Reversal (4)
Yeon Jipyeong unwittingly took a step forward, only to be restrained by Muk Bi.
“S-Sister?”
Muk Bi shook her head.
“Don’t butt in. This isn’t a fight for you or me to interfere in.”
“B-but!”
“Father and Young Master Yeon will decide the outcome. Besides, those two wouldn’t clash like this without good reason.”
“……!”
“Stay put. That’s what’s right for now.”
Yeon Jipyeong bit his lip. She might have said the words, but Muk Bi’s heart was no less troubled than his.
What in the world?
No ulterior motive was apparent in the spar between Yeon Wi and Yeon Hojeong. No—one intent was unmistakable. Yet Muk Bi desperately wanted to believe she had misread it.
Is it real?
Muk Bi’s gaze deepened.
They truly mean to kill each other.
Having fought countless real battles alongside Yeon Hojeong, she had now reached a realm where she could intuitively discern the feint from the real in an opponent’s aura. And that instinct was ringing alarm bells. This is genuine—a duel to the death that won’t end until one falls.
It can’t be.
It absolutely couldn’t be. She had sensed it even in conversations with Yeon Jipyeong—the unbreakable bond and deep affection binding the Yeon family. Moreover, Yeon Wi now knew of Yeon Hojeong’s past. Yeon Hojeong was one thing, but Yeon Wi harbored a profound debt of gratitude toward his son. There was no way disaster could strike.
Yet knowing that did little to ease the anxiety gnawing at the onlookers.
If, somehow, a truly perilous moment arrives…
An archer’s dynamic vision far surpassed that of ordinary warriors—twice over, at least. She couldn’t match them head-on, but as a spectator, she could intervene at any time.
Then I’ll…
In that instant, Yeon Hojeong’s aura shifted dramatically.
Roarrrrr!
He erupted with an overwhelming Vermilion Bird Qi that seemed poised to incinerate the entire Pa Gun Pavilion. Controlled through the Yeon Family Divine Pellet, yet its ferocity felt twice as savage and untamed as before.
Muk Bi’s eyes widened.
Vermilion Bird Art?!
The Vermilion Bird techniques were absolute killing moves. Yeon Hojeong’s mastery over his arts was unparalleled, allowing him to wield even the ultimate slayer Vermilion Bird Art for protection, or the impenetrable Black Tortoise Art for ruthless offense.
But this Vermilion Bird Art broadcast a crystal-clear intent.
Killing intent!
Hwaaaaa!
The tidal wave of murderous pressure was real. He truly meant to slay his own father—the patriarch of the Yeon family.
Yeon Wi put on an equally astonishing display.
Pabababap!
Dozens of sword scars etched themselves into the ground around his stance.
Ziiing! Ziiing!
Invisible blades, shattered into hundreds or thousands of fragments, swirled around Yeon Wi’s body like fish in water. The unseen blades of killing intent—his genuine resolve to carve through his foe.
Father and son though they were, their auras could not have been more different. If Yeon Hojeong’s killing intent boiled like molten lava, Yeon Wi’s was cold ruthlessness incarnate. Where Yeon Hojeong’s presence crashed like raging waves, Yeon Wi’s loomed like the eerie calm of a storm-swept night sky—chilling and ominous.
Yet for all their differences, they shared one trait: destructive power. When these two supreme masters directed their auras at a target with purpose, they could slay without laying a hand—the sheer might was comparable.
And now, those auras—those killing intents, those wills—collided head-on.
Kwajijik! Kwadddduduk!
The clashing outer energies were so ferocious that, even three zhang apart, the ground between them cracked wide open. A terrifying clash of presences.
The impact was so vicious it seemed it might demolish every building and wall in Pa Gun Pavilion.
Chiiiiiik!
The clashing killing intents, incompatible in nature, birthed a pallid haze of smoke.
And moments later—
Whoosh!
As if on cue, both men’s ferocious auras vanished simultaneously.
“……”
They locked eyes.
Paaaaak!
Shockingly, Yeon Wi moved first. His charge struck like an arrow from a war bow, its speed on another plane entirely from before. Closing the gap in a flash, he unleashed a sword strike—a bolt of lightning aimed at Yeon Hojeong’s throat. A single cut to kill.
Then, Yeon Hojeong’s hands rose—leisurely, yet sealing the front before the blade could connect. Eerie technique.
Toooung!
Yeon Wi’s sword qi grazed Yeon Hojeong’s shoulder and ricocheted away. Astonishing repulsion. An invisible steel wall had flung it back.
Whoosh!
Yeon Hojeong plunged into Yeon Wi’s guard. Yeon Wi’s eyes gleamed. A fist thrust? No—curling into a ball, he rammed with his entire upper body. A rare central plains technique: body slam.
Bam!
With the explosive impact, Yeon Wi staggered back. Not from raw power—Yeon Hojeong’s charge was formidable, but in a clash of strength, Yeon Wi wouldn’t yield. He retreated to dissipate the shock and launch a counter.
Flash!
Yeon Wi’s sword whipped like lightning, tracing a zigzag as if actual thunder. Masterful.
Twung! Pishuk!
He thought he’d parried with the flat, but he was wrong. The curving blade sliced Yeon Hojeong’s thigh.
Dangerous.
A fraction deeper, and half his thigh muscle would’ve been severed. He survived thanks to Black Tortoise Qi’s repulsion. Had he been channeling Vermilion Bird Qi, his leg would’ve been gone—and his father’s hand crippled beyond repair.
Yeon Hojeong didn’t falter. This fight demanded it. More brutal and exhilarating than any foe, a battle proving his own future. If proving that destined path cost limbs, so be it.
