novelraw Chapter 147 : Toward the Golden Summit Peak (1)
Chapter 147 : Toward the Golden Summit Peak (1)
Chapter 147: Toward the Golden Summit Peak (1)
“Hoo.”
Letting out a deep breath, Sewoon slowly opened his eyes.
While he sat cross-legged, the terrifying surge of multiple qi streams raged within him like a storm, before gradually subsiding.
It was still deep night, before dawn. At some point, Sewoon had already returned to the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Three hours ago, after finishing the matter with Gongsun Beon, he had returned to the clan and focused solely on training in his chamber since then.
When his internal meditation came to an end, Sewoon’s eyes were as clear and bright as those of a sage who had attained enlightenment.
‘After obtaining Ink Blood, the harmony between my qi streams has improved beyond comparison.’
Originally, drawing out more than two types of qi at once placed an immense burden on his body.
Thus, he had always used one type of qi while suppressing the others.
But with the addition of Ink Blood, which heightened the spirit’s will and strengthened his physical vitality, he could now unleash multiple qi streams to their peak simultaneously—without feeling the same crushing strain as before.
If he could refine this newfound sensation further—
‘It might not be long before I can wield different Heavenly Threads through each hand.’
In other words, the Extinction Thread from his right hand, and the Ice Wheel Thread from his left.
Sewoon let out a short exclamation.
‘Martial arts truly have no end.’
But the feeling of accomplishment was fleeting.
Soon, a faint shadow passed over his expression.
‘Even though I’m growing this fast, the peak of the Manifestation Realm still feels distant. Yet that Blood Demon… just how far did he reach?’
That thought about the Blood Demon weighed heavily on his mind.
Based on the realization he had attained at the Beast Palace, Sewoon had now reached the threshold of the Manifestation Realm.
Through relentless training, he was gradually finding the path toward perfection.
It was a pace of growth that could only be described as monstrous—one that had never existed in the history of the Murim.
And yet, despite all this, Sewoon still felt a hollow sense of incompleteness and unease.
The stronger he became, the more vividly he recognized the overwhelming might the Blood Demon had shown before his regression.
As they say, the more one understands, the more one perceives.
‘…Was that man’s power truly limited to the Life and Death Realm?’
Lately, such doubts had begun to plague him.
No being in history had ever truly reached the Life and Death Realm, so he had once assumed that the Blood Demon’s level was precisely that—the realm beyond the peak of manifestation.
After all, the Blood Demon had toyed with even Sword Emperor Yoo Jinhak, who had reached the very pinnacle of the Manifestation Realm, as easily as twisting a child’s wrist.
But now that Sewoon himself had ascended to the Manifestation Realm, gaining fortunes and enlightenment he had never possessed before regression, he was beginning to realize something faintly.
‘…If the realm he reached was beyond the Life and Death Realm—if the so-called end of martial arts transcending the heavens was not the Life and Death Realm at all…’
Anyone in the martial world would dismiss such words as sheer madness.
But Sewoon’s reasoning had a basis.
Wooooong!
Even now, in his upper dantian, something coiled and pulsated with vivid malevolence.
‘Reverse Heaven Qi.’
That was the Blood Demon’s power.
Like a flame burning within purgatory, the Reverse Heaven Qi swelled and raged violently.
It was the only qi that Ink Blood could not harmonize with.
The stronger his balancing power grew, the more that qi mocked his efforts, becoming even more potent.
‘Hoo… right now, my Reverse Heaven Qi has surpassed Four Stars and reached Five.’
Upon stepping into the Manifestation Realm, it became Five Stars. Once perfected, it would break through to Six.
And at the extreme peak—like the Sword Emperor—it might reach Seven.
‘Then Eight Stars must belong to the Life and Death Realm…’
Before his regression, the Blood Demon had completed the Reverse Heaven Qi. Sewoon couldn’t even imagine what kind of uncharted realm that entailed.
‘That man shattered the providence of time itself and sent me back to the past.’
Only a being equal to the creator of such providence could defy it.
Then how could someone like him—still bound to the earth—possibly defeat the Blood Demon?
Could he even stand against him?
Ssseuk!
As the Reverse Heaven Qi flared, a haze began to cloud Sewoon’s eyes.
Fwaaa!
Suddenly, the power of the Extinction Thread surged.
The murkiness in his eyes was instantly purified by its demon-suppressing force.
Sewoon’s heart gave a heavy thump as he steadied his shaken resolve.
The Reverse Heaven Qi had momentarily pulled him into the grip of inner demons.
But rather than despair, the clarity afterward sharpened his mind even further.
‘There’s no need to worry so soon. My limits aren’t fixed at the peak of the Manifestation Realm.’
Yes—
Even if his opponent was a god,
then he, too, would ascend to the realm capable of shattering gods.
Resolving himself firmly, Sewoon decided to close his eyes for a brief rest.
Unfortunately, Sewoon didn’t get to sleep long.
He had barely dozed off when Jang Il came to wake him.
“Now then, onto the next matter.”
The clan’s affairs had piled up, so when Yeo Seon rushed in barefoot, he and Sewoon began discussing various major and minor matters together.
Yeo Seon, who worked as the chief instructor responsible for training the martial artists of the Sichuan Tang Clan, was also serving concurrently as the deputy overseer.
It was because Uncle Son Geon, the clan’s head overseer, had been so impressed by Yeo Seon’s handling of affairs that he openly declared Yeo Seon to be his successor.
At that moment, Yeo Seon spoke.
“Hm, then you mean to secretly distribute the antidote for the spell poison that the Heaven-Piercing Sect will spread, in the form of charity grain, to the villagers in advance.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The enslaved Gongsun Beon had been returned alive and well.
Sewoon had even provided him with the materials used for the spell poison.
