Chapter 181
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: Promises Aren't Made Lightly (2)
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Hwangbo Jangseong nearly choked on his surprise.
If the Hebei Peng family had raised them in secret, they wouldn't have been ordinary pushovers. Yet he'd wiped them all out. It was truly bold and audacious. And utterly consistent. Just like when he'd beaten those Little Lake Sect water bandits to death.
'He clearly knows how to weigh profit against principle.'
He established a righteous cause while securing real gains. It was impossible to imagine from his usual soft demeanor, but once he made a move, he never hesitated. Always bold and unconventional.
Hwangbo Jangseong steadied his mind and revealed his true feelings.
"Thank you for being honest with me."
"No secrets between in-laws, right? Suspicion starts from the smallest things."
"True enough. But humans are bound to be lulled by the complacency of familiarity."
"We've got enough leeway for that between in-laws."
Mujin and Hwangbo Jangseong didn't brush it off as a joke.
This was the most essential element for building a true bond. When familiarity bred contempt and carelessness, that's when the unexpected struck.
In a world where you treated others with respect, but they rarely reciprocated.
It was Hwangbo Jangseong's way of life—asking for leniency on minor slips—and Mujin's flexibility.
"As you know, my brother has given his permission. The elders' opinions are divided, but it's not a major issue."
"You're saying we need the former patriarch's approval."
"Approval? He just wants to see for himself. But if you're against it, no need."
"I'm fine with it. As fellow martial artists, exploring a path forward together sounds good. Perfect timing, actually."
Hwangbo Jangseong had braced for refusal, fearing it might be too much to ask. When Mujin agreed so readily, an inexplicable unease welled up.
But it was absurd to worry.
'No way.'
He knew Mujin's strength, but his father was the king of authority. The supreme warrior who had pacified the entire martial world with his fists alone. Recently, Father had attained enlightenment and grown even stronger. Even if the Nangong clan's Sword Emperor came, he wouldn't lose.
"What about you two?"
"We're good."
"We'll stay here."
A clash between absolute masters held value beyond money. Just watching expanded one's insight and reaffirmed one's purpose as a martial artist.
Yet Nangong Yeonhwa and Yukchil declined.
The reason was simple.
Watching Mujin's martial arts was terrible for their mental health.
His strength was undeniable. He'd crushed the Sword Emperor, Poison King, and Drunken Immortal of the Twenty-One Strong of Shenzhou.
But the more they watched, the less they progressed—and it bred doubt in their own paths as martial artists.
What's the point of getting stronger if you'd just get beaten by that guy?
It was strange logic, but utterly realistic. Even an absolute realm master would end up in the gutter against Mujin.
The more they hoped for an ideal, legendary showdown, the deeper their self-loathing grew. It was too much to learn from. Watching did nothing helpful. It just soured their moods.
'Better not to watch.'
'I'll get stress sickness just looking!'
As Nangong Yeonhwa and Yukchil refused, Hwangbo Jangseong's inexplicable unease deepened. Martial artists everywhere would kill to see this duel. It was a priceless spectacle money couldn't buy. For ordinary folk, maybe, but these two were warriors.
'I hope this wasn't a mistake.'
Wishing it mere unfounded worry, Hwangbo Jangseong left the annex with Mujin and headed to the Mount Tai Pavilion where his father resided.
Along the way, the Hwangbo clan bustled. Crowds gathered, drawn to some spectacle.
"Looks like the sparring's still going."
"If a few rounds tire you out, your training's lacking."
Hm, that grated oddly.
It sounded like praise for his son, but it stung. In other words, he didn't give a damn about the Hwangbo clan's younger generation. Arguing point by point would just be spitting in his own face.
Voices drifted over.
"No way, even Brother Uncheol got taken down."
"What the hell is that guy?"
"Wait, that's our family's Five Elements Fist! When did he learn it? Right now?!"
"No way!"
"It happened."
"He's a total monster!"
"How does everyone just crumple the moment his fist grazes them?"
"Hold out a bit! Wear down his stamina!"
Young blood boiled in heated shouts. Shadows creased Hwangbo Jangseong's brow. Things were getting dirty. To sap the stamina and inner energy of Taejin, who was younger than them, they resorted to wheel tactics without shame.
"The Hwangbo clan is efficient. You have to do whatever it takes to win, right? Don't you think, in-law?"
"...Indeed."
Pure praise in intent, but it irked Hwangbo Jangseong. Conversation with him stirred unintended anger. He had this knack for provoking without meaning to.
"In real combat, numerical superiority doesn't matter. Only life and death prove the outcome."
"Well said."
Excuses like "we lost because there were more" held no weight. War was the history of the victors. The dead had no voice, erased or branded as losers.
'Impossible to read him.'
Here he was realistic and sharp again.
By the time their talk ended, they reached the Mount Tai Pavilion.
True to the Hwangbo clan's style, it loomed massive and majestic, exuding unyielding might. But inside the open doors lay a different world, bounded by barriers. Pavilions harmonized like natural landscape, as if built into the mountainside with masterful skill.
"A barrier formation."
"No harm in caution."
It resembled a fairy's wonderland, but was rooted in the Harmony of All Things True Formation, blended with metal chain and labyrinth arrays. It warded off unwanted intruders.
"Let's go in."
Mujin meekly followed Hwangbo Jangseong. Distances appeared longer than they were. Caught in the illusions, it could stretch into an endless path. He glimpsed the Hwangbo clan's finesse, hidden beneath their bold aura. A prestigious house's foundation wasn't mere brute force.
"It's called the Illusory Endless Formation."
Mujin wasn't versed in formations. But if asked if he could break it, the answer was yes. He might not understand it, but his body internalized it, formation or not.
"Outsiders won't know what happens inside."
"You noticed?"
"Not worth recommending."
"Why not?"
"If something goes wrong inside, outsiders stay clueless. Confidence is one thing."
The Nangong clan had a similar setup, not a formation per se, but layered spaces isolating interior from exterior. Collusion between insiders and outsiders spelled disaster.
"Won't happen here."
"The Nangong clan said the same."
Soon they entered the formation. Beyond the pavilion doors lay the same space as outside—a mirror projection barrier mimicking the exterior structure.
Except for the broad courtyard blending with the scenery, where the Fist King and clan head stood.
"Come in."
"Different atmosphere."
The Fist King Hwangbo Gwan-hyeok's aura had shifted. Their first meeting, he'd been a kindly in-law elder. Now, he overflowed with surging hostility, like an active volcano.
"Your letter, in-law, gave me enlightenment. Perfect timing—the insight I needed most. Though some might call it mere wordplay."
"Planning to eat your fill and then burst?"
Mujin's provocation drew gasps from Hwangbo Jangcheon and Jangseong. Who dared speak so boldly before their father?
"And if I am?"
"What choice? I'd have to gut you."
He could stomach anything but being taken for a fool. People endured hunger but not bellyaches. If he couldn't eat, no one would. If they'd gorged, he'd cut them open to make them puke. That was wise living.
"The second son's words were no bluff."
"I'd lie if needed."
A retort the Fist King had never heard.
Few could declare, head held high, that freeloading meant getting gutted.
It might pass as a joke or pup's bravado.
But not the latter.
His sons acknowledged Mujin's strength. Though not projecting tangible pressure, the Fist King's presence naturally emanated heavy aura.
His Heavenly King Divine Art-based might could crush multitudes. Withstanding it casually marked Mujin as extraordinary.
"Fine spirit. But I dislike empty words. Prove yourself."
"I hate wasting time too."
Enough beating around the bush. Mujin got to the point. Hiding intent risked backlash later, so he drew his sword.
'Trust is essential for in-laws, right?'
-Not just itching for a fight?
'Need to awaken their battle spirit dulled by peace.'
-Sounds good.
Plausible? It was reality. Facing this era's powerhouses differed from the brutal bloodbaths with the Demonic Cult of the Demon God. Martial realms no longer decided victory.
The surest way to teach battlefield hostility was one.
Shwaaaaa!
Unleashing his suppressed aura, he weighed down the surroundings. Tyrannical and invincible, unreachable foes dared not approach. He dominated space, stirring hostility and battle fervor naturally.
Gulp.
Hwangbo Jangcheon and Jangseong shivered at the terrifying intent in his aura. It wasn't mere strength. Only endless asuras' fields could forge it.
-Bigger deal than thought.
-Told you, don't get cocky or you'll get smashed.
-Length shows in a fight.
-Bro, yours is short.
-You punk! Mine's long and thick!
As the brothers transmitted, Mujin and the Fist King closed in. Auras meshed into a territorial clash. No blades met, yet sharp clashes rang out.
Ching ching ching ching!
Their clashing domains intensified to destructive chaos. Ripples shook the pavilion like a storm on flat ground. Without the Illusory Endless Formation sealing the area, devastation would spread.
"I apologize. I underestimated you."
Hwangbo Gwan-hyeok was genuinely shocked. He'd tested lightly at first, but now it was real. He raised his Heavenly King Divine Art's aura. Mujin pressed without hesitation.
Woooong!
Hwangbo Gwan-hyeok unleashed the art's pinnacle. A warrior's vow to hold nothing back.