Chapter 291
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 291
Chapter Title: It's Mu-baek
"Enough. Let's end this now!"
A surge of gray battle aura erupted from Hyun Hwang's entire body.
As he swept both arms through the air...
Boom!Kaboom!! Boom!! Kaboom!!
All four strikes of the Tyrant Force Annihilating Divine Thousand Killing Finger vanished in explosions of sound alone.
They hadn't inflicted the slightest damage on Hyun Hwang.
Woo Mun Ga-yul stared at the scene with a hollow expression.
She had truly poured every last ounce of her strength into them.
Yet it ended like this.
Until now...
That monster had merely been toying with her?
"Heh heh. Now you're finally ripe. Time to reap the harvest."
Step.
Step.
Still radiating battle aura from his entire body, Hyun Hwang advanced toward Woo Mun Ga-yul, one step at a time.
Biting her lips tightly, Woo Mun Ga-yul drew the sword from her waist.
She gripped it in reverse.
'No. Not yet... I need to buy just a little more time for Yeon-a to get as far away as possible.'
She prayed that the girl had broken free of the Seven Colors Returning Soul barrier and was sprinting toward safety at full speed.
And that the incredible master searching for her...
Ha Mu-baek...
Would find her unharmed.
Dark energy gathered along her blade.
She had resolved to pour everything she had into this until her final moments arrived.
"Now, let's get started for real."
As Hyun Hwang casually flicked his hand...
Slash.
The fabric over Woo Mun Ga-yul's right shoulder tore away.
Her smooth skin was laid bare.
Hyun Hwang's lecherous grin deepened.
The lust in his eyes grew even thicker.
"Next..."
Hyun Hwang raised his hand again.
Woo Mun Ga-yul gritted her teeth and thrust her sword forward.
"Hm?"
Hyun Hwang whipped his head around.
His face was slack with shock.
In his focus on this woman...
He had missed the bastard from An-kyung closing in right under his nose.
He spun swiftly, thrusting his palm forward.
The attractive force of his Great Power Vajra Palm extended from his hand.
Fierce winds whipped up around them.
Boom!
A massive clash echoed out.
And a man landed on the ground.
"Not bad. Why didn't you just stay put? You might've survived. But this seat is in a hurry now, so I suppose I'll have to kill you quickly."
Ha Mu-baek's ears barely registered Hyun Hwang's bluster.
He simply stared at one spot.
There stood a woman, her right shoulder's clothing torn, exposing a glimpse of skin.
A woman with desperate resolve etched on her face.
Woo Mun Ga-yul.
"That's right."
Ha Mu-baek spoke calmly.
But inside, a storm raged.
The thrill of finally meeting her again.
Relief that she was safe.
Fury at that damned monk for doing this to her.
Above all, seething rage at his own carelessness and negligence.
A chaotic whirlwind of emotions churned within him.
"Who are you?"
Woo Mun Ga-yul reflexively asked the man who seemed to know her.
"It's Mu-baek, benefactor."
Ha Mu-baek forced his voice to remain steady.
At those words, Woo Mun Ga-yul froze for a moment, her eyes widening.
She remembered them.
'It's Mu-baek, benefactor.'
Over a dozen years ago.
When she had helped a boy with his little sister in tow.
That was how he had introduced himself.
The same tone, the exact same words, from this man.
His appearance and voice had changed.
But she recognized him.
It was that boy.
He had grown into this man.
And appeared here as a powerhouse capable of dispersing that monster's palm force.
A thought flashed through her mind.
The name Ha Mu-baek, and Scholar White Pine's near-worshipful praise of him as an incredible master.
Then...
That great master Ha Mu-baek...
Was the very Mu-baek she had saved...
Ah!
The world's connections could be like this!
That was Woo Mun Ga-yul's realization.
Her eyes trembled.
She hadn't expected a reunion like this.
With such a magnificent growth that filled her with pride.
And shame at her current state, toyed with by the enemy.
Woo Mun Ga-yul's gaze was complex.
"Keh heh. What farce is this with this seat right in front of you?"
With those words, Hyun Hwang struck at Ha Mu-baek.
With a palm streaming tendrils of gray battle aura.
Boom!
A massive explosion rang out.
Hyun Hwang's palm halted midway.
Ha Mu-baek's fist was embedded there.
Coated in black battle aura.
"I'll deal with this bastard first."
Ha Mu-baek gave a slight bow toward Woo Mun Ga-yul and spoke politely.
"Ha?"
Hyun Hwang's face twisted in disbelief.
This guy was strong, sure—but daring to challenge him?
Hyun Hwang's hands blurred into motion once more.
Boom! Kaboom! Boom!
Palm and fist intertwined chaotically, unleashing deafening blasts.
Neither man retreated a single step from their positions.
They exchanged blows relentlessly.
Each strike carried immense power.
Yet neither gained the upper hand.
No damage given, none taken.
Woo Mun Ga-yul watched in astonishment.
She had heard he was a great master.
But she never imagined this level.
Ha Mu-baek's face furrowed slightly.
The more they clashed...
The more familiar it felt.
How?
This martial art oozing such sinister, ominous energy?
It was as repulsive as any Demonic Cult or Blood Cult technique.
The forms themselves were authentic Shaolin arts.
The problem lay in the inner energy fueling them.
This was on a level where even an unorthodox's foul qi would seem pure by comparison.
Shaolin, which ground its teeth at the unorthodox and still hunted them down for live capture—wasn't it?
Yet one from such a place appeared like this.
"What the hell are you?"
Ha Mu-baek finally asked.
A monk with wise features, yet unknown to him.
And the martial art he wielded felt familiar, yet its origin was elusive.
"And what the hell are you?"
Hyun Hwang seemed to feel the same.
The two separated briefly, entering a standoff.
Sharp gazes probed each other.
"Hmm... Don't tell me..."
Hyun Hwang recognized him first.
"You're one of my kind too, aren't you?"
The eye that pierced essences.
One of Hyun Hwang's powers.
Through it, he glimpsed the essence of Ha Mu-baek's martial art.
But...
He couldn't fully see it.
Not even his eyes could grasp its core.
Such a martial art shouldn't exist.
Unless...
It was of the same class as what he himself had learned.
His own art hadn't followed a single path.
Ha Mu-baek's face twisted savagely at the words.
At this moment...
He too was activating the Infinite Bright Wheel Eye.
It was a first.
The Infinite Bright Wheel Eye failing to properly discern the origin of that inner energy.
Something vast loomed, but its nature remained unclear.
Like peering through thick fog.
One thing was certain: it radiated repulsive hostility, yet felt familiar—and paradoxically, something he had to claim.
'This is...'
It had happened before.
When encountering Dan Mok Un-roe's Void Serenity Heart Formula.
When facing the Namgung Clan's Sovereign Sword Form.
That same sense of familiarity.
The difference? This visceral loathing.
A revulsion as if they couldn't coexist under the same sky—yet an urge to seize it.
'What in the world...'
Hyun Hwang unleashed his full power.
Acknowledging his opponent was no pushover.
His eyebrows turned blood-red, his eyes blazing as if blood would drip from them.
Ha Mu-baek channeled his inner energy as well.
Inky battle aura surged across his body.
"To force this seat to go all out against some nobody... Impressive. But that's all. Now return to Buddha's embrace!"
Gray battle aura swirled into vortexes, shooting toward Ha Mu-baek from all ten directions.
Ha Mu-baek drew his sword and swung.
Ten sword auras clashed against the ten vortexes.
The earth split, the sky thundered.
The two collided once more.
Boom!
Clang!
Ching!
Kaboom!!!
To avoid the shockwaves of their battle, Woo Mun Ga-yul retreated further.
Their exchange transcended mere ferocity into something profound.
Like a perfectly synchronized sword dance.
Though locked in mortal combat, their movements meshed with eerie harmony.
Ha Mu-baek realized this and frowned.
"Hmm."
Hyun Hwang pulled back momentarily.
He eyed Ha Mu-baek suspiciously.
"You... Do you know of the Primordial?"
"What are you talking about?"
Ha Mu-baek shot back.
Hyun Hwang scowled.
"Then have you encountered the Abyss?"
Now Ha Mu-baek frowned.
What nonsense was this?
"You learned that art without hearing the call of the Abyss—the Primordial's will?"
Hyun Hwang asked incredulously.
Impossible.
The only martial art capable of matching him like this was that.
Already at full power.
Nothing should trouble him except that damned senior brother's sealing orb.
Yet this man fought him evenly.
There had to be a Primordial connection.
Fragments in Jang Gyeong Pavilion had birthed such pieces.
This guy must have acquired one somewhere.
Ha Mu-baek gave no answer.
"I see. You haven't heard it or met it. Lucky fluke got you that art, huh? Without knowing the Abyss, you can't match me. Enough—time to end this. This seat has a woman waiting for some intimate fun."
Red energy rippled through the gray battle aura.
It formed a massive whip lashing toward Ha Mu-baek.
Slash.
The inky sword aura severed the gray energy.
"Not every hole that talks gets to spew nonsense. Those words just sealed your death warrant. Next year today."
Ha Mu-baek's form shot toward Hyun Hwang.
Sword auras extended like tendrils, slashing at him.
Clang!
Four streams of battle aura erupted from Hyun Hwang's body, blocking the sword.
Like octopus tentacles.
Battle aura extended from his form, writhing.
Eight in total.
Tentacles or octopus limbs.
They surrounded Ha Mu-baek from all sides, stabbing with razor-sharp intent and immense power.
Ha Mu-baek unleashed the Infinite Free Sword Sea, batting them away.
Yet they came endlessly.
Meanwhile, Hyun Hwang's hands steadily executed Shaolin fist techniques.
Hundred Steps Hundred Lotuses Divine Fist.
His fists traced beautiful lotus blooms, laced with foul energy.
Boom!
The ground quaked once more.
Ha Mu-baek seemed to stagger back a few steps, then raised his sword high.
And unleashed a single stroke.
Infinite Free Eight Severings Sword Sea.
Two Severings.
A cleaving strike with world-splitting momentum.
Hyun Hwang's eyes bulged at the incoming sword form.
He finally recognized it.
Now it was clear.
Not one, but two.
That's why it had eluded him.
Another human bearing two, besides himself?
And this one seemed to possess complete versions.
Not fragmented like his.
'Doesn't matter. A novice ignorant of the Abyss.'
Hyun Hwang's fist movements shifted.
Power blending darkness and chaos.
Dark Chaos World-Destroying Wasteland Breaker Fist.
The art Hyun Hwang had discovered in a remote corner of Jang Gyeong Pavilion.
Where fragments of darkness and chaos intertwined.
The art the Abyss had imprinted in his mind.
After over a decade, it revealed itself once more.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!
A colossal explosion and storm raged.
Ha Mu-baek and Hyun Hwang skidded backward simultaneously.
The two locked eyes.
Shock filled Ha Mu-baek's gaze.
No one had ever blocked Infinite Free Eight Severings Sword Sea so perfectly.
Not since he had surpassed that realm.
"You... Looks like you got your hands on a fragment that's my natural counter."
Hyun Hwang shook out his hands lightly as he spoke.
A numbing sensation crept up his arms.
This clash had cost him.
Ha Mu-baek appeared unscathed.
He must possess one of Infinity, Radiance, or Freedom.
Otherwise...
He couldn't stand equal against Hyun Hwang, bearer of darkness and chaos fragments.
Though his own were mere shards, not whole.
'I need to find the other fragments.'
Only then could he tear this pest apart.
He knew where the other fragments were.
The Abyss had told him.
Before his master sealed him away for penance.
This time...
Hyun Hwang's gaze drifted far behind Ha Mu-baek.
The wench he had caught.
With her, finding the fragments would be easy.
Returning empty-handed meant his senior brother would chant the spell immediately.
Overpowering this guy to grab her now was impossible.
'I'll raid Jang Gyeong Pavilion directly.'
Then he could snatch the fragments before the incantation finished.
Hyun Hwang steeled his resolve.
He had contingencies for the wench anyway.
If his senior started chanting, he'd reveal those plans—something would work out.
Gray battle aura crept up from his body once more.
This time, Hyun Hwang struck first.
His full-power Dark Chaos World-Destroying Wasteland Breaker Fist hurtled toward Ha Mu-baek.