Chapter 267

Chapter 267

The martial arts of the Baek Ri Family, which holds the title of the greatest family under heaven in this generation, are broadly divided into three types. Outer Family Arts, True Mountain Arts, and Secret Arts.

The Outer Family Arts learned by collateral family members aren’t particularly different from other families, but starting from branch families and core executives who are granted the right to learn True Mountain Arts, their power can undoubtedly be called the best in the martial world. Just the Jinyeombaekhwa Gyeol that Baek Risan uses is called a tyrannical martial art that can even contend with masters a level above if properly mastered, isn’t it?

Cheongwol Socheon Gong, Jinyeombaekhwa Gyeol.

The Baek Ri Family’s True Mountain Arts based on the two attributes of Yin and Yang are extremely powerful yet highly complete. That’s why most people associate the Baek Ri Family with white flames blooming and the moon tinged pale blue.

However.

Those who actually encountered the Baek Ri Family’s ‘true’ masters all say this without exception.

Beware the disappearance of sound.

Beware the world gradually losing its colors.

Kagagagang!

Sparks fly.

‘Hmm……!’

Hyeolgyeom, who deflected by angling his sword blade toward the edge of the pulled great scythe and then immediately spun his sword once to evade the attack aimed at his nape, groaned inwardly. His vision becoming eerily muffled.

‘What kind of martial art is this?’

Though the world is vast and martial arts types are endlessly numerous, if one reached the level of masters like Sipcheon or Chilryun, they would possess some level of proficiency in any martial art.

For instance, Hyeolgyeom wouldn’t lose to greenhorn late-stage disciples just because he took up a sword, and Bulgoe wouldn’t lose his life to mediocre yokai just because he took up a spear. Originally, martial arts are all streams returning to one source, and different things share much in common with each other.

However.

‘This is the first time I’ve encountered such martial arts.’

It seems to have no color. It just looks ordinary.

The eyes say so, but the sweat beading on the hands gripping the great scythe says differently. That if things continue like this, he’ll inevitably lose while being swept into the opponent’s rhythm.

Steps are stolen, breathing is stolen, and even techniques are swallowed to ultimately be devoured by the opponent.

His sixth sense was pleading thus.

“Hup!”

Kaaaang—!!!

After exchanging one bout and stepping back, Hyeolgyeom, who steadied his breathing as cleanly as if he hadn’t just fought, frowned at the Sword Emperor organizing his breath. The words that followed.

“From what this old man knows, the Baek Ri Family’s martial arts are extremely flashy…… but Sword Emperor, your martial arts are not so.”

“…….”

“What kind of martial art is that exactly?”

Restrained martial arts. Thus martial arts that pursued an extreme of simple attack patterns?

That wasn’t it. Martial arts that pursued extremes through simple attack patterns could evoke admiration from opponents even with extremely simple patterns.

But he didn’t feel such a thing from the Sword Emperor’s martial arts. Just ordinary martial arts. Martial arts where nothing felt remarkable.

They were martial arts that wouldn’t be strange even if performed by some adequate mid-level master rolling around in the martial world. Martial arts with no brilliance, no simplicity melted into the techniques—literally martial arts that could only be called martial arts.

Yet.

Certainly so, yet.

‘I can’t break through.’

Those martial arts without even a trace of distinctiveness blocked all his attacks without gaps. Though he hadn’t yet felt a real threat, all attacks he thought would succeed ended in failure. As if it were ‘natural that it should be so.’

“What path of martial arts are you walking?”

As Hyeolgyeom steadied his breathing and asked, the Sword Emperor frowned and looked at Hyeolgyeom. The answer that followed.

“Do Demonic Cult followers always talk so much when fighting?”

“…….”

“If you want to know, figure it out yourself. Old man.”

“……Hehe.”

At the Sword Emperor’s sharp tone, Hyeolgyeom let out a bewildered laugh and raised his great scythe. They were truly fitting words.

‘I had forgotten.’

He’d forgotten because it had been so long since fighting an equal opponent. That martial artists ultimately speak with their swords.

If one wanted to expose the opponent’s hand, one had to reveal one’s own hand. Just checking each other like this, even after a hundred or thousand days, he wouldn’t be able to grasp the opponent. That was an obvious fact.

