Chapter 122

Finally, I’ve reached the foot of Kunlun Mountain.

Of course, this isn’t a place where Taoist hermits live; it’s where regular people reside.

Pass through here, and you’ll find the area inhabited by beings that are halfway between humans and immortals. Go even deeper, and you’ll reach the land of the true immortals.

The higher you ascend, the harder it gets for an ordinary person to venture further in.

Even now, as I think about it, I can’t figure out how I’d get inside, so let me go there and see.

That’s what I want to do.

If only those soldiers lined up before me weren’t there, I could head over and figure things out.

There are dozens of them, all mounted on horses, holding spears pointed at me. Among them, the one with the most distinctive armor and helmet steps forward.

“The emperor desires you. Come with us.”

No introduction, just an authoritative tone implying that I should obey his commands without question.

“No thanks.”

So I voiced my thoughts. If we had met earlier, I might have gone along right away. Following my original plan, to establish an automatic harvesting system among the high-ranking figures, I need to move now.

Turn them into harvesters, creating a system that automatically gathers warmth. That plan is still ongoing.

But that’s assuming there’s no predator. If I turn the emperor into a harvester, the immortals will intervene, depose him, and install another emperor.

If I were an immortal, that’s exactly what I’d do.

Judging from the memories I’ve acquired so far, most immortals from Kunlun side are righteous. They don’t stand idly by when monsters make life miserable for people; they take action.

The Murim Alliance and the Chonma Sect.

Comparing these two, from a human perspective, the Chonma Sect is undoubtedly the evil villain. First, you kill every living member of the Chonma Sect, then regret doing so because it was wrong — that kind of evil.

Their culture has become too alien socially and culturally to coexist with humanity. Each aspect of their society mocks basic human ethics, making assimilation impossible.

Most societies follow a structure where power dictates obedience, but even so, there are lines that humans must never cross.

They implant parasites in people. If someone doesn’t obey their superiors, they suffer at the hands of insects.

This is considered normal in their twisted society.

It’s excessively warped.

If only the leaders were killed and the rest spared, the Chonma Sect’s culture would likely resurface in some form later. The individuals who learned this culture remain, meaning changing only the surface won’t alter the core.

Once a culture takes root, it doesn’t vanish easily.

Thus, wiping them all out and regretting it later is the correct choice, and that’s what happened.

My journey to Kunlun isn’t because the Chonma Sect fell—it’s because I have a goal.

The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign.

Daegon was a treasure trove of valuable information.

However, the foundation of his special techniques requires numerous sacrifices for personal use.

Yeah.

He’s highly knowledgeable about the techniques he uses. But if I gave this knowledge to a harvester, I wonder if it would be possible to reach the level required to utilize it.

For instance, imagine a useful skill that can only be used by a character at level 100,000—achieving that level is practically impossible.

Or perhaps Daegon himself needs to become a harvester. Would that massive orb of light bow to me when given the opportunity?

Of course, these techniques are beyond my capability.

But the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign’s side is different.

They’re closer to a technological civilization. They handle unique tools and rely on knowledge-based skills, which is quite appealing.

Once obtained, such knowledge can be copied and pasted, right?

If world-changing technology exists within it…

“Thus, this is your final warning, monster. If you don’t come willingly, you’ll be dragged away in disgrace.”

“I already said no.”

I’ve been tuning out their incessant boasts of the emperor’s authority, their delegated power, and their own greatness, but now they’re using the word “final.”

“So, drag me then.”

As soon as he finished speaking, they pulled out strange wooden panels from their saddles and aimed them at me.

The panels glowed, and metallic white chains shot out from mid-air, binding me.

Judging by the color, these aren’t steel.

Choseol’s strength probably wouldn’t break them easily.

Hmm.

When I was first restrained by Cheonma, I noticed something—simple binding or sealing doesn’t count as an attack.

Normally, if I’m attacked, I feel the impact on my body, but nothing like that is happening now.

Tsk.

I gave a kick, as if asking, “What are you looking at?”

The backs of the horsemen emitted a pale blue glow.

Several riders wobbled and fell off their horses, collapsing onto the ground. Crawling toward my back with vacant expressions, they seemed hypnotized.

The conscious ones dismounted and stuck acupuncture-like needles into the bodies of those crawling toward me.

“Huff!”

They quickly regained their senses.

“A charm capable of mesmerizing humans. Could it work during the day?”

“To break through mental defenses so swiftly…this is a dangerous entity exceeding the lowest rank…”

“Use Hwonwon Simjinchang!”

Their recovery from chaos was impressively fast. The confusion dissipated almost immediately, and they reorganized efficiently.

From the rear, others emerged, pulling bizarre-looking spears from their saddles. Without firing any beams, they targeted my back, causing it to shatter into pieces.

Everyone reacts calmly.

This means they’ve encountered similar situations many times before.

Makes sense. In a world with yokai, there must be agencies in the human realm to handle such threats. Especially in areas governed by humans, such organizations are bound to exist.

If not, it would imply either the ruler isn’t human or there’s something controlling the human ruler.

“You struggling is futile.”

Some guy brags while speaking. Honestly, I need to hurry to Kunlun to meet the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, but…

Let’s see how far this struggle goes.

Grabbing the white chains, I pressed down hard on reality.

Kaching!

A thin, long crack appeared in the air.

The chains turned to dust.

“What? How can someone bound by the Anchoring Chains use such psychic abilities?”

“General! Look at that crack in the air! It’s a rift! Like the one when the creatures from outside came.”

“An intangible beast. Perhaps this creature also originated from another world. At least we have an excuse for failing to bring it to the emperor.”

This rift seems to excite them, as they pull out weapons from their saddles, different from what they’ve used so far.

They wield weapons resembling crescent blades, aiming to kill me.

Yeah.

They’re trying to kill me.

In that case, I’ll just give them a little push.

“Humanity, do you truly believe such trivial means can kill me?”

Provoking them.

The man stiffened his expression and dismounted his horse. Others followed suit, wielding their weapons and targeting me.

After giving hand signals, three subordinates rushed toward me. Meanwhile, the man observed me carefully.

They’re cautious.

The soldiers closed the distance rapidly, possibly skilled in martial arts. The three warriors slashed at me with their weapons.

My body shattered like a broken TV screen, emitting static. Instead of blood, black powder scattered from the wounds.

Is that me?

No, it’s not.

For a moment, I thought they might have cut my real body, but it’s just a different way of processing the wound. Similar to how heroes cauterize the necks of multi-headed snake monsters after decapitating them.

I speculate this prevents regeneration.

And I gained their warmth.

Instantly, the three men swelled like bubbles. Parts of their bodies that shouldn’t exist protruded, along with organs humans don’t possess.

Hmm.

I’m starting to grasp something.

The light turned dark and shriveled but retained its shape, crumpled like a squished soda can.

Daegon’s was enormous, big enough to contain me and allow movement.

To put it simply, it’s like entering a costume to move around.

Using a contract document to encapsulate me is like filling the stuffing of a costume with liquid, whereas this is more akin to moving outside the costume.

Controlling the three, I launched a spear at the leader of the group.

With just one motion.

The darkened light burst like a soda can forcefully filled with water. The body, devoid of light, crashed to the ground and collapsed.

Crack, crunch, sizzle.

No, it didn’t collapse.

At the spots where their corpses once lay, tiny holes floated in the air. Like the vacuum scene from an old sci-fi movie, they were sucked into the void.

Ah.

Now that I think about it, Daegon died similarly. A massive rift appeared, and he was gradually pulled into it. Since the rift was connected to me, I know.

“Classless, monster?”

“Raise the threat level two ranks. It’s at least class Gyeong.”

“But sir, we’ve already subdued it. Do we really need to raise it two levels?”

The general, having deflected all three incoming spears, glared at me. Indeed, my body remains severed, leaking black powder from the wounds.

“If it were wearing human skin, the true form would emerge, leaving the human shell behind. If it transformed into human guise, the true form would reveal itself. Yet it stays like this, unharmed. Doesn’t that mean it hasn’t been injured at all, monster?”

Crack.

A fissure formed, and I regenerated. Checking the incision site carefully in case it reopened or something unusual occurred, everything seems fine.

Despite no resistance this time, I wondered if it would collapse after regenerating, but surprisingly, this method of enforcing reality is weak.

Anyway.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine.”

I took a step forward. Delaying any longer, it’s better to let them attack. I can adapt each time accordingly.

Thud, thud.

The frightened humans aimed their weapons at me. However, the general raised his hand, stopping his subordinates.

“You lot, fall back. Use that.”

“General! Using that will erase this entire region!”

“It’s better to retreat and let them clash with Kunlun. Breaking the non-aggression pact with the Celestial Sect would disadvantage us.”

“No punishment will be given for failing to capture a class Mu or higher monster! We need to step back here!”

Subordinates grabbed and pushed him aside. Some intriguing statements caught my attention: “erasing the region.” This implies they have a weapon with immense destructive power.

Also, the non-aggression pact with the Celestial Sect. Even though Kunlun is nearby and soldiers gathered unexpectedly, suggesting Kunlun might be weak, there’s such a treaty. Meaning, if I enter Kunlun territory, reckless actions won’t be tolerated.

Thinking about this complicated situation, even when surrounded, they only pointed weapons at me without striking.

I bowed to the general.

“Thank you for letting me pass.”

I genuinely mean it. Although fighting briefly delayed me, continuing the fight here would’ve been worse. Besides, the durability of the glass bottle is becoming concerning.

Before obtaining the technology in Kunlun, the glass bottle mustn’t break. How many worlds exist where someone can travel between dimensions? And what are the odds of getting such an opportunity close enough for me to seize?

This is my chance.

After taking a few steps, the sound of hooves faded into the distance behind me.

Looks like they fled.

Still, if the emperor wants me this badly, it’s not bad. Recalling that the Murim Alliance had spies within the Chonma Sect, it’s likely the imperial army also had spies. They must’ve heard rumors that I can heal people.

Regenerating lost limbs, curing diseases.

Including aging as a disease.

It’s a pretty decent ability.

An ability rulers would desire. Seeing how much they want it, I’m confident I can create my automatic harvesting system as planned.

But there’s something I need to do first.

I want to meet the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign quickly.

Just as I thought that, a sharp sound split the sky, followed by a deep thrust.

A pitch-black spear pierced my abdomen and protruded out.

Simultaneously, I gained his memories and understood what happened moments ago. He believed allowing me to enter Kunlun would lead to catastrophic events.

Having witnessed countless bizarre incidents triggered by specific conditions, his instincts warned against sending me to Kunlun.

I turned my gaze backward.

Far away, a man stood amidst grotesquely bloated flesh made of meat and bones, grinning in satisfaction.

This spear exists in the memories of three individuals and is known to the person licking the light.

Extreme Yang Spear, also called the Son of Radiance. When its power is maximized, it unleashes intense heat waves that engulf everything.

The instant I acquired this memory, the spear turned bright blue…

I pulled it out from my stomach.

Yeah. So what if it’s a bomb?

Ka-chk!

Cracks spread everywhere, but I thought of a more interesting way to handle this. With nine arms sprouting and eyes budding all over my body, I approached the madman.

Then, I inserted the bomb into his chest.

You know what? The harvesters I create by stealing warmth are somewhat similar to these monsters. Humans are difficult, but in this state of transformation, it’s unclear.

Though I just learned, I have one chance to control this monster.

Hoping for fusion, I shattered the light.

Nine arms wrapped together like the petals of a flower, forming a single object.

Hmm.

I learned something.

Conceptual yokai become objects when their warmth is stolen.

Humans, when combined with appropriate objects while stealing their warmth, also become objects.

Wait. Haven’t I seen this method somewhere…?

Ah! The alchemical methods of Tongcheon!

Thanks to Daegon’s memories, it seems plausible! Truly generous, Daegon. Then how bountiful must the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign be?

Ke-he-he.

Carrying a single flower, I arrived at Kunlun.

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