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“Now, that’s not something you see every day!”

It was quite a spectacle when Zhuge Yulong’s sword pierced the Asura’s domain. Sure, Asura was a demon king, but he was also a peak master in martial arts. He had his own barrier, capable of defending against the swiftest of attacks without relying on the senses. Most things wouldn’t even land a blow before he sensed them and countered with a thought.

Yet here we were, Yulong’s blade slicing effortlessly through Asura’s defenses, grazing his flesh like a hot knife through butter. It was a revelation that left Asura a bit in awe.

‘This was unexpected.’

Absolutely unbeatable barriers that could even sense speeds beyond the limits of living beings were no joke. But Yulong had clearly surpassed that limit through sheer physical prowess. Sure, he might have used martial arts to boost his speed, but without specializing in pure acceleration, there were limits. Asura couldn’t help but acknowledge that Yulong’s techniques, with help from Zhuge Bu, were impressive.

Yet just then, Asura swung his sword, allowing only a small, two-inch wound to be made before smacking Yulong’s blade aside. The sword qi formed a chilling barrier, bouncing his strikes away with expert precision. Having traveled the world for thousands of years and mastered endless styles, he executed the perfect technique for this engagement.

Even if Yulong had breached his defenses, if he recognized the attack, it was definitely manageable. Even if Asura took a little hit from his Thunder Spirit technique, he figured the differences were negligible.

In other words, if Yulong couldn’t handle this, he certainly couldn’t claim to be a peerless expert.

Skriiiick!

Yulong’s blade clashed against Asura’s, producing an eerie sound.

“What an intimidating sword aura!”

In just one second of exchanging blows, Yulong was already realizing the vast difference in their levels.

Though they were both at absolute realms, the difference was like heaven and earth!

Even in battle experience, technique depth, and versatility, one was a master, and the other was like a child. While he could contend to some degree using his intent heavenly pillar, he’d ultimately be overwhelmed by the endless losses to Asura’s elegant fighting style. Just because he reached the absolute realm didn’t mean he was on par with the sword master Yeodong-bin.

Despite his power, Yulong still suppressed the pulsing blood rising from his throat, forcing it down.

“Not yet… I can’t open the Eight Gates!”

With this strike, Yulong was certain of it. He clearly guessed the kind of explosive force that would emerge if he opened the Gates. Even if he threw everything he had into it in a single instant, he’d only be pushing Asura further into his flawless martial arts and intention, without inflicting any real damage. Besides, it was uncertain how far Zhuge Bu could hold on.

To truly face him, it’d take strategic manipulation to catch Asura off guard and then massively unleash the potential of the Eight Gates.

Great Destruction.

It was a forbidden technique that could allow a human to stand against a demon king in mere instants. In practice, it would let someone like Yulong land a surprise attack that even he, as Zhuge Yulong with all his prowess, wouldn’t last fifty ticks without being taken down. Just using basic techniques, he seemed like he’d have huge advantages if he opened all the gates.

Yet… it was extremely risky and imperfect.

If done improperly, it would simply lead to self-destruction.

“I must use it strategically. I need to seize a single opportunity…”

Clenching his teeth, Yulong reflected back on years of research.

It had been two years since Baek Woong disappeared.

After formally being invited to the Great Bear Empire, the master of the Hua clan, Guangming Divine Doctor Hwa Seong-myeong, plopped down before Yulong at the table and said:

“Old Sage of Mount Tai, you must give up!”

Yulong had already revealed himself as the Old Sage, feeling he owed that to Hwa Seong-myeong out of respect. He took a sip of tea and replied:

“Why should I give up?”

Hwa Seong-myeong grimaced, crossing his arms.

“I have no idea how you know of the Great Destruction’s existence, and I certainly don’t know how you figured out how to use it. But let me tell you: reworking it for mass production into a runaway technique is impossible!”

Thinking Baek Woong had vanished, Yulong wanted to refine the Great Destruction technique so anyone could use it. But now he had no idea how to do it properly, and so he had sought counsel from true experts like Hwa Seong-myeong.

“Hwa Seong-myeong, let me hear your thoughts first to see if I misunderstood anything.”

Yulong explained the intricacies of the Great Destruction technique step by painstaking step.

“You see, this technique subtly breaks down the boundaries of the three major Dantians within the human body. Each time you make a needle mark, it loosens the Dantian rings. Once those tiny gaps collapse, you can finally draw out the original spirit of the living being. Isn’t that right?”

“You’re quite informed! Ha! This is a testament to our Hua Clan’s accomplishments.”

Yulong couldn’t help but acknowledge the pride in Hwa Seong-myeong’s words.

‘These guys are definitely descendants of Hua Tuo from the Three Kingdoms Period…’

Yulong, possessing a genius level himself, tried to adapt the technique without consulting Hwa Seong-myeong. But the brilliance of the Great Destruction emerged as something far too delicate, impossible for any genius to grasp. The technique was a divine skill of sorts.

“To execute this technique, acute medical knowledge and precise needlework skills are imperative. If you miss even a single stitch, the delicate balance is disrupted, resulting in failure.”

“…….”

“At least a decade of medical experience and skill is required for just a beginner to pull this off. Isn’t that too hard, Hwa Seong-myeong?”

That was why the reborn comrades couldn’t use the Great Destruction recklessly!

The difficulty of the Great Destruction hinged heavily on the prerequisite skills of medical knowledge. Baek Woong had spent over a decade honing those skills under Hwa Seong-myeong and was well-versed, making it easy to use the Great Destruction. But others were not so fortunate.

Even those inheriting Baek Woong’s past memories struggled to manifest the Great Destruction. They lacked the bodily awareness and technique precision. They simply didn’t have the skill level Baek Woong had achieved.

Unlike martial arts memory, medical knowledge existed as cold knowledge dependent on fingertip sensitivity.

It’s a fact few people understood, but all medical skills don’t require innate talent. Achieving mastery does require talent, but consistent effort and memory could allow anyone to reach a decent level in medicine. This meant a dedication of time and effort, making it quite a practical field of study.

So, all that remains was the mere repetitive effort and this usually resulted in a low transmission rate in regards to black obsidian memory inheritance.

In other words, Baek Woong’s ten years of medical training would equate to roughly no more than a year’s worth for his comrades. Nobody had previously cared to contest this, as Baek Woong’s life experiences seemed pretty trivial.

“Could it be that the memory-saving feature of black obsidian is the culprit?”

Yulong realized Baek Woong’s obsidian technique didn’t transmit all memories but opted to selectively share only important ones. With his hippocampus overflowing, it couldn’t relay all memories; Baek Woong preferred to share only crucial ones or necessary information.

The Great Destruction was an explosive technique, not something a friend should advocate.

This meant that the black obsidian skills sensed Baek Woong’s intent and minimized the medical-related memories shared. Others could grasp the technique conceptually, but they struggled with foundational skills.

Great talents wouldn’t spend ten years training in medicinal arts while demon kings assaulted the Great Bear Empire. These noble masters had to fight frontline while focusing on potions and medicines was out of the question.

At this, Hwa Seong-myeong simply sighed.

“What can I do? If Yulong couldn’t improve it, that means it’s impossible for humans.”

“You can’t know that without trying.”

With just that, Yulong raised his hand.

Approaching footsteps echoed.

“Huh… who are those?”

Hwa Seong-myeong blinked in astonishment as he recognized the newcomers. Yulong had gathered them all: the Five Great Physicians.

“I’ve gathered all the top notch physicians today! I promised them all they would get what they desired, including the glory and prosperity of their clans. You just happened to join last.”

It was the Five Great Physicians. Yulong had managed to assemble them all in just under two years, no small feat! Thanks to the White Lotus Sect’s aid, he could pull off the impossible and recruit difficult characters like Dongbang Mu-gyeol and Sangwan Hyuk with relative ease.

“Uh… what are your plans?”

“Admitting that one cannot improve the Great Destruction is conceding human limits. I’m not fond of that.”

It had become a matter of pride for Yulong. He believed he could do this with his intelligence alone, hence rejecting Hwa Seong-myeong’s opinions.

He placed Baek Woong’s sword on the table.

“That means the master who met the elusive demon ought to have some method of controlling the release speed of the Great Destruction.”

To kill 6,500 martial artists with explosive power, he must have known how to delay the activation. That knowledge must have somehow been lost somewhere.

“You… figured that out?”

“Hwa Seong-myeong, I will provide total support.”

His eyes sparkled with determination.

“Let’s restore the control technique for the Great Destruction’s release speed. That’s my goal.”

Baek Woong’s intuitive understanding of how to manage bloodlines had been a total waste of effort. Yulong believed if he could learn to control the Great Destruction’s speed, Baek Woong’s survival rate would surely increase.

Then, with a mighty boom of energy, the fight commenced as Asura exclaimed, “Wow, not bad…“

When the Dragon Form Swordsmanship flashed through the air, it left Asura exhilarated, an unmistakable sign of relishing the thrill of battle.

Wielding countless sword moves turned into a dance around Asura, yet Yulong held his own against the dreaded demon king.

Still, in the heat of the duel, as the powerhouse stood against the Asura, Yulong felt the tides turning.

With the precision and skill forged across lifetimes, the boundaries of martial skill were being pushed beyond expected limits. Yet Yulong—a mere human who battled the world’s demons—knew it was either win or die trying.

“I’m all in!” Yulong steeled himself, pushing further, concentrating every last bit of commune within him, launching into battle.

“Here goes, Asura!”

With a crash, their powers collided—a contest of sheer will against the might of the Asura.

In that moment, fate teetered on the edge.

 

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