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If there is one endless debate in Murim, it's the question of who is the greatest in the world.
I, of course, know the clear answer.
But the world doesn't know the right answer, so people compare one another.
Isn't the Murim Alliance Leader stronger?
I bet the Heavenly Demon is stronger.
I know for a fact there's someone stronger than the Alliance Leader or the Heavenly Demon.
This debate expands until it encompasses the Ten Great Masters, and at that point it doesn't just stop at arguments. It escalates into fistfights.
That's especially true if one of the Ten Great Masters belongs to a particular faction.
The Murim Alliance Leader was that way. The Heavenly Demon was that way.
But I intend to stir up another mess here.
'So, how do the current Ten Great Masters compare to the future Ten Great Masters?'
Murim is always changing.
An era of chaos, turbulent times when the Blood Calamity surges and overflows within Murim.
An era of peace, a pacified world where the orthodox and demonic gather at the martial arts arena, competing in harmony.
- Struggle brings about human development.
The Blood Cult Leader said it. The human species grows stronger by fighting and winning against something. Murim warriors, among them, are a breed that grows even stronger through struggle.
And they are monsters who become stronger still in Murim's turbulent times.
The Taiji Sword Empress is stronger than the current Taoist Hyeonta.
She, who could fly four swords using the Sword Control Art while gripping twin swords in her hands, is without a doubt the strongest in Wudang history since its founding patriarch.
The future Heavenly Demon is stronger than the current Heavenly Demon.
Having reached the ultimate of Demon Escape, she blocked my path as the Transcendent Demon. Dyed in brilliant gold, she blocked my path with her life.
And Dokgo Yeon is stronger than Dokgo Ja-yeong.
They share the same title of Murim Alliance Leader, the same title of Greatest in the World, the same user of the Dugu Nine Swords, but they lived in different eras.
In the era Dokgo Yeon lived in, an era when the Blood Cult ran rampant, there wasn't even a Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. It was a time when thousands, tens of thousands died every day across the Central Plains in war.
And Dokgo Yeon further evolved the Dugu Nine Swords she mastered.
Facing the Demonic Cult, facing the Blood Cult members, the blade of the Dugu Nine Swords grew sharper.
So, I mix them.
Use the Ice White Divine Art to lay the foundation in the Lower Dantian and forge an Ice Sword with Qi Aura. Use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to pull the internal energy of the Ice White Divine Art straight up to the Upper Dantian in one breath.
And the martial art riding this current is the Dugu Nine Swords.
And the technique unifying the three harmonized forces into one with my blood is Sword-Human Unity. You could call it Blood-Sword Unity, but blood is also my flesh.
'Behold, the Second Greatest in the World.'
From the day the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon and the Alliance Leader merged, no one dared to defeat the Blood Jiangshi. Except for her.
'But come to think of it, no matter how I look at it, Gucheon Hyeonnyeo isn't here right now?'
Then I won.
Even if I use the Dugu Nine Swords, there's absolutely no way Dokgo Ja-yeong will catch me.
'As if he could possibly know.'
Let me say this one more time....
The Dugu Nine Swords has no martial forms.
Dokgo Yeon's sword has no martial forms.
The Sky-Shattering Divine Sword is a thoroughly practical swordsmanship, solely for killing or subduing the opponent.
The era of war.
Martial forms containing martial principles became cumbersome weaknesses in the chaotic wars of mutual slaughter.
And then, the Heaven Break.
In an era where martial arts had no choice but to be techniques for killing the enemy.
The one who first shattered human common sense and Murim's principles was Dokgo Yeon.
* * *
He is strong.
And he is insane.
Ui Sa-baek, the Ice Demon from the Northern Sea Ice Roc, was, simply put, a ghost driven mad by revenge.
'To cultivate this much power for revenge, no matter how deep the grudge...'
Ice Demon was a master of the Harmony Realm. He deflected and blocked the combined attacks of the Beggar Sect, Mount Hua, and Emei by seamlessly mixing the Ice White Divine Sword and Ice White Divine Palm.
"Get out of my way! I have no interest in you!!"
Ice Demon swung his sword with a desperate voice. There were no martial forms; he simply stared straight at the Alliance Leader as he advanced.
"Keuk, he's strong!"
"Be careful!"
The martial artists of the Alliance blocked the Alliance Leader's front, trying to stop Ice Demon. But Ice Demon suppressed them one by one, shrieking madly.
"Get lost! Before I kill you all!"
He split the Beggar Sect Leader's dog-beating staff in half and kicked him away. He broke through Emei's Evil-Subduing Righteousness Sword head-on and drove his fist into the solar plexus of the Emei Sect Leader.
"......."
Dokgo Ja-yeong steadied his inner energy. The Vengeance Demon hadn't caused a slaughter. But he was a lecherous villain who kidnapped women and used Absorbing Yin to Nourish Yang, a Lust Demon.
"I do not know you."
No matter how much he racked his memory, he had never heard of anyone named Ui Sa-baek. He even tried substituting black hair, but Ui Sa-baek was an existence not found in his memory.
"But committing vile acts against innocent women and using them as a means to lure me out is something I cannot forgive, as a martial artist and as the Alliance Leader."
He steadied his breathing and aimed the tip of his sword at Ice Demon. As the enemy charged in a straight line, and the Murim Alliance's masters bought time, Ice Demon's openings increased.
"Lust Demon Ui Sa-baek. I will kill you."
"I said get out of my waaaaay!"
Ice Demon let out a desperate scream. It was exactly like a wild beast being driven by hunters. Dokgo Ja-yeong gripped his sword handle tightly.
A sword carries the will of its user.
Especially when facing one who has reached the realm of Sword Intent, you can understand your opponent just by crossing blades.
'It's because of me.'
Underneath the killing sword Ice Demon swung, there had once been a martial artist walking the righteous path.
Someone who had been pushing himself fiercely toward a goal, accumulating sword qi, had at some point, triggered by something, transformed entirely into a killing sword dedicated to slaughtering his enemy.
'I made him that way.'
Even if he had no memory of it, how could he deny it when seeing someone cry out for such desperate revenge?
"You, you dare not remember me?! Kahaha! Right, to a scoundrel like you, I must have been nothing more than third-rate trash!!"
The beast spat blood and scattered sword qi. Finally, a path between Ice Demon and Dokgo Ja-yeong opened.
"Diiie----!!"
After deflecting all the blades slashing at him, Ice Demon broke through the encirclement by exploiting a gap between the martial artists. His sword, scattering a red glare, overflowed with a killing intent that wasn't there before.
"Grudges are bound to form. But one blinded by revenge cannot defeat me."
Dokgo Ja-yeong instantly raised his full power. There was only one way to destroy the Ice White Divine Sword, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and that unknown killing sword.
"Body Shatter."
Destroy the physical body. As a bone-chilling coldness pierced toward his lungs, Dokgo Ja-yeong took a step forward and thrust his sword. Ice Demon also leaped up, aiming the tip of his sword straight for Dokgo Ja-yeong's heart.
"Hup!"
"Die!!"
They thrust their swords to kill each other.
The moment the iron sword and the ice sword, crossing on parallel lines, were thrust at each other, time seemed to stop.
"Alliance Leader!!"
The warriors of the Murim Alliance screamed.
"Keuheok!"
Ice Demon spat blood from his mouth. Ice Demon's sword pierced Dokgo Ja-yeong's clothes.
But Dokgo Ja-yeong's sword pierced Ice Demon's chest. It was a difference of barely an inch, but the gap between the two was clear.
"My victory, Ice Demon."
"Keuheo, heoheok...! Heuheu."
Ice Demon's blood splattered on the sword, and Dokgo Ja-yeong frowned.
It was shallow.
He had precisely aimed for Ice Demon's heart with the Sword-Shattering Form, but Ice Demon protected his vital point at the last moment by shielding his chest with inner energy.
"...Cough."
Dark red blood trickled from the corner of Ice Demon's mouth. Dokgo Ja-yeong flinched in surprise as the blood flowing from the chest rode back up the sword blade toward him.
"Bursting Blood?!"
"Heu, heuheu.... So this is as far as I go."
The blood meridians twisted from the excessive operation of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the side effects of the Exploding Blood Great Art. Ice Demon staggered back two or three steps.
Crash!
His sword shattered from Ice Demon's attack, which had deflected the blade face with the Ice White Divine Palm. Dokgo Ja-yeong threw his sword away to avoid the dark red ice qi flowing up the handle.
Had he been a little later, his entire hand would have frozen.
And Ice Demon did not miss that opening-
"I will not, keuheuk, forget what happened today...! I will survive, and have my revenge!"
He fled. Whether by coincidence or not, Ice Demon was standing right by the emergency exit.
"Keuheu, heuhaha! Do not forget, Go Ja-yeong! Ui Sa-baek will kill you!!"
After creating a massive ice wall in front of the emergency exit, Ice Demon turned around in an unsightly scramble.
"......I do not know you. And I cannot let you escape from here."
Slide.
Dokgo Ja-yeong stretched out his empty hand to the side. Just as Ice Demon had forged an Ice Sword, his blue Qi Aura became a sword.
"You think I'll let you escape, you lecher!"
"Heuhahaha! Catch me if you can! You will never be able to catch me! I will become a nonexistent illusion and curse you for the rest of your life!!"
Dokgo Ja-yeong swung his sword widely to the side. The ice wall was instantly split in half and destroyed. Dokgo Ja-yeong tried to chase after Ice Demon, who was running into the emergency exit.
Rumble.
A massive vibration echoed. Dokgo Ja-yeong looked up at the ceiling.
Crack, craaack.
The destroyed ice wall had sprouted upward toward the ceiling. Seeing the icicles looking like they had pierced the ceiling, cold sweat ran down Dokgo Ja-yeong's back.
Right above where he was standing was clearly the martial arts arena.
"It's dangerous! Alliance Leader!!"
At the strategist's voice, Dokgo Ja-yeong leaped back widely.
Rumble.
The ceiling collapsed. The beams supporting the ceiling were pierced by icicles and caved in one by one.
Kuguung!
The path was blocked. Sunlight shone over the collapsed ceiling and the debris of the martial arts arena. It was already too late to run past the spectator seats toward the emergency passage.
"...He's been hit with Complete Demonization, so he couldn't have gotten far! Chase him at once!!"
At Dokgo Ja-yeong's order, the masters of the Murim Alliance shook their heads.
"Alliance Leader! The end of the emergency exit is nothing but a sheer cliff and a waterfall! It's a dead end!"
"That's right! He's already as good as dead!"
"Go find him immediately! I've seen over a hundred cases where a dying man falls into a valley and survives!"
At Dokgo Ja-yeong's shout, the masters hurriedly dispersed. Outside was filled with the chaos of the murmuring crowd. Dokgo Ja-yeong released his sword aura and pressed his forehead with his hand.
"Strategist. The people are in confusion. So...."
Dokgo Ja-yeong bit his lower lip and muttered.
"Let's package this as the Murim Alliance stopping a freak who infiltrated the arena and tried to collapse it."
"What? But then people will perceive that the Alliance was attacked!"
"Let us think of Lady Yoo Seol-ra's future, Strategist. And...."
Dokgo Ja-yeong stared at the collapsed debris with eyes full of killing intent.
"Once the situation quiets down, I will publicly declare this man called Ui Sa-baek an official enemy of Murim."
Following the strategist's orders, the Alliance's warriors began to move urgently.
The Murim Alliance let the villain get away. But for the future of Murim, that is, Yoo Seol-ra, the villain's deeds must officially become 'something that never happened.'
Yoo Seol-ra was someone who should have defeated Abbess Jeongja by ten points and ascended to the Six Phoenixes. Dokgo Ja-yeong decided to endure the bleeding for Yoo Seol-ra's future.
"Ice Demon...."
But why was it? Dokgo Ja-yeong couldn't stop his hands from trembling. Was it fury at having the Alliance's face smeared with disgrace?
No.
"Why...?"
That last moment.
Ice Demon's sword had stopped while aimed at Dokgo Ja-yeong's heart. As if he couldn't bear to see blood.
If Ice Demon hadn't stopped and kept thrusting....
"...No. There are no what-ifs."
Dokgo Ja-yeong shook his head and turned around.
"Next time, I will definitely kill you."
Ice Demon, Ui Sa-baek.
The name of the ghost crying for revenge kept circling in his head.
* * *
The martial arts tournament was temporarily suspended due to the sudden collapse of the underground chamber. The arena was already in an uproar because of the match between the Black and White Two Flowers, and when the remaining intact part of the arena collapsed as well, it couldn't withstand the strain.
So, does this mean the Two Phoenixes Decisive Battle ends here?
No.
- The Murim Alliance has a martial arts arena that can accommodate about 5,000 people!
The new building was specially made for the Two Phoenixes Decisive Battle, considering the subsequent Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
The existing Murim Alliance also has a martial arts arena. It might not hold 20,000 people, but 5,000 is not a small number.
- The match between Yoo Seol-ra and Abbess Jeongja will be held at the Alliance's martial arts arena in three days' time.
Some raised suspicions of shoddy construction, but the crowd, having already witnessed the beautiful match of the Black and White Two Flowers, left the stands with joyful hearts. They had already gotten their money's worth for one silver coin.
Apologies to Yoo Seol-ra and Abbess Jeongja, but watching the match between the Black and White Two Flowers had been more thrilling than watching theirs.
- We don't mind if it happens later!
Ultimately, the Two Phoenixes, no, the One Peak Decisive Battle would be held again, but the Alliance set aside a three-day buffer just in case of any unforeseen circumstances. This was because the body of the vanished Vengeance Demon, Ice Demon, could not be found.
The very few major sects aware of the situation hid their women.
Especially in the case of Dokgo Yeon, who had widely made her name known, she was sent back to the Dokgo Clan as she was the daughter of Dokgo Ja-yeong, the direct target of the grudge.
Because who knew if the Ice-Colored Demon who attacked Yoo Seol-ra might survive somewhere and target his daughter.
Fortunately, the Black and White Two Flowers decided to stay at the Dokgo Clan estate until the situation was resolved. Dokgo Ja-yeong was thus able to rest easy as he confined his daughter within the safest manor in the world while he cleaned up the situation outside.
Yes. Confined.
Dokgo Ja-yeong confined Dokgo Yeon again. Dokgo Yeon walked along the bridge of the manor that no one else could enter, heading toward the pavilion without any expression.
"......Congratulations on becoming the Sword Phoenix, Lady Yeon."
The young man already at the pavilion looked quite tired and haggard. He seemed to have something to say, but looked as if he might stagger and collapse at any moment.
"Physician."
Dokgo Yeon approached the young man, Mubung, and grasped his hand.
"You look very exhausted."
"It's nothing. I merely overexerted myself a little today. No problem at all. I'm fine."
"......Physician."
Dokgo Yeon sat down heavily on the pavilion floor. Her body ached from the cold night air, but a warm, sunlight-like aura still rippled from the young man's body.
"I have become one of the Six Phoenixes. My title is now Sword Princess Phoenix."
"I sincerely congratulate you. Yeon."
Yeon. It was a beautiful resonance that tickled the heart. The young man sat down beside Dokgo Yeon.
"Did you know? Once the Two Phoenixes Decisive Battle was over, my father was going to hold a friendly match among the Six Phoenixes. Just like the Exploding Dragon became the head of the Nine Dragons, he wanted to compete to see who the World's Greatest Phoenix would be."
"I had guessed as much."
"...And the woman who became the World's Greatest Phoenix would have been given a chance to dare challenge the Black and White Two Flowers. Once the last seat was filled, my father would have quietly asked the two ladies."
If one was the World's Greatest Phoenix, they were qualified to challenge the Black and White Two Flowers. And if Dokgo Yeon won, she would become the White Path's Number One Flower.
"Lady Yeon, will you continue to fight?"
"Yes. I too want to show the sword I have mastered to someone."
Dokgo Yeon stared intently at the young man.
"But Physician. I felt it while fighting Hye-ji. My body... is still lacking."
Dokgo Yeon layered her own hand over the back of the young man's hand.
"I realized that to truly win against Sagong Hee and the Little Princess, my body must also be prepared."
"Does that mean...."
Dokgo Yeon smiled. She smiled. Sometimes, a smile conveys the heart more sincerely than a hundred words.
"Physician. There is a small flower garden nearby. Seeds flew in on the wind, and I've been cultivating it for a few years now, so my father probably doesn't know about it. You are the first person I'm showing it to. The camellias have just fully bloomed."
Dokgo Yeon pulled at the physician's wrist.
"Shall we go pick some flowers?"