Chapter 357: Is It Not A Joy To Have Friends Come From Afar? (1)

"P-Pardon? Seo Ran? Who is that?"

I sigh softly while looking at the demon beast in front of me.

'It's full of lies.'

Because it keeps spitting lies, I initially thought it was Seo Hweol.

'The appearance is fake, the claim of being in Core Formation is a lie, and not knowing Seo Ran is also a lie...'

Besides, seeing it borrow Seo Ran's appearance reminds me of Seo Hweol, stirring a rush of murderous intent within me.

Sensing my killing intent, Baek Rin roars furiously.

[You insoooleeeeeent thing!!! Can you not answer properly!!!]

At the Four-Axis Baek Rin's roar, the demon beast chokes as if its soul is about to leave its body.

"Enough."

When I raise one hand, Baek Rin stops roaring, and Hong Fan steps forward to interpret Baek Rin's words.

"If you lie one more time, you will die."

"Hmm..."

Though I have no intention of going that far, the demon beast's lying seems a bit too excessive, so I decide to take a firmer stance.

Perhaps due to the effectiveness of Hong Fan's threat, the demon beast disguised as Seo Ran starts frothing at the mouth and bows its head.

"I'm sorry, my lord! Please forgive me! Ah, it's done now."

Chuaaa!

As if steam is rising, the demon beast's appearance begins to change.

From within the mist, the demon beast seems to transform into a koi fish, and then quickly takes on another form.

"...First, tell me your real name."

I address the koi demon that has now taken the form of a woman with colorful scales on her face.

With a sigh of resignation, she speaks.

"...My name is Yuk Yo, my lord. And as for the person named Seo Ran...I met him briefly when he visited Sacred Orchid Island before."

"Oh, really? How did you meet him?"

"That is..."

Seeing her hesitation, Hong Fan signals to Baek Rin.

Baek Rin approaches Yuk Yo menacingly, emitting ghost fire.

"Hieek, I-I'll speak! Actually, I guided him around Sacred Orchid Island because he was looking for something there."

"Hmm..."

I frown as I read her intent.

Another lie.

When I signal to Hong Fan, he again signal to Baek Rin.

Baek Rin, enraged, grabs Yuk Yo's head with his skeletal hand.

Hong Fan speaks.

"This is your last chance. The Cult Leader can see through lies, so speak truthfully."

"Kugh...I understand. I'll tell you. Actually, I approached and deceived Seo Ran-nim who has the form of the Dragon Race to steal his appearance and rob him!"

"..."

I clutch my head at her dizzying confession.

"So, what did you do to Seo Ran?"

"I-I didn't do much. I carefully observed his appearance and behavior, absorbed a bit of his energy..."

"Speak without hiding anything. What else are you concealing?"

"N-No...actually, to absorb his energy, I drugged him with aphrodisiac and bedded him..."

"..."

"A-Anyway, after 'receiving his energy,' I was nearly caught by his spouse and barely escaped with my life, losing a chunk of my waist. I did steal about ten ancient stones from his storage scroll, but nothing else. Please believe me! L-Look, I still have the marks from being bitten by that person's wife!"

Yuk Yo, trying to prove her innocence, shows her stomach.

There are marks on her belly as if she had been bitten by a fierce beast.

'...This is rather dizzying.'

The fact that this demon beast had drugged Seo Ran to steal his energy and even robbed him is shocking, but what is more surprising is that Seo Ran is married!

I don't know what expression to make as I ask the next question.

"So, what happened to Seo Ran afterward?"

"He fled from his wife for a while, then later found what he was looking for on Sacred Orchid Island and moved to another island."

"Do you know where he went?"

"Well...as far as I know, he went to a place called Eung Wu Island. It's not far from here..."

"Which direction is it?"

"From Sacred Orchid Island, it's to the southwest. It's famous for the white spiritual energy crystals that gather in the sky."

I speak to Hong Fan.

"Hong Fan, bring Seo Ran here. You've seen his dragon form through this creature, and I'll show you his human form..."

"Ah, it's alright. As he's someone I've met when I was a child, I still remember his appearance."

"Hm...? What?"

Hong Fan is definitely from the Head Realm and had met Seo Ran and Song Jin back when he was still a young centipede.

But to remember something from before he even gained spirituality?

I'm a bit surprised, but since Hong Fan surprised me more than once before, I just nod.

"Well, alright. Go ahead then."

"By your command."

Paaatt!

Hong Fan disappears to the place indicated by Yuk Yo using the ground-shrinking technique, and I ask her.

"Anyway, as you've seen, we came from the Nether Ghost Realm and are not well-acquainted with the situation in the Ancient Force Realm. Explain what these 'ancient stones' you mentioned are, the general power structure of the Ancient Force Realm, and the characteristics of this place."

"Ah...yes, understood. First, the ancient stones..."

She takes out a few glowing jewel-like things from her storage scroll.

"These are ancient stones. They are treated as currency in the Ancient Force Realm."

"From what I see, they don't seem to be used for storing spiritual energy. What kind of stones are they?"

"Ah, ancient stones are a unique substance found only in the Ancient Force Realm. They can be obtained from the deep sea depths or from deep sea monsters. Their main characteristic is 'Return'."

"Return?"

"Yes, exactly. Ancient stones are also known as 'stones that accumulate history.' They endlessly record the paths they've taken and, when given a specific stimulus, they show the path they've traveled."

Crack!

She crushes one of the ancient stones, and it emits light, tracing a faint thread of light along the path Yuk Yo had taken to be captured by Jeon Myeong-hoon.

"Hoh..."

"Of course, if you stimulate only one, it will merely show the path. However, if you stimulate more than ten at once, they emit 'attraction force,' allowing you to return from the deep sea to the surface in one go. That's why ancient stones are also called 'return stones'."

"Fascinating. But is the sea below that dangerous? If one can use water attribute spells, return stones shouldn't be necessary, right?"

Yuk Yo gives me a puzzled look at my words.

But she quickly remembers that we came from the Nether Ghost Realm and nods.

"Ah, my apologies. Those from other realms and ascenders often don't know this. I've heard that in other realms, the sea is filled with 'water,' which sometimes leads to new ascenders diving into the deep sea to swim, causing rather tragic accidents."

"...So you're saying the sea below isn't filled with water?"

It's strange.

Not only does it look like a real sea, but the entire sea seems to be imbued with dense water energy.

It's a place full of the energy of water, yet it isn't the sea?

Yuk Yo nods and explains.

"Yes, what exists below looks very similar to water but isn't actually water. It's a 'dimension'."

"What?"

I ask in surprise, and Yuk Yo continues calmly.

"The deep sea of the Ancient Force Realm is a place formed by the overlapping of countless 'dimensions.' The density of dimensions is so high that they pool together, appearing similar to water, but they are fundamentally different. Once you enter below, space twists instantly, making it impossible to know where you are. The deep sea is filled with all kinds of precious treasures from various dimensions, but it also has that many monstrous creatures like deep sea monsters. Furthermore, a single misstep can send you falling into some deep, unknown dimension. That's why return stones are 'absolutely' necessary to come back when entering the deep sea."

"Huh..."

Feeling so curious with fascination, I look down at the sea below.

As I stare at the sea for a while, I suddenly notice something shining like a star beneath the surface.

'Ah, I see.'

It isn't just like a star, it is a 'real star.'

Beneath this sea, I can see 'the sky' pooled together.

But the night sky I see is quickly covered by waves and soon blurs into other shimmering shapes.

"Why exactly does such a thing exist in the Ancient Force Realm?"

"Um...I'm not exactly sure, but according to legends, it is said to be remnants of destroyed worlds."

"Remnants of destroyed worlds?"

"Yes. It is said to be ancient worlds that no longer exists. The dimensions reflected in the deep sea are from worlds that perished long ago, and the deep sea of the Ancient Force Realm was formed by absorbing pieces of these destroyed worlds."

"..."

Hearing that, I feel like I am beginning to understand the conditions for ascending to the Ancient Force Realm.

"Did you say there are ascenders in the Ancient Force Realm as well?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Do you know the conditions for ascending to the Ancient Force Realm?"

"Yes, I have a rough idea..."

Feeling like I am starting to understand why we ended up in the Ancient Force Realm, I ask her to confirm my suspicion.

"Is one of the conditions for ascending perhaps possessing a 'destroyed world's strength' or artifact?"

"Ah, yes, that's right. That's what I've heard."

Having heard the formula from the Owner of Salt Mountain and using the Great Mountain Splitting Emperor Technique, I can understand it clearly.

The Owner of Salt Mountain is a deceased entity.

And True Immortals are beings so vast they can be considered entire worlds themselves.

That means, the remnants of destroyed worlds are...

'Traces of deceased True Immortals, or something equivalent to that. That must be it.'

I look at the sea below with a grim expression.

I thought the Nether Ghost Realm, where dozens of Entering Nirvana True Persons are observing, is the most eerie and chilling place, but it seems I am mistaken.

The Ancient Force Realm, where the corpses of True Immortals are piled up like the sea, is even more horrifying.

Perhaps aware of my discomfort, she continues her explanation with shaking eyes.

"...Anyway, next is the basic territory of the Ancient Force Realm. The Ancient Force Realm is divided into three main regions. First, there's the Water Flow Region where we are currently located. For now...visitors from other worlds often make this mistake, but please, look up at the sky first."

"Hmm?"

At her words, I look up at the sky.

Unlike the Nether Ghost Realm, it's a blue sky.

Although different from the Nether Ghost Realm and the True Devil Realm which lack suns, the Ancient Force Realm has something similar.

It's the long ring surrounding the sky.

But as I am gazing at the sky, I am startled.

'Celestial energy...cannot be read!?'

As I am taken aback, she explains.

"First of all...the skies of other worlds are said to be an endless void. I don't know what that feels like, but in the Ancient Force Realm, there is an official name for the sky. It is called the Dome Sky (穹蒼). And, the Dome Sky is not an empty void but 'another' deep sea. If you keep going up into the sky, you will reach the Dome Sky and fall into the deep sea."

"...So you're saying..."

I immediately understand what she means.

The sky and the ground are both seas.

How can such a structure exist?

It's simple.

"This world, as in the space we are breathing in, is a kind of air bubble in the water, right?"

"That is exactly right!"

Indeed, this world is a kind of air bubble.

An air bubble inside a vast sea.

Inside it, the living creatures of the Ancient Force Realm live their lives.

"To continue explaining about the Water Flow Region, one of these 'air bubbles' is called a 'sea domain'. And, the Ancient Force Realm is composed of countless such sea domains gathered together. The Water Flow Region refers to the sea domains on the outskirts of the entire Ancient Force Realm."

She continues her explanation.

"And, as you move towards the center, the size of the sea domains, that is, the air bubbles, increases. Among them, the very center has the largest sea domain. Think of it as a very large air bubble in the center of smaller air bubbles. This large air bubble is called the Dao Departure Region."

"Hmm?"

I pause because the name sounds familiar.

Water Flow.

Dao Departure.

Then the next region must be...

"Is the next region called the Care Region?"

"Um, no."

"..."

"There is no such region called the Care Region...ahem. Anyway, the Dao Departure Region is the largest sea domain, and it has its own attraction force, pulling smaller sea domains towards it and preventing them from scattering into the deep sea. And the final region is the Xiezhi Worship Region."

"...!"

"The Xiezhi Worship Region is a vast continent located at the center of the Dao Departure Region. In fact, the sea domains in the Ancient Force Realm only have islands, so the Xiezhi Worship Region is the only continent. Anyway, the Xiezhi Worship Region is where the Sacred Master Hae Lin of the Ancient Force Realm resides, overseeing the entire realm. If the Dao Departure Region is considered the capital, the Xiezhi Worship Region is particularly revered as the land visited during important events such as the Heavenly Tribulation."

"..."

I'm lost in thought.

Although there's no Care Region, the names Water Flow, Dao Departure, and Xiezhi Worship are familiar.

'The Storage Scroll of Lofty Dragon True Person.'

Their storage Scroll definitely has the Water Flow Layer, Dao Departure Layer, Care Layer, and the Xiezhi Worship Layer.

And in their storage scroll, the Care Layer is essentially a middle zone created between the Dao Departure Layer and Xieshi Worship Layer, so the real floors are the Water Flow Layer, Dao Departure Layer, and Xieshi Worship Layer.

'Indeed. When you think about it, the Ancient Force Realm is related to Health...and the Lofty Dragon, who’s the successor of the Xiezhi Immortal Beast, the owner of Health...'

I signal to Yuk Yo to continue her explanation.

"Yes, then I will explain about the forces within the Ancient Force Realm. First of all, there are no significant factions in the Ancient Force Realm. Only the Sea King Hall (獬王殿) governed by the Sacred Master Hae Lin is the supreme power in the Ancient Force Realm.

"In the past, the Esteemed Ones of the Ancient Force Realm engaged in factional fights, causing several sea domains to be destroyed. Afterwards, the Sacred Master purged the Esteemed Ones and banned the formation of any major forces besides the Sea King Hall. As a result, there are no other major powers in the Ancient Force Realm apart from the Sea King Hall, only minor palaces that rule over a sea domain.

"Below the palaces, there are tens or hundreds of islands, each ruled by an Island Lord. They engage in minor power struggles among themselves, but there are no major conflicts."

"I see...so the Sacred Master does not interfere in minor disputes within the sea domains?"

"That's correct."

'I can freely spread my teachings then.'

Of course, the reason the Wuji Religious Order thrived in the Nether Ghost Realm is because it provided physical bodies, which will be meaningless to the creatures of the Ancient Force Realm. Hence, it might not be very effective.

But still, it means I could retaliate if a ruler of a sea domain bothers me, so it doesn't matter.

I ask Yuk Yo.

"By the way, I'm curious about something. What exactly are those islands below? If what's below is not water but a dimension, how can those islands float stably above it?"

