Chapter 60: Exploring the Black Shadow (5)

Yeon Sohye stopped using the Silver Spirit Technique and looked at Gugwi with startled eyes.

The dagger in her hand reflected the moonlight and shimmered.

“How…?”

Her voice carried astonishment.

Just moments ago, Gugwi’s body had been covered in blood, yet his wounds had nearly closed. New flesh was already forming.

Yeon Sohye blinked, unable to continue her words.

Jang Unhyeok, who had just stepped into the cave entrance, froze in shock. He almost dropped the firewood he was carrying.

With a startled look, he spoke.

“You’re already standing? What kind of recovery speed is that? Impossible.”

Even though he had seen countless methods of healing back when he was Director of the Intelligence Division of the Heavenly Sound Cult, he had never witnessed recovery at this rate.

Gugwi gave a bitter smile.

The corner of his lips twisted, and a complicated light flickered in his eyes.

“Was it the Spirit Flow Core again this time?”

Yeon Sohye asked with wide eyes.

“That’s right. I can use something like a cheat.”

There was a strange force in Gugwi’s voice. The air inside the cave grew heavy for a moment.

He slowly stood up and walked toward the cave entrance.

The breeze from outside stirred his hair. Moonlight illuminated his face, casting shadows.

“First, I can… purify souls.”

A blue light flickered in Gugwi’s right hand.

The azure energy of the Spirit Flow Core seeped out of his fingertips, dancing and rippling as if in waves, vibrating the air.

“Souls of the dead, evil spirits or wandering spirits unable to enter the Realm of the Threshold. Especially Living Spirits… I confirmed this when I purified one this time.”

Jang Unhyeok’s eyes widened.

No one knew Living Spirits better than those of the Heavenly Sound Cult. He knew their power, cruelty, and persistence. That meant he understood more than anyone else the meaning behind Gugwi’s words.

“You’re saying you can purify Living Spirits? Earlier, I thought you were delirious from fever when you said that… but you truly purified those things created by Soul Transformation?”

“Those Living Spirits are now inside the Realm of the Threshold. The moment they entered, they scattered and disappeared—I don’t know where they are now. But what’s certain is that they’re inside.”

Gugwi nodded.

“You said first… does that mean there’s a second and a third as well?”

Yeon Sohye asked.

“There is. Second, I can create a Spiritless Zone, a space where Spirit Union souls cannot move. You’ve already seen it, so you know. It’s basically the same principle as purification. Since I can purify any wandering soul that appears, the area naturally becomes a Spiritless Zone… but my Spirit Union souls aren’t affected by the purification. Maybe because they receive aid from the Spirit Flow Core?”

Yeon Sohye’s expression hardened. Her hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of her blade.

“That’s really cheating.”

“It is cheating. Because of that, Soul-Summoners disappear, leaving only martial artists behind. They’re forced to fight with only their own martial arts. You’ve already seen what that leads to. Sasaha was strong enough to fight the Cloud Flow Sect Leader with only his own martial arts… so a Spirit Union martial artist isn’t all-powerful after all.”

“Is that… something you can always do?”

Jang Unhyeok asked with a trembling voice.

The hardest thing when facing Soul-Summoners was dealing with the countless Spirit Union souls. But if such souls couldn’t appear… then the ranking of Soul-Summoners would have to be rewritten.

“I can do it anytime.”

Gugwi’s gaze turned cold.

“Third, this is something I discovered today… I don’t need to find tombs in order to summon Spirit Union martial artists.”

His eyes turned toward the distant Realm of the Threshold. His pupils gleamed with a brilliant blue light.

“Countless souls exist within the Realm of the Threshold. Naturally, martial artists are innumerable among them. If I can form a link with all of them, then, huhuhu!”

He clenched his fist.

Pararararak!

Blue energy seeped out from between his fingers.

“The only thing that matters is how strong each of those martial artists’ souls are.”

“My heavens!”

Yeon Sohye’s mouth fell open in shock.

She stared at Gugwi as if unable to believe him.

The moonlight illuminated her pale face, clearly showing her astonishment.

Jang Unhyeok was the same. His complexion had turned ashen.

“Then are you saying you can form Spirit Union with every martial artist inside the Realm of the Threshold?”

“In theory, yes.”

Gugwi answered calmly.

