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I used the Spirit of Flame and headed to Daiwei, where 20 young experts from the White Lotus Sect were already engaged in battle.

Daiwei was a canyon area with a forward base of the White Lotus Sect and a village inside, and there were some corpses scattered around.

“Kraaa!!”

“Kill that bastard!”

With sword lights and fierce winds flying around, the members of the White Lotus Sect fought valiantly using their deep internal power against a gigantic foe that looked like a giant.

But not just any giant; it had a mouth vertically protruding from the top of its head, making its cranium look split, and it had grotesque pairs of arms split from the elbows. That was definitely not a naturally occurring creature.

‘Otherworldly Giant!’

I let out a low growl. The being born from the unknown magic of the Otherworld was right in front of my eyes. This giant looked at least two to three times taller than a normal human and seemed incredibly strong and threatening, even fast.

Yet, around twenty members of the White Lotus Sect were pushing back against about eight of these giants. Despite being outnumbered, the physical capabilities of the giants were no match for the profound internal power derived from the Sacred Lotus and the martial arts of the White Lotus Sect.

One of the White Lotus members, after successfully striking a blow to a giant’s arm and retreating with a light body technique, spotted me and shouted, “The Dharma Guardian has come to aid us! Everyone, keep it up!!”

I could feel the momentary shift of attention towards me. As that energy landed on me, I realized I needed to act immediately, so I gathered my internal power. When I reached the peak of my energy, I focused it in my toes and launched myself forward like a spring.

Thunder God Sword Dance!

Blue Sky Flower!

As my sword surged with strength, it seemed as if a lightning-made flower pattern briefly etched itself in the air. The next moment, two of the giant’s bodies were sliced into dozens of pieces where I had just passed. With such extreme speed—my sword energy was like a flash of light—the giants didn’t even get a chance to respond.

BOOM!

BOOM!

“Whoa!!”

After taking down two giants in the blink of an eye, the atmosphere in the hall drastically changed. The remaining giants, realizing their disadvantage, hesitated, and the morale of the White Lotus members soared. Feeling pleased, I couldn’t help but smile and said, “Let’s finish this!”

“Yes!”

The brutal fight with the giants concluded about half an hour later. We could have taken them down faster, but we wanted to ensure there were no injuries or fatalities.

The hall was transformed into a sea of the giant’s blood, and the foul stench flowed down like a tide.

After the battle, a young man, seemingly the leader among the White Lotus members, approached me and bowed. He looked to be in his twenties, and his clean-cut appearance gave off a strong impression.

“I am Woo Young-pyo, Captain of the Fire God Team of the Fire Spirit Techniques. I’m honored to meet the famed Dharma Guardian Baek Woong!”

“What’s the damage report?”

Woo Young-pyo replied with a bittersweet expression, “The Fire God Team has no injuries or fatalities. However, twelve villagers died, and twenty-nine were wounded.”

“Hmm…”

As I surveyed the village, I let out a low growl. ‘This is a significant loss.’ It was clear the population here wasn’t large; at best, a few hundred people called this small village home. Having forty casualties in such a place was a considerable blow. As I silently scanned the ruined village buildings, Woo Young-pyo spoke up.

“If the Dharma Guardian hadn’t helped, we would have likely faced casualties within our Fire God Team as well. Thank you once again.”

“Where did those bizarre monsters come from?”

“Well… it seems a demon cave has appeared nearby.”

“Demon cave?”

When I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term, Woo Young-pyo explained.

“It refers to the location from which these Otherworldly beings emerge when they appear unexpectedly.”

“Something like that exists?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t help but feel surprised.

‘But I’ve never seen such a thing in the Central Plains.’

In fact, the mere existence of these Otherworldly giants was something I had never encountered in the Central Plains. Having lived fifty years as an escort, I had neither seen nor heard of such creatures. But they suddenly appeared on the land of the White Lotus Sect, making it outrageous. Captain Woo Young-pyo continued.

“If you could help us find the demon cave, we’d be most grateful.”

