Chapter 218: Domain (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: Domain (2)
"Huff… huff…!"
The Giryeon Sect Leader heaved ragged breaths. He had barely—truly barely—made it out.
By connecting the threads of space to the outside right as the explosion occurred, he had managed to escape. The boy shouldn't have noticed a thing.
'That monster… what on earth is he…?'
The last time they met, the boy certainly hadn't possessed this level of skill. He had been exceptional even then, but nowhere near the Transcendent Realm.
Less than a year had passed since then. Had he really grown this much in such a short time?
It was far too rapid. If left alone, he might become a second Namgung Jin-cheon.
'What a nightmare.'
The Giryeon Sect Leader pushed himself off the tree he had been leaning against. A pleasantly cool breeze blew past. Letting out a long sigh, he snatched a falling leaf as it drifted down from above.
'What now…?'
In the end, he had failed to retrieve Namgung Jin-cheon’s body. With the Transcendent Realm experts of the Black Lotus Union dead in droves, the outcome of the war was practically decided.
The Black Lotus Union wouldn't collapse entirely, not with a Profound Realm martial artist as their leader, but they would inevitably lose the vast majority of their territory.
'Though it will still take some time…'
The Black Lotus Union was no mere neighborhood gang. They had suffered irreparable damage, but they wouldn't crumble overnight.
Perhaps some new variable would arise in the meantime to flip the board. Still, there was no denying that the Black Lotus Union was in decline.
'Should I just abandon the Union and forge a new identity?'
The Giryeon Sect Leader chuckled, squeezing the leaf in his hand.
"Hmm?"
A sudden, stinging pain pricked his palm. His expression stiffened as he opened his hand in confusion.
"What…?"
A mouth had grown on the leaf. It spoke.
[You never left my domain.]
The Giryeon Sect Leader’s eyes widened until the corners threatened to tear. He spun around. Branches began to sprout wildly from the very tree he had been leaning against moments ago.
The writhing wood soon took the shape of a human, and before he knew it, Seo-jun was standing there, looking down at him.
"I’ve finished organizing my thoughts."
Crack!
Horns sprouted from Seo-jun’s temples. The clear sky turned a dark, bruised red, and the weeds beneath their feet suddenly gave birth to countless eyeballs and gnashing mouths.
"Every sect involved in this matter will be annihilated."
The Creation Realm. Simply called the Transcendent Realm by some.
It referred to a stage where a martial artist expanded their spirit to claim the surrounding space as their own Essence and Qi.
In other words, since he had achieved a perfect balance of Essence, Qi, and Spirit that encompassed the surrounding space, there was no reason he couldn't simultaneously reach the level of an Extreme Demon by dyeing it all in Demonic Qi.
'This is the union of the Creation Realm and the Extreme Demon.'
Seo-jun felt it instinctively.
Normally, through such a process, the domain and the Demonic Qi would achieve a state of harmony. One could also call it achieving a balance between the Orthodox and the Demonic.
Since both the Transcendent Realm and the Extreme Demon were stages distinguished by the manifestation of one's Essence, Qi, and Spirit, he wouldn't lean toward either side.
It was a new realm that had never before appeared in the Central Plains. Literally unprecedented.
However, in Seo-jun’s case, it was slightly different. It was because of the Fire Demon Realm.
Since his very existence was already steeped in the Demonic, the realm he achieved leaned one step closer to the Demonic Path.
'It’s too early to give it a name.'
But with this, Seo-jun had reached a completely independent realm, one clearly distinct from the martial artists of the Central Plains.
"The Black Lotus Union shall cease to exist. And the jackals drooling over the Namgung Clan’s vacant seat shall all be slaughtered, regardless of their standing."
The domain was dyed entirely in Demonic Qi.
Seo-jun observed everything within it, holding his now-perfected Authority in the palm of his hand.
Blink—
Instead of the sun, a giant eyeball rose into the sky and glared down at the Giryeon Sect Leader.
The flowing air, the ground he stood upon, the grass brushing against his ankles—everything that made up this world watched the Giryeon Sect Leader.
"And you shall suffer for eternity, regretting the sins you have committed."
Crunch! Crunch!
