Chapter 75: Warning
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A space submerged in quietude.
A silent shockwave swept across the garden.
Shaking Martial Hall Master Pa Woo-saeng felt his head spin slightly as if drunkenness was rising again.
What did I just see?
His gaze was saying that.
Red Leopard Hall Master Geo Ja-woong and Lone Moon Sword Sect Master Gyu Geon beside him were the same.
Everyone’s dark brown pupils created great ripples, filled with the light of shock and disbelief.
To catch and throw back sword energy…
Even seeing it with their own two eyes, it was hard to readily believe.
Setting aside the fact that the secretly gathered meeting had been ruined, a feeling similar to reverence for Cheol Ryu-heun’s martial prowess was churning their hearts.
Though each had accumulated considerable real combat experience until reaching middle age, what they had just witnessed was a skill they were encountering for the first time.
Not once had they ever exchanged blows with an opponent of Cheol Ryu-heun’s type.
Moreover, he was only about twenty years old.
Indeed.
A youth who was at most twenty years old had demonstrated such tremendous skill.
The word “shock” alone was insufficient to simply summarize their impressions of Cheol Ryu-heun’s amazing abilities.
Even Ashen Heart Sect Master Wenren Yindao was inwardly amazed.
‘Hah, to think he could manifest that in actual combat.’
Catching and throwing back sword energy like Cheol Ryu-heun wasn’t completely impossible in theory.
Theoretically, it was possible.
First, you concentrate maximum vital energy throughout your entire hand to strengthen your internal power, then use Grabbing Character Formula to pull and catch the opponent’s sword energy, and then switch to Flicking Character Formula to throw it like shooting an arrow.
Of course, the most important part of that was that the internal cultivation gap had to be very large.
But.
Easier said than done.
Everyone including Wenren Yindao knew well.
That was an internal energy technique study of the highest level, belonging to the practically impossible domain.
When rapidly switching between Grabbing Character Formula and Flicking Character Formula in an instant like Cheol Ryu-heun, damage to the blood and energy was unavoidable in that moment.
The so-called principle of two waves clashing strongly inside the body – in other words, it was an extremely dangerous method of internal energy operation that induced internal injury.
A practitioner should properly only use one method, either Grabbing Character Formula or Flicking Character Formula, according to the situation they faced.
Otherwise, when rapidly switching the texture of energy circulation, it was difficult to prevent the energy meridians and pressure points inside the body from being torn or bursting apart from the pressure.
Wenren Yindao quietly watched Cheol Ryu-heun positioned some distance ahead and let his eyes flash.
‘Yet he wears an expression of feeling no burden at all.’
As if the pressure points throughout his body had disappeared entirely, making it safe to execute such a dangerous method…
‘Surely all the pressure points in his body haven’t disappeared… Anyway, he possesses martial prowess exceeding expectations.’
He finally felt it viscerally.
The level of personal martial arts that had crushed White Snake Head Sword Gul Ma-hun.
On the other hand.
Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk felt their chests swell with emotion.
‘Indeed…!’
The atmosphere within the venue had been completely overturned in one stroke.
Just looking at the enemy’s eyes, they could fully guess.
That without exception, everyone was drenched in tension and crisis, with the excitement in their chests escalating.
It was a truly perfect seizure of initiative.
If this had been a large-scale group battle situation between forces, the effect of boosting morale would have been even more maximized.
However.
Among all the masters here, only one person had an outwardly different reaction.
Jeo Gyeom.
He was an exception.
Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk exchanged secretive telepathy upon seeing his appearance.
<There’s no wavering. He…>
<Yes. He isn’t called Netherworld Sword Fork for nothing.>
Though the distance was far, they could clearly feel that he was maintaining an immovable heart like a solid iron wall.
Jeo Gyeom’s composed attitude was honestly admirable.
He should have been somewhat shaken, yet on the contrary, he was emanating a solemn intangible aura, seemingly elevating his inherent martial achievement and dignity.
However, wasn’t Cheol Ryu-heun also an exceptional existence?
He simply transcended the category of immovable heart, being so emotionless one wondered if he was really human.
Meanwhile.
Ximen Yue, who had at some point hidden himself on an old tree outside the western wall of the manor, witnessed the series of events and muttered internally.
‘Interesting. Was Cheol Ryu-heun such an outstanding master?’
The curiosity coiled in his chest was stirring and raising its head.
It was unexpected.
He had thought it was one of Chief Supervisor Hyeop Mu-geuk or Elder Yeop Hwon who had subdued the Thousand Snake Gang thugs earlier.
But.
Having confirmed Cheol Ryu-heun’s martial prowess with his own two eyes, he realized that thinking was wrong.
‘Judging by appearances, he came intending to fight.’
His gaze soon rested on one person in the garden.
Though they looked a bit small due to the distance, he could immediately tell who it was.
‘Netherworld Sword Fork…’
That person whom he had once expected might possess the Ghost Shadow Sword Technique had coincidentally appeared here.
The interesting thing was that Cheol Ryu-heun seemed to have come already knowing all of this.
Could it be from confidence?
That even Jeo Gyeom, who had skills rivaling the Five Supreme Martial Experts of Hunan, was absolutely not an unbeatable opponent…
His initial vague premonition had now changed to a strong conviction.
That Gul Ma-hun’s recent seclusion was most likely deeply connected to Cheol Ryu-heun.
‘If the presence or absence of the Ghost Shadow Sword Technique is confirmed here, it’s a good opportunity for me to benefit like the fisherman.’
With that thought, Ximen Yue wore a clear smile.
On the large old tree outside the opposite wall.
Similarly, Nu-heum was also quietly hidden atop it, spying on the internal situation of the manor.
‘My word…’
It was truly shocking.
He didn’t know who the three who had departed this world were, but the powerful techniques Cheol Ryu-heun had shown in that process were truly terrifying.
It was a level he couldn’t easily imitate with his current skill.
Especially that amazing scene at the last moment of the fight, when he had grabbed the opponent’s sword energy and thrown it right back, had sent shivers down his spine.
Well, if the internal cultivation gap was large it wasn’t completely impossible, but manifesting it personally was a wondrous feat.
‘Surely… It’s not martial prowess approaching the Young Master’s?’
He immediately denied it.
Ximen Yue could put even Netherworld Sword Fork Jeo Gyeom, the strongest master visible there, under his feet if he put his mind to it, so what…
Anyway, Cheol Ryu-heun’s performance was so impressive that he had momentarily thought such things unconsciously.
‘Things seem to be turning complicated, but I just need to silently wait for the Young Master’s signal.’
That Nu-heum was completely unaware.
That a figure was hidden and watching from an old tree standing a little way back.
The owner of the two pupils buried among the autumn-colored leaves was none other than Head-Severing Yama Seop Pyo.
‘What are they after? The other one seems to have climbed the tree where I was earlier… Let’s see what scheme they have.’
An emotionless voice broke the brief silence.
“Since no one’s raising their hand, I guess everyone’s grasped the situation.”
Following those words, Cheol Ryu-heun turned his head to the side.
At the nearby spot where his gaze rested, Dark Sword Fragrance Mun Bin stood dumbfounded with a vacant face.
“What are you doing? Make your decision.”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s lukewarm voice thrown again, Mun Bin finally snapped to his senses.
‘Right, now I’m already…!’
His desire to take revenge for his family who had been sacrificed by Jeo Gyeom was indescribably great, but before he could find the opportunity, he had been discovered and now faced this crisis.
With his own power alone, breaking through was impossible.
-You don’t want to be stabbed to death by your so-called master, right?
Recalling those words he had heard earlier, Mun Bin hurriedly opened his mouth.
“Are you really trying to help me?”
“Watch your speech.”
“Ah… Do, do you really intend to help me?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes, then I won’t refuse either!”
For Mun Bin, it was a situation where there was no other choice.
Placing his hopes on Cheol Ryu-heun’s outstanding martial prowess that had instantly killed the Brandished Sword Three was the only way to escape from Jeo Gyeom’s grasp.
“Resentment. That’s why the master-disciple relationship broke apart.”
“…!”
“Well, I know from experience.”
“Your perception is impressive. Actually, he…”
“Not curious.”
“…”
“Just stay back behind. You’ll get in the way if you step forward for no reason.”
“Pardon? But…”
“I’ll give you at least a chance to cut off his neck at the end.”
Upon hearing Cheol Ryu-heun’s words, everyone’s expressions hardened like stone again.
What did he just spout?
Is he already confident of victory?
He says he’ll give a chance to cut off the Dark Hall Master’s neck?
Suddenly.
“Ha.”
Jeo Gyeom’s lips drew a crescent.
A sneer.
Following that, a low and heavy voice flowed out.
“This being the case, it would be convenient to just kill all of you.”
Eyes blending fighting spirit and bloodlust radiated fiercely like an intangible sword.
The Hunming Sword made of black iron seemed to read its owner’s will, lightly vibrating and humming.
Hummm-
Injection of vital energy.
It was a sound heralding that lethal techniques could be executed at any moment.
The unorthodox masters including Wenren Yindao each slightly hunched their necks at an inexplicable chill.
In an instant.
Creak, cree-creak, creak…
A very small sound like metal reached their ears.
‘What’s that?’
While everyone harbored such questions, Jeo Gyeom’s mouth opened again.
“Cheol Ryu-heun, can you continue to maintain that level of cultivation against me?”
It was a warning that since internal energy was finite, if he kept displaying massive cultivation like when killing the Brandished Sword Three, he would collapse from exhaustion first.
‘Right, Sect Master Cheol doesn’t know about that yet!’
The moment Mun Bin tried to quickly mention the divine weapon.
“Your divine weapon is merely a defective product.”
Mun Bin was startled by the words Cheol Ryu-heun tossed out.
‘Oh! He knows about that too?’
Wenren Yindao, Gyu Geon and the others’ expressions also changed.
‘Divine weapon?’
At that moment, Jeo Gyeom, his eyes flashing, untied the front lapel of his clothes on which a large image of a yaksha holding a sword in its mouth was embroidered.
At last, an ash-colored iron garment was fully revealed.
Simultaneously, everyone’s gazes concentrated.
The true form of the divine weapon was none other than a Chest-Covering Armor protecting the chest and upper body.
But then.
It was a Chest-Covering Armor with completely different characteristics from the ordinary kind.
It had large, round metal pieces joined together like fish scales, and in the center was a form decorated with an iron plate on which a ferocious demon face was embossed in relief.
‘Urk…!’
In an instant, everyone including Wenren Yindao felt their hair stand on end from the eerie sensation as if hordes of ghosts from darkness were pouring out.
Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk had already heard about it and knew well that it was the ghost energy of a divine weapon.
‘As the Sect Master predicted, is it the item called Ghost Skull Divine Armor?’
But Cheol Ryu-heun wore an uninterested expression.
When Jeo Gyeom saw that face, he pulled up one corner of his mouth and asked.
“So you recognize what this is?”
“Defective product.”
Simultaneously with Cheol Ryu-heun’s bland reply, Jeo Gyeom’s faint smile transformed into a thick killing smile.
“Heh heh. This being the case, I can’t let you die easily.”
“Do you not know what kind of body I have?”
No sooner had Cheol Ryu-heun’s gruff words ended than.
Flutter-
The martial attire symbolizing the White Peak Sword Sect Master fluttered lightly, and from that spot, transparent intangible energy rose like waves.
RUMBLE, RUM-RUMBLE, RUMBLE…!
The resonant roar of the strongly shaking atmosphere.
A mighty aura reminiscent of the majesty of the Five Supreme Martial Experts of Hunan whirled through this space.
Cheol Ryu-heun’s voice struck their ears again.
“My body is a divine weapon. And before this power, your alliance will be disbanded without even properly forming.”