Chapter 573
I immediately used Thunderclap to zip over to Mount Ye. Thanks to Cheon Woo-jin’s clairvoyance, I was able to take a shortcut without actually stepping foot in Mount Ye. Of course, that made the teleportation a bit sluggish and the coordinates shaky, so I ended up arriving right at the mountain peak, but hey, at least I made it to where my companions were.
On the mountain top, I took a deep breath, palms pressed to the ground, channeling my qi.
“Hah.”
As I triggered the essence of the Soul Extinguishing Step, the qi I infused into the earth resonated, relaying the internal situation back to me. Regular martial artists can only sense a short range of about three steps using Listener, but the True Martial Seven Cuts Classic was different. It emitted waves of qi that expanded the detection range, allowing me to almost see through the surroundings.
‘The interior is empty… and I can feel the warmth of life forces.’
If I further developed the essence of the Soul Extinguishing Step, I could manipulate the waves for attack and defense, even forming an ultimate shield. But since I hadn’t mastered the True Martial Seven Cuts Classic to an expert level, it would at least take me another ten years to use the shield freely.
Mangnyang was around two hundred seventy steps from me. After firmly detecting my allies’ locations, I synchronized my teleportation with my senses and blinked to his side.
Pa-at!
“Ah…”
Upon arriving where Mangnyang and Jin So-cheong were, their faces showed surprise. But it seemed Mangnyang figured it out in the blink of an eye and said to me,
“Found you.”
“Yup.”
“Baek Woong. I’ll lead the Bancheon Alliance folks here, so stay put. As soon as I arrive, we’ll head to the real place.”
With that, Mangnyang headed back to the frontline. I turned to Jin So-cheong, who was still standing there.
“What was that poke earlier?”
“I don’t have time, so let me explain quickly.”
Jin So-cheong continued,
“While training, I sensed a minuscule domain. While deconstructing my spear techniques from the basics, I discovered that there was a tiny creature moving according to certain laws in that minuscule domain. I touched it to test it, and every time, I felt the world twist.”
“Twist?”
“Every time I touched that tiny being, the laws distorted. That… might be similar to what you called the Primordial Void.”
Jin So-cheong pondered on his words.
“I wondered if my spear could reach that minuscule domain, something possibly a thousand times smaller than a dust particle. I focused intensely for over a hundred days, and bit by bit, I started to stretch out my hand. As a result, I gained a new ‘thrust.’
This was a story imbued with Jin So-cheong’s realization of the ultimate realm. I tried to wrap my head around it and finally asked,
“Were you trying to poke the smallest thing in the world?”
Jin So-cheong nodded.
“The peak of thrusting is being able to pierce even the tiniest target freely. I believed that was the best approach.”
“But wouldn’t it have been easier for you to polish the Thunder Spirit? Why go through such torturous training just to develop a new ultimate realm?”
Jin So-cheong replied awkwardly,
“I dabbled a bit with the Thunder Spirit. But frankly, I wasn’t drawn to it much.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
Caught off guard, I stared at Jin So-cheong. He responded with an unsure tone.
“Don’t tell Lee Cheong-un. I’m a bit uncertain myself…”
“But please, do tell.”
“I found the Thunder Spirit to be too difficult. It surely offers immense insight and is indeed an upper-level skill that leads to the realm of the Thunder God. However, I worried it would lack versatility due to its difficulty, so…I wasn’t inclined to focus on it.”
“……”
“So, right now, I’m just temporarily operating the power of the Thunder Spirit like a discharge, using it just like Thunderclap.”
“I see…”
Something felt strange to me.
The strongest skill that the geniuses of the Thunder God Lineage had developed over generations was the Thunder Spirit! Given that the primordial spirit was a type of forbidden law, it could definitely be deemed the peak divine technique in the martial arts world. I had always thought that mastering the Thunder Spirit was the only way to reach the ultimate realm, but now Jin So-cheong was questioning whether the Thunder Spirit itself was the right path. If the Thunder God Lineage were in a good state, he could have been punished for his words, much less voice such thoughts to Lee Cheong-un. It was akin to completely denying the martial learning of the Thunder God Lineage and proclaiming his own methods as superior.
‘I ought to think it over.’
Yet, I felt that Jin So-cheong’s comment could be a crucial clue. Of course, while Lee Cheong-un’s martial arts realm was higher than Jin So-cheong’s, Jin So-cheong was undoubtedly the greatest genius in martial history. His insights could not be overlooked.
I shared a rough discussion about Jin So-cheong’s martial arts realm for about half the meal time.
At that moment, Mangnyang returned with his Bancheon Alliance comrades. I asked Mangnyang,
“Is everyone safe? What about the dragon people…”
“Everyone’s fine, but the dragon guy went berserk the moment Jin So-cheong touched the Vermilion Bird’s replica and ran off somewhere. It seems that replica was controlling them from this spot.”
Mangnyang sighed before continuing.
“And I’m sorry… it’s my fault.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I felt a tremendous storm of energy charging towards me from the opposite side. In reality, it was a refined energy manifested through intent, and I quickly summoned up my intent to defend my mind against the attack. Given its mild mental suppression effect, I would’ve fainted if I hadn’t blocked it.
