Chapter 257
Chapter 257
Did it just shatter?" The interrogators' faces stiffened. The Immortal Orb typically indicated the degree of honor through changes in its color. But it had never once shattered. It wasn't made of a material that could be broken by applying force, and they would have noticed if spiritual energy had been injected into it. Park Chan-woo shook off the fragments of the shattered Immortal Orb from his hand and said, "Isn't it just defective?" "Th-that can't be..." The senior interrogator clamped his mouth shut. The Immortal Orb was an Immortal Treasure. Items crafted by immortals with their own spiritual energy were called Immortal Treasures, and each one exhibited peerless abilities. Not only did they possess near-indestructible durability that even high-grade weapons or ordinary energy couldn't scratch, but depending on their purpose, they could control or summon phenomena worthy of being called miracles, making their uses incredibly varied. The Immortal Orb was no different. True honor couldn't be confirmed in an ordinary status window. It was impossible to see someone else's honor. Yet this Immortal Orb made the impossible possible just by touching it. Shwoooaaah! "...!" "...!!!" It happened in that instant. All the interrogators widened their eyes and stared at the shattered Immortal Orb. A brilliant light surged above the fragmented orb, soon transforming into a massive rainbow that blanketed the sky. ...
That's right. A rainbow had appeared in the sky. A vivid, ecstatic rainbow containing every color. This was something unheard of. The senior interrogator stared silently at Park Chan-woo. 'Could it mean immeasurable?' The closer honor was to zero, the brighter the crimson red it showed. However, no matter how low the honor, the Immortal Orb never shattered. If it had broken because Park Chan-woo's honor was utterly immeasurable, then conversely, it made sense to interpret it as his honor being so exalted that the orb itself overheated and burst. "I-I've heard of this before. They say the Immortal Orbs were made in the past from the largest rainbow that appeared over Cultivator's Mountain..." One of the interrogators spoke up then. In other words, did that mean the rainbow they were seeing now was the material for the Immortal Orb? Immortals wielded unknowable powers, but wasn't that a bit too far-fetched? Still, the abilities of Immortal Treasures were usually based on natural phenomena. If they captured natural phenomena themselves to create them, it was somewhat understandable. Whoooong! The strangeness didn't end there. The unfurled rainbow swirled around Park Chan-woo before vanishing. The senior interrogator swallowed hard. 'What should I do?' ...
Anyone could see that the rainbow from the Immortal Orb itself had reacted to Park Chan-woo. However, this wasn't in the regulations. By the nature of interrogators, who had to follow procedures strictly, they couldn't endorse an undefined result. At any rate, it hadn't shown a color as the Immortal Orb was supposed to. "Disqual... " "Qualified." In a flash. Someone interrupted the senior interrogator and revealed themselves. The interrogators hurriedly bowed their heads upon seeing the man who had arrived via warp. "Ah...!" "D-Daoist!" "Greetings, Daoist!" Respect mingled with fear. The interrogators, who wielded absolute power on the mountain, were trembling uncontrollably, at a loss. Daoist. Those who followed the immortals were called Daoists. They operated from the Immortal Realm connected to the All Gods' Hall, possessing strengths beyond what mere arhats could fathom. The man called Daoist didn't even glance at them. His eyes were fixed solely on Park Chan-woo. Soon, the Daoist floated slightly in the air as he moved, stopping before Park Chan-woo. "Void-Stepping Walk..." Chiu muttered softly upon seeing it. It wasn't using energy. He had elevated lightness skill to its limit, stepping on the void, the wind, and the air. And not even rushing quickly—he approached slowly. 'He's strong.' Chiu tensed inwardly. He couldn't guarantee victory in a direct confrontation. In case the man tried anything against Park Chan-woo, Chiu focused every nerve in his body, ready to act instantly. "Your honor and qualifications have been proven. Will you follow me and become a Daoist?" "A Daoist?" "As a Daoist, you can live for ten thousand years. You can achieve anything you desire. For example..." The Daoist extended a finger straight out. Then. Puk! "Gah...!" The senior interrogator clutched his chest and rolled on the ground. The energy condensed at the Daoist's fingertip had pierced the senior interrogator's heart. Soon, the gurgling senior interrogator went limp. Then he turned to dust and vanished. "No one can blame a Daoist for dealing with trash like that, who couldn't recognize proven worth. Life is worthless to begin with." A strange sense of dissonance washed over him. The Daoists and immortals Park Chan-woo knew were typically enlightened beings. They pursued the Dao, exhibiting qualities close to sagehood, didn't they? But... 'It's the opposite.' Far from enlightenment. Deviant from reason. More like monsters. "The immortals wish to see you. The destruction of the Immortal Orb means your karma has reached the Immortal Domain. And the rainbow heading there signifies you've properly comprehended the Five Energies Converging to the Origin, enough to dominate the Three Thousand Worlds." "...
Three Thousand Worlds?" "The Immortal Realm calls the Abyss the Three Thousand Worlds. Anyway, come with me." "You're saying go to the Immortal Realm, not the upper echelons?" "We'll skip the upper echelons entirely. Neither the Nine Clans nor Taebaek can interfere in the Immortal Realm's affairs." Park Chan-woo stroked his chin. His goal had been to head to Mirmun, publicize matters related to the demons, and climb to the All Gods' Hall to prove himself. But the higher he climbed the mountain, the more doubt crept in. Cultivator's Mountain wasn't the mountain he had imagined. It wasn't a place where only pure cultivators gathered. To top it off, this Daoist had appeared and arbitrarily killed an interrogator. It seemed the concepts of 'Daoist' and 'immortal' here differed from what he knew. "What if I refuse?" "That wouldn't be a wise choice." Park Chan-woo glanced at Chiu. Chiu shook his head with a grave expression. He seemed to think it would be tough head-on. 'Hostility toward immortals ends badly. They're scum pretending to be noble.' Chronos, who had been watching, spoke up. But since entering Cultivator's Mountain, Chronos hadn't uttered a word. He had merely hidden in his shadow. Yet now, facing the Daoist, he warned for the first time. 'Are they dangerous enough that even you couldn't win?''If I unleash my full power, nothing could stand against me, but the real problem is the one behind them. That's why I've stayed silent until now.' Someone behind the immortals? The Daoist alone was enough to put him on high alert. He couldn't even gauge how strong an immortal might be. 'Probably the one called Taebaek... the master of the All Gods' Hall. Even the evil spirits fear him instinctively, so he must be utterly horrific. Perhaps.' He had heard Taebaek entered secluded cultivation fifty years ago. If the seclusion was in the Immortal Realm, it fit. 'Taebaek might be the one summoning you.''Has Taebaek noticed me?''Ever since the Immortal Orb shattered, a powerful being's gaze has been on you. The eye of a monster incomparable to mere immortals. He hasn't spotted me yet... but it won't be long.' Chronos's words were extremely cautious. Even he, never detected by others before, seemed to believe Taebaek's gaze could expose him. 'Run. Their intentions aren't good.''...
How do I escape from here?' Warps to the outside wouldn't open here. Naturally, he couldn't head to Valhalla or return to Earth. 'Pretend to comply and board the warp. Once you're in, I'll twist it to another path somehow.' Chronos was serious. He wanted Park Chan-woo to escape Cultivator's Mountain. But if he turned back now, when would he climb the mountain again? 'I've memorized the way here, so you can return anytime you want.''Give up climbing to the All Gods' Hall?''You have to stay alive to climb it again. Taebaek won't let you live if he gets you. This isn't the time.''Even if I come back, climbing while avoiding Taebaek would be impossible anyway.''...
He was definitely asleep until moments ago. The Immortal Orb's spiritual energy briefly woke the slumbering Taebaek. If you flee now, he'll fall asleep again for sure. I held my tongue until now out of fear that I might wake him.' Not secluded cultivation, but asleep? Moreover, Chronos spoke with conviction. He clearly knew something about Taebaek. In that instant, the waiting Daoist asked, "Still hesitating?" "...
I'll take the warp to the Immortal Realm." "An excellent choice." The Daoist led the way. Park Chan-woo followed behind, maintaining a blank expression as best he could. When they reached the warp. The Daoist extended his hand. "Take my hand." "I'll go on my own." "Then don't lose sight of me. Otherwise, you'll become a lost wanderer in the boundary." "Got it." Zing! Ziiing! The warp began to hum. The Daoist stepped through first. Park Chan-woo followed carefully. But he had no intention of meekly trailing the Daoist. 'Shine the Radiant Sage's Stone. It'll show you another path!' Hearing Chronos's urgent words, he pulled out the Radiant Sage's Stone. Light bloomed within the warp, revealing another path. 'I'll hold your shadow tight, so head straight down that path. Once you escape this place, a way out of the mountain will surely appear.' He walked toward the light. The surrounding space twisted chaotically. ...
This was a first. Heading a different way inside a warp. Normally, straying from the set path made one a lost wanderer in the boundary. Shwoooong! Soon, arriving in the domain, the scenery shifted. Not the Immortal Realm, but somewhere else. A cold riverbank. A cliff with cascading waterfalls. "...?" "...?" Below it, someone was there. A nude woman with bear ears. She stood with hands clasped in prayer, facing the waterfall. And in that pose, her eyes met Park Chan-woo's. "...?" "...?" Both were momentarily speechless. Ziiing! In that moment. The light from the Radiant Sage's Stone shone precisely on the woman beneath the waterfall. Thanks to it, the surrounding scenery came into even clearer view.