Chapter 255: Is There Really Nothing But Qi?
Yeop Hyeon didn't yet fully understand the Gyeok Ok Tower, but he had grasped one key insight. Originally, the tower had held nine Dochik, but one day, some entity had dealt it a severe blow, scattering the Dochik across the world.
In other words, those nine Dochik had come from the Gyeok Ok Tower to begin with.
If he hadn't carried the Gyeok Ok Tower within him, Yeop Hyeon might have ended up sealed by a Dochik for an eternity, just like that man.
But with the tower inside him, absorbing the Dochik was no different from them returning to their rightful place.
There was no issue for Yeop Hyeon in taking them in.
Suddenly struck by a thought, Yeop Hyeon hurriedly entered the Gyeok Ok Tower. At that moment, the tower's second floor began to tremble violently.
The first Dochik had been the key and seal to the first floor. This meant that with the second Dochik he'd just acquired, the second floor could now stabilize, allowing the entity trapped there to emerge.
Yeop Hyeon cleared his throat, his mouth suddenly parched.
The entity on this floor wasn't inherently evil, but it wasn't exactly trustworthy either. If it left the tower and went on its way, fine—but if it decided to stick around and try to seize the tower, that could spell trouble.
For now, the second floor felt utterly still, devoid of any presence or sound.
This silence only heightened Yeop Hyeon's tension.
Right then, he sensed the second Dochik moving. It had entered the tower, but instead of heading to the second floor, it went straight to the third.
Yeop Hyeon froze in shock. He'd assumed it was for this floor, but it had lodged itself on the third instead.
Was the Dochik I just found not for this floor after all?
At that instant, the entity on the second floor flew into a rage upon realizing the Dochik it had expected for its release had gone to the third. It had to be furious at being denied its freedom.
Desperate to calm it, Yeop Hyeon called out.
"Don't get mad! I'll find this floor's Dochik quick and set you free! How's that?"
But the entity ignored him, rampaging even harder.
And Yeop Hyeon suffered for it.
The Gyeok Ok Tower was linked to his mind and spirit. Any shock to the tower reverberated through him. The entity didn't care, thrashing wildly regardless.
The tower's convulsions finally subsided after about half a shichen—roughly an hour.
Yeop Hyeon could understand its pain. He didn't know exactly how many years it had been trapped, but it had surely longed for release. It must have thought its chance had come, only for the Dochik to belong to the third floor instead.
From its perspective, the fury made perfect sense.
Just then, an apparition materialized before him—the second-floor entity itself. It glared at Yeop Hyeon with eyes full of resentment. Straightening his expression, he spoke.
"I didn't do it on purpose. I get why you're pissed, but I'll work even harder from now on. How about we just keep the peace going forward? What do you say?"
The entity kept staring without reply. After a moment's thought, Yeop Hyeon tried again.
"Here's the deal: one year. I'll find the Dochik and free you within a year—this time, definitely this floor's. But in return, when I'm in a bind, you help me out as best you can. I'm doing this for you, right? If I get in over my head and die because I'm not strong enough, you lose too. Sound fair?"
To boldly demand aid in his troubles at a time like this—Yeop Hyeon was growing ever more shameless.
The entity stared at him for a long while before finally speaking.
"You... thick-skinned... bastard."
"……."
Having watched Yeop Hyeon in the tower for so long, the entity knew his character well. His brazenness was unmatched, but he always strove to keep his word.
"Ahem! When have you ever seen me make empty promises? I keep my oaths. I'll get that Dochik and free you in a year, no doubt. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. I hunt the Dochik, you step up when I'm in danger. Win-win. Got it?"
The entity studied his face again at length, then vanished without a word. This was its assent to his proposal.
Yeop Hyeon breathed a sigh of relief. Endless tantrums and conflict with the entity would have been a nightmare.
Thankfully, it had ended well. As long as they cooperated for mutual benefit, as agreed, things would be ideal.
Having persuaded the second-floor entity, Yeop Hyeon now turned his thoughts to the third floor.
With the second Dochik having unlocked it, he could now enter.
From outside, the third floor had always seemed utterly inert. Perhaps, contrary to expectations, its occupant was a docile one.
Should I check it out?
Yeop Hyeon hesitated. Entering meant risking death if he couldn't overpower whatever was inside.
But skipping it felt unbearably nagging, like leaving business undone.
After agonizing, he resolved to take a look. Ignoring it would leave that same itch.
Using the space Dochik he'd just obtained, Yeop Hyeon ascended to the third floor. It was vast and empty—nothing at all.
Glancing around, he spotted a faint strand of qi not far from him: white, about two finger-widths thick, floating serenely in the air.
That was it. Nothing else on the entire floor.
Qi? That's all there is?
Yeop Hyeon furrowed his brow.
What in the world is it?
He approached the white qi. Suddenly, it reacted violently. At the same moment, the space Dochik appeared above it, instantly quelling the thrashing.
It seemed suppressed by the space Dochik.
"Hmm... That outburst suggests you want out of this tower. I can make that happen. But you'll have to listen to me first. Understand?"
The qi showed no response.
Shrugging helplessly, Yeop Hyeon turned to leave. Even with the Dochik, he couldn't just release it willy-nilly. Trapped in the Gyeok Ok Tower, it was sure to be formidable—stronger than the second-floor entity, given its higher imprisonment. Freeing it recklessly could unleash calamity on the world.
Right then, the white qi began vibrating again.
Yeop Hyeon halted and withdrew the restraining Dochik. In a flash, the qi surged toward him like wind, slipping straight between his brows.
For an instant, his mind went blank as a white sheet.
Then, from the depths of his consciousness, scenes slowly surfaced.
A pitch-black void. Nothing visible around him.
Suddenly, an enormous explosion shattered the stillness. Everything around annihilated and reformed in cycles. After eons, a star was born in the darkness, adrift with a single strand of qi at its core.
White qi!
At that moment, a black tower appeared in the star's skies from nowhere. It imprisoned the white qi and vanished into the dark cosmos.
With that final vision, Yeop Hyeon snapped back to awareness. His heart churned like a storm.
It was the Gyeok Ok Tower—the black spire that had captured the white qi.
This white qi was Chaos Origin Qi, born alongside the universe itself.
Its life was pure tragedy. Seized by the Gyeok Ok Tower at birth, it had been sealed ever since due to the tower's grievous injury. Confined to darkness from the start, it had barely grown—like a three-year-old child.
Yeop Hyeon couldn't fathom its exact role. Once inside him, the Chaos Origin Qi roamed his body, ceaselessly at work. Soon, he felt impurities draining away, his entire being refreshed.
So invigorating! Is this the legendary bone marrow cleansing I've only heard about?
Humans were tainted from birth by food and foul qi. He'd heard tales of treasures that purged such impurities, utterly transforming one's constitution.
But such heavenly marvels were exceedingly rare—accessible only to mighty sects. Even in his past life of privilege, Yeop Hyeon had only known rumors.
Yet now, the Chaos Origin Qi was performing exactly that.
It might not boost combat power directly, but filtering impurities and refreshing the body laid a foundation for greater strength—a value beyond measure.
Jackpot!
Yeop Hyeon grinned like he'd unearthed a supreme treasure. Curiosity surged: he wanted to sense the Chaos Origin Qi directly.
The moment he reached out mentally, his face stiffened.
Suddenly, he lost all sense of his own existence. It was as if he didn't occupy space at all—no trace of his qi.
Yet he was right there.
He felt unbound by spatial limits, transcending yin-yang and the five elements.
In that instant, one figure flashed in his mind.
The Heavenly Maiden!
Present yet absent—that sensation matched exactly what he'd felt from her.