A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation

Chapter 502: Half-Immortal Real

The Three Great Ultimates flow behind me.

I feel a resonance forming between the Three Great Ultimates and the Wheel.

'This is...'

Something is drawing the two toward each other.

Just in case, I try overlapping the Wheel and the Three Great Ultimates.

It's at that moment.

Pasasa!

The Wheel shatters, unable to withstand the amplification rate of the Sacred Vessel stage Three Great Ultimates.

Though it isn't easily broken by external pressure, it seems to be somewhat vulnerable to the internal pressure caused by the explosive forces within me.

'These two seem capable of overlapping, but...to make that possible, it seems I need to further perfect the Wheel and deepen my understanding of the Immortal Art.'

It feels like there might be something incredible awaiting, but for now, it seems to be a card I can't play.

Of course, it isn't a major issue.

Badududuk!

Because I am already an erupting volcano myself.

A Quasi-Immortal at the Entering Nirvana stage traverses thousands of light-years and flies toward me.

Then, they open their mouth wide and hurl another antimatter bomb at me.

Shwaaaaaa!

I don't know the exact principle behind it, but it seems to be a secret art that transforms water-attribute spells into antimatter at a subatomic level.

Slowly, I grip the Colorless Glass Sword in my hand.

Before I had the Three Great Ultimates, the existence before my eyes seemed difficult to handle...

But now, it's different.

'I can handle this much.'

As the antimatter makes contact with the matter of the universe, it transforms the surroundings into Qi, eroding the space around it with light.

It's as if the primordial scene of creation is unfolding.

The entire world is engulfed in light.

I place the tip of my sword against the void and slice upward.

Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts.

Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts.

Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts Scripture.

Secrets of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts.

Record of Surpassing Cultivation and Martial Arts.

Record of Surpassing Path and Martial Art.

Entering Heavens Beyond the Path Martial Arts...!

From that point on, the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts of Kim Young-hoon and I that completely melted into the realm of Entering Heavens Beyond the Path. 𝘙

This peerless divine technique has only now, today, obtained a name beyond Entering Heavens Beyond the Path Martial Arts.

In its earliest stage, Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts merely severed the opponent's intent (意) and consciousness (識), erasing their perception of existence. 

Over 400,000 years, that Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts has, in my hands, evolved, and evolved, and evolved again.

Now, it can not only hide myself but also conceal others, maintaining that state for up to 500 years.

Thus, it is time to give it a new name.

[Hidden Heavens Beyond the Path

Shukaak!

Beyond the Dao, I shall conceal myself from the heavens.

The tip of my sword scorches through the void.

The next moment.

Paatt!

The antimatter explosion before me vanishes like an illusion in an instant between the Quasi-Immortal and me.

[Wh-What...!? What kind of sorcery is this...?]

The Quasi-Immortal is momentarily taken aback.

Jiiiiiing!

A terrifying shockwave is transmitted directly to the soul.

I quickly use Mountain Echoes Valley Responds to unleash a sword cry that neutralizes the shockwave, protecting both myself and Kang Min-hee behind me.

However, the Quasi-Immortal, seemingly unable to adapt to the shockwave transmitted in the Plane of Soul, lets out a scream and howls madly.

Through Hidden Heavens Beyond the Path, I elevated the recent explosion entirely to the Plane of Soul.

The explosion occurred in the Plane of Soul, transformed from a material detonation into a shockwave that impacts the mind.

Not just severing consciousness and hiding within perception, but cutting apart the very phenomenon of an opponent's attack, sending it to the Plane of Soul and erasing it from sight.

No...it doesn't just stop at erasing. It transfers the phenomena itself into a battlefield advantageous to me!

That is the vision of the repeatedly transcended Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts.

This is Hidden Heavens Beyond the Path.

'If it were Kim Young-hoon, he probably could have created Hidden Heavens Beyond the Path in about six thousand years.'

He wouldn't have taken 400,000 years like me.

[You...]

It's when I'm gauging the power of Hidden Heavens Beyond the Path.

The Quasi-Immortal glares at me and mutters.

[The Three Great Ultimates behind your back...they are undoubtable proof that you have learned Heaven, Earth, and Heart.]

I give a bitter smile.

Just moments ago, this Quasi-Immortal, who had been casually firing antimatter bombs in an attempt to hunt me down, now has an entirely different gaze.

It seems they finally regained some composure.

The Quasi-Immortal glares at me and mutters.

[...I will apologize. I was too rash.]

At those words, I let a slight look of joy to show on my face.

[If that's the case, then perhaps we can reconcile...]

[But reconciliation is impossible. An enmity has already been born. How could I ascend to True Immortality peacefully while having an unresolved enmity with an entity like you?]

[...]

[I apologize for underestimating you. This Immortal will crush you with my full strength.]

Kugugugugu!

Up until just now.

The Quasi-Immortal, who resembled nothing more than a large, foolish pigeon, begins to transform.

'The Peng form from earlier...was merely a convenient mode for movement, and is this...their true Combat Technique Form?'

Chwarak, chwarararararak!

The Quasi-Immortal's body transforms.

Their avian form morphs into a beastman form.

Yet their massive size remains unchanged, with an arm still large enough to cover an entire fixed star.

Even though they take on a beastman form, the resemblance to a human is limited to their general frame. The overall appearance is anything but human.

The Quasi-Immortal's face resembles a goblin, composed of black liquid and dark blue ice crystals.

Their arms, still wings, now reveal each feather transformed into separate 'arms' of black liquid, with each hand writhing with eleven fingers.

Dozens of eye-like patterns, similar to those on my Ghost-Face Killing Heaven Furnaceare engraved all across their body, and their legs are obscured by a curtain formed of a black waterfall, obscuring them from view.

The waterfall resembles a kind of skirt, and as it flows downward, it melds into the darkness of the universe, until their lower body appears entirely fused with the Astral Realm itself.

Chiiiiiiiiii—

[I declare:]

The Quasi-Immortal begins to use its spell.

[O quickly spinning Troubled Star (煩星), come to this place.]

Chichichichichit!

Space begins to distort.

At the same time, a star appears above one of the arms of the Quasi-Immortal.

Wiiing!

The summoned star begins to rotate.

However, the speed of its rotation is unusual.

At first, it seems to rotate at a speed similar to that of a regular planet, but it gradually accelerates, spinning over 60 times per second.

Yet it does not stop there. The rotational speed increases even further.

[I declare: Let the Troubled Star summon a storm.]

Gugugugugu!

An interstellar wind sweeps through the cosmic space.

This is not an interstellar wind like before, which could be resisted to some degree.

This is truly a terrifying cosmic gale that sweeps me away, hurling me towards a distant star system.

Chichichichiching!

Once more, space warps, and the Quasi-Immortal leaps through the space to follow me.

Holding the frantically spinning star in their hand, they continue speaking.

[I declare: Let the stars of the nations listen.]

Wooo-woooong!

At the Quasi-Immortal's words, all the starlight shining upon this place begins to hum in response.

I feel the stars of the star veins resonating, and an overwhelming sense of foreboding rises within me.

[Create a fence from which the foe before me cannot escape. Weave a net with starlight so they lose their way forward.]

I can feel it.

The star veins entwine, sealing a distance of several hundred light-years.

A barrier is formed, ensuring neither I cannot escape the battlefield between the Quasi-Immortal and I.

[I declare: O path of starlight, do not bestow the heaven's attraction force upon my adversary. O vibration of stars, do not grant the earth's resonance to my foe.]

Clang!

The laws within the barrier shift.

At the same time, I feel a sensation of darkness overtaking my vision.

'The Heaven Tribe's sight and the Earth Tribe's sight...have been sealed?'

The vision tied to both is blacked out.

The constellations no longer allow me to read the future or the past.

It seems the Quasi-Immortal cannot interfere with the Heart Tribe's vision, but it feels as though my perceptual faculties have been divided.

[I declare: O Troubled Star, twist this Immortal's bridle and seize the Five Elements.]

Kuguguguguk!

It doesn't end there.

The star in their hand appears to spin even faster, causing the nearby Five Elements to transform.

'Astounding...'

The Five Elements converge into one, and all attributes are transformed into the water attribute.

In a remote corner of the universe.

Though this twisting of laws is limited to within this barrier, even that is an overwhelming miracle.

Nearby fixed stars extinguish, ignoring the laws of physics, and turn into frozen masses of ice.

All the planets in the vicinity either become engulfed in water or plunge into an ice age.

[Now, shall we begin?]

The Quasi-Immortal looks at me.

They seem fully prepared to fight me.

I look up at them.

Forming a hand seal, I draw forth one of the two forms of the Crystal Glass to Treading Sea Great Star that I had yet to reveal.

Crystal Glass to Treading Sea Great Star.

Torch of Myriad Forms and Connections (萬狀因緣燈).

My body becomes a torch, and my Glass True Fire becomes its flame.

Around the flame, akin to candlelight, my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections unfolds.

Perhaps, in the Quasi-Immortal's eyes, I appear as a mass of hazy mist.

Though the vision of the Heaven and Earth Tribes may have vanished, the authority remains intact.

Therefore...the Three Great Ultimates are still present.

Hwarururuk!

I amplify the Glass True Fire, again and again.

With the Three Great Ultimates behind my back and the hazy mist, I begin flying towards Quasi-Immortal.

The two cosmic entities collide.

The Entering Nirvana Quasi-Immortal holds the spinning star in their hand and shouts.

[O Troubled Star, hear me! Twist the Water of the Five Elements and reverse it with the power of darkness (暗黑).]

Kugugugugu!

The star system, once overflowing with water energy, transforms into antimatter and begins to explode.

However, Quasi-Immortal's incantation does not end there.

It's as if they anticipate that such an attack would have no effect on the foe before them.

[Troubled Star, heed my command! Whisper the curse with a thousand mouths! Let this Immortal's authority echo and manifest throughout the entire world.]

An orbit forms around the Troubled Star.

It is an orbit created from attraction force and rotation.

The orbit gradually expands, quickly engulfing the surrounding star system and reaches the edges of the barrier Quasi-Immortal has erected.

Soon, whispers begin emanating from the orbit.

Attraction Force Reversal.

Gravitational Concentration.

Collapse of the Five Elements.

Antimatter Waterfall.

Summoning Supernova Explosion.

Spatial Waterways.

Wrath of Water.

Knight of Winter.

Twilight of Frozen Earth.

World of Extreme Cold.

Within what living creatures might call a moment,

Thousands of spells and incantations are activated.

Each one is a grand spell capable of annihilating an entire world or civilization!

Attraction force reverses.

At the same time, to Seo Eun-hyun's left, gravity concentrates, creating a terrifying repulsion force.

The Five Elements collapse, shaking Seo Eun-hyun's physical body.

An antimatter waterfall materialises.

A supernova, on the verge of explosion, is summoned to block Seo Eun-hyun's path.

A waterway connecting one space to another emerges, allowing the water of a distant supermassive planet's ocean to flow in.

The water, heeding its master's command, erupts in fury and clings to Seo Eun-hyun.

Meanwhile, the black water surrounding the Quasi-Immortal condenses, forming a knight-like figure that radiates boundless cold.

The planet-sized knight wields a spear and charges toward Seo Eun-hyun. The moment Seo Eun-hyun and the knight collide, a blinding light bursts forth, followed by an explosion.

After the explosion, the entire surrounding space is dyed in extreme cold, rendering movement impossible according to laws of physics.

