Chapter 647: Nine Layers (Nine Layers)

Swaaaaaaa—!!!

Cold energy poured down. I couldn’t even breathe under the immense pressure.

“Gguk…!”

Keeping my mouth shut tight, I let out a muffled sound. That was the extent of the resistance I could muster.

Seuueu-! My meridians expanded with the incoming energy.

It was excruciatingly painful, trying to force its way in.

Yet, I couldn’t even block it.

‘If I blocked it, I’d explode.’

If I blocked or interfered with the flow, my body would explode from being unable to handle it.

That was the magnitude of the energy.

The surging cold energy bypassed my meridians and was accumulating directly in my heart. No, ‘accumulating’ wouldn’t be the right word.

Such a gentle description wouldn’t be accurate.

It was being forcibly stuffed in. All the cold energy that had spread throughout the Northern Sea and the cold energy within the Palace Lord’s body were being shoved into my heart.

‘Damn it.’

What kind of messed-up situation is this? While barely enduring the energy, I tried to think of a way, but…

All I could do right now was endure.

The quantity was too vast to attempt anything with.

It felt like trying to pour waves into a jar.

Moreover, even though it clearly knew it couldn’t take any more, the Demonic Absorption Technique didn’t stop. As if trying to devour it somehow, it was stuffing everything in.

Consequently, the cold energy kept pouring into my body, and although the Nine Flames Wheel Technique activated and emitted heat, it couldn’t keep up with the sheer volume.

“Kkeu…!”

As I let out a groan, a chill flowed from the corner of my mouth. It was energy leaking from within.

This was the first time since mastering the Fire Technique.

The expanded meridians were gradually turning into pain, and the vessel was reaching its limit, twisting and straining.

How long had it been since I started receiving the energy, and it was already full?

Even though I’d widened the vessel, shedding any lingering attachments, it was all filled up. I was forcibly holding on to prevent overflow, but I didn’t know how long I could maintain this.

What’s more, all the energy filling me was intensely cold.

If I couldn’t dilute it with heat, my body would freeze first.

A dilemma.

That was my current predicament.

‘Fuck.’

If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have touched it.

I thought it was a fortunate encounter at first, but it turned out to be a life-threatening act instead of a blessing.

‘All the cold energy spread throughout the Northern Sea is pouring in.’

Is this anomaly caused by the ice crystals shattering and the Palace Lord falling?

‘Damn it, really.’

At least hundreds of years. It was an accumulation of immense energy, built up over time by the Ice Palace lineage, staking their life force as collateral.

Such energy was pouring entirely into me.

‘Is this all the energy Mang should have taken?’

Perhaps that was the case.

He said he had been steadily gathering energy for his resurrection, but something happened at the last moment, preventing his success, so perhaps.

Kkeudeudeuk-!

“Kkeuk-!”

My muscles swelled beyond my meridians.

The sheer volume of energy was increasingly affecting my physical body as well.

‘What should I do?’

The vessel is already at its limit.

Since the energy is overflowing from there, it’s being stored in my physical body.

I could roughly block it up to that point, but if my body fills up completely and bursts beyond that…

‘I’ll explode and die.’

My body, unable to handle the energy, will burst, and in the aftermath, the contained cold energy will spread throughout the Northern Sea again.

Since the ice crystals have already shattered, there’ll be nothing to stop it.

‘The Northern Sea will be covered in a cold wave and become dead land.’

Swaaaaaa—!!! The cold energy continued to penetrate my entire body, flowing through my arms and back.

I could feel my skin freezing over as the heat couldn’t keep up.

Jjeojeojeok.

The fingertips reaching towards the Palace Lord were freezing.

If I die like this, the Northern Sea is finished.

Remembering this, I clicked my tongue inwardly.

‘That would be problematic.’

I don’t care if something happens to the Northern Sea. Honestly, whether it dies or gets covered in cold, it has nothing to do with me.

But.

‘There are the kids.’

Woohyuk caused trouble, so it’s fine to leave him be, and Paejon is someone who can survive anywhere, so he’s fine too.

As for that Sword Demon bastard, if I die, the Thousand Killing Star will act up and make him a mess, so it’s better for him to die here.

However, Namgung Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol shouldn’t suffer that fate.

‘So, what should I do?’

I’m not afraid of death. I thought so, but if those two die here because I die, then I would be afraid.

Is this attachment?

‘No.’

It seems more like greed than attachment.

Since the power obtained by becoming a dragon was called ‘greed’.

This is indeed greed.

I have so much greed that I can’t just let this go.

‘Then.’

If so, what should I do?

Yangcheon-ah.

Don’t ask this.

Because you already know the answer yourself.

‘Idiot.’

I burst out laughing without realizing it.

Am I talking to myself now? I must have gone completely insane.

Huuuk-!

I moved the internal energy within my body.

Seuueu–!!!

As if sensing this, the cold energy moved more violently.

The Demonic Absorption Technique was trying to keep devouring, even though it knew I was at my limit.

It’s to the point where I wonder if it’s gone mad because I haven’t fed it enough demonic energy lately.

‘Was it that hungry?’

I’ve been too busy lately, so I haven’t fed it magic stones separately, so maybe it got angry?

‘Still, it wouldn’t try to kill its master, would it?’

I try to believe that, but it seems like wishful thinking.

As soon as I tried to move my internal energy, the amount of cold energy being absorbed increased.

Fucking bastard.

I’ve been letting it stay and feeding it in my house without even paying rent, and this is how it tries to kill me.

‘Fine, let’s give it a shot.’

I clenched my teeth and applied force.

Hwa-reureureuk—-!!!

The Nine Flames Wheel Technique spun rapidly inside my body.

Energy was still flowing in through my palms. Applying energy myself in this state means I’m highly likely to fall into demonic possession if I make a mistake, but…

‘So what? I have no choice.’

There’s no other way.

Unlike other geniuses, I don’t know how to perform delicate internal energy applications.

All I know how to do is break things.

‘Let’s see who dies.’

If the cold energy kept surging endlessly, I could just capture and melt it.

Cold and heat clashed, swirling inside me. The opposing energies collided, gradually creating ripples.

It was insane. If things went wrong, I could easily explode or fall into demonic possession.

Even knowing that clearly, I couldn’t stop.

‘Either way, I die if I lose, and I die if I stop.’

If I’ve ignited the heat, there’s no turning back.

Either trap the cold energy somehow and contain it within my body, or freeze to death because the heat couldn’t overcome it, or explode and die.

Victory and defeat.

There are only those two outcomes.

What I’m curious about here is…

‘If I could consume it all, how much would I gain?’

If I succeed in containing this much cold energy, how much internal energy would I gain?

‘Probably, at least double.’

It’s a storm made of internal energy.

Since it’s an amount humans cannot swallow, if I succeed in obtaining it, it would be quite a sight.

Kkueuk-!!!

It spins.

The cold energy, trying to occupy the vessel and freeze the body, and the heat trying to block it, clumped together, spinning and swirling.

It was rough and sharp. It felt like my skin was tearing.

‘But whatever. This much is…’

Fortunately, my resistance was trained by the Two-Wave Heaven Dance. I could laugh off having my skin torn and ripped.

The problem is.

‘The vessel.’

The vessel, filled with energy and now at its limit.

This was the problem.

If I put even a little more in, it would overflow.

No, it was already overflowing and seeping into my physical body.

Normally, I would have considered this a fortunate encounter. Perhaps, if I were lucky, I might have even aimed for a complete transformation, but…

‘It’s useless to me.’

If it were a moderate amount, maybe, but this energy was beyond my body’s capacity, and more was pouring in.

Hwa-reureureuk—!!!

‘First, I’ll empty the vessel.’

I flared the heat even more intensely and poured it out. If there’s no space, I’ll just make some.

Chi-iiiiik—!!!

Smoke rose from my body as if something was cooking. It was due to the friction with the cold energy.

The more I used my energy, the more cold energy entered my body.

The two were fighting as if trying to kill each other. I feel like the ceiling of this house is going to collapse.

I forced the cold energy into the empty space created in the vessel.

Kung-!

The backlash occurred as I twisted the flow to force it in.

“Kuluk.”

Tuduk-!

The blood that burst from my mouth stained the Palace Lord’s chest.

“Huuu….”

As I exhaled, coldness flowed out. Because I released a significant amount of heat, the speed at which my body froze accelerated.

My body grew sluggish, and my breathing slowed.

Yet.

‘For some reason, my mind is clear.’

I didn’t feel much sense of crisis.

I wasn’t afraid. Nor was I hesitant.

Kkueuk-!

I captured the cold energy with heat. The vessel was full.

My physical body, claiming to be full, swelled up on its own. No matter how much I emptied it, it kept filling up, which was just annoying.

‘Then, I should probably put it outside for now.’

Huwaaaak–!!!

I grabbed the flowing cold energy and swung it outwards. The energy twisted and spread out widely.

“…Huh.”

I vaguely heard Paejon let out a surprised gasp.

Did I do something wrong?

‘I don’t know.’

Whether I was doing the right thing now. I had no idea why I was acting this way.

Right now, I was just moving according to my pounding heart and instincts.

Even though I knew I’d die if I mishandled my internal energy, I didn’t hesitate to twist the flow.

Hwi-iiiiii—!!!

The energy I couldn’t contain was spread out and spun rapidly.

As I infused a trace of heat into it, even the cold energy seemed to move as if it were my own.

It piled up, and piled up.

The converging streams of cold energy overlapped continuously, starting to look like a single membrane.

That means it was an immense amount of energy.

‘How strange.’

To handle and contain that much energy… energy that wasn’t even mine, using heat. Leaving aside how I managed it, I can’t believe I just did it without even checking.

‘If I stopped or hesitated, I’d explode immediately.’

Since the vessel couldn’t hold much, I temporarily put it outside. It was something I did unconsciously, driven by a crazy thought.

‘It actually works.’

Why does it work?

I couldn’t understand it myself.

But if it works, that’s good. Now isn’t the time to analyze every detail.

‘The important part is what happens next.’

Seuueueu….

I felt a sense of emptiness.

It meant the cold energy that had been pouring down for so long had finally stopped.

‘Which means…’

This heavy energy spread around me now is all the cold energy that was dispersed in the Northern Sea.

I didn’t look to see what it was like.

Because dealing with the Palace Lord’s cold energy was the priority right now.

‘Just a little more.’

Absorbing other energies while rotating the cold energy was harder than I thought.

However, it was difficult, not impossible.

Focus.

Seuueueu–!!!

I could sense the remaining cold energy. It seemed hesitant. Seeing that, I let out a smirk.

‘Scared?’

It shouldn’t be.

For some reason, the energy felt like it had shrunk considerably.

‘That’s what you get for acting tough and pissing me off.’

There’s no mercy.

I wrapped my intangible energy around all the cold energy and sucked it straight in using the Demonic Absorption Technique.

Shiiiiiik—!!!

The last bit of cold energy entered the empty space in the vessel.

‘It’s over.’

I had absorbed all of the Palace Lord’s cold energy. Feeling that, I got up.

I felt bloated from absorbing so much energy.

‘Feeling sick from eating too much energy. How absurd.’

Should I call this a blessing in disguise? It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

Moreover.

‘It’s not completely over yet.’

The gathered cold energy was still circulating around me, and the energy that had filled my body was still not properly subdued.

I couldn’t even contain this much, so how could I contain all that energy swirling around me?

‘Do I need to widen the vessel?’

The vessel was already widened considerably.

I don’t know if it’s even possible to widen it further.

‘Then….’

What about the opposite?

Since I can’t widen the vessel, I’ll reduce the volume of what’s contained within it.

If I do that, I should be able to contain it all.

Kkueuk-!!!

I clenched my fist.

Dugeun-!

My heart pounded fiercely, and the remaining heat revealed itself. At the same time, I commanded the heat that was holding the cold energy captive in the air.

‘Compress it.’

Sua-aaaaaa–!!!

The rotation speeds up.

The cold energy contained within the vessel also began to spin, swept up by my energy.

Gaining speed like that, I attempted to compress it further.

The cold energy swirling around me converged towards me.

As if sensing what I was trying to do, I felt a sense of resistance from the cold energy.

“Ha.”

Are you resisting?

Kkuk-!

I applied more force.

The energy reacted, bursting forth and knocking like it would explode any second.

Tuduk-!

The capillaries in my eyes burst.

I ignored it.

‘Faster.’

And smaller.

I never thought I’d use the essence of rotation and compression here. It seems the things I learned in life weren’t so bad after all.

Kiiiiiing–!!!!

When it felt close enough, I opened my clenched fist to regulate the flow.

Then, the cold energy outside was sucked onto my palm.

Huu-uk–!!!

The intense energy fluctuated, causing gusts of wind to erupt. As I continuously felt the sharp energy,

Uung.

The cold energy finally coalesced into a form like a flame prison on my palm. A sphere about the size of a human head. An overwhelming energy could be felt within it.

Now that I’d succeeded in gathering it, it was time to devour it freely.

Kwak-!

I used the Demonic Absorption Technique on the sphere, swallowing it quickly.

Since I had finished compressing it, the energy flowed into my body without much resistance.

The flowing cold energy naturally settled in my heart, merging with the Palace Lord’s cold energy.

The moment I felt this.

“Huu-!”

Hwa-reureureuk—!!!

I ignited flames within me and covered the cold energy with them.

It was to purify the cold energy.

Such a vast amount of cold energy. Compared to that, my flame was infinitesimally small.

Even so.

‘I can do it.’

My flame will not lose to that.

I felt such conviction.

Kung-! Kung-kung-kung–!!!

It was a violent struggle. If things went wrong, it wouldn’t be strange if the vessel shattered.

My sluggish body, slowed by the freezing, and the insufficient amount of heat made it even harder.

But.

‘You’re greedy, aren’t you? You should be able to devour at least this much.’

If I can’t even devour this much, how will I devour anything else?

Hwa-reureureuk—!!!

I kept igniting the flames. If the firepower wasn’t enough, I’d even use my innate energy.

Kyaaaaaa–!!!

The flames, full of greed, relentlessly devoured the cold energy. The cold energy tried to struggle, trying to survive, but…

‘Stop messing around and behave.’

Like swinging a fist, my flames continuously bit at it; As time passed like that,

“…Huu….”

I managed to exhale and open my eyes.

“Ah.”

Jureureuk.

Feeling something flowing, I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.

My body was drenched in sweat.

“…”

I raised my hand slightly to check.

Hwa-reuk-!

Flames flared up, quickly creating a small flame prison, which I then tossed onto the empty ground.

That tiny flame prison flew far and landed on the ground,

Kwa-aaaaaaaaaa–!!!

Contrary to its appearance, it caused a massive explosion.

“Hmm.”

Seeing the ground become chaotic from the explosion, I could finally be certain.

That my internal energy surpassed my peak in my previous life.

And also.

“…I’ve reached Composition.”

Meaning the core technique of the Nine Flames Wheel Technique had finally reached Composition.

This means…

My level had finally surpassed my previous life.