The sword of the Mount Hua Sect Leader gave wings to Jeong Yeon-shin’s movement. He had reached the peak of the world at a breakneck pace—perhaps, just perhaps, he might be able to eliminate a great calamity.

Even if it’s strength that lasts only for a moment...

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t his innate martial power.

This battle would never have even started if not for the martial arts he’d built up until now.

Originally, he had intended to buy time through a prolonged power struggle.

But a fight worth gambling his luck on had formed.

A moment like this, like a divine sword leaping through space and charging the God of War head-on.

Boom!

A massive fist crashed down on the blade of the Divine Sword like a hammer.

A tide of power poured in, as if to shatter the sword completely.

And yet, strangely, there was no shockwave.

It was power on par with the finest external martial arts masters.

Tch.

At the point of contact, the sword blade was forced back like a lever, and Jeong Yeon-shin nearly lost his grip on the hilt.

Naturally so.

The God of War’s striking force always brought to mind Mun Gok.

Then, the lower part of his vision turned bluish.

Right after he slashed downward with the Divine Sword, a hair’s breadth later, the Formless Sword—Starlit Night—rose upward.

At that instant, the God of War’s fully extended fist clamped down on the blade as if catching it.

Then, in a single motion, he slammed it downward like an executioner’s swing.

KWAHHHHHHH!

The movement was like a street thug flipping a vendor’s stall—and yet the rippling shockwave spread like a translucent tidal wave. The sharp tips of nearby stone pillars were sliced off clean.

Hurled with the sword still in hand by the giant, Jeong Yeon-shin was falling, barely visible—and he sensed the cripple’s knee rising from below at an oblique angle. A sweeping strike that twisted even the space around it.

In that fleeting instant, Starlit Night spun with a zheeing—and reversed into Jeong Yeon-shin’s grip before coming down hard.

JJEJEJEJEJENG!

Sparks of deep blue burst from the God of War’s thigh. A defensive move to press down on the knee at the overwhelming speed of the Simgeuk Qilin.

But there was no penetration.

Even the stone pillar beneath the God of War’s foot remained unharmed.

It was as if an invisible wall of inner force had devoured all the impact.

That’s the Body-Guarding Energy?

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes widened slightly.

“You’re hot to the bone,”

came a low laugh that brushed across his forehead.

The God of War’s voice followed:

“Keep taking hits like that and you’ll be in trouble.”

A brutish hand yanked the Divine Sword with force. A power that couldn’t be resisted.

Jeong Yeon-shin immediately let go of the hilt, performing an aerial step to rebound to the stone pillar across. He couldn’t allow close-quarters engagement with the God of War.

“......!”

As soon as he looked up, he saw the God of War’s smiling face.

The Divine Sword, momentarily lent, was about to snap in those stone-like hands.

Secret Martial Art Technique

Soaring Dragon, Blooming Blossom Knot

The long blade trembled—then suddenly burst with a transparent shockwave, leaping from the God of War’s grasp. The fierce gale swept up bits of stone, tinting the surroundings in a blur.

That actually worked?

Even Jeong Yeon-shin was lightly surprised at his own success.

He had activated the Heart-Guided Sword without physically holding it. It was the realm where all things in the world could become weapons.

Three halos merged into a unified energy, amplifying the divine spirit of his upper field. Clearly, this was the power of Halo Convergence.

If three layers moved not separately, but truly as one—

If even this imperfect convergence could unleash such power...

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA―!

The Divine Sword exploded with dozens of ripples as it carved a massive arc through the sky. Thunderous booms followed one after another, like rolling thunder. Then it dove, aiming straight for the God of War’s crown.

JJEOOOONG!

A massive backhand deflected the Divine Sword, sending it flying into the distance.

If it hadn’t been filled with energy through the Qi-Charged Sword technique, it would’ve shattered then and there.

The power—no, even the reaction speed—felt as if it moved alone in the world.

But Jeong Yeon-shin squinted, his focus narrowing on something else.

Still no aftershocks.

The stone pillar supporting the God of War—

From the beginning till now, it remained unchanged.

Even the residual force and recoil of his strikes were being poured directly into his opponent.

Once, the Lord of Ipwang Fortress had consumed the opponent’s force using a sword style like drifting wind—specifically, against the Lord of Sunmaren in Sichuan.

Maybe both the God of War and the Lord of Ipwang had reached the limits of human capability, and now wielded power beyond what mortals were allowed.

Perhaps that was what it meant to be one of the Celestial Beyond Celestial.

Suddenly, a booming mental voice echoed in Jeong Yeon-shin’s skull.

—You’re thinking. Trying to die?

The God of War’s face was suddenly right in front of him. He had arrived with terrifying speed. His vision filled with the Yozoku’s distinct rough skin.

[Heaven Splitter.]

As soon as his right hand grabbed the front of Jeong Yeon-shin’s collar, the God of War’s elbow came crashing down on his crown. An unheralded strike, like a falling boulder.

KWAHHHHHHNG!

It slammed down with such force, it crushed even Jeong Yeon-shin’s aggressive Body-Guarding Rebound.

Staggering from the impact, Jeong Yeon-shin felt translucent radiance being dragged from his hand.

The God of War’s defensive energy peeled slightly forward like a robe slipping off.

“......!”

A beam of light had twisted and darted down the mountain of pillars, and now it pierced through the God of War’s back.

THOOM—!

A shockwave rippled outward in a perfect circle like a lakeshore.

At the same time, blood erupted like a geyser, shaping itself into a long sword hilt.

That was why the Divine Sword was stained in blood.

A moment of silence followed.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“...That bizarre method of fist cultivation, the Heart-Guided Sword, the Qi-Charged Sword, the layered energy transfer, worldly yet auspicious qi...”

The God of War glanced at the sword blade protruding from his abdomen—and gave a deeply satisfied smile.

“A culmination of all kinds of trickery. Your mu carries quite a history.”

Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t respond.

He had to lift his body first through the shock that shook him to his brain.

As the God of War gripped the Divine Sword by the hilt and yanked it out through his abdomen with a crack, a translucent gray lotus slowly began to encircle Jeong Yeon-shin’s form.

Hwan-gang. Following Ultimate Thunder.

Meanwhile, the entire rocky mountain had already been wrapped in a bluish taiji.

The center of Southern Brilliant Grand Taiji.

Unleashing vast techniques like Mouth Moon Reflection or Ink Black Light Sword Sutra was premature.

Not even peerless experts exposed their ultimate styles in every fight. If they failed to kill decisively, the backlash ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ would destroy them.

Tak, tadak.

The quiet sound of kindling cracking echoed softly.

Atop a towering stone pillar—they were now within arm’s reach of one another.

Suddenly, without warning, their bodies blurred and turned faintly transparent on the spot.

Hoo-uk!

Perhaps it was because his mind was beginning to fade...

The battle that unfolded from the next moment on no longer registered in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind.

He moved as if drifting through a dream, dazed and detached from himself.

GRRRRRNG! Boom!

He blocked the God of War’s descending fist with Starlit Night but was flung away. The lingering shockwave that seared through the Formless Sword even burned his hand bones—yet only for a moment. Jeong Yeon-shin stamped across the distance between pillars in just two steps, launching himself at the God of War.

JJEOONG! BOOM!

Simultaneously, the Divine Sword came crashing down like a bolt of lightning and struck the God of War’s shoulder directly. Within the overwhelming shock of the impact point, Starlit Night slammed into it again.

The God of War, blasted into the base of a distant pillar, let out a roaring laugh.

“Heaven’s Speediest Delight... Come!”

KWAHHHHHHH!

Jeong Yeon-shin plunged diagonally like a comet to that very point. They collided and shot up along the stone pillar’s length. Countless trails drew pale streaks in the rushing wind.

JJEOJEJEJEJEONG! BOOM! RUMBLE!

It was a symphony of martial truths. The God of War’s fists, seemingly poised to crush everything, were pushed back by Starlit Night, whipping the air behind him. The shockwaves spread from there, shaking Jeong Yeon-shin’s balance. He had completely unraveled the method to counter Heaven’s Speediest Delight.

Every fist-and-palm angle split and reformed in thousands of arcs. A response that shut down every technique from Thunderous Sword Ascension to Flowing Flame Infinite Defense.

No fixed form.

No set techniques.

Jeong Yeon-shin responded each time by dropping sword strikes like thunder in every direction. Whenever the God of War’s limbs missed their mark, Starlit Night followed up with blows to vital points. If the defensive aura interfered, he tore through it with Heaven Splitter, hammering in stone shards from Ten Thousand Blossoms in Rain.

A contest of pure martial prowess.

The achievements the God of War had piled up felt like the Great Wall blocking his path.

This is dangerous.

He was getting dizzy.

It felt like his head was filled with fog.

Each successful counter came at a cost.

Because his opponent was the God of War, the toll was steep every time.

The absurdly heavy recoil was accumulating in his body.

Shockwaves.

Strike wave pulses.

A proper strike carried power through refined energy flow, and the God of War’s every movement was unpredictable yet still brought shockwaves on the level of Mun Gok.

Meanwhile, approaching presences in the distance began to gather.

Their voices faintly echoed.

“What is that...!”

“Lord Jeong!”

Despite having told them not to advance, some had arrived anyway.

And they weren’t weaklings he could ignore, even with Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial skill.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the whole martial world had gathered.

All allies.

And yet, somehow, each one of them felt like part of the God of War’s chaotic weaponry—as if they could be plucked up in those huge hands at any time and thrown in to distort the battlefield.

WUUUUUOOOOOOM!

A world-turning energy wave.

Layer upon layer of overlapping power surged like a forest of bamboo, enclosing the area.

They made no attempt to hide their manifestation.

No.

Any other enemy, perhaps—but not the God of War.

He was said to enjoy being at a clear disadvantage before an equal rival.

If he stood before an opponent of equal strength, he would grasp nearby lesser warriors and use them to ensure victory.

That was what made him the God of War.

[Do not come.]

That barely-forced intent was the last thing Jeong Yeon-shin managed to send.

Did it work?

No more variables entered the scene.

BOOM! JJEOJEJEJEJEONG! RUMBLE!

Time itself seemed to fracture with every sword strike, only to accelerate again with each sword wind.

He no longer noticed when the surroundings had darkened.

His entire consciousness moved only through the surging sensation of energy he rained down on the God of War like a tidal wave.

Even then, there had been no opening to unfold the Grand Taiji.

His subconscious knew.

This opponent was the one most steeped in the art of battle in all the world.

“You too have the qualities of one who rules the battlefield,”

the God of War said from within the raging wind.

“You don’t shift me toward your allies at all. Had you drawn even a little closer to them, I would’ve used that advantage.”

“...Because I meant to die.”

In that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin’s senses cleared, as if doused in ice water. The ruined battlefield came into full view. Off to one side, a half-toppled iron chest lay scattered. A box that still reeked of that metallic stench.

The sunset spilled transparently over everything.

It was already evening.

Jeong Yeon-shin had never dragged out any battle this long. Both of them were experts in short, decisive fights—and never before had either allowed the other not even a single fatal opening.

“This is the end,”

said the God of War, his whole body soaked in blood.

His words made no sense.

Maybe he’d sensed that Jeong Yeon-shin’s halo was starting to come undone—or maybe he simply meant he was satisfied with the fight.

“Gunreung’s interference always bothered me. I could never know what kind of tragedy befell your fallen clans.”

“......”

Jeong Yeon-shin stood silent in the ruins, and the God of War suddenly pulled the iron chest to himself with a wave of his hand. He grasped it in one hand.

SSSSHHHH―

Whatever immense force he gathered, the chest crumbled on its own—disintegrating into ash-colored iron dust.

All that remained was a gourd-shaped flask.

“Mayuju. The Mongols of old used to love this stuff. People with no homeland.”

The pungent smell grew thicker, but Jeong Yeon-shin’s face remained impassive. He knew it wasn’t the scent of blood.

The God of War abruptly asked,

“They say Namje raised me. Would you acknowledge it even if I bore a grudge against you?”

“...Of course.”

“Then let me ask again. When you struck down Namje—did you truly bear not a shred of resentment?”

His question was persistent.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly shook his head.

Blood of unknown origin dripped from the Divine Sword, now in his hand in place of Starlit Night.

“I did hold resentment. But if he had surrendered, I would’ve let him live. Namje refused.”

“Then that’s enough.”

The God of War lifted the gourd toward the sky.

“To the dead emperor.”

“......”

Jeong Yeon-shin watched silently. He couldn’t grasp what the man was thinking.

“That was just a small naddam just now.”

“A small naddam?”

“Our grudges may be personal. But the matters facing the world are not. My own deepest resentment—was only Namje’s death. And so I...”

“Speak.”

“...Under the sky, where an old friend watches—I acknowledge you.”

The God of War slowly lowered the gourd to the ground as he continued.

“I will become someone greater than you.”

The liquor poured freely.