The Final Name of the Heavenly Cage
The light faded away.
**KUGUGUGUGUG!**
A colossal mountain crashed down from the sky onto the ground.
No, it was not a mountain. It was a giant emerging from the body of someone else.
**THUD!**
At the same time, a salt pillar sprouted from the body of a middle-aged man and fell to the ground as well.
The two of them spent a while focused on shaking off the grotesque foreign objects sprouting from their bodies.
**CRACK, CRACK!**
“Grrrrrrgh!”
The middle-aged man, Heon-won, bit down on the salt lumps growing from his body and regenerated himself.
At the same moment, the giant, Seo Eun-hyun, tore out the mountain ranges sprouting from his body.
Heon-won was the first to recover.
After completely tearing off all the salt clumps from his body, Heon-won fully regenerated and glared at Seo Eun-hyun.
“An existence not worth keeping alive.”
**WIIIIIING―**
Again, immense attraction gathered in Heon-won’s two arms.
Seo Eun-hyun roared, his thirty-eight eyes glowing.
**[What kind of nonsense is that? You said you would forgive and release me after receiving a single strike!]**
“I’m sorry, but I can’t remember that.”
Heon-won smiled slyly and prepared the Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art again in his two arms.
**[I don’t know what despicable technique you used to imitate the Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art of the Heavenly Palace, but vanish!]**
**GROAN!**
Seo Eun-hyun shook off the mountains sprouting from his body with a desperate look on his face and tried to gather force in both hands once more.
However, he wore an expression of utter disappointment.
**[I can’t even unleash it…? Right, it’s the difference in proficiency.]**
Proficiency!
The reason Heon-won could unleash the Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art was because he had been cultivating it for tens of thousands of years, honing it until he could wield it at will.
No matter how great Seo Eun-hyun was, it was impossible to freely use the wondrous technique of a newly learned Gongbeop.
In truth, the only reason he had been able to use the Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art up to this point was simply because he had seen the Gongbeop once. He was a user of the Heavenly and Earthly Dual Pathways, had mastered all the Five Elements attributes, and possessed the Yin Soul Ghost Curse and White Orchid Blessing Gate, which together allowed him to employ the Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art.
Originally, simply seeing the Gongbeop was never enough to use the Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art.
**KUGUGUGUGUG!**
Heon-won drew in his qi.
On top of that, Seo Eun-hyun was already in a state where his movements were restricted due to the backlash from using the Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art and witnessing the ‘name’!
It was a moment of absolute desperation.
At that moment, Won-yu, who had been beside Jeon Myeong-hoon, moved.
**SCHLACK―**
In Won-yu’s hand, the All-Heaven Sword appeared.
* * *
**SWAK!**
Once.
Once would be enough.
To divert Heon-won’s full attention from the Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art he was concentrating on preparing, a single strike was all it would take.
**CHWA-AK!**
A ripple of color spread across Heon-won’s body where the All-Heaven Sword’s qi struck.
He quickly looked back at me, and I smiled faintly and said,
“I suppose I know quite a few miscellaneous techniques.”
When I had earlier grabbed Won-yu’s shoulder to send him to Jeon Myeong-hoon, I had left behind a mental clone in him.
That was why I had prepared for this very moment!
**UUUUNG―**
I slipped out of Won-yu’s body and stood before Heon-won.
**CHUK, CHUK, CHUK, CHUK!**
The mental clones I had planted in Won-yu’s body numbered twenty-four in total.
I had just consumed one to send a warning to Heon-won.
“Keep your promise, Lord of Bongrae Palace. Please release us and let us go. Surely you are not the type who would go back on your word with a single sentence.”
At my words, Heon-won glared at me with eyes blazing like fire and spat,
[…You’re a treacherous and sinister jade monster spy. Now I have an additional reason not to release you. Why should I let you go?]
I sighed.
“I did learn some techniques from the jade monsters, but I am still a human. I may be a vicious jade monster, but I am not a spy. Above all, I am a jade monster at the fourth stage of embodiment, so the Terminating Ones should recognize my full strength!”
**[How can people who have mastered jade monster techniques not be jade monster spies?! The Terminating Ones will recognize you! What a ridiculous dream.]**
**WIIIIIING―**
Heon-won laughed mockingly at me and gathered black-and-white sword qi in his two hands.
“If you have evidence, why not recognize me? More importantly, once again, keep your promise!”
**[What evidence? I say once again, you two will die here!]
I clicked my tongue at him.
“Words are not working.”
**ZUTSU ZUTSU ZUTSU!**
Of the twenty-three mental clones, twenty-two of them merged into one.
One technique per clone.
“I clearly warned you multiple times.”
**PAAAAAT!**
Yin and Yang Five Elements jade enveloped my surroundings.
And Heon-won shouted,
**[TAESAN (TAE SAN)!]**
I seized the qi stream and, opposing his technique, used my own sword qi.
“**[DANAK (DAN AK)!]**”
In martial arts, one did not need to shout the name of the technique, but in this case…
It was shouted with the meaning of breaking the will of Heon-won, who had sworn to murder and exterminate us.
The strike from Heon-won burst from his two hands, and my twenty-two sword qi strikes converged, tearing the heavens and earth apart along with the light beam.
Behold.
A strike that was no different from the full power of a half-step Integration Grand Completion Emperor.
A sword qi strike that gathered these strikes into the framework of swordsmanship, maximized their power, and unleashed them all at once in one technique!
Heon-won’s entire body, his domain inside his soul!
It was being torn apart by the slash.
Of course, the price was that my entire body was being shredded as well.
I would probably be scattered and annihilated by the seven types of qi.
‘But this is a clone… what…’
It didn’t matter.
I should be angry at Heon-won, who foolishly unleashed the technique on the clone instead of me.
‘He didn’t have much experience fighting the jade monsters…’
* * *
All the mental clones I had implanted in Won-yu’s shoulder through breath had been annihilated.
And I watched Heon-won who had received the essence of the clone.
**CHIIIII―**
My body returned to its human form.
It was probably too heavy on my body to maintain the giant form with the incomplete Triple Taiji.
“Grrrk, ahhh, ugh… ugh!”
“I didn’t think you had much experience fighting jade monsters. Even so, I thought you would at least ask if your comrade, the Terminating One, was fine.”
“Gulp, haaa, ugh… What are you saying…?”
“Well, that’s enough. More importantly, are you going to keep going?”
**WIIIIIING―**
I gathered force in my two hands and asked,
“I’ve recovered my qi. I can use the Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art again. Besides, if you want, you can use the slash I just saw as well.”
Of course, that was bravado.
No matter how great the Four Pillars body was, it was difficult to repeatedly strike a half-step Integration Grand Completion Emperor twenty-two times.
Of course, I could use it to some extent, but not with the same power as before.
The biggest problem was…
The Heavenly Cage.
The moment I recognized that ‘name,’ I was engulfed in immense fear.
‘He’s the one…! That existence…!’
[An existence possessing a will as great as that of Taesan]
One of the ten seats I had seen during my regression.
It was definitely him!
That was clearly his true name.
‘But that’s strange…’
Both Heon-won and I should have felt a terrible sense of recognition for the other, yet there was no major shock.
‘Why?’
Heon-won had clearly seen ‘it’ when he became a salt pillar.
However, he recovered far too easily.
‘More importantly, the Heavenly Cage is definitely the name of a current Imperial Immortal.’
Yet how could he know the true name and still be so intact?
I had received a tremendous blow when I learned the names of the deceased True Immortal Yu Ho-deok and Haening, but this was different.
‘More importantly… Yeon-wi mentioned the name Heavenly Cage so casually…’
At that point, I began to feel puzzled.
‘Wasn’t that the owner of the seat I saw during regression? Or is it just the name that emits the same aura…?’
In any case, the important thing was that I could no longer draw it in.
If I drew it in any further, I didn’t know what kind of existence might notice me.
“Are you sure you want to continue, Lord of Bongrae Palace?”
**PAAAAAT!**
Light erupted from my two arms as salt began to sprout.
Heon-won flinched at the sight, bared his teeth for a moment, then said,
“…Understood. I will keep the promise. Go.”
“A wise judgment.”
I nodded and began to take Jeon Myeong-hoon and Hong Beom with me.
* * *
Heon-won healed the body torn apart by the qi of the Earthly Axis Heavenly Domain and let out a groan.
“Grrrrgh… Damn it… If it weren’t for that seizure in my eyes…”
He grabbed his own eyes and groaned.
