Chapter 166: Six Heavens

Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Sect.

Alongside the Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult and the Dalma of Shaolin, one of the most renowned names in the Murim.

In the Central Plains where Jang Woo-hyun had been, the Heavenly Demon existed, but not Dalma of Shaolin nor Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang. There were neither records nor traces of their existence.

A world similar yet different to the Murim in his memory.

The Murim that Jang Woo-hyun came from resembled this one like a parallel world but with subtle differences. Just as Kim Min-soo had noted in his records—no Korean Peninsula even after heading east for a long time, or a slightly different history, and so on.

That’s why he thought this world was different from the Murim he knew. At least, until he ascended to the Central Heavens.

After his Ascension, he learned that there were countless Lower Realms. And when he heard the question, “Was there a Wudang in the Lower Realm you came from?” from the

Taecheong Divine Sovereign, he realized some Lower Realms bore similar cultures, histories, and place names. As if the whole world had been copied and only some parts had been altered.

From what he came to understand, Jang Woo-hyun began to think that a world nearly identical to the Murim he knew might exist in the Lower Realms.

And now, that speculation of Jang Woo-hyun had become a reality.

Zhang Sanfeng.

The founder of Wudang, and one of the most legendary martial artists in Murim history.

Anyone who knew about martial arts tales or the Murim would recognize that name.

At the mention of the Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s name, Jang Woo-hyun’s heart pounded violently. That was how significant the name Zhang Sanfeng was.

And through his existence, Jang Woo-hyun could confirm that his speculation hadn’t been wrong.

‘They’re connected.’

This world and Earth were connected somehow. Otherwise, there was no way the legends and stories he knew of the Murim could align so precisely.

Whether it was truly a connection or just legends transcending distant dimensions, the fact remained—they were connected.

Jang Woo-hyun repeatedly muttered the name Zhang Sanfeng to himself for a while. Then a thought came to mind.

‘Perhaps the Dalma Master as well… Huh? Wait a minute.’

The awe of encountering a Murim celebrity was short-lived.

Continuing his thoughts, Jang Woo-hyun came to a realization. The excitement in his body from what he’d just learned quickly cooled.

“Ha-un.”

“Yes.”

“There was Shaolin in the Central Plains, right?”

Jang Woo-hyun asked about something that had been missing from his thoughts until now.

“Yes.”

“…Then the Shaolin monks don’t Ascend? I don’t think I’ve seen a single one here.”

Not only monks—he hadn’t even seen a single temple. Thinking about it now, it was truly strange.

“Oh, that. There are barely any monks in the Central Heavens Realm. I heard Buddhism is a bit different here.”

Fortunately, Jin Ha-un knew the reason.

“Different? How so?”

“In Buddhism’s case, Ascension by advancing in realm is rare. They say one must transcend human ties to achieve enlightenment. Anyway, I heard that a few martial artists of Buddhist origin do make it to the Central Heavens Realm, but most abandon worldly desires and end up in a part of the Middle Realm known as the Tathagata Realm (如來界), where they become living Buddhas.”

“Ah…”

Since all he ever did was fight, this was something he was only now learning.

“So they have nothing to do with the Central Heavens Martial Realm at all?”

“Those belonging to the Tathagata Realm only act within their domain. They don’t interfere with other worlds. You can think of them as the administrators of the Middle Realm.”

“Really? That’s the first I’ve heard of that. How did you know… huh?”

After the Taecheong Divine Sovereign left, there were only two people remaining. Yet just now, an unfamiliar voice had interjected.

Neither Jang Woo-hyun nor Jin Ha-un had noticed anyone approaching them.

The moment he sensed the abnormality—

Jang Woo-hyun didn’t even confirm the voice’s owner before grabbing Jin Ha-un and pulling him away. His instincts had detected immense danger.

Horse King’s Second Step: Sovereign Ruling.

Jang Woo-hyun’s footwork, capable of covering hundreds of jang in an instant, unfolded.

But they were still in the same place.

Though he thought they had escaped far, Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un’s location hadn’t changed.

When he took another step—

Crunch! A strange sound came from the ground made of dirt and stone.

Though he shouldn’t have, Jang Woo-hyun instinctively lowered his head to look at the ground. He wanted to know the cause of this strange situation.

What he saw in his line of sight was a massive scale. The two of them weren’t standing on a mountain—they were on the body of a colossal snake.

“What are you?”

The pleasant voice rang out again.

But it held no emotion whatsoever.

It didn’t sound like a living being—it was more akin to the sound of a pleasant musical instrument.

While thinking desperately of a way to escape, Jang Woo-hyun raised his head toward where the voice came from.

A young man clad in a crimson robe like blood.

A softly glowing golden horn rested on his head, and his eyes had vertical pupils like those of a beast.

“…!”

Just looking at him made Jang Woo-hyun’s body feel crushed. Simply making eye contact left him breathless, as if his heart would explode.

An overwhelming presence. And a unique appearance that resembled a fusion between human and dragon.

Jang Woo-hyun knew who the man was.

“Dragon Heaven Lord.”

The one sealed by the Projection of the Sword Sky Lord had been released and appeared here.

Yong Cheon-myeong, the Dragon Heaven Lord.

As he shattered the seal and emerged, he understood why the Sword Heaven Lord had tried to imprison him.

‘He was preparing the next generation.’

Taecheong Divine Sovereign.

While that man was preparing to take the position of the new Sword Heaven Lord, he had delayed time.

Upon hearing the Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s declaration moments ago, Yong

Cheon-myeong immediately shattered the seal and came here. Though not fully recovered, he couldn’t let things proceed as they were, or it would hinder his plans.

But when he arrived, the Taecheong Divine Sovereign was nowhere to be seen—others were.

Among them, the man in black martial arts robes caught Yong Cheon-myeong’s eyes.

‘What is this?’

Strange. He couldn’t figure him out at all.

He seemed like he belonged to the Taeguk Sect, and the scent of blood he gave off was like one of the demonic practitioners from the White Martial Society or the House of the Curse Demon.

On top of that, the stench of those filthy monsters lingered on one of his arms.

The man who had interjected in their conversation asked,

“What are you?”

Even after making eye contact with him, the one with the unknown identity did not kneel or give up everything. Rather, the will to fight burned in his eyes.

Yong Cheon-myeong stared at Jang Woo-hyun, who gave no answer to his question, then waved his hand. Though he felt some interest, he had no time to waste here.

“You’re not going to answer, huh.”

With Yong Cheon-myeong’s words—

Jang Woo-hyun drew out all his power. He had no intention of launching a surprise attack or defending. He simply had to gather all his strength to survive.

KWAANG!

Yongwangrin shattered from the unseen strike, and the hand holding Mukya twisted.

“Keugh!”

Even using all his strength, blocking one blow from Yong Cheon-myeong was all he could manage.

There was an unfathomable distance between the two.

“He blocked it?”

For Jang Woo-hyun, it was everything he had to block it once.

But from Yong Cheon-myeong’s perspective, it felt different.

“That’s surprising.”

He had put considerable power into that attack.

Yet this nameless man had managed to block it.

Jang Woo-hyun had piqued Yong Cheon-myeong’s interest again.

What had seemed like a strange bug now looked like a small dog.

“What’s your name?”

A simple question.

But from that simple question, Jang Woo-hyun felt overwhelming pressure.

No matter how much he spread his Will-Form Qi and drew up his energy, Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t seize the surrounding space. His will and power were crushed and erased under an overwhelming force.

“I’ll ask again. What is your name?”

Crunch.

Just receiving Yong Cheon-myeong’s gaze made his body rip apart and burst. Jang Woo-hyun endured by drawing up all his strength.

Beyond attack or defense, simply existing in this world was difficult.

Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t just die like this, so he tried to find some kind of solution.

At that moment—

“Hyung… nim…”

At the sound of Jin Ha-un’s strained voice, Jang Woo-hyun turned his head.

He had been so focused on Yong Cheon-myeong that he hadn’t even considered Jin Ha-un.

“I…”

Jin Ha-un, kneeling, was covered in blood. A hole the size of a fist was pierced through his chest.

“Ha-un!”

Unlike Jang Woo-hyun, he had failed to block Yong Cheon-myeong’s attack.

“Hyung…”

Jin Ha-un’s eyes slowly closed.

His realm was the Realm of Transcendence. Compared to ordinary humans, he had far superior regenerative ability and endurance, so even if his limbs were severed, he wouldn’t die easily.

But a hole through the chest was dangerous. Unlike cultivators, martial artists couldn’t revive or regenerate.

“Ha-un! Jin Ha—”

Kwaaang!

As Jang Woo-hyun tried to approach Jin Ha-un, he was crushed.

“Ha-un! Jin Ha-un!”

Even as his body shattered, Jang Woo-hyun tried to reach Jin Ha-un.

“I’ll get rid of that distraction for you.”

“You bastard!”

Fwoooosh—

As Yong Cheon-myeong attempted to attack Jin Ha-un, explosive energy surged from within Jang Woo-hyun’s body.

The pressure that had been crushing him split and vanished in half due to the energy he released.

Jang Woo-hyun rose and stood in front of Jin Ha-un.

As he raised Mukya, blades burst up from the serpent-like ground.

“You…”

Jang Woo-hyun’s glowing eyes turned bloodshot, his face contorted, and veins bulged.

–You are not a sword.

The words of the Taecheong Divine Sovereign, etched in his mind, vanished.

He had never intended to become a sword. He had set boundaries, believing himself not to be one.

But now, none of that mattered. To save Jin Ha-un and face Yong Cheon-myeong, such lines had to be ignored.

All energy responded to Jang Woo-hyun’s fury.

A wave of energy surged forth, ready to cut down everything, and the once-flung Yongwangrin circled around him.

At the same time, blades rising from air and ground began to fill the surrounding space.

Yong Cheon-myeong’s eyes widened at the sight.

“You’re forming a domain?”

It wasn’t complete, and the power wasn’t strong.

Yet someone who hadn’t even reached the Realm of Wish was forcibly opening a Microcosm. Even in his long life, he had never seen such a phenomenon.

“You, just what are you? Are you some hidden monster of the Taeguk Sect?”

Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t answer.

The force he had drawn up moved on its own. Maintaining consciousness was already a struggle.

“Is he being devoured by it?”

As the energy intensified and a storm of blades swirled around Jang Woo-hyun, Yong Cheon-myeong’s interest gradually faded.

Jang Woo-hyun, trembling and struggling to control his body, closed and opened his eyes.

In that brief moment, he stabilized the rampaging power and swung his sword.

“Shut up and die!”

A single line was drawn between the two. Yong Cheon-myeong instinctively extended his hand.

Crack!

The slash split the transparent scale formed in front of Yong Cheon-myeong and touched his hand. Facing an incomprehensible situation, he raised his hand and examined it.

There was no wound. But Jang Woo-hyun’s attack had pierced his defense just moments ago.

‘He hit me?’

In surprise, Yong Cheon-myeong looked up.

Jang Woo-hyun was slashing at endlessly appearing transparent snakes, but he couldn’t advance further.

That was right. With Jang Woo-hyun’s skill, he shouldn’t have been able to touch him. Yet just before, his attack had penetrated the defense.

‘He didn’t lose his mind.’

And contrary to initial expectations, he hadn’t been devoured by the power, nor was he rampaging. He was simply drawing out power and fighting. The space around Jang Woo-hyun was visibly transforming.

Yong Cheon-myeong’s interest returned. No—he now viewed Jang Woo-hyun as something strange and troublesome.

Such a being might cause problems later. He had to be removed now.

Just as Yong Cheon-myeong changed his perception of Jang Woo-hyun and resolved to eliminate him—

Tap.

Someone’s hand touched Jang Woo-hyun’s shoulder.

Immediately, a cool breeze blew in. The raging storm of blades and the negative energy surrounding Jang Woo-hyun vanished.

