Gooooooo.
Hae Yeon’s figure shot out of the city in a single breath, becoming a meteor that drew a sacred arc across the night sky.
‘It was only supposed to be my last small breeze.’
Hae Yeon wore a lonely expression.
Because she had been in a vegetative state for over a hundred years, she had almost no joyful memories afterward.
No, there had been one.
It was the moment she met Bu Eunseol, crushed the forces trying to devour the Wind God Palace, and captured the hearts of his acquaintances to secure the Grand Duke’s oath.
In her otherwise dry, colorless, and dreary life, that had been the only moment when vibrant colors had spread out.
Until then, it had been half a joke, but afterward she had genuinely come to like Bu Eunseol.
His handsome appearance and captivating aura.
He possessed every perfect condition that could instantly capture any woman’s heart.
Like a young girl seized by the fever of first love, Hae Yeon gradually deepened her interest in him.
But the real reason she had come to truly like him was not simply because of his outstanding looks, charming atmosphere, astonishing martial prowess, or dazzling background. It was from the moment she realized that although he appeared cold on the outside, his inner self was surprisingly warm and possessed deep emotions.
From that moment on… she had begun to open her heart to him.
‘I only wanted my life to be filled with vibrant colors for one more day, just like back then.’
Hae Yeon had resolved to throw away her life in order to sever the evil connection with the Wind Human Heaven in her generation.
She had simply wanted to spend one last joyful time with him.
That was why she had rushed to the Central Plains in one go.
Yet for some reason, he had treated her coldly, different from before, and she had even learned that he held no feelings for her at all.
‘How lonely.’
While executing her movement technique, Hae Yeon closed her eyes.
‘Just like when I fell into that long sleep after being poisoned.’
In any case, she had already died once in the Wind God Passage.
The time she had now was like an unexpected bonus, a gift from fate that she had never anticipated.
Even if it was lonely and desolate, she felt neither lingering attachment nor resentment.
“After all, I was supposed to have died a hundred years ago.”
Hae Yeon spread her Wind God Energy with all her might.
The Wind God Palace would soon disappear.
She herself would soon die… but Bu Eunseol would continue the Wind God lineage.
Although he was cold and indifferent, he was a man with a strong sense of responsibility.
‘That his heart was warm must have been my illusion.’
Kwaaaaa!
After relentlessly using her movement technique day and night, the place she finally reached after three days was not the mountains where the Wind God Palace stood, but the opposite Jade Dragon Snow Mountains.
This was also the place where Bu Eunseol and Hyeok Sojin had waited to see the Wind God Tower.
Whiiiing.
At the summit where the blizzard raged, she stood tall, then sat in a lotus position and closed her eyes.
Her body turned transparent, then began to float three jang into the air.
She had started circulating her energy by moving the vast true qi flowing within her body.
Shuuk. Shuuuuk.
Using the Wind God Palace’s unique flight technique, she converted the deadly poison she had obtained from the Wind God Passage into inner energy.
The depth of her cultivation reached a full five hundred years—an amount almost unmatched in the martial world—yet even this was not enough to obtain a perfect Wind God body.
Wind-Cloud Divine Qi was the power that allowed perfect assimilation with nature using the human body. When spread throughout the entire body, it could pass through even a needle-hole-sized space in an instant and effortlessly deflect even the most powerful attacks.
The problem was that human flesh and blood were structurally incapable of wielding such power.
If one wished to live normally while still possessing Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, one had to either neutralize it using the principle of using poison to fight poison by harboring equally powerful forces within the body, or reach the Wind God Realm—where one could naturally generate and control wind without absorbing Wind-Cloud Divine Qi into the body.
However, the perfect Wind God lineage had already been severed, and all secret methods to obtain comparable power had been lost as well.
There was nothing more Hae Yeon could do.
Rumble.
How many days had passed?
Avalanches erupted as if earthquakes were occurring all around, and then-
Hwaaak.
A bizarre, transparent shadow revealed itself.
At that instant, Hae Yeon’s breath caught.
It was not because of the terrifying pressure that felt as if the sky itself was pouring down.
Every living creature possessed a survival instinct and could instinctively sense its natural enemy.
She had instinctively realized that the shadow before her eyes was her natural predator.
Shuuuu.
The transparent shadow gradually revealed its form under the bright sun.
It wore ominous armor that looked like living metal mixed with silver and black, covered by a cloak shaped like storm clouds.
Its face was hidden behind a mask, making it impossible to see clearly, but its eyes were triangular like a snake’s, evoking grotesque terror.
Yet even the armor could not conceal its voluptuous figure and slender legs.
It was the Wind Human—one of the Eight Human Heavens, who, like the Wind God, had wielded the power of wind through the generations.
“You should have known once you officially became Palace Lord.”
The Wind Human’s voice carried a bizarre hoarseness, as if a snake were speaking.
“Why did you not offer the Grand Duke?”
“He did not obtain Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.”
At Hae Yeon’s lie, the Wind Human stared straight into her eyes and said,
“Did you not know that if you performed the Union of Sun and Moon with him, you could share the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi?”
“I could not.”
Hae Yeon spoke calmly.
“He abandoned the position of Grand Duke.”
“I understand what you mean.”
Facing Hae Yeon’s sharp gaze, the Wind Human seemed to grasp the situation instantly.
Its eyes curved like crescents as it smiled.
“The Wind God Palace has often done such things.”
As the Wind Human continued speaking, a red gleam flickered in its large eyes.
“You mean to sacrifice your life after sharing the clouds and rain of passion just once.”
“……”
“Or, overflowing with confidence, you even tried to fight this Heavenly Lord.”
The Wind Human shook its head.
“It doesn’t matter what choice you make. In the end, if you do not give me the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, you will eventually go mad and either take your own life or be killed by the Wind God Palace disciples.”
Instead of answering, Hae Yeon smiled.
She was already prepared.
All that remained now… was to quietly disappear into the history of the Wind God Palace.
“That is none of your concern.”
Hae Yeon said firmly.
“There is no Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to give this generation, so leave.”
“Haha.”
The Wind Human let out a low laugh.
“I would like to do that as well, but the currents of the times do not permit it.”
The Wind Human spun once.
The armor wrapped around its body vanished instantly, and the tight-fitting clothes loosened and expanded.
Thud. Thud.
Suddenly its slender body transformed into a muscular one.
When it removed the mask, the face of an extremely seductive man was revealed.
Dark shadows hung beneath its eyes, and its lips were red like a woman’s.
In an instant, it had changed from a slender woman into a man.
“So you were a yin-yang person.”
At Hae Yeon’s words, the Wind Human flicked its red tongue.
“That’s right.”
The Wind Human looked Hae Yeon up and down and spoke in a gentle voice.
“How regrettable.”
“What do you mean?”
“The situation in the martial world has changed beyond control. And with the appearance of a Wind God, the restriction placed on this Heavenly One has been completely broken.”
Hae Yeon’s eyes narrowed.
That meant that until now, the Wind Human had been restricted in its martial world activities by some kind of seal.
It seemed it could only begin operating openly in the martial world once it obtained Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
“So you have been stealing Wind-Cloud Divine Qi through the Yin-Yang Great Technique all this time.”
At Hae Yeon’s murmur, the Wind Human laughed.
“Hehe. Is there any other way to absorb Wind-Cloud Divine Qi?”
It tilted its head and said, “When you offer the Grand Duke, I become a woman and absorb it. When the Wind God appears, I become a man. Just like now.”
Hae Yeon let out a deep sigh.
Even when she had read the records in the books, she had hoped it was not true.
But everything was real.
“So that was it.”
Hae Yeon wore an extremely pained expression.
Now she understood why the Wind God Palace had never properly revealed itself in the martial world and had always operated in secret, why the Palace Lords and Grand Dukes never enjoyed long lifespans, and why they had created the legend of the Wind God Tower and summoned talented men to the lonely mountains to make them Grand Dukes.
“From the very moment the Wind God lineage was severed and we reached out to the Wind Human…”
Hae Yeon showed a bitter smile.
“Our palace could no longer be called the Wind God Palace.”
If they could not continue the Wind God lineage, they should have quietly disappeared into the back alleys of history.
From the moment they joined hands with the devil to maintain it, the Wind God Palace had ceased to be the Wind God Palace.
“It’s fortunate you realized it now.”
The Wind Human flicked its tongue.
“Obediently offer the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi. Then the Wind God Palace will be able to continue its lineage smoothly.”
“Nonsense.”
“Stop throwing a tantrum.”
The Wind Human extended its hand.
“Come here.”
Shuuk.
The moment the Wind Human reached out, Hae Yeon felt her mind grow faint.
The power it possessed seemed to be the ultimate form of the Wind God Palace’s martial arts from the beginning.
“Not a chance.”
Hae Yeon raised Wind-Cloud Divine Qi with all her strength.
Boom.
With a sound like thunder, a sharp blade of wind sliced straight toward the Wind Human’s body.
