Chapter 765: A Fragrant Scent Instead of the Scent of Blood
Chapter 765: A Fragrant Scent Instead of the Scent of Blood
Geom Mu-geuk bowed respectfully, paying his final respects to the skeletal remains of Ju Ga-sin, the man who had ruled the Unorthodox Path Alliance three hundred years ago.
“Three centuries have passed since your era, Alliance Leader. I do not know the full truth of what transpired back then, but I believe you separated and stored these beads for the sake of peace within the Murim.”
Of course, peace might not have been the sole motivation. There were likely complex power struggles and mutual checks at play.
“With these beads, I will ensure the peace that you and the other seniors sought to protect.”
Geom Mu-geuk carefully retrieved the purple bead resting in the skeleton’s hand. The moment he grasped the Purple Crystal, the Secret Casket hidden within his robes—which had been vibrating steadily—began to shake violently.
Geom Mu-geuk bowed once more to the remains.
“Thank you.”
As if it had been waiting for those words, the coffin lid slid shut automatically.
Clink.
The coffin receded into its original alcove, and the secret door sealed itself. Not a single trace of the entrance remained on the wall between the guardian statues.
Geom Mu-geuk pulled the Secret Casket from his robe. He felt more trepidation now than at any other time he had absorbed the energy of the beads.
The Secret Casket wore its usual smile—a simple drawing he had etched onto its surface what felt like only yesterday.
“Secret Casket, it’s the youngest one!”
Vrooooom.
He placed the purple bead atop the vibrating casket.
Sliiiide.
The Purple Crystal was drawn into the Secret Casket, absorbed as if it were a soft liquid.
Whir!
The casket vibrated powerfully and rose into the air. Usually, it would simply spin in place, but today was different.
Whoooooosh!
A brilliant purple radiance erupted from the Secret Casket.
In response, the five energies already awakened within his body began to emit their respective colors simultaneously. The five energies transformed into pure light, piercing through Geom Mu-geuk’s body and bursting outward.
Six colors of light swirled through the air.
It looked as if six dragons were coiling around him. It was a truly fantastic sight—one that anyone else would have mistaken for a dream.
The six energies circling Geom Mu-geuk converged into the Secret Casket.
Shoooooosh!
Having absorbed the six energies, the Secret Casket remained suspended in the air.
Fshhhhhhh.
The casket then exhaled the six energies, now intertwined like threads on a spool, back toward Geom Mu-geuk. Like a discharge of Sword Qi, the lights shot out in straight lines.
As he took in the overwhelming energy, Geom Mu-geuk saw it.
Shhhhh.
Having fulfilled its final mission, the Secret Casket began to vanish into the air like smoke.
‘No, Secret Casket!’
Until the very last moment, the casket was smiling at him. Memories of the moments they had shared flooded back, and a lump formed in Geom Mu-geuk’s throat. He didn't want to say goodbye like this, but if this was the fate they shared...
‘Secret Casket, thank you for everything.’
With a final, bright smile, the Secret Casket dissolved. It was a final parting from a friend who had been with him through everything.
Though the casket was gone, the six energies it had released were racing through Geom Mu-geuk’s body.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Finally, all six energies were gathered.
Geom Mu-geuk could instinctively feel the staggering potential of this power. It was fundamentally different from any Ancient Elixir. No, it shouldn't even be called a spirit medicine in the first place.
Geom Mu-geuk began to manifest the mental method he had obtained from the Great Secret Casket—the very technique he had acquired when he traveled back three hundred years.
— In moving True Qi, one must be as free as the wind yet as heavy as the earth. One must surge as hot as fire yet be able to stop as cold as ice. One must be as deep as the darkness and as powerful as a thunderbolt. If you can unite these six energies into one, you shall surely possess the greatest power in all of history.
The six energies that had entered him as a single braid suddenly scattered, each following a different meridian.
The True Qi moved along paths he had never even imagined. It flowed in reverse, moving through routes that, by all common sense, should have caused fatal internal injury. It was a mental method that instantly shattered all conventional knowledge of martial arts.
After swirling through the meridians of his entire body along these new paths, the six mysteries finally converged at his Dantian.
The moment the mental method concluded and the energies merged into one—
Flash!
A brilliant radiance erupted from Geom Mu-geuk’s entire body. The light was so intense that even his New Eye Technique could not pierce through it.
In that instant, Geom Mu-geuk felt a refreshing energy unlike anything he had ever experienced. If he had to choose one word to describe the feeling, it was this:
Mystical.
The unified energy did not disappear; it enveloped his Dantian. Perhaps because of that, the internal energy flowing from his Dantian was now infused with a mysterious aura.
‘My internal energy has completely changed.’
To say it had simply become more refined was a woefully inadequate description.
It was then.
He felt his entire body floating in the air, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. It was likely due to this new energy in his Dantian. Geom Mu-geuk sat down and crossed his legs in a meditative posture.
He tried to steady his mind and stabilize his body, but he still felt a hazy, dreamlike sensation.
How could he describe this feeling? It was like standing still and watching a massive tsunami roll in from the distance. He knew he should run, but he just watched it blankly. He wanted to move, but his body wouldn't budge.
He felt his heartbeat gradually slowing down, yet his body did not react. His Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art remained still, and his survival instincts didn't trigger.
‘What on earth is about to happen?’
He had never experienced his body in such a state. Had he been poisoned or fallen under a Soul-Seizing Technique? Impossible. This was definitely a side effect of the energy he had accepted.
The moment the massive tsunami in his mind crashed over him—
Crack!
“Ugh!”
A sharp cry escaped Geom Mu-geuk’s lips. He was a man who wouldn't blink at ordinary pain, yet his face was already contorted in agony.
Creeeeeak.
The sound of bones snapping echoed from within his body.
“Aaaargh!”
Geom Mu-geuk screamed. The bones throughout his entire body began to break and reset in sequence. Something impossible was happening. He tried to rouse his internal energy to stop it, but the power inside him wouldn't move. It felt as if his body no longer belonged to him.
The energy surrounding his Dantian!
‘Was this energy actually a trap?’
Was it a trap laid out specifically to destroy him? No, that couldn't be. They wouldn't have hidden a trap so deeply and made it so difficult to find.
Then why was this happening?
Crack, snap.
“Aaaaaagh!”
The bones inside him moved of their own accord.
Crunch! Snap!
The muscles and tendons attached to the bones stretched and then contracted violently.
“AAAAAAAGH!”
It was a level of pain no human should be able to endure.
*
Geom Mu-geuk was dreaming.
The floor was covered in blood. Looking around, he realized he was in front of the Heavenly Demon Hall. Those lying fallen in pools of blood were the guards of the hall.
Among them was Hwi. Hwi, who had blocked the door, sat dead, leaning against the wall. His eyes were still open.
‘Uncle.’
Geom Mu-geuk knew instinctively.
‘This is that day.’
However, on that day before his regression, he hadn't made it this far. He had been on the verge of death after being struck down by Hwa Mu-gi before reaching this point. Therefore, this scene was a product of his own imagination.
Geom Mu-geuk closed Hwi’s eyes, then opened the doors to the Heavenly Demon Hall and stepped inside.
Splash.
The floor was flooded with blood. The path of blood had become a literal river of gore.
In the distance, he saw the Grand Tutor’s Chair. Instead of his father, who always sat there, someone else was occupying the seat. On the floor in front of it, his father sat facing him. He could tell instinctively that his father was already dead.
‘Father!’
Even though he knew it was a dream, even though he knew it was a scene created by his subconscious, Geom Mu-geuk felt as if his heart were being ripped apart.
Hwa Mu-gi sat in the Grand Tutor’s Chair, looking down at him. That arrogant, haughty gaze was exactly the same as it had been on the day he killed him.
Geom Mu-geuk knelt before his father. He didn't know what kind of battle had taken place that day, but...
“It will be different this time, Father.”
At that moment, Hwa Mu-gi reached out a hand.
Whoosh.
Geom Mu-geuk’s body flew helplessly into his grasp. It was a terrifyingly powerful display of Telekinesis.
Hwa Mu-gi asked with a cold gaze, “What exactly will be different?”
Geom Mu-geuk looked at him and said calmly, “You’ll find out later.”
A sneer seemed to form on Hwa Mu-gi’s lips, and then... without hesitation, he snapped Geom Mu-geuk’s neck.
Crack.
“AAAAAAAGH!”
With a scream, Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes flew open.
Crunch! Snap!
Lying on the cold floor of the tomb, the bones inside his body were still shifting into their new positions.
*
How much time had passed?
When Geom Mu-geuk opened his eyes, he felt his entire body burning with a fever. Truly, he had never been in this much pain before.
But the transformation within his body continued. If the previous stage had been a complete restructuring of his bones, this time it was his flesh.
Riiip.
Muscles tore, and new muscles regenerated.
Tear! Rip!
Geom Mu-geuk had endured the pain of his bones being carved, but the agony of his muscles tearing was equally unbearable. Yet, he gritted his teeth and endured.
He lost consciousness and regained it, over and over again. In the meantime, the old house was being torn down and a new one was being built.
Rumble, rumble.
Internal energy exploded from his Dantian and raced through the meridians of his entire body. Every blocked meridian was forced open. Every vessel the energy passed through became wider and stronger. This was a transformation of the meridians distinct from the Thousand Meridian Strengthening Technique.
Once the flesh and meridians were fully reconstructed, another change occurred.
Every pore on his skin opened, and the impurities and stagnant Qi accumulated in his body began to be expelled. An unbearable stench wafted out—a smell so foul he could hardly believe it came from his own body.
That wasn't all. All the hair on his body fell out, and new hair began to grow. His skin peeled away, and new skin formed beneath it. It was a molting.
Geom Mu-geuk couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality. In fact, he continued to dream.
Splash.
Geom Mu-geuk entered the Heavenly Demon Hall again. As expected, the floor was flooded with blood. The moment he looked toward the Grand Tutor’s Chair, he was startled.
The person sitting in the chair was not Hwa Mu-gi, but his father. And below him sat Hwa Mu-gi. In the spot where his father had been sitting in the previous dream, Hwa Mu-gi now sat dead.
When Geom Mu-geuk looked up with a joyful face, his father on the chair spoke.
“Now, only the Unification of the Murim remains.”
The moment he heard those words, Geom Mu-geuk woke up and his eyes snapped open.
He was still lying on the floor of the tomb. Geom Mu-geuk heard it—the sound of his own blood flowing through his veins. It was a truly bizarre experience. He could hear his heartbeat, and the sensation of air brushing against his skin was vivid. Scents he hadn't noticed before in the tomb now pierced his nose.
In that overwhelming flood of sensory information, Geom Mu-geuk lost consciousness again.
How much more time passed?
This time, Geom Mu-geuk stood among countless stars. In the deep darkness, he saw a vision of myriad twinkling stars passing him by. The largest star flew toward him.
The moment that star collided with him, Geom Mu-geuk opened his eyes.
He knew now that he was fully awake. How many days had passed?
Geom Mu-geuk slowly pushed himself up. The maddening pain had vanished as if it had all been a lie. His frantic five senses had also calmed down.
‘I feel like I could fly.’
His body was incredibly light. This was surely what people meant when they said they felt light as a feather. But he soon grimaced at the stench coming from his body. He was covered in filthy impurities.
Snap.
Geom Mu-geuk immediately opened the Space-Time Displacement Technique. He arrived at the hot spring in the snowy plains. He threw off his clothes and plunged into the water.
Splash!
Geom Mu-geuk washed his body thoroughly in the warm water. Once wasn't enough, so he created a new hot spring and washed again. After finishing his bath and stepping out, he snapped his fingers once more.
A large bronze mirror capable of reflecting his entire body appeared before him. Geom Mu-geuk’s face was filled with shock as he looked at his reflection.
His body had changed.
It wasn't a drastic departure from before, but his skeletal structure was clearly different. His shoulders, arms, legs—their width, thickness, and length had all changed. His skin was flawless. Not a single scar from his previous battles remained. To the touch, it was as smooth as jade and as soft as a baby’s skin.
Yet, Geom Mu-geuk could feel it. The muscles beneath this skin were incomparably stronger than before. This skin itself was no ordinary skin.
That wasn't all. His already excellent vision had improved further, and his hearing, smell, and touch had become even more acute. With a bit of exaggeration, if he focused, he felt he could hear an ant crawling in the distance.
In this moment, Geom Mu-geuk was certain.
‘I have truly achieved Body Reforging!’
He had suspected as much the moment his bones began to twist. Body Reforging was the ultimate fated encounter a martial artist could experience. He had wondered if such a miracle would truly find him.
What he had undergone was the death of an old physical form and the birth of a new one—a painful process for the sake of perfection.
With a trembling heart, Geom Mu-geuk drew the Black Demonic Sword lying on the ground.
Swish, swish!
He swung the sword within the Space-Time Displacement realm. The feeling of swinging the sword was completely different. He had thought his body was already optimized for martial arts, but that had been a misconception and an act of arrogance.
‘This feels even better!’
His body had been transformed into the perfect vessel for martial arts. Geom Mu-geuk’s face brightened, and his laughter rang out loudly through the world of the Space-Time Displacement Technique.
His joy wasn't merely because he could now better face Hwa Mu-gi. With a perfect body, new senses, and an even clearer mind, he had come closer to perfection as a martial artist.
Geom Mu-geuk was, after all, a martial artist. Born with the Heavenly Martial Physique, he was a martial artist among martial artists. Killing Hwa Mu-gi wasn't the entirety of his life. Just because one reaches the summit of a difficult mountain doesn't mean they intend to live there forever.
The gift from the Secret Casket’s energy wasn't just Body Reforging. The unified energy still enveloped his Dantian, and a mysterious aura lingered in his internal energy.
Whooooosh.
Geom Mu-geuk manifested the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. Perhaps because of the mysterious energy infused in his power, he was able to exert greater force with less internal energy than before. As he circulated his Qi to replenish his reserves, the newly created internal energy continued to carry that mysterious power.
He had essentially gained a new Dantian.
He couldn't yet tell if this power only made his internal energy more efficient or if it had other functions, but he believed it would be of great help in his fight against Hwa Mu-gi.
Geom Mu-geuk washed his clothes, dried them with Heat Yang Energy, and then exited the Space-Time Displacement realm. A fragrant scent wafted from his body.
‘After enduring all that pain, I deserve to smell good.’
Geom Mu-geuk stood before the wall where Ju Ga-sin’s coffin had vanished. He bowed respectfully.
“If the day comes when we meet again, I will give you a proper greeting then.”
Walking toward the entrance of the tomb, Geom Mu-geuk stood at the boundary between life and death and spoke loudly to the past leaders of the Unorthodox Path Alliance.
“I will live my life with this fragrant scent instead of the scent of blood. I will make sure of it!”