Chapter 154

Hyeol Unam’s brow furrowed.

This situation—

To put it bluntly, he hadn’t seen it coming.

It wouldn’t have made a difference even if someone else had shown up instead of him. This was just... completely absurd.

No one had ever held the Main Blood Sect accountable.

More precisely, no one could.

Who would dare demand accountability from the Main Blood Sect? They’d have to be insane.

He stared at No Cheonmyeong in front of him.

There was no way Hyeol Unam didn’t know this man.

He was still a man of considerable fame even now.

Fifty years ago, he had left the martial world and holed up in Shin Sam Valley, a remote outer region of Zhongyuan, to train in seclusion.

But after fifty years without progress—normally, anyone would’ve given /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ up long ago. Yet he stubbornly clung to training, never letting go.

Of course, someone without talent striving nonetheless was worthy of respect.

But twenty years was the limit. At fifty years, it was no longer respectable but worthy of personal ridicule.

The reason was simple. After that long, it meant he was simply trapped in his own ego.

Bluntly speaking, Hyeol Unam had always considered No Cheonmyeong a fool.

And now, seeing him again, that judgment didn’t seem wrong.

“So, after fifty years away from the martial world, you're about to die as soon as you return, No Cheonmyeong.”

At that, No Cheonmyeong stroked his white beard and smiled calmly.

“Do you really think the odds of me dying are higher than the odds of you dying?”

“Even if I die here, you too will undoubtedly meet your end not long after.”

“We’ll see about that when the time comes.”

“...You mad bastard. Reaching Heaven-Human Embodiment is admirable, but do you really think a freshly ascended one like you can stand against me?”

No Cheonmyeong let out a sigh.

“Ha. This bastard talks too much. I’m already irritated that you’re speaking so informally, and now your pathetic arrogance is pissing me off even more.”

Hyeol Unam drew his sword.

True to his title, Blood Rain Sword Demon, he wielded the sword.

To put it bluntly, Hyeol Unam had no doubt he would survive this battle. He knew his own strength better than anyone.

He pointed his blade at No Cheonmyeong and asked,

“Can you bear it? There’s a reason no one ever holds the Main Blood Sect accountable.”

No Cheonmyeong gave a shrug and smiled. He didn’t disagree.

No one had ever held the Main Blood Sect accountable before.

The greatest sect in the martial world.

The sect to which the Supreme Martial Lord belonged.

And not one that followed the path of righteousness—but the bloodstained path.

And yet—

“What’s that got to do with me? That guy over there will take care of everything anyway.”

His gaze briefly shifted to Unhwi. Unhwi was observing the situation with a calm expression.

More importantly—

“Whether the Main Blood Sect is the enemy or not, I’m only here to repay a debt. If a martial artist’s intent to repay grace summons an enemy, then it’s only right to face that enemy.”

No Cheonmyeong’s voice carried the weight of a long life endured.

Judging that further conversation was meaningless, Hyeol Unam suddenly leapt forward. The sword in his hand, Blood Rain Thousand Sword, shot toward No Cheonmyeong like a bolt of lightning.

Blood Cloud Heavenly Thunder.

In an instant, the entire gorge was dyed red.

Wherever his feet touched, wherever the sword passed, mist of blood formed—and that mist exploded, shattering the rocks of the canyon into fragments.

This was why he was called the Blood Rain Sword Demon.

But No Cheonmyeong didn’t budge. He stood there, hands clasped behind his back.

He had learned many techniques in the past.

But from the moment he reached Heaven-Human Embodiment, all those techniques converged into one.

Simply put—

No Cheonmyeong had created a new martial art by fusing everything he had ever learned.

Heaven-Fire Profound Human Method.

Rrrrrrrumble—

With a great roar, the air around No Cheonmyeong began to distort.

Like shimmering heat on a sweltering summer day, the space around him warped, and all the energy unleashed by Hyeol Unam was sucked into it.

“Wh-What is this...?”

At Hyeol Unam’s trembling voice, No Cheonmyeong laughed.

“Fifty years is long enough to learn much.”

He slowly stepped forward.

“And even more to forget. But there’s one thing that never fades. Know what that is?”

Hyeol Unam frowned. No Cheonmyeong continued with a smile.

“The will of a martial artist.”

The moment his foot touched the ground, the entire Moonjin Gorge trembled.

KRRAAAAAACK—!!

Like an earthquake, the earth split and boulders collapsed.

Heaven-Fire Profound Human Method – First Form: Heaven-Fire Opens the Earth.

Flame-like energy surged from No Cheonmyeong’s body. It was intangible fire, but it spread through the ground and rushed toward Hyeol Unam.

Hyeol Unam quickly leapt back and swung his sword wide.

Blood Cloud Seal.

A wall of red mist rose to block No Cheonmyeong’s flames. When the two forces clashed, an enormous explosion rang out, and one of the canyon’s cliffs completely crumbled.

“I’m still not entirely used to manipulating world energy instead of natural energy—but not bad.”

In contrast to No Cheonmyeong’s composure, Hyeol Unam no longer had any.

In that single exchange, he had realized the level of his opponent.

This wasn’t your average Heaven-Human Embodiment.

“...How... how can someone be this refined?”

“Refined? To me, this feels clumsy as hell.”

