Chapter 171
Kwa-a-a-a-a-a-ang!
'...This, this brat!'
The mixed power that So-ah called 'awakening'...
The <Great Purity Limitless Divine Core> and the <Vajra Bronze-Man God Core>.
And the size of the power that occurred when the Supreme Meridian Energy was gathered together was like an uncontrollable natural disaster.
At least...
...that's how No Yeong-myeong felt.
'To think that he is operating an internal energy that is several times stronger than at the Hero Tournament! How can a human become so strong in such a short period of time!!'
It wasn't that No Yeong-myeong had underestimated So-ah.
Because he had once lost an eye after underestimating So-ah seven years ago.
Moreover, in the previous battle, So-ah had fought a series of duels with the masters of the Eastern Depot and the White Lotus Cult, and had achieved the feat of recording a complete victory by himself.
Although No Yeong-myeong was a person who had entered the ranks of the top masters of his time, he had entered the fight considering So-ah as a by no means easy opponent.
But the martial prowess of So-ah that he had actually experienced was far beyond his expectations.
The left hand that had blocked So-ah's Heaven-Breaking Consecutive Strike was trembling like an aspen tree.
Since No Yeong-myeong's whole body was constantly surrounded by a protective ki, even if he were to be beaten with a sledgehammer, the hammer would have been crushed instead.
No Yeong-myeong, who had sensed that his finger bones had been shattered just by So-ah's fist strike grazing him, could not help but be astonished.
"How is it? Old man No. I'm not the me who almost died at your hands back then, am I?"
Even though he had not landed a fist strike, So-ah put on a smile and performed a bold provocation.
But this was not a provocation to stimulate the opponent.
So-ah was currently, just.
'My body is heating up! This is the first time I've felt this way!'
...a strange feeling that was hard to describe in words as a martial artist was welling up, and he had naturally drawn a smile.
'Why?'
He asked himself.
What is the identity of the emotion I am feeling now?
Is it the satisfaction of a master who has met a worthy opponent?
No.
How many times had he met a master until now?
When he fought with his sworn brother, the King of the Green Forest, Jang Beon-ha, So-ah had felt a sense of dread, and when he faced the seven Snow Mountain Giants, whose endurance was at its peak, he had to squeeze out all his strength.
Moreover, when he faced the Gwangpungsa of the Great Desert with Wang So-yeong, he had even resorted to retreating for the first time, and recently, he had been able to barely defeat the Eastern Depot and compete with Eunuch Han through the power of awakening.
He had not lived his life fighting easy fights.
One by one, there was no one who was not a master, and the satisfaction of a martial artist facing a master was something that So-ah had graduated from a long time ago.
Even while So-ah was in such thoughts, No Yeong-myeong's sword was shot out, containing a huge internal energy.
A living sword...
If one predicted the sword path and defended, just before it reached, the tip of the sword would turn and cause a change like a living creature that thought for itself, a secret art.
No Yeong-myeong's Heaven-Breaking Demonic Emperor Sword contained the secret of such a living sword even in a simple thrust.
But.
So-ah, while striking the sword with his steel-like forearm, used the Bowing Body Ejecting Shadow and escaped from the attack range.
Tremble-tremble-tremble—
His arm trembled.
His muscles were engulfed in a burning sensation as if they would burst, and his bones were cold.
But despite that, So-ah was still smiling.
'That smile... it's so ominous.'
On the other hand, No Yeong-myeong, filled with righteous indignation, attacked So-ah even more sharply.
A sword gang filled with a thick killing intent struck down on So-ah's head.
It was a hegemonic offensive that could erase the flesh and blood of a human without a trace with just the internal energy surrounding the sword body.
But this time too, So-ah raised his left hand and showed the feat of receiving the sword with his bare body.
'What on earth! What on earth is this!'
No Yeong-myeong's impatience and anxiety were further heightened.
Because this was something that simply did not make sense.
In the past, even the God of War, Moyong Cheon, had not blocked the Heaven-Breaking Demonic Emperor Sword, which contained an internal energy of 7 stars or more, in this way.
Although the Ten-Second Invincible Arts seemed like a crude fighting technique at a glance, that fighting technique contained a cunning and practical aspect.
