Chapter 125: Like a Surprise Attack, Yet Not, Yet Kind of Like One (2)
Chapter 124 – Like a Surprise Attack, Yet Not, Yet Kind of Like One (2)
“C-Captain. Is that really the Gold King’s plaque?”
“I-I think so.”
Son U-gon also swallowed hard in surprise.
Who would have thought the Gold King’s plaque would come out of Namgung Cheon’s chest?
While the crowd stirred in commotion, Hye-gwang turned to his side and shouted.
“Master Geum-gak!”
“Yes, Abbot.”
As an old monk with a bent back approached and bowed his head, Hye-gwang glared at Namgung Cheon’s plaque and ordered.
“Would you go and check it?”
“Understood.”
The old man called Master Geum-gak bowed his head and approached Namgung Cheon.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Master Geum-gak began to examine what was in Namgung Cheon’s hand thoroughly.
“Take it and look at it if you want.”
When Namgung Cheon tossed it over as if it were nothing, Master Geum-gak was startled and quickly caught it.
Master Geum-gak knew well the meaning behind Namgung Cheon throwing it.
It was a silent threat that he could cut off his head at any moment.
Even if he took just one step back with the Gold King’s plaque, a blade would slice through his neck.
‘Mmm…!’
After examining it this way and that for a long while, Master Geum-gak’s hands trembled violently.
“I-I have seen it clearly.”
With trembling hands, Master Geum-gak handed the plaque back to Namgung Cheon.
Namgung Cheon took it back as if it were nothing and put it back in his chest.
While everyone watched with bated breath, Master Geum-gak approached Hye-gwang and bowed.
“It is indeed the Gold King’s plaque.”
“……!”
The crowd stirred in commotion once again.
Hye-gwang’s eyelids trembled, but he soon burst into a hearty laugh.
“Hahahahaha! It seems this poor monk failed to recognize a precious guest. Young benefactor, surely you know the weight of your words?”
“I don’t know about that, but I don’t go back on my word.”
“Good, very good.”
Hye-gwang nodded deeply and looked up at the sky.
He was lost in thought with a face full of emotion.
‘My devotion to Buddhism has finally reached the heavens.’
To receive Buddha’s grace only today.
He returned to his benevolent expression and smiled softly at Namgung Cheon.
“Then, benefactor, when would you like to set the date for the duel?”
“What’s there to set? Strike while the iron is hot. Let’s do it now.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.”
“Haha!”
“Why? Are you scared?”
“Of course not. This poor monk was merely impressed by the young benefactor’s spirit.”
“Then that’s great. I’ll remind you of the old days today. You lustful madman.”
This little brat… keeps on doing this since earlier…!
‘No, let’s endure it. That child is a blessing sent by Buddha.’
Hye-gwang suppressed his rising anger and wore a gentle smile.
“Fine. Then everyone here will be a witness.”
“That’s right. Did everyone hear? If I beat the lustful madman today, the Shining Monk Association will leave Yixian and the commercial rights will return to the Namgung Clan!”
“Yes, Lord!”
“Young benefactor, shouldn’t you also announce what happens when you lose?”
“No need. Because I’m going to win anyway.”
Impudent bastard…
But Hye-gwang did not lose his temper.
Instead, he shouted, channeling his internal energy.
“If this poor monk wins, the young benefactor here has promised to donate ten million taels to our association without any conditions!”
“We have confirmed it, Abbot!”
The monks replied in unison.
It was not just the Azure Eagle Squad and the monks.
The people spectating outside the main gate heard it all as well.
Namgung Cheon glanced at those people and then lightly leaped up.
*Pabababat!*
As he stood atop the wall in an instant, Hye-gwang flinched and shouted.
“What are you doing? Surely you aren’t planning to run away after agreeing to a duel?”
“Of course not. I’m suggesting we fight on top of the wall so that everyone can see clearly. Let’s use the wall as the stage. If you fall off, you are disqualified. If you admit defeat or die, you are disqualified. How about it?”
“Hahaha, good. Very good. There is no clearer method than that.”
Hye-gwang had a face that looked thrilled to death.
Why wouldn’t he be?
Not only could he vent the resentment he had harbored since being defeated by Jin Cheon-rang long ago onto his son, but was this not also a chance to seize ten million taels?
It would not be strange for him to hum to himself.
