Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 201

Without Me, You Are Nothing (1)

Yoo Sang-myeong’s expression hardened.

Though not widely known due to his lack of public activities, he was a formidable martial artist in his own right. It was impossible for him not to sense the killing intent emanating from Nam Cheon-yang.

Yoo Sang-myeong shielded his niece behind him and spoke up.

“This is the front yard of the Jade Heaven Alliance.”

“So?”

“Causing trouble here would not please the Jade Heaven Alliance.”

“Hmph! I don’t care about the Jade Heaven Alliance’s reaction.”

Nam Cheon-yang snorted dismissively.

The killing intent in his eyes remained. His hatred for the Hengshan Yu Family Manor was profound.

The memory of being chased away by the Hengshan Yu Family, forced to flee to the remote regions in disgrace, still haunted him.

His resentment was so deep that not a day went by without him remembering that day.

His killing intent rapidly filled the guesthouse.

“Ugh!”

“Gasp!”

The faces of the dining guests turned pale. It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck from a clear sky.

Yoo Sang-myeong’s gaze became profoundly deep.

“Are you truly without regret?”

“Regret? Hehe! You really underestimate me.”

Nam Cheon-yang bared his teeth in a grin.

His laughter was chilling, instilling fear in everyone present in the guesthouse.

“Sigh!”

Yoo Sang-myeong exhaled deeply and gathered his internal energy.

He didn’t want to cause trouble since he was here to help Lim Sobo, but he was also a martial artist. He couldn’t afford to show cowardice by cowering in fear at the opponent’s killing intent.

Especially since the opponent was the Mysterious Elder Nam Cheon-yang, who was entangled in enmity with the Hengshan Yu Family Manor.

Decades ago, Nam Cheon-yang was already a master far beyond Yoo Sang-myeong’s capabilities. It was unimaginable how formidable his martial arts skills had become over the years.

There must have been an important reason for the young master of the Jade Heaven Alliance to involve Nam Cheon-yang.

However, Yoo Sang-myeong neither succumbed to fear nor retreated.

Even if it meant facing death at the hands of Nam Cheon-yang here, Yoo Sang-myeong knew he had to uphold the dignity of his family Manor at all costs.

Nam Cheon-yang’s brow furrowed slightly at Yoo Sang-myeong’s strong and unwavering response.

This was the front yard of the Jade Heaven Alliance. Even if he was under the protection of Woon Dae Yon, the second young master, committing murder here would carry a heavy burden.

‘But taking an arm shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

Nam Cheon-yang licked his lips with his snake-like tongue, contemplating his next move.

Once he had made up his mind, the killing intent he radiated increased uncontrollably.

Yoo Sang-myeong also responded with his own formidable aura.

The aura emanating from the two men caused the furnishings of the guesthouse to vibrate violently. The faces of those with weaker martial arts skills had long since turned pale, and some couldn’t withstand Nam Cheon-yang’s killing intent, spitting out blood.

“Ugh!”

As more people collapsed to the floor, Lee Gwak’s expression slightly changed.

Not knowing the internal affairs of the Jade Heaven Alliance, he had tried not to interfere, but if this continued, many people in the guesthouse would suffer fatal internal injuries.

He slammed his palm down on a table.

Bang!

A sharp shockwave swept through the guesthouse with a powerful impact.

The shock wave created by Lee Gwak immediately dissipated the energy of both Nam Cheon-yang and Yoo Sang-myeong.

“Ugh!”

“Hm!”

Both Nam Cheon-yang and Yoo Sang-myeong grunted simultaneously.

While Yoo Sang-myeong’s expression only slightly changed, Nam Cheon-yang’s face contorted with pain. The shockwave created by Lee Gwak had severely disrupted his meridians.

‘A master!’

In that moment, clarity struck.

Despite being in the same boat, Yoo Sang-myeong wasn’t significantly affected, while Nam Cheon-yang felt the full force of the shock, suggesting that the mysterious assailant could precisely control his force to target specific individuals.

Forcing a calm expression on his face, Nam Cheon-yang looked towards the source of the shockwave. There stood a young martial artist and a man the size of a bear.

Nam Cheon-yang reignited his killing intent and spoke.

“Who dares to interfere with this old man’s business? If you’re not afraid of the Jade Heaven Alliance, reveal your identity.”

