Chapter 449
Wi Ji-hye-sang shook his head in disbelief.
"Challenging the Sect Leader? Isn't this a joke taken too far?"
"That's the only way to draw out the mastermind who's been toying with me."
Myo Cheon-u gave a faint smile.
"Though I never expected that mastermind to be the successor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"If that weren't the case, you wouldn't have needed to show yourself in person, would you?"
Myo Cheon-u, who had been staring intently at Wi Ji-hye-sang, smiled coldly.
"Isn't that right?"
"Commander Myo. You've been spouting nothing but nonsense since earlier. How utterly tactless."
Wi Ji-hye-sang sighed as he spoke.
"I actually hold the Martial Soul Lord in rather high regard.
But since his subordinate is acting like a madman, I had no choice but to step in myself."
"Did you really think there was no one else with exceptional intelligence besides Bu Eun-seol?"
Myo Cheon-u scoffed.
"I was curious! After all, the bastard who'd been acting as a spy and carrying out the Killing Ghost's orders suddenly showed up out of nowhere."
"Commander Myo. Are you insane?"
"No matter what you say, it's useless. You read the letter, and you called me here alone."
Myo Cheon-u spoke with a grave expression.
"Wi Ji-hye-sang. I am certain you are the one who manipulated the Killing Ghost."
"You're impossible to reason with. Just leave."
Wi Ji-hye-sang stroked his chin and smiled.
"I could have my subordinates kill you, but I'm being generous."
"Then summon the Sect Leader. I intend to challenge him."
Myo Cheon-u curled his lips as he spoke.
"Surely the esteemed Wi Ji-mua, one of the Three Demons, isn't too afraid of a mere Second-grade Commander of the Demon Hall to show his face?"
"You're really committed to playing the madman, aren't you? Do you honestly think the Sect Leader would bother with you?"
Myo Cheon-u stood motionless, saying nothing.
Wi Ji-hye-sang took one look at Myo Cheon-u's solemn, resolute expression and sighed as if he had seen through everything.
"Why are you so determined to fight me?"
"Because you're the mastermind."
"The mastermind?"
Myo Cheon-u replied coldly.
"The leader of the factions that have been treating me like a dog all this time."
"And what factions are those, exactly?"
"Enough with the games."
A haze of killing intent rose in Myo Cheon-u's eyes.
"You had me report Bu Eun-seol's movements and kept pushing him into danger, didn't you?"
"I have no idea why you'd think that."
Wi Ji-hye-sang tilted his head in confusion.
"I actually like the Martial Soul Lord quite a bit."
Myo Cheon-u took a deep breath and slowly gathered his Internal Power.
"There's only one way to silence me."
His eyes showed no hesitation, as if he had already resolved himself to die.
He had suspected it ever since Wi Ji-hye-sang withdrew from the Demon Hall's successor candidacy.
That he was the one behind the Killing Ghost.
But even so, he couldn't fathom why Wi Ji-hye-sang had demanded reports on Bu Eun-seol's activities.
However, once the organization known as the Three Realms was exposed by Bu Eun-seol, and once it became clear that those who had awakened Tang Gon using the Three Poison Sects were also part of the Three Realms...
Once he realized that the Infinite Realm and the Azure River Realm were clashing under their own banners...
There was no longer any need to understand the reason.
"Let's sever this long-standing karmic bond."
Myo Cheon-u's eyes flashed as he spoke.
"Draw your sword."
"Do you really think I'll fight you?"
Wi Ji-hye-sang smirked and crossed his arms, unfazed by Myo Cheon-u's resolve.
"You think I used you as a spy? Do you have proof?"
"Even if I did use you as a spy, is that a crime? Every sect in the Demonic Path Ten Gates has informants to keep tabs on the Demon Hall's movements."
Myo Cheon-u was left speechless.
Wi Ji-hye-sang was the successor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect, the strongest among the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
At this point, even if he knew nothing about the Three Realms, Myo Cheon-u had expected him to at least admit to controlling the Killing Ghost.
But he hadn't anticipated Wi Ji-hye-sang would stubbornly play dumb.
"I have no idea what kind of lunacy has possessed you to pick a fight with our sect."
Wi Ji-hye-sang's voice dripped with mockery.
"The Martial Soul Lord is a man who handles his affairs properly, but it seems he can't manage his subordinates well, can he?"
"Wi Ji-hye-sang. Do you intend to insult me to the very end?"
"Commander Myo."
Wi Ji-hye-sang looked at Myo Cheon-u with pity.
"Do you really think the world bends to your will? Just because you want to settle everything, does that mean it will be settled?"
"You think you can just quit being a spy whenever you feel like it? Expose secrets whenever you please... Do you really believe everything in this world is that simple?"
Clicking his tongue, he shook his head.
"Myo Cheon-u. I don't know if you pride yourself on being a man of resolve... but in my eyes, you're nothing more than a naive child who deludes himself into thinking the world revolves around him."
"Enough!"
Further conversation was pointless.
Enraged, Myo Cheon-u unleashed a devastating surge of Palm Energy.
Whoosh!
In that instant, five martial artists erupted from the ground as if sprouting from the earth, positioning themselves in front of Wi Ji-hye-sang.
BOOM!
As they all thrust their swords forward, an invisible wall formed with overwhelming force.
At the same time, Myo Cheon-u's Palm Energy melted away like snow, and he himself was forced back five steps.
The Fire Rain Sword Sect.
The most prestigious school of the demonic path, having produced countless Sword Demons—the title bestowed upon the foremost swordsman of the demonic martial world.
The strongest single sect possessing the most formidable faction power and combat prowess among the demonic path's foremost sects.
The martial artists of this sect uniformly possessed outstanding martial prowess—and the guards protecting Wi Ji-hye-sang were no exception.
"Like a mayfly, aren't you? To be pushed back by a mere gesture."
Wi Ji-hye-sang chuckled lightly as he spoke.
"First, I'll detain you, then I'll hold Martial Soul Lord accountable for failing to discipline his subordinate properly."
"Wi Ji-hye-sang!"
BOOM!
In that instant, a fierce light erupted from Myo Cheon-u's entire body, violently repelling the five martial artists pressing down on him.
This was neither a palm technique nor any conventional martial art—it was an overwhelming shockwave.
"Oh-ho."
Wi Ji-hye-sang's lips curled into a round 'O' of amusement.
"So, you do have a trump card up your sleeve."
"Wi Ji-hye-sang."
Myo Cheon-u's voice was icy.
"I challenge you."
"Excuse me?"
Wi Ji-hye-sang stifled a laugh.
"We're right at the doorstep of my sect. The moment I lift a finger, countless masters will swarm out to crush you—so why insist on this...?"
"Refuse if you dare."
Myo Cheon-u gritted his teeth.
"Then I'll spread the word—that you cowered like a rat, too afraid to accept a challenge from the leader of the Death Shadow War Unit. That you hid behind your underlings to imprison me out of fear."
"Planning to lock me up again under the pretense of 'testing' Bu Eun-seol, are you? But you won't get away with it this time. I'll expose everything."
Myo Cheon-u's eyes flashed.
"Want me dead? Then face me in an honorable duel. Or are you scared?"
"Sigh."
Wi Ji-hye-sang exhaled with a drained expression.
"Myo Cheon-u. You whine incessantly like a child, and worse—you're exhaustingly persistent."
Then, with a slight nod to the five guards shielding him, he said:
"Fine, then. Step aside for a moment."
The five martial artists bowed in unison—and vanished in the blink of an eye.
A movement technique so swift it bordered on supernatural.
"Well? Satisfied?"
Wi Ji-hye-sang yawned, his voice dripping with lethargy.
"Go on, show off that vaunted martial prowess of yours. I'm so bored I might pass out otherwise."
"Gladly."
Myo Cheon-u gathered his internal power once more.
A haze of true qi shimmered around him like heat waves, and crackling shockwaves flickered like lightning.
Not a single day had passed since joining the Demon Hall where he neglected his martial training.
And after mastering the esoteric martial arts he obtained in the South Sea, his internal power had surged explosively—
Now surpassing two hundred years of cultivated energy.
"Oh-ho."
Wi Ji-hye-sang let out an impressed murmur.
"Your internal power is quite formidable. Did you stumble upon some spirit medicine back in the Extinction Palace?"
Myo Cheon-u didn't answer. Instead, his hands moved in a chaotic blur.
Palm shadows, fluttering like butterflies, erupted into the air—then, in an instant, enveloped Wi Ji-hye-sang's entire body.
The Extinction Palace's secret palm art—Seal-Destroying Heaven-Overturning Palm.
"Hmm."
Wi Ji-hye-sang extended his index and middle fingers, slashing horizontally through the air.
Dozens of palm shadows dispersed like mist.
Unfazed, Myo Cheon-u closed the distance.
CLANG! CLANGCLANGCLANG!
The metallic clash of Wi Ji-hye-sang's finger sword against Myo Cheon-u's palm force reverberated sharply.
Wi Ji-hye-sang's finger sword had altered the very nature of the invisible palm energy.
A principle eerily similar to what Bu Eun-seol had grasped from the Sword Sovereign's Myriad Forms One Style—the Half Up Half Down, the Move Heaven Exchange Force.
"Hmph."
But Myo Cheon-u remained unshaken, unleashing another palm technique.
The Extinction Palace's palm arts stood unique even within Murim, their range and might incomparable to ordinary techniques.
WHOOSH—!
With every motion, a fog-like energy spread outward.
And where that mist touched, boulders were instantly perforated with hundreds of holes.
The opening strikes of the Extinction Palace's most devastating technique—Seal-Destroying Blood Mist Palm.
SHHHH—!
The palm force, swirling like butterflies, transformed into a white mist that engulfed Wi Ji-hye-sang's body.
"Is this all you've got?"
Wi Ji-hye-sang flicked his finger sword dismissively.
The encroaching Blood Mist Palm evaporated instantly.
This wasn't the Fire Rain Sword Sect's swordplay—just raw, overwhelming internal power annihilating the palm force in a single breath.
"HAAP!"
Seizing the moment, Myo Cheon-u leaped into the air, his hands lashing out wildly.
This was the Extinction Palace's supreme technique—Seal Annihilating Wall-Breaker Palm, and within it, the pinnacle principle: Boundless Grand Principle.
Wi Ji-hye-sang's eyes gleamed.
A conventional palm master would never suspend themselves midair during battle.
Palm specialists wielded their hands as weapons—destroying an opponent's sharpness with subtlety, overwhelming them with relentless, interconnected strikes.
Yet here was Myo Cheon-u, hovering like a blind man in the void, raining down axe-sharp palm forces in chaotic torrents.
"So you're asking me to kill you in one breath? Very well."
Swish!
As Myo Cheon-u charged forward, wreathed in the hundreds of palm energies of the Boundless Grand Principle, Wi Ji-hye-sang finally drew his sword.
If he blocked with his finger sword, it would lead to an unnecessarily protracted exchange of sword strokes.
Instead, he intended to sever Myo Cheon-u's breath in a single, decisive stroke.
Swish!
With a light flick of his wrist, the countless palm techniques of the Boundless Grand Principle that had shrouded Myo Cheon-u like mist vanished, revealing his face.
Flash!
At the same time, an impossibly thin ray of light shot toward Myo Cheon-u's brow.
It was a variation of the Fire Rain Sword Third Form—Heaven and Earth Light and Shadow—aimed to pierce straight through his forehead.
Shhk!
In that instant, Myo Cheon-u's brow should have split in two.
But the sword qi merely grazed the air and soared skyward.
As it turned out, it had only struck an illusion—a mirage formed by the qi waves enveloping Myo Cheon-u's entire body.
"Die."
Before anyone realized, Myo Cheon-u stood directly in front of Wi Ji-hye-sang, arms spread wide as if to cleave the heavens and earth apart.
Fist Emperor's Killing Aura.
At last, he unleashed the Fist Emperor's supreme martial legacy upon Wi Ji-hye-sang's body.
BOOOOM!
From his twin palms, which seemed capable of dividing the world itself, an overwhelming tide of destructive qi surged forth like a cataclysmic wave, threatening to annihilate everything in its path.
Wi Ji-hye-sang's body was on the verge of vanishing completely before his very eyes.
'Got him.'
Myo Cheon-u allowed himself a satisfied smile as he poured every ounce of his strength into the Fist Emperor's Killing Aura.
'Even as the successor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect, this is the end for you.'
The Fist Emperor's Killing Aura possessed the property of penetrating all defenses, severing the life force of any living being it touched.
No matter how formidable Wi Ji-hye-sang's sword techniques or internal energy might be, once exposed to this technique, there was no hope of survival.
Hiss—
As the crimson energy dissipated, the pavilion where Wi Ji-hye-sang had stood was completely obliterated.
And there was no trace of him left anywhere.
"Wi Ji-hye-sang. You were far too arrogant."
Myo Cheon-u shrugged as he observed the pavilion, which had evaporated in an instant.
From the very beginning, he and all the other Unit Members of the Death Shadow War Unit had trained relentlessly, crossing the line between life and death every single day.
If you are not strong, you die.
That was Bu Eun-seol's unwavering doctrine—his absolute command.
But Wi Ji-hye-sang was the successor of the prestigious Fire Rain Sword Sect.
He had always overestimated his own abilities, never once imagining that Myo Cheon-u could defeat him.
"In the end, it was that arrogance that led to your death in a single strike."
Myo Cheon-u took a deep breath and gazed at the distant sky.
"Well, given your status as the successor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect, I suppose you never even felt the need to train as if your life depended on it."
Just as he turned to leave—
"You do talk a lot."
Wi Ji-hye-sang's clear voice whispered into his ear.
In that instant, every pore on Myo Cheon-u's body stood on end, his hairs bristling.
Whoosh!
Without a moment's hesitation, he spun around and unleashed another surge of palm energy behind him.
But Wi Ji-hye-sang was already standing right in front of him.
"Did you really think you could act so smug just because you had the Fist Emperor's Killing Aura?"
Wi Ji-hye-sang chuckled and shook his head.
"Granted, it is an incredible martial art—one that annihilates any living thing it touches."
Myo Cheon-u's eyes widened.
How did Wi Ji-hye-sang know about the Fist Emperor's martial legacy?
"Hahaha! That expression is priceless!"
Wi Ji-hye-sang pointed at Myo Cheon-u's stunned face with a finger.
"Don't tell me you actually thought you had mastered the real Fist Emperor's Killing Aura?"
"What... are you talking about?"
"All advanced martial arts are accompanied by a Mind-Training Formula. And the Fist Emperor's Killing Aura is no exception."
Wi Ji-hye-sang smiled faintly and extended a hand.
"Like this."
Shhhhk—!
In that instant, an invisible, razor-sharp energy pierced through Myo Cheon-u's shoulder.
"Ghk—!"
Though it was only a fleeting touch, his flesh melted away as if his muscles and tendons had been dissolved, cleanly severed.
This was the true martial art of the Fist Emperor—the real Fist Emperor's Killing Aura.
"How... did you—?"
As Myo Cheon-u's eyes bulged, Wi Ji-hye-sang let out a low laugh.
"Actually... this isn't the Fist Emperor's martial art."
"What?"
"You were a spy, weren't you? Then you must have reported not only to Lord Mu-hon but also to whoever sent you. So wouldn't it make sense... for someone to plant a little treasure hunt for you?"
Memories flashed through Myo Cheon-u's mind.
He had once requested a Demon Leave to lead his Unit Members to the South Sea, where he trained his palm techniques amidst the crashing waves.
And his movements had been reported to the Killing Ghost.
So then... had Wi Ji-hye-sang deliberately hidden a fake version of the Fist Emperor's martial art where he would find it?
Wi Ji-hye-sang's eyes curved into crescents as he giggled.
"Just saying, it's a possibility. Hahaha!"
The discovery of the Fist Emperor's legacy...
In the end, Wi Ji-hye-sang had anticipated his movements and secretly planted a counterfeit version of the Fist Emperor's martial arts where he would inevitably find it.
"So that's how it was."
Myo Cheon-u wore the expression of a man who had seen a ghost. Only now did he realize that he, too, had been nothing more than Wi Ji-hye-sang's "puppet."
This man possessed the intellect, martial prowess, and influence to manipulate even someone like Bu Eun-seol.
Leaving behind the fake Fist Emperor's martial arts had been deliberate.
He had anticipated the day Myo Cheon-u would bare his fangs and intentionally planted counterfeit techniques.
Because if it were truly the Fist Emperor's legacy, he would inevitably keep it as his trump card.
"Oh? Don't tell me you think I'm the one who left that fake martial art for you?"
Wi Ji-hye-sang laughed playfully and shrugged.
"Why would I do such a thing? I have no connection to the faction you mentioned."
"You were afraid! You feared I might actually defeat you!"
At Myo Cheon-u's shout, Wi Ji-hye-sang giggled softly.
"Now, why would I be afraid? Do you really think I would fear anyone?"
Swoosh!
When Wi Ji-hye-sang extended his sword, the distant lake seemed to split cleanly in two before freezing in place.
Myo Cheon-u's eyes widened.
To cleave a lake in half with a single strike—
Had Wi Ji-hye-sang reached the Martial Extreme Realm and manifested a "phenomenon"?
Or was he a descendant of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars, wielding martial arts that transcended conventional limits?
Or—like Hyeokryeon Eung—had he mastered the Mind-Seizing Art, capable of subduing an enemy's spirit and mind in an instant?
"Well then, it's time for your punishment."
Wi Ji-hye-sang bared his white teeth.
And flicked his finger.
Swoosh!
A sound like tearing fabric echoed, and a strange heat surged through Myo Cheon-u's left leg.
Thud.
At the same time, his left leg went limp, as if the bones had vanished.
It bore an uncanny resemblance to the fake Fist Emperor's Killing Aura Myo Cheon-u had unleashed earlier.
"They say the original Fist Emperor's Killing Aura pierced through living flesh and shredded the insides."
Swoosh!
Wi Ji-hye-sang flicked his finger again, and Myo Cheon-u's right arm began to dangle loosely.
"And once that energy burrows inside, neither acupuncture nor medicine can extract it. Fascinating, isn't it?"
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Before he knew it, Myo Cheon-u's body was riddled with wounds.
Each time that razor-sharp Internal Power pierced him, his tendons were severed, and his qi spilled out uncontrollably.
In less than half a ke (~7.5 minutes), Myo Cheon-u had collapsed to his knees, reduced to a bloodied wreck.
The most excruciating pain in the world was the scorching agony of burning alive.
And the Finger Wind Wi Ji-hye-sang unleashed delivered precisely that—the maximum pain a human nerve could register, as though his flesh were melting.
"My sect's Sword Studies are quite similar. Once struck by our techniques, one's vitality is severed in an instant."
Plop.
Myo Cheon-u hung his head, now little more than a mass of blood.
Despite the unbearable torment wracking his entire body, he neither grimaced nor screamed.
He was far too foolish for that.
He had committed far too many sins.
He had betrayed a close friend to repay a debt.
He had forsaken the trust of everyone who believed in him.
And worst of all—he had underestimated his enemy.
If Wi Ji-hye-sang could manipulate even Bu Eun-seol, a man who stood above him—
He should have realized that someone of such influence would foresee his every move.
He should have been far more cautious.
"Impressive."
Wi Ji-hye-sang raised a thumb toward Myo Cheon-u, who stood silently without even a scream.
"Your endurance alone proves you were worthy of being the Martial Soul Lord's close friend."
"Worthy? No."
Slowly lifting his head, Myo Cheon-u spoke with a desolate expression.
"I always knew I could never defeat you."
His blurred gaze drifted toward the sky as he murmured softly:
"I came here to atone—through death."
"Hohoho. You've always had a way with words, haven't you? Charging at me like you wanted to kill me... and now you claim you came here to die?"
Wi Ji-hye-sang sighed as if disappointed.
"But a tiger that bites once will bite again. Since you formally challenged me, I suppose there's nothing left to say."
He raised his sword.
Though Myo Cheon-u's martial arts were lacking, his patience and courage were extraordinary—and so, Wi Ji-hye-sang would grant him a sword technique befitting such resolve.
Shink.
Sword held high, Wi Ji-hye-sang looked down at the kneeling Myo Cheon-u.
"Then—"
But at that moment—
A brilliant light surged from Myo Cheon-u's pupils.
"You probably never considered anyone but Bu Eun-seol a threat."
In truth, he had suspected the Fist Emperor's Killing Aura might be fake.
Because Bu Eun-seol had once imparted to both Yu Un-ryong and him a Mind-Training Formula to enhance their martial arts.
Advanced Martial Arts always required an accompanying mental discipline—yet when he discovered the Fist Emperor's legacy, there had been none.
He had kept in mind that this might be someone's scheme.
The reason he had never launched a full assault against Wi Ji-hye-sang—
Was to wait for an opening.
The perfect opportunity for a single, decisive strike.
And that moment would come—
When Wi Ji-hye-sang, utterly assured of victory, moved to deliver the killing blow.
When his guard was completely down.
Only then could he seize the chance for Mutual Destruction.
"Yeong Mun-ho... I'll atone for your death in hell."
Gathering the last remnants of his Internal Power, Myo Cheon-u unleashed his final Secret Technique—
Straight at Wi Ji-hye-sang.