Chapter 208: If There’s No Path, You Make One.

Kugeugeuk!

Hwareureuk-!

The soaring flames showed no signs of stopping, turning the surroundings into a mess.

As if following a melody with the man’s gestures, the flames relentlessly whipped around.

Amidst the chaos, the man steadily moved forward.

The mist blanketing the mountain range couldn’t hinder his steps even slightly.

In fact, it was being pushed back by the flames and even dissipating.

Thus, the flames that had been wildly engulfing the surroundings.

Kung!

Soon stopped moving, as if blocked by something.

Seeing that, the man, Gu Cheolun, halted his steps.

The warriors of Ilgeomdae following behind Gu Cheolun also froze along with his movement.

“It’s a formation.”

Gu Cheolun spoke.

He could tell just by glancing at it.

After all, he had ignited the flames precisely to find this.

“I’ll check it out.”

The one who stepped forward to speak was the vice-captain of Ilgeomdae.

He was rather proficient in formations.

He tended to take the lead in Ilgeomdae’s activities concerning formations, but…

“There’s no need.”

This time, Gu Cheolun stopped him.

Because there was no particular reason to do so.

Especially not in a situation like this.

Seueue….

Flames ignited, seemingly enveloping Gu Cheolun, and the wheel of Gu-yeom-hwa-ryun-gong expanded.

Then, Gu Cheolun’s black hair gradually turned red.

Hwi-i-ik!

The wind shimmering around was instantly pulled towards Gu Cheolun.

On his calloused palm, a small sphere gradually formed.

Due to the immense energy contained within the small sphere, one could mistake the surroundings for distorting.

-Kwak!

Gripping the blazing sphere in his hand, Gu Cheolun spoke.

“If it blocks us, we just break it.”

And then.

With Gu Cheolun’s gesture, the mountain range echoed.

---

Kuuung-!

Along with a tremendous roar, the sky shimmered.

Rather than the sky actually shaking, it would be more accurate to say the entire formation, laid out like a barrier, trembled.

‘…Even so, isn’t this just brute force smashing through?’

I had to express my utter astonishment watching it.

I had thought Father would arrive soon, but…

I never imagined he’d think of destroying the entire formation like this.

Frankly, I didn’t expect him to make the sky look like that upon arrival either.

I looked up at the sky, now flushed entirely red.

‘Still as vigorous as ever.’

That red sky was proof that the Gu family’s martial arts had reached near perfection (極成).

Whether Father had truly reached perfection or not, I couldn’t know for sure, but the power was comparable.

Some said Father had passed his prime and was staying within the clan.

As for me, having witnessed Father’s actions and strength right after the Demon Cult’s appearance…

I knew how absurd that claim was.

Father’s prime had not ended.

In fact, he was likely much stronger now than in his youth when he was actively engaged.

As I kept gazing at the sky, Namgung Bi-ah asked me.

“Is this… Father…?”

“Yeah, my Father… What?”

I flinched slightly at Namgung Bi-ah’s question.

It was because the way she addressed him felt strange.

“What did you just say?”

I asked, flustered, but Namgung Bi-ah only looked at the sky, offering no reply.

Since this wasn’t the most important matter, I decided to let it slide.

Kuung!

Following the previous one, another loud sound erupted.

It really seemed like he intended to smash the formation to pieces.

[He’s using the same method as someone.]

“…”

[So very much alike.]

Shin No-ya, who had been keeping quiet since the talk about Mu-ryong, reappeared as if he’d been waiting and chimed in.

It was incredibly annoying, but I had no grounds to argue.

Because it was indeed too similar to the method I used in my previous life.

-Move!

-It’s the east! A Flame Ghost appeared!

Was it because the formation kept taking heavy blows?

Finally, a large number of Black Night Palace members appeared.

‘Where’s the Palace Lord?’

I didn’t need to make a special effort to find the Palace Lord.

Beneath the reddened sky, I could see black mist moving as if flying through the air.

‘Is he heading towards Father?’

I had expected him to go towards the hostages, naturally.

