Chapter 79: The Way (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: The Way (5)
The Changroe Sect Leader felt like he was losing his mind. To put it bluntly, he was sweating bullets.
The young master of the Namgung Clan was absurdly strong. Hundreds of demonic beasts had already met their end at his hands.
But how long could he keep up this momentum?
The Changroe Sect Leader gritted his teeth.
If the young master died here, he had absolutely no confidence his sect could withstand the ensuing wrath of the Namgung Clan.
"Everyone! Maintain the formation and provide support! Wipe them all out!"
"Yes, sir!"
The disciples' morale, however, was higher than ever. They were witnessing the full might of a Super Peak master right before their very eyes.
It was the exact pinnacle of martial arts they had always dreamed of, and a strange yearning flickered in their gazes.
Meanwhile, Seo-jun was dancing through the hazy mist.
Pushing reason aside, he let instinct twist and guide his body.
Swish—!
A beast’s claw narrowly grazed the tip of his nose.
He moved with a peculiar sensation, as if observing his own body from a third-party perspective.
Shring—
Drawing his sword, he unleashed the Wang Family Blade Technique.
Golden Sword Astral Qi lashed out, carving the demonic beasts into pieces.
The plum blossoms that had been fluttering around him scattered into the wind. The moment a sudden realization struck him, he threw his sword.
Thuck—!
The blade embedded itself deep into a beast’s skull. Without missing a beat, Seo-jun reached out and seized the heads of two other monsters.
Rumble—!
The energy he drew in through the Star-Absorbing Great Art surged violently in his palms.
Why do I only have two arms? Can’t I have more?
Following that fleeting thought, four additional arms sprouted from his back. They were limbs forged entirely of pitch-black Demonic Qi.
Each spectral arm grabbed a beast and began draining its life force.
He kept the Primordial True Qi concentrated in his physical arms while absorbing the rest of the raw energy directly into his body.
His chest swelled with emotion. A soaring sense of levitation washed over him. Exhaling a breath of pure ecstasy, he moved all six arms in unison.
His original arms yanked his sword free from the beast’s head, while the arms made of Demonic Qi pressed their palms together.
Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art. The Reverse Taiji distorted, sucking in the surrounding space.
Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art. The Taiji warped, swelling as if it were about to burst at any second.
His Qi Sensing grasped everything on the battlefield.
Allies rushing in. Beasts resisting. Beasts lunging at him, ignoring everything else. Beasts looking for an opening. Monsters. Endless monsters.
How annoying.
Clicking his tongue at the proximity of his allies, he hurled the Taiji far into the distance.
BOOOOOOM────────!!!
A massive explosion erupted. Immediately after, he thrust out the arms that had been holding the Reverse Taiji.
Swoosh──────────
The energy shot out in a straight beam, erasing everything in its path.
He dispersed the Demonic Qi that formed his extra arms, channeled it into his sword, and leaped high into the air.
Spinning in mid-air, he surveyed the ground and swiftly swung his blade nine times.
Yellow Dragon Emerges.
Nine yellow dragons plummeted toward the earth.
Dust clouds billowed as the beasts were blown apart, and the cheers of humanity echoed across the battlefield.
Seo-jun let the sounds wash over him as he spread his right hand wide.
He had barely used any of his own internal energy. Instead, he drew the energy from his overflowing Dantian and concentrated it into his right palm.
He had no hesitation in using Demonic Qi. Even if someone here tried to spread rumors, they wouldn't be able to find a single drop of Demonic Qi in his body later.
In fact, he could just kill the whistleblower for making false accusations.
But why should such a thing even be an issue in the first place?
Could someone's good or evil be judged solely by the energy they used?
What even was good, and what was evil?
Was a mother who stole food for her starving child evil? Was a soldier who slaughtered dozens of enemies for his country a villain? Was a person who exploited others within the boundaries of the law good?
These were merely concepts created by humans. Heaven had no interest in human morality. It cared even less for hollow distinctions where the criteria changed depending on the individual.
If that was the case, there was no way mere energy could possess good or evil.
He lifted his head and looked forward.
In his mind's eye, he saw a single path, winding and intricately tangled.
It was the Way. The Dao.
Martial artists divided this Way into three main categories: the Righteous Path, the Heterodox Path, and the Demonic Path.