The character ‘GAM’ glowing in Heon-won’s two eyes burned especially brightly.
* * *
In the Heavenly King Heavenly Domain.
Inside the palace where all colors of light converged.
Eight shadows gathered beneath the light seat.
The eight gigantic existences communicated in their own metaphysical language.
Whenever they exchanged words, the entire heavenly domain shook.
At that moment.
A Fissure Opening True Person, shaped like a Peng Bird, flew in front of the heavenly court they inhabited.
Originally, the Peng Bird was large enough to cover a continent with just one wing, but before these shadows, it was smaller than a sparrow.
[I shall report to your illustrious majesties. While observing the Earthly Axis Heavenly Domain, the god of the mountain sent a message.]
The eight shadows briefly communicated in metaphysical language, then had the Fissure Opening True Person convey the words in the earthly language so he could not comprehend them.
[Go.]
[Yes. The god of the mountain instructed to convey that ‘I will descend into the Ilwol Heavenly Domain.’]
The True Person tried not to look directly at the eight shadows and spoke.
A commotion broke out among the eight shadows.
The entire Heavenly King Heavenly Domain shook.
One of the shadows, showing consideration so the Fissure Opening True Person could not comprehend, asked,
[Is that all?]
[Yes, I apologize, but he has begun to exert power in the Earthly Axis Heavenly Domain. It seems he is about to descend into the Ilwol Heavenly Domain at any moment.]
[Convey ‘impossible.’ And ask if he does not know about the heavenly punishment.]
[Yes, yes?]
The Fissure Opening True Person was startled by the shadows’ words to convey such a message to him.
Simply go and die, considering the god of the mountain’s personality.
But the Fissure Opening True Person nodded his beak without clenching it.
[Understood… I shall receive it.]
The Peng Bird flew back out from the light palace.
How long after?
The Peng Bird did not return.
The shadows communicated in their metaphysical language.
The meaning was roughly this.
[No return from the messenger bird.]
[He must have died to that savage.]
[Do you really wish the Gwangmyeong Emperor to move?]
[Even the god of the mountain does not know that no one can compare to the light seat unless he is a Heavenly Venerable.]
[It’s fortunate. The god of the mountain has an old grudge to settle with us someday.]
[Do we have to imprison another Emperor? It’s a costly matter…]
[They already warned four tens of thousands of years ago that we must not intervene in the Ilwol Heavenly Domain…]
[The light has not been seen for twelve tens of thousands of years… Everyone is treating the owner of the light too lightly. Now… it is time for the owner of the light to move.]
The eight shadows looked up at the light seat above them.
[…Since the owner of the light has given his intention, we shall go and convey it to the god of the mountain.]
After a while, the eight shadows disappeared from the palace.
Only the light seat continued to emit even brighter light from above.
* * *
**JUMP!**
I suddenly looked up at the sky.
For some reason, I felt a chill, but the sunlight in the sky brightened, and the ominous qi that had just brushed against me faded.
‘What was that?’
Because it had passed by so instantly, I did not want to think about it, but I decided to be cautious anyway.
Behind me, Heon-won might suddenly pursue me, the Goe-gun might burst out from underground, or Seo Heul might…
“Fufu, hello there, Seo Doo.”
“Oh, right. Actually, I was about to call you.”
I looked at Seo Heul, who had approached me and was smiling with a bad taste in his mouth, and said,
“Fufu, you noticed my concealment technique. Impressive. More importantly, you’ve already reached the Four Pillars stage…”
“Hong Beom, Jeon Myeong-hoon. Cover your ears for a moment.”
They slowly covered their ears at my words.
I looked at Seo Heul, who had appeared in front of me with a bad smile.
In my past life, I had to call him to come out, but this time he spoke first without me calling.
The reason was obvious.
“Does the Takhon Mancheon inside my body surprise you, Seo Heul?”
**STOP!**
Seo Heul’s body froze.
“If you want, I’ll give you the chance. Try again. You can even sacrifice a few personalities.”
I spread my arms and said leisurely.
And Seo Heul’s eyes turned into those of a reptile.
“…Fufu…”
If I tried to parasitize him again, I could exterminate him in the karmic fire burning inside me.
If I did not try to parasitize him while being cautious of me, I could swing him like that.
‘He must have had a lot of fun using others until now, Seo Heul?’
Now it was my turn.
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