NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 664
Chapter 664: The Abyss of Dark Heaven
“Dark Heaven Village? Cheon Gong-pyo?!”
Before I could even process what was happening, Cheon Gong-pyo’s spirit swung the Sabre Sword once. Simultaneously, four beams of light burst forth from the Sabre Sword, creating a square shape that stretched infinitely into the sky. As the square grew larger, it was as if thousands of squares reflected off an endless mirror, filling the entire hall with an orange glow, the light piercing through the heavens into the distance.
Whoooosh—
Cheon Gong-pyo smirked as if sensing something, then shouted,
“[Pierce through, Ruyi Staff!]”
Rumble—
Suddenly, the entire world seemed to shake. At that moment, a bolt of divine light emanated from Cheon Gong-pyo’s fingertips, soaring to the very edge of the sky, and with a flick of her finger, the light split the sky in half.
Zing!
A deafening ringing filled my ears.
I winced as the resonance intensified, my internal power instinctively shielding my body. A resonance of this level could easily kill a person. Even a Peak Expert like me could sustain internal injuries when circulating energy. In protest, I said to Cheon Gong-pyo, “Wait, what are you doing…?”
“[Shut up and grab the Ruyi Staff. A hole has been made, so we can escape right now.]”
“What?”
In disbelief, I retorted, “You just made a hole eight thousand miles away? How absurd…”
Cheon Gong-pyo’s expression turned icy. It felt as if I were staring at a bug, and I could sense the overwhelming pride and arrogance radiating from her. It was the kind of demeanor I’d only expected from someone who had reigned supreme over countless beings.
“[… Prepare quickly before the walls of the monster regenerate.]”
“Ah, understood.”
Cheon Gong-pyo was different from anyone I had met until now. Zhuge Sha or Cheon Woo-jin often toyed with me, but they rarely mixed their actions with genuine killing intent. Instead, Cheon Gong-pyo carried a chilling pressure and a sense of dread that sent shivers down my spine. I could definitely sense a different aura, and my heart raced.
‘What is this… this being?’
I instinctively knew. This person was as dangerous as Zhuge Sha, who I had seen in the beginning! I might have to pay more attention to Cheon Gong-pyo than to Zhuge Bu. Hesitating, I held the Ruyi Staff as Cheon Gong-pyo seemed to infuse it with some power and said to me,
“[If you are the master of the Ruyi Staff, you can automatically release it, but you are just borrowing it. Then chant the incantation to borrow the power of the Ruyi Staff.]”
“So, can we extend the Ruyi Staff to eight thousand miles?”
“[If I help you.]”
“Got it!”
I chanted the incantation I heard from Cheon Gong-pyo. Although it was in Sanskrit, I had learned the basics of it from Zhuge Sha, making it easy for me to pronounce. Shortly after the incantation, the Ruyi Staff began to radiate light, and I quickly stuffed Zhuge Bu into the wooden armor.
Ka-boom!
It was an instant shift. The Ruyi Staff exploded in size, expanding at a tremendous speed, making everything on the ground look like mere dots. As I soared away with the Ruyi Staff, I felt a monster in the mountains looking in my direction, gradually shrinking away.
Swoosh—
“Ugh…”
Clenching the Ruyi Staff and continuing to ascend, I sensed an overwhelming cold enveloping me. The speed of the Ruyi Staff’s rise was far beyond that of any expert’s technique, faster than the speed of sound itself. Everything around me flickered like lines of light, and occasionally, blood-red clouds appeared. As my internal energy protected me and I clenched the top of the Ruyi Staff, Cheon Gong-pyo said,
“[We will arrive after half a moment. Prepare yourself mentally.]”
“Do I have to fight a monster?”
“[No. The outside world might be an even greater hell.]”
“What… what do you mean?”
Startled by her reply, I asked in disbelief.
“[Think carefully if there’s a useful method. Prepare in advance.]”
Hearing her words made me calm down.
‘A greater hell? Is there a place worse than here?’
Just moments ago, I had been battling tentacle monsters in a hellish fight, with no food and the risk of falling into the abyss below—chaotic clouds swirling below me. I couldn’t imagine a greater hell. But after a moment, my thoughts shifted.
What if it were a place where even breathing wasn’t allowed, making survival physically impossible?
Then, trying to escape here would be foolish. In this place, I might at least survive fighting the monsters, but outside awaited certain death. Of course, that wasn’t always the case, but I had experienced so many unexpected deaths that my mind tended to drift towards the worst-case scenarios.
Hanging onto the Ruyi Staff, I contemplated and asked Cheon Gong-pyo, “I couldn’t summon demon creatures inside. Would it be possible outside?”
