Chapter 353 ·Martial Artist and Cultivator
Chapter 353: Martial Artist and Cultivator
Martial God. The title given to a martial artist who had ascended to the Upper Realm.
Those who had reached the Primordial Unity Realm obtained Divinity and became nearly perfect.
However, Jang Woo-hyun was different from the other Martial Gods.
To him, the Primordial Unity Realm and the title of Martial God were merely another beginning.
The talent that knew no limits and the vessel possessed by the martial artist named Jang Woo-hyun were so vast that their size could not even be imagined.
He had gained much from Lee Tae-seong's memories, but there had also been missing pieces.
The things that the Seven Great Saints, Muk Geom-yeong, and Zhang Sanfeng had passed on to him just moments ago filled those gaps.
Within Jang Woo-hyun's inner world, the movements and power of the Seven Great Saints, along with the martial arts of Muk Geom-yeong and Zhang Sanfeng, became one.
As he let out a single breath, black darkness spread outward from Jang Woo-hyun.
When he inhaled.
Kugugugugugu-
The stars far away were drawn toward Jang Woo-hyun.
Spiral Vortex Breathing Art.
A breathing technique created after observing the Giants' technique, combining the Lion Camel King's Earth-Pulling Art with Muk Geom-yeong's Small Universe.
Swallowing countless stars and streams of energy, he advanced forward.
Wings spread open behind Jang Woo-hyun.
One was black, while the other was composed of white blades.
They were the Small Universe, the Unity of Blade Mountain and Sword Forest, the yin and yang of the Circulating Taiji, and also the wings of the Roc Demon King.
As the wings moved, the black and white swords merged into one.
A cross-shaped star transformed into a galaxy that wrapped around the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven.
Then, a magnificent mandala pattern filled the entire space.
As the pattern emitted light, unlike before, colorful martial techniques poured forth from within it like the curse of the Macaque Demon King.
A Taiji Pattern emerged upon the sword in his right hand, while the overwhelming strength of the Bull Demon King filled his left.
Simply by moving, Jang Woo-hyun shattered stars and tore apart the universe.
With a single swing of his sword, space distorted as countless black holes appeared, twisting space and time.
Galaxies shattered, every planet lost its light.
The universe exploded, and a new world was born.
Jang Woo-hyun's single sword strike shattered the universe, yet with a mere gesture from the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven, everything was recreated.
Destruction and creation repeated endlessly.
Before long, everything disappeared.
Within the empty void, only Jang Woo-hyun and the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven remained.
【Hahahahaha!】
Within the world where only the two of them existed, the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven burst into laughter as though he had realized something.
【Now I finally understand.】
The Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven turned his gaze toward Jang Woo-hyun.
【It was not the True Martial God... it was you.】
The martial artist capable of standing against the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven.
It was not the True Martial God, Lee Tae-seong.
It was Jang Woo-hyun.
Only now did that absurd talent make sense.
If he was a martial artist comparable to the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven, who had surpassed the Upper Realm and become Heaven itself, then such abilities were only natural.
【You are not the nemesis of the True Immortals, but one destined to become another god.】
Jang Woo-hyun was strong.
He was still growing stronger.
But the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven was stronger.
He was growing stronger even faster.
Jang Woo-hyun's talent and skill were enough to astonish even Heaven itself, but they could never catch up to the countless years of preparation and accumulation of the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven.
It was a gap that could never be bridged.
He could not reach him.
No matter how much stronger he became, he could not defeat the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven.
He could attack him.
He could wound him.
The current Jang Woo-hyun was already strong enough.
But he could never completely finish him.
That difference was absolute.
If Jang Woo-hyun stood upon the ground, then the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven soared through the heavens.
Though he continued to grow stronger, he could never truly fly.
The light pouring from his eyes gradually dimmed.
Faced with an unbridgeable gap, the faith that had believed anything was possible shattered.
As the will of a god weakened, the heart of the human named Jang Woo-hyun emerged once more.
He continued fighting within the endless empty space.
How long had they been fighting?
One year?
Ten years?
Perhaps it had already been a thousand years.
Or even ten thousand.
'Or... perhaps not? Hasn't even a single day passed?'
Within the immeasurable flow of time, Jang Woo-hyun suddenly thought of giving up.
'I can't win.'
His dazzling talent had struck an unbreakable wall.
Jang Woo-hyun, who had always pushed forward relentlessly, was gradually being forced onto the defensive.
No matter how much he thought about it, there was no answer.
The belief that anything was possible disappeared.
Only one question remained.
'Can I really do this?'
'Impossible.'
Negative emotions continued to grow, and the feeling of defeat enveloped Jang Woo-hyun.
He had done everything he could.
He had fought as much as anyone possibly could.
He had already accomplished countless things.
What had begun in the Lower Realm had continued all the way to confronting a being who could truly be called a god in the Upper Realm.
All he had wanted was to learn martial arts.
Yet somehow, he had come this far.
Perhaps this was where he should stop.
'Can I-'
'I'm the greatest.'
'…….'
'No, that's not it. You have to shout it. "I'm the greatest."'
Just as he was about to give up everything.
A familiar voice reached his ears.
'How weak. I certainly did not teach you to be like this.'
Was it an illusion?
Or some arrangement left behind by his master?
Suddenly, Lü Dongbin's voice rebuked Jang Woo-hyun.
'Master... Is that really you?'
Unable to believe it, Jang Woo-hyun asked cautiously.
The answer came without hesitation.
'Then was there ever a fake master?'
'How...?'
'Why does that matter? Whether it is a hallucination or an illusion makes no difference. What matters is your situation.'
'Y-Yes... that's true.'
'Repeat after me. I'm the greatest.'
Those leisurely words brought back old memories.
-Again. Say it. I'm the greatest. Are you not going to?
-I'm... the greatest.
-Again.
Perhaps the voice he heard now did not belong to Lü Dongbin at all.
Perhaps it was Jang Woo-hyun speaking to himself.
But merely recalling the time he had spent with his master was enough to steady the heart that had nearly surrendered.
-That's right. Believe that you're the greatest, then cut down every fool standing in your way with your sword. You learned the sword from me, so you can certainly do it.
'It's impossible.'
The Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven.
A true god.
He was always one step ahead of Jang Woo-hyun's growth.
No matter how much Jang Woo-hyun improved, he could never reach him.
'"You cannot reach him," you say. Wasn't the dream I spoke of the same?'
Lü Dongbin's gentle voice echoed once again, and memories of the past resurfaced.
-Dreams may be nothing more than illusions.
-Even if my eyes are covered, the path I wish to walk will never change.
-Perhaps it is called a dream precisely because it cannot be reached.
-I have always worked hard to achieve my dream. And I always will.
He had certainly said those words.
But now things were different.
'No matter how hard I try, I cannot reach him. This is impossible.'
'Heh heh.'
Lü Dongbin within the Mental World.
Perhaps he was nothing more than an illusion created by Jang Woo-hyun himself.
Whether illusion or not, his master did not blame his disciple.
He merely chuckled before speaking.
'So this time, you say it is a dream that cannot be achieved.'
The attacks of the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven continued.
Within the world where only the two of them existed, Jang Woo-hyun's knees buckled.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to withstand the attacks.
'Then this is where it ends.'
'I'm sorry.'
'What do you have to apologize to me for? You've already done everything you possibly could.'
'…….'
'But are you truly satisfied? Do you really believe you've done absolutely everything?'
'……I'm afraid.'
Standing before his master, Jang Woo-hyun spoke honestly.
Learning martial arts had always brought him joy.
He had never retreated from battle.
But the expectations of countless people and the responsibilities he had to bear.
The burden resting upon his shoulders had become far too great.
All he had wanted was to learn martial arts.
Yet before he knew it, he had become someone destined to save the world.
'So what?'
'If I fall here... everything may come to an end.'
'Then why were you trying to give up? If you're afraid, then fight while being afraid. And if you're frightened, then fight not as Jang Woo-hyun, but as my disciple.'
'I don't understand.'
'You are Jang Woo-hyun, the Cheonrin Sword Hero, the Invincible Divine Sword, the hero who ended the chaos of the Central Heavens, and also the disciple of the Sword Immortal.'
'…….'
'Foolish child. Have you already forgotten everything?'
Despite Lü Dongbin's scolding, Jang Woo-hyun still could not understand what he meant.
'You foolish boy. How did I end up with such a dense disciple? Heavenly Escape is my Avatar, my law, a mass of Qi, and also a sword technique. Why have you abandoned my teachings?'
'……Heavenly Escape.'
It was both a sword technique and the Avatar of the Sword Immortal.
At the same time, it was the very embodiment of Lü Dongbin's teachings.
"To hide from Heaven (天遁) is to deceive Heaven. To step beyond the justice of the world, beyond the laws of the world, and define myself according to my own will. Even if the world calls me human, if I do not accept that."
The words Lü Dongbin had once spoken naturally escaped his lips, and he repeated the words "deceive Heaven" over and over.
Then he returned.
Not as a Martial God.
But as Jang Woo-hyun—the disciple of the Sword Immortal, the hero who had saved the Beastkin, and Jin Ha-un's sworn elder brother.
The brilliant radiance that had shone from his eyes like the sun gradually faded back to normal.
Jang Woo-hyun challenged the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven not as a god.
But as a human.
If he could not reach godhood.
'Then I'll drag you down.'
'That's right. Haven't you already experienced it once through that fellow?'
Rather than allowing him to remain high above in the heavens.
He would drag him down into the dirt.
The corners of Jang Woo-hyun's lips curved upward.
"I shall deceive the world."
Whatever it took.
He lightly raised Baekmu.
There was no overwhelming aura.
No terrifying power.
'Can I really do it?'
I can.
Because, just as Master said, I am the greatest.
Just as the Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable had once cast Jang Woo-hyun down.
Jang Woo-hyun would now drag down the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven.
He might not be able to fly.
But he would seize the legs of the one soaring through the heavens and pull him down to the earth.
Woooong.
Baekmu let out a resonant cry as it became enveloped in light.
Jang Woo-hyun swung his sword.
