Godlike Majesty
"Incredible!"
Everyone stood overwhelmed by Yeop Pung's commanding presence.
That guy got even stronger?
A month ago at Taibai Peak he had still been at the Three Meridians Realm — and in a mere month he had grown even stronger? On top of that, that Thunder Roaring Palm, crashing down like a thunderbolt, had been so devastating that a Five Meridians Realm expert on the other side had gone down in a single blow. Yeop Pung's aura truly seemed to be soaring into the heavens.
"Yeop Pung, you're the best!"
Wang Maeng, standing at the head of the Cheonun Sect's ranks, let out a thunderous roar. None of them could hide their excitement. However humbly they had grovelled before, it had only ever been strategy. What could possibly feel more satisfying than slapping the Cheonbong Army clean across the face? Nothing. Every Cheonun Sect disciple except Beom Undae and Baek Reung was in a frenzy.
On the opposite side, the Cheonbong Army's ranks had gone dead silent, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over them.
That guy seems far stronger than what Sa Cheonseong told us. Didn't they say that without a sword, his combat power was at most the Five Meridians Realm? Then what the hell was that — blasting a Five Meridians expert away in a single hit?
Deung Chung clenched his teeth. The grinding of his molars was loud enough for everyone beside him to hear. Looking at Yeop Pung's arrogant gaze, he felt as if he had been slapped across the face.
I can't let that bastard run wild like this!
"Noe Bun, kill that bastard right now!"
"Yes, sir!"
The burly figure behind him, Noe Bun, was a Six Meridians expert. He snarled like a beast loosed from its cage and vaulted onto the sparring platform in a single bound.
"Yeop Pung, on your knees!"
Noe Bun threw a punch, and the force of it was like a gale tearing through the world. Terrifying Profound Qi, vast enough to overturn mountains and seas, coalesced in midair into a massive orb of light. Layer upon layer of that energy roared with a dreadful boom, packing the force of tens of thousands of pounds of gunpowder compressed to the breaking point and then detonated. If Yeop Pung took that hit, death or crippling injury would only be a matter of time.
"Yeop Pung, watch out!"
"That's a Six Meridians warrior!"
The Cheonun Sect disciples' cheers died in their throats. Every eye went wide as they watched that terrifying fist bear down on Yeop Pung.
And then — a sharp gleam flashed through Yeop Pung's eyes, and dazzling starlight bloomed across his entire body.
Dazzling starlight flared across his body — and he vanished.
Noe Bun saw starlight flash before his eyes, and then felt his devastating punch stab nothing but empty air. Tremendous Profound Qi exploded in front of him, swallowing everything around it. But Yeop Pung was already gone.
"Behind you!"
Deung Chung's frantic voice rang in his ears.
What?
Noe Bun whirled around in shock. Yeop Pung was already standing behind him, two fingers raised high. At their tips coiled a terrifying sword aura and crackling lightning.
Strike!
Yeop Pung formed a sword with his fingers and thrust with everything he had. Boundless golden lightning transformed at his fingertips into a piercing sword-qi that shot toward the vital point on Noe Bun's back.
Yeop Pung's sword-qi surged up like a dragon. The razor-sharp sword energy plummeted like a falling star. Dazzling light exploded in midair, tracing an indescribable golden arc. Before Noe Bun could even react, the blade of energy punched through his back.
"AAARGH!"
As the lightning bored into his body, Noe Bun screamed in agony. Countless strands of golden lightning wrapped around him. The terrifying golden Profound Qi unleashed a destructive force beyond imagination, reducing him to something that looked like a chicken roasted on a spit.
The crowd saw only a thunderous boom and a blinding flash of lightning. When it faded, a single body stood there, dazed, charred black from head to toe. White smoke rose from every inch of Noe Bun's flesh. A breeze stirred — and he toppled over, foaming at the mouth, unconscious.
"Next!"
Only Yeop Pung's cold voice echoed across the training ground.
"Whoa! That was amazing!"
The Cheonun Sect disciples went completely wild. Yeop Pung defeating Jo Bi, a Five Meridians expert, had already been impressive enough. But when he dropped Noe Bun, a Six Meridians expert, in the blink of an eye, the Cheonun disciples felt as if they had found their savior. Their whole bodies trembled with joy; they couldn't stop laughing.
"Yeop Pung! You're my idol!"
Wang Maeng bellowed until his throat went raw. The Cheonun disciples were all hot-blooded young men of an age that worshipped heroes. Yi Hwawu, once the most outstanding talent in Cheonun Sect, had hidden himself deep in Nowoon Peak throughout this entire affair and accomplished nothing. But now Yeop Pung was smashing the arrogant Cheonbong Army to pieces with his own two fists. How could they not be overjoyed?
"Kyaaa~ Yeop Pung, I love you so much!"
Mo Soo-mi waved a handkerchief, tears of joy streaming down his face. They all cheered Yeop Pung until their voices went hoarse. The resentment and rage they had swallowed for days under the Cheonbong Army's heel erupted with every shout and cheer.
The Cheonbong Army, meanwhile, had frozen solid. They couldn't make sense of Yeop Pung at all. That blindingly fast movement just now, that terrifyingly powerful sword-finger, and that damned golden Profound Qi… who the hell had said that guy was only at the Five Meridians Realm? Who?
Deung Chung's mind went blank. His already less-than-brilliant head felt even foggier.
"Go kill that bastard! Now!"
Another shadow leapt onto the platform.
"Sa Ok, go get him!"
The Cheonbong warriors were growing desperate. Sa Ok was also a Six Meridians expert. They knew sending out another Five Meridians fighter would be meaningless. The Yeop Pung before them was like a demon king Cheonun had been hiding all along. Only a Six Meridians warrior might still salvage the Cheonbong Army's dignity.
"Fight!"
No further words were needed. The two of them clashed at once.
Both legs whirled like a pinwheel. Countless kick-shadows stacked upon one another, blotting out the sky.
Sa Ok roared as he launched the assault. Both the force of his attacks and the speed of his movement were a cut above Noe Bun's.
"Yes!"
The Cheonbong warriors cheered wildly. But Yeop Pung met him with perfect composure.
Sword-qi split the sky like a meteor. From his fingertips a silver waterfall seemed to pour, and even in broad daylight the world blazed so bright the sun itself seemed outshone.
He formed a sword with his fingers and attacked with overwhelming force.
"Beautiful, Yeop Pung!"
The Cheonun Sect disciples shouted themselves hoarse. In that moment the two on the platform fought with a ferocity that seemed to turn the world upside down, and the spectators below roared with equal fervor. This was no longer a simple contest between two factions — it was a clash of pride, pitting the Cheonbong Army's arrogant swagger against a thousand years of Cheonun Sect history.
Ten exchanges. In a mere ten exchanges, the outcome was decided.
"You think you can beat me?!"
Yeop Pung roared like a dragon. Starlight flashed across his body once more. With footwork so uncanny it could deceive a ghost, he seized the upper hand again.
How is he this fast?
Sa Ok was stunned. Yeop Pung had vanished from within his attack range as if by sleight of hand, only to appear in a position that should have been impossible. Yeop Pung's terrifying meteor sword-finger split the sky and pierced the vital point at Sa Ok's waist with perfect precision.
"AAARGH!"
Another scream tore through the air. Golden Profound Qi bored into Sa Ok's body without mercy. Once that golden energy invaded an opponent's flesh, it became a destructive force that annihilated everything in its path.
Sa Ok was sent flying sideways, tumbling across the ground. His right leg had completely lost the strength to support him; the bones were shattered to pieces. He would never walk properly again. He rolled on the floor, howling at the top of his lungs. It was a sight too gruesome to watch.
Was Yeop Pung cruel? He was. Utterly. But Yeop Pung knew: if it had been Wang Maeng or Mo Soo-mi standing here today instead of him, their fate would have been even more wretched than these men's. In his heart, a bold, world-defying spirit surged once more. Yet he had not lost his reason. He knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to tell them, with his own two fists:
"Next!"
Yeop Pung's booming shout shook the heavens once more.
"Yeop Pung! Yeop Pung! Yeop Pung!"
The Cheonun Sect disciples' chants pierced the sky.
"Go! Get up there and fight! There's no way all of us are going to lose to one guy!"
Deung Chung's eyes rolled back in fury. Like a gambler who had already lost his entire fortune, he was staking everything on one last hand. But fate was not on his side.
Six Meridians Expert — Yi Un
Yeop Pung's lightning bored into Yi Un's body. Yi Un lost his left arm and wailed in misery. It was a sight too pitiful to behold.
"Next!"
Yeop Pung was already a god. A god of war that no one could stop. His blindingly fast Star Spirit Body movement arts, combined with the astonishing power of his Falling Star sword-qi — it was perfection itself. Unless a powerhouse of Sa Cheonseong's caliber stepped forward, there would be nothing but Yeop Pung's overwhelming victory.
"Come on! Come at me!"
After another fierce clash—
Six Meridians Expert — So Yeol
"Next!"
Five Meridians Expert — Jin Pung
"Next!"
"Next!"
"Next!"
Whoever stepped up, they all fell the same way.
Deung Chung felt his entire body go ice-cold. The Cheonbong warriors, too, had never faced an opponent this terrifying. Even Sa Cheonseong had never gone on a killing streak against fifteen Cheonbong elites while radiating this kind of murderous aura. Even the Cheonbong Army's strongest young geniuses couldn't match the overbearing presence Yeop Pung now commanded.
By then, a full hour had already slipped by. Deung Chung's voice had gone hoarse, rasping like a battered old bellows.
"Come on! Get up there right—"
"Commandant, please stop!"
A Four Meridians warrior beside him grabbed Deung Chung's arm, his lips trembling.
"We can't win. We cannot beat him!"
What?!
Only then did Deung Chung come to his senses and look around. Not a single Five Meridians expert remained at his side.
Impossible! This can't be happening!
Deung Chung roughly shoved aside the Cheonbong warrior next to him and charged at Yeop Pung like a rabid dog that had lost all reason. His Profound Qi exploded, splitting the ground. In an instant he vaulted onto the platform and lunged.
Even more astonishing — the moment he leapt into the air, both hands drew from his Qiankun Ring a long spear that gleamed like snow.
"Die!"
Deung Chung exploded. He had lost all reason; he had gone completely mad. He could not accept that the Heavenly Phoenix Legion was suffering its third crushing defeat at Yeop Pung's hands today. And so he broke the prohibition against personally using a weapon. Only Yeop Pung's blood would be enough to quell his madness.
But he was wrong. The moment he broke the prohibition and drew a weapon, he had forgotten that he would now be facing a supreme-grade Profound Weapon that had once shaken the entirety of Fengsang Commandery.
Yeop Pung stood on the platform with ice-cold eyes, watching the silver spear fly toward him like a viper. His gaze was sharp as a blade, and from his right hand a pitch-black sword-qi surged up as if to pierce the heavens.