The Blue Thunder Sect Leader was on the verge of panic, his nerves fraying.
The Namgung family’s Young Master—yes, he was certainly strong, damned strong. Hundreds of monsters had already fallen by his hand. But how long could he keep this up?
The sect leader gritted his teeth.
If that Young Master died here, he had no idea how they would deal with the Namgung family's wrath.
"Everyone! Maintain the formation and support him! Wipe them all out!"
"Yes, sir!"
The disciples were more inspired than ever, their morale sky-high as they watched the masterful display of a transcendent martial artist. The power they were witnessing was something they had only dreamed of, filling their eyes with an odd yearning.
Meanwhile, Seo-jun moved like a dancer amidst the hazy mist.
He let his reason fade away, following the instincts that guided his body.
A monster's claw brushed the tip of his nose as he moved with a strange sense of detachment, as if observing his own body from a third-person perspective.
Drawing his sword, he executed the Wang-style Swordsmanship.
Golden qi extended from the blade, slicing through the monsters around him.
As the floating plum blossoms scattered, Seo-jun hurled his sword, impaling it deep into a monster’s head. He spread his hands, grabbing onto more monster heads.
With the Absorbing Soul Technique, the energy surged through his hands.
Why did he only have two arms? Couldn’t there be more?
As if in answer to that thought, four more arms sprouted from his back—formed entirely of pitch-black demonic energy.
Each hand latched onto a monster, draining its qi.
He left the innate energy in the arms and absorbed the rest into his body. His chest swelled with elation, a soaring feeling that erupted in a euphoric grin as he moved all six arms.
He reclaimed his sword with his original arms while the black energy arms clasped together.
Using Reverse Heaven and Earth Technique, he created a warped Taiji that sucked in the surrounding space, building up with power as if ready to burst.
He sensed everything on the battlefield.
Allies charging forward, monsters countering them, beasts ignoring everything to charge at him, creatures lying in wait for an opening. Monsters, monsters, monsters.
"Annoying."
Clicking his tongue at the presence of allies, he flung the Taiji far away.
Boom!
A massive explosion shook the battlefield, followed by a straight blast of energy that obliterated everything in its path.
He merged the black energy from his arms into his sword and leapt high, surveying the ground below before unleashing nine rapid sword strikes.
Yellow Dragon Emerges.
Nine golden dragons crashed into the ground, sending dust flying and monsters exploding, accompanied by the humans’ cheering.
Seo-jun ignored the sounds, focusing on the energy welling up within him. He hadn’t used much of his own qi yet. Drawing from his overflowing dantian, he channeled it into his right hand.
He had no hesitation in using demonic energy. Even if someone from the crowd were to spread rumors, they’d find no trace of demonic energy left on him, and he could always accuse them of falsehood.
But why should it even come to that?
Can the mere use of energy define good and evil?
What is good, and what is evil?
A mother who steals to feed her starving child—is she evil? A soldier who kills for his country—is he evil? A person who exploits others without breaking the rules—is that good?
It’s all just concepts created by humans. Heaven cares nothing for the good or evil of mankind, even less for such fickle distinctions that vary by individual.
Therefore, how could mere energy be classified as good or evil?
Seo-jun looked ahead, seeing a winding path before him.
A path of the Dao.
Martial artists in Jianghu typically divided this path into three categories.
The Right Path, the Evil Path, and the Demon Path.
But to Seo-jun, there was only one path.
It was not right, evil, or demonic.
Who is there to define me, to judge me? Only I can do that.
Let the world point fingers; I walk my path.
Even if the outside pressure bends and breaks him, as long as he doesn’t lose sight of his own path, that is enough.
That is the Dao.
He took a step forward.
In his mind, it was a step forward along his path, a progression of self, a joyous moment of discovering his way.
A bright smile spread across Seo-jun’s face.
“Do you know the Dao?”
He raised his right hand, shrouded in demonic energy. Still suspended in the air, he thrust his hand forward. The Black Palm of the Great Devil.
Boom!
A giant handprint was left on the ground, and dark energy seeped from the crushed corpses of the monsters, which Seo-jun promptly absorbed.
“Namo Amitabha,” he murmured, lifting his right foot and stomping down hard.
Pressure from the Heaven-Suppressing Step crushed dozens of monsters to death.
“Not quite there yet.”
The efficiency was trash. He discarded the technique immediately and grabbed his sword, charging forward.
He swung the blade with wild abandon, cutting down monsters left and right.
“Woohoo!”
He danced amid the carnage, his blade tracing elegant arcs, the energy creating plum blossoms in full bloom as they flared around him.
At the same time, he filled his feet with yang energy, unleashing it in a burst.
Boom!
The flames of yang energy spread, burning through the monsters. But soon, stronger creatures appeared, tearing through the fire as they rushed at him.
Yin-Yang Reversal.
Zap!
The monsters froze in place. But even then, some broke through the ice, snarling with bared fangs.
Seo-jun smiled.
“Too bad.”
He expanded his five senses, seizing control of his qi and quickly reversing it.
Tenfold Yin-Yang Reversal.
The cycle flipped back and forth ten times, like a flash of red and blue light.
The monsters froze, burned, and finally crumbled to ash as Seo-jun laughed.
All the stress just melted away.
Meanwhile, Hwan Bae-ho stood amidst the chaos, staring blankly at Seo-jun’s rampage.
He watched as plum blossoms bloomed, giant palms fell, and bursts of light erupted while Seo-jun’s black energy arms tore through the monsters.
“No matter how skilled….”
Was this even possible? It seemed as though Seo-jun’s qi was infinite.
The rapid alternation of various energies made it feel as if dozens of martial artists were working together. Hwan Bae-ho could have sworn he sensed demonic energy too.
“Hup!”
Quickly dismissing such heretical thoughts, he swung his sword at a monster in front of him.
Shick!
It was absurd. The pure energy flowing from Seo-jun’s attacks was unmistakable. It wasn’t demonic energy, no matter how powerful it seemed.
“Whew…”
He had cut down a few monsters, but none seemed to target him anymore. All of them focused solely on Seo-jun, throwing themselves at him with reckless abandon.
Strange. Even monsters typically fled when they sensed no chance of victory.
Hwan Bae-ho exhaled, turning his gaze back to Seo-jun.
A green monster, swelling to a height of about seven jang (21 meters), had emerged. Seo-jun grabbed its arms with his two hands while his four black arms conjured two murky orbs, which he shoved into the monster’s mouth.
Boom!
The giant exploded into pieces.
Looking around, Hwan Bae-ho realized that everyone, martial artists and disciples alike, were staring at Seo-jun in a daze.
Thump, thump, his heart pounded. This was a transcendent martial artist—the Namgung family’s Young Master.
It felt as if his mastery over qi had reached the heavens, far beyond human limits, and even an army of monsters couldn’t stand against him.
“True Qi in Heaven…” Hwan Bae-ho muttered unconsciously, as the surrounding martial artists began to cheer.
“True Qi in Heaven…!”
“Waaaah…!!”
“Namgung family, of course…!”
Hwan Bae-ho noticed the Blue Thunder Sect Leader practically jumping up and down, shouting the phrase over and over.
“True Qi in Heaven…! True Qi in Heaven…!”
Hwan Bae-ho shook his head, trying to regain his composure.
At that moment, a flash of light appeared in the sky, and a man descended, riding a sword.
“Sword Master of the Azure Sky!” someone screamed.
Eyes wide, Hwan Bae-ho recognized him instantly.
“The family head!”
Namgung Jincheon had arrived.
By the time Seo-jun stopped, every monster around him was dead.
He hovered in the air, propped up by the four black arms on his back, calmly looking at the three plum blossoms blooming behind his head.
“Hey, my little friend, you’ve grown more eyes.”
The countless eyes on the petals blinked.
-Mrrp?
The tendrils wiggled affectionately toward Seo-jun, like cute little tentacles.
“Cute,” he chuckled, but his expression soon froze.
A massive energy presence was at the edge of his perception. Before he could react, it was already there.
“Oh, uh… Father-in-law…?”
He quickly dispersed the demonic arms, converting all his energy to his original essence, but he knew it was too late.
The Dao is a beautiful concept.
But it wouldn’t work here, not in front of a Heaven-Level martial artist.
How to handle this…? Chun-bong wouldn’t be affected by this, would she?
Seo-jun stayed silent as Namgung Jincheon tilted his head.
“Why are you standing like that…?”
“Um…?”
Wait, could he not actually see it?
“Is it because of the demonic energy…?”
No, he did see it.
Seo-jun gulped. This was definitely bad.
There’s a saying that if you die, Chun-bong’s cheeks will welcome you on the other side. Seo-jun liked that saying a lot.
‘Actually, Chun-bong can’t be there. She has to live.’
He retracted his thoughts. Chun-bong would live a long, happy life.
“There’s no need to be so tense. People can use a bit of demonic energy now and then….”
“Huh?”
Seo-jun blinked, finally understanding what Namgung Jincheon meant, and his eyes lit up.
“As expected of my father-in-law!”
“Of course, if you flaunt it around elsewhere, it might cause trouble….”
“Oh, I won’t, no worries.”
“Then we’re fine….”
Namgung Jincheon casually turned his gaze to the monster corpses littered around.
“I came just in case, but it seems there was no need….”
“Oh, you came because of me?”
“A son-in-law must be protected.”
He’s practically glowing! Seo-jun thought, awestruck.
Namgung Jincheon descended from his sword, raising it high.
“First, let’s clean up these bodies….”
“Oh, if you find any cores, could you leave some for me?”
“As you wish….”
With a slash, the sky seemed to part as Namgung Jincheon’s strike obliterated the monster remains.
When Seo-jun looked around, the bodies had completely disappeared. In a single stroke, Namgung Jincheon had dealt with the entire monster wave.
“This is Heaven Level,” Seo-jun murmured, accepting the cores Namgung Jincheon offered him.
“Thank you very much.”
“It’s nothing….”
“Waaaah!” The Blue Thunder Sect Leader was still screaming as he collapsed, and Seo-jun took a moment to watch before turning back to Namgung Jincheon.
“Um, since you’re here, would you mind giving me a ride back?”
Namgung Jincheon looked a bit troubled.
“No matter how much I love my son-in-law, I can’t let him ride on my wife.”
“Oh…”
That was understandable.
“What if I hold onto your hand and just hang on?”
“That, I can do….”
“Awesome!”
Getting home in no time—and as soon as he got back, it was time for a date with Chun-bong.