Chapter 137 – Clash (1)

“You bastard!”

Rawang shouted as he looked at Yu-jin. He couldn’t help but be enraged, seeing the enemy who had killed two of his martial brothers right before him. Rawang began to gather the energy of the Vajra Palm to attack Yu-jin immediately.

“Stand down.”

Just then, the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven spoke, and the internal energy Rawang had gathered dissipated in an instant.

“Why, Master? That man killed two of our brothers.”

“I am aware. But Rawang, he is not someone you can face. The same goes for the two women beside him. Only the woman who resembles an assassin is a being you might be able to handle.”

At the Great Dharma Master’s words, Rawang gritted his teeth and stepped back. But even for Rawang, who believed and followed his master’s every word, he could not quell the rage that filled his heart.

Unable to hold back any longer, Rawang unleashed the energy of the Vajra Palm toward Yu-jin.

“Well now.”

Yu-jin chuckled as if amused and parried the raging torrent of Vajra Palm energy. Rawang and the other disciples were stunned by how easily Yu-jin had deflected the attack.

“I told you to stand down.”

Startled by the Great Dharma Master’s voice once more, the disciples finally retreated.

The Great Dharma Master looked at Yu-jin with a calm expression and rose from his seat.

Rawang and the other disciples hurriedly stood to stop him, but a gesture from the Great Dharma Master forced them to back away.

After carefully observing Yu-jin, the Great Dharma Master spoke.

“You bear a striking resemblance to that specter from the past. Your appearance, your disposition, everything.”

“Well, as I am a descendant and son of that specter, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

“Is that so? So you are indeed related to him. But do you know that you possess an aura just as unsettling as his? Your very existence is a threat to the world.”

At the Great Dharma Master’s words, the smile on Yu-jin’s lips deepened.

“Perhaps. But in the pursuit of survival, I found I had no other choice. One can’t simply lie down and die, can they?”

The Great Dharma Master said nothing in response to Yu-jin’s answer.

“This has been too much idle chatter. I came to find you for one reason.”

“And what is that?”

Yu-jin answered the Great Dharma Master’s question while channeling the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts.

“To kill you, Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven.”

In that instant, Yu-jin’s fist shot toward the Great Dharma Master.

* * *

Before the war between the Western Regions Martial World and the Central Plains had erupted, at the Imperial Palace.

Yu-jin knelt on one knee before the Emperor, his head bowed, awaiting the imperial decree.

After a moment, the Emperor looked at Yu-jin and spoke.

“The Western Regions Martial World will be unable to properly attack the Central Plains.”

“It was possible thanks to Your Imperial Majesty’s divine strategy.”

Yu-jin replied, genuinely impressed by the plan the Emperor had devised.

The Western Regions have a small population, so losing ten thousand martial artists would truly shake the nation’s strength to its core.

Of course, they acted this way because they trusted in their desert terrain, but both the Emperor and Yu-jin knew just how futile that belief was.

“By the way, Yu-jin, I have a command for you.”

“Please give your order, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor smiled faintly at Yu-jin’s response and continued speaking.

“Once we obtain the surrender document from the royal family of the Western Regions and the Phantom Lord shows it to the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven, even he will have no choice but to retreat. From what I have heard of him, his devotion to the Western Regions runs very deep. He would not wish to see the royal family fall or his homeland burn at the hands of our soldiers. Is that not so?”

“Your Imperial Majesty is correct. As planned, the Great Dharma Master will retreat.”

“Yu-jin, your task is simple. Kill the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven as he returns. As long as he lives as the spiritual pillar of the Western Regions, they will always pose a threat of invading the Central Plains, and I do not wish for that. You can do it, can’t you?”

At the Emperor’s command, Yu-jin thought of the Great Dharma Master he knew. A warrior who was truly worthy of being called a god. The thought of fighting such a man stirred his competitive spirit as a martial artist.

‘In this respect, I’m a martial artist through and through.’

Thinking this, Yu-jin spoke.

“Your Imperial Majesty, in the event that the Great Dharma Master is gravely injured and has little time left to live, must I still attack him?”

The Emperor looked puzzled by Yu-jin’s question and replied.

“I heard from the Phantom Lord that the Great Dharma Master has never once been wounded. Would such a man truly suffer such a grave injury?”

Yu-jin asked this question because of his father, Kang Yu-hyeon. Kang Yu-hyeon possessed enough power to pierce the Great Dharma Master’s Heavenly Light Aegis and wound him. That was why he had to ask.

The Emperor pondered for a moment before speaking again.

“Even if such a situation arises, you are to take the Great Dharma Master’s life. He is a man who dared to covet the Central Plains and the Empire. It is imperative that we punish him with our own hands.”

“I accept Your Imperial Majesty’s command.”

With those words, Yu-jin left the Imperial Palace.

* * *

‘But I never thought it would really turn out like this.’

In truth, Yu-jin had never truly believed the Great Dharma Master would be injured.

He had assumed his father, Kang Yu-hyeon, wouldn’t actively intervene, given his personality.

So he had looked forward to fighting the Great Dharma Master with all his might, but unfortunately, the opponent he had to strike down was now a man with very little life left.

The handsome, youthful appearance was gone, replaced by the face of a distinctly old man. It wasn’t just his appearance that had aged; his aura and presence had also faded.

‘I’ve lost all desire for this fight.’

With that thought, Yu-jin resolved to end his life quickly and threw a punch.

“Master!”

Before Rawang or the other disciples could react, Yu-jin had already appeared before the Great Dharma Master, his fist aimed at his heart.

‘It’s over.’

Yu-jin thought. It was an attack that the original Great Dharma Master could have easily blocked, but in his current, weakened state, it was absolutely unstoppable.

Even if he could see the attack coming, his body couldn’t keep up. That was why Yu-jin was certain of his victory.

But that was underestimating the Great Dharma Master. A dying beast was still a beast. And as if to prove it, a bright golden light erupted from the Great Dharma Master’s entire body at that moment.

*Kwwaaaaang!*

Feeling as if he had struck a solid wall, Yu-jin grimaced involuntarily.

Just then, the Great Dharma Master thrust a hand, enlarged by the Great Hand Seal, toward Yu-jin. It was a stronger and faster attack than any Yu-jin had faced from the martial artists of the Western Regions.

But Yu-jin, a warrior who had surpassed the Profound Realm, quickly threw a punch to block the attack.

*Kwazzzzik!*

Unable to withstand the clash between the two, the palanquin was destroyed on the spot, and several martial artists from the Western Regions, struck by the powerful shockwave, coughed up blood and collapsed.

“Everyone, fall back!”

Rawang shouted, his face filled with shock as he watched Yu-jin so easily block his master’s attack. It was a necessary measure, as getting caught in the fight between those two could lead to an incredible number of deaths.

It would be a cruel fate for warriors who had survived the battlefield to die by getting caught in their fight. The martial artists of the Western Regions hurriedly distanced themselves, putting more than a hundred paces between them and the two combatants.

“Master…”

Rawang called out to the Great Dharma Master and looked at his martial brothers standing beside him. They all seemed to share the same thought and nodded.

They were about to move to ambush Yu-jin while he fought the Great Dharma Master. But their intention was thwarted before they could even act.

“Oh my, where do you think you’re going?”

As Eun Seol-rin spoke with a bright smile, Rawang gritted his teeth. An aura comparable to his own was radiating from the smiling woman’s entire body.

But what was more terrifying were the two women behind Eun Seol-rin. Rawang could feel nothing from the two women with faint smiles. This meant, as the Great Dharma Master had said earlier, that they were warriors who far surpassed him.

“You’ll all have to stay here for a moment. If you ignore my warning and interfere with my master’s fight, I will never forgive you.”

At Eun Seol-rin’s words, Rawang and his brothers ground their teeth. But there was nothing they could do.

