chapter 249

Warrior Meets the Divine Physician, and the World Rapidly Changes (2)

“Hehe!”

Cheol Gwang Woo’s face remained bright with a grin.

Beside him, Bang Yae-in walked along. Her wrist was still bandaged, wrapped in a white cloth due to the splint supporting it.

Her wrist, which had been broken by Gwi-hon Papa^[a], was not fully healed yet, making many tasks difficult. What could have been easily done with both arms became a challenge with just one.

Cheol Gwang Woo became Bang Yae-in’s second arm.

Thanks to him, she could move much more comfortably. As a result, the two had grown much closer than before.

Bang Yae-in asked, “Are you that happy?”

“Yes, I am.”

“About what?”

“Just… everything.”

“You’re such a fool.”

“Hehe!”

Even when Bang Yae-in pouted, Cheol Gwang Woo just laughed. His innocent demeanor made her chuckle as well.

When he was facing enemies, he was fierce like a demon, but in front of her, he was gentle and pure, bringing out her smile.

“Do you know that I’m much older than you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What doesn’t?”

“Just… everything.”

“Tsk! You fool.”

“Hehe!”

Bang Yae-in couldn’t help but laugh at Cheol Gwang Woo’s same response.

Cheol Gwang Woo was carrying a huge boar on his shoulder. Despite carrying a huge boar that must have weighed hundreds of pounds, he walked lightly.

He had hunted the boar himself, and tonight it would serve as their meal.

The two returned to Immortal Cloud Valley together.

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

The first sight they encountered upon returning to the valley was Lee Gwak and Muk Cheon-gang standing face to face, preparing for a duel in the open field.

“Shh! Quiet.”

Dam Soo-rin, who had been standing on one side of the clearing, noticed the two of them and gestured for silence by placing a finger to her lips.

Bang Yae-in approached Dam Soo-rin and asked in a low voice, “What’s going on, sister?”

“The time has come.”

“You mean…?”

Bang Yae-in’s eyes sparkled.

The condition Dam Soo-rin had set for healing Lee Cheong was simple: Lee Gwak had to fight Muk Cheon-gang.

And now, the duel was about to begin.

Bang Yae-in could feel her palms growing sweaty, but Dam Soo-rin was even more nervous.

‘Muk…’

Muk Cheon-gang had remained by her side for ten years, setting aside his own ambitions for the future because of her.

They first met a decade ago in the far reaches of Xinjiang.

Dam Soo-rin had gone to Xinjiang in search of rare herbs not found in the central plains, while Muk Cheon-gang had come all the way from Korea to pursue his training.

Xinjiang, often considered beyond the borders, was an isolated region untouched by Jianghu. It was ruled by an old martial artist of the Tianshan Sect, Tianshan Lao-zu.

When Laozu saw Dam Soo-rin gathering herbs on Tianshan Mountain, he became infatuated and attempted to kidnap her.

Muk Cheon-gang was the one who saved her.

At the time, Muk Cheon-gang was not yet a fully trained martial artist.

Compared to Tianshan Laozu, who had dominated the region for years, Muk Cheon-gang was at a significant disadvantage. Yet, he didn’t back down a single step.

Though he managed to rescue Dam Soo-rin, the cost was severe damage to his meridians.

Had the injury been worse, he might have lost the ability to cultivate internal energy forever. Fortunately, Dam Soo-rin treated him in time, but it still took years for him to fully recover.

During what could have been the prime years of his life, Muk Cheon-gang had to focus on healing.

Even after he recovered, he couldn’t leave Dam Soo-rin. She had asked him to stay.

And so, Muk Cheon-gang gave up his dreams of fame and remained by Dam Soo-rin’s side.

Yet, he never neglected his martial arts.

He trained alone, studied, and developed his own techniques. But there were limits to training by oneself, and Muk Cheon-gang knew this well. However, he never once voiced any complaints to Dam Soo-rin.

He simply kept training quietly.

He did the best he could within his limits.

‘If I had let him go earlier, he would have surely made a great name for himself in Jianghu. My selfishness kept him from spreading his wings.’

Of course, Dam Soo-rin did everything she could to help him.

She passed down the medical knowledge her grandmother had taught her and even shared parts of her grandfather’s wisdom. But that didn’t ease her guilt completely.

Every time she looked at Muk Cheon-gang, she felt regret.

She knew that someday she had to let him go. Yet her lingering feelings kept holding him back.

The reason she agreed to heal Lee Cheong without hesitation was also for Muk Cheon-gang’s sake.

Now, for the first time, Muk Cheon-gang’s eyes sparkled with a competitive spirit that had never been there before.

It meant that Lee Gwak was a strong enough martial artist to ignite Muk Cheon-gang’s fighting spirit. That’s why Dam Soo-rin had made the duel with Muk Cheon-gang a condition for healing Lee Cheong.

It was the only way for her to repay Muk Cheon-gang for all he had done.

‘Show your full strength, Muk.’

Dam Soo-rin cheered for Muk Cheon-gang in her heart.

She felt a little guilty for Lee Cheong and Lee Soo-ah, who stood nearby with clenched fists, but she sincerely hoped Muk Cheon-gang would win.

At that moment…

“Lee Gwak of Mad Martial Sect humbly requests to learn from Muk Cheon-gang.”

Lee Gwak clasped his fists in a salute to Muk Cheon-gang. Muk Cheon-gang bowed his head in return.

“Muk Cheon-gang of Black Light Sect humbly accepts your challenge. I am honored to face a martial artist of your caliber. Thank you for agreeing to this duel.”

Muk Cheon-gang’s voice carried a heavy resonance.

Lee Gwak nodded, extending the hand holding his blade forward. In response, Muk Cheon-gang raised his right fist.

Both men wore faint smiles. Their smiles were strikingly similar.

They stood silently, staring at each other for a moment.

Soon, their soft expressions sharpened. The spectators began to feel the tension.

“Ugh! The air… it’s getting heavy.”

“Huff!”

It was as if the air itself had thickened, making it difficult to breathe. The sheer intensity radiating from Lee Gwak and Muk Cheon-gang had taken control of the surroundings.

Cheol Gwang Woo’s eyes widened.

While others merely found breathing uncomfortable, Cheol Gwang Woo, who had mastered the Vajra Demon Shadow Technique, realized how extraordinary the two martial artists were. He felt both fear and admiration.

‘One day, I too will…’

As Cheol Gwang Woo clenched his large fists tightly, it happened.

BANG!

The air suddenly exploded.

Lee Gwak’s blade and Muk Cheon-gang’s fist had collided.

That was the signal.

The two martial artists began swinging their blade and fists at each other.

WHOOSH!

Even from a distance, a powerful wave of energy surged toward them like a tidal wave.

“Step back!”

Cheol Gwang Woo quickly stepped in front of his companions, shouting loudly.

At his command, Bang Yae-in, Dam Soo-rin, Lee Cheong, and Lee Soo-ah retreated ten paces. But the shockwave from the clash still reached them, forcing them to retreat another ten paces.

“What is happened…?”

“Oh my…!”

Bang Yae-in and Dam Soo-rin’s mouths hung open in disbelief. Both had some martial training, enough to recognize how intense and extraordinary the fight unfolding before them was.

SWISH!

Lee Gwak’s blade sliced through the air, but Muk Cheon-gang deflected it with his fist, altering its trajectory.

Cheol Gwang Woo’s eyes widened.

He prided himself on having the strongest body in the world, having mastered the Vajra Demon Shadow Technique. Yet, even he couldn’t face Lee Gwak’s blade barehanded.

Lee Gwak’s blade carried a sharpness that defied human limits.

It wasn’t quite blade qi or blade aura, but it was just as powerful—perhaps even more so.

Even Cheol Gwang Woo couldn’t avoid getting injured when facing Lee Gwak’s blade. Yet, Muk Cheon-gang’s fists remained unscathed as he battled Lee Gwak.

“What’s the difference between him and me?”

Cheol Gwang Woo’s eyes were bloodshot.

Meanwhile, Lee Gwak and Muk Cheon-gang continued to unleash their full martial prowess upon each other.

SWISH! SLASH!

Lee Gwak’s blade tore through the air relentlessly, while Muk Cheon-gang’s fists boomed like thunder, scorching the surrounding air.

Muk Cheon-gang resembled a living volcano.

Every small movement he made, every breath he took, carried immense explosive power.

BOOM! BOOM!

Every time his fist flew forward, the air reverberated like a clap of thunder.

Muk Cheon-gang’s fist grazed Lee Gwak’s shoulder, causing it to turn a dark, bruised color. The punch hadn’t even hit directly, yet it still caused damage.

But Lee Gwak wasn’t simply on the receiving end. His blade had also injured Muk Cheon-gang’s shoulder.

The wound wasn’t light, but strangely, very little blood flowed from it.

‘He’s tightening his muscles around the wound.’

It was an unheard-of technique.

The ability to manage his injury in the middle of such an intense battle was astonishing.

This kind of martial skill couldn’t have been perfected in just a few decades. It must have been refined over multiple generations.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down Lee Gwak’s spine.

Up until now, he had thought that the pinnacle of martial arts resided only within the Jianghu.

The highest masters he knew—Go Geom Wol, Gwang Noh-ya, and Ja Hong Cheon—were all active in Jianghu.

But now that he thought about it, even the Eight Snakes Art he had learned had originated from the West. Yet, he had been so absorbed in Jianghu that he hadn’t even considered the wider possibilities.

‘Didn’t she say he came from Korea?’

At some point, he thought he would have to visit Korea. But aside from that, he now desperately wanted to win.

Against the man with those steel-like fists.

SWISH!

His blade grew even sharper.

There was barely any sound of the blade cutting through the air, but its power had increased several times over.

Muk Cheon-gang’s counterattacks also grew fiercer.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Muk Cheon-gang stormed toward Lee Gwak like a raging hurricane. The entire area trembled as if hit by an earthquake, and the air quaked violently.

The spectators’ faces turned pale. But as time passed, they began to sense something strange.

“It’s… quiet.”

“Everything’s so still!”

At some point, the area had gone silent. But Lee Gwak and Muk Cheon-gang hadn’t stopped fighting.

The two martial artists were now attacking each other more intensely than ever. Yet no sound came from their clash.

It was an extremely surreal sight.

Though they existed on the same ground, it felt as though Lee Gwak and Muk Cheon-gang were isolated in a separate space.

“What…?”

Cheol Gwang Woo blinked in confusion, and then Dam Soo-rin spoke.

“Resonance Aid.”

“What do you mean? What’s that?”

“I’ve only heard of it from my grandfather. It’s said that when two martial artists reach an extremely high level of martial prowess, they can stimulate and learn from each other, raising their skills during a duel.”

“So my brother and that man are…?”

“Yes, it seems so. Look at their faces.”

Cheol Gwang Woo looked at Lee Gwak and Muk Cheon-gang’s faces. There was no trace of hostility between them. Yet, they continued to unleash their full martial abilities against each other.

Lee Gwak was executing his Heaven Killing Blade to its limit.

His attack seemed unavoidable, yet Muk Cheon-gang nullified it in an unexpected way.

The same was true of Muk Cheon-gang’s attacks.

Despite Muk Cheon-gang’s volcanic onslaught, Lee Gwak deflected each one and kept advancing.

At some point, they had entered a state of pure focus, unaware of anything but each other.

Victory no longer mattered.

Everything else faded away.

What remained was a singular focus on each other’s vulnerabilities.

Heaven Killing Blade targeted the weaknesses in the Black Light Flow, while the Black Light Flow sought out the flaws in Heaven Killing Blade.

They defended, attacked, and simultaneously discovered and corrected the flaws in their techniques.

Lee Gwak’s Heaven Killing Blade grew closer to perfection through his battle with Muk Cheon-gang, and the same was true for Muk Cheon-gang.

As Muk Cheon-gang unleashed his martial art, he felt an overwhelming sense of joy. The thrill and danger of facing an opponent of equal or greater skill drove him to new heights.

‘Yes! This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.’

Inspired by Lee Gwak, he stopped wasting unnecessary energy and focused all his power into his two fists.

SWISH!

At that moment, Lee Gwak’s blade came crashing down.

The previously sharp blade now carried a volcanic force, much like Muk Cheon-gang’s.

Both martial artists unleashed everything they had accumulated over the years.