Chapter 98: Encounter (5)

Jang Woo-hyun deflected the swords surrounding him and separated the Dragon King’s Scales.

Jang Woo-hyun imitated Tang Myung.

Just as Tang Myung wielded countless swords, Jang Woo-hyun had hundreds of scale blades. The scale blades clustered together and split into six blades.

There were only six for now, but since the direction had been set, he could increase their number.

The six blades grouped into threes, each set performing a different sword technique.

Three followed the Swift Sword Style, and the remaining three executed the Three Wheels Sword Art.

With the Swift Sword Style, he deflected the attacks, and with the Three Wheels Sword Art, he dodged them. Now, the attacks from over two hundred swords surrounding him could not reach Jang Woo-hyun.

Through his fight with Tang Myung, Jang Woo-hyun had found the path he must follow.

‘Imbue martial arts into each blade and unleash them.’

Before him stood the very person who had already realized that method, which he had practiced using wooden chopsticks back in the Central Plains.

Blocking the attacks of the surrounding swords, Jang Woo-hyun poured everything he had into his movements.

The flowing energy, the movement of swords, the opponent's emitted Qi Flow and Intent—within the fight, Jang Woo-hyun was growing.

But perhaps someone envied that growth—suddenly, the attacks ceased. Then, the swords that had encircled him withdrew to one location.

A massive Qi Flow surged in that direction, and the swords clustered to form a single shape.

It was a dragon.

A metallic dragon formed from blades.

Rumble—

An immense energy stormed around the dragon. It seemed as if the dragon were roaring. After the roar ceased, the wave of sword-dragon surged toward Jang Woo-hyun.

Ttick. Tick.

In response, Jang Woo-hyun summoned his power.

Though he was wrapped in the Sacred River Flowing Armor, his clothes had already been torn in multiple places. Still, he did not think of hardship or danger.

The six swords increased to twelve, and each was infused with tremendous power.

Destructive Slash. Jang Woo-hyun’s strongest technique currently available.

At the verge of Transcendence, Jang Woo-hyun could now unleash over ten Destructive Slashes simultaneously.

Boom!

As he executed True Step, the black sword extended.

At the same time, the twelve surrounding blades radiated light.

━━━━━!!

For a moment, the world seemed to collapse—an explosion of enormous magnitude and an indescribable sound followed.

The Floating Stronghold itself trembled briefly from the force.

The explosion created a massive crater, followed by a surge of earth spreading like a tidal wave, and a vast cloud of dust and debris darkened the sky.

Rumble—

The spreading Qi alone cracked the ground and shook the atmosphere.

To neutralize the shockwave, Jang Woo-hyun, who had retreated from the explosion point, swung his sword to disperse the dust that blanketed the surroundings.

With that single clash, the sword-dragon had vanished.

Step.

Holding swords in both hands, Jang Woo-hyun looked toward where Tang Myung stood.

Thump!

He kicked off the ground and charged forward. All the swords had flown away—now it was his turn to attack.

Tang Myung, momentarily surprised by the power of Destructive Slash, smiled as he saw Jang Woo-hyun approach. He raised his hand once more.

Chwarararak!

Just like before, swords sprang up from the long box behind him.

“……!”

But it was different this time.

The number of swords kept increasing.

At a glance, it appeared to be twice as many as before. Seeing Jang Woo-hyun’s startled face, Tang Myung clenched his fist, releasing a massive surge of energy.

The energy extended outward through him.

Jang Woo-hyun, sensing only a fragment of it, froze in place.

“No way……”

An unbelievable notion was becoming reality right before his eyes.

Chwarrrrk!

Four hundred swords merged into one, forming a single shape.

A massive dragon.

Twice the size of the previous one.

“This is just too much……”

Leaving Jang Woo-hyun’s hollow feeling behind, the massive dragon lunged at him.

A vast fissure split the Floating Stronghold.

From the sky, it looked like a gigantic canyon had suddenly appeared—it was that wide and deep.

At its end, a large crater had formed, as if from a massive explosion.

At the center of the crater—

Rotating his nearly detached left arm, Jang Woo-hyun exhaled a heavy breath. He hadn’t died, but the injury was worse than the one he suffered fighting Cheol Geuk-jin. He would need to avoid combat and focus on recovery for a while.

“That was fun.”

“Are you alright?”

Tang Myung and Cheol Geuk-jin landed near Jang Woo-hyun.

Jang Woo-hyun glanced at the swords scattered around him and then asked Tang Myung,

“How many can you use?”

At first, there were a hundred. Then, two hundred. And just earlier, the dragon that had been formed consisted of four hundred.

