Chapter 325

“Uhhhhhhahaha!”

Wi Jeong-guk let out a low, sinister laugh as he felt the molten heat of his energy surge like lava within his body.

It was an incredible power.

A sensation of omnipotence so overwhelming, it was as if he were experiencing what the Absolute Ones—the fifteen supreme beings—must feel.

Wooooooo!

The air around him began to whirl and twist.

His amplified energy was now affecting the very natural world.

Suddenly, a flood of memories washed over him.

His childhood, when in a fit of rage he killed his own brother and fled, stumbling upon the secret chamber of the Bi-dong.

Inside, he had found the elixirs and hidden manuals that had been put to practical use.

Among them were the Oro Sword Techniques—the strongest sword style of the Hyeongsan Sect—that he had mastered alone, never sharing it with anyone.

And the elusive Secret Ancestral Sword Technique, which he had never even attempted to learn, nor revealed to others.

He thought of the warriors of the Hyeongsan Sect whom he had nurtured by supplying these secret manuals, and even the expressionless face of Seonmu Woo-hee, Woo Nan-seol, whose mysterious presence had captivated him like a mist over water.

But soon, he would lose all of it.

Once the effects of the Gwanghyeoldan elixir wore off in a matter of moments, everything would vanish.

It was a bitter and tragic thought.

Yet, as these reflections crossed his mind, Wi Jeong-guk smiled quietly and muttered to himself.

“Not bad at all.”

Indeed.

It wasn’t bad.

The power boiling through his entire body, the heightened senses—it was all worth it.

If this was the price to pay for wielding a power akin to that of the Absolute Ones, then so be it.

With this strength, he could drag Woo Nan-seol, the disciples of the Hyeongsan Sect, everyone he owned—and all those who had stolen from him—down into hell together.

Granted, he only had a sliver of time left.

But that didn’t matter.

He was confident that even that brief moment would be enough.

Perhaps now, he could finally unleash the Secret Ancestral Sword Technique he had never dared to reveal.

“Heh heh heh heh heh!”

Wi Jeong-guk chuckled lowly, slowly lifting his head to gaze at Seol Poong.

His eyes glowed with a crimson, sinister light, veins bulging across his face.

He looked like a demon straight from hell.

With a dark smile, he spoke in a low voice.

“Uhhahaha, you’re the first to go. The successor of the Four Kings.”

Then his voice rose, growing louder and more commanding until he shouted.

“From this day forward, the Four Kings will… lose their successor!”

Kraaaak!

At that moment, a fierce wave of energy radiated from him in concentric circles.

It spread out like a violent storm.

The people nearby groaned, some even staggering under the force.

“Ugh!”

“Is it really this strong?”

Everyone around could only look at Wi Jeong-guk with fearful eyes.

Just moments ago, they had thought it was all over—but clearly, that had been a grave mistake.

Now, they watched Seol Poong with worried expressions.

No matter how strong Seol Poong was, there was no way he could stand against such overwhelming power.

Seol Poong’s hair and clothes whipped wildly as if caught in a tempest.

Being closest to Wi Jeong-guk, he bore the brunt of the energy wave.

With a wild laugh, Wi Jeong-guk charged at Seol Poong like a shooting star.

“Ha ha ha ha! Die!”

He swung his sword.

A thick, sky-blue blade of energy struck Seol Poong.

Bam!

“Guh!”

Seol Poong tried to defend by focusing red energy into both arms, but the overwhelming difference in power sent him flying backward with ease.

As expected, Wi Jeong-guk followed up immediately, swinging the energy blade again.

Bam!

“Ugh!”

It wasn’t even a proper sword technique.

It was a chaotic barrage, like a demon wildly swinging a club.

Perhaps intoxicated by his own immense power, Wi Jeong-guk was simply battering Seol Poong with brute force.

Whoosh!

Despite the crude assault, Seol Poong couldn’t properly respond.

The sheer force behind each strike left him helpless.

He was like a pebble struck by a hammer, repeatedly sent flying backward.

Bam!

“Ugh!”

“Ha ha ha ha! What are you doing, successor of the Four Kings? Are you just going to break without even fighting back?! Ha ha ha ha!”

Watching with displeasure, Gam Jak-hyeong, one of the Three Divine Spears, suddenly signaled to Baek Gi-ryang.

He intended to intervene and support Seol Poong.

He had been itching to fight Wi Jeong-guk, who was also one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World.

But out of respect for Seol Poong, the main combatant, he had held back.

Now, seeing the dire situation, he felt it was acceptable to step in.

Baek Gi-ryang glanced briefly at Wi Jeong-guk, then nodded.

With a triumphant smile, Gam Jak-hyeong leapt toward Wi Jeong-guk’s back just as he was about to strike Seol Poong.

Smash!

“Wi Jeong-guk! Acting wild just because the elixir’s working well? Pathetic!”

His massive trident swung in a wide arc, striking down like an axe.

Whoosh!

Beside him, Baek Gi-ryang took a low stance, ready to ambush Wi Jeong-guk.

Wi Jeong-guk’s eyes flicked toward them behind his back.

He turned and swung his sword, striking the trident.

Bam!

“Guh?!”

Gam Jak-hyeong was shocked.

Wi Jeong-guk’s seemingly casual strike sent his massive trident flying off lightly.

Even with the Gwanghyeoldan amplifying his energy, this was an excessive amount of power.

At that moment, Baek Gi-ryang darted into the blind spot created by Wi Jeong-guk’s wide sword swings.

With his position now inside Wi Jeong-guk’s range, no sword defense was possible.

His eyes flashed like lightning as he launched a sudden strike.

Shhhhk!

‘Got him…!’

But then—

Wi Jeong-guk let out a sharp shout.

“Haah!”

A gust of energy burst forth from him, radiating in concentric circles like a violent storm.

Whoooosh!

“Ugh?!”

Baek Gi-ryang was stunned.

The fierce energy wave disrupted his strike.

The compressed air pushed his arm back, halting his attack before it could reach Wi Jeong-guk.

‘Impossible!’

This was an absurd level of power.

Wi Jeong-guk had blocked an attack from a Thirty-Six Star master with nothing but an energy wave.

And the force didn’t stop there.

The moment Baek Gi-ryang’s strike was stopped, the pressure from the storm surged, lifting his body and pushing him backward.

“Ugh!”

Then—

Wi Jeong-guk laughed wildly and charged at him.

“Ha ha ha ha! Gwido, you’re the first to die!”

He slammed down a massive sky-blue energy blade like an axe.

Whoosh!

Baek Gi-ryang’s eyes widened in horror.

Still airborne, he couldn’t dodge the attack.

All he could do was raise his thin straight sword overhead to block.

The massive pillar of sky-blue energy crashed down onto his blade.

Kraaaak!

For a brief moment, Baek Gi-ryang watched in slow motion as his sword bent under the pressure, on the verge of snapping.

Then, unable to withstand it any longer, it shattered into pieces.

Crack!

The sky-blue pillar broke through his sword and came crashing down toward his head.

He braced for the end.

‘Is this how it ends?!’

But then—

Kraaaak!

With a tremendous roar, the sky-blue pillar stopped just before Baek Gi-ryang’s face.

“?!”

Startled, Baek Gi-ryang couldn’t immediately understand what had happened.

Looking down, he saw a broad back clad in red martial robes.

It was Seol Poong.

Only then did Baek Gi-ryang realize that Seol Poong had swiftly moved in front of him, blocking Wi Jeong-guk’s strike.

He called out, stunned.

“Lord Seol…”

Seol Poong’s hands, surrounded by red energy, supported the sky-blue pillar.

But his arms trembled violently, clearly struggling under the immense pressure.

He shouted urgently.

“Fall back, Elder Baek!”

Baek Gi-ryang gritted his teeth.

He was furious that his presence had become more of a hindrance than a help.

But there was no choice.

Wi Jeong-guk was an enemy beyond even his or Gam Jak-hyeong’s level.

“Sorry!”

Baek Gi-ryang called out as he quickly retreated.

Wi Jeong-guk chuckled darkly and spoke to Seol Poong.

“Charging into the jaws of death to save your subordinates—how touching. But also… incredibly foolish.”

With that, Wi Jeong-guk pressed down harder on his sword.

The sky-blue pillar bearing down on Seol Poong intensified its pressure.

“Ugh!”

Seol Poong gritted his teeth, frowning.

Despite Wi Jeong-guk pressing the sword with one hand, Seol Poong’s feet were sinking deeper into the earth, unable to withstand the force.

It was an overwhelming power.

Wi Jeong-guk laughed wildly.

“Ha ha ha ha! What are you waiting for?! Shouldn’t you be begging your subordinates for help by now?!”

At that, Seolpung let out a strained chuckle.

Then he said,
“Impressive. Waiting until you took the Bloodlust Pill was worth it.”

“…What did you say?”

The unexpected words froze Wijeongguk’s smiling face instantly.

He was saying he had deliberately waited for Wijeongguk to amplify his martial energy by taking the Bloodlust Pill?

It was something he couldn’t understand, let alone believe.

Wijeongguk shouted in anger,
“Nonsense! Don’t bluff!”

But at that moment, Wijeongguk realized something.

Sun Woojin—the black-clad youth he had considered a formidable enemy alongside Seolpung—was still standing there with his arms crossed, merely watching them.

And his expression remained calm, almost relaxed.

Seizing his sword with both hands, Wijeongguk yelled,
“You bastard! What are you really after?!”

“Ugh!”

Seolpung trembled weakly, his arms shaking, but he grinned again.

His expression was one of sheer delight.

In truth, Seolpung had already known that Wijeongguk might consume the Bloodlust Pill.

That was why Sun Woojin had given Seolpung a subtle glance earlier.

That glance meant: kill Wijeongguk before he could swallow the pill.

But at that time, Seolpung had stopped Sun Woojin.

He wanted to see firsthand the power Wijeongguk would gain after taking the Bloodlust Pill.

“No, wait. More precisely…”

With a face twisted like a demon lord from hell, Seolpung struggled to speak toward Wijeongguk, who was pressing down on him.

“Wijeongguk, do you know what the secret martial art passed down in the Sa family is?”

Wijeongguk narrowed his eyes slightly, then growled low in response,
“Why would I know that…?”

But at that moment, the martial art naturally came to his mind.

The name of the secret technique passed down through the Sa family, one that only their bloodline could use without harm…

He muttered the name without realizing it,
“Red Eye… Bloodlust Fist?”

That was it.

The Sa family’s secret martial art was the Red Eye Bloodlust Fist.

Even without taking the Bloodlust Pill, it granted effects as if one had.

Then, Seolpung, who had been barely holding up his sword, suddenly let out a sharp kiai.

“Hah!”

Energy surged out from him.

Whoosh!

Though his energy was far weaker than the one Wijeongguk had unleashed earlier, Wijeongguk couldn’t mock him.

Because Seolpung’s eyes were gradually turning red.

At the same time, the man who had seemed on the verge of being crushed beneath Wijeongguk’s sword was slowly lifting the blade upward.

Earlier, he had struggled to hold it down with one hand, but now, even with both hands pressing, he was pushing it away.

Then, with a relaxed grin and red, fierce light blazing from his eyes, Seolpung said,
“This is where the real fight begins, Wijeongguk.”

At those words, Wijeongguk’s face twisted in rage.