Tragedy Replayed
The moment Yeop Pung and Oh Gang's group filed out of the courtyard, a cold light flickered across Maeng Chang-haeng's face. He gave a brief glance to Bone, who had been staring up at him the entire time.
"This has gotten troublesome...."
Bone set down its half-eaten meat with visible reluctance, then rose from its spot and padded out the door.
Meanwhile, Beom Undae was so absorbed in rummaging through the supply crates — drenched in sweat from head to toe — that he noticed none of this at all.
Yeop Pung strode without hesitation through the ruined palace grounds and arrived at the wide clearing before the cliff.
Oh Gang's gang followed behind him with mocking smiles. They had all rolled up their sleeves and were chatting freely as they eyed Yeop Pung's back, without the slightest restraint.
"Oh Gang, how should we torment that bastard today to really get it out of our systems?"
"Burn him alive? Haha, that was pretty fun last time."
Sa Ryang's eyes gleamed with malice.
"Heh heh."
Oh Gang dropped his voice.
"You two aren't thinking far enough. The Gi clan's going to come deal with him soon anyway, so we might as well have some real fun today."
"Oh? What've you got in mind?"
"Today I'm going to break that bastard's fingers one by one. Those same hands that slapped our faces at the outer sect tournament! Today I'll pay that debt back in full!"
"Nice! That's a great idea!"
Sa Ryang and Wang Maeng nodded along, chiming in with enthusiasm.
"Damn it, if it weren't for that bastard, Brother Undae would've had Un Cheoncheon. And besides, that guy..."
Yeop Pung stopped walking. Standing alone in the vast clearing, he radiated a solitary, chilling aura — like a sword drawn from its sheath.
"Oho, so breaking through to the Profound Realm made you look a little different? Yeop Pung, today I can feel a hint of that old fighting spirit in you."
Oh Gang's group approached with laughter. There wasn't a trace of wariness toward Yeop Pung in their eyes.
Unlike worthless trash like Gi Beonjin, they were all inner disciples who had broken through to the 3rd Meridian. With physical force approaching two thousand jin, plus profound arts and movement techniques to match, they believed they could overpower Yeop Pung without breaking a sweat.
Yeop Pung slowly turned to face them. A faint golden aura began to coil around his entire body.
"Hahaha, this is getting even more interesting. Yeop Pung, don't tell me you think beating one Gi Beonjin gives you the right to strut in front of us?"
Oh Gang stepped forward with a sneer.
"I'll be honest with you. Your match with Gi Beonjin was something we planned. So what if you won? You're still rolling around like a dog here on Nagun Peak. You'll never succeed, Yeop Pung. The moment you dared to lay a hand on us, your fate was sealed. You'll spend the rest of your life crawling at our feet! Hahaha!"
Yeop Pung watched them in silence, his expression cold. In this moment, rather than growing angry, he grew calmer.
The three insignificant creatures before him were hoping he'd be consumed by rage. That kind of emotional expenditure meant nothing to him. The only solution was to shut these rabid dogs' mouths.
"Oh Gang."
Yeop Pung walked toward him and spoke in a low voice.
"Hahaha! Yeop Pung, you're really arrogant right to the end! Fine — if I don't stomp you into the dirt today, I won't be able to live with myself!"
Oh Gang burst into manic laughter. The next instant, he lost his patience and charged.
"Come here, Yeop Pung! Big brother will show you that old thrill all over again!"
A blast of powerful Profound Qi exploded outward, instantly doubling Oh Gang's speed. He barreled toward Yeop Pung like a wild bull.
A right fist wreathed in white radiance rose toward the sky like a massive bludgeon. A howling gale erupted from the heavy punch and tore toward Yeop Pung's face.
"I'll start by wrecking that ugly face of yours!"
Oh Gang roared.
A week ago, Yeop Pung would have been sent flying by that King of Brightness Fist. But Yeop Pung was a completely different person now. Golden energy surged instinctively within his body, and a sturdy, commanding presence radiated from every inch of him.
In that instant, Yeop Pung's gaze changed. The old Yeop Pung had felt uncontainable rage toward Oh Gang's gang. The Yeop Pung of now felt only contempt — a cold, sharp emotion, as if looking down upon the world.
You dare stand before me?
Dazzling golden lightning made his hand shine like a brilliant sun. Crackling current coiled between his fingers — like hundreds of golden snakes flicking their tongues in threat.
"Get lost!"
With a low shout, Yeop Pung's Thunder Roaring Palm shot forth and collided head-on with Oh Gang's King of Brightness Fist. A thunderous roar split the air as golden radiance and white light exploded in midair, generating a massive whirlwind. The blast force sent both men staggering backward.
Yeop Pung took three steps back and righted his stance. The two thousand jin of force that came with the 3rd Meridian was indeed nothing to scoff at.
But Oh Gang was driven back more than ten steps before he could barely regain his balance. His face was a mask of shock.
Impossible! How is that bastard Yeop Pung this strong?
This wasn't power that should come from the 1st Meridian. No wonder Gi Beonjin had been so thoroughly crushed. Yeop Pung's Thunder Roaring Palm possessed power rivaling the 3rd Meridian!
"O-Oh Gang!"
Wang Maeng and Sa Ryang scrambled over.
"Are you okay? That bastard Yeop Pung actually dared..."
"I-I'm fine!"
Oh Gang's face twisted with fury.
"Damn it, no wonder he was so cocky in front of us — he's gotten stronger. But this is all he's got! All of us together! Kill that bastard!"
"Alright!"
When it came to shamelessness, these guys took a back seat to no one. Three 3rd Meridian cultivators ganging up on a single 1st Meridian — despicable to the core.
But the moment the three of them moved to surround Yeop Pung, Oh Gang felt a horrific pain lance through his right arm.
"Aaaagh!"
"What's wrong?"
"M-my right arm... this can't be!"
Only then did Oh Gang realize something was wrong with his right arm. When he'd clashed with Yeop Pung earlier, that golden Profound Qi had seeped into the limb.
At first it had been fine. But as time passed, that golden Profound Qi had sliced through every blood vessel in his right arm like a razor-sharp blade. Oh Gang couldn't put any strength into it at all.
"Th-that bastard's not right!"
Terror seized him. He had no idea that Yeop Pung had used that golden Profound Qi to shatter every bone and meridian in Gi Beonjin's body. He had no clue what this bizarre power — a force that transcended even the Five Elements Profound Qi — even was.
"O-Oh Gang?"
Sa Ryang and Wang Maeng were thrown off by the sight of Oh Gang writhing in pain. But Yeop Pung gave them no time to catch their breath.
Radiating golden light from his entire body, Yeop Pung closed the distance in an instant. His gold-lit pupils were filled with contempt and mockery.
"Scared already? You three were pathetic six years ago, and you're just as pathetic now."
"Yeop—Yeop Pung, you dare!"
Wang Maeng and Sa Ryang were 3rd Meridian experts, after all. They immediately poured everything they had into attacking him.
Wang Maeng trained in the same art as Oh Gang. His skill was slightly inferior, but the white radiance bursting from his fists was powerful enough to live up to an inner disciple's reputation.
"Die, Yeop Pung!"
Sa Ryang possessed a wind-attribute variant Profound Qi. As he drove his foot toward Yeop Pung's heart, a faint green energy bloomed at his toes.
A faint green vortex formed at his toes. The moment it touched Yeop Pung's clothes, it shredded them mercilessly — one of Cheonun Sect's inner profound arts.
"Kill him, kill him!"
Oh Gang howled in extreme agony. They believed that if they combined their strength, even Yeop Pung's bizarre ability wouldn't stand a chance.
But Oh Gang was completely wrong. Yeop Pung received their attacks with ease, as if he'd already predicted both of them.
He casually raised his left hand and precisely blocked Sa Ryang's Wind God Leg Art. Then he stamped his right foot into the ground, and the earth exploded with a thunderous boom. All the power in his body gathered into his right palm, becoming a Thunder Roaring Palm that looked ready to destroy everything. It collided head-on with Wang Maeng's King of Brightness Fist.
A series of explosions like firecrackers going off shook the mountain peak.
Wang Maeng coughed up blood as he was sent flying backward. He'd been weaker than Oh Gang to begin with, so Yeop Pung's full-power strike shattered every bone in his right arm. The entire limb went limp as kneaded dough, so thoroughly destroyed it was unrecognizable.
"Wang Maeng!"
Oh Gang cried out in shock. But before he could do anything, Wang Maeng's other hand dragged him along, and the two of them were swept away by the massive inertia. They tumbled across the ground, rumps colliding as they rolled. The sight was indescribably pathetic.
This strong?!
Sa Ryang, whose attack had been intercepted, also staggered backward. His eyes looked ready to pop from his skull. Yeop Pung's strength completely exceeded his understanding of martial arts.
A 1st Meridian completely overpowering three 3rd Meridian experts? This... this was something even that Profound Spirit Physique, Yi Hwawu, hadn't been able to do back then.
But Sa Ryang's thoughts lasted only a moment — Yeop Pung was already in front of him like a bolt of lightning.
"Yeop... Brother Yeop Pung, please..."
Yeop Pung, his face as cold as if he'd become a different person, reached out once more. His Thunder Roaring Palm, too fast to dodge, struck Sa Ryang's chest dead-on.
Sa Ryang couldn't offer any resistance. He coughed blood and was sent flying.
From the inner sect examination to today, a mere six days had passed. In that time, Yeop Pung had grown even stronger without realizing it himself.
The 3rd Meridian Mysterious Realm represented the standard of typical Cheonun inner disciples. But Yeop Pung, who had entered the Profound Realm a mere six days ago, had already easily surpassed them. No — he had already overwhelmed them.
With just three attacks, Yeop Pung had defeated Oh Gang's entire group. The wretched state of the three collapsed on the ground was beyond description.
"Senior Brother Sa Ryang!"
Oh Gang looked at Sa Ryang, who had lost consciousness beside him. Sa Ryang's chest was caved in. His ribs had been completely shattered by Yeop Pung's strike, and whether he would live or die was uncertain.
"AAAAAAGH!"
On the other side, Wang Maeng clutched his shattered arm and rolled across the ground, howling. To Oh Gang's ears, those screams sounded like the wailing of demons.
Oh Gang even felt as if he'd been transported back to that tournament stage six years ago, when the three of them had miserably knelt at Yeop Pung's feet.
Why? Why was this tragedy repeating even after six years had passed? Why?!