“It’s a martial art I named Thousand Sword Stream.”

“Thousand Sword Stream... does that mean you can control up to a thousand?”

“Well, roughly around that.”

A thousand swords.

The man once called the Divine Sword and the sky of hidden weaponry, whose art was said to have begun with Myriad Blossoms and Rain, had created a new sword technique. And he did so in an entirely unexpected way.

‘He hasn’t even used half yet?’ Jang Woo-hyun considered, only to shake off the thought.

It wasn’t something that could be judged by mere numbers. If fully unleashed or used with total power, it might be several times stronger than now.

A skill bordering on the impossible.

When apart, it felt like he was facing hundreds of swordsmen; when united, it felt like battling a true dragon.

He had infused infinitely expanding intent into every weapon.

This was the power of a true master at the pinnacle of the Boundless Realm, a level Jang Woo-hyun had never before encountered.

“I still have a long way to go.”

Cheol Geuk-jin’s enlargement and Tang Myung’s thousand swords.

Compared to them, he was still lacking in many ways. And yet, Jang Woo-hyun was exhilarated—for he had discovered another path.

It had been a while since he had learned something through defeat. He recalled Pyo Deuk-won, whom he had met at the Shangguan Family. Back then, the sparring with him had helped Jang Woo-hyun ascend from Master Level to the Supreme Peak.

He couldn’t advance immediately this time, but he had still gained a lot today.

Through his fight with Tang Myung, he had found direction in how to wield the Dragon King’s Scales. And through his fight with Cheol Geuk-jin, he had considered strategies against other races and monsters he might encounter in the Central Heavens Realm.

His body had nearly been shattered, but that didn’t matter much. As a martial artist, it was something he had long accepted. That level of injury was a price he could gladly pay.

“You’re definitely not ordinary.”

Seeing Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes shining as he sorted out his thoughts, smiles spread across the faces of Cheol Geuk-jin and Tang Myung.

The junior before them had also inspired them.

His continuous drive to learn, his attitude toward martial arts—after having Ascended and lived so long, their dulled senses were sharpened once again.

“This is really fun. Shall we continue?”

Tang Myung, thrilled for the first time in a while, wanted to keep fighting. He, no less than Jang Woo-hyun, enjoyed sparring and mastering martial arts. And fighting Jang Woo-hyun, in particular, was especially enjoyable.

“Let’s stop. Are you trying to kill someone?”

Cheol Geuk-jin intervened to stop Tang Myung.

“At this point, we’ve already gauged each other’s skills. We might see more of each other later, so let’s end it for today.”

“Shall we?”

“Let’s. What about you?”

“I agree. I’m a bit exhausted.”

Had he been just slightly weaker, Jang Woo-hyun might have been torn apart by the sword-formed dragon, losing a limb or two. Even for him, this had been taxing.

“Then let’s go up and catch up on things we’ve missed.”

Cheol Geuk-jin led the way, with the other two following behind.

As the surroundings were wrecked, they used Movement Arts to travel to a distant mountain nearby.

“Sit over here.”

Once seated, Cheol Geuk-jin pulled out several bottles of liquor and cups from his Inner Robe. After receiving a cup and taking a sip, Jang Woo-hyun spoke.

“This is good liquor.”

Even with limited knowledge about liquor, Jang Woo-hyun could tell it was high quality. It had a refreshing aroma and went down smoothly.

“It’s called White Immortal Liquor. Can’t even compare it to what they drink in the Lower Realm. I used to think I knew good liquor, but coming to the Central Heavens Realm really opened my eyes.”

The conversation lingered on liquor for a bit before Cheol Geuk-jin moved to the main topic.

“Are you from the Samcheong Taeguk Sect?”

“No. I’m not affiliated with any sect right now.”

“Oh, that’s fortunate.”

Seemingly satisfied with Jang Woo-hyun’s answer, Cheol Geuk-jin and Tang Myung nodded vigorously.

“You suit us better than them. That’s for sure.”

“Us?”

“I’ll explain that later. So why were you there?”

In response to Cheol Geuk-jin’s question, Jang Woo-hyun began sharing his story.

From awakening after Ascending, to getting involved with Bi Ik-ryeon while rescuing a Beastkin. He mentioned learning Void Movement Technique and the Transcendence Realm from Gwak Yu-chan, and that the latter had spoken of Cheol Geuk-jin.

“He said he met me before? Gwak Yu-chan? Who’s that?”

Unable to recall, Cheol Geuk-jin paused to think.

“Wait… someone who uses a spear? The spearhead was a bit unusual?”

“That’s right. That’s him.”

