C1701 - They Only Realized
Tang Gunak looked at Jo Gul with an expression of disbelief.
‘In the midst of all this...’
The young swordsman, focusing entirely on his sword, made his presence seem to vanish among those present. It was as if only he shone with his own light, while the others turned gray.
The ones he faced were the best of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, including the elders, who could be considered the highest force of a sect.
Considering this, rather than saying it was surprising, it would be more appropriate to say it was absurd.
‘Is he about to jump again in the middle of this battle?’
Shattering that enormous amount of heat energy, in the past, would have been impossible for Jo Gul.
It was, in short, a growth that defied common sense.
‘No, not just Jo Gul.’
Tang Gunak saw the disciples of Mount Hua directly confronting the Southern Sea Sun Palace. They were ruthlessly pushing back the Southern Sea Sun Palace, one of the Outer Palaces.
At that moment, the knife in Tang Gunak's hands shot out at terrifying speed.
Kwaduk!
The knife, which wasn't even visible to the naked eye, lodged in the feet of the Thousand-Faced Gentleman. As Tang Gunak looked away, the face of the Thousand-Faced Gentleman, who had been waiting for an opportunity to escape, contorted horribly.
"I told you, you wouldn't leave."
"You damn..."
Blood flowed from various parts of the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's body. It was the terrifying wound left by Tang Gunak's knife.
But, in reality, Tang Gunak's situation wasn't good either. His clothes were torn and tattered, and the flesh visible through the holes was black and dead.
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's eyes turned red.
"That... damn bastard! Are you going to hold on until the end?"
Despite everything, the Thousand-Faced Gentleman kept looking towards the edge of the cliff. Although keeping an eye on Tang Gunak was important, the fear that at any moment there would be a crash and the entire ground would collapse was much greater.
"Are you going to risk your life just for those guys? The Poison King of the world? The Tang Family Head?"
"Just for that..."
Tang Gunak's lips curled in disdain.
"You think that's enough?"
"What?"
"Well, most don't even reach a second-level duel. Those people are now fighting on equal terms with the elites of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, one of the Outer Palaces."
"What's wrong with that?"
"Don't you want to know?"
Tang Gunak's eyes turned infinitely serious.
"If they keep growing like this, what will they be able to do?"
"Nonsense...!"
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman spat obscenities without caring about his reputation.
He understood that Mount Hua was impressive. So what?
The most important thing for him now was not the future of Mount Hua, but his own life.
But there was no way out of the current situation.
Tang Gunak's knife was faster than his agility. If he tried to escape clumsily, the knife would lodge in his back.
But dominating Tang Gunak wasn't easy either. To decide the fight correctly, he would have to fight for hundreds more seconds. Would the cliff withstand all that time?
"Move aside, Poison King! Do you really want both of us to die?"
"Well..."
The knife in Tang Gunak's hands began to spin slowly.
"I don't think it will take that long."
Tang Gunak's eyes, which had remained calm, suddenly turned fierce.
His young subordinate had shown a sight he would never see again, and he couldn't remain silent.
Even if he couldn't open the way forward, as an adult, he had to at least protect the backs of the young ones.
"Are you really the Tang Gunak Poison King I know?"
"..."
"Have you gone mad from the heat of the young ones? This nonsense of yours will lead to the fall of the Tang Family. What sane family head risks his life for a sect that isn't his?"
In response to those words, Tang Gunak let out a low laugh.
It was a typical tactic. Normally, the Thousand-Faced Gentleman wouldn't have said something like that; it was a low-level insult. It could be ignored, as it showed that the Thousand-Faced Gentleman was very desperate.
But Tang Gunak really wanted to say this.
"It's true that I'm a little worried."
"What?"
Tang Gunak's eyes looked towards the cliff. In his eyes appeared a strange light that briefly flickered.
"I'm not the only one being so reckless."
A short sigh came from Tang Gunak's lips.
----------------
"Taah!"
Lee Songbaek launched a powerful burst of energy with his white sword, intending to leave no bit of his internal energy behind.
Wuuhhh!
As if resonating with his will, the sword screamed. The sword energy shot through the cliff.
"This bastard...!"
The disciples of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, seeing the approaching sword energy, filled with rage and released their fierce killing intent. How dare that novice attack the disciples of the Southern Sea Sun Palace with his sword?
Wuuuuu!
Finally, the orange energy collided head-on with the sword energy. The heavy, dense energy and the burning energy intertwined in the air, producing a great roar.
Kuuuuung!
As a result of the explosion, Lee Songbaek's body was pushed back uncontrollably. It wasn't just one person, but several, and he couldn't handle it alone.
But before his body completely fell off the cliff, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Lee Songbaek opened his eyes in surprise.
"Senior brother!"
"Stop doing nonsense!"
Jin Geumryong shouted coldly through gritted teeth.
"Don't face them head-on. They..."
"Senior brother! Above!"
When Jin Geumryong stopped speaking and looked up, the orange energy was approaching them.
Jin Geumryong's eyes widened as the orange energy collided with the blue energy rising above their heads.
Wuuuuu!
