Rebirth of the Thunder God

Pudak.

As the birds flew up into the sky with a roar that shook the earth's axis, Namgung Hui's gaze naturally turned towards it.

"Did an earthquake occur? How coincidental, just as we arrived."

"Brother. This is not an earthquake."

"Huh? It's not an earthquake? The whole of Qinghai Province is shaking like this."

To Namgung Hui's sensitive Ki sense.

This was quite different from that of an earthquake that rumbled from beneath the ground.

A feeling like a vibration artificially caused by someone.

And it felt as if it had rumbled from the towering mountain in the far distance.

'Is that mountain the Yarlung Zangbo Mountain?'

In Qinghai Province, there was no other mountain that towered as high as the Kunlun Mountains besides the Yarlung Zangbo Mountain.

The direction also seemed to be about right.

However, what was a little strange was the distance to the Yarlung Zangbo Mountain.

If the Kunlun Mountains were located at the western end of Qinghai Province, the Yarlung Zangbo Mountain was located in the very center of Qinghai Province.

The location where Namgung Hui was now was the entrance to Qinghai Province.

Considering the vast area of Qinghai Province, it was unknown what kind of incident had to be caused to have an effect up to this distance.

It seemed impossible with human strength.

This was a realm that was absolutely impossible even if the Heavenly Demon were to come back to life.

"Well, as you said, brother, an earthquake might have occurred. Since there are many rocks on the Yarlung Zangbo Mountain, it could be the aftermath of them falling."

Sometimes, large rocks would fall from rocky mountains due to erosion and crustal movements.

This was also the case with Mount Huang, and although there was the aftermath of Namgung Hui's diligent training, it also often occurred naturally.

Heavy rain would pour down, causing erosion, or the ground would slowly rise, transforming the mountain's terrain.

Well, people didn't believe Namgung Hui's words, but Namgung Hui, who had lived on Mount Huang for nearly 40 years, clearly remembered that change with his own two eyes.

It wasn't for nothing that there was a saying that even mountains and rivers change in 10 years.

Anyway, the Yarlung Zangbo Mountain was far away.

If he was really curious, he could just stop by on his way.

More important than that was to arrive safely at the Kunlun Mountains.

"Yarlung Zangbo Mountain, the name is so complicated. From now on, just call it Zangbo Mountain. By the way, when are we going to run this long distance? No matter how much of a master of lightness skill you are, unless you have the art of shrinking the earth, I don't know how many days it will take to get to the Kunlun Mountains."

Qinghai Province, the widest of the wide.

And since they were crossing it from end to end, as Jang Hwang said, it would be a very long journey.

That was why the Fist King had readily given him the Heavenly King Pill, and if he were to not just traverse the distance but also carry out a mission, no one could predict how long it would take.

"Brother. Actually, this younger brother has not yet performed his lightness skill with all his might."

Of course, since Namgung Hui had to hide his true ultimate technique, hadn't he operated the One Yang Divine Art instead of the Purple Thunder Divine Art?

Although the One Yang Divine Art also had explosive power and was a great martial art, it was somewhat inferior compared to the Purple Thunder Divine Art.

The Purple Thunder Divine Art was the number one ultimate technique that Namgung Hui had learned.

In his honest opinion, he thought it was not inferior to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Because the difficulty of entry and the requirement of special aptitude were also the same for the Purple Thunder Divine Art.

Moreover, in terms of constitution, those who could handle Thunder Ki Ki were extremely rare.

That would be more difficult than the entry condition for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Was it called the trial of the Heavenly Demon Peak? It was said that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art also thoroughly selected through a trial.

Perhaps the recent selection process held at the Blood Cult was also in this context.

Anyway. Namgung Hui had rarely shown such a Purple Thunder Divine Art to Jang Hwang.

Now that it was Qinghai Province, where there were no watchful eyes, it was fine to boldly perform the Purple Thunder Divine Art.

Namgung Hui thought it was better to show once than to say a hundred times, and he began to awaken the Purple Thunder Ki and wrap it around his whole body.

His body began to be dyed purple, and Purple Thunder flashed in all directions.

-Jijijik! Jijijik!

Soon, the flashing purple light was neatly gathered and disappeared into his body as if to hide its light completely.

Electrode Opening. Super Extreme.

A sense of exhilaration that wrapped around his whole body.

The nervous system and muscles, imbued with Purple Thunder, were crazily heightened, and even time flowed slowly.

To Jang Hwang, who was watching from the side, this series of work seemed as if only a light had flashed for a fleeting moment.

"What did you just do? It seemed like you were emitting light. By any chance, were you imitating a firefly?"

"I've done some preliminary work. Now I'm really going to fly fast, so please hold on tight to your senses."

"It doesn't matter if my senses go out, but my body is more important. This time, I'll have to wrap myself up even more tightly."

Jang Hwang took out a rope and wrapped it around Namgung Hui's body.

