Chapter 85

To the north of the Southern Directly Administered Region, Sukcheon County, located by the Sasu River, was not a city with great historical significance or prosperity, yet it was famous.

The fame of Sukcheon County was due to two individuals. And because of these two figures, Sukcheon gained a nickname.

The Village of the Overlord.

If Pei County, which produced Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was called the Village of Emperors, then Sukcheon, where Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, was born, should rightly be called the Village of the Overlord.

However, despite giving birth to Xiang Yu, Sukcheon had never been called the Village of the Overlord like Pei County. It was only after a second Overlord emerged from there that Sukcheon began to be called by that name.

Dan Un-ak, the Extreme Chaos.

He was the second Overlord born in Sukcheon after Xiang Yu.

And he was also the name of the Black Martial Alliance Leader who united the Black Path sects after the Blood Sect Calamity and initiated the Jeongsa Great War.

Dan Un-ak established the headquarters of the Black Martial Alliance in his hometown, Sukcheon. As a result, Sukcheon, once an ordinary county in the Southern Directly Administered Region, rapidly grew into one of the two hearts of the martial world and a major city second only to Nanjing in the region.

Dan Un-ak enjoyed watching the prosperity he had brought to his hometown. That’s why he built a pavilion in the Alliance Leader’s office, allowing him to overlook the entire Sukcheon County.

“What a splendid view.”

Dan Un-ak spoke as he gazed at the peaceful scenery of his hometown.

Even though he had just turned 20 when he first appeared, his voice sounded remarkably young, as if he hadn’t aged past 40. It wasn’t just his voice. Dan Un-ak, like Dongbang Hwa of the Banunbang Faction, had transcended the passage of time.

A transcendent state achieved solely through martial arts, without relying on sorcery or grand techniques.

Dan Un-ak hadn’t experienced any changes in his appearance since his twenties.

“I see.”

A deeper voice echoed from behind Dan Un-ak as he looked down at Sukcheon from the pavilion. Though the words sounded like agreement, the person seemed uninterested in looking, sitting instead on a chair inside the office.

“You’ve heard, haven’t you? Banunbang lost. The rumors are spreading far and wide.”

“Yes, I’ve heard.”

“Dongbang Hwa. I knew he was a cunning fellow, but I didn’t expect him to hide the Five Yin Demon Emperor. And…”

Dan Un-ak turned his body to look inside the office.

A man in his early thirties sitting on a chair next to the Alliance Leader’s desk came into Dan Un-ak’s view.

“I didn’t expect a new prodigy surpassing the Five Yin Demon Emperor to appear either.”

Thud. Thud.

Dan Un-ak’s footsteps seemed like those of an ordinary villager. It looked like he was just walking without any special technique, but the man could faintly sense that this was the pinnacle of martial arts.

Peerless, with no equal in the world.

Yet even among them, there were differences. The Jeongsa Great War clearly showed this gap. Thus, the world ranked them as the Twin Extremes and Twelve Peaks.

Dan Un-ak was such a being. In the absence of Mugeuk, the world’s strongest, he might be the current strongest in the world.

Thud.

Sitting on the Alliance Leader’s chair, Dan Un-ak continued.

“What an unfair world, don’t you think? In the White Path Martial World, after Ha Gyeong, such absurd geniuses keep appearing, but why don’t we have such people in the Black Path?”

“Hmm. I think it’s a generational difference. Besides, there’s one person in the Black Path who reached the Flower Realm before turning thirty.”

“Woljon? Not bad. In terms of talent, she might even be slightly above Ha Gyeong. But she’s lacking. She has no ambition. She has some desire for martial arts, but her aspirations are too lacking.”

The current generation, those in their twenties and early to mid-thirties, clearly has the Orthodox Martial World in the lead.

Until now, it was a close 5:5 or 6:4 advantage. But with the emergence of new Orthodox geniuses after the Unmong Great War, the scales have tipped decisively.

However, for the generation above, those in their late thirties to forties, the Heterodox Faction held an overwhelming advantage.

Because before even reaching the age of 40, Dan Un-ak, known as Extreme Chaos, had already aimed for the pinnacle of the martial world.

“Didn’t the Alliance Leader also reach the Flower Realm before turning thirty?”

“Are you implying you didn’t?”

Dan Un-ak chuckled and called out the name of the man who spoke to him so casually.

“Dokgo Wol.”

This man, Dokgo Wol, was the undisputed second-in-command of the Black Martial Alliance.

The head of the Dokgo Family.

The one who annihilated the Namgung Family.

“Have you grown old? I reached the Flower Realm at the age of thirty.”

“Same difference.”

“Of course. To the Alliance Leader, they all must seem the same.”

Dan Un-ak didn’t react to Dokgo Wol’s mocking tone.

Instead, he brought up another topic.

“I heard an interesting story from Dongbang Hwa.”

“…Is that why you called me?”

“Our Sword Emperor is quick-witted. I like that.”

Despite losing the Unmong Great War, Dongbang Hwa managed to survive.

Pushed to the brink by the Orthodox forces at Cheonjasan Mountain, he ultimately forced the government’s intervention, bringing the war to an abrupt end.

For those seeking the secret to regaining youth and eternal life, especially for the powerful like Man Gwibi, this was a lifeline too precious to lose. Thus, they went to great lengths to end the war with the Jegal Family inconclusively.

But Dan Un-ak criticized Dongbang Hwa’s actions, saying he had drunk poison willingly. In the end, Banunbang now had to prove their worth immediately, downgrading their position from an equal trading partner to a subordinate.

Having lost their standing in the martial world, if they couldn’t prove their usefulness to Man Gwibi, the next step would be being branded as martial world outlaws. At that point, no martial faction would come to their aid.

It was a mortal future.

‘They chose their own path to destruction. Foolish fools.’

Setting aside his thoughts on Banunbang, Dan Un-ak returned to the earlier topic.

Among the information Dongbang Hwa had personally delivered, trying to avoid expulsion from the Black Martial Alliance and even offering to serve as Dan Un-ak’s hound, there was something that caught Dan Un-ak’s interest.

“The Namgung Family, huh?”

“What do you mean…?”

“The young master who killed the Five Yin Demon Emperor. They call him the Blue Sword Emperor, right? That guy, he’s from the Namgung Family.”

Dan Un-ak laughed. It was a clear, childlike laugh, filled with curiosity and anticipation, yet beneath it lay an utterly innocent malice. Dokgo Wol saw all of this in Dan Un-ak’s smile.

“Our stance remains unchanged.”

“Wouldn’t you spare them if they abandoned their family name?”

“Those who’ve abandoned their name have also abandoned their pride. I have no intention of hunting down those who’ve already lost.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

Dan Un-ak, who had been leaning forward slightly as if losing interest, now leaned back in the Alliance Leader’s chair.

Resting his elbow on the armrest and propping his chin on his hand, Dan Un-ak asked:

“What if they try to reclaim the Namgung Family?”

At that question, Dokgo Wol’s aura sharpened like a blade.

If it had been anyone other than Dan Un-ak, they might have felt death from that aura alone.

Dokgo Wol opened his mouth and uttered a single-word answer.

And only then did Dan Un-ak nod with satisfaction.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

§

Even after the Unmong Great Battle, there were several more battles, but Namgung Woo did not participate in the pursuit.

The victory had already decisively tilted in favor of the Jegal Family and the Orthodox Martial World, and more importantly, Namgung Woo had something more important to attend to than accumulating more achievements and fame.

Unlike other martial arts, the Emperor’s Sword Form, despite knowing its secrets, could not be properly used.

Through his battle with the Five Yin Demon Emperor, Namgung Woo realized why the Emperor’s Sword Form couldn’t be used from the beginning. It was because the conditions weren’t met.

Just like the Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade, which required mastering the Heaven and Earth Void Divine Technique to its peak and perfecting the five blade techniques of the Hapbuk Paeng Family, the Emperor’s Sword Form also had its own conditions.

A clear sense of self-identity and the ability to dominate the surrounding space based on it, achieved through the Upper Dantian’s power.

Achieving this meant that Namgung Woo’s chronic imbalance of essence, energy, and spirit had finally been resolved.

Not the incomplete Flower Realm, but the true Flower Realm. Namgung Woo realized how much he had been forcing himself to mimic the Flower Realm.

His profound internal energy, unparalleled divine techniques, and an almost perfectly refined body had been forcibly supporting his weak spirit.

While recovering from the injuries sustained in his battle with the Five Yin Demon Emperor, Namgung Woo organized the growth and realizations he had gained.

And when he had roughly finished organizing his thoughts, Namgung Woo immediately went out to find someone.

“Brother? Are you feeling alright?”

It was Paeng Ha-ryeong.

Surprised that Namgung Woo, who had seemed like he would be in seclusion for a while to heal his internal injuries, had come to see her after just one day, Paeng Ha-ryeong looked at him with concern.

Beside her was Jegal Seon-a, who had decided to stay in Hongho County like Changcheon Pavilion, which had followed Namgung Woo in withdrawing from the pursuit. Jegal Seon-a looked up at Namgung Woo with large, innocent eyes.

Namgung Woo gave Jegal Seon-a a simple nod before turning to Paeng Ha-ryeong and saying:

“I have something to tell you.”