Wuduk, Wudududuk!
The Thunder Bee Queen, held in Baek Woon's grasp, tries to resist, but as the fragrance of peach blossoms fills the surroundings, she eventually finds herself with no choice but to completely kneel.
From the Thunder Bee Queen's entire body, pure white sprouts begin to emerge.
The sprouts envelop the Thunder Bee Queen, rooting themselves as they grow and tightly coil around her in the form of vines.
Wudududuk!
Finally, Baek Woon, who has trapped the Thunder Bee Queen inside a wooden prison, begins forming hand seals.
Dududududu!
[Summon. Heavenly Lotus Great Mountain.]
The space tears apart as the sacred mountain of the Bright Cold Realm, the Heavenly Lotus Mountain, is summoned to the 99th floor.Simultaneously, the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy of the Lightning Sacred Sea begins emitting the same wave as the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy of the Bright Cold Realm.
[As a Sacred Master, I command. This world shall now be a part of the Bright Cold Realm for three days.]
All the floors from the waiting space of the Lightning Sacred Sea's Tower of Trials up to the 99th floor are bathed in the light emitted from Heavenly Lotus Great Mountain.
Baek Woon, with control over the 99th floor and below secured, stretches her hand towards the sky.
[Open.]
Jjeeoooeok!
The void splits open, and the door to the 100th floor appears.
Chiiiiii—
'Did it work?'
I stare at the opponent before me.
The Sumeru Sword Dance struck properly.
However, Golden Shaking Bird appears unscathed on the surface.
After a moment, Golden Shaking Bird smirks and speaks.
[What is this? Using a sword dance that borrows power from the Lightning Sacred Sea that I am the master of...kekek. That's a bit impractical of you.]
'It worked on Baek Woon... Is it the difference between a True Immortal and the Sacred Vessel stage?'
Just as I am taken aback.
Jjeeoooeok!
Suddenly, the entrance to the 99th floor opens, and an unimaginable figure appears from beyond.
It is Sacred Master Baek Woon.
At the same time, a spiritual energy wave that's the same as Bright Cold Realm's spiritual energy emanates from beyond the 99th floor for some reason.
Golden Shaking Bird narrows her eyes and, as if mocking, addresses Baek Woon.
[To cruelly kill Thunder Bee Queen who is like my child before coming here. You're too much, Baek Woon.]
Baek Woon scoffs and responds.
[Not your child, but probably just a lump of flesh. Don't pretend to mimic emotions when you have no attachments. I'm well aware that the only attachment you ever had was to the croaked Golden Divine.]
At those words, Golden Shaking Bird's eyes grow even colder.
[For a waste, you sure run your mouth well... Something that couldn't even dare look at me even when they were a True Person sure dares to raise their head in front of me. It seems I'll have to make you lick my feet again after such a long time.]
[I wouldn't lick the feet dirtied by the Golden Divine's spit even if given for free. Also, True Persons aren't supposed to directly look at True Immortals. It wasn't that I lowered my head to something like you because I didn't dare to look, but due to the nature of the Entering Nirvana stage, you incomplete Immortal Beast... And you keep babbling about me being a waste, but...]
Paaaatt!
A radiant light bursts forth from Sacred Master Baek Woon.
On top of her own, the power of the Bright Cold Realm is being emanated.
[As long as I am the Sacred Master of the Bright Cold Realm, even if you are a genuine True Immortal, you are not particularly above me.]
Gugugugugu!
The dimension begins to shake.
No, it feels as though the entire Trial Tower left behind by Yang Su-jin is trembling.
'Is this Baek Woon's true power when she decides to go all out? It feels even stronger than what I faced last time...'
Realizing that Baek Woon's power has increased several times compared to before, I search for the reason and immediately understand why.
'...I see. Activating the formula of Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens, I can feel it.'
Golden Shaking Bird sneers at Baek Woon as she forms hand seals.
[What's this wasted thing mumbling about? Does this look like the Bright Cold Realm? And do you not know who has the authority to wield the traces of my master embedded in your stomach?]
Wo-woong!
Above Golden Shaking Bird's head, two clumps of light arise.
[Heavenly Black Banner (天玄旗). Earthly Yellow Banner (地黃幡).]
Kuuung, kung!
Two giants of lightning appear beside Golden Shaking Bird.
Each giant of lightning grasps a massive, pitch-black banner and a gigantic golden banner with both their hands.
[Wave, Heaven Earth Twin Banner (天地雙旗 )!]
Golden Shaking Bird utters a dharma formula, activating what appears to be an Immortal Treasure.
The giants, each wielding a banner, shout loudly and begin to swing the banners.
[Heavenly Black!]
[Earthly Yellow!]
The banners transform into streams of black and yellow, swirling in the void and colliding furiously with each other.
At the same time, the Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth clash, reverberating with a thunderous roar that envelops the surroundings with lightning.
[Thunderous Roar Rebuking Non-Human (雷聲叱非人)!]
Golden Shaking Bird activates something that seems to be a type of Immortal Art.
Simultaneously, the lightning formed by the two banners strikes toward Baek Woon's stomach.
It is the exact spot where the seven lightning spears have been embedded.
However, Baek Woon neither attempts to dodge nor shows any fear.
Kwarururung!
The lightning strikes her.
Golden Shaking Bird sneers, covering her mouth with one hand.
[Do you now understand your place in the hierarchy, Baek Woon? For a waste, if you dare to lift your head in front of me...]
At that moment.
Baek Woon clasps her hands together reverently and begins to pray.
[The devotee humbly requests.]
Dudududu!
The world quakes.
At the same time, a massive beam of light descends from the sky, directed at Baek Woon.
Golden Shaking Bird's expression shifts to shock.
: : ———! : :
She urgently shouts something in the True Immortal language in the Immortal Domain.
I can understand why she does so.
Baek Woon's stomach.
Instead of the seven large lightning spears that had been there before, seven tiny, needle-like objects are embedded.
I immediately comprehend the situation.
'It's Jeon Myeong-hoon. With Jeon Myeong-hoon's help, she must have taken some measures to minimize the influence of the lightning spears while descending into the Lightning Sacred Sea.'
Previously, Jeon Myeong-hoon had been unable to properly control Baek Woon's lightning spears, but it seems he gained some kind of insight while touching my Star Tribulation.
: : ——————!!! : :
Golden Shaking Bird throws me aside and urgently begins to expand her body.
It's as if she is terrified of the existence Baek Woon is summoning.
Kwa-jijijijijijijik!
As her body enlarges, she turns into a colossal hummingbird of lightning larger than a planet and looks down at Baek Woon before letting out a screech.
: : —————!!! : :
With her single cry, it feels as though the entire world is about to shatter.
In reality, excluding the entire structures above the 100th floor, the 100th floor of the Tower of Trials and the entire world from the 99th floor down to the 1st floor collapses at once from Golden Shaking Bird's thunderous roar.
An authority that destroys one hundred dimensions with a single cry!
This is the might of the Yang Su-jin’s fully matured Thunder Beast
However, Baek Woon's prayer has ended.
[As the Sacred Master of the Bright Cold Realm, I humbly request. Please suppress the evil immortal rampaging in the Bright Cold Realm. Please descend upon this place...]
Dududududu!
A massive afterimage of light ripples behind Baek Woon.
The being is clad in the same ancient immortal robes as the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord, with a mianguan on their head and a mask covering their face.
"...!"
I am vaporizing.
My face transforms into photons, dispersing into the void.
Simultaneously, knowledge floods my mind.
Water Escape Technique for hiding in the water.
Sea Escape Technique for hiding in the sea.
Rain Escape Technique for hiding in the rain.
Furthermore, wisdom regardings Immortal Arts that can summon earthquakes and tsunamis, can cause endless rain to fall for a hundred years to destroy a world, can usher in an ice age, and more are etched into my brain.
[Seventh Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals (光明八仙), Great Sea Heavenly Lord (大海天君), please bestow thee power...]
A deep, navy blue light begins to dominate the surroundings.
A True Immortal who governs Navy Light (藍光).
The projection of the Great Sea Heavenly Lord enters behind Baek Woon in the form of a halo, lending her its power.
Pasasasak!
After perceiving the illusion of the ruler of blue light, my head fully vaporizes and I briefly lose consciousness.
I regain my senses.
'This is...'
I have returned to my main body.
It seems even the spell the Thunder Bee Queen had placed on my head has vaporized into light, causing my soul and spirit to return to my main body.
Regenerating my head, I survey my surroundings.
'W-What on earth...?'
My mouth falls open as I take in the completely transformed Tower of Trials.
An Ice Age (氷河期)!
It's as if an ice age has swept through the entire universe!
Countless starlights that once glimmered in the Lightning Sacred Sea are now frozen, unable to emit light, casting the area in darkness.
At the same time, the surroundings are filled with a cold so intense it feels as if even the soul would freeze.
No, saying it feels as if even the soul would freeze is not a metaphor.
'Th-The Plane of Soul has ceased functioning!?'
I am shocked as I observe that the intents within the Plane of Soul are barely active, as if frozen solid.
The Seventh Seat of the Radiance Eight Immortals summoned by Baek Woon.
The power of the Great Sea Heavenly Lord has frozen not just the entire Tower of Trials, but even the Plane of Soul itself.
I even wonder if parts of the Plane of Fate might have frozen as well.
[Hea...haaaa...]
I momentarily cut off the star vein.
All the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy flowing in through the star vein has been entirely replaced by the cold. If I keep the star vein connected, even my Origin Star would likely freeze.
Dudududududu!
I use the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy produced internally within my Origin Star to warm it and soar up to assess the situation.
Paaatt!
99th floor.
Arriving where Baek Woon stands, my jaw drops.
Everything except Baek Woon, who is emitting a pure white light, is frozen solid.
Yes...
Yang Su-jin's Thunder Beast's Complete Body.
I mean everything, including the Golden Shaking Bird.
I ask Baek Woon in a daze.
[Did you...exterminate the Thunder Beast?]
Huuuuu...
Baek Woon lets out a sigh.
From her mouth, pure white Heaven and Earth spiritual energy pours out.
[No. She escaped.]
[P-Pardon...!?]
I can't help but be shocked.
A hundred dimensions and their corresponding planes of Soul and Fate have all frozen.
And even the frozen surface of Golden Shaking Bird is right in front of my eyes, yet she says she escaped?
[I knew that the old-timer of the Lightning Sacred Sea would be hiding something...but I never knew that the Tower of Trials extended to the 108th floor."
Snap!
Baek Woon snaps her fingers, and a dimensional gate opens above us.
[She fled to the upper floors. Foolish thing. Does she really think she can escape from the power of a Heavenly Lord...I must go up and capture her.]
The power of a Heavenly Lord.
Indeed, the projection of the Great Sea Heavenly Lord that swept through this place just now has even turned the 101st floor, which Baek Woon hadn't detected, into an ice age.
[She's probably hiding on the 106th floor. If my assumption is correct, the 107th floor is Yang Su-jin's treasure vault, so that lowly creature bound to Yang Su-jin won't dare to go up there carelessly.]
[Then, do you know what the 108th floor is for?]
[If my assumption is correct, the 108th floor is...]
Curious at the mention of the 108th floor, I ask Baek Woon, and she looks like she's about to share her thoughts but then furrows her brow.
[...No, never mind. You don't need to know. Rest for now. I need to go catch that thing and then head to Yang Su-jin's treasure vault to prepare for the End.]
Booong!
Finishing her words, she crosses into the dimension of the 101st floor.
I watch her for a moment and let out a sigh.
Huuuu...
As Heaven and Earth spiritual energy is drawn in, it makes my core feel cold, but I breathe a sigh of relief.
'...This was resolved far better than expected.'
Honestly, I had anticipated that conquering the Lightning Sacred Sea would take at least several thousand years.
Yet, due to unexpected variables, Sacred Master Baek Woon descended and resolved it all in an instant.
'Now, as long as Sacred Master Baek Woon can retrieve the symbols of the Middle Realms, there shouldn't be a reason to worry about the End!'
I smile faintly, my face brightening.
If that happens, we'll be able to bypass the End coming in the ten thousand year point and live in a world full of boundless time after the creation of the universe.
'Right after the creation of the universe, Heaven and Earth spiritual energy is hundreds of millions of times more abundant than usual, which will help my comrades' cultivation as well.'
Now, my only remaining goal is to find Kang Min-hee and restore her mind.
Everything is falling well into place!
Crack!
"...Huh?"
I turn to see someone who has come up beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
It's Golden Shaking Bird.
Her pupils are completely unfocused, and an uncontrollable madness fills her gaze.
"H-how...you didn't...to the 106th floor...?"
However, I soon understand how Golden Shaking Bird tricked Baek Woon and appeared next to me through the formula circulating around her.
'E-Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens!'
She hid within the formula of my Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens!
The Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens that evades fate!
Hidden within that formula, she evaded Sacred Master Baek Woon's foresight and concealed herself near me!
Heh.
Golden Shaking Bird smiles.
A smile that sends a chill down my spine.
She pushes her hand even deeper into my shoulder!
And through that, I come to understand how Sacred Master Baek Woon descended to this place.
'Did Baek Woon descend using the sacred scar of Sword Spear Heavenly Lord on my shoulder? If so, what Golden Shaking Bird is trying to do now is...'
With all my remaining strength, I turn my head over my shoulder and, to the Bright Cold Realm's White Jade Pavilion that Baek Woon used to descend, shout to my comrade, Jeon Myeong-hoon, who was summoned there by Baek Woon.
[Run! Jeon Myeong-hoon!!!]
Kwa-jijijijijijk!
Through the passage Baek Woon descended from, Golden Shaking Bird reaches out her hand in reverse.
A whisper laced with a bone-chilling obsession escapes from her lips.
[MymasterhasreturnedreturnedreturnedreturnedreturnedreturnedthistimeIwontIwontIwontIwontlethimlethimlethimlethimlethimgogogogogogogogogo...]
Bright Cold Realm, White Jade Pavilion.
After Seo Eun-hyun departed for the Lightning Sacred Sea.
Jeon Myeong-hoon, who has been separately summoned by Baek Woon and is maintaining a spell to temporarily nullify the power of the lightning spears attached to her stomach, twitches his eyes.
"Hmm? What's this?"
For some reason, a great misfortune is detected in his foresight.
Simultaneously, from a distant, far-off place, a familiar voice reaches him.
[Run! Jeon Myeong-hoon!!!]
'Seo Eun-hyun's voice!?'
Following Seo Eun-hyun's words for now, Jeon Myeong-hoon exits the White Jade Pavilion and looks around.
"Seo Eun-hyun! What are you talking about!? Seo Eun-hyun!"
At that moment, the Sub-Heart Sword embedded in Jeon Myeong-hoon's heart essence vibrates, transmitting Seo Eun-hyun's voice.
—Jeon Myeong-hoon, right this instant...
Just then.
Kwa-jijijijijijk!
From the depths of the White Jade Pavilion, where the teleportation formation Baek Woon used to descend to the Lightning Sacred Sea is located.
A massive arm of lightning bursts forth and chases after Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"...!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon flinches in surprise and decides to retreat as Seo Eun-hyun instructed.
But in the next moment, before he even has time to perceive it, Jeon Myeong-hoon is already caught by the hand of lightning.
"Kugh...!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon tries to absorb the lightning hand, but as he does, an immense chorus of agonized screams numbering in the tens of millions reverberates through his mind, forcing him to vomit blood.
Jeon Myeong-hoon faints completely amidst the ceaseless whisper that calls to him from beyond the arm of lightning.
[MasterMasterMasterMasterMasterMasterMaster...]
The arm of lightning pulls the unconscious Jeon Myeong-hoon and takes him to the far end of the universe, towards the Lightning Sacred Sea.
Kwa-jijijijijijk!
I am bound by chains of lightning, unable to move my entire body, and can only watch as Golden Shaking Bird extracts something through my shoulder.
Golden Shaking Bird pulls Jeon Myeong-hoon, who had been in the Bright Cold Realm, out from my shoulder, miniaturizes him, and cradles him tenderly in her embrace.
[FinallyIhavemasterinmyhandshe'sminenowIwilltrainhimsohecanneverescapemyembraceagainfromnowonIwillbehismasterIwillmakehimintoabodythatcannotevenbreathewithoutme...]
"N-No..."
[NowthatIhaveobtainedthetruesovereigntyoftheLightningSacredSeaIam...]
She extracts something from Jeon Myeong-hoon's body and scatters it across the entire expanse of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
[I am the true God of the Lightning Sacred Sea!!!]
Kwarurururung!
Lightning rains down across the entire expanse of the Lightning Sacred Sea.
I can feel it.
Through Jeon Myeong-hoon, she has now gained complete dominion over the Lightning Sacred Sea.
At the same time, struck by the lightning, I am instantly expelled from the Lightning Sacred Sea.
Pajijijik!...!
"Th-This is..."
I look around with a bewildered expression.
It seems others are just as confused, as the Esteemed Ones around me also look around with bewildered faces.
The most shocked face among them belongs to Baek Woon.
Baek Woon stares at the Lightning Sacred Sea with a look of utter disbelief.
And before us, the human form of Golden Shaking Bird appears as a projection.
[Ahaha, I'm sorry for startling you all. Originally, I was going to pass the Lightning Sacred Sea to that Extinguishing Divine Tribulating Heavens user over there and head to the Head Realm...but my master has returned. My master! My master has reincarnated. Can you believe it? Heh, hehe, ehehehehehehe! But of course, my master wouldn't remember his past life, would he? That won't do. After all he's done to me, he gets to live peacefully with no memories? Absolutelyabsolutelyabsolutely not. Therefore...my apologies, but I will be taking possession of the Lightning Sacred Sea for just about a hundred thousand years.]
She smiles brightly, lifting the ends of her skirt and bowing modestly as she speaks.
[From now on...I must train the master who has returned for a hundred thousand years. So, everyone, as the End of whatever is none of my concern, I hope you give it your best struggling outside the Lightning Sacred Sea.]
Golden Shaking Bird, who has finished speaking, bows to us with full courtesy, and then disappears just like that.