CHAPTER 487: THE END POINT (6)

Goo Jong-myung’s cold voice cut through the space.

“We meet here again.”

Seol-Hwi sensed an unfamiliar tone in his voice. It was a cautious attitude, as if he were looking at a long-standing enemy.

‘This guy is different from the Goo Jong-myung I’ve been with recently.’

Memories of previous encounters flashed through Seol-Hwi’s mind.

Jeok Myeong.

He appeared exactly as he did when they first met after reincarnation.

It was hard to judge Heuk Bi due to the lack of conversation.

However, Supreme Pavilion Lord was different.

He appeared with memories just before his death, not as he was after the regression.

‘Then, is the Goo Jong-myung in front of me stuck in the memory of when I killed him? When was that again?’

Seol-Hwi tried to recall, but the moment had faded amidst the flow of time.

He gave a bitter smile.

If Jang Dal could manipulate everything, accurate memories wouldn’t mean much.

‘It’s clear he harbors ill feelings towards me.’

As Seol-Hwi suspected, Goo Jong-myung approached step by step, baring his teeth.

“A rare opportunity to deal with the demon cult’s dog here.”

Seol-Hwi focused more on his status window than on the hostile Goo Jong-myung.

‘The ability stats are astonishing.’

[State]

Goo Jong-myung [One of the elders of the Mount Hua Sect]

Physical condition: Normal

Stage: Supreme Master

Health: 300 million/300 million

Internal qi: 250 million/250 million

Combat power: 280 million

His health and internal qi were over ten times greater compared to his own.

It was fortunate, if anything, that he wasn’t facing the Goo Jong-myung who had recently reached the Profound Maser.

Srrrng.

Just then, he drew a sword from his waist.

‘Oh no. That is…….’

Seol-Hwi’s expression hardened in an instant.

The sword in Goo Jong-myung’s hand looked familiar.

An ornate dragon pattern was etched on the hilt.

Moreover, the intense aura emanating from the blade itself was very reminiscent of the past Fire Dragon Blade.

‘Is that aura coming from the sword?’

Seol-Hwi realized that the red aura from Goo Jong-myung’s sword was not pure qi.

It wasn’t the martial arts of Mount Hua either.

It had a killing intent similar to, or even stronger than, the blood art of the elder Cho Ah-ran.

Ssss!

As the red, blood-like aura enveloped Goo Jong-myung’s body, his eyes turned strangely.

He looked more like a mad demon obsessed with slaughter than an elder of the righteous sects.

‘I guess I’ll find out if I confront him directly.’

Seol-Hwi also slowly drew up his internal qi.

With the opening of his meridians by Supreme Pavilion Lord, his physical state had advanced.

Although he hit some unknown limit and his internal qi couldn’t grow further, it didn’t matter much.

The sensation and response at his fingertips were already far beyond the pinnacle.

As long as he didn’t engage directly, he seemed to have a good chance of winning.

‘Here it comes!’

Pa-pat.Pa-pat.

Without anyone taking the lead, they both charged at each other, and their auras clashed in mid-air.

Goo Jong-myung’s crimson aura ambushed the exquisite aura surrounding Seol-Hwi’s body.

However, Seol-Hwi’s aura flowed grandly and avoided the clash.

Tap.Tap.

Then, their positions switched in an instant, and each landed on the ground.

“Taiji?”

A look of surprise flashed across Goo Jong-myung’s face.

He thought he could overpower with his bloody aura in an instant, but it merely entangled without a clash of energy.

As if aware of his bewilderment, Seol-Hwi calmly said.

“I am at the same level as you.”

“What?!”

The abilities of Seol-Hwi, as seen through Gu Jong-myung’s eyes, seemed far removed from the level of Supreme Master.

Everything was much lower than Supreme Master level.

“Honestly, I don’t know why my ability stats aren’t rising. I only assume that Jang Dal must have forcibly blocked them.”

Seol-Hwi shrugged his shoulders and continued speaking.

“But it’s not really a hindrance to me. That means I can at least subdue someone like you.”

“You can’t even see an inch ahead of you, you brat!”

Goo Jong-myung snorted and readjusted his sword.

At that moment, the blood-red qi gathered more fiercely than before.

“The power of this Divine Sword is composed of three stages. What you just saw was merely the First Stage. Even if you unravel it with the mystery of Taiji, the First Stage is your limit.” 𝑅𝓪ＮȏＢĘṤ

“…….”

“Now, this is the true power of the Blood Dragon Sword. This stage is called the Blood Dragon’s Roar. Feel the overwhelming difference in power.”

Guoooooo!

The blood-red qi surged like erupting lava.

Some of it became darker than blood, and the intensity of colors varied.

Tsu-tsu-tsuk.

As the colors changed, some energies split further.

One of the faintly trembling qi’s formed a barrier, another condensed like a strong aura, and yet another seemed to be alive and moving.

‘Hoo…’

Seol-Hwi exhaled deeply.

At a glance, that extraordinary energy was not Goo Jong-myung’s.

A supernatural power that transcended Supreme Master.

Though different in nature from the Third Ability, its might was no less formidable.

‘Is there any martial art that can suppress that power now?’

A vast array of martial arts unfolded in Seol-Hwi’s mind.

He skimmed through orthodox martial arts, demonic martial arts, and others.

“Heh heh heh. No matter how much you think, the outcome is obvious. You can’t handle this energy at your level.”

Goo Jong-myung, having completed his final preparations, spoke with a firm tone.

He already considered victory a given.

“You really don’t know, do you?”

At Seol-Hwi’s words, he asked with a calm expression.

“What do you mean?”

