Chapter 406

Pyo Wol tucked the Ghost Fang and the Inner Core into his robes.

Instantly, Ghost Fire flared in Gyeong Musaeng’s eyes. Pyo Wol’s casual handling of what he considered his own had enraged him.

Gyeong Musaeng shouted.

“Earth, Harden, Create.”

It was a shout of just three characters. But within them lay the principles of a profound mystic art.

Drrrk!

Suddenly, the earth beneath Pyo Wol’s feet churned.

The soil writhed like a living creature, then quickly hardened and clumped together to form the shape of spears.

Dozens of such earthen spears were created.

At Gyeong Musaeng’s gesture, the earthen spears shot up from the ground into the air. And the place the spears were aimed at was Pyo Wol’s lower body.

Pyo Wol executed the Serpentine Steps to dodge the dozens of spears. But Gyeong Musaeng’s attack did not end there.

“Wood, Shatter, Scatter.”

At his shout, the trees near Pyo Wol shattered into thousands, tens of thousands of pieces. The wood fragments became hidden weapons and rained down on Pyo Wol.

It was an incredible feat.

It was unbelievable that he could create such a miracle with just a few words.

The mystic art he was performing was originally a very old Secret Transmission, but his father had improved it in his own way.

In particular, this Three-character mantra could be easily activated and was immensely powerful, so Gyeong Musaeng used it often.

Every time Gyeong Musaeng chanted the mantra, trees would continuously explode, and the earth would clump together to launch spears.

Pyo Wol executed the Serpentine Steps to evade all the attacks.

“You rat-like bastard!”

Gyeong Musaeng grew furious at the sight of Pyo Wol.

He continuously used the Three-character mantra, but its power was insufficient to land a blow on Pyo Wol.

He was enraged that he could no longer use the mystic treasure on his wrist.

If only he hadn’t pushed the mystic treasure to its limit to subdue the Ghost King, he would have been able to exert greater power. If so, there was a high chance he could have subdued Pyo Wol more easily.

Gyeong Musaeng’s foundation was not martial arts, but mystic arts.

His martial arts were enough to be called an Expert of the Jianghu, but what made him stand out and made him strong were, in the end, his mystic arts.

Gyeong Musaeng had never been pushed back by any opponent until now.

His mystic arts, which had reached the state of summoning wind and rain, were tricky for any martial artist in the Jianghu to face. However, Pyo Wol dodged all the mystic arts Gyeong Musaeng unleashed by a hair’s breadth.

Pyo Wol was like a ghost.

He detected the signs of Gyeong Musaeng’s mystic arts activating with uncanny perception and moved his body to evade. Yet, he was steadily closing the distance to Gyeong Musaeng.

For the first time, Gyeong Musaeng felt intense pressure from another person.

He had a feeling that something terrible would happen if he allowed Pyo Wol to get any closer. So he used a mystic art that he normally didn’t use.

“Summon, Wind, Strengthen.”

Wind, and a very strong one at that, was stirred up.

He used the strong wind to first halt Pyo Wol’s approach.

Caught by the unexpected gale, Pyo Wol’s body faltered.

Gyeong Musaeng did not miss the opening and chanted another Three-character mantra.

“Lightning, Draw, Earth.”

Instantly, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky.

Pyo Wol had dodged all the other mystic arts, but even he could not avoid the lightning.

BOOM!

With a deafening roar, Pyo Wol’s figure was struck by lightning and sent flying.

Gyeong Musaeng burst into a mad laugh.

“Khahaha! You bastard! Serves you right.”

The final mystic art that summoned lightning was the most powerful among the Three-character mantras. Once performed, even Gyeong Musaeng would be bedridden for days.

Compared to the majesty of a real, natural lightning bolt, it was but a drop in the ocean, but it was more than enough to snuff out a person’s life.

The number of times Gyeong Musaeng had used the Three-character mantra of Lightning, Draw, Earth could be counted on one hand. And without exception, all those on whom he had used it had lost their lives.

When lightning strikes a human body, the first thing to burn out are all the nerves.

Even if one manages to survive, with their nerves burned, they become a cripple, unable to move their limbs.

Gyeong Musaeng thought Pyo Wol would have become one of the two.

Either dead, or a cripple unable to move his limbs.

At that moment, Gyeong Musaeng’s face filled with astonishment.

Something unbelievable had happened.

Pyo Wol, who had been struck squarely by the lightning, was getting up.

Pyo Wol’s once-pale face was now blackened with soot.

It was the mark of being struck by lightning. But that was all.

He was not dead, nor were his limbs paralyzed.

Although he had received a strong shock and his body ached all over, he had no trouble breathing or moving.

It was thanks to the Black Lightning.

Black Lightning was an essential technique that utilized lightning power.

The moment Pyo Wol was hit by the lightning, the Black Lightning activated and dispersed all the lightning power that had flowed in beyond its limit.

If it had been a real lightning bolt, he would not have been unscathed, no matter how the Black Lightning activated. There was a limit to the lightning power a human could contain and wield.

However, unfortunately for Gyeong Musaeng, the lightning he had summoned did not possess that level of power.

Gyeong Musaeng glared at Pyo Wol and said.

“What are you? How in the world…”

Pat!

Instead of answering, Pyo Wol kicked off the ground.

He had no intention of leisurely chatting with an enemy before him.

Shuuuu!

The Silken Serpent Strong Energy shot out from Pyo Wol’s hand.

Gyeong Musaeng was startled and retreated.

Puk!

A hole the size of a needle’s eye was pierced where he had been standing.

The hole was so small it was invisible to the naked eye. That made it even more chilling.

It was a given that the more condensed something was, the more powerful it became.

A Gang Qi condensed to that degree would surely be several times stronger than ordinary Gang Qi.

No matter how supreme the mystic arts Gyeong Musaeng had learned, if he took such a wound to the head or heart, his life would inevitably be cut short.

Tatatak!

Pyo Wol closed the distance between them in just three steps. Pyo Wol’s face became clearer.

His distinct features, even when smudged with soot.

His cold, sunken black eyes. His blood-red lips stood out conspicuously.

“Kkht!”

Gyeong Musaeng’s face contorted.

For a moment, Pyo Wol’s beautiful face felt terrifying.

Shhh!

The Silken Serpent Strong Energy shot out from Pyo Wol’s hand again.

Instantly, Gyeong Musaeng threw himself backward without thinking. It wasn’t just a single step back; he leaped far away to avoid Pyo Wol.

Gyeong Musaeng’s face flushed with shame.

It was the first time since he had become one of the Eight Constellations that he had retreated in fear of someone else.

He hated to admit it, but he was overwhelmed by Pyo Wol.

‘Is that bastard my natural enemy?’

Gyeong Musaeng’s mystic arts displayed overwhelming power against the Ghost King.

It was Gyeong Musaeng, after all, who had brought the Ghost King back to life. But conversely, his mystic arts did not work on Pyo Wol.

This was because Pyo Wol could sense the subtle changes when a mystic art was about to be activated.

No matter how powerful a mystic art was, it was useless if it didn’t hit.

The final lightning bolt had only hit because it had struck so suddenly. Having experienced it once, he could now dodge it before it was activated.

Pyo Wol’s martial prowess was a threat to Gyeong Musaeng.

“Kkht!”

Gyeong Musaeng gritted his teeth.

It was the first time in his life he had faced an opponent against whom his mystic arts were ineffective.

Everyone became afraid when they learned he could perform mystic arts, but Pyo Wol showed no such fear.

Mystic arts were certainly mysterious.

They were also threatening in their unpredictability. But that didn’t mean they were overwhelmingly more powerful than martial arts.

Above all, there were signs when a mystic art was about to be activated.

If one could just sense the signs first, one could dodge the mystic art.

In a way, Pyo Wol was clearly Gyeong Musaeng’s natural enemy. Gyeong Musaeng’s mystic arts were, in many ways, a bad match for Pyo Wol.

Shhh!

A chilling sound of something slicing through the air echoed.

Pyo Wol had fired the Silken Serpent Strong Energy.

The thread-thin Gang Qi possessed terrifying power.

Gyeong Musaeng hastily retreated. But it was not enough to shake off the Silken Serpent Strong Energy.

“Wind, Revolve, Wall.”

In the end, he chanted the Three-character mantra to create a wall of wind.

The wall of wind rotated, amplifying its power.

Tung!

A metallic clang erupted as the Silken Serpent Strong Energy and the wind wall collided.

Although it was a mystic art performed in haste, it thankfully managed to block the Silken Serpent Strong Energy. But the impact sent Gyeong Musaeng flying backward.

Gyeong Musaeng realized he had no chance of winning like this.

The matchup was too unfavorable.

He needed another way to deal with Pyo Wol.

He had no choice but to sling the Ghost King over his shoulder and escape. The Ghost King had been his goal from the start. But Pyo Wol would not allow even that.

The Soul Restraining Thread shot out, coiling around the Ghost King’s body and pulling him back.

At that, Gyeong Musaeng’s face twisted even more like a demon’s.

“You bastard! I will never forgive you.”

He didn’t know when another chance to subdue the Ghost King so easily would come again. That made it all the more regrettable, and his anger surged.

If he could, he wanted to tear Pyo Wol’s entire body to shreds and kill him. But now was the time to be calm.

“We will meet again soon. When we do, I will show you hell.”

Gyeong Musaeng left a curse for Pyo Wol and vanished abruptly.

Pyo Wol stared in the direction Gyeong Musaeng had disappeared.

If he had his way, he would have given chase immediately, but he couldn’t.

If he left, not only the Ghost King but also Hong Ye-seol would be in danger.

He had caused all this commotion to save Hong Ye-seol; if she died, all his efforts would be for naught.

“Hoo!”

Pyo Wol let out a sigh.

His whole body was still tingling.

Thanks to the Black Lightning, his nerves had held up, but it was true that they had been under immense strain.

If not for the Black Lightning, all his nerves would have been burned by the lightning Gyeong Musaeng had summoned.

Pyo Wol also needed time to recover.

He took the Ghost King and settled down in a corner of the destroyed forest.

＊＊＊

Hong Ye-seol’s eyelids trembled slightly, and a moment later, she opened her eyes.

The first thing she registered was her situation.

‘My body is buried in the ground.’

Red soil covered her body, leaving only her face exposed.

Her entire body, buried beneath the soil, felt itchy.

It felt as if thousands, tens of thousands of ants were crawling all over her. But it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. On the contrary, it felt refreshing.

Hong Ye-seol did not move and quietly checked the condition of her body.

All her blocked qi and blood vessels were wide open.

Her qi was flowing without obstruction; it seemed she had fully recovered.

She would have to move to know for sure, but the condition of her muscles and bones wasn’t bad either. No, it was good. A vitality she had never felt before filled her entire body.

‘Am I buried in that life-saving earth the Ghost King talked about?’

There was no other way to explain what had happened to her body.

Hong Ye-seol did not get up rashly.

She closed her eyes again and began Qi Circulation.

She could feel the internal energy in her Dantian.

A stream of internal power left her Dantian and began to circulate through her qi and blood vessels.

At first, she circulated her internal power cautiously. But upon feeling that there was nothing wrong with her body, she circulated her qi more boldly.

One cycle, two cycles, three cycles.

She completed a total of three major circulations in an instant.

Only then did Hong Ye-seol realize she had completely recovered. In fact, her body was in far better condition than before.

Her internal energy seemed to have increased, and she could feel strength in her muscles.

She would have to check the details in a real fight, but with her body in this state, she felt she could compete not only with the Ten Blood Assassins but also with the Hundred Wraith Union Lord.

Only then did Hong Ye-seol get up.

The soil covering her body flowed off to the sides.

After briefly looking at the softly flowing red soil, Hong Ye-seol stood up completely.

Hong Ye-seol looked around.

She saw the black earth surrounding the red ground she stood on. Beyond it, she saw a green forest. But a section of the forest was brutally destroyed.

‘Something must have happened while I was unconscious.’

Hong Ye-seol launched herself toward the ruined forest.

She had only moved lightly, but she reached her destination in an instant.

There, she saw two people sitting cross-legged.

One was Pyo Wol, and the other was the Ghost King.

Behind them, she saw the massive corpse of a Horned Dragon.

“My goodness!”

Hong Ye-seol covered her mouth with her hand in surprise.

She didn’t know the circumstances, but it was clear that an earth-shattering clash had taken place here. Yet, Hong Ye-seol had been completely unaware of it, and her body had even been fully healed.

Pyo Wol had clearly protected her.

“Tch! He moves my heart again like this.”

Hong Ye-seol pouted and plopped down on a rock near Pyo Wol.

Since Pyo Wol had protected her, it was now her turn to be his Dharma Protector.