The Pendant of Infinite Wisdom

The scene orchestrated by the Monghyeon-gyeong showed the archbishop’s body exploding into fragments. At the same moment, the real archbishop’s expression twisted in shock, and she shattered in exactly the same way, unable to withstand the illusion for even an instant.

Right after, countless strands of hair surged in, piercing, slicing, and shredding the scattered corpse fragments before grinding them apart like a blender.

Then every drop of blood transformed into bright red insects that began pouring out in an explosive surge of reproduction. In another spot, the archbishop reappeared with a warped expression and activated the hourglass she carried.

Boom—!

A strange roar, as if a giant had slammed the surface of the sea, erupted. The entire surrounding scenery immediately fractured into dozens, then hundreds of separate flows. It was like countless mirrors reflecting one another and distorting reality itself.

Space-time manipulation.

The instant he realized it, Han Yujin activated his Yin-Yang True Dragon Eye and Dream Illusion Only Mind, using the Monghyeon-gyeong to seize control of the fracturing scenery around him. Without that, even taking a single step would have sent him hurtling in the wrong direction at impossible speeds or crawling at a snail’s pace.

If his response had been precise and razor-sharp, Wonhui’s was something else entirely.

She could have stayed inside his shadow and helped dismantle the hourglass’s effect, yet she deliberately broke away. Immediately afterward, every shadow in the hall rippled once, and a skin-crawling chorus of countless whispers echoed outward.

More than half of the endlessly splitting scenes were swallowed by deepening darkness and vanished. Even the blue sky pouring sunlight above them dimmed as though the sun itself had been extinguished.

That was when the archbishop’s attack arrived.

A wave of insect swarms radiating dark crimson energy surged from every direction, occupying both past and future with no room to dodge. Whatever means were used to block them, the swarm seemed determined to gnaw through and devour everything.

In response, crimson flames ignited within Han Yujin’s eyes, now dyed by the Yin-Yang True Dragon Eye. At the spot he focused on, Red Lotus True Flame erupted in a violent blaze.

Innumerable insects burned to ash the instant they approached.

The archbishop’s swarms possessed semi-incorporeal traits and boasted incredible vitality that could withstand ordinary attacks. Yet against the Red Lotus True Flame, which could incinerate even souls and minds, that vitality proved useless.

Within the ceaselessly fracturing space-time, the archbishop—who had somehow multiplied into two—prepared to attack again.

At that moment, a section of darkness suddenly expanded with explosive force and swallowed one of the archbishop’s bodies.

For a brief instant, Wonhui’s form appeared within it, her eyes pitch black like an abyss, before vanishing once more.

A tearing scream burst from the archbishop. Blood sprayed out, followed by a frantic swarm of insects writhing desperately. Yet far more strands of hair erupted, coiling around everything and dragging it all back into the darkness.

At the same instant, Han Yujin faced the archbishop who was hurling a wave of insects and a dark-crimson lightning bolt at him, and countered with Purple Heaven Divine Lightning.

CRACKLE—BOOM!

Thunder roared and light flashed. The dark-crimson lightning, infused with over a hundred curses, disintegrated instantly. The Purple Heaven Divine Lightning, its momentum undiminished, wrapped itself in the flames of Flame Heaven Incineration and streaked toward the archbishop.

She ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠frantically spewed insects and dark-crimson energy, barely managing to block the strike.

In that opening, Han Yujin finished preparing his next attack. Even within the dizzyingly fractured space-time, his Yin-Yang True Dragon Eye locked onto the archbishop with perfect accuracy.

The archbishop unleashed an enormous swarm of insects accompanied by a revolting scraping sound. They desperately tried to block the falling lightning while surging toward Han Yujin, but the lingering flames of Flame Heaven Incineration had yet to die out. The insects were simply digging their own graves.

Because she had rushed her attack, the bundle of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning—far more devastating than she had calculated—pierced through the countless insects, reducing them to ash before slamming directly into her true body.

With a scream, her form vanished without a trace. Immediately afterward, a new space-time branch formed, and the archbishop reappeared, her face deathly pale.

It resembled a resurrection through Han Yujin’s Dream Illusion Only Mind, yet the confident aura she had displayed at the beginning was nowhere to be found. The price had clearly been steep.

