Chapter 731
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In the Dark Heaven Village, Xiang Yu looked just as bored as I remembered—his giant figure slumped lazily. The moment he showed up, we all tensed up, sensing the overwhelming Qi he radiated, even without him noticing. But it seemed like he didn’t care about us at all as he lazily strolled and asked, “Where did the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens go?”
“She’s bound by the Law of Cause and Effect, so she went back to the Celestial Realm.”
“Got it.”
Boom!
With that, Xiang Yu jumped into Golden Crow Island, and it felt like the dimensional barrier was tearing apart, all thanks to his unleashed power. Once Xiang Yu’s Sword Form vanished, Cheon Woo-jin piped up, “Let’s go.”
“We can go, but I didn’t hear from Cheon Gong-pyo where the fortress of the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army is.”
“It’s probably where the strongest demon power is emanating from on Golden Crow Island. We should be able to find it by looking.”
Pa-at –
With Cheon Woo-jin’s technique, we all jumped into the depths of Golden Crow Island. Just like when we stumbled upon The Four Great Spirits before, this place was blooming with bizarre plants and showcased unbelievable phenomena unimaginable in the mortal world. We suddenly landed in a vast grassland surrounded by Manjangan Cliff.
As soon as we arrived, Tang San yelled, “Over there!!”
In the direction Tang San pointed, silver and gold swirled in chaos, sparks flying in the sky. The constant eruption of gold and silver mines formed a rainbow-hued flow, spreading out in dozens of branches. That spectacular view was definitely due to a battle between major entities.
“Is that the fortress of the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army?”
“But it’s pretty far off. At least thirty to forty li away.”
As Tang San mumbled, Jin So-cheong added, “And looking closely, that fortress is floating in the sky.”
“Hmm.”
It was exactly as he said. The light sparkled so dazzlingly that it was hard to see with the naked eye, but there was indeed a celestial fortress wrapped in glowing light. It was floating high above the ground, far beyond what an ordinary human could reach. Given its height, it was definitely floating at least three to four li.
While observing the fortress, the Giant named Gong Gong said, “The fortress is covered by an immense barrier. It seems that someone called the Celestial Sage is trying to breach it with Clone Techniques.”
“Gong Gong, if we join in, can we break through the barrier quickly?”
“To be honest, with our current strength, it would be futile to even attempt. If my power were fully restored, that’d be another story, but I’ve just recently broken from a curse, so I’m struggling.”
“……”
“It’s better to watch.”
Just then—
Crash!!
The sky trembled, and the ground beneath us shook violently. Something exploded with tremendous fervor, sending tremors through the earth. As the booming noise rang out, the dazzling light faded slightly, and a plume of smoke shot up from above the floating fortress.
Seeing that explosion, Cheon Woo-jin was taken aback. “Goodness… to split the Tenfold Great Formation in one strike, that has to be Xiang Yu!”
Cheon Woo-jin had been dumbfounded many times before, but this time he looked genuinely frightened. It was rare for him to be this shaken, which caught me by surprise.
“You mean Xiang Yu broke the barrier?”
“… Yeah. Now we can go in.”
Cheon Woo-jin, finally regaining his composure, surveyed the crowd. “Among us, only the two of us—myself and Gong Gong—stand a chance to defeat the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army one-on-one. The rest of you face a huge risk of death if caught in their techniques. I’ll cast a defensive barrier, so absolutely don’t stray from my side.”
I pouted a bit, feeling like he underestimated the human side too much. “So you think Jin So-cheong and I might be able to handle it?”
In that moment, I sensed Cheon Woo-jin growing furious, his eyes blazing. “You damn fool! Just because you landed a hit on Son Tian-Jun’s Blood Transformation, you’re feeling cocky now? Is the situation now anything like before? And let’s face it; the Fire Dragon Incarnate is strong, but are you really something special?!”
“Huh.”
“A cornered Ten Thousand Heavenly Army would fight with everything they have. How do you think a bunch of clueless fools would survive? Do you even comprehend how strong Dong-bin was back then if it weren’t for your lack of strength? He’s a monster who roamed around assassinating Great Immortals!”
“……”
“Huff, huff. Why do you always make me curse… Damn it… I was trying to hold it in.”
After grumbling, Cheon Woo-jin finally calmed down enough to continue. “The spatial techniques of the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army are incredibly dangerous. Even if the Fire Dragon Incarnate helps you, danger is still danger. False confidence will only lead to ruin.”
“… I understand.”
Gong Gong chimed in from the side. “The ones inside that fortress are capable fighters. Cheon Woo-jin is right; you need to be cautious not to get ensnared in their techniques.”
“I got it.”
“But, do we really need to go together?”
“Huh?”
At my questioning, Gong Gong crossed his arms. “If the Celestial Sage, Xiang Yu, and Cheon Gong-pyo combined their powers, they could wipe out the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army. Our joining would only be a burden to them and lead to unnecessary losses. Why should we charge into that impregnable fortress?”
“Hmm.”
“Besides, I’m currently recovering my strength. If I get injured in a place like this, my recovery time would multiply many times over, and while a lone Ten Thousand Heavenly Army soldier seems manageable, a cornered rat is the most dangerous.”
Gong Gong’s words made sense. As most others nodded, Cheon Woo-jin stated firmly, “No. We absolutely must go.”
“Why?”
“Both the Celestial Sage and Xiang Yu, along with Cheon Gong-pyo, only have plans to squash the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army with brute strength. But these guys aren’t straightforward; they could use that fortress to trap the mighty ones.”
“Hmm… So you believe you can see through their traps?”
“If I sense it through techniques, I could warn in advance to evade danger. And…” Cheon Woo-jin’s voice darkened, “There’s a chance Cheon Gong-pyo could betray us and conspire with the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army to kill the Celestial Sage and Xiang Yu.”
“That possibility exists. Alright, then we have no choice but to go.”
Gong Gong nodded as if resigned. After hearing their conversation, it finally clicked for me.
‘Right! Cheon Gong-pyo’s goal isn’t to annihilate Golden Crow Island; he’s aiming to take control… There’s a possibility he could come to an agreement with the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army and instead launch an attack on us.’
Understanding that risk, Cheon Woo-jin felt that we must confront the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army directly. Only then would we be able to warn our allies, the Celestial Sage and Xiang Yu, and take control of the battlefield.
Cheon Woo-jin shouted loudly, “Hurry up and follow me!”
Whhhoooom –
In the next instant, a blue circle surrounded us, and in the blink of an eye, we were transported into a massive corridor. This corridor was finished in smooth brown stone and felt slick, supported by huge pillars. Having used the Transmission Technique to dive into the fortress, Cheon Woo-jin looked back at me and said, “Baek Woong, you have to protect our companions if they are in danger.”
“Of course! But what do you mean by that…?”
Cheon Woo-jin spoke with an awkward tone. “To be honest, the spatial techniques of the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army aren’t easy for me to unravel either. If they split the space and try to attack us individually, there’s no way to stop them. But if you borrow the power of the Fire Dragon Incarnate with the strengths you have, you could break through the time-space barrier, so stay sharp.”
“… Got it!”
“Just hold out until I find the core of this fortress.”
I understood what Cheon Woo-jin was saying. We moved forward with him in the lead, and after covering about one hundred paces, suddenly the ground beneath us shifted, and the positions of the pillars changed, revealing dozens of brilliant mirrors all around.
Cheon Woo-jin gritted his teeth and shouted, “This is the Gold Light Saint’s Gold Light Formation! Don’t look directly into the mirrors!”
“If we look…”
“Even an Immortal would die if hit by just one beam, you idiot!”
“……!!”
“Don’t ask stupid questions.”
Chiriririring –
In an instant, the mirrors reflected one another, filling the space with thousands upon thousands of beams of light. The speed and trajectory were beyond any human’s capacity to dodge, but in that moment, Cheon Woo-jin waved his hand, creating a square-shaped defensive barrier to shield our group.
“Hurry!”
And Gong Gong’s eyes gleamed as he said, “[There they are!]”
Gong Gong brandished a great sword and dashed out to attack something. His Sword Form seemed to vanish into the spatial realm, indicating he had pinpointed the location of the barrier artist, the Gold Light Saint. In that moment, the beams from the mirrors disappeared, and the landscape returned to normal.
Cheon Woo-jin said, “Gong Gong has begun battling the Gold Light Saint. Let’s quickly move forward.”
Tydat
When we moved ahead another hundred paces, we heard a buzzing.
Wiying –
It felt as if the sound of cicadas filled the air. Cheon Woo-jin said, confused, “Ugh… Time-Space Division… no.”
Peep peep peeet
My vision began to tear apart completely. At the same time, the figures of my companions who were running beside me seemed to transform into dozens of varying images, and I found myself continuously falling in a space where the earth, sky, front, back, left, and right were indistinguishable.
‘Is this the Spatial Manipulation Technique?’ Definitely different from when experiencing Blood Transformation or the Falling Wedding Technique. Remembering Cheon Woo-jin’s warning, I called out while intertwining the Fire Spirit and Fire Dragon Sword techniques, “Fire Dragon Incarnate! Please give me an order.”
[The weakness of this space is right there!]
Huahruk
The Fire Dragon Incarnate channeled the energy of the dragon into me, and simultaneously a mark of the Fire Dragon appeared in the void. Without a moment’s hesitation, I swung my twin swords toward that mark and charged in, delivering a powerful slash.
Crash!
With the sound of shattering glass, I was yanked out of the bizarre spatial realm back into reality. However, unlike breaking the technique, my companions were nowhere to be seen, and I stood alone in a massive abyss. Not far from me sat a peculiar figure on a ledge.
Grind grind
The figure appeared human but exuded an inhuman vibe. Holding a piece of jerky, he was munching on it, dressed in robes marked with the Eight Trigrams of Tai Chi. Upon closer inspection, his face was painted in bloody colors, and his arms and legs were covered in talismans. Moreover, his hair was so long it reached the back of his thighs.
With a pale black skin, the figure paused from tearing the jerky, and spoke to me, “Who are you? Why, being human, are you collaborating with them to attack our Golden Crow Island?”
“Who are you?”
“I am Qin Tian-Jun.”
Gasp
The moment I heard that name, I realized I had stepped into deep waters. The figure before me, Wang Cheon-gun, was one of the oldest and most powerful among the Monster Sages.
‘And Qin Tian-Jun’s specialty is Meteor Manipulation…’
As I grew tense, Qin Tian-Jun remarked, “Now I see you’ve got the power of the Seven Luminaries and the Fire Dragon. Quite a catch.”
“You imply that you’ll definitely win against me?”
Qin Tian-Jun rose from his position and laughed mockingly. “Foolish man. Just because you possess the Seven Luminaries means nothing.”
“What?”
“Die.”
Boom
At that moment, I became aware of an enormous meteor the size of hundreds tumbling directly towards me, engulfed in flames and appearing out of nowhere.
“…?!”
[Danger!]
The Fire Dragon Incarnate transformed into a dragon, amplifying the power of the Fire Dragon Sword. At the same time, feeling the strain of the Seven Luminaries, I pulled the Fire Spirit’s flames to counter the meteor, but the falling meteor, even after meeting the flames, retained its momentum, pushing me back. I felt like I might be crushed under it and quickly employed the Thunder God Sword Dance to slash down hard on the meteor.
But the moment I slashed, Qin Tian-Jun had already disappeared from the scene, and instead, countless meteors began to rain down from the heavens. The Fire Dragon Incarnate shouted, “[You’ve fallen into the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army’s trap! Stay focused and endure!]”
Bang bang bang
I had no choice but to frantically slash and fend off the meteors. But the barrage was relentless, with Qin Tian-Jun nowhere to be seen. Feeling desperate, I shouted towards the Fire Dragon Incarnate, “Can’t we just cut the space like before?”
[Not possible!]
“Why?!”
[Unlike what briefly unfolded before, this Ten Thousand Heavenly Army’s technique is directly controlled by them. Its solidity is tens of times what it was before! Plus, if they expand the space infinitely while attacking us, there’s no way to counter!]
“If we break the space with Fire Spirit flames…”
[Give it a shot!]
Ku gururur!
While blocking the meteors, I pooled the strength from the Fire Dragon Sword and Fire Spirit together. With my eyes wide open, I slashed forward and shouted, “Fire Spirit Flames!”
Kaboom!
The power of the Seven Luminaries spread out and cracked open space. Before long, the meteor-strewn realm of the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army broke apart, revealing the original space again, where, still but several paces away, Qin Tian-Jun stood.
“…?”
But beside Qin Tian-Jun was another Monster Sage. This one appeared to be a blend of a Mantis and a human, extending a hand toward me and saying, “[Here comes Dong Tian-Jun’s Wind Roar Formation.]
Swooshhh!
In the blink of an eye, a new spatial realm emerged, this time swirling with a gusty wind. I quickly avoided the whirlwind, but Qin Tian-Jun’s voice echoed around me again, “[Receive the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army’s Thundering Formation.]
Blam!
“Ugh, this…”
I managed to block the cutting winds with the Protection Energy Technique, but as meteors swept in to strike me, I was left dumbfounded. With two realms overlapping, it unleashed an even more lethal assault. The Fire Dragon Incarnate said, “[They’re combining forces.]
“……”
[Well, if I were in their shoes, I’d team up too. If they kill you, they can acquire both the Seven Luminaries and the Fire Dragon Sword at once.]
“Damn it! Where did Dong Tian-Jun come from?!”
[This fortress itself is a Tenfold Great Formation, and if the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army’s techniques can manipulate space, it’s no surprise they can quickly use the Transmission Technique. This could turn into a serious problem.]
The Fire Dragon Incarnate made it clear why this could be catastrophic.
Swish swoosh!
More new figures appeared.
‘Crap!’
I looked up blankly at the figures floating in the air, who thrust their hands forward and shouted, “[I, Son Tian-Jun, will unleash the Blood Transformation Formation.]
“[I, Yuan Tian-Jun, will unleash the Ice of the Han Dynasty Formation.]
“[I, Zhang Tian-Jun, will unleash the Red Sand Formation.]
Before long, they all unleashed their dazzling light.
“Hahaha! Hand over the Seven Luminaries, you human!”
Ku gururur!
The blood-red waves crashed down, and the temperature around us sharply plummeted.
Fortunately, I still had solid ground to stand on, but now black sand gaped open like a mouth.
While blocking the meteors amidst the icy winds, I caught glimpses of the blood-red waves and arrows flying toward me.
‘You bastards…’
Staring at the lethal natural disasters closing in all around, I realized I had unexpectedly become the target of a combined attack from five of the Ten Thousand Heavenly Army!
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