Chapter 89: The End of the Fight

Jang Woo-hyun stepped through the air and instantly appeared before Sa Do-woong. The rampant energy coursing through his entire body surged into his right hand and condensed into the black sword.

Hwaaak—

A sudden eruption of black energy.

It was not the usual qi that Jang Woo-hyun exuded. Yet, it did not feel alien in the slightest.

As if following a predetermined path, the black sword naturally targeted Sa Do-woong.

The technique used was neither Destructive Slash nor the newly refined Swift Sword Style. In some ways, it resembled Black Wolf Fang, which unleashed a crescent-shaped Qi Projection.

But it was not merely a slash.

Within an inexplicable sensation, Jang Woo-hyun swung his arm in a full circle. The energy from the Spiritual Medicine was poured out in a single breath alongside his own strength.

Where the sword had passed, a black moon rose, as full and luminous as a full moon.

Full Moon (滿月).

It was not the crescent-shaped Qi Projection he usually displayed.

Sseok!

Sa Do-woong’s willpower and energy, which had filled the surrounding space, shattered in an instant. The black moon severed Sa Do-woong’s arm. And beyond that, it cut through something invisible. For a moment, everything within the black moon’s range was sliced. As if even the very space itself had been severed.

“Guh!”

Sa Do-woong’s face twisted in shock, disbelief flooding his eyes.

“Space… Severance?”

It made no sense. That attack was something Jang Woo-hyun, at his current level, should not have been capable of performing.

Space Severance (空間絶理) — an ability to slice through space and sever logic itself.

It was a realm even Sa Do-woong had yet to reach. It was an attack only achievable by one who stood at the pinnacle of the Boundless Realm, gazing toward the Absolute Realm. And yet, Jang Woo-hyun had momentarily shown it.

“How could…”

It was not that he had entered a trance-like state, nor that he had broken through his realm. Due to the immense energy suddenly drawn forth and the black sword in his hand, Jang Woo-hyun had unknowingly unleashed an attack that transcended his limits.

Grit—

Unable to accept the reality, Sa Do-woong ground his teeth and retreated. He needed time to recover.

The attack called Space Severance inflicted damage beyond the physical — it left a scar on the soul. That single strike had shaken Sa Do-woong’s very foundation.

‘Only once!’

The explosive momentum around Jang Woo-hyun vanished. Which meant he could no longer use Space Severance.

Whether or not he knew how he had succeeded in that previous attack, there would be no more attacks of that level.

Having resolved to retreat, Sa Do-woong’s body swiftly withdrew. But Jang Woo-hyun had no intention of letting him escape.

Tap.

Jang Woo-hyun tightened his grip on the object in his left hand.

What he now held was not Dragon King’s Scales.

At some point, the object in his left hand had become the Silver Spear of the Wind-Passing Great Sage. Just moments ago, the Wind-Passing Great Sage had charged in unarmed — to lend his strength to Jang Woo-hyun.

Before he even stepped forward, the wind pushed against his back. As if to assist Jang Woo-hyun’s movement.

As he inhaled, the surrounding energy surged in with the wind, refilling Jang Woo-hyun’s Dantian.

Kuuoooo—

A whirlwind spiraled up along the spearhead, and within it gathered the blade of Dragon King’s Scales.

Hundreds of scales became the blade of the Silver Spear, and Jang Woo-hyun gripped the shaft and stamped down with a True Step.

Thunk!

He drew out the replenished strength of his Dantian once more.

In that breath, not only his Internal Energy, but also the wind enveloped his body. Even as his body had been torn, it was all part of the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s preparation.

The energy flowed through the spear shaft.

Jang Woo-hyun’s Internal Energy and the wind surged simultaneously.

He closed the distance and thrust the spear forward. This was Jang Woo-hyun’s fury, standing in place of the Beastkin.

‘You are now enemies.’

The Ascension Cult and Bi Ik-ryeon — both were now enemies that Jang Woo-hyun had to erase. He added more strength as he thought of the Beastkin child who had searched for him while unconscious.

Sa Do-woong stood in the path of the approaching Silver Spear.

His will to block it, his power, and his willpower all stood in Jang Woo-hyun’s way.

Jjeojeojeok!

All of it was pierced by the Silver Spear.

Even though Sa Do-woong’s hand, which had gathered immense energy, collided with the spear, the Silver Spear did not stop.

Peo-eok!

It smashed the blocking hand and drove straight into Sa Do-woong’s chest.

“Ggeuh…”

Sa Do-woong twisted his body, trying to endure somehow.

