Lightning Flicker (1)
Whoosh!
With a brilliant flash of light, we were ejected into the void space under immense spatial pressure.
At the same time, the return light barrier glowed, syncing with the coordinates of the Gwanghan Realm that I had pre-input into the formation.
We were shot upward with tremendous force toward the Gwanghan Realm, and Yuhwa protected us from the overwhelming spatial pressure.
Boom boom boom!
Among the Cheonin experts, those with real strength took the spatial pressure meant for others and even carried people back to safety.
These Cheonin experts had to withstand even greater pressure than what they originally should have faced, so their faces often distorted from exerting their full strength.
And that applied to Yuhwa as well, who was carrying me—an expert at the Nascent Soul stage—and Gyubaek, who was practically a criminal.
Yuhwa’s face was crushed under the spatial pressure and pain, and I clung to her back, supplying her life force to keep her from collapsing as we returned.
Crunch crunch!
With every time her performance echoed, the crimson river surged upward, shattering the spatial pressure.
I’ll call it when my strength runs out.
I’m still fine.
I, who had reached the Heavenly Person, Four Pillars, Nascent Soul, and even Soul Severance stages, was firm enough that I could take a turn.
I clung to her back and gazed at the scenery around us.
The beautiful stars of the Star Realm were fracturing and streaking beneath us.
Watching that sight, I swallowed hard.
If I go up this time, maybe the regression point will be fixed after all.
I had no idea what criterion fixed the regression point.
When crossing dimensions, it wasn’t fixed.
If it was by returning, would it be fixed?
I’ll head there and see.
Whether the point gets fixed or not.
I’ve done my absolute best up until now.
In this life, I had no regrets…
Even if it gets fixed, I’ll just move forward with gratitude!
A few hours later, Yuhwa signaled for a switch, and we took turns taking the spatial pressure head-on.
After three days…
Whoosh!
I felt the familiar flow of inner energy from far away.
I poured life force into Yuhwa.
It begins now. Stay alert.
Yes.
Whoosh!
I narrowed my eyes at the distant light streak and braced for the shock of the dimensional barrier about to crash down.
Invisible Sword!
I thrust my formless sword forward and slammed into the dimensional barrier, and after a moment…
Flash!
We finally succeeded in returning to the Gwanghan Realm.
Whoosh!
***
Thud!
Familiar inner energy.
It was like comparing sea water to the sparse dust-like energy I had felt in the lower realms.
A vast sea of heaven and earth energy enveloped my body.
As I looked around, a Four Pillars expert in familiar attire approached.
Welcome. This is the Ascension Platform of Geongon City in the central region of the Gwanghan Realm. You are…
He looked me over, then glanced at Gyubaek behind me and Yuhwa.
Whoa. A Nascent Soul expert and a Foundation Establishment… and that one…
Slave race?
I casually said they looked like a slave species without understanding, and Gyubaek’s eyes flashed with momentary rage.
What are you? How did you return? Are you monsters that live in the void?
And then…
Yuhwa smiled softly and drew out a golden talisman.
And she began to play her instrument.
Tung…
If you listened properly, her music was incredibly beautiful, but if you only felt the phenomenon, it would sound like thunder.
And the crimson river and thunder sounds that began appearing around her made the nearby Four Pillars experts’ faces twist in horror.
She’s a Shimzog spy!!!
Kill them now!
It’s the Implementation Level 3 Deep Art Method! Everyone, evade!
The next moment, crimson Heavenly Thunder bolts scattered in all directions.
Screams of both Cheonin and Four Pillars experts came from every side.
The attack power of the Heavenly Person level wasn’t a threat to the Four Pillars experts, but for those Four Pillars experts who had to endure Heavenly Tribulation every time they stacked their axes, facing Yuhwa meant giving up on their missions if they weren’t exceptionally skilled.
However, there was no commander lacking.
A cold voice gripped the Four Pillars experts.
All of you, pull yourselves together! Form a circle around the Shimzog spy and close in! Even if you take a few hits, it’s fine. We’ll provide talismans and pills that help against Heavenly Tribulation in Geongon City!
Hearing that, the Four Pillars experts who had been dodging Yuhwa’s attacks quickly lined up and began preparing their law techniques.
Multiple Four Pillars experts, no matter how high the Implementation Level 3, were still dangerous.
But…
Then…
I reached out and grabbed Yuhwa’s shoulder from behind, then swung my arm toward the void.
My formless sword, fused with Soul Severance, severed the consciousness.
We bypassed the sight of the Four Pillars experts by cutting not just their consciousness but the very life force of our own beings.
And we shot upward into the sky.
Be careful. There’s a grand formation over Geongon City. Over there is the exit from the sky path to Geongon City.
Gyubaek pointed to the point where the clouds split like wings.
That cloud we passed when Gyuryeon carried the demon race on her body.
Yuhwa and I took her words and changed direction, following the path she indicated and safely exiting the formation around Geongon City.
And just like that, we successfully returned and left the Ascension Platform.
***
Now where are you going?
Yuhwa had transformed back into her familiar crimson river form and settled onto a nearby mountain, asking us.
I’ll head back to the Jinryong Alliance first and find out about Seo Hyul’s movements and Baeknyeong’s situation.
I’ll follow and investigate Seo Hyul’s movements together.
Gyubaek agreed to follow Yuhwa, and I told them both.
I still have business on the human race side, so I’ll need to go to the human race territory for a while.
All right, go and come back.
We’ll meet again later.
After saying my farewells to Gyubaek and Yuhwa, I quickly parted ways.
From now on, it begins.
Before the True Immortal who wants the Heavenly Thunder Banner arrives.
I head to Geumsincheonroemun to steal Sunbo and head into the Jijok region.
Of course, even if I do this, the True Immortal who harbors grudge against Yang Su-jin will curse the Geumsincheonroemun no matter what, but for now I decided to do what I can.
It can’t be too fast or too slow.
If I steal Sunbo too quickly, I’ll have to run around with it for a long time, which is inefficient.
If I steal it right before the True Immortal arrives, I’ll be the only one hit by lightning before I can drive it into Seo Hyul or Hyeon-eum’s throat.
I’ll calculate the perfect time to steal Sunbo, place it in the perfect spot in the Jijok region—near Seo Hyul or the Black Dragon King’s territory—and carry out the plan.
I didn’t steal the Heavenly Thunder Banner right away back when it was under Seo Hyul because my spirit was already depleted from worrying about him, and time was also an issue.
If I stole it decades in advance, I’d have to endure decades of pursuit from Geumsincheonroemun.
I flew toward the human race territory while devising my plan.
First, I need to go to Noeryeong-do and gather information about Geumsincheonroemun.
The location of the Heavenly Thunder Banner, its characteristics, its appearance.
Who guards it.
If I know where it is, what it looks like, and how to transport it, the Heavenly Thunder Banner will be in my hands.
It sounds ironic, but my abilities were heavily focused on theft.
The Invisible Sword could unlock any lock without being noticed.
Wansuigungmurok let me walk the streets without being detected.
And if I made a curse doll with the Eumhon Gwijumun, I could confuse investigators by controlling the doll.
Plus, the power of the Black Dragon bloodline dims my presence greatly at night.
Moreover, most of the techniques I’ve mastered are soil attributes.
Since they are the polar opposite of lightning, there won’t be many in the Geumsincheonroemun who can stop me.
Good. Let’s go steal the Heavenly Thunder Banner.
I steeled my resolve and flew toward the human race territory.
Noeryeong-do.
***
Crumble, rumble rumble…
Near Noeryeong-do, persistent dark clouds flashed, and thunder rumbled from everywhere.
I used Wansuigungmurok to hide my presence and approached Noeryeong-do.
Whoa!
Noeryeong-do had a massive formation as usual, blocking outsiders from entering.
Anyone who unregistered their name on the Seowoon-do’s memorial tablet and carelessly passed the formation would face hardship.
But I had no worries and placed my hand on the formation.
Whoa!
The formation seemed to resist, but I began laying out the Goe-gun’s circuit on the formation.
A tiny portion of the formation turned into a puppet of Goe-gun.
Open the door.
Clank!
I easily opened the door and scouted the surroundings.
This is Noeryeong-do…
Woo, woowoo…
It didn’t feel dark.
However, clouds floated everywhere, and inside the clouds, purple or yellow lightning flashed.
