The Dragon's Pride
At that same moment, Seong-jin felt a transparent Sword Qi forming within his throat, and his eyes widened in shock.
Crack!
His body moved by pure reflex. He twisted his head, careful not to let the blade touch his uvula or the inside of his mouth, and narrowly dodged the strike.
As he retreated, another surge of Sword Qi manifested exactly where he had just been standing.
Thwack!
The sensation of a foreign object piercing his skin sent a jolt through him.
"What the...?"
Even as his senses screamed of danger, Seong-jin’s mind turned ice-cold, analyzing the situation.
'He isn't firing the Sword Qi rapidly. It’s manifesting in that exact spot from the very beginning.'
No matter how fast Seong-jin moved while cloaked in lightning, he couldn't dodge a blade that materialized right in front of his nose. He hurriedly discharged his Thunder Qi, wrapping his entire body in a protective shroud.
This was something Seong-jin had never seen before. It was a technique that hadn't existed in the era of the immortals who had raised him.
'Do you know what that is?'
However, the effect of Baek-geomja’s Shin-geom-hap-il—the Formless Sword—was clear.
'The ability to manifest Sword Qi at any point he desires!'
How many people could possibly defend against a blade that manifested from within their own body? Fortunately, there was a slight delay between choosing the point and the manifestation of the Formless Sword. Seong-jin used his lightning-fast speed to avoid instant death, but that was merely stalling for time.
'He isn't consuming his own internal energy. He’s gathering the natural Qi present in the air to forge the blades.'
The Formless Sword was a remote-manifestation technique. Since it was a Shin-geom-hap-il that manipulated natural Qi directly through willpower, independent of his own internal energy, it seemed he could create an infinite number of blades as long as his mental focus remained intact.
It couldn't be dodged because it appeared exactly where the target was, and it was endless because it cost him no internal energy.
"I wonder, how long can you hold out?"
With no time to stop the bleeding, his wounds continued to drain him. If he lost focus for even a second, the Formless Sword would slice through his lightning, exploiting his dulled senses. Seong-jin hurriedly widened the distance between himself and Baek-geomja.
No matter how much the Formless Sword manifested from the point of contact with his skin, it was still a human who created it. If he moved outside Baek-geomja’s sensory range or moved faster than his reaction time, he could deflect the blades before they pierced him.
'But I can't keep this up for long.'
Even if Seong-jin could endure by using his lightning as a protective barrier, he couldn't survive an infinite barrage of attacks forever.
'To alter reality through willpower, however localized... Have the martial arts of the Nine Sects reached a realm bordering on Taoist sorcery?'
With movements bordering on acrobatics, he dodged the Formless Sword and used Geumna-su (Grappling Hand) to snatch the blades flying toward him. Seong-jin predicted the manifestation points by reading Baek-geomja’s gaze, successfully pulling off a series of gambles.
The problem was that even while Seong-jin was giving his all, Baek-geomja was firing dozens of Formless Swords while cloaked in his own Sword Qi, which had reached the realm of Ban-bak-gwi-jin (Returning to Truth).
'At this rate, I can't get close.'
Baek-geomja’s Sword Qi, transformed into flames, was devouring the surroundings like a wildfire.
'The energy of Ban-bak-gwi-jin manifests the inherent nature of its origin.'
Seong-jin’s lightning brought him speed. Conversely, Baek-geomja’s fire energy spread upon contact, incinerating everything it touched.
Sizzle!
The sparks touching his lightning gnawed away at the electricity. No matter how fast Seong-jin was, Baek-geomja was wrapped in flames that burned internal energy itself; there was no way to pierce through and land a blow.
'I have no choice.'
He had intended to avoid using this technique in front of others, but it seemed he no longer had the luxury of choice.
'The dragon that soars too high is bound to have regrets.'
To suppress his opponent’s rising momentum, Seong-jin unleashed the ultimate technique of the Dragon-Subduing Palm.
The lightning he had been emitting to counter the Formless Sword faded, gathering into a single point. The lightning, crashing down like a thunderbolt from the Ni-hwan-gung (Upper Dantian) through the Im-maek (Conception Vessel), took root in his very toes.
The lightning passed through the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, and the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, then surged through the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, the Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian, and the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian before entering the Governor Vessel.
The lightning, flowing down the center line of his body, circled the six meridians of his legs to support his frame. Then, the lightning rising through the Governor Vessel circled the Hand Three Yang Meridians and the Hand Three Yin Meridians, fully activating all twelve meridians of his body.
He opened every meridian completely, clearing the path. Having prepared this in the blink of an eye, Seong-jin took his stance and stared at Baek-geomja.
"That stance...!"
A divine martial art so famous that even a disciple of Mount Hua could recognize it, yet despite its fame, it remained a peerless, practical technique.
"Hang-ryong-yu-hoe (The Dragon Soars with Regret)."
Ignoring all tactical maneuvering, it was the finishing move of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, unleashing maximum power to shatter everything in its path. The moment Seong-jin thrust his palms forward, a palm wind erupted like the roar of a dragon.
It was the technique that had made Lee Cheol-goi the greatest under heaven back when he was still human.
The lightning released from Seong-jin’s hands transcended the mere form of a thunderbolt, taking the shape of a living, writhing dragon, tearing Baek-geomja’s fire energy to shreds.
"Hang-ryong-yu-hoe? How do you know the martial arts of the Beggar Sect...!"
Baek-geomja’s eyes were filled with astonishment. He couldn't have misseen it. The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms was the divine art that had elevated the beggars on the streets to the same realm as the Taoists of the Nine Sects who meditated on the sacred mountains.
BOOM!
The lightning dragon and the fire demon collided, a roar echoing as if the heavens and earth were being shaken to their foundations. Immediately after the lightning dragon tore through the flames, Seong-jin lunged forward and delivered a knee strike to Baek-geomja’s face.
Bi-ryong-jae-cheon (The Flying Dragon Soars in the Heavens).
The technique, flowing from the leap of his knee strike, targeted Baek-geomja as if a soaring dragon were claiming the sky. Baek-geomja manifested a Formless Sword to dampen the impact of the strike, while simultaneously swinging his own sword in a counterattack against Seong-jin.
Seong-jin performed a backflip to dodge the blade and landed on the ground. The translucent, glowing Formless Swords in the air lost their target and turned toward Seong-jin.
'So, he was aiming for my throat with the Formless Sword he manifested for defense.'
If he had pushed forward, he would have been walking straight into the tiger’s maw. Even in defense, it was a technique of both offense and defense that could instantly turn into an attack if the opponent made a mistake. Every move of a peak master was lethal.
"You have good instincts."
Baek-geomja spoke, revealing the sword he had kept hidden behind his back. His blade was coated in Sword Qi that refracted light like a crystal, making it look as if the very space around it were twisted.
"Overlapping?"
"You noticed? Well, it is a flashy technique."
"By the looks of it, isn't that a Formed Sword?"
"This is a Crystal Sword, hardened by overlapping Formless Swords at the same point, centered on my blade. You could call it an application of the Formless Sword."
Once Shin-geom-hap-il is set, it cannot be changed. However, proficiency in using it was a different matter; with enough familiarity, applications were possible.
"I assure you, there is nothing under heaven that this Crystal Sword cannot cut."
Whether that was true or not, it was more than enough to slice through human flesh. The moment Seong-jin saw the Crystal Sword, he abandoned any thought of fighting him with hand-to-hand combat.
'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'
If the opponent used a sword, he too must use a sword.
'The mystery of the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Man) is that one who stands on the earth connects the heavens and the ground...'
Now was the time to use the Taoist enlightenment he had gained a few days ago. As Seong-jin reached his hand toward the sky—
"Did you not say you would handle this quietly? If you keep this up, the sleeping Byeok-ha-nang-rang will wake up."
Suddenly, an old man dressed in the attire of a scholar appeared.
While Ho-gwi shouted, the old man greeted Seong-jin.
"Nice to meet you, young Taoist. I am Seo-saeng-won of the Bokma-jeon (Demon-Subduing Hall)."
"...Bokma-jeon?"
"It is a gathering of monster-spirits and ghost-demons like myself."
Monster-spirits referred to cases where living creatures like Ho-gwi transformed into monsters, while ghost-demons referred to vengeful spirits or entities that were never alive to begin with. In other words, the Bokma-jeon was an organization of monsters.
'Monsters have become numerous enough to form an organization? And they’re even cooperating with each other?'
The fact that monsters were cooperating held a terrifying implication. It meant there existed a monster "strong enough to force cooperation," and that monsters of different origins, like spirits and demons, had a "common goal they needed to achieve together." Either way, it was a problem that couldn't be ignored, as it meant monsters were not only increasing in number but beginning to act systematically.
"I’ll have to beat you down and hear the details."
"Haha, you intend to defeat me? Unfortunately, I am not your opponent."
At Seo-saeng-won’s gesture, Young-myeong appeared.
Even without Ho-gwi’s identification, the newly appeared Young-myeong looked somehow lacking. His eyes were vacant, staring blankly into the air. The overwhelming martial aura he had once boasted was nowhere to be found; he looked like nothing more than a scarecrow. It was a crude shapeshifting technique that clearly showed it had been "hastily made." Naturally, in such a state, he wouldn't even be able to properly use the martial arts of Mount Hua.
"What on earth are you doing with that..."
The moment he spoke, Seo-saeng-won waved his hand, causing the fake Young-myeong’s head to explode.
"A spy from the Demonic Sect has ambushed the Sword Dragon of Mount Hua!"
At the same time, he loudly announced Young-myeong’s death to those around them.
"From now on, your opponent will be the Murim Alliance."
"What?"
"Of course, this fellow is merely a hastily made fake, but now that his head has been blown off, it will be difficult to distinguish him from the real one. What if Baek-geomja’s testimony is added to this?"
Seo-saeng-won looked at Seong-jin with a face full of laughter.
"You used cowardly tricks to launch an ambush, and the Sword Dragon of Mount Hua lost his life to a demonic assassin who approached him while hiding his identity. Something like that, wouldn't you say?"
Of course, Young-myeong was a fake and it was Seo-saeng-won who killed him, but would the Murim Alliance really listen to his side of the story? Wouldn't it be much easier to explain it as a demonic assassin targeting a rising star of the righteous faction who had performed well at the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament, rather than the work of monsters? Especially when the witness was Young-myeong’s own senior, Baek-geomja?
"You intend to frame me?"
"Why would I personally fight a Taoist like you? Since those who practice the Taoist arts cannot intervene in human affairs, it is most convenient to have humans do the fighting for us."
Soon, he could feel the commotion in the surroundings as people began to gather. If he started fighting here, how many would he have to face? Even Seong-jin couldn't defeat all the martial artists gathered in Hubei and escape. Trapped in a predicament, Seong-jin calmly weighed his options instead of moving rashly.
The founder of Mount Hua had admired Lu Dongbin and established the sect while training on Mount Hua. The descendants of Mount Hua were those who carried on Lu Dongbin’s will, so they could be considered Seong-jin’s own sect-mates.
"Aren't you underestimating me too much?"
"You’re acting tough even in this situation? Is it the pride of a Taoist who refuses to lose to a monster?"
"It is not the pride of a Taoist, but the pride of a martial artist."
"...?"
"If one is a peerless talent under heaven, should they not have a peerless pride?"
At the same time, the dragon of Mount Hua, cloaked in flames, tore through the earth and soared into the sky.