Chapter 294: Path of the Wild Beast (4)
Hwiiiing!
The cold winter wind shook the collars of the two people’s clothes.
Yeon Ho-jeong looked around.
“It is much wider than our Army-Destroying Pavilion. It is perfect to use as a training ground.”
Tang Kwan tapped the ground with the tip of his foot without answering.
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“The cleaning is done well. Looking at the traces, it seems an internal martial arts expert used it; did you clean it yourself, Clan Head?”
Tang Kwan replied bluntly.
“There’s nothing for you to know.”
It was a fascinating thing.
The Tang Kwan that Yeon Ho-jeong saw was a person who had strong pride and thought his own status was high. Meaning, he did not have the personality to do such menial chores.
However, looking at it now, it seemed he had personally cleaned this wide area. That was surprisingly anew.
‘It seems the change in his state of mind is quite large.’
He didn’t know what had happened to Tang Kwan in the meantime. He had only heard from his father that the person had definitely changed.
However, actually facing him like this, it was more than what he had heard from his father. Tang Kwan had clearly changed from before.
“By the way.”
Yeon Ho-jeong tilted his head.
“Confirming the vessel through martial arts… If it is a spar with a super peak master like the Clan Head, it is a matter I would also set everything aside for, but would it necessarily have meaning?”
Tang Kwan’s lips curled up.
“Why? Are you afraid that you might die?”
“How could that be?”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s voice was as relaxed as could be.
“I don’t die that easily. Because killing before I die is my martial art.”
“Arrogant.”
“I am just informing you of the characteristics of my martial arts.”
Tang Kwan, who was quietly looking at Yeon Ho-jeong, soon reached out his hand towards the window on the second floor of the building.
Wuuuuung.
Invisible internal energy created a solemn flow.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.
‘As expected.’
It is an incredible formless ultimate qi.
It was an internal energy power surprising enough even when looked at through the eyes of the Lord of the Dark Emperor Castle, the Dark Emperor, rather than the Eldest Young Master of the Yeon Clan and the Number One rising star under heaven, the Tiger General of Green Mountain.
‘It is no exaggeration to say that his state of Void Manipulation has almost reached the extreme.’
Setting aside the quality and quantity of internal energy, the oral formula that created the flow itself was amazing. To obtain that level of enlightenment, training and passion regardless of day and night were needed in addition to genius-like talent.
‘It was like that back then too.’
When he joined hands with the Orthodox Murim Alliance as the Dark Emperor and waged war with the Three Cults.
The internal energy power Tang Kwan showed at that time was much more bold and delicate than this.
However, the framework that created this flow, the solidness of the oral formula that drew out the formless ultimate qi, there was not much difference between now and then. In other words, it meant that Tang Kwan was already steadily progressing in his preparations to ascend to the level of the Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats.
Hwiriririk! Taak!
Tang Kwan snatched a long object.
A strange light lingered in Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes.
“It is an iron staff.”
“Take it.”
Hwiik!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who caught the seven-chi long iron staff thrown by Tang Kwan, grabbed the middle of the staff and twirled it around.
Unexpectedly, it was an iron staff with a very well-balanced center of gravity. Seeing that its weight was also considerable, it looked like an iron staff made entirely of solid steel.
“In order to handle such a large axe skillfully, you must be proficient in various spear and staff techniques.”
“Of course I am.”
“It will be better than nothing. Use that.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“Why is this kind of object in the Clan Head’s residence?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Tang Kwan raised his chin.
An attitude as arrogant as could be. It was a posture revealing absolute confidence in his own martial arts.
“Are you ready?”
Bung! Buung! Buung!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who grabbed the middle of the staff shaft and struck the empty air a few times, rested the iron staff on his shoulder.
“I am ready.”
It was then.
Paaaaak!
Tang Kwan charged at a terrifying speed.
Yeon Ho-jeong was the one who responded to enemy attacks anytime, at any moment. However, for just this moment, even Yeon Ho-jeong could not help but be surprised.
‘A preemptive strike?!’
With Tang Kwan’s pride, he thought he would at least receive three moves before starting. Setting aside the issue of skill, it was because he had that much pride.
But an abrupt preemptive strike? It was an act completely uncharacteristic of Tang Kwan.
Huuuk!
His approach speed was fast too, but the speed of the palm force he struck out with was also top-notch.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s two eyes spat out a deep blue radiance.
Teeeeong!
A strange light also flashed in Tang Kwan’s eyes.
