Chapter 264

Jang Icheong’s target had been Unhwi’s four limbs—to maim him, not kill him.

But.

Whatever his aim, he was one step too late.

The instant Unhwi brought his sword down, the entire Secret Realm turned into hell.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang—!

Heaven-Extreme Ice-Snow Poem was completely unleashed.

A colossal blizzard of ice swallowed everything.

The cavern walls froze over and shattered in an instant. The ceiling caved in entirely; the floor split apart beneath their feet.

Jang Icheong’s Heavenly Demon’s Limitless Slash collided head-on with the ice storm.

That was as far as it went.

The black energy froze and splintered; his sword cracked apart inside the ice crystals.

“This... this can’t be...”

His whole body began to freeze, starting from the toes—slowly, yet irresistibly.

“Aaaaaargh—!”

He screamed, mustering the last of his strength. He detonated every shred of demonic miasma in his body, trying to shatter the ice, but it was useless.

The frost swallowed his legs, his torso, his arms—finally his neck.

“H... how...?”

Unhwi sheathed his sword, pressed a hand to his bleeding flank to stem the flow, and spoke calmly.

“About half a year ago, a demonic realm appeared in Bright Spirit Domain.”

“...That was... taken by someone named Nameless... Don’t tell me—?”

“Yes. I am that Nameless. The incantation of the Demon Blood Heavenly Steel Formula I obtained then left quite the impression.”

“Impossible...”

“That martial art, which reforges body and bloodline through repeated tempering—if one understands the principle, there’s no need to endure such crude steps.”

Jang Icheong swallowed hard. He looked like he wanted to say something, but Unhwi was faster.

“I possess a mind that can withstand the artificial demonic arts born of places like a demonic realm, and the ability to diffuse them. But the demonic miasma emitted by a Celestial Being Stage martialist cannot be deflected.”

“......”

“However, when one recites the incantation of the Demon Blood Heavenly Steel Formula, a path becomes visible.”

Jang Icheong saw it—

Black veins creeping up from the corners of Unhwi’s eyes.

The miasma from his earlier wound was now invading Unhwi’s spirit.

That didn’t make sense.

He’d kept that miasma inside him, and still unleashed such a technique?

This was the same man who, not long ago, had merely stood at the Five Origins Stage?

This was another dimension entirely.

Even if he’d slain martialists of the Mythic Stage, demonic miasma by nature disrupted the body’s qi flow. For him to shake it off and perform techniques like this—it meant his genius defied imagination.

Unhwi’s brow furrowed slightly.

Quietly, his lips moved.

Demon Blood Opens the Heavenly Heart to Steel the Spirit.

Demon blood connects to the heavens, fortifying the mind.

A Hundred Evils Cannot Invade, the Bloodline Is Strong.

No wickedness may trespass; the bloodline endures.

Demonic Qi Enters the Body, Becoming Heaven and Earth.

When demonic qi enters the body, it unites with heaven and earth.

Ten Thousand Laws Cannot Invade; Forever Unwounded.

All laws fail to harm it; eternally unscarred.

The black veins at his eyes vanished at once.

He lightly nicked his left index finger, and four drops of dark blood fell.

“Higher purity than I expected.”

Jang Icheong’s mouth hung open.

It was absurd—beyond words.

Is this thing even human?

“...It really is... the Demon Blood Heavenly Steel Formula.”

“So you recognize it.”

“Of course I do. The Thousand-Year Demon Cult once had several candidates for the title of Heavenly Demon. Every one of them was a disciple of Won Gukcheon, trained in his arts. But none of them ever became the Heavenly Demon.”

That was unexpected.

“You’re more knowledgeable than I thought.”

“...Let me tell you more. Take my hand.”

Unhwi gave a faint laugh.

“I already know more than enough. If there’s anything I don’t, I’ll learn it myself.”

“No... I can tell you what you don’t know in detail. I know far more than you think. Spare me, and I’ll tell you everything.”

Unhwi had never held Jang Icheong in high regard.

The worth of a martial man was determined by whether he could hold his spirit intact at the moment of breaking or bending.

He’d seen too many of this kind.

“You should’ve accepted when I offered.”

“W... wait...”

“Farewell.”

Nothing below his neck moved.

His blood vessels, no—everything—had frozen solid.

He couldn’t resist.

Death loomed, inevitable.

No. Not like this.

“...Did you really think I made no preparations?”

The abrupt words made Unhwi halt.

“Even if the chance of my death in this realm is slim, countless unpredictable things happen in the martial world. Did you think I’d make no precautions?”

“Is that so?”

“I’ll make it plain. The moment you leave this realm, you will die.”

Whether the claim was true didn’t matter.

It could mean one of two things.

First, that Jang Icheong had planted assassins outside.

Second, that he merely wanted to trap Unhwi here as long as possible.

“Is there someone else outside?”

“...Spare me, and I’ll tell you.”

“How unsightly.”

Unhwi’s mouth curved in derision at the glimpse of Jang Icheong’s true nature in his final moments.

“I’ll find out myself.”

At those words, Jang Icheong understood.

Unhwi would kill him.

“S... spare—”

The plea never finished. The instant Unhwi’s outstretched finger touched his forehead, a sharp crack rang out—and Jang Icheong’s body froze completely.

He became a statue.

Even now, his face was locked in disbelief, as if unable to accept his own death.

Five moves.

That was what it had taken to bring down a Celestial Being Stage master.

Unhwi pushed Jang Icheong’s frozen corpse aside.

Boom—

***

Triple Profound Realm.

He had conceived it in thought, completed its theory through experience, and now put it into practice.

Once, alongside Shim Munryong, he had entered the volcanic Secret Realm and fought a thought-form of a Celestial Being Stage master.

Back then, he’d wagered everything, tracking every movement, every breath, fighting with all he had.

No exaggeration—he’d risked his life. He’d managed to sever one arm.

Now, he could face a living Celestial Being Stage martialist.

That alone was an immense gain.

This realm would now be classed within the Heaven-Earth Apex, yet # Nоvеlight # distinct from it.

Entering the next stage—the Realm of Martial Divinity—would no longer be an issue.

The essence of that realm was unity with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but using only the lower and upper dantian limited absorption capacity.

The Triple Profound Realm differed.

The lower, upper, and the intermediate Iceheart Dantian formed a triangular structure that created a perfect circulation system.

For most Celestial Beings, the hardest obstacle in ascending to Martial Divinity was the shock of accepting heaven-and-earth energy.

When Noh Cheonmyeong first handled such energy, he’d felt immense strain; his battle with the Blood Sect’s warrior had led to insight and true mastery. Each step upward was a chain of revelations.

The two dantian alone couldn’t endure that vast influx. Hence the need for enlightenment—and Noh Cheonmyeong had been exceptionally fast.

Records spoke of some who wandered for years after reaching Union of Man and Heaven before achieving true unity.

But the Triple Profound Realm was different.

The Iceheart Dantian between the two acted as a buffer.

When heaven-and-earth energy entered, the Iceheart Dantian first absorbed it, then distributed it between upper and lower dantian for stable intake.

Moreover, the triangular flow made the circulation smoother, reducing rejection during fusion with natural energy—allowing a smoother ascent than ordinary methods.

Eventually, the Iceheart Dantian would have to be reabsorbed into the lower dantian through training, but that was a concern for later.

For now, he had work before him.

He had to finish the Secret Realm quickly and leave.

Everything happening outside had begun with his hand; it was only right that he end it by his hand as well.

There were four manuals stored in his satchel.

Since there had been ten stelae, there must have been ten manuals in total.

Jang Icheong must have taken six. Judging by his state, those wouldn’t be recoverable.

Probably the torn scraps scattered across the floor were what remained.

Tsk.

He clicked his tongue and turned his head.

Roughly twenty jang ahead, space was distorting.

Judging by the situation, this wasn’t the final gate.

The true final one lay beyond.

He checked his condition.

His flank throbbed; his inner qi was nearly spent—but the strength of the Triple Profound Realm was in its recovery.

He could still go all out once more.

He swallowed two New Life Pills from his satchel, meditated briefly, then pushed his body through the shimmering space.

***

The moment he broke through, a massive stone altar came into view.

It towered over ten jang high, and at its center was a black crystal, pulsing like a living heart.

Unhwi didn’t flinch.

Even though the entire area was steeped in demonic miasma.

He took a silent step forward.

—Heh heh heh... a human. A human.

The voice rang through the chamber—flippant, yet heavy, unnervingly strange.

—Over seven hundred years I have waited. I gave a warning at the first gate, yet you came anyway. To reach even this final place... you are fit to be my new vessel. Descendant... oh distant descendant. Will you not offer your body to your venerable senior?

Unhwi’s expression didn’t change.

Before entering this realm, he had used the Heavenly Mirror of True Insight—to understand its structure.

But as said before, the mirror was not perfect.

It showed only the core of a realm.

What he’d seen then was a crystal that pulsed with every beat, leaking demonic miasma and absorbing more around it.

Yes. That one before his eyes.

That was all he’d seen.

He hadn’t glimpsed the first or second gates’ interiors.

Flame King Hwa Munyeom had told him to retrieve the final reward from this realm; it likely wasn’t the second gate’s manuals.

Then could this crystal be it?

He didn’t know.

He needed information.

“Who are you?” he asked evenly. “Identify yourself.”

—Heh... guess, then.