Chapter 317 : The Demonic Spirit Realm (2)
Chapter 317: The Demonic Spirit Realm (2)
After refusing King Wuyong's invitation, the Wind-Passing Great Sage did nothing but laze around without seeking a single fight.
Causing havoc in the Central Heavens Realm certainly sounded entertaining.
But at the moment, something far more interesting awaited him.
Having grown bored of every battle, he spent his days idly lounging about.
Then—
At last, the moment he had been waiting for arrived.
"He's here!"
He sensed the mark he had branded.
It was a specially crafted mark.
The moment its bearer entered the Demonic Spirit Realm, he could detect it immediately.
"Hahahahahaha!"
His excited laughter alone triggered earthquakes, causing the surrounding stone mountains to collapse.
After laughing for quite some time—
The Wind-Passing Great Sage transformed into a streak of wind and vanished.
---
To avoid unnecessary battles, Jang Woo-hyun concealed his presence as he traveled.
Perhaps because of that—
Although several multi-winged birds flew nearby, none of them reacted to him.
Running through the sky, he carefully observed this unfamiliar world.
'It really is unstable.'
The area he had passed through moments earlier contained qi that had solidified into rigid masses, completely motionless.
Yet the place where he now stood was different.
The surrounding qi surged like a raging storm.
Each time he crossed into another region, the flow of energy changed dramatically.
The sky was a pale violet.
There wasn't a single cloud.
Strangely enough—
Even without a sun, the world wasn't dark.
Beneath the heavens stretched countless pillar-like stone mountains connected only by razor-sharp winds.
Since he had no destination in mind, Jang Woo-hyun leisurely advanced while surveying his surroundings.
'The monkey will come find me.'
Even when he had ascended to the heavens before, the monkey had known in advance because of the mark.
Now that he had personally entered the Demonic Spirit Realm—
There was no way he wouldn't notice.
"...!"
Jang Woo-hyun abruptly stopped.
His senses had detected something.
A gaze from far away.
Just as someone had become aware of Jang Woo-hyun—
Jang Woo-hyun became aware of them.
'It's coming.'
The instant the thought crossed his mind—
A figure appeared in the sky.
Its appearance resembled a fusion of a human and an eagle.
Because of the wings extending from its back, the bird-man wore only trousers.
Its upper body was covered in golden feathers.
Without even spreading its wings, it floated effortlessly in midair.
"...Huh?"
As Jang Woo-hyun observed the bird-man, his eyes widened involuntarily.
It had definitely been a golden eagle.
Yet in the next instant—
It transformed into a magnificent peacock adorned with brilliant blue and green feathers.
He blinked once.
Its appearance changed again.
This time—
It became an unfamiliar crimson bird with a single horn growing from its head.
It possessed no fixed form.
Its appearance continuously shifted.
"Baekmu."
Meeting the bird-man's gaze, Jang Woo-hyun raised his hand and summoned his sword.
Its changing appearance wasn't what mattered.
The bird-man before him possessed power rivaling Yong Cheon-myeong, one of the Six Great Heavens.
The moment he entered the Demonic Spirit Realm—
He had encountered one of its great demons.
---
Simply locking eyes with it—
An overwhelming pressure crushed his body.
An incomprehensible force invaded his mind.
Had his cultivation been weaker—
Merely looking at the creature might have caused his heart to burst.
Even without fully revealing its power—
Its overwhelming strength was unmistakable.
【So it really was you.】
The bird-man transformed once again.
Its beak elongated grotesquely until it measured nearly three spans.
The instant it spoke—
The atmosphere itself trembled with thunderous force.
"You know me?"
Since this was clearly the first time they had met, Jang Woo-hyun questioned it.
【...You don't remember?】
Then again...
They had never truly fought in the Lower Realm.
The bird-headed demon muttered to itself before smiling.
Its beak shrank dramatically.
Though it still possessed a bird's head, Jang Woo-hyun could somehow tell it was smiling.
【Hehehe... It's good to see you again.】
"Who are you?"
【The day you met the Fifth—the one who branded you—we crossed paths in the Lower Realm as well.】
The day he received the mark...
That had been when he first met the Wind-Passing Great Sage at the Demon-Slaying Chamber.
'The Fifth?'
He called the monkey "the Fifth."
That meant they were brothers.
Among the Seven Great Sages—
There was only one bird demon.
The First of the Seven Great Sages—
The Heaven-Mixing Great Sage, Roc Demon King.
"Ah..."
Only now did he remember.
Before meeting the Wind-Passing Great Sage in the Demon-Slaying Chamber—
There had been a bird-headed demon scattering feathers across the sky.
That had merely been one of the Roc Demon King's avatars.
"Oh... Then you're the monkey's—"
【Human. What is your name?】
"I'm Jang Woo-hyun. Um... could we talk for a moment—"
【You cut off my wing last time, didn't you? Try it again. This time... these are my real wings.】
Since he was the monkey's older brother, Jang Woo-hyun had wanted to speak first.
But the Roc Demon King had no intention of listening.
Without waiting for him to finish—
He spread his wings.
At that instant—
The sky disappeared.
"...What the hell..."
Even Jang Woo-hyun, who had witnessed countless miraculous sights throughout the Central Heavens Realm, couldn't hide his astonishment.
The Roc Demon King himself stood only about seven chi tall.
Compared to a human, he was large.
Compared to a giant—
He wasn't particularly impressive.
And yet—
'How is this possible?'
The heavens vanished.
All that remained in sight—
Were the Roc Demon King's wings.
'A Minor World? No...'
This wasn't the manifestation of a mental landscape.
Nor was it a Minor World.
He had simply—
Spread his wings.
No new world had been created.
No mystical realm had been unfolded.
His wings alone physically blotted out the heavens.
It was impossible.
Completely beyond reason.
A bizarre and demonic existence.
Only a true demon could accomplish such a thing.
His constantly shifting appearance had already been astonishing.
Compared to this—
That was nothing.
ROOOOOAR!
With a single beat of the Roc Demon King's wings—
The surrounding stone mountains shattered.
Rumble!
The winds became so overwhelming that even the land below crumbled apart.
Mountains disappeared.
The earth collapsed.
Before long—
The world resembled the Central Heavens Realm itself, consisting of nothing but endless sky.
It was power entirely different from that of the Great Ascension Stage cultivator Jang Woo-hyun had fought earlier.
Immortal Realm martial artists created new worlds.
Great Ascension Stage cultivators became one with the world.
The Great Demons of the Demonic Spirit Realm—
Destroyed the world itself with incomprehensible power.
【Hahahaha! Come, human!】
Boom!
Facing one of the Great Demons—
Jang Woo-hyun unfolded his Minor World.
Blades filled every direction.
Power surged through him as though anything were possible.
With a simple wave of his hand—
Swords the size of shattered mountain peaks descended from the sky.
The Roc Demon King beat his wings once more.
Violent winds exploded in every direction.
The broken mountains and shattered earth flew through the air, colliding against the blades of the Mountain of Blades Sword Forest.
From his now pitch-black wings—
Feathers dozens of zhang long rained down.
Each feather collided with a sword like tempered steel.
When they split apart—
Bird-headed demons poured forth from within.
Black feathers and avian demons blanketed the sky.
Silver swords and blade mountains erupted from the earth.
Two utterly different powers clashed in a remote corner of the Demonic Spirit Realm.
After scattering countless feathers—
The Roc Demon King folded his wings.
As though it had all been an illusion—
The colossal wings covering the heavens vanished instantly.
Stretching his body—
He launched himself forward, leading with his beak.
No space exploded behind him to generate propulsion.
There was no preparation whatsoever.
The instant Jang Woo-hyun realized the Roc Demon King had moved—
He had already become a single piercing blade.
Reacting instantly—
Jang Woo-hyun employed Shrinking the Earth and leapt through space.
Yet—
The Roc Demon King pierced straight through the folded space itself.
BOOM!!
Not only did he tear through everything before him—
He blasted apart the very space created by Jang Woo-hyun's Minor World.
The sheer force momentarily made Jang Woo-hyun believe Baekmu had shattered.
As though expecting the attack to be blocked—
The Roc Demon King seamlessly flowed into his next strike.
His elongated claws slashed toward Jang Woo-hyun.
There was no style.
No technique.
Only instinct.
Yet every attack was unimaginably sharp.
Jang Woo-hyun redirected the attacks with circular movements.
He blocked others with Baekmu.
Occasionally—
He struck first himself.
Boom! Boom!
Their speed far surpassed even transcendent perception.
Within moments—
The two exchanged hundreds...
Then thousands...
Of blows.
The surrounding world itself was utterly devastated.
The shockwaves from their clash caused Jang Woo-hyun's entire Minor World to tremble.
This was unlike battles where Minor Worlds collided.
Neither relied upon mere thoughts or gestures to destroy everything around them.
They fought with their bodies.
With fists.
With blades.
The corner of Jang Woo-hyun's mouth slowly rose.
Before he realized it—
His blood was boiling.
Boom!
Though the motion had long since become unnecessary—
He instinctively stomped his foot.
The single step cracked empty space.
The world itself trembled.
At the same time—
He swung Baekmu vertically.
Then horizontally.
The countless swords floating around him responded in unison.
Black Wolf Fang Cross Seal.
Cross-shaped stars covered the pale violet heavens.
Facing them—
The Roc Demon King's wings burst into flames.
His blazing wings spread wide.
Opening his mouth—
His appearance transformed once again.
Now—
Two horns adorned his head.
His beak no longer opened vertically.
Instead—
It split apart in every direction.
From that grotesque beak—
Black flames erupted.
The intense heat and shockwaves shattered the blade mountains of the Mountain of Blades Sword Forest.
The swords suspended in the sky melted away.
Neither combatant stopped.
The Roc Demon King charged once again.
Jang Woo-hyun answered with Baekmu.
The earth vanished.
The heavens split apart.
Compared to the vast Demonic Spirit Realm—
The two were insignificant.
Yet together—
They were tearing apart a piece of the world itself.
Drawing his sword back—
Jang Woo-hyun gathered all his power.
Every sword surrounding him became enveloped in brilliant light.
When he thrust—
Light flooded the entire world.
Whoooosh!
Within that world of pure radiance—
The Roc Demon King spread his wings.
What emerged—
Was a bird larger than the world itself.
Its size defied imagination.
A bird greater than the world suppressed the endless sea of light through sheer power alone.
Rumble—
When the light finally faded—
Silver blades filled the world.
Descending from the heavens—
The gigantic bird shattered everything below.
Countless blades soared upward, each unleashing a different martial art.
Each time the monstrous bird beat its wings—
The falling feathers transformed into demons, each wielding its own unique powers.
The world became evenly divided.
One half—
Silver blades.
The other—
Black feathers.
Once more—
Thousands upon thousands of exchanges followed.
Then—
In the midst of battle—
Jang Woo-hyun and the Roc Demon King simultaneously turned toward the same direction.
A voice echoed through the air.
【Kyahahaha!】
Within that frivolous laughter—
Lay both madness...
And delight.
Even without seeing him—
Jang Woo-hyun could vividly picture the smiling face behind it.
【Do not interfere! This is my battle!】
【Hahahahaha!】
The laughter rang out once more.
The approaching figure crashed directly into the battlefield.
Like a raging gale—
The newcomer arrived.
It was the white monkey—
The Wind-Passing Great Sage.
【Fifth! That's my prey! Don't touch it!】
Naturally—
The Roc Demon King assumed his younger brother had come to steal his prey.
Instead—
The instant he arrived—
The Wind-Passing Great Sage seized the Roc Demon King from behind and slammed bodily into him.
Caught completely off guard—
The gigantic bird couldn't evade.
BOOM!!
【You lunatic...!】
Watching the Roc Demon King plummet—
The Wind-Passing Great Sage clenched his hand.
Tiny spheres formed upon his fingertips.
Each contained the compressed force of an entire typhoon.
Without hesitation—
He swung.
Blades of wind tore through the world.
【Aaaaagh!】
Then—
He unleashed a barrage of punches.
Each strike shattered the world itself.
After driving the Roc Demon King into the depths below—
The Wind-Passing Great Sage inhaled deeply.
His torso expanded to more than three times its normal size.
Opening his mouth—
He exhaled.
A sphere no larger than a fist fell toward the earth.
It swallowed everything.
The shattered remains of the world.
Fragments of the Minor World.
Even—
The Roc Demon King, still transformed into the colossal bird.