Chapter 150
The Essence and Strongest Strike of the Hebei Peng Clan's Fist Techniques.
That destructive fist force, which was said to split mountains and shatter the heavens, poured toward empty space.
Crash—!
That instant, the empty air shattered.
Like transparent glass, space twisted and shards scattered.
It was the sound of an illusion technique breaking.
"Kkiruruk!"
With a sharp scream, a ball of white fur bounced out from thin air.
Coughing up red blood, what tumbled to the ground was the baby Gumiho, Mansul, who had been in Jaseong's arms.
All of the little one's tails hung limply, blood dripping from his mouth.
That was the price for taking Peng Yun-ho's fist wind head-on.
As it turned out, Jaseong had borrowed Mansul's stealth arts to approach Peng Yun-ho's back.
Mansul's illusion technique was a marvelous skill that completely erased his presence, but it could not fully fool the superhuman instincts of a Ten Great Experts of the orthodox faction.
Whoosh—.
As the stealth technique faded, Jaseong's figure was revealed amid the torn space.
The hem of his black robe fluttered roughly in the wind, and his gaze shone as cold as a glacier frozen for a thousand years.
And in his hand was the Evil Path Association Leader's Seal, the Wicked Flame Sword.
"Great hero...!"
Seeing Jaseong suddenly appear, Lee Rin was overwhelmed with emotion without realizing it.
This place was pretty much the heart of enemy territory.
The Peng Clan's base would already be in an uproar, and hundreds of Iron Wall Squad warriors would be forming a pursuit party to rush here.
And their opponent was Peng Yun-ho.
Even Gal Seo-ryeong, the Hao Sect's Right Protector, avoided a direct confrontation with this member of the Ten Great Experts.
The last time they killed Zhongnan Sect Leader Zhong Yeob, it was only possible thanks to the exceptional help of the Eternal Divine Physician, but now Jaseong was alone.
Lee Rin was wounded and unable to fight.
Despite that, Jaseong returned without hesitation for Lee Rin's sake.
That's why she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.
Moreover, the next words from Jaseong made everyone tremble.
"Rin."
"..."
"Looks like today, I'll have to kill the Peng Clan head as well."
Jaseong spoke.
His voice was low and cold, but the fury within it was as hot as flowing magma.
At that moment, the day of the Red Light District bloodbath flashed in his mind.
The day his eldest brother, sister-in-law, and unborn nephew vanished at the hands of orthodox and Demonic Cult experts.
But that wasn't all.
Jaseong turned his gaze to the blood-soaked Lee Rin.
The rage inside him was a mix of trauma from failing to protect those precious to him in the past, and a desperate resolve never to lose anything again.
That was what churned inside Jaseong now.
Of course, Peng Yun-ho, upon hearing Jaseong's words, let out a dumbfounded laugh.
"Ha! Such arrogance from a brat! You dare claim you'll kill the head of the Peng Clan?"
Red energy exploded from Peng Yun-ho's whole body.
His murderous intent shook the entire forest.
But Jaseong, who had made up his mind, didn't care.
He adjusted his grip on the Wicked Flame Sword and began the breathing method of the Heaven Evading Celestial Formula.
At that, white energy began to swirl within Jaseong.
And at the heart, in his middle dantian, the innate true ki awakened.
"Celestial Gate Opening Art."
First gate, second gate, third gate...
In the blink of an eye, he opened the ninth gate.
But Jaseong did not stop.
"The tenth gate—Heaven's Gate, open!"
KWAOOOOOM!!!
Explosive energy surged from Jaseong's body.
The ground trembled, and trees around him were torn out by their roots.
His presence was as ferocious as Peng Yun-ho's.
'His internal power suddenly skyrocketed...?! What kind of sorcery is this?'
Peng Yun-ho's eyes twitched.
The energy he felt from the young man before him could never belong to someone so young.
Even if you gathered all the rising stars of the martial world, none would match this prodigy.
Jaseong's eyes gleamed gold.
"I'll end your hypocrisy and greed here today."
Jaseong stomped the ground.
His body, moving like a flash, shot toward Peng Yun-ho.