“Understood. Let’s go find it.”

I immediately followed the Fire God Team as they began their search. They had an expert skilled in tracking who could backtrack based on the monster’s bodily fluids, smells, and traces. As I silently trailed behind them, Zhuge Sa spoke up.

[It’s certain. This area is vaguely connected to Dark Heaven Village.]

Startled, I asked, “What do you mean?”

“Ah… nothing at all.”

I waved my hand at Woo Young-pyo, brushing off Zhuge Sa’s words.

[Are you really not feeling the vast presence of demon energy spread across this land? The only Otherworld that can emit this level of demonic energy and erode reality is Dark Heaven Village. For some reason, the dimensional interface is overlapping here.]

[……]

Dark Heaven Village! It’s the land of [Old Ruler], and even the Otherworldly beings dwell there, filled with illusions and nightmares. It was even mentioned that the Great Immortal could face destruction if they ventured there. I pondered this before asking.

[So the demon cave is essentially a passage to the Otherworld, Dark Heaven Village?]

[That would be correct. The dimensional instability has caused a hole to open up. It’s a passage that could disappear at any moment.]

[Why is this happening?]

[You should know, idiot. Think with your brain.]

I genuinely wanted to kill Zhuge Sa for that. As I amplified my murderous intent toward him, Zhuge Sa chuckled.

[If I were to hazard a guess, it might relate to the Master of the White Lotus Sect.]

[The Master of the White Lotus Sect? Why?]

[Ha… dumbass. Didn’t the Master of the White Lotus Sect collide with the [Old Ruler] in the past? Something must have happened then. This unstable space is likely a remnant of their clash.]

[Hmm… that makes some sense.]

I nodded at Zhuge Sa’s hypothesis. So it was explained why the Central Plains remained fine but this area alone became a terrifying place infested with Otherworldly creatures. The clash between the Master of the White Lotus Sect and the [Old Ruler] likely sent out massive waves of resonance that destabilized this time and space.

I asked Zhuge Sa once more.

[Is there a way to sever the connection with Dark Heaven Village and stabilize this area?]

[Once it has a connection, it opens the hole. This phenomenon occurs because the dimensional closeness to Dark Heaven Village is tight; if we increase that distance, it can be done. Of course, doing so will take the Great Sorcerer decades of hardship.]

After explaining, Zhuge Sa continued bluntly.

[You moron. This isn’t your responsibility. It’s the duty of the one who caused it to bear the consequences. If you try to take on everything, you’ll just end up with all the blame.]

For some reason, I felt like Zhuge Sa was giving me proper advice, which left me feeling discomforted and awkward. This crazy Guangsheng had been helping me lately, which felt unfamiliar, and Zhuge Sa himself seemed to be adapting well to this relationship. It was genuinely strange given Zhuge Sa’s original personality.

Unable to hold back any longer, I asked him, “What’s your game? Why are you helping me so much?”

“Of course, I should help. That way, as the Portrait Immortal, you can move my spirit to the afterlife. Do you think I can live like a ghost for a millennium?”

“I can’t trust you.”

“Suit yourself…”

It seemed Zhuge Sa was acting a bit strange too as he smirked and laughed at me.

“If I were you, I’d have so much to do, but you’re just living a tiresome life.”

“It’s not exactly a righteous endeavor.”

“Hahaha…”

While chatting with Zhuge Sa, we had arrived at the demon cave.

Woooooo—

A dark space burst open in the air! It appeared to be a circular hole about three meters wide. Surrounding this opening in the plain were all sorts of demonic creatures. Each one looked bizarre, something that could not possibly belong to this world. There was one especially grotesque creature that squirmed with tentacles and had dozens of eyes—it was disgusting just to look at.

I frowned and said, “Do the White Lotus members fight these kinds of things regularly?”

“It’s not a frequent occurrence. It happens maybe once or twice every few years. Of course, it’s a difficult task…”

“Let’s annihilate these creatures first and think about the rest later.”

