Chapter v10c14

Surpassing the Master and the Master as an Enemy

– A master like an enemy

“Have you obtained the power of the Thunder God?”

He asked.

“Huh?”

Bi Ryu Yeon looked around.

After thoroughly checking his surroundings, Bi Ryu Yeon finally felt relieved.

‘It’s not!’

He had just confirmed the faint possibility that this place might be Mount Emei and that he was standing in the front yard of the cursed thatched house of his sect. As expected, this was not Mount Emei. Of course, this judgment was based on the assumption that he hadn’t gone mad yet!

In that case…

Bi Ryu Yeon looked up again at the person standing before him. An old man with a dangling white beard! Those sly, half-open eyes! Those hands itching to beat someone up! Those legs eager to kick something! Those thin lips that seemed ready to spew curses! Bi Ryu Yeon knew someone who looked exactly like this. Someone he hated to even think about! A face he had seen every day since childhood. Whether it was ten years ago or now, his feelings hadn’t changed. It was his master. Bi Ryu Yeon shouted in shock.

“Master! How are you here?”

This was a complete scam. A trick of the heavens, a joke of the gods. How could his cursed master be here? This prank from the heavens felt a bit too much this time. Bi Ryu Yeon’s mind raced at lightning speed.

“Hehehe, did you think I wouldn’t find where you are?”

Judging by that annoying laugh, it was definitely his master. But still, no matter how he thought about it, his master couldn’t be here.

Moreover, look! His master usually acted faster than he spoke, but now he was speaking faster than he acted. So, there was a high possibility that this wasn’t his master.

Then who could it be? He looked exactly the same…

“Have you obtained the power of the Thunder God?”

His master asked again.

“No.”

Bi Ryu Yeon shook his head honestly. It wasn’t something he could hide.

‘Sooner or later!’

Bi Ryu Yeon’s eyes sparkled intensely.

The power of the Thunder God!

It was currently one of his greatest goals. To be completely free, he had to get rid of his master, his biggest shackle. If he could cleanly deal with his troublesome master, he would have nothing to fear in the world.

“Hahaha! Hahaha! Kuhahaha!”

Look at that. Just hearing that laugh made him determined to obtain it.

“What is that ridiculous laugh?”

It was an extremely irritating laugh.

“I’m laughing because it’s funny. You ran away, stealing the Thunder Qin Mokyulrui and money, and yet you’re still at that level?”

It was clearly mocking. Bi Ryu Yeon started to get angry.

“What are you boasting about when you didn’t even teach me properly? And stealing money? That was clearly the money I earned and saved myself. I’ve never misused the sect’s funds. Do you want to see the receipts?”

Bi Ryu Yeon puffed out his chest and shouted. His master’s face twitched.

“You’ve become quite arrogant, my disciple. Do you want to have a go?”

“Anytime.”

Bi Ryu Yeon answered without hesitation. He thought,

‘It might be better to face him now for the future. Whether this is an illusion or real… No, it matters if it’s real, but if it’s fake, it doesn’t matter!’

“Hmph! I’ve been preparing for the day I would meet my master!”

Bi Ryu Yeon shouted.

“Really?”

“Of course!”

“Hahaha! Good, good! You’re very confident!”

An insidious laugh flowed from between his master’s cracked lips. Even after two years, it was still an annoying laugh.

“But can you surpass me without the power of the Thunder God? Wouldn’t it take a hundred years?”

That was definitely mockery.

“Hehehe, just wait and see. I’ll flatten that sharp nose of yours. For the peace of the world, that’s the best way.”

“You brat! If you can, try it. Let’s see if your skills are up to it.”

“Hehehe, you’re quite mischievous, my respected master. It will definitely happen.”

Bi Ryu Yeon answered without backing down. He couldn’t lose in a battle of wills before even fighting.

“How can you express respect while exuding killing intent towards your beloved master?”

“Respect is always shown through exceptional martial arts! Isn’t it obvious? Surpassing the master is the true duty of a disciple. There’s a saying, ‘The student surpasses the master.’ By surpassing the master, the disciple fulfills his duty and life’s goal. Aren’t you proud to have such a wonderful disciple?”

“……”

Bi Ryu Yeon said cheekily. For a moment, his master was speechless, overwhelmed by his disciple’s fluent rhetoric.

“To elevate my respect for my master, there’s no alternative but fists.”

His master, determined to educate his disciple properly, raised his fist, filled with killing intent.

Bi Ryu Yeon couldn’t afford to be careless and took a defensive stance.

‘This isn’t good…’

In the Bi Ryo Sect, it is always recommended to strike first when facing a stronger opponent. But because it was his master, Bi Ryu Yeon had to take the defensive. Giving up the first strike was a gamble with his life. Because his opponent was none other than his master. If it were anyone else, Bi Ryu Yeon would have taken the first strike. He had enough confidence for that.

But… giving up the first strike had never felt this unsettling.

“……”

For a moment, the two were enveloped in a tense silence.

But what was this? There was no attack from his master. When Bi Ryu Yeon looked at his master with a puzzled face, his master had an unusually serious expression.

‘What’s going on?’

His master, with a resolute voice and sharp eyes, said,

“Lightning comes with the wind!”

At that moment, Bi Ryu Yeon’s body flinched.

“If you’re so confident, have you obtained the power of the Wind God? Speak with that pride of yours. Surely, you’re not challenging your master without the power of the Wind God?”

“The power of the Wind God…”

Without taking his eyes off his master’s detestable face, Bi Ryu Yeon muttered quietly.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Flash!

Once again, Bi Ryu Yeon’s sharp gaze turned to his master.

“Test it yourself.”

It was Bi Ryu Yeon’s challenge.

**Divine Phoenix Needle **

‘That… that guy…’

Wijicheon rejoiced inwardly.

‘Finally found him.’

He had been wandering through the cave for over half an hour and finally managed to locate his target.

Having been told that the effect of the Hoshimhwan would only last for one hour, he was anxious about what would happen if he couldn’t find Bi Ryu Yeon. However, thanks to the blessings of heaven and earth, he managed to find Bi Ryu Yeon within the limited time. He held a luminous pearl (夜明珠) in his hand, which had been given to him with the assurance that it would be essential. As expected, it proved to be extremely useful.

“And take this!”

He handed over another item besides the pill. It was a silver cylinder that didn’t look particularly special.

“And what’s this?”

At first glance, it didn’t seem like anything extraordinary. At Wijicheon’s question, the man gave a sly smile.

“Power! The very power you desire!”

“Power!”

Wijicheon’s gaze towards the cylinder changed dramatically. His previously indifferent eyes now sparkled like stars in the night sky. His hand, reaching for the cylinder, trembled slightly with tension, excitement, and a bit of fear.

“It’s called the Divine Phoenix Needle. It’s a monstrous item that rivals the Thunder God’s Barrel, one of the Seven Forbidden Hidden Techniques of the Sichuan Tang Clan!”

“Th… Thunder God’s Barrel!”

Wijicheon had heard tales in the martial world about the Thunder God’s Barrel, the ultimate hidden weapon of the Sichuan Tang Clan. It was said that when used on an individual, it left no trace of their form, and when used on a group, it could annihilate hundreds at once. Its terrifying power had led the Tang Clan to forbid its use, earning it the title of the ‘Demon King of Hidden Weapons.’

Yet, this man claimed that the item he held was no less formidable. Wijicheon carefully aimed the Divine Phoenix Needle at Bi Ryu Yeon. His aim was perfect. Bi Ryu Yeon, engrossed in talking to himself, hadn’t noticed his actions. Wijicheon’s mind was filled with the mission to eliminate the pest that tormented him. Thus, his decision required little hesitation.

“Die!”

With a mad gleam in his eyes, Wijicheon pressed the trigger aimed at Bi Ryu Yeon.

Swoosh!

Thousands of silver needles shot towards Bi Ryu Yeon like a torrential downpour.

Boom!

A violent storm centered around Bi Ryu Yeon erupted instantly.

Whoosh!

Crash!

Boom!

The entire cave roared fiercely. It shook violently as if it were about to collapse.

Swoosh!

Like a dragon’s breath, the fierce wind tore through the winding maze of the Phantom Demon Cave.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

No place was left unscathed by the wild dance of the wind. The deafening noise echoed off the cave walls, making the situation even more unbearable for the people inside. The fear of the cave collapsing at any moment heightened their terror. Hyo Ryong and Lee Jinseol were not spared from the fierce wind either.

Flap!

“Kyaaah!”

Lee Jinseol screamed as the strong wind flipped her skirt.

“Gasp!”

Hyo Ryong’s eyes widened in shock. The gale was powerful enough to sweep everything away in an instant.

“Did you see that?”

Lee Jinseol asked with a pout.

“Uh… uh… well… uh…”

Hyo Ryong struggled to come up with a plausible lie. It was a very awkward task.

“Tch! Was it a fake?”

Standing at the eye of the now-subsiding storm, Bi Ryu Yeon muttered. He looked around but couldn’t find a trace of his master. It seemed it was indeed an illusion.

“Has the boundary between reality and illusion collapsed?”

However, no matter how much the entity before him was an illusion, he couldn’t let his guard down. Extremely realistic and vivid illusions could still harm real beings. There were cases where people who saw their hands on fire under hypnosis actually suffered burns. Thus, these illusions were inherently dangerous.

“At least it’s a relief that it wasn’t real.”

If it had been real, it wouldn’t have ended this easily.

“I can’t be dragged around like a cow to the slaughterhouse.”

To prevent that, he needed to obtain the power of the Thunder God.

“Absolutely!”

He resumed his walk towards the exit. Unfortunately, Bi Ryu Yeon couldn’t see the thin silver needles densely embedded in the cave walls due to the darkness. They were so small that they were hard to see even in daylight.

“Is… is that guy a ghost…?”

How could he be unharmed after being hit by thousands of silver needles? Wijicheon looked at the Divine Phoenix Needle in his hand. But now, it was just an empty shell, having expended all its needles. How could he be unscathed by this demonic hidden weapon?

When he had pressed the trigger, a fierce gale had suddenly erupted from Bi Ryu Yeon. The wind was so powerful that the thousands of silver needles he had shot were forced off course. When the wind subsided and his vision cleared, he had to face the despair of seeing Bi Ryu Yeon standing there unharmed.

“How is this possible… Is that guy a monster?”

He was left in utter despair.

“I must kill him! No matter what!”

He had a foreboding feeling that if he didn’t kill Bi Ryu Yeon this time, he would never get another chance.

“I must kill him! I must kill him!”

Wijicheon seemed almost possessed.

He still had one more chance. It was his last opportunity.