The moment the Blood Palace Lord saw the clear and transparent energy emanating from the tip of the sword, beads of cold sweat began to form on his bandaged forehead.
"Immortal Qi "
It was the ultimate energy sought by those who practiced Taoist martial arts, something no practitioner could fail to recognize. It was the purest, most refined energy, extracted from the polluted Qi that filled the world. This energy could purify all evil and subdue all demons.
But just because one recognized it, didn't mean it was easy to accept.
"No way… can he wield Immortal Qi?"
If Immortal Qi were that easy to create, could such things as evil techniques (邪功) exist in the world? Of course, it couldn't be denied that the person in front of him possessed Immortal Qi. After all, anyone who practiced Taoist martial arts would carry a small amount of it, more or less.
But to manifest it visibly at the tip of a sword was on an entirely different level. People who could control Immortal Qi at will were known in the world as *immortals*.
However, an immortal is only called one after they've died. So what should a living immortal be called?
Throb! Throb!
The Blood Palace Lord gripped his pierced shoulder tightly.
"Ugh…"
The wound where the Immortal Qi had penetrated felt as if it was burning. It wasn't just the pain that could be felt in the flesh. It felt as though the Qi that had been flowing through his shoulder was disintegrating and scattering. It was as if his very existence was being denied and erased.
But he had no time to be fully shocked.
Chung Myung let his sword droop as he glanced at him, then began to approach slowly.
"Hey, where did all your arrogance go?"
The hand of the Blood Palace Lord, which had been gripping the ground, involuntarily retreated. Realizing his shameful act, he bit his dry lips hard.
If his complexion were like that of a normal person and visible, it would probably have turned beet red by now.
"I never imagined that Mount Hua would have such a great master. Immortal Qi, no less…"
The Blood Palace Lord spoke as calmly as he could, but Chung Myung's gaze remained unchanged as he looked down at him. His eyes overflowed with blatant contempt.
"You little insect, you sure like to yap."
"…"
"It's not that I'm amazing; it's that you're insignificant. No, more precisely…"
A sneer touched Chung Myung's lips.
"It's your so-called sect. No, your palace that's insignificant."
*Grit.*
The Blood Palace Lord ground his teeth.
He wanted to rip the person who insulted his sect into pieces. He wanted to strangle him, tear out his arrogant tongue, and offer it to the altar of his sect.
*Buzz.*
But the moment he saw the Immortal Qi at the tip of Chung Myung's sword, all his desires crumbled like a sandcastle. Without finding a way to counter it, continuing the battle was nothing short of suicide.
*Flash.*
The Blood Palace Lord's form suddenly disappeared from the spot. He reappeared not in front of Chung Myung but far behind him.
Blue light gleamed from the Blood Palace Lord's eyes as he gripped his wounded shoulder.
"It seems… today is not a good day."
Chung Myung snorted.
"You've got quite the elegant way of saying you're running away. That's a skill your superiors didn't have."
The Blood Palace Lord narrowed his eyes.
He couldn't understand why this young man kept referring to the previous generations. They had never met in life.
But that wasn't the important thing right now.
"Don't think this is the end. The sect never forgets its grudges…"
The Blood Palace Lord couldn't finish his sentence as he flinched. A terrifying killing intent had shot through his entire body.
In Chung Myung's eyes, there was an indescribable, intense hatred.
"Stop yapping. It's hard to bear because of the stench."
"…"
"You think this isn't the end?"
The tip of Chung Myung's sword made a chilling, scraping sound against the ground.
"That's not something for someone like you to say. It's something I should say to you. Listen carefully."
His cold gaze pierced the Blood Palace Lord.
"Don't think this is the end. I'm not generous enough to share the same sky with people like you. Just wait. I'll show up in front of you one day. No matter where you hide, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth and behead every last one of you."
"…"
"So you can never again flaunt your damn evil techniques."
A faint groan escaped from the Blood Palace Lord's lips. It wasn't just the martial arts that were crushing him, but something else.
*Throb!*
He reflexively glanced at his pierced shoulder. Dark blood continued to flow. Perhaps that's why, but that warning didn't just sound like a warning.
"…Retreat."
At the Blood Palace Lord's words, the Blood Palace followers turned as one, like lifeless wooden puppets. Even the Blood Palace Lord, who had glared at Chung Myung and Mount Hua until the end, eventually turned around.
Chung Myung silently watched as they retreated.
By the time Baek Sang snapped out of the heavy atmosphere, the Blood Palace followers had almost exited the gates of Wudang Sect.
"Chung Myung!"
It was difficult to fully grasp what had happened, but based on the situation, it looked as though Chung Myung had let them go after gaining the upper hand.
"Why are you just letting them go? They are…"
At that moment, Chung Myung swiftly turned around and rushed past Baek Sang, quickly moving through the ranks of the swordsmen.
"Chung Myung?"
Chung Myung arrived in a flash at the bedside where Heo Gong was treating Baek Cheon.
Baek Sang's eyes widened.
Because of the Blood Palace's intrusion, he hadn't noticed, but Heo Gong's entire body was drenched in sweat. The energy he was emanating was now drastically weaker than it had been at the start.