“Ah… of course. I met him by chance before. That senior found the Heaven-Dominating Divine Armor fascinating. So fate ties us together again.”

Jang Woo-hyun then briefly explained how he and the Suwang Sect had attacked Bi Ik-ryeon together.

“That was you?”

“Excuse me? Tang dae-hyeop, what are you referring to?”

“Just call me Tang seonbae. We were contacted too and went to the Samcheong Taeguk Sect. Had something to do.”

Hearing they were contacted by the Samcheong Taeguk Sect, Jang Woo-hyun realized the two belonged to one of the Ten Sects and Three Clans.

“I thought the Suwang Sect had handled it, but to think someone else was involved. So, you’ll be going to the Samcheong Taeguk Sect too?”

“Yes, I’ve agreed to go once they contact me. Which sect are you two affiliated with?”

“Let’s keep that a secret. I was going to tell you, but this is more fun. Once you’re at the Taeguk Sect, you’ll naturally find out.”

From the side, Cheol Geuk-jin laughed, saying, “It is more fun that way, hyung-nim.” From that laughter, Jang Woo-hyun felt a slight sense of foreboding, but since it seemed the two had no intention of answering further, he let it go.

“It seems we really are fated, considering how we keep getting tangled together.”

To that, Jang Woo-hyun replied, “Yes,” and nodded.

As Cheol Geuk-jin said, it wasn’t a coincidence that he met these two on the road. Because of his own actions, the two had come to the Samcheong Taeguk Sect. In a way, it was as if Jang Woo-hyun had summoned them.

“If you’re going to the Taeguk Sect, take this chance to observe the others well. There are plenty of interesting folks among the Ten Sects.”

Then Cheol Geuk-jin began to explain about the sects that might show up.

“Some crazy folks who’ve trained in Demonic Arts. Even if the Demonic Heaven Palace doesn’t show, quite a few other sects will likely gather.”

Including the Samcheong Taeguk Sect, which rules this Floating Continent, and the Suwang Sect related to the incident, at least five large sects were expected to assemble.

As he listened to stories about the Central Heavens Martial Realm, Jang Woo-hyun decided to ask what he was curious about.

“This may be a rude question... but where do you two stand in terms of power within the Central Heavens Martial Realm?”

“No need to be polite. If you're curious, you should ask. Judging from your skills, you seem to be at the peak of the Transcendence Realm. With that, you're not someone who’d be easily beaten anywhere. I could take down most with my level. I’m in the middle of the Boundless Realm. And…”

Cheol Geuk-jin paused and looked at Tang Myung.

“Brother Myung ranks within the top ten of where we’re from.”

“Top five.”

“…”

“I’m in the top five.”

“What nonsense. Hyung-nim, that’s too much.”

Cheol Geuk-jin frowned and refuted Tang Myung’s bold statement.

“In any case, someone like Brother Myung can walk proudly anywhere in the Central Heavens. Have you heard of the Seventeen Lords?”

Seventeen masters who are said to lead the current Central Heavens Martial Realm. It was a name Jang Woo-hyun had heard before. In the Central Plains, it would be equivalent to the sect leaders of the Nine Sects or the masters of the Ten Demonic Paths.

“That’s roughly the level. He’s at the end of the Boundless Realm.”

“The end of the Boundless Realm… Then does that mean Senior Tang is one of the Seventeen Lords?”

At Jang Woo-hyun’s question, Tang Myung shook his head, and Cheol Geuk-jin continued to explain.

“The Central Heavens Martial Realm isn’t so different from the Murim we knew. You already know, right? That not everything in Murim is as it seems. Moreover, the Central Heavens is much vaster than the Central Plains, with far more people. Who knows what kind of monsters may be hiding.”

Although cultivators there don’t resurrect like those in the Cultivation Realm or live for thousands of years, after Ascending, they can live for several centuries with ease. Additionally, there are long-lived races native to the Central Heavens. It was a realm incomparable to the Central Plains in size, with numerous races—so naturally, the number of hidden experts and eccentric monsters was also higher.

“Then, are the Seventeen Lords all at the end of the Boundless Realm?”

“It varies. The top three or four are said to have stepped into the next realm, just like the Ten Thrones.”

The next realm being the Realm of Wish.

A stage where one bends the laws of nature and imposes their own.

An absolute and mysterious power beyond martial arts.

Jang Woo-hyun had encountered someone who had reached that realm once before.

“Do you happen to know the name Neung Un-bi? I’m not certain, but…”

He paused, then continued.

“He appeared to be a martial artist who had entered the Realm of Wish.”

At those words, both men’s eyes widened.

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