Chapter 32 – The Eighth Dragon (6)

*Boom!*

The Thousand Hands Buddha Palm exploded where Yu-jin had been standing, shattering the sturdy floor of the dueling stage.

Jin Won-ho calmly searched for the vanished Yu-jin, then thrust out his finger. The Diamond Finger, said to be capable of piercing through anything, shot precisely toward where Yu-jin reappeared. But Yu-jin dodged the attack once again.

‘He’s the first I’ve ever seen who’s mastered such a wide variety of martial arts.’

But no matter how many attacks he launched, they were meaningless if they couldn’t hit their target. Jin Won-ho unleashed a relentless barrage of powerful techniques, but Yu-jin never allowed a single one to land.

‘No matter how great a prodigy he is, his internal energy must have a limit. He can probably use it only one more time before he’s finished, but I can’t let it come to that.’

*Whoooosh!*

Yu-jin drew upon all his power, right up to the limit he had set for himself. Jin Won-ho, facing that immense pressure head-on, grimaced.

His attacks were mighty, but they had the disadvantage of consuming a great deal of internal energy.

Even though he had more internal energy than his peers thanks to the Great Rejuvenation Pill, a treasure of the Shaolin, using such draining techniques in succession was bound to deplete his reserves.

While he grew weary, Yu-jin remained… no, he radiated an even more intense aura.

‘The gap is wide.’

He now had only twenty percent of his internal energy left.

‘I have to end this in a single blow.’

As if reading his thoughts, Yu-jin looked at Jin Won-ho, smiled, and spoke.

“Let’s end this with a single strike.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

If that one attack failed, Jin Won-ho, having exhausted all his internal energy, would face certain defeat. Knowing this, he couldn’t help but feel grateful that Yu-jin had proposed to settle the match with a single blow.

The two men aimed their swords at each other. Then, as if by agreement, they swung their blades simultaneously. A silver flash and a golden flash flew toward each other, soon colliding at a single point.

*Kwakwakwakwakwakwang!*

A roar that seemed to swallow the heavens and the earth erupted along with a blinding flash of light. The force of it was so immense it felt as if it could shake the very atmosphere and tear the sky asunder.

The sound was so deafening that for a moment, people wondered if their eardrums had burst. But they were more curious about the winner than the state of their hearing, and they stared at the dueling stage, now shrouded in a cloud of dust.

As the dust cloud dissipated, the first thing to be revealed was the state of the stage. It had been completely obliterated by the collision of immense power. Then, the two figures came into view.

“*Cough!*”

Jin Won-ho coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to his knees. His face was pale, having squeezed out every last drop of his true energy, and he no longer had the strength to stand.

In contrast, Yu-jin still stood like a mountain, looking down at Jin Won-ho.

“I have lost…”

Even Jin Won-ho had to acknowledge the overwhelming difference in their skills. The final match ended with Yu-jin’s complete and utter victory.

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd of martial artists gathered in the stands.

“The champion! The Divine Sword Dragon, Kang Yu-jin!”

Hearing this, Yu-jin proudly raised the hand holding his sword.

“Waaaaaaah!”

Once again, a mighty cheer echoed through the arena. The people were ecstatic at the birth of a new dragon. And not just any dragon, but a tremendous one capable of defeating all the existing ones.

From this duel onward, Yu-jin would be recognized as the pinnacle among the Eight Dragons. He had become, in name and in reality, the greatest young martial artist in the current martial world.

***

Namgung Hwa-rin was already in Yu-jin’s room. Seeing her, Yu-jin set aside the sword he had received from Han So-un and looked at her.

“You did so well, Young Master!”

Those who didn’t know martial arts might think Yu-jin was only slightly ahead, but Namgung Hwa-rin, who boasted profound martial skill, knew that the gap between Yu-jin and Jin Won-ho was immense.

As if to prove it, Yu-jin hadn’t allowed a single attack to hit him. He had even completely blocked the final blow using his Body Protection Aura.

“Haha! Thank you, Hwa-rin! It was only possible because I had your support.”

“Really?”

At Yu-jin’s words, she looked as if she could fly with joy.

“It’s true. I hope you’ll always cheer for me with a smile like that, Hwa-rin. No, I’ll make sure that smile never leaves your face.”

Namgung Hwa-rin blushed at Yu-jin’s confession and lowered her head. But it was only for a moment. Turning to look at him, she slowly approached and pressed her lips against his.

Yu-jin pulled her into a tight embrace, and soon the room was filled with the sounds of their passionate cries.

“*Sigh*…”

Yeon, Ye, Hwa, and Rin. The four maids sighed at the thought of spending another night alone.

Since leaving the True Dragon Sword Clan with Yu-jin, they hadn’t been held by him once. To soothe their longing, they had shared their affections with one another, but the void left by Yu-jin remained unfilled.

“Why the long faces?”

At the sudden voice, they all turned their heads.

“Young Master!” the maids cried in unison.

Having left Namgung Hwa-rin in a state of blissful collapse, Yu-jin had come to find the maids he hadn’t held in so long. A lustful smile played on his lips as he spoke.

“It’s been a while. Let’s have a wild time.”

At his words, the four maids shed their clothes and rushed toward him.

***

While the Righteous and Demonic factions were fundamentally at odds, they still shared a sense of pride in belonging to the martial world of the Central Plains.

However, a martial world also existed in the lands beyond the Central Plains. Among them, three sects boasted the most formidable power: the Northern Sea Ice Palace, the Western Heaven Demonic Cult, and the Potala Palace.

They had developed their own unique martial arts, distinct from those of the Central Plains, and reigned as hegemons in their respective regions.

But even as fellow rulers of the outer martial world, their dispositions were vastly different.

The Northern Sea Ice Palace had no interest in the Central Plains, maintaining an isolationist policy with only occasional martial arts exchanges. In contrast, the Western Heaven Demonic Cult and the Potala Palace were aggressively expansionist, constantly eyeing the Central Plains and launching invasions.

However, the Western Heaven Demonic Cult and the Potala Palace were hostile toward each other due to religious conflicts.

Still, the greatest threat to the Central Plains was undoubtedly the Western Heaven Demonic Cult.

A horde that endlessly coveted the fertile lands of the Central Plains. Unlike typical martial organizations, the forces of the Western Heaven Demonic Cult operated with strict military discipline, posing a significant threat even to the Central Plains.

To repel their invasion a hundred years ago, the Central Plains had to call upon all of its previous generation’s masters to fight. That was how overwhelming the power of the Western Heaven Demonic Cult was.

And now, a hundred years later, the Western Heaven Demonic Cult was beginning to stir once more.

***

The Cheonsan Lee Clan, a family that sought to conquer the martial world with their ancestral art of the saber. Because they were based in Gansu Province, a region closer to the outer lands than the Central Plains, they were not counted among the Five Great Clans, despite possessing comparable power.

However, no one could afford to ignore them. Just as the True Dragon Sword Clan was to the sword, the Cheonsan Lee Clan was to the saber; their saber arts were that exceptional.

They had also amassed enormous wealth by controlling the Silk Road of the Central Plains. Power, wealth, and influence—there was no faction in the Central Plains that could disregard the Cheonsan Lee Clan, which possessed it all.

*Clang! Clang!*

The lands governed by the Cheonsan Lee Clan were usually bustling with merchants, but today, they were noisy for a different reason. Countless people were engaged in a fierce battle, killing one another.

“Arrrgh!”

As an attacker pierced his chest, a warrior of the Cheonsan Lee Clan let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed.

“Hah!”

But leaving their dying comrades behind, the surviving warriors of the Cheonsan Lee Clan swung their sabers with all their might. The Sky-Shaking Saber Arts, a powerful technique that shattered everything it touched, was unleashed, slicing through the chests of the mysterious assailants.

*Boom!*

The upper bodies of the assailants struck by the sabers were nearly split in two. But the warriors who witnessed this frowned.

Despite suffering such grievous wounds, the attackers did not shed a single drop of blood.

Instead, black demonic energy billowed out, regenerating all their wounds. It was a bizarre phenomenon that defied all common sense.

“What the! These bastards won’t die!”

Even when their hearts were pierced or their chests were torn open, the mysterious assailants regenerated their wounds and charged with even greater ferocity, attacking the warriors of the Cheonsan Lee Clan.

Moreover, they never seemed to tire, relentlessly unleashing powerful attacks. There were only fifty of them, but even after several hours, not a single one had fallen.

In contrast, the two hundred warriors of the Cheonsan Lee Clan had already been reduced to about a hundred.

“We can’t win…”

Fear dawned on the faces of the warriors as they fought against monsters that simply would not die.

The warriors of the Cheonsan Lee Clan were all valiant, but it was impossible not to feel terror when facing undying monsters. No matter how brave they were, they were only human.

“You are the proud warriors of the great Cheonsan Lee Clan! Do not be afraid of such creatures!”

Just then, a young man and several warriors radiating intense auras charged into the fray. The young man was the first to attack. Stepping forward, he shouted loudly and swung his saber at an assailant’s head.

The assailants boasted bodies as tough as steel and flesh made resilient by regeneration, but the powerful energy imbued in the young man’s saber sent the attacker’s head flying.

This time, unlike before, the assailant did not regenerate and collapsed to the ground.

“Woooah! It’s the Young Lord!”

At the sight of the Cheonsan Lee Clan’s Young Lord, Lee Ye-hwan of the Heaven-Shattering Saber, the demoralized warriors of Cheonsan found their strength renewed.

Furthermore, the men who followed Lee Ye-hwan were masters from the Guardian Hall, protectors of the direct bloodline. With the addition of these supreme masters, each a powerhouse in their own right, the tide of the battle began to turn.

“They are not immortal! Aim for their necks! If you separate the head from the body, they will die! Everyone, do not lose heart! Fight with all you have!”

Empowered by Lee Ye-hwan’s shout, the warriors of the Cheonsan Lee Clan began to focus their attacks on the assailants’ heads, just as he had done. This time, they were able to dispatch the attackers effectively.

Just as Lee Ye-hwan had said, the assailants’ weakness was their necks. But after defeating all of them, Lee Ye-hwan’s expression was far from pleased.

“To think we lost over a hundred warriors of the Cheonsan Lee Clan to a mere fifty of these abominations. Unbelievable. And the identity of these regenerating monsters is Jiangshi. But what power in this world could create such a large number of them? What’s more terrifying is the fact that this is likely not all of them.”

Each Jiangshi was incredibly powerful, but their movements were crude. They moved with the sole intent of killing every living thing in sight.

To deploy such high-quality Jiangshi, capable of regeneration, as if they were disposable pawns meant that they held little value to their master.

The thought made the mysterious enemy seem all the more terrifying to Lee Ye-hwan. He had a strong suspicion as to who could be behind such an act. There was only one faction capable of such an outrageous deed.

“Has the Demonic Cult awakened again?”