Chapter 136: Entering the World of Nothingness-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: Entering the World of Nothingness-1
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Haah... haah... haah..."
Yorang sat on the ground, gasping for breath.
Thwack!
"Ack!"
"Who told you to slack off? Keep digging!"
The Yin-Yang Demon had approached unnoticed and kicked the seated Yorang. She let out a scream as she was sent flying.
"You... meanie!"
Yorang barely managed to hold back her tears. She knew that the moment she showed any weakness, that man would beat her even harder, claiming her tears were "bad luck."
She crawled forward and began digging into the earth once more.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Yorang was digging a hole—one that was absurdly deep.
"Dig faster."
The Yin-Yang Demon watched her, his voice cold.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
At his command, Yorang began to dig with everything she had, even drawing upon the energy within her inner core.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
How much time had passed? Eventually, Yorang had managed to dig a hole several times her own height.
"That's enough. Stop."
It was then that the Yin-Yang Demon's voice drifted down from above.
Flop.
Perhaps because the tension had finally snapped, Yorang collapsed right where she stood.
"Haah... haah... haah..."
She panted heavily, her chest heaving.
"Get up here, now!"
The Yin-Yang Demon’s harsh bark echoed from above again.
"Ugh..."
The sound made Yorang’s eyes well up. She had worked so hard to dig this hole, yet instead of praise, she was met with nothing but shouting. A wave of sorrow washed over her.
Sun-woo had entered a training cave, claiming he needed to meditate. Yorang had tried to follow him, but the old man had blocked her path. He dragged her to a corner of the cavern, saying she had her own work to do.
His instructions had been incredibly simple.
[Dig.]
That was it. Without any explanation, he had ordered her to dig. At first, Yorang had rebelled, asking why on earth she should do such a thing.
But she quickly realized that her defiance was a grave mistake.
The Yin-Yang Demon had beaten her until she was on the verge of death. It was so brutal she genuinely thought she was going to die. Fortunately, he stopped just before her breath failed, and she managed to survive.
She remained unconscious for two full days.
When she finally opened her eyes, she realized the truth: this old man was not like Sun-woo or Madam Un Ga-ryeo. He was not someone who would indulge her whims or act as her guardian.
Looking at her as she woke, the Yin-Yang Demon had merely muttered that she had a "stubbornly long life."
Hearing that, Yorang had trembled in fear. It meant he had beaten her until his anger was spent, regardless of whether she lived or died.
Since that day, Yorang had dug the earth in a state of constant terror, just as he had ordered. And only today, on the third day of digging, did he finally tell her to stop.
The fact that he was still shouting at her after all that hard work made her feel a mix of irritation and deep sorrow.
"Should I come down there?"
The old man's voice drifted down again.
Scramble!
At his words, Yorang scrambled up the walls of the hole. She had no desire to stand at death's door a second time.
*
"Heh heh, good. Very good."
Looking down at the hole Yorang had dug, the Yin-Yang Demon wore a highly satisfied smile. Digging a hole deep enough and wide enough for a person to lie in was no easy feat. While the surface soil was soft, the ground became increasingly dense and hard the deeper one went.
Seeing it finished so perfectly pleased him greatly.
"Hey, beast."
The Yin-Yang Demon called out to Yorang.
"Hieeek!"
Yorang shrieked in surprise at the sound of his voice.
"Well done. They say even dog shit has its uses, and you fit the bill perfectly."
It was the Yin-Yang Demon’s version of a compliment.
You old bastard.
To Yorang, however, it sounded like nothing but a taunt. If he was going to praise her, he could have at least done it properly. Why did he have to be so foul-mouthed?
Yorang missed Sun-woo terribly. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and act like a spoiled child to her heart's content.
"Ex... excuse me."
Yorang squeezed out the courage to speak.
"What?"
"When... is Sun-woo... coming out?"
She asked in awkward, polite speech.
"You're as dim-witted as any lesser creature. How should I know?"
The Yin-Yang Demon looked at her as if her question was incomprehensible.
"I have already given him the mnemonic for the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. Whether he masters it and emerges is entirely up to him."
It was exactly as he said. The Yin-Yang Demon had already passed the secret formula to Sun-woo. Mastering it was a burden Sun-woo had to carry alone.
"But... why did I... dig the hole?"
She ventured another question. She figured he wouldn't raise his fist just for asking a simple question.
"It is for the next stage of training," the Yin-Yang Demon replied curtly. "It is the perfect training ground to let that boy experience the World of Nothingness. Heh heh heh heh."
The Yin-Yang Demon began to let out a sinister, low chuckle.
Ugh... so creepy.
Yorang shuddered. Every time she looked at this old man, she felt he had a truly rotten personality. Whatever that "training ground" was, it certainly wouldn't be anything normal.
She turned her gaze toward the training cave where Sun-woo was sequestered. Five days had passed since he entered, but there was still no sign of him.
Come out soon, Sun-woo...
Yorang called out to him in her heart, aching with longing.
*
Inside the training cave.
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
Sun-woo let out a pained groan as he struck the rock with the edge of his hand. An agonizing pain shot through his palm. He lifted his hand to inspect it; the edge was swollen and turning a deep, bruised purple. It looked like internal hemorrhaging had occurred once again.
"Whew... whew..."
Sun-woo blew on his throbbing hand. It seemed he had failed yet again.
"Sigh."
He let out a deep breath. After he had resolved to learn the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, the Yin-Yang Demon had immediately recited the mnemonic to him. Uncharacteristically, the old man had spoken slowly, breaking down each word for him.
But as soon as Sun-woo memorized the formula, the old man had shoved him into the training cave, claiming it was time to practice.
The training method the Yin-Yang Demon proposed was simple: use the edge of his hand to split the massive boulder that Ok-ryeong had once been laid upon.
At first, Sun-woo had scoffed. He thought breaking a mere rock would be easy. He had already reached the Transcendent Realm, a level often called the Absolute Martial God stage. He had the power to crush mountains, let alone a single boulder.
However, the Yin-Yang Demon had shattered Sun-woo’s arrogance instantly.
Before Sun-woo entered the cave, the old man had sealed his internal energy. The amount of power he could draw upon was restricted to a mere five years' worth.
Normally, one Gapja is considered sixty years of internal energy. Sun-woo possessed nearly three Gapja—one hundred and eighty years of power. Yet, that immense reservoir had been restricted to a measly five years.
Sun-woo had protested, arguing it was impossible. How could he break such a massive boulder with only five years of energy?
But the Yin-Yang Demon insisted it was entirely possible and threw him into the cave anyway.
Sun-woo had no choice but to continue the training, however reluctantly. But even after five days, he was still at a standstill. The boulder remained perfectly intact, showing no sign of even a hairline fracture.
Furthermore, Sun-woo was being pushed to his absolute physical and mental limits. For five days, he had consumed nothing but water and hadn't been allowed a wink of sleep. It was the Yin-Yang Demon’s philosophy that concentration peaks only when one is driven to the brink.
Irritation flared within him. He had focused on the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth until he was physically and mentally exhausted, yet he hadn't found a single clue. He began to resent the Yin-Yang Demon for not giving him even a hint.
"Whew."
Sun-woo took a deep breath and steadied his mind. He couldn't just keep complaining. One way or another, he had to master the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. He closed his eyes, telling himself this was a necessary trial.
He repeated the mnemonic of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth countless times in his head.
The technique was the pinnacle of internal energy manipulation. Therefore, to even enter its gates, one required incredibly precise control over their power.
Following the mnemonic, Sun-woo slowly began to move his five years of internal energy. The energy in his Dantian stirred, then began to flow through his acupoints. It traveled through his shoulder and down toward the edge of his hand.
Energy began to gather at the edge of his palm once more.
Whoosh!
Thwack!
Sun-woo swung his hand against the rock again.
"Argh!"
But as before, only Sun-woo’s hand felt the pain. The boulder didn't budge.
Sun-woo fell into deep thought. How on earth am I supposed to break this? Is it even possible with only five years of energy?
All sorts of doubts began to cloud his mind. He realized that conventional methods wouldn't work. He had to change his perspective.
He had clearly moved his energy according to the mnemonic, yet the boulder remained unmoved. There had to be something more than just following the formula.
Sun-woo closed his eyes and sat in a lotus position. He recalled the words the Yin-Yang Demon had told him.
