---

I must find the Divine Tree.

Not just any Divine Tree, but the one that exists in a place where a master would be present, not the three Divine Trees that the Hwasan Sect might possess.

There’s one Divine Tree that must be found.

In that place, I am the God.

To heal Shin Noya, I must locate that.

With that goal set, the first thing I did was nothing other than—

Whoosh—!!!

I slowly gathered the flames I had ignited all around.

The flames gathered in my palm and, before I knew it, seeped into my body.

As I felt the gradual rise, I narrowed my eyes.

First, I needed to confirm my state.

Though I had reached a transcended level, I had to clearly see what had changed.

To do that, I took my time to assess my newfound power.

As a result.

‘…This is significant.’

The level of change was greater than I had anticipated.

Although I had broken through the wall and grasped a new realm, my energy had not rapidly increased.

My strength in grip and other aspects had not heightened either.

Yet, if I were to say what had become substantial.

‘The quality of the flames has changed.’

The flames of the Technique of the Flame Wheel contained within me.

The quality and heat of those flames had altered.

Flare.

The flames dancing brightly held clarity.

They had originally glowed a vivid blue, but this was different.

‘Vitality.’

I could feel vitality emanating from the flames.

Flare.

The sparks rising toward the sky were exceptionally beautiful.

As they were flames I created, I found myself transfixed by them.

The flames showed no gaps.

I instinctively knew that if desired, I could add more heat to them.

Even so, I understood that the color of the flames would not change.

Reflecting on this, I pondered.

‘What was my father’s flames like?’

Surely, my father’s flames had reached a transcended level as well.

Yet I struggled to recall, unable to grasp the memory.

‘…I don’t remember?’

It was genuinely amusing.

I had never concentrated on my father’s flames like that.

How could I have?

‘I thought they were the same flames.’

I had likely thought they were merely hotter or possessed a more extensive energy. Something along those lines.

Or maybe…

‘He wielded the flames with more finesse than me.’

At that time, my view of my father’s flames had remained at that level.

‘…It was different.’

Now that I had reached transcendence, I finally saw it differently.

It wasn’t merely about controlling the flames.

Nor was it just about the difference in the amount of energy.

It came down to.

‘Whether I could become the flames or not.’

It wasn’t a concept of control.

It was merely action.

Because the flames were akin to my own body, the differences could be observed.

I converted the Blood Qi into flames.

Before, it had just been about controlling them.

But now…

‘Even when using the same energy, the feeling is completely different.’

Even when handling the flames with energy, in the end, it all came down to energy.

Yet now the sensation felt no different than moving my arm.

What to say…

‘…It’s like I’ve sprouted wings that weren’t there before, but moving them is no problem?’

Wings appearing suddenly is strange and unfamiliar, yet I felt incredibly adept at maneuvering them.

Expressing it this way seemed just right.

Fwoosh—!!!

After absorbing all the flames into my body, I clenched and opened my fists several times.

I gauged how much I could handle.

I also confirmed the flames’ versatility and maximum firepower.

‘At this level…’

I dared to say.

‘Should be able to compete against the Three Eminent Beings?’

Only now did I feel close enough to face the transcendent beings of the Central Plains.

Such thoughts crossed my mind.

Though not with certainty.

Only confronting the Three Eminent Beings directly could truly verify this fact.

‘…In the end, I’ve come this far.’

Apart from that, I had indeed arrived at this point.

From starting as a third-rate nobody after the regression, moving to a second-rate and then to the peak, I had broken through the realm I had before my regression.

Surpassing even that.

How much time had passed? By count, it surely hadn’t taken a decade.

I had risen rapidly.

While reminiscing about that, I found myself getting emotional.

Clenching my fists tightly, I shook off those feelings.

‘Not yet.’

I wasn’t devoid of feelings.

However, this wasn’t the time to feel.

I looked up.

Past noon, the sun began to set.

I had spent quite some time assessing my power; soon, night would come.

Maybe I should wait for the night again?

In the original plan, that would likely be the case.

Night was more convenient for movement, and waiting for night made sense in various ways.

Whoosh.

But instead of waiting, I silently ignited the flames.

A sense of urgency surged within me.

I had no time to celebrate my ascended realm.

Thoughts of all my plans swam around in my mind.

But even that was swept away by the flames I had ignited within.

Thud.

As I lightly lifted my foot, my physical body morphed into sparks and transformed into a beam of light that extended outward.

The speed was remarkable.

I had accelerated, yet the consumption of Qi had lessened.

Considering my abundant energy, I could amass even more firepower.

I passed through the barrier.

Upon exiting Hwasan Sect, the scenery changed in an instant.

I cranked up my speed to the maximum.

Boom…!

A sound resonated at takeoff, followed by an eerie silence filling my ears.

The noise couldn’t keep up with my speed.

As I soared through the air, I soon spotted Yawol.

By now, the place was so familiar it felt tedious.

Bam.

I landed on the castle walls.

“Hmm.”

Climbing up the high walls, I surveyed the surroundings. Heightening my senses allowed me to take in the scenery more profoundly.

The problem was.

‘The population has decreased.’

The number of visible people had significantly reduced. Just yesterday, there had been throngs of people.

‘Undoubtedly…’

I knew the reason.

‘It must be because of me.’

My actions from the previous day must have led to this massive decrease in the crowd.

As if to prove that, the military presence seemed to have increased despite the people’s decline.

I could distinctly sense the fear and anxiety on the soldiers’ faces.

There was only one reason for this.

‘The death of the White Family.’

The head of the White Family died last night.

Though the head of the Blue Family was also attacked, he hadn’t met the same fate.

Despite countless people being present during the last ambush, the death of the White Family’s leader must have raised the alarm in Yawol significantly.

‘Hmm.’

As I observed the distressed people, I lightly leaped.

Transforming once more into the spark, I muffled my presence and slipped into the densely grown buildings via the alleyway.

Without any clothes to change into, I had no need to disguise myself.

There was no point in wearing a mask either.

At least not during the day.

Right now, I had no need to alter my appearance.

Checking for any signs of life in an empty area, I sensed nothing.

Upon confirming that, I gathered my heart’s strength.

The threads of sorcery spread throughout my body, quickly sprouting ears and a tail.

Since it was daytime, I couldn’t become a Moon Night Clan member, so I had to use sorcery.

“Huh.”

Confirming my transformed body, I moved out to the street.

Surveying the surroundings.

“…What on earth is happening?”

“Is it okay to stay here…? If the trouble reaches us…”

“What about the other nobles? What are they doing…?”

The reactions were unsettling.

The anxious faces, despite being in daylight, were darkened.

“In just a few days, two heads of families have fallen…”

“One even died…”

“What in the world is going on…? It’s too frightening to live like this.”

When would another ambush strike?

What kind of accidents might occur during such ambushes? Moreover, what would happen to Yawol because of these incidents?

Worry and fear were written all over their faces.

Also.

“What are the nobles doing?”

“This is precisely the time they should unite…!”

The negative emotions brewing from there began to fracture.

Especially since two of the four clans that had maintained balance were now shaken, it was an excellent opportunity for something to break.

As always, to bring something down.

‘Instead of moving directly…’

It’s best to incite them to fight among themselves.

“I trusted them because they were nobles, yet they’re too busy protecting their own territories even now…”

“Then what are we supposed to believe?”

The nobles, remaining largely inactive despite the turmoil.

Seeing them, the people of Yawol began to harbor distrust.

I nibbled at my lips.

‘It wasn’t my intention.’

I had anticipated this would happen, yet it wasn’t my intention at all.

In truth, I never wanted this.

‘All I wished for was to stir some chaos to make it easier to act.’

It seemed there had been a deeper-seated distrust towards the nobles than I had expected, as their reactions felt particularly heated.

But it was better this way.

‘Thanks to that, it’ll be easier to move.’

As for the fallen ones, I could leave that aside.

But what about those left standing? The people would surely be curious about what they were up to.

‘Those guys can’t move.’

The Heuksak had cemented his demonization.

The Red Family, too, was shackled since I defeated them.

Though I didn’t know when they would recover and reappear.

‘But will it make any difference when they do?’

Even now, their appearance wouldn’t change much.

It was too late for that.

Thud.

I walked slowly, without a set destination.

While I had indeed come with a purpose, it was one I shouldn’t seek alone.

‘How long will it take?’

Deliberately donning the Hwasan Sect robes.

Deliberately revealing my face.

Since I was so openly wandering around, I judged that someone would soon appear.

‘Come on now.’

So hurry up and ask.

I don’t have much time.

As I reminded myself and concealed my urgency.

“Hey, you.”

“….”

I halted at the sound of a voice.

Turning my head toward the direction of the voice, I maintained a poker face.

If I wasn’t careful, my expression might slip.

‘Finally.’

It was the one I had been waiting for.

The one locking eyes with me was Yusa.

“…Follow me. I have something to say.”

With a furrowed brow, he spoke to me.

“Alright.”

I nodded in response immediately.

Of course, I would follow. I came here specifically to see you.

I could certainly do that.

My intention for coming to this place in broad daylight centered around him.

Specifically, the information he might possess.

He should know.

‘The location of the Divine Tree hiding somewhere in this area.’

For that purpose, I had to stir things up.

A meticulously laid plan?

Those thoughts were wiped clean from my mind.

Maintaining safety and executing things one by one? At this point, that was futile.

Today, I would find the Divine Tree somewhere in Yawol.

And in the process of searching for it.

‘I’ll wipe out all of them.’

Both him and anyone else.

I would eliminate them all.

So that I might be well visible to the heavens that might be watching me.

 

---