Chapter 333 : Arrival
Chapter 333: Arrival
In one region of the Demon Spirit Realm.
At the end of a place lined with grotesquely enormous statues stood a palace built from stone.
A silver-haired woman riding upon waves through the air descended in front of the palace.
“I'm coming in.”
Without waiting for a reply, she strode inside. After only a few long steps, she came to a stop.
“Hmm. Where did he go?”
Tilting her head, she looked to one side and called out.
“Is anyone here?”
She had not spoken loudly, yet her voice filled the entire palace. The space resonated so intensely that bits of stone fell from the ceiling.
A moment later.
A group of rabbits running on two legs came rushing over and bowed before her.
“We greet the Flood Demon King!”
“We greet the great one of the Seven Great Sages!”
“The Jade Rabbit Clan pays its respects.”
Watching the rabbits prostrate themselves while shouting their greetings, the Flood Demon King slightly furrowed her brows.
“Do you really have to go that far? Hurry up and get up.”
“Please issue your command.”
“Please don't mind us and issue your command.”
“You're making me uncomfortable. If you don't get up, I'll throw all of you onto the moon.”
At the Flood Demon King's threat, the rabbits let out little squeaks and hurriedly got to their feet. Standing upright, their fur emitted a faint glow. They were the Jade Rabbit Clan, said to dwell upon the moon.
“Where did he go?”
The Flood Demon King asked about the owner of the palace.
“We do not know.”
“He left in great haste, so we do not know.”
“Really? Hmm.”
The Flood Demon King folded her arms and let out a small sigh.
At that reaction, the rabbits lowered their heads and trembled.
“Why are you all so scared? Anyone watching would think I eat you.”
“W-We are sorry.”
“We were wrong! Please spare us!”
“I have no intention of killing you, so what do you mean spare you? You didn't even do anything wrong. What's gotten into you? Did someone bully you?”
“……”
Not a single Jade Rabbit answered.
“Answer.”
“……”
“Answer. This is your last chance.”
“W-Well... recently, the Bull Demon King— Urk!”
Before the rabbit could even finish speaking, the Flood Demon King's brows twisted fiercely.
“I told that idiot not to cause trouble. He's bullying children? Seriously, what is wrong with these idiots? They're already running around in groups looking for trouble, and where in the world did Big Brother go?”
“Eek!”
“P-Please forgive us!”
As the Flood Demon King's voice rose slightly, every Jade Rabbit immediately threw themselves flat on the ground.
“You all... no.”
“Forget it. What could I possibly say to you?”
“W-We greet... the Flood Demon King!”
As she looked at the terrified Jade Rabbits, another rabbit came running over. The fur around its mouth had grown like a beard, making it resemble an elderly rabbit.
The old rabbit hurried over and immediately prostrated himself.
“My apologies for greeting you so late. I do not know what offense our clan has committed, but please forgive us with your generous heart.”
“You didn't do anything wrong, so stand up. Do you know where Big Brother went?”
The elderly Jade Rabbit sprang to his feet and answered.
“His Majesty went to the Living Spirit Mountain Range.”
“The Living Spirit Mountain Range? Why did he go there?”
“I do not know that much.”
“So you don't even know his exact locati— Hm?”
The Flood Demon King abruptly stopped speaking and strode out of the palace.
Her eyes transformed into vertical pupils.
As though she had sensed something, she stared into the distance for quite some time.
“This is... Little Brother?”
The aura she sensed far away belonged to her youngest brother, who had already left the Demon Spirit Realm.
“What in the world is going on?”
She had come to discuss what had happened in the Upper Realm, only for the eldest to suddenly disappear, while the aura of her youngest brother, who had already left the Demon Spirit Realm, could be felt far away.
The Demon Spirit Realm had always been chaotic, but today seemed particularly so.
As the arm of the Sighing Heavenly Treasure Dragon's human form gradually turned into mist and faded away, Jang Woo-hyun felt the power within the Dragon King's Scale growing stronger.
“It won't completely recover its former power, but it will help you in the battles ahead.”
As Jang Woo-hyun examined the power flowing into him, he looked at the dragon's other arm.
It was made not of silver scales but crimson gemstones.
Though it looked different now, Jang Woo-hyun had seen something similar before.
“Were you the snake that brought me there?”
“Hm? Ah, this.”
The dragon in human form laughed awkwardly.
“Sorry. I've devoured too many things over the years, so there are quite a few beings inside me. The one that brought you there was an avatar of this fellow.”
When Jang Woo-hyun had ascended from the Central Plains, a serpent made of crimson gemstones had dragged him into the gap between space and time. The crimson gemstone arm before him looked exactly like that serpent.
“There were no ill intentions.”
“It twisted time, though.”
The Sighing Heavenly Treasure Dragon raised his crimson gemstone arm.
“Back then, this fellow's avatar intended to take you into the gap between space and time to hide you from the eyes of the True Immortals. It planned to help you cultivate there.”
One of the many avatars the Sighing Heavenly Treasure Dragon had scattered across the worlds had tried to help Jang Woo-hyun.
But it had crossed paths with Kim Min-su's avatar, causing everything to go awry.
“I never imagined that human named Kim Min-su would make that many preparations. I never personally looked into the future.”
Originally, everything should have succeeded.
But Kim Min-su had prepared too many contingencies, and the plan had gone astray.
In the end, thanks to that twist, Jang Woo-hyun arrived in the Middle Realm, met many people, formed countless bonds, and received their help.
Had it not been for Kim Min-su, he would have spent all that time simply cultivating.
“My time is up.”
As they continued talking, the Sighing Heavenly Treasure Dragon's body became increasingly transparent. It was on the verge of disappearing completely.
“What do you mean your time is up? You're just going to disappear?”
“Not just my time.”
“He's almost here as well.”
The moment those words were spoken, a tremendous roar shook the entire space.
“The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable will do everything possible to erase everything Tae-seong left behind. He intends to reduce every variable. This place remained hidden until now, but the moment you contacted me, its location was exposed. His power is crossing over. Once you leave, you'll be able to merge the Dragon King's Scale with the Silver Sphere. I've been preparing for this day for a very long time.”
Most of the scales that had fallen into the Lower Realm could never be recovered because the reincarnators who possessed them had all died.
However, the scales that had fallen into the Middle Realm had been gathered one by one through contracts.
And today.
All of that accumulated power could finally be entrusted to Jang Woo-hyun.
Rumble!
The tremors grew stronger, and the entire space shook as though it were about to collapse.
“When you reach the Upper Realm, land one good blow for both Tae-seong and me. If it's you, you'll be able to do it.”
The Sighing Heavenly Treasure Dragon's human form gradually became transparent before dispersing like mist.
A new heaviness settled into the Dragon King's Scale resting in Jang Woo-hyun's hand.
After gazing at it for a moment, Jang Woo-hyun swung the sword.
He instantly returned to where Kim Min-su had been.
The sphere of light had vanished, leaving Kim Min-su standing alone within the vast space.
“...Junior, what in the world just happen—”
Rumble!
The tremors intensified.
Even without anyone saying so, they could both sense an immense power approaching.
“Senior Kim. He's coming.”
“Him? Who?”
“The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable.”
The instant the name was spoken, a massive wave of power erupted.
“Let's go.”
Jang Woo-hyun extended the Dragon King's Scale.
A hole opened in space.
Grabbing Kim Min-su's arm, he stepped through.
“...!”
The moment they emerged, they saw a sky unlike before.
The pale violet heavens had split in half, and dazzling radiance poured out from within.
An overwhelming pressure crushed everything.
The pitch-black building and Sun Wukong's clone guarding it were swept away by the surging aura and vanished.
Jang Woo-hyun brought the Dragon King's Scale into contact with the Silver Sphere.
Clink! Click!
With metallic sounds, every scale composing the sphere separated and attached themselves to the Dragon King's Scale.
Although the scales from the enormous sphere, far larger than a person, merged into it, the Dragon King's Scale itself remained exactly the same size.
Jang Woo-hyun and Kim Min-su both looked toward the heavens.
The instant they simultaneously sensed something approaching—
────────!!
An indescribable roar echoed across the world.
Dozens of silver hands, each as large as an entire continent, appeared overhead.
“Silver Radiant Thousand Hands.”
True to the name of a thousand hands, more and more silver hands spread across the sky until they covered the heavens.
The overwhelming pressure and descending aura made every inch of Jang Woo-hyun's body tingle.
Yet he simply smiled.
Things were different now.
The power descending from above far surpassed the fragment of a True Immortal he had witnessed before.
But Jang Woo-hyun himself had grown beyond even that.
“You can protect Senior Kim, can't you?”
At his words, the Dragon King's Scale trembled.
When he pointed it toward Kim Min-su, blade-like scales detached and wrapped around him like a suit of armor.
“J-Junior, what exactly is—”
“Please stay like that for a moment.”
This battlefield was simply too great for Kim Min-su to join.
“Baekmu.”
Calling forth the sword connected to him, Jang Woo-hyun slashed through the air.
Unlike before, there was no need to fill the sky with the Nayuta Sword Mandala or the One Slash to Eradicate Evil.
With a single swing, the foremost continent-sized silver hand split cleanly in two.
At the same instant—
Boom!
An enormous sword shot toward the heavens.
Behind it rose mountain ranges made entirely of blades.
Countless swords filled the sky.
As the world became covered in blades—
“Uwahahahaha!”
“Kyahahaha!”
Two carefree laughs echoed through the air.
Then one side of the forming miniature universe exploded apart.
Through the opening emerged the Macaque King and Sun Wukong.
The enlarged Ruyi Jingu Bang smashed one of the True Immortal's hands apart, while the storm exhaled by the Macaque King tore another to pieces.
Even hands the size of continents were effortlessly shattered before the power of the two Great Demons.
“Grow!”
As Sun Wukong shouted, the Ruyi Jingu Bang expanded even further, temporarily holding back the descending silver hands.
“Uwahahaha! Jang Woo-hyun, what's all this?”
“What exactly are you, Brother Jang?”
The two monkey Great Demons, white smoke rising from their wounds, approached Jang Woo-hyun.
“The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable has sent down his power.”
“Hehehe. That idiot. Invading the Demon Spirit Realm? I have no idea what he's thinking.”
“What's made him so desperate that he sent his own power?”
“There are no True Immortals or Martial Gods left in the Upper Realm.”
“They're all dead.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“A thousand years ago, there was a great war. They were all annihilated. The only one left... is that bastard.”
Jang Woo-hyun briefly explained what he had learned.
“Hah... so that's why they've all been so quiet.”
“That's a much bigger problem than I expected. Brother Jang, isn't that supposed to be a secret? Is it really okay to tell us so casually?”
“What secret? You've all been going through this because of me.”
“Going through what? We're just fighting.”
“But what exactly did you obtain in there?”
The Macaque King leaned closer, the corners of his mouth stretching almost to his ears.
“That's true. Brother Jang, what did you do in there?”
“M-Me?”
Sun Wukong plucked out a strand of his fur and transformed it into a mirror.
“Here.”
Looking into the mirror, Jang Woo-hyun was startled.
His pupils resembled miniature universes.
Tiny stars glittered within them.
“Huh?”
Only after seeing his reflection did he realize something had changed within himself.
'Is it because of Tae-seong's memories?'
The memories Lee Tae-seong had left behind had accumulated countless experiences within Jang Woo-hyun.
“Did you gain some kind of enlightenment? That look won't last long. Brother Jang, shouldn't you sit down and meditate before it disappears?”
“First, I have to deal with that.”
Jang Woo-hyun pointed toward the True Immortal's hands being held back by the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
“That much is easy if Brother and I handle it.”
“But where are the other Seven Great Sages?”
“They're waiting over there. They stopped fighting the moment the True Immortal appeared.”
“They looked like they were waiting for something, but I don't know what i—”
As Sun Wukong trailed off, all three turned their heads simultaneously.
They immediately understood what the three Great Demons had been waiting for.
【Enough.】
A voice, as though rising from the deepest depths of the earth.
Its heavy tone spread throughout the world.
KWAAAAANG!
The Ruyi Jingu Bang holding back the True Immortal's power was blasted away.
A giant so enormous it could not even fit within one's field of vision stood against the descending silver hands that threatened to destroy the world.
【Our affairs... will be settled by us.】
The black giant shattered the continent-sized silver hands with brute force and shoved them back into the heavens.
The split sky closed.
The crushing pressure that had threatened to destroy the world disappeared.
The True Immortal's hands had simply been forced back through sheer strength.
Then, as though it had all been an illusion, the black giant vanished.
Of the three silently watching, Sun Wukong reacted first.
“Oh my! Brother, I'll be taking my leave!”
Realizing the giant's identity, Sun Wukong performed a backward somersault.
A small cloud formed beneath his feet.
“Hey! Where are you going all of a sudden?!”
“Big Brother has arrived! I'm getting out of here!”
Riding the little cloud, Sun Wukong shot into the sky and disappeared in an instant.
Jang Woo-hyun and the Macaque King turned around.
Their gaze fell behind the three Great Demons.
Standing there...
...was another demon with black fur.