Chapter 140: Continuing the Training-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: Continuing the Training-1
Kwakwang!
A thunderous roar erupted as Ok-ryeong’s White Flower Palm collided with Yorang’s fist.
Screeeech.
Unable to withstand the impact, Ok-ryeong found herself sliding backward across the ground.
'Urgh.'
Ok-ryeong let out a silent groan. Her palm, which had just clashed with Yorang, was throbbing with pain. Internally, she was reeling with shock. Even though she hadn't exerted her full strength, that White Flower Palm had been backed by over fifty percent of her internal energy. It was a strike powerful enough to blow away most high-level experts in a single hit, yet Yorang’s fist had actually overwhelmed it.
'She’s strong.'
She bit her lip. It seemed she would have to give her absolute best if she wanted to force this girl to back down.
Wuuuuuuuung.
She began to draw upon her internal energy once more. Tangible waves of power started to shimmer and ripple around her. Seeing this, Yorang’s expression soured. Just how far was this woman planning to take this?
After exchanging blows, Yorang realized one thing: this woman was incredibly powerful. Initially, Yorang had swung her fist with the intention of knocking her out in one go. However, the woman had only been pushed back slightly and seemed otherwise unaffected.
'So annoying.'
Irritation flared within Yorang. Why was this woman causing such a scene when she had been sleeping so peacefully? She should have just stayed asleep.
Yorang gathered her strength again. To face an aura of that magnitude, she felt she would also have to go all out.
The two women locked eyes, their auras flared to their absolute limits. Neither had the slightest intention of backing down. Ok-ryeong was consumed by the single-minded thought of saving Sun-woo, while Yorang was equally determined not to let anyone interfere with him.
Tap.
Ok-ryeong moved first. Having pushed her internal energy past eighty percent, she launched herself forward.
Swish!
She moved with such blinding speed that the sound of rending air echoed through the cavern. White light shimmered in her hands. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of Yorang, thrusting her palm forward.
Thud.
"Hmph, is that all?"
Yorang snorted at the attack. She believed she could suppress an assault of this level with brute force alone. She extended her fist, intending to deflect the palm strike.
However—
Pow!
Ok-ryeong’s palm strike suddenly shifted trajectory and slammed directly into Yorang’s chest.
"Agh!"
Yorang groaned in pain. Immediately, Ok-ryeong’s palms began to strike her relentlessly.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Yorang tried to counter the strikes, but it was impossible to keep up with the woman’s constantly shifting attacks.
"Ugh, ah, stop!"
The palm strikes fell like a torrential storm, and Yorang’s cries grew louder with every hit. In terms of pure speed, they were evenly matched, but Yorang was weak against irregular, deceptive attacks. She was being utterly overwhelmed.
'I’ve got her!'
Ok-ryeong rejoiced inwardly. It seemed the woman before her possessed high martial prowess but lacked actual combat experience. There was no way such a person could withstand the White Flower Chaotic Shadow, a technique that unleashed a barrage of palms with infinite variations.
But then—
Pang!
Thud.
Thud.
Pang!
Pang!
The palm strikes that had been landing relentlessly were suddenly being parried one by one by Yorang’s fists. Soon, she was blocking every single attack.
'What?!'
A surge of bewilderment washed over Ok-ryeong. The woman who had been completely helpless just moments ago was now perfectly countering every movement of the White Flower Chaotic Shadow. It was staggering.
'Don't tell me... she's already adapted?'
Ok-ryeong couldn't help but be impressed. By taking those hits, Yorang had instinctively memorized every path the palm strikes took. It was a level of talent that could only be described as insane.
The White Flower Chaotic Shadow was not a simple technique that one could memorize after seeing it a few times. It was complex and unpredictable, shifting directions constantly—up, down, left, and right. Yet, in that brief window of time, this woman had memorized the "unpredictable" patterns perfectly. It was a nonsensical level of genius.
Pang!
