The Hundred Meetings (百會) (1)
After distancing myself from Kim Young-hoon.
I began forming my internal core right there in the nearby mountain range.
Woowwoong!
The internal core formed.
I gathered the qi throughout my entire body from the Hundred Meetings and concentrated.
The Hundred Meetings meant gathering a hundred streams of qi and blood, and it was also the most vital point in the human body that connected to heaven and earth.
As qi gathered at the Hundred Meetings, I felt my internal core gradually dissolving.
The dissolved internal core spread throughout the body as qi and blood, connecting to the Invisible Sword I held in my palm.
The Invisible Sword permeated my entire body and flowed through every meridian.
With my eyes closed, I gathered the Invisible Sword flowing through my whole body at the Hundred Meetings and integrated it in the upper dantian.
The Invisible Sword fully established itself throughout my body, and I became the sword itself.
I felt that I could now draw out the power of each and every cell through the Invisible Sword.
I could also reverse it and use my flesh and cells to draw the Invisible Sword’s power to its extreme.
And that extreme, the Invisible Sword I had drawn, was this.
Pi-yiit!
As I swung the sword, I felt the heavenly qi flowing through the nearby mountain range cut off in an instant.
The power to cut anything I desired.
“Wasn’t it the Supreme Power he mentioned?”
I didn’t know exactly what he meant by Supreme Power, but as my Invisible Sword was honed to its limit, I vaguely sensed something.
That it transcended something akin to dimensions.
I also wondered if what I had done, mimicking the Divine Light Sword to slash space, was possible because both the Invisible Sword and the power of the Divine Light Sword were related to dimensions.
“Well, I’ll have to keep using the Invisible Sword at the Step Heaven realm and confirm it…”
I pushed off from the ground again and continued my thoughts.
Pa-aaah!
With the Invisible Sword fully unified, I pushed off and could fly much faster than the Cloud Escape Technique.
“First, let me organize the things I need to do.”
Since I came to Yeon Kingdom, these were the things I needed to do.
The first one was this.
“I need to see their faces.”
I had come to find them every single loop without fail.
This loop, I couldn’t skip either.
I flew toward the Jin Clan’s residence at great speed.
* * *
“They’re asleep.”
I looked at the guys who had been sleeping after training in the guesthouse.
“…I’m sorry.”
I looked around at the guys and spoke to my disciples from the past.
“Living, there are times when you know you’re going to die and yet still run forward.”
This was an apology to those children.
“With my short-sightedness and arrogance, I forced my will upon you without realizing it.”
Of course, I had also had my own position back then.
An assassination attempt that was obviously destined to end in death.
A law technique using the grudges of my dear ones, swelled with far too much hatred.
Looking at the guys’ wills, seeing them love each other, be happy, and even find joy in hatred, I thought they should live.
And that was from a powerless person’s standpoint.
“If I thought they should live, I should have killed the emperor in advance at the risk of my own life.”
There were many excuses I could make, but there was only one thing I could say.
“Back then I couldn’t help, but now I’ll lend you my strength. Live well.”
I left the guesthouse, performed a bow to the guesthouse from my master’s position, and left.
Bowing was not only respect for superiors but also gratitude to the person.
I bowed in gratitude to the children who had been my connections.
And so I went to the Jin Clan’s spirit storage.
A warehouse filled with countless crystal orbs.
I looked at them and swung the Invisible Sword.
Shukak!
My Invisible Sword severed the law technique connecting the crystal orbs and souls.
And the law technique was cut straight through, and the spirits came out of the orbs and slowly began to disperse.
I looked at them and said,
“Your children, the survivors, will finish their remaining lives peacefully in the Jin Clan and live happily for generations to come. Please achieve nirvana in peace even after death.”
Aaaa…
Aaa…
The spirits trembled slightly as they heard my voice, then rose straight into the sky.
Some time later, a warning law technique was about to ring from the spirit storage warehouse, but I cut that law technique as well.
Then I left the Jin Clan at leisure.
Now the only thing left in Yeon Kingdom was this.
“The Makri Clan.”
Eliminate every single one of those betrayers who betrayed the alliance in my previous life.
“You bastards… you have no reason at all to remain in this world.”
Pa-aaang!
I flew toward the main residence of the Makri Clan, which I had already known as the core of the alliance in my previous life.
* * *
The main residence of the Makri Clan was a place I was extremely familiar with.
Seogyeong-seong, the capital of Yeon Kingdom!
Pa-aang!
I tore through the air and arrived above Seogyeong-seong.
And after briefly looking down, I plunged straight toward the center of Seogyeong-seong.
Ku-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
My body became the Invisible Sword itself, piercing through the center of Seogyeong-seong and descending underground.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
After digging through the earth for a while, I finally confirmed an empty cave.
Pu-kwak!
In the large cave, the space compression set by the Makri Clan must have been active, and the inner space was enormously vast.
Approximately, it was enough for a small mountain range to fit inside.
Ku-gu-gu-gu!
And on top of that mountain range stood one enormous palace, from which thick corpse stench and dense demonic qi were spewing out.
I had heard before that this place had never been the Makri Clan’s main residence.
It had been the headquarters of the Demonic Sword Alliance, and the Makri Clan had only been tenants living on a small piece of land at the bottom of that palace.
But now that the entire alliance had been defeated by the Supreme Court, the Makri Clan had seized the ownerless cave.
Pa-aa-at!
I flew through the air toward the Makri Clan’s main residence.
On the ceiling of the cave, enormous amber pearls were embedded and glowing, so it wasn’t dark at all, in fact brighter than daytime.
Thus, I arrived at the palace.
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Makri Clan, blocking the front of the palace, approached me and asked,
“Are you well, respected sir? You must be a senior at the Core Formation stage?”
Seeing me fly without a flying magic device, they must have thought I used the Cloud Escape Technique.
It wasn’t a flying law technique, but their judgment wasn’t bad.
After all, I was still senior to these guys.
But.
“There are three things I’d like to correct. First, I am not a Core Formation cultivator.”
“Ah, then you must have learned some peculiar gong method?”
“Second, I am neither your brother nor your respected sir.”
Something must have felt off to the two gatekeepers because of my blunt tone.
The color of the two guards’ faces gradually hardened.
“Third, I don’t want to receive a greeting like that from you. Keep the greeting.”
They frowned and asked,
“What brings you here?”
“I came to make a few requests of you. If you comply with these requests, I will leave.”
I began telling these guys what I wanted, one by one.
“One, stop sacrificing innocent lives to manufacture golden pills. Two, abandon the dirty foundation you have built in Yeon Kingdom and leave for somewhere else. Three, offer a heaven-ascending ritual for the humans you killed to make those golden pills.”
With my explanation continuing, the guys’ faces turned red then purple.
“If you maintain these things, we will spare your family. How about it?”
“This… crazy bastard…!”
The two Foundation Establishment cultivators at the early stage, their faces blood-red, reached out to me.
“Die! You madman!”
Chwa-aak!
With the stench of corpses, strong repulsive force pushed me away.
But I snorted and swung my hand as is.
Bu-woong, kwa-aaang!
Under my hand’s touch, the guy was split in half with the repulsive force coming from him and died, and the door of the palace beyond him was also split in half.
“…Eh….”
The remaining Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator, mouth agape, backed away from me.
“U-uhaaa! C-Core Formation…!”
The guy, terrified, fled in haste.
But when the guy had taken five steps,
The guy split into three pieces and collapsed on the spot.
I ignored the guys and entered through the split door.
Stomp, stomp…
Inside the dark palace.
The ultimate base of demonic arts that the Demonic Sword Alliance had once used.
From inside, hundreds of gazes felt.
And eight powerful auras pressed down on me.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
The clan lord, Makri Hwangcheon.
And the seven elders of the Core Formation.
“What kind of madman dares… to raid the Makri Clan? After our senior Heavenly Persons were defeated, you’re already rampaging? You have no manners.”
One of the elders growled at me.
“Looking at the power flowing in your meridians, you’re barely at the Core Formation… no, you don’t even feel like a golden pill. Foundation Establishment? Are you out of your mind rampaging here?”
