Chapter 57 : Traces

Chapter 57: Traces

“Phew.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Jang Woo-hyun calmed his emotions.

It was overwhelming, but one thing was certain—what had been left behind was undoubtedly the work of the Demonic God Fist Kim Min-soo.

Just the words “” were enough to prove that.

No one else would have left a message like that, even if the third, fourth, and fifth ones were missing.

Jang Woo-hyun tried his best to decipher it.

“Do you have any paper or something to write with?”

“Here it is.”

As if he had prepared in advance, Lee Jong-gil handed over a wooden board, paper, a small container of ink, and a fine brush. Jang Woo-hyun gave him a slight nod of gratitude and focused once more on the letters written on the monument.

_It may be era□, but this time□ properly □□._

“‘It may be erased, but this time I’m leaving it properly’?”

That was likely correct.

It was the least damaged of all the lines.

It seemed deliberate—this time, he hadn’t written it strangely.

‘He expected it to be destroyed and left a message.’

Where and how he had sent it was unclear, but that much was certain.

_I don’t know □ you are □□□, but if □ came from the same □□, then □□ ability □□□ exists._

_□□ repeated holy□ and crossed the □□ state.__

‘Same place… so he means they came from the same world? The state could refer to Absolute Realm. If they came from Earth, the same place, they must have exceptional abilities and perhaps have crossed the Absolute Realm?’

It was a rough interpretation, but it felt plausible.

_□□□ the next stage □ here □ □ □□._

‘Next stage? This place? Somewhere you can reach by moving to the next stage?’

Up to that point, he could force a meaning out of the fragments. The problem came after that.

_Go up □ □ silver □□ □□□._

_Never □□□ do it._

‘Go up? Like ascending somewhere? What’s the silver part? And what’s the thing I should never do?’

Disconnected words.

_□□ the real □ of the □ world is □□ □□._

_At first □□□ but in the end something□□□ wounded me and □□□ □ed me._

_There was no □ connection, but □□□ this □ was one □□._

Below that, nothing was legible. Not even a single complete word remained.

_□□ from another world □□ so □□□□._

_If that’s the case, then □□ □ includes you too._

_I’m □□ going □□. □□ □□□□□ □□ will go._

“Another world. I’m included too?”

He couldn’t be sure what it meant, but it seemed to imply that he too, like Kim Min-soo, who had come from Earth, was included. Whether that was good or bad, he couldn’t say.

_Let’s meet at the □ place above._

_Remember. Don’t □□ and never □□□._

_Then you’ll □□□□ □□□._

“Meet at the top—okay, I sort of get that. But what am I not supposed to do?”

That was the most important part: a warning not to do something. But it was indecipherable.

It was likely that Kim Min-soo had sent this from what he referred to as “Above.”

It appeared to be a message warning of some danger to those who had come from the same world.

However, the monument had been damaged and much of it was unreadable.

‘Judging by what’s written at the beginning, he anticipated the damage from the start.’

And yet, it had been shattered.

Either Kim Min-soo’s predictions were wrong, or a force stronger than expected had struck.

‘How strong must it have been?’

Curious, Jang Woo-hyun drew his sword, Flying Swallow Sword, and swung it.

Ka-ga-gak!

“What are you doing?!”

The village chief and the townspeople shouted in surprise, but Jang Woo-hyun didn’t pay them much attention.

“Sir! You can’t just—!”

Fwoosh!

Jang Woo-hyun revealed his presence in response to the village chief’s voice. It was the aura of a Master Level expert. Even though he released only a hint of it, it was overwhelming for a rural elder to withstand.

“Eek!”

“Mommy!”

The village chief fell back, and the other villagers scattered and retreated.

“Just give me a moment. I need to check something.”

Jang Woo-hyun encased his sword in Qi Projection and slashed the monument several more times.

Ka-ga-ga-gak!

It didn’t cut.

Even with Qi Projection enveloping the blade, it left only faint marks.

‘Is this even possible?’

The monument was tougher than refined black iron.

He could destroy it if he really tried, but even Jang Woo-hyun would need considerable effort.

He approached the monument and grasped one of its corners with his hand.

Still, it didn’t break. Despite his grip being strong enough to crush boulders into powder, the monument didn’t budge.

Ku-deuduk.

Only after he infused his hand with Qi and exerted strength for a long while did a small part finally break off.

‘How was this broken in the first place?’

Even Master Level martial artists couldn’t break it easily. And yet, the letters had been erased, and the edges were chipped away.

Jang Woo-hyun made a guess.

This monument must not be from this world.

It was likely from “Above,” the place mentioned by the monkey monster or Tang Myung.

‘Just where is this “Above”?’

Jang Woo-hyun raised his head and looked up.

Blue sky with clouds drifting lazily across.

Could the place they referred to be up there? Was there a hidden land above the clouds—a new world?

He entertained the thought of flying into the sky just once but shook his head and dismissed the idea.

“Above” was probably not a literal place but a figurative one.

After staring at the sky for a while, he lowered his gaze.

There were those who could tell him the definition of the place they called “Above.”

Jang Woo-hyun’s gaze shifted in a direction.

It was a place blocked by a mountain, but he looked beyond it.

His developed Upper Dantian allowed him to sense distant places.

No—more accurately, it wasn’t seeing the distance, but perceiving the intent of someone far away.

‘They’ve come.’

Those who sent hostile intent.

There was only one place where such formidable beings could originate.

True Demon Palace.

Gi Il-gwang had said—if he surpassed the Demon Cult, he would reach them.

Jang Woo-hyun had surpassed the Demon Cult. Now, he had reached them.

“Well written.”

He tucked the paper with the monument’s inscription into his robe and handed the remaining items back to Lee Jong-gil.

“Thank you for your help.”

“Have you finished reading it all?”

“Yes, I’m thinking of heading off now. There are people looking for me. The villagers seemed startled because of me, so please explain things to them.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it. It was an honor to meet you, Great Hero Jang.”

Lee Jong-gil offered a martial salute to Jang Woo-hyun, and though the gesture still felt awkward to him, Jang Woo-hyun gave a slight nod in return and kicked off the ground.

Only after watching him soar through the air did the village chief realize who he had just shouted at.

Fear suddenly surged through him, and he wet his pants on the spot.

“C-Chief!”

“Huuuh…”

Letting out a deep sigh, the village chief wiped away the tears pooling in his eyes.

After leaving the village, Jang Woo-hyun ran for quite some time.

Even though his Upper Dantian was opened, he didn’t have clairvoyance-level perception, so he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of those seeking him.

From time to time, he released his presence to signal them.

Perhaps catching on to his intent, the approaching individuals revealed their own presence in return.

When he crossed the border between Yunnan and Sichuan, he finally saw three people waiting for him.

One of them raised a hand and pointed in a certain direction. It meant they wanted to move to a place with no people.

Jang Woo-hyun agreed and followed behind them.

After a short while, they arrived at a small basin surrounded by mountains.

As he landed, he studied the three who had arrived ahead of him.

A young man with a scar on his face, a large-built middle-aged man, and a gaunt old man.

All three had reached the Master Level.

Jang Woo-hyun let out a small sigh as he looked at them.

“Hmm.”

His brow furrowed slightly. His expression held a trace of disappointment.

Three Master Level experts.

It was a formidable force.

This level of strength could storm the gates of the Asura Sword Sect and annihilate it in one sweep, or tear apart the Manchunhwa Formation of the Tang Clan head-on.

But that was it.

Had the Heavenly Beyond Heaven truly reached the pinnacle of the Absolute Realm?

He wasn’t sure.

Judging from the level of power they were currently showing, they fell far short of what he had expected.

“Reputation well deserved.”

Unlike Jang Woo-hyun, the three were clearly surprised.

At their level, they could estimate someone’s strength without a full display of presence. Yet even they were astonished at the skill of the man they had heard was from the Heavenly Beyond Heaven.

“True Demon Palace?”

At his question, the young man gave a nod.

“I’m Heo Gwak of True Demon Palace.”

“Go Tae-san.”

“Seo Nyeong.”

Following Heo Gwak, the large middle-aged man and the gaunt old man gave their names.

“Jang Woo-hyun.”

“They say you’re the ‘Unrivaled Sword of God’… Your skill certainly lives up to the name.”

“There are only three of you? A bit underwhelming for a group called the True Demon Palace.”

“We’re not a typical sect. Numbers don’t mean much to us.”

“Still, it seems significant… mind if I ask a few things?”

“As much as you like. It’ll be your last chance, after all.”

Heo Gwak allowed it without hesitation.

“Do you know about the next stage? How to go upward?”

At his question, the three let out slight chuckles.

“That’s not a proper question. Do you really think you can move further forward after meeting us?”

They raised their auras.

As expected of Master Level experts, the pressure they exuded was immense—but it no longer fazed Jang Woo-hyun.

“Let me ask you something as well. Where are you from? Silver Forest? Or has the vanished Blood Valley returned?”

“What? The Blood Valley doesn’t exist anymore? Then it’s just you three?”

“Answer the question.”

“Neither. I have no connection to either.”

He spoke calmly, and from that, Heo Gwak could tell Jang Woo-hyun was telling the truth.

As Heo Gwak hesitated, sorting through his thoughts, Jang Woo-hyun asked another question.

“Are you here to avenge the Demon Cult?”

“Revenge… perhaps. We’ve long severed ties with the secular world, but maybe so. Too many died, including the cult leader.”

“Is that how the Demon Cult always is?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you didn’t ambush me or sneak up on me, and when you lose a fair fight, you always send stronger people next. It’s pettier than I thought.”

The three from True Demon Palace couldn’t say anything in response.

That point was hard to refute.

It had been the Demon Cult that charged in with numbers, and it was the Demon Cult that lost.

“Well, whatever. We’re going to fight, right?”

“Yes. What more is there to say now?”

Jang Woo-hyun drew Flying Swallow Sword, and the gaunt old man, Seo Nyeong, also unsheathed his small sabre.

“We’ll find out who you are in our own way—by slicing off your limbs one by one.”

Jang Woo-hyun simply chuckled at those words.

They were Master Level martial artists, so their confidence in their strength was understandable. But that only worked against others.

Not against him.

“I’ll ask about the next stage in my own way too—by severing your heads one by one.”

Before he had even finished the word ‘severing,’ Seo Nyeong moved.

In an instant, the distance between them vanished.

A crimson line flashed into view.

It was too fast to follow with the eyes. Jang Woo-hyun shifted his body slightly to evade.

Swick—

He was just a bit late—his ear was nicked.

Seo Nyeong was fast.

The fastest among any human he’d ever fought.

Among humans, that is.

Seo Nyeong’s attacks continued.

Red lines appeared everywhere. His movement transcended human bounds, visible only as streaks of red.

But Jang Woo-hyun blocked the attacks with Flying Swallow Sword or evaded them with subtle movements.

It was only the first strike that caught him off guard—after that, he adapted immediately.

No matter how fast Seo Nyeong was, he couldn’t compare to the monkey monster Jang Woo-hyun had faced at the Demon Extermination Sect.

That monster’s movement had been nearly impossible to react to. Seo Nyeong’s speed didn’t reach that level. Difficult to block, yes—but if he couldn’t block it, he could just dodge.

While Jang Woo-hyun was blocking and evading Seo Nyeong’s strikes, the large middle-aged man, Go Tae-san, approached.

Perhaps he had learned some unusual demonic technique—each step he took made his body grow larger. By the time he reached Jang Woo-hyun, his already huge frame had surpassed ten feet in height.

Bwoooom!

A fist the size of a human head smashed through the air, targeting Jang Woo-hyun.

Kwaaang!

Jang Woo-hyun met the powerful blow by sending out Black Wolf Fang.

The two recoiled from the shock.

In that brief opening, Heo Gwak charged in.

His fist was dyed in black.

Unlike Gi Il-gwang, whom Jang Woo-hyun had faced before, Heo Gwak launched a rapid punch, his fist wrapped in a black glow.

Dozens of fist projections filled the space in front of him.

In response, Jang Woo-hyun drew Dragon King's Scale.

Chareureuk!

The moment he unsheathed it, dozens of blades fired to intercept the incoming fist projections.

Puh-bung! Puh-eong! Pung!

The scales of the Dragon King clashed with the black projections, bursting the surrounding space apart.

Seo Nyeong’s speed, Go Tae-san’s explosive strength, Heo Gwak’s deceptive attacks—

All of them were formidable, yet still lacking. The three martial artists of the True Demon Palace couldn’t go beyond Jang Woo-hyun’s expectations.

“So this is all...”

Kkuung!

With a stomp of True Step, a wave of Qi rippled out from Jang Woo-hyun in a perfect circle.

Immediately after, a powerful shockwave stirred up the earth, sending waves of soil crashing around the area.

“This is all you’ve got?!”

Heavenly Beyond Heaven?

They were merely slightly stronger Master Level martial artists.

Had they reached the end?

That was unclear. But if this was the end of the Master Realm, then Jang Woo-hyun had already surpassed that wall.

He extended Dragon King's Scale, watching the three pushed back by the wave of Qi and crashing soil like a tsunami.

He had no intention of dragging this fight out. From the start, he would go all out.

Chareureuk! Chareuk!

Hundreds of blades rose up into the sky, filling it.

The blades of Dragon King's Scale were connected through Qi Threads.

His internal energy flowed through the hundreds of threads into each blade.

Jang Woo-hyun slashed downward with Silent Night, revealing the shattered, black blade once all the scales had vanished.

At that moment—

Kugugugugugu!

Rain of Qi poured from the sky.

“Ten Thousand Heavens Transformed into Rain!”

Heo Gwak shouted in shock.