LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 732
Dark Heaven Village
I attempted once more to summon the Fire Elemental Sword to shatter the Space Division, but at that moment, five resonances emerged in the void, blocking the attack. Then, a chilling voice of Jin Tian-Jun echoed.
“Haha! Even with the techniques of the Seven Luminaries, we five can easily defend against it!”
Pow!
Simultaneously, a crimson wave and a meteor crashed upon me, sending me flying with the Protection Energy Technique. Just as I was about to hit the ground, the sandy soil of the village seemed to come alive, trying to engulf me, forcing me to hastily employ the Void Step to spring away from the ground.
‘I’m going to die at this rate.’
No, is there truly no way to escape now? To break the Space Division, I needed to destroy the space itself with the Fire Elemental Sword, but all five Elite Troopers were blocking it simultaneously. Plus, my internal power was already running low, and my vision felt dim.
What to do to survive?
As I desperately brainstormed, a sudden snap rang out.
In that moment, Son Tian-Jun’s head twisted unnaturally. All eyes turned toward the bizarre scene as Xiang Yu emerged and severed Son Tian-Jun’s lifeline. Yuan Tian-Jun stood by, dumbfounded.
“This scoundrel. Stop!”
Cold Ice Formation!
As Yuan Tian-Jun spread his hands wide, a terrifying chill enveloped Xiang Yu. This coldness carried a terrifying might capable of freezing and killing even immortals. However, Xiang Yu approached unperturbed, ignoring the cold that was much lower than Arctic temperatures.
“Ugh, don’t come any closer.”
Yuan Tian-Jun, struggling, erected multiple walls of the Space Division to block Xiang Yu, but Xiang Yu’s steps brushed aside all those barriers. Even when Yuan Tian-Jun employed the Transmission Technique, Xiang Yu always pursued him, bloodlust gleaming in his eyes.
“Die!”
Yuan Tian-Jun bulged his eyes in panic.
“No way!”
While other Elite Troopers unleashed the Ten Absolute Formation to attack Xiang Yu, a strange star pattern emerged around him, blocking every disaster. Finally, Xiang Yu raised his fist and struck Yuan Tian-Jun’s face.
Splat!
Blood sprayed as his head burst open. Yuan Tian-Jun succumbed to a single blow from Xiang Yu, dying without a chance.
The remaining three Elite Troopers panicked, retreating and screaming as the two of their comrades had fallen unexpectedly.
“You scoundrels!!”
“Just you wait!”
Swoosh…
Once the enemies vanished, the Ten Absolute Formations that filled the space dissipated, allowing me to return to the original space. I panted heavily due to extreme fatigue and awkwardly bowed to Xiang Yu.
“Th-thank you.”
Xiang Yu gazed down at me as if I were a bug.
“You’re pathetic.”
“…”
“You can’t even counterattack those scoundrels unless you rely on the power of the Divine Treasure. How do you expect to kill the Celestial Sage Nüwa?”
I had no rebuttal. Undoubtedly, the gap between Xiang Yu’s power and mine was immense, leaving me speechless. Even with the combined might of the Seven Luminaries and Fire Dragon Incarnate, I couldn’t measure up to him.
Xiang Yu then spoke up.
“Last time, I told you to find Yu Ji. Have you located her?”
At those words, I felt my mind snap to attention. I replied cautiously, “My companion is using the relic of the Underworld’s Choi Sin-bo to search the entire Underworld. While they’ve scoured more than half, they still haven’t found Yu Ji’s soul.”
Xiang Yu’s voice softened slightly. “A relic of the Choi Sin-bo. Your companion must be quite capable for a human.”
“…”
“I hope you bring good results to this lord.”
Boom!
Xiang Yu departed after that remark. I realized he might have been annoyed but was appeased by the seemingly good search progress. He was a figure who concealed violence and fury in silence, and one wrong move could lead to my death by his hand.
‘Phew. I’m alive thanks to him.’
Without Xiang Yu’s intervention, I would have been dead. I decided to search for my companions and soon ran into Tang San and Seo Mun-hye. I asked them, “What about Cheon Woo-jin and Jin So-cheong?”
Tang San replied, “I don’t know.”
“Damn… what should we do?”
Seo Mun-hye suggested, “Wouldn’t it be better to wait patiently without rashly moving? It seems our side has the advantage…”
“That makes sense.”
If we wandered too far, it might become more challenging for our allies to find us. I agreed with her, taking a moment to recover my energy and internal power while Tang San and Seo Mun-hye supported my efforts.
About a quarter of an hour later…
Ka-boom!!
An explosive sound echoed from somewhere nearby, and Gong Gong’s voice followed.
“Haha! Golden Light Saint, did you underestimate me?”
“This behemoth…”
Gong Gong seemed to be fighting favorably. Just as we were about to head over, Cheon Woo-jin appeared via the Transmission Technique and said, “Leave Gong Gong be.”
“Cheon Woo-jin.”
He spoke confidently, “He is growing stronger by the second, so he won’t lose. More importantly, we must rush to the core of this fortress.”
“Have you located the core?”
“Yes. We need to hurry. If Cheon Gong-pyo secures it first, it’ll be a disaster.”
“What about Jin So-cheong?”
“She has joined forces with the Celestial Sage.”
Then there should be no problem.
Tydaht!
We dashed after Cheon Woo-jin, who mentioned that as we neared the core, the spatial fixation grew stronger, making the use of Transmission Technique risky. I ran behind Cheon Woo-jin and asked, “But what happens if Cheon Gong-pyo secures this fortress’ core?”
He hesitated before replying, “In any case, it’s dangerous.”
“…?”
What’s up with this guy?
His nonchalant answer left me pondering whether I had offended Cheon Woo-jin too much. Given my earlier actions, it was understandable he’d be irritated.
Cheon Woo-jin turned to Tang San, “Can your Toxic Technique dissolve hard metals?”
“Of course, why?”
“I’ll need you to liquefy the sealing iron barricades soon.”
“Understood.”
We entered a colossal spiral corridor.
‘This place also has an otherworldly architectural feel…’
While descending the spiraled staircase, I felt no signs of an ambush. It was merely surprising how numerous the stairs were and how deep they went. Finally, upon reaching the very bottom…
There’s something here.
The moment we spotted that pale object, we drew our weapons and assumed a defensive stance. I let out a fierce yell at the sealing iron barricade right before us.
“Are you one of the Elite Troopers?!”
‘That thing’ glanced at us.
At that moment, we were struck with astonishment.
Cheon Woo-jin?!
It was undoubtedly Cheon Woo-jin’s figure!
“Eh? What’s going on?”
His voice was vacant.
The one resembling Cheon Woo-jin stared at us with dazed eyes.
I turned around. “They transformed into Cheon Woo-jin!”
Then, he nodded in understanding and said, “I see… then unleash all the powers of the Seven Luminaries to defeat that scoundrel! Attack!”
“Understood!”
Just as I was about to charge, Seo Mun-hye shouted, “Baek Woong-nim! Wait a moment!!”
Huh?
Why is Seo Mun-hye stopping me?
Before I could ponder over her shout, I charged forward, fiercely swinging the Fire Dragon Sword. The impostor, looking like Cheon Woo-jin, was caught off guard, retreating rapidly using the Void Step, exclaiming incredulously.
“What are you doing?!”
“Shut up, you fake! Take this…”
I intended to yell but paused, sensing something odd. Now that I thought about it, why would the Elite Troopers employ an illusion to transform into Cheon Woo-jin? I entertained the notion that perhaps it was true and instantly activated the Fire Eye Golden Spirit to observe the Cheon Woo-jin in front of me.
Fire Blaze!
No sign of being fake at all. If it were an illusion strong enough to deceive even the Fire Eye Golden Spirit, it suggested the illusionist could fool even the Celestial Sage! Was the Elite Trooper at that level? A strong chill ran through me as I hurriedly turned around.
Then, in the next moment, my eyes widened.
Rumble…
Seo Mun-hye and Tang San seemed trapped in a watery prison, unconscious. The one who cast the technique wore a smile, unmistakably resembling Cheon Woo-jin, but I quickly discerned that such a smile was not one Cheon Woo-jin would ever make.
