Merciless Pressure
Yeop Pung stepped onto the arena stage. This place was as good as Cheonun Sect's own inner hall, and yet somehow he looked utterly alone.
As the one fighting as Cheonun Sect's representative, he deserved, in this moment if in no other, the cheers and support of every soul present. But the vast Cheonun Square was unnaturally still. Not a single person dared send a shout of encouragement his way.
Yeop Pung stood silent in the center of the stage, watching Sa Cheonseong's cruel smile. There was no flicker of emotion on his face.
Rather, it was Sa Cheonseong who was excited, like a wolf that had caught the scent of blood. Unable to contain himself, he licked his lips without thinking. He slammed the long spear in his hand into the floor with a heavy thud and spoke.
"Heh heh. Yeop Pung. You're finally here. Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this day?"
Clang!
Even the Blood Phoenix Spear standing behind Sa Cheonseong let out an ear-splitting roar, as if it too had sensed its master's killing intent.
Yeop Pung said nothing. He drew the Black Frost Sword slowly from its scabbard. From the blade that streamed in the wind, a long cry rang out, as if it refused to yield to Sa Cheonseong.
For an instant the world held its breath, and every gaze turned toward Yeop Pung.
White-haired Lee Sujol watched without so much as a twitch. Beneath the white hair stirring in the wind, his expression was unreadable to anyone.
The three Peak Masters—Yeom Jin-ri, Ha Chung, and Gu Jeoryang—could not hide their grim faces. Of the tens of thousands of Cheonun Sect disciples, not a single one opened their mouth.
No one believed Yeop Pung would win. No—Yeop Pung would not dare to win.
The threats the Cheonbong Army had already levied against him were an open secret. Behind Sa Cheonseong hung the lives of thousands of Cheonun Sect disciples. Yeop Pung could not so much as injure a fingertip of his opponent, let alone defeat him.
"What's the matter, Yeop Pung? You usually have so much to say—gone mute today, have you?"
Sa Cheonseong was in no hurry. He was savoring this moment. He wanted to crush Yeop Pung thoroughly and enjoy every second of it.
"Tear that bastard Yeop Pung's mouth apart!"
From the stands, Deung Chung—who had been castrated by Yeop Pung—gnashed his teeth and roared. Then the Cheonbong Army soldiers who had been humiliated by Yeop Pung all bellowed as one.
"Kill him!"
"Commandant Sa, kill that bastard and take back our Black Frost Sword!"
"Commandant Sa, fortune in battle!"
The Cheonbong Army's morale soared to the heavens. By contrast, the Cheonun Sect side was deathly quiet. It was the silence of those drowning in defeat.
"Sa Cheonseong."
Yeop Pung raised the Black Frost Sword slowly before his chest at last, and spoke.
When you strike a man, you aim for the vital point. When you insult him, you gouge the wound that hurts the most. With a single sentence, Yeop Pung cruelly tore open Sa Cheonseong's deepest scar.
In an instant, Sa Cheonseong's eyes blazed scarlet with rage. Uncontrollable fury surged all the way to the crown of his head.
"You—you dare…! Yeop Pung! You've gone completely insane wanting to die! Shut up! Shut your damn mouth right now!"
It was the roar of a beast gone mad.
Eyes rolling with fury, Sa Cheonseong kicked the spear shaft hard with his left foot. A killing frost erupted from the spear body, which radiated a crimson aura, and swept toward Yeop Pung. At the same time Sa Cheonseong became one with the spear and stretched out both arms. The Blood Phoenix Spear, like a venomous dragon in a raging gale, lunged for Yeop Pung's throat with terrifying force.
"Today I'll put not a hundred holes in your body—I'll put a thousand!"
A rumble tore through the air. In the blink of an eye, the frenzied Sa Cheonseong was right in front of Yeop Pung's nose.
Everyone held their breath and watched. Then Yeop Pung raised the Black Frost Sword and caught the Blood Phoenix Spear. Golden energy bursting from the blade seized the ferocious spear in midair like a rope binding a dragon.
Clang!
With a metallic crash that threatened to burst eardrums, the black blade and the crimson spear-tip collided in the air. Their first exchange was evenly matched—a taut contest in which neither could claim the upper hand.
Incredible!
Admiration erupted from inside and outside the arena. Sa Cheonseong's spearwork was bold and ferocious. Yeop Pung's swordsmanship was light and swift, yet it displayed a seasoned ease in slipping past danger.
That bastard… he's gotten stronger again. To think he could fight on even terms against someone who's opened all six meridians!
"Heh heh heh. Not bad, Yeop Pung. Killing you is going to be fun after all!"
Sa Cheonseong slowly rotated the spear-tip and aimed at Yeop Pung once more.
"The real fun starts now, Yeop Pung. I'll let you have a proper taste of our Cheonbong Army's invincible spear art!"
The Cheonbong Army's secret spear strike — five phoenixes bow their heads as the spear screams through the air.
"Die!"
At Sa Cheonseong's cry, the spear flew at Yeop Pung. His attack speed increased further—fast enough to make onlookers doubt their own eyes. The spear came on with a roaring whine, as if it had broken the sound barrier.
Instant Teleportation
Starlight exploded from Yeop Pung's entire body. The instant he barely slipped past Sa Cheonseong's attack, the spear-tip came flying at him once more.
Clang!
