Chapter 141 – Clash (5)

After the war with the Western Heaven Demonic Cult ended, Kang Yong-hoon felt a profound sense of powerlessness and gave up on his martial arts. Yu-jin’s skills on the battlefield had revealed a vast gap between them.

He later learned that enemies he had struggled against were effortlessly overwhelmed by Yu-jin, who had also dealt with even stronger foes. Upon discovering this, Kang Yong-hoon could only despair before the insurmountable wall that stood before him.

“Perhaps Father can fix this problem.”

The fundamental flaw in his martial arts would surely threaten him again one day. Thus, Kang Yong-hoon decided to consult Kang Yu-hyeon, who knew more about martial arts than anyone. He was determined to break through the wall of despair.

“This place… it always gives me chills whenever I come.”

The Sanctum, a place known to be accessible only to the family head; no one else could enter without the head’s permission.

An inexplicable eeriness made Kang Yong-hoon tremble as he walked forward. And soon, he was horrified. Countless warriors lay dead along the path.

They bore no wounds, but their complexions, so pale they were almost blue, confirmed they were corpses.

“Who could have done such a thing in the family’s sanctum?”

Enraged, Kang Yong-hoon ventured deeper into the Sanctum. And there, he saw something he should not have seen.

* * *

“I will end everything… a fine sentiment.”

Kang Yu-hyeon said, looking at Yu-jin. Seeing the aura rising from Yu-jin’s entire body, he could tell that Yu-jin had no intention of dying quietly.

Kang Yu-hyeon smiled at the sight of Yu-jin revealing his fighting spirit, even though he knew Yu-jin couldn’t resist because of the Gu poison.

“Watching my son’s final tantrum might not be so bad.”

As Kang Yu-hyeon spoke, the Sky Sword floating near him rose and settled into his hand.

Slowly, Kang Yu-hyeon aimed the sword at Yu-jin. Knowing that Yu-jin had reached the Profound Realm, he felt a certain tension.

Of course, he never imagined he would lose. The power he had gained by consuming countless descendants over hundreds of years was, without exaggeration, world-shattering.

“Go on, show me what you’ve got. Shouldn’t you let it all out before your final moments?”

“I wonder. Can an old man like you even face me? If it weren’t for the Gu poison, you would no longer be my match.”

Yu-jin retorted with a smile, and Kang Yu-hyeon’s face twisted in fury.

He thought he was showing mercy, but Yu-jin’s insolence was more than he could bear. As punishment, he employed Sword Form Division, a superior technique of Sword Control, and sent three swords flying at Yu-jin.

“It’s a mistake to think such an attack can do anything to me.”

As he spoke, Yu-jin threw a punch, and a massive vortex erupted, instantly shattering the three swords Kang Yu-hyeon had sent.

The attack didn’t stop there, surging toward the pavilion where Kang Yu-hyeon stood.

“Insolent whelp!”

Kang Yu-hyeon roared and swung his Sky Sword, a rainbow-colored sword aura deflecting Yu-jin’s fist strike to the side.

*CRACK!*

The well-tended garden was obliterated, but neither Kang Yu-hyeon nor Yu-jin paid any mind to such trivialities.

“You’ve certainly reached a higher realm than I expected. But don’t think for a moment that’s enough to defeat me.”

*RUUUMBLE!*

A rainbow-colored current of energy erupted from Kang Yu-hyeon’s body, and a powerful aura began to press down on Yu-jin.

But Yu-jin, with an unfazed expression, manipulated his own energy and instantly pushed back Kang Yu-hyeon’s aura.

Frowning at how effortlessly Yu-jin had repelled his aura, Kang Yu-hyeon immediately swung his sword. In that instant, a vast, rainbow-colored mist unfurled toward Yu-jin.

*CRASH!*

Like a tsunami swallowing everything in its path, the rainbow mist rushed at Yu-jin. Watching it approach, Yu-jin activated his Wings of Light, and enormous golden wings blocked the rainbow mist.

*He blocked it?*

Kang Yu-hyeon, who hadn’t expected Yu-jin to block what was a fairly powerful strike, gripped his sword tighter. However, he felt a sense of bewilderment as he looked at the wings enveloping Yu-jin’s body.

In his hundreds of years of life, he had witnessed countless martial arts, but he had never seen a protective aura of that kind. Nevertheless, believing that no protective aura could stop his sword, he prepared to swing at Yu-jin again.

But Yu-jin was faster.

“Now, it’s my turn.”

Before Yu-jin could finish his sentence, the Wings of Light swung, and feathers of light rained down on Kang Yu-hyeon like arrows.

Caught off guard by this type of attack, Kang Yu-hyeon hastily deployed his protective aura. However, it was not a special protective aura like the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven’s Heavenly Light Protection, so it cracked each time it was struck by the light projectiles.

*Damn it!*

Kang Yu-hyeon retreated before his protective aura could shatter. He then swung his sword fiercely in Yu-jin’s direction. Dozens of sword-aura bundles flew toward Yu-jin, but he folded his thirteen Wings of Light to protect himself.

*BOOM!*

A massive explosion echoed from the clash of energies, but Yu-jin stood there with an unconcerned expression. Then, Yu-jin opened his mouth, a smirk playing on his lips.

“For someone who has spent hundreds of years absorbing the souls, internal energy, and insights of his descendants, you are unbelievably weak. Didn’t I say it before? Without the Gu poison, you would already be dead at my hands.”

Yu-jin no longer even called him father. Feeling a profound sense of humiliation from Yu-jin’s words, Kang Yu-hyeon unleashed his full power.

As Yu-jin said, he could subdue him immediately using the Gu poison, but to do so after such an insult would be to admit defeat to Kang Yu-jin.

Having resolved never to be defeated again after his battle with the Heavenly Demon hundreds of years ago, Kang Yu-hyeon vowed to make Yu-jin submit before taking his body.

“Let’s see how long you can keep running your mouth!”

*RUUUMBLE!*

The explosive flow of energy distorted the surrounding atmosphere and shook the heavens. Only then, as if things were finally getting interesting, did Yu-jin begin to circulate his own energy.

However, he had not yet used the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts. The Kang Yu-hyeon he had faced so far was weaker than even the Great Dharma Master of Shaking Heaven, who had burned his final embers.

Yu-jin believed there was no need to use the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts from the start against such a warrior.

*FWOOSH!*

With his Wings of Light active, Yu-jin shot toward Kang Yu-hyeon and threw a punch. An immense, rotating force coiled around his arm, making it clear at a glance that this was no ordinary strike.

But Kang Yu-hyeon thrust his sword without hesitation. A similarly powerful force was coiled around his flying sword.

*KRA-BOOOOM!*

The clash of immense forces caused the ground to collapse, forming a massive crater. A powerful shockwave toppled all the surrounding trees.

Yet, even within that tremendous vortex of energy, Kang Yu-hyeon and Yu-jin relentlessly attacked each other.

*SWOOOSH!*

As Yu-jin threw another punch, the thirteen wings protecting him flew toward Kang Yu-hyeon.

Facing attacks coming from twenty-seven points at the same time and speed, Kang Yu-hyeon swiftly moved his sword, and a massive barrier of sword aura blocked Yu-jin’s assault. But Yu-jin watched this, smiled, and said.

“It’s useless.”

*CRACK!*

The barrier of sword aura could not withstand Yu-jin’s fist and Wings of Light and was shattered. At this sight, Kang Yu-hyeon gritted his teeth and threw himself backward.

But Yu-jin, having already anticipated such a move, charged fiercely and surged toward Kang Yu-hyeon. The difference in speed between retreating and pursuing made it possible.

Cornered, Kang Yu-hyeon brought his sword down hard, but it failed to penetrate the Wings of Light enveloping Yu-jin’s body.

*CLANG!*

“What!”

Yu-jin threw a punch at the stunned Kang Yu-hyeon, and his fist slammed squarely into Kang Yu-hyeon’s abdomen.

“Kuh-heok!”

Sent flying by the powerful force that ravaged his insides, Kang Yu-hyeon tumbled across the ground, writhing in immense pain. But the power he had accumulated over the years was not for show, as he quickly got back on his feet.

“Impressive. To concentrate your protective aura on a single point in that brief moment to lessen the impact of my fist. As expected of someone who has lived for hundreds of years. Your control of energy is truly remarkable.”

Though it was a compliment, hearing it from the person who had just landed a powerful blow, the one who took the hit could only feel rage boiling within him.

“You bastard!”

Enraged, Kang Yu-hyeon poured energy into his sword, and in that instant, the image of another sword appeared above it. This was Kang Yu-hyeon’s Heart Sword, the ‘Heavenly Sword’.

The Heavenly Sword, which had been with him for hundreds of years, possessed a power on a completely different level from the Heart Swords of other Profound Realm swordsmen. Its powerful aura sent a chill down Yu-jin’s spine. But despite that, Yu-jin smiled broadly.

*If I could have won with just that, it would have been truly disappointing.*

How anticlimactic would it be to risk one’s life to gain great power, only for the opponent to be pathetic? Fortunately, Kang Yu-hyeon was not so pathetic as to leave Yu-jin feeling let down.

“Hah!”

With that thought, Yu-jin deployed his Wings of Light and lunged, aiming to pierce Kang Yu-hyeon’s entire body.

But Kang Yu-hyeon casually swung the ‘Heavenly Sword’ and sliced off six of the thirteen Wings of Light. However, Yu-jin, well aware of the power of a Heart Sword, used that opening to unleash an ink-black palm strike.

“Your attacks are useless against me now.”

*KRA-BOOM!*

Kang Yu-hyeon said as he sliced through Yu-jin’s ink-black palm strike. But Yu-jin relentlessly fired off palm strikes.

The power of the ink-black palm strikes, which flew as if to swallow everything, was immense, but they were utterly powerless before Kang Yu-hyeon’s Heart Sword.

*FWOOSH!*

Deciding that attacking from a distance was pointless, Yu-jin once again threw himself at Kang Yu-hyeon and launched a punch.

“Foolish. Don’t you know that rushing in like that is meaningless?”

Kang Yu-hyeon sneered at the reckless Yu-jin and swung his Heart Sword. Yu-jin’s shining fist looked incredibly feeble before the Heart Sword.

But just as the Heart Sword and fist were about to collide, Yu-jin twisted his body, dodged the sword, and then threw a punch imbued with the Green Phosphorus Poison Fire.

The Green Phosphorus Poison Fire, the flame of annihilation that would never extinguish until its target was erased from the world. The fist carrying that flame flew straight toward Kang Yu-hyeon’s chest.

But Kang Yu-hyeon, having already taken one hit, altered the trajectory of his Heart Sword and swung it sharply upward.

The Wings of Light were severed, and the Green Phosphorus Poison Fire was instantly extinguished. As if that wasn’t enough, the Heart Sword continued on, aiming to sever Yu-jin’s arm. Yu-jin quickly activated the Black Heaven Hand with his other hand and reached out toward the Heart Sword.

“Kugh!”

Although the energy of the Black Heaven Hand couldn’t stop the Heart Sword, Yu-jin, who had barely managed to prevent his arm from being severed, quickly retreated.

Kang Yu-hyeon sneered at him and opened his mouth.

“Do you understand your place now?”

But Yu-jin scoffed back at Kang Yu-hyeon’s words.

“I don’t know about that. But I’ve certainly learned that you’re nothing special.”

“After taking a beating like that, you still!”

As Kang Yu-hyeon roared, Yu-jin chuckled and held out his hands. His hands and arms, struck by the Heart Sword, were a wreck.

The injuries were so severe that he might never be able to use his martial arts again without immediate treatment. But such wounds were meaningless to Yu-jin.

“Who took a beating? Surely you don’t mean me?”

As he spoke, Yu-jin activated the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Arts, and his wounds began to heal rapidly, soon recovering completely.

“You… how do you have that ability!”

Regeneration. The one ability Kang Yu-hyeon had coveted but never managed to obtain.

Even though he believed he had obtained power comparable to the Heavenly Demon, the reason he never dared to challenge him was that he had no confidence he could actually kill him. Regeneration was just that dangerous of a power.

So how in the world did Yu-jin obtain it?

“Who knows? I don’t see any reason to tell you. If you want it, why don’t you hurry up and absorb me to find out?”

“Kugh. Before that, I need to teach you a proper lesson!”