Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1587. So who is it? (7)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Kwadeuk!
A pain as if his chest were being entirely torn out assailed him.
But Bop Jeong couldn't even look down at his own chest. The moment he turned his gaze, that fist (권(拳)) would strike not his chest but his throat.
The acrid smell of blood rose up through his throat.
Bop Jeong's face was distorted by the pain so foreign it was almost alien. But there was no time to writhe.
He struck Jang Ilso’s arm aside and shoved him back. Immediately feinting as if to deliver consecutive strikes, he suddenly propelled his body backward. It was to secure enough distance to catch Jang Ilso off guard and salvage this situation.
It was not a bad improvisation.
But the problem was that Jang Ilso was not one to be played by such a move.
Paaat.
Jang Ilso immediately surged toward Bop Jeong with momentum that seemed to tear through the atmosphere.
Blue Flame Fighting Kill (창염투살(蒼炎鬪殺)).
His exclusive martial art that had earned Jang Ilso the epithet Paegun (패군(覇君)) unleashed to its extreme.
The sharp blue enhanced energy that wreathed his entire body simmered like the flames of hell. seemed as though it would engulf Bop Jeong and burn him away in an instant.
“Tch…!”
He who had always been Buddha-like rarely snarled as he thrust his fist.
Though his face was contorted like a demon’s, the Buddha light emanating from his fist was still auspicious.
Arhat Divine Fist (아라한신권(阿羅漢神拳))!
This is the power of Arhat (멸(滅)) to destroy demons.
But the demon standing before him was too mighty and too tenacious to handle with that alone.
“Hahahahat!”
Jang Ilso burst into mad laughter and literally unleashed dozens of fists. The speed was nearly impossible for the eye to follow.
The blue enhanced energy penetrated the space before the golden fist force could even extend.
Great martial arts always require a moment to fully unfold their power. But Jang Ilso’s fist did not even permit the time for Bop Jeong’s internal strength to be converted into fist force.
At his own fist force collapsing before even half-deployed, Bop Jeong couldn't hide his bewilderment. He hastily withdrew his stretched hand and drove his fist straight into the incoming punch.
Kwang! Kwakwakwakwang!
Jang Ilso's fist and Bop Jeong's fist clashed one after another.
In that instant, Bop Jeong felt Jang Ilso's power subtly pushing him from below to above. Never excessively, but clearly.
‘Do I look so ridiculous that I would fall for the same trick again!’
Bop Jeong drew up his internal strength in a single breath.
If the intent was to once again keep his feet from the ground, then he would simply shatter that intent completely!
“Tahaaaaap!”
With a thunderous shout, Bop Jeong’s Arhat Fist shot toward Jang Ilso’s head. With force enough to split mountains, with overwhelming internal strength such that Jang Ilso could not possibly dare confront it directly.
Paaaaat!
But at that moment, Jang Ilso's fist that had been charging straight toward Bop Jeong’s fist twisted like a serpent, grazing Bop Jeong’s fist and coiling around his forearm.
The startled Bop Jeong instantly widened his eyes.
‘What is this…!’
He wasn't surprised because it was an unconventional move.
Udeuk! Udeudeudeuk!
Jang Ilso's arm twisted around Bop Jeong’s wrist.
It was natural. Just because he didn't strike back didn't mean the internal strength contained in the fist disappeared. Jang Ilso, by twisting his arm, had received that immense force entirely into his own body.
Jang Ilso's face remained unchanged, but his arms screamed.
Kwadeudeuk!
With a gruesome sound, the bone was broken, and the flesh, which had swelled like a balloon unable to withstand the momentary pressure, burst and spewed blood as if in an explosion.
But even amidst this, Jang Ilso's arm tightly bound Bop Jeong's arm. Like a very solid lock.
“Paegun!”
Bop Jeong shouted loudly, and instead of his entangled right hand, he channeled the power of Guanyin Hand (관음수(觀音手)) into his left hand. Dozens of palm shadows created in an instant poured toward Jang Ilso’s body.
This was palm energy unleashed by none other than Bop Jeong. Though deployed urgently, it contained a tremendous force capable of crushing even ten thousand pounds.
At that moment, Jang Ilso strongly pulled the entangled arm. Bop Jeong's stance was momentarily disrupted and the direction of his unleashed palm energy twisted.
But even so, only about half of it flew in a different direction from Jang Ilso. The other half still crashed straight toward Jang Ilso’s body.
“Hahahahat!”
Madness flashed through Jang Ilso's eyes.
Hwaaaaak!
The flame enhanced energy surrounding Jang Ilso raged like flames that devour and consume people. Jang Ilso, wrapping his entire body in the blazing flame enhanced energy (염강(炎鋼)), instead thrust his body toward the incoming palm energy.
Kwang!
Dozens of palm shadows smashed into Jang Ilso’s body all at once.
Dozens of explosive sounds like striking a golden bell (금종(金鐘)) with a massive hammer overlapped and rang as one.
No matter how much he wrapped his body in enhanced energy, he couldn't completely block such a force. A shock so great it would have been enough to cut one’s breath with pain alone strikes Jang Ilso’s entire body.
However, Jang Ilso burrowed into Bop Jeong's embrace while bleeding black blood from his mouth and nose. Still with one arm entangled around Bop Jeong's arm.
Kwang!
Jang Ilso's elbow struck Bop Jeong's solar plexus.
The recoil was like striking a wall of iron. A terrifying recoil that made even the elbow struck with internal strength feel like it would break.
But Jang Ilso did not care and continued to swing his elbows, striking Bop Jeong's chest and solar plexus in succession.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
Blood gushed from Bop Jeong's mouth and poured onto Jang Ilso’s face. Now drenched in both his own blood and the blood he had forced from another, Jang Ilso’s face turned crimson as blue killing intent blazed from his eyes. Again, his elbow smashed into Bop Jeong's chest.
Kwaaaang!
In that instant, Bop Jeong struck Jang Ilso’s chin upwards with his palm. Jang Ilso's head snapped backward as if it might break. The blood that spewed from between his lips soars into the air.
“Keuk!”
In that instant, Jang Ilso's fingers dug into Bop Jeong's side. The moment Bop Jeong converted his internal strength to offense to attack his opponent, Jang Ilso drove his fingers into the gap between Bop Jeong's ribs and clenched.
"Aaaaaah!"
Kwaang!
Bop Jeong repeatedly struck Jang Ilso’s chest with his fist, as if trying to crush him and be freed from the pain.
And.
Kwaang!
Bop Jeong’s vision went completely white for an instant. Then the sky filled his view. A black sky filled as if stars were pouring down.
'What?'
Bop Jeong's face went blank as he momentarily failed to comprehend the situation. What brought him back to reality was the terrible pain transmitted from his jaw.
Jang Ilso had rammed his jaw with his head.
“You…”
Ppudeudeudeuk.
Bop Jeong gritted his teeth viciously. A rage he had never once felt in his life seethed. Hatred toward the enemy who had driven him to this state surged wave after wave and burned away his ‘mercy’.
“You baaaaastard!”
Kuuung!
Bop Jeong kicked Jang Ilso square in the stomach.
It was literally a kick, with no consideration for technique or application. But whether by chance or inevitability, that blow close to thrashing definitely landed cleanly on Jang Ilso. Jang Ilso's body was hurled back.
Having gained freedom for both hands, Bop Jeong vented every last trace of his rage without leaving a single strand behind.
"Hwaaaaaaaaah!"
Truly storm-like consecutive attacks.
The Great Strength Vajra Fist (대력금강권(大力金剛拳)), which originally should put power into each fist to suppress the opponent, was emitted in a manner completely different from the essence of that martial art, as if to tear Jang Ilso to pieces.
"Aaaaaah!"
As if not satisfied with even that, Bop Jeong screamed while bringing both hands together in front of his chest, forming a strange hand seal (수인(手印)) and thrusting forward powerfully. The form created by his hands emitted an enhanced energy closer to crimson than gold, then shot toward Jang Ilso.
Lion Taming Seal (사자모니인(獅子牟尼引))!
A supreme martial art (절예(絶藝)) said to have been devised beneath the Bodhi tree by Shakyamuni himself, to annihilate the demons that sought to tempt him.
True to its origin, it was endowed with nothing less than the power to annihilate (멸(滅)) an enemy. Because of its unusually strong killing intent, unlike typical Buddhist martial arts, even those who had learned it were reluctant to use it. Among the Seventy-Two Unique Martial Art, it was counted as one of the highest.
That crimson steel energy reflected and rippled in Bop Jeong's eyes as well.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
The ground exploded, and the broken fragments were shot in all directions like cannonballs. Clouds of dust soared high enough to cover the sky. It was an unbelievable sight created by human power.
“Heok! Heok! Heok!”
Bop Jeong gasped for breath. Sweat was pouring down his entire body like rain. His monk’s robes, drenched with blood and sweat, had long lost any trace of their former luster.
His fingertips trembled.
'Why....'
Why was he suffering such defeat?
There was at least a full level difference between Jang Ilso and his martial arts. If he just didn't let his guard down, he should normally be able to subdue the opponent without much difficulty.
But what in the world was this?
