1057——————==

True Martial Home

Mangnyang stood there, jaw dropped, as he witnessed the fierce battle unfolding before him.

Swish, swish, swish!

A flurry of lights!

Numerous beams of light whirled and intertwined across a space of several dozen feet, creating a soundless vortex. The spiral tracks would occasionally bounce off the starlight in the sky.

Amid the chaos of blinding lights, the fleeting silhouettes of two figures appeared—naturally, Mangnyang recognized them.

Mangnyang shouted.

“Seo Mun-hye… Sagong Lin…!! What are you doing!!”

Indeed.

Amidst the chaotic lights, Seo Mun-hye and Sagong Lin were engaged in a fierce life-and-death struggle near the incapacitated Yacha, who had a sword embedded in his forehead!

Although there were no grand sounds or explosions like other battles, that only indicated how extreme the violence had become. Mangnyang bit his lip.

‘The deployment of divine power… Distortion of laws! This is no different from a battle among divine beings.’

Using divine power allows the user to manipulate the geometrical laws of this world—essentially the laws of physics—as they wish. Depending on the level of divine power, the dominance varies, and sometimes even cause-and-effect can be distorted.

Since both were fighting with divine powers, they were engaging in a battle that transcended all visible and tangible elements. If one were to enter that space, even the so-called Absolute Realm would not guarantee their safety.

Swish, swish.

At that moment, Seong Jin appeared next to Mangnyang, wearing a grim expression. He quickly addressed Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang, Seo Mun-hye has been consumed by [the Calling].”

“……!!”

“Can we restore her with the Corpse Dissolution Technique? It’s impossible with my or Seimei’s sorcery.”

Mangnyang immediately grasped the situation from Seong Jin’s words. Seo Mun-hye had successfully taken down Yacha, but she had used too much power from the Giant Race, causing her to go mad due to her ancestor’s [Calling]. Even though she came from a pure lineage of divine beings, the human blood within her could easily drive her insane under the influence of such tremendous power.

Quickly spinning his thoughts, he replied.

“Leave her be.”

“What?”

“Instead, I will seal Yacha first. You must ensure those two don’t escape the barrier.”

“Are you sure that’s the best option? If you don’t stop them, one of them…”

In response to Seong Jin’s doubtful remark, Mangnyang spoke firmly.

“If they could have settled this quickly, the match would have been over by the time I arrived. Currently, Seo Mun-hye and Sagong Lin are evenly matched. Therefore, resolving the incapacitated Yacha first will be the most efficient approach.”

“That’s insane! Mangnyang, that’s a dangerous choice! How can you be so sure they’re evenly matched? If you let them go, they could destroy each other, and we would be done for.”

“There’s no doubt about that.”

“That shower of lights is a trajectory of divine power. It can’t be discerned by human strength or sorcery, so we should just watch…”

At that moment, Seong Jin met Mangnyang’s gaze and flinched.

Because there was no wavering in Mangnyang’s eyes.

“……”

Seong Jin instinctively realized that Mangnyang wasn’t speaking from baseless confidence. No matter how he did it, Mangnyang had accurately grasped how their battle was unfolding! And he had decisively chosen the most efficient option.

‘I’m frightened…. How much has the Corpse Dissolution Technique evolved?’

Suddenly, Seong Jin thought that Mangnyang seemed more astonishing and terrifying than either Seo Mun-hye or Sagong Lin. While they had merely inherited the powers of their lineage, Mangnyang was a pure human who had received no such genetic benefits. Yet, after decades of mastering the technique, he had displayed terrifying growth. In terms of comprehensive capability beyond simple combat power, Mangnyang might indeed be the best.

Just then, Abe no Seimei, who had been standing nearby, spoke up.

“Alright. I’ll divide the space, and Mangnyang, you seal Yacha. We’ll help ensure their fight doesn’t affect us.”

“Quickly… we don’t have time!”

“Very well.”

Boom!!

Next, Mangnyang was transported into a pure white space of nothingness, left alone with Yacha. Seong Jin, the barrier creator, and Abe no Seimei had manipulated the space of the barrier to make it happen. Mangnyang raised his hand and began to chant the spell.

“Seal.”

Whoooosh…

As Mangnyang’s Corpse Dissolution Technique was enacted, chains began to wrap tightly around Yacha’s whole body. Formed in the shape of a colossal beast, Yacha flinched as he tried to resist, but the chains rattled without him managing to escape.

Finally, Yacha growled and addressed Mangnyang, who was directly in front of him.

[You said Corpse Dissolution Technique… I overheard your entire conversation from afar.]

Ignoring Yacha’s words, Mangnyang continued as if he didn’t hear. There was no reason to talk to the enemy when time was of the essence. However, Yacha continued speaking, despite Mangnyang’s disregard.

[But… all the spells you’re chanting are nothing more than a formality. Is that really sorcery?]

“……”

Mangnyang flinched and reacted.

[I was a Great Sorcerer in the Mythological Age of the Yin Shang dynasty, and I later honed most of my sorcery with the help of Chi You. You cannot deceive my eyes.]

“You talk too much. What is it you really want to convey?”

[You’re not a sorcerer now. You’re neither a sorcerer nor a wizard. What you’re deploying is something beyond sealing techniques; do you even know what that is?]

At Yacha’s probing question, Mangnyang showed a faintly tired expression for a moment. Then he replied.

“I am the one who will seal you. That’s all you need to know.”

[Hehe… I heard you were a disciple of Master Mangnyang. Perhaps the reason Master Mangnyang took you in as a disciple is…?]

Squeeze!

When Mangnyang clenched his fist, the chains tightened around Yacha’s body.

[Kaaah!!]

Yacha screamed in pain from the torture, but Mangnyang showed no mercy and attempted to separate bone from flesh even more forcefully. As blood poured from Yacha’s body, Mangnyang exhaled heavily and continued.

“Don’t you dare speak of my master.”

Mangnyang extended his hand towards the weakened Yacha and added.

“Go to the eternal dimensional rift forgotten in the memory of the universe…”

Whoooosh!!

[Wooooooo….]

Yacha’s gigantic form started to be pulled into the split of darkness. Though he let out a painful sound, there was simply no way to resist Mangnyang’s sealing technique. The sword embedded in his forehead contained divine power, continuously erasing Yacha’s magical energy, and Mangnyang’s sealing technique itself was far too strong. At last, Yacha was losing power and starting to get sucked in.

Crackling!!

“Gah…!!”

Mangnyang let out a short scream as he slumped down. Suddenly, an immense recoil struck, and he couldn’t maintain the sealing spell any longer. As the control of the sealing technique faltered, the rift pulling in Yacha also vanished, and Yacha slowly began to stand up intact. He let out an eerie laugh.

[Hahaha!! So you failed to manage your own deployed spell? Foolish child!]

“……”

No, that wasn’t the case.

Mangnyang calmly analyzed what was happening to himself. And in that moment, he understood the identity of the destiny that had struck him.

‘The Celestial Realm is distancing itself, and the dimensional boundary has expanded. The channel connecting to the Celestial Realm has been severed…. The Corpse Dissolution Technique that relied on the Heavenly Mysterious Woman can no longer be used.’

This was bound to happen!

To continuously avoid the damage of cause and effect, the Celestial Realm had been moving further from reality, and since the source of the Corpse Dissolution Technique, the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, was in the Celestial Realm, it was only natural that the further the Celestial Realm distanced itself, the weaker the technique would become. However, due to Mangnyang’s absurdly high mastery of the technique, he had still been able to make an impact in reality, but now at just this moment, the Celestial Realm had completely separated from reality, and the dimensional walls had expanded.

In this current state where Mangnyang could no longer use the Corpse Dissolution Technique, one could say he was almost powerless. He could still cast spells, but given that he was now accustomed to the system of the Corpse Dissolution Technique, using regular spells would surely be weaker than before.

Sssss

Moreover, as if adding insult to injury, Yacha had just regained some strength as the effect of the Corpse Dissolution Technique faded and was now slowly moving his body. With the unsealing of the sealing technique, the backlash should have returned to the spellcaster, but instead, it had manifested to benefit the sealed target.

Yacha grinned, applying pressure with his claws.

[Prepare yourself. I’ll chop off your limbs one by one and feed them to you…. Then I’ll make you into minced meat and throw you to your companions.]

Yacha’s threats would soon become reality.

Feeling the unexpected crisis, Mangnyang found himself in a bind.

‘There’s no other option….’

Even if it meant using up 90% of his remaining life force, he had to do it.

Whoosh!

Mangnyang spread his arms wide, and flames erupted simultaneously from the ten fingers. Yacha thought it was a fire technique at first, but soon he realized what Mangnyang was performing.

[It’s Spirit Summoning.]

Mangnyang’s eyes lit up.

Heavenly Secret Technique

Forbidden Technique

The Chapters of Four Seasons and Six Energies

Ten Kings Summoning!

Whoooosh!!

As all flames disappeared from his fingers, Mangnyang’s entire body turned crimson. From the tips of his hair to the soles of his feet, including the color of his eyes, he seemed transformed into pure blood spirit. Just before Mangnyang could fully harness his power, Yacha sprang forward, swinging his claws. Even a divine being would be torn apart by Yacha’s claws in a single blow.

Crash!!

However, Mangnyang dodged the clawed attack while spinning backward. His movements were beyond what one would expect from a sorcerer.

And just like that, he pulled out the Sealed Soul Knife from his robes and slashed at Yacha’s neck from behind. Though Yacha possessed physical abilities surpassing the Overlay Technique and could easily avoid such attacks, the real surprise came afterward.

Swish

[Wha… What?!]

He had clearly avoided that blow but still got cut! Yacha was taken aback by the unexpected injury. He felt all of his strength draining away, and the moment he had just regained his stamina vanished. As he focused to understand the situation, he looked at Mangnyang, who had morphed into a blood-colored monster, and he was shocked.

A gigantic spirit was crammed into that tiny body!

No less than ten colossal souls!

Those overwhelming spirit energies must have transformed Mangnyang’s body into that blood spirit.

‘This is impossible!’

But such an act was akin to a taboo of summoning, leaving Yacha no choice but to be astonished. Summoning multiple spirits at once was the greatest taboo for any summoner. No matter how powerful a summoner was, the principle dictated that only one spirit could be summoned at a time. Moreover, when it came to a human sorcerer, there had been no recorded cases of surviving after breaking that law. Yet here was Mangnyang, summoning ten spirits at the same time!

Moreover, those ten spirits residing within Mangnyang were clearly on a different level from typical spirits. Though it wasn’t clear, each of those spirit entities seemed to be beings Yacha could not take lightly.

In no time at all, Mangnyang’s eyes turned black as the blood color faded back into darkness. Despite being half-dead from overwhelming mental fatigue, he faintly spoke.

“The Sealed Soul Knife has the ability to seal the target I slash… but it can also absorb souls and reduce them. You will not recover again.”

[You…!]

“I don’t know the exact nature of this technique either. It’s a hidden skill that emerges after mastering the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate, a forbidden technique sealed within the Four Seasons and Six Energies… as ten kings descend simultaneously, I can gain power akin to the Great Destruction as a sorcerer.”

Mangnyang didn’t respond to Yacha out of respect, but rather because if he didn’t speak, he felt like he would collapse from the pressure of the ten spirits. His mind was already slipping away.

[Are you saying you’re willing to die together? You must be aware of what those ten spirits are… Don’t pretend you don’t know. They will devour you. Then you will experience unimaginable agony. It would be more merciful if I tore you to pieces here!]

As Yacha yelled desperately, Mangnyang coughed up blood mixed with tissue. He then murmured.

“Regardless, the outcome will be the same… Everything is for Baek Woong…”

Mangnyang was entranced by a self-deception bordering on fanaticism.

“Let’s die together!”

[You lunatic…!!]

