The Past Woven with the Four Gods (6)
Swish!
Yeon Hojeong retreated urgently, putting distance between them.
“Impressive,” Tam-gyeong said with a faint smile, repeatedly clenching and unclenching the hand he had thrust forward.
The hand was completely unharmed. The elderly palm, wrapped in a soft golden aura, looked as vast and generous as the Buddha’s own.
The supreme palm technique of Shaolin. Unmatched power that can shatter boulders and rend iron. At its peak, no evil under heaven can breach it.
As the golden aura faded, a tiny scratch appeared on Tam-gyeong’s palm. It was barely enough to draw a single drop of blood—so insignificant it felt embarrassing to call it a wound. Yet the very fact that anything had pierced the power of Shaolin’s renowned Great Strength Vajra Palm was extraordinary.
Instead, blood trickled from Yeon Hojeong’s hand where he gripped the Black Dragon Axe. The impact had torn the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.
It was a hardness like tempered steel. How long had it been since an opponent’s power had injured the very hand that held his weapon?
“Fist and palm are one and the same, yet I’ve always devoted myself more to palm techniques. The varied ways qi can be released simply fascinated me. For you to wound me through the Great Strength Vajra Palm I released…”
Tam-gyeong took one step forward.
Thud!
It wasn’t even a proper stomp, yet the entire clearing seemed to tremble.
“Who is your master?”
He already suspected the answer. So why pretend otherwise?
“You resemble him, yet you are far too different. He was never like this.”
Clang!
Yeon Hojeong drew the White Dragon Axe as well. His voice remained flat and calm.
“If you truly knew, you wouldn’t be standing here.”
“I’ll ask once more.”
A stern light flashed through Tam-gyeong’s eyes.
“Who is your master? And who exactly are you?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
With a explosive burst of speed, Yeon Hojeong charged forward and swung both axes in a ferocious arc.
Tam-gyeong’s eyes sparkled with interest.
The Black Dragon Axe streaked toward his throat while the White Dragon Axe aimed for his shoulder. Though they were small hand axes, their weight and razor sharpness defied imagination. Even with his mastery of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art, these were not strikes he could simply endure with raw physical toughness.
Tam-gyeong’s hand moved with fluid grace, deflecting the Black Dragon Axe.
Clang! Clang!
The deflected Black Dragon Axe collided with the White, shattering Yeon Hojeong’s posture completely.
Monstrous strength. Terrifying perception. Simply knocking the axe aside with one casual swing was impressive enough, but to instantly calculate the collision between the two weapons and use it to destroy his opponent’s balance—that level of instantaneous creativity was on another level.
Yet Yeon Hojeong showed no surprise whatsoever.
Boom!
Even as his posture collapsed in midair, he rotated using exquisite internal energy control and lashed out with a powerful kick.
That wasn’t all. The instant Tam-gyeong blocked the kick with his forearm, Yeon Hojeong closed the distance and flicked the White Dragon Axe upward at a perfect angle. It was a precise strike into a blind spot—making evasion, counterattack, or defense equally difficult.
But his opponent was Tam-gyeong.
A master standing one full realm above him. One who had reached the Limitless realm and fully comprehended the very principles of martial arts.
Countless afterimages bloomed as the hand techniques formed an impenetrable wall. Even the chained strikes of the White Dragon Axe were completely neutralized.
The defensive power was so absolute it was almost nostalgic. It reminded Yeon Hojeong of the Black Tortoise Arts within the Four Gods Martial Arts. What was even more frightening was that Tam-gyeong wasn’t even using a specialized defensive art—he had instantly modified his flashy hand techniques for pure defense.
As expected.
Yeon Hojeong’s gaze deepened.
This realm is no easy opponent.
The Limitless realm was one where mastery of martial principles allowed qi to manifest the shape of a technique the instant one’s will stirred.
No matter what martial art one practiced, if thought moved like lightning, one’s techniques would strike like lightning. Whether targeting blind spots or exploiting weaknesses, serious application of martial arts would produce an impenetrable defense that could not be breached.
Still, I am someone who once stood in this very realm.
In fact, it was fortunate he had not yet advanced beyond it. Because his qi could not keep pace with the speed of his will, he could endlessly analyze every possible movement in that fleeting gap between himself and his enemy.
Yeon Hojeong moved again.
His footwork became almost supernatural as he evaded Tam-gyeong’s counter and swung the Black and White Twin Dragon Axes like twin bolts of lightning. The strikes were vicious, as though he meant to carve the old monk into pieces. A wall of slashes so dense that not even a needle could slip through threatened to devour Tam-gyeong’s upper body.
Completely unrestricted.
In Tam-gyeong’s eyes, the flow of slashes created by the axes was clearly visible.
How can his attacks be this exquisite?
The chained crescent-moon slashes completely stole away any chance of evasion or counter. Having realized that defense was possible, Yeon Hojeong had instead sealed off every escape route from the very beginning.
Tam-gyeong didn’t know how many times he had been impressed already.
With only a single observation of his opponent’s response, the young man could instantly adjust the density of his assault. His tactical mind and combat sense were peerless, but his ability to transform a fleeting thought into perfect martial execution was what truly stood out.
Tam-gyeong thrust both palms forward.
Rumble!
The power of the Great Strength Vajra erupted from his hands, shattering every slash from the twin axes into nothing.
Bang!
Yeon Hojeong retreated to dissipate the force.
Tam-gyeong charged after him—only to freeze in shock. A black axe was already flying straight toward the center of his forehead, barely three inches away.
Fast!
He twisted his head at the last moment.
Boom!
Before the Black Dragon Axe could even embed itself in the ground, Yeon Hojeong’s palm strike detonated in the empty space directly in front of Tam-gyeong’s chest.
The power was negligible, but the speed was enough to astonish even Tam-gyeong.
Why?
Why detonate the force in front of his chest instead of striking directly? The only result was ruining his posture.
Clink-clink-clink!
The eerie sound of chains made Tam-gyeong’s eyes widen.
Ah…!
If Tam-gyeong had spent his life purely devoted to martial arts—if he had been reaching for greater heights rather than searching for something—he might have avoided this technique.
But he had not. Even though he had reached the Limitless realm, he was still only human. After so many years without real combat, his instincts had grown dull.
The chain tightened.
Tam-gyeong’s posture became unsteady.
“……What is this?”
He looked down. A dark-grey iron chain was wrapped tightly around his right ankle.
The dark iron chain moved like a living dragon, instantly binding the target’s ankle and disrupting the flow of qi through the leg.
The moment one ankle was sealed, Yeon Hojeong moved.
Surprisingly, he did not charge in a straight line. His speed remained the same, but he approached from Tam-gyeong’s left flank in a smooth, curving arc. His movements were fluid and natural.
There was no time to think. Tam-gyeong thrust out a powerful palm strike.
‘……!!’
The Flood Dragon Chain hidden inside Yeon Hojeong’s sleeve twitched.
It was not a particularly strong pull. Yet that single tug completely disrupted the trajectory of Tam-gyeong’s palm force.
The strike that should have landed cleanly instead soared uselessly into the distant sky.
A complete miss. All because the movement of a single ankle had thrown off his entire technique.
Boom! Bang!
Tam-gyeong’s body staggered. He had failed to properly neutralize the Tiger King Nine Wall Strike that Yeon Hojeong delivered at close range.
From that moment, Yeon Hojeong’s merciless offensive truly began.
The attacks were astonishing.
While seemingly maintaining the principles of the Tiger King Nine Wall Strike, he switched techniques freely, driving Tam-gyeong back without pause.
Tam-gyeong blocked using lightning-fast qi circulation, but even that was barely enough. At every critical instant, the Flood Dragon Chain pulled taut and disturbed the release of his power.
Good heavens…!
While frantically deflecting the barrage, Tam-gyeong clicked his tongue inwardly.
Don’t tell me he’s been reading me this entire time?
Tam-gyeong forcefully kicked his right foot backward.
Yeon Hojeong was dragged along with the motion yet still unleashed a brutal punch.
Bang!
Tam-gyeong’s body shook as he was driven back more than ten steps. The shockwave had been so powerful that even blocking with both arms crossed, he couldn’t hold his ground.
With his original skill, he should never have been pushed back like this. In fact, he shouldn’t have needed to block such a crude punch at all.
I see. He really was reading me.
Tam-gyeong’s pupils dilated.
My right foot—he had seen through it completely.
Flash! Clang!
The White Dragon Axe flew like lightning and struck the taut Flood Dragon Chain.
A sharp pain shot through Tam-gyeong’s right ankle. The dark force from the axe had traveled through the chain and crushed the nerves in his foot.
At that exact moment, Vermilion Bird fire qi blazed in Yeon Hojeong’s eyes.
Simultaneously, crimson flames gathered in his hand, forming blazing wings of fire.
Flames erupted behind Tam-gyeong, scorching the earth in a one-jang radius with a massive inferno. The fire did not strike the old monk directly—it had been redirected through him at the last moment.
Tam-gyeong stood calmly, completely unharmed.
He had neither dodged nor deflected. Yeon Hojeong had simply allowed the palm force to pass through Tam-gyeong’s body and explode behind him.
Yeon Hojeong remained with his hand extended, palm hovering barely half a span from Tam-gyeong’s chest.
“A truly remarkable technique,” Tam-gyeong said, unable to hide his admiration.
“I have seen many masters in my time, but never one who could execute the Striking the Cow from Across the Mountain principle at such a high level. Young man, you have cultivated martial arts far beyond what your age would suggest.”
Striking the Cow from Across the Mountain was one of the highest martial principles—transmitting force through an obstacle to strike the true target behind it.
Many knew the theory. Few could apply it in real combat. That was not a matter of realm, but of application and instinct.
This young man could do it. His ability to turn learned and realized martial arts into practical combat was beyond compare.
“Still, how did you know about my right foot?”
“After three exchanges.”
“Only three… Haha!”
Tam-gyeong looked up at the sky and laughed heartily.
“With just three clashes, you realized that my martial arts revolve around the stomp of my right foot and the rotation of my right leg?”
Decades ago, Tam-gyeong had suffered a severe injury to his left foot. Busy with countless affairs, he had treated it roughly. As he grew older, the problem resurfaced. Walking and running were fine, but the acupoints connected to his left ankle had narrowed significantly.
Doctors had no solution other than constant qi circulation to widen the channels.
Tam-gyeong had left it alone. After all, he had not considered himself a true martial artist. As a result, the burden that should have been shared by both feet fell entirely on the right.
Yeon Hojeong had seen it immediately—that every technique Tam-gyeong used originated from that right foot.
“I only noticed so quickly because we’ve spent the last few days together. If the elder had fought seriously from the very first move, I would never have succeeded.”
“Whether I was serious or careless, the result remains the same.”
Tam-gyeong smiled gently.
“I have lost.”
“There is no meaning in declaring victory or defeat…”
“And now I can say it with certainty.”
“……?”
“You are not that person’s disciple.”