Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 380

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 380
A space filled entirely with light.
Reality overlaid with consciousness itself.
Thus, the light was also endless darkness.
[Both Thunder Sound Temples have been destroyed.]
[As planned. No regrets.]
A thick masculine voice and a thin feminine voice erupted from a single mouth.
He, she.
Such was the nature of this being.
Il-wol-myeon.
A divine entity worshipped by the Il-wol Radiant Sect.
Also, the original spirit of Cheonma.
[Hmm. The more kindling, the better.]
[Yet it served its purpose in igniting the spark.]
The Il-wol Radiant Sect is a demonic cult created by Cheonma, founded upon the ancient heretical Fire Worship Sect.
Thus, as a fragment of Cheonma, Il-wol-myeon’s lifelong aspiration and the sect’s doctrine is to dye the world in light.
Among heaven and earth, light in the heavens is the sun itself.
Then what of the earth?
The answer is simple.
Fire.
[Your words ring true. If we transform the spark into roaring flames, there is no waste in it.]
[Indeed. We are the arsonists who would burn the entire world and fill heaven and earth with light.]
Il-wol-myeon was such a being.
In a sense, the most radical of Cheonma’s fragments.
In the same vein, Il-wol-myeon would not seek to expand the sect’s followers unless truly necessary.
Even a heretical sect is a religion, yet it forgoes proselytization.
[The fate of both Thunder Sound Temples was always to birth either Gwangmyeong-cheon or Dok-hwi-gong anew.]
[A missing sect leader had to be created, after all.]
[Yet we have obtained a superior spark, so it is no loss.]
[And it is no ordinary spark either. It could become a flame capable of burning even the heavens themselves.]
Kekekeke, the man’s laughter spread forth with the light.
[Excellent, excellent. Shall we add more kindling to nurture the spark?]
[Indeed. However, it would be wise to eliminate Jeomchang’s young one.]
In that instant, scorching demonic energy consumed the realm.
The Il-wol Radiant Sect’s demonic arts are founded upon Bright Qi.
Sun and Moon. Divided into Sun Bright Qi and Moon Bright Qi according to their lineage.
Yet both are Yeok-cheon’s energy, deserving of the name demonic qi.
[Calm yourself.]
[How can I calm myself? You have slain my child.]
The light of heaven is the sun.
And Jeomchang’s swordsmanship was called Shooting the Sun.
This was from when the Dual Moon Radiant Sect once held dominion.
The greatest swordmaster of that era and Jeomchang’s foremost blade had slain Gwangmyeong-cheon, the Sect Leader commanding the armies.
Despite being at a lower realm, with merely a single strike.
[He must be killed. Jeomchang’s sword is too dangerous.]
Had I been able to corrupt Jeomchang with the Chaotic Light Sword, there would have been no concern.
But I failed.
In the end, the lineage of Shooting the Sun continued.
Through Neung-o, who was the young Sect Leader of that time.
[Calm yourself, I tell you.]
A domain burning with scorching heat. Yet a cold radiance bloomed softly, intertwining with the warmth.
The Solar Radiance and Lunar Radiance began to intermingle.
[A superior child will emerge, a better vessel will be born. There is no reason for excitement.]
[…Your words ring true. They always do.]
The Solar Radiance and Lunar Radiance merged into one.
Though wicked and ominous as demonic qi, the merged radiance that became singular was—
Remarkably pure and crystalline.
There was no discord, and one could even sense the profound depth of orthodox essence.
[Until now, our children, the Sect Leaders of the Radiant Sect, were merely Gwangmyeong-cheon or Dok-hwi-gong.]
Gwangmyeong-cheon and Dok-hwi-gong.
Each was the leader of their respective faction, but that was the extent of it.
A Sect Leader who unified both Solar and Lunar had never been created before.
For even with the same radiance, it was not permitted to mortals to harbor two opposing forces within one body and achieve unity.
It could not be otherwise.
The Solar and Lunar Radiance was created to mimic heaven itself, born from the stagnant murk pooled upon earth.
Therefore, the radiance was the least demonic of all demonic qi.
[But from now on, it will be different. You understand, don’t you?]
[I do. We must make it so.]
[Though the Blood Deity may grow quite wrathful.]
[That too is part of ‘us’. In the end, we are one, so what does it matter?]
The two Thunder Sound Masters were merely kindling for creating the Sect Leader.
Consumable fuel that could be burned away once a unified body was obtained.
Now it was time to nurture the spark into flame.
[Since we received Yeok-cheon’s aid, let us make that kindling as well.]
[It is somewhat wasteful this time too. Yet they were once our children.]
[In the end, they are merely two half-formed ones.]
In the brilliantly luminous space, one side split open and two silhouettes appeared.
A man with a fierce countenance. A hole pierced through his chest.
A woman with an expressionless face. Stitching marks visible along her neck.
Gwangmyeong-cheon and Dok-hwi-gong. The corpses of two former Sect Leaders who had guided the Radiant Sect.
