Chapter 304: Meeting, Chaos (3)

Heaven-Shattering Thunder was a painful memory for Yi-gang.

How could he forget?

The day the hidden assassins of the Evil Cult hid in the middle of the Wudang Sect’s gathering and self-destructed with the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs.

The fact that the terrifying bomb created by the Lei family had reappeared in the world was shocking enough.

Originally, very few survived the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb once it detonated.

Moreover, even the accounts of those who miraculously survived offered little clarity.

‘When a deafening roar that seemed to collapse the heavens erupted, I came to my senses only to find one of my limbs missing.’

Such survival stories were the only way to describe the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs.

But Yi-gang was different.

He had been at the side of the Sword Emperor, who could stretch time endlessly.

Yi-gang saw the ground bulge upward.

He saw the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb split apart as it spewed flames.

He vividly saw the black iron spheres of that demonic bomb unleash their deadly fangs in all directions.

Even the Sword Emperor, ranked among the top ten martial artists in the world for defense, could not entirely avoid the Heaven-Shattering Thunder.

Then, what kind of result would those five Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs rolling in the center of the round table now produce?

Yi-gang instinctively leaped upward.

It was not to run away.

He pushed Baek Ryu-san, his father, backward.

Baek Ryu-san took a step back without resistance.

Two Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs rolled toward Yi-gang’s side.

Yi-gang barely managed to kick one away.

Thud!

Though he kicked it gently, its speed was far from slow.

In an instant, the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb shot up to the ceiling, three stories high.

The other one was out of reach.

Yi-gang pushed his telekinesis to its limit.

Using the combination of the secret art of the telekinetic sword and telekinesis, Yi-gang could wield his sword as if by magic.

However, manipulating objects other than his sword relied on a telekinetic force similar to Qi Kinesis.

Naturally, pushing away an unfamiliar object like the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb with such speed came at a cost to his spiritual energy.

Veins bulged on Yi-gang’s forehead, and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

Yet, he managed to fling the two Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs far away.

It wasn’t as though the bombs were light enough to leave no impact, but he believed that the Ten Grandmasters could protect themselves.

‘The other three…!’

In that fleeting moment, Yi-gang glanced around.

Had it been the right decision to warn them about the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs?

The Ten Grandmasters were by no means easy to deal with.

Some of them threw the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs flying toward them into the air.

There wasn’t a fool among them who struck it with excessive force, accidentally triggering it.

Well, perhaps there was one exception.

One Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb rolled toward Gal Sa-hyeok.

“What the hell is this madness?!”

Gal Sa-hyeok pulled a massive axe out from his belongings.

Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to attempt the dangerous feat of splitting the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb in half.

Instead, he used the axe to lift the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb and throw it away.

The technique was incredibly skillful, making it seem as if the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb was stuck to the axe as it moved.

However, instead of flicking the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb high into the air, Gal Sa-hyeok merely tossed it far away from himself.

The problem was, it flew directly toward Yi-gang.

“No!”

A cry came from his father, who leaped from the round table.

Beyond that, Yi-gang heard a faint sound.

Chichichik- tick.

It was the sound of the fuse completely burning down.

It was already too late to deflect it.

Behind him was his father.

What did Yi-gang choose to do in that situation?

Even without being the Sword Emperor, one could experience Spirit Echoes at the crossroads of life and death.

In the extended moment of time, Yi-gang made his decision.

He crossed his hands as if holding a sphere.

Relaxing his entire body, he bent his legs slightly.

His stance resembled one holding the Taiji in his hands.

This was Zhang Sanfeng’s Non-Act Daydream.

Yi-gang had practiced it, and through embodying Zhang Sanfeng’s techniques, he managed to grasp a semblance of the shell of Non-Act Daydream.

The ability to scatter even sword energy was undoubtedly an extraordinary feat.

However, having not yet reached the Absolute realm, Yi-gang had not fully mastered the essence of Non-Act Daydream.

Non-Act Daydream could even dissipate an opponent’s hostility.

It relaxed tense muscles, stopped the piercing tip of a sword, and deflected sharpened killing intent.

It was a level one could hardly hope to imitate.

But Yi-gang did it.

The Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb flying toward him lost its momentum and stopped between his hands.

Thud.

Yi-gang gripped the Heaven-Shattering Thunder firmly with both hands.

The Ten Grandmasters stared at Yi-gang, bracing themselves for the explosion.

They expected Yi-gang to be blown to pieces any moment.

“…”

But nothing happened.

In that moment, Yi-gang thought, ‘A dud?’

No.

Puh-puh-pung!

The Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs exploded—except for the one Yi-gang was holding.

While the explosion shot up to the ceiling, a Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb was powerful enough to destroy an entire building.

Each of the Ten Grandmasters moved to protect themselves.

“Damn it all!”

At that moment, Gal Sa-hyeok shouted.

The fact that he had time to speak showed that the Heaven-Shattering Thunder’s explosion had produced an unexpected outcome.

“It’s a fake!”

What came out wasn’t fire or iron spheres, but glittering pieces of colored paper and fragrant perfume.

The Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb’s resemblance to the real thing was only on the surface—it had been a counterfeit meant to deceive from the start.

The colorful paper fragments and the perfume falling like drizzle created a fantastical scene.

The cautious masters held their breath, preparing for the possibility of poison.

The Five Poison Divine Lord spoke up, “Don’t worry, it’s just water mixed with perfume.”

Then he turned to Yi-gang with a peculiar expression.

“One of them was a dud? Even if it’s a counterfeit, it was a perfect replica…”

“…”

“Whether it’s self-sacrifice or filial piety toward your father, don’t do such reckless things unless you’re prepared to die. …I hear you’ve experienced the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb before, yet you still show such audacity.”

The Five Poison Divine Lord seemed to assume the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb in Yi-gang’s hand was a dud.

But that wasn’t the case.

Yi-gang’s expression grew serious.

‘I just perfectly executed Non-Act Daydream.’

It was natural that he couldn’t use supreme ultimate techniques, as he was far from reaching the Absolute realm.

However, for a brief moment, Yi-gang had performed a flawless Non-Act Daydream.

A miracle that transcended the laws of reality, even scattering the explosion of the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb.

Yi-gang closely examined the counterfeit Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb in his hand.

It was crafted so well that it could easily pass for the real thing.

The Five Poison Divine Lord burst into laughter.

“If it were real, half of you would already be dead! That mountain bandit over there, especially.”

“Five Poison Demonic Lord—!”

Gal Sa-hyeok slammed his axe onto the round table with a loud thud.

“I’ll tear you to pieces, you old venomous snake!”

He wasn’t the only one angered.

Many masters expressed their displeasure openly.

But the Five Poison Divine Lord—or rather, Five Poison Demonic Lord—only laughed louder.

“Come now, mountain bandit. You should cherish the life I spared you. Doesn’t this wake you up? The Evil Cult likely has 100 of these Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs left, in various forms.”

Some were furious, but others felt a chill run through their hearts.

Gal Sa-hyeok was about to erupt in rage again.

“Enough.”

Seomun Jae, the Unorthodox Union Leader, spoke up.

He showed no panic. Even as the Heaven-Shattering Thunder “exploded,” he had remained seated without so much as a flinch.

“It’s something I prepared.”

“…Unorthodox Union Leader!”

The Divine Monk chuckled quietly.

He, too, sat quietly, as if he already knew everything.

“The Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs nearly killed one of my close friends as well.”

The Divine Monk explained that the Evil Cult had used the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs in an assassination attempt on Mount Wudang.

Those who hadn’t known were greatly shocked.

The Unorthodox Union Leader spoke, “And… it almost killed my child too.”

The voice that came from him was somber, carrying a sticky undercurrent of rage.

“That Heaven-Shattering Thunder bomb spewed a sticky flame instead of metal shards. Though he survived, barely… Yes. That’s how it happened,” the Crimson Moon Demoness muttered in a low voice.

“No way…!”

At that moment, the young man standing behind the Unorthodox Union Leader stepped forward.

His entire body, including his face, was covered in burn scars.

Even his scalp seemed to have burned, leaving patches of hair, and his nose was disfigured, with his nostrils plainly visible.

“Seomun Cheong…! The Flawless Blade Ghost!?”

Flawless Blade Ghost Seomun Cheong.

Just as the orthodox Murim had its notable young successors, so did the unorthodox Murim.

Seomun Cheong, the son of the Unorthodox Union Leader, was one of them.

The word flawless in his title represented perfection.

His appearance was likened to that of a black dragon, and his skill with the blade was said to rival that of a ghost, earning him the title Flawless Blade Ghost.

Renowned for his handsome features, Seomun Cheong had become a disfigured shadow of his former self.

No longer appearing flawless, Seomun Cheong pulled something from his coat and pushed it onto the round table.

The Absolute masters, still reeling from the embarrassment caused by the Heaven-Shattering Thunder bombs, flinched—but it was just a glass jar.

“…Gu?”

Someone recognized it immediately—it was a preserved Gu soaked in alcohol.

Had it been alive, the Gu would have wriggled grotesquely.

Old martial masters familiar with the secrets of the Murim recognized what it was.

“Guiyi Gu…!”

“It crawled out of the skull of a man known as Corpse Ghost Hero from the Maoshan Sect. That self-proclaimed hero detonated a thunder bomb he pulled from the stomach of a jiangshi he brought along.”

“…!”

The Maoshan Sect was a proud member of the Nine Sects One Gang.

Could it be true that one of its members, victimized by the Evil Cult’s Gu poison, attacked the Unorthodox Union?

“If my son had burned to death in that hellfire, I would have sworn vengeance against the Nine Sects One Gang without knowing anything. But my son survived that inferno.”

The Divine Monk nodded.

It was as if he confirmed the Unorthodox Union Leader’s words.

“Losing in battle is one thing. Being deceived, however, is intolerable.”

It was a commanding voice befitting the leader of the unorthodox Murim.

“The Unorthodox Union recognizes that the ongoing conflict with the Murim Alliance is only draining resources. We are willing to respond to a truce proposal based on proper negotiations.”

Despite the intense emotions, his words carried a tone of political tact.

Others, too, clearly felt the threat posed by the Evil Cult.

“Good. Now we should discuss the details,” the Divine Monk spoke up, “Let’s see how well you wield your three-inch tongue, mortals.”

It was Grand Master Mu Myung, using surprisingly un-monk-like language.

However, some were aware of his reputation.

Though often mocked as the “Sickly Monk” or “Deaf Monk,” he was known for his profound wisdom and eloquent speech.

From then on, his tongue was as sharp as any blade.

Baek Ryu-san spoke to Yi-gang through telepathy.

-Watch and learn. Sometimes, the tongue is mightier than the sword.

And indeed, it was.

The question now was how to put an end to this long-standing conflict.

Each side listed the damages they had suffered and argued over who had the moral high ground.

Naturally, no one was willing to yield so easily.

Bang!

Gal Sa-hyeok slammed the round table and shouted, “If we can’t narrow down our opinions, then let’s settle it with a contest! The losing side gives up a little more!”

“You sure have the loudest voice for someone with nothing to offer. Did you think that would scare us?”

The Nine Spear King scoffed at Gal Sa-hyeok.

Gal Sa-hyeok retorted, calling him a flea clinging to the Murim Alliance.

“Grown adults suggesting a brawl? Tsk tsk,” the Divine Monk said with a smirk.

It was the type of idea reminiscent of ancient wars, where generals settled disputes through duels.

Such methods were not uncommon in sect disputes.

However, relying on representative duels to settle matters seemed too heavy a responsibility for names as significant as the Ten Grandmasters.

“If you’re too old to fight yourselves, why not have the younger ones take your place?”

“What do you mean by that, Divine Monk?”

The Divine Monk proposed an idea.

“You all have disciples to inherit your martial arts, don’t you? Let the young ones fight it out. The losing side concedes a little more.”

“Hm. Since there are ten of us here, shall we make it five-on-five?”

“Yes, though, of course, it won’t resolve everything. The ten representatives here can decide the smaller details by vote.”

It was an unexpected proposal.

Yi-gang wondered if the Unorthodox Union Leader would accept it.

“Not bad.”

“Well then, does anyone oppose?”

Surprisingly, no one did.

The Unorthodox Union Leader accepted the proposal as if he had been waiting for it.

Not a single person objected—not even Gal Sa-hyeok, who had been opposing everything up until now.

“Fine. Let’s go with that.”

The Divine Monk grinned slyly.

Yi-gang realized that some behind-the-scenes agreements must have already been prepared.

“The unorthodox martial artists know nothing but real combat, unlike those pampered orthodox rookies. Let’s hope no one complains if someone dies.”

“With the murderous intent in their eyes, I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Yi-gang quickly caught on.

The Nine Sects One Gang and the Seven Great Clans had already sent their most talented successors to Mount Song.

Five had been chosen from each side.

Now he understood why the number five had been agreed upon.

‘Is there nothing for me to do?’

With the five participants already selected, it seemed there was no role for Yi-gang to play.

At that moment, the Divine Monk laid out the specific conditions.

“Whether it’s a rotating battle or a point-based system, let’s decide through mutual agreement. The location as well.”

“Proposing a gathering in Mount Song is out of the question.”

“Are you afraid?”

“…What a petty provocation.”

“Then renting a manor in Henan Province should suffice.”

“Not a bad idea. Is everyone prepared?”

“We are. To ensure fairness, let’s make it clear that adults, including yourselves, cannot intervene.”

“I’m well aware of the hypocrisy of the orthodox sects. Let’s assign monitors for mutual oversight.”

An agreement was made to prohibit teaching countermeasures or interference by Absolute masters until the day of the duel.

Thus, it was decided to house the successors separately, with martial artists from each faction guarding them.

“When you gather hot-headed youngsters together, trouble is inevitable. Let’s assign one supervisor each to guide and discipline the kids.”

“That seems reasonable.”

Each faction would also assign a young expert to oversee the successors and strategize until the day of the duel.

The negotiations concluded in this manner.

「Understood?」

The Divine Monk’s Wisdom Light’s Heart Speech echoed in Yi-gang’s mind as he remained silent.

「You’re the only one who has ties with all five of them.」

Yi-gang realized the task he had been entrusted with.

「Train them well until the day of the duel! Make sure they don’t lose! The future of the martial world depends on you!」

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