“What are you…”

Crack! Crack Crack!!

“Just what the hell are you?!”

Rage. Bewilderment. Hatred. Confusion.

In this muddy pool of emotions, Heavenly Commander Dong unconsciously stepped backward.

The man standing before Heavenly Commander Dong took one step forward.

Thud-

The fan in his hand swayed gracefully while fully spread.

From its surface, energy flowed down like mist, dyeing the surroundings.

Though reminiscent of the sword energy cloud Cheon Woo had demonstrated at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, this was in fact something far more terrifying and vicious.

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.

Force Energy Cloud[1].

Yes, it was a mist composed of force energy.

An absolute power with enough crushing force to pulverize anything it touched.

It’s known that masters who reach the Transformation Realm can use force energy, and nothing but force energy itself can resist it.

However, there’s one thing most people don’t know in detail.

Force energy itself is merely the entrance to ultimate techniques.

Force energy, a pure destructive power, means qi compressed to an extremely powerful state.

Then what’s needed to compress qi?

Ultimate techniques.

Those who’ve just entered the Transformation Realm barely understand the realm of ultimate techniques while producing force energy.

With that force energy, their martial prowess rises and through achieving enlightenment, they become able to use new martial arts moves.

Even these cannot be used without the enlightenment of ultimate techniques.

“What’s wrong? Where did all that confidence from earlier go?”

“Uaaah! Die!”

Hundreds of wind bullet force energies formed around Heavenly Commander Dong’s entire body.

Each was swift as wind, with free directional control – an ultimate technique that would crush opponents into meat pieces from all directions.

However, Zhuge Rin’s gently moving fan controlled the Force Energy Cloud swaying around him.

The hundreds of wind bullet force energies flying in instantly were all blocked, and the quietly moving Force Energy Cloud gently sliced off Heavenly Commander Dong’s right heel.

Slash.

Cold and burning sensations assaulted Heavenly Commander Dong simultaneously.

But Heavenly Commander Dong endured the pain, leaping into the air and flipping his body.

He unleashed countless wind bullet force energies again.

Rumble-!

Yet amazingly, all of these were blocked by Zhuge Rin’s Force Energy Cloud.

How is this possible?

Is this bastard predicting all my attacks?

Or does he possess the reflexes to block all my force energy in an instant?

“You bastaaaaard!”

Clang!

Using all his strength, he brought his hands together as if in prayer.

Force energy wrapped around his entire body before transforming into a small vortex.

“Block this!”

Mysterious Howling Wind Divine Arts: Ultimate Technique – Demon God Wind Dragon[2].

He became a dragon.

In this state, his entire body flew toward Zhuge Rin.

“That’s a poor move.”

The Force Energy Cloud controlled by Zhuge Rin enveloped Heavenly Commander Dong using the Demon God Wind Dragon.

And then began spinning in the opposite direction.

Force energy meshed with force energy, immediately causing a collision.

Clang!

The out-of-control force energy then exploded violently.

“Kuaaak!”

Naturally, Heavenly Commander Dong at the explosion’s center couldn’t escape unscathed.

One arm was severed, both legs twisted grotesquely.

crack-

It was hard to find any unbroken bones in his body. His entire body had become a punctured bag spewing blood.

The moment he realized his condition, Heavenly Commander Dong vomited blood.

“How… did you… my attacks…”

“Did you not know who you were facing?”

Zhuge Rin slowly walked toward his neutralized enemy.

Thud.

The spread fan closed into one.

“With a little time, predicting what a fool like you would do isn’t difficult. I simply broke down all your martial arts.”

Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique: Ultimate Technique – Martial Intent Foresight[3].

A realm reached by extremely few even in the illustrious history of the Zhuge clan.

Maximizing the capabilities of the Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique to reach ultimate technique level.

An ultimate technique that instantly comprehends the opponent’s martial arts and foresees their future actions!

Martial artists’ battles have similarities to number games.

Martial arts themselves have specific combat paths – directions and routes for attacks.

If you know how your opponent will move beforehand, naturally you can defeat them.

Isn’t this why the martial world is extremely sensitive about martial arts breaking methods being leaked?

Therefore, there are absolutely necessary conditions to defeat Zhuge Rin.

One must be at least twice as fast as him and possess more than twice his internal energy.

But how many such beings exist in the martial world?

Even if you foresee it, you can never defeat Zhuge Rin unless you can make attacks beyond his ability to dodge or block!

That was the power of the Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique’s ultimate technique, Martial Intent Foresight.

“That’s… impossible…”

Zhuge Rin’s fan began glowing as it contained force energy.

“The crime of trying to touch my disciple. Pay for it with death.”

Clang!

Force energy struck the ground.

Zhuge Rin’s cold brow slightly wrinkled.

Because Heavenly Commander Dong had vanished with only a large hole in the ground remaining.

Probably someone from the Blood Immortal Sect had intervened and taken him away.

