Chapter 347 : Immortal Emperor (2)
Chapter 347: Immortal Emperor (2)
The four Immortal Emperors dominated the universe the moment they revealed themselves.
Even though they had not been fully resurrected, their power seemed limitless.
Eternal Indestructibility.
Eternal Life.
At the level of an Immortal Emperor, anything should have been possible. They stood at the pinnacle of the Upper Realm, beings no different from true gods.
However—
That was only true if they had never fought Lee Tae-seong.
Lee Tae-seong had far surpassed the strength of the Immortal Emperors, who were considered the strongest beings in the Upper Realm.
Before him, both immortality and eternal life were nothing more than meaningless words.
Having surpassed the Primordial Unity Realm and obtained the power of chaos, Lee Tae-seong could interfere with time itself and return everything to nothingness.
In the memories Jang Woo-hyun had seen, the True Martial God Lee Tae-seong had killed every being that existed in the Upper Realm.
He had not merely destroyed their souls and origins.
He had erased every trace they had ever left upon the world itself.
Although he disappeared after exhausting all of his power while fighting the entirety of the Upper Realm in the final battle, Lee Tae-seong had truly been that powerful.
'Then how were they resurrected?'
Resurrection itself should have been impossible.
Yet now they stood before him.
The very beings who had fought Lee Tae-seong personally.
'Did that bastard manipulate something?'
The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable.
He was the first suspect that came to mind.
Jang Woo-hyun's gaze searched for the True Immortal.
The man was standing beside the shattered throne, wearing a deeply satisfied smile.
Jang Woo-hyun tried to sever his head in a single strike.
But the Sword Tree Immortal Emperor blocked his view.
【Are you the successor to the True Martial God?】
The answer came from somewhere else instead.
【You're that madman's successor?】
Without even waiting for Jang Woo-hyun to respond, the Radiant Sun Immortal Emperor moved in excitement.
Jang Woo-hyun did not even sense an attack being launched.
"...!"
The surroundings transformed into a sea of flames.
It felt as though he had fallen into the center of the sun.
An unimaginable heat burned everything.
Not only what he could see, but even everything he could perceive.
Baekmu glowed crimson from the intense heat.
【Die here.】
Within a world filled entirely with flames, the Radiant Sun Immortal Emperor approached.
Strangely enough, although everything around him was fire, he could still clearly distinguish the Immortal Emperor's figure.
The being of living flames raised his power.
Beyond simply burning, everything in sight was dyed scarlet.
Merely by releasing his power, an entirely new world came into existence.
Just as Jang Woo-hyun raised Baekmu to fight—
A chilling voice echoed through the flames.
【Why are you always so reckless?】
Within the scarlet world, an eerie cold swept through everything.
The crimson flames covering the world disappeared.
Instead, white snow and blue ice filled every direction.
【Do not interfere!】
【Excitement is forbidden. Have you still failed to learn that lesson?】
Freezing everything in existence, the Azure Lotus Immortal Emperor stood beside the Radiant Sun Immortal Emperor.
【You dare interfere without knowing your place?】
【How can one seated upon the throne of an Immortal Emperor behave with such recklessness?】
Flames and frost.
The two Immortal Emperors, representing Yang and Yin, faced one another and extended their hands.
─────────!!
That alone divided the world into crimson and azure.
The crimson world overflowed with Yang Energy.
It was the pure essence of every flame.
The azure world overflowed with Yin Energy.
It was made entirely of frost and ice.
Within a world where souls burned while even time itself froze, Jang Woo-hyun was pushed backward a great distance.
Ignoring the Martial God being forced back, the two Immortal Emperors began fighting each other.
One side of the black universe became divided into red and blue.
【Radiant Sun and Azure Lotus have never gotten along.】
A childlike voice suddenly spoke beside him.
Without hesitation, Jang Woo-hyun swung Baekmu.
Bang!
The black sphere with a mouth exploded.
Yet that was not the end.
The instant it burst apart, another black sphere appeared and opened its mouth.
【Now that they've started fighting, they probably won't pay attention to anything else for quite a while.】
Having heard the voice before, Jang Woo-hyun immediately recognized its owner.
The Dark Immortal Emperor.
Rather than joining the battle, he had simply come over to talk.
"What exactly are you doing?"
【Nothing in particular. This just looked more interesting. Besides, you can't die yet. You've still got something hidden.】
"Something hidden? What are you talking—"
【Ah! It's coming!】
Even without the Dark Immortal Emperor's warning, Jang Woo-hyun had already noticed the approaching presence.
An elderly man with a sturdy build carrying a sword.
The Sword Tree Immortal Emperor shot forward and thrust his sword.
It was not especially fast.
Nor did it contain world-shattering power.
It was merely a simple thrust.
Yet within that single strike were countless variations.
To Jang Woo-hyun, it felt as though hundreds of thousands of swords had filled the space before him.
He gathered his strength and attempted to knock the sword aside.
The incoming blade smoothly changed direction like flowing water.
When he attempted to deflect it using the profound principles of the Three Origins Sword Art, the sword transformed once again, blossoming into a flower made entirely of sword slashes.
As he quickly swung to defend, the attack suddenly changed into overwhelming force that pierced through his guard.
Everything happened within a single instant.
A single thrust had produced tens of thousands of exchanges.
Craaang!
Jang Woo-hyun barely managed to block the Sword Tree Immortal Emperor's thrust.
The collision between their swords tore open space itself.
The impact forced Jang Woo-hyun far backward.
Even so, he immediately prepared his next attack.
Baekmu sliced through empty space.
Seeing that, the Sword Tree Immortal Emperor also slashed through seemingly empty air.
Boom! Crack!
The invisible slash that transcended space disappeared.
【A sword that transcends space? Remarkable talent.】
The Sword Tree Immortal Emperor had effortlessly blocked the Space-Transcending Sword.
His eyes shone with admiration.
【Excellent. Martial God, become my sword.】
After only two exchanges, Jang Woo-hyun had already grasped his opponent's strength.
'He's strong.'
Even without being fully resurrected, his power was genuine.
He was on an entirely different level from the Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable or the Blood Realm Eight-Branched Demonic Dragon Sovereign.
'Still... if it's only one of them, I have a chance.'
This was his opportunity.
The other Immortal Emperors were not interfering.
Though they stood together, each held different ambitions.
They could hardly be called comrades.
Even now, the Dark Immortal Emperor simply watched with amusement.
The Radiant Sun and Azure Lotus Immortal Emperors were busy fighting each other.
'I'll defeat them one by one.'
【Things will not go as you wish.】
The Sword Tree Immortal Emperor smiled, having seen through Jang Woo-hyun's thoughts, and raised his sword.
Jang Woo-hyun did not even see him move.
By the time he noticed, the sword had already been swung.
Feeling an inexplicable sense of danger, Jang Woo-hyun quickly widened the distance.
Yet nothing happened.
No attack struck him.
The sword had not even touched him.
Remaining alert, Jang Woo-hyun raised Baekmu with his one remaining arm.
Although he only had one arm, he had no intention of losing.
He had defeated every opponent he had ever faced using that single arm.
Long ago, after losing his left arm, he had continued wielding the sword with only one hand.
In the Lower Realm, he had been known as the One-Handed Sword Hero.
In the Central Heavens Realm, he had been called the Unrivaled One-Armed Warrior.
His victories had continued without end.
Even after ascending to the Upper Realm, he now stood before True Immortals and Immortal Emperors with only one arm.
Just as he had done in the Lower Realm and the Middle Realm, he would face his enemies once again.
'If things become dangerous, I'll regenerate my left arm— Huh?'
His expression suddenly froze.
One arm?
He had fought with only one arm all this time?
That made no sense.
After reaching the Realm of Transcendence, regenerating a single arm was effortless.
Realizing something was terribly wrong, Jang Woo-hyun thrust Baekmu into empty space.
Something caught on the sword's tip burst apart.
His missing arm instantly reappeared.
It had not regenerated.
Nor had it been reattached.
It had simply appeared from nowhere.
As though it had always been there from the very beginning.
【Hm... astonishing. To interfere with causality itself.】
The Sword Tree Immortal Emperor's smile deepened.
