Chapter 101 - Lotus (9)

Piiiiiiit!

‘Krughhmm!’

An immense pressure compresses the Formless Sword.

Numerous colors and rays of light brush past us.

I clench my teeth and endure, extracting more Pure Spiritual Force to feed into the Formless Sword.

How long did I manage to sustain the Formless Sword, teetering between life and death?

Flash!

Paaaat!

The pressure on the Formless Sword disappears, and I realize that I am above a teleportation array.

The air is different from inside Serving Command Palace.

Pssht...

The teleportation array beneath us extinguishes.

It seems that this teleportation array is also charged by drawing energy from the surrounding dragon veins.

'Where is this place?'

It’s when I am surveying the surroundings.

Wriggle, wriggle

"Ah! My apologies, Miss."

I release Buk Hyang-hwa, who is squirming in my arms.

"Phew! Oh, we made it out well."

Either because she was hot from being in my embrace for a while or due to the heat in her head from the pressure of spatial movement,

Her face is flushed red.

"By the way, what was that thing you did just now? Something transparent seemed to cover us..."

"Um, that was..."

I’m about to divert the topic when I notice her face is still red.

"By the way, Miss. Your face is still red. Are you feeling unwell? I am also a physician, so I can take your pulse."

"N-Noo! Answer my question first! What was that thing?"

Buk Hyang-hwa, unusually emotional, shouts at me.

'She's probably tired from all these sudden events.'

I decide to divert from explaining the Formless Sword.

"Hem hem, first, we need to figure out the current situation."

We are inside a cave.

Looking at the structure of the cave, there are paths in all directions, like a maze.

"No, don't change the subject. What was that thing? It clearly emitted the power of Core Formation!"

"Miss, let's first get out of this cave, and then I'll explain."

Finally, Buk Hyang-hwa seems to calm down a bit and nods.

I survey the cave with her, looking for a way out.

But due to the maze-like twists, every path we take leads back to where the teleportation array is located.

"Hmm, this cave... seems to be a formation."

"Indeed. But for such a formation, it doesn't seem artificially made, does it?"

I eye the maze, contemplating.

"It seems to be a natural formation, notoriously difficult to dismantle."

Sometimes, the arrangement of trees, the shape of a cave, or even the terrain itself naturally forms a formation.

Human-made formations have rules and principles, making them dismantlable if you can figure them out.

However, for such naturally forming formations, the rules and logic follow nature, not human understanding, making their dismantling extremely difficult.

"I have learned earth attribute methods, so why don't we just dig our way out with earth tunneling?"

"I have also learned earth attribute methods. Let's dig together."

Buk Hyang-hwa and I form hand seals and simultaneously use earth tunneling spells towards the cave wall.

Kuguguguk!

However.

Guk, guguguk...

"Wait a moment..."

Earth tunneling seemed ineffective, and Buk Hyang-hwa, realizing something, looks grim.

"This rock is called Strange Absorbing Rock, which absorbs spiritual energy! After absorbing spiritual energy, it disperses and distorts it, making spells ineffective..."

"..."

I silently sigh deeply.

"Phew..."

There’s no other way.

It seems I have to try that method again.

"... Can't be helped. Miss, please step back for a moment."

"Ah, you're going to use that thing again!"

Her eyes light up and she steps back a few paces, pulling out a notebook and brush.

"... And why are you taking that out?"

"Didn't I tell you? I'm going to create the best magic artifact suited for Cultivator Seo. The more I know about Cultivator Seo, the better I can optimize the magic artifact for you."

"Still not giving up on that?"

"Oh, what's giving up?"

I sigh lightly and say.

"... As I said, please keep this a secret from the Cheongmun Clan."

"Understood. I've already sworn."

"Then..."

Kuguguk!

I seize the air.

Consciousness mingles with Gang Qi, transforming into the Formless Sword.

"The consciousness domain..."

Buk Hyang-hwa observes from a distance and continues to write in her notebook.

Crash Bam! Crash Bam!

Before wielding the Formless Sword, I sent an internal energy blast to the cave's walls to check if internal energy could penetrate the Strange Absorbing Rock.

The Strange Absorbing Rock seems to only absorb and distort spiritual energy, not internal energy which is less pure compared to spiritual energy.

'It works.'

Then, it can be sufficiently penetrated.

Kugugugu!

Raising my momentum, I grip the Formless Sword and slash upwards.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Ascending Vein!

Kwagwagwang!

The Formless Sword soars upwards, shattering the cave's ceiling and creating a hole through which the night sky strewn with stars could be seen.

"Phew, we made it through."

"......"

I turn to Buk Hyang-hwa, who has been watching me.

She is absent-mindedly recording something in her notebook.

"Miss Buk...?"

"... Ah. I see."

She nods with a somewhat defeated expression, realizing something.

"So you are a Core Formation senior. With such power, there's no doubt. Pretending to be at the Qi Building stage while actually being a Core Formation senior, no wonder my magic artifacts didn't impress you.

To a senior of your stature, who should be using a dharma treasure refined with Dan (Core) Fire instead of a mere magic artifact, my offering was too weak."

"Um... There seems to be a misunderstanding, I am not at Core Formation."

"Really...?"

I extend my arm towards her.

"If you can't believe it, feel my spiritual power. I am really not at Core Formation, just think of me as having mastered a unique... Core Formation-level technique."

"Hmm... Seeing how insistently you say so, you must really not be at Core Formation."

She sighs lightly and says,

"Let's talk more once we're outside."

"Let's do that."

Buk Hyang-hwa takes out a leaf-shaped flying artifact from her belongings and throws it on the ground.

Fed with spiritual power, the magic artifact grows large enough for both of us to ride on, and we ascend through the hole on the leaf.

Whooosh!

The sea breeze stings my nose.

"Where are we..."

I look around.

We are surrounded by the sea.

The cave we have emerged from is in a labyrinth on a small island in the middle of the sea.

I confirm our location through the constellations.

'We are west of the Heaven-Treading Desert...'

West of Shengzi, beyond the great mountain range where the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect resided.

It seems we are in the far western waters.

'No, more precisely a bit southwest.'

I estimate our approximate location by the stars.

'Then, if we fly northeast for a few weeks, we should see the great mountain range where the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect was located.'

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem we have fallen into a completely unknown place.

'It seems Cheongmun Ryeong and Cheongmun Jung-jin fell in the exact opposite direction, the far east, possibly in the states east of the Heaven-Treading Desert. If I had fallen there, a place I've never been to, it would have been quite troublesome.'

I sigh in relief and look at Buk Hyang-hwa.

"We’re fortunate, Miss Buk. If we head northeast, we'll reach a place I know. This seems to be an archipelago in the far west beyond the great mountain range of Shengzi..."

However, Buk Hyang-hwa seems to have something to say, looking at me with a determined expression.

"Miss Buk?"

"I've decided."

She clenches her fists and speaks.

"Even if Cultivator Seo is a Core Formation cultivator, I will create a dharma treasure suitable for a Core Formation cultivator!"

"No, I am not a Core Formation cultivator, and..."

"Then, I will create an ultimate magic artifact that can be used at the Qi Building stage and then can be refined into a dharma treasure with Dan Fire when you reach Core Formation! I see it now.

Creating a magic artifact even a Core Formation cultivator will covet is a challenge for myself. Don’t stop me.”

"......"

I sigh softly.

'Since it's come to this, I need to show her that I really don't need a magic artifact.'

"Just watch, Miss Buk."

Kugugugu!

I grip the Formless Sword again.

And then, I swing it towards the sea beside us.

Kwaaaaaaa!

The sea splits, causing a storm in the night sea.

Gigantic waves sweep around, and I deflect not only the incoming waves but every single droplet with the Formless Sword.

"I'm genuinely serious. I honestly don't need any magic artifacts. This Formless Sword is an overwhelming alternative over any magic artifacts and dharma treasures.

It can transform freely, its strength endlessly increases as long as my abilities support it, and its sharpness is indescribable. Its power, as you've just seen, is capable of splitting the sea and collapsing mountains.

Moreover, as my consciousness grows, it grows with me, almost like a part of me. External objects like magic artifacts are meaningless to me."

"I see."

She nods and says.

"Thank you for explaining. I'll keep that in mind."

"... Haaahh..."

I heave a deep sigh.

It seems like she really has no intention of giving up.

"If that's the case... then I'll set a few conditions."

"Please, tell me."

I set a few conditions for her, who seem even more fired up by the challenge.

“One, the magic artifact should be easy to create even with ordinary materials.

Two, the difficulty of its creation should be manageable enough that I could make it myself in the future.

Three, it should be a magic artifact that can fully embody the limitless transformations of the Formless Sword.”

'I wonder if this will make her give up?'

To create a powerful magic artifact with ordinary materials, numerous circuits would have to be engraved into the artifact.

But since I requested a low difficulty in production, it couldn't have too many circuits.

Yet, at the same time, it needs to encapsulate the Formless Sword's incredible versatility.

In fact, these conditions are necessary for me, who undergoes an infinite regression.

The materials need to be common enough for me to find, and the production difficulty has to be manageable enough that, if necessary, another magic artifact artisan can succeed in making it.

And it needs to be beneficial for me, so it has to be able to capture the changes of the Formless Sword.

In reality, these conditions are almost like asking her to give up.

"The production conditions are really demanding."

"Didn't I tell you? I really don't need magic artifacts."

"... I'll give it a try."

Yet, she doesn't give up.

'Really, she's going to attempt that?'

"... Well, suit yourself."

Eventually, I decide to step back in the face of her determination.

"Then, shall we head back?"

"Ah! I just remembered something."

She speaks, pointing westward.

"You said this is the archipelago beyond the Shengzi's great mountain range, right?"

"Yes, but?"

Buk Hyang-hwa looks westward with curiosity-filled eyes.

"Then, if we go further west than the archipelago, there's a place called ‘World's End.' Can we go there?"

"'World's End'?"

"Yes, Cultivator Seo. You must have read fairy tales as a child, right? West, north, east, south. They say if you go to the end of each direction, you'll find World's End. I've always wondered how all this sea water doesn't fall off at World's End. Now that we're here, shouldn't we take a look at World's End?"

"Ah..."

I laugh awkwardly.

Having been immersed in the cultivation world for centuries with spells and techniques surpassing even that of the 21st-century humanity, I have momentarily forgotten.

The level of common knowledge in this world is medieval.

'There's no such thing as World's End... How do I explain that the Earth is spherical?'

After a moment's contemplation, I realize there’s no need to explain it.

'If Cheongmun Ryeong and Cheongmun Jung-jin fell to the east, then heading west should bring us closer to them, right?'

It might not be a bad idea to travel around the world to reunite with them.

'I'll keep operating the telepathic communication device while heading west. If Cheongmun Ryeong is within range, the device should work.'

"Alright. Let's head a bit further west then."

"I'm so excited. Seeing the legendary end of the world..."

"Ha ha... I'm looking forward to it too."

Buk Hyang-hwa takes out a white boat-shaped flying artifact from her storage device.

"I made this artifact so I'll handle the controls. Can Cultivator Seo infuse it with Pure Spiritual Force?"

"Understood."

Soon after, the boat-shaped artifact speeds westward.

Three days have passed.

'What on earth is this?'

"Wow, so this is World's End."

'Is this right?'

I feel dizzy in this utterly incomprehensible situation, completely beyond common sense.

"Come and see this, Cultivator Seo!"

"... Ah, sorry, Miss Buk. I feel a bit dizzy."

"Uh, do you have air sickness from flying?"

"... No, just a bit tired, that's all."

"I see, I will continue exploring a bit more!"

Something is strange.

This world is...

"It's like the sky is beneath my feet."

Feeling dizzy, I turn my gaze towards where Buk Hyang-hwa is looking.

World's End.

There, it’s as if the seawater and the land beneath are cut off, with a completely blue sky extending beyond.

As evening approaches, stars begin to rise from below.

What does this mean!

This!

This world is not spherical.

This world is flat and circular, abruptly ending like this.

"... Is this really World's End? This is my first time seeing it too."

"Indeed, it's your first time as well, Cultivator Seo. Most people spend their lives inside the vast continents, after all."

I slowly approach her as she observes the sky below from the edge of the world.

"It's truly fascinating, isn't it? This..."

Thud, thud...

As I approach and touch the emptiness, a transparent barrier seems to prevent anything from going beyond into the void.

"It's like a barrier preventing the seawater from pouring over. In the fairy tales I heard as a child, it was called the 'World Shield Force.' It's supposed to protect our world from external worlds and, at the same time, prevent the seawater from leaking downward."

I am not well-versed in the fairy tales or legends of this world.

No. I actually know them but have always dismissed them as medieval superstitions and myths.

Thud, thud, thud!

I tap the so-called 'World Shield Force' a few more times.

"... Miss, this World Shield Force... does it not only cover World's End but also envelop the entire circular world?"

"Yes, haven't you read the fairy tales?"

"... I see."

I feel a sense of bizarreness about this strange and peculiar world.

'A transparent barrier covering the flat world?'

It’s almost like an aquarium or a fish farm...

What exactly is this world?