The Sword Immortal Returns (劍仙再來).
Heavenly Escape (天遁).
He deceived Heaven.
He deceived the Natural Order and the laws of existence.
In that fleeting instant.
Jang Woo-hyun and the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven vanished.
Swoooosh.
The branches throughout the forest swayed beneath the blowing wind.
"Hoo."
Jang Woo-hyun took a deep breath as he felt the power settled within his Dantian.
He examined his body and assessed the extent of his strength.
'First-rate.'
The realm where one could release Internal Energy to coat weapons or the body.
Jang Woo-hyun's power, which had once grown without limit, had fallen to the level of a First-rate martial artist.
'He's probably stronger than I am.'
The Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven had always been stronger than Jang Woo-hyun.
His realm was likely at least one stage higher.
Jang Woo-hyun took another deep breath before gripping his sword.
Baekmu.
The weapon that had always remained by his side.
Since Jang Woo-hyun himself had fallen to the level of a First-rate martial artist, Baekmu was no longer a famed sword nor a treasured sword.
It was now nothing more than an ordinary sword.
With firm steps, Jang Woo-hyun left the place where he had first appeared.
The fallen Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven would not be far away.
The time to end this battle had finally come.
"A talent born only once every thousand years."
When his master had spoken those words, Wi Un-yang believed he would become the successor.
"I shall now teach you a true cultivation method, so devote yourself to learning it."
But every word his master had spoken had been a lie.
His master had never regarded him as a disciple.
He had merely seen him as material for creating a puppet.
And Wi Un-yang's talent was not something born once every thousand years.
It was talent born once every ten thousand years.
Perhaps even once every several hundred thousand years.
He realized this while cultivating a worthless cultivation method.
Then he killed the master who had intended to use him.
Afterward, he wandered the world as a wandering cultivator.
Less than a year later.
Wi Un-yang realized once again that he was special.
'Not merely once every ten thousand years.'
A talent born once every tens of millions.
Or perhaps hundreds of millions of years.
Perhaps the only one in existence throughout the entire world.
The speed of his growth alone proved how extraordinary he was.
Ten years.
That was all the time Wi Un-yang needed to cultivate before achieving his first Lesser Ascension.
Others supposedly trained for centuries.
Wi Un-yang reached Lesser Ascension through self-study in only ten years.
Nothing changed after arriving in the Central Heavens Realm.
Everyone called him a genius.
But Wi Un-yang knew he was no mere genius.
'Such a simple word cannot describe me.'
He was no ordinary cultivator.
He believed he had been born carrying a special destiny.
Incarnation Stage.
Void Refinement.
Integration.
Great Ascension.
It had taken slightly longer and required more hardship than in the Lower Realm.
Yet Wi Un-yang advanced through each realm in the blink of an eye before ascending to the Upper Realm.
The Upper Realm was not merely a single world like the Central Heavens Realm, the Corpse Blood Realm, or the Buddha Realm.
It was the place where countless worlds created by the True Immortals, Golden Immortals, and a handful of Immortal Emperors existed.
After becoming a True Immortal and traveling through those countless worlds, Wi Un-yang realized his destiny.
The Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven.
The being destined to surpass the pinnacle of the Upper Realm and become a god.
The one fated to become one with Heaven.
To become Heaven meant that the identity known as Wi Un-yang would disappear, becoming one of the laws that governed the world itself.
He had believed he was born with a special mission.
But that had not been true.
His rapid growth had instead become poison.
Possessing unparalleled talent, Wi Un-yang began preparing for the future from that moment onward.
Though he had surpassed the Immortal Emperors and stood above the world as the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven, he already knew how everything would end, so he moved swiftly.
The Avatar of the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven.
The Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable.
He twisted even the destiny and memories of the True Immortals, securing a place for himself within the Palace of Myriad Immortals.
Then, by reading the laws of the world, he learned that someone destined to oppose him would eventually be born.
'The True Martial God.'
He decided to make use of the one whose power rivaled his own.
'I shall use all the power of the Upper Realm.'
By then, the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven had already been absorbed into Heaven and become part of its laws.
However, thanks to his Avatar, he still retained a portion of his consciousness.
Before that consciousness disappeared completely, he manipulated the laws of the world.
Without caring that the Lower Realm would be destroyed, he opened the Heavenly Gate and drew in its power.
He forcibly made martial artists undergo Ascension so that the power of the Central Heavens Realm would continue to accumulate.
As a result, True Immortals were born more easily.
Eventually, Lee Tae-seong, who came to be known as the True Martial God, ascended to the Upper Realm.
Possessing the power to reverse time itself, the True Martial God grew stronger with every regression.
In his final life, he fought against the entirety of the Upper Realm.
True Immortals and Martial Gods died.
A massive rift large enough to cross into other worlds was created.
And within the Upper Realm, only the Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable remained.
It would take time.
But once the shattered fragments were gathered and the Great Luo Emperor Who Destroys Heaven was revived, the plan would be complete.
However.
The Avatar, the Three Thousand Radiant Silver Treasure Heavenly Venerable witnessed the True Martial God's final moments and changed his mind.