Chapter 372
Chapter 372
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 372
Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm
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That day, Yi Cheongun, the patriarch of the Thunder God Style and one of the Dharma Protectors, found himself in an unwelcome dilemma despite himself. The issue at hand was deciding his own path now that he had learned the harsh reality facing the Water God Style.
Yi Cheongun closed his eyes in his room and pondered.
'I must stop the Cult Leader.'
The Cult Leader was no embodiment of utter evil. It was simply that the methods he chose could become endlessly vile—and that was precisely why Yi Cheongun felt the need to rein in the man's actions.
Moreover, the Heavenly Spirit Elixir!
This infinite internal energy known as the Heavenly Spirit Elixir had not originally existed in the White Lotus Cult. Yet at some point, under the Cult Leader's direction, it had been bestowed upon the patriarchs of the Four Great Styles, and Yi Cheongun himself had benefited from it as well. But rather than joy, possessing this infinite internal energy left him only with unease.
This Heavenly Spirit Elixir is the power of a god.
It is not the martial prowess of man.
If so—was it not an unstable power that could vanish at any moment by the god's whim?
Could he truly entrust everything to a god?
And the one with the greatest capacity for communion with the divine was none other than the current Cult Leader of the White Lotus Cult. It was common knowledge among the top echelons of the Four Great Styles that the bizarre scripture the Cult Leader had deciphered had summoned the power of the Heavenly Spirit Elixir. The problem was that no shaman of the Thunder God Style—not a single one—had ever seen or even heard of that scripture.
Thus, if the Cult Leader went berserk, there would be no one to stop him.
But could he strike down the Cult Leader merely on suspicion?
The issue was that, at present, Yi Cheongun was the only one in the White Lotus Cult harboring such doubts and anxieties. Without anyone to back him, voicing these thoughts would amount to nothing more than a laughable rebellion—and it was bound to fail.
"Master."
As Yi Cheongun sank deep into his worries, a voice called to him from outside. He opened his eyes and replied.
"Come in."
The door slid open.
Who entered was his prized disciple, Lee Gwang, the one destined to lead the Thunder God Style in the future. Among his peers of the same generation, Lee Gwang possessed exceptionally outstanding talent and was extraordinarily diligent in his martial training. Though he had not been practicing the Thunder God Style for long, Yi Cheongun already felt he had taught him everything worth teaching. In truth, Lee Gwang had mastered all the basic Thunder God Style techniques flawlessly and could wield the Ascendant Realm arts with ease.
Lee Gwang clasped his hands in a fist salute toward Yi Cheongun and said.
"I defeated Jeong Yunbo in our sparring match today. I came to report it."
"Hahaha!"
Yi Cheongun burst into roaring laughter. He chuckled heartily for a while before speaking.
"You rascal, don't say things like that with such a straight face. And here I thought it was something serious..."
"......"
"No need to worry— you're my only disciple. Yunbo's talent may match yours, but I'll never take him as one. Why? Because you're the one closer to qualifying as patriarch. Haven't I explained this a hundred times?"
"I'm sorry."
"Hahaha."
Yi Cheongun gave a wry smile.
'I'll have to rein him in a bit.'
His disciple Lee Gwang possessed talent that any martial artist in the world would drool over, but he was intensely competitive and obsessive. When he sensed that his fellow disciple Jeong Yunbo posed a threat to his position, he threw himself fully into rivalry. In reality, the gap between the patriarch's disciple and others was vast, but Lee Gwang seemed convinced that Yi Cheongun might take Jeong Yunbo as a disciple too.
Jeong Yunbo was no pushover either, growling at Lee Gwang while diligently training himself. This rivalry was inadvertently honing both their skills, so Yi Cheongun had simply observed—but lately, it felt excessive.
Yi Cheongun continued leisurely.
"What is a patriarch? It means the one who leads the Thunder God Style, qualified to act in the Cult Leader's stead should anything happen to him. Thus, a patriarch must know not only combat techniques but also the sacrificial rites and ceremonial arts."
"......"
"Jeong Yunbo has brilliant fist art talent but none for the Thunder God Style's swordsmanship, so I can't take him as a disciple. You, on the other hand, excel at everything. You've already reached the ascendant realm of Thunder God swordsmanship and can wield the Thunder God Sword Dance forms freely, haven't you?"
"... That's actually what I wanted to ask about."
Lee Gwang cautiously questioned Yi Cheongun.
"Isn't the Thunder God Sword Dance too weak? Is there really a need to keep it as a separate ceremonial art...?"
"Hmm... That question again."
"I'm sorry. But I can't accept it."
"What can't you?"
Lee Gwang carefully yet firmly voiced his opinion.
"The Thunder God Style's swordsmanship lacks too much practicality compared to spear arts. Isn't it a waste for talents to squander their gifts learning arts unfit for the Thunder God Style's pursuit of ultimate combat prowess?"
"I must not have explained it thoroughly enough before."
Yi Cheongun sighed and continued.
"When you master the Thunder God Sword Dance and reach the Heavenly Thunder Realm, you can wield lightning sword qi—and from there, the gap with spear arts narrows greatly. And if the Thunder God Sword Dance surpasses the Intent Severing Realm and reaches even higher extremes..."
It was then.
[ Yi Cheongun, Dharma Protector! The Cult Leader summons you. ]
Whoooosh!
A massive aura surged alongside the Six Harmonies Communication. Sensing the storm of qi from outside, Yi Cheongun glanced that way before swiftly employing the Soul Extinguishing Step to move. Soon, he spotted a figure standing in the garden outside, arms crossed.
Yi Cheongun twitched an eyebrow in surprise.
"Dokgo Jun? The Cult Leader summoned me? What's this about?"
Indeed.
The one who had appeared so suddenly was Dokgo Jun, Dharma Protector of the Water God Style and the Cult Leader's prized disciple. Renowned even among the Dokgo clan for his exceptional talent, he was said to have nearly mastered all Water God Style techniques. Wearing a golden dragon mask, Dokgo Jun sent over Six Harmonies Communication with a hollow gaze.
[ Didn't you once voice concerns to the Cult Leader about the Heavenly Spirit Elixir and the scripture? ]
Yi Cheongun's eyes changed.
"I did."
[ The Cult Leader has decided to explain the details in full to dispel your unease. Follow me. ]
"......"
Yi Cheongun felt an inexplicable anxiety. It was more like an instinct crashing over him. So he probed Dokgo Jun.
"Ever since obtaining the Heavenly Spirit Elixir, you only use telepathy or Six Harmonies Communication. Why avoid speaking aloud? We're close enough for normal speech to carry."
[ ...... ]
"You're wasting energy. Even if the Heavenly Spirit Elixir grants infinite internal energy..."
As Yi Cheongun jabbed, Dokgo Jun retorted.
[ Spare the pointless probing. We're not close enough for such talk, you and I. ]
"Can't fellow Dharma Protectors exchange even that much?"
[ The Cult Leader's command is absolute. Delaying like this is all irreverence. ]
"Hmph... Then I suppose I must."
Yi Cheongun smacked his lips. He itched to flatten the insolent Dokgo Jun, but had no justification. He could crush him ten times over in skill, but doing so would defy the Cult Leader and ignite all-out war with the Water God Style.
Yi Cheongun turned to Lee Gwang and said.
"Disciple."
"Yes."
"Look after the Thunder God Style until I return."
It would be brief.
Though Yi Cheongun spoke half-jokingly, Lee Gwang replied with a serious fist salute.
"Understood!"
Swoosh!!
Yi Cheongun then followed Dokgo Jun, moving at high speed. When they reached the Cult Leader's hall, the Cult Leader was there, just as Dokgo Jun had said.
"Hm...?"
Yi Cheongun scanned the surroundings, sensing something off, when the White Lotus Cult Leader spoke.
[ Yi Cheongun. The elders have all been dismissed. ]
"What's the occasion? Sending away your personal guard yourself."
[ Because I want to answer your questions sincerely. With the elders lurking, wouldn't you doubt my true intentions? ]
"You're a fine one."
Yi Cheongun replied nonchalantly but was inwardly surprised. The Cult Leader always kept elder experts as guards and never dismissed them. Though the Cult Leader's personal might far surpassed theirs, assassins had endless methods if they targeted him, so he was always cautious. This stemmed from the many attempts on his life when he first ascended as Cult Leader.
The White Lotus Cult Leader added.
[ Besides, I no longer need guards. ]
"......"
Hearing this, Yi Cheongun stared piercingly at the White Lotus Cult Leader. Then, realizing something, he let out a groan.
"You've attained the Primordial Eternal Spirit!"
The Cult Leader flinched, apparently startled.
[ Indeed... You're a genius beyond compare. To discern it at a glance. ]
"I'm the one shocked. That's a realm forbidden to mortals..."
Though Yi Cheongun replied, he was reeling inside.
'This madman! He really achieved the Primordial Eternal Spirit?'
Primordial Eternal Spirit!
It was a unique martial system devised by the White Lotus Cult Leader. The Heavenly Spirit Elixir was the path to the Origin Spirit, but merely an intermediate stage, not the Origin Spirit itself. Ultimately, it involved opening the upper, middle, and lower dantian to reach a boundless state of mind, attaining infinite power and transcending humanity—that was the Cult Leader's explanation of the Origin Spirit.
And Yi Cheongun could tell at a glance that the White Lotus Cult Leader had achieved this Origin Spirit, or rather the Primordial Eternal Spirit.
For the Cult Leader appeared ordinary at first glance, yet a terrifying power several times that of the Heavenly Spirit Elixir swirled as a Taiji. With a massive circuit endlessly circulating within, it overwhelmed the Heavenly Spirit Elixir's might. Though both were infinite powers, the Origin Spirit allowed free manipulation of the inner microcosm, manifesting not just Taiji but even the properties of the Five Elements and Four Images at will.
The reason the Cult Leader had refused the elders' guard was now clear. He believed no one on earth could slay him now that he had attained the Primordial Eternal Spirit. As Yi Cheongun felt a twinge of irritation inwardly, the White Lotus Cult Leader spoke.
[ Yi Cheongun. You seem to distrust the power of the Heavenly Spirit Elixir and Origin Spirit. You know it's the ultimate force that will safeguard our cult henceforth. Can you tell me why you doubt it? ]
"That's why you called me here?"
The White Lotus Cult Leader waved a hand.
[ I'd ignore anyone else. But you are the patriarch of the supreme Thunder God Style and a Dharma Protector, so I must hear your reasons. ]
Yi Cheongun fell silent for a moment before replying.
"The Heavenly Spirit Elixir's power feels too much like a god's—it's unsettling."
The Cult Leader countered.
[ What do you mean? ]
"For a thousand years of White Lotus Cult history, the Four Great Styles have quarreled and envied one another, yet united as one to protect the cult. The driving force was our peerless supreme martial arts, rivaling any in the Central Plains. I see it as the 'power of man' we ourselves built."
Yi Cheongun paused briefly before continuing.
"But power bestowed from a god—put another way, it's power that can vanish at the god's whim anytime. How can we trust such a thing?"
[ ...... ]
"And what of its price? You've explained nothing in detail to us."
Yi Cheongun remembered clearly. The day the White Lotus Cult Leader seized that fearsome power, subjugating the Four Great Styles' patriarchs and ascending to supremacy—the eerie, baleful energy swirling around him, a bizarre otherworldliness no pure martial art could express.
[ Hmm... ]
The Cult Leader pondered Yi Cheongun's words deeply before speaking.
[ But you accepted the Heavenly Spirit Elixir's power. If you distrusted it so, why take it? ]
Yi Cheongun sighed.
"What choice did I have? If the other styles ever turned on our Thunder God Style, we'd be done without it. Had I not been the Thunder God Style patriarch, I'd never have accepted it."
[ I see. No wonder you've been uncooperative since that day. ]
"Spare the sentiment. You've heard my reasons—now what?"
As Yi Cheongun spoke curtly, the Cult Leader glanced at Dokgo Jun before slowly replying.
[ Yi Cheongun. Truth be told, your suspicions are correct. ]
"What?"
[ The Heavenly Spirit Elixir is incomplete. ]
"......!!"
Yi Cheongun's face twisted at the Cult Leader's abrupt words.
[ It's no issue against human foes, but against greater transcendent beings, it becomes poison. Sorry to reveal it only now. ]
Yi Cheongun was dumbfounded. What nonsense was this, out of nowhere? But he kept his cool, mind racing. Then he grasped the Cult Leader's intent.
'He plans to win me over here—or kill me!'
So how should he respond? What was the Cult Leader's true aim?
As Yi Cheongun thought, the Cult Leader continued.
[ Even the Primordial Eternal Spirit I'm cultivating now is the same. I've shed one layer of the Heavenly Spirit Elixir's constraints, only to be shackled by an even greater one. If I can't resolve this in the time I have left, we'll all meet ruin. ]
Yi Cheongun twitched an eyebrow.
"I don't follow. Does that mean you forced a fraudulent contract on us Dharma Protectors, myself included?"
[ Fraudulent... Not quite. As I said, the Heavenly Spirit Elixir only falters against transcendent beings. Against humans, it's near-invincible. ]
"But you never mentioned those limits when giving it to us."
[ For that, I apologize. ]
Yi Cheongun glared at the White Lotus Cult Leader with eyes blazing fury.
"Stop toying with me and get to the point. Why did you summon me?"
[ As I said, I invited you today to persuade you honestly. That's why I revealed the Heavenly Spirit Elixir and Primordial Eternal Spirit's weaknesses. Everything I say from now is truth—listen well. ]
"......"
Yi Cheongun was stunned by what followed.
[ The Heavenly Spirit Elixir and Primordial Eternal Spirit are powers obtained by offering our souls to the Unborn Eternal Mother as tribute. ]
"What... what did you say?!"
The White Lotus Cult Leader continued softly. Dokgo Jun, standing rigidly, showed no reaction, as if he had heard it before.
[ Tribute is perhaps the wrong word. She has no interest in humans, but we offer ourselves to the Throne of Chaos she inhabits. Those who gain the Heavenly Spirit Elixir or Primordial Eternal Spirit dissolve into the infinite darkness after death. ]
"Heh..."
Yi Cheongun was speechless.
'So that sensation of melting into the darkness...'
Unborn Eternal Mother!
She was the White Lotus Cult's supreme deity and faith incarnate. Yet to the cultists, whose warrior nature had grown over centuries, she was more a doctrinal symbol than a true god. Thus, hearing of her and tributes now made it hard to accept.
[ And the scripture that birthed the Heavenly Spirit Elixir and Primordial Eternal Spirit is this Demonic Dao Book. ]
Swoosh.
The White Lotus Cult Leader slowly drew a book from his bosom. Its cover bore not Hanja but strange, otherworldly script. It seemed bound in human skin, glistening with an eerie dampness. As Yi Cheongun stared silently at the Demonic Dao Book, the Cult Leader continued.
[ The Demonic Dao Book of the Water God's lineage passed down in our Water God Style. My predecessor began interpreting it in earnest, and I devised effective methods to contract with the divine based on that. ]
Yi Cheongun replied bitterly.
"You're mad. Demonic Dao Books are otherworldly artifacts tied to their magic. You implanted the wicked curses they spawn into us Dharma Protectors?"
[ It depends on how you use it. ]
The Cult Leader shook his head.
[ As I said, the Heavenly Spirit Elixir inflicts no direct harm. But stemming from the Water God's curse, you cannot resist the source of its power—the dark entities. Especially not the Sea God or Baleful Gods. ]
"......"
[ Think of it as a curse borrowing the Sea God's authority to draw upon the even greater 'Father's' power. ]
The Cult Leader was truly insane.
'He sold our souls to the Death Gods...?'
Yi Cheongun's mind swirled with the genuine conviction that he must kill the White Lotus Cult Leader. What had been mere worry before was now a crisis. He couldn't predict what this fiend, who had deceived the Dharma Protectors through dealings with otherworlders, might do next.
As Yi Cheongun fell silent, the White Lotus Cult Leader spoke.
[ In other words, if we avoid clashing with the otherworlders, we can dominate the martial world and claim the Central Plains for ourselves. For that, Yi Cheongun, I need your full cooperation. ]
"What nonsense? What help could I possibly give you?"
[ Just as our Water God Style advanced by interpreting the Demonic Dao Book, I know your Thunder God Style has developed something too. Likely the Thunder God Style's ultimate secret art. ]
"......!!"
Yi Cheongun betrayed no change in expression but was inwardly shocked.
'Ho... how? That bastard knows of the ultimate secret art, Thunder God Soul Fusion...!!'
How could the Cult Leader know that fact?
The greatest secret known only to him and Lee Gwang within the Thunder God Style?
He couldn't help recalling Lee Gwang's face.
'Gwang... no way...'
The Cult Leader's eyes gleamed as he spoke.
[ Teach me the Thunder God Style's ultimate secret art. Do so, and I'll guarantee the Thunder God Style's eternal prosperity and glory—I'll even yield the Cult Leader's throne to you. If you wish, I'll teach you how to attain the Primordial Eternal Spirit too. ]
"......"
[ Make a deal with me, Yi Cheongun. ]
Yi Cheongun clenched his fist tightly. After a long silence, he spoke.
"You're transparent."