124 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

This is the translation of the provided text from Korean to English: The Path You've Walked (12) Thanks to the provenance of Seonyeomok's Artifacts, even though it was the first time handling the Law Artifact, the method of its control became clear in one hand. Woong! The battle commenced. The colorless glass swords began to move. Kwang, kwang, kwang! Each hit of the colorless glass swords mercilessly tore into the ground as they struck the earth. Despite being made of fragile glass, their strength was originally negligible. But once overlaid with the Formless Sword, the swords boasted a strength that matched it exactly. [Gruh...!] Wonrip dodged the colorless glass swords, glowering at me, and also at Manliminlab who was gathering energy for the main cannon of the Seopmyeongham from the distance. He also glanced at Byeokcheongi, who was concentrating energy into the talisman for quite some time, preparing for a strike. "...?" I momentarily felt puzzled, but then focused my mind and manipulated the colorless glass swords. Chalalalalak! Three thousand colorless glass swords moved according to my will. A storm of glass commenced. Wonrip drew forth his seventeen dagger Artifacts, the crystal skull staff, the blood-red grass boat, and the spear Artifact of blood to confront me. A goblin king emerged from the blood-colored spear and swung it wildly. The seventeen daggers seemed to have their own will as they scattered incisive strikes around him. Each time he scattered a blood storm with the grass boat, the surroundings shook violently. However. Kwagwagwagwa! The storm of thousands of glass swords engulfed everything and advanced toward Wonrip. Although it seemed a random flurry, not a single glass sword collided with another; they moved in an orderly fashion. The Artifact of the colorless glass swords was a set, in essence, three thousand of them were one. Since three thousand were as one, overlaying the Formless Sword over three thousand made it possible to perfectly realize the trajectory and orbit control of the Formless Sword. And that was not the end. "Colorless glass swords, First Form." The colorless glass swords had a total of three Forms, and their abilities changed according to the form. "Color." Colorless glass swords, First Form, Color: this was to synchronize the spirit power circuits engraved on each of the three thousand glass swords. Chalalalak! The three thousand glass swords disperse. And the spirit power circuits engraved on the glass swords began to synchronize with each other. Interestingly, although the spirit power circuits of the colorless glass swords were individual, each was placed subtly different based on the rules set by Bukhyanghwa. Therefore, with those subtle differences, each glass sword emitted a different color when synchronized. Pa-a-at! The colorless glass swords floating in all directions, began to emit different colors. It looked as if the whole world was covered with different colors. It wasn't just a change of color; the very temperament emanated by each glass sword had also changed. Three thousand swords each emit a different temperament. And the range of changes undergoing within the three thousand storms of glass was boundless (muhan). A temperament at one place changes its use completely when located elsewhere. A single glass sword under my control continuously changed its position and onslaught. Thus, the ever-changing glass swords totaled three thousand. [Gruh, you...!] Wonrip whipped out his blood-red grass boat, and a blood storm surged, blocking the glass swords. But I manipulated the glass swords even more precisely. Endless change was within my grasp. The Formless Sword had only gained freedom of trajectory, not freedom of temperament. But with the acquisition of the colorless glass swords, the Formless Sword had reached a realm of even greater freedom. Chalalalak! Sharp temperament, smooth temperament, something in between, solid temperament, a flowing temperament... All those countless attributes of energy moved according to my will, dyeing the surroundings with an array of colors. And that change swallowed Wonrip's blood storm and consumed him. [Heh, don't make me laugh!] Wonrip sneered and started to infuse his dagger Artifacts with energy. The seventeen daggers madly rotated around him, scattering crimson slashes. The crimson slashes appeared as if they wholly engulfed him. But I simply smirked. How ludicrous. Swish! I precisely found the gap in the multitude of changes. No matter how seamlessly his slashes surrounded him, there were always enough gaps to penetrate. The colorful glass swords surged toward him. Kugwagwagwang! The slashes deflected the glass swords. However. [Keugh...!] Paang! Suddenly the slashes gave way, and Wonrip was exposed. Already, about a dozen glass swords were embedded in his body. The color of the glass swords, while initially activated in a colorful display, does not disappear once it returns to being colorless (mu-saek) according to the user's will. In other words, it was possible to disrupt the opponent's vision by sending transparent glass swords and embedding them. I channeled the Formless Sword, which inhabited my glass swords, into Wonrip's body. Single Evil Sword Technique, Layers of Mountains, Mythic Mountain Heart! Chajwajwajong! The Formless Sword that flowed into his body unfurled like thorns and amplified greatly. [Gruh...!] Wonrip screamed for a moment, attempting to regenerate his body once more. But I had sent countless curses within the glass swords into his body, and his regeneration faltered, his body rotting away. "Die." Chalalalak! Three thousand glass swords lunged once again at the defenseless foe. [Kaaaah!] And then. Kugugugugu! The two arch-demons of Blood Cloud that had fled before the Thunder earlier, and the strange soul formed by merging seven specters. The combined strength of three beings flew to Wonrip's side again, shielding him. Even if their cultivation was a step lower due to the Bongmyeongseong's formation, they were still at a level of decisive cutters, and they struggled to fend off the storm of glass with all their might. Chalalalak! In that instant, Wonrip regenerated his body once more. [Yes, quite impressive.] He sneered maliciously. [To have pushed me this far, I pay my respects. Now, I too shall fight earnestly.] And then, he reached into his dwindling bag of tricks and drew something out, hurling it into the void. Wriggle. Seeing it, I involuntarily felt my brow furrow. Crack... Veins bulged on my forehead and my teeth gritted. I knew this familiar energy all too well. It was Kim Young-hoon's inner elixir (naedan). His inner elixir, which hadn't been found among his remains, was indeed something that fiend had taken. [The owner of this elixir truly was an impressive fellow. So much so, I can't understand why the Celestial Rankers didn't recruit such a monster with this much growth potential... During battle, to grow in real-time, and even at the brink of death... Even I felt my heart pound for a moment.] Kiiing! Engraved upon Kim Young-hoon's inner elixir was a bizarre curse script, seemingly etched by Wonrip himself. The curse script glowed a bright red, emitting an eerie attracting force. [I wanted to identify the source of that talent, so after dissecting the body... but it was utterly undecipherable. No unusual soul roots or anything... In the end, was it a matter of character, I pondered as I extracted and attempted to refine his soul, but failing to find the soul, I couldn't refine it. Out of regret, I extracted his elixir and attempted refinement... And stumbled upon something quite intriguing.] Wriggle, wriggle... Strange specters. Blood Cloud arch-demons. Three demons were drawn by the gravitational force of Kim Young-hoon's inner elixir, starting to merge around it. [Harmonizing Power! This elixir has an overwhelming power of harmony; it can mix and circulate utterly different forces around it. Insert any sort of energy, and it harmonizes. So...] Around Kim Young-hoon's inner elixir, the monster and arch-demons combined, morphing into a figure with three heads of a demonic Asura. As Wonrip formed a bond, his spear, grass boat, and crystal staff flew to be grasped by the six arms of the Asura. Kugugugugu! With their cultivation already having slipped from the Initiate to the Initial Phase due to the barrier formation, the arch-demons and the specters combined, their powers surging, reaching the Mid and Late Phase of the Decisives. And then. Pukok, pukok, pukok! Seventeen dagger Artifacts. Among them, Wonrip embedded sixteen into various parts of the Asura. And the last remaining dagger... Wonrip cut off three of his own fingers with the dagger and fed them one by one into the mouths of the Asura. Wonrip's self-amputated fingers did not regenerate, and as the Asura consumed the fingers, its cultivation soared even more. Kugugugugugu! Great Master of the Decisives! The power of the