*Hwiririk!*
Leaping onto the wall in an instant, Hye-gwang slowly extended his iron bell striker forward and pulled his iron bell close to his chest.
*Whooooosh!*
A violent gust of wind erupted from his entire body.
His Buddhist robes fluttered as his internal energy circulated.
Namgung Cheon smiled faintly as he drew the Emerald Silk Sword with a shring.
“I thought you would have grown dull after getting so fat, but it seems your martial arts have improved a bit in the meantime.”
“I do not know what your father told you, but I am not the monk of the past.”
“Yes, yes. I should first restore that smirking face of yours to how it was in the past. I really can’t get used to it.”
“What a funny benefactor.”
“I’ve always been quite entertaining.”
“But it will not be easy to wag that tongue of yours anymore!”
*Pang!*
The next moment, Hye-gwang kicked off the wall and flew like an arrow.
“Oooooh!”
The spectators burst into exclamations of awe.
Even though he looked like nothing more than an old monk with flabby belly fat, was his movement not incredibly fast?
*Swish!*
The iron bell striker descended in a straight line.
At that moment, Namgung Cheon tapped the wall with his foot and shouted.
“Azure Eagle Squad, watch closely!”
“Yes, Lord!”
As the members of the Azure Eagle Squad replied in unison, Hye-gwang wore a sinister smile.
“There is no need to watch so closely. In the end, this poor monk will defeat you!”
*Swoooosh!*
*Crash!*
As the iron bell striker slammed directly onto the surface, a section of the wall crumbled.
Evading the iron bell striker by a hair’s breadth, Namgung Cheon lunged forward with his Emerald Silk Sword in a straight line.
“Not so fast!”
*Clang!*
The tip of the sword collided with the iron bell, producing a resounding clashing noise.
“Urgh!”
“Argh!”
The commoners spectating nearby covered their ears and collapsed to the ground.
The Azure Eagle Squad members and the monks circulated their internal energy to protect their eardrums.
“It is incredibly noisy.”
When Namgung Cheon grumbled, Hye-gwang smirked.
“This is the characteristic of this poor monk’s iron bell. If I infuse it with internal energy, it will ring even louder. Would you like to hear it? It should be good for calming a mind that runs wild without knowing its place.”
*Vrrrrr!*
The iron bell instantly rushed through the air.
Namgung Cheon tapped the wall with his foot again and retreated.
*Vrrr, vrrr!*
*Pababat! Tadadak!*
As Namgung Cheon retreated repeatedly, Hye-gwang clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, how long are you going to keep running away? Even this wall has a limit.”
“I don’t know. What kind of fake monks live in such a spacious place? It would take half a day just to circle around on these walls.”
“That is because your cultivation is lacking. If you cultivate, it is by no means a long distance.”
*Vrrrrr!*
The iron bell plummeted vertically once again!
At that moment, Namgung Cheon bent his body low and darted into Hye-gwang’s chest.
This time, Hye-gwang quickly backpedaled and retreated swiftly.
‘Laughable!’
*Claaaaang!*
Once again, the iron bell and the tip of the sword collided, generating a deafening roar that seemed ready to tear their eardrums apart.
“Urgh!”
Unexpectedly, it was Hye-gwang who groaned first.
He furrowed his brows as he felt a throbbing pain in his head.
‘Why…?’
He should have built up a tolerance to the vibration of the iron bell.
How desperately had he trained to reach his current level?
Meeting a master even more relentless than the Great Killing Star at a late age, he had trained until his body broke. Finally, he had forged a body capable of absorbing the resonance of the iron bell.
But why!
While Hye-gwang’s eyes shook, the Emerald Silk Sword sliced horizontally once more.
This time, he blocked by raising his iron bell striker upside down.
*Clang-clang-clang!*
Coincidentally, the iron bell striker collided with the blade, bounced back, and struck the iron bell directly. It felt as if his entire body was vibrating from that resonance.
“Urgh!”
A bolt of lightning qi swept through his entire body, throwing his mind into chaos.
In truth, it was a simple principle.
Confirming that Hye-gwang’s qi belonged to the metal phase, Namgung Cheon countered it with the fire phase’s internal energy, which was its polar opposite.
Since he melted and penetrated the iron-hard internal energy with a stream of fire phase energy, there was no choice but to be bewildered.
Of course, it was difficult to achieve such an effect simply by utilizing opposing elemental energy.
Above all, it was crucial to circulate the appropriate level of internal energy at the exact right moment.
However, to Namgung Cheon who possessed the First Sight Skill-Breaking Eyes, it was nothing special.
‘W-What is this?!’
Hye-gwang gnashed his teeth and stepped back with his right foot to regain his balance.
*Crumble!*
As a portion of the wall’s top collapsed, Hye-gwang barely managed to stop himself.
“Grrr!”
His annoyance soaring, Hye-gwang flew forward like a shot once again.
Namgung Cheon narrowed his eyes.
‘It isn’t beautiful.’
A dark qi surged from Hye-gwang’s dantian, flowing into the iron bell and striker in his hands.
It was certainly different from the sight where colorful, vibrant shades mingled and danced together.
*Uuuung!*
Coincidentally, the iron bell resonated, emitting a subtle sound.
*Whooooosh!*
The iron bell sliced through the darkness,
*Swish!*
And the iron bell striker tore through the night air.
Yet, it could not even graze the hem of Namgung Cheon’s clothes.
Cold sweat trickled down Hye-gwang’s spine.
‘Why…! Why do I feel that guy from this brat!’
Was it natural because they were father and son?
Hye-gwang saw Jin Cheon-rang in Namgung Cheon.
The face of the incredibly fast Great Killing Star strangely overlapped with Namgung Cheon.
*Pababat! Pabat!*
‘It’s identical. To that guy! It’s exactly as if I’m fighting that bastard!’
As fear gradually welled up inside him, the Emerald Silk Sword lunged toward his chest once more.
‘It’s indeed the same!’
What drove him even more insane was that despite knowing it was the same, he had no way of blocking it.
For it seemed as if Namgung Cheon acted with full knowledge of how he would move.
‘Tch!’
Attempting to pull the iron bell to block, Hye-gwang hesitated for a moment.
For he lacked the confidence to withstand the resonance of the iron bell.
‘Heavens!’
Was it not truly maddening?
Originally, the resonance sound of the iron bell served as a counterattack through sound waves while defending.
But to think that sound wave attack was targeting him instead!
Ultimately, Hye-gwang, who gave up defending and tried to evade, was pierced in the left shoulder.
*Thrust!*
“Urgh!”
Screaming in pain, Hye-gwang staggered back.
“Pant, pant…!”
As Hye-gwang panted heavily, Namgung Cheon spoke with a cold smile.
“That’s why you should have gotten some exercise instead of just rolling around in bed.”
“……!”
It was the same. That tone of voice and expression!
Furthermore, was that statement not word for word identical to what the Great Killing Star had said to him in the past?
“Who are you?!”
“I told you, I’m Namgung Cheon. Have you already gone senile?”
“Gack! You bastard!”
Hye-gwang exploded with rage and charged straight forward.
*Pabababat!*
He packed so much strength into his steps that the wall crumbled under his feet.
Namgung Cheon retreated repeatedly, thrusting and slashing in turns.
The clash between the two of them went back and forth fiercely.
Watching their fight for a long time, Cha Mu-jin’s eyebrows twitched.
He approached Son U-gon and whispered.
“Captain. Could that be…?”
“I am watching it too.”
“It is, right? That?”
When Cha Mu-jin asked back with an expression of disbelief, Son U-gon nodded with a stiff face.
“Yes, there is no mistake. Our Lord is showing us the movements of the Boundless Sky Limitless Sword Formation right now.”
“……!”
Not only Cha Mu-jin, but the other members of the Azure Eagle Squad gaped in surprise.
They thought he was simply fighting, but he was showing them the Boundless Sky Limitless Sword Formation?
“Ah… is that why he chose the wall on purpose?”
“Probably.”
The foundation of the Boundless Sky Limitless Sword Formation was straight-line movements.
If one’s footwork faltered in a straight line, the entire formation would inevitably collapse.
Namgung Cheon was teaching them those movements right now.
Cha Mu-jin muttered with a dazed expression.
“Just what is the Lord… is he even human? How can he do that at such a young age?”
“Don’t ask me what I’m curious about myself. However, he is definitely a monster.”
Even so, Son U-gon could not erase the overwhelmed expression filling his face.
‘Indeed! A monster, and a Hidden Dragon!’