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“The Lord of Tongcheon, Cheon Gong-pyo?!”

Before I even had time to process, Cheon Gong-pyo’s spirit swung the Sabre Sword. At the same moment, four beams of light burst forth from the sword, forming a square. This square then stretched out and expanded infinitely into the sky. As it grew larger, thousands of squares seemed to reflect off each other like mirrors, flooding the arena with an orange glow that pierced the heavens.

Whoosh—

Cheon Gong-pyo flashed a knowing smile as if sensing something. And then, she shouted, “Ruyi Staff, pierce the heavens!”

Boom!

Suddenly, it felt like the entire world shook. At that same moment, a streak of divine light shot from Cheon Gong-pyo’s fingertip to the ends of the sky, and with a flick of her finger, that light split the sky in two.

Whirr…

A deafening ring echoed in my ears. I furrowed my brow, using my internal power to shield myself from the sudden surge of energy. However, this kind of resonance was potent enough to kill someone. Even a Peak Expert would suffer internal injuries under such pressure, prompting me to protest to Cheon Gong-pyo.

“Wait, what are you doing…?”

She retorted, “Shut up and grasp the Ruyi Staff. A hole has been made; we can escape immediately.”

What? I couldn’t help but spit those words out in disbelief.

“You’re telling me there’s a hole eight thousand miles away? That’s ridiculous…”

Cheon Gong-pyo’s expression turned cold, like she was looking at a pest. The intense pride and arrogance radiating from her sent a chill down my spine. I felt an aura that could only belong to someone who had reigned as a supreme being.

“Prepare quickly before the monster’s wall regenerates.”

“Alright, I got it.” I responded.

Cheon Gong-pyo felt different from those I had encountered before. Zhuge Sa and Cheon Woo-jin often tormented me, but their malice didn’t mix with sincere killing intent. However, from Cheon Gong-pyo, I sensed a chilling pressure combined with a sinister aura. My heart raced at this unmistakably dangerous feeling.

‘What the heck…? This girl.’

In that moment, I instinctively recognized that she was as dangerous as Zhuge Sa from my early encounters!

Maybe I should be even more cautious of Cheon Gong-pyo than Zhuge Bu. I hesitated, picking up the Ruyi Staff, while Cheon Gong-pyo seemed to gather some kind of power.

“If you’re the master of the Ruyi Staff, you can release it automatically, but you are just borrowing it. Chant the incantation to borrow the power of the primeval heaven master, Subori.”

“So I can extend the staff eight thousand miles?”

“Only if I help.”

“Got it!” I quickly recited the incantation Cheon Gong-pyo had taught me. It was in Sanskrit, but I had learned the basics from Zhuge Sa, so pronouncing it wasn’t difficult. A moment later, as I finished the incantation, the Ruyi Staff began to shine, and I quickly stashed Zhuge Bu into the wooden armor.

Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the Ruyi Staff exploded with size, expanding at an incredible speed until everything on the ground looked like mere dots. I noticed a monster in the mountain range looking towards me, shrinking away as I pulled away with the staff.

Whoosh!

“Ugh…”

Clutching the Ruyi Staff, I climbed higher and felt an overwhelming chill enveloping me. The Staff ascended faster than the techniques of an Expert, much quicker than the speed of sound. Everything around me began to appear like flickering lines of light, occasionally revealing the blood-red cloud sea. As I held on tight to the tip of the staff, Cheon Gong-pyo said, “We’ll arrive in half a moment. Prepare your heart.”

“Am I going to fight a monster?”

“No. The hell outside could be worse.”

“What… what do you mean?”

I was startled by her reply.

“Think of a useful plan in advance.”

Hearing her words, I calmly contemplated.

‘A worse hell? Is there a place worse than here?’

Just moments ago, I had been in a hellish struggle with tentacle monsters, worrying about food, and felt that if I fell off the cliff, I’d plunge into the chaotic cloud sea. The thought of a worse hell was hardly something I could fathom. But then I shifted my thinking.

What if it was a place where even breathing was not allowed, and survival was impossible?

Then escaping from this place might be foolish. Here, I could at least fight the monsters and survive, but stepping outside would guarantee my death. Of course, it might not be that straightforward, but given how many unexpected ways I had died before, I couldn’t help but prepare for the worst.

Hanging on the Ruyi Staff, I said to Cheon Gong-pyo, “I couldn’t summon demon creatures inside here. Will it be possible outside?”

“What kind of demon creatures are you referring to?”

I explained the demon creature I had a contract with. Cheon Gong-pyo replied, “It should be possible. Prepare to summon in advance.”

“Got it.”

Boom!

I hung onto the Ruyi Staff, chanting the summoning spell, making sure to finish the incantation ahead of time. I didn’t have the luxury to offer a proper sacrifice, but a quick summoning might work. I closed my mouth, focused on conserving my energy, and remained tethered to the end of the staff.

How long had passed?

After what felt like a half moment, similar to a thousand years, I heard Cheon Gong-pyo’s voice.

“There it is.”

A tremendous destruction mark!

It looked like an entire mountain had been crushed away. The sight was not misleading; there was no blue sky, just a red wall that enveloped everything. Something had broken through that wall dramatically, and the destruction mark was massive, likely spanning tens of li.

Whoosh!

Beyond the destruction mark lay a pitch-black world. Inside was a realm filled with red walls and blood flame clouds, while the outside seemed to be pure darkness. Just looking at that hole struck me with overwhelming fear.

It was the very manifestation of the Evil Great Universe.

“……”

For a moment, I forgot what I was supposed to do and got lost in thought.

I had been an ordinary guy, thinking of becoming a Jianghu expert after acquiring the Heavenly Secret upon falling from a cliff. How did I end up here? If I explained my adventurous path to that version of me, I’d probably just get some scoffing response.

‘Ah, no. Get a grip.’

I reclaimed my focus and sat on the enlarged tip of the Ruyi Staff. I turned to Cheon Gong-pyo and asked, “Could it be that what just destroyed the wall was that Ruyi Sword?”

“Correct.”

“Is that Ruyi Sword the same as the Sabre Sword?”

“You really want to know everything. How about you focus on getting out?”

Cheon Gong-pyo responded tersely. I guessed that she had little reason to explain about the Sabre Sword to me. But I believed this was not the time to back down, so I continued.

“You know I came to this world, prepared to die in response to the summoning of the Golden Lamp. I don’t mind dying, but I need to know a bit about you if I’m to survive as best I can. Doesn’t it make sense?”

“……”

“If you refuse, I won’t stop. I see that if I don’t help you, you can’t leave either.”

“Are you testing my patience?”

“I’m suggesting we cooperate.”

A moment of silence passed. I felt as tense as if I had placed a bet that could end poorly. I predicted Cheon Gong-pyo was also restrained by the Ruyi Staff, so it seemed that she had to cooperate with me to move somewhere. However, if I was wrong, and she was just helping out of goodwill, I could end up discarded and thrown back into the blood flame cloud.

After a brief moment, Cheon Gong-pyo said, “The Ruyi Sword is one of the Four Immortals’ swords, it is a manifestation of the Sabre Sword. Although it was originally one, it can be divided into four Divine Swords as necessary, and Ruyi Sword is the strongest among them.”

“I see. So, the Sabre Sword is on par with the four Divine Swords?”

“You seem confused about Sabre Sword. It’s a divine artifact that only the Master of Absolute Teachings can possess, and it holds more power than the combined abilities of Primeval Heaven Master and Demon’s Eye.”

“Hmm… so it’s on the same level as the Seven Luminaries?”

Cheon Gong-pyo went silent, seemingly taken aback by my question. After a moment, she continued, “At least in terms of combat strength, the Sabre Sword surpasses the Seven Luminaries significantly. But the true power of the Seven Luminaries lies in their resonance, so comparing them individually is futile.”

“Hmm.”

“This isn’t the time for conversation. The wall is regenerating; we need to leave quickly.”

Cheon Gong-pyo urged, and I looked towards the massive destruction mark ahead. Indeed, it was a colossal mark, but as Cheon Gong-pyo said, it was quietly shrinking even as she spoke. This behemoth was likely in the process of regenerating its wall. But instead of rushing, I turned to Cheon Gong-pyo and asked, “Why were you sealed within the Ruyi Staff? According to the Investiture of the Gods legend, you were the disciple of Primeval Heaven Master and the priest of Tai Gong-mang. I’ve never heard of being the Master of Absolute Teachings before.”

“Is it necessary to know that?”

“Just answer this question, and I won’t hesitate to leave immediately.”

As I persuaded Cheon Gong-pyo, after a moment, she seemed to relent.

“The ancient legends of the Celestial Realm you know are a distorted history created by the Celestial beings. Everything was rewritten to favor their version of events. However, it is true that I was the Master of Absolute Teachings and that I fought against the Celestial Realm.”

“Distorted? But the Cult of Tongcheon was imprisoned for wanting to do evil, so the Celestial beings subdued you and chased the demon immortals to Golden Crow Island.”

“Heh heh.”

Cheon Gong-pyo chuckled, almost mockingly.

“What constitutes evil? What horrific deed warranted the Celestial Realm’s preemptive strike on the Cult of Tongcheon?”

“Well, the tyrant Zhou of the Yin Dynasty tortured the people with Daji’s help, and you defended such a monster…”

“That hardly justifies attacking a fellow Celestial sect. It was merely the affairs of humans. Do the Great Immortals you’ve seen care for human politics?”

“That’s true, I guess.”

“You really don’t understand anything, do you…?”

“What am I missing?”

I protested, receiving a sharp response from Cheon Gong-pyo.

“You ugly pest, stop probing! I’m at my limit. If you don’t escape through that damned hole right now, it would be better to just end it all here!”

Suddenly, the Ruyi Staff began to shrink dramatically, feeling like it was dropping a hundred zhang towards the ground. I panicked as I sensed Cheon Gong-pyo’s anger and realized I could no longer pry for more information. I hurriedly shouted, “Alright! Just let’s get out first!”

“Hurry up!”

I commanded the Ruyi Staff to extend, and as per my order, Cheon Gong-pyo began to expand it at a tremendous speed. In an instant, I pierced through the colossal destruction mark and emerged into the dark otherworldly realm, gasping for breath as I managed to control my internal power.

‘Ugh.’

As expected, the air seemed non-existent. It felt like I was floating in a complete vacuum, reduced to a speck in the vast universe. I had seen sights like this before, but it was my first time experiencing it firsthand.

‘Ugh… According to demonology, once one steps into the vacuum of space…’

Indeed, holding my breath did little to help; in fact, it felt like I might burst. Simultaneously, the low pressure made the liquids within me boil as the saliva in my mouth started to bubble. I realized I was about to suffocate from vaporization and quickly harnessed my internal power to regain balance, creating a strong barrier to protect myself from the horrific external conditions.

Fwoosh!

While it became a little more bearable, the situation didn’t significantly improve. I couldn’t maintain this protective barrier indefinitely and couldn’t survive in a vacuum. I glanced back over my shoulder and was suddenly startled.

“……!!”

The master of the “concealment” was an unimaginably massive creature, not just a centipede but an otherworldly being. Its size was beyond comprehension according to earthly standards. It reminded me of the colossal dragon I once encountered in the cosmos. How did I identify it as a centipede? Because its form stretched like a tapestry across the span of endless space.

It swam slowly, tracing an unknowable orbit towards a distant black dot.

And from it emanated sound—

a haunting melody, akin to an ancient flute celebrating chaos.

What on earth was that entity?

I needed to comprehend, yet I didn’t dare to.

The very thought of understanding it was terrifying.

“……”

It was just too enormous.

I felt overwhelmed by its sheer dimension. While I stood there in shock, Cheon Gong-pyo spoke.

“Snap out of it. It seems this place is the outskirts of Dark Heaven Village.”

“What? How do you know that?”

“Focus and observe your surroundings. Don’t you see the silver path?”

Indeed. There was a silver path glimmering faintly through the darkness, and I used the momentum of the Ruyi Staff to ascend onto the silver road. Miraculously, I found that I could breathe and walk normally without using the barrier.

“No way! How did you figure this out?”

As I questioned Cheon Gong-pyo, she answered, “Even the Master of Absolute Teachings possesses knowledge of Dark Heaven Village. According to my insights, this is the ‘Great Path’ leading to the ‘Moon’ of Dark Heaven Village. It’s said that one can end up here after swimming endlessly in the sea outside Dark Heaven.”

“Hmm! Then what about that giant centipede?”

“It’s likely a deity, but do you really need to know? Regardless, to us, we are mere insects in the grand scheme.”

“Y-yeah, I guess.”

Fwoosh!

Realizing what I had to do, I summoned the demon creature. After drinking some honey wine, I instructed the demon creature, “Take me to the end of this silver path!”

This was the endpoint of Dark Heaven Village.

If I went to the other side, it would lead me to Dark Heaven Village!

 

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