---

“Are you okay?” Seo Mun-hye asked worriedly as we returned to the real world.

“I’m fine. The Heavenly Mysterious Woman…”

“She went ahead of us.”

Having already broken two barriers, the only thing left was the defense line established by the Divine Light and the Great Immortals. It wasn’t that there were specific barriers, but it was a place where formidable immortals stood, so it wouldn’t be easy. It seemed that the Heavenly Mysterious Woman wanted to wait for the Celestial Sage.

I gazed quietly at Seo Mun-hye and asked, “Are you really okay?”

“What do you mean?” she replied.

“I think I’m going to die here today. It’s a fight with barely any chances of winning, and since you can’t be absent from our full power, I feel like I’ve forced you to come. I’ve brought you to a place where I could die… I’m sorry.”

Seo Mun-hye smiled brightly.

“I came here because I wanted to. I’m here to atone for the sins I’ve built up as the Nine Lotus Bishop. I’ve let go of my attachment to life, and even if you tell me to go back, I have no intention of doing so.”

“Seo Mun-hye…”

“If there’s just one thing I would like to ask…”

She gently caressed my cheek with her delicate fingers.

“Baek Woong, don’t blame yourself.”

For a moment, tears almost spilled from my eyes.

Throughout my life, I had always wanted to hear that sort of thing whenever difficulties arose.

Whenever I stumbled due to lacking talent or wisdom, it felt as though it was all my fault.

But I couldn’t make a sound of sorrow. If this world was a well-crafted nightmare, then I was the only one capable of breaking through it with infinite rebirth ability, and it felt like the tragedies of those sacrificed to the gods were somehow my fault. My comrades had offered me words of encouragement, but somehow, just a single word from Seo Mun-hye seemed to provide me a great comfort.

I steadied my emotions and stammered, “Thank you. Then let’s go.”

With a loud boom, I dashed upward the Kunlun mountains alongside Seo Mun-hye. This was a place I had never been before, so I couldn’t use the Golden Lamp and could only navigate through the magnificent and grand scenery of Kunlun. After climbing about four hundred more spans, there awaited the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.

She stood atop a gigantic cliff, with dozens of Daoist Halls visible below. The halls were arranged according to the Eight Trigrams, densely built as if spiraling in a circular formation. In the center of the halls, 108 immortals were gathered, chanting immense spells.

“This is the boundary. The moment you step a little further, the Daoists will attack.” the Heavenly Mysterious Woman warned.

“Are you waiting for the Celestial Sage?” I asked.

She nodded and added, “I’ve hidden our presence with the Corpse Dissolution Technique, but it will be a problem if it’s too late. We can only hope he arrives quickly…”

“Hmm…”

I could sense her anxiety, but it wasn’t unreasonable. If the Celestial Sage didn’t arrive, we couldn’t even begin, and that was because the opponent the Celestial Sage was facing was far from an easy one. It seemed like it had already been a good hour since the Celestial Sage and the enemy commenced their battle. I couldn’t be sure he could take them down in time, especially knowing the enemy’s reputation as a legendary hero in ancient myths.

Just then…

Swish!

“Damn it… I knocked that guy down but now I’m in trouble!” the Celestial Sage appeared on his heavenly mount, throwing out curses.

Noticing the two large arrows stuck in his left palm, blood oozing out, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman exclaimed, “It seems he used the Red Bow!”

“Indeed! Damn it… I managed to dodge seven arrows, but I couldn’t do anything about the last two. At one point, I nearly got hit in the heart. My body is tough as iron, but these damn arrows are too strong…”

“What about Ye?”

“She took the full brunt of my Ruyi Staff, so she’ll likely be knocked out cold at the bottom of Kunlun for a good millennium.”

“……!!”

I was shocked upon hearing that.

‘The Red Bow really is an incredibly powerful technique!’

When it descended upon me, it always felt like a thump on the back of my head, so I had never really realized it; but in combat against a notable opponent, even the Celestial Sage could not withstand its overwhelming power. Moreover, considering Ye still hadn’t been completely eradicated but only injured by the Celestial Sage’s Ruyi Staff, it seemed Ye herself was at least on par with a mid-level Divine being.

‘You bastard… If you had fought like that when you descended upon me…’

As I cursed internally, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman raised her hand and began chanting the Corpse Dissolution Technique.

Vroom!!!

