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00484 암천향(暗天鄕)  ————————————————————————=

As I was moving with the group led by the Master of the Twelve Joules, I stealthily grabbed the suspicious fishhook in my hand. Then, I attempted to communicate with Mangnyang. The fishhook allowed for communication even in one’s mind.

[ Mangnyang.]

[ I can hear you well.]

[ The current situation is…]

I explained everything that had happened until now to Mangnyang. After a brief moment of silence, Mangnyang seemed to be discussing something with Zhuge Sa beside him before speaking to me through the fishhook.

[ Baek Woong. Zhuge Sa is getting annoyed.]

[ ……]

I felt a jolt of anxiety.

[ However, I don’t think it’s dangerous yet. First, follow the Master and seal the area. If things get risky, I advise you to use the Golden Lamp technique to escape anytime.]

[ Understood.]

[ One more thing, this is a message from Zhuge Sa…]

I nodded as I listened to Zhuge Sa’s advice.

[ Understood.]

Tydaht

During our conversation, before I knew it, the elite members of the Twelve Joules and I had arrived at Pirate Island through the wind passage created by Wind Master. This place, once ruled by the Blood Blade Group, was now deserted, filled only with rotten corpses and bones due to my previous cleansing. The Master of the Twelve Joules commanded the group.

“We charge right in. Clear the path.”

Then, Yun Si stepped forward, stretching out his hands while chanting a spell. As his incantation came to an end, the sea surrounding Pirate Island gradually began to part, revealing the ocean floor. The water continued to split until it formed a complete path leading to the horizon.

An incredible sorcery!

Tydaht

And the elite of the Twelve Joules started racing down the path. I followed behind them when suddenly, from both sides of the parted water, strange shadows sprang forth to attack us.

[ Kyaak! ]

Schik

The response was immediate. The sect leader of the Twelve Joules used invisible memorization to eliminate the assailants in a single strike. Frowning at the blue blood spraying all around, he exclaimed,

“This!”

It was evident that the blue blood was poisoned; the ground stained with the monster’s blood emitted a foul noise and thick smoke. The creature that lay dead on the ground was of the otherworldly race I had seen before—the Merfolk. Zhuge Sa, glancing at it, said,

“Warriors among the Sea God’s kin carry poisonous blood within them. When dispatching them, avoid splattering their blood.”

“Understood!”

Chwaat!

Sure enough, upon either side of the path we were running, the Merfolk charged in, brandishing tridents, spears, axes, and swords. The sight of dozens of them leaping to attack was quite a spectacle, and Merfolk had already filled the path ahead, blocking our way. Their numbers seemed to be at least in the thousands.

I exclaimed in disbelief.

“Why are there so many?”

While I severed the necks of five creatures at once with my sword strength, it felt like nothing in comparison to the enemy’s numbers. It felt like being in a battlefield where hundreds of thousands of troops clashed. The Master of the Twelve Joules calmly responded,

“The pure-blooded Merfolk become battle-ready adults after just two years. There are probably at least ten thousand of them.”

With a sound like a burst, the Merfolk exploded into pulp as they attacked. It seemed he had cast a defensive spell around himself.

Ka ga gang!

Shik

[ Kueeek.]

“Die, monsters!”

The sect leaders of the Twelve Joules and the elite of the Manha Spiritual Gate were all peak experts. They showcased their martial arts, suppressing the onslaught of the overwhelming Merfolk forces. However, the numerical disparity remained, prompting me to shout,

“Can’t we just use the spells of the Three Masters to teleport directly to that distant city?”

“I wish we could, but the areas near the city are protected by the Sea God’s power, so we need to go up front and deactivate the barrier.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules suddenly pulled out his Cosmic Fragment.

Wiiing

“I command in the name of Ha Baek: freeze them all!”

The Cosmic Fragment emitted a brilliant bluish light. It stood tall like a living being, writhing in the air before swirling in a large spiral.

Zzhejejeong!

“……!!”

It all happened in an instant. The ice dragon froze the surrounding air, and soon, the outer walls of the path were entirely encased in ice! Those Merfolk that had leaped from the sea froze mid-air and fell to the ground, while the mass of Merfolk blocking our way turned into Merfolk statues.

Hwa io oo

The sight of all the frozen beasts was almost surreal. What was remarkable was that, even amidst the chaos, the Master of the Twelve Joules didn’t accidentally freeze his allies while targeting the enemy. Their talent for distinguishing targets in the midst of a melee was impressive.

‘ Such incredible power…’

I was in awe of the capability of the Cosmic Fragment. To freeze the entire sea extending to the horizon meant it unleashed a power that surpassed even the Dharma Guardian’s Heavenly Spirit Pill momentarily. Once the Cosmic Fragment activated, it was indeed an invincible force.

“Let’s go!”

Perebak

Kwahching

The elites of the Twelve Joules began smashing the frozen monsters out of their way, following Ha Eun-cheon. Erasing frozen enemies was the easiest task. I also summoned my inner power and shattered dozens at a time, to my surprise, the Merfolk’s innards were frozen solid, shattering upon death. It suggested a severe cold capable of freezing flesh in an instant.

I leaped and dashed with my light body technique while using the fishhook to relay the power of the Cosmic Fragment to Mangnyang. Mangnyang seemed quite astonished as he replied.

[ That’s a power hardly seen even among treasures. It seems the Cosmic Fragment is a special divine artifact.]

[ Can Ha Eun-cheon maintain such abilities continuously?]

[ It’s hard to say without asking him directly, but considering he recited a spell, I suspect there may be a limitation on its usage.]

In the midst of this, I spotted the altar for human sacrifice mentioned by the leader of the Blood Blade Group. Surrounding that altar were scattered human bones, indicating the Merfolk’s horrific practice of consuming humans alive. Upon seeing the altar, the Master of the Twelve Joules coldly commanded.

“Destroy it.”

“Yes.”

Kwaang!

The sect leaders of the Twelve Joules instantly shattered the massive altar with their strong energy. Dark smoke began to billow from it, drifting away, and the Master of the Twelve Joules once again created a path through the sea following the smoke.

Eventually, we arrived at the city of the Merfolk that the leader of the Blood Blade Group had spoken of. Perhaps due to the depths of the sea, a dark gloom prevailed, requiring the sorcerers to summon lights to illuminate our surroundings. Amongst the sect leaders of the Twelve Joules following behind, the Azure Dragon Sect Leader let out a stupefied murmur while resting his sword on his shoulder.

“The height of the walls on both sides is tremendous… how deep is this abyss?”

Hearing this, the leader of the National Defense Alliance glanced up and said,

“Roughly estimating, it seems to surpass fifteen li.”

The Azure Dragon Sect Leader gasped.

“Good heavens… how can these monsters build a city at the very bottom of such depths?”

“Well, it must be because they’re monsters.”

While the sect leaders of the Twelve Joules shared various remarks about the bizarre scenery they were witnessing for the first time, the Master of the Twelve Joules spoke to the Three Masters.

“I’ll break the barrier, so you all ensure not a single one escapes.”

“Understood.”

“And listen well, elite sect leaders of the Twelve Joules and the elite of the Manha Spiritual Gate.”

With attention turning to the Master of the Twelve Joules, he surveyed the crowd and declared,

“Today, we shall eliminate every single monster inside here without leaving a trace. Whether offspring or eggs, they must all be destroyed. Remember that if even one monster survives, ten commoners will perish at its hand!”

The sect leaders of the Twelve Joules bowed, shouting in thunderous voices.

“Understood!!”

“Understood!!”

“Understood!!”

Kwaang

With remarkable force, the Master of the Twelve Joules swung the Cosmic Fragment, shattering the barrier surrounding the colossal otherworldly city. Following that, the sect leaders of the Twelve Joules and the elite of the Manha Spiritual Gate descended into the city, ready to wreak havoc.

[ Kweeeek!]

[ Kkeek!]

Despite the bizarre screams from the Merfolk and their attempts to rush forward or flee, everyone present was a formidable expert. Even if the physical prowess of the Merfolk was strong, it was natural that they would not be able to resist when peak experts banded together. Moreover, the sorcerers of the Manha Spiritual Gate were simultaneously deploying advanced spells to assist, leaving no room for error.

I observed the gruesome scene of chaos as blue blood splattered, and the heads and limbs of the Merfolk soared through the air.

The Master of the Twelve Joules approached me and asked,

“Do you dislike slaughter?”

“Why would killing monsters be considered slaughter? I see it as cleaning up.”

“Ah, I share your sentiment.”

“However, if this is how it’s going to be, wouldn’t it be better to bring in the Goryeo army?”

My honest observation leaned more towards efficiency rather than slaughter. After all, the visible count of Merfolk in this city was no less than ten thousand. No matter how powerful we may be, it would exhaust us to cut down thousands with just dozens of fighters. I wondered if it would be better to summon an army of thousands or tens of thousands.

The Master of the Twelve Joules replied,

“This is our initial battle, and it is a ritual.”

“A ritual?”

“The sect leaders of the Twelve Joules are strong warriors experienced in combat against otherworldly races, but they are not yet fully prepared to face the Sea God’s leader in a decisive battle. They need to engrain in their minds that we are [at war] while we cut them down.”

“An awareness…”

“If we fail to do so, the longer we fight, the higher the chance that their evil energy will corrupt our minds. Thus, we’re training our mental strength through the frenzy of battle and the feast of blood to prevent that corruption.”

“I see…”

I found the Master of the Twelve Joules’ reasoning to be valid. The Merfolk, being an otherworldly race, possessed an intangible energy capable of instilling great fear in humans, and regardless of how strong an expert might be, prolonged exposure could easily mess with their psyche. Hence, the Master of the Twelve Joules devised a strategy to stave off mental trauma with the frenzy of slaughter. Having personally felt the evil energy of otherworldly races, I couldn’t help but empathize.

“Well then. Perhaps it’s time to pursue efficiency now…”

As over a thousand corpses sprawled around, the Master of the Twelve Joules raised his hands to the sky and shouted,

“Phoenix, purify the darkness of this land!”

The heavens opened up.

Simultaneously, from a sky filled with dark clouds, a radiant, colorful light began to reveal a divine ‘something’. However, it looked considerably different from the phoenix I had imagined; it resembled a glowing mass shaped like a bird. Finally, the phoenix descended and crashed right in the middle of the Merfolk city.

Fuwaaaak

[ Kkeeeek!]

[ Kkiyaaaak!!]

From where the phoenix landed, a colossal tidal wave of light began to spread, sweeping away the Merfolk in all directions. The Merfolk touched by the wave exploded, some turning to ash. Additionally, the evil architecture built by the Merfolk was destroyed too.

Strange enough, that light wave did not affect us humans at all; instead, I felt my strength and spirit energy being restored as I was enveloped in light.

“……!!”

I hurriedly drew out my Fire Dragon Sword. At that moment, the wave of light emitted by the phoenix strongly infused into the Fire Dragon Sword, and I could distinctly feel its power gradually returning. It seemed to have a good synergy since both were divine beasts from the celestial realm.

‘ It seems like it will awaken soon…’

During this battle, the Fire Dragon Incarnate might not have recovered sufficiently to awaken, yet it appeared certain that it would do so in the near future. As I focused on the recovery of the Fire Dragon Sword, I began to cut down the enemies.

How long had I fought like this?

After roughly half a moment of time had passed, the battle finally came to an end. The experts of the Twelve Joules were now roaming around, mercilessly finishing off any remaining Merfolk mortals or younglings. Once the task was complete, the Master of the Twelve Joules turned his gaze towards me.

“We must seal the area.”

I nodded at the Master of the Twelve Joules’ instruction and raised the Fire Dragon Sword high. Drawing upon the power of the National Seal, I concentrated it into the Fire Dragon Sword, which soon began to emit enormous heat, and I could feel its strength amplifying.

The Master of the Twelve Joules received the spirit energy from the Fire Dragon Sword and began the sealing process alongside the Three Masters. The sealing was not finished until half a moment later. The Master of the Twelve Joules sighed, as if relieved, and muttered.

“That’s one down. No Merfolk will appear in this area anymore.”

“Do we have to do this five more times?”

“Indeed. But this was particularly challenging since it was the first time.”

After sealing the first Merfolk city, we immediately proceeded to our next destination. The next target was said to be alongside the island of Tamra in Goryeo, which also swarmed with Merfolk. I repeatedly used the power of the phoenix to recover the Fire Dragon Sword and help with the sealing.

Having sealed five locations, it was nearing dusk. After nearly six moments of time, without resting, we continuously fought the Merfolk, leaving everyone utterly exhausted. Given we had been butchering tens of thousands of them without pause, this was to be expected.

‘ Will we finally rest today…’

I thought for a moment about taking a break before going on the hunt again. However, noticing the poor condition of our group, the Master of the Twelve Joules spoke.

“We need to recover.”

“Huh?”

Without further ado, the Master of the Twelve Joules reached his hand towards the ground.

Zzjeong!

Suddenly, a green light burst forth from the Master of the Twelve Joules’ body, and shortly after, a source of green light rose and enveloped the people. As the green light receded, astonishingly, the fatigued sect leaders of the Twelve Joules and the experts of the Manha Spiritual Gate appeared to be completely revitalized.

I was taken aback and asked. My stamina and inner power had surged within me, leaving me unable to refrain from questioning.

“Um, how did you do that?”

Though I possessed great knowledge of spells, I had never encountered a technique capable of simultaneously restoring such a large number of people. Not even in Mangnyang’s knowledge or in the Peaceful Spell was there such a method. The Master of the Twelve Joules dusted himself off and replied.

“The Sacred Altar Tree is connected to the dragon veins of the land across the globe. I found this land’s dragon vein and temporarily connected it with the Sacred Altar Tree. That way, even from this distance, I can draw upon its power.”

“……”

“Well, it may be weaker than if you were using it near the Sacred Altar Tree.”

While his words were simple, drawing on the power of the dragon vein was not something an ordinary sorcerer could achieve. Typically, a sorcerer would consider themselves fortunate just to practice above a dragon vein. Furthermore, using such power as a conduit with the Sacred Altar Tree was a tremendous feat.

‘ Could it be that summoning the phoenix was also…?’

I realized something incredible.

If what the Master of the Twelve Joules said was true, it meant he was virtually invincible as long as he fought on land! Wherever there was land, he could access the power of the Sacred Altar Tree, enabling him to unleash miraculous spells while also being able to recover at will. He clearly possessed an ability rivaling that of the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s primordial spirit.

I also recognized another truth.

‘ I must never fight with the Master of the Twelve Joules near the Eternal City!’

If we were near the Eternal City, the Master of the Twelve Joules would surely reach his peak strength, making him invincible even without the assistance of the Three Masters. While I crammed this information into my mind, the Master of the Twelve Joules commented.

“Since we’ve begun, we need to strike hard and finish this quickly. If we give it time, the Sea God will start to meddle.”

“Having already destroyed five cities and eradicated tens of thousands of Merfolk, isn’t that reason enough to attract attention?”

“No. Those cities are merely a fragment of the numerous cities spread across the vast ocean. We haven’t dealt a significant blow.”

“……”

“We must conclude before it becomes aware of our presence and awakens.”

I turned to the Master of the Twelve Joules and asked,

“Where is the Sea God?”

“I don’t know. I only understand that it randomly moves between cities, falling into a deep slumber at each.”

“Hmm…”

When I had seen the illusion of the Golden Lamp before, I had witnessed the Sea God sleeping in a city near the Blood Blade Group. However, when we arrived this time, no sign of the Sea God was anywhere to be found. Regardless, since the Master of the Twelve Joules intended to face the Sea God, I kept that information to myself, but it seemed each city had a different duration in which the Sea God rested.

We approached the final city of the Merfolk. Just as before, we struck to slaughter the Merfolk and finished up the sealing process when suddenly, the Fire Dragon Sword began to resonate.

Zzzzrrr

[ … Yoonja!]

The Fire Dragon Incarnate awakened and spoke to me. I hurriedly replied.

[ You’re awake?]

[ I have gradually regained consciousness and watched the deeds you’ve performed. It will only be a little longer until I am completely restored.]

[ That’s fantastic.]

[ You are indeed a great hero. To venture forth to vanquish the Sea God’s kin for the sake of humanity!]

The Fire Dragon Incarnate, sounding somewhat impressed, continued speaking.

[ But it seems it’s time to take responsibility for that choice.]

[ What do you mean?]

Kugugugu…

Gugugugu…

Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the ruined city of the Merfolk. It was a vibration that felt as though it were alive, filling the once quiet void with an overwhelming sense of pressure. Sorcerers lit their spells illuminating the surroundings, but suddenly, that light extinguished in an instant. It felt as though a far greater force had blanketed the area.

Darkness was creeping closer.

The people stood dumbfounded, overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

“……”

The Master of the Twelve Joules stated,

“It has come…”

What had come?

As I tilted my head in confusion, the Fire Dragon Incarnate spoke.

[ Yoonja! Today’s battle will become a monumental event in the history of heaven and earth. I am proud that you are my vessel.]

[ Huh?]

[ Yeodong-bin!!]

Swoosh

Suddenly, the specter of Yeodong-bin appeared before me. Yeodong-bin’s expression was stiff, appearing quite tense—a rare sight, given that he had never once shown tension even before the Master of the White Lotus Sect or the Guardian.

I sensed that something ominous was approaching.

[ My master, must we truly engage that being? You know better than anyone how immense its existence is, don’t you?]

Yeodong-bin hesitated before finally responding. At that moment, the specter of the Fire Dragon Incarnate appeared before Yeodong-bin, smiling softly.

[ Haha! Have you not defeated even a world-devastating dragon together with me?]

[ But this is… a monumental event that could alter the balance of heaven and earth.]

[ I have summoned you here because I trust you, my disciple. Do you intend to not assist this master?]

[ ……]

Yeodong-bin sighed deeply before answering,

[I shall assist.]

I quickly asked Yeodong-bin,

[ Yeodong-bin! What do you mean? What on earth…]

Ssshhh

The spirits of Yeodong-bin and the Fire Dragon Incarnate descended upon me at once. I gripped the Fire Dragon Sword and the Fire Spirit tightly, releasing my maximum power. In my mind, I could hear the Fire Dragon Incarnate speaking to Yeodong-bin.

[ I will handle divine-grade summoning and magic. Yeodong-bin, you will deal the fatal blow with the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique.]

[ It’s been a millennium.]

[ Hehe!]

Kuwung…

Slowly, the footsteps of darkness approached. When those steps finally ceased, I discovered the other side of the world shrouded in darkness, revealing a colossal giant that spanned several dozen li, capturing our sight in its entirety. It was so immense that even the incarnation of the alchemist I had seen before in the spiritual realm seemed smaller by comparison.

The giant silently gazed down upon us, its scales writhing in the dark. Just a gaze from it left most in the area paralyzed, unable to utter a word. Even the peak experts of the Twelve Joules appeared as confused as fish out of water, their eyes wide with shock. The mere presence of the giant dulled any human rationale.

The abyss consumed humanity.

Indeed.

That was – an existence beyond a mortal’s capacity to comprehend.

Born as a god since the primordial ages.

Thus, an ordinary human could not possibly contend against it.

In that moment, the only ones standing firm here were the Master of the Twelve Joules, the Three Masters, and me. One of the Three Masters had used a spatial spell to suddenly move everyone else aside, while Ha Eun-cheon drew forth the Cosmic Fragment.

Ha Eun-cheon, with a nervous voice, remarked,

“I didn’t expect the Sea God to arrive so soon.”

The first battle against the ancient ruler, the Sea God, was about to commence.

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