Chapter 51: Advancing Toward Xinjiang
"Who do you think you're fooling?"
As he walked toward Woo Jeong-hak, Jang Woo-hyun drew his sword, Flying Swallow Sword.
"No matter how impressive you may be, there’s no way you could control someone from that far away."
【…Impressive indeed.】
"That’s my line, not yours."
Thud!
His previously calm steps shifted.
Horse King’s Third Step: Sovereign Ruling.
His footfall landed with force, shattering the ground beneath.
【Fine. That makes things easier.】
In response to Woo Jeong-hak’s emotion, the sorcery formation radiated with a stronger light, drawing in more power.
Gugugugu…
As the energy converged, the underground space trembled violently.
【Here, I shall—】
Kwa-gwagwagwang! Kwang!
Before the words could even finish, the sorcery formation was shattered by Jang Woo-hyun’s attack. More than half of Woo Jeong-hak’s manifestation, formed of blue flames, vanished.
【Ghh…】
Seeing the distorted expression, Jang Woo-hyun realized the damage inflicted on those blue flames was affecting the real Woo Jeong-hak, even from afar.
Before the man could regain his senses, Jang Woo-hyun hurled Black Wolf Fang.
Woo Jeong-hak tried to dodge somehow, but with the formation destroyed and his power drained, he was unable to avoid the massive slash. Half of his upper body was torn away.
As Black Wolf Fang continued past Woo Jeong-hak’s body and slammed into the wall, the underground chamber shook as if it were about to collapse.
【Kuh! You bastard! Next time, it won’t be so—】
"There won’t be a next time."
Jang Woo-hyun reached out and grabbed hold of something invisible.
Click.
That action caused the escaping consciousness of Woo Jeong-hak, who had intended to flee with a doppelgänger, to halt abruptly.
【H-How!】
Even though his face was formed from flames, his panic was evident.
Jang Woo-hyun, having honed his Upper Dantian through his discussions with Tang Moon-seong and the study of the Secret Manual of the Dark Heavens Divine Sword, had become able to see what was previously unseen.
He didn’t know the principles behind the sorcery, but he could now perceive the workings beyond the surface.
So the moment he sensed something trying to escape from within the blue flames, he seized it.
With a flick of his hand, he dragged the blue-flame form of Woo Jeong-hak’s doppelgänger toward him.
“Stop playing around and just set a time. Whether it’s the Demon Cult Leader or True Demon Palace, tell them to come. I’ll face anyone, anytime.”
At the mention of True Demon Palace, Woo Jeong-hak’s flaming face showed even greater shock.
“Pick a time and place, then contact me.”
Jang Woo-hyun gave a slight smile and then clenched his fist.
“Here, take this with you too.”
Boom!
With that force, the blue-flame body of Woo Jeong-hak’s doppelgänger exploded.
* * *
"Graaaah!"
Deep within the Heavenly Demon Cult.
An old man seated in meditation inside a massive sorcery formation opened his eyes and vomited blood.
It was the puppet demon general, Woo Jeong-hak, who had just been facing off against Jang Woo-hyun.
The impact had been considerable. He continued to cough up blood and only managed to rise after a long while.
‘I must… inform the Cult Leader.’
That man was beyond what he could handle alone.
What had happened to Usa was no coincidence.
‘We must gather the full strength of the cult and eliminate him in one blow.’
If they didn’t, that man would become a catastrophic threat to the cult’s future.
* * *
After dealing with Woo Jeong-hak, Jang Woo-hyun returned to his routine.
He spoke with Tang Moon-seong about Ten Thousand Heavens Transformed into Rain and exchanged thoughts on the Secret Manual of the Dark Heavens Divine Sword.
On the fourth day since then.
Early in the morning, an elderly man came to the Tang Clan estate.
"I wish to meet the One Sword, One Kill."
Seeing the old man whose eyes emitted a blue flame, the gate guards of the Tang Clan immediately ran inside to report.
"Is it set, then?"
Jang Woo-hyun asked as he stepped outside.
The old man, a puppet under Woo Jeong-hak’s control, pulled out a map tucked into his waistband.
"Here. He says to meet at this place, one month from now."
The old man pointed at a location with his finger.
"Bring everything you’ve got, and—"
Pop! Thud.
Before he finished speaking, Jang Woo-hyun plucked a visible thread from above the old man’s head.
The old man collapsed, and Jang Woo-hyun handed him over to the Tang Clan’s warriors before immediately preparing to depart.
"Hyung-nim."
"Brother Jang."
At their call, Jang Woo-hyun turned around.
"From here on out, I’ll go alone."