‘I’ll send it back.’
Having repelled the mental interference, I bounced it straight back to the attacker. I felt my intent hit an invisible wall.
[Oh… not bad.]
The mysterious Six Harmonies Assembly that reverberated around us was surprised by my mental maneuver.
Turning my gaze, I saw the Master of the White Lotus Sect approaching slowly with the three Great Dharma Guardians. The Master glanced at me and remarked,
[Are you… the true leader of the Bancheon Alliance?]
“……”
[You seem younger than I expected. About the age of youth, perhaps…]
I gritted my teeth.
‘I’ve been found out!’
Mangnyang had tried to sneak away with the Bancheon Alliance’s forces to escape Mount Ye but got caught by the Master of the White Lotus Sect. Yet, knowing Mangnyang’s sharp intellect, there had to be more to how he botched this up.
Jeong Wooche, standing next to Mangnyang, spoke with anger,
“Master of the White Lotus Sect! That’s low. Attacking us right after the dragon people retreat!”
[Low…? Is there a reason we shouldn’t attack the Bancheon Alliance?]
The Master replied nonchalantly, glancing at the shadows behind and saying,
[The Twelve Joules isn’t about to lend a hand to you either. And you’re harboring the Thunder God Lineage. Naturally, this is a matter for our Four Great Families to resolve.]
In the direction the Master pointed, I could see the silhouettes of the Twelve Joules experts and the members of Dan’s tribe observing our situation from the dim shadows. As the Master stated, they remained neutral, likely due to the Master warning them against intervening regarding the Thunder God Lineage.
‘Mangnyang… you were attacked the moment you returned.’
Then, instead of facing complete slaughter of the Bancheon Alliance, it seemed he opted to yield to the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s demands. The Sword Demon, Extreme Tiger, and others besides Mangnyang were now bound and captured by the experts of the Su Shin Sect.
Mangnyang hung his head in shame.
“I’m sorry…”
I shook my head.
“No, Mangnyang.”
I believed Mangnyang’s choice was correct. The strength and comrades of the Bancheon Alliance couldn’t be built overnight; attempting to resist recklessly would lead to worse outcomes, like being slaughtered by the Master of the White Lotus Sect. Given the situation, it was do-or-die; we had to see this through to the end.
Calmly, I looked at the Master of the White Lotus Sect and said,
“Master of the White Lotus Sect! I’m not the leader of the Bancheon Alliance.”
[Not the leader but the puppet master?]
“……”
[I’ve been curious for a while. The strategist and capability of the Bancheon Alliance’s leader is impressive, but no matter how I think about it, it’s hard to believe you could consolidate a major force like the True Heaven Alliance and Black Dao in such a short time. Such tremendous treasures and fortuitous encounters, the adeptness of people behind you, couldn’t be arranged overnight. The Bancheon Alliance quite literally fell from the sky like a goblin.]
“And?”
[But today, I meet the true orchestrator behind the Bancheon Alliance.]
It wasn’t an incorrect statement. Thanks to the connections, martial arts, treasures, and spiritual pills I built through countless reincarnations over twenty times, I could indirectly imbue the Bancheon Alliance with enough strength to balance among the three great powers in the world. Yet, I maintained a calm demeanor and said,
“What are you planning to do, Master?”
[I intended to annihilate you all right here. You are a substantial obstruction to the White Lotus Sect’s domination of the world.]
“……!!”
[But seeing your potential, I’ve changed my mind. Quite interesting…]
As the Master of the White Lotus Sect stroked his mask, he said,
[Puppet master of the Bancheon Alliance, what is your name?]
“Baek Woong.”
There was no point in trying to deceive him. Given the Master’s meticulous character, he would undoubtedly check back multiple times to uncover my true name. The Master continued,
[Baek Woong! Join the Bancheon Alliance and submit to the doctrines and authority of the White Lotus Sect. Then, the Bancheon Alliance shall continue to exist safely and receive equal treatment as the Four Great Families in the future.]
“……”
As expected. The Master’s patterns had been pretty predictable by now. Also, knowing his tendency to value talent, it was clear he wouldn’t easily wipe us out. However, he was mercilessly ruthless against his enemies, and the moment I refused his proposal, he would attack and annihilate us without hesitation.
In this situation, asking for help from the Twelve Joules would also be reckless. The Twelve Joules were currently without a Lord, and it would be a significant risk to fight the Master of the White Lotus Sect. Besides, they had no obligation to assist us, so it wasn’t reasonable to expect their aid.
I pondered.
‘This is a life-or-death situation, but strangely, I feel calm.’
Maybe it was all the crises I had faced throughout my reincarnations, constantly putting me on the brink of death? Though I was in a dire situation, part of my mind remained rationally analyzing what was happening. For ordinary people, their hearts would race, and cold sweat would make it hard for them to think straight, but I was somehow capable of that at the moment.
Moreover, though the Master didn’t know me well, I knew him quite intimately.
I understood his ideals, thoughts, and tendencies.
Facing someone I understood fully, the power imbalance wasn’t an issue.
I spoke calmly.
“Master.”
The following statement left everyone in the hall in shock.
“Stop with the bluffing.”