The fierce battle between the three Nascent Soul stage beings continued without pause.

Han Yujin’s Red Lotus True Flame and Purple Heaven Divine Lightning generated constant flashes and explosions, while on the other side Wonhui’s darkness devoured everything. Strands of hair relentlessly tore at flesh and soul alike.

Both of them were far stronger than the archbishop had anticipated.

Facing even one would have been difficult. Now caught in a pincer attack, every move she attempted was dismantled, followed by devastating counterattacks. The accumulated damage was mounting at a terrifying rate.

Finally, at one point—

She left behind an echoing shriek and attempted to flee.

Han Yujin sneered and immediately gave chase. He had taken a serious liking to that hourglass.

Thanks to the Yin-Yang True Dragon Eye, he barely lost his way even inside the fractured space-time, but that was due to his own ability, not because the archbishop’s artifact was weak. She had also split into two at one point, and without Wonhui’s help the fight would have been considerably more troublesome. The archbishop had even survived what should have been a fatal blow from Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

In short, the hourglass was at minimum a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure grade artifact. It fully deserved to be called a Regalia or Relic.

A brief but intense chase unfolded.

The archbishop’s movement speed was by no means slow. She leaped from shadow to shadow, ignoring obstacles by transforming into a swarm of insects and passing straight through them. Sometimes she scattered in multiple directions, trying to confuse her pursuers like clones.

The hourglass’s effect was still active, so any ordinary Nascent Soul investigator would have quickly lost track of her amid the endlessly splitting space-time.

Unfortunately for her, her pursuer was Han Yujin.

The speed of the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art was terrifying, and passing through obstacles was incomparably easy. Illusions created by clones and spatial fractures had no effect on someone possessing the Yin-Yang True Dragon Eye.

And Wonhui was there as well.

The moment the archbishop tried to leap through the darkness again, Wonhui burst out ahead of her, spreading terrifying darkness and cold.

The archbishop was forced to halt as a deluge of hair that seemed ready to blanket the entire world descended upon her.

When Han Yujin’s World-Ending Grand Hand arrived on top of that, not even a demon follower with such powerful vitality could survive.

She cried out telepathically in desperation, but the only reply was another attack.

There was no reason to accept the surrender of a disgusting swarm of insects.

Careful not to destroy the hourglass, Han Yujin continued swinging his World-Ending Grand Hand while attempting to read her memories with the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art. At the same time, he burned away the incoming waves of insects with Flame Heaven Incineration.

In that same moment, strands of hair erupted from beneath the archbishop’s feet, savagely tearing her from legs to head. The darkness roared as it chewed and swallowed the remains.

It did not take long for the archbishop’s screams to fade and for every last insect to scatter into ash.

When the hourglass finally stopped working and the wildly distorted space-time regained its normal flow, the entire area had become a wasteland.

The building once called a sanctuary had collapsed so thoroughly that only traces of its foundation remained. The nearby palace structures looked like sandcastles swept away by waves—scarcely any part was left intact.

Along the dozens of kilometers where the chase had taken place, palace buildings, forest trees, and rocky cliffs had all been pulverized. The ground still trembled with aftershocks.

Jjik…! Jjik…!

Mu-yong kept blinking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and shaking her head.

Even though she had been safely protected inside Han Yujin’s arms the entire time, merely witnessing the fracturing space-time had left her dizzy and disoriented.

“Feeling it now? How amazing your master is?”

Han Yujin bragged a little to Mu-yong as he picked up the hourglass and examined it.

Unfortunately, he had not been able to read the archbishop’s ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠memories properly, so he had no choice but to inspect it directly. The reason was obvious: although her combat strength had been low, she was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still an existence of the same rank as him.

She had possessed numerous mental defense techniques, and at the very last moment—realizing her surrender would not be accepted—she had destroyed her own memories.

Still, because Han Yujin’s mental abilities were vastly superior, he had managed to salvage a few fragments. At the very least, he had learned where the adamant was stored.

A short while later, after thoroughly examining the hourglass, he wore a slightly sour expression.

“Hmm…”

As he had already experienced, it was an incredibly powerful and useful item.

