[Chapter 80]
"Oh no! Master! Quickly, to the Young Master…!"
"Wait."
"What?!"
"Wait."
"But, Master! The Young Master is in danger!"
"Where do you see that?"
Hidden within the forest, the Spear Response Team had a full view of the battle unfolding before them.
Shinmo's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"The Young Master can surely handle them."
"Is he really that powerful?"
"Powerful, indeed. But it's a bit different."
Shinmo himself wasn't entirely sure. How the Young Master was confronting the enemy. Not only the distance but also the sheer number of foes was overwhelming.
But one thing was certain.
'He knows the enemy's weakness.'
It wasn't just superficial knowledge.
His response was almost like a counterattack. With each step, each gesture, the enemy's martial arts crumbled like brittle twigs.
Attempting to grasp, they found themselves suddenly outside the reach of attack, driving another foe back, as if they had rehearsed this dance beforehand.
Shinmo was perplexed.
'He's thoroughly scrutinizing the enemy's martial arts. How is such a thing possible?'
Could it be that the Young Master has deciphered all the secrets of the prestigious martial arts? How?
That's when it happened.
Chirp! Chirp!
A bird's call echoed from beyond the bushes, carrying a faint trace of internal energy.
The eyes of the Spear Response Team members gleamed.
"Get ready."
Whooosh.
A surge of power from the Dragon Robe began to rise within Shinmo.
"When the signal comes, push forward without hesitation."
* * *
With a thunderous crash, flesh and blood burst forth.
'I can see it.'
Crack! Slash!
A single swing of the axe sent a horse's head and a warrior's torso flying apart.
'Everything is visible.'
The White Tiger's energy surged, and the Black Tortoise's energy spread far and wide.
The martial arts of the Four Guardians grew more intense as time passed. It was not merely rough; it was fierce yet delicate, robust yet flexible. In the midst of the raging Phoenix and Kirin energies, Yeon Hojeong's martial arts blossomed more brilliantly than ever.
Boom! Boom!
It was an axe swing possessed by the gods.
Spear techniques, swordplay, staff fighting, and chaotic striking arts fused into one, reborn as a devastating axe technique.
Swinging and striking. Smashing and shattering.
It was a martial art that maximized the destructive power of the great warrior.
But that wasn't all.
Ziiiiing!
The swirling swords and spreading fist and palm energies were whimsically subdued by the White Tiger and Black Tortoise energies.
No, it wasn't just subdued—it was absorbed. The overwhelming force was dismantled by the axe and fists, and the dissipated energy was devoured by the White Tiger and Black Tortoise energies.
Yeon Hojeong's eyes deepened in intensity.
'It's done!'
He was tireless.
The enemies' Qi, their forceful energy, and their shockwaves, were only fanning the flames of Yeon Hojeong's true energy.
The axe, now filled with strengthened Qi, became an invincible divine weapon, decapitating enemies and shattering bodies.
Bam-bam-bam!
Yeon Hojeong's movements became noticeably faster.
The power of the axe exploded. The Yeongasipsamgweon and Yeonhwanbiyeonjang's force transformed into a sledgehammer, snatching away the lives of the warriors.
The leader of the fifty warriors, Myeong Jeokryang, was aghast.
"That, that monster!"
Yeon Hojeong, exuding a terrifying, murderous aura, swept through the warriors like a storm. Where the martial arts of the Western Great Emperor, the White Tiger, passed, a spray of blood erupted, and where the martial arts of the Northern Great Emperor, the Black Tortoise, rose, the sound of breaking bones resounded.
He was invincible. To the warriors of the prestigious family who had mastered the Four Guardians' martial arts, Yeon Hojeong was nothing short of a disaster.
Boom!
With a horrific sound, the necks of two Hanhyeolma horses flew high into the sky. Simultaneously, the bodies of three warriors were torn to shreds.
Flash!
In an instant, Myeong Jeokryang felt a chill.
The enemy, wielding a weapon as large as a human body, had locked onto him. The black and white energy in his eyes seemed to pierce through his skull in a single breath.
Boom!
The premonition was accurate.
Yeon Hojeong, having pushed away the warriors with sheer strength, kicked off the back of a Hanhyeolma horse and leaped towards Myeong Jeokryang.
'Eek!'
Myeong Jeokryang's hand reached for the long sword on his back. The Phoenix energy blazed like fire.
That's when it happened.
Boom!
Yeon Hojeong's body was flung backward with an enormous shockwave.
Crunch!
He landed and regained his posture, but the aftermath of the power was too strong. Yeon Hojeong's feet carved long furrows in the ground.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, in front of Myeong Jeokryang, stood a swordsman ablaze with the flames of the Fire God.
"Impudent fool!"
Thud!
The ground around Myeong Cheon's feet began to crack like a spider's web.
Fwoosh!
The burning flames swept through the surroundings.
'How can this be!'
Myeong Jeokryang was deeply shocked.
'Has he mastered the Phoenix martial arts to such an extent…?'
It was overwhelming. He himself had practiced the Phoenix martial arts day and night, but the level was entirely different.
Myeong Cheon, the head of the Gooju prestigious family, wielded the Thunder Fire Divine Sword.
A supreme master who had gained fame across the seas with a sword technique as fast as lightning and as powerful as flames had finally intervened in the fight.
Myeong Cheon's eyes, surveying the surroundings, blazed with killing intent. In that brief exchange, more than half of the warriors had lost their lives.
"These incompetent fools! I can't just stand by and watch!"
Surprisingly, his anger was directed not at Yeon Hojeong but at the warriors.
"How could you have been so negligent in your cultivation to be defeated by such a brat!"
It was an absurd accusation.
Myeong Jeokryang could see it, and there was no way Myeong Cheon couldn't. Yeon Hojeong's martial arts were not only strong in themselves, but they were also perfectly countering their own.
In other words, he was thoroughly exploiting the weaknesses of the Four Guardians' martial arts and defeating them. To say they had been negligent in their cultivation?
"You swine! To think I trusted you to scheme for the world, I was foolish!"
Of course, Myeong Cheon knew there was nothing wrong with the warriors' martial arts. He also knew that Yeon Hojeong's martial arts were beyond imagination and that he had thoroughly grasped the weaknesses of the Four Guardians' martial arts.
But he couldn't accept it.
The prestigious family was founded by ancestors who, along with the Four Great Emperors, had driven out the Blood Sect and were called the strongest in the history of the martial world.
And now, they had mastered martial arts that had made their mark during the worst chaos and the golden age of the martial world. Myeong Cheon did not want to admit that such martial arts were being countered by a mere brat.
Crunch.
Yeon Hojeong, who had stood up firmly on the pushed-back soil, looked at Myeong Cheon with a smile.
"Have you finally accepted it?"
Myeong Cheon's eyes flashed.
It was a powerful single strike, one that even a master like the warriors couldn't have withstood without internal injury, yet it seemed to have no effect.
A heavy voice flowed from Myeong Cheon's mouth.
"Yes, you do have some skill."
Zzzzzing!
A vibrant hum resonated from the sword Myeong Cheon held.
It was not a common, broken sword of the Central Plains. It was a great sword, longer by a foot and twice as wide as any ordinary long sword.
It was closer in form to a military great sword than to the swords of the martial world. The sword blade was also a two-handed sword, exceeding a foot in length.
A madness beyond killing intent flickered across Myeong Cheon's face.
"I will behead you and throw it before that damned man. I wonder if he can maintain his composure when he sees his salted son's severed head."
It was a significant provocation. For Yeon Hojeong, who harbored intense guilt towards his kin, there could be no greater challenge.
'…'
But why?
His heart was unexpectedly calm. Even with the real enemy who had orchestrated the destruction of his family before him, his eyes were only clear.
Whooosh.
A white wind trailed the slowly moving axe blade.
Yeon Hojeong looked up at the sky and closed his eyes.
'Finally, it's here.'
He had left his family and entered Hanam. Since then, he had shaken the prestigious family with several battles.
In truth, it hadn't been a long time. But to Yeon Hojeong, it had felt excruciatingly long.
'Father. I plan to eliminate an old grudge you're unaware of right here. You may not know, but I will still have my revenge.'
Thinking of his father naturally brought Yeon Jipyeong to mind.
The thought of his younger brother's white hand offering a rice ball with a bright face made his eyes dazzle.
'Pyeong-ah.'
Strength flowed into the hand holding the spear.
'I will catch and drink all the tears you shed from now on.'
The father of the past, the father of the present.
The brother of the past, the brother of the present.
The past, steeped in deep resentment, and the future, leaping forward with vigor, merged into one, becoming Yeon Hojeong's present.
Yeon Hojeong's eyes snapped open.
Boom!
A mighty energy burst forth, shaking heaven and earth.
Yeon Hojeong shouted.
With a voice full of confidence, embodying the spirit of a warrior.
"Come at me, Myeong Cheon."
It was a presence of grandeur unseen in anyone else.
Myeong Cheon's face twisted wildly.
"…You brat!"
Boom!
Myeong Cheon charged.
It was the beginning. The duel, the bloodbath, the debts of blood created by the martial world were now demanding the lives of both men.
Yeon Hojeong's axe clashed head-on with Myeong Cheon's great sword.
Crash!
A tremendous roar shook the ground.
It was a collision of great weapons, a battle of strength against strength.
Thud!
Yeon Hojeong was sent flying backward.
It was an inevitable disparity in power. Myeong Cheon was a supreme master, a legendary swordsman on par with the greatest. A head-on confrontation with him was madness for Yeon Hojeong at this moment.
Bang! Crash!
But Yeon Hojeong did not stop.
He quickly regained his balance and advanced with the second step of the White Tiger's Dominance.
'What?!'
He thought he had rendered his opponent combat-incapable with one strike, but it seemed not. Yeon Hojeong charged again with a storm-like momentum, now twice as powerful as before.
Myeong Cheon swung his sword.
Yeon Hojeong struck back fiercely.
Clang!
Their weapons collided, sparking brilliant flames.
It was impossible to count how many times they struck in that brief moment. Even the peak masters would struggle to keep up with such speed. Despite wielding heavy weapons, both men fought with the swiftness of light swords.
A gleam of energy flashed in Myeong Cheon's eyes.
"Impudent fool!"
Slash!
Blood spurted from Yeon Hojeong's chest.
It was a deep cut. A diagonal slash from the left collarbone to the right abdomen.
It was when Myeong Cheon wore a bitter smile.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
Myeong Cheon's body staggered backward.
He had taken an unblockable sword strike, yet he immediately swung his axe. Had he been complacent, that strike would have split him in two.
"Such a madman!"
Bang! Bang!
The White Tiger's Dominance unfolded.
With each passing moment, the energy grew stronger. Even Myeong Cheon, known throughout the world, was flustered by the Tiger King's momentum.
Ting! Clang!
The power of the axe, fueled by momentum, grew stronger.
Bang! Bang!
Again, it was an advance. An attack.
Clang! Clang!
The speed increased as much as the power. The wild strength of the Tiger King's Impenetrable Wall struck like lightning.
Whoosh!
And suddenly, Yeon Hojeong's movements achieved an unfathomable speed.
Crash! Crash! Bang!
In an instant, Myeong Cheon was forced back by the onslaught of martial arts.
It was the White Tiger's Continuous Advancing Steps. Driven by extreme fighting spirit, the White Tiger's energy was drawing out the secret techniques of the Dominance.
Crash!
Myeong Cheon's body wobbled. Blood flowed from the hand holding the sword.
Yeon Hojeong's face contorted.
The sight of his opponent's blood stirred his ferocity.
"Myeong Cheon…!"
Flash! Boom!
He blocked the descending axe, but his feet were buried up to the ankles in the ground.
Thump!
It was an astonishing sight. Yeon Hojeong's fist finally struck Myeong Cheon's shoulder.
Myeong Cheon staggered.
Above Yeon Hojeong's face rose the image of an enraged beast.
"Don't back down so easily! If you don't fight properly, I'll tear you apart!"