Chapter 44
The thunder qi gathered in Mu-Gun’s dantian immediately flowed from his hoe-eum point to his chong-maek vessel, then soared to the Mud Pill Palace[1]in a straight line. Having achieved 180 years’ worth, it struck the Mud Pill Palace directly, causing a loud roar to ring within Baek Mu-Gun’s head. The impact was tremendous.
Mu-Gun endured it with superhuman endurance even though it was great enough to cause one to scream. When his thunder qi failed to break through the Mud Pill Palace and was blasted away, he condensed it again.
The Mud Pill Palace was also called the Life and Death Gateway or the final physical gateway. The Absolute Realm referred to a practitioner opening this Life and Death Gateway and achieving Mortal-Celestial Harmony. In fact, one could somehow successfully open the Life and Death Gateway for as long as they had a lot of internal energy. However, achieving Mortal-Celestial Harmony and undergoing metamorphosis required profound enlightenment.
Mu-Gun already possessed such enlightenment. Hence, all he had to do now was open the Life and Death Gateway. It naturally wasn’t that difficult for him. After all, he had already obtained 180 years’ worth of internal energy. He compressed the thunder qi and increased its resilience to the maximum, then flushed it into the Mud Pill Palace in a single strike.
A loud roar resonated in his head once more. He still didn’t break through the Mud Pill Palace, but the repeated impact had caused cracks to form. Not missing this opportunity, he compressed the thunder qi again before firing it into the Mud Pill Palace. No longer able to withstand it, the third impact from the thunder qi shattered the Mud Pill Palace’s gates.
The Life and Death Gateway finally opened. As it did, Mu-Gun’s thunder qi became one with the world. A wave of golden thunder energy soared from the top of Mu-Gun’s head and enveloped him as if it was protecting him.
Now covered by the golden thunder energy, he rose about three inches from the floor. Mu-Gun had reached the Floating Samadhi state. [2]
The energy then created a vortex with Mu-Gun as a central point, and the golden thunder energy increased in size. However, it didn’t last for long. There was a limit to the amount of energy the golden thunder energy—or the thunder qi—could absorb. The thunder qi, which had absorbed the energy of all things in the world to the very limit, churned around Mu-Gun and began to seep into his scalp.
Mu-Gun controlled thunder qi entering him and directed it to his dantian. Having inflated in size, the thunder qi filled his dantian up in an instant, yet it still continued to flow in. Without panicking, Mu-Gun highly condensed his thunder qi, causing it to transform into an inner core.
Like a cocoon, the thunder qi wrapped around the Thunder God core that had been formed in the center of his dantian. The Thunder God core then filled his dantian again until there was no more room for the thunder qi to fill. Nevertheless, the thunder qi didn’t stop flowing into the dantian.
‘I have to open up my middle dantian.[3]’
Mu-Gun directed the uncontainable thunder qi in his dantian toward his heart. Failing to control it and allowing it to expand beyond his dantian would cause it to disperse in all directions, ultimately making him explode and killing him. Nevertheless, Mu-Gun focused and directed the uncontainable thunder qi in his dantian toward his heart. The thunder qi squeezed into it, making him feel as if his heart was about to burst at any moment and causing him to clench his teeth. Nevertheless, he didn’t stop the thunder qi that was rushing into his heart. Soon, they began to amass together.
His second dantian, the middle dantian, had been opened, and the thunder qi, which was rampaging without a place to go, gathered in it and filled it to the brim. The sound of his bones twisting and piecing back together began to resonate in the room.
Metamorphosis was taking place, which was the clearest evidence that he had advanced into the Absolute Realm. It began by restructuring his skeletal frame. It didn’t only become perfectly balanced. It also hardened like cast iron.
His muscles were next. They expanded as if they were about to burst, became highly compressed, and then reborn into a state that could display the greatest strength and flexibility.
His skin was the last to change. New flesh rose through his peeling flesh like a rice paddy field in a drought. It looked as fragile as a newborn baby’s skin at first glance, but his skin had become so tough that most swords wouldn’t be able to even scratch it. If he imbued it with the iron blood vajra qi, he’d be able to block against sword qi or saber qi with ease.
After completing the metamorphosis, Mu-Gun finally opened his eyes. They had a golden glow that soon permeated deep into them.
“Phew, it feels like my life was shortened by ten years.”
Mu-Gun breathed a sigh of relief, recalling the moment the deadly poison qi nearly devoured him. He was overconfident. Considering even the Medicine King Family couldn’t handle it, he should have handled it with more caution. He achieved the greatest outcome thanks to it, but it would be wise to think twice before taking action since this was his last reincarnation.
“Well, that’s that. As expected, the Absolute Realm is in a league of its own.”
Mu-Gun smiled satisfactorily at his improved physical condition, which was incomparable to its previous state. Now that he had advanced to the Absolute Realm, his internal energy exceeded three hundred years’ worth. Through the Mortal-Celestial Harmony, he absorbed an additional 120 years’ worth of internal energy. Only he could make such a feat possible.
No matter how much of a genius one was, the maximum amount of internal energy that could be obtained through the Mortal-Celestial Harmony was only thirty years’ worth. However, Mu-Gun had already experienced it several times throughout his previous lives. Hence, he learned how to absorb celestial qi with utmost effectiveness in the process.
The three hundred years’ worth of internal energy even unlocked his middle dantian, making it possible for him to convert external qi into vajra qi. Even an Absolute Realm master had limitations when it came to emitting vajra qi just with their own internal energy, and the only way to break through that limit was external qi conversion. External qi conversion allowed the practitioner to form vajra qi with the external energies flowing all around them. If the practitioner could freely use the external qi conversion, they’d then be able to minimize the internal energy consumption as well.
By unlocking the middle dantian and making external qi conversion possible, Mu-Gun recovered half of the power he possessed in his previous life. Although it was far more lacking compared to his previous life, very few people would be able to do anything to him at his current level.
Mu-Gun was no longer worried about the fight against the Great Sima Family. Now that he was in the Absolute Realm, he was confident he could crush any variables that would come up along the way.
***
As Mu-Gun absorbed the Yin Yang Poison Horn Serpent’s beast core and went through a metamorphosis, the night had passed and morning had come. Despite being unable to sleep a wink, he felt lighter and more vigorous than ever. Mu-Gun lightly washed up and had breakfast.
Soon after, he received a report that the Great Huangfu Family and Great Namgung Family’s forces had surrounded the Great Sima Family’s manor. The Great Huangfu Family’s martial artists in the Yangzhou safe house left to join up with the Great Namgung Family's forces, which were already surrounding the Great Sima Family’s manor. Mu-Gun came with them.
When they arrived at the Great Sima Family, they immediately saw that the Great Huangfu Family and the Great Namgung Family’s forces had already created a heavy encirclement around the Great Sima Family. There were approximately seven to eight hundred people.
“How many came?” Mu-Gun asked Huangfu Ren.
“Our family deployed four of the Ten Heavenly King Platoons, and the Great Namgung Family deployed three of the Twelve Heavenly Azure Sword Squadrons.”
The Great Huangfu Family and Great Namgung Family mobilized seven hundred elite warriors. The Asura Cult forces within the Great Sima Family wouldn’t be enough to handle this level of power. However, they should never let their guard down until the end of their battle against the Nine Celestial Demons Sect.
“We don’t know how the Asura Cult will react. We have to stay alert until the very end.”
“I know. We’re also currently scouting to determine if there are any groups approaching the Great Sima Family.”
“As expected, you are thorough.”
“We’re up against the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, so we can’t be negligent.”
As they conversed, they arrived in front of the Huangfu-Namgung coalition’s command barracks.
“Two of the Four Peerless Heavenly Kings and one of the Five Great Devas are inside, so let’s go in together.”
“Me too?”
“Is there any reason not to?”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m just wondering if it will be fine for me to join in as well.”
“You are a major contributor in revealing that the Great Sima Family is a disguised force of the Asura Cult, so it’s only natural for you to join us. Come on! Let’s go in together.”
Mu-Gun entered the barracks when Huangfu Ren urged him to join. The command barracks were quite large. Inside were three men seemingly in their fifties. They sat opposite each other while drinking tea.
They looked like ordinary middle-aged men on the surface. However, Mu-Gun could tell. Unlike their ordinary appearance, there were huge amounts of energy within them. And just as how Mu-Gun could sense that, they also sensed Mu-Gun’s level at a glance. Realizing how strong he was made their expressions stiffen. Mu-Gun looked to be in his early twenties at most on the outside, yet he was already in the Absolute Realm. Despite bearing witness to it, they still found it unbelievable.
Just then, a middle-aged man wearing a martial uniform with the Great Namgung Family’s sigil, an azure dragon, engraved on his sleeve, frowned and said his remarks. He was Namgung Ho the Divine Wind Sword Saint, one of the Five Great Devas the Great Namgung Family took great pride in.
“You’re using someone else’s shell, huh? I wonder why you’re trying so hard to hide your face.”
Noticing the pigskin mask Mu-Gun was using at a glance, Namgung Ho looked at him with suspicion.
“First of all, what I’m using is a mask made of animal skin and not the face of another person, so please don’t misunderstand. I can’t show my face because I suffered a deep burn on my face when I was young. I don’t want to show it to others, so I ask for your understanding,” Mu-Gun lied calmly.
“Well, if that’s the reason, I can’t force you to show your face.”
It seemed Namgung Ho didn’t believe Mu-Gun, but he didn’t bother to try looking at the latter’s face.
“Thank you for understanding.”
“However, if we are to plan together, shouldn’t you at least reveal who you are?”
“I am Gu Jeon-Saeng, the successor of the Heavenly Sea God Sect’s legacy.”
Mu-Gun used the Heavenly Sea God Sect as a front. The three middle-aged men were suspicious of his identity, making it necessary to create a background that could justify why he was able to reach the Absolute Realm in his early twenties. To that end, the Heavenly Sea God Sect was a convincing enough background.
“You mean the sect of the Heavenly Seafarer, who was said to have commanded the world a hundred years ago?” Huangfu Jian, the Sky-Shocking Tyrant Fist, asked. He was one of the Great Huangfu Family’s Four Peerless Heavenly Kings.
“That’s right.”
“I thought it ceased to exist when the Heavenly Seafarer passed, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“By chance, I was able to get my hands on the legacy left behind by the Heavenly Seafarer and succeeded the Heavenly Sea God Sect’s heritage.”
The three middle-aged men nodded at Mu-Gun’s response. If he was a successor of the Heavenly Seafarer, one of the Ten Wonders, then his current level could be justified. Above all, the energy they felt from Mu-Gun was mighty, but they didn’t sense the vile energy unique to the demonic path from him.
Hence, they could at the very least deduce that he wasn’t part of one of the groups that treaded the demonic path.
Of course, the nature of a person’s aura wasn’t an absolute criterion for classifying them to be part of the demonic path. However, considering he gave the decisive evidence that the Great Sima Family was one of the Asura Cult’s disguised forces, they believed that Mu-Gun would, at the very least, not backstab them in this fight.
“Looking at you, I can guess how amazing of a person the Heavenly Seafarer was.”
“I feel bad for not being good enough to make good progress on his legacy, though.”
“You’re being too modest. It was impossible for even the Divine Monk Dharma or the Supreme Elder Sanfeng, who are the leaders of murim, to reach the Absolute Realm at that age. If you’re not good enough, then the rest of us who barely managed to advance into the Absolute Realm at our age should go and die.” Huangfu Gang said, dumbfounded. He was also a member of the Four Peerless Heavenly Kings and was known as the Mountain-Splitting Blast Fist.
“I reached my current level because of the arrangements the Heavenly Seafarer had left behind. It’s not comparable to the three of you, who have reached the Absolute Realm through decades of effort and training,” Mu-Gun said sincerely.
Rather than the fact that they were members of the Seven Great Clans, Mu-Gun admired the fact that they reached the Absolute Realm as martial artists. He was able to advance into the Absolute Realm through the experiences and arrangements from his previous life, while they broke through into the Absolute Realm purely through their own effort.
Was it perhaps because they felt his sincerity? The three Absolute Realm masters’ gazes turned gentler.
1. 泥丸宮: It is an area in the upper dantian where qi flows through. ?
2. A phenomenon that occurs momentarily due to a certain enlightenment during qi circulation. It is a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation. ?
3. There are three main dantians in one’s body: the lower, middle, and upper dantians. The middle dantian is located at the center of the chest and is most closely related to the heart chakra. ?
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