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Chapter 7: The Noble Person’s Appearance

“Noble person…?”

I bit my lip as I watched the spirit reacting to me.

My mother had vanished. Confirming this, I spoke to the spirit.

“…What happened?”

“What do you… what do you mean…?”

“The thing that just happened. Do you remember?”

“Yes…?”

Disgusting.

It seemed the spirit couldn’t remember anything at all.

‘I missed it.’

My mother had disappeared, leaving only the instruction to search for another Divine Tree.

If there’s another Divine Tree…

‘It must be that other General.’

A strangely elusive general about whom no detailed information was provided. It seemed I had to go where that guy is.

The location was known, but they said they had no intel on what he was doing.

Was I supposed to end up heading there after all?

‘I heard it was probably…’

Somewhere halfway between Spirit Mountain and Hwasan Sect, didn’t I?

‘Is this truly a coincidence?’

I thought I shouldn’t have come all the way from Spirit Mountain, but it felt as if this was planned all along.

‘What on earth is this?’

What could my mother’s purpose be?

From her words, I gathered that she wished for me to acquire the Fruit of God.

I shared the same goal.

The difference was…

‘I’m not supposed to be the one consuming it.’

The Fruit I was meant to obtain was for Shin Noya. It wasn’t for me to eat.

Besides…

‘Even if I were to obtain and consume it, I’d be doubling the intake. Is that okay?’

The first time, I used it to stabilize my soul’s disarray.

I was told that the effect of the Fruit of God was to restore the soul to its original state.

If I were to take it again…

‘…What would happen to me?’

I couldn’t gauge what might change.

Was that what my mother desired?

‘If that’s the case, I have no idea what she’s truly hoping for.’

It made her wish for my happiness seem futile. It was as if she wanted me to be the master.

And the actions unfolding in the present mirrored that.

I lifted my gaze from the spirit towards the black Divine Tree.

“….”

The wind that had been blowing had ceased.

What remained was only my anxiety, contrasting against the calm situation.

Was it really okay to proceed like this?

One thing became clear here.

‘The Divine Sword is Yarang.’

Her spirit, nurtured within Shinryong Temple, had turned into Mankye and Yarang.

Just as I had suspected, she truly was the Divine Sword.

Even the mere confirmation of that put my heart at ease absurdly.

I wasn’t sure if I was heading in the right direction, or if the place I sought was the correct one.

But this was no time to hesitate.

If what I sought was clear, then it was appropriate to try and move forward regardless of what it was.

I reached out.

“Noble person…?”

The spirit displayed a puzzled reaction to my actions, but I ignored it and placed my hand on the Divine Tree.

In that moment.

Boom-!

An energy burst forth from the tree, reverberating through the area.

Swoosh—!!

The lake was set in motion.

The water current surged violently, splashing everywhere. Those outside rushed to the lakeshore, alarmed by the strange phenomenon.

“What…!”

The spirit appeared to be the most startled.

Not only had she almost lost her senses, but her expression revealed pure astonishment at the abrupt changes happening.

Despite the situation, I continued to calmly place my hand on the Divine Tree.

No, in fact…

‘…What is this?’

I couldn’t pull away. Keeping my hand on the tree, energy began to seep inside me.

‘What is going on?’

This felt different from the time I touched the Divine Tree in Yawol. Back then, it was so fast I didn’t even notice.

This time, the energy from the old tree filtered in gently.

It wasn’t a regular bet by any means. If I had to classify it, this felt more like Taoist Qi—pure and mystical energy.

It flowed up my arm, accumulating in my heart.

However…

‘It doesn’t seem like energy I can utilize.’

It wasn’t Taoist Qi, nor was it a bet.

It wasn’t even Demon Energy. If this accumulated, what would become of me?

As I squinted while looking at the energy…

Suuu—!!!

Before long, a change emerged from the Divine Tree.

The blackened color began to get drawn toward my hand.

“…Th-The Divine Tree…!”

The spirit gasped at the transformation of the tree.

The darkness receded, revealing the ordinary wood color beneath.

In an instant, the color vanished completely.

‘Was the energy linked to the color?’

Simultaneously, the flow of energy came to a halt. It seemed the black color was indeed tied to the energy.

‘What could this mean?’

The precious energy surging into my body. Though I couldn’t define what it meant, it felt as if my fatigued body was gaining a bit of vitality.

Feeling this, I instinctively clenched my fist for a moment.

Woo—!!

“Ugh…!?”

Something sprang forth from the spirit. A fragment of purple gem.

They had mentioned this could channel the master’s energy or be used for casting sorcery around.

The sudden surge of energy emitted light as it flickered, then—

Swoosh!! Poof!

“Huh?”

It burrowed into my chest and absorbed into my body.

It penetrated straight through and lodged squarely in my heart.

No pain was felt. Instead, what I experienced was…

Huuuuu—!!!

“…Hah…”

An overwhelming surge of energy.

Unlike the energy I felt from the old tree, this was truly usable energy.

I could sense the vastness of the energy spreading throughout me.

From my heart, energy flowed toward my Blood Qi, making my Demonic Power move independently within me.

The Demonic Absorption Technique activated, chewing and digesting the energy.

Huuuuu—!!

Wind gusted out of my body. The pressure created by the energy gently swept across the area.

In the process, the energy swelled immensely in my heart.

“…Hah…”

There was no need for breath control. Perhaps because I had reached a transcendental state, I could organize my energy regardless of my posture.

The amount of energy was considerable. If I had to quantify, it felt like I had absorbed several high-grade Demon Stones.

Strangely…

‘The energy of the Divine Tree envelops the energy.’

Just like placing turbulent waters into one container, the soft energy wrapped around me.

And that resulting form completely entered my heart.

“Hah…”

As I quietly exhaled the breath I had been holding…

“…This feels good?”

The corners of my mouth naturally lifted, sensing the difference.

Flame Burst.

I tried to ignite a flame with the tip of my fingers. The already bright Blue Flame felt vibrantly alive.

It wasn’t that I had crossed another threshold. Rather, it was as if the accumulated energies, which previously couldn’t be organized, had suddenly aligned perfectly.

While I was processing this…

Kugugugugugu—!!!!

A rough tremor suddenly erupted from the ceiling.

“This, this is…!”

“The barrier…!!!”

“Spirit—!!”

Those observing began to call out for the spirit in a panic.

She quickly regains her composure. But…

Stagger-!

“Ugh!”

Seemingly weak, she wobbled significantly. I hurriedly supported her.

What on earth was going on? I glanced toward the void.

‘Ah, now I see.’

I could immediately grasp what had transpired.

‘…The energy has vanished.’

The power that concealed the space known as Spirit’s Den.

The energy I had borrowed and utilized from the gem designated as the master’s trace had disappeared.

The reason was clear.

‘I absorbed it all.’

Because I had completely absorbed that gem, the energy sustaining the surrounding space was fading.

“What the… Aah, no…!!”

The spirit wailed, knowing that with the disappearance of this space at night, the Duryeong could appear and ambush us.

“It’s fine.”

I said indifferently, noticing her distress. The spirit looked at me with teary eyes.

“Fine? What do you mean…? If this happens… if this happens, we’ll…”

“I said it’s fine. If it’s about the Duryeong, it doesn’t matter.”

“What do you mean…!”

“I just took care of it a moment ago. You don’t need to worry about that guy.”

“…Excuse me?”

The spirit paused at my words.

I took care of the Duryeong? Hearing that, her eyes widened in disbelief.

Could it be true? Or was I just talking nonsense? She seemed unable to believe it.

Wuuuu—!!

Amidst this, the barrier continued to rapidly ebb away.

Soon enough, just as the color left the old tree, the barrier enveloping Spirit’s Den began to vanish completely.

And then…

‘…I can feel it.’

The presence of living beings, which I hadn’t felt in the night, began to return.

Realizing this, I shifted my gaze.

To the north. The place where I had just fought the Duryeong.

I lightly moved my feet, looking in that direction.

“Noble person…?”

The spirit reacted to my action, but ahead of her, I turned into a burst of flames.

Flame Burst-!

Leaving embers behind, I soared through the air.

There was a destination I moved towards.

 

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