Jang Woo-hyun, watching the scene, sent all his power through the spear shaft.

Then, Dragon King’s Scales, forming the blade, exploded within Sa Do-woong’s chest along with the wind.

Peobeobeobeok!

Hundreds of blades burst out from inside his body along with the raging wind. In an instant, Sa Do-woong’s body was torn into flesh pieces.

Hududeuk.

What had once been a person scattered and fell in all directions.

And just like that, Sa Do-woong, a master of the Boundless Realm and one of the Three Leaders of Bi Ik-ryeon, breathed his last.

In the end, only Jang Woo-hyun remained standing.

Maeng Ye-ju had fainted with her arm severed, and the Wind-Passing Great Sage, whose body was sliced, showed no movement — possibly dead. Though he was a Projection, so he wouldn’t truly die, it seemed his life had reached its end.

Jang Woo-hyun carefully lifted Maeng Ye-ju and laid her on flat ground.

‘What now.’

Cho-su had given him something similar to Golden Wound Medicine inside the Inner Robe, but with the arm completely gone, it didn’t seem it would help much.

Still, he thought he should do something and checked Maeng Ye-ju’s wounds.

Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped, and the end seemed to squirm as if regenerating.

‘Ah, she said arms and legs can be regenerated.’

Although complete regeneration like a Cultivator at the Incarnation Stage wasn’t possible, a Transcendence realm martial artist could regenerate limbs — that’s what Maeng Ye-ju had explained before.

Seeing her condition, it seemed she didn’t need any intervention.

“Uaaaah!”

While he was inspecting Maeng Ye-ju’s wound, a shriek came from one side.

Turning his head, the corpse at the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s location had vanished, and in its place stood a small monkey the size of two palms.

“Monkey, is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

The white monkey that waddled over — the small Wind-Passing Great Sage — climbed up Jang Woo-hyun’s leg and sat on his shoulder.

“I thought I was dead.”

“You weren’t?”

“I wasn’t quite ready to go, so I gathered my remaining strength and endured.”

“Doesn’t it not matter since you’re a Projection?”

“No matter how much of a Projection, if that much power is poured into the body… never mind. Explaining is a hassle. Anyway, it wasn’t easy for me either. But it was fun, so whatever. Hehe.”

The Wind-Passing Great Sage bounced joyfully on his shoulder, laughing. Then suddenly turned serious and opened his mouth.

“Be careful of that sword.”

“This?”

Jang Woo-hyun lifted the black sword.

“Yeah, that’s no ordinary thing. There must be a reason it came to you.”

“A reason? I only got this because of the Brand. I was trying to suppress the Brand with the sword’s power.”

“No, a weapon like that isn’t something you can get easily. There’s definitely a reason it came to you. I’m right about this, so take it seriously. If the sword had no connection with you, it would’ve rejected you with a curse. Might’ve even corrupted you.”

“You’re saying it followed me? This thing? I couldn’t have used it without your help.”

Jang Woo-hyun didn’t understand the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s words. It was just a sword he picked up by chance. If it weren’t for the Brand he had received from the Wind-Passing Great Sage, he wouldn’t have even taken it.

“If it’s a divine weapon, those without a connection can’t use it. It even chooses its own master. That’s why people say its master is already decided. I don’t know what story that sword holds, but it’s definitely not ordinary. It clearly followed you. You’ll come to understand if you keep carrying it.”

At the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s words, Jang Woo-hyun quietly looked down at the black sword. It was a sword he had truly obtained by coincidence while meeting Cho-su and Cho-yul. All to nullify the power of the Brand engraved by the Wind-Passing Great Sage.

But listening to the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s words, it felt like he and the sword were somehow connected.

‘Is that why it helped?’

When he absorbed the power of the Blue Wolf Pill and Hocheon Pill, he hadn’t controlled it with his own power alone. The black sword had helped, allowing him to unleash power beyond his limits.

‘Should I just return it?’ Jang Woo-hyun thought, but since he had received help, he decided to keep it for now. It worked well alongside Dragon King’s Scales, and it felt wasteful to discard it.

‘If it chose me, I guess I’ll keep it for now.’

“Anyway, just know it’s that kind of weapon. I stayed behind for another reason.”

“What, you’re going to fight again?”

“Wahahaha! Fighting is great and all, but not right now. I’ve had enough fun with it.”

“Then erase this Brand you left on my shoulder. Because of this, the kids keep calling me a True Immortal.”

“True Immortal?”

At the question, Jang Woo-hyun shared the story of how he met the Beastkin children.

