Chapter 473
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As my consciousness settled into a state of observation, I realized that the Fire Dragon Incarnate had completely possessed my body. This sensation was familiar, as I had often felt it when Yeodong-bin took control. Yet, I felt an even greater pressure from the essence of the Fire Dragon Incarnate compared to the spirit of the human-born Xuyou. It was clear that the soul of the ancient Shenglong was far more powerful.
The Fire Dragon Incarnate raised the Fire Dragon Sword high and shouted, “This sword shall enact justice!”
At that moment, my body suddenly lifted into the air and soared skyward. I looked down and saw that I was sitting on the back of the Fire Dragon, with the Fire Dragon Incarnate standing majestically atop its head. As he released an overwhelming surge of spirit energy, the Dharma Protectors hovering in the air gasped in surprise, but he paid them no mind, directing his gaze towards Han Baek-ryeong.
“Gather the fire’s strength to its maximum!”
“You…”
“The immense power dwelling within you must aid in vanquishing that demon.”
It appeared that Han Baek-ryeong had noticed my transformation into something else, as my eyes turned blank and emitted a pure, white light. She nodded and suddenly focused the power of the Heavenly Spirit Pill in one spot. Her heart began to thrum and glow crimson, and that brilliant red light soon spread throughout her meridians, making her body feel as if it was ablaze.
Oooohhh!
The pressure was so intense that it seemed to compress the enormous power of the Heavenly Spirit Pill to the point of stopping.
As the crimson energy coursed through her, restoring her white skin, Han Baek-ryeong’s eyes shone bright red.
“The Ultimate Technique of the Fire Spirit! If I have to resort to this secret technique, it’s the greatest shame of my life!”
“Fear not, human! I will surely annihilate that being!”
Boom!
When Han Baek-ryeong’s hands met those of the Fire Dragon Incarnate, a resounding explosion echoed through the air. However, what truly occurred was that Han Baek-ryeong channeled the immense energy consolidated within the Fire Spirit into the Fire Dragon Incarnate, creating a subtle resonance as an intangible circle spread throughout Luoyang’s skies. For a while, the Fire Dragon Incarnate, gathering strength in the form of a dragon amidst the crimson energy, opened his eyes.
“Fire Dragon Summon!”
Time seemed to tear apart.
Darkness ignited.
A single strike, far beyond the destructive capabilities of the Heavenly Spirit Pill, obliterated the roots of the tentacle tree. Broken fragments flew amidst the whirling white light, being consumed again by the extreme white flame.
The true Fire Dragon had come into the present world.
The storm of the white flames, saturated with horrifying power, began to whirl as if to erase the very earth beneath. The furious might of the Fire Dragon roared with nowhere to go, disregarding the regeneration ability of the tentacles, leading to continuous annihilation.
Goooo!
Until now, the Dharma Protectors had endured vicious assaults, but now they were reduced in size like a candle in the face of a colossal fire, with the flames consuming them just as the Fire Dragon devoured the wood. The structures of the Imperial Palace had dissolved into nothingness.
As the once-massive body of the tentacle monster shrank to below one palm’s size, the Fire Dragon Incarnate charged alongside the Fire Dragon.
“Ha!”
Crack!
Then, I suddenly realized that my surroundings had shifted, bringing me to “another space.” It was a place illuminated by drifting orbs of light, twinkling like stars amidst the dark. Yet, in scattered areas of this dreamy landscape, dark beings wriggled along with their tentacles, creating a sinister atmosphere.
“Fire Dragon Incarnate, where are we?”
“This is the realm of spirits, where the enemy hid their core! I pierced the dimensions borrowing her power!”
Responding succinctly, the Fire Dragon Incarnate spotted the “enemy” before us and, filled with rage, crossed the Fire Dragon Sword with the Huaying.
“You’ve corrupted and devoured the spirit realm. You shall not be forgiven!”
I gazed in disbelief at the mountain-like entity that stood central in the spirit realm. It was overwhelmingly larger than Mount Tai or Mount Huang, with a towering pillar piercing the sky, undeniably the great mountain of the spirit realm, but in reality, it was just a giant form of the tentacle tree.
