Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 384
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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 384
It was a curious phenomenon. The moment I split the dharma treasure-shaped demon in two, demonic qi gushed forth.
All of the demonic qi was being absorbed through my blade.
‘Is this the function of this space?’
-Devour, devour, devour, devour, devour, devour, devour….
The intensity of the obsessive thoughts accompanying the qi was extraordinarily fierce.
It was befitting of a demon that had lingered for countless ages.
‘This is rather dangerous.’
Obsessive thoughts are also consciousness. The obsessive thoughts accompanying the demonic qi added to the Human-Faced Winged Bird dwelling within my Swordmaster’s Vessel.
Unlike the mental image that used Yang Hwi’s heart-spirit as a vessel, the Shattered Heaven Divine Bird.
The Human-Faced Winged Bird had made its nest within my Swordmaster’s Vessel.
Because it was a mental image created not by my own crafting, but by gathering the obsessive thoughts embedded in demonic qi.
-Krrrraaaaaaah….
The eerie cry emitted by the Human-Faced Winged Bird grew even louder.
Well, in any case, I swallowed it.
“Phew. This is on a completely different level from devouring demons.”
“Indeed. Each one was gathered and sealed because it was deemed dangerous to exist in this world.”
And here I was, consuming them as if they were arranged for me.
“Why are you entrusting me with these demons, Old Man?”
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
“It seems it must be done this way. Consider it the intuition of one who has lived for countless ages.”
Well, there was no harm in consuming them.
If they were released into the world, they would cause bloodshed, so eliminating them while filling my Swordmaster’s Vessel with demonic qi was killing two birds with one stone.
“Understood.”
Next was a shield-shaped demon.
I planted my sword at its center and thrust through. Demonic qi poured out.
-Krrrraaaaaaah….
‘This one tastes somewhat bitter.’
How to describe it—it had the taste of something undercooked.
The third was a hand guard worn by a fist master.
For a mere hand guard, it was made of human skin soaked in blood, and its sinister aura was no trivial matter.
“Hup.”
The demonic qi that entered as I split it in half.
It was demonic qi I had experienced through my Swordmaster’s Vessel.
In other words, blood qi.
‘This demon has consumed quite a lot of human blood and vitality.’
I crushed it once more.
I crushed it again and again.
‘The varieties of demonic qi are more diverse than I expected.’
In my past life, the demonic qi I encountered were the blood energy of the Blood Sect, the luminous qi of the Bright Sect, and the inverse qi of Singyeo.
Yet among dozens of types of demonic creatures, there existed many other heterogeneous demonic energies entirely different from these.
A fleeting recollection surfaced in my mind.
‘Why did Cheonma divide the heterodox sects into three and grant each a different demonic qi?’
What could possibly be the reason the heterodox sects had to be three?
If all demons originated from Cheonma, why did each possess different temperaments?
Of course, countless types of qi exist in this world.
Though their origins stem from primordial chaos, extending through the supreme ultimate and the five elements, the nature of one’s qi shifts according to differences in cultivation depth.
But.
‘That’s because they each have different roots. Yet demonic qi is ultimately branches extending from a single root—Cheonma.’
I was lost in contemplation while continuing my repetitive work.
Clang!
“Clang?”
These demonic creatures possessed enough spiritual qi to rightfully be called Spiritual Qi.
Naturally, they couldn’t be destroyed easily, and I had drawn out their energy abundantly, wrapping myself in overwhelming force.
Yet a clang sound?
“It’s the Obsidian Demon Blade.”
“The Obsidian Demon Blade? This is it?”
I glanced at Chu Dal, and explanations poured forth.
“If one were to name the greatest demon blade under heaven, it would always be the first to be mentioned. It’s also listed as the third item in our Yinggui Sect’s Stronghold Records of Martial World Artifacts.”
In the past, there was a Sword Spirit who earned the title of greatest under heaven through demonic cultivation.
It seemed the beloved weapon of that Sword Spirit was none other than the Obsidian Demon Blade.
-Capture me. I shall give you all under heaven.
It truly is a bewitching blade. Its whispers are quite persistent.
“Shut up and shatter, you wretch.”
I activated the function of the Black and White Twin Swords, refining my force to an even sharper edge.
Yet again, it merely produced a clang sound.
“Tch, troublesome for a mere demon blade.”
I glanced at the Dalai Lama.
“It must be destroyed to be absorbed, yes?”
“Indeed. The method converts the concentration of demonic qi into your dantian.”
Hmm. It seems destroying it will require considerable time.
‘…Must I really destroy it? At this level of durability, even after draining all the demonic qi, it would be more than sufficient to rank among renowned blades.’
My greed as a swordsman surged forth.
Whether demon blade or otherwise, at this level of quality, it was far too precious a treasure to simply destroy from a sword wielder’s perspective.
Though I possessed the Black and White Twin Swords, renowned blades are never excessive in number.
From the beginning, just as a bird’s wings come in pairs, I had been evolving my sword path toward wielding two blades, much like the Twin Hundred Eighty Thousand Heavens.
“I only need to redirect the concentration of demonic qi elsewhere, correct?”
Even raging flames change direction when meeting opposing winds.
Just as rat swarms surge toward higher ground when floods come, couldn’t demonic qi also be driven away?
‘Hwa-cheon I-won. To embrace all spiritual qi beneath the heavens and render it beneficial. Even if it be demonic qi.’
The path I discovered to reach the realm of Hwa-gyeong.
The union of Spiritual Qi and demonic qi.
Yet Spiritual Qi and demonic qi are fundamentally opposed and cannot coexist in harmony—they can never become one.
Therefore, the road ahead would be extraordinarily arduous.
‘But perhaps I can turn this to my advantage right now.’
I grasped the blade of the Pitch-Black Demon Sword with my left hand and the hilt with my right.
Drawing Spiritual Qi abundantly and injecting it through my right hand, the Pitch-Black Demon Sword began to tremble violently.
-Seize me! I will grant you power, everything you truly desire!
“I already have you in my grip, you whelp. Now be quiet and accept your banishment.”
I forced Spiritual Qi in with even greater intensity.
When water fills to the brim, the dam breaks.
The demonic qi, gradually pushed back, flowed through my left hand toward my Seon-dan.
‘Tch, no wonder it bears such a renowned name. The qi it possesses is particularly vicious.’
The blood vessels in my left hand felt as though they were burning.
The residual demonic qi clung stubbornly, leaving a sticky sensation that made me think I would need to undergo prolonged cultivation and purification to cleanse my body.
‘I underestimated it. This won’t do.’
While essentially locked in a contest of inner strength against the demon sword, I deployed Void Grasping to reposition the Black-White Twin Swords near my left hand.
Slowly, I transferred control finger by finger to the Black-White Twin Swords while adjusting their position so the blades touched.
‘If my body cannot directly accept it, I will filter it through the Black-White Twin Swords.’
The Black-White Twin Swords were demon swords by nature anyway.
No matter how virulent the demonic qi, they would effortlessly consume and contain it thanks to their inherent properties.
‘It was troublesome, but it worked as intended.’
The demonic qi, pushed back by Spiritual Qi, settled stably within my Seon-dan.
This feat would have been impossible without the Spiritual Qi that reigned supreme under heaven in consuming demonic qi.
But that was not all.
“Brother, the Pitch-Black Demon Sword is turning pale white.”
“Indeed. I did not anticipate this.”
As the demonic qi within the Black-White Twin Swords grew more sinister, the Sword Spirit of the Pitch-Black Demon Sword was bleaching to pure white.
The Pitch-Black Demon Sword, which had merged with demonic qi over countless years, now harbored Spiritual Qi instead of demonic qi.
“Ah, it resembles a divine blade enshrined in an ancient Taoist temple.”
“Indeed. It has truly become a divine artifact—a Divine Sword.”
I held the now pitch-black Black-White Twin Swords in one hand and the now snow-white Pitch-Black Demon Sword in the other.
The harmony of black and white was quite pleasing to behold.
“What harmony brought about such a transformation?”
I had a rough idea of what was happening.
“Old Man, are all these demonic creatures here made of Seong Cheol?”
“Seong Cheol, you say? I call it Sim Sang-cheol.”
Looking at the name, it was indeed Seong Cheol.
Seong Cheol’s function was to amplify the impressions and qi it received.
“Since ancient times, Sim Sang-cheol has been essential for crafting divine weapons. Without the capacity to resonate with spiritual energy, one cannot contain such power.”
“I see.”
I would need to gather all the remnants of the shattered demon beast.
It would be wonderful to bring them back to the main house and present them to Baek Steel Blacksmith.
“Thanks to you, I’ve obtained a fine blade. The Pitch-Black Demon Sword—or rather, should I call it the Pure White Divine Sword now? In any case, may I keep this sword without destroying it?”
“Do as you wish. I never thought such a thing was possible.”
“Thank you.”
Twin Hundred Eight Transforming Heaven.
My sword, which began as one of the Gae-cheon-sam-geom and has now evolved into the Gae-cheon Sword Path, is founded upon a pair of wings.
In other words, true power is only unleashed when wielding both blades together.
In that sense, the Pure White Divine Sword would make an excellent pair with the Black and White Twin Wing Swords.
‘Obtaining a companion to unite as one path through heaven—could the prophecy of obtaining a companion have meant acquiring the Pure White Divine Sword in addition to the Black and White Twin Wing Swords?’
Either way, there’s no harm in obtaining a legendary blade.
I proceeded to shatter the remaining demon beasts.
“Ugh, my dantian feels like it’s about to burst.”
“Brother, are you alright? You look like you’re struggling.”
“Elder Brother. You look like a painting right now, Dae Ma-du.”
“Baek Dou. If you feel like you’re about to rampage, tell me. I’ll pierce you right away.”
A terrifying current of demonic energy swirled around me.
Having absorbed an enormous amount of demonic energy at once, I couldn’t control it all.
As the spiritual energy contained in my dantian grew immense, the amount leaking through the cracks increased proportionally.
“It seems I need to… ugh… perform some breathing exercises.”
That was when it happened.
“Arranger. There’s no time for that.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the Dalai Lama at once.
A face like dried, withered bark.
The Dalai Lama continued.
“A fragment of Cheonma… those sent by Il-wol-myeon will arrive soon. More precisely, they’re waiting for you to emerge.”
…It was a statement that could be interpreted in several ways.
“How could you possibly know that?”
The Dalai Lama’s answer was simple.
“Because that is how it was arranged.”
“When you called me Arranger, were you referring to the arrangement side of Honeum?”
The Dalai Lama did not answer.
A lifeless face that appeared already dead.
Emotionless.
Yet simultaneously, he seemed to be in tremendous pain.
“Go out and meet them. Confront them. Do as you wish. Follow your heart.”
In that moment, a single strand of intention resonated.
-Successor, reveal yourself.
“It must be Gwangmyeong-cheon and Dok-hwi-gong. I’ve come to take you into Honeum’s embrace.”
The Dalai Lama. I couldn’t fathom his true intentions.
Had I fallen into a trap?
Or was this too part of some greater scheme?
“Elder Brother. We need to prepare for either possibility.”
“Enter the Qi-Stabilizing Meditation. As quickly as possible. We’ll buy time however we can.”
“Wait.”
First, I needed to assess the situation outside.
Fortunately, I had one good means to do so.
‘Won-woo. Show me what’s happening outside.’
I commanded through our spiritual link, but no response came back.
‘Won-woo?’
This silence meant one of two things.
Either Won-woo was already dead, or he’d moved beyond the range of our spiritual connection.
“Damn it. Nothing’s working.”
I raised my blade.
I couldn’t determine which side the Dalai Lama stood on.
In such situations, killing first meant no complications and peace of mind.
Just as I was about to pierce his heart with my sword technique—
Our eyes met.
“…Old Man.”
“Go and do what you wish. That is all I can say.”
My grip on the sword tightened.
A trap. Or an arrangement.
“Chu Dal. You stay here, and the moment the Old Man shows any suspicious signs, kill him immediately.”
By sensing his Qi, I could tell the current Dalai Lama was at a level Chu Dal alone could kill in one strike.
A statue-shaped artifact was sealing all of the Dalai Lama’s Qi and consciousness.
“Yes, Elder Brother. But will you be alright?”
“Alright or not, I’ll make it work. The rest of you come with me.”
“Baek Dou. You should focus on entering the Qi-Stabilizing Meditation first. If you fall into Demon Sleep, it’s over.”
“No. They want me. I have to go out there.”
Instinct told me. Gwangmyeong-cheon and Dok-hwi-gong.
By their names, they were surely sect leaders of the Singyeo.
In other words, they were powerhouses of the Cheonmu-sip-jon caliber—beings I couldn’t possibly face right now.
If I didn’t go out there myself, my companions would be slaughtered in moments.
“I’ve said it before. If things go wrong for me, Neung-o will kill me. So I’m going with you.”
I gripped the Black-White Twin Swords in my left hand and the Pure White Divine Sword in my right.
Now that I possessed a pair of wings, no matter how fierce the headwind, I would surely soar upward.
‘Besides, I have the Divine Wind to support my wings—Seolha.’
And that wasn’t all. I had two more reliable companions: Neung-o and Adu.
So I could manage it.
“Let’s go. Let’s kill them all.”
Yang Hwi’s lips curled into a savage grin.
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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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