Chapter 162: Taecheong Divine Sovereign

The inside of the bookstore looked exactly the same as it had during their previous visit.

A wide underground space spread beneath their feet. And filling that space entirely were rows upon rows of bookshelves.

At the end of the staircase that connected directly to the door, a small elderly man sat in a rocking chair.

Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un descended the stairs and stood in front of the old man.

“It’s been a while.”

Jang Woo-hyun greeted him with a smile, while Jin Ha-un tilted his head slightly behind him.

‘Is this really Taecheong Divine Sovereign-nim?’

He had heard about the old man’s identity on the way there, but meeting him in person made him question it.

It was only natural—because the old man looked far too ordinary.

Even if there was a vast difference in skill, someone like Taecheong Divine Sovereign should have some kind of uniqueness or aura to him, but there was absolutely nothing that could be felt.

“Ha-un, greet him.”

“Eh? Ah, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Jin Ha-un.”

Jin Ha-un greeted with a dazed expression, and the smile on Jang Woo-hyun’s face deepened. He knew exactly why Jin Ha-un reacted that way.

‘There’s nothing to see.’

Despite having reached the Boundless Realm, he couldn’t sense Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s aura. He couldn’t detect anything special either.

If he was having this much trouble, how much worse would it be for Jin Ha-un? Surely, beyond the presence or absence of strength, he must have expected something extraordinary—but seeing nothing, he would now be full of doubt.

‘Still a long way to go.’

Not just Jin Ha-un—he himself was lacking too.

He couldn’t even properly read the energy of the person standing right in front of him.

‘He was said to be comparable to the Six Heavens.’

That meant Taecheong Divine Sovereign was a martial artist who had reached the Immortal Realm.

Comparing himself to that, Jang Woo-hyun realized that the gap between the Boundless Realm and the Immortal Realm was far greater than he had imagined.

“It’s been a while.”

Taecheong Divine Sovereign, who had been staring blankly at Jang Woo-hyun, finally opened his mouth. Then he lifted his cane and pointed at Jin Ha-un.

“That young one seems disappointed in me. His skills look decent, but his eyes are pathetic.”

At his remark, Jin Ha-un flinched slightly.

“It’s understandable. When I met you last time, I only thought of you as a bookstore owner.”

“The look in your eyes wasn’t like that back then. I thought you might’ve sensed something, but I guess not.”

“At the time, I thought you were someone accomplished in a different field. The idea that you were a martial artist didn’t cross my mind. And honestly, even now, I still can’t sense it.”

At the honest confession, Taecheong Divine Sovereign let out a hearty laugh.

“So, did you manage to gather a lot of money?”

He asked, recalling how he had told them to save up a lot of money to buy the secret manuals.

“No. I couldn’t. I came today because you summoned me, sir. If it was a mistake, shall I return now?”

“What do you mean, return? I called for you, so don’t say such things.”

The gently rocking chair came to a halt, and Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s gaze shifted toward Jang Woo-hyun’s hands.

“Did you come empty-handed? Coming to greet an elder like this?”

“Eh? Uh, well, that is… I didn’t think that far……”

Caught off guard by the old man’s teasing, Jang Woo-hyun hurriedly reached into his Inner Robe to take out something.

“No need. Just kidding. Let’s get to the point now, since you look impatient.”

“When you summoned me, Divine Sovereign—”

“No need for that title. Just speak comfortably.”

“Then… may I call you sir?”

Taecheong Divine Sovereign nodded, granting permission.

“If someone like you calls me, I imagine it must be for something special. But I have a lot to do, and I’m not the patient type who can wait in suspense. So I apologize, but I can’t just wait around.”

“……”

“Why did you call me?”

“Heh, you speak so directly—it makes it harder for me to explain why I called for you. Most people don’t speak to me like that.”

Jang Woo-hyun bowed and apologized, but Taecheong Divine Sovereign waved his hand dismissively.

“The reason I called you…”

Trailing off, Taecheong Divine Sovereign grabbed his cane and slowly rose from his seat.

With that simple motion, Jin Ha-un instinctively stepped back.

“……!”

