Chapter 108: Yongdamhohyeol
The power of upreme Reign controls gravity.
That meant, if I reversed the direction of its effect, I could slow my descent — just like now. I landed softly on the ground. Not even a speck of dust stirred.
“…”
“…”
No one spoke. No, their mouths were open, but no one could find the words.
They just stared, dumbfounded, looking back and forth between the Infinite Heavenly Flame embedded in the ground and me.
“When did you… use the Golden Chain Lock…?”
Saweol stared at her now-empty hand and muttered to herself.
[The Timewheel Jade, its power is truly something.]
I nodded in agreement at Skybreaker’s remark.
“How… how did you do that?”
Cheol Muguk muttered, dumbfounded.
“I stepped in because it looked like we’d lose it. That’s all.”
“That’s not something you say like it’s no big deal.”
“It is what it is. Nothing more.”
I had initially planned to sit back and watch, reaping the rewards. But when it looked like the plan might fail, I had to act.
The moment I used the Blink Orb to move beside Saweol, I immediately activated the Timewheel Jade. Time slowed. With Skybreaker focusing my inner energy, I extended the flow of time to nearly 15:1. At that level, it felt almost like time had stopped.
I took the Golden Chain Lock from Saweol, concentrated all my strength into my legs, leapt as high as possible, and used Blink again to approach the Infinite Heavenly Flame.
And the rest, well — you saw it.
By toggling the Timewheel Jade on and off, I provoked the beast, bound it, and brought it down.
There’s no need to overexplain.
Although… just to keep myself grounded: I used up 90% of the internal energy stored in Skybreaker for that one move.
If I had drawn it out just a few more seconds, I would’ve been counterattacked and instantly killed.
“How long are you going to just stand there, Young Lord Cheol?”
“Eh? Ah, right.”
I handed the other end of the Golden Chain Lock to Cheol Sopyeong. He took it, still dazed.
And then—
Piiiiiik!!
I walked toward the Infinite Heavenly Flame. The beast saw me and began backing away, almost as if afraid.
Perhaps it could sense the energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art sleeping inside me — divine beasts like this were far more sensitive to such things than humans.
[At this point, was it even necessary to bring Cho Ryang? It looks terrified.]
“Look at those eyes. That’s not the look of a tamed creature.”
Its gaze was filled with defiance. It might’ve been afraid, but submission was a separate matter entirely.
“Cho Ryang.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think you can do it?”
“Leave it to me. I’ll give it a shot!”
I stood behind Cho Ryang with my hands behind my back. Dressed in formal robes Cheol Muguk had provided, Cho Ryang cautiously approached the beast.
“Hello!”
Even as Cho Ryang greeted it, the Infinite Heavenly Flame snorted, keeping an eye on me — as if to say, You can’t do anything to me.
“Sorry, but is it okay if I touch your head for a bit?”
Fwoosh!
It looked like it was about to snort fire.
“If you want to die, go ahead and try it.”
At my words, the beast held back.
“Thank you, Lord. But it won’t go well if it’s too scared.”
“Is that so? Then do as you will.”
“Thank you!”
Cho Ryang smiled brightly and tried again. The beast, clearly displeased, reluctantly allowed Cho Ryang to touch its head.
“Thanks.”
As Cho Ryang placed his hand on its head—
“...?!”
“Hmm?!”
Even the top-class experts, Cheol Sopyeong and Saweol, flinched and looked toward Cho Ryang.
Even—
[I’m sensing something from him. Feels like a tingle in my skull.]
“You don’t even have a skull.”
[Exactly. Which makes it even stranger. Is this… the sensation Do Il-gwang called the Upper Dantian perception?]
It seemed Skybreaker felt something too.
What in the world was Cho Ryang doing?
“Uh-huh… I see. You were just resting quietly, but people kept bothering you, huh?”
Piiiik—!
“So you drove them away because you wanted to be alone?”
Piiik! Piiik!
“But wouldn’t it be better to be with others?”
Piiiiiiik!
Cheol Muguk muttered in disbelief.
“He’s… he’s really having a conversation with a divine beast, isn’t he?”
“It appears so.”
“All I hear is piiik from a giant bird…”
The Infinite Heavenly Flame, which had pushed Cho Ryang away at first, was now rubbing its head against him. Maybe this was the first time a human had truly listened to its story.
“Mm. Mmm. Yeah? We’ll talk about that later, okay?”
Piiiik!
“But you still shouldn’t have done that.”
Cho Ryang’s firm tone made the beast whimper. Its head alone was bigger than Cho Ryang’s upper body, and it possessed far greater strength, yet it now seemed to be following him.
[It seems he’s stimulating the sensation of the Upper Dantian.]
Maybe the future One-Eyed Beast Master really was different.
It didn’t look like he’d done anything special, but it already seemed as if the beast was tamed.
“Haha, that tickles.”
Piiik!
“Really? That’s what it said?”
Cho Ryang turned to look at me. I looked back.
This world really was one where talent was everything.
It was absurdly unfair.
It pissed me off.
Some people become stronger just from a few words. Others are born with legendary talent and grow stronger just by breathing.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t even properly use martial arts. Even with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in me, thanks to sealed meridians, I couldn’t do anything.
[Still, you did capture the Infinite Heavenly Flame.]
“Doesn’t count. I just acted strong for 10 seconds. Afterwards, I’m totally useless. And because everyone else is pathetic, I end up doing everything.”
Cheol Muguk absorbed the Flame Jade thanks to me, ignited cheonghwa, then whined about being tied to a log.
Cheol Sopyeong, a supposed Transcendent Peak expert, couldn’t even catch a single divine bird with his mental domain.
Saweol had no sense of the situation, acting like she was on vacation until I had to step in. And now Cho Ryang? He just chilled in the background and now acts like he did everything.
[...Monster. That’s a little harsh.]
“Did I say anything that wasn’t true?”
[…No, I suppose not.]
Even Skybreaker, normally quick to argue, was annoying me.
Then—
Cho Ryang approached and said,
“Lord.”
“What?”
“Mugeuk(Flame) has something to say.”
“I?”
Cheol Muguk pointed to himself, but then coughed awkwardly once he realized it wasn’t about him.
“Hey, call it something else. That name sounds too weird.”
“Ah, sorry.”
I had no idea why everyone was acting so dense today. Was this the power of the supposed ‘intelligence nerf’?
They were all getting on my nerves. I just wanted to go home and sleep. Sleep fixes everything.
“Lord! Lord!”
“I’m listening. Don’t shout.”
“Mugeuk(Flame) says there’s something important.”
“What is it?”
“Go on, Mugeuk(Flame). It’s okay.”
From the side, Cheol Muguk muttered, “He’s definitely calling it that on purpose…”
The Infinite Heavenly Flame cautiously approached me. It no longer had the aggressive gaze from earlier, but it still seemed wary.
Even so, having a giant firebird approach me was quite intimidating.
“Skybreaker. If anything goes wrong, use the Timewheel Jade and cut its head off.”
[…Really?]
“Didn’t you need the divine flame core?”
[True… but… haven’t you noticed something strange lately? You’ve been abnormally irritable and sleepy these past few days.]
“That’s because you’re noisy when I try to sleep.”
Piiik!
“Still not understanding a word.”
Piiiiik!
Before I could finish my sentence, the Infinite Heavenly Flame opened its beak. A thick stream of flame burst from its mouth, heading straight for me.
“Skybreaker! What the hell?!”
I had trusted Skybreaker to use the Timewheel Jade, so I stayed still. But the fire engulfed me before I could react.
Even trying to use Blink now was useless — my vision was filled with flames. I didn’t even know where to escape to.
This useless idiot—
But the flames… didn’t hurt.
They didn’t burn my body.
Instead, they burned my mind.
“What the hell—”
It felt like something was peeled off my brain.
Until now, I had assumed that tight, suffocating feeling in my head was just from stress or fatigue.
But it wasn’t.
Bathed in the purifying flames of the Infinite Heavenly Flame, I finally realized — something unseen had been pressing down on my mind, guiding my thoughts, making me unnaturally irritable.
Then the fire stopped.
My vision cleared, and my mind felt sharper, clearer — almost like being reborn.
“…Thank you, Mugeuk(Flame). And you too, Cho Ryang.”
“Hehehe… Feeling better now?”
“You noticed this before, didn’t you?”
Cho Ryang nodded and pointed to his head.
“You looked more exhausted than usual. And the feeling here—around here—it was different than before. Like something was stuck.”
A perceptive kid. That’s probably why he cheered for me back when I was stuck in the iron-lunchbox.
“And the cause is probably—”
“Don’t say it. Too many ears around. I already know.”
Cheol Muguk, still sour-faced, chimed in.
“What nonsense are you all talking about? Why’d you let the bird breathe fire on you?”
“Ask Mugeuk(Flame).”
“I said stop calling it that! And I can’t understand bird-speak!”
“Then ask Cho Ryang to translate.”
“You brat— wait. Did it just shrink?! That giant bird’s tiny now?! What in the world?!”
Even as he yelled, Cheol Muguk had already accepted the name Mugeuk. Instead of pressing me, he rushed toward the now-hawk-sized bird, eyes sparkling with craftsman-like curiosity.
Once I pushed Cheol Muguk aside, I finally turned to the one I really needed to speak to.
“Sorry, Skybreaker.”
[It’s fine. I know it wasn’t your fault.]
Skybreaker let it go surprisingly easily.
Now that my head was clear, I could finally understand what had happened to me.
Chu Taesu.
He had cast a dark charm on me.
The realization made my skin crawl — and my blood boil.
[The question is — when did he do it?]
When we had tea? No, I’d already felt abnormally fatigued before that. Maybe exposure to the Heavenly Demon’s aura played a part, but I had been too sensitive overall.
Perhaps… in Island of Restless Souls.
After the battle with Jin Giryeong, Gwak Riyeon had patted my shoulder. Chu Taesu also came close, offering to do the same.
He must’ve cast the charm then.
I was drained from the fight. My mental defenses were weak.
Never let your guard down.
We joked about him being “0.7 Sado Gwang,” but he made no bold moves. Controlling a Six Elder to commit murder wasn’t even the full extent — he was operating far more subtly, quietly.
“Skybreaker. Sorry, but I don’t think we can get the divine flame core from the Infinite Heavenly Flame.”
[Yeah. We’ll need to bathe in its flames regularly instead.]
Skybreaker agreed.
The good news was — Chu Taesu would never have expected I’d be cleansed by the flames of the very divine beast we came to subdue.
The Infinite Heavenly Flame only burns what it chooses. In a normal fight, it wouldn’t have wanted to purify my mind. It likely assumed even capturing the beast would be a long shot.
But I had learned something important:
This cult truly is a den of dragons and tigers.
Crack.
At the very least, I now had the strength, justification — and—
Piiiiik!
“Ooooh, amazing! It’s amazing!”
—and trustworthy allies.
“It’s time to return. We should report to the Supreme One.”
No matter what Chu Taesu was planning — I wouldn’t go down so easily.