Translator/Editor: TranslatingNovice

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Chapter 172: Even If This Place Is Hell (1)

Kururung!

The heavens and earth are engulfed in purple lightning.

‘Damn it…’

Even sending heart language to try and calm his mind doesn't help.

His heart essence is completely shattered.

It was already in a precarious state, but the fact that Yeon Jin died must have been the tipping point.

‘Can I subdue him?’

Just then.

Wuduk, wududuk!

Swoosh!

"Kuh...ughaaaah!"

"...??"

Sure enough, the messenger from the Human Race Grand Alliance, whose Nascent Soul had exploded due to Jeon Myeong-hoon, is screaming while regenerating his body.

‘How!? I clearly saw his Nascent Soul explode…’

Even if one loses their entire body, as long as the Nascent Soul exists, resurrection is possible for cultivators from the Nascent Soul stage and above.

Conversely, this means the biggest weakness of cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage is the Nascent Soul itself.

‘He's alive even after his Nascent Soul exploded?’

"Wait, that is...?"

Wo-woong!

Behind Hyeon Shin, three Nascent Souls appear.

"...!?"

And one of the Nascent Souls re-enters Hyeon Shin's body.

Soon after, Hyeon Shin is completely resurrected.

"You...! How dare, how dare you consume one of my Nascent Souls...!? I will definitely kill you!"

‘Did he… condense not just one, but four Nascent Souls?’

Jeon Myeong-hoon, engulfed in lightning, silently watches Hyeon Shin with his eyes inverted.

The sight is quite eerie, and Hyeon Shin, startled by Jeon Myeong-hoon, starts to ramble about his Nascent Souls.

"Ha, haha! The Four Symbols Nascent Soul technique of our Black Scaled Fish Commanding Sect allows splitting the original Nascent Soul into four and then slowly nurturing them to obtain a total of four Nascent Souls! I won't be easily defeated by someone like you!"

After finishing his words, he immediately forms a hand seal.

Wo-woong!

Behind him, three Nascent Souls float up..

The Nascent Souls position themselves in a 'ㄱ' shape behind him, forming the same hand seal as him.

Wo-woong!

Simultaneously, a '口'-shaped spatial rift appears behind him.

However, due to one of the Four Symbols Nascent Souls being missing, the spatial rift doesn't seem to be in its complete form.

"Jeon Myeong-hoon, who killed the Four-Axis Inspector, and Seo Eun-hyun, estimated to be of Four-Axis strength! I have come to capture both of you!"

Wo-woong!

Simultaneously, from the spatial rift behind Hyeon Shin.

Something begins to emerge.

I watch the scene with wide eyes.

'What is that...?'

The plane of Qi trembles.

With the vision of the Earth Tribe, Yin and Yang rotates, diving deep into the plane of Qi.

At the same time, I see something 'pulling up' through the spatial rift, with Yin and Yang swirling within the plane of Qi.

Wo-woong!

In regular vision, visible changes are happening to Hyeon Shin.

Black scales sprout on his skin.

Simultaneously, from the black spatial rift behind him, the shadow of a dragon emerges and clings to his body.

Kugugugu!

Hyeon Shin's body transforms, becoming half-human, half-demon like Seo Ran!

[Many disciples of our Black Scaled Fish Commanding Sect are demi-humans of the Grand Cultivator Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum (Mysterious Yin) and human concubines... Gifted with the true blood of the immortal beast Black Dragon, bestowed by him, it is possible to draw upon the power of ancient immortal beasts from the distant past…!]

Kugugugu!

At the same time, the weather begins to change.

The air fills with yin energy, and once again, rain begins to fall.

Swoosh!

This time, the rain is black water.

Kugugugu!

The dark clouds in the sky gather, transforming into the shape of an ink dragon.

Kwaaaaaah!

Rain pours from the sky, and water gushes from the ground.

The natural world is changing.

'This is...'

Clearly, the power of the Four-Axis stage!

'The shadow of the Black Dragon clinging to him... It's giving him power!'

It isn't the power he cultivated.

Through this so-called true blood of the immortal beast, he’s borrowing the power of [something] existing far away!

Below the ink dragon, Hyeon Shin points at Jeon Myeong-hoon and shouts.

[Surrender quietly and hand over your Nascent Soul, Jeon Myeong-hoon! Otherwise....]

And then.

[Shut your mouth...]

With a thunderous roar,

[Shut up!]

The clouds filling the sky are torn apart in a single strike.

The red lightning, clustering like the sun, tears the clouds apart, and from its center, Jeon Myeong-hoon screams madly.

[Everyone... should die. In this meaningless world, why are you all still alive?]

Kugugugugu!

The sky is covered with red lightning.

The ink dragon formed by dark clouds created by Hyeon Shin with confidence is torn to shreds and disintegrated by Jeon Myeong-hoon's lightning.

[Wait, what is this...]

Before he can grasp the situation, Jeon Myeong-hoon flies at the speed of lightning towards Hyeon Shin, grabbing his face.

Kuarururung!

Thunder follows Jeon Myeong-hoon, and the cultivators in the Heavenly Being stage and Nascent Soul stage who came with Hyeon Shin are flustered, each forming hand seals and casting their spells towards Jeon Myeong-hoon.

However, the next moment.

Kwarurururng!

The heavens and earth are enveloped in crimson lightning.

The entire 8th occupied territory is filled with red lightning, covering everything in existence.

Not only the cultivators who came to assist Hyeon Shin but also I am enveloped in red lightning.

In an instant, the world turns blindingly white.

Shhiiiii.

I gasp for air while looking up at the sky, my body smoking.

Kurung, kururung...

Red lightning is still writhing in the sky.

And I, having drawn upon the Azure Spirit Starlight Quintessence Great Method to its limit, clench my teeth.

Wo-woong!

The starlight of the Starlight Protecting Void Body circles my entire body.

Like Oh Hyun-seok before, my body had transformed as if embodying the night.

'I... blocked it.'

Gasping for breath, I look down at the Devil Race who fainted just from the aftermath.

Fortunately, Jeon Myeong-hoon's attack hadn't killed the Devil Race I was trying to protect because I had thrown my body with all my might to block Jeon Myeong-hoon's red lightning.

But I look up at the sky with a tense face.

Jeon Myeong-hoon is still convulsing at the center of the sphere made of red lightning.

The cultivators of the Heavenly Being and Nascent Soul stages who had been supporting Hyeon Shin until now have all disappeared.

They seem to have turned to ash.

As I survey the situation and look around, I see a small cloud cluster in the distance.

It’s a dark cloud made of yin energy.

The dark cloud envelops something like a small cocoon, and after a while, a person emerges.

It’s Hyeon Shin.

He’s spitting blood, glaring at Jeon Myeong-hoon with bloodshot eyes.

Dressed solemnly as a messenger of the Human Race Grand Alliance, his clothes are all torn and turned into rags, and his body is half-cooked to a golden brown.

Hyeon Shin looks at me and shouts.

"Seo Eun-hyun! You, help me!"

He grimaces with bloodshot eyes.

"We must stop this mad murderer! If we let him go, he will roam around committing countless massacres! We must seal him now! Help me seal him, and I will support you with all my power at the Human Race Grand Alliance’s trial!"

Chyararak!

Hyeon Shin opens his mouth and pulls out seven flag dharma treasures from his Golden Core.

Each black flag dharma treasure depicts a black dragon clutching a pearl.

I am dazzled by the pearl in the mouth of the black dragon, which looks very similar to the Vast Cold Jade.

"We will catch him using the barrier spread across the occupied territory! Cooperate, Seo Eun-hyun!"

"..."

I silently gaze at the crazed figure..

'How did it come to this, Jeon Myeong-hoon.'

Perhaps.

I should have joined the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect instead of the Azure Heaven Creation Sect.

If I had known the circumstances,

Perhaps I could have saved him, completely lost to madness.

But Jeon Myeong-hoon has already gone mad, and in this life, I have people I need to protect.

So,

'I'm sorry.'

Wo-woong!

I must seal him.

'This is the best I can do right now.'

Under the influence of the Azure Spirit Starlight Quintessence Great Method, my entire body increasingly becomes immersed in starlight.

The power of the Starlight Protecting Void Body endlessly amplifies the strength of my flesh.

My body transforms as if visualizing the universe, like the starlight in the night sky.

From my dantian, a five-colored light swirls, while blue light orbits around both fists.

Bo-oong!

[I will hold Jeon Myeong-hoon back, move during this time!]

Ironically, Hyeon Shin, who came to capture me, started to collaborate against the insane Jeon Myeong-hoon.

Bo-oong, Boong, Boong, Boong!

I draw my Formless Sword.

'The speed isn't that of real lightning.'

The red lightning fired by Jeon Myeong-hoon, while powerful, is significantly slower compared to the speed of true Heavenly Lightning.

Slow enough for me to see with my eyes and dodge.

And being able to dodge means.

Bo-oong!

Shwoosh!

I can precisely strike and cut at the weakest point!

Kurung, Kurururung!

Lightning scatters in all directions, erratically rushing towards me.

However, the Formless Sword's unpredictability matches that of the lightning.

I extend the Formless Sword forward.

The Formless Sword also bizarrely transforms to meet Jeon Myeong-hoon's lightning.

Each strand of lightning he extends is enough to cut through space itself.

But with eyes that transcend planes, cutting through space is something I can adequately respond to.

'The space formed by the plane of Qi...'

Everything under the heavens.

Everything that exists in this world is ultimately determined by the plane.

The matter of this world.

All physical sciences exist at the bottom of the plane of Qi, a lower dimension of spiritual energy!

And such spiritual energies interweave messily, forming the space of this world.

With my eyes that have reached the Nascent Soul stage, I can see the energies that make up space.

How is it possible for those at the Nascent Soul stage to slice through space and perform spatial movement?

Bo-oong!

With the Formless Sword, I naturally cut through the spiritual energies forming the plane of space, countering Jeon Myeong-hoon's lightning.

Originally, being at the Nascent Soul stage only allows one to see the Qi plane that makes up space, but actually intervening requires significant effort.

Therefore, freely slicing through space and entering the void to move through space is a privilege only for those at the Heavenly Being stage and above.

However, my Formless Sword, freely slicing through planes, combined with the eyes of the Nascent Soul stage, allows me to dodge Jeon Myeong-hoon's attacks as freely as a Heavenly Being stage cultivator.

Kururung!

His energy gradually intensifies.

Once again, six flags sprout from his back.

But this time, the flags are not drawn out one by one as before.

Kwaeung!

Instead, all six flags are drawn out at once.

Wo-woong!

Simultaneously, the red lightning covering his surroundings begin to change shape.

The lightning takes form, transforming into the figure of a giant.

It looks akin to a Thunder God.

The fearsome figure of the Thunder God raises its arms to the sky.

The Thunder God's shoulders stretch out, sprouting another pair of arms.

The newly formed Thunder God spread its pair of arms on both sides again.

And once more, another pair of arms sprout from the Thunder God's shoulders.

The newly sprouted arms reach forward.

In the form of a six-armed figure, each hand holds a flag.

Oooooooh!

The Thunder God roars.

Simultaneously, the sky turns red, and the earth trembles.

Kugugugu!

The Thunder God absorbs the surrounding lightning power, gradually increasing in size.

The flags in the hands of the Thunder God also grow larger.

After a while, the Thunder God, grown to about 2000 meters in size, looks down at me.

Zzirit, Zzirit…

The space between the heavens and earth is filled with lightning energy, causing static electricity to prickle all over my body with every movement.

I gaze at the red glow in the eyes of the Thunder God.

"...I am sorry, Jeon Myeong-hoon."

I take the Starting Form.

"For leaving you to become a monster."

Kurururung!

The Thunder God roars and swings its flags.

With each swing of its six arms, colorful lightning bolts fall towards me.

Our battle has begun.

At the headquarters of the Human Race Grand Alliance, Heavenly Human Island.

At the very center of that Sky Island, Grand Cultivators at the Integration stage reside on Heavenly Cauldron Mountain.

There are seven cave mansions on Heavenly Cauldron Mountain.

From one of the seven, a bright burst of light shines forth.

Soon after, the white light soars to the summit of Heavenly Cauldron Mountain and settles in a small formation there.

Wo-woong!

As the formation activates, the white light transforms into the figure of a man and takes his place within the formation, and shortly after, six faint figures appear above it.

[Cultivator Wi, what matter requires the summoning of the Council of Grand Cultivators?]

One of the figures asks the white light, Wi Ryeong-seon

Wi Ryeong-seon frowns and replies.

[Previously, we sent an inspector to arrest Seo Eun-hyun, the provincial governor of the 8th occupied territory of the Devil Realm, on charges of betrayal to the Human Race. The inspector was captured and killed by Jeon Myeong-hoon, a survivor of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. We then sent Hyeon Shin to apprehend him.]

[Hyeon Shin, isn’t that the one with the most potent lineage of immortal beasts from the Black Scaled Fish Commanding Sect?]]

[Excessive force was sent.]

[Considering that Hyeon Shin can borrow the power of ancient immortal beasts to exhibit the peak strength of a mid Four-Axis stage entity despite being at the Heavenly Being stage...]

[Even if both Seo Eun-hyun and Jeon Myeong-hoon are considered Four-Axis stage forces, according to what has been assessed, Seo Eun-hyun barely reaches the Four-Axis stage. Jeon Myeong-hoon can only exert the power of the mid Four-Axis stage explosively for a short duration, right? It's unlikely he can defeat Hyeon Shin, who can stably exhibit the peak power of the mid Four-Axis stage throughout the day.]

Following the Grand Cultivators' discussion, Wi Ryeong-seon sighs and then speaks.

[I just received a message from Hyeon Woon, the Chief Strategist of the Devil Realm Conquest Army. He felt the death of his brother, Hyeon Shin.]

[What...! How can that be...!? Could Hyeon Woon have felt wrong?]

[I just confirmed with my avatar in Temporal Fate Island. Hyeon Shin’s life marker has vanished.]

[This is unbelievable… Are you saying Jeon Myeong-hoon and Seo Eun-hyun have surpassed the mid Four-Axis stage in power?]

Wi Ryeong-seon coughs and continues.

[According to the message from Hyeon Woon, it seems the situation is roughly as follows:

Jeon Myeong-hoon began an uncontrollable rampage, and Hyeon Shin, briefly joining hands with Seo Eun-hyun and using the barrier of the 8th occupied territory, managed to seal Jeon Myeong-hoon. However, in the process, he was fatally injured by Jeon Myeong-hoon, and all his Nascent Souls of the Four Symbols Nascent Soul Technique were scattered. Hyeon Shin informed Hyeon Woon of the situation using a technique before dying.]

[...]

[…It seems Seo Eun-hyun wasn’t the problem. The real issue is Jeon Myeong-hoon….]

[How absurd. Those not even of direct immortal beast lineage killed a Four-Axis stage cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage? Especially the cultivators from the Black Scaled Fish Commanding Sect specialized in survival…?]

A silence lingers among the gathered Grand Cultivators.

[…Both are undoubtedly incredible talents.]

[Had it not been for this incident, they might have reached the stage of Grand Cultivators leading the Human Race…]

Sighs leak among the Grand Cultivators.

[To think they killed a disciple of the Hyeon Clan from the Black Scaled Fish Commanding Sect…]

[Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum will be furious.]

[Furious? More like he'll pretend to be angry to meddle in the affairs of the Human Race.]

[Regardless, giving him a pretext is the problem!]

[Damn it, pretending to be enraged, he'll barge in, kill Jeon Myeong-hoon, and use that as a pretext to kill Seo Eun-hyun as well.]

[He'll kill off the talents of the Human Race using this opportunity and fend off the Integration stage Grand Cultivators of the Devil Realm, using that as a pretext to snatch away most of the occupied territories the Human Race has conquered for the Black Dragon Race!]

The Grand Cultivators all sigh deeply.

[It's chaos everywhere. A lunatic called the Mad Lord of the Human Race has been rampaging through different races, tarnishing the prestige of our Human Race... Our ambitious invasion of the Devil Realm hardly showed results, and most of the occupied territories are about to be snatched away by the Black Dragon Race. Moreover, all of us, the Integration stage Grand Cultivators, are severely injured, making it difficult to even leave our abodes...]

[Given the situation, we might as well execute the Realm Annihilation Heavenly Void Formation plan properly, turning the Devil Realm into ruins so that no one benefits.]

[Right, since Jeon Myeong-hoon, that damned lunatic, has already turned the 4th occupied territory to ruins, let's not incorporate it into the Bright Cold Realm but instead detonate the Realm Annihilation Heavenly Void Formation right there...]

[The Black Dragon Race won't be able to gain much from this either.]

[It's come to this point so we all might as well go down together!]

They grit their teeth as they share their opinions.

The Council of Grand Cultivators continued for several days.

A few days later, at the summit of Heavenly Cauldron Mountain where the Council of Grand Cultivators is held,

One of the Four-Axis stage Masters of the Grand Alliance arrived.

"I report to the Grand Cultivators, at the entrance to the True Devil Realm, the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum has arrived and is demanding passage permission from the Grand Alliance's envoy controlling the entrance."

[So, the old man has finally arrived...]

The Integration stage Grand Cultivators sigh as the meeting continues.

[Let him through. I don't like the old man’s meddling, but under the current circumstances, he's the only one who can stop the Integration stage beings of the True Devil Realm.]

Wi Ryeong-seon clicks his tongue and speaks to the Four-Axis stage Master.

[Once the old man avenges his descendant in the 8th occupied territory and heads to the front line, immediately activate the Realm Annihilation Heavenly Void Formation and relay this order.]

His eyes shimmer menacingly.

[Since it has come to this, it's better if no one benefits. After activating the Realm Annihilation Heavenly Void Formation, close the entrance to the True Devil Realm so that the Black Dragon King can't come back to protest.]

Thus, an order that would mark the end of the war between the Humans and Devils was issued by the Council of Grand Cultivators of the Human Race Grand Alliance.

At the entrance to the True Devil Realm within the Human Territory,

A pale-faced middle-aged man in black robes stands expressionlessly.

The middle-aged man has a pair of small black azure antlers on his forehead.

Next to him, a Four-Axis stage envoy of the Grand Alliance is nervously standing.

"When exactly is the passage permission arriving? Are your people evolved from snails? I'm starting to get annoyed."

"M-my apologies to the Black Dragon King, but if you can wait just a bit longer..."

"You've been saying just a bit longer over and over again, but when exactly does this 'bit longer' end?"

"That is..."

My descendant, Hyeon Shin, has died, and I'm already in a very foul mood. I'm waiting for the passage permit out of the minimum respect for you Human Race folks, but if you're going to delay it like this, how do you think I feel?”

"That is..."

Just then.

Wo-woong!

A bright light emanates from the jade slip at the waist of the Four-Axis stage envoy.

The Four-Axis stage envoy hastily presses the jade slip to his forehead.

After reading the message conveyed through the jade slip, his face lights up.

"Pe-permission has been granted! Black Dragon King, you may now enter!"

"Hmm, so the permission has finally been granted?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Fine... By the way, did Wi Ryeong-seon not send an avatar to this side of the True Devil Realm entrance?"

“Ah, yes, that's correct. Grand Cultivator Wi has been gradually reducing his avatars and entrusting the management of the Human Race to the cultivators under the Grand Alliance…”

"I see. Then who is the direct contact for the Human Race Grand Alliance at this entrance to the Devil Realm?"

“I am the sole person directly responsible for communication with the Human Race Grand Alliance! No one else can communicate directly with the…”

"In that case."

Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum looks at the Four-Axis stage envoy with a sneering smile.

“If I just kill you, despite whatever happens here, the Human Race Grand Alliance will be none the wiser.”

"...Excuse me?"

Crack!

"Aaargh!"

Black Dragon King moves faster than the Four-Axis stage envoy can react, grabbing and lifting him by the neck.

"Gurk, Grrrrk!"

Blood spurts from the envoy's seven orifices.

His entire body's blood vessels writhe as blood splatters in all directions.

"Wh-What are you doing..."

“Regrettably, right after the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum crossed into the True Devil Realm, a meteorite coincidentally fell near the entrance to the True Devil Realm, resulting in the total annihilation of your forces. The benevolent Black Dragon King had legally crossed into the True Devil Realm with the permission of the Human Race Grand Alliance's Council of Grand Cultivators, and the unfortunate incident of the meteorite falling has nothing to do with him. It's a truly sad event, but the benevolent Black Dragon King had no other choice but to express his condolences. You understand, right?”

Kugugugu!

At the entrance to the True Devil Realm.

A massive accumulation of black water forms in the sky.

Kugugugu!

The black water falls towards their location.

The Human Race army stationed at the entrance to the True Devil Realm scream as they look up at the sky.

"Wha, what is that!"

"It's the Black Dragon King! The Black Dragon King is trying to kill us!"

"Run! We must inform the Human Race Grand Alliance!"

Numerous Heavenly Being stage and Nascent Soul stage cultivators use their Flying Escape Techniques to flee.

However, one of the Heavenly Being stage cultivators feel something strange.

'Wait, was the encampment near the entrance to the True Devil Realm... always this extensive?'

Wo-woong!

The Heavenly Being stage cultivator looks around suspiciously.

He finds himself unable to leave the encampment.

'Why, why?'

Paaat!

He stops momentarily in mid-air before using the Flying Escape Technique again.

However, shortly after.

The Heavenly Being stage cultivator arrives back to the same spot.

"What? Wait... this is the same place I just came from?"

His face turns pale.

"Going in circles? This is..."

He and other Heavenly Being and Nascent Soul stage cultivators look at their surroundings in horror, realizing something.

"The space has been warped!"

"Damn it! We're trapped here!"

Watching the scene, Black Dragon King crushes the Four-Axis stage envoy of the Grand Alliance he was holding.

Boom!

At his gesture, the moisture in the envoy's body explodes outward, and the fleeing soul of the envoy is crushed in the hand of the Black Dragon King.

Crackle!

The Black Dragon King, having crushed the soul of the Four-Axis stage envoy, strokes his beard and laments,

"Unfortunately, after the Black Dragon King crossed into the True Devil Realm, a meteorite fell, leading to the total annihilation of the Human Race army stationed at the entrance to the True Devil Realm without giving them a chance to react, a truly regretful event. This King will express his condolences for the annihilated Human Race army."

Having finished speaking, Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum walks into the entrance of the True Devil Realm.

Kugugugu!

Behind him, the gigantic cluster of black water he summoned falls to the ground, eliciting numerous screams.

As Black Dragon King clenches his hand, the Five Elements change, turning the black water into massive rocks.

The Black Dragon King, having crossed the dimensional gate into the True Devil Realm, smirks wickedly.

"Rotten Human Race fools, do you think you've only backstabbed me once or twice? With the nature of the Human Race, you'd close the entrance to the True Devil Realm the moment I cross over. Hitting you in the back of the head before you can do the same to me is the best way to deal with the Human Race, understand?"

He rises into the air of the True Devil Realm, forming hand seals.

"Now, shall we see if the Esteemed One of the Blood Yin Realm has any objections?"

Kugugugu!

Strange yin energy swirls around the Black Dragon King.

Wo-woong!

Behind him, four Nascent Souls emerge.

The Nascent Souls create spatial rifts, and through those rifts, a blood-red light begins to shine.

[In the name of the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum, I call upon thee, Esteemed One of the Blood Yin Realm. Let your Esteemed Self be revealed, nourished by the massacres and wicked deeds the Human Race has perpetrated in the Devil Realm.]

Kugugugu!

Hyeon Eum laughs ambitiously as he chants the spell.

[I dare speak on behalf of the billions of devils slaughtered, exploited, and devoured by the Human Race.]

Wo-woong!

A bloody radiance extends from behind Hyeon Eum, piercing the ground.

Soon, it begins to spread across the entirety of the Human Race's occupied territories.

[Come forth, O great Esteemed One, and reveal your true self!]

A land laden with countless acts of wickedness perpetrated by the Human Race.

In the dragon veins of all the Human Race occupied territories that the humans exploited and oppressed, a crimson light swirls.