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119
Seop Jeomgeom, the Murim Alliance tournament announcer, felt his mouth go bone-dry at the sudden upheaval.
Yoo Seol-ra — missing!
Abducted by an unidentified figure — presumed to be the Ice Demon — with the Murim Alliance Leader and the Emei Sect Leader in pursuit!
-What the hell? What's going on?
-Isn't this total chaos?
-Something always goes wrong whenever the Murim Alliance gets involved.
You said it!
Seop Jeomgeom wanted to weep. Yet his expression remained fixed in a smile. After all, he was the Murim Alliance's professional tournament announcer.
"Warriors of the Martial World! Let us now hear the esteemed opinion of our honored guest, the Beggar Sect Leader! Who does the Sect Leader believe will win?!"
"Hm-hm, Emei Sect! This old man has had deep ties with them since long ago. Back when this beggar was young, you see...."
Seop Jeomgeom was buying time.
He had to hold out until they found Yoo Seol-ra!
At the very least, he needed to confirm whether Yoo Seol-ra was still alive. Yoo Seol-ra had suddenly vanished — would that mean Abbess Jeongja won by default?
That would be a catastrophe.
The spectators who had paid silver to enter would be furious. Hot-tempered audience members were already shouting for the match to start, demanding to know why everything was being dragged out.
Nor would it end with the spectators' anger. If word spread that a woman had been abducted within the Alliance's jurisdiction, the Murim Alliance's honor would crash to the ground.
If someone who attended the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering went missing and was later found dead, violated...?
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering would be finished.
So he had to stall until they found a lead. Fortunately, Seop Jeomgeom had colleagues who understood the situation and were helping him.
"Kheu, that day. I witnessed the Lust-Exorcising Abbess's true nature. She who destroys those who covet lust...."
"...Jegal Gil. In past Dragon-Phoenix Gatherings, there were cases of same-sect fighters clashing, but never a contest over the Phoenix Seat like this. In the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering two cycles ago...."
One story about the Beggar Sect Leader making lewd jokes at the Emei Lust-Exorcising Abbess and getting thoroughly beaten beneath an overpass. Another about the Jegal Clan head and strategist recounting the history of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering and the Emei Sect.
"I ask the Green Forest King! Who do you think will win?!"
"Stop bullshitting and start the damn match! You think I paid a hundred nyang of silver for this seat to listen to this crap?!"
"Yes! Precisely! This very match, to which even the Green Forest King has paid a hundred nyang of silver out of sheer interest! A supreme duel awaits you, one whose outcome even the Green Forest King cannot predict!"
The Murim Alliance personnel worked hard to stall. But there were limits — a whole hour had passed since Dokgo Yeon's match ended. People's backsides would start growing horns from sitting so long.
"Who will claim the one remaining vacant seat?! Will it be Emei's proven rising female expert, Abbess Jeongja?! Or Yoo Seol-ra, the master of the Cold Soaring Jade Maiden Sword, fighting to elevate her master's honor?! Let me ask the other Six Phoenixes...."
Seop Jeomgeom's face stiffened. With Dokgo Yeon occupying one of the Second Phoenix seats, the other Phoenixes who had been seated earlier had all grown irritated and left long ago.
No — the Six Phoenixes had been evacuated. Had the Alliance done it? When Seop Jeomgeom gestured toward the strategist about the empty Sixth Sword seat, the strategist frowned and shook his head.
Damn it! Their own clans must have evacuated them!
With Yoo Seol-ra abducted, the Six Phoenixes were not safe either. Even if the Murim Alliance hadn't done it, the clans would have evacuated them on their own.
Then what about asking Dokgo Yeon, who had likewise left her seat? Impossible.
Seop Jeomgeom felt as though the sky were crashing down.
It was over. There was no one left to ask. Just as Seop Jeomgeom was about to abandon all hope—
Tap, tak-tak.
Black and white blossoms bloomed across the empty arena. Seop Jeomgeom instinctively opened his mouth at the sight of the Black and White Two Flowers standing on either side of him.
"Whom do the Black and White Two Flowers think will win!!"
"Yoo Seol-ra, obviously."
Everyone was stunned by the Little Princess's declaration, brimming with utter certainty. None of the sect leaders who had offered predictions had dared to be so decisive.
"Oooh! And what is the reason?! From the Black Path's perspective, as distinct from the White Path's!!"
"You can tell at a glance she's stronger. Do I really need to explain?"
Her bold answer made the audience seats blaze with excitement. A fine answer — but at this rate, weren't they being swept into a mood that demanded the match start immediately? Seop Jeomgeom suddenly found himself resenting the Little Princess and the way she drew back her red lips.
"I'm not so sure. I would cast my vote for Abbess Jeongja."
"Oooooh!"
Opinions had split. The one who boldly countered the Little Princess's conviction was none other than Taiji Flower Sagong Hee.
"What is the reason?! What does the White Path's Number One Flower see as Abbess Jeongja's key to victory?!"