She had unleashed the Wind God Palace’s supreme skill, Wind Thunder Slash.
Swish.
But the slash missed futilely.
It had not assimilated its body with nature like Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
Instead, it had moved at ultra-high speed and then stood tall in its original spot once more.
“Just from that one slash, I can tell you have accumulated quite pure Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.”
The Wind Human nodded with a pleased expression.
“With that level, I will be able to obtain the strongest power among all previous Wind Humans. Perhaps I may even reach the level of a Divine Heaven.”
“Shut up!”
Hae Yeon extended all ten fingers and moved them softly through the air as if playing a zither.
Boom! Boom!
Invisible ultra-high-speed finger strikes poured out with eerie sounds, a formless, windless finger technique that disabled the enemy’s hearing and senses while destroying their vital points.
Swish.
The Wind Human evaded every single strike with fluid, graceful movements like flowing water.
Unlike Hae Yeon, it did not possess the mystical power of Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, but its ability to sense and control wind surpassed even hers.
‘Strange.’
Even as Hae Yeon continued her attacks, her body began to tremble.
The more she used Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, the more she felt her strength draining away through her fingertips.
“Haaap!”
With a shout, Hae Yeon spread Wind-Cloud Divine Qi with full force and unleashed the essence of the Wind God Palace’s martial arts.
The sight of her surrounded by a destructive gale that could tear apart everything and a wall of wind that deflected all attacks was like the Wind God itself descending from the heavens.
In comparison, the Wind Human was like a small sailboat tossed about in a storm. It could not even counterattack and could only sway its body, dodging Hae Yeon’s attacks.
But something was wrong.
As Hae Yeon poured out her attacks, her complexion gradually stiffened, while a smile formed on the lips of the Wind Human, who was barely evading with precarious movements.
‘Something is wrong.’
The more she fought, the more Hae Yeon felt as if all the blood in her body was sinking to her feet.
Her Wind-Cloud Divine Qi and inner power were slowly scattering.
It was as if a huge hole had been pierced in her body.
“Because it is pure energy, it can only be absorbed even faster.”
The Wind Human tilted its head and approached Hae Yeon with leisurely steps.
“Throughout the generations, poison and wind have been inseparable. After all, the basic principle of administering poison is to use the direction of the wind.”
It turned out he had been continuously sprinkling a special poison on her.
“But poison doesn’t work on me.”
Hae Yeon had already absorbed many poisons in the Wind God Passage and had built immense inner power through those absorbed poisons. So how could she be poisoned by something like the Wind Human’s toxin?
“Shall we say it’s a poison that only reacts to Wind-Cloud Divine Qi?”
“There is no such poison.”
“Tsk, you should have thought of this.”
The Wind Human clicked its tongue while looking at Hae Yeon.
“How could the Wind God Passage—which raises cultivation by using all kinds of poisons—have been created by the Wind God Palace…?”
Hae Yeon’s eyes widened.
“You mean you created it?”
“Otherwise, how could the Wind God Palace, which possesses neither poison arts nor secret methods to handle poisons, have prepared so many toxins?”
The Wind Human wore a mocking smile.
“From the beginning, the Wind God Palace was nothing but a breeding farm created by this Heavenly One to obtain Wind-Cloud Divine Qi. It has been that way for four hundred years.”
Hearing those words, Hae Yeon’s hands dropped limply.
Even the will to fight disappeared.
To think that for four hundred years the Wind God Palace had been nothing more than a breeding farm set up by the Wind Human Heaven.
“You don’t need to feel wronged.”
The Wind Human approached the dazed Hae Yeon and said, “Soon the Wind God Palace will disappear as well.”
“……”
“I have sent all of this Heavenly One’s forces. From now on, this Heavenly One has decided to take direct control of the Wind God Palace.”
“Why?”
At Hae Yeon’s question, the Wind Human revealed its white teeth and smiled.
“I told you the restriction has been broken. This Heavenly One can now fully step into the martial world.”
It added one more sentence.
“Fortunately, you people took care of the strong enemy called the Three Realms and drove them away.”
‘So that was it.’
Only then did Hae Yeon finally understand everything.
Why Elder Hyang, who had no ambition, had brought in external forces.
Why she had tried to station them in the Wind God Palace.
And why, even when she received the wall-facing punishment, she had said she had a clear conscience.
‘Elder Hyang knew.’
As the highest elder of the Wind God Palace, Elder Hyang was over a hundred years old.
Therefore, she would have known far more about the palace’s secrets and situation than Hae Yeon, who had fallen into a vegetative state at twenty.
Perhaps she had even learned that the Wind God lineage had been completely severed, that the Wind Human Heaven had helped create the Wind God, and that even the Wind God Passage had been made by the Wind Human.
From the moment she realized that the Wind God Palace itself was a breeding farm created by the Wind Human, Elder Hyang had tried to join hands with an external force—the Three Realms—that could oppose them.
“Hehe.”
The Wind Human laughed softly.
“The truth is always cruel.”
Hae Yeon’s pupils were turning as black as an endlessly deep abyss.
If the entire world she had known turned out to be nothing but a toy created by someone else, anyone would have shown the same reaction.
“I’ve talked too long.”
Whiiiing.
When the Wind Human exerted its power, snowflakes instantly gathered and formed a square ice bed.
“The scenery here isn’t bad either. Shall I absorb the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi in a more special way?”
Floating.
When the Wind Human extended its hand, Hae Yeon’s body was laid down on the ice bed.
Even so, there was no focus in her eyes.
Resistance had already become meaningless.
The Wind-Cloud Divine Qi she had obtained came from the Wind God Passage.
No matter how much she had drawn out the poison, since her inner power had been cultivated through their poison arts, she would not be able to stop the Wind Human’s touch.
“How beautiful.”
The Wind Human approached the bed and gently stroked Hae Yeon’s face as she lay with her hair spread out like flower petals.
“It would be a waste to steal the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi and kill you.”
It flicked its tongue.
“I will specially spare you and take you as my favored concubine.”
Kwaaa!
At that moment, Hae Yeon thrust both hands forward.
Sharp palm force pierced through the Wind Human’s body and shot all the way to the end of the sky.
Pretending to have given up, Hae Yeon had seized the opportunity to unleash not Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, but one of the Wind God Palace’s exclusive supreme skills—the Iron Wood Palm Technique.
Chiiiiii.
However, the Iron Wood Palm force could not destroy the Wind Human’s body and only produced pale smoke.
The Wind Human possessed a power that surpassed even the profound mystery of Wind-Cloud Divine Qi—the principle of Wind Dispersion Cloud Extinction—absorbing incoming external force and instantly scattering it as wind.
“Feisty.”
Rip.
When the Wind Human reached out, the fabric near Hae Yeon’s shoulder tore, revealing her white arm.
“I will personally suck out every single drop of Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.”
Thud.
After sealing Hae Yeon’s acupoints, the Wind Human flicked its tongue.
“Our Wind Human Heaven will once again shake the martial world.”
“Ugh…”
Hae Yeon struggled with all her might.
Normally, possessing Wind-Cloud Divine Qi meant acupoints could not be sealed, but the technique the Wind Human used to press the points was extremely peculiar and could not be undone even with Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
“Then shall we become clouds and rain now?”
Just as the Wind Human, with an excited face, reached out to touch Hae Yeon’s body,
Swish.
A sharp, keen wind pierced into the Wind Human’s back.
“Hmph.”
The Wind Human snorted and deliberately took the hit.
After all, it could simply use the principle of Wind Dispersion Cloud Extinction to blow away all external force as wind.
Chiiiiii.
But something unexpected happened.
The energy that had penetrated its back did not disappear and continued to bore into its body.
“Who is it!”
In the end, the Wind Human slightly rotated its body and used the mystery of Scattering Clouds and Mist to fling the energy toward the distant sky.
Shiiiiik! Swish!
Yet another sharp energy pierced into the Wind Human’s left and right flanks and from the ground, sharp blades of true qi shot up and dug into its Yongcheon acupoint.
“Hm.”
Floating in the air, the Wind Human instantly retreated backward to avoid the blades of true qi.
Swish.
Then a faint black shadow gradually formed and slowly descended toward where the Wind Human stood.
It was an peerlessly handsome man whose eyes carried the majestic dignity of a dragon.
It was Bu Eunseol.
Tap. Tap.
When Bu Eunseol flicked his fingers, Hae Yeon’s sealed acupoints were released.
“You…”
The moment the Wind Human’s eyes flashed, Hae Yeon approached Bu Eunseol first and said,
“How did you…”
“I know the whole situation, so let’s talk later.” Seeing Hae Yeon’s torn clothes and her face full of suffering, rage burned in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
“This is not your place to step in.” Hae Yeon spoke in a trembling voice. “So do not interfere and leave.”
Even when she had been suppressed by the Wind Human, Hae Yeon had calmly waited for a chance to counterattack.
Yet now, fear filled her eyes.
She was terrified that Bu Eunseol might end up sacrificing himself because of her.
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