The Sovereign's Shadow Awakens
With a sharp crack, the wooden lid of the trunk burst open above Hong Beom’s head.
His expression shifted from delight to shock in an instant.
“Nope, Senior! What in the world… Is this really the Senior from three hundred years ago?”
“Haha, that’s right. A few small things were added, but nothing fundamental changed, right?”
“…Ah… um… Well, I’ll take your word for it. Haha. Anyway, Senior, this is truly astonishing. Last time we met you were already at the Nascent Soul stage, yet now you’ve reached the late stage of Four Pillars. As expected, Senior remains the unparalleled genius.”
“Haha…”
Seo Ran stared at him with wide eyes, marveling at the growth.
After all, three hundred years from Nascent Soul to the late Four Pillars was an enormous leap.
Of course, the actual rise in his realm had been far greater than the surface difference suggested.
“Well, I’ll accept that. But speaking of which, since we’ve met after so long, let’s go inside instead of talking out here.”
I stood up and began guiding Seo Ran toward the Infinite Martial Exchange.
“Wait, now that I think about it… one more person was involved.”
I glanced back at the other person Hong Beom had brought with him.
He was a breathtakingly beautiful woman with snow-white robes and snow-white hair cascading like a fox’s tails.
“Is she your wife?”
The moment I saw her I knew exactly who she was.
‘So it’s been that long since I last saw that guy.’
Yes.
The fox who had once chewed my arm like a snack the day we first dropped into Deungsunhyang. After I reached Wol-do-ipcheon, he had taken to beating me instead.
I had never known his name, and at first I hadn’t even cared about his gender. Turns out he was female.
The fox—now calling herself Siho—disembarked from Hong Beom’s head, straightened her robes with perfect poise, and greeted me.
“Greetings, Senior. It has been a long time. My name is Siho, the beloved of Gaga, and my title is Chess.”
“Wow.”
I took in her cultivation level and let out a soft exclamation.
‘Just Core Formation… She might reach Four Pillars any day now.’
Thinking back, the fox who had absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi from Deungsunhyang and reached Core Formation was none other than Siho.
Her natural aptitude had clearly been extraordinary.
‘Seo Ran is still a hairbreadth away from Core Formation. Tsk, he’s had a rough life.’
Either way, both fox and Ran had once been troublesome acquaintances. Yet now, looking back, they were friends.
“Come on in. Let’s talk about how you’ve been spending your time since we last met. Haha. Also, tell me how the two of you got married.”
“I am grateful for your kindness, Senior. Hehe, but we have not yet held a proper wedding. We are merely taking the time to get to know each other.”
Siho blushed and looked embarrassed, and I laughed heartily.
It seemed they were still in the very early stages of romance.
“Apologies. You two look far too much like a young married couple… I don’t even know how to…”
While I was speaking, however, I noticed Seo Ran’s face growing paler and paler. I grew concerned.
‘What’s wrong?’
Seo Ran’s intent was filled with terror, horror, and confusion.
At that moment Siho suddenly wrinkled her nose as if sniffing the air.
The next instant her face twisted into something grotesque.
“Senior, this may be rude to ask, but has a face-changing eel spirit not somehow slipped into Senior’s territory?”
“Oh, you mean Yuk Yo? I caught her because Seo Ran’s face was on her body and it looked interesting. Then I used her to gather information about the Goryeok Realm. She’s resting for a while in the guest room of this building right now…”
“…Ah, so she’s still wearing Gaga’s face. That damned thing…”
Crack.
Siho bared her teeth, released a surge of killing intent, and flipped through the air.
Whoosh!
In a flash she had become a five-tailed fox and launched herself toward the building I had pointed at.
‘Two more tails now…’
I watched with a mix of surprise and concern. Since Yuk Yo was my guest, I turned to Hong Beom.
“Go comfort her for me.”
“Understood.”
Flash!
Hong Beom transformed into his human form and tore through space toward the guest room.
I patted Seo Ran’s shoulder and led him inside.
“Haha, while we’re at it… when I brought up the wedding earlier you looked a little off. What’s the matter? Seems like you’ve been suffering quite a bit, huh?”
As I spoke, Seo Ran looked around.
