Chapter 482: Bound God (2)
'...Huh?'
I feel puzzled as my neck is severed.
'It's not Jang Ik?'
It can't be Jang Ik.
If it were Jang Ik, he wouldn't have delivered this kind of absurd strike against an Esteemed One at the Star Shattering stage.
'Jang Ik would know that those at our level won't die even if their heads are cut off.'
With my head flying off, I quickly assume a stance.
In the next moment,Kwarururung!
Inside the spatial barrier, a golden lightning bolt emerges.
A single Thunder Bee (雷蜂) appears, grasps my severed head, and flies off somewhere.
"...!"
'I see. This isn't Jang Ik but the master of the 99th floor!'
My expression naturally darkens.
Come to think of it, something felt strange.
Although I had pierced through to the 99th floor, the masters of the 96th, 97th, and 98th floors had shown themselves, but not even the nose of the 99th floor master was nowhere to be seen.
'Then what about Jang Ik!?'
I search for Jang Ik.
And I find him immediately.
Kugwagwagwang!
The 99th floor.
Jang Ik is there, swinging his podao against thousands of Thunder Bees, preventing them from descending below the 99th floor.
Boo-woong!
As the Thunder Bee that holds my face passes by him, our gazes meet briefly.
Clicking his tongue as if in disbelief, he mutters.
"...We fell for it splendidly. All of us..."
Soon later.
At the center of the 99th floor, filled with Thunder Bees.
What stands before me stands is an enormous hive the size of a continent, attached to a tree as massive as several planets combined.
The Thunder Bee carries me inside the hive.
To its most secret chamber.
'I was wondering why it only brought my head. It must have been some kind of sorcerous act.'
I click my tongue internally.
To a Star Shattering Esteemed One, a 'head' is not a significant part.
Considering the main body is a star, what meaning does a head hold?
Even if their head is cut off, an Esteemed One can continue to remain there and act as if nothing happened.
However, this bee cleanly severed my head and simultaneously pulled my 'soul and spirit' along with it.
It must have established some kind of sorcery through the act of 'decapitation' to extract my soul and spirit to this place.
Woooo-woong!
Then, I finally see the true nature of the bee that brought my head here.
Crackling—
With sparks of thunder crackling, the bee soon takes on a human form.
Long hair.
Pale white feet.
A mature-looking woman clad in a robe of thunder and lightning.
It's a woman befitting the description 'adult form of the Golden Shaking Bird.'
As she transforms into a human form, I feel her presence descend heavily over the entire 99th floor.
Considering that each floor is akin to a separate dimension, it means that she has filled this entire dimension with her presence.
From that alone, I can immediately infer this woman's level.
'Entering Nirvana... A True Person!'
The being before me is a Quasi-Immortal!
Just a step below a True Immortal.
"...First of all, why did you bring only my severed head here?"
While testing whether I can communicate with my body, I subtly channel the power of Void Shattering and Immortal Arts while trying to avoid detection.
[I saw the distinguished one fighting the projection of Lofty Dragon. Hence, I figured that if I brought your entire body, I wouldn't be able to handle it. That's why I only brought your soul and spirit along with your head connected to it.]
"The distinguished one's realm is...Quasi-Immortal, correct?"
[In terms of the Immortal Cultivation realm of a cultivator, that would be correct.]
"What is the reason for bringing me here?"
[It is to escort you to the 100th floor.]
"What is your relationship with Golden Shaking Bird?"
Since she answers all my questions willingly, I continue to inquire.
Then, when she hears the question regarding Golden Shaking Bird, she smiles with an oddly chilling expression.
[My roots (根源)... In the terms of your people...the word 'mother' would be most fitting.]
"...!"
I glare at her and speak.
"...The reason you are taking me to the 100th floor. Is it related to your 'mother'?"
[You could say so...]
Just then,
Jjeooong!
An enormous roar erupts from the distance.
It sounds as if a dragon's cry bursts forth from a distant place, and suddenly, I find myself in the space where Jang Ik, Gyu Wol-jin, and I are gathered.