Whether they called it the White Path or the Black Path, they were ultimately just different names for Righteous and Heterodox.
But in Seo-jun’s eyes, there weren't three paths—only one solitary road.
It could not be defined as Righteous, Heterodox, or Demonic.
Who are they to judge and define me? Only I can do that.
So what if the whole world points their fingers? I will simply walk my own path.
Even if I am bent or broken by external pressure, as long as I do not forget my own path, that is enough.
For that is the Way.
Step. He took a single stride forward.
It was a step within his mental imagery, a leap in his very existence, and the silent cheer of a pioneer who had finally found his road.
A bright smile played on Seo-jun’s lips.
"Do you know the Way?"
Pitch-black Demonic Qi gathered in his right hand. Still suspended in the air, he thrust his palm downward. It was the Black Water Great Demonic Palm.
THOOOOOM──────!!
A massive palm print was brutally engraved into the earth. Demonic energy leaked from the crushed carcasses of the beasts.
Seo-jun dropped into the center of the crater and absorbed all the lingering energy.
"Namu Amitabha."
He lifted his right foot high and stomped down.
Firmament Pressure Step.
Dozens of beasts were crushed to death by the overwhelming pressure.
I can’t use this one yet.
The Qi efficiency was garbage. He discarded the technique immediately and charged forward with his sword.
Swinging his blade however he pleased, the beasts were effortlessly sliced into pieces.
"Yahoo!"
He danced among the severed remains. His sword moved without obstruction, drawing brilliant arcs in the air. The energy responding to his movements rose up of its own accord, blooming into beautifully scattered plum blossoms.
At the same time, he gathered Yang energy in his toes and spread it outward.
Fwoosh────────!!
The Yang energy spread like a wildfire, incinerating the beasts in its path.
However, stronger monsters were starting to gather. They pushed through the flames and lunged directly at Seo-jun.
Yin-Yang Reversal.
Crack-crack-crack────────!!
The lunging beasts froze solid where they stood. Yet, even so, a few managed to shatter the ice and bare their fangs.
Seo-jun grinned.
"Too bad."
His Insight expanded like an explosion. Firmly grasping the internal energy spread around him, he converted it rapidly.
Ten-Fold Yin-Yang Reversal.
Yin and Yang flipped over ten times. It looked as if red and blue lights were flickering in a single instant.
The beasts, caught in an inescapable cycle of freezing and burning, were reduced to ash. Seo-jun chuckled.
His stress was completely gone.
*
Hwan Bae-ho, who had been fighting alongside martial artists from various sects, watched blankly as Seo-jun went on his rampage.
Plum blossoms bloomed, massive palms fell from the sky, and just when he thought he saw a flash of light, extra arms sprouted from the man's back to crush the monsters.
No matter how much of a Super Peak master he is...
Was that even possible? It was as if his internal energy was infinite.
Furthermore, the way he rapidly switched between different properties of energy made it seem like a dozen martial artists were performing a joint attack formation, rather than just one person fighting alone.
He even thought he had felt Demonic Qi for a moment...
"Gah!"
What a blasphemous thought! Shaking his head, Hwan Bae-ho swung his sword at the beast in front of him.
Slash—!
It was impossible. Could he not feel that pure internal energy? It was a power that could never coexist with Demonic Qi.
"Whew..."
How many beasts had he cut down? There were no more monsters rushing at him.
The demonic beasts were looking only at Seo-jun, throwing their lives away just to get to him.
It was strange. Even monsters usually fled if they felt they had no chance of winning.
Exhaling a long sigh, Hwan Bae-ho stared at Seo-jun in a daze once again.
A Green Ogre seemed to have awakened some supernatural power, suddenly swelling into a giant about seven jang tall. Seo-jun grabbed the giant’s arms with his own, and using the four extra arms on his back, he created two spheres of turbid energy and shoved them directly into the giant’s mouth.
BOOOOOOM────────!!!
With a massive explosion, the giant was blown to pieces.
Hwan Bae-ho suddenly looked around.
Every single martial artist in the vicinity was staring at Seo-jun, utterly mesmerized.
Thump, thump. Their hearts raced. That was a Super Peak martial artist. The young master of the Namgung Clan.
