Chapter 1003: The Divine Tree and the Master.

KWA-AAAAAAAH—!!!

An immense aura erupted.

Yusa’s tail grew larger, and light flooded into his slit pupils.

The air warped from the sheer killing intent.

The killing intent, mingling with his fighting spirit, began to wrap around Yusa’s body, gradually taking shape.

Vaguely, it looked like the form of a beast.

The shadow that had been flickering all along was now shaking wildly.

As I watched it unfold.

“Regret?”

Yusa spoke, looking at me as if reacting to my words.

“I am Yusa, the General of Myriad Realms.”

Kkadeuk-!!

Yusa took a step, and the ground shattered. It wasn’t the aftermath of him exerting force, but rather the ground buckling under his sheer weight.

“Those who oppose me meet death as mere prey. And that…”

He lowered his head. Seeing that, I braced myself.

“You’re no different!”

KWA–!!!

Yusa charged at me.

Hwa-reureureureuk—-!!!

I instantly ignited flames around my body.

And just like that, the pale green beast and the blue flame clashed.

---

KWA-AAAAAAAH—!!!

Explosive sounds erupted. Power clashed against power, shattering everything around us.

KWA-AAAAAAAH—!!!

The ground crumbled with the beast’s roar. The ground, which should have been solid rock, was continuously being crushed like tofu under the sheer wind pressure.

Hwa-reureureureuk—!!!

The flames erupted, swept away by the gale-force winds, soaring endlessly into the sky.

KWAANG-! KWANG!

Energy against energy, a violent battle began.

Chwaak-!!

I dodged an energy blast that came from somewhere. I evaded the assault by unleashing firepower and moving.

Chwaak Chwaaaahak–!!!

They kept coming, tearing through the void. I dodged back and forth, assessing the situation, but couldn’t find any gap to exploit.

‘Hmm.’

Not only were they fast, but the incoming energy was also powerful.

More than anything, there were simply too many.

They were firing relentlessly, keeping me constantly busy just dodging.

‘What should I do?’

I pondered the onslaught, which felt like a wild spray of attacks.

There were plenty of ways to block them.

Especially, the simple method of using ‘Myung’ to halt them existed, but…

‘Not yet.’

I didn’t want to use it just yet. This was pure stubbornness on my part.

‘I haven’t confirmed it yet.’

How far could I push myself? With the breakthrough I’d achieved, how far could I contend against him?

I wanted to find out.

I had reached transcendence.

What could my altered state accomplish against an opponent of this magnitude?

Based on my assessment, I judged a General to be on the same level as the Three Revered Ones.

The Central Plains’ Outer Heaven. The Three Revered Ones (三尊), known as the absolute powers of the Orthodox Sects.

In my state of transcendence, could I contend with a Three Revered Ones-level opponent using only the strength I possess as a martial artist?

I wanted to find out.

So.

‘I’ll seal away other powers for now.’

The power known as Myung and incantations.

As well as things like demonic energy.

Excluding those, I intended to face Yusa using only my own inherent power.

Kwadeudeuk.

I dodged another blade strike.

‘He seems pretty pissed.’

I couldn’t help but smirk. I sensed just how furious he was.

‘Well, it’s understandable he’d be confused.’

Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I wasn’t supposed to be fighting him like this.

‘I had planned to fight him eventually. Just not now.’

A little later. Ideally, I should have picked a fight towards the very end.

‘Things got complicated.’

The situation had gotten twisted.

The problem was my breakthrough, which led to killing Baeksek. And another problem was the Master’s non-appearance during that process.

Setting aside the preceding events, the issue was that this guy Yusa possessed a far more fiery temperament than I anticipated.

Given the circumstances.

His frustration bubbling up everywhere. And the fact that his subordinate met his death.

While he’s dithering about the Master. And the Master remains inactive even when things erupt.

Plus, some clueless punk keeps showing up, trying to intimidate and test him.

I could understand Yusa finally snapping, but…

‘I didn’t expect him to blow up this easily.’

Still, I never thought a General would falter this readily. I thought I’d need to provoke him a bit more.

‘Hmm.’

If I could have, I would have liked to use him a bit more.

Though it’s a shame I couldn’t.

‘Things got urgent on my end too.’

My situation no longer allowed me to handle those plans step-by-step.

So, I decided to push forward, however radical and dangerous it might be.

From that standpoint, his reaction was somewhat welcome.

It’s just that…

‘The risk level has increased significantly, that’s the problem.’

I rolled my eyes. The blade strikes weren’t coming anymore.

The ground was cratered, and dust billowed thickly from the disturbed earth, obscuring my vision.

Seeing that, I focused my gaze.

Just as I was about to activate my Mind’s Eye to assess the situation.

Kwak-!

Something shot through the dust, aiming to grab my face.

I narrowly dodged it.

But…

Keureureureuk—!!!

As if the attack itself had been a feint, Yusa soared into the air.

His tail latched onto my ankle. He flew in, his body now unhindered, and swung his fist.

KWAANG-!!

My body, taking the impact, plummeted and crashed into the ground.

KWA-AAAAANG–!!!

The assault wasn’t over. There was no time to even register the impact. I had to get up immediately.

KWA-AAAAH–!!

Yusa appeared with a beast’s cry.

It was the beginning of close-quarters combat.

My eyes darted around ceaselessly. I had to analyze his every move and counter each one.

Kung-! Kung-kung-!

His arms and legs collided, each impact ringing like metal.

The power was no joke either.

‘Damn, that hurts like hell.’

Even clad in Ki, my body shattered with every impact. It shattered like cracking a walnut shell, which was ridiculous.

He wasn’t called a Three Revered Ones-level opponent for nothing; he possessed considerable destructive power.

‘And it’s not even night yet.’

There’s still time before the full power of the Moonlit Tribe manifests. If the moon rises, how much more will change?

I was curious, yet also apprehensive.

Kwang-!

While we continued exchanging blows, I subtly shifted my stance and twisted my waist.

I brought my arm back and opened my palm.

Hwa-reureureureuk—!!!

Flames instantly gathered, shaping themselves.

Forming an ‘Yeomok’ (Flame Orb), they transformed directly. It was the Yeomok Spear.

Reaching transcendence had overwhelmingly improved the casting speed and perfection.

Unlike before, when it took considerable time, now it was possible with just a thought.

I straightened the spearhead and thrust it towards him.

Kiiik-!!

The spear flew towards his torso, slicing through the air, but…

Keureu-!!

Kwagagagak–!!

‘Huh.’

He raised a hand and caught the spear. The flames coiled around his arm.

It was a force of extreme compression and rotation; catching it like that should have ripped his skin and everything else apart.

He stopped the Yeomok Spear dead in its tracks.

And just like that.

“Hooop!”

He swung his free fist towards my face.

‘Tsk!’

Seeing that, I clicked my tongue and released the force within the spear.

It wasn’t a retrieval; it was an explosion.

KWA-AAAAANG–!!!

Exploding the energy at such close range would damage me too, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that.

The spear detonated, creating a blast. I focused on the energy erupting, ignoring the recoil.

Even if it caused me damage, this was my energy.

I controlled all the flames floating in the air and condensed them.

Dozens of Yeomoks were created.

I hurled them at that Yusa fellow without hesitation.

Kwagagagagak—!!!

They rained down like meteors. As soon as Yusa saw the Yeomoks flying towards him, he crouched momentarily, then…

“KWA-AAAAAAAH—!!!”

He unleashed his energy with a fierce roar.

Simply emitting energy from his body alone. The momentum was so fierce that the Yeomoks couldn’t reach him and fizzled out.

Blue flames burst in the air like fireworks.

‘Ha.’

Is this the result of a mere roar?

I couldn’t help but be impressed.

However, this wasn’t the time for idle admiration.

“Keureureung-!”

He charged at me again. Like before, he extended his claws, shrouding them in fighting spirit.

The hand that had caught the spear had regenerated ages ago.

Kwadeudeuk-!!

The claws he slashed tore through the ground. As I dodged, his tail came flying at me.

He had puffed himself up, displaying his bulk.

I didn’t dodge this time. Its range was so wide that dodging was rather difficult.

