Chapter 306
Chapter 306
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 306
Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm
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Heavenly Realm
The White Lotus Cult Leader's words came out of nowhere and encompassed a concept too vast to fathom.
To settle things with the gods!
No matter how much the Cult Leader's martial arts had transcended those of a mortal immortal, could he truly stand on equal footing with the colossal existence known as a god? An ordinary person might brush it off due to ignorance of the gulf between immortals and gods, but I knew from my countless past lives that the difference was as immense as heaven and earth. Sure enough, the Vermilion Bird responded.
"What kind of settlement do you seek? Speak your true intentions."
[It's nothing major. I simply wish to borrow his power to obtain the Dharma texts of Musang Nomo scattered across the world.]
The Vermilion Bird fell silent for a moment at the Cult Leader's reply. Then he spoke.
"So that was your true aim."
[I've conveyed my intent. Now I need your answer.]
The Vermilion Bird replied with a weary tone.
"Even that is far too arrogant. Do you truly believe the god we serve would deign to accept such a proposal?"
With his faceless mask, there was no telling what expression the White Lotus Cult Leader wore. After a pause, he emanated a dark aura as he spoke.
[That's precisely why I've come here—to demonstrate my power to your god.]
"What?"
The White Lotus Cult Leader pointed a finger toward the sky.
[Don't play dumb. Do you think I wouldn't notice you stalling to summon your apostle? I've come here to defeat him.]
"......!!"
[No matter how mighty a god may be, he'll have to hear me out once his apostle falls.]
The Vermilion Bird flinched in evident shock. This was partly because the Cult Leader's power was intensifying, unleashing pressure that blanketed the chamber. Even if the Vermilion Bird's strength had grown, he couldn't handle the Cult Leader alone once he began exerting his full might. At last, the Vermilion Bird removed his bamboo hat.
Swoosh...
Beneath it was the exact face of the Vermilion Bird Je Gal Yu-ryong I'd seen earlier, confirming anew the Je Gal clan's claim that he had been resurrected using a spare body. Je Gal Yu-ryong stared at the Cult Leader with sunken eyes before speaking.
"You intend to obtain the Dharma texts and enact their teachings? Your strength must stem from interpreting them. That ominous Dharma no one can withstand..."
[They are but fragments of the Absolute One. In the grand scheme, it amounts to the same.]
"......"
[I considered accepting the Emperor's proposal just now but hesitated. That puppet of a mortal offered no guarantee of delivering what I desire. Dealing directly with you, a divine priest, is far more promising.]
Rumble...
The sky seemed to drown in vast crimson flames. Menacing energy gathered at its center, exuding a ferocious aura. Everyone present recognized the signs: the god's apostle was about to descend.
Frustrated, Vermilion Bird Je Gal Yu-ryong spoke.
"You could have simply taken half the world as the Emperor proposed and lived in peace... To negotiate with a god! Such arrogance."
Though the Vermilion Bird sighed in lament, the White Lotus Cult Leader chuckled in response.
[I may be arrogant, but I'm not as insidious as you. Just look at him, isn't that proof enough?]
"What do you mean?"
[The Emperor here is real enough, but the one left in the palace was a fake. Even if disaster struck, only the false body would be lost.]
"......"
[Now, the moment has arrived.]
The White Lotus Cult Leader slowly extended his hand forward. Sensing this, the Vermilion Bird's eyes widened.
"No!"
Boom boom boom
In the next instant, the Vermilion Bird's body exploded violently, sending him flying backward. He writhed on the ground amid a pool of blood, gravely wounded. But the true victim of the Cult Leader's strike wasn't the Vermilion Bird—it was the Emperor.
The Emperor shattered into chunks of flesh. Stunned, I stared at the Cult Leader.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't kill him?"
[He was mere bait to draw the Vermilion Bird here.]
The White Lotus Cult Leader replied nonchalantly and extended his hand again.
Flash
At that moment, the Vermilion Bird's body vanished. It looked as if he'd dodged the Cult Leader's attack.
[Pity.]
Seeing this, I realized the Cult Leader's scheme.
He had roughly guessed the Vermilion Bird could resurrect. Even so, instant repeated resurrections would be taxing, so he'd used the Emperor's life as leverage to force the Vermilion Bird's appearance. And now, with a major blow dealt, the Vermilion Bird wouldn't be causing trouble anytime soon.
Having swiftly eliminated the imperial forces, the White Lotus Cult Leader turned his gaze toward Miho and me. He slowly transmitted telepathic intent via his Six Harmonies True Energy.
[You must have guessed it, but the apostle will descend here soon. I want you to fight alongside me against it.]
"What do you mean?"
[Even I was uncertain of defeating the apostle alone. But with two of those immense Seven Luminaries powers, we can manage. Aid me.]
"......"
Only then did I understand the shifts in the White Lotus Cult Leader's mindset. He'd initially considered submitting to the Emperor, but circumstances changed, leading him to observe the Seven Luminaries' power. Convinced it could fell a divine apostle, he'd swept away the Emperor's group.
Miho, standing beside me, responded coldly.
"Why should I? My goal is achieved; I have no further business here."
[I know you're an emissary of the Heavenly Realm. Shouldn't you check if this falls under Heaven's karma?]
"Hmm..."
Miho appeared thoughtful.
It was right then.
Sssss...
"Urk."
I suddenly felt Yeo Dong-bin's power surging through the spirit link. This was unmistakably her attempting to descend upon me, leaving me flustered. She hadn't shown so much as a glimpse earlier—why now?
'Yeo Dong-bin, what's going on?'
She answered my question.
[Reincarnator. You'll need my power to fight the apostle. Entrust your body to me.]
'What... Has the Heavenly Realm decided to battle the apostle?'
[If the apostle claims the Law of Causality and descends to this land, calamity will follow. If victory is possible, it is right to subdue it.]
Yeo Dong-bin's words rang true. If she fought using my body, she'd wield unprecedented might. Yet I'd died because of her before, so I hesitated to yield my body easily. Perhaps all my near-death struggles to hone my martial arts were to avoid relying on her so readily.
What would Mang-ryang have chosen here?
After agonizing, I looked at Miho.
"Miho, I have something to say."
"What is it?"
"If you accept this black obsidian, I'll follow whatever choice you make here. I swear on my name."
I pulled the black obsidian containing my memories from my throat armor and offered it to her. Normally, Miho would ignore it, but the situation was critical for her. My decision could greatly disadvantage or benefit her. Her sharp mind grasped this instantly as she glared at me.
"You're playing tricks."
"Trust me. What curse could affect you, under the Heavenly Realm's direct protection?"
Miho was now the Heavenly Realm's emissary. Blessed by great immortals and celestial gods, she could ignore most worldly curses.
"First, tell me what that black obsidian is."
"It's an item that stores and transmits memories. Mine are inside."
Miho looked baffled.
"You're going to show me your memories? What meaning does that hold now?"
"You'll know once you take it. The choice is yours."
I urged her urgently.
"It won't harm you, I swear."
The White Lotus Cult Leader watched with keen interest. I felt the sky growing ever redder, demonic energy intensifying. With no time for more talk, anxiety gnawed at me. Miho knew it too; her face hardened.
She glared fiercely before speaking.
"Fine! If you're deceiving me, I won't let it slide."
She accepted!
"Here."
I sighed in relief and handed her the black obsidian. Miho took it, and soon my memories began flowing into her. She stood dazed for a while, then trembled.
"You... No way... that..."
She couldn't hide her confusion. I met her gaze.
"You've met me many times. This life just got tangled up."
"Impossible... such..."
Miho muttered, then composed herself.
"Even if these memories are real, I can't trust you."
"Fair enough. But at least know I have reason to help you."
"......"
Miho pondered. After standing silently, she glanced at the Cult Leader.
"I'll go along with your proposal."
[Wise choice.]
She sighed.
"Haa, with the subjugation order from the Heavenly Realm, I must do my utmost."
Miho had decided. Then I had no reason to hold back this life either. Win or lose, this battle promised great gains. I nodded and told the Cult Leader.
"I'll fight too."
The White Lotus Cult Leader replied approvingly.
[Good... Then I'll summon the Dharma Protectors.]
"The other two are far away; it won't be easy to bring them now..."
[Worry not.]
The White Lotus Cult Leader clasped his hands. Strange patterns emerged on their backs, glowing brightly. As he focused his energy, the light blazed like the sun.
Flash!
"......!!"
In the next instant, Dharma Protectors Yong Bi-cheon and Duggo Jun appeared before us. They immediately prostrated to the Cult Leader, as if it were the most natural thing. Amazed, I stared as the Cult Leader explained.
[No need for surprise. This is the White Lotus Cult Leader's prerogative. He can summon the Dharma Protectors at will.]
Stating it casually, he looked skyward.
[It's about to descend.]
"Can we win?"
[Heh.]
His chuckle made me realize it was a foolish question.
With the Emperor, Vermilion Bird, and even the alchemist crushed, the only path was to fell the apostle per the Cult Leader's plan and confront the god. He'd burned all bridges, leaving no choice but to fight.
Rumble!!
The sky filled with blood-red clouds, dyeing heaven and earth crimson. Crimson lightning struck everywhere, sending eerie vibrations through the air. The dense demonic power made breathing labored, far beyond anything before.
I gripped Su-yo Mang-ya tightly. Yeo Dong-bin kept calling from within.
[Reincarnator! Yield your body to me!!]
"......"
[Your power alone is insufficient!!]
Irritated, I snapped.
'Quiet down! There's something only I can do.'
'What...'
Even as I argued with Yeo Dong-bin, the apostle's descent continued.
Rumble...
Darkness manifested.
From the heart of the blood-red clouds, a colossal being slowly coalesced. Mountain-like in size, covered in silver fur, with nine tails—it exuded pressure filling the plain simply by existing. It was a fox.
I'd seen this being before.
Gritting my teeth, I muttered.
"Dal-gi."
The god's apostle and a Demon King-class entity!
It had appeared again. But two differences from before.
First, Dal-gi's form was visible, not a bubble of haze. Given its immense yokai power barred lesser beings from beholding it, this was odd.
Second, ten small figures floated around Dal-gi. Small relative to it, yet human-sized each. They were likely powerful in their own right.
Dal-gi, upon manifesting, glanced at the White Lotus Cult Leader, then fixed on Miho with a viscous grin.
[Heh heh... So my tail was here.]
Tail?
Dal-gi's odd words paled Miho's face drastically. She seemed to lose her will to fight. Alarmed, I checked on her.
"Miho! You okay?"
"...Urk... That thing... Ahh..."
Miho collapsed to her knees. Sweat poured from her; something was gravely wrong. Fearing Dal-gi's attack, I tensed—but oddly, Dal-gi merely stared. Then I realized.
'Dal-gi is suppressing Miho's soul!'
Once subdued, it would devour her soul.
Unbelievable. Even as a god's apostle, to devour the Seven Luminaries' master outright?
Then the White Lotus Cult Leader addressed Dal-gi.
[Apostle of the gods, I am the White Lotus Cult Leader.]
Dal-gi's gaze flicked to him. The Cult Leader continued.
[Apologies, but you must die.]
[Heh, madman!]
Dal-gi sneered and nodded.
[Go, Golden Turtle Ten Heavenly Lords.]
The ten figures near its massive body floated toward us.
[Fight.]
"By your command!"
The White Lotus Cult Leader and three Dharma Protectors prepared to engage. With the situation escalating, I knew delay was fatal.
'Damn, no choice!'
I'd wanted to save it for a crucial moment, but losing initiative meant no future. Dal-gi alone was monstrous; these minions seemed formidable too. We might exhaust ourselves before reaching it. Plus, Miho's state was poor.
Bitterly, I recalled the memory, slowly forming hand seals. Channeling Su-yo's spirit power into the incantation, I intoned lowly.
"Starfall of ruin's hour! I borrow thy authority. I revere the millennium to come!"
Crackle
That instant.
Activating the ominous god's incantation from the Seer ballooned my power to near Su-yo's maximum. Less the spell's effect, more like someone eagerly lending strength. Vast stellar power flooded me.
Soon, void darkness unfurled in the air, seizing the Golden Turtle Ten Heavenly Lords in dark tentacles. They panicked, but were dragged into the void. The tentacles multiplied dozens, hundreds-fold.
Primordial Night wove through the sky.
Writhing tendrils reached for Dal-gi. It thrashed to evade, then spewed massive flames.
Boom boom boom
The tentacles withered in its flames, but the transparent barrier around Dal-gi seemed stripped away. As the Seer said, the tendrils dispelled its protective spell.
Reeling from damage, Dal-gi cried out in horror.
[An ominous god's incantation! And its descendants' exclusive authority... Are you the ominous god's progeny?!]
I wanted more, but the Seer granted one use only. Mortals could invoke it once. Regretfully, I retorted.
"The only certainty is this is your grave!"
Miho stirred, regaining composure. Confirming her recovery, I messaged Yeo Dong-bin.
'Yeo Dong-bin, can you summon the Eight Immortals?'
[Of course. With Su-yo's power, it's feasible.]
'Then let's go.'
Crackle
Yeo Dong-bin descended upon me. She spoke as if to herself.
[Better than my treasured Fire Dragon Divine Sword, this Mang-ya. Inevitable, I suppose...]
She raised Su-yo Mang-ya high.
[Seven Luminaries! Lend me your power.]
Divine smoke rose, and the Eight Immortals of China I'd seen in the great deluge manifested one by one, radiant and ethereal. Unlike mere blessings, each brimmed with independent might.
Spotting them, Dal-gi bellowed.
[Impossible!]
Dal-gi invoked power; the Golden Turtle Ten Heavenly Lords, dragged by the ominous incantation earlier, burst back into this space.
The Eight Immortals addressed Yeo Dong-bin upon seeing them.
[Golden Turtle's Ten Heavenly Lords! They'll drain us before we reach Dal-gi.]
[Sword Immortal Yeo Dong-bin! We'll handle these heretics of the Absolute Cult!]
[Realize justice on this land!]
The Eight Immortals soared with their treasures, clashing against the Ten Heavenly Lords.
Boom boom boom
The sky blazed instantly. The ground quaked under vast pressure as the Ten Heavenly Lords' Absolute Cult sorceries collided spectacularly with the Immortals' Taoist spells. Amid the fray, Miho, the White Lotus Cult Leader, Yeo Dong-bin, and the three Dharma Protectors charged straight at Dal-gi.
The White Lotus Cult Leader shouted.
[Hah!]
A simple kiai.
Boom boom boom
Yet at its outburst, Dal-gi's body reeled as if struck hard, flying back two mountains' distance. Staggering in panic, it ground its teeth.
[If my barrier held, scum like you...]
The White Lotus Cult Leader retorted.
[Underestimate the Primordial Spirit Realm at your peril.]
In that instant, the Cult Leader vanished from sight. Even Sword Immortal Yeo Dong-bin, deemed fastest among the Eight, briefly lost track. Accelerating to beyond living limits, he soon summoned the Taiji.
The Taiji grew enormous near Dal-gi. From its distortion, he thrust one hand, manifesting a colossal palm. Before Dal-gi could react, the Cult Leader struck.
Boom
Like Thousand-Armed Guanyin. At extreme speed blurring even Yeo Dong-bin's senses, each move carried mountain-shattering force. The aurora trailing him evoked light subduing a heavenly demon.
Sword Immortal Yeo Dong-bin marveled beside.
[How can a human reach such heights...]
Within the warped Taiji, only the Cult Leader moved freely.
More terrifying: his speed birthed hundreds of afterimages, multiplying power hundredfold. One palm strike became hundreds brushing past; light wheels occasionally manifested, gnawing Dal-gi's form.
[Die!]
Soon, Dal-gi exhaled fiery breath at the onslaught. That flame had incinerated nations in antiquity, repelled the ominous incantation earlier, even nullified Yeo Dong-bin's Fire Dragon Summon in past records.
Whiiiing
[I am master of the five elements!]
The White Lotus Cult Leader clasped hands, radiating light from his body. The Taiji returned to him, forming five elements' shapes. Vast cold and frost surged, extinguishing Dal-gi's flames without a scratch. Dal-gi panicked.
[What?!]
[Water overcomes fire. Did you not know?]
Casually retorting, he pressed the air. Five elemental shapes formed behind, birthing five attribute light wheels. His attacks resumed at inhuman speed.
