Chapter 35

Anxiety.

That was the word to describe the atmosphere in the room.

Moyong Hye, though there was no Buddha statue, prayed to the Buddha in her heart and bowed.

Paeng Ja-ryeong, despite his nickname “Gentleman,” crossed his arms and kept fidgeting with his fingers.

Paeng Ha-ryeong, true to her sister’s nature, couldn’t sit still and kept pacing around.

The rest of the Paeng Family members, though they stayed in their places due to their duties, their expressions and subtle movements betrayed their anxious hearts.

“Hey, how long has it been?”

“Only two hours, brother.”

Yang Jeong sighed as he looked at Yang Kwae, who was sitting in a corner, shaking his legs nervously.

But Yang Jeong wasn’t in a great state either, so he couldn’t just sigh at his brother’s behavior.

“Should we just leave this to the Paeng Family and go spar?”

“Wasn’t it you who said we should wait for the boss?”

“Sigh… That’s true.”

At this rate, they might end up with a nervous breakdown.

“The Upper Dantian Martial Arts are more dangerous than other martial arts…”

The Upper Dantian, where the spirit resides. Even if the Lower Dantian is damaged, one can still live. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but damaging the Lower Dantian won’t kill or cripple someone. Though it might cripple them as a martial artist, but still.

That’s why even the Buddhist and Taoist sects, who value non-lethality, don’t hesitate to damage the Lower Dantian. They are martial arts masters, so they can precisely target only the Lower Dantian without causing other complications.

But the Middle Dantian is a bit different. The Middle Dantian is closely related to the internal organs and the body’s homeostasis. Located between the heart and lungs, if the Middle Dantian is carelessly damaged, it can affect the surrounding organs and leave lasting impairments.

Like not being able to breathe properly or developing heart disease. But if the surrounding organs aren’t affected, damaging the Middle Dantian won’t kill you. It will just impose some restrictions on your life. Still, it’s better than dying.

But it’s definitely more dangerous than the Lower Dantian, which is why the Buddhist and Taoist sects only allow Middle Dantian damage under the supervision of elders.

“But the Upper Dantian… one wrong move and you’re either a vegetable or dead.”

“Why did the Paeng Family so readily entrust their precious youngest daughter to the boss?”

“I don’t know either. The boss is extraordinary, after all. I heard she’s only 14, and her lifespan is probably nearing its limit. Maybe they took a gamble.”

“True. Given the limits of her condition, the Paeng Family must have been desperate.”

The two whispered in very low voices, afraid of being overheard. It was the lament of those who hadn’t yet reached the peak and couldn’t use Whispering Transmission.

Fortunately, the Paeng Family members didn’t seem to have the leisure to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Do you think the boss is putting so much effort into this for that reason?”

“Well… it’s not impossible. The Moyong Family also has connections…”

The fallen Namgung Family.

As the last warrior of that family, there must be a fate to bear.

“Above all, the Paeng Family has the Blade Sovereign.”

The Blade Sovereign.

One of the fifteen absolute rulers of the current martial world.

The Three Poles and Twelve Honored Ones.

The head of the Paeng Family is one of those absolute masters, one of only two among the Seven Great Families.

Though rated lower than the Heonwon Family, which has an absolute master of the Three Poles as its head, the Hapbuk Paeng Family is far ahead in pure martial power within the Seven Great Families.

If they could gain the support of the Hapbuk Paeng Family, it would be a great help in rebuilding their family.

“Honestly, I don’t think the boss considered such political aspects much.”

Just as Yang Kwae said that.

A massive wave of energy erupted from the training cave.

“Could it be!”

“Has something gone wrong!”

“Young Master, we must enter…!”

“Ugh, even if he’s our benefactor, entrusting the young lady to an outsider so easily…”

The Paeng Family martial artists were ready to rush in at any moment.

Paeng Ha-ryeong, thinking she had to stop them, blocked their path and a cold shout rang out.

“Do not act rashly!”

At Paeng Ja-ryeong’s shout, the Paeng Family martial artists froze in place.

“This was expected. And considering the boss’s level, if he had fallen into demonic possession, the aftermath would be much worse.”

With both the head of the Paeng Family and the elders away, Paeng Ja-ryeong was the strongest in the Paeng Family.

Paeng Ja-ryeong judged the situation not as Paeng Ye-ryeong’s older brother, but as the young master and the strongest martial artist of the Paeng Family.

“We wait.”

§

Namgung Woo compared the phenomenon he had encountered with what he had been doing.

What had he done? He had tried to control the external energy supplied through the Baihui Acupoint using the Void Spirit Divine Art and taught Paeng Ye-ryeong the Void Spirit Divine Art so she could control it herself.

‘This approach wasn’t wrong.’

Though their physiques were different, their essences were the same.

The Azure Tranquility Eyes were hardware. So outstanding that maintaining them could consume all energy and destroy other hardware.

Paeng Ye-ryeong’s physique was the same. Born with an open Upper Dantian, her body was naturally connected to the heavens.

Her spirit and mind reached a high metaphysical realm, but her physical body was born weak, unable to sustain it, leading to collapse.

What was needed was software to properly control this near-rampant hardware.

The Void Spirit Divine Art was an excellent operating system for that role.

‘The prognosis I saw with the Azure Tranquility Eyes showed that the Void Spirit Divine Art could control it. But why…’

Why had he fallen into this mysterious phenomenon?

“Foresight.”

“Foresight?”

“That’s the future.”

Hearing those words, Namgung Woo understood their meaning.

His own unbelievable deductive ability, combined with Paeng Ye-ryeong’s fragmented words, led him to the answer.

‘Indeed… they overlapped.’

The transcendent wisdom Paeng Ye-ryeong received in exchange for bearing the Heavenly Punishment of becoming a fool with an open celestial gate.

Namgung Woo’s Azure Tranquility Eyes, which allowed him to understand the mysteries and principles of the world just by seeing.

When these two miracles were bound by the Void Spirit Divine Art, a synergistic effect occurred, allowing him to see through the Azure Tranquility Eyes and think through the celestial gate’s world.

“I had faintly seen the future before. But this clear and broad foresight is a first.”

He looked down at all of Beijing burning in the sky.

Combining what the Azure Tranquility Eyes had seen, the opened celestial gate’s cognition foresaw the destruction of Beijing.

In other words.

“It’s not far in the future.”

“Yeah. At most, it won’t be more than ten days.”

Namgung Woo’s thoughts, borrowing Paeng Ye-ryeong’s wisdom, succeeded in sketching out part of the unfolding tragedy.

“The Ghost Gate has opened in Beijing.”

The suspicious Ghost Gate he had seen in Muan County.

Its transcendent danger and the hidden power behind it.

The near-supernatural wisdom that skipped intermediate steps and went straight to the answer found causality in it.

“Let’s go back. You don’t need the True Energy anymore, right?”

“I want to stay a bit longer. It’s the first time I’ve been able to handle Heavenly Profound so easily.”

Paeng Ye-ryeong was amazed.

The endless, distant energy of the outer universe, the Heavenly Profound energy. Even with transcendent wisdom, understanding it had been impossible. But the world seen through the Azure Tranquility Eyes was so simple and clear.

A sense of omnipotence, as if she could ascend to immortality right now, enveloped Paeng Ye-ryeong.

“That doesn’t seem like a good thought. Your boundaries are collapsing.”

From the outermost edge of the world they were seeing, the world was gradually collapsing.

And beyond that was their own unique world.

“It’s merging.”

The regret wasn’t just Paeng Ye-ryeong’s.

Namgung Woo also felt regret.

If they could stay in this state a bit longer, he could perfectly resolve the imbalance of his essence, energy, and spirit.

But staying here too long would cause their spirits to mix. The synergistic effect that allowed them to see the future was good, but they had become too deeply entangled.

