The Mountain Beyond Mountain Is Endless

p>I had seized the qi calculation.

p>First stance of Danak Sword Art, Wolak.

p>I controlled the qi and intent throughout my body, concentrating my mind at the tip of the sword and at the end of every movement to follow.

p>Then I shouted.

p>“Everyone! To confront the Foundation Establishment spirit users, I need Brother Young-hoon! Seniors with medical knowledge among the Jin family spirit users, please treat Brother Young-hoon!”

p>A few of the Jin family spirit users took something from their pockets and hurried to Kim Young-hoon.

p>The other Jin family spirit users who had been fighting the fleeing spirit users from the Makri family now stared at Makri Hwang-shin with tense eyes.

p>Qi Condensation 13th layer!

p>Right before the peak of Qi Condensation, the 14th layer!

p>Right now the Jin family side had not a single 13th layer spirit user, let alone 12th layer.

p>Of the remaining 11th layer spirit users, only a couple had joined the command post.

p>The reason was obvious.

p>Anyone above 12th layer were late-stage geniuses with potential to reach Foundation Establishment, and the Jin family had no need to sacrifice their own late-stage geniuses just to seize the imperial court.

p>Neither the Jin family nor the Makri family had truly intended this war.

p>They had merely wanted to sharpen their pride a little by showing off one Foundation Establishment spirit user and one pretender to that realm.

p>“Makri Hwang-shin became the founding emperor several hundred years ago…”

p>And the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment spirit user was roughly the same, I had heard.

p>In other words, the Makri Hwang-shin before me had already reached the limit of Foundation Establishment, yet had not broken through into Core Formation for hundreds of years.

p>In short, that guy was not even particularly important to the family.

p>“Everyone, united attack! I will take the brunt of the big strike up front! Jin seniors, strike at Makri Hwang-shin!”

p>“Understood!”

p>The Jin family spirit users in red robes formed the spirit array again.

p>“Heat!”

p>Whoosh!

p>A massive fireball rose above the tower like a second sun.

p>“Go!”

p>The fireball made from the spirit array plunged downward.

p>Makri Hwang-shin’s lips curled up.

p>“Insects. Even if you are at Qi Condensation 13th layer, how dare you think you can fight a Foundation Establishment spirit user?”

p>Crunch!

p>The qi pressure I felt was at the level of Qi Condensation 5th layer, but the new technique supposedly allowed them to unleash power of 13th layer.

p>Still, I thought I could handle it.

p>After all, he was no longer a Foundation Establishment spirit user.

p>And then the wind blew.

p>Boom!

p>A whirlwind.

p>A vortex of thousands or tens of thousands of wind blades spiraled upward, slicing through the entire tower and rushing toward the fireball.

p>When the tip of the whirlwind struck the fireball, it shattered completely and exploded into countless pieces.

p>All the Jin family spirit users who had formed the array vomited blood and retreated.

p>“Hahaha, pretender. How dare you block me? You think your attack will work?”

p>A shadowy figure appeared inside the whirlwind.

p>Makri Hwang-shin looked at me from the center, chuckling.

p>“Come on, try blocking it. Feel what it means to have reached Foundation Establishment…”

p>Screech!

p>A colossal pterosaur formed of wind shot toward me.

p>The spell Makri-hyun had used as crown prince was nothing compared to this size!

p>With just that one spell, it would have covered the entire lake.

p>“I cannot dodge.”

p>My disciples had not yet evacuated with Young-hoon.

p>“I will block!”

p>Danak Sword Art.

p>First second.

p>Danak!

p>The intent from the first to the 21st second of Danak Sword Art erupted in an instant.

p>After gathering power with the last heavenly stance and pulling it back, I struck one sword again.

p>Crack!

p>The wind blade was not completely shattered, but split in half by one sword and flew away to either side.

p>“Huu~”

p>I regulated my breathing.

p>And then returned to the qi calculation I had first seized.

p>The setup to unfold Wolak.

