Chapter 356: Bound Beast (4)

– Junior? What do you mean by that?!

‘Please, just watch for a moment.’

I turned my gaze toward the Fragment of the Demonic Immortal.

Despite seeming ready to attack at any moment, the Fragment of the Demonic Immortal was now observing me with curious eyes for some reason.

“Well now, how fascinating.”

“What is?”

“To the eyes of this lord, your appearance overlaps with someone else.”

“……?”

Then, unexpected words flowed from his mouth.

“Have you perhaps lived another life? Or maybe spent your whole life acting as someone else?”

As expected from a shard of a divine being?

His discernment was on another level entirely.

“That’s a trait of those whose essence has split not only in soul but in body. It’s a phenomenon that occasionally occurs in the realm of sorcery, known as secondary personality.”

He tilted his head slightly.

“But you’re unusually stable. What could be the reason?”

After pondering alone for a moment, he clapped his hands.

“Ah! You’ve bathed in the Heaven of Sacred Spirits, haven’t you? That forcibly sealed the fissures and integrated you into a single entity.”

As he said.

Back when I first reached the Heaven of Sacred Spirits, under the pretext of resolving the imbalance between body and soul, I was subjected to prolonged water torture by my master during my youth.

It was a brutally extreme training where I nearly died countless times—and one I’d rather not remember….

He spoke with certainty.

“It must’ve been that parasite of a host. The only one in the world capable of such trickery would be none other than the Fragment of Heavenly Evil.”

Flash!

The gaze of the creature, which had been relatively calm until now, began to shift into the wolf-like white sclera.

“How interesting. Truly fascinating. You’ve awakened the Divine Demonic Physique, and yet there’s no demonic nature to be felt—that must be related, too?”

“Who knows? Maybe, maybe not.”

“Keh keh! You’re making me genuinely curious.”

Corrupted demonic qi began to ooze from his entire body.

“Very well, let me covet your body. I wonder just what lies within!”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

I firmly rejected his advances.

“There’s only one being in the world who’s allowed to covet my body.”

“Such arrogance!”

Despite being a creature that must’ve lived for at least several thousand years, he seemed weak against crude humor and began to rage violently.

“I shall dominate you, and this lord shall once again emerge into the world!”

The once inorganic landscape began to be dyed in black and red.

And then, they bloomed.

Countless red spider lilies!

Image Domain

Six Demon Flowers Great Earth

An Image Domain refers to the overlaying of the caster’s psyche upon the world.

A once-radiant golden age now corrupted, facing a twilight end.

This place must be the manifestation of his heart.

‘An Image Domain, huh…’

Though there’s some difference, this creature’s level is undoubtedly within the Supreme Demon Realm, if measured by martial prowess.

“That arrogance that refused cooperation with Illusion Demon! This lord shall ensure you pay the price!”

From all directions, the red spider lilies intertwined and began forming giant hands.

Those hands reached out to capture me.

“Hoo!”

I calmly adjusted my breath.

Even though the domain he created was being tainted, Hwan Seong truly didn’t lift a finger.

Well, I did tell him not to interfere, but it still felt a bit disheartening to see him take that so literally.

Heh!

“Seriously, your personality’s gotten worse.”

For the first time in a long while, I raised my thumb and pointed it toward my heart.

“Vitality.”

Fwoooosh!

And then.

The black-gold energy that had disappeared ever since I reached the Transcendent Demon Realm began to reappear into the world once again.

‘As expected, it works here.’

Originally, Vitality was a power that caused an imbalance in my body, ultimately leading me toward ruin.

It was a power I lost after the clash with the Grand Heavenly Lord, but this place was straddling reality and illusion.

Seeing the golden light radiating from me, the creature was visibly shaken.

“That’s… power from another world! So your duality stemmed from that?!”

The light of Purging the False and Revealing the True.

I summoned Vitality again because this power was nearly a natural enemy to that creature.

However.

Even as he recoiled from the light, he showed a dazed expression as if intoxicated.

“If only… this lord could obtain that power…!”

Not long after.

Greed overcame fear.

“Hand over that power!”

Divine Sorcery

Origin-Eating of the Covetous Flower

A crimson hand approached with the intent to devour me down to the core element.

If that thing succeeded, the being known as Jin Yeomyung would vanish, and I’d become the host of the Demonic Immortal, ending up like the final days of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor.

Well, if I let that happen, that is.

“Shall we begin, then?”

The Ten Heavenly Record Immortal Sword began to hum faintly.

I went all-out from the start.

I raised the Ten Heavenly Record Immortal Sword into the sky.

And then, I infused it with opposing forces.

The original Resonance Qi required two swords.

But through continuous refinement and desperate trials, I had finally reached a point where I could manifest Resonance Qi with only one sword.

As a result.

Fusion Style  — Great Cataclysmic Destruction

Kwa-kwakwakwak!

From the single blade, a massive hemispherical wave of qi burst forth, pushing back the approaching crimson hands.

However.

“Quite usable, but don’t think for a moment that something of that level can withstand Divine Sorcery.”

With the creature’s cold shout, the rapidly surging energy abruptly ceased, and the power that had been pressing from all directions with crimson hands began to shrink once again!

Origin-Eating of the Covetous Flower, Suppression and Bending

“Now be crushed to death.”

The act of forcibly compressing an exploding sphere—indeed, Divine Sorcery ignored the normal laws of physics.

But this situation had been somewhat within my expectations.

Pop!

Just before the Resonance Qi was destroyed, I took advantage of a narrow gap and slipped out of the grasping crimson hands.

Then, I swung my sword with full force toward the creature’s distant main body.

Heaven-Piercing Annihilation

“Pointless.”

The enormous black slash flew straight at him.