His opponent had proven even more capable than he had anticipated.
Meanwhile, Jang Woo-hyun's expression hardened.
'Did he interfere with the past?'
The previous attack had altered Jang Woo-hyun's past.
By severing his arm in an earlier point in time, it had also altered his memories.
His left arm had disappeared completely.
He had begun thinking and acting as though he had always been one-armed.
Because his arm had been severed in the past, the entire flow of time leading to the present had changed.
It was not as absolute as Lee Tae-seong's ability to completely erase accumulated history.
Even so, it was an extremely dangerous power.
Had Jang Woo-hyun not used Causality Severing to cut apart the connection between cause and effect and nullify what had happened—
He would have been forced to fight with only one arm.
His grip around Baekmu tightened.
'This won't be easy.'
A power far more terrifying than simply shattering stars or destroying worlds.
If someone could interfere with the past, then the present could be changed just as easily.
【Looks dangerous.】
The black sphere with a mouth floated beside him once again.
【Sword Tree has mastered every sword there is. He probably even knows the primitive movements humans used when they fought with stone blades long before sword techniques even existed.】
The Dark Immortal Emperor casually revealed information beside him.
The Sword Tree Immortal Emperor was the oldest among all the Immortal Emperors.
Sword techniques.
Swordsmanship.
The Way of the Sword.
The Art of the Sword.
He understood every aspect of them.
He was nothing less than the incarnation of the sword itself.
【It's still incomplete, but that attack was an imitation of the True Martial God's sword.】
A being known as the incarnation of the sword would never have ignored Lee Tae-seong's swordsmanship.
The Sword Tree Immortal Emperor had copied his sword and claimed its power for himself.
【You're in real danger now. And this isn't even the end.】
As though the innocent voice itself had become a signal—
The heart upon the throne began beating violently once again.
Boom! Boom!
The entire universe seemed to tremble.
【Things just got harder, didn't they?】
His teasing tone continued.
Bang!
Another section of the multicolored heart burst apart.
A savage aura and violent killing intent filled the universe.
【The Fierce Demon is really violent. It'll charge straight at you.】
Near the heart—
A bizarre creature appeared.
It possessed the head of an eagle with horns.
Its upper body resembled a lion.
Its lower body was that of a serpent.
The Fierce Demon Immortal Emperor.
Unlike the others, he had originated from the Demon Beast race of the Spiritual Realm.
After devouring countless Demon Beasts, he achieved Lesser Ascension.
Even after ascending to the Upper Realm, he remained savage and ferocious.
At times, he acted purely on instinct like a wild beast.
Boom!
Another part of the heart exploded.
A new existence appeared.
The violent aura receded.
In its place, an ominous and heavy presence filled space.
Far away, a mountain made entirely of corpses and bones rose into existence.
At its summit sat a throne crafted from human skulls.
Someone sat upon it.
Beside the throne was an enormous serrated blade embedded in the ground.
The one seated upon the throne wore an imperial crown and black imperial robes.
His body was split perfectly in half.
One side was transparent, exposing his skeleton.
Jang Woo-hyun recognized this uniquely appearing Immortal Emperor as well.
'The Sawed Corpse Immortal Emperor.'
A being originating from the Corpse Blood Realm.
He ruled over death, corpses, and ghost spirits.
Boom! Boom... Boom.
The heartbeat of the multicolored heart slowed.
As though every existence had now been resurrected.
The moment the Fierce Demon and the Sawed Corpse Immortal Emperors appeared, even the Radiant Sun and Azure Lotus Immortal Emperors ceased fighting.
Before Jang Woo-hyun could defeat even one of them—
The number of enemies had increased.
The Dark Immortal Emperor.
The Radiant Sun Immortal Emperor.
The Azure Lotus Immortal Emperor.
The Sword Tree Immortal Emperor.
The Fierce Demon Immortal Emperor.
The Sawed Corpse Immortal Emperor.
The Immortal Emperors who stood at the pinnacle of the Upper Realm.
Every one of their gazes fell upon Jang Woo-hyun.
Crack. Craaack!
That alone caused the existence known as Jang Woo-hyun to begin collapsing.