“This old man was timid.”

“…….”

“Yes. Directly figuring it out would be right.”

Slowly.

Blood-colored energy flashed from the raised great scythe. Blood-colored energy that seemed visible yet invisible, like blood beads on a scythe that just beheaded someone.

“I won’t try to probe deliberately.”

“…….”

“Whatever you’ve prepared, I’ll just smash through it, so come and receive this. Sword Emperor.”

He swings it down.

Daecheonjeokheolsurajgeom

Churangjeokhwal

Confirming irresistible-level tremendous force dwelling in the great scythe lightly striking upward from below to above, the Sword Emperor, who took a small breath, gripped his sword handle fiercely. A voice flashing through his mind.

-Jiang’er. Originally, this world was derived from Primal Chaos to Supreme Ultimate, and from Supreme Ultimate the Three Powers and Five Elements were derived to form the world’s shape.

Recalling the formula received from the previous family head in those old days, he drew up his internal energy.

-Humans’ limits are clear, so they set their own limits by imitating one or two of the world’s shapes. But if originally the world was one, and everything was derived from that one, couldn’t one stand above all things in the world by understanding that one?

In Outer Family Arts, they handle the Three Powers and Five Elements, and in True Mountain Arts, they achieve Yin and Yang.

What was accumulated was overwhelming fundamentals. Understanding of origins.

-What our martial arts pursue is Primal Chaos.

Above all else, understanding the opponent’s martial arts. Digging into that foundation to grasp the opponent’s colors, and ultimately erasing those bloomed colors from this world.

-You must become the endless great sea. Become the bottomless pit. Become the uncuttable universe.

In an instant.

The Sword Emperor’s sword traced a straight trajectory and thrust through the air. And.

Shortly after.

-So that no one can bare their fangs before you, become an unapproachable sword.

Hyeolgyeom’s light went out.

***

Meanwhile, behind Oyeon, atop a sand dune so giant it overlooked the battlefield.

Munch munch.

“Young Hero.”

“What did you say?”

“……Shouldn’t we join in?”

“Join in? Us?”

At Woongyeong’s words as he lowered his body and surveyed the battlefield’s condition while breaking out in cold sweat, Baek Riseon, who was chewing on roasted scorpion, blinked. The question that followed immediately.

“Are you confident you’d survive getting mixed up in that?”

“…….”

“I don’t have much of an eye for martial arts, but even so, I can tell that level is extraordinary.”

At Baek Riseon’s question, Woongyeong swallowed a groan and looked around, acknowledging it. The fact that the level of those gathered here wasn’t that impressive was something even they had to admit.

‘Those here participated in the Opening Ceremony.’

Those traveling with him were all those who escaped the Great Desert with Baek Riseon’s help. Conversely, that meant they were those who participated in the Opening Ceremony and got caught up in the Great War.

What kind of place was the Sado Alliance’s Opening Ceremony?

It was a venue for proving oneself to show off each sect’s power to each other. Should it be called having a nature similar to a martial competition where they revealed which side was stronger, which would be stronger in the future?

Due to the characteristic that life-or-death battle-level experience could easily be gained without life-threatening danger, most martial sects sent new masters who needed experience rather than experienced old masters, attaching escorts to them. That was the reason why Jeokhajinin from Hwasan and Songbyeok Jinin from Cheongseong were attached as escorts.

But conversely, thinking about it differently, it could also be interpreted like this. That most who participated in the Opening Ceremony were those who needed experience.

That most were inexperienced late-stage disciples.

“Sipcheon and Chilryun, and even the rulers of the Three Great Demon Realms.”

“…….”

“Such beings are swarming. What meaning would there be even if you Young Heroes entered there? Rather, it would be meaningless if you just increased the yokai’s forces.”

“That is true, but…….”

Even so, wasn’t it problematic to do nothing when the war situation was unfavorable?

At Woongyeong’s gaze toward the battlefield while harboring such thoughts, Baek Riseon smiled broadly.

“And it’s not actually being pushed back as much as you think.”

“……Pardon?”

“Between Hyeolgyeom and the Sword Emperor, who do you think will win?”

“Well…… wouldn’t it be Hyeolgyeom? He’s superior in both fame in the martial world and experience.”

“That’s right.”

The Sword Emperor was on the young side among the Sipcheon.

Excluding the Sword Sovereign, the Sword Emperor was effectively the youngest. No matter how outstanding his talent, compared to Hyeolgyeom who had maintained the position of Chilryun for decades, he inevitably fell short in experience and skill.

“Of the two, Hyeolgyeom’s martial prowess is slightly superior to the Sword Emperor’s. But that doesn’t mean Hyeolgyeom can defeat the Sword Emperor.”

“……Is, is that so?”

“Yes. Because the Baek Ri Family’s martial arts are like that.”

Plum Blossom Sword. Taiji Sword, and so on.

If other families’ martial arts designed martial arts with one distinctive characteristic, the Baek Ri Family’s martial arts had a peculiar structure. That was because everything was created focusing on dealing with opponents stronger than oneself.

“People commonly call the Baek Ri Family’s martial arts tyrannical. But the reality is different. The Baek Ri Family’s True Mountain martial arts focus on stealing the fangs and claws from opponents one cannot resist.”

“……Is that possible?”

“It’s possible. If you know the foundation.”

People say the most effective thing for extinguishing flames is pouring water, but actually the most effective is covering with sand. They just use water as a secondary measure because large quantities of sand can’t be easily prepared quickly. That means there’s a separately most effective response.

Like this, the more deeply one knows about the opponent’s essence rather than just the surface, the higher the probability of optimal response. So what about the Baek Ri Family’s martial arts?

“Baek Ri Family martial artists fundamentally deal with all martial principles. That’s because the martial arts within the family are designed focusing on understanding fundamentals.”

“……Ah?”

“That’s why Baek Ri Family martial artists don’t particularly stand out in the beginning. Most get flustered if even slight applications are added to martial studies they’ve dealt with. But when that realm rises further.”

All streams return to one source—when understanding of martial studies rises to extremes, the story becomes different. If one reaches a level where they can read out tens, hundreds, thousands of attack patterns derived from one martial principle.

That martial principle first studied becomes roots that firmly support the pillar called a martial artist.

“Even if skills fall short, the difference is slight. This becomes a variable fight, and the Sword Emperor possesses the ultimate response capability compared to anyone among the Sipcheon in variable fights. If he just holds out, he can hold out all day long.”

“Is…… that so?”

“Yes. Ultimately, what matters is the other side.”

While surveying the situation, Baek Riseon, who was gently fanning himself, turned his gaze toward the Blood Cult camp.

“Songbyeok Jinin, Dokgo Cheon, and the Sword Sovereign.”

“…….”

“The forces attached to Ilnachar are already excessive. Reinforcements are entering, but they won’t be able to block them.”

“What about Ambi…….”

“The compatibility isn’t good. Sorcery is difficult to counter, but the offensive power itself is bound to be insufficient, and Bulgoe is stronger in defensive power than anyone among the Sipcheon. It would have had a possibility if Ambi and Hyeolgyeom had switched positions instead.”

Even switching now, Bulgoe and the Sword Emperor weren’t the types to obediently switch thinking ‘Ah, is that so?’

“The yokai are being restrained by Eungryong, and Jeokhajinin is blocking from the front. Appropriate responses are being made to all attacks, so it’s hard to say we’re being pushed back. However.”

“……However?”

“If there’s a key to this battlefield, it lies with those not visible here.”

“Not visible…… who do you mean?”

“Aren’t there two?”

Ilnachar and two Great Yokai, then Ambi and Hyeolgyeom.

In a situation where five strong fighters were pushing in, there was someone not visible. That was precisely the Blood Cult’s peak. The Blood Cult Leader.

“If the Blood Cult Leader joins in, this battlefield ends.”

“Then, isn’t that a big problem?”

“No. The Blood Cult Leader absolutely cannot join in.”

“Why…….”

“Because something terrible will happen the moment he joins in.”

Baek Riseon, who smiled broadly, raised his gaze upward.

“If the Blood Cult Leader doesn’t want to see the Heavenly Demon descend, he won’t deliberately come down.”