First, gather information.
I infiltrated the market in Noeryeong-do and planned to gather information on the Geumsincheonroemun and the Heavenly Thunder Banner.
A few days later…
I had gathered quite a bit of information on the Heavenly Thunder Banner and the Geumsincheonroemun.
The Geumsincheonroemun was a sect that had pushed aside the Noeun-gak and claimed the Noeryeong-do.
During that process, a rumor spread everywhere in Noeryeong-do that the Geumsincheonroemun’s Supreme Elder, Geum Byeok-ho, had killed a Four Pillars elder in one strike.
I wonder if that elder was Yeon-wi. And Yeon-wi must be in the Demon Realm wearing her descendant Yeon-jin’s body.
The Heavenly Thunder Banner, the Geumsincheonroemun’s sacred artifact, is on the highest peak of the Noebong, where the sect has settled.
It is stored in the shrine there, and only the sect leader can retrieve it in normal times.
Of course, the Taesang-jangmun or the elders could retrieve it, but in principle the Heavenly Thunder Banner is a sacred artifact managed by the sect leader.
The Heavenly Thunder Banner is mainly retrieved during sect ceremonies.
Normally there is heavy guard, but after the ceremony, the guard becomes slightly looser.
The shrine where the Heavenly Thunder Banner is sealed is watched by the highest-ranking disciples of the Geumsincheonroemun in shifts.
Their realms were overflowing with Nascent Soul experts, similar to one-layer disciples of the Changcheon Gaebyeokmun.
The guard isn’t a problem.
If need be, I could simply push everyone aside and take it.
But the problem is that the Noebong, where the Heavenly Thunder Banner is sealed, is the central mountain of the Geumsincheonroemun.
If I take the Heavenly Thunder Banner out, the Cheonin elders training nearby will go wild and rush over.
Actually, it doesn’t matter.
After all, I was planning to activate the Black Dragon bloodline and steal it while revealing my horns and scales.
If I say I’m a dragon race and steal it, the dragons will just eat the blame anyway, so getting caught wouldn’t be an issue.
The one I’m most worried about now is the current Taesang-jangmun of the Geumsincheonroemun and the only Four Pillars expert, Geum Byeok-ho.
I wonder if Geum Byeok-ho alone killed the Foundation Establishment expert Yeon-wi, or if it was possible because of the Heavenly Thunder Banner.
If the latter, I can just beat and rob Geum Byeok-ho.
But if the former, it gets quite troublesome.
The best method is to first disguise myself as a disciple of the Geumsincheonroemun, get close to the shrine, steal the Heavenly Thunder Banner, and leave immediately with Wansuigungmurok.
That’s the cleanest way.
So first, which disciple should I disguise as?
I began investigating the disciples of the Geumsincheonroemun as well.
I walked around the area around the Geumsincheonroemun and observed the disciples, learning about their behavior patterns, characteristics, backgrounds, and so on.
It was during that few weeks of tailing the Geumsincheonroemun.
Hmph…
As I was doing so, I saw a familiar-faced man walking gently with a woman and my body stiffened.
It’s been a while, Jeon Myeong-hoon.
On that day, after I fell from the heavens and was taken to the Geumsincheonroemun…
I was able to see the happiest expression on Jeon Myeong-hoon.
He was walking with a woman who seemed to be his lover and talking casually.
Before meeting the True Immortal, he was in this state?
The gap was enormous.
The man who had lost his sect after the Geumsincheonroemun fell apart, with disheveled hair and a red robe with clear bloodstains, looked nothing like the face I saw.
If I can’t handle the Heavenly Thunder Banner, Jeon Myeong-hoon will end up like that.
I didn’t particularly like Jeon Myeong-hoon himself.
But the people who would suffer from the True Immortal’s arrival weren’t just a few.
That was why I vowed to save the entire Noeryeong-do, including Jeon Myeong-hoon.
I would bring the Heavenly Thunder Banner, a dangerous object, to someone who would use it better and make everyone happy.
And for that purpose, I started observing Jeon Myeong-hoon.
You’ll be the most appropriate one after all.
In the near future, I planned to kidnap Jeon Myeong-hoon.
For a few days, I’ll borrow your identity, Jeon Myeong-hoon.