Chapter 363: The Authority of the Strong (5)
Badump badump!
The Vermilion Bird Qi entered his hot-blooded heart and drew out a stronger heartbeat.
Ulekeok ulekeok!
The blood flowing through the blood vessels of his whole body raised Yeon Ho-jeong’s body temperature.
His body temperature soared abnormally high. With that degree of body temperature, even an expert under heaven would have no choice but to collapse, but surprisingly, Yeon Ho-jeong was enduring that temperature as if it was nothing.
Chi-i-i-i-ik!
Grayish smoke soared from everywhere on his body. The heat he emitted screamed as it touched the cold air.
Tuk!
Yeon Ho-jeong threw the Heavenly Dipper backward.
Pulsseok!
The Heavenly Dipper who fell to the ground twitched. He didn’t die, but the Black Tortoise Qi that penetrated through the wound had completely suppressed the Golden Emperor Pure Fire Arts.
Thwack!
“Keu-ah-ak!”
The Heavenly Dipper screamed. Before he knew it, Murong Yu had embedded the Demon Sweeping Greatsword into his abdomen.
With that, the Heavenly Dipper became incapable of combat. Thanks to the fire essence, he wouldn’t die quickly even if his stomach was pierced, but even if he recovered, it would be hard to exert the same martial power as before since his whole body’s acupoints were damaged.
Yeon Ho-jeong forcefully took one step.
Ku-ung!
At the powerful earth-shaking stomp, the land in the area shook as if an earthquake occurred.
Like when he announced the start of those many fights in the past.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who finished combat preparations with a hearty earth-shaking stomp, lowered his posture.
Pa-ah-ah-ang!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who narrowed the distance in a single breath, swung the Crazy Dragon Axe towards Beon Jak’s head.
Jje-e-e-e-eong!
The Crazy Dragon Axe was blocked by the Fire Dragon Demonic Blade.
Beon Jak, who tried to bounce Yeon Ho-jeong away immediately, momentarily felt the hard wave of a divine sword aiming at his flank. It was Yeon Wi’s sword strike shot at an incredibly exquisite moment.
Beon Jak swung his left hand.
Ka-ah-ah-ang! Tu-ung!
Yeon Wi’s sword strike bounced off, and Yeon Ho-jeong flew backward.
Boom!
Taking advantage of that gap, Tang Kwan’s poison palm approached right in front of Beon Jak’s nose.
Beon Jak, who tried to strike down the palm power immediately, was surprised.
Puseuseuseuseu!
The poison palm scattered right in front of his nose and turned into smoke.
It wasn’t him who scattered it. The palm power naturally scattered itself and spread a cloud of poison qi in all directions.
“Clan Head Tang, this rat.”
Beon Jak’s pupils burned with golden light.
Hwareureureureureuk!
Tang Kwan’s poison qi wouldn’t disappear even with considerable fire qi.
However, Beon Jak’s fire qi was truly on a different level. The ultra-high temperature fire qi decomposed Tang Kwan’s poison qi immediately.
Boom!
Beon Jak’s face distorted.
‘Archer?’
He allowed a strike on his back. He prevented his body from being pierced with the protective aura of the Golden Emperor Pure Fire Arts, but the impact was considerable.
Pa-ah-ah-ah-ang!
The enraged Beon Jak unfolded the Flame King Fist.
It was as fast as Muk Bi’s arrow, but what was more terrifying than that was the fire qi that could inflict burns before it even reached the target.
Hook!
Muk Bi soared high into the sky. It was a choice to avoid the fire qi.
Beon Jak captured her movement like a ghost.
Boom!
A fist wind of flames emitted once again.
Flash!
Beon Jak’s fist wind could not reach Muk Bi. Because the verdigris sword light soaring from below split the fist wind exactly as it was.
“Yeon Wi!”
As if she knew that would happen, Muk Bi pulled the bowstring in the empty air without any agitation. An eerie energy rose from the bowstring where no arrow was nocked.
Pipipiping!
Formless arrows were each shot towards Beon Jak drawing curves.
Pa-ak!
Yeon Wi unfolded the Noble Sword, and Tang Kwan poured out the hidden weapon technique of the Flying Dagger Seven Swallows. The sword cannon of Thunder Lightning Kill unfolded by Murong Jun was the final touch.
It was a combined attack by the experts representing the Central Plains. It was a moment where even Beon Jak couldn’t help but become urgent.
Beon Jak cupped both his hands like the front paws of a tiger.
Hwareureureureureuk! Boom!
The attacks poured out by the four peak experts all scattered in front of the storm of flames.
“It’s not the time to act leisurely.”
Chi-i-i-i-ik!
Beon Jak, covering both hands with golden flames, raised the Golden Emperor Purification Arts to the extreme.
“Kill you all…”
Flash!
A crescent moon-like radiance fell aiming at Beon Jak’s collarbone.
Boom!
Beon Jak, who grabbed the axe blade of the Crazy Dragon Axe barehanded, glared at Yeon Ho-jeong with murderous eyes.
Beon Jak concentrated fire qi on his hand.
Chi-i-i-i-i-i-ik!
The Crazy Dragon Axe heated up red. He intended to ruin the Crazy Dragon Axe with the overwhelming firepower of the Golden Emperor Purification Arts.
However, that was Beon Jak’s misjudgment.
Hwareureureureuk!
Giant flames soared from the Crazy Dragon Axe.
Surprise appeared on Beon Jak’s face. He intended to melt the Crazy Dragon Axe, but he didn’t intend to cause a fire like this.
‘It’s not my Golden Emperor Qi.’
Beon Jak’s gaze touched Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s pupils were beyond red, containing a flame as sticky as blood.
‘Fire qi?!’
Yeon Ho-jeong forcefully pulled the Crazy Dragon Axe.
Boom!
Along with an explosion sound, the Golden Emperor Fire Qi and Vermilion Bird Fire Qi spewed out in all directions.
The heat was so strong that everyone including Yeon Wi, Tang Kwan, Murong Jun, and Muk Bi had to retreat.
Yeon Wi shouted.
“Ho-jeong!”
Boom!
Yeon Ho-jeong, who was charging with White Tiger Sovereign Steps, unfolded the Blood Wing Sweeping Heavens.
The Blood Wing Sweeping Heavens unfolded by gathering strength as much as possible with the footwork of the White Tiger truly enabled a movement like a thunderbolt.
The Sovereign Tiger’s Nine Thunderclaps and Fire Dragon Demonic Blade clashed.
Crack!
An immense shockwave swept the surroundings.
Yeon Ho-jeong vomited blood with a gulp. As expected, he had no choice but to be pushed back in strength.
However.
Kwa-ang!
Simultaneously with retreating, he unfolded the Blood Wing Sweeping Heavens again.
It hurt as if his bones and muscles were being mashed. But Yeon Ho-jeong ignored that pain.
‘I win.’
In Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes glaring at Beon Jak, absolute confidence towards victory along with blind murderous intent was cast.
‘I win!’
Yeon Ho-jeong swung the Crazy Dragon Axe.
Flash!
Beon Jak, who thought he would unfold a stance this time as well, was surprised for a moment.
It wasn’t the Sovereign Tiger’s Nine Thunderclaps. The Crazy Dragon Axe shot out aiming at Beon Jak’s torso while rotating at high speed.
He didn’t swing it, he threw it. It was a dumbfounding action.
Beon Jak unfolded the Flame King Fist.
Boom!
Along with an explosion sound, the Crazy Dragon Axe flew far away.
This time, even Beon Jak felt a strong pain in his fist. If the internal force he poured in was just a little less, his fist would have split in half.
‘To throw away your weapon, you have gone completely crazy!’
It was then.
‘…?!’
In a split second, a light of bewilderment appeared in Beon Jak’s eyes.
‘Where?!’
Yeon Ho-jeong had disappeared from his sight.
Hook!
At the same time, an explosive leg technique soared from the lower left.
Boom!
The Sovereign Tiger’s Nine Thunderclaps was unfolded as a leg technique. Beon Jak, who blocked the strike by crossing his arms, retreated three or four steps backward.
Kwa-ang!
Another earth-shaking stomp.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who regained his vitality with one refreshing step, forcefully thrust his twin fists.
Boom!
The two people’s fists clashed like crazy.
Hook! Hwareureureuk!
The momentum of the flames overflowing in all directions grew stronger. The shockwaves created by the two were stimulating the fire qi.
It was a life-or-death martial arts arena surrounded by a wall of flames. Neither Yeon Wi, Tang Kwan, nor Murong Jun could charge in there. The fire qi was too fierce to advance while pushing through the momentum.
However.
Pababababak!
Yeon Wi frantically swung his sword and scattered the wall of fire.
Tang Kwan’s eyes wavered.
“Clan Head Yeon!”
“Eua-ah-ap!”
Yeon Wi continuously struck his right sword and left palm.
Kwang! Boom! Hwareureureureuk!
The Yeon Clan’s secret sword technique and a peak hand technique burst out and gradually cleared the curtain of fire.
With Yeon Wi’s qi power, it was impossible to pierce through this easily. It was a moment where the firm will of a human made the impossible possible.
Hook!
Fire caught everywhere on Yeon Wi’s body as he pierced through the wall of fire. Thanks to his strong internal energy shield, he didn’t suffer burns, but if his internal energy wavered, his skin would burn immediately.
But he didn’t mind that either.
“Ho-jeong!”
Kwa-ang!
Yeon Ho-jeong vomited blood and retreated backward.
Pa-ah-ah-ak!
Yeon Wi struck a sword strike towards Beon Jak’s legs.
It was an incredibly fast quick sword. Even the Beon Jak under heaven felt his chest chill at this strike.
“These guys!”
Jje-e-e-e-eong!
Yeon Wi dropped his sword.
A swordsman wouldn’t let go of his sword from his hand even if he died. Yeon Wi was also an orthodox swordsman of the Central Plains, so he had that much pride.
But the current Yeon Wi was not a swordsman.
He was merely a parent, a father of two sons, who could sacrifice his life a thousand times for his own flesh and blood.
Boom!
Yeon Wi, who pushed Beon Jak away with the Reverse-Dragon Palm, approached Yeon Ho-jeong in a single breath.
“Are you alright?!”
At that moment, Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.
Pa-ak! Boom!
Sparks burst on Yeon Ho-jeong’s shoulder as he pulled Yeon Wi’s body. It was a spark created by Beon Jak’s Flame King Fist brushing past.
“Eua-ah-ap!”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who suppressed the pain with a shout-like scream, unfolded the Northern Heaven Twelve Walls.
Boom!
Yeon Ho-jeong’s body shook like crazy.
But surprisingly, he was blocking Beon Jak’s attack. He was pouring all the power of the Yeon Clan Divine Elixir into amplifying the Black Tortoise Qi.
‘Father.’
While blocking Beon Jak’s attack, Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Yeon Wi.
Yeon Wi’s eyes wavered as he met his son’s gaze.
‘Ho-jeong.’
His son’s eyes looked firmer than ever. The will to win no matter what was full in that gaze.
Yeon Wi stretched out his hand.
Huuuuung!
The sword he had dropped naturally sucked into his hand. It was the divine skill of Void Object Manipulation.
Thwack! Boom!
The sparks attached everywhere on Yeon Wi’s clothes burst making pop-pop sounds. The Golden Emperor Fire Qi was inflicting burns on Yeon Wi’s body whose internal energy shield, the protective barrier, wavered because it was dulled by the Sword-Limit Thought Qi pouring into his sword.
But Yeon Wi didn’t feel the pain.
Sa-ah-ah-ah-ah-ak!
Along with an eerie sound, a verdigris lightning stormed on his sword.
It wasn’t that he learned lightning qi like Murong Jun. In reality, what was loaded on that sword wasn’t lightning qi.
However, a more brutal and rough lightning pattern than Murong Jun’s Thunder Energy Qi repeatedly pounded the sword. Even the curtain of fire faltered at that sword power amplifying in a split second.
Beon Jak’s eyes widened.
‘What is it?’
Behind the translucent black qi shield.
A truly terrifying power was gathering. The density of that power was so immense that even Beon Jak’s fire qi was scared and pushed back.
‘Where did this power come from…?!’
At that time, the black turtle shell shield disappeared.
Hu-uk!
As soon as the shield disappeared, Yeon Ho-jeong rushed in.
Beon Jak reflexively attacked Yeon Ho-jeong. Figuring out the true nature of this power should be the priority, but Yeon Ho-jeong’s attack was too fast for that.
Thwack! Thwack thwack! Boom!
He thought he should finish him off in a single breath and pull out.
But this time as well, the aspect of the fight went beyond Beon Jak’s expectations.
Boom!
Amidst the exploding shockwaves, a single fist as hard as a rock struck Beon Jak’s thigh.
Ppa-gak!
‘Keuk!’
Veins bulged on Beon Jak’s neck.
‘This guy?!’
It was the first time his leg was hit by Yeon Ho-jeong’s fist. Although his attention was distracted elsewhere for a moment, even taking that into account, this was an absurd situation.
Enraged, he unfolded the linked fists of the Flame King Fist.
At that time, Yeon Ho-jeong’s upper body moved like a snake.
Boom!
Beon Jak’s eyes widened as if tearing.
Yeon Ho-jeong was evading all the linked twin fists thrust like lightning with just the movement of his upper body.
“Now I see it.”
Ppa-gak!
Beon Jak staggered and retreated backward.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who stretched out his fist to the middle level, smiled coldly.
“Your weakness, I finally see it now.”
In the past, Ok-cheong had said that instinctively seeing through the opponent’s weakness was Yeon Ho-jeong’s greatest talent.
That talent began to raise its head amidst a battle where the power gap was quite large. It wasn’t enough to just dodge all of Beon Jak’s attacks that only felt burdensome, he even counterattacked. At the crossroads of life and death, the talent of death had stretched itself.
Beon Jak let out a roar for the first time.
“You bug-like bastard!”
At that moment, a calm voice flowed into Beon Jak’s ears.
“I didn’t raise my son carelessly enough to hear such words from a petty person like you.”
Flash!
Yeon Wi, who stepped on Yeon Ho-jeong’s shoulder and soared, glared at Beon Jak with terrifying eyes.
In an instant, Beon Jak felt a chill running down his spine. Because he felt an unmanageable energy from the sword Yeon Wi was holding.
Polished thousands of times pursuing the absolute sword strike, Yeon Wi’s final secret technique compressing all the sword techniques of the Yeon Clan.
“Die now.”
Flash!
A verdigris thunderbolt struck down on Beon Jak’s head.
Rumble!