775 ———————————————-

Dark Heaven Village

Swoosh!!

I swung the Great Destruction technique nonstop while the blessing of the inertia army kept time frozen, slicing through the enemy. It felt like time was resetting just for me, and even though the enemy numbered in the tens of thousands, it seemed like I was only facing them one at a time.

After taking down about fifteen thousand, the numbers dwindled to half, and I felt no energy being spent at all.

Zing!

My speed was accelerating even more. At first, I was taking down about ten enemies with a single strike, but realizing I didn’t have to worry about energy depletion, I increased the size of my sword strength, and the number I could take down in one hit grew to one hundred, two hundred.

Eventually, I could take down two thousand with one slice; if an outsider saw me now, it would look like a storm of swords swirling around.

I kept relentlessly slashing the enemies and finally managed to wipe them all out. The moment I stopped attacking, the blessing effect ended, and I took a moment to catch my breath. Even using the Great Destruction technique, it would have taken a lot of time to eliminate this many foes, but I cleared them in the blink of an eye. It truly was an incredible blessing.

The Celestial Sage seemed taken aback by the fact that I had slain a hundred thousand troops all at once, but it looked like he figured out it was due to the blessing. He approached me and said,

“We don’t have time. We need to eliminate Nahoo.”

“Sage, just a moment.”

I could hear Zhuge Bu’s voice echoing in my head.

[It’s not too late. Grab the Fire Spirit. We only need the Seven Luminaries.]

Following Zhuge Bu’s instructions, I seized the Fire Spirit, and soon I felt Zhuge Bu manipulating my body to cast some technique.

Phantom Summoning

Mastery of the Hundred Arts

Koooh!

Using the power contained within the Fire Spirit, Zhuge Bu seemed to be employing some advanced magic. As his technique unfolded, a phantom I had never seen before was summoned into thin air, clearly a mythical species that existed only in the Phantom Realm. After a moment, the phantom ignited itself and let out a terrifying scream.

Breeeak –

After the phantom burned, the air around it distorted. The distortion swayed for a while, then suddenly expelled a small rock.

Thud!

Zhuge Bu swiftly moved my body and snatched the stone, saying,

[We did it. Luckily, it was within the range of the technique.]

[Could it be…?]

[It’s the Philosopher’s Stone that was embedded in the Portrait Immortal. The Philosopher’s Stone is the most perfect material, so you’ll be safe in the Sea of Chaos.]

[I thought I wouldn’t find it after falling into the Sea of Chaos. How did you do that?]

[By using the top-level phantom magic, Mastery of the Hundred Arts, you can summon any desired target here. Of course, being a top-tier phantom, there’s no way a mere sorcerer could summon it, but with the power of the Seven Luminaries… ]

[…….]

[With this, I can restore the Spirit Summoning Technique and at least incapacitate either Nahoo or the kaleidoscope.]

What a formidable guy. I thought both martial arts and magic were top-notch, but neither seemed absolutely supreme; however, in reality, he was essentially a jack-of-all-trades capable of anything once the wall of limitation was broken.

Moreover, Zhuge Bu, who had enhanced himself and harnessed the power of treasures, was now the strongest supporter among the comrades I could command.

[But right now, it’s more urgent to smash Nahoo than to restore the Spirit Summoning Technique. Infuse this Philosopher’s Stone with your intent.]

[Infuse it with intent?]

[The Philosopher’s Stone isn’t just a lifeless object. It has its own will. Therefore, if you convey your intent, it will respond and share its power.]

I followed Zhuge Bu’s words and tried to deliver my intent. As soon as I requested strength, a sudden surge of lightning erupted from the Philosopher’s Stone.

Crackle!!

“……!!”

What?! My physical abilities have once again increased while in the state of Great Destruction?!

I trembled at the unbelievable amplification of power. The Great Destruction technique unlocked all the sealed doors of the body, so I thought there couldn’t be any further amplification—yet here I was, about to expand my true capabilities again!

It felt like the essence of Great Nature itself was being absorbed into me. At this moment, I felt like I could do anything. But at the same time, I realized this amplification would only last for a brief moment and let out a ferocious roar towards Nahoo.

“Haaaaaaap!!”

Boom!

The Fire Dragon Sword was horizontal, while the Fire Spirit was vertical.

The cross slash passed over Nahoo, and I stood silently with my back to Nahoo for a moment.

After a short while, Nahoo’s spinning noticeably slowed down, and it began to thrash violently.

Gugugugugugu!

Gugugugu!!

Crash!

In front of the thrashing Nahoo was the scar of my cross slash. Unlike before, I had definitely dealt a blow to Nahoo! The Celestial Sage, realizing my attack had inflicted a critical hit on Nahoo, immediately followed up with an iron fist imbued with demon power to smash the cross scar even harder.

Clang!

With the Celestial Sage’s additional attack, Nahoo’s rotation slowed down even more, and it eventually came to a halt. The Celestial Sage panted and said,

“One more time!! Then I’ll shatter it from the inside.”

“Yes!!”

“Let’s attack together this time!”

Tap tap!

I sprinted in alongside the Celestial Sage and struck at the core of Nahoo.

Boom!

At that moment, the core cracked like a spider web, and it began to thrash even more vigorously. The Celestial Sage shouted,

“It’s going to explode! Get back!”

In the next moment, I was kicked by the Celestial Sage’s divine mount and flew dozens of li away, and a tremendous explosion erupted right behind me with a flash. The explosion was so powerful that even riding on the divine mount, I could feel warmth at my back.

The explosion was so enormous that I could barely hear the sound, and even the chaotic sea seemed to be blown away in a tsunami-like wave cascading all around.

Whooooosh!

The wind brushed across my cheek. The Celestial Sage, still on the divine mount, looked ahead and said,

“How long can you maintain that tremendous power?”

He was undoubtedly asking about the duration of the Great Destruction.

“…A half season, no… maybe between one or two meals within half a season.”

“Close call. Quickly, let’s head to the kaleidoscope and do what we just did.”

The Celestial Sage did not seem relaxed at all, biting down on his teeth as he looked up at the sky.

“The light of the Moon Sovereign is shining brightly.”

“…….”

Now with the Moon-phasing constellation of the dragon completed, only the two remaining elements, Gold and Earth, were left, making the deadline urgent.

Internally, I couldn’t help but grumble,

“Damn that Cheon Gong-pyo!! After taking so many Seven Luminaries, what is he doing to me?”

With the Celestial Sage’s proposal, Cheon Gong-pyo had been allocated five Seven Luminaries. Excluding the Fire Spirit in Jin’s possession, it was safe to say he had given nearly everything away. As Cheon Gong-pyo, who could be considered the strongest force among our group, Zhuge Bu probably thought he would handle everything solo while suggesting we first deal with the thorn-in-the-side Qin Shi Huang.

However, after spending some time battling Qin Shi Huang and smashing Nahoo, I still couldn’t see any signs of the kaleidoscope breaking. I had no clue what was going on.

“Even with the powers of Great Destruction and the Fire Dragon Sword aided by the Philosopher’s Stone, I can’t be stronger than Cheon Gong-pyo, who has five Seven Luminaries. How could he not have smashed the kaleidoscope yet?”

Something surely had to have gone wrong.

Just as the divine mount reached the location of the kaleidoscope in the blink of an eye.

Wooooo….

The kaleidoscope was not spinning. Instead, it was emitting a mysterious light, hovering like a ball made of light in the air. Above the kaleidoscope stood Cheon Gong-pyo, arms crossed.

“Cheon Gong-pyo!! What are you doing?! Smash the kaleidoscope quickly!!”

“…….”

Cheon Gong-pyo simply looked down, still arms crossed at my shout. Then he spoke.

“Is breaking this really the solution?”

“What?”

What kind of nonsense was that?!

As I blinked in disbelief, Cheon Gong-pyo continued.

“While Nahoo is important, this kaleidoscope is a star that truly exists in the galaxy, merely materialized in this space. That’s why it was spinning the moment it was summoned.”

“So what’s the point?! If Nahoo and the kaleidoscope become the dragon’s eyes, it’ll all be over! Is there any choice other than smashing them?”

“If you break Nahoo and the kaleidoscope… a blind dragon will be summoned.”

“What does that mean?”

“I think regardless of whether the blind dragon rampages, the outcome will be the same, right? The Seven Luminary dragon embodied by the Spirit of the Sun has no use for sight. It will annihilate everyone in a single stroke.”

“……?”

What on earth is he trying to say? Then, in my head, I heard Zhuge Bu speak.

[What a waste of time. From now on, I’ll speak on your behalf.]

[Understood.]

As I agreed with Zhuge Bu’s words, he whispered through me.

“Are you suggesting we dominate the kaleidoscope with your magic so when the Seven Luminary dragon is summoned, we can enter the dragon’s eye? No matter how powerful the Seven Luminary dragon is, it won’t think to attack its own eyes.”

Cheon Gong-pyo displayed an expression of surprise.

“…Baek Woong, when did you get so smart? Considering there are no strategists around you, you immediately grasped my intentions?”

“Seems so. So how much of the kaleidoscope do you control?”

“Thanks to borrowing the power of the Seven Luminaries, about sixty percent… If I can fully harness the star’s magic, we’ll be able to enter the internal realm of the kaleidoscope.”

“A good tactic, but it annoys me.”

“What?”

“If you were going to go through with such a tactic, you should have conveyed it through magic and informed us. Yet, you remained silent until we smashed Nahoo, doing your own thing instead. You likely intended to survive alone, regardless of whether we succeeded or failed.”

“…….”

As Cheon Gong-pyo fell silent as if he swallowed a frog, Zhuge Bu pressed on.

“Cheon Gong-pyo. Are you not afraid of me? How many times will you protect your pathetic pride before you’re satisfied? If you’re not afraid of eternal hell, from now on follow my orders completely.”

“Huh? You dare…”

“Remember, to me, this death is not the end but merely the beginning. Your fate lies in my hands.”

“…….”

Cheon Gong-pyo trembled at those words. Eventually, he murmured,

“I understand…”

“Good. Before mastering the kaleidoscope, there’s something we need to do first.”

Zhuge Bu tossed the Philosopher’s Stone to Cheon Gong-pyo, saying,

“Recover the Spirit Summoning Technique with the Philosopher’s Stone, and then smash the constellation of the Gold. It won’t be too late to take control afterward.”

“Alright.”

Wooooo!

After receiving the Philosopher’s Stone, Cheon Gong-pyo used the Spirit Summoning Technique to release a massive force towards Gold.

Boom!!

Is it really Cheon Gong-pyo? He obliterated the planet faster and stronger than when he was making cuts on Xuyou’s planet earlier. As Gold exploded, sounds echoed from Ghost Valley.

WooOOOOO –

OooooOOO –

What the heck is that noise?

I wondered, and Zhuge Bu spoke in my head.

[Probably the Amatsukami trapped on Venus.]

[Ah!]

[If this trial is akin to destroying the planets of the Seven Luminaries, it’s only natural. The Amatsukami were hurled into space when their sealed planet was destroyed, so if they can’t find a suitable vessel, they’ll soon perish.]

[…….]

[Of course, it would be safe to say the likelihood of finding such a body in that vast cosmos is negligible.]

Should I feel sorry for them?

But I heard from Seimei that the Amatsukami were entities who engaged in horrendous human sacrifices and brutal practices during primordial times, so it’s hard to feel pity. They should just blame their own unfortunate fate. Zhuge Bu seemed somewhat regretful.

[This trial required swiftness, and the early phase was the most crucial. Since the Moon Sovereign is the smallest planet among the Seven Luminaries, if we had smashed it first, the rest would’ve been easier… and yet the smallest and easiest planet had to be the very first to be illuminated.]

[So that’s how it is.]

After obliterating Gold, Cheon Gong-pyo utilized the recovery properties of the Philosopher’s Stone once more.

This time, it seemed he couldn’t recover the Spirit Summoning Technique, but utilizing the Philosopher’s Stone, he significantly amplified his mastery over the kaleidoscope, causing the kaleidoscope to emit light faster and faster.

Kiiing!

Finally, when the kaleidoscope began to completely radiate multicolor lights, I used the Celestial Sage’s divine mount to bring Zhuge Bu here. Zhuge Bu spoke up.

“Baek Woong. To be honest, from now on, tactics may not be effective. Somehow, using both tactics and power, we managed to destroy one of the seven celestial beings, and we’re invading through the kaleidoscope into its eye, but frankly, the results of the trial aren’t looking good. At least three constellations needed to be destroyed for a chance at passing the trial.”

“…….”

“We’ll be failing the trial. We should have weakened the dragon’s power by more than half; we just needed a little more preparation…”

“Why are you already speaking like that?”

As I grumbled, Zhuge Bu forced a smile.

“…Baek Woong. If we all meet our end, just summon that one.”

At that moment, the name that slipped from Zhuge Bu’s lips left me wide-eyed.

“Oh right! Should I just call right now?”

“No. Calling now won’t help. If you’re going to do it, make sure it’s when a variable arises…. It should be when you can see a glimmer of hope for passing this trial. If that’s not the case, it might just be better to embrace annihilation instead.”

“What are you thinking about?”

He spoke with a sigh.

“It’s about the dynamics of the gods. After all, if the Emperor chose this kind of trial, wouldn’t he be inclined to remain passive…? If it’s going to be a failed trial anyway, we can only hope that it collapses altogether!”

Swoooooo!

Slowly, the light of the Earth Element began to illuminate. Zhuge Bu spoke.

“The Seven Luminary dragon is complete.”

The constellations began to resonate.

Simultaneously, the radiant hues clinging to each of the Seven Luminaries spread out and connected to the constellations.

“Let’s go!”

In that moment, we swiftly lunged for the kaleidoscope, and Cheon Gong-pyo opened the gates of the kaleidoscope, pulling us inside.

Whooooosh!

The kaleidoscope shot up into the sky, transforming into the eye of a dragon. As we observed the changed surroundings of the eye, it indeed looked like the inner body of a living creature. Outside the eye, the Seven Luminary dragon exhaled, incinerating everything in its path.

Fwoosh!

The dragon’s breath literally set the entire world ablaze in a single stroke. And there was no place to escape. The prediction that the challenger would perish the moment the Seven Luminary dragon was summoned had come true. I let out a sigh of relief and muttered,

“Now, we just need to destroy it from inside the dragon.”

At that moment.

[You’ve tricked us.]

There stood the vision of the protector of the Sun, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens, before us.