Chapter 214: Boundary (4)

Swoosh—

I came to my senses at the sound of the waves. I slowly opened my eyes.

“Where is this…”

It was a world of black. Black clouds, like ink, covered the sky, and a black sea enveloped the entire world.

Above the sea, I floated absentmindedly.

-I still can’t get used to this place no matter how much I look.

-This world is indeed strange. No single person should be able to contain such a world…

“But Daji was still holding a country, wasn’t she?”

I said, puzzled.

-That’s a different story, Seo-ha. The world Daji held was possible because she was probably a king or someone of equivalent status. She could do it because she swallowed the people of a whole nation.

“…All of it?”

-To put it simply, the images Daji and Melanie displayed at the end are beyond what they should have been able to contain.

Black Heaven mused while spinning around.

-Their images were not held alone. They shared the burden that should have been borne alone. They forced it upon the people of a nation.

“So that’s how it is.”

-Yes. That’s why transcendents strive to contain their own forces. But such beings are extremely rare among those who manifest images. Or rather, there are hardly any in this case…

Black Heaven said, closing her eyes.

-Anyway, to put it bluntly, this world is truly strange. At first, I thought the owner simply had a vast capacity because the scope of their images was wide…

-Is that so strange?

-Eternal Heaven, do you know how far your senses extend here?

-Hmm…

Eternal Heaven closed her eyes, her tails flicking softly. A faint light emitted from her seven tails as if she was searching for something.

-Oh…?

A voice that seemed out of place.

However, the out-of-place voice continued.

-Wait, wait a minute?!

Eternal Heaven’s images reached out, far beyond the horizon. If measured, it would easily surpass 100 kilometers.

“It’s possible here too.”

Because this was my world of images, I could fully feel what they were doing.

The problem was that they felt ‘too small’ to perceive easily.

-No, is it extending even beyond 1,000 kilometers?!

That’s why it’s strange. Initially, I thought it was just a corner of the world that the images reached, but now that some power has been restored, I realize this is no mere image.

Black Heaven looked at me with complex eyes.

-The owner has embraced a world itself.

“…But isn’t that a good thing?”

I asked, puzzled by the serious discussion.

-Hmm, it’s good in a way. Having a wide range of images means, when manifested in reality, it uses a lot of power, but usually, in a confrontation between images, the owner overwhelmingly has the upper hand.

-Not only that. By training the images, you can also grow your Nyeom.

Eternal Heaven’s tails swayed.

-But this is abnormally large. Even the previous Heavenly Demon wasn’t like this.

“Hmm…”

I shook my body and stood up. I was sitting on the water but not wet. I was just floating by thought alone.

-But owner, you should probably gather your power quickly.

-Oh, right. I was so surprised by Black Heaven’s strange story that I forgot! Right now, Seo-ha’s power is fluctuating outside, so you need to gather it quickly.

-What?! Didn’t you agree? And after all, there’s a big difference in time between the world of images and the real world. Theoretically, a day here could be more than a year in reality!

-That’s just theoretically! Seo-ha isn’t specialized in that, so you need to gather it now.

“Is that so…”

Following their conversation, I sat back on the water.

But there was one problem. What should I do now?

-Focus. It’s good to explore and slowly unravel the new power you’ve acquired, but that’s not possible right now.

I closed my eyes.

Focus inward. Meditation had been my practice since my previous life, so there was no issue.

I recognized the world.

And the world recognized me.

-What…

-Such a monstrous… focus…

Even the voices of Black Heaven and Eternal Heaven were no longer audible.

Inside, three stars rose. They were not a cluster of burning black stars.

Conceptual Stat.

Shape and Defying Heaven. And Boundary.

All of them rose as black stars above my inner world.

With a thunderous noise, the end of heaven began to unfold. The clouds that had wrapped the world in black began to spread widely. In that sky, three stars took their place.

However, the Conceptual Stat Alchemy remained still, emitting a golden light.

Thump.

I tampered with it in my inner world. And I intuitively realized.

“This is.”

The Conceptual Stat Alchemy remained still. It was not a proud refusal to belong to the black; it was simply a different color.

[「Divine Sight(S)」observes the images.]

[「Divine Sight(S)」begins to differentiate the world into two colors.]

The world began to split into two.

It was white (白) and black (黑).

[「Divine Sight(S)」evolves into 「Seven Colored Eyes(?)」!]

“…This is.”

The world began to appear in more fundamental colors. A deeply settling black and a subtly present white.

Over these, five colors overlaid.

I saw the world through colors. I looked at the stars.

The Conceptual Stat, Alchemy, was emitting a golden light. However, its fundamental color was.

“White.”

That’s why I couldn’t turn it into a star.

But that was the only limitation.

“This will be for later.”

Right now, I needed to finish the urgent tasks.

I floated the black flame stars in the sky. Black stars whirled around like satellites.

Scattering minutely, then compressing and merging again.

A massive flow formed within my body as I created the stars.

Just like that, for a moment.

I looked at the sky I had created.

“It’s nearly complete.”

How much time had passed? I couldn’t tell in the world of images. There should be many around me since I created such a massive flow…

No, that wasn’t important right now.

-Wow, wow! Seo-ha, just how powerful have you become?

“Quite a lot.”

In truth, I had merely organized my power neatly. The overflowing power alone had enhanced my efficiency.

“It’s not entirely a good phenomenon.”

-What?

Eternal Heaven asked with a blank expression.

It really wasn’t a good phenomenon.

Black Heaven nodded in agreement.

-Right. The owner’s body is more vulnerable than you think.

-What… Oh, you don’t mean…

-The owner’s physical body has been tempered with Black God Martial Arts. Black God Martial Arts is the supreme external skill for warriors. For a martial artist, external skills are like laying the sturdiest pillar on the ground. Inner skills and other abilities are like building the house on top of that pillar. But right now, the house built by the owner is too large, endangering the pillar.

My current power was so immense that my body might not withstand it.

“I’ve become stronger than I thought.”

I awakened from the world of images.

I could feel planets floating in the universe of my body. And also, if I released all this power now, my body wouldn’t be able to endure it.

“Of course, there aren’t many foes to match it now.”

If I were to release the power of Shape, Defying Heaven, and Boundary, even the strongest among the great evils known as Vicious Abomination could be killed. Or maybe not. The Vicious Abomination is particularly unique among the great evils…

“I need to find Kim Seo-hyun as soon as possible.”

It had become imperative.

At the starting point of the Baekdu Trail.

Mount Baekdu was also the origin of the spiritual veins.

Therefore, this place was exclusive to a select few. Only those who could wield power among the top 100 worldwide were allowed here.

Two people were present.

“How is it?”

The person known as the Thousand Sorcerer spoke with a tender tone. Kim Seo-hyun quietly opened her eyes.

“Perhaps because it’s the origin of the spiritual veins, the influx of magic power is different. Not just because of the internal pill of the Black Mountain Lord…”

“That would make sense.”

The Thousand Sorcerer looked at Kim Seo-hyun with a bitter smile.

Even though he wouldn’t mind bequeathing everything to his granddaughter, she had changed after the Tower of Demons incident.

“I want to become stronger.”

“Seo-hyun, you…”

“I don’t want to be powerless anymore.”

It was the first time she had desired power.

Whatever she had seen in that battle, she resolved to protect the people she loved.

“So, how was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Lee Seo-ha.”

Just three syllables.

Kim Seo-hyun thought quietly. What was Lee Seo-ha like?

“Did he block most of Daji’s attacks alone, dealing a fatal blow directly to Daji?”

Even thinking about it was astonishing.

But it was also true.

Kim Seo-hyun was about to say that Lee Seo-ha had practically killed Daji alone when she sensed a flow.

“…This is.”

It was an enormous flow that enveloped the entire mountain. A flow based on black power, so absolute that even a transcendent couldn’t ignore it.

And from there, a black power that seemed to negate everything.

“Seo-ha’s power.”

It was the flow created by Lee Seo-ha.

“Ha, Grandfather, let’s run over there!”

“…Granddaughter, and to think they said there’s no use in raising you.”

With a click of his tongue, the Thousand Sorcerer quickly moved toward the flow.

,

Swoosh—

I came to my senses at the sound of the waves. I slowly opened my eyes.

“Where is this…”

It was a world of black. Black clouds, like ink, covered the sky, and a black sea enveloped the entire world.

Above the sea, I floated absentmindedly.

-I still can’t get used to this place no matter how much I look.

-This world is indeed strange. No single person should be able to contain such a world…

“But Daji was still holding a country, wasn’t she?”

I said, puzzled.

-That’s a different story, Seo-ha. The world Daji held was possible because she was probably a king or someone of equivalent status. She could do it because she swallowed the people of a whole nation.

“…All of it?”

-To put it simply, the images Daji and Melanie displayed at the end are beyond what they should have been able to contain.

Black Heaven mused while spinning around.

-Their images were not held alone. They shared the burden that should have been borne alone. They forced it upon the people of a nation.

“So that’s how it is.”

-Yes. That’s why transcendents strive to contain their own forces. But such beings are extremely rare among those who manifest images. Or rather, there are hardly any in this case…

Black Heaven said, closing her eyes.

-Anyway, to put it bluntly, this world is truly strange. At first, I thought the owner simply had a vast capacity because the scope of their images was wide…

-Is that so strange?

-Eternal Heaven, do you know how far your senses extend here?

-Hmm…

Eternal Heaven closed her eyes, her tails flicking softly. A faint light emitted from her seven tails as if she was searching for something.

-Oh…?

A voice that seemed out of place.

However, the out-of-place voice continued.

-Wait, wait a minute?!

Eternal Heaven’s images reached out, far beyond the horizon. If measured, it would easily surpass 100 kilometers.

“It’s possible here too.”

Because this was my world of images, I could fully feel what they were doing.

The problem was that they felt ‘too small’ to perceive easily.

-No, is it extending even beyond 1,000 kilometers?!

That’s why it’s strange. Initially, I thought it was just a corner of the world that the images reached, but now that some power has been restored, I realize this is no mere image.

Black Heaven looked at me with complex eyes.

-The owner has embraced a world itself.

“…But isn’t that a good thing?”

I asked, puzzled by the serious discussion.

-Hmm, it’s good in a way. Having a wide range of images means, when manifested in reality, it uses a lot of power, but usually, in a confrontation between images, the owner overwhelmingly has the upper hand.

-Not only that. By training the images, you can also grow your Nyeom.

Eternal Heaven’s tails swayed.

-But this is abnormally large. Even the previous Heavenly Demon wasn’t like this.

“Hmm…”

I shook my body and stood up. I was sitting on the water but not wet. I was just floating by thought alone.

-But owner, you should probably gather your power quickly.

-Oh, right. I was so surprised by Black Heaven’s strange story that I forgot! Right now, Seo-ha’s power is fluctuating outside, so you need to gather it quickly.

-What?! Didn’t you agree? And after all, there’s a big difference in time between the world of images and the real world. Theoretically, a day here could be more than a year in reality!

-That’s just theoretically! Seo-ha isn’t specialized in that, so you need to gather it now.

“Is that so…”

Following their conversation, I sat back on the water.

But there was one problem. What should I do now?

-Focus. It’s good to explore and slowly unravel the new power you’ve acquired, but that’s not possible right now.

I closed my eyes.

Focus inward. Meditation had been my practice since my previous life, so there was no issue.

I recognized the world.

And the world recognized me.

-What…

-Such a monstrous… focus…

Even the voices of Black Heaven and Eternal Heaven were no longer audible.

Inside, three stars rose. They were not a cluster of burning black stars.

Conceptual Stat.

Shape and Defying Heaven. And Boundary.

All of them rose as black stars above my inner world.

With a thunderous noise, the end of heaven began to unfold. The clouds that had wrapped the world in black began to spread widely. In that sky, three stars took their place.

However, the Conceptual Stat Alchemy remained still, emitting a golden light.

Thump.

I tampered with it in my inner world. And I intuitively realized.

“This is.”

The Conceptual Stat Alchemy remained still. It was not a proud refusal to belong to the black; it was simply a different color.

[「Divine Sight(S)」observes the images.]

[「Divine Sight(S)」begins to differentiate the world into two colors.]

The world began to split into two.

It was white (白) and black (黑).

[「Divine Sight(S)」evolves into 「Seven Colored Eyes(?)」!]

“…This is.”

The world began to appear in more fundamental colors. A deeply settling black and a subtly present white.

Over these, five colors overlaid.

I saw the world through colors. I looked at the stars.

The Conceptual Stat, Alchemy, was emitting a golden light. However, its fundamental color was.

“White.”

That’s why I couldn’t turn it into a star.

But that was the only limitation.

“This will be for later.”

Right now, I needed to finish the urgent tasks.

I floated the black flame stars in the sky. Black stars whirled around like satellites.

Scattering minutely, then compressing and merging again.

A massive flow formed within my body as I created the stars.

Just like that, for a moment.

I looked at the sky I had created.

“It’s nearly complete.”

How much time had passed? I couldn’t tell in the world of images. There should be many around me since I created such a massive flow…

No, that wasn’t important right now.

-Wow, wow! Seo-ha, just how powerful have you become?

“Quite a lot.”

In truth, I had merely organized my power neatly. The overflowing power alone had enhanced my efficiency.

“It’s not entirely a good phenomenon.”

-What?

Eternal Heaven asked with a blank expression.

It really wasn’t a good phenomenon.

Black Heaven nodded in agreement.

-Right. The owner’s body is more vulnerable than you think.

-What… Oh, you don’t mean…

-The owner’s physical body has been tempered with Black God Martial Arts. Black God Martial Arts is the supreme external skill for warriors. For a martial artist, external skills are like laying the sturdiest pillar on the ground. Inner skills and other abilities are like building the house on top of that pillar. But right now, the house built by the owner is too large, endangering the pillar.

My current power was so immense that my body might not withstand it.

“I’ve become stronger than I thought.”

I awakened from the world of images.

I could feel planets floating in the universe of my body. And also, if I released all this power now, my body wouldn’t be able to endure it.

“Of course, there aren’t many foes to match it now.”

If I were to release the power of Shape, Defying Heaven, and Boundary, even the strongest among the great evils known as Vicious Abomination could be killed. Or maybe not. The Vicious Abomination is particularly unique among the great evils…

“I need to find Kim Seo-hyun as soon as possible.”

It had become imperative.

At the starting point of the Baekdu Trail.

Mount Baekdu was also the origin of the spiritual veins.

Therefore, this place was exclusive to a select few. Only those who could wield power among the top 100 worldwide were allowed here.

Two people were present.

“How is it?”

The person known as the Thousand Sorcerer spoke with a tender tone. Kim Seo-hyun quietly opened her eyes.

“Perhaps because it’s the origin of the spiritual veins, the influx of magic power is different. Not just because of the internal pill of the Black Mountain Lord…”

“That would make sense.”

The Thousand Sorcerer looked at Kim Seo-hyun with a bitter smile.

Even though he wouldn’t mind bequeathing everything to his granddaughter, she had changed after the Tower of Demons incident.

“I want to become stronger.”

“Seo-hyun, you…”

“I don’t want to be powerless anymore.”

It was the first time she had desired power.

Whatever she had seen in that battle, she resolved to protect the people she loved.

“So, how was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Lee Seo-ha.”

Just three syllables.

Kim Seo-hyun thought quietly. What was Lee Seo-ha like?

“Did he block most of Daji’s attacks alone, dealing a fatal blow directly to Daji?”

Even thinking about it was astonishing.

But it was also true.

Kim Seo-hyun was about to say that Lee Seo-ha had practically killed Daji alone when she sensed a flow.

“…This is.”

It was an enormous flow that enveloped the entire mountain. A flow based on black power, so absolute that even a transcendent couldn’t ignore it.

And from there, a black power that seemed to negate everything.

“Seo-ha’s power.”

It was the flow created by Lee Seo-ha.

“Ha, Grandfather, let’s run over there!”

“…Granddaughter, and to think they said there’s no use in raising you.”

With a click of his tongue, the Thousand Sorcerer quickly moved toward the flow.