1027——————==

True Martial Home

The room went silent at Yeodong-bin’s words.

Then, Cho Mu-rin, who was next to him, spoke up.

[Yeodong-bin, are you saying you’re going to turn your back on the Celestial Realm?]

[Think what you want.]

Cho Mu-rin had a bitter smile.

[You’re just passing the buck to me. You know I’m not really that enthusiastic about these things.]

[My stance doesn’t change.]

Cho Mu-rin stared at Yeodong-bin for a moment before turning to me.

[Baek Woong, I am giving up on this mission. That’s it for me.]

Oh no…

As Cho Mu-rin’s figure started to shimmer with a soft light and disappear, I panicked. I immediately deployed my intention to restrain his form, and when Cho Mu-rin hesitated, I shouted at him.

“Hold up, what do you mean? Why are you quitting the mission all of a sudden?”

Cho Mu-rin calmly replied.

[I’m not confident I can capture Yeodong-bin with my current abilities. Even if we join forces, there’s no reason to risk annihilation for it. Besides, I find some merit in Yeodong-bin’s words, which gives me three reasons to abandon this mission.]

“……”

[If you don’t lift this mental control right away, then I’ll take it as an invitation to fight again.]

I scoffed at Cho Mu-rin’s words.

“Hmph! You just lost to me earlier. Where do you get off being so cocky….”

[I warned you.]

For the first time, I felt a genuine killing intent swirling in Cho Mu-rin’s eyes.

[If I fought you with the intent to kill, you wouldn’t leave here unscathed.]

“Hmm.”

I hesitated at the sincerity reflected on Cho Mu-rin’s cold face.

‘It’s not just bravado….’

Those words meant that even though I fought my hardest against him earlier, I hadn’t been fighting for life or death. And I had a slight inkling of what the difference meant from my experience with the Absolute Realm and the Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon, so I couldn’t ignore his words.

‘Damn it…. If I could keep Cho Mu-rin grounded in the material world somehow and deploy a top-tier expert, it would be incredibly convenient…. Plus, I need to extract information about Ho-wol, the founding Grandmaster of the Four Great Families! I can’t just give up like this.’

I shouted out.

“Stop it! You might think you can’t stop the end, but don’t you see others are risking their lives to grasp at even a thread of hope? Just because you’ve enjoyed the rise and fall of the martial world, it doesn’t mean you’re beyond caring about life itself! What kind of selfish existence is this?”

Cho Mu-rin appeared startled.

[What? You really think….]

“Am I wrong? You couldn’t even meet a Martial God. You think that attitude would allow you to?”

[……]

In that moment, the atmosphere shifted.

Even the usually indifferent Yeodong-bin’s expression changed, and Cho Mu-rin’s face contorted in shock across from me.

Huh? Did I say something wrong?

I instinctively sensed I might have stumbled into a trap. I had used my rhetoric to poke at what I thought was his weakness to draw out genuine feelings, but somehow, this reaction was off. I felt like I had misjudged my strategy this time.

After a moment, Cho Mu-rin spat out his words, his intensity reminiscent of a ghost’s face and his entire being emanating lightning fog.

[You little punk. Have you met a Martial God, then?]

That tone clearly meant he was still tolerating me for one last time.

‘Ugh….’

I couldn’t understand why. They had no treasures, and I had two Treasures of the Seven Luminaries, and I had defeated him before. But the moment I misanswered him now, it felt like it would lead me straight to death. When I have such a premonition, I’ve never been wrong.

Only then did I realize.

I had inadvertently touched his reverse scale.

I decided to answer honestly.

“…Not yet! Other people around me claim they’ve met them, but I haven’t had the chance.”

Cho Mu-rin’s intensity lessened slightly. He looked at me suspiciously.

[Why are you discussing what you haven’t experienced? You’re not much better off yourself.]

“Sorry. But you don’t seem like a Thunder God worth your salt, so out of frustration as a younger master, I’ve just spoken my mind!”

[That’s a weird thing to say. I’m Cho Mu-rin of the Overlay Technique. Do you think I need to fit into the ranks of Thunder God just because I’ve ascended?]

I felt something odd. I sensed that if I played it right, I could understand Cho Mu-rin’s heart. I contemplated the reason for that oddness and suddenly got a grip on it, then cleverly took a jab.

“You seem to have a sense of belonging and pride about the Thunder God lineage, though. Right now, the way you carry yourself feels like you’re desperately trying to suppress your own spirit. You look like you’re wearing clothes that don’t fit.”

[……]

“Answer me. What is dragging you into such emptiness? Is it the issue of not meeting a Martial God like I just mentioned?”

[I don’t want to answer that. Let’s put this discussion to rest.]

“Wait a moment….”

Oh no, I had a lead, but couldn’t land the hit properly? Cho Mu-rin suddenly seemed to be shutting his heart and trying to change the subject. I was internally panicking as it felt like he might just walk away from all this.

[Cho Mu-rin, the reason you haven’t met a Martial God is that you don’t want to.]

Suddenly, Yeodong-bin spoke up.

At this, Cho Mu-rin turned his gaze toward Yeodong-bin, his lips twitching.

[What did you say?]

[I said it’s because you don’t want to meet one.]

[I lost to you after three days of conflict during the Celestial War because my display of the Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon was below your summation of the Moon-Style Defense. I kneeled before you then, begging for a clue to reach a Martial God. But you left me in misery without saying a word, and now you say this…. Yeodong-bin!]

A subtle fury lingered in Cho Mu-rin’s words as Yeodong-bin replied with an emotionless expression.

[It’s the same now as it was then. Deep down, you don’t truly wish to meet a Martial God. If you lock the paths to meeting him, telling me about it doesn’t change anything. It only makes your thirst and pain deeper.]

[Ha, it’s just like back then…. You’re talking like you know everything. Hahaha!!]

[……]

[What do you know? You’re boasting about having taken down a minion of Chi You, thinking you understand the world’s underlying truths! Hahaha….]

Cho Mu-rin broke into maniacal laughter. Then, with lightning swirling from his eyes, he spoke.

[Fine. Since the end is not far off anyway… what difference does it make? I’ll send you back to the Martial God right now!]

Crack!!

As Cho Mu-rin yelled that, a golden Phantom Whip suddenly materialized in his hand. It was the same one he had summoned during our fight, which took me by surprise.

‘What?! The golden light wasn’t coming from the Thunder God treasure?!’

Was that the underlying oddness I felt when battling Cho Mu-rin? Perhaps the treasure was merely something to grip while the golden aura and the whip were all products of his intent-based technique! If so, then for Cho Mu-rin, whether a treasure existed or not made no difference!

While I was flabbergasted, Cho Mu-rin cast his technique.

Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon

Extreme Completion

Mahā Great Calamity Wheel!

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

The moment the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel unfolded, a formless whirlwind began twisting and raging within the range of the Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon. Countless lightning flashes rippled inside that formless whirlwind; it was ominous to behold. This had to be Cho Mu-rin’s Final Technique!

‘Oh no, an indiscriminate attack!’

I realized I was within the range of Mahā Great Calamity Wheel and hurriedly raised my Protection Energy. Just then—

Boom!!

“Ugh!”

My Protection Energy, concentrated with all my internal power, burst with a single strike, and I felt a chunk of my flesh tearing at the same moment. No way was the power of his Intent Control increasing this much?! The previous Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon had been threatening, but this was on a different level!

‘Could it be that the rotational force has built up…?’

It seemed like the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel gathered countless threads swirling around it and spun itself. When I sensed the threads of the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel coming at me yet again, I swung my qi weapon to counter it, only to be pushed back several steps due to the incredible backlash.

Crack!

“……!!”

His potential was immense! If I had been wielding a regular iron sword instead of my qi weapon, my arm would have been severed with this attack.

I was drenched in cold sweat, feeling a sense of crisis just like when I jumped into the heart of the Sect Leader’s Heart of Heaven’s Abundance technique. I realized that with my typical stance, I would be shredded by the countless threads, so I pulled out my Infinite Slash with everything I had and made a big slash forward.

Swoosh!

In an instant, the threads were ripped apart, and the encirclement of the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel seemed to vanish. But just as I dashed out through the opening to escape it, my spirit warned me.

[Baek Woong! A star is falling!]

A star?

I quickly heightened my instincts and went on the defensive upon hearing Suin’s warning. Countless hidden threads surged toward my whole body, and at the same time, countless lightning flashes that had been fluttering within the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel were raining down like stars. The scary part was that the speed of the lightning was so fast that even using the Three Treasure Technique would hardly deflect it.

Boom!

‘Damn…. What kind of technique is this?’

It was on a level where you couldn’t even face it unless you were in the Absolute Realm. I mixed the Soul Removal Technique and the Three Treasure Technique together as I retreated again, knowing I had no choice but to be trapped once more. And during that moment, I could see Cho Mu-rin and Yeodong-bin’s forms floating in the void, locked in combat.

The first attack belonged to Yeodong-bin. He combined the long sword in his left hand with the Unity of Body and Sword, shooting straight at Cho Mu-rin.

Heavenly Escape Sword Technique!

The speed of the shining Unity of Body and Sword was phenomenal, leaving Cho Mu-rin unable to resist as he was pierced by the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique. However, it was Cho Mu-rin’s image that burst apart. In the next moment, he rapidly followed Yeodong-bin with the same speed just as Yeodong-bin passed by.

And Cho Mu-rin executed the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel once more right up close to Yeodong-bin, and soon Yeodong-bin’s form was consumed by the threads of the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel, disappearing into a pool of darkness. In that instant, hundreds of basic techniques seemed to mix in a chorus of cries like Asura.

Boom!

A beam of light burst out from the darkness, and Yeodong-bin momentarily escaped the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel, but Cho Mu-rin was already unleashing the Fog-shrouded Sky Royal Shadow 108 Techniques in succession, enveloping him from all sides. The attack was suffocatingly relentless, and Yeodong-bin had to employ the Cloud Technique to push the lightning back into a cloud mass.

Heavenly Determination!

As the Heavenly Determination from the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique spread out, the lightning couldn’t touch Yeodong-bin and zipped by him, and then Yeodong-bin used his right hand to emit tension, spinning while using Earthly Determination, neutralizing all attacks.

Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon

Heavenly Tooth!

But then came the single point!

That strike was aimed expertly at the gap created as Yeodong-bin defended himself, and it was truly the pinnacle of the Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon.

Boom!

Yeodong-bin couldn’t evade the Heavenly Tooth strike of Cho Mu-rin and had his palm pierced. To be precise, while the Heavenly Tooth aimed to shatter Yeodong-bin’s defense with a violent force, in the split second, Yeodong-bin foresaw it with his Moon-Style Defense and managed to block it with his palm. Yeodong-bin’s blood dripped down without any change in his expression as he faced Cho Mu-rin, who silently pressed on with his Intent-based whip.

Crutch…

Blood flowed steadily from the palm of Yeodong-bin. Clearly, he was on the defensive, and I couldn’t help but be taken aback by this unexpected situation.

‘What, how did it come to this? I thought Yeodong-bin would definitely win against Cho Mu-rin…’

Hadn’t Cho Mu-rin lost to me just a while ago? Yet now he was unleashing an intensity of assault capable of piercing through the barrier set by the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique! Yeodong-bin had just used both the Heavenly Determination and Earthly Determination, yet he was still unable to fend off the assaults of the Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon. I hadn’t expected the Absolute Realm’s Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon to possess this overwhelming offensive power.

Thinking through the unexpected situation, I suddenly realized.

Fighting to test one’s skills was vastly different from fighting with the intent to kill. It meant that battles between those in the Absolute Realm displayed a huge disparity in abilities. Additionally, Cho Mu-rin had strongly shown his reluctance to fight before, which was another factor indicating the difference in capabilities. Cho Mu-rin’s true strength warranted the title of Overlay Technique.

Cho Mu-rin said.