“You mustn’t go that way.”

A kind voice was heard, and the hand on his shoulder gently pushed Jang Woo-hyun backward.

As if riding a cloud, Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un were gently pushed back.

Jang Woo-hyun’s contorted face and bloodshot eyes quickly returned to normal.

In Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes, he saw a person’s back. Just by looking at that back, he knew who it was. It was the back of the person who had disappeared a moment ago—the one he had made his goal.

The newly appointed Sword Heaven Lord, Zhang Sanfeng, stood before the Dragon Heaven Lord, Yong Cheon-myeong.

As he drew his sword, the world changed.

When the Taecheong Divine Sovereign appeared, Yong Cheon-myeong erased all thoughts of Jang Woo-hyun.

Now, instead of a troublesome being, he had to focus all attention on the dangerous one in front of him.

“So this is what you were doing, huh? I wondered why you weren’t moving.”

At Yong Cheon-myeong’s words, a chillingly terrifying roar filled the surroundings. Then, countless eyes emerged behind him and slowly revealed themselves.

Beyond hundreds—perhaps thousands of dragons.

They filled the sky, the earth, every space. It was as if the world itself had turned into a giant dragon’s lair.

“Calling it a trick—that’s a bit hurtful. It’s been a long time.”

In response, Five Elements formed around the Taecheong Divine Sovereign, followed by the passing of the four seasons. Then, sky, earth, and sea appeared, forming a rotating Taeguk.

A Microcosm created by a martial artist who had reached the Immortal Realm.

Two entirely different worlds now appeared in reality.

“Do you think you can take the seat of the Sword Heaven Lord?”

“What’s stopping me?”

Yong Cheon-myeong reached out his hand. In response, the Taecheong Divine Sovereign raised his sword.

“Whoever sits in the seat of the Sword Heaven Lord—I’ll just kill them again.”

“Do you really think you can?”

Hundreds of dragons opened their mouths and released Qi Waves.

In response, a massive tidal wave rose from the Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s Microcosm, and a freezing cold swept forth, freezing all attacks.

The clash of these two beings caused the Central Heavens Realm to tremble.

“Ha-un! Jin Ha-un! Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Don’t fall asleep! Open your eyes. I said open your eyes!”

Unlike usual, Jang Woo-hyun didn’t watch the battle between the two martial artists who had reached the Immortal Realm.

What mattered most to him now was Jin Ha-un.

Panicked, Jang Woo-hyun dumped everything out from his Inner Robe. He had to find something—anything that could help.

But even after pulling everything out, he didn’t know what to use.

All he knew was how to fight—he’d never treated someone before.

‘Damn it!’

His mind went blank. He didn’t even notice someone approaching.

“Brother Jang.”

Even when the person beside him called out, Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t snap out of it.

“Brother Jang, snap out of it!”

“Huh? Who—?”

Turning his head, he saw a handsome man in a white robe with the Taeguk Pattern on it.

“Taecheong Divine Sovereign?”

“Yes, it’s me. I can help. Please step aside—quickly.”

As the flustered Jang Woo-hyun stepped back, the Taecheong Divine Sovereign placed his hand on Jin Ha-un’s chest.

Colorful clouds formed from his hand and began to fill the hole in Jin Ha-un’s chest.

“His condition isn’t good. We need to move him and take measures immediately. Let’s get out of here.”

Jang Woo-hyun carefully lifted Jin Ha-un and looked around.

They had definitely been on a mountaintop, but now they were on a vast plain.

To the right, snow was falling heavily; to the left, colorful autumn foliage was visible.

And just ahead, the vast sea stretched endlessly.

Far off in that space, the Taecheong Divine Sovereign and the Dragon Heaven Lord were fighting.

Half the sky was filled with countless dragons and a massive serpent.

The other side displayed the ever-changing four seasons, the Five Elements, and rotating light and darkness.

The battle of the Six Heavens who had reached the Immortal Realm.

It could no longer be called a martial arts duel.

This was a clash of worlds. Different dimensions were colliding.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep