Finally arriving at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Bu Eunseol and Hyeok Sojin thoroughly scoured the surrounding area.
The Wind God Tower, said to reveal the location of the Wind God Palace, does not appear fixed in one place. Even the spots where it manifests can differ by dozens of li or more.
Thus, even knowing a past location where someone had seen the Wind God Tower was utterly useless.
“Is this the right area?”
Hyeok Sojin, who had climbed a peak and was surveying the surroundings, shivered.
The extreme cold was enough to freeze snot inside the nose, and the thin air made breathing itself difficult.
“I’m worried those old fellows might have been spouting nonsense.”
“It wasn’t nonsense. They described the shape of the Wind God Tower floating in the sky in great detail.”
Bu Eunseol had spoken with the demonic cultivators of the Peach Blossom Paradise about the Wind God Tower. In the past, when the old eccentric Mad Master was being chased by the Western Region expert Blood Maitreya near the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, he had hidden here for three full days to shake off pursuit. During that time, he claimed to have discovered the Wind God Tower that leads to the Wind God Palace.
Bu Eunseol judged the account highly credible and had come here on that basis.
“Sometimes he does speak correctly, but…” Hyeok Sojin said with a worried expression. “…his mind wanders so much that he spouts a lot of nonsense too, which makes me anxious.”
“I’ve also heard many other elders say they saw the Wind God Tower in this area. The probability is quite high.”
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol and Hyeok Sojin had no choice but to crouch motionless on the snow-covered mountain. In truth, Hyeok Sojin had reached the tenth level of the Divine Rift Demon Energy and possessed internal energy well over three hundred years.
He could have created a protective energy to ward off the cold, yet he deliberately crouched beside Bu Eunseol without doing so.
It was because Bu Eunseol’s internal energy had drastically declined so he could no longer even form protective energy.
“Why aren’t you circulating your energy to resist the cold?”
Despite snot running from his nose, Hyeok Sojin spoke with a solemn expression.
“How could I sit comfortably while Brother Bu endures this hardship?”
With Hyeok Sojin’s current inner force, he could not produce protective energy large enough to envelop Bu Eunseol’s body.
“I still have about one jiazi of internal energy left. Even without protective energy, expelling this cold is no problem.”
“Still…”
“We don’t know what might happen next. At the very least, you need to stay in good condition.”
“Ah, right.”
Hyeok Sojin smacked his forehead, shook his head, and began circulating his internal energy.
His exact internal energy level was roughly three hundred and forty years, which was the absolute peak among young masters. It had been possible only because he had received the Open Scripture Great Method and every kind of spiritual herb since childhood.
“Brother Bu, aren’t you cold?”
“I trained in ice techniques, so ordinary cold cannot invade my body.”
It was a lie.
Due to the clash between his internal energy level, his mind, his qi, his qinggong, the beast-like senses and every ounce of power within his body were sealed.
Yet he casually clasped his hands behind his back.
“I’ll keep watch around us. Rest comfortably.”
“Understood.”
Bu Eunseol was capable of circulating energy even while standing, lying down, or walking.
Knowing this, Hyeok Sojin nodded, closed his eyes, and began his circulation in earnest.
Thud, thud.
While walking through the snow and scanning the area, Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed.
‘Enduring a brief chill is nothing.’
He let out an unconscious sigh.
‘But waiting for the Wind God Tower, which may appear at any moment—or may never appear—is not easy.’
Whether creating protective energy or constantly circulating energy to resist the cold, in the end it was no different from running without rest.
How long he could endure was impossible to guarantee.
‘I’ll have to prepare for a long wait.’
Bu Eunseol glanced at Hyeok Sojin, who was meditating in a cross-legged position, then began gathering snow.
He piled up an enormous mound, rounded its exterior neatly, waited until the surface froze solid, then carefully hollowed out the inside.
He had created a large snow cave.
“Sojin. Circulate your energy in here.”
When Hyeok Sojin saw the snow shelter Bu Eunseol had made, he let out an admiring sound.
“That’s the perfect way to block the freezing wind. I’ll make a bigger one instead.”
Hyeok Sojin quickly built a large, sturdy snow cave of his own.
Because his internal energy was profound and he could employ the True Yang Method, he created an even more solid and spacious shelter.
Once the two entered, it felt far warmer than outside.
Hyeok Sojin continued his circulation while Bu Eunseol stood calmly gazing outward.
The cold persisted, yet Bu Eunseol remained standing straight as though he felt nothing at all.
How much time passed?
The sun rose and set, and finally a new day dawned.
Three full days had gone by, yet not only was there no tower. Not even a single rat had appeared.
“Brother Bu, no matter how I look, it doesn’t seem to be here.”
Hyeok Sojin, who had been surveying the area, spoke with a gloomy expression.
“Looks like that old man really was talking nonsense after all.”
“That’s only natural.”
“Huh?”
Bu Eunseol replied calmly.
“Hoping to locate the Wind God Palace in a short time just because of one rumor that countless martial artists have chased for generations is simply unrealistic.”
Hyeok Sojin nodded.
“Since you’re saying that much, I assume you’ve prepared a backup plan.”
When one thought about it, Bu Eunseol was the type of person who prepared numerous contingencies even for a single task.
Naturally, he would have readied an alternative in case the Wind God Tower could not be found.
But the reply was unexpected.
“There is no such thing.”
“Huh?”
“The battle with the Fist Man was completely unforeseen. Receiving such deep injuries, I simply judged that finding the Wind God Palace was the fastest solution.”
“Then you came here relying solely on the Mad Master’s words?”
“Not exactly.”
Shaking his head, Bu Eunseol answered. “Even before coming here, I pondered deeply why the Wind God Tower has been repeatedly sighted near the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.”
After a brief pause, he continued, “The periods when rumors of sightings spread were always consistent. They occurred in exact fifteen-year cycles.”
“Then…”
“Counting from when the Mad Master saw it, this year marks exactly the thirtieth year.”
A profound light shimmered in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“The only key is when it opens. I firmly believe I will see the Wind God Tower here.”
If anyone else had spoken those words, Hyeok Sojin would have scoffed.
Waiting for the Wind God Tower to appear based on such scant clues would have seemed like vain hope.
Yet when Bu Eunseol said it, conviction arose that the tower would surely appear.
And he had no choice but to cling desperately to that belief.
If they failed to find the Wind God Tower, a way to heal Bu Eunseol’s injuries would remain distant.
“Understood.” Hyeok Sojin nodded and said, “Then let’s wait just a little longer.”
Another two days passed.
Yet the Wind God Tower remained nowhere in sight.
With each passing day, Hyeok Sojin’s expression grew heavier and his gaze darker.
If they could not find the Wind God Tower, there might be no way to restore Bu Eunseol’s body.
Conversely, the longer time went on, the more serene Bu Eunseol’s expression became.
He did not appear to be waiting for the tower; rather, he looked like an ascetic undergoing self-imposed hardship.
At times he scratched characters on the ground with a branch or murmured in a low voice.
‘Because the mind is empty, it can contain things… Because the mind holds, it can be emptied in turn…’
Up until now Bu Eunseol had fought countless strong opponents and suffered several grave injuries.
Each time, he had recovered rapidly thanks to the mysterious functions of the Muscle-Changing Sutra and the Ban-Geuk Mind Method. But when a power that transcended martial logic—the Fist Man’s qinggong—invaded his flesh, ordinary circulation and healing could no longer restore his body.
Nevertheless, Bu Eunseol did not despair. Instead, he studied the Ban-Geuk Mind Method, the Muscle-Changing Sutra, and the taoist secret texts transmitted by Gongsun Dana, deeply researching whether they could solve this problem.
‘This is…’
Hyeok Sojin realized that the words Bu Eunseol murmured were arcane passages from demonic, orthodox, and taoist internal cultivation methods.