The momentum for victory was surely with him. It still was.
But this could hardly be called an advantage. Just from looking at the blood he had shed, his gasping breath that felt like his lungs would burst, and his trembling fingertips, wasn't that so?
What would those who saw this state think? What would they say of the blood he shed?
“You…”
Hatred, hostility, and an unbearable rage flared up once more.
“Paaaeeguuuun!”
From Bop Jeong’s mouth burst a Lion’s Roar so powerful it shook the very earth.
It was a terrifying Lion's Roar enough to instantly freeze even the heated battlefield's fervor. The rising dust cloud was quickly swept away by its momentum.
He couldn't die from just this.
There was no way that terrible bastard would die from just this. So he would definitely finish him off with his own hands...
“U- Urk!”
At that moment, Bop Jeong covered his mouth as severe nausea surged. Dizzying vertigo assaulted him.
'Poison (독(毒))?'
This was clearly a symptom of being poisoned.
But when?
"Ugh...."
Bop Jeong's gaze swept over his body. One side of his monk's robes, ruined by sweat and blood, was stained black.
"Th- This..."
His side where Jang Ilso's fingers had pierced through just moments ago. The clothing there was dyed a deep purple. In that short moment, he had plunged poison into Bop Jeong’s body.
“Such a petty trick…!”
Bop Jeong clenched his teeth.
For a master with internal strength like his, poison was merely a nuisance that consumed internal energy for a moment.
Bop Jeong immediately circulated his internal strength to burn away the poison flowing through his body.
But...
'It doesn’t disappear?'
The poison flowing through his body kept corroding his flesh no matter how much he burned it. It was incomprehensible.
The eyes of Bop Jeong trembled as if an earthquake had occurred.
"Wha... what...!"
Bop Jeong reflexively grasped his side. Then he felt a strong foreign sensation he hadn't noticed until now due to the pain.
If it was a foreign sensation that could be felt from the side where Jang Ilso's hand had pierced...
"A ring..."
“Correct.”
A gentle voice answered.
Of course, it was a voice that didn't quite suit its owner's current appearance.
Jang Ilso, disheveled like a ghost, had somehow risen and was staring at Bop Jeong.
The cloth of his upper garment was torn away, revealing his scar-ridden upper body, and that upper body was dark red in places.
One arm was broken and twisted at a grotesque angle while still bleeding steadily.
But Jang Ilso lifted that limp arm as though nothing was wrong and began to set the broken bones here and there with his other hand.
"This is something I..."
Ttuduk.
"Cherish greatly."
Ttuduk.
Each time that spine-chilling sound echoed, Jang Ilso's twisted arm straightened bit by bit.
“How is it? Quite the clever method, don't you think?"
“...Ugh.”
Bop Jeong clenched his teeth. So hard that they almost cracked.
Eudeuk!
His trembling hand was digging into the hole in his side. But the ring caught on his fingertips and wouldn't come out easily. It only added terrible pain.
“Hm. You think too simply. If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble, would I?”
Jang Ilso let out a gentle smile. The smile on his ruined face was nothing but chilling.
"It has barbs like a harpoon, you see. It’ll stay lodged in there for a while, dripping poison. It won't do anything particularly special, but it’ll keep draining your internal strength…”
“Ami…tabha!”
Jang Ilso, who had stopped speaking, twitched his eyebrows.
Bop Jeong had placed his palm on his own side and had gripped the ring inside with telekinesis. Soon, without a moment's hesitation, he forcibly pulled the ring out.
Udeudeuk!
In the process, his ribs broke and the flesh caught on the barbs was literally torn out by the handful. It was a truly gruesome sight. So much so that even Jang Ilso frowned.
“My, my… how violent of you.”
“Heuu… Heuk. Jang… Ilso…!”
Bop Jeong’s eyes staring at Jang Ilso were bloodshot. It was the gaze of one seeking revenge, having abandoned everything to resentment.
“Your gaze has become quite good.”
Jang Ilso walked toward Bop Jeong with delighted laughter.
Even counting Bop Jeong’s wound, Jang Ilso had suffered far greater damage up to this point. That much could not be denied.
But that didn't matter.
"Welcome. This is the battlefield, this is what fighting is. Only now have you truly stepped onto this ground. The land where the lofty cannot stand."
“Jang Ilsooooooooo!”
Bop Jeong charged toward Jang Ilso without further words. He had already forgotten mercy and Dharma. Only rage guided him.
That's why I didn't see Bop Jeong.
That in the instant he charged, Jang Ilso’s eyes flicked briefly elsewhere.
The battle, no, this war was racing toward its final phase.
Towards a result no one expected.
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