Chapter 296 : Minor Universe
Chapter 296: Minor Universe
Roughly cut shaggy hair.
His sleepy-looking eyes made it seem as though everything in the world annoyed him.
The carelessly worn clothes hanging open at the chest and the liquor bottle tied at his waist reflected the approaching man’s free-spirited nature.
He looked like someone unconcerned with etiquette or formalities.
“It has been a long time.”
“Yeah, really has been. You’re still short though. That’s why I keep telling you not to be picky with food and eat properly.”
If Seon Woo-baek-rin appeared unsteady yet lighthearted, then the man before them was frivolous.
He resembled a rogue from the back alleys or a decadent wastrel.
Yet no one underestimated him.
There was weight hidden within his casual footsteps, and every time his arms swayed lazily, powerful Qi waves burst forth.
Everyone watching him shared the same thought—
If those hands moved, they would not be able to stop them easily.
“It’s been a while for you too, Young. I heard you got scolded badly and locked yourself up in a room.”
Dan Young, who had not transformed into her Eight-Tailed Fox form, did not answer.
Instead, she merely lowered her body and growled.
Her body gradually expanded.
“Young-ah, I told you that if you can’t suppress that, then you shouldn’t use it. What’s the point of only growing bigger? You look like a frightened beast. And this one here…… you’re a new face. Who are you?”
The man’s relaxed gaze turned toward Maeng Ye-ju.
“I am Maeng Ye-ju, Young Sect Master of the Beast King Sect Alliance.”
“Oh, Young Sect Master! Nice. So the Beast King Sect had talent like this? Hong-ah, you must feel pretty reassured.”
Though the Beast King Sect still had two elders present, they did not catch the man’s interest.
He immediately turned his head toward the Five Wheels Five Elements Cult.
“You’re unfamiliar too. One of the Right Protectors of the Five Elements Cult?”
“My name is Im Gwan-hwa.”
“Good. Much better than that fool Spear Thunder Duke. Gyeong-mu, it’s been a while.”
“It has.”
“‘It has’? Haa, when you used to follow your master around, you were cute. Now you’re pretending to be all grown up. Well, it can’t be helped. I understand. You lead an organization now, so I suppose you need to act more dignified.”
The man swept his gaze across the leaders of the Beast King Sect and the Five Wheels Five Elements Cult before continuing.
“Alright, everyone go back. I’ll apologize. I’m sorry, so I’d like everyone to turn around and leave.”
There were numerous experts present, but he paid them no mind whatsoever.
“We did not come here to play games. Nor do we intend to leave quietly. This is not something that can be settled so simply.”
“Really? Then what? You planning to fight me?”
Spreading both arms wide as though inviting attack at any moment, the man spoke casually.
“The Cult Leader and Right Protector of the Five Elements Cult. Two of the Three Fierce Beasts and the Beast King Sect’s Young Sect Master. Very nice. You’d all be important figures no matter where you went.”
Once more, his gaze swept over everyone.
“But do you think you’re enough for me?”
In that instant, overwhelming pressure crushed everyone.
“Urgh!”
“……!”
Everyone endured by raising their power.
The opponent did not even seem to be exerting himself seriously, yet it felt as though Mount Tai had been placed atop their shoulders.
The leaders of the Beast King Sect and Five Wheels Five Elements Cult stared at the man before them.
He was stronger than anyone present here.
The Sovereign Family’s Supreme Clan Head.
Black Blood Divine Lord Jeong Yi-rak.
One of the Ten Seats, he was among the greatest experts in the Middle Heavens Murim.
When Jeong Yi-rak’s gaze turned toward Maeng Ye-ju, Dan Hong and Dan Young stepped forward to block his line of sight.
“Young Sect Master, we’ve suffered losses too.”
They had clashed with Hae-ryang and the Beast King Sect elders, losing two of the Sovereign Five Elders.
And they had not even managed to fully deal with Hae-ryang.
“I got injured too and had a rough time. Three of my children are so badly hurt they can’t even move right now. So just leave while I’m letting you go. Otherwise, I’m going to get angry.”
Jeong Yi-rak spoke jokingly while grasping the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Without even attacking, the surrounding air grew heavier and the pressure pressing down upon them intensified.
“Your nasty personality remains unchanged.”
The moment Seo Gyeong-mu spoke, the pressure suppressing the surroundings vanished.
A gentle aura enveloped everyone.
“Right Protector, I shall do my duty. Assist the Beast King Sect.”
Im Gwan-hwa and the two Five Elements Envoys bowed deeply.
Seo Gyeong-mu slowly walked forward toward Jeong Yi-rak.
“Gyeong-mu, the Five Wheels Guardian Gods were destroyed. Do you really think this is enough? Stop it. Out of old ties, I’ll let you leave today, so just go back. You’ll never get another chance like this, so listen to me.”
Jeong Yi-rak spoke as though coaxing a child.
But Seo Gyeong-mu ignored him and simply continued walking slowly.
After several steps—
Armor with partially different colors suddenly floated behind Seo Gyeong-mu.
“What’s with that ridiculous armor? Some new artifact?”
Ignoring Jeong Yi-rak’s mockery, the armor moved.
The separated pieces completely covered Seo Gyeong-mu’s body.
The helmet and torso were yellow.
The right arm was red, the left black.
The legs were blue and white.
Though it was a ridiculous-looking armor made of five colors, the atmosphere changed the moment Seo Gyeong-mu wore it.
And at the same time—
Hwoooong!
Seo Gyeong-mu’s aura rose endlessly.
“Huh?”
Though they had clearly been standing in the air, land suddenly appeared beneath their feet.
Trees began growing upon the newly formed earth.
A massive lake appeared.
And above the sky floated a gigantic sphere of fire resembling the sun.
Everything changed.
“You…….”
The half-lidded eyes of Jeong Yi-rak, who had looked perpetually sleepy, suddenly widened at the transformed world.
“The Five Wheels Guardian Gods…… they weren’t destroyed?”
“The Guardian Gods are gone, but their power remains with us.”
Five Wheels Guardian Armor.
Armor created from the remaining power left behind by the now-vanished Five Wheels Guardian Gods to protect the cult.
The armor forged by the craftsmen of the Gigantic Kingdom elevated Seo Gyeong-mu into a master of the Wish Fulfillment Realm.
“You showed consideration, so I shall warn you in advance as well. I will attack now.”
As Seo Gyeong-mu lowered his body to prepare his attack, the sun floating in the sky burned even brighter, and the ground beneath them trembled.
The forest shook, and tidal waves rose from the lake.
When Seo Gyeong-mu extended the hand he had drawn back, a bird and water dragon formed from flames appeared upon his palm.
Jeong Yi-rak retreated and drew his sword.
Kiiiing!
As he slashed through the air, a pitch-black hole appeared, swallowing Seo Gyeong-mu’s attack whole.
“Well now, our Gyeong-mu brought quite an entertaining suit of armor.”
Though he blocked the attack with ease, inwardly he was burning with anxiety.
【Clan Head!】
Hiding his panic, Jeong Yi-rak transmitted his voice toward the Sovereign Family Clan Head positioned behind him.
【Please give your orders.】
【Do not clash head-on. Pull the troops back while fighting.】
Without waiting for a reply, Jeong Yi-rak continued.
【We chose the wrong side. This operation has failed.】
He thought joining hands with the Divine Dragon Family would be an opportunity.
But it was not.
Truthfully, Seo Gyeong-mu himself was not the real issue.
Though currently displaying immense power, it was merely borrowed strength from the armor.
Jeong Yi-rak could deal with him.
The real problem lay elsewhere.
Blocking Seo Gyeong-mu’s attacks, Jeong Yi-rak looked toward the distant battlefield.
A monster was over there where the Divine Dragon Family stood.
If he delayed here and became entangled with that creature, the losses would outweigh the gains.
‘An incomprehensible bastard.’
That monster over there possessed power capable not merely of overturning the game board—
But of outright destroying the board itself.
He did not know who the man was.
Nor how much power he truly possessed.
One thing was certain—
This battle would ultimately be decided by the clash between the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord and that monster.
‘If things look bad, I’m running.’
Once more, Jeong Yi-rak’s sword split through the air.
A black hole formed again, neutralizing every one of Seo Gyeong-mu’s attacks.
Kuuuuuuuuung!
The moment a massive shockwave erupted from where the Divine Dragon Family stood—
Jeong Yi-rak firmly decided to flee no matter what.
‘We miscalculated.’
By helping the Divine Dragon Family, they had only gained more enemies for no reason.
And since Hae-ryang had not been dealt with either, retreating now might mean enduring a prolonged war against the Beast King Sect.
---
Kwaaaaaaang!
The explosion echoed in all directions.
Every time Jang Woo-hyun threw a punch, the colossal dragon—large enough to stretch ten li long—was blasted dozens of li away.
After being struck by the fifth punch—
The giant dragon crashed into a nameless floating continent.
Dust did not scatter.
The ground did not overturn.
Because Jang Woo-hyun suppressed everything with pure force, the impact concentrated entirely upon the dragon’s body.
Kuuuuung!
Descending onto the floating continent, Jang Woo-hyun threw another punch.
The giant dragon’s body folded in half from the impact and burrowed deep into the ground.
【Grrrgh…….】
Yong Moon-geuk, transformed into a colossal dragon, could not properly react.
Forget counterattacking—
Even moving his body was difficult.
Yong Moon-geuk had transformed into a dragon of such absurd size because he was confident he would not be injured.
Having stepped into the Wish Fulfillment Realm, Yong Moon-geuk had twisted natural law and created his own personal principle.
An absolutely indestructible dragon body.
Thousands of spells and artifacts, tens of thousands of martial artists—
None could wound him.
Great Mountain Colossal Dragon.
He was a living mountain range itself.
Invincible.
Yet today, the principle he created shattered.
Kwaaaaaaang!
With a single punch, scales harder than diamond shattered apart.
Kwaaaang!
Another punch broke bones and exploded flesh.
No—
Beyond merely his body, the entire floating continent trembled.
Had Jang Woo-hyun not concentrated his force, the floating continent itself would already have been destroyed.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
The third punch blasted a hole through the floating continent, sending the giant dragon’s body falling beneath it.
He was completely unmatched.
Desperately, Yong Moon-geuk swung his tail in an attempt to attack.
Thunk.
Jang Woo-hyun casually stopped the tail strike—powerful enough to destroy a floating island in one blow—with a single hand.
Nothing worked.
No attack had any effect.
And even more terrifying—
‘He’s not even serious.’
Jang Woo-hyun was merely measuring his own strength.
This was not even a proper attack.
The fact that he was only using his fists without drawing a weapon proved it.
After stopping the giant dragon’s tail strike, Jang Woo-hyun tightened his grip.
Grabbing the tail, he swung the colossal dragon through the air.
The sight resembled an ant lifting and throwing a human.
Watching Yong Moon-geuk fly away at terrifying speed, Jang Woo-hyun opened his palm.
As he attempted to use his hand like a sword—
‘I’ll die!’
Feeling a horrifying chill, Yong Moon-geuk immediately canceled his Dragon Body Transformation.
In that instant, an invisible slash split through the air.
The once-blue sky tore apart, revealing a massive crack leading into a void resembling outer space.
“……!”
The crack was larger than Yong Moon-geuk’s dragon form had been.
When he hurriedly turned his head back in shock—
Jang Woo-hyun was already there, throwing another punch.
Yong Moon-geuk raised both arms while twisting natural law.
These were no ordinary arms.
Above all else, they were solid and unbreakable.
An eternal shield and armor.
His will and consciousness infused themselves into his arms.
In contrast—
Jang Woo-hyun thought of only one thing.
Destroy.
And he threw his punch.
Puh-oooooong!
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
In a single strike, both of Yong Moon-geuk’s arms and part of his upper body vanished.
Had fear not made him twist his body at the last moment, his entire upper body would have disappeared and he would have died instantly.
Though he had already transcended humanity and no longer possessed a body of flesh and blood—
It meant nothing.
Jang Woo-hyun’s simple attacks shattered origin and soul alike.
Will.
Intent.
The internal energy filling his body.
Even the principles he twisted to create laws—
None of it mattered.
That momentary decision barely prolonged his life.
But the attack was not over.
Jang Woo-hyun smashed Yong Moon-geuk’s body while he was still unable to recover from the pain.
Qi overlapped and exploded together with the impact.
Kwa-gwagwang! Kwang!
Yong Moon-geuk’s body once more flew through the air.
After traveling twenty li, he crashed into a small floating island.
The force and speed of the impact nearly split the island apart.
---
“Guhk…… guh…….”
The embedded Yong Moon-geuk no longer resembled a human being.
He looked like a shattered lump of flesh forcibly molded into human shape.
Only his high realm and the vitality inherited from dragon blood barely kept him alive.
Jang Woo-hyun approached him.
Just before delivering the final strike, Jang Woo-hyun turned his head.
Looking into empty air, he smiled.
Because the person he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
“You came?”
From the empty sky, a man in crimson robes appeared.
Glowing horns protruded from his head, and his eyes possessed vertical pupils like a beast’s.
That gaze looking down upon others like insects from above remained unchanged.
“So you’ve grown this much?”
“Well, something like that.”
“Foolish.”
He understood that Jang Woo-hyun had gained power.
He understood his realm had risen.
But in the end, he was still merely a weak human.
An inferior species.
Right now, Jang Woo-hyun had become intoxicated with his newfound strength and walked directly into the jaws of a dragon.
“You will regret that choice.”
Grrrrrrr.
The growl of beasts echoed out, and the world darkened.
At some point, the blue sky filled with floating islands and continents vanished.
Every direction became filled with enormous writhing dragons and serpents.
【This time, you will not escape.】
The first time they met, Yong Cheon-myeong thought it had merely been luck.
Because they had been near the Three Pure Ones Taiji Sect, the Supreme Divine Lord Taiqing had saved him.
But the second time was different.
Strangely enough, the Great Sage Demon King of the Sea of Bitterness had used his power to save Jang Woo-hyun.
‘A great demon helping a human.’
Even Yong Cheon-myeong, who had lived for ages, had never witnessed such a thing.
Twice now, the human had escaped alive from his hands.
There was clearly something special about him.
And for a human, his talent was absurdly extraordinary.
‘But today everything ends.’
This time he intended to kill him completely.
Last time, he had shown restraint in order to obtain the Heavenly Escape Sword Art.
This time was different.
【Now die.】
Like a prophecy, Yong Cheon-myeong declared Jang Woo-hyun’s death.
The words carried the force of unavoidable destiny.
Yet Jang Woo-hyun defied even that power of fate.
Toward the immense force approaching him, he swung his hand.
Something invisible shattered instantly at Jang Woo-hyun’s gesture.
“My turn now.”
Chrrrrk.
Amidst the growling of beasts came the sound of metal clashing.
Puk! Pubuk!
The bodies of the dragons and serpents forming the ground exploded apart.
Spears pierced through scales and rose upward, while leaves made of blades bloomed from them.
Flowers and grass made of arrowheads grew from the earth, and gigantic mountains formed entirely of blades appeared.
Seogak!
The dragons and serpents covering the sky were sliced apart and fell.
A gigantic sword moved, severing everything.
Myriad Dragon Heavenly Nest Cave.
A world filled with countless writhing dragons and serpents.
The dragons’ nest shattered, and silver blades filled the world.
Minor Universe, Blade Mountain Sword Forest.
Smiling, Jang Woo-hyun unfolded his own world.