Chapter 241: Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique

I, Lee Yung, nodded repeatedly as I listened to Ma Jeung’s report.

“We’ve received a report that the Four Diamond Vajras are still staying at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.”

“Is that so? What could possibly be keeping those bald Shaolin bastards stuck there?”

I asked, tapping my finger on the table with a displeased expression.

“What about Yong Hwarin?”

“There have been no recent sightings of him at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union. He might not be there anymore or could be holed up somewhere. But the agents say they haven’t even seen his shadow, so he may have left the Sky Ocean Merchant Union for other business.”

Hearing that, I smiled faintly.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if he is or isn’t.”

Yong Hwarin had already been entrusted to Third Instructor Lee Kangmin, so I wasn’t too concerned.

“What’s important is the Four Diamond Vajras. They seem to be waiting for Yong Hwarin’s return.”

“Yes. It appears the Four Diamond Vajras are remaining at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union in preparation for a possible attack from Hoi Soyu’s forces while Yong Hwarin is absent.”

“That bastard probably kept them there on purpose.”

Ma Jeung spoke to me, who was still just tapping the table with a finger.

“My lord, if we delay any longer, the situation will turn against us.”

“I know.”

“We’re currently keeping the unorthodox and demonic sect members gathered in Jeongju restrained, but since we’re not giving them a chance to attack, some of them are beginning to doubt us instead.”

“Those damn unorthodox and demonic bastards, they just can’t trust others. That’s always the problem.”

“If we keep this up, things will either fall apart or the backlash will land on us.”

“I know. That’s why I’ve come up with a plan.”

Hearing that I had a plan, Ma Jeung was visibly relieved.

“Take the Heavenly Demon King Unit and launch an attack on River Center Escort Agency tonight.”

“Excuse me?”

At the sudden order to attack River Center Escort Agency, Ma Jeung raised his head and stared at me.

He had always admired my strategies for going beyond his own thoughts, but this time, it was different.

Now was not the time to provoke another location unnecessarily.

“My lord, dividing our forces would be disadvantageous for us.”

The more Ma Jeung failed to understand my plan, the more I liked it.

I believed that any strategy immediately understood by all was a poor one.

“Listen carefully. Who’s at River Center Escort Agency?”

“The Five Swords of Mount Hua are staying there.”

“Exactly. And if we attack the place they’re staying, who would they reach out to first?”

“That would be the Four Diamond Vajras, who are affiliated with the Northern Justice Alliance and closest in proximity.”

While answering, Ma Jeung finally understood and nodded.

“Ah, so the goal is to draw the Four Diamond Vajras out.”

“Exactly. Once we attack River Center Escort Agency, the Five Swords of Mount Hua will assume the unorthodox and demonic sect forces gathered in Jeongju are on the move, and they’ll call for the Four Diamond Vajras. That’s exactly why they’re stationed here in the first place.”

“And once the Four Diamond Vajras leave the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, we attack it.”

“That’s the plan. By the end of the night, the Sky Ocean Merchant Union will be ours.”

“Truly, a brilliant strategy.”

Ma Jeung was not someone prone to flattery.

He was known as the Chivalrous Demon Ma Jeung, a rigid and principled martial artist, but he couldn’t help admiring my strategies that struck at the heart of things.

“You’ll be busy. Make it seem like you’re attacking River Center Escort Agency, then pull back as soon as the Five Swords of Mount Hua appear. They’ll think we’ll attack again and stay alert. They’ll definitely call in the Four Diamond Vajras too. And with the Northern Justice Alliance’s surveillance focused on River Center Escort Agency, our movement toward the Sky Ocean Merchant Union will be much easier. After that, we concentrate all our forces and strike the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.”

Before long, Ma Jeung left to initiate the attack on River Center Escort Agency.

But I, still tapping my finger on the table, muttered to myself.

“The arrow has already been loosed. We’ll just have to see who it ends up striking.”

Yong Hwarin emerged from deep meditation and let out a sigh-like murmur.