Outside the building Siho had disappeared into, a commotion was already underway, but inside the Infinite Martial Exchange’s defensive formation he was now safe.
“Does this formation have soundproofing?”
“It does.”
Whoosh—
I flicked my fingers. The array activated, cutting off all external noise.
“Is there something you wanted to tell me?”
I asked, puzzled. Seo Ran’s face remained deathly pale as he clung to my arm.
“Senior! Please save me! I can’t live like this! My master is only at Core Formation and is far too open-minded! He doesn’t understand me at all! I asked Buk-sojeo to intervene but all she said was ‘Go love pretty love’ and refused to help! I absolutely cannot endure this! After the Core Formation stage, different-species unions became possible because beastfolk and humans could have children together, but this is too much! Senior, please remove Siho from me!”
His face was white as a sheet.
His intent burned with pure terror and despair.
‘Wait a second…’
I read the fear in Seo Ran’s mind and understood what he feared most.
‘He is terrified of something changing inside him. This means…’
Seo Ran had sensed something changing in Siho through their closeness and was desperately afraid of what it might be.
I asked carefully.
“Seo Ran, what happened? Did Siho start torturing you at night? Or are you afraid she’s draining your life force to strengthen her own cultivation with some soul-sucking technique…”
“No! Siho has always treated me well. She never uses soul-sucking arts. In fact, she has even neglected her own cultivation to find spiritual pills that help mine. Umm… she is the perfect companion.”
“Hmm… then why are you this terrified?”
“You said the eel spirit fed you something. Is it possible she’s making you jealous?”
“Yes, that too. Ever since I spent the night with that eel, any female beastfolk that come near me show violent jealousy and try to kill me if they get too close.”
“Extreme possessiveness, huh? But how severe could it be?”
“It isn’t possessiveness. Although Siho’s jealousy is strong, most fox beastfolk have strong jealousy anyway. That’s just their race trait.”
“Then what exactly is the problem?”
I frowned, genuinely confused.
He wasn’t being tortured by his husband’s higher cultivation. He wasn’t using any harmful arts. And possessiveness was a normal beastfolk trait. So what could possibly be wrong?
When I looked puzzled, Seo Ran stared at me as if I were the one who didn’t understand.
“Senior, do you not possess the ability to see True Dragons?”
“Uh, no. I don’t have that.”
“Then you can’t see the crimson dragon, can you? Why pretend you don’t?”
“Uh… crimson dragon? What are you talking about?”
I was baffled. Finally Seo Ran sighed and explained directly.
The moment I heard his words I froze in place.
“This fox… is male.”
“… … … … …”
We shared a long, heavy silence.
“…You really didn’t know…?”
“…No, I just… thought it was a race trait. Why would I even need True Dragon sight to notice gender? I don’t usually look that closely.”
“Ah… yes. That’s true. I’m sorry…”
“…How did the two of you even meet in the first place?”
“When I look back… I was so beaten up by Kim Young-hoon that I was half-crazy. I felt bad for getting beaten like a stray dog, so I once healed him. After that he became like this.”
“…Ah… I see. So…”
Just as I opened my mouth to speak—
“Gaga~ I’m back!”
Siho came running over in her snow-white robes.
He immediately threw himself into Seo Ran’s arms with adorable whimpers.
“I was so lonely while you were gone. But don’t worry—I never forgot about you. I’ve been doing meaningful work, so I wasn’t in too much pain.”
Seo Ran and I both noticed the blood on Siho’s fingertips.
When I stretched out my intent I discovered that Yuk Yo had been injured but was still alive. Hong Beom was treating her.
‘If Hong Beom is treating her, her life is safe. And…’
I met Seo Ran’s desperate eyes.
Siho was pouring out a flood of pink emotions toward him.
I didn’t know what to say, so I just stammered and finally managed one sentence.
“Um… go love pretty love.”
Seo Ran’s intent curdled. Siho wiped his bloody hands with a happy tear in his eye.
“Thank you, Senior!”
“…Haha… thank you…”
I avoided Seo Ran’s gaze.
‘Whatever. He’ll figure it out.’
He wasn’t dead and I hadn’t lost a friend. This was a minor matter. It wasn’t my place to meddle. I could only pray he would handle it himself.
Besides, there were countless techniques that could change gender. If he really couldn’t endure it, one of them would eventually learn it.
‘I’m the only one who can’t change, but do I really have to step in and fix this?’
I decided I wouldn’t interfere with lovers’ small problems unless they involved chopping up someone’s flesh to make a Four Pillars core and selling it on the black market. I sat the two of them down in the main hall and began asking about their travels.
Since Seo Ran looked miserable at the thought of discussing their relationship, I mainly questioned Song Jin and Kim Young-hoon.
And I asked only about the Goryeok Realm.
“There have been so many events.”
“…Yes, there have been a great many. I never imagined I would travel all the way to the Sea Dragon Palace to collect salt crystals for Cheongmun Ryeong.”
“Salt crystals…”
It turned out Seo Ran and Siho had been searching for clues about Cheongmun Ryeong, who was now a salt pillar.
“Since we’re talking about it…”
I spread both hands and casually unfolded Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art.
Chrrrr—
A cluster of salt-like spiritual energy formed in my palm.
Seo Ran looked startled.
“I have also obtained a similar power. I still have no way to save Cheongmun Ryeong, but if I combine my strength with the information you and the others have gathered, there may be a chance of success.”
“…! Really? Thank you!”
“Speaking of which… I heard Kim Young-hoon and Buk Hyang-hwa were focused on Cheongmun Ryeong, but you and Song Jin were after a different Seohul.”
“Yes, that’s correct… We needed to learn the true purpose of the king, investigate the true nature of the arrays he placed on the Sea Dragon Palace, the Floating Castle, and the Black Castle, and find a way to fight him. That’s why we came to the Goryeok Realm instead of the Gwanghan Realm…”
I nodded and told Seo Ran everything I had learned about Seohul and Takhon Mancheon.
The faint pure light within him and the existence of his separate “main body.”
Seo Ran listened with widening eyes, stunned by each revelation.
“So the sudden appearance of salt on all of us three hundred years ago…”
“That’s right. I used Mountain-Cleaving Emperor Art on Seohul and showed you the power of this salt. His Takhon Mancheon inside you melted away.”
“…So…”
“Don’t worry. The Takhon Mancheon still inside you has already been turned into salt and is gone.”
“…I understand. Thank you, Senior. Truly, thank you.”
He looked shaken, forgetting Siho had clung to him. He was lost in deep thought.
Siho wiped the sweat from Seo Ran’s forehead and said softly.
“Gaga, we cannot let Senior take all this on alone. At least let us give you the things we have gathered.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
Seo Ran took out Jeomuldo and spread it before me.
Inside were many pictures.
“These are the treasures we collected while wandering the Goryeok Realm. I’ll explain each one. You may take whichever you like.”
“Oh, truly grateful. I’ve always wanted to know what kind of treasures exist in the Goryeok Realm…”
Intrigued, I leaned in as Seo Ran placed the Jeomuldo on the table and began explaining.
“Yes, this is…”
I listened to the explanations of the strange Goryeok specialties when I suddenly spotted something extraordinary.
“Wait, explain that again.”
“Yes, this is a crystal called the Inspection Jade. It allows you to send your consciousness to any lower realm you have personally visited or for which you have historical records and observe it.”
“…!”
I took the Jade with trembling hands.
“It consumes both high-grade and low-grade spirit stones to activate and lasts only about a day, so it isn’t very useful on its own, but collectors who enjoy observing lower realms love it.”
“Umm…! It’s truly useful.”
“Useful? But consciousness can only observe lower realms from the Spiritual Intent stage… so it isn’t very useful.”
“No. To me it is one of the most necessary items.”
With the All-Heaven Sword’s power, this artifact was practically a one-time Gongryeong-ji for me.
‘Without the Gongryeong-ji already gone from the Myeonggwi Realm, this is an incredibly valuable resource.’
Right now the Goryeok Realm didn’t even have a clear shape, so I wasn’t sure if Gongryeong-ji existed. Yeon Wi’s Five Blessings Axis suggested it probably did, but at the moment this was far more useful.
“Apologies, may I borrow this for a moment? There is something I need to observe in my own realm.”
“Of course. Use it as long as you like.”
“Thank you. Then…”
Whoosh—
I borrowed my own spiritual stone and Seo Ran’s high-grade stone to activate the Inspection Jade.
* * *
Ham-jin bit down hard.
“Huh, so it’s a boy?”
“Splendid. A half-spirit disciple. His luck has turned! Hahaha!”
Ham-jin smiled awkwardly while receiving praise from the three great experts before him.
They were the Three Eminent Scholars of the Yuhwa Kingdom:
Heavenly Sage Wirakja.
Salt Sage Hwa-yeol Merchant.
Demon Sage Heukryong No-ma.
All Core Formation powerhouses of renown.
‘Unlimited Ghost King, please answer!’
He shouted the name of the Infinite Sword Ghost in his mind, but received no reply.
After the Unlimited Sword Ghost vanished like the wind, the entity no longer answered his calls.
‘What happened to the Infinite Sword Ghost? Why is this? Dammit, today is that day!’
He clenched his lips.
“Young man, inheriting everything from Heukryong at such a tender age. What luck.”
“Such talent too. I’m envious, Heukryong.”
The Heavenly Sage and Salt Sage stared at him with envious eyes.
Heukryong No-ma laughed loudly.
“Enough! Heukryong is mine! We agreed to this from the start, so stop lusting!”
Ham-jin felt goosebumps crawl across his skin.
“Haha, well, you’ve already memorized my face and recovered enough strength, so… when do we start the ceremony?”
While they were still noisy, they turned serious eyes to Heukryong.
Heukryong nodded gravely.
“We can start right now.”
“Then let’s begin. What are we waiting for?”
“Haha, I was just worried you hadn’t prepared enough. Come!”
The Heavenly Sage and Salt Sage rose.
Heukryong No-ma winked at Ham-jin from behind.
A signal to stand.
‘Damn it, I wanted to follow at the back and slip away…’
It seemed the old man was having a rough time too.
Ham-jin gritted his teeth and wedged himself between the three experts, heading toward the eastern frontier.
The Jeokgwi Valley had originally been a massive black mountain of perfect circular shape, but the mountain had been split perfectly in half. From above it looked slightly off-center, as if sliced a little to the left.
The place the two men and the experts were heading was exactly where the valley should have formed—the “center” of the original round black mountain.
“Is this the spot, Heukryong?”
“Correct. Wirak. This is it.”
Heukryong No-ma drew a small black needle from his pouch.
His gaze turned to Ham-jin.
“Look closely, disciple. This is my real-name technique treasure, the Heukryong, which you will inherit.”
Crack—
Ham-jin was startled.
The needle radiated overwhelming power.
“Well then, from now on let us witness the power of the Heukryong! Begin!”
“Understood.”
“Ready.”
Heukryong No-ma hurled the needle into the air.
The Heukryong hovered for a moment, then sank slightly into the center of the black mountain.
“Everyone, pull!”
At the order, the Heavenly Sage reached into his mouth and drew out a massive crushing hammer.
The white-glowing hammer was so immense it made one’s skin crawl just to look at it.
Next the Salt Sage pulled a spine-like bone from Jeomuldo. It was wrapped in swirling scarlet flames.
“Hehe, the spine of a True God-level beast. I found it by chance in the eastern deep-sea volcanoes.”
“Amazing. A True God-level spine…”
“We could refine it into a technique treasure, but…”
Greed flashed in the eyes of Heukryong No-ma and the Heavenly Sage, but they suppressed it and each made a pact.
Whoosh!
Simultaneously the crushing hammer and the beast’s spine merged in mid-air.
‘A hammer?’
The spine became the handle, the hammer the head.
Heukryong No-ma reached for the newly formed weapon with confident ease.
At that moment the Heavenly Sage and Salt Sage fixed him with cold stares.
“Wait. Before you use it, we must bind you with a prohibition.”
“If you wield this technique treasure, you will possess the Heukryong along with the peak True God-level treasure before you. If you try to kill us with it, there will be no way out.”
Heukryong No-ma looked displeased but spread his arms and released his power.
“Hmph, so suspicious. Even I would have to combine forces with you to obtain that power, so why would I betray you?”
“Perhaps you won’t. Stop talking nonsense and accept the prohibition quietly. If our positions were reversed, we would have done the same.”
“True. Just do it.”
The Heavenly Sage and Salt Sage each cast their prohibitions on Heukryong No-ma.
“By the way, Heukryong, are you sure? Once you use the Meteor Hammer, the entire population of the Jeokgwi Valley will explode.”
“Won’t your disciples die too?”
Heukryong No-ma snorted and pulled up his demonic qi.
Black demonic energy covered his body and his form changed.
[Hilarious. My only disciple is Ham-jin. The rest were just firewood to create superior results like him. Whether they die or not is none of my business. Stay well, everyone.]
“Understood.”
Flash!
The Heavenly Sage and Salt Sage poured their spiritual energy into the Heukryong, locking it firmly in place.
Crackle—
The black demonic form holding the hammer began to burn with demonic flames.
Soon Heukryong No-ma rose into the sky, hammer in hand.
[All right! We’ll carve the path! Ham-jin, protect your body!]
“Yes!”
Ham-jin raised the Clay Earth Great Wall Art to shield himself.
At the same time he moved the dragon veins he had entangled over the years.
‘I cannot let my companions die.’
According to his will, the veins of the Jeokgwi Valley stirred and wrapped around his companions.
[Go!]
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Heukryong No-ma fell from the sky.
Ham-jin closed his eyes tight.
It was almost here.
According to the diary he had stolen from Heukryong No-ma, the old man would seize his body at this exact spot.
‘Is this really the end?’
And then Heukryong No-ma’s technique activated.
Flash!
His flesh burned with demonic fire, blazing brightly. The Meteor Hammer began to shine with starlight.
[Fengzuo Seal Open!]
Kwaaaah!
The Heukryong’s entire body exploded, carving a massive array in the sky.
The power of the array swelled the demonic body until it was huge.
The Heukryong grabbed the hammer and swung it downward.
“What! Wait!”
“Heukryong you bastard, you really betrayed us!”
The Meteor Hammer, meant to strike Heukryong’s spine, grew monstrously large right before impact. It caught the Heavenly Sage and Salt Sage—who were gripping the Heukryong with spiritual energy—and brought them inside the attack range.
Boom-boom-boom!
A deafening explosion rang out.
The entire Jeokgwi Valley trembled with terrifying ripples. Ham-jin felt every defensive technique he had cast tear apart as his body was shredded.
Poo!
He spat blood and was sent flying far from the impact point.
‘This is impossible… Even at the beginning of Foundation Establishment I would have been torn apart… If I hadn’t protected myself with the veins, my companions would all be dead…’
With the Clay Earth Great Wall Art, he should have taken no damage at all.
But he had deliberately distributed his power to shield his companions, resulting in this.
Crackle—
Fortunately, the recovery ability of Foundation Establishment allowed Ham-jin to regenerate instantly. He stared out through the dust cloud.
“Huh…”
The result was astonishing.
A cylindrical hole about a meter in diameter stretched downward.
And…
“Heukryong you bastard…!”
“Kuk… Kahaha!”
Two broken experts lay before him, barely alive thanks to their healing arts. Their bodies were tattered, yet they still breathed.
Between them floated a small golden core covered in black demonic flames, chained by countless prohibition rings.
Ham-jin nearly laughed with joy.
‘Heukryong No-ma!’
The Heukryong No-ma who had tried to steal his body was now trapped in the hands of the two experts!
The Heavenly Sage smiled cruelly.
“You fool of a Heukryong. We never expected you to betray us at the last moment and take over Ham-jin’s body just to kill us completely. The prohibitions we cast weren’t simple. They were designed to prevent you from switching bodies in the first place!”
“Haha, you greedy fools brought this upon yourselves. Your demonic flames are decent, so I’ll refine your golden core and soul later, Heukryong!”
The two experts laughed mockingly at Heukryong No-ma, then turned to Ham-jin.
“Well, the path is cleared and Heukryong is captured…”
“Now let’s eliminate the witness.”
The chill ran down Ham-jin’s spine.
The two experts were staring at him.
“I’m sorry, Ham-jin.”
“In your next life, live well.”
The Heavenly Sage’s attack, blazing with the light of the Six Paths of Enlightenment, and the Salt Sage’s technique of blazing salt flames both struck Ham-jin.
No matter how battered he was, they were both Core Formation experts and he was only at the very beginning of Foundation Establishment.
Normally he would have been blown apart in one hit.
Boom-boom!
But Ham-jin wrapped his body in green light and blocked their attacks.
“What!?”
“How is this possible!?”
Sweat poured down his face as he raised the Clay Earth Great Wall Art.
At the same time he felt the surging power in his body and stomped.
Boom-boom!
His foot slammed into the Jeokgwi Valley.
In his mind he remembered the lesson from the Unlimited Sword Ghost.
—This Clay Earth Great Wall Art has clear advantages and disadvantages. It requires deep understanding of dragon veins and is hard to master, but once you succeed, you can connect the veins with your own spiritual veins and wield tremendous power within the areas you control.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
The green light around Ham-jin looked like green flames burning all over him.
—Your controlled veins will soon become your own array. Of course, outside the vein-controlled area the power is weakened compared to your peers…
‘Heukryong No-ma is dead. The two experts are broken because of his betrayal.’
—Instead, if you master the veins of the Jeokgwi Valley, you can wield transcendent power beyond Foundation Establishment inside the valley.
‘True freedom is right here!’
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The green flames spread in all directions, activating every vein in the Jeokgwi Valley.
Around him the veins converged into a dense array.
[Come at me! I won’t die easily!]
The two experts ground their teeth.
“You little brat! You’re challenging expert scholars even though you’re only a half-spirit!”
“Learn your place, insolent fool!”
Light burst from the Heavenly Sage’s body. Scarlet salt flames erupted from the Salt Sage’s.
The two broken Core Formation experts collided with the one Foundation Establishment expert who had transcended everything.
A battle that would shake heaven and earth began.
The other disciples of Heukryong No-ma in the valley looked up at the sky with desperate hope.
Thus the battle between the eminent scholars and the half-spirit ended.
The result was Ham-jin’s defeat.
Poo!
Ham-jin spat blood and collapsed.
The veins still slept with immense power, but his body could not support it.
‘Damn it, I was so close…’
He looked at the two exhausted Core Formation experts before him.
“Not bad, little brat.”
“If you hadn’t been Heukryong No-ma’s disciple, I might have wanted to take you as my own…”
The two experts looked at him with awed eyes despite their panting.
Ham-jin closed his eyes.
And then.
The Salt Sage reached out to him.
“I can’t hold back any longer. Ham-jin, become my disciple. I cannot kill such a talented youth in this place.”
“Yes, yes?”
“I will save your life.”
“W-what…?”
Ham-jin’s eyes trembled.
Submitting to someone terrified him.
But the connection with the Infinite Sword Ghost had been severed, and his master Heukryong who had coveted his body was dead.
So there was nothing left to fear.
‘That gaze… it’s real. Maybe the Salt Sage really…’
Just as Ham-jin stretched his hand toward the Salt Sage in a daze—
Crack!
Behind the Salt Sage, black demonic flames exploded. A black hand reached toward his beating heart.
[Ah… hehe. This won’t do. Ham-jin is my disciple.]
The voice of Heukryong No-ma echoed.
The Salt Sage turned with disbelief, blood pouring from his lips.
There stood a demon-king-shaped Heukryong No-ma wearing the body of the Salt Sage, covered in black demonic flames.
[Apologies, but I once obtained a remnant of the demonic art left behind by the previous True God. Even without a body I can revive as a beast spirit. If I had seized your soul the moment you captured it and added more prohibitions, I wouldn’t have been able to get the beast spirit’s body. But thanks to your disciple’s help, I bought some time. See?]
“Haa… Heukryong you bastard!”
Purple demonic flames engulfed the Salt Sage’s body.
When the flames cleared, Ham-jin’s eyes widened.
The Salt Sage’s expression had changed.
The Heavenly Sage clenched his teeth, sensing something was wrong.
