The Murim Alliance Steps In (2)
A shudder ran through one man at Hyeon Yucheon's audacious words.
It was none other than the young monk Jeong Myeong.
He had been awestruck by the Demon Sword Sect over the past week, but his conviction had only now solidified, right at this moment.
"The Sect Leader of the Demon Sword Sect speaks truly. I have been officially excommunicated from Shaolin. I am now an outsider to them, with no ties to the righteous martial world. Tell them not to seek me out."
With his resolve firm, Jeong Myeong's actions were unhesitating.
In the past, as a member of Shaolin, he wouldn't have dared even meet the eyes of Cheollim Seonsa's close friend, the Heavenly Thunder Divine Spear Bong Hyocheon. But now, he stared straight through him.
"You insolent wretch! Do you even grasp what you've just said?"
Having been a disciple of Cheollim, Jeong Myeong had met Bong Hyocheon a few times before.
Was that why?
Bong Hyocheon's icy composure shattered completely at what wasn't quite a betrayal—but felt like one.
"I know exactly what I said."
"You mad mule of a fool. If you truly believe that, then return everything Shaolin gave you! Your martial arts, your inner power! Even the meridians in your limbs and your dantian!"
Bong Hyocheon's face flushed crimson as his rage finally erupted.
"Well said. Indeed, I received much from Shaolin. Thus, I intend to erase from my mind all the martial arts and inner power I learned there, never to use them again. However... I cannot surrender the meridians in my limbs or my dantian."
"Why not?"
"Because those came from my parents, not Shaolin."
Jeong Myeong was right.
Even if he didn't know their faces and had been abandoned at Shaolin, strictly speaking, his body belonged to him.
It couldn't become anyone else's just because he belonged to Shaolin.
And there was one more thing.
"You keep claiming Shaolin gave me everything..."
Jeong Myeong had plenty to say in return.
"I gave much to Shaolin as well."
The title of the world's greatest prodigy, the pinnacle of the righteous sects' younger generation!
As much as he had learned martial arts from Shaolin, he had wielded them solely for Shaolin's benefit.
'I've never unleashed my arts for personal glory, and I've handled every task for the abbot and the elders without the slightest deviation.'
In return, Jeong Myeong had no intention of meekly allowing his meridians to be severed and his dantian crippled, turning him into a cripple.
"You're mad, utterly mad. Mingling with that vile fiend of the world has filled your head with demonic corruption."
As the rumors said, Bong Hyocheon was rigid and inflexible.
Seeing how words fell on deaf ears, Jeong Myeong was reminded of his former master, Cheollim Seonsa.
Birds of a feather flock together—friends shared similar temperaments.
"Jeong Myeong, why speak to a wall? Those fools have no intention of changing their minds or admitting fault anyway."
Hyeon Yucheon spoke with cold sarcasm.
It wasn't meant to provoke; it was simply the truth.
And it aligned perfectly with what Jeong Myeong felt.
'The current martial world isn't just frozen—it's rotten through.'
So, what was the answer?
A bit extreme, perhaps, but Jeong Myeong agreed with the Demon Sword Prince.
Smash the martial world to pieces, then rebuild it from a blank slate.
"Demon Sword Prince Hyeon Yucheon, I've heard you defeated the Heaven's Five Venerables. But... did you think our Four Peak Elders were sitting idle because we're inferior to them?"
Vast inner power erupts from his entire body, preparing for fierce combat.
The once-stubborn Bong Hyocheon had transformed into an elder seething with fury.
He unleashed a torrent of immense inner power, readying himself for brutal battle.
"Weren't you dumped at Murim Alliance HQ because you're even more pathetic than the Five Venerables?"
Hyeon Yucheon continued to provoke him.
"Judge for yourself whether we're weaker than them!"
Finally exploding, Bong Hyocheon gripped his lifelong companion, the Thunderbolt Spear.
This massive spear was practically an extension of himself, his treasured weapon.
With it, he had crushed the Yue Family Spear Method and Yang Family Spear Method, proving his the strongest in the world.
The Ronin King Immortal Fighter Jeong Chilgyu wielded a spear too, but strictly speaking, his was more brawling than true spear art.
Thus, Bong Hyocheon ascended as the World's Greatest Spear Master, the Heavenly Thunder Divine Spear.
Lightning Thunder Explosion!
His unique art, evolved from his family rod method over a lifetime of refinement.
This Heavenly Thunderbolt Dragon Spear Method stemmed from his ancestral Bong Family Rod Method, which Bong Hyocheon had transformed into a spear art to bolster its lethality, showcasing his genius.
Rumble!
Why was Bong Hyocheon called the Heavenly Thunder Divine Spear?
One thrust could summon thunder and lightning—that was the origin of his moniker.
Its power intensified on overcast days or during thunderstorms.
"Hm."
Hyeon Yucheon calmly admired the swift, heroic assault of his Heavenly Thunderbolt Dragon Spear Method.
He dodged perilously, handling the lightning strikes.
'Completely different from the Ronin King's spear art.'
Jeong Chilgyu's style was more desperate brawl than spear technique, but Bong Hyocheon embodied rigid form and precise stances, each step meticulously crafted.
In other words, rooted in a prestigious family's arts, it reeked of orthodox energy.
Bzzz, whirr!
The Thunderbolt Spear grazed Hyeon Yucheon perilously, leaving crackling aftershocks.
Its force was so immense, laced with thunder, that it singed his long hair.
Whoosh!
Even Hyeon Yucheon's light frame was pushed back.
A single thrust forcing back a Sapa overlord.
That was the true form of the World's Greatest Spear Master, Heavenly Thunder Divine Spear Bong Hyocheon.
"Hmph, how does it taste?"
Having gained the upper hand, Bong Hyocheon asked, his anger slightly eased.
"Tingly."
Hyeon Yucheon, pushed back, showed no panic or surprise.
He seemed delighted to experience such an exotic art.
Like a child at a festival, savoring candy.
"All talk."
Hearing this, Bong Hyocheon spun his spear like a rod and charged.
"Do you know what befalls those who incur heaven's wrath? They say lightning strikes from a clear sky. That's your fate, fiend!"
At the peak of his momentum, the World's Greatest Spear Master unleashed a new stance, distinct from the prior thunderous thrust.
Spinning the spear like a wheel of thunder, unleashing power like a massive typhoon.
Whoom!
Those with weak inner power would lose flesh just approaching, charred black by the electric qi.
But who was his opponent?
The Demon Sword Prince Hyeon Yucheon, Lord of the Demon Sword Sect.
'Let's see just how capable these Four Peak Elders are.'
Hyeon Yucheon's personal scouting was over.
All that remained was to prove, as Bong Hyocheon claimed, whether the Four Peak Elders surpassed the Heaven's Five Venerables.
A light, melodic unleashing of formless sword force.
Even this would riddle most masters with a gaping chest wound, dead without knowing why—but Bong Hyocheon was different.
Flash!
Incredibly!
The Heavenly Thunder Divine Spear Bong Hyocheon dodged Hyeon Yucheon's strike perfectly, cleanly.
Hyeon Yucheon himself was slightly startled, eyes widening at the sight.
Smirk!
Bong Hyocheon grinned broadly upon evading it.
"Indeed, the Formless Flash Quick Sword. But... I devised a counter long ago."
Baflled at first, Hyeon Yucheon quickly grasped it.
"I see. You're sensing it with your thunder qi?"
Hyeon Yucheon was spot on.
His formless sword force was silent and blindingly fast, killing foes unaware.
Yet Bong Hyocheon detected its path instantly via his specialty: thunder and electric currents.
"Heh heh heh, yes. Think the Alliance sent me here for nothing?"
Bong Hyocheon boasted proudly.
Even the great Shaolin Abbot Fist Buddha Cheollim judged that Bong Hyocheon could sense the formless sword force and requested his aid.
A favorable matchup; perhaps Bong Hyocheon could capture Hyeon Yucheon.
"No matter how fast your sword..."
Boasting invites karma.
Right then—
Intertwined with monstrous inner power, a superior stance unfolds.
Slash!
Something flashed, and blood sprayed from the shoulder of the boastful Bong Hyocheon.
"Wha? Huh?"
Unable to comprehend—or even register—Bong Hyocheon clutched his shoulder, pupils dilating.
Drip!
Incredibly, a sharp gash wept blood from his shoulder.
'This can't be!'
Bong Hyocheon couldn't accept it.
He believed thunder qi would detect and block even invisible strikes—but no.
Hyeon Yucheon's Formless Flash Quick Sword was too fast.
Too fast for his thunder sense to activate; it sliced his shoulder first.
"Didn't you claim to have found a counter?"
Hyeon Yucheon remained impassive, merciless.
His voice unchanged, as if he'd foreseen this perfectly.
"No... this... Right! I let my guard down. That's why I didn't notice. If I focus properly..."
To Bong Hyocheon, denying reality and babbling nonsense, Hyeon Yucheon sighed helplessly.
"Sigh. Fine, I'll warn you in advance. I'm aiming for your heart."
If words weren't enough, show it.
Ridiculously, Hyeon Yucheon announced the target outright and assumed his stance.
"You...!"
Enraged at being treated like a fool, Bong Hyocheon forced calm.
'Focus. A shaken mind shakes the spear tip.'
He wanted to smash everything, but one slip now meant disaster. Bong Hyocheon poured all his effort in.
No more excuses of carelessness.
"Come at me!"
Blood trickled from his shoulder, but he ignored it.
Life or death hung in the balance; this wound was nothing.
"I'll say it once more. Your heart."
Hyeon Yucheon grinned like a mischievous boy, thrilled by the game, adjusting his stance.
Then, he unleashed the second stance of the Formless Mystery—the one that had instantly sent the super peak Tang Clan head, Thousand Blood Poison Maniac Dang Bijan, to the afterlife.
The pinnacle of speed, invisible sword strikes.