Therefore, when facing an enemy with a weapon, it was a martial art that faithfully followed the theory of fighting that attack is the best defense, by avoiding perfectly rather than exposing the body, or by repeating preemptive strikes.
But So-ah had now received several clashes with his bare body.
Moreover, since he did not even counterattack, No Yeong-myeong was dumbfounded, but at the same time, his anger welled up.
'Is this guy ignoring me now?'
When such a useless thought even came to his mind, No Yeong-myeong roared with anger and exploded his internal energy even more.
"Jin So-ah!! You brat! Are you playing with me!"
That anger acted as the driving force of the duel.
The Heaven-Breaking Demonic Emperor Sword, containing a much stronger momentum than before, formed a storm of sword gang.
"Everyone, get back! Get as far away as possible!!"
The aftermath was so bizarre that Myo-seon hurriedly shouted and sent a warning to the people.
Kwang, kwang, kwang, kwang, kwang, kwang, kwang, kwang!
The storm of sword gang had truly become a gale that would swallow the world.
The moment So-ah's left, right, front, and rear surroundings were all covered by the storm of sword gang.
Nevertheless, So-ah still did not lose his smile.
'You crazy bastard. This is the end of your bluff!'
The way out.
There was no way out.
For So-ah, there were only two possibilities: to perform a single strike that would blow away the storm of sword gang at once, or to receive it with his whole body.
Since No Yeong-myeong was convinced of that, he thought he had seized the chance of victory.
But.
It didn't take long for that illusion to be shattered.
'W-What on earth is that!!'
In No Yeong-myeong's eyes, the sight of So-ah throwing his body into the storm of swords was imprinted.
***
'So-ah!'
'So-ah!'
Jeon Woo-chi and Myo-seon could not help but be astonished.
The storm of sword gang that No Yeong-myeong had created was a clear place of death.
Because it was the thought of the two that if one were to throw their body into such a gale, even a great immortal of the highest heaven would not be able to survive.
But in So-ah, who was committing such a suicidal act, there was not a moment's hesitation or faltering.
Just, like a tiger, he flew into the gale...
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
A roar of heaven and earth breaking apart burst out.
It was a huge roar as if dozens of thunderbolts had exploded at once.
"Cough!"
An earthquake occurred on the ground that was in the range of the storm's offensive, raising a dust wind.
The people, far from watching the fierce battle in its entirety, could not even breathe properly.
Because even just watching from a distance, they were on the verge of suffocating from the ki wave of the internal energy that was exploding like a volcano.
'So-ah?!'
'So-ah! What happened to So-ah?!'
In an instant, the hearts of Jeon Woo-chi and Myo-seon became heavy.
Of course, it wasn't that they thought So-ah would die.
But they were worried that he might have suffered a serious injury.
But that was a groundless fear.
The moment the low aftermath of the storm raised a small gust of wind and subsided.
What came into people's eyes was.
"I got you, old man No!"
...the sight of So-ah, who had grabbed No Yeong-myeong by the collar.
'...!'
Currently, No Yeong-myeong's eyes contained many emotions.
Surprise, astonishment, futility, grief, and even despair.
So-ah, who was looking at those eyes, which were full of resentment, was still smiling.
'I took a beating like a dog just to get this one shot, you vicious old man!'
That's right.
The reason why So-ah had blocked No Yeong-myeong's sword strikes with his bare body all along without avoiding them was because he had sensed No Yeong-myeong's habit.
As the duel continued, So-ah had seen through the fact that No Yeong-myeong had a bad habit.
It was that after landing an attack, his breathing would change regularly...
For a martial artist, breathing is not limited to the activity of preserving life by inhaling and exhaling.
For a martial artist, breathing is the manifestation of essence, ki, body, and will, and it exists as the martial art itself, which is the output of internal energy and the essence of a technique.
Therefore, masters manage, explode, circulate, and operate their internal energy through breathing.
But No Yeong-myeong, although it was for a moment, had regularly changed his breathing in a specific section and had alternately emitted different auras...
There was no way So-ah would miss that point.
And since he thought that the moment No Yeong-myeong's breathing was disturbed would be the breakthrough to reverse the tide of the battle and the turning point that would decide the match...
...he had blocked the Heaven-Breaking Demonic Emperor Sword with his bare body while overdoing it, and had focused his attention on No Yeong-myeong's slight change in breathing by exploding his senses.
As a result...
So-ah was able to stick to No Yeong-myeong's body like a magnet, and.
He showed the feat of driving his shoulder into No Yeong-myeong's armpit with a separate motion that was so fast that the word 'lightning' was pale in comparison.
'That's?!'
'It's out! That's out!'
A strange light appeared in the eyes of Jeon Woo-chi and Myo-seon.
The two knew the basis of that strange physical art.
And...
By the time they were sure of the identity of the physical art, it was already.
So-ah, who had completely attached his body to No Yeong-myeong's upper body, was soaring high into the sky with him through his lightness skill.
***
Although the explanation was long, the time it took for So-ah to fly into the sky with No Yeong-myeong was truly a moment, the blink of an eye.
'What on earth!!!'
So-ah, who had stuck to No Yeong-myeong like a cicada on an old tree in that fleeting moment, did not seem to be falling.
No matter how much No Yeong-myeong tried to raise his internal energy and shake him off, the parts of his body that So-ah's arms, head, legs, and torso were pressing on acted like a single formation that made a human most helpless, and had made No Yeong-myeong's body unable to move at all.
But that absurdity was only for a moment.
Although No Yeong-myeong, after getting over his bewilderment, had tried to prepare for something.
By then, his body had already been turned upside down.
'Let's end it, old man!'
So-ah's determination was also extraordinary.
No!
In fact, So-ah was now prepared to die.
The technique that So-ah was about to perform was the 'Taishan Reversal', which had the greatest killing power among the Ten-Second Invincible Arts.
The Taishan Reversal was an innovative technique that broke the concept of striking-based fighting arts, and was a standing grappling art that Moyong Cheon had devised after great effort.
Once one was caught in the standing grappling art, there was no way to break it, and that was because no master of any bare-handed fighting art had ever studied the systematic and perfect grappling arts such as breaking, choking, and crushing in depth.
But the Taishan Reversal carried a risk.
Since the caster also had to bear a part of the self-impact while throwing the opponent to the ground, it could not be performed until the body had reached the 'indestructible' state, and even then, it was Moyong Cheon's teaching and the creed of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts that one had to lift the opponent into the air by about 5 feet and unfold it using centrifugal force.
But the current So-ah had flown into the air with No Yeong-myeong by nearly 10 feet.
Just the fact that a human had jumped to this height was enough to shake the heavens and the earth, but if he were to throw No Yeong-myeong from this height?
Even So-ah's life could not be guaranteed.
But there was no choice.
If he did not think about the aftermath, So-ah would not have taken such a risk, but since No Yeong-myeong was a sorcerer with sharp abilities in addition to his martial arts.
If he could not decide the match quickly, there was a high probability that it would lead to defeat, and since there were about 80 Ghost Demon Jiangshi in the room, showing their menacing teeth and flashing their killing intent, he had to annihilate No Yeong-myeong in this one strike, even if it meant using all his strength.
'If this attack fails, No Yeong-myeong will use his sorcery. Then I won't be able to handle it.'
So-ah squeezed out all the internal energy that could be released in the 'awakened' state and began to rotate with No Yeong-myeong.
At that, a fierce whirlwind accompanied by a lightning streak that emitted a sizzling, lightning streak arose in an instant.
'Is that... really created by a human!'
'So-ah's martial arts... have now reached a level that cannot be evaluated.'
In the eyes of Jeon Woo-chi and Myo-seon, and furthermore, all the people, that whirlwind was imprinted as a single sea dragon and a waterspout that was ascending to the sky from the middle of the sea.
And...
The moment the bodies of So-ah and No Yeong-myeong collided with the ground, a huge explosion occurred.
A thick ki wave created a strange wave and scattered the mental power of the people, and the earth cracked and a large earthquake wave rippled through the entire Emei Sect like a wave.
(End of Chapter)