"Still, Brother Jang, we can—"
"No, this is something I must do alone."
His firm reply left Hwang An speechless.
It had been expected.
Jang Woo-hyun had now reached the Absolute Realm.
In the martial world, one who attains the Absolute Realm is no longer just a regional ruler. They are considered akin to the semi-retired titans of the previous generation.
They are not contenders for the world—they look down upon it.
Jang Woo-hyun had ascended to that very realm.
From now on, no amount of effort would allow them to catch up.
The Absolute Realm was not something reached through effort alone.
Moreover, with Hwang An’s current skill, he would only be a burden in Jang Woo-hyun’s battles, not a help.
Knowing this, Hwang An hadn’t asked directly, even though he had suspected Jang Woo-hyun had already stepped into the Absolute Realm. Because knowing would mean accepting that he could no longer walk alongside him.
"Hyung-nim, please stop by Mount Qingcheng at least once."
Jin Ha-un, having already come to terms with the situation, smiled bitterly.
"As for me… I don’t even know where I’ll be."
"Stay with me for a while. Let’s go to Mount Qingcheng too. Even if Brother Woo-hyun won’t be there, I will."
Where there is a meeting, a parting must follow. Hwang An understood that, but knowing didn’t make the farewell any easier.
"Alright. I’ll definitely stop by Mount Qingcheng. You two stay together. Take some time to travel the martial world. Sect Leader, thank you for everything."
"Thank me? If anything, it’s I who owe you. Are you sure you don’t need our help?"
While staying at the Tang Clan, Tang Moon-seong, now more at ease, asked with concern.
No matter how powerful Jang Woo-hyun was, the enemy was the Demon Cult—the central bastion of demonic forces.
“It’s fine. I’m going now.”
A few more words were exchanged, and with that, Jang Woo-hyun disappeared from the front gate of the Tang Clan.
A sudden farewell.
Jang Woo-hyun, Hwang An, Jin Ha-un.
The journey of the three came to an end that day.
***
After leaving the Sichuan Tang Clan, Jang Woo-hyun traveled northward alone, moving at a slow pace.
There was plenty of time.
Though it would take days of horseback riding to reach the destination, with his current strength, Jang Woo-hyun had more than enough time to arrive within a month.
For a traveler covering such a great distance, Jang Woo-hyun looked rather simple.
Now, he could go days without eating or drinking and not suffer from it. He didn’t even need sleep to maintain his condition. So he carried no extra baggage.
The only weapons he brought were Flying Swallow Sword and the broken Silent Night.
Aside from that, the only thing he had picked up was a set of wooden chopsticks he’d bought from an inn on the way.
The number of chopsticks floating around him: twenty.
He had started with six, and now the number had grown that much.
As he moved through uninhabited places, he used his left hand to manipulate Qi and move the chopsticks, while his right hand drew and swung the sword.
One hand for hidden weapons, the other for the sword.
It was said that Tang Myung of the Dark Heavens Divine Sword fought this way, and unknowingly, Jang Woo-hyun was following his example.
Days passed, and with each one, the number of chopsticks under Jang Woo-hyun’s control increased.
By the time he had covered about half the distance to his destination, more than fifty chopsticks floated in the air around him.
Tak! Tak!
Not only were they floating, but they also moved individually, clashing against each other—like swords in the midst of a battle.
At some point, he stopped drawing his sword and began using both hands solely to control the chopsticks.
Sometimes separately, sometimes as one large unit.
With a motion of his hand, the chopsticks grouped into a bundle and flew toward a distant tree, piercing it.
Puk! Pupuk! Puk! Pupuk!
When he reached out again, the chopsticks returned, fluttering around him like birds.
After experiencing the Secret Manual of the Dark Heavens Divine Sword and Ten Thousand Heavens Transformed into Rain, Jang Woo-hyun realized that his previous understanding had been mistaken.
Martial arts weren’t just about using weapons in close combat or moving one’s body.
Just as there were countless people in the world, there were countless types of martial arts.
The one he was training in now was far removed from the typical style of swinging a sword and moving the body.
Considering that such unique martial arts could exist, he recalled the manuals he had seen at the Silver Flower Trading Company.
Four-Limb Sword Style, using swords with all four limbs.
Dragon Howl Spear, which formed spears from flute melodies.
Dissonant Blade, which created blades in the shape of tuning forks.
Each one had seemed strange, but after experiencing a martial art that allowed simultaneous control of hundreds of hidden weapons, they no longer felt so odd.
Among them, the one that resurfaced in his mind was the Transcendent Sword.
A sword technique that unleashed sword Qi in the form of over thirty thin, long threads.
At the time, he had thought it was nonsense, but now it was different.
‘It might actually be possible.’
Now that he had stepped into the Absolute Realm and could wield incomparable internal energy, he wanted to give it a try.
Whsshh.
Leaving the dozens of chopsticks circling around him, Jang Woo-hyun began training to draw out sword Qi as thin, long threads.
Naturally, since it was a martial art beyond common sense, it wasn’t easy.
Internal energy—Qi accumulated within the body—tended to disperse when released outside.
That was why those who could launch Qi over distance were considered Master Level, and those who could form solid Qi projections were called Peak Masters.
To some extent, he could stretch the sword Qi, but beyond a certain distance, it lost shape and vanished.
‘Ten sheets? No, twelve? That’s the limit?’
At that point, it felt like launching Black Wolf Fang would be more effective. If he hardened the Qi completely and fired it, it could travel even farther.
Despite several days of effort, there was no improvement. Jang Woo-hyun decided to change his approach.
‘Instead of drawing out Qi projection, let’s try imbuing the intent to cut.’
He released his Qi far outward and infused it with the intent to cut at that distance.
Tap.
The first attempt only slightly struck the ground.
But from that, Jang Woo-hyun sensed potential.
‘This might work.’
He gradually added more intent and refined the Qi manipulation. He projected the will to cut across the distance.
Tap.
Ten sheets. No power, but it touched the ground.
Scratch.
Fifteen sheets. The ground was slightly dug up.
Slice.
Twenty sheets. A small tree was cut down.
With each passing day, the results became clearer.
Time continued to pass, and Jang Woo-hyun immersed himself deeper into training.
Without even realizing it, he had reached the state of the Formless Sword. And now, he was nearing the realm of the Mind Sword.
And so, as he walked, he eventually arrived at the location Woo Jeong-hak had specified.
***
“He has entered.”
One of the cult’s sorcerers confirmed that One Sword, One Kill Jang Woo-hyun had stepped into the formation, bowing his head as he reported.
Where his head was bowed toward—
A young man in his twenties sat on a massive throne.
He wore a black long robe embroidered with golden threads in ornate patterns.
In stark contrast to the clothing, his skin was pale white. A strikingly handsome man with sharp features, yet his eyes were filled with nothing but emptiness.
As he slowly rose to his feet, it created the illusion that a mountain had emerged. An overwhelming majesty and presence, as though the whole world were beneath his feet, surrounded him.
Step.
With a single step, ten thousand demons bowed, and with an extended hand, a hundred thousand followers revered him.
Cult Leader of the Holy Sect.
Heavenly Demon of this era—Cheon Mu-yeol.
That giant of a man had now risen from his seat.
With light steps, as if taking a stroll, Cheon Mu-yeol walked down the grand hall and stepped outside.
The moment he appeared, the 300-strong force waiting outside all bowed their heads in unison.
The 50-man Demon Celestial Guard, the personal guard of the Demon Cult Leader.
100 Battle Puppets, controlled by the Puppet Demon General.
150 elite warriors, handpicked from the Three Families of the Demon Cult.
Three hundred elite troops stood in support behind him.
Cheon Mu-yeol walked to the front, passing through the center of the parted formation.
There was no shout, no command. As he walked, the elite forces of the Demon Cult followed in silence.
Cheon Mu-yeol’s gaze turned toward Jang Woo-hyun, who had just stepped through the formation.
At a glance, he looked like an ordinary man.
But Cheon Mu-yeol could sense it—the surging energy writhing within him.
A power rivaling his own.
Excluding Cheon Woecheon, he was likely the one closest to being the strongest under the heavens in this generation.
Cheon Mu-yeol thought to himself.
If it was that man, he would make the perfect first sacrifice for the Sacred Sect's advance into the Central Plains.
Cheon Mu-yeol planned to shatter the so-called invincible divine sword that echoed across the martial world, and then step directly into the Central Plains.
Seureung.
He drew the Heavenly Demon Supreme Sword and stepped forward.
As the thought of closing the distance crossed his mind, his body naturally moved forward.
It was the level where martial arts activated simply by intention and will alone.
He intended to take his opponent’s head in a single strike.
At that moment, he saw Jang Woo-hyun, far in the distance, draw his sword.
‘……’
No—it had already been drawn.
As if time had paused, as if the scene had fragmented. The sword, which he thought was only being drawn, had already been swung.
He had merely swung his sword once, horizontally.
And along that trajectory—it seemed as though the horizon itself had been split.
The sky and earth were divided.
And with that, it was over.