At the chilling sound, the Giryeon Sect Leader looked down. What met his gaze were countless ravenous mouths.
"Huh…?"
Splurt!
Clumps of blood erupted from his body. Yet, he felt nothing.
The moment the Giryeon Sect Leader’s brow twitched—Flash!—a horrific, logic-defying pain surged through him all at once, like an explosion of white-hot sparks.
"Aaaaaaaagh!!"
Screaming in agony, the Giryeon Sect Leader reflexively formed a hand seal. Hundreds of years of cultivation were not in vain. A spell manifested instantly.
Flicker—
But nothing happened.
"Cough…!"
Instead, a clump of dark blood burst from his mouth.
Demonic Qi was like a deadly poison to most living beings. The Demonic Qi that had already burrowed into his body blocked his sorcery at its very source.
The Giryeon Sect Leader’s eyes turned bloodshot.
"Th-this is impossible…!"
It couldn't be. A domain this nonsensical could not exist. It didn't matter if he had exhausted most of his strength—this defied all logic.
"Such cheap tricks…! Do not look down on me…!"
The Giryeon Sect Leader gritted his teeth. He drew upon the Primordial True Qi he had been saving as his absolute last resort.
Vrooom!
A massive force erupted, forcefully expelling the Demonic Qi that had invaded his body. Simultaneously, his fingers flew through a hand seal.
"Two-Pole Extinction Force…!"
Crack!
A star collapsed, giving birth to a black dot from which even light could not escape.
Rumble!
The surrounding domain was no exception. Along with all things in the world, the countless eyeballs and mouths were violently sucked into the black dot suspended in the air.
"I will remember this…! The day I recover my strength…! You…!"
Seo-jun’s hands traced a circle. He grabbed the heavens and the earth and simply flipped them.
Universe Reversal.
Fwaaaaaaaa—!!
The entire domain flipped and inverted. The Giryeon Sect Leader’s spell did the exact same.
The black dot turned stark white, violently vomiting out everything it had swallowed.
"Gah…!"
Thump!
The Giryeon Sect Leader’s body was sent flying by the erupting shockwave.
Roll—
At the same time, the tens of thousands of eyeballs decorating the world locked onto him.
Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art.
Shred—
Countless holes were punched straight through the Giryeon Sect Leader’s body. His tattered form was torn apart. Unable to even let out a final scream, myriad pieces of his flesh scattered into the air.
"Greed."
Countless mouths lunged forward, devouring the scattered fragments of the Giryeon Sect Leader.
Crunch! Crunch!
The fragments consumed by the mouths were deposited into the deepest part of Seo-jun’s domain, locked away in its darkest prison.
He did not let even the soul escape. Although he couldn't physically see souls, as long as it was inside his domain, he could imprison it entirely. And once he successfully isolated it, he could at least feel its presence.
[Aaaaaaaagh…!!!]
The soul’s agonizing scream echoed. The Beiming Divine Art squeezed the Giryeon Sect Leader’s energy dry, stopping just before his soul would dissipate entirely.
As time passed, the soul would naturally recover its strength, and that strength would once again be harvested as Seo-jun’s power. Through this endless cycle, he would suffer for all eternity.
After observing the torment for a moment, Seo-jun widened his field of vision.
Whoosh!
The prison holding the Giryeon Sect Leader receded instantly, and the entirety of the domain came into view. Soon, the outside world appeared.
The domain was nothing more than a sphere the size of a human head, and Seo-jun was looking down at it resting gently on his palm.
"Tsk…"
Seo-jun clicked his tongue and pressed the sphere into his chest. The Giryeon Sect Leader’s constant, echoing screams finally ceased.
Shaking off a slight daze, he surveyed his surroundings. Nothing had changed. He was still standing right beside Namgung Jin-cheon and Namgung Yeon.
He hadn't moved a single step since the battle began. The Giryeon Sect Leader had been nothing more than a puppet dancing in the palm of his hand inside the domain.
Sensing a faint movement, he turned around to see Namgung Yeon. She had regained consciousness and was now staring blankly at Namgung Jin-cheon’s corpse.
"Aunt."
"Ah, ahh…"
Tears began to fall from Namgung Yeon’s eyes.
