Chapter 16

[It seems a battle has broken out.]

The group running right next to Namgung Woo’s party.

At the forefront of the Paeng Family’s martial artists, Paeng Mu-ho sent a Whispering Transmission to Paeng Ha-ryeong.

Paeng Ha-ryeong, being a proper Peak Master, responded with a Whispering Transmission as well.

[The energy waves are quite intense.]

[Yes. They must at least be Peak Masters.]

[It seems their speed is increasing. We should also increase our speed… Uncle.]

Piiiiiiii-

Piii-

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A signal arrow was shot. A long sound followed by two short ones.

It was a prearranged signal regarding the type of Ghost Gate they had planned.

“Spirit-type… This is going to be troublesome.”

Paeng Mu-ho spoke aloud.

Since the situation with Namgung Woo was still uncertain, they had exchanged opinions via Whispering Transmission, but the Ghost Gate Sealing Battle was different, so other Paeng Family martial artists needed to hear as well.

“Ha-ryeong, what will you do?”

At Paeng Mu-ho’s question, conflict arose in Paeng Ha-ryeong’s heart.

In her heart, she wanted to follow Namgung Woo and see his true nature.

But the Wraith Ghosts were too dangerous.

After the Imperial Family moved the capital to Beijing, many martial factions in Hebei couldn’t withstand the Imperial pressure and either left for other regions or abandoned martial arts altogether to become officials. Yet, the Hebei Paeng Family managed to hold their ground. Why?

Did they abandon their original base in Beijing and move to Tianjin on their own? Did they side with Yongle Emperor, the victor in the civil war between Jianwen Emperor and Yongle Emperor? Or did they send their martial artists to the Imperial Guards to prove their loyalty after Beijing became the capital of the Ming Dynasty?

That might be part of it.

But there was a more fundamental reason. The Paeng Family could survive and maintain their influence in Hebei because they had the support of the people. As a prestigious family that walked the righteous path and devoted themselves to the common folk, the people themselves stood up to protect them, which is why the Imperial Family allowed the Paeng Family to remain in Hebei.

This was in stark contrast to the Jinzhou Yan Family, another martial family in Hebei, which was driven out.

Thus, the Hebei Paeng Family must not abandon the common folk. They simply cannot.

Paeng Ha-ryeong closed her eyes tightly, then opened them and made a decision.

“…Paeng Wi, Paeng Sa-beon, Paeng U-chaek, the three of you, spread out and assist the martial artists. First-rate martial artists can handle Wraith Ghosts, but without a Peak Master, it will be difficult to exterminate them.”

“We will follow your orders.”

The three named individuals answered in unison.

“Hurry. If even one Wraith Ghost enters Muan County, it could lead to a disaster.”

Demons do not remain in their initial state after birth.

They grow. And unlike humans, who are inevitably influenced by time, their growth rate is unparalleled, becoming stronger at an alarming speed.

Their growth method is not through energy accumulation, meditation, or training, but simply through devouring.

“Uncle, let’s go too. We need to close the Ghost Gate.”

Paeng Mu-ho was one of the top masters in the Paeng Family. Although he hadn’t crossed the threshold of the Transcendent Peak, he could still manage to close a blue-level Ghost Gate.

That was all they had now.

‘I don’t know how strong that man Nam Woo is… but choosing the sure path is the right decision.’

If that man truly could become Paeng Ha-ryeong’s, and by extension, the Paeng Family’s hope, he would surely make his mark even without Paeng Ha-ryeong by his side.

Believing so, Paeng Ha-ryeong adjusted her course to narrow the encirclement of the Ghost Gate as much as possible.

§

‘They’re getting further away.’

Namgung Woo sensed the presence of those beside him gradually distancing.

For some reason, the Paeng Family martial artists who had been maintaining a distance while following him had now scattered. Confirming that they had dispersed, Namgung Woo retracted the energy sense he had spread out widely.

The internal energy he had spread out according to his will gathered back. His internal energy control had now reached a considerable level of mastery.

However, unaware that Namgung Woo had been expanding his energy sense invisibly, the Yang Brothers were too distracted by the scene unfolding before them to offer urgent advice.

“Young Hero! You need to conserve your internal energy! The number of these guys is no joke!”

“Damn it! Is this really red-level? Anyone can see it’s blue-level!”

Swish! Slash!

Namgung Woo, taking the front, didn’t bother dealing with the Wraith Ghosts targeting the sides. He left those to the Yang Brothers.

He had already assessed the brothers’ level. They could handle that much, he calculated.

So, Namgung Woo himself only needed to freely slash through the ghost-like beings blocking his path.

Namgung Woo’s sword flashed once more.

Swoosh!

“Using Flying Sword Energy again! Young Hero, I told you to conserve your internal energy!”

“It’s fine.”

The Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy filling his Lower Dantian was bottomless. Even after continuously manifesting sword energy and using Flying Sword Energy since taking the vanguard, the Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy not only didn’t weaken but grew even more intense.

Moreover, Namgung Woo had not just the internal energy in his Lower Dantian but also two other Dantians comparable to it.

The Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantians.

Namgung Woo filled each Dantian with different internal energies. One might wonder why he didn’t unify them under a single method, but filling all three Dantians with one internal energy was also a highly difficult task.

The internal energy method varies greatly depending on which Dantian is used.

The Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Regular Meridians. Including all the body’s meridians, the pathways of energy flow are countless. The circulation path of the internal energy method refers to how it cycles through these meridians, so the effectiveness changes significantly depending on which Dantian is the center of circulation.

The Lower Dantian’s Qihai point, the Middle Dantian’s Yutang point, and the Upper Dantian’s Yintang point.

The Qihai and Yutang points belong to the Conception Vessel, but the Yintang point belongs to the 48 points not included in the 14 meridians.

Thus, internal energy methods centered on the Lower Dantian can naturally train the Middle Dantian as they belong to the same Conception Vessel, but the Upper Dantian is a completely separate realm. Moreover, Lower Dantian methods can open the Middle Dantian but rarely include the Upper Dantian.

For example, the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art is a method centered on the Lower Dantian, aiming to spread its thunderous power throughout the limbs, primarily dealing with the meridians of the Twelve Regular Meridians.

Thus, it doesn’t significantly involve the Middle Dantian’s Yutang point or the Upper Dantian’s Yintang point, making it unsuitable for the Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy to reside there.

While it’s possible to forcibly store internal energy in a Dantian not included in the circulation path, it’s an inefficient choice with no real need.

On the other hand, the internal energy residing in Namgung Woo’s Middle Dantian, the Vast Heaven Divine Art, is different.

The concept embodied by the Vast Heaven Divine Art is the vast, unchanging sky that stretches endlessly.

In other words, the Vast Heaven Divine Art strengthens the body’s homeostasis by focusing on the Middle Dantian, the body’s center, and circulating energy through the internal organs.

In short, as long as the conflicting attributes don’t harm the body, there’s no need to obsess over a single internal energy. While simultaneously holding orthodox internal energy and demonic arts internal energy would be sheer madness, internal energies of the same lineage can complement each other.

Of course, one might argue that mastering multiple internal energies is less efficient than mastering a single method that trains all three Dantians. Indeed, many martial artists have attempted this challenge.

And there have been meaningful results. Shaolin’s Muscle-Tendon Change and Marrow-Cleansing Classic, Huashan Sect’s Purple Mist Divine Art, Heonwon Family’s Yellow Emperor True Scripture… There are martial arts that train all three Dantians simultaneously.

However, martial arts that truly demonstrate effectiveness like these are extremely rare.

It’s not for nothing that such effective martial arts are called Divine Arts and become the secret techniques of major sects.

To put it simply, even if Namgung Woo exhausts the Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy in his Lower Dantian, he still has the Vast Heaven Divine Energy in his Middle Dantian.

Knowing this, Namgung Woo didn’t hold back and poured out the Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy freely.

Platinum lightning radiated brilliantly from the foot of Wolryong Mountain. The Wraith Ghosts blocking Namgung Woo disappeared one after another without even a scream before the lightning surging from the ground.

‘This is too easy.’

Pouring out sword energy freely, he didn’t even need to use sword techniques.

Simply imbuing the Ten Iron Sword Techniques with sword energy unleashed power akin to ancient sword techniques.

While it was fine to use internal energy freely now, it was far from enough to quench his thirst for martial arts.

“Brother Jeong, do the enemies get stronger as we get closer to the Ghost Gate?”

“N-Not particularly…”

“Hmm…”

Yet, the ones guarding the front of the Ghost Gate seemed to possess a different level of energy compared to the Wraith Ghosts seen so far.

Namgung Woo pondered this internally but soon dismissed it. He would see for himself when he got there.

“…The Paeng Family has reached the Ghost Gate first. Let’s increase our speed a bit more.”

“From here?”

“B-Brother… Sorry, but this is already our maximum speed.”

The reason Paeng Ha-ryeong and Paeng Mu-ho reached the Ghost Gate before Namgung Woo wasn’t because they were stronger.

Unlike Namgung Woo, the two didn’t have to match their speed with others. As fully matured Peak Masters, they fully utilized the Paeng Family’s renowned movement technique, naturally outpacing Namgung Woo.

‘We need to arrive before they close the Ghost Gate.’

At Namgung Woo’s silence, the Yang Brothers, now mere baggage contrary to their purpose, stood awkwardly, waiting for Namgung Woo’s next words.

Yang Kwae subtly glanced at Yang Jeong.

‘Can we two turn back?’

Without a Whispering Transmission or a word, the twin brother, having been together for over 20 years, understood his elder brother’s intention perfectly.

‘It’s possible. All the Wraith Ghosts have been annihilated by the Young Hero’s sword energy.’

‘But isn’t it a bit… inappropriate to leave now?’

‘Exactly. We should stick to the end. How many masters who use Thunder Qi are there?’

For the Yang Brothers, this moment was akin to a rare opportunity.

Just as Song Chaeji had gained a small insight from Namgung Woo’s Divine Sword Unity, the Yang Brothers were also learning from Namgung Woo’s sword energy, which wielded Thunder Qi.

Thunder Qi, fierce and unpredictable, was harder to control than other energies. This was why the Yang Brothers, despite their excellent internal energy method, hadn’t mastered other corresponding martial arts.

“Young Brother, um, sorry, but could you eliminate all the Wraith Ghosts? If they don’t come our way, we can focus solely on our movement technique and maybe increase our speed.”

“Of course, asking this with just words is…”

“Let’s do that.”