“Hm, I suppose that could happen. Alright, I’ll make it unrecognizable for now.”

“I said erase it.”

“Think about that later. Let me ask you something first.”

“Ask what? Erase this first.”

“Why did you come up so late?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Jang Woo-hyun asked back. He didn’t quite understand what the Wind-Passing Great Sage was trying to say.

“When I met you in the Lower Realm, you were almost ready. I thought you’d ascend to the Central Heavens Realm right away. But I only recently picked up your scent. Don’t tell me you were hiding ever since you arrived?”

“Ah…”

Jang Woo-hyun finally understood what the Wind-Passing Great Sage meant. It was the same feeling he had when talking with Gwak Yu-chan — the mismatch in time.

Gwak Yu-chan had clearly said he met Cheol Geuk-jin, who had ascended from the same world, more than ten years ago. Yet, in Jang Woo-hyun’s memory, he had ascended to the Central Heavens Realm not long after Cheol Geuk-jin did.

“Well… the thing is, it didn’t take me that long.”

Jang Woo-hyun paused briefly, then told his story.

He told him that he ascended not long after meeting the Wind-Passing Great Sage, and that someone he knew also ascended, yet that person had arrived at least more than ten years prior. He also explained the Silver Giant he had encountered during his ascension.

Then he found himself wondering, ‘Is this really okay?’

Before he knew it, he was speaking to the Wind-Passing Great Sage like an old friend. Even telling him things he probably should have kept secret.

This monkey Monster had clearly once marked him as prey, and he himself had once smashed the Wind-Passing Great Sage to pieces in the Lower Realm. Their relationship had developed far too quickly.

‘I don’t even know anymore.’

He decided to stop thinking about it. He was curious about the time discrepancy, but it didn’t seem like the Wind-Passing Great Sage would go around telling others about him. And somehow, they had grown rather close.

“A Silver Giant, you said?”

The small Wind-Passing Great Sage widened his eyes and asked after hearing the story.

“Yeah, I don’t know what it was, but it attacked me, and I couldn’t ascend the normal way. That’s probably why time got distorted. Something just felt off.”

“So you ran into a Silver Giant during your ascension and the timeline doesn’t match what you know. Let’s see.”

While speaking, the Wind-Passing Great Sage stood on his shoulder and climbed onto Jang Woo-hyun’s head.

“What are you doing?”

“Relax your body for a moment.”

“……”

“Come on, loosen up so I can check something.”

The small Wind-Passing Great Sage tapped Jang Woo-hyun’s head.

“What are you talking about? Loosen up?”

“I’m trying to look inside your head, but it’s hard because of the power coursing through you. Think of it like a mental barrier you’re subconsciously maintaining.”

“What in the world are you saying?”

Jang Woo-hyun reached up and grabbed the Wind-Passing Great Sage. For a brief moment, he thought, ‘Does this brat think he’s really my friend?’ He almost threw him far away but stopped himself.

“Explain it so I can understand.”

“I’m just saying your mind might be messed up, and I want to check. Maybe your memories are sealed, or something is misaligned.”

“You can do that kind of thing?”

“Hah, what do you take me for?”

“A monkey Monster.”

“……”

At that blunt answer, the Wind-Passing Great Sage was speechless. Because it was true.

“Well, that’s not wrong… but someone like me can see strange things. Just trust me.”

“And why would I trust you?”

“Because we’ve fought together this whole time. Do I seem like the type to pull something sneaky like that?”

This time, Jang Woo-hyun had no rebuttal. The Wind-Passing Great Sage was right.

He was someone who had even severed his own body for the sake of battle. If he’d wanted Jang Woo-hyun’s body from the beginning, he could’ve subdued him with the power he displayed when they first met.

“We can fight each other later, but for now, we’re allies. Hehehe.”

The Wind-Passing Great Sage, still in his hand, stretched out his tiny arms.

Seeing that, Jang Woo-hyun chuckled and lifted him back onto his head.

“Fine, go ahead.”

“Alright, just relax your body and let your mind go.”

“…What does that even mean?”

“Just listen carefully.”

After a while, once the explanation was over, the Wind-Passing Great Sage was finally able to look inside Jang Woo-hyun’s head.

“See? I knew it. This might sting a little.”

“Huh?”

Jang Woo-hyun, dazed, responded a bit late to those words.

Suddenly, a thunderous pain shot from the Baihui acupoint on top of his head to the Yongchun acupoint on the soles of his feet, and his vision abruptly blacked out.

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