“The martial arts of the Justice Faction’s path don’t progress in a step-by-step manner like the Demonic Cult. It’s entirely different depending on how long you’ve studied and pondered a discipline.”

“What nonsense is that?”

Seol-Hwi’s eyes quickly turned towards Goo Jong-myung, who deemed it unworthy of listening.

‘With this martial art, it might be possible.’

Among the many martial arts, he first thought of Wudang to counter the opponent’s strike, but then he shook his head.

Goo Jong-myung of the Mount Hua Sect.

There was a martial art more suitable to face him.

Rumble!

Qi moved along Goo Jong-myung’s sword.

There was qi moving along the sword blade, and qi behaving randomly like the wind.

“This is the end!”

Goo Jong-myung, confident of his victory, unleashed his qi.

With just having reached the flowering stage, there was no way to block this power.

It was an absolute force that crushed even those of a higher level than himself.

Boom!

From the ground and the sky, a bright red energy flowed down.

Even that qi was not a single entity but a combination of six different forms of qi.

In response, the qi which Seol-Hwi unleashed took the form of a purple mist.

“……What?”

Roar— Boom!

After the qi’s collided, Goo Jong-myung’s expression momentarily hardened.

The qi of the Blood Dragon approached the enemy but failed to strike its target.

The wave generated from the opponent’s qi caused his own qi to dissipate.

“This can’t be happening. To such a weak qi…”

The aura emanating from the Blood Dragon Sword.

It originates from the qi of Dragon blood extracted from the legendary dragon’s heart.

The crimson aura resonates with the user’s qi and blood through the sword.

Moreover, a more powerful Blood Dragon’s Roar than before.

When seeing the world through the eyes of the Blood Dragon, not even a speck of dust a thousand miles away is missed.

Thus, he could read even the faintest energy left by the opponent’s breath and follow the traceless path.

‘W-wait. That is!’

The expression on Goo Jong-myung’s face, who was watching Seol-Hwi, turned to shock.

He witnessed the aura surrounding the caster turning from purple to a vivid crimson.

That sight was so captivating that he had no interest in how his martial arts were blocked.

“Yes. This is the Purple Cloud Divine Art. A martial art containing the essence of Mount Hua, which you have no right to even mention.”

“Ah…”

Goo Jong-myung stood frozen with his mouth agape.

He didn’t even have the will to discern whether what he saw was true or false.

“H-how…”

A martial arts he had dreamed of and longed for all his life, he could recognize it with just a brief glimpse.

The phenomenon of changing from a purple hue like the sunset to red could only be the Purple Cloud Divine Art.

As it represents the sect of Mount Hua.

“Why, of all people, to you…”

The emotion in Goo Jong-myung’s eyes was truly a complex mixture.

Among them, the most clearly visible emotion was ‘longing.’

Seeing the sacred sword in his hand trembling, one could easily surmise his inner turmoil.

‘Back then, I saw it too… To Mount Hua, or rather to Goo Jong-myung, the Purple Cloud Divine Arts was something like this.’

Seol-Hwi waited for a moment.

He expected a greater outburst of anger since it was a figure from the Demonic Cult, but it wasn’t the case.

To him, the Purple Cloud Divine Arts was such an existence that it could overshadow any emotion.

“The secret technique our Mount Hua Sect searched for hundreds of years… How could someone from the Demonic Cult like you… How could this happen…”

Goo Jong-myung’s voice was filled with deep despair.

His reaction, having lost the will to fight, even moved Seol-Hwi’s composed thoughts.

‘Should I tell him?’

So he pondered.

Even now, Goo Jong-myung, though he claimed he would kill his enemy in rage, his heart towards the Purple Clouds Divine Arts remained unchanged.

That was the case even with the system’s intervention, it couldn’t bring about a significant change in him.

After much consideration, Seol-Hwi spoke up.

“This is not mine, but originally yours. This martial art was inspired by you from the start.”

“…By me?”

“Yes.”

Seol-Hwi continued speaking calmly.

“Your Plum Blossom Swordsmanship. I saw the achievement Mount Hua Sect created from it. I merely deduced the process called Purple Cloud based on that achievement.”

“Plum Blossom Swordsmanship and Purple Cloud Divine Arts…”

“Yes. The two martial arts complement each other, but ultimately, the philosophy is the same. Mount Hua Sect’s martial arts express the will to manifest the way of the heavens in the human world, based on Heaven, Earth, and Man.”

As he listened, Goo Jong-myung’s eyes grew deeper, like a sorrowful person’s.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a martial art that blooms beauty after overcoming difficulties. That’s why it shines even more…”

Then tears flowed from Goo Jong-myung’s eyes. Soon, his hand unconsciously groped through the air.

“Masters, sajaes. Please forgive this old fool. Even someone called a demon understands the meaning, yet this foolish old man just let it pass by. I was always close, always thought it was by my side. I forgot its importance.”

The sobbing gradually turned into a wailing mixed with lament and self-deprecation.

Even in this urgent moment, he was having a time of repentance about life.

‘Wha, what is this?’

Around that time, Seol-Hwi’s breathing began to become irregular.

At the same time, all the muscles in his body started to tremble as if in convulsion.

‘Thi, this is…’

It was a symptom of inner demon disturbance.

A powerful qi was running wild, flowing irregularly through his body.

Moreover, the qi of Purple Cloud that had permeated within him was slipping out of control.

‘This is serious!’

The phenomenon of inner demon disturbance.

It was the same symptom as when he used Purple Cloud Divine Arts in the past.

A phenomenon that did not appear when he transcended the realm of transcendence was manifesting again.

And that was.

It caught the eyes of Goo Jong-myung, who briefly regained his senses.

“You… what are you doing right now?”

His words pierced more sharply than ever.