Chapter 471: Chapter 471

The Lord of Taemosan Fortress.

The Dark Heaven Emperor, Cho Ryeol.

His long, flowing black hair cascaded down to his waist.

His ears, sharply angled like those of a celestial warlord, added to his distinctive and almost theatrical appearance. Across the chest of his worn, pure-white robe was an enormous golden sun, radiating a silent yet oppressive authority.

Cho Ryeol’s sculpted features harmonized perfectly with his attire. His entire presence exuded an almost statuesque chill, as if he had been carved from marble.

Even as he released the Moonless Dominion, his expression remained unchanged.

Indifferent to all things in the world.

The sound of powerful winds tearing through fabric.

He had emerged, soaring through the space reflected in the falling droplet.

A technique of such mysticism that even among the most divine martial sorceries, it stood in a league of its own.

A feat impossible unless one's entire being had been forged from true energy and spiritual essence.

From behind his back, an orange monk’s robe billowed.

Diamond Immovable Body Technique.

There was no time for anyone to react.

From one of the monk’s shoulders, golden light flared and took the shape of an arm. The moment it fully formed, the golden palm cleaved downward, seeking to split open the back of the Dark Heaven Emperor’s skull.

A devastating shockwave erupted from the point of impact.

A concentric ripple blasted outward, shaking the entire underground chamber.

From the surrounding rock walls encasing the cavern, chunks of stone broke loose and tumbled down, as if a great bell had been struck.

There were no words exchanged. No hesitation.

It was an unquestionable strike.

The divine monk, Beomheo, had arrived.

The elite warriors of Taemosan’s subordinate sects fell silent. Even Cho Il-seo, who had just begun stepping down from his palanquin, froze mid-motion.

It was an inhuman display of martial prowess—anyone would be struck speechless.

As the underground cavern became fully engulfed in the Realm of Nihilistic Annihilation, the Shaolin Abbot’s counter to the Dark Heaven Emperor’s ambush had been seamless.

Yet, neither Beomheo nor Yulha Nangnang, nor even Cheongsu Jin-in or Ak Su-rim, were looking at him anymore.

A voice echoed from the heart of the cavern.

Through the humid, dense air, a figure emerged, walking forth.

The image of the Dark Heaven Emperor flickered before solidifying.

The hollow footsteps rang out, empty yet profound.

The Dark Heaven Emperor, whose skull had been shattered by the Shaolin Abbot, had vanished like foam on the tide.

An Avatar of Soul Essence.

A revered Taoist technique. By fully merging one’s spiritual essence with true energy, one could manifest a second body.

It was a technique once wielded by the ancient swordmasters of the orthodox sects.

Yet, for a sorcery-wielding grandmaster like the Dark Heaven Emperor, it was nothing short of his rightful domain.

The newly materialized Cho # Nоvеlight # Ryeol spoke.

[You have stepped into my domain.]

But it was not Beomheo who answered.

From the side, the Grandmaster of Qingcheng Sect, Cheongsu Jin-in, stepped forward.

"When did Hangzhou become your land?"

The piercing blue glow of his eyes intensified—a gift of his noble lineage, granting him unparalleled clarity.

Cho Ryeol did not so much as glance in his direction.

[Long before you were even born.]

Cheongsu Jin-in’s expression darkened.

Not to Cho Ryeol, but to his own allies.

This land had been cultivated for centuries.

The Dark Heaven Emperor, an absolute ruler of martial sorcery, had remained shackled here for over a hundred years, bound by self-imposed constraints.

From a worldly perspective...

The greatest danger of grandmasters who achieved Three Harmonies was their ability to control energy at will. They wielded techniques that far surpassed the destructive power of cannons, and with their footwork, they moved across vast plains like shadows on the wind.

For supreme grandmasters like the Dark Heaven Emperor, such concerns were irrelevant.

It was precisely why powerful factions rarely left their own dominions.

However, a stationary force posed no real threat. As long as it did not move, it could be ignored.

And so, Cho Ryeol had been dismissed.

He had remained an isolated current, a relic of the past, while younger warriors took up his title across the generations.

From the grander perspective of the world, this was a waste.

To possess such unfathomable sorcery, yet never wield it to seize power—simply allowing centuries to pass, stagnant as a still pond.