He held his breath, memorizing them and contemplating their principles.
Those very words would later become the foundation for the supreme internal cultivation method of the Heaven and Earth Severing Sect… though at this moment he did not know it.
Shuuu…
Hyeok Sojin, eyes closed, recited the passages Bu Eunseol had murmured, pondering their meaning for a long while before finally opening his eyes.
“Huh?”
Far in the distance, an astonishing sight unfolded.
High in the vast sky, like an endless ocean, floated a small tower.
The Wind God Tower.
The mysterious tower said to reveal the location of one of the Four Gods, the Wind God Palace, had finally revealed itself.
“Brother Bu! It appeared!”
Hyeok Sojin shouted excitedly to Bu Eunseol.
Only then did Bu Eunseol open his eyes and look in the direction Hyeok Sojin pointed—toward the tower in the sky.
“It’s the Wind God Tower!”
“Indeed.”
“Let’s hurry over!”
Nodding, Bu Eunseol aligned himself shoulder-to-shoulder with Hyeok Sojin and swiftly unleashed qinggong.
After running for a considerable time, they reached the area where the Wind God Tower hovered—near Haba Snow Mountain on the opposite side of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
“Hm?”
Upon finally arriving at Haba Snow Mountain, Hyeok Sojin’s eyes widened.
When they drew closer… the Wind God Tower was floating at the very edge of the heavens?
Judging by how the enormous tower appeared as a mere black dot, its height had to be at least three or four hundred zhang.
Unless one became a bird, ascending that high was impossible.
“Brother Bu… how… how do we get up there?”
Hyeok Sojin wore a dismayed expression.
“They said we must reach the top to learn the location of the Wind God Palace.”
Bu Eunseol gazed at the tower floating in midair and fell into thought.
“A tower that massive cannot simply float high in the sky. Most likely, a special formation or some artifice makes it appear to hover.”
No matter how great human ability might be, suspending such a gigantic tower in empty air was impossible.
It was surely an illusion created through a special formation or illusory technique.
“But whether it’s an illusion technique or a formation, won’t we still need to go up there to dispel it?”
“Most likely.”
Bu Eunseol nodded at Hyeok Sojin.
“Let’s use the Land Flight Technique to ascend.”
“That’s… my internal energy is only about three hundred and forty years…”
The Land Flight Technique required roughly seven jiazi—four hundred years—of internal energy.
It was only because Bu Eunseol’s own energy was abnormally vast that three hundred years already placed him among the absolute peak experts of the world.
“Then we will use the Absolute Pattern Striking Force Union Technique.”
“Striking Force Union?”
Hyeok Sojin’s mouth fell open.
The Absolute Pattern Striking Force Union was a secret art that allowed two masters, each possessing more than two jiazi of internal energy, to instantaneously transfer their energy to one another. Unlike ordinary energy transmission techniques, the recipient could maintain the borrowed power for more than one hour, and—after excluding the combined energy—they could additionally manifest roughly two jiazi more.
The problem was that if the energies failed to merge perfectly, the user would be unable to use internal energy at all for that hour.
For this reason, it was said that only twins whose hearts and spirits resonated completely could perform the technique.
“Brother Bu, if it fails even for an instant, we’ll fall from midair and die.”
If the energies did not merge perfectly?
They would lose control of their internal energy for a full hour and plummet to their deaths from such a height.
“It’s fine.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“We can do it.”
The two trusted each other with their lives. Something as simple as merging internal energy was nothing.
“I see.”
Understanding Bu Eunseol’s heart, Hyeok Sojin smiled.
“Very well. Let’s do it immediately.”
Bu Eunseol’s current cultivation was roughly one hundred and fifty years. Since their energies had to match perfectly, Hyeok Sojin sharply reduced his own output.
“I’m ready.”
At Hyeok Sojin’s words, Bu Eunseol nodded and instantly executed the Air-Piercing Rush.
Paaht!
Bu Eunseol shot upward in the blink of an eye.
Normally, one jiazi of energy allowed a leap of only about twenty zhang.
But Bu Eunseol, having mastered Swift Beyond Shadow to the limit, soared eighty zhang—four times that height.
Whoooosh.
Yet he soon stalled in midair and began to fall downward.
“Haaap!”
At that moment Hyeok Sojin, still below, let out a sharp shout and instantly executed Air-Piercing Rush.
He stretched both hands toward the soles of Bu Eunseol’s descending feet.
Thwack!
In an instant, Bu Eunseol’s feet met Hyeok Sojin’s palms.
Ziiing.
Simultaneously, Hyeok Sojin activated the Striking Force Union, infusing Bu Eunseol with energy that matched his own down to the finest hair.
Paaaaah!
Bu Eunseol rocketed upward at several times the speed he had achieved alone.
Thanks to the explosive internal energy boost from the union technique, he was able to perform the Land Flight Technique in one breath.
‘Please…’
Hyeok Sojin, now back on the ground, clasped his hands together while watching Bu Eunseol shrink into a distant dot.
If the Absolute Pattern Striking Force Union failed, Bu Eunseol would lose control and plummet straight down.
Kwaaaaa!
White qi streaming from his body, Bu EunSeolsoared all the way to the Wind God Tower among the clouds.
‘This is…’
As Bu Eunseol drew near the faintly visible tower, his eyes widened.
It was not a real tower—it was a gigantic kite.
Through mysterious sorcery, it had been made to resemble an enormous tower and the string leading from it was tied to none other than one of the peaks of Haba Snow Mountain.
‘So they were trying to summon a supreme expert.’
If the intent had been to perfectly conceal the Wind God Palace’s location, there would have been no need to fly a connected kite high in the sky.
The fact that they deliberately flew such a kite suggested one thing: they were likely inviting experts strong enough to ascend three or four hundred zhang.
Ziiing.
At that moment, intense heat poured from Bu Eunseol’s body.
Although Hyeok Sojin had transferred energy, it had not synchronized perfectly after all.
For an instant, every trace of internal energy vanished from Bu Eunseol’s body.
Shuuu…
Bu Eunseol tilted, then plummeted straight downward.
Wind screamed past his ears; the ground rushed up in moments.
Yet Bu Eunseol gazed downward with an expressionless face.
Swish.
There stood a shadow dyed in violet, standing tall.
It was Hyeok Sojin, who had raised the Divine Rift Demon Energy to its maximum in preparation for exactly this moment.
‘I’ve been waiting.’
Bu Eunseol had known well that the chance of the Striking Force Union failing was high.
His own energy was complex, and his injuries severe so no matter how perfectly Hyeok Sojin matched and transferred it, he would not be able to accept it fully.
Nevertheless, he had performed the union because he trusted Hyeok Sojin.
Even if it failed, Hyeok Sojin would catch him with the Divine Rift Demon Energy.
Kwaaaaa!
As Bu Eunseol fell at terrifying speed, violet energy blazed from Hyeok Sojin’s hands.
“Uuuugh…”
Thick veins bulged on Hyeok Sojin’s face as he offset the crushing pressure with the Divine Rift Demon Energy.
Considering the height of the fall, even the supreme Divine Rift Demon Energy could not absorb it perfectly unscathed.
‘I must do it.’
Yet with the single-minded resolve to save Bu Eunseol, Hyeok Sojin poured out Divine Rift Demon Energy beyond his limits.
“Huuu… Haaap!”
Finally, at roughly ten zhang above the ground, Hyeok Sojin dramatically slowed Bu Eunseol’s descent and shouted, “Now!”
Whirrrrl.
At that precise moment, Bu Eunseol spun rapidly in midair somersaults.
Even the Divine Rift Demon Energy could not completely nullify the pressure of a four-hundred-zhang fall.
From here on, Bu Eunseol—with zero internal energy—would have to offset the remaining force using only the profound principles of martial arts.
Whirrrrl.
Executing Swift Beyond Shadow, Bu Eunseol began creating hundreds of afterimages of his feet in the air.
He could not raise even a thread of internal energy, yet he had long mastered techniques that manifested martial power through pure principle alone.
Whip—whip-whip.
Even so, it was not perfect.
Thud! Crash—roll roll.
Bu Eunseol curled into a ball, struck the ground, and tumbled for a long distance.
Creak.
Finally dissipating all the force, Bu Eunseol rose to his feet.
As he walked toward the landing point, he found Hyeok Sojin collapsed on the ground, drenched in sweat from head to toe.
No matter how legendary the Divine Rift Demon Energy might be, catching what amounted to a one-hundred-twenty-geun boulder plummeting at horrific speed from four hundred zhang… Hyeok Sojin had pushed his body to the brink of destruction.
“You’ve worked hard.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Hyeok Sojin wiped the waterfall-like sweat from his face and grinned.
“It was nothing.”
As he tried to stand, Bu Eunseol stopped him.
“The strain was greater on your muscles and tendons than on your internal energy. Rest in that state for a while.”
“Understood.”
After one hour passed, Bu Eunseol circulated energy and pressed Hyeok Sojin’s acupoints to relieve the tension.
“Now it’s fine.”
With a groan, Hyeok Sojin stood up, took a deep breath, and spoke.
“Brother Bu, your guts are enormous. If my attainment in the Divine Rift Demon Energy had been even slightly lower, your body would have been smashed to pieces.”
“Attainment doesn’t matter. I would have survived anyway.”
Bu Eunseol replied calmly.
“Your potential is limitless.”
“You’ve been wandering the martial world so long that you’ve even learned how to give compliments.”
Hyeok Sojin rubbed his nose and smiled shyly.
“More than half of it was thanks to the martial principles you displayed, Brother Bu.”
Even if he had poured out several times more Divine Rift Demon Energy than he actually did, without Bu Eunseol offsetting the remainder through Swift Beyond Shadow, a safe landing would have been impossible.
“But what if I hadn’t been able to endure to the end with the Divine Rift Demon Energy and you had switched to the Following Heart Force Control method?”
An ordinary martial artist, unable to bear the agony of a body on the verge of bursting, would have instinctively shifted to Following Heart Force Control to stabilize the pressure. But doing so would have restricted free movement of the body, preventing complete dissipation of the force and leading to a crash.
Yet Hyeok Sojin had believed Bu Eunseol would handle the rest. Instead of switching to Following Heart Force Control, he had maintained the Divine Rift Demon Energy to the very limit.
“Because no matter the situation, I will never give up.”
Bu Eunseol answered calmly.
Just as Hyeok Sojin trusted him, Bu Eunseol knew that Hyeok Sojin would endure even the pain of a body about to explode and continue using the Divine Rift Demon Energy.
That was precisely why he had been able to execute the Striking Force Union without hesitation.
“I see.”
Hyeok Sojin let his shoulders droop and said, “I’m glad you trust me, but next time please at least give me a heads-up beforehand. I feel like I aged ten years.”
“Understood.”
“But what about that tower? Is the real Wind God Tower really up there?”
“It wasn’t the real Wind God Tower—it was an illusion created with a kite. The true Wind God Tower is connected to one of the peaks of Haba Snow Mountain.”
“Then…”
Hyeok Sojin’s eyes narrowed.
Only now did he understand why the Wind God Tower appeared in midair and why legends spoke of it moving freely at will.
The Wind God Palace had flown a kite to project an illusion high in the sky, allowing them to shift its apparent position however they wished.
“They deliberately drew people in…”
A foreboding premonition flashed through Hyeok Sojin’s mind.
Deliberately flying a kite shaped like a mysterious tower and exposing its location…
It could only mean one thing: they were secretly luring in the experts who had glimpsed the Wind God Tower.
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