Boom
Dal-gi lashed tails at me sporadically amid the beating; Yeo Dong-bin deflected them. Attacks I'd never survive—yielding my body was right.
"Cult Leader!"
"We'll help."
Boom boom boom
The three Dharma Protectors joined, unleashing ultimate techniques with Infinite Internal Energy from Heavenly Spirit Pills. The White Lotus Cult Leader and Dharma Protectors ganging up was unprecedented in the martial world. Dal-gi flinched, curling under the storm of qi.
I marveled inwardly.
'Unreal durability...'
Even the Cult Leader and Protectors hammering its barrierless body barely wounded it gravely. Tears and shocks here and there, but no critical damage.
Yeo Dong-bin addressed Miho nearby.
[Miho, activate Wol-yo.]
[...What is that? Why did that Dal-gi call to me...]
Miho seemed dazed. The near-mental domination had shaken her. Yeo Dong-bin explained.
[Thousands of years ago, in antiquity, you were one of Demon King Dal-gi's nine tails. When Queen Mother of the West subdued its rampage, she severed them, purifying one in the Heavenly Realm for centuries. Thus reborn as the Heavenly Realm's fox—you, Miho.]
[......!!]
[But now, with Wol-yo's power granting ego, you're independent. Self-existent—fear not.]
Miho stared blankly, shocked. Then she rallied.
[Right! Let's kill it!]
Kiiiiing
Wol-yo and Su-yo resonated. Dal-gi, pressed by Cult Leader and Protectors, sensed it and tried fleeing. But the Cult Leader anticipated.
[Sage Kalpa.]
Time slowed drastically. Unexplainable, yet it did. Beyond mental clarity's time dilation—world halted, brain compressing. Beyond even intent-severing arts, despite being the Cult Leader's technique.
[In this space, I rule via Primordial Spirit.]
Boom boom boom
In extremal time, his hands moved like a compassionate Buddha's. Suppressing Three Talents' directions, he casually slapped Dal-gi's face. As it tried spewing fire, he struck its jaw faster; soon a massive fist nailed its body like a wedge. Thousands of ultimate strikes pinned it immobile in moments.
Asura-like momentum!
I grasped the technique's essence in horror. Force surrounding space into extreme mental clarity, accelerating self limitlessly while rendering foe weaker, slower beyond that!
'How do you beat something like this with martial arts?!'
I reeled.
Not intent-severing! Even those had limits; the Cult Leader's arts transcended martial norms. Even weakened by ominous incantation, unilaterally thrashing Demon King Dal-gi was unbelievable. Martial arts held a stage beyond intent-severing.
[......]
Yeo Dong-bin hesitated on Seven Luminaries resonance, sharing doubts on controlling the Cult Leader post-Dal-gi. But deeming extermination priority, she drew Su-yo's power.
[Take this!]
At her cry, Cult Leader and Protectors withdrew. Dal-gi, battered rigid, couldn't move.
Dal-gi wailed its death throes.
[You bastards! When I resurrect, I won't—]
Flash engulfed.
As when sweeping thousands of demons, dual Seven Luminaries resonance swept forward. Dal-gi howled, dissolving in the blaze. Terrain warped; barren earth smoked.
Rustle...
Yeo Dong-bin glanced at the Cult Leader.
[Why not ascend to immortality? You could claim great immortal rank instantly.]
Recognizing Sword Immortal Yeo Dong-bin in my body, the Cult Leader chuckled.
[I haven't reached the supreme realm yet.]
Yeo Dong-bin startled.
[Have you met the Martial God too? Did it appear to you?]
[Heh... Indeed. I see it as a blessing.]
Yeo Dong-bin fell silent, eyeing the rear battle.
[The Ten Heavenly Lords are vanishing.]
Indeed.
The Golden Turtle Ten Heavenly Lords, locked in fierce spell duel with Eight Immortals, began fading. With summoner Dal-gi gone, they returned.
The grand battle ended.
Awestruck by the feat, I was speechless. Seven Luminaries masters and White Lotus Cult Leader had felled Dal-gi—without Xiang Yu-like transcendent aid. Astonishing.
The Cult Leader's prowess left no doubt. He was foremost through ages.