p>Makri Hwang-shin blocked the Jin family’s flame spells with a grin.

p>“Oh ho, you blocked it once. Quite the stroke of luck. Let’s see how long that luck lasts… Ah, and…”

p>Flicker!

p>A gust of wind suddenly blew, creating a blue barrier over the entire lake.

p>The Jin family spirit users ground their teeth.

p>“This is…”

p>“A barrier…”

p>“You’re trying to stop us from escaping?”

p>Makri Hwang-shin saw Kim Young-hoon and my disciples trying to flee beyond the lake and smiled.

p>“I cannot let that damned bastard who broke my body escape. First I will crush those Jin family flies and the martial artist, then slowly peel his flesh.”

p>Boom!

p>Makri Hwang-shin again formed a seal, and a wind dragon erupted from the whirlwind surrounding him, covering me.

p>I gritted my teeth and raised my sword.

p>***

p>Makri Hwang-shin, the Foundation Establishment spirit user of the Makri family, calmed his boiling blood and calmly used his spells.

p>He had spent his entire life training to surpass the late stage of Foundation Establishment and entered the fourth stage of it.

p>If things had gone well, he could have aimed for Core Formation this lifetime as well.

p>But everything had been ruined by that monster-like guy.

p>The Jin family’s ultimate weapon.

p>Although its conscious size was only at Qi Condensation 4th or 5th layer, the monster had avoided his own consciousness, cut off Makri-hyun’s head, and exploded a strange illusory body that eventually killed him.

p>“Thank goodness it was before the transfer…”

p>If it had been a real battle and there had been no blood relatives around him, he would not have been able to take the successor’s body and revive.

p>But after reviving, he discovered that the quality of the successor Makri-jeong he had taken was basically trash.

p>“If only I could have possessed Makri-hyun’s body!”

p>Even that had been impossible because a martial artist had cut off his head.

p>“Even though I had the hope of reaching Core Formation…”

p>With this talent, he would have had to spend the rest of his life just recovering Foundation Establishment strength, let alone reaching Core Formation.

p>It had all been thanks to the Jin family martial artist.

p>That was why Makri Hwang-shin had crushed all the Jin family flies and the martial artist who had driven him into this situation, then personally peeled the flesh from the ultimate weapon and intended to store it in a paste.

p>Clearly, that task should have been finished quickly.

p>“What is this?”

p>But the martial artist with a steel fist in his hand was still coming at him.

p>That pretender would not fall no matter what.

p>His pterosaur spell, wind dragon spell, and all the wind blade and wind hurricane spells.

p>All of them he barely blocked.

p>Yet the pretender still did not know when to fall.

p>“For a pretender, he should have already been exhausted just standing here, let alone overdoing it.”

p>Even after he fired strong spells several times, the martial artist would stand up in the same posture as if nothing had happened and use sword gang to bounce the spells away.

p>“I knew pretenders’ dantian contained far less inner energy because they were the weak version of our spirit users…”

p>Why did he not tire out?

p>Even more so.

p>“One more step.”

p>Crunch!

p>One step.

p>One step.

p>Slowly.

p>One step at a time, he approached.

p>“This is troublesome.”

p>On top of the Jin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠family’s flies throwing spells at him, allowing him to approach would scatter his consciousness.

p>“Even if it is risky, I have to use a big spell and sweep him away.”

p>Makri Hwang-shin pulled up his spiritual power and used a larger spell.

p>Crunch-crunch!

p>The whirlwind around him writhed.

p>And with a massive roar, taking the form of a wind tiger, it shot toward the martial artist who stood like a statue.

p>“Haa, your inner energy must be completely depleted by now. Stop resisting and rest comfortably. Using this much spiritual power is an honor for you…”

p>And then.

p>Slash!

p>The wind tiger Makri Hwang-shin had fired was split in half by the martial artist’s sword.

p>“…What?”

p>And then.

p>Crunch!

p>Again one step.

p>The martial artist approached from the front.

p>“You don’t have infinite inner energy surging? You still have the strength to use that technique?”

p>And yet another step.

p>Piercing through his wind, the martial artist approached slowly, very slowly.

p>“Unbelievable. I saw him maintaining sword gang without interruption from the beginning. He still has that much qi? Impossible! What kind of trick is this, you pretender!”

p>One step.

p>Watching the martial artist approach step by step, Makri Hwang-shin’s expression began to twist.

p>***

p>23rd second of Danak Sword Art.

p>Mountain Beyond Mountain Is Endless.

p>This stance was not a special technique or movement.

p>It was a concept that any martial artist who reached a certain level of Danak Sword Art would naturally arrive at.

p>I spread my sword.

p>I cut through the wind.

p>And then returned to my original posture.

p>Everything returned to its original posture, and I restored all the qi and inner energy I had wasted.

p>“Huu!”

p>When I took a deep breath, the depleted inner energy attached itself again to the breathing and returned to my dantian.

p>The sword qi that had leaked out through sword gang was also caught and returned, forcibly returning inside my dantian.

p>No matter what stance I unfolded, I returned the qi calculation to its original single movement and made the flow of qi return to when I first unfolded that qi calculation.

p>This stance allowed me to have theoretically infinite stamina so that my inner energy would never deplete.

p>It was the stance of Mountain Beyond Mountain Is Endless.

p>However, Mountain Beyond Mountain Is Endless was only theoretically infinite.

p>It was not actually infinite.

p>The moment I stopped unfolding the stance for even a single instant, the qi and blood I had forced myself to gather during this time reversed, and all my stamina suddenly escaped, delivering immense pain.

p>The pain I had felt during practice of Mountain Beyond Mountain Is Endless.

p>“I cannot stop.”

p>Because there is no end to mountains beyond mountains.

p>I myself must never have an end.

p>Therefore, I had to unfold it with the resolve to die.

p>Boom!

p>From Wolak to Danak.

p>I did not stop swinging my sword while continuously linking stances.

p>And when I unfolded all stances, I returned to the stance of Wolak and maintained Mountain Beyond Mountain Is Endless.

p>My technique’s power had not changed from the beginning.

p>Although Makri Hwang-shin’s spiritual power would gradually decrease over time,

p>my technique remained the same as at the start.

p>However.

p>“Huu!”

p>After piercing through the wind with the stance of Mountain Beyond Mountain Is Endless, I returned to the stance of Wolak.

p>“It feels like I’m about to die.”

p>It was not that inner energy was not being consumed.

p>It was not that mental strength was not being consumed.

p>I unfolded the stance with my entire mind focused so that inner energy would not be wasted,

p>and then returned the qi calculation to the stance of Mountain Beyond Mountain Is Endless, forcibly pulling the consumed energy back into my dantian.

p>Repeating this process continuously was so grueling it felt as if my brain would melt.

p>Bubble-bubble.

p>I was clearly still conscious and had not fainted,

p>but because of the heat that had concentrated in my head, the saliva in my mouth boiled and foamed.

p>Poo!

p>Blood gushed from my eyes and nose.

p>Because I was forcibly returning the qi into my body, my meridians and even my limbs felt as if they would tear apart.

p>But.

p>Boom.

p>“Haa, you cut this too?”

p>I did not give up.

p>“Give up, you martial artist. Judging by your technique, you seem to be somehow recycling non-infinite inner energy. If you stop your sword even for a moment, the backlash will make you self-destruct.”

p>Makri Hwang-shin sneered, but I paid no attention.

p>I simply held my sword and cut.

p>Pterosaur, wind dragon, wind qilin, wind lynx, wind shark…

p>Countless spell forms came crashing down on me.

p>But I continuously cut, blocked, deflected, and counterattacked.

p>In this way, I approached one step at a time.

p>Poo!

p>My tendons could not withstand the continuous stances and burst.

p>My arms felt as if they would tear apart.

p>When my tendons burst, I could not put strength into my arms.

p>But I somehow connected my meridians with inner energy and unfolded the stances again.

p>Horizontal cut.

p>Overhead cut.

p>Low stance cut.

p>Soft stab.

p>Rotating cut.

p>Changing stance.

p>Slicing diagonally.

p>Twisting the attack to nullify it.

p>Diagonal cut flurry.

p>Heavy downward cut.

p>Changing speed for overhead cut.

p>Shooting sword qi.

p>…

p>And then repeating all of it from the beginning.

p>Crack!

p>What sound was that?

p>Yes, it was definitely the sound of bones breaking.

p>But I did not stop.

p>“Give up!”

p>Crunch-crunch!

p>Makri Hwang-shin’s words became spoken spirits and swept over the surroundings.

p>And in the voice containing his consciousness, the souls of my disciples who had followed me from my upper dantian cried out.

p>Screech.

p>A soul-piercing scream echoed inside my head.

p>And the disciples who had been watching from behind also each grabbed their heads and rolled on the floor.

p>“Haa, it seems he forcibly absorbed the souls into my upper dantian to reinforce their insufficient talent. For pretenders, there is no other way to mass-produce that many peak martial artists.”

p>But.

p>If you have a consciousness of Foundation Establishment level, it is far too simple to use that many ghosts to paralyze you! Give up, you pretenders. You can never confront spirit users!”

p>The distance between me and Makri Hwang-shin was now twenty steps.

p>Behind me was the blood I had spilled, imprinted in the shape of my footsteps.

p>My inner energy was the same as at the beginning, but the slowly flowing blood was now gradually decreasing.

p>And between me and Makri Hwang-shin was the whirlwind he had unfolded.

p>Could I pierce it?

p>“Damn it! Get lost!”

p>Makri Hwang-shin’s spoken spirit shook my brain again.

p>Hundreds of my disciples’ souls screamed inside my brain, and I spat blood from my seven openings once more.

p>My head was white.

p>But even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inside that pain,

p>I moved my sword.

p>I had moved it tens of thousands of times.

p>I had continuously practiced and refined.

p>Even while teaching my disciples, I had never once let go of the sword!

p>Because the seal had been engraved.

p>Perhaps even in death I would continue swinging the sword.

p>So.

p>“I!!!”

p>This sword.

p>“Will not give up!!!”

p>I will not let go!

p>One step.

p>Another step.

p>One step.

p>Again one step.

p>In this way, one step, one step, one step…

p>Even as blood spewed from my mouth and my vision was obscured by blood,

p>I still took one step.

p>I advanced slowly.

p>But steadily.

p>In this way, forward.

p>Thud, thud!

p>The Jin family spirit users who had been wandering in the air also took hits from Makri Hwang-shin and exploded one by one in bloody mist.

p>But only I had been steadily approaching him.

p>A look of despair appeared on Makri Hwang-shin’s face.

p>The same color tone appeared in his intent.

p>“The person behind me!”

p>Poo!

p>The wind blade Makri Hwang-shin fired tore a chunk out of my waist.

p>The skin on my hand holding the sword was peeled away by the sharp gale.

p>“I will never let you die!”

p>Boom!

p>The sword gang that erupted from my sword pierced through Makri Hwang-shin’s whirlwind.

p>Following the optimal trajectory, it swung, and his panicked appearance came into view.

p>“W-what…!”

p>And then.

p>I suddenly saw a seventh color I had never been able to see before.

p>No, it was not “seeing.”

p>It was “knowing.”

p>“Ah, so that’s it.”

p>Joy.

p>Anger.

p>Sadness.

p>Happiness.

p>Love.

p>Hate.

p>And finally.

p>Desire.

p>My greatest desire was ultimately life.

p>Therefore, the color of my desire was the color of life.

p>What color tone does life have?

p>Look up at the void.

p>Life is the total natural color!

p>There are countless colors, and countless lives.

p>Life is in itself all colors, and therefore complete.

