934——————==

True Martial Home

The Divine Thief looked at me with a peculiar expression, as if he just thought of something amusing. He said to me,

“Isn’t this the Immortal Sword? Funny, right?”

“……?”

Zing!

In the next moment, the Divine Thief slid an Immortal Sword out from his palm. Wielding the sword that resembled a blade of light, he wore a strange smile.

“Hehe. Using Yeodong-bin’s technique, it’s been ages since I’ve seen that.”

“……!!”

What?! Is that even possible?!

I was shocked once again. After all, the Immortal Sword Technique was more like a sacrificial spell that borrowed the power of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. In other words, it could only be used if the Heavenly Mysterious Woman existed in this world! How could he use it? And I should have remembered everything, so how can he summon the Immortal Sword simply by possessing the body?!

But I soon realized it might be somewhat possible.

‘The Heavenly Mysterious Woman has existed since… billions of years ago.’

I recalled what the Heavenly Mysterious Woman said during the end of the Seven Luminaries Trial.

[I, too, am the existence of the Founder. I was born when this planet took shape amidst the chaos of the universe billions of years ago, ruling over the spirits who were birthed at that time. The human form and personification were according to the Emperor’s will.]

[When I met the resurrected Qin Shi Huang in this world, I was granted a heavenly mandate, allowing me to remove the mask I had worn all along. The Emperor calculated the Law of Cause and Effect, and Qin Shi Huang was a massive piece, which meant I resonated with that law and was freed from constraints. However, even with the ability to remove my mask, I had no idea what I should do.]

[At that time, my true self suggested I adapt to the flow… Following that advice, I removed the mask and returned to my true form. In the war between the Ancient Three Sovereigns and Chi You, before the Emperor proposed anything to the true owner of this land… I reverted to the primitive shape before I became a person.]

[Baek Woong. The Nine Heavens are stirring… Once the twin suns following me begin to call upon the dragon, I will then respond as the avatar of Pangu.]

The true form of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman was the king of spirits and a great being. She was also the avatar of Pangu, the creator deity and the axis of order! The same could be said for this world, where Pangu exists and exerts influence, making it completely normal for the Heavenly Mysterious Woman’s true form to be present. Even though there is no martial arts or spells in this world, ancient gods or entities on par with the Old Ruler surely exist.

However, mere feasibility cannot explain why the Divine Thief can use the Immortal Sword.

That technique can only be utilized by three people in the world: the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, Yeodong-bin, and me.

How can he use the Immortal Sword Technique?

“……”

In a hopeful moment, I focused on the Immortal Sword and summoned it.

Piiiing!!

Likewise, the Immortal Sword floated above my hand.

‘It works!’

Since it was more of a spell similar to Spirit Summoning, as long as I had acquired the technique, it seemed I could use it even if my body changed. However, the moment the Immortal Sword materialized in my hand, I felt an uncanny disconnection.

‘Huh…?’

Something felt heavy. It was as if a dark snake was wriggling inside the blade, and a chill washed over me. Yet, this chill didn’t feel threatening; instead, it felt like familiarity, as if it had always been by my side. I had never felt this sensation when using the Immortal Sword, and it struck me as strange. Moreover, this Immortal Sword didn’t emit its usual gentle light but was instead blackened.

I glared at the Divine Thief and asked,

“How can you use that technique? Who taught you the Immortal Sword Technique?”

“Well, I might have stolen it from my junior?”

“……”

“Figure it out from your own skills. If you’re calling yourself my junior.”

I could tell the Divine Thief was enjoying teasing me. I sneakily glanced at Master Dharma, who could easily subdue either of us but was simply observing. I realized he was assessing who among us was more useful to him.

The Divine Thief laughed heartily.

“I’ll admit, your hands are pretty fast. How about I see your junior’s swordsmanship?”

Swish!

As soon as he finished speaking, he launched the Immortal Sword using the Invincible Sword Technique. I thought the speed of the Invincible Sword was much slower than the movement of the Divine Thief’s hands, Man-sang’s Technique, but as I watched the sword path transform fluidly, my eyes widened.

Sword Curtain!

Clang clang clang!

I hurriedly deflected the countless sword shadows from the Divine Thief with my Sword Curtain, but he then spread his arms wide and channeled his energy.

Whoosh!!

“Huh…”

In an instant, I saw hundreds of phantom sword energies floating in the air and gasped. That was a technique that instantly unleashed a significant amount of Invincible Sword Technique using my powerful internal energy, something I had never even considered. After all, genuine experts who reach the Absolute Realm would dive into weaknesses and strike back—I would just end up exhausting my internal energy without cause.

But now, I had no internal energy to rely on, only what I had built up on the spot. If he overwhelmed me with the quantity of the Invincible Sword, it would be fatal. If I fatigued myself from dodging and blocking, I would end up unable to evade even when I knew an attack was coming.

Pheeew phew phew!

