Chapter 145: Baek Seo-jun (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 145: Baek Seo-jun (2)
The method for countering a martial art wasn't much different from how he had dismantled the 108 Arhat Formation.
However, while the 108 Arhat Formation was relatively easy to disrupt because it relied on a hundred and eight individuals moving as one, countering a specific martial art was far more difficult.
This was because the effects of a martial art originated from within the practitioner's own body.
To interfere with that internal process? If that were possible, one could simply twist their opponent’s blood vessels and meridians. The enemy would collapse, vomiting blood right then and there.
But unless there was a staggering difference in power, such a feat was impossible. Therefore, when dealing with a martial art, one had to dismantle the technique after it had already manifested.
To achieve this, Seo-jun categorized martial arts into three core components: Form (形), Intent (意), and Qi (氣).
Form was, quite literally, the outward appearance of a technique.
The grip on the sword, the footwork, the trajectory of the blade, and the flow of subsequent movements. Seo-jun defined every physical action the body took as 'Form.'
Next was Qi.
This concept was just as literal. It referred to every effect produced by internal energy.
The flow of energy between acupoints, the sword qi erupting from a blade, the reinforcement of the physical body—not to mention all the minor tricks performed using internal energy. It encompassed everything achieved through Qi.
Finally, there was Intent.
Intent was the grand purpose that pierced through a martial art, acting as the bridge between Form and Qi.
If Form and Qi created the overall framework of a martial art, it only became a complete technique when Intent was breathed into it.
It was only natural.
Even in a single battle, countless moves were exchanged and infinite variables arose. How could one possibly respond to every situation simply by memorizing the Form and Qi of a martial art?
Intent was the answer.
If a grand purpose guided the martial art, one simply had to follow that Intent through every possible variable.
This was also why, as the grade of a martial art increased, its oral chants began to include more abstract, nebulous concepts. The Intent acquired by the body eventually settled in the mind to become Mental Imagery, and only when all these elements harmonized could one perform martial arts in their truest sense.
Form, Intent, and Qi.
Among these, Seo-jun focused on Intent and Qi to counter an opponent's martial art.
In the case of the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art used by Ju Cheol-yak, its 'Form' was simply swordsmanship.
And since Seo-jun wasn't particularly confident in his own swordsmanship, he quickly gave up on targeting that aspect.
Next was Qi.
Everything involving the use of internal energy to conjure a sun or imbue a strike with massive power fell under Qi.
Finally, there was the Intent that connected the two: the Mental Imagery of the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art.
He had witnessed it several times now. By using Intent to deduce the function of Qi, and then using the function of Qi to deduce the Intent, he had managed to grasp the vast majority of the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art.
Furthermore, since he had seen everything except the Form, he could deduce the Form as well.
Now, the rest was easy. He just had to twist what he saw.
In Ju Cheol-yak’s case, it was even easier because the man tended to use his martial arts in a simple, brutish manner.
‘Now, I’m certain I can take him down in three moves, no matter what.’
With that conviction, Baek Seo-jun strolled through the Imperial villa as if it were his own home.
It was guarded to some extent, but it was only a villa after all. Its security wasn't nearly enough to stop Seo-jun’s Shadowless Under the Moon.
Seo-jun calmly moved toward Ju Cheol-yak’s presence. It wasn't hard to find.
‘Is he on the seventh floor?’
He looked up at a towering pavilion that made him wonder how it had even been constructed.
Seo-jun bloomed snowflakes beneath his feet, leaped three times, and hooked his feet onto the eaves, hanging upside down to observe the situation inside.
“That arrogant brat...!”
Ju Cheol-yak was throwing a drunken tantrum.
No, looking closer, he wasn't drunk at all. He had poured alcohol down his throat, but the internal energy reacting to his rage had surged through his body, neutralizing every drop of it.
“General, please, calm down...”
The women beside him tried their best to smile and soothe his temper.
“Shut up! What does a wench like you know?!”
They had no choice but to fall silent at Ju Cheol-yak’s roar. If they said another word, he looked ready to crush their heads with his bare hands.
Clicking his tongue, Ju Cheol-yak chugged directly from the bottle.
A drink, a fit of rage, then another drink. Raging as if his anger were a side dish to the alcohol, Ju Cheol-yak emptied the last bottle and hurled one of the women onto the bed.
It was a literal pool of wine and a forest of flesh. Or perhaps just a forest of... 'flesh'?
‘Oh... I didn't expect Murim porn.’
Time flew by as Seo-jun watched with mild admiration as the man handled four women at once.
If he had to leave a one-line review...
‘As expected of the Super Peak Realm!’
His stamina in pushing the women beyond their 'peaks' was no ordinary feat. The sight of the women rolling their eyes back as they reached their own 'super peaks' was certainly something.
After a considerable amount of time, Ju Cheol-yak left the unconscious women and got out of bed.
Stark naked, he leaned against the railing and began to mutter to himself while staring out the window.
Seo-jun scratched his head at the sight.
‘Should I just leave him be?’
From the looks of it, the man hadn't even recovered from his Qi Deviation yet. It seemed like he might just self-destruct if left alone.
“...Right. That wench...”
Suddenly, a surge of murderous intent erupted from Ju Cheol-yak.
“She called him master... It can't be an ordinary relationship. If I kidnap her...”
Ju Cheol-yak muttered as if lamenting, suppressing the anger that flared up as his intoxication faded.
He knew. He knew that even if he fought Jin Gi-jae-cheon again, he had no chance of winning. As long as he couldn't uncover the secret of that counter-form, breaking him in a head-on confrontation would be nearly impossible.
No. Even if he could win, the political backlash would be too severe since he had already lost their official duel.
He couldn't strike openly.
Then what?
That daughter of the Geum family. At most, she was in the Peak Realm, and her only backing was Jin Gi-jae-cheon. If he got his hands on her, wouldn't Jin Gi-jae-cheon be forced to behave?
Just as he was obsessively forming his scheme, a cold wind blew.
His body had nearly reached the state of Cold and Heat Immunity through Bone-cleansing and Body-changing. There was no way he should feel cold from a mere spring breeze.
Struck by a chilling sensation, Ju Cheol-yak turned his stiff neck.
“Wh-who are you...?”
A freezing murderous intent scraped against his bones. His heart felt sluggish, as if it were icing over.
Ju Cheol-yak swallowed hard as he met the intruder's eyes.
“...How dare you enter this place!”
Even at his shout, the man did not react. He simply stared at Ju Cheol-yak with eyes colder than the northern winds and snow.
He was overwhelmed.
In the man before him, Ju Cheol-yak saw the Emperor.
A ruler sitting upon a throne above all others, looking down at the masses beneath his feet.
No, that was wrong. He wasn't such a benevolent being.
This man was an apex predator who stood alone, regarding everyone beneath his gaze as mere insects.
“Ugh...!”
Naked as he was, Ju Cheol-yak shivered at the encroaching cold.
The man looked at him indifferently, then—thud—kicked the sword at his feet toward him.
“What...?”
Ju Cheol-yak’s eyes trembled as he caught the sword. His own reflection appeared on the blade’s surface. A naked man. A hideous, pathetic sight.
His mind snapped awake, and murderous intent filled his eyes.
“I don't know what you're thinking, but you'll regret this!”
The man before him was certainly overwhelming.
He didn't know what realm this intruder had achieved, but there was an undeniable, suffocating aura about him. Ju Cheol-yak knew exactly how pathetic his own reflection looked in those arrogant eyes.
However, even so.
This was Henan. Just three moves. He only had to endure that much. No matter who this man was, he wouldn't be able to defeat him in just three moves.
“You bastard...!”
Ju Cheol-yak poured all his suppressed fear into his sword and swung.
Whoosh!
A massive burst of flames erupted, blooming as if to incinerate the world. It was a strike unleashed with the intent to swallow the entire building.
In response, the man lightly reached out a hand.
Crack!
The flames froze. They solidified in their blazing form, burning with a chilling cold.
“This makes no sen—!”
The horrified Ju Cheol-yak realized the truth. There was only one person who could pull off such an impossible feat—it was obvious the moment he saw that unique ice art.
“The North Sea Ice Palace Master...! Why is the Palace Master in Henan?!”
The man didn't even spare Ju Cheol-yak a glance. He looked at the four unconscious women on the bed behind him, tilting his head in displeasure.
“You don't even know how to cherish the women you've shared a bed with.”
“...They are merely courtesans.”
They would have burned to death by his own sword strike if the man hadn't stopped it, but to Ju Cheol-yak, there was no reason to care about the lives of mere whores.
Ju Cheol-yak tried to stall for time while gauging the man’s reaction.
But the man didn't play along.
He glided forward in an instant and reached out his hand.
“Damn it!”
Ju Cheol-yak hurriedly twisted his body and swung his sword with all his might.
If that man really was the North Sea Ice Palace Master, it would be over the moment that hand touched him.
But if he could just dodge that hand... there would be no greater achievement. If the Shaolin Abbot came to reinforce him, they might even capture the North Sea Ice Palace Master right here.
If that happened, he could atone for his mistakes. He could restore the honor of the Imperial family. And his own honor as well.
“I am...! General Cheonyang...!”
Ju Cheol-yak gave it his all. He even drew upon his Primordial True Qi.
A massive fire demon, seemingly tall enough to reach the heavens, dyed the night sky with an untimely sunset.
Against that powerful strike, the man simply swung his hand once more.
Boom!
With a casual wave of his hand, Ju Cheol-yak’s sword was deflected. The flames that had seemed ready to envelop the entire building froze in an instant.
Ju Cheol-yak gritted his teeth. I can endure this. Repeating that mantra to himself, he put everything he had into a downward strike with his deflected sword.
However.
“Ah...”
The man suddenly appeared right before his eyes.
Before he even registered the movement, the man’s hand was already touching his chest.
“N-no...!”
Ju Cheol-yak squeezed out every ounce of strength, desperately trying to move his stiffening body.
Cr-crack!
But his movements only grew slower. Finally, the frost encased him, leaving him unable to move even a fingertip.
Ju Cheol-yak barely managed to tilt his head, looking at the man with eyes filled with absolute terror.
The man met Ju Cheol-yak’s gaze with indifferent eyes. Then, the corners of his mouth pulled up into a bizarre, wide grin.
“Heh...”
The man covered his face with his hand.
When he lowered it, a completely different face was revealed.
“Y-you...!”
Ju Cheol-yak’s eyes bulged. The veins all over his body popped, and his bloodshot eyes turned a violent crimson.
Qi Deviation.
Ju Cheol-yak glared at the man, dark blood leaking from his seven orifices.
“Jin Gi-jae-cheeeen...!! You miserable bastard...! How dare you...! How daaaare you...!!!”
“This time, for real, goodbye.”
Crack!
The moment Seo-jun smirked, Ju Cheol-yak’s screams abruptly stopped.
An ice statue stood in his place, completely frozen, its breath extinguished forever. His final moment was captured perfectly; the expression of pure hatred toward the person in front of him was chillingly vivid.
“I was going to let you live, but you just had to go and dig your own grave, didn't you?”
Seo-jun patted the frozen shoulder and casually walked through the frozen flames.
The courtesans still hadn't woken up. He had struck their pressure points with Finger Pellets during the brief clash.
After glancing at them for a moment, Seo-jun stepped up to the window. His hair fluttered in the night breeze.
Leaning against the window frame and looking out, he noticed the streets were incredibly noisy for such a late hour.
Swarms of martial artists were rushing in.
Looking down at the commotion, Seo-jun chuckled.
“Now then, how should I get out of here?”
Fortunately, there were plenty of ways.