For some reason, the Palace Lord seemed to be heading towards Father.

‘Actually, that’s for the best.’

Yes, if the Palace Lord managed to escape the palace, that would be a good outcome.

When the Palace Lord confronted Father directly, I didn’t think Father would lose.

I didn’t know how strong the Black Night Palace Lord, Samao-je, was, but…

If the Palace Lord was weaker than the Three Lords of the World…

…there was no way Father would lose.

Having confirmed that much, I rose from my stealthy posture.

‘It seems the others haven’t arrived yet.’

Shortly after departing, I had sent a message not only to Father but also towards Hao Mun along the expected route.

The message was sent to Do Woon-chu, the head of the branch, but…

It seemed they hadn’t arrived yet.

Were they perhaps verifying if the information in the message was real?

‘I don’t know if the Hao Mun Lord is truly at the main palace, but it’s true that this is the main palace.’

Even if they didn’t come, it was fine.

They weren’t a crucial force anyway.

Originally, I considered borrowing the name of Namgung Jin, the head of the Namgung family, to send a message to the Martial League, but…

The League was dangerous in many ways.

Although called the Martial League, one couldn’t be sure if it truly consisted only of the League’s members, plus…

‘I couldn’t trust the League itself.’

It seemed better to trust Hao Mun, a faction of the unorthodox path.

It was truly a damn awkward situation.

-…How…. are you going to do it?

As I got up, Namgung Bi-ah asked me via telepathy.

To use telepathy right after reaching the peak state…

The more I saw, the more amazed I was by Namgung Bi-ah’s talent.

Who taught her? There wouldn’t be anyone like that.

While marveling at that, I had to focus on other things for the moment.

-We need to get inside.

-How…?

-We made a hole earlier.

The hole-ridden wall up ahead.

Moreover, with even fewer guards now, this was the perfect time.

Of course, there were still some observing the wall even in this situation, but…

‘Four… three second-rate, one first-rate.’

They weren’t particularly outstanding.

Seureureung.

Before I could even say anything, Namgung Bi-ah seemed to have grasped my intention and drew her sword.

Lightning energy surrounded the keenly sharpened blade.

Watching that, I calmly sent a telepathic message to Namgung Bi-ah.

It was to send a signal.

• On one, two, three, we go together…! Hey!

As soon as I said ‘three,’ Namgung Bi-ah shot forward and charged.

With a ‘shoot!’ feeling, I immediately dashed out too.

“…!”

A warrior of the Black Night Palace near the wall spotted Namgung Bi-ah and immediately opened his mouth, but…

Seogeok-!

Namgung Bi-ah’s sword was faster.

She severed the warrior’s neck with lightning speed, then Namgung Bi-ah unleashed her lightning energy, overwhelming the surroundings.

Every time Namgung Bi-ah’s sword left a trail in the air.

Warriors fell, bleeding.

There was no need to even check; they were instantly dead.

Even though I followed quickly, by the time I arrived, the situation was already resolved.

This means four warriors died by Namgung Bi-ah’s hand before they could even properly react.

Namgung Bi-ah wiped the blood off her sword.

I stared at her with disbelief.

Namgung Bi-ah seemed to notice my gaze, looked at me, and wore a puzzled expression.

“…This. Isn’t it?”

“…”

I couldn’t say anything in response to Namgung Bi-ah’s words.

Putting that aside, we couldn’t linger here, so I entered the palace interior with Namgung Bi-ah.

---

The interior of the palace was much larger than it appeared from the outside.

Because we had to move stealthily, suppressing our presence, I couldn’t get a proper grasp, but…

It surely exceeded the size of the Gu family’s estate. And by quite a lot.

‘How on earth did they hide a building like this?’

Formations aren’t omnipotent.

Naturally, the larger the area, the harder it is to conceal with a formation.

Furthermore, blocking it so effectively that the palace was completely invisible from the outside was nearly impossible.

‘I admit Tae-jeol-gwi is an outstanding individual, but…’

In terms of creating and assembling mechanisms, I haven’t seen anyone superior to that old man,

so I acknowledge his craftsmanship, but…

I still find these aspects difficult to comprehend.

