novelraw Chapter 375 : Yong Hwarin’s Martial Accomplishment (3)
Chapter 375 : Yong Hwarin’s Martial Accomplishment (3)
Chapter 375: Yong Hwarin’s Martial Accomplishment (3)
“Uahahahaha! To think you’d collapse on your own.”
But at that moment, Moon Wu felt a chilling fear—that if he did not sit down, there would be no one left standing.
“You’ve brought utter disgrace upon the Demonic Path.”
San Bi stepped forward toward Yong Hwarin.
“I hope your teeth are sturdy.”
“Don’t bother with such cheap tricks. I have no intention of playing along with childish antics.”
San Bi drew his Nine-Serpent Sabre and spoke.
“Twice we fought without settling the score. Today we’ll see it decided.”
San Bi planned to strike without giving Yong Hwarin a chance.
He gathered all his qi into the Nine-Serpent Sabre and charged.
Seeing that, Yong Hwarin also intended to respond in kind.
He charged forward as well, forming Mother-Longing Energy directly in front of him.
Dozens of waves of Mother-Longing Energy coiled around him.
‘With this much Mother-Longing Energy, your strike will be absorbed.’
San Bi looked at the rushing Yong Hwarin and sneered.
‘You’ve made a mistake. Since you don’t know why I’m charging in.’
After their Three-Breath Duel, San Bi had long pondered how to counter Yong Hwarin’s strange protective qi.
He knew this opponent would cross paths with him again, and so a countermeasure was necessary.
The answer he reached was to shatter Yong Hwarin’s Protective Qi.
For that, he obtained five Little Thunderbolts from Moon Wu.
Nothing was more suitable for breaking Protective Qi than Thunderbolt Pellets.
San Bi hurled all five Little Thunderbolts.
Seeing this, Pang Giok gasped.
“Little Thunderbolts!”
Namgung Yoo cried out in shock.
“Despicable!”
But the distance between the two was already closed—words meant nothing now.
San Bi intended to break Yong Hwarin’s strange Protective Qi with the Little Thunderbolts, then finish the fight with his Nine-Serpent Sabre.
It was, by most accounts, a disgracefully cowardly method. But since there was no rule against using Thunderbolt Pellets, it was not a violation.
It was no different than using hidden weapons without prior warning.
Yong Hwarin flinched when he saw the Little Thunderbolts flying at him.
‘Can the Mother-Longing Energy endure this?’
He knew well its tremendous absorption power, but whether it could withstand the explosive might of Thunderbolt Pellets was uncertain.
Yong Hwarin made up his mind and did not evade—he charged straight in.
“Reckless!”
Pang Giok shouted in alarm.
The orthodox martial artists stuck out their tongues at Yong Hwarin’s utterly reckless charge.
“Does he not know what those Thunderbolts are?”
“Otherwise he’d never face them head-on.”
“To know and still charge… he must be mad.”
Some even sounded pleased at the thought of Yong Hwarin’s downfall.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The five Little Thunderbolts detonated, and tremors ran through the ground beneath their feet.
“Good heavens, five of those could wipe out a small hill.”
“If struck, not even bones would remain.”
But then—out of the searing crimson flames—Yong Hwarin emerged.
The orthodox martial artists gaped in disbelief.
The Demonic Path warriors recoiled, eyes wide with shock.
The man everyone was sure would be blown to pieces pressed forward intact, charging straight at San Bi. He looked less like a man than a monster.
Reverend Mang Wu shook his head.
‘Even with my old Protective Qi, five of those would have left me with internal injuries.’
How could this be possible?
By all reason, Yong Hwarin’s Protective Qi, at a lower cultivation level, should not surpass his own.
‘Just what is that Protective Qi…?’
If even the abbot of Shaolin Temple, Reverend Mang Wu, was shaken, there was no need to mention the others.
But none was more shocked than San Bi.
He stared at the unharmed Yong Hwarin as though seeing someone who had returned from the dead.
Snapping out of it, he swung the Nine-Serpent Sabre.
Shrrring!
Nine Black Steel Snakes surged forth, lashing toward Yong Hwarin’s vital points.
‘He looks fine, but the Thunderbolts must have inflicted severe damage. In that state, he cannot withstand my Nine-Serpent Sabre.’
He believed the man only feigned composure while gravely wounded.
But in truth, aside from losing his Mother-Longing Energy, Yong Hwarin had suffered no harm.
He invoked the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique, awakening the Azure Dragon Three Marbles, and infused qi into the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword.
Then he detonated his Tai Chi Dantian, pouring nearly five cycles’ worth of power into the blade.
Vwooom!
As the sword roared, the grey blade of the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword shimmered with blue light.
When the Black Steel Snakes closed in, Yong Hwarin cloaked himself with the aura of Yongjonoejin and Gentle Wind of Temperament, and unleashed the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword’s Cloud-Dragon Ten-Thousand Heavens in nine directions.
Crackling thunder qi burst forth, and azure dragons seemed to ascend from all sides, coiling around the Black Steel Snakes.
Krrrumble!
A deafening roar and its aftermath swept across the surroundings.
Thud!
The nine Black Steel Snakes were severed in two, writhing on the ground like freshly caught fish.
Creatures that even a treasured sword imbued with sword qi could not cut through were now utterly destroyed. Silence fell instantly over the entire hall.
‘So the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword is finally revealing its true power.’
Reverend Mang Wu, the Four Great Vajras, and the Shaolin Eighteen Arhat Monks all fixed their gaze solely on the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword in Yong Hwarin’s hand.
Some had insisted the sword should be taken back from him, putting Reverend Mang Wu in a difficult position. But now, the weapon itself seemed to have revealed its rightful master. A faint smile spread across Mang Wu’s face.
At last, he would no longer be pestered by the elders.
