Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 117 – Disciple Scramble (4)

“How do you expect to do anything to me like this? Why don’t you try using that cultivation method instead?”

Mok Gyeong-un’s mocking tone.

At those words, a blazing fury, like a furnace, surged from a spot in Mok Yu-cheon’s chest.

Until just a month ago, to him, Mok Gyeong-un was nothing more than a cowardly trash who couldn’t be found to have any talent.

But how could this situation unfold?

How could the circumstances be turned upside down in just a month, making him the inferior one?

-Grit!

His teeth ground together.

Hadn’t he made bloody efforts beyond his talent to overturn the notion of his lowly birth?

Yet he was being pushed back by this devilish fellow?

It was becoming increasingly difficult to contain his anger.

-Thump! Thump!

His heart pounded strongly, and the impulse of murderous intent that he had been suppressing was trying to rise again.

Seeing him like that, Mok Gyeong-un spoke as if he had wished for it, raising the corners of his mouth.

“Good. That’s how it should be.”

‘!?’

Upon hearing those words, Mok Yu-cheon felt a momentary pang of regret.

In a moment of humiliation, he had almost released the impulse he had been suppressing with difficulty, unable to control his anger.

Mok Yu-cheon bit his lip and suppressed his rage.

He absolutely couldn’t do as this fellow wished.

‘No. I have to endure.’

If he were to indulge in that impulse, he wouldn’t be able to control what he might do.

Seeing his reaction, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled.

He found this aspect to be quite troublesome.

Should it be called unnecessarily stubborn?

However, although brief, he had experienced Mok Yu-cheon in the Yeon Mok Sword Manor and had information about him.

Mok Yu-cheon’s reverse scale was easy to trigger.

“For a lowly courtesan’s son, your patience is quite…”

Before he could even finish his sentence,

-Whoosh!

At that moment, a strong rebound force arose from Mok Yu-cheon’s neck, and along with the hand grasping his neck, Mok Gyeong-un’s body was flung backward.

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been lifted nearly three feet in the air, somersaulted and landed on the ground.

-Swish!

Even so, he was pushed back nearly five steps.

Having been pushed back and regained his balance, Mok Gyeong-un raised his head.

‘So this was it.’

His power had surged in an instant.

It seemed to have nearly doubled, already surpassing the pinnacle-stage of Peak Realm.

Seeing that, Mok Gyeong-un clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘It turned out like this.’

Although it was a side effect caused by the incorrect mnemonics, what were the chances of such an absurd situation occurring where the power nearly doubled?

It was no different from searching for a needle in a sandy beach.

-Sizzle!

The red mist flowing from Mok Yu-cheon’s entire body was ominous beyond compare.

The atmosphere seemed even more dangerous due to his brown skin and whitened eyes.

Seeing him like that, a glimmer of admiration appeared in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.

‘Ah. So that’s how it is.’

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes differed from those of ordinary people.

After embracing the energy of death, the death qi, and opening the Ghost Eyes, he could see the flow of energy.

Because of that, he could witness right in front of him how Mok Yu-cheon’s energy was surging.

The principle was quite unique.

‘How fascinating.’

He had only changed a few parts of the original cultivation method’s mnemonics, yet such a phenomenon occurred.

No, it was more than a few parts, but it was still fascinating.

The depth of martial arts seemed truly limitless.

“I’ll kill you!”

It was at that very moment.

-Bam!

Mok Yu-cheon shouted at Mok Gyeong-un and launched his body towards him.

Perhaps due to his power nearly doubling, his speed was much faster than before.

Reaching Mok Gyeong-un in an instant, Mok Yu-cheon threw a fist as if to shatter Mok Gyeong-un’s head.

-Tap tap tap tap tap!

Mok Gyeong-un employed the lightness skill and created distance just as the fist was about to touch his head.

He had barely dodged it.

Since he was limiting himself to the peak of the peak realm, he didn’t draw out more than 20% of his internal energy, so it was more efficient to dodge than to block.

-Bam!

However, just as he thought he had created distance, Mok Yu-cheon had already caught up to him.

Then, he unleashed the 9th move of the Yeon Mok Nine Techniques, the basic technique of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, the Yeon Eternal Trading Blows Technique[1].

Mok Gyeong-un was well aware of this technique, so he tried to dodge by predicting its trajectory, but,

-Bam!

“Ugh.”

At that moment, the trajectory of the Yeon Eternal Trading Blows Technique’s fist technique changed, striking his left shoulder and collarbone in succession.

Upon being hit, Mok Gyeong-un’s body was pushed back again.

-Swish!

Seeing Mok Gyeong-un being pushed back, Lee Ji-yeom, the Corpse Blood Valley Master, stiffened his expression.

It was understandable, as Lee Ji-yeom had confirmed the cause of death after seeing the corpse of the deceased Yeom Ga from the Vermillion Slaughter Cave.

The cause of death was the rupture of all the meridians centered around the area of impact.

This was completely different from a typical internal injury.

So, before the duel, he had wanted to inform his liege, Mok Gyeong-un, about this fact, but he couldn’t due to the many watchful eyes.

‘This is serious. Why did the Liege provoke that child?’

Mok Yu-cheon himself seemed to be restraining that impulse.

However, when Mok Gyeong-un said something, he couldn’t contain his anger and manifested the evil technique again.

Perhaps the meridians in the areas that were hit just now had ruptured.

‘Ah…’

Was his guess correct?

Mok Gyeong-un was staggering, clutching his shoulder.

Had the meridians indeed ruptured from the previous strike?

At that moment, Mok Yu-cheon also hesitated for a moment upon seeing Mok Gyeong-un grasping his shoulder.

‘Could it be?’

Mok Yu-cheon looked at his palm.

The sensation when he had struck Mok Gyeong-un’s shoulder and collarbone just now was very similar to when he had killed Yeom Ga from the Vermillion Slaughter Cave.

It was a sensation as if his qi was mixed with the impulse of murderous intent.

‘What on earth is this?’

If he became more accustomed to this strange sensation, it seemed like he could unleash it at will.

However, now wasn’t the time for that.

Although he had been consumed by murderous intent due to Mok Gyeong-un’s provocation, he had no real desire to kill him.

He just wanted to teach that devilish fellow a lesson.

At that moment,

“Phew.”

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been clutching his shoulder, let go of his hand and straightened his back.

Seeing that, Mok Yu-cheon furrowed his brows.

Yeom Ga, whom he had faced earlier, had coughed up blood and suffered in agony before meeting his demise from this strike.

However, there was no abnormality in Mok Gyeong-un’s complexion.

Was he unaffected?

“You…”

“Is this all you’ve got?”

Mok Gyeong-un’s mocking tone.

Upon hearing this, Mok Yu-cheon’s eyes turned fierce.

He had been foolish to sympathize with him for a moment, thinking he might die.

“It’s disappointing. Is this the limit of your lowly birth?”

-Grit!

The red mist surged even more strongly from Mok Yu-cheon’s entire body.

Then, his veins bulged prominently.

The more his emotions intensified, the more it seemed to affect his qi circulation.

‘Bastard.’

Mok Yu-cheon clenched his fists tightly.

It was rather fortunate.

Unlike Yeom Ga, if he were hit in areas like the shoulder, it seemed he could avoid a fatal injury, so he needed to make it so that Mok Gyeong-un couldn’t use his limbs for a while.

That way, he would come to his senses.

-Bam!

Mok Yu-cheon, consumed by the impulse of murderous intent, launched his body towards Mok Gyeong-un again.

In response, Mok Gyeong-un also moved accordingly.

This time, instead of retreating, he launched his body head-on towards the charging Mok Yu-cheon.

They both charged towards each other.

-Bam!

Mok Yu-cheon’s movement was even faster.

In an instant, a fist flew towards Mok Gyeong-un’s face as if to pierce through it.

Mok Gyeong-un moved his head to dodge it and then kicked towards Mok Yu-cheon’s abdomen.

-Bam!

Mok Yu-cheon, who was hit in the abdomen, snorted.

As if it didn’t hurt at all, he tried to strike down Mok Gyeong-un’s leg to break it in that state.

However,

-Bam!

Mok Gyeong-un twisted his body and kicked Mok Yu-cheon’s face with his other leg.

Mok Yu-cheon dodged it with a half-step and succeeded in landing a strike on Mok Gyeong-un’s thigh.

-Bam!

Mok Gyeong-un’s body, having been hit, was slightly pushed back.

-Swish!

Unlike before, he was pushed back about three steps.

As he was pushed back, qi surged from the soles of Mok Gyeong-un’s feet, and then,

-Crack!

The floor of the training ground cracked.

Witnessing this, one of the leaders, Thunderbolt Fist King Won Byeong-hak, exclaimed in astonishment and muttered.

“He drained it.”

It was a phenomenon where the energy contained in the opponent’s fist was drained through the Yongcheon acupoint.

It could be considered a technique of grafting.

If he could use that technique more smoothly, he could utilize the opponent’s strength to add greater power and reflect it back.

However, even that alone demonstrated his excellent qi manipulation.

‘Ah, as expected, it’s that child.’

Seeing this, his desire for Mok Gyeong-un intensified even more.

That fellow was undoubtedly a talent who could not only complete the secret technique of the True Origin Lightning Fist but also further develop it.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un once again mocked Mok Yu-cheon.

“How mediocre.”

“You!”

Enraged, Mok Yu-cheon launched his body towards Mok Gyeong-un once more.

-Bam!

‘Why? Why is it?’

Mok Yu-cheon, consumed by the impulse of murderous intent, became more impatient as his anger grew.

His power had surged, making him superior to Mok Gyeong-un in every aspect, yet why couldn’t he defeat him?

Did he need even stronger power?

Mok Yu-cheon tried to draw out more energy by operating the flawed Ignited Wood Heart Transformation Method.

It was at that very moment.

-Snap!

As if the string of rationality had snapped, Mok Yu-cheon’s eyes completely turned brown.

Then, he let out a roar like a beast.

“Roar!”

At the power-infused scream reminiscent of a lion’s roar, the warriors nearby simultaneously covered their ears.

-Crack! Screech!

Mok Yu-cheon’s skin had turned not just brown but black, and his veins bulged prominently, his muscles swelling to the point where his upper garment tore.

-Roar!

Sensing the surging energy emanating from Mok Yu-cheon, the leaders simultaneously rose from their seats.

His power had not just doubled but nearly tripled.

He had almost reached the realm of the early stages of the Transcendent Realm.

‘What kind of evil technique is that?’

‘How did his energy surge to that extent?’

Even Bright Blade King Son Yun and Thunderbolt Fist King Won Byeong-hak couldn’t hide their astonishment at Mok Yu-cheon’s appearance.

This was a bizarre phenomenon that couldn’t even be adequately described as an evil technique.

The Heaven and Earth Society was not a righteous sect, so evil techniques were not forbidden, but this went beyond that concept and was ominous and dangerous in itself.

‘This has surpassed the level that child can handle.’

Power wielded beyond one’s limits ultimately leads to destruction in the end.

It was a temporary surge caused by a rampage.

However, it was not at a level that Mok Gyeong-un could handle.

“Valley Master. The duel!”

Although Son Yun didn’t finish his sentence, Lee Ji-yeom shared the same thought.

They had to stop the duel immediately.

“Understood…”

It was at that very moment.

-Boom!

The fragments of the training ground floor shot upward, and the rampaging Mok Yu-cheon charged towards Mok Gyeong-un.

His speed was on a different level compared to before.

In the blink of an eye, he reached Mok Gyeong-un, and then,

-Bam!

He swung a vicious fist at Mok Gyeong-un.

Along with it, Mok Gyeong-un’s body was flung away, bouncing off the training ground floor three times like a ragdoll before rolling on the ground.

-Thud! Boom! Boom! Crash!

Just by looking at the shattered stone floor of the training ground, one could imagine the extent of the power.

With this level of impact, he might have suffered injuries that crushed the bones throughout his body.

However, the rampaging Mok Yu-cheon didn’t stop there.

“Roar!”

Letting out another monstrous scream, he tried to charge towards the fallen Mok Gyeong-un.

Right at that moment,

-Bam! Boom!

Mok Yu-cheon, who had been charging forward, stumbled and fell.

Someone of a large stature was grasping the back of his neck, none other than Bright Blade King Son Yun.

However, Son Yun wasn’t the only one restraining him.

At some point, Thunderbolt Fist King Won Byeong-hak was standing right in front of Mok Yu-cheon, his fist drawn back, ready to unleash an explosive force at any moment.

-Bam bam!

“Roar!”

Mok Yu-cheon, suppressed by Bright Blade King Son Yun’s hand, tried to resist.

Thanks to his surging power, his entire body shook.

However, no matter how strong he had become, there was no way he could surpass the power of Bright Blade King Son Yun, who had reached the pinnacle-stage of Transcendent Realm.

“Stay still.”

-Boom!

Son Yun pressed down on Mok Yu-cheon’s neck even more forcefully.

“Thunderbolt Fist King.”

While holding Mok Yu-cheon down, Son Yun called out to Thunderbolt Fist King Won Byeong-hak.

It meant to quickly subdue his acupoints.

Won Byeong-hak nodded his head and relaxed his stance, approaching Mok Yu-cheon to attempt to seal his acupoints.

-Tap tap tap tap tap tap!

However,

“What’s with this brat?”

“What’s the matter?”

“The locations of his acupoints have all changed.”

“His acupoints?”

“That’s right. The locations of his acupoints are all jumbled up, so like this…”

It seemed difficult to make him faint by sealing his acupoints.

As they were dealing with that,

“Let me handle it.”

Upon hearing the voice, Won Byeong-hak turned his head.

There stood Hang Yeo-ryang, the Valley Master of the Summoning Sound Valley. She approached closely and placed her two hands near the ears of Mok Yu-cheon, who was trying to struggle while being suppressed.

And then,

-Bam! Whoosh!

She clenched and opened her hands.

At that moment, a strong vibration occurred, and the eyes of Mok Yu-cheon, who had been trying to resist, rolled back.

Then, his movements soon subsided.

Won Byeong-hak asked with a furrowed brow.

“What did you do?”

Hang Yeo-ryang, the Valley Master of the Summoning Sound Valley, chuckled and tapped her head with her finger, saying,

“Should I say I made this vibrate a little?”

She had used sound techniques to create vibrations, shaking Mok Yu-cheon’s brain through his eardrums.

Is this when the expression “the skull is ringing” is used?

No matter how strong he was, unable to endure the vibrations coming from both sides, Mok Yu-cheon had lost consciousness.

-Thump thump thump!

At that moment, Mok Yu-cheon’s swollen muscles subsided.

Not only that, but his blackened skin also regained its original color.

Finding this strange, Son Yun checked his acupoints.

‘The surging energy is subsiding. However…’

It was as expected.

Some of the meridians throughout his body had swollen due to the surging power, and some had even ruptured, and his danjeon had also become quite unstable.

‘Strange. How strange.’

In this state, it wouldn’t have been surprising if all his meridians had ruptured.

However, it stopping at only some parts was fortunate.

If not, Mok Yu-cheon would have not only lost his martial arts but also become disabled or crippled throughout his entire body.

It could be said that it was fortunate that they had rushed in.

‘What about that child?’

Son Yun removed his hand from Mok Yu-cheon’s acupoints and looked at the place where Mok Gyeong-un had been flung away.

Lee Ji-yeom, the Corpse Blood Valley Master, was there.

Seeing this, he clicked his tongue.

‘To think it would turn out like this while determining the final top ranker.’

It was truly an ironic situation.

Although Mok Yu-cheon’s condition wasn’t very good, if he had been hit with a strike like before, Mok Gyeong-un’s body would have been nearly shattered as well.

As he was thinking that,

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un was seen staggering and getting up from his spot.

‘!?’

Seeing that, the eyes of the leaders, including Son Yun, glimmered with admiration.

Did he endure such a tremendous strike?

At that moment, Lee Ji-yeom, who was beside him, whispered to Mok Gyeong-un with surprised eyes.

“My liege, are you alright?”

He had thought that Mok Gyeong-un would have suffered severe injuries from the surging strike that nearly reached the early-stage of Transcendent Realm.

However, Mok Gyeong-un smiled as if nothing had happened and said,

“I’m fine.”

“But with that level of strike just now…”

“Ah, ah. At this level, it’s correct that I couldn’t dodge it.”

“Pardon?”

What did he mean by that?

At this level, he couldn’t dodge it?

What on earth was he talking about? As he was wondering,

Mok Gyeong-un lightly moved his neck and stretched it.

-Crack! Crack!

“Deliberately taking the hit and pretending to be in pain is quite a task.”

“Ha…”

At those words, Lee Ji-yeom was momentarily dumbfounded.

Did he mean that he had deliberately taken that tremendous strike?

However, what was surprising was not that, but rather, he was even more astonished by Mok Gyeong-un’s appearance, who truly seemed unharmed.

But the surprises didn’t end there.

“But thanks to seeing it up close, I learned something good.”

“Pardon?”

What did he mean by that?

As he was puzzled,

-Bulge! Bulge!

At that moment, the veins on Mok Gyeong-un’s left hand bulged prominently, and soon, the muscles up to his wrist swelled, and his skin turned black.

‘!!!!!’