Chapter 1009: The Divine Tree and the Master.

Kuuuung–!!!

The moment my fist met the ground, the floor instantly crumbled.

While my strength might be a factor, feeling the sensation of it crumbling, I was certain in my heart.

‘The floor is weak.’

It wasn’t solid. It felt like there was nothing supporting it from below.

Kung-! Kung-kung-!!!

As I continuously threw punches, every spot I touched began to break apart.

My strength has increased, yes, but separate from that, this place being particularly weak must be another reason.

I break it, and break it again.

Just in case, I’d activated a technique to block vibrations and noise.

After smashing away for a long time…

Pasak-!

“Oh.”

The floor collapsed, revealing the space below. As I landed, I saw stairs leading down.

I triggered a spark, sending it flying upwards towards the top of the stairs.

It twisted and tangled, making it impossible to tell where it started.

Confirming that, I tilted my head up. I wanted to check the hole I’d come down through.

‘I’ve come down quite a ways.’

It seemed I’d descended a bit deeper than expected.

I brushed off the stone fragments clinging to my hand and checked the front and back of the stairs.

It didn’t seem like the way up, so naturally, I chose the path leading down.

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I continued descending the stairs.

The fact that the path down seemed endless was incredibly frustrating.

So, I briefly considered just breaking through, but then I convinced myself it was better to endure since I had found a path.

Walking while thinking made it bearable.

And what I was thinking about was none other than the fight with Yu-sa.

‘Why didn’t it activate?’

I had intended to use the Gu family’s Ultimate Move back then, but after using Gu-yeom-tae-arang, the Ultimate Move didn’t properly manifest, which was the problem.

‘What was it?’

Why? It wasn’t like my martial arts were completely blocked. I could still use fire properly and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, so it wasn’t an energy issue.

‘Hmm.’

Did I use something incorrectly? If so, what was the problem?

I pondered, but nothing came to mind.

If I had to guess.

‘Does it require time between uses?’

After using the Ultimate Move, a ring appeared behind my back. It powered my martial arts by spinning.

However…

‘Once I used the Ultimate Move, the ring didn’t spin again.’

Seeing that, I thought maybe it needed time before it could be used again.

If that’s the case, how long would I have to wait?

‘I need to know the exact timing.’

This is definitely necessary confirmation if I don’t want to make the same mistake in a real fight.

‘I’ll need to spend time figuring this out later.’

I felt this even more keenly, as I hadn’t had time to figure it out on my own.

Reaching transcendence is good, but ultimately, if I don’t know what my power truly is, problems are bound to arise when I need to use it.

Wasn’t it the same during the fight with Yu-sa?

‘It didn’t seem that dangerous.’

That was just the situation. If you think about it, it wasn’t entirely safe either.

‘A graze would have been fatal.’

If I thought I was going to get hit, I had to concentrate my energy blade into one point for defense. If I hadn’t focused on evasion and taken even one proper hit…

‘Could I have won?’

I wasn’t sure.

After all, I ended up winning by using Myung.

‘Sip.’

Regrettable. Truly regrettable.

Using Myung near the end, and…

‘I didn’t get everything I could have from him.’

The guy who told me the location died abruptly, so I couldn’t obtain most of what I should have gotten from him.

Among those, the most important thing I was looking for was…

‘Predation.’

His divine power, Predation. The strength to grow stronger the more you consume. It was another power, similar to the power of Demonic Absorption Art and Greed.

I had obtained information from Yu-sa, whom I was with alongside Cheong-sae, in the past.

It was that…

‘A General’s divine power can also be consumed by Greed.’

The moment he tried to use his divine power on me, Greed activated and devoured his divine power instead.

As a result, Greed was able to consume information about Predation and bring it back.

This means, in other words…

‘Not only dragons, but the powers held by the people here won’t work against me.’

And also…

‘I can even devour their divine powers.’

The moment they admitted defeat. It meant Greed could steal their divine powers too.

Thinking about that, missing out on Yu-sa’s power was quite a regrettable thing.

Especially since it felt like a power that suited me well.

‘To think he’d just die like this.’

Yu-sa died right in front of me, making it impossible to obtain.

‘Tsk.’

What a shame.

Overall, the fight with him was mostly disappointing.

‘Think positively.’

It’s not like I gained nothing. I tried to think of the bright side.

‘Right? I learned that demonic energy doesn’t affect me easily. That I could demonize a General…’

And most importantly.

‘I learned the location of the Sacred Tree.’

Comforting myself like this, I walked for a while longer.

“……Finally, here.”

The end of the long, long stairs finally came into view.

Descending the steep stairs to the very bottom, I saw a steel door embedded beneath a large wall.

Anyone could tell that was where I needed to go.

As if it were obvious, I reached out my hand.

Uu-u-ung.

“Hmm.”

The space distorted, and I felt a ripple in my hand. It felt like putting my hand into water.

However, it wasn’t like I couldn’t grasp the doorknob, or that there was a problem with the door.

I just felt the ripple, grabbed the doorknob, and…

Kki-i-i-ik–!!!

Pulled it open.

Fortunately, the door opened without much difficulty.

The moment the door opened, the watery sensation in my hand subsided.

As I pulled the steel door fully open, light poured out. I squinted.

The light was so bright, I couldn’t help but squint.

Narrowing my eyes, I shielded them with my hand. After a short while, my eyes adjusted.

“……Huh.”

I burst out in admiration upon seeing the space created inside.

“Holy crap. What is this?”

It was unbelievable. Surrounded by steel doors, I had thought they’d planted a tree underground or something, but…

The interior felt nothing like underground.

It was a so-called paradise. Sprawling fields, a beautiful lake, and beyond that, lush flower gardens were visible.

How could such a beautiful garden exist? I couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.

I had never seen a garden this beautiful in my life.

Even the park in Solim, built with immense wealth, wasn’t this magnificent.

Lost in the stunning spectacle, I was momentarily captivated.

“……Ah.”

I finally snapped back to reality. I couldn’t forget the purpose of my visit.

“Sacred Tree……”

I came here to find the Sacred Tree. Reminding myself, I looked around. I was trying to find the tree.

‘What is this?’

It was strange. The garden was beautiful, but not large. The ceiling was somehow open, like the sun was shining, high and bright. But there was no towering tree like the ones at the Hwasan Sect.

What was going on? Why couldn’t I see the Sacred Tree?

Around the field, several trees were visible. But looking at them, they were just ordinary trees.

Nothing that could be called a Sacred Tree was visible at all.

What is it?

‘Is there no Sacred Tree?’

Is this the wrong place? Although anyone would assume this secret space was where the Sacred Tree would be.

It’s not here?

This is absurd.

“It must be here.”

There’s no way it isn’t. It’s definitely somewhere. Believing so, I moved my energy.

Just like before. I focused to feel the Sacred Tree’s energy.

Hwa-a-a-ak–!

Surprisingly, the energy instantly reached me without needing focus.

Refreshing and clear energy.

At the same time, a sacred feeling.

What I couldn’t properly feel above the meeting hall radiated clearly here.

A potent energy that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.

Feeling it, I turned my head.

‘There.’

The space where the trees gathered.

The Sacred Tree’s energy emanated from there. I immediately moved my feet towards it.

I strode purposefully, pushing through the trees. As I moved towards something, the wind blowing around me grew stronger.

‘There’s wind everywhere, but where is it coming from?’

If this place is truly underground, it shouldn’t be possible for wind to blow. The fact that wind was blowing like this felt unnatural.

This means…

‘This place is not a normal space.’

It’s proof that it’s not an ordinary space, and…

It’s also proof that I’ve arrived correctly.

Gaining that certainty, I pushed through the trees, and…

I finally approached a tree and stopped in front of it.

“……Hmm?”

Then, I tilted my head. My brow furrowed involuntarily. I couldn’t help it.

“This is the Sacred Tree…?”

What stood before me was an utterly ordinary tree.

A tree with plain, green leaves that you could see anywhere.

It wasn’t particularly large, nor were its leaves unusual.

It looked no different from the surrounding trees.

“……What is this.”

The energy I felt was definitely coming from this tree.

Is this really the Sacred Tree?

‘It looks so different from what I’ve seen before.’

The tree at the Hwasan Sect was enormous, blocking out the sky.

The Sacred Tree I expected to be the Master’s… although it was noticeably smaller than a typical Sacred Tree, its aura and appearance made it recognizable as one.

But…

‘What is this one?’

This utterly ordinary thing is the Sacred Tree?

If I hadn’t felt the energy, I would have completely passed it by.

Shaking my head repeatedly, I decided to check it, reaching out towards the trunk of the tree.

As my fingertips touched it, I felt a rough texture.

Indeed, the feel was no different from any other tree…

Sa-a-a-a-a-a–!!!

“……?”

Suddenly, a wind blew from the tree.

Not from the surroundings, but precisely from the tree itself. What is this?

The tree rustled its leaves, emitting a refreshing breeze.

Why is it acting like this now?

As confusion furrowed my brow, a voice spoke.

“How is it?”

“……!”

Startled by the voice behind me, I immediately turned my head.

I hadn’t sensed anyone’s presence.

Thinking it might be an enemy, I hastily raised my guard, but…

Freeze.

Seeing the person behind me, I had to stop everything.

“It looks ordinary, but it’s a strong and kind child.”

A woman with white hair, dressed in elegant clothes. Her face was smiling kindly towards me.

Her smile, directed at me, made the world go hazy.

Unable to utter a word, frozen stiff as I stared at the woman.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The woman spoke to me, who had turned to stone.

She was…

“My son.”

My mother.