Then, shortly afterward, Mangnyang charged at Yacha again, and a short battle ensued. Eventually, the blood-red Mangnyang pierced through Yacha’s palate and emerged from the other side, before embedding the Sealed Soul Knife deep into Yacha’s heart.

[Ugh….]

Swish!!

Completely depleted of power, Yacha was sucked into the dimensional rift and sealed away. After going through that series of actions with gritted teeth, Mangnyang soon released the forbidden technique, and the ten spirits that had been summoned began to recede.

Thud.

In that moment, Mangnyang realized that he had exhausted over 90% of the life span granted to him as the Direct Disciple of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, leaving him with just over ten years to live. Originally, he was blessed by the Heavenly Mysterious Woman to live over 1,000 years, but with one use of a forbidden technique, he had squandered more than 900 years of his lifespan. Furthermore, shortly thereafter, the ten spirits surrounding him stretched out their fingers towards his forehead.

Zing!

Blood lines were imprinted on Mangnyang’s forehead. As ten lines were inscribed, the spirits gradually began to depart.

This phenomenon had not been documented in the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate. Because it was a forbidden technique, no one dared to use it, and there was no explanation for its side effects.

Yet Mangnyang could surmise.

This was probably the [Mark] of the [Prey].

As Yacha had said, there would be no gentle way to die…

“I have no choice.”

As Mangnyang bitterly mulled over his situation, suddenly, the barrier of the isolated space shattered violently.

Kaboom!!

And what emerged before him were the fallen forms of Seo Mun-hye and Sagong Lin, sprawled on the floor. Both were severely injured, and it was none other than Asura who had taken them down. Seeing Asura’s appearance, Mangnyang’s eyes widened in shock.

“……!!”

[Hmph. If the two had tackled me together, it could have been amusing, but since one is rampaging, it’s not fun at all.]

Asura seemed to have received minor injuries, with cuts and bruises all over. However, he still looked more than ready to go.

‘Asura… has crashed the battle!’

Mangnyang quickly grasped the situation. It appeared that he had barged into the battlefield where Seo Mun-hye and Sagong Lin were fighting, but Seo Mun-hye was now rampaging and attacking indiscriminately, preventing any collaboration with Asura. Taking advantage of this, Asura must have knocked Sagong Lin out first, before dealing with Seo Mun-hye, who was in a frenzy.

Asura glanced at Mangnyang and spoke.

[Hey you. You’re Mangnyang, right? Bring me the Master of the White Lotus Sect.]

“…Is your aim to fight the Master of the White Lotus Sect?”

[Correct. That’s exactly it.]

Asura grinned.

[If the Master of the White Lotus Sect doesn’t amuse me, I plan to kill all the remaining underlings too.]

“……”

Mangnyang instinctively sensed that this monster battle was already halfway over. The war against the Eight Parts of the Divine had shifted in favor of the Great Bear Empire. Yet even though they had defeated the other Eight Parts of the Divine, the final powerful opponent, Asura, could potentially annihilate the forces of the Great Bear Empire right here.

‘Of all times… Damn it….’

Mangnyang felt his misfortune deeply. Just a moment ago, if the connection to the Celestial Realm hadn’t weakened, if he had suppressed Yacha a bit sooner and maintained his ten spirit state! For Mangnyang, who had used every possible method, there were no more tricks he could play against Asura standing right before him.

Then suddenly…

“Hey!! Don’t get cocky!!”

With Xiang Yu’s booming roar, four Peerless Masters emerged from the hilltop.

Dokgo Seong, Han Baek-ryeong, Master of Zen, and Bright Dragon!

They had survived their face-off against the Eight Parts of the Divine Garuda, appearing before Asura without significant injuries. Dokgo Seong readied his sword, which glimmered with the blade of thunder, aimed directly at Asura.

“To draw out the Master of the White Lotus Sect, you’ll have to take me down first!”

[Oh, Dokgo Seong. You’re quite something, this should be interesting.]

Asura took a step forward. However, he then scanned the four of them in succession and sighed in disappointment.

[…You’ve all grown tired and weak. If you were at your prime, this would have been entertaining.]

“Entertaining? Entertaining?!”

Dokgo Seong shouted in disbelief.

“You madman! Even with that level of martial arts, your brain is as empty as any street thug! Just a rabid dog!”

[So what if I’m a thug? Regardless of whether I do good or evil, a Martial God won’t show up anyway. I went mad trying to do good, then got a friend named Krishna along the way. Anyway, I’m bored of waiting endlessly, so I’m out for some fun.]

“……”

Seeing Asura’s nonchalant demeanor, Dokgo Seong clenched his teeth.

“I’ll behead you.”

[If you can… go ahead.]

With his arms crossed, Asura stepped closer to the four, giving a nod.

[Come at me together. I’ll crush you all within 100 seconds.]

“Quit joking!!”

Boom! Boom!

It was while they were clashing with Asura that—

Whoooooooooo…!!

Dark clouds began to gather in the western sky. Feeling the overwhelming magical power, Asura suddenly turned to the clouds and exclaimed with glee.

[Hahaha, the Master of the White Lotus Sect!! You’ve finally arrived!]

Whoosh!

Then, breaking away from the four he was fighting, he soared directly toward the chaotic figure of the Master of the White Lotus Sect floating among the dark clouds.

Boom!

Thud!!

“…That’s a monstrous thing.”

Dokgo Seong murmured in shock. The brief combat lasted no longer than fifty seconds, but he had been unable to withstand Asura’s blows, and the sword he had been using was shattered into pieces. Though Asura hadn’t even used his ultimate technique, the level gap was evident.

Even the so-called Absolute Realm was nothing like comparable.

Asura had refined his skills to the supreme level over several millennia and had reached a new realm.

‘The claim that he will annihilate us all in 100 seconds isn’t just bluster.’

Asura had become absurdly strong. The sword of the Bright Dragon and the tri-attack of Master of Zen, as well as the blade of thunder from Dokgo Seong, couldn’t seem to pierce through at all. Each was casting their own Absolute Realm technique effortlessly, all while retaining a sense of leisure. He could have dispatched them in an instant, yet it felt like he was purposely letting them show off their martial arts capabilities to study them.

Just how far had Asura’s level risen?

Dokgo Seong thought that only beings revered as the Celestial Sage or Xiang Yu could contend with Asura at such a level. Furthermore, he questioned whether the current Master of the White Lotus Sect could even reach that tier.

Absolutely.

Complete Destruction.

Asura did not underestimate the Master of the White Lotus Sect floating amid the dark clouds; he launched an all-out attack from the very start. For an overwhelming first strike ensures total advantage, even in the realm of the Absolute. It’s also an opportunity to compare their Absolute powers, making it a thrilling affair for any warrior.

‘Hahaha!! Master of the White Lotus Sect… how will you counter this…. Hmm?’

At that moment, Asura felt a strange sensation wash over him.

Just when he had charged at an unimaginable speed to reach within three yards of the Master of the White Lotus Sect, an incomprehensively cold aura swept over his entire body. It was something distinctly different from the domineering energy of the Master of the White Lotus Sect that he had been observing all this time during the Monster War.

And from the eyes of the Master of the White Lotus Sect, a silver light surged forth as an eerie voice echoed.

[You’re nothing but a bug.]

It was a single sentence imbued with extreme ennui, madness, and malice.

Thump!!

Asura’s body dropped to the ground like a fly slapped down by an invisible palm. Asura attempted to regain his composure immediately, but with another unexpected blow, he trembled and collapsed.

The overwhelming disparity in strength!

Witnessing that scene, Dokgo Seong was filled with awe and shouted.

“Truly… you are the Sect Master! Incredible!”

To be able to bring down such a powerful being like Asura to a state of unconsciousness with just two blows?

Although Dokgo Seong had known that the Master of the White Lotus Sect was the strongest in the Great Bear Empire, this was beyond any common sense he had.

While he rejoiced at the thought of a sure victory in this battle, he noticed Master of Zen next to him growing increasingly solemn.

“No, no way.”

And he spoke in a low voice.

“We need to recover the injured and flee. Otherwise, we’ll all be done for.”

“`

 

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