Chapter 146: Spiritual Realm (4)

Having achieved the Five Elements True Form, Jang Woo-hyun erased his presence completely without using the Secret Flowing Body Technique.

As he harmonized his energy with the surroundings, Jang Woo-hyun was now akin to a tree, the earth, or flowing water.

Not only was there no sound or presence, but even his energy was imperceptible, causing Seok Hae-gang, who was following behind, to widen his eyes in astonishment. It was nothing short of amazing to him that someone could move like this without the help of any artifact.

The two arrived without difficulty at a high wall surrounding numerous buildings.

After signaling to Jang Woo-hyun, Seok Hae-gang activated the artifact he had shown earlier.

With a click, a faint energy spread out into the surroundings, and the two immediately jumped over the wall and entered inside.

‘Hm?’

While scanning the area by extending his energy in all directions, Jang Woo-hyun noticed something odd as he landed inside.

‘What’s this now?’

The wall they had crossed and the surrounding buildings—all had faint lines etched onto them.

‘Cracks? …No, that’s not it.’

They weren’t just the natural fractures of old structures.

He expanded his Qi Threads more densely and focused his attention.

It wasn’t just faint lines. Here and there, grooves shaped like dents were drawn on the walls and floors, as if the buildings and walls had been assembled.

“Senior?”

Seok Hae-gang called out quietly to Jang Woo-hyun, who had suddenly stopped.

“Ah, let’s keep going. I just checked the surroundings for a moment, just in case.”

“Yes, this way.”

All around the manor, artifacts emitting light were hung in various places to illuminate the darkness. The two moved through the shadows between buildings, crossing the manor.

“The closest prison is this way.”

Whether he had known beforehand or had observed over time was unclear, but Seok Hae-gang guided Jang Woo-hyun naturally through the manor.

‘He must have studied a lot, to save his wife.’

Thinking as positively as possible, Jang Woo-hyun followed behind Seok Hae-gang.

When he pointed forward, Jang Woo-hyun instantly darted out and swiftly destroyed the two Automatic Puppets guarding the small building.

“Is it really fine like this? If the puppets are broken, wouldn’t a signal be sent to their master?”

“As long as this is activated, it’s fine.”

Seok Hae-gang showed the artifact in his hand and entered the building through the door.

Inside the building, cells separated by iron bars could be seen.

At the very back. There stood a woman.

She jumped up upon seeing Seok Hae-gang and Jang Woo-hyun enter.

Just as she was about to cry out, Seok Hae-gang placed a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet, and rushed toward her.

Tears filled the eyes of the woman who appeared to be Seok Hae-gang’s wife, and Seok Hae-gang embraced her through the iron bars. Without making a sound, the two shared their warmth.

And watching them, Jang Woo-hyun nearly pinched his nose. A foul stench had suddenly wafted over.

‘Come on now, seriously?’

“My dear, I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

The two held each other for a long time.

Jang Woo-hyun found the scene too amusing and forcibly lowered the corners of his mouth that were starting to rise.

It seemed Seok Hae-gang’s wife had been imprisoned for a long time, as her body reeked of filth. But what Jang Woo-hyun smelled wasn’t an actual odor.

Back when he was active in the Demon Extermination Sect, Ma Choong-won had told Jang Woo-hyun not to just look at people, but to observe the surroundings as well. If he did, he would be able to see things others couldn’t.

That’s why, even earlier when entering, he had carefully examined the surrounding buildings and walls.

Now was no different. Jang Woo-hyun carefully observed the two as they had their heartfelt reunion.

Just as Seok Hae-gang had said, the woman was a martial artist, not a cultivator. He wasn’t lying about that.

But there were many other things visible. First, when Seok Hae-gang ran to her, he briefly hesitated. Because of the foul stench emanating from her.

That much was understandable. No matter how much one loved someone, they were still human, and an instinctive aversion couldn’t be helped.

Had it ended there, Jang Woo-hyun might have applauded their touching reunion.

The way everything seemed perfectly prepared and how they moved without hesitation within enemy territory wasn’t a problem either. Thinking of how much the husband must have struggled to save his beloved wife, it was understandable.

