Chapter 83
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Domain
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By rampaging his demonic qi and even sacrificing the lives of his subordinates as offerings, he had gained power.
Until now, the blades and arrows of those women who had overwhelmed him felt no more than an itch.
Swordsmanship talent, keen insight into martial arts—none of that could block his path any longer.
There were side effects, like his limbs elongating and his hands and feet mutating into beast-like shapes, but what did that matter?
On the contrary, it was better.
His strength, agility, and honed instincts—all amplified several times over, regardless of his appearance.
The inferiority complex and humiliation that had driven him to the depths vanished in an instant, leaving only soul-shaking ecstasy behind—!
"Dieeeee!!!!"
Now, truly, he could kill that white-robed woman who had mocked and pitied him.
"Hmm, the power is decent... but everything else is worse than trash?"
...He should be able to kill her?
"Grr, grrrk?"
-----
"You think taking a mere dozen lives lets you stand against an expert?"
If that were possible, they wouldn't be branded heretics and despised; the gazes directed at them would be ones of fear.
The primal method of accumulating power by offering lives, extracting essence blood, or devouring flesh naturally hits ever-higher limits as strength grows.
A commoner might gain third-rate power from a few bugs or gutter rats.
But reaching the peak required fully claiming a dozen human lives.
To attain peak extremity, even dozens fell short—you needed to select high-quality lives like young men and women.
How much more to breach the great divide between peak and super-peak?
It demanded a blood tribulation, slaughtering and offering thousands—tens of thousands—of a region's men, women, and children.
The heretic before her eyes was stronger than before, yet negligible compared to super-peak.
Even that was a hasty offering without proper ritual or procedure—a temporary boost that would fade soon.
"Wh-why!! I offered them! I got stronger!!"
Fury, inferiority, injustice, madness—tears of blood streamed as his frenzied assaults continued.
Not refined in form or profound in principle, yet each blow carried crushing weight and explosive speed enough to compensate.
All those chained attacks were deflected by So-hyang's slender sword finger.
"You should have offered proper effort, not innocent lives. Without sweat, tears, and heartfelt time, how can one build martial prowess?"
"D-don't mock me!! What do you know!!!"
Born to fine parents, trained in orthodox arts, devouring elixirs like daily meals—those were lecturing about effort?
Lowly birth, mediocre bones and meridians, dull comprehension.
The value of effort isn't equal. This was the only way to stand on the same level...!
"I was born in a brothel. Never even touched an elixir."
Of course, the soul now inhabiting So-hyang's body was a century-old man from a past life who simply hadn't needed them, but...
His previous life's origins weren't much better, so it wasn't entirely untrue.
"Wh-what-!"
To jealous heretics, the entire world consisted of those nobler by birth, blessed with fortune.
Practitioners of orthodox arts, elixir-gorgers, instant prodigies.
Otherwise, how could they lag so far behind?
"Talent, it's talent! If only I had such genius!!"
"I've seen martial artists with less talent than you reach super-peak."
There had been a dullard lacking martial aptitude compared to these heretics, who took decades just to enter peak.
The River Lake swordsman of crushing blows had shattered his shackles and soared.
Talent and birth mattered, but the value of genuine effort was unique in itself.
"So don't trot out excuses. You're simply ugly."
"No, no!! Lies!!"
Her scathing words dismantled the defense mechanisms rationalizing his ugly inferiority and envy.
The heretic's world collapsed.
-And sometimes, destruction forms the foundation of creation, so the turbid demonic qi within the heretic transformed.
It erupted, enveloping the surroundings.
"That's right, well done."
Exactly as So-hyang had hoped.
-----
There are two main ways to enact jealousy.
One is approaching the object of envy.
With proper effort and time, it would be righteous ambition, but theirs was unjust—claiming innocent lives and such.
Yet even that unjust power fell short of overturning the overwhelming gap.
Thus, the second method emerges.
Belittling the object of envy.
You're not that strong or impressive, your achievements aren't valuable, anyone could do it.
Normally, a futile act of venting ugly jealousy through words and mind—but concentrated demonic qi and peaked obsession coalesced into a singularity.
"Kee, kee hee hee hee...!"
The result: a spherical barrier imprisoning So-hyang and the heretic, blanketing the area.
By expelling all inner demonic qi, temporarily regaining reason—he bore this fruit.
[On the Same Plane]
The spatial effect was simple.
Weakening those inside.
"If I can't reach you, then you fall to me...!"
This was less human ability, more demonic beast.
An irregularity diverging from prior patterns—a deviant anomaly.
Like heart realm imagery or rare domain-type ultimate arts: imposing unilateral laws within a created space.
"Hoo...?"
Her body felt heavy.
Even her spirit qi wouldn't flow properly.
Her superhuman, transcendence-touching physique weakened as if reverting to baseline, and the spirit sword's qi output dropped.
The alien sensation on her skin, the swamp-like viscous hues filling her vision—they bound and sapped her body.
The otherworldly texture felt in the Alliance Lord's Heaven Realm or Zhuge clan's Heaven Origin Void Formation.
"Of course, crude compared to those... but still, impressive."
Achieving such a feat merely by bursting jealousy—this was impressive in its own right.
"Had you invested that will properly, you might have reached peak realm even without crooked ways...?"
Of course, a meaningless hypothetical.
That fanatic zeal stemmed from marrow-deep demonic qi.
Will born of corruption can't be called innate power.
"Kek, keh, kehahaha! Your defeat! Inside here, all your power equals mine! On the same plane, of course I win!!"
"Haha, equals? You're a good liar."
Judging by the weakening, So-hyang's power was less than half his.
His notion of 'same' likely sprang from twisted self-superiority.
"...How pitiful."
"Shut up!!"
With a monstrous roar, the great scythe swung again.
But this time, it wasn't helplessly blocked by her sword finger.
Forcing her sluggish body to barely evade—that was So-hyang's best.
"Eek, dangerous."
Dodging successive attacks frantically, even rolling on the ground—such sights twisted a grotesque grin across the heretic's face.
"Ha, haha!! Look at you!!"
"-Kuh! You can't maintain this space forever! It'll collapse if I hold out a bit—"
"Dream on! This domain vanishes only when your breath stops!!"
Fierce chained attacks poured down, poised to crush So-hyang's fragile form.
She evaded them all by a paper's width, covering her mouth in horror with a trembling voice.
"What madness is this...!"
Her quivering tone vividly betrayed unanticipated peril.
"Super-peak or realm! Doesn't matter!! Here, I'm king!!"
Seeing her distress for the first time, his monstrous face erupted in mad laughter, certain of victory as he unleashed even fiercer assaults.
However.
"...Fufu."
Had he seen the clear smile beneath her hand, he might have sensed something amiss.
-----
The tide had fully turned.
The white-clad woman who had so glibly wagged her tongue moments ago was now desperately dodging his ferocious onslaughts.
"Yes...! This is the rightful world...!"
Super-peak or realm expert—with equal power (no), no irrational gap (no), his superior talent (no) ensured victory.
The previous world was wrong. A foolish one unable to handle a genius like him...!
By contrast, this mire was so cozy. Rolling on the ground, swimming the swamp—it was delightful.
Lost in rapture, unleashing scythe strikes at the woman, he sensed something off.
"...Wait."
It was the same as before.
No counterattacks—just frantic evasion.
Twisting her body to barely slip his fierce blows.
Yet why... no hits?
By a paper's width, a hair's breadth—his attacks all missed?
"...No, illusion, must be."
Shaking off the ominous thought, he poured faster, fiercer chained strikes.
Yes, illusion.
Lucky dodges—more pressure, and she'd be pulp soon.
...After about half an hour.
"Why, why, WHY!! Won't they land...!!"
Like falling petals, wind-tossed leaves—visible, yet untouchable.
As if fighting a ghost.
"D-don't you tire!!"
The domain weakened not just strength or agility, but stamina too—intense maneuvers soaked her in sweat, left her gasping...
"-Hyah, sweat after so long..."
Yet So-hyang grinned refreshingly, wiping her brow.
"Wh-what...?"
The heretic's hideous face contorted viciously.
-----
She could have severed his neck before the domain unfolded.
Even now, wielding her spirit sword to slice the space would end it.
One who had bisected the Alliance Lord's Heaven Realm or Zhuge's formation—what was this crude domain?
But she hadn't, due to [On the Same Plane].
It suppressed even her self-imposed seal restricting full power, naturally and effortlessly.
Demonic beast irregularity plus domain-imposing 'law' enabled it.
She had always regretted it.
Her body, faster and tougher than anticipated.
Growing stronger was joy, but true crises became rare—regrettable.
Moments spurring growth always danced on death's edge.
Her supreme physique shrugged off blades—even sword qi-clad ones left no scratches.
Even past-life guns or missiles would barely dent it now.
She could seal strength, but not durability.
But now?
Skin pierceable by that scythe, movements crushed slow.
"Yes, this...!"
Unlike past sparring crises of overwhelming might—this was successive instants where choice meant death.
Welcoming sweat drops, chest-heaving gasps.
Brain blood surging, thoughts racing after so long.
Her body always at peak, so mere sensation—but that feeling mattered.
Still, simple incoming attacks grew tedious...
"Underestimating isn't wise."
Abandoning feigned defense, she slipped an attack and lightly palm-struck his nape.
A faint breeze-like gesture drew a thin bloodline.
"...Wh-what, how-!"
"Think sharper, move precise. I'm enjoying this rare thrill—don't disappoint!!"
"...D-don't mock me! Die! Die!!"
-----
Meanwhile, outside the domain, atop the rolling train—what were her companions doing?
Nothing much.
"She'll be out soon..."
"Getting hungry—hurry out!"
Sudden rampage birthed a barrier like a domain, swallowing So-hyang.
But who was So-hyang?
Rising star blazing across the martial world.
Super-peak expert, White Lotus Sword.
Toured Zhuge and Wudang, felled three super-peaks; just before, crushed hundreds of Palace Killer Sect elites like child's play.
Hard to imagine her falling to a mere peak heretic's crude sorcery.
No worry—just expecting her to halve the domain soon with her signature leisure smile...
"Not coming?"
"...Two hours already?"
The midday sun had dipped west; sunset hues draped as the domain showed no stir.
"C-could something be wrong...?"
"Maybe the heretic had a province-grade demon weapon? No way it'd last this long!!"
Moon Shadow and One Tiger finally grew serious, seeking solutions—but
"...Hmm, no need."
Zhu Yeonhwa's golden irises and slit pupils—her signature Dragon Eyes—pierced the interior, halting their fuss.
"Doesn't seem dangerous. ...Or rather, the opposite."
Zhu Yeonhwa peered inside with a profoundly exasperated, drained expression.
"Even for a heretic, bullying that badly... it's starting to feel a bit pitiful...?"