[It was the same during the Celestial War. I kept hammering at you, and yet you stood strong until——at one moment, you saw ahead with the Moon-Style Defense, and I lost. If this drags on again, it might just be another defeat for me.]

[……]

Cho Mu-rin clenched his teeth. The frustration was evident in his glare.

[Yeodong-bin. Are you enjoying playing with me? I know your strength isn’t this mediocre. You’ve spent five hundred years honing the Divine Skill, developing a level of ability that is beyond compare. Yet you’re saying you’re not fully committing against me because of the Martial God limitations? Am I not even qualified to face the Divine Skill?]

[I’ve been going all out since earlier. You are strong.]

[What nonsense.]

His voice cooled, becoming darker.

[Unleash your Divine Skill. Otherwise, I’ll eliminate you here and now.]

[……]

[Fine, then let’s see you die.]

Crack!!

In a fit of rage, Cho Mu-rin’s whip spun and smashed into Yeodong-bin’s palm, blowing it apart. The formless whirlwind, now shrouded in black, gushed forth from all directions, seemingly devouring Yeodong-bin’s form.

“Don’t!!”

Unconsciously, I screamed. No matter how I looked at it, there seemed to be no way for Yeodong-bin to overcome that crisis! I hadn’t anticipated that Cho Mu-rin would have the strength to corner Yeodong-bin to the brink of death; I had mistakenly been watching without intervening.

But just then.

Sword Saint Realm!

It felt as if silence engulfed everywhere. And, with an illusion that only black and white remained in the world, Yeodong-bin’s Sword Path gracefully extended forward, establishing itself as if it embodied some nameless power none could define.

Swish!

Cho Mu-rin’s Mahā Great Calamity Wheel heavily released its pitch-black strength, attempting to counter Yeodong-bin’s Sword Path. Within the center of the wheel, Cho Mu-rin’s figure revolved, accelerating, and soon it seemed as though the threads were transforming into lightning dance. Observing the culmination of energies, I began to grasp why the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel was part of the Thunder God lineage.

A fearsome technique that maximized thunder power by relying on a robust intent-based technique and harnessing incredible rotational speed! When perfectly executed, it could lead to simultaneous offensive and defensive postures, making it look as if the Thunder God himself had descended. Cho Mu-rin’s ascendance to the title of Supreme Martial Artist wasn’t merely due to the Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon; it was because no one could breach the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel.

Crackle! Crackle!

The lightning surged alarmingly, and within that lightning was an overwhelming collision of the rotational whip aimed at destruction. Unless the Sect Leader Dokgo Uncheon exerted full force, that overwhelming technique seemed nearly unbreakable, whereas the Sword Path of the Sword Saint merely flowed along with grace.

And just as the Sword Path reached the boundary of the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel – like a droplet falling into empty space, a wave resonated. An incredible light radiated forth, almost making it seem as if Yeodong-bin had vanished altogether.

Formless Sword!

Am I seeing an illusion right now?

The formless sword path, existing yet not existing—this ambiguous straight line merely continued forward—couldn’t be obstructed by the dreadful lightning or the blackened skies of the Mahā Great Calamity Wheel. If two forces of strength collided, massive explosions would typically sound, but here it felt like everything was disregarded, just smoothly advancing.

Could it be something on a different dimension altogether…

Crack!!

Moments later, Yeodong-bin’s single strike reached only as far as Cho Mu-rin’s throat. The whip crafted from his mental energy was torn apart and lay on the ground, fading away. A single drop of blood slipped from Cho Mu-rin’s throat.

Yeodong-bin’s voice resonated through the hall.

[The outcome is decided.]

[……]

[Withdraw your intent.]

At Yeodong-bin’s command, Cho Mu-rin obediently sank his energy. Then he spoke.

[The formless sword path that reaches infinity. This is what you intend to use to slay a god?]

Yeodong-bin offered no reply. Cho Mu-rin bitterly continued.

[That cannot be a Divine Skill. It is merely the power derived from your five centuries of training. Heh heh…]

Yeodong-bin sighed.

