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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: A Subtle Trace
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*Whooosh...*
The auras of the two Jeoljeong masters gathered.
It was a powerful energy, enough to stir up a gust of wind in an instant.
*Papak-!*
Without waiting to see who would go first, the attacks began.
Palm met palm, and their energies clashed.
The members of the Black Dragon Brigade covered their faces from the dust kicked up by the wind, holding onto their tents.
Fortunately, the two men gradually moved away from where the tents were pitched.
“I heard your swordplay is quite flashy, but your palm techniques seem surprisingly simple.”
“Do not underestimate the martial arts of Hwasan!”
*Papak- Paak!*
The palm technique Yupyo unleashed was like plum blossoms carried on the wind.
It was the Plum Blossom Drifting Wind Palm, a Hwasan technique that was not flashy but soft and resilient.
In contrast, the Black Dragon Lord's palm technique was a heavy, powerful strike.
It was the Daeyeon Palm, a technique that seemed to channel the Namgung sword style into palm strikes.
*Pak-! Papapak!*
“I have long heard rumors of the Maeyeonggeom. I've wanted to cross swords with you at least once, and now that we've crossed hands, that desire grows even stronger!”
*Paak-!*
A palm strike imbued with blue energy flew straight at Yupyo.
“!”
*Papapak!*
Yupyo quickly thrust out his own energized palms to block the attack.
Then, he launched dozens of palm strikes in succession.
“!”
Judging it impossible to block the sudden barrage of attacks, the Black Dragon Lord twisted his body and counterattacked simultaneously.
Although they were both Jeoljeong masters, Yupyo was listed among the top 100 masters, making him a difficult opponent.
*Thud! Crack! Thud!*
The trees where the Black Dragon Lord had just been standing were either knocked down or deeply scarred by Yupyo's palms.
At the immense power, the Black Dragon Lord swallowed dryly.
The hand he'd used to block the palm strike was tingling.
It was Seolhwa who had told him to provoke Yupyo into using his internal energy.
She had said it would be even better if they could clash directly, rather than with swords.
When Yupyo had come to him moments ago in anger, he had merely thought it was a relief to be able to complete his mission before arriving at Hwasan.
‘This…’
The corners of the Black Dragon Lord's mouth twisted.
‘I'll have to take this seriously.’
For a moment, his eyes glinted sharply.
*Fwoooosh-*
Internal energy gathered in the Black Dragon Lord's hand. Blue energy, drawn up from his dantian, swirled around his right hand.
“…”
Yupyo, too, raised his own internal power.
One palm.
The outcome of this fight would be decided in a single clash.
‘Namgung Hyeok, the Martial Lord of the Namgung Sega.’
Yupyo had heard of him as well.
Though overshadowed by the Namgung Sega and not widely renowned in Jungwon, he was said to be a true master who was simply underestimated.
He had thought it would be nice to cross swords with him if the opportunity arose, but…
‘At this level…’
He was at a similar or even higher level than himself.
Perhaps, in terms of combat experience, he was certainly a step ahead.
‘I'm reminded of my senior brothers' words, not to become arrogant just because my name is somewhat known.’
There are too many unknown masters in the world. While the top 10 masters might be different, making the list of the top 100 doesn't necessarily mean you are a true powerhouse.
After all, wasn't he the very proof that not everyone among the top 100 masters was truly mighty?
‘If this man were to step into Jungwon and truly display his skills, it would only be a matter of time before he made the list of the top 100 masters.’
In that sense, Yupyo wanted to approach this duel seriously. With all his strength.
*Fwoooosh-*
A deep pink plum blossom energy concentrated in his hand.
A clash of internal energy. A collision of power.
It was nothing less than a showcase of the results of their respective training.
A contest of the blood and sweat they had shed over the years.
*Kwaaaaaa-*
*Fwoooosh-*
The martial power the two men had built in different places with different arts surged toward each other.
Just as the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent showed on both their faces, at the very moment their palm strikes were about to collide—
The pommel of a sword inserted itself between them.
*Booooom-*
“Kuh!”
“…?!”
In an instant, their internal powers scattered as if nullified, and both men were sent flying back by the repulsive force of their uncontained energy.
*Thud-! Thud!*
The two of them hit trees at almost the same time and fell to the ground.
It was then that Yugang and Seolhwa, who had been following the two as they fought and moved further away, arrived.
“Senior Brother!”
Yugang went to Yupyo, and Seolhwa went to the Black Dragon Lord.
Fortunately, both had managed to retract their internal power at the moment of impact, so they weren't seriously injured.
Yupyo drew a sharp breath against the dull pain and looked at the one who had intervened.
‘The Sword Emperor…!’
It was Namgung Mucheon.
‘To so easily neutralize my full power…’
Just how vast must the difference in our power be for me to be so completely overwhelmed?
The unfathomable gap in martial prowess he felt in that single clash made Yupyo's lips feel parched.
“Daoist.”
“…!”
Yupyo flinched, startled, and lowered his head.
He remembered Nohun fumbling nervously before the Sword Emperor.
He shouldn't have forgotten that the Sword Emperor was traveling with them. It was a mistake to have rashly lost his temper at the Black Dragon Lord's provocation.
“Get up.”
A sturdy hand was offered before Yupyo's eyes.
Startled, Yupyo looked up at Namgung Mucheon. Namgung Mucheon gave a short nod.
Tensely, Yupyo grasped the hand he wouldn't have dared to even think of touching and got to his feet.
Then he immediately cupped his fist in his palm.
“I apologize for causing a disturbance.”
“I know well what you are worried about. I overlooked the fact that I should have sought your understanding beforehand. There is a reason we did not announce our visit to Hwasan. Can you not try to understand?”
“…Could you not tell me the reason?”
“You will find out before we reach Hwasan. I swear on my name that no harm will come to Hwasan.”
“!”
It was an oath sworn on the Sword Emperor's name.
Although the only witnesses to that oath were himself, Yugang, and the Namgung people, it was by no means a light promise.
Only then did Yupyo take a step back.
“I understand.”
Namgung Mucheon patted Yupyo's shoulder.
“Go and get some rest now.”
Yugang and Yupyo bowed and returned to their quarters.
After confirming that the two had moved a safe distance away, Namgung Mucheon approached Seolhwa and the Black Dragon Lord.
A barrier of energy formed around the three of them.
The Black Dragon Lord bowed his head low.
“My apologies, Lord, Young Miss. I did not mean to cause such a commotion…”
“It's fine. Thanks to you, we were able to confirm it.”
Namgung Mucheon looked at Seolhwa.
“You were right. There was a strange trace mixed in with that Daoist's internal power.”
The Black Dragon Lord said in surprise.
“I did not notice it.”
“It wasn't a normal energy. It would be more accurate to say the flow was unstable.”
It was a subtle instability that only someone of Namgung Mucheon's level, who had reached the Hwagyeong realm, could have possibly sensed.
‘I had a feeling, but I can't believe he actually noticed it.’
Although it was Seolhwa who had asked him to check, she was just as surprised as the Black Dragon Lord.
“What was it?”
“It's hypnosis.”
“…Hypnosis?”
Puzzlement spread across the faces of Namgung Mucheon and the Black Dragon Lord.
It was a natural reaction.
‘Suggestion, hypnosis, gu poison, soul-stealing arts, jiangshi…’
Because all such foul methods of controlling the mind were vile sorceries created by the Blood Cult.
And those very things played a huge role in the Blood Cult's domination of the Jungwon martial world, and they were the biggest reason the forces of Jungwon failed to react quickly.
“It's similar to suggestion, but slightly different. With suggestion, there is a specific person controlling the mind, but with hypnosis, that's not the case. Once someone is hypnotized, anyone can trigger it by providing a specific stimulus.”
Playing a flute, performing a specific action, smelling a certain scent, or seeing a particular object.
“Its control is weaker than suggestion, so it can be easily broken with a shock to the major acupoints, but the problem is…”
This was the very reason the Hwasanpa had self-destructed.
“Because it requires less power, dozens, even hundreds of people can be hypnotized at once.”
Because a tragedy had unfolded where the hypnotized disciples of Hwasan killed one another.
The hypnotized attacked their own martial brothers, while those who weren't hypnotized died at their hands without even knowing why.
No matter how much they were told to stop, no matter how much they were begged to cease, the tragedy did not end.
Hwasan collapsed in vain overnight, but the orthodox factions of the martial world not only learned of it late but also failed to grasp what had actually happened.
‘If only they had realized the Blood Cult's existence back then.’
If they had, they could have at least prepared for it.
‘This time, I have to stop it.’
The self-destruction of Hwasan becomes a turning point that further solidifies the Blood Cult's power.
Hwasan is the first sacrifice in their campaign to bring down the factions of the Jungwon martial world, one by one.
“This is the reason we are going to Hwasan.”
When Seolhwa finished her explanation, Namgung Mucheon and the Black Dragon Lord were speechless.
A vile art that controls a person's mind.
“…This is not a simple matter.”
They had to break the hypnosis, but they also had to identify every single person who was under its influence, and above all, they couldn't let the spies hidden in Hwasan find out.
Because if the hypnosis were to be triggered before they could completely resolve it, that would be the end of Hwasan.
“What on earth…”
Where and how were they supposed to even begin?
As Mucheon pressed his throbbing temples, feeling helpless, Seolhwa spoke in a clear voice, as if she had anticipated this situation.
“First, we need an ally within Hwasan to help us with this.”
