---

Dark Heaven Village

We utilized the Transmission Technique to move to a hill near the Governor’s Office of the British Empire. Below us loomed the vast grounds and buildings of the office, while airships floated above, and soldiers stood guard with the latest firearms. Of course, those soldiers with their guns would not be able to stop us, but a sinister aura made us momentarily pause.

I could feel everyone’s gaze turning toward me. After a brief moment of contemplation, I spoke.

“We need someone to draw attention. There’s no way we can breach this barrier unnoticed.”

“I’ll take on that role, Baek Woong. If things get noisy, you should make your move.”

Dr. Faust, wearing a top hat and a plague doctor mask, volunteered as bait. He snapped open his massive bag, and in the next moment, his entire body transformed into a mass of dark chaos, alongside a summoned black beast.

[Roar!]

Transformed into a demonic entity, Dr. Faust bellowed a earth-shattering roar and charged towards the front of the Governor’s Office.

*Crash!*

With every swipe of his claws, the space tore apart, and soldiers screamed. The buildings also shattered, making it look as if a natural disaster had struck.

‘His physical capabilities surpass those of a high-level existence…!!’

How can he use such a transformation technique? The power is beyond the explanation of ordinary sorcery! Moreover, I couldn’t sense any magical power emanating from that transformation, so it seemed that it wasn’t a spell borrowed from the [Old Ruler].

I was intrigued and asked, “What’s that ability?”

Berus answered with a somewhat bitter tone. “He is the greatest scholar of Germany, a symbiote, and an antinomian. He created a technique crafted by humanity to fight dominators, which in turn led him to harbor contradictions. We must enter while he still retains his sanity.”

“Understood.”

It seemed there was a complicated backstory, but now wasn’t the time to focus on Dr. Faust. With that level of ability, he could certainly attract enough attention for us to slip in. It was crucial for us to break into the interior during this chaos.

*Whoosh!*

As Gucheonnyeo activated her Transmission Technique, we found ourselves inside the spacious corridor of the Governor’s building. As expected, it was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside, with a dazzlingly contrasting black and white arrangement. And before us stood a blonde, blue-eyed man in elegant robes, waiting with a smug grin.

“Looks like the little rat from the East has returned… You won’t escape today.”

Thanks to Gucheonnyeo’s Corpse Dissolution Technique, I could easily understand his words. I replied with a question, “Who are you?”

“I am Fulcanelli, the Alchemist who serves ‘Him’…”

Suddenly, Fulcanelli’s body turned to sand and vanished. At the same time, the entire space distorted wildly, unleashing an onslaught of countless indescribable weapons upon us. However, in that instant, Cheon Woo-jin pointed his finger forward and shouted.

“Rapid Fire Incantation!!”

*Boom!*

“Graaah!”

Fulcanelli was flung back with a loud explosion, bleeding from all over. Though he had tried to manipulate space to attack, Cheon Woo-jin’s incantation inflicted severe wounds that placed his life in jeopardy. Even I, whose mastery was not very high, could tell that his magical power had shattered, making recovery impossible.

Fulcanelli shouted in disbelief. “N-no way! I used a piece of the Philosopher’s Stone for spatial magic… and with a Demon Path barrier deployed, how could a single incantation…”

“Rapid Fire Incantation!”

*Thud!*

Cheon Woo-jin recited the incantation again, as if deeming Fulcanelli unworthy of being heard. This time, Fulcanelli completely turned to flesh puree. To Cheon Woo-jin, Demon Sorcerers were truly despicable beings not worth sparing.

Berus, watching from the side, said, astonished, “That guy is considered one of the top five great alchemists from the West and a Demon Sorcerer… and yet, you obliterated his magic so easily.”

“We don’t have time to play with such a lightweight.”

Cheon Woo-jin muttered coldly, clenching his fists as he continued. “The manifestation of great virtue follows only the path!”

*Bam!*

In the next moment, the scenery inside the Governor’s office completely disintegrated, shattering like glass before my eyes.

“Graaah!”

From the fragments of the collapsing space, the screams of Demon Sorcerers echoed as they fell, while the ground morphing into a treacherous terrain resembling Manjangan Cliff.

‘This entire Governor’s Office was a barrier and a manipulation of reality?!’

It seemed Cheon Woo-jin had effortlessly shattered the barrier created by dozens of Demon Sorcerers. While his capabilities were astonishing, I felt a shiver down my spine at the rigorous defense system of this place.

‘I would’ve been caught in the space magic had I acted alone…’

Charging into the Governor’s Office without breaking the barriers first was like exposing myself to vulnerabilities against the Eight Trigrams Formation. Without the preemptive and overwhelming strength of people like Gong Gong or Cheon Woo-jin, this location was virtually unwinnable. It appeared that the Grand Demon Sorcerer Fulcanelli charged at us believing in the might of this barrier, but he couldn’t even fathom Cheon Woo-jin’s transcendent strength.

After Cheon Woo-jin broke down the barrier of the Governor’s Office in one fell swoop, he told me, “Save Gucheonnyeo’s strength for later. My fellow comrades and I will engage in the fighting for now.”

“Why suddenly?”

“Their powers are vast, but they consume the Law of Cause and Effect. If we waste the full potential of Gucheonnyeo here, we won’t be able to use her when we truly need it.”

“……!! Understood.”

I suddenly realized. In the Dark Heaven Village, the effects of the Law of Cause and Effect had little impact, enabling reckless fighting, but this wasn’t the case in the realm of the living. Gucheonnyeo’s power had advanced to a level where it was certainly restricted by the Law of Cause and Effect, and it was highly likely to be consumable in nature. As my expression stiffened, the Fire Dragon Incarnate spoke to me from within.

[Baek Woong, utilize my power for a while. It will aid you.]

“Thank you.”

We quickly advanced and arrived at a vast swamp that seemed to be a chaotic mess. The entire area had already turned into a corrupted space, but this place was particularly horrible. Disfigured corpses moaned in agony, neither dead nor alive, while evil tentacles and monsters roamed about.

And on the opposite side of the swamp stood an ominous-looking old Demon Sorcerer. He stared at us with a sinister gaze and said, [Have you come to rescue your master, the Guardian? Yet here are all our companions, not to mention every member of the Golden Dawn and the Rosy Cross. You shall all soon perish!]

He emitted a sound wave using the unique echolocation of the otherworldly race. One by one, ‘members’ began to appear around the Demon Sorcerer, their magical powers feeling anything but ordinary. Berus, aghast, said, “Those guys have all made wicked contracts. This won’t be easy.”

“……”

Certainly, it appeared we would struggle to resolve this without relying on Gucheonnyeo’s power. If we were struck even once by their magic, going to the afterlife would be unavoidable.

‘Are they all Grand Demon Sorcerers…?’

I would have to borrow the power of the Fire Dragon Incarnate to resist their magic and cut them down. Just as we were steeling ourselves for a fight, Tang San chuckled.

“Are those fools over there?”

“What?”

“The fight is over.”

*Whoosh!*

[Graaaah…!]

In the next moment, a green flame, akin to boiling oil, erupted from the bodies of the Demon Sorcerers. They weren’t merely catching fire; it was a horrific sight as if they were unleashing toxic flames from within their very being. Their eyes, noses, ears, and mouths melted away as they burned. Just witnessing such a scene inflicted unbearable pain.

Tang San wore a cruel smile. “The ultimate poison from the Four Talents Sect’s Ten Major Poisons, Divine Immortal Waste (神仙廢)! I released it into the air, and those bastards are completely unprepared for it.”

“……!!”

Divine Immortal Waste!

That was a legendary poison so difficult to handle even for the Four Talents Sect that it had greatly claimed the lives of its creators during production and was thus sealed away. While it was one of the ten major poisons, unlike the other nine, it was prohibited due to the immense casualties faced during the crafting process. However, Tang San, being a genius, seemed to have managed to recreate and restore it after the Sect’s downfall.

The Demon Sorcerers writhed in agony like insects, endlessly dying, while some offered their bodies to the otherworldly race or transformed into monsters to survive. But at that moment, the enemy formation was severely disrupted, and we all began to launch an assault to massacre the Demon Sorcerers.

“Die!”

*Thud!*

*Slice!*

As I severed a Demon Sorcerer’s neck, I was horrified to see tentacles bursting forth from the cut like bubbles. The Fire Dragon Incarnate’s flames instantly incinerated the tentacles, but it was a disgusting sight to behold.

‘Damn. What do these guys think of their own bodies? They’re practically just masses of tentacles now.’

I suppose for [Old Ruler]s or high-level existences to gain power directly, they might need to resort to such methods. Offering one’s body and blood to a dominator and transforming into tentacle masses appeared to be the norm for skill enhancement. The case of Zhuge Sa, who achieved the ultimate realm while maintaining a human form, was an exceptional instance.

*Slashing sounds*

After cutting down around forty or so Demon Sorcerers, they began to teleport in from all directions. This was undoubtedly the stronghold of the Western Demon Sorcerers, an unending throng of them. Cheon Woo-jin was about to cast a major spell, but Tang San stopped him.

“Leave this to my poison. Unlike the martial artists, those guys don’t seem able to expel poison with breathing techniques and internal power.”

*Hiss!*

Tang San mixed Divine Immortal Waste and the Ten Major Poisons into the air to poison the Demon Sorcerers. Indeed, they seemed incredibly vulnerable to the poison; unlike typical martial artists who would typically resist poison with their internal energy and attempt to slay the poison sorcerer, they had no valid response. Even the ones who appeared to have potent magical power quickly succumbed to the poison and transformed into tentacle-like monsters.

But I couldn’t help but admire Tang San’s skills more than the potency of the poison. Poisoning the air in such an open space is, in fact, an incredibly difficult and delicate technique that usually ends up poisoning allies as well. Yet Tang San displayed a supernatural ability to target only the enemies.

Just as the massacre continued, not unlike a bloodbath—

*Boom!*

The ground rumbled heavily as a figure radiating a divine light descended from the sky. Clearly possessing immense power, this individual appeared to be from the East, displaying a furious expression as he addressed us.

[How dare you do this.]

In that moment, Tang San attempted to send Divine Immortal Waste toward him to poison him, but he countered with a disdainful glare, releasing a blinding light and attacking Tang San.

*Thud!*

“Ugh!”

Tang San found himself paralyzed momentarily from the light attack, then chuckled weakly.

“Ha, I guess I need to rename this poison… can’t kill an Immortal.”

“Well, I’ll tell you what next time.”

I roughly acknowledged Tang San’s words and turned to the newly appeared enemy, asking, “You are the Great Immortal and the descendant of Jeon Wook, yet how can you commit such heinous acts in the West?”

Unfazed, he coolly retorted, [How you know my true identity, I cannot fathom.]

“You should be a high-level existence of the Celestial Realm, the envy of many in the East. Why are you engaging in this?”

[Hahaha… Do you think a human can grasp my ambitions?]

He burst into laughter. [Changhil has succeeded in seizing the East, five hundred years ahead of schedule! Now I will conquer the West and become the new divinity!]

“……”

The ground trembled as an overwhelming force radiated from his body. This energy was more intense than when a supernova explodes during battle, swirling around him like a whirlwind, and it was evident that the power he gained while practicing the Demon Path was manifested as well.

[The Golden Eagle has always belonged to me. Anyone who interferes will die!]

The opponent standing before me was Peng Zuo—the longest-lived being in the world, the Great Immortal, and a direct descendent of divinities, the leader of the Western Demon Sorcerers!