p>Therefore, the color of life is infinitely transparent without color.

p>“Because it is the total natural color, it was originally without color.”

p>Yes.

p>I had seen the color of my desire from the very beginning.

p>Without color!

p>Because there was no color at all, it was all colors, and the color tones of all life were what I had seen from the beginning.

p>When I first understood the color tones of life, I could finally answer the question I had been searching for all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this time.

p>How could humans know infinite color tones?

p>How could humans reach the realm beyond Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Qi Consorting with the Origin?

p>It was simple.

p>In reality, all beings cannot be infinite.

p>But if one simply acknowledges that infinity and the changes of infinite color tones,

p>“Perhaps the reason I did not want to send my disciples away was because I had blocked their longed-for revenge. It was just my obsession, my attachment, and my ignorance. Or perhaps I had not recognized the prayers they had wished for from the beginning.”

p>I would gain the qualification to see new worlds inside the life of infinite possibility.

p>At the end of life, I had severed my obsession and attachment. I had recognized my own emotions, and at the same time I finally recognized my disciples’ emotions as well.

p>My vision began to change.

p>Six of the most fundamental colors.

p>And adding to them, completely transparent without color!

p>These seven color tones mixed with each other.

p>Mixed, changed, and integrated!

p>Within that change, countless new color tones that I had never been able to see were born.

p>Of course, I could not recognize all those infinite color tones, but I felt them.

p>What those color tones roughly were.

p>And up to where I could see with the infinite human emotions I had acknowledged!

p>The soul’s small universe opened and connected with heaven and earth!

p>The infinite color tones intertwined and completely unified.

p>And I was able to see a single color in which all those color tones had merged.

p>Without color!

p>The single color tone in which all colors had merged became completely transparent and began to invade the surrounding space.

p>Until now, I had only perceived the flow of intent through vision and senses.

p>The countless flows between heaven and earth entered directly into my brain through the space I had invaded!

p>The information of all surrounding space seemed to be held in the palm of my hand!

p>I used this information of space and again shot one sword and took one step.

p>“This crazy! How! A pretender… a pretender awakening consciousness?!”

p>Makri Hwang-shin’s shocked voice rang out.

p>“Get lost! You lowly pretender dares to step into the world of spirit users?!”

p>Screech.

p>His consciousness echoed, and the souls of my disciples within my brain screamed in response to that spoken spirit.

p>I had entered a new realm, yet the soul-piercing scream was still painful.

p>But within that soul-piercing scream, I understood why I had awakened the seventh color.

p>Now it could be heard.

p>“Do not die.”

p>“Live for me!”

p>“Please, I hope you live!”

p>The voices of my deceased disciples were not mere soul-piercing screams.

p>A single fervent desire.

p>The will to live!

p>The desire for life that I had also longed for!

p>Those countless voices had finally guided me.

p>I opened my mouth.

p>Blood poured out, but I ignored it and shouted until my lungs burst.

p>Disciples.

p>My children who are still alive, still here.

p>Even if my foolish attachment has caused you pain until now,

p>Now I will heal the source of your pain.

p>“Live!!!”

p>Please live.

p>This beautiful, this transparent life.

p>Please live.

p>The next moment.

p>My sword gang erupted with an unprecedented light cluster.

p>Its momentum was like Mount Tai, and its heart reached the heavens!

p>The meridians throughout my body opened, squeezing every last drop of remaining true energy.

p>The distance to Makri Hwang-shin was five steps.

p>My sword gang pierced through his whirlwind and all defensive spells as if they were not there.

p>“Grrk! What a tenacious bug! Even if it is, it will only crawl on the ground for its whole life!”

p>Wind rose around Makri Hwang-shin, and he began to float into the air. And the last Jin family spirit user who had been fighting him vomited blood and flew away.

p>He intended to ascend to the sky and use wide-range spells without worrying anymore.

p>“Haha, if you go up to the sky, how can you…”

p>There was no true energy left in my body.