“Please!”

I nodded and stepped forward. Gathering my internal power to its limit, I conjured a massive sword strength. It was an absurd technique not usable between humans, but since the enemies weren’t human, they could only watch as I built up my energy.

KU-KWAAAA-

Eventually, when my strength surged and formed a光刃 several times larger than three meters, I sensed that I still had some power left. It felt like I had about thirty percent energy remaining.

‘This is on par with what I used back in Zhongnan Sect, but I’ve certainly grown stronger since then.’

I stopped my distracting thoughts and focused solely on destruction, sending the powerful wave of energy forward along with the Thunder God Sword Dance.

KA-BOOM!!

WHAM!

With a thunderous roar like thousands of explosives going off at once, the creatures in front were swept away in a whirlwind of lightning. I didn’t stop the momentum of my sword energy and executed a few horizontal slashes. Each time, dozens of those creatures perished right before my eyes. After slashing away frantically for about thirty times, only traces of fire and lightning and the monster’s corpses remained on the plain.

“Huff… Huff…”

Having almost exhausted my energy, I gasped for breath. In the past, just one strike was exhausting, but this time I operated it fairly smoothly.

As the White Lotus members approached me, they wore expressions of shock. Captain Woo Young-pyo spoke with a trembling voice, “This… this ridiculous level of internal power… could it be that you’ve already obtained the Heavenly Spirit Pill?”

I staggered and waved my hands. “This isn’t the time for such talk. Destroy the demon cave.”

“Ah… Yes!!”

As the White Lotus members approached the gaping demon cave, they formed a formation and began chanting something. An odd object then rose in the air. Suspicious of it being some malevolent magic, I hesitated, but the object exuded a gentle aura instead of malice. It was distinctly different from the demon energy of the Otherworldly beings, and I curiously watched the ceremony unfold.

Zhuge Sa, sharing my vision, commented, “Five Stars. The mark of the Ancient Deity…”

“What’s that?”

“Pay close attention to that object. It’s one of the few means to resist the [Old Ruler].”

“What?!”

I stared intensely at the object as Zhuge Sa continued explaining.

“While they are not the [Old Ruler], there exist ancient beings in this world with similar powers. Sorcerers refer to them as Ancient Gods, and they are relatively friendly toward humans and righteous beings.”

[……!!]

Such beings existed!

As I mentally recorded that information, Zhuge Sa said, “And that object symbolizes the powers of the Ancient God. The mark of the Five Stars can drive out impure beings and the minions of the [Old Ruler]. Of course, there are limits, but as a protective measure, it is one of the best tools a righteous being can wield.”

“I see… wait.”

I interjected in disbelief, “Why are the White Lotus members using such an object?! Isn’t that secret knowledge?!”

“Don’t ask me. From now on, it’s your job to find out.”

[……]

The fissure of the demon cave vanished without a trace. It seemed the vast demonic energy that had filled the plain had also significantly diminished. Even the hundreds of monsters I had just defeated began to dissolve into the ground.

As I watched the phenomenon in astonishment, Woo Young-pyo approached and bowed deeply to me.

“Thank you for your assistance!”

“I have a question.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“About that object used in the sealing ceremony… where did you learn about it?”

Captain Woo Young-pyo made a face as if he didn’t have a good answer and replied, “I’m not too sure about it myself.”

But almost simultaneously with his verbal response, I heard his voice transmitted telepathically.

[The Master of the White Lotus Sect instructed all members to memorize that object. It’s used in the sealing ceremonies against all Otherworldly beings.]

I nodded. “Understood.”

Captain Woo Young-pyo likely felt gratitude toward me, but perhaps due to his position in the Fire Spirit Techniques, he hesitated to divulge secrets. So he must have given me a slight hint while claiming ignorance.

As I returned to the main hall along with the Fire God Team, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Something is off.’

The Master of the White Lotus Sect was not only well-versed in forbidden arts but also had deep knowledge pertaining to the Otherworld and the Path of Demons.

 

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