Chapter 563
“A method?”
“That method is to obtain the ancient text of the Four Great Families.”
The ancient text of the Four Great Families?
“From there, I’ll explain further.”
Lee Cheong-un cleared his throat and continued, “It’s common for a master of the Thunder God Lineage like yourself to occasionally display explosive power that exceeds your capabilities. However, in the early history of the Four Great Families, this was merely dismissed as martial arts rampage. The serious study of this phenomenon began only a few generations ago, focusing on the Thunder Spirit.”
“So we’re talking about hundreds of years ago.”
“As the Grandmaster, I’ve inherited all research data and have been developing the Thunder Spirit, but what I’ve learned is that this rampaging phenomenon seems to have existed since the early days of the White Lotus Sect.”
Lee Cheong-un added seriously, “In other words, the first Grandmaster who created the martial arts of the Thunder God Lineage had a sense of why this phenomenon occurs and knew where the martial arts of the Four Great Families, including the Thunder God Lineage, were ultimately headed.”
“Who was that first Grandmaster of the Thunder God Lineage?”
“I’m not sure.”
I was dumbfounded by Lee Cheong-un’s answer. “What?”
“I mean, I can’t say for sure who it was.”
“It’s absurd that we don’t know who created the martial arts of the Thunder God Lineage with a thousand years of history.”
“Because there was about a hundred years of a historical gap in the Four Great Families after the first leader of the White Lotus Sect, Dalma. This is a secret only known to the Grandmasters of the Four Great Families. So far, it hasn’t been particularly useful to your martial arts, which is why I didn’t mention it…”
A historical gap? I had never heard of such a thing. Focusing my mind, I prompted Lee Cheong-un to continue.
“The first ancestor of the White Lotus Sect, Dalma, was said to be a powerful monk who controlled the immense power of Buddhism. He secretly gathered his followers and established the White Lotus Sect, but that first hundred years was completely blank.”
“Why is that? Didn’t Dalma’s disciples or the founder of the Four Great Families exist?”
“That part of history seems to have intentionally vanished without a trace. So what I know is only the history established after the Four Great Families were definitely formed.”
“…”
“But someone must have created the Four Great Families in the first place.”
“Isn’t it possible that Dalma himself created them?”
“That could be a possibility, but according to the records, Dalma had little interest in martial arts. Based on the information you’ve gathered so far, he was purely a demon sorcerer and a monk. Thus, the martial arts and sorcery of the White Lotus Sect are considered fundamentally different.”
“Hmm.”
So, the creators of the Four Great Families weren’t Dalma’s disciples, huh?
“Anyway, back to the story. We need to obtain the ancient texts that contain the lost history of the Four Great Families affiliated with the White Lotus Sect. Only by understanding that record can we grasp what significance exists in the martial arts of the Thunder God Lineage and the true nature of the Thunder Spirit.”
“Do you know where that ancient text is?”
“You’ve already been there.”
Lee Cheong-un’s eyes sparkled. “The village of the Water God Lineage.”
“That fortified village!”
“That place is home to the bloodline of the priest of the White Lotus Sect, and the priests are the ones who pass down all the history and knowledge of the White Lotus Sect through generations. Therefore, it’s certain that all histories of the White Lotus Sect exist in that village.”
As I was listening to him, something suddenly clicked in my mind, and I said, “… The Master of the White Lotus Sect is likely to know about the lost history of the White Lotus Sect.”
“You get it right away. I heard you’ve been studying hard, and your brain seems to be working faster now.”
Lee Cheong-un, somewhat impressed, continued, “The Master of the White Lotus Sect was not originally a martial artist. He was born with the bloodline of a natural sorcerer and spent decades holed up in the village of the Water God Lineage, just reading books. He definitely understands all the hidden dark secrets and history of the White Lotus Sect.”
“Could it be that the Master of the White Lotus Sect is aiming for the Ultimate Technique of the Thunder God Lineage…?”
“He likely already knows the lost history of the Four Great Families, and the ultimate direction that the Ultimate Technique of the Four Great Families will reach. Perhaps he has already read the secret record left by the first Grandmaster of the Four Great Families? That’s why he is trying to take the other Four Great Families for himself.”
“…”
Everything connects. The Master of the White Lotus Sect, despite his overwhelming power, intentionally left Lee Kwang, Jin So-cheong, and the remnants of the Thunder God Lineage alone and is now seeking the Non-Birth Mother’s Dharma Technique. The reason he suddenly aimed for the supremacy of the Four Great Families…
I stiffened my face and said, “In the end, we have no choice but to negotiate with the Master of the White Lotus Sect.”
“It can’t just remain a relationship of convenience as it has been so far.”
“I understand.”
“He is an exceptionally shrewd and cunning individual. Trying to pry into him superficially will likely result in being used or taken advantage of.”
Jin So-cheong, who was next to me, chimed in.
“To completely uncover the secrets from the Master of the White Lotus Sect, we must make him surrender from the heart. We need to change the mind of someone who is deeply despairing of the darkness of the world.”
“From the heart…”
“It’s going to be a really difficult task, but we must make it happen.”
To break the Master of the White Lotus Sect from the heart? Whether he becomes an ally or a subordinate, it felt like an utterly ridiculous task.
I knew that too well, so negative thoughts were inevitable. “The Master of the White Lotus Sect sees this martial world as just a mere lid and is burning with a sense of mission to save humanity. Furthermore, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill millions for his goals. What could we possibly say to him?”
“Sincerity will reach him.”
Jin So-cheong responded with a chuckle.
“… And you, Baek Woong, might actually find it easier than anyone else.”
“…?”
“Let’s conclude the information sharing here. Now we need to come up with a way to negotiate with the Master of the White Lotus Sect, and that’s the job for us strategies, not the martial artists.”
“Got it.”
I decided to spar with Jin So-cheong a few more times before leaving that spot. Afterward, I approached Zhuge Sa, showed him the conversation I had with the obsidian, and he crossed his arms and said, “So? You think you can last around ten matches against the Master of the White Lotus Sect right now?”
“Ugh…”
“Be specific.”
I hesitated, calculated in my head, then answered, “If it’s the early stage of my rebirth, maybe I could…”
“Alright. Then you mean once you reach the beginning of the Absolute Realm, you’d last a hundred rounds?”
“How would I know… I can’t talk about that realm without reaching it.”
“How boring. This makes planning a mission difficult.”
Grumbling, Zhuge Sa said.
“Myself and Hyun will brainstorm a strategy, so you gather the remnants of the Thunder God Lineage with Lee Cheong-un.”
“Understood.”
I headed toward the Azure Dragon Gate, the base of the Azure Dragon Clan, with Lee Cheong-un. Since I had been there before, I was soon able to use the Golden Lamp technique to arrive, and as soon as we got there, Lee Cheong-un barged right in.
Crash!
Bang!
Ka-boom!
“Aaaah!”
“Aaaah!”
Screams echoed from everywhere as the Azure Dragon’s minions were flung about. It felt like a fierce wind had passed through, leaving dozens or even hundreds of martial artists sprawled all around in mere moments. Following Lee Cheong-un inside, I saw him facing the Thunderbolt Three Saints, Red Moon.
Upon seeing Lee Cheong-un, Red Moon shuddered in fear and stammered, “N-no, ghost? Could it really be the Grandmaster… after fifty years…”
Lee Cheong-un smiled broadly, “Long time no see. But wait, the minions of Azure Dragon Gate have learned the martial arts of the Thunder God Lineage, expanding the sect’s influence in such a remote place?”
“This is absurd!! The Grandmaster can’t… possibly be alive!!”
Red Moon screamed, but in that moment, Lee Cheong-un shot a finger wind towards the Thunder Spirit, sending him crashing into the wall.
Bang!
“Cough…”
Red Moon was taken out in one hit. He couldn’t put up even a bit of resistance against Lee Cheong-un. Lee Cheong-un scoffed condescendingly at him.
“As of today, Azure Dragon Gate is disbanded. You will work under me from now on to restore the Thunder God Lineage.”
“G-Gr-grandmaster, please… This force is what I’ve risked my life to build for decades…”
“I don’t care, do I?”
“But…”
Smack!
Lee Cheong-un lunged forward and slapped Red Moon ten times. Red Moon knelt down, his teeth flying out, blood oozing out of his mouth, looking utterly dazed.
“Ugh.”
Lee Cheong-un dusted off the teeth that got stuck to his fist and said, “Fifty years have made you senile. Who do you think you are to act up in front of the Grandmaster?”
“Ugh… but…”
Whack!
“Bam.”
Lee Cheong-un kicked Red Moon’s calf with a sigh. “Shut up.”
“… Y-yes…”
Red Moon, shedding thick tears out of grievance, barely managed to stand and declared the disbandment of Azure Dragon Gate. After throwing him in the wooden armor, we headed to where Green Moon and the Black Moon Group were and repeated the same actions.
However, Green Moon reacted differently from Red Moon. Upon seeing Lee Cheong-un, who had been missing for fifty years, he showed immense shock but quickly regained his composure and said, “I greet the Grandmaster.”
For the first time, the man from the Thunderbolt Three Saints, who had maintained arrogance toward everyone, immediately knelt. In stark contrast to Red Moon, who had been slapped earlier. Perhaps that’s why Lee Cheong-un looked intrigued and said, “You really believe me after showing up fifty years later?”
“You don’t need to test me. I’ve always thought the Grandmaster might not be dead.”
“Oh? What made you think that?”
“…”
After a brief silence, Green Moon spoke up, “If you desire it, I will bring all the remaining forces of our Ghostly Spirit Sect to follow you.”
“So the Black Moon Group isn’t all there is.”
“No. Our Ghostly Spirit Sect preserved our powers using sorcery the day we went missing fifty years ago.”
Lee Cheong-un nodded silently.
“Follow me.”
“Yes…”
And just as I was about to put Green Moon into the wooden armor, something happened.
Flash!
Suddenly, a bright light erupted, and the scenery around us changed. Green Moon’s figure faded away like mist and vanished from that spot. In the sudden shift, Green Moon’s voice echoed from the darkness.
[Even if you are really the Grandmaster Lee Cheong-un, following you would be nonsense! Our Ghostly Spirit Sect will remain independent!]
Swoosh!
As the mist started to disperse, Lee Cheong-un murmured calmly, “Illusion Technique. Now that I think about it, you had some proficiency in sorcery too.”
[Even if you pretend to be calm, I can’t inflict even a single blow on you, but you won’t be able to capture me either. Hahaha!]
“Really?”
[What?]
Lee Cheong-un proclaimed, “I’ll say this one last time. Surrender peacefully, and I’ll let you keep one arm.”
[Hahaha! Go ahead and try if you can.]
“So it be.”
Flash!
Suddenly, Lee Cheong-un unleashed the Thunder Spirit, channeling the Thunder Soul all over his body. His entire form transformed into a shimmering mass of light, becoming so bright it was almost unbearable, reminiscent of looking directly at the sun.
Thunder Spirit
Indra’s Net
It felt like a net of lightning spread across heaven and earth. In reality, the net expanded in the blink of an eye and covered several dozens of layers. And as Green Moon attempted to escape through the mist, at that moment, he was violently electrocuted.
Crackle!
“Aaaah!”
Green Moon screamed and fainted from the shock. It seemed Lee Cheong-un had controlled his strength well enough not to kill or injure him, but lying there foaming at the mouth, he was indeed neutralized. I watched the spectacle and asked, “Was that technique you just used…?”
“An application of the Thunder Spirit. I can neutralize an enemy with extreme thunder.”
“Could you always do that?”
“Of course not. This is a technique I developed after receiving your obsidian and undergoing considerable training.”
“…”
In that moment, I felt pity for the Thunderbolt Three Saints. They were caught in a storm out of nowhere.
“With this, I’ve saved all the Thunderbolt Three Saints. Now, I’ll use these guys to thoroughly guide you to the essence of the Thunder God Lineage.”