But Jang Woo-hyun’s sharp eyes were fixed on her fingers, or more precisely, her fingernails as she stroked Seok Hae-gang’s back.

‘Too clean.’

Her clothes and face were filthy, yet there wasn’t a speck of dirt under her nails.

As if she had deliberately dirtied her clothes and smeared filth on her face.

‘Interesting.’

Watching the two embracing and shedding tears, Jang Woo-hyun let out a laugh. As if their reunion was heartwarming to witness.

“My dear, this is Senior Jang, the one who helped us.”

Seok Hae-gang’s wife wiped her eyes with her sleeve and bowed deeply.

“Thank you, benefactor. I will never forget this grace.”

“Let’s step back. I’ll get you out.”

Moving her aside, Jang Woo-hyun swung his sword and sliced through the metal bars in a single stroke.

“Are we escaping immediately?”

“Yes, if we run quickly like this, we’ll be fine.”

“I see.”

Jang Woo-hyun took the lead out of the building, followed by the couple.

The three moved stealthily across the manor. After covering some distance, Jang Woo-hyun stopped in place and looked at Seok Hae-gang.

“Senior Jang?”

Seok Hae-gang widened his eyes, asking what was going on.

Jang Woo-hyun didn’t answer his question but instead posed one of his own.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Right now? Wouldn’t it be better to ask after we escape…?”

“No, I need to ask now.”

He paused, then met Seok Hae-gang’s eyes.

Being a cultivator, the odds of him deceiving Jang Woo-hyun were minimal. Yet, he had followed him for a reason.

First, Seok Hae-gang had located Jang Woo-hyun’s position precisely and sought him out. That meant he could track him at any time.

Jang Woo-hyun had considered striking him down immediately, but changed his mind when he saw this manor from afar.

This manor was positioned far too oddly. It was as if it hadn’t been here from the start but had suddenly appeared.

With that hypothesis, Jang Woo-hyun entered. That’s why he had been careful from the moment they scaled the wall.

As they moved, he observed every building. Cracks and grooves were scattered throughout, as if the buildings were modular.

That convinced Jang Woo-hyun that his suspicion was correct.

The moving manor he had heard about at the inn. And the cultivator who was chasing him.

“……”

In Jang Woo-hyun’s view appeared Seok Hae-gang’s tense face. Seeing him, Jang Woo-hyun smiled.

“Why are you smiling all of a sudden…?”

“If you love your wife that much, shouldn’t you be shielding her behind you?”

Right now, Seok Hae-gang wasn’t even trying to hide his wife. On the contrary, he was letting go of her hand as if ready to run away the moment things turned sour. If he truly loved her enough to make a request to the Slayer Sword Demon, there was no way he would act like this.

Seeing the panic coloring Seok Hae-gang’s face, Jang Woo-hyun casually voiced his thoughts.

“This place… is it the house of the Soul Reaper Demon?”

“……!”

“Gah!”

The moment he finished speaking, Jang Woo-hyun moved and sliced off Seok Hae-gang’s arm. Apparently prepared to some extent, Seok Hae-gang sacrificed just one arm and fled far away.

“You bastard!”

“When did you notice?”

“From the beginning.”

To the question of the woman who had been pretending to be Seok Hae-gang’s wife, Jang Woo-hyun answered while flicking the blood off his blade.

“If you’ve got something prepared, show it quickly. I’m not dragging tails behind me.”

Jang Woo-hyun drew Mukya from his Inner Robe.

At that moment, mechanical sounds rang out, and the ground around them began to shake.

Kururung—

The earth beneath his feet trembled as if from an earthquake, and with a clank! rattle! the surrounding buildings began to move as if they were alive.

The ground split apart—some buildings sank underground, others split in two and were pushed aside.

Kururung—Kurung—

Many buildings vanished, and a wide path opened before Jang Woo-hyun. On both sides of the road, Automatic Puppets shaped like humans lined up in neat rows like well-trained soldiers.

At the end of the path.

A massive pavilion detached and disappeared into the ground, and in its place, a grand throne rose up.

