Chapter 179: The Bold Chun-bong
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179: The Bold Chun-bong
‘It might be because of me.’
Chun-bong was feeling depressed.
The thought had struck her suddenly. Perhaps she was the reason her brother kept facing dangers he had no business dealing with…
It had been the same with Elder Jong-in of the Mount Hua Sect, and it was the same now. Their target wasn't anyone else—it was Chun-bong herself.
To be precise, their target was Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Geum Family. It was her, the possessor of the Divine Blood…
Even as the thought of leaving his side crossed her mind, Chun-bong couldn't bring herself to pull away from Seo-jun.
The moment he was out of her sight, she was seized by anxiety.
So, she spent the next few days glued to his side—holding his hand, riding on his back, or being carried in his arms.
"Alright, Chun-bong. Goo-goo ga-ga!"
"……"
On second thought, she wondered if she was just sticking around because he was a bit of an idiot and needed looking after.
*
Seo-jun kept himself quite busy.
Having seen Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven and the Sword God with his own eyes, he felt it was best to hurry if he wanted to internalize the insights he had gained.
Because of that, he had frequently met and spoken with Pae Jin-gwang over the past few days.
"So, you planted Qi and Spirit into the soil of Essence?"
"That's right."
"No, seriously?"
The new realm he had achieved—it felt entirely unprecedented to Seo-jun as well.
The ordinary Transcendent Realm was a stage based on the expansion of Spirit.
Among Essence, Qi, and Spirit, 'Spirit' was the domain governing mental intent and self-awareness. Thus, when one achieved the expansion of Spirit, they did not lose their sense of self. Rather, they solidified their existence and carved it into the world.
The realm Seo-jun had achieved was different.
By achieving the expansion of Qi and integrating Essence and Spirit into it, his very existence drew closer to nature itself. Naturally, his own ego became blurred in the process.
So, how did Pae Jin-gwang solve that problem?
"I roughly call this realm the Heaven-Containing Realm."
Heaven-Containing—meaning to hold the heavens within.
"Wait, if it's based on Essence, isn't it closer to Earth? Why Heaven?"
"Because I felt like it."
"Ah."
Seo-jun humored Pae Jin-gwang's nonsense for a moment before pressing on. "So, how did you handle the ego issue?"
"I didn't really have any problems with it, though?"
"What."
He didn't gain much of a lead.
However, Essence and Spirit were things humans were born with and cultivated internally. In contrast, Qi was something obtained and gathered from the outside world.
He could only form a circumstantial hunch that if there was a difference causing the ego issue, it likely lay there.
"This is really annoying," Seo-jun grumbled, scribbling various characters onto a piece of paper.
Chun-bong, who was hanging onto his back and peeking over his shoulder, asked, "What's this?"
"Naming."
"Naming what?"
"The name of the new realm. It's easier to visualize if I give it a name first."
A realm achieved through Qi, where Qi replaced the body, integrating Essence and Spirit, and drawing closer to nature…
"The Qi Transformation Realm? No. Is the Qi Spirit Realm better?"
"Both sound lame," Chun-bong muttered. "Compared to names like the Transcendent Realm or the Heaven-Containing Realm, they sound weak."
"What."
Still, it couldn't be helped. What was he supposed to do if he had zero talent for naming?
"Then let's just call it the Qi Spirit Realm for now. I can rename it later once I understand it more clearly."
Anyway, for now, it was the Qi Spirit Realm.
*
After finally putting Chun-bong to sleep—since she had refused to leave his arms—Seo-jun left the room and climbed onto the roof.
A rooftop in the dead of night was a mysterious place, serving as both a wellspring of inspiration and a sort of outdoor study for martial arts.
‘I can reach the Qi Spirit Realm whenever I want.’
Of course, he still had to figure out how to handle the aftermath of losing his ego, but stepping into the realm itself wasn't the problem.
Seo-jun recalled the hazy memories of when he had touched that domain.
Memories of the Sword Control Art, the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art firing from the blooming flowers behind his head, and the sorcery that had unfolded exactly as he willed it.
‘Should I improve the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art?’
It was a technique he had used since he first reached the Super Peak Realm. Now that he was standing at the threshold of the Transcendent Realm, he figured there might be room for improvement…
But no matter how much he pondered, he couldn't find a single flaw to fix.
‘It's perfect, isn't it?’
There was nothing to tweak.
When he had entered the Qi Spirit Realm, he had unleashed hundreds of blasts of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art—even if they were thinner than usual. Thinking back on it now, it was utterly absurd.
The Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art was a martial art capable of threatening even those in the Transcendent Realm.
And he had fired hundreds of them? It was a miracle that bastard Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven had survived the initial barrage at all.
‘Well, all the better.’
Next up was the Sword Control Art…
"Oppa──────!!"
A piercing scream tore through the night. Startled, Seo-jun instantly dashed back into the room.
"Huff…! Huff…!"
Chun-bong was gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat. She was fumbling blindly in the dark, searching for something. The moment her eyes found Seo-jun, she scrambled over and clung desperately to his leg.
"Wh-where did you go…?"
"……"
Seo-jun's expression hardened grimly. That son of a bitch, Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven. He should have torn him into even smaller pieces before killing him.
Swallowing a sigh, Seo-jun picked Chun-bong up. He then leaped outside, landing softly back on the roof.
"Chun-bong."
"…Yeah."
"Hee."
"…Why are you acting all serious?"
"Wh-what."
"…Nothing. Just keep being serious."
"Okay."
Seo-jun chuckled and adjusted his hold on her. Looking up at the night sky, he saw the moon hanging like a thin crescent blade.
Focusing intensely on the Qi within his body, he ever so slightly widened the passage connecting his Essence and Spirit.
Woooooooong—
The Qi overflowing from his body resonated with the Qi of the world. Seo-jun carefully placed his mental intent into that profound resonance.
His intent wavered like a single leaf floating on a powerfully surging river.
Meticulously controlling that flow, Seo-jun poured it into his sword.
Shring—!
The sword unsheathed itself. It was the Sword Control Art.
"Oh…?"
Chun-bong's eyes widened. The Sword Control Art was the absolute symbol of the Transcendent Realm. As she stared at Seo-jun in awe, he offered a small smile.
"I'm not in the Transcendent Realm yet, but I can at least do this much."
It wasn't a perfect Sword Control Art. Compared to the version he wielded when he touched the Qi Spirit Realm, its movements weren't completely free.
However, if it was just for a single strike…
"Watch closely, Chun-bong."
Seo-jun recalled the image of the Sword God. That divine might that had slashed down the very sun of the Central Plains.
While it was impossible to replicate that level of power, showing Chun-bong something cool wasn't difficult.
Krrrrrrrr—!!!
The moment Seo-jun willed it, the internal energy within the blade surged violently. Woong— The Demonic Sword let out a cry of joy. It moved a bit more freely, adding its own will to the Sword Control Art.
"Your brother isn't weak enough to get beaten up out there."
While holding Chun-bong with one arm, Seo-jun extended his free hand toward the sky. The moment his fingers pointed upward, the sword shot forward.
K-boooooom—!!
Tracing a trail of murky light, the sword pierced the very edge of the sky. Then, Seo-jun pulled the sky he had pierced down to the earth.
Rumble—! Massive fragments of the shattered night sky began to rain down.
Amidst the downpour of celestial shards, Seo-jun smiled while holding Chun-bong close.
"How about it? Do you still not trust me?"
"It's not that…"
Chun-bong lowered her head. Seo-jun tucked his hands under her armpits and lifted her high into the air. It was 'Long-Chun-bong' mode.
"If you still can't trust me, I guess there's no other choice."
"…Huh?"
"Then you protect me. By becoming stronger than me. The greatest genius of the century, Geum Chun-bong, can do that much, right?"
"That's…"
Chun-bong suddenly recalled their days in the back alleys. It felt like a similar conversation had happened once before…
Past memories surfaced vividly, one after another.
‘Look at how many idiots there are out here.’
‘Look at all these idiots, and then look back at yourself. Someone like you is actually pretty damn amazing, you know?’
‘They call you a prodigy and a genius. You'll be able to fix your Severed Meridians soon, so try your best to catch up to me then. Who knows? Maybe you'll get so strong that you'll end up supporting me.’
‘Well, I'll probably be at the Super Peak Realm by then, so that won't happen.’
She thought she had felt the same way back then, but looking back on it now, those words were completely ridiculous.
He wasn't a fool, so how could he have blurted out such things in the middle of a crowded street?
That was why she hadn't realized it. She couldn't have possibly imagined it back then… but now, her Severed Meridians were truly, completely healed.
At the time, she hadn't even expected to live this long. No, if it weren't for her brother, she would have died long ago.
It was all thanks to his foolishly consistent devotion.
And now, her brother had surpassed the Super Peak Realm and become a supreme master eyeing the Transcendent Realm. The words he had tossed out like a joke hadn't been just a joke at all.
‘Truly…’
It was utterly ridiculous. To think those delusional-sounding words would actually become reality.
Well, except for one thing—the part about her supporting him.
‘What am I doing, acting so pathetic?’
Chun-bong let out a hollow laugh and looked at Seo-jun. Her eyes met his gaze, which was looking down at her as warmly as always.
—Yes. Just like always, he believed in her… and he was so dear to her that she felt like her very body might melt.
"…That's right."
"Hmm?"
"I am Geum Chun-bong."
Chun-bong puffed out her chest with vigor. The eyes of 'Long-Chun-bong,' still held high in the air by Seo-jun, gleamed with a faint light.
If everything he said but one thing had come true, there was no reason she couldn't achieve that last one as well.
"I'm going to become stronger than you."
"Wow, really?"
"I'm not joking. I'll get stronger than you and make you run errands for tanghulu every single day."
"I can do that for you even now, you know…?"
"Shut up."
As Chun-bong pouted, Seo-jun set her back down on the roof.
"Then you can sleep alone starting tonight, right?"
"…Not that, though."
"What."
Seo-jun chuckled and placed a hand over his chest. He could feel the presence of his inner core, which had become slightly over-condensed after absorbing the True Qi of Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven.
Whish—!
Clack. The sword that had been hovering in the air returned to its sheath on its own. Seo-jun, stepping back from the edge of the Qi Spirit Realm, carefully detached a portion of his inner core.
Flash—!
A golden inner core emerged, phasing right through his chest and emitting a brilliant light.
Seo-jun handed it to Chun-bong.
"Here, it's a piece of your brother."
"…What do you mean?"
"I already have more than enough, so I'm giving this to you. It's not much different from your own internal energy, so it'll be easy to absorb."
"No, that's not what I meant…"
Seo-jun shoved the inner core into the hesitant Chun-bong's arms.
"Eat it right before you use the Life and Death Breakthrough Art later."
Chun-bong fumbled with the object in her arms. She could feel the perfectly round inner core. She stroked it blankly. Now he's even producing his own spirit medicines to give me…
After a moment of thought, Chun-bong snapped her head up.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
Seo-jun tilted his head. Chun-bong bit her lower lip for a moment before continuing.
"I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully."
"I am always listening intently to the great Geum Chun-bong's words."
"I love you."
"Huh?"
"Live with me. I'll treat you well."