But suddenly, hundreds—no, thousands—of crimson hands appeared in its path, blocking the advance of Heaven-Piercing Annihilation.

Kwakwang!

Even though it split through hundreds of hands, Heaven-Piercing Annihilation ultimately disappeared before it could reach him.

The creature looked at me with a pitiful gaze.

“It seems you can handle Intent to a degree, but it’s still at a human level. How can one who hasn’t transcended the framework of Form hope to handle Divine Sorcery?”

I responded calmly to his words.

“Form is the foundation of all martial arts. Even if you break the mold, you can’t escape its essence. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look down on that too much.”

“And that’s exactly why you’re still merely human!”

Kagagagak!

This time, petals of red spider lilies filled the entire field of view, swirling violently.

Origin-Eating of the Covetous Flower, Full Bloom

“How will you counter this?!”

A massive wave of malice that looked ready to overwhelm even Ma Seoyeon’s Manpoghyeolhae with ease!

I let go of the sword in my hand.

“Like this.”

In an instant.

The sword that fell from my hand disappeared.

Transcendent Technique

Heart’s Path Transcending Resentment

Thwack!

A technique of my eldest senior brother Yoo Jeon, it ignored all space and pierced directly into the creature’s heart!

For a moment, the creature’s expression twisted into savagery.

“This… that cursed bastard’s…!”

Apparently, having experienced it once before, he clenched his teeth in fury.

He must’ve set up some form of defense, but Heart’s Path Transcending Resentment ignored all of it.

Still, despite the result, I swallowed my disappointment inside.

‘As expected, it’s not even half as strong as the original.’

I had used it before, but it consumed too much energy and wasn’t practical for decisive moments.

Only because it was executed through the Ten Heavenly Record Immortal Sword did it show this much effect in actual combat.

The furious creature swung his hand at me.

“You shall never die an easy death!”

The fully bloomed petals all surged toward me at once.

At that moment, Hwan Seong finally sent me a telepathic message.

– Junior, I really think it’s dangerous now?

‘I’m still fine. Please watch until the end.’

Hwan Seong’s voice was full of concern.

– You’re our only successor. I’ll trust you and stay put… but in the very end, I may have to step in.

I grinned and grabbed my sword.

‘That won’t be necessary.’

For a moment, my focus surged to its peak.

And as I pierced through that threshold, my mind began accelerating.

‘Breaking that Divine Sorcery with my power is practically impossible.’

It was the same as when the Priestess of the Blood Cult emerged, pushing aside Cheon Yujeon’s personality.

An opponent whom even the Heavenly Demon Founder and his disciples failed to seal entirely.

And the creature before my eyes now—at least in this place—is no less monstrous than him.

Chiiiiing!

Underworld Net Sword.

I raised the fully condensed Underworld Net Sword upright.

The Underworld Net Sword was not a martial arts form.

It was a re-refined Resonance Qi through Sword Intent, essentially a massive chunk of Sword Intent.

Usually, it’s used by firing it outward….

But I didn’t release the energy from the Underworld Net Sword and held it firmly in my hand.

‘Even if I can’t destroy it, I’ll pierce through.’

Drrrrr!

The immense pressure that felt like it would explode at any moment gripped my hand tightly.

But I managed to control and regulate that energy somehow.

At that moment, a realm beyond normal defensive qi began to unfold around me.

The creature’s face twisted slightly.

“Petty tricks….”

Though small, that realm clearly blocked Divine Sorcery from advancing.

Trusting in that, I charged at him head-on.

“You think your sword can reach me like this?!”

He advanced.

Countless crimson hands that once blocked Heaven-Piercing Annihilation.

I charged forward, cutting through them.

Kagagak!

Bit by bit, the pressure increased, resistance began to mount.

‘Is this not enough?’

I clenched my teeth and drew out every last drop of Vitality.

Then, the slowed charge regained its momentum.

And when I finally broke through the crimson hands blocking my path—

Before I knew it, I was face-to-face with the true body of the Fragment of the Demonic Immortal, now in the form of a massive black wolf.

– If you exhaust yourself just to break a single Divine Sorcery, how do you intend to handle this lord’s true body?

Jjeo-eok!

Inside the creature’s gaping maw, black energy gathered, ready to explode toward me at any moment.

‘…That’s!’

It was clearly something similar to a dragon’s breath.

And far stronger than the breath of Taotie, once summoned by Hwan Yul!

‘The dispersion of qi I used in my previous life won’t work.’

That attack couldn’t be avoided.

It had to be intercepted no matter what.

– Perish forever, human!

The Fragment of the Demonic Immortal, consumed by rage, forgot his original objective and unleashed his full power.

Divine Sorcery

Heavenly Wolf Reincarnation Cannon

Kkadeudeuk!

I had already exhausted a great deal of strength just to break through his previous Divine Sorcery, but I had accepted this risk from the beginning.

– Junior!!

From outside, Hwan Seong, deeply shocked, began hastily manipulating the space around us.

But before that could take effect, the breath attack launched by the creature was already reaching me.

‘I’ll split it.’

There was nothing more disgraceful than stepping up to face this alone and then relying on help.

I clenched my teeth and infused the Underworld Net Sword I was holding with the power of Vitality, compressing it further.

And at a certain moment—

Pop!

Papap!

Papapapap!

As it surpassed the limit, the compressed force began to collapse, and for a fleeting moment, it passed beyond the singularity.

That propulsion came only once—but even Sword Intent was surpassed in that instant.

I recalled the time when Cheon Yujeon, having awakened through Heavenly Evil, brought her sword down on me.

‘I only saw it once back then.’

But I had managed to grasp the principle, somehow.

I swung the blade, which had crossed the singularity, directly at the incoming Divine Sorcery.

Heavenly Demon’s Dominance

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