Nam Cheon-yang deliberately mentioned the Jade Heaven Alliance instead of his own name, aiming to leverage the intimidation associated with the name of the Jade Heaven Alliance, which could make any martial artist falter.

At that moment, Lee Gwak turned his head to face Nam Cheon-yang.

“Whatever grievance you two have, please take it outside.”

“What?”

“Because of you, all these people in the guesthouse are suffering.”

“Haha! You’re telling me to go outside just for that little reason?You must be overestimating your martial arts, thinking you can reach the sky.”

Nam Cheon-yang glared menacingly.

Despite the ferocious glare that could stop a faint-hearted person’s heart, Lee Gwak’s expression remained unchanged.

His gaze, sharp as needles, pricked at Nam Cheon-yang’s eyes.

Nam Cheon-yang’s pupils momentarily wavered.

A seasoned martial artist can gauge another’s level just by their gaze.

Nam Cheon-yang, a martial artist refined over decades and recruited by Woon Dae Yon for his prowess, prided himself on not being inferior to anyone in terms of internal energy, despite his physical aging.

Yet, the moment he looked into Lee Gwak’s eyes, he felt an indescribable sense of unease and danger.

Swoosh!

Lee Gwak stood up, causing Nam Cheon-yang to flinch.

Unconsciously, Nam Cheon-yang retreated a step, his face twisted in anger, his pride wounded by retreating before an unknown martial artist.

“Eek!”

His beard quivered.

Now, the problem wasn’t about the opponent’s identity; his pride and reputation were at stake.

“I won’t forgive you.”

Whoosh!

He threw a punch at Lee Gwak, unleashing a powerful fist. Though not at full power, he had injected more than seventy percent of his internal energy into it. Even Yoo Sang-myeong, who had just faced him, wouldn’t be able to block such a powerful attack.

“No!”

Yoo Sang-myeong belatedly cried out in warning.

He envisioned Lee Gwak being crushed under the mighty force like a fish caught by a net.

Ssst!

Then, a subtle yet sharp slicing sound echoed.

Yoo Sang-myeong felt an eerie chill and goosebumps all over his body.

‘What?’

An unbelievable scene unfolded before Yoo Sang-myeong’s eyes.

Nam Cheon-yang’s charging fist force split in two and dissipated. Lee Gwak held a blade that had cleaved through Nam Cheon-yang’s force.

“What?”

A stunned Nam Cheon-yang’s voice echoed through the guesthouse.

By then, Lee Gwak had already closed in, standing right before Nam Cheon-yang’s nose.

The blade he had drawn was sheathed again, leaving his hands empty.

He was using his Leaf Hand Blade, a technique executed with bare hands.

Nam Cheon-yang was a seasoned master. Facing such an opponent with bare hands, Lee Gwak might have seemed foolish. But Lee Gwak was neither foolish nor reckless.

He believed he had enough chances of winning with just the Leaf Hand Blade.

Although Nam Cheon-yang was a master who had dominated an era, his physical body was that of an old man. Despite his formidable internal energy, his reactions could not keep up.

Swish!

Lee Gwak used his hands as if they were blades.

Nam Cheon-yang countered with his own technique, the Breaking Sun Fist, a powerful strike based on his strong internal energy. The destructive power of Breaking Sun Fist. was unmatched by any other fist technique in the world.

However, Nam Cheon-yang didn’t have the chance to fully execute his technique. Lee Gwak’s Leaf Hand Blade struck with twice the speed, interrupting him before he could complete his move.

The sound of their clash resembled bamboo splitting as their hands met repeatedly.

Each contact with Lee Gwak’s palm visibly distorted Nam Cheon-yang’s expression, the foreign energy infiltrating his body through the points of contact.

It felt like a venomous snake – damp, sticky, and cold, creeping into every gap and tearing through his entire body.

Nam Cheon-yang tried to counteract the invasive energy with his Pure Yang Energy but to no avail.

The damp, snake-like energy carried a deadly toxin that shredded through Nam Cheon-yang’s Pure Yang Energy.

Blood drained from Nam Cheon-yang’s face, and he soon vomited blood.

“Ugh!”

As Nam Cheon-yang lay on the ground vomiting blood, Yoo Sang-myeong couldn’t hide his astonishment.

“Good heavens!”

Even the head of the Hengshan Yu Family Manor, Yu Nam-cheon, had to exert nearly half a day’s effort to suppress Nam Cheon-yang. Nam Cheon-yang was a formidable master, and his martial prowess hadn’t diminished over time.

Yet, this unknown master had subdued Nam Cheon-yang effortlessly.

Yoo Sang-myeong sighed, bewildered by the thought.

‘Even though the Jianghu is filled with countless experts, isn’t this too much?’

Lee Gwak couldn’t be older than his late twenties.

In the Jianghu, those referred to as “late bloomers” were typically martial artists in their late teens to early twenties. If they did not stand out at this age, they were likely to live their lives as unremarkable martial artists.

Prodigies were young martial artists who displayed exceptional talent and potential among their peers.

While there were many martial artists in Jianghu, it was almost impossible for those who were not prodigies to grow and become famous.

However, Lee Gwak didn’t fall into the category of known late bloomers, at least not to Yoo Sang-myeong’s knowledge.

This meant that Lee Gwak had mastered incredible martial arts that allowed him to instantly subdue a former top master without being recognized as a prodigy.

‘Who could possibly be the master behind such a young expert?’

Yoo Sang-myeong had never imagined the young martial artist sharing the same boat would be such an adept master.

He wasn’t the only one shocked.

Yoo Sehwa and all the guests in the guesthouse stared at Lee Gwak with their mouths agape.
Silence enveloped the guesthouse.

No one spoke. Even their breaths were barely audible.

The scene before them was that shocking.

Lee Gwak, on the other hand, had a slightly perplexed expression.

Nam Cheon-yang’s martial prowess was far below his expectations.

Although his internal energy might be strong, his techniques were blunt, and his adaptability was poor.

All Nam Cheon-yang had left was his past reputation.

In fact, the Gatekeeper Assassin Moon Gwang he had fought before was many times stronger. The infiltration technique contained in Moon Gwang’s Heaven-Collapsing Fearless Palm had even worried Lee Gwak.

Lee Gwak had incorporated a small insight from Moon Gwang’s Heaven-Collapsing Fearless Palm into his Eight Snakes Art. He infused the subtleties of the infiltration technique into his Lead Hand Blade. However, he hadn’t expected it to be this effective, nor had he anticipated Nam Cheon-yang crumbling so feebly without putting up a proper defense.

Lee Gwak shook his head slightly and said to Cheol Gwang Woo, “Let’s leave.”

“But the food…”

“We’ll buy something else on our way.”

“Okay!”

Cheol Gwang Woo got up without further ado. Despite feeling regretful about the food they had ordered, dining in such an atmosphere was equally unappealing to him.

Before leaving, Lee Gwak addressed Yoo Sang-myeong, “I’m not sure if it was presumptuous of me to intervene. If it was out of line, I offer my apologies.”

“No, not at all. Thanks to you, Master Lee, we were saved. Thank you!”

“I’m glad I could help. Then…”

After giving a slight bow to Yoo Sang-myeong, Lee Gwak exited the guesthouse.

Yoo Sang-myeong stared blankly at Lee Gwak’s departing figure before finally coming to his senses.

“Wait a moment! Master Lee.”

But by then, Lee Gwak and Cheol Gwang Woo had already left the guesthouse.

“Uncle.”

Yoo Sehwa called out to Yoo Sang-myeong tentatively, her eyes filled with astonishment.

Although her martial arts skills weren’t as refined as Yoo Sang-myeong’s, preventing her from fully grasping Lee Gwak’s true level, she could tell his martial prowess far exceeded her imagination.

She murmured, almost to herself, “If such a master could assist sister Sobo, it would be a great help.”

“Indeed,” Yoo Sang-myeong agreed with his niece’s remark.

Just then, someone opened the door and entered the guesthouse.

Expecting Lee Gwak’s return, Yoo Sang-myeong and Yoo Sehwa’s faces brightened.

“Sobo!”

“Sister!”

The person entering was none other than Lim So Bo, who had called them here.

Lim So Bo was startled to see Nam Cheon-yang still trembling on the floor.

“Uncle Yoo, Sehwa, what on earth happened here?”

“Well…”

Yoo Sang-myeong calmly recounted the recent events to Lim So Bo.

Shock appeared on Lim So Bo’s face.

“A young master who subdued the Mysterious Elder Nam Cheon-yang instantly? Do you know his name?”

“Lee… Gwak, his name is Lee Gwak.”

“Lee Gwak?”

Lim So Bo’s eyes widened in surprise.