Chapter 346 : Immortal Emperor
Chapter 346: Immortal Emperor
Silver Radiant Thousand Hands.
A colossal True Immortal said to possess countless hands.
When Jang Woo-hyun had witnessed a fragment of its power at the Storm Archipelago, the terror had driven him beyond fear and nearly shattered his sanity.
But things were different now.
Even if hundreds of hands larger than entire continents came crashing toward him, he did not feel the slightest fear.
He had gained countless experiences in the Central Heavens and ascended to the Upper Realm. Jang Woo-hyun had grown, becoming capable of standing against even a True Immortal said to possess the power of a god.
As a gigantic silver hand crushed space itself while approaching, the giant standing behind Jang Woo-hyun swung its sword.
It seemed to swing only once.
Yet in reality, tens of thousands of strikes had already been unleashed.
The pinnacle of the Swift Sword.
The continent-sized hands were not merely cut apart—they were pulverized into dust. The impact shook one side of the universe, causing a portion of the Upper Realm to collapse.
The dazzling sword barrage then filled the space ahead, tearing apart the remaining hands that had stayed behind to defend.
The silver hands that looked capable of destroying the world with a single blow vanished without even managing to launch a counterattack.
The moment Jang Woo-hyun decided to attack the True Immortal, the Eight-Direction Heavenly Sword Divine Manifestation behind him moved its eight arms once more.
A crescent-shaped slash appeared within the empty universe.
The Black Wolf Fang, now amplified by hundreds of thousands of times, tore through space.
'I'll finish this here.'
From the beginning, he had no idea what tricks the enemy might pull. Rather than drag things out, he intended to eliminate him as quickly as possible.
Reading its master's intentions, Baekmu transformed from the giant into two swords.
Behind Jang Woo-hyun.
Within the world formed by the Sword Forest of Dosan, the Five Elements Energy emerged. Passing through the four seasons and heaven, earth, sea, Yin and Yang began to circulate.
The moment he raised his swords, the circulating Yin and Yang split into two.
The world was dyed in black and white.
Half of the countless blades within the Sword Forest of Dosan turned black, while the other half became white. The two swords in Jang Woo-hyun's hands did the same.
He crossed the swords in his left and right hands before swinging them.
Black Wolf Fang Cross Slash.
Into the simple attack of overlapping sword slashes, he fused the profound mysteries of the Black and White Mad Demon Qi, triggering the Yin-Yang Grand Explosion.
Countless black-and-white swords moved in unison with Jang Woo-hyun.
Across one side of the universe, cross-shaped stars woven from black and white filled the heavens.
The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable attempted to block the attack with countless hands.
Crack.
The sound of something crumbling echoed out.
Everything standing in the attack's path vanished.
Nothing remained between Jang Woo-hyun and the True Immortal except empty darkness.
【.......】
Suppressing his surprise, the True Immortal immediately moved again.
This time, his attack activated first.
The golden tower that had lost its light began moving once more.
【Ninety-nine worlds shall stand before you.】
The True Immortal showed Jang Woo-hyun an illusion.
Yet it was not merely an illusion.
It was an entirely new world.
Nine Heavens, Nine Illusory Worlds.
Within the universe where everything had vanished, Jang Woo-hyun's vision turned completely white as his surroundings transformed.
Before he knew it, he was standing in the corridor of a building.
Approaching from the opposite side while waving at him were Ha Jin-woon, Seo Hee-yeon, and Hwang Ah-in.
The trick was so painfully obvious that Jang Woo-hyun let out an empty laugh.
At the same time, Baekmu naturally settled into his hand.
People passing nearby screamed in terror, but he paid them no attention.
Unlike before, he gathered his power.
Rumble!
That alone caused cracks to spread across the false world.
He poured enough power to shatter stars into his sword before bringing it down from above.
───────!!
There was no sound of something being cut or broken.
This time, the scenery before him did not merely crack.
The entire world shattered beneath a single sword strike.
And it did not stop there.
Jang Woo-hyun's power instantly obliterated all ninety-nine worlds.
Leaving the collapsing worlds behind, he simply thought of moving forward.
