C955
Raon walked down the sand mountain, extending his right hand. Activating the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, a deeper golden flame ignited on his palm.
‘Does the flame become more golden as the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation strengthens?’
He recalled the deep golden flame he had glimpsed in the First Patriarch’s memory during the Judgment Ceremony.
‘That must be the perfected form of a swordsman.’
The First Patriarch had clearly surpassed even Transcendence, having mastered both the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the Ring of Fire.
‘When will I be able to reach that level? No, will I even come close?’
As far as he could feel, even Wrath and Glenn hadn’t reached the First Patriarch’s realm. It wasn’t just a matter of martial skill, but a difference in the very nature of their existence. Since he hadn’t even reached the level of the Transcendants of the Five Kings and Five Demons, reaching the First Patriarch’s realm seemed very distant.
‘Now that I think about it....’
Raon clicked his lips as he extinguished the flame on his palm.
‘The balance between the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier has been disrupted.’
Except when he received Glacier from Wrath, he had always maintained an equal level between the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier. He had been careful because the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the cold of Glacier were opposites, but for the first time in a long time, that balance had been thrown off.
‘It might be difficult to control the flame for a while.’
The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation had reached 10 stars, while Glacier hadn’t even reached the end of 9 stars. It seemed he would have to work quite hard to control such powerful heat.
‘Hm?’
Raon’s eyes widened as he contemplated his future fighting style.
‘The sand doesn’t hurt anymore.’
Unlike when he was climbing the mountain, the golden sand didn’t present any obstacles as he descended. His feet simply sank into it, that was all.
‘Then I should move quickly.’
Since the physical and mental strength tests were over, there was no need to stay on this sand mountain. He began to descend quickly, using his movement techniques.
‘I need to catch up with Wrath.’
Even from the top of the mountain, he couldn’t see the end of the sea that Wrath had crossed. It would take a long time to follow Wrath, so it seemed better to hurry. Raon slid down the sand mountain, heading towards the dim terrain where he had been when he entered the Room of the Self.
Stepping on the black earth, the black ground that seemed to be covered in shadows began to turn golden.
‘Is something else happening?’
However, no matter how much he waited, nothing else happened besides the change in the ground’s color.
‘This must be because of Wrath too.’
In his opinion, this place should have been both the entrance and exit of the Room of the Self, but it seemed that Wrath’s interference had blocked the door.
‘I’m not sure if this situation will help or hinder.’
Raon smiled wryly as he looked towards the sea.
‘Even if it doesn’t help me, I hope it benefits Wrath.’
Wrath always complained about being ‘exhausted’, ‘having his back broken’, and ‘being left with only bones’, but whenever Raon or the Light Wind Palace were in danger, he unleashed his Authority without a moment’s hesitation.
He was the kindest and most affectionate person Raon had ever met, so he hoped Wrath would gain even a little strength here.
‘Of course, if he gains a lot, I’ll participate too.’
Raon imagined Wrath shouting, “Why are you the one eating it?!” as he stepped on the blue sea.
‘It’s refreshing.’
Perhaps because he had endured the scorching sand and suffocating heat, the icy cold emanating from the sea felt welcome.
‘Wait. This is more than just refreshing. Could it be…?’
He felt something very familiar on the surface of the blue sea. Glacier’s cold. The energy permeating this sea was Wrath’s ice.
‘What did that cotton candy cloud do while flying over the sea?’
He couldn’t imagine what Wrath had done to imbue the entire sea with his cold energy.
‘He’s still as careless as ever.’
Raon laughed as he walked on the sea, and then suddenly stopped.
‘A sea of cold energy…'
If this entire sea was permeated with Glacier’s cold energy, it seemed possible to absorb that energy while moving.
‘It’s definitely possible. No, I must do it.’
The cold energy permeating the sea wasn’t particularly strong on its own. But since it was spread throughout this vast sea, absorbing the cold energy while moving could greatly improve his mastery of Glacier. Raon suppressed the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation that was surging through his body and drew out the Glacier ice hidden deep in his energy center.
Activating Glacier, the cold energy flowing through the sea began to seep into his feet and circulate through his mana circuits.
‘I can move like this.’
It wasn’t difficult to handle, since both the cold energy in his body and the cold energy spread throughout the sea belonged to Wrath.
‘As expected…'
He clicked his lips as he looked towards the sea that was the same color as Wrath.
‘Wrath really is a lucky charm.’
Raon calmly advanced through the sea, thinking about how to annoy Wrath later.
* * *
A man with black hair and black eyes descended from the World Tree, stepping on air as if it were stairs. His movements were as graceful as those of a skilled dancer, but as fierce as those of a hungry beast.
“Is this frozen tree the manifestation of your soul?”
The man with black hair and black eyes looked around the blue World Tree with his hands behind his back.
“It’s beautiful and noble. It suits you. Of course…”
He nodded calmly and placed his hand on the base of the World Tree. The part of the World Tree touched by the black-haired, black-eyed man’s hand crumbled into gray dust as if a thousand years had passed in an instant.
“The inside is just as wicked. Befitting a trash king who abandoned those who had been with him since childhood to ascend the throne.”
He smiled coldly as he looked towards the center of the World Tree that had melted into gray.
“Shut your mouth.”
Wrath clenched his fist so tightly that his veins bulged. Although he knew this man was an illusion created by the Room of Self, he had trouble containing himself.
“Rage.”
The black-haired, black-eyed man’s name was Rage. He was an ancient demon who had sat on the Monarch’s throne before Wrath.
“To think the current demon king would call this humble one, I feel honored.”
Rage bowed, murmuring that he was truly grateful.
“You look good. Did you sacrifice your new subordinates for your growth as well?”
He twisted his lips into a mocking smile.
“I told you to shut your mouth!”
Wrath let out a roar of anger and charged at Rage. A cold icy energy extended from his glowing blue fist.
“I see your temper hasn’t changed, I see.”
Rage smiled as if he had expected it and raised his hand. The gray energy blooming from his palm collided head-on with Wrath’s cold energy. The blue light and the gray light clashed violently, shattering all the snow flowers in the snowy field and breaking branches off the frozen World Tree.
“Well, I guess that’s fitting. For a king who abandoned his loyal subordinates to ascend the throne.”
Rage nodded, saying that the name Wrath suited him too well.
“It’s all… It’s all your fault!”
Wrath gritted his teeth and opened his palm to strike Rage’s face. He amplified the cold energy in his fingertips, freezing Rage’s entire body. The man couldn’t move a finger, trapped in an ice pillar that rose towards the sky.
“Mm….”
Rage let out a faint laugh as he was buried in the ice.
“You’ve certainly become stronger since our fight. But not as much as I expected. Have you been playing the fool somewhere again?”
He frowned in disappointment, and gray energy emerged to break the ice pillar.
‘Break the unbreakable ice. That cursed power is still the same.’
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he watched the gray light emanating from around Rage.
‘The Authority of Collapse.’
Just as he possessed the cold energy that freezes everything, Rage possessed the power of collapse that destroys everything. If his gray energy touched him, even Wrath would crumble.
“I was really looking forward to fighting you as the Monarch of Wrath, not as a trash king, but I’m disappointed.”
Rage clicked his tongue in regret as he looked at the sky, then suddenly disappeared. He appeared behind Wrath in an instant, unleashing his collapse energy as if he wanted to finish him off while Wrath was caught off guard.
“I knew you would do that.”
Wrath furrowed his brow and turned around. He dispersed Glacier’s cold energy towards Rage’s approaching aura. The ice spreading like an umbrella and the collapse shooting like a spear collided, creating a terrifying shockwave. The ground cracked in a web pattern, and black cracks appeared in the silver sky.
“It’s the cold energy that killed me!”
Rage smiled distortedly and drew out an enormous collapse energy behind his back.
“This time, I’ll kill you and take that body.”
“Where do you think you’re going, you who’re already dead! I don’t know who told you what, but…!”
Wrath raised a fierce cold energy, pushing back the collapse energy that Rage had unleashed.
“I’ll kill you again! No, for you, even dying tens or hundreds of times wouldn’t be enough!”
He unleashed the power he had always kept suppressed. The Wrath of the Blue Demon King. He drew out the Authority that concentrated all the anger in this world into his hands.
“Your current strength isn’t enough!”
Rage let out a thin laugh and concentrated his collapse energy. The gray energy spun into a spherical shape. A beam of gray light burst from the sphere that Rage had summoned, destroying everything around him.
The frozen World Tree cracked and fell with a black hole in it, and the sky and earth containing it trembled.
Rage’s Authority of Collapse had the power to destroy this very space.
“As you said, I’ve become weaker. But I’ve gained things because of it!”
Wrath drew out a silver demonic sword that seemed to be forged from moonlight from the blackened void.
“Are you asking if I’ve been playing the fool? No, I’ve simply been investing in the future.”
Thinking of Raon, who must be struggling even more than him, he swung the demonic sword. The silver cold energy emanating from the sword froze even the collapse power that destroys everything.
“I’ll be back. I have a lot to give back to that damn weasel!”