It was as if…

…they had built the structure in another dimension while calling it a formation.

‘…Where could Gu Huibi be?’

Regardless.

The most important thing right now was Gu Huibi’s location.

Since I used the Heavenly Road Bead earlier, I couldn’t use it until its light returned.

The crimson light, which had shown the way like the bead guiding the path, only indicated the target’s direction in a straight line.

It didn’t show the path, so I ultimately had to find it myself.

‘Judging by the light, it seems she’s underground.’

Since the light was pointing downwards from its current position, Gu Huibi seemed to be in the basement.

Swish!

While I was thinking, sword energy grazed past my face.

Then, blood spurted from the front, and someone collapsed.

• Person. Focus.

-…Thanks.

Namgung Bi-ah had eliminated the approaching enemy beforehand.

‘How did she do that?’

No matter how lost in thought I was, my senses couldn’t possibly be lower than Namgung Bi-ah’s.

Namgung Bi-ah had sensed the enemy before I did.

‘Is it a difference in senses?’

Finding the gap in the formation earlier, sensing the opponent…

Was it all due to that difference?

It felt too ambiguous to dismiss it as just that.

“Intruders…!”

Udook.

“Kkeureureuk…!”

The man, who was about to shout upon seeing me, collapsed with his neck snapped.

Even while thinking, my hands moved ceaselessly.

Even if my attention was diverted outside, it wasn’t like the palace was devoid of personnel.

In these aspects, honestly, Namgung Bi-ah was doing much better than I had worried.

‘She shows no hesitation.’

Namgung Bi-ah’s sword shows no hesitation in killing opponents.

Surely, this must be her first time killing someone else.

Yet, Namgung Bi-ah showed no qualms about it.

Normally, this shouldn’t be possible.

‘Even I….’

If I recall the first time I killed in this life…

My young body trembled uncontrollably, unable to adapt to taking a life.

In my past life….

‘I was sick for a while, wasn’t I?’

I think I was groaning in discomfort for at least a few days.

In that regard, Namgung Bi-ah seemed completely unfazed.

“Kkeueuak…!”

Another person was swept away by Namgung Bi-ah’s lightning energy and met their end.

‘She’s also adept at handling lightning energy.’

She skillfully uses the lightning energy surrounding her sword and body.

It’s strangely so.

-…Above.

Following Namgung Bi-ah’s telepathic message, I unleashed flames.

This time, I had sensed it beforehand too.

Hwareureuk! The blazing flames headed towards the ceiling.

“Kkuaaak!”

Those whose bodies caught fire fell to the ground.

They were the ones attempting a surprise attack.

As I knocked them down, Namgung Bi-ah swung her sword, finishing the cleanup.

‘It feels like we’re fitting together too well.’

We hadn’t practiced coordination, yet my synergy with Namgung Bi-ah was incredibly good.

‘Well, we were good at this aspect back then too.’

Thinking back to my synergy with Ma-geom-hu, who was terrible in every other aspect…

When it came to combat, we naturally coordinated well without needing words.

Back then, both of us were at a higher level than now, so it felt like we could intuitively understand each other, but…

Now it’s different, so this must purely be good synergy.

As we continued pushing deeper into the palace.

“…!”

A flash appeared before my eyes.

I quickly turned my head to dodge the sword.

Simultaneously, Namgung Bi-ah, who was behind me, swung her sword, firing sword energy towards the opponent.

The sword energy mixed with lightning was sharp, but…

Pang!

It crumbled in mid-air at the opponent’s touch.

I raised my internal energy and looked ahead. Then, a voice reached me.

“So that’s who was recklessly charging around like this. It was you two.”

Kkeul-kkeul.

A voice rasped as if thick with phlegm.

My eyes narrowed as I looked at the opponent.

It was a man clad in black martial attire, holding his sword downwards.

‘Damn.’

I didn’t recognize his face, but judging by his aura, he was definitely not weak.

