“I’ve never heard of the name ‘Landlord Association’ before.”
…Well, that’s just a nickname made up by the market merchants.
Hearing Gwak Cheolyong’s words, I grumbled inwardly while looking at Namgoong Ruby, who was supporting her father.
‘That side is going to take some time.’
If that’s the case, I have no choice but to fight alone now.
“Breathe in…”
With my determination firmed, I inhaled deeply.
As I did, my lower, middle, and upper energies simultaneously activated, causing my Qi to start swirling quickly through my body’s meridians.
Once the Qi circulated all the way from the Yongcheong point on my foot to the Baekho point on my crown, I was ready to unleash the only technique I learned from Wolhyang at Myoseondong.
They call it,
‘Sukji (縮地).’
“What!”
Having just been about five meters away, I suddenly appeared right in front of Gwak Cheolyong, who looked startled.
He hastily tried to lift his crescent blade for defense but it was too late.
First Technique: Butterfly’s Needle (蝶飛蜂針)
A sufficiently accelerated strike slammed into his abdomen.
“Kuugh!”
Sukji is a technique that renders most existing martial arts and mystical arts as ‘irrelevant,’ allowing for movements that cannot be simply categorized as fast or slow.
It’s practically a teleport, making it impossible to track with the eye.
I seized the opportunity when Gwak Cheolyong was caught off guard and followed up with my next move with a quick strike.
Third Technique: Insect Manifestation from Decay (物腐蟲生)
This technique focuses on attacking the enemy’s injured areas, and its cruelty is arguably the worst among all the techniques of the Dangmun style.
Unlike me, who had just joined the battle fresh and energetic, Gwak Cheolyong had just been fighting Namgung Min, a master of the same level, in a desperate battle.
Naturally, he must have had numerous injuries, and using Insect Manifestation from Decay at this timing was just like pouring salt on his wounds.
“Krahhh!”
The concentrated energy dug into his wounds, causing him to scream in pain as he thrashed around.
His bloodshot eyes glared at me, and he shouted,
“You!!! I will never let you die easily!!”
Immediately following, perhaps to keep his promise, Gwak Cheolyong grit his teeth and swung his crescent blade with all his might.
But sensing the prelude to his attack, I had already moved to his blind spot.
Seventh Technique: Shadow of a Snake in a Cup (盃中蛇影)
This technique deceives the opponent’s senses, making them believe I’m present even when I’m not, perfect for creating a distraction in an instant.
As he swung the blade widely through the air, I struck him with the principle of my Dangmun style straight into his side.
Boom!!
No matter how tough and resilient the skin, it can’t toughen the insides.
“Kahhh!”
The shock that pierced through his bones and skin shook his insides, making Gwak Cheolyong spit out red blood.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
After all, the gap between a master like him and an ultra-master like me was like heaven and earth.
The chance to attack freely may never return, so without hesitation, I kept landing strikes on his side.
Thousand Zhang Collapse (千丈潰穴) Seven Consecutive Hits (七連發)
Liver, heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, gallbladder, stomach.
A deadly barrage aimed at all the major organs of the human body.
Gwak Cheolyong’s body twisted uncontrollably in the air, like a marionette.
Eventually, he flew about three meters sideways and crashed to the ground.
“….”
Silence enveloped the area.
It must be because they witnessed such an overwhelming defeat of South Amajon’s Gwak Cheolyong by a mere child.
Gulp—
Just as someone gulped in the tense atmosphere, Gwak Cheolyong suddenly sat up from the ground.
“Ah! Damn it!! It hurts like hell!! You brat!!!”
Amazingly, Gwak Cheolyong stood up with a nonchalant expression, despite bleeding profusely from his entire body.
‘Just how tough is he?’
Clearly, not only his outer body but also his insides must have been wrecked, yet he seemed unaffected.
It’s presumed to be due to his mastery of the immortality internal art, the Immortal Celestial Energy Technique.
“Since I’ve let you hit me a lot on our first meeting, you can’t complain if I start hitting you back now!”
Saying this, Gwak Cheolyong stood up, twisted his neck, and kicked up the crescent blade that had fallen on the ground.
He caught it in one hand and, in a flash, his eyes sparkled momentarily, and then he hurled the crescent blade like a spear.
“!”
I swiftly bent backward to evade the thrown weapon.
“Slow.”
However, Gwak Cheolyong’s body was already right in front of me.
Boom!!
With a tremendous roar, the ground shook violently.
Just barely dodging his punch, I tried to create distance by doing a somersault, but he didn’t allow me to have any space.
“Hey! Youngster! If you’ve pounded on someone so thoroughly, you’ve got to take a hit too, it’s only polite!”
With a voice brimming with excitement, Gwak Cheolyong, bleeding profusely from his forehead, swung his fist.
Eventually, there is a limit to avoiding, and I received his powerful punch with my Qi-enhanced shackles, but the overwhelming power sent shivers through me.
Boom!!
It felt like being hit by a dump truck with staggering shock.
Compared to how I had just launched him with my skill, he treated me like a ping-pong ball with a simple punch.
After what felt like a long time in the air, I rolled and got up, only to find Gwak Cheolyong’s foot already coming at my face.
I hastily raised my guard.
Once again, Gwak Cheolyong’s strike struck true.
“Kuugh!”
The bone-jarring strength made me instinctively bite down hard.
The only good thing was that I was in a lower stance this time, so I didn’t fly away like before.
Because of that, I utilized the impact I received to launch a counterattack with my signature technique, the Slumbering Dragon Stance.
Boom!!
Yet, even after taking that attack head-on, Gwak Cheolyong stood tall unscathed.
“Have you finished your struggles?”
‘What kind of endurance is this?!’
I internally cried out in despair as I immediately executed my technique, Nascent Dragon’s Glide.
*
Immortal Celestial Energy Technique (不死玄天氣功).
Originally developed secretly by the military during the late Song dynasty to create soldiers that would fight to the death against foreign tribes.
No matter how damaged the user’s body may be, it maximizes the speed of recovery to enable them to keep fighting.
However, this technique had a significant flaw: it could not be used unless the user had a high tolerance for pain.
All test subjects who learned this technique went mad from the excruciating pain that accompanied their bodies breaking down and rebuilding, leading to it being discarded in the past.
But for Gwak Cheolyong, who has a unique physique with a higher pain threshold than ordinary people, this Immortal Celestial Energy Technique was an irreplaceable divine and demonic art.
“Haha! You crawling around like a bug is just too fitting!”
Gwak Cheolyong laughed at Ichilbok, who was performing the Nascent Dragon’s Glide, which was seen as a shameful act for martial artists.
Even in this moment, his body was regenerating endlessly.
Because of that, the chemicals released by his brain caused his emotions to manifest in an even more extreme form than usual.
“You brat may have some skills moving your body, but the playtime is about to end.”
Gwak Cheolyong said, extending his right hand.
Suddenly, the crescent blade that had been stuck in the ground shot toward him without him even touching it.
This skill, often referred to as Air Manipulation (虛空攝物), demonstrated just how profound his martial energy was by moving a blade weighing close to 80 kilograms through the air.
Once the crescent blade was in his hand, Gwak Cheolyong grasped it with both hands and raised the enormous blade above his head.
‘Strong Dragon Breaking Mountain Strike’ (剛龍破山擊)
The red energy around the blade began to shimmer like heat haze.
Realizing that a powerful technique was coming from under him, the brat looked shocked and tried to get up, but it was already too late.
There’s no way a martial artist could resist from that stance.
At the moment he was about to slam down the crescent blade preparing for the Strong Dragon Breaking Mountain Strike—
The brat’s expression completely changed.
‘What?’
As if he had rolled on the ground to gain some momentum, the brat propped his hands against his head.
And with the rebound from pushing against the ground, he leaped up like a hummingbird and kicked the handle of the crescent blade out of Gwak Cheolyong’s hands.
‘Uh-oh!’
Realizing his blunder too late, Gwak Cheolyong tried to retreat, but the brat was already flipping through the air.
“Don’t let your guard down.”
Swoosh!
From his sleeves, long tendrils like spider silk shot out, fiercely binding Gwak Cheolyong’s limbs.
“This is ridiculous!”
He rushed to free himself, but in the world of martial artists, even a moment is sufficient.
Final Technique of the Dangmun Style:
‘One-eyed Dragon’ (獨眼龍)
First Technique: Butterfly’s Needle (蝶飛蜂針)
Second Technique: Mantis Blocks the Wheels (螳螂拒轍)
Fifth Technique: Flower Amidst the Butterflies (華間蝶舞)
Third Technique: Insect Manifestation from Decay (物腐蟲生)
Seventh Technique: Shadow of a Snake in a Cup (盃中蛇影)
Fourth Technique: Collapse of the Dike (隄潰蟻穴)
Eighth Technique: Dragon and Snake Ascend (龍蛇飛登)
He unleashed all techniques of the Dangmun style except the Sixth Technique, battering the helpless Gwak Cheolyong, who was tightly bound and unable to move.
Finally, he executed the crescent blade technique he learned from his master, Wolhyang, striking Gwak Cheolyong at the back of his head with a full moon kick.