Screeeech.
Another massive boom echoed from the point of impact, and Ok-ryeong was pushed back once again.
*
"Hssssss!"
Meanwhile, Yorang was absolutely livid. She had been hit dozens of times by Ok-ryeong’s White Flower Chaotic Shadow. Of course, as a spiritual being, her durability was incomparable to a normal human's, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
"I really won't forgive you now!"
Rattle.
Something incredibly thick began to sprout from Yorang’s back. They were pitch black, longer than Yorang was tall, and as thick as a grown woman’s thigh. Their mere presence radiated an overwhelming sense of dread.
They were spider legs.
The very weapons that had once brought Sun-woo to the brink of death had revealed themselves. Ok-ryeong’s jaw dropped at the sight.
'This girl... she’s not human!'
She quickly snapped out of her shock and reached out her hand, focusing her internal energy.
Swoooooosh!
With the sound of whistling wind, something came flying toward her.
Clutch.
She snatched the object out of the air. It was a sword. She had used Remote Grasping to summon it to her hand. Now that she knew her opponent wasn't human, she had no intention of holding back. She would take her head in an instant.
White energy shimmered along her blade before gathering at the edge.
Wiiiiiiiiing.
Before long, a blade of white light formed over the steel. It was Sword Astral.
The two women faced each other once more.
'I'm going to kill you!'
Four legs extended from Yorang’s back, all pointed at Ok-ryeong.
'You monster!'
Ok-ryeong’s sword, wreathed in Sword Astral, was leveled at Yorang. The situation was a powder keg, neither side willing to budge an inch.
It was then.
Thump.
An inexplicable sound tickled their ears.
Crackle.
The mysterious sound grew louder and louder. Ok-ryeong and Yorang quickly turned their heads toward the source. It was the patch of ground where Sun-woo had been buried.
Boom!
A moment later, the ground exploded. Dirt sprayed into the air, and a thick cloud of dust billowed upward. Yorang’s spider legs vanished instantly, and Ok-ryeong lowered her sword. They both stared intently into the dust cloud.
As the dust began to settle, a figure emerged. He looked like skin and bones, likely from not eating properly for a month, and his face was overgrown with an unkempt beard. But they knew exactly who he was.
"He...llo?"
It was Sun-woo. Tears welled up in the eyes of both Ok-ryeong and Yorang.
*
Sun-woo was currently in a rather awkward position. Escaping from underground using the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth was all well and good, but what came after was the problem.
As the dust cleared, he saw Yorang and Ok-ryeong standing before him. Seeing them made him feel like he was going to burst into tears. He had spent a month alone in the cold, damp, and lonely earth. Seeing Yorang and his beloved Ok-ryeong right in front of him, he couldn't help the surge of emotion.
With a choked voice, Sun-woo managed to squeeze out a greeting.
"He...llo?"
Those words acted as a trigger. Both Yorang and Ok-ryeong burst into tears and lunged at him.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
Yorang buried herself in his chest and wailed.
"Sob... hhhh..."
Ok-ryeong also clung to him, her tears flowing freely. Sun-woo was the one who wanted to cry, but seeing these two women sobbing made him feel flustered instead. He wanted to join them, but he felt that if he started crying too, this already complicated situation would spiral into utter chaos, so he barely held it back.
Instead, he raised both hands and began to slowly stroke their hair, waiting for them to calm down.
.
.
.
.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually, their sobbing subsided. However, they still refused to leave his embrace.
Sun-woo was at a loss. He had been buried in the dirt for a month. He must have smelled of sweat and all sorts of things, yet they wouldn't let go. Covered in grime, he looked like a total mess.
"Um," Sun-woo began slowly. "Could you let go for a second?"
"No!" Yorang shouted.
For her, every day he was gone had been a cycle of agony. Mostly because of the Yin-Yang Demon. She had been beaten for talking back, beaten because he was bored, and beaten because she was "fun to hit." She had missed Sun-woo’s warm embrace so much. Now that he was back, she didn't want to let go.
"........."
Ok-ryeong seemed to feel the same way, as she simply held him tighter in silence. She didn't know exactly how much time had passed, but she knew it had been an eternity. Throughout that long time, she had yearned only for Sun-woo. Now that the eternal wait was over and he was finally before her, she didn't want to lose him. She never wanted to leave him alone again.
"........."
Sun-woo fell into deep thought at their reactions. It was awkward to push them away, but just as awkward to stay like this.
'What do I do...'
Just as he was agonizing over it—
"What a farce."
A sharp voice cut through the air. Sun-woo whipped his head toward the sound.
"Stop acting like idiots and get over here."
The Yin-Yang Demon was standing there. With a look of utter boredom, he turned and walked slowly back into the tunnel. At his words, Sun-woo gently pried the women off him.
"I'll be right back."
Sun-woo gave each of them a final pat on the head. He wanted to linger in the warmth of human contact for the first time in a long while, but the situation wouldn't allow it. After fully detaching himself, he slowly followed the Yin-Yang Demon. Yorang and Ok-ryeong could only watch him go with longing eyes.
*
Step, step.
Following the Yin-Yang Demon, Sun-woo eventually reached the boulder he had split in half.
Thud.
The Yin-Yang Demon sat down on a corner of the rock. He looked at Sun-woo and spoke.
"Well? Have you mastered the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth?"
"I'm not sure if I've mastered it, but I've become capable of slightly twisting the flow of energy."
"Is that so?"
A deep smirk spread across the man's face. He beckoned with a finger.
"Come here."
Sun-woo immediately walked up to him.
"I need to see if you've learned it properly."
"Huh?"
Pang!
Without warning, the Yin-Yang Demon struck out at Sun-woo.
"Gah!"
Caught off guard by the sudden sneak attack, Sun-woo was sent flying.
Crash!
He slammed into the wall at high speed. A shower of dirt cascaded down around him.
"And you call this 'properly learned'?" the Yin-Yang Demon remarked, sounding disappointed.
"Cough!"
Dizzy from the impact, Sun-woo quickly regained his senses and pulled himself out of the wall.
"How am I supposed to block a sudden sneak attack like that?!" Sun-woo protested. To launch a surprise attack out of nowhere and then act disappointed when he couldn't block it—what kind of logic was that?
"If you can't block an attack like that, you haven't mastered the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth," the man replied sternly.
If one had truly mastered the technique, they should be able to block any incoming attack at any time. It meant reaching a state where one didn't have to consciously feel the flow of power, but rather sensed it instinctively. Anything less was merely a half-measure.
"Tsk, tsk. To think you achieved such a result even after entering the World of Nothingness... you truly are a dull fellow."
The Yin-Yang Demon clicked his tongue. Sun-woo had experienced a state where his concentration was pushed to its absolute limit, yet his achievement was only this much. It was genuinely disappointing. He might be the Great Adversary by fate, but his natural comprehension seemed utterly mediocre.
'Well, I'll just have to make his body learn it.'
If the head was slow, the body had to suffer. Since he had the knack for it now, it was just a matter of engraving it into his physical form.
'Son of a...'
Sun-woo cursed inwardly. He had barely escaped being buried alive, and instead of praise, he was getting scolded. Shouldn't he be praised for learning a divine martial art like the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth in just a month? Sun-woo’s lip began to pout at the man's coldness.
"If you don't want to see that lip sliced off, you'd best tuck it back in."
The Yin-Yang Demon spoke with chilling finality.
Gulp.
Sun-woo immediately pulled his lip back. He had learned firsthand that this man was someone who followed through on his threats. He didn't want to provoke him further.
"Now, let's fill in the remaining half."
The Yin-Yang Demon gave him a thick, predatory smile.
Gulp.
Sun-woo swallowed hard. It seemed his training was far from over.