Chapter 1160: Scorched World.

One of the Three Sovereigns of the world, Paejon, challenged Gu Seongyeol to a martial arts duel.

And he did it right in front of everyone. At that fact, the attendees of the banquet froze like stone.

“…….”

At those words, Gu Seongyeol calmly gazed at Paejon.

Even under his gaze, Paejon’s reaction remained unchanged.

“You and I don’t enjoy these trivial banquets, do we? Even though I only came following my disciple. It’s been a while, so we should enjoy ourselves.”

“…….”

He was basically saying, ‘This banquet is boring, let’s just fight.’

What kind of crude conversation is that?

To challenge the head of a great family to a brawl just because they met.

As everyone let out hollow laughs at the absurd statement.

“…….”

Gu Seongyeol shifted his gaze from Paejon to Jin Yeonryeong.

Under that gaze, Jin Yeonryeong’s eyes widened slightly, and she nodded with a low chuckle.

Seeing that, Gu Seongyeol spoke to Paejon.

“Let’s go outside.”

No way, did he just ask Jin Yeonryeong for permission regarding the duel?

“……Ha.”

Paejon chuckled at his action.

“I wondered who turned you into a person. Turns out it was that woman.”

Paejon looked at Jin Yeonryeong as if bewildered.

“She is the most beautiful person in the world.”

Gu Seongyeol shielded her from his gaze and said.

“Don’t look at her carelessly.”

“……Haha.”

As I scrunched up my face at his stomach-churning words, Paejon mirrored my expression and said.

“Unknowingly, I’ve become disgusted. Makes you wonder if there’s any point in beating you.”

With those words, Gu Seongyeol and Paejon rose to their feet.

As the two of them headed outside, Gu Seongyeol looked back and said.

“Something has come up, so I must leave first. Please enjoy the rest of the banquet.”

“…….”

The family head and Paejon had left the banquet first.

Everyone stared blankly at this, and so did I.

‘What the heck?’

Why did this happen so suddenly? As I wondered about it.

-Follow me.

Paejon’s telepathic message reached me.

-I’ll show you something good.

“…….”

At those words, I subtly got up as well. At that moment.

Swoosh.

“……!”

“…….”

My eyes met someone else who was getting up at the same time.

It was Father.

“…….”

“…….”

It seemed like they had received a similar message.

---

I walked following Paejon’s words. He told me to head straight north, so I had a rough idea of the location.

As I walked, recalling that, I spoke to the person beside me.

It was Father.

“Are you going because you heard the words of House Head Gu?”

Just as I moved after hearing Paejon’s telepathic message, I wondered if Father hadn’t done the same.

“…….”

Father didn’t answer and just kept walking silently.

“Vice Leader-nim?”

I asked again, wondering if he hadn’t heard, but there was still no reaction.

Only then did I become certain that Father was ignoring me.

Convinced, I immediately blocked Father’s path.

“Vice Leader-nim.”

“…….”

Father looked at me as I blocked his way. His sharp gaze pierced me. Honestly, I flinched. Even though my cultivation and strength were greater, my ingrained instincts were different. I was still afraid of Father’s eyes.

“What is it?”

His heavy question choked me. The words I was about to say retreated, but I forced them out.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“Acting like what?”

“You’re childishly ignoring me right now.”

“……Childish?”

Perhaps my words offended him, as Father’s eyes sharpened. Oh, damn it. Father is still a member of the Gu clan, after all. His uncomfortable expression was damn scary.

“It’s true. Ignoring someone is something a child would do.”

“…….”

“Are you that angry that I’m your brother?”

Gu Seongyeol had proven it. That I am his son. That meant I was ultimately a bastard son, and Father’s half-brother.

‘What a mess.’

A bastard son here too? It’s a damn shame, but I’ll let it slide for now. Something has happened. It’s just that Father’s reaction right now didn’t sit well with me at all.

“Did I want this? I apologize for hiding it, though.”

“Who said that?”

“Huh?”

“That I was angry about such things. Who said that?”

“……Aren’t you?”

The fact that I’m his half-brother, and that I didn’t reveal it. Wasn’t that what he was angry about? As I asked, puzzled.

“You’re wrong.”

Father said to me with a serious expression.

“I don’t believe it in the first place.”

“Believe what?”

“Baek Yangcheon. Yes.”

“I mean I don’t believe you are my brother.”

“……!”

I widened my eyes upon hearing that. What was this supposed to mean? He doesn’t believe me?

“What the hell is that…”

“No matter what House Head Gu said, I don’t believe his words.”

“……Why?”

“Well.”

Father uttered, then walked past me.

“I don’t know that. So, from now on, I will find out the reason.”

“…….”

“You are not my brother. That is my conviction. However, I lack the reason, so I must find it starting now.”

Father was resolute. He spoke with the conviction that I was definitely not his brother. How could he be like that? I wondered why he was so resolute, but he himself didn’t know the reason for his resolve. Since he was certain without knowing the reason. He said he would now search for that reason.

‘……What kind of crazy thought is that?’

How strong must his self-conviction be to act like this? It was fascinating, but that wasn’t the important thing right now.

Whoooosh-!!

Father departed immediately. The sight of him rising swiftly, enveloped in flames, resembled a meteor.

“Tsk…”

His speed is quite fast. I scratched my cheek awkwardly, then focused my energy.

Vwoom-!!

‘I’ll have to chase hard.’

Since I couldn’t generate flames, time was short. I had to keep up without rest.

---

After running around using my energy diligently for a while.

Thump-! Thump–!! Thump-thump–!!!

A rough vibration was felt beneath my feet.

‘What is it?’

I scanned ahead, puzzled.

Boom-!! Thump-thump-!!

It was shaking. I couldn’t hear any sound, but I could feel the vibrations. Feeling that, I let out a hollow laugh.

‘No sound, but I can feel vibrations?’

Just how much. From what distance are these vibrations felt?

‘What are they doing?’

Puzzled, I gathered strength throughout my body.

Zzzzt-!

Feeling power in my thighs, I kicked off the ground.

KWAANG–!!!

The scenery changed in an instant. As I ran even faster for a long time.

Boom-! KUAAAAA-!!

Only then did sounds begin to faintly reach me. The sounds that started faintly quickly became a roar,

KUAAAAA–!!!

and like ceaseless thunder, they began pounding my ears.

‘What are they doing?’

Seriously, with this much noise, where and what are they doing? Even the distance is an issue.

‘At this rate, I’ll soon be out of Shanxi Province…?’

A distance almost out of Shanxi. If anything, it was a location close to the front lines. What could they possibly be doing to come this far?

Just as that question arose.

Hwaaaaaaaa—-!!!

“……!”

I stopped dead in my tracks at the bright light that erupted before my eyes.

It was flames. A pillar made of fire filled my entire vision. I knew it the moment I saw it. This was the flame of the Gu-yeom Hwaryun Gong.

However.

‘It’s damn vast.’

The energy it emitted, the firepower capable of filling that vast area and more. The sheer amount of internal energy required to handle it was astonishing.

‘It’s a similar method to mine.’

More precisely, it felt similar to the method I used in my past life. Vast amounts of internal energy. A barbaric fighting style that overwhelms using it. It was a simple yet intense method of facing enemies using only high levels of internal energy.

‘……Tsk.’

I changed direction while watching the flames. Because getting closer might affect me too. Even as I descended to find a safe zone, I couldn’t help but stare at the flames with surprise. It was because I felt something seeing this.

‘It’s a method I don’t use anymore, though.’

The reversed method when meeting Lord Shin and Paejon. Compression and rotation. A method of increasing the flame’s intensity using those. Since learning that, I hadn’t attempted such crude releases, but

‘If.’

Just if. If I had continued practicing martial arts in that way and finally reached Great Accomplishment,

‘Would I have been like that?’

It looked like I might have been. As I watched this curiously.

“Tsk tsk tsk.”

A laugh was heard from within the flames. At that moment.

Thung-!!

KUAAAAAA–!!!

With a loud noise, a hole was pierced through the flames. Immense air pressure grazed my cheek.

“You’re quite a slowpoke. I definitely told you to come quickly.”

Inside the created hole, Paejon stood with his hands behind his back.

“If you’re this slow, how will you ever get stronger? Don’t you think so?”

“…….”

Paejon clicked his tongue while looking at me, then glanced elsewhere. There, Gu Seongyeol floated in the air, looking down at Paejon.

But.

‘……What is it?’

His appearance is strange. He wasn’t enveloped in flames, but his hair fluttered, and his eyes were closer to vermilion than deep crimson. An appearance I’d never seen, with an aura that felt both familiar and unfamiliar. What is that? What could it mean? As the questions surfaced.

“Disciple-nim.”

Paejon’s voice struck me.

“You’d do well to look over here instead of there.”

My gaze shifted.

Crackle-!!

“……!”

The moment I looked at Paejon, I heard something breaking. The ground? No.

‘……What is that?’

It’s the air. Starting from Paejon, cracks began to appear in the air. As my eyes widened at the distorted shape. Paejon released his clasped hands behind his back.

“Now. The ones I need to show have arrived, so we should get serious, right?”

“…….”

At those words, Gu Seongyeol slowly gathered flames onto his palm, and Paejon, seeing that,

“Watch carefully. This is how you shatter the heavens, something you haven’t seen yet.”

He unleashed his energy with a mad laugh.

At that energy.

The sky broke.