This was all to deceive the Heaven-Piercing Sect, the Qingcheng Sect, and Gui Yeongja.
He also made sure that when the Qingcheng Sect released the spell poison, no civilians would become casualties.
Outwardly it would appear like a plague, but the threat of death had been completely removed.
“How goes the training of the clan’s martial artists?”
“Yes, you need not worry. Not only the Dark Flower Unit, but the entire corps of martial artists have advanced in their cultivation.”
A war with the Qingcheng Sect was about to erupt.
Before that, the clan’s forces had to be fortified.
The full might of the Thousand-Vision Instructor was being demonstrated.
As the greatest instructor across both the Orthodox and Unorthodox paths, Yeo Seon personally supervised every martial artist with meticulous care.
The Tang Clan warriors, who had focused solely on hidden-weapon techniques, had now reached a level of proficiency comparable even in poison arts.
With such personalized martial instruction combined with the tailored weapon supply provided by Sewoon, it led to a flawless surge in overall strength.
“Has the announcement about our transition to the Unorthodox side been delivered?”
“Yes, Clan Head.”
At Sewoon’s words, Yeo Seon replied without the slightest hesitation.
“They said they would simply follow your command, Clan Head, and pay no mind to any gossip from outsiders. No matter what others say, they are, and will remain, members of the Tang Clan.”
“……!”
When Sewoon declared the clan’s shift to the Unorthodox faction, he made it clear to his subordinates—
Those who wished to remain as Orthodox practitioners were free to leave the clan.
And he had meant every word of it.
For those who did not truly follow his will could become poison within.
Yet, astonishingly, not a single subordinate left the clan despite hearing such a shocking declaration.
On the contrary, most of his kin worried about how much suffering Sewoon must have endured to make such a decision.
More than restoring the clan’s former peak power, Sewoon was overjoyed to have regained a family united as one.
“How is Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden doing?”
“She is currently researching spell formations in the residence we prepared for her. I believe she’ll devote herself to her studies for at least another month.”
“Hmm, good.”
Sewoon nodded in satisfaction.
Indeed, Shrine Maiden Sect Leader and Seo Surin still hadn’t returned to the Shrine Maiden Sect’s main sanctuary—they remained within the Tang Clan.
‘I never thought the legend of the Thousand-Vision Instructor would be reenacted like this after regression.’
Surprisingly, it was Yeo Seon’s ability that made all this possible.
Before Sewoon’s regression, there had been a famous anecdote about Thousand-Vision Instructor Yeo Seon gaining renown throughout the martial world.
By pure chance, he once engaged in a discussion about martial theory and martial arts with the Murim Alliance Leader Yoo Jinhak, and his insights were said to rival those of the Alliance Leader himself.
[O-once more, say that again. What part here do you find problematic?]
[Hmm, by restricting this spell formation only to the Yang aspect, the harmony seems disrupted. If you adjust it like this instead…]
[Ooh! Ooohh!!]
Yeo Seon had been casually conversing about spellcraft with Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden when he offered a few questions and thoughts that came to mind.
As they say, sometimes luck favors the beginner.
Though a complete outsider to spell arts, Yeo Seon’s unique perspective seemed to grant Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden new insight.
As a result, alongside her collaborative work with Sewoon, Yeo Seon too became an aid to her progress.
Because of this, Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden had no intention of returning to her main sect for the time being.
Visitors who had scheduled to meet her at the Shrine Maiden Sect’s headquarters were now traveling instead to the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Sensing opportunity, Sewoon provided her with quarters, a training hall, and an office within the inner compound.
Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden was deeply moved by his warm generosity.
“Make sure she never feels like she’s being captured. Raise the temperature inside the pot very slowly.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful not to let her realize she’s inside the trap.”
Sewoon and Yeo Seon exchanged words like a pair of wicked villains.
Their conversation soon reached the final matter.
“The Namgung Clan is accelerating its withdrawal from the Murim Alliance.”
It was the response of Namgung Myeong’s clan.
Originally, it had seemed the Namgung Clan and the Elder Faction would maintain their place in the Alliance for at least another year, but recently they had shown abnormal signs.
“It seems they’ve noticed that the situation is turning strange.”
“Well, they tried to seize profits everywhere, yet failed each time. They’d be fools not to realize something’s off.”
“That’s true.”
Taking Sewoon’s advice, Yoo Jinhak and Jaegal Hoon had secretly moved to block every scheme of the Elder Faction.
Thus, feeling something amiss, they began planning to leave the Murim Alliance earlier than expected.
“Fortunately, their trust in us seems unwavering.”
“How could they possibly suspect? Especially after all the treasure weapons we’ve sent them.”
“Yes, that foolish Clan Head Namgung was so pleased with those counterfeit goods that his eyes practically rolled back.”
Still, Namgung Myeong’s suspicion never turned toward Sewoon.
After all, Sewoon regularly sent them large quantities of treasure weapons.
Of course, those were the lowest of low-grade items—mere junk.
They were the same kind of fake Divine Relics he had once shown in the Black Market.
Their durability was slightly better, that was all.
‘By the time I devour the Qingcheng Sect, the value of those treasure weapons will have completely vanished.’
Sewoon pictured Namgung Myeong’s aghast face when he realized his prized treasures had turned into worthless scraps and smirked faintly.
“Hoo, with this, all preparations before departure are complete.”
“Yes, it seems so. You’ve worked hard, my lord.”
“Good. At dawn tomorrow, we depart. Load the ‘coffin’ onto the escort party’s carriage.”
“Yes, it has already been prepared.”
A satisfied smile spread across Sewoon’s face.
That was a relief.
The destination this time wasn’t far.
Like the Tang Clan, it was still within Sichuan Province.
That place was none other than—
‘Mount Emei.’
The Mount Emei Sect of the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician.