Chapter 676
So I was wondering if this place was a universe where it’s hard to breathe like a vacuum. But before I could contemplate further, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens responded immediately.
“In the state of a broken dimensional boundary and the collapse of all media except the source, time and space become meaningless; that is the vacuum dimension.”
“I don’t quite get what you’re saying.”
“It means the probability of existence fluctuates infinitely.”
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman waved her hand like a fairy’s dress, guiding me as we drifted through the vacuum dimension, pointing at something.
“Look at that structure.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ll see it changing at every moment, but I can’t tell you which era it belongs to.”
As she said, the structure appeared almost like a rectangular boulder, suddenly morphing into a circle, then shattering into sand. It changed so fast that I couldn’t keep up with it at all. It seemed to be a phenomenon brought about by the discontinuity of time rather than speed.
Only then did I grasp her words, and chills ran down my spine.
“So the fluctuating existence probability means… I could turn into anything if I stay here for too long?”
“Exactly. The vacuum dimension has no inherent laws. It’s often a choice between non-existence or existence in probabilities. Information from countless dimensions can manifest in any form it desires.”
“……!!”
That’s terrifying!
This place might appear peaceful like an empty space, but doesn’t it imply that I could suddenly be annihilated or transformed into some bizarre entity? In some ways, it was worse than the universe itself. I asked the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.
“Then how are you enduring in this space?”
“I use the Corpse Dissolution Technique to solidify the principles of interaction. If I bind the fundamental laws of the universe with threads, even in a vacuum dimension, there won’t be disintegration of existence. I can also block the interference from multi-dimensional waves.”
“……”
I didn’t understand much of it. All I gathered was that thanks to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman’s Corpse Dissolution Technique, I was still alive, and that this technique was extraordinary.
“Heavenly Mysterious Woman.”
At that moment, Cheon Gong-pyo suddenly appeared beside her. It seemed he emerged from nowhere, but the Heavenly Mysterious Woman didn’t show much reaction, as if she already knew of his presence.
“To escape this place, we need to borrow the power of Xuyou. Quickly use Xuyou.”
“I have something to say first.”
Unlike her polite manner towards me, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman’s tone turned cold as she faced Cheon Gong-pyo. They seemed to be acquaintances, but their past relationship wasn’t good. She glared at him and said,
“Why didn’t you comply with the will of the Three Pure Ones at the climax of the Fengshen Plan?”
What on earth does that mean?
Cheon Gong-pyo chuckled at the Heavenly Mysterious Woman’s question.
“Are you seriously asking about something from thousands of years ago now?”
“Answer me.”
“…No.”
“What did you say?”
Cheon Gong-pyo nonchalantly crossed his arms.
“That matter is a secret between me and them. And it has already been resolved among those involved. I have no reason to share it with you.”
“Is that so? If that’s the case, then I have no reason to help you escape this vacuum dimension.”
“Hmph! Do you think such threats will work on me? I can leave using my own techniques.”
“But you’ll exhaust yourself absurdly. And once you’re out, it’ll be a hellhole full of demons.”
“……”
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman pulled out Xuyou and said,
“This isn’t just about you and me. It’s tied to the fate of the entire Celestial Realm, so it would be best not to act stubbornly and to talk it out.”
“The fate of the entire Celestial Realm, ha!”
“What’s so funny?”
“I don’t even see why the Celestial Realm should exist.”
Cheon Gong-pyo continued with a nihilistic outlook.
“By the time the Fengshen War was over, humanity was pretty much done for. There was no longer any strength left to oppose divine beings, and all we had left was to be farmed like insects until we faced our doom. That doesn’t mean the Celestial Realm prevents the end. It just takes care of humans for a long while… What significance does the Celestial Realm hold when it has lost the right to fight for its survival against the [Old Ruler]?”
“……”
“If you want to hear my side, first release the powers and talents of sealed humans in the Celestial Realm. Only after promising that can I share my part.”
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman shook her head at Cheon Gong-pyo’s suggestion.
“Impossible. I don’t have the authority to release them.”
“What are you talking about? If not you, then who else has that authority?”
“The Jade Emperor holds that authority.”
“…That’s absurd. Fine by me.”
Cheon Gong-pyo scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.
“Use Xuyou or don’t, do as you please.”
Swish!
Cheon Gong-pyo vanished once again into the vacuum dimension. I turned to the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and asked,
“Did Cheon Gong-pyo leave the vacuum dimension?”
“The vacuum dimension is the evil of the Great Universe, a result of collapsing dimensions. No matter how much a leader of the Absolute Teachings like Cheon Gong-pyo is, he can’t escape that easily. He’s probably waiting for me to use Xuyou so he can escape alongside me.”
“Ah.”
“What is he even thinking…”
As the Heavenly Mysterious Woman lamented, she added,
“Fortunately, Cheon Gong-pyo had already released Xuyou beforehand, so escaping this space shouldn’t be an issue.”
“How can I assist?”
“Just maintain your awareness. Even if you have restored your strength, without your assistance, I cannot use mine.”
“Understood. So about Cheon Gong-pyo…”
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman paused before saying,
“When you lost consciousness, I spoke with the Fire Dragon Incarnate. And like her, we agreed that Cheon Gong-pyo must not be sent back to the real world as he is.”
“Huh?”
“Cheon Gong-pyo, fully resurrected and restored to power, possesses the strength to shatter the very causal laws of the world. Right now, I can hold him down, but he is something a mortal cannot handle… Now that even the Three Pure Ones have perished, no one can oppose him except the Jade Emperor or the Queen Mother of the West.”
“……”
“The moment we escape the vacuum dimension, I plan to team up with the Fire Dragon Incarnate to suppress him.”
“What?! You mean to fight him?”
Startled, I repeated her words, to which the Heavenly Mysterious Woman calmly replied,
“We must either kill him or leash him. Otherwise, nothing will come of it.”
“But that sounds way too risky…”
“However, Cheon Gong-pyo likely thinks the same. He’ll have schemes to suppress us the moment he brings us back to the real world. It’s best to settle things beforehand.”
“Hmm…”
She made a good point. If we don’t put a collar on Cheon Gong-pyo, there’s a strong possibility things will spiral out of control later. But as I pondered, I suddenly remembered something and brought it up.
“What about the Eight Parts of the Divine? Are they definitely dead?”
“That’s the variable. Given they were hit with both Spirit Summoning Technique and Corpse Dissolution Technique simultaneously, it should be normal for them to be dead, but… they are bizarre beings with the traits of humans, even though they’re Demon Kings and Apostles. There’s a chance they could still be alive.”
“Then we can’t risk it.”
I told the Heavenly Mysterious Woman,
“Let’s not recklessly try to suppress Cheon Gong-pyo, and find a safer place. If the Eight Parts of the Divine are alive, things will complicate, so it’s better to stay on their good side.”
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman spoke in a slightly somber tone.
“… Do you think I can’t defeat the injured Eight Parts of the Divine?”
Did I touch her pride? It felt like I had struck a nerve, especially with how powerful she had become. I hurriedly added,
“Even Cheon Gong-pyo, fully restored, was overwhelmed by their combined assault. Plus, their master, Chi You, resides on the moon of this Dark Heaven Village—this place is basically their backyard. It would be unwise not to be cautious.”
“Very well… then we’ll proceed with caution.”
Swish
Moments later, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman swung Xuyou and cut through the space. As she did, the dark, red sky of Dark Heaven Village revealed itself, and she waved her fairy dress to widen the gap before stepping into the outside world. Shortly after she landed on the ground, Cheon Gong-pyo swooped down on his Sabre Sword using the Sword Flying Technique.
Thud!
Cheon Gong-pyo smirked and said,
“My promise was to send Baek Woong back to reality. But if you use Xuyou, it looks like I can keep that promise right now.”
“……”
“What are you waiting for? Create a path to escape Dark Heaven Village using Xuyou like you did when you sliced through the vacuum dimension.”
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman shot a sidelong glance at Cheon Gong-pyo.
“How naive. Why are you so excited?”
“What?”
Cheon Gong-pyo’s expression warped as the Heavenly Mysterious Woman pointed to the sky behind him.
“Didn’t Baek Woong also just say that those guys are escaping the vacuum dimension?”
Crumble, crumble…
In the swirling golden light of the air, the main bodies of the Eight Parts of the Divine loomed above. It seemed they had escaped the vacuum dimension faster than we did, but their stillness felt peculiar.
‘Are they recovering their power?’
Even if they are the Eight Parts of the Divine, surviving two devastating techniques simultaneously speaks volumes. The way Cheon Gong-pyo glimpsed at them suggested he was quietly confident about dealing with them.
“There’s no reason to leave them alone if they’re standing still asking to be killed! Let’s finish this!”
“Wait.”
“What for?”
“Something feels off. They’ve definitely escaped before us, but isn’t it strange that they started recovering right here? The Eight Parts of the Divine aren’t fools.”
“Hmm…”
Cheon Gong-pyo tilted his head as the Heavenly Mysterious Woman continued,
“I sense this place is one we should avoid. Regardless, they can’t easily recover from that injury, so follow my lead.”
Swish
Using the Corpse Dissolution Technique, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman opened a pathway through time and space, and Cheon Gong-pyo sped after her, seemingly agreeing with her judgment. Yet with lingering hesitation, he pouted,
“Hmph, it’s a shame to be scared with this amount of strength.”
After a moment, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman stopped in some sort of basin. She looked around and said,
“This place has neither the [Old Ruler] nor looks too dangerous. Now, finalize our contract.”
“What contract?”
“Did you forget already? You just promised to give Baek Woong your techniques and intel related to the Absolute Teachings.”
“Ugh…”
Cheon Gong-pyo’s face contorted.
“I’ll pass on that once we’re back in the real world.”
“You can’t do that. Your protective mission is until we return; you cannot change your mind after we’ve arrived. You need to relay the information to Baek Woong right now.”
“Is this an order?”
“You’re acting so childish. Why are you throwing a fit? Shouldn’t the leader of the Absolute Teachings have more composure?”
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman sighed as if out of frustration.
“… Hah, perhaps I was too hasty in advancing the Fengshen Plan. You learned all the techniques of the Taishang Laojun and Primordial Heaven Master in just twenty years, but you never learned the quality of a true leader.”
Cheon Gong-pyo, now irritated, raised his voice.
“Who do you think you are to preach to me? I’ve been waiting to say this for a long time: you are not my superior. Don’t act like a mentor to me forever.”
The Heavenly Mysterious Woman replied coolly,
“Is that so? I may not be your superior, but I still have a few words to share. Among all those who entered Kunlun over the years, you possessed the best talent, but you were never the greatest immortal. If another person had taken the position of the Absolute Teachings leader, you wouldn’t have faced being sealed on Golden Crow Island.”
“Ugh, you little…”
“Don’t you understand the demeanor of a great sage? Do not speak carelessly. I think I taught you that when I was supposed to mentor you instead of the Three Pure Ones.”
The discussion left Cheon Gong-pyo trembling in anger, clearly unable to counter her words. It seemed like she had once been his mentor back when they were at Kunlun. I could only surmise he was struggling to think of a logical rebuttal while his mind was filled with insults.
It was baffling.
Why could I read the thoughts of Cheon Gong-pyo, the master of the Absolute Teachings?
Just as I was trying to wrap my head around it, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman spoke again.
“Do you know why I had you infiltrate the Absolute Teachings as an interloper despite your tremendous talent and assigned the heavy burden of the Fengshen Plan to Tai Gong-mang? Though Tai Gong-mang had little talent as a Taoist, he was a great master who understood humanity very well. Thanks to Tai Gong-mang handling things on the ground excellently, the Fengshen Plan could proceed without issues.”
“Why bring up my older brother now?”
“I pity you because you have immense power but are swayed by an immature mindset, unable to exert it properly.”
As Cheon Gong-pyo regained some composure, he scoffed,
“Hmph! I admit my political skills and perspective may fall short compared to my older brother. But in the end, that Fengshen Plan was about wiping out the human race, right? The one who executed that plan flawlessly was my older brother, and he was just a puppet of the Celestial Realm, while I was the one truly fighting for humanity.”
“……”
“If I hadn’t become the leader of the Absolute Teachings, you of all people wouldn’t have neglected human civilization like this. Because I resisted, at least some semblance of humanity remains. Otherwise, the immortals would have turned humanity into mere livestock in a theocratic society.”
Cheon Gong-pyo’s cynical words sent a shiver down my spine.
“The Great Immortals sealed all of humanity’s mythical talents while using the regime change of the Silver Pill as an excuse to hunt down and eliminate those with chaotic talents. They completely altered humans from the roots, dumbing them down to inferior beings… that’s what the Fengshen Plan truly was! A plan to degrade humanity into worthy livestock for the Celestial Realm!”
