Chapter 166: So It Came to This?
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gak–!
From Jin Seong-un’s center, a burst of dark crimson Blood Demon Qi exploded like a detonation.
The pure white cold air that had filled the prison was swept aside, battered around by the Blood Demon Qi.
The Martial Gods had warned him not to display the martial arts of the Blood Demon in front of others, but this was not the time to be picky about water or fire.
‘It’s Seo So-hyeop, after all.’
Wasn’t he the one Jin Seong-un trusted the most?
Within the Blood Demon Qi, surging violently in all directions, Jin Seong-un tore through the air with both hands and charged.
Jin Baek-cheon, startled by the sudden emergence of Jin Seong-un, hurriedly crossed his arms in defense.
Tzzeooong–!
The Blood Demon Palm shredded Jin Baek-cheon’s ice-like protective qi.
His feet slid back helplessly.
“Huh.”
A breathless sigh slipped through his wrinkled lips. Fortunately, none of his bones broke, but a searing pain flared from his forearms layered in cold air.
Dark crimson smoke rose from both his arms, which had taken the Blood Demon Palm head-on.
Jin Seong-un had no intention of wasting time.
After all, wasn’t this right in the heart of Yichang?
After this much disturbance, people were bound to come rushing in soon.
Tzze-jeo-jeo-jeok–!
As Jin Seong-un took a step, reddish webs spread out across the floor.
The moment Jin Baek-cheon leapt up to evade, Jin Seong-un seized the opportunity and charged again.
The two men reached out with palm strikes toward each other.
Jin Seong-un, operating the Blood Demon Art, had no intention of dodging anything, and Jin Baek-cheon—who had only ever experienced a single loss in decades—knew not the meaning of retreat.
Their palms collided. At such close range, they pressed against one another, unleashing cold and Blood Demon Qi at their extremes.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gak–!
Red and blue energies mixed chaotically and burst in all directions. Staring into each other’s eyes, they intensified their energies even more.
Jin Baek-cheon had confidence in himself.
This brat used an incomprehensible martial art, yes—but the years they’d lived were vastly different.
If it came down to a contest of inner strength, this greenhorn could never beat him.
But after a brief moment, his thoughts began to shift.
‘What in the world…?’
Shockingly, the dark crimson energy didn’t just neutralize his cold—it began to overwhelm it.
Amid the clash of red and white, the red gradually expanded its domain.
Silently impressed, Jin Baek-cheon made a decision. A seasoned master never delayed in making one.
Tzzeong–!
Jin Baek-cheon stomped hard on the ground.
Though still locked in a contest of inner strength, it was a risky move.
Indeed, his inner qi thrashed wildly for an instant, and blood refluxed up his throat.
But the risk was worth it. The single heavy step he took finally brought the already-crumbling prison down completely.
Ku-r-r-rung–!
Both Jin Seong-un and Jin Baek-cheon withdrew simultaneously. The ceiling collapsed where they had just stood.
Jin Baek-cheon charged through the falling rubble and fired successive strikes of Earth Wind.
The white wind infused with cold, bolstered by his charging speed, flew toward Jin Seong-un like a streak of lightning.
Jin Seong-un retaliated with another wave of Blood Demon Palm. The Earth Wind collided with the dark crimson curtain and dispersed helplessly.
A strange thought crossed Jin Seong-un’s mind.
They had already gauged each other’s level—why launch such meaningless attacks?
As Jin Baek-cheon approached right up to his face, Jin Seong-un took a stance for another inner force clash.
And at that moment, he finally understood.
Why Jin Baek-cheon had thrown such futile attacks, why people avoided using Ice Arts, and just how dangerous old men were in the martial world.
The earlier Earth Wind had completely frozen the ground beneath Jin Seong-un’s feet.
Of course, a master of Jin Seong-un’s level wouldn’t slip and fall.
But even a minuscule disturbance—barely the thickness of a sheet of paper—could tip the scales between the two.
Tzzeooong–!
Jin Baek-cheon’s footwork, swung like a whip, slammed into Jin Seong-un’s abdomen.
Jin Seong-un coughed up blood and was hurled into the wall. With the ceiling now entirely collapsed, the pitch-black night sky was visible above.
He tried to rise once more. But his body refused to cooperate.
Even the Heavenly Martial Body was still human. With his entire meridian system and internal organs in shambles, getting up immediately was impossible.
Even so, the Women’s Moon Qi from the Noble Enchantress was rapidly healing his body. Still, it would take some time.
Jin Baek-cheon approached slowly and asked,
“What is that ominous energy?”
Naturally, Jin Seong-un did not respond.
Even if it wasn’t the Blood Demon’s martial art, there was no reason to explain such things to an opponent.
Seeing this, Jin Baek-cheon burst into laughter.
“Judging by those eyes, you’re quite the stubborn one. But alas, I’m the sort who can’t stand unanswered questions.”
With that, Jin Baek-cheon grabbed the limp, half-tattered head of Seo Yu-gyeom and hoisted him up.
Seo Yu-gyeom struggled to break free, but it was impossible.
“If you won’t speak, I’ll pour cold into this assassin’s head. He’ll end up a dimwit, drooling for the rest of his life.”
Jin Seong-un stared at Jin Baek-cheon. The old man wasn’t bluffing—every word was the truth.
Just as Jin Seong-un was about to open his mouth after a moment of hesitation—
—Wait.
Seo Yu-gyeom’s Voice Transmission pierced his ears.
Jin Seong-un’s eyes flickered. If he let this be, something terrible really could happen to Seo So-hyeop.
He strongly felt he needed to save Seo Yu-gyeom first—but Jin Seong-un didn’t speak.
Because the Seo Yu-gyeom he knew, though he may appear reckless, never acted without a plan.
“Hmph, maybe you’re not even friends? That would explain why you keep your mouth shut even after seeing him like this. As an assassin, he must have plenty of enemies. Wonder what horrors they’d inflict…”
Speaking as if in pity, Jin Baek-cheon’s expression hardened when Jin Seong-un still remained silent.
Then, blue-white inner qi began to form in his thick palm gripping Seo Yu-gyeom’s head.
Seo Yu-gyeom’s body began to tremble.
Jin Seong-un flinched visibly at the sight.
“Not friends after all, are you? That’s why you can watch him like this and say nothing?”
With that, Jin Baek-cheon poured out an even more intense cold. Once a chill seeped into someone’s head, they would without fail become a simpleton.
Seo Yu-gyeom’s trembling worsened. The pain ripping through him was incomparable to flesh being cut or bones broken.
And yet not a single scream escaped Seo Yu-gyeom’s lips.
Perhaps finding the sight infuriating, Jin Baek-cheon began releasing the maximum cold possible.
Frost began settling over Seo Yu-gyeom’s body, and soon his fingertips and toes started to freeze.
Just as Jin Seong-un was about to spring to his feet—
Jin Baek-cheon’s face suddenly paled.
When he tried to release his hand in a rush, Seo Yu-gyeom raised both hands and gripped his wrist violently.
Then, in a voice like clanging metal, he slowly spoke.
“...Finish what you started.”
Seo Yu-gyeom had endured the pain and waited.
Waited for Jin Baek-cheon to release the maximum cold.
And the moment it came—Seo Yu-gyeom opened his Innate Qi.
Innate Qi was the energy all humans were born with.
Common knowledge said that opening it would grant mysterious power momentarily, but at the cost of inevitable death.
That was what most people knew.
But Seo Yu-gyeom, who had deeply studied the human body as an assassin, knew something more: the moment you opened your Innate Qi, the Upper Dantian opened as well.
Unless one was a master of Huajing or above, the Upper Dantian couldn’t be operated.
Forcing it open and using internal energy beyond one’s capacity—that was what led to death.
This was exactly what Seo Yu-gyeom was aiming for.
Complete opening of the Upper and Lower Dantian.
His inner qi, unlike the usual grand circulation, surged most powerfully along the flow of his entire body.
It even directly influenced the inner force Jin Baek-cheon had been pouring into his head.
Of course, compared to Jin Baek-cheon’s power, Seo Yu-gyeom’s was still weak…
‘Let’s see if your inner force can surpass the treasures of the North Sea.’
Seo Yu-gyeom had ingested Thousand-Year Ice Crystal.
It was only natural that a small current would be swept away by a larger flow.
The cold that Jin Baek-cheon had been pouring out began to move along, swept up by Seo Yu-gyeom’s cold.
Jin Baek-cheon, unable to let go, could only powerlessly feel the sensation of the cold draining out of his entire body.
“Are you trying to die with me?!”
Jin Baek-cheon screamed as if in desperation.
Naturally, Seo Yu-gyeom’s body couldn’t possibly endure this either. There was no way he could absorb the inner force of a master at the level of Huajing and remain unharmed.
Soon, Jin Baek-cheon’s inner force was swept up in an uncontrollable stream and drained entirely.
That immense energy continued to rampage inside Seo Yu-gyeom, tearing him apart without mercy.
Only then did Seo Yu-gyeom release Jin Baek-cheon’s wrist.
Thunk–!
Seo Yu-gyeom fell, propping himself on the ground.
As the two separated, Jin Seong-un mustered his inner force and unleashed a palm strike.
Compared to the palm force he had launched earlier in perfect condition, it was feeble. But Jin Baek-cheon, having lost all of his inner force, had no way to withstand even that feeble strike.
Tzzeooong–!
Jin Baek-cheon’s entire body exploded like a drum.
It was a gruesome end for a master who had once dominated an era.
Jin Seong-un had no time to even register the sight. He rushed straight to Seo Yu-gyeom.
“Seo So-hyeop!”
Seo Yu-gyeom was enduring the pain of countless shards of ice tearing through his meridians and acupoints.
The energy of the Thousand-Year Ice Crystal alone had been difficult to manage—and now, with the cold of a master like Jin Baek-cheon added on, it was an inevitable outcome.
Though he hadn’t ingested a spiritual medicine but absorbed the energy through a bizarre method, even the half he managed to accept was equivalent to the inner strength of a Peak-level Master.
Seo Yu-gyeom forced himself into a cross-legged seated position.
He tried to control the energy ripping through his body.
It was a futile effort. The energy had already gone completely out of control.
It was the moment Seo Yu-gyeom sensed his own death.
‘…Huh.’
Just then, a warm current entered his body, which had felt like being trapped in a massive block of ice.
Seo Yu-gyeom instantly realized it was Jin Seong-un’s energy. Though the pain briefly dulled, anxiety surged instead.
“What are you… doing…?”
His voice cracked, barely forming words.
Jin Seong-un might also be swept up in the torrent of energy. Even Jin Baek-cheon, a Huajing-level master, hadn’t endured and ended up expelling all his inner force.
Yet Jin Seong-un didn’t withdraw his hand.
Instead, he infused Women’s Moon Qi even more strongly.
According to Master Dal-gi, it was the purest inner energy in all the world. Of course, Women’s Moon Qi was originally a heart method meant for women and, unless one possessed the Heavenly Martial Body like Jin Seong-un, men couldn’t normally cultivate it.
But Seo Yu-gyeom was undeniably born with the Heaven-Slaying Star. Moreover, his yin qi was currently stronger than any woman’s.
Most of all…
‘There’s no other way.’
He was clinging to a straw.
If the cold was raging inside Seo Yu-gyeom’s body, perhaps the most nurturing Women’s Moon Qi could soothe it.
Seo Yu-gyeom briefly struggled to break free from Jin Seong-un’s touch but soon realized he had no intention of pulling away.
Jin Seong-un, surprisingly, was stubborn in his own quiet way.
Seo Yu-gyeom gave up and focused on the present state. Not just for himself, but because the only way for both of them to survive was to control the energy.
Seo Yu-gyeom’s consciousness began to fade.
The pain was immense, and the overwhelming energy seemed ready to burst his body apart.
“Focus.”
Every time his eyes threatened to shut, Jin Seong-un’s firm voice rang without fail.
How much time had passed?
Seo Yu-gyeom suddenly sensed something happening inside his body.
“Get awa—”
He was about to utter a warning.
But before he could—
Tzze-jeo-jeo-jeok–!
A tremendous burst of cold exploded from Seo Yu-gyeom’s entire body. Even compared to when Jin Baek-cheon had frozen the entire prison, it was just as overwhelming.
The clear white-blue energy wrapped the entire prison like a violent snowstorm.
Jin Seong-un couldn’t fully resist the blast and was pushed back.
Pulling Seo Yu-gyeom’s energy had already taken a toll on him, and this followed right after a battle with that monstrous Jin Baek-cheon.
His skin burned with cold, and inside felt as though it were melting from heat—yet Jin Seong-un never took his eyes off Seo Yu-gyeom.
And in that moment—
Seo Yu-gyeom’s body floated into the air.
Still in his cross-legged posture.
The white-blue cold that had filled the prison began to spin gently, then gathered above Seo Yu-gyeom’s head.
At the bizarre sight, Jin Seong-un blinked.
The cold formed into a shape above Seo Yu-gyeom’s head.
Three flowers.
‘Ice Flowers?’
Cold, blue blossoms that looked like they were sculpted from ice.
The three Ice Flowers soon seeped into Seo Yu-gyeom’s head.
At the same time, Seo Yu-gyeom descended gently to the ground. The chilling cold that had dominated the space was gone.
Seo Yu-gyeom opened his eyes.
His gaze was clear.
Like a broken wooden doll, his face looked confused as he rolled his eyes briefly—then suddenly stood up.
He rolled his shoulders, turned his neck side to side, lifted and lowered his leg.
Finally, Seo Yu-gyeom said,
“Feels refreshing.”
He looked toward one wall of the half-collapsed prison and swung his Heaven-Slaying Dagger.
A blade of white-blue Qi Projection split the thick stone wall like slicing tofu.
Qi Projection—the symbol of Peak-level mastery. And the three flowers above his head—Three Flowers Realm.
Seo Yu-gyeom had always stood in Jin Seong-un’s shadow, but he too was a martial artist of the Heaven-Slaying Star.
“Oh…”
Seo Yu-gyeom let out a low breath of awe.
Jin Seong-un stared at him in disbelief, and Seo Yu-gyeom smacked his lips and said,
“So it really happened, huh?”
At that moment, multiple energies began to rush in from all directions.
Jin Seong-un turned first, and Seo Yu-gyeom reacted much faster than before.
A group of martial artists stormed toward the prison—or rather, the ruins that were once a prison.
“Jin Seong-un! Seo Yu-gyeom!”
Seomun Ak, unusually for him, called their names in concern as he ran over. Behind him were Jang Gwang and the beggars.
Seomun Ak quickly examined their condition. He had already heard from Elder Byeok about the old man’s true identity.
Seo Yu-gyeom gazed at Seomun Ak’s concern for the first time—
“Heh.”
—and laughed.
It was a strangely triumphant laugh.
Until yesterday—no, just moments ago—they had been masters on the same level.
The gap between them had been notable, but it was the difference between early and mature mastery of Peak-level—ultimately, the same stage.
In fact, whenever they bickered, Seomun Ak often said things like:
– “You’re still just Peak-level, you know.”
– “Are you really saying you and I are the same level? That’s just under that outdated realm system. You and I are practically heaven and earth…”
– “Yeah, Peak-level.”
– “…”
But not anymore.
Seo Yu-gyeom placed a hand firmly on Seomun Ak’s shoulder.
And Seomun Ak’s expression shifted from concern to irritation, like, “What’s this bastard doing now?”
“You take a lot of hits? Lost your mind or something?”
At Seomun Ak’s question, Seo Yu-gyeom let out a small chuckle.
He didn’t even feel angry anymore.
When it came to level…
You only got mad if you were still in reach.
He just gave Seomun Ak’s shoulder a few friendly pats.