As we were driving the carriage toward the entrance of Jangbaek Mountain, soone wearing a bamboo hat suddenly landed before us with a thud that shook the ground.
BOOM!!!
I first told the coachman to stop the carriage and got out. I told Zhuge Xiaohui to co out as well.
"Co out and watch. And coachman, move the carriage back. You'll get caught up in it."
"Understood."
Then Zhuge Xiaohui got out of the carriage and asked .
"Who is he?"
"Dongtu Sin Ak-ui. This fight will be helpful to you too, so watch carefully."
"I've never heard of him, but... with a nickna like 'Fist God,' he's probably no ordinary person."
"Yeah. So don't co too close."
At that, Zhuge Xiaohui also stepped back. Then Ak-ui asked .
"You're unusual. You clearly have skill, but I can't feel anything. Who are you?"
"I am Taejin. People call Dark Jade Heaven, the best under heaven."
"So you're the best under heaven... I see. I couldn't feel you because you've reached a higher level than ."
It was because of my abilities, but Ak-ui misunderstood. I didn't say anything. It was also true that I was at a higher level. He was at the Life-Death Realm, but I was at the Natural Realm level, so there was definitely a difference.
"The reason I ca here is to have a match with you. I'll take it easy, so I hope you'll show everything you've got."
"Hoo... To think the day would co when I'd hear such a thing... Then I won't hold back. I'll attack first."
Ak-ui approached at trendous speed and threw a punch. The punch was so powerful, infused with such strong inner energy, that even space seed to ripple. I also wrapped my arm in mana and deflected the punch. The deflected attack created a blast of wind, devastating the surroundings. My arm was even a bit numb.
"Impressive. To think my arm would be numb."
Without a word, Ak-ui attacked consecutively. I continued to wrap myself in mana, blocking and dodging. This guy was stronger than Normal Hulk. And the perfection of his technique was also considerable.
Despite having learned various fist techniques while traveling between the Demonic Cult, the Martial Arts Alliance, and the North Sea Ice Palace, which raised my [(S) Fighting] ability to [(SS) Martial Arts], perhaps due to lack of practical experience, Ak-ui was definitely more proficient in martial arts than . It's just that I had superhuman physical abilities, an enormous amount of mana, and [Kenbunshoku Haki], so I could sufficiently block and dodge.
And I thought that if I used swordsmanship, I could definitely take the upper hand in martial arts. But since winning wasn't the goal, I didn't do that and just kept receiving his techniques. Because of that, the surroundings beca a complete ss, though.
After sparring like that for a while, Ak-ui paused for a mont and spoke.
"Why aren't you attacking? And you're not a boxer, you're a swordsman."
Indeed, having reached a considerable level himself, Ak-ui seed to recognize it.
"That's right. You could say I'm closer to a swordsman than a boxer. And as I said from the beginning, I have no intention of hurting anyone. I just wanted to spar."
At that, Ak-ui sighed and said.
"Hoo... Then it seems the match is already decided. I haven't landed a single proper attack on you. Even though I gave it my all. It's no different from a loss. I never imagined a person like you existed in the world."
"Thank you for the complint. Then I'll be going now. It was fun."
As I tried to head toward Zhuge Xiaohui, Ak-ui hesitated as if to say sothing, then gave up and returned to Jangbaek Mountain. He probably wanted to ask to take care of the spiritual creature, the White Tiger of Wind, in Jangbaek Mountain if sothing happened to him. But he seed to have stopped because he thought I might covet the White Tiger's spiritual energy.
"Truly, it looked like the heavens and earth were turned upside down. Is that sothing a person can do?"
"It's possible. Of course, you'd need to be at least at the Life-Death Realm."
"..."
"So, did you gain anything from watching the match?"
When I asked Zhuge Xiaohui, she avoided my eyes and spoke quietly.
"W-Well... the gap in level was too great, so I didn't gain anything... just that you're amazing..."
I imdiately flicked Zhuge Xiaohui on the forehead.
Flick!
"Ugh!"
"What's wrong with you! Normally, when watching a match between masters, one gains clues for advancent or even rises a level."
Zhuge Xiaohui, rubbing her head as if it hurt a lot, said to .
"Haa... Sorry for being incompetent."
"Anyway, rember this match well. If you ever hit a wall, this might be the key."
"Okay."
We got back in the carriage and headed west.
"Where to this ti?"
"The Heavenly Demon Cult."
"WHAT????!!!!"
"Ah! Since we're going anyway, I should stop by the Extre Six Martial Arts Sect too."
"Wh-What did you say????!!!!"
Zhuge Xiaohui was very flustered at that.
Now that I had also obtained Ak-ui's martial art, the 'Ultimate Void Fist,' my business in the Nano Machine universe was complete. So I planned to give the protagonist, Cheon Un-woon, a gift. Around now, Cheon Un-woon would be rolling around diligently in the Martial Arts Pavilion.
"A-Are you really going?"
Zhuge Xiaohui fidgeted and asked again.
"Why? Are you scared?"
When I smiled and said jokingly, she sighed.
"Hah... Truly, Taejin-nim's actions are beyond imagination."
And so we passed through Liaoning, Hebei, and moved back to Shanxi. During the journey, I researched the Ultimate Void Fist and continued to teach Zhuge Xiaohui martial arts. Of course, we also took it easy, traveling like tourists, stopping at large cities occasionally to look around. There was no particular need to rush now.
After traveling like that for about a month, we arrived at a certain mountain in Shanxi.
"Kwaha ha ha! This is the mountain of the great forest bandits! How dare you set foot here. You have quite the nerve! If you value your lives... Huh? This carriage looks familiar..."
Seeing the bandits, I said to Zhuge Xiaohui.
"Zhuge-mon, leave only one and deal with the rest."
At that, Zhuge Xiaohui grumbled as she took her sword and got out of the carriage.
"Good grief, I knew this would happen."
Swish! Swish!
"Ugh!"
"Kyaa!"
"Spare !"
Zhuge Xiaohui swung her sword at the bandits without rcy. She seed very angry that she had even participated in that strange play to give them a chance, but they had thrown away that chance and were still doing banditry.
"Hoo... It's done."
"Good work."
Zhuge Xiaohui dragged one bandit to .
"Even after being given a chance, you haven't changed."
The remaining bandit trembled and made excuses.
"W-Well... This is all we know how to do... Please spare us. We won't do it again."
"Shut up. Where is your hideout?"
"It's a little further up from here."
I collected the heads of the dead bandits, wrapped them in cloth, and made the surviving bandit carry them. Then I went up to their hideout. The hideout was crudely built from wood, and besides a few stolen items, there was nothing particularly special.
So I took only the money and valuables, loaded them onto the carriage, and went to the nearby governnt office, handing over the bandit and the heads. The governnt office had a bounty on them, so they gave a considerable amount of money.
"With a bounty on them, they must have committed many banditries. As expected, it would have been better to deal with them when we first t them..."
"Well, whatever. It was fun, so I gave them a chance for that."
"I didn't find it fun at all."
"As long as I had fun, that's what matters."
Zhuge Xiaohui was incredulous.
"Hah... Really..."
Anyway, we continued traveling and arrived again at the Martial Arts Alliance in Henan. Since it had been a while, we booked a room at the inn we had first stayed at and decided to rest for a day. Zhuge Xiaohui said she was going to the Martial Arts Alliance, so I warned her not to say anything unnecessary and sent her off.
"Well then, I'll be back."
"Yeah, get so lon bar on the way back."
"Huh? What's a lon bar?"
"Never mind. Go on."
After sending Zhuge Xiaohui off, she returned in the evening. She didn't co alone. She ca with an old man. Using [Clairvoyance], I saw that he had various poisons in his body, so he seed to be related to the Sichuan Dang Clan. The man suddenly knelt before , cupping his fist.
"Please, save my daughter!"
"Who are you to make such a request out of the blue?"
"I am Dang Pil-yeon, the clan leader of the Sichuan Dang Clan. During the recent battle with the Extre Six Martial Arts Sect, my daughter was kidnapped. Please, I beg you, save my daughter."
From his story, it seed that after we left for Jangbaek Mountain, a major battle had occurred between the Extre Six Martial Arts Sect and the Martial Arts Alliance.
"Are you talking about Dang Seol-hwi, the daughter of the Sichuan Dang Clan leader?"
"Yes, Dang Seol-hwi. Many martial artists were killed or injured in that battle, and the Martial Arts Alliance is in no condition to rescue her. So I beg you. You are my only hope."
"Good grief. I thought she was living happily with Yeon Bu-so. Fine, if she's still alive, I'll save her. Instead, I'll take one chest of gold bars."
One chest of gold bars was over 5 billion Korean won. This was a kind of test. To see how much he valued his daughter. Gold, whether I had it or not, didn't matter. And since I was planning to go to the Extre Six Martial Arts Sect anyway, it seed fine.
"Fine. I'll give it to you."
Dang Pil-yeon agreed to pay without a mont's hesitation. His daughter seed like a bit of a fool, but her father was a decent man.
"Both of you wait here. I'll be back quickly."
I opened the window of the room, went outside, took out [Jack Sparrow's Compass], got my bearings, and began flying quickly. After flying for a while, I found a place in the mountains with several buildings clustered together. This seed to be the Extre Six Martial Arts Sect.
I landed in a wide, open area that appeared to be a training ground. Those who saw blew whistles and shouted.
Peep~!! Peep~!!
"Intruder!!!"
Then, nurous martial artists began running out from all directions, carrying swords. Just then, a large figure with red hair, carrying a giant sword as tall as himself, recognized . This guy was Ja Woon-gang, the head of the Sword Light Sect.
"You are Dark Jade Heaven Taejin, the so-called best under heaven? Hahaha! This is a pleasure! Coming to find your own death."
"Hey, I'm in a hurry. I'm looking for two people, so listen carefully. The first is the forr leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, Cheon In-ji. The second is Dang Seol-hwi of the Sichuan Dang Clan. I'll give you one hour. If you don't bring them by then, the Extre Six Martial Arts Sect will disappear as of today."
At that, Ja Woon-gang scowled, looking utterly incredulous.
"Just how lowly do you think of us to say such a thing!"
"Oh, how did you know? That I think of you lowly."
I imdiately released my [Stealth] and revealed my [Mana]. As a bonus, I added [Pressure] and [Haoshoku Haki]. Then, several of the low-level ones just collapsed and died on the spot. Those slightly better off fainted. Those with relatively high martial arts levels either knelt and endured, sweating cold, or vomited if they couldn't.
Rumble...!!!
"Krrrr... This can't be... Is this truly the sa human as us... That one person could possess such an unbelievable amount of inner energy..."
They had reason to react this way. Even those powerful spiritual creatures had less than 200 mana. My current mana is 4,652. And that's mana, a power superior to the spiritual energy the creatures possess.
"So, have you changed your mind now? You have exactly one hour from now. It would be best to hurry."
Saying that, I used [Stealth] again to hide my mana. I also withdrew [Pressure] and [Haoshoku Haki]. Then, using [Telekinesis] and the [Guru Guru Fruit], I compressed a building into a simple chair, placed it in the middle of the training ground, and sat down arrogantly to wait.
Then, among the kneeling crowd, a person wearing an eye patch asked . This man was Lee Wook, the head of the Sword Path Sect.
"Keugh... I thought you weren't interested in the martial arts world?"
Knowing about , it seed many spies were already in the Martial Arts Alliance.
"That's right, I'm not interested. But I have business at the Heavenly Demon Cult. There's sothing I need to find there. So I can also indebt them, and since you hold the key to easily entering, I'm taking it."
"Then why the daughter of the Sichuan Dang Clan..."
"That one is side inco. The Sichuan Dang Clan has agreed to pay a large sum. So I'm taking her along while I'm here. More to the point, do you have ti to chatter like this? Ti is still ticking. Ah, I forgot to ntion. You're free to run far away during that hour. Hide and seek is my specialty."
When I chuckled, they glanced at each other and then quickly ran off sowhere. Spreading my [Kenbunshoku Haki] wide to check, they didn't seem to be running away.
Ti passed, and they returned, bringing not only the two people but also having porters carry a large number of boxes. Using [Clairvoyance] to check, the boxes were full of gold.
After moving the goods, Lee Wook said to .
"Dark Jade Heaven! Join us. Then we will give you all the treasures of the world!"
Whether they said that or not, I first checked the two people who were dragged out and lying in front of . Cheon In-ji, the forr leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, was quite emaciated and had a Bone-Devouring Worm in his head. Dang Seol-hwi of the Sichuan Dang Clan was only wearing underwear. From how severely she had been assaulted, not only was her future as a woman over, but she would likely have to wear diapers for the rest of her life. Moreover, all her teeth had been pulled out.
"Dark Jade Heaven!!"
"Shut up! Be quiet!"
When I spoke irritably, the surroundings beca dead silent.
"Hmm... A Bone-Devouring Worm. You're raising interesting things."
I lifted Cheon In-ji, used [Telekinesis] to immobilize the Bone-Devouring Worm, then pulled it out through his nose and imdiately burned it. The people of the Extre Six Martial Arts Sect were very surprised and murmured.
"That can't be. To extract a Bone-Devouring Worm like that..."
"Forcibly extracting a Bone-Devouring Worm with 'Empty Air Grasping Object' would cause the head to explode and kill the person. How did he do it?"
"Impossible..."
My [Telekinesis] is on a different level from Empty Air Grasping Object; I could even stop the Bone-Devouring Worm from thrashing, but there was no way they could understand that.
Next, I grabbed Dang Seol-hwi's head and examined her. Not only was her body a ss, but her mind had also been broken for a long ti.
"Hmm... Her mind is broken too? She's done for. Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. As long as she's alive."
As I lifted the two with [Telekinesis] and prepared to leave, soone called out to again from behind.
"Dark Jade Heaven! Not only wealth, but we will also gather for you beauties so incomparable that even Zhuge Xiaohui cannot compare!"
Not even buy-one-get-one-free, they were now trying to appease by throwing in beauties.
"I'm not interested. And I probably won't see you again anyway. After I'm done with the Heavenly Demon Cult, I'm leaving for the Western Regions."
"I-Is that true?"
"Yeah."
When I said that, the tense expressions of everyone there seed to relax, as if they were relieved. That's how much my existence seed to loom over them. I almost laughed at the sight but held back.
"That's good news. Let contribute so travel funds, with the wish that you have a long and enjoyable trip."
Ja Woon-gang said that and handed two of the stacked gold chests. It sounded like, 'Use this to play and eat comfortably in the Western Regions and never co back.' I chuckled, used [Telekinesis] to lift the two gold chests along with the two people, and flew off. There was no reason to refuse free things.
And I had a reason for doing this. The Extre Six Martial Arts Sect had branches not only at their headquarters but all over China. So by showing overwhelming power, I wanted to prevent them from bothering , and also to let things flow as much as possible like the original. I also planned to just give the protagonist his gift and then leave for Europe to enjoy a vacation.
After traveling a bit, I teleported back to the lodging. Zhuge Xiaohui and Dang Pil-yeon were sitting in chairs. They seed very surprised when I suddenly appeared.
"Gasp! You surprised . Taejin-nim, you ca back very quickly. How did your business go... Gasp!"
Zhuge Xiaohui was speechless at the pitiful state of Dang Seol-hwi, who had co with .
"Seol-hwi! Seol-hwi! It's your father. Wake up!"
Dang Pil-yeon hugged Dang Seol-hwi and called her na, but she just drooled and stared blankly, giving no response. So he looked at and asked.
"How did this happen?"
"When I got there, she was already in that state."
At that, Dang Pil-yeon shed bloody tears of rage. Today I learned for the first ti that people can shed bloody tears when extrely angry.
"You despicable, unworthy bastards!!!"
Dang Pil-yeon hugged Dang Seol-hwi and hurriedly ran to the Martial Arts Alliance. He seed to want to receive help from the doctors and dicinal herbs stationed there.
After they left, Zhuge Xiaohui asked .
"What exactly happened?"
I roughly explained what had happened there.
"Hah... I can't just think of it as soone else's problem. Though she was a rival at one ti... If I had participated in that battle, would I have ended up the sa?"
"Possibly. If sothing like this ever happens to you, just kill yourself. When won are captured or kidnapped by enemies, what happens to them is obvious."
"I see... By the way, who is this man?"
She pointed to the man I had brought along with Dang Seol-hwi.
"The forr leader of the Demonic Cult."
Zhuge Xiaohui seed greatly surprised at my words.
"Wh-What???!!!"
"Be quiet. If this man dies here, the Demonic Cult will join forces and attack the Martial Arts Alliance."
"Th-That's true..."
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