With those words, No Cheonmyeong raised his hand toward the sky.

Immediately, the sky above the gorge began to twist.

Clouds swirled, and began to turn blood-red.

Heaven-Fire Profound Human Method – Fifth Form: Heaven-Fire Descends.

Fire rained down from the sky like a meteor shower.

Sensing extreme danger, Hyeol Unam drew forth all his inner power.

Blood Cloud Heavenly Veil.

A torrent of red mist exploded from his body, completely enshrouding him.

The fire pouring down from the sky fizzled out as it touched his body—but that was just the beginning.

The flames grew fiercer, and even more came down. The surrounding area was scorched beyond recognition, and the red mist cloaking Hyeol Unam began to crack.

Hyeol Unam, distorted and overwhelmed, had no time to act.

Not flame—but a flash of light shot toward him.

It was No Cheonmyeong’s foot.

CRRAAAACK—!!

The mist shattered as Hyeol Unam was sent flying, smashing through six trees before slamming into a cliffside.

As he lifted his head, a surge of blood energy erupted madly from his body.

His eyes turned red, even his skin flushed crimson.

He had become a blood man in the truest sense—he clenched his left fist tight.

KRA-KOOM—!!

His world energy shot into the sky. The sky turned red again, and a blood rain began to fall.

The moment it hit the ground, it melted things, triggered explosions—an utterly horrifying phenomenon.

“Oh ho... how wonderful.”

Amazingly, No Cheonmyeong was admiring it.

But it wasn’t over.

“It’s like natural energy—it even alters the surrounding environment... But it’s different. It changes the sky... gives the sky properties... Yes, the origin is the sky itself.”

Beyond admiration, he was evaluating—and even reaching enlightenment.

What was world energy?

Natural energy moves water to create waves, or gathers earth to hurl rocks.

But those who wield world energy grant attributes directly to the sky—bringing down blood rain, altering the nature of water itself into weapons.

It’s not using nature—it’s drawing from the primal force between heaven and earth, reshaping it at will.

Creating fire where there is no fire. Water where there is no water.

That is world energy.

“So the ‘Heaven’ in Heaven-Human Embodiment... it means a human becoming one with the sky, gaining the power to alter the very essence of the world... I see. Yes... that’s what world energy is. Hahaha... I see.”

Natural energy has limits—but world energy can alter the very laws of nature.

Not resisting the natural order—but rewriting that order to fit one’s will.

“You fool... Even the blood energy you wield is a form of world energy, yet you haven’t reached its true essence. Am I wrong?”

Hyeol Unam swallowed hard.

Should he say it felt like facing a monster—or was it only fitting for a genius who reached Heaven-Human Embodiment at thirty-seven?

Though he hadn’t reached the second stage of the Divine Five Realms, Boundless Profound Deity, the Main Blood Sect had many who had.

No need to look far—four of the eight elders had all reached that level or beyond.

And the fear he’d felt from them—he was now feeling from No Cheonmyeong.

That man—

Had barely just reached Heaven-Human Embodiment and was already on the verge of grasping the path to Boundless Profound Deity.

This couldn’t be allowed. This was wrong.

Monster bastard.

At that moment, Hyeol Unam abandoned any thought of having the upper hand.

He had to go all in.

Gripping his sword tightly, he stamped the ground. The red mist around him swirled.

And he struck.

Ten Thousand Bloods Cloud the Heavens.

His sword split into thousands of blades, all flying toward No Cheonmyeong.

From each one, red mist spewed out, blanketing the sky and the land—it looked like blood-soaked clouds were pouring down upon the earth.

For the first time, No Cheonmyeong’s eyes turned serious.

Had he not understood this technique, he would’ve marveled.

But now he felt threatened.

What Hyeol Unam had just unleashed was undoubtedly a Divine Five Realms technique.

A martial art that affected the entirety of heaven and earth...

The long history of the Main Blood Sect could be felt in it.

No Cheonmyeong slowly extended both arms forward.

A strange mark appeared on his chest.

It was the character for “human”, shaped like a flame.

Heaven-Fire Profound Human Method – Twelfth Form: Union of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Explosive energy burst from No Cheonmyeong’s body. It soared into the sky, piercing the clouds, and plunged into the earth, shattering the gorge floor.

Before Hyeol Unam’s Ten Thousand Bloods Cloud the Heavens could even reach him—it evaporated in midair.

“...I... this can’t be...”

Consumed by terror, Hyeol Unam didn’t even realize—

That No Cheonmyeong’s right index finger was pointing toward him.

Thud.

So natural it was as if it had always been there—No Cheonmyeong’s finger pierced Hyeol Unam’s heart.

The protective aura of world energy shielding his body was torn like paper.

And Hyeol Unam understood then—

His life was over.

He couldn’t even scream.

BOOOOOOM—!!

What had been Hyeol Unam exploded into fragments.

Even the sound of it raining down was perfect.

No Cheonmyeong turned his head.

The collapsing gorge be damned—on Mount Hwasan’s peak, Shim Munryong had sliced three blood men into precisely twenty-five pieces with ten swords, and Seong Yangho and Unhwi’s Disruption Team had slaughtered all the poison-wielders.

Ah—

No.

One still remained.