A mere Sword Curtain couldn’t stop that force! With sharp eyes, I kept my gaze locked on his attack, and just as it closed in, I slowly took a step.

Three Treasure Technique.

As the Three Treasures of Heaven, Earth, and People connected in step, I felt hundreds of the Invincible Sword’s trajectories passing through my body. In reality, the Three Treasure Technique created a perfect evasion space, allowing me to dodge the trajectories almost precognitively. Even if the chance to evade was blocked, I still managed to deflect his strikes smoothly.

“… Oh!”

The Divine Thief let out a sound of admiration.

Thunder God Lineage.

I plunged directly at the Divine Thief, swinging the Immortal Sword at his neck, my speed in this slash was the maximum I could achieve. In an instant, he seemed to steal a glance at my attack.

[Click.]

Then he laughed.

Clap!

“……!!”

Huh?

What the heck?

I noticed the Divine Thief’s avatar disappearing just before my blade could slice into his skin. But he hadn’t vanished; he had used the technique to evade my attack. I quickly redirected my strike towards his heart, but once again my blade narrowly missed him like a ripple in water. As I sensed a chilling discomfort, I quickly retreated.

Clap!

‘You’re kidding…’

If I wasn’t mistaken, the technique the Divine Thief just used was no other than—

‘Three Treasure Technique!’

Eventually, the Divine Thief’s form re-emerged in space, and clear footprints remained on the ground. And, of course, those footprints bore the trace of the Three Treasure Technique. The steps of Heaven, Earth, and People were exactly imprinted, indicating that the Divine Thief had flawlessly evaded my attack while following the flow.

I was shocked and asked the Divine Thief,

“How can you use the Three Treasure Technique?”

“Hehe. Quite the useful technique.”

The Divine Thief grinned as he continued,

“This level is nothing to steal. I just ‘heard it as it came.’”

“……?”

Heard it as it came?

I was baffled for a moment before it hit me what he meant.

[Do you think martial arts lack a mind?]

[That’s a fixed notion. Martial arts have life and feelings.]

[For someone like me, the greatest thief, those voices reach me, and minds are readable… Well, I suppose that’s a talent I’ve had since childhood! To be precise, it’s not that I read minds but rather that the minds speak to me.]

I definitely recalled hearing about that during my time training under the Divine Thief. I had learned the foundational principles of the Invincible Sword Technique and the Absolute Realm at that time. But back then, I never managed to resolve one particular question during my training.

The Divine Thief claimed he had no master and belonged to no sect, merely learning on his own through casual thievery. But how could there even be such thieves in the world? If simply doing that were enough to create the Invincible Sword Technique, all thieves would be monsters! So, I had no idea how the Divine Thief came to create the Invincible Sword Technique through specific experiences.

But now I understood.

The Divine Thief naturally hears the teachings of martial arts and can read hearts…!!

The ultimate talent he was born with!

Claiming to have learned through casual thievery meant he could immediately read the essence of the martial arts as soon as he faced an opponent in a duel and ‘heard’ their will. Once he hears the will of the martial arts, he can execute it at the tenth level in an instant!

In other words, it was as if the Divine Thief saw me unfold the Three Treasure Technique and instantly achieved mastery!

“Uhh… Uhh…”

I found myself at a loss for words in that moment.

What kind of talent is this?

I thought hearing the intents of martial arts held no real significance, yet it turned out to be such an absurd gift!

If the Divine Thief had this talent in his prime, there was no way he couldn’t dominate the Jianghu!

Every martial artist standing before him would be stripped of their techniques!

“Hehe. I like your expression. Shall we play a little more?”

Tydaht!

At that moment, the Divine Thief unexpectedly turned the Three Treasure Technique into an offensive assault. I knew then that once the Three Treasure Technique transitioned into offense, it would generate countless derivative techniques. I was momentarily struck with the fear he might unleash a technique like Reverse Scale Island, so I hastily employed the Three Treasure Technique to evade, but the Divine Thief quickly followed right up to me.

Swish!

Swish, swish, swish!

How many times had we raced through the air at incredible speeds? Suddenly, I noticed the Divine Thief swinging the Immortal Sword to slice through my heart, and I quickly used the Three Treasure Technique to evade. However, in the very moment I dodged, he swung his other arm and dealt a heavy blow to my abdomen.

Kukwang!!

“……!!”

Because he struck with internal power, I thought my insides were about to explode. I did my best to defend with my intentions, but since my body was filled with internal power, that alone wouldn’t be enough to negate all the damage. In fact, even if I had only taken a single hit, victory and defeat would have already been settled.

Crash!

I fell to the ground, coughing up blood, yet I refused to collapse. The Divine Thief chuckled as he spoke to Dharma, who was watching us from nearby.

“This Apostle’s arm you gave me is quite comfortable! Is it possible to reverse the cause and strike the opponent?”

[… Well, that’s up to how you use it. Magical power is merely a resource. You are quite clever.]

The Divine Thief had manipulated the short cause to deal a blow to me using the magical power given by Dharma.

‘Damn… I never thought of using it like that.’

With a cold smile, the Divine Thief charged at me again. This time, he executed the Tao King Technique to probe around my insides and attack, but I recognized that my condition wasn’t good enough to evade with the Three Treasure Technique. So, instead, I employed the Heavenly Contraction Sword to deflect the Tao King Technique.

As I stretched and manipulated space, the Divine Thief’s strike was redirected. The Divine Thief smiled in amusement, but suddenly I realized something.

‘Oh no!!’

Sure enough, the Divine Thief lunged at me again, and this time he was performing the Heavenly Contraction Sword himself. He learned it so quickly just from seeing it once! I was on the verge of insanity, but I quickly began to use both hands to operate the Heavenly Contraction Sword and created a protective circle around me.

I couldn’t give up!

As long as I didn’t give up, I would find a way!

Boom!

Ka-boom!!

After around seventy seconds of relentless barrage from the Divine Thief, he finally paused, looking intrigued.

“Have you mastered the mysteries of Yin and Yang to the point you can compress space with one hand while repelling with the other? Impressive skill.”

“……”

“By the way, junior. How many world-class martial skills have you absorbed? Is collecting martial skills your hobby? This technique looks quite fun too.”

Whoosh!

He raised the Heavenly Five Divine Decisions with one hand and summoned the Five Elements Qigong with the other. A moment later, he seemed to erase that power and attempted to use the Hell King’s Hand and Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique once each. I felt overwhelmed with despair as I witnessed him mastering even the most ridiculous martial arts flawlessly.

“……”

I didn’t want to fight anymore.

The more I fought, the more it felt like I was having my martial arts stolen…

However, I barely managed to overcome that sense of despair and continued to grip my sword tightly. Seeing my unwavering spirit made the Divine Thief smile slyly.

“Hehe. This is amusing. It looks like there’s still more left in you… Let’s draw it all out.”

Tydaht!

The Divine Thief charged at me again. I exchanged blows with him for about fifty seconds when suddenly I sensed him reversing the cause with the magical power again.

Here it comes!

Right now!

As the magical power lunged toward my heart, I realized he had created an opening. From what I sensed earlier, during our fight, the Divine Thief showed no flaws in his martial arts, but when dealing with the power that wasn’t his—[magical power]—he left a slight gap. And that gap was my only chance to win.

Wooooooo—

Face the boundary of “I” and “not I.”

Hone the martial heart!

Transcend delusions and reach Wuwei Transformation!

“……?!”

A look of surprise appeared on the Divine Thief’s face as he tried to stab my throat with magical power.

Whoosh!

The impervious Taekwondo of the Invincible Technique enveloped him, shining within an intangible realm. At that moment, the Divine Thief tried to retreat using an immense divine technique, but I pressed on, bringing my hands together to gather the power of the Tai Chi right up to his face.

The Invincible Technique’s Wuwei Transformation!

Crackle!!

Simultaneously, the sound of the magical power shattering echoed throughout. The Tai Chi of the Invincible Technique perfectly neutralized the attack and returned the reversed cause. The power of the Six Harmonies can conquer ten thousand demons!

At that moment, Master Dharma, who had been silently observing, coughed up blood, indicating he too had taken some damage.

The strike from the shattered arm caused the Divine Thief to freeze momentarily. I had been waiting for this chance from the start, and my eyes gleamed.

‘The opportunity has come!’

If I had started with the Invincible Technique, perhaps a draw would have been possible, but victory would have been unlikely. While the Invincible Technique is a powerful skill, it requires immense concentration, internal energy, and intent simultaneously; the longer the battle dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for me. Moreover, against a foe like the Divine Thief, the moment he saw the Invincible Technique, he could likely replicate it.

Thus, my plan was to use the Invincible Technique to seal his secret skill and then strike with a move I believed he would never be able to replicate. I summoned the Immortal Sword into one hand and quickly transformed myself into Yeodong-bin.

Swish!

The Divine Thief scowled for a brief moment.

[That annoying guy… Of all people, it had to be him…]

In that fleeting instant, I focused and unleashed my final martial art.

Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram!

Run the Scar!

Puk!

My Immortal Sword pierced through the Divine Thief’s shoulder. Originally, it should have run through his heart, but he had dodged my attack just at the moment of contact. It was, after all, the [Technique of All Things], so I had no way to react.

Bleeding from his shoulder, the Divine Thief glanced at the Immortal Sword lodged in him and spoke blandly,

“Junior. Why did you use the Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram?”

I met his emotionless eyes and answered back.

“You’ve used every other martial art, but you didn’t use this one… I thought this martial art was your greatest weakness.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“A thousand years ago, you met Yeodong-bin several times, and you must have seen him fight too. Yet, you never stole his martial arts, the very strongest under heaven at that time.”

“……”

“Now you know the reason.”

I spoke with conviction.

“You don’t steal the Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram from the Sword Master Yeodong-bin. No, you cannot steal it.”