Chapter 192

Chapter 192 - To the Hometown (4)

A small interest arose on Yeon Ho-jeong's face.

"This is quite an exciting situation."

"Is it?"

Pae-yul smiled. A chill aura hovered around the smile, casting the shadow of a ferocious predator.

"I think you would understand? From how I see it, neither you nor I are much different."

"Does it look like that to you?"

"Of course. You are different from the boring mountain people. Whether it's the Nine Sects or the Six Clans, they all try to live like lofty cranes. However, aren't you a tiger that unhesitatingly bites off the flesh of its prey?"

"You view me too highly."

"I have no interest in what you think of yourself. Only the you that I see is important."

Cheok-gang was needlessly restless in the middle.

"M-Martial Uncle."

At that time, Yeon Ho-jeong raised his hand and stopped Cheok-gang.

At some point, his eyes had also become serious.

"Are you sincere?"

"Hmm?"

"The words that you will immediately obey my orders if you lose to me. The words that if I tell you to die, you might actually die for me instead of pretending to die."

Pae-yul's face stiffened.

"I too, when I was young, grew up hearing that I was a troublemaker a lot, like Cheok-gang. However, even those who hated me acknowledged this one thing."

"What is it?"

"I do not speak two words with one mouth."

The corners of Yeon Ho-jeong's mouth went up.

Surprisingly, his smile somehow looked similar to Pae-yul's smile.

"Not speaking two words with one mouth... It is an important virtue."

"So, has your heart moved a bit?"

"Are you hungry for a bout?"

Pae-yul smirked.

"As expected, you are of a similar kind to me. Was it immediately visible?"

"Even if one is not of the same kind, anyone with tact would know."

"Is that so."

"If you were that hungry for a bout, why didn't you grab just anyone and hold a spar? You don't seem like the type to draw your sword while making allowances for the opponent's circumstances."

Pae-yul shook his head.

"Wrong. I am certainly a person without common sense, but since I have reached this age and hold the position of an elder, I cannot completely ignore the dignity of the sect."

"And it's okay to come under a junior far below you and receive orders?"

"That is if you defeat me."

The air gradually heated up.

Pae-yul's smile deepened.

"Your internal and external injuries are considerable. First, get treated..."

"Are there rules?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Do you want a spar to figure out each other's capabilities? Do you want a real-battle-like bout where a head flies off if one makes a mistake?"

"Naturally the latter, isn't it."

"Is that so."

Yeon Ho-jeong nodded his head.

"I will believe you are a person with a clear understanding of real battles."

"Of course..."

It was then.

Paaaaang!

Pae-yul's eyes widened.

Before he knew it, Yeon Ho-jeong, who had closed the distance, was abruptly launching a palm strike.

It seemed as if the atmosphere was being sucked into the palm method that pushed in heavily. It was the Reverse Dragon Palm, a secret martial art of the Yeon Clan.

'Heup!'

Teoeoeong!

Pae-yul, who retreated with an elastic movement technique, shouted.

"What is this suddenly...?!"

In an instant, Yeon Ho-jeong stepped powerfully.

Kwaaaang!

The palm force pouring out from the launched palm method flew in at twice the speed of the first one.

It was an unavoidable strike. Then he had to block it, but looking at the driving force, it seemed it would be overwhelming even to block.

'No thoughts!'

He had many thoughts. Pae-yul immediately drew his sword.

Chwaaaaaak!

The palm force of the Reverse Dragon Palm split in half.

Boom!

The split palm force struck the ground as it was, overturning the surface of the earth on the left and right.

Pae-yul's angry voice burst out.

"What kind of act is this!"

Paaaaak!

Yeon Ho-jeong did not answer.

Approaching while exuding a powerful aura with the White Tiger's Sovereign Step, he wielded twin fists like a storm.

Pae-yul's eyes grew larger.

'Tremendous power!'

The barrage of fists curving in was exquisiteness itself. All those fist strikes seemed to draw the teeth of a giant beast.

There was no leeway to go easy on the opponent. Pae-yul's sword rotated at high speed, creating a bloody sword wind.

Pababababak! Kwang!

"Keuk!"

It was ignorant strength.

Because he unfolded it in a split second, he couldn't bring out even half of its original power, but the Returning Wind Dancing Willow Forty-Eight Swords was one of the secret sword techniques the Diancang Sect boasted of.

The power of that sword was restricted from the roots. Beyond simply disrupting its power, it was an extremely practical fist combat that struck the pulse of the opponent's martial arts and ruptured it.

Paaaaang!

It was a sudden development, but he didn't panic. Pae-yul's body rotated rapidly and slipped out to Yeon Ho-jeong's right rear in an instant.

It was an exquisite body movement. A highly unpredictable footwork, Diancang's Shrinking Shadow Step.

Having occupied the rear, Pae-yul struck down with his sword in a single breath. The target was the center of Yeon Ho-jeong's back. He struck a sword strike into a place where the opponent would inevitably suffer a heavy injury whether they dodged or blocked the sword.

It was then.

Kaaaaang!

Pae-yul's eyes widened.

'This with bare hands?!'

Yeon Ho-jeong, who extended his hand without even looking back.

The sword strike was blocked by that hand. A strangely dark blue energy was overflowing from the hand that blocked the sword strike.

It was Black Tortoise Qi. The specific repulsive force of the Black Tortoise Qi was enough to rather bounce Pae-yul's sword, which had launched the attack, backwards.

Paaaak!

That was not the end.

As if he knew it would be like that, he gathered the strength of his whole body, rotated, and kicked up with the tip of his foot, and that speed was as fast as lightning.

Speed is power. A kicking technique as fast as a Fast Sword would surely have tremendous power as well.

'I cannot take it head-on.'

He had to avoid it. If he blocked it, he would be pushed back, but if he avoided it, he could counterattack.

Peoeoeong!

The hem of Pae-yul's long robe burst away at the tip of the foot shot tearing the air.

'Here!'

Pae-yul's sword aimed at Yeon Ho-jeong's neck. It was a timely strike, and an exquisite direction. It was a sword strike that anyone would find hard to dodge.

In an instant, the light in Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes spewed fire.

Sareureureuk.

Shock colored Pae-yul's face.

The tip of the sword pierced the empty air.

A strong attack inevitably produces an opening. It was a strike aiming for that opening, but at some point, Yeon Ho-jeong's figure had disappeared from his eyes.

'Wh-Where?!'

In an instant, he felt a gruesome killing intent curving up from the lower part.

Paaaaak! Thump!

"Keuk!"

He dodged the moment he felt the killing intent, but it was slightly late. The kicking technique flying in thrusting low from beneath struck his thigh.

Jjiiiiiing.

'Damn.'

The pain rising from his thigh was immense. However, this must be considered lucky. If he hadn't avoided it, even belatedly, and was hit properly, his bone would have broken and his muscles and flesh would have torn and flown away.

Terrifying offensive power. Pae-yul clicked his tongue at the opponent's steel-like physical techniques.

'That was a feint?!'

After placing a kicking technique like a flash of light as a feint to make the enemy careless, he launched a fatal strike.

It was truly the fighting style of a veteran of a hundred battles. Moreover, even the attack launched as a feint wielded power enough to make it hard to avoid heavy injury if hit.

'However!'

This time it was real. Enduring the pain that felt like his thigh was breaking, Pae-yul poured out an elastic sword strike.

Yeon Ho-jeong's pupils dilated.

Pae-yul did not miss the change in Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes. This time at least, it was certain the opponent was also flustered.

At that time, Yeon Ho-jeong's hand moved bizarrely.

'...?'

Pae-yul's eyes grew larger.

'What...?!'

Wuuuuuuuung.

Like a snake, or like a dragon.

From Yeon Ho-jeong's hand coming in rotating flexibly as if it had no bones, a bluish-green light surged. And that light wrapped around Pae-yul's sword and hand in a single breath.

Thump! Tiiiiiing!

'Broken.'

His wrist was broken. The sword he was holding firmly flew high into the sky.

Huk!

Pae-yul, who immediately retreated backwards, thrilled at the mysterious aura felt from the rear-side.

His back was caught. Even though he was staring right at it.

It didn't emit a flashy killing intent like fire, didn't create a heavy flow like water, nor did it show light movements like the wind.

However, it was soft.

It was soft yet grand, fast and miraculous. It was a footwork so frightening that his head went white for a moment.

An extreme evasion ability, and a footwork that created a thorough counterattack posture.

It was Azure Dragon Qi, Azure Dragon Cloud-Treading Step. For the current Pae-yul, it was too much to pierce through the essence of that profoundly mysterious footwork.

Yeon Ho-jeong, who preempted the attack point with the Azure Dragon Cloud-Treading Step, extended his fist.

Wuuuuuuuung!

A warm wind somehow seemed to dwell around the swirling fist power. Even though it was a clear strike, it exuded a bloody feeling as if it would blow the opponent away with accumulated destructive power.

It was the Azure Dragon's art, the Three Forms of the Dragon Flock.

Peopeopeopeong!

"Keoheok!"

Pae-yul, who flew away with a groan, crashed into the wall.

Puseuseuseu.

Stone dust sputtered from the cracked wall.

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled. His complexion was somewhat pale, but no sign of pain could be seen.

"I won."

"Kulloek!"

Pae-yul knelt on that spot. He lost strength in his legs and could no longer stand.

'To think it was such tremendous martial arts.'

If it had been martial arts launched with determination, it wouldn't have ended there. Because Yeon Ho-jeong's martial arts were extremely practical while overflowing with destructive power.

If he hadn't withdrawn his power at the end, all of Pae-yul's ribs would have been crushed and his five viscera and six bowels would also have been mashed, and his body, which had become a lump of blood, would have smashed the wall and flown three more zhang.

Pae-yul's face turned red.

'Does it mean I would have died if he hadn't gone easy on me.'

People tried hard to hush it up, but those who knew already knew. That Yeon Ho-jeong was the best rising star of the Murim of this generation.

Pae-yul finally realized those words. Those who acknowledged Yeon Ho-jeong saw his talent and the realm he achieved, but Pae-yul saw his real combat ability and skillful tactics through this spar.

'Where on earth did this guy learn such techniques?!'

He looked up at Yeon Ho-jeong with trembling eyes.

Yeon Ho-jeong was panting. Because he forcibly operated his internal energy amidst having suffered considerable internal and external injuries, his internal injuries deepened even more.

"You are incredible, Senior."

"Kollok! Kulleok!"

"Honestly, I thought it would end within the first three exchanges. Because you were being tremendously careless."

"...Did it look like that?"

"That is so."

Jureureuk.

Yeon Ho-jeong bled from his nose. The mucous membrane of his nose was injured by the forced operation of internal energy and continuous acceleration.

He said while wiping the flowing blood.

"Have you had many thoughts recently? It seems you couldn't even show all your original skills."

Pae-yul's eyes shook.

"The tip of your sword shakes, and your movements are half a beat late. Every single technique responding to my martial arts is practical, but your body isn't following them."

"..."

"I think I could have won somehow even if I hadn't gone out of my way to ambush you."

Cheok-gang, who had been blankly watching the bout that occurred suddenly, spoke up in sudden surprise.

"C-Commander! No matter what, an ambush?!"

Yeon Ho-jeong smirked.

"Didn't you say you wanted a real battle. Even so, members belonging to the Murim Alliance can't really kill each other, so I had no choice but to subdue you quickly."

"B-But!"

At that time, Pae-yul said.

"There is no room for excuses."

Yeon Ho-jeong and Cheok-gang looked at Pae-yul.

Pae-yul, who staggered to his feet as if his strength had returned a little, said.

"Whatever the reason, it is my defeat for not responding properly."

"But Martial Uncle!"

"Whether it's an ambush or a fair bout, if you die, that's the end of it. You should also know it."

"..."

Pae-yul let out a sigh. In that appearance, the extremely dangerous atmosphere from before the fight was no longer visible.

"To do that much with a body that hasn't even completely healed. You are indeed different."

"Senior's martial arts were also tremendous. You hardly even brought out Diancang's secret transmissions."

"Isn't it that you made it so I couldn't bring them out."

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled faintly.

It was a sharp discerning eye. Although he was defeated, he was a person with a tremendously outstanding sense for martial arts.

Pae-yul closed his eyes.

Suddenly, extreme fatigue surged in.

"I thought that if I fought you, we would beat each other bloody for days."

"Is that so."

Pae-yul smiled bitterly.

"I lost."

"It was a good bout."

"Didn't I say it? That I don't speak two words with one mouth."

"You did."

"I will enter under your command."

Cheok-gang looked at Pae-yul in shock.

Yeon Ho-jeong said with a serious face.

"It will be very dangerous, will it be okay?"

"Even if it's dangerous, I wonder if it will be more dangerous than your fist."

Yeon Ho-jeong smirked.

"Congratulations. On coming under a junior far younger than you."

Pae-yul's face crumpled like crumpled drawing paper.

"Congratulations to you too. On getting a Diancang Sect elder as your subordinate."