The Rising Martial Arts Genius Chapter 199 : Another Battle (2)

Chapter 199: Another Battle (2)

Yang Jeon-gun instinctively stepped back in fear. His mind couldn't comprehend the current situation.

His level was at the late stage of Fusion Realm. However, due to the uniqueness of his cultivated arts and the artifacts he possessed, his actual combat power was comparable to an early-stage Great Victory Realm cultivator.

In the Central Heavens Martial Realm, the Great Victory Realm was equivalent to the Immortal Realm.

Yang Jeon-gun believed he could go toe-to-toe with the Six Heavens.

But after clashing with the Demon Heaven Lord, he realized just how wrong he had been.

‘He didn’t even unfold his Microcosm.’

The reason why cultivators in the Great Victory Realm, possessing godlike power, didn’t invade the Central Heavens Martial Realm was because of the Microcosms created by martial artists in the Immortal Realm.

Cultivators who reached the Great Victory Realm could create domains, but they were far inferior compared to martial artists' Microcosms. Whether it was a matter of compatibility or not, they were strangely difficult to deal with.

Thus, even though cultivators were stronger than martial artists, they didn’t dare attack recklessly. This was also why the Sword Heaven Lord could singlehandedly act as the guardian of the Central Heavens Martial Realm.

‘How is this possible?’

To counter Yang Jeon-gun’s power, one had to open their Microcosm. Any other martial artist would have done so.

But the Demon Heaven Lord, Muk Geom-yeong, did not. He advanced by tearing and destroying everything solely through brute force. All the things Yang Jeon-gun had collected were annihilated in an instant by Muk Geom-yeong’s hands.

An utterly ridiculous level of power.

There was no one to compare him to.

A different title of his resurfaced in Yang Jeon-gun’s mind.

‘The Strongest in the Central Heavens.’

Only after experiencing it firsthand did Yang Jeon-gun understand why Muk Geom-yeong was deed the most powerful not just in the Central Heavens Martial Realm, but in the entire Central Heavens Realm.

“So many interesting things happening since my return.”

Muk Geom-yeong’s voice ca out in a flat tone.

There was no emotion. It didn’t sound human—it was more like a boulder speaking. His voice was as alien as his presence.

Yang Jeon-gun cautiously retreated further. Muk Geom-yeong didn’t stop him. It was as if he were silently saying, “Try whatever you can.”

Once he reached his desired spot, Yang Jeon-gun extended his hand and grasped sothing.

Crack.

A sound of sothing breaking ca from his palm, activating his final trump card.

Whoosh—accompanied by a sound like air deflating, the space compressed.

His massive stronghold was instantly compressed into a small sphere. At its center stood Muk Geom-yeong.

Within a few breaths, Yang Jeon-gun vanished, and only a single orb the size of a person remained in the place where his fortress once stood.

Suddenly, the orb began to tremble.

Boom!

A deafening explosion burst from one side.

A hand pierced through the orb, grasping the air. As the hand opened again, a crushed arm appeared in the air.

Muk Geom-yeong had torn off Yang Jeon-gun’s arm in a single motion as he tried to escape.

“Did he get away?”

The sphere had already disappeared without a trace. In its place stood the unhard Muk Geom-yeong.

Yang Jeon-gun’s final asure had only succeeded in halting Muk Geom-yeong montarily.

“Hmm?”

Just as he was about to pursue Yang Jeon-gun, Muk Geom-yeong tilted his head.

“A false god from the Five Elents Cult?”

For the briefest mont, soone had gazed at him. The presence clearly ca from the direction of the Five Wheel Five Elents Cult.

“No... I was mistaken.”

Muk Geom-yeong turned his gaze elsewhere.

As he stared into empty space, a thin line was drawn.

Then, the void split open, and a woman appeared as if stepping out from another dinsion.

Her figure, exuding a sense of solid strength even through her clothes, walked forward confidently without a hint of tension, even when standing before the Demon Heaven Lord.

“The monster has returned. Did you really have to co?”

Her tone was casual. If one only heard her words, it might sound like playful banter between close friends.

But they were not close at all.

Muk Geom-yeong looked her in the eye and spoke her title.

“Sword Heaven Lord.”

She too was one of the Six Heavens, just like the Demon Heaven Lord Muk Geom-yeong.

“Surprising. You, who used to stay buried in a cave, have decided to act.”

“Your return is on a completely different scale than so snake causing trouble.”

“Snake? Ah, you must an that one from the Divine Dragon Clan. I heard he’s done sothing amusing.”

“Is that why you returned?”

“Who knows.”

With that short reply, the Sword Heaven Lord realized Muk Geom-yeong’s return was at least sowhat related to the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens.

‘What is that snake bastard up to?’

Normally, Muk Geom-yeong wouldn’t care about the chaos in the Central Heavens Martial Realm or the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens’ sches. He was a man who only cared about himself and did as he pleased.

“Do you plan to stop ?”

He had only spoken, yet the atmosphere grew heavy. Even in broad daylight, it felt as though the world had darkened. Such was the weight of the Demon Heaven Lord’s power and presence.

