Rebirth of the Thunder God

As Beak Seolhwa's ki passed the lower dantian and headed to the middle dantian, a strange energy stirred.

It was not the ki of the Hwaryeong Divine Pill, but a third ki.

To be precise, it was similar to the ki of extreme yang that had leaked from the middle dantian.

Namgung Hui felt a familiarity in that ki that he had felt sometime before.

The middle dantian, a scene he couldn't help but remember as he had only used it a few times.

And if it was the ki of extreme yang.

'It's the Ice Soul Poison! But it was still there? Why did it come out now?'

If it was going to be quiet, it should have stayed hidden until the end.

Why did it suddenly react to Beak Seolhwa's ki...

'Ah. Come to think of it, the Ice Soul Poison was a poison made in the North Sea Ice Palace. It seems it reacted because Seolhwa is from the North Sea Ice Palace!'

He didn't know if it was a good thing, but anyway, the ki of the Ice Soul Poison came out and fused with Beak Seolhwa's cold ki.

It was truly amazing.

To dissolve the ki of extreme yang, was it the same for the ki of the Hwaryeong Divine Pill that was sleeping inside Namgung Hui's body?

As if enchanted by her ice ki, it stealthily revealed itself from the blood vessels of his whole body.

It was a vast amount, to the point where Namgung Hui couldn't believe that so much ki was hidden in his body.

It was worthy of the internal pill of a carp that had lived for ten thousand years?

Moreover, since it was a spirit medicine made by refining such an internal pill, such a miraculous ki and a special situation would occur.

Just as Namgung Hui had guided the internal energy to Beak Seolhwa's dantian, she also followed Namgung Hui and led the ki of the Hwaryeong Divine Pill to his dantian.

Unlike Beak Seolhwa, Namgung Hui had already achieved the Five Ki Returning to the Origin, so his dantian was not cramped.

On top of that, when he had first taken the Hwaryeong Divine Pill, hadn't his dantian already widened and his blood vessels become slightly stronger?

But to operate the explosive Purple Thunder Divine Art and even the Two Forms Divine Art, he had to become much stronger than his current state.

Because the overload on his blood vessels would be at least three or four times that of ordinary martial arts.

-Sreureureuk...

Like snow melting in the sunlight, the yang ki and yin ki in Namgung Hui's body intertwined and sublimated into one ki.

It soon turned into the Purple Lightning Divine Ki, which was no different from the true ki of extreme yang.

Beak Seolhwa, observing Namgung Hui's interior, looked at the tingling Purple Lightning Divine Ki and let out a slight admiration.

'Indeed. It's a more pure and explosive internal energy than the previous Thunder Thunder Ki. I can't lose either.'

Beak Seolhwa resolved to refine the Moon Soul Divine Art even more and melted all the ki of the Hwaryeong Divine Pill.

Perhaps because she had taken the Yin-Yang Immortal Fruit, the work was much easier.

Perhaps because she had finished the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit, her control of ki was smoother than before, and the amount of internal energy she could mobilize at once had also increased.

And so, Beak Seolhwa, who had finished all the series of tasks, took her hand off Namgung Hui's back.

She wanted to appreciate his skin a little more, but seeing Namgung Hui's body rise and a purple ki coming out of his nose, she had no choice but to distance herself.

Just as Beak Seolhwa had achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit, five rings appeared above Namgung Hui's head.

This was the Five Ki Returning to the Origin, a realm equivalent to the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit.

But Namgung Hui had already achieved the Five Ki Returning to the Origin.

Then why did these five rings appear again?

The phenomenon that followed soon resolved the question.

The five rings, emitting a purple light, changed into a triangle.

That appearance was so sacred that it was reminiscent of a small mountain.

Ascending the Peak and Reaching the Summit.

As its name suggested, it meant reaching the summit of a mountain and hitting the peak.

It was a term referring to the next realm beyond the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit.

The purple mass that had the shape of a mountain was soon sucked into Namgung Hui's nose.

Namgung Hui opened his eyes.

No light leaked from his eyes.

He was plain, as if he had not learned martial arts at all.

Having achieved Ascending the Peak and Reaching the Summit beyond the state of returning to the origin where he could store his internal energy, he looked like a vast ocean.

But even Namgung Hui's calm eyes had no choice but to waver soon.

"B-Beak Seolhwa. Now that it's all over, can you turn around?"

Namgung Hui hurriedly covered his embarrassing body parts and took an awkward posture.

