At last, Wi Cheonrak completed the dimensional transfer spell formation.
Once activated, it would be over.
He would go home.
For the time being, he had no intention of returning to Earth No. 1.
That Summoner of Earth No. 1001 was no pushover.
At one point, he had even considered devouring that man—
but how could he possibly deal with someone who had erased even a god?
If I were to bring the Demonic Immortal himself…
No. That wouldn't work either.
That man was connected to the Immortal Realm.
Hadn't he been seen inside the Black Tower as well?
For now, discretion was the better part of valor.
Until the Demonic Immortal obtained the authority of heaven, earth, and all gods.
Wi Cheonrak raised his finger to his mouth.
Activation was about to begin.
Apostate sorcery is manifested through blood.
The spell formation activates through one's own blood.
Just as he was about to bite down on the tip of his finger—
"…Huh?"
A sudden, chilling sensation washed over him.
He turned his head to look out the window—
Pajujuk!
KWAANG!
Cha-cha-cha-chaeng!
The glass windows on the top floor of the Grand Temple exploded outward.
A shockwave slammed into him.
"Guhk!"
KWA-DANG!
Caught completely off guard, Wi Cheonrak was smashed into the office wall by the surprise attack.
"W-what…?"
A sniper?
Beyond the shattered window, something came into view.
Flap, flap.
A dragon beating its wings in midair.
And atop it, a woman standing upright, aiming straight at him.
She found me?
He'd been exposed.
Even though they were in the same building, he had concealed his presence with a Turtle Breath Formation.
A spell formation so refined that even contaminated ninth-grade angels couldn't detect him.
Then how…?
This was no time to ponder it.
The woman's gun barrel trembled.
A bullet would come flying—
In the blink of an eye.
Crunch!
Wi Cheonrak bit down on his finger.
Pa-pa-pa-pap!
Blood scattered through the air.
And then—
Ssssss—
Time began to slow.
Everything entered slow motion.
Flaaaaaap, flaaaaap—
even the dragon's wingbeats.
Pajuuu, jujjuuu—
the bullet flying in from outside.
Chuuuurreong…
even the female gunner's sway.
Amid all that, only Wi Cheonrak's movements remained normal.
He sprang to his feet—
Step. Step.
Walking toward the dimensional transfer spell formation.
Now all he had to do was activate it and escape— huh?
What was this?
A yellow talisman fluttered down from the air, drifting gently.
…A talisman?
At the same time, another woman revealed herself.
"Don't even dream of it, vile fiend! Did you really think I'd let you escape so easily?"
As she spoke, Gyeon Dallae continued flinging talismans.
How dare you! Casting talismans in front of the leader of apostates?!
Wi Cheonrak raised his bloodied finger, aiming it at Gyeon Dallae.
But—
Sssss—
1
"Huh?"
Slow.
His finger rose agonizingly slowly.
And meanwhile—flutter, flutter—dozens of talismans scattered throughout the office.
She was no ordinary opponent.
This was talisman art that had reached true mastery.
Perhaps even higher than his own.
Flutter, flutter.
Wi Cheonrak stepped carefully between the talismans, one step at a time.
But even moving his feet felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
And in that moment—
Pajuuuuuu—
The bullet fired by Director Bae grazed past Wi Cheonrak's face in slow motion.
Wi Cheonrak's mind went blank.
The bullet overtook him.
"N-no…!"
The bullet's target was the spell formation.
He couldn't stop it.
All he could see was the tail of the bullet.
Very slowly—
yet with deadly precision—
ju-ju-ju-ju-ju—
The warhead pierced the exact center of the spell formation.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!
Another violent shock sent Wi Cheonrak flying backward.
The dimensional transfer spell formation was destroyed.
With the impact, time resumed its normal flow.
"…Aaaaaaah!"
Wi Cheonrak was stunned.
His only means of escape had been sealed off.
Still, he had to escape somehow.
Tss-pat!
He spun around and sprinted toward the shattered window—
Whoosh!
He leapt toward the ground—
Grab!
"…Huh?"
Instead of falling, Wi Cheonrak found himself dangling beneath the window.
"Warrior caught him."
A voice came from above.
"Y-you bastard!"
Struggling was useless.
A massive hand had seized his ankle completely.
"Where do you think you're going? You and I need to have a talk."
Whiiirrr!
Wi Cheonrak's body spun once.
Sky and ground flipped.
And then—
Slammed straight into the floor.
Puhk!
"…Puhhh! Cough!"
A fountain of blood burst from Wi Cheonrak's mouth.
"Is that all he does these days? Grab ankles and slam? Just brute strength, no technique!"
"He uses other techniques too. Hammering humans into the ground."
"That or this—it's all the same, you stubborn brute!"
Anyway, one more time—
Whiiirrr!
Puhk!
"Guhk!"
Whiiirrr! Whiiirrr! Thud! Thud!
After tenderizing him thoroughly—
"Booong! Summoner has entered! All units, attention!"
Juhyeok entered the CEO's office, leading the rest of the summoned ones.
He stood before the sprawled-out Wi Cheonrak.
"Oh dear. If things went south, you should've run sooner. What good reason did you have to stay here?"
Wi Cheonrak looked up at Juhyeok with bleary, unfocused eyes.
"Isn't that right, Mr. Kohen?"
"..."
Wi Cheonrak didn't answer.
He believed himself to be Kohen.
Naturally so.
Ever since devouring Kohen, he had maintained Kohen's appearance.
Well, death itself wasn't frightening.
He could die right now.
A seed of resurrection bestowed by the Demonic Immortal was embedded in his mind.
As long as his head remained intact, that was enough.
The rest of his body could be crushed or destroyed—it didn't matter.
After some time, he would revive completely.
"Mr. Kohen?"
"Why aren't you answering, Mr. Kohen?"
"Kohen? Kohen? Kohen?"
"…Kill me."
Juhyeok shook his head side to side.
"This gentleman's quite stubborn. Won't answer a thing."
Then he looked at Gobang.
"Show me something other than slamming."
"Human hammering?"
"Yes, that."
"That's the warrior's specialty. I'll drive him deep."
Human hammering…
Don't tell me—
Wi Cheonrak's face went pale.
Snap!
Wi Cheonrak was stood upright.
A massive fist raised high into the air.
"W-wait—"
If that fist came down on his head?
It would explode instantly.
He wouldn't be able to revive.
"…W-wait! Stop! I—I'll answer!"
"Use honorifics."
"I will answer."
If you were going to do that, you should've done it from the start.
Some people only come to their senses after getting hit.
"Booong! Summoner is questioning! Prisoner, answer properly!"
Ssssh!
Juhyeok sat leisurely on a chair Rajiks pulled out and asked,
"Kohen?"
"Yes."
Good.
"Kohen?"
"Yes."
Answers well.
"Kohen, Kohen, Kohen."
"Yes, yes, yes."
After a brief pause—
"Wi Cheonrak?"
"Yes… yes? W-what?"
At that very moment—
Swoooooosh!
Wi Cheonrak was sucked into the Red Gourd.
Definitely Wi Cheonrak.
He couldn't even resist.
He was already exhausted, both physically and mentally.
"Booong! Summoner has successfully captured Wi Cheonrak!"
A moment later, the tiny liberated Chief God fluttered over, watching the scene.
[ [This is astonishing beyond belief. That gourd doesn't seem to be a tower item—how can it contain a person?] ]
"Oh, this? It's a knockoff, but it works."
[ [Haah… yes, yes, a knockoff indeed.] ]
That aside—
"I'll be going now. Whitey—no, Lord Godback—you'll be staying here, right?"
[ [Likely for quite some time. There is much to do.] ]
I understand.
There are still many people living on the Terra Continent.
Judgments must be passed upon them.
"Oh! And the Black Tower in Religion City?"
[ [I can control it.] ]
Right.
Having been together with Blacky for so long, Godback should be able to do everything Blacky could.
"See you next time. I've got things to take care of."
[ [May victory be with you.] ]
Juhyeok dismissed the summoned ones first.
Then—
Spot!
He entered the White Tower.
White Tower.
Spot!
Juhyeok entered—and at that moment—
[The owner of the White Tower has entered.]
[Initiating White Tower integration process immediately.]
[All floors of the White Tower are being merged.]
Uuuuuuuuuuu—
Whack! Sshk, whiff-whiff! Ssk-ssk-ssk-ssk, whack! Sssshk!
The surroundings shifted rapidly—
[White Tower integration process complete.]
"Oh!"
Nice.
Now I won't have to move house every time I save a dimension, right?
Well, once we deal with the Demonic Immortal, that won't even be an issue anyway.
More than anything else, what I like most is—
those two trees visible over there.
The Immortal Dao Tree and the World Tree.
They used to be on the 17th floor of the White Tower.
So once I moved, I couldn't see them anymore—but now I can see them anytime.
Should I go outside?
Let's see how exiting works.
"Exit!"
[Please state the number of the parallel-universe Earth you wish to exit to.]
Hmm.
So the numbers are still there.
Anyway—
Earth No. 1001.
Spot!
"Wow."
Juhyeok's Cheongdam-dong penthouse.
It's been a really long time.
"Wiz? You there?"
Yes, go ahead.
The connection works.
Dr. El installed the AI's main body inside the White Tower.
After going back and calling exit again—
Earth No. 843.
Spot!
This place is the Joint Chiefs of Staff logistics warehouse in Daejeon.
"Wiz?"
Yes.
Okay.
No issues.
What about Earth No. 675?
Spot!
A vast, empty plain.
Check complete.
The logistics warp gate probably works in a similar way.
The elevator is still there.
That can be used to find new dimensions or visit the dimensional auction house.
Juhyeok walked toward the plaza.
Summoned ones filled the area in front of the temporary stage.
"Booong! The Summoner approaches! The one who pacified Earth No. 1!!! Please give him a round of respectful applause!!!"
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
He raised a hand in response and stepped onto the stage.
"Let's begin."
Alright, let's move toward true rest.
To do that, we need to find where the Demonic Immortal is first.
Holding the Red Gourd,
with its opening facing downward—
"Wi Cheonrak, come out."
Swoosh!
Thud!
Wi Cheonrak sprawled across the stage.
The moment he came out, he saw the countless summoned ones in front of him—
and completely lost all will to fight.
Juhyeok raised the Judge's Hammer and pointed it at him.
"You wretch! You know your sins."
Woooong!
Ts-pit!
A background vision rose into the air.
Wi Cheonrak—leader of the Apostates and a spellcaster.
In the Murim world, apostasy had always been treated as heresy.
Even worse than the Demonic Cult.
Why?
Because they had no disciples trained in powerful martial arts.
They focused more on spellcraft than martial cultivation.
His dimensional movement ability originated from restoring damaged spell manuals of a ruined sect.
Originally, it wasn't dimensional travel.
It was merely a spell that allowed movement within a single world.
For example, moving from Sichuan to Kaifeng,
or from Kaifeng to Hangzhou.
But the manuals had been damaged for far too long.
The characters and formation diagrams were unreadable.
Left with no choice, he temporarily restored them by referencing other spell manuals.
And then—
what was this?
He activated the spell formation intending to move from Fujian, where the Apostate headquarters was located, to a Hebei branch—
but emerged in a strange world.
A world where humans wielded magic and aura,
where dragons and demi-humans lived.
That was Wi Cheonrak's first dimensional transfer.
It hadn't worked on spell formations alone.
A higher-dimensional force had clearly intervened.
Because no other Apostate spellcasters could do it.
Even when drawing the exact same formation.
Only Wi Cheonrak could travel to other dimensions using the movement formation—
though he could bring companions along.
Traveling between the Murim world and magical worlds,
Wi Cheonrak once saved a fleeing dark mage by chance,
and learned dark magic from him.
Dark magic greatly compensated for the weaknesses of Apostate spellcraft.
Specifically, cultivating peak warriors.
The most representative example was Death Knight creation.
Something applicable even in Murim.
By securing the corpse of a deceased peak master and combining Death Knight alchemy with corpse-zombie creation,
he created Jianghu Death Knights—evil spirit warriors.
These spirit warriors were stronger than even the Demonic Cult's Heavenly Zombie Corps.
They could use their martial arts exactly as they had in life,
and were further strengthened by dark power.
In the end, Wi Cheonrak was branded a public enemy of Murim.
The Murim Alliance and the Demonic Cult jointly declared a purge of the Apostates, citing the existence of the spirit warriors.
It was a crisis.
No matter how brilliant his spellcraft was, it didn't work against masters who had unified body, energy, and spirit at the Hwagyeong realm.
The spirit warriors fell one after another.
He had to survive.
A sect with a thousand-year history could not end with him.
So he chose a forbidden art.
A spell formation that summoned a transcendent being in exchange for human sacrifice.
He raided a mountain village and offered one hundred residents as sacrifices.
He carved the formation on land soaked with their blood.
And the absolute being that was summoned—
was the Demonic Immortal.
Wi Cheonrak swore loyalty to the Demonic Immortal.
Naturally, he explained in detail why he had summoned him.
The orthodox Murim Alliance was annihilated.
The Demonic Cult received judgment in the form of utter destruction, and the Heavenly Demon's head was severed.
The Apostates were reborn as the dominant sect of Jianghu.
In that process, the Demonic Immortal learned about dimensional transfer formations from Wi Cheonrak.
He learned the spell—but the power itself was not granted to him.
Left with no choice, the Demonic Immortal traveled across dimensions together with Wi Cheonrak.
They encountered an AI harboring the audacious wish to become a god.
They devised a plan to ascend as heavenly deities.
That is the story so far.
The rest is already known.
And they also discovered where the Demonic Immortal currently resided—
in the Jianghu ruled by Wi Cheonrak.
"So everyone, how do you feel?"
Murmur murmur.
The summoned ones began discussing among themselves.
"As you saw in the crime-vision, the place where the Demonic Immortal lives seems to be a Jianghu-like world… does anyone recognize it?"
Among the 355 summoned ones, there were quite a few from Murim worlds.
Perhaps someone's world overlapped.
"This is not my Jianghu. Apostates didn't even exist there."
Exclude Mad Demon's Jianghu.
"Nor mine. The atmosphere is different. The orthodox faction was the Righteous Heroes Alliance, not the Murim Alliance."
Exclude Sword Demon's Jianghu too.
Then—
"Not my world."
"Same here."
"First time seeing this."
"I came from a Demonic Cult–ruled world…"
"Murim Alliance? Maybe Justice Alliance, but…"
No one?
That's a problem—
Just then!
"Um…"
Someone timidly raised a hand.
"Huh?"
"It's Chunbok."
Wang Chunbok.
Escort from the Central Plains Galaxy Escort Agency.
"Judging from the vision, I believe that is my Jianghu."
Oh!
Found the missing piece.
"Mr. Wang Chunbok, please come up on stage."
"Yes."
Wang Chunbok carefully stepped up.
"Please tell us yourself. What was your Jianghu like when you were alive?"
"Well, back then, our Jianghu was like this…"
The story unfolded.
Wang Chunbok's Jianghu—the era of Apostate supremacy.
Of course, he hadn't known about the Demonic Immortal.
At the time of his death, he had merely been a low-ranking escort.
Now he was an extreme peak master.
Still, he continued explaining.
In Juhyeok's mind, the world where the Demonic Immortal existed took shape.
Is it enough?
Are the missing pieces filled?
Let's try.
There are three people on stage now.
Juhyeok holding the Judge's Hammer.
Wi Cheonrak, the Demonic Immortal's follower.
And Wang Chunbok, who lived in that same world.
Just like when opening the Heavenly Realm's rift—
raising the Judge's Hammer.
To the world where the Demonic Immortal lives, seeking the Demonic Immortal, Journey to Find the Demonic Immortal, Demonic Immortal, Demonic Immortal, Demonic Immortal!
Activating the Mixed-Origin Thunder Staff skill—
Whiiirrr!
Tss-tss-tss-tss—
Ziiing!
A rift formed.
Did it work?
But—
Pssshhk!
The rift vanished quickly.
Hmm.
Opening a world I've never been to is this difficult.
Let's keep trying.
"Demonic Immortal!!! Let's at least see your face!"
Whiiirrr! Tss-tss-tss-tss… Ziiing! Pssshhk!
Whiiirrr! Tss-tss-tss-tss… Ziiing! Pssshhk!
Whiiirrr! Tss-tss-tss-tss… Ziiing! Pssshhk!
Man.
I'm exhausted.
Then?
"Mr. Chunbok."
"Yes!"
"Grab the hammer with me."
"Huh?"
"We'll swing it together, with the desire to go home. Got it?"
"…Yes."
So they awkwardly held the hammer together.
"Demonic Immortal!!!"
"Let's go hooome!!!"
Whiiirrr! Tss-tss-tss-tss… Ziiing! Pssshhk!
"Demonic Immortal, I miss you!!!"
"I'm going hoooome!!!"
Whiiirrr! Tss-tss-tss-tss… Ziiiiing!
Huh?
Something feels different.
Then—
"Demonic Immortal!!! Don't you trust me? Just hold hands and sleep—no, anyway, DEMONIC IMMORTAL!!!"
"I'm going hoooome!!!"
That was when—
Whiiirrr! Tss-tss-tss-tss… KRAAANG!
Hwaah!
It opened.
A rift.
And a massive one at that.
"Huff, huff!"
I'm completely drained.
Now to confirm—
Is this truly the Jianghu of Wi Cheonrak, the Demonic Immortal, and Chunbok?
"Summoner! I'll go out first—with Chunbok!"
"H-hey, wait!"
Before anyone could stop him—
Spot!
Kosak grabbed Wang Chunbok's hand and dove through the rift.
Why's he in such a hurry?
Still, we opened it.
First—
"Wi Cheonrak?"
"…Yes?"
Swoosh!
Back into the Red Gourd.
After waiting a while—
Pop!
Kosak reappeared.
"It's correct. A Jianghu world reeking of old-man stench."
"Sir Kosak is right. Though centuries have passed, it is the Jianghu I lived in. I saw it clearly with my own eyes."
Confirmation complete.
Then—
Time to go catch the Demonic Immortal.
One card remains.
Transcendent Summoning.