Next, fwoosh! Black flames flared up on the Wicked Flame Sword, and Black-Gold Sword Aura slashed through the air.
The prodigy of the Red Light District and the head of the Hebei Peng Clan.
The clash of two absolute experts was about to begin.
* * *
BOOOOOM!!!
With a huge explosion, Jaseong's Wicked Flame Sword and Peng Yun-ho's metal gloves collided.
At the point where sword aura and fist force struck, blue-white flames scattered in every direction. Jaseong's arms trembled, and a crack appeared in Peng Yun-ho's metal gloves.
Both withstood each other's strength head-on, neither giving an inch.
Then, in a moment, both simultaneously stepped back, ending the power struggle.
Then—
KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKANG!!!!!!!
At a speed that not even supreme experts could fully follow with their eyes, Peng Yun-ho and Jaseong exchanged ferocious blows.
At first, at lightning speed, they exchanged well over ten thousand bouts equally.
But as the exchange dragged on longer, one side started to fall behind.
"Mountain-Opening, Heaven-Cleaving Fist(山開闢天拳)!"
With Peng Yun-ho's violent strike, Jaseong's form was forced back more than ten yards.
His soles tore up the earth, carving deep furrows.
The Wicked Flame Sword in his hand trembled slightly.
"Khk...!"
Jaseong wiped the blood from his lips.
Even after opening ten gates with the Celestial Gate Opening Art and drawing on the innate true ki of his middle dantian, he was being pushed back bit by bit by Peng Yun-ho.
Peng Yun-ho's force was especially overwhelming.
The thick force enveloping his entire fist was harder and heavier than any of the world's famous swords.
"Is that all you've got?!"
Peng Yun-ho roared and charged again.
With every step he took, the ground caved in and rocks shot up.
It was a simple charge, yet the momentum was like an avalanche descending.
'He's fast... and heavy.'
Jaseong activated Samadhi Eyes to their extreme.
Sssss—
The world faded to gray and time seemed to slow.
The trajectory of Peng Yun-ho's fist was traced in a crimson line.
But just knowing the trajectory didn't mean it could be dodged.
The wind pressure created by the fist itself crushed the space around it.
"Heaven Evading Phantom Step."
Jaseong's body split twelve ways.
But Peng Yun-ho didn't even blink.
"Cheap trick!"
BOOM!
Peng Yun-ho swung his fist at the air.
A single blow sent out a shockwave that shredded all twelve phantoms to pieces.
Jaseong barely blocked the fist wind with his sword, the pressure enough to make even his real body stagger.
CLANG!
Even when sword and fist clashed, it sounded like metal striking metal.
Jaseong's arm bones screamed in protest.
'So this... is the might of a Ten Great Experts of the orthodox faction.'
Even after opening all ten gates with the Celestial Gate Opening Art and entering the supreme peak, the wall between him and those who had long ago reached and cultivated the supreme peak was impossibly high and sturdy.
At that moment—
FWISH!
A streak of silver flashed from the darkness, aiming for Peng Yun-ho's side.
At the same time, three sharp throwing blades targeted Peng Yun-ho's back.
"Hmph!"
Peng Yun-ho didn't even turn; he swung his left arm to bat away the throwing blades and blocked the silver flash with his right fist.
KANG! TING!
"Who are you people?!"
Peng Yun-ho shouted.
Then Gal Seo-ryeong and Gu Janghu landed at Jaseong's sides.
[So it's come to this, Scarlet Lotus Hall Lord. Not that it was unexpected.]
Gal Seo-ryeong spoke, a blue-tinted sword of unknown type in her hand.
[Sorry we're late, hall lord.]
Gu Janghu adjusted his throwing blades as he spoke.
Jaseong took a quick breath as he looked at them.
They were reassuring reinforcements, but the situation was still dire.
Lee Rin was already unconscious, and Peng Yun-ho's momentum had not lessened at all.
[Gu Janghu.]
[Yes?]
[Take Lee Rin and leave the battlefield. Get her to the North Sea guardians.]
[But...]
[If you stay, I can't fight freely. Go!]
At Jaseong's firm command, Gu Janghu bit his lip.