Like the roar of a giant beast... No, like the roar of a legendary dragon, the blue energy rose above their heads along with a blue dragon's roar.
The orange and blue energies collided. It was as if a blazing flame met a blue dragon leaping towards it.
Kwaaaang!
The blue energy blocked the energy heading towards Jin Geumryong.
"Jaah!"
After this, behind them, the white sword energy also fired. It destroyed all the scattered heat energy shards.
"Beggar Union Leader?"
"Sect Leader?"
Pung Yeong Shin Gae passed by them without saying a word. A cry full of anger hit their ears.
"Idiots!"
They couldn't believe what they were seeing. How was it possible that Jong Rigok was climbing the cliff himself?
Jong Rigok's murderous gaze was so intimidating that even Lee Songbaek and Jin Geumryong shuddered.
And with good reason, as both had climbed the cliff without the Sect Leader's permission. According to the rules, they could be executed for insubordination.
Jong Rigok looked at them coldly before shouting.
"Jin Geumryong! Lee Songbaek!"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
They responded with serious faces. But what followed was unexpected.
"I'll punish you later."
"...What?"
"First, let's eliminate the enemies. Follow me!"
Jong Rigok lunged upward without waiting for a response. Jin Geumryong and Lee Songbaek looked at each other perplexed before pushing themselves up, following Jong Rigok on the sides.
Once again, a red energy fell on them from above. Although it hadn't reached them yet, the heat was so intense that it seemed to burn them alive.
Jong Rigok's eyes shone with a blue light.
"Damn it!"
Swaaaa!
His sword cut through the air.
Dozens of swords quickly multiplied into hundreds. The swords formed a great wall.
Lee Songbaek's eyes widened.
The burning energy couldn't penetrate Jong Rigok's wall of swords. The orange flame, which seemed like waves crashing against a cliff, crumbled and retreated.
'What is this?'
The Thirty-Six World Swords Technique.
According to Chung Myung, it was the most perfect defensive sword, as unyielding as a great tree rooted in the ground.
Jong Rigok was showing the essence of the Thirty-Six World Swords Technique.
Lee Songbaek's eyes trembled.
His sword was heavy. No, actually, he had wanted it to be heavy.
He believed that for the Southern Edge Sect's sword to flourish, his sword needed to be the solid root.
But now, Jong Rigok was teaching him with his sword.
Exactly, the ancestors of the Southern Edge Sect were transmitting all they had achieved over the years through Jong Rigok's sword.
'What doesn't bend.'
The sword wasn't as heavy as Lee Songbaek's. And it wasn't as light as Jin Geumryong's. It had no distinctive features, but precisely for that reason, it didn't lean to one side.
Wasn't that what perfection was called?
'No, that's not all.'
Despite unleashing such a sword, Jong Rigok's body didn't waver at all. The speed of his movements didn't decrease. He was climbing the steep cliff only with the tips of his toes.
At that moment, Lee Songbaek shouted in shock.
"Sect Leader, in front of you...!"
Amid the burning energy, something black flew towards them.
It was the same thing that had left Namgung Dowi on the brink of death just a moment ago.
Boom!
Before they had time to react, the dynamite exploded right in front of them. Jin Geumryong and Lee Songbaek instinctively ducked, clinging to the cliff.
But that was all.
Though they felt the shock, they didn't experience the pressure or impact.
Surprised, they lifted their heads to see the firm back of Jong Rigok and the wall of swords he had erected. It hadn't wavered a single bit, like an iron wall.
‘That explosion...?’
It was a different dimension. The level of Jong Rigok's skill, which they thought they knew, was much higher than they had imagined.
At that moment, Jong Rigok shouted.
"What are you doing? Come up!"
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
Just as Lee Songbaek and Jin Geumryong were about to move, two more sticks of dynamite flew towards them from above.
Even Jong Rigok gritted his teeth at that moment.
"Bastards!"
But then, something appeared in front of them like a ghost and launched the dynamite away from the cliff.
Boom!
Boom!
The explosions resonated in the air like fireworks.
"Pung Yeong Shin Gae!"
"Master!"
The body of Pung Yeong Shin Gae, who had hit the dynamite without hesitation, stretched like a piece of gum. Jong Rigok also retrieved his sword and lunged forward like an arrow.
"Those bastards!"
Pum!
Pung Yeong Shin Gae's energy impacted the chest of a Southern Sea Sun Palace warrior hanging on the cliff. After eliminating a dozen enemies in one blow, Pung Yeong Shin Gae extracted the dynamite embedded in the cliff.
"You damn beggar!"
A Southern Sea Sun Palace warrior, furious at the disruption of their plans, launched his energy towards Pung Yeong Shin Gae, but a cold sword pierced his neck.
"Ugh..."
With his hand on his neck, the warrior looked at Jong Rigok with a horrified expression.
"Damn it... What?"
The warrior's blood-filled eyes suddenly displayed an incomprehensible smile. It was a truly sinister look.
Just as Jong Rigok realized something was wrong...
Fwooosh!
The body of the Southern Sea Sun Palace warrior ignited in flames in an instant.
"This is...!"
Boom!
The body exploded with such force that it shook the cliff.
