A Modern Man Who Got Transmigrated Into the Murim World

As Jo Hwi arrived at his chambers, cutting through the darkening night, the voice of the Demon God echoed in his mind.

– Let’s talk.

Jo Hwi had been waiting for this conversation as well. He sat cross-legged on the bed and responded.

“Speak.”

Upon Jo Hwi’s reply, the Demon God’s voice, filled with excitement, continued.

– I want to see more closely the martial arts of that Sword God.

In truth, the Demon God had been greatly shaken when Jo Hwi demonstrated his swordsmanship, *Cheonha Gonggongdo* (Heavenly Empty Path), while attacking the Black Heaven Alliance.

The Sword God’s techniques could be roughly divided into four categories:

1. The *Starry Sky Force*, composed of the celestial starlight and the power of the Milky Way, making up the first three forms.
2. The later techniques that involve *Gonggong Power*, capable of swallowing space.
3. Defensive sword techniques represented by the *Heavenly Absolute Sword Wall*.
4. Finally, the *Heavenly Absolute Sword Command*, an ultimate group control technique born from the combination of Jo Hwi’s modern knowledge and the Sword God’s experience.

Jo Hwi slowly demonstrated these techniques, causing the Demon God to be deeply fascinated by their intricacies. Of course, Jo Hwi made sure to reduce their power by several hundredfold, merely showing the forms without their true destructive force.

The starlight, like scattered dreams, fluttered through the air.
A pinpoint that compressed space in an instant.
A sword wall that seemed capable of blocking everything.
An exhibition of the Sword Spirit that ruled the world.

The Demon God groaned heavily after observing Jo Hwi’s sword forms.

– Hmmm…

The Demon God, the first god of the martial world, had lived hundreds of years before the Sword God’s era. For him, it was his first time encountering the martial arts of another god.

– Now, I’m certain. The sword of this junior, the Sword God, is undoubtedly the trace of *him*.

Jo Hwi immediately understood who the Demon God was referring to.

*‘When I saw the stone tablet inscribed with the principles of the Three Heavenly Demonic Swords, I too instantly realized it.’*

– Your *Three Heavenly Demonic Swords* are much closer to perfection than the ones I studied from the stone tablet for my entire life. Such a thing could never have been achieved by a martial artist who has just passed his youth.

Jo Hwi had already experienced something like this once, back in the Sword Tomb.

It was when the Sword God, after seven years of solitary meditation studying the walls of the Sword Tomb, had achieved enlightenment in the *Starlight* technique, something that Jo Hwi could instantly recognize upon seeing it.

– So, after reviewing your memories, it seems you are not from the central plains. Therefore, let me ask you. Could you possibly be from *him*…?

Jo Hwi answered without hesitation.

“Yes, that’s correct. I come from the world of the one who left behind the stone tablet of the Three Heavenly Demonic Swords.”

– I see. That could explain it. There’s no other way such things could be explained.

To the Demon God, the only thing he knew about the sword traces were the markings on the stone tablet. Despite studying it his entire life, he was unable to uncover the origins of those marks or decipher the strange symbols inscribed on it.

– It seems both you and *him* must have experienced the calamity of reincarnation.

However, Jo Hwi immediately denied the Demon God’s words.

“No. He is not a reincarnated person.”

– What do you mean by that? Then how did he come to this distant past?

Jo Hwi spoke seriously.

“It seems he has the ability to reverse time.”

– Reverse time?

“The stone tablet of the Three Heavenly Demonic Swords was made long after the time of the Sword God’s Sword Tomb.”

– What…?

The Demon God’s mind couldn’t make sense of Jo Hwi’s words.

The Sword God was from a later time than the Demon God. So how could the stone tablet have been created after the Sword Tomb?

If Jo Hwi’s claim was true, then *he* must have the ability to reverse time.

– No matter how advanced one’s martial arts are, it is impossible for a mere human to reverse time!

Of course, Jo Hwi agreed with the Demon God’s statement.

How could a human reverse time? If such a thing were possible, they would truly be called a god.

But Jo Hwi was sure about what he had seen with his own eyes.

“The Three Heavenly Demonic Swords are martial arts that evolved to a higher level from the techniques established by the Sword God at the Sword Tomb. Furthermore…”

Jo Hwi’s next words startled the Demon God even more.

“The stone tablet of the Three Heavenly Demonic Swords… felt as though it was made with the knowledge that someone who had experienced the Sword Tomb would eventually come across it.”

The Demon God’s voice was filled with excitement.

– Is that true?

“Yes. That’s exactly what was written on the tablet.”

– What exactly was written?

Jo Hwi’s eyes sank deep into thought.

“Come to the Divine Throne.”

– Divine Throne? Are you saying the words *Divine Throne* were written on the stone tablet?

Jo Hwi nodded quietly.

“Yes. It said ‘Come to the Divine Throne’.”

The Demon God appeared stunned.

– The Divine Throne was *him*…

The vague conjecture the Demon God had made was now being confirmed through Jo Hwi’s words.

He recalled the followers of the Divine Throne, the *Golden Heaven Sect*, he had encountered in the Shaolin Temple.