The fact that I couldn’t properly gauge his level was proof of that.

‘Has he surpassed the Flower Realm?’

I couldn’t be sure, but it was certain he was a strong opponent.

“You guys are younger than expected. Your identities….”

As soon as the old man opened his mouth.

Namgung Bi-ah struck first.

Her sword, imbued with lightning energy, drew a semicircle, leaving a fierce trail.

Sensing that the energy contained within the sword was far from trivial, the man raised his own sword.

Kwaang!

It was too violent a sound to be just swords clashing.

“…You…!”

Perhaps because she was stronger than expected, the man, pushed back a step, widened his eyes.

He seemed to have roughly gauged Namgung Bi-ah’s level from that clash.

Seeing an opponent whose level was definitely not lower than his own.

Namgung Bi-ah stepped forward without hesitation.

The sword path drawn in the air was slightly different from the sword paths I had seen Namgung Bi-ah use before.

It was faster and sharper, of course, but…

‘Something has changed.’

As I’m not a swordsman, I can’t explain it properly, but…

It was certain that something had changed.

[…Hoho.]

Shin No-ya exclaimed in admiration while watching Namgung Bi-ah’s movements.

[Truly, that child is indeed Namgung’s miracle.]

He added, seemingly pleased with his own praise, but…

I wished he could hold back a bit in a situation like this.

As the man tried to move, dodging Namgung Bi-ah’s sword.

This time, I lunged at the opponent.

“…This guy!”

As if not making the same mistake twice, the man’s eyes turned towards me, but…

Hwareureuk.

My body, clad in Azure Flames using my blood energy, was faster than the opponent expected.

“…!”

The sword, which had been aiming to attack, quickly shifted to a defensive stance upon my movement.

My fist, aimed precisely at the blade, met it.

Paaang-!

As the sword imbued with energy clashed, a sonic boom occurred.

The man was flung backward.

Bouncing off, the man rolled on the ground but quickly regained his stance.

He probably took almost no damage.

After all, the attack was intended solely to push him back.

“You bastards…! How dare you…?”

The man seemed enraged and raised his killing intent, but…

His expression twisted as he saw the flames surrounding my hand.

“What are you trying to do right now…!”

He seemed to have figured out my intention for conjuring the flames, but…

I quickly pulled Namgung Bi-ah closer and detonated the concentrated flames in my hand.

The man swung his sword to block it, but…

Namgung Bi-ah unleashed another burst of sword energy towards the man, restraining his actions.

Thanks to that, I could detonate the flames.

Kwaaang-!

Kwadeudeudeuk-!

Sweeping across the ceiling and floor, the walls collapsed.

The collapsing debris thus formed another wall.

“…Hoo.”

I retracted my energy and let out a sigh.

The backlash of intense pain struck my body due to unleashing the Azure Flames, but I had to endure it for now.

[Move quickly, you won’t be able to hold out much longer.]

‘I know.’

This was merely buying time.

I could tell from that last exchange.

The opponent was definitely a martial artist in the Flower Realm.

Even if Namgung Bi-ah and I teamed up, I doubted we could defeat him, let alone…

…the other enemies would surely find us during that time.

‘…They must have noticed because of that noise anyway.’

Therefore, we needed to move without engaging further.

I spoke to Namgung Bi-ah, who was unconsciously looking at the wall with a disappointed expression.

“We’re going down.”

“Huh?”

Namgung Bi-ah looked around at my words, but…

There were no stairs nearby to go down.

Regarding this, I intended to borrow briefly from my past life’s experience.

‘…I didn’t want to use such a crude method.’

Given that enemies would be swarming us soon after what just happened, there was no other way.

I raised my internal energy and conjured flames around my hand.

Not only had the backlash not ended, but…

…I had drawn out more energy than necessary at once, causing my dantian to tremble, but…

It wasn’t a situation where I could afford to worry about such things, so I ignored it.

‘If there’s no path, you have to make one.’

Breaking and demolishing things was my specialty.

Without hesitation, I reached towards the floor.

Flames erupted, causing the ground to sink.