Chapter 201

**Season 2, Chapter 115:** From inside the tree, Okcheonbi asks Goo Hwi about when he realized the "Okcheonbi" he encountered wasn't his true body and Goo Hwi reply that he never trusted the unbelievable words he spat out from the very beginning. Okcheonbi chuckles, mentioning he thought his story was convincing before revealing that almost all of what he said was true. However, the parts in regard to the Dan had been exaggerated and Hwan Sa is actually his accomplice. Tired of Okcheonbi's drivel, Goo Hwi interrupts and says that the reason for the Grand Prelate scheming up such an act is to buy time. Goo Hwi further reasons that if Okcheonbi wished to avoid them, he could have stayed hidden or leave no trails, but he dropped clues subtly to bring them to the Sky Gorge Mountain and that if it was to give the elders proof of his supposed death to evade their pursuit, it would be understandable. However, the Grand Prelate decided to hold them on the mountain for a reason. At that, Okcheonbi notes that the elders knew all along and only pretended to fall for his story.

Okcheonbi further explains that the arrival of the Sage Forest elders were ahead of Hwan Sa's predictions so he did needed to buy time. However, he makes sure to note that it's not because he lack the power to face them but because he is not content with his current state. Okcheonbi then reveals that after his battle with Goo Hwi and Yongbi during the great war, his pressure points had been destroyed, rendering him unable to perform any ki-based techniques. If it wasn't for the Dan, his body would have rotted and become dust. However, even with the power of the Dan, Okcheonbi was unable to fully restore the pressure points that Goo Hwi's techniques destroyed. So he was unable to live or die, only breathe, akin to a living corpse. His career as a martial artist was thought to be over and he just waited for himself to expire in despair until he learned how to gain power through the Spirit-eating Tree. That is the training method where someone can accumulate ki by feeding a vampiric tree their own flesh and blood to grow it into a spirit-eating tree. It is also revealed that in the past, the Monster of Muhae Valley, Go Hyeop, stole the special technique of the Life Drain Technique from Palgongjin Yangso in order to recover his power. Okcheonbi then declares that if it meant getting his power back, he would have followed whichever demand Hwan Sa asked of him but the terms Hwan Sa offered in exchange for that technique was not expensive, ending with a comment about how the path they both wished to go down are similar.

After Goo Hwi inquired on how many his foe sacrificed until now to regain his power, Okcheonbi says it was more than he can imagine. He then further explains that unlike the other Spirit-eating Trees that only use human flesh and blood as their source of nutrients, this one was grown on Hwan Sa's sorcery and the sprititual energy of the Dan, and can even absorb formless ki in its vicinity as nutrients. Meaning that all the ki Goo Hwi expended in the fights at the Sky Gorge Mountain came straight to Okcheonbi as raw power, as well as Hyeol Bi's clashes with Gang Ryong and Yongbi. As the Grand Prelate declares that Goo Hwi's ki will be the tools to kill him, a massive sphere of resonance activate and surrounds the mountain. Okcheonbi explains that he is using the Divine Heavenly Destruction Techniques and that there is technique called the Thousand Circle Formation which creates a "sphere of resonance". In a certain area, a space of ki pulls in the opponent and once pulled in properly, they cannot even stand due to the enormous amount of pressure that pushes down upon them. Elsewhere, Dang Gan is shocked by the resonance surrounding the mountain meanwhile inside the mountain, Yongbi, Hong Ye-Mong, and Gang Ryong senses it.

Goo Hwi at first struggles against the sphere of resonance but resists it to an extent using his ki. Then Okcheonbi summons two of his puppets and they face down the Heaven Ravager King. Okcheonbi notes that Goo Hwi is certainly special but with a body that can barely even stand, he wonders how Goo Hwi will be able to fight. After the Grand Prelate tells Goo Hwi that the puppets under his command are unaffected by the resonance, the puppets charge at their opponent and blood is drawn.

## Appearing Characters

* Dang Gan
* Doh Gyeom
* Gang Ryong
* ***Go Hyeop*** (flashback)
* Goo Hwi
* Hong Ye-Mong
* Hwan Sa (flashback)
* Hyeol Bi (flashback)
* Jin Garyeong
* Okcheonbi
* Palgongjin Yangso (flashback)
* Soh Jinhong
* Song Yerin
* Yongbi