His skill in manipulating internal energy seemed to reach the heavens; his Qi techniques had transcended the human realm, and even thousands of demonic beasts could not stand against him.
"Jin Gi-jae-cheon..."
At the words Hwan Bae-ho unconsciously muttered, the surrounding martial artists let out a roaring cheer.
"Jin Gi-jae-cheon...!"
"Whoooo...!!"
"As expected of the Namgung Clan...!"
Looking over, the Changroe Sect Leader was practically jumping for joy, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Jin Gi-jae-cheon! Jin Gi-jae-cheon!"
Quickly snapping back to his senses amidst the chaos, Hwan Bae-ho shook his head.
And then, a flash of light streaked across the sky, and a man appeared, riding atop a flying sword.
"Eek...! A-Azure Heaven Sword Venerable...!"
Hwan Bae-ho’s eyes widened at the Changroe Sect Leader’s near-breathless shriek.
"Family Head?!"
Namgung Jin-cheon had arrived.
*
After rampaging to my heart's content, I realized all the surrounding beasts were dead.
Using the four arms on my back to prop myself up against the ground, I sat cross-legged in mid-air and quietly looked at the three flowers blooming behind my head.
"Hey friend, you’ve grown a lot of eyeballs, haven't you?"
Countless eyeballs on the petals blinked back at me.
— Kyung?
The stems, wriggling like tentacles, squirmed cutely as if trying to act charming.
"Aren't you precious."
I let out a short laugh. Then, my expression quickly stiffened.
A massive energy brushed against the edge of my Qi Sensing. By the time I realized it, he was already right in front of me.
"Oh, uh... Father-in-law...?"
I quickly dispersed the arms made of Demonic Qi and converted all my energy back into Primordial Unity Qi, but I knew it was already too late.
My own Way. It sounded nice in theory.
But I should have discarded the idea that I could hide it in front of a Transcendent Realm master.
What should I do? This won't cause trouble for Chun-bong, will it?
When I remained silent, Namgung Jin-cheon simply tilted his head.
"Why are you acting like that...?"
"Pardon?"
Huh? Did he really not see it?
"Is it because of the Demonic Qi...?"
Never mind.
I rolled my eyes. It looked like I was well and truly screwed.
There’s a saying that when a person dies, Chun-bong’s cheeks will be there to welcome them in the afterlife. I really liked that story.
Wait, no. Chun-bong shouldn't be there.
I take it back. My Chun-bong is going to live a long, long time.
"There is no need to be so tense... A person can use a little Demonic Qi..."
"Huh?"
Blinking, I finally understood his meaning, and my eyes went wide.
"That’s my father-in-law for you!"
"Of course, it would be troublesome if you showed it off carelessly elsewhere..."
"Oh, I’d never do that."
"Then it is fine..."
Namgung Jin-cheon turned his head away with incredible coolness and stared blankly at the piles of beast corpses scattered around.
"I came because I received word and was worried... but as expected, there was no problem..."
"Ah, did you come all this way just for me?"
"Shouldn't I look out for my son-in-law if something happens...?"
Light is radiating from my father-in-law’s face...!
Father-in-law stepped off my mother-in-law and held her up high. I’m talking about his sword, by the way.
"First... I shall clear away the corpses..."
"Ah, if there are any inner cores, could you save them for me?"
"I will do so..."
Namgung Jin-cheon swung his sword downward. The earth was suddenly dyed in the colors of the sky.
Shudder! By the time I looked around in shock, the beast corpses had been cleanly erased from existence.
To put it another way, Namgung Jin-cheon had the power to settle an entire monster wave in a single blow.
"Oh..."
So this is the Transcendent Realm.
I blankly accepted the inner cores Namgung Jin-cheon handed over.
"Oh, thank you."
"It was nothing..."
After watching the Changroe Sect Leader faint while cheering, I turned and asked Namgung Jin-cheon.
"Um, since you’re already here, could you give me a lift?"
Namgung Jin-cheon looked troubled.
"Even if you are my son-in-law, it would be a bit difficult to let you ride on my wife..."
"Ah."
True, that would be a major problem.
"What if I just hang onto your hand?"
"That would be no problem..."
"Yahoo!"
I’d be home in no time.
As soon as I got back, I was going on a date with Chun-bong.