Chapter 365. Disciples, Hear Me.
I looked around, then raised my right hand.
“Extreme Yang.”
I raised my left hand as well.
“Extreme Yin. The two, by nature, have the tendency to remain as yin and yang. This is called their essence. When the yin and yang drawn from within the body are made to collide…”
I curled both hands as though holding small spheres, then brought them together.
“They collide. Things with form, like water or fire, would be extinguished. But this is qi, so it is different. Should I call them countless tiny particles of qi? They are as numerous as the stars in the sky, but their forms are exceedingly small. Individually, they cannot be seen.”
“……”
“Each mote of dust, so to speak, endures in order to exist according to its own nature. But as the one presiding over it, I continue to force yin and yang to collide. Even so, those infinitesimal things resist with the fundamental force that seeks to preserve their essence. I have no way to explain the principle beyond that. It seems that is simply the nature of the world. The very smallest things all explode in temper at the same time.”
After seeing the Cult Leader nod, I continued.
“Countless particles explode at once—explode, explode, explode, explode… They explode without number. And in the midst of that, I am also pouring more power into it. In the end, the moment Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven is completed and bursts forth, it produces explosive power that vastly surpasses the limits of my own internal energy. Cult Leader, have you understood up to this point? I explained it with the utmost sincerity.”
Fortunately, the Cult Leader nodded.
“I understand the concept. But how could one execute Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven after hearing such abstract words? That is the principle, not an explanation of how to manifest the martial art. Explain in more concrete terms.”
I slapped myself across the cheek.
‘This is killing me. Seriously…’
In truth, that was all there was to it.
How was I supposed to recite the formula for a martial art with no formula? With my head lowered, I stared at the ground, then suddenly looked at one of the children.
“……Is it hard for you to understand too?”
One child shook his head and answered.
“I understood. But even if I gain internal energy, I don’t think I’d be able to do it like you, Sect Leader.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
I asked the Cult Leader.
“May I demonstrate it myself? I won’t complete it. If it explodes here, we’ll all die together. This is not a threat. I have no intention of dying, you see.”
The Cult Leader nodded.
“Do it.”
Beside me, the Lust Demon spoke in an anxious tone.
“Be careful. Please.”
“I should be careful.”
I wrapped the Flame Realm around my right hand. A tiny flame danced in the form of qi on my palm. In my left hand, using the Moon Shadow Heartless Art, I formed a pure white flame. As I slowly brought the two together and sealed them off with my palms, a strange sound rang out. It was as if a thunderous roar had erupted somewhere far away, yet the distance was so great that only a faint trace of it could be heard here.
“……”
After drawing internal energy from within my body, I turned the space between my palms into a dragon pool where waterfalls poured down from both sides. If I infused any more, it would truly unfold into Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven, so I hastily withdrew my hands.
“Now then. Internal energy starts from the dantian, follows the meridians, and exits through the centers of the palms. A passage has been formed, in other words. But because of the collision, it feels as though the internal energy is being forcibly drawn out. Because of the force by which yin and yang struggle to exist on their own, my will and the state of my dantian are ignored. At a certain moment, Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven takes the initiative and uses my internal energy. It is a reversal phenomenon. Taiji usually signifies harmony, but this technique explodes from a reversal in which host and guest are switched. That is why one could attach the absurd term Reverse Taiji to it. Cult Leader?”
The Cult Leader of the Blood Cult nodded.
“I understand, but it is insufficient.”
“This technique is a dreadful thing. It is only natural that it cannot be completed with a few words. Is it not? First, one must possess opposing qi. In truth, this condition itself is difficult. The point to be careful of here…”
I looked at the children and brought the index fingers of both hands together.
“They must be powers of equal strength. If the power of Extreme Yang is stronger, it will simply devour the qi of Extreme Yin, and only dregs will remain. Thus, one must draw up equal forces, maintain their taut balance, then hand over the initiative to the sun and moon. So that the collision of the two sources may emit light…”
The bastard Cult Leader insolently interrupted my lecture.
“So that is why that Demon Cult Leader bastard entered training so often. To achieve balance.”
“Because the Cult Leader’s internal energy was profound, he would have needed even more time to achieve balance. The same goes for you. You must find the opposite point. Perhaps finding that is both the beginning and the end of Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven. The reason you find Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven difficult is because you have delved deeply into only one essence. If, for example, that essence was blood qi, then with that alone, you cannot dream of Reverse Taiji.”
After hearing my words, the Cult Leader fell silent for a moment.
“……”
Only now did he look as though he had realized something. At the same time, he seemed to be searching for flaws or gaps in my words, but judging the situation dangerous, I truly spoke the truth. Because it was not only the Cult Leader listening, but the children as well.
“Do you understand why I called it a martial art without a formula? You must begin with a deep understanding of the principle, then train according to your own circumstances. All things are like that.”
The Cult Leader nodded.
“Say more.”
