Book 12 Chapter 11

Yeomdo's Great Mistake

"Do you know Geon-gon Hapbyeok (乾坤合壁)?" Dongbanghak asked.

"Wh-, what do you mean, how?" Yeomdo was shocked that someone other than them knew about it.

"Because we have painful experiences!" A shadow of the pain they had endured from the past to the present flickered across the faces of Dongbanghak and Gongpae.

'Could they have survived even after taking that martial art head-on?' Yeomdo and Binggeom could only be astonished. Geon-gon Hapbyeok was one of their master's most powerful sealing techniques. It was their common opinion that even a man made of iron could not survive taking a direct hit from it. So how could they believe that someone had survived after taking that sealing technique head-on!

However, in reality, these two old men had not survived by taking the fearsome power of that move head-on. Though these two had sided with Cheongeomryeong a hundred years ago during the Cheongeobyeolse, wreaking havoc and spreading fear throughout Jeongsayangdo, both had had a bitter experience with the Taeguk Singun. These two were still friends a hundred years ago, and even when they attacked together, they couldn't block the left hand strike and the right hand sword of the Taeguk Singun, Mu-shin Hyeok Wolrin. The wounds inflicted by the sword's chilling energy from the right hand and the sword's burning energy from the left hand were still vivid on their bodies.

Honestly, when they faced Geon-gon Hapbyeok, they gave up resisting and simultaneously abandoned all hope of survival. If it hadn't been for the help of 'that person', their master, they would have been buried there that day. And it had been nearly a hundred years of effort together to break free from it. Though not personally, the time for their revenge had come.

"Now, show me Geon-gon Hapbyeok."

However, the two could only become as mute as if they had eaten honey. They couldn't showcase something they hadn't fully mastered in front of others.

"Why? Are you afraid?"

"Not at all. I don't know what fear is."

"Then surely… you still haven't mastered it?" Dongbanghak's dumbfounded retort. In that instant, the faces of Binggeom and Yeomdo turned crimson with shame.

"Everyone has their own circumstances. Don't probe too deeply. Our intention to confront you has not changed." Binggeom's words caused the old man's eyes to narrow. The old man's intuition was highly regarded.

"What happened to the Singun (神君)?" The voice was meticulously controlled, suppressing any tremor of emotion. The old man did not want the other party to read his agitation.

"He is praised as the Mu-shin (武神). He is not a name to be casually called 'Singun' by the likes of you," Binggeom retorted coldly.

"Is he still alive?" He lightly tested Binggeom and Yeomdo. For them, who were under the shadow of Cheongeomryeong, this was an extremely important matter.

"Do you think there is a sword in this world that can harm him?" Binggeom answered evasively, not showing any agitation. He never said that his master was alive. But he also didn't say he was dead. As if to test the truth of his words, the sharp gazes of the Twin Devils seemed to dissect Binggeom's cold eyes. However, the sword master with silver hair did not budge.

"……" The Twin Devils responded with silence. They knew the divine might of the one called Mu-shin. They had learned a painful lesson. Despite their animosity, it was indeed awkward to speak carelessly.

However, Dongbanghak was no ordinary person. He was a formidable figure in the dark arts world, having experienced countless battles. Although he usually spoke sparingly, he never failed to speak when necessary. He instinctively grasped the flaw in this tug-of-war. The old man's sharp gaze turned to Yeomdo. The old man knew what he had to do.

Dongbanghak clicked his tongue sharply and said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. If you mean he's still breathing, I'm sorry, but I can't believe it. It would be fortunate if he didn't die in a field and become food for wild beasts. Teach me the location of his grave later. I'll burn some incense later in remembrance of settling old scores. Though I hate sins, I don't hate people. So I'll spare you the punishment of digging up the grave and whipping the corpse or dismembering it. Though he deserves such punishment a thousand times over, being such a wicked villain. You should be deeply grateful for the warmth and generosity we are showing! Thinking back, he must have been quite pathetic in his later years. Dying without leaving a proper successor. Isn't that right? Only two half-baked disciples, eh? Are you two a set?"

Each word was extreme, designed to provoke the psychology of a person. Every single condescending word of the old man pierced Yeomdo and Binggeom's hearts. The last blow was particularly fatal. Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Yeomdo's rage exploded.

"Shut up! You damn old man! Don't insult our deceased master any further! I'll tear you to shreds!"

"Yeomdo!" A scream-like cry escaped Binggeom's lips. In that instant, Yeomdo's face turned pale. He realized what a terrible mistake he had made.

"You fool, you idiot!" Yeomdo had no comeback to such words.

"Kekeke…, kekeke……" Despite the terrifying threat of being torn to shreds until no form remained, a smile of triumph appeared on Dongbanghak's ashen lips. He couldn't contain his surging joy.

"Kuhahaha! Hahaha! Uhahaha!" A loud, ecstatic laugh, unlike anything one would expect from the old man's emaciated body, echoed resoundingly through the gorge. The gorge vibrated with a rumble. Some officials couldn't help but cover their ears.

"Finally, finally, has Mu-shin Hyeok Wolrin died? Because of that person, I haven't been able to live properly until now… Now I can walk in the light of the world with a good feeling. I was worried because there was no one to stop the Mu-shin unless that person stepped forward… Thank you for letting me know. Really, thank you!"

Binggeom's face contorted with a desperate seriousness. It was the face of someone who had resolved with absolute determination. Yeomdo was in shock from his own mistake.

'That damned mouth is cursed,' Binggeom thought. It was a secret that should never have leaked. The reason Cheongeomryeong had continued its secret activities without fully revealing itself was the immense shadow cast by Mu-shin Hyeok Wolrin and Mu-shinma Gal Jungyeok over the martial arts world. If one of the two pillars, the Mu-shin, was dead, it was only natural that the shadow would weaken.

Yeomdo, barely returning from a state of mental panic, shouted as he saw Namgung Sang standing a short distance away, "Sang, set up a barrier with Jujakdan! Don't let anyone in. And no matter the cost, you must not let those two people leave."

"Yes? Yes!" Namgung Sang looked bewildered, but he followed the order. Jujakdan scattered and quickly surrounded the two old men. The weapons in their hands gleamed faintly. However, most of the officials still couldn't grasp what was happening.

Then Yeomdo shouted again, "What are the others doing just standing around? Are you watching a fire? If you don't want to die, move quickly! Anyone who dawdles will repeat the special training course 50 times."

At Yeomdo's thunderous command, the officials who had been standing around busied themselves. Strangely, they still seemed to have no precise idea of what was happening. Their expressions clearly showed they didn't understand why there was such a fuss. Despite being surrounded by nearly fifty people, the two old men's expressions were as calm as if they were out for a stroll.

"We must never let them leave alive!" Binggeom's distorted face was devastatingly grim.

"Do you understand, you fool! You have to tie up what you've done. We can't let them leave alive, even if we have to cooperate!" The fact that he was willing to resort to a joint attack, something he hated more than death, clearly demonstrated how serious he considered this matter. He couldn't willingly open the way for Cheongeomryeong. The Mu-shin and Mu-shinma had been the weights and shackles that had restricted Cheongeomryeong's movements for the past hundred years. It was a disgrace to his deceased master.

His composure had vanished completely. Binggeom, who was supposed to have a heart as cold as ice, showed such an urgent and flustered expression for the first time. This indicated how dire the situation was.

"Will killing the two of us solve the problem? The people lying in ambush up there aren't deaf. My voice isn't particularly loud, but I don't think it was so quiet that they couldn't hear it. Isn't it already too late?" Dongbanghak's mocking words, filled with contempt, made Yeomdo's face turn pale. It might have been too late to stop the running cart. However, Binggeom, standing beside him, didn't change his expression. His face was not that of a defeated person.

"That won't happen. When this hasty human with no reasoning skills, who fell for your provocation just now, spoke foolish words, I sensed something was amiss and created a soundproof barrier with my Qi within a three-zhang radius around us. It's my eternal regret that I couldn't shut this hot-headed human's mouth by crushing it… Therefore, no one on that cliff, nor the children who are currently setting up the barrier, will know what happened."

"What!"

"Wh-, when!" The two old men let out exclamations of surprise, each different. They had never expected Binggeom to employ such a tactic amidst the chaos.

"Well done, Cheolsu!" Yeomdo was surprised when the name, which he used to call him fondly in the past, slipped out of his mouth unconsciously. He hadn't used that term of endearment in twenty years, so he must have been extremely delighted, to the point of losing his mind.

"I apologize for underestimating you. But can you handle us with your own strength? Surely you're not relying on this group of younglings?" Binggeom's counterattack exceeded Dongbanghak's expectations.

"We won't know unless we try!" Binggeom replied curtly. A fearsome aura surged from both Yeomdo and Binggeom like waves. The resolve to fight to the death was etched in their eyes.

At this point, even the Beirae Ssamma could not be taken lightly. As if to match them, black killing intent emanated from the bodies of the two old men. As is often the case in a fight between masters, it began with a battle of momentum. As killing intent and murderous intent pushed and pulled, an invisible vortex formed between them. This phenomenon sometimes occurred when invisible Qi, which only supreme masters could emit, clashed. It was less a battle of internal energy and more a battle of willpower.

Anyone caught in this invisible current of Qi could not escape death. The miraculous realm of harming people with just a gaze, Eogisangin (御氣傷人), was also made possible by the power of this invisible Qi. To step into the center where such powerful invisible Qi clashed violently was one of the surest ways for a warrior to commit suicide.

However, there was one person who walked into the center of this vortex of invisible Qi as if taking a morning stroll. Of course, this was nonsensical by any normal standards. But as if the abnormal had swallowed the normal, the man seemed unaffected by the explosive pressure of Qi.

"Hold on a moment! Let's stop here." The one who interrupted their confrontation in the most absurd way was none other than Biryuyeon.