This time, we’ll wager your neck. (3)

As soon as the Blood Palace Lord saw the blue, clear, and transparent energy gathering at the tip of Chung Myung’s sword, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead beneath the bandages.

‘Immortal energy?’

It was the ultimate energy sought by those who practiced Taoist martial arts – an energy so pure and refined that it had completely cleansed and distilled the impure energies of the world.

This energy could purify all evils and subdue all demons.

However, just knowing about it didn’t mean it was easy to accept.

‘Could he really be wielding the immortal energy?’

If it were something easily mastered, would the world still have a place for dark arts and sorcery?

Of course, he couldn’t deny the existence of immortal energy in the man before him. After all, those who practiced Taoist martial arts typically possessed at least a trace of it, whether large or small.

But to manifest it so tangibly that it gathered at the tip of a sword was an entirely different matter. The world calls those who can control immortal energy at will ‘immortals’ or ‘sages.’

Yet immortals are said to achieve immortality through death. So what, then, should one call a living immortal?

Throb! Throb!

The Blood Palace Lord gripped his pierced shoulder so tightly it felt as though he might crush it.

“Guh…”

The wound into which immortal energy had penetrated felt as though it was burning. This wasn’t merely physical pain. It felt as if the energy that had once flowed through his shoulder was being unraveled, disintegrated piece by piece, leaving him with a terrifying sensation that his very existence was being negated and erased.

However, he didn’t even have the luxury to fully process his shock.

Chung Myung, with his sword hanging down, gave him a fleeting glance and then began to approach him slowly.

“Hey. Where did all that bravado go?”

The Blood Palace Lord’s hand, which had been supporting him on the ground, instinctively retreated back. Realizing the disgraceful gesture only after it had happened, he bit down hard on his dry lips.

If his complexion had been normal and distinguishable, it would have likely turned a furious shade of red by now.

“I have never expected Hwasan to harbor such a remarkable master [고인(高人)]… Immortal energy…”

He desperately tried to maintain a calm facade as he spoke, but Chung Myung’s gaze remained the same. The contempt in his eyes was overt and unrelenting.

“Listen to the insect babbling.”

“…”

“It’s not that I’m great. It’s that you’re insignificant. No, to be precise…”

A sneer crossed Chung Myung’s lips.

“Your so-called cult, no… your pathetic ‘palace’ is what’s truly insignificant.”

Grit.

The Blood Palace Lord ground his teeth.

He wanted nothing more than to tear apart the man who had insulted his religion. To strangle him, rip out his insolent tongue, and offer it to the altar of his cult.

Buzz.

However, the moment the Blood Palace Lord saw the immortal energy at the tip of Chung Myung’s sword, all his desires crumbled like a sandcastle. Without a way to effectively counter that energy, continuing the battle would be tantamount to suicide.

Whoosh.

The Blood Palace Lord’s figure suddenly vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, it wasn’t in front of Chung Myung but far behind him, having put a significant distance between them.

Gripping his shoulder with one hand, his eyes glowed with a cold, murderous light.

“It seems… today isn’t a good day.”

Chung Myung scoffed lightly.

“You have quite the talent for dressing up cowardice in noble words. A talent your predecessors lacked.”

The Blood Palace Lord narrowed his eyes.

He couldn’t understand why this young man kept mentioning his predecessors, who he had never met. But that wasn’t the priority right now.

“Don’t think this is over. Our cult does not forget grudges…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he flinched. A terrifying aura of murderous intent shot through his entire body.

In Chung Myung’s eyes, there was an indescribable, horrifying hatred burning.

“Don’t spout nonsense. Your stench is unbearable.”

“…”

“You think this isn’t over?”

Chung Myung’s sword scraped against the ground with a chilling sound.

“That’s not something a piece of shit like you should be saying. It’s something I should be telling you. Listen carefully.”

His cold gaze pierced through the Blood Palace Lord.

“Don’t think this is over. I’m not the kind of person who can tolerate sharing the same sky with scum like you. Just wait. One day, I’ll find you, no matter where you hide. I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth and behead every last one of you.”

“…”

“So that you’ll never again dare to practice those despicable dark arts.”

A faint groan escaped from between the Blood Palace Lord’s lips. It wasn’t just martial prowess that was crushing him – something else, something more profound, was weighing down on him.

Throb!

Instinctively, he looked down at his pierced shoulder. Thick blood continued to flow from it. Was that why Chung Myung’s warning didn’t feel like just a warning?

“…We’re withdrawing.”

At the Blood Palace Lord’s command, the blood warriors who had been standing behind him turned in unison, like soulless wooden puppets. Even the Blood Palace Lord, who had been glaring at Chung Myung and Hwasan behind him until the last moment, eventually turned away.

Chung Myung silently watched them as they retreated.

By the time Baek Sang, who had been paralyzed by the overwhelming pressure of the situation, snapped back to his senses, the Blood Palace warriors had nearly exited Wudang’s mountain gate.

“Chung Myung-ah!”

Baek Sang couldn’t fully grasp what had just happened, but from what he could see, it appeared that Chung Myung had gained the upper hand yet was letting the enemies go.

“Why are you letting them go? Those bastards…”

But before Baek Sang could finish, Chung Myung swiftly turned and moved quickly past him, making his way through the gathered swordsmen.

“Chung Myung?”

Chung Myung’s destination was the bedside where Heo Gong was treating Baek Cheon.

Baek Sang’s eyes widened slightly as he realized what he had missed during the chaos of the Blood Palace’s intrusion: Heo Gong’s entire body was drenched in sweat, and the energy radiating from him had diminished significantly compared to when he first began the treatment.

‘Ah!’

Only then did Baek Sang understand. If Chung Myung had engaged the enemies in a full scale battle, Heo Gong would have been unable to continue treating Baek Cheon.