When the silence broke, cheers erupted from the orthodox side, while groans of despair spilled from the Demonic Path.
By then, Yong Hwarin’s White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword had already landed on San Bi’s shoulder.
His movement, nearly at the level of Alteration of Form and Illusion through Wind-Horse Flashing Step, had been too swift for San Bi to block.
Never expecting his Nine-Serpent Sabre to end this way, San Bi had failed to comprehend the step.
Protective Qi, sword, movement arts, even qi control—everything pointed to Yong Hwarin’s victory.
For this fight, Yong Hwarin had drawn upon all his strength.
The aura techniques of Hoi Eulshin, Wind-Horse Flashing Step, Mother-Longing Energy, Azure Dragon Three Marbles—he combined them all. And through that, he gained confidence: even without reaching the realm of Sword Control with Qi, he could face anyone.
It was not that San Bi was weak.
Rather, Yong Hwarin’s overwhelming presence made San Bi’s martial arts appear pitifully small.
His incomplete use of the Nine-Serpent Sabre with Sword Control with Qi was crushed outright by the White Tiger Demon-Subduing Sword.
That carried immense meaning.
San Bi felt as though all his qi had been drained, his body turning into a desiccated husk.
Never had he thought he would lose this fight. Still less did he imagine he would suffer such a crushing defeat.
And with all the Black Steel Snakes of the Nine-Serpent Sabre annihilated, it felt as though his very soul had been extinguished.
When Yong Hwarin sheathed his sword and turned away, San Bi trembled and finally dropped to his knees.
It was as if the Demonic Path itself had bowed before Orthodoxy—orthodox martial artists erupted in jubilant cries.
“Waaah! The Heavenly Sword Hero has triumphed!”
“He has defeated all the prodigies of the Three Demonic Heavens!”
From that moment, the gazes of the martial world toward Yong Hwarin changed.
Yong Biyang’s grin stretched ear to ear, his shoulders shaking as he suppressed laughter.
It was agony restraining himself from shouting proudly that the boy was his own son.
Jong Seok and Mo Biyoung exchanged glances, their eyes moist.
Pang Giok and Namgung Yoo murmured together.
“We’re proud of you.”
There was no envy nor jealousy on their faces. They celebrated their friend who had ascended to a realm beyond their reach.
Namgung Bi laughed bitterly.
‘Good heavens… it seems I should be learning from him now.’
Though it stung, pride also swelled within him.
‘Tsk, tsk… I should have made him my grandson-in-law sooner.’
Even now, Namgung Bi could not help but regret that missed chance.
With Yong Hwarin’s victory over the heirs of the Three Demonic Heavens, a seismic shift arose over the leadership of the Baekjeong Alliance.
Though the Heavenly Central Sect and Yong Hwarin had gained prominence on the surface, the one reaping true benefit was the Lady of Mount Lu, once considered only a candidate.
That was because Yong Hwarin now supported her.
After witnessing his duel with the heirs of the Three Demonic Heavens, martial artists did not hesitate to call Yong Hwarin the next World’s Number One Expert.
At present, that title belonged to the legendary elder of Mount Hua, Plum Blossom Sword King, the genius Wind Plum Daoist, who had perfected all of Mount Hua’s ultimate arts and even created new ones.
Before him, Shaolin had produced the world’s number one expert, then Wudang in the next generation, and now in the Era of No Moon, Mount Hua had done so.
It seemed as if the Nine Great Sects took turns producing the world’s foremost master. Yet in truth, only five of them had ever done so.
Emei Sect and Qingcheng Sect had each once borne the title, but most world’s number one experts historically emerged from the Twelve Great Clans.
In recent times, however, the Nine Great Sects had flourished again, and their disciples dominated the martial world’s elites.
That had been possible only because peace endured long enough for their strength to accumulate.
Thus Dong Seonja had stepped forth to claim the Alliance Leader’s seat, securing the Nine Great Sects’ supremacy.
Until Yong Hwarin’s duel with the heirs of the Three Demonic Heavens, most assumed Dong Seonja’s appointment as Alliance Leader was beyond doubt.
He was the strongest candidate.
But now, with the Nine Great Sects’ prestige shaken and the Twelve Great Clans rallying behind the Lady of Mount Lu, the balance shifted.
“Now we shall elect the Alliance Leader of the Baekjeong Alliance. The candidates are Dong Seonja, Sect Leader of Wudang, and the Lady of Mount Lu.”
Reverend Mang Wu looked across the gathered leaders of each sect.
The vast majority of the Heavenly Central Sect’s leadership was present.
“The voting method will be by standing. When this old monk calls a name, those who support that candidate shall rise.”
Reverend Mang Wu swept his gaze over the hall.
“All who support Dong Seonja, Sect Leader of Wudang, please rise.”
At his words, people began to stand one by one.
Of over three hundred gathered, nearly a hundred rose.
They were the Nine Great Sects’ representatives, their branch disciples, and the sects founded by their disciples.
Though less than a hundred of three hundred might seem few, many abstentions made the outcome uncertain.
The standing count was relayed to Reverend Mang Wu.
Beside him, Reverend Gongwoo counted and reported.
“There are ninety-seven who have risen.”
Dong Seonja’s face stiffened at the unexpectedly small number.
Only days ago, had not these very people openly declared their support?
Still, assuming abstentions would play a role, he waited.
“All who support the Lady of Mount Lu, please rise.”
This time, the assembly only exchanged looks. None stood immediately.
Unlike before, when Dong Seonja’s name was called, the hesitation was palpable.
‘What, will only a few rise at all?’
Dong Seonja began to smile faintly.
Though only ninety-seven supported him, as long as the Lady of Mount Lu received fewer, he would win.
At that very moment, Yong Hwarin abruptly rose to his feet.