Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 209
Entering the Tiger’s Den (Part 3)
Du Il Yeop’s expression stiffened.
It seemed Yong Cheon Myeong recognized Lee Gwak.
While Yong Cheon Myeong was considered a prime candidate to be the next leader of the Jade Heaven Alliance and held a high status, Lee Gwak was merely a martial artist from the Outer Hall.
Although Lee Gwak had now become famous as Sura Blade, during his time in the Jade Heaven Alliance he was a minor figure compared to Yong Cheon Myeong. The existence of a connection between such two people was nothing short of astonishing.
Du Il Yeop quickly regained his composure and saluted Yong Cheon Myeong.
“I, Du Il Yeop of the Discipline Squad. Do you know this person, Young Master Yong?”
“Leader Du, hand him over to me.”
“That cannot be done.”
“Are you daring to defy my orders?”
“It’s due to protocol. We must first complete our investigation within the Discipline Squad. If he is proven innocent, we have no grounds to hand him over to you.”
Yong Cheon Myeong’s face turned icy at the unexpected response from Du Il Yeop.
“Are you serious?”
“I am sorry, Young Master Yong. That’s the protocol.”
“Are you daring to defy me?”
At that moment, an overwhelming killing intent burst forth from Yong Cheon Myeong’s eyes.
His killing intent was not something Du Il Yeop could handle.
A trace of blood appeared at the corner of Du Il Yeop’s mouth. Merely the killing intent had inflicted internal injuries on him.
‘What in the world is Young Master…’
His face turned deathly pale.
Yong Cheon Myeong’s pressure continued. If Du Il Yeop kept resisting and did not hand over Lee Gwak, he would suffer severe internal injuries and collapse.
Du Il Yeop clenched his teeth and endured, but he couldn’t withstand Yong Cheon Myeong’s killing intent.
At that moment, Lee Gwak stepped forward.
“It’s been a while.”
“Lee Gwak!”
As Yong Cheon Myeong’s gaze shifted to Lee Gwak, the oppressive killing intent he was exerting on Du Il Yeop vanished as if washed away.
“So it really was you.”
The scar that streaked across Yong Cheon Myeong’s face wriggled like a worm. That scar, now a symbol, made his expression even more formidable.
It was a scar made by Lee Gwak.
For Yong Cheon Myeong, it was a mark of humiliation, a reminder of a defeat he wished to erase.
The wound had healed, but the pain still tormented him. That’s why he couldn’t forget.
“You’ve managed to survive.”
“I had no choice but to survive.”
“If you managed to survive, you should have stayed hidden. Why did you come out?”
Yong Cheon Myeong’s killing intent poured out towards Lee Gwak.
Lee Gwak faced his killing intent head-on without changing his expression.
He was an adversary he had to face eventually.
Being in the Jade Heaven Alliance, it was impossible to pass by without encountering him. That’s why, when the problem arose with Maeng Hee Cheon, Lee Gwak chose not to avoid it but to confront it head-on.
If they were to meet eventually, it was better to meet sooner rather than later, regardless of the outcome.
“There’s no reason I can’t appear in the Jianghu.”
“You seem to be quite arrogant with your newfound fame. But in front of the Jade Heaven Alliance and me, such reputation is worthless.”
“I am no longer a part of the Jade Heaven Alliance, and I am certainly not your subordinate. I have no reason to be intimidated by you.”
“How dare you!”
In an instant, an explosive aura burst forth from Yong Cheon Myeong.
“Ugh!”
“Gasp!”
The Discipline Squad staggered under the storm-like Qi force. However, Lee Gwak, standing directly in front and at the very front, showed no change in expression.
Seeing this, Yong Cheon Myeong’s eyes shone even more sharply.
“It seems you haven’t been idly wasting your time.”
“I had no time to rest.”
“What will you do? Will you follow on your own, or shall I drag you there?”
“As you can see, I have to follow the Discipline Squad. It seems I won’t be able to follow you right away.”
“You choose the path of punishment over submission, I see.”
Yong Cheon Myeong’s eyes were filled with killing intent.
He couldn’t just let Lee Gwak be taken away by the Discipline Squad. If it became known during their investigation that Lee Gwak was the one who had scarred his face, his prestige would plummet.
Externally, the scar on his face was known to have been acquired in a fierce battle with the Celestial Demon Troupe. At all costs, that secret had to be kept.
That was why Yong Cheon Myeong had come here.
His aura explosively increased.
Du Il Yeop and the Discipline Squad were pushed back by his force. Their martial prowess was not enough to withstand Yong Cheon Myeong’s aura.
Lee Gwak let out a soft sigh.
Even in the midst of the wild Qi force, Lee Gwak remained composed.
No matter how strong the opponent’s Qi was, as long as he maintained a moment’s composure, it was enough. That was sufficient to execute the Eight Snakes Art.
It was as if a large serpent coiled up had awakened and begun to move.
Yong Cheon Myeong’s formidable Qi force could no longer threaten Lee Gwak. Yong Cheon Myeong sensed this and his eyes gleamed.
‘He has grown.’
He had guessed as much when he heard about Lee Gwak defeating Woo Mun Pae and Moon Gwang, but the actual presence of Lee Gwak far exceeded his expectations.
‘I must eliminate him here.’
His instincts whispered to him.
If he didn’t eliminate Lee Gwak today, the opportunity might not come easily again.
Lee Gwak had already gained significant fame in the Jianghu, and if his reputation grew further, even Yong Cheon Myeong, the young master of the Jade Heaven Alliance, would find it nearly impossible to eliminate him at will.
The formless Qi force emanating from him surged once again, then formed a distinct shape.
It was his special technique, the Silver Dragon Annihilation Qi.
Among all the Qi-based martial arts in the Jianghu, it ranked at the top.
Six years ago, Yong Cheon Myeong had used the Silver Dragon Annihilation Qi against Lee Gwak and ended up scarred. Yet, he chose to use it again because it was not only a destructive martial art but also one he had now mastered.
The gap between a fully accomplished martial art and one that was not was immensely vast.
The materialized Qi writhed like the tentacles of an octopus.
Yong Cheon Myeong, executing the Silver Dragon Annihilation Qi, exuded an overwhelming presence.
Crackling!
The Qi stretched out like a drill towards Lee Gwak’s chest.
“Ah! Dangerous…”
Du Il Yeop involuntarily exclaimed in protection. To his eyes, it seemed Lee Gwak was about to be pierced by the Qi.
Sssss!
At that moment, a chilling sound of cutting through the air echoed.
It was the sound of Lee Gwak drawing his blade.
The sharp noise, reminiscent of a wailing ghost, instinctively made Du Il Yeop and the martial artists of the Discipline Squad shrink their necks.
Swoosh!
The Qi that seemed to pierce Lee Gwak’s chest was split in two and dissipated.
“How?”
Du Il Yeop’s eyes wavered.
It was clear that Lee Gwak’s blade had extinguished Yong Cheon Myeong’s Qi. However, there was no blade Qi or blade force formed on Lee Gwak’s blade.
It was a moment that broke the long-standing rule of the Jianghu that qi could only be countered with qi.
Shoosh, shoosh, shoosh!
The Silver Dragon Annihilation Qi was fired repeatedly at Lee Gwak.
The destructive Qi vanished as soon as it approached Lee Gwak.
No one knew how, but Lee Gwak was countering and slicing Yong Cheon Myeong’s qi with his blade, which bore no blade qi or blade aura.
“My God!”
“They say he’s the Sura Blade, and he truly fights like a Sura.”
The martial artists of the Discipline Squad widened their eyes in astonishment.
While Yong Cheon Myeong’s martial prowess, emitting Qi indiscriminately without moving a step, was terrifying, Lee Gwak’s ability to dissipate Qi with mere blade slashes without moving from his spot seemed inhuman.
It was an exchange of blows unbelievable even to those witnessing it.
Crack, crackle, crack!
The aftermath of their clash caused them to drift apart.
Their feet were now buried up to their ankles in the ground, leaving deep furrows in front of them.
Irritation flickered in Yong Cheon Myeong’s eyes.
Anger surged within him as he was unable to overcome Lee Gwak with his mastered Silver Dragon Annihilation Qi.
“Fine. You are worthy to witness my true martial arts.”
Yong Cheon Myeong spread his hands wide. The Silver Dragon Annihilation Qi swirling around him vanished without a trace.
Although the Silver Dragon Annihilation Qi was one of Yong Cheon Myeong’s signature techniques, it was not his most powerful martial art.
The aura around Yong Cheon Myeong shifted.
The aura emanating from Yong Cheon Myeong transformed, bringing a slight tension to Lee Gwak’s eyes as well.
He could feel the change in the air.
Skin crawling, hairs standing on end, the intensity of Yong Cheon Myeong’s presence was extraordinary.
Lee Gwak took a deep breath.
If Yong Cheon Myeong was going all out, Lee Gwak knew he had to respond with his full strength as well.
Even though Lee Gwak had been trained by Gwang Noh-ya, reaching a higher realm of martial arts, Yong Cheon Myeong had long reigned at the pinnacle of the Jianghu, a prodigy in his own right.
His achievements were not easily measurable by Lee Gwak, far surpassing those of other members of the Ten Lesser Skies, like Woo Mun Pae.
Lee Gwak tightened his grip on his blade.
The fact that he was up against a formidable opponent did not deter him.
The reason Lee Gwak had been able to scar Yong Cheon Myeong’s face six years ago was less about his own strength and more about Yong Cheon Myeong’s complacency.
There was a significant gap between them, necessitating the exploitation of Yong Cheon Myeong’s underestimation. Had Yong Cheon Myeong not taken Lee Gwak lightly, the scar would never have been inflicted.
Yong Cheon Myeong no longer underestimated or took Lee Gwak lightly.
He faced him with the seriousness of a life-and-death adversary.
Terrifying internal energy was condensing within Yong Cheon Myeong’s clenched fist.
The atmosphere around them seemed to churn wildly, as if trying to escape from Yong Cheon Myeong.
The Chaos World Illuminating Fist.
A powerful fist technique, like a singular ray of light illuminating the murky world, was launched towards Lee Gwak.
An overwhelming force, impossible to dodge or block, was contained within that single strike.
At that moment, a giant serpent seemed to violently swirl around Lee Gwak’s body.
His Heart Eye opened, and the flow of the world appeared differently to him.
Within that flow, Lee Gwak saw a different current.
Without hesitation, Lee Gwak thrust his blade into this alternate flow.
“Both of you, stop.”
As Lee Gwak was thrusting his blade into the flow, two distinct voices called for a halt, and two figures burst onto the battlefield, unleashing their own forces towards the clash between Lee Gwak and Yong Cheon Myeong.
A massive explosion ensued as four different forces collided, creating a storm that devastated the area within tens of feet, resembling the aftermath of an explosive blast.
“What?”
“This can’t be!”
The spectacle left the martial artists of the Discipline Squad trembling, disbelief in their eyes.
Du Il Yeop quickly scanned the devastated battlefield, curious about the identities of those who had intervened.
“It’s Young Master Woon, And Lady Dan…”
Du Il Yeop recognized them immediately.
Standing with a sword in hand was none other than the Jade Heaven Alliance’s second Young Master, Woon Dae Yeon the Sword Dragon, and the woman in black exuding an imposing presence with her fists clenched was Dan Li Yeon, the Dark Martial Empress.
Their intervention had pushed Yong Cheon Myeong back several steps, while Lee Gwak, kneeling on one knee, was bleeding from the mouth.
Woon Dae Yeon and Dan Li Yeon had to use their martial arts unwillingly to break up the fight, inevitably directing most of their force towards Lee Gwak. This was because Yong Cheon Myeong was their sworn brother, and they tried to minimize the harm to him as much as possible.
The shock Lee Gwak received was beyond imagination. Only the Eight Snakes Art protected his body, narrowly saving his life.
Lee Gwak was too internally shaken to speak.
Yong Cheon Myeong’s face twisted unpleasantly.
“Why did you interfere?”
“Unleashing your ultimate technique within the Jade Heaven Alliance grounds? Are you insane?”
“Calm down, brother.”
Woon Dae Yeon rebuked Yong Cheon Myeong, while Dan Li Yeon tried to pacify him.
Both were always vigilant about Yong Cheon Myeong’s actions. They had sensed his abnormal movement just moments ago.
Woon Dae Yeon rushed here to check on Yong Cheon Myeong, and Dan Li Yeon came in anticipation of unforeseen circumstances.
When they arrived, Lee Gwak and Yong Cheon Myeong were on the verge of a direct confrontation.
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, they didn’t hesitate to intervene.
As a result, Yong Cheon Myeong was pushed back, and Lee Gwak suffered non-negligible internal injuries.
Yong Cheon Myeong glared at them as if he would devour them alive.
“Do you dare meddle in my affairs?”
“Do you realize what you’ve done, brother? If Master learns of this, he will never forgive you.”
Woon Dae Yeon stared back at Yong Cheon Myeong defiantly.
Already lagging in the succession race, Woon Dae Yeon saw Yong Cheon Myeong’s mistake as a golden opportunity.
After a moment, Yong Cheon Myeong turned his gaze to Dan Li Yeon.
Dan Li Yeon was not as hostile as Woon Dae Yeon but clearly indicated her willingness to intervene if the situation worsened.
Yong Cheon Myeong realized he had missed the perfect opportunity to eliminate Lee Gwak.
“Lee Gwak!”
“…”
“May your silence be as heavy as your temper. Otherwise, I will tear you to pieces, wagering all I have.”
Lee Gwak did not respond. He couldn’t.
He was focusing all his energy on healing his internal injuries.
Instead, Lee Gwak looked straight into Yong Cheon Myeong’s eyes. After a moment of observing Lee Gwak’s unwavering gaze, Yong Cheon Myeong abruptly turned and walked away towards the palace.
As they watched him leave, the attention of the two interveners turned back to Lee Gwak, still kneeling on one knee.
Their reactions to seeing his face were marked by different shades of surprise.
“You’re that Outer Hall Squad Leader?”
“My God! You are…”
Woon Dae Yeon’s surprise was particularly significant.
He had once traveled with Lee Gwak and had no idea that the man capable of fighting evenly with his sworn brother, Yong Cheon Myeong, was merely a squad leader from the Outer Hall.
“Insane…”