The old man had said that even five years was unnecessary. That one year of energy was more than enough to shatter the rock. He claimed he had been generous by leaving him with five.
He had said that most people fail to use their internal energy efficiently. They treat the nature qi they spent a whole year gathering as something trivial.
He had said that Sun-woo was no different from the rest. And that was exactly why he needed to learn the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.
He had said that if Sun-woo couldn't realize how to maximize and use his energy efficiently, he would never master the technique.
Recalling those words, Sun-woo began to doubt himself. Have I really been using my energy efficiently until now? Or have I just been crudely throwing around the massive three Gapja of power I possessed?
He pondered and pondered.
Sun-woo slowly began to move his energy according to the mnemonic again. This time, he focused all his senses on the movement within his body, trying to feel every nuance.
First, the Dantian. A small, very faint trace of qi was curled up there. That was his five years of energy. The energy moved from the Dantian, through the acupoints, and toward his arm.
When the energy reached his arm, it moved down to the edge of his hand. Sun-woo focused intensely on the energy gathered there.
He focused even harder.
And then, he saw it. He realized the shape of the qi spread broadly across the edge of his hand.
This was it. This was why most people couldn't use their energy efficiently.
The answer was density.
Because the energy wasn't concentrated, its destructive power was dispersed.
Sun-woo focused his mind again. He began to compress the broadly distributed qi into the exact shape of his hand-blade. The principle wasn't much different from a Sword Ring, which compressed Astral Qi to its limit.
Compress... compress... compress.
How long did he spend concentrating? Eventually, the five years of energy that had been spread out was perfectly condensed into the shape of his hand-blade.
Only then did Sun-woo understand why the Yin-Yang Demon had told him to use the edge of his hand. Because the surface area was thin, it was much easier to concentrate the energy. If it had been a wider area like a fist or a palm, it would have been significantly harder to achieve this level of density, even if he knew the principle.
Sun-woo approached the flat boulder.
Swoosh!
He raised his hand-blade and struck the rock with lightning speed.
K-BOOM!
The moment his hand touched the rock, a thunderous explosion erupted, and the boulder shattered. It was split completely in two.
Sun-woo wore a satisfied smile. And then, he collapsed.
He had reached his limit. Though he had found the clue to the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, his body was spent. But he was content. With this level of progress, surely the Yin-Yang Demon would forgive him for taking a nap.
Sun-woo closed his eyes. It was time to sleep.
Thud!
"Gah!"
A sharp pain flared in his side.
"Who told you to sleep?"
He opened his eyes to see the Yin-Yang Demon looking down at him. The old man must have just arrived and kicked him in the ribs.
"Didn't I... split the boulder?"
"You did well. So why are you sleeping?"
"What?"
Sun-woo asked, bewildered. Wasn't he allowed to sleep once he split the rock?
"Didn't I tell you? No sleeping until the training is over."
"But isn't the training over now?" Sun-woo protested.
"What are you talking about? We're just getting started."
The Yin-Yang Demon gave Sun-woo a smile that looked almost affectionate, which only made it more terrifying.
Shiver.
A chill ran down Sun-woo’s spine.
"Follow me, brat."
Grip.
The Yin-Yang Demon grabbed Sun-woo by the hair.
Drag.
He began to pull him out of the cave.
"Agh! Wait... wait a minute! Stop!"
Sun-woo screamed from the pain in his scalp.
"My... my hair's going to fall out!"
But the Yin-Yang Demon ignored his cries and continued to drag him along. Before long, they emerged into the main cavern.
"Sun-woo!"
A voice called out to him. It was Yorang.
"Yorang!"
Sun-woo called back to her desperately. But their reunion was short-lived.
Whoosh!
The Yin-Yang Demon threw Sun-woo directly into the pit Yorang had dug.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Thud!
The hole was so deep that it took a moment for Sun-woo to hit the bottom. He looked up and saw the Yin-Yang Demon smiling down at him.
"Welcome to the World of Nothingness."
With those words, the Yin-Yang Demon began to shovel piles of dirt into the hole all at once.
"Wait... wait a second!"
Sun-woo tried to stop him, but it was useless. A deluge of earth was already pouring down on his head.
Shit.
Sun-woo cursed inwardly as he was buried alive under the falling soil.