It was like a mountain. It felt as if a massive mountain had suddenly risen, piercing the sky.

Just by standing up, he completely dominated the surrounding space. He neither revealed his presence nor drew upon any energy, yet his sheer presence spread in all directions.

Even though he had not threatened them in any way, Jin Ha-un was struck with terror.

Only now did he begin to understand who the old man before him truly was.

If Taecheong Divine Sovereign had harbored killing intent, Jin Ha-un felt he would have been crushed to death just by that act of standing.

“At first, I simply wanted to see you.”

Taecheong Divine Sovereign himself didn’t know why he felt that way.

He just had the urge to meet Jang Woo-hyun.

“I thought I’d gone senile with age, but that wasn’t it.”

When they had met previously, he had simply considered Jang Woo-hyun an interesting or amusing child.

“But now that I’ve met you in person today, I understand why I felt that way.”

Tap.

Taecheong Divine Sovereign lightly tapped the floor with his cane.

In that instant.

Jang Woo-hyun felt as if he had been stripped bare.

Not just his clothes—but his internal organs, bones, muscles, Dantian, and even his soul—all seemed laid bare before Taecheong Divine Sovereign.

His eyes, barely visible beneath drooping eyelids aged by time, stared straight at Jang Woo-hyun.

“Heh heh, astonishing. Truly astonishing.”

A gasp of admiration escaped from Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s mouth.

Even during their first meeting, he had recognized Jang Woo-hyun as an outstanding martial artist. But he hadn’t expected it to be to this degree.

‘To have grown this much in just a few years…’

He couldn’t remember the last time someone’s growth had astonished him this way.

He had been impressed even when he saw Cheon Heo-jin, current Sect Leader of the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect—but the shock now was on another level.

If he were to name someone who had shown comparable growth—

‘Only that one from the House of the Demon Lord.’

The true supreme being of the Demonic Path. The legendary Demonic Practitioner.

Jang Woo-hyun’s growth reminded him of the shock he had felt when he once encountered the Demon Heaven Lord.

“Let’s step outside first.”

Tap.

As Taecheong Divine Sovereign tapped his cane again, the three of them were suddenly outside the city.

Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un looked around in surprise.

‘Teleportation? No, it’s different.’

It didn’t feel like when using Dry Wood or a Spell Formation. Those times, it felt like they had skipped through space—but this time, it felt like the surroundings had crumpled.

And just as they felt that, the three of them had already emerged outside the city.

“Follow me.”

Before Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un could even regain their senses, Taecheong Divine Sovereign vanished.

“Uh?”

He hadn’t moved quickly. It was as if he had simply vanished from where he had been.

When he turned his head, Taecheong Divine Sovereign could be seen standing about one li away.

Jang Woo-hyun regained his composure and activated his movement technique.

As he released energy through the Yongchun Acupoint, the surrounding space seemed to assist him as he dashed forward.

He reached the spot where Taecheong Divine Sovereign had been in a single step, but by then, the latter had already disappeared and reappeared far away.

No matter how hard he kicked off the ground, the distance didn’t narrow.

‘What is this?’

Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s movement didn’t resemble any movement arts. Nor was it like a temporal displacement seen in the Realm of Transcendence.

Rather, like when they had once boarded the ship formed from Dry Wood giants, with each step, Taecheong Divine Sovereign seemed to leap through space itself.

No matter how hard Jang Woo-hyun tried, the distance remained uncrossable.

Eventually, only after Taecheong Divine Sovereign stopped could he land near him.

“That boy will probably be a bit late, so let’s wait and go up together.”

Without waiting for Jang Woo-hyun’s reply, Taecheong Divine Sovereign began climbing the mountain ahead.

A short while later—

“Hyung-nim!”

As he stood blankly staring at the spot Taecheong Divine Sovereign had disappeared from, Jin Ha-un arrived, breathing heavily.

“At first, I thought he was just an ordinary old man, but he really is Taecheong Divine Sovereign.”

Even though he had run as fast as he could, it hadn’t been easy for Jin Ha-un to catch up to the two of them.

“But he’s incredibly fast. His movement, sir—or rather, elder’s—doesn’t seem like movement arts at all.”

“Beats me. I’ve never seen anything like it either.”

“Then could it be something like Spatial Folding Technique?”

“Spatial Folding Technique?”

“You know, the kind of technique immortals use in legends, where they fold the ground to move? When we exited the city earlier, it felt like that.”

It sounded plausible. When they had moved outside the city, Jang Woo-hyun had indeed felt like the surrounding space had crumpled.

“Let’s head up for now. We can ask him once we’re there.”

The two began climbing the mountain ahead.

“This place isn’t too far from the Taeguk Sect.”

Jin Ha-un had spent nearly ten years cultivating at the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect after his Ascension. So it wasn’t hard for him to realize they were close to the main division of the Taeguk Sect.

“I had no idea such a place existed nearby.”

It wasn’t hard to figure out where Taecheong Divine Sovereign had gone.

There was a small trail up the mountain, and they simply had to follow it upward.

As they ascended quickly, a fairly large clearing and an old thatched hut came into view.

“Over here.”

Taecheong Divine Sovereign was seated beside a large table placed near the hut.

He used a tea set to pour tea into the cups.

“You must be tired from the climb. Have a cup each.”

Though confused, the two followed his instructions.

As they took a sip of the tea, a small exclamation escaped Jin Ha-un’s mouth.

“Oh!”

A refreshing energy spread through his whole body.

It felt as though his insides were being cleansed.

It was clear at a glance that the tea was something special. The two of them finished their cups in silence.

Clink.

As Jin Ha-un tilted his head back to drink the last drop, Taecheong Divine Sovereign placed his cup down.

“I didn’t even know the reason I needed to meet you.”

As the conversation began, the two set down their cups and focused.

“But after meeting you in person, I understand now why I wanted to see you.”

Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s barely visible eyes turned to Jang Woo-hyun. Once again, Jang Woo-hyun felt like he was being examined all the way down to his core.

“Have you truly determined the direction you must go?”

At the incomprehensible question, Jang Woo-hyun’s expression stiffened. Anyone could see that he didn’t understand what Taecheong Divine Sovereign was saying.

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You’ve not only reached the Boundless Realm, but also reconstructed a new body using the Five Elements Qi of the Middle Dantian. Your talent is something rarely seen in the Central Heavens.”

Taecheong Divine Sovereign saw through Jang Woo-hyun’s current state perfectly.

“But from my view, you appear unstable. Like a child walking a path they’ve never seen before. A child holding a sharp blade.”

Jang Woo-hyun’s brows furrowed slightly. He couldn’t understand the earlier remark.

‘Walking a path I’ve never seen?’

Had there ever been a time he hadn’t? Everything he had gone through while learning martial arts had been uncharted.

Yet through his own method, through continued cultivation and battles, he had come this far without stopping. Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s words were a shock to someone who believed his path had been the right one.

“Let me show you something for a moment.”

Tap.

As Taecheong Divine Sovereign tapped the ground once with the cane in his hand, the surrounding scenery changed.

The mountain scenery vanished, and Taecheong Divine Sovereign had moved far away.

The first thing that appeared was the fire swirling around him. Then came earth forming along the fire, followed by the appearance of metal, then the emergence of water, and finally trees sprouting.

‘Five Elements.’

The Five Elements Qi revolved around Taecheong Divine Sovereign. And as they did, the surrounding environment transformed.

Tiny sprouts grew into a forest rich in greenery. Leaves fell, branches became bare, and then a fierce snowstorm swept through. The landscape and weather changed rapidly before their eyes.

After the Five Elements came the Four Seasons.

Beyond the space interwoven with the Four Seasons stretched the heavens, the earth, and the sea.

And finally.

It was too vast to be seen with the eyes, but Jang Woo-hyun could feel it.

Beyond the Five Elements, the Four Seasons, and the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Sea—there existed light and darkness. The energies of Yin and Yang endlessly revolved outside.

‘Taeguk.’

What lay beyond the Five Elements, the Four Seasons, and the Three Realms was the massive form of the Taeguk.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep