Dam Hyun had not completely lost his martial arts prowess.

It was just that he had lost the majority of his True Qi that he had possessed at Peak prowess.

It was uncertain how many years it would take to restore his True Qi to its previous level.

Initially, Yu Jeong-shin was furious, but eventually, he became gloomy.

However, he too eventually had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Dam Hyun’s choice was a bit extreme, but it was clearly the best one.

Yu Jeong-shin might have made a similar choice if he were in Dam Hyun’s position.

Above all…

“It’s too late to turn back now.”

“Yes.”

“We can only hope that Yi-gang does well.”

Above all, the great technique has already been executed.

Yi-gang’s Gateway of Life and Death breakthrough was also underway.

“We can only hope that the aftermath is minimal.”

The Hundred Refined Great Technique was a great technique that inflicted tremendous pain on its target.

Though the worst side effects were avoided thanks to Dam Hyun’s sacrifice, Yi-gang was likely facing a very tough battle.

Yu Jeong-shin’s face was somber, worried about his sick disciple.In the end, about a month and a half after the great technique was performed—Yi-gang was pushed almost to the extreme.

“Huff, huff…”

The Hundred Refined Great Technique amplified human senses a hundredfold.

This enhancement of sensitivity was not something to be taken lightly.

Even the slightest stimulus turned into excruciating pain.

“Hurk.”

Breathing in felt like inhaling sharp iron filings.

The cold rock he sat on was as painful as sitting on a bed of needles.

Yet, the most painful aspect was something else.

Before moving his True Qi, Yi-gang felt fear.

‘Can I do it?’

He was not always confident, but he had never hesitated in front of tasks that needed to be done.

He had not stopped since the moment he stood up after sending Sohwa away first.

There had never been a time when he could not see the way forward.

Before, the Immortal Divine Sword was by Yi-gang’s side, and after he left, it was with the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon.

But here, in this dark blood cave, Yi-gang was alone.

‘…I must do it.’

Yi-gang braced himself and raised his True Qi.

The amount of True Qi accumulated in the lower dantian was by no means small. From the Qihai acupoint to the Juque acupoint, flowing through the meridian pathways.

It felt as hot as pouring poisonous wine on a cut wound.

It was not for no reason that those who performed the Hundred Refined Great Technique risked entering a frenzied state due to Qi deviation, leading to bursting blood vessels and death.

Initially, without Dam Hyun’s help, Yi-gang too would have suffered severe internal injuries.

Now, he could move his True Qi without screaming.

From here on, Dam Hyun’s help was of no use. Yi-gang had to clear the impurities of the Gateway of Life and Death on his own.

Thanks to the hundredfold sharpened senses, Yi-gang could manipulate his True Qi with extreme delicacy.

Yi-gang’s control reached the level of a Supreme Peak master at this moment.

He delicately scraped off the impurities from the Baihui acupoint.

However, a certain degree of boldness was necessary.

A breakthrough meant to strike and open.

It’s about striking the Gateway of Life and Death blocked by impurities with True Qi.

Yi-gang gritted his teeth in preparation for the impact.

His molars had long been shattered due to how hard he had been gritting his teeth.

And from a certain point, intense pain would often cause him to see hallucinations.

With that resolve, Yi-gang struck the Gateway of Life and Death.

Gruung—

A heavy, bone-rattling impact.

Blood streamed from his nose, and the tendons in his neck stood out.

His vision turned red before fading back to white.

Yi-gang’s consciousness soared.“You fool!”

He snapped back to consciousness at the sound of the scolding.

Yi-gang lifted his gaze in a dazed state.

And then he opened his eyes wide.

“What are you looking at with such a dumbfounded expression?”

“Uh…”

“You, you’ve dozed off.”

It was Yi-gang’s quarters in the clan.

The important thing was the person in front of him.

“Ancestor…?”

“You rascal, are you treating your perfectly healthy grandfather as an ancestor?”

“Ah.”The Immortal Divine Sword ruffled Yi-gang’s hair.

The touch was so comforting that Yi-gang felt his head go numb.

When he looked at his own hand, it was chubby and small.

He tried to recall his age, but he couldn’t remember.

“Take good care of your younger sister. She may seem sharp, but she’s still a child.”

“My younger sister…?”

He wondered if he had a younger sister, but then the paper sliding door burst open with a bang.

“Grandfather! I’m all ready! Let’s go quickly.”

Realizing who his younger sister was, Yi-gang suddenly felt a warmth in his eyes.

There, Sohwa was looking at him with her eyes shining brightly.

“Young master… Why are you crying?”

“Sohwa.”

Why his younger sister was calling him “young master” was beyond him.

But then, a thunderous shout came from behind where the Immortal Divine Sword was.

“This lowly wench dares! Uhahaha!”

With a twisted laugh, the person behind launched a sudden attack on Sohwa.

“Aaaaah!”

Sohwa screamed and fell.

The Immortal Divine Sword had changed into Baek Jin-tae at some point.

“Hand over the meteorite sword!”

“You bastard!”

Yi-gang, feeling intense anger, charged at Baek Jin-tae.

But Baek Jin-tae simply swung his arm, easily sending Yi-gang flying.

The young and small body rolled too easily on the ground.

“Kuh…!”

Forcing himself up amidst the pain, this time, it was the flower garden of the moonlit night’s princesses.

The sprawling princess flowers spread a dizzying fragrance.

Namgung Yu-baek then scolded Yi-gang, who was dazed, “You should have been the one to die!”

“What…”

Namgung Yu-baek was holding the fallen Blue-Eyed Mad Demon in his arms.

The sword embedded in the chest of the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, Namgung Seo-ryeon, was unmistakably Yi-gang’s.

“Take responsibility, Baek Yi-gang! You killed this child!”

“M-my responsibility…”

Was it Yi-gang who killed the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon?

The woman in Namgung Yu-baek’s arms clutched the Shooting Star Fang embedded in her chest with trembling hands.

Then she turned to look at Yi-gang.

“…it.”

The face of the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon was clearly visible under the moonlight.“…Snap out of it.”

And then Yi-gang came to his senses.

“Haah!”

When he opened his eyes wide, indeed, he was in the damp dark blood cave.

The taste of blood was clear in his mouth. He had awakened from an illusion.

Tears and snot were streaming down.

Waking up from the illusion always left him with tears streaming like this.

But Yi-gang couldn’t even wipe them away.

Even without using the Hundred Refined Great Technique, striking the Gateway of Life and Death with True Qi brought terrible pain.

The pain, magnified a hundredfold, was enough to drive a person mad.

The mind was bound to the body.

Unable to endure the intense pain, Yi-gang’s mind always escaped into illusions.

But the illusions were painful in their own way.

Sometimes, Yi-gang became Baek Jin-tae in these illusions, and he also experienced the fantasy of being crushed to death by rocks in the Five Elements Tomb.

Until now, he had always lost consciousness in the illusions.

When he came to his senses, Yi-gang would find himself struggling like a bug in his own cold sweat, nosebleed, or sometimes even vomit.

This time was different. He had succeeded in breaking out of the illusion.

He had a near-certain premonition. Today, he would be able to break through the Gateway of Life and Death.

The Gateway of Life and Death, pounded countless times to remove the impurities, had become as thin and pliable as a human eardrum.

Yet, Yi-gang couldn’t immediately collide his True Qi against it.

‘Can I endure it?’

Just pounding on it was enough to experience unbearable pain.

But could he withstand the aftermath if he tore through the Gateway of Life and Death?

He didn’t have the leisure to distinguish whether this was just fear of pain or a rational judgment.

Moreover, Yi-gang was aware of his own condition.

An inner demon had already seated itself within him.

For a martial artist, an inner demon was not something that could be easily dismissed.

An inner demon could drive a person mad and cause Qi deviation during meditation and breathing exercises.

It’s a real threat, just like the dark energy that had once inhabited Dam Hyun’s mind.

‘The inner demon will intensify.’

Could one maintain sanity after breaking through the Gateway of Life and Death? Or would it lead to madness?

Regardless, there was no choice but to try.

Yi-gang gritted his teeth.Then he sharpened his True Qi and pounded the small membrane of the Gateway of Life and Death that connected the Ren meridian and Du meridian.

Pop—!

It was pierced through.

And then, blood streamed down from Yi-gang’s nose.

The result was as expected.

It felt as if a meteor shower had erupted in his head.

Perhaps the body mistook the intense pain for death.

Substances that induced euphoria burst from the brain, sweeping through Yi-gang’s body.

Had he not expelled all the body’s fluids through tears and sweat moments before, the sensation might have been intense enough to cause a fracture.

However, he had undoubtedly broken through the Gateway of Life and Death.

Yi-gang smiled.

His mouth felt intensely bitter due to the blood flowing from his gums and broken molars.

The price of achievement was paid immediately.

Instead of harboring something dark and murky in his head, Yi-gang had achieved the condition that the Nine-Tails had required.

“It’s… done.”

Even after unfolding his legs and standing up, the flow of his True Qi did not stop.

Stillness within motion, motion within stillness.

Yi-gang had finally stepped into a realm reserved for Supreme Peak masters.The Nine-Tails did not immediately meet with those who came from the Azure Forest.

She told them that Yi-gang would soon come out of his retreat, and they should come out together at that time.

And, incredibly, Yi-gang broke out of his retreat exactly on the day the Nine-Tails had mentioned.

Ha-jun was to bring Yi-gang along.

Yu Jeong-shin waited for Yi-gang with an anxious feeling.

Dam Hyun tried to comfort his master in his own way.

“Master, please don’t worry.”

“How can I not worry? I just hope nothing terribly wrong has happened.”

The problem was that this did nothing to alleviate the worry.

“Are you saying you don’t trust me? It’s just an inner demon and then it’ll be over.”

“The problem is getting afflicted by that inner demon! It could spell the end of one’s life as a martial artist!”

“I’ve been afflicted by an inner demon before, you know. And still, I managed just fine.”

“…”

“I did… right?”

At that, not only Yu Jeong-shin but also the Golden Needle Phantom next to him glared at Dam Hyun.

Dam Hyun made a face as if to say, why are you looking at me like that?

Then he approached Cheok-yo, who had returned to the form of a fox.

“Yi-gang will be here soon.”

“But.”

“See how much he has changed, then judge.”

“What?”

Cheok-yo snorted.

“Didn’t seem like much last time I saw him.”

“That’s right. But he must have changed a lot since then.”

“That Gateway of Life and Death or whatever, it’s just a hurdle humans face.”

That’s how it appeared in Cheok-yo’s eyes.

After hearing the explanation from Dam Hyun about the meaning of breaking through the Gateway of Life and Death, the major fontanelle—

At that time, Cheok-yo had a dispirited expression.

It was because it seemed like a trivial matter.

“A great yokai like me had the fontanelle open at birth. What’s so great about humans struggling to open them later?”

So far, there hadn’t been many human warriors that Cheok-yo found impressive.

Dam Hyun looked at Cheok-yo with an inexplicable smile.

Cheok-yo felt annoyed by that gaze, as if he was being looked down upon.

Then, suddenly, Yu Jeong-shin turned around.

“Oh, Yi-gang…!”

He was the first to sense Yi-gang’s approach.

He stopped dead in his tracks, intending to greet Yi-gang with a bright smile.

The smile turned into confusion.

“Master.”

“Your complexion… It doesn’t look good.”

“I have caused you worry.”

Yi-gang’s voice was remarkably calm.

And then, Yu Jeong-shin’s expression was filled with gloom.

“You’ve been afflicted by an inner demon.”

“Yes.”

A voice devoid of emotion.

Dam Hyun poked Cheok-yo, who had been staring blankly at Yi-gang.

“What do you think?”

“…”

Cheok-yo couldn’t respond.Automatically, his body reacted, and his hidden claws slid out.

And the moment Yi-gang’s gaze returned to Cheok-yo—

Whoosh.

Cheok-yo instinctively bared his fangs and fluffed up his fur.

A completely different human stood before Cheok-yo than before.