Chapter 86: Hidden Power
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SCREEEECH- SCREEEEECH-
The sound of two soles touching the ground being dragged as if sliding.
It was the friction sound of Ximen Yue, pushed by Seop Pyo’s surprise offensive, retreating across the ground.
Immediately after.
SWOOSH.
Seop Pyo again vanished like a ghost, then suddenly rushed in from Ximen Yue’s left, fiercely swinging the tree branch in his right hand.
SWI-SWI-SWIT-!
A sharp trajectory reminiscent of a horizontal sword form.
Ximen Yue’s instantaneous reaction was also supremely agile.
Before he knew it, the blade drawn by his hand had been raised straight and blocked the tree branch.
KA-BOOM!
Simultaneously with the brief clash that vibrated the atmosphere and ground.
PA-PA-FWAP- PA-PA-PA-FWAP-
The figures of Ximen Yue and Seop Pyo retreated in opposite directions, then soon caught their balance and stopped.
A clash and defense accomplished in an instant, followed by arriving silence.
In this place where even bird song had stopped, only the breathing sounds of the two martial artists leaked out, barely audible.
Already over thirty seconds of exchanged contention, yet there was no sign of an easy decision.
Seop Pyo’s offense had been truly appearing and disappearing unpredictably east and west, yet he still hadn’t dealt a proper blow to Ximen Yue.
Except for the earlier moment when his surprise attack linked with Space Concealment Stealth Technique had torn Ximen Yue’s side clothing and made blood droplets fly, he hadn’t definitely touched that body.
In truth, Seop Pyo himself had thought the match would be decided then.
However, Ximen Yue had twisted his body sharply in the blink of an eye, making that decisive surprise attack end with only a light wound.
The two faced each other, exchanging gazes across a distance of about three jang, resting their breathing for a moment.
Soon.
SWOOSH.
Ximen Yue lightly rotated his wrist and opened his mouth behind the mask.
“The more I see, the more impressive. Old man.”
A stable voice as if he had already finished catching his breath.
No.
His breathing had never become rough even once.
A feeling only briefly wafted similar to his breath being slightly quickened, that was all.
To the point that the series of intense movements seemed meaningless.
Just that alone showed how profound a level his personal internal cultivation had reached.
But Seop Pyo was the same.
Currently, he too was maintaining stable breathing due to his inherently profound internal cultivation.
Such smooth inhalation and exhalation as if nothing had happened.
Sensing that, Ximen Yue continued speaking.
“Your internal cultivation level at least is at a standard of looking down on ordinary masters. Yes… I sincerely acknowledge that skill steeped in deep experience.”
Seop Pyo, hearing Ximen Yue’s praise, lightly waved the tree branch in his hand and reciprocated.
“Heh heh. This body hasn’t aged in vain.”
However, unlike his outward words, internally he was amazed at the martial prowess possessed by this opponent of unknown identity.
‘He’s a fellow who surpasses the talent of my youth. Even the praises of genius or prodigy are insufficient.’
He was genuinely impressed.
Earlier, when he had poured out continuous surprise attacks and briefly seemed to gain superiority, he had quickly made it an even match and had been maintaining a neck-and-neck contest ever since.
He suddenly wondered.
Who his teacher was.
On another note, he was also a little worried.
Because the series of cultivation consumption was quite large, as the opponent’s power was far more outstanding than initially expected.
In reality, it was not an easy martial prowess level to subdue while excluding lethal forms.
If the deadlocked match continued like now, he would only be wasting precious time.
Holding out continuously with just a tree branch was somewhat difficult.
Now it was time when a decisive move was needed.
That said, he had no intention of breaking the vow of seclusion and taking up a sword again, or unleashing lethal techniques that threatened life.
Anyway, this game was one he had started, so he should tie it up somehow.
‘Indeed, the outside world beyond my place of seclusion is not a place to stay long. Maximum cultivation… If I want to end this quickly, there’s no choice.’
Just then, Ximen Yue lowered his head and examined his own side.
Through the long-torn gap in his clothes, a thin red line about three chon long was inscribed on the exposed skin.
It was the scar obtained first and last while contending with the opponent.
Furthermore.
It was also the first time since passing the age of twenty that he had received such a wound during an exchange of blows with another.
At that moment, heavy sounds rang out one after another from beyond the forest.
-CRASH, KA-CRASH… KABOOM, KABOOOM… KRA-KRA-KRASH, KRA-KRASH…
It was the explosive sounds of Cheol Ryu-heun’s White Peak Sword Scripture ultimate techniques and Jeo Gyeom’s Nine Origins Sword Forms ultimate techniques clashing in succession.
Having been bound here for a while exchanging attacks, Ximen Yue’s attention was immediately drawn in that direction.
‘It seems they’ve used maximum power. Has their fight finally reached its final stage?’
If so, it was time to go.
Regardless of who won, their bodies would be exhausted.
His plan was to kill Cheol Ryu-heun and then obtain the spirit creature to conclude the failed main mission with that much as consolation.
In an instant.
FWAP!
Seop Pyo moved first.
A rapid charge.
Not to be outdone, Ximen Yue also ran forward to meet him and extended a sword form reminiscent of a flash of lightning.
SHWAAAT-!
Awl-like sword energy shot out as if to pierce through everything visible ahead into a single point.
Supreme-level rapid swordsmanship that tore through the air.
It was terrifying.
Incredible skill for a martial artist in his twenties.
However, Seop Pyo did not slow his advancing speed, barely evading that sword energy before releasing a thread of energy wind toward Ximen Yue’s front.
A flash of an instant.
KA-BOOM!
When Ximen Yue forcefully knocked away that energy wind with his sword and stopped his movement.
TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP, TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-!
Seop Pyo began rapidly circling around him.
It was a circular-formation lightness technique so rapid that afterimages of his figure were scattered.
Having thus confined his opponent within a round perimeter, Seop Pyo continuously released heavy energy winds.
SHU-SHU-SHU-SHU-SHUT-!
An offense linked with rotational movement creating a scene like a great lasso rapidly tightening.
Ximen Yue immediately spun his body once and released sword winds in all directions, causing successive explosions.
KA-KA-KA-KA-BOOM-!
When energy winds and sword winds collided in succession, the atmosphere and ground cried out.
RUMBLE… CRA-CRACK…
The effect of powerful repelling force.
Seop Pyo maintained the circular formation created by his swift lightness technique while wildly shooting energy winds with cultivation raised a level higher.
SHU-SHU-SHU-SHUT, SHU-SHU-SHU-SHU-SHUT-!
It was Revolving Current Central Gathering Wave, one of Seop Pyo’s specialties.
At a glance, it might seem like an indiscriminate attack, but each one was targeting the opponent’s pressure points.
Waves of energy wind sweeping in roundly toward the center.
Rapid and precise.
Moreover.
It was maximum cultivation.
Simultaneously, when Ximen Yue fiercely spun the sword in his right hand.
WHOO-WHOO-WHOO-WHOO-WOONG- SCHWA-SCHWA-SCHWA-SCHWA-SCHWAK-!
Countless sword shadows overlapped and clustered greatly, transforming into a spherical circular barrier.
It was an appearance as if innumerable blades poured out at once and roundly wrapped his entire body.
Sword Curtain.
A supreme-level sword art that was supposedly difficult to even attempt unless one was a renowned ultra-first-rate swordsman revealed its magnificent majesty through Ximen Yue’s hand.
KA-KA-BOOM, KA-KA-KA-BOOM… KA-BOOM, KA-KA-KA-KA-BOOM…!
The Revolving Current Central Gathering Wave that collided with the Sword Curtain played a resonant thunder and dissipated into the air like smoke.
Immediately, the sound burst forth.
SHWING!
Ximen Yue, having at some point withdrawn the Sword Curtain, had released horizontal sword energy.
It was truly a wondrous transitional sword attack.
However.
FWAP.
Seop Pyo evaded the horizontal sword energy with a reflexive leap from the ground, combined with a FLICK! of flipping his body.
The motion accomplished in an instant was also wondrous.
Following that.
TAP-TAP, TAP, TAP-TAP.
He quickly used footwork to stand even farther away.
‘Truly amazing. To deploy Sword Curtain at that age… Just how high a level has his sword path study reached?’
Though he had executed Revolving Current Central Gathering Wave using energy wind similar to sword wind instead of sword energy because his purpose was to subdue the opponent, what was contained within was literally maximum cultivation.
It was terrifying power that would instantly reduce dozens of boulders to powder.
Yet he had held out.
While even displaying the Sword Curtain, which a minor martial artist would be fortunate to encounter even once in their lifetime.
He could guarantee that with such a level of martial prowess, he must be a powerhouse whose supreme martial reputation was raging in the current martial world.
That made him want to completely remove his mask even more.
Meanwhile, the thunderous sounds from beyond the forest were still ringing without rest like faint echoes.
Then suddenly the sounds grew tremendously loud.
-CRASH, KRA-KRA-CRASH, KRA-CRASH- KRA-KRA-CRASH, KRA-CRASH, KRA-KRA-CRASH-!
Heavy explosions that sounded like one side was one-sidedly pressing forward came across the distance.
Even faint atmospheric tremors were detected…
That was precisely the sound of Cheol Ryu-heun concentrating maximum cultivation on a single point and pounding the Ghost Skull Divine Armor.
Ximen Yue adjusted his jet-black mask and muttered internally.
‘I don’t want to delay more, so I should use that martial art.’
Following that, he sent a meaningful warning to his opponent.
“I’ll end this now.”
At that, Seop Pyo raised one eyebrow.
“End it? What, is that a tone saying you can defeat me if you use your hidden power?”
“So, are you offended? It should be the same for you.”
“…”
“You’re most likely from an assassin background. So why are you using forms without bloodlust?”
“Because that alone is sufficient. Is there any other reason?”
“Sufficient? Heh…”
Letting out a cold laugh, Ximen Yue’s eyes emitted a cold energy light.
“Then let me teach you, borrowing this occasion. The fact that an assassin’s martial arts with bloodlust buried deep in the heart cannot be any threat to me.”
“Playing along ends here? How arrogant.”
No sooner had Seop Pyo’s words ended than.
RUUUM… RUUUM…
The surrounding air began to sink immensely heavy.
It was the effect of Ximen Yue operating the massive amount of energy held within his body, as if about to display some kind of ultimate technique.
Tyrannical intangible aura.
Seop Pyo, who had sharpened his energy sense keenly, had his expression change.
‘This is…!’
Was it a momentary illusion?
Though the sun was clearly in the sky, it felt as if night had arrived.
As if this space had fallen deep underground without any warning and become darkness…
A chill raised its head.
An energy of thick darkness, indescribable in words, seemed to be roughly stirring to block out all the light illuminating the world.
A strange unpleasantness invaded.
A feeling as if his chest was being wildly dug into by some jet-black touch invisible to the eye.
Ghost energy?
No, it was different.
Though hard to pinpoint exactly, it was certainly not the ghost-energy-attribute power he had sensed through Jeo Gyeom’s divine weapon.
Ximen Yue, having tilted his sword diagonally, spoke while once again explosively emitting his gaze.
“Consider it an honor to be shown this power, and die.”
A voice as cold as his gaze.
It was as if some power of fear, transcending fighting spirit and bloodlust, was swirling within Ximen Yue’s body.
Having judged it was not ordinary, Seop Pyo also immediately circulated his dantian rapidly to operate maximum-level internal cultivation.
Due to the pressure of the intangible energy emitted by the two martial artists, the ground beneath their feet cracked chaotically and wailed.
CRACK, CRA-CRACK… CRA-CRACK…
The surrounding scenery appeared transparently distorted, heightening the hair-trigger atmosphere.
At that moment, a voice telepathy presumably from a woman was heard.
<Young Master Ximen, you must not recklessly use that power in a place like this. Have you forgotten that person’s instruction?>
Simultaneously, Ximen Yue’s expression beneath the mask changed completely.
‘Why is she here…?’