A faintly rising trajectory.

It had all stemmed from a single gust of sword wind, but the Sword of Mastery had already returned to Jeong Yeon-shin’s sheath without even appearing drawn.

At the same time, the trace of the blade wind scattered away like poorly lit incense smoke.

"......."

Before anyone realized, Jeong Yeon-shin was standing on Mu Gok’s broad shoulder.

It was because he had taken a light, true step just before unleashing the sword wind.

It was the Sword Step of the Manifested Lotus.

The stiffness in the air was only natural.

The visitors who had cautiously peeked from behind the walls retreated back into the guest hall.

Even though most were individuals of high status or possessed deep inner calm, they could not help it.

A brief silence descended.

The sword strike of the contemporary Lord of the Divine Sword Corps was the kind of thing that, even if its immediate effects were not visible, compelled everyone to hold their breath and await the outcome.

The fact that Mu Gok, one of the Six Original Star Lords, did not move rashly was proof enough.

Meanwhile, Jeong Yeon-shin pondered over the sword strike directed at Jeogal Cheong.

He had tried it only because she had turned her back to the gate — an opportunity that would not come easily again.

'As expected, I still don't understand it.'

If the sword strike could be achieved with mere technique and sword power alone, then surely even the Central Plains would already have known peace.

The Immortals of the Old Sects would have long mingled with the lives of the common people.

It was why so many martial artists once chased the legacy of Zhongnan Sword Saint Jong Yeo-il all the way north.

The one who cut the Gate.

The only old swordsman in all of history.

For Jeong Yeon-shin, this kind of martial art was completely new. Even though he had studied the secret formulas, he could not grasp the essence, nor could he understand what kind of will he needed to pour into the sword path.

When he watched Hui-a risk her life dashing dangerously across the southern Five Terraces, his breath would catch.

When he saw Myohwa close her eyes as if falling into demonic madness while grappling with secret sword techniques, he would sigh lightly.

Sometimes even the sight of commoners ascending a shrine through white clouds would steal his breath away...

The sword flows like the clouds.

How could one interpret it?

An unnamed sword art.

This was why he had answered Shaolin’s invitation.

If he could glimpse even a fragment of the enlightenment of Bodhidharma, he might draw a little closer to a sword strike that could cut through the Gate.

"What did you just do?"

Suddenly, the Celestial Dance Empress Jeogal Cheong asked in a low voice.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly brushed the sword hilt, still warm from the friction heat of the swift draw.

"...A test."

"You dared to lay your sword aura on me. For someone of your caliber, such a thing..."

Jeogal Cheong’s words trailed off.

She was an old woman bearing the title of Empress.

She had likely experienced even the martial world of the Western Regions — her knowledge and perception would be immeasurable.

"Wait."

The wrinkles around her eyes trembled.

Her ancient pupils, like an old ink painting, dimmed as if struck by sudden intuition from her upper dantian.

"Could it be...? No, that’s absurd. Such reckless bravado — it must be the result of narrow knowledge alone..."

Regardless of the old expert's muttering, Jeong Yeon-shin bowed his head silently.

Beneath his leather shoes, invisible qi flared up like a wildfire.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!

Mu Gok of the Six Original Star Lords. His massive body was now enveloped in a semi-transparent flame, the vibration flowing from him rough enough to shake the ground like an earthquake.

Cracks ran across the shattered floor, and fragments of the paving stones shot up wildly.

'He uses his protective qi barrier offensively. Compared to Mungok, his qi is more irregular, skilled at short, explosive battles.'

At the same time, the shimmering silver aura of Jeong Yeon-shin’s defensive qi barrier, "Radiant Star," crackled sharply like burning kindling.

The friction of two offensive internal forces repeatedly blurred and brightened the surroundings.

"The heavens are angry!"

"Merciful Avalokiteshvara, Buddha save us...!"

Such were the reactions of the commoners strolling near the guest hall.

In a temple as large as Shaolin, incense travelers could not stay confined to the guest quarters alone.

By the time all the auras around him were imprinted into Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind like a map, the giant who had been supporting him for a while spoke.

"The world truly is vast."

He smiled broadly, bearing the Lord of the Divine Sword Corps as lightly as a feather.

An existence who raised a subtle but ominous aura as if it were another layer of protective qi.

It felt like a demon manifesting from the Tanghwa paintings battling Avalokiteshvara.

"Atop the high, snowy mountains, the Mughal emperor’s warriors and the Roman priests all question the Heavenly Tree... And here, the Lord of the Divine Sword Corps mimics the Northern Emperor’s Primordial Essence... Could it be you’ve met the God of Battle himself? Perhaps you even formed a bond, like you did with the Southern Emperor?"