[The end is a chaos where no one, nor anything, can guarantee anything. Hope is the same. You’ve given up way too soon.]

[Yes, you might be right. I didn’t want to fight a god…. I found the martial world all I needed.]

[……]

[You and Jang Sam-bong are the odd ones.]

Cho Mu-rin mumbled, almost lamenting.

[Yeodong-bin, hurry and end it with your own hands. I wish to be free now… from the resignation and frustration gnawing at me for thousands of years.]

Swoosh!

But Yeodong-bin ignored Cho Mu-rin’s request and sheathed his sword. Instead, he went to the cliff, rapidly regenerating his severed arm with spirit energy. Seeing Yeodong-bin recover that level of spirit energy while being as far from the Celestial Realm as the Earth showed that he had indeed enhanced his stature as a Martial Artist during his five hundred years.

[No. Keep struggling until the end. That’s what I ask of you as a victor.]

[…Heh, you cruel one….]

Cho Mu-rin suddenly turned his head sharply and then spoke to me.

[I won’t abandon the mission. But Baek Woong, do you have the confidence to send Yeodong-bin back to the Celestial Realm?]

“Um… that’s….”

I felt grateful that Cho Mu-rin’s determination had returned, but I had no answer for his question. How could I? The display of might I had just seen from him was astonishing, yet even he had been trumped by Yeodong-bin’s formless sword path. Just as Cho Mu-rin had stated before, even if both he and I launched a full assault on Yeodong-bin, we couldn’t guarantee defeating him.

Yeodong-bin was strong.

He had become far more powerful during the five hundred years I had been missing!

I couldn’t gauge just how much stronger he had become, but it clearly indicated a level well beyond mine. The principle behind the formless sword path was something I couldn’t begin to fathom.

‘Crap…. What do I even do about this?’

It was true that as a reborn person, I could use all means necessary to bring down even Yeodong-bin; however, it wouldn’t benefit me in the long run to exact that kind of pressure on him. I quickly realized this was a mission that would end in failure the moment I heard Cho Mu-rin’s words.

I had no choice but to scratch my head and turn to Yeodong-bin.

“Yeodong-bin, right now the Human Alliance is evolving our scientific prowess with assistance from the Galactic Tribe Alliance to prepare for the end. How about using your tremendous power to help humanity over the remaining 17 years?”

[That’s not my path. You should save the world in your own way. I cannot cooperate.]

“…Then what is your path?”

[Those like me among the hundred seats will unite right before the end. I will lend a hand to that cause. It matters not compared to how you all would save the world through civilization.]

“…….”

A hundred seats.

Could it be the hundred that the Martial God spoke of….

Yeodong-bin continued.

[Baek Woong, you became known as a missing person after clashing with the Sea God, suffering the descent of Jeon Wook. You were also cut off from the cause-and-effect chain between the Celestial Realm and the human world, making it impossible for me to ascertain your whereabouts. Where have you been all this time?]

“Um… that’s….”

I brought up the Four Great Spirit Deities. After all, I figured that talking about the Four Great Spirit Deities in a situation where Mangnyang appeared to be wielding control over the Celestial Realm wouldn’t lead to any major issues. Also, upon hearing that thanks to the Four Great Spirit Deities, I had transcended time, Yeodong-bin replied.

[If what you say is true, then besides the water deity Varuna, there aren’t any other divine artifacts usable. Isn’t that insufficient to avert the end?]

“I have no choice. It seems everyone had their situations.”

[…Is that so.]

After a brief silence, Yeodong-bin said.

[Alright. Reestablish our connection.]

“What do you mean by that?”

[I cannot assist you immediately due to my need for training; however, I will come to your aid when you are in crisis. I will serve as your sword in overcoming the end.]

“Sounds good!”

I readily accepted Yeodong-bin’s suggestion and reestablished the connection with him. But as I glanced back, Cho Mu-rin’s expression had grown grotesquely strained.

Then, with a quivering voice steeped in fear, he said,

[No… don’t tell me…. Is there a chance that the sealed Indra might be released now?]