Chapter 380
Heavenly Spirit Pill, Infinite Internal Power! The strength I had tirelessly sought was unfolding right before me in the hands of three Dharma Guardians of the Su Shin Sect. The reason I could only think of it as the Heavenly Spirit Pill was that it was a ‘power struggle’ on equal footing with Yongbi-cheon.
Back when Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong battled Yongbi-cheon, it was a different story. They had previously used the Three Treasure Technique to distort Yongbi-cheon’s ‘power’ and supplant him, but this time it was nothing but a clash of raw strength. It could only be interpreted as they all possessed the Infinite Internal Power, the Heavenly Spirit Pill.
Needless to say, as formidable as the Heavenly Spirit Pill was, the amount of internal power a person could output at once was finite. With three Heavenly Spirit Pill bearers pushing together, Yongbi-cheon instantly fell into a defensive position. Perhaps sensing doom approaching, he bellowed, “Dokgo Jun, you coward! Fight me one-on-one! What kind of nonsense is this?!”
Dokgo Jun retorted with a chuckle, replying with Six Harmonies Assembly.
“I don’t care, but the outcome will be the same. You already know it, don’t you?”
“……”
“There’s nothing more boring than a foregone fight.”
Just as Dokgo Jun’s words trailed off, nine Water Dragons emerged around him. These were the terrifying energy constructs that had just bombarded the entire slave market. Their sheer might was almost unbelievable. Every time one Water Dragon fell, it hit the ground with a destructive force rivaling Yongbi-cheon’s Wind Bullet.
The jaws of the Water Dragons were aimed squarely at the remaining Wind Spirit Sect experts and the Golden Eagle Guard. Watching that, I understood what he meant by the outcome being the same.
‘Even if Dokgo Jun rampaged alone, he could bring the rest of Yongbi-cheon’s crew to the brink of annihilation!’
Only someone with the Heavenly Spirit Pill could stand against it! Otherwise, the only way was to transcend it through Jang Sam-bong’s forbidden techniques or insights into the Heavenly Realm. However, there were no alternatives available in the hall, so the instant Dokgo Jun unleashed his Infinite Internal Power, the massacre would commence.
It was also a problem that the three Heavenly Spirit Pill users could jointly finish off Yongbi-cheon. Dokgo Jun simply needed to watch as the situation unraveled.
Boom!
Yongbi-cheon seemed to realize this truth and pushed the three of the Su Shin Sect away before gasping for breath.
“Hah… Hah…”
With gritted teeth, he shouted, “Dokgo Jun! If I surrender, can you spare the Wind Spirit Sect?”
The hall erupted in a commotion. The Wind Spirit Sect experts were particularly shaking with helplessness. They had never even fought, and the result was already evident; profound despair was enveloping them. Yet, the Su Shin Sect had four Dharma Guardians, making any attack impossible.
“I should’ve said it from the start. You came here as a traitor…” Dokgo Jun replied nonchalantly.
“Promise me.”
“Fine. Since the Sect Leader commanded to avoid excess bloodshed.”
As Dokgo Jun touched his finger again, the three Heavenly Spirit Pill bearers returned behind him. It was a brief confrontation, yet everyone in the hall already sensed it was all over. Fighting further would be akin to suicide.
Then, the Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard subtly began to edge away, looking to escape. Dokgo Jun caught on and warned him.
“Lord, do you think you can slip away at will?”
“Ugh…”
The Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard froze, presenting a cowardly grin. “Dharma Guardian of the Su Shin Sect. Just this once, let it slide. You have come to hunt down your traitor, haven’t you?”
“……”
“Your leader wouldn’t want to start a feud recklessly…”
Bang!
That was the Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard’s final words. In no time, Dokgo Jun pointed his index finger at him, and simultaneously, the guy’s head exploded under the energy. Despite being a Peak Expert, it was unbelievable that Dokgo Jun could kill him in one second with just a gesture.
Craaack!
With his human life extinguished, the inner Demon broke free, and tentacles began sprouting all over. A seed of the otherworldly race he’d had inside was beginning to sprout. But what should have been a terrifying exhibition of growth was instantly overwhelmed and obliterated by the might of the enormous Water Dragons Dokgo Jun unleashed.
Thud thud thud…
“What a coward!” I was taken aback as I watched the remnants of the Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard dissolve into dust. At the same time, I realized how immense the gap between a Dharma Guardian and a Lord truly was. Even the current second-in-command of the White Lotus Sect could swat a Lord down as if they were a mere bug.
Next, a cruel command fell from Dokgo Jun’s mouth.
“Capture the Wind Spirit Sect, and kill all the Golden Eagle Guard.”
“Your honor!”
Even in their confusion over their leader’s death, the Golden Eagle Guards calmly took up arms with gritted teeth. “Do you think we’ll go down easily?”
But that was just their bravado. Whether they decided to flee or fight, the outcome was predetermined. The Su Shin Sect experts soon came crashing in, transforming them into meat paste with their terrifying internal power. It was as if a lion had pounced into a flock of sheep.
Bang bang bang!
“Ahhhh!!”
“P-Please… spare me…”
In an instant, dozens were shredded, and the surroundings were dyed with a mist of blood. The Su Shin Sect showed no mercy to the Imperial Palace they regarded as their enemy. The disparity in power between the Su Shin Sect and the Golden Eagle Guard was that of heaven and earth.
After subduing Yongbi-cheon’s bloodline, Dokgo Jun looked at me and asked, “Baek Woong, Dharma Guardian. Have you certainly recovered all the items from the slave market?”
I glanced at the scene around me. Yongbi-cheon, along with the Wind Spirit Sect members lined up behind him, had all been tied up in resignation. I swallowed hard and replied, “Yes, but…”
“Let’s take a look.”
I showed Dokgo Jun the inside of the wooden armor. After briefly observing its contents, he shook his head as he emerged. “It’s still lacking.”
“What? I definitely put everything I had in there.”
“There are no slaves.”
“……”
“I expect you to recover and provide me with all of them.”
Feeling a bit dazed, I stared at Dokgo Jun. I had only been thinking of the precious treasures and loot that might be brought out at the slave market, but Dokgo Jun wanted to treat even the slaves as ‘items’ to be recovered. I had never considered treating people like items, so I couldn’t help but feel like a deer caught in headlights.
“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped…”
“Understood.”
Reluctantly, I summoned the hunting dogs from the bracelet and this time ordered them to look for slaves. The hunting dogs scattered once more and eventually found the slaves put up for auction at the slave market. It took about half a moment to gather all the slaves back riding on the carriage.
After confirming the slaves’ identities, Dokgo Jun stated, “This should suffice. We’ve recovered the ledger, so let’s head back now.”
“Should we place the Wind Spirit prisoners in the wooden armor?”
“Of course.”
Bang!
A moment later, I finished dealing with everything and returned with Dokgo Jun and the other Dharma Guardians. It was a strangely anticlimactic end to such a massive battle, but I suppose that was the way it had to be. No martial world force on the ground could possibly contend with four Dharma Guardians.
“I brought Yongbi-cheon.”
“Good work.”
Upon arriving in the Sect Leader’s audience chamber, Yongbi-cheon was kneeling three steps away from the Sect Leader. The Sect Leader watched him silently for a moment before speaking.
“Why did you ally with the Imperial Palace?”
Kneeling, Yongbi-cheon glared at the Sect Leader and replied. Even in the face of death, his audacity to stare the Sect Leader in the eye was indicative of his extraordinary character.
“Sect Leader, I couldn’t endure your unilateral actions any longer!”
“Oh?”
It seemed the Master of the White Lotus was intrigued. Though I couldn’t tell what he was thinking from the back, it felt like his emotions were more curiosity than indignation or malice.
“Unilateral actions… Is that how you saw the numerous policies I enacted for the sect?”
“Indeed.”
“I don’t understand why you think that.”
The Master of the White Lotus continued without changing his tone.
“You all obtained the Infinite Internal Power through the Heavenly Spirit Pill, expanded into the Central Plains with my assistance, and acquired great power and wealth. I didn’t particularly suppress your Wind Spirit Sect. Yet you choose to excuse your betrayal with just the word ‘unilateral’?”
Yongbi-cheon bit back his words, but was clearly unsettled. He stared intensely at the Sect Leader.
“I told Dokgo Jun as well, but at some point, you turned the Four Great Families of the White Lotus Sect into your private military unit. You claimed it was to resist the Imperial Court’s punishing army, but that was nonsense. You are already an absolute deterrent force—what more could you want by dragging in laws and sorceries?”
“Is that bad? At the very least, the White Lotus Sect no longer fears the Central punitive army. And the overall might of the White Lotus Sect has only grown stronger; what harm is there to the Wind Spirit Sect?”
“Damn you…!!”
Yongbi-cheon finally couldn’t hold back and shouted, “If you had just told me what you wanted and what you were thinking, I wouldn’t have even considered betrayal! But you’ve toyed with us for decades without explaining what the Heavenly Spirit Pill or Primordial Spirit even are!”
“……”
“You are the one who instilled the dread of being cast aside at any moment, Sect Leader! The tyrant who cannot communicate!”
Yongbi-cheon’s eyes turned bloodshot.
“I had to forge a path to avoid being cast aside as the leader of the Wind Spirit Sect! I have no regrets about that decision!”
“Is that so…”
The Master of the White Lotus murmured. He then addressed me, “Baek Woong, what do you think of Yongbi-cheon’s words?”
“……”
What was this? Why was he asking me this now?
While I was perplexed, Zhuge Sa inside me spoke up.
“He’s just probing for fun. Don’t make any definitive statements; just brush it off.”
I thought Zhuge Sa was probably right, so after a moment of thought, I replied, “I’m not sure. The Sect Leader’s intentions might be more important…”
“My intentions… Do you even know what my intentions are?”
What a pointless conversational trap the Sect Leader had set. I responded a bit bluntly.
“I’d think only the Sect Leader would know.”
“Hoo hoo hoo…”
The Master of the White Lotus seemed to chuckle before shifting his gaze back to Yongbi-cheon.
“Yongbi-cheon. Since you surrendered willingly, I will spare your entire clan. However, I cannot leave your crimes unpunished.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“As a traitor, I will execute you on the spot, and I will demote everyone in the Wind Spirit Sect to the lowest rank. Consider it gracious of me.”
“Huh…”
The Sect Leader stepped out. Wearing a mask of anonymity, he felt even more transparent than the last time I saw him. It was as if the aura emanating from him had been utterly bleached to nothingness. He was present before me, yet his sense of existence felt incredibly faint.
‘What is this?’
I sensed that the Sect Leader had achieved something. He walked slowly to stand before Yongbi-cheon, lifting one hand to place it on Yongbi-cheon’s forehead. Yongbi-cheon had already resigned to his fate and looked like a fish on a cutting board.
The Sect Leader said coldly, “What I gave, I must take back. Farewell, Yongbi-cheon.”
Whoosh!
In the next moment, tremendous energy erupted from Yongbi-cheon’s forehead. It was essentially unimaginable force being absorbed into the Sect Leader’s palm, akin to a volcano erupting. The immense power soared like a rainbow for a long time before finally ceasing after half a moment.
Yongbi-cheon’s eyes had already lost their light. He looked fine on the surface, yet felt vacant as if all energy had drained from him. He helplessly slumped to the side and no longer moved. All his energy had been sucked out, and he was dead.
“……!!”
I swallowed hard. The significance of what lay before me was all too clear.
Absorption of the Heavenly Spirit Pill! The Sect Leader had the ability to extract the essence of the Heavenly Spirit Pill and reclaim it as his own! I hadn’t imagined something like that could be possible, and it took my breath away. Zhuge Sa, still sharing my vision, whispered in awe, “Interesting. He extracted the Primordial Spirit’s connection and implanted it into his own body. Is he ignoring the side effects?”
“What do you mean? Are there possible side effects?”
“Of course. Connecting with a divine being means that there’s a bond of fate. Severing that bond and moving it is incredibly risky, wouldn’t you say? Just think of your bond with Yeodong-bin.”
After that, Zhuge Sa continued, “If not… there’s definitely something hidden in that realm of Primordial Spirit.”
“……”
At that moment, after killing Yongbi-cheon and absorbing the Heavenly Spirit Pill, the Sect Leader turned to me and said, “Now we must discuss rewards.”
“What do you mean by that…”
Without a care, the Sect Leader issued a bombshell order: “I shall grant 30% of the treasures and slaves obtained from the slave market to the Thunder God Lineage’s Dharma Guardian, Baek Woong. Furthermore, all members of the Wind Spirit Sect, who have been demoted to the lowest rank, will be placed under your command from today.”
“……!!”
What the heck is this?!
As I struggled to conceal my shock, the Sect Leader delivered an unsettling final remark: “I hope the Thunder God Lineage can fill the vacancy left by the Wind Spirit Sect swiftly.”
“……”
Dokgo Jun chuckled lightly, saying, “Congratulations.”
But I couldn’t feel much happiness at all. Because I had read the Sect Leader’s intentions too clearly during the recent discussion regarding “rewards.” The reason the Sect Leader had purged the Wind Spirit Sect – it clearly signified an internal cleansing. Until now, with the Imperial Palace as an enemy, he had let the Wind Spirit Sect remain as a double agent, but with my treasure falling into the Sect Leader’s hands, the situation had changed. The Sect Leader believed he could easily compete with the Imperial Palace even without the power of the Wind Spirit Sect. Hence he didn’t hesitate to eradicate any traitors.
Moreover, by having the Thunder God Lineage fill the void left by the Wind Spirit Sect, he sought to firmly establish the White Lotus Sect as his private army. The complete collapse of the Wind Spirit Sect meant the total disintegration of the tradition of the Four Great Families that had persisted until now, and I was in no position to defy the Sect Leader’s commands.
It became clear.
The Sect Leader would soon strike against the Imperial Palace.