If he and all his brothers attacked together, they might be able to handle one of the two women. But handling both was impossible, even if they risked their lives.

Just then.

*Kwwaaaaang!*

A tremendous roar echoed out, a large crater appeared, and a cloud of dust rose. Eun Seol-rin watched the scene and spoke.

“Interfering in that fight would be nothing short of suicide for you. So just stay put and watch.”

Rawang and his brothers could only feel anger and frustration at Eun Seol-rin’s words. They realized they had no choice but to admit she was right.

The fight between those two was not a realm they dared to enter.

They could only retract their fighting spirit and pray for the Great Dharma Master’s victory.

* * *

*Kwakwakwakwang!*

As their powers collided, rocks all around them shattered. But neither Yu-jin nor the Great Dharma Master paid any mind, continuing to unleash their strength.

Then, the Great Dharma Master raised his right hand. An immense energy began to gather in his palm. When he thrust his hand forward, a tidal wave of palm energy surged toward Yu-jin.

‘So this is the Heavenly Vajra Palm.’

An immense energy, incomparable to the Vajra Palm used by his disciples.

Yu-jin activated the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts throughout his body and threw himself toward the energy of the Heavenly Vajra Palm. Like a salmon swimming against a raging current, he pushed against the palm energy, closing in on the Great Dharma Master.

The Great Dharma Master’s face was grim as he watched Yu-jin approach.

‘The energy enveloping that man’s body is sinister and alien.’

To think he could block the Heavenly Vajra Palm, which could easily shatter a small mountain… No, it was more than just blocking; he was completely extinguishing the internal energy itself.

It was a phenomenon that even the Great Dharma Master, who had lived a long life and witnessed countless warriors and martial arts, found difficult to comprehend.

But he paid it no mind and swung his hand once more.

*Kwakwakwang!*

As the Great Dharma Master struck again, the earth trembled and the air screamed. Desert sand rose to block out the sun, and the wind raged. Yet the deafening roars and shockwaves continued to erupt without end.

‘Can I finally unleash my full power?’

As he thought this, a deep smile formed on Yu-jin’s lips, and his eyes gleamed.

His fight with Bukri Hwan had been tremendous, but Bukri Hwan was a master who fought by controlling the environment and climate, not one who specialized in close combat, so the fight itself hadn’t been as satisfying.

But the Great Dharma Master was different. With every clash of their hands, Yu-jin felt an intense thrill.

He no longer felt any wonder at how the dying Great Dharma Master could wield such power. He simply moved his body, fighting with all his might to kill him.

*Kwakwakwang!*

Yu-jin’s fist struck the Great Dharma Master’s shoulder, and the Great Dharma Master’s hand struck Yu-jin’s abdomen.

But as both were protected by their sturdy protective auras, they continued their attacks with unfazed expressions.

*Kwadeudeudeuk!*

The Great Dharma Master’s palm energy struck Yu-jin’s shoulder once more, but Yu-jin, with an unconcerned look, swung his fist and struck the Great Dharma Master in the side.

The Great Dharma Master grimaced, unleashed a palm strike, and retreated.

“As expected, your martial arts are alien. To wield techniques composed of an energy that does not exist in this world.”

The Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts, possessing the power of absorption, had the ability to erase or absorb another’s internal energy. Because of this, even the Great Dharma Master’s solid protective aura began to crack after being repeatedly struck by Yu-jin’s attacks.

“And you, Great Dharma Master, are using all of your remaining life force. Wasn’t it your wish to die in the Western Regions?”

There was only one reason the dying Great Dharma Master could face Yu-jin. He had given up on returning to the Western Regions and was using all his remaining life force to kill Yu-jin.

“Your existence is endlessly dangerous. You could become an even greater threat than that specter from the past. Even more so than the Heavenly Demon this old monk once saw. You are a being that must vanish from this world.”

Having said that, the Great Dharma Master drew upon all his power. A massive golden Buddha image enveloped his body.