Now, his skill in tying was not ordinary.

It was a thorough motion, as if a constable were arresting a heinous criminal.

"I'm ready. Let's go."

"Yes. Then hold on tight."

-Hwik.

In an instant, the surrounding scenery changed.

Clearly, until a moment ago, they were on a hill overlooking a plain.

But the scenery now was already in the middle of a forest.

No, the moment he perceived that, the scenery changed again, and this time, they appeared on a towering rocky mountain.

"Heok!"

Jang Hwang, who barely held on to his dizzy mind.

He didn't know what was going on, as if he had lost consciousness for a moment.

"Did I doze off for a moment? How much time has passed? Brother."

"Not even a short play has passed."

"? What does that mean? It seems we've already passed the entrance. Isn't the place we are now that small wild mountain we saw earlier?"

"That's also right. And it's also right that not even a short play has passed. That's how fast I moved. It seems you lost consciousness for a moment, brother."

Rather than the expression 'his soul left his body,' it was a phenomenon that occurred because Jang Hwang's body could not withstand Namgung Hui's extreme speed.

Namgung Hui, reminded of the need to adjust his speed somewhat, stealthily checked if there was anything wrong with Jang Hwang's body.

'Hmm... There's no disturbance in his Ki, and there's nothing particularly wrong. Still, I'll have to be careful.'

Certainly, Jang Hwang, a sorcerer, was far from a martial artist with a strong body.

By now, since they were quite a distance from the Iron Blood Fortress, there would be no one watching or peeking at Namgung Hui.

"Brother. Would you mind getting down for a moment?"

"Why? Are you planning to abandon me? I went through so much trouble to tie the rope so tightly. That's too much. Brother."

"That's not it. I'm planning to do some maintenance here for a while."

"Maintenance? Ah. As expected, it wasn't that a short play had passed, but that half a day had passed. For some reason, I was hungry, so I thought quite a bit of time had passed. Hahaha!"

Namgung Hui grinned at Jang Hwang's joke and opened his travel pouch.

In it were the white snake's skin and a few spirit medicines he had brought from the Imperial Palace.

Besides that, there were also items necessary for the journey.

What stood out the most here was not the Heavenly King Pill or the spirit medicines, but a folding mirror.

Although the outside looked newly made, when you opened the inside and looked, a very classic mirror appeared.

This was the first thing Beak Seolhwa had given him as a gift, and when he looked at it, for some reason, a corner of his heart felt full.

Even though there was a lot of space left in this widened travel pouch.

"Brother. What are you staring at so intently?"

"It's nothing. Here, take this."

Namgung Hui took out a wooden box from his travel pouch and handed it to Jang Hwang.

An item that anyone could see was a spirit medicine.

Jang Hwang stared at Namgung Hui, who had suddenly handed him a spirit medicine, and asked.

"I know this is a spirit medicine, but why are you suddenly giving it to me? By any chance, do you think I'm weak and are telling me to eat this and get lost?"

"Half is right, and half is wrong. I'm giving it to you because you look weak, and I'm giving it to you in the sense that you shouldn't fall behind from now on. Now that we're here, there will be no one to launch a surprise attack even if you take a spirit medicine."

Namgung Hui remembered.

The watchful eyes that had secretly followed after leaving the Iron Blood Fortress.

Although he hadn't been able to clearly identify whether they were the Fist King's forces or a third force, they were fellows who had persistently followed up to the entrance of Qinghai Province.

He had thought about dealing with them right there, but as his realm rose, a sense of repulsion towards killing arose.

Perhaps it was a change that had occurred after reading the first Cult Leader's diary.

The distinction between good and evil.

That standard was different for everyone, and it was ambiguous to judge only by human standards.

Of course, it wasn't as if Namgung Hui thought of himself as a good person.

He hadn't accumulated immortal training like his master.

He had just learned martial arts to make a living, at least not to starve to death.

That was why, in Namgung Hui's head, the concepts of good and evil were neither clear nor distinct.

However, the distinction between ally and enemy was thorough.

Although he had shaken off their pursuit, if they were to persistently track him in the future, Namgung Hui would consider the pursuers as enemies.

"Hmm. Alright. I'll eat this spirit medicine. How do I eat this... Eup!"

As soon as Jang Hwang opened the wooden box, Namgung Hui flicked it with his finger and sent it down his throat.

As a hot heat suddenly surged, Jang Hwang sat down on the ground.

Since he was not someone who was completely ignorant of martial arts, he quickly sat cross-legged and began to circulate the internal energy heart art of the Maoshan Sect.

Namgung Hui approached his back and placed his palm on it.

'At least, it's a high-grade spirit medicine. There's no way a mediocre one would be stored in the Imperial Palace's secret repository.'

Although he didn't know the exact name of the spirit medicine.

From what Namgung Hui felt, it was close to a body-nourishing spirit medicine.

The officials of the Imperial Palace often had short lives due to their narrow eating habits.

Hadn't the Divine Physician Sect's decoction for clearing meridians also been created to protect the blood vessels of such officials?

In the Imperial Palace's secret repository, there were a majority of body-nourishing spirit medicines that strengthened the body like this, rather than increasing internal energy.

Eudeudeuk. Eudeudeuk.

The sound of bones twisting came from Jang Hwang's body.

A black liquid was also forming on his skin, a sign that old waste products were being discharged.

'The effect of the medicine is better than I thought. With this much effect, it could be classified not as high-grade, but as top-grade. It wasn't the Imperial Palace's secret repository for nothing.'

Although it was a bigger expense than he had thought, Namgung Hui did not regret it.

Jang Hwang was a person worthy of such an investment.

The sorcery he performed was the sorcery of the Maoshan Sect, whose lineage had almost been cut off, and there must be many sorceries that Namgung Hui still did not know.

And the fact that he was the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader's uncle would work to his advantage in future situations.

Namgung Hui wrapped the Purple Thunder Ki around Jang Hwang's skin and burned all the waste products.

The talent of burning only the waste products without damaging the skin was proof that Namgung Hui's control of Ki had now reached the realm of divine skill.

Although it was a pity that Jang Hwang couldn't see it, he was already sufficiently surprised by Namgung Hui.

"Y-Younger brother. How expensive was the spirit medicine I ate? Surely you're not going to tell me to repay this debt for the rest of my life, right?"

"Do you perhaps know how to perform mind-reading too?"

"No. I don't know that."

"I was planning to tell you to repay it for the rest of your life, but since you guessed it, brother, I'll reduce it to half a lifetime."

"Hey. Is it right to tease your older brother like that? By the way, my body has really become younger and my back has straightened. It must be a great spirit medicine. From now on, I won't fall off your back. Hahaha! Thank you. Thank you."

There would be no one in the world who would refuse if given a spirit medicine.

That was the same for ordinary people who didn't know martial arts.

Jang Hwang, who had devoted himself to sorcery, had a somewhat lacking martial arts despite his position as a sect leader, so hadn't he had a somewhat regretful corner in his heart?

Namgung Hui had properly scratched that itchy spot.

Of course, it wasn't that his martial arts skills had improved by leaps and bounds, but the fact that his body had become stronger like this also affected his sorcery.

Just as a healthy mind resides in a healthy body.

Namgung Hui took out another wooden box this time and said to Jang Hwang.

"Brother."

"Huh? Are you going to give me that too? If I eat it again this time, I might even undergo a complete transformation. Hahat!"

"That's not it. Now it's my turn to eat. Please stand guard for a moment."

"Oh. Come to think of it, that's the Heavenly King Pill you received from the Fist King. Is that really a great spirit medicine? Seeing as he gave it up so readily, I feel like it's not as good as what I ate."

Jang Hwang's words might not be particularly wrong.

However, even if Namgung Hui were to eat the spirit medicine that Jang Hwang had eaten, the effect would be almost nil.

Since Namgung Hui had already gone through a process similar to a complete transformation, there were no waste products to be discharged from his meridians.

Moreover, there was no way Namgung Hui, who was close to a Heavenly Martial Body, would experience a bone transformation.

But the Heavenly King Pill was different.

The secret of the Hwangbo family.

The fact that they could survive with their bare bodies without using sabers like the Hebei Peng family was largely due to this Heavenly King Pill.

Since Namgung Hui had felt that firsthand in his past life, he had specifically requested the Heavenly King Pill from the Fist King.

In fact, in the Central Plains, the majority of martial artists considered internal Ki arts to be the best.

It wasn't for nothing that there was a trend of valuing internal energy over external arts.

Except for the Shaolin Temple, the fact that sects that focused on external arts were extremely rare was proof of that.

However, one should not ignore external arts.

As mentioned before, just as a healthy mind resides in a healthy body.

The vessel that supports the body must be strong to be able to fully contain internal energy.

'Moreover, if it's a martial art that overworks the meridians like the Two Principles Heart Art, the importance of external arts becomes even greater.'

On top of that, wasn't Namgung Hui's ultimate technique, the Electrode Opening, also a martial art that put a considerable overload on the body?

Even just thinking about the strong enemies he would face in the future, there was a need to reinforce his power.

"I also don't know how great the effect of the Heavenly King Pill is, but since it's a secret that even the Hwangbo family absolutely forbids from being leaked, it won't be without effect. Even if it's not as good as the spirit medicine you ate, brother, I won't resent it, so don't worry."

"Hoho. It seems you've learned mind-reading, not me. Yes. I'll stand guard, so go ahead and eat."

Namgung Hui nodded his head and pushed the Heavenly King Pill down his throat in one go.

And in an instant, his vision was dyed pitch black.

(End of Chapter)