Since he had given his clothes to Beak Seolhwa, he had nothing to wear.

Beak Seolhwa, without any consideration, did not even put a robe on Namgung Hui.

Namgung Hui felt resentful.

Beak Seolhwa, who was still staring at such a Namgung Hui, opened her mouth.

"This makes us even."

"What? You mean you and I have the same amount of internal energy? I should have at least one Jiazi more than you."

On top of that, since Namgung Hui had even achieved Ascending the Peak and Reaching the Summit, he was one stage higher than Beak Seolhwa, who was only at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit.

Although it was just one stage in words.

The gap was wider and deeper than he thought.

To the point where it wouldn't be strange at all if he never reached it.

As if Namgung Hui's thoughts were wrong, Beak Seolhwa shook her head and continued.

"Tsk, tsk. Never mind. Your change of clothes, they're in the room, right?"

"Yeah. I put them in the bundle next to the bed. Bring me anything."

"Alright. I'll be back."

As Beak Seolhwa left, Namgung Hui recalled what had just happened.

The Ice Soul Poison, the ki that had squirmed in his middle dantian.

The fact that it was still in Namgung Hui's body meant that there was a high probability that it was also still in Eun Seolrin's body.

It was a truly strange poison.

How could it have been dormant like this, even deceiving Namgung Hui's ki sense?

'Come to think of it, the North Sea's Penetrating Ki was so stealthy. It was said that the cold qi would seep into the bone marrow and cause pain until death.'

The notoriety of the North Sea Ice Palace was not simply because they used ice art, but because of such a vicious characteristic.

That was why, at one time, all ice arts were classified as demonic arts.

Well, from the perspective of the Central Plains martial world, all the martial arts of the outer world would be seen as evil arts or demonic arts.

Hadn't even the Diancang Sect's Sun-Shooting Sword Art almost been classified as a demonic art because of its unfamiliarity?

"Here. Here. Take it."

Namgung Hui took the clothes that Beak Seolhwa had thrown.

She also seemed to be embarrassed to see Namgung Hui's naked body up close, so she was standing at a distance.

Namgung Hui, feeling that he was finally being considered, quietly turned his back and changed his clothes.

He looked at the hand mirror that Beak Seolhwa had given him, finished his disguise as a woman, and tidied his clothes.

But.

'Hmm? The shape of the mirror seems to have changed a little, is it my imagination?'

When Namgung Hui had definitely placed it on the desk, there was no such pattern, but strangely, a pattern he had never seen before had appeared.

It was a faint but clear flame pattern.

Unlike a normal red flame, it had a slight blue tint.

Could it be that it had been contaminated by Namgung Hui's Purple Lightning Divine Ki?

'Well, this is also nice to look at, so it doesn't matter. It's not like the mirror has lost its function.'

But if there was something to worry about.

It was that Beak Seolhwa would scold him for handling her gift roughly.

Namgung Hui had definitely handled it with care, so he was a little flustered that such a pattern had appeared.

"Namgung Hui. What are you looking at the mirror for so long? Don't tell me you've developed a hobby for cross-dressing?"

"What are you talking about. I'm not a pervert, so why would I have a hobby for cross-dressing? But you. I gave you such a great spirit medicine, but don't you have anything for me?"

"Do you have to expect something in return between friends?"

"Not just friends. Even between a married couple, if you receive a gift of such great value, there's bound to be something given and received."

Beak Seolhwa shook her head, crossed her arms, and said.

"So you want me to kiss you like a married couple?"

"N-no. That's not what I meant. Ahem! By the way, didn't you feel something from my body just now?"

"Hmm... I did feel a strange energy near your heart. But that also melted into the yin ki, didn't it? Why?"

"Actually, that was the Ice Soul Poison. I told you about it before, right?"

"Yeah. You said that evil woman named Ouyang Yeonhui used it. You said it was from the North Sea Ice Palace, right? I've never seen it before either. So there's nothing to tell you."

"That's not it. Seeing how it's weak to your ice art, it seems to react to the internal art of the North Sea Ice Palace."

Beak Seolhwa, agreeing with him, nodded and narrowed her eyes.

"So you want me to teach you the ice art?"

"We're friends, so you can teach me that much. And you're not a member of the North Sea Ice Palace now. So it doesn't matter much if you leak it, right?"

"Hmm... But it's a place where my parents belonged. And I was also a person of the North Sea until I was young."

"Alright. Then. Let's pretend I didn't hear it."

"How can you pretend you didn't hear what you've already heard? If you just grant me one thing, it's not like I can't teach you."

Namgung Hui, thinking this was his chance, nodded his head vigorously and said.

"I'll grant you anything. Then you'll teach me, right?"

"You can't go back on your word later. Got it?"

"A man's word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. If you ask me to pluck a star from the sky, I'll do it. So don't worry."

"Alright. I learned it when I was young, so I don't know the highest level of ice art. I don't think I can teach you the Moon Soul Divine Art I created this time. Even if I did, you would never be able to use it with your ki."

"Then what will you teach me?"

"I have to teach you the most basic ice art. It's called the Nine Yin Divine Art."

At the name Nine Yin Divine Art, Namgung Hui tilted his head and asked.

"It's a basic art, so why does it have the name 'divine art'?"

"Because. I made it."

"Ah. Indeed, if you made it, it's certain that there will be no repercussions if you teach it. Then call out the incantation, I'll memorize it right away."

"Yeah. The incantation is..."

And so, the incantation of the Nine Yin Divine Art flowed from Beak Seolhwa's mouth.

And Namgung Hui was completely captivated by the charm of the ice art, which was more profound and deep than he had expected.

"Wow. Is this really the principle of all things returning to one? I thought it would be the opposite concept of the martial art of extreme yang, but there are many things that are connected."

As Namgung Hui savored the incantation and nodded, Beak Seolhwa, with her already large eyes, opened them wide and said.

"You've already memorized it? I only said it once."

"This much is something everyone can do if their upper dantian is opened. Don't you also memorize this much of an incantation in one go?"

"That's because my head is good, regardless of the upper dantian."

"Your head is good? I don't think so... I don't know about your face being pretty. But I don't think the brain in your head is pretty."

"What did you say? Then shall I open your brain and see if it's pretty?"

Beak Seolhwa even drew out a hand aura with the Sosu Demonic Art and grabbed Namgung Hui's head.

Although Namgung Hui could have avoided it, he realized that there was no killing intent, let alone hostility, from her and stood still.

And so, after his hair was somewhat disheveled and he had rolled around in Beak Seolhwa's arms for a while, Beak Seolhwa released her arms and said.

"Memorizing the incantation and actually using it are different. Try operating it once. It will probably be difficult at first because the ki is different."

"Alright. Let's see..."

Namgung Hui was also secretly a little nervous, as Beak Seolhwa had said.

Since the ki he possessed was Thunder Ki, he wondered if he could even use the ice art.

No matter how much martial arts returned to one.

Just as an orthodox martial art could not be operated with a demonic art.

It might be impossible to use the ice art with the opposing Thunder Ki.

But Namgung Hui was not an ordinary person.

A master of the Transformation Realm, and an extreme martial artist who had achieved Ascending the Peak and Reaching the Summit.

His insights alone made it difficult to see him as a general Profound master.

Such a Namgung Hui operated the Nine Yin Divine Art that Beak Seolhwa had taught him and created yin ki.

-Sarak.

Although it was very small, a fine frost formed at the tip of Namgung Hui's finger.

Since it was a quality that could never be achieved with just Thunder Ki, Beak Seolhwa also looked on with a slightly surprised expression.

"How did you do that?"

"When I was hit by the Ice Soul Poison before, I got a rough idea of how to form yin ki. The incantation you taught me was also from the North Sea, so there was some connection. But the problem is from now on. I can only create a speck of ki, so can I even use this?"

"That's true. That's why I don't ask you to teach me martial arts. It's always better to dig one well."

Her words were also right, but the main reason Namgung Hui had learned this was because of the Ice Soul Poison.

Although Namgung Hui had thought he had completely removed the Ice Soul Poison before, it was still hidden in his body.

If so, there was a high probability that the detoxification formula he had told the Divine Physician Sect Leader would not work.

And it also meant that Eun Seolrin was not safe.

As expected, the poison made by the Hoicheon Association, to be precise, the Northern Heaven, would not be easy.

'When I return to the Central Plains, I have to treat Eun Seolrin again, there's a lot to do.'

And so, as Namgung Hui was adding another task to his already tight schedule, someone knocked on the door.

-Knock, knock, knock.

"Are you in there? The military strategist is looking for Miss I Jayeon."

'It's finally here. Let's find out Bukgung Jinwu's inner thoughts.'

(End of Chapter)