Chapter 207: Heavenly Thunder Demon-Extinguishing Art (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207: Heavenly Thunder Demon-Extinguishing Art (3)
Finishing the spirit elixir wasn't particularly difficult.
Namgung Yeong-bo, an expert in the field, had already laid most of the groundwork. All Seo-jun had to do was carve a few formations inside the elixir as requested, and the process was complete.
"Young Master, in the near future, you will surely be hailed as a Medicine Immortal!"
The spirit elixir was completed amidst Namgung Yeong-bo’s now-familiar theatrics. The energy dwelling within it was truly remarkable.
Seo-jun had casually named it the Divine Deer Pill, and apparently, its value was immeasurable in gold.
According to Namgung Yeong-bo, if this were released into the Murim, it would spark countless bloodbaths.
Is it really that big of a deal?
Seo-jun remained indifferent. To him, increasing internal energy was almost meaningless.
However, it was a different story for Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah. It would be a massive help to them.
Even that middle-aged man, Namgung Gyeong, had been gasping for air after using the Heaven-Thunder Explosion just once because he lacked internal energy, hadn't he? As long as one didn't overdo it, there was no downside to having abundant internal energy.
Besides, this wasn't just any ordinary spirit elixir. It was an engagement gift.
Normally, such a thing would be formally presented during the ceremony, but… Seo-jun saw no reason to wait.
It would be far more effective to take it now while they were in the middle of training, so why hold onto it?
If they needed something for the ceremony later, he could just find something else.
"Here, take one each."
Seo-jun handed a wooden box to Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah. Chun-bong hesitated as she received hers.
"I feel a bit guilty receiving another gift like this…"
She seemed apologetic about receiving so much, but Seo-jun now had an unblockable counter-argument.
"What's mine is yours, and what's yours is yours now."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"A married couple is one body. You eating it is the same as me eating it."
"Wh-what…?"
Her mouth hanging open, Chun-bong reflexively hugged the wooden box to her chest. Simple-minded Geum Chun-bong—it seemed she had been completely swept away by his sweet talk.
As Seo-jun wore a sly grin, Namgung Su-ah let out a giggle from the sidelines.
"I hope I can get stronger quickly after taking this so I can be of some help."
Namgung Su-ah had also learned the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Extinguishing Art. Since about half of its techniques consumed an extreme amount of internal energy, the spirit elixir would be a massive boon.
"Oh, and there's one more thing for you to learn, Noona."
"Hmm?"
"I picked up a demonic art when I went to the Demonic Cult. I mixed a few things together, and something interesting came out."
Namgung Su-ah had already mastered the Emperor Sword Form. Since learning too many martial arts wasn't necessarily a good thing, Seo-jun had crafted a custom martial art tailored specifically for her, based on his own enlightenment.
This was only possible because he had become intimately familiar with the way her body functioned.
Unfortunately, he couldn't make it perfectly compatible with her constitution like the Chun-bong Divine Art, but it would still boast formidable power.
"I call it the Su-ah Divine Art Prototype."
It was a massive framework that synthesized the Purple Lightning Demonic Art—imported directly from the Demonic Cult—with the various martial arts she had learned so far.
There was a reason why the martial art he created this time was named the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Extinguishing Art. With just a slight shift in its flow, the technique could easily become a demonic art.
I didn't make it that way for nothing.
In truth, the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Extinguishing Art was closer to a byproduct of the Su-ah Divine Art.
The foundation of the Su-ah Divine Art was the Emperor Sword Form.
Because of that, the Heavenly Demon Ruling Step—which was inspired by the Emperor Sword Form—was mixed in. And since he was adding the Ruling Step, he threw in a bit of the principles of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Once that was in, he figured it wouldn't hurt if it leaned a bit toward the demonic path, so he added a spoonful of Heaven-Defying logic…
After such a convoluted process, the completed Su-ah Divine Art became a rather fierce martial art that stood at the pinnacle of the Way of the Hegemon.
Still, she should be able to learn it without much trouble. If she struggled, he could just help her out on the spot.
"Here."
Seo-jun grinned as he handed the manual for the Su-ah Divine Art to Namgung Su-ah.
"Read through it once, then take the spirit elixir while keeping its circulation method in mind."
Soon, both of them would be able to wield Astral Qi to some extent.
"Once you've finished refining the elixir's energy, let's go on a honeymoon. Just the three of us."
Technically, it would be an engagement trip rather than a honeymoon, but the label didn't matter.
It had been a while since the trio had set out into the Murim together.
Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah seemed just as excited as Seo-jun, nodding with bright expressions.
"Okay!"
*
"Hahaha…! Things have gone much better than expected!"
Jegal Tong, the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance, couldn't hide the smile blooming across his face.
"Bwahaha! Truly…! Whoa—!"
He laughed so hard he actually tipped his chair over and fell backward. Yet, Jegal Tong kept laughing. He was simply in too good of a mood. He felt like he could die laughing right now and it would still be a happy end.
"Haha! Such a grand victory! Now that we've completely pushed the Black Lotus Union's forces out of Gansu, the Giryeon Sect will be isolated in no time!"
"I heard the news as well. Word is that fellow Namgung Gyeong did a hell of a job?"
At Peng Chu-san's words, Jegal Tong nodded.
"That is correct. The technique that opened the battle was… Heaven-Thunder Explosion, was it? It's a newly created martial art from the Namgung Clan, and its power is said to be terrifying."
"Hyeon-geuk isn't the type to make a fuss over nothing. I'd like to see it for myself."
"Oh, have you heard about the 'Jin Gi-jae-cheon' who supposedly created that martial art?"
Jin Gi-jae-cheon! Was that not the rising expert who defeated General Cheonyang Ju Cheol-yak of the Imperial Capital back in Henan?
"That kid created that martial art? I heard he's still young."
"Ho, you're behind on the news. Apparently, he's already created quite a few martial arts. The Namgung Clan has even classified them as Divine Arts."
"Divine Arts? Bah, don't talk nonsense."
Peng Chu-san chuckled and stroked his long beard.
"It seems the Namgung Clan is trying to give the lad a massive push. Well, I suppose it's best to raise his profile while he's young, considering he's already reached the Super Peak Realm."
"But hasn't he already shown results? The Heaven-Thunder Explosion didn't just fall from the sky."
"Hmm… Didn't Namgung Jin-cheon just hand it over to him?"
"Would he really go that far?"
Peng Chu-san's eyebrows twitched at Jegal Tong's remark. Come to think of it, he was right. Would that Namgung Jin-cheon really do such a thing?
"Even so, it's impossible to create such martial arts at that young age… And he's not even of the Namgung bloodline, is he?"
"Correct. It seems they intend to bring him in as a son-in-law."
"I can't figure it out. Are they building up his reputation to justify the marriage?"
That would make sense.
Creating multiple Divine Arts? That was a feat difficult even for old monsters who had lived for over a hundred years. It defied all common sense.
"Well… it's not a good look to meddle in another clan's affairs."
"Indeed. From our perspective, whatever the truth may be, isn't it something to be grateful for? In the end, it's an undeniable fact that the Heaven-Thunder Explosion played a major role."
"That's true as well."
Peng Chu-san let out a boisterous laugh.
"I'll have to teach him a few moves when I see him later. Regardless of the truth, it's always a good thing to have more young experts around."
"Just don't be too rough. Sometimes I think you forget why a 'sparring lesson' has the word 'lesson' in it."
"Bah! That brat back then was just too weak! It's not like I meant for it to happen. His arm snapped from a mere tap! What was I supposed to do?"
"I'm just saying, take it easy next time."
"I get it, you brat! I'll take it easy!"
Peng Chu-san, the Super Peak expert of the Peng Clan, clicked his tongue.
*
Lee Seo-jun, the Great Devil of the Fire Demon Realm, scratched his ear.
"Is someone talking about me?"
As he shook his ear out, Chun-bong gave a snide grin.
"Of course someone's talking about you. Everyone in the Namgung Clan is talking about nothing but you."
Apparently, the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Extinguishing Art he had created had played a huge role in the war.
Unlike the previous Azure Lightning Heart Method or the Thirteen Lightning Sword Forms, this technique had only been released to the high-level experts. As a result, rumors about the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Extinguishing Art were rampant, making it sound like some peerless, legendary Divine Art.
"Hundreds burned to death by lightning from a single sword strike? That's just nonsense."
It might be different if Seo-jun had performed it himself. Since he wielded such wide-range martial arts, dozens or hundreds really could die with a single wave of his hand.
But this wasn't Lee Seo-jun; it was someone else who had just learned the martial art. How could they suddenly display such devastating power?
Even for a Super Peak expert, there were limits to what was possible.
Maybe they swung their sword ten times and killed a few hundred?
"It's probably true, though."
"What…?"
"I designed the martial art to do exactly that. If it couldn't, then I would have made it wrong."
"Hundreds with one strike?"
"Yep."
Did this guy just hand a demonic art to the Namgung Clan? While Chun-bong was harboring highly reasonable suspicions, Namgung Su-ah walked out carrying a small bundle.
"Sorry I'm late."
"You're not late. We just got out ourselves."
Namgung Su-ah giggled and lightly poked Seo-jun in the ribs.
"Are you going to keep acting like that and make me jealous?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"If you keep this up, I'm moving into your room starting tonight."
"What."
Seo-jun's eyes darted around as he quickly changed the subject.
"…Oh my, look at the time."
At any rate, the Murim trio was finally setting off.
Their destination was Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province.
Since those crazy Black Lotus Union bastards were said to have invaded by sea, the plan was to sweep them all away and then immediately enjoy a seaside vacation.
But seriously, why did they crawl all the way to Hangzhou?
Hangzhou was in the southeast of the Central Plains. From the Black Lotus Union's perspective, it was a completely useless piece of land.
Did they have some hidden scheme?
Seo-jun pondered for a moment before quickly giving up.
Well, the tacticians could handle the thinking. A martial artist just needed to be good at killing and breaking things.
"Let's go."
They were finally off.
*
"Are you saying that 'Jin Gi-jae-cheon' is coming to support us?"
"That's what I heard."
"That's a relief."
"I don't know… I heard he's just a rising star. I'm not sure how reliable he'll be."
"Didn't they say he defeated a Great General of the Imperial Court? Of course he'll be a huge help."
"Yeah, that Ju Cheol-yak fellow. But seeing how easily he was assassinated, I wonder if his reputation was just hot air. Or maybe there was something wrong with his body."
The man clicked his tongue.
"And these guys who make a name for themselves overnight always tend to cause trouble. I just hope he doesn't cause any major accidents."
"Oh, come on. He's a Super Peak expert, isn't he?"
"Do you think all Super Peak experts are the same? Anyway, I just hope he isn't some arrogant brat with a head full of hot air."