The first god, the Demon God, who had ruled the martial world under the name *Heavenly Demon*, had been defeated in just a few seconds by the mysterious person who did not choose to kill him. Instead, that person used the *Life Spirit Sealing Technique* to bind the Demon God, ensuring that he could neither die nor live, preventing the accumulation of karma and calamity.

The reason the Demon God had been sealed with his powers intact was because of this technique.

Suddenly, the Demon God let out a deep groan, as though he had realized something.

– Hmm… I see. The Life Spirit Sealing Technique is a sealing technique that manipulates time. If such a technique were in play, it might not be impossible to reverse time.

“What’s the Life Spirit Sealing Technique?” Jo Hwi asked.

The Demon God briefly explained about the *Golden Heaven Sect*, a follower of the Divine Throne.

“Ah… It’s a technique that stops time? And it broke when it met my *Essence Blood Prison*?”

– Yes. Once the Life Spirit Sealing Technique was broken, my life ended according to the laws of causality.

The Demon God seemed utterly stunned.

So the abilities of the follower of the Divine Throne were that extraordinary?

How powerful, then, was the Divine Throne himself?

– But there’s an error in your reasoning. The relics of *him*, or rather the Divine Throne, already existed in various parts of the central plains. If it’s just a matter of time, then your theory that *he* reversed time doesn’t hold.

Jo Hwi nodded quietly.

Jo Hwi had indeed considered that possibility when he first saw the stone tablet of the Demon God. However, after combining the martial arts of the Sword God and the Demon God, his thoughts changed.

“Look.”

Jo Hwi raised his iron sword, focused his mind, and a tiny dot appeared in the air.

But this was different from the *space compression* of *Cheonha Gonggongdo*. The flow of thought was entirely different.

– What is this…?

The mind technique that Jo Hwi is currently using.

A sense of alienation, different from the public good, was overlaying everything.

The demon god had seen the thought sphere that Jo Hwi was now manifesting before, but he just didn’t have the ability to express this strange phenomenon, this feeling.

-This is the Celestial Demon Annihilation Dance you performed before, isn’t it?

This eerie feeling that something is violating the laws of nature.

Even back then, the reason the demon lord was utterly astonished was precisely because of this feeling.

“Do you feel it?”

-What do you mean?

“It may seem like only space is being distorted, but it’s not.” Feel the ripples closely. It will definitely be different from the public good of the world.

Jo Hwi was slowly casting the true intent of the Celestial Demon Annihilation Dance over and over again, so that the demon could feel it.

-No way!

Zhou Hui slowly nodded and placed the dot containing the group of the Celestial Demon Destruction Dance into the flowerpot in the corner of the bedroom.

Then, the orchid rapidly withers before even being sucked into the point!

If the technique of Cheonhakonggongdo distorts and compresses space, then Cheonmamyulgeobmu…

“Yes, that assumption is correct.” The ‘Myeolgyeob’ of Cheonma Myeolgyeobmu contains the secret of simultaneously distorting space and time.

The demon, seemingly in shock, unable to continue speaking.

Anuncios

The stele of the Three Heavenly Demon Swords was the beloved of his entire life, the epitome of all his hardships.

However, I never imagined that the first technique of the Heavenly Demon Three Swords would contain the extraordinary concept of time distortion.

“Any substance that comes into contact with Cheonma Myeolgeommu leaves no trace whatsoever.” Time passes quickly, and everything either decays or erodes. With the addition of the spatial compression technique, no trace can be left behind.

-It’s sorcery! That’s not a human martial art!

Jo Hwi nodded while smiling nonchalantly.

“Yes.” I think so too. Such a mental technique couldn’t possibly be a human martial art. “Now, let me ask you a question.”

-What……?

“How does my current inactivity compare to your prime?”

The demon, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke after much contemplation.

-Although your non-action has reached the state of Wuji, which can be considered the latter part of the absolute realm, it cannot be compared to the state of nature where the harmony of heaven and earth is achieved and the principles of nature are understood.

Jo Hwi smiled faintly, as if acknowledging it.

“That’s absolutely correct.” I have clearly witnessed the power of natural energy. But… the Sword God and the senior have something in common.

-Commonality?

“Yes.” I think ‘Natural Enlightenment’ is the state of having awakened to the laws and principles of nature. However, no matter how strong my martial arts become, I don’t think I will ever reach ‘Natural Realm.’

-What do you mean by that?

He was a person who had just barely crossed the threshold of youth and had already reached the absolute pinnacle of martial arts.

Even if you scour the long history of the martial arts world with your eyes wide open, it’s hard to find a similar example.

Perhaps, even before reaching the age of forty, he could achieve natural mastery and rewrite the history of the martial world.

“The martial arts of the Central Plains, all their roots lie in Buddhism and Taoism.” Desirelessness and non-action, in other words, envisioning a state of mind that conforms to the great nature and its laws in every aspect. Shall we call it the unique consciousness system of the people of this central region?

The life of non-action and naturalness, which conforms to the great laws of nature without going against them, and the life of contentment and joy in poverty, are ideals that any practitioner of martial arts would dream of.

The only person in the world who can call it the ‘unique consciousness system of the Central Plains people’ is Jo Hwi.

“Actually, the only warrior who has reached the realm of naturalness is the Three Gods, right?” Both of them inherited the legacy of the ‘Shinjo.’ Logically deducing, it is highly probable that the military officials also inherited the legacy of the Shinjo.

The subsequent voice of Jo Hwi was enough to give the demon a great shock.

“The Three Gods realized the laws of nature, through the legacy of the Divine Seat.” Because they are inevitable beings of the Middle Kingdom. Because I don’t know science. But I am different.

-What do you mean by “what’s different”?

Jo Hwi continued speaking with a bitter smile.

“In our world, non-attachment and non-action are synonymous with ‘natural selection’ or ‘incompetence.'” Overcoming and conquering nature, exploring the moon in the sky, and even researching and reaching distant space—this is the modern person’s concept and consciousness system.

-Yes, exploring the moon? Reaching space?

“So… it seems that only I can honestly perceive and understand the legacy left by the divine seat.” Clearly, his legacy contains not a group of compliance that understands nature and awakens its laws, but a transcendent, greedy will that dominates nature and breaks its laws. So…

The confident face of Jo Hwi.

“When my martial arts reach their peak, I probably won’t be called by the name ‘Natural View’ anymore.”

The demon was shivering at such a declarative statement from Jo Hwi.

The one who distorts, dominates, and conquers the laws of all things in the world!

That was the true legacy of the so-called Shinjo, and it was a powerful expression of confidence that only someone like himself, a modern person, could carry on.

It was an enormous shock for the demon god who had studied the legacy of the divine seat for many years.

“Even with my Ideation Technique, which has reached the Absolute Realm of Wuji, such time distortion is possible.” “But what if it’s ‘him’ known as the Divine Seat?”

When the demon god fell silent, Jo Hwi smiled again and spoke.

“Even if they say he tears apart space-time with a sword and goes to another dimension, I think I could believe it.” “One might even call him a true god.”

And the most decisive words of Jo Hwi.

Here is the English translation of the passage you provided:

—

“However, the Three Heavenly Demon Swords I have realized… I don’t think I can use them carelessly. How should I put it? My soul, my energy… I don’t know what to call it, but it feels like the total amount of spiritual power, the non-physical power that the human body holds, has slightly decreased.”

As soon as Ma Shin heard Zho Hui’s words, he was shocked.

– *You’ve already started to be affected by the constraints of causality?*

To think that someone who hasn’t even reached the Natural Realm has already started to be bound by causality!

What this meant was that the Heavenly Seat was already watching Zho Hui.

“Constraints of causality? What’s that?”

– *When a human shows abilities exceeding what’s allowed in the human world, the Heavenly Seat will place a Soul Pearl (魂珠) to monitor them! Wait? Huh?*

Ma Shin, using his spiritual vision, scanned Zho Hui’s surroundings but, strangely, couldn’t find a Soul Pearl.

– *Wait, there’s no Soul Pearl, but you’re still losing energy?*

This was a phenomenon that Ma Shin couldn’t understand.

After thinking for a moment, Ma Shin suddenly realized something and shouted in astonishment.

– *Zho Hui! Your spiritual level has already reached the level of a ‘Zhuo’ (尊者) being! No wonder the Heavenly Seat cannot detect you! To them, you are no longer a mere human! Hahaha!*

“Zhuo… being?”

When the ancestors in the Blood Prison first encountered Zho Hui, they too were surprised by his spiritual level, saying he had attained a ‘Zhuo’ being’s spiritual realm.

Even the immortals of the Heavenly Realm couldn’t monitor someone with that level of soul power.

Was being a ‘Zhuo’ being really that remarkable?

– *Of course! Those who have reached the ‘Zhuo’ level are seen as equals by others with the same level of soul power. They can no longer view someone like you as an ordinary ‘human’. However, this is truly strange. There’s no explanation for your energy consumption.*

Zho Hui found this comment unsettling.

So, what could explain the strange phenomenon where his spiritual energy seemed to deplete every time he used the Three Heavenly Demon Swords?

– *Until we understand the reason for this, it’s better to seal away the Three Heavenly Demon Swords for now. The consumption of energy is not something to take lightly.*

“I will do so.”

At that moment, another voice of a ‘Zhuo’ being echoed. It was the same voice that had previously taught Zho Hui the secret techniques of Restoration, the one known as Cheon Woo-ja.

– *If your soul has reached the ‘Zhuo’ level, you should be able to exist in a spiritual form. Why aren’t you attempting to meet with the ancestors?*

Spiritual form?

Zho Hui asked, almost screaming.

“Are you saying that I can go there and meet with the ancestors?”

– *Of course. You’ll need to expend some spiritual energy, but from your memories, it seems you hold them in high regard.*

But weren’t the ancestors sealed by an unknown technique?

Zho Hui was nearly ignorant when it came to techniques.

Without knowing how to undo the sealing technique, entering the spiritual world of the Blood Prison would be a waste of spiritual energy.

