Pursuit Squad's Secret (6)
Clack, clack, clack.
Cheon Ri Hyeong's teeth chattered violently.
If the initial terror of seeing Ja-chung turn into a revenant had set his teeth on edge, now there was another reason.
The biting cold of the ice arts was rapidly freezing his entire body, plunging him into extreme chill.
I'll die if this keeps up!
Cheon Ri Hyeong kicked off the ground, trying to dodge.
But not even a single toe would budge.
His entire body's meridians had frozen solid under the tidal wave of ice arts energy surging through him.
Moreover, his Iron Palms clung to Seo Baek's like they'd been slathered in strong glue, refusing to let go.
He was utterly immobilized, as if his acupoints had been sealed.
Cheon Ri Hyeong mustered every ounce of his strength to speak.
"Don't... lie to me... This is definitely the Seo clan's ice arts..."
"Talking about the Seo clan again? I merely channeled a bit of Shika Heart Method energy into my palms."
At Seo Baek's response, Cheon Ri Hyeong roared inwardly.
Lies!
A bit? This tidal wave of ice energy was freezing his meridians solid, and he called it a bit!
Unlike Cheon Ri Hyeong, who writhed in agony, unable to move forward or back, Seo Baek's face remained impassive.
No—beyond impassive, he looked like he was stifling a yawn.
As if the situation bored him to death.
Only then did Cheon Ri Hyeong realize it. Seo Baek was an unfathomable master whose name alone would send shivers through the world!
"Please... have mercy..."
"Mercy?"
"Spare my life, at least..."
Born the son of an Iron Palm Gang leader who dominated a region, Cheon Ri Hyeong had never bowed his head to anyone in his life.
Yet now he was begging a boy not even in his twenties for his life.
If any Iron Palm Gang disciple saw this, they'd be stunned beyond belief!
"From now on, your dantian will be frozen and shattered. You'll never use martial arts again."
"..."
"So let's call this even for tormenting my comrades."
"Th-thank you..."
Hoo. Seo Baek exhaled and withdrew his palms.
Clap. The Iron Palms, stuck like lodestones, finally parted with a sharp clapping sound.
Thud. As the tidal wave of energy receded, Cheon Ri Hyeong's strength drained away, and he dropped to his knees.
Kneeling there, he couldn't twitch a finger. His meridians had frozen like ice under the ice arts energy.
Seo Baek rifled through Cheon Ri Hyeong's robes, retrieving the Iron Palm Gang's manual and secret artifacts, then said,
"I've slain plenty of Blood Ghosts, but I wanted to test myself against a true revenant warrior. You're nothing special."
"You bastard... You picked me just to fight a revenant...?"
"Took you long enough."
But then something horrifying happened that made even Cheon Ri Hyeong gasp in terror.
Seo Baek turned, drew the sword planted in the ground—what the hell?
"Wait—you just said you'd spare me!"
"I said vengeance for my comrades is complete. Never said I'd let you live."
"You tricked me!"
Seo Baek smirked and replied,
"Why trick a pathetic weakling? Should've killed you quicker."
"...!"
As Seo Baek approached with his massive greatsword, Cheon Ri Hyeong's eyes bulged red with terror, veins throbbing.
"Even as a revenant, I swear I'll never leave for the Central Plains—I'll hide forever... please..."
"Believe a revenant's word? Even a stray dog would laugh."
"I swear it... I'll keep it... please..."
"Farewell."
"Pleeease... nooooo...!"
As Cheon Ri Hyeong screamed in horror, a gale whipped his hair like trembling aspen leaves.
Whiiing.
The next instant, a grating screech erupted—like sharp metal scraping rock.
Kagagak.
Seo Baek's sword cleaved Cheon Ri Hyeong's neck.
A human neck, yet it rang like struck metal—a sword's cry.
The overwhelming ice arts had turned his neck to true ice.
Heaven and earth tilted sideways in Cheon Ri Hyeong's vision. His head separated from his body, slid smoothly, and hit the dirt.
Splat.
Cheon Ri Hyeong, who had driven even his father the gang leader to death, become a revenant, and eyed dominion over the Iron Palm Gang and the Central Plains martial world.
The ambitiously ruthless man met his absurd end under a boy's sword.
"It's over."
Seo Baek muttered indifferently, knelt by the head, and rolled it with his sword to expose the nape.
He had deliberately sliced low to avoid the Blood Thread Worm's heart meridian.
Sure enough, deep in the nape writhed a pale, leech-like thing burrowed in.
The entity that turned humans into revenants—the Blood Thread Worm's heart meridian!
Seo Baek rested his chin on his sword hilt, gazing at it quietly, like a child eyeing a bug.
Time passed enough for a cup of tea.
Seo Baek prodded the worm with his sword tip.
No reaction. Not even a twitch. It was frozen solid, dead from the cold.
"It worked, Master."
Seo Baek murmured as if reporting to his teacher that the Shika Heart Method's ice arts had succeeded.
Now he had one more trump card against revenants.
But the ice arts had conditions.
First, he needed a chance to infuse the opponent's body with his energy.
To freeze the heart meridian, he'd have to seal acupoints or use palm strikes for an internal assault.
Ideal if palms met like with Cheon Ri Hyeong for a direct energy clash.
No matter how profound their inner energy, once ice arts invaded, their meridians would freeze, crippling energy flow.
Of course, ice arts weren't invincible. If the revenant vastly outclassed him and expelled the energy?
Seo Baek's dantian would shatter first!
And against Blood Ghosts—mindless revenant hordes—ice arts would be useless.
They required maxing the Shika Heart Method. Against hordes, his energy would deplete instantly.
Put simply, poor cost-performance.
Better to just hack through hordes with the sword.
Best to keep ice arts secret for true revenant masters like Cheon Ri Hyeong.
Seo Baek recalled his master's words.
There are six renowned masters whose arts can match the Shika Heart Method.
His master listed them: sects, titles, names.
Shaolin Abbot Mu Hye.
Wudang's top disciple Jin Ha-gun.
Huashan elder Myeongwol-ja.
Kunlun senior elder Cheongheo Jin-in.
Ami faction leader Jeong Su Sa Tae.
Jegal clan first young master Jegal Seong.
After naming the six, his master added,
The martial world teems with hidden masters. For every known one, assume two unknowns.
By that logic, beyond known experts, at least twelve more hermits matched Seo Baek's inner energy!
Not exact, just an estimate.
At minimum, ten peak masters equaled the Shika Heart Method. Likely more.
If any become revenants, show no mercy—end them with ice arts!
His master's command, sharp as frost-laced wind.
The Central Plains had banned ice arts; any sect using them faced extermination by tacit agreement.
But his master stressed ignoring martial codes against revenants—even jianghu justice.
"As you command."
Entering the Central Plains had yielded unexpected gains.
Ice arts worked on revenants.
And the Shika Heart Method overwhelmed even formidable Iron Palm Thunder Gong!
Worth the time to reach Iron Palm Mountain.
Seo Baek eyed the scattered heads of Cheon Ri Hyeong and the gang disciples.
"You were somewhat useful, so I'll give you a funeral."
Cheon Ri Hyeong's head was frozen dead, but Ja-chung and the gang leader's writhed, Blood Thread Worms sprouting like octopus tentacles, crawling toward bodies.
As Seo Baek approached, the heads rolled eyes back and screeched.
Keeeeek!
Seo Baek crushed them underfoot with his sword, silencing them. He gathered heads and bodies.
Then doused in oil and lit with flint.
Whoosh. Kwueeek...
Fire twists and shrinks leeches to death. The worms from the heads squirmed identically before dying.
Soon, the revenants charred black.
With no more movement, Seo Baek turned crisply and left.
Yu So Un and Wang Yi Sam rested in a distant forest, out of Iron Palm Gang sight.
Wang Yi Sam said anxiously,
"Think Seo Baek's okay?"
"He'll be fine. You still don't trust him?"
Unlike Wang Yi Sam, Yu So Un spoke calmly, without worry.
"Still, eight against one..."
"Numbers don't matter in the martial world. If one outmatches eight combined, that's it."
Son Il Seo, with them, chimed in,
"Right! That brother's martial prowess is top-notch—no problem for those Iron Palm fools!"
Yu So Un smiled faintly at Son Il Seo.
Young but spirited. Unlike his own frail youth, this boy would make a fine gang leader with diligent training.
The young lovers Yang San and Chuk Yeong smiled at Son Il Seo too.
Then Yu So Un sensed something and murmured,
"Yu peng zi yuan fang lai, bu yi le hu."
"Yu peng...? More fancy talk?"
"The Analects. 'Is it not delightful when friends visit from afar?'"
"Always quoting classics."
"No—our friend just arrived."
Yu So Un pointed behind with his index finger.
Wang Yi Sam turned, puzzled. Seo Baek emerged from the woods.
Wang Yi Sam jumped up, yelling,
"You brat! Why so late?"
"Had to tidy up."
"Even so, you worried us..."
But Seo Baek brushed past Wang Yi Sam.
Wang Yi Sam swallowed awkwardly, staring blankly. Seo Baek stopped before Yu So Un.
"Nice mess. Let those guys get the drop on you without me?"
As Seo Baek said, Yu So Un looked roughed up.
During the ambush, only Yu So Un had properly resisted Cheon Ri Hyeong's crew. Wang Yi Sam and Yang San surrendered with swords at their backs.
Yu So Un held his own against six but yielded with hostages taken.
Cheon Ri Hyeong's gang beat him bloody as an example.
His face was bruised purple, swollen like a ball.
Yu So Un replied calmly, true to form,
"They had eight."
"Still only four times your number."
Yu So Un answered innocently, but Seo Baek's interrogation was ice-cold.
"What happened to that famed archery? Boiling soup?"
Wang Yi Sam intervened, unable to watch,
"Hey, junior— no time to nock an arrow. Me and an Iron Palm goon as hostages."
The usual dog-and-cat bickering, but Wang Yi Sam defending Yu So Un? Unprecedented.
Seo Baek replied coldly,
"How can I leave you alone like this? I'm disappointed, both of you."
He turned sharply.
Wang Yi Sam gaped, clueless, while Yu So Un watched his back, lifting bruised lips in a grin.