### Chapter 208: If There Is No Path, Then I Must Create One
If there’s no path, I must create one.
Kuuguggeuk!
Hwarururuk—!
The rising flames showed no signs of stopping as they transformed the surroundings into chaos.
Following the man’s gestures, the flames swirled wildly like a dance, driven by an unseen rhythm.
Within that storm of fire, the man, Gu Cheolun, moved steadily forward.
The fog covering the mountain didn’t hinder his passage; instead, it recoiled before the advancing flames.
Thus, the flames that had swept through the area as if in a frenzied storm stopped abruptly.
Thud!
As if blocked by something, Gu Cheolun halted.
The warriors from the First Army following him also froze in their tracks.
“A formation,” Gu Cheolun declared.
He could tell with just a glimpse. After all, he had ignited the flames to uncover the formation’s location.
“I’ll take a look,” volunteered the Vice-Captain of the First Army, who was reasonably adept at formations and often dealt with such matters.
“There’s no need for that,” Gu Cheolun countered this time.
It was unnecessary, especially in a situation like this.
Ssss…
The flames enveloping Gu Cheolun expanded as if protecting him, while the Swirling Flame Wheel surged to life.
Gradually, his black hair turned a fiery red.
Whoosh!
The wind, which had been swirling around him, was suddenly drawn inward.
A small sphere formed atop his roughened palm, and the immense qi contained within it caused the space around him to warp.
Crack!
Gripping the blazing sphere, Gu Cheolun declared, “It’s simple; we just need to break it.”
In that moment, the mountain trembled at his gesture.
Boom—!
With a thunderous roar, the sky quivered.
Rather than the sky shaking, it was more appropriate to say that the formation barrier surrounding the base was trembling.
“…Isn’t he a bit too reckless?”
I couldn’t help but exclaim at the sight.
I had anticipated my father arriving soon, but never imagined he would go so far as to turn the entire sky crimson while dismantling the formation in such a destructive way.
Looking up at the blood-red sky, I thought,
“He is still as powerful as ever.”
This crimson sky was the evidence of the Gu Clan’s martial prowess nearing its pinnacle.
I couldn’t ascertain whether my father truly reached that peak; however, I had no doubt he wielded tremendous power.
Some whispered that he lingered in the clan because he was past his prime, yet having witnessed his might firsthand when the Demonic Cult appeared, I understood how baseless such claims were.
My father’s prime wasn’t over.
In fact, he was likely much stronger now than in his younger days when he was more active.
As I gazed at the sky, Namgung Bi-ah turned to me and asked,
“Is that… your father?”
“Yeah, what?”
I flinched a bit at her inquiry.
Her term of address felt oddly off.
“What did you just say?”
I questioned, bewildered, yet she remained transfixed on the sky, offering no response.
It wasn’t crucial, so I decided to shrug it off.
Boom!
A loud noise reverberated again, just as before.
He really looks determined to break the formation.
“Huh, just like someone I know.”
“Indeed, he could be his mirror image.”
Elder Shin’s voice echoed as he finally broke his silence, seemingly waiting for this moment.
It was irritating, but there was no denying the validity of his statement.
My father’s method strikingly resembled mine from my previous life.
“Move!”
“To the east! The Flaming Demon is here!”
With the formation barrier shaking from the impact, it seemed the members of the Black Palace finally began to show their faces.
“Where’s the Palace Lord?”
I didn’t have to search hard; his black fog was evident beneath the crimson sky.
“Is he heading toward Father?”
I thought he would naturally head for Father.
Yet it appeared the Palace Lord was inclined to confront him.
“That works out even better.”
It was advantageous; if the Palace Lord faced my father, there was no chance Father would lose the duel.
I wasn’t sure how powerful the Lord of the Black Palace was—one of the Four Emperors and Five Kings—but if he couldn’t measure up to the Three Venerables, my father was guaranteed victory.
As I confirmed my thoughts, I concealed my presence and rose to my feet.
“Looks like the others haven’t arrived yet.”
I hadn’t just informed my father; I had also sent word to the Hao Clan.
I dispatched a letter to Do Unchu, the leader of the Shanxi branch, but it seemed they hadn’t arrived yet.
“Could they still be verifying the information in the letter?”
I was uncertain if the Hao Clan’s leader was genuinely present in the main palace, but this indeed was the main palace.
Even if they didn’t come, that would be fine.
They weren’t a vital force.
I contemplated reaching out to the Murim Alliance using Namgung Jin’s name, but the Alliance itself raised many questions.
Though called the Murim Alliance, I doubted how many genuinely cared about alliance principles.
“I can’t trust the Alliance itself.”
I found myself relying more on the Hao Clan, arguably the unorthodox faction. How ironic.
“… What’s your plan?”
As I steadied myself, Namgung Bi-ah queried via telepathy.
To think she could still use telepathy right after reaching the Peak Realm—her aptitude was remarkable.
“Someone must have taught her, but who?”
Setting aside my thoughts, I had to focus on the immediate situation.
“We need to go in.”
“How?”
“Through the hole we made earlier.”
The gap in the wall lay before us.
Given that fewer guards remained, this was the perfect opportunity.
Of course, there were still a few soldiers on the lookout.
“Four: three Second-Rate and one First-Rate.”
They were not particularly formidable.
Swoosh!
Before I could speak, Namgung Bi-ah, seemingly interpreting my thoughts, drew her sword.
Lightning Qi crackled around the blade.
Sending her a signal through telepathy, I instructed her to prepare.
“On three, we go, alright?”
Just as I hit three, Namgung Bi-ah charged forward, with me trailing behind in my own panic.
“…!”
One of the guards, catching sight of Namgung Bi-ah, opened his mouth to shout.
Slash—!
But she was quicker.
Like a flash, her sword severed the man’s throat, and she unleashed her Lightning Qi, obliterating anyone nearby.
With every swing, an enemy dropped to the ground, blood staining the air.
Not a single one survived.
Even with my hurried arrival, the scene was already wrapped up.
In mere moments, four martial artists had met their doom at her hands without even a chance to react.
Namgung Bi-ah flicked the blood from her blade, and I blinked in disbelief.
Did she just…?
“Was that not okay?”
She appeared confused by my gaze.
“What the—?”
I was at a loss for words, taken aback by her surprising efficiency.
No time to linger on this, I joined her inside the palace.
The interior of the palace was far grander than it appeared from the outside.
Due to the need to suppress my presence, I couldn’t grasp its true scale, but it had to be larger than the Gu Clan, which was already immense.
“How did they manage to hide such a large structure?”
The power of a formation barrier isn’t limitless.
The larger the structure, the harder it is to conceal with a formation barrier.
To create an entire palace invisible from the outside feels nearly impossible.
“I must admit, the Great Oni possesses extraordinary skills,”
While I hadn’t encountered anyone more skilled at mechanism engineering than that old man, I acknowledged his talents. Yet, it remained difficult to comprehend this scale.
It felt as if the building existed in an alternate dimension.
“…Where could Gu Huibi be?”
Regardless, the most pressing concern was locating Gu Huibi.
Since I had recently used the Marble of Celestial Captivation, I couldn’t activate it again until it regained its glow.
The orange light of the marble only indicated a straight route to my target, with no guidance on how to traverse it—direct manual searching was my only option.
“She seems to be somewhere underground.”
Given the light was aimed down, it suggested Gu Huibi was in the basement.
Swish!
While I was lost in thought, a sword sliced by my face.
Blood splattered as an enemy fell to the ground.
“Enemy. Focus.”
“Thanks.”
Namgung Bi-ah seemed to have already handled the threat approaching from the front.
“How did she manage that?”
Regardless of my numerous musings, my skills shouldn’t be inferior to hers.
Yet, Namgung Bi-ah had somehow detected the incoming threats before I could.
“Is it just a difference in our senses?”
From locating the formation’s weakness to sensing enemies ahead of me—the disparity baffled me.
“Intruder!”
Crunch!
“Gah…!!”
The man, about to shout in alarm, crumpled to the ground, his neck twisted grotesquely.
Even as I pondered, my hand continued to swing incessantly.
There was no way the palace lacked defenders, even amidst chaos outside.
With that said, it was evident that Namgung Bi-ah was excelling far beyond my expectations.
“No hesitation.”
Despite this being her first kill, she displayed zero hesitation.
This was beyond extraordinary.
“Even for me…”
Upon recalling my first kill in this life, my young body shuddered at the act of taking life.
In my previous life,
“I was sick for some time.”
I vividly remembered struggling for days after.
Yet Namgung Bi-ah exhibited no such distress.
“Gahhh…!”
Another foe met their demise under the force of Namgung Bi-ah’s lightning.
“She’s remarkably skilled.”
Her handling of Lightning Qi around her sword was smooth—almost eerily so.
“Above!”
At her command, I released flames skyward.
I had sensed it this time.
Fiery tendrils ascended towards the ceiling.
“Gahhh!”
The enemies trying to ambush us got engulfed in flames, plummeting to the ground.
As I eliminated the attackers, Namgung Bi-ah concluded the cleanup.
“Why does our combination feel so seamless?”
Although we had never coordinated before, our teamwork seemed oddly perfect.
“To be fair, this aspect worked well before.”
Thinking back to my chaotic partnership with the Demonic Sword Queen, our combat synergy used to mesh without needing any words at all.
That had been back when both of us were more adept than we were now; we instinctively adjusted to one another’s moves.
Now, though, things were different—this was simply a display of our compatibility in action.
As we continued to delve deeper into the palace,
“—!”
Suddenly, a flash of light startled me.
I hastily dodged the sword aimed at me and, in that exact moment, Namgung Bi-ah shot forward with her sword, unleashing a wave of qi toward the assailant.
Her attack, radiating lightning, was sharp and filled with vigor.
“Bang!”
The opponent shattered her strike mid-air, proving a formidable contender.
My qi surged as I studied the adversary.
“Who dares sneak around like this? Ah, it’s you.”
“Cackle.”
A gravelly voice echoed from the man, whose appearance caused my brow to furrow.
He wore a dark uniform and wielded a sword.
“Damn.”
Though I had no clue what his name was, I sensed he was strong.
The fact I couldn’t ascertain his level solidified that.
“Is he above the Fusion realm?”
I couldn’t be certain, but he certainly exuded power.
“You look younger than expected. What are you d—”
Before the senior could finish, Namgung Bi-ah lunged forward.
Her lightning-infused sword traced a fierce arc as she attempted a strike.
The man quickly raised his sword;
Clang!
The clash reverberated harshly—not simply a meeting of two blades.
“You!”
Shock painted the older man’s face as he staggered back, wide-eyed.
He likely gauged Namgung Bi-ah’s strength from that exchange.
Recognizing that she wasn’t below his level, he felt conflicting emotions.
Driven by instinct, Namgung Bi-ah again surged forward without a moment’s hesitation.
The sword route she carved through the air felt different than my previous observations.
It was sharper, faster, and
“Something’s transformed.”
I could only guess as I wasn’t a swordsman but was certain something had changed.
“…Wow.”
Elder Shin expressed his admiration for Namgung Bi-ah’s display.
“This girl truly is the Namgung Clan’s miracle.”
He praised her highly, almost gleefully; yet I secretly wished he would be quiet in moments like this.
Just as the man prepared to maneuver after blocking Namgung Bi-ah’s blade, I charged forward.
“Y-you!”
His eyes flared with determination, keen not to repeat his mistake.
“Fire!”
But encased in azure flames thanks to my blood qi, I was quicker than he anticipated.
“—!”
His sword, meant for attack, swiftly transformed into defense upon witnessing my speed.
My fist, aimed at his sword, collided.
“Boom—!”
My qi-charged fist made contact, creating a shockwave that sent him sprawling back.
As he rolled on the ground, he soon regained his stance.
Impressively, he seemed relatively unscathed, as my intention was simply to knock him away.
“Those bastards! How dare you?!”
Fuming, the man summoned his Combat Qi, only to grimace at the sight of the flames in my hand.
“What’re you planning?!”
He appeared to grasp my intent; I swiftly reeled Namgung Bi-ah closer before detonating the gathered flames in my grip.
The man tried to swing his sword in response, yet Namgung Bi-ah intercepted with her own sword qi.
Thanks to her timely action, I successfully unleashed my flames.
“Boom—!”
“Crash—!”
The flames roared, sweeping through ceilings and flooring, causing walls to collapse.
Chunks of debris fell away, revealing yet another wall behind them.
“Phew.”
I drew in a deep breath after retracting my qi and sighed in relief.
The reverberations from using the blood qi had my body reeling, but I had to persevere.
“Hurry, you won’t be able to hold out too long.”
“I know.”
This was merely a delaying tactic.
From the earlier encounter, it was clear to me that the enemy was a Fusion Realm martial artist.
I had no assurance of defeating him even with Namgung Bi-ah on my side, especially since other enemies were bound to arrive shortly.
“They probably realized from the noise.”
Consequently, I had to avoid confrontation and keep moving.
I spoke to Namgung Bi-ah, who wore a disappointed expression while fixating on the wall.
“I’m going down.”
“What?”
Upon my declaration, Namgung Bi-ah scanned the area but found no visible staircase leading downward.
I planned to borrow some experience from my former life.
“I didn’t want to resort to such a reckless method…”
Yet given the imminent arrival of adversaries, I saw no alternative.
Summoning my qi, I conjured flames in my palm.
The earlier backlash hadn’t completely subsided, and the surge of qi forced my dantian to protest violently.
Yet I couldn’t afford to dwell on that right now, so I ignored it.
“If there’s no path, I must create one.”
After all, destruction was my forte.
Without hesitation, I extended my hand toward the floor, and flames erupted as the ground gave way.
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