webnovel Chapter 271 : Rescue
Chapter 271 : Rescue
Chapter 271: Rescue
Jang Woo-hyun tried everything he could, but nothing worked.
Even when he unleashed hundreds of Annihilation Slashes at once, enough to fill the world with light, he still could not pierce the Imugi’s body that blocked his path like a wall.
When he used the Dragon King’s Scales Mandala and unleashed hundreds of thousands of techniques, the dragons surrounding him breathed out multicolored breaths.
The Transcendental Sword did not reach them, and even using Five Elements Qi changed nothing.
There had once been a time when he let go of his sword after witnessing the power of a True Immortal.
Back then, he had thought that was the worst moment.
Yet the current situation was even worse.
At that time, even while crushed beneath a power that could collapse the heavens, he had still advanced forward.
But now, he could only retreat.
‘This can’t be blocked.’
‘I have to give up.’
‘There’s nothing I can do.’
Negative thoughts continued to rise within him, but he forcibly shook his head and endured.
If he stopped for even a single moment, it felt as though he would collapse completely.
He spread out his Will-Form and tried to alter the laws of this world, but it was not easy.
This was a world created by Yong Cheon-myeong.
A place where countless dragons and serpents were intertwined.
The heavens, the earth, and everything visible were the bodies of gigantic scaled creatures.
Thousands of Imugi and tens of thousands of dragons surrounded him on all sides.
Ten Thousand Dragons, Thousand Serpent Cavern.
The Microcosm created by Yong Cheon-myeong was a dragon’s nest.
The entire world was filled with gigantic Imugi and dragons.
The dragons possessed terrifying power.
If several of them charged at once, even Jang Woo-hyun found them difficult to handle.
Following Yong Cheon-myeong’s will, the dragons filling every direction launched attacks endlessly, and all Jang Woo-hyun could do was endure.
An overwhelming difference in strength.
No, calling it a difference in strength did not even feel accurate.
Their very existence was on different levels.
The only reason Jang Woo-hyun had not died yet was because he had mastered Shrinking Earth and because of Yong Cheon-myeong’s curiosity.
“You possess Heavenly Escape?”
The Heavenly Escape Sword Art, the secret manual of the Heavenly Sword Clan that Yong Seo-hee had stolen away.
Yong Cheon-myeong recognized that Jang Woo-hyun possessed the Heavenly Escape Sword Art and attempted to capture him alive in order to reclaim the manual.
Avoiding the dragons rushing in to bind him, Jang Woo-hyun used Shrinking Earth once more.
He instantly moved dozens of li away, yet he still could not escape the world Yong Cheon-myeong had created.
This world was not a physical space.
Simply moving farther away could not allow him to escape.
He struggled desperately to find some kind of breakthrough, but his limits were gradually approaching.
Even while repeatedly fleeing with Shrinking Earth and pouring out every martial art he possessed, Yong Cheon-myeong’s power slowly tightened around him.
As Jang Woo-hyun gradually exhausted himself, his movements halted for the briefest instant.
Yong Cheon-myeong’s attack did not miss that moment.
Crunch!
A small dragon the size of a human bit off Jang Woo-hyun’s left arm.
Since he had already transcended humanity, losing one arm should not have caused significant damage.
Yet he staggered instantly.
Along with intense pain, a massive amount of energy inside his body was ripped away.
The moment he showed an opening, Yong Cheon-myeong’s attacks continued.
Before he realized it, a green serpent as thick as a forearm appeared beside him and bit into his side.
“Urgh.”
A groan escaped him involuntarily.
His vision shook, and his entire body trembled.
‘Poison….’
Because Jang Woo-hyun’s body had been reconstructed with the Energy of the Five Elements, ordinary poison no longer affected him.
But the poison of the serpents created within Yong Cheon-myeong’s world was different.
It damaged the very origin and soul itself.
It became difficult even to support his own body, and he staggered unknowingly.
He nearly dropped the Dragon King’s Scales from his hand.
Just as even standing became difficult—
Boom!
A refreshing energy erupted from one side of Jang Woo-hyun’s body and pushed the poison away.
It was neither his Internal Energy nor his Five Elements Qi.
It was a new power that resembled his own energy while also being different from anything before.
A new companion helping him in his moment of crisis.
‘Baekmu!’
The new weapon forged from Divine True Steel.
The new sword connected to Jang Woo-hyun’s origin from within still seemed incomplete, for it did not answer his call.
But it did not ignore his danger.
Baekmu had helped him.
Recovering his senses with Baekmu’s aid, Jang Woo-hyun tore apart the massive serpent trying to bind him.
He regained his composure and moved quickly once more.
He avoided and counterattacked the dragons and serpents charging from all directions.
Though the poison had been expelled, little had changed.
The areas torn away during battle did not regenerate, and his wounds only continued to increase.
The situation worsened steadily.
Even so, Jang Woo-hyun did not stop.
He severed the necks of charging dragons and exploded the heads of gigantic Imugi.
He cut down dozens of dragons and Imugi, but there was no end to them.
The distance between him and Yong Cheon-myeong gradually narrowed.
When he used Shrinking Earth to avoid a dragon’s breath that incinerated the space before him—
Pain erupted from his left shoulder.
Then wind burst out from that shoulder.
‘Monkey?’
Will flowed from the brand of the Wind-Passing Great Sage.
‘Create an opening?’
The Wind-Passing Great Sage was saying he could come here.
‘Come here? Why would he?’
No matter who came, they could not oppose Yong Cheon-myeong.
Even Jang Woo-hyun himself was only barely surviving due to Yong Cheon-myeong’s whims.
What could anyone possibly accomplish by coming here?
At first, he thought the insane monkey monster was simply charging in for fun.
But he quickly changed his mind.
‘That monkey isn’t stupid enough for that.’
If he were truly that foolish, he would not have fought alongside Sa Do-woong when first summoned in the Central Heavens.
It seemed he had contacted him because he possessed some sort of method.
Jang Woo-hyun split apart the dragon head lunging to swallow him whole, then used Shrinking Earth to retreat far backward.
Accelerating his thoughts, he considered what he could do.
He had already half given up, but hearing that his companions were coming revitalized him.
‘Martial arts won’t work.’
Martial arts alone could not create an opening.
The same applied to Five Elements Qi.
He needed another breakthrough.
Only by mobilizing absolutely everything he possessed could he create even the smallest gap.
The difference between him and the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord was that great.
‘What do I still have left?’
He had lost the Black Wilds Sword, and Baekmu, which was bound to him, still could not be used.
Right now, Baekmu was already doing everything it could simply by expelling the poison.
Without Baekmu’s assistance, he would have already been captured.
As he wondered whether there was anything useful inside the Inner Robe, one object suddenly came to mind.
There was still one item he had never once used.
‘Not sure if this will work.’
He immediately pulled out that object from the Inner Robe and prepared an attack.
Separating the Dragon King’s Scales, he formed a brilliant pattern from hundreds of blade scales.
At once, hundreds of thousands of techniques poured out from the dazzling pattern.
Simultaneously, Jang Woo-hyun kicked through the air and charged forward without using Shrinking Earth.
Kuuuuung!
As the dragons floating in every direction exhaled their breaths, the hundreds of thousands of techniques vanished instantly.
Yet Jang Woo-hyun did not stop advancing.
Boom!
His body burst apart and shattered.
Still moving forward without stopping, he manipulated the blade scales.
Then, at the same time, he threw the object he held in his hand.
In response to the incoming attack, the gigantic tail of a dragon moved before Yong Cheon-myeong and blocked his path.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The rainstorm of Qi Projection powerful enough to erase mountain ranges was blocked hopelessly.
The enormous tail standing before Yong Cheon-myeong resembled an eternal wall that could never be pierced.
The dragon tail blocking the hundreds of blade scales suddenly twitched.
It attempted to smash Jang Woo-hyun directly—
Boom!
But suddenly exploded apart.
The object thrown alongside the blade scales pierced through the dragon’s tail.
The silver nail continued flying toward Yong Cheon-myeong without losing speed.
The silver nail, roughly two hand spans long, had been created from the object once attached to the Dragon King’s Scales after a True Immortal’s attack.
Cho-yul had handed it to him, saying it would help him at least once.
And today, he finally used it.
Crunch!
The power left behind by the True Immortal not only pierced through the gigantic dragon’s tail but also penetrated the translucent scales spread before Yong Cheon-myeong.
Caught completely off guard by the unexpected attack, Yong Cheon-myeong raised his hand to block the silver nail.
Thud!
Ignoring even the power wrapped around his hand, the silver nail embedded itself into his palm.
It failed to inflict a fatal wound, but for a single instant, Yong Cheon-myeong’s movements stopped.
Frowning deeply, Yong Cheon-myeong stared at the silver nail lodged in his hand.
Whatever he sensed from it, he completely stopped paying attention to Jang Woo-hyun and maintained a serious expression for quite some time.
The instant Yong Cheon-myeong was attacked—
A violent gale burst from Jang Woo-hyun’s left shoulder and carved open a path of wind to one side.
Boom!
At the end of the wind path, the body of a gigantic Imugi exploded apart.
Through that opening appeared the Wind-Passing Great Sage, Seon Tae-gyeong, and Yong Seo-hee.
“Jang Woo-hyun!”
Holding Yong Seo-hee and Seon Tae-gyeong in each hand, the Wind-Passing Great Sage crossed the distance in a single bound and stopped before Jang Woo-hyun.
“We have to run, so what are you do—”
“Spellcaster!”
The Wind-Passing Great Sage interrupted Jang Woo-hyun and called for Seon Tae-gyeong.
As if already prepared, Seon Tae-gyeong burst open a pouch above the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s head.
“Blood? What are you doing right now?”
A massive amount of blood poured out, soaking the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s entire body.
Then Seon Tae-gyeong placed a hand upon his back and began chanting a spell.
“O being who inherited the blood of the great dragon. Ruler of the seas. Today, we offer dragon blood in this place. Heed my summons and answer…….”
As Seon Tae-gyeong’s chant continued, the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s body began to shine.
The Wind-Passing Great Sage stretched his left arm out to the side.
Boom!
With a violent sound, the arm exploded apart, and the blood flowing over his body gathered into one place.
Space rippled, and a small hole formed.
Swaaaaa—
Soon the sound of crashing waves echoed out, and an enormous quantity of water burst forth from the tiny opening.
It looked as though an entire lake had been compressed and then released.
As the amount of pouring water gradually decreased, a faint human silhouette stood where the opening had been.
After confirming it, the Wind-Passing Great Sage grabbed Jang Woo-hyun and tucked him beneath his arm.
“What are you suddenly doing?”
“We’re escaping immediately. You two grab on as well.”
Ignoring Jang Woo-hyun’s bewilderment, the Wind-Passing Great Sage spoke to the other two.
Yong Seo-hee, whose face had turned pale, and the exhausted-looking Seon Tae-gyeong grabbed onto him, and he instantly kicked through the air.
At the same time, the faint silhouette became clear.
The one who revealed herself was a tall woman.
Teal eyes and striking silver hair.
Even within the Microcosm of the Dragon Emperor Heavenly Lord, she emitted a gentle yet overwhelming presence.
The woman was every bit as beautiful as Yong Cheon-myeong.
Her appearance was so extraordinary that it created the illusion she was shining by herself.
“I told you to stay quiet, and instead you summoned me?”
Her voice was just as beautiful as her appearance.
Yet it was filled with irritation.
“Fifth, you ignored my wor—”
The silver-haired woman stopped speaking after noticing the Wind-Passing Great Sage fleeing into the distance.
Her brows rose at the sight, something she had never seen before.
“Huh? He’s… running away?”
Something the usual Wind-Passing Great Sage would absolutely never show.
And tucked beneath his arm was a battered human whose body was barely intact.
That appearance was almost—
‘That troublemaker is rescuing someone and fleeing?’
The silver-haired woman could not believe the scene before her eyes.
After running for quite some time, the Wind-Passing Great Sage reached a wall formed from the bodies of dragons and Imugi.
Looking toward her, he shouted.
“Big Sister! Open this thing for me! I’ll get scolded later!”
“…….”
“And handle that bastard for me too!”
At the shameless appearance of the Wind-Passing Great Sage, the woman chuckled faintly before speaking.
“Move aside.”
As if it were a lie, a small opening appeared in the wall that had looked as though dozens of dragons were tangled together.
The Wind-Passing Great Sage escaped through it.
After sending him away, the silver-haired woman turned around.
Her beautiful teal eyes faced Yong Cheon-myeong.
What filled those eyes was contempt.
As though she were looking at a lower lifeform.
From the moment the silver-haired woman appeared, Yong Cheon-myeong also took his gaze away from his palm.
“What business does a half-blood dragon have here?”
“Things happened, so I came. But even if I’m only half, I’m still a dragon. You’re just someone with a few drops of dragon blood mixed in.”
Yong Cheon-myeong’s expression twisted at the silver-haired woman’s provocation.
No matter who else said it, he especially did not want to hear those words from her.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but there’s nothing you can accomplish. Do you truly think a mere Projection can stand against me?”
“You’re stating the obvious.”
The silver-haired woman laughed at Yong Cheon-myeong’s words.
Grrrrr.
Growls echoed from all directions as dragons and Imugi revealed their killing intent.
But the silver-haired woman merely scoffed.
“Even if this is only a Projection, if this place contains dragons, how could I possibly be at a disadvantage?”
Her smile deepened.
And then, at some point—
Where the woman had stood, there was now a gigantic dragon with silver scales and white horns.
There had been no omen, no transformation process.
The dragon simply appeared instantly.
【My little brother has grown up, so I’m in a good mood today. I’ll go easy on you.】
That fool who only ever caused trouble had shown a completely different side today.
For some reason, he had rescued someone and fled.
It was the first time in his life she had ever seen such a thing.
She was so pleased by that growth that she decided to grant his dangerous request.
Was it not a big sister’s duty to watch over her younger sibling’s growth?
The surrounding dragons bared their fangs.
But—
【Creatures with horns and scales dare attempt to meet my gaze?】
At her words, all of them shut their mouths and lowered their heads.
The silver-haired woman was a being who inherited the blood of the great dragons.
All dragons bowed before her.
And she was one of the Great Monsters of the Demonic Spirit Realm.
The existence feared most by the battle-crazed monster known as the Wind-Passing Great Sage.
Ocean-Covering Great Saint, Gyoma King.
That was the true identity of the silver-haired woman.