Chapter 33: Day 33

Rumble!

A sound like something collapsing echoed through the poisonous fog.

Cheon Seo Ah swung the Black Wind Fan, creating a gust of wind that dispersed the toxic mist.

Beyond the dissipated fog, she could see the collapsed cliff face and the entrance to the Hidden Dimension.

The entrance, resembling a cave mouth, emitted an eerie Demonic Qi.

Cheon Seo Ah grinned, feeling a surge of luck.

To think that a Hidden Dimension she stumbled upon by chance would emit Demonic Qi.

Even if it wasn’t made by a Demonic Beast, the presence of Demonic Qi suggested that something related to a Demonic Beast was inside.

Perhaps the Hidden Dimension was created to seal such an item.

Whatever it was…

“It benefits me.”

Chuckling, she walked into the Hidden Dimension without hesitation.

Step. Step. Step.

Cheon Seo Ah walked casually through the pitch-black interior.

For her, now a Golden Core cultivator, mere darkness was no obstacle. However…

“Why is there nothing here?”

She muttered, frowning.

Whether it was to seal a treasure or to pass on techniques or treasures to future generations, a Hidden Dimension with nothing inside was an anomaly.

If it was meant to guard a sealed item, there should have been traps or puppets.

If it was for posterity, there should have been trials to test the worthiness of those who sought to inherit the legacy.

But she had encountered nothing since entering.

As time passed, Cheon Seo Ah began to doubt whether this was truly a Hidden Dimension.

Was it simply a naturally formed area where Demonic Qi gathered? Was the barrier at the entrance just something to conceal this place from other Demonic Beasts?

“Could it be…”

She voiced her doubts, then immediately dismissed them.

But she couldn’t entirely shake off the suspicion, and her pace quickened, moving from a brisk walk to a near run.

How long did she run through the seemingly endless tunnel?

Clink-

A faint, metallic sound reached her ears. At the same moment…

Whoosh-!

Cheon Seo Ah, defying the laws of physics, instantly retreated as dozens of arrows rained down where she had been running. The arrows, sharp enough to pierce the solid rock floor of the tunnel, were a clear indication of danger.

She finally shook off her doubts. The presence of these traps, using mechanisms to function, meant this was more than just a place where Demonic Qi gathered.

Or was it? Were the traps installed to…

“Simply to kill Demonic Beasts trying to utilize the Demonic Qi in this place?”

Nothing was certain.

Still, Cheon Seo Ah tried to remain optimistic as she pressed forward. She was nearing the end of the Hidden Dimension.

Boom!

Suddenly, a pillar of fire erupted from the ground.

Swish-!

Sharp blades shot out from the walls, aiming for her.

Rumble-

The floor collapsed, revealing a pit filled with countless metal spikes.

The traps, starting with the arrows, were increasing in number and intensity, as if someone were saying, ‘You shall not pass!’ Cheon Seo Ah grinned at this apparent intent.

“Let’s see what lies at the end.”

Whoosh…

Her Golden Core pulsed, emitting a surge of Demonic Qi.

The dark green Demonic Qi, laced with a potent toxicity, swirled around her like countless tentacles. She condensed the Demonic Qi into a small sphere.

Ninefold Hell Body Explosion Art, Explosive Demonic Poisonous Orb.

Boom!

The orb shot forward, creating a massive explosion that shook the entire Hidden Dimension.

The resulting poisonous fog filled the tunnel. Cheon Seo Ah walked through it casually, unaffected by the deadly poison that could even corrode a Golden Core cultivator. The poison, after all, was a part of her.

How long did she walk through the poisonous fog? Perhaps only a minute.

“Ah…!”

She reached the end of the tunnel, the end of the Hidden Dimension, and let out a soft exclamation.

There, a single sword, bound by dozens of chains, was sealed. Before the sealed sword lay a single book.

Her gaze was fixed on the sword. Even sealed, the sword emanated a potent Demonic Qi.

If she could claim it, how much stronger would she become?

Swallowing, she slowly approached the sword.

With each step, the sword’s Demonic Qi surged, filling her with an intoxicating sense of power. As she reached out, entranced…

Flinch-.

A sudden, powerful force struck from above. Cheon Seo Ah instinctively retreated.

Slash!

A sharp attack swept through the space where she had been standing.

Coming to her senses, Cheon Seo Ah’s expression turned vicious.

She had read in the White Snake Gate’s records that powerful treasures could bewitch people, corrupting their minds and stealing their bodies.

She had nearly fallen victim to such a treasure.

“Should I be thanking you for this?”

Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Above, something fell from the ceiling of the Hidden Dimension.

It was a puppet in the form of a monster.

Its body was made of black wood. Its lower half resembled a centipede, while its upper half was vaguely humanoid, with six arms, each wielding a different weapon.

“A guardian of the seal? Or an object of trial? Whatever it is…”

Cheon Seo Ah’s eyes gleamed, staring at the inhuman puppet.

“That’s mine.”

She had almost been devoured by the treasure, but that was because she had been careless.

She was confident she could control it.

With that conviction, she charged towards the puppet.

I need to become stronger. And that treasure will make me stronger.

So…

“Don’t interfere!”

Ninefold Hell Body Explosion Art, Explosive Demonic Poisonous Orb.

She hurled a sphere of condensed, dark green Demonic Qi towards the puppet.

The orb, leaving a faint trail in its wake, reached the puppet in an instant. The puppet moved.

Clang-

Whoosh-

One of its six arms swung a sword, cleaving the orb in two. It seemed as if the puppet had easily neutralized Cheon Seo Ah’s attack. But…

“Idiot.”

Cheon Seo Ah sneered.

It wasn’t an ordinary sphere.

It was a bomb, designed to explode with the slightest impact, a bomb filled with deadly poison that could corrode anything.

As if to prove her point, the bisected orb…

Boom!

…exploded, engulfing the inhuman puppet.
*