The Saintess's Mercy
LTpGTRumbler rumble rumble!
LTpGTRumble!
LTpGTThe red thunder surged violently across the sky.
LTpGTThe seven red lightning spears driven deep into Baek-woon's body flared with blinding light all at once.
LTpGTBaek-woon sat on her jade throne, eyes rolled back, body trembling violently as if she were about to faint.
LTpGTIf she had been human, foam would have spilled from her mouth.
LTpGTCrack! Crack!
LTpGTShe writhed inside the prison of red thunder, unable to even scream.
LTpGT[Guh… guh… guh… stop… stop… h-h-help me…]
LTpGTFrom the look of it, the Saintess’s compatibility with me was even better than with Jeon Myeong-hoon.
LTpGT— Can you extract it, Jeon Myeong-hoon?
LTpGTI asked through the soul thread.
LTpGTBecause I had reached Void Shattering, the soul thread’s accuracy had skyrocketed. I could now use it almost like true telepathy.
LTpGTHe gripped one lightning spear, shook his head, and spoke inwardly.
LTpGTImpossible. No matter whose it is… my power can’t pull it out. The lightning spears won’t even cooperate with me. They’re mocking me instead.
LTpGTIt was astonishing.
LTpGTEven one single thunderbolt, let alone the Thunder Tribulation, had become a docile sheep in front of Jeon Myeong-hoon. The lightning spears left behind by Yang Su-jin must have possessed an extremely strong will.
LTpGT[What should I do…]
LTpGTI had originally planned to threaten her through Jeon Myeong-hoon via the lightning spears, extract them, and then slowly persuade her. Since she probably wanted them removed too, she would have to obey the rules of the higher realms. I could leverage that to a certain extent.
LTpGTI had intended to heal her with the lightning spears…
LTpGT[I can’t use them. Then what…]
LTpGTI clicked my tongue inwardly and examined my own condition.
LTpGT[My body is in a terrible state.]
LTpGTThe result of a brief clash with a Saintess.
LTpGTThe entire area was almost quaking.
LTpGTIf the plan to plant the Myeol-gye-yo-ju-beon on Baek-woon had failed, I would have collapsed the entire realm into a ruined state and been forcibly forced into Core Formation.
LTpGT[I’m lucky my compatibility worked out.]
LTpGTIn the first place, no one in their right mind would believe that a Star Shattering cultivator could defeat a Core Formation Saintess.
LTpGTEven disregarding realm differences, the Saintess could borrow power from the middle or star realms. In this area, being a Saintess was almost on par with Jinseon.
LTpGTThat’s why most Core Formation experts in the Goryeok Realm were slaughtered by a single Saintess.
LTpGTFrom the moment I first faced her power, I had abandoned any thought of directly clashing with Baek-woon.
LTpGTI had to bring Jeon Myeong-hoon somehow, make her touch the spear, and that would have given me the advantage. If I failed to seize that chance, it would simply be my defeat.
LTpGT[Ah, aah, aahhh!]
LTpGTI looked at Baek-woon, nearly flung from the red thunder, and asked.
LTpGT“…Originally I intended to persuade you in a gentler manner. It seems I can’t. Then I’ll ask you like this.”
LTpGTI felt sorry for her, but since she had risen to the Saintess rank, she could endure this much pain.
LTpGT“Could you grant me the title of Venerable and then revoke it?”
LTpGT[G-g-guah… g-guah…]
LTpGT“You won’t answer me…?”
LTpGT[U-ugua… ugua…]
LTpGT“I’ll ask once more.”
LTpGT[U-uaa… aaaaa…]
LTpGT“To me….”
LTpGTI continued while reading her will in the red thunder.
LTpGT“The Venerable title…”
LTpGTThe red thunder was bright, but Baek-woon’s will was crystal clear even within it.
LTpGT“Grant…”
LTpGTClear rejection!
LTpGT“Revoke…”
LTpGTCrack! Crack!
LTpGTIt might have looked like I was torturing a powerless woman with electricity.
LTpGTBut I knew her true feelings. She was declaring that she would endure until the end.
LTpGTEven if her mouth screamed, at our realm we could communicate properly without needing to speak.
LTpGTEven inside the thunder, Baek-woon’s eyes gradually grew accustomed to the pain and revealed her will.
LTpGT“Please…”
LTpGT[H-hu… huuu…]
LTpGTCrack! Crack!
LTpGTInside the prison of thunder, she began showing an unusual reaction.
LTpGT[H-huuhuhu…]
LTpGT“…!”
LTpGTKu-ching!
LTpGTShe reached out to me.
LTpGTThat alone cracked part of the thunder prison, and Baek-woon’s withered branch-like hand emerged from inside.
LTpGTZuuuung!
LTpGTForce erupted from her hand, twisting the surrounding space-time.
LTpGTIn an instant, her hand touched my shoulder.
LTpGT[L-like… this… feel it…]
LTpGT“…!!!”
LTpGTUuuuung!
LTpGTThrough her hand, the curse sealed itself onto my body, and part of her pain was shoved toward me.
LTpGTA curse that pushes pain onto others!
LTpGT— S-Seo Eun-hyun!
LTpGT— Don’t stop!
LTpGTJeon Myeong-hoon tried to stop in panic, but I roared through the soul thread and even laughed.
LTpGT[We’re going all the way.]
LTpGTHonestly, I felt a little sorry for her, but I probably could have won if I had planted the Myeol-gye-yo-ju-beon earlier.
LTpGTBut it seemed my misjudgment.
LTpGTWhen she reached the Saintess rank, she gained some resistance to such pain.
LTpGTThen I would prepare myself properly.
LTpGTTsutsutsutsutsu!
LTpGTThe curse poured out from my entire body.
LTpGTI roared and grabbed her wrist.
LTpGT[Don’t touch my shoulder so carelessly.]
LTpGTPaaat!
LTpGTWoodd!
LTpGTI transformed into the 21-headed Ghost King and began tearing Baek-woon’s hand from my shoulder.
LTpGTWoodd!
LTpGTBut it was heavy.
LTpGT[This insane… Is this the power of a withered Saintess of the extinct race…?]
LTpGTThe raw power spewing from Baek-woon’s emaciated arm surpassed my power even after the Heaven-Earth Twin Saints integration.
LTpGTI had to embed the Chongcheon-geom, combine the sword’s power, and barely managed to peel off her arm!
LTpGTI had once seen records from Jeomuldo of a Core Formation Saintess who was beaten into human form and almost died when the realm collapsed.
LTpGTOnly now did I understand.
LTpGTIf you were a true immortal, you could perhaps defeat a Core Formation Saintess with nothing but raw power!
LTpGTAnd Baek-woon had been said to have once been a true immortal but had her realm lowered after some incident and entered the Gwanghan Realm.
LTpGT[Her power is at least equal to that of a human-form Jinseon!]
LTpGTI was doomed.
LTpGTSo I had to use a special countermeasure.
LTpGTI pulled her arm off my shoulder with one hand.
LTpGTOf course, the pain from gripping her arm still flooded in, but I endured it.
LTpGTAnd I spat the curse with my opposite hand.
LTpGTThe Myeol-gye-yo-ju-beon formed a sinister light on my hand.
LTpGTA collection of flesh-like black things.
LTpGTCountless eyes and mouths wriggled inside it!
LTpGTI grabbed the flagpole of the demon banner and, holding the tip upside down, thrust the black flagpole straight into Baek-woon’s abdomen.
LTpGT[--------!]
LTpGTZiiing!
LTpGTAn unrecognizable scream echoed through the three realms.
LTpGTThe same scream that true immortals had once spat!
LTpGTIt meant Baek-woon was suffering real agony she could not endure.
LTpGT[-----!]
LTpGT[Gaaaaah!]
LTpGTThrough her hand, the pain I had pushed into her came back to me.
LTpGTThe only thing left now was who could endure pain better!
LTpGT[Try it, Saintess!]
LTpGTI howled with laughter inside the pain and drove the flagpole deeper.
LTpGTDrrddrrdddr!
LTpGT[Insane…]
LTpGTThe entire Gwanghan Realm began to shake.
LTpGTBaek-woon was having an outburst.
LTpGTBecause of Yang Su-jin’s legacy, I felt helpless right in front of us.
LTpGTBut due to her convulsions, earthquakes and disasters were sweeping across the Gwanghan Realm.
LTpGTAt the bottom of Cheon-ryeon-san, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions were occurring,
LTpGTwhile Gwanghan Realm’s qi stretched wildly toward the Star Realm, pulling star fragments into the Gwanghan Realm.
LTpGTStars fell everywhere, and the corpses from Void Space entered the Gwanghan Realm.
LTpGTUuuuung!
LTpGTAnd I felt my sanity slipping from the continuing madness.
LTpGTKugugugugugu!
LTpGTThe above and below switched.
LTpGTThe Heaven-Earth reversed.
LTpGT[Upper] sky fell downward.
LTpGT[Lower] ground rose upward.
LTpGTCountless Gwanghan Realm people’s screams filled my ears.
LTpGTIt wasn’t just the world flipping upside down, the gravity remained the same.
LTpGTSo…
LTpGTThe sky had come to where I had to step on the ground.
LTpGTAnd gravity stayed the same.
LTpGTThen what?
LTpGT“Seo Eun-hyun! Do something!!”
LTpGTJeon Myeong-hoon’s voice cracked, and sweat poured down my back.
LTpGTThe entire Gwanghan Realm flipped over at once!
LTpGTThe creatures of the Gwanghan Realm fell toward the sky!
LTpGTFortunately, most were mortal cultivators who could fly, so no problem.
LTpGTBut even so, the fear that the middle realm might be destroyed in this state loomed over me.
LTpGTKu-rung, rumble rumble!
LTpGTThe Thunder Tribulation fell from the “earth,” and the entire Gwanghan Realm was instantly covered by a sea of lightning.
LTpGTCrack! Crack!
LTpGTNormal lightning was something I could ignore at Jeon Myeong-hoon’s side.
LTpGTBut I realized what Baek-woon was doing.
LTpGT[This crazy…]
LTpGTThe Thunder Tribulations falling from all over the Gwanghan Realm!
LTpGTEach one captured Baek-woon torturing me and Jeon Myeong-hoon and was being broadcast across the entire Gwanghan Realm.
LTpGTThe power of the Thunder Tribulation itself was not enough to hit a Core Formation cultivator, but if it merely brushed past, you could tell the situation.
LTpGTThat meant I was now being exposed as the villain who tortured the Saintess in the Gwanghan Realm’s center.
LTpGT“SEO EUN-HYUN!!!!!!”
LTpGTJeon Myeong-hoon’s face looked insane.
LTpGTBut I instead smiled faintly.
LTpGT[Now I’m begging the other creatures for help!]
LTpGTThat meant my mental strength had reached its limit, to the point where I would beg others for salvation.
LTpGT[Just a little more! Give me more power, Jeon Myeong-hoon!]
LTpGTI infused strength into the hand gripping the flagpole, my 21 heads radiating fighting spirit.
LTpGT[It’s… not my full power yet. Saintess…!]
LTpGTDanak Sword Art
LTpGT32nd Form
LTpGTAsim Sword (Sub-Heart Sword)
LTpGTYeong-yu-wol-gam!
LTpGTKiing!
LTpGTThe sword shape in my mind stabbed deep into Baek-woon’s soul.
LTpGTAs long as she thought of me, her heart would be endlessly cut!
LTpGTFrom now on… even her mental strength at its limit would be cut!
LTpGTPaataaat!
LTpGTWhite light boiled up.
LTpGTIn the next moment—
LTpGTThud!
LTpGT“…Eh?”
LTpGTI felt cold sweat.
LTpGTAll phenomena had stopped.
LTpGT[This is…]
LTpGTA frozen world.
LTpGTOnly I and the being in front of me could move.
LTpGT[…You won.]
LTpGTI looked at the being in front of me.
LTpGT[What?]
LTpGTA beautiful woman in pure white robes, her skin revealing tree-bark patterns, with branches growing from her head.
LTpGTBaek-woon.
LTpGTThe appearance from her prime era had appeared before me.
LTpGTWith a vexed expression, she clicked her tongue and said.
LTpGT[You villain. Do as you please. Because of you, I released the power I had been saving. I have no idea how much severe damage I’ve suffered. Do as you please. I won’t grant you the Venerable title. Disappear from my sight.]
LTpGTHer appearance was beautiful and complete, but the power to instantly chase me away from the Gwanghan Realm was gone, so she said “disappear” instead of chasing me out.
LTpGT[…Thank you for the Saintess’s mercy.]
LTpGTI reverted to human form and bowed to her.
LTpGTShe turned her back on me with an irritated expression and said.
LTpGT[I am no longer a Saintess.]
LTpGTI only then realized what she had done.
LTpGTShe had temporarily lowered her realm by one step and created a manifestation from my power.
LTpGTBut viewing this insane power that had frozen the Gwanghan Realm’s time, she had truly become a Venerable only temporarily.
LTpGTShe would surely recover her Saintess realm in a few years.
LTpGT[Disappear from my sight. Sword Demon…]
LTpGTAfter rising as a Venerable, I could not obtain the official Venerable title other than the Sword Demon title officially recognized.
LTpGT---