At her incredulous question, Jin Cheon-hee wore a slightly hurt expression.
“I’m just struggling to survive, but everyone asks me that. Hearing it from the Blood Immortal Cult feels especially strange. But you have a point. It’s a mix of the Poison of Profoundness and the Five-Elemental Divine Art, so even I can’t control it properly.”
“Crazy bastard. You’re going to die!”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
Jin Cheon-hee grinned.
“But if I stop you, the sacrifices will decrease. Isn’t it worth a try?”
He began to slowly extend his uninjured right hand.
Heavenly Lord Geum gripped her greatsword with both hands. Because their internal energies were locked in a violent clash, she couldn’t let go; she was already expending all her strength just to block the poison qi Jin Cheon-hee had unleashed.
Horror dawned on Heavenly Lord Geum.
That hand.
That slowly approaching hand.
How is such a thing possible?
Surely not. Did this mean his control and manipulation of True Qi were so profound that he could move freely while she was paralyzed? She couldn’t even lift her fingers from the greatsword.
Impossible!
Witnessing that phenomenal sight, Heavenly Lord Geum smirked beneath her mask.
“Hahaha! As expected of the Seed of the Half-Immortal!”
Watching her madness-filled demeanor, Jin Cheon-hee simply placed his palm against Heavenly Lord Geum’s solar plexus.
“If you don’t die from this strike, perhaps there might be a chance for you, too.”
The young man’s expression was stained with a complex mix of anger and sorrow. Yet his mouth curved into a smile, creating a truly bizarre visage.
Supreme Unity Divine Fist: Supreme Ultimate Shattering Strike.
The supreme divine art taught by the Fist Emperor in the past was now realized in Jin Cheon-hee’s hand.
True to its name, the Supreme Ultimate Shattering Strike was a killing move designed to pulverize anything it touched. Its principle lay in the repeated collision and rotation of two opposing energies, creating extreme destructive power capable of crushing even Protective Hardened Qi.
Truly a killing technique. A resolve to annihilate the opponent.
Bang!
Blood sprayed from beneath Heavenly Lord Geum’s mask. The Hardened Qi imbued in her greatsword scattered instantly, shattered by Jin Cheon-hee’s palm.
“Gah!”
Heavenly Lord Geum fell to her knees.
Strangely, however, only Heavenly Lord Geum’s mask flew up into the sky, as if repelled by a mysterious force. A voice echoed eerily from the floating artifact.
[ As expected of One Light. Beyond imagination, is it? ]
Jin Cheon-hee immediately fired a qi projectile using the Heavenly Soft-Essence Penetration, but miraculously, it passed right through the mask. It was as if the object were made of spirit rather than matter.
Heavenly Lord Geum laughed in madness, finding Jin Cheon-hee’s struggle amusing.
[ It’s useless. I am a spirit body. Hmm, humiliating nonetheless. To think you forced me to use the Soul Transference Ultimate Art. I was looking forward to reuniting with Big Sister after so long, but it can’t be helped. But it’s fine. I’ll just find another body… ]
At that moment.
Snatch!
A bloody hand grabbed the mask.
The mask, which should have been intangible, was caught firmly in the grip.
[ Kuaaaaaak! What is this?! ]
The hand holding the mask began to burn. Yet, amidst the agony of the searing heat, the hand did not let go.
“Caught you, Sister.”
Heavenly Lord Geum unleashed sorcery power to break free. Nevertheless, the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger chanted Sanskrit mantras, shaving away her own lifespan to maintain her hold on the mask.
“You timed it perfectly.”
“As soon as your Poison of Profoundness exploded, the Holy Mother Golden Radiance retreated. Thanks to that, I could intervene.”
[ Holy Mother Golden Radiance! How dare you abandon me! Holy Mother of Golden Radiaaaance! ]
The madness-soaked voice split into two.
The Three Perfections Tracking Tiger grabbed the mask and jammed it back onto Heavenly Lord Geum’s face.
Instantly, color returned to Heavenly Lord Geum’s body, which had been vacant like a discarded doll, and she began to breathe again. However, depleted of energy, her consciousness did not return.
“Thank you. How did you know to teach me this? Telling me to learn Sanskrit mantras to capture a soul.”
Since reading the original novel was a secret he could never divulge, Jin Cheon-hee glossed over it.
“Just a bit of deduction.”
“The Zhuge Clan is amazing. Or maybe it’s you who is amazing.”
“Your hand…”
“It’s fine. Burns like this will heal.”
It was more than just a burn. What the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger had used was a mantra fueled by Innate True Qi. Not being a formal Buddhist practitioner, she had no other way to capture Heavenly Lord Geum’s soul than to use her own life force as fuel. Jin Cheon-hee worried about her shortened lifespan but chose not to show it.
The Three Perfections Tracking Tiger looked happy regardless.
“I won’t lose you again. So let’s go together, Sister.”
She laughed while crying. With trembling hands, she sealed pressure points and drove needles into the tendons of the four limbs to paralyze her sister. Since there were cases of masters reviving through strange regeneration arts even if tendons were severed, she used the method of pinning them down physically with needles.
It was a cruel act fit for a mortal enemy, but the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger did it to her own sister without hesitation.
“…Thank you. Thank you.”
Thud.
Having exhausted even her Innate True Qi, the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger fainted beside her sibling.
Watching the two sisters collapse, Jin Cheon-hee clicked his tongue. “Really, there’s no nuisance like this. Elder Sister. What is this, truly?”
Grumbling, he gathered the poison qi to soothe his left arm. Strangely, the poison mist that had spread in all directions slithered back into Jin Cheon-hee’s arm on its own accord.
I gained something big from this fight.
The pain remained, but controlling the poison qi had become possible. It was a significant enlightenment.
It’s not like I have a Black Flame Dragon sealed in my left hand or anything.
He couldn’t say a word to Tang Ah about this. No, if he had to argue, he was the one playing along with her, but next time they met, he thought they could play even more interesting games.
Can I handle the Poison of Profoundness now?
He would need more training to use it freely, but obtaining poison arts of this level already placed him far beyond ordinary martial artists. Thinking back to when they feared the Ten Heavenly Lords, joined forces to fight just one, and still had to risk their lives… it was truly a sea change.
It’s absurd. What am I becoming?
Five-Elemental Divine Art, Dual Principles Cultivation Art, Profound Primordial Complete Foundation Divine Art, Supreme Unity Wisdom Sword, Ice Arts, and Poison Arts. Not to mention Sound Arts and all sorts of miscellaneous skills, plus the Lightning Arts of the Namgung Clan forced upon him by Namgung Woon.
As for Heavenly Demon Divine Art… Jin Cheon-hee decided not to think about that.
I don’t know.
He had just wanted to save himself and save others, but the path he walked was now so distant, so vast, that he couldn’t even guess the road ahead.
Just then, Namgung Woon’s voice rang out.
“Brother Jin. Are you okay?”
Namgung Woon also had deep wounds carved across his body.
“You managed to survive.”
“I lived because the Holy Mother Golden Radiance ran away. Phew, feels like I’m going to die. Still, I think I’m better off than you, Brother.”
Saying that, he supported Jin Cheon-hee.
He looked alternately at the fallen Three Perfections Tracking Tiger and Heavenly Lord Geum—who was pierced with iron needles yet held preciously in her sister’s arms—and said, “Brother Jin. You must tell me this story later.”
“Understood. I’ll tell you when things are settled. Before that, we need to clean up the remnants of the Sea Sand Gang…”
Just as he nodded and tried to continue speaking, he froze.
In the distance, two shadows split apart. What he thought were distant trees turned out to be two people upon closer inspection. And those two people were approaching.
They were clearly walking, yet they moved with incredible speed, as if folding the earth beneath their feet. It was astonishing.
“With Heavenly Lord Geum critically injured and the Holy Mother Golden Radiance fleeing after taking a hit, the wait was worth it.”
“It seems he created a poison art that works on the Ten Heavenly Lords of the Blood Immortal Cult? Is it perhaps from the Demonic Cult?”
“…Brother Jin, step back.”
Namgung Woon drew his sword.
Their eyes met. They knew without speaking. There was no strength left, and now, someone would die. It felt hopeless to even try buying time.
Namgung Woon sent a telepathic message.
[ I’m glad I can repay my debt to you at the end, Brother Jin. ]
[ Hero Namgung… ]
[ If one of us must remain in this Gangho… undeniably, it should be you, Brother Jin. ]
How much agony and wandering had there been since sharing a drink with Jin Cheon-hee that day?
In the war against the Suksin Tribe, Namgung Woon saw the sacrifices Jin Cheon-hee made as he ran forward, and eventually reached his own conclusion.
So, he took a step forward.
Step.
[ Please take care of the Namgung Clan. ]
A martial artist leaves a debt to another martial artist.
Or perhaps, this was the atonement Namgung Woon had in mind. Was he trying to pay off an old debt with his life?
Jin Cheon-hee’s lips moved to say something, but he closed them in the end.
In that fleeting moment, Namgung Woon raised his sword, blue lightning blooming along the blade. Although the death of his body was near, his spirit would remain to nurture the Namgung Clan.
It was fine. Just as winter blooms only to eventually fade for a small sprout. Wasn’t this also the law of the world?
“Hmm, Azure Dragon Sword Namgung Woon? This wasn’t in the plan.”
“Isn’t it a good thing? According to the Heavenly Fate, it is logical for Namgung Woon to die later. Since the Heavenly Fate scattered and he looks set to live long, wouldn’t it be better to remove him now?”
“Agreed. All things shall flow according to reason.”
Not just killing two birds with one stone, but four.
Joy appeared on the faces of the Black and White Eccentric Immortals. Extreme Yang Qi hung over the White-Robed Eccentric, while Extreme Yin Qi hung over the Black-Robed Eccentric.
Truly, the Heavenly Design Compliance.
Faced with their immense energy, Jin Cheon-hee involuntarily closed his eyes. He didn’t know if he could keep Namgung Woon’s will. No, escaping itself was impossible for the current Jin Cheon-hee.
Just as the two absolute masters lowered their hands to strike, the change occurred in a fleeting instant.
RUMBLE!
The sky vibrated violently as if in rage, emitting a thunderous roar.
At that sound, the bodies of the Black and White Eccentric Immortals turned back instantly. From the distance, a black sphere, like an abyss, was flying toward them.
The Black and White Eccentric Immortals extended their palms toward each other. Their hands collided in mid-air, and simultaneously, they reached out toward the incoming black sphere in a strange posture.
Then.
Black and white Hardened Qi drew a Taiji symbol from their hands, advancing to collide with the black sphere.
And an astonishing thing happened.
Whirrrrrrrrr!
The black sphere halted, swallowed the Hardened Qi, and compressed it entirely. Jin Cheon-hee knew what that was. Namgung Woon also knew what it was.
The supreme technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Heaven-Shattering Ultimate Void.
Namgung Woon immediately threw away his sword, the life of a swordsman. He grabbed Jin Cheon-hee’s nape with one hand and unwrapped his sash to bind the two sisters. Doing all this in the blink of an eye, Namgung Woon retreated like lightning.
And then.
The massive explosion that had occurred at the Namgung Clan estate unfolded again before them.
CRACK! BOOOOM!
With terrifying destructive power, the Black and White Eccentric Immortals were seen exerting all their strength to block the force with both hands. When the explosion ended, someone fell from the sky, landing with their back to Jin Cheon-hee and Namgung Woon.
Black silk robes fluttered.
A back radiating fierce momentum stood there.
Amidst that immense power, a chilling sensation crept in; Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widened. Even the Profound Primordial Complete Foundation Divine Art could not have predicted this.
“Found you. Brother.”
It was Junior Cult Leader Yeo Ha-ryoon who had appeared like a comet.