Chapter 83

“Those eyes hold the glow of dawn, staring straight at Oeum Maje Aban.”

The blue protective aura of Heavenly Aura circled around Namgung Woo, rising with the Heavenly Wind Body Technique. It felt like standing before a divine figure wrapped in the fabric of the sky, gently swaying.

‘The descendant of a fallen clan. All the remaining strength must be crammed into that one body.’

It was a state of power that couldn’t be comprehended otherwise.

The Namgung Family’s hidden techniques, elixirs, and even secret martial arts were all gathered to forge this ultimate sword—a final masterpiece. To Oeum Maje’s eyes, Namgung Woo was exactly that.

Oeum Maje clenched his hands.

‘The rookie I first met who fumbled around is now exuding the aura of a true martial artist.’

When they crossed paths at Jegal Family’s estate, he should have crushed him, even if it meant going out of his way. At that time, Oeum Maje was unaware of the gap between their realms and, due to his health being less than perfect, had avoided the fight.

Even in their second proper confrontation at Hyangmun Mountain, Oeum Maje held the upper hand. Despite Namgung Woo teaming up with Taemun Jinin, they failed to cut off Oeum Maje’s breath—that was proof.

But now.

Namgung Woo stepped into the very spot where Oeum Maje had stood.

‘Not yet. Not complete yet. This time, I will definitely kill you.’

Determined, Oeum Maje’s resolve seeped into his internal energy, turning it into an even deeper darkness.

As two of the world’s peerless warriors pledged their lives to the fight, those around them recoiled in horror, creating space.

A circle of ten feet formed in the blink of an eye.

Orthodox and unorthodox.

Even in the midst of fighting, the strongest representatives of each faction kept a part of their minds open, waiting for this titanic clash.

Bang!

It was Namgung Woo who initiated the attack. In an instant, he unleashed an extraordinary Protective Divine Technique.

With Heavenly Wind Body Technique and Infinite Steps, it became an unstoppable whirlwind as Namgung Woo charged in. The Sword Aura that enveloped his sword brimmed with Thunder Qi.

Namgung Woo’s most trusted technique, the Thirteen Thunder Swords, revealed its essence from the very start. A single sword strike slicing through the world—the Single Flash of Extreme Light.

Whoosh─!!

But the opponent was no ordinary martial artist.

Oeum Maje Aban.

Amidst the great upheaval caused by Blood Sect’s machinations, the high-level masters dubbed the Seventeen Heavenly Warriors were replaced, and those who proved their martial arts against Blood Sect earned a new name, with Aban standing proudly among them.

Ten Hegemons of the Nine Provinces. The new era’s main characters who pushed aside the age of the Seventeen Heavenly Warriors.

Though the glory of the Ten Hegemons has faded, and the absolute beings known as the Three Poles and Twelve Honored Ones have taken their place, it has barely been a century since Oeum Maje’s name shook the world.

The gleam of Single Flash of Extreme Light was caught in Oeum Maje’s grasp, stopping it dead.

Oeum Maje’s internal technique, Unashamed Leaking Technique, transformed into the unstoppable power of the Ten Thousand Transformations Destruction Hand.

Whatever was caught in that hand would lose its original form and crumble away. The greatest achievements of mankind, the very starlight pulled from the cosmos into this world by the touch of created beings, would merely be a flicker within his grasp.

Crack—

Namgung Woo heard it. The sound of the sword cracking as he squeezed the Sword Aura with all his might.

‘This is absurd….’

Absurd?

Namgung Woo denied that thought as soon as it surfaced.

Nothing was impossible. At least not in this world.

Martial arts and techniques—they were already powers considered monstrous to him.

Everything is possible. What was lacking were faith and skill. So thought he rightly, for the foundation of martial arts lies in the resolve of the practitioner.

So then, this too would be entirely possible.

Crack-Chunk!

“The Sword Aura?”

The Sword Aura surrounding the blade shattered into pieces. Typically, when a solidified energy like Sword Qi or Sword Aura loses its flow, it shatters and disperses.

However, the shards of aura that Namgung Woo intentionally split preserved both their original shape and strength.

Namgung Woo saw it—the essence of the Qi that remained true to its form even when completely separated from the body. And he saw Oeum Maje’s method of transforming Aura Energy into his own.

From the moment he caught sight of it, it became part of Namgung Woo’s knowledge.

With a deafening resonance he couldn’t quite express, an energy surged, and a battle cry slipped from Oeum Maje’s lips.

“Huff!”

As the Sword Aura shattered, Oeum Maje realized what Namgung Woo was about to do.

Splitting the Aura Energy and firing it like an artillery shot. Oeum Maje turned his attention to the concentrated powers within the Ten Thousand Transformations Destruction Hand, wrapping his entire body with the protective aura.

Each fragment felt like a thunderclap. Even as he quickly drew back, the destructive force of the energy thudded deeply into his bones.

But Namgung Woo’s tactic was merely a temporary measure.

Although he implemented it splendidly with incredible control over his internal energy and resolute mindset, it lacked the strength needed to put down Oeum Maje.

“Now, you’re quite crafty, adapting on the fly.”

Oeum Maje laughed, opening and closing his hands with a smirk. This exchange—superficially it appeared that Oeum Maje had suffered a setback, but in reality, it was Namgung Woo who was at a disadvantage.

The consumption of internal energy mattered little among peerless masters. Here, it was a battle of mental strength more than anything.

The difference in mental strength accumulated during this exchange was clearly greater on Namgung Woo’s side. Moreover, he was also damaging his own weapon. Unlike Oeum Maje, who focused on techniques, Namgung Woo was a swordsman at heart.

Transcendent Peak or Aura Sword techniques could substitute, but that was like shooting himself in the foot by doubling the mental energy expenditure in an already difficult fight.

“Well then, it’s my turn to lead the charge.”

§

It was a breathtaking battle.

Why is it that we revere the masters who have reached the pinnacle of their arts as otherworldly beings? You could feel it coursing through your skin.

Just being next to it feels surreal; what would it be like to face that experience head-on?

Perhaps you’d just give up.

All will crushed, losing the will to resist, accepting nothing but the approach of death.

Jegal Jun thought this.

“…This is the worst.”

The unintentional honesty slipped out.

It wasn’t because Namgung Woo, their hope, demonstrated a weakness.

Rather, he couldn’t stand the embarrassment of accepting defeat even before putting up a fight. What hurt even more was the faint sense of relief.

Right, he was strong. It couldn’t be helped. There was that much of a gap. He had done his best…

Shaking his head violently at the sickening self-rationalization, Jegal Jun scolded himself.

‘Stop thinking, Jegal Jun. Right now, you must focus solely on fulfilling your duty as a member of the Jegal Family.’

However, human emotions aren’t that easily tamed, so Jegal Jun instinctively sought out Paeng Ha-ryeong’s location.

For the sake of supporting a weaker presence, he rationalized to himself.

Unbeknownst to him, that was the mistake.

“Ah….”

This was the first time he saw Paeng Ha-ryeong in action.

He had heard the stories; Paeng Family’s Do-hee had put up quite the display.

Of course; Paeng Ha-ryeong was at least a Peak Master. Just being a Peak Master puts you in the top ten percent of the martial arts world.

But he thought there had to be some exaggeration in it. The Paeng Ha-ryeong he remembered had never even stepped foot into the peak and had only begun her journey earlier this year.

Yet here she was, effortlessly employing two styles in perfect synchronization. How could anyone say she was just at the beginning of the Peak?

A seasoned Peak Master? No, that couldn’t be it.

Jegal Jun believed he could reach that level too. Yet, Paeng Ha-ryeong’s movements were on a whole different level.

A massive mountain called Mu. Even if you reached the summit, just a glance to the side reveals another greater peak waiting.

And as you climb higher and higher, you eventually meet…

The summit.

A new realm called Transcendent Peak.

And Paeng Ha-ryeong was already climbing towards that summit, even further ahead than Jegal Jun.

A peak of absolute transcendence threatened the pinnacle he stood upon.

“Hahaha….”

He felt empty.

With his skill still inadequate to surpass even Paeng Ha-ryeong, he had attempted to defeat such a monster.

Even if they never met again, the precious feelings he cherished began to fade.

Accepting the monumental gap of strength he hadn’t truly grasped shifted Jegal Jun’s mind towards peace.

It was like a blind man thinking he could win against an elephant by just grabbing its leg, who finally opened his eyes to see the sheer size of the creature.

This too was a kind of enlightenment. As he slipped from his daze, he oddly found himself wanting to cheer purely for Namgung Woo as a member of the Jegal Family.

“Win, please.”

In that moment.

Crash-!

Namgung Woo’s sword shattered.

And at the same time, Jegal Jun caught sight of a woman passing him by.

‘A Female Taoist…?’

Thanks to having learned secrets arts, Jegal Jun could briefly catch sight of the Female Taoist’s appearance in that short moment.

A loose robe with tightly fitted attire underneath made his eyes dazzle, while her sharp features adorned with red makeup steadied his focus.

Before he could even think, “Is there such a woman?”, he quickly realized the direction she was running in and reached out.

“It’s dangerous! If you get caught up in this…!”

Swish—

Jegal Jun’s outstretched hand sliced through the air.

“Huh?”

The Female Taoist was gone.

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