That still pond had been stepped into.

Cheongsu Jin-in swallowed dryly, forcing his energy to circulate within his body.

And then—his eyes widened.

His true energy was slower than his thoughts.

An impossible phenomenon for a supreme martial master.

The gap between them was the difference between eternity and a fleeting moment.

The Moonless Dominion had already begun.

It lacked the sheer destructive force of lesser grandmasters' famed techniques.

If an ordinary villager had been passing through, they would have felt nothing.

It was an ability terrifying precisely because of its limitations.

“...What of the Master of Mount Hua?”

“We expected this. We came prepared.”

Yulha Nangnang wiped the blood from her sword, her gaze never once leaving Cho Ryeol—the man who had nearly killed Jeong Yeon-shin.

She watched him like an archer fixing their sights upon a distant target.

‘So Hangzhou itself is his spell formation.’

Cheongsu Jin-in realized it then.

Even she was not at ease.

She was wholly focused on maintaining her balance of body, mind, and spirit.

Even True Essence Divine Art, the legendary technique of immortality, was not absolute.

Even Yulha Nangnang was not at her full strength.

The Realm of Nihilistic Annihilation.

Even Cheongsu Jin-in could not determine the exact range of its influence.

Had this battle been taking place anywhere else, the domain would not have extended even a single li.

Yet here, in this land, only Cho Ryeol’s will remained.

His voice, an intangible force, slipped through the air like a whisper from the void.

—Do not avoid battle.

—Let us measure our strength in sorcery alone.

[The one I sought...]

The Dark Heaven Emperor’s Avatar of Soul Essence took a step forward.

[Has fled, as expected, in accordance with his nature...]

Lightning erupted beneath his feet, spreading like a massive web.

With every step, the ground beneath him trembled with energy, illuminating the cavern in an unearthly glow.

[And those who have lived but a fraction of my years... have dared to trespass into my dominion.]

That was as far as he got.

The Dark Heaven Emperor shattered like mist.

An unseen force utterly annihilated his form.

Like a flame being extinguished, his body crumbled and vanished into nothingness.

A strike powerful enough to bring down the entire cavern—yet it had simply erased itself.

Hundred Step God-Felling Fist.

[Beomheo, Beomheo...]

From a completely different location—

Another Avatar of Soul Essence of the Dark Heaven Emperor emerged from the cavern wall.

[Did you truly believe I had not prepared for you?]

He stood against the stone surface as if gravity itself had lost meaning.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Even among the greatest martial masters of the world, such an act was nearly unthinkable.

Unless he was someone who had lived for centuries, long enough to cultivate an infinite well of power.

As Cheongsu Jin-in surged toward the newly manifested Dark Heaven Emperor, his eyes widened.

Somehow, at an equal speed alongside him, the Peerless Divine Spear, Ak Su-rim, had been rushing forward—until her head suddenly snapped back.

With a thunderous boom, she was sent tumbling.

The sheer pressure of an overwhelming force had struck her.

With a single snap of his fingers, the Dark Heaven Emperor’s form blurred, splitting apart as it was shredded by a barrage of ethereal sword slashes.

It was Yulha Nangnang’s Blade Essence Ripples.

Meanwhile, Cho Il-seo, regaining his senses, hurled himself out of his palanquin in a panic.

He gestured frantically at the warriors who had been left frozen, awestruck by the overwhelming clash of supreme martial techniques.

“The Dark Heaven Emperor protects us! If we form the formation now and stand as the wall, even they will eventually—”

“Does the temple’s great bell ring only once?”

In an instant, the Avatar of Soul Essence of the Dark Heaven Emperor, which had been re-emerging from the ceiling of the cavern, was ripped apart—along with the very space around it.

Below, the warriors who had been channeling their energy into their weapons were obliterated, their upper bodies exploding into bloody mist.

Scarlet droplets drifted, scattering across the dim glow of the night-pearls embedded in the cavern walls.

Beyond them, Beomheo calmly lowered his golden arms.

Another footstep echoed, cutting through the streaks of lightning branching across the ground.

Amidst the crackling blue arcs, the Dark Heaven Emperor’s form took shape once more—this time, behind Cheongsu Jin-in.

A snap of his fingers.

