Cheonma Church Main Hall.
The building was established on a terrain where limestone-rich ground melted away from water, leaving behind only solid rock formations that rise like columns in a forest.
From the outside, it appears as a massive structure sitting atop numerous rock pillars.
It seems like a beautiful palace, but in reality, it is a fortress created to prepare for intrusion. Buildings where people live stand atop the rock pillars, connected by corridors with walls and roofs.
If someone barged inside without caution, they would find the complex structure so confusing that they might spin around on the randomly rising rock pillars.
However, such a structure is nothing unusual for someone who has lived there for a long time.
For most people of Cheonma Church, the man they refer to as the sect master is essentially their own home.
He brought his followers deep into the Cheonma Church Main Hall.
“Burn this place too.”
“Yes, Master.”
The previous sect master, Guseongyong. As soon as his command was issued, his subordinate broke down a wall in one corner of the corridor and pushed a flame into the opening.
Just as the group exited the corridor, flames erupted.
Though it was merely a spark from a cigarette, the chemical which would ignite and burn fiercely with intense heat was destined to consume the corridor.
“Is it really alright to burn this place?”
A young man following Guseongyong asked him.
“I just used the device made for cutting off paths. Why? Are you worried about it getting damaged since this will be a place to live in the future?”
As Guseongyong deflected the question, the young man hardened his expression and replied.
“I’m helping you because of a promise.”
“Fine. That’s enough for now.”
Guseongyong apparently didn’t expect much anyway, so he entered without any further reaction.
Small things don’t matter.
Guseongyong’s goal is to drive out the enemies using the name Cheonma and kill them, returning to his original position.
So he gathered people and launched an attack on Cheonma Church.
In fact, he had already incorporated more than half of the sect’s leaders, making it more like an act of clearing out intruders rather than an attack. Thus, they arrived at the place where Cheonma was, aided by members of Cheonma Church without a major fight.
In the innermost room of the main hall.
As soon as they entered the room, they witnessed a profoundly shocking scene for people of that era.
A middle-aged man was dressed as a woman.
“Looks like it’s you, Guseongyong. If you had come back to life, you should have escaped; then I would have pretended not to see you.”
Moreover, he spoke in a feminine manner.
“Jeongha, have you gone mad now?”
Guseongyong called Cheonma’s real name with a look of disgust, but Cheonma pointed at him with a smirk.
“The Gyuwa Protection has a fatal flaw. Wasn’t this what you wished for by giving me the secret manual?”
The people around were shocked by Cheonma’s words.
“Gyuwa Protection!”
“Absolutely unrivaled martial arts!”
“Ultimate Skills!”
Eyes naturally turned toward Guseongyong.
“When you learn martial arts, a powerful Yin energy rises. So men clash with both Yin and Yang energies leading to madness, while women can’t withstand the rising Yin energy. It’s certainly a formidable martial art that no one can learn. But you’ve learned it, haven’t you?”
Yet Guseongyong calmly replied.
He also knew the flaw of Gyuwa Protection.
Originally, it was a martial art made by a eunuch, and while its power is undeniable, the conditions required for it were harsh.
And one additional thing he knew.
That martial artists have a magic power that makes it hard to bear without firsthand experience.
So he gifted it to Cheonma, without even trying it himself.
He was confident it would lead to his destruction.
No, of course, he hadn’t predicted that his mindset would turn feminine, but it had sufficiently failed successfully.
“Hmph. You speak well. But it’s already too late, Guseongyong.”
Cheonma stood up. Dressed in flowing silk, his attire was cumbersome. Moreover, he had no weapons even within reach.
As Guseongyong pondered his intentions, he aimed his sword at Cheonma and asked.
“Already too late?”
The young man and woman nearby, as well as middle-aged and elderly men, all drew their swords and remained on guard. Cheonma’s words had them doubting that they had fallen into a trap.
But there was no trap.
“Now, someone who wields the true Cheonma Martial Art, not your fake one, will take Cheonma’s place. Jeonyang.”
While uttering a name, Cheonma pointed toward the door leading to the innermost room.
Bang!
The door swung open, and a large man stepped out.
But something was off.
First, his skin was so pale it raised suspicions of illness, and the hair peeking out from under his tied head covering, along with a beard covering his face, was purple.
In this world, like in Xianxia stories, people had various hair colors, but this bright purple was too alien to be considered normal on the streets.
A man covered in a beard that resembled armor smiled as he raised his sword, and brilliant purple energy emitted from the blade like a lightsaber.
Feeling the intense energy, Guseongyong reflexively infused his sword with energy, creating a strong Qi, matching the purple aura.
However, up close, there was a clear difference, much like comparing water to lava; the inherent power within the light was unmistakably different.
“I haven’t performed the ceremony to pass on the name, but isn’t this enough to be called Cheonma?”
“Yes. The name of Cheonma is mine now.”
Jeonyang remarked, swiftly charging at Guseongyong like an arrow.
“You’re going to the grave now, old man!”
Kwah-kah-kah!
Instead of swords clashing, it sounded more like heavy machinery slamming into each other.
“This guy talks too much, considering he’s a man!”
Then, a man behind Guseongyong pulled out his sword and swung it at Jeonyang. To introduce him briefly, he was Gwangmyeongjwas, the head of security.
But Jeonyang deflected that sword easily.
And infused with enormous power supplied through the Energy Center, he swung his sword. The true Cheonma Martial Art used the power received from something, not his own strength.
In terms of causality, the original Cheonma Martial Art was the one Guseongyong utilized. However, if the martial art used by the one who conquered Murim under the name of Cheonma was called that, then the one Jeonyang used could also be called Cheonma Martial Art.
In terms of pure size of Qi, even if all the attackers combined, they wouldn’t be able to defeat Jeonyang. Every time he swung his sword, the equivalent of a pocketful of internal energy scattered like garbage, demolishing anything in its path.
But one must remember, sheer power alone isn’t enough to declare one strong.
Decades of fighting experience by a Murim practitioner surpassed Jeonyang’s raw power. Harnessing gentleness against strength, curves against lines.
Fundamentally, martial arts are techniques made for battling strong foes; thus, a monster with only brute force finds itself entangled by the very technique it aims to use.
Guseongyong assessed Jeonyang’s skills and determined he was not a worthy opponent, swiftly passing the fight to someone behind him. He then aimed his sword at Jeongha.
“It seems you’ve crossed the taboo.”
At those words, Jeongha rose from his seat, grinning.
“Yes, you’re right. Guseongyong. If you know how to become a god, wouldn’t you use it? Now that Jeonyang has probably realized he’s not perfect, let’s take your lives.”
Jeongha raised his hand. In the long sleeves, a small knife was hidden.
But the moment a sinister Qi coalesced within, the knife intended for peeling fruit transformed into a deadly weapon capable of killing.
“Oh Myeong-seong! I can’t handle this alone!”
At Guseongyong’s scream, the young man quickly drew his sword and moved beside Guseongyong.
Ki-iing!
Barely deflecting Jeongha’s attack, they readied their weapons.
Jeongha vs. Guseongyong and Oh Myeong-seong.
Jeonyang vs. Guseongyong’s subordinates and daughter.
A chaotic battle erupted.
The fight between Jeongha and the two was exceedingly chilling.
Every strike exchanged felt as if they were art pieces intricately made from materials of murderous intent. Every logic humans could conceive was captured within that small knife, and Guseongyong and Oh Myeong-seong struggled to defend against it.
The only reason they didn’t immediately face defeat was twofold.
One, Jeongha’s weapon was a small knife.
And the other, the martial arts used by the two was Heupsung Grand Law.
A martial art that absorbs the opponent’s internal energy; if given even a slight opening, it would suck the opponent’s internal energy and essence, turning them into a mummy, comparable in rank to Gyuwa Protection.
Thus, they managed to maintain a precarious balance.
Only a balance was sustained.
Until something extraordinary transpired.
At the same time.
Jeonyang’s battle was unlike theirs. The wild Cheonma Martial Art fueled by the Energy Center resembled a massive monster rampaging rather than a martial art.
Thus, initially, the opponents were overwhelmed.
Though there were many, their swords would be cut along with each other. Even if they managed to block, they’d receive injuries as severe as colliding with a boulder.
The main reason they didn’t immediately fall into defeat was merely because Jeonyang had hardly fought against someone capable of using martial arts.
Simply put, before the harvesting period, he was nothing but a mere law enforcer who could wield a sword.
Up until then, he had only fought in small skirmishes.
There were days spent sparring with Jeongha, but that was ultimately just training.
A massive strength with regrettably weak experience.
Had he originally been a powerful monster, he might’ve handled that strength well, but instead, he was attempting to use a backhoe like a spoon.
That was the reason for his defeat.
The inability to eliminate the opponent from the start led to a reversal of fortune.
Minor mistakes piled up, and wounds began to accumulate on his body. Those injuries hindered his movements and blocked his coherent thinking.
Let alone, he was not a genius capable of growing mid-fight.
At one critical moment, a sword sliced through an important muscle of Jeonyang, and he lost his grip on the sword. But the Cheonma Martial Art was not merely about swordsmanship. He still raised his fist, showing he could still fight.
“AAARRGH!”
The daughter of the previous sect master, Gumi Mil, saw that her beloved Oh Myeong-seong and her father Guseongyong were at a disadvantage. Observing their battle, she struck Jeonyang deeply at a decisive moment.
A piercing stab to a critical area would evoke a significant cry.
“Jeonyang!”
With the voice of an important person, Jeongha’s focus shifted elsewhere.
The once even balance shattered.
Taking full advantage of that moment, Guseongyong and Oh Myeong-seong both severed one of Jeongha’s arms and legs.
Jeongha’s body crashed to the ground.
Yet his gaze remained fixed on Jeonyang.
While watching him, Guseongyong clicked his tongue.
“While holding the title of Cheonma, you’re quite the pitiful sight.”
Jeongha, whose face was now grotesquely painted with blood and sweat, lifted his head to face Guseongyong.
“Former sect master. Please spare Jeonyang. You hate me, don’t you?”
“Of course, I will. I’m quite curious about the structure of a human who has crossed a taboo.”
Jeongha knew what Guseongyong meant. It implied he would be used as an experimental subject.
“Run, Jeonyang!”
Using strength from his uninjured arm and leg, Jeongha recklessly yelled out a scream as he lunged toward Jeonyang.
But unable to move properly with one arm and one leg severed, he was now at Guseongyong’s mercy.
At that moment.
“Cheonma-nim! You must escape!”
Eunchun entered the fray, unleashing the Cheonma Martial Art. Exactly the same martial art Jeonyang used.
As soon as that was seen, those battling Jeonyang instantly sensed the impending danger and rushed forward.
Blood-soaked Jeonyang, seeing the men surrounding him vanish, immediately dashed toward Cheonma. Embracing him tightly, he hurled his body toward the wall.
For reference, behind that wall lay a sheer cliff, so high that one would be surprised if a normal person survived a fall.
In such a spot, no one pursued him downwards.
As he plummeted to the ground, Jeonyang didn’t want to harm the pale-faced Jeongha bracing himself downward.
He waited for death to approach and abruptly asked.
“Why did you love someone like me?”
Jeonyang plunged into the water with Jeongha in his arms, dying without even a moment to receive an answer.
Far, far away in a chamber with holes, Guseongyong looked down at that sight, his expression reflecting horror.
“That’s truly disgusting.”
“Is that so?”
He heard a voice that shouldn’t have been there.
Looking sideways, he saw a girl with purple hair. Though tall, she had a body more akin to a child than a woman.
Yet, nothing could be sensed. It was as if nothing was present since the beginning. To the naked eye, she appeared to be an ordinary person, devoid of any martial arts knowledge.
While Guseongyong stood baffled, she plummeted into the hole.
He had no clue what was unfolding, forced to watch as the girl fell downward.
She descended for quite a while before crashing into the water, shattering into pieces.
He witnessed a nightmare emerging into reality.
From the fragments of the corpse on the surface, time seemed to reverse, reconstituting it.
“Purple Tide God of Chaotic Seasons.”
Guseongyong unconsciously uttered a name he had seen in records left by a god.
A mad god adorned in purple. Chaos that destroys the world.
The taboos defined by the gods lie down there.