“[What kind of demon creature are you talking about?]”
I explained about the demon creature I had contracted. Then Cheon Gong-pyo replied, “[It might be possible. Get ready to summon in advance.]”
“Understood.”
Rumble—
As I clung to the Ruyi Staff, I chanted the incantation for the demon ritual and quickly finished the incantation. I didn’t have the luxury to offer any sacrifices, but a ritual with a simplified version could be done. With my preparations complete, I closed my mouth and focused on conserving my strength while hanging tightly onto the end of the Ruyi Staff.
How much time had passed?
It felt like an eternity—half a moment like Tian Shu—and I heard Cheon Gong-pyo’s voice.
“[There it is.]”
A colossal destruction mark!
It looked as if an entire mountain had been crushed into the ground. The landscape before me confirmed that the term “concealment” was no exaggeration; there was no blue sky, only a shining red wall of destruction. The destruction mark filled my vision like it was massive enough to span dozens of miles in diameter.
Whoooosh—
And beyond the destruction mark lay the abyss of pure darkness. Inside, it was a world of crimson walls and blood-red clouds, but outside was an abyss that looked like pure darkness. Just gazing at that hole made me feel a crushing sense of fear.
It was the very manifestation of Evil in the Great Universe.
“……”
Suddenly, I forgot what I was supposed to do, lost in a train of thought.
I was just an ordinary person who had fallen off a cliff, aiming to become an expert in Jianghu by obtaining the Heavenly Secret. How did I end up in such a place? If I were to explain the crazy adventures to my past self, I would probably get a dismissive laugh.
‘Ah, no! Get a grip.’
Regaining my senses, I temporarily halted the advance of the Ruyi Staff. Sitting atop the broadened tip of the Ruyi Staff, I asked Cheon Gong-pyo, “Did you just destroy that wall with the Ruyi Staff?”
“[Yes.]”
“Is the Ruyi Staff the same as the Sabre Sword?”
“[You really want to know everything, huh? How about just shutting up and getting out instead?]”
Cheon Gong-pyo’s response wasn’t gentle. After all, there was no reason for her to reveal anything about the Sabre Sword to me. But I figured this was not the time to back down, so I continued, “You know I came here prepared to die when summoned by the Golden Lamp. I came with the resolve to accept death. You are the only one who can help me in this situation, so shouldn’t I know something about you? Don’t you think it’s important for me to know in order to survive as best as I can?”
“[…]”
“If you don’t want to, fine. But from what I see, if I don’t help you, you might not be able to get out either.”
“[Are you trying to act brave?]”
“I’m proposing collaboration.”
A moment of silence followed. I felt like I was gambling, my lips dry as dust. My prediction was that Cheon Gong-pyo was also bound to the Ruyi Staff, so I had to cooperate if we wanted to move anywhere. But if I was wrong, and she was only helping me out of goodwill, I would be forsaken here and be plunged back into the blood-red clouds.
Moments later, Cheon Gong-pyo spoke.
“[The Ruyi Staff is one of the Four Immortal Swords, a divided aspect of the Sabre Sword. The Sabre Sword is originally one, but can be split into four Divine Swords as needed, and the Ruyi Staff is the treasure with the highest destructive power among them.]”
“…Is that so? So, is the Sabre Sword equal to the four Divine Swords?”
“[You seem to lack knowledge about the Sabre Sword. It is a divine object that can only be possessed by the Master of Absolute Teachings, and it holds greater power than the combination of the Primordial Celestial Lord’s Pangu Fan and the Investiture of the Gods.]”
“Hmm… so what you’re saying is, it is on par with the Seven Luminaries?”
To my surprise, Cheon Gong-pyo fell silent after my question. Then she said, “[At least in terms of combat power, the Sabre Sword well exceeds one of the Seven Luminaries. However, the true power of the Seven Luminaries lies in their resonance, so comparing them one by one is pointless.]”
“Hmm.”
“[This is not the time for such discussions. The walls are regenerating, so let’s get out quickly.]”
As Cheon Gong-pyo urged me, I glanced at the destruction mark ahead. It was indeed a massive destruction mark, but as Cheon Gong-pyo mentioned, even while speaking, the area was quietly diminishing. It seemed that this supermassive ‘creature’ was regenerating its walls. However, I didn’t rush but continued speaking with Cheon Gong-pyo.
“Why were you sealed within the Ruyi Staff? According to the legendary Investiture of the Gods, you were the Master of Absolute Teachings and a disciple of the Primordial Celestial Lord, but I’ve never heard of you being the Master of Absolute Teachings.”
“[Is it necessary for you to know that?]”
“Just answer this one question. Then I’ll leave immediately.”
As I persuaded Cheon Gong-pyo, she finally relented after a moment.
“[What you know as the ancient legend of the Investiture of the Gods is a distorted history created by the Celestial Realm. Everything has been altered and documented to suit the tastes of the victors. However, it is true that I was the Master of Absolute Teachings and fought against the Celestial Realm.]”
“Distorted? Regardless, the Master of Absolute Teachings tried to do something evil which led to the Celestial Realm suppressing and imprisoning you, driving the demon gods out to Golden Crow Island.”
“Kukuku…”
Cheon Gong-pyo chuckled emptily.
“[What even constitutes as evil? What wrongdoing did the Master of Absolute Teachings commit that warranted a preemptive strike from the Celestial Realm?]”
“Well, there was the tyrant King Zhou of the Yin Dynasty tormenting the common people alongside Daji, and you supported such a tyrant…”
“[That cannot be a reason for attacking the same sect. It’s merely a human affair. Do you believe the Great Immortals you’ve seen ever cared about human politics?]”
“True, but…”
“[You don’t know anything from start to finish…]”
“What am I missing?”
As I protested, Cheon Gong-pyo retorted angrily, “[You ugly fool, all you do is ask annoyingly! I can’t take this anymore. If you don’t escape through that damned hole immediately, it would be better to just give up and meet your end here.]”
Swoosh—
Suddenly, the Ruyi Staff shrank dramatically, feeling like it was plummeting an entire hundred feet. Realizing Cheon Gong-pyo was furious, I panicked, understanding any further queries were pointless. I hastily exclaimed, “I get it! Let’s talk after we escape!”
“[Hurry up.]”
As I commanded the Ruyi Staff to stretch, Cheon Gong-pyo began to expand it at incredible speed once more. I soon pierced through the colossal destruction mark and emerged into a dark otherworld. The moment I surfaced, I quickly held my breath and activated my internal energy.
‘Ugh.’
As expected, there seemed to be no air at all around me. It felt as if I were floating in complete vacuum, becoming a speck amidst the tremendous cosmic expanse. Though I had seen such sights before, I had never experienced them firsthand.
‘Ugh… According to demon knowledge, when emerging into the vacuum of the universe…’
Holding my breath proved useless, and it felt like I would burst. Simultaneously, the pressure dropped, and the liquids inside my body felt like they were boiling; even the saliva in my mouth started to bubble. Realizing I was on the verge of suffocating and vaporizing, I maneuvered my internal energy to regain balance, creating a barrier of powerful qi to protect me from the horrendous external environment.
Bam!
I felt slightly better, but the situation hadn’t improved significantly. I couldn’t maintain this barrier of qi indefinitely, and surviving in a vacuum was impossible. Glancing back quickly, I was shocked.
“……!!”
The master of the ‘concealment’ was an unfathomably gigantic centipede, or should I say a colossus? Whatever it was, it was far beyond description within earthly logic. It reminded me of the immense celestial dragons I once saw. How I could tell it was a centipede was because it spread throughout the infinite and boundless darkness like a tapestry, its form outlining the vast realms of space. It seemed I had emerged from one of its countless internal organs.
The centipede swam slowly, tracing an unfathomable orbit toward an unknown dark point far away.
And from within the centipede came sounds—a dark tune, like an ancient flute resonating in praise of chaos.
What on earth is that existence?
I need to find out, but I couldn’t bring myself to.
The very thought of discerning what it was filled me with dread.
“……”
It was too enormous.
I felt overwhelmed by its sheer size. As I stood there, Cheon Gong-pyo said, “[Focus. This place is likely the outskirts of Dark Heaven Village.]”
“What? How do you know that?”
“[Concentrate and observe your surroundings. Don’t you see the silver road?]”
Indeed, there it was. Amidst the darkness was a faint silver path. I utilized the momentum from the Ruyi Staff to elevate myself onto the silver path. Strangely enough, I could breathe freely and walk normally without needing my barrier of qi.
“This is amazing! How did you know?”
I asked Cheon Gong-pyo in awe.
“[Even the Master of Absolute Teachings possesses knowledge of Dark Heaven Village. According to my knowledge, this path leads toward the ‘Moon’ of Dark Heaven Village. It is said to emerge after swimming endlessly through the outer seas of Dark Heaven Village.]”
“Hmm! So, what about that centipede?”
“[It might be a divine entity, but do you really need to know? For us, we would be nothing but insects in its eyes.]”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Bam!
Suddenly realizing what I had to do, I summoned the demon creature. After taking a sip of honey wine, I commanded the demon creature, “Take me to the end of this silver path!!”
This place was the destination of Dark Heaven Village.
If I could reach the opposite end, I would find my way out of Dark Heaven Village!