dimension, I barely manage to push Jeon Myeong-hoon, Hong Fan, and Yeon Jin out beyond the Bright Cold Realm.

And I, by a hair's breadth, fail to dodge Hon Won's attack.

The world is engulfed in light.

Where am I?

Suddenly, I realize I am standing amidst pitch darkness.

No, that isn't it.

This is the void.

'Ah… so that's it.'

Hon Won's attack had obliterated the entire Heaven-Earth central territory.

Wo-woong!

I notice a few Void Spirit Ponds around this void.

'I see. So is this the pure original form of the Flying Immortal Platform...'

One of the Void Spirit Ponds is rippling.

It seems to be the one I had used to send them back.

'I need to move…'

My hands and feet wouldn't move.

'No... that's not it.'

It's not that my hands and feet lack sensation.

It's that I 'have no' hands and feet.

I realize that my entire body, trained in the Azure Spirit Starlight Quintessence Great Method, is squashed like dough, floating aimlessly through space.

Only my head still retains some form, but I feel my life fading fast.

'Golden Core… Nascent Soul… all shattered….'

Fortunately, the Colorless Glass Sword, linked to my soul, seems intact since I had thrown it along with Jeon Myeong-hoon beyond the Bright Cold Realm.

Flash!

Hon Won appears before me.

Truly astonished, Hon Won exclaims.

[Incredible. To maintain your form even after being hit by my Great Mountain Splitting Emperor... What a tremendous feat.]

He speaks while emanating black and white energy in his hands.

[Until now, no Heavenly Being stage cultivator, let alone anyone hit by my Great Mountain Splitting Emperor, has left even a trace behind. But you have managed to preserve your life after being hit... I pay my respects to that achievement.]

Wo-woong!

The Yin-Yang and Five Elements binding ensnares me as I am dying.

[Farewell, you failures who could not protect the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.]

Flash!

He looks down at me with cold eyes and stretches out his hands.

[Great Mountain.]

'Failed…to protect?'

Is that really the case?

It is.

Jin Byuk-ho, Jin So-hae, Jin Hwi, Hong Su-ryeong, Jin Min, Jin Jin-chan...

How many have died?

I failed to protect them.

But…

Smirk.

"…I am not ashamed… before them."

The lineage of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect survived, continuing its history and avoiding annihilation.

Thus, I overcame fate.

"This life… definitely."

Definitely, definitely!

"Was not meaningless!"

I did everything I could in this life.

Watching me accept death calmly, Hon Won's eyes waver.

However, there's no hesitation in his action.

[...Splitting Emperor!]

A white light covers the world.

That is my eighteenth return.