106
Chapter 106
The energy of the divine pill filled every meridian in his entire body.
The energy was so overwhelming that even the internal energy he had accumulated through the Purple Sunset Heart Method couldn’t easily escape his dantian.
Mu Hwi persistently pulled up his internal energy. Inch by inch, he forced his way through the gaps, slowly spreading the Purple Sunset Energy.
Like a trickling stream flowing through cracks in a rock, the flow of Purple Sunset Energy was faint, yet unmistakably connected to his entire meridian system without breaking.
For now, Mu Hwi did not resist the energy of the pill. Instead, he went along with its flow. The Purple Sunset Energy, riding the current of the pill, gradually gained strength and began to reclaim dominance.
In the process, bright red blood poured from his nose and mouth, but Mu Hwi did not stop.
"The Purple Sunset Heart Method alone isn’t enough."
Though the Purple Sunset Heart Method was one of the most renowned heart methods in the martial arts world, the real issue was the excessive consumption of the Gonghundan Heavenly Sunset Tablet, a treasure comparable to the rarest of divine pills.
Had it been any other martial artist besides Mu Hwi, their meridians would have already burst, killing them instantly.
Without hesitation, Mu Hwi began recalling the nine principles of the Heavenly Containment Heart Method alongside the Purple Sunset Heart Method.
A purple mist-like energy spread throughout his body, layering the Purple Sunset Energy flow with the Heavenly Containment energy, but it was still not enough to control the pill’s power.
If the energy of Purple Sunset Energy and Heavenly Containment energy was like a roaring river, the pill’s energy was a stormy ocean, raging with violent waves.
Every time the pill’s energy surged, scorching heat and freezing cold alternated, as if he were cycling between the hell of ice and the hell of flames.
‘Perfect. This is even better.’
Mu Hwi felt his consciousness gradually fading, as if slowly sinking into a dream.
The connections he had recalled before circulating his energy were instantly swept away by the dream, replaced entirely by unbearable heat and cold.
Amidst the coexistence of searing heat and icy chill, Mu Hwi felt nothing but himself.
Just as he was about to fall back into the dream of solitude, he suddenly realized—he knew another heart method besides Purple Sunset Energy and Purple Sunset Heart Method.
‘The Dokgo Mind Technique.’
The Dokgo Mind Technique, born from the Three Calamities Heart Method and woven together with countless unorthodox heart methods, endlessly refined and improved, was the sole heart method of the Sword Devil from his past life—the one that had defined his beginning and end.
Now, the Dokgo Mind Technique, which had once sustained the Sword Devil, began to awaken again, this time to shatter Mu Hwi’s solitude. A new current joined Purple Sunset Energy and Heavenly Containment energy, forming a Threefold Supreme Ultimate as the Dokgo Mind Technique merged in.
To fully immerse himself in the heart methods flooding his mind, Mu Hwi plunged into the dream.
“Hmph!”
When Mu Hwi opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the cave but standing alone in a desolate wasteland.
The wasteland was barren—no rocks, no weeds, nothing. The sky above alternated between deep blue and crimson, painting itself over and over again.
It was a bleak yet mystifying sight.
“Familiar.”
Perhaps the shifting colors of the sky represented the Yang and Yin energies flowing through his body. With each change, flames erupted or ice spread across the plain.
He didn’t know whether this was merely a dream or a state of No-Self Enlightenment.
One thing was certain—this space was his mindscape.
Watching the ever-changing sky, Mu Hwi continued walking alone.
Even though he knew the wasteland had no end.
With his hands clasped behind his back, strolling as if on a casual walk, Mu Hwi recalled the Dokgo Mind Technique.
Though born from the formation of countless unorthodox heart methods, the Dokgo Mind Technique was closer in nature to orthodox methods.
It lacked the profound depth of orthodox heart methods but possessed its own unique profundity and fluidity. Unlike unorthodox methods, which prioritized rapid achievement, it twisted distorted principles into new ones, smashing through barriers with ease.
An unorthodox martial art with orthodox characteristics—this was possible because the Sword Devil’s philosophy rejected the distinction between orthodox and unorthodox.
In martial arts itself, the division between orthodox and unorthodox was meaningless. Countless streams of water ultimately returned to the vast ocean that was martial arts.
Return and unification into one.
This was the core tenet of the Dokgo Mind Technique.
It was also a condensed expression of the Sword Devil’s martial path, having woven countless martial arts into one to reach unparalleled heights.
Mu Hwi suddenly recalled the enlightenment he had gained while fighting Frost Sound Demon King.
—Heavenly Containment and Six Harmonies are ultimately part of the Dao that forms the world, all phenomena, and the myriad things. There is no need to forcibly separate them.
Remembering this past realization, Mu Hwi muttered,
"All scenes and the myriad things unfold upon Hwasan."
All scenes and the myriad things unfold upon Hwasan.
Countless plum blossoms and their fragrances reach their zenith at the sunset’s edge.
Upon Hwasan’s sword-like peaks, the purple sunset flows and brims.
The purple sunset is the Six Harmonies, and the Six Harmonies are the world.
Reciting the verses left behind by the Six Harmonies Sword God, Mu Hwi did not think they were unrelated to the enlightenment he had gained so far.
“These phrases themselves can become a verse.”
Mu Hwi raised his head, gazing at the endlessly shifting sky, lost in thought.
And so, he continued walking, pondering.
He didn’t know how much time had passed. After thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of steps, Mu Hwi finally stopped.
The philosophy of the Dokgo Mind Technique.
The enlightenment of Heavenly Containment and Purple Sunset.
A synthesized verse began to spill from his lips.
Within the Six Harmonies lies the Heavenly Containment.
Within the Heavenly Containment lies the Six Harmonies.
The Heavenly Containment and the Six Harmonies return to the Purple Sunset.
The Purple Sunset becomes one.
Within the Purple Sunset lies the entire world.
Mu Hwi’s verses followed those left behind by the Six Harmonies Sword God, merging into one. Together, they became the core verse and philosophy of a new heart method.
"The bonds I’ve formed—from Hyeon Jo to now—are my world. Embracing the Purple Sunset, embracing the world, thus shall I cast off solitude through the Purple Sunset."
The moment Mu Hwi wove the verses together and solidified the new heart method’s philosophy, his mindscape began to tremble.
Three heart methods surfaced simultaneously in his mind,
Dokgo Mind Technique.
Purple Sunset Heart Method.
Heavenly Containment Heart Method.
The energy circulation paths of the three heart methods rose like constellations, filling the mindscape’s sky, while their verses sprouted like grass and trees, enriching the barren plain.
A myriad new phenomena began to ripple across Mu Hwi’s desolate mind. The phenomena surged endlessly, manifesting countless visions.
The three heart methods disassembled, repeatedly intertwining and separating under Mu Hwi’s will. How much time passed like this?
After countless combinations and transformations, the three heart methods—once separate—finally merged into one, centered around the verses of the Six Harmonies Sword God and Mu Hwi.
Forests, grasslands, canyons, and seas. Mountains and rivers.
The myriad phenomena, which had displayed countless forms, now took a single shape and ceased changing.
A towering sword peak, so high it seemed to pierce the heavens. The clustered, rounded peaks resembled a single flower from afar.
Like fragrance wafting from a blossom, mist and clouds lingered at the peak’s summit.
The mountain’s appearance was all too familiar.
It was Hwasan.
Gazing at the new Hwasan filling his mind, Mu Hwi raised his head. Even the sky, which had been alternating between blue and red, underwent a change.
Blue surged from the north and south, while red poured from the west and east. The two colors met at the zenith, merging into one and dyeing the heavens.
A radiant violet.
As the sky turned violet, Purple Sunset soon spread across the firmament.
The purple twilight spreading in all directions erased the boundaries between heaven and earth, becoming a true myriad phenomena.
Hwasan, bathed in the Purple Sunset.
The moment the three heart methods became one and his mind fully took shape, Mu Hwi emerged from No-Self Enlightenment.
When Mu Hwi awoke, his insides were a mess. Only a thin stream of Purple Sunset Energy flowed like a lifeline through his meridians, barely keeping him alive.
"Now it’s enough."
His intuition told him so.
Mu Hwi began reciting the new verses, circulating his internal energy along the new pathways.
The Purple Sunset Energy, both familiar and different, spread through his meridians. It raced through Mu Hwi’s body, where heat and cold coexisted.
His newly transformed internal energy was miraculous.
Against the pill’s energy, which he had barely endured, he now gradually gained the upper hand.
Soon, the pill’s energy was guided by the Purple Sunset Energy. As it was absorbed, the Purple Sunset Energy grew stronger.
Circulating through his meridians and gathering in his dantian, the Purple Sunset Energy stored its power before surging through his meridians once more.
"This is the way."
Steeling his mind, Mu Hwi guided the Purple Sunset Energy.
Rushing fiercely through Hawon, Sangwon, Geogwol, and Jungjeong, the Purple Sunset Energy gained even more momentum before piercing through Okdang, Seongi, Cheondol, and Yeomcheon like a soaring dragon, finally reaching Baekhoe.
Kwaaaang!
As blocked meridians were forcibly opened, a deafening roar—like the sky collapsing and the earth splitting—echoed in his mind. But Mu Hwi did not stop.
Having broken through the conception vessel in one go, the Purple Sunset Energy coiled briefly at Baekhoe before piercing through Noeho, Amun, Daechu, Sindo, Jungchu, and Myeongmun, circulating through his body.
After breaking through the conception vessel, Mu Hwi’s internal energy pierced the governing vessel before gathering in his dantian once more, then spreading to the remaining unopened meridians.
Simultaneously, natural energy began flowing in through the opened Baekhoe point. His body had begun communicating directly with nature.
With the natural energy and the full absorption of the pill’s power through the new heart method, the quality and quantity of his internal energy advanced further.
As his internal energy’s level rose, the balance between mind-energy-body was finally achieved. The wall blocking his enlightenment crumbled, and his vessel struggled to contain the sudden elevation.
Crack!
Mu Hwi’s muscles and bones writhed, repeatedly breaking and tearing. The same happened to his meridians, which were already damaged and healing.
Yet, through this, his muscles, bones, and meridians were transforming into a physique befitting his martial arts and realm.
As bone reformation took place, Mu Hwi shattered the enormous wall before him.
Just as he had pierced the conception and governing vessels, he now crossed the boundary between Transcendent Peak and Transcendent Realm in one leap.
If Transcendent Peak filled one’s vessel to the brim, Transcendent Realm shattered that vessel, transcending limits.
As proof, Mu Hwi began directly absorbing natural energy. Transcendent Realm was the transcendence of human limits, the first step toward ascension.
Hence, it was called the Transcendent Realm.
And now, Mu Hwi was reaching for that realm.
From Baekhoe, where he communicated with natural energy, five distinct streams of energy burst forth in succession.
Blue, red, black, white, yellow.
The five-colored energies swirled around Mu Hwi before forming rings.
A blue ring, followed by a red one, then a black one—until five rings floated above his head.
Five energies pay homage to the origin.
As this phenomenon manifested, Mu Hwi’s body, seated in the lotus position, began to levitate.
The surrounding natural energy surged toward the five rings, converging at their centers until they merged into a single ring, radiating violet light.
Uuung!
The violet ring hovered for a long while, emitting a purple glow before gradually dispersing like dust, merging into Mu Hwi’s body.
When his seated form finally descended back to the ground, Mu Hwi opened his eyes.
A purple light erupted from his eyes, and a vivid violet ring shimmered around his pupils.
His entire body was shrouded in a faint purple mist, different from what the Heavenly Containment Heart Method once produced.
The long purple twilight extending from his shoulders down his back resembled a robe woven from violet silk.
Against the broad expanse of Mu Hwi’s back as he circulated his heart method, the purple sunset spread like a canvas.
“Haah.”
Mu Hwi marveled at the majesty of his internal energy, surging through his meridians like a dragon from his dantian.
Purple Sunset, Heavenly Containment, Dokgo—the three energies had merged into one, becoming something entirely new, far surpassing the Purple Sunset Energy of the past.
It could rightfully be called Purple Sunset Divine Energy.
“It is worthy of being called a divine technique.”
He was certain it would not fall short of the Sun and Moon Divine Technique of the Sword Immortal he had met at Mount Wudang.
“Purple Sunset Divine Technique.”
Mu Hwi named this new heart method the Purple Sunset Divine Technique.
A new divine art to uphold Hwasan had blossomed.
***
Shaanxi, the Baekri Family.
A tranquil ripple of energy spread from the secluded retreat of the Baili Family, causing the petals of the garden flowers to tremble.
The letter in the old man’s hand suddenly caught fire, turning to ash in an instant. Burning the letter true fire of samadhi, the old man finally opened his tightly sealed lips.
“Sword Saint...”
That single word carried the weight of the old man’s lingering regrets. Though his voice faded emptily, the emotions within it lingered in the air.
After barely uttering that word, the old man stood as still as a statue before suddenly raising his hand.
At his gesture, the doors of the hall swung open, allowing sunlight to pour in.
As the old man stepped outside, following the sunlight, a middle-aged man was already waiting.
The middle-aged man bowed naturally, and the old man spoke.
“We are going to Shaanxi.”
“Understood, Supreme Family Head.”
The Sword King of Baekri, ending his long seclusion, turned his gaze back to the martial arts world.
< Through the Purple Sunset, I shall cast off solitude. > End.
< What kind of nonsense is that? >
