Chapter 170
Chapter 170
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: The Frog in the Well
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bu Eun-seol couldn't immediately grasp what Hyeok Gong-baek was saying.
After a long moment of deep thought, he cautiously opened his mouth.
“What do you mean by ‘wake up’ your grandson?”
“My apologies. In my haste, I jumped straight to the conclusion.”
Hyeok Gong-baek let out a low laugh and began to speak.
“I have a grandson. My son and his wife passed on early, so that child is the only blood relative I have left.”
Heaving a deep sigh, he continued.
“But the boy has no interest in anything. He just idles away his days gambling. And this, despite being the next master who will one day lead Jeok-cheon-mak-ji.”
Bu Eun-seol, sensing something, asked.
“By any chance, is your grandson a young man in blue robes with a languid expression?”
“That’s him. That boy is my grandson, Hyeok So-jin.”
The handsome man with an expression that conveyed the tediousness of the world.
He was none other than the grandson of the Phantom Demon, Hyeok Gong-baek: Hyeok So-jin.
“I can’t live for a thousand years, can I? I wish for the boy to rediscover his passion for the martial world as soon as possible, but it’s not easy.”
“I don’t understand. As your grandson, he must have trained more fiercely than anyone.”
One of the Ten Demonic Sects, Jeok-cheon-mak-ji.
It was a sanctuary for the great demons who had once swept through the martial world, and a repository of all the demonic arts they possessed—a veritable treasure trove of the world’s demonic techniques.
Most of the manuals stacked in the Demonic Archive’s Ten Thousand Demon Pavilion originated from Jeok-cheon-mak-ji.
“Besides, as the next master, he must have had a demonic arts manual in his hands since he was a child.”
“There are two reasons.”
A sorrowful look crossed Hyeok Gong-baek’s face.
“First, my son and his wife died young. Their martial arts were formidable, but perhaps the heavens were jealous, as they succumbed to a strange illness and passed away. After that, the boy became cynical about everything.”
No matter how great one’s martial arts, one could not defy the cycle of life, aging, sickness, and death.
Having witnessed his parents’ deaths at such a young age and constantly seeing the old demons residing in the Peach Blossom Spring, he had surely come to feel the vanity of life.
‘Indeed, the Peach Blossom Spring is beautiful only in scenery. It’s essentially a place filled with old folks about to embark on their final journey.’
The Peach Blossom Spring, a place inhabited by old men facing the terminus of death.
From the perspective of the youth left behind, they were no different from undertakers who had to handle the affairs of the deceased.
“The second reason is that the boy’s talent is simply too prodigious.”
Taking another sip of tea, a proud smile graced Hyeok Gong-baek’s lips.
“By the time he was ten, he had already mastered about thirty percent of my ultimate arts.”
“I see.”
“Not only that, but he has also committed a significant number of the exceptional demonic arts of our sect to memory.”
To achieve thirty percent mastery of the Phantom Demon's world-shattering arts at the age of ten was one thing, but this was another level.
He was undoubtedly a tremendous martial arts genius.
“Prodigies who are too brilliant often feel a sense of loneliness or emptiness early on.”
As Bu Eun-seol nodded, Hyeok Gong-baek spoke.
“After the age of ten, the boy completely lost interest in martial arts. Since he learns everything so easily, he thinks there is no one better than him.”
“I see.”
“I’ve tried various methods until now, but nothing has worked. No one has been able to change his mind.”
Bu Eun-seol, who had been thinking deeply, suddenly had a glint in his eyes.
“I believe there may be a way.”
“There is?”
“Yes.”
Bu Eun-seol said calmly.
“Does it matter what method I use?”
“Of course not. If that boy can shake off his lethargy and begin to stretch his wings as my successor…”
Hyeok Gong-baek spoke with conviction.
“I will be your strength for the rest of my life.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded crisply.
“In that case, please summon your grandson to the training grounds.”
Hyeok Gong-baek pondered for a moment before sighing.
“Don’t tell me you intend to have a duel?”
He chuckled dryly and shook his head.
“As it happens, the successor of the Hell’s Blood Citadel who visited before also requested a duel with the boy.”
“Did such a thing happen?”
“Even the successor of the Hell’s Blood Citadel couldn’t subdue So-jin. Of course, that’s partly because he couldn’t use his true skill, the poison arts, but…”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes sparkled.
The official successor of the Hell’s Blood Citadel couldn’t defeat a man who idled his time away like a loafer?
“The boy is stronger than anyone. Even with just a superficial grasp of martial arts.”
Hyeok So-jin wasn’t one of the Ten Demonic Successors; he was the groomed heir of one of the Ten Demonic Sects.
From a young age, he had read and learned all the demonic arts manuals of Jeok-cheon-mak-ji and had even inherited the Phantom Demon’s ultimate techniques.
What if he hadn't been the heir to Jeok-cheon-mak-ji? He would have already become a powerful candidate for the successor of the Demonic Archive.
“This should be interesting.”
“Hm?”
“Please summon him to the training grounds.”
“You really intend to go through with this.”
“The result will be different this time.”
With a sharp glint in his eyes, Bu Eun-seol approached Hyeok Gong-baek and spoke in a low voice.
“In return, please make me one promise.”
* * *
The Jeok-cheon-mak-ji training ground was not in the Peach Blossom Spring nor in the main compound, but was set up in an open area far from the headquarters.
Jeok-cheon-mak-ji strictly guarded an innumerable variety of demonic arts manuals.
Because of this, the martial artists belonging to this place had easy access to demonic arts, and an atmosphere of intense training had been fostered.
—What’s the point of learning martial arts? It’s a much more enjoyable life to just drink and gamble.
However, with Hyeok So-jin, the next master and heir, engrossed in gambling and drink, the young martial artists of Jeok-cheon-mak-ji were naturally swayed by his attitude.
“Hmm.”
The grand training ground of Jeok-cheon-mak-ji.
To one side stood Hyeok Gong-baek and Pung Yeo-ryang.
And in the center, a young man in blue robes was rubbing his eyes and yawning.
It was the Phantom Demon’s grandson, Hyeok So-jin.
And opposite him stood a martial artist with a sword on his back, his long hair fluttering. It was Bu Eun-seol.
“You’re stirring up unnecessary trouble.”
Hyeok So-jin looked at Bu Eun-seol with bored eyes.
“I hear you came in as one of the Ten Demonic Successors and luckily got acknowledged as a successor of Nang-ya-gak.”
His tone was laced with a subtle contempt.
But Bu Eun-seol simply nodded with an indifferent expression.
“That is correct.”
“Then, it would be best for you to live within your means.”
“You speak wisely.”
Bu Eun-seol, uncharacteristically, gave a slight smile.
“That’s why I’m here to teach you how to live within your means.”
*Fwoosh.*
In that instant, a purple light flickered in Hyeok So-jin’s eyes.
‘He has certainly inherited the Phantom Demon’s energy.’
The purple glow that occasionally appeared in Hyeok Gong-baek’s eyes was clearly embedded in Hyeok So-jin’s as well.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”
In that short time, Hyeok So-jin seemed to have regained his composure, his blazing eyes turning clear again.
“I am not so passionate as to trade blows with another for no reason.”
“Are you afraid of defeat?”
“Not at all. What do I gain if I win, and what does it matter if I lose?”
So-jin’s desolate eyes, gazing at the distant sky, were filled with loneliness.
“With so many years left, it feels so distant to either live or die…”
It was one thing to hear such words from an old man weary of life.
But coming from a young man who had just passed his coming-of-age, it was far too pessimistic.
At an age when he should be radiating bright and brilliant vitality.
Hyeok So-jin seemed to have cast away his will to live to some far-off place, like an old man on the verge of twilight.
“Then let’s make a wager.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s proposal, a flicker of life returned to Hyeok So-jin’s eyes.
If nothing else, gambling was the one pleasure he truly enjoyed.
“A wager, I like that. What kind of wager?”
“Three moves.”
Bu Eun-seol stated calmly.
“Receive three of my fist techniques. If you can take them without dodging, I will admit defeat.”
“Not sword techniques, but just three fist techniques?”
Hyeok So-jin, who had been looking at him as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, smiled faintly.
“So if I win? What do I get?”
“Anything. I’ll do anything within my power.”
“Hahaha, you must not have gambled much. You shouldn’t make such promises so lightly.”
“Do you accept?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, Hyeok So-jin shrugged.
“And if I lose?”
“It’s as I proposed. You will fight me with all your heart.”
“Is there really a need to go that far? If I lose, I just have to have one duel with you, right?”
At that, a red, bloody light surfaced in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
“I didn’t say duel. I said fight.”
A fight. It probably meant a battle to the death.
“Hahaha. Hahahahaha.”
After bursting into laughter for a long moment, Hyeok So-jin smiled coldly.
“You’re an arrogant one.”
Once again, a purple light rippled like waves in his eyes.
“Do you even know who I am?”
“I know very well.”
A thread of a smile touched Bu Eun-seol’s lips.
“A frog in a well (井底之蛙).”
*Crack.*
As if he had unleashed his internal energy, the training ground floor where Hyeok So-jin stood sank inward.
“Hahaha.”
Hyeok So-jin, who always wore a bored expression, showed a lively glint in his eyes for the first time.
“Very well. I accept.”
Simultaneously, a powerful aura erupted from his body.
The official successor of one of the Ten Demonic Sects.
They are born with the finest constitution, have their ki and blood purified with elixirs and secret remedies, and even undergo Marrow Cleansing to transform their bodies into a structure suitable for martial arts.
From the moment they start walking, the greatest masters and warriors of the demonic path devote all their energy to teaching them.
The official successors of the Ten Demonic Sects, raised in this way, have all reached an incomparably formidable level.
‘They always pull the same, obvious tricks.’
A look of contempt arose in Hyeok So-jin’s eyes as he looked at Bu Eun-seol.
In truth, he already knew what kind of request his grandfather, Hyeok Gong-baek, had made to the successor of the Hell’s Blood Citadel.
‘He wants me to be stimulated by seeing their brilliant martial arts.’
The successor of the Hell’s Blood Citadel had also requested a duel. He had displayed his dazzling martial arts to provoke Hyeok So-jin.
But that was all.
When Hyeok So-jin didn’t fall for the taunt and remained purely on the defensive, the successor of the Hell’s Blood Citadel could do nothing but throw up his hands in defeat.
Within Jeok-cheon-mak-ji, no one would dare to harm the official successor.
So for Bu Eun-seol to repeat the same act was utterly laughable to him.
“You can start whenever you’re ready.”
Hyeok So-jin said with a smirk.
“My lord stray dog of Nang-ya-gak.”
Despite the insulting words, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes remained calm and settled.
“First move.”
With that one short phrase, Bu Eun-seol immediately threw a powerful punch.
It was the first form of Gwon-ma-chil-sik, unleashed with thirty percent of his power.
Just as the silent, soundless fist energy of the Gwon-ma-cho-hyeon was about to strike Hyeok So-jin’s chest,
*WHOOSH!*
Suddenly, with a fierce sonic boom, the fist energy split into two streams.
And they fiercely struck at Hyeok So-jin’s sides.
It was a feat of borrowing power from ki, a marvel possible only within the Gwon-ma-chil-sik.
“Heh.”
But Hyeok So-jin wasn’t particularly surprised and simply gave a light shrug.
*Whirl.*
Then, a strange force erupted from his entire body, deflecting the Gwon-ma-cho-hyeon’s energy that was digging into his sides at an angle.
“A formidable fist art.”
As Hyeok So-jin smiled, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
“Second move.”
*CRACKLE! RUMBLE!*
This time, with a sound like thunder, five sharp streams of fist energy wrapped around Hyeok So-jin’s body from an unavoidable angle.
It was the second form of Gwon-ma-chil-sik, the Geuk-jeon-hon-hyo.
“Hah.”
As the sharp and light-speed fist energy bored in, Hyeok So-jin, with a slightly surprised expression, quickly waved his arms.
Then, a faint purple glow poured from his hands, causing the five streams of fist energy to merge into one.
*Swish.*
The fist energy passed over his head.
It was a form similar to neutralizing force by performing the neutralizing power of Tai Chi.
“Is that the Sin-yeol-ma-gi?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s question, Hyeok So-jin nodded.
Sin-yeol-ma-gi (Divine Fissuring Demonic Ki).
This was less a martial art and more a special ki art, akin to Shaolin’s Prajna Great Power or the Ming Cult’s Heaven and Earth Great Shift.
A world-shaking demonic art that uses the powerful Sin-yeol-ma-gi throughout the body to alter the flow of external force pouring from an enemy.
It was said that at the highest level, one could return any martial art or force back to the opponent.
And Hyeok So-jin was using a tactic of lightly deflecting incoming attacks while shrouded in Sin-yeol-ma-gi.
“Wake up from your foolish dream.”
Hyeok So-jin, having figured out Bu Eun-seol’s intentions, said confidently.
“Whatever you do, you won’t be able to break the Sin-yeol-ma-gi surrounding my body.”
Even at only thirty percent mastery, the Sin-yeol-ma-gi was as sticky as glue and as tough as an ox tendon.
Without using one's true skill, it was absolutely unbreakable.
“We shall see.”
As his words ended, a red glow surged from Bu Eun-seol’s body.
*BOOM!*
As another explosion erupted, the points of light shot up into the sky as crimson streaks.
Hyeok So-jin, watching the terrifying sight, instead wore a sneer.
‘Hmph, trying to scare me with his internal energy. He’s not actually going to kill me…’
*Crack.*
Just then, the sound of bones cracking echoed from Bu Eun-seol’s body, and the red points of light that had shot into the sky were absorbed into his right hand.
*Wooooo…*
As Bu Eun-seol’s hand drew a circle in the air, a bloody light of the Counter-Polarity shot from his eyes.
Gwon-ma-chil-sik, Fourth Form, Cheon-su-gong-pa (Heavenly Hand Void Break).
The world-shaking ultimate art, said to destroy everything in its path, was unleashed.
“Wai-wait. Don’t tell me…!”
Before Hyeok So-jin’s cry could finish,
*KWAAAAAAA!*
With an explosion that seemed to rip heaven and earth asunder, a red radiance poured from his left fist.
It was the very power of creation and destruction, a force that annihilated everything between the sky and the ground.
As Hyeok So-jin stared at the incoming Cheon-su-gong-pa, his eyes reflected what seemed like a colossal sun.