The battlefield was filled with Heavenly Demon Sect martial artists and Blood Sect martial artists, all pointing their weapons at each other and fiercely exchanging blows.
It was a chaotic scene, but the area around the master Gu Mo-seol and the Heavenly Demon Wi Seoryeon was oddly empty, as if by design.
This wasn’t because their subordinates were being considerate of their leader.
The reason was that no one dared approach them under the pressure of the fierce combat between Gu Mo-seol and Wi Seoryeon.
Gu Mo-seol, who was blocking the fangs of the Black Dragon Qi, slightly withdrew his energy and spoke.
“To think that your energy would be alive and biting like this—it’s truly impressive. Is this the power of the top-level Divine Skill in the world?”
“Is it mockery to praise me when you’ve barely even been scratched?”
“No, it really is admiration.”
Wi Seoryeon read the pure admiration in Gu Mo-seol’s eyes and continued.
“Have you joined hands with such vile individuals as the Blood Sect yet still harbor a longing for martial prowess?”
“Hahahahaha!!”
Gu Mo-seol burst into laughter at Wi Seoryeon’s taunt.
“Isn’t it the desire for martial arts that led me to ally with the Blood Sect, who manipulate sorcery?”
“…What?”
“Do you know what martial artists desire the most? It’s the Divine Skill.”
What a ridiculous statement.
Is there any martial artist in the world who does not want the Divine Skill?
“Even if you join forces with other sects and martial artists to seize the world, do you think you can acquire the Divine Skill? They all want the Divine Skill just as much. On the other hand, what about the Blood Sect? What about the Mosan Sect? The Blood Sect is interested in blood magic and entities, while the Mosan Sect aims to reignite guiding arts. So, who do you think will end up with the Divine Skill in the process of seizing the world?”
“…I see.”
Wi Seoryeon chuckled lightly.
“To claim you’ll obtain all the Divine Skills in the world is indeed a ludicrous and foolish goal.”
“Hahaha…. Shouldn’t a martial artist be crazy about martial arts?”
“Hmm.”
“There will come a day when you too will come to understand me.”
Gu Mo-seol’s eyes shone brightly.
“When you feel a wall that cannot be surpassed no matter how much you sweat training, when the crude martial arts you encounter while traveling the martial world can no longer quench your thirst for martial understanding, that’s when martial artists can’t help but go mad. I’ve chosen to resolve this craving by teaming up with the Blood Sect to seek divine skills.”
“Is that so?”
Wi Seoryeon nodded calmly and clenched her fist.
“Though that was a lament I cannot comprehend, it has given me confidence.”
“What…?”
“To be honest, I thought that fighting you would be a challenging battle. You had ventured into a higher realm of martial knowledge than I. However, after hearing your lament, I no longer regard you as a high mountain.”
Gu Mo-seol’s face twisted. How could any martial artist not be furious to hear their capabilities so casually dismissed?
As if to affirm Gu Mo-seol’s anger, a strong pressure bore down on Wi Seoryeon, but she calmly continued.
“You are nothing more than an opportunist wishing to earn the title of a martial master.”
“How dare you!”
Though Gu Mo-seol’s pressure intensified, Wi Seoryeon calmly held her ground, thinking.
Upon meeting Ho Cheon-an, she had thought there were many interesting things and people in the world.
Perhaps there could be someone else worthy to consider as her rival aside from Ho Cheon-an.
But what was the reality?
The world may indeed be filled with interesting things, but the martial artists living in that world were hardly intriguing.
Gu Mo-seol, right before her, was no exception.
“Three pieces of evidence show you are not obsessed with martial arts.”
Wi Seoryeon opened her mouth to release the pent-up frustrations of her time in the martial world.
“You merely exchanged words after meeting my father yesterday. Obsessed with martial arts? If you were truly obsessed, wouldn’t you have tried to take action? This is the first piece of evidence.”
“Hah, what nonsense…”
“The second piece of evidence is up in the sky.”
The sky.
As Gu Mo-seol gazed upward, the Hawk Entity binding the Heavenly Demon was clearly visible.
“Isn’t that entity not meant to face my father? Then why did you pretend to charge at him? From the beginning, your role was likely to overthrow me and swiftly attack the Array Formation Teams engaging the entity.”
Gu Mo-seol fell silent, struck at the core.
“Is there a person who would claim they are obsessed with martial arts while knowingly acting like they want to fight against the Heavenly Demon? Know your shame.”
“Speak as you wish. Even so, the outcome won’t change.”
“Every word you say just makes me want to avoid the challenge. What a rotten role you’ve taken.”
Wi Seoryeon gathered the Black Dragon Qi in her hands, contemplating the third reason.
Obsessed with martial arts?
Those truly mad for it don’t express such things openly.
They only prove it through action.
Wi Seoryeon’s mind drifted to Ho Cheon-an.
Ho Cheon-an was the craziest person Wi Seoryeon had ever known.
What does madness mean? What does foolishness mean?
A common person can’t even fathom the skewed obsession indicated by that thought. They toss aside their need for reputation and face in order to sacrifice anything, even if they break and shatter, to achieve their goals.
Wi Seoryeon recalled the actions of Ho Cheon-an.
How did Ho Cheon-an behave after coming to the Heavenly Demon Sect?
With the secret texts found in the Heavenly Demon Library, he severed all branches of possibility and barreled down a narrow path without hesitation toward his objectives.
He fully committed to overcoming a single rival while narrowing the path toward a Higher Realm.
Which martial artist in the world could understand such a choice?
That’s why they would label him stupid.
Yet it was because of that foolishness that he defeated Jeong Cheol.
To gain the power to fight against the Blood Sect, what choices did Ho Cheon-an make?
He attempted to inherit the Heavenly Demon Arts in order to obtain the original form of Heavenly Demon Combat.
It would be impossible to say that any Heavenly Demon in history managed to do the same, and Ho Cheon-an’s choice, betting his life on what no one else accomplished, could only be described as madness.
The madness and foolishness spoken of by common people are exactly that.
Grasping at thin chances while risking everything.
To catch up with Wi Ji-cheon, the madman who, despite being young, threw everything into challenging the Heavenly Demon Arts, Wi Seoryeon thrust her body forward.
“Perhaps I am weaker than you. Even if I have the Black Dragon Qi, the realms we’ve built are still different.”
Wi Seoryeon knew full well that the gap between her and Gu Mo-seol couldn’t simply be summarized by how different their paths were.
That’s why she used the term “challenge.”
Understanding the disadvantage and knowing she had to overcome it.
The distance between Gu Mo-seol and Wi Seoryeon closed in an instant, and the Heavenly Demon Fortitude unfolded from Wi Seoryeon’s hands.
Gu Mo-seol extended his foot to counter the heavy Black Dragon Qi enveloping Wi Seoryeon. That foot contained a force far stronger and brighter than Wi Seoryeon’s.
BANG!!
An unyielding clash of strength and strength.
As Gu Mo-seol’s powerful energy and Wi Seoryeon’s powerful energy collided, a crack immediately formed in Wi Seoryeon’s energy.
Was the energy of a martial artist from the Hyeong-gyeong level so ordinary? The intense pain from the intruding power made Wi Seoryeon grimace.
Her fist tore, and blood spilled.
Seeing Wi Seoryeon had taken a hit, a smile crept across Gu Mo-seol’s face.
Even if she was a Heavenly Demon who inherited the Heavenly Demon Arts, the difference between Wi Seoryeon and Gu Mo-seol was clear. With that difference established, Wi Seoryeon would adopt a defensive stance to buy time.
In a long battle, the injury she sustained from the earlier exchanges would become a severe hindrance.
“I made a mistake.”
Having learned the Heavenly Demon Arts, did Gu Mo-seol believe she could exchange blows with someone from the Hyeong-gyeong realm? Or did she think she could provoke him into losing his composure?
The inner thoughts were unclear, but in the end, Wi Seoryeon had taken a bad turn and now had no choice but to step back having lost.
The moment Wi Seoryeon took a step back, Gu Mo-seol would immediately follow and gain a greater advantage.
Realizing this, Gu Mo-seol could do nothing but tighten her expression.
* CRACK! *
Wi Seoryeon, having already taken damage from the clash, poured out the entirety of her energy with her fists. It was as if she didn’t care that her fists were falling apart—she acted like someone determined to break Gu Mo-seol’s strength.
SPLAT!
Due to the completely unexpected fierce assault, even Gu Mo-seol’s strength cracked. Gu Mo-seol hurriedly moved her feet back from the overwhelming energy of the Black Dragon Qi breaching through.
“Have you gone mad?”
Gu Mo-seol frowned as she looked at Wi Seoryeon.
This was an irrational exchange.
While she had broken through Gu Mo-seol’s strength, Wi Seoryeon had ultimately inflicted self-damage.
“Hmm.”
Wi Seoryeon glanced at her torn fist before fixing her gaze back on Gu Mo-seol.
Seeing Gu Mo-seol wearing a confused expression filled with disbelief, any remnant of interest that had been there in Wi Seoryeon’s heart vanished instantly.
The only factor that could give Wi Seoryeon an advantage over Gu Mo-seol was the uniqueness of her Black Dragon Qi.
Therefore, the only way Wi Seoryeon could win was to somehow push the Black Dragon Qi into Gu Mo-seol.
But what was with that dazed expression and response?
Clearly, she had stated her challenge and rushed in with all her strength, yet Gu Mo-seol firmly believed that she would retreat after taking even a minor loss.
That reaction resembled that of a common person who did not understand the obsession of martial artists, acting foolishly and shouting madness.
“I had my suspicions from your words and actions, but ultimately, were you not lost on the path?”
In Wi Seoryeon’s view, Gu Mo-seol appeared as a sickly martial artist who had failed to calm her mind.
Wi Seoryeon thought to herself.
Perhaps Gu Mo-seol did not wish to remain complacent in her current state. It would not be strange for someone who reached the Hyeong-gyeong realm to want a rest.
But Gu Mo-seol could not honestly admit her desire for rest. Because of this, she disguised her true intentions, setting her sights on the Divine Skill, and wished for prestige while pretending to be a mad martial artist.
Having deceived herself, her heart became twisted.
“Well, that’s probably why she stands with the Blood Sect.”
Having reached a level known as the Hyeong-gyeong, she should be knowledgeable enough to understand the truths of the world. However, the mere act of a martial artist who had reached that state resorting to the strength of others to ascend indicated a deep-seated twist.
Wi Seoryeon focused her attention, disregarding her wounds and gathering her Black Dragon Qi into her fists.
This fight was undeniably a challenge, but instead of fueling the blood of martial artists, it had turned into a painful, arduous, and monotonous endeavor devoid of any excitement.
How could she be pushed into such a situation?
Feeling the aura of Six Star Chen, who was barely holding his ground against Blood Ancestor and Black Serpent, Wi Seoryeon remembered Ho Cheon-an.
“I’ll make sure to take full retribution for this.”
Once this duel was over, she would no longer think of Ho Cheon-an as an opponent. So, she wouldn’t have to suppress her desire for martial arts out of concern for his injury.
Thus, she resolved to fight until every bit of suffering she experienced today was washed away.
With that determination ignited, Wi Seoryeon charged at Gu Mo-seol once more.
BANG!!
As the two collided, the battlefield became even more intense.