It was a natural question for a Yozoku.

But among the masters of the Great Pure Alliance nearby, some took it quite differently.

At least the Celestial Dance Empress Jeogal Cheong and a certain noblewoman certainly did.

"The Southern Emperor of the World forming ties with the Lord of the Divine Sword Corps...?"

"There were rumors of a Yozoku entering the Capital Fortress... Mu Gok, is that true?"

Among them, the noblewoman’s voice was peculiar —

She had an impression full of smiling eyes, wearing a deep blue palace robe that trailed down to her toes.

The moment she made eye contact with Jeong Yeon-shin, she smiled gently.

"I am Lan of the Xing Family. The martial world’s Eastern Sects may praise me as a celestial being, but compared to your fame, Lord of the Divine Sword Corps, I am nothing. It is an honor to meet you."

She humbly introduced herself as the third wife of the Lord of the Great Pure Alliance.

It was at that moment Jeong Yeon-shin moved.

'Hidden Night Step.'

He stomped down with step force powerful enough to shake even a mountain peak, driving it into the giant.

Thud—!

Mu Gok’s massive body staggered.

At the same time, his huge hand grasped Jeong Yeon-shin’s ankle.

"Well, that’s enough of an answer."

Mu Gok's voice was laced with laughter.

"No way would the North Emperor of the world rush in to die like a one-armed vagabond. It seems we can have a little fun."

It was an absurdly immediate counterattack — caught once again by the Golden Thread Grip of the Six Original Star Lords.

'Normally, the fight would end here.'

Jeong Yeon-shin thought to himself.

It was just like what had happened once against Mungok.

But he would not fall for it twice.

At that moment, Jeogal Cheong spoke from the air.

"You intend to fight openly without suffering any loss? Even the Defeated Hero of the Stone Age would have moved away by now in such a situation. Are you not worried about the civilians?"

Words that would never reach someone bearing the purple badge, though it might work on the white-clad.

One who lets the enemy dictate the tempo will be destroyed.

Jeong Yeon-shin answered shortly.

"I do not negotiate with martial artists."

Whoosh—

At the instant Mu Gok’s hand gripping his ankle surged with overwhelming strength,

the inner thunderstorm of Jeong Yeon-shin's ultimate body technique erupted, releasing continuous booms within.

At the same time, he lightly twisted his waist, entering another time axis, and with the tip and heel of his left foot, gracefully stamped down on the back of the giant’s hand.

Rumble!

It was the sound of pressure point striking.

The massive hand naturally opened.

Freed, Jeong Yeon-shin's right foot rocketed forward — driving a fierce wave straight into Mu Gok’s temple.

Kuaaaaaaaang—!

A faint shockwave ripped through the air, tearing up the stone floor.

The debris was blasted upward like a whirlwind.

Amid the deafening boom, Mu Gok’s pupils flipped violently.

[Is this also the Battle God's blow...? Are you challenging divine power as well!?]

Laughing with his whites exposed.

In an instant, the heat from Mu Gok’s ascended upper dantian scorched the tip of Jeong Yeon-shin’s leather shoe.

In the next breath, both moved simultaneously —

Jeong Yeon-shin drew up the Sword of Mastery, while Mu Gok, leaping up as if he'd never been struck, unleashed a devastating punch.

Jeong Yeon-shin somersaulted through the air like a streak of lightning.

Screeeeech—!

He drove the Sword of Mastery into the back of the giant’s hand and dragged it downward.

Though the blade didn’t pierce the flesh, it parted the semi-transparent protective qi, carving a long furrow.

In the next instant, Jeong Yeon-shin used the sparks from the violent friction as stepping stones, leaping like an immortal.

He soared straight toward Jeogal Cheong’s face.

[Flight Over Grass...?!]

The old woman’s eyes widened, her face obscured by a sun-white mist.

She spun the Gate before her like a shield, but the Sword of Mastery pierced into it and then was pulled back out.

It had originally been a Heaven-Thunder Piercing Strike meant to skewer Jeogal Cheong completely.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!

As the Sword of Mastery was pulled from the Gate, a fierce gust of dust was sucked inward along its blade, and Jeogal Cheong’s bewildered will spread out.

[I had suspected, but you are truly a monster!]

"I've never even heard of a method to move the Gate freely. Would a master who mastered such an art in the Western Regions really bother to wreak havoc among mortals?"

[It is because the great clans are built by the most worldly of men! Among those who feast in times of chaos, what gentleman exists? Even if they call me a depraved murderer who avenged my child by killing his killer, if not me, who else would wear the mask of shamelessness to repay such a blood debt?!]

Jeogal Hyeon, the Hidden Dragon.

