884——————==

True Martial Home

After obtaining Natahta’s heart, I went straight to Mangnyang and Miho, along with Zhuge Sa and Celestial Sage. They were facing one of the Twelve Great Sages, the Pure Virtue True Man, and I was worried that the weaker Mangnyang might get killed or injured compared to Miho, so I decided to help. It was when we arrived at the White Crane Cave in the Underworld Mountain where the Pure Virtue True Man resided.

“Baek Woong. The resistance was fierce, so we couldn’t capture him. We had no choice but to kill him.”

With blood on the claws of Miho, who had transformed into a golden half-human, half-fox form, we saw the Pure Virtue True Man lying dead on the ground with the treasure, the Five Ghosts Sword, clutched in his hand. His eyes were bulging, and his heart had been pierced, so it was presumed he had died from Miho’s claw strike.

“Miho! Are you okay?”

“Of course.”

It truly looked as if Miho had a breeze taking care of the Pure Virtue True Man. Her strength as a divine fox was indeed formidable.

“Where’s Mangnyang?”

With a nod, Miho pointed to a cave in the mountain, and I could see Mangnyang slowly walking out. He scratched his head and said,

“I searched for the treasure at White Crane Cave but didn’t find anything worthwhile.”

“Are you alright?”

“Thanks to Miho, I managed to stay safe… Anyway, it seems everything is going well.”

“Now, let’s go help Seo Mun-hye.”

Along with Miho and Mangnyang, we set off to assist Seo Mun-hye. The opponent she was set to face was the Supreme True Man, a being utilizing the Azure Dragon Treasure, known for its ability to seal and trap opponents. I was worried for Seo Mun-hye, but Zhuge Sa had been boasting earlier, so I thought she would be safe for now.

When we arrived at the mountain where the Supreme True Man was, an intense battle was underway.

Boom!!

Kahhh!!

With sounds that seemed to tear apart heaven and earth, thunderous claps filled the air!

“Is that the Azure Dragon Treasure?”

Flames flickered like a net in the air, and simultaneously six fire dragons swirled chaotically in the sky. Amidst it all, Seo Mun-hye was dodging with impressive speed, occasionally charging in to unleash her sword skills. Each time she did, a massive wall formed by the three fire dragons blocked the Supreme True Man’s path in defense.

‘Is it that six of them were for offense, and three for defense?’

It resembled a spectacular scene straight out of the Mythological Age, and as I stood transfixed, Miho crossed her arms and said,

“Indeed, the Supreme True Man is one of the Twelve Great Sages. That guy seems stronger than the Pure Virtue True Man.”

“This isn’t the time to be crossed. We need to help Seo Mun-hye quickly.”

“Is it really necessary?”

“What do you mean?”

Miho was gazing at Seo Mun-hye, who was darting around in the sky.

“In my view, she’s biding her time. There’s no need to help her.”

“Biding her time…”

“You’ll see.”

Reluctantly, I joined my companions and watched as Seo Mun-hye battled the Supreme True Man from below. After about one hundred and fifty exchanges, Seo Mun-hye suddenly took a large step back, sheathed her sword, and put it away behind her back.

Clang!

The Supreme True Man, floating with the Azure Dragon Treasure in the air, spoke looking at Seo Mun-hye.

“With such incredible divine power and physical capabilities… You must be a descendant of the Giant Race. Why would you recklessly oppose the Celestial Realm?”

“Supreme True Man. You still haven’t answered my proposal. I engaged you with idle attacks, but now I would like to hear your response.”

“Hmph… Impudent…!! How could a Great Sage support the destruction of the Celestial Realm! It is absolutely impossible.”

“Is that so?”

Seo Mun-hye suddenly took a stance from the Shadowless Gate’s martial arts, the Fist Form. It seemed meaningless against the Celestial Sage floating in the sky. However, she gazed at the Supreme True Man with an expressionless look and said,

“Then I must sincerely kill you…”

In the next moment, Seo Mun-hye vanished as if she had disappeared. In reality, it was just that even with my Fire Eye Golden Spirit and martial arts realm combined, her speed was incredible, making it hard to follow. In an instant, the three dragons enveloping the Supreme True Man lost their heads, and a hole burst right through the center of his chest.

“…… Kurgh…”

The Supreme True Man, bleeding from his mouth in disbelief, fell to the ground, writhing. He didn’t seem to be dead on the spot, but with that injury, even as a Great Immortal, he was bound to die soon.

“……!!”

With one stroke, she took out one of the Twelve Great Sages?!

I couldn’t believe it!

When we reached the spot where Seo Mun-hye was fighting, Miho intervened and temporarily restored the Supreme True Man. I looked at Seo Mun-hye, astonished.

“How could you take him out in one hit?”

“… Hah, hah…”

“Seo Mun-hye.”

She was breathing heavily, unable to maintain her stance, collapsing to the ground. Though she had seemed fine just a moment ago, it looked as if her stamina and strength had seriously depleted. Seeing her like that, Zhuge Sa spoke sharply.

“Baek Woong, quickly diagnose Seo Mun-hye. She could die.”

“What?”

“I have a hunch, so hurry.”

Clap!

I grabbed her wrist quickly and released my qi to check her internal condition. I felt all of her meridians were ruptured, and at the same time, there was an explosive force flowing within her, ready to burst out like a volcano. Immediately, I recognized the familiar state.

I screamed in shock.

“Is it… is it Great Destruction?! You used Great Destruction?!”

Great Destruction!

That explained how Seo Mun-hye managed to take out the Supreme True Man in one shot. Puffing, she managed to say,

“The Azure Dragon Treasure of the Supreme True Man… It’s one of the best defensive treasures in the Celestial Realm… Even with my full power, it couldn’t be broken if the six dragons defended it… So, I gathered my strength to use Great Destruction in the moment he dropped his guard… That was the only chance to strike while his six dragons were focused on offense…”

“But!! You only knew the outline of Great Destruction and didn’t know the exact casting method.”

“If I could just open the ‘Gate’… I didn’t need to manage the details… I am not human, after all…”

“……”

I felt utterly bewildered.

Great Destruction was an unimaginable technique that required a master of healing arts to control the qi flowing through the body; otherwise, the human body could explode during the process of opening the gates. No matter the runaway techniques, one must remain alive until the end of the run.

However, Seo Mun-hye had a body with hundreds of times the durability of a normal human, so she didn’t need that precise management.

The problem was not the situation of being consumed by Great Destruction. The side effect that struck Seo Mun-hye was the exact opposite of what I usually experienced.

‘Great Destruction isn’t finished!! It’s the problem of being overwhelmed by too much power.’

In humans, when the activation of Great Destruction ended, the power abruptly decreases, leading to death. But for Seo Mun-hye, the power gained from it was so many times greater than a normal human that even after the technique ended, her power didn’t disappear quickly; rather, it swelled within her.

If a human had a cup as their absolute amount of qi, though, Seo Mun-hye’s was like a gigantic bathtub. If the absolute amount is too great, the water will take a long time to drain, and if it continues to pour in, the bathtub will overflow instead.

Suddenly, I remembered how Seo Mun-hye had been in great pain when the yin and yang were reversed. Perhaps at that time, the excessive energy expansion was similar to what was happening now.

From behind, Mangnyang said,

“Baek Woong. Let’s take her to the Queen Mother.”

“What…”

“Anyway, she’s suffering from excessive power. If she faces the ultimate foe, the Queen Mother, it should help her release that power and improve her condition.”

Given what had happened, he suggested using Seo Mun-hye’s overwhelming state rather than helping her. Knowing I was a physician, I understood Mangnyang’s logic. I bit my lip and refuted.

“Mangnyang!! That’s not right! Even if her current condition improves, Great Destruction is a forbidden technique that breaks the vessel itself with the power of overturning the heavens. Once that power is gone, regardless of Seo Mun-hye’s divine strength, she will surely die or be severely injured.”

“Indeed.”

“Right now, we need to stabilize her power gradually to prevent the vessel from breaking as much as possible.”

“Baek Woong, then the only option left is to feed her the heart of Natahta you obtained earlier.”

I shuddered!

As I trembled, Mangnyang continued indifferently.

“It was originally power you should have consumed, but now it can’t be helped.”

“Ugh…!!”

“When she ingests the core, it will instantly absorb the power within and create a new core. During that time, you focus on stabilizing her vessel with your qi technique.”

I looked at Seo Mun-hye, who had been listening to everything, and she faintly nodded.

“I will eat it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Better than dying, right?”

A moment later, I fed the heart of Natahta to Seo Mun-hye, and she held her nose, enduring the foul, fishy smell, and chewed it down her throat.

Swoosh…

I could tell as the core entered her heart, the power of Great Destruction was being absorbed, creating a new crystallized core. At the same time, as her power began stabilizing, I hastily used my qi technique to repair her meridians. It felt like quickly patching a ruined wall with clay as the earthen wall softened.

Before long, Seo Mun-hye reached a stable state and fainted, but fortunately, she seemed relatively unscathed for having activated Great Destruction. As I secretly sighed in relief, Zhuge Sa next to me chuckled.

“You’re just being kind to others.”

“Sorry.”

“We don’t have time to wait for her to wake up. Let’s go to the Queen Mother’s palace.”

“Wait. That wasn’t the original plan. Didn’t we plan to deal with the three Twelve Great Sages, then help Zhuge Yulong to suppress more than half of the Twelve Great Sages and go to the Heavenly Palace afterward?”

I questioned Zhuge Sa’s words, confused, and he replied.

“The situation has changed, so the plan needs to change too. Unexpectedly, the Zhuge Clan and the Eight Immortals have joined forces to support the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, making that battlefield far more crucial. They’ll be a major help for preserving her strength, so it’s far more probable that we help her defeat the Queen Mother before she loses more strength. The remaining nine Twelve Great Sages now have little meaning in the overall situation.”

“……!!”

“Ultimately, the leader of the Celestial Realm is the Three Pure Ones and the Four Immortals, with the Queen Mother as well. Since the Jade Emperor and the Three Pure Ones have gone missing, if we can strike down the Queen Mother, it effectively ends the Celestial Realm. If taking out the leader ends the fight, we should focus there.”

“Then what about Zhuge Yulong?”

“Well, who knows. Did that guy ever ask us to take care of him? No, right? If he dies, that’s all the ability he had.”

Zhuge Sa was disturbingly cold about his own brother’s situation. But as it happened, his reasoning made sense, so I nodded.

“Okay, let’s go to the Queen Mother’s palace.”

Boom!

We used the Celestial Sage’s flying mount to ascend Mount Kunlun together. The Queen Mother’s palace was at the highest point of Mount Kunlun, and given its elevation, it would take three full days and nights to walk up ordinarily. While riding the celestial mount, we were halfway up when…

Whoosh!!

A gigantic arrow soared through the air, attacking our ride. The Celestial Sage dodged several shots, but ultimately couldn’t hold on and released the mount, sending us down to the ground. Frantically, he exclaimed,

“Damn! Is that guy really waiting for us here?”

“……”

Knowing who it was, I said to the Celestial Sage,

“Isn’t that Yu, The Archer blocking our path?”

This kind of thing happened before. It was back when we entered the Celestial Realm to stop Pangu from taking charge, and Yu had also been blocking us under the Queen Mother’s orders. Though the Celestial Sage did win in the end, he had suffered irreversible wounds.

“Looks like you guessed from the arrows. True, I can’t easily defeat that old guy either.”

“But if it comes to fighting, just like with Natahta, you can find a way to win, right?”

“Much stronger than Natahta. So, I can’t guarantee I’d win without taking damage. Anyway…”

The Celestial Sage continued,

“Leave this to me. You guys go help the Heavenly Mysterious Woman and the Eight Immortals to bring down the Queen Mother.”

“Understood.”

“Go!”

Kaboom!

With a thunderous sound, the Celestial Sage ascended into the air, and soon we heard the crack of lightning as the battle between him and Yu commenced. It seemed like this was no easy opponent, as unlike last time with Natahta, the Celestial Sage was fighting with no hint of a smile.

Mangnyang gazed at the peak of Mount Kunlun and remarked,

“At least there is still fifteen hundred yards left to the summit… Truly worthy of being the highest mountain in the Celestial Realm. If one were to ascend honestly, it would take an ordinary human over seven days and nights. Even a martial artist would take at least three full days…”

“Here, we can’t use the Golden Lamp, so let’s employ the Earth-Transfer Technique.”

“Only a select few can use the Earth-Transfer Technique.”

“Ugh, if that’s the case…”

Miho stepped forward.

“It’d be best if I transformed into my original form and carried you all on my back.”

Boom!

Miho transformed into a golden fox, towering at a whopping seven yards. We climbed onto her back, buried in her golden fur, and soon, she began to dash swiftly up Mount Kunlun.

Flap!

After about one meal’s worth of time running, Miho landed at the top and said,

[They are already in battle.]