Asura reached up to just before the Prime Spirit Stage. [With this elixir, such a splendid creation was possible. You too are a friend of his, and though you look different, you've mastered a similar bizarre technique. You must have a similar elixir, right? I'll extract it myself and make good use of your elixir...!] Wonrip manipulated the Asura from behind, shouting. [Come at me!] "Colorless glass swords, Second Form. Yean (Flame)." I unleashed the second form of the colorless glass swords while looking at him. Colorless glass swords, Second Form, Yean (Flame), possessed a very simple effect. The colorless glass swords interlocked even more strongly, connecting their energies perfectly. And in this linked state, the three thousand glass swords' energies began to circulate. The glass swords, circulating their energies, naturally melted and circulated my Formless Sword within that flow as well. Improved interlocking and connected circulation of energy. This was the Second Form, Yean, of the colorless glass swords. And the greatest advantage of Yean was the ability to, in accordance with the circulating energy, instantly move the Formless Sword to the desired location, allowing for the concentration or dispersion of its power. The colorless glass swords lined up in a row. And the Formless Swords harbored within the glass swords focused their energy at the end of the line by the circulation of Yean. Cheeung! By Sword Technique, the glass swords pierced straight into the Asura. Unfeeling or not, the Asura brandished its spear without so much as a grimace, whipping it through the air. But the glass swords dispersed, then regrouped, and once more began to fly around the Asura under my control, starting to wound it. Numerous changes occurred. The Asura scattered various law techniques, wielding the blood-red grass boat in one hand, the blood-colored spear in another, and the crystal skeleton staff in yet another, warping the space in all directions with the resulting explosion of force. But I pressed on with the storm of glass, gradually overwhelming the Asura. "Colorless glass swords, First, Second Form. Combined (Hapsik)." The true power (jin-ga) of the colorless glass swords began to emerge. First Form, Color (Saek). Second Form, Yean (Flame). When both forms were simultaneously activated. The true fearsomeness of the colorless glass swords was revealed. The colorless glass swords interlocked, activating the spirit power circuits and illuminating in various colors. And, in that state, the energies of the colorless glass swords began to circulate. Pa-a-at! The various temperaments housed within each of the glass swords began to swap places with other swords in that circulation. The once black-colored sword turned to white. The colorless glass swords, each originally of their own color, began to share with one another, incessantly and ceaselessly changing colors without a pause. A dance of myriads of colors (man-saek) that turned into a storm of light enveloping the Asura. The infinite trajectories of the Formless Sword, combined with the limitless changes in the temperament of the colorless glass swords. Together, they demonstrated an ineffable range of transformation. To the Asura, blazed in a storm, it was but a small moth caught in a blizzard. Spat, spat! Incrementally, the surface of the Asura began to accumulate wounds. The storm of glass seemed to lash out wildly, yet each strike followed the discipline of the swords. Fizz, fizz! The incisions amassing upon the Asura grew, soon covering its entirety with wounds. Single Evil Sword Technique. Twenty-Second Sequence. Extreme. Three thousand colorless glass swords began to rotate around the Asura, forming a single sword technique. "Single Evil (Dan'ak)!" The Extreme, pouring out all moves of the Single Evil Sword Technique through three thousand colorless glass swords, descends upon one being. The colorless glass swords unleashed Single Evil, and the changes imbued within the Formless Sword widened that array, beginning to tear and grind the being from all sides. Pa-a-at! Light burst forth, and the Asura completely exploded. I lunged forward, seized Kim Young-hoon's inner elixir at the center of the Asura, and directed the colorless glass swords. "Disperse!" Chalalalak! The glass swords scattered in all directions, clearing a path, and at the end of that path stood Wonrip. "Fire!" And then, just when he had finished gathering energy, Manliminlab fired the main cannon of the Seopmyeongham. Wonrip seemed to attempt evasion, but I had already sealed a curse. Chalalalak! While others were distracted, I had secretly placed clumps of curses behind him. The curses spread over his body like tentacles, binding him so he couldn't escape. It wasn't just me. The countless Decisive level cultivators whose strength had fallen to the level of Accumulated Spirit. They, under the command of the Cheongmoon Supreme Leader, coordinated flawlessly, each using their magic to bind Wonrip. Dozens, hundreds of spells, not just curses, tightly shackled him. The Cheongmoon Supreme Leader shouted. "Wall Patriarch, now is the time! You too, unleash it!" Byeokcheongi also flung the talisman he had been powering up toward Wonrip. The talisman burst with light as it flew toward Wonrip. And Wonrip, back to an Initial Decisive level state, was struck straight on by the main cannon of the Seopmyeongham. Flash!!! A bright light shot out in all directions. We all stared at the core of the radiance. Even Manliminlab concentrated on the center without making any jokes about finishing things this time. And then. Shiiii... The brilliance subsided. We all silently gazed upon the place where Wonrip had stood. The dust settled. Where light and dust had cleared, Wonrip still stood. Yet, a look of triumph began to form on the faces of all cultivators present. From Wonrip, there was no longer any sensation of oppressive spirit energy. Literally. Not a single trace of spirit energy. "Finally...." It was when the Cheongmoon Supreme Leader breathed a sigh of relief. Creeeeak. The gates of Bongmyeongseong were opening. "Hm? Who's that? Didn't I order that the gates of Bongmyeongseong shouldn't be opened until the operation was completely finished?" The Cheongmoon Supreme Leader furrowed his brow and turned to look at the entrance of Bongmyeongseong. The ones opening the gate of Bongmyeongseong were five Lords from the East. And then, I noticed something odd. The color of their determination, it was strange. And then. [Excellent.] Wonrip raised both arms. [Excellent, excellent, so very excellent. You fought so very impressively. I am moved by your resolve. I, Wonrip, the Blood-eyed Executioner, acknowledge you in respect to this battle. I, Wonrip, will recognize you.] As the gates of Bongmyeongseong opened, the Decisive level cultivators inadvertently looked up to the sky beyond the city walls. The dark storm clouds were gone, and the celestial signs were ominous. "Close it! Close the gates of Bongmyeongseong!" Although the Cheongmoon Supreme Leader urgently cried out, the five Lords who had opened the gate merely stood there, arms crossed. And then. Kurrurrung! The tribal leaders gathered from the Great Northern Grasslands suddenly began to dismantle the Changgyeongcheonra formation. The four tribal leaders who were the mainstay of the formation started to uncouple their spirit energy and crossed their arms. I hastily read their intentions. Until now, we had been too busy fighting Wonrip to scrutinize their motives. But now, their intentions started to appear different from the others'. They were golden, brimming with joy. "What is this treachery? Are you betraying us!?" The Cheongmoon Supreme Leader's anger was evident as he drew forth a blue glow from his body. "May the Great Plains and the Eastern people suppress these traitors! The Triple Kingdoms of the West, along with the Western Sages are to... " And then. Chalalalak! Sword-green zombies, stood in our way. And black chains of light wrapped around me, the Cheongmoon Supreme Leader, the Saint Emperor, Yeon, and the cultivators from Beokraguk. Jinlu Yeoncheon approached the chained Cheongmoon Supreme Leader with her enchanting voice, caressing his neck. "Ah, dear brother. Everything went according to plan. The Blood-eyed Executioner has won." Mangli Huangcheon, manipulating the zombies, approached the chained head of the Jin clan, knocking him down and trampling upon him. And Byeokcheongi, with an air of triumphant arrogance, walked beside Wonrip. "Byeok, Byeok, Wall Patriarch...!?" The Cheongmoon Supreme Leader, seeing Byeokcheongi, one of the three key figures in the hunt for Wonrip, standing next to him, his eyes seethed with bloodshot rage. With a cackle, Byeokcheongi said. "What do you think, Blood-eyed Executioner. The effects of the Bongcheonbu (Sky-sealing Attachment), are they not quite useful?" [Good. This is the defense of Celestial Rank. A sensation where not a wisp of spirit energy leaks from the body is quite amusing.] That was it. What Byeokcheongi threw to the Blood-eyed Executioner at the last moment was not Gyeokcheonbu, which would produce a Celestial Rank strike, but Bongcheonbu, which gave him a Celestial Rank defense. And then. Chalalalala! Outside Bongmyeongseong. Into the gates from the Blood-eyed Executioner's black castle, the same crimson river as before flowed. Chalalalak! As Wonrip absorbed the crimson river, his spiritual power began to rise again. Wonrip moved his hand as though something displeased him. [To make me use so much of my precious Jangwon Life Energy... Centuries of purely accumulated life force... Well, it doesn't matter. There won't be many opportunities to draw out the life force of so many Decisive level cultivators like today.] "Ha-ha, Blood-eyed Executioner. Barely a moment remains until the defensive formation of Bongmyeongseong is unraveled." Byeokcheongi, with a sycophantic look, surveyed around us and spoke. "Please, show us your Celestial Rank defense and attack power." [Let's proceed.] Crack, creak! I severed the black chains with my Formless Sword and unleashed the Formless Sword and colorless glass swords upon him. Kwagwagwagwang! However. Ting, ting! The glass swords and Formless Sword, were all repelled by the strange energy cloaking Wonrip, which prevented even a single wisp of spirit energy from escaping. Chortling, Wonrip remarked. [I shall also not forget you. Truly a foe whose will to fight is inexhaustible. But it's futile. Once Bongcheonbu is activated, it's entirely possible to use Celestial Rank defense until my Prime Spirit power returns. And...] He said to Byeokcheongi. [Release the Gyeokcheonbu (Strike Sky Attachment). Today, here, demonstrate the power of a Celestial Ranker.] "Yes, Blood-eyed Executioner." I clenched my teeth. Crack! So hard that I feared blood might start seeping from my gums. —The three Descendant Families of the Western Dapsan Desert swore allegiance to me, the four tribes of the Northern Grasslands bowed before me, and the five monarchs of the Eastern nations declared their loyalty to me. This was what Wonrip of the past life had said. After the war, it was believed that Wonrip had enforced obedience by implanting the Ohhaengheolju Magic (Five Elements Blood Bead Curse) in them. But that was not the case. Before the war, even more than 200 years ago, the three Descendant Families of the Western Dapsan Desert, the four northern tribes, the five eastern monarchs... He had already had them under his command a long time ago. Jinlu Yeoncheon, with the sudden betrayal, stroked the body of the Cheongmoon Supreme Leader, who was now bound by the clan's secret technique. "Ah, brother. This day has finally come. The day I get to possess you. I have longed for this so much. The Daechongmun Clan, the lineage of the Sovereigns, will finally be in my hands. We will pass the country of Beokraguk to the Wall Family and move the clan to Saint Emperor Country. The remnants of Yook Family will be devoured by the Blood-eyed Executioner, and so their lands will be given entirely to you, brother. Do you realize how humiliating it has been for the Jinlu Clan to compete with that remnant union? Now, brother, the Saint Emperor Country belongs to us. Let's monopolize its resources together and together ascend to the Prime Spirit rank." The Cheongmoon Supreme Leader, his face twisted as though possessed, spit on Jinlu Yeoncheon's face. "You wormed your way into serving the enemy who killed our family, Jinlu Yeoncheon!" "Hmm, hmm..." Jinlu Yeoncheon wiped off the spit and licked it, then embraced the Cheongmoon Supreme Leader. "Don't worry. I'll make it so you can't think of anything else. Just live in our family's underground for a few months, and you'll find you can't think of anything but me." "You..." As Jinlu Yeoncheon embraced the Cheongmoon Supreme Leader, Mangli Huangcheon trampled over Jin Yewoon's head. "Finally... After a long rivalry with the Jin Clan, I finally win in my era." With pleasure written all over his face, Mangli Huangcheon grinded Jin Yewoon's head under his shoe. "Ancestors, it is I, Mangli Huangcheon, who has brought down the Jin Clan in my generation. I will retake Yeon Country and lead the Mangli Clan to its greatest golden age...!" "You, wretch! Ku, keuk...!" Jin Yewoon ground his teeth in rage, looking up at Mangli Huangcheon, who mockingly stuffed his shoe into Jin's mouth. "You'll get used to calling me 'master' now." "Ugh, ugh...!" Elsewhere, Byeokcheongi clung to the Blood-eyed Executioner, flattering him with promises to govern Beokraguk in his favor. The traitors of the East, the traitors of the North, too, were seen trampling over their own rival clansmen who had been subdued by the Jinlu Clan's chains. "You, wretch!" Manliminlab, who had fought alongside us, had the main cannon of the Seopmyeongham stolen from him by one of the other Eastern monarchs. Another Eastern monarch, his body wrapped in black bandages, took the main cannon and presented it to Wonrip. [Enough talk of merits and awards, fetch the Gyeokcheonbu quickly. We must sweep away these pests and collapse the entire structure of Bongmyeongseong to capture the Bongmyeong people….] Pressured by Wonrip, Byeokcheongi nodded and called to the other Decisive level cultivators of the Byeok Family. "Bring forth the Gyeokcheonbu!" The Gyeokcheonbu was in the possession of the Decisive level cultivators among the Byeok Family, particularly those who had recently reached that rank. Among them was Byeokmunseong as well. I attempted to unleash the Formless Sword to prevent them from handing over the Gyeokcheonbu, but sensed something was amiss. And then, as Byeokmunseong opened the case containing the Gyeokcheonbu, he drew it out. Woong! He activated the Gyeokcheonbu. "Hmm?" [What are you doing? There's no need to activate it. How much could you possibly do having fallen to the Accumulated Spirit level….] And then. Byeokmunseong shouted. "I've had enough of this! Patriarch!" Along with those words... Centered around Byeokmunseong, the young Decisive level cultivators of the Byeok Family formed a spell formation. "Should we, who guided our clan to victory through the war, now enter beneath a Prime Spirit elder being reduced to a mere subordinate? Is it not enough that the Wall Family stands as its own entity, even if we were only to share the resources from Cheongmun and Gongmyo Clans, without subjecting ourselves to anyone else?" "What, what?" [Hmm….] He shouted. "Look, Patriarch! If only you hadn't betrayed us, that Prime Spirit old monster would have collapsed to the ground dead by now. Without even submitting to anyone, we could have been the family that led the war to honor and victory as one single force!" "You, are you mad?" "No, I am not mad. Not just I, but the other heirs, too. We all share the same sentiment. What guarantees do you have that after the hunt, the old beast won't boil and eat the hunting dogs themselves? Why would you, Patriarch, raise your hand to the victory of the beast!" Byeokcheongi's face contorted. Byeokmunseong shouted. "We, for the future of the clan, have decided to make a different choice. The strategy proceeded until the monster was on the brink of death. Without the damn defense of the Bongcheonbu, we can hunt the beast again! Wake up, Patriarch!" "You, you! That's not possible! Come to your senses! This can be overlooked as a slight misstep if you do so now! The Blood-eyed Executioner's concealed power isn't just this!" Byeokcheongi urged. "That's right. You've been hanging around those Descendant Families recently, haven't you? Now that those families are losers, you can do as you please with them. Calm down and..." "The one I liked." Byeokmunseong uttered, his voice filled with a biting tone as he activated the Gyeokcheonbu. "Was not them." Pa-a-at! The Gyeokcheonbu. A Celestial Rank strike was loosed, aimed at Wonrip shrouded in the Bongcheonbu. Kugwagwagwang! One side of Bongmyeongseong was ripped away. A overwhelming gale surged forth, and a tremendous light seemed to converge toward Wonrip from the heavens and earth. And within the light between heaven and earth, I saw the Bongcheonbu that shrouded Wonrip being stripped away. Tadat! The colorless glass swords converged into one. I passed by Byeokmunseong, exchanging a glance with him. With this strike, I pour everything into it. "Colorless glass swords, Final Form." The last form of the colorless glass swords. Beyond Yean and Saek. Finally arriving at the ultimate form. Three thousand colorless glass swords merged into a single blade. And the spirit power circuits engraved on each sword overlapped on a single one, creating countless circuits within the colorless glass sword. The more circuits there are, the greater the power that can be unleashed, even with inferior materials. Colorless glass swords. Third Form. "Chongcheon (Total Heaven)." The colorless glass sword shone in Chongcheon natural colors, piercing straight into Wonrip's dantian.