feiniaonovel Chapter 264 : Another Step Forward
Chapter 264 : Another Step Forward
Chapter 264: Another Step Forward
The clash between Ian and Baek Jeong-ak was not a battle between individuals.
One could have believed two entire nations had gone to war with their full strength.
True to the title Black Beast Bubble Shadow King, endless black demonic beasts poured from Baek Jeong-ak’s shadows, while an army of the dead engulfed in flames descended upon them.
KWAAAAAAANG!
The giant black skeleton Jang Woo-hyun had seen before collided with a colossal demonic beast that possessed two heads.
A distant mountain range exploded apart in an instant, and the earth trembled as though an earthquake had struck.
The collision of those two existences crushed and annihilated all nearby troops and demonic beasts.
Their power was too great to be considered mere summoned creatures.
Even Jang Woo-hyun could not confidently guarantee victory against them.
And that was not the end.
Summons comparable to those two appeared one after another and joined the battlefield.
Everything was being destroyed.
Even from such a great distance away, shockwaves reached where Jang Woo-hyun stood.
【WAHAHAHAHA!】
Along with Ian’s laughter, the sky tore apart and the earth shook.
Parts of the Corpse-Blood Realm burned and shattered so violently it felt as though the world itself were ending.
The battle had only just begun, yet already tens of thousands of troops had vanished.
But neither side’s forces diminished.
Troops continuously poured from the gates Ian created, while black demonic beasts endlessly emerged from Baek Jeong-ak’s shadows.
An eternal war.
A battle without end.
This truly resembled the hell of endless combat that could never cease.
While the battle continued—
One shadow demonic beast was blasted away from the battlefield and crashed near Jang Woo-hyun.
KUUUUUNG!
A pitch-black demonic beast with six legs and wings.
Jang Woo-hyun drew his sword to face it, but before he could act, a three-headed skeletal giant descended from above and pierced the shadow beast with a rusted spear.
KIIIEEEEK!
The shadow demonic beast screeched wildly as it rolled across the ground with the three-headed skeletal giant.
A short while later—
The battle between the two beings, who had rolled and fought across the surroundings, ended in victory for the skeletal giant.
Six eyes flickering with blue Ghost Flames stared briefly at Jang Woo-hyun before turning away.
Whatever command Ian had given, it did not attack him.
The skeletal giant turned and reached toward a nearby black vortex.
Having recognized Baek Jeong-ak’s power, it attempted to destroy it.
KWAJIK!
But the moment it touched the black vortex, the giant’s skeletal hand shattered apart.
The vortex was not something that could be broken easily.
Instead, black tentacles emerged from within and restrained the skeletal giant.
From another vortex, a giant hand made of blood emerged and seized the giant.
PUK!
The giant that had crushed the shadow demonic beast was destroyed instantly.
The vortex stopped spinning, and a black ring formed.
Then someone walked out from within it.
Since the vortex itself functioned as a gate that transcended space, Jang Woo-hyun had never intended to destroy it from the beginning.
He needed to meet whoever came through it.
The two figures emerging from the black vortex were both familiar faces.
“……A mere insect from the Central Heavens Realm.”
The old man radiating killing intent the moment he appeared was Hong Sa-myeong, the Refining Void cultivator Jang Woo-hyun had fought in the city.
He had survived the explosion of the Mountain-Shattering Swords that devoured the city.
And the other person—
“You, how are you…….”
Hyeonwol, the Sect Leader of the Radiant Light Sect, appeared through the vortex.
He stared at Jang Woo-hyun with a shocked expression.
Naturally so.
Jang Woo-hyun was not supposed to be alive.
Nor should they have met here.
Even seeing him with his own eyes, Hyeonwol could not believe he was alive.
Faced with a situation beyond common sense, Hyeonwol could not continue speaking.
“You may step aside. I shall clean this place up myself.”
Unlike the stunned Hyeonwol, Hong Sa-myeong stepped forward.
“You truly planned something absurd. To destroy an entire city—”
“Brother!”
“Woo-hyun!”
Before Hong Sa-myeong could finish speaking, Chosu and Jin Ha-un called out from afar.
Their companions flew in from behind.
Including Jin Ha-un, the three had used the Thousand-Li Flying Eagle Nail to escape earlier, traversing a vast distance in an instant and only now returning.
There was no way they would obediently leave Jang Woo-hyun behind just because he told them to go first.
If they were that kind of people, they would never have followed him into the Corpse-Blood Realm in the first place.
After hearing Jin Ha-un and Chosu’s voices, Jang Woo-hyun smiled slightly and retreated backward.
Seeing Hong Sa-myeong’s reaction, Hyeonwol immediately moved as well.
“Do you think you can escape?!”
Black shadows spread outward beneath Hong Sa-myeong’s feet.
The earth darkened, and waves of shadow rose.
Riding atop black waves nearly five jang high, Hong Sa-myeong pursued Jang Woo-hyun.
“Escape? Does it look like I’m running away?”
There was no chance of him fleeing.