Jeogal Cheonsang, the Reincarnated Dragon.

A son killed by his own father, a father killed by Jeong Yeon-shin, and now Jeogal Cheong seeking to kill Jeong Yeon-shin.

The cycles of grudges and revenge — that was the martial world.

"From the start."

Jeong Yeon-shin crushed the surging fist wind of Mu Gok, gathering it with the Spring Heaven Pulse Reinforcement, and asked:

"Why did you mobilize such forces to Mount Song? Surely not just to target me."

"Is there a country that would rise while leaving a power like Shaolin untouched behind them? At the very least, we must secure an oath over the sealing of the Gate."

The wife of the Great Pure Alliance Lord, Hyung Ran, answered with a gentle smile. But something about her manner hinted she was hiding something. There was a carefulness to her.

"You aim to found a new kingdom?"

"The nation's name will be Daesoon. A country where corrupt nobles and greedy officials are not tolerated, and even if people must starve, they starve together. The previous leaders of the Eight Great Houses and countless martial artists and commoners have been deeply moved and have joined our cause."

Even as she spoke, Jeong Yeon-shin was resetting the ankle bone twisted by Mu Gok’s punch with the Proper Movement Technique, and ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ in the same instant, parried a massive warhammer falling from behind with a clash of swords.

Screeeech—!

The Sword of Mastery, its blade climbing from the hilt, violently lifted Mu Gok’s weapon upward.

Blue lightning-like bursts of force flickered endlessly from the points of impact.

The giant who had secured his rear with Agile Air Steps roared with excitement.

[North Emperor! North Emperor! North Emperor...!]

"Not a title you want spread around too much..."

Suddenly, the name of Gwang Amu crossed his mind, and Jeong Yeon-shin lightly stepped back into the air.

In that instant, he caught Mu Gok’s knee, smashing into him, with a reinforcement of his left hand’s aura.

[Just a single bite into your core...!]

The moment the knee was knocked aside, Mu Gok swung his other leg like a whip.

His sheer size warped the entire view with every movement.

'I can’t let this affect the Shaolin grounds.'

Jeong Yeon-shin twisted skillfully around Mu Gok’s thick calf, then seized and burst the blue-gleaming lightning energy of Jeogal Cheong's attack that had swept in beside the Gate like a dragon's claws.

[Heaven Breaker.]

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!

The backlash smashed walls, paving stones, even rooftops, but none of it harmed the civilians.

All the shockwaves seemed to avoid them as if of their own accord.

The legacy of the former leaders of the Eight Great Houses truly was profound.

Sparks and crackling remnants of shattered lightning flickered across Jeong Yeon-shin’s body before vanishing.

Even though it was broad daylight, the blue light was vivid.

"Martial God...!"

Several incense travelers watching from afar whispered as if in awe.

"......."

No one denied it.

Only Mu Gok, retreating a step into the sky, shouted with frustration:

"Not killing a single civilian? You really think you're an emperor? You think that’s possible? Where is the righteous cause the Southern Emperor recognized in you?!"

The giant finished his words with disappointment, but Jeong Yeon-shin's reply was as calm as the puppet-like Southern Emperor who had once stood silently in the imperial palace.

"You know nothing."

Sssrrt.

He reached behind him.

Toward Jeogal Cheong floating in the air, toward the sunlit mist that covered her like a person-sized shield.

[It’s useless.]

Jeogal Cheong spoke coldly.

[If you showed a true battle stance, you might drive us away. But with this reckless greed, it will be impossible. Supreme martial prowess becomes a calamity. Saving civilians from natural disasters is impossible. You have no support, and even the Yozoku monk has been captured by the former head of the Gongson family.]

Words spoken behind the Gate. A master who had implemented absolute defense through sorcery and martial arts — her every word carried weight.

Even more so with the Six Original Star Lords standing with her.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently inserted his hand into the Gate.

His fingers, wrapped in the faint blue light of Heaven Breaker, a martial art against all laws and principles, reached inside.

From beyond the mist, Jeogal Cheong voiced her doubt.

[Such reckless bravado again — what are you trying to do...?]

And then, it ended.

The sensation of thick hair brushed against his fingers, and from within the densely packed mist like a blazing sun, he pulled someone up —a mop-haired figure.

Jeong Yeon-shin whispered inwardly in satisfaction. Good, not a bald head.

"Whether you like it or not,"

he continued slowly,

"you will witness my true battle stance."

Softly.

Like a child choosing a toy, he pulled up the captured monk, Beomryeol, by the hair from the Gate with Golden Thread Grip.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke in a low, steady voice.

"I can do this one hundred and eight times."

"......."

In an instant, the air froze.