Chapter 108: Reunion (3)

Jang Woo-hyun briefly explained that he had crossed over to the Central Plains from an entirely different world.

After the story ended.

“I see.”

Contrary to expectations, Jin Ha-un remained indifferent.

“Huh? Didn’t you understand? I’m saying I came from a completely different world. Not the Central Plains we met in, but a completely different world. A different country…”

“Hyung-nim.”

Jin Ha-un called Jang Woo-hyun, who was frustrated and tried to explain again. Despite having shared a hidden secret, the look in Jin Ha-un’s eyes towards Jang Woo-hyun hadn’t changed.

“I had a feeling it might be something like that.”

“What?!”

It was Jang Woo-hyun who was surprised by Jin Ha-un’s response.

Leaving aside that it was completely unexpected—‘had a feeling’? What kind of statement was that?

“I met Yang Dae-hyeop.”

“Yang Dae-hyeop? Who’s that?”

“You don’t know Yang Hyo-myung Dae-hyeop?”

“Yang Hyo-myung? Yang Gwanju-nim? Yang Gwanju-nim is Yang Dae-hyeop?”

The sudden mention of that name startled Jang Woo-hyun once more. Why would that name come up here?

“Slayer of the Wicked, Yang Hyo-myung. He is a renowned Supreme Peak expert in the Central Plains.”

“Supreme Peak? Yang Gwanju-nim?”

Surprise after surprise.

Yang Hyo-myung had lived his whole life as a second-rate martial artist. Thanks to the family martial art Jang Woo-hyun had improved for him and his training through real combat, he had reached the level of a Master. But with his talent, that was thought to be his limit.

‘Well, if things went really well… maybe he could have reached the peak of Master level.’

But to think he had reached the Supreme Peak. That was entirely unexpected.

“Yes. Succeeding the Invincible Divine Sword, he is a righteous hero who does not yield to power, wandering the world and slaying the wicked. He has great fame and an excellent reputation.”

“…”

“I’ve met him, and he told me. That it hadn’t been long since hyung-nim started learning martial arts.”

“Ah…”

Two years. That was how long Jang Woo-hyun had trained in martial arts.

In that short time, Jang Woo-hyun not only reached the level of an Absolute Realm expert, but also shattered the Demonic Cult and ascended.

A talent so extraordinary, it couldn’t be expressed with the word ‘genius’.

Moreover, after his ascension, Jin Ha-un realized once again.

‘There’s no one to compare him to.’

Those who ascended were called the best under heaven or were hailed as geniuses in their own worlds. But even they fell short compared to Jang Woo-hyun. And by quite a lot.

There had never been anyone as outstanding as him. Even though Jin Ha-un had rapidly grown and Qi Hu-shin had always praised his talent, he was nowhere near Jang Woo-hyun.

“Yang Dae-hyeop isn’t the only one. Hwang An hyung-nim is also a Supreme Peak expert.”

“What? Hwang An is Supreme Peak?”

“Yes, until I ascended, he was the top expert in the Beggars' Sect.”

“He used to rant about not having an alias, and now look at him… When did that happen?”

Recalling old times, both Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un laughed at the same time.

“Yang Dae-hyeop, Hwang An hyung-nim, and myself as well.”

“You? What about you?”

“I was considered quite skilled in Cheongseon Mountain, but I was nothing compared to hyung-nim.”

After ascending, he realized that his own rate of growth was far from ordinary.

Those called geniuses or the best under heaven in their respective Lower Realms would arrive at the Central Heavens Realm, but among them, few had ascended as quickly as Jin Ha-un had.

‘It would’ve been impossible on my own.’

Yang Hyo-myung, Hwang An, and himself.

“All three of us grew faster than our talent or skills would allow. It was thanks to hyung-nim’s help.”

“Come on, it wasn’t because of me. Everyone worked hard.”

“No. No matter how talented I was, I wouldn’t have grown this fast.”

Jin Ha-un knew this too. If he had kept training, he might have reached the Absolute Realm and even ascended. But he wouldn’t have made it to the Central Heavens this quickly.

After hearing Yang Hyo-myung’s story, he realized it. That man wasn’t someone who could have grown to that extent on his own.

Hwang An, Jin Ha-un, Yang Hyo-myung.

The three who had rapidly grown shared one thing in common.

All three had received help from Jang Woo-hyun.

Though the degree differed, all three had surpassed their limits and continued to grow. As if some invisible force were at work.

“From then on, I began to think—hyung-nim must not be an ordinary person. Then after ascending, I learned that there are countless worlds. And that there are divine beings who ascended to the Upper Realm.”

After downing the liquor-filled glass in one go, Jin Ha-un continued.

“To be honest, I thought hyung-nim might be a fallen Martial God from the Upper Realm, or a True Immortal who descended. But to hear that you’re just someone from another world… It’s a little underwhelming.”

“What?”

Even after revealing his greatest secret, Jin Ha-un was only mildly disappointed. How was he supposed to take that?

“Hyung-nim’s talent is far from ordinary. Think about it. You won’t find someone like hyung-nim even if you searched the entire Central Heavens Martial Realm.”

Jin Ha-un chuckled as he said that.

Jang Woo-hyun knew he was outstanding, but hearing it directly from someone close made him feel a little strange.

“They say there are countless Lower Realms. So what’s the big secret in hyung-nim coming from another world? Even if hyung-nim turned out to be a Martial God from the Upper Realm, I wouldn’t be surprised. You’re no ordinary person, after all. But what was the world you originally came from like, hyung-nim?”

In response to Jin Ha-un’s question, Jang Woo-hyun gave a brief explanation about Earth and the Republic of Korea. Nearly ten years had passed, and since he had become accustomed to life in the Central Plains, even if he wanted to talk at length, the words did not come easily. It felt awkward too.

“If you crossed over suddenly, don’t you miss your family?”

“My family? Well, I hardly remember anymore. Hmm, let’s not talk about that.”

Seeing Jang Woo-hyun smile bitterly, Jin Ha-un decided to change the topic.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Me? Why?”

“What do you mean why. Where the needle goes, the thread must follow.”

“You’re saying you’ll follow me?”

“Of course. You’re going to leave me behind? That’s too much. I’m your younger brother you haven’t seen in ages.”

From Jin Ha-un’s shameless expression, Jang Woo-hyun saw a glimpse of Hwang An.

“No matter how I look at it, you’re just like Hwang An.”

“Hey! Seriously! I said I’m not. What a dreadful thing to say.”

Jin Ha-un jumped up again. Watching his younger brother’s serious reaction, this time Jang Woo-hyun chuckled.

After arguing for a while over whether he resembled Hwang An or not, Jang Woo-hyun spoke.

“There’s a place I need to find.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s called the Storm Archipelago, and I need to search for something there. I don’t know the exact location. I’m planning to put in a request to Mount Cheonmok.”

“It’s faster to request through them. But what are you looking for there?”

“Traces of the Demonic Martial Divine Lord.”

Jang Woo-hyun decided to tell everything to Jin Ha-un, now his companion once again.

“Huh? Why bring up the Demonic Martial Divine Lord all of a sudden?”

“He’s also from the same world as me.”

“Whoa! Really? Ah! So that’s why! Hyung-nim, you can read the Demonic Martial Divine Art, right?”

Having traveled together, Jin Ha-un caught on immediately.

“Yeah, he left behind some traces. If I can find them, I might be able to figure out the identity of that silver giant who attacked me.”

“Oh, I see.”

“That silver giant might be a True Immortal from the Upper Realm. It’ll be very dangerous. Still going to come with me?”

“Hyung-nim.”

Jin Ha-un grinned and continued.

“We’re not the type to take things lying down. And how’s this any different from before?”

“Before?”

“Yes, when we fought the Asura Sword Sect. No, is this harder? There’s only the two of us now, and the opponent might be a True Immortal?”

Back then, lacking experience and name, Jang Woo-hyun had confronted the giant faction called the Ten Demonic Paths in the Central Plains. To Jin Ha-un, the current situation didn’t seem much different.

It was a problem that their opponent was a transcendent being like a True Immortal, but that was none of his concern.

‘Hyung-nim will figure something out.’

If it was Jang Woo-hyun, he’d soon grow strong enough to beat up even a True Immortal or a Martial God.

Besides, their enemy was targeting hyung-nim. He had no intention of letting it slide. If his own life were in danger, Jang Woo-hyun would think the same.

“Well then, let’s make some plans for what’s ahead.”

After ascending, Jin Ha-un was finally having the most exciting time of his life.

From the next day, the two moved busily.

First, Jin Ha-un paid his respects to the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect, to whom he was indebted, and then they headed to Mount Cheonmok, not far from the main division of the Tai Chi Sect.

Although it was called Mount Cheonmok, it wasn’t actually a mountain.

Mount Cheonmok (千目山).

Said to have a thousand eyes and rise high like a mountain, the organization was a place that dealt in information. In other words, it fulfilled a role similar to that of the Beggars’ Sect or the Hao Sect in the Central Plains.

“There’s no record of a place called the Storm Archipelago.”

The members of Mount Cheonmok were diverse. There were monsters with the body of a horse and the face of a human, individuals who used a mysterious divine power called Suhae to move rapidly, and even someone who controlled the massive bee monster Heumwon, which Jang Woo-hyun had seen during his time with the Demon Extermination Sect.

The one currently greeting Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un was a woman with five tails—she too was a fox monster.

Omiho (五尾狐) created clones using her tail fur and gathered information from all directions.

“It’s safe to say that there’s no place with that name in the Central Heavens Martial Realm.”

Mount Cheonmok managed areas within the Central Heavens Martial Realm, its border regions, and several special locations. Even with spell formations and a large workforce, it was impossible to grasp all of the vast Central Heavens.

“Then you couldn’t find it?”

“That’s a bit ambiguous. We didn’t find a place named the Storm Archipelago… but we did find a location that fits that name. Please take a look.”

When she unfurled a scroll, a certain scene was displayed inside.

A place where dozens of small floating islands drifted. It didn’t look like they had always been that way—more like a massive explosion had torn a large landmass apart.

Between the floating islands were countless rocks, and all around them, thunder, lightning, and torrential rain raged.

“Where is this place?”

“It has no official name. Long ago… I believe it was the former leader of the Five Wheel Five Elements Cult who fought someone here, and as a result, the environment transformed into this.”

The idea that one person’s power had changed the natural environment slightly surprised both of them.

“This was the closest match we found. We couldn’t locate any other similar place, and if it lies beyond the Central Heavens Martial Realm, we have no way of knowing.”

“What’s the location of this place?”

“They say you can see it from the red forest region of the Giant Tree Grove.”

“It’s quite far if it’s the Giant Tree Grove.”

Having studied the Central Heavens Martial Realm diligently, Jin Ha-un had a rough idea of where that place was.

They were currently in the center of the Central Heavens Martial Realm, while the Giant Tree Grove was at the edge, considered the outer boundary. Moreover, it was a place where the influence of the Martial Realm did not reach.

“Hyung-nim, what shall we do?”

“There really isn’t another place that matches, is there?”

“As far as we’ve checked, yes. This is the place that most resembles what you’d call the Storm Archipelago.”

At Omiho’s answer, Jang Woo-hyun nodded.

“Let’s head there for now. Could I ask you to keep searching a bit more?”

“As long as you pay the request fee, of course.”

With a commercial smile, Omiho responded, and Jang Woo-hyun paid the fee and turned his body to head outside.

“Are we going right away?”

“No, I’m meeting Senior Maeng and Kang Yong this evening. I need to receive something from them. After that, there’s another place we need to visit.”

“Where are we going?”

At the question, Jang Woo-hyun’s gaze landed on Jin Ha-un’s sword.

“Is your sword still serviceable?”

“This one? It’s the sword I’ve been using since the Central Plains, and well, it still holds up.”

“It’s not a spell artifact or treasure, is it?”

“No. Just a standard sword. It’s not a divine or famed sword, but it’s well-made. After you ascended, I gained a bit of a name too, so I used something worthy of that name. It’s a sword that’s been with me a long time.”

Jin Ha-un tapped his sword lightly.

“Let’s start by buying a weapon. I know a craftsman.”

“You’ve only been in the Central Heavens a short while, and you already know a craftsman?”

“It just happened that way.”

“How?”

Jin Ha-un, sticking close beside him, asked curiously, and the brotherly duo stepped outside the buildings of Mount Cheonmok.

Carrying various goods in her tails and busily moving around, Omiho tilted her head as she watched the two.

“Those guys… it doesn’t seem like they know where the Giant Tree Grove is…”

Maybe she should have told them. If they had known what kind of place it was, they wouldn’t have so casually said they were going there.

They had paid the price, so it wasn’t her concern, but even so, it was hard for her to understand how they could go there so thoughtlessly.

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