“Gwiin...?”

Watching the spirit react to him, he bit his lip.

His mother was gone.

Confirming this, he turned to the spirit and spoke.

“...What happened?”

“What... what do you mean...?”

“The events just now. Do you remember them?”

“Huh...?”

Damn it.

The spirit didn’t seem to remember anything.

I lost the chance.

His mother had disappeared again. And once more, she left him with nothing but instructions to seek another Divine Tree.

If it was the next Divine Tree—

It must be that other general.

The one shrouded in mystery, with little information available.

The location was known, but there was barely anything about who this general was.

Did this mean he had no choice but to go there?

The location...

He had heard it was somewhere on the way back to the Mount Hua Sect from Mount Marryeong.

Could this really be a coincidence?

He had questioned why he had to come to Mount Marryeong first.

But now... it felt like all of this had been arranged, each step meticulously planned.

What exactly is going on?

What was his mother’s true goal?

From her words, he understood that she wanted him to obtain the Divine Fruit.

That was clear.

His own goal was the same.

The difference was—

I’m not the one who’s going to eat it.

The Divine Fruit he sought was meant for Shin Noya, not for himself.

Besides—

Even if I did consume it, that would be the second time. Would that even be okay?

The first time, he had used it to stabilize his fragmented soul.

From what he had been told, the Divine Fruit restored a soul to its proper form.

If he were to consume it again—

...What would happen?

He couldn’t even begin to predict the outcome. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Was this what his mother intended?

If so... I can’t figure out what she truly wants.

She had said she wanted his happiness.

Yet, her actions suggested she wanted him to ascend to something greater.

And everything unfolding now seemed to align with that.

Lifting his head, he let his gaze drift past the spirit, toward the blackened Divine Tree.

“...”

The wind had died down.

Only the stillness remained, yet his emotions churned with unease.

Was he truly on the right path?

The only thing he had confirmed here was—

The Divine Sword is Yarang.

The soul he had absorbed at the Divine Dragon Hall had manifested as Yarang.

Just as he had suspected—she was the Divine Sword.

That fact alone left him in stunned disbelief.

Was he truly heading in the right direction? Was this really the right path?

He wasn’t sure.

But now wasn’t the time to hesitate.

If there was something he needed to obtain, he had to pursue it—no matter what.

He reached out his hand.

“Gwiin...?”

The spirit looked confused by his actions.

Ignoring the reaction, he pressed his hand against the Divine Tree.

At that moment—

Duuung—!

A pulse of energy radiated from the tree, sending a ripple through the surroundings.

Shwaaahhh—!!

The lake roared.

Waves churned violently, splashing as they surged.

Alarmed by the sudden phenomenon, the people outside rushed to the lakeshore.

“What the...!”

The most shaken of all was the spirit.

Having already lost consciousness once, the spirit now wore an expression of pure bewilderment at this sudden, inexplicable turn of events.

Yet even amidst the chaos, he remained unfazed, his hand resting against the Divine Tree.

Or rather—

...What is this?

He couldn’t pull away.

With his hand pressed against the tree, something from within it was seeping into him.

What is this?

It was different from when he had touched the Divine Tree in Yahwol.

That time, the process had been too quick for him to perceive.

But now—this time—energy was gently flowing into him from the ancient tree.

It wasn’t his own internal energy.

If anything, it was so pure and refined that it could only be described as divine energy.

It coursed through his arm and pooled in his heart.

However—

It doesn’t seem like energy I can use.

It wasn’t internal energy, nor was it spiritual energy.

It definitely wasn’t demonic energy either.

So what would happen now that it had accumulated inside him?

His brows furrowed as he focused on the energy.

Shhhh—!!

Before long, a transformation occurred in the Divine Tree.

The # Nоvеlight # blackened wood began to lose its color, as though being drawn into his hand.

“...T-The Divine Tree...!”

The spirit gasped in shock.

The blackness faded away, revealing the natural hue of the wood beneath.

It happened almost instantly.

In mere moments, all of the darkness had been stripped away.

So the energy was tied to the color...?

At the same time, the influx of energy into him ceased.

Apparently, the blackened color had been directly linked to the energy.

What exactly is this?

The sacred energy now residing within him—he didn’t know what it meant.

But his once-weary body felt noticeably revitalized.

As he took note of the sensation, he clenched his fist experimentally.

Wuuuung—!!

“Huh...!?”

A violet gemstone suddenly shot out from the spirit’s chest.

It was the same as before—the artifact that contained the presence of its master and enabled the deployment of spells in this region.

The moment the energy within it surged—

Swiish! Thump!

“Hm?”

It pierced straight into his chest and was absorbed into his body.

It had gone straight through, embedding itself directly into his heart.

There was no pain.

What he felt instead—

Whoooosh—!!!

“...Hah...”

—was an overwhelming surge of power.

Unlike the sacred energy from the tree, this was energy he could actually wield.

He could sense it spreading rapidly.

As it poured out from his heart and into his meridians, his internal demonic cultivation technique responded instinctively.

Demonic Heaven Absorption Art activated, devouring the energy and assimilating it.

Whoooosh—!!

Winds burst outward from his body.

The sheer force of the energy created an air pressure that gently swept through the surroundings.

And in the midst of it all, the energy within his heart swelled immensely.

“...Hoooo...”

He didn’t even need to regulate his breathing.

Having already reached transcendence, he could refine energy effortlessly, regardless of posture.

The amount of energy was staggering.

It was the equivalent of consuming multiple White Demon Stones.

The truly remarkable part was—

The Divine Tree’s energy is enveloping it.

Like a turbulent current being contained within a still reservoir, the gentle divine energy wrapped around the volatile force.

With this, the energy settled completely in his heart.

“Hah...”

Letting out a slow exhale, he murmured,

“...This is... good.”

A smirk naturally curled at the corner of his lips—he could feel the difference.

Fwoosh.

He summoned a flame at his fingertips. The already bright azure fire now felt even more alive.

It wasn’t that he had broken past another barrier. Rather, the scattered energies that had remained disorganized after his last advancement had now settled in perfect harmony.

As he took a moment to assess the change—

Rumble—!!!

A violent tremor erupted from the ceiling.

“I-Is this...?!”

“The barrier...!!!”

“Spirit Lord...!!”

The people watching rushed toward the spirit in alarm.

She quickly tried to rise, but—

Stumble—!

“Ugh!”

Lacking strength, she nearly collapsed. He instinctively reached out to steady her.

As he did, he looked upward, trying to discern the cause.

Ah, I see now.

He understood immediately.

...The energy is gone.

The power that had concealed this space, known as Marryeong Cavern—

The force borrowed from the gemstone left behind by its master had completely vanished.

The reason was obvious.

Because I absorbed it.

He had taken in the entire gemstone’s energy, and as a result, the hidden space was now unraveling.

“This... This can’t be...!!”

The spirit gasped in horror. If the barrier disappeared, Du Ryeong would be free to attack them.

“It’s fine.”

He said it casually.

Hearing that, the spirit looked at him, her voice trembling.

“What do you mean, it’s fine...?! If this happens... If this happens, we’re—!”

“I told you. It’s fine. If you’re worried about Du Ryeong, don’t be.”

“What are you saying...?!”

“I already dealt with him. There’s no need to worry about that bastard.”

“...What?”

The spirit froze.

Dealt with Du Ryeong?

Her eyes quivered violently.

Was he telling the truth? Or was this nonsense?

She clearly couldn’t believe it.

Wuuuung—!!

But while she hesitated, the barrier continued to collapse.

Before long, just like the color draining from the ancient tree, the Marryeong Cavern’s barrier completely disappeared.

And then—

...I can feel it.

The presence of life—something that had been undetectable in the darkness.

Now, it was returning.

Sensing this shift, he turned his gaze.

North.

The place where he had just fought Du Ryeong.

He took a step toward it.

“Gwiin...?”

The spirit called out hesitantly, confused by his movement.

But before she could say anything else—

Fwoosh—!

His body burst into flames.

Leaving behind a flicker of fire, he soared into the sky.

He had somewhere to be.

**********

Thud.

He landed on the ground.

The area was in utter ruin.

The earth was shattered, deep craters scarring the battlefield.

Debris lay scattered everywhere, evidence of the battle between himself, Du Ryeong, and the rampaging beasts.

But none of that mattered anymore.

What caught his attention was the deep, wide crater at the center—formed from the Heavenly Demon Soul Jade.

Slowly, he descended.

Though the moon hung in the sky, its light did not reach this place.

And at the bottom—

A figure was slumped over.

The shadows obscured the details, but from what little he could see, it was clearly a living being.

“So, you really listened to what I said?”

“....”

The figure stirred at his words.

In the darkness, two eyes flickered open.

Amethyst light shimmered within them.

A color slightly different from what it had originally been.

Seeing this, he raised his hand.

Fwoosh—!!!

Azure flames erupted, illuminating the surroundings in an instant.

As the light flared, the figure was revealed in full.

“....”

It was a man—completely bare, without a single scrap of clothing.

His frame was massive, slightly larger than Tang Deok’s.

He had jet-black hair and a heavy, powerful build.

The most striking feature—

A pair of enormous horns, like those of a bull, protruded from his forehead.

He stared at those horns for a moment before speaking.

“Du Ryeong.”

“....”

At his words, the man’s face twisted.

By all appearances, he looked entirely human—aside from the horns.

Yet, undeniably—

He was Du Ryeong.