“Used the tunnels they dug to infiltrate the Martial Righteous Alliance to escape, huh. Should have brought Yoo Ho…”

Well, it doesn’t matter much either way.

With his entire body’s qi channels twisted and severed, he’ll die before the year’s end.

All that remains for Heavenly Commander Dong are days of such terrible pain he’ll wish someone would quickly behead him.

Heavenly Commander Won is being handled by the Founding King and his warriors, so they should take care of that.

Zhuge Rin raised his head with an irritated expression.

“First…”

Then he kicked off the ground and soared into the sky.

The Alliance Leader’s struggles were none of Zhuge Rin’s concern.

Thus without a moment’s hesitation, he rushed out of the Alliance headquarters toward his disciple.

“Good thing I planted the thousand-mile fragrance…”

He became like the wind itself.

***

Before Zhuge Rin defeated Heavenly Commander Dong.

At the same time, a four-against-one battle was taking place.

Normally, their biggest concern would be whether to capture or slaughter the opponent rather than being in crisis.

However, when facing someone in the Transformation Realm, moreover one who’d reached its peak, the opposite situation unfolds.

No matter how many chicks gather, they cannot kill a lion.

Slither-

As its name suggests, the Demonic Snake Venom Poison Arts is a martial art that uses poison.

An unparalleled demonic art that could be classified as a divine technique.

Therefore, exposure to this Demonic Snake Venom Poison Arts was no different from being poisoned by extreme toxins.

Even now, as Heavenly Commander Yeo began using his power in earnest, trees within a one-jang radius (about 3m) around him instantly began melting into toxic substances.

Atop a tall pavilion roof.

Where Heavenly Commander Yeo stood was filled with poison energy.

Venomous snakes attacked from all directions along with the fog.

And these weren’t ordinary venomous snakes.

The assault continued with near-spiritual beast level snakes.

Jin Cheonhee, Yeo Ha-ryoon, Sama Hyeon, and Cheon Woo blocked Heavenly Commander Yeo’s attacks while killing these near-spiritual beast level snakes that struck from their surroundings with their respective martial arts.

There’s no end to them.

Talk about being outnumbered.

Even Hwanggu fighting alongside them began showing signs of fatigue.

“Playtime’s over. Why don’t you just melt in the poison?”

Heavenly Commander Yeo’s body was obscured by the poison mist created by the Demonic Snake Venom Poison Arts. That energy gradually expanded, eroding the surroundings as it spread like a plate.

All organic matter began melting in that poison mist, releasing acrid poisonous smoke.

Jin Cheonhee immediately signaled.

“This is the poison I talked about! Spread out and attack from range! First, keep the snakes in front in check!”

Clang! Slash! Crack!

While cutting down the attacking snakes from all directions with the Ice Clarity Sword, Jin Cheonhee commanded using sound transmission.

Four newborn chicks facing a lion.

The reason these chicks could fight without any serious injuries was thanks to Jin Cheonhee’s directions.

Jin Cheonhee continuously transmitted strategic instructions regarding Heavenly Commander Yeo.

All four moved according to Jin Cheonhee’s directions.

Thud Thud Thud!

Four different martial arts completely crushed dozens of snakes.

Though severed heads spurted poison, none were injured.

“Now!”

They simultaneously retreated at Jin Cheonhee’s command.

The Demonic Snake Venom Poison Arts’s poison mist wavered and covered where the four had been.

Swoosh-

Jin Cheonhee’s retinas shone with brilliant blue light.

The Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique invoked to its extreme awakened his senses, dividing minutes into seconds, seconds into instants.

Accelerated thought made time infinitely slow.

Analyzing phenomena to draw forth predictions.

Jin Cheonhee could predict how Heavenly Commander Yeo would move by calculating the subtle wavering of the poison mist.

As expected, he’s targeting Ha-ryoon first.

Since poison mist is still smoke, it must move according to air currents. And those currents ultimately waver according to the caster’s movements.

Yet predicting next actions from those waverings is a realm none would think of.

Nevertheless, the Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique creates conclusions approaching prophecy, pushing its user to unreachable heights.

However.

Since it cannot be called prediction if you see but cannot block.

Jin Cheonhee immediately raised the Ice Clarity Sword high and infused it with energy.

Shiiing-

Sword energy made of frost energy began flickering like flames.

It soon transformed into force energy and then into an ultimate technique.

The time consumed until here was barely an eye blink.

Taiji Immortal-Destruction Sword.

Ultimate Technique – Heaven Earth Severance[4]!

A sword strike that severs heaven and earth extended forth.

Simultaneously, Heavenly Commander Yeo sprang out from within the poison mist like a snake, leaping toward Yeo Ha-ryoon!

Perfect!

Is this how stock traders feel when their predictions hit?

Though somewhat different from the thrill ordinary martial artists feel when clashing martial prowess, Jin Cheonhee too felt a strange excitement.

A predictive attack using the Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique!

Predicting the opponent’s movement first, the Heaven Earth Severance Sword struck directly at their path of movement!