Whether it was because the task was difficult from the start, or because Heo Gong had been disturbed by the overwhelming presence of the Blood Palace, the outcome would have been the same.

As Chung Myung stood beside Baek Cheon, those who had been desperately channeling their energy into him turned to look at Chung Myung with urgent eyes. But Chung Myung didn’t spare them a glance – he focused solely on assessing Baek Cheon’s condition.

“You really…”

His words trailed off, unfinished, heavy with unspoken emotion.

“On my signal, withdraw your energy.”

At Chung Myung’s words, those who had been desperately holding their energy inside Baek Cheon’s body to keep it from escaping widened their eyes in shock.

If they withdrew their energy now, all the energy that had been sustaining Baek Cheon’s life would drain away completely. Not even a tiny bit of vitality would remain to keep him alive.

So they hesitated, fearing that following Chung Myung’s command might inadvertently end Baek Cheon’s life by their own hands.

But Chung Myung’s unwavering gaze met theirs, leaving no room for doubt. In this tense moment, it was Yu Iseol who surprisingly nodded first.

“Trust him.”

Jo Geol’s eyes widened in disbelief.

‘Really?’

Even if it was Chung Myung who had spoken, in such a critical situation…

However, before Jo Geol could fully process his thoughts, Chung Myung gave the signal.

“Now!”

Swish!

As soon as the word left Chung Myung’s lips, Jo Geol’s hands moved before his mind could catch up. The hands that had been touching Baek Cheon withdrew all at once.

“Ugh!”

Jo Geol and Yoon Jong stepped back, eyes wide with tension, watching Baek Cheon and Chung Myung. But to their surprise, Chung Myung made no immediate move. He didn’t stop the energy from escaping, nor did he protect Baek Cheon’s body in any visible way.

“What?”

Whoosh!

The energy that everyone had been containing within Baek Cheon’s body suddenly burst forth, spreading in all directions. Jo Geol let out a cry of alarm.

“What are you doing, you idiot! At this rate…!”

“Quiet!”

Chung Myung silenced Jo Geol’s outburst with a firm command, keeping his gaze fixed on Baek Cheon as he spoke.

“Keeping it locked in isn’t always the answer. What overflows must be allowed to flow out.”

“…What?”

Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It wasn’t as if they didn’t know this. The problem was that Baek Cheon’s body was already in such a fragile state that even a small shock, like water overflowing from a cracked vessel, could cause it to shatter completely.

Baek Cheon’s body wouldn’t be able to withstand this.

“N-No…”

In his panic, Yoon Jong instinctively reached out towards Baek Cheon again.

Buzzing!

But at that moment, an incredibly pure and clear energy began to surge from Chung Myung’s hand. It was an energy so pristine and refined that no one present had ever seen anything like it in their entire lives.

For a moment, everyone was so mesmerized that they forgot the gravity of the situation.

“There’s no need to worry.”

A profound and serene light shone in Chung Myung’s eyes.

“If it’s Sasuk, he’ll endure.”

The Baek Cheon he knew wouldn’t die from something like this. Baek Cheon was one of the strongest people Chung Myung had ever known.

Wooong!

Eventually, the immortal energy from Chung Myung’s hand penetrated Baek Cheon’s solar plexus.

“Ah!”

In that moment, everyone witnessed it.

Like ripples spreading across a calm lake, the serene energy from Chung Myung began to flow through Baek Cheon’s entire body. The wild energy that had resisted Heo Gong’s guidance, thrashing like an enraged bull, suddenly calmed down the moment it came into contact with Chung Myung’s immortal energy, becoming as gentle as a lamb.

‘What is this…?’

Tang Gunak’s face was filled with astonishment.

The immortal energy hadn’t subdued the other energies, nor had it absorbed or mixed with it. It had simply quieted it, as if the lake created by the immortal energy had absorbed everything into its deep, tranquil depths.

‘Is this even possible?’

It was a sight he had never seen before, something he couldn’t even have imagined. The extreme yang and extreme yin, two opposing forces, were coexisting within Baek Cheon’s body without clashing. It was like the sun and the moon rising together in the same sky, like night and day touching in a single world.

‘A sage [선(仙) – sage, immortal, transcendent being].’

A world beyond reality, a place of harmony where the impossible becomes possible.

Perhaps that’s what people mean when they speak of the celestial realm – a world where the uncoexistable coexists.

As the energy that Chung Myung had calmed began to settle, Heo Gong’s energy slowly enveloped and guided it. Drawn by the essence of Wudang, the energy began to circulate within the vessel that was Baek Cheon.

Wooosh.

At the same time, a soft, radiant light began to emanate from Baek Cheon’s body.

The arm that had been burned black slowly started to regain its original color. Though it wasn’t fully restored, it was at least taking the form of an arm once again.

“Ah…”

Tang Gunak couldn’t help but let out a breathless exclamation, completely captivated by what he was witnessing.

Woooosh.

Who knows how much time passed? The light that had been enveloping Baek Cheon’s body gradually began to fade.

Thud.

“Dojang!”

Heo Gong collapsed on the spot. Several people rushed over to support him. Simultaneously, Chung Myung also withdrew his hand from Baek Cheon’s body.

“C-Chung Myung-ah, how is Sasuk?”

Chung Myung, who had been closing his eyes in concentration, slowly opened them and looked down at Baek Cheon.

“He won’t die.”

There was a calm but unwavering conviction in his voice.

“After all, he’s the Vice Sect Leader of Hwasan.”

“Ah…”

Baek Sang and several of Hwasan’s disciples slumped to the ground, the immense weight that had been pressing down on their shoulders finally lifting, like a great mountain that had been removed from their backs.