Black and White Martial Emperor

FLASH!

Buseon’s eyes shook as though an earthquake had struck.

This can’t be happening.

CRAAACK! CRAAACK!

Retreating more than thirty meters had not been enough. As the pressure continued to rise, her Inner Qi was thrown into chaos, forcing her back another fifteen meters.

Even at a total distance of forty-five meters, the monstrous pressure made her stomach churn. Though she pushed the Blood Lion Qi—the Peak art her master had taught her—to its limit, her limbs trembled.

It was the might of an absolute master beyond anything she could imagine. When a master of the Supreme Heavens deliberately drew out his full strength, every living creature nearby was seized by terror, regardless of the level of their martial arts.

I cannot even think of fighting him. Forget fighting him—I cannot even face him directly! But...

Buseon looked at Yeon Hojeong with shaking eyes.

How is he still standing?!

Flutter!

Jade-blue True Qi burst from Yeon Hojeong like a cloudless sky, yet his gaze remained steady as he faced Yangcheon.

Red-and-white flames swirled around the massive axe in his hand. He stood low, his left hand braced against the ground, his thighs swollen with enough power to burst.

It was the stance of a savage beast ready to pounce on its prey at any moment.

A Tiger Commander was meant to be a general as brave as a tiger, but Yeon Hojeong now looked as though he had become a colossal tiger in the flesh. A murderous light burned in his eyes.

And remarkably, Yangcheon was watching him with the faintest smile.

His martial arts cannot compare to Master’s. He may be stronger than I am, but he is only in a similar realm. He has not even reached the extreme. Then how can he be so unaffected? And...

Buseon’s eyes shifted from Yeon Hojeong back to Yangcheon.

KURURURUNG!

The dark crimson aura curling off Yangcheon repeatedly gathered and scattered, forming the shape of an enormous beast.

That is not Blood Lion Qi.

Buseon swallowed hard.

It resembles Blood Lion Qi, but {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} it has advanced far beyond it...!

Then Yangcheon spoke.

“After exchanging blows with the Perverse Lust Cult Leader, I began examining my martial arts anew.”

“...”

“I had no choice. I traveled the world, grinding my teeth with the vow that I would someday surpass the Fist God and the Sword Immortal. Who could have imagined that I would fall half a step behind a master from beyond the frontier whom the world did not even know existed?”

Buseon was startled.

She knew of the Perverse Lust Cult Leader as well. But until now, she had assumed her master had merely traded a few casual blows with him.

To her, Yangcheon was an absolute and invincible master who could never lose to anyone under heaven.

“I healed the internal injuries he inflicted in less than fifteen days. But the wound to my pride did not close even after a year. It only festered and rotted.”

“...”

“Though I borrowed the Perverse Lust Cult’s financial power to establish Ink Dragon Manor, I never bowed my head to them. I could not. I am arrogant by nature. I have lived my entire life believing that I am the best. How could I tuck my tail between my legs after one defeat?”

Whoosh!

The dark crimson aura that had been generating such overwhelming pressure vanished into Yangcheon’s body in an instant.

“Thus, I shed blood and sweat to complete the weakest of the three divine arts I had mastered—the one with the greatest potential precisely because it remained unfinished. And...”

Yangcheon raised his right hand.

A subtle tension appeared in Yeon Hojeong’s razor-sharp eyes. He could feel invisible flames burning in Yangcheon’s right hand.

“I am now on the verge of completing it. This martial art is the Black Lion Qi.”

SSSSSS.

The invisible flames slowly took on the color of darkness.

They were no longer dark crimson, but a murderous black-gray aura. The flickering flames resembled the mane of a lion.

“My disciple.”

Without turning his head, Yangcheon spoke.

Buseon bowed.

“Yes, Master.”

“Your understanding of Blood Lion Qi is truly commendable. Before long, I will pass this power on to you as well.”

“Th-thank you!”

The corner of Yangcheon’s mouth rose.

“Let us begin. I hope you can endure even one exchange.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“Do not worry.”

“I am coming.”

BANG!

Yangcheon stepped forward.

For an instant, Yeon Hojeong felt as if the world had gone dark.

It was only one step, yet it meant that Yangcheon’s will had fully manifested.

Three.

ZIIIIING!

Since he had forged the Yeon Clan Divine Core, it had never spun this quickly.

It had not been like this even when he fought the Divine Flame Cult’s masters. Those battles had belonged to the realm of fate.

This battle with Yangcheon belonged to the realm of death.

Even Yeon Hojeong, a man born for battle, could not help feeling extreme tension. Every thread of True Qi in his body activated beyond its limit, and his innate talent blazed in his eyes as he watched Yangcheon.

Two.

Sweat dampened the hand gripping Mad Dragon.

Without realizing it, he searched for Yangcheon’s weakness. In a fraction of an instant, he examined his opponent’s stance dozens of times.

Yet he found no weakness worth exploiting.

No—perhaps he never would.

One.

If there was no weakness, he would create one.

The question was whether he could respond to Yangcheon’s strength and speed.

If so—

Pure white flames burst from Yeon Hojeong’s eyes.

He’s coming!

FLASH!

Before Yangcheon even moved, Yeon Hojeong’s foot shifted barely four inches toward the front-left.

BOOOOOOM!

Yangcheon’s fist, already before his face, tore through empty air.

A tremendous shockwave erupted from that fist, and four or five trees more than thirty meters away crashed down at once.

...!!

That was not human strength.

No human body should have been able to contain such power.

Speed aside, the pressure from his fist alone had knocked down trees more than thirty meters away like stalks of straw.

The realm of the Martial God. And this realm...

Yangcheon opened his mouth.

“You read the line of attack and moved beforehand, preventing your upper body from being blown off. Impressive. But...”

He glanced down at Yeon Hojeong.

Barely four feet separated them.

“You dodged instead of taking it head-on? Do you intend to ignore the rules?”

At that moment, Mad Dragon tore through the air in a brutal sweep.

KWAAAAANG!

Yangcheon’s body jolted.

It was an astonishing sight.

A single cleave from Mad Dragon possessed enough force to rip three or four Peak masters apart, yet Yangcheon had blocked it leisurely with one hand.

Not a single drop of blood seeped from the palm that had caught the axe blade.

It was impossible to believe even while watching it.

And yet, Yeon Hojeong’s face remained calm.

“Now that I think about it, something feels strange.”

“Strange?”

“I know the Dark Path’s rules well enough. You may see me as a traitor.”

“Of course I do.”

“But I am not a traitor. I merely deceived you.”

“Do you wish to play with words?”

“I wish to speak of fairness. Forgive me, but I am not a man of the Dark Path.”

I am not a man of the Dark Path.

With those words, Yeon Hojeong peeled away another layer of the past he had lived as the Dark Emperor.

“I am the eldest son of the Yeon Clan of Green Mountain, an Orthodox clan of Gangdong. The Dark Path may have its rule of three moves, but my rules have no such nonsense.”

“...?”

“Three moves or not, let us stop this pointless farce. You must have feelings you have not resolved either, so let us fight properly, as befits your epithet.”

Disbelief appeared on Yangcheon’s face.

“You do not mean to endure. You mean to fight me?”

“Yes.”

FWOOOOSH!

Flame-like Killing Intent erupted from Yeon Hojeong’s body.

“You are fighting me.”

KWAAAAANG!

The force of a White Tiger gathered around his Stamping Step.

“HAH!”

It was a rare battle cry from Yeon Hojeong.

Drawing power from every muscle in his body, Yeon Hojeong twisted his upper body with tremendous force.

KURURURUNG!

Yangcheon’s face slowly filled with surprise.

The hand holding Mad Dragon’s axe blade had not moved. Yet, in that same stance and posture, he was pushed back nearly a meter and a half.

Well, look at this?

It was not inherently surprising.

Not if his opponent had entered the Limitless Realm.

The problem was that this was precisely why it was astonishing.

A young genius who had not even reached the pinnacle of the Transcendent Peak realm had forced him back through sheer strength.

And that was not all.

SSSSSS!

Mad Dragon was turning red-hot.

It was Fire energy and Killing Intent intertwined. The Yeon Clan Divine Core amplified every ounce of his power and poured it into the Vermilion Bird Qi, unleashing a heat that even Yangcheon found burdensome.

Of course, that alone could not pierce Yangcheon’s Inner Qi shield.

He had only been surprised for a moment by strength beyond anything he had imagined.

This brat...

Yangcheon’s eyes deepened.

Had he been hiding his true ability then as well? He was not this strong.

No, even calling it this strong was laughable.

Yeon Hojeong was now displaying power far beyond his own normal limits.

Yangcheon did not know how such a thing was possible. But one thing was certain.

Whether through mental strength or something else, this boy rejected all common sense.

And astonishingly, before the Killing Intent and fighting spirit Yeon Hojeong unleashed—

Yangcheon’s heart, the heart of the Fighting King and an absolute master of the martial world, began to pound.

PAAAAAK!

Yeon Hojeong released Mad Dragon and unleashed Blood-Wing Sweeping Heaven.

He had not only discarded his weapon, but used an ultra-high-speed movement technique from less than three meters away.

Even Yangcheon could not help finding such distance and speed burdensome.

Yeon Hojeong’s fist lashed out like lightning.

FLASH!

Yangcheon, protected by a flawless Inner Qi shield, was startled again.

Yeon Hojeong’s fist had been aimed at his solar plexus, but it suddenly bent sharply and struck toward the back of his right elbow.

CRACK!

Yangcheon’s arm jerked lightly upward.

Of course, it was not because Yeon Hojeong’s strength had overpowered him. Yangcheon had deliberately raised his arm to protect the joint.

PAAK!

In two short steps, Yeon Hojeong slipped into Yangcheon’s guard.

That movement was another surprise.

Few would dare enter the guard of someone so much stronger than themselves.

Then Yeon Hojeong’s fists came flying out at a terrifying speed.

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!

PAPAPANG!

His fists could not even be seen.

They were not merely fast. Each blow carried immense force, and even at that speed, the smooth flow of his linked strikes remained intact.

PUH-PUH-PUH-PUH-POONG!

As Yangcheon deflected the explosive fists, thunderous impacts rang out.

Yangcheon’s face remained relaxed as he responded to that rapid assault. With soft, gentle motions, he dismantled every movement in Yeon Hojeong’s fist technique—a technique he had never seen before.

Fast and powerful. His understanding of linked techniques is remarkable. Has there ever been a younger martial artist capable of this much in close combat?

But that was all.

A decision settled in Yangcheon’s eyes.

He is certainly impressive, but he has not yet reached the level where he can challenge me.

Yangcheon’s foot moved like lightning.

BANG!

“Ghk!”

Yeon Hojeong flew nearly ten meters before landing on the ground.

Yangcheon’s eyes deepened.

“You truly are strong. But one must never lower one’s guard.”

Trickle.

Yangcheon looked down at his leg.

The fabric around his shin had been sliced away in a clean line. Small drops of blood gradually spread across the severed cloth.

Yeon Hojeong lifted the Black-White Twin Dragon Axes, his face cold.

“May I come again, Fighting King?”