Extreme Heaven Meeting IV
Dan Ju-hyeong, the Geom-dan Sect Leader. Master of the Geom-dan Sect, and a man who had reached the pinnacle of the Extreme Demon realm.
He ranked among the top ten strongest in the Demonic Cult, and was widely regarded as having a mild temperament.
Yet that same Dan Ju-hyeong was currently restraining someone. He used no internal energy—just raw physical strength to stop a sword from being drawn.
An opponent he could not defeat as things stood. Shin Gi-woon assessed the situation with cold objectivity.
"Private duels are forbidden in Wuncheon Hall. Do you intend to break even the most basic of rules?"
"But...!"
"From where I stand, you provoked the young expert first. Is this not simply reaping what you sowed?"
"..."
"And know your place. Your poor judgment nearly made an enemy of the entire Guangming Palace."
"Hah!"
Only then did the man look around. Shindogun was already glaring at him with an irritated expression.
From the upper floor, the gazes of Ma Jin-cheon, Yeom Gyeong-hong, and Sama Rin—who had been conversing—fell upon the man.
The man realized it then. The Geom-dan Sect Leader had not been stopping him—he had been protecting him. Had he drawn his sword, the situation would have spiraled beyond control.
And yet.
"Forgive my impertinence, Geom-dan Sect Leader."
"Hmm?"
"If that sword had been drawn, the entire Guangming Palace would not have become my enemy. I would have simply killed him."
"..!"
"Oh?"
A gleam of interest lit the Geom-dan Sect Leader's eyes. In contrast, deep rage was carved into the man's.
"Heh. Now that's the Gi-woon I know."
Hearing those confident words, Shindogun's expression eased. He liked that the boy never just took things lying down.
He would have preferred the boy stay under his command a little longer—but going this hard meant a decision had already been made.
Dan Ju-hyeong felt a flicker of interest toward Shin Gi-woon. His primary weapon was a spear, was it?
A spear was certainly a fine weapon. Ask those untrained in martial arts to choose between sword and spear, and the majority would pick the spear.
But when it came to martial cultivation and killing power, nine out of ten would name the sword. A blade was sharper than a spear tip, with a broader cutting surface.
Perhaps that was why the Cult had no Extreme Demon experts who wielded the spear. And yet the youngest Extreme Demon was a spear master.
Interest was inevitable.
"Shin Gi-woon, was it? Of the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad?"
"That's correct."
"I propose a sparring match. Not with me—with this fellow. If we proceed into the meeting as things stand, the bad blood between you will only fester."
From the Geom-dan Sect Leader's mouth came the word "sparring match," not "life-and-death duel." He did not consider this a matter worth killing over.
Shin Gi-woon studied the man's face. It was stained with humiliation. Clearly, the man still could not accept that he was the lesser of the two.
A man like that didn't warrant revealing the All-Power Realm. The Battle Demon Heavenly Spear would be more than enough.
"I'm fine with it, though I'm not sure about him."
"And what of you?"
"Fine. While we're at it... I'd prefer a life-and-death duel."
"A life-and-death duel, is it? And what say you to that?"
"Suits me just fine."
Shin Gi-woon rose, White Fang Spear in hand. Life-and-death duels were the arena he was most confident in—regardless of who this man was.
An Extreme Demon expert who picked fights with complete strangers like this? Better off without him.
Somehow a life-and-death duel had broken out in the very hall assembled for the meeting—and it was the perfect chance to brand his skill into the minds of everyone present.
There was no chance he would back down.
"Follow me."
Dan Ju-hyeong led the two of them toward the sparring grounds. As a rule, nothing stayed quiet when the Extreme Heaven Meeting convened at Wuncheon Hall.
At least one person always died. But never more than one. These were never stages built for mutual slaughter to begin with.
When grievances reached a boiling point, a valuable Extreme Demon expert would die—one per year, more or less—to serve as a warning to all.
No one considered it a loss. They weren't at war; why would they?
Extreme Demon experts were not born every year. But there were periods when their numbers surged all at once.
It was because of those periods that life-and-death duels proceeded in a relatively free atmosphere.
"You... if you kneel and beg for forgiveness right now, I'll let this go."
"Not interested."
"So you're determined to drink the cup of punishment to the last drop!"
"Look, I don't even know who you are. Shut up and come at me."
Shin Gi-woon slung his spear over his shoulder like some back-alley thug. The man's face flushed red at the continued slight.
His expression said he wanted to kill Shin Gi-woon that very instant. Shin Gi-woon turned his head toward Dan Ju-hyeong. The man would serve as witness to the life-and-death duel.
At the very least, no one at Wuncheon Hall would take issue with this duel. Outside was another matter.
Once the Extreme Heaven Meeting concluded, no matter what the other Extreme Demon experts thought of Shin Gi-woon, the impression he currently held would change considerably.
This match is a life-and-death duel. Anyone who interferes will be considered as challenging me, Dan Ju-hyeong.
Are both of you ready?
At Dan Ju-hyeong's question, Shin Gi-woon and the man nodded as one.
"Begin."
BOOM!!
The man shot forward first. As if to prove his overflowing confidence, there was not a shred of hesitation in his charge.
Seeing Shin Gi-woon standing there blankly, the man curled his lip. So it had been bluster after all.
They might both be Extreme Demon experts, but how could a brat who'd only just reached the realm possibly equal him?
He couldn't even react. This fight was already his. The thought had barely formed when—
"..!"
"Aren't your reactions a little slow?"
"Damn!"
CRASH!!
Shin Gi-woon vanished from before his eyes—and reappeared right in front of the man's nose. The man twisted his waist in panic.
But faster still, Shin Gi-woon's left palm struck the man square in the solar plexus.
"Guh!"
Careless. Assuming a spearman would keep his distance had been prejudice. The bastard had abandoned the spear's advantage entirely and closed to point-blank range.
A catastrophe born of ignorance of Shin Gi-woon's methods. Just because a weapon was mid-range didn't mean one had to insist on mid-range combat.
Riding the momentum, Shin Gi-woon stamped out a true step. The initiative had swung to his side. The unexpected blow had landed cleanly.
It had been an explosive force emission—considerable damage would have gone through. With that, his final courtesy was spent.
"That one landed properly."
"You insolent little brat!"
Shin Gi-woon's eyes gleamed with a chilling light. He did not use demonic energy.
The internal power of the Battle Demon Divine Art coiled around his entire body.
In an instant, his form vanished. The man frantically expanded his sensory field. And the direction his senses caught was... above!
"Urgh!"
CLANG!
The force behind it was anything but light. Shin Gi-woon had used the principle of leverage—gripping the very tip of the spear shaft and swinging it like a whip.
The man's feet sank into the earth. Shin Gi-woon's form vanished once more. That was the second time.
For a split second the man's senses lost their target—and Shin Gi-woon had seized his rear.
"Where do you think—!!"
CLANG!
Shin Gi-woon's spear aimed for the man's heart. But the man was seasoned. In the gap as the spear thrust in, he twisted his shoulder to evade, added rotational force, and drove his sword toward the bastard's neck.
Shin Gi-woon's pupils flicked left. Simultaneously, he bent his left wrist and raised the spear shaft vertically.
CRACK!
"Tsk!"
Before the man's sword could slice the neck, his arm was smashed aside by the spear shaft, knocked off its trajectory. At the same time, a clear path opened toward the man's vital points.
Shin Gi-woon stomped the ground.
BOOM!
Shin Gi-woon transformed into a streak of light. He trusted his speed. He would never give the man time to recover his sword.
This bastard...! He's fast!
The man's eyes barely tracked Shin Gi-woon's movements. The problem was his body's reaction speed.
Just because the eyes moved did not mean the body followed. Moreover, the initial palm strike had hit hard.
Internal injuries made proper energy circulation impossible. At this rate, his right arm would be skewered by the bastard's spear.
In the end, the method he chose was to let go of his sword.
"Kh!"
CLANG!
Shin Gi-woon's spear struck the man's sword and bounced off. The man he'd thought had given up was performing sword control—wielding the blade with pure internal energy.
His complexion was poor—the internal injuries taking their toll. Perhaps even the sword control was a last resort.
"If this is all you've got after picking a fight, I'm disappointed."
"Shut your mouth. This is only the beginning."
The man's eyes flushed red, and the internal energy wrapping his controlled sword was eroded by thick demonic qi.
If he was going to use it, why hold back from the start? If it was mere arrogance, he should have shown demonic qi the moment that palm strike landed.
And yet the bastard was only using demonic qi now. Why?
"I'm curious—why are you only using demonic qi now?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"Well, if you'd used it from the start, you wouldn't have taken that left palm. It's weird. Can you not control your demonic qi properly?"
It was pure curiosity. If this man also struggled to control demonic qi, perhaps Shin Gi-woon might glean some answer on how to deal with demonic energy that had gained a will of its own.
That thought lasted only a moment.
"Fine. I acknowledge you're strong. But I will not endure such an insult!"
"No, it wasn't an insult—"
"Even if I die in this place, I will take your life with me!!"
"No, haah... damn it."
The man vomited forth demonic qi, revealing deep fury. Demonic energy was a power every demonic cultivator could freely command.
Apparently the man had taken Shin Gi-woon's words as a provocation.
"If that's what you want, I'll give it to you."
Pointless. There was nothing to gain from fighting this man.
"Come."
Having made that judgment, Shin Gi-woon's eyes flushed red.