Chapter 176: Sword God (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176: Sword God (2)
Reaching the Transcendent Realm—whether through Orthodox or Unorthodox Arts—involves turning the surrounding space into one’s personal domain. This is achieved by expanding the 'Spirit' out of the three fundamental elements: Essence, Qi, and Spirit. (Though this can vary depending on the specific martial art, it remains the general rule.)
In the case of the Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven, whether due to the inherent nature of Blood Arts or a peculiarity of that specific technique, the practitioner achieved a different state by dissolving their Essence, Qi, and Spirit into blood—or at least a mental image of it.
The state of an Extreme Demon likely possessed its own unique characteristics as well.
The realm Seo-jun had reached was no different.
In Seo-jun’s case, he had achieved a new realm by partially unifying his Essence and Spirit through the expansion of his Qi, rather than his Spirit.
Or, to be precise, he had merely glimpsed that path.
‘I see why they usually go for the expansion of Spirit.’
Spirit was the mind. It could be called the soul, or even mental intent.
When Spirit expanded, a martial artist at that level gained a profoundly stronger awareness of their own existence.
Seo-jun was different. By expanding his Qi instead, the influence of his Spirit weakened, causing his self-awareness to fade. Because of this, his physical form had nearly scattered, obeying the natural instinct of Qi to return to the world.
If he were to fully step into that unknown realm right now—though perhaps it would be different later—his very existence might dissipate and become one with the world.
In a way, one could argue he would be reborn as a greater being... but Seo-jun had absolutely no desire for that.
‘Using it occasionally should be fine, though.’
Even now, it felt awkward to just call himself a Super Peak master. He felt perfectly capable of holding his own against someone at the entry level of the Transcendent Realm without even using Demonification, but...
That wasn't what Seo-jun wanted. He wanted to reach a complete, perfected realm. Only then could he scale even greater heights.
“So, what do you think I need to reach the Transcendent Realm?”
That was why he asked the question.
The Sword God answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Time.”
“Time?”
“Yes. You need absolute time. It looks as though you have been practicing martial arts for about twenty years. While talent can shorten the time it takes to reach a certain realm, it can never reduce it to zero. It is the same principle as fruit needing time to ripen.”
It hasn’t been twenty years; it’s been about two. Can I really trust this guy?
As Seo-jun scratched his chin, the Sword God added, “The time required for the Spirit to mature. That is all you lack to reach the Transcendent Realm. Though, from what I can see, it might be faster for you to become an Extreme Demon.”
“An Extreme Demon?”
“Indeed. Unlike the Transcendent Realm, an Extreme Demon dyes their Essence, Qi, and Spirit with demonic nature and binds them as one. Thus, the Essence, Qi, and Spirit become entirely demonic—the ultimate state of the demonic path, which is why it is called the Extreme Demon.”
Seo-jun tilted his head.
“Uh, Chun-bong’s grandpa...?”
“Just call me Senior.”
“Ah, right. Senior, aren't you a master of the Righteous Faction?”
Is it really okay for him to be recommending the path of an Extreme Demon to a junior?
The Sword God chuckled at his question.
“What does it matter to distinguish between Righteous, Evil, or Demonic? It is all child’s play. To me, it is all the same.”
“Aha...”
Seo-jun nodded with a peculiar expression. Suddenly, the Sword God asked, “Why do you practice martial arts?”
“The reason?”
Did I have a reason?
Back in his days in the back alleys, he practiced purely to survive. Now, he chose this path because it was fun and because he had a talent for it.
And also...
“Because power is important. Even today, if I had been weak... well, it would have been fucking awful.”
“I see.”
“Yeah. So, why do you ask?”
“I was merely curious.”
“Oh, okay.”
The Sword God smiled.
“Do not forget your current mindset. It will be of help to you in the future.”
“Yes, sir.”
“It is about time.”
The Sword God looked up at the sky. Narrowing his eyes as if looking at something incredibly far away, he eventually reached his hand toward the sun hanging high above.
“This is a gift.”
Sensing something unusual, Seo-jun quickly kicked the unconscious Namgung Hyeok in the ribs.
“Gah...!”
Namgung Hyeok woke up with a start.
The man still had internal injuries, but Seo-jun felt that if Namgung Hyeok missed whatever was about to happen, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
The Sword God watched them for a moment, then extended his index finger and drew a long line from left to right.
──────────────
Shiver! Goosebumps erupted all over Seo-jun’s body. He hurriedly looked around, but nothing had changed.
Then, the world suddenly grew dim.
“Uh...?”
Seo-jun stared blankly at the sky. The sun had been split in half and was falling.
“What the fuck...”
This was fundamentally different from a technique like Shooting the Sun. He hadn't just poked a hole in the sun within a mental image. The actual, physical sun had been cut in half.
The severed sun slowly fell and crumbled. Every time a piece of it scattered, the world grew a little darker.
Eventually, when the sun completely vanished, the world was plunged into total darkness.
“We’re screwed.”
Is this the start of an ice age? Chun-bong might like it, though. If she coats some fruit in sugar water and leaves it outside, she’ll have instant tanghulu.
As Seo-jun stared blankly at the sky, the Sword God let out a hearty laugh.
“Now, do not be so surprised.”
When the Sword God waved his hand, the world flickered for an instant. The sky brightened in a flash, as if a piece of film had been spliced back together, and the sun was once again hanging in its proper place.
“Whoa.”
He didn't know how the old man had done it, but it was impressive. Seo-jun clapped his hands.
“Was that an Illusion Sword?”
“No. I cut the concept of the 'Sun'.”
“The what?”
“It is a type of Heart Sword.”
The Sword God’s voice was growing faint. Seo-jun quickly asked, “Can you actually cut the real sun, too?”
“It is not impossible. If the Heavens permit it.”
“Wait...”
Just what kind of entity are the Heavens? How could they suppress a man like the Sword God, who claimed he could cut even the sun?
“You will find out when the time comes.”
The Sword God smiled.
“Let us meet again. Perhaps it will be faster for you to come to the Celestial Realm.”
With those words, the Sword God’s presence vanished. Chun-bong’s body collapsed.
Seo-jun immediately caught her and pressed his ear to her chest.
Thump, thump. Her heart was beating fine. Her breathing was normal, and the flow of her internal energy was stable. Sss— phew... The breathing pattern belonged to Chun-bong, so he could finally stop worrying.
“Phew... That gave me a heart attack.”
Seo-jun looked around while holding Chun-bong in his arms.
Not much had changed. The corpses were still corpses, and the living looked a bit dazed but were otherwise fine.
“Cough...!”
Namgung Hyeok coughed up blood and collapsed again, but this could actually be considered a fateful encounter for him. As long as his spirit didn't break, he would be able to harvest that enlightenment after treating his internal injuries.
Seo-jun also etched the move the Sword God had shown him deep into his memory. It would surely be of help.
Feeling like things were finally wrapping up, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Namgung Su-ah approached him cautiously and grabbed his arm.
“...Seo-jun.”
“Yeah?”
Namgung Su-ah’s face was as pale as a ghost. Seo-jun suddenly checked his own condition.
First, he had six arms. And horns on his head.
“Oops.”
Seo-jun immediately snapped off the horns and the four extra arms, tossing them far away. Thanks to his rough imitation of the Blood Arts, the process was quite clean.
However, Namgung Su-ah’s complexion grew even worse.
“Ah...”
Staggering, she collapsed into Seo-jun’s arms. She panted for breath and whispered softly.
“Thank goodness... you’re safe...”
With those words, Namgung Su-ah lost consciousness.
“Noona?”
Startled, Seo-jun checked her condition. Fortunately, she was fine. It seemed she had merely fainted from the shock.
“Geez, what a mess.”
As Seo-jun dragged his exhausted body to lay Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah inside the half-broken carriage, Jang-geuk let out a hollow laugh.
“Even if my Lord is no longer quite human, you must not forget the hearts of people.”
“Hey, old man, why are you talking nonsense again?”
Pae Jin-gwang joined in.
“Nonsense? I’m starting to wonder if you’re even a human being myself.”
“What are you talking about? In a world where you can become a helicopter if you try hard enough, if I think I’m human, then I’m human.”
“A heli-what?”
“Ah, right. Wrong world.”
Seo-jun chuckled and leaned weakly against the wall of the carriage. No joke, he felt like he was about to die.
“Ugh... how long is it going to take to get to the Namgung Clan?”
“Do not worry...”
“Huh?”
Seo-jun snapped his head up. A person who hadn't been there a moment ago had suddenly joined the group.
“Father-in-law?”
“It seems something quite significant has happened... You have worked hard, son-in-law...”
Namgung Jin-cheon waved his hand. At his gesture, the corpses and the debris of the carriage moved on their own, neatly tidying themselves up.
“How did you get here?”
“I came because someone cut the sun... The sword style itself was close to the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword... Did you do it, son-in-law...?”
“No. The Sword God did.”
“Senior Sword God...? I see...”
Namgung Jin-cheon accepted this surprisingly easily. But Seo-jun didn't.
“Wait, you could see that from all the way over there?”
“Of course... Everyone in the Central Plains must have seen it... The sun was suddenly cut and fell; who could have missed it...?”
So he didn't just cut the perception of the people here?
“Shit.”
It was an unbelievable display of divine power. Seo-jun clicked his tongue.
Just then, a golden blur flew in at incredible speed.
This time, it was Deok-seong, the Abbot of Shaolin.
“What on earth is...”
He looked around in confusion, then shared a brief conversation with Namgung Jin-cheon.
The Abbot clearly wanted to grasp the situation, but Namgung Jin-cheon shook his head.
“It would be better to talk later...”
At Namgung Jin-cheon’s gesture, Seo-jun’s party and the carriage floated into the air.
This is ridiculous.
Even from the perspective of someone who had tasted a realm similar to the Transcendent Realm, this level of Void Object Grasping was absurd.
“Rest for now... It will not take long to reach the clan...”
As expected of my father-in-law. Feeling secure, Seo-jun finally let go of the strength keeping his heavy eyelids open.
In an instant, his consciousness sank into the depths.
Extreme Demon...
Seo-jun thought idly.
Absolute time is required? Even though it was advice from the Sword God himself, Seo-jun didn't agree.
He’s a quack who couldn't even tell how long I’ve been practicing martial arts.
If he could just see the path before his eyes, he felt like he could reach the Extreme Demon realm in an instant, even if the Transcendent Realm was currently out of reach...
Seo-jun reflected through his hazy consciousness.
Since he didn't know what might happen in the future, he needed power. He had no intention of quietly handing over what was precious to him.
To ensure that...
Seo-jun’s consciousness cut off.