I realized that the Blood Cult Leader’s state of mind had returned from that of a madman committing slaughter to that of a disciple trying to learn martial arts, but I barely managed not to show it. In the midst of it all, my own role was wavering back and forth again—from master to cultist, and from cultist to master.
This time, I deliberately looked at the children as I spoke.
“Listen well.”
“……”
“Logically speaking, Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven can be executed by two people.”
The Cult Leader cut in.
“Why are you suddenly saying something else?”
I held out my hand and cut off the Cult Leader’s words.
“Is that not so? That is the principle. Yin-Yang physiques are rare. Experts who possess both Extreme Yang and Extreme Yin internal energy at the same time are rare as well. Because it is inefficient. Most people study one field deeply. Am I wrong?”
The Cult Leader nodded.
“You are right.”
“To make the explanation simple, let us say a male expert has learned Extreme Yang, and a female expert has learned Extreme Yin. After hearing my explanation, those two can, in theory, sufficiently execute Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven. However, they must agree upon and coordinate what occurs within these palms. In truth, before I created Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven, it did not exist in the world, so it had no name. It was a technique without substance. If a man met a woman and came to feel an emotion he had never felt before, what would the name of that be?”
The Cult Leader interrupted.
“What does that have to do with Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven?”
I ignored the Cult Leader’s words and focused on the children.
“……Like Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven, which did not exist in the world, you are the harmony of yin and yang made manifest. The harmony of yin and yang is not Reverse Taiji. It is a natural thing. In other words, the Sun-Moon Radiant Heavens born from the harmonious meeting of a man and a woman are all of you. Even this master’s Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven would not dare compare. Each and every one of you is a miracle greater than Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven. This master will save you no matter what, so there is no need to be afraid.”
As I muttered nonsense, having lost my reason, I confirmed that the whole world had been dyed violet.
“……”
In this state, if I unfolded Dark Fragrance Drift, I felt I could somehow block the falling Blood Sand with my own body. I deliberately took one step toward the Cult Leader. Fortunately, the Cult Leader did not attach any deep meaning to that single step.
The Cult Leader answered.
“What martial art is that, exactly?”
“This is the Jaha Divine Art. I’ll tell you in advance, but I cannot explain even this much.”
“Why is that?”
“Because it has no formula and no principle.”
The Cult Leader muttered.
“How in the world did you unfold a martial art with neither formula nor principle?”
“That is why I put my name on it. All of you should create your own martial arts and put your own names on them. This is a martial art that began from my heart, so there is no way for me to teach it. Rain Master—no, Cult Leader. May I ask you a favor?”
“Speak.”
I exhaled while maintaining the Jaha Divine Art.
“If you kill the children, you will not survive here either. That is an undeniable fact. Look at the state I am in right now. And not just me.”
I deliberately pointed to my comrades and took another step forward.
“Look at the faces of the Jecheon Alliance Leader, the men of the Black Path, Sword Demon, Ghost Demon, and Lust Demon. If you kill the children, you die here too.”
“Will that truly happen?”
I shook my head.
“At least for today, let us not rely on luck. I do not know what will become of the Blood Cult you create, but I hope it does not begin with something like this. If possible, I hope you become a great grandmaster of the Demonic Path, one feared by even the Demon Cult Leader, the Murim Alliance Leader, the other Three Talents, and even me. In truth, if one of the Black Path men here were to go mad with a single blade in hand, he could carry out this same massacre. This is an ugly deed that even a common brute can do. It is not something great. Why is the leader of the Blood Cult doing something even a common brute can do?”
“……”
“I hope you become the greatest under heaven, able to defeat the Three Talents. If you do not harm the children here, let us simply part ways in this place. Since you have built up your internal energy to such depths in a single instant, you will need a rare stretch of long training. Study the Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven deeply as well. It is a realm you cannot reach if you cling only to blood energy. After you have studied it sufficiently, come find me. We will decide our match then. Just because one is an expert of the Demonic Path does not mean one cannot be respected. When one becomes a great grandmaster, there comes something called awe. It is for the same reason that I call Senior Sword Demon my eldest brother and respect him. Do you not already have all the conditions prepared to climb one stage higher? After hearing the profundity of the Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven from me, you intended to kill me first, did you not?”
The Cult Leader nodded.
“You know well.”
“I will never die easily. You can tell by looking at my state. A great grandmaster of the Demonic Path suits you better than a monster pointed at by all men... Cult Leader, I ask you. Spare the young followers.”
The Cult Leader looked at me with an expression sunk in thought, then looked around.
It was a long stretch of time in which an instant felt like eternity.
Suddenly, as the Cult Leader smiled, that bastard’s eyes also turned crimson. I had already unfolded the Jaha Divine Art, dyeing the entire world violet, and yet the Cult Leader’s eyes looked as deep as blood. Just what kind of monster had that bastard become?
I said to the Cult Leader.
“Are you perhaps afraid that if you fail to absorb me or kill me, the Demon Cult Leader will absorb me instead?”
“That is a correct observation.”
“Then you are doing this not because of me, but because the pain you received from the Cult Leader all those years while acting as Rain Master has finally exploded. It is absolutely not because of me. And...”
I took a step forward, then tapped my temple with my index finger.
“Look at my state. Do you not know my temper? I have no intention of dying to you, nor any intention of being absorbed by the Cult Leader. In such a moment, I am the kind of man who would make the Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven explode inside my body and take the Cult Leader into oblivion with me. So you have no need to worry.”
The Cult Leader said to me.
“Are you saying my massacre is also the Demon Cult Leader’s fault?”
“Not only me, but you as well. When did I ever go to the Demon Cult and massacre its followers? It was always you people who came to kill me and got dealt with. Your method was wrong. The way to kill me is extremely simple. One day, you come find me alone and say you want to fight a life-and-death duel. You do not need to bring subordinates. In any case, it would only begin after they were all annihilated by my Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven. But if you come alone, I will have no choice but to accept. Because today, you granted my request and spared the people here.”
“……”
“I am a man who is clear about debts and grudges. Let us set the place somewhere empty and wide. There, let two men of the martial world fight a life-and-death duel without any obstruction or interference. That is the only way you can kill me. By any other method, I will absolutely not die. This is my final negotiation. Do not attach any other conditions.”
The Cult Leader laughed.
“I can foresee all of you attacking together.”
I shook my head.
“This final negotiation is something I am saying to everyone here. They have all already learned my consummate skill. Whether they can use it or not is a matter for each individual, but if they learned it from me, they owe me a debt.”
I looked around.
“The same goes for them. There are few who can use the Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven.”
While maintaining the Jaha Divine Art, I said to the Cult Leader.
“If you intend to become a common brute, I will fly there right now. Experience the Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven directly with your own body. The moment you realize its essence, you will open your eyes among those you killed. I will be there beside you as well. In that hell, I will annihilate even your soul once more. Are you a common brute, or are you a great grandmaster of the Demonic Path?”
Only then did I realize I could not see the faces of my disciples, and I withdrew the Jaha Divine Art on my own. In the world where its original colors had returned, all the children were watching me. I spoke to Bright Radiance Rain Master as the thought suddenly came to mind.
“Rain Master...”
“Speak.”
“Perhaps it will also be difficult for you to unfold the Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven yourself.”
“Do not be so certain.”
“Meet a woman who has learned a martial art that stands at the opposite point of the martial arts you have mastered, and obtain a successor to the Cult Leader. Then you may understand the meaning of the Sun-Moon Radiant Heaven a little more. The moment you see with your own eyes a child who did not exist in this world, I swear you will not feel your pride wounded or regret having stepped back from this place today.”
Bright Radiance Rain Master’s laughter spread long from the rooftop.
Suddenly, blood-colored wings stretched out from Bright Radiance Rain Master’s entire body, and the ragged hem of his long robe spread to the left and right.
The instant I thought I had exploded forth with the Jaha Divine Art and the Dark Fragrance Steps at the same time to move, I found myself mixed in among the children, looking up at the tangled clotheslines.
“……!”
As if the Lust Demon had arrived right after, the clotheslines I was looking up at froze over all at once in an instant.
At the same time, Sword Demon and Ghost Demon drew their swords on my left and right.
Through the gaps of the densely frozen net, the Cult Leader was faintly visible. Wrapped entirely in bloodlight, the Cult Leader looked down precisely at me and said.
“Sect Master, do I look like a common brute to you?”
I shook my head.
“...Of course not.”
The Cult Leader gave a slight smile...
And the moment he shot up into the air, he flew far away. The blood-colored long robe of the Blood Cult Leader, rising in a curve, spread out like wings, and as he rotated his form, he widened the distance once more.
Before I knew it, beneath the frozen clotheslines, the Jecheon Alliance Leader and the men of the Black Path had gathered and were standing blankly.
Thinking of the Blood Cult Leader who had retreated, I muttered.
“I ended up teaching a martial art to a bastard who never listens. Was that the right thing to do?”
Since no one answered, it became a monologue.
My body and mind were exhausted, so I sank down where I stood. As I withdrew the Jaha Divine Art, the people around me came into view. There were more children than I had thought.
At someone’s command, the frozen spiderweb disappeared, and ordinary sunlight poured down. As if he had forced himself to pour out his power all at once, the Lust Demon’s face had gone pale; the moment he sat cross-legged, he closed his eyes and entered qi circulation and breath regulation.
“……”
When the Jecheon Alliance Leader saw it and gestured, all the men of the Black Path who had been surrounding us turned around with their backs exposed, then went on guard while maintaining their formation. I stared at the backs of the Black Path men, and only then did I let out a sigh of relief.
I lay back as I was, gazing up at the ordinary sky, and spoke to the children of Tongcheonbang.
“Kids.”
“…….”
“Ilwolgwangcheon is nothing. Truly, it’s nothing at all.”