Book 28 Chapter 21

The Heaven and Earth Sun and Moon Combined Attack Formation

—An Unfinished Harmony

"Before I wield this Dark Sword of the Profound Heaven, I will yield just once. Come, reveal it! The 'Heaven and Earth Sun and Moon Combined Attack Formation'!"

At Gucheon Hyeonnyeo's words, Yeomdo and Binggeom were astonished.

"H-how do you know that martial art…"

Few knew of the existence of that martial art. It was because it was a 'secret transmission' left by their master.

The master's last image, seared like a brand into Yeomdo and Binggeom's minds, vividly resurfaced.

"Awaken the ultimate essence of Yeombaek and Binghon. Then, unite the Tai Chi…"

Their master's dying wish, their master's will, they had ignored it. For the past twenty years… simply because they disliked each other…

Yeomdo and Binggeom's bodies trembled uncontrollably with emotion.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're going to try and stop me without even completing that?"

There was no answer for a long time.

"…We can't."

The voices of the two, finally opening their mouths, were barely audible.

"You mean you still haven't achieved the ultimate essence of Yeombaek and Binghon? Still?!"

The Heaven and Earth Sun and Moon Combined Attack Formation could only be unleashed after achieving the ultimate essence of Yeombaek and Binghon. For some reason, Mwahwa knew even that fact.

"…"

Yeomdo and Binggeom had no words to reply.

A fierce glint shot from Mwahwa's eyes.

"You scoundrels! You dared to oppose me without even achieving that? What foolish people!"

Mwahwa's reprimand was like a storm. She was genuinely angry.

Yeomdo and Binggeom's bodies shrank further. Their hearts were filled with guilt and regret towards their master, so they dared not utter any excuse.

"What more needs to be said? Come! With this single sword today, I shall take your lives and prevent you from further defiling his name!"

Mwahwa exclaimed with a stern voice.

—We are defiling our master's name?

That was the most unbearable insult to them. However, when those words came from Gucheon Hