Number One In Sichuan (4)

Ha Baek-cheon’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.

‘How can this be?’

Heavy qi waves swirled from the opponent as he approached one staggering step at a time.

Just facing him made it hard to breathe. As if he had fallen into a deep sea filled with pressure beyond imagination, he could not control his limbs, his breathing, or even his internal energy as he wished.

‘This makes no sense!’

Pajijik!

He somehow released every bit of power he could draw from the Body-Unbinding Immortal-Donning Art.

Only then did he regain freedom over his body, but that was all. The primal killing intent his opponent emitted brought a pressure unlike anything he had ever experienced.

He gritted his teeth and tried to steady his mind, but the emotion called fear, which had begun to raise its head at some point, would not disappear.

‘Has that bastard truly crossed the wall?!’

Twin Dragons and Three Phoenixes.

The rising stars praised as the greatest geniuses in the current Kangho.

In previous generations, there had also been many rising stars called the Nine Dragons and Three Phoenixes or the Seven Dragons and Seven Phoenixes, but the Twin Dragons and Three Phoenixes were on an entirely different level of talent. Though most of them were in their late twenties to early thirties, they were known to possess martial arts above the level of Nine Sects elders, nearly at the level of sect leaders.

That alone was a major event. At that speed, it meant they could aim to become the strongest under heaven when they reached middle age, the prime of a martial artist’s life.

But the white-haired demon before his eyes had advanced even faster.

At an age when he did not even look to be in his mid-twenties, let alone thirty, he had already broken through the wall and was soaring into the sky.

And such a genius was approaching as an enemy.

“…Yes. So that was it.”

He was the leader of the enemies who had killed his blood kin, and the foe who had destroyed the sect he had managed all his life.

Ha Baek-cheon’s face turned expressionless. It was a face that looked even more frightening than when it had been twisted with rage.

Seuuk.

Caution seeped from Ha Baek-cheon as he slowly took his stance.

If he rushed in excitedly just because Jin-hyeon was his enemy, he would not avoid death. To Ha Baek-cheon, the current Jin-hyeon had changed from a rising star with incomprehensible talent into the greatest opponent of his life.

“There is no need for long words.”

Jin-hyeon’s steps stopped. At the same time, his white hair, which had been swaying in every direction, also settled.

Tseutseuts.

Formless qi waves spread around him like ripples.

The back of Ha Baek-cheon’s neck grew wet with sweat.

‘What tremendous killing intent.’

His tightly clenched fists burned white.

‘There is something different about his killing intent. It is violent and wild, as if I am truly facing a beast.’

It did not feel like he was facing a person. That alien killing intent made Ha Baek-cheon tense.

‘He cannot emit that kind of killing intent forever. This too is like a kind of qi art. Besides, he has suffered serious internal and external injuries.’

The formless force field that had repelled every attack and ground up the earth with its bizarre qi waves merely signified the change itself. One could call it a temporary increase in pressure caused by harmony between internal and external energy.

In other words, it was only a ‘phenomenon’ produced as that bastard’s martial art grew by one stage. In reality, he could not emit that kind of pressure again.

A body that was wounded and exhausted now housed true qi that only those who had crossed the wall could obtain.

He only had to endure that power.

‘I will kill you no matter what!’

The moment brilliant light poured from Ha Baek-cheon’s eyes.

Bang!

“Keok!”

Ha Baek-cheon’s body flew through the wall of the inner court.

‘W-What!’

The tremendous impact shaking his upper body made his vision swim.

He couldn’t tell what had flown at him or how. All Ha Baek-cheon had seen was white hair that suddenly appeared right before his nose.

‘If not for the Great Demon Wall of the Immortal-Donning Art…’

Shiver!

Ha Baek-cheon hurriedly drew up true qi, stood, and unleashed Soul-Returning Divine Palm.

Huk!

It was a massive palm force covering a wide range. It contained powerful internal energy, as if it would sweep away Jin-hyeon’s entire body as he appeared beyond the collapsed inner court wall.

In that instant, Ha Baek-cheon could see it.

Jin-hyeon’s face, with all of his pure white hair swept back.

He caught sight of Jin-hyeon’s pale, clean skin, all the minor scratches gone, flushed red with heat.

Kwaang!

The palm force of Soul-Returning Divine Palm shattered under one straight strike of Steel-Shattering Hammer.

There was no remarkable stomp, nor any rotational force beginning from the waist. The Yan Clan’s peak martial art, Soul-Returning Divine Palm, had literally been smashed by one straightforward punch.

Ha Baek-cheon gritted his teeth.

Paaaang!

Ghostly Divine Step, deployed to its peak.

It was truly movement like lightning. Before anyone realized it, his form appeared at Jin-hyeon’s side.

Ha Baek-cheon, who had intended to target Jin-hyeon’s face with Thunderbolt Fist the moment he moved, was horrified. Before his fist could even swing, a large white hand had seized him by the collar.

He instinctively grabbed Jin-hyeon’s hand and leaned his body backward. It was to tear away the cloth and escape.

But.

‘!’

The front of his robe would not tear.

‘Internal-energy hardening?!’

The Heavenly Wolf True Qi pouring in had made the clothes tough and strong.

It was internal energy control beyond imagination. Pouring internal energy into an opponent’s clothing and hardening it in that fleeting instant was not easy even for those who had crossed the wall.

Jin-hyeon’s arm swung wide.

Kwaaaang!

Ha Baek-cheon’s body drew a semicircle through the air and was slammed into the ground.

There was no pain. It was thanks to his body trained by the Corpse-Stiffening Art and his internal energy filled with rebounding force.

But he could not feel relieved. At some point, Ha Baek-cheon felt an illusion as if the world were darkening.

Kwaaaang!

The moment Jin-hyeon released his collar, he brutally stomped his face.

Kugugung!

At Jin-hyeon’s stomp, the ground within a radius of about three meters overturned.

Ha Baek-cheon twisted his head with all his strength and escaped the full range of the attack, feeling goosebumps rise.

‘This is insane!’

Grrr! Grrrrrr!!

An unusual roar rang out from Jin-hyeon’s body.

Saaaaak!

A blue-burning haze rose and rose, as if it would reach the sky.

The density of his true qi was deepening at terrifying speed. It was no exaggeration to say the true qi he had now was a power on an entirely different level from when he had just reached the Moonlit Pack-Wolf Path.

‘He is getting even stronger from there?!’

The great wall of realization that countless peak masters of Kangho despaired before and gave up on.

That unknown wall, whose timing, height, and hardness differed for each person, could not be expressed even by the naming sense of those who loved to give names to everything.

But one thing was certain. The moment one crossed that wall, a new world opened before a martial artist. The realm of walking along a horizon with no visible end was the world beyond that wall.

Naturally, there was a great difference between one who had just crossed the wall and one who had trained for a year. And it was no exaggeration to say the difference between one who had trained for a year and one who had trained for ten was the difference between heaven and earth.

‘I crossed the wall three months ago and settled into this realm!’

After crossing the wall, it had taken him a full two months to settle his overflowing power and grow accustomed to the realm he had reached.

After that, he had trained for one month and thought he could not advance further for the time being. Since it had also been time to end his closed-door training, he had intended to begin the Cheongyang Association’s unification of Sichuan.

But what was that bastard?

‘…His true qi is denser than mine.’

Ha Baek-cheon’s hand trembled.

‘He’s stronger than me!’

At that moment, Jin-hyeon drew a deep breath.

“Huu.”

It was as if he inhaled the natural energy of the world, then exhaled only the turbid energy.

Jiiing!

Jin-hyeon’s pupils shone blue.

‘Finally.’

The fight with Ha Baek-cheon right after reaching the Moonlit Pack-Wolf Path had felt somehow hazy. It was because the true qi racing through his entire body had completely changed and caused abnormalities in his senses.

But now it was different.

The true qi of the Heavenly Wolf True Art, or more precisely, Cunning Wolf True Qi, had perfectly transformed into Moonlit Pack-Wolf True Qi, and his body and realization had aligned, raising its density terrifyingly in that brief moment.

This moment could be called the peak Jin-hyeon could reach as someone who had returned while sharing the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader’s experiences. From now on, his pace of growth would fluctuate depending on training, experience, and realization.

What mattered was that Jin-hyeon’s martial arts had now shown growth so rapid it would be difficult to find a precedent even throughout the entire history of Kangho.

Furthermore, upon reaching the Moonlit Pack-Wolf Path, the memories of the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader’s realization and martial learning, which had been gradually fading, began to grow clear again. It was proof that even the Soul-Refining Art, stimulated by Moonlit Pack-Wolf True Qi, had advanced.

Unlike a moment ago, when he could not control his overflowing power, he now felt confident that he could handle the true qi filling his entire body with extreme delicacy, exactly as he wished. Essence, qi, and spirit, corresponding to lower, middle, and upper, had developed to the limit and perfectly aligned.

The change had lasted exactly until now.

And only now had every change ended.

“I thought I could finish you off immediately, but seeing you endure this far, your martial art is no ordinary thing either.”

Chiiik!

The external injuries across his body began healing quickly while releasing white smoke.

“I waited a long time. Now it is truly over.”

His blue-shining eyes slowly began to turn pink.

In that instant, Ha Baek-cheon shouted without realizing it.

“Uaaaaaaah!!”

Kwaaaang!

Ha Baek-cheon charged toward Jin-hyeon with all his power gathered into one fist. The moment he met the Heavenly Wolf’s Demon Eyes, he had been enthralled.

Rumble!!

The Thunder Immortal Thunderbolt Fist he thrust out with power scraped up from the very bottom was stronger than any attack he had used so far. If Jin-hyeon dodged, Ha Baek-cheon would be counterattacked and killed, but if it landed, it was destructive fist force that could send anyone to their grave.

‘Good.’

A vision of the air burning was caught in the Demon Eyes.

Paak!

Jin-hyeon advanced while reciting the mnemonics of the Pierce Art, one of the Six-Character True Art techniques opened along with the Moonlit Pack-Wolf Path.

Jin-hyeon did not dodge or retreat. He charged straight in and extended his fist.

Hwaaaaak!

His fist, filled with blue radiance, collided with the Thunderbolt Fist.

Bang! Kwadudududeuk!

“Kraaak!”

With an explosion, Ha Baek-cheon flew backward.

The force of the Thunderbolt Fist shattered and scattered, and his right arm, struck by the hidden force of Heavenly Wolf Pierce Qi, was crushed whole.

In strength, in explosive force, in the hardness of the body, and furthermore in every respect, he had been completely pushed back. Jin-hyeon’s martial arts had begun to overwhelm Ha Baek-cheon.

Jin-hyeon did not stop.

Moonlit Pack-Wolf True Qi rotated beneath the sole of his lightly extended foot.

Huk!

With Heavenly Evasion Steps made faster by that rotational force, Jin-hyeon took Ha Baek-cheon’s rear and prepared the final blow.

‘Farewell.’

Wooooooong!!

A translucent blue energy pulsed terrifyingly in Jin-hyeon’s hand.

Snake-Bite Hand, filled with the power of Heavenly Wolf Rebound Qi from the Rebound Art, the fifth qi art of the Six-Character True Art opened together with Pierce Art, exploded into Ha Baek-cheon’s back.

Kwaang!

With an explosion, Ha Baek-cheon’s body tore apart and flew in every direction. In Jin-hyeon’s hand, which had pierced through his spine, was his completely crushed heart.

And so Ha Baek-cheon, the Cheongyang Association Leader, died.

If one called it empty, it was an empty death, but that was what contests in Kangho were by nature. Even for a matchless contender under heaven, defeat was miserable and death was fleeting.

Jin-hyeon silently looked down at his hand, then drew up true qi.

Hwaaaaak!

Along with the smell of blood, the remains of the heart burned away and disappeared.

He wanted to savor his victory, but the fight was not over yet.

Paaaak!

Jin-hyeon entered the inner court in a single burst.

The movement art of Calling Wind, Flying Horse Art, which had already been fast, truly became wind and carried his body.

A moment later.

Kwakwang! Peoeong!

Along with all kinds of explosions, chilling screams rang out.