Sss…
Gradually, the form of Cheon Woo-jin shifted into something I recognized. Transformed into a stunning beauty with blue hair and golden eyes, she laughed gleefully.
“Aha! This truly is amusing!”
“…!!”
Zhuge Liang!
In that instant, the situation dawned upon me. The Cheon Woo-jin that had appeared before us was, in fact, Zhuge Liang in disguise using transformation arts! Realizing I had recklessly charged at him, I flushed a deep red from embarrassment.
Cheon Woo-jin muttered softly, “To be deceived by that scoundrel.”
His expression was one of defeat, as if he didn’t even have the energy to curse. I could only feel like a fool standing there in silence. Noticing my silence, Zhuge Liang confidently declared.
“Now, you lot, this Tongtian Island originally belongs to me, so vacate this core. We’ve both accomplished our goals, haven’t we? Earlier was just to demonstrate that this is my estate.”
At those words, Cheon Woo-jin retorted curtly, “You’re amusing. If you seize the core of Tongtian Island to amplify your strength, do you know how you’ll end up? Then in this place, you would stand equal to the [Old Ruler]. Unless you swear an oath of loyalty, you cannot leave here.”
“Why should I make such a promise?”
“Then we can’t trust you, either. Should Cheon Gong-pyo and Xiang Yu arrive here, we’ll discuss it all together.”
“Annoying.”
“If I can’t defeat you, neither will you leave unscathed.”
As Cheon Woo-jin spoke assertively, Zhuge Liang frowned and replied, “Fine, let’s do this. As long as you remain here on Golden Crow Island, I won’t betray you. Will that suffice?”
“… What will happen next?”
Cheon Woo-jin turned to face me. While he appeared annoyed and irritated, he had ceded the decision to me.
Feeling a deep sense of shame, I resolved not to appear foolish any longer and regained my composure.
“Also, prevent the Elite Troopers from attacking us.”
“Hmph, foolish creature.”
“…”
“Understood. It is done.”
A short while later, with the pact made, both Zhuge Liang and Cheon Woo-jin simultaneously relaxed their combat postures. Zhuge Liang released the two now-revived individuals trapped in the watery prison, and Tang San and Seo Mun-hye regained their senses. Zhuge Liang addressed the coughing Tang San.
“As I mentioned earlier, liquefy this sealing iron barricade with your toxin.”
“Why should I? Xiang Yu or Cheon Gong-pyo could smash through it with brute force!”
“They lack meticulousness, and they would destroy the entire core. Only your strength can liquefy merely the sealing barricades.”
“Understood.”
Ssss…
Tang San focused all his internal power, preparing to produce the desired toxin. I instinctively sensed Tang San had surpassed peak expertise and was on the threshold of the Absolute Realm. Shortly after, Tang San widened his eyes.
Sizzle!
As the sealing iron barricades melted away, a massive core began to flutter like a heartbeat. Concurrently, with a tremendous vibration, it felt as if the entire Tongtian Island was rising. Zhuge Liang gasped in awe.
“Oho… Finally, after millennia… Tongtian Island has returned to me.”
“Now, keep your promise.”
At my words, Zhuge Liang shot a glance at our side before stating,
“Wait! Something is crossing through time and space.”
“What?”
“Activate the barrier!”
Whummm…
Zhuge Liang summoned a barrier, creating a protective shield over the entirety of Tongtian Island.
Swish!
And then, using the Transmission Technique, the remaining Elite Troopers appeared simultaneously around Zhuge Liang. Two of them had been killed by Xiang Yu, leaving a total of eight. Among them, one in glamorous attire, whether noble or female, stepped forward and declared.
“Zhuge Liang. We cannot recognize you as the Lord of Tongtian Church. The one we pledge our loyalty to will lead to your demise.”
“…”
“You will not receive our help. This must be bewildering.”
Zhuge Liang chuckled mockingly. “Heh, Wang Cheon-gun… I have no need for your kind. After all, you were not very helpful thousands of years ago.”
“What did you say?”
Wang Cheon-gun’s eyes twitched violently.
Swish…
Zhuge Liang, slowly brandishing his Sabre Sword with a smile, commanded, “Let them all perish.”