Chapter: 743
The Four Heavenly Bodies of the Two Apostles.
An arrogant name that means creating the sky.
Considering that Oshik is a traitor, I think this may have been the name that Paejon intended.
Create the sky.
Break the sky.
I don’t know what it really means, but while Il-sik, I-sik, and Sam-sik are all single-hit martial arts, Changcheon isn’t a strike-based martial art.
If I had to compare, it’s similar to the process of activating the body using the heat from the Nine Flames Fire Wheel Technique.
The Tuapacheonmu was the martial art that made it easiest to achieve transcendence through artificial transformation.
The Four Heavenly Kings was an extension of it.
An artificial state of selflessness.
A momentary process that every human goes through to reach enlightenment.
It’s artificially created to touch that place.
That’s Changcheon.
With one movement, useless thoughts are erased, hesitation disappears, and energy naturally flows through the body.
As energy flows smoother, the power of martial arts becomes stronger.
This indicated a kind of physical awakening.
It feels like my power has doubled.
The problem is.
“The backlash is doubled.”
The insane efficiency of doubling the martial arts power naturally came with intense drawbacks.
At first, I had thought there couldn’t possibly be such a crazy martial art, but after using it, I understood.
If you misuse this, you die.
It was a warning I had received from the phantom when I first succeeded.
He advised me to only use it at the very end if possible.
He warned me that if I started using it from the middle, I’d be done for. He told me to be cautious until I got the hang of it, and after using Changcheon, I understood.
The Tuapacheonmu was already a painfully intense martial art, but the backlash from Changcheon was on another level entirely.
After using it once, I ended up bedridden for three days.
Just from that single shout!
Anyway…
Even though the backlash is filthy intense, let’s talk about the fact that when you use it, the firepower is absolutely incredible.
Thanks to that.
“Cough.”
The reason I could feel a decent amount of relief despite spitting blood was…
“Phew… What a waste.”
I wiped the blood smeared all over my lips.
At the same time, I looked straight ahead.
The scene hadn’t changed much.
The floor was still drenched in ink, and it was pitch black all around.
It looked just as it did the first time.
But.
[… It’s amazing.]
Looking at the old man in front of me, I managed to get up.
My chest felt hollow.
The old man had a massive hole in his upper body.
It was the result of the fight using the fistless Tuamu technique along with Changcheon.
“Since when did this start?”
The old man asked. I nodded in response to his question.
“What are you talking about?”
“I know that this whole process wasn’t done by instinct or chance. When did you start planning all this?”
“…”
Since when?
Of course.
“From the beginning.”
[…]
From the first moment I challenged the old man.
The calculation extended to this very moment when the fight ended.
Ah, I didn’t plan on bringing up Senior Dang Je-moon.
Other than that, everything was accurate.
But…
‘Not everything matched up; I just had several scenarios prepared.’
I had predicted the old man’s movements and prepared five or six different plans.
Then I just executed accordingly.
I knew my opponent had a form.
The effect of the retreat seemed to blend in with reality well.
Let’s first assume that.
“Ten chances.”
The ten opportunities the old man gave me. Attack with all my strength over those ten chances. Is that really someone I could reach?
“Nope.”
Not a chance.
I’ve always said to be thorough in self-objectivity.
Whether that old man is real or fake, he’s someone I cannot defeat.
So, what do I do?
“I have to make it possible for me to win.”
If I can’t win, I need to figure out a way to win.
Thus, I pondered.
“Let’s use those ten chances differently.”
To do that, I showcased my full power for the first seven rounds.
At this stage, I couldn’t afford to bluff.
The opponent would definitely catch on. I needed to attack with my real strength, and I did just that.
This is the very extent of my attack limit.
I made sure the opponent would notice that.
Honestly, it felt pretty awful.
“That was my true power, but I didn’t even scorch his collar.”
How is it possible I couldn’t even singe the old man’s collar after everything I’ve been through in my past and present lives?
It truly was a miserable life. But what can I do? Even if it sucks, I must find a way.
Seven.
Even though I should have utilized seven out of ten, the opponent would have learned.
This is my highest level of power.
If this works, then from the eighth chance onward, I’d introduce a surprise.
To suppress any possible doubts, I had to create anomalies.
I could do more than just summon flames.
There were other forces at play as well.
That’s why I was insistent on using the Tuapacheonmu technique.
Making them aware and introducing confusion, creating disarray.
I was also doing my utmost to prevent thought from racing too quickly.
I executed it ten times.
To be honest, my reasons were significant, but…
All ten of those variations lead to one conclusion.
“That old man doesn’t know about my return.”
Then, someone might ask, why didn’t I just not expose it in the first place?
“The old man said he was watching me.”
I was already conscious that the pottery of Shin Noya was within my body.
I’m not sure.
He might even know of the existence of Guijeong.
That would perhaps make this approach faster.
Plan, plan, plan, and then fight.
Even if it’s a filthy and shameless battle, this is the right approach.
There might be no honor in a dogfight, but survival surely exists.
That was what mattered more to me.
“Haha… That’s amazing.”
The old man let out a laugh mixed with admiration after hearing this.
Swish.
“…!”
At that moment, I saw the old man’s body gradually healing.
Wait, is this messed up?
I didn’t think he’d die or anything since he was a spirit, but isn’t that a bit excessive?
When I thought I needed to come up with the next plan…
“You’ve won.”
The old man said to me with a smile.
“I acknowledge it. I lost, and you won.”
“…”
At last, the old man admitted his defeat.
Thud.
“Whew…”
Only after hearing those words could I finally sit down.
I felt as if all my strength melted away.
“Man, this was really hard…”
As I sighed and released my breath, the old man nodded.
“Are you believing this so easily? How did you know I wouldn’t be babbling nonsense?”
“You’re the one who said that.”
“Hmm?”
“You’ll know when blades clash. I’m not that different.”
The old man definitely wasn’t one to spout nonsense.
Such matters were easily inferred from the confrontation we just shared.
“You may seem like a weakling, but this place is quite different. You’re a unique fellow.”
“I hear that often.”
“Then, Aesong-ah.”
“Yes.”
“What had you just mentioned?”
“What?”
“That Dang Je-moon was a woman.”
“Ah.”
-Dang Je-moon is female.
Word I spat out to buy some time for Changcheon.
It wasn’t a gamble about the others, but this was a real bet.
Thank goodness it worked; otherwise, I’d have been done for.
As I recalled this, I let out a chuckle.
“Well then.”
“Huh?”
It was clear that I had no intention of answering.
The old man displayed a look of disbelief.
While looking at him, I waved my hand.
Whoosh!
Then the tied Guijeong unraveled into bandage form and I tossed it towards the old man.
Plop.
The bandage rolled and landed firmly in the old man’s hand.
“Well played.”
“…”
The old man’s eyes reflecting upon the returned Guijeong looked quite strange.
“Hey, kid.”
“I’m listening.”
“Did I say you were my reincarnation?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard.”
I stood up again.
My whole body ached. The backlash was slowly creeping in.
Does pain remain the same even in an imagined space?
I briefly wondered what would happen when I returned to where I was.
“Just looking at you… I guess that might really be the case.”
Did Guijeong gain faith from what I said?
“That’s odd. How could you not be the child of the volcano?”
“…”
Such cryptic words.
Upon hearing that, I cleared my throat slightly. It was something I had heard too many times.
“I am the reincarnation of Shin Noya.” That popped up again.
Not long ago, Hwang Ah-bul-yeong said something about that while looking at Noya.
“Failure.”
Long after he should have been reborn in the volcano, Noya failed his reincarnation and became a ghost.
As the realization dawned upon Hwang Ah-bul-yeong, he fell into despair over it.
That signified it was a matter of grave importance.
“Hey, kid. If you…”
“Just a moment.”
I cut off the old man’s words with a raised hand.
“I’m sorry, but shouldn’t this situation require me to ask questions? Why are you sneaking in questions?”
The victor of the bet was supposed to be the one asking. The old man kept firing questions at me.
That was utterly absurd.
“Oh dear, I’ve been caught.”
The old man’s expression reflected an air of regret.
“That guy…? Were you doing this even though you already knew?”
That’s ridiculous. How can a Taoist be so shameless?
I frowned and immediately shot him a question.
“What are you?”
Finally, it was my turn.
“I mentioned it from the start, but I am a volcano’s…”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
“Then what are you asking?”
“I’ve already met the Volcanic Sword.”
“…What?”
“Not you. It was someone else, but…”
As I mentioned Shin Noya, the old man’s reaction was remarkably profound.
While watching his reaction, I added more explanation.
“Though not in detail, I summarized what happened from my encounter with Shin Noya till now.”
And then…
“What does that mean?”
The old man’s perplexed reaction was evident.
“I can’t trust you are real because of that.”
“…”
“…Circumstantially it seems like you truly are the real Volcanic Sword…”
Circumstantial evidence and feelings were definitely in sync.
Nevertheless…
“No matter how much I think about it, you just don’t come off as real.” What on earth are you?
“What are you doing here?”
The old man’s reaction to that question was…
[…]
First, silence engulfed the moment.
I couldn’t tell if he needed time to gather his thoughts, or if he was simply shocked, or maybe both.
I waited for the old man’s response.
For some strange reason, I really felt like that was necessary.
After quite a wait like that.
“I see.”
The old man spoke in a calm tone.
“So, that was it.”
There was a strange sadness laced in his tone that suggested he understood something profound.
“Hey, kid.”
“Yes.”
“You mentioned that the Shincheol you know doesn’t remember his end.”
“Yes.”
Shin Noya’s memories were like that:
Immediately after the seal of the Blood Demon was finalized, he led a life clinging to the position of the long man.
In the midst of that monotonous day-to-day life, he awoke to find himself sealed within a ghost.
That wasn’t all.
Noya’s memories were not intact. There existed far too many blank spaces here and there.
As time flowed on, it seemed he would realize some things, but that indicated he and the old man in front of me were in different circumstances.
“Hearing that, I am now starting to understand.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something that’s always remained a question.”
Swish.
The old man took a step closer to me.
“Hey, kid. Do you know where this place is?”
“…Are you talking about here?”
The ink that coated the floor and the dark energy that enveloped the sky.
“I really don’t know.”
It was a space I had no knowledge of.
I simply thought it was an imaginary realm.
The old man then responded.
“This is the volcano.”
“What?”
That response hit me as rather shocking.
“…What did you say?”
A volcano?
I looked around after hearing it.
What kind of nonsense is that?
How could this possibly be called a volcano?
I’ve been to one, so I know.
It’s a mountain adorned with vibrant blossoms and azure light.
The place is filled with plum trees blooming to their fullest, immersed in an eternal fragrance of flowers.
Knowing this, I couldn’t help but frown.
“To be precise… it used to be a volcano.”
The old man continued in a somber tone.
“You said it yourself; this world was indeed sealed by the Blood Demon.”
“…Yes.”
Truthfully, it wasn’t entirely successful.
Although the Blood Demon was still roaming about, my answer confirmed some underlying truth.
The old man wore a bitter smile at my words.
“Ah, I see.”
“Why are you saying that?”
“No. I yearned for it, but in the end, I realized it was nothing more than a mere dream.”
Splash.
The old man sank down to the floor without strength.
As he sat, ripples formed in the water and spread outwards.
It was a gentle wave.
“It was strange. There was no way I could encounter the child of the volcano. I must have drifted away in hope and dreamt foolishly…”
“…Uh, what the heck is that…”
“‘We’ couldn’t avert the Blood Demon.”
“…What?”
At that moment, irritation bubbled up inside me as I strived to comprehend his words.
The old man’s declaration left me utterly speechless.
It couldn’t be—
“We… ultimately could not stop the Blood Demon, and this place is a volcano collapsed by his hand.”
It was an utterly astonishing revelation.
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