The Path of Fire and Blood
“Stop them!”
“Kill him!”
The young man issued his command in a hardened voice, and almost simultaneously, the woman issued her own chilling order.
The three cultivators who had hesitated flinched, then gripped their swords tightly and charged. At that exact moment, the pair retreated in perfect sync, as if they had rehearsed it, and pulled something from their robes.
The woman held a small cloth pouch, while the man produced a jade bottle. As they inhaled the powder from the pouch and chewed the pill from the bottle,
Han Yujin paid them no particular mind and turned his attention to the three underlings first.
“What a waste of cultivation.”
All three appeared to be at the Decisive Stage. They had either trained in some form of body-tempering art or consumed related spiritual medicines, pushing their physical abilities to the very edge of that realm.
Considering the young man’s earlier words, it was clear they had known in advance what kind of place Bongbeop Mountain was and had come prepared.
Unfortunately, their preparations were sorely lacking.
It was understandable, given how marginalized body-tempering specialists were within the cultivation world, but by Han Yujin’s standards, they looked utterly pathetic.
“You think just swinging a sword around makes you an expert?”
He spoke indifferently as he met their incoming attacks with his own blade. His counters were overwhelming in raw power and speed, and on a technical level, they were beyond comparison.
His sword traced a small circle that seemed almost languid at first, then suddenly accelerated, deflecting one incoming blade with the Ihwa Jeomok technique. His next step immediately exploited the opening, and he spun his entire body in a full rotation.
Before the spin even finished, a flash of sword light erupted. A sharp ring of steel accompanied the sight of a severed head spraying blood as it flew through the air.
Linked Chain Fourth Form: Revolving Cloud Single Flash.
The supreme technique of the Non-Heavenly Ascending Flow Sword Sect unfolded as naturally as breathing, decapitating a Decisive Stage cultivator in a single stroke. The spray of blood was sliced apart as a relentless barrage of follow-up strikes poured forth.
Blazing Wheel Lightning Split. Silken Cloud Slash. Falling Sun Revolving Light. Dark Night Blood Path.
The sword forms he had painstakingly collected and studied while creating Wonryeok Mudo flowed out one after another as if they had always been a single unified martial art. The footwork that complemented them shifted more than twice, exquisitely occupying blind spots and cutting off every escape route.
When one already held absolute superiority in power and speed, the outcome was obvious.
The sound of clashing swords barely rang out a few times. In the span of a few blinks, the three Decisive Stage cultivators had their heads severed, limbs severed, and torsos split open, blood gushing everywhere.
Had this been outside, these injuries might not have been instantly fatal.
But this was Bongbeop Mountain. They could not properly exert the tenacious vitality and regenerative power that should have belonged to Decisive Stage cultivators.
Boom—!!
With an explosion that sounded like the earth itself shattering, Han Yujin’s body shot toward the woman like a cannonball using the exquisite movement of Gungsin Tanyeong. She had simply been the closer target.
…A direct confrontation with a body cultivator!
The woman inwardly recoiled at the truly dazzling swordplay and drew up her power. At the same time, she quickly formulated a strategy and moved toward the young man while meeting the incoming sword.
Just as Han Yujin had guessed, she was indeed a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. True to her realm, she analyzed every movement her opponent had displayed in the previous instant and thrust her hand forward.
What she didn’t know was that Han Yujin had fully anticipated she would do exactly that—and had no intention of using the same techniques again.
Clang—clang—clang—!!
The sword, swung like lightning, collided with the woman’s hands several times, producing deafening booms that shook the entire chamber.
The powder she had inhaled seemed to have dramatically enhanced her physical abilities; she wasn’t being pushed back much in terms of strength or speed. But that was all.
The moment he finished assessing her limits, the sword that had carried the principle of speed transformed to embody the principle of heaviness. The change was so abrupt and exquisite that her hands were knocked away uncontrollably the instant they clashed, creating a clear opening.
Her desperate counter with the other hand was caught in the principle of illusion, missing his body by a hair’s breadth. The gap that appeared was instantly pierced by the blade like a flash of lightning, filling her entire field of vision.
Linked Chain: Twelve Lightning Sword Bolts.
These were the martial forms once learned by Dok Junseong, Han Yujin’s first disciple.
With his dharma power sealed, he could not circulate internal energy, but his monstrous physical ability was more than enough to fully express the true intent of the sword arts.
At the same moment, the young man could not simply let the woman die while facing this sudden, overwhelmingly powerful enemy.
He charged forward with the amplified physical abilities granted by the pill he had consumed and attacked Han Yujin from behind.
But in a fight like this, victory and defeat could be decided in an instant.
A short, sharp scream rang out loudly.
Holes were punched through the woman’s vital points across her body, blood spraying out. Han Yujin’s body spun fiercely in response to the young man’s attack that had closed in to point-blank range.
The Sahae Gwiryeongbo followed by the Wonmu Step beautifully deflected what could have been a fatal strike. In that ultra-close range, a kick infused with amplified rotational force flew toward the enemy.
Boom—!!
With a roar like an exploding bomb, the young man vomited blood. He was sent flying backward even faster than he had charged, tumbling across the floor before scrambling back to his feet.
By then, another flash of sword light had already severed the woman’s neck and split her torso into three pieces.
—Kyaaaaah…!!
Her Nascent Soul, forced out as if fleeing the catastrophic damage to her body, was affected by Bongbeop Mountain’s restriction. It disintegrated as though plunged into an extremely powerful acid, meeting a swift end.
“Oh… quite gruesome. It’s almost like I’m seeing your future.”
Han Yujin spoke to the young man in a mocking tone, then casually tossed aside the sword that was cracked all over and on the verge of shattering.
He left the sweating, tense opponent alone and walked steadily to one side of the chamber. There, he stopped in front of the demonic path Decisive Stage cultivator who had been struck in the jaw and side early in the fight, left half-crippled and still lying on the ground, somehow not yet dead.
“S-Senior… please… s-spare m-me…”
Shuk…!
“Huk…!”
Without a hint of emotion, Han Yujin picked up another sword and stabbed the man through the heart as casually as if testing a straw dummy.
With a sound like air escaping a balloon, the Decisive Stage cultivator—unable to display his original vitality and regenerative power—met his end.
In the meantime,
the young man had completely abandoned his previous dignified and arrogant demeanor. Even though the effects of the body-amplifying pill should still be active, he was convinced he had no chance of victory and flattened himself against the floor.
“This junior lacked insight and committed a grave offense and discourtesy. Please forgive me and spare my life.”
“……”
“I am the Vice Pavilion Master of the Cheongun Yeon-gi Pavilion of Taeqing Palace. I swear upon my Dao-heart that if you spare me, I will harbor no thoughts of revenge and will definitely repay this grace.”
Han Yujin spun the sword in his hand playfully, letting it rotate before catching it again, and spoke.
“Don’t you think it’s a little late for that? You should have taken the chance when you had it earlier.”
“I will explain everything I know about this secret realm. I can also give you everything I possess, of course.”
As the young man began untying the spatial pouch at his waist, Han Yujin simply smiled and shook his head.
“Would you leave a future threat alive if you were in my position? Stop acting like a fool and stand up. Fight with dignity and die like a man.”
The young man finally revealed his desperation.
“I am not a threat at all! This situation is not beyond repair! None of the people who died here are important to me or my sect, and fortunately, your skills are so outstanding that you haven’t suffered even the slightest loss, have you?”
It wasn’t entirely wrong. Assuming he truly had no intention of seeking revenge later.
‘Swear upon my Dao-heart…’
Since Han Yujin himself had once made a Dao-heart oath, he knew that no cultivator who had not given up on future growth could easily break one.
‘If this were the real Earth, I wouldn’t even need to think about it.’
But this was a world he had entered through the Honywonjibo, a place where death did not mean the end. The option of taking a small risk to obtain information was worth considering.
Killing him after extracting the information to eliminate any future danger felt too much like being a scumbag. He didn’t want to make that choice while already struggling with the Heartless Tribulation.
“Your name?”
“Pi Baek-hwi!”
“Alright, Pi. Swear it.”
The young man’s complexion brightened noticeably.
Immediately afterward, he swore upon his Dao-heart that he would absolutely never seek revenge in the future and would honestly reveal every piece of information he knew about this secret realm.
He also promised to surrender every item he carried except those absolutely necessary for survival. The entire process was extremely quick and sincere, without the slightest hint of deception.
“I might decide to enter Taeqing Palace someday.”
“I will do my utmost to help you enter as an honored guest! I swear this upon my Dao-heart as well!”
“Mm, good.”
Han Yujin nodded, quite satisfied with the young man’s earnest attitude. If this was all an act, being fooled once would be a good experience.
“Now, let’s hear the information.”
“You will definitely be satisfied. I wasn’t boasting for nothing.”
The young man, now thoroughly submissive, began to speak about the secret realm.
* * *
After surrendering every last piece of information and every item he possessed, Pi Baek-hwi bowed to Han Yujin as if greeting a friend of a thousand years or a deeply respected sage, then left Bongbeop Mountain.
Han Yujin was quite pleased with the price the young man had paid. Although he still couldn’t open the spatial pouch due to the mountain’s restriction, the value of the information he had received was considerable.
What surprised him most was that the most important piece of information was not about the treasures within this secret realm.
‘Another secret realm is about to open…?’
And not just any secret realm—it was the legendary Seon-in Secret Realm, also known as Seungcheon-ji, the Ascension Land.
This Yin-Yang Sect ruins secret realm was merely a precursor, a kind of aftershock that had opened before the true Seon-in Secret Realm. The two shared only a slight connection.
However, the phrase “soon” was based on the time perception of high-ranking cultivators, meaning it would still be at least a hundred years away.
Furthermore, to enter the Seon-in Secret Realm, one apparently needed to obtain a jade token called the Daena-i-ryeong, which was said to be located somewhere within these Yin-Yang Sect ruins.
‘If I can obtain it, it would truly be an incredible opportunity.’
He once again realized that the Honywonjibo had not sent him here for nothing.
Even as he thought this, he had no intention of leaving Bongbeop Mountain yet. He planned to first obtain the Sinmok Yangwon Yeonche Gong in this environment that was so favorable to him.
He opened the large door opposite the hall where the battle had taken place and stepped inside.
After descending another spiral staircase for a short while,
a much larger space revealed itself. It seemed to be expanded through a formation; the area was truly vast and felt incredibly dangerous.
The floor was covered in lava that radiated an abnormally intense heat.
Above the lava, a narrow path without any railings twisted like a maze, leading all the way to a door on the far opposite side. The already narrow path was engraved with countless dharma inscriptions and spell patterns, making it look like one giant trap.
“Hmm.”
It was clearly a space designed for a test.
Truly fitting for a sect from the barbaric primordial era—there seemed to be absolutely no measures taken to ensure the safety of the disciples attempting this trial.
With dharma power sealed and their divine sense greatly suppressed, one could only rely on the body itself. Flight was also forbidden, so falling into that scorching lava would almost certainly mean death.
Jumping off the lava itself would be difficult, but Han Yujin didn’t feel particularly afraid. The extreme heat of the lava posed no real problem to him, who had achieved the Monghyeon Johwa state that included the Taeul Ohaeng Do Body.
He boldly stepped out of the safe zone right in front of the door and onto the narrow path.
The moment he did, he felt the dharma inscriptions and spell patterns on the floor emit a faint glow as they activated.
‘They’re not going to grade me with some kind of time attack, are they?’
It was a slightly absurd thought, yet somehow he had a strong feeling that was exactly what this was.
He didn’t dawdle and moved forward with everything he had. From a distance, his speed was so great that he almost looked like he was flying.
Unfortunately, the path really did contain traps.
Using his outstanding physical ability and footwork that contained profound principles, he evaded the traps one after another and advanced rapidly. Then, he suddenly sensed something surging up from the lava on his left and turned his gaze.
Kyaaaaak…!
Boom—!!
A monster resembling a burning centipede attacked ferociously.
It possessed considerable power, but it wasn’t difficult to avoid. Fortunately, the path protected by the formation did not collapse.
Kyaaaaaaa—!
Kyaaaaaaaak—!
As if stimulated by the first roar, burning centipede monsters began appearing from all directions. Han Yujin, who had been advancing without stopping, felt his eyebrows twitch.
‘Isn’t this a bit too many…?’
He couldn’t tell whether this was the originally intended difficulty or if the monsters had multiplied unchecked over the long years without proper management.
Either way, he had no choice but to give it his all. He continued racing across the path, dodging the floor traps and the centipede monsters’ attacks as if performing acrobatics.
Boom—! Kwa-kwa-kwang—!
Kwa-kwang—!!
The monsters’ rampage produced continuous explosive roars.
There were moments when it truly became dangerous.
The centipede monsters didn’t just slam down with their bodies; they also spewed lava from their mouths like fountains.
Even for him, dodging and deflecting those lava droplets with precision was no easy task. The path was already riddled with traps, and when other nearby centipedes joined in coordinated attacks, it became even worse.
‘The difficulty design is definitely broken!’
He grumbled inwardly even as he continued overcoming each crisis.
And so,
after several more moments of spine-tingling, hair-raising, heart-stopping danger,
he even displayed a martial movement that involved twisting his body wildly in midair to make minute directional adjustments. Finally, the safe zone on the opposite side came into view right before him.
‘There won’t be anyone who can pass this faster than me…!’
Just as his somewhat absurd intuition had suggested—if this really was a place that graded performance and granted additional or special rewards—
then he was undoubtedly the protagonist of this trial.