Chapter 469
Chapter 469
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 469
Chapter Title: Saba Heaven (1)
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Saba Heaven Dimension.
This was a world dominated by mystics who cultivated Chakra, manipulating specific concepts and phenomena through their inner microcosms.
Training the microcosm, the foundation of Chakra, began with properly constructing one's mental image.
Naturally, mental power took precedence over all other abilities, granting them exceptionally strong resistance to psychic powers.
"Kyaaah—! Grrraaah!"
"Urk...! What... is this...! Uweeeek!"
"N-No... Ah, Father... I was wrong..."
But as with all things in the world,
there was a limit to everything.
A woman bounced out of the shadows like discarded trash, clutching her head and rolling on the floor.
The giant wielding a massive greatsword, fused with it as if ready to cleave anything apart, dropped his weapon and retched.
A young man with strange patterns glowing in his eyes slumped to the ground, waving his hands at empty air as if seeing illusions.
Resistance merely provided substantial defense—it didn't mean absolute immunity.
On the contrary, mental attacks far exceeding that threshold were even more lethal to them.
For Chakra practitioners who based their mysteries on mental images, corrupting that image was tantamount to a death sentence.
"...Not bad, huh? As expected, no ordinary fools."
Amid the group writhing on the floor, neutralized in an instant,
Hoon, standing at their center and slowly scanning the surroundings, narrowed his eyes with interest.
Unlike usual, he'd spread his psychic waves over a wide area, reducing output, but the density of malevolent intent within was far from low.
Yet here they were, still clinging to their egos without turning into complete idiots amid these horrific psychic waves.
'They haven't quite reached the pinnacle... but they're right on the verge. And all gathered in one place?'
From what he'd overheard earlier, they weren't openly banded together—they'd been hiding from prying eyes.
Hoon glanced at the unconscious group and headed toward Ramu, surveying his surroundings as he walked.
'Underground hideout.'
The lair reeked of gloom.
There were signs they'd tried for some comfort, but it was hardly a decent dwelling no matter how you looked at it.
In this world's hierarchy, if the transcendent were untouchable peaks above the clouds, those at the pinnacle were the top dogs among humans.
They were a step below that—not someone who'd settle for this treatment.
'Whatever their circumstances, doesn't matter. First, link up with Ramu. Deal with the rest later.'
Fortunately, retrieving her was straightforward.
She looked like a young girl outwardly, and since she'd been unconscious upon arrival, they'd tucked her away in the underground prison below, lying peacefully.
One issue cropped up in the process, though...
"Kuh, you bastards! Do you know who I am? Aren't you afraid of retribution from my clan?!"
Ramu wasn't the only one imprisoned.
Hoon gave a strange look to the early-teen blond boy yelling noisily from the cell opposite hers.
His face betrayed fear, yet he tried to hide it, and his luxurious clothes screamed high status.
'No, putting it together, he was probably their real target from the start.'
The kidnapping of a prestigious family's heir.
A perfectly shady plot for these scumbags.
As he pried open the cell door to collect Ramu, the boy spoke up in a slightly hoarse, surprised voice from across the way.
"...Who are you? You don't seem to be with them..."
The unidentified man had appeared right after the guards, who ignored his threats, collapsed foaming at the mouth.
Now casually entering the cell and hoisting the girl who'd just arrived—it was natural to be shocked.
'Hmm, what to do.'
The thought crossed his mind briefly, but the answer was clear.
Everyone in the hideout was already neutralized.
They hadn't gone full vegetable, but with corrupted mental images, normal thinking was doubtful.
'They might even starve to death.'
In this situation, could he really finish his business and ditch the imprisoned kid?
No matter what he chose, he was already entangled in something big.
Clank—
He opened the blond boy's cell door while carrying Ramu. The boy blinked wide-eyed for a moment before rushing out, clasping his hands in thanks.
"My gratitude. I am Yun Sohoe of the Sacred Heaven Yun Clan. This debt will be repaid the moment I return home."
"I'm Hoon. My goal was rescuing this girl, so no need to overthank me."
"Motive aside, a favor is a favor. As a scion of the Yun Clan, I can't ignore it."
"...Fine, whatever. If you're offering, I won't refuse."
Hoon shrugged at the archaic speech, uncharacteristic for a kid his age.
Every word dripped with clan pride—he was clearly from an elite house.
With Yun Sohoe trailing behind Hoon, who carried Ramu,
they ascended from underground.
Upon reaching the spot where the first dozen lay sprawled unconscious, the quietly following boy scanned the scene and clicked his tongue.
"...Impressive. These were upper-echelon experts our clan's warriors couldn't handle. And you took them all solo?"
It wasn't just subduing them.
Having trained in Chakra since childhood, Yun Sohoe sensed their internal flows were badly disrupted.
If this was the visible damage, recovery would hit their cultivation hard.
He couldn't even guess the method.
'A deep-layer practitioner who's opened the inner gates? Doesn't look it... No, can't assume. Judging a superior's realm is folly.'
Swallowing hard, Yun Sohoe glanced at the man ahead.
Witnessing the carnage firsthand made him seem even more formidable.
"Ahem, if it's not rude, may I ask which path of truth you pursue? Ah, as you might guess, I chase the ultimate thunder. Still only at the lower layers, though..."
After hesitating, he cleared his throat and broached carefully.
For ascetics seeking microcosm perfection through knowledge, one's path was crucial.
Of course, to Hoon, who'd never touched Chakra, it was a tricky question.
'No need to answer.'
Suddenly struck by a doubt in Yun Sohoe's words, Hoon turned slightly, tilting his head.
"Hold on, what do you mean 'as I might guess'?"
"Huh? Didn't I introduce myself? Scion of the Sacred Heaven Yun Clan."
"Ah."
"Hm?"
"Nothing, nothing. My bad. Right, you did. Haha!"
Sensing something from the words, Hoon brushed it off with a laugh and turned forward.
Striding ahead, he smacked his lips.
'Looks like I need to learn about Saba Heaven.'
With hundreds of otherworlds cataloged, memorizing details was impossible.
He could always search online if needed, and the World Returner Association's database offered overviews and major news—plenty helpful.
'Now's the time. Info's key to blending in seamlessly.'
He'd return to Earth once Ramu woke anyway, so being outed as an otherworlder wasn't fatal, but spilling to a stranger wasn't wise.
"Ahem, so... still no answer."
"Oh, that?"
Hoon shrugged at Yun Sohoe, still prying cautiously.
They'd reached the door to the surface.
He flung it open casually.
"Curious? Check it out yourself."
The door swung wide.
Bright indoor light replaced the dim underground hall,
along with a group guarding the entrance.
"Already out? Do you need someth— Huh?"
"Who the hell are you?! How'd you get out?!"
"Wait! That's Yun Sohoe! What the—?!"
Paper screens and wooden floors.
Western-looking men scrambled up amid the Eastern-style interior.
Cards and bottles scattered from the table, but no one cared.
Letting the boy escape here meant death for everyone present.
Whether by Yun Clan revenge or higher-ups silencing them.
"Grab him qu— Gahk!"
"A-Aaaah—!"
"Kik, krkik."
Of course, if the underground elites couldn't handle Hoon, these lesser guards stood no chance.
"Hm, these guys are small fry."
After a psychic wave swept through,
Hoon muttered softly, stepping past the men wriggling like bugs.
'Ah, a barrier. Blocks underground completely from here. More thorough than I thought.'
He nodded, scanning slowly.
That explained elites below and scrubs above.
If tracked, kidnappers were obvious targets.
"Wh-What the hell..."
Then, a bewildered groan escaped Yun Sohoe, who'd watched the scene end in seconds.
No wonder.
Most here were lower-layer, but trained Chakra users nonetheless.
All floored before they could blink—shocking.
"D-Demonic Path practitioner?"
"Huh?"
His reaction suggested shock at something else than Hoon expected.
As Hoon tilted his head and stepped closer,
"H-Hiiik!"
"Huh?"
The boy recoiled in obvious terror.
Hoon grasped it quickly.
'That reaction feels awfully familiar.'
He must've sensed something in the widespread psychic waves.
Like a power Demonic Path users here might wield.
'Tricky. Didn't see this coming.'
Stroking his chin lightly while carrying Ramu, Hoon sighed softly.
In this world, anything 'understood' could be opened as Chakra.
From elements like fire or lightning, to objects like swords or leather, even abstract concepts like fate or time.
Harder to grasp meant slower progress, so most stuck to simple ones.
But anything could be a target.
Some lunatics delved into extreme negatives.
Like 'death' or 'madness'.
Chakra users called such heretics Demonic Path practitioners.
"H-How is a Demonic Path practitioner... here..."
Proper mental images required deep knowledge of the target.
For fire, plunge into flames; for sword, forge or get stabbed.
But for 'death'?
How do you comprehend it?
And could one's mind stay sane, filled with death?
Yun Sohoe's reaction was the answer.
"H-Huh... What was that just now... A deep-layer Demonic Path? N-No way you've reached the heavenly pinnacle? No, impossible. But..."
The terrified blond boy babbled, face crumpled.
Cultivators were hypersensitive to psychic waves.
Even residual traces from waves he'd avoided sent the boy into panic.
"Hm, looks like a misunderstanding."
Hoon couldn't stay silent as things escalated.
Sending him off like this spelled future trouble, but killing a kid to silence him over this? No.
He sighed and began explaining.
That instant.
Rumble—!
Boom!!
A massive lightning storm erupted with deafening roars,
Roooar—!
blasting the ceiling off their building.
"Sohoe!!"
Beyond the crackling lightning.
A sharp woman's voice rang from the exposed sky.
"Big Sis!"
"Sohoe!"
A hawk-like woman swooped in, embracing the boy.
...If only it'd ended there.
Her keen eyes soon locked on Hoon,
brimming with clear killing intent.
No words from Yun Sohoe needed—she'd sensed the psychic aftermath here.
'Pinnacle level. High tier too. Deep-layer by local standards?'
To hit that caliber with "Telepathy" needed serious prep time.
Chakra mental barriers might make it even tougher than expected.
"This is a mess."
Hoon sighed deeply.
Ramu showed no signs of waking.
Couldn't slip away like usual.
"Damn, just my luck."
Things had seemed too smooth.