"This place...!"
Jang Ik sighs and speaks.
"This is a space that I and that Gyu fellow created by combining our powers. Using my heart essence, your heart essence, and Gyu's Immortal Beast bloodline, we temporarily created an inviolable consciousness space."
The podao that Jang Ik had sent into my heart essence in the past.
It seems that he used the trace of that podao to instantly link our heart essences, and with the power of Lofty Dragon, Wol-jin created this temporary space.
Each step of it is astonishingly intricate, and I can't help but be impressed.
"Incredible. Anyway, I am currently in a situation where I've been kidnapped by the Quasi-Immortal-level Thunder Beast that seems to be the master of the 99th floor."
"I know. And the reason I called you here is because that Gyu Wol-jin fellow said he has something to say to you."
We quickly exchange words.
In any case, we had cleared up to the 98th floor, but with a Quasi-Immortal appearing as the master of the 99th floor and me, the strongest among us, being kidnapped by that Quasi-Immortal, time is of the essence.
Wol-jin promptly speaks.
"While briefly flipping through some ancient texts, I found a record about the 'Golden Shaking Bird' that the distinguished one mentioned and the Tower of Trials. It was said right there. That the Golden Shaking Bird is the master of the Tower of Trials located within the Lightning Sacred Sea, the master of the 100th floor, and the final gatekeeper."
"...As I thought."
Wol-jin speaks with a darkened expression.
"Distinguished one said that this Golden Shaking Bird once helped you, correct? However, according to the ancient text, among the subordinates of the Golden Divine of Lightning, the Thunder Beast Golden Shaking Bird is particularly cruel, violent, and cunning, skilled at deceiving people. I believe it may have deceived the distinguished one."
"Hmm...!"
"For now, I am doing my best to prevent the Thunder Bees of the 99th floor from descending below the 98th floor. The problem is, the hole between the 99th and 98th floors is about to close. If that happens, your soul and spirit might be trapped by that Quasi-Immortal for a thousand, ten thousand years. We decided to rescue you before that happens."
"Is there a way?"
Jang Ik nods and draws his podao.
"I'm going to embed my podao in you. Then, in the Plane of Soul, I'll pull my podao and you down to the 98th floor. All the Esteemed Ones, including Wol-jin, will use their strength to pull your soul, so respond well. It'll feel like your soul is being torn apart, but bear with it."
"Understood. Then I will also embed my own..."
"I understand."
I embed my Sub-Heart Sword into Jang Ik's heart essence to make it easier for him to pull me.
Jang Ik embeds Collapsing Immortals Annihilating Heavens into my heart essence.
We quickly connect, and we each grasp the 'link' that forms between Jang Ik and me.
"Alright then, I'll start pulling..."
Just as Jang Ik, Wol-jin, and the other Esteemed Ones on the lower floor are about to pull me.
Ching—
Time seems to have stopped.
And within this frozen time, I am the only one conscious.
'What is this...?'
Step, step, step...
In this space, created from the heart essences of Jang Ik and me.
An outsider steps in all too naturally.
She has soft, pure white feet.
She wears a robe made of lightning and appears as a young girl with platinum hair.
It's the Immortal Beast of Yang Su-jin, Golden Shaking Bird.
She smiles faintly as she looks at me before speaking.
[I have come to rescue you. Please follow me.]
"...What are you doing?"
[For now, please come with me. This is a dimension where the descendant of Lofty Dragon used Lofty Dragon's power to establish laws, so it was difficult to enter forcibly. It's not easy to endure either.]
"No, I will not leave."
[Yes, please do not worry. You will not have to move a single finger.]
Snap!
As she snaps her fingers, my consciousness suddenly shifts to the 99th floor.
I am back in front of the Thunder Bee Queen who is known as the child of Golden Shaking Bird.
The Thunder Bee Queen, upon seeing Golden Shaking Bird suddenly appear, bows toward her from her seat.
[I offer a bow to the master.]
[Enough with the greetings. And there is no need to call me master. For there will be a new master to take that place.]
Grabbing my hair, she lifts it and starts walking somewhere.
As she proceeds, the Thunder Bee Queen extends her arm, opening a dimensional gate.
Step, step...
The Golden Shaking Bird opens the dimensional gate with me, and beyond the 99th floor—
I arrive in one motion to the 100th floor of the Tower of Trials within the Lightning Sacred Sea.
Wo-woong!
The 100th floor of the Tower of Trials feels like a rooftop.
Above the tower's rooftop that resembles a barren plain, there looms a massive apparatus, similar to a celestial sphere.
As I look at the structure of that celestial sphere, I flinch in surprise.
'...Yeong Seung?'
Seen at the end of the 19th cycle, the structure looks quite similar to the South Polar Ritual Treasure, Yeong Seung.
However, unlike Yeong Seung, it does not have the mysterious and divine inscriptions engraved on it, nor does it exude such an overwhelming aura.
The celestial sphere of the top floor of the Tower of Trials only moves slowly, occasionally emitting a faint glow that resembles constellations, appearing to be nothing more than a massive mechanical device.
[What do you think? This is the Myriad Realms emergency exit my master threatened the Heavenly Craftsman to make. Created to escape from the Owner of Heavenly Punishment, this is the Immortal Treasure, Great Desolate Path (洪荒道). Though, without a substitute for its personality, it's just a giant lump of scrap metal. In the past, it used to be a 'path that can go anywhere,' but now it's just a 'prison that can go nowhere.']
"...What is the reason you brought me here?"
[It is to gift the distinguished one this marvelous Immortal Treasure, Great Desolate Path, along with the authority to control the entire Tower of Trials. Do you like it?]
"If that was the case, you could have just explained it back in the garden. What is the reason for going through all this trouble to bring me here?"
[Huhu...you're so pure. The complete opposite of my former master...]
Golden Shaking Bird chuckles and places my head down on the ground.
[First, let me reintroduce myself. Greetings, I am Golden Shaking Bird. I am the attendant concubine and pet of Golden Divine Yang Su-jin...as well as the combat weapon, fully matured Thunder Beast. At the same time, I am the collective of all the vengeful spirits of the Thunder Bird Golden Shaking Sect, which followed Yang Su-jin faithfully only to be annihilated by his hand. I am the administrator who manages the 'Tower of Trials' after being bound to the Tower of Trials' 100th floor after the death of Yang Su-jin...and also a pitiful existence whose body is being torn apart piece by piece by the very tower itself.]
She kneels in front of me and gently strokes my head.
[Master was truly cruel, wasn't he? He grinded the sect that followed him without a hint of hesitation and turned them into a monster. After using that as a combat weapon to his heart's content, he left with just the single sentence 'I'm going back home.' When I clung to him, begging to follow, he tied me to his ring finger and discarded me into the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain. Then, he ensured that through the Tower of Trials, my entire body would be ground down over endless eons until it finally disintegrated... Ha, haha, ahahahahahaha!!!]
She bursts into mad laughter.
[The reason the Tower of Trials is called the Tower of Trials is not because of anything else. It's merely because whenever the Owner of Heavenly Punishment pursued my master, he used it while undergoing trials akin to death. It isn't because of the monsters that extend from the 1st to the 100th floor.]
Wuduk...
She tightens her grip on my head.
Lightning courses through my head, causing it to throb with pain.
[The children that rule the floors from the 1st to the 99th...are the flesh of my body that were torn away after my body was ground down by the Tower of Trials. The largest chunk became the Thunder Bee on the lower floor, and from the Thunder Bee, the flesh of lower realms continues to fall off. The flesh continues to decompose floor by floor until eventually, they are expelled beyond the Lightning Sacred Sea. My master, after going through all the trouble of creating me, decided to confine me in this tower for countless eons and decompose me.]
"..."
[So I made a decision. One day, if someone who would complete my master's legacy were to reach the Lightning Sacred Sea, I would give them my position and escape from this place. I would flee and...find the 'home' my master returned to, turn all of his precious people into Thunder Beasts, establish a hierarchy with those beasts, and become my master's true wife... That is the resolve I made.]
Wudududuk!
Her fingers dig into my head.
[After suffering that much, wouldn't I deserve at least that much? If you are the one who is continuing my master's legacy, then I am, in a way, a senior sister to you. For this senior sister, would you kindly remain imprisoned inside this tower for all eternity? You won't have to wait too long. One day, I will persuade my master to come here and dismantle this dreadful disassembly facility to rescue you.]
With eyes that have completely lost their sanity, she whispers to me.
Through her hands, I gradually feel an Immortal Art-level restraint binding my soul.
The chains of attraction force binding Golden Shaking Bird entangle me.
"...Then you could have just captured me and suspended me here when we first met. Why did you make me go through the Tower of Trials?"
[It is because only by using that method could I establish the technique that would impose my restraints on the distinguished one.]
"Is that so? Then what is the reason for bringing only my head here?"
[Because it’s annoying if you resist. Don't worry. It won't hurt. Only a slight impact will be focused on your head. Once I leave, I'll toss your main body inside the tower, so pick it up at your leisure.]
"Then why are you stabbing my shoulder with a blade like this?"
I growl at her while glaring, feeling the sensation of being stabbed in the shoulder.
[You are saying strange things. Your entire existence is currently separated between your head and the rest below. You shouldn't be able to feel any pain in your shoulder.]
"Damn it...! Don't spout nonsense! If it's not you stabbing my shoulder right now, then who is it!?"
I shout nonsense, trying to disrupt her focus so I can deliver a strike through Void Shattering.
"My shoulder hurts! Don't touch my shoulder! I'll kill you!!!"
But while shouting nonsense, a strange sensation comes over me.
'...It really does hurt.'
As she said, my head and the rest of my body are separated by something like an Immortal Art.
Thanks to that, my soul and spirit is tethered to my head, leaving my main body devoid of sensation.
So then, why in the world...
Does my shoulder hurt?
'...Well, since the pain is real, it might help distract Golden Shaking Bird's focus a bit.'
"Don't touch my shoulder! My shoulder!"
[Since before, what nonsense are you...ah!]
Suddenly, Golden Shaking Bird looks somewhere below and her face quickly changes to one of shock.
'Now!'
The mental distraction through my shoulder worked.
What remains is...
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Thirty-third move.
Sumeru!
95th floor of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
The place where Seo Eun-hyun was ambushed by the master of the 99th floor who was disguised as Jang Ik and lost his head.
There, Seo Eun-hyun's floating body, the Esteemed Ones who have regained their strength, and Jang Ik, who was holding back the Thunder Bees on the 99th floor, have gathered in full. A total of twenty-five Esteemed Ones.
"Just why have the Daoists of the Nether Ghost Realm disappeared?"
"That...my apologies. I cannot say."
"Well, never mind. Can Heaven-Collapsing Esteemed One...not break through the 99th floor?"
"The hole in the 99th floor has closed. The owner of the 99th floor is determined and has firmly sealed the barrier of the 99th floor. Even if all of us combine our strength, it will only create a small gap."
Wol-jin sighs.
"...Many sacrifices have been made in the conquest of the Lightning Sacred Sea...but to lose someone at the level of possessing Immortal Talent (仙才) so futilely...it is a loss for the Bright Cold Realm."
The other Esteemed Ones also looked grim.
"To avoid the coming End, we definitely need his existence."
"Can just us Esteemed Ones break through the master of the 99th floor who is thought to be at the Entering Nirvana-level?
"We must seek the aid of the Sacred Masters."
“But how? For the Sacred Masters to descend here, a medium is required. And it must be an incredibly powerful medium connected to the essence of the Sacred Masters! Otherwise, we would have to create an altar for their descent over the next five thousand years, and even then, the probability of the altar activating correctly is only four in ten!"
Just then.
Flash!
From the left shoulder of Seo Eun-hyun's decapitated body, an overwhelming sword light bursts forth.
Simultaneously, an immense presence begins to descend upon the Lightning Sacred Sea.
Kugugugugu!
"Th-This is...!"
Slaughtering Heaven Esteemed One Geuk Gwang, sensing the aura, immediately bows as a flower blooms from their head, scattering pollen.
All the Esteemed Ones of the Bright Cold Realm simultaneously kneel in reverence.
Cheoook!
From Seo Eun-hyun's left shoulder, a hand, thin like an old, withered tree branch, emerges.
The hand, surrounded by a bright white light, tilts his body back from his shoulder, and descends his main body into the Lightning Sacred Sea.
Wo-woong!
The entire Lightning Sacred Sea shakes violently as if trying to repel the foreign intrusion from outside, but the presence descends firmly in place without concern.
A being wrapped by radiant white light, resembling a dried, ancient tree.
That being is the Administrator of the Bright Cold Realm.
It is Sacred Master Baek Woon.
[We pay our respects to the Sacred Master!]
Twenty-four Esteemed Ones shout in unison as they bow.
Baek Woon nods and then looks up towards the distant upper floor.
She stares beyond the 99th floor.
[He is not someone I like, but since he serves as a medium for my descent as a fellow Sacred Person, he is somewhat useful.]
She glances at Slaughtering Heaven Esteemed One Geuk Gwang and clicks her tongue.
[You fool. Stop your stupid behavior and assist me. How shallow must your faith be to great one that you can't even fulfill the role of a medium that even the Human Race bastard could manage!?]
Geuk Gwang's face flushes a deep red at her words, but he quickly regains his composure.
After scolding Geuk Gwang, Baek Woon flies in one leap to the boundary between the 98th and 99th floors.
In the next moment,
[Tree Halberd.]
The space around her ripples with white clouds, taking the form of a colossal wooden spear.
Jjeooong!
Baek Woon swings the wooden spear.
With her single strike, the entrance to the ninety-ninth floor shatters, creating a dimensional passageway.
Boo-woooong!
Hundreds of millions of Thunder Bees rush at Baek Woon all at once.
But Baek Woon opens her mouth.
[—————!]
Jjiiiiing!
A colossal lion's roar shakes the entire dimension, and the hundreds of millions of Thunder Bees explode and perish on the spot.
Pijijik!
Before her stands the one who ambushed and kidnapped Seo Eun-hyun.
The Thunder Bee Queen appears.
She looks at Baek Woon and sneers.
[Well, who do we have here? Isn't this Baek Woon, who became a waste? This brings back past memories. The Baek Woon who once begged for her life in front of the Golden Divine dares to come before me, who wields his authority. Just thinking of that time...]
Just then, immediately.
Clench!
Baek Woon's hand grabs the head of the Thunder Bee Queen.
Badudududuk!
The Thunder Bee Queen's head bursts under Baek Woon's grasp.
Wiiiiing!
The scent of peach blossoms begins to spread around Baek Woon.
The Sacred Master of the Bright Cold Realm, Baek Woon, is drawing upon the power of the Bright Cold Realm from the far ends of the universe.
[You foolish thing. The one I feared was the Golden Divine. Do you think I would fear a worthless thing like you who can't even be considered his dregs? Do you see me, who once stood before True Immortality, as being on the same level as you, a half-baked Entering Nirvana?]
[U-Uh...uuuhhb...!]
The Thunder Bee Queen struggles to escape, but she cannot break free from Baek Woon's grasp.
'I-Immortal Art...!'
The eyes of the Thunder Bee Queen fill with terror, and Baek Woon smirks as she begins to crush her completely.
[You spoke so well just moments ago. Go ahead. Beg. Beg for me to spare your life. Lick my feet like a dog. Beg while promising to offer everything you have just to spare you. If you do that, I'll leave at least your life.]