Chapter 194: Chapter 194
“Are you the Flying Swallow Sword Lord?”
Jan Chil’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Ha Woo-jin. Due to that, the scars that filled his face wriggled and changed bizarrely.
“You’re a good opponent.”
Muttering, he leaked killing intent.
It was entirely different from what he had shown in the decisive battle against Baek Pa-gun just a moment ago…
It was a sticky and slushy killing intent.
And Ha Woo-jin, who received such killing intent head-on, slowly controlled his breathing.
“Huu.”
Emotions were boiling from within, but he wanted to keep his reason cold.
The opponent was a master.
To the extent that harboring such complicated emotions would further lower his chances of winning.
‘…I must not be shaken.’
He briefly closed his eyes and opened them.
Further distracting thoughts were unnecessary.
Now, only one thing remained.
He had to bet everything on this single sword, pour it out, and claim victory.
For the Zhongnan Sect.
Ha Woo-jin’s sword was slightly raised.
Along with that, pure white cloud and mist bloomed from his body and wrapped around the sword.
The crowd admired that figure.
In particular, a few commoners who were laymen to martial arts brought their hands together and bowed.
“I-It’s an immortal!”
“An immortal has descended to the world!”
Cheon-hwi also looked at Ha Woo-jin.
He had shown the Profound Heaven Vigorous Strong Qi before, but it had not been accompanied by such thick clouds and mist.
“Hmm, when did he cross the wall?”
He muttered to himself while watching the immortal qi contained in the clouds and mist that bloomed as if guarding his surroundings.
“I heard he crossed it by luck.”
Someone spoke to him from the side.
However, Cheon-hwi opened his mouth without even turning his gaze to the one who approached.
“Luck is important.”
“Heoheo, do you think so?”
“They say it’s seven parts luck and three parts skill. Even if everything in the world follows you, there are some things you cannot obtain if you lack luck.”
“Hmm, that is also a correct statement. They say gaining enlightenment is heavenly luck.”
The person who let out a low ‘Mmm mmm’ spilled words mixed with laughter.
“But to see you again like this.”
Only then did Cheon-hwi turn his head.
The person who spoke was the Sect Leader of the Zhongnan Sect, the Taiyi Swordsman Im Yeong.
“It has been a while.”
Im Yeong, who put on a smile, spoke.
“Are you participating in this martial arts tournament?”
“It somehow turned out that way.”
“Then there will be no need to worry.”
At those words, Cheon-hwi tilted his head.
“That’s quite unexpected. Usually, if a young brat like me said he was stepping up to represent the Mount Hua Sect, they would distrust it.”
“Heoheo. If I had not known anything, I might have distrusted it.”
Im Yeong’s beard heaved greatly.
“But I have heard stories about you so often from that wicked disciple of mine and my cute grand-disciple that my ears hurt, so I believe it.”
“Is that so?”
Cheon-hwi shrugged his shoulders.
He was curious about what exactly they had said, but he did not ask further.
‘It probably just means I’m outstanding.’
Right then, Im Yeong slowly raised his head and asked while looking at the martial arts arena.
“Who do you think will win?”
Cheon-hwi answered with an expression that seemed to ask why he was asking something so obvious.
“Of course, it’s…”
Before Cheon-hwi could even finish his words.
Hwaaak!
A rough wind pressure stormed in.
The clouds and mist created by the internal energy of the Profound Heaven Vigorous Strong Qi tightly condensed and were contained within the sword.
“……!”
Jan Chil’s eyebrows wriggled.
It was the first intense reaction he had shown.
Soon, the composure on his face disappeared, and he moved his sword first for the first time.
A sudden preemptive strike, but it might have been an instinctive realization.
Kaaang!
With a loud sound, the swords tangled together.
Kagagagak!
The two who crossed swords put even more strength into it, as if determined not to step back.
‘…Was the rumor that he destroyed the White Ghost Castle together with the Mount Hua Divine Sword not a lie?’
Jan Chil violently furrowed his eyebrows. However, he had no time to think of distracting thoughts.
Seuuk…
Ha Woo-jin, who had been competing in strength, instead pulled his sword, rode down the sword body like a snake, and aimed for the wrist.
“Heup!”
Jan Chil jumped backward.
And he examined his hand.
He barely avoided a fatal injury, but there was a scratch on the back of the hand holding the sword.
Jan Chil’s expression faintly stiffened.
Right then.
Tak.
He suddenly sheathed his sword.
At this far too out-of-the-blue action, not only the crowd but also Ha Woo-jin were flustered.
Right then, Jan Chil’s mouth opened, and an even greater fluster arrived.
“I forfeit.”
At Jan Chil’s all too sudden declaration, a strange silence lingered over the Cheongyapyeong Plaza.
“What?”
“Forfeit…?”
“Suddenly?”
Just as those who didn’t know how to react to this were blankly looking at the martial arts arena.
“…What are you doing?”
Ha Woo-jin caught Jan Chil with his words as he stepped to go down the martial arts arena.
“They say the world of matches is cold-hearted, but are you going to tuck your tail and run away?”
Jan Chil snorted.
Even though he declared defeat, he was confident, as if he had no shame at all.
“I’m running away because I’m cold-hearted. Is there a need to uselessly risk my life in a place like this?”
“As a martial artist, you seem to have no pride.”
“I threw away such trivial pride a long time ago.”
As he spat out his words dryly, his gaze headed toward the camp of the Divine Province Four Supremes.
Upon seeing a man and a woman who had faint smiles on their lips even though he had declared forfeit, he emitted a cold look.
‘Since victory cannot be guaranteed, if I drain the Flying Swallow Sword Lord’s strength, it will only benefit those bastards.’
Defeating Ha Woo-jin was also a problem.
Because there was still a representative of the Mount Hua Sect left to fight the third match.
As soon as he came down from the martial arts arena, the Seophon Sect Leader hurriedly approached and opened his mouth.
“W-What is the meaning of this? Why did you suddenly declare defeat…”
The Seophon Sect Leader interrogated Jan Chil, but.
“Are you finding fault with my decision?”
What returned were cold words.
The Seophon Sect Leader realized his position in an instant and shrank his neck.
“If only you hadn’t made things bigger, this mishap wouldn’t have happened.”
Killing intent was loaded in Jan Chil’s voice.
“I would have told you to just obtain the remnant forces of the White Ghost Castle and pull out.”
“T-That is…”
The Seophon Sect Leader broke into a cold sweat.
What they wanted from the Seophon Sect was to absorb the remnant forces of the White Ghost Castle, not to get their hands on Shaanxi.
But the Seophon Sect Leader acted greedy.
To be exact, he tried to expand his forces in order to escape from their embrace.
And since it had come to this point because of that, he would have had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths.
“You useless bastard.”
Right when Jan Chil spat it out as if chewing his words.
“Why are you being so fierce?”
The woman interjected and erased the killing intent.
“Oh my, is a disciple interrogating his sect leader?”
“……”
Jan Chil glared at the woman without a word.
Then, the moment he was about to quickly turn his body.
“The martial arts tournament isn’t over yet.”
“Do you have confidence against the Flying Swallow Sword Lord?”
The woman wore a smile.
Looking at that smile, Jan Chil’s scars wriggled.
“What is it that you want to say?”
“If I win the martial arts tournament, I… No, the Evil Ghost Gang will take more ownership of Shaanxi than the other places.”
Jan Chil’s eyes deepened.
Since he had declared a forfeit in this martial arts tournament, he did not hold the initiative.
Yet, for her to make such a proposal meant.
“Are you asking to maintain our cooperation?”
The woman smiled radiantly.
“Shaanxi turned out to be quite wide. So much so that it’s difficult for the Evil Ghost Gang to continue protecting it alone.”
In an instant, Jan Chil leaked killing intent.
“So you aimed for this from the beginning.”
Jan Chil’s killing intent pricked like needles, but the woman did not lose her composure.
“The situation just fell into place. If you had won all the matches in the martial arts tournament, would I have been able to make this proposal?”
“……”
“What will you do?”
Jan Chil withdrew his killing intent and answered.
“If you win, we will do that.”
“It’s refreshing, so I like it.”
The woman flicked her finger.
Then, a man with an indifferent expression appeared and handed a bamboo hat to Jan Chil.
Jan Chil grabbed the bamboo hat and pressed it down on his head.
“But what will you do if you lose?”
“If I lose, I would lose everything. However.”
The corners of the talking woman’s eyes curved.
“That will not happen.”
“…How can you be so sure of that?”
“Confirm it with your own eyes.”
As soon as those words finished.
Seureureuk…
The woman disappeared.
“……!”
Right when Jan Chil’s eyes widened.
“Waaaaah!”
“It’s another participant!”
Shouts burst out from all directions.
A woman suddenly appeared on the martial arts arena and was facing Ha Woo-jin.
“This young girl is called Cho-ryeon.”
She demurely took a martial arts salute.
“It is an honor to meet the Flying Swallow Sword Lord Great Hero like this.”
Ha Woo-jin also answered by taking a martial arts salute.
“…I am Ha Woo-jin.”
“The Evil Ghost Gang Leader’s body is not well right now, so I reluctantly stepped forward.”
Cho-ryeon smiled softly.
At her beautiful smile, half of the men among the crowd lost their minds.
“…Such a delicate young lady.”
“I don’t know if she will be okay.”
A few looked at her as if worrying about her, even though she was from the Unorthodox Faction and Ha Woo-jin was a Taoist of the Zhongnan Sect.
The woman’s smile became deeper.
‘All preparations are complete.’
Her eyes swept over the camp where the Divine Province Four Supremes had gathered. Let alone the conversation with Jan Chil just a moment ago, she had also finished the deal with the man standing next to the Geumhwi Pavilion Lord.
There was only one thing left.
Grasping victory.
“Then I leave myself in your care.”
Cho-ryeon opened the distance.
At that moment, the air changed.
And Ha Woo-jin, who watched it from up close, immediately noticed and grasped his sword.
‘…I can’t see anything.’
Ha Woo-jin’s pupils shook.
The martial prowess possessed by the woman who just appeared was one thing, but he could not see the end of it.
‘Was there such a female master?’
The hand holding his sword was drenched in sweat.
Right then, the woman’s lips parted.
“Why are you so tense?”
Along with her words, she took a step forward.
Just a single step.
But she eliminated the distance of five zhang in one breath and stood right in front of Ha Woo-jin’s nose.
“……!”
Ha Woo-jin hurriedly swung his sword.
However, before his sword could even be swung, an impact struck his abdomen.
Peoeong!
Along with the sound of the air bursting, the Taoist robe on Ha Woo-jin’s back was torn apart.
The woman, who had slammed her right hand into Ha Woo-jin’s abdomen at some point, opened her red lips.
“Has your tension loosened up a bit now?”
“…Thanks to you, it has loosened.”
The moment Ha Woo-jin, who answered in a calm tone, raised his head.
Hwaaak!
Pure white, thick cloud and mist spread out.
It soon wrapped around Ha Woo-jin’s body and firmly condensed on his sword.
As that intense momentum poured out.
Seuuk…
The woman stepped back a few paces.
‘Did he not gain an unearned reputation?’
By the time she, who felt a stronger momentum than she had expected, was looking at Ha Woo-jin.
“This time, I will be the one to go.”
Ha Woo-jin took a stance.
A sword raised to eye level.
His right foot taking one step forward.
At a glance, it was a stance that even felt ordinary, but its momentum was extraordinary.
Ha Woo-jin controlled his breathing and spoke.
“Receive this.”
In an instant, his sword moved greatly, and the Heavenly River Thirty-Six Swords revealed their appearance.
Heavenly River Surging Waves, Heavenly River Flying Pouring, and the Heavenly River Stars that unfolded lastly.
The fierce and lightning-fast three supreme techniques were deployed in a linked series and covered the woman.
At the consecutive strikes that were difficult to even follow with the eyes, the crowd momentarily could not swallow their breaths.
It felt as if those consecutive strikes would hand defeat to Cho-ryeon at any moment.
However.
Ssiik…
The woman’s lips tore into a long grin.
At the same time, an indescribably intense aura exploded, and a pure white palm unfolded.
The palm, which was so pure white that it even reflected the shining sunlight, clashed with the Heavenly River Thirty-Six Swords along with an intense aura.
It was so fast that everyone watching the martial arts arena missed it.
Kwaaang!
An intense storm raged in all directions.
And it was not just once.
Kwagwang! Kaang!
The storm raged consecutively and covered the martial arts arena with a dust storm.
And was that all?
The storm churned up the Cheongyapyeong Plaza.
The aftermath of the auras that could not be resolved as the two auras clashed spread to the surroundings of the Cheongyapyeong Plaza.
“Ugh!”
“Kyaaak!”
By the time the crowd was putting strength into the soles of their feet out of fear that they would be blown backward by the fierce storm.
“It seems they’ve staked their lives on this, huh?”
Cheon-hwi looked at the martial arts arena as if the raging wind was nothing to worry about.
Clashes were continuously taking place.
Ha Woo-jin, who swung his sword while making his Taoist robe flutter greatly, freely swam like flowing water, just like the clouds and mist he gave off.
On the other hand, the woman’s technique was different.
Overwhelming supreme spirit and cold killing intent.
Her palm, which was swung along with her flashy sleeves, struck back Ha Woo-jin’s sword strikes as if putting the whole world beneath it.
Right then, Ha Woo-jin’s momentum changed.
As if he decided to settle the sluggish contest, he stretched out his left foot greatly.
His sole touched the ground.
Kung!
A heavy shockwave pushed away the dust.
At the same time, the Taoist robe with a torn back violently fluttered, and his hair fluttered in the wind.
Simultaneously, he thrust his sword straight.
Toward the exact center of the woman’s palm.
Seeing that, Cheon-hwi’s eyes narrowed.
The very first thing that came to mind upon seeing that was the Heavenly River Simultaneous Volley, which evoked the illusion of spears being fired.
‘No. It’s slightly different from that. That is like containing the world into one…’
Ha Woo-jin’s sword form was unique.
He thrust very straightforwardly.
However, what was contained inside it was to the point of being difficult to express with anything.
It was as if that sword form was the entirety, and the entirety was contained in that single sword form.
‘If completed, the Zhongnan will grow much larger than it is now.’
It was a conviction, not an expectation.
Most martial artists tended to settle for reality and think that peerless secret manuals were the only way to become stronger.
But what about Ha Woo-jin?
He was attempting to develop himself.
No. He was moving forward while pioneering his own sword path.
Toward the final destination of a grandmaster.
Of course, it wasn’t there yet.
It was unstable and had many loopholes.
Furthermore, no one knew whether the end of this path would be success or failure.
It might be a journey that ended without obtaining anything at all.
However, Ha Woo-jin moved forward.
On a lonely journey toward a final destination whose outcome was unknown.
‘It’s a shame. It would have been great if he was from the Mount Hua Sect.’
It was right then.
Hwaaak!
Cho-ryeon hurriedly raised her internal energy.
She also seemed slightly surprised by the sword that was thrust right now, but she reacted quickly.
Seueueu…
The moment a transparent internal energy harboring a chilling aura wrapped around her hand.
Paat!
She forcefully stretched out her hand.
‘Huh?’
Seeing that, Cheon-hwi’s brow crumpled.
The internal energy operation, stance, and the ensuing momentum she showed for a short moment.
They were all things familiar to his eyes.
‘The Rakshasa Ice Demon’s Jade Shadow Divine Demonic Hand…?’
At that moment, Ha Woo-jin’s sword and her palm clashed, and a dazzling light that blinded the eyes swallowed the Cheongyapyeong Plaza.
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