However, the price it demanded was nothing less than life force. Each use shortened the user’s lifespan.

Although the lost lifespan could be replenished through various artificial means, it was not an easy process. The artifact was therefore extremely troublesome.

For an ordinary person, simply touching the hourglass might cause them to age and die in an instant.

After finishing his inspection, he checked once more for other spoils before activating the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art. He was heading for the palace warehouse where the adamant was stored.

Fortunately the warehouse had been far enough away to remain undamaged. He lightly smashed the obstructing magical barrier with his World-Ending Grand Hand and stepped inside. The sight that greeted him filled his heart with deep satisfaction.

It was packed with all kinds of rare spiritual materials.

These were especially valuable because they belonged to both the Magic Sanctuary and the demon followers. It would not be an exaggeration to say they could not be obtained anywhere else.

He sorted them all according to their properties and stored them inside the Mountain Sea Pearl. Then he visited every other warehouse without missing a single one, collecting the rest of the spoils. It would consume a fair amount of karma, but the investment was more than worthwhile.

By the time the sun had completely set, there was nothing left worth taking. The palace had been enormous; without the fragments of the archbishop’s memories he had managed to read, it would have taken much longer.

Should I go examine that orb, or try wearing the pendant first?

No matter how he thought about it, the orb seemed to contain at least Nascent Soul stage danger. He also felt a fairly high chance it held Deification stage danger or higher.

More importantly, even if he examined the orb now and learned something about the demons, it would not be particularly useful at the moment.

I can always come back later if I get curious.

Having made his decision, he found a relatively clean and quiet spot. He destroyed the magical wards as if they did not exist, then laid down his own formation as a precaution against any possible interference.

And then.

In that stable location, he took out the pendant he had temporarily stored inside his spacer ring.

Without hesitation, he placed it around his neck.

The Pendant of Infinite Knowledge and Wisdom.

The token of Ugtarhel, the one who contemplates and comprehends all things from the deepest and highest place.

The instant he put it on, the familiar sensation of his mind opening wide washed over him. Just like when he had drunk the Odo tea, the scope of his thoughts began to explode outward.

At the same time, knowledge he had never encountered in his life flooded in through every sense, drowning the expanding thoughts like a tidal wave. Using that knowledge as fuel, the scope of his thoughts expanded again in a breathtaking cycle.

This is…

Having already reached the Nascent Soul stage, he had worried—half-jokingly—that the pendant’s effect might weaken or that it would no longer be able to alter his sense of self.

That worry had been completely pointless.

Every new piece of knowledge flowing into him now was not entirely perfect, yet none of it was false. His tremendously amplified cognitive ability interpreted the knowledge anew every moment, generating insane amounts of inspiration on an entirely different level.

Truth.

The absolute value that nothing in this infinite universe could dare violate.

One realization led to another. The process grew excessive and began shaking his ego from within, threatening to change it.

He could still stop the phenomenon and resist if he chose, but his instincts told him that doing so would render everything meaningless.

I already made my decision.

He deliberately released the last thread of self-control he had been maintaining.

Immediately afterward, the whites of his eyes rapidly flooded with an abyssal black.

Then, suddenly.

Wearing a smile that felt entirely unlike his usual self, he casually dropped Mu-yong, whom he had been holding, onto the floor.

Jjik…!

Mu-yong landed, stared at Han Yujin for a moment, then hurriedly backed away. Paying her no attention whatsoever, “Han Yujin” summoned the Monghyeon-gyeong above his head.

Modifying the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle?

Entirely possible. A truly excellent idea had just occurred to him, and he had more than enough materials.

And at the same time, an even better idea surfaced.

Thinking to himself what a genius he was, he turned and aimed the Monghyeon-gyeong at his own shadow.

Before he realized it, Wonhui had emerged from that shadow. Her pitch-black eyes met his from mere inches away.

A faint, whispering telepathic voice brushed across the surroundings like wind through leaves.

After that, silence fell.

Within that suffocating stillness, Mu-yong could barely breathe. She crept backward until she hid herself in a corner.

How much time passed after that?

Han Yujin slowly lowered his smile and dismissed the Monghyeon-gyeong.

He took out various materials and sat down.

It appeared he would begin by modifying the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle.