Chapter 373: A Bizarre Phenomenon

Just as he was looking up at the building falling along with the sand.

Crumble!

The building falling from the sky split into hundreds of pieces, then began to weather like sand.

Was it because it was too old?

It could not even withstand the friction with the atmosphere. It collapsed before even reaching the ground.

Ku-gu-gung.

Only small debris remained and scattered here and there in the mountain range, but a peculiar thought occurred to him.

He had a thought that perhaps all the sand currently falling from the sky was originally other objects in the past.

“Senior, did you see that just now?”

“I saw it too.”

Since Gon-ak had also seen it, it meant it was at least not an illusion.

Come to think of it, it was too strange.

Until now, he had not been able to pay attention because he was focused on fighting the enemies, but it was full of bizarre things.

In the first place, why on earth was sand falling from the sky?

“Could it be that this place was underground? Or perhaps a land mass like an island is floating above the sky.”

“Hmm… For now, in my senses, there does not seem to be a landmass above.”

Gon-ak was a True Spirit originating from the earth.

It meant they possessed an extremely sensitive sense regarding soil, so if there was a giant landmass above the sky, it was highly likely they would have detected it.

“Then it is even stranger. Just the sand falling now combined would be of an immense scale, would it not?”

Should it be called a rain of sand.

The phenomenon of golden grains falling from the sky did not only occur here.

It was a phenomenon occurring simultaneously throughout the entire secret realm.

“…It is indeed suspicious. For this much sand to be falling, yet no source is felt.”

“It would be best to check.”

He tracked the sand pouring from the sky in reverse, but before long, he had no choice but to stop.

Should it be called the ceiling of the secret realm.

Because his path was blocked by a transparent barrier like glass.

Peculiarly, the sand was pouring from beyond the barrier.

He and Gon-ak passed through the barrier they could not normally pass as if it were nothing.

When he peered beyond the barrier, it was pitch dark like a room with the lights turned off.

It felt like looking at a deep sea or a cave where not a single point of light entered.

Tap.

He tried tapping it with the power of the Golden Body Dharma Image, but it did not even budge. The durability was substantial.

Suddenly, a question arose.

Was it originally that dark beyond the barrier?

No.

Even when he had just entered the secret realm and was wandering around here and there, the sky was normal.

It was merely blocked by a transparent barrier like glass, and its appearance did not have a great difference from a general sky.

But now, only darkness is filled.

It seemed to be a change caused by the hourglass, but he could not know what exactly it meant.

Just as he was contemplating what the situation was.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze and turned his head, and his eyes met with himself reflected in the barrier.

“…”

Because it was very dark beyond the barrier, this side was reflected like a mirror, but that appearance was somehow unfamiliar.

The pupils were murky like an abyss, and the slightly twisted mouth seemed as if it were smiling.

Had he been making that kind of expression?

When he narrowed his eyes and examined it closely, only a normal appearance was seen, as if it had never been so.

No abnormality could be discovered.

Had he simply misseen it?

After staring blankly at the shape reflected in the barrier for a moment,

He spread his Blood Wings.

“You?”

“I will check how solid this barrier is.”

The tyrannical energy flowing along his meridians, the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration, surpassed the fifth circulation and entered the sixth circulation.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

He guided the energy, which had grown strong enough to melt his meridians, to the tip of his sword.

Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration: Penetrate .

Out of all the divine abilities he possessed, he poured out a divine ability that was within the top four in terms of destructive power alone.

Jjeeeeeeeng……!

A roar echoed, but that was all. The barrier was perfectly fine.

Not even a faint crack appeared. Watching the absurdly robust barrier, a low groan escaped him naturally.

Perhaps…

He had a thought that escaping from here might be harder than fighting the enemies.

Normally, the secret realm restriction would have opened naturally after fifty-eight years, but he could not know if that would be the case in the current situation as well.

Afterwards, he wandered around the sky and examined the barrier, but he did not obtain particularly useful information.

The sand still continued to pour, and very occasionally, the debris of old buildings fell as well.

In the end.

“I will investigate the method to escape from the secret realm, so you focus on cultivation.”

“I understand.”

After parting with Gon-ak, he selected a secluded mountain range and dug a cave.

After installing several formations to hide the entrance, he headed to the cultivation ground of the Secret Realm of the Mind.

Since the hourglass appeared, things had become very strange, but he postponed the contemplation.

No matter how the situation flowed, there was nothing to lose by raising his strength.

For now, he decided to focus on breaking through the minor realm.

‘Shall I check the storage pouches first?’

As he absorbed the storage pouches obtained recently into the sub-space, numerous treasures were generated.

Just as he was scanning the piled-up treasures.

A familiar round pill was seen.

It was a pill shaped as if kneaded from pure gold, and a silver halo wrapped around the pill like Saturn’s rings.

‘Where did I see this… Ah! It is the pill Yoo Cheon swallowed right before he died.’

Yoo Cheon, who was driven to the brink of defeat, swallowed a pill that looked like this, and his magic power was amplified three to four times.

He was curious about the pill’s name, but as he examined the jade slip stored together with the pill, he could know immediately.

[As a result of testing the counterfeit Immortal-Destroying Pill , the side effects are excessive compared to the medicinal efficacy.]

[Causing severe internal injuries is also a problem, but that the soul and spiritual roots are permanently damaged is an even greater problem.]

[Upon consumption, all abilities possessed as a cultivator decrease, so even if a dangerous moment comes, one cannot help but hesitate.]

[It seems necessary to reduce the side effects even if the effect of amplifying magic power is lowered.]

Counterfeit Immortal-Destroying Pill .

It seemed to be one of the enemies’ supplies.

‘Is it a pill developed recently?’

Seeing that they had written the evaluation and direction of improvement for the pill, it seemed to be an incomplete product.

‘The side effects are quite severe, but…’

This much was fine.

Something like the soul and spiritual roots being damaged could be recovered with the Myriad Flows Restoration divine ability.

For now, he packed it and examined the other harvests.

‘It is lucrative.’

He also packed five years’ worth of cultivation resources well, and used the miscellaneous dharma treasures and spiritual items to develop the Secret Realm of the Mind.

It was something he naturally came to know while using the Genesis divine ability several times, that Genesis was a divine ability that descended the possibilities the Secret Realm of the Mind could reach in the future into the present reality.

It meant that the more he developed the Secret Realm of the Mind, the more powerful something would pop out.

Of course, even if it was not for this reason, there was no reason to neglect the Secret Realm of the Mind.

‘Because as the Secret Realm of the Mind develops, the cultivation speed also becomes faster.’

He took special care of Mu-geuk’s spiritual herb field and Geum-cheong’s nest.

Weeeeeeeng!

Mu-geuk was just happy looking at the piled-up sharp weapons.

“Chirp! What a delicious lightning!”

Geum-cheong, who received and ate the Five Elements Divine Thunder, trembled all over.

Perhaps because her lightning Qi developed as she digested the Silver Lightning, it felt as if her fussiness had increased.

While playing slightly with Geum-cheong who was pestering him for more lightning, he gave her all the lightning-attribute spiritual items obtained from the storage pouches.

“Master, you did another great job! Very well done!”

Leaving Geum-cheong who was rejoicing at the piled-up treasures, he focused on examining the harvests again.

‘Is there no particularly usable spell… Hmm?’

He paused as he was examining mainly the jade slips in case there was important information.

[Recently, the demand for spiritual items possessing the power to control wind and rain has surged rapidly.]

[Confirmed a rumor floating around that if one pierces through the Nine Heavens Wild Wind and goes up to the heavens, a paradise unfolds. Requesting the dispatch of an investigation team.]

As he read the jade slip, his brows knitted naturally.

‘A paradise unfolds if one pierces through the Nine Heavens Wild Wind and goes up?’

If one went up about 1,200 km from the ground, the Nine Heavens Wild Wind raged.

It was a strange wind that made it impossible to control magic power and divine sense, and to resist it, one had to at least be an Unity stage Dao Sovereign.

‘Was there something above the Nine Heavens Wild Wind?’

In fact, after becoming an Unity stage expert, he had explored the Nine Heavens Wild Wind.

It was because he was curious about what would be above the sky, but there was no particular harvest.

He had merely confirmed that the higher one went, the rougher the wind became, to the point that even the level of an Unity stage expert could not endure it.

‘I should go there when there is an opportunity later.’

He remembered it as one of the things to do in the future.

Following that, he examined other jade slips, and there was much useful information.

‘Was the name of the organization above the Heavenly Law Palace the Xuanhuang Palace ?’

If the Heavenly Law Palace was an organization managing a region of Province scale, the Xuanhuang Palace was a force coordinating the entire Xuanhuang Realm.

It felt as if the scale of the enemy was gradually becoming clearer.

Just as he was nodding at the satisfying harvest.

He discovered a somewhat strange object.

‘Paper?’

A few lines of writing were written on a yellowed paper that had faded.

High-stage cultivators recorded almost all information on jade slips, so for it to be paper.

Out of curiosity, he examined it, and it was indeed real paper.

[They said that if one belongs to the Xuanhuang Palace, one can live forever. But why does the Xuanhuang Palace periodically recruit cultivators?]

[Every action has a price, so what kind of price must be paid for eternal life…]

Quite suspicious contents were written.

‘I do not know why they left such a question. If someone saw it, it would only cause trouble.’

Although it was not easily understood, he continued to read for now.

[To reach the Great Ascension stage, one must escape the flow of cause and effect.]

[But how can a being born from cause and effect escape cause and effect? In the end, unless one causes a miracle…]

At the unexpected harvest, his eyes flashed.

Because the paper was torn, the following contents could not be recognized, but it was highly valid information.

To become a Great Ascension stage cultivator, one must escape the flow of cause and effect?

He did not know if it was true or not, but it was worth remembering.

‘While belonging to an organization that searches for and eliminates heaven-defying treasures, did they investigate the method to reach the Great Ascension stage?’

Seeing this, he was certain.

‘It is not an organization run by loyalty.’

They probably followed orders to belong to the Xuanhuang Palace and obtain eternal life.

It seemed that if he targeted this part, he could cause division.

[The paper is torn, but I cannot remember at all when it was damaged. Did I tear it myself? Or could it be…]

Ending with somewhat ominous contents, the writing written on the paper ended.

‘It is useful information, but… it is not information that is meaningful right now.’

Tapping his scabbard, he contacted the clone that was observing the enemies’ movements.

It was to check what the opponent was doing before entering earnest cultivation.

About half of the enemies were attacking the secret realm restriction, seemingly trying to pierce the exit somehow.

The rest checked the rocky mountain where the hourglass had been buried, then returned to the entrance and constructed additional stone towers that broke stealth techniques.

‘Are they going to cover the entire secret realm with those stone towers? To find me?’

It seemed the enemies had also made up their minds to fight a long-term war.

As he observed for a moment and estimated the speed at which the stone towers were built, he concluded that there was nothing particularly problematic.

For them to dominate the entire secret realm would take at least ten years, but by that time, he would already have become a mid Unity stage expert.

‘Still, I must hurry. I must break through the minor realm before the entrance is pierced.’

He headed straight for the cultivation ground of the Secret Realm of the Mind.

There were several points on his mind, but he forgot them for now. Shaking off all stray thoughts, he immersed himself in cultivation.

Was it because he devoted all his sincerity? Time truly flew like an arrow.

‘It is almost done.’

Before he knew it, ten years had passed, and his dantian was filled with magic power.

If he accumulated just a little more magic power, he would be able to break through the minor realm.

One day, as he was dedicating himself to cultivation while bracing his mind.

The clone that was guarding outside the Secret Realm of the Mind delivered unexpected news.

He hurriedly stopped his cultivation and went outside, then was startled.

‘When did this much sand accumulate?’

Not to mention the cave dwelling he had constructed by directly digging the ground, the entire secret realm was covered in golden sand.

Looking around at the mountain range that had turned like a desert, he raised his head.

‘The sand stopped.’

Looking up at the sky, he felt the sand that had been pouring for ten years rapidly decreasing.

What on earth was this strange event.

Just as he was narrowing his eyes in the peculiar silence.

The scattering sand gradually subsided, then at some point completely stopped.

And, without any omen.

The surrounding landscape completely changed.

‘…Ah?’

He was clearly looking up at the sky in the cave dwelling he had made just a moment ago, but before he knew it, he stood on the hillside of a desolate mountain.

The landscape that had turned like a desert with piled-up sand returned to a steep mountain range.

As he looked around blankly, he suddenly realized.

Where this place was.

Exactly ten years ago.

It was the rocky mountain where he had dug up the hourglass together with Gon-ak.

Tap.

A sense of deja vu was felt from the grain of sand that touched his cheek and fell…

Sand began to fall from the sky once again.