But there’s still much to show you.
Kuooooong!
A grotesque, formless wail echoed from the void, as if some monster cried out.
Yeon Wi, mid-counter, felt his body freeze. A staggering sensation. To have his movement hijacked—not by his will, but crushed by the opponent’s overwhelming aura—was impossible at his level.
It’s coming.
At the same time, he knew. Yeon Hojeong was unleashing a fearsome art he’d never shown before. Pouring everything into this strike.
His instincts were spot-on.
Slap! Chwaaaaak!
A crashing wave roared, delivering crushing pressure. Yeon Wi’s hackles rose. He’d sensed something dire, but its scale exceeded imagination.
Whooooong!
The world darkened. Like plunging into lightless ocean depths. The Black Tortoise Qi, unleashed via the Yeon Family Divine Pellet, exuded such density it tensed even the unparalleled Yeon Wi.
And before it—
Yeon Hojeong’s left and right hands, arcing high and low, converged at mid-level.
Crack!
The palms met with a crisp snap. That light sound was instantly swallowed by a monstrous explosion.
Kwaaaang!
This time, even Yeon Wi was pushed back by force.
Shockwave?!
A colossal shockwave from clashing palms—like a tsunami’s might, deep-sea pressure detonating true qi to sweep all away.
Tadadadak!
Over ten paces back, yet his torso kept reeling. Qi force shoving like an ocean surge.
Yeon Wi thrust his sword into the ground.
Kagagagak!
The blade bent near to breaking. Even pouring Sword Extreme Thought Qi, the pressure warped it. Like a shell exploding without powder.
Chiiiiiik!
Pale steam rose from Yeon Wi’s body. Without cloaking himself in Sword Extreme Thought Qi, he’d have been in dire straits. Shifting to pure defense was a masterful call.
“Hoo. Hoo.”
Yeon Hojeong’s breaths grew even rougher. Undoubtedly, a strike with his all. Yet for his stamina, fatigue came too soon.
Blame the Dragon Embrace Divine Art. He perfectly controlled its Four Gods Qi, but the art’s explosive nature outpaced his body’s endurance. Even he couldn’t escape squeezing his vitality and muscles to the limit.
Ching!
Yeon Wi yanked his embedded sword free, fixing sunken eyes on Yeon Hojeong.
Yeon Hojeong drew a deep breath.
Wooooong!
In that single respiration, his true qi stabilized. Astonishing recovery and breath control.
Yeon Wi’s lip curled.
“Can you keep going?”
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Yeon Hojeong appeared at Yeon Wi’s rear left. Not Vermilion Bird Qi—this was Azure Dragon. Fluid, swift footwork invading a blind spot.
Yeon Wi’s sword moved again.
Chejjejejeong! Kwang!
Sword and fist collided, birthing another massive shockwave.
Chwaak!
A diagonal sword scar bloomed on Yeon Hojeong’s chest.
Peueong!
Yeon Wi’s left sleeve exploded. His exposed forearm swelled crimson.
Kwang! Kooong! Peueueong!
Their godlike clashes were art incarnate. Fierce, oppressive battle, yet brimming with every martial essence: offense, defense, evasion, counter—even lethal strikes and vital points. The pinnacle of the world’s myriad arts.
And then, Muk Bi finally saw it.
It’s changing.
As Yeon Hojeong’s style shifted, so did Yeon Wi’s. Yeon Hojeong’s base arts were already vicious one-hit kills, even without Four Gods Martial Arts. Yeon Wi mirrored that essence in response.
Son unleashes Vermilion Bird Qi killing intent? Father counters with blade-sharp resolve.
Son deploys Black Tortoise heavy defense and shockwaves? Father parries with flawless guard and poise.
Son presses relentless White Tiger advance? Father wields upright gentleman’s sword, unyielding.
Son flows swift, supple Azure Dragon hands? Father replies with effortless, crisp sword force.
Yeon Wi met every art of his son identically. As if saying, behold yourself. Not perfectly mirrored, but subtly teaching: This is your martial way.
And through this bout, Yeon Wi analyzed his son’s arts, confronting his present and future.
Moments later—
Peueong!
A fresh, crisp boom rather than heavy thud. With that final clash, they parted far, both battered.
Yeon Hojeong’s body was gashed and bloodied everywhere; Yeon Wi’s robes and hair disheveled from the onslaught.
They stood, gazing long.
Yeon Wi spoke first.
“The Tang patriarch said it. As a backer, shouldn’t you start moving?”
Utterly out of place after such carnage.
Yeon Hojeong nodded.
“Time to put our heads together, yes.”
“How would you have this father act?”
“You’re already moving in your own way, Father. That’s what I think.”
“You plan to fight alone in the shadows?”
“Regrettably, such schemes are my forte.”
Provocative, considering the spar’s cause. Yet Yeon Wi merely chuckled.
“A blade is fearsome only sheathed.”
“I know.”
“I trust you know when to draw it.”
“I’ll be more mindful henceforth.”
Yeon Wi nodded.
“That’s enough. Be off.”
“Father.”
“Hm?”
“Thank you for forgiving me.”
Yeon Wi turned.
“You’ve already repented—what’s forgiveness? Even if you harm the innocent and the world points fingers, this father won’t abandon you.”
“……”
“But don’t cross the line.”
“Yes.”
“Go. Rest well.”
With that, Yeon Wi departed Pa Gun Pavilion.
Yeon Hojeong stared at the gates long after, then sank to the ground.
A wry smile crossed his face.
“Would’ve preferred a scolding and a slap.”