Just as Zho Hui was thinking this, the voice of Cheon Woo-ja reached him again.

– *Before I saw your sword, I thought you were hopeless. You don’t even realize how powerful the Three Heavenly Demon Swords you are learning truly are.*

“Huh? What do you mean? Suddenly, the Three Heavenly Demon Swords?”

– *No matter how powerful a technique is, it’s impossible for it not to be destroyed by forces that distort space-time. Moreover, in this spiritual realm, there are no constraints of causality.*

“Space-time distortion…”

Zho Hui’s face brightened in excitement.

“How? How do I get to the Blood Prison?”

– *You don’t have a direct connection to the Blood Prison. It will be difficult to go there by your own power. I will assist you. However, your body will be in a comatose state. Do you mind? You’ll need to have a guardian set up to protect you.*

There was still time; it was the hour of the Rooster (6 p.m.), six hours until morning.

“I’m fine. Please send me there quickly.”

– *Urgent Incantation—Soul Binding.*

As Cheon Woo-ja’s incantation echoed for half a moment, Zho Hui’s mind grew faint, and his vision finally blacked out.

When he regained his senses, what appeared before him was a vast, empty world, resembling an infinite void.

There was no terrain, only an endless horizon stretching into infinity.

Just staring at it made Zho Hui feel like losing his mind.

Wasn’t this like the “Room of Time and Mind” he had seen in some manga?

“Ugh…”

The slight spiritual energy expenditure was nothing compared to the intense pain now stabbing at his mind, likely from the rapid depletion of his energy.

It felt like the aftermath of using the Heavenly Demon Extinction Dance, where his energy was being consumed at a rate many times greater than normal.

‘Master…!’

Now Zho Hui understood a little more why the Sword God had taken a long time to speak after inhabiting Zho Hui’s body. The pain and impact on the mind from such energy consumption were no joke.

“Heh!”

Suddenly, Zho Hui heard Ma Shin’s hearty laughter.

Turning his head, he saw seven elderly figures standing before him, most likely ‘Zhuo’ beings from the Dokgo clan.

Zho Hui immediately recognized Ma Shin, who looked just as he had when Zho Hui saw him at the Buddhist temple.

Zho Hui bowed deeply, showing respect.

“It’s strange to see you in person. I’m honored, elders.”

A stoic old man beside Ma Shin, looking like a Taoist from the Heavenly Realm, spoke up.

Without needing an introduction, Zho Hui immediately knew it was Cheon Woo-ja.

– *So this is your true form.*

“Eh?”

Cheon Woo-ja looked at Zho Hui with a curious gaze.

At his strange look, Zho Hui drew the sword from his waist and held it up.

The reflection on the clean blade revealed Zho Hui’s own face.

“Aah…!”

The face reflected in the blade was the face of his former self, the modern-day Zho Yeong-hoon.

The past, which had been so miserable that it made him feel nauseous, suddenly came flooding back to Jo-hwi. He felt like he might burst into tears from the overwhelming emotions.

Although he had become accustomed to the life he now led as Jo-hwi, he still longed for and missed his true self.

As Jo-hwi was getting lost in these thoughts, the voice of the mischievous Demon God snapped him out of it.

“Heh, so you were that ugly after all.”

Jo-hwi narrowed his eyes sharply.

“You’re not exactly a handsome one yourself, are you, senior?”

“What are you talking about? In my youth, I had women crying over me.”

Suddenly, Jo-hwi looked around.

“By the way, where are our ancestors?”

“Quickly now, hurry up and do it,” came the low murmur of the Heavenly Master.

As soon as the incantation was spoken, the air around Jo-hwi and the seven experts was enveloped in a faint mist.

Suddenly, his vision turned completely white, and he felt his body disassemble from head to toe. Jo-hwi was stunned, almost panicking.

“Don’t be alarmed. This is just Space Transition Magic,” the voice of the Heavenly Master reassured him.

Only then did Jo-hwi calm down. After a brief moment, he could feel his body slowly reassembling. He was overwhelmed with the surreal sensation.

“I can’t believe this… This magic is truly something else.”

With a dignified face, the Heavenly Master replied, “This is the true version of the ‘Shrink Earth and Increase Village’ technique. The techniques called ‘Shrinking the Earth’ in Taoism are all imitations of this.”

“Oh…!”

So this is the real version of the famous technique?

At that moment, Jo-hwi saw the ancestors of the Cao family appear before him.

“Ah!”

He had never directly met the Sword God, Cao Cao, or the Great Cao, but he could tell who they were the instant he laid eyes on them.

“Cao Cao…!”

It wasn’t just the overwhelming presence of the martial prowess radiating from them, but the sheer aura of domination emanating from him. The aura of a ruler who had controlled millions of people—this was a being that could only be described as the “Dragon Among Humans.”

He felt like Cao Cao was a being from another realm entirely.

“Lord Sword God…”

The Sword God was sitting cross-legged, meditating with his eyes half-closed. Despite his humble posture, Jo-hwi could feel an unfathomable energy radiating from him.

The difference between Jo-hwi’s expectations and the true level of the Sword God was immediately apparent.

The divine might that the Sword God exuded was truly awe-inspiring, and Jo-hwi couldn’t help but feel humbled by the sensation.

“Lord Great Cao…”

The Great Cao smiled gracefully. His deep eyes seemed to hold the wisdom of the entire world. Just gazing into them gave Jo-hwi the strange feeling that he was being sucked into a deep void.

The other ancestors exuded a similar aura.

It was clear to Jo-hwi that the level of cultivation and achievement they had attained was beyond anything ordinary humans could comprehend.

But there was something strange. The ancestors appeared as though time had stopped for them. They were frozen in place.

Just as Jo-hwi was about to reach out and check on the ancestors, he froze.

“…What is all this?”

His eyes widened in shock.

It looked like a net—a countless number of tangled threads binding the ancestors tightly. The net was beyond comprehension, stretching into infinity.

The Heavenly Master’s expression grew grim.

“If I had known this magic, I would have released them already. But this type of unimaginable spell is something I’ve never seen before.”

At that moment, the Demon God approached Jo-hwi.

“That net is not only restraining their spirits, but it is also impervious to any physical force.”

Jo-hwi swallowed hard.

“Hm… so you’ve already tested it?”

“Yes. Even with all my power in the Demon God’s form, I couldn’t leave a scratch.”

Even the immense strength of the Demon God, who had reached the level of Natural Perfection, could not pierce the net? Jo-hwi found it hard to believe.

As he stood there, trembling with disbelief, his sword—the Celestial Sword—began to vibrate at an incredible speed. A massive, blinding white sword energy formed, as the force of the Celestial Sword’s technique launched it forward.

The Celestial Sword’s ultimate strike, the “Heavy World Domination,” was a powerful attack meant to obliterate anything in its path. It was considered the strongest move in the Celestial Sword’s martial arts techniques.

Boom! The immense sword energy collided with the net.

However, just as the Demon God had claimed, not even the tiniest scratch appeared on the net.

In fact, the rebound force was so powerful that Jo-hwi was struggling to withdraw his sword energy.

“What the hell…!”

Even the most powerful technique in the Celestial Sword couldn’t break this net?

Magic was truly something more formidable than he had ever imagined.

The Heavenly Master quickly blocked Jo-hwi’s path.

“You fool! You can’t physically break a binding spell like this! The more you try to destroy it physically, the stronger it becomes! You don’t know anything about magic, yet you try to teach me?”

The Demon God, Du Gomu-jin, gave a bitter smile.

“My apologies, elder.”

Jo-hwi was stunned. It wasn’t just about showing respect for the ancestors—it was clear that the Demon God was being overpowered.

The Heavenly Master was stronger than even the Demon God?

“You have to attack the core of the spell to destroy it. If I had known the core of this spell, I would have undone it by now. But I can’t even locate the core of this spell!” The Heavenly Master exclaimed.

Hearing this, Jo-hwi had an epiphany and his eyes widened.

“Could it be that the core of the spell is what I’m seeing?”

“What do you mean…?”

Jo-hwi looked through the lens of his sword energy and could clearly see the magical net from a different perspective. Among the countless mathematical formulas and diagrams floating in his vision, there was one particular symbol standing out: the infinity symbol (∞).

All the functions and diagrams were drawing infinite energy from that symbol.

But curiously, when Jo-hwi removed the sword energy, nothing could be seen.

“Explain! What exactly are you seeing?”

“Well, it’s… hard to explain if you don’t understand math,” Jo-hwi began.

As he explained, the Heavenly Master’s curiosity deepened.

“Are you saying that the world can be seen as a mathematical symbol?”

“Yes.”

“Impossible…”

The Heavenly Master could not accept the notion that the world was made of numbers.

“If that’s the case, what does this symbol mean?”

Jo-hwi thought for a moment before speaking.

“It means an infinite number.”

Infinite numbers. The greatest number in the Central Plains’ mathematical system, representing infinity.

“There’s no way…!” the Heavenly Master exclaimed.

The core of the spell was being powered by an infinite number? That was impossible!

If a human had cast the spell, the core of the magic couldn’t exist. The power of the spell would be proportional to the caster’s magical ability.

But if a transcendent being, like a god, had cast the spell, then perhaps it could be possible.

The Heavenly Master trembled with realization.

Right now, what Zhuo Hui was saying meant that the curse he was seeing was a spell of the same caliber as the legendary *Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman Scripture* (九天玄女經) or *Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Image* (觀自在菩薩圖), both of which had immense power.

The absurdity of the situation wasn’t lost on Zhuo Hui either.

No matter how powerful martial arts were, there was always a mathematical ‘absolute value.’

This was the first time he had seen the symbol ‘∞’ appear in the world viewed through his sword’s celestial sight.

Naturally, Zhuo Hui didn’t believe he could break this curse.

Even with his Three Celestial Swords, how could he possibly shatter something powered by infinite numbers?

“My sword technique doesn’t seem to be capable of this,” Zhuo Hui murmured in deep frustration, but the calm in Tian Wu Zhi’s eyes never wavered.

“No, no. Even if the force of infinite numbers is at work, it is still a number existing within the laws of the world. If your sword can distort time and space, as you claim, then you can certainly damage this spell,” Tian Wu Zhi said firmly.

“Hmm…” Zhuo Hui sighed deeply but then slowly raised his steel sword, his mind clearing.

At that moment, the Demon God beside him began to shine brightly.

The sword, bearing the divine characters inscribed in his body, astonished even the Demon God every time they faced each other.

A violet aura slowly flickered in Zhuo Hui’s eyes as he pushed his martial art to its extreme. The Demon God’s face lit up with admiration.

“Great! You have refined the soul of the sacred art and now you gaze at the heavens themselves! Truly magnificent!” The Demon God exclaimed, sensing the boundless power emanating from Zhuo Hui.

With the full force of his spiritual energy unleashed, the world began to tremble violently.

When the massive vibrations eventually subsided, Zhuo Hui’s form began to move slowly, the motion of his sword releasing an overwhelming destructive force. The sword dance of the Celestial Demon Slayer began, signaling the start of an unprecedented cosmic catastrophe.

Whooooom—

Zhuo Hui’s sword unleashed an ominous glow, and an unfathomable energy began to pour forth from it, sending waves of energy through the world. The very fabric of reality seemed to waver and distort.

As Zhuo Hui’s form blurred and disappeared, it seemed as though the world itself was flickering like a failing light.

Thud!

There was no great sound, no shining beam. Only a multitude of points began to emerge in the world.

These countless points, as if defying the very laws of nature, began to converge on the symbol ‘∞.’

When Zhuo Hui launched the first strike of his Celestial Demon Three Swords, the *Celestial Demon Immortal Catastrophe*, it filled the surroundings with an unparalleled energy that was incomprehensible to anyone who witnessed it.

The Demon God, feeling something strange, stood frozen. Though the form of the Celestial Demon Slayer seemed similar in concept to the *Celestial Demon Immortal Catastrophe*, there was something different about it.

The original *Celestial Demon Slayer* was more about explosive power, an overwhelming eruption of martial strength, while Zhuo Hui’s version was more refined, meticulous, and systematic in nature. It was as if the two techniques came from entirely different philosophies.

As the Demon God continued to observe, a strange occurrence took place before their eyes.

The infinite points that had been released by Zhuo Hui’s sword began to focus on a single space in the air, a place where nothing seemed to exist.

The air began to darken, and the void cracked open, radiating violet light from within.

In that instant, the faces of the seven ancestors went pale.

The energy emanating from the crack was so powerful that it felt as though their very souls were being crushed.

“What is this energy…?” Tian Wu Zhi asked, his face turning white.

Was this really a manifestation of law-based power?

Tian Wu Zhi couldn’t deny it any longer. The curse was not something conjured by human power.

It was divine power—power beyond the realm of mortals, possibly from a god or a being of divine stature.

The crack in the air began to spew forth violet light, causing a visible distortion of time and space, an event that even the Demon God and Tian Wu Zhi could not ignore.

And then, at that moment, the Demon God and Tian Wu Zhi both cried out simultaneously:

“*Ji Ji You Yul Yeung! Protect the Black Tortoise Path!*”
“*Demon Circle Flame Heaven Wall!*”

Zhuo Hui stared in awe as the air shimmered with the light of divine energy.

The Demon God’s sword erupted, releasing countless magical rings of flame, while Tian Wu Zhi summoned a gigantic tortoise-like spirit beast, the Black Tortoise, which was able to block the violet light much better than Zhuo Hui’s *Celestial Demon Slayer*.

The battle for the survival of the world was now in full motion.

The violet whirlwind finally subsided.

The whirlwind had swept through the *Celestial Absolute Sword Wall* (天下絶大劒壁), the *Demon Circle Flame Heaven Wall* (魔環炎天壁), and the *Black Tortoise Path* (護防玄武道), but fortunately, it had not reached Zhuo Hui or the Seven Ancestors.

“You truly are a monster,” Tian Wu Zhi said, staring at Zhuo Hui with a face full of exhaustion. He too seemed to have expended a tremendous amount of energy.

“I never imagined that a spell infused with divine power could truly be defeated by pure martial arts…”

The spell’s core, neatly destroyed, dissipated, and when Zhuo Hui looked at his ancestors, the nets that had been constricting them were gradually fading away.

“So, it’s really been accomplished?” Zhuo Hui asked.

“Yes,” Tian Wu Zhi replied.

“Oooh!”

Finally, the nets were completely gone.

“Ugh…”

“Haahh…”

The ancestors of the Cao family began to stir, groaning as they slowly regained consciousness.

Zhuo Hui, with the speed of a lightning strike, closed the distance to his ancestors.

“Master Sword God! Master Wanshang! Are you alright?”

Although they were still dizzy, the sudden appearance of a young man they didn’t recognize startled them.

“…Who are you?”

“Who?”

Both the Sword God and Wanshang Cao failed to immediately recognize Zhuo Hui, who looked like his older brother, Cao Yingxun.

However, the Sword God soon saw through Zhuo Hui’s true nature and was stunned.

“You! You foolish one! How dare you enter here recklessly!”

Wanshang Cao also looked shocked.

“Heh, Huiya… So it was you.”

But Zhuo Hui wasn’t the only one in this spiritual realm.

Zhuo Zhi, who had been watching the Seven Ancestors of the Dugu family, narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with caution as he spoke.

“Hmm… It seems all of you are beings of the highest caliber. But how is it that you have entered the spiritual realm of Cao’s *Yiqian Blood Prison*?”

Meanwhile, the Sword God, who could not take his eyes off the Demon God, exclaimed.

“Ha! Truly vast and boundless!”

The Demon God, in turn, admired the Sword God as well.

“Impressive! Truly worthy of being called the God of the Sword!”

These legendary figures from China’s long history, each transcending the limits of humanity in their own fields, could only admire each other in awe.

And standing between the dignitaries of the Cao family and the Dugu family was Zhuo Hui.

Zhuo Hui briefly explained to his ancestors the events that had led up to this moment.

As he finished, a variety of reactions erupted from the Cao ancestors.

“Fool! How dare the one who is to fulfill the Cao family’s destiny waste such vast spiritual power!”

“You, who are meant to end the calamities of humanity, are squandering power like this? The rise and fall of mankind depend on you, yet you act like this?!”

“Do you think the consumption of spiritual power is a mere joke?!”

The admonishments that Zhuo Hui had only heard in voices now came with terrifying expressions, exuding an overwhelming pressure.

Yet, despite this, there was a deep sense of love and concern from the ancestors.

Zhuo Hui grinned broadly and suddenly bowed deeply to his ancestors.

“Hehe, ancestors, I’ve truly missed you.”

Standing before them, he felt as if he had become a child once again.

Zhuo Zhi sneered, turning away in disdain.

“Hmph! A man born with the potential to be a tyrant is concerned about emotions! You sound just like Xuande (Liu Bei)! How foolish!”

“No, ancestors?”

Zhuo Hui, inwardly irked, muttered to himself. *Liu Bei* was, after all, the figure he most disliked in *The Three Kingdoms*.

The symbol of indecisiveness, the icon of incompetence. How could Zhuo Hui be compared to him…?

“How could you dislike Xuande, then?” Zhuo Zhi asked, his face filled with disbelief.

“Wait, can you hear my inner thoughts here too?” Zhuo Hui exclaimed in shock.

Zhuo Zhi, incredulous, responded with a deadpan expression.

“This is the spiritual realm, where the souls of the Ancestors are connected. It’s actually easier to hear you here, fool. And what is this ‘Three Kingdoms’ you speak of? I should just look it up myself.”

Suddenly, Jo Hwi felt as though someone was rummaging through his mind.

“Why are you suddenly poking around in my memories?”

“Who the hell dares to come up with such absurd ideas and bring them to the world?”

Jo Hwi’s memories of the Three Kingdoms were not the historical accounts of the *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, but rather the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* by Luo Guanzhong. Naturally, the imagination and preferences of the author were reflected in the novel, making it a “fiction” rather than history.

For Cao Cao, there were countless aspects of this imagination that angered him.

“To describe the Battle of Red Cliffs like that, who could come up with such a crazy imagination?”

“But that’s not what’s important right now…”

“It is the most important thing to me!”

It was frustrating! While the idiotic Liu Bei was praised with all kinds of embellishments, why was he depicted like this?

Cao Cao felt that he was unfairly portrayed as a “villainous person” in many parts.

At that moment, a figure representing the Seven Patriarchs of the Dokgo family stepped forward.

“I am Tian Wuja, once known in the Jianghu as Tian Wuja, and I greet you on behalf of the Dokgo family.”

“Tian Wuja…?”

While Cao Cao tilted his head in confusion, the expression of Man Sangjo, the leader of the Cao family, was one of complete shock.

“T-Tian Wuja!”

Tian Wuja (天宇子) was a legendary figure in the history of the Xianmen sect, passed down through myths from ancient times.

The Tianxian Sect was known for producing the greatest number of grand immortal beings.

Man Sangjo recognized this and felt the weight of the moment, especially since Tian Wuja was known to be the head of the sect.

“Tian Wuja, I heard that your cultivation and arts reached such a level that you became one of the Grand Immortals. But what brings you here, of all places?”

Tian Wuja smiled bitterly with half-closed eyes.

“Even the great emperors and those called gods are here, so what does it matter if I am here?”

Man Sangjo, however, could not simply dismiss him. Tian Wuja was a being of a different level compared to humans.

“Tian Wuja, you represented the highest order of immortals. You are not to be compared to mere mortals in the human world.”

Tian Wuja shook his head slightly.

“Even if one is a Grand Immortal, if one cannot enter the Great Luo Realm, their soul is still fundamentally human. Do not make distinctions.”

Man Sangjo hurriedly explained.

“I meant no disrespect.”

At that moment, Cao Cao snorted and spoke arrogantly.

“How foolish. No need to bow before me. Here in the Spirit Realm, we are all just equal Immortals, so do you intend to divide us by rank?”

Jo Hwi looked at Cao Cao with a bewildered expression.

“Senior, with all due respect, it’s clear that here you are the highest ranking, almost like the chief…”

Just then, the Demon God, who had been quietly watching everything unfold, intervened.

The Demon God walked over silently, sat down heavily, and raised his head.

“I request a discussion with the owner of the Yichun Blood Prison.”

“The owner?”

It seemed like the Demon God was referring to the one who ruled the Yichun Blood Prison, but the Cao family members were unfamiliar with such a concept.

They had lived their entire lives receiving the blessings of the Yichun Blood Prison, and never considered the idea of an “owner” of it.

Cao Cao’s burning gaze was directed at the Demon God.

“What is this ‘owner’ you speak of? We Cao family have no such hierarchical concept.”

But the Demon God, looking even more puzzled, responded.

“Isn’t the first Immortal the owner? You don’t know what the owner’s authority and power are?”

“The first Immortal? Authority and power?”

At this moment, all the Cao family Patriarchs turned their gaze to Cao Cao. Feeling the intense gaze of his descendants, Cao Cao waved his hands dismissively.

“I really don’t know! How could I know such things?”

At least in this Spirit Realm, bound by the bonds of family, it was against their beliefs to hide secrets from each other.

Cao Cao stared intensely at the Demon God.

“If this ‘owner’ is referring to the first Immortal who formed a bond with the Blood Prison, then yes, I am the one. But what is the authority and power that comes with this ‘owner’ position?”

The Demon God’s strange eyes looked at him.

“So, all this time, you’ve never once realized your position as the owner?”

“No,” Cao Cao replied. “I’ve never even heard of such a concept.”

The Demon God’s face hardened, and he spoke slowly.

“If you didn’t realize it, then you never had the authority of the owner in the first place.”

“What does that mean?”

“You did not acquire the gem in the proper way. The fact that you didn’t realize your role as the owner means that you did not receive the rights directly from the one who created it.”

At the Demon God’s words, Cao Cao’s face turned cold.

“Who’s gem was it, then?”

Cao Cao’s face grew more complicated as a mix of emotions—grief, pain, anger, and nostalgia—crossed his features.

After standing for a while, trying to regain control over his emotions, Cao Cao finally spoke hoarsely.

“It wasn’t taken…?”

The Demon God raised an eyebrow, but noticing the unusual atmosphere around Cao Cao, refrained from asking further.

“It seems you didn’t receive the ownership rights directly.”

Cao Cao, still with a bitter smile, muttered to himself, “So, I was unaware all this time.”

With a troubled expression, the Demon God looked at Tian Wuja and spoke.

“Originally, wasn’t the first Immortal of the Spirit Heaven Blood Prison supposed to be you, Master? Stop making me explain everything and do it yourself.”

Tian Wuja, with a deeply furrowed brow, stared at the Demon God.

“You’re an amusing one. When you wanted the authority of the owner, you asked me to delegate it to you, but now you want to push it onto me?”

“Well, you are the only one who has directly met the one who created the Spirit Heaven Blood Prison.”

At that moment, Tian Wuja’s face darkened with fear.

“You have no idea how dangerous it is to mention their secrets…”

Tian Wuja gazed at the Cao family Patriarchs.

“The divine bindings that restrained the Patriarchs are proof of this.”

In response, Jo Hwi looked at him with a confused expression.

“I don’t understand. The divine bindings that restrained my ancestors appeared after I learned the Demon Art. It was just one person learning martial arts—how could that possibly defy the laws of the world?”

Tian Wuja’s eyes became even more intense.

“You underestimate the Three Gods. The realm of Nature’s Mystery is a realm that threatens even the highest Immortal realms. The probability of a human achieving the causality required for two such powers is astronomically low. You can’t even imagine it.”

“…”

“And that causality was manipulated by that one. Just as he took away the authority of the owner from me.”

“What?” Jo Hwi was stunned.

Are you telling me that everything—learning from the Sword Immortal, reaching the Sky Demon Sect, and mastering the Demon Sword—was all the result of manipulated causality?

How could that even be possible?

To think that someone could manipulate the minds and wills of so many, including the Sword Immortal and the followers of the Demon Sect?

A chill ran down Jo Hwi’s spine.

“No… that doesn’t make sense! Isn’t that truly the power of a god?”

Tian Wuja, with a bitter expression, turned his gaze to Cao Cao.

“Now you begin to understand just how unfathomable the powers contained within the Yichun Blood Prison and the Spirit Heaven Blood Prison are.”

The harsh reality began to dawn on Cao Cao. His gaze flickered as he responded quietly, “How much do you truly know about the Yichun Blood Prison?”

“It is not a treasure made by the caliber of a person, and it is a treasure prepared for some ‘danger.'” What I know is all there is to it.

“You only know it abstractly.”

Then a long silence followed.

The ancient legend gradually began to flow from Cheon Woo-ja’s lips, who had been pondering so deeply.