The Three Pinnacles

A headless corpse collapsed face-first onto the dirt. Honestly, it wasn't anything unusual. It was just one more body added to a battlefield where the corpses of ally and foe already lay tangled together.

"Aaaaargh!"

But to the man charging at me, it seemed to be a catastrophic problem. I could understand. If one of my girls had been killed, I probably would have lost my mind too. Still, I wouldn't have lunged forward blindly, throwing all caution to the wind like this. Revenge and rage were things to be forged cold and executed with ruthless precision.

"You! I'll tear you to pieces!"

Three longswords, glowing with a deep, dark blue light, split apart and shot toward me. So, that technique of dividing their signature Dharma treasure into three prongs was a joint creation of theirs? However, while Cultivator Ok's needle-splitting technique had been complex and subtle, Cultivator Jang's sword-splitting technique was entirely different. The flying swords hurtled from different directions, as if he only needed a single strike to connect to make it all worth it. Abandoning stealth certainly gave it raw destructive power.

But if you knew exactly where they were coming from, there were plenty of ways to counter.

The Golden Command Robe fluttering around my chest unleashed its full potential for the first time. Golden ripples shimmered, skewing the angles of the three swords and scattering their trajectories.

"Fascinating."

In the past, I hadn't truly understood the robe; I had merely activated it. But now, I felt like I could do more than just turn it on—I could apply it dynamically, drawing out its power in precise measures. The Golden Command Robe was easily pierced by subtle, clever penetrations like Cultivator Ok's flying needles, but it was incredibly strong against brute-force attacks focused on raw firepower, like Cultivator Jang's.

"Graaaah!"

Cultivator Jang seemed to realize the bad matchup between us. He was a crafty old monster with plenty of experience, and sanity was slowly returning to his bloodshot eyes. He knew that if he surrendered entirely to his emotions, he would die in bitter frustration without achieving a single thing. He bit his tongue to snap himself out of it and tried to pull back, but he was already too late.

"You should have run instead of attacking."

He had already thrown his Dharma treasure at me. In turn-based game terms, he had completely wasted his turn. If so, it was only natural that he should be prepared to take the hit that followed.

Crunch!

"Hahaha! Well done, Hayun—no, Elder Hayun!"

The hammer of the pale, exhausted Elder Do smashed directly into Cultivator Jang's back. It wasn't just a blow to the back of the head; it was a devastating strike that pulverized the man's entire backside, including his spine. From the cervical vertebrae down to the spine, skull, flesh, and skin—everything was crushed.

"You... you bastards... how dare you..."

To let emotions sway you when facing two enemies was a fatal mistake. If he had the strength to survive such a blunder, he would have wrapped up this fight long ago.

Seeing Elder Do approach with his hammer to deliver the finishing blow, I spoke up to stop him.

"Wait a moment, Elder."

"There is no need for such formalities. Just call me Cultivator Do."

"Do you mind if I finish this guy off? We can say you were the one who killed him, and I won't touch any of his belongings."

"Oh?"

Elder Do's white eyebrows twitched behind his cracked helmet, showing the wear and tear of a fierce battle. It wasn't a difficult request. However, he was likely wary of the power I had displayed earlier—the power that had instantly put Cultivator Ok at death's door. He was probably wondering what my true identity was, what I was hiding, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what dark motives drove me to personally take Cultivator Jang's life. It had to be highly unsettling for him.

"Very well. It is not as if I hunted him entirely on my own, so that much is simple enough."

But Elder Do was exhausted. He had been wounded early on by the joint attack of Cultivators Ok and Jang, and he had broken a sweat trying to hold off the rampaging Jang afterward. The effects of the Fiend God Pill he had swallowed as a last resort were starting to wear off, and the backlash was taking a heavy toll on his body.

In the end, I just need to report this to the Family Head.

Rather than picking a fight with a mysterious young powerhouse like Hayun, Elder Do chose to wear a mask of generosity.

"Then, my thanks."

I gave a polite nod and approached Cultivator Jang, who had fallen from an equal cultivator to mere prey waiting to be slaughtered. He was still coughing up blood, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes, but his hand was pressed against his chest as if his heart was in agonizing pain.

"Looking at me like that makes me feel like the bad guy, Brother Jang. Cultivator Ok is waiting for you, so hurry up and catch the reincarnation express to make a fresh start."

"Do... not speak of her with your filthy mouth..."

"Sure, whatever you say."

I felt no pity in killing him. However, there was no better negative example than Brother Jang to remind me of what I must never become. He had lost his woman, lost his life, and in his final moments, some crazy bastard was standing over him ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠talking about the reincarnation express. Was he humiliated? Annoyed?

I stared at his face, drinking in the humiliation and sorrow written all over it, burning it into my memory. Humiliation. Rage. Sorrow. Resentment. Etching these emotions into my mind one by one would serve as the fuel to keep me sharp and diligent tomorrow.

Even after reaching the realm of Samgeuk, Brother Jang was dying like a pig in a slaughterhouse, his woman, his sect, and even his corpse destined to be butchered. When I imagined my own face on his body, a chill ran down my spine, instantly followed by a surge of motivation.

After finishing my self-reflection, I smiled warmly and covered Brother Jang's eyes with one hand.

"Keep your eyes closed, Brother Jang. Just empty your mind for a moment, and it will all be over soon."

"I'll kill you... I will absolutely kill you all..."

"You were a wonderful textbook for me, even if only for a short while."

Snap!

He probably didn't hear the end of my sentence. I sent him on his way before he could finish listening. It was the same logic as putting a hood over an animal's head before slaughtering it.

"I hope you two can share the beautiful love you couldn't finish in the afterlife and achieve a peaceful rebirth."

Though, if hell really existed, we cultivators would never catch a glimpse of paradise anyway.

As I pressed my hands together in mock prayer, I felt an awkward gaze on me. Elder Do was staring at me as if I were a complete lunatic.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? I was just praying for his soul."

"Mmh. Right. Everyone has their quirks, so I have no intention of judging. In any case... my body is feeling rather stiff."

With those words, Elder Do began to search Brother Jang's corpse. Even if his body was on the verge of collapsing, he couldn't resist looting the corpse. A powerhouse of the Samgeuk realm was bound to carry more than a few treasures. A walking vault, a literal goldmine, was right here. Come to think of it, carrying your wealth on your person when you had the martial power of a Samgeuk cultivator was the ultimate security system and an instant-withdrawal bank. It was just that cracking the vault was incredibly difficult for anyone else.

Rummaging through Brother Jang's robes, Elder Do panted heavily, unable to hide his exhaustion, and gestured to me.

"Cultivator Ok over there is yours. I believe this is a fair distribution of the spoils. Of course, aside from this, I will do my best to report this to the family so you receive a handsome reward."

"Ah, I see."

Brother Do was tearing open Brother Jang's robes and ripping things out. I nodded, pretending to head toward the headless Cultivator Ok with an excited expression, only to—

Twang!

I spun around and fired an arrow.

Thwip!

Elder Do, who had been secretly keeping an eye on me while pretending not to, flickered and vanished instantly. He didn't even waste time shouting clichés like, "You bastard!" or "How dare you!" Knowing his own physical condition all too well, he had bolted before he could end up like Brother Jang. They say survival is a matter of intelligence, and Brother Do was certainly quick-witted for his age.

But of course, there was no way I could let him escape. Now that he knew too much, and now that I had bared my fangs, Elder Do had to die. It was the only logical choice.

"Ryeo-ah."

Having recovered her strength by consuming Cultivator Ok's head, Ryeo-ah lent me her aid.

The feathers on the Red Agate Bow grew even more lush, scattering thick runic characters into the air. Drawing the bowstring, I perfectly controlled and concentrated the energy pulsing inside me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like an active volcano.

Combined with Ryeo-ah's assistance—

Crack! Twang!

Elder Do's heart was pierced clean through. The sound of the shot only echoed after he had already sprayed blood and plummeted to the ground. Approaching the fallen Elder Do, whose body was shriveled like a mummy—likely a side effect of the Fiend God Pill—I brought my weapon down on his head.

"S-spare..."

"No can do, Brother Do."

Splat!

He should have watched his mouth. Why would someone who knew everything ask for mercy? Still, now that I had sent one of their enemies to join them, the ghosts of Brother Jang and Cultivator Ok would probably find some peace.

"At least you'll die a martyr."

I hacked at Brother Do's corpse with Brother Jang's sword. It wasn't out of anger; I just needed to leave evidence that Brother Jang had killed him so that no suspicion would fall on me.

"How am I going to carry all this?"

"What's that?"

"Okay, inventory."

Sure enough, even when I shoved the entire corpses of Cultivator Ok and Brother Jang inside, they slipped right in. Just in case, I swept up the remnants of the puppets, the corpse of the eagle spiritual beast, and even the melted poison jars. Finally, only one corpse remained on the ground.

"What should I do with this one?"

Should I return Brother Do's corpse and belongings?

"Can I keep the valuable stuff?"

So, I thoroughly looted Brother Do's corpse of anything too valuable to give away. I was tempted by his defensive Dharma treasure and his hammer, but those were practically Elder Do's trademarks. If I pocketed his weapons—which were like comrades-in-arms to him—it would surely spark ugly rumors.

"Man, I'm stuffed."

I had clearly just been exercising, so what was this feeling of absolute fullness?

I had reached Samgeuk. And that was without even achieving the physical pinnacle yet. If I used the elixirs looted from the three Samgeuk cultivators to nourish and strengthen my body before attempting the physical breakthrough, it would be a breeze. The moment I stepped into the first pinnacle of Samgeuk, I was already poised to challenge the second.

"That's life."

If I achieved the physical pinnacle to reach the second pinnacle, and then kept grinding and rolling with the punches, reaching the third pinnacle of Samgeuk was practically guaranteed. Then, all that would be left was...

"The Johwa realm."

Having personally witnessed what a single punch from the Johwa realm did to a Samgeuk cultivator, that realm seemed to shimmer right before my eyes. Seriously, if I could just reach Johwa, I wouldn't even need to run like this. I could just beat up the old, weak City Lord and take over the city myself.

"Man, human greed is a terrifying thing."

Not long ago, I was whining about needing to reach Samgeuk, but now that it seemed within reach, I was already sighing, If only I were in the Johwa realm...

"First, let's focus on the task at hand."

The war wasn't over yet. The elder of Seolyogok was supposed to be fighting some enemy cultivator. I dashed toward the site of the fierce battle, but it seemed my worries were entirely unnecessary.

Sssssss—

Amidst a beautiful battlefield scorched red and frozen white stood the elder of Seolyogok. In her hand, she held a head covered in white frost. She was channeling freezing qi into the limp corpse, holding it by its topknot, when she turned her gaze toward me.

"Elder Do, you have retu... Who are you?"

"Hello there. Things are wrapped up on my end. Unfortunately, Elder Do took a fatal blow from the initial joint attack of the two enemies, and..."

"Hmm."

Her gaze swept over me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before she nodded, as if it didn't really matter. "You have ascended to the first pinnacle of Samgeuk. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"This fellow will be finished shortly, so please wait a moment."

Is he still alive?

Scanning with my newly awakened Samgeuk senses, I could see a hot fire still burning within the frozen corpse's dantian. She seemed to have completely overwhelmed him, but a single slip-up would allow that fire to melt the ice and trigger a second round.

"Would you like some help?"

"No need. As long as no one interferes, I can keep him suppressed."

"Actually, I have a reason to kill him myself. I won't touch any of his belongings; I'll just crush his head. Of course, I'll compensate you for it."

Reaching into the storage Dharma treasure, I pulled out several treasures. They were items obtained from killing the three Samgeuk cultivators, along with loot swept from the treasure hall. I didn't pull out the truly precious items, of course, but they were still incredibly luxurious for the mere price of a finishing blow.

"Take whichever one of these you like."

"Since you show such sincerity, how could I refuse? It seems killing this fellow is quite important to you, so do as you wish."

A smile played on her lips. I grinned back.

That makes four.

Splat!

The red-haired middle-aged man's head was crushed. It was the exact moment the Cultivator Alliance collapsed.