Chapter 81

Chapter 80>

Johwi, who had been shaking his head, rode his iron sword and advanced into the main hall.

As he entered, the most noticeable person was Han Seolbaek.

His presence there meant that he had left the Great Ice Cave by his own will, which in turn meant that he had completed his seclusion.

"Brother?"

Han Seolbaek had once vowed that he would not end his seclusion until he became an Absolute Ice Person, but no matter how he looked, his realm was still at the Transformation Stage.

As if reading Johwi's doubts, Han Seolbaek smiled calmly and stood up.

"Even if the Ten Thousand Year Ice Crystal is an unparalleled treasure, the Absolute is not a realm that can be achieved simply by obtaining a treasure."

"Hmm..."

That was true.

It might even be more helpful to reach the realm by traveling the world and experiencing many things.

"Well then..."

"Don't worry. I've filled the Great Ice Cave with enough ice to last three months."

Johwi finally relaxed and continued his conversation with Han Seolbaek when his comrades began to arrive one by one at the main hall.

First, Jeonggab Yun approached Johwi and reported the recent events.

"The number of martial alliance members has exceeded one million."

One million?

How could it have increased by two hundred thousand and surpassed one million in such a short time since the alliance announced the Dharma Sutra?

This was an incredibly abnormal rate of growth.

Johwi's eyes lit up as if he had guessed something.

"Has the essence of the Dharma Sutra started to be realized by the alliance members?"

Nangung Jangho answered.

"Don't be surprised. Some of the newly inducted third-rate warriors have suddenly wielded profound magical powers."

Magical powers, which were only witnessed from extraordinary Daoists, were being displayed by mere third-rate warriors?

"From the divine might observed, their power can be compared to the Transformation Stage."

"How many exactly?"

"Currently, it's at the level of a few hundred. It will increase significantly in the future."

A few hundred warriors who can wield powers surpassing the Transformation Stage?

Even in the context of the martial world, this could change the balance of power.

"Once this rumor spread across the land, it took less than four days for the alliance to gain another hundred thousand members. At this rate, all the martial people in the north of the river will join the alliance."

"No, eventually, the people from the south of the river will start to move north."

"South of the river?"

The people from the south of the river are, in other words, the Evil Sects.

The alliance would never accept such Evil Sect people.

"That's a wild guess. The alliance will never allow the entry of the Evil Sect people."

"No, they will accept everyone."

"What?"

Nangung Jangho, who knew the exclusivity of the righteous sects towards the Evil Sects better than anyone, was surprised.

But if Johwi, who possessed a brilliant mind, said it so firmly, there must be a reason.

Jeonggab Yun asked Johwi with a tense expression.

"What is the alliance trying to do by spreading the Dharma Sutra even to the Evil Sect warriors?"

"Feeding."

Johwi explained the intentions of the martial alliance, or rather, the Dharma, to his comrades based on the information he obtained from the Golden Heaven Venerable.

"Mad! This can't be true!"

"How can this be possible!"

When the comrades confirmed the tremendous disaster, which seemed like the end of the martial world, from Johwi's mouth, they could only repeatedly express their shock.

Han Seolbaek, who had never heard of the secrets of the martial world like the Zen Seat or the Dharma, was the most surprised.

"There is such a dangerous existence in the world..."

It was a disaster on a scale that dwarfed even the great war the Northern Sea people had experienced.

It was so difficult to accept this as reality.

"If Absolute Beings at the level of the Eight Seats appear among the lower alliance members, everything will be over. We might have to forcibly confine people."

"Confine people forcibly?"

Johwi took out a ledger from his bosom.

"I met the governors of Jiangxi and Anhui provinces to check the number of households. When I combined all the people of Anhui and Jiangxi, the staff of the Zhaoda Shanghui, and the experts and their collateral lines of the Nangung, Sima, and Tang families, it came to about..."

Everyone was tense, watching Johwi's mouth.

"Five million."

Even by checking only Anhui and Jiangxi, the number easily exceeded five million!

Nangung Jangho's great righteousness in trying to save the people with Johwi collapsed in an instant.

"There's only about a million left!"

Johwi smiled bitterly.

"Even that would have been impossible without the keen insight of the Immortal Zhang Sanfeng."

Then, Johwi looked at a point in the air.

"And I have someone to introduce."

Woo-wooo-wooo-wooo-

With a strange resonance, the space tore open, and a man appeared, exuding an unimaginable presence.

He materialized in the air, enveloped in blazing golden light, with an overwhelming presence that could be described as absolute.

All eyes turned to Johwi.

"Introduce yourself. I just call him 'Gold.'"

Gold (?) shook off the now fading golden light and approached Johwi, bowing respectfully.

"Your humble servant, Gold Heaven, is truly delighted to see you in this world."

Everyone looked at Gold (?) with bewildered faces.

Johwi, who had witnessed the grand scene of the Golden Heaven Venerable ascending to a noble seat despite being born as a mere human, was there.

After that, he discarded the title of Venerable, which he had received directly from the Zen Seat, without hesitation.

This was a decision made after witnessing another path to the seat without going through the Zen Seat.

Moreover, at least the Lesser Sword Immortal was completely honest about all matters.

Even in his light words and actions, a deep philosophy and belief could be felt.

Especially his unique interpretation of human mortality.

His perspective was a shocking and refreshing resonance of the soul, as if it had pierced through the crown of the head.

The three thousand years spent with the Lesser Sword Immortal.

A time when many, if not all, of his own aspects changed.

It was the wave of intention that could cover the heavens and earth.

Even the residual intention left after retraction felt like it could swallow the entire world, giving a sense of omnipotence.

This was the true Ultimate Intention Realm that he learned from the great Lesser Sword Immortal.

"Kyaahhh!"

Hong Ye, who had entered the main hall following Johwi, let out a shrill scream and collapsed.

She was so terrified that she trembled like a leaf as soon as she saw Gold, and collapsed right there.

Johwi's puzzled gaze turned to her.

"Why are you doing that?"

"It's, it's him!"

"It's him?"

Hong Ye lifted her hair.

A bright red handprint, as if her head had been grabbed entirely.

It was a trace suspected to be from the spell called "Essence Absorption Demon Technique."

"He stole this girl's memories!"

"Hmm."

Only then did Johwi seem to remember, his expression turning strange.

"Was it you who stole Hong Ye's memories?"

"It was a deed of my humble servant's immature days."

Johwi glared fiercely at Gold Heaven and then spoke indifferently.

"What information did you need?"

"I was looking for traces of the Original Dao."

"Zhang Sanfeng? Why?"

"I do not know. I only followed his orders."

"Again, that answer."

Whenever he interrogated this Gold fellow, the answer always ended with "I do not know. I only followed his orders."

It was as if he had not an ounce of self-awareness!

It was even doubtful whether he was truly a being with noble spiritual power who had lived for over a thousand years.

Nangung Jangho, still calming his racing heart, asked Johwi cautiously.

"Who is this person...?"

Johwi, with a face that had become piercingly transparent, said calmly.

"The fourth of the Six Venerables."

"Six Venerables?"

"The fourth test subject and disciple of the Dharma, or rather, the Zen Seat. He was known as the Golden Heaven Venerable."

Chaaang!

Nangung Jangho, with his mouth agape in shock, drew his sword.

Tensely assuming a formal stance, he bit his lip roughly.

"He was under the command of the one who led the Central Plains to ruin! How can you..."

"He has reformed, so forgive him. Anyway, he is now my 'noble subordinate.'"

"Noble subordinate...?"

Even if Johwi were the leader of a force, it would be appropriate to call his subordinates 'subordinates' or 'underlings.'

It was not proper to call even subordinates 'noble subordinates' unless they were parents or ancestors.

But Gold's reaction was peculiar.

Instead, he trembled with joy and prostrated himself before Johwi, who called him a 'noble subordinate.'

"To be so highly regarded by such a great being is a blessing for my life. I will serve you with utmost loyalty until my soul perishes."

A willingness to dedicate even his soul!

It was a perfect bow as a noble subordinate, devoid of any pretense.

No matter how ruthless the martial world was, this level of submission seemed too excessive.

Looking at Gold, Nangung Jangho felt as if he were a devotee worshiping a deity.

Nangung Jangho looked at Johwi with even more suspicion.

"How did you manage to recruit such an incredible person?"

Gold, still prostrated, looked up at Nangung Jangho with a strange fervor in his eyes.

"Your Excellency, I can no longer bear to watch. I humbly request that you achieve the immortal divine nature and become the seat of the great universe's law..."

"Shut up. Before I tear your mouth apart."

Johwi's face twisted like a demon.

He was certainly not that damned seat.

The greatest proof was that his very existence in the Central Plains was absurd.

According to the law of the universe, a being who had achieved immortal divine nature and ascended to the seat would be isolated in a distant dimension, unable to exert its power in the world.

Yet, here he was, intact in the Central Plains.

He did not know why the 'unknown power' governing the void had inscribed his name on the stone tablet, but the fact that he was not isolated in another dimension meant he could not be a seat.

But would everyone think the same?

-Hwia.

A voice calling him with boundless affection.

The voice of Sword Immortal Master was warmer than ever.

-We all feel it.

Despite the warmth of his master's voice, Johwi did not soften his cold expression.

"What do you mean?"

-Truly, the resonance of the world centered on you...

"Enough, enough."

Why wouldn't the person himself know?

The will of all living beings in the world, from a blade of grass to the wind, resonated with him.

If he merely willed it, he could control the waves of resonance from all these living beings.

He immediately understood how the Zen Seat could manifest to his disciples through water, fire, and wind. It was a realm of another dimension, beyond mere intention.

But it was certainly different from the Zen Seat.

The fact that his true form existed in the Central Plains, not in the world of the seats, meant that he and they were fundamentally different.

-Then, Hwia. Do you deny our resolve?

Johwi, with a distorted face, bit his lip.

-See for yourself! Why haven't you directly observed the spirit realm since you returned? You are already...

"Master, please."

Johwi finally shed tears.

He already knew.

The power of his divine nature was so strong that the spirit realm, affected by it, was gradually collapsing.

Even the Guiyan and Tianyou, who had converted their immense spiritual power into magical power to create a barrier, were losing their strength, accelerating the collapse.

If the spirit realm were to ultimately collapse and disappear, those noble ancient spirits would all vanish.

Seat, my ass!

As his beloved master and ancestors, the great seniors of the martial world who lived like a whirlwind, were disappearing, he could do nothing.

What kind of god or seat could he be, so powerless?

-Hwia, don't you still understand?

Johwi could only shed tears helplessly.

-We were all destined to be your noble subordinates from the beginning.

"Master... How can you say such things..."

When his soul reincarnated into Jang Young-hoon's body, unknown knowledge flickered and disappeared intermittently, like a flickering fluorescent light.

As the Sword Immortal Master said, the merging of the souls and existence of the Venerables with himself might have been foreseen from that moment.

Their experiences, knowledge, and profound spiritual power accumulated over long years were ultimately passed on to him, though they did not disappear entirely. However, their essence was certainly fading.

-Perhaps the end of our era was predetermined long ago.

At that moment, a crack appeared in the spirit realm.

The world of the Venerables was breaking apart.

The red ceiling that formed their world shattered like glass, and a divine proclamation of a demonic god echoed.

-Brat!

Though he called him a brat, the demonic god's voice was filled with concern and affection.

-You must protect the people and save the Central Plains! Of course, get rid of that damn Dharma guy too!

Despite the endless tears, Johwi couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course. Whose command is this? The command of the great demonic god of the world. Haha!"

-Thank you for taking care of our Sima. I will never forget it.

Not long ago, Johwi had declared that he would welcome the Sima family and their collateral lines as members of the underground commune.

It was a sincere expression of gratitude from the martial god.

"Do you usually think of me as such a petty person?"

Regardless, Johwi was a direct descendant of the Zhaos, who had long been at odds with the Simas.

However, he never took his connections lightly.

-Haha...

The overlord who had dominated the world, Zhao Mengde, was laughing helplessly as he watched the crumbling spirit realm.

-How could I have talked about the talent of a king when this brat was destined to become a god? My judgment has truly rotted.

With a sense of relief, Zhao Mengde continued his divine proclamation to his beloved descendant.

-Why did you hide it?

Johwi's counter-question.

"What do you mean?"

-You sly one. When you traced Guan Yu's descendants at my request, didn't you realize that he was Yide's descendant?

Johwi smiled faintly, looking at Zhang Yilong.

"I didn't do it for you, but because Zhang Fei's descendant was your request."

Zhao Mengde's divine proclamation continued with a bitter tone.

-I truly did a terrible thing to him. Can you promise to treat Yide's descendants as well as we treated the Zhaos?

Zhang Yilong was not just Yide's descendant but also his irreplaceable friend.

"I would do it even if you didn't ask."

-It's truly regrettable not to see Yunzhang's descendants before I disappear.

Johwi said calmly.

"I will carry on your will."

-Yes. It's finally time to part.

Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-

The shattered spirit realm was rapidly contracting.

All the memories and spiritual power of the Venerables would be absorbed by Johwi.

The spiritual body of Guiyan, who had desperately guarded the barrier, began to scatter like ashes.

-Oh great seat of humanity! If you have inscribed your noble name in the heavens, can you reveal its meaning to me?

-Yes! I'm also curious! I want to know that before I go!

Johwi's gloomy gaze pierced the infinite sky.

"Denier."

Sword Immortal, clinging to his disintegrating body, revealed his utmost confusion.

-What do you deny?

Johwi's indifferent lips moved again.

"Denier of existence. That's my damned divine name."

* * *

The loss of the kind voice of Sword Immortal Master and the ancestors of the Zhao family did not last long.

Rather, he was angry.

Was this numbness to even sorrow a result of his transcendent realm?

If he continued to lose his humanity, what good would it be, no matter how high a realm he achieved?

Shaken by self-anger, Johwi trembled when the knowledge of the Venerables began to flood in uncontrollably.

The true enlightenment of the Three Gods, which could never be conveyed orally.

The experiences of the overlord who became a ruler, founded a warlord, and laid the foundation of a nation.

The entire system of spells and the long-secret lineage of the Heavenly Dao Sect, which wielded noble magical powers.