“Where do you think you’re going? The only place you’ll be buried is here, in this pile of trash!”
Wrath and Rage simultaneously stomped on the ground and raised their respective Authorities. The clash of the accumulated wrath of the previous and current demon kings dyed the white world with a dark blue light.
* * *
Raon slightly curled his lips as he advanced through the endless sea.
‘Is this really okay?’
It’s too easy, isn’t it? When he was climbing the sand mountain on foot, he had felt the limits of his physical and mental strength. When training with the First Patriarch, he had felt a dizziness filled with questions. When fighting a life-or-death battle with the half-wit Anima Farel, he had felt a chill that made his heart drop.
Finally, when enduring the sun’s heat, he couldn’t breathe properly and felt pain as if his skin and bones were melting, truly preparing for death.
‘Compared to that…’
Now he was raising his mastery of Glacier just by running through the sea. It felt too easy to gain power like this.
‘This probably won’t allow me to break through the 10-star barrier, but it might get me closer.’
Since he could raise his mastery of Glacier just by walking on the sea, it wouldn’t be bad to stay like this until he left the Room of the Self.
‘Hm?’
As Raon advanced through the sea with a satisfied smile, he saw a gray land that seemed completely burned on the horizon.
‘Is that the end of the sea?’
Given the strong feeling of Wrath’s energy, it seemed he was on that island. Raon stepped onto the gray land with a regretful smile, leaving the sea behind.
‘Wrath’s energy is… coming from that mountain.’
Wrath’s presence could be felt from the gray mountain rising in the center of the island. It seemed he hadn’t arrived here long ago.
‘At this rate, I might meet him sooner than expected.’
Raon briefly clicked his lips and walked towards the mountain where Wrath’s scent could be felt.
‘It’s big. But it seems completely burned.’
The large mountain was gray, as if it had already lived its life and only ashes remained. Fortunately, Wrath’s presence didn’t come from the mountain itself, but from a pitch-black cave beneath it.
‘Well then…’
Raon shook his ash-covered hands and stood in front of the cave. It was a strange place, too dark to see clearly inside.
‘Entering with vision blocked is… huh?’
However, after walking a little, a soft light emanated around him, like in an amethyst cave.
‘This light is…'
Does it seem to be Wrath’s cold energy? The light particles floating in the cave glowed blue with frost energy even denser than the cold energy of the sea.
‘Don’t tell me here too?’
It seemed he could raise his mastery of Glacier here as well, just as he had absorbed cold energy from the sea.
‘Wrath really leaks a lot. No, wait, was this place originally like this?’
No matter how foolish Wrath was, he wouldn’t leak his energy like this. Since this was the Room of the Self, it was more likely that this place had been like this from the beginning.
‘This guy had it easy.’
Raon slightly lowered his eyebrows and ventured further into the blue-lit cave.
* * *
Raon slowly opened his eyelids as he felt the cave getting narrower. He had lost track of time while walking and concentrating on Glacier. He had only repeated the cycle of walking, absorbing cold energy, walking, and absorbing.
‘It was boring, but thanks to that, my mastery of Glacier has increased dramatically.’
Not only from the sea but also from this cave, he had continuously absorbed cold energy, greatly increasing his mastery of Glacier.
It wasn’t enough to surpass the 10-star level, but it would be a great help in balancing with the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
‘As they say, if you follow a generous tree, you’ll at least get a fruit.’
Raon was smiling as he continued through the cave when something appeared before his eyes.
‘A mirror?’
The full-length mirror he had seen when he first entered the Room of the Self was in front of him.
‘Why is it here? Could it be the exit?’
He was about to reach out to the mirror when he shifted his gaze towards an energy he felt to his right. A blue orb floated above a small depression in the ground, as if a child had fallen there.
‘What is this?’
Not sensing any malicious energy, he extended his hand towards the orb. As he touched the blue orb, a huge amount of cold energy began to flow into his fingertips. The cold energy absorbed suddenly flowed naturally towards his energy center, following the flow of Glacier as if it had always been his own power.
“Ha….”
Raon let out a dry laugh as he felt Glacier’s cold energy circulate like lightning.
‘What is this? Why is everything so easy here?!’
Unlike his own mortal struggles, the tests Wrath received seemed so easy that even a child could overcome them. His eyebrows involuntarily rose in astonishment.
“He’s been living the sweet life. Well, there’s nothing to do now.”
Raon clicked his lips as he looked at the mirror that seemed to reflect Wrath in the form of a cotton candy cloud.
“I have a clear and clean conscience! I’ll have to take only eighty percent.”
-
More Ch4pters on KoreanPlayer
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
Thanks for the support
