Chapter 129: Kim Min-soo (2)

“Uwaaaaa!”

Kim Min-soo rolled across the floor to evade Jang Woo-hyun’s sword.

“Ugh!”

It was only after he tumbled all the way to the opposite end of the cave that the attack ceased. Standing up abruptly, he glared at Jang Woo-hyun and spoke sternly.

“You’re so stiff. Can’t even play around a little… No, never mind. Fine. Just put the sword away first.”

Jang Woo-hyun sheathed his sword and sighed. He felt foolish for having tensed up alone.

“Weren’t we having a serious conversation?”

“We were, but the atmosphere got too rigid.”

Jang Woo-hyun didn’t understand how he could say such a thing when it was entirely his fault. Something surged in his chest, but he barely managed to hold it in.

‘Let it go. I’ll let it go.’

For some reason, it felt like losing his temper against that guy would only make him look like a fool. To calm himself, Jang Woo-hyun let out a long breath.

“Then, do you have no idea at all? Why is he targeting us?”

“I don’t know exactly, but I have a rough idea. It’s probably related to us coming from another world.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’ve had contact. Not with him directly, but with a tiny fragment he left behind.”

Kim Min-soo said he got involved with the factions of the Spiritual Realm while investigating the True Immortal targeting him.

“Have you heard of the Ascension Cult?”

“Yes, I’ve already fought them several times.”

“You’ve progressed quickly. Then it should be easy to understand. You also know that the True Immortal the Ascension Cult serves is the one targeting us?”

“Roughly.”

“Heavenly Venerable of the Silver Radiance and Universal Transformation of the Three Pure Ones. The True Immortal served by the Ascension Cult. I was fighting them by coincidence and made contact with a sliver of his consciousness… No, not even that. Just a residual thought? Anyway, something like that. I was able to hear his voice.”

As Kim Min-soo raised his hand, a small sphere of light floated above it moments later. The orb buzzed as it emitted a distorted voice.

【…o…ther…■◆ ◆҉■҉fr҉ag҉me҉nts҉…҉ ◆ ҉■҉ ҉ver҉m҉in…】

The voice broke off intermittently, mixed with static. There were also incomprehensible sounds in between. However, a few words were clearly audible.

“Other world, fragments, vermin?”

As Jang Woo-hyun listed the words he heard, Kim Min-soo nodded in agreement.

“I heard something similar.”

“‘Other world’ is one thing, but what do ‘fragments’ and ‘vermin’ mean?”

“I have no clue what fragments refer to, but vermin probably means us. A True Immortal would definitely see us that way.”

If they excluded the unknown term ‘fragments’, the two remaining words were clear.

“Other world, vermin. Vermin from another world. That definitely means us.”

“Right. But he said ‘vermin’, plural.”

Not singular—plural. Meaning it wasn’t just one.

“I don’t know why he’s targeting us who came from Earth, but hearing that made me start preparing. To be honest, the records I left in the Central Plains were half a joke. Back then, I hadn’t seen anyone else from Earth, nor found any traces. I was lonely and hoped someone would find it.”

Kim Min-soo continued, smiling bitterly.

“But the things I left in the Central Heavens, I prepared seriously.”

“When you say prepare… Wait, are you okay right now?”

As Kim Min-soo’s body began to fade, Jang Woo-hyun asked urgently.

“Huh? What? I’m fi—Uwaaah!”

Lowering his head and looking at his own body, Kim Min-soo screamed.

“Is your body disappearing?”

Jang Woo-hyun asked, alarmed.

“I’m not vanishing completely. I used up almost all of the remaining power when creating this place to preserve the memory of my projection. Without someone else’s strength, it’s hard to maintain my form. My time is up. You’re not at full strength right now, are you?”

“No, I haven’t fully recovered from my injuries.”

“Recover your body, and next time, infuse your Internal Energy properly.”

As Jang Woo-hyun responded affirmatively, Kim Min-soo’s body gradually became more transparent.

“Let’s meet again later. Don’t be sad, I’m not dying.”

Even as he faded, Kim Min-soo cracked a joke, making Jang Woo-hyun chuckle.

‘Huh? Wait a minute. What did he call me just now?’

The formation created to preserve the projection required someone above the Transcendence level to infuse their strength. Yet the power Jang Woo-hyun currently exuded was at the Absolute Realm level.

‘What the hell?’

Puzzled by the incomprehensible situation, Jang Woo-hyun watched as Kim Min-soo’s projection vanished.

As he stood there, staring at the spot where Kim Min-soo had disappeared, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

This strange world that had only become more inexplicable.

The reason the True Immortal was targeting them.

Though nothing about it was lighthearted, Jang Woo-hyun didn’t feel weighed down.

‘What kind of person is he?’

Whenever things got serious, he’d crack a joke and roll across the floor. Just thinking about him made it impossible to stay solemn.

‘I don’t even know.’

Shaking his head, Jang Woo-hyun trudged out of the cave.

He decided to think through the complicated matters later, and slowly made his way back to the village.

When Jang Woo-hyun had dealt with Neungjo and attacked his subordinates, he had not taken their lives. There was no personal grudge, and someone else was meant to deal with them.

As he departed for the cave containing Kim Min-soo’s projection, he left the aftermath to the White Horn Tribe, including Wonho.

But after Jang Woo-hyun left, a problem occurred.

It wasn’t that the White Horn Tribe had died or been injured. Neungjo’s subordinates had already lost their combat ability from Jang Woo-hyun’s assault and were sprawled on the ground.

However, just because they couldn’t fight didn’t mean they were incapable of communication. One of Neungjo’s men used sorcery and his own blood to contact someone, and the White Horn Tribe failed to stop it.

As a result, one month after Jang Woo-hyun awoke—

A group began moving toward the White Forest, located at the northernmost tip of the Dawn Continent.

“Brother, are we really okay with this?”

Gyeong Ji-gang, a close friend of Neungjo, asked in a hushed voice to the sworn brother beside him.

“What wouldn’t be okay? Even if his skills are outstanding, he won’t be able to handle us. There are five Four-Wheel martial artists.”

The Dawn Continent measured martial prowess using wheels rather than standard martial realms.

One-Wheel was the lowest level of martial artist, and the number increased with strength.

Compared to the usual martial realm: One-Wheel was Second-rate, Two-Wheel was First-rate, Three-Wheel was Master Level, Four-Wheel was Supreme Peak, and finally, Five-Wheel was Absolute Realm level.

In short, five Four-Wheel martial artists meant five Supreme Peak experts.

The gathering of such powerful warriors was because of Gyeong Ji-gang and his sworn brother, Yang Woo-geom.

The two had been close with Neungjo for a long time. Upon receiving news of his death via sorcery, they moved to avenge him. In fact, the sorcerer who delivered the news had been assigned by Gyeong Ji-gang himself.

‘They said he died instantly.’

Because the news was delivered through sorcery and not in person, the details weren’t fully conveyed. Still, assuming the worst-case scenario, Yang Woo-geom and Gyeong Ji-gang gathered their men.

‘Just wait.’

No one knew who the enemy was, but whoever it was, they would not be able to match them. Five Four-Wheel masters were that formidable a force.

Moreover, there was an unexpected reinforcement.

“I’m not talking about the guy we’re going to catch. Over there…”

Gyeong Ji-gang trailed off and subtly pointed toward the location of the unexpected reinforcement.

Where his gaze landed—

An old man was walking slowly. Though his pace was slow, his figure glided forward as if slipping through the air like a lie.

What Gyeong Ji-gang was worried about wasn’t the mysterious expert who had killed Neungjo. What currently troubled him most was that old man.

That eccentric old man happened to see Yang Woo-geom and his companions moving by chance. Curious about why five Four-Wheel experts were on the move, he asked to accompany them.

Knowing his identity, Yang Woo-geom and his companions accepted his request without a hint of displeasure.

It was an uncomfortable companionship, but there was no one who could stop his actions.

As he watched the old man's back, Yang Woo-geom repeated his name in his mind.

‘No Yuk.’

Profound Heaven Sword King, No Yuk.

He was the Lord of Black Tortoise Sect, one of the five great factions of the Dawn Continent, ruler of the northern region of the Dawn Continent, and one of the few Five-Wheel experts on the continent.

Sensing the gaze, No Yuk stopped and turned around.

“Are we still far?”

To that question, the five martial experts, each with some renown in the martial world, bowed their heads.

“No, we’re almost there.”

The uncomfortable journey with No Yuk continued until they arrived at the White Forest.

“Hmph.”

Jang Woo-hyun let out a small sigh as he examined the secret manual in his hand.

While recovering in the village of the White Horn Tribe, Jang Woo-hyun learned they had a secret manual passed down for generations, and he was now reading it.

It was an important manual passed only within the tribe, but Moon Cheol, having seen Jang Woo-hyun’s strength, offered it proudly. Ever since witnessing him annihilate Neungjo in one strike, the White Horn Tribe regarded Jang Woo-hyun as a true True Immortal.

‘What is this? This is so strange.’

That was Jang Woo-hyun’s impression after skimming the manual.

Before seeing it, he had assumed the White Horn Tribe’s martial arts would utilize the Middle Dantian like Neungjo and his subordinates—but they didn’t.

‘Come to think of it, that guy Wonho also used the Lower Dantian.’

Not only that, but no one in the village seemed to have developed their Middle Dantian.

Curious about learning martial arts that used the Lower Dantian, Jang Woo-hyun asked Moon Cheol.

“Minority tribes of the White Forest practice different martial arts from the martial artists of the continent.”

Moon Cheol spoke with a bitter smile.

“Martial artists sometimes belittle the martial arts of minority tribes as trash. But to us, they are treasures passed down from our ancestors.”

“Martial arts using the Middle Dantian... Have you never thought about learning something like what Neungjo practiced?”

“Well, we’ve practiced this style from the beginning.”

Jang Woo-hyun tried to talk a bit more, but Moon Cheol’s stance was firm. They had no intention of accepting a different martial art.

To Jang Woo-hyun, it seemed like foolish stubbornness, but he didn’t say anything. If that was the tradition and way of life for the White Horn Tribe, who was he to judge?

“You said minority tribes learn this kind of martial art. So are the other tribes the same?”

“Yes, there are slight differences, but the tribes living throughout the White Forest practice martial arts different from the martial artists of the Dawn Continent.”

It seemed only the minority tribes of the White Forest practiced martial arts based on the Lower Dantian.

‘Why is it only the minority tribes that use the Lower Dantian?’

That question came to mind briefly, but Jang Woo-hyun didn’t dwell on it. He had no desire to delve into their lives or ancient history.

For now, he focused on the secret manual before him. The issues became apparent.

‘The internal cultivation method seems decent enough.’

The rest was problematic. The method of utilizing Internal Energy, the techniques, and movement arts were all a mess.

They weren’t properly refined. The martial art itself lacked flow, disconnected and broken.

‘Parts of it seem to be missing.’

Jang Woo-hyun stared at the manual for a long time.

The disconnected parts. He thought he might be able to fix the awkward areas.

He couldn’t do anything about the internal cultivation method. Jang Woo-hyun had never formally learned a proper cultivation method.

He simply breathed and it worked, so his knowledge in that area was lacking.

But if it was about physical movements, he could fix those. That was his area of expertise.

“Would it be alright if I made a few corrections? I think I can revise everything except the internal method.”

“Eh? Uh... I mean, if you would, that’d be great…”

Even though he knew Jang Woo-hyun’s skills, Moon Cheol felt uneasy about entrusting their ancestral martial arts to someone else.

“It won’t be a drastic change. Think of it more like correcting posture. The original will remain. From what I can see, there are quite a few areas where the flow just cuts off.”

Moon Cheol frowned and fell into deep thought.

The formation that concealed the village had been destroyed. It was broken by Jang Woo-hyun, but they couldn’t blame him. The formation had been created by the Demonic Martial Divine Lord, and Jang Woo-hyun was someone summoned by that Supreme Being. More than that, he had saved the tribe as soon as he awakened.

After thinking for a while, Moon Cheol finally made a decision and bowed deeply.

“True Immortal—no, Master Jang, please lend us your strength.”

“Then first, something to write with... Hm?”

“Master Jang?”

Suddenly, Jang Woo-hyun stopped speaking, gathered his weapon, and stood up.

“What’s the matter?”

“Looks like someone’s come.”

Sensing an approaching presence from afar, Jang Woo-hyun smiled.

Even after hearing that a surviving subordinate of Neungjo had contacted someone through strange means, Jang Woo-hyun hadn’t taken it seriously.

He had to stay nearby anyway to recover. And if someone came seeking revenge for Neungjo?

That was fine too. It would be a chance to encounter martial artists of this world without moving an inch—no reason to refuse.

Since the Dawn Continent was part of the Lower Realm, there would be no martial artist here capable of facing Jang Woo-hyun. Still, it would be a good opportunity to witness entirely different martial arts—and maybe even learn something new.

So, he had been hoping for someone connected to Neungjo to appear. Just then, he sensed a powerful energy approaching from afar.

His anticipation swelling, he dashed out swiftly.

Upon arriving at the open space before the village entrance, he saw six men.

One old man and five middle-aged men.

Jang Woo-hyun’s gaze fixed on the old man at the rear.

‘Absolute Realm!’

He instantly gauged the man’s strength.

Excited at the chance to witness the skills of one of this world’s top martial artists, Jang Woo-hyun beamed.

“Huh, what an annoying guy. Smiling the moment he sees us.”

With his hands behind his back, No Yuk clicked his tongue at Jang Woo-hyun’s reaction.

“No Munju-nim, may I step forward?”

“Go ahead. Since you followed me here, you should handle your own matters first.”

“Thank you.”

After greeting No Yuk, Yang Woo-geom stepped forward.

“Do you know Butcher Neungjo?”

Still wearing a smile, Jang Woo-hyun nodded and answered.

“I do. Are you here for revenge?”

“I am Yang Woo-geom. Neungjo and I were sworn brothers.”

“Jang Woo-hyun.”

Jang Woo-hyun drew his sword as if to say he had no intention of chatting further. Seeing martial experts who used the Middle Dantian, his body was itching to test himself against them.

“Heh, I see you're confident in your skills since you defeated Neungjo, but you're quite arrogant. Do you even know who we—”

“We introduced ourselves, didn’t we? Does it really matter who you are right now? You came for revenge, and I drew my sword. If all you want to do is talk, I’ll put it away too.”

“…”

Yang Woo-geom was left speechless by the calm reply. He hadn’t expected such a sudden challenge. Jang Woo-hyun was alone, while they were six renowned martial experts. One of them could even be called a supreme being of the martial world.

‘What is he?’

Yang Woo-geom couldn’t tell if the man was insane or just fearless. Jang Woo-hyun’s unexpected attitude gave him an uneasy feeling.

“That’s enough. You seem confident in your abilities, so let’s see what you’ve got.”

Apparently displeased with Jang Woo-hyun’s behavior, No Yuk, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, stepped forward.

And then, he raised his presence.

As energy filled the area, the faces of Yang Woo-geom’s group hardened.

The ruler of the northern region of the Dawn Continent—his power was greater than expected.

The five, including Yang Woo-geom, were all well-known names, but this was on another level. They immediately realized it. Even if all five attacked at once, they would not be able to match No Yuk.

“Good.”

Jang Woo-hyun smiled as he felt No Yuk’s power. No, to be precise, he wasn’t that interested in the scale of No Yuk’s power. What caught his attention was something near No Yuk’s heart.

Unlike the energy of the Lower Dantian, which gathered and compressed like forming a core, No Yuk’s Middle Dantian was actively moving and emitting energy.

He had never seen anything like it, so he couldn’t immediately understand the method of operation. That only made him want to observe it more.

“I’ll go first.”

Whoosh—

“Huh?”

“Ah…”

As he released Secret Flowing Body Technique, Jang Woo-hyun’s aura spread in an instant. The faces of the six martial artists immediately twisted in shock.

Before they could even gather their wits, Jang Woo-hyun stepped into the realm of Transcendence. It had been a month since he awakened, and his body was nearly fully recovered.

The moment No Yuk and the five martial artists felt that Jang Woo-hyun had vanished—

His attack was already aimed at them. They couldn’t even respond properly, let alone see it.

Thud! Crash! Crack! Clang!

Sounds of impact, explosions, and crashing filled the air as the five martial artists were smashed and sent flying.

Only No Yuk barely managed to raise his sword and block the attack.

Lowering his trembling arm slightly, No Yuk’s gaze turned to Jang Woo-hyun.

“Not quite enough.”

Jang Woo-hyun tilted his head, as if something was lacking.

Meeting his eyes, No Yuk realized—

‘A monster.’

Jang Woo-hyun before him was someone beyond his capability to handle.

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