Authority of the Strong (3)
With a deafening thunderclap, Cheon Gang’s face twisted into something demonic after being forced back.
Despite his rather handsome features, the distortion made him look as terrifying as a vengeful ghost. The expression alone would have been enough to make anyone with a weak heart faint on the spot.
“What the hell is this bastard?!”
Crackle! Craaaackle!
Moyong Gun, emerging through the dust, looked exactly like the Thunder God descended upon the mortal world.
Ziiiing! Crunch!
Blue lightning unraveled like loose threads. When he stepped on a pebble, sparks flew and it shattered like crushed tofu. The density of the lightning qi he released was truly overwhelming.
Cheon Gang’s lips twitched.
“It’s gotten harder to approach him, hasn’t it?”
Once one surpassed the Wall of Martial Limits, the body was reconstructed to contain high-density true qi. In other words, the heart, qi, and body—refined to their utmost limits—transcended into an entirely different domain.
But there was no end to the martial path. Realms beyond the Wall of Martial Limits existed, and those realms could only be reached when the already-transcended heart, qi, and body soared once more.
It meant stepping into the realm of the Martial God that ordinary people spoke of—the realm of Mugeuk, the Limitless.
Once one set foot in that realm, everything changed. The transformation a supreme peak expert experienced upon reaching the Limitless realm was far greater than the change a peak expert underwent when breaking through the Wall of Martial Limits.
The Second Martial General Cheon Gang was a master renowned for possessing the fastest speed among all the generals.
He had seized the limit of speed attainable after breaking through the Wall of Martial Limits. That was why even experts of the same grade struggled to respond to him—they simply fell behind in velocity.
However, when facing a master with Moyong Gun’s profound understanding of realms, the situation changed completely.
He might be caught off guard during the first few exchanges, but after that he could immediately find the proper counter. The reason was simple: the strength of martial arts was not determined by speed alone.
Martial arts combined numerous elements—speed, power, variation, counterattack timing, true qi manipulation, and more.
Moyong Gun was a master proficient in every one of those areas. While he leaned slightly more toward speed and power, he could still be seen as someone who pursued a balanced martial path in his own way.
He was fundamentally different from Cheon Gang, a master who had maximized only a single advantage.
“What’s wrong?”
Flash! Flash!
Moyong Gun, who had fully unleashed his Noejeonggong.
Blue lightning erupted violently from his entire body, as if the god of thunder itself had manifested in the human realm.
It looked as though lightning bolts were pouring from his eyes. Moyong Gun, striding forward with glowing blue eyes, no longer seemed human.
“Is that all your so-called footwork amounts to?”
Whoosh!
Golden fire qi surged and billowed from Cheon Gang’s body.
“You madman! I was just toying with you, and now you’re getting full of yourself!”
His voice reverberated powerfully.
Somehow his tone had changed from before. The speech that had sounded young—almost childish—had transformed into the measured tone of a middle-aged man rich with worldly experience.
“I’ll play with you properly now!”
Booom!
Cheon Gang charged forward with an explosive roar. Shockingly, his speed had increased another level. It was as if a single streak of golden light was slicing through the air.
Moyong Gun’s eyes flashed.
Kwaaang!
“Ugh!”
Cheon Gang staggered backward.
The shield of lightning qi Moyong Gun emitted—the Thunder Emperor’s Wall—was generating tremendous repulsive force. Having approached at such high speed, the impact was equally devastating.
A barrier of concentrated lightning qi that repelled all incoming force with explosive counter-impact.
“Now I can read you perfectly.”
Zing! Zing!
Moyong Gun’s left hand pointed straight forward at mid-level.
“I can see exactly how you’ll move.”
“Bullshit!”
Bang! Baaang! Baaaaang!
Cheon Gang’s figure vanished from sight.
He seemed to charge straight ahead, only to suddenly float into the air and reappear at Moyong Gun’s rear flank.
Supreme speed that ruptured the air itself. Although it consumed internal energy and stamina at an extreme rate, the increased velocity produced greater destructive power and unpredictability.
Cheon Gang’s hand blade traced a crescent moon through the air.
Golden flames erased everything in their path.
Flash! Craaaash!
“Damn it!”
Veins bulged on Cheon Gang’s forehead.
Crunch!
Moyong Gun’s foot sank into the ground up to his ankle. He had blocked the hand blade, but failed to completely dissipate its force.
Even so, Moyong Gun’s expression remained coldly stern.
“I already told you. I can see it all clearly now.”
“Y-you bastard!”
“Emitting such raw, unrefined killing intent in waves—speed alone means nothing against that.”
He was right.
Cheon Gang’s killing intent, laced with madness, was powerful enough to erode an opponent’s will to fight by its mere presence. Yet precisely because he radiated such intense killing intent, every movement was laid bare before the senses of a supreme master.
As long as one didn’t panic and avoided turning the fight into a pure contest of speed, responding was entirely possible. Of course, such a feat was impossible unless one stood at Moyong Gun’s level of attainment.
“It’s time to end this.”
Wooooong!
Light exploded from Moyong Gun’s eyes.
Kwaang!
The explosive force released from his sword sent Cheon Gang flying backward.
Whoosh!
In that instant, Cheon Gang realized that Moyong Gun’s killing intent had already sealed off every direction he could possibly evade toward.
Woooooooong!
A heavy, soul-crushing power surged forward.
The tremendous sword qi burned the very air as it approached. Cheon Gang possessed no technique with enough power to counter it directly. ‘Evade!’ There was nowhere to go—left, right, up, or down.
That left only retreat to the rear. Cheon Gang kicked off the ground.
Booom!
He shot backward at terrifying speed.
But it was a fatal miscalculation.
Flash!
Cheon Gang’s mouth fell open. Before he realized it, the lightning sword qi Moyong Gun had unleashed was already at his throat.
No matter how fast a human moved, they could never outspeed lightning. That truth applied to Cheon Gang as well.
Having sealed every escape route while deliberately leaving a single path open, then striking one step ahead—Moyong Gun’s veteran cunning shone through in that single move.
Cheon Gang brought both hands up in the Fire Dragon Demonic Blade.
Golden flames roared as they clashed against the incoming lightning, creating a violent explosion.
Kwaaaang!
“Guhak!”
With a tremendous collision, Cheon Gang vomited blood.
Kwaang!
The force was so overwhelming that his body smashed straight through a building.
Whoosh!
Moyong Gun soared high into the sky and concentrated lightning qi into his sword once more.
He did not grow complacent after landing a successful strike. As a veteran of countless battles, Moyong Gun understood how vital it was to relentlessly press any advantage once seized. ‘Nine Lightning Demonic Strike.’
Lightning sword light erupted with divine speed, completely annihilating the ruined building.
Flash! Kwa-kwa-kwaaang!
It was a martial art that would burden even the greatest masters of the world to counter directly. For the already-injured Cheon Gang, both perfect evasion and flawless defense were impossible.
“Cough!”
Pssssss!
Cheon Gang rose from the rubble, his entire body drenched in blood.
Rustle.
Moyong Gun landed lightly on the ground and leveled his sword at Cheon Gang.
“Let’s finish this.”
Deep sword wounds covered his body like a net. His internal injuries were clearly severe; the qi waves radiating from him were violently unstable.
Cheon Gang ground his teeth.
“You son of a bitch…!”
In a single moment of combat, the scales of victory had tilted completely.
Ziiiiing!
‘Ugh!’
Blue lightning crackled and sparked across Cheon Gang’s body.
The internal injuries were bad enough, but the invading lightning qi had wreaked havoc on his meridians. Even the true qi of the Gold Emperor Pure Art struggled to suppress it.
It was astonishing. The fire energy of the Gold Emperor contained the most advanced form of power among all pure arts. While one could transition into the Gold Emperor stage once the Red Lotus and Blue Dew reached their peaks, Cheon Gang had learned the Gold Emperor Pure Art as his very first martial technique.
To think even that power couldn’t block the penetrating force—it was unbelievable.
‘At this rate, I can’t use my speed.’
If he forced his speed now, his meridians would be completely destroyed. Even if he managed to form the Fire Essence, survival would become nearly impossible.
‘Can I even bring out fifty percent of my original speed…? Damn it! To be driven back this far!’
The corner of Moyong Gun’s mouth curved upward.
“I can hear the sound of your desperate scheming from all the way over here.”
“…”
“It’s been a long time since I felt this refreshed. Thanks to you, I actually enjoyed myself. Now, let’s end—”
It was then.
Kwaaaaaang!
Shock flashed across Moyong Gun’s face.
The explosive roar coming from the rear garden was loud enough to rupture eardrums. But it wasn’t the volume that surprised him. What is that?!
The shockwave released when Cheon Gang and Yeon Hojeong clashed had been tremendous. And Moyong Gun had driven the very man who created that shockwave to the brink of defeat.
Yet the current shockwave was fundamentally different.
It carried the explosive force of someone far more powerful than any master present. The density of that power was so great that Yang Cheon momentarily came to mind. No. It’s still hard to compare to the Lord of the Black Dragon Department. But it has clearly surpassed the level of our own family head.
Moyong Gun’s face hardened noticeably. Just who the hell…?!
At that moment, Cheon Gang spoke in a mocking voice.
“You crazy bastards. You’ve finally incurred His wrath.”
“His?”
“The one who taught me martial arts. The strongest general who has led the Eighteen Martial Generals for over twenty years.”
“…!”
Someone taught this man martial arts? There had been such a grandmaster here all along?
“You’re all dead now. Excluding the elders of our sect, he is counted among the very strongest. If your skill is only enough to struggle against someone of my level, no number of you will be able to overcome him.”
Moyong Gun spoke calmly.
“That’s not for you to worry about. We’ll handle it ourselves, so you can go ahead and die now.”
Flash!
Moyong Gun’s sword slashed toward Cheon Gang’s neck.
Swish!
It seemed he had not let his guard down. Cheon Gang barely avoided the lightning sword.
But that was the end. As Cheon Gang’s posture collapsed, the enraged Thunder God’s sword strike rained down upon his head.
‘…?!’
Moyong Gun, who had been gazing down with cold eyes, could not hide his sudden confusion. Why…?
Cheon Gang was looking up at him with a smile. Even though his body stood on the verge of being sliced apart, he showed neither struggle nor fear.
What is he relying on?
It was then.
Moyong Gun sensed a terrifying explosive force pouring from the distant rear garden and flinched in shock.
Kwaaaaaang!
Moyong Gun vomited blood as he was blasted sideways. Such power!
He had twisted his sword path to block it midway, yet he could not completely stop the unknown force.
Just that single defense had caused him internal injuries. The true qi was terrifyingly powerful.
Whoosh!
The golden flames that had flown across the air gradually faded before vanishing completely with a final burst.
The size and thickness of those flames could not even be compared to Cheon Gang’s. Naturally, the density of the fire qi was on an entirely different level.
“Cheon Gang.”
Moyong Gun’s eyes trembled.
At some point, a middle-aged man with a solid, powerful build had appeared beside Cheon Gang.
Cheon Gang bowed his head deeply.
“I greet the Divine General.”
“I told you I would rest for a while. I left everything in your hands.”
“…”
“Yet this is the result?”
“…
I am sorry.”
Fear leaked from Cheon Gang’s voice.
The arrogant, overbearing Cheon Gang could not even dare to raise his head. An intense reverence for the other party radiated from him.
Moyong Gun’s eyes shook violently. An overwhelmingly powerful expert!
He was not even emitting golden fire qi like Cheon Gang, yet his mere presence dominated the entire area. The aura of an absolute expert flowed naturally from him.
Moreover, his appearance was extraordinary. A Westerner?
Golden hair, snow-white skin, unusually long limbs.
Yes. The middle-aged man was indeed a foreigner from the Western Regions.
The man looked at Moyong Gun.
In that instant, every hair on Moyong Gun’s body stood on end.
“Who the hell are you?”
Kwaaaaaang!
At that moment, a violent explosion erupted from the rear garden as four-colored true qi flooded outward like a tidal wave.
Flash!
A fiendish figure flew across the air, swinging a massive axe toward the middle-aged man.