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Chapter 159: I Can’t Die a Dog’s Death
Heaven-Sundering Divine Palm.
The crimson glow gathered in the Paewangseong Lord’s hand displayed a force capable of crushing and shattering even the heavens. The trailing light distorted the surrounding space.
The Paewangseong Lord’s hand swept horizontally. Like a swung sword, the air was cleanly split apart.
A sharp, tearing sound erupted as the sword energy descending toward the Paewangseong Lord was severed in two and scattered.
The Paewangseong Lord closed the distance with a light step, shifting his hand into a fist. A single punch aimed squarely at Mu Hwi’s solar plexus.
The tension of the Plum Blossom Scattering Hands surged like petals in the path of the fist, yet the Paewangseong Lord’s punch did not stop.
Szzzt!
A purple flash descended upon the fist.
Mu Hwi blocked the strike with a downward slash, but the resulting shockwave tore violently at the robes of both masters.
The Paewangseong Lord, having effortlessly dispersed the shockwave, took another step forward and extended his right palm.
Mu Hwi retreated, raising Sim-myeong Sword to deflect the straightforward palm strike, then slashed diagonally.
In an instant, he thrust ten sword shadows forward, but they melted away like snow against the crimson shockwaves spreading like spiderwebs.
Even after slashing through the shockwaves, residual force clawed at Mu Hwi’s entire body before vanishing.
‘It’s stronger than when he used it at the Palace.’
Despite dispersing most of the force, his sword hand ached from the impact. Mu Hwi skillfully channeled the shock through his body and shook it off.
From the countless trembling sword edges, plum blossoms bloomed in an instant.
Five blossoms floated upward, using the Paewangseong Lord’s shockwaves as branches, while petals scattered like snowflakes.
CRACK!
The Paewangseong Lord crushed two blossoms with his left palm, while his right hand’s curled fingers tore apart the remaining blossoms with a crimson storm.
At the same time, the Paewangseong Lord lifted his left leg and kicked through the air. A slicing wind from the kick engulfed Mu Hwi’s upper body.
Mu Hwi leaned sideways, spinning his entire body to evade the attack while channeling the rotation into his sword to release sword energy.
Swish!
Amid the flurry of movement, sharp petals erupted beside the swirling plum blossom robe.
The Paewangseong Lord, attempting to close the distance, shattered the sword's energy with a downward elbow strike.
Mu Hwi meticulously maintained the gap between them. The Paewangseong Lord’s eyes gleamed as he observed.
In a battle between masters, even the smallest step forward or backward could become a fatal mistake.
‘As I sensed during the Heavenly Martial Assembly, he’s adept at offense and defense. Like an old master.’
Rather than recklessly charging in, the Paewangseong Lord subtly adjusted his spacing within the flow of martial arts, yet Mu Hwi didn’t miss a single move.
It meant he was keeping pace with the Paewangseong Lord in the exchange of techniques. That was the only reason he could hold his own in this battle.
The Paewangseong Lord bared his teeth in a grin.
The sleeves of his robe trembled violently as dense crimson shockwaves spread like a net, sweeping in all directions. Above them, a massive palm-shaped force descended.
Heaven-Pressing Crushing Net.
The shockwave net scraped against the ground, kicking up dirt and stones as it tightened around Mu Hwi, restricting his movement.
Meanwhile, the colossal force from above pressed down on the surrounding atmosphere, attempting to crush both the net and Mu Hwi inside it in one blow.
BOOM!
Mu Hwi stomped, unleashing Purple Sunset Energy throughout his body to disperse the pressure. Without flinching, he raised the Sim-myeong Sword upward.
The sword drew a wide, arcing trajectory.
Layered circles, large and small, formed from its path. At the end of the arc, a plum blossom bloomed, spinning and scattering petals in all directions, tearing through the encroaching shockwaves.
Having executed Plum Blossom’s Allure, Mu Hwi lightly stepped on the floating petals and thrust Sim-myeong Sword upward with all his might.
The sword energy condensed in the blade exploded, transforming into a thick beam of light that shot upward. Using the beam as a branch, plum blossoms spread outward, piercing through the Paewangseong Lord’s colossal force and guiding Mu Hwi forward.
Plum Blossom’s Guidance.
But the Paewangseong Lord, anticipating Mu Hwi’s counter, immediately unleashed another technique. At that moment, Mu Hwi was just sheathing his sword—a flaw the Paewangseong Lord had deliberately targeted to disrupt his rhythm.
A storm-like blade of wind surged violently. The force behind it struck Mu Hwi’s shoulder like a raging dragon.
CRACK!
“Ghk!”
His plum blossom robe and martial arts uniform were shredded to rags, and countless fine cuts lined Mu Hwi’s muscles, dripping blood.
Yet instead of retreating, Mu Hwi stepped forward with Dark Scent Flutter, deflecting a follow-up strike aimed at his abdomen and slashing at the Paewangseong Lord’s forearm.
THUD!
The Paewangseong Lord’s grin widened at Mu Hwi’s relentless aggression. He flicked his forearm sideways, deflecting the slash, and reached out with his left hand to seize Mu Hwi’s throat.
But Sim-myeong Sword, knocked aside, twisted unnaturally, aiming to pierce the Paewangseong Lord’s wrist instead. The Paewangseong Lord withdrew his left hand and drove a right uppercut toward Mu Hwi’s midsection.
‘Still bizarre. His martial arts are clearly orthodox, but his application is closer to unorthodox.’
The ruthlessly efficient swordplay, the willingness to use injuries as bait—these were traits rarely seen in orthodox martial artists.
THWACK!
Even after taking the punch to his side, Mu Hwi endured with defensive techniques and pressed forward, closing the distance.
His sword slashed toward the Paewangseong Lord’s throat without hesitation.
In response, the Paewangseong Lord filled the air with countless palm shadows.
But Mu Hwi didn’t hesitate—he thrust his sword forward and charged.
CLANG!
In an instant, over fifty exchanges took place.
The aftermath of their clash mixed with energy and shockwaves, creating a massive storm.
The bridge between the cliffs had long since collapsed, and now the cliff itself began to crack and crumble.
‘Damn it.’
Dokgo Yul watched without blinking. The movements of the two supreme masters grew faster, appearing fragmented to his eyes.
He forced his internal energy to its limits, focusing on his vision. Blood vessels burst in his eyes, tears of blood streaming down, yet he refused to look away.
BOOM!
The Paewangseong Lord struck Mu Hwi’s waist with his palm, pushing him back, then glanced at his torn sleeves.
Mu Hwi spat blood. His body was a tattered mess, but his gaze remained sharp as a blade.
In those star-like eyes, one could see that despite knowing he stood on the brink of death, he was enjoying this life-or-death battle.
The Paewangseong Lord, reminded of someone by that gaze, unleashed a twin-palm strike.
“Aside from Sword Immortal, I always thought my next worthy opponent would be the Sword Devil.”
As Mu Hwi blocked the twin palms with a horizontal sword, the Paewangseong Lord poured strength into his palms.
Strangely, the swordsman before him kept reminding him of the Sword Devil.
The sharp glint in his eyes, as if dozens of blades had been hammered into them.
The courage to revel in battle even at death’s door.
The relentless analysis of his opponent’s techniques, the unorthodox yet practical movements.
Only the martial arts themselves were different.
The Paewangseong Lord’s eyes flared with crimson light.
Though not fatal, Mu Hwi’s sword had left countless marks on his body.
For every shallow cut Mu Hwi inflicted, he paid a price several times over.
His body should have been faltering from the accumulated damage, yet Mu Hwi pressed forward without retreating. The Paewangseong Lord laughed wildly.
“The martial arts world took the Sword Devil from me, but it gave me you instead!”
Crimson shockwaves, thin as threads, erupted from the Paewangseong Lord’s hands, spreading in all directions.
Mu Hwi frowned at the amplified energy and lowered his stance.
‘Still not enough.’
Several bones were already broken. Purple Sunset Energy raced through his meridians, but it could only suppress his severe internal injuries from worsening.
Thanks to this desperate fight, he had refined the Plum Blossom Scattering Hands techniques he had been developing since the Martial Alliance, with the help of Iron Mountain Fist King. But it still wasn’t enough.
Even standing at death’s door, enlightenment in battle was never easy.
Rather than relying on uncertain insights, Mu Hwi focused on perfecting his Plum Blossom Scattering Hands techniques.
“Kgh…”
Ignoring the blood dripping from his lips, Mu Hwi slashed Sim-myeong Sword horizontally and vertically, cutting through the encroaching Heaven-Sundering Divine Palm shockwaves. But what came next was the real problem.
A house-sized shockwave surged to the height of the pavilion, layered with countless palm and fist shadows.
The Heaven-Sundering Divine Palm shockwave swelled like a tidal wave, swallowing a portion of the cliff before crashing down on Mu Hwi.
Sky-Filling Chaos.
As the surrounding terrain was torn apart, Mu Hwi raised Sim-myeong Sword to mid-level and executed Fragrance Blossom Unmoved by Wind.
Veins bulged on his forehead—this wasn’t just a simple technique. He infused each slash with the will of countless intangible swords, reinforcing Fragrance Blossom Unmoved by Wind.