[It should be sufficient, shouldn’t it? Even with Yeok-cheon dwelling within, it has already perished and been degraded.]
[Do not worry. Degraded though it may be, with the two of us together, we should be able to recreate the initial stages of the Transformation Realm.]
The Transformation Realm.
A state reached only by the absolute beings of the Heavens Beyond Heaven.
Known by another name: the position of Cheonmu-sip-jon.
Gwangmyeong-cheon and Dok-hwi-gong opened their eyes.
The two corpses bowed respectfully to Il-wol-myeon.
[O Heaven, I eagerly await how you will counter our next move.]
[It will not be an easy move, so I pray you deliberate carefully before making your choice.]
[Just as when we competed over the Dalai Lama, kuhahahaha!]
[Ahahahahaha!]
The laughter of a man and a woman filled the entire domain.

* * *
Corpses lay everywhere.
The stench of blood rose from all directions, and a thick demonic aura blanketed the earth.
It could not have been otherwise.
Over a thousand demons had died in this place today.
All of them were dead.
Every last demon.
“Whew, that’s incredible.”
Yang Hwi’s admiration was not directed at the scenery.
It was directed at the demonic aura being rapidly absorbed.
The formation array spread for the competition was still concentrating all the spatial demonic aura directly into me.
“Brother, with something this potent, is it really okay to consume it all?”
Jegal Seol-ha’s expression was worried. Though her phrasing was a bit crude.
“Seol-ha. Consume?”
“It’s demonic aura. It’s not like I’m eating it delicately, so I’m devouring it.”
…She’s not wrong, but.
“It’s fine.”
In truth, it’s not fine. The two Thunder Sound masters didn’t have the sect leader candidates consume each other for no reason.
No matter how refined a poison technique is, if low-quality poison creatures are mixed in, the quality of the final product will inevitably be compromised.
‘It’s muddled, impure, and the lingering thoughts are utterly filthy.’
-Die! Die! Die!
-Divine Being! I believed in you!
-How unjust! I will kill you!
The resentment of demons betrayed by the being they worshipped and revered was being absorbed along with the demonic aura.
My head throbbed as if I might fall into Sim Ma at any moment.
But.
-Kieeeeeee!
The Black and White Twin Swords began to resonate.
Simultaneously, the absorption rate of qi accelerated dramatically.
‘Discard what must be discarded, seize what must be seized.’
The function of the Black and White Twin Swords was the absorption and refinement of qi.
All the demonic qi in this place was bright qi.
I closed my eyes.
‘Now I begin to understand. The true nature of Honeum.’
The qi originally contained within the Seon Core was Honeum that Seon had accumulated.
Added to this was the demonic qi I had absorbed upon arriving at the Western Temple—bright qi, in other words.
Upon encountering not only the bright qi of the Sun Faction but also that of the Moon Faction, the truth became clear.
‘Sun bright qi and Moon bright qi. Though both are bright qi, they are contradictory and cannot coexist. Not mutually destructive, yet mutual benefit is impossible.’
This was surely why every Sect Leader of the Bright Sect known to the martial realm had been called either Gwangmyeong-cheon or Dok-hwi-gong.
Had there been a Sect Leader who unified both bright qi, they would have been given a name like Il-wol-ju, the Sun-Moon Lord.
‘Though they share the same root, when they diverge, they can clash. Yet the Cheonma deliberately created different demonic qi for each of the three great demon sects.’
Was this natural divergence due to different martial arts lineages being granted?
No, that could not be.
An absolute being of the Cheonma’s caliber would not fail at the harmonization that even I can accomplish now.
‘The mutual destruction and conflict between Sun bright qi and Moon bright qi… somehow it feels similar to Honeum and Seon-gi.’
The Yeok-cheon Qi of Yeokcheon Singyeo.
The Blood Qi of the Blood Sect.
The Bright Qi of the Sun-Moon Bright Sect.
Perhaps the existence of each different demonic qi was…
‘Born from necessity… or more precisely, the result of experimentation.’
Meanwhile, the Palace Lord Geumryun Soja and the palace masters of Podal Lapgung stared at me with expressions that bordered on shock and fear, utterly bewildered.
-Palace Lord, it appears this Madu has connections with the disciples of Pacheon Eumhu, the disciples of Yeoilrakbul, and the Master of Jeomchang.
-I cannot fathom how this came to be.
-What is certain is that the source of the information they provided us all along was definitely this Madu.
For the past two or three months, Podal Lapgung had been safe from the hunts of the Greater Thunder Sound Temple.
If that was due to this Madu, then at minimum, he is no enemy.
He even played a crucial role in annihilating the two demonic sects that dominated the Western Temple.
‘No, it was not merely a role—he essentially exterminated both the Lesser Thunder Sound Temple and the Greater Thunder Sound Temple single-handedly.’
The corpses of the Sun Demon Master and Wol Ya-noe-seung lay at the Madu’s feet.
This Madu had personally killed both abbots.
Had Podal Lapgung’s disciples engaged them, at least a dozen would have perished—so he is indeed a benefactor.
But… that does not change the fact that a Madu remains a Madu.
‘Regardless of reason, all demons must be executed. Yet can I truly kill this one?’
It is impossible.
The two Thunder Sound Temples combined were a force equivalent to one of the Nine Sects.
And one who can single-handedly annihilate a force of Nine Sects caliber is called this in the Central Plains.
Cheonmu-sip-jon, the Ten Heavenly Martial Lords.
‘In truth, this man single-handedly annihilated two entire sects. If we make him an enemy… Podal Lapgung will be destroyed as well.’
Geumryun Soja swallowed hard and stepped toward Yang Hwi.
It was precisely when the absorption of demonic qi had finished.
“I have a question for you.”
Yang Hwi turned his head and performed the Foquan salute.
Geumryun Soja’s eyes widened slightly at the formality, and the bearing of an orthodox sect radiated from him.
“You must be surprised, Palace Master. It is an honor to meet you for the first time.”
“…First, I must express my gratitude. Thanks to you, peace has been restored to the Western Regions.”
“Is that so?”
“How could I say otherwise? All the credit for being able to eliminate every demon from both the Greater and Lesser Thunder Sound Temples belongs entirely to you.”
It was true, but what Yang Hwi spoke of was a different matter.
“While serving as a sect leader candidate at the Greater Thunder Sound Temple, I observed the common people within the faction. They had all learned demonic arts.”
The Western Regions consisted of plateaus and deserts.
In other words, it was not a place suitable for human habitation.
Therefore, among the common people of the Western Regions, crude martial arts like the Three Calamities Heart Technique were widely spread.
Even simple martial arts amounting to little more than life-cultivation methods provided great assistance in such barren environments.
“For over a hundred years since the Dalai Lama’s fall, the common people within the territories of both Thunder Sound Temples have been learning demonic arts. What will you do?”
“….”
For Geumryun Soja, it was a question that could not be answered easily.
They would either have to kill them all or cripple their dantians, yet the common people would never accept such a thing.
A great massacre would occur, and it would certainly take decades to manage the aftermath.
“…I shall ask the people of the Central Plains. Could you provide further assistance to this palace?”
Yang Hwi answered instead.
“That is impossible. My companions and I must search for the legacy of Gwigyoe Jungok-gun.”
“….”
“You have no other choice, do you? Do not worry. I have one.”
It was a method devised after investigating how widely demonic arts had spread since the assault on the Greater Thunder Sound Temple.
‘They have merely learned demonic arts, but cannot be called demons.’
That was only natural. How could a seven-year-old girl who unknowingly learned inferior demonic arts taught by her mother be called a demon?
Of course, according to Yang Hwi’s creed, all who harbored demonic qi should be killed.
‘Father would not have done so. Besides, I myself have now become one who harbors demonic qi.’
I closed my eyes. Slowly, I drew forth my power.
“Brother, ah…!”
Seolha’s eyes widened.
Yang Hwi’s inner image—the Shattered Heaven Wing Condor—was spreading its wings.
Feathers scattered and drifted from the wings.
The feathers fell upon Yang Hwi’s palm and became Immortal Eggs.
‘This is exhausting.’
I drew forth even half of my Primordial Qi and deployed the Immortal Egg Radiant Selection Technique on a massive scale.
Thus were created roughly one thousand Immortal Eggs.
I split them apart.
Dividing and subdividing them, their numbers multiplied several times, dozens of times over.
A spectacle of light particles embroidering the empty air like mist.
Crack!
I tore the necklace from my neck and gripped it in my hand.
The same necklace I had given to Seol-ha—crafted from Seong Cheol, star iron refined from the melted blood of Hyeol-sin’s blood sword.
Seong Cheol’s function was to absorb the qi and mental impressions it contained, then amplify them.
Intention and Hwa-cheon Seon-gi combined with Primordial Qi—a radiant force of heaven and earth.
Seonran sculpted from such radiant force.
Seong Cheol could serve as a vessel to contain Seonran.
A moment later.
In my palm lay fine sand piled high.
All of it was fragments of Seong Cheol grains infused with divided Seonran.
“Have each of the common people consume one grain. Then, without needing to seal their dantian, the demonic qi will vanish and they can rebuild their cultivation anew.”
I removed my mask and revealed my face, smiling clearly.
At the same time, a pure and righteous qi emanated palpably.
In that moment, Geumryun Soja understood.
The Madu before his eyes could never be a villain.
‘What I myself failed to see while caught up in immediate circumstances, he had already foreseen.’
Geumryun Soja performed a bow.
It was the courtesy shown to a wandering knight bearing the greatest sense of righteous duty in decades of life, and a sage possessing the most virtuous heart.
“Benefactor, I thank you once more. Podal Lapgung shall never forget what transpired today.”
I replied casually.
“Then how about treating me to a free meal? I’m getting hungry.”
“That cannot be.”
Geumryun Soja slowly shook his head and continued.
“You mentioned searching for the legacy of Gwigyoe Jungok-gun. There are things left unsaid. I shall reveal them all to you.”

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