Chapter 139: Bloody Battle Aboard the Ship (2)

“Hahaha, who are you? I usually don’t ask for others’ names, but I’m particularly curious about yours.”

“If you answer first, I’ll tell you mine.”

The Third Young Master paused for a moment before softly murmuring.

“My name is Yang Gwak. What’s yours?”

I smirked and replied, “My name is Gwak Yang.”

Upon hearing my response, the Third Young Master’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re even lying about your name? You’ve just reversed the name I gave!”

“And didn’t you lie about your name as well?”

“What? How can you prove that?”

I chuckled.

“Look closely at your robe. There’s an ‘陰’ character embroidered on it. Also, the jade tied with the sword tassel over there bears the same character. That likely represents either your surname or a character from your name. People who pretend to be noble often have a compulsive need to mark their belongings. But the name ‘Yang Gwak’ doesn’t contain ‘陰’. That’s why I deduced your name is false.”

The Third Young Master grinned slyly at my words.

“You’re quite something. You noticed that? We must be of the same ilk. Fine, I’ll reveal my name.”

“No. I no longer wish to hear your name. But I’ll tell you mine. I’m not a coward who can’t even state his name. I am Yong Hwarin of the Heavenly Central Sect.”

The Third Young Master’s face turned red and blue as he fumed.

Mocking others was one of his specialties, but he couldn’t tolerate being on the receiving end.

“Heavenly Central Sect? Are you the one recently dubbed the Heavenly Central Sword Hero?”

“So they say.”

“These days, anyone who can swing a sword is called a Sword Hero, it seems.”

“You coward who can’t even state your name, you don’t even have a nickname. Are you in any position to mock someone else’s title?”

Unable to withstand my provocation, the Third Young Master finally set down his White Tiger Subduing Demon Sword, drew his blade, and attacked me.

It was a swift sword strike that anyone would describe as lightning-fast.

However, I slightly dodged to the right and thrust my sword toward the Third Young Master.

He narrowly avoided my blade and counterattacked with a strike to my abdomen.

I stepped half a pace back to evade the sword, which then shifted to a horizontal slash.

Seizing the opportunity, I spun my body and quickly closed the distance to the Third Young Master.

Then, I unleashed the ‘Decapitating the Sea’ technique.

Wooooong!

The Third Young Master hastily blocked the rapidly changing sword moves.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Within just over ten seconds of exchanging techniques, the first metallic sound rang out.

‘As expected, he’s reached the level where he doesn’t obstruct the path of techniques.’

I realized that the Third Young Master had also attained the realm I had recently comprehended.

The Third Young Master retreated three steps and muttered in disbelief.

“What? This guy! You’re quite something! I thought the Heavenly Central Sword Hero, a rising star in Henan, was just another average guy, but you truly understand the sword.”

He grinned with a face full of delight, appearing half-mad.

“Don’t smile like that! You look like a burst dumpling!”

I remembered during a quarrel with Seomun Yuwon that the Third Young Master reacted to the word ‘dumpling’, so I used it to provoke him.

“You bastard! I’ve had enough!”

The Third Young Master’s sword stance changed as he launched an attack.

Seizing the moment, I channeled the power of the Three Gaps into my Tai Chi Dantian and unleashed it through my sword.

I intended to counter his frenzied attack with the full force of my internal energy. Without catching him off guard, I couldn’t guarantee victory. I responded to the Third Young Master’s sword with the ‘As You Wish’ technique.

Boom!

With a thunderous sound, the boat slightly lifted.

As a result, water from the lake splashed, and the boat on the opposite side, where Ihwa Fairy was, rocked.

Everyone engaged in battle turned their gaze toward the fight accompanied by thunder.

The Third Young Master, with a surprised expression, was flying through the air toward the opposite side. I pursued him to deliver another blow.

Hong’s Twin Demons urgently repelled the attacking late-stage opponents and leaped.

“Ugh!”

However, the persistent sword of Poong Imso left a wound on Baek Yeomma’s thigh.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about such minor injuries.

If something happened to the Third Young Master, they were as good as dead, so they didn’t look back even as swords flew from behind.

While flying, I transmitted a message to Great Monk Gak Un.

Great Monk, the White Tiger Subduing Demon Sword is inside the boat.

Great Monk Gak Un realized that I had taken on the Third Young Master to seize this sword.

‘He must have anticipated this situation and launched the attack.’

The Third Young Master flew about five jang and landed on another boat.

As the sword-wielding warriors flew through the air, the people on the boat panicked and jumped into the lake.

They feared being struck by stray swords if they stayed.

The Third Young Master and I landed at the bow and stern of the boat, facing each other.

Hong’s Twin Demons landed on the nearest boat to the two of us and threw its occupants into the water.

They couldn’t recklessly interfere in our fight.

If they made a wrong move, the balance of the fight could be disrupted, putting the Third Young Master in danger.

“You got me with that one. I didn’t expect you to strike from behind like that.”

He was referring to my attack, channeling the power of the Three Gaps into the Tai Chi Dantian.

I couldn’t help but be wary.

‘I channeled the power of the Three Gaps into the Tai Chi Dantian and unleashed it, yet he doesn’t have a single injury? That level of power should be unbearable for a human body.’

It was strange. Honestly, attacking with the power of the Three Gaps through the Tai Chi Dantian should have had even greater power, yet the Third Young Master stood unscathed.

Then I closely examined the sword he was holding.

A red aura shimmered across the entire blade, indicating it wasn’t an ordinary sword.

As I scrutinized the sword, the Third Young Master raised it and spoke.

“Yes, this sword saved me. It absorbed your energy. If not for that, I might have been torn apart by your overwhelming energy.”

The Third Young Master still seemed unaware of the danger.

I realized that his composure stemmed from having many subordinates nearby.

“You’re so relaxed because you have many subordinates around, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. Do you think I’d come to a place like this alone?”

When the Third Young Master raised his hand, numerous individuals stood up on the surrounding boats.

“They’re the ones I brought with me.”

And as someone approached him, the Third Young Master spoke.

“Oh, Demonic Master. Come quickly. I’ve been waiting for you.”

The middle-aged Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun nodded toward the Third Young Master. Yong Hwarin couldn’t help but tense up when he saw the Demonic Master appear.

‘So this was the rendezvous point for them.’

It was no wonder that the others were overwhelmed when they jumped in, unaware of this.

The Third Young Master turned to the middle-aged Demonic Master and said,

“If you want to find your daughter, kill that guy and bring him to me.”

At those words, Yong Hwarin frowned.

‘So that’s how it is. The middle-aged Demonic Master is being used like a hound because his daughter is being held hostage.’

He had sensed some distance between the Demonic Master and the others, and now he understood why.

It was for this reason that Yong Hwarin opened his Upper Dantian.

Now was the time for the Demonic Master to awaken.

‘What’s going on?’

As soon as he awakened, the Demonic Master asked, then grasped the situation through the technique of Insightful Eyes.

‘Why is that guy here?’

He addressed the middle-aged version of himself.

‘It seems there was a meeting here. Between Ihwa Palace and someone called the Third Young Master.’

‘Really? Ihwa Palace came too?’

‘Yes, and it looks like this Third Young Master is using your daughter as a hostage to control you.’

‘What? My daughter, you say?’

‘Yes, that’s what he said.’

‘Those damned bastards! My daughter was born with a rare meridian disorder and should’ve died long ago. Ah… Now it makes sense why Ihwa Palace is involved.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘It’s not widely known in the martial world, but the reason Ihwa Palace’s martial arts are so powerful is that they extract the unique qi of those with meridian disorders.’

It was the first time Yong Hwarin had heard of this.

‘There’s unique qi in a meridian disorder?’

‘That’s right. Meridian Disorder True Qi is the innate true qi carried by those born with such disorders, and it differs from regular true qi. The reason they suffer from these conditions is because their innate true qi is fundamentally different in nature from ordinary people’s. Icy Yin Meridian Disorder stems from excessive icy qi. Fiery Dragon Meridian Disorder is due to overwhelming fire qi. My daughter has the rarest of all — Moon Yin Meridian Disorder.’

The Moon Yin Meridian Disorder caused immense suffering under the full moon due to an overload of yin qi, often leading to unconsciousness.

‘Ihwa Palace practices a martial art called Moon Immortal Divine Art, which is completed by accumulating lunar energy. It’s a technique said to rival the Glass Divine Art, which has no equal under heaven once mastered. But to complete the Moon Immortal Divine Art, they need Moon Yin True Qi — which they extract from those with Moon Yin Meridian Disorder. They want to guide my daughter to them so they can draw out her qi. They’ll keep her alive until the full moon, when the qi surges, and extract it then. They’ll drain her Moon Yin True Qi until she dies.’

The Demonic Master’s rage could be felt clearly in his words.

That fury surged through the Tai Chi Dantian and struck at both other dantians.

“Ugh!”

Unintentionally, Yong Hwarin groaned.

The middle-aged Demonic Master, who had been approaching Yong Hwarin, noticed the sudden surge in his qi and furrowed his brow.

This wasn’t the energy of the young man he had previously seen.

‘How can he have such qi in such a short time?’

The Demonic Master was shocked as he stared at Yong Hwarin.

Within Yong Hwarin’s mind, as the Demonic Master’s soul seethed and stirred the qi of the Three Gaps, the Tai Chi Dantian responded and began to radiate heat.

Then Yong Hwarin finally understood.

‘Ah… now I see. The reason I couldn’t fully utilize the power of the Three Gaps and the Tai Chi Dantian was because I hadn’t fully opened the other two dantians.’

He had only slightly opened them while drawing out true qi, so of course the power was lacking.

But now, with the Demonic Master’s soul enraged, that fury fully opened both of the Tai Chi Dantians.

Until now, he had failed to realize this. Even though he had completed the Tai Chi Dantian, he couldn’t unleash its full might.

Now that both Tai Chi Dantians were completely open, the power of the Three Gaps surged through his body in a violent storm.

‘At this rate, my body will burst first!’

Sensing something was off, the middle-aged Demonic Master struck out.

His palm stretched like an illusion and struck Yong Hwarin’s chest.

Boom!

Ironically, it was the Demonic Master who clutched his arm and was sent flying backward.

The Third Young Master gave a low command.

“Bring me his head.”

At that order, the subordinates gathered around the boat leapt simultaneously and charged at Yong Hwarin.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep