Chapter 74
The power Jincheon had left behind in Cheonmun Temple.
Divine Demonic Power.
I hadn’t had a chance to use it before—but if there were ever a stage fitting for an experiment, this was it.
Even excluding the spiritual beast, the three people standing before me were all peak experts.
To face three peak-level masters at once—such an opportunity doesn’t come easily.
Unless you’d committed a grave crime and become a public enemy of the martial world, or foolishly provoked one of the great sects, you’d never get to test yourself this way.
That was how rare “peak masters” were in all under heaven.
Most people would despair in this situation.
If an ordinary martial artist were forced to face three peak masters alone, staking their life in the process, they would curse their fate.
To face three of them—and survive—was something few could even imagine.
If you could fight three peak masters alone and live, you’d be ranked among the Hundred Grandmasters of the World.
To be honest, maybe someone like Gong Jin could manage it.
But I hadn’t yet reached that height.
Even so, I didn’t curse my luck.
Nor did I despair.
Because I was confident.
In my own power.
And I knew that what Jincheon had crafted through his desperate struggle for survival—his masterpiece—would never be thwarted by mere men like these.
So, without hesitation, I raised the Myorak Divine Sword toward the enemies approaching within striking range.
Woom—!
Through Purple Radiance Demonic Art, not Purple Radiance Divine Art, divine demonic power infused the sword.
The blade no longer shone merely with violet light.
It gleamed with a mysterious hue, as if twilight and darkness had merged into one.
Despite the word “demon” in its name, the light it emitted was strangely sacred.
The Myorak Divine Sword traced a single sword form in the air—
Zaha Sword Formula.
The essence of Mount Hua’s sword arts, now fully expressed through divine demonic power.
As the first form unfolded, a ripple of violet spread across the air.
It looked calm—like clouds drifting by—but that was only the illusion embedded in the art of Mount Hua.
In truth, the core of the Zaha Sword Formula lay in its extremes: sudden transformation and explosive speed.
And yet, what I performed now was something even beyond that—
Because the power I used wasn’t divine, but divine demonic.
Naturally, one more profound essence was added to the technique.
The power to destroy everything before me.
Absolute Annihilation.
The surge of power was breathtaking, even to me—but I frowned slightly.
One of the terrifying features of the Zaha Sword’s First Form was how perfectly it deceived an opponent’s senses, leaving them unable to respond in time.
No one fears drifting clouds.
But with the addition of annihilation’s energy, those clouds had become thunderclouds—
Dark, heavy, ready to unleash lightning and storm at any moment.
That change meant that any sufficiently cautious or perceptive master might instinctively avoid facing it head-on.
Can’t let that happen.
Deciding to adjust later, I focused on the three enemies rushing toward me.
Whoosh—!
Their attacks sliced through the air—each deadly in its own right—but I couldn’t help smiling.
Luck was on my side.
Though they were peak masters, their reasoning was being suppressed.
None of them chose to dodge the Zaha Sword Formula.
“Then pay the price for ignorance.”
At last, their attacks collided with my sword.
Slash! Rip! Crack!
Three distinct sounds of things being cut.
The first—one man’s chest being cleaved open.
The second—a woman’s arm severed.
The third—a boy’s sword shattering in half.
Not as subtle as usual, but the destructive power is absurd.
The result far exceeded expectations.
Even though their minds were dulled, to fell three peak masters in a single exchange was no small feat.
And this was just the beginning. I’d only recently acquired the Purple Radiance Demonic Art and Divine Demonic Power.
Given time, this strength would grow exponentially.
When I fully master this divine demonic power… that’ll be a sight to see.
I looked ahead.
The first man was already dead—out of the fight.
The woman gripped her weapon awkwardly in her remaining hand, and the boy—his sword broken in two—stood trembling.
They looked like they were still willing to fight, but their bodies told another story.
They were shaking—subtly, but unmistakably.
Like animals that had just glimpsed a predator.
“Even with their reason suppressed, instinct still remains.”
That was proof enough—they weren’t charging in recklessly anymore.
Instinctively, they’d taken defensive stances.
Unfortunately for me, that wasn’t ideal. I needed to break through before the mountain collapsed completely.
“Well then, if you won’t come to me…”
“…I’ll come to you.”
This time, I unleashed the Second Form of the Zaha Sword Formula.
If the first form, Zahyun Sword Shadow, excelled at neutralizing enemy attacks, the second—Zajeon Ilseom (The Spinning Sun Strike)—was pure offense, perfect for piercing an opponent’s heart.
Unlike the first, the second form embodied pure speed, making it nearly impossible to defend against.
Only those of overwhelming power could hope to withstand it head-on.
Both of my opponents sensed it—and recognized it instantly.
Yet, instead of retreating, they charged forward.
A mindless rush.
Driven not by strategy, but by their suppressed minds.
Still, it wasn’t the worst choice.
Had they turned to flee, their options would have narrowed to none.
The only counter to Zajeon Ilseom was to surpass it—and that’s exactly what they tried.
If they succeeded in blocking it, I would be the one at risk.
But of course—that never happened.
Slash!
A single, sharp sound—then another, identical one following close behind.
But the ones bleeding out were them.
Even though I had sacrificed some speed by chaining two strikes together, neither could withstand it.
They’d chosen to attack, not defend—
An attempt at mutual destruction.
But their blades never reached me.
Because I’d known from the start that they would choose that path.
That was precisely why I’d used Zajeon Ilseom—a technique born to end things instantly.
And the result was even better than expected.
Honestly, I thought I’d at least lose an arm or two.
Peak masters were not to be taken lightly.
I’d defeated Yu Guk before, but that hadn’t been a life-or-death battle—neither of us had gone all out.
If Yu Guk had fought with his life on the line, I doubt I would’ve walked away unscathed.
And here I was, against three of his kind.
Before this began, I’d resigned myself to leaving at least one limb behind.
Had they been at full strength, I likely would have.
Their mistake was simple.
They thought this much power would be enough.
They’d underestimated me—understandably so.
After all, I’d almost never revealed my full strength in public.
Even if they’d been spying on me, they wouldn’t have seen me fight seriously—not once since joining the Golden Merchant Guild.
“I’ll think while I move.”
I dodged the falling rocks overhead and pressed forward.
Fortunately, the beast called Jeokdu seemed satisfied with collapsing the cliff rather than pursuing me.
Thanks to that, I escaped the ravine more easily than expected—and had time to think.
“Still… they knew something about me.”
Three peak masters—it was an absurd force to send after a mere merchant heir barely in his twenties.
“Even if they didn’t have direct information, they must’ve tried to find out.”
After the Tyrant King, now even Jeokdu had appeared.
Perhaps there existed some spiritual or divine artifact that allowed them to observe me from afar.
I hadn’t seen it myself, but I was almost certain.
“Because otherwise, this whole situation makes no sense.”
Since leaving the Golden Merchant Guild, I hadn’t met a single person before encountering those three.
I’d even erased my tracks as I moved, yet they’d gotten ahead of me.
If someone had tailed me, my senses would’ve caught them long before.
So, once I’d reached what I judged a safe distance beyond the cliff, I began to confirm my suspicion—
Whether my theory was correct, or if I’d simply been unlucky.
Woom—!
The method wasn’t complicated.
I spread my divine power across the area—like when I’d once blanketed Mount Hua with it in my previous life.
No need for that level of coverage now.
Just far enough to reach anyone who might be watching me.
That was enough—about one-tenth the range I’d used back then.
And sure enough—
“Found it.”
It didn’t take long before something collided faintly with my divine power.
Roughly thirty jang above me.
I tilted my head back to the sky.
Without even using my spiritual sight, I could clearly sense what was hidden there.
The thing that had been watching me was—
“A feather.”
I’d expected some kind of eagle or bird-type spiritual creature, but this… was different.
Still, that didn’t matter.
I’d found the problem. All that remained was to deal with it.
“Before I destroy it, let’s have a closer look.”
It looked like a plain bird feather, but it hovered in midair—alone—serving as an unseen eye.
That meant it was either a divine artifact or something crafted through a special technique.
Either way, it was worth studying.
If I could reverse-engineer it, it would be incredibly useful.
I extended my divine power like a hand and gently snatched it from the air.
The feather offered no resistance, floating obediently into my grasp.
“From afar I wasn’t sure—but up close, it’s obvious.”
For a brief moment, I’d hoped it might be a genuine divine relic.
But the patterns hidden inside the feather told me the truth—it was man-made.
“…Actually, that might be even better.”
If it could be created artificially, then there could be many of them.
And that meant a new possibility—
A way to control the skies.
As the street saying goes—
“This is… stupidly profitable.”