p>But I still had will!

p>Wol-su-gung-mu-rok.

p>Ultimate intent!

p>The final ultimate technique that Wol-su-gung-mu-rok had pursued until now.

p>The final secret art that created a sliver of opportunity to flee in front of the spirit user!

p>Wol-su-gung-mu-rok.

p>“No-jung-ro-mu-gung!”

p>All my intent converged into a single point.

p>That single point pierced through Makri Hwang-shin’s consciousness at the speed of light and dug into his upper dantian.

p>“Kraaaaaak!”

p>He grabbed his head and fell back to the ground.

p>Starting from cutting his consciousness area,

p>It eventually ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dug all the way into the deepest part of human consciousness and attacked the very spirit itself.

p>A strike that directly attacked the opponent’s spirit with my mental power.

p>It was an attack that could never be blocked except by enduring with one’s own mental power.

p>Thud!

p>“Y-you…”

p>When he formed a seal, a sharp wind blade was shot toward me.

p>There was no remaining true energy.

p>I would only cut in the optimal trajectory!

p>Shing!

p>His wind blade and my sword shattered at the same time.

p>Thud!

p>Another step!

p>“Go away!”

p>Pung!

p>I threw a hidden weapon toward his legs so he could not retreat.

p>Makri Hwang-shin fired his spiritual power randomly without even forming a seal.

p>A storm swept in.

p>There was not a single drop of true energy or inner energy left.

p>But I did not care and reached out my hand.

p>Leaving only the hilt of the sword, I cut through the wind and approached him.

p>***

p>Makri Hwang-shin, who had lived for 298 years, had felt the emotion of fear for the first time in his life from a mere martial artist.

p>He did not tire.

p>He did not know how to give up!

p>He forcibly broke through the Jin family’s spells to enter the souls the Jin family had implanted and forcibly controlled them to cause them to go berserk.

p>If the soul-piercing screams of the ghosts were like having one’s head shaved in real time, even then that madman did not give up!

p>Even as flesh was torn away, blood was vomited from the seven openings, and the sword broke!

p>The guy did not give up, and suddenly he even awakened the same consciousness as a spirit user despite being a pretender.

p>“C-cannot use high-level spells!”

p>Whatever the pretender had done, his original spirit was damaged along with the feeling of having his consciousness cut with a knife.

p>High-level spells that should have been usable with simple hand movements could no longer be used.

p>To use high-level spells, one had to form seals and recite incantations.

p>Right in front of me was a monster-like martial artist reaching out his hand, yet!

p>“Think! Think!”

p>All the Jin family spirit users had been beaten away.

p>If he removed this leech-like martial artist, he would win.

p>“Yes, but I cannot feel qi in his body!”

p>Makri Hwang-shin poured out more spiritual power and blasted wind, pushing Seo Eun-hyun away.

p>“I win!”

p>And then.

p>Uuuu.

p>Heaven and earth spiritual energy began to move.

p>“What is this…?”

p>Makri Hwang-shin stared at the flow of heaven and earth spiritual energy with a dazed look.

p>“Five elements spiritual energy…?”

p>The most basic five branches of spiritual energy began to gather in the shape of a circle in the void.

p>Makri Hwang-shin’s eyes widened.

p>“N-no way…”

p>I had seen it before.

p>The content recorded in an old book.

p>A record that mortals who continuously trained would eventually reach a realm that matched the five elements spiritual root of spirit users.

p>“The reason he suddenly awakened consciousness…”

p>A circular qi containing five branches of spiritual energy changed into five circles and floated above Seo Eun-hyun’s head.

p>Finally, the five spiritual energies crumbled and turned into multicolored qi.

p>The multicolored qi entered Seo Eun-hyun’s nose and mouth.

p>“No!”

p>To the opponent in front of me who had no qi at all, a considerable amount of spiritual energy had already been generated.

p>He was about to die, yet he had come through the wind.

p>Crash!

p>“Kraaaak!”

p>The hand of Seo Eun-hyun who had approached through the wind grabbed Makri Hwang-shin’s both arms.

p>The firm grip caused Makri Hwang-shin to scream.

p>“The hand that has been crushing a sword for my entire life.”

p>Seo Eun-hyun’s eyes met Makri Hwang-shin’s.

p>“Once caught, it will never be released!”

p>Crunch-crunch-crunch!

p>Makri Hwang-shin’s face turned completely white.

p>In the empty void, white light clusters appeared.

p>Sword gang began to form.

p>“D-dying…”

p>Flicker!

p>And then light exploded.

p>“?”

p>Makri Hwang-shin slowly opened his tightly shut eyes.

p>He was alive.

p>“Hah… hah…”

p>Hiss.

p>The light clusters in the void dispersed.

p>In Seo Eun-hyun’s eyes, the last remaining life energy had disappeared.

p>“…He is dead…”

p>With eyes open,

p>While still holding Makri Hwang-shin’s both arms,

p>He stood there coldly and died.

p>“H, hahaha… so that’s it.”

p>Makri Hwang-shin forced a smile and used his consciousness to observe inside Seo Eun-hyun’s body.

p>“The backlash of the technique that forcibly maintains qi! Hahaha, that’s why you don’t fall. Yes, there is no way a technique like that would have no backlash. Ha, hahaha…”

p>He had lived.

p>He had survived.

p>“Huu, huahaha… I won, you pretender…”

p>Just as he was about to let out a victorious roar,

p>The dust cloud that had risen around him began to settle.

p>Beyond the dust cloud, countless human figures stood.

p>“H, hahaha. What is this? Aren’t those insignificant bugs hiding in the back trembling?”

p>Seo Eun-hyun’s disciples.

p>They trembled and ground their teeth.

p>Makri Hwang-shin suddenly wondered if the monster-like martial artist who had driven him to this point, Kim Young-hoon, had set up his consciousness and looked around with his mind, but

p>Young-hoon was still lying there unconscious.

p>“Hahaha, what can you bugs do even if you gather together! You are not even as good as the tip of this guy I was fighting just now…”

p>Makri Hwang-shin clicked his tongue and thought he should take the blood of these bugs to restore his life force.

p>Just as he was about to form a seal.

p>Upright!

p>“!”

p>Seo Eun-hyun’s corpse did not release his both arms.

p>It was clearly a corpse, yet even in death he did not let go of his hands.

p>“P, blood is not flowing!”

p>He could not even form a seal, let alone have any sensation in his hand!

p>Makri Hwang-shin desperately tried to form a seal through foot prints or Yu-bo-fa, but

p>Because of the hidden weapons Seo Eun-hyun had thrown at his legs, his legs would not move either.

p>“This damn it!”

p>Makri Hwang-shin’s triumphant expression twisted like a vicious beast.

p>His arms and legs were both sealed, and because of the techniques Seo Eun-hyun had used, his original spirit was damaged and he could not use high-level spells through consciousness either.

p>The remaining numbers were not many.

p>“Roar!”

p>The spoken spirit containing Makri Hwang-shin’s consciousness caused the remaining ghosts of Seo Eun-hyun’s disciples to go berserk.

p>Yes, that was right.

p>“Roar… roar…”

p>Pong, hug.

p>Clear lights began to rise one after another around Seo Eun-hyun.

p>Along with him, clear lights also rose around his disciples.

p>Makri Hwang-shin knew exactly what they were.

p>“Original spirit…? Heaven’s Dao technique…?”

p>The remaining ghosts of those who had risen to heaven through heavenly heavenly Dao.

p>What remained in Seo Eun-hyun’s body was as he had died.

p>And what remained in his disciples’ bodies was…

p>“…Master. Why… did you use the last for us…!”

p>Man-ho shed tears. Following him, countless disciples bit their lips and began to weep.

p>While racking his brain, Makri Hwang-shin could understand something.

p>“Damn it, damn it…”

p>The sword gang Seo Eun-hyun had formed in the air at the end was not dispersed.

p>It was not that it was falling toward Makri Hwang-shin, but it had rapidly dispersed into hundreds of branches and dug into the souls of his disciples.

p>At the last moment, he had chosen to destroy the spell engraved in his disciples’ upper dantian rather than killing the enemy.

p>Makri Hwang-shin’s complexion became urgent.

p>His hands, feet, and consciousness were all bound.

p>Even low-level spoken spirits were bound!

p>And including Man-ho, Gye-hwa, Cheong-ya, Yang-rok, Gwak-ki-su, Seo-hyeon…

p>More than 300 of Seo Eun-hyun’s disciples drew their weapons while shedding tears.

p>Even if Seo Eun-hyun had broken the spell, as long as they did not let go of their family, the spell would not be undone.

p>But they had heard.

p>“Live!!!”

p>The will to live contained in Seo Eun-hyun’s voice.

p>And the moment the spell the Jin family had performed on Seo Eun-hyun was broken by the sword gang Seo Eun-hyun had fired in the last moment, everyone could feel Seo Eun-hyun’s will.

p>“I entrust the back to you.”

p>He had entrusted his last strike to his disciples with trust.

p>Trust toward his disciples.

p>And the opportunity for his disciples to cut off the emperor’s head they had long dreamed of.

p>For no other reason than to give them that opportunity.

p>“You said to live, but what if you leave first? What then!”

p>Only then did the disciples understand their master.

p>Just as their master had understood his own attachment, they too understood the cruelty of leaving behind precious ones.

p>“Y-you get out of here! Pretenders! You trash!”

p>Uuu.

p>Makri Hwang-shin hurriedly unfolded low-level defensive spells with spoken spirit, but as more than 300 peak martial artists struck the defensive barriers one after another, the defensive spells gradually became thinner.

p>“No…! I am a Core Formation body! I am the founding emperor of the Yeon Kingdom and a spirit user who stepped on the final stage of Foundation Establishment! I am, I am…”

p>With eyes full of fear, he looked at the dead Seo Eun-hyun holding his both arms.

p>Seo Eun-hyun’s corpse still stared at him with cold eyes.

p>Although he was dead, his momentum was like Mount Tai.

p>“I am, I am…”

p>There is no end to mountains beyond mountains.

p>There is no end to paths in the middle of the road.

p>One human may be able to reach an end,

p>but what one human leaves behind will not.

p>Crack!

p>Makri Hwang-shin’s defensive barrier broke.

p>Beyond the defensive barrier, the eyes of his disciples who had received Seo Eun-hyun’s will stared at Makri Hwang-shin with the same light as the dead Seo Eun-hyun.

p>Beyond the mountain called Seo Eun-hyun, more mountains continued endlessly.

p>“I, I want to live…”

p>Man-ho’s greatsword cut off Makri Hwang-shin’s head.

p>Poo!

p>The moment Makri Hwang-shin’s life, which had stubbornly continued even while forcibly taking away the body of his descendant, the current emperor Makri-jeong, ended.

p>“Huu… huu…”

p>The founding emperor Makri Hwang-shin.

p>At the same time the current emperor Makri-jeong.

p>Man-ho who had cut off his head looked at the still-standing Seo Eun-hyun, who had not died.

p>Seo Eun-hyun’s corpse had closed its eyes.

p>On the corner of his mouth was a faint smile as if satisfied.

p>“…You watched until the end.”

p>Man-ho shed tears and placed Makri Hwang-shin’s head in front of him.

p>And then knelt.

p>Gye-hwa, Cheong-ya, Yuk-san, Yeol-ya, Gwak-ki-su, Seo-hyeon…

p>All more than 300 disciples knelt one by one.

p>“Farewell.”

p>The disciples of Seo Eun-hyun together performed the farewell ritual for their master’s last moment.

p>That was Seo Eun-hyun’s sixth regression.