Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Daehan
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He was enormous.
An enormous frame paired with thick arms and legs.
Even his hands, feet, and face were oversized, making him instantly recognizable amid any crowd.
The man sprinting along, Jun Gi-jeong, cut a truly conspicuous figure.
As a child, he'd occasionally been called general material, but that didn't last long.
Standing out from others brings both advantages and drawbacks.
He probably hated his own bulk because only the downsides stood out, and as trifling memories from his youth bubbled up, he caught his ragged breath inside a humble village home, reflecting on recent events.
'The Peng Clan, was it?'
Regulating his breathing, Jun Gi-jeong ground his teeth.
He would never forget this humiliation.
He was on the doorstep of Hebei Province, and unlike his lumbering body, he possessed truly profound martial arts.
Being cornered by that young whelp was just bad luck, and his reputation was enough to silence a crying child.
The Child Ghost, said to be more terrifying than the Black Plague itself.
No one was better at soothing kids, and now he lurked in a dilapidated shed, his massive form hidden as he bided his time.
The other fiends had all fled toward Wu Jin County in Qingzhou Prefecture.
But after smashing the back of another demonic cultist's head, he had no choice but to exploit the chaos to hide his bulk, putting him in a rather different position from the average cult follower.
If anything, he was akin to the Blood Shadow Sword Demon.
A fiend who'd ridden the wave of wartime chaos, unlike those who followed doctrine.
Though his decisions as a public enemy of the martial world had proven disastrous, his repeated boundary-crossing acts had long marked him as an outlaw pursued by the authorities independently of the cult, leaving him few options.
'Hoo.'
The shame of the unorthodox paths.
Cast out by the martial world, he'd been hunted his whole life by government detectives with families of their own.
The mere fact he was still alive was a testament to his remarkable abilities.
Swoosh.
Peering through a slender beam of light between the walls, he scanned outside.
No other presences.
Jun Gi-jeong had successfully shaken off his pursuers.
Filling the rundown shed with a heavy sigh, he patted his chest in relief.
It was partly reassurance, but with the tension gone, hunger hit hard.
The five-day chase had been brutal.
Starved the whole time, he smacked his lips.
Clunk.
Just then, faint footsteps approached.
"Ah..."
The boy who spotted him blinked his bright, round eyes.
Maybe seven years old.
An uninvited guest, yet deserving praise just for not screaming at the sight of this hulking, menacing stranger.
"Wh-who are you?"
"Sorry about this, kid. I didn't know anyone lived here."
Jun Gi-jeong flashed a friendly smile.
"I was just looking to get out of the rain, so no need to be scared. I'll be off soon."
The downpour that had drenched Shandong had stopped long ago.
Yet the boy nodded cutely, taking the words at face value.
Gurgle.
Thunder rumbled belatedly, and he glanced back and forth at the basket in his hands.
"Are you hungry, mister?"
"Yeah, it's been about five days since I last ate."
"Then here, take this at least..."
The boy offered him something like a potato—a famine crop.
It was only fist-sized, unlikely to do much, but he gratefully accepted the kind gesture.
As he carefully peeled and ate the precious find like it was gold, the boy asked,
"Are you a martial artist, mister?"
"You think so?"
"Yeah, ones like you show up in our village sometimes."
A boy far from the world of martial arts couldn't possibly sense his energy.
It was just that his innocent eyes saw something familiar in the vibe.
Powerless commoners often admired warriors.
Kids that age were almost guaranteed to show curiosity.
That sentiment lurked behind their pure goodwill.
The fact he hadn't immediately called for help or chased him off was already a blessing, so Jun Gi-jeong answered amiably enough.
"Whoa, so you're as strong as one of the Top Hundred Experts, right?!"
The excited reaction was all too predictable.
Affirming it, Jun Gi-jeong endlessly reassured himself.
Bear it. I have to hold back.
Starting trouble now could ruin everything, so he needed to stay low until he escaped Shandong.
'That kid, though.'
The Child Ghost was known as a child-murdering maniac who relished their screams, but that was only half-true.
The martial art he cultivated.
To refine his demonic art from the Liang River region, he fed on children's vital energy, leaving corpses marked unmistakably by his presence.
'Still, one wouldn't hurt...'
He kept smacking his lips.
'Not until the body is found.'
What sealed his decision was the boy himself.
"...okay?"
"Hm?"
"Your martial arts! Can't you show me just once before you go?"
Growing chummy in no time, the boy pressed Jun Gi-jeong.
Without even knowing who he was.
'Right. Exactly.'
As always, tricking was the adults' role, and being tricked was for kids.
"Here's the deal."
Hiding his sinister intent, the Child Ghost raised his index finger.
"I'll count to a hundred, then come catch you—so run as hard as you can."
"Huh?"
"It's tag."
"Oh!"
His eyes sparkled like he expected some amazing feat as he dashed from the shed.
"Don't leave the village."
"Got it!"
The count flew by.
Hauling his heavy bulk, he licked his lips and pondered his plan.
From way back, only kids never minded his massive frame.
And in return, he already grinned at how he'd prepare this one.
It had to satisfy the boy.
