After some time staring into the horizon, Gwan Tae-ryang decided to head back and catch some rest.

“Captain! I’ll be going back now.”

“Alright. Keep improving yourself.”

Once Gwan Tae-ryang left, Woon-seong sighed to himself. It’s dawn… too late to go to sleep now.

That was fine with him, though. At dawn, the cool air felt lively. The world had just woken up from its sleep — new energy was everywhere. This was the reason that many people chose to meditate or practice in the early morning.

Woon-seong was one of those people.

I’ll just cultivate the ‘Heavenward Soul Earthen Body’ instead. 

Woon-seong found a place to sit nearby and slowly began to meditate.

Ignite the soul to reforge the Heavens, govern the body to dictate the Earth. By setting your soul aflame, you can change the Heavens, and by refining your body, you can control the Earth. 

I’ve set up most of the basics of the Heavenward Soul Earthen Body. Now I just need to unify Heaven and Earth. If I achieve unification, my body and my soul will achieve harmonization and become one, allowing me to complete the body reformation. 

Except… I thought Heavenward Soul Earthen Body was a Buddhist art that changes one’s body with time and effort, but the more I practice it, the more complicated it becomes… At this point, it’s way beyond some ordinary Buddhist art. I’m not even sure if it’s some simple Buddhist art or some foreign art at this point. It’s so complicated. 

Woon-seong slowly opened his eyes, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. 

Despite his lack of sleep and his practice with Gwan Tae-ryang, Woon-seong felt surprisingly energetic.

Thanks to the Heavenward Soul Earthen Body, my body is good to go and not fatigued anymore. 

Now that that’s handled… 

Woon-seong picked up his spear and stood up. 

“Come out.”

Like a beam of light hitting his eyes, Woon-seong’s senses had alerted him of someone else nearby. At first, he believed that it was a passing mountain beast. However, the presence had been slowly approaching him. 

Woon-seong stared at the forest, thinking about his training with the Heavenly Demon. My senses have become sharper than they used to be because I’ve been practicing them lately. 

When nothing happened, he spoke once more.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said, come out.”

A man in black appeared, stepping out from behind a tree. He was an adult, with a beard that was about a finger’s width thick. He gripped a blade in his left hand, heavy like the ones Gwan Tae-ryang used. 

“I see. So a Demonic King is still a Demonic King.”

“How can’t I notice when you’re radiating such obvious hostility?”

The man only stared at Woon-seong, making the young man uncomfortable. 

Woon-seong did not relax in the slightest. So this is the guy who got caught in my qi detection during Heavenward Soul Earthen Body.

“Let me ask first… Do you know who I am?”

“How can I not, Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit? The talented one who became a Demonic King at the age of twenty. And also the Young Leader who will lead the future of the Demonic Cult.”

That sure sounded like a compliment. However, Woon-seong would be stupid if he couldn’t hear the heavy sarcasm dripping from those words.

He’s showing obvious hostility! A man I’m completely unaware of is trying so hard to kill me… Woon-seong’s eyes were deep and as he stood there silently, there was a sudden thought in head. 

“Were the assassins from before sent by you?”

At the mention, the man’s face contorted. 

“So you’re an excellent martial artist who’s also smart and clever. I knew it. I need to kill you right now.”

“Kill me? So that means you’re admitting that you’re behind the assassins, right? Let’s see…” Woon-seong took the time to examine the other man. “You can talk, so your tongue must be intact. And seeing how you’re fine holding your swords, your fingers are fine too.” He smirked arrogantly. “Excellent, I’ll need you to answer some questions of mine.”

At the same time, the two rushed at each other. Their gazes, like their weapons, clashed violently in the air. 

Guaguagua- 

Streams of energy carved into the earth, flowing through the air. 

Woon-seong’s arm trembled slightly from the force. This won’t be easy.

Standing apart from each other, the man released more of his energy, covering his blade with light. It flowed like waves and was gray as steel. However, the feeling of the qi was hard to ignore.

“That qi…  is not demonic. You! You’re not from our Cult!” 

Woon-seong quickly recognized a problem. How can someone not part of the Cult infiltrate so deeply inside? Is that even possible?

As Woon-seong stared at the other, the man answered him.

“Now that’s another reason why you need to die!”

A vortex formed on the sword, blossoming like a flower and dangerous like a cannonball. 

“Vortex Blast!”

Woon-seong ducked his head, avoiding it. 

That’s some horrific power. The ground is damaged as though it was hit by a tornado. Truly no ordinary attack. It’s a high speed whirlwind that sucks the opponent in and shreds them into pieces the moment they touch it. Then, even a graze could be critical. But it’s not a problem as long as I don’t touch it. 

Woon-seong’s back was slightly damp.

Most of all, he’s not the only one who has skills like that.

He grabbed his spear, thinking about his next move. Art of Six Seals? Woon-seong cleared his mind. No… I’ll go with the Divine Spear of the Ending Night.

Woon-seong’s aura changed. His eyes became molten gold. 

At the new energy, the other man withdrew unconsciously. Fear? I’m facing a brat like this… and I’m feeling fear?

The man had not been mistaken. The fear was a natural response, as Woon-seong’s aura provoked the fundamental terrors in a human. He had combined the Divine Spear of the Ending Night and Intimidation Qi!

You can use blade aura… If so, I’ll just use my Intimidation Qi on top of my spear aura and combine the two. I should call it the ‘intimidation spear aura’. And my metal bracers… Two thuds were heard as Woon-seong discarded two metal bracers, the ones on his arms. I’ll start with two first. 

The enemy is powerful. Not to the level of the Leader, but he’s stronger than the Demonic King of Dark Pursuit and similar to mid-level Demonic Kings. 

Woon-seong grit his teeth. He was also a Demonic King, though where he stood was unknown. It was clear that Chun Hwi’s training had helped him improve, but would it be enough?

‘Divine Spear of the Ending Night’!

‘Vortex Blast’!

Woon-seong swung his spear just as the other man swung his blade down, the attacks rushing towards each other. 

A powerful wave blasted through the clearing, pushing the two farther apart. 

Of course, the two did not stop to rest.

Attacks were hurled at each other, creating a storm of dust and qi. The earth crumbled as gashes were gouged into the dirt and plumes of dust billowed into the air. 

Meanwhile, Woon-seong had quickly taken the remaining two bracers off. Ugh, forget bracers. This is no situation for that. I’ll have to give him my everything. 

Ugh. 

The blasts swirled through the air, tearing Woon-seong’s clothes. The youth was covered in small and large wounds. But there was not much he could do but continue fighting. 

‘Divine Spear of the Ending Night’!

One of the paulders on his shoulder cracked apart, leaving a bloody scratch. 

It must be weakened after getting through the Divine Spear, yet it’s still this powerful. 

Woon-seong stared at his opponent, annoyed. 

However, the Divine Spear of the Ending Night is slowly surrounding him. It’s about binding the opponent with large spear movements, drowning them in a sea of spears. It’s a staple art of the Spear Master Sect. 

Now, what will you do?

It could be seen that the other man was also having a difficult time. “You little bastard!”

His spear is slowly binding me while shooting down the vortex blasts. A single wrong move would result in me being shredded by the hail of attacks! Continuing to shoot vortices won’t solve the situation. I have no choice. I didn’t expect doing this much against this brat…!

The man stopped firing his vortices. He had realized that while powerful, these attacks weren’t doing any real damage to Woon-seong. Instead, in a flare of anger, he concentrated all of his strength. It was gathered onto the blade, creating a terrifying turbulence of power. This was completely different from the small tornados that he had been firing. 

“The ‘Plough Vortex Blast of Black Victory’! Try taking this!”

Woon-seong recognized the difference. It’s his final move of desperation. Any momentum that he had built was swept away with this change. Alright. I’ll face it straight on! As if he was pulling back a bow, Woon-seong’s arms tensed. 

At this point, Woon-seong unleashed his fastest and strongest move.

‘Flow of the Divine Dragon!’

“It’s too late, bastard! Die!” cackled the man in black. 

The two monstrous energies collided with each other, shaking the clearing. A plume of dirt could be seen and the forest shook. The bright light soon dissipated, revealing the conclusion.

That… was close. 

Woon-seong’s spear had pierced through the other’s abdomen. His spear had broken through the other man’s attack. 

My previous experience against the ‘Palm of Blood and Jade’ was really helpful. But still… I only won because my Flow of the Divine Dragon was a more powerful attack than his. A second later and I would’ve been the one who lost… 

Anyways, as the winner of the situation, I just need to do what I should do. The right of the victor...

Coldly, Woon-seong wiped his sweat off and pulled the spear out. Blood splattered the floor as the other man collapsed. He swung his spear once more.

The man screamed in pain, barely conscious. “Kugh!”

“I just cut all major tendons in your four limbs.” Blood was pooling around his feet, but Woon-seong just swung his spear once more. “Don’t worry about bleeding to death, I sealed your pressure points. Now tell me, why am I your target?”

“You idiot,” the other man laughed. “Do you think I will tell you that?”

“If you don’t want to… I just have to make you want to do so. I’m a patient man with lots of time.”

Woon-seong had a way of course, he had used it before. He used his finger to tap some points. ‘Crushed Bones and Squeezed Muscles’.

“Ugh!”

As the dreadful screams began to erupt, Woon-seong quickly silenced the other. 

“I sealed your throat. You won’t be screaming any time soon. Let me know whenever you change your mind.”

Woon-seong just stood there, waiting for the other to crumble. He tidied his appearance in the meantime, wiping away blood and dusting off his clothes. How long had passed?

Finally, the other man gasped and pleaded. “I-I’ll speak. So please.”

He withstood it longer than I expected… But it looks like there’s no need to wait anymore. Woon-seong nodded down at him, eyes gleaming.

“I-I am… a person of the… sky.”

There was a flash as something flew through the air and thudded into the chest of the dying man. 

“Kugh!”

Woon-seong raised his head in a hurry, turning towards the source. He raised his palm and blasted energy, trying to get a good look at his surroundings. In the distance, subtle movement caught his eye. It was too far for him to chase, especially within a forest. 

An instant death… I didn’t realize it at all! And what’s more surprising is that I didn’t detect his existence near me at all. 

Realizing he had been discovered, the mysterious attacker melted into the shadows.

Woon-seong grit his teeth. “Damn it.”