However, Seo Eun-hyun continues to move.

Kugugugugugu!

[This Immortal bestows upon thee a minor misfortune. You shall never reach this Immortal.]

The space between the Quasi-Immortal and Seo Eun-hyun layers itself. While the distance appears close at a glance, Seo Eun-hyun is actually subjected to an immense 'distance'.

Yet, Seo Eun-hyun advances.

[I declare to the Troubled Star: O Troubled Star, summon this Immortal's influence amidst the interstellar wind.]

Dudududu!

Interstellar wind sweeps through, distorting the space.

And, amidst the distorted space, two beings at the Sacred Vessel stage descend.

[Immortal Treasure, Cutting River Fan (㓼河扇), come to this Immortal's hand. Immortal Treasure, Red Flood Dragon Plaque (赤蛟牌), respond to this Immortal's call.]

A pitch-black sea that scatters sharp energy.

A colossal fan, formed from that black sea, is grasped in the Quasi-Immortal's hand.

A writhing plaque, crafted from what seems to be the flesh of some creature and adorned with the image of a red flood dragon, floats above the Quasi-Immortal's head.

However, the Immortal Treasures resist the will of the Quasi-Immortal, thrashing as if unwilling to obey.

The Quasi-Immortal roars in fury and suppresses the two Immortal Treasures with attraction force.

[Do not resist! I declare this: Let the Immortal Treasures' intellect be temporarily relinquished!]

Kwarururuung!

A sound akin to thunder reverberates, and the two immortal treasures fall silent.

Yet, controlling the treasures seems to have drained the Quasi-Immortal considerably as its arms tremble faintly.

The Quasi-Immortal swings the Cutting RIver Fan.

Hwiiioooooo!

Interstellar wind begins to rage wildly.

But that is not all.

Within the storm of interstellar wind, hundreds of slashes at the same level of the spells that bombarded Seo Eun-hyun emerge and surge toward him.

However, in the center of the hazy mist.

Where the flames of glass burn brightly, the fire morphs into a sword-like shape, deflecting and repelling all the incoming slashes.

Kwagwagwang!

Each slash that collides with the fire unleashes terrifying interstellar winds that shake the surrounding nebulae.

From the Red Flood Dragon Plaque comes what sounds like the roar of a red flood dragon, and the black water surrounding Seo Eun-hyun turns red, transforming into a red tide that encircles and dissolves him.

Then,

Kwaaaaang!

A glass-colored flame explodes, and a glass candle bursts forth from within the red tide, piercing through the distortion of space and advancing towards the Quasi-Immortal.

Finally.

Kwa-jiijijik!

Seo Eun-hyun reaches the hem of the Quasi-Immortal's skirt.

The edge of the waterfall.

Shiiii!

Seo Eun-hyun wraps around the Quasi-Immortal and begins moving up.

Along his path, the hazy mist from the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections lingers like a trail, gradually entwining around the Quasi-Immortal's body.

The scene resembles a hazy dragon with a head shaped like a candle, coiling around a giant god.

Chwararararak!

From the Quasi-Immortal's body, tens of thousands of hands of darkness erupt, attempting to push the dragon away.

But the dragon does not release its hold, continuing to coil upwards.

Once the dragon fully coils around the Quasi-Immortal, it becomes difficult for the Quasi-Immortal to attack with the Immortal Treasures.

Instead of panicking, the Quasi-Immortal raises the revolving star they summoned further into the sky.

[I declare this: O River of Black Water, transform into a River Whip and come to this hand.]

Chwararararak!

The accumulated water energy in the star system condenses, forming a massive river of black water.

The river flows into the Quasi-Immortal's grasp in an instant, transforming into a black whip.

[I declare to the Troubled Star: Bestow thy condemnation upon the adversary.]

Chwak!

The giant god swings the black whip towards the revolving star.

The star, called the Troubled Star, trembles violently upon being struck by the whip of black river.

Seo Eun-hyun's body also shakes, as though struck by the whip.

The Quasi-Immortal begins lashing the Troubled Star.

Kwa-jijijik!

The body of the star begins to be torn apart.

At the same time, the head of the dragon, the candle,

Seo Eun-hyun's main body begins to be gradually torn apart.

The curse of a Quasi-Immortal!

Chwak! Chwak!

However, it's when the Quasi-Immortal continues to lash the star.

Chwararararak!

The star begins to gradually darken, dying black.

The dragon's head.

From the place resembling a candle flame bursts forth a pitch-black flame.

[You reversed the curse? Terrifying one, what pain have you endured to overturn the curse of a True Person with your weight class alone...?]

Gradually, as Seo Eun-hyun's main body, the dragon's head, climbs higher and higher towards the head of the giant god, the Quasi-Immortal begins to grow visibly impatient.

Even antimatter is ineffective.

Even the thousands of spells cast simultaneously are ignored as he continues to advance.

Attacks using Immortal Treasures are deflected and he draws closer.

Even their curse is overturned by the weight class of his own curse and swallowed instead.

'This monstrous being...! Wasn't Vast Cold said to be at this level in their youth? If I let him go, he will undoubtedly become a vicious villain like Golden Divine and exact merciless revenge upon us.'

The Quasi-Immortal's eyes burn with ferocity.

A grim resolve to deal with Seo Eun-hyun here and now through whatever means is etched onto the Quasi-Immortal's face.

Jeoook!

The dragon with a head like a candle.

The monster known as Candle Dragon opens its mouth.

At the center of that mouth, Seo Eun-hyun, with the Three Great Ultimates on his back and spewing Glass True Fire, meets the gaze of the Entering Nirvana True Person.

Kiiiiing!

The Quasi-Immortal feels a chill run through their entire body.

It wasn't merely climbing up their body.

It wasn't just climbing. He has hidden himself with that candle, endlessly performing a sword dance all the way to this point.

The eyes of Seo Eun-hyun, who elevated himself to the True Immortal Domain through the sword dance, now burns incandescently white.

The Quasi-Immortal feels their entire being blaring with a sense of crisis.

'Ominous... If that strikes directly, even this Immortal will suffer a fatal wound...! If so, I must counter it...'

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.

Thirty-Third Stance.

Sumeru!

However,

There is something they didn't anticipate.

That is, every form of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship can naturally connect to another!

At the climax of the Sumeru Sword Dance, which borrows the power of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain, Seo Eun-hyun transitions into the stance of the next move.

The ideal of the thrust that reached the Ultimate!

And at its tip, the power of death!

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.

Thirty-Fourth Stance.

Kunlun!

The chained technique of Sumeru Kunlun unfolds right before the Quasi-Immortal's eyes.

In that instant, the Quasi-Immortal tries to escape, either by cutting through the hazy mist binding them or by shrinking their body.

But escape is impossible.

It is as though thousands, hundreds of millions, quadrillions of people are clutching their body in countless places, refusing to allow any transformation or flight.

There is no escape.

Bound and sealed, there is no way to evade.

Then, what remains is...

'To strike back!'

A terrifying authority emanates from the Quasi-Immortal's head that resembles a goblin.

In that brief moment, even Seo Eun-hyun feels his legs weaken.

At the same time, the entirety of the Quasi-Immortal's body, which Seo Eun-hyun is holding, seems to reverse itself.

The Quasi-Immortal's colossal body undergoes complete antimatter transformation!

A spell in which they momentarily detonate their cultivation, transforming their entire body into antimatter to induce mutual annihilation.

Because their body itself has been turned into antimatter, it can no longer be nullified by Seo Eun-hyun elevating it to the Plane of Soul as he had done just moments earlier.

The equivalent of three stars' worth of antimatter explodes, and within that explosion, a thrust resembling a black line pierces through the center of the blast.

Like so,

A small stellar system, where intelligent life has not yet emerged, becomes buried in light and disappears entirely.

Chiiiiiiii—

Looking at the smoke emanating from my body, I glance back.

Behind me.

The entire stellar system where we had just been fighting moments ago.

No, an area far larger than that is engulfed completely in light.

'I almost died.'

I click my tongue.

Had the chained technique of Sumeru Kunlun been even slightly delayed, I would have probably died right there.

To be precise, my cultivation would have fallen to the Star Shattering stage, and I would have revived, but...

Standing in front of a Quasi-Immortal with Star Shattering stage cultivation is the same as dying. 

Amidst a field of planet-sized asteroids, I sit down on a suitable meteor. 

Thanks to the perfectly executed chained technique of Sumeru Kunlun, I managed to pierce straight through the Quasi-Immortal's center and escaped with nothing but a slightly scorched body as my only injury.

'I wonder what happened...'

I don't believe that the last strike had killed the Quasi-Immortal.

The life force of an Entering Nirvana True Person is immense to the point that it transcends imagination.

Just as I am thinking of this.

Ududk, udududuk!

Space distorts as if being crumpled, and someone appears.

Chhiiiiiiii—

It is an Entering Nirvana Quasi-Immortal with smoke rising from its entire body.

They still have that goblin-like face, wings transformed into arms, and the waterfall-like skirt. However, their size is now closer to my own, resembling that of a regular human.

The being glares at me.

[What sorcery have you performed? I cannot use my cultivation...!]

I smile faintly without saying a word.

The power of Sumeru Kunlun has struck its mark.

Through the power of pure death, a pin-sized hole has been pierced in the Quasi-Immortal's soul, leading directly to the domain of pure death.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The natural restorative forces of the world will eventually seal the hole, and their cultivation will return on its own. But for now, no matter what they do, they will be unable to use their cultivation.

[Speak. What must be done to restore my cultivation?]

[...]

[You will not answer? Then...]

The Quasi-Immortal glares at me and stretches out one hand in my direction.

[I have no choice but to subdue you in close combat!]

I tense up and raise the Three Great Ultimates once more.

'The physical ability of an Entering Nirvana True Person...just how strong is it?'

The next moment,

Paaatt!

The Quasi-Immortal's body reaches me as if folding through space.

Though they lost their cultivation, they seem capable of manipulating a slight amount of attraction force. In an instant, they use the ground-shrinking technique to close the distance and thrusts their fist.

Kwagwagwagwang!

The planet-sized meteor shatters completely.

'This is Entering Nirvana...!'

A simple 'punch,' without any cultivation, Qi, attraction force, or martial technique, is enough to destroy a planet.

Considering that even Star Shattering Esteemed Ones would need to use techniques or 'skills' or 'authorities' to destroy a planet, the power of a Quasi-Immortal is truly absurd!

Wiiiiing!

Drawing volcanic energy from the Three Great Ultimates behind me, I lock eyes with the Quasi-Immortal who can't use their cultivation.

The next moment, we collide once again.

Jeeeoooong!

Kicking off a meteor fragment, they fly towards me with an outstretched hand.

Activating my Sword Sea Star Body, I extend my sword fused with my hand, deflecting their punch before stepping in and driving my knee into their solar plexus.

Jeong!

A meteor behind the Quasi-Immortal shatters completely from the shockwave of my strike to their solar plexus.

But as if unfazed, they adjust their posture, twist their body, and escape from my grasp.

Paatt!

I take a step back and execute a cross slash before reaching towards the horn on the goblin-like face to grab it.

Clench!

Gripping tightly to prevent their escape, I start swinging the Quasi-Immortal's body violently.

Kwaaaaang!

I slam their body into the meteor floor, repeating the motion until the meteor shatters completely.

Boong!

Tak!

The Quasi-Immortal's arms grab mine, using a precise counterforce to break free of my hold.

It seems they haven't wasted their hundreds of thousands of years of age.

Displaying a familiarity with close combat, the Quasi-Immortal grabs my arm with their left hand and punches towards my solar plexus with their other fist.

Kwang!

A meteor behind me shatters.

However, I show no sign of pain and immediately lunge forward to headbutt them.

The Quasi-Immortal, as if to accept the challenge, meets my headbutt head-on.

Kwaaaaang!

The shockwave erupting between us shakes the very space around us, shattering several nearby meteors.

Paatt!

Thus, the real battle between me and them begins.

Even though it's close combat, the Entering Nirvana True Person is indeed strong.

Even when I wield the formless All-Heavens Sword to control thousands of trajectories and press them, they use the sheer mass and force of their physical body to close in and deliver strikes against me.

Drawing forth power from the Three Great Ultimates, I relentlessly press the Quasi-Immortal who cannot use their cultivation.

Slash, strike, hit, grab, and swing again!

How long have I been pressing and pressing the Quasi-Immortal?

At last,

Pasasak!

My fist slams into the Quasi-Immortal's face.

The area where my fist strikes is deeply gouged, breaking apart their face.

The goblin-like face shatters, revealing the face in a Transformation state.

[TL: Transformation state referring to the appearance of demon beasts who can transform into humans during the Nascent Soul, aka, Transformation stage.]

The gloomy visage of a woman glares at me with clenched lips.

I smirk and unleash a flurry of attacks on her face like crazy.

Victory begins to tilt in my favor.

Bit by bit, her Combat Technique Form breaks down, revealing the ordinary body of her Transformation state.

And finally!

The move of Severing Mounting bursts forth, and simultaneously, her body pierces through three meteors before being flung out of the asteroid field entirely.

Pasasak!

Her Combat Technique Form shatters completely.

Puhwak!

I follow her through the asteroid field, grab her by the hair, and soar towards a nearby planet, smashing her face directly into its surface.

Kwagwagwagwan!

The surface of the planet, filled with poisonous clouds, quakes violently.

Descending into the planet's outer core, I stomp down on the Transformation state's skull belonging to the Entering Nirvana True Immortal who has expended all of her energy.

Kiiiing—

The power of the Three Great Ultimates begins to wane slightly.

For the Three Great Ultimates that amplifies power to near infinity to fade, it means the energy expended is beyond imagination.

The expenditure was monumental. However,

[I...]

At long last, I took down a True Person.

"I won."

I defeated an Entering Nirvana True Person.

Not only that, but I also captured a hostage—one of the True Persons suspected to have formed a direct contract with Blood Yin.

This is the extent of my current strength.

Clap, clap, clap, clap...

Suddenly, the sound of applause echoes from behind me.

"...!"

Startled by the sudden noise, I whip around.

There, I see a man clad in a purple-gold robe with jet-black hair cascading down his back, clapping his hands.

Possessing reddish-purple eyes, he licks his lips with his tongue and speaks.

"Impressive. It doesn't seem like it's been long since you reached the Sacred Vessel stage, yet to have already taken down a Quasi-Immortal. Truly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this the Half-Immortal Realm."

Gripping the limp head of the utterly exhausted Quasi-Immortal, I ask him a question.

"Who is the distinguished one?"

At my words, the man in the purple-gold robe steps closer and responds.

"Sacred Master of the Purple Gold Realm, Ban Ta."

Clench!

He stretches out his hand for a handshake, grinning as he does so.

It seems to be the greeting custom of the Purple Gold Domain.

"Congratulations on rising to the Sacred Vessel stage. Until recently, you were merely an Esteemed One, weren't you? A remarkable figure deserving of being called a Half-Immortal...is worthy of visiting Ban Ta Castle of the Purple Gold Realm. That's why I have come personally."

Clench!

Still gripping my wrist, he begins to apply strong pressure for some reason.

"Will you accept the invitation?"