“…How could this be?”

Cheolduyong was stunned as he looked at the black lizard before him.

The concept of Cheonsangcheonhwa Yuadokjon (천상천하 유아독존) is originally a Buddha’s enlightenment.

There was no way the spiritual being of the Ten Thousand Mountains could know about it.

If it wasn’t a transmission of enlightenment, it must have been self-realized.

And that meant that the black lizard before him was like the Buddha.

“So, this is indeed the Manryugwi (萬流歸終)?”

Cheolduyong’s pride was ignited.

Though he had an immense ambition to kill all humans, he was, to some extent, intoxicated by the overwhelming power gained from the Dragon Gate.

He needed something to test his strength against.

The black lizard before him seemed like an ideal opponent, one he could confront with everything he had.

“Very well! Tail-bearing death! To me…”

Cheolduyong’s words did not continue.

Pahhh—!!

The Paryong (파룡) moved at a speed that Cheolduyong could not even track.

Kwaaaaaang!

He quickly extended his arm to counter the attack.

The Dragon Claws collided with each other.

It resembled a collision between a Taoist and Cheolduyong, but the outcome was different.

Kagagagagak!

“What… is this?”

An outsider was using the Dragon Claws.

Not just imitating them, but truly mastering the martial arts of Shaolin.

That wasn’t the end of it.

In Cheolduyong’s eyes, a hawk and a venomous snake appeared.

The claws that had collided with the dragon’s suddenly shifted into a new form.

Kakak!

Kaaang!

Eungsa Saengsa Bak (응사생사박).

The deadly tactics of a hawk and a venomous snake surged like a storm.

“Ugh…!”

The destructive claws of the Paryong tightened around Cheolduyong’s throat.

He struggled desperately to break free.

But he was flustered by the never-before-seen attack.

In this situation, there was only one way to escape.

Kwaaaang!

Cheolduyong slammed his head hard into the ground.

Phuwak!

In the process, he allowed the Paryong’s attack, but it wasn’t a serious injury.

Kwaaarrkk!

The earth-shattering impact echoed throughout the world.

Even the Paryong had no choice but to fall back.

“Ugh… I cannot win with martial arts alone.”

Cheolduyong grinned with a smirk of confidence.

He had been pushed back the whole time, but that was only when using Dragon Claws.

He had yet to use the full power of the Dragon Gate.

“No matter who you are… this is now my domain!”

Jjeojjeojjeojjeok!

A freezing cold surged uncontrollably.

Countless weapons made of ice bloomed like snowflakes in the air.

“I’ve been waiting for this.”

Wooong—!

Cheolduyong’s head froze.

His already hard steel-like head was further strengthened by the chill of the snowy mountains.

The cold from the snowy mountains and Cheolduyong’s innate strength.

Cheolduyong had no doubt that he would win.

Kwaagagagak!

He rushed forward with overwhelming momentum toward the Paryong.

If he could just land a headbutt, he would be able to knock down that massive black lizard.

That was Cheolduyong’s thought, and it was somewhat true.

Moreover, the hidden weapons buried in the snowflakes targeted the Paryong’s neck.

If it dodged the headbutt, it would be decapitated by the weapons.

Trying to avoid the hidden weapons in the snow, it would be impossible for such a large body to avoid them.

Instead, it was more likely to show an opening and be struck by the headbutt.

The Paryong silently gazed at the flying weapons and Cheolduyong’s head.

At the crucial moment, the Paryong’s actions were completely unexpected.

It didn’t stand on four legs but stood on two.

Cheolduyong felt bewildered but did not stop.

And just as Cheolduyong’s head and the hidden weapons in the snow aimed for its neck—

Pahh—!

The Paryong’s form disappeared.

The dragon moved like it was swimming through the sky, with flexible and natural movements.

It was the Soryong Deungcheonbo (소룡등천보)—the Small Dragon Ascending to Heaven Step.

Cheolduyong was caught off guard.

This movement defied common sense.

With that size and weight, such speed should have been impossible.

But he couldn’t afford to be flustered forever.

Cheolduyong amplified the power of the Dragon Gate and turned the swirling snowflakes into another set of weapons.

The first attack had been dodged, but now the creature was in midair.

No matter how agile it was, it couldn’t move freely in the air.

Weapons made of cold air flew toward the Paryong.

Swweeeeeek!

It couldn’t avoid this one.

It was common sense that a martial artist who was not grounded couldn’t use their skills effectively in midair.

But—

Ta-da!

The Paryong defied common sense.

With an effortless leap, it stepped on the snowflakes and leapt again.

“D-da-da-dapsulmuhun?”

It was an ability that left no footprints on the snow.

With Soryong Deungcheonbo blended in, it allowed the Paryong to leap from the snow in midair.

“This… What is this!”

Cheolduyong, who had crossed countless battlefields, had never seen such a terrifying sight.

A massive lizard over three meters long, not standing on four legs, but hopping through the snow on two legs.

Its piercing blue eyes and the white fur fluttering in the wind gave it an almost demonic presence.

But at the same time, there was something oddly holy about its movements.

“Khrrr…”

The Paryong stomped on the snow and rushed toward Cheolduyong.

Cheolduyong chose to face it head-on.

An incredible martial technique.

Unbelievable movements.

Overwhelming martial arts.

In most respects, the Paryong was a level above him.

But it wasn’t superior in every aspect.

Cheolduyong had the advantage in handling the power of the Dragon Gate.

This was the Snowy Mountain, after all, and it wasn’t the Paryong’s domain.

But that alone wouldn’t be enough to defeat it.

Cheolduyong knew one more thing he had over the Paryong.

The strength of a single blow.

If he could land his headbutt, he could defeat it.

Moreover, it was charging straight at him in a perfect line.

Using its power, he could deal catastrophic damage.

Pavat!

In an instant, its figure vanished.

It defied the laws of physics.

It bent its body like a bow and vanished in a moment.

‘…A bow?’

In that brief moment, Cheolduyong realized what level the Paryong had reached.

Gungshintanyoung (궁신탄영).

A technique that used the elasticity of the body to move in an instant.

A technique that even other masters struggled to perform. But this lizard, with its body, was using it effortlessly.

Cheolduyong couldn’t think about this phenomenon for long.

He knew the Paryong would reappear from another direction.

The Paryong’s heavy forelimb swung.

Kwaaaaaaang!

A tremendous shock engulfed Cheolduyong’s entire body.

Though his body was enhanced by the cold, he felt like his whole body was breaking from the force.

“Kuuhhh!”

Just like Cheolduyong had a head, the Paryong had its forelimb.

“Ggrrhh… Gghaaaack!”

Cheolduyong coughed up blood and staggered back.

“How… how can you… wield such strength… yet side with humans?!”

Cheolduyong could not understand the Paryong.

How could a spiritual being born to serve as an immortal side with humans?

“Ggekk…”

The black lizard let out a cry like a small lizard.

Was it mocking him all the way to the end?

Just as Cheolduyong was about to explode with fury—

“Gaek, gaek, gaek.”

It wasn’t just a simple cry.

“It was the lowest, the lowest, and yet the gaek.”

The voice wasn’t that of a lizard.

It was the voice of a mystical divine beast.

“It encompassed everything from that place, and it, too, was the gaek.”

An unknown sound.

“That is the gaek, the gaek, and the gaek.”

It sounded like a Zen riddle, but Cheolduyong vaguely understood what the Paryong was saying.

“You weren’t born a spiritual being?”

It was unbelievable.

A

powerful spiritual being with the strength of a dragon wasn’t born a spiritual being?

“You were born a weak mortal?”

Born as a small lizard and reached this level.

It was hard to believe, but not entirely impossible.

Cheolduyong focused his energy into his eyes.

He had a special ability.

Someone with the Namgung family crest had given him a fox bead, which granted him this power.

He could see farther and more clearly than others.

Though the power was unstable, Cheolduyong didn’t doubt it.

With it, he had learned about his past.

Using this ability, Cheolduyong saw the Paryong in a different form.

To be exact, it seemed split into two.

On the right was the giant black lizard as it appeared now.

On the left was a long-haired man with hollow blue eyes, looking at him with pity.

“Why… why do I see a human?”

Deep within Cheolduyong’s chest, something hot surged up.

“Why does a spiritual being like you… show me the form of a human?”

This wasn’t like those spiritual beings that could take on a human form.

His penetrating gaze saw a clear human figure.

Why did it appear as a human to him?

A spiritual being that couldn’t take a human form.

Crack, crack, crack.

Cheolduyong’s blue heart screamed.

“You are mocking me! Answer me, tail-bearing death! What is your true identity?!”

Unable to conceal his fury, Cheolduyong glared fiercely at the Paryong.

The divided figure didn’t respond.

It simply stared at him with those hollow eyes.

It was the true Paryong in its original form that answered him.

“Your surname is ‘Ko’.”

It had been called Gomodo by his followers, so it had the surname Ko.

“My name is ‘Hee’.”

His master was called Hee, so it bore the name Hee.

“Ko Hee.”

Gomodo, Paryong, and Ko Hee.

That was its name, its true identity.

“…A spiritual being, yet using a filthy human name.”

Cheolduyong focused all his energy into his eyes.

“You were born neither a spiritual being nor a human!”

This was his head.

“Tail-bearing death, cast away that false identity and come to me!”

A being born as a beast, yet trying to live as a human.

Cheolduyong perceived the being before him as such.

It was truly pitiful.

Spiritual beings and humans could never harmonize.

They would only be used, and in the end, discarded.

It was inevitable.

“Killing all humans… is the desire of all spiritual beings!”

Cheolduyong uttered those words and charged toward the Paryong.

“Suuhhh…”

In that moment, he saw the Paryong take a deep breath.

He instantly understood what kind of posture it was taking.

It was the Sha Zaho (사자후)—the lion's roar of the Taoist.

It was clear that the Paryong could replicate Shaolin’s martial arts.

The Paryong was skillfully using the Dragon Claws and even understood the essence of Cheonsangcheonhwa Yuadokjon.

It was mimicking the lion’s roar to block his headbutt.

Cheolduyong smiled with satisfaction.

“I’ll show you the original!”

Even though his energy was focused on his head, he wasn’t unable to perform the lion’s roar.

In fact, he could apply it appropriately.

If the opponent used the lion’s roar now, it was giving him the opportunity to use it himself.

Cheolduyong’s roar reached its peak.

He was so accustomed to the lion’s roar that he didn’t even flinch from the opponent’s.

Kwaagagagagagagak!

Though Cheolduyong was slower, his roar was faster.

The lion's howl twisted the earth and shook the sky.

With the ferocity of a wild beast, his roar engulfed the Paryong.

Cheolduyong was confident of his victory.

Until the Paryong’s mouth glowed with blue energy.

“Suuhhh…”

The Paryong hadn’t been preparing the lion’s roar.

All of its internal energy was focused into one point.

The energy that started from its lower abdomen surged up.

All the spiritual medicine and inner elixirs it had absorbed responded to its power.

And then it fired a beam of blue light.

Since Gomodo meant "the tail-bearing old death," it wouldn’t be strange to call the beam Deathbeam.

Zzuuuuuhhh!!

It was the Gaek Deathbeam.