Chapter 373
“What?!”
Lee Cheong-un’s eyes glimmered fiercely like a tiger’s. It meant that the supreme master of the Thunder God Lineage was genuinely enraged.
“Why are you coveting techniques from other sects even after obtaining the Primordial Spirit? It implies there’s a colossal weakness in the Primordial Spirit, doesn’t it? The only way to block that weakness is pure martial enhancement!”
……
“Master, what are you afraid of? What else are you hiding from us?”
The sect leader didn’t reply. He had no intention of discussing the weaknesses of the Primordial Spirit from the start.
Step by step, Lee Cheong-un advanced. At the same time, the massive stride of the Thunder God subdued the energy of Heaven and Earth Sea from the very hearts of everyone present.
Guh!
Ugh…!
In that moment, the sect leader trembled, and Dokgo Jun, who was standing beside him, took two steps back. The spirit of the Thunder God’s formless qi surged into his heart, striking a massive psychological blow. Dokgo Jun was so startled that he let out a loud exclamation.
“#%&!!!”
It was an alien voice, a sound so bizarre it was impossible to believe it belonged to a human. Lee Cheong-un, irritated, glanced at the overwhelmed Dokgo Jun and remarked, “So that’s why you kept quiet. Instead of gaining strength, you transformed your body into something like the Water Spirits.”
“Hmm…”
“Do you really have to pursue power at the cost of your humanity? Answer me, sect leader!”
Lee Cheong-un shouted in rage, and the sect leader’s eyes glimmered as he responded.
“In the Imperial Palace, the otherworldly clan is building up tremendous power. As the leader of the Water Spirit Sect and the Master of the White Lotus Sect, I am merely preparing the strength to vanquish them.”
It was new information to Lee Cheong-un, but he promptly dismissed it.
“That sounds like nonsense.”
“I bet it’s obvious. It’s not just the Heavenly Spirit Pill. Eventually, if necessary, the White Lotus Sect will sell out to the otherworldly clan and use them as fighting machines! Why else would you try to tempt the Dharma Guardian with sweet words?”
The Master of the White Lotus Sect remained silent, but that was a sign of affirmation. It was clear he intended to utilize the White Lotus Sect as per his will if necessary.
Lee Cheong-un’s gaze ignited with fury. Gritting his teeth, he said, “You’re no martial artist of the White Lotus Sect! You’re just a great evil trying to satisfy your ambition in league with a monstrous deity!”
“Is the negotiation off?”
Pressure filled the room.
The peerless masters, the three absolute experts, filled the hall with an overwhelming sense of dread. Lee Cheong-un grinned widely.
“I was thinking of fighting anyway. Let’s see the power of this so-called Primordial Spirit!”
And the battle commenced.
Crash!
“Cough…”
In just one second, Lee Cheong-un turned Dokgo Jun into a bloodied mess. In the blink of an eye, a thunderous sound erupted as Dokgo Jun staggered, spitting crimson blood from his mouth. How many blows had he taken in that single second?
“Monster!”
Lee Cheong-un, gripping Dokgo Jun’s arm, hid his disgust poorly. With that, he wrenched off Dokgo’s arm and stabbed it into his own abdomen.
Thud!
With a horrific noise, Dokgo Jun collapsed forward as if he had just received a death blow. The light in his eyes quickly dimmed.
……?!
The event unfolded so rapidly that the Master of the White Lotus Sect could only stare blankly.
“Wh-what?! Dokgo Jun is…?”
The Master had attained the Primordial Spirit and could effortlessly observe everything under the realm of Heart Command Technique. Even a peak expert’s finely honed fast sword could be easily handled. He had thought that the fight between him and Lee Cheong-un would be one of strategy.
However, the situation before him was utterly unexpected. While not as strong as Lee Cheong-un, Dokgo Jun had acquired the Heavenly Spirit Pill, making him a peak master who had few equals in the world. The fact that Dokgo had fallen in an instant was beyond what he could have foreseen.
Lee Cheong-un, brushing the blood off his hands, coldly remarked, “What’s wrong? Is it frustrating that things aren’t going as planned?”
The sect leader sensed the scent of blood and slaughter from that single remark. He also realized that the strongest warrior of the Thunder God Lineage stood before him, truly brutal and ruthless.
“Is that the Ultimate Technique of the Thunder God Lineage?”
“Think whatever you like.”
As Lee Cheong-un muttered, a flash of lightning flowed from his eyes.
“You made a mistake. The techniques that should have been unusable by a human have become transcendent thanks to the Heavenly Spirit Pill!”
The Ultimate Technique of the Thunder God Lineage activated!
Huuh—
“?!”
A sound akin to a string being pulled resonated, and the Master of the White Lotus Sect watched in horror as his own arm flew through the air. He quickly realized this was a consequence of attaining the Primordial Spirit. Originally, Lee Cheong-un would have swept his neck in an instant, but he narrowly detected the danger and managed to only lose his arm.
“Virtuous Tribulation!”
A strange sensation enveloped the atmosphere as time stretched to a crawl around them. This was the realization the Master experienced upon obtaining the Primordial Spirit, slowing everything else down while he entered an accelerated state. Normally, in the moment one activated the Virtuous Tribulation, no one should have been able to contend with him.
However—at that moment, a deadly flash ripped through the space.
Within the slowed-down space, Lee Cheong-un moved with utmost freedom. No—it had become a visible speed compared to his formerly impossible velocity. Within the realm of the Virtuous Tribulation, Lee Cheong-un attacked like a bolt of lightning, stabbing into the Master’s solar plexus with his hand.
Bang!
The recoil caused the Tai Chi summoned by the Master to deflect Lee Cheong-un’s strike. However, the Master felt a prickle in his chest as he heard Lee Cheong-un’s taunting voice echo in the realm of Heart Command Technique.
“Then let’s keep breaking until it’s destroyed!”
By then, Lee Cheong-un had already vanished, appearing only as a beam of light.
Truly, an absolute acceleration impossible for a human!
Crash!
Blinding light stretched out like countless branches, striking the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s body. He managed to parry the blows with the Primordial Spirit, sustaining minimal damage, but that didn’t mean he was winning. If he slipped up even the slightest, he would undoubtedly die right then and there, forcing him to focus solely on defense.
“Thunder…!!”
Desperately, he unleashed the ultimate technique of the Four Great Families against Lee Cheong-un, but it was futile, a desperate dance in the air. The speed was so overwhelming that there was no foundation for an exchange; it was impossible to counter.
Lee Cheong-un’s mocking voice rang out over and over.
“You’re pulling at every trick in the book. How in the world did you manage to learn all the ultimate techniques of the Four Great Families?”
“Th—”
“Oh, shut up! If you can’t keep up with this speed, then there’s no point in talking!”
Before the Master could retort, a strike from the Thunder God’s force sent him reeling.
Snap!
“Cough.”
The Master of the White Lotus Sect staggered but soon regained his composure, enveloping himself in an overwhelming defensive barrier. As he dedicated himself solely to defense, Lee Cheong-un didn’t press the attack immediately. Instead, the next moment, he casually kicked Dokgo Jun into the air, saying indifferently, “I’m going to kill this guy.”
The Master gasped in horror. Could Dokgo Jun become a hostage?
If Dokgo were to die, the prospects for the Water God Lineage would be bleak. The sect leader growled in desperation.
“If you kill him, I won’t show any mercy, Lee Cheong-un! Know that you will wipe out the entire Thunder God Lineage!”
“Huh?”
“Let’s settle this with our duel.”
Lee Cheong-un’s eyes lit up.
“The sect leader still has some energy left!”
Even though it looked like Lee Cheong-un was overwhelmingly dominating, he could instinctively sense that the sect leader still had a trump card up his sleeve. With the uncertainty of facing that hidden card, Lee Cheong-un found himself cautiously probing the situation.
Could he really seize victory when the sect leader unleashed his decisive move?
It would be difficult, but Lee Cheong-un resolved to trust in his own abilities. Also, sensing the threat implied in the sect leader’s words about wiping the lineage, he nodded.
“Let’s not do that then.”
“Good call. I will keep my promise as well.”
“Haha! Those are words you can only say when you’re winning!”
As he hesitated, Lee Cheong-un flung Dokgo Jun towards the Master of the White Lotus Sect like garbage. The sect leader caught Dokgo safely, but by then, Lee Cheong-un had already struck five times before he could counter.
Crash!
The Thunder Spirit rapidly unfolded, blocking the sect leader’s movements entirely.
Ugh…!!
As the lightning surged like a storm, the Master of the White Lotus Sect found himself unable to move, dedicating all his strength merely to defend against the indiscriminate lightning strikes. Each strike was an art of the Thunder God Lineage, and its power was terrifyingly lethal.
The situation was clear.
Lee Cheong-un, embodying the form of the Thunder God, was unilaterally beating down the Master, who was activating the Virtuous Tribulation, utilizing every technique he knew to the utmost to defend! Victory would depend on which one of them faltered first. The Master often felt his veins surge and stumble with each brush of lightning.
“Monster!”
Lee Cheong-un fought, suspecting that if he hadn’t obtained the Thunder Spirit, he would never have stood a chance against the leader. Thanks to the Thunder Spirit’s extreme acceleration, he was ignorantly disregarding all of the leader’s techniques and transformations, unable to discern what was happening. The sect leader had seemingly integrated the techniques of the Four Great Families.
As the battle dragged on, it became evident that the decisive moment came just after one thousand five hundred seconds.
“Here’s your weakness!”
Crash!
Bloodied and battered, the Master of the White Lotus Sect desperately defended against Lee Cheong-un’s relentless assaults until he suddenly shouted and unleashed One Palm.
Incredibly, Lee Cheong-un was unexpectedly struck by the attack, sent flying backward.
“Cough!!”
The energy swirling around him flickered and faded. He had taken a blow strong enough to shatter even his dantian. The Master, visibly exhausted, gasped before finally saying, “I noticed that gap I observed during Insight and targeted it.”
“Cough… you… you used the secrets of the Ultimate Techniques…”
As Lee Cheong-un writhed in the sea of blood, the Master chuckled.
“Heheh, did you really think I didn’t foresee this? I anticipated your strength, Lee Cheong-un, but I had already obtained the secrets months ago and researched them. I summoned you because I saw potential for victory.”
Lee Cheong-un gritted his teeth, feeling emptiness and betrayal bubbling within him.
“Who… could it have been?”
“Well…”
The Master walked leisurely, picking up his severed arm and attaching it back to his body as if it was the most natural thing in the world. His body was no longer human.
“But don’t think for a second that you were ever superior to me. If I had utilized the Heart of Heaven’s Abundance to its fullest, I could have grasped victory far sooner. I only wanted to suppress the Ultimate Technique of the Thunder God Lineage using my own strength.”
“……”
“Then die…”
Bang!
“Cough.”
A sudden flash of lightning erupted, and the Master staggered. Lee Cheong-un mustered the last of the Thunder Spirit’s energy to inflict an injury upon him. The Master briefly fainted, and Lee Cheong-un clenched his teeth and dashed out of the building. The Master roared after him.
“Even if you flee, it’s already over!”
Not quite over yet.
With the Ultimate Technique of the Thunder God Lineage by his side, the sect leader could never erase the Thunder God Lineage entirely.
To survive until the very end!
That was Lee Cheong-un’s determination as he steadied himself for Lee Kwang’s arrival. When Lee Kwang saw the bloodied Lee Cheong-un, he was taken aback.
“M-Master?!”
Lee Cheong-un coldly looked down at him and raised his hand.
Under normal circumstances, he should have dealt with him.
Given the current situation, there was a possibility Lee Kwang was the traitor. But then he calmed himself, deciding in an instant to spare his life.
“… Call the Thunder God Lineage.”
“Huh?!”
“Immediately, you’ll become the leader and lead the people… and escape from the White Lotus Sect… everyone in it is an enemy…”
Thud!
“Master!!”
With Lee Kwang’s scream, Lee Cheong-un lost consciousness. His dantian shattered entirely, rendering the Heavenly Spirit Pill useless, leaving him merely a living corpse. Under normal circumstances, breaking one’s dantian would mean instant death, but thanks to the Heavenly Spirit Pill, he remained breathing like a vegetative state.
……
While listening to Lee Cheong-un’s tale, I suddenly realized the hidden truths I’d been unaware of.
“From then on, it’s the same story you know. I was pursued by the Wind Spirit Sect and ultimately died when my energy ran out. No matter how powerful the Heavenly Spirit Pill might be, once the dantian is shattered, death becomes inevitable…”
Under the flickering lights of the tunnel, Lee Cheong-un sighed briefly.
“Phew… whether it’s misfortune or good fortune, the Thunder God Lineage somehow survived in the end. And the sect leader is still keen on obtaining the Thunder Spirit…”
I thought carefully and asked, “Is the reason the sect leader spared the Thunder God Lineage because of that?”
“That’s likely.”
Lee Cheong-un leaned against the wall and continued, “He likely realized that the Thunder God Lineage has yet to fully master the Ultimate Technique. He might have waited for my disciple, Lee Kwang, to meticulously cultivate his skills until he reached the stage of mastering the Ultimate Technique. And whether by coincidence or fate, the Young Master’s strange disease must have delayed any plans to attack the Thunder God Lineage.”
“Still, waiting for over fifty years…”
“If necessary, he could wait longer. He’s a tremendous schemer with a lot of patience.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
If Lee Cheong-un was correct, then the Lee Cheong-un in front of me was indeed an extraordinary being, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the sect leader. Even though the sect leader had backed down due to the overwhelming pressure, it was still a fact.
“Um… what exactly is the Thunder Spirit? What could make it capable of pushing the sect leader to such an extent?”
Lee Cheong-un hummed, “Let me give you a simple explanation. While you may never be able to master it, you should at least know the concept.”
Slowly, he drew the Eight Trigrams on the ground, saying, “The I Ching can be interpreted in three ways: Unchanging, Simplified, and Transformative. Do you understand these meanings?”
“The Unchanging means there is no event in the world that cannot be explained by the Tai Chi. Simplified indicates that the yin-yang dichotomy can easily explain any worldly phenomenon. And Transformative means everything is constantly changing according to logic, with that change being cyclical.”
I replied without hesitation. I had studied Daoism for over three years under Mangnyang and continued to practice after that.
“You know your stuff.”
Lee Cheong-un nodded and elaborated, “To incorporate these principles into human martial arts is precisely what the Thunder Spirit is.”
“Huh? Is that even possible?”
I couldn’t help but question it, bewildered. After all, the 64 hexagrams are merely sticks used for divination. Through years of research, Daoists might grasp the principles, but those wouldn’t suit practical martial arts transformations. Lee Cheong-un smirked.
“In this world, the only force that can move the wheel of change is qi. Once you comprehend that this world is composed of countless energies, talents, and original elements beyond just qi, many paths will open up to you. The clash between qi and your will is just the basics. Ultimately, it’s about clashing with the world and realizing your intent.”
“……”
“The Thunder Spirit embodies one of those many forms of the Eight Trigrams. So even though it’s the ultimate technique, it cannot fulfill the role of a martial soul.”
Honestly, I couldn’t fully grasp his words. When I stayed silent, Lee Cheong-un grasped a stick and tossed it aside, saying, “I never thought I would lose against anyone after achieving the Heavenly Spirit Pill. Since it grants infinite internal power, I figured I would undoubtedly win. And in reality, I easily dispatched someone like Dokgo Jun.”
“Is that so…”
Who else could nonchalantly call Dokgo Jun, the strongest among the Dharma Guardians, a mere footnote? Lee Cheong-un was undoubtedly a master beyond the realms of mortals.
“That said, if I were to take a guess, the leader’s Primordial Spirit has also reached an equivalent level of the Thunder Spirit. To defeat the current master, one must achieve a level that transcends the Thunder Spirit,” Lee Cheong-un concluded as he ruminated.
It felt like a distant goal. Shaking my head in disbelief, I found myself on the receiving end of Lee Cheong-un’s penetrating gaze.
“So, you must confuse the sect leader.”
“Huh?”
“The sect leader hasn’t mastered the essence of Jang Sam-bong’s Seven Great Techniques yet. After emerging from closed-room training, it’s only natural he’ll be asking you all sorts of questions.”
With a sly grin, Lee Cheong-un explained my upcoming task.
“So if you mix in some stern advice, the sect leader will likely self-destruct.”
“Ah…!!”
That’s right!
Having revived Lee Cheong-un with the powers of transformation, it was essential to deal with the sect leader later on using direct combat. However, if I fully passed on the Seven Great Techniques to him, it would be like giving him wings, so to prevent that, I had to confuse him with misleading insights, causing him to fall into a pit of his own making!
Lee Cheong-un stood up, shaking off the dust, and said, “Then take me to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School. I’ll prepare everything to defeat the Master of the White Lotus Sect.”
“Ah… I understand.”
Upon hearing his words, an unexplainable sense of relief washed over me.
He might not look fierce, but Lee Cheong-un possessed strategies and extraordinary martial prowess akin to Lee Kwang. With him on board, the future developments would certainly shift drastically!
But Zhuge Sa chimed in irritatingly.
“You still don’t get it. Foolish boy…”
“What?! What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s fine. You’ll eventually figure it out.”
Why was he suddenly talking nonsense?
As I was about to growl, Zhuge Sa said, “Just take Lee Cheong-un and hurry back. If you linger too long, you’ll arouse the sect leader’s suspicions.”
I felt annoyed at how Zhuge Sa always seemed to be nitpicking whenever we spoke.
Seriously, I was already planning to do just that!