‘Repulsive force?’
He emitted a heavy wave of Qi in an instant, and simply deflected the Returning Wind Palm that had pierced through in a straight line.
No matter how lightly he struck out his hand, it was a palm technique used by the Head of the Tang Clan under heaven. It was not a strike that could be parried this lightly.
‘Interesting.’
Tang Kwan’s body instantly blurred.
Pabababak!
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.
‘He’s fast.’
He was fast. Incredibly fast at that.
He had seen countless experts after regressing to the past, but there was not a single person who showed this level of fast movement. Yang Cheon would be an exception, but he had never properly shown his martial arts after the regression.
‘Rear upper left.’
Yeon Ho-jeong thrust the iron staff towards there without even looking back.
Jjeeeeong!
A clear yet heavy sound of iron wrapped around the entire training ground.
Yeon Ho-jeong unknowingly took a few steps forward. He was unable to withstand the aftermath of the force transmitted from the tip of the staff.
At the same time, Yeon Ho-jeong’s eye glint changed from blue to red.
Hwarereureuk!
Tang Kwan, who was about to strike right in and grab his neck, widened his eyes at Yeon Ho-jeong’s suddenly changed momentum.
Pababababak!
If Yeon Ho-jeong was surprised by Tang Kwan’s tremendous mastery of movement techniques a moment ago, this time it was Tang Kwan who was surprised by the speed of Yeon Ho-jeong’s footwork.
‘He’s fast?’
He swung the iron staff while chopping left and right at a terrifying speed, and that speed was not lacking much even compared to his own.
Moreover, this Qi wave.
Hwaaaaaak!
The brilliant killing intent transmitted along with the hot fire Qi was intimidation itself, and an ultimate move itself.
It was a martial art with overwhelming momentum that crushed the courage to face it even before the actual attack came in.
Tang Kwan’s two hands swung dizzyingly.
Crack! Hwaaaaak!
The power of the iron staff was mighty enough to smash even rocks. Attacks of that level of power were storming in with as many as twelve consecutive strikes.
And Tang Kwan deflected all those attacks one by one with both his palms.
Hwiiiiiiing! Pupeupeung!
The dizzyingly swirling wind clashed back and forth and compressed before erupting into a formless shockwave.
Flash!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who widened the distance with a few clashes, instantly approached at a speed like a ray of light.
Tang Kwan’s eyes flashed.
‘He’s approaching? Holding a long weapon?’
Before he knew it, the tip of the staff was shooting towards his Adam’s apple. The strike thrust while gripping the staff shaft with both hands was simple yet fast, efficient yet overflowing with killing intent.
Tang Kwan’s two hands wrapped around the iron staff like a snake.
Bang!
Ruthless Force Emission erupted from the wrapped hands. At that heavy defense, Yeon Ho-jeong almost lost his grip on the iron staff for a moment.
‘No, he’s letting it go.’
Rattle!
Tang Kwan, who was about to go into a follow-up attack while parrying the iron staff, was startled the moment Yeon Ho-jeong let go of the iron staff.
Rotating quickly in place, Yeon Ho-jeong forcefully kicked the end of the iron staff with his foot.
Crack!
It was a counterattack that flew in from extreme close range. The iron staff shot from a distance of less than two rulers carried an internal force that could not be ignored.
An unexpected strike, a genius actual combat sense.
Even Tang Kwan could not block this strike. Not because its power was outstanding, but because it was an attack that aimed for an unpredictable moment by crushing the tempo.
Tang Kwan leaned his upper body back with the Iron Bridge technique.
Pueeeeeok!
The iron staff that flew like an arrow swept past Tang Kwan’s lapels and got stuck in the ground.
Tang Kwan’s eyes sharpened.
‘He is going to deal with me with technique and actual combat ability instead of strength, is that it.’
It was a response that naturally brought out admiration.
No matter how strong Yeon Ho-jeong is, he is not yet at the level of the Clan Heads of the Six Great Clans. If he clashes with strength and internal force, he will naturally be pushed back.
In other words, it meant Yeon Ho-jeong had perfectly designed how to deal with Tang Kwan as soon as the match started.
‘An extraordinary guy is an extraordinary guy.’
Taaaang!
Tang Kwan, who had laid his upper body back, shot forward using tremendous elasticity.
It was the Bow Body Springing Shadow technique following the Iron Bridge. As if he had intended to respond this way from the start, the connected movements and flow of force were smooth yet immediate.
Yeon Ho-jeong and Tang Kwan clashed with bare hands.
Pupeupeupeupeupung!
The fist techniques and palm techniques of the two people clashed at ultra-high speed.
Hwarereureureuk!
Terrifying killing intent and brilliant killing moves were erupting in succession from Yeon Ho-jeong’s hands, which were swung while clad in deep red fire Qi.
Pueeeeong! Tututung!
On the other hand, insidious killing intent and unique killing moves continuously erupted from Tang Kwan’s hands, which responded by fully demonstrating his eerie Qi waves.
It was a clash between martial arts with completely different characteristics. A strike with absolute power didn’t come out, but it was a ruthless bare-handed combat where a life could be lost in a moment of mistake.
‘Definitely.’
While dealing with Yeon Ho-jeong’s explosive fist combat, Tang Kwan thought.
‘Looking only at his martial arts, he doesn’t particularly look like the type who uses his head.’
His two arms, which blocked and deflected Yeon Ho-jeong’s fists, had been tingling from earlier. It meant that Yeon Ho-jeong’s internal energy and Force Emission were powerful enough to pierce through his defense.
Let’s see if you won’t be pierced, he seemed to be shouting like that. Each and every attack ignored the tempo and flew from unpredictable angles, and if he tried to prepare in advance, he aimed for another opening with an honest strike then.
There is reality within the void, and there is void within reality. It was an irregular offensive technique to the point where even Tang Kwan would have allowed attacks at least three times if he didn’t have an eye technique trained by hidden weapons.
Of course, Tang Kwan did not take out the poisons or hidden weapons that the Tang Clan boasted of either.
‘Anyway, I can say I have seen enough with this.’
It was when Tang Kwan was slowly backing away and trying to parry Yeon Ho-jeong’s attack.
Kuuung!
Tang Kwan’s eyes wavered.
Rumble!
The Qi wave that had been burning like a flame soon changed into a tremendously heavy and solid great mountain.
‘……?!’
The moment of that change was like an instant. To accomplish a transformation to such contradictory temperaments in the blink of an eye, he couldn’t believe it even while seeing it.
‘This bastard.’
Tang Kwan could instinctively feel that an unprecedented strike was approaching.
‘Don’t tell me, he hasn’t been going all out until now?’
Hwaaaaaak!
The sound of the white gust of wind wrapping around Yeon Ho-jeong’s entire body tearing the atmosphere apart was like the roar of an angry wild beast.
Bang!
One step forward.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s explosive strike where he expanded his muscles to the extreme after raising his heart rate to the limit with the Red Flame Six Killing Art.
The Sovereign Tiger’s Nine Thunderclaps of the White Tiger Art, the Tiger Roar Kill, swept Tang Kwan’s upper body just like that.
Pueeeeong!
Tang Kwan’s body, floating in the air, flew a distance of three zhang and fell to the floor.
Chiiiiiik!
Pure white smoke rose from Tang Kwan’s two arms. He had even opened his own Poison Art to negate the tremendous Force Emission of the Tiger Roar Kill.
Tang Kwan’s eyes wavered.
‘A tremendous strike!’
If he hadn’t prepared properly, his consciousness might have been blown away by this strike. It was that terrifying of an attack.
“Huu.”
Yeon Ho-jeong exhaled heavily. On the ground to the right of where he stood, the iron staff was stuck diagonally.
He grabbed the iron staff and pulled it out.
Pasak!
The ground split and the thick iron staff revealed its appearance.
Buuung! Buuuung!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who grabbed the middle of the iron staff and swung it a few times, lowered his posture.
Wiiiiing! Wuiiiiing!
Fierce fighting spirit surged in Yeon Ho-jeong’s two eyes.
Chiiiiiik!
The smoke rising from Tang Kwan’s two arms slowly dyed green.
“……I thought I had seen enough, but you’re saying there’s still more left?”
“Because my personality isn’t flexible, if what I’m doing is cut off in the middle, my bed feels uneasy.”
Tang Kwan formed a bloody smile.
“Will you be able to handle it?”
“Didn’t you tell me to prove my vessel through martial arts? I don’t know what or how you will see, but shouldn’t you at least go to the end to salvage something?”
The smile disappeared from Tang Kwan’s face.
Chwareureureureuk!
Before he knew it, an iron whip popped out from his sleeve and squirmed like a poisonous snake.
“I like it for the first time. That ill-mannered personality of yours.”
Yeon Ho-jeong grinned.