Moments later, the two arrows embedded in the Celestial Sage’s palm emitted a divine light and were extracted. The pure white spirit energy glimmered like lightning, shooting back toward its master as if it were returning home. The Celestial Sage flexed his hand a few times and marveled, “I had my doubts, but it truly is possible. Generally, once the arrows lodge into the body, there’s no removing them—even I would find it impossible. But now I can recover from the wounds caused by the arrows through the Corpse Dissolution Technique… To be able to erase the arrows that had slain the sun, this Corpse Dissolution Technique is truly a remarkable spell.”

“Are there any other injuries?”

“No!” the Celestial Sage responded confidently and activated his Fire Eye Golden Spirit.

Fwoosh! Suddenly, his eyes blazed with fire as he surveyed the front. With the ability to see through the essence of things, it felt like he was peering into the defensive line ahead. Then, frowning, he muttered, “What’s that? There seems to be someone I haven’t seen before…”

“Someone you haven’t seen before?”

“No, wait. I feel like I’ve seen that figure somewhere…”

The Celestial Sage scratched his head and said, “Ah, I don’t care! Let’s get started.”

Bang! A flash of lightning erupted ahead as the Celestial Sage lunged forward without a second thought. The moment he reached the front of the 108 Great Immortals, dozens of dark figures erupted from somewhere and attacked the Celestial Sage simultaneously.

Boom! With a horrifying explosion, the Daoists and heavenly generals swung hundreds of weapons at the Celestial Sage, unleashing furious battle cries.

[You brat!!]

[Celestial Realm’s traitor, King Mi-hu!!]

[This time, you will not escape!!]

As the furious attack of the encirclement rained down, the Celestial Sage swiftly lengthened his Ruyi Staff and quickly parried the attacks. With a quick flick of his weapon, five of the heavenly generals exploded.

[No!]

The encircling heavenly generals stared in disbelief as the Celestial Sage grinned, “You talk a big game, but when you were alone, you didn’t dare to look me in the eye.”

With a swift motion, the Celestial Sage plucked a strand of his beard and used the Clone Technique, creating hundreds of his clones who spread out to engage the heavenly generals and Daoists. While the generals struggled against the clones, the Daoists appeared to be faring much better.

“Heh heh! How can someone as great as you betray us…” a Daoist sighed, stepping forward to face ten of the Celestial Sage’s clones.

“I shall give my all today.”

As the clones simultaneously attacked, it initially appeared that the Daoist had no way to dodge, but the next moment, it felt as if time itself was gathering, and the assaults began to disperse into a Tai Chi swirl. The clones, one by one, were thrust backward or turned back into strands of hair. The two hands of the Daoist formed a dance of Qi that seemed capable of tearing the Yin and Yang apart.

Boom!

The Celestial Sage’s true form stood at the back, arms crossed, chuckling. Despite facing strong enemies, he seemed to revel in the thrill of combat.

“Heh heh. Is that you, Jang Sam-bong? It’s been a while.”

Just as he said, the figure emerging from the encirclement of Daoists was none other than the Daoist, Jang Sam-bong!

The founder of the Wudang Sect and the embodiment of the great Daoist, renowned as the supreme martial artist during the Ming Dynasty, and he was the one who developed the original forms of the Seven Great Techniques and possessed the Peerless Technique of the Absolute Realm.

Whoosh! A massive force radiated through the air, visible through the Palace Examination Technique. In the next moment, five clones that had attacked from the side of Jang Sam-bong were torn apart by some unseen force as another Daoist joined the fray.

“Celestial Sage, no matter how strong you are, isn’t it foolish to fight us all?”

“Heavenly Master Jang Daoling.”

Appearing amidst swirling five-colored clouds, he had a pudgy countenance but was evidently a Daoist known to the Celestial Sage. The name Jang Daoling belonged to a figure of great significance, the founder of the Five Pecks of Rice Dao and a being of great importance in the Daoist network.

“Foolish or not, I doubt anyone but the Celestial Sage would dare to make such a plan…”

“Indeed, no one other than the Celestial Sage could do it.”

As Jang Daoling spoke, two additional Daoists emerged by his side. They bore contrasting appearances yet spoke almost in unison.

The left Daoist was an elderly man with silver-white hair and beard, while the right was a youthful figure with jet-black hair. They both opened their mouths simultaneously.

“However, I, Southern Dipper Star Lord, believe this is absurd.”

“However, I, Northern Dipper Star Lord, believe the Celestial Sage will die here.”

Southern Dipper Star Lord and Northern Dipper Star Lord! I knew these two were divine beings overseeing the lifespan within the Celestial Realm, but they seemed to be Daoists as well. Though their looks and speech seemed comical, they’d undeniably be stronger than I could ever measure.

Boom!

“Ha ha ha! Are you serious? You think you could take on all the Daoists of the Celestial Realm by yourself? Do you think that’s possible? Well, that’s why I like you.”

With a scorching heat, someone suddenly stepped forward, a childlike looking figure wielding weapons in both hands. The Celestial Sage chuckled at the sight of this Daoist named Nata.

“You showed up too? Nata.”

Nata glared fiercely, menacing light radiating from his eyes as he grinned.

“I guessed something was up when you left the battlefield! I want your head, monkey! I won’t let anyone else take it.”

“If you can, that is. Also, get your hands off my precious ‘Chun Tian Ling’!!”

“Damn you!”

The next moment, glowing green light rose up silently beside him.

The green light transformed into an incredibly handsome young man with a third eye on his forehead. As he slowly raised his trident, he spoke in a somber tone to the Celestial Sage.

“I’ve known your strength for a long time, but there’s no chance you can win against us all.”

The Celestial Sage replied calmly, “Lee Rang-jin-gun, don’t feel pressured and come at me. I’m not here to play nice with you guys!”

“You reckless fool!” Lee Rang-jin-gun said, clicking his tongue as he assumed a fighting stance. He was no ordinary Daoist, and even his aura surged beyond that of a high-ranking Daist.

Not just Lee Rang-jin-gun, but all the Daoists standing against the Celestial Sage radiated immense power.

As I observed the formidable gathering of Daoists, I felt my breath catch.

‘If the Daoist masters on the ground saw this sight, they would certainly fall over in shock…’

Each of them had an illustrious reputation in the Daoist realm, and even Southern Dipper Star Lord and Northern Dipper Star Lord had been divine entities since the primordial beginning. Each of them, while possibly weaker than the Celestial Sage individually, could overwhelm even the Celestial Sage with their combined strength.

Once again, the Celestial Sage summoned hundreds of clones all at once. But forcing a numerical advantage against beings like them with mere clones was bound to fail. Perhaps sensing this, the Celestial Sage directed his thoughts toward me.

[The Heavenly Mysterious Woman will assist me with the Corpse Dissolution Technique. In the meantime, you should slip in and take down any one of the 108 immortals forming the formation. That will secure our triumph.]

[Understood.]

[Wait for my signal to enter.]

As the Celestial Sage and I communicated, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman suddenly appeared beside him, using teleportation. She cast a sorrowful look at the Daoists and celestial generals surrounding us and spoke.

“People of the Celestial Realm! The Queen Mother of the West is the true traitor of the Celestial Realm and has devoured many immortals. Why are you assisting this traitor?”

There was a moment of agitation among the Daoists and generals at her words. Jang Sam-bong looked particularly startled as he replied, “Heavenly Mysterious Woman, what do you mean…”

Just then, the Southern Dipper Star Lord and Northern Dipper Star Lord sharply interrupted.

“Enough!”

“Enough!”

“The Heavenly Mysterious Woman is the real traitor! Don’t be deceived! Kill her!”

“Kill the Heavenly Mysterious Woman! A traitor cannot be forgiven!”

With that, the surrounding celestial generals began to emit a fierce red energy, suggesting they were casting spells that would heighten their ferocity while dulling their rationality. With the atmosphere altered, the celestial generals became formidable opponents indeed.

It seemed the Southern Dipper Star Lord’s and Northern Dipper Star Lord’s commands had spread like strange sound waves, influencing even the Daoists, who appeared to lose their will to continue discussing things. Yet Jang Sam-bong seemed deep in confusion, contemplating the unfolding situation. I felt alarmed.

‘What’s this? Those two were already among the Daoists?’

It seemed they were spies for the Queen Mother, positioned there to prevent the Daoists from being swayed by the Heavenly Mysterious Woman’s words. In the next moment, the Daoists and celestial generals began to launch themselves toward both the Celestial Sage and the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.

“Kill the Heavenly Mysterious Woman!”

“Kill the Celestial Sage!!”

This marked a battle where most of the celestial realm forces engaged solely against two foes.

Crash!

Bang!

A cacophony of unimaginable treasures and techniques filled the summit of Kunlun Mountain. Most of the attacks were from the enemies, with the Celestial Sage using his Clone Technique to parry the combined assaults of the Daoists. I was sweating profusely as I watched the intense battle unfold when suddenly, a piercing voice rang through.

[Now’s the time! Go in!]

Upon receiving the Celestial Sage’s signal, I transformed Yeodong-bin into the Immortal Sword and flew forward. Though Yeodong-bin could descend upon me, it would cost us significantly in power during the process, so I aimed to maximize our energy through the Immortal Sword Technique.

As I reached the perimeter of the encirclement of the Great Immortals, Nata, who was already engaged in combat, sneered at me.

“Ha ha ha!! You dare challenge me, human?”

With the Gun in hand, Nata hurled it at me, which I had faced plenty from martial artists in the Wulin, but this time was incomparable. It was as if one were facing an absolute master of the Absolute Realm destined to cleave my throat in one blow.

At that moment, Yeodong-bin responded and unleashed the Moon-Style Defense Technique. Thanks to Yeodong-bin’s senses, I managed to block the onslaught of the Gun, deflecting it with my sword. However, the resultant recoil felt as though my wrist and forearm were completely shattering from the overwhelming force.

Thud!

“Ugh!” I gasped. Just blocking the attack left my arm tingling!

Some joints in my fingers felt like they’d snapped as I grit my teeth against the surging pain. But Nata, faltering in disbelief, recovered the Gun, seemingly baffled.

“What?! A puny human blocked my Gun?!”

The moment the transformation into the Immortal Sword was complete, Yeodong-bin transmitted his will to me.

[Yun-ja! Nata isn’t quite as mighty as a Celestial Sage or a descendant, but he’s a high-ranking Daoist. Don’t fight him head-on, evade him and get through!]

“Damn it… If it were that easy…”

I sighed bitterly at the Celestial Sage’s words and tightened my grip around the sword. Although my internal power allowed me to recover quickly, clashing with a Daoist head-on was simply out of the question. As I worried, Seo Mun-hye, who had been following me, suddenly charged at Nata.

Eight Immortals Divine Art!

Thrust of the Decaying Sky!

“Grah!!” Nata shrieked, retreating in panic from Seo Mun-hye’s relentless thrusts. It looked incredibly simple, but her sheer physical prowess was so high that even a Daoist couldn’t deflect or evade her strikes!

“Baek Woong, go!” she shouted.

‘Seo Mun-hye, I’m counting on you!’

Whether I could win or lose didn’t matter. Honestly, asking Seo Mun-hye to face a high-ranking Daoist was absurd, but there was no time for such thoughts!

After all, hadn’t we all ventured here with our lives on the line? If I didn’t seize this fleeting opportunity created by Seo Mun-hye, Nata and potentially other Daoists would block my path out, and I would surely meet my end.

“Hyaaa!” I broke through the encirclement!

Taking advantage of the opening Seo Mun-hye had created, I dove down without hesitation into the grand formation below. It was far deeper than it seemed from the cliffside, making me fall for quite some time. As I descended, immortals began appearing, casting techniques at me.

Boom! “Gaaahh…!!”

I screamed as I swung the Fire Spirit and, at that moment, the Fire Dragon Incarnate revealed itself, deflecting all of the incoming spells.

[You puppets!]

The immortals were thrown into disarray. “What?! The Fire Dragon Incarnate!”

“No way!” was the startled response of the remaining immortals. The Fire Dragon Incarnate had an exceptionally high level of ability, and no low-level Daoist could stand against the might!

As the attack from the immortals was reflected, they were instantly burned to ash, illustrating that the Fire Dragon Incarnate was at its peak.

[You’ve done well up to now! Now that Yeodong-bin and I have preserved our strength, we can break the formation!] the Fire Dragon Incarnate spoke to me.

Just as I was about ten spans away from the 108 sorcerers, my body unexpectedly plummeted mid-air, as if I had encountered an invisible barrier beneath me that prevented me from descending any further.

“……?” I pondered aloud just as a melodious laugh emerged from below the barrier. In the center of where the 108 sorcerers waited, a figure enveloped in colorful clouds erupted in laughter.

[Hehe. A cute little bug has come to disturb me.]

Upon hearing that laughter, I felt chills down my spine.

[What can a bug’s power accomplish?]

It was the Queen Mother of the West.

 

---