Jagged stalactites erupted violently, spearing downward from above while others shot up from below, collapsing the very air around them.

A deafening explosion.

From within the crushing collision, Cheongsu Jin-in’s back and abdomen flared with defensive energy, sparks erupting as his protective aura struggled against the force.

At the same time, the Shaolin Abbot’s golden palm slammed down upon the Dark Heaven Emperor’s head.

Dust choked the air, and translucent waves of energy undulated violently.

Yet, even as his manifestations were shattered one after another, the Dark Heaven Emperor simply reappeared elsewhere.

[Do not act rashly, Young Lord.]

[Simply hold them here. That will be enough.]

For the first time, those words caused the Shaolin Abbot to pause.

The old monk’s lone eye met the Dark Heaven Emperor’s gaze.

“How long do you intend to keep this up?”

[A hundred years more.]

The Dark Heaven Emperor’s expression remained impassive.

Reflected in his mirror-like gaze:

Yulha Nangnang, striding toward him, her blade gleaming.

Cheongsu Jin-in, descending with a single strike that shattered the rocky terrain.

Beomheo, standing silently, unmoving.

The pinnacle of martial splendor.

Such a gathering might never occur again in this era.

From the side, Cho Il-seo raised his voice.

“Shaolin Abbot, cease this empty bravado! Even to my inexperienced eyes, your energy recovery is slowing! The Mount Hua Sect Leader, too, is visibly sluggish—at this rate, even I could land a strike against you! And even if, through unimaginable hardship, you somehow reach where His Eminence stands, what then? The noble lineage he has cultivated for centuries cannot be overcome—”

The Dark Heaven Emperor’s voice was barely above a murmur.

Yet, instantly, Cho Il-seo’s words died in his throat.

“A foolish old man has overlooked something.”

Ak Su-rim, her face twisted in pain, was forcing herself back up.

Even if the attack had only been from an Avatar of Soul Essence, it had still landed.

She couldn’t escape injury.

Blood trickled from the back of her head, staining her collar.

Yet, she smirked, determined to shake the enemy’s composure.

“You lost one of the Five Peerless Blades as an ally. And now, you’ve got someone else turning against you.”

[Wildlands Obliteration.]

He understood immediately.

But the Dark Heaven Emperor did not reply further.

Cheongsu Jin-in, however, knew why.

Wildlands Obliteration—Jeong Yeon-shin—was someone whose upper dantian had to be immensely developed.

For one of his age to possess such raw martial might, he had to have an exceptionally refined spiritual intuition.

Yet, within the Realm of Nihilistic Annihilation, spiritual essence was rendered utterly useless.

This land devoured all traces of ethereal energy.

Flesh, physical senses, and accumulated battle experience were all that mattered.

Without inner cultivation, only one’s sheer resilience and honed instincts remained.

‘Even if fate somehow brings him here...’

Cheongsu Jin-in dismissed Jeong Yeon-shin from his thoughts.

The man who had driven the Greatest Heretical Sword from the battlefield.

There was nothing more they could ask of him.

At this moment, he had no place among supreme grandmasters.

The Open Palm Dog Joo Gwang-shin and the Peerless Violet Spear moved like streaks of light.

In the blink of an eye, they crossed an entire river and surged across a barren plain. Finally, the pursuit technique of Joo Gwang-shin took effect, leading them directly to their destination.

Yet, the old beggar’s expression was filled with uncharacteristic surprise. He seemed unable to comprehend how such a thing was even possible.

“Your energy... was it truly divine power?”

“The elders who practice orthodox martial arts seem to favor that interpretation. However, few have ever felt their condition improve just by being exposed to my energy. You must have accumulated a great deal of merit, senior.”

Jeong Yeon-shin, speaking like a Shaolin monk, drove his Thunderous Spike into the ground. The piercing technique that had once overwhelmed the Sword Queen at the Mount Hua tournament burrowed through the earth and struck deep.

A deafening explosion roared for an unbearably long time, shaking the ground violently as if an earthquake had erupted. Only after a prolonged tremor did the earth finally settle.

And then, a pair of figures descended into the underground chamber.

Joo Gwang-shin appeared somewhat shaken.

At that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin wavered.

A vast stone chamber.

They were surrounded by eight stone doors, arranged in what appeared to be the shape of a Bagua formation. A murky, dense atmosphere flowed like mist.

