The Flight of the Black Dragon
Silence descended.
It happened the moment Jeok-un finished speaking.
Perhaps it was only natural.
Conquering the world.
These words carried the joys, sorrows, desires, and passions of countless souls.
It was no exaggeration to call it the ultimate dream of every martial artist.
Of course, revenge against the Demonic Cult comes first, but...
At the same time, Jeok-un had never once abandoned his dream of unifying the Unorthodox Faction and becoming the strongest under the heavens.
Therefore,
Now, come.
Jeok-un was confident that his ambition would sway O-chu.
Among all the Seven Divine Weapons, O-chu was the one that held the deepest loyalty to their original master.
It was an unbroken, eternal devotion.
Though some of the other weapons have already fallen into the hands of others.
Just as Jeok-un recalled one of the other Seven Divine Weapons,
Ssshh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, a powerful resonance vibrated from O-chu, unleashing a brilliant radiance that far outshone the dim light of dawn.
Seeing this, Jeok-un knew instinctively.
It worked.
O-chu had answered his ambition. He could feel it yielding to him.
"The master's will shall be inherited eternally."
O-chu's voice carried a complex mix of emotions.
It was the moment it finally accepted the death of its long-awaited master.
Accepting this final farewell brought a wave of bitterness to O-chu.
Yet, at the same time, anticipation bloomed.
Though parting with its past master was sorrowful,
as long as that master's will endured and was passed down,
O-chu had to move forward.
It was an anticipation for the future yet to come.
The light pouring from O-chu carried these exact feelings, and Jeok-un felt them clearly.
It was as if they were connected as one. In truth, they were.
To accept a Divine Weapon was to bind one's soul to it.
Thus, Jeok-un offered a small smile and spoke.
"Do not worry. You will thoroughly enjoy the sights you see by my side."
At Jeok-un's consolation, O-chu's resonance grew stronger. Finally,
"I greet my lord."
O-chu acknowledged Jeok-un as its new master.
The radiance hovering in the air poured entirely into Jeok-un, wrapping around his entire body.
Sssss! Whoosh!
The pitch-black silk sash floating in the air slowly descended toward Jeok-un.
The silk sash—O-chu's true form—wrapped around Jeok-un with gentle movements, as if apologizing for its prior rudeness while accepting its new master.
This is a different feeling altogether.
Jeok-un noted that this was distinct from when he had acquired Il-cheon and Wol-ha.
This was natural, as O-chu was a weapon meant to be worn directly on the body.
The black silk split into two strands, wrapping around Jeok-un's feet and gradually taking on a new shape.
Legend has it that before the Overlord tamed it, Chui was a black dragon that ruled the rivers.
Upon meeting its master, the black dragon transformed from a dragon into a horse, charging through countless battlefields alongside the Overlord.
If Lu Bu had the Red Hare, Xiang Yu had O-chu.
The divine steed, O-chu.
However, since its form had changed, its name had to change as well.
The Swift Winged Flight, O-chu.
Like wings soaring through the sky, O-chu was deeply connected to speed.
The proof lay in its form: it had wrapped around Jeok-un's feet in the shape of gaiters.
Gaiters of a deep, devouring black.
Because its original form was a flowing silk sash, its appearance was elegant and subtle.
The highlight was the silhouette of a dragon-horse, invisible at a glance but revealing itself upon closer inspection.
The embroidered dragon-horse was O-chu's true depiction.
This was proof that the gaiters contained O-chu's power.
With this, he could easily block strikes from weapons made of hundred-refined steel.
And if a martial artist of Jeok-un's caliber activated his protective qi, he could even deflect sword gang.
But as mentioned before, because they tightly wrapped around his feet from all sides, their primary purpose was already determined.
As O-chu took the form of gaiters, Jeok-un's Overlord's Divine Art did not remain still.
It began to burn fiercely, as if oil had been poured onto a fire.
Ssshh! Rumble!
This was due to the harmonious synergy between O-chu's ability and the Overlord's Divine Art.
The sensation of overflowing power was no mere illusion.
O-chu's energy is flowing in.
While Il-cheon and Wol-ha represented Yang and Yin energy respectively, O-chu's essence was the dragon-horse embroidered upon it.
It was a companion and helper for long, arduous journeys, enabling its master to travel swiftly and effortlessly.
At a glance, this seemed similar to the power of Tam-rang, but it was fundamentally different.
While Tam-rang provided a temporary amplification, O-chu's power was a continuous, sustained force.
Having perfectly harmonized the flow of the two energies, Jeok-un...
"……Whew."
He exhaled softly and opened his eyes.
He stood up immediately, clenching his fists and lightly bouncing on his feet to test his movement.
He felt light as a feather.
It was no exaggeration; he felt as though a light hop would carry him all the way to the ceiling above.
*Tap, tap!*
Jeok-un lightly pushed off the ground, easily soaring past the height of an average man.
"My body finally feels light again."
Jeok-un smiled with satisfaction.
Before his regression, he had always been in this state.
Compared to before he obtained O-chu, he now felt as though using just a tenth of his strength would make him several times faster and stronger.
It was the absolute peak condition.
They say the sense of deprivation from losing something you once had is the hardest to bear.
Since his regression, Jeok-un had lived with that constant sense of loss.
Moving a body that felt heavy as lead, he had keenly felt the difference of not having O-chu.
But now, he was finally liberated from that feeling.
However, there was one regret.
"I suppose reaching the Profound Realm is still out of reach."
He had hoped that obtaining O-chu's power would allow him to transcend the peak of the Transformation Realm and reach the Profound Realm.
Unfortunately, he fell just short, with a single wall still blocking his way.
Though his growth was incomparably faster than in his past life, Jeok-un could not help but feel a lingering disappointment.
"Well, this is more than enough for now."
He knew exactly which direction to take.
All he had to do was walk that path with steadfast determination. There was no need to rush.
Just as Jeok-un was reassuring himself,
*Ruuuumble—!*
A sound that made his hair stand on end echoed through the chamber.
It was the sound of space itself twisting and collapsing.
It signified only one thing.
"The Spatial Rift is about to collapse."
This was the price of acquiring O-chu's power.
O-chu's energy had been the pillar supporting the Spatial Rift.
To use a building analogy, the central pillar had suddenly vanished. It was only natural for the rift to crumble.
"Hmm..."
Jeok-un looked up.
The dizzying height he had fallen from earlier was the first thing he saw.
However,
"Shall we head out?"
Now that he possessed O-chu's power, that distance was nothing to him.
It was an easy climb.
"Now, show me your strength, O-chu."
*Hummmm!*
O-chu resonated, responding to its master's will.
A massive surge of power erupted from his legs.
*Flash!*
The moment Jeok-un stomped his foot, his body transformed into a streak of light and shot upward.
"Ugh...!"
Someone drenched in alcohol retched.
Fine wine and delicacies poured out in a foul-smelling, unrecognizable mess, but no trace of it remained.
This was because the middle-aged man was not standing on solid ground, but on a boat floating upon the undulating waters of Poyang Lake.
"Oh, my stomach is turning inside out..."
Another high official nearby laughed heartily.
"Lord Zhang, how can you be so weak to alcohol?"
"You won't be able to achieve great things like this! Your drinking capacity is far too lacking!"
The wealthy merchants, nobles, and high officials, their faces flushed red, snickered and teased the man addressed as Lord Zhang.
"Weak? Who's weak?!"
Perhaps because he had emptied his stomach, the middle-aged man regained his senses, snapped back angrily, and turned back toward the banquet table. Or rather, he tried to.
*Sssss...!*
"...Huh?"
Had it not been for the sudden whirlpool forming in the calm lake water, he surely would have returned to the table.
But the sight of something happening in the empty air froze him in his tracks.
The moment he realized something was in the air, the whirlpool in the water began to shoot upward like a waterspout.
"W-what is that?"
Am I so drunk that I'm seeing things?
The middle-aged man rubbed his eyes repeatedly, but the scene remained unchanged.
"Hey, everyone...!"
Just as the man tried to call out to the others,
the whirlpool and the waterspout reached their peak, completely churning the lake.
*Crash! Clatter!*
As if caught in a violent storm, the ship pitched wildly, and tables, chairs, and other furniture on the deck and in the cabins began to slide and crash.
"Aaaah! W-what's going on?!"
"Look over there! Over there...!!"
"Why is the ship doing this?!"
A few quickly realized the cause, but most could only shriek in panic, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"Look at that!"
The moment someone pointed toward the empty air—specifically, the tip of the waterspout—
*Whoosh! Boom!*
A flash of light erupted, and a massive explosion and shockwave slammed into the ship.
"Aaaah!"
The force was so immense that, not content with merely churning the lake, it struck the ship directly.
*Creeeeak...!*
With a sickening sound, the ship's keel snapped.
The vessel was effectively split in half.
"W-water! Water is rushing in!"
"Get away!"
"We're sinking...!"
Though they were wealthy merchants, nobles, and high officials who usually lorded over others, they were now nothing but helpless fools.
"S-save me...!"
Throwing away all their pride as noble clans, they begged for their lives.
Amidst the chaos, a young man in his early twenties emerged in the air. It was Jeok-un.
"Ugh, it's been a while since I jumped like that. Controlling my strength isn't easy."
The whirlpool, the waterspout, and the wrecked ship were all the aftermath of Jeok-un breaking out of the Spatial Rift.
"S-someone save me!"
"Over here! I'm over here!"
Clinging to the half-submerged pleasure boat and its debris, the nobles shrieked for help.
Jeok-un glanced at them but paid them no mind.
After all, that luxurious pleasure boat sinking before him had undoubtedly been built by exploiting the common people.
"Well, I'll get used to it as I keep using it."
Jeok-un muttered to himself, completely ignoring the high officials.
As he relaxed his body, he began to fall back toward the lake. Just when it seemed he would plunge into the water,
*Whoosh!*
He executed the Water-Gliding technique, a footwork realm comparable to soaring through the clouds.
If Elder Hwang had witnessed this, he would have been deeply shocked.
As he had mentioned before, Jeok-un's comprehension of footwork was relatively low compared to his other martial arts.
But this was not Jeok-un's fault. As demonstrated now, O-chu's innate ability was simply far superior to any standard footwork technique.
To put it simply, when your physical capabilities are this overwhelming, there is no need to strain your brain learning complex footwork.
In any case, combining the Phantom Step with O-chu's power, Jeok-un kicked up a massive spray of water.
Now, shall I head back?
He began to dash across the water's surface like a skipping stone.
His destination was Tongseong County. It was time to wrap up this mission.