Chapter 251: Hyeonwol (3)

“Uahahahaha!”

Hyeonwol, who had multiplied into dozens, laughed heartily as if something pleased him greatly. A moment later, the dozens of Hyeonwols stopped laughing at the same time.

“How many sacrifices did I make? It would be quicker to ask how much water flows in a river. Cheonrin… no, that’s not right—the invincible Divine Sword who annihilated the Demon Cult with a single strike.”

“…How do you…?”

An entirely unexpected statement came out, and Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes filled with confusion.

A name unknown in the Central Heavens.

What Hyeonwol had just mentioned was something that had happened in the Lower Realm.

“I didn’t expect you to grow this quickly. You really are the one the True Immortals are searching for. If I had known it would come to this, I should have taken action beforehand.”

Jang Woo-hyun, who had been momentarily startled, quickly regained his composure. While Hyeonwol spoke, he carried out several things simultaneously.

First, he assessed the current situation while listening to Seo Gyeong-mu, who had retreated earlier, transmit information through telepathy.

‘The Five-Wheel Guardian God has disappeared.’

Moreover, the Energy of the Five Elements had weakened, meaning the martial artists of the Five Elements Cult could no longer display their full strength.

Fortunately, the Demon-Slaying Brigade had joined the battle, and their companions had already headed to the Floating Stronghold where the Five-Wheel Guardian God had been sealed. There was nothing he could do about that problem right now.

Second, he speculated how Hyeonwol knew about his past.

‘He didn’t ascend.’

Hyeonwol had already been famous in the Central Heavens before Jang Woo-hyun arrived. He hadn’t come from the Central Plains. The timelines didn’t match. Nor was he someone who ascended after Jang Woo-hyun, like Jin Ha-un.

If that was the case, then the conclusion was only one.

‘He obtained memories.’

Just as Jang Woo-hyun had glimpsed other people’s memories through the Black Flames or the Black Wilds Sword, Hyeonwol must have obtained the memories of those he killed by taking countless lives.

“Did you extend your reach even to the Central Plains?”

Having memories about Jang Woo-hyun meant that Hyeonwol had absorbed the life force of someone from the Central Plains. Jang Woo-hyun didn’t know how he did it, but Hyeonwol must have gone down to the Central Plains.

“I was wondering what you were thinking so hard about. Were you making guesses all by yourself?”

Hyeonwol did not confirm anything and merely laughed.

It was extremely difficult for someone in the Middle Realm to influence the Lower Realm, but Jang Woo-hyun believed Hyeonwol was capable of it.

‘Because he’s connected to the Ascension Cult.’

If he had borrowed the power of a True Immortal, it would be possible.

Locking eyes with Hyeonwol, Jang Woo-hyun expanded his Qi perception. He was searching for the real body.

Dozens of Hyeonwols stood before him.

There were slight differences among them, but none stood out particularly.

To probe the situation, Jang Woo-hyun swung his sword once and severed the heads of the two standing on the outermost edge.

However, once again, bodies regenerated from the necks, and heads regenerated from the bodies. Two more Hyeonwols had appeared.

“It seems you’re trying to find the main body, but it’s pointless. Everyone here is me.”

It was an incomprehensible situation, but just as he said, Jang Woo-hyun could not find any Hyeonwol here that could be called the real body.

There were only minute differences, yet strangely they all possessed equal presence and strength. And each one of them was powerful. If it weren’t Jang Woo-hyun, handling such numbers would be difficult.

‘If there isn’t just one main body.’

Jang Woo-hyun quickly reached a conclusion and kicked off the air.

‘Then I’ll destroy them all.’

As Jang Woo-hyun rushed toward them, dozens of Hyeonwols simultaneously released Blue Smoke.

Blue Smoke was Hyeonwol’s unique sorcery combining both offense and defense.

It was powerful enough to pressure Seo Gyeong-mu, the Cult Leader of the Five Elements Cult, yet it did not work on Jang Woo-hyun.

The moment he swung the Black Wilds Sword, every trace of smoke was effortlessly cut apart.

The black smoke wrapped around the black blade was a kind of curse formed from resentment and rage. The power accumulated over a long time easily neutralized Hyeonwol’s Blue Smoke.

In the end, Jang Woo-hyun closed the distance and struck at Hyeonwol with his sword.

Each time the Black Wilds Sword swung, Hyeonwol’s body shattered into pieces. At the same time, dark crimson blood gushed out, and the fragmented body reconstructed itself into human form.

Hyeonwol’s numbers surpassed hundreds, then thousands.

‘He’s dying.’

Each time he cut, Jang Woo-hyun realized that countless lives were disappearing.

Hyeonwol had already died more than hundreds of times. Yet instead of using his own life, he continued resurrecting by consuming the lives of others.

Jang Woo-hyun did not stop swinging his sword.

Hyeonwol attempted to defend himself with Blue Smoke, but he could not block the Black Wilds Sword.

The more Jang Woo-hyun cut, the more Hyeonwol multiplied. Even so, he did not stop. It was almost as if he were testing just how far the multiplication could go.

Occasionally Hyeonwol cast sorcery, but even those spells were cut apart by the Black Wilds Sword.

A sorcerer multiplying infinitely and a martial artist who never stopped swinging his sword.

The one who retreated first was the infinitely multiplying sorcerer.

At some point, Hyeonwol must have reached his limit, because he changed his method of attack.

【Blood Sea Filling the Sky.】

His voice echoed, and Hyeonwol—now multiplied so many times that it was impossible to count—exploded simultaneously.

A wave of dark crimson blood that covered the sky.

An enormous amount of blood spread in all directions.

In an instant, a massive sea of blood formed, and Hyeonwol’s voice echoed again.

【Black Blood Army of the Blood Sea.】

Black silhouettes rose from the sea of blood.

Soldiers holding spears, generals on horseback wielding swords, soldiers carrying shields, and archers with bows. Tens of thousands of troops suddenly rose from the sea of blood and ran through the air.

In response, Jang Woo-hyun unleashed hundreds of martial techniques with the Dragon King’s Scale.

Each tiny blade scale carried a martial technique within it.

KWA-A-A-ANG!

Tens of thousands of troops collided with hundreds of martial techniques and vanished.

When a giant rose from the sea of blood, the blade scales of the Black Wilds Sword and Dragon King’s Scale shone with light. The giant was annihilated, and the sea of blood itself was torn apart by a massive mandala pattern.

While fighting the blood army and giants, Jang Woo-hyun felt thousands, tens of thousands of lives disappearing.

Yet even in that situation, Hyeonwol’s sorcery continued.

The number of lives he had absorbed seemed endless.

Against the endless blood sorcery, Jang Woo-hyun swung his sword—cutting, destroying, tearing apart everything rising from the sea of blood—until he realized one fact.

‘He never rose higher. He only increased his power.’

Hyeonwol had not achieved qualitative growth but merely quantitative expansion.

Unable to surpass his limit, he simply devoured the lives of others to increase his strength.

“So you joined hands with cultivators just to obtain this much power?”

Perhaps it might work against others, but such power meant nothing to Jang Woo-hyun.

He could split his Will-Form and unleash hundreds of martial techniques simultaneously, and with the Nayuta Sword Mandala he could pour out hundreds of thousands of sword forms. If he expanded his Will-Form further, he could even embed the profound mystery of the Heart Sword and cut everything his gaze reached simultaneously.

Simply increasing power in quantity could not make one his opponent.

Even now, every one of Hyeonwol’s attacks was being erased.

“Does a method like this that can’t move forward have any meaning?”

Perhaps irritated by Jang Woo-hyun’s words, Hyeonwol’s body regenerated again within the sea of blood.

His body was entirely made of blood, yet he appeared neatly dressed. Unlike before, his expression had hardened.

“You must have had extraordinary talent to reach this place.”

Jang Woo-hyun’s talent was exceptional. He had not been in the Central Heavens long, yet he had already made his name known in the Central Heavens Martial Realm and was fighting on equal footing with the leaders of the Ten Sects and Three Clans.

“You must have had nothing to fear, having defeated the Heavenly Demon of the Demon Suppression Hall and the Left Guardian of the Five Elements Cult, spreading your name far and wide. In the long history of the Central Heavens Martial Realm, has anyone made a name for themselves this quickly?”

The sea of blood churned and turned into a gigantic vortex aimed at Jang Woo-hyun.

“My attacks don’t work on you. That ability of yours is special.”

Jang Woo-hyun easily cut apart the massive vortex of blood.

The sorcery was not nullified immediately. Hyeonwol, aware of Jang Woo-hyun’s ability, had already cast dozens of spells to prevent the severing of the origin.

But that was all. Hyeonwol’s attacks had no effect.

A crimson tidal wave crashed toward him next.

Even that wave, which seemed capable of destroying everything, had no effect on Jang Woo-hyun.

With just a few swings of the Black Wilds Sword, the massive tidal wave was cut apart and shattered.

As he neutralized every attack and advanced forward, Jang Woo-hyun suddenly paused.

‘…Too easy.’

Je Yeong-jeong had said that the sorcerers of the Ascension Cult and the Radiant Light Sect were all bait. If that was true, then Hyeonwol must have abandoned much to prepare for this moment.

Yet things were being resolved far too quickly.

Even with the Demon-Slaying Brigade helping, this made no sense.

With unease rising, Jang Woo-hyun’s thoughts accelerated. He reexamined everything, wondering if he had missed something.

‘His attacks don’t work on me.’

Just as Hyeonwol had said, his attacks didn’t work on Jang Woo-hyun.

Which meant they would work on others.

Especially the Five Elements Cult, whose power had weakened—they would not have been able to endure Hyeonwol’s strength.

Yet Hyeonwol had not used that strength.

As if waiting for something.

As if he must not use it.

‘What is it?’

Jang Woo-hyun expanded his Qi perception and examined the surroundings.

‘Nothing stands out.’

The sea of blood remained the same, and Hyeonwol stood in the distance.

Nothing seemed different from before. Yet something felt unsettling. His instincts signaled danger.

‘I’ll end this quickly.’

Unable to find the source of his unease, he decided to destroy Hyeonwol and the sea of blood as quickly as possible.

He moved the Dragon King’s Scale and created a massive mandala pattern.

But before the pattern was completed—

KWA-A-A-ANG!

With a thunderous explosion, the Floating Strongholds suspended nearby began shattering one by one.

It wasn’t his companions, including the Wind-Passing Great Sage, who had destroyed them. Only four companions had headed toward the Floating Strongholds, yet five of them were collapsing simultaneously.

The moment he sensed something about to begin, the air trembled.

An immense power gathered in one place. The sea of blood surged violently, as if a typhoon had struck.

Hyeonwol, who had stood at the center of the sea of blood, melted back into it. The last expression Jang Woo-hyun saw on his face was a deep smile.

Without hesitation, Jang Woo-hyun unleashed the Nayuta Sword Mandala.

Countless sword forms rained down upon the sea of blood—but unlike before, they caused almost no damage.

The power he released simply vanished somewhere.

As if the sea of blood had swallowed it.

“….”

The moment he realized something was wrong—

A gigantic face formed on the surface of the sea of blood.

As its mouth slowly opened, Hyeonwol’s voice echoed out.

【I will fulfill the contract. Help me.】

Boom.

A powerful wave spread outward, and the sea of blood turned silver.

And the energy he sensed—

It was familiar.

Jang Woo-hyun frowned deeply.

The gaze of the giant face turned toward him.

【Heaven-Linking Blood Boundary Gate.】

Rumble—

The surrounding space trembled like an earthquake.

Sensing danger, Jang Woo-hyun attempted to leave his position, but an invisible force bound him.

The giant face kept its gaze fixed on him and spoke again.

【Open the Gate.】

At that moment, the world before Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes changed.

The sky of the Central Heavens Realm where the sea of blood had existed vanished, replaced by blood waterfalls filling every direction.

From the high heavens above, those waterfalls of blood poured down into a bottomless abyss.

Even as Jang Woo-hyun expanded his Qi perception and examined all directions, he saw nothing.

He couldn’t even determine what kind of space this was.

The only fortunate thing was—

‘No one else came.’

He alone had been dragged into this space.

【Who are you looking for?】

On one side of a blood waterfall, another massive face formed from blood. It was Hyeonwol’s face again.

【The others cannot enter this place. In the first place, it wasn’t even my wish to summon you here.】

“…Was it the True Immortal’s will?”

When silver light burst from the sea of blood earlier, Jang Woo-hyun had felt a familiar energy.

‘Heavenly Venerable of the Silver Radiance and Universal Transformation of the Three Pure Ones.’

A power that had now become familiar.

It was clearly the aura of the True Immortal targeting him.

With the help of that True Immortal, Hyeonwol had created this strange space—and in return, he had summoned Jang Woo-hyun here.

【Everything was for this moment.】

From the beginning, Hyeonwol had orchestrated the entire scheme.

He provoked the Lord of Lightning and obtained the Five-Wheel Illusion Diagram. Using the Illusion Diagram and the Life-and-Death Reversal Token, he sealed the power of the guardian god of the Five Elements Cult and used that power.

Jang Woo-hyun, the Demon-Slaying Brigade, and the Five Elements Cult had all stepped onto the board Hyeonwol had laid out.

【I searched for many methods to rise higher.】

Perhaps bothered by how Jang Woo-hyun had dismissed his power earlier, Hyeonwol began speaking without being asked.

【One of them was taking the lives of others like a cultivator. Another was overturning the board entirely—】

As the blood waterfalls poured down from all directions, Jang Woo-hyun realized that this place was a completely different space from the world they had been in.

Without hesitation, he poured power into the Dragon King’s Scale and unleashed hundreds of Annihilation Slashes in every direction.

The massive face of Hyeonwol disappeared, and the blood waterfalls burst apart—but fundamentally, nothing changed.

Jang Woo-hyun did not stop attacking.

However, he could not destroy the blood waterfalls.

Nor could he escape this space.

After unleashing dozens of attacks, he finally stopped for a moment.

The massive face of Hyeonwol made of blood had disappeared. Even after waiting, Hyeonwol did not reappear.

Only then did Jang Woo-hyun slowly examine his surroundings.

‘What’s down there?’

The blood waterfalls surrounding him.

Below them stretched an abyss so deep the bottom could not be seen, and even when he looked upward, nothing was visible.

Even when he expanded his Will-Form to the limit and launched the Transcendental Sword, it never reached the end.

‘Am I inside a formation or a barrier?’

Even with Jang Woo-hyun’s power, it could not be easily destroyed.

‘Looks like the only option is to move either upward or downward.’

He had no intention of standing around doing nothing.

He intended to do whatever he could.

Jang Woo-hyun looked upward and downward once before deciding on a direction.

Just as he kicked off the air to move—

The blood waterfalls suddenly vanished.

And the moment the surroundings changed—

Jang Woo-hyun could no longer breathe.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep