Chapter 495

Around Qing, martial artists stood guard with their fists clenched like protective sentinels.

In the treasure room behind, those sketching the Heart Consumption Technique wore expressions of intense focus, driven by a burning thirst.

Thanks to that, Qing could take a breather.

Wow, this actually works!

This is why being a scholarly type saved me!

If I were more logical about it, calculating the strengths of both sides, I would’ve rationally concluded that there’s no hope and then offed myself.

Yeah, this is the victory of emotions, the greatness of the scholarly way!

Qing gazed at the sturdy backs of the martial artists guarding her, gently closing her eyes.

Another massive barrier of blood rose in the isolated swamp, revealing an entrance created by the peculiar flow of fluid.

Entrance to Demon! Third attempt.

This is the terror of the Entrance to Demon.

For now, it’s an easy realization.

Martial arts fundamentally aim to kill people, right?

The best martial arts are those that do just that.

In fact, this is something talked about from the lowly martial artists to the supreme beings; once you truly understand and agree with it, the door to the Entrance to Demon opens wide.

But there’s something even scarier.

The constant temptation!

Upon reflection, even if I thought the Entrance to Demon wasn’t for me and gave up, I could easily step into that realm again.

Once you gain that knowledge, you can enter whenever you like, unlike normal realizations where you must wait for the next insight after losing your current one.

It’s truly an irresistible temptation.

Just shut your eyes and jump through the door, and you’ll become a representative of the Realm of Transformation.

It’s the true transcendent realm that bends the laws of nature, making it possible to step into the realm of martial arts.

Though, you might end up getting swept away by the martial arts.

-…….

I oddly felt like the eyeless monstrosity was looking down at me with a chilly gaze.

What’s wrong, are you sulking? Upset?

So, what are you gonna do about it?

Qing dashed into the blood that had risen beyond the door, plunging in like a dolphin, creating a graceful arc.

The viscous liquid clung to her body.

The rusty smell of iron filled her lungs, overwhelming her, tickling her bladder with its intensity.

And the sounds from outside echoed in her submerged ears.

-Behind you! Behind! The witch is at it again!

-Wait! Stop right there! You can’t pass through here!

-Guard the Supreme Brain-slaying Young Lady! Absolutely protect the Supreme Brain-slaying Young Lady! Defend at all costs!

Qing smiled amid the blood.

The guards were reassuring.

Guarding against the witch from the Blood Sect means a blood guard?

And since the blood is red, should it be the Red Guard then?

Blood is red, so Scarlet, no, that’s a bit much.

-Damn it! We can’t let her get through! That girl is about to enter the Entrance to Demon! If she becomes a demon wrapped in demonic arts, she’ll teach martial arts well! Doesn’t she know she’s already learning the Heart Consumption Technique? She’ll probably want to suck your hearts first!

Qing was enraged.

What kind of view is that of people?

Our brave warriors wouldn’t be fooled by such childish fabrications and incitements… A-hem.

Suddenly, her Innate Instinct rang an alarm.

The prickling in her dantian meant that an attack aimed at her lower abdomen was coming.

Sensing danger to her body, her consciousness woke up, following the natural order.

This wasn’t due to intelligence; even if Great Master Mucheondae himself came, instinct couldn’t be helped.

Feeling a rough tug at her ankles from beyond the ocean of malice, Qing was swiftly dragged away as if yanked horizontally.

When she opened her eyes, a blade was coming at her.

Clang. The blade was caught on Qing’s swinging arm and twirled away.

“Seriously, come on! Are we doing this amongst ourselves? You’re not gonna take my divine skill? Throw away the Heart Consumption Technique?”

One of the responding fools said back.

“Are you threatening us with divine skill right now, Young Lady? Isn’t the entire martial world your brotherhood? Why are you acting like a dictator withholding knowledge? Or is it just a lie to get out of a tight spot?”

Then hostile gazes pierced through.

What’s with this guy? Why is he so convincing?

Qing’s mind snapped back to reality.

“Uh, great hero, you are…?”

“I’m just a regular person named Jongjeongpil.”

Qing paused a moment.

Whenever someone calls themselves ‘regular’, they are anything but.

And sure enough.

“Chunha Orang!” “Doko Sword!” “Doko Sword!”

Having a three-character nickname isn’t normal.

Chunha Orang was one of the five strongest ronins, right?

That Yuradal uncle is a master of the Realm of Transformation, so this guy is probably a master too.

Then, the plump Pobidon widened his eyes.

“Jongjeong, brother? Why are you…?”

“Eldest brother.”

“Hey brother, why not come over here? You have the ability to earn divine skill without begging for it, right? Hmm?”

The bitter smile from Doko Sword Jongjeongpil emerged.

“Brother, I’ve wandered the martial world alone, without companionship throughout my short life. A solitary sword, Doko Sword. Do you know why? Because I could never find the reason for my birth, and thus, I roamed seeking that purpose, free from all ties to people and events, believing that I wouldn’t be able to find the true reason if I got tied down by human bonds.”

“Hmm.”

“Now that I’ve grasped the mission of this era, all I see is the future. A future where all martial artists unite and hone a common martial skill together. Achieving the peak of the martial arts, not alone but together, reaching the end of knowledge through everyone’s combined efforts! Then the martial world becomes the world, truly, under one sky, all of us climbing to that transcendent future!”

“No, brother, have you gone crazy listening to this nonsense…”

“No, brother, my mind is clearer than ever. My ideals gaze into the future, and my eyes are fixed on the present; I will use the moment when the world’s most precious divine skill becomes free from ownership as the first step towards my dream!”

Qing broke into a cold sweat watching his back.

What’s going on? Did a real-red radical just appear?

And not just any radical, but a radical of the Realm of Transformation!

As Qing was sweating profusely, feeling the pressure…

Jongjeongpil turned to her, revealing his ambitions.

Qing felt the urgency.

The atmosphere can’t get any redder!

“Ah, yes. Great hero Jongjeong. Um. Thank you for enlightening this lacking young lady. It seems the Supreme Brain-slaying Young Lady, the ultimate beauty in the world, was almost about to make a huge mistake. I once thought that being born with such stunning beauty, exceptional intelligence, and overwhelming talent was my greatest mistake, but now I realize I was close to making an even bigger blunder.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did the heavens give birth to this ultimate beauty called Supreme Brain-slaying Young Lady, but not to another? This Unyeonjeong, even by her existence is an egregious sinner that evokes the absurdity of this world. Being too good-looking is a crime, indeed. Ah, I am truly a dangerous beauty to the world, yes, I Unyeonjeong, the ultimate beauty personified.”

Originally, nonsense works to calm hostility and prevent hatred, providing a significant atmosphere shift.

As a minor side effect, it might make you look like a fool.

“No, seriously. You’re not ugly, but you aren’t that gorgeous either. Get a grip—”

“So, what if I share divine skill here to atone for that sin! Are you all ready?”

“……?”

“Is everyone ready to be reborn anew through divine skill?”

“Yes!” “Of course!”

This time several responses came back.

Qing shouted like a street performer, placing her palm to her ear.

“Everyone! We are brothers in revolution for a new era! We will shatter the vestiges of the old regime! Through the subjective study of martial arts by all! We shall all become transcendent beings, preparing to obliterate the heavenly realms!”

“Right!” “Yeah!” “Yes!” “I am ready!”

Encouraging responses were not much more than a street vendor begging for booze in the martial world.

Transcendent entertainment skills were akin to the pinnacle of divine martial arts.

As fiery support erupted, Qing clenched her fists, wrapping things up!

“Now! Look! I’m going to show you something! This is the mystery of divine skill!”

Then Qing closed her eyes, and an unpleasant array of colorful energy spilled outwards.

“Oooh! That’s divine skill!”

The blood-red terrain unfurled within her mind, and for some reason, the sky was pitch black. What happened to the mercury sun?

It was as if it had completely vacated.

Though its absence felt unsettling…

Qing didn’t care and dashed towards her strength.

So, fourth attempt to become a demon!

Plunging into the ocean of malice!

But a martial artist isn’t a fool.

At least Jongjeongpil isn’t a fool.

“Stop! Young lady, or rather Unyeonjeong, what kind of name is this? Anyway, you! Are you playing tricks again?”

Qing’s eyes sparkled.

“Ah, too bad. I was almost through.”

“You! I see you have no intention of sharing divine skill and are just wasting time with tricks—”

“Hey! Focus! My first martial arts technique! Soul Dispersing Blood!”

Isn’t that a terrifying martial arts move for scattering the mind and plucking the soul?

Besides, it’s the first technique, too.

That name carries the weight of the most grotesque demonic arts, and it’s not a joke.

“What the, suddenly!?”

“From the base, concentrate on captivating the heavens! The divine skill begins with standing correctly, so everyone, please stand up and follow!”

By the way, the terms heaven and earth refer to points in the human body.

In this moment, everyone holds their breath, eagerly listening, internal energy swirling as they try to adopt the standing position.

“From dantian to guan point, without leaning left or right, you must reach both sides evenly while flowing towards the blood sea and yang valley, hitting the three benchmarks, concentrating below the blood sea…”

It was quite a detailed commentary.

So, everyone there held their breath, listening to the secret technique, circulating their internal energy to properly assume the standing position.

“When you rise from your dantian, with strength allocated to the calf, the torrent should gracefully bypass the vital gate once again while reserving strength to swing!”

“Thus the internal energy returns to the dantian! So the energy should flow to the front and back while firmly supporting the landmarks! This is the first stage to grasp the opponent’s soul and standing correctly!”

Martial artists awkwardly tried to mimic the unfamiliar stance.

Heels lifted high, calves and thighs brimming with tension.

For reference, the buttocks are not the same as the rear end.

The part protruding from the pelvis corresponds to the individual’s anatomy—women’s being attractive, and men’s often seen as dirty, crass, and unsightly—a rounded area being called the buttocks.

Thus, the commonly referred to rear end actually represents only the upper half, with the lower being referred to as buttocks; the entire area being the buttocks.

Then, Qing relayed the bodily points sequentially, and some martial artists exclaimed in awe.

In actuality, blindly trusting and following the instructions given is a terrible method of offing oneself in the underperforming methods of self-destruction.

Messing it up can twist your bloodlines, leaving you neither alive nor dead as a laughingstock.

However, since the internal energy flowed naturally, those who followed felt the intricacies of that practice were not typical high-level martial arts.

Thus, the basic stance involved standing with heels high and shoulder relaxed, flowing the energy upward to heighten the internal flow.

“… So, standing straight leads you to walk correctly, but the divine skill’s motion must never cease. This step requires soft, noiseless footsteps while the heel moves a full inch. Here, the important part is…”

Martial artists awkwardly attempted to replicate the postures, but as expected for high-level martial arts, keeping their center was tricky.

Those at a higher level could also discern that the skill contained significant nuances of grace and fluidity.

Thus, the ones at the peak could imitate the divine skill’s movement quite credibly with the verbal instructions alone.

Everyone felt a bit queasy, both those executing and observing, as they sensed an unusual feeling.

“Is this right? I just can’t seem to make it work!”

“Hmm. Would you like me to show you a demonstration? It seems hard to manage just by manipulating the blood and sinews, doesn’t it? Here. Let me show you.”

With that, Qing showcased her first martial arts technique, demonstrating the proper stance.

Lifting her heels and stepping softly.

Every slight up and down motion flowed seamlessly through the back of her legs.

And the point of contact? Her butt.

Without a doubt, those heels lifted made her hips wider and her rear narrower in silhouette.

But Qing’s rear wasn’t just any rear.

It was epically huge, comparable to a mountain, igniting passion within any man.

The sheer mass swayed gracefully from side to side, astonishingly elegant despite its size!

With the delicate sound of her clothes brushing against her skin, it resonated softly, capturing everyone’s gaze.

From the front, her tearful, longing eyes drew the attention, evoking the sensation of desperation.

She was a delicate yet sultry beauty, and whenever she gazed at the men, their hearts would skip a beat.

Her steps, undulating between grace and virtue, were those of an unrivaled seductress, yet exuded purity and noble dignity.

The sound of soft footsteps.

The sound of fabric sliding against bare skin.

That fragile sound was the most beautiful sound in the world—so splendid that one might dare not swallow their spit for fear of breaking the moment.

A goddess had descended into the mortal realm, the unmatched beauty and most exalted lady.

That goddess glided between the mesmerized men, slipping through.

Thus, she ventured towards the corridors outside.

Noble Step One, Mind and Soul Dispersing!

To scatter the mind and pluck the soul.

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