NOVEL NEXT Chapter 573
Dark Heaven Village
I immediately used the Golden Lamp technique to head towards Mount Ye. By utilizing Cheon Woo-jin’s clairvoyance, I managed to indirectly move to Mount Ye without physically entering it. Of course, this meant that the moment of teleportation felt a bit slower, and the coordinates became unstable, forcing me to arrive at the mountain peak, but in any case, I reached the place where my companions were.
I took a deep breath, placing both hands on the ground, infusing it with my energy.
“Haaah.”
True Martial Seven Cuts Classic
Melodic Technique
Woo Wooong
As I activated the Essence of the Melodic Technique, the energy I infused into the ground created a resonance, conveying the internal situation to me. While ordinary martial artists could only sense a short range within three steps using the Listener Technique, the True Martial Seven Cuts Classic was different. It could emit energy like a wave, allowing for an expanded sensing range and giving the sensation of penetrating directly into the interior.
‘The interior is empty… And I can feel the presence of living beings along with their temperature.’
If I further developed the Essence of the Melodic Technique, I could manipulate the wave itself for both attack and defense, potentially forming an ultimate protective barrier. However, I had not yet mastered the True Martial Seven Cuts Classic to the level of a master, so it would take at least ten years before I could freely use such a barrier.
Mangnyang’s position was about two hundred seventy steps away from me. After accurately sensing my allies’ locations, I synchronized my teleportation with my senses and arrived instantly.
Pa-at!
“Ah…”
Upon arriving at the location of Mangnyang and Jin So-cheong, they showed surprised expressions. But it seemed Mangnyang realized something instantly and said to me,
“I found you.”
“That’s right.”
“Baek Woong. I will lead the Bancheon Alliance people here, so just stay put. Once they arrive, we will head to the true location.”
Mangnyang returned to the front line. I turned to Jin So-cheong, who was standing still.
“What was that thrust earlier?”
“There’s no time, so I’ll explain briefly.”
Jin So-cheong continued,
“While training in martial arts, I began to perceive a minuscule realm. As I deconstructed my spear techniques from the root, I discovered that there was a small entity moving according to certain laws within that minuscule realm. I decided to poke at it as a test, and each time, I felt the world twisting.”
“Twisting?”
“Every time I touched that small entity, the laws were distorted. That might be similar to what you mentioned about the Primordial Void.”
Jin So-cheong, after reflecting on his words, said,
“I wondered whether my spear could reach that small realm, which might be a thousand times smaller than a speck of dust… no, maybe even smaller. After focusing on it for over a hundred days, my hand gradually reached out more. As a result, I obtained a new [thrust].”
This was the revelation of Jin So-cheong’s absolute realm. I tried my hardest to comprehend it and then asked,
“You aimed to thrust at the smallest thing in the world?”
Jin So-cheong nodded at my question.
“The pinnacle of thrusting means being able to penetrate even the most minute targets at will. I considered that the best approach.”
“It would have been easier for you to practice the Thunder Spirit Technique… Why would you go through such a grueling practice to carve out a new absolute realm?”
“I learned the Thunder Spirit Technique in the meantime. And I wasn’t particularly drawn to it.”
“Eh? What do you mean by that?”
I looked at Jin So-cheong in disbelief. He responded with an uncertain tone,
“Please don’t tell Master Lee Cheong-un. I’m unsure myself…”
“Still, tell me.”
“I found the Thunder Spirit Technique too difficult. It’s undoubtedly a tremendous revelation, and it is an upper level technique that can reach the realm of the Thunder God, but it seemed to lack versatility due to its extreme difficulty, which leads me to think it might have its limits… anyway, I simply didn’t feel inclined to focus on it.”
“……”
“So now, I temporarily use the power of the Thunder Spirit Technique as if discharging it, just like a Thunderclap.”
“I see…”
I found it quite fascinating.
The strongest technique, the Thunder Spirit Technique, inherited and developed by the geniuses of the Thunder God lineage! Considering that the Primordial Spirit is a type of forbidden law, calling it the most peerless divine technique in the martial world wouldn’t be wrong. Since it’s the only path to reach the Ultimate Technique of the Thunder God, I thought all along that the Thunder Spirit Technique was my only answer.
However, Jin So-cheong raised a question about whether the Thunder Spirit Technique itself is the right path. If the Thunder God lineage was in its prime, this could incur a charge of heresy, and certainly, it would be a statement that couldn’t be uttered in front of Master Lee Cheong-un. It was akin to outright denying the teachings of the Thunder God lineage and asserting that his martial arts were correct.
‘I must think carefully.’
Nonetheless, I sensed that what Jin So-cheong just said could be a critical clue. While Lee Cheong-un undoubtedly had a higher martial arts level than Jin So-cheong, Jin So-cheong was the greatest genius in the history of the martial world. Therefore, I could never overlook his words.
I spent about a meal’s time discussing Jin So-cheong’s martial arts realm with him.
At that moment, Mangnyang returned with the members of the Bancheon Alliance to where I was waiting. I asked Mangnyang,
“Is everyone safe? How about the Dragon People…”
“Everyone is safe, and as for the Dragon People, they lost control the moment Jin So-cheong disrupted the Vermilion Bird’s clones and bolted somewhere. It seems that the clones were controlling them at this location.”
After answering like that, Mangnyang sighed and continued,
“And I’m sorry… it’s my negligence.”
“Eh?”
Kugugugu
In that instant, I felt an immense storm of energy shooting towards me from the opposite side. In reality, it was energy refined into intent, and I quickly elevated my intent to defend against that attack. It appeared that if I had not blocked it, I would have fainted from the light mental suppression effect.
‘I’ll send it back.’
I endured the intent clash and shot it straight back at the opponent. I then felt my intent getting trapped against a wall.
[Ho… quite impressive.]
The mysterious Six Harmonies Assembly that echoed throughout the hall seemed genuinely surprised at my ability to manipulate my intent.
As I glanced over there, I saw the Master of the White Lotus Sect walking slowly with the Three Great Dharma Guardians. The Master cast a sidelong glance at me and said,
[Are you… the true leader of the Bancheon Alliance?]
“……”
[You’re younger than I expected. Perhaps in your early twenties…]
I gritted my teeth.
‘I’ve been found out!’
Mangnyang had secretly drawn out the power of the Bancheon Alliance to escape Mount Ye, but he got caught by the Master of the White Lotus Sect. However, given Mangnyang’s remarkable intellect, he wouldn’t usually handle matters so clumsily; something must have gone wrong.
One of his comrades, Jeon Woo-chi, said with frustration,
“Master of the White Lotus Sect! How sneaky of you. To attack us right after the Dragon People retreated.”
The Master nonchalantly replied while glancing at the darkness behind him,
[The Twelve Joules will not particularly aid you either. And you are harboring the Thunder God lineage. Naturally, it’s a matter for my sect to resolve.]
The place the Master was looking at was where, in the dim darkness, the experts of the Twelve Joules and the Dan Clan were watching the situation. They appeared to be maintaining neutrality, likely because the Master had drawn the line on intervention by mentioning the Thunder God lineage.
‘Mangnyang… you were attacked as soon as you returned.’
And they had chosen to comply with the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s demands rather than being completely slaughtered at that point. The Sword Demon, Extreme Tiger, and others, excluding Mangnyang, were bound and held captive by the experts of the Su Shin Sect.
Mangnyang lowered his head in shame.
“I’m sorry…”
I shook my head.
“No, Mangnyang.”
I thought Mangnyang’s choice was correct. The power and companions of the Bancheon Alliance couldn’t be grown overnight, and it would be worse to resist recklessly and be annihilated by the Master of the White Lotus Sect. Given this situation, it was the only option to proceed as far as possible.
I looked calmly at the Master of the White Lotus Sect and said,
“Master! I am not the leader of the Bancheon Alliance.”
[So, you’re just a black mask?]
“……”
[I’ve been curious about this for a while. The leadership and abilities of the Bancheon Alliance’s leader are impressive, but no matter how I think about it, it seems unlikely that you could create a powerhouse capable of integrating the True Heaven Alliance and the Black Dao in such a short time. The tremendous treasures, fortuitous encounters, and talents you maneuvered were not something that could be built overnight. The Bancheon Alliance just seemed to drop from the sky like a goblin.]
“Is that so?”
[Yet today, I finally meet the entity controlling the Bancheon Alliance from behind.]
That wasn’t incorrect. The networks, martial arts, treasures, and spiritual pills I had accumulated from over twenty reincarnations had been indirectly poured into the Bancheon Alliance through Mangnyang, which allowed me to create a significant power capable of balancing the three major factions. Still, I maintained my composure and replied,
“What do you intend to do, Master?”
[I was going to annihilate you all right here. You are a significant obstacle to the White Lotus Sect’s dominance in the future.]
“……!!”
[However, seeing your potential has changed my mind. Very interesting…]
As the Master of the White Lotus Sect stroked his mask, he said,
[Black mask of the Bancheon Alliance. What is your name?]
“Baek Woong.”
It would be meaningless to deceive. Given the meticulous nature of the Master of the White Lotus Sect, he would certainly try to confirm my true name multiple times. The Master continued,
[Baek Woong! Join the White Lotus Sect along with the Bancheon Alliance. Submit to the tenets and authority of the White Lotus Sect, and your Bancheon Alliance will exist peacefully, receiving the same treatment as the Four Great Families in the future.]
“……”
As I expected. I had observed the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s behavior enough to predict it to some extent now. Additionally, his character of valuing talents indicated that he wouldn’t easily annihilate us. However, he was infinitely cruel to his enemies, so the moment I refused this proposal, he would attack us without hesitation until we were wiped out.
In this situation, asking for help from the Twelve Joules would be reckless. The Twelve Joules were currently in a precarious state following the death of their leader, and the risks of challenging the White Lotus Sect were substantial. Moreover, I could expect no assistance from them, as there was no obligation to help us.
I pondered deeply.
‘It’s a critical, potentially fatal situation, yet I feel oddly calm.’
Could it be that I had experienced so much peril in previous lives and had died many times? Although it was an emergency, a part of me was coolly analyzing the situation. A normal person would likely have a racing heart and cold sweat, unable to think clearly in such a scenario, but I was managing just fine.
And although the Master did not know me well, I knew him well.
Furthermore, I understood his ideals, thoughts, and temperament.
Meeting an opponent whose intricacies I understood made the vast difference in power a minor issue.
I spoke calmly,
“Master.”
The next words shocked everyone in the hall.
“Stop with the bluffing.”