“Martial arts aren’t just about internal energy. But I unconsciously believed that as long as I had strong internal power, that was enough. The Upper World Realm isn’t a level that can be overcome by sheer internal strength. Even if my qi increases from Four Gaps to Five Gaps, I can’t defeat someone who has attained the Upper World Realm. That’s a level that can’t be resolved through power alone. If two martial artists of the Upper World Realm face each other, superior internal strength would certainly affect the outcome. But if I haven’t even reached the Upper World Realm, no matter how high my power is, I can’t beat someone like Sam Taegong.”

The more Yong Hwarin focused on the Heaven Sea Divine Art, the more his understanding of the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra deepened.

In a way, the Heaven Sea Divine Art was a martial art that made one look back at the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra.

And when it met the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra, the Heaven Sea Divine Art formed a greater world, allowing Yong Hwarin to dissolve six different energies into the Tai Chi Dantian of the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra.

Moreover, while pondering the six forms, Yong Hwarin realized that these forms were not complete techniques.

“These forms were designed to link momentum. That’s why they had no beginning or end. It makes sense that I couldn’t understand them if I tried to interpret them as sword techniques.”

The forms left on the parchment by Hoi Eulshin weren’t sword techniques.

They were directions for guiding momentum, recorded as forms.

“The Heaven Sea Divine Art was created to harmonize one’s own martial arts and momentum.”

Yong Hwarin had been meditating all this time to reach this realization.

Having understood the meaning behind Hoi Eulshin’s forms, he began devising a way to harmonize the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and the Azure Bamboo Sword.

Yong Hwarin drew his sword and unfolded the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword, embedding into it the six forms left behind by Hoi Eulshin.

When he unfolded Yongjogaeksan with the aura of Flowing Like Wind, another type of energy erupted outward.

When he performed Dragon Scale Finger Technique using the method of Invading Like Fire, he was able to imbue it with a fiercer and stronger energy than before.

Though only a few days had passed, the six energies absorbed through the two Laogong Points and the Yongcheon Point had already been separated and stored within the Tai Chi Dantian.

As those energies flowed through the Tai Chi Dantian with power exceeding Three Gaps, the forms began to emit a mightier aura than before.

However, the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and the Azure Bamboo Sword did not harmonize easily.

Those sword arts were constructed with a clear division between offense and defense, and because of that, there were many clashing elements.

Offensive forms pushed forward with momentum, while defensive forms pulled back with the weight centered behind. The two styles simply had no point of contact.

Even after days of meditation, Yong Hwarin could not resolve this problem and murmured to himself.

“Well, I never thought these things could be achieved overnight. If they could, there wouldn’t be sayings like a hundred-day or three-hundred-day seclusion. I never expected to reach enlightenment in just a few days.”

Muttering to console himself, Yong Hwarin suddenly paused.

He had a strong feeling he was overlooking something.

“Wait, what if I operate the two sword arts using the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique of my clan?”

The Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra was a mental art designed to form the Tai Chi Dantian, not a method to operate martial arts.

Until now, he had been using the mental art of the Hidden Saint Cult, which had been passed down by Jong Munhye, to operate the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and the Azure Bamboo Sword.

Of course, since it exhibited far greater power than when using the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique, Yong Hwarin hadn’t even considered the latter.

The Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique connected with meticulous precision, but it didn’t flow forcefully, making it ill-suited for sword arts that emitted destructive sword qi.

Only now did Yong Hwarin begin to understand why.

“So it turns out, the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique is a mental art meant to connect martial arts.”

Realization quickly turned into action.

Yong Hwarin lifted his sword and began performing forms.

As he transitioned from the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword to the Azure Bamboo Sword, they connected seamlessly.

“This is it, this is exactly it.”

Each time he linked a form, operating them through the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique, the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and the Azure Bamboo Sword did not conflict but instead flowed together as if they were one.

Furthermore, although he used the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique for connecting the forms, the guiding of internal energy was done through the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra. This caused each form to generate a sword resonance, and the cave echoed like a swarm of bees buzzing.

When he added one of Hoi Eulshin’s forms into a sequence, a profound aura surged from what had once been the simple form of Yongzantappa.

Yong Hwarin pulled his Self-Revolving Inner Qi into the Tai Chi Dantian, operated it with the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique, and performed Severing the Tide.

The One Gap qi of the Tai Chi Dantian fused with the Self-Revolving Inner Qi, generating Thunder Qi.

When he infused Hoi Eulshin’s aura of Eastern Thunder Formation into the Severing the Tide form, the technique became something entirely different.

Blue Thunder Qi spread in all directions, covering a whole stretch of space.

Krrrraaaaack!

With a flash of blue light, space burst apart.

The cave vibrated intensely, and dust began to fall.

“Yikes, if I’m not careful, the cave might collapse.”

Because he was inside the cave, he hadn’t unleashed the full Three Gaps of his power.

“If I had used all Three Gaps of power… I can’t even imagine the result.”

Yong Hwarin shivered.

In truth, he hadn’t simply acquired Hoi Eulshin’s martial arts. He had fused them into his own martial arts.

By blending the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra, the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique, and the Heaven Sea Divine Art, a new type of martial art had emerged.

It felt as though Hoi Eulshin had arranged it all for someone like him who was still incomplete.

Overwhelmed with joy, Yong Hwarin grinned—but then grimaced.

Drawing out the Self-Revolving Inner Qi caused a stiff, stinging pain near his dantian.

But as the sensation soon subsided, he sighed in relief.

“If keeping Thunder Qi inside the body didn’t hurt, now that would be strange.”

Encouraged by his fusion of martial arts, Yong Hwarin continued developing forms by altering the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and Azure Bamboo Sword.

Caught up in the joy of alternating each form, he lost track of time completely.

Fueled by hope that continuing this training might allow him to grasp even a fragment of the Upper World Realm, Yong Hwarin couldn’t let go of his sword.

Ma Jeung looked over the Heavenly Demon King Unit lined up behind him and grinned, revealing his teeth.

The silent posture they held made them look majestic.

However, seeing that their numbers had halved since leaving the Heavenly Demon Sect, his eyes glinted with killing intent.

Most of the Heavenly Demon King Unit had fallen to Yong Hwarin.

“Indeed, my lord’s strategy was flawless. Once we attacked the River Center Escort Agency, the Five Swords of Mount Hua summoned the Four Diamond Vajras, and we never expected them and the Reverend Arhats to leave immediately.”

“They weren’t staying at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union for any particular reason. Why would they remain when their fellow members from the Northern Justice Alliance call for them? That’s only natural.”

“Once we seize this place, won’t they resist?”

“Hmph, not a chance. Once we take control here and replace the Chairman, they can’t say a thing. Sure, they’ll be displeased. But they won’t dare openly oppose us. We’ve got the unorthodox and demonic sects backing us. If they provoke us recklessly and those sects decide to start a war, things get very messy.”

“So you planned even that far ahead and lured the unorthodox and demonic sects here with Hoi Eulshin’s martial arts as bait?”

“Exactly. Even if the Northern Justice Alliance moves to reclaim the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, there must be forces to check them.”

Soon, over two hundred members of the unorthodox and demonic sects gathered where Lee Yung was.

That alone constituted a full unit.

Moreover, it was composed entirely of first-rate martial artists or higher.

Second- and third-rate members had voluntarily withdrawn, knowing they could die meaninglessly in the Secret Manual Scramble.

Lee Yung addressed them all.

“Once the Fire Bird Sword attacks, the demonic and unorthodox warriors will follow. Fire Bird Sword will go head-on, the demonic sects on the right, and the unorthodox sects on the left.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Go!”

As Ma Jeung nodded and charged forward, more than a hundred members of the Heavenly Demon King Unit followed behind him.

Then, as Lee Yung raised and lowered his hand, the two hundred figures who had been regulating their breathing in the dark charged toward the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

Once everyone had rushed to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, only two people remained at the site.

“Third Instructor, the Yong Clan brat hasn’t shown up yet. But since we don’t know when he’ll appear, please stay with me and wait here.”

Sam Taegong Lee Kangmin stayed quiet as he had already given his word to his disciple.

But he felt strangely exposed.

He had always felt secure with the Seven Blood Shadow Guards at his back, but now, standing alone, he felt a kind of emptiness and solitude.

‘Once we return, I’ll form a stronger guard unit.’

Lee Kangmin thought as he watched the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, where screams were already beginning to erupt.

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