When the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign’s words came to an end, Male’s body was outside Kunlun Mountain.
And when the Outsider wearing Choseol’s flesh finished speaking, the petals of the flower shaped like a lump of meat began to spread wide, forming a blooming bud.
Instead of nine petals, nine arms unfurled, revealing the tender flesh within.
At the center of the flower, a miniature sun flickered fiercely.
It was originally a special weapon created by the Empire to handle anomalies.
Think of it as something between a tiger-hunting team and a special phenomena quarantine agency from some urban fantasy.
One of the generals leading a large detachment of this unique public organization possessed this item as a precaution.
Called the Son of Huaxi, and knowing that Huaxi refers to the Sun Goddess gives you a rough idea of what this thing is.
This object is the Extreme Yang Spear.
While its mechanism resembles a hydrogen bomb, its explosion manifests like a solar flare.
Meaning, it’s not just raw heat. This weapon, infused with mythic power, descends as a blazing sun capable of tearing through the unreal.
So powerful that only someone of the general rank would carry it as insurance.
And they used it properly.
But at the moment of detonation, the Outsider twisted reality, pinning down the explosion.
Had it fully detonated, the realm of humans and immortals in Kunlun Mountain would have melted under the flames.
The weapon was potent enough to dissolve all defenses and even burn away the passage leading to where the immortals resided.
But even this was nothing to whoever wore Choseol’s form.
In the initial stages of the explosion, the Outsider forcibly twisted the person holding the weapon, melting their spirit into a tool.
Advanced bioengineering technology from Daegon aided in surpassing the limits of a world, though it was subtly insufficient.
What truly allowed the containment of the explosion was something else entirely.
Back when the Outsider was human, they had learned from manga that a person’s heart is akin to its own world.
With knowledge and guiding ideologies fused maliciously together.
As the light faded into nothingness upon the Outsider’s arrival, it was replaced with a physical manifestation of light.
Thus, the high-explosive bomb frozen mid-detonation became the essence of the meaty flower.
To say it “blooms” means this:
When the mind opens, the paused explosion resumes its original function.
At that moment,
Where the Outsider and the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign stood,
There was light.
Unbiased in its destruction, the explosion consumed everything around the detonation point with the power of the sun.
The epicenter simply vaporized, scorching more than half of the vast Kunlun space.
Amidst the overwhelming heatstorm and radiation spreading in all directions,
Choseol stood there, using the transformed flower as an umbrella, completely unscathed, as if avoiding the summer heat.
“Though it has a user-protection feature, the flame cannot recharge. A one-time use, huh? This thing.”
The principle is simple: if the sepals can trap the sun, they can also release it.
But that’s all.
It only protects; no other functions exist.
To cross this infernal wasteland requires another method. As the Outsider looked around helplessly without such means,
“Thought you were attempting suicide with a bomb, but turns out it’s personal spatial shielding tech.”
At that impossible-to-survive location, a young man’s voice echoed.
When the Outsider turned toward the sound, they saw a boy floating far away in the air. Though his shell had changed, the Outsider immediately recognized him.
“This time, it’s a living person instead of some construct.”
Looking at the white light within the boy, the Outsider spoke.
“Primordial Heavenly Sovereign.”
A youth dressed in flowing robes hovered in the air, gazing down at the Outsider cloaked in a girl’s form—half-yin, half-yang.
Compared to the battle against the invading Tongcheon, he seemed too weak.
Paradoxically, it was strange that such a monster could be defeated.
Recalling when Tongcheon gathered a hybrid force of locals and outsiders, there was no sense of impending doom now.
No feeling of danger like when facing Daegon directly.
Nothing but a simple human girl stood before him.
And that was terrifying.
About 50 days ago, Tongcheon received news that something went wrong when combining forces with humanity to destroy the subordinate organization named the Organization of the Dark Horse.
Only remnants of a massive city deep underwater remained, obliterated by an immortal’s overwhelming power.
Footage from a distant surveillance station showed the city vanishing in an instant. All survivors were found dead, having taken their own lives due to the overwhelming presence.
Those who fought Daegon knew why.
When Daegon revealed his true form, weaker souls, regardless of ally or foe, were torn apart by his overwhelming presence.
The numerous suicides indicated the presence of Daegon and a devastating defeat.
Who killed Tongcheon? Or was he truly dead?
The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign began an investigation.
Someone approached during this time.
Even though the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign heard via communication device about the visitor, finding the one who defeated Daegon took priority.
However, when the visitor claimed responsibility for Daegon’s death, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign sensed danger and acted swiftly.
Evacuating all immortals from Kunlun and ordering assistance from the mortal realm,
he sent a remote-controlled puppet to meet the visitor while secretly analyzing her with all resources available.
Kunlun’s accumulated knowledge and power proved invaluable in understanding this new threat.
The analysis concluded quickly.
Standing there was not so much an embodiment of evil but rather someone fundamentally opposite to this world.
His judgment proved correct.
Tongcheon’s death held a deeper meaning that the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign barely grasped.
Despite appearing human, inside that skin lay a being so powerful that all worlds combined might not scratch them.
Traces of the Jade Emperor and Tongcheon mingled within, wielding a living weapon.
“At least…”
Riddled with vulnerabilities, a tall woman who seemingly knows nothing about combat stands there. Everything seems fake.
Thus, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign continued probing for weaknesses through conversation.
Surprisingly, the entity responded earnestly to questions, allowing manipulation.
“What?”
“At least, tell me why you attacked Kunlun. Through Male, you blamed us for killing someone you considered family. Is this revenge?”
The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign understood tragedy well.
Living long meant enduring countless tragedies. Hence, he questioned the seemingly humane monster.
Did we make a mistake?
Is this merely a chain of vengeance?
But the monster shook its head.
“No. While I may not fully understand the principles of this world, I know enough about human morality. The Organization of the Dark Horse was inherently harmful, deserving total annihilation. In a more advanced era, perhaps I could differentiate and rehabilitate survivors, but not here.”
To the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, it sounded like this:
Your actions were justified, and I do not hold a grudge.
“You blamed us before.”
“When someone you considered family is killed, isn’t reacting a normal response? However, the fault lies entirely on their side, while you were right.”
“No, excessive massacres are wrong even from a human perspective. We didn’t differentiate, treating everyone as a single unit. That’s clearly our fault.”
This statement served both as truth and bait to test the monster’s intentions.
If we admit fault, what horrors might ensue?
Calmly observing the potential danger,
the monster’s reaction was unexpected.
“You’re a good person.”
Sincerely praising, almost embarrassingly truthful, the monster stared straight and said,
“In the end, the bad one is me.”
Crossing its arms,
“I know that souls stripped of warmth are discarded like trash. Yet, I will continue expanding my harvesters to gain warmth. Forever. Without pause. Until the cold inside me fades.”
Some eras describe this condition as:
Sociopathy.
When someone suffers and uses that pain as an excuse for wicked acts, others remain steadfast in virtue despite harshness.
Even in societies accepting certain evils as necessary, moral absolutes still stand.
Otherwise, practices like heart extraction in some cultures might seem justified. Regardless of societal norms, wrong remains wrong.
The monster insisted,
“So, those I called family? I already turned them into harvesters, dumped them in the trash, and moving forward, seeking revenge would be shameful.”
The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign noticed traces of something significant but couldn’t pinpoint it before the monster continued,
“You shine brightly, but compared to Daegon, you’re but a speck. Comparing your stacked offerings to Daegon’s might be unfair, but fighting you won’t provide enough warmth.”
Both knew the discussion referred to souls. The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign remembered Tongcheon’s immense accumulation of soul energy.
Knowing what would come next,
“To fight Daegon with such a small light. That knowledge… it’s impressively marvelous technology.”
Lustfully eyeing him, the monster admitted needing it, acknowledging the path they walk is pure evil yet pursuing it anyway.
“What will you do with this knowledge?”
“Everything possible.”
The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign nodded, concluding no further information could be gained, summoning numerous tools.
Elegant devices, blending wood and metal, moved organically rather than mechanically, targeting the monster.
“Then, I’ll do everything in my power to stop you.”
With a hardened expression, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign pointed at the monster and declared,
“Gravity Tenfold.”
Ignoring the flower encasing the Outsider, gravity itself pierced through worlds, slamming into the monster.