Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 388

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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 388
A path newly forged. The Canopy Sword Path (蓋天劍路)
Its second route. Enduring Reversal Heavenly Shot (耐路反天射).
The Black-White Dual Swords absorbed qi and refined themselves with lethal sharpness.
The Sunbaek-sin-geom recoiled and spiraled into chaos when touched by opposing forces.
And within Yang Hwi’s dantian, righteousness and demonic nature coexisted in perfect balance.
Finally, the Feathered Transformation Grand Technique was a supreme skill rooted in yin cultivation, grafting heterogeneous forces through subtle principles to absorb the opponent’s power as my own through the Devouring Palm technique.
If all of this converged together.
-Neung Hyeong, hold on just a bit longer.
Neung-o didn’t respond, but the trembling of the Bizarre Armor intensified even more violently.
Zzzzzzzzrrring!
Metal fragments vibrated frantically, colliding and emitting sharp, piercing sounds like bird cries.
Yet the noise couldn’t spread far.
Because I was absorbing every last ripple of such impact through the Feathered Transformation Grand Technique and converting it into power.
That wasn’t all.
‘I’ll devour it all and return it back!’
The trembling of the Bizarre Armor began to subside.
Trembling was vibration itself.
And vibration was equivalent to sound.
Of course, strictly speaking, the vibration of air that creates sound and the vibration of qi possessed different qualities.
‘With Eum Hu’s, my Master’s yin cultivation techniques, it’s entirely digestible.’
Yet an overwhelmingly vast gap still existed.
Just as even the finest swimmer would be swept away by a raging current, no matter their skill.
But.
‘The amplification of the great sea. I reverse and substitute it.’
If qi could be amplified, then qi could also be diminished.
An inspiration that emerged in an instant. The enlightenment born from this led to the creation of Enduring Reversal Heavenly Shot.
It aligned perfectly with the subtle principles of the Feathered Transformation Grand Technique.
Feathered Transformation Grand Technique (羽化大小). Transform the opponent’s power through vibration into feathered form and make it my own.
What makes this possible is precisely Grand-Small (大小).
Altering the magnitude of power and placing it under my control.
‘Ugh, my body feels like it’s about to burst.’
I was making the Ssang-gyo-ju’s tremendous force my own, but it was far too immense to handle completely.
This was the realm of Transformation.
A single moment of an absolute master.
My consciousness leaped to higher planes.
‘Black-White Dual Swords. Lend me your strength.’
-Kiiiieeeeee!
The sword in my left hand cried out and began absorbing the tremendous force.
Since Il-wol-myeon Bright Qi was also demonic in nature, the Black-White Dual Swords could unleash their full potential.
So then, next.
‘Sunbaek-sin-geom. Your turn.’
The pitch-black demonic blade stained with spiritual qi, its functions inverted.
When Sunbaek-sin-geom made contact with demonic energy, it triggered a powerful explosion.
To amplify this effect even further, I infused it completely with Hwa-cheon Seon-gi, channeling the profound mysteries of the great sea.
-Kiiiiiiiii!
Like the Heuk-baek Ssang-u Geom, Sunbaek-sin-geom began to shriek.
-Neung Hyeong, now! Hu-ye Sa-il!
Neung-o, whose left arm had transformed into an even more expansive form of the bizarre scale armor, aimed the blade gripped in his right hand straight toward Ssang-gyo-ju.
The bizarre scale armor had taken the form of dragon scales, and a single blade from Jeomchang.
The sight resembled nothing so much as nocking an arrow to a bowstring.
Taaaaaang!
An arrow tore through the atmosphere.
This Hu-ye Sa-il was vastly different from all previous iterations.
The first move of Sa-il Swordplay, Hu-ye Sa-il.
The ultimate secret technique of Sa-il Swordplay, Hu-ye Sa-il.
First and final.
Therefore, Beginning-End.
Sa-il Swordplay, Beginning-End Secret Art.
Ultimate Technique, Hou Yi Shoots the Sun!
‘So Neung Hyeong has achieved enlightenment as well.’
The beginning and end are one.
If one draws a line between beginning and end, the shortest path could only be a straight line.
Neung-o’s single strike contained no superfluous movement—it had become the very trajectory of a fired arrow.
‘If it were a curved shot, that would be different.’
I set aside such idle thoughts.
Now was the time to answer Neung-o’s resolve.
The Heuk-baek Ssang-u Geom, gleaming darkly as it held Il-wol-myeon Seon-gi.
Sunbaek-sin-geom, shining white as it held Hwa-cheon Seon-gi.
“Thank you, bastards. Because of you, this became possible.”
I grinned fiercely and moved both blades—black and white light—simultaneously.
Heterogeneous true qi cannot be operated simultaneously, even if stored in the dantian.
But if one were external energy.
If the vessel holding that energy were not the entire bloodline network, but a single blade.
‘Not mutual generation, but mutual destruction. Let me go berserk properly this time!’
The Heuk-baek Ssang-u Geom and Sunbaek-sin-geom collided.
In that instant, transcendent power erupted forth.
Heaven-Covering Sword Path, Second Path. Naerobancheonsa!
This was Naerobancheonsa.
The ultimate strike of will—to seize the opponent’s own power and shoot it toward the heavens!
Yet the true focus of the attack was not Naerobancheonsa.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Sa-il, the successor of Jeomchang’s legacy, was fired once more to pierce through Gwangmyeong-cheon’s heart.
Previously, the bowstring had been weak, so it could not penetrate.
But Naerobancheonsa was more than sufficient to serve as the most powerful bowstring imaginable.
“Die!”
The foundation of the Gaecheon Sword was a single Hawk.
Its steadfast wings and fluttering feathers were its essence.
‘You know this, don’t you, Neung Hyeong?’
Arrows were originally called bows.
The ancients attached feathers to arrows for greater power and stable trajectories.
The character denoting this was sal.
Two characters combined to form hwal-sal, and over time, people began calling it an arrow.
Jeomchang’s bow and Gaecheon’s sal merged together.
With arrow feathers added to the bow, it became a true arrow at last.
In its truest form, the arrow aimed for Gwangmyeong-cheon’s heart.
“…!”
The union of Jeomchang and Gaecheon.
The arrow struck its mark.
Now the question was whether it could pierce through.
‘It’s possible. Entirely, absolutely possible.’
The reason was simple.
I had released Seolha from the pressure point seal using the qi of Gyeokgong.
-Seolha!
-Yes!
The Path of Wind and Music, First Movement. Like Seeks Like!
The wind I desired to support the wings in their ascent.
The wind that wished to play together eternally.
The wind became divine wind, supporting and propelling the arrow.
“Ugh…!”
Gwangmyeong-cheon’s eyes widened in shock.
“Pierce through!”
“Die!”
“You damned bastards!”
The arrow’s power was transcendent.
Yet the opponent was also a being who had ascended beyond transcendence.
But.
But here’s the thing.
“Die already! You’re already dead—what business do you have wandering this mortal realm!”
The Ssang-gyo-ju had been resurrected as a corpse demon after death, and his martial prowess had been diminished.
They could only manifest the Hwa-gyeong’s power when together—in other words, incomplete halves reliant on each other.
“Hah… hah…”
“Wheeeeze…”
“Haaa… haa…”
I had poured everything into that single second.
Yang Hwi and the other two breathed heavily, their eyes fixed on Gwangmyeong-cheon.
Gwangmyeong-cheon with a gaping hole through his heart.
Yeok-cheon, already dead and transformed into a corpse.
No blood flowed.
Yet a black miasma poured out acrid and viscous, and the light in his eyes was fading.
Most conclusive of all.
The sun that had been radiating moonlight dissipated like mist.
Only moonlight remained.
“This… cannot…”
Just four words. Gwangmyeong-cheon’s final utterance.
Since the bastard was already dead, calling it a deathbed statement felt absurd.
‘Now only Dok-hwi-gong remains.’
Though I was exhausted beyond measure, Dok-hwi-gong alone was merely at the peak of the supreme realm.
So if I consumed Seonran and squeezed out every last drop of strength, I could kill him somehow.
It was at that moment.
“How unfortunate that you reject the easier path.”
Following the sun, the moonlight too dimmed and faded away.
Dok-hwi-gong hung suspended in the void, cradling Gwangmyeong-cheon’s corpse.
Black miasma streamed from her severed neck.
“What has happened?”
“Bin-do doesn’t know.”
“If I had to guess, it’s a side effect of their union.”
The two of them combined had recreated the realm of Hwa-gyeong.
Such a thing could not have been possible without cost.
I suspected they had been connected from the moment of their creation.
‘Perhaps they were linked and unified so that the moment one died, the other would die as well, to recreate the Hwa-gyeong realm.’
“Why is human foolishness such a towering peak?”
Dok-hwi-gong closed her eyes.
Soon after, the corpses of Ssang-gyo-ju fell to the ground.
“…”
“…”
“It’s over.”
“Haaa… I really thought we were going to die.”
“Not yet. Wait a moment.”
During my days as an assassin, I’d seen blood spilled more than a few times when I thought an enemy was dead.
I quickly approached Ssang-gyo-ju’s corpse and thrust my blade through it to confirm the kill.
“Definitely dead.”
Even if they somehow survived, it wouldn’t matter.
I’d severed their head and all their limbs—what could they possibly do if they came back?
At best, they’d just writhe about with their torso.
‘What?!’
I felt a surge of energy flowing.
The Solar Qi erupting from Gwangmyeong-cheon’s corpse.
The Lunar Qi erupting from Dok-hwi-gong’s corpse.
All of that energy was absorbed in an instant.
‘What is this? There’s no formation array, so how is this happening?’
It happened so fast I couldn’t even block it.
The Solar-Lunar Qi seeped in naturally, as if it had always been mine, and settled into my Seon-dan.
‘Even in death, these bastards are annoying.’
I quickly crossed my legs into a seated position and closed my eyes.
This could have been some kind of final death thrash, so I needed to handle it immediately.
‘Hmm…?’
It wasn’t a death thrash.
It was a blessing.
“Hahahaha! Hahahaha!”
I opened my eyes, and laughter burst forth of its own accord.
The Solar and Lunar Qi within my Seon-dan had mysteriously taken the form of a yin-yang symbol.
More precisely, the Solar-Lunar Qi had merged into one and was circulating endlessly.
‘All this hardship was worth it!’
I felt genuinely, boundlessly joyful.
By observing and studying this, I would be able to walk the path I’d discovered.
I would reach the realm of Hwa-gyeong far more quickly.
“Hahaha, I won! Everyone…”
Yang Hwi excitedly shouted before closing his mouth.
He had no choice.
Crack!
My head, which had turned one way, now snapped in the opposite direction.
I’d been slapped across the face without warning, but I couldn’t say a word.
I deserved a hundred more.
“Never. Never do that again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You were going to sacrifice yourself to save us? When did I ever ask for that?”
“I’m sorry.”
Seolha was a peerless beauty no matter which part of her face you looked at, but her eyes were the most beautiful of all.
Gazing into those violet-hued irises, I felt as though I might be drawn into them.
Those beautiful eyes were brimming with tears.
“I swear it. I won’t do that again. I’ll fight to the end, even if it means we die together.”
“Yes. I swear it too.”
Seolha touched my face once more.
But this time, instead of striking my cheek, her touch was gentle and tender.
“I don’t want to lose you. Even if I die, I want to protect you. That’s what my inner world, my heart truly desires.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t forget.”
“Then… that’s enough. I’m sorry for hitting you.”
“Don’t be. Why apologize now?”
“…Do you really have to make such a remark at a time like this?”
I let out a soft laugh, and Seolha began laughing along with me.
The tension dissolved.
‘But… I’m sorry, Seolha.’
If the same situation arose again.
I would make the same choice.
Because this was the path I had chosen to walk in this life.
To be the one who blazes the trail at the very front.
To be the one who protects those who follow.
That was what I understood the Greatest Under Heaven to be.
“Anyway, everyone should recover and gather yourselves.”
Right after such an intense battle, not only were we injured, but our energy was completely depleted.
Since I needed to look after the unconscious Adu as well, it would be best to rest here for a day.
“I’ll start cultivating first. Seolha, if you have the energy, please look after Adu.”
I closed my eyes and sat down once more.
‘Ugh, now I have more demonic energy than spiritual qi.’
A complete reversal. It truly felt as though the master of my dantian had changed.
I was so full I felt as though I might burst.
Now I really needed to stabilize my energy.
Otherwise, I truly risked being consumed by heart demons and becoming a demon lord.
‘Tsk, it was fine until now. From here on, I definitely need to be careful.’
Well, I should have time to recuperate for a while anyway.
It was at that moment.
[So it has come to this.]
[Splendid, truly splendid. How admirable.]
My entire body went rigid.
Though I was in the midst of cultivation, I forcibly cut off my energy and rose to my feet.
A voice that filled all directions around me.
Transmitted through divine sense—the Six Harmonies Perfect Voice.
Soon, a figure materialized in the empty air.
[I did not expect to have to intervene personally.]
“Still, it’s good to see you in person.”
Both a man’s and a woman’s voice flowed from a single body.
“I am called Il-wol-myeon.”
“Soon enough, you will be me and I will be you, so perhaps introductions are unnecessary.”
Il-wol-myeon. A being revered as a deity by the Il-wol-myeong Cult.
If I had to guess—no, if I’m being certain.
Another primordial spirit of Cheonma Honeum.
I felt utterly deflated.
“You damnable bastard. If you were going to come out, why not from the beginning? I barely won after fighting for my life, and now you crush my hope like this?”
The two combined into a Ssang-gyo-ju at the Hwa-cheon stage?
Yes, I wouldn’t have lost my will to fight from the start against that level.
But if it’s a fragment of Cheonma, that’s a different story.
During the Yong-bong-ji-hoe, even Mineum alone wasn’t killed unless multiple Cheonmu-sip-jon combined their efforts.
In other words, here’s what this means.
“The pinnacle of the Hwa-cheon stage. Or beyond it.”
An absolutely transcendent existence I could never oppose.
“Do you also seek my body?”
“Indeed.”
“It is necessary.”
I brushed dust from various parts of my body.
Ugh, there wasn’t a single place that didn’t ache.
I was sore enough to die.
“Brother…”
I turned my head toward Seolha.
Eyes filled with fear.
Was it because of Il-wol-myeon, or was she afraid I’d make the same choice again?
‘Don’t worry. It won’t be this time.’
“Hey, Cheonma.”
“I dislike that title.”
“Call me Il-wol-myeon.”
“Fine then, you Il-wol-myeon bastard. Give me one last chance to struggle. Let me test the ultimate technique I just created with my newfound enlightenment.”
“Ahahahahaha!”
“How delightful. By all means.”
“…Thank you.”
I was genuinely grateful.
I shouldn’t let my guard down just because someone is strong, after all.
With the corner of my mouth raised, I created as many Seonran as possible.
Dozens of Seonran born from drawing out my Primordial Qi and remaining energy to their limits.
I devoured them all at once.
“Is this a move of mutual destruction?”
[No matter what you do, you can never reach it.]
True, if it were mutual destruction, that would be the case.
But.
“Keke, things change entirely if we’re talking about suicide, don’t they?”
I unleashed the demonic qi to its limit.
I completely released all the demonic energy contained within the Seon-dan, the Cheonma’s aura that had now grown even greater than Hwa-cheon Seon-gi.
In that state, I draped the Sunbaek-sin-geom around my neck.
“You need my body? You bastards, do you even count a corpse as a body?”
There was no path to victory against Il-wol-myeon.
The gap was that absolute.
However, if what the opponent desired was clear.
Then I could at least seize the initiative.
“Kid, I can’t win, but I’m confident I can die in an instant—what will you do about it?”
It was no jest. If I stopped controlling the qi, my entire body would explode in moments.
Unless that bastard was a Dae-ra Seon-seon, there was absolutely no way to revive me.
[….]
[If you die, the remaining three will also die. Are you certain about this?]
“Yeah, they’re fine with it. They said they’d die together even if I slapped them while dying.”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“So get out now. Otherwise, I’m just going to die, taking you with me.”
It was the first hostage situation in history—wagering one’s own life.

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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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