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The Dark Heaven Village

In a tacit agreement, they busily moved about preparing. With the uncertainty of when the Eight Parts of the Divine might strike, the Sacred Altar Tree in the Divine City acted as a World Tree, creating a barrier that bought them time regardless of the situation. Master of the White Lotus Sect gathered the deities he had brought outside the Divine City to perform some magical ceremony, while Master of the Twelve Joules stealthily disappeared, claiming he would liberate the Seven Luminaries.

Meanwhile, the Zhuge Clan was in the middle of receiving a martial arts lecture from Miyamoto Musashi. It seemed there was an exchange condition involving the Half Yellow Pearl for Musashi to impart his teachings. As he surveyed the assembled martial artists, Musashi’s piercing gaze fell on Jin So-cheong.

“You there,” he said, looking directly at her.

“Why don’t you want to teach me?” Jin So-cheong shot back.

Musashi didn’t respond; instead, he glared at her. But Extreme Tiger, watching, could guess the implication.

‘Jin So-cheong, she’s basically his rival. He doesn’t want to show his cards to someone who could be his greatest opponent in the future.’

This meant that Jin So-cheong was already at a level where she could compete with Musashi, a peer among peak experts. As this thought hit him, Extreme Tiger felt a deep sigh escape him.

He had surpassed the Leader of the Nine Great Sects significantly and his martial arts had advanced far beyond his earlier reincarnated self. Frankly, he hadn’t expected to reach this level and felt confidently filled with ambition. The teachings from Baek Woong, including the Seven Great Techniques and the Eight Immortals Divine Art, were indeed a remarkable opportunity.

However, neither he nor the Sword Demon would measure up to Miyamoto Musashi, the current strongest swordsman. Extreme Tiger felt a twinge of pride hurt but suddenly considered the Sword Demon beside him. Wouldn’t someone who was the leader of the Eight Demons of the Demon Path feel some humiliation?

‘No signs of emotional turmoil…’

Extreme Tiger noted the Sword Demon, showing no signs of distress, but rather a vigorous fervor. Any sense of pride or self-esteem as a martial artist seemed irrelevant to the current Sword Demon.

“Jin So-cheong, practice autonomously. Those of us remaining wish to receive your renowned martial arts teachings.”

“So be it.”

“Sigh, there’s no choice.”

After hearing the command, Jin So-cheong turned and left the training ground. It seemed she was a bit disappointed, wanting to witness Musashi’s absolute realm, but had no choice now.

Shortly after, Musashi spoke.

“Martial artists must cross swords to discover each other’s true worth.”

“Are you suggesting a sparring match?”

“Come at me with the intent to kill; I welcome it.”

“Alright!”

Whoosh!

In an instant, the martial artists surrounding Musashi formed a formation. The group consisted of the Sword Demon, Extreme Tiger, Cheongwol, and Bright Dragon. As they positioned themselves, Musashi gradually moved his hand towards his waist.

Beads of sweat streamed down Cheongwol’s forehead. Just standing before him, he felt his full body internal power being suppressed by the great swordsman’s overwhelming aura. Even just competing with their mental strength had such a tremendous impact, proving that he was indeed an absolute peak expert.

‘Not inferior to the Leader of the Nine Great Sects…’

He recalled when the Thunder God Lineage was destroyed; he had seen the Master of the White Lotus Sect intervening directly. At that moment, some masters of the Thunder God Lineage had countered the Su Shin Sect, resulting in significant casualties, only to be stopped by the sect leader himself. In the end, those formidable warriors were slain by Dokgo Uncheon and Cheongwol had witnessed firsthand how like a nightmare the sect leader’s prowess truly was.

Yet, the Miyamoto Musashi before him now evoked memories of that leader. While he had become a companion of Baek Woong and learned techniques like the Seven Great Techniques, Cheongwol could not shake this sense of apprehension.

‘Oh…’

A white dot comes flying!

‘What kind of basic technique is that…’

No, it wasn’t basic technique. It was an extreme speed beyond any description.

Zoom!

In a split second, Cheongwol felt his shoulder pierced, quickly followed by three points along his head, chest, and abdomen. He tried to resist, but soon realized it was futile and crumbled to his knees.

Thud!

“……”

His head hung low. The piercing he thought he had experienced was merely a delusion due to his own intent, and the subsequent critical hits to his head, chest, and abdomen were not real either. However, Musashi, as a peak expert of the absolute realm, could turn such illusions into reality anytime. Because it was a sparring match, he had spared Cheongwol’s life.

‘Is this… the swordplay of a human?’

Cheongwol, despite considering himself a peak expert with formidable internal power from the Thunder God Lineage, thought he might resist against an absolute realm master. But reality shattered that delusion. Against a single strike that could cut through everything, what good was any of that? Without reaching that absolute realm, there was no hope for either attack or defense.

Musashi mumbled nonchalantly.

“One down. Get out.”

Cheongwol swiftly left, clearly humiliated. The moment he exited, Musashi’s eyes gleamed with significance as he pivoted his attention towards Bright Dragon.

Clash!

“Urgh!!”

Bright Dragon hurriedly moved to defend against Musashi’s attack. The clash of swords exploded and blazed with light as he was sent flying backward, but at least he managed to deflect it. Unlike Cheongwol, who fell victim in one blow, Bright Dragon had acquired advancements in martial arts through the Seven Great Techniques, hence could defend himself.

Musashi noticed Bright Dragon executing a slashing technique and wore a peculiar smile.

“Impressive. What technique is that?”

“It’s the Wudang Sect’s Seven Great Techniques, Bowing Sky Slash!”

Musashi rarely praised anyone.

“How interesting… That’s a great technique.”

He had to admit it. Musashi, recognizing that this technique had reached a level of absolute skill on par with the greatest martial artists, could discern the creator of this attack had to have been an absolute monster in strength.

But he wasn’t my match.

Musashi thought to himself. Despite the Bowing Sky Slash bending space, he possessed a sword technique capable of slicing through even that distortion. Undoubtedly, a practitioner of the absolute realm wielding that technique would be incredibly threatening. However, Bright Dragon currently was no match for Musashi.

Musashi addressed the Extreme Tiger and Sword Demon behind him.

“What is the matter? I’ve shown gaps twice, but you’re not attacking?”

“I’m no fool, so don’t worry,” Extreme Tiger grunted.

Musashi had attacked Cheongwol and Bright Dragon but those moments were not gaps. With an eerie intuition, Extreme Tiger sensed that. There was a presence of empty versus solid, but the problem lay in deciphering that balance—only by perceiving Musashi’s sword technique could one aim to exploit it.

Bang!

In the next moment, Musashi’s attack struck at both of them. It felt like a gentle breeze, yet hid the power to carve through mountains. Nonetheless, Extreme Tiger and the Sword Demon effortlessly deflected it and began to flank Musashi for a joint attack.

Bang!

As the sword clashed again, Musashi and the Sword Demon locked blades. Musashi wore a sly grin before stepping back, while the Sword Demon adopted a somewhat stiff posture. Even as Extreme Tiger, thrown by a kick from Musashi, struggled to get back up, Musashi raised a hand.

“That should be enough. I’ve gauged your skills.”

“Really? You’ve assessed us in such a short time?”

“Bring back the one who left.”

When Cheongwol returned, Musashi continued.

“I won’t teach you specific basic techniques or martial arts in a short period since I possess swordsmanship that lacks any fundamental techniques. But based on the sparring just now, you all show potential.”

“What kind of potential?”

“The potential to reach the absolute realm!”

Musashi surveyed the group with tranquil eyes as he spoke.

“With your natural talents, it might have been difficult, but the Seven Great Techniques are the ultimate martial arts created by those who have achieved transcendental power. With your incredible talents, integrating just that technique may lead you there someday.”

“We already know that. But we’re looking for a shortcut to the absolute realm, which is why we invited you as our instructor.”

Extreme Tiger, sounding frustrated, questioned Musashi as he replied.

“Throughout history, many geniuses and experts have existed in the martial arts world, yet those who reached this realm are but a tiny fraction. Why do you think that is?”

“What is it?”

“It’s an obsession bordering on madness. Every expert bears their own convictions, but those who can concentrate beyond that, willing to abandon everything—these are the ones who can meet the Buddha and slay him. Only such individuals can elevate their ‘gait’.”

He looked up at the skies.

“Since childhood, I’ve believed that one day, I would cut down the gods above. I wouldn’t mind sacrificing my life just to deliver my strike to the divine.”

“……”

Extreme Tiger fell silent.

‘That makes sense…’

Normally, he would have scoffed at the notion of superiority, but that wasn’t the case now. The Miyamoto Musashi before him was a person who matched his words with his actions. In fact, Musashi had fought against divine beings, disregarding their status as gods, without hesitation. The outcome may not have been ideal, but he could incite fighting spirit even against the Three Sovereigns. That was undeniably incredible.

The Sword Demon added, “While I understand your points, we too have our own convictions. As martial artists, how could we not want to grow stronger?”

“You are not like me or that Jin So-cheong, someone with overwhelming talent who can break the boundaries. Thus, it becomes imperative to shatter those limits through sheer will.”

“Do you have any specific training methods?”

Musashi nodded and said, “It’s the practice of striking a million times.”

Thus, they began training under Miyamoto Musashi’s guidance to reach the absolute realm. Outside, when the Zhuge Clan met with Jin So-cheong, he remarked, “You seem to have been kicked out; what will you do now?”

“I’m fine with it. Even if I reached the absolute realm, I wasn’t at a level to teach anyone. But if Musashi teaches others…”

Zhuge Sa cut off her statement irritably, “Are you crazy? That’s not what I’m saying! How will you raise your martial arts to a level comparable to his?”

“……”

“That guy is a potential enemy. If push comes to shove, you need to be ready to take him down. I want you to plan accordingly.”

“I don’t quite understand.”

“What?”

Jin So-cheong replied without hesitation. “I think Musashi is… a pure person. He isn’t entirely on the side of the law.”

Zhuge Sa was taken aback. “What nonsense are you talking about? I asked if you can win against him.”

“I sense there’s a struggle within him as a martial artist. If that issue were resolved, perhaps there wouldn’t even be a need for a fight.”

“Hmm.”

Zhuge Sa’s gaze sharpened. ‘Is there something shared only among experts?’

Though he had no clue what that was, it seemed Jin So-cheong didn’t view Musashi as an enemy. Zhuge Sa couldn’t overlook Jin So-cheong’s expertise in martial arts and pondered for a while.

Finally, Zhuge Sa addressed her. “Alright. You can handle that part. I need to go meet Cheon Woo-jin.”

“Speaking of which, what happened to Mangnyang? Why didn’t he come with you?”

“He has his own tasks. Though I must say, the chance of success is low, so you’re not obligated to worry about it.”

With a brief wave, Zhuge Sa continued. “Just do your thing.”

He distanced himself from Jin So-cheong, heading towards Cheon Woo-jin. When he found Cheon Woo-jin sitting on a cliff in meditation, he abruptly asked, “What did Master Mangnyang say?”

Cheon Woo-jin sighed. “He said no.”

“Dammit.”

“What do you expect? What you perceive is not charity but a transaction.”

“I know that. I only wanted to see how Master Mangnyang would react to the Eight Demons interrupting the Law of Cause and Effect.”

Zhuge Sa exclaimed, “Without the Blessing of the Sky, it seems I’ll have to proceed with my original plan.”

“Zhuge Sa. Are you really considering this?”

“That I am.”

“You realize that’s suicide, right? Even if we are entangled within the reincarnation cycle, this life is still ours. Can you really throw everything away without any hesitation?”

Cheon Woo-jin expressed his doubts. After all, holding onto the hope for Baek Woong’s return seemed pointless. He was bound to die soon enough, and there’s no guarantee they could defeat the Three Sovereigns. Living such a desperate life was not something one could do with an ordinary mentality.

Zhuge Sa chuckled. “What’s the point of living long? You, at least, are a disciple of Master Mangnyang, so you might find a way to avoid the end times, but the rest of us aren’t so lucky. Don’t you get that the outcome is the same?”

“……”

“Finally summoned.”

Ku-gugugug…

From the direction Zhuge Sa watched, massive magical energy surged forth. The sky over the western Divine City darkened, revealing a ‘something’—a dark presence resembling a dragon—slowly descending. This was undoubtedly the result of the Master of the White Lotus Sect performing a human sacrifice ceremony to summon the Avatar of the Old Ruler.

Cheon Woo-jin bit his lip. “Those damned fiends. They don’t care what means they use to win, do they? Innocent lives are lost…”

Zhuge Sa glanced sideways, replying, “That’s not exactly a position you can criticize.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cheon Woo-jin. When the Eight Parts of the Divine invade, this is what you will do.”

As Zhuge Sa’s scheming flowed, Cheon Woo-jin wore a look of horror.

“… Is it really necessary to go that far?”

“If you don’t want to, then don’t. I’ll do it anyway.”

“No, I will do it.”

Cheon Woo-jin was in turmoil but steeled his resolve. After all, he understood that following Zhuge Sa’s plan would lead only to destruction.

Three months later—

Finally, the Eight Parts of the Divine attacked.

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