Almighty God of War - Chapter 203

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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203

Guyang Cheongang’s party, having descended from Manhosan, settled into a shabby inn in a small village as the sun was setting in the west.

In the lamp-lit room, after finishing their meal, the group gathered in Guyang Cheongang’s room.

It was Neungnam Gwang who first broke the silence.

He propped his chin on his hand and looked over Gyo Myosangin and Lady Bloodrose before speaking.

“Brother, I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep traveling with those two showing their faces openly.”

At Neungnam Gwang’s words, Guyang Cheongang shifted his gaze.

“What do you mean, Elder Brother?”

Neungnam Gwang chuckled softly and continued.

“Brother Dam and Miss Hyang have been notorious in Anhui Province and Zhejiang Province for decades, and thanks to that, they have countless enemies. If they keep traveling looking like that, we’ll face endless troubles before we even reach Nanchang.”

Gyo Myosangin’s name was Dam Jin, and Lady Bloodrose was Hyang San.

Guyang Cheongang fell into thought for a moment.

Neungnam Gwang’s words were extremely reasonable.

While he had no intention of hiding his own movements, having a descendant of the Guyang Family Estate, classified as a righteous sect, traveling with two prominent figures from the dark path was enough to cause gossip.

Guyang Cheongang stared at the two and gave his instructions.

“Elder Brother’s words are correct. Do Dam and Hyang have human skin masks?”

Gyo Myosangin answered with a perplexed expression.

“We have them…”

“What about you, Hyang?”

“This old woman also has one.”

“Both of you put them on right now.”

Gyo Myosangin and Lady Bloodrose couldn’t say anything and each took out a jade box from their robes.

Inside were masks with a texture similar to human skin.

The two immediately took out the human skin masks and put them over their faces.

In an instant, Gyo Myosangin transformed into the face of an ordinary middle-aged man in his thirties.

It was a colorless, odorless appearance with no distinguishing features, impossible to identify if mixed into a crowd.

Lady Bloodrose transformed into an ordinary, modest woman in her early thirties.

“Good.”

Guyang Cheongang nodded with satisfaction.

He sent the rest of the group except Baek Muok back to their respective rooms.

After confirming that his disciple had soon entered deep energy circulation and breath control, he took out Cheongi Jinjun’s legacy that he had kept in his robes.

The first things to appear were three yellowed ancient books.

On the covers, “Mansang Chuyogyeong” was engraved in golden letters that carried the weight of years.

These books, corresponding to the first volume, had rough paper texture but were miraculously perfectly preserved.

Beside them lay a small jade box exquisitely carved from transparent jade.

Beyond the cold jade light, Hyeonmu’s scales, traces of the legendary divine beast, gleamed with a black luster.

Last was this mysterious black silk pouch, said to be made by compressing space through formations.

‘Now I’m finally facing them properly.’

From escaping Manhosan to arriving at the inn, there had been no leisure to examine the treasures properly.

Guyang Cheongang first picked up the first volume of Mansang Chuyogyeong and carefully turned the first page.

The pages were densely filled with vast overviews of formations and mechanical arts.

From the changes of yin-yang and the five elements that form the foundation of the universe to the principles of how astronomy and geography are projected into formations, the depth was like an abyss from the very beginning.

Though no specific blueprints or layout diagrams were visible, the basic principles written were enough to make all the knowledge Guyang Cheongang had accumulated so far seem like child’s play.

‘This is… on a different dimension.’

The clues to the bizarre spatial distortion and gravity manipulation experienced in Pungnimgok were here.

It was such a vast and profound array of theories that even he, with his genius intellect, found it difficult to understand at once.

Guyang Cheongang called Akasha.

‘Akasha, analyze these books for me.’

[Understood, Doctor.]

Invisible microscopic particles silently spread over the books.

The nanobots began scanning between the pages, converting even the minute curves of ink into data for storage.

[Scan complete. Beginning detailed analysis. Estimated time required is two hours.]

‘That takes longer than expected.’

[The density of information contained is extremely high. Concepts that transcend the categories of modern physics and advanced mathematics are scattered throughout, requiring time for systematic interpretation.]

At Akasha’s words, Guyang Cheongang silently nodded.

The pinnacle of knowledge recorded in Mansang Chuyogyeong touched upon unknown territories that even modern science had not reached.

He carefully set down Mansang Chuyogyeong and reached for the jade box containing the black scales.

When he opened the lid of the jade box, Hyeonmu’s scale revealed itself.

It was black as if it contained an abyss, but its luster was dim as if about to fade.

From its smooth surface, only a deathly stillness emanated instead of vitality, and a cold energy similar to what he had felt in the Abyss Underground seeped out.

The moment he touched the scale, a subtle but bone-penetrating extreme yin energy rushed through the meridians in his fingertips.

At the same time, the internal energy of Choyeon Musang Divine Art sleeping deep in Guyang Cheongang’s dantian surged explosively.

The instant the extreme yin energy dissolved in the divine art met the scale’s cold energy, a strange resonance occurred like sparks flying.

The internal energy that had been flowing smoothly began pulsating in rhythm with the scale’s beat, and soon the energy circulating through Guyang Cheongang’s blood vessels changed to a bluish silver color and was sharpened.

It was a qualitative change, like a dull blade being ground on a whetstone to become sharp sword energy.

Guyang Cheongang narrowed his eyes at the chilling sensation that swept through his entire body.

Though the scale was light as a feather, the energy it contained was stimulating the source of Choyeon Musang Divine Art.

‘Hmm… it seems to resonate with the divine art’s extreme yin energy… fascinating.’

Setting aside his thoughts, he focused on the scale again.

The scale was light as a feather.

Even placed on his palm, its weight was barely perceptible.

When he examined the surface closely, intricately carved oracle bone script appeared.

The content of the ancient characters, immediately decoded by Akasha, clearly emerged in Guyang Cheongang’s consciousness.

First were the exact coordinates and route to the North Sea where Cheongi Jinjun’s true body slept. Second was the secret incantation to awaken Hyeonmu’s will dwelling in the scale and summon an avatar.

Guyang Cheongang immediately operated Choyeon Musang Divine Art according to the incantation and carefully channeled his true energy into the scale.

Chiiiiiik-!

The moment the true energy touched it, the scale reacted violently.

A magnificent roar echoed from within, but compared to that of the Cheongi Dungeon, it was pathetically weak and pitiful.

The outline of a turtle and the form of a snake formed as phantoms on the surface, trying to manifest Hyeonmu’s appearance, but the energy soon lost strength and scattered like flickering smoke.

[Doctor.]

Akasha’s voice broke the silence.

[The Avatar Summoning Great Method consumes enormous amounts of extreme yin energy as fuel. This is because Hyeonmu is originally a divine beast of extreme yin.]

Guyang Cheongang swallowed his disappointment while watching the scattering afterimage.

[The Cheongi Dungeon was a special environment filled with the cold energy of Cheonhan Sakgol Wind condensed over tens of thousands of years. Cheongi Jinjun was able to maintain a materialized Hyeonmu three zhang in size by utilizing that vast yin energy.]

‘How much would be possible with my current power?’

[Manifestation is possible, but maintaining it for more than 5 seconds would be difficult. The size would be about one zhang, and the power would not even reach half of what we saw in the dungeon. Its practical utility in actual combat would be very low.]

Akasha continued in a calm tone.

[However, if you melt the remaining major acupoints of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians that have not yet been opened and fully absorb the extreme yin energy sleeping within them, the story would be different. At that time, you would be able to operate the avatar more practically and powerfully.]

Guyang Cheongang closed the lid of the jade box.

While it was disappointing that it couldn’t become immediate combat power, the fact that he had obtained a powerful card that would soon be completed was harvest enough.

He pushed Hyeonmu’s scale aside and shifted his gaze to the last item remaining on the bed chamber.

A black silk pouch as smooth as pitch darkness.

The texture touching his fingertips was soft, but within it was contained the full weight of compressed space.

The method to open the pouch already existed in the data from Mansang Chuyogyeong that Akasha had scanned.

Guyang Cheongang recited the incantation imprinted in his consciousness while channeling true energy into the pouch.

“Heosilsaengsaeng , Mansangguil … Open!”

As the incantation resonated through the air, geometric patterns rose on the pouch’s surface, glowing with blue light.

And the pouch’s opening vibrated minutely as the internal space, which had been cut off from the outside world, connected with Guyang Cheongang’s consciousness.

It was an experience like a mirage.

Even with his eyes closed, a square space extending five jang in all directions was clearly projected in his mental image.

There, the legacies that Cheongi Jinjun had spent his lifetime crafting were piled up like mountains.

The first things that caught his eye were hundreds of formation instruments.

Flags that guided energy, octagonal jade pendants that amplified power, and orbs that fixed earth veins were each emitting subtle spiritual energy from their positions.

Next to them were formation plates.

From palm-sized portable ones to those as large as cart wheels, their surfaces were densely carved with patterns more complex than modern precision circuits.

These were components that could instantly materialize the formations and mechanisms recorded in the Mansang Chuyogyeong.

However, one thing Cheongi Jinjun had said left Guyang Cheongang feeling regretful.

The master had called these things ‘inferior grade.’

Treasures that formation masters throughout history would struggle their entire lives to obtain even one of were merely classified as low-grade here.

If so, it was hard to even imagine what the middle-grade, high-grade, and ultimate-grade levels would be like.

‘To think such precious treasures were merely inferior grade to him…’

The amazement was brief, as a faint smile spread across Guyang Cheongang’s lips.

Though they might be insignificant to Cheongi Jinjun, they were more than sufficient to become powerful weapons for him now.

‘With materials of this caliber…’

A faint smile spread across Guyang Cheongang’s lips.

Not only could he materialize the Nine Heavens Hyeonmu Great Formation that had existed only as blueprints, but he could also strengthen it.

Moreover, he could reinforce the Flying Star Heavenly Net Sword Formation to an amazing level as well.

Cheongi Jinjun’s legacy was the very ‘technological foundation’ that would transform the Guyang Family Estate into a fortress that no one under heaven could covet.

‘It was worth risking my life to descend below the Bottomless Pit.’

He closed the pouch’s opening with a satisfied smile, withdrawing his consciousness.

As he carefully stored the treasures deep within his sleeve, silence returned to the room once more.

Guyang Cheongang sat in lotus position on the bed and fell into deep contemplation while circulating the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art.

For him, having mastered the Dual Mind Divine Art to perfection, performing energy circulation and breath control while thinking simultaneously was not particularly difficult.

In his consciousness, the fierce battles he had faced with strong opponents from Yu Garyang to Yohwarang and even Gyo Myosangin flashed by like a revolving lantern.

They were all masters of the Transformation Realm or higher.

And Guyang Cheongang had detected a strange sense of disparity in his fights with them.

At first, he thought it was simply because the Transcendent Impermanence Divine Art he had created was superior, or because his inherent martial prowess was stronger.

But as the battles continued, that difference revealed its clear substance.

Despite being at the same intermediate level of the Transformation Realm, the power of the martial arts they displayed was vastly different, and even when projecting the same amount of internal energy, the results were like heaven and earth.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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