CLS-Chapter 486

Chapter 486:

“No, so… you stupid fool!”

Baek Mu-han struck his chest in frustration.

“How many times have I told you that those Demonic Cult bastards are worthless trash! I know your level is that of a lowly arthropod, but I didn’t think you’d be this unable to understand words!”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

Wei Yan-ho didn’t back down in the slightest.

“Maybe it was different when Master was around, but now isn’t that kind of era! Ah, seriously, talking to an old fogey like this makes no sense! This is the era where the Demonic Cult rules supreme!”

“No matter how strong those bastards have become, there are limits to martial arts. How is that even possible?”

“It’s possible, which is why I’m telling you this! Master’s supposedly acknowledged sects like Wudang and Shaolin were all getting their asses kicked by the Demonic Cult and running around like scared rabbits.”

“You might as well tell me the sun became the moon, you fool! Even if I was trapped in a cave for three hundred years, does that sound like something that makes sense?”

“Ugh, how frustrating!”

Wei Yan-ho pounded his chest, thump thump.

“I don’t care about common sense or whatever. I’m telling you that’s the reality right now. About twenty years ago, there was a great war that almost destroyed the martial world. I told you about it already.”

“Good grief.”

Baek Mu-han shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it.

“There’s no way that’s possible…”

“Why is it impossible? Master, you said it yourself—the potential of demonic arts is not to be underestimated. You said demonic arts were the only martial discipline that could compare to your martial arts.”

“That’s right.”

“Then isn’t it possible for the Demonic Cult to be revived?”

“That’s impossible, which is why I’m saying this.”

“Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho opened his eyes wide and asked.

“Of course, it’s true that demonic arts as a martial discipline are high-level. Though they’re mixed with trashy garbage, the original forms are quite excellent. But the so-called demonic arts from three hundred years ago had already lost their true meaning and were nothing but empty shells. So how could they be revived from there?”

“Couldn’t someone like Master make it possible?”

“Hey, you fool. Of course that’s obvious. If I’m doing it, what wouldn’t be possible? Who do you think I am?”

“Do you really have to brag about that here before continuing?”

“Bragging? I’m only stating facts. Even when I speak the truth, it becomes bragging—what do you want me to do about that? I can’t lie just to be modest.”

“…Yes, yes. That’s right, yes.”

Wei Yan-ho answered half-heartedly.

“You fool! Can’t you admire me more purely!”

“That’s fine for a day or two! You brag thirty-five times a day—if I had to be amazed at each one, would that make me human? I don’t even expect modesty! At least when you say the same thing, you should know to be bored!”

Smack!

“Uurgh!”

Wei Yan-ho grabbed his head and rolled on the ground.

“How dare you raise your voice at your master, you ill-mannered brat!”

Wei Yan-ho glared at Baek Mu-han with resentful eyes.

“Lower your eyes. Before I pluck out those ink spots.”

“Yes sir.”

Wei Yan-ho obediently lowered his eyes.

There’s no helping it against violence. Especially when this gentleman possesses the greatest violence in all of history, and he doesn’t hesitate to unleash that violence on his disciple.

What choice is there but to submit?

“I may be capable, but there’s no way another person like me would appear.”

“But you said it would be possible if the Heavenly Demon was revived?”

“It might be possible, but…”

Baek Mu-han chuckled.

“What are the odds that the Heavenly Demon, who has been quiet all this time, would happen to revive after I die and start creating martial arts again? According to what you’re saying, the Heavenly Demon has already revived and reorganized the Demonic Cult’s martial arts—would that guy really be so well-behaved?”

“Then what happened?”

“How would I know? That’s why I’m saying it doesn’t make sense!”

“…Maybe the Demonic Cult guys dug up a bunch of complete ancient manuals from somewhere.”

“Do I need to lecture you again on my theory that manuals are useless?”

“No. That’s enough.”

Wei Yan-ho shuddered.

Baek Mu-han liked to talk. Whether it was his original personality or because he’d been stuck alone in a cave for three hundred years and wanted to say everything he couldn’t say before, he was very talkative.

At first, since there were only two of them, he was sometimes grateful to be with someone who talked a lot, but not anymore. The topics of conversation were limited, and since he had to talk, he would repeat what he’d said before, falling into a quagmire of hearing the same things over and over.

He felt like he’d heard the “manuals are useless” theory about twenty times already.

“Anyway, I don’t really care how those bastards revived—just tell me how to deal with them.”

“Deal with them? Why would you deal with them?”

“They say demonic energy is difficult to handle. They said the feeling is different from ordinary energy.”

“Ho?”

Baek Mu-han looked at Wei Yan-ho with a surprised expression.

“For you to think of such things—the sun must be rising in the west.”

Though here, they couldn’t tell if the sun rose in the west or east.

“Just in case, you know. Just in case.”

“Just in case?”

“Yes.”

Wei Yan-ho grinned.

“If I live holed up in a corner, there wouldn’t be much danger, but the Demonic Cult bastards are the only ones who would break into someone’s quiet corner. Since I’m learning martial arts anyway, if it’s going to be useful, I should be able to use it properly.”

“…Good grief.”

Baek Mu-han shook his head.

He couldn’t tell whether he should be grateful that his disciple was at least thinking about using martial arts, or scold him to get his act together.

Setting that aside.

“Demonic energy… Certainly, demonic arts have aspects that are troublesome to deal with.”

“That’s what they said.”

“Compared to general orthodox arts, demonic arts have explosive properties. When speed and nature are combined, it would feel more dangerous than orthodox arts of the same power.”

“Then what should I do?”

“What do you mean what should you do, you fool?”

“Huh?”

Baek Mu-han clicked his tongue.

“Do you think there are such things as tailored countermeasures in this world? Even if there were, that would be a method you shouldn’t use. A method to easily deal with demonic arts—even if you won using such a method, what meaning would it have?”

“…”

“If you’re a man, you should push forward steadfastly no matter what methods your opponent uses.”

Clap clap clap clap!

Wei Yan-ho applauded Baek Mu-han’s bold statement.

“I heard that great opinion. Master can do that, but I’d like to hear some countermeasures now?”

“You little!”

Baek Mu-han swung his hand again, but this time Wei Yan-ho wasn’t just taking it. Wei Yan-ho quickly rolled his body to dodge Baek Mu-han’s flick and curved up the corner of his mouth with a grin.

“Oh? You dodged?”

“It would be a mistake to think I’d keep taking it forever.”

“Ho?”

Baek Mu-han nodded as if acknowledging.

“Indeed, that’s right. You’re developing too.”

“Hehe, that’s right.”

“Then as a reward for that development, I’ll tell you.”

“Yes?”

“You asked how to deal with demonic arts, right?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm, would this explanation work? Between Extreme Yang True Force and Extreme Yin True Force, which do you think is stronger?”

“…Is there such a thing as stronger or weaker? The stronger one would win.”

“That’s right. You know well.”

Crack.

The sound of Baek Mu-han clenching his fist reached Wei Yan-ho’s ears vividly.

“W-wait a moment, Master?”

“Everything in the world has weaknesses and strengths. Martial arts also have strengths and weaknesses according to their properties. My martial arts might be stronger against certain martial arts, while they might be devoured by others. Do you know how to overcome that?”

“…I have a feeling I shouldn’t know this…”

“If you pour water on fire, the fire goes out. But a great forest fire won’t go out even if it rains! Demonic arts? Demonic energy? Methods to deal with demonic arts? Don’t worry! I’ll make you into someone who doesn’t need to worry about any martial arts! Prepare yourself!”

Looking at Baek Mu-han charging toward him, Wei Yan-ho muttered in a tear-soaked voice.

“Damn old fogey… really doesn’t understand what people are saying.”

***

‘But that’s the most correct thing to say.’

Wei Yan-ho looked with tense eyes at the demonic energy pouring out from Tang Yun-geol’s body.

It didn’t matter what properties the demonic energy had. The answer to all power is greater power.

The problem was that Tang Yun-geol’s body wouldn’t be able to withstand the collision between the demonic energy it was emitting and Wei Yan-ho’s power.

So… gently.

Suppress with force. But never too strongly—with power equal to the opponent’s output, slowly, without rushing, slowly.

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes gleamed.

There was nothing to worry about.

He could handle any situation. His master’s teachings, which had reached the level of abuse beyond harshness, had crammed every martial art into his body.

Sometimes he found that fact tiresome, but now he was grateful to his master…

‘Grateful my ass!’

Thinking about it made his teeth grind again.

Wei Yan-ho ground his teeth and released his energy. A brilliant white light shone from his fingertips.

Radiance.

The demonic energy that touched the dazzling light flinched and then hesitantly retreated.

‘Huh?’

Look at that?

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes showed interest.

While it was true that any resistance was meaningless before greater power, the demonic energies pouring from Tang Yun-geol’s body were shrinking more than Wei Yan-ho had expected.

Like beasts seeing fire.

As if terrified by seeing energy that was their natural enemy, the demonic energies wandered around unable to find where to go.

‘It wasn’t like this before?’

Wei Yan-ho had already experienced demonic energy several times. When he fought the Mad Soul Demon Emperor, he had been roughed up because of the oppressive nature of that demonic energy. But why is this phenomenon occurring now?

‘Is it because these energies are too weak?’

He didn’t know what was going on, but the fact that controlling the demonic energy had become easier was welcome. Wei Yan-ho released his energy and pushed the demonic energy to one side.

“What are you doing!”

“J-just a moment!”

Tang Cheon-gun seemed to have noticed the change too. His movements to absorb the poison became busier.

“Can you hold on?”

“Still! I’m still fine! I can do it!”

“Good!”

Tang Cheon-gun waved his hand to retrieve all the poison smoke that had been released. Then he placed his hand on Tang Yun-geol’s crown and used his Absorption Technique to suck out the poison.

His fingertips turned red.

“Ugh, it’s terrible.”

“What’s the big deal? You’re the Poison King.”

“You think Crimson Study Poison is ordinary poison! Only someone like me can receive it with my body!”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

“Damn it!”

Cold sweat poured down Tang Cheon-gun’s forehead.

“Just a little more!”

At that moment, a change occurred in Tang Yun-geol’s body. His body, which had been stained red, began to regain its original color starting from his toes. The poison was being sucked out.

“It’s working!”

The head of the Medicine Hall shouted in joy.

“No, it doesn’t seem to be working yet.”

Wei Yan-ho pointed at the toes. The toes that had regained their color from the red staining turned black again.

“Wh-what is this? I sucked out all the poison.”

“It’s demonic energy.”

Wei Yan-ho sighed.

The suppressed demonic energy was flowing toward where there was no poison. If left alone, the demonic energy would completely devour the body that had become clean as white paper.

“This is really troublesome.”

Wei Yan-ho’s hand pressed on Tang Yun-geol’s energy center.

Then…

“Heave!”

A terrifying Absorption Technique began sucking out the demonic energy remaining in Tang Yun-geol’s body.