177
Chapter 177: You Shouldn’t Belong with Me Either.
From a distance, Spear Sovereign walked with his spear resting on his shoulder.
The fierce energy radiating from Spear Sovereign pierced the surrounding demonic warriors, causing them to collapse with gaping holes in their bodies—as if they had been skewered by a spear.
A few demonic warriors rushed at him, but before they could even take three steps, dozens of holes suddenly appeared in their bodies, causing them to bleed and tear apart.
Witnessing this, Jinanma frowned and commanded,
“Spread out. Get as far away from here as possible.”
“As you command!”
Only after Jinanma’s order did the demonic warriors retreat like a receding tide.
Through the parting crowd of demonic warriors, Spear Sovereign leisurely approached.
“Spear Sovereign. What brings you here?”
“What brings me here? Do I need a reason to stand in this place? How insolent.”
At Spear Sovereign’s sneer, Jinanma tightly pressed his lips together.
“Where is the Palace Lord? Sending only his underlings out front. Is he boasting about hiding his strength all this time?”
“Shall we discuss the details after dealing with Iron Mountain Fist King?”
As Jinanma spoke while looking at Iron Mountain Fist King, Spear Sovereign’s gaze also turned toward him.
Despite the hostility of two supreme masters directed at him, Iron Mountain Fist King clenched his fists and laughed.
“I don’t care if it’s a one-on-one fight or a joint attack. Bring it on.”
A heavy surge of energy swirled around Iron Mountain Fist King’s muscles, which were bulging and gleaming. His imposing aura grew denser, making his presence overwhelming—like a massive mountain standing firm.
Even as he faced Iron Mountain Fist King’s energy, Jinanma curled his lips upward.
‘With Sacheon Alliance Leader here, we can handle Iron Mountain Fist King. If we had fought him head-on, the outcome would’ve been uncertain. No, actually, we might’ve been at a slight disadvantage. Either way, this is to our benefit.’
Just as Jinanma finished his internal calculations, a dark brown energy erupted from the spear resting on Spear Sovereign’s shoulder.
The spear, aimed straight at Jinanma, pierced through the air. Shocked, Jinanma immediately moved as if clawing at empty space.
With a sharp gust of wind, Jinanma was pushed back, still in the stance of blocking the spear.
Scattering the energy imbued in Spear Sovereign’s strike, Jinanma shouted,
“What is the meaning of this?!”
Spear Sovereign sneered at Jinanma’s outburst.
“Jinanma. That expression of yours is boring. Did you really think I’d join hands with you to take down that muscle-head? What gave you that confidence?”
“Didn’t our palaces and Sacheon Alliance join forces once before?”
“What does that have to do with anything? Seems like the side effects of demonic technique have rotted your brain.”
“Then are you saying Spear Sovereign will side with the orthodox sect?”
Spear Sovereign’s lips twisted into a wide grin as he alternated his gaze between Iron Mountain Fist King and Jinanma. He widened the grip on his spear and swung it in a grand arc.
“Orthodox or demonic—come at me together! That’ll be fun!”
A massive surge of spear energy erupted in a cross-shaped slash, swallowing both Iron Mountain Fist King and Jinanma at once.
KWA-KA-KANG!
As five overlapping waves of spear energy crashed toward them, Iron Mountain Fist King and Jinanma each countered with their own techniques to neutralize the attack.
The immense shockwave running through his arm forced Jinanma to desperately summon his demonic energy.
‘Just as I’ve heard, he’s completely unreasonable. He’s throwing away a perfect chance to easily kill a supreme master.’
Jinanma, who had expected Spear Sovereign to join him, instead found himself fighting side by side with Iron Mountain Fist King. He let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
With dozens of spear strikes raining down, there was no time to exchange words with Iron Mountain Fist King. Jinanma frantically tore through the attacks by slashing chaotic black lines into the air with both hands.
Iron Mountain Fist King was no different.
He relentlessly punched through the spear energies aimed at his vital points.
Watching the two supreme masters desperately fighting side by side, Spear Sovereign twisted his waist dramatically.
“You know what? I might spare the last one standing if I’m moved by your desperate teamwork.”
Spear Sovereign alternated between sweeping wide arcs and thrusting precise strikes, pressuring both masters simultaneously.
KWA-GA-GAK!
After several exchanges, the surrounding ground and stone walls were scarred with dozens of deep spear marks.
Iron Mountain Fist King endured with his Mountain-Stepping Stancel, while Jinanma twisted midair to evade the strikes.
“Iron Mountain Fist King! We must join forces!”
Despite Jinanma’s shout from above, Iron Mountain Fist King remained silent and continued throwing punches.
‘I can’t trust that snake-like bastard. I’ll have to fight as if I’m alone.’
As Iron Mountain Fist King solidified his resolve, his energy grew even thicker and sturdier. Pushing Mountain-Stepping Stance to its limits, he inflated his thighs and launched forward, upturning the ground beneath him.
Iron Flight.
With Iron Mountain Fist King’s crouched body at the center, circular shockwaves erupted one after another.
Faced with what looked like a massive boulder hurtling toward him, Spear Sovereign laughed and thrust his spear.
Seeing the spear aimed between his brows, Iron Mountain Fist King unleashed a full-powered punch from his waist.
A straightforward strike with no technique—just pure force. The storm of chaotic spear energy was instantly silenced by that simple fist.
ZZZREEEEEK!
A sound like tearing paper echoed as fist and spear trembled violently. The colossal shockwave spilled outward, forcing both Iron Mountain Fist King and Spear Sovereign to disperse the impact through their bodies.
The ground beneath them caved in, splitting in all directions.
“Iron Mountain Fist King! When it comes to punches, you surpass even the Paewangseong Lord!”
“Third Seat. We never had the chance to fight before.”
Twisting his fist to deflect the spear shaft, Iron Mountain Fist King closed the distance. Spear Sovereign abruptly bent the spear and swung it like a staff, striking Iron Mountain Fist King’s waist.
THUD!
A bone-cracking sound rang out, but Iron Mountain Fist King didn’t even blink. He pushed forward and delivered another heavy punch.
As Spear Sovereign spun his spear to disperse the force, Jinanma swooped in from behind, his claws sharpened for a deadly slash.
Rotting Lotus Shadow Slash.
The black trails from his ten overlapping claw strikes formed a solid plane.
The densely layered energy resembled a fully bloomed lotus, its petals radiating outward.
Even Spear Sovereign’s protective energy was finely shredded by the net of claw energy.
Without looking back, Spear Sovereign thrust his right hand backward, still gripping the spear’s tip. When claw and spear collided, Spear Sovereign pivoted, gripping the spear’s midpoint with both hands and swinging it in a wide arc.
The rapidly spinning spear drew a circular motion, striking both Iron Mountain Fist King and Jinanma and forcing them back.
Yet the spear’s rotation didn’t stop—it only accelerated, generating a massive dark-brown tornado.
Black Smoke Energy.
A tornado large enough to swallow a four-story building in one gulp swept over Iron Mountain Fist King and Jinanma.
As if that weren’t enough, it mercilessly scraped away at the surrounding cliffs before finally dissipating.
Cough!
Jinanma, deeply embedded in the cliff, spat out a mouthful of blood. Iron Mountain Fist King wiped the blood trickling down his forehead and hurled another punch at Spear Sovereign.
“Good!”
Delighted by Iron Mountain Fist King’s relentless assault, Spear Sovereign laughed and left hundreds of spear afterimages in the air.
Even as Spear Sovereign’s techniques filled the space in an instant, Iron Mountain Fist King merely flexed his muscles and unleashed condensed, heavy punches.
"HAAAP!"
Fists powerful enough to crush the atmosphere exploded one after another. Each punch erased Spear Sovereign’s afterimages with surgical precision.
A spear suddenly pierced through the remnants, aiming for Iron Mountain Fist King’s heart. Iron Mountain Fist King caught both the spear’s tip and shaft with both hands.
The battle instantly shifted to an internal energy clash, with Spear Sovereign and Iron Mountain Fist King pouring everything they had into overpowering the other.
‘I misjudged this. The Great Guardian should’ve been here instead of me.’
Only after coughing up blood a few times did Jinanma feel slightly relieved. Still embedded in the cliff, he observed the battle between Iron Mountain Fist King and Spear Sovereign.
Their energies clashed violently, as if locked in a battle of internal power.
Even against the Third Seat, Iron Mountain Fist King showed no signs of collapsing easily.
‘At this rate, I’ll die.’
Making his decision, Jinanma burst out from the cliff and lunged at the two masters.
While pushing back against Iron Mountain Fist King’s energy, Spear Sovereign had kept Jinanma in mind. He released his right hand from the spear to counter Jinanma’s ambush.
But Spear Sovereign’s hand only swiped at empty air.
Jinanma, who had seemed poised to attack Spear Sovereign, suddenly flipped midair and drove a palm strike into Iron Mountain Fist King’s chest.
"Guhk!"
Unlike Spear Sovereign, Iron Mountain Fist King had no room to defend against the unexpected strike. He took the full force of Jinanma’s attack.
Despite the blow, Iron Mountain Fist King stood firm, his entire body trembling. Jinanma raised his hand again.
“Disgustingly tough. Iron Mountain Fist King. You’ll have to die.”
Remembering Spear Sovereign’s earlier words, Jinanma planned to kill Iron Mountain Fist King and secure his own survival.
“How amusing.”
Seeing the scene unfold as he wished, Spear Sovereign watched with great interest.
He even slightly withdrew his internal pressure, giving Iron Mountain Fist King an opening to retaliate.
‘Now. Let’s see what happens.’
As Jinanma’s sharp claws aimed to rip out Iron Mountain Fist King’s heart, Iron Mountain Fist King clenched his fist—but he was a breath too slow.
At that critical moment, Spear Sovereign suddenly looked up at the sky.
Just as Jinanma’s hand was about to reach Iron Mountain Fist King, a purple flash descended vertically from above.
"Keugh! What?!"
Jinanma stared in disbelief at the pitch-black sword that had pierced his palm.
“Supreme masters? How pathetic.”
Mu Hwi, clad in a fluttering plum blossom robe, landed gracefully. Glancing between Spear Sovereign and Jinanma, he gripped the sword embedded in Jinanma’s palm.
Jinanma tried to pull away, but the sword—imbued with an energy-absorbing technique—refused to budge.
"Guhk!"
With no other choice, Jinanma severed his own wrist with a chop and retreated.
THUD!
“You rat bastard.”
Mu Hwi immediately pursued Jinanma, who was trying to flee.
“Flame Mountain Sword Saint!”
Spear Sovereign laughed and swung his spear at Mu Hwi without hesitation. Yet Mu Hwi didn’t retreat, instead scattering sword energy toward Jinanma. Jinanma gritted his teeth and counterattacked.
Thus, Mu Hwi began fighting both Spear Sovereign and Jinanma simultaneously.
SWISH! CLANG! SLASH!
Sword, spear, and claws clashed chaotically. Spear shadows and sword afterimages collided like crashing waves, while sharp energies crisscrossed, shaking the surroundings with explosive force.
"Hahahaha!"
Spear Sovereign, seeing Mu Hwi block his spear head-on, gradually increased the speed and power of his strikes. Mu Hwi responded by diversifying his sword techniques even further.
"Gahk!"
Caught awkwardly between them, Jinanma couldn’t even attempt to escape and desperately fought back with his remaining arm.
Mu Hwi’s sword, infused with sword energy, drew a semicircle before shooting upward and splitting into dozens of slashes.
A violet storm of sword petals raged violently, engulfing both Spear Sovereign and Jinanma.
Spear Sovereign read the sword’s trajectory and tore through it with his spear. Jinanma endured with his protective energy, barely avoiding fatal wounds as he unleashed claw energy.
Though the battle had devolved into the bizarre scenario of Spear Sovereign and Jinanma fighting together, Mu Hwi showed no signs of being overwhelmed.
"Hooh."
Spear Sovereign’s lips twisted strangely as he observed Mu Hwi.
As Mu Hwi’s sleeves fluttered wildly, his sword trembled violently, drawing dozens of sword paths.
The paths multiplied like growing branches, soon numbering in the hundreds.
Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom.
Countless plum blossoms bloomed extravagantly, filling the surroundings. The vivid colors and fragrant sword aura left Jinanma at a loss for how to counter this technique.
THUNK!
A sudden burning sensation in his abdomen made Jinanma lower his gaze. A spear tip had pierced through his stomach, erupting with a dark-brown light.
Blood spilled from his lips as he barely turned his head. Spear Sovereign grinned and tilted his head.
“You’re in the way. Disappear.”
With a twist of his wrist, Spear Sovereign’s spear unleashed a shockwave that tore Jinanma’s body apart.
Wiping the blood from his face, Spear Sovereign gave Mu Hwi a cold smile.
“Now, shall we play?”
Spear Sovereign shook the blood off his spear and slowly assumed his stance.
“Those of equal standing should fight together.”
Mu Hwi twisted his sword diagonally in response.
“Then you shouldn’t belong with me either.”
At Mu Hwi’s provocation, Spear Sovereign answered by thrusting his spear forward.