Countless purple plum blossoms bloomed atop the crimson storm.
It looked like purple blossoms floating on a red sea.
BOOOOM!
The clash of the two supreme masters created a scene like a painting—but at the same time, half the cliff they stood on vanished.
“Damn it.”
Has his all-out effort still fallen short?
Even after Fragrance Blossom Unmoved by Wind and the cliff’s destruction, the shockwaves still pressed forward.
As Mu Hwi prepared to force Purple Sunset Energy beyond its limits, a massive sword strike descended before him.
CRASH!
A brilliant sword light split the remnants of Sky-Filling Chaos in two.
A truly magnificent strike.
Seeing Dokgo Yul’s back shielding him, Mu Hwi gritted his teeth.
“You lunatic!”
Even weakened by Fragrance Blossom Unmoved by Wind and the cliff’s destruction, this was no attack a peak master like Dokgo Yul could easily block.
Yet the sword energy of Dokgo Yul’s Dokgo Sword Technique shone brilliantly—Mu Hwi knew why.
Innate Life Force.
The primordial energy one is born with.
Dokgo Yul had drawn upon his life force to block this single attack. The cost of this transcendent strike was immense.
The backlash from forcibly using the Dokgo Sword Technique, combined with the injuries from blocking Sky-Filling Chaos, caused Dokgo Yul to vomit blood and lose consciousness.
This was his utmost limit.
“Dokgo Yul!”
Mu Hwi rushed toward the fallen man but had no time to tend to him.
Three massive crimson shockwaves from the Paewangseong Lord were already surging forward.
All Mu Hwi could do was stand in front of Dokgo Yul.
The Paewangseong Lord’s right hand tore through the air, his outstretched palm pressing down not just the atmosphere but space itself.
Under that pressure, Mu Hwi raised the Sim-myeong Sword.
If he didn’t protect his disciple, no one would.
He unleashed every technique he had developed. For every missing piece, he took another step, swung his sword again, desperately filling the gaps.
“Hraaaah!”
He couldn’t waste the chance Dokgo Yul had bought with his life force.
‘I’ll save you no matter what.’
Mu Hwi’s determination to protect his disciple infused his entire body with vigor. The fading light of Sim-myeong Sword regained its brilliance.
A hazy dawn-like glow emanated from the sword, and the dim Purple Sunset Energy in his shoulders flared back to life, dyeing the space around him.
Mu Hwi thrust Sim-myeong Sword forward with a single thought: Save my disciple.
The intangible swords, once limited to his blade, now enveloped his entire body.
The Paewangseong Lord sensed the change.
“Sword Saint!”
Crimson shockwaves surged endlessly from the Paewangseong Lord’s hands.
Every minute movement carried will, small motions combining into forms that guided Mu Hwi’s sword strikes.
He tore through Heaven-Sundering Divine Palm, cleaved through the palm force, and drove Sim-myeong Sword forward. The Paewangseong Lord’s eyes widened.
Amid the crimson storm, a fierce but faint Purple Sunset Energy sprouted like a seedling, then devoured the shockwaves and flew toward the Paewangseong Lord.
A technique forged to save his disciple.
Palm-Shattering Plea for My Disciple.
SPLURT!
Blood erupted from the Paewangseong Lord’s outstretched right hand. Mu Hwi gritted his teeth. He had aimed to sever the arm entirely, but it hadn’t been enough.
‘Too shallow!’
A deep gash exposed muscle and bone, but the arm remained.
“Kuhahaha! Magnificent!”
The Paewangseong Lord laughed and struck with his left fist without hesitation.
Unlike Mu Hwi, who was nearing his limit, the Paewangseong Lord still had strength left for several more ultimate techniques.
A barrage of maddened strikes.
The cliff trembled as if from an earthquake.
BOOOOM!
The Paewangseong Lord’s fists shattered the already crumbling cliff, sending Mu Hwi and Dokgo Yul plummeting into the abyss below.
“Now of all times?!”
The sudden collapse left the Paewangseong Lord stunned. This wasn’t how he wanted the battle to end.
He rushed to the edge, but Mu Hwi and Dokgo Yul had already vanished into the darkness below.
The Paewangseong Lord stared down for a long time.
***
“Damn it!”
Even as he fell, Mu Hwi gripped the unconscious Dokgo Yul with one hand.
Dokgo Yul was out cold, and his own injuries were severe. If this continued, they wouldn’t die in battle—they’d die from the fall.
“I can’t die a dog’s death.”
Mu Hwi looked at Dokgo Yul, then raised his trembling hand and slashed the Sim-myeong Sword toward the cliff face.