Chapter 496 ·The Old Man of the Mountain (3)

The ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Ascension Sword clashed against the small blade with a thunderous boom.

Boom!

Though ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Il-mok had neutralized the Old Man of the Mountain's concealment technique, the battle was far from over.

Under ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the cloak of the night, the Old Man’s blade tore through the shadows with its hidden trajectory.

Il-mok ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍twisted his body to the side to avoid the blade aimed at his head, but it curved mid-flight with unnatural precision and redirected itself toward the carotid artery in his neck.

Invisibility ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍trick or not, the Old Man of the Mountain was a genuine martial artist in the same realm as Il-mok.

Il-mok shot his left hand out to crush the wrist gripping the blade, but the Old Man contorted his joint with an uncanny snap and angled his blade toward Il-mok's incoming fingers instead.

Tap.

In the end, Il-mok yanked his hand back and retreated a step.

It was not a retreat born of panic, but to position the Old Man just enough for the Ascension Sword to reach, and his body out of the Old Man’s range.

When Il-mok unleashed a flurry of concise thrusts, small explosions of force lit up the night.

To any observer, it would look like ghostly flames dancing in empty air. And it wasn’t just because they were swinging their weapons at ungodly speeds.

Every time Il-mok lashed out, his Ascension Sword painted the darkness with blinding silver streaks. The Old Man of the Mountain's short blade, however, constantly melted back into the shadows.

Because of this, every time the assassin parried Il-mok's sword, it looked like his short blade had materialized from nowhere.

But Il-mok never lost track of it.

The blade and sword collided again.

Clang!

Only this time, the short blade let out a vicious screech as it slithered right up the flat of Il-mok’s sword like a striking viper instead of bouncing off.

The Old Man of the Mountain lunged into Il-mok’s personal space, and Il-mok lashed out by executing the White Hand Demonic Art with his left palm at the Old Man’s face.

"Tsk." The Old Man scoffed.

He countered Il-mok’s strike with a palm strike of his own and blocked the creeping cold.

Caught in a tense standoff, the assassin suddenly pursed his lips and spat.

Ptui.

Something sharp and gleaming flew from his mouth.

Il-mok jerked his head aside to dodge the needle.

In the same motion, he channeled his internal energy to the max and swung the Ascension Sword in a wide arc.

CLANG!!!

As Il-mok repelled the snake-like short blade, the Old Man of the Mountain took a step back and tilted his head.

'Hmm. Not quite at the Grand General's level yet.'

But then how had this bastard seen through his concealment?

'Ah. He's at the threshold.'

The Old Man of the Mountain understood then.

This one had to die. Right here, right now.

He'd come here to kill the man, but now there was even more reason.

Clang!

His opponent seemed to gain a new insight, but that didn't mean he was invincible.

The Old Man of the Mountain's gaze swept over Il-mok.

Blood stained him in multiple places. Those nasty cuts from their opening clash were splitting wider by the second and it’s only getting worse.

There was no need to take a risk by rushing for a killing blow. Just drag things out and blood loss would do the work for him.

All he had to do was wait for that moment.

They traded another series of lightning-fast blows.

Clang!

Their blades locked together, and the corner of Il-mok's mouth curved upward.

He looked right at the assassin as if he knew exactly what the old man was planning.

"This should be far enough now."

"???"

The words were incomprehensible to the Old Man of the Mountain.

While the assassin was still blinking in confusion, he felt a sudden repulsive force from their weapons and they separated at a distance.

Clash!

Il-mok immediately used the recoil from that force to put an even greater distance between them.

The Old Man of the Mountain frowned.

Once again, this was an incomprehensible situation for the Old Man of the Mountain. His opponent had been trying his best to keep him at a fixed distance, so why did he do that now?

The answer came quickly.

As he retreated, the Avatar of the Evil God pressed both palms together as if offering a silent prayer.

When he thrust his joined hands forward, a small orb of condensed energy flew toward the Old Man of the Mountain.

Befitting a master of his caliber, the Old Man of the Mountain’s instincts were screaming at him to run.

He instinctively knew that tiny sphere contained massive power.

Tap!

So instead of blocking it, the Old Man of the Mountain threw himself aside.

But before he could get clear of the blast radius—

Kwang!!

The sphere detonated on its own.

A blinding light illuminated the night along with a deafening roar.

The Old Man of the Mountain frantically slashed his short blade through the air to make a makeshift barrier of Force Qi.

Crack!

The shockwave of the explosion shattered his Force Qi barrier, but at least he wasn't seriously hurt.

Yet, the Old Man was not granted even a single second to breathe a sigh of relief. 

Before he knew it, another orb of destruction was already hurtling straight toward his face.

Only then did the Old Man of the Mountain realize what he was dealing with.

'The Evil God's vile sorcery.’

The very one the Grand General had warned them about.

Boom!!!

While another violent explosion rocked the air, Il-mok gave him no breathing room and kept spamming the Miniature World-Destroying Primordial Jade Palm at the Old Man of the Mountain.

Il-mok had no intention of dragging this out.

Bleeding out was bad enough, but he had an ally on the brink of death who needed his help.

The only reason he’d played along with the assassin’s little knife fight was to drag the Old Man far away enough to blast him to oblivion.

Even scaled down, these explosions were dangerous to anyone nearby.

And most importantly, there was no way in hell he was going to set off carpet-bombs next to Jeong Hyeon while she was trying to stabilize her Demonic Art.

Boom!!

Boom!!!!

A relentless chain of shockwaves ripped through the area.

Il-mok's three dantians emptied rapidly with each strike.

After rattling off a rapid six-to-seven-hit combo, the Yin Qi in his Upper Dantian was down to a third of its maximal capacity.

Without pausing for breath, Il-mok launched himself through the dust and debris toward where the Old Man of the Mountain had stood.

When the sand settled, the Old Man came into view.

His robes were shredded, and you couldn’t find an inch of skin on his body that wasn't injured. Thick blood dribbled down his chin as a result of nasty internal trauma, but the Old Man of the Mountain stood still on his two feet while his hand gripped his short blade.

Il-mok had expected as much.

Since he was severely undercharging the technique to save Qi, the explosions were bound to lack their usual apocalyptic impact.

'Still better than the fight against the Divine Monk, though.'

That monster had charged straight through the full-power version without flinching.

This old man was manageable.

Besides, the Miniature version had one major advantage.

He could spam the hell out of it.

Thanks to his martial realm reaching new heights since the last civil war, Il-mok could spam these orbs without worrying about internal damage.

Il-mok swung the Ascension Sword at the half-dead Old Man of the Mountain.

Clang!

Even in his battered state, the assassin still tenaciously blocked his strike.

"Kuk."

Blood erupted from his mouth with a choked sound.

"Looks like the tables have turned," Il-mok sneered.

The Old Man of the Mountain was bleeding worse than him now.

Without missing a beat, Il-mok brought his sword down again.

The Old Man barely managed to block the strike aimed at his skull, but the arm holding his weapon was shaking like a leaf in the wind. 

Clang!

Every time their weapons collided, the assassin was shoved backward, and he coughed up blood between each desperate parry.

Gone was his earlier confidence. What remained was a desperate old man.

Clang!!!

His legs finally gave out as he blocked another strike.

Slash!

Never one to miss such an opening, Il-mok cleanly severed the Old Man’s head from his shoulders. 

As the assassin’s head tumbled through the air, his lifeless eyes remained wide with terror.

For the death of the grand leader of the Brotherhood of Purity, it was an incredibly pathetic end.

But Il-mok wouldn’t give a flying fuck about that.

He sheathed the Ascension Sword and turned away.

He needed to get back to the others.

Screams and explosions echoed from all directions as he moved. It was the cacophony of the Hashashins running rampant in the city and the Hong soldiers fighting against them.

"You filthy little roaches!! I'm going to slaughter every last one of you!!"

And even with all this chaos, Dokgo Ryong’s voice echoed the loudest.

‘I guess having a battle-crazed maniac around pays off sometimes.’

A faint smile crossed Il-mok's face as he reached his companion.

"Form a perimeter and guard us."

Without wasting a second, he dropped into a lotus position right behind Jeong Hyeon and pressed his palm to her back.

Thanks to his own recent breakthrough, he could clearly read her internal state.

She was walking on the edge of life and death. One wrong step and she could die from Qi Deviation.

He'd leave the remaining Hashashins to Dokgo Ryong. Right now, she needed him more.

***

Jeong Hyeon felt like her brain was melting.

Was this the price for pushing beyond her limits?

The Demonic Qi of the Ghostly Spirit Divine Bow was rampaging through her meridians like a mad horse. No matter how hard she tried to pull back on the reins, the energy rejected her command.

In fact, even trying to control it was nearly impossible.

Her senses had gone haywire from the rampage.

The soft breeze brushing her skin felt like a storm of blades shredding her body, and the distant clashes of weapons roared so loudly it threatened to rupture her eardrums.

Even with her eyes tightly shut, she could vividly feel the minute movements and presence of Il-mok fighting someone far away.

Information that far exceeded the processing limits of her brain came crashing down on her without a moment’s rest.

Pushed to the breaking point, Jeong Hyeon retreated into her own mindscape and conjured up a tiny hut.

It was a sanctuary no one but her could enter. A place where all external sensations were blocked out.

While a hurricane raged outside the hut, Jeong Hyeon curled inside and sank deep into herself.

And then, an uninvited guest broke in.

The door of her sealed refuge burst open, giving the freezing wind a chance to rush in.

Shaking like a leaf, Jeong Hyeon slowly lifted her head from her knees. Only then did the stranger finally shut the door behind him.

She stared blankly at the intruder.

"Ah...?"

She couldn't remember anything.

But strangely, his presence felt familiar to her.

He’s an uninvited guest who didn't feel unwelcome at all.

Although she hadn't invited him inside, she found herself genuinely glad that he had come.

When the man opened his mouth, a familiar warmth drifted through the air.

"It's a gorgeous day outside. Don't you think it’s a bit of a waste to stay locked up in here, Miss Jeong?"

Miss Jeong?

The name confused her at first, but it felt right somehow.

Like it belonged to her.

She turned her head slowly to look outside.

An apocalyptic storm was ripping apart the world beyond her little shack.

Thunder roared, and lightning crashed.

In what crazy universe was this considered gorgeous weather?

But for some reason, she just couldn't ignore his words.

When she looked back, he was already holding a hand out to her. 

She took it without thinking.

Gently, the man guided her out of her little shack.

"Ah! Ahhhh!"

Jeong Hyeon instantly writhed in agony.

The sunlight beating down from the sky felt like it was melting her alive; the freezing gale felt like invisible blades tearing her flesh to shreds, and the deafening roar of thunder threatened to split her skull.

"Don't be afraid."

Right then, the mysterious stranger rested a warm hand on her shoulder. 

Instantly, all of the agonizing sensations vanished into thin air.

Freed from her suffering, she tentatively raised her head to see that the man was pointing at the sun.

"See? Not so hot after all."

He was right.

The blinding sun that had just tried to incinerate her felt as pleasant as it was in the spring.

The howling wind that threatened to shred her skin was just a gentle breeze.

And those deafening thunders were just birds singing.

"Focus. You can do this, Miss Jeong."

He removed his hand from her shoulder and stepped back.

The hellish suffering crashed back over her immediately, and she lurched forward to grab his hand again to regain her peace.

Peace and suffering. They kept alternating as she held his hand and let go.

Like a child learning to walk, she chased after him.

She kept stumbling all the time, but she slowly adjusted to the terrifying ordeal that came after her.

And finally, she could walk on her own without collapsing.

When Jeong Hyeon could finally stand on her own two feet and endure the world without his hand, the man gave her a smile filled with spring.

"You've got this from here, Miss Jeong. I'll be waiting for you on the outside."

Outside?

Jeong Hyeon couldn't understand what he meant.

But before she could ask, he'd already faded away like a mirage.

Confusion swirled in her mind, but one thing she held dear was that as long as she learned to walk on her own, she knew she would see him again.

***

"Huu…"

Il-mok opened his eyes with a long exhale after calming the worst of Jeong Hyeon's rampaging energy.

He could have forced it all under control, but he'd deliberately held back. Doing so would have forcibly quelled her Qi Deviation, but it would also smother her enlightenment.

Of course, it was entirely possible that he was being overly greedy. 

If she couldn't tame the energy herself, she was still at risk of suffering a catastrophic backlash.

But he believed Jeong Hyeon could do it.

He watched her with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

And before long, he smiled.

Jeong Hyeon's body lifted slightly off the ground, and a vortex of energy swirled around her.

Before long, sounds of cracking bones and twisting muscles echoed from within her body.

Il-mok had experienced the same phenomenon himself, and he knew what it meant.

"Congratulations, Miss Jeong. You've achieved Transcendence."

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