“You think I’d co alone?”

“I’m not that foolish.”

Though they were all called the Six Heavens, Muk Geom-yeong was in a class of his own. A truly different existence.

In truth, if titles were properly assigned, Muk Geom-yeong should have been separated out, and the rest referred to as the Five Heavens. That’s how vast the gap in power was.

Naturally, the Sword Heaven Lord had no intention of facing that monster alone.

She gave a small nod toward one side.

Where she indicated, the five elental energies of the Five Elents began to swirl and ford a small gate. An elderly man holding a sword stepped out from within.

He was the Grand Elder of the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect. Once one of the Ten Thrones, he now sat among the ranks of the Six Heavens as the Taecheong Divine Sovereign.

“It’s been a while, Demon Heaven Lord.”

“The new Sword Heaven Lord?”

“I’ve inherited the title.”

The Sword Heaven Lord was not just a nickna or a title.

It was a position responsible for protecting the Central Heavens Martial Realm from external threats, and unlike other mbers of the Six Heavens, it was always referred to as the Guardian Sword Heaven Lord.

“Is this your idea?”

Taecheong Divine Sovereign gave a small nod.

Normally, Muk Geom-yeong’s return to the Central Heavens Martial Realm wouldn’t be a cause for concern. No one could read his thoughts, and he rarely appeared, much less caused any major incidents.

But now the situation was already chaotic.

Even a slight movent from Muk Geom-yeong could spark unexpected problems.

So they had co in advance, as a precaution. They weren’t necessarily looking to fight.

“Is your return related to the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens?”

“Is that really important right now?”

A faint smirk tugged at Muk Geom-yeong’s lips.

His aura shifted.

“You crazy bastard!”

At the Sword Heaven Lord’s outburst, the sky behind Muk Geom-yeong turned pitch black. This wasn’t just a few storm clouds—it had beco utterly dark.

“This is going to be fun.”

Despite having two of the Six Heavens, the strongest in the Central Heavens Martial Realm, before him, Muk Geom-yeong didn’t show a hint of tension.

A small smile ford on his face as he spread his arms wide and spoke to the two of them.

“Co.”

Though the words were directed at the two mbers of the Six Heavens, it didn’t sound unnatural in the slightest. Even the two who received the order accepted it as only natural. That was how different the Demon Heaven Lord Muk Geom-yeong’s standing was from the other Six Heavens.

With Muk Geom-yeong’s action, the conversation broke down. Even if they had sothing to discuss, it was impossible for now.

Since things had progressed to this point, they would have to fight first and talk later.

The Sword Heaven Lord drew her sword, and before anyone noticed, a sharp blade appeared in the once-empty hand of the Sword Heaven Lady.

And the world changed.

As Jang Woo-hyun prepared for his next battle, the three of the Six Heavens clashed on the borders of the Central Heavens Martial Realm.

About ten days had passed since Jang Woo-hyun began staying at the headquarters of the Five Elents Cult.

A martial artist from the Five Elents Cult brought in so information.

“They’re looking for spiritual dicine or herbs that contain lightning qi?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Soone had been consistently purchasing spiritual dicine and herbs containing the energy of thunder and lightning near the boundaries of the Five Elents Cult’s territory.

“Does that have sothing to do with Ha Do-gwang?”

Jang Woo-hyun, who had been suddenly brought into the discussion, asked.

“Chances are high. Ha Do-gwang had been preparing to betray us for so ti, and he took a bunch of spiritual dicine with him from within the cult.”

Naturally, the ones he took most were those containing lightning qi.

“There hadn’t been any signs for a while, but he must’ve either run out or needs more.”

“Then we should track those traces.”

“For now, yes. That’s our only lead.”

As they discussed how to track Ha Do-gwang, a problem quickly arose.

To find the trail, they’d need to make contact with those searching for the spiritual dicine or herbs. However, Ha Do-gwang’s subordinates, who had betrayed the Five Elents Cult along with him, were mostly familiar with the cult mbers here.

“We’ll need soone unknown.”

Just as Jang Woo-hyun said, they needed soone strong and unfamiliar to Ha Do-gwang’s subordinates.

Seo Gyeong-mu and the leadership of the Five Elents Cult were at a loss for help when they all turned to Jang Woo-hyun right before them.

‘We were overthinking it.’

Soone strong, unfamiliar, and less likely to arouse suspicion—was standing right there.

Seo Gyeong-mu summoned the Annihilation Squad. He planned to explain the situation and request assistance from them.

But Jin Ha-un was the first to object to Seo Gyeong-mu’s idea.

“This is not a good plan.”

While the Five Elents Cult thought Jang Woo-hyun was the perfect candidate, Jin Ha-un strongly disagreed.

He alone here was aware of how inexperienced Jang Woo-hyun truly was.

Jang Woo-hyun was strong—undeniably so.

But that was it. He only excelled in combat. His journey through the martial world had mostly been brute-forced, and he didn’t understand the general ecology of martial artists.

If it were just a matter of fighting and smashing enemies, sending Jang Woo-hyun alone would have been fine. But this task wasn’t like that, which naturally made Jin Ha-un concerned.

And Jang Woo-hyun was well aware of his shortcomings.

“I’ll go with him. This kind of stuff isn’t your strong suit, hyung.”

But Jin Ha-un’s proposal was also t with resistance.

The na Azure Crimson Sword Ghost had already grown quite famous, and soone might recognize him.

Moreover, using a dharma treasure to change his appearance wasn’t an option. That could invite even more suspicion.

With Jin Ha-un ruled out, they looked at the others, but no one else was suitable either.

Maeng Ye-ju was already a well-known figure, and there was no need to even ntion the Baekmu Society’s Mak Ya-wol and Seo Ryeom. The monster Wind-Passing Great Sage wasn’t even up for discussion.

Nokgak Baekmyeon was a famous spellcaster, and the Fighting Ghost Unit mbers were nothing more than brawlers—not suited to this task at all.

That left only one person.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward him. Unfamiliar face, more experience than Jang Woo-hyun, less likely to raise suspicion.

“? You want to do it?”

It was the Machinist Cho-su.

Though Jang Woo-hyun and Cho-su had been chosen for the mission, a few problems arose.

The first was that neither of them knew the Five Elents Cult’s territory very well.

The second issue was that, even though they were operating near the borders, having a Machinist and a regular martial artist like Jang Woo-hyun moving around near the Five Elents Cult’s area could still draw suspicion.

Although Jang Woo-hyun was learning Five Elents Qi, he was still different from martial artists who used the Middle Dantian, making it awkward for him to disguise himself.

In the end, they needed soone from within the Five Elents Cult who wasn’t well known.

Fortunately, Jang Woo-hyun knew soone who fit the bill.

“Her na is Lee Ga-hang, she’s the Captain of the Vermilion Bird Division.”

“How does the Annihilation Squad Leader know her?”

Five Elents Envoy Woo Il-do asked, but Jang Woo-hyun simply replied that they had a bit of a connection.

And so, the third mber was decided without her knowing.

A small inn located in a city near the Five Elents Cult’s headquarters.

Lee Ga-hang was eating a dish made from the fruit of the Fla Blossom Flower. The Fla Blossom was a unique flower that could only be found in the Central Heavens Realm, and its fruit contained a faint fire energy.

While it didn’t grant imnse power, it helped stabilize one’s qi and tasted good, making it one of Lee Ga-hang’s favorite dishes since ascending.

As she was enjoying her al, her right-hand subordinate, Yeop Jun-ui, entered the inn.

“Did you file the report properly?”

“Yes, I did. It was pushed onto . I worked hard. Very hard. I did a great job.”

“That’s what subordinates are for. If I have to do everything myself, why am I the Captain? I’d just be a team mber.”

Normally, a lecture would follow such a statent, but strangely, Yeop Jun-ui stayed quiet.

“What’s with you? This isn’t like you. Now I’m getting nervous.”

“You should be nervous.”

“Suddenly? Why?”

“Captain, did you cause so kind of incident?”

“Incident? What incident? I’ve done nothing but work hard for the cult. I’ve been everywhere, doing everything. How could you say that? Are you trying to spout nonsense?”

Lee Ga-hang stuffed her mouth full of the Fla Blossom fruit and munched away.

“The Division Leader is calling for you.”

“Huh?”

Her chewing stopped.

“? Why? All of a sudden?”

“Yes, right now. Oh, and I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Annihilation Squad that includes that Jang daehyeop we t before?”

“…”

Plop. Thud.

Food dropped from her gaping mouth.

“They arrived at the cult not long ago. They’re staying here now.”

Lee Ga-hang swallowed her food without fully chewing.

“Why?”

“Sorry?”

“Why is he here?! Wasn’t he fighting the Demon Gathering Hall?!”

Having rushed to the inn as soon as she arrived in the city, she hadn’t heard the news about the Annihilation Squad.

“Beats . Guess they finished fighting. Anyway, you’re being summoned urgently.”

“I’m not going! No way!”

Lee Ga-hang’s instincts scread.

This was bad. She was definitely about to get dragged into sothing strange.

“Oh, as expected!”

“What do you an ‘as expected,’ you punk?!”

“Knowing you'd throw a fit, I made a separate request to the Division Leader.”

“What request?”

“That since the Captain would throw a tantrum, backup would be needed. So the Division Leader sent a couple of other Captains with .”

Two other Captains were already waiting outside the inn.

“You bastard, whose side are you on?!”

“There are no sides. We’re all martial artists of the Five Elents Cult. I just figured you’d try to cause a scene or dump the job on soone else, so I asked for help.”

Grinding her teeth, Lee Ga-hang couldn’t respond. Yeop Jun-ui, who usually complained about every task, had struck where she least expected.

She ground her teeth but had no choice. The two Captains who had been waiting outside were now entering the inn.

‘I’m dood.’

There was nothing she could do but give up.