“…It can’t be helped.”

“Have you fully mastered the Void Spirit Divine Art?”

“Yeah. You can stop the True Energy now.”

Hearing it once and experiencing it once was enough.

Namgung Woo had directly felt Paeng Ye-ryeong’s talent.

“Let’s go back.”

As Namgung Woo said that and withdrew the Void Spirit Divine Art from Paeng Ye-ryeong’s mind.

The two returned to the real world of the training cave.

Instead of the floating sensation, a harsh sense of reality returned, but the two closed their eyes and concentrated without a word.

Paeng Ye-ryeong to fully master the Void Spirit Divine Art and consolidate the energy of her Upper Dantian.

And Namgung Woo to organize the sudden inspiration he had received from Paeng Ye-ryeong’s celestial gate.

‘The three divine energies I’ve cultivated. The Three Heavenly Divine Energies. Maybe I can combine them into one.’

The Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art. The ultimate power of heaven, lightning, a supreme martial art.

The Vast Heaven Divine Art. The endless vastness of the heavens, encompassing all things, a martial art of the infinite.

The Void Spirit Divine Art. Understanding fullness through the emptiness of the heavens, a martial art of pure yin.

Supreme yang, infinite, pure yin.

The three were intertwined like the Taiji, maintaining balance.

The three energies each occupied a different Dantian, not mixing, as if they wouldn’t encroach on each other’s domains. But what if they could harmonize?

‘Maybe I can reach an even higher realm.’

It was a clue to ascension.

For now, it was just a small clue and a possibility.

But Namgung Woo, who had reached the peak of perfection, found a direction to move forward, which was a significant step.

‘First, I need to resolve the imbalance of essence and energy.’

But thanks to the recent experience, there had been considerable progress.

It was a matter of time.

As Namgung Woo organized his faint realization and opened his eyes, Paeng Ye-ryeong’s face filled his vision.

“What are you doing?”

“Hmm… Watching?”

Paeng Ye-ryeong leaned back slightly.

Perhaps she was curious about the Upper Dantian or the Azure Tranquility Eyes.

Since Paeng Ye-ryeong was already a bit different from ordinary people, Namgung Woo didn’t pay much attention and stood up.

“Let’s go. I hope not too much time has passed.”

§

The center of Beijing.

There stood the Forbidden City, the residence of the emperor.

Completed in the 18th year of Yongle, the Forbidden City had been the heart of the great empire for 56 years. Even now, after so much time, it was still grand and splendid.

No building around the Forbidden City dared to challenge the emperor’s authority by being built too high, but now a man was looking down at the Forbidden City from above.

Yi Ja-ryong.

A man who had risen to the shadows of Beijing despite the powerful imperial authority.

He stood atop Manse Mountain, the true mountain of the Forbidden City, looking down at the emperor’s residence with utmost disrespect.

“Magnificent.”

Yi Ja-ryong honestly remarked. The beauty of the Forbidden City as a mere architectural structure was unparalleled, but his eyes saw something more.

The Forbidden City was a world.

Based on feng shui, it was designed with 9,999 rooms to encompass all things, and materials from all over the land were gathered to unite the mortal realm.

It wasn’t just the large buildings or the overall structure. Every decoration, the arrangement of buildings, even each tile and brick had a magical significance.

The Forbidden City’s magic, layered with thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of spells, operated without conflict. Any sorcerer who saw it would marvel at the great wonder humanity had achieved.

Yi Ja-ryong also couldn’t forget the first time he saw the Forbidden City.

“But that’s why it’s precarious.”

This is not the emperor’s residence.

It’s just a shell to make the false owner seem real.

The divine lightning that struck when Yongle Emperor first completed the Forbidden City proves it.

Yi Ja-ryong looked up at the brightly shining Big Dipper and smiled.

His voice melted into the darkness.

“Soon, the world will know who the true son of heaven is.”

The True Son of Heaven.

The true incarnation of the Purple Star.

Me, Yi Ja-ryong.

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