Yeon Sohye and Jang Unhyeok exchanged glances. They were thinking the same thing.

For people like them—or even for Flame-Wind Swordsman Jang Unhyeok—the number of Spirit Union martial artists they possessed was only two. Yeon Sohye had So Ryeonghwa and Gale Spirit Guest, while Jang Unhyeok had Fire Spirit Warrior and Wind Sword Wolf. That was the fruit of years of cultivation, reaching the late stages of Spiritual Sensitivity or just stepping into Resonance.

It had taken them years of harsh training and countless life-and-death experiences to achieve that.

“I searched for three years just to find Fire Spirit Warrior.”

Jang Unhyeok gave a wry smile.

“It took me another two years to summon Wind Sword Wolf. And that was only after nearly dying dozens of times…”

Among the Seven Cold Wolves, Yun Seoha had three Spirit Union martial artists—White Spirit Swallow, Jin Unseo, and Kang Mukran. The others each had only four or five.

And they were considered the elites of the Cold Wolf Sect.

Yet Gugwi had just declared that he could have an unlimited number of Spirit Union martial artists.

Yeon Sohye shook her head in disbelief. At that moment—

“Wait… just wait.”

Jang Unhyeok raised his hand, cutting off the conversation. A serious expression crossed his face.

“Then can you answer this question too?”

He looked straight at Gugwi.

“For Soul-Summoners, there’s an old problem we’ve never been able to solve. The saying goes: ‘The only weapon one can hold in a single hand is one sword.’”

Yeon Sohye nodded. She knew that saying well.

“Even if you increase the number of Spirit Union martial artists to four or five, the truth is, you can only summon one soul at a time.”

Jang Unhyeok spread out his fingers one by one as he explained.

“So which is stronger? Having four or five Spirit Union martial artists while at Resonance, or having the soul of the world’s best martial artist at only Spiritual Sensitivity?”

Gugwi tilted his head, intrigued.

“At first glance, the latter seems stronger…”

Jang Unhyeok pointed at Yeon Sohye.

“But in reality, it isn’t. Here, the Captain of the Shadow Moon Unit is the perfect example. You can tell them yourself.”

He turned toward Yeon Sohye.

“I used to believe that saying as well. That you could only summon one soul at a time, and that a stronger soul would always be better. But the difference between when I had only So Ryeonghwa’s Silver Spirit Sword Technique and now, when I also have Gale Spirit Guest’s Flowing Willow Storm, is as vast as the heavens and the earth.”

Yeon Sohye drew her dagger and slashed the air. Silver afterimages traced a complex arc before fading.

“The delicate sword paths of the Silver Spirit Sword Technique, when combined with the ever-changing footwork of Flowing Willow Storm, complement and enhance each other.”

She spun, shifting positions in an instant. Silver mist flowed in her wake.

“With just one technique, such overwhelming offense and defense would have been impossible… but by merging both, I can now vanish into mist, move in an instant, and strike from any angle.”

Jang Unhyeok nodded.

“I’m the same.”

He drew his twin swords. From the blade in his right hand, a red energy rippled; from the one in his left, a blue energy flickered.

“When Fire Spirit Warrior’s Flame Sword meets Wind Sword Wolf’s Wave Sword, a new martial art called Harmony of Flame and Wind is born. That’s why the martial arts of Resonance rise to the level of supreme masters.”

His eyes gleamed.

“The reason Sasaha could so easily fight Un Serim wasn’t because of the power of one Spirit Union martial artist, but because he understood, fused, and trained in the entirety of their martial arts.”

Yeon Sohye agreed.

“That’s right. The difference between one who knows only swordsmanship and one who knows both swordsmanship and movement arts. This isn’t simply a matter of the number of martial arts.”

Her eyes gradually brightened.

“The synergy created when martial arts influence each other. The movement of the sword reveals the principles of footwork, and the variations of footwork open up new possibilities in swordsmanship.”

Jang Unhyeok nodded.

“On the other hand, even if you summon the world’s best martial artist, it’s hard to bring out the entirety of their martial arts. No matter how strong the soul, it can’t surpass the limits of the one who summons it.”

Gugwi listened to the two of them with interest.

“Then what’s the conclusion?”

“There isn’t a right answer. If you had drawn out a stronger Spirit Union martial artist than the Cloud Flow Sect Leader when you fought Sasaha, wouldn’t you have won? It’s a chicken-or-egg problem with no answer. That’s why I asked you. What do you think?”

Jang Unhyeok gave a bitter smile.

“I don’t know that problem either… Even though there are countless souls in the Realm of the Threshold, there’s no way to know who is a martial artist, and even if you recognize one, you can’t tell whether they’re strong or weak. If a way to discern that exists…”

Yeon Sohye looked at Gugwi and smiled faintly.

“Since a monster like you has appeared, I think you’ll find that answer soon enough. Or maybe you don’t even need such a question? If you can summon Spirit Union martial artists without limit, then you can have both quantity and quality.”

A blue light flickered in Gugwi’s eyes.

“The only way is to learn one thing at a time.”

Yeon Sohye looked at him again. She saw the blue glow wavering in his eyes.

“If this continues…”

Her lips trembled briefly.

“Your martial arts might soon step into an unpredictable realm.”

Jang Unhyeok gave a short, wry laugh.

“Un Serim’s Cloud Flow Spear and General Madal’s Flying Swallow Slash already put you at the late stages of Spiritual Sensitivity. And then you even added Namgung Hoyoung’s medical arts. As easily as if it were a child’s game.”

He stared at Gugwi.

“But if you add tens, even hundreds more Spirit Union martial artists?”

Yeon Sohye’s voice trembled as she continued.

“Swordsmanship, spear arts, blade arts, fist techniques, movement arts, medical arts, formations, internal arts… If all of them merge into a single body, they might create martial arts of an entirely new dimension.”

“That’s just a dream. I’m not hoping for something like that.”

Gugwi shook his head as he spoke.

Jang Unhyeok’s voice cracked hoarsely.

“We Soul-Summoners fight in the name of the Heavenly Sound Cult and the Cold Wolf Sect, but in truth, we’ve never escaped the restraints of the Murim Alliance. We’re even suppressed by the Taoist sects. The words they like to spit out are, ‘Just a mere Soul-Summoner.’”

Pah-at!

Flames sparked in Jang Unhyeok’s eyes.

“If their words are true, then a mere Soul-Summoner will absorb all the martial arts of Murim and ascend to the realm of the divine. No, perhaps even surpass the gods.”

Silence filled the cave.

Only the harsh breaths of the three echoed.

Jang Unhyeok was the first to break it.

“Gugwi…”

His voice trembled faintly.

“I tried to treat you only as a friend… never anything beyond that.”

He gave a bitter smile.

“But with such a difference between us, I don’t think I can call you a friend anymore. It seems more proper to serve you as my master.”

“Later.”

“…?”

“For now, everything is just speculation. If I really can summon multiple martial artists, and if I really can unify all martial arts—when those things truly happen, then… But for now, let’s just be companions working toward the same goal, whether as friends or whatever else.”

“Huhu!”

Jang Unhyeok gave a bitter chuckle.

Gugwi looked at Yeon Sohye’s shocked expression and gave a lonely smile.

“Are you afraid?”

“It’s not fear… just that you feel unfamiliar.”

Yeon Sohye shook her head.

Jang Unhyeok spoke.

“It’s not fear, but awe. Of all the countless Soul-Summoners I saw in the Heavenly Sound Cult… not one of them had such potential as you. The Cold Wolf Sect is the same.”

Yeon Sohye nodded. But her thoughts were already elsewhere.

“From now on, the Heavenly Sound Cult, the Murim Alliance, the Cold Wolf Sect… No, all of Murim will fear you.”

“No one would simply stand by and watch a human trying to become a god.”

Jang Unhyeok agreed.

Yeon Sohye frowned slightly.

“More people will try to kill you… that’s why I say, let’s head north. To the land of the Heavenly Sound Cult.”

Gugwi looked at her as if asking what she meant.

“Here, there are too many—the Murim Alliance, the Cold Wolf Sect, and other Soul-Summoners. Once rumors of the Spirit Flow Core spread, even the Taoist sects will intervene… too many enemies. But in the north, we would only have to deal with the Heavenly Sound Cult.”

“That won’t be so easy. You must also consider the fact that the Heavenly Sound Cult will come at us with all their strength.”

Jang Unhyeok shook his head.

“Mhm.”

Gugwi only let out a low hum.

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