‘I’ll have to block it.’

If I can’t dodge, I must block.

So, I thrust my clenched fist forward, as if spewing flames.

Gu-yeom-tae-a-rang.

Flames imbued with life essence struck his tail. The flames coiled around the tail, blocking its advance.

“Keu-euk!”

Perhaps due to the flames, he let out a groan. He looked pained. The problem was, while he showed pain, it only paused his actions briefly.

Chwaaak-!!

His claws slashed across my torso. An attack I couldn’t block had landed.

‘Kkkh.’

Enduring the groan, I created distance. I avoided a fatal wound. The wound wasn’t too deep, so I was alright.

Tadak-!

Yusa erased the flames clinging to his body with his energy.

Hudeuduk.

I roughly wiped away the flowing blood and looked at him.

Our eyes met. Then he frowned, looking at me.

“What is it?”

His expression was filled with questions.

“You. You’re weaker than I thought? Are you perhaps hiding your strength?”

Weaker than expected.

At those words, I clicked my tongue inwardly.

While I wasn’t going all out, it seemed unsatisfactory to him.

“Hmm……”

The question was turning into suspicion.

Is he really hiding his strength?

If so, why hide it?

Or perhaps, it wasn’t that he was hiding his strength, but…

Maybe he’s just weaker than me?

Such doubts were evident on his face.

He wasn’t entirely wrong.

It was true that I had been trying hard to act strong.

It’s just that…

‘Half right, half wrong.’

While it was true I was weaker than he expected, as his doubts suggested.

It was also true that I was hiding my strength.

‘It seems this level isn’t nearly enough.’

I couldn’t reach him at this level. If anything, I was being pushed back.

So, I decided to take another step.

Hwa-aaaaaaaaah-!!

I focused my heart and drew up my energy.

Immediately, the sky changed.

The sky, which had been slowly darkening, rapidly turned a vibrant blue.

Although it was only within a certain range, it was a distinct change. And it was something I had done.

Cheongcheon (Blue Sky).

I unfurled my domain using my energy.

Beneath the blue-dyed sky, the heat intensified.

And then.

Woo-oooooong—!!!

Energy gathered at the center of the Cheongcheon, forming a sphere as if the sun were rising.

Hwa-ryun-seong.

This too was a secret technique of the Nine Flames Wheel Formation.

It creates the sky and hoists a sun above it.

The domain was perfectly constructed.

Yusa rolled his eyes, seemingly flustured by the changed situation.

Seeing that, I clenched my fist.

Hwa-ryun-seong was originally a power that concentrated the caster’s presence into a jade star.

While its presence could be maximized through transformation…

‘If it becomes like this.’

I would be able to steal the attention of Yusa, whose senses were exceptionally keen, even if just for a moment.

That’s what I judged and cast it, but…

The fully risen Hwa-ryun-seong.

Just as I was about to unleash its power onto Yusa.

U-ttuk!

‘Hmm…?’

I had to freeze momentarily.

‘Huh?’

Something felt strange.

Was it my imagination? My body felt somehow different.

As I panicked at this strange sensation.

“Keureureung!”

Yusa, regaining his senses, charged at me. Seeing that, I moved instinctively.

Yes, it was instinct.

Kung-!

“Keo-heok!”

By the time I realized it, my fist was lodged in Yusa’s solar plexus.

Yusa, struck by the punch, was immediately sent flying, roughly skidding across the ground.

‘Huh…?’

Why did the attack land so easily?

Just moments ago, it barely even connected?

I examined my hand with a bewildered expression.

Only then did I understand the foreign sensation I had just felt.

Why?

‘…The power of the Moonlit Tribe has been unleashed?’

My body had inexplicably transformed into the form of the Moonlit Tribe.

Although I had used a spell to create ears and a tail, I could feel the change.

It had definitely changed.

‘The moon hasn’t even properly risen yet, so why?’

Just as the question arose, a thought flashed through my mind.

‘No way.’

I immediately tilted my head back and looked up at the sky.

There, a power resembling the sun I had created. Or perhaps, resembling the moon.

The Hwa-ryun-seong had risen, casting its light.