“You… damn it. From the beginning you never planned to switch bodies with my disciple! You were after our bodies the whole time?!”
[If you’re going to hit me from behind, at least look three steps ahead. Hahaha… then go well, Heavenly Sage.]
The Heukryong No-ma who now controlled the Salt Sage’s body reached for the Heavenly Sage.
Whoosh!
The little energy the Heavenly Sage had left was instantly burned to ash.
The demon-king Heukryong No-ma turned to Ham-jin.
“Hmm…”
Whoosh—
His voice returned to its original tone.
“Amazing, disciple. I never imagined you were hiding such power. I knew you were hiding something, but I didn’t expect it to be this big. Not only did you stall us with Core Formation experts, you even exhausted their spiritual energy…”
Boom!
Heukryong picked up the Meteor Hammer he had used earlier and raised the Heukryong in his other hand.
“Originally I would have burned both the Meteor Hammer and the Heukryong to death if not for your help, so the technique treasures would have been damaged. Hehe, it was quite satisfying.”
Ham-jin gritted his teeth at the satisfied look on Heukryong’s face.
“What will you do with me?”
Heukryong looked at him.
“There’s no need to do anything. You are still my favorite disciple.”
‘Lie!’
Ham-jin gritted his teeth.
Heavenly Qi began to warn him of danger.
‘He still wants to steal my body! I cannot relax!’
But Heukryong seemed not to notice.
“Come, disciple.”
Ham-jin tried to resist but found he could not move.
He had no choice but to follow the weakened Heukryong into the deepest part of the pit.
They rode a flying technique treasure down into the bottom of the valley. Ham-jin gulped down air.
‘What is this power?’
It was enormous.
The deeper they descended, the stronger it felt.
“I’ve been working my hardest to obtain this since the day I learned there is ancient power buried beneath the Jeokgwi Valley. But after investigating, I discovered a large prohibition beneath the valley. To break it I had to destroy part of the prohibition and the valley at the same time. We combined our strength and finally used the Meteor Hammer and the Heukryong to gain access to this power.”
‘Why is he telling me all this?’
Ham-jin stared at Heukryong with tense eyes.
And finally.
The flying technique treasure carrying Ham-jin and Heukryong reached the edge of the pit.
The edge of the pit.
Ham-jin saw a green spiritual plaque.
‘This is…’
The object the veins of the Jeokgwi Valley had been protecting—the source of this immense power.
Heukryong’s eyes burned with greed and tension.
“But on the other hand, I also thought that since this is an enormous power, if I cannot control it or if it has side effects, it would be dangerous. So I came up with a plan.”
He reached toward the plaque.
Whoosh!
The plaque vibrated as if refusing his touch, but Heukryong ignored it and lifted it.
“For now, I will take the body of someone other than myself, implant this power, check for side effects, and only then study the power properly.”
The body of the Salt Sage now occupied by Heukryong No-ma.
His body had a hole in the heart where Heukryong had crushed it during the surprise attack.
Heukryong placed the plaque into the wound.
After he made the pact, the flesh around the hole closed.
Ham-jin watched from behind with cold sweat.
Heukryong’s technique fused with the plaque, and a heart began to grow above it.
The plaque had become the Salt Sage’s heart.
‘Impossible! With this power…’
He shivered.
Even if the Infinite Sword Ghost came as his main body, he wasn’t sure what would happen.
Although he was only Foundation Establishment, he knew a half-spirit was still a half-spirit!
He was confident this power would not fall short of the Infinite Sword Ghost.
“Oooooh, truly an enormous power! Ah, it surges!”
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Heukryong, who had taken the plaque as a heart, wiped his face.
His body and face instantly changed to that of Heukryong No-ma.
“Hahaha! Perfect! Now this Pingyuan Continent belongs to me!”
His laughter echoed through the pit. The green light and power radiating from his body filled Ham-jin with despair.
At that moment.
‘Eh?’
Ham-jin noticed something wrong with his shadow.
It was clearly his own shadow.
But the shadow had nineteen heads.
‘What…!’
And then.
A familiar voice rang out.
[Array. Activate.]
The next instant.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
The array Ham-jin had laid over the veins of the Jeokgwi Valley activated.