The Three Great Disasters (2)
A sharp whoosh tore through the air, and a streak of pure white radiance sliced across the void.
*Whoosh!*
Inside the blinding white light surged a torrent of fierce qi pressure and gale-force winds that sent countless demons and spirit beasts fleeing in panic. Their howls of terror echoed like thunder.
*Whoosh—whoosh!*
Black storm clouds swirled in from all sides, only to be sucked into the center of the white radiance.
That radiant pillar was none of this. Inside it lay the Celestial Tribulation Clouds of a thousand lifetimes.
Yet despite the bizarre sight, Seo Eun-hyun’s eyes barely twitched. His expression remained calm as he streaked straight toward the Human Alliance region.
* * *
*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!*
Deep inside his domain, Seo Ran was pushing his Four-Pillar foundation to its absolute limit.
Thanks to the immense aid of the Heavenly Thunder Pill I had left behind in Jeonryong Jinin’s pocket dimension, he had already begun tasting the first true fruits of his breakthrough. One more step separated him from complete Four-Pillar perfection.
Of course, time was of the essence. I had to finish the pill and move while he cultivated.
It was risky—Heavenly Tribulation would hammer my own domain—but Jeon Myeong-hoon was keeping its effects contained. Nothing would be lost.
*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!*
I raced through the air, devouring the abundant spirit qi of the Greater Realm as I went.
*Haah…*
Nineteen thousand years of slow, grinding cultivation. Even with the dense qi of the post-Creation era, I could only ascend from the very beginning of Integration to its early stages in a single breath.
The rest would take time—middle to late stages, then Unity. But that was for later.
The six secrets of Integration were Rain, Yang, Heat, Cold, Wind, and Time.
Each corresponded to clear weather, sunlight, warmth, chill, gale, and the cycle of seasons. Cultivating them meant mastering the six directions and the six harmonies within your domain. When all six aligned, a new Dao secret would awaken for you.
Jeon Myeong-hoon’s domain “Dark Thunder Court of the Rainy Heaven” had awakened the Rain secret at its peak, which was why the name carried such weight.
Most Integration experts sensed them in order: Rain first, then Yang, Heat, Cold, Wind, and finally Time.
I was different.
*Whoosh-whoosh!*
I felt night and day spinning in my domain—the very definition of Time.
Time itself had once dissolved me into pure light during my first awakening. It was more than just a secret. It was an aspect of the universe.
So I awakened the Time secret first.
*Whoosh—whoosh!*
The Heavenly Tribulation Clouds began to turn. Light swirled inside them, and the final secret among the six began to stir.
*If I awaken Time before Rain, the others should awaken in reverse—Wind, Cold, Heat, Yang, then Rain.*
Back in the first dawn of the Creation loop, I had awakened Wind instead of Yang right after Rain.
*Whoosh—whoosh!*
Normally I would have flown quietly. But to seize the Wind secret that followed Time, I scattered violent gales everywhere with my Invisible Sword.
How long did I fly?
*Boom!*
In the howling winds, I spotted a familiar region far ahead—Sap-pung Territory.
*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!*
Sap-pung Territory, heavy with wind, darkness, and yin qi, was unlike before. Without Gang Min-hee bursting out, it had not yet become another corner of the Myeong-gwi Realm.
*Right now, Gang Min-hee is probably…*
I used the Acceleration Art, Cloud-Stepping Technique, Soaring Technique, and Stealth Flight all at once, racing straight through while secretly absorbing part of the local wind into my domain.
*Whoosh!*
Several days later, the distant boundary of the Human Alliance region—Cheonin-do—came into view.
*She hasn’t awakened yet.*
The Ghost Dao Holy Mother, Gang Min-hee, would always destroy everything around her the moment she awoke.
Last time she had rampaged in Sap-pung Territory. This time the trigger was missing, so she would probably erupt from the Black Ghost Valley’s human branch instead.
*How many humans will die before she’s stopped?*
I kept flying with sharp eyes, mind spinning.
*I don’t know when she’ll awaken. She could do it right now.*
So before she woke up, I had to move the humans.
Far enough that the influence of a Star Shattering expert could never reach them—the farthest edge of the Human Alliance region, Siyun-do.
From that direction, the protective barrier activated.
The entire Human Alliance region vanished into thick clouds, its presence fading.
If I had been an ordinary monster or a newcomer to the region, I would have simply flown past without noticing it existed.
This was the “Silent Great Array”—a formation that hid the entire region and defended it from powerful beings passing nearby.
*Crash!*
I precisely found the blind spot, shattered one corner of the array, and stepped straight into the Human Alliance region.
At the same instant.
*Flash—flash—flash!*
Several light orbs rose around me and transformed into human figures.
The projected images of the six Integration experts of the Human Alliance: Jun-je, Gol-maek, Gae-jin, Eung-yeon, Wi-ryeong-seon, and Wi-su.
They looked at me with shock.
“Long time no see, everyone from the Alliance Council,” I greeted politely.
“[Ha… ha ha… it is Senior Seo.]”
Jun-je’s face was pale with sweat. He forced a laugh.
I sensed his heart thundering with panic.
*[You’ve escaped the Goryeok Realm. I was already planning to extract you soon, yet you broke free on your own… and you reached Integration? Hah. Truly, the qualifications of a Council Expert are now yours. Allow me to hold a celebration feast!]*
“I’m grateful for the kind words, but I don’t have time for that now.”
I smiled awkwardly and cut him off before he could finish.
“Someone at Star Shattering level is likely to attack the Human Alliance at any moment. We must move every human residence to a new location immediately. Otherwise the entire region will be wiped out today.”
All six experts looked up at the sky in unison.
Curiously, the Heavenly Tribulation read nothing amiss.
But that was obvious—the event involved an Ultra-high existence like the Myeong-gye Chief Registrar, so the Tribulation had simply failed to see it.
*[It seems the high-level being’s interference is blocking any Tribulation reading for now. Still, as you all know, we could not read the Tribulation for the existence that appeared in Noeryeong-do either…]*
They exchanged urgent transmissions and nodded.
*[Indeed… we understand. But moving the Human Alliance region will require extreme caution. Even if it’s Senior Seo’s suggestion, we must all gather in our true bodies, consult the Heavenly Tribulation together, submit a memorial to the Sage, receive the reply, and only then confirm there is real danger…]*
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have that luxury. We must move the region right now. Today, if possible.”
*[Honestly, I don’t believe it. But since you’re an Expert, I’ll go through the proper steps. Just bear with me a little longer. If this had to be handled the moment you arrived, why wasn’t it told to us earlier?!]*
Jun-je’s tone was stern, but I swallowed my irritation and spoke calmly.
“Everyone, please calm down and listen. I was trying to explain this to you earlier. But Alliance Leader Jun, you cut off my communication the moment it came, and even blocked me from contacting the Alliance!”
Jun-je’s lips twitched, then he cleared his throat.
*[Th-that… sorry. While training the new Thunder Tribulation secret, my inner thunder went berserk and accidentally severed the connection. But according to Senior Seo, if a truly terrifying existence is about to descend, evacuating right away…]*
At that exact moment.
*Crack—crack—crack!*
A line of crimson lightning erupted from my body and a voice thundered.
*[Stop snapping at people. The lightning… is whispering that your words are lies…]*
*Whoosh!*
Inside my domain, Jeon Myeong-hoon’s Thunder Wall Power roared. He bared his teeth and burst out.
*Whoosh!*
From behind me, his upper body surged forward. His eyes burned with crimson lightning as he glared at the Alliance projections.
*[These bastards are mocking us. The lightning is clearly whispering that you cut off the connection because you thought Senior Seo might be coming back soon. You can ignore the lies, but… watching you, who is so weak you might as well be a broken pill, calmly offering to save us when Senior Seo is fighting for our lives makes my entire body twist. I can’t stand it anymore…]*
He threatened them with his thunder.
*[Senior Seo spoke kindly and gently, so he’s got a heavy stomach and sluggish hips. I warn you—stop your disgusting lies and excuses. Follow Senior Seo’s words. Otherwise I will tear every limb from this Human Alliance region and scatter them across the land.]*
The projections’ faces darkened.
*[What kind of trash are you? You claim Integration stage, yet you act like this when we’ve been kind to you. You don’t know what it was like for Senior Seo in the Four-Pillar stage. And with Thunder Tribulation as your main method, you think we fear it? We’ve all studied Thunder Tribulation and its comprehension. You’re nothing to us! Be quiet!]*
Jeon Myeong-hoon closed his mouth.
Yet I saw his tendons bulging with raw power.
*[Seo Eun-hyun.]*
“…What?”
He spat crimson lightning in all directions.
*[Just kill them all.]*
I knew he had been discussing with his companions through transmission. I understood.
Persuasion would never work. We had to use force—combine our strength and drive every human out of this region.
That was the fastest way, he said.
Normally I would have disagreed. I would have brought them back slowly, explained with reason and evidence.
But not now.
I had lost my companions to the Master of Mount Tai. I knew Gang Min-hee was about to descend at any moment.
I had no time left.
I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them and exhaled.
*Haah…*
Dark ghosts and curses began to burst from around me.
*[Understood.]*
*Whoosh—boom—boom!*
Nineteen heads erupted from my shoulders. I became a twenty-headed Ghost King.
The projections vanished. Six spatial rifts tore open in their place.
The Alliance experts had gathered.
Beyond the rifts, their power was far stronger than before—regeneration nearly complete, and faint traces of thunder from the knowledge they had digested.
*Whoosh—plop!*
My companions burst out from inside my domain.
From my back rose Bong-hwa’s true body, Seo Ran’s true body, and Siho’s true body. The Giant Fire-Horse Spirit and the Demonized Yinwa also emerged.
Simultaneously, two figures leaped from my shoulders—Jeon Myeong-hoon, whose body was now that of a Thunder God, and Oh Hyun-seok, who had reached the pinnacle of the Changryeong Seonggwang Ochae Daebop and become a giant of starlight.
From my chest came Buk Hyang-hwa, who had redesigned the puppets and Kim Yeon using the artifacts and materials I had prepared inside Jeonryeong Jinin’s pocket dimension.
*Whoosh!*
I pulled the Colorless Glass Sword from my domain and gripped it in my hand.
Since Integration, I could summon anything from my domain instantly. I no longer needed to draw the law treasure from my mouth.
*Crack—crack—crack!*
I felt Wi-ryeong-seon’s clones sending urgent transmissions across the Human Alliance region.
I saw countless sects loyal to the Alliance flying toward me.
The Six Great Sects of the Human Race were overwhelmingly here.
*[Even now, if you hand over your law treasures and secrets and peacefully board the Heavenly Human Transport to join us, we will not count the disrespect! Seo Eun-hyun! If you do not wish to fight the entire Human Race, then—]*
*[The entire Human Race…]*
*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!*
Behind me, the Triple Taiji rose.
The Triple Taiji I had pulled from Integration was far clearer and more domineering than ever before.
It was no longer like watching a volcano; it was like watching an erupting volcano in real time.
The Triple Taiji was no longer a mere formation.
It spun and generated actual physical force.
*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!*
Gales swept outward from the Triple Taiji.
Forty heavenly eyes opened. I poured curses into them.
Under the influence of the curses, my body bulged and monstrous creatures began bursting out from every pore.
I laughed.
Of course I was laughing, but my laughter sounded strangely like the wailing of ghosts—lively, chaotic, terrifying.
No, this was the Ghost Valley Wailing.
Inside my chest, the grudges of the dead cultivators were buried as ghosts, unchanged.
To ensure that no one ever suffered such slaughter again, I opened my mouth with cold eyes.
*[From this moment, I will drive every human from this region.]*
Whether she awakens in Sap-pung Territory or the Black Ghost Valley’s human branch, Gang Min-hee will attack the Human Race first.
And she is followed by the souls of the Human Race.
So whether I persuade or use force, I must expel the humans from this place and force them to flee.
*[Come at me, Human bastards.]*
And so the clash began.
---
*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!*
The Human Alliance region was in chaos.
The six Alliance experts were cornered by the terrifying Ghost King that had just manifested behind Seo Eun-hyun.
Jeon Myeong-hoon’s crimson eyes burned with rage.
*[You dare to threaten us with such power?]*
He had not forgotten the humiliation he had suffered when the Thunder Tribulation had awakened inside his own domain.
Seo Eun-hyun’s voice was cold.
*[I do not threaten. I offer. If you refuse, I will kill you all.]*
The projections staggered back.
The Master of Mount Tai’s gaze had been far gentler.
Yet this Ghost King was different.
Its power was absolute.
And its killing intent had not been aimed at the experts alone.
It was aimed at the entire Human Alliance.
The experts exchanged frantic transmissions.
*[This is madness! We must act!]*
*[No—we have no choice. The threat is real!]*
Jun-je’s voice trembled.
But he was no longer the leader who had once fled in terror.
This was a new Jun-je.
A Jun-je who had awakened a new secret and grown.
A Jun-je who understood that running would only delay the inevitable.
He raised his hand.
*[Everyone—prepare for the final battle. We will not retreat!]*
The entire Alliance region erupted with light.
Countless sects, disciples, and humans gathered into a massive formation that covered the entire area.
It was the ultimate defensive array of the Human Race Alliance—the “Heavenly King’s Silent Shield.”
*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!*
Seo Eun-hyun did not move.
He simply stood in front of his companions, Colorless Glass Sword in hand, and looked at the oncoming array.
His eyes were calm.
But inside, the Triple Taiji was spinning faster and faster.
The curses around him grew heavier.
More ghosts burst from his body.
And his voice echoed like thunder.
*[This is the last time I will ask. Turn around and leave.]*
The Heavenly King’s Silent Shield began to glow.
But Seo Eun-hyun’s lips curved into a faint, cold smile.
The war had begun.