'Ah!'
Only then did Baek Sang realize. If Chung Myung had continued the fight with the Blood Palace followers, Heo Gong would not have been able to save Baek Cheon.
Whether it was a task that had been difficult from the beginning or Heo Gong had been shaken by the sudden appearance of the Blood Palace, it was clear now.
111
As Chung Myung stood by Baek Cheon's side, everyone who had been desperately channeling their energy into him quickly turned to look at him. Without sparing them a glance, Chung Myung assessed Baek Cheon's condition.
"How..."
The words that slipped out were faint, unfinished. Hidden within those trailing words were countless emotions.
"Withdraw your energy when I signal."
At Chung Myung's words, everyone who had been straining to keep their energy from leaking out of Baek Cheon's body widened their eyes in shock.
If they withdrew their energy now, all the energy filling Baek Cheon's body would be drained away. Not even the slightest bit of strength would remain to hold on to his life.
Thus, they couldn't comply with this instruction. If they did, they might be the ones to end Baek Cheon's life.
However, Chung Myung looked at them with eyes that held not the slightest hint of wavering. No one could easily respond in this situation. Surprisingly, it was Yoo Iseol who nodded first.
"Trust him."
Jo Gul's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Really?"
No matter how much it was Chung Myung who said it, in this situation...
But before Jo Gul could make up his mind, Chung Myung gave the signal.
"Now!"
Pa-at!
The moment the signal left his lips, Jo Gul's hand moved before he could think. The hands that had been touching Baek Cheon were simultaneously withdrawn.
"Ugh!"
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong, who had taken a step back, watched Chung Myung and Baek Cheon with tense expressions. But Chung Myung did nothing. He didn't even try to block the energy that was seeping out of Baek Cheon or protect his body.
"What the...!"
Hwa-aa-aak!
The energy that had been contained within Baek Cheon now burst out in all directions. A scream escaped Jo Gul's mouth.
"What are you doing, you bastard! At this rate...!"
"Quiet!"
Chung Myung firmly silenced Jo Gul's outburst and spoke, his gaze fixed on Baek Cheon.
"Containing it isn't the answer. What's overflowing needs to be released."
"What...?"
Everyone's eyes wavered.
Did they not already know this? The problem was that even a small shock that allowed the energy to overflow would shatter the vessel that was Baek Cheon's body.
Baek Cheon's body wouldn't be able to withstand this shock.
"No... no..."
In his desperation, Yoon Jong instinctively reached out towards Baek Cheon's body again.
Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!
But at that moment, a pure and clear energy began to surge from Chung Myung's hand. It was an energy so pure that no one had ever seen it before in their entire lives.
Everyone was so mesmerized that they momentarily forgot the current situation.
"There's no need to worry."
A deeply serene expression appeared in Chung Myung's eyes.
"If it's Sasuk, he will endure."
The Baek Cheon he knew wouldn't die from a mere shock like this. Baek Cheon was one of the strongest people he knew.
Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!
Finally, the pure energy from Chung Myung's hand penetrated Baek Cheon's solar plexus.
"Ah!"
In that moment, everyone saw it.
Like ripples spreading across a lake, Chung Myung's clear energy spread throughout Baek Cheon's body.
The energy that had been rampaging like an enraged bull within Baek Cheon instantly calmed down as it came into contact with Chung Myung's energy.
"This is...?"
Tang Gunak's face was filled with shock.
The pure energy didn't subdue the energy within Baek Cheon. It didn't absorb it or mix with it. It simply calmed it down, as if a lake of pure energy had accepted everything into its depths.
"Is this really possible?"
This was a sight that had never been seen before, not even in imagination. Extreme yang and extreme yin energies coexisted within Baek Cheon's body without clashing. The sun and moon rose in the same sky, day and night touched within the same world.
"Seon (仙)..."
A paradise that cannot be seen in reality.
Perhaps what the world calls the celestial realm is a place where the impossible coexists.
As the pure energy from Chung Myung settled, the energy leaked by Heo Gong slowly wrapped around it, beginning to rotate slowly within Baek Cheon, guided by the essence of Wudang.
Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!
At the same time, a soft light began to emanate from Baek Cheon's body.
His arm, which had been burned to a crisp, slowly began to regain its original color. Although not fully restored, it at least began to take on the form of an arm again.
"Ah..."
Tang Gunak let out a dazed exclamation.
Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!
How much time had passed? The light that had enveloped Baek Cheon's body gradually faded.
Thud.
Heo Gong collapsed to the ground. Many people rushed to support him. At the same time, Chung Myung also withdrew his hand from Baek Cheon's body.
"Ch-Chung Myung. What about Sasook?"
Chung Myung slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Baek Cheon.
"He won't die from something like this."
His calm eyes were filled with unwavering confidence.
"Not if he's the Acting Sect Leader of Mount Hua."
"Ah..."
Baek Sang and several other disciples of Mount Hua collapsed on the spot. The weight that had been pressing down on them like Mount Tai disappeared in an instant.