"I acknowledge that Miss Yoo is strong, but Abbess Jeongja's mental fortitude is in no way inferior. As long as she possesses that indomitable will, the outcome is far from certain."
A philosophy of spirit. Vague, intangible reasoning — yet it was an argument that made people's hearts pound.
Dududududu.
The atmosphere felt like the eve of a storm. Seop Jeomgeom turned his head. The strategist, managing both the arena floor and the outer field, shook his head with a twisted expression.
Damn.
Right this instant—
"Oh my, Taiji Flower. You're wrong. The odds are always fixed from the start."
"Are they? You don't know who's got the longer blade until you test it, do you?"
"Sometimes you can tell just by looking... just by...."
Crackle. The Little Princess's eyes lit up with fire.
"Hey. Do you mind if I borrow this arena for a moment?"
"......!!"
Instinct hit. Seop Jeomgeom read the intent in the two women's eyes.
"Warriors of the Martial World! Do you believe the Little Princess is right, or do you believe Taiji Flower is right?!"
Little Princess! Taiji Flower! Little Princess! Taiji Flower!
It was split evenly. The atmosphere was heating up just right, and Seop Jeomgeom rode the wave, unleashing a Lion's Roar.
"This is the Martial Arts Arena! When opinions differ, should we not determine whose is correct?!"
Waaaaaah!!
The cheers surged to a fever pitch. And Seop Jeomgeom realized he had let himself get too carried away.
The main event on this stage had to be the two Emei contestants — not the Black and White Two Flowers. No matter how strong those two were, after watching a duel between peak experts, would anyone find the next match fascinating?
He had to stop them—
"Taiji Flower, how about this? Revealing our full power would devastate the arena, so let's agree to seal our true strength."
"Fine."
Clang! Two swords flew into the sky. They were fine blades, unassuming in appearance yet brimming with a master artisan's touch, and they landed beside the Little Princess.
"I shall use Wudang's Taiji Fist to prove that my judgment is not mistaken."
"Ah, is that so?"
Clang! The Little Princess seized both swords. Her stance made the skin crawl on the backs of a few onlookers.
"Then I shall face you with this sword art."
"That martial art is...?"
"Heavenly Demon Twin High Sword!"
Gogogogo.
Watching the two women refuse to relent in their fighting spirit toward each other, Seop Jeomgeom gave himself up to despair.
"Sagong Hee of the Taiji Fist! The Little Princess with the Heavenly Demon Twin High Sword! A special confrontation presented by the Black and White Two Flowers! Join us for a duel between the two most beautiful flowers in all the world!"
Bang.
Seop Jeomgeom fired a qi wave into the sky. Just before the blast burst, both women dropped into their stances.
Paaaang!!
At the signal, they both launched themselves at each other.
* * *
The Alliance Leader's sword is strong. If I were to name the three mightiest martial artists in the current Central Plains besides myself, I would place the Murim Alliance Leader, Dokgo Ja-yeong, at the very top.
"Kh!"
The ice wall I erected ahead shatters. Dokgo Ja-yeong swung his sword vertically, and my ice blade was mercilessly smashed to pieces. I angled my sword diagonally and spun my body around.
Sseogeok!
Dokgo Ja-yeong thrust his sword horizontally. The blade had precisely shattered the sword qi coiled along my sword's face, and now radiated such overwhelming force that it felt as though it would break my entire weapon to bits. The sword qi riding his blade pulsed with a force that seemed to shatter internal energy itself.
"Keuooooh!"
I roused the Ice White Divine Art to its apex and pushed Dokgo Ja-yeong's sword back. Thin frost began spreading outward from where my feet were planted, and I pressed him with sword qi tinged with frigid cold.
"......."
Dokgo Ja-yeong probed me in silence. White frost had begun clinging to his hair and beard, but he paid it no heed, withdrawing his sword only to swing it again.
Kaang, kaang, kaang!!
So this is what they mean by offense being the best defense! Dokgo Ja-yeong pressured me with relentless sword swings, and I was forced to keep retreating and widening the distance while absorbing every strike.
If he were using martial forms, I could exploit the gaps in their fixed patterns.
The Ice White Divine Sword is relatively strong against martial arts that rely on forms. It spreads cold energy to slow the opponent's muscle movements, preventing them from executing their prescribed motions smoothly.
When the body stiffens, proper movements naturally fail to manifest. The opponent cannot deploy their intended forms in time, which naturally creates openings — yet the Ice White Divine Sword does not even need to target them.
But all of that is useless against the Dugu Nine Swords.
The Dugu Nine Swords specializes in defeating opponents without relying on forms — it is built to obliterate the opponent's martial art head-on. Most martial arts lose their utility in its presence.
"Kh!"
Use softness to overcome hardness? That won't work. The Dugu Nine Swords is a blade that slices straight through even a deflecting sword. Because of that, my own breathing tends to fall apart instead.
Defense, defense, defense.
I deflect the sword thrust toward my heart to the side, and he uses that momentum to carve a diagonal slash with a spinning cut.