“You won’t be able to leave this place intact.”
“The golden pill that will thoroughly refine your body, I’ll experiment on you.”
The pack of dogs barked noisily.
And the leader of the pack, Makri Hwangcheon, sat quietly in the high seat, only gazing at me.
I chuckled.
“Barking like dogs but everyone is tense. Right? If you weren’t really crazy, there must have been some reason you came charging in. ….”
I didn’t feel any golden pill power, and just like Foundation Establishment cultivators, only powerful force flowed in their meridians.
It wasn’t strange that they would mistake me for one.
But.
The power I had achieved was completely different from a gung method.
“Everyone is noisy, so charge all at once.”
I’ll show you.
The power that reached Step Heaven.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
I began raising the power of the Invisible Sword that was completely one with myself.
* * *
The Makri Clan lord, Makri Hwangcheon, rose from the high seat.
Simultaneously, the seven elders of the Makri Clan also rose from their elder seats.
More than three hundred and fifty Makri Clan Foundation Establishment elders also rose from their seats.
Ku-gu-gu-gu!
Dragon energy rose around Makri Hwangcheon.
“To the madman who dared challenge the Makri Clan, I will show the power of the Makri Clan.”
And then Seo Eun-hyun collided with the Makri Clan.
Ku-kwa-kwa-kwang!
Hundreds of Makri Clan personnel collided with Seo Eun-hyun’s single strike.
And.
“…!?”
“…?”
“???”
The elders of the Makri Clan, including Makri Hwangcheon, and all the elder assembly, eyes wide open, looked around.
They were the ones who had fired the acceptance toward the mysterious intruder, yet they were the ones who had been bounced out of the palace.
“What the…? What is this….”
And.
Stomp, stomp…
Seo Eun-hyun walked out from outside the palace.
“Let me reiterate my request, but it’s simple. One, stop making human golden pills. Two, leave Yeon Kingdom. Three, offer a heaven-ascending ritual for the humans used to make human golden pills.”
He scanned the surroundings with a harsh gaze.
“This is the final mercy and request. You should accept it.”
Makri Hwangcheon furrowed his brows and shouted,
“A cultivator with a strange gong method! All, brace yourselves!”
“…Hoo.”
Seo Eun-hyun sighed.
“I clearly showed you the final mercy even among you. Don’t resent me.”
And then he began to use his power.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
The Invisible Sword was a form of Gale Slash.
And Gale Slash and the internal core were the same thing, except for their life force connection.
What Kim Young-hoon had created was the external core.
By connecting his life force to the Wol-do-ip-cheon outside the body, he strengthened the Wol-do-ip-cheon.
And the Wol-do-ip-cheon that reached Step Heaven and fully merged with the body itself, not just the internal core, maintained the external core in real time.
No, it was overwhelmingly better efficiency than the external core.
Because it was truly connected to life, not artificially created Gale qi meridians.
Therefore, the Invisible Sword of those who reached Step Heaven had a different strengthening effect even by itself from when it was Wol-do-ip-cheon.
Seo Eun-hyun swung his hand.
Something connected to his hand swung.
Bu-aang!
Makri Hwangcheon, with a chill premonition, quickly dodged, and the heavenly qi above his position was cut away.
Os-sik!
“Dangerous.”
Makri Hwangcheon gritted his teeth and formed a seal.
“Corpse River!”
Ku-gu-gu-gu!
Glowing green river water with the stench of rotten corpses poured out from the palace and covered Seo Eun-hyun.
With him, other Core Formation cultivators began forming seals respectively.
“Cloud Dragon, Fiery Ghost, Confluence!”
“Storm Wind, Demon Dragon, Transformation!”
“Dark Water, Suck Fire!”
Although there were slight differences in attributes, mostly dark attribute law techniques fell toward Seo Eun-hyun.
And Seo Eun-hyun swung his hand.
Half-Moon Slash!
Peong, peobung, peobebung!
Transparent things swung in a crescent shape, and their law techniques exploded all at once.
And Seo Eun-hyun swung his hand again.
Strange Rock.
A colorless storm began around him.
Lines of power spiraled and gradually grew larger.
Kwa-kwa-ka-ga!
The power of the trajectories, the palace of the Makri Clan closest to him began to be cut first.
And the trajectories spiraled gradually grew and covered the entire Makri Clan.
“Block it!”
“Damn it!”
Several Core Formation elders took out law treasures and whipped them to block the colorless trajectories, but the law treasures could only crumble without piercing the storm.
Mountain Landscape Painting.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
The rushing storm reversed, and the trajectories changed.
Pa-aa-at!
The next moment.
In all directions, colorless trajectories converged, and the entire cave was slashed to pieces.
Mountain ranges were cut away, and the inside of the cave was split everywhere.
And only then did Makri Hwangcheon harden his expression.
“W-What… a Nascent Soul cultivator…?”
At least, that definitely wasn’t a Core Formation cultivator.
But Makri Hwangcheon continued to gaze at Seo Eun-hyun’s trajectories to the end.
“It certainly crossed the Core Formation, but is it really Nascent Soul?”
His judgment was fast.
“Even if it’s not Nascent Soul, it’s at least comparable to him. I misjudged.”
“Everyone listen! That guy is a Nascent Soul monster! A Nascent Soul monster who hid to avoid the hands of our Heavenly Person seniors, is trying to raid the Makri Clan!”
His words continued.
“But this is the main residence of the Makri Clan and the birthplace of the Demonic Sword Alliance! We, as those who inherit the spirit of the Demonic Sword Alliance, will never yield to a Nascent Soul monster!”
Makri Hwangcheon thought,
“The power clearly crossed the Core Formation, but it’s clearly not Nascent Soul. It’s probably a quick-rising Nascent Soul after our Heavenly Person seniors were defeated. Like that guy in the desert…. But compared to the power hidden by that desert guy, this guy’s attacks are simple and weak. This guy….”
In the corners of Makri Hwangcheon’s eyes, greed passed through.
“If I throw everything into the Makri Clan’s power, I can catch him!”
He gave a greasy smile.
“Even thinking about the power of the golden pill made from the body of a Nascent Soul cultivator makes my heart shake! Catch the Nascent Soul monster, and the Makri Clan will make a great leap again!”
Upon his declaration, the elders took out all their law treasures with serious expressions.
The Foundation Establishment elders also began forming the same seals simultaneously.
“Pour the total attack! Block the Nascent Soul monster!”
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
And countless law techniques, law treasures, and magic devices began flying toward Seo Eun-hyun.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
Demonic qi exploded, and law techniques made of demonic qi pressed down on Seo Eun-hyun.
The Foundation Establishment elders took out war weapons from the family’s warehouse and activated them, firing them toward Seo Eun-hyun.
Siege weapons flew toward Seo Eun-hyun, and countless ghost servants and ghost soldier legions surged over him like waves.
Numerous formations and barriers installed in the Makri Clan’s palace activated, restricting Seo Eun-hyun’s power.
And.
Seo Eun-hyun swung the sword.
“Huaaaah!”
“It’s being sucked in!”
“Block it! Block it!”
Danak Sword Art, Overlapping Mountain Peaks!
Ku-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Colorless trajectories spread in all directions, filling the entire cave.
The bodies of dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators split, and some parts of the bodies of several Core Formation elders were torn away.
And the colorless trajectories spreading everywhere wriggled like tentacles.
Danak Sword Art, Mountain Name Song of Response.
Ti-iing!
The wriggling trajectories became the shape of a wavelength, and the entire cave rang, and everyone inside the cave except Seo Eun-hyun vomited blood all at once.
Danak Sword Art, Yureung.
Kurururung!
The colorless trajectories curved and concentrated in one place, sweeping away the Foundation Establishment cultivators and the three Core Formation elders leading them.
Ku-gu-gu-gu!
And.
Seo Eun-hyun’s momentum, fully integrated with the Invisible Sword, began to grow even stronger.
“Block it! I said block it!”
“Make a formation!”
“The Nascent Soul monster is using his power!”
“Block the monster!!!”
“Huaaaaah!”
Danak Sword Art, Spirit Mountain Heart Sky!
Seo Eun-hyun, wearing the colorless trajectory on his body, stepped with Bu-bu.
Like a mountain lord crossing mountains.
The footwork of Mountain Lord Wol-ak-bi, which was made to match Seo Eun-hyun who had fully unified with the Invisible Sword, became a ferocious weapon in itself.
A giant colorless tiger rampaged.
Leading eight Core Formation cultivators, hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators were swept away by the tiger’s movements.
“Buy us time! The formation is almost complete!”
Makri Hwangcheon gritted his teeth and shouted.
This place was the main residence of the Makri Clan and the demonic base the Demonic Sword Alliance had given them.
The formation spread there was definitely not simple.
And finally.
“Form the seal!”
“Dark Water!”
“Demonic Fire!”
Three Core Formation cultivators, one hundred and fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Each of the two groups formed differently constituted, formed their own seals.
And in the center, Makri Hwangcheon and the elder assembly formed seals simultaneously, completing the formation.
“Dark Water, Demonic Fire, Ghost Array! Activate!”
At the same time as him.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
Dark demonic fire rose from the Makri Clan’s palace and swallowed Seo Eun-hyun.
Demonic qi spewed from the demonic fire formed a barrier, and countless ghost howls spurted out from the barrier, and the spell formation appeared and completed the barrier.
Eight Core Formation cultivators formed seals in all eight directions simultaneously.
“Seal!”
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
Some time later.
The dark green barrier sealed the rampaging Seo Eun-hyun.
“It will rampage inside the demonic fire, gradually suppress consciousness, and be refined into a ghost soldier. Hu-hu… hahaha!”
Makri Hwangcheon laughed.
“Look! The Makri Clan has succeeded in catching a Nascent Soul monster and refining it!!!”
He clenched his fist and looked at the elders.
“Everyone, contact the Infernal Legion in the Makri Clan’s territory! We need more blood essence! If we refine with countless blood essences, really….”
And.
Cchweo-eo-woong!
Makri Hwangcheon’s face hardened hard at the huge sound from behind, and he turned around.
There, a heavily cracked barrier was visible.
“…What?”
Cchweo-eo-woong!
And again.
A huge sound rang.
Pa-kang!
Simultaneously.
Pu-kwak!
From inside the flickering barrier, Seo Eun-hyun’s hand shot out.
Kwaddeok, kwadeok…
Seo Eun-hyun’s one hand slowly peeled away the barrier.
The colorless trajectory on his hand crushed the barrier, and cracks gradually widened.
And.
Pu-kwak!
His other hand also shot out from outside the barrier, and he began widening the cracks with both hands.
Seo Eun-hyun’s eyes flashed like ghost servants inside the demonic fire.
“It wasn’t a bad attempt… but one thing was wrong.”
Pu-kwak!
Seo Eun-hyun shot out from inside the demonic fire and gave a bright white smile.
“Instead of sealing me and babbling, you should have run away…”
“Eh, how… a barrier that can only be broken when a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator…”
Makri Hwangcheon completely lost his composure and shouted.
And Seo Eun-hyun’s eyes exploded.
“Although my physique is weaker than an ordinary Nascent Soul, it has some specialization advantage. Whether early, mid, or late, it has no meaning in front of me….”
Swash!
Finally, he completely shot out from inside the demonic fire and raised one hand.
“When I showed mercy, you should have accepted it. So, you still haven’t run away, meaning you accepted the Gate of Death courageously?”
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
Colorless trajectories boiled up from his entire body.
“From now on, I will end the Makri Clan.”
The next moment.
The pupil boiled white.
Danak Sword Art.
Secret Art.
Danak!
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu!
Colorless storm filled the cave densely, with no space for anyone to step.
The mountain range where the palace stood split into thousands of pieces.
The Makri Clan’s palace was cut away and became sand dust.
“Hoo…”
And so.
The Makri Clan, called the Twin Clans of Yeon Kingdom and ruling Yeon Kingdom’s emperors for hundreds of years, disappeared into the back of history that day.