Imagining his face upon facing the truth, replaying countless kids' screams, a madness-twisted expression crossed his face.
"Mister?"
It was right then.
A middle-aged man in simple white robes abruptly blocked his path, leaving the stunned boy behind.
"Step back, child."
The boy recognized the man.
Not just him—anyone living in Shandong knew that stern face.
'The Seo Mun Clan... Patriarch?!'
Still clueless as the Child Ghost's fangs closed in, the boy couldn't comprehend, while Jun Gi-jeong, increasingly lost to his demonic urges, snarled,
"Out of my way! That kid's mine!"
As if the opponent's identity meant nothing.
Thundering steps shaking the ground, he raised both hands threateningly toward the child, and exhausted beyond reason, Jun Gi-jeong was no longer in his right mind.
Clang! Clang!
The middle-aged man, Seo Mun Jeong-cheon, let out a quiet sigh.
"......"
And just like that, he sheathed the longsword he'd drawn.
Click.
The enormous body toppled like a collapsing fortress.
"Well done, Patriarch."
"Hand him over to the authorities, Ma Danju."
"Yes, sir."
Watching the scene appear and vanish in an instant, the boy met those stern eyes.
Seo Mun Jeong-cheon turned and left without a word.
The boy never realized.
That he'd just escaped mortal danger.
"A fiend like that calling himself a demon— the cult's hit rock bottom."
Seo Mun Jeong-cheon sighed to his escorting warrior, as if seeking agreement.
"Your recent breakthroughs have been impressive, Patriarch."
Eight Flame Unit Leader U Gil soothed him.
For the clan head's excursion, two escorts was exceptionally lean.
Even setting personal prowess aside.
"I'll be sixty in a couple days. Better to retire than chase after kids' messes."
Seo Mun Jeong-cheon understood his grandfather's sentiment.
"Still, it's a relief. Two... no, all three safe."
With the clan head stepping in personally, the Seo Mun Clan's situation wasn't great, but U Gil's words offered small comfort to the evidently displeased Jeong-cheon.
"Aren't you proud?"
"......"
"Or are you embarrassed?"
"Come to think of it, I haven't had a proper talk with you lately, U Danju. I'll set aside time the moment we return home."
"Ahem, go easy on me."
The relentless rain had finally stopped.
It had cleared ages ago, and now sunlight pierced the clouds, bathing all of Shandong in warmth.
He dreamed.
A sensation of sinking deep beneath the surface of sleep.
As his mind grew distant, a vague alertness washed over him—something he hadn't felt in ages.
Like when he'd reached the pinnacle in his previous life upon arriving in the capital.
Or when he'd awakened in Seo Mun-ha's body after ages past.
No need to mention his past life.
Seo Mun-ha, at the peak of mastery, had never dreamed once.
Was that why?
A fresh feeling mingled with a whirlwind of emotions and images.
Like releasing long-pent-up regrets.
Before Seo Mun-ha's eyes, two men clashed in fierce combat.
The Mad Demon and the Mad Fist King.
Watching transcendents who'd surpassed Absolute Peak into Soul Transcendence Realm felt both familiar and alien.
Not a grand melee, but a duel.
Their techniques, infused with personal essence, offered immense insight just from observation.
Seo Mun-ha had experience at the pinnacle, but this higher realm felt entirely different.
Unlike strategizing superiority or odds, he simply observed their martial principles purely.
New facets emerged from a martial perspective.
Facing two towering peaks stirred profound emotions.
Swoosh.
Mountains were vast, sturdy walls.
His thoughts shifted the imagery, transforming the scenery.
At Seo Mun-ha's feet lay an ironclad barrier.
A majestic wall blocking his path.
He'd seen it before.
'The Eight Boundaries... Mountain Shattering...'
For one who rarely dreamed, it felt like guidance toward his path.
Rumble.
Sure enough, the wall stood firmly shut.
Whoosh.
And the faintly felt energies took form.
Eight divine spirits.
Starting with the Palace Qi, they appeared one by one.
'......'
The essence of martial arts lies in human refinement.
Warding off external forces and protecting from them—that's the origin.
Humans lack sharp fangs or claws.
By emulating them, we compensate for deficiencies to gain superior abilities.
Just like swords and blades substitute for teeth and nails.
But beasts' prowess and human ambition don't stop there.
Bite like a tiger, dash slyly like a wolf.
We yearn to embody them.
Thus, martial arts mimic the energies of all things.
Not even great nature's lightning or flames are exceptions, nor legendary spirits.
'Palace Qi.'
Seo Mun-ha unconsciously recalled the past.
An example of manifesting spirits.
Though he'd mastered the Northern Guard Divine Cavalry Art's Eight Stars and countless supreme arts, he'd never seen their end.
Suddenly, it dawned on him.
That the Five Elements Qi enveloping the Four Divine Beasts and Four Evil Beasts was the key to ascending to Mountain Shattering.
Just as shown by the Mad Demon and other Soul Transcendence masters.
To break form, one must first comprehend it fully.
And then, if one could wield yin-yang and the five elements completely...
Whoosh!
With that thought of the thick iron gate perhaps opening, Seo Mun-ha opened his eyes.