"Ah...! Those islands are made of clumped ancient stones. They contain ancient stone veins throughout, preventing them from sinking. Moreover, ancient stones have a characteristic of remembering their original position and exerting an attraction force towards it, keeping them fixed in place even if the dimension shakes."

"You said ancient stones are used as currency, right? If someone digs them all up, will those islands sink?"

"That's correct. Therefore, mining ancient stone on islands is strictly prohibited. Anyone caught doing so is made into bait for deep sea monsters by the Island Lords. When a deep sea monster is attracted by the bait, it is hunted, and the ancient stones obtained from the monster are used to repay the amount mined by the bait. Only when ten times the amount of ancient stone they mined are harvested are they released. However, most baits die before that, making it essentially a death sentence."

"Hmm, I see."

I nod.

"For the time being, let's float around this area. We'll hunt those deep sea monsters and gather enough ancient stone to prevent the entire Twilight Domain from sinking before landing! Understood?"

[By your command!]

The surrounding Guardian Ghost Kings respond loudly.

I speak to Yuk Yo.

"Thank you for the explanation. Since you've provided useful information regardless of what happened, we'll treat you as an honored guest."

"Ah, no. I'm of no use, so just throw me nearby and I'll disappear on my own. Hehe..."

"My apologies, but we need a local for a bit longer. Hey, Baek Rin. Take her to the honored guest chamber."

[Yes, Cult Leader.]

Baek Rin responds loudly and drags Yuk Yo away, disappearing off somewhere.

Yuk Yo looks at me with a terrified face, but knowing Baek Rin's kind heart, I ignore her and look up at the sky.

The celestial energy is unreadable.

'Interesting. A world without a sky...'

In such a world, it will be extremely difficult for the Heaven Tribe to survive.

Of course, as starlight is still visible from those dimensional fragments, the Seven Stars Ritual might still be possible. However, with celestial energy being unreadable, they will be overwhelmingly disadvantaged in information warfare.

'A world full of the Earth Tribe...'

It's an interesting place.

And right then, a familiar shadow flies from afar.

A pitch-black demon centipede cleaves through the sky, heading this way.

Kuwoong!

Hong Fan lands in front of me.

"I've returned, Master."

"You've done well, and..."

I look at the two figures sitting on top of Hong Fan's head.

"It's been a while, friend."

A half-human, half-dragon clad in black clothes.

It's Seo Ran.

Main base of the Buk Hyang Fleet.

An old ghost who had been lying down just moments ago is now nervously biting his fingers and frantically pacing around the room.

"Damn it, my disciple is in the Wi Jeong Sea Domain, and now you tell me beings from another world have invaded the Wi Jong Sea Domain? I don't know if it's a deep sea monster or a vestige from the Interdimensional Void, but if the impact can be felt from the neighboring sea domains, it must be an incredibly formidable entity...my disciple must be kept safe...d-do we have any remaining Thousand Li Eyes?"

Looking at the old ghost, a woman in white clutches a heated jade norigae.

She takes out a storage scroll and rummages through it.

"Hm, it seems we used up all the Thousand Li Eyes when we occupied this sea domain. There are none left."

"Kugh...Ah! Didn't you say you were making some kind of tracking device before?"

"Yes...but Elder Song asked why I am making such things when we have the Thousand Li Eyes and told me to not make them."

The woman in white looks at the old ghost with a slightly pouting expression, and the old ghost, flustered, responds to her.

"Ahem, I'm sorry. Everything has its use...so you really didn't develop it?"

"Hmm...I do have a prototype. However, since development was halted midway, it's not as effective as the Thousand Li Eye and can only roughly estimate Seo Ran's position."

The woman in white pulls out a small crystal-like object from her storage scroll.

When she breathes spiritual energy into the crystal, it shines, projecting a map of the sea domain.

A large pitch-black sphere emerges above the map.

"This, this is..."

"It's the situation in the Wi Jeong Sea Domain. Something ominous has appeared above the sea domain and given its size...if it's a living being, it will 'at least' be at the Grand Perfection Integration level. It could even be more than that."

"M-my disciple? Where is my disciple?"

"You gave Seo Ran ghosts, right? Do you have any ghosts with similar energy to those you gave Seo Ran? We need a specific energy to locate it."

"Here! This is a ghost paired with the one my disciple has. It's a bit old but..."

The old ghost takes out a rusty, worn-out bell from his pocket.

"The fundamental energy is definitely the same."

"Yes, that will be enough."

The woman in white receives the bell from the ghost and holds it close to the map projected by the crystal.

The map reacts, creating a single red dot.

The old ghost's eyes widen.

The red dot on the map is located at the center of the large black sphere projected on the map.

He clutches his head and screams.

"Immediately! Deploy the Buk Hyang Fleet immediately! We must head to the Wi Jeong Sea Domain! My disciple is inside the belly of that otherworldly evil being!!!"