Kuuung—

With the throne’s emergence, the mechanical noises and vibrations that had filled the surroundings gradually quieted. Everything until now had moved for the sake of that throne.

Upon the splendid throne sat a robust man.

He appeared to be around thirty. The most striking feature was his eyes.

It was as if stars had been embedded in them—his eyes shone so brilliantly that the rest of his face faded from notice.

【Uwahahahaha!】

He laughed. At the same time, the force he released caused the surroundings to shake again. The tremor was even stronger than when the buildings transformed. It felt as though the world itself was shuddering.

‘Realm of Emptiness and Force.’

Judging from the pressure exuding from him, Jang Woo-hyun gauged the opponent’s level.

It was a world apart from the cultivators he had dealt with so easily at the Incarnation Stage. Furthermore, unlike those who felt like wind or fire, this man exuded the heaviness of steel.

He was a cultivator of an entirely different kind.

“As expected! What an amusing fellow!”

Though his voice was transmitted aloud, it was no less potent than any spiritual message or Will-Form Qi. His very speech carried tremendous power.

“Nice to meet you. I am Yang Jeon-gun.”

“Soul Reaper Demon?”

To Jang Woo-hyun’s question, Yang Jeon-gun gave a small nod.

“Some call me that. Others refer to me as the Collector.”

“I’m Jang Woo-hyun.”

“Jang Woo-hyun? That’s a fine name. But I prefer the name ‘Sword Demon.’ Slayer Sword Demon—what a splendid title.”

“Why did you call me… Ah, before that.”

Pausing mid-conversation, Jang Woo-hyun vanished from his spot.

“Guh!”

When he reappeared, Mukya had pierced through Seok Hae-gang’s chest.

“Had to take care of that first.”

“Kuaaagh!”

Even with his chest pierced, Seok Hae-gang twisted his body and escaped to the side. Mukya, having pierced through him, essentially split his own chest—but he widened the distance regardless of the injury.

“Damn… you insane bastard. Out of nowhere…!”

“He’s trying to heal. But it won’t be easy.”

“What?”

“His root’s already been cut. His soul, or perhaps his original essence—those kinds of things.”

“What nonsense are you spouting… Huh? Huh?”

Seok Hae-gang’s expression twisted viciously as he tried to shout that it was nonsense. Just as Jang Woo-hyun said, his body wasn’t recovering.

In a panic, he turned toward Yang Jeon-gun with a desperate look.

“Hey, Senior Yang! Please help me! I brought him just as you ordered! Now give me the reward you promised…!”

Puuuhng!

Seok Hae-gang didn’t get to finish his sentence. Yang Jeon-gun casually waved his hand, and Seok Hae-gang’s upper body exploded.

“Annoying bug taken care of. Now, let’s continue. That just now… what was it… something about space? What was that technique called again, the one martial artists use… Ah, right. Space Severance? Soul Severing? Was it that? I’ve heard it can sever the soul and the root in one strike.”

Yang Jeon-gun asked with a curious expression.

“I just cut him. I don’t really know. I figured it out by doing it.”

“Is that so? I guess it happens. Then I…”

“How long are you going to keep talking? You didn’t call me here just to chat, did you?”

Interrupting Yang Jeon-gun, Jang Woo-hyun asked coldly.

“Just listen. This might be the last time. I’ll try not to hurt you too badly, but you never know.”

“I don’t know what you’re going on about. If you won’t come to me, I’ll go to you.”

Jang Woo-hyun raised Mukya.

But Yang Jeon-gun moved first.

Kwaaaang!

With a deafening crash, the throne where Yang Jeon-gun had been sitting exploded, and Jang Woo-hyun was hurled backward by an immense impact. Yang Jeon-gun had closed the distance in an instant and kicked him.

Jang Woo-hyun smashed through several remaining buildings and flew nearly a hundred jang before crashing into a small hill.

Kuuung!

A small canyon formed where he landed, and a massive wave of dirt and dust surged outward in all directions.

“I said listen.”

Yang Jeon-gun slowly walked toward where Jang Woo-hyun had landed.

From his body, flames began to flicker, and beneath his feet, glowing wheels spun as they emitted light.

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