Overwhelmingly So
The disciples of Mount Hua picked themselves up and rushed over.
The disciple named Yun Hong, who had been blown backward after taking a blow from Han Cheong-un, did not seem to be in too critical a condition.
'He didn't strike with the spearhead.'
He had likely flipped the weapon to strike with the blunt butt of the shaft instead.
Though the heavy impact had knocked him unconscious, his life was not in danger.
Checking on his unconscious junior brother, Yun Sang let out a heavy sigh.
They had been completely spared throughout the fight.
What excuse could they possibly make?
Returning to Hyeon-myeong in defeat, Yun Sang bowed his head and apologized.
"I am sorry, Elder. Our lack of ability..."
Slap!
Before Yun Sang could even finish, his head whipped to the side. Hyeon-myeong trembled with rage as he spoke.
"Useless fool!"
"..."
"You bring shame upon our sect! How dare you expect to live after such a disgrace?!"
Faced with Hyeon-myeong's genuine fury, Yun Sang could only bow his head deeper and apologize again.
"I am deeply sorry. I will accept any punishment."
"Yes. As you well should."
Violet Mist Qi began to gather in Hyeon-myeong's hand.
It seemed this would not end with a simple reprimand.
"Elder!"
"Please, no! Forgive our senior brother!"
The other disciples hurriedly rushed forward, prostrating themselves before Hyeon-myeong.
"Move! You worthless wretches!"
But their desperate pleas fell on deaf ears.
If anything, their begging only fueled his rage, and Hyeon-myeong's murderous intent grew even thicker. Seeing this, Yun Sang tried to stop his junior brothers.
"Step aside! This is my responsibility to bear."
"But, Senior Brother..."
"I said, step aside!"
Yun Sang barked, but the disciples refused to budge.
Looking at Elder Hyeon-myeong's current state, he looked fully prepared to sever Yun Sang's meridians.
Honestly, did this make any sense?
Severing the meridians of a disciple who had fought his hardest, all under the guise of punishment?
And to one of the Seven Plum Blossom Swords, the very symbols of Mount Hua?
"We cannot move."
"If you are going to punish our senior brother, punish us first."
Just as Yun Sang was about to shout at his junior brothers again...
"Can you save the family squabble for later?"
Han Cheong-un intervened.
He spoke calmly as he stepped forward, pointing the tip of his spear directly at Elder Hyeon-myeong.
"If you want to scold your disciples for being pathetic, why don't you show us how impressive a Mount Hua elder is first?"
"Brat. Do you truly wish to die?"
Blood vessels stood out in Hyeon-myeong's eyes.
He had not been this enraged in decades. As he released a wave of genuine murderous intent, even the Mount Hua disciples felt a cold shiver run down their spines. However...
"Oh, that's quite a thrilling chill. It puts most Unorthodox bastards to shame."
"..."
Han Cheong-un was the exception.
The murderous intent of a Mount Hua elder?
What of it?
'Compared to the madness of a real battlefield, this is lukewarm.'
Han Cheong-un calmly took a step forward and spoke.
"If you're so displeased with what your disciples did, why don't you step up yourself?"
"..."
"Well, if you're scared, you don't have to. You can just go back to the Mount Hua Sect—no, the Wulin Alliance suits you better. Go whine to them. Tell them some young brat didn't show you the respect your seniority deserves, and ask them to punish me."
"..."
For the first time in his life, Hyeon-myeong realized something.
Once anger passes a certain threshold, it actually turns into a cold, eerie calm.
"You must die."
"Can you make it happen?"
"I have no desire to waste any more words on you."
With those words, Hyeon-myeong stepped forward and drew his sword.
*Shring.*
The moment the blade left its scabbard, petals of fire began to bloom and drift along the steel.
Plum Blossom Sword Qi, constantly blooming and scattering in an endless cycle.
It was a unique phenomenon that occurred when a Mount Hua swordsman reached the realm of Sword Qi Manifestation.
In that state, he lightly swung his sword. And then...
*Whoosh!*
A gentle storm of petals drifted toward Han Cheong-un.
Though it looked beautiful and harmless at a glance, Han Cheong-un reacted instantly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The moment his spear collided with the attack, he realized just how much destructive power was packed into each and every plum blossom petal.
Although Han Cheong-un had easily blocked the onslaught of the four first-class disciples, this time he was pushed back by sheer force.
'As expected, I can't match his internal energy.'
Han Cheong-un frowned slightly.
Even though he had consumed an elixir and absorbed sixty years' worth of internal energy, it was still far from enough to clash head-on with an elder of the Mount Hua Sect in terms of raw power.
Sensing his advantage from that single exchange, Hyeon-myeong aggressively pressed forward.
"It is too late for regrets, brat."
Amidst the storm of plum blossom sword qi blooming before his eyes, the corners of Han Cheong-un's mouth curled upward.
*Thud!*
He took a step forward, stomping his foot hard against the ground to anchor himself.
At the same time, Han Cheong-un's glowing red spear split into countless afterimages, rising to meet the oncoming plum blossom sword qi.
Blazing Torrent
As if determined to incinerate every single plum blossom petal in sight, Han Cheong-un's spear strikes lashed out in a wild, raging torrent, clashing head-on with the sword qi.
Clang! Crash! Boom!
Neither side yielded an inch.
Hyeon-myeong unleashed an endless stream of plum blossom sword qi to pressure his opponent, while Han Cheong-un swung his spear relentlessly to counter it.
The glowing red yang energy coating Han Cheong-un's spear had erupted into actual flames. The rapid succession of his strikes made it look as though he were unleashing a literal wave of fire.
Crash! Boom!
"Ugh..."
"It's dangerous. Fall back further."
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
Seeing the battle grow far more intense than expected, the Mount Hua disciples quickly backed away.
Tang Jin also prepared to retreat, but Baek Su-ah remained rooted to the spot.
"Lady Baek, it's dangerous. We should fall back too."
Despite Tang Jin's urgent warning, Baek Su-ah spoke calmly.
"There is no need."
"What?"
"Not a single stray shard of sword qi will fly our way."
The moment he heard her words, Tang Jin realized.
The space where they stood.
In other words, the area directly behind Han Cheong-un's back was completely untouched by the stray energy.
Why was this the only safe haven amidst the explosive clashes of sword and spear qi scattering in all directions?
The logical answer was simple.
"Is the Sect Leader winning?"
Baek Su-ah nodded.
"Overwhelmingly so."
'This is impossible.'
Hyeon-myeong was in utter shock.
No, it went beyond shock—he was beginning to feel terror.
To onlookers, it might have seemed like a flashy, even clash, but as the one directly trading blows, he could feel the truth.
In this entire exchange, he had not gained the upper hand even once.
'How can this be?'
He had felt it during their very first exchange.
In terms of internal energy, he was overwhelmingly superior.
In fact, it didn't even require confirmation. Even if the brat had stumbled upon some elixir to boost his strength, how could he possibly possess more internal energy than an elder of a prestigious orthodox sect who had trained for over sixty years?
It was only natural.
Knowing he held the advantage in raw power, Hyeon-myeong had immediately opted for a direct clash.
It was the most foolproof way for the stronger to crush the weaker.
He chose to overpower him head-on, force against force.
The boy had accepted the challenge without backing down, and at that moment, Hyeon-myeong had smiled, certain of his victory. However...
'What is this? What kind of spear technique is...'
That smile vanished before they had even traded ten blows.
In its place, shock and terror now dominated Hyeon-myeong's face.
He held the advantage in internal energy, but Han Cheong-un was leagues ahead of him in technique.
The gap was so vast it was dizzying.
'Is it even possible to wield a spear like that?'
Every simple thrust adapted and shifted infinitely to match the situation.
With a single, effortless sweep, the boy severed the flow of the setups Hyeon-myeong had painstakingly prepared.
The spiraling tip of the spear was far more delicate and precise than the tip of his own sword.
Watching it felt like having his eyes opened to a new world. An elder of Mount Hua was actually staring in awe, captivated by the sheer artistry of this young brat's spearplay.
'A genius? No... no. That word doesn't even begin to describe this.'
Even for a genius, there had to be limits.
Did this make any sense?
'This is impossible.'
Gritting his teeth, Hyeon-myeong denied reality and poured even more power into his sword qi.
The plum blossom sword qi on his blade flared to twice its size, filling the surrounding space and whipping up a violent storm. However...
In that instant, Han Cheong-un's eyes flashed, and he executed a wide sweep with his spear.
*Whoosh!*
A single sweep.
Yet, with just that, the dense plum blossom sword qi filling his vision vanished like an illusion.
He had read the sword's trajectory perfectly and severed its core.
"You... you bastard..."
"For someone who claims to be an elder of the Nine Great Sects, what is this sloppy sword qi?"
"What did you say?"
"Relying solely on brute force? Has Mount Hua's swordsmanship always been this crude?"
"..."
"Tsk. It's truly lamentable."
Hyeon-myeong's face flushed red, looking as if it might explode at any moment.
Yet, he couldn't even offer a retort.
What could he say to an opponent who had completely dismantled his sword qi? Any excuse would sound like pathetic whining.
"You... you will die here today, no matter what."
Hissing with venomous hatred, he no longer possessed even a shred of the dignity or grace expected of an elder from a prestigious Taoist sect.
*Hummmmm.*
"Haaah!"
He pushed his Violet Mist Qi to its absolute limit.
Even though his brute-force approach had just been countered, Hyeon-myeong channeled his energy once more.
However, he wasn't entirely brainless; this time would be different.
It wasn't a wide-area attack meant to catch the opponent by chance.
He was condensing his power to its absolute limit, preparing a strike fueled by the desperate resolve to make it land.
"Hmm..."
Han Cheong-un read his opponent's intention.
He gripped the center of his spear firmly and faced him. A full-force strike from someone of a Mount Hua elder's caliber was not to be taken lightly.
Since the elder held the advantage in internal energy, he could not afford to underestimate this.
Moreover, if his memory served him right, Elder Hyeon-myeong possessed a life-saving ultimate technique he reserved for real combat.
Han Cheong-un didn't know the exact details of the move.
But he had heard that it was thanks to this single technique that Hyeon-myeong had managed to survive two Great Wars between the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions.
'He'll probably use it now.'
And finally...
"Die!"
Hyeon-myeong lunged forward with a roar that sounded entirely unbefitting of a Taoist priest.
Raising his sword high with his right hand, he extended his left hand to aim at his target.
It was an overtly aggressive stance.
Furthermore, because his blade was heavily coated in Sword Astral, the strike would be heavy and slow. However...
*Flash!*
A blinding light suddenly erupted from his outstretched left hand.
It wasn't an offensive technique, but a brilliant flash designed to temporarily blind the opponent. And then...
'Now!'
He unleashed his lethal ultimate strike, channeling the full power of his Violet Mist Qi.
Bloody Rain of Plum Blossoms
The deadliest and most murderous form in all of Mount Hua's swordsmanship unfolded.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless beams of Violet Mist Qi shot from the tip of his sword, following the flow of the Plum Blossom Sword Formula to seal off every possible escape route.
'I won.'
Hyeon-myeong was certain of his victory.
But when it came to trump cards, Han Cheong-un possessed something far more powerful.
The moment Han Cheong-un deployed his Domain.
He gained an absolute advantage within that single step.
Even if all directions were blocked and only death lay ahead, he was completely free in this frozen instant.
*Whoosh.*
With a single step, Han Cheong-un bypassed the enemy's attack.
The lethal strike Hyeon-myeong had unleashed detonated spectacularly right where the boy had been standing.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Had it landed, not even a recognizable corpse would have remained.
But to Han Cheong-un, who had already slipped past the danger zone, it meant nothing.
Instead, he stepped forward, closing the distance to appear right in front of the completely defenseless Hyeon-myeong.
Staring at the elder's shocked face, Han Cheong-un thought:
'...He is not worth it.'
Reassuring himself, Han Cheong-un extended his free hand and pressed his palm against Hyeon-myeong's dantian.
"W-Wait!"
Hyeon-myeong cried out in panic, but it was already too late.
Bam!
"Cough... Ugh... Argh..."
The palm strike landed squarely on his dantian, rupturing Hyeon-myeong's internal organs and throwing his qi flow into violent reverse.
Hyeon-myeong clamped his mouth shut and tried to cover it with both hands, but the blood surging backward from his core burst through his lips anyway.
"Blegh!"
He collapsed, vomiting blood, and Han Cheong-un looked down at him coldly.
"I won't kill you, as there are things I need to hear from you. But it will take a very long time for you to ever recover your martial arts."
"Y-You... *cough*... How dare you... How..."
Unable to contain his rage, Hyeon-myeong shed tears of blood before losing consciousness.