A low humming sound resonated.

Behind Cheonma’s back, a rift yawned open, its surface shimmering with a deep violet hue that carried an unmistakable, foreboding presence. From within the fissure, a sinister black mist slithered out, curling in the air, and the mere sight of it made me frown. I knew precisely why.

That rift—

‘It’s the same one she used in my past life.’

The dimensional tear that Cheonma frequently opened to traverse between realms.

At first glance, it resembled the Magyeong Gate, yet no demonic beasts emerged from it. Unlike the gate, it seemed to serve only as a means of travel—or perhaps for some other unknown purpose. Even I had never learned what lay beyond it.

Its nature felt vaguely similar to the power Cheol Ji-seon once wielded—

‘But something is different.’

Despite the resemblance, I could tell it was not the same. There was a fundamental disparity between this and the power Cheol Ji-seon had used.@@novelbin@@

‘Why didn’t I realize it sooner?’

More importantly—why had I not remembered? Cheonma could open rifts.

It had happened before, back at the Divine Dragon Pavilion—

‘She appeared through a rift back then.’

The rift she opened that day had been nearly identical to this one. So why had I forgotten something so crucial?

“…Hey.”

“Hm?”

“What is that? What do you use it for?”

“Hmm?”

Cheonma turned her head toward me, glancing back at the rift she had emerged from. Her pale hand rose, and with a casual, downward swipe—

Kiiiiiiiik—!!!

The rift closed with a dreadful, grating sound, vanishing completely without leaving the slightest trace.

Cheonma’s voice followed—

“My home.”

“…Home?”

“Yeah. Home.”

The word made my eyes narrow. What did she mean by home? A sudden thought surfaced in my mind.

“If you’re calling it home… does that mean you can reach Zhongyuan through it?”

Cheonma’s home—where Gu Ryunghwa was.

If she called that place her home, could this rift be a path back there?

I spoke aloud, voicing my suspicion—

“Nope.”

Cheonma tilted her head slightly, her expression curious, as though she found my question strange.

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