Chapter 136: Chun-bong (春鳳)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: Chun-bong (春鳳)
The moment the duel began, Ju Yang-il immediately circulated his internal energy.
Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art.
Unleashing the Imperial family’s martial arts to their absolute peak, he shrouded himself in a blazing aura. With an arrogant gaze, he looked down upon the successor of the Geum family.
A brilliant radiance—as if the burning sun itself had descended to the earth—pressed down on Chun-bong’s shoulders with immense pressure.
Chun-bong merely snorted and activated her Azure Cloud Divine Art.
Woooong—!
An aura resembling platinum clouds bloomed around her body, effortlessly parrying the crushing weight.
"You truly are the successor of the Geum family."
"Shut it, Mr. Hwang."
"Does the successor of the Geum family dare to mistake the noble surname of the Imperial family?"
"Noble, my foot. You’re all still milking the reputation of a single Martial God after all this time."
"You speak as if the Geum family has anything other than the ascended Sword God."
"Exactly. You’ll see soon enough."
As Chun-bong sneered, Ju Yang-il clicked his tongue and kept his hand resting on his sheathed sword.
"Enough. Forfeit and leave. I have no desire to lay my hands on a commoner."
"A commoner...?"
"Tell me, what authority does the Geum family have left, other than a name?"
Chun-bong’s eyebrow twitched.
The spectators watching the duel also furrowed their brows. It wasn't uncommon to use words to unsettle an opponent’s composure before a match, but Ju Yang-il’s insults crossed a line.
However, it wasn't something they could intervene in.
Martial artists, in the end, spoke through their skill. If the successor of the Geum family won the duel, she would crush those arrogant words herself.
Suppressing a sudden surge of murderous intent, Chun-bong glared at Ju Yang-il.
"...Fine. Why don’t you just draw your sword?"
"There is no need," Ju Yang-il mocked.
Suddenly, he flinched, his body trembling from a chilling sensation.
'Killing intent?'
He looked up at the sky, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Was it an illusion? Clicking his tongue, Ju Yang-il looked back down at Chun-bong.
"No need, you say?"
Chun-bong took a bold step toward him.
"Then I'll beat you until you do."
A platinum glow gathered around Chun-bong’s fist. She lunged forward, throwing a vicious punch.
Ju Yang-il swung his hand to deflect it.
Kwa-aaaang—!
With a thunderous boom, Ju Yang-il was forced back two steps. His eyebrows shot up.
"What...?"
He acknowledged that the Geum family’s martial arts were superior—fine, he’d give them that.
But there was a clear age gap between them, and the Geum family shouldn't have been able to provide her with proper support since their downfall. Setting aside all other factors, the sheer depth of their internal energy should have created an insurmountable gap in power.
Yet, he was the one who had been pushed back.
"Interesting."
He immediately lunged forward, thrusting both palms out.
Chun-bong snorted.
"Whatever."
She unleashed the Chun-bong Divine Art to its absolute limit.
Ducking low to dodge the double palm strike, Chun-bong drove her fist toward Ju Yang-il’s abdomen.
Even then, Ju Yang-il’s gaze was slightly off-target.
Because of the single exchange they’d just had, the impression of Chun-bong’s martial art had already been etched into his subconscious. He was seeing an illusion created by that very impression.
Ju Yang-il only realized the truth a split second before the fist connected.
His eyes widened as he desperately tried to twist his body away, but Chun-bong sneered and adjusted the trajectory of her punch, slamming it dead-center into his stomach.
Bwa-aaaack────────!!
With a sickeningly satisfying impact, Ju Yang-il’s body was sent flying backward.
"Guh-urk...!"
Thud, tumble! He rolled across the ground before looking up, clutching his stomach.
His eyes were bloodshot.
Only now did his true emotions clearly show, and Chun-bong gave a sharp grin.
"Arrogant bastard. Still not drawing your sword?"
This Chun-bong Divine Art… it’s actually insane, isn’t it?
To think such an incredible martial art shared her name, Chun-bong...
It was beyond thrilling.
"Cough...! How dare you...!"
Sring— Ju Yang-il stood up unsteadily and finally drew his sword. Facing him, Chun-bong drew hers as well.
The Imperial family and the Geum family.
The two factions had historically been on terrible terms. They shared many similarities, but above all, they both claimed the symbol of the Golden Dragon.
In the past, it was said that whenever members of the two families met, they would draw their swords first and ask questions later.
Chun-bong had received a thorough early education at the Divine Sword Geum Family. Just looking at the faces of anyone from the Imperial family annoyed her.
The man before her likely felt the exact same way.
Chun-bong wanted to see that arrogant face crumpled in defeat immediately.
So, she acted.
Tap. Chun-bong’s figure blurred as she charged forward. Circulating the Azure Cloud Divine Art, a brilliant platinum Sword Qi coated her blade.
Ju Yang-il ignored his aching abdomen and raised his sword with both hands.
The Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art imbued his blade with the scorching heat of the sun.
As Geum Hee approached, he sharpened his Qi sensing, reflecting on his previous mistake.
His Qi sensing and his vision aligned. In that infinitesimal moment, absolutely certain it wasn't an illusion, Ju Yang-il swung his sword downward.
Swish—!
The only thing he didn't know was that the creator of the Chun-bong Divine Art possessed an unparalleled talent for manipulating Qi. Because of that, trying to track the Chun-bong Divine Art through Qi sensing was an act of utter stupidity.
Fwooooosh────────!!
Roaring flames etched a trail along the sword’s path.
However, a sword swung without proper aim was worse than not swinging at all.
The blade, targeting a spot slightly off from Chun-bong’s actual position, missed with pathetic ease. Chun-bong simply tilted her body to dodge and immediately thrust her sword forward.
Azure Dragon Emerges (靑龍出頭).
A massive azure dragon opened its maw toward Ju Yang-il.
Realizing his mistake too late, Ju Yang-il gritted his teeth. He forcibly twisted his descending sword, switching techniques in an instant.
Severing the Sun (斷陽).
A vicious sword strike soared upward, as if attempting to cleave the very sun in the sky.
Seeing this, Chun-bong smirked.
"Dumbass."
Did he forget that he was being completely overpowered even in terms of raw sword force? If he truly wanted to survive that, he should have tucked and rolled on the ground to dodge.
Kwa-aaaaang────────!!!
Ju Yang-il was sent flying.
Combined with the internal backlash of forcibly twisting his technique mid-swing, a spray of blood erupted from his mouth.
He tried to push himself up several times using his sword as a crutch, but in the end, he collapsed, only able to lie prone and look up at Chun-bong.
Standing over the twitching Ju Yang-il, Chun-bong held her sword to his throat and glanced at the referee.
The referee, staring at her with wide, overwhelmed eyes, finally shouted.
"The winner...! Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Geum Family...!"
Waaaaaaaah────────!!!
A roar so deafening it felt like it would shake all of Henan erupted from the stands.
Chun-bong’s body trembled at the cheers.
She stood in the center of the martial arts arena, looking out at the roaring crowd.
It was a sight she had once given up on entirely. But she had finally made it to this stage.
Lee Seo-jun. Her brother. With his help, she was finally able to reveal herself to the world with pride.
The main tournament of the Yongbong Gathering had only just begun, but as they say, a good start is half the battle. If she could make it to the quarterfinals and earn the title of 'Phoenix,' it would be a monumental first step in the revival of the Geum family.
'Ugh...!'
Unable to contain her swelling heart, Chun-bong gave a traditional fist and palm salute to the audience.
"The prestige of the Divine Sword Geum Family shall be eternal...!"
Thump! Thump! Her heart pounded so violently her mind went white.
Her lips curled upward into a brilliant smile.
Gasping for breath, she shouted.
"...Chun-bong of the Geum family is here!"
WAAAAAAAAAAAH──────────!!!
At her passionate cry, the crowd erupted in another massive wave of cheers.
Some felt a brief sense of confusion, but the feverish atmosphere of a roaring crowd left little room for reason.
Only the members of the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans, who watched without joining the mindless cheering, felt a sense of doubt.
"Chun-bong? Why Chun-bong of the Geum family?"
"I wonder... I was certain her name was Hee."
As the cheers gradually died down and her racing heart calmed, Chun-bong finally realized her mistake.
The crowd hadn't failed to hear the name 'Chun-bong,' and as the shouting ceased, the sound of low, confused murmuring reached her ears.
The tips of Chun-bong’s ears turned bright red. But she stood tall.
She felt not a single shred of shame regarding the name Chun-bong.
While it wasn't a name she wanted to be called by anyone other than her brother, it wasn't a name she would ever try to hide, either.
"Hah... Chun-bong. What a vulgar name."
A weak, spiteful voice came from behind her.
Turning around, she saw Ju Yang-il. He had somehow managed to stand up and was glaring at her intently.
Chun-bong furrowed her brows.
"What's wrong with Chun-bong?"
"Is it not a laughably ridiculous name?"
"A loser sure has a lot to say."
"...I was merely caught off guard by a forbidden art."
"Forbidden art, my ass—"
Chun-bong paused.
Come to think of it, it did feel a bit like a forbidden art. Honestly, most of the techniques Lee Seo-jun used tended to feel like forbidden arts.
But whining about forbidden arts after getting thrashed like a dog was just pathetic.
"I don't really want to talk to a guy who got eliminated the second the Yongbong Gathering started."
"...You arrogant bitch."
Rumble───────!!
At the sudden sound of thunder, Ju Yang-il looked up at the sky for a moment, clicked his tongue, and turned away.
"Fine. We shall see each other next—"
KWA-AAAAANG────────!!!
An explosion so deafening it felt like it would burst their eardrums rocked the arena.
As thick clouds of dust rose into the air, the elders’ eyes flew wide open.
"An ambush?! Here in Henan? What madman...!"
"What happened to Ju Yang-il and Geum Hee?!"
The elders immediately rushed toward the arena.
With a wave of their hands, the dust was swept away, and the sight revealed within the crater caused countless people to gasp in shock.
"Guh... ack..."
Ju Yang-il’s head was being firmly stepped on.
Standing atop him was a man radiating a massive, suffocating aura, looking down upon everyone present.
It wasn't the dignified presence of a monarch, but an arrogant, overwhelming pressure—as if he were looking down at insignificant insects scurrying beneath his feet.
He spoke.
"Chun-bong (Spring Phoenix). Your lively swordplay is like a spring breeze; it is a title that suits your appearance quite well. It seems you are the absolute best among this generation’s Dragon and Phoenix—truly, you are the Phoenix among Phoenixes, Chun-bong."
The Imperial guards instantly drew their swords, radiating intense killing intent.
"Get away from the Prince this instant!"
The sheer pressure they emitted caused the already ruined arena floor to crack once more.
It was a murderous aura so thick that any ordinary martial artist would have lost strength in their legs and made a fool of themselves, but the man merely scanned his surroundings with a casual expression, treating their fury like a gentle breeze.
He took in the sight: the commoners who remained in their seats, startled but trusting the martial artists to protect them; the Imperial guards surrounding him; the elders glaring with cold eyes; and the people of the Namgung Clan wearing utterly bizarre expressions.
The man looked at them for a moment before casting his gaze down at his feet.
Ju Yang-il was glaring up at him with murderous eyes.
The man simply covered those fierce eyes with his boot and ground Ju Yang-il’s head harder into the dirt.
"Urgh...!"
The trampled Ju Yang-il squirmed pitifully.
"Ah, my mistake. I didn't realize there was a person down here."
Seo-jun chuckled and waved his hand at Chun-bong.
"Oppa is here, Chun-bong-ah."
"...Is this guy crazy?"
Chun-bong’s jaw dropped.
* * *
'A successor of the Divine Blood still remains?'
Amidst the chaos of the arena, a single man secretly vanished into the shadows.
'I must inform them quickly before the plan is disrupted.'
As the man’s eyes turned a glowing blood-red, several sewer rats nearby perked up their heads.
Squeak-squeak!
Watching the rats quickly scatter into the darkness, the man’s lips curled up into a sinister smile.
'Soon. Very soon...'
The Savior, who will purify the Central Plains with blood, shall arrive.