From beneath Jung Yeonshin's feet, a propulsion shockwave erupted. He had unleashed Radiant River through his legs. His knee strike had no choice but to be incredibly fast.
The momentary lapse of awareness was swiftly corrected as the Golden Wings Sect's leader rapidly crossed her hands in front of her abdomen.
The internal energy weapon, materialized in the form of a raptor's talons, intersected on both sides, scattering golden afterimages. Just after that, Jung Yeonshin's knee, soaring as if tearing through space, struck there.
Kwaaaaaaaang—!
The ground in the surroundings flipped wide open, scattering grayish-white stone dust in all directions.
Some of the minuscule fragments that had momentarily shattered and floated in midair began to cluster again and drill into the surroundings, but they were swallowed up by the shockwave generated from the exchange of one move.
"Can't you feel it? It should be a little thicker now."
Jung Yeonshin suddenly asked.
The Golden Wings Sect's leader slightly furrowed her brows. It was the first visible reaction. Was it because the life-or-death duel wasn't going as she intended?
"Your energy waves don't accumulate in my body. They dissipate every time they touch me."
She replied.
It was a discussion about the accumulation of Foot Energy Techniques. Normally, when enduring repeated attacks imbued with Weighted Strike Technique, the inside of one's body would end up in tatters. This was because the opponent's energy would accumulate in their acupoints.
But this didn't apply to the Golden Wings Sect's leader. That was because she absorbed the Flood Dragon's nature using Heavenly Dragon Slaughtering Art.
Jung Yeonshin slightly nodded. It was a nod filled with multiple meanings. An old memory of his father, Jung Ban-ak, flashed through his mind.
— Extreme conditions bring about their own reversal. When a person's suffering and adversity reach their peak, they are bound to experience a reversal. But your mother… my wife's life ended in nothing but pain, rendering that saying meaningless. Entirely, entirely because of you… I had only wished to give her happiness.
The principle of Extreme Reversal. Today, it would serve as the key to hunting the Golden Wings Sect's leader.
"If you keep treating your body so recklessly, it'll become useless."
She spoke. She was blocking Jung Yeonshin's knee with her crossed arms. Unlike before, when she had only taken a defensive stance.
For the first time, the Strongest Under Heaven of Sichuan was executing a proper defensive posture.
That carried significant meaning.
Even at this moment, Jung Yeonshin's leg bones seemed to twist, as if they had dislocated from their proper positions.
The Azure Flame surrounding the Golden Wings Sect's leader's entire body crackled, scattering ember-like plumes of fire. Her Protective Energy Technique had become incredibly dense.
A faintly cold smile formed at the corner of Jung Yeonshin's eyes.
"As long as my heart remains intact, isn't that enough?"
"I'm worried your heart might take damage too."
"You're overthinking it."
Kwadeuk—
With the recoil of the strike, his dislocated knee twisted back into place. His internal energy bound his muscles, setting his broken bones back into position.
The lingering presence of his mother, embedded in his True Energy, remained with Jung Yeonshin throughout the battle.
"…Pupil technique."
The Golden Wings Sect's leader's eyes widened slightly.
The internal energy control exhibited by Supreme Masters was akin to miracles, but the robust resilience and ceaseless regeneration of the Radiant Demon Squad's leader's body were undeniably remarkable.
The limitation that he couldn't regenerate torn flesh was insignificant compared to his overwhelming endurance.
"You created it, didn't you? What kind of mnemonic verse did you construct?"
"Just think of your departed parents."
The conversation between supreme masters obsessed with martial arts was serene. Jung Yeonshin spoke again.
It was directed at the Golden Wings Sect's leader, who seemed to be briefly pondering his words. A question-and-answer exchange. Since he had given her valuable insight, he had something he wanted to hear in return.
"Are there two Surpassing Limits Martial Arts?"
"…Surpassing Limits Martial Arts is time itself. It cannot be two. You wouldn't understand."
The Golden Wings Sect's leader, her sleeve torn and exposing her shoulder, replied.
Jung Yeonshin, keeping her in his vision, expanded his field of view.
A boundlessly blue plateau, the mountain slopes and caves formed from the Golden Wings Sect's leader's immense True Energy and sorcery, the golden sunlight pouring down blue despite it likely being evening outside.
"Why did you aim Surpassing Limits Martial Arts at a human instead of a Flood Dragon?"
"The mortal world is chaotic. There were many times I had to wield the strength meant for dragons against strong humans."
Had she recalled unpleasant memories?
Suddenly, the Golden Wings Sect's leader furrowed her brows and spread her arms wide.
Kwaang!
Jung Yeonshin, flung dozens of feet away through the dusty air, drove both feet into the ground.
Even if he had reset his broken bones, it was still a knee that had once fractured.
A subtle pain rose from his feet up to his legs, but he first assessed the truth in the Golden Wings Sect's leader's words.
Human sacrifice and Treasure Plundering. These were the Golden Wings Sect's actions. The atrocities committed to unlock the Flood Dragon's Formation.
'It's likely true that Surpassing Limits Martial Arts is singular.'
The young Spiritual Insight beneath his Baihui Acupoint whispered so. Now, it was settled. There was nothing to hesitate about.
At that moment, the Golden Wings Sect's leader's small face suddenly loomed large.
A movement technique akin to Ground-Shifting Rakshasa Steps within short distances.
A fragrance, like her own body scent, rushed in as her hands extended, manifesting golden, claw-like projections in three streaks on each side, stretching like sword blades and distorting the air.
Kuuuuuung—!
The ground rumbled from below. At this moment, her forceful step shattered the earth, destabilizing Jung Yeonshin's balance in reverse, a natural disaster.
Using Surpassing Limits Martial Arts, she manipulated space at will, engraving six golden streaks in the air.
Within a brief moment, the trajectories of her claw techniques twisted dozens of times, aiming to tear through Jung Yeonshin's entire body.
Zzzeoozzzeong!
The divine sword Yurei in Jung Yeonshin's grip blended into the chaos. Shockwaves erupted from all directions in dozens of layers.
His black robe, made of Celestial Silkworm Thread, was completely torn apart. The sensation of fabric grazing his flesh rushed in, accompanied by pain.
[You call me demonic faction in contempt.]
"…!"
[But I am the one protecting you. Do you even know how many monstrous entities have descended upon this land since the nation's founding? The Flood Dragon is at their pinnacle.]
Her voice resonated omnidirectionally like Six Harmonies Voice Transmission.
The ground trembled, the vegetation and rocks unleashed waves of energy.
The domain created by the Golden Wings Sect's leader's Surpassing Limits Martial Arts was responding to her.
For the first time, emotions were felt. It was as if she was performing a ritual for an equal who was about to die.
Jung Yeonshin felt as though the entire world had turned against him.
Uuuuuuuuung— Kwaaaang!
Her every strike began slicing through moments of time. The power in her energy waves was truly explosive.
Having exchanged numerous blows, had she realized Jung Yeonshin's qualities and the depth of the Jung Clan Movement Arts? It seemed she had no intention of holding back any longer.
Every attack was a finishing blow. The golden streaks of light flashing like Golden Radiance resembled the iron bars of a prison.
They enclosed Jung Yeonshin, striking at his flesh with terrifying intensity. He couldn't completely deflect them.
It was different from before. The number of exchanges multiplied in an instant.
One hundred twenty seconds, one hundred fifty, two hundred… Her movements accelerated like the Golden Winged Bird turned into light itself, giving Jung Yeonshin no time to counter the breaking technique.
Puhk—! Chwaaaak!
Blood, layered in translucent ripples, scattered in all directions. Until suddenly, Jung Yeonshin's voice rang from all sides.
[Aren't you one of those monstrous beings as well?]
[What…?!]
The Golden Wings Sect's leader's eyes widened. In her golden irises, Jung Yeonshin was clearly not moving his lips, and yet—
[You sacrificed the warriors of the Desolate Fortress, offering them alive within the sorcery formation. You pillaged the homes of common folk in your pursuit of artifacts. Over the long years, you've committed countless atrocities. And when I finally arrived at the formation you so desperately sought to open… the Flood Dragon was gone.]
The earth spoke. The overturned trees and scattered stones echoed his words. Even a distant cave hummed in resonance with Jung Yeonshin's voice.
It was the same as her. The Golden Wings Sect's leader's hands stopped.
"..."
[Even if your excuse is righteousness, you deserve death.]
Jung Yeonshin spoke, gripping his sword.
His figure.
His battle robe was completely torn. Blood trickled down the sharply defined muscles of his abdomen. The trousers of his black martial attire were stained deep with blood from his wounds.
Yet, he paid no heed. He had exchanged enough blows. It was time to decide the outcome.
Sssk.
Even with a great enemy before him, his eyes were only half-open.
He had observed the Golden Wings Sect's leader up close when she activated the Flood Dragon Formation.
Unlike Zhuge Clan's leader, her use of natural energy was different, far more instinctive and swift. She manipulated the mystical forces with unparalleled fluidity.
It was inevitable that her martial arts and abilities would be in harmony. Since their clash was fated, he had to think of a way to break her technique.
That was why, after stepping into the Flood Dragon Formation, he had remained composed for days. While immersing himself in the mnemonic verse of Defensive Energy, he had analyzed the Golden Wings Sect's leader.
'Breaking her technique alone won't be enough.'
Her martial prowess was at the pinnacle of purple rank, meaning she was nearly flawless as a martial artist.
A mere few counter-techniques could not bring down the massive and profound wall of martial mastery she had built.
He had to rise higher. This was no short-term duel. It was time to deepen his own martial arts.
That was why he seized control of Surpassing Limits Martial Arts, which had been relentlessly suppressing him.
[I have one question.]
[How do you…?]
[Your inner energy claims to subdue all auspicious forces in the world, does it not?]
[…]
[Would you say the same thing before Bodhidharma and Zhang Sanfeng?]
[What?]
[It was a mistake to implant the spirit of the dragon within me.]
Uuuung—
Jung Yeonshin turned the Radiant Wheel. Something immediately resonated in response. A sacred presence that completed the essence of his Divine Art and Divine Weaponry. It was Spiritual Resonance.
The Flood Dragon's essence, personally refined and instilled into him by the Golden Wings Sect's leader, was now crying out within the Radiant Wheel Energy.
Once something entered his body, it became his. Even if it was only a fleeting presence, destined to disappear soon.
The moment Surpassing Limits Martial Arts was unleashed, Jung Yeonshin suddenly recalled the drunken ramblings of his father, Jung Ban-ak, who often spoke of Extreme Reversal.
What would happen if the Spiritual Essence of the Flood Dragon were added to the Transcending Law Radiant Wheel Energy? A sacred presence merging with a sacred force. Its essence would reach an extreme state.
Moreover, he knew of the Supreme Demon of Sacred Blood, Jin Myungjo, despite his internal energy reaching the pinnacle of refinement, he paradoxically appeared ordinary.
A state of absolute stillness, one where energy waves did not extend outward. A realm in the martial world known as Complete Concealment.
Extreme Reversal and Complete Concealment.
They meant one thing.
— So utterly sacred that no presence can be felt.
It was when he began exchanging moves with the Golden Wings Sect's leader. He had drawn the Flood Dragon's Spiritual Essence into his Radiant Wheel and momentarily unified with it, yet she seemed unaware.
Even as he subtly imbued his True Energy into the ground with each move, she remained unresponsive.
Just like the Blood Flame Cult, which had once failed to notice their Formation Technique being slowly tainted by divine power.
At last, Jung Yeonshin fully unleashed the Transcending Law Radiant Wheel Energy.
[So this must be the Spiritual Power of Bodhidharma.]
Uuuuuuuung—!
Layers of faint white ripples began to spread from beneath his feet. It was as if a pure white tide had manifested upon the earth.
The waves of energy expanded outward in concentric circles, extending all the way to the feet of the Golden Wings Sect's leader without dissipating.
It was transparent, like the breath of the Buddha. Unbound by anything.
"...!"
As her eyes widened, Jung Yeonshin detonated the energy he had planted throughout the barrier of sorcery in all directions.
Kugugugugung—
The ground trembled violently beneath her feet.
He did not understand the mysteries of Surpassing Limits Martial Arts. The insight and history embedded in it far surpassed that of Ghost Roar Tyrant King, the previous leader of the Peng Clan.
It didn't matter.
All he had to do was sense the structure of the Sorcery Formation and utterly destroy the foundational points holding it together.
To prevent the Golden Wings Sect's leader from reclaiming the massive energy she had poured into Surpassing Limits Martial Arts.
Kwaang! Kugugung—! Kwaaaang!
The false scenery was crumbling.
The distant cave, its mouth gaping wide, collapsed under a cascade of falling rocks, while the towering trees split apart with a resounding crack.
Shaaak.
Amid the billowing clouds of dust, the two began to walk toward each other.
[Our energy is now equal.]
Jung Yeonshin spoke, anchoring the Flood Dragon's Spiritual Essence within his heart to keep it from dispersing.
With each step, pure white waves rippled outward from his heels.
The Golden Wings Sect's leader, having expended an enormous amount of internal energy on Surpassing Limits Martial Arts, had lost her absolute advantage in opposing forces. Now, she had to rely on pure skill.
Hwiwoowoowoowoo—
The wind surged around her, swirling in a dim golden vortex of natural energy.
She was preparing an ultimate strike that had remained unseen throughout the battle.
The Protective Energy Technique that surrounded her flared into golden flames, growing even denser.
If the Golden Winged Bird from myth were to take human form, it would look like this. Even from a glance, the might of her energy transcended reason.
'If I take even one direct strike, I will die instantly.'
The moment had arrived. Only one strike remained.
In the rare, prolonged exchange of techniques since he had embarked on his journey through the martial world, Jung Yeonshin had now completed his preparations to hunt the Golden Wings Sect's leader.
No matter what sorcery she unleashes.
Kwachik—
The Radiant Wheel shattered within his heart. Shards of light flowed out of his body like a River of Stars.
His entire network of acupoints and muscles synchronized with the mnemonic verse of Full Sky Flower Rain, and immediately, his entire body was enveloped in a luminous robe of light.
Fwoosh—
At that moment, the Golden Wings Sect's leader was already within striking distance, her hands descending.
The golden light coiling around her arms no longer resembled claws but vast wings. The space along the trajectory of her hands stretched and distorted.
Their gazes locked.
The golden radiance in her eyes was devoid of warmth. It was as if she was declaring that this was a technique no human Protective Energy Technique could withstand.
The time of supreme masters, where a moment could stretch infinitely.
Jung Yeonshin suddenly glanced upward.
He saw the sky. It was clear. A fabricated sky.
By now, the sun should have set. The night sky should have stretched above them.
Uuuuuuuuung—!
A dragon rose within his heart. It coiled around him like a silk garment, winding itself around the Starlit Radiance that shrouded him.
The Protective Energy, already unfurled, merged with Precious Radiant Starry Heaven, and overlaid it with Fan Dragon Lotus Binding Technique.
It was instantaneous. The luminous currents flickering like a dragon's body scattered in all directions.
"...!"
The Golden Wings Sect's leader, who had been dashing forward at extreme speed, was suddenly lifted into the air.
She was enshrouded in starlight.
A display of supreme martial mastery. A technique that, in an instant, read her Sense of Balance as if it were his own and utterly shattered it.
[You said my Full Sky Flower Rain lacked the test of time.]
At this moment, Jung Yeonshin's thoughts resonated faster than even Lip Synchronization Techniques.
"You…?!"
The Golden Wings Sect's leader's lips twisted.
Her voice fell from a telepathic transmission to mere spoken words.
Just like the world around them, which was now shattering like porcelain shards.
Saaaaaaa—!
The Starlit Energy surrounding them glowed pale.
It was as if constellations, hidden in the bright sky, had been drawn down to the earth.
At the same time, the Spiritual Resonance of Surpassing Limits Martial Arts, now seized by Jung Yeonshin, leaked into his consciousness.
[The benefactor likened my children to stars, and that inspiration became a single robe in his hands… So, what do you think of Celestial Stars?]
[It does not seem particularly impressive.]
It was the voice of Jung Yeonshin and the Tang Clan's leader. A conversation they had once shared.
The essence of martial techniques was ultimately rooted in human memory.
Thus, the ultimate strike of Precious Radiant Starry Heaven was named. No matter how deeply he pondered, the conclusion remained the same.
There were simply too many impurities in the martial world. The best protection was ensuring no one could harm him.
[Celestial Dawn.]
Jung Yeonshin murmured. Bright Morning.
A name born from a technique he had never been taught, but had pulled into the realm of martial arts.
Kwaaaaaaaa—
Fragments of Protective Energy Technique spiraled upward.
It surged skyward, as if about to reach the Low Sky of Surpassing Limits Martial Arts.
The Golden Wings Sect's leader's eyes widened in horror.
"No…! It can't be!"
As the starlit storm coalesced into the form of a Soaring Dragon,
Kyuuuuuung—!
A Dragon of Light, formed entirely of starlight, ascended, bridging heaven and earth in a single luminous arc.