Yeop Pung calmly raised his sword and blocked the spear. He then aimed for the opening as Sa Cheonseong failed to recover the weapon, and his blade flew without hesitation toward Sa Cheonseong's heart—a dazzling switch from defense to offense.
But Sa Cheonseong didn't so much as flinch at the counterattack. Instead he swept the spear shaft sideways and knocked Yeop Pung's strike aside. An unpleasant smile hung on his face.
"You think you can hurt me?"
Yeop Pung's brow furrowed. In the end, at the last instant, he withdrew his sword. Instead of completing the attack, he chose to defend against Sa Cheonseong's spear shaft.
Boom!
A heavy impact slammed through him. Yeop Pung was driven backward, sword in hand. He retreated more than ten paces before he could barely regain his balance. Crimson blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Wahaha!"
Sa Cheonseong laughed like a madman and charged at Yeop Pung again.
"What's wrong, Yeop Pung? Why don't you thrust? Scared? Hahaha! How do you expect to win fighting like that? Come on—stab me! I said stab me!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With every word, Sa Cheonseong whirled his spear like a raging gale. Yeop Pung was like a small boat struggling in the heart of a storm-tossed sea. He desperately dodged and blocked, enduring the icy energy that poured off the spear—but he could not counterattack.
He clenched his teeth and, inwardly, waited only for Heukgu's response.
Please… please… what's happening at Nowoon Peak right now?
About thirty minutes before the match began, at Cheonroe on Nowoon Peak.
Even as Cheonun Square buzzed with commotion, Cheonroe remained tightly sealed under heavy guard. Over a thousand Cheonbong Army soldiers stood watch at the entrance.
Hundreds of Cheonun Sect disciples had even been stationed there to guard it as well. Beom Undae, serving as captain, had been assigned to monitor Wang Maeng and the others of the Cheonun 1st Unit.
Cheonroe was divided into several sectors. Each sector contained roughly five to ten cells. Among them, Sector Jeong held ten.
The Cheonun 1st Unit—including several elders who had caused a disturbance in the square—and even Han Un, who had barely managed to pull himself together, were all imprisoned here.
Powerful Cheonbong Army soldiers patrolled the common area outside Sector Jeong, while a small courtyard inside held a table and chairs. Here, seven Cheonun Sect disciples led by Beom Undae took turns watching the prisoners. At the moment, these eight sat around the table, cracking peanuts and sunflower seeds, snickering among themselves.
Most of them were disciples who had trained under Peak Master Han Buri of Nowoon Peak. Among them were also opportunists from other peaks who had crawled over to Nowoon Peak of their own accord once Cheonun Sect's future had grown dark. In the end, they had become dogs of the Cheonbong Army.
The man sitting right beside Beom Undae, a fellow named Go Gu, looked mean-spirited from his very features. He poured a cup of tea and offered it around.
"Come, everyone have a cup. We can't drink wine today, so this tea will have to do. Once today is over, our Cheonwoon Martial Academy officially launches. Even after you all rise in the world, don't you forget about me, Go Gu! Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
The others laughed along, chiming in with Go Gu. They seemed not to spare a thought for Wang Maeng's group locked in the cell right beside them.
"Pah! Cowards, the lot of you!"
From inside the cell, Mo Soo-mi poured out a cold sneer.
"What? A girly little thing like you dares curse at me?"
Go Gu set his teacup on the table and immediately rolled up his sleeves. He was about to make a scene when Beom Undae, who had been watching quietly from the side, caught his arm.
"Calm down, Go Gu. Today's a good day. Don't go making it bloody."
"Yes, yes. Captain Beom is quite right."
Go Gu turned back with a flattering smile.
"Captain Beom, everyone says you have a grudge with that Yeop Pung—you ought to drink properly today. Come, come, brothers, let's all raise a cup to Captain Beom! Yeop Pung dies by Commandant Sa's hand today, so it's as good as paying back Captain Beom's revenge!"
"Here, Captain Beom, allow me to offer you a cup!"
The sycophants in the group scrambled over one another to lift their teacups. But there was no joy on Beom Undae's face. He quietly emptied his cup, asking himself whether he was truly glad. Perhaps only he knew the answer.
Outside the cell, the craven little crowd raised their toast in a noisy clamor. Inside, Wang Maeng and the others could only clench their fists.
Wang Maeng could not contain the rage boiling up in him. He hated his own helplessness in a situation like this—and the knowledge that he was being used as a threat against Yeop Pung made his very teeth grind with fury. If Yeop Pung died at Sa Cheonseong's hands today because of them, he would never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life.
Bang!
He drove his fist into the floor. Scarlet blood instantly soaked his hand and ran down his fingers.
"Wang Maeng…"
Then a hand from behind tapped his shoulder lightly. Wang Maeng turned his head. Pale-faced Han Un was smiling at him.
"Elder Han…"
Wang Maeng squeezed his eyes shut against the injustice of it.
"I'm so incompetent I can barely stand it!"
Bang!
Once more Wang Maeng's fist slammed into the floor. This time a crack split the stone, and a moment later a small hole punched through.
Wang Maeng and Han Un both went rigid at the same instant.
He throws a punch of that power and still calls himself incompetent?
The sound of the stone giving way was so faint that the eight men outside never heard it. Wang Maeng and Han Un stared at the hole in shock. Then two mosquitoes came flying out of it.
Good heavens. Could those be the famous Bewitching Mosquitoes?