Seo-jun released her pressure points. She stared at Namgung Jin-cheon’s body with hollow eyes, then, without a moment's hesitation, tried to plunge her own sword into her throat.
"You mustn't."
The sword, stopped a hair's breadth from her neck, refused to budge. Seo-jun, having caught her blade with the Sword Control Art, looked down at her.
"If you die, what does my father-in-law’s death amount to?"
"Because of me… my brother died."
"He died to save you, Aunt."
Even if Namgung Jin-cheon had long desired death, the reason he met it only now was solely to save Namgung Yeon. He did not simply commit suicide.
"If you die here, what does his death mean? It isn't about taking four Transcendent Realm experts down with him; his death has meaning because he saved his family."
Namgung Yeon bit her lip and hung her head. Seo-jun’s own mind was too cluttered to offer her any further comfort.
Seo-jun looked at her for a moment before expanding his Qi Sensing.
There were no presences approaching. Neither from the Black Lotus Union nor from the Murim Alliance. The aftermath of the earth-shattering battle between Namgung Jin-cheon and Je Cheon-hyeok must have rippled throughout the entire Central Plains, yet not a single person was rushing to the scene.
'Useless bastards.'
Seo-jun furrowed his brow and gently lifted Namgung Yeon using Void Object Grasping.
He carefully tucked his mother-in-law’s broken sword, which had been buried in the desert sands, into his robes. Then, with both hands, he supported his father-in-law, who still stood tall and firm as if he were alive.
'Father-in-law…'
Seo-jun looked up.
He saw flowers blooming in the barren desert and a clear, blue sky above. It was a miracle wrought by Namgung Jin-cheon’s Life Sword.
He had left one final lesson for his son-in-law before departing this world.
After gazing at the scenery for a long moment, Seo-jun turned his back. The flowers blooming amidst the sand swayed gently in the wind.
*
The Greatest Under Heaven had died.
Lamentations echoed endlessly throughout the Namgung Clan. Even the usually talkative Pae Jin-gwang remained dead silent, and Namgung Su-ah wailed until she collapsed from exhaustion into a fitful sleep.
"Brother…"
Namgung Myeong, his eyes rimmed with red, sought out Seo-jun. He stared blankly into space as if he had lost his very soul, then bowed deeply.
"Please take over as the temporary Family Head, Brother… I am not yet ready…"
"No."
Seo-jun, who had been tending to Namgung Su-ah, stood up. Chun-bong looked at him with worry in her eyes.
"The one your father entrusted the clan to is you, Myeong."
"But…"
"Don't feel pressured." Seo-jun patted Namgung Myeong’s shoulder, his expression grim. "Just do as your heart leads. I will handle the consequences."
The Namgung Clan possessed formidable power in its own right, but the true pillar of Namgung had always been Namgung Jin-cheon.
Now, he was gone. The clan would inevitably be shaken.
Seo-jun had no intention of letting that happen.
"Nothing changes. I will fulfill your father’s role until you have grown strong enough to carry it yourself."
Seo-jun left the room. Namgung Myeong and Chun-bong followed closely behind.
Seo-jun’s tone was soft, but those around him couldn't relax. A heart-constricting chill now constantly lingered around him.
Only Chun-bong treated him without hesitation.
"Oppa, you’re really okay, right?"
"I’m fine."
Giving her a faint smile, Seo-jun glanced back at Namgung Su-ah’s room.
Originally, the broken sword was meant to be buried alongside Namgung Jin-cheon, but the blade refused to leave Namgung Su-ah’s side. Guessing that this was Namgung Jin-cheon’s lingering will, Namgung Su-ah became the sword’s next owner.
The image of Namgung Su-ah weeping as if her entire world had ended remained vivid in his mind. Seo-jun furrowed his brow.
"There’s still some time until the funeral, right?"
"Yeah. It’ll take at least a few weeks to fully prepare."
That was plenty of time.
The Black Lotus Union would fall, and the Murim Alliance would be forced to provide a justification for their sheer incompetence.
'If they spout nothing but nonsense, I will erase them myself.'
Seo-jun began to walk.
His destination: the Murim Alliance.