He was moving back to regroup with his companions and distance himself from the battle between Ian and Baek Jeong-ak.
It did not seem like a place where he could fight properly.
“Silence! How dare a mere insect from the Central Heavens Realm look down on me!”
Grinding his teeth, Hong Sa-myeong cast a spell.
Black swords rose from the waves of shadow beneath him.
At his gesture, hundreds of black swords rained toward Jang Woo-hyun.
Jang Woo-hyun frowned upon seeing the attack.
He recognized whose spell this was.
“Don’t tell me…… you absorbed your ally?”
“Ally? Gyu-o and I merely belonged to the same place.”
The black swords flying toward him were the spell of Gyu-o, the other Refining Void cultivator who had defended the city.
When the city was engulfed in the explosion, Hong Sa-myeong and Gyu-o had failed to evade it perfectly.
Especially Gyu-o, who suffered severe injuries.
Seeing that, Hong Sa-myeong viewed it as an opportunity and attacked, absorbing him.
“The weak becoming nourishment for the strong is simply the law of this world.”
At this point, there was no point even getting angry anymore.
Cultivators had always been like this.
These lunatics made no distinction between ally and enemy when it came to benefiting themselves.
Seeing the disdainful expression on Jang Woo-hyun’s face, Hong Sa-myeong waved his hand again.
A gigantic black sword formed in the sky.
“So become nourishment for me as well!”
At his command, the black sword transcended space and descended above Jang Woo-hyun’s head.
“Boss! That bastard is mine!”
Before Jang Woo-hyun could even react, three streaks of light shot toward the falling black sword.
Instantly, a net of light formed in the air.
The black sword descending toward Jang Woo-hyun shattered apart and vanished into black smoke.
Seo Ryeom, who had approached rapidly, kicked through the air and charged straight at Hong Sa-myeong.
“Oh! How long has it been since I met someone worthwhile?”
“A filthy rat dares interfere?”
As Hong Sa-myeong cast another spell, tentacles burst from the shadow waves toward Seo Ryeom.
SCHHK!
But they failed.
Seo Ryeom severed the tentacles instantly and laughed.
“Rat or cow, who cares? It’s been forever since I found someone worth fighting properly. If you were me, would you just stand still?!”
A Refining Void cultivator was an excellent opponent for Seo Ryeom.
Having finally met someone near his own level after so long, Seo Ryeom laughed joyfully and attacked.
Shadows rose to form a black forest, yet every single one was severed by Seo Ryeom’s sword.
“WAHAHAHAHA!”
Laughing madly, Seo Ryeom unleashed a barrage of attacks.
Ignoring everyone else, he and Hong Sa-myeong became completely absorbed in their duel.
“What do you mean charging in alone?!”
“Brother, stay with us!”
Chosu and Jin Ha-un, who arrived late, immediately scolded Jang Woo-hyun.
Even while Seo Ryeom fought nearby, the nagging continued—
Until the two finally noticed Hyeonwol approaching behind them.
Hyeonwol, who followed at a slower pace, frowned deeply upon seeing not only Jang Woo-hyun but several others perfectly fine as well.
According to all reason, this many people should not have been here.
Nor should they have remained unharmed.
After pondering briefly, Hyeonwol’s expression relaxed.
He decided to think simply.
If those who should have died were still alive, then he merely had to kill them himself.
Noticing Hyeonwol’s atmosphere change, Jang Woo-hyun stepped forward protectively before his companions.
“Look for an opening and assist Senior Seo. That man won’t be easy to deal with.”
Hong Sa-myeong had absorbed another cultivator of equal level.
There was no telling how much stronger he had become.
No matter how strong Seo Ryeom was, Hong Sa-myeong was not an opponent to take lightly.
“And you?”
“No problem.”
Seeing Jang Woo-hyun’s confident smile, Chosu nodded and flew toward the battle between Seo Ryeom and Hong Sa-myeong together with Jin Ha-un.
After sending the two away, Jang Woo-hyun walked toward Hyeonwol.
“We should handle our own business too.”
“How are you moving around perfectly fine in the Corpse-Blood Realm?”
The Corpse-Blood Realm rejected the living.
Even if Jang Woo-hyun and his companions had surpassed ordinary humanity, they still belonged among the living.
Unlike Hyeonwol, who was already half-dead.
Yet Jang Woo-hyun and his companions moved perfectly fine within the Corpse-Blood Realm.
Still alive.
‘I assumed they would die.’
That was why he paid them no mind.
They would soon die anyway, so there was no reason to waste strength on them.
“I received some help.”
Jang Woo-hyun raised the bracelet on his wrist.
“You’re not the only one with acquaintances in the Corpse-Blood Realm.”
Hearing such shameless words, Hyeonwol’s face twisted once more.
He knew exactly who that acquaintance was.
Skeleton King Ian.
For a martial artist from the Central Heavens Realm—not even a cultivator—to be connected to one of the Eight Kings from the World of Magic was something Hyeonwol had never imagined.
“What fortunate luck.”
An unexpected situation.
But his surprise ended there.
“If you are still alive, then I shall simply kill you myself.”
The Corpse-Blood Realm differed from the Central Heavens Realm.
Since he had prepared for this place for a very long time, Hyeonwol was far stronger here.
Within this realm, he could suppress Jang Woo-hyun through sheer force.
And even with Ian’s help, Jang Woo-hyun still belonged to the Central Heavens Realm.
He would not be able to display his full power here.
“This works out nicely. Once I kill you, I’ll make excellent use of your corpse!”
Hyeonwol spread both hands.
BANG! BANG!
His arms and upper body exploded apart as a flood of blood erupted forth.
【Sea of Blood Filling the Heavens.】
One part of the Corpse-Blood Realm transformed into a sea of blood.
Watching Hyeonwol’s spell, Jang Woo-hyun pulled out what he had prepared from his Storage Dharma Treasure and threw it.
---
A small sphere that looked made of compressed earth.
A tiny feather made of flame.
The fang of some unknown metallic beast.
A horn of intertwined vines and wood.
A scale made of water.
The five items received from the Five-Wheel Guardian God.
Each contained the Energy of the Five Elements, and he had been told they could help create a new domain or aid in advancing his realm.
Jang Woo-hyun intended to use the Five Elements Energy within the Corpse-Blood Realm to create a domain of his own.
Since he had once tried absorbing them before, the five energies responded to him.
‘Expand here.’
The five energies scattered outward.
FWOOSH!
Flames spread into the air beginning from the feather of fire.
The ominous energy and poison saturating the Corpse-Blood Realm ignited and burned.
When the earth sphere touched the ground, the dull gray terrain vanished and transformed into yellow soil.
The small metallic fang burrowed into the earth and stabilized the unstable energies.
The scale of water purified the surroundings.
And finally, the horn made of wood and vines caused vegetation to sprout all around.
The world changed.
The deathly space known as the Corpse-Blood Realm began transforming into a land rich with Natural Energy.
Death vanished.
Life emerged.
The Corpse-Blood Realm’s power attempted to crush the space apart, yet the Energy of the Five Elements endured the pressure through the principles of circulation and mutual generation.
Now the surroundings resembled not the Corpse-Blood Realm, but the Central Heavens Realm itself.
Within it, Jang Woo-hyun breathed and cast off his restraints.
The incomplete Jang Woo-hyun no longer existed.
He regained his power.
And beyond that, he glimpsed a new domain.
Exhaling slowly, he began interfering with the world itself.
He projected his will onto the world.
He engraved his thoughts upon reality.
Jang Woo-hyun’s Will-Form spread outward.
He had deliberately experienced countless times the sensation of the Corpse-Blood Realm itself trying to kill him.
Ian called it insanity, yet now that madness became his aid.
Jang Woo-hyun’s Will-Form spread beyond the surrounding space filled with the Energy of the Five Elements and reached into the Corpse-Blood Realm itself.
He felt the world’s flow and its will.
‘Infinite Realm.’
It was not perfect yet, but he had taken another step forward.
Though insufficient now, once he returned to the Central Heavens Realm, he would fully touch the next stage.
As he read the world’s will, he perceived the surrounding power.
He sensed its energy.
Jang Woo-hyun’s talent could not be described merely with the word genius.
Anything he saw once, he could imitate almost immediately.
At this moment, Hyeonwol’s spell lay before his eyes.
He understood its flow.
Jang Woo-hyun knew nothing about spell arts.
Yet he was not entirely unrelated to them either.
Martial arts utilizing the Five Elements Energy were called Spell Martial Arts.
Slowly, he stretched out his hand.
The surrounding energy responded to him.
No—
Rather than responding, he moved the energy existing within the world itself.
He altered the established laws at will.
Closing his hand, he summoned the Energy of the Five Elements.
‘Not enough?’
Because this domain was temporary, it lacked the power to fully oppose Hyeonwol’s spell.
‘No. It’s my skill that hasn’t reached it yet.’
The Infinite Realm was the stage where one could twist the laws of the world.
A realm where one could impose their own laws upon reality.
But Jang Woo-hyun had not fully reached it yet, so he could not wield that power properly.
If he had truly ascended to the Infinite Realm—
‘Even the Corpse-Blood Realm’s power wouldn’t be able to kill me.’
That was what the Infinite Realm truly represented.
As Jang Woo-hyun clenched his hand, he turned his head.
Though he could not yet perfectly impose entirely new laws, he could still utilize the surrounding energies.
‘If nothing else, one thing is enough.’
From very far away, he sensed tremendous fire energy.
Ian’s subordinates all burned with flames.
The fire energy was powerful enough to burn the world itself.
Jang Woo-hyun drew upon that power.
Then he imitated the flow of the spell before him.
Imitating the Sea of Blood Filling the Heavens.
At Jang Woo-hyun’s gesture, what filled the heavens was a sea of flames.
【Sea of Flames Filling the Heavens.】
The surroundings ignited as the sea of flames collided with the sea of blood.