“This is the Dark Heaven Emperor’s domain. Stay on guard.”

Joo Gwang-shin whispered quickly.

Who knew what lurked within? This was an entirely unknown space.

A Nihilistic Oblivion Realm that disrupted the Triunity of Essence, Energy, and Spirit. The methods the Taemosan Fortress would have prepared were obvious.

A supreme master who had fully merged essence, energy, and spirit could not be artificially created, but it was possible to extend one’s cultivation over centuries, enhancing energy reserves through elixirs and refining martial skills into something akin to a wandering swordsman’s ferocity.

The Taemosan Fortress was a grand sect founded during the age of kingdoms. If they did not expect their disciples to ascend beyond mortal limits, then there was no restriction on what could be done.

Several figures flickered into view ahead of them.

Each one radiated immense, oppressive force. Their bodies had seemingly accumulated energy to the absolute limits of human potential, making the very air around them feel heavy.

Joo Gwang-shin asked Jeong Yeon-shin, his wrinkled brow furrowing.

“The Demon-Blooded Swordfiend, the Forgotten Heaven Palm, the Molten Primordial Blade...? How are the former great masters of the heretical path here?”

“Your perception has surpassed that of mortals.”

“When did you last walk the martial world, that you still recognize us?”

A middle-aged man’s voice.

Then, emerging from the black mist, five or six figures stepped forward. Their skin was ashen, their ears unnaturally long. Their words and mannerisms unmistakably belonged to the ancient masters.

And every single one of them was from an exalted bloodline whose energy reserves had reached absolute extremes.

“A filthy beggar as a leader of the Beggar’s Sect?”

“And the one beside him?”

“His physique is extraordinary. Best to deal with him first.”

Their slow, measured voices carried the weight of centuries.

Joo Gwang-shin took a step back. He had grasped the full picture.

Beyond the stone walls lay the Dark Heaven Emperor himself.

And these figures were the ancient sentinels the Taemosan Fortress had buried in time.

In this Nihilistic Oblivion Realm, their strength would be unparalleled.

‘We should have landed a bit further ahead.’

Luck was not on their side.

Joo Gwang-shin called out to Jeong Yeon-shin, who stood frozen.

The faded warriors of a bygone era did not allow him to finish.

With the tearing shriek of rending air, three figures instantly closed the gap between them.

One was already inches from Jeong Yeon-shin—an imposing youth draped in tattered violet robes.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s right arm shot out like a whip.

A sword blade clashed against the back of his hand.

In the same breath, Jeong Yeon-shin had already stepped into the enemy’s space, striking upward with his left palm to snap the man’s jaw.

And with the enemy’s chest now wide open, his elbow came crashing down like an executioner’s axe.

A resounding crack echoed.

A simultaneous shattering of ribs and vertebrae.

The sheer impact rang like thunder.

The opponent was a master of extreme internal energy cultivation. His meridians and very bones had been saturated with energy—hence, the sound of destruction was even greater.

“Is that the Unbroken Fist?”

“No, it’s different!”

As one fell, Jeong Yeon-shin was already pivoting backward.

His left arm stretched behind him as he twisted—

And then, the hilt of another sword, along with the wrist of the swordsman holding it, became entangled with his elbow.

Like a snake wrapping around a branch, the limb wrenched with a sickening snap.

At the same moment, Jeong Yeon-shin’s knee shot up, striking mercilessly into the man’s abdomen.

It was as if a fireball had exploded.

The opponent’s defensive aura shattered instantly, its fragments flickering white as they disintegrated.

For a fleeting moment, scattered stones on the cavern floor were illuminated by the light—before vanishing entirely.

The ancient masters with faded energy halted in place.

The conditions had been equal.

Those hailed as supreme grandmasters had undoubtedly been dragged into a realm where the rules favored no one.

The gusts of energy swirling around them scraped against the cavern walls.

For an instant, the sound of wind, eerie as a ghost’s wail, caressed the air.

From one side, the old beggar stood in sheer disbelief, staring at Jeong Yeon-shin with the same stunned expression as the ancient warriors.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.

The long sleeves of his tattered violet robe swayed slightly with the motion.

“This... feels strange.”

There was an unmistakable exhilaration in his voice.