I lean back to evade the horizontal slash aimed at my neck, and he flicks his wrist to reverse the blade's path and bring it down in a chop.
I try to raise cold energy to build an ice wall atop my sword and block, and he cuts straight through the ice and tries to cleave my body in two.
A way to dodge? There is none. The instant I evade, a linked attack follows. Dokgo Ja-yeong is the kind of fighter who, if you open a single step of distance, will close two steps and strike.
"You scoundrel! I know not who you are, but if you bear any grudge, you should bring it to me!"
Dokgo Ja-yeong was composed. Not a scratch marred his body yet, but I was undeniably on the back foot.
"To commit such atrocities against innocent women — you deserve death! Pawol (Breaking Moon)!"
"Kh!"
Dokgo Ja-yeong brought his sword straight down in a vertical slash. The strike, bearing massive sword qi, was less a cut than a bludgeoning blow. It was a strike that, true to its name, seemed capable of shattering the moon. I poured every ounce of my strength into reinforcing my blade with qi.
Kadeudeudeuk!
The sword was cut through. I boldly released the blade from my grip and flung my body backward. Dokgo Ja-yeong furrowed his brow at my decision to abandon my weapon.
"You bastard...!"
Dokgo Ja-yeong's sword struck the ground with tremendous force. A radius of three jang around the impact point was utterly pulverized. To shatter a marble floor with a single sword — this was truly the caliber of a current member of the Five Great Masters of the World.
Current.
"Keuheuheu, truly strong. As befits the Murim Alliance Leader."
If I had tilted my head back even a fraction of a second later, a long gash would surely have split my cheek. Even with the Body Transformation Art, injuries leave at least faint marks when I return to my original form — I could not afford carelessness.
"How can a man who has lost his sword remain so composed?"
"Because I can always make a new one."
Saaak!
White frost converged around my hand, forging a single sword. Dokgo Ja-yeong gnashed his teeth and released killing intent at the sight of the ice blade I had produced by ejecting the Ice White Divine Art's inner energy as a Qi Aura.
If my martial output moments ago had been at the Harmony Realm, now it had fully reached the level of a Profound Realm expert. Thanks to raising the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to its zenith, my white hair had darkened to black once more, and my pupils, reflected in the ice sword, gleamed red.
"Keuheuheu, the blade of vengeance howls."
"Demonic Cult bastards, I swear...!"
"Heuhaha. This is the Heavenly Demon Cult — the power of the Heavenly Demon!"
Mingled with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the sword glinted as an opaque black-crimson blade. I swung it boldly, about to shout a technique name, when my hand stopped.
Ice White Divine Sword. But now that it had turned black, should I call it the Ice Black Divine Sword? Or the Ice Sword Divine Sword? Go by appearance — the Ice Black-Red Divine Sword? Since "Heavenly Demon" had to be attached, if I just stripped away the ambiguous color....
The Heavenly Demon Ice Divine Sword is going too far after all.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was one thing, but this would be an insult to the Ice White Divine Sword. No matter how easygoing Yoo Seol-ra was, she would get angry if she learned that her inner energy had been taken for something like the Heavenly Demon Ice Divine Sword.
In that case, there was only one option. I raised my sword vertically before me.
"Heavenly Demon—"
"Hmph. Too late."
Dokgo Ja-yeong sneered at me and leveled his sword. At once, martial robes and Daoist sashes fluttered on all sides, and a riot of colored uniforms unfurled an encirclement formation around me. From Taoist Hyeonta, acting Sect Leader, to the Lust-Exorcising Abbess, who had entered her evil-destroying, righteousness-manifesting state, to the Beggar King of the Beggar Sect and Strategist Jegal Gil — every face in the lineup was distinguished.
"Yoo Seol-ra has been rescued! You are now surrounded!"
Just as planned. 'Yoo Seol-ra, violated by the Ice Demon' had been rescued by the Murim Alliance. All that remained was for me to escape Xuchang safely. The Nine Sects and One Gang, the Eight Great Families — every single White Path warrior gathered here, missing not a single faction....
"...No Kunlun?"
"That is hardly what you should be worried about, you Sex Demon!"
The Lust-Exorcising Abbess aimed her sword at me with a face genuinely incandescent with fury. Regardless of whatever inclinations made her susceptible to being ravished by a Sex Demon, she was sincerely outraged that Yoo Seol-ra, a disciple of Emei, had been violated.
"Surrender. And quietly pay the price for your crimes."
"Surrender? Heuheu, me?"
I held the reverse-gripped sword upright. Shielding half my face with the blade, I channeled yet another martial formula into the two energies already blended within me.
Yeon.
As long as I avoided the ultimate of Transcending Demon — Transcending Demon Cultist — I could freely conceal Geom-je's martial arts with black hair, red eyes, and an ice sword. By unifying the Ice White Divine Sword and the Dragon Emperor Sword into a trinity under the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I could once again manifest the power of the Ten Great Masters of the World.
"Heavenly Demon. Sword-Human Unity, Ice."
A dark-red mist began to rise from the floor of the underground chamber.