Battlefield of Chaos (1)
The ground shook with a deafening rumble.
Yeon Hojeong’s trail of destruction showed no sign of slowing.
Surprisingly, he was charging in the exact opposite direction from Muk Bi and the others. Under normal circumstances he would have secured his allies before engaging the enemy, yet his actions now were completely different.
Amid the chaos, the Mad Dragon Axe’s destructive power stood out most of all. It displayed even greater might than during his spar with Yang Cheon.
This was not due to the Mokryeongdan Yang Cheon had given him. In that brief clash, he had already begun incorporating the faint martial principle he had gleaned from the King of Combat into his own arts.
As expected.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He swung the Mad Dragon Axe so fiercely that its thick shaft seemed to bend.
The Yeon Family Divine Elixir—born from the perfect fusion of the Biying True Art and the Dragon Robe Divine Art—spun explosively, pouring out a vast torrent of true energy. Supported by the White Tiger Qi, that released power left nothing in the world unbroken. Building walls, boulders—everything was reduced to powder and scattered to the wind.
Certainly, his instantaneous explosive force is inferior to mine, but when it comes to sustained destructive power, Yang Cheon’s application is superior.
Sasinmu was without question the greatest under heaven in form and technique. The Four Gods’ true energy that supported those movements produced near-perfect power in every aspect—attack, defense, evasion, and counterattack.
Unlike other martial arts, it possessed no single technique that could be labeled a “sure-kill move.” The free and unrestrained implementations of the Four Gods, adapted to any situation, were themselves the ultimate techniques and the supreme martial art.
And that principle aligned with the very root of martial realization. Rather than gathering a massive amount of energy and releasing it in a single destructive burst, Sasinmu responded to the opponent’s attack and delivered the optimal strike.
Optimal was shortest, and shortest was strongest. That was why Sasinmu was a battlefield art. You had to eliminate the enemy quickly and move on to the next.
Which is precisely why there are things it inevitably misses.
The final secret of Sasinmu—the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art, or Yellow Dragon Qi—was said to be capable of overwhelming the world through qigong alone.
But that realm was still far away. Which meant that with his current Sasinmu, he would have to fight experts stronger than himself. To do so, he needed various applications that would make Sasinmu even more formidable.
Of course, the foundation would always be Sasinmu itself. The key was which martial principles he would use to wield it.
And in this recent clash with Yang Cheon, Yeon Hojeong had learned something profound.
It’s always new.
A look of wonder crossed Yeon Hojeong’s face.
The world he thought he understood completely, the world he had even prided himself on having mastered in parts, always revealed new facets as if mocking his arrogance.
He learned principles he had never noticed before from another master, in areas he had never considered lacking.
The world is vast, and learning has no end.
After smashing the final boulder and carving out a massive path, Yeon Hojeong finally came to a stop.
In the next instant, Sama Hyeon appeared beside him.
“Where are you going?”
Yeon Hojeong gave a small laugh.
“You followed without even knowing the destination?”
Sama Hyeon replied coldly.
“Didn’t you tell me to follow?”
“You met me for the first time today. Yet you followed without hesitation?”
“……!!”
“Your skills are certainly outstanding. It’s hard to believe someone your age could possess such ability. Your judgment of people is quite sharp as well. I’m curious to see how far you’ll grow.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.
“But there are clearly areas where you are lacking. And those areas cannot be filled through effort alone. I hope you’ll become more cautious in the future.”
At some point, Yeon Hojeong’s tone toward Sama Hyeon had shifted to informal speech.
Surprisingly, Sama Hyeon did not even notice the change. Yeon Hojeong’s skill and aura made the shift feel completely natural.
Sama Hyeon’s eyebrows twitched.
“I don’t believe now is the time for a lecture.”
“Learning has no appointed time. Even in moments of crisis, there are things you can seize from the enemy and make your own.”
“……”
“If you wish to soar higher, do not neglect learning. This is a lecture you cannot hear anywhere else, but I won’t charge tuition.”
“Enough. So why did you run all the way out here?”
Sama Hyeon glanced behind them.
A scene of terrifying destruction lay exposed. The path created by shattering outer walls and pulverizing every rock and stone barrier was enough to inspire awe in any observer.
Truly incredible.
No matter how impressive the reputation of Byeoksanhojang, it was still only that of a junior expert. That was what Sama Hyeon—and most people in the world—had believed.
But rumors were only rumors.
Astonishing martial prowess. If nothing else, the destructive power of his martial arts… may very well rival that man’s, or perhaps even surpass it.
At that moment, Yeon Hojeong spoke.
“The assassins will be here soon. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do.”
The reason the assassins who had attacked the abandoned building could not pursue them was because Sama Hyeon, following Yeon Hojeong, had severed their chase with all manner of hidden weapons and poison fog.
Even so, it was only a temporary measure. No matter how outstanding Sama Hyeon’s skill, unless he had personally mastered poison arts or used extraordinary hidden weapons and explosives, the enemy was bound to follow.
“Did you come here trusting in me?”
“Hardly. How could I gamble on the abilities of someone I just met? I’m not that reckless.”
“Then?”
Yeon Hojeong surveyed their surroundings.
“Before I met you, I investigated the terrain of this entire area. If we were ambushed, where would be the best escape route? If no suitable route existed, where should I create one? I considered it carefully.”
“……!”
“I also finished discussing how my subordinates should respond if we took the escape route, where we would make contact later, and what our primary objectives would be.”
Sama Hyeon’s eyes trembled.
Yeon Hojeong looked at him and continued.
“No matter how strong an individual’s power may be, it cannot overcome the strength of a group. And even a group, without proper strategy, can be helplessly defeated by a smaller force. That is the basics.”
“……”
“When you’ve done everything possible and it still cannot be helped—when you must struggle with only your own strength—that is the moment. Fools claim that power is the highest value in the murim, but the truly wise know better. They understand that insight and intellect are just as important as strength.”
Yeon Hojeong turned away.
“Take it to heart. If you don’t want to be forcibly removed from the murim.”
Removal from the murim meant death.
Sama Hyeon, who had been quietly staring at Yeon Hojeong’s back, asked bluntly.
“Why are you doing this?”
“What do you mean?”
With the situation having reached this point, even Sama Hyeon could not remain silent.
“Why are you telling me these things?”
“Earlier you said you didn’t want to hear it, yet now you’re asking directly? Still, it’s fine. Diverting your mind for a moment is better than remaining tense.”
“……”
“Because I took a liking to you.”
“In what way? You know nothing about me.”
As if.
“I don’t. But there is such a thing as intuition.”
Sama Hyeon laughed coldly.
“That’s contradictory. According to everything you just said, giving advice simply because your intuition likes someone would also…”
“I said insight is as important as intellect. And insight is not merely about quickly understanding a situation. The sixth sense forged through long experience is equally vital.”
“……”
“In any case, your betrayal has already been discovered by the Shadow God. In other words, our alliance was forcibly formed whether we liked it or not.”
CLANK!
Yeon Hojeong unwound the Flood Dragon Chain from his torso.
“Even a temporary alliance is still an alliance. Offering this much is no hardship.”
CLINK!
After hooking the Flood Dragon Chain to the ring at the end of the Mad Dragon Axe’s shaft, Yeon Hojeong scanned the area.
Sama Hyeon’s gaze deepened.
The sight of Yeon Hojeong suddenly linking a chain to his axe felt distinctly ominous.
“What are you doing?”
CLINK. CLINK.
While wrapping the Flood Dragon Chain around the entire shaft of the Mad Dragon Axe, Yeon Hojeong answered.
“Also, to survive in the murim, you cannot charge forward while looking at only one thing. This is the most stable escape route I chose after careful deliberation with the Beggars’ Sect. However, there was one problem.”
“Problem?”
“The possibility that the assailants could anticipate we would choose this location for our escape.”
“……!!”
“What I know, the enemy also knows. That is why double and triple layers of planning are necessary. Only when even those fail can one utter the stale phrase ‘do your best and leave the rest to heaven.’”
Sama Hyeon quickly scanned their surroundings.
The combined energies of the Dark Flower Red Current and Dark Cold White Current heightened his senses to the extreme.
Yet nothing registered. Aside from the sound of the gently blowing wind, he could detect no noise or presence whatsoever.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“It’s useless.”
“What?”
“You learned the Shadow God’s martial arts. Assassin techniques, no matter how advanced, cannot work against an expert who has trained in the same school. They will be completely devoured.”
“……?!”
“Even if you are a genius, with your current level you cannot defeat your master.”
Yeon Hojeong stamped his foot with explosive force.
BOOOOOOM!
The sudden explosion of the stamp carried truly overwhelming power. The vibration shook everything within a radius of twenty jangs.
In that instant, Sama Hyeon sensed something faintly within his perception.
And the moment he felt it, his complexion turned deathly pale.
“When an assassin’s martial arts reaches the pinnacle, they can disturb the target’s senses with killing intent alone. For a novice who has learned the same school, it is even easier. Simply by disturbing their true energy, they can turn the opponent into a fool.”
Yeon Hojeong slowly swung the Mad Dragon Axe.
WHOOOOOOSH.
The movement of the axe blade seemed to alter the flow of invisible wind.
It was then.
CRAAAAAASH!
From far down the passage Yeon Hojeong had carved, a tremendous explosion rang out.
Surprisingly, the source was not the assassins. To be precise, it was the clear shockwave of Daoist martial arts deflecting, defending against, and countering the assassins’ attacks.
Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. As expected, they’re late.”
A moment later.
SWOOOOSH!
Ok Cheong, his entire body drenched in blood, appeared beside Yeon Hojeong in an instant.
“Commander! Are you unharmed?”
“I’m fine. What about you?”
“I’m fine. Still full of vigor.”
“Then I leave this fool in your care. As I said before, he must not die under any circumstances. Protect him with your life.”
Ok Cheong offered a formal salute.
“I receive the commander’s order.”
Sama Hyeon felt utterly dumbfounded.
“Protect? Me?”
“That’s right, you idiot. Now that your master has appeared, you’re nothing more than a useless pebble in the way.”
SHIIING.
Yeon Hojeong drew the White Dragon Axe.
In his right hand he held the Mad Dragon Axe wrapped with the Flood Dragon Chain. In his left, the spotless hand axe known as the White Dragon Axe.
WOOOOOONG!
The White Tiger Qi coiled around Yeon Hojeong’s entire body, radiating terrifying fighting spirit.
Yeon Hojeong roared.
“COME OUT!!”
The terrifying roar shook the mountains, rivers, grass, and trees to their core.
“……”
“This is getting interesting.”
WHOOSH.
Fifteen jangs ahead of the group, two figures—a man and a woman—revealed themselves along with a streak of wind.
It was Yayul Jeok and So Bang.
Yayul Jeok spoke in a calm voice.
“You noticed our presence? You are far more remarkable than expected.”
HWAAAAAK!
A horrific killing intent flooded Yeon Hojeong’s eyes.
“You’re here, you bastard?”