The Heavenly Demon Copies Martial Arts - Chapter 71
One month had passed since the Awakening Ceremony ended.
Amipa was in an extremely chaotic state.
A new Guardian had been born.
Yet the absence of the Guardian was far too long, and the sect’s decline had occurred over a prolonged period.
Because of that, the moment the sect leader stepped away from the front lines to focus on the final tempering of the newly born Guardian, Seo Hyemun had resumed her rampage with all the more inevitability.
Once the restrictions were lifted, Seo Hyemun, despite lacking any specific official post, wielded her subordinates planted in every vital position like puppets and ruled with the same tyrannical arrogance she had shown during her time as chief protector.
“Everyone! Gather at once! Today, even the least of the new disciples must assemble!”
“Have you heard what Lady Seo Hyemun said?! Do as she commands!”
Those gathered beside her repeated her words in loud echo.
The Amipa warriors could not hide their bewildered expressions.
“That woman must have been expelled by the sect leader, yet she has the nerve to…”
“Shh, watch your mouth! We don’t have the strength.”
In the courtyard of the martial arena, a site of battle had been prepared. All the Amipa warriors and members of Jongnam Sect were assembled there.
‘If I don’t take this chance to crush those bastards who humiliated me…’
Seo Hyemun gritted her teeth hard enough to creak.
They had been the external threats that had always irked her from the very beginning.
Unknown outsiders had come and begun chipping away at the firm foundation she had painstakingly built, one layer at a time.
It was irrelevant whether the external forces gained glory; what she could not tolerate was that it strengthened the outsiders’ say in the matter.
In fact, if anyone had wished for the failure of this Awakening Ceremony, it would have been Seo Hyemun herself.
Even without a Guardian, Amipa would never perish, that was her unshakable belief.
In the Jianghu, the balance between orthodox and unorthodox forces remained rock-solid.
The leaders of every sect constantly devoured and debated the principles of power balance, as though they were devouring martial arts themselves a hundred times a day.
Even if they had declined, none among the Nine Great Families would wish for a cornerstone of the righteous camp like Amipa to crumble and be lost.
‘If Amipa is not mine, however strong it grows, it will mean nothing.’
That was Seo Hyemun’s true feeling.
She had dreamed of serving under someone else’s banner rather than letting anyone rise to the core of Amipa.
That dream had been almost within reach—until those damned outsiders had disrupted it and even provided the reason to expel her.
‘I will never forgive them!’
Across the arena, her eyes met those of Gwak Ilsan from the group in green martial robes.
Gwak Ilsan, his goat beard trimmed, nodded in acknowledgment.
“The woman from Blood Death Sect is our mark. We’ll use this as an excuse to summon her later and take her away. When the time comes to demand repayment, stand with us as we have today.”
They wanted to settle the debt of a Guardian they now possessed through Amipa with this event.
This was the secret pact they had offered Seo Hyemun just before the duel.
“The man will be made half-disabled and handed over to you. Jongnam will support you. Do you agree?”
Seo Hyemun nodded without hesitation.
Though she found no pleasure in allying with these green-robed trash, their aims aligned with hers.
The rumor that Jongnam had gone astray had reached even them.
In truth, they had already engaged in endless harassment of Amipa warriors even at official gatherings.
As soon as a face or figure caught their eye, their gaze changed.
The woman from Blood Death Sect appeared powerful, yet they had surely prepared countermeasures accordingly.
For instance, using the excuse of a request to lure her to the arena at night alone, then attack her.
‘Arrogant bitch… Once she’s dragged away by them, she’ll be begging to be killed instead.’
Seo Hyemun clicked her tongue in disgust and folded her arms.
As the activities of these external forces caused the Guardian’s testimony to spread about the successful Awakening Ceremony, subtle changes began stirring within Amipa.
Seo Hyemun intended to crush those sprouts once and for all through this duel.
The Guardian bore great weight, yet he was still nothing but a fledgling—barely months into his position.
The Amipa warriors had submitted to the title of Guardian, not to the man himself.
Any reversal of the current mood was possible now.
She would chip away at the Guardian’s prestige, claiming that the success of the Awakening Ceremony was due to Jongnam—and precisely to herself for deciding and bringing them here—and use the moment to solidify her own standing.
After all, the few Amipa warriors present at the scene had all perished.
The majority had fought with desperate resolve and thrown their lives away to create the final barrier, so they knew nothing of the arena’s situation.
In the end, the one who shouted loudest would win.
“The time has come. When exactly will he arrive?”
Gwak Ido, who had been summoned as the successor to the next Guardian of Jongnam, had already stood on the martial arena for an hour.
His flowing black hair, long nose, fair skin, and the harmonious white-and-green brocade robes that clung to his slender frame were enough to make every woman in the crowd gasp.
He twirled the sword in his hand—
-Shrrik.
His radiant smile as he held the gleaming blade engraved with the words One-Spirit Annihilation stole the breath of several Amipa warriors.
Gwak Ilsan laughed heartily.
“Haha, disciple. Calm yourself! An old man like you might be hiding in a corner, trembling with nerves!”
“Bringing out the one-spirit-devouring blade is too much! Using an ox-cleaver to catch a chicken is outrageous, senior brother!”
The Jongnam warriors shouted in unison.
Among them, one still carried the faint scent of alcohol from late-night drinking.
On the other side of the arena, a wooden post had been erected.
As the sun moved across the sky, the shadow of the post gradually turned toward the center.
Seo Hyemun muttered, “As announced,” and continued with a sly smile.
“If the target does not appear by noon when the sun is at its peak, the duel will be declared Gwak Ido’s victory for Jongnam. Additionally, together with Blood Death Sect, I officially declare that dishonor for this matter will be recorded in Jianghu history and pursued for a thousand years.”
“What are you waiting for? He’s probably already run away!”
The Jongnam warriors chuckled.
The Amipa warriors began murmuring among themselves.
“Impossible… He really ran away?”
“They all blocked it… The Guardian said…?”
Seo Hyemun smiled as she spoke.
“That man in the corner, the only Blood Death Sect member? Acknowledge the fact.”
In one corner stood Baekho, the sole Blood Death Sect man wrapped in a black cloak.
His arms were crossed, but his grip tightened.
When he said nothing, Seo Hyemun laughed loudly.
“If you remain silent, it means you acknowledge—.”
“I know nothing of the matter. In truth, I do not know Young Lord Biryu. But my master did say this.”
Baekho muttered, his voice rough as two stones grinding together.
“He is a mad dog that will chase anyone who offends him all the way to hell. He won’t not show up.”
“Where has your precious master gone?”
“The master.”
Baekho bit his lip.
“Internal affairs prevent him from coming here. I have come in his stead.”
“Whoohaha! What a funny story!”
It was Gwak Ido who let out a loud, merry laugh.
“What? All you trash are running away! So where the hell is this mad dog you claim will definitely come? Did your mistress mess up the words? Maybe a stray dog instead of a mad dog!”
Baekho’s eyebrows twitched.
“Your tongue is still sharp.”
“What?”
Gwak Ido’s face hardened.
His eyes burned as he glared at Baekho.
“Soon you will serve under that woman’s master. A tone like that won’t do.”
A disgusted laugh spread among the Jongnam warriors.
The Amipa warriors frowned.
Even Seo Hyemun frowned at the disgusting mockery.
Baekho gave no reaction.
-Jurruk.
His nails, still crossed, dug into his forearm, five deep lines of blood welling up.
“That tone… is vivid.”
And then a voice, hoarse enough to make a man’s words difficult, echoed across the arena.
“What?”
Everyone spun around in shock.
-Pllok.
Most sects dressed ordinary disciples in white robes and the highest rank in black.
The origin was a pure, unsullied beginning, then corrupted by endless hardships and tribulations until repeated tempering turned the black robes into inky black.
The brown cords once tied around the man’s waist had been rubbed by blood, sweat, and pus until they fused solid and turned black.
His clothes were nothing but tattered rags.
Bandages on his hands were frayed and ragged.
Through the gaps of his upper garment, his bare skin was covered in festering wounds and pus.
His hair hung to his shoulders, swaying.
Between the strands, his eyes flashed—cold, desperate, the dull gaze of a wolf that had barely hunted for food and survived a brutal winter.
“S-Surely…”
Baekho shot to his feet.
His head was matted, his body covered in wounds, yet the red mask below his nose left no doubt—this was the man he knew.
‘What kind of training did he go through in thirty days?!’
The man approached in a straight line toward the arena.
He halted directly before Baekho.
Baekho stammered, “Young Lord Biryu?”
“The matter will be settled later. May I borrow your blade for a moment?”
“My blade?”
Baekho handed it over.
Moyong Bi gripped the sword.
Then he sliced off the hair that reached his shoulders.
The matted locks fell.
Baekho said, watching.
“The master cannot come. And there is a message to deliver, but you will hear it directly when we meet again. Are you all right? Your condition…”
“It’s been well used.”
-Whirick.
The short blade spun once and offered the hilt to Baekho.
Baekho’s breath caught.
‘I didn’t see the movement.’
Under the neatly trimmed hair and beard, Moyong Bi’s face appeared pallid and haggard.
He stepped onto the arena and looked at Seo Hyemun staring blankly at him, and said, “I arrived within the time limit.”
“…”
Seo Hyemun flinched.
His calm words carried the sharp edge of a razor.
Seo Hyemun felt her spine chill.
‘He looks completely different from a month ago. Is this possible?’
He faced Gwak Ido, standing three paces away.
The wind blew.
The hem of their robes fluttered in unison.
In his pristine, orderly brocade, Gwak Ido looked utterly shabby and worthless beside Moyong Bi.
Gwak Ido snickered.
“You didn’t run far. Did you eat potatoes on the way here?”
“No time. Let’s begin.”
“Why the hurry? Of course, the faster the better. But I don’t see a weapon.”
Moyong Bi glanced downward. Gwak Ido read the inscription on the radiant blade.
“One-Spirit Annihilation… The name is good enough. I’ve only ever wielded cheap iron swords.”
“You asked about weapons.”
“Weapons… Before that, there’s something I must confirm.”
Moyong Bi looked up at Seo Hyemun, who acted as referee.
“What are the conditions for ending the duel?”
Seo Hyemun stood blankly.
“The conditions are simple. If the loser declares defeat himself, or if excessive unintended bleeding continues, or if the opponent dies.”
“Then—”
-Pllok.
Without hesitation, Moyong Bi unfolded his bandaged, wounded hand.
“I will use this.”
Gwak Ido’s expression changed.
“You’re joking— No, fine. Yes…”
Gwak Ido laughed, clicking his tongue in mockery.
Seo Hyemun gestured for them to begin with a smirk.
The official approval had been granted.
Gwak Ido sneered at Moyong Bi, gripping the one-spirit-devouring blade.
“You trash. Fine. Then let’s start. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day? I’ll make you sit on your ass myself—.”
-Pllok.
Thinking the black robe fluttered in the air.
“Danger!”
Gwak Ilsan screamed.
Gwak Ido repeated blankly, “What?”
Clearly three paces apart.
In the blink of an eye, Moyong Bi stood directly in front of him, eyes wide like a demon.
Moyong Bi murmured in a hellish voice, “You waited?”
He had been careless.
Yet the distance was still far.
The speed that closed that gap was not that of a mere beast.
Gwak Ido’s arm, gripping the sword, was firmly caught in Moyong Bi’s grip.
‘I can’t move!’
Moyong Bi stood so close their noses nearly touched.
Their gazes met.
Empty, hollow eyes.
Black eyes.
And Gwak Ido saw.
Far beyond those black, empty eyes, a frenzied fire burned and spread like a mad blaze.
“You… bastard!”
He struggled to free his wrist, but it was as if it were pinned under a rock—no movement.
His voice hoarse, Moyong Bi whispered again, “You dared to wait for this day?”
“You damned brat! Let go! Where from!”
-Thud.
Moyong Bi overlapped his hands and clamped the wrist.
Gwak Ido felt a bone-chilling chill race through his body.
“Wait—”
With a bloody metallic sound, Moyong Bi shouted.
“Three hundred days for me—how can you compare, you fucking bastard!”
-Crack!
Gwak Ido’s wrist snapped.
“Ah—”
After that, everything happened in an instant.
Moyong Bi slammed his elbow into Gwak Ido’s elbow.
His elbow smashed into Gwak Ido’s jaw.
-Crack.
The elbow bent backward.
The jaw shattered.
Moyong Bi’s foot swept past Gwak Ido’s leg.
The knee broke in both directions.
Gwak Ido fell on his backside.
Moyong Bi’s fingers seized Gwak Ido’s glossy long hair.
“Kuek!”
Gwak Ido’s body dangled from the hair, unable even to fall on his backside.
Only then did Gwak Ido realize the massive pain flooding his body.
“Kuaaaaaak!!”
A miserable scream shook the entire arena.
His body twisted in the opposite direction, bones broken.
“M-My god…”
Everyone was stunned.
Still gripping Gwak Ido’s hair, Moyong Bi looked at Seo Hyemun.
“He has not declared defeat, nor excessive bleeding, nor death. Therefore the duel continues… correct?”
“Ah, aaah!”
“Correct?”
Seo Hyemun backed away hesitantly.
“It seems so.”
Moyong Bi looked at Gwak Ido, still gripping the hair.
He adjusted his grip.
Raised his fist.
Through the torn black robe, the bicep muscle twitched.
His fist was not human.
Gwak Ido swallowed.
He wondered how long one had to suffer to have a hand like that.
Gwak Ido struggled in pain and shouted, “Wait—”
-Kwaaang!
No hesitation.
The fist slammed into the face—white teeth, red lips, high nose bridge.
A fist that could shatter granite.
-Crack.
Under Moyong Bi’s slowly withdrawing fist, Gwak Ido’s face was a pulp of blood and flesh.
“Hi, hiiik… Save… me…”
“If you want to live, crawl. And apologize for what you said.”
Lifting Gwak Ido’s twitching face, Moyong Bi whispered, “That is your only path to survival.”