He picked up the fallen Lee Rin and nodded to Jaseong.
[I'll wait for you at the safe house.]
With that, Gu Janghu disappeared into the darkness with Lee Rin.
Peng Yun-ho tried to pursue them, but Jaseong and Gal Seo-ryeong blocked his path.
"Your opponent is us."
Jaseong raised the Wicked Flame Sword.
Gal Seo-ryeong also drew up her internal power, pointing her sword tip forward.
"... Who are you people, really? You can't be elders from the unorthodox faction—I've never seen your faces before... Whatever, I'll crush you all at once!"
Peng Yun-ho started to gather energy in both fists.
His fists turned red hot, the air crackling and burning around him.
"Primal Thunderclap Fist, secret essence—Thunderclap that Shakes the Heavens!"
CRAAAASH!
Thunder boomed in a clear sky as Peng Yun-ho unleashed a torrent of attacks.
Jaseong and Gal Seo-ryeong moved at once.
Jaseong faced Peng Yun-ho's blows head-on with the Heaven Evading Flash Sword, while Gal Seo-ryeong dove in from the flank, aiming for an opening.
KAKAKAKANG! CHWAK!
As Jaseong's sword clashed with Peng Yun-ho's fist force, sparks flew, and Gal Seo-ryeong's sword of unknown type sliced across Peng Yun-ho's thigh.
"Khk!"
A groan escaped Peng Yun-ho's lips for the first time.
Gal Seo-ryeong's participation as a supreme peak expert gradually shifted the battle's tide.
Jaseong's explosive offensive power and Gal Seo-ryeong's experienced, unpredictable attacks melded in harmony, pressing down on Peng Yun-ho.
'If we keep wearing him down like this...!'
Unfortunately, that hope was short-lived.
Dududududu—
The ground began to shake.
It wasn't just an ordinary tremor.
It was the combined thunder of hundreds, no—thousands of hooves and footsteps.
With a grim expression, Gal Seo-ryeong muttered,
[The Peng Clan's military force, the Iron Wall Squad main force, is almost here. In less than half a shikcheong... maybe even sooner.]
The situation was heading for the worst.
Even dealing with Peng Yun-ho alone was a struggle, but if the Peng Clan's elite joined, there was no chance for victory.
It would be annihilation.
That was why Jaseong's party had avoided confronting Peng Yun-ho and kept fleeing until now.
[I sent a request for back-up to upper management, but they'll take time to arrive. If those forces catch up, neither of us will make it out alive.]
Gal Seo-ryeong sent a message via telepathy with nervous eyes.
Hearing this, Jaseong looked at Peng Yun-ho.
Even after being wounded in the thigh, Peng Yun-ho was now exuding an even wilder presence, like a wounded beast.
'There's no time.'
Like this, they would all die.
He had to find the only way to overturn the entire situation.
Fortunately, Jaseong had such a method.
It meant surpassing his limits—not just his own, but the limits of humanity.
Jaseong sent a telepathic message to Gal Seo-ryeong.
[Right Protector. Please buy me some time.]
[... What are you planning to do?]
[I'm going to use my last resort.]
Gal Seo-ryeong looked into Jaseong's eyes.
Seeing the deadly resolve burning within, she asked no further.
[Understood. But I can't last long. The Peng Clan's troops will be upon us in less than half a shikcheong.]
With that, Gal Seo-ryeong grimly tightened her grip on her sword.
Mustered every bit of internal power, she charged Peng Yun-ho.
"Emei's Greatest Sword—Ten Thousand Blossoms Flowing Island Sword!"
Gal Seo-ryeong's sword of unknown type danced like a storm of flower petals.
The moment Emei's greatest shifting sword was unleashed, dozens of sword shadows enveloped Peng Yun-ho.
So intricate and beautiful, it was impossible to tell which were real and which were illusions.
With Gal Seo-ryeong drawing Peng Yun-ho's attention, Jaseong withdrew, steadying his breath.
Then he closed his eyes.
'I might fall into ki deviation. Still, it doesn't matter. As long as I can cut down this great evil before my eyes...!'