Too enormous. Yet, the Fire Dragon Incarnate appeared unperturbed, commanding from atop the dragon’s head.
“In the name of the heavens, I shall purge evil!”
Once more, the Fire Dragon swooped towards the enemy, and as if it were a given, the ultimate divine flames ignited the tentacles and penetrated the tree’s core.
However, this time, the tentacles swiftly regenerated, sprouting a massive human face on the tree.
Crack!
The face bore the likeness of an alchemist, grinning menacingly as it spoke.
“Hahaha! Since I’ve claimed all the spirit energy here, my strength and regenerative abilities are tenfold those of the material realm. Even if you are an ancient Dragon King, can you defeat me in the spirit realm?”
“…”
“Afraid of the forbidden techniques within the Nameless Ritual Book, are we?”
“Pathetic little fish!”
The Fire Dragon Incarnate nonchalantly dismissed the alchemist’s taunt, and the face twisted in fury.
“What… what did you say?”
The Fire Dragon Incarnate maintained a cool demeanor.
“If my disciple Yeodong-bin were here, he would mock you. Compared to the ultimate dragon meant to obliterate the world, you are nothing but a minor pest.”
“Kraaaah!!”
The alchemist, desperate, began to regenerate his injuries, swinging his tentacles like whips that stretched for hundreds of spans. Though powerful, the Fire Dragon Incarnate merely opened the mouth of the Fire Dragon to exhale.
Blazing flames stretched towards the horizon, seeming to tear the spirit realm in two with a single breath. That one exhale felt exponentially more destructive than the instant destruction caused by the Heavenly Spirit Pill. Unsurprisingly, more than sixty percent of the alchemist’s body was obliterated by that mindless beam of destruction, while the Fire Dragon Incarnate held the Huaying in his left hand and declared:
“Oh Huaying! I, the Fire Spirit of Shenglong, command you to unleash your true power!”
Crack!
Was it just my imagination? The Huaying seemed to awaken sharply from the moment I had wielded it differently. A more intense divine flame transformed into orbs, swirling around the Fire Dragon Incarnate. Then, he commanded the Fire Dragon to charge ahead, swinging the Huaying in a wide arc and shouting:
“Heavenly Flame!”
That was it. When the Heavenly Flame was launched, the Fire Dragon halted momentarily as if it were engulfed in tiny flames.
Then the dragon exploded in size to swallow up my field of vision. The goddess’s flames filled the world, incinerating every inch of the vast land, allowing for no existence of matter. Absolute extreme flames, shaking the foundation of existence itself, ravaged and transformed the world.
“Spirit realm, burn!”
The Fire Dragon Incarnate amplified the resonance of the two divine powers as if he aimed for annihilation.
Whirwhirwhir—
As my view expanded outside the spirit realm, I saw the territory of stars engulfed by the flame dragon. The world-ravaging flames scorched the clouds and extinguished the darkness. The seas dried up, and the tentacles burned away. The once-gargantuan tentacle monster, once an “alchemist,” was reduced to ashes, unable to regenerate.
“This is… the Great Decree of the Overlapping Divine Flames!”
Ultimate flames punishing ten thousand demons!
I trembled as I realized the true power of the Overlapping Divine Flames, feeling as if I had witnessed its hazardous might capable of bringing disaster to the entire world in capable hands. Even now, in the spirit realm, I had only touched the surface of its prowess. If unleashed in the material realm, entire nations could be wiped out in an instant. This was a force beyond comprehension, far surpassing the roar of the Apostle Daji.
Thud thud thud…
Once the incantation of the Overlapping Divine Flames concluded, the Fire Dragon Incarnate made his way toward the source of darkness. There, once an “alchemist,” Saint Germain knelt in human form, his entire body aflame, suffering severe burns with splotches of melted skin, his left arm and right leg entirely missing. Though gruesome, Saint Germain chuckled, saying:
“Hehe… I never imagined the Dragon King would become the owner of the Seven Luminaries… I truly did not…”
“Evil one! Your wicked deeds shall be punished for eternity in the celestial realm.”
“Evil? Heh… Evil flows everywhere in this world. What does the addition of a minor evil like me matter?”
Saint Germain laughed hollowly before continuing:
“All things are interconnected. That is the source. With that source, we can open the hearts and souls of humanity. We can save mankind. As it is in heaven, so it will be on earth… This is our vow…”
“…”
“I have failed, but the Black Brotherhood will take their vengeance…”
With that, he collapsed, dead. The Fire Dragon Incarnate stared at his corpse, and in the blink of an eye, the body was turned to ash, leaving not even a bone behind. From the remnants, a dark soul floated out. The Fire Dragon Incarnate seized it and hurled it towards the heavens, where it vanished. It seemed he had sent the alchemist’s soul to the celestial realm.
“Repulsive creature!”
Having completed his exorcism, the Fire Dragon Incarnate returned to the material realm atop the Fire Dragon. As he reappeared, two Dharma Protectors stood waiting for him, their expressions filled with vigilance.
“Who are you? If you are an expert from beyond heaven, state your name!”
It seemed the power displayed by the Fire Dragon Incarnate was enough to overwhelm even the Dharma Protectors. After all, he was already a remarkable figure among the Great Immortals, having regained his strength and possessing the Seven Luminaries. The Fire Dragon Incarnate chuckled and replied:
“You are but humans, not beings I must fight. Step aside.”
“How dare you disregard me?!”
In a fit of rage, Yongbi-cheon summoned a tremendous Wind Bullet and hurled it at the Fire Dragon Incarnate. Each blow could reshape the landscape, yet the Fire Dragon Incarnate simply whistled.
Boom!
The whistle transformed into a gigantic torrent of flame that devoured all the Wind Bullets and sent Yongbi-cheon tumbling away, his pained screams echoing. With a single blow, the Fire Dragon Incarnate shattered Yongbi-cheon’s protection. Yongbi-cheon, now flung far away, lay unconscious—a sight that hardly resembled that of an invincible Dharma Protector.
Han Baek-ryeong, momentarily stunned by the sheer might of the Fire Dragon Incarnate, stuttered:
“You are… not Baek Woong. Who exactly are you?”
“My name is Fire Dragon Incarnate! Baek Woong has lent me his body, so do not treat him lightly.”
“……!!”
“While you borrow the power of chaos, you are still bound by the laws of humanity. Please, do not make me use my strength.”
Crack!
Suddenly, I felt the possession lift, and control over my body returned. I tried to communicate with the Fire Dragon Incarnate telepathically, but he offered no response. Awkwardly, I turned to Han Baek-ryeong and said:
“Uh… I think it’s about time we started tidying up…”
“……”
“Han Baek-ryeong…?”
Out of nowhere, Han Baek-ryeong bowed respectfully, saying, “So, you are the Fire Spirit. Please forgive Yongbi-cheon for his rude behavior…”
“Of course.”
“As you mentioned, we should get to organizing now. I ask for your assistance.”
“Yes.”
The situation of exchanging formalities felt awkward, but it offered a moment for self-reflection. ‘Do I… want to be treated with respect?’
I had felt this way with the Fire Dragon Incarnate and now with Han Baek-ryeong. I was slowly getting accustomed to being treated with reverence. While I felt uncomfortable, a part of me secretly enjoyed being regarded with esteem.
Suddenly, a thought struck me, making me feel pathetic.
If I were to be served by someone, I shouldn’t have to live such a meager life. I could have flaunted my vast knowledge and treasures from my past life in the martial world right from the start. But with a greater goal in mind, I steeled myself to look ahead, knowing that my desire for honor would inevitably hinder my actions.
I shared these thoughts with Mangnyang and the Sword Demon when we met. Mangnyang examined the situation through the obsidian.
“Well, there’s no need to overthink it. To be honest, you’ve certainly endured more being looked down upon than reverently regarded, right? No one truly dislikes receiving good treatment.”
“Hmm, maybe… but…”
“It’s only natural. Just be mindful of it, and you will be fine.”
The Sword Demon chuckled from the side.
“Hahaha! If anything, I feel you should be a bit more humble… With your current martial prowess and skills, it’s not strange at all for you to reshape the martial world as you see fit. You’re just feeling small because your opponent is godly!”
“……”
“Well then, let’s all head over together.”
The Sword Demon grinned, adding, “Who knows, we might conquer the martial world faster than we thought!”
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