Chapter 119 – Arthalia Murim

Thud, thud.

The place Rough arrived at by following the divination was the summit of the largest volcano within the volcanic region.

It was the very mountaintop where the Mount Hua Sect was situated.

However, a visitor had already arrived there.

Several Plum Blossom Swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect were gathered in a huddle, searching for something.

“Priest Eopho (Rough)? Have you also come to summon the Elder of the Dark Star Sect?”

“Yes. Though my strength is meager, I will also help.”

“Hmm. The more people, the better. Very well.”

It seemed they had come to summon a master of the Dark Star Sect, following the command Rough had vaguely heard when he first arrived here.

But the fact that they were still gathered at the volcano’s summit meant there was some problem.

“But why are you all still gathered here?”

“To enter the Dark Star Sect, we must find the hidden Eastern Heaven entrance, right? Didn’t you listen properly during training?”

“Ah, no.”

As the Plum Blossom Swordsman scolded him, Rough shook his head.

“If you know, then stop with the unnecessary talk and quickly help find the entrance. Priest.”

“About that, Senior Brother.”

“…Huh?”

“I think I found that entrance.”

At Rough’s words, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, who had been widening their eyes and looking around, all turned their gaze to him.

“You found it? Where?”

“Here, right in front of you.”

Rough pointed at the cliff beside the basin where the Plum Blossom Swordsmen were gathered and spoke.

In the middle of the cliff, carved in the shape of a massive mountain gate, was the entrance to a hollowed-out lava cave.

“What? Where?”

“There’s nothing there but a cliff?”

However, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen looked bewildered, as if they couldn’t see anything.

“You can’t see it?”

As if demonstrating, Rough leaped towards the cliff.

Tap, tap, tap, tap— Whoosh.

Using acrobatic-like movement techniques, he stepped on the cliff and slipped into the cave.

To the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, it looked as if Rough had passed through the solid cliff and entered inside.

The scenery of the cliff shimmered like a heat haze.

“Ah! It’s an illusion formation! The entrance was hidden.”

“How did Priest Eopho find the entrance right away?”

“Asking how can wait. For now, let’s quickly enter there ourselves.”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

As the Eldest Senior Brother followed the exact path Rough took and entered the cave, the remaining Plum Blossom Swordsmen followed him inside.

“Well done, Priest.”

“I merely did what I could.”

“Since you seem to have keen eyesight, Priest, I’ll entrust you with finding the way here as well.”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

Inside the lava cave, the path was initially a single route, but the further they went, it branched into multiple forks, making it easy to get lost.

But since Rough only needed to follow the divination, he advanced without hesitation even when forks appeared.

His confident demeanor made the following Plum Blossom Swordsmen look suspicious, but they obediently followed him nonetheless.

How many forks had they passed like that?

“We’ve arrived.”

Rough and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen reached the Eastern Heaven of the volcano.

A separate world with a vast sky and land, clearly inside the mountain.

Having experienced Phase Superposition and having been to Hyu’s Reverse World, Rough immediately grasped the structure of the Eastern Heaven.

‘It’s a separate Reverse World where the interior of the volcano and its phase are superimposed.’

In the very center of the vast Eastern Heaven stood a city so massive it was visible even from afar.

Buildings similar in style to those of the Mount Hua Sect, but in a more expanded form.

“The Dark Star Sect seems to be over there. The situation outside is urgent, so let’s go ahead.”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

Perhaps because the worry of getting lost was gone, from that point on, the Eldest Senior Brother took the lead, shooting forward ahead of Rough.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The Eldest Senior Brother flew through the air, erupting the thick and explosive Internal Energy of the Lava Qi Art from the Yongcheon acupoint on the soles of his feet, drawing exclamations of admiration from the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

His movement method, reminiscent of a rocket lifting off from Earth, was a representative movement technique of the Mount Hua Sect.

“The Eldest Senior Brother’s Flying Sky Fire Arrow has reached perfection.”

“I also want to reach the level of flight like the Eldest Senior Brother soon. At my current level, I can only increase speed on the ground.”

“To do that, train in movement techniques that balance the body rather than just focusing on explosions from the Yongcheon acupoint. If you only obsess over explosions like now, you’ll just end up planting your head in the ground.”

“I know that too… Hehe.”

“You rascal, you’re funny.”

After spending a moment watching the Plum Blossom Swordsmen chattering away…

Not long after the Eldest Senior Brother, now a tiny dot, entered the Dark Star Sect’s city, someone flew towards them alongside him.

Flapping wings of flame, the opponent flew much faster than when the Eldest Senior Brother had flown. His Grade had reached the extreme limit of the Hyeongyeong realm (9-Star).

“We pay our respects to Ancestor Yeomjak!!”

Seeing him, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen all bowed in unison.

Rough also bowed his head, following their lead with a clasped hands greeting.

However, Yeomjak’s gaze stopped on Rough.

“Hoh?”

Yeomjak smiled suspiciously, recognizing the half of Lee Hanseong residing within Rough.

His smile was not a smile.

—Who art thou, imitating our disciple?

Telepathy directed at Lee Hanseong pierced into Rough.

A tone laced with suppressed anger.

Given the situation where an existence from the Life and Death realm had invaded their Domain, he seemed to be holding back his rage, but he was someone who could explode at any moment.

Lee Hanseong also directed his Six Harmonies Communication solely towards Yeomjak, adjusting it so only he could hear.

=Even if I tell you who I am, will you know? I didn’t come to harm the Dark Star Sect or the Mount Hua Sect, so why not just pretend you didn’t see me?

Snap.

A vein bulged on Yeomjak’s forehead.

True to his reputation as a hot-blooded Ancestor existing behind the Mount Hua Sect within the Dark Star Sect, he flared up immediately when provoked.

Whoosh.

As the red long robe Yeomjak wore began to blacken and scorch…

Above the bulging vein, a red horn made of flame sprouted.

Perhaps sensing something ominous.

Rough unfolded his Great Fortune Circulation.

Whoooosh.

As the Wind of Heavenly Fortune blew, Yeomjak, sensing it, paused.

Realizing the value of Heavenly Fortune, he forcibly suppressed his anger, and the blackened robe turned red again.

But the flaming horn on his forehead remained.

—Indeed… it seems thou art not an enemy. But thou shouldst be careful with thy words. The mouth is a gate that invites misfortune.

=You won’t use more power? What a pity.

Lee Hanseong openly expressed regret, giving off an air of harboring other intentions.

—Didst thou provoke me deliberately, hoping I would use my power?

=What if I did?

Yeomjak paused the telepathy for a moment and shouted to the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

“Everyone, operate your Lava Qi Art to its maximum!”

Though puzzled by the Ancestor’s sudden command, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen obeyed.

Oooooom.

As the Qi Art that absorbs the volcano’s energy and contains lava-like Internal Energy within the microcosm unfolded from the Plum Blossom Swordsmen…

Koooom— Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Immense heat and flames began to erupt from Yeomjak.

—I shall grant thy wish. Endure if thou canst, insolent one.

Heat that even the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, who had trained in the Lava Qi Art and had Resistance to heat, couldn’t withstand unless they operated their Lava Qi Art to the maximum!

Before heat that would vaporize Rough instantly upon contact, Lee Hanseong instead cheered.

Yeomjak’s heat was having no effect on Rough whatsoever.

The heat that tried to engulf Rough from inches away was being completely blocked.

Sssssss!

It looked as if Footstep Heaven’s Edge had been deployed, but this wasn’t the work of Rough or Lee Hanseong.

Clank… clank…

The sound of armored footsteps approaching their location from deeper inside the cave connecting the Dark Star Sect’s Eastern Heaven to the outside.

The Heart Sword emanating from it was severing all the heat directed at Rough.

‘As expected, he came. Blundell.’

To be precise, it was the Formless Sword Demon Armor worn by Blundell that sensed Lee Hanseong’s presence and followed Rough.

While the Barrier of Solitude deployed by Blundell could block detection of him and the Formless Sword Demon Armor, it couldn’t sever the connection that existed between Lee Hanseong and the Formless Sword Demon Armor.

From the moment Rough crossed into the spacetime where Blundell was, the Formless Sword Demon Armor had recognized Lee Hanseong residing within Rough.

The problem was that due to the Barrier of Solitude, even if Blundell was nearby, Rough or Lee Hanseong couldn’t communicate with him.

Lee Hanseong also knew through his resonance with the Formless Sword Demon Armor that he was nearby, but that was all.

That’s why he had provoked Yeomjak.

He needed a trigger for the Formless Sword Demon Armor to step in like now.

Since the Formless Sword Demon Armor, currently possessed by Blundell’s record, regarded both Blundell and Lee Hanseong as its masters.

He judged it would step in if Lee Hanseong was in danger.

As a result, as expected, the Formless Sword Demon Armor broke the Barrier of Solitude, revealed itself, and saved Rough, who housed Lee Hanseong.

“…Truly a master of the Life and Death realm.”

Yeomjak noticed Blundell and let out a cold flame.

The Heart Sword displayed by the Formless Sword Demon Armor was not something Yeomjak’s level could dare to challenge.

“Who might you be, venerable one?”

“……”

Blundell did not answer.

No, he couldn’t answer.

Currently, he had entrusted his body to the Formless Sword Demon Armor and was in a state of selflessness.

Clank… clank…

At Blundell’s silent, gradually approaching actions, Yeomjak gritted his teeth.

“No matter how much of a master you are, I will not tolerate being ignored any further!”

Whoosh!

The Twenty-Four Hands Coal Fire Sword Technique Ultimate Technique.

《Ten Thousand Lotus Bloom》.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

Like fireworks exploding, the explosions unleashed by the Plum Blossom Sword Technique were mixed with colorful Gang Qi of various hues. These colors adhered and exerted various special effects.

Red for stiffness, blue for slowing, green for poisoning, yellow for bewilderment, etc.

Flames that inflicted various status abnormalities filled the surroundings, but…

Clank…

They too were all severed by the Heart Sword mixed with the Formless Sword Demon Armor’s footsteps.

After this, Yeomjak deployed various divine techniques and skills of the Mount Hua Sect to block Blundell’s approach, but the result was no different.

The Plum Blossom Gang Qi was vainly blocked, unable to harm Rough or stop Blundell.

Watching the martial arts he had built up crumble away vainly, Yeomjak’s eyes darkened.

“Ahh… So this is the Life and Death realm.”

Snap.

As if signifying his broken spirit, the flaming horn on his forehead snapped off.

The disciples of the Mount Hua Sect were equally despairing.

The sight of their ideal, the Ancestor, being overwhelmed by the opponent was too painful to watch.

Whether the Plum Blossom Swordsmen and Yeomjak were like that or not.

The Formless Sword Demon Armor simply continued walking towards Rough at the same pace as before.

Groooooan—

But inside the Formless Sword Demon Armor, which seemed to have no changes, Blundell was undergoing a drastic transformation.

The act of walking while clearing away Yeomjak’s attacks was a trivial stimulation, hardly even a battle.

But it was sufficient stimulation for Blundell, who had been in a state of selflessness, to advance to the next realm.

The Heavenly Fortune from the Great Fortune Circulation that Rough had deployed earlier also became a wind, aiding Blundell.

Perhaps because of that.

The [Formless Sword] deployed towards a clear target remained even after dealing with the opponent, acting similarly to Primordial Chaos Gang Qi, pulling up the Skills Blundell possessed.

It was the will of the Formless Sword Demon Armor to adjust the wearer’s level to match its own.

Click.

[Conditions met. General Skill <Herb Knowledge> evolves into Rare Skill <Toxicology>.]

The difference between medicine and poison is dosage.

First, in response to the poison knowledge contained in the Rare Skills <Poison Blood> and <Poison Application Art>, Herb Knowledge was established as Toxicology.

Click.

[Conditions met. General Skill <Pathfinding> evolves into Rare Skill <Path Exploration>.]

The sense for finding paths, influenced by the Formless Sword, evolved into glimpsing the higher realms to be reached in the future, like a kind of skill tree.

Click.

[Conditions met. <Poison Blood> and <Poison Application Art> are integrated.]

[Unique Skill <Poison Blood Qi Art> is formed.]

Following the path found through Path Exploration, he even formed the martial art, Poison Blood Qi Art.

It was a martial art that used the poison energy dissolved in blood as Internal Energy to manipulate poison energy and blood.

And being a Unique Skill, it could now exert a slight influence on Authority.

Sssssss!

Formless Sword Qi took a very subtle form, then transformed into a type of poison that dissolved into the opponent’s blood and ate away from within.

The knack used when deploying Deadly Poison Zone and Barrier of Solitude naturally mixed in.

Even the sensation of using the Dark Heart’s Dark Hole became entangled, newly Blooming Blundell’s Third awakening skill.

“My Internal Energy won’t move?”

“Qi Dispersing Poison…?!”

Those affected by the poison transformed from the subtle Sword Qi couldn’t use their Internal Energy, as if afflicted by Qi Dispersing Poison.

It was as if hit by a Dark Hole; the Starlight emanating from their inner microcosm was completely blocked.

[Third awakening skill 《Event Horizon》 is Blooming.]

Similar to the result created by Mind-Severing Heavenly Penetration that Lee Hanseong used during Hundred-Man Slaughter, but it was a sealing-type Awakening Skill that could be applied without necessarily requiring prior understanding of the opponent like Mind-Severing Heavenly Penetration.