The Second Day of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering
The second day of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering preliminaries. On the same martial stage as yesterday, the late-stage index fighters faced one another with tension still etched on their faces, testing their martial prowess. While the first round had centered on Ak Bicheon and Namgung Suryeon, the second round was dominated by talk of the heirs to the Strong Sovereign and the Sword Sovereign.
“Huu...” Meanwhile, Baekri Hyeong stood below the stage, steadying his breath. It was not nervousness that gripped him, but an inexplicable sense of unease. Last night, the demonic practitioners had attempted to assassinate Myeong Hwarin right in the Murim Alliance courtyard. Perhaps even within the Alliance itself, there were demonic cult spies that Baekri Hyeong had yet to identify.
‘But that is still mere speculation. The demonic cult’s assault is inevitable... and sacrifices will be unavoidable.’ For the words of the powerless to become truth, countless eyes must be drawn to them. In that sense, if the demonic cult’s attack could be revealed to the world through this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, the martial world might finally unite as one. Of course, that did not mean he intended to sacrifice the innocent.
Already last night, through his conversation with his father, he had shared information about the demonic cult with members of the Hubei Alliance. He had also decided to send a letter via carrier pigeon to Gongson Ryong, the newly appointed leader of the Shadow Corps, ordering him and his forces to join the Murim Alliance. Furthermore, his father had added one more remark.
“If you defeat the heir of the Strong Sovereign, you may gain one more hidden card to play.”
Upon hearing Baekri Hyeok’s words, Baekri Hyeong understood at once. He had wondered where his father had gone after arriving at the Murim Alliance, but it seemed he had met with the Strong Sovereign. The expectant gleam in his father’s eyes suggested he had made some sort of wager with the man.
‘If Lord Gongson and the Shadow Corps join us, and the Young Heavenly Venerable and the Hegemony Corps lend their strength as well...’ There were at least twenty Hwajing-realm masters within the Murim Alliance. Even if a single Demonic God-level expert could hold his father at bay, could they possibly withstand twenty Hwajing masters? The scale of the assault was certainly formidable, yet the Alliance’s forces were overwhelmingly superior at present. Was there truly a means to overturn such a disparity?
‘Perhaps Mun Ho-sik’s infiltration of the Alliance is also for the purpose of gauging our strength.’ The demonic cult employed countless unpredictable methods, so it was impossible to foresee every eventuality. Still, with twenty Hwajing masters and one of the Five Sovereigns of Murim on their side, matters should not prove overly difficult.
“The eleventh preliminary match begins. All late-stage index fighters, please ascend the stage.”
At that moment, a Murim Alliance warrior announced the start of the eleventh preliminary bout. Baekri Hyeong ascended the stage with a calm expression, guided by the warrior, only to be met by the thunderous roar of the crowd.
“Waaaaaaaah!!”
“Baekri Hyeong! Baekri Hyeong! Baekri Hyeong!!”
“I’ve bet everything on you!! Win it all!!”
“You’re the only one who can stand against the heir of the Heavenly Venerable!!”
“My, they certainly are excited.”
Baekri Hyeong scratched his nose, embarrassed by the deafening cheers. In his previous life’s Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, he had been nothing more than an unpleasant late-stage index fighter. Standing amid the adulation of so many people did not feel entirely unpleasant. Of course, for the three other fighters facing him, it must have felt maddening.
Baekri Hyeong was rumored to have matched a Peak Demon expert. Even if the rumor was exaggerated, he was undoubtedly at the pinnacle of the Peak Realm—at least, that was what they believed. In truth, he had already reached the Transcendent Peak Realm. Thus, the remaining three late-stage index fighters decided to band together against him. The fighters who had faced Ak Bicheon had done the same and suffered a crushing defeat, yet they had no choice but to try. Surely he could not be stronger than Ak Bicheon.
“Are you all prepared?”
The judge for the second day of preliminaries was none other than Snow White Sword Jongri Ok. None had expected one of the Ten Great Masters to personally oversee the matches, but it was hardly the most pressing matter. Baekri Hyeong studied the tense faces of his opponents and began considering how best to handle them.
“Begin!”
“Haaaaah!”
Before Baekri Hyeong could finish his thoughts, Jongri Ok signaled the start. The three late-stage index fighters charged recklessly, pouring their techniques upon him in a desperate bid to end the fight quickly. Kwaaaang!
“..!”
Of course, they failed. When Baekri Hyeong activated the White Tiger Wood Qi and stepped forward with the White Tiger Phantom Steps, the three froze like prey before a predator. The pure white radiance in his eyes evoked the image of a god gazing down from the heavens, and the transparent aura radiating from his entire body crushed their bodies, rendering movement impossible. In that instant, Baekri Hyeong’s martial prowess was laid bare before the entire world.
For the first time, not a single voice rose from the spectator stands. The aura they felt from him far surpassed even what they had sensed from Ak Bicheon. Amid the collective shock, Baekri Hyeok, who had been observing the match from the sky using the Void-Stepping Art, curled his lips into a smile. His son had already reached a level capable of contending with Hwajing masters. From what he had observed, Baekri Hyeong could ascend to the Hwajing Realm at any moment. Though he did not understand why his son refrained from doing so, one thing was certain: Baekri Hyeong’s strength far exceeded that of any late-stage index fighter. In a sense, it was proof that his son surpassed even Ak Bicheon, who could be considered his junior disciple.
Meanwhile, the three late-stage index fighters enduring the White Tiger Phantom Steps felt as though they might faint at any moment. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, and their internal energy refused to leave their dantians. They wished they could simply lose consciousness, yet the sight of Baekri Hyeong’s face—growling like a beast—was more than enough to drown them in terror.
“My apologies, but the three of you will have to step down.”
“W-wait!”
“Farewell.”
Roar! Baekri Hyeong drew his sword with lightning-like momentum and swung. His movements, infused with the aura of the king of the mountains—the tiger—were both agile and heavy, reminiscent of a great tiger in motion. And the moment the flat of his blade grazed the three late-stage index fighters, it was as though a tiger’s maw had clamped down upon them. The first form of the White Tiger True Sword, Fierce Tiger’s Bite, sent the three fighters flying off the stage.
“Match concluded. The victor is Baekri Hyeong.”
“Waaaaaaaah!!”
“Baekri Hyeong is insane!!”
“Young Sword Sovereign!!”
“That title suits him! Young Sword Sovereign Baekri Hyeong!”
“Young Sword Sovereign! Young Sword Sovereign! Young Sword Sovereign!”
Moved by Baekri Hyeong’s display, the crowd began chanting a new epithet. Young Sword Sovereign Baekri Hyeong—a title born of reverence for the son of the Sword Sovereign, a youth whose strength transcended that of all other late-stage index fighters. Naturally, the person most delighted by this new title was Baekri Hyeok. Perhaps today was the proudest day he had known since receiving the title of Sword Sovereign himself.
While many marveled at Baekri Hyeong’s martial prowess, one person felt their wariness deepen. That person was Mun Ho-sik.
‘So the rumor that he matched the Demon Lord of the Dragon was true.’
He had refused to believe it, yet after witnessing this match, he understood. Baekri Hyeong had not yet fought with his full strength. Even without fully grasping the intricacies of his techniques, it was clear they were not overly complex. This had merely been a taste. If so, complications could arise for their plans. Though he loathed to admit it, Mun Ho-sik now recognized Baekri Hyeong as his superior.
The heir of the Heavenly Venerable, the heir of the Sword Sovereign, and soon the heir of the Strong Sovereign would appear as well. Why were so many heirs bearing names despised by the Heavenly Demon Cult gathering at this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering? A dizzying sensation washed over Mun Ho-sik, and a hollow laugh escaped his lips. In any case, they would all die in the upcoming assault. The Alliance had far more masters? There was no need for concern. Those aged experts would not be permitted to interfere in the battle.
‘Place your hopes in the coming calamity, young heroes.’
Mun Ho-sik’s lips curled into a sinister smile. He could hardly contain his excitement at the thought of how the martial world would fare after losing all its promising talents.
Another who felt wariness toward Baekri Hyeong was the heir of the Heavenly Venerable, Ak Bicheon.
‘So that fellow is the son of the Sword Sovereign... He is strong.’
The Heavenly Venerable had taken a single disciple in his later years, and that disciple had risen to become the Sword Sovereign, one of the greatest masters of the current era. Just as a tiger does not beget a dog, Baekri Hyeong had inherited his father’s talent in full. In fact, he seemed to surpass even his father’s genius.
‘A fight with him would be entertaining.’
He would have to arrange the bracket carefully. He absolutely wanted to face Baekri Hyeong in the finals. Whether this feeling was wariness or the thrill of competition, Ak Bicheon could not say. He knew that four heirs of the Five Sovereigns of Murim were participating in this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. The heir of the Fire Sovereign had been disappointing, but the heir of the Sword Sovereign had exceeded expectations. In that case, what of the heir of the Strong Sovereign? With his expectations now heightened, Ak Bicheon turned his gaze toward the stage. Just then, in the twelfth preliminary match, the heir of the Strong Sovereign made his appearance.