In an instant, he stepped out of the world made of illusions and returned to the place where he had been moments earlier.
As if it had been waiting, the True Immortal immediately launched another attack.
【Reveal yourself here.】
A grotesque mass of flesh formed from tens of millions of hands charged toward Jang Woo-hyun.
The swords filling one side of the universe immediately sprang into motion.
Countless techniques overlapped one another.
Yet strangely, no mandala pattern appeared this time.
Instead, it looked as though the swords were dancing through empty space.
Boom!
The approaching mass of flesh suddenly convulsed.
Moments later, its surface split open, and brilliant light erupted from within.
The Nayuta Sword Mandala had crossed space itself and unleashed martial arts from inside the flesh.
Thus, the True Immortal's second attack was also stopped with absurd ease.
Jang Woo-hyun moved again.
Behind him stretched a world divided into black and white like a pair of wings.
In response, gigantic hands appeared around the True Immortal once more.
Unlike before, each hand was different.
Some were covered in patterns and ancient script.
Others were made of flames, lightning, or ice.
Some even held weapons proportionate to their enormous size.
The True Immortal unleashed every ounce of power he had kept hidden.
Hands formed of flame, ice, and lightning rained down attacks of every attribute.
Yet every one of them was absorbed or blocked by the Five Elements Energy surrounding Jang Woo-hyun.
When condensed spells poured forth, the Yin-Yang Grand Explosion erased everything.
When hands wrapped in chains released hidden fragments of Martial Gods and modified fragments of True Immortals, he shredded them all with the Space-Transcending Sword.
None of them could defend against attacks that transcended space itself.
Spells, summoning arts, formations, curses, Dharma Treasures...
The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable unleashed everything he possessed.
Yet not a single one of them worked against Jang Woo-hyun.
A gentle radiance enveloped Jang Woo-hyun's eyes.
His gaze changed.
The Martial God of the Upper Realm looked down upon everything.
"So this is all you intended to challenge me with?"
His voice was unlike usual.
It sounded like the decree of a supreme being addressing insignificant life from a place beyond the heavens.
Such overwhelming authority was contained within those few words that even the incoming attacks vanished.
"Die."
Ignoring the gigantic silver hand blocking his path, Jang Woo-hyun swung Baekmu.
A power unlike anything before filled the blade.
Slice!
Along with the sound of cutting, everything within his field of vision was severed.
Even the True Immortal, who stood behind the silver hand beneath thousands of defensive spells, lost his left arm.
Though he had defended himself, he failed to completely stop the slash that transcended space.
Nor was that the end.
Shhk!
Blades burst forth from the severed wound.
The Sword Forest of Dosan within the Microcosm ravaged the True Immortal's body.
The relaxed expression that had remained on his face twisted.
Yet strangely enough, he was still smiling.
Jang Woo-hyun advanced with the intention of personally taking his head.
An utterly emotionless voice emerged from his lips.
"It ends here."
Closing the distance, he swung Baekmu directly toward the True Immortal's neck.
Crack!
Baekmu shattered the defensive spells.
Even in such a desperate moment, the smile never left the True Immortal's face.
【Since it is impossible for me... descend upon this place.】
The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable called upon someone.
At that very instant—
A chilling sensation ran through Jang Woo-hyun's body.
He turned his head.
The faint radiance surrounding his eyes disappeared, and the all-seeing gaze returned to normal.
The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable suddenly vanished before his eyes.
Although he had lost his target, Jang Woo-hyun did not care.
His gaze shifted toward the source of the ominous aura.
A heart that looked as though countless masses of differently colored flesh had been fused together.
An indescribable sense of dread and immense power emanated from it.
The heart was different from when he had first seen it.
The indigo portion had already burst open, and glowing blood was pouring out.
Without hesitation, Jang Woo-hyun swung his sword.
Slashes should have erupted not only from above, below, left, and right, but also from within the heart itself.
Yet nothing happened.
Frowning, Jang Woo-hyun retreated before looking toward one side.
His gaze landed where the slash unleashed by the Space-Transcending Sword had disappeared.
A pitch-black hole that swallowed stars, interstellar matter, and even light itself.
Its interior should have been completely invisible.
Yet a faint silhouette could be seen.
A black figure reclined lazily upon a massive throne and spoke.
Strangely, Jang Woo-hyun could perceive its movements.
【You use a sword that transcends space? Interesting.】
Its voice was innocent and childlike, completely at odds with its appearance.
The black figure clapped excitedly by itself.
Keeping his gaze fixed upon it, Jang Woo-hyun tightened his grip on Baekmu.
He recognized it instantly.
It was the being he had seen within Lee Tae-seong's memories.
'The Dark Immortal Emperor.'
An Immortal Emperor.
The rulers standing at the pinnacle of the Upper Realm.
The kings of all True Immortals.
The black figure before him was one of them.
'He governs space.'
That was why Jang Woo-hyun's slash had never reached the heart.
It had instead been swallowed into the Immortal Emperor's own space.
"How are you still alive?"
Lee Tae-seong had undoubtedly annihilated every True Immortal and Martial God.
This Immortal Emperor's condition was completely different from that of Lei Yunryeo.
He was neither a remnant nor a fragment.
Nor was he an Avatar.
Though his strength had not fully returned to its peak...
This was the genuine Dark Immortal Emperor.
【Someone like me doesn't die that easily! Hehehehe!】
The Dark Immortal Emperor's reply caused Jang Woo-hyun to frown.
'What in the world is going on?'
The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable's goal had clearly been to gather every last bit of power and resurrect his true body.
Yet the Immortal Emperor, who should have lost that power, had appeared before him.
The very same Immortal Emperor who had died at Lee Tae-seong's hands.
'Was Lee Tae-seong mistaken?'
Otherwise, none of this made any sense.
Nor could he understand why such a choice had been made.
Before he could unravel the True Immortal's scheme—
Bang!
The heart upon the throne exploded once more.
This time, two sections burst apart.
Blue and red.
Whoosh!
Far away, nine suns appeared.
An unimaginable wave of heat swept through the universe.
The stars surrounding the suns burned away and vanished.
The nine suns merged into one.
Its enormous size rapidly condensed.
Standing where the suns had once been was a gigantic man.
His hair blazed like fire.
Golden eyes radiated dazzling light.
On the opposite side, a massive blue lotus made entirely of ice bloomed.
Its size rivaled that of the sun.
Sitting atop the lotus was a woman with her hair elegantly pinned up.
She opened her eyes and looked at Jang Woo-hyun.
That alone caused the space between them to freeze solid.
Jang Woo-hyun recognized them as well.
'Radiant Sun... and Azure Lotus.'
The Radiant Sun Immortal Emperor, who governed light and fire.
The Azure Lotus Immortal Emperor, who ruled cold, frost, and ice.
'That heart is resurrecting the Immortal Emperors.'
Reaching his conclusion, Jang Woo-hyun moved immediately.
Yin and Yang gathered into both of his hands, imbued with power capable of shattering stars.
He was about to obliterate the heart.
But before Yin and Yang could merge—
Both energies suddenly vanished.
The Radiant Sun Immortal Emperor had neutralized the Yin Energy.
The Azure Lotus Immortal Emperor had canceled out the Yang Energy.
【Interesting little fellow!】
【Martial God, there is nothing here that you may bend to your will.】
Before Jang Woo-hyun could attack again—
Bang!
Another part of the heart burst apart.
This time, no overwhelming aura erupted.
Even so, Jang Woo-hyun instinctively sensed mortal danger and retreated a great distance.
Standing where he had been only moments before was an elderly man dressed in white robes, holding a sword in one hand.
His hair and beard were both snow white.
His sturdy physique radiated immense presence.
His eyes seemed capable of seeing through all things.
The old man stroked his long beard once before meeting Jang Woo-hyun's gaze.
'The Sword Tree Immortal Emperor.'
Unlike the others, he had not become an Immortal Emperor through cultivation methods or spells.
He had ascended by mastering only the sword.
A Sword Cultivator.
Closer to a martial artist than a traditional cultivator.
'Lee Tae-seong was wrong.'
Only after witnessing the resurrected Immortal Emperors did Jang Woo-hyun finally realize it.
The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable's plan was completely different from what he had expected.