When a duel ends with a winner and loser, cheers were bound to erupt.

The match between Seven-String Sword Edge Na Hee-yeon and Blood Rakshasi Wi Hyang ended in Wi Hyang’s victory.

It was a clear defeat for Na Hee-yeon.

She was injured and had even dropped her weapon.

Even as the chain sickle flew toward her heart, she couldn’t resist.

Her instructor, Yi-gang, acting as her second, declared her surrender.

Yet, no cheers erupted.

Na Hee-yeon’s struggle to the end was desperate, and the words Wi Hyang spat out were far too cruel.

This wasn’t a duel—it was an act of revenge.

A completely failed act of revenge at that.

Wi Hyang exposed every shameful aspect of Na Hee-yeon before the crowd.

Even the fact that she had begged for her life in tears from the enemy who had killed her elder sister.

For martial artists, who valued honor or the opinions of others, Wi Hyang’s words struck deeply.

‘It would have been better to die.’

Rather than live as a defeated person, bearing such a terrible disgrace, it would have been better to die in the duel.

But Yi-gang would not stand by and let that happen.

Just moments ago, Wi Hyang, who had displayed such remarkable martial prowess, was struck across the face.

“Tsk.”

Yi-gang wiped the blood off his hand.

No one had anticipated Yi-gang’s actions.

To punch the face of a female swordsman in front of countless martial artists, and even in the presence of her master, the Absolute master Crimson Moon Demoness, was unthinkable.

Because of the shocking nature of the act, the fact that Yi-gang neutralized Wi Hyang with a single blow wasn’t even fully appreciated.

The audience, caught off guard, twisted their eyes in confusion, as did Na Hee-yeon.

At that moment, Yi-gang muttered in a voice filled with disbelief, “To think you’d go so far as to finish off a defeated opponent… Truly, you’re vicious to the core, Blood Demon Wi Hyang.”

Then he shook his head as if he had no other choice.

His tone was so calm that it didn’t seem like he was acting.

“What…?”

Na Hee-yeon’s question, full of astonishment, caused Yi-gang to turn to her.

And Na Hee-yeon saw it—a black streak from the VIP seats was shooting toward Yi-gang.

That’s right.

There was no other way to describe it—it shot toward him.

The approach was so swift it felt as though, apart from the person rushing in, the rest of the world had come to a standstill.

That moment of motion within stillness and stillness within motion.

Yi-gang raised one arm to guard his right side.

The black streak struck Yi-gang head-on.

Kwaaang!

The explosion was incomparable to when Yi-gang had hit Wi Hyang.

The stone slabs covering the martial stage shattered from the impact.

The sheer force of the wind pressure sent the crouching Na Hee-yeon flying far back.

From the cloud of dust that erupted like an explosion, two glowing red eyes emerged.

“You filthy wretch, how dare you strike my disciple!”

It was the Crimson Moon Demoness.

One of the Ten Grandmasters Under Heaven, and the Master of Secluded Moon Valley.

An Absolute master.

She could not forgive Yi-gang for striking her disciple.

At the very least, she intended to leave him crippled.

She walked in the direction where she had struck Yi-gang.

“…What the.”

Yi-gang’s voice came from beyond the dust cloud.

The Crimson Moon Demoness flinched in surprise.

“What are you saying?”

It wasn’t a dying scream or a groan of pain.

She took out her fan and waved it swiftly through the air.

A strong wind arose, clearing away the dust.

There stood Yi-gang.

“You…”

He wasn’t in a state that could be called unscathed.

His left arm, which had blocked the Crimson Moon Demoness’s kick, had its sleeve torn apart.

The skin seemed to have burst, and dark purple bruises had spread. Thin traces of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

It was clear that he had sustained internal injuries as well.

But the important thing was that Yi-gang was still standing on both legs.

“How can you still be standing…?”

Even though she hadn’t gone as far as to use a killing technique, she had not held back her strength.

Yet, despite the ambush, Yi-gang hadn’t been neutralized.

A chill ran down the Crimson Moon Demoness’s spine.

It was the same feeling Gal Sa-hyuk had experienced when he faced Yi-gang on Mount Tai.

Moreover, during that time, Yi-gang had grown even stronger…

“I simply stopped Blood Demon Wi Hyang from using a killing technique on Na Hee-yeon.”

“A killing technique? What nonsense is that?!”

The Crimson Moon Demoness snapped in irritation, but Yi-gang calmly explained, “Wi Hyang threw a dagger at Na Hee-yeon, who was behind me.”

Could it be true that Wi Hyang had thrown a dagger at a completely incapacitated Na Hee-yeon?

But no one had seen it happen.

Moreover, Wi Hyang was now completely unconscious, making it impossible to verify the truth.

The Crimson Moon Demoness shouted in frustration, “Do you take me for a fool, making up such lies…!”

“It was this dagger.”

“…!”

The Crimson Moon Demoness was startled.

In Yi-gang’s hand was a dagger without a hilt.

Made of a flexible material, it was something her disciple often used, hidden in the palm for surprise attacks.

In fact, the Crimson Moon Demoness herself had taught the technique.

It seemed that her disciple truly had attempted to kill Na Hee-yeon.

Of course, the Crimson Moon Demoness couldn’t have known that the dagger Yi-gang held was one he had taken and kept earlier.

‘Foolish thing, you should have stopped at the right point!’

As the Crimson Moon Demoness remained silent and Yi-gang raised the dagger for everyone to see, the audience began murmuring.

The Crimson Moon Demoness harbored malicious intent.

‘There’s still an opportunity.’

She resolved to use this chance to, at the very least, leave that insolent boy crippled.

She planned to do so discreetly—by throwing a needle coated with poison.

The Crimson Moon Demoness lightly fanned herself.

Flutter-

A thin needle, as fine as an ox’s hair, cut through the air and flew toward Yi-gang’s injured arm.

And then, someone intervened.

Srrrk!

The needle, flying toward Yi-gang, was cleanly split in half mid-air.

Moreover, the Crimson Moon Demoness’s fluttering fan shattered into countless pieces with a resounding crack.

The one who had stepped in front of Yi-gang was Putuo’s Priestess.

“Your vulgar hand movements remain unchanged.”

“…You old hag.”

The Crimson Moon Demoness ground her teeth.

The swordsmanship that cut the silver needle mid-flight and even sliced the Crimson Moon Demoness’s fan was nothing short of superhuman.

That meant Putuo’s Priestess had also advanced further compared to a year ago.

“Crimson Moon Demoness.”

Putuo’s Priestess neither growled nor expressed intense anger as she had before.

She simply stood in a composed stance, raising her sword, and glared at the Crimson Moon Demoness.

“Shall we settle this here and now in a duel of life and death?”

“…”

“Or will you take your disciple, who resembles you so much, and leave?”

With her sword firmly held, Putuo’s Priestess spoke.

Though slightly delayed, she had finally made up her mind.

To sever the knot of ill fate herself, here and now.

As everyone watched in utter silence, the Crimson Moon Demoness remained silent for quite a while.

Then, without a word, she slung the unconscious Blood Demon over her shoulder.

“…You’re so arrogant.”

She spat out a venomous remark, but her spirit had already faltered.

It wasn’t until the Crimson Moon Demoness descended from the martial stage that Putuo’s Priestess sheathed her sword.

Then, turning to Yi-gang, she said, “…Thank you.”

Yi-gang gave a slight nod in response.

He tried to respond to her greeting, but moving his lips felt difficult.

Yi-gang’s complexion was far paler than it had been moments ago.

It was because of the sudden ambush from the Crimson Moon Demoness.

Though he had managed to defend himself at the last moment, his Qi and blood were thrown into disarray.

“This is bad. You need treatment,” said Putuo’s Priestess.

Na Hee-yeon and Putuo’s Priestess supported Yi-gang as they helped him descend the stage.

Yi-gang tried to decline their help but suddenly coughed up blood.

“Cough! Ugh…”

Dark blood sprayed from his mouth.

Only after spitting it out did Yi-gang feel somewhat relieved.

He had expelled the dead blood caused by the internal injuries.

In front of the martial stage, several people stood waiting for Yi-gang.

Baek Ryu-san, Ha-jun, Jeong Myung, No-shik, and others.

Some had pale, hardened expressions, while others had flushed red faces.

Though their reactions differed, it was clear that they were all extremely angry.

Baek Ryu-san spoke in a low voice, “You’ve done well. Go and get treated.”

“I’m fine. There are still duels left.”

Yi-gang refused Baek Ryu-san’s suggestion.

The internal injuries weren’t as severe as they seemed, and he still had three more duels left for the day.

And for some reason, his body felt strange—it felt as if his recovery ability had drastically improved.

“What are you saying?!” Baek Ryu-san roared, “Even after coughing up blood like that, you still insist on being stubborn?!”

“That was just dead blood…”

“Stop spouting nonsense and go! You there! Assign a physician to Yi-gang! Take him to the Divine Monk as well!”

Baek Ryu-san didn’t seem the least bit interested in hearing Yi-gang’s excuses.

A physician was one thing, but taking him to the Divine Monk?

Yi-gang thought this was far too excessive, but the others clearly thought differently.

“Brother.”

Ha-jun’s face, a mirror image of their father’s, burned with fury.

“Please go and receive treatment,” Ha-jun spoke firmly before stepping onto the martial stage.

After roughly kicking aside the debris from the shattered stone slabs, he prepared the stage for another duel.

“Leave this place to me.”

Just as he did during his time at Taepyeongjang, he spoke in formal speech.

Ha-jun’s demeanor was remarkably solemn.

He had transformed his anger into a sense of responsibility.

Such controlled anger undeniably strengthened a martial artist.

In the end, Yi-gang raised his hands in surrender.

“…Fine, I’ll go.”

Ha-jun, full of resolve, prepared for his duel.

Grand Master Mu Myung approached the temporary structure with quick steps.

The martial artist guarding the door immediately saluted upon seeing him.

“He’s inside.”

“I see.”

The Divine Monk’s expression was deeply grave.

Despite the fact that the duels of the next-generation prodigies would determine the balance of power between the orthodox faction and the unorthodox faction, he had not attended the duels.

That meant there had been something even more pressing.

However, upon hearing that Yi-gang had been ambushed by the Crimson Moon Demoness, he had rushed over.

When he opened the door and entered, he ran into the physician who was just coming out.

The Divine Monk immediately inquired about the situation, “How is Yi-gang?”

“Ah…”

The physician was just about to respond.

Yi-gang opened the sliding door himself and answered, “I’m fine. Have you arrived?”

“You fool, what did you do to get beaten by that yokai of a woman?!”

Seeing Yi-gang in decent shape, the Divine Monk smiled broadly and approached him.

Yi-gang had his arm wrapped tightly in bandages.

However, his arm, which had been heavily bruised and discolored when he was at the martial stage, looked much better now.

Only the bandaged area was slightly darker in color, with a faint reddish hue elsewhere.

“What’s this? Your arm looks perfectly fine.”

“It hurt a lot when I got hit, though.”

Yi-gang seemed a bit bewildered himself.

He wasn’t exactly the picture of health to begin with.

A healthy body naturally recovers faster, but for someone with his sickly constitution, it was surprising that his injuries had healed so quickly.

“How’s your internal injury? The Crimson Moon Demoness’s Qi technique isn’t something to take lightly.”

“I thought I had one, but it seems to have gotten better.”

His arm had been struck, and his Qi and blood were thrown into chaos.

He had assumed that expelling the black blood had relieved him, but it seemed to be more than just that.

“When I was practicing breathing techniques, my dantian grew hot, and the internal injury seemed to heal.”

“Hmm…!”

The Divine Monk realized what had happened.

Yi-gang also had a hunch about the situation.

“It seems the effects of the Great Recovery Pill have activated.”

A fragment of the Great Recovery Pill’s energy was still condensed in Yi-gang’s dantian like an inner core.

It might have been stimulated by the Crimson Moon Demoness’s cold and sinister dark energy.

“What do you think?”

“It seems about half of it has melted into my body.”

After treating his arm, Yi-gang sat in a meditative posture and began practicing breathing techniques.

He used the Radiant Yang Cultivation Technique for his lower dantian, the Great Yin Flow for his middle dantian, and the Azure Forest’s Wisdom Mind for his upper dantian.

After completing a lesser energy circulation, Yi-gang was certain.

“…It feels like my body is even healthier than before.”

As the energy of the Great Recovery Pill merged with his system, his physical condition had actually improved.

Evidence of this was the dark traces of demonic Qi that had spread across the back of his neck—those marks had faded significantly.

“They say those destined for greatness survive even if they fall off a cliff. Hah!”

The Divine Monk chuckled, as if he found the situation absurd.

Yi-gang also gave a faint, bitter smile.

“But, Grand Master…”

After Yi-gang’s next words, however, the Divine Monk could no longer laugh.

“What is in Mount Song?”

“…What are you talking about?”

He feigned ignorance, but Yi-gang wasn’t merely fishing for information.

“I felt it while absorbing the energy of the Great Recovery Pill. This is no mere miraculous medicine. It’s completely different from the Small Recovery Pill.”

What hadn’t fully merged within him was a peculiar energy that felt oddly familiar to Yi-gang.

“Yokai energy—this is yokai energy.”

“…”

“And I sensed the same yokai energy deep within Mount Song.”

Yi-gang was convinced that something far more terrifying than the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox lay dormant within Mount Song.

“What exactly is in there?”

The Divine Monk could not answer.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep