Chapter 22. Dream Awakening (22)
"Hmph!" Woo-Moon snorted and looked away from them.
Meanwhile, Si-Hyeon took a seat in the arena. She was mentally and physically exhausted, having visited fifteen different factions since yesterday to start a conversation—none of which were willing to converse with the Leebi Merchant Guild because they were already doing business with other major merchant guilds. Compared to them, the Leebi Merchant Guild had a lot of shortcomings.
"Sigh..."
Si-Hyeon had a weary expression. She knew that she would work harder than anyone if they could strike a deal, but it wasn't easy getting one. It was difficult for a small merchant guild from the countryside to survive when there were larger merchant guilds monopolizing all trade areas.
After a while, the Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong entered the arena.
"The Spear Devil Gyeong Hong has appeared!"
"That's the Heavenly Silk Robe made of ten-thousand-year-old Heavenly Silk!"
Paying no attention to the commotion around him, Gyeong Hong drove the tip of the spear into the ground and stood firm. He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and waited for the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon's arrival.
The Palm Martial Emperor, however, was more than a little late. Finally, after an hour or so, he appeared with a smile.
Nobody dared scold Baek Sang-Woon, even if he deserved to be questioned on why he was late. Gyeong Hong was well aware of his opponent's chronic tardiness, so he didn't say anything.
"Hey! Long time no see, young boy."
The Spear Devil Gyeong Hong was in his mid-fifties, while the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon was actually known to be a bit over a century old. However, their appearances were quite the opposite. If Gyeong Hong looked like he was in his early fifties, Baek Sang-Woon looked to be in his early thirties.
"If one goes beyond the Absolute level, will their appearance no longer change with age?" murmured a middle-aged warrior sitting next to Woo-Moon.
Just then, Woo-Moon heard Baek Sang-Woon's voice directly in his ears. The man seemed to be reaching out to him through some special technique.
—I see you're here too, young hero. This is a rare opportunity, so watch closely. Distance and rhythm are important. While I try to narrow the distance between us, that little boy will try to keep it and disrupt my pace.[1] Every single detail of our fight will greatly help you, so make sure you don't miss anything.
Baek Sang-Woon still called the Spear Devil a little boy, in spite of the latter's age. In his memory, Gyeong Hong was nothing more than that arrogant foal who had fearlessly attacked him thirty years back.
"I am no longer a rookie. I have fulfilled the conditions that you gave me back then. I have reached the peak and built a reputation comparable to the Eight Emperors of the Heavenly Martial Arts."
Baek Sang-Woon reminisced about the old days. Back then, he had given a really good lesson to Gyeong Hong, who had been attacking everyone around him like an angry hedgehog.
'If you want to fight again, come to me after reaching the Absolute level and building a reputation comparable to mine.'
"Let's see. Hmm... It's been thirty years, huh? Looks like you've been through a lot. The immature kid who couldn't distinguish right from wrong has turned into a fairly serious individual. That's fun. Hahahaha."
"Yes, thirty years. And also twenty-five years since a certain event made you go into temporary retirement."
"Don't bring up anything related to him in front of me," Baek Sang-Woon retorted. His face hardened, and for the first time, his killing intent could be felt in the air.
"Why don't you try closing my mouth with your skills, then?" Gyeong Hong took off the Heavenly Silk Robe, which he had always worn.
"Huh?" Woo-Moon, like everyone else, let out a startled voice.
It turned out that the Heavenly Silk Robe was hiding a little boy, about six or seven years old, hanging on to Gyeong Hong's back.
"Go over there and wait, son. I can't be with you right now."
"Alright, Dad."
The word "son" shocked the audience. They were genuinely taken aback by the fact that Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, who always traveled alone, turned out to have a child.
Gyeong Hong's pale-faced son ran out of the arena, carrying a short black rod and the Heavenly Silk Robe against his chest.
Perhaps it was because he was the Spear Devil's son, but the people made way for him like a forest of reeds splitting.
Eventually, the child reached a place far enough from the duel grounds but still well within sight. He twisted the black rod, which extended into a full-length spear with a click. Then, he drove its tip into the ground and hung the Heavenly Silk Robe on it.
Was he physically weak? Even though he hadn't done anything particularly demanding, sweat dripped down the little boy's body. Nevertheless, under the shade created by the Heavenly Silk Robe, the child stood firm and dignified, with one hand on his spear. He closely resembled the Spear Devil's posture as he was waiting for Baek Sang-Woon.
"Don't touch even a single strand of his hair," Gyeong Hong said, pointing at his son.
He didn't shout, nor did he release his energy in any way. However, Gyeong Hong's low-pitched tone penetrated the ears of those around him and branded one clear thought into their minds: that child must not be touched.
Having received such a stern warning, the crowd increased their distance from the child.
On the other hand, Baek Sang-Woon had regained his usual self. He grinned.
"Oh-oh! That's awesome! How did you end up with that little critter? You were always kind of a sad sack..."
A vein bulged on Gyeong Hong's forehead.
"Stop talking nonsense. Let's begin."
"This isn't fun. Come on! You're still a puppy to me!"
"Have you forgotten that I'm already over fifty years old?"
"Why are you so proud of being old?"
"Who said I was proud? Bragging or not, you're twice as old as I am..."
"Uh-huh! Not all old people are the same. If you age gracefully and nobly like me, it can be something to be proud of. Well, not that you'd understand."
"Cut the crap and let's fight!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gyeong Hong took three big steps forward and jumped up on his fourth step.
Whoosh!
The moment his figure became almost indistinguishable due to the sunlight shining from behind, a sharp, piercing sound resonated. In an instant, the Spear Devil's figure disappeared, and his famous White Night Spear was flying toward Baek Sang-Woon at full speed.
The spear pierced through Baek Sang-Woon and penetrated the ground under his feet!
BOOM!!!
The huge impact made the ground within a ten-meter radius of the White Night Spear burst apart, leaving a crater behind.
"Aren't you starting a little too hot?"
Baek Sang-Woon's calm voice echoed from behind Gyeong Hong just as he landed on the ground. He quickly grabbed his spear, turned around, and swung his weapon five times in a split second.
His assault unleashed five half-moon-shaped blades of spear qi along different trajectories, targeting Baek Sang-Woon. It seemed that the Palm Martial Emperor had avoided the Spear Devil's spear throwing technique using his own movement art, the Illusive Shift.
"Shall I start in earnest now, then?"
As quick as lightning, Baek Sang-Woon stretched out his hands.
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
Baek Sang Woon fired out palm-shaped qi clusters from his hands, shattering the qi blades flying at him.
"Oh, that's amazing."
"They're not humans..."
The audience voiced their astonishment.
Even though they were 150 meters away from the two Absolute Masters, Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong's raging qi still reached the onlookers, even injuring some of them.
The Full Bloom Sword Cheol Myeong-Wi, the Mount Hua elder leading the sect's disciples, shouted with all his might, "Everyone, move back! It'll only become even more dangerous once the actual duel begins!"
'Wait, what?? Does that mean they haven't been fighting seriously?'
The Mount Hua elder was right. They were just starting.
Amid the dust clouds caused by Gyeong Hong's spear strike, Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong stared each other down, their gaze not wavering for even an instant.
As they channeled their qi, from their entire bodies erupted a unique and enormous force that only an Absolute Master could unleash. These forces violently clashed against each other.
Dozens of explosions roared between the two fighters, followed by white lightning flashing in all directions, crossing the dry autumn sky.
Even though the surrounding murim people had hurriedly retreated at Cheol Myeong-Wi's order, those with weaker qi suffered internal injuries and vomited blood because they were still too close to the battle.
"Hey, what are you doing? Get back!"
Although the middle-aged warrior next to him was leading him away, Woo-Moon didn't take his eyes off Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong. He was far too busy watching and reading the subtle energy clashes between the two to care about what was going on around him.
'They're going to fight in earnest now!'
Woo-Moon's heart pounded so fast he felt like it was going to burst through his chest. After undergoing a partial metamorphosis with Jin Won-Myeong's help, Woo-Moon's senses had improved a lot, which allowed him to see some details of the fight between the two Absolute Masters.
In every step, every casual breath, every twitch of a muscle and movement of the eyes, Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong showcased only the highest level of martial arts.
Just as Woo-Moon had expected, Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong ended the long-distance staredown and began a full-fledged duel. Finally, they were clashing with all their might!
"Ohhh..."
Woo-Moon entered a form of extreme concentration different from the one he had achieved while immersed in the world of the landscape painting. Every movement they made contained enchanting meaning and power that made him incredibly excited.
Woo-Moon's mind recorded the battle in detail, with one part of his brain storing the image and the other diligently analyzing it.
'The Palm Martial Emperor narrows the distance in an instant. But the Spear Devil quickly prepares himself, blocks his approach, and widens the distance again. The Palm Martial Emperor narrows the distance once more... But his pace is disrupted.'
Baek Sang-Woon's words before he went into the duel had been a great hint for Woo-Moon. The fact that he was paying attention to the way they adjusted their distance and rhythm allowed Woo-Moon to gain ten times more from watching the fight than those unaware.
Lightning struck out from the palm of a person's hand. From the tip of a spear, energy powerful enough to crush diamonds into powder was constantly unleashed. The ground around the two fighters crumbled in the aftermath of their strikes.
The world of Absolute Masters was a truly heavenly sight.
The murim people's jaws dropped. Even though they were now six hundred meters away, being able to directly witness the confrontation between Baek Sang-Woon and Gyeong Hong even from that distance was an incredible honor.
Among the crowd was a person in black. Their hair and hooded cloak covered their face, but, considering their slender figure, they seemed to be a woman.
Pow!
The black-cloaked person accidentally bumped the shoulder of the person next to them as they moved. Unfortunately, said individual was the Heavenly Phoenix Clan leader of the Black Hand, which had established a medium-scale power in the vicinity of Jiangsu Province. He was known as the Chaotic Titan.
"Oi, bitch. How dare you hit me?" the leader snapped, flexing his arm, which was about as thick as the average adult's waist.
The two subordinates that were here with him to witness the Absolute Masters' duel glared at the cloaked person, emitting murderous intent.
"Don't...." the caped individual mumbled in a low voice.
However, the Chaotic Titan couldn't fully hear what the caped individual said.
"What? Are you a fucking mosquito? Speak louder!"
"Don't... me...!"
"What a crazy bitch! Do I have to rip your mouth off for you to speak louder?"
As the Chaotic Titan threatened the caped person, one of his subordinates came up and checked out his interlocutor's slender body.
"Now, now, master, hehe." He giggled. "Isn't that a girl? Look. Her curves look amazing, don't they? She's giving off a bad scent, but if we wash her..."
The caped person was definitely giving off a strange fishy smell.
As the Chaotic Titan and his subordinates made lewd remarks, the caped person raised their bowed head, revealing their face, and finally spoke clearly.
"Don't provoke me."
The individual had feminine features, but he was clearly a male. There was a long, diagonal scar on his face, which seemed to be caused by a blade—more specifically, it was a scar left by the sword of one of the Mount Hua Plum Blossoms.
As he realized whom he was talking to, fear swallowed the Chaotic Titan.
"The V-Venomous Devil!" he groaned, his voice trembling.
1. The actual word used here is "breath." In traditional martial arts, everything begins with the correct stance and breathing, which in turn directly affect one's qi flow and consequently their power, speed, and stamina. "Interrupting one's breath" should not be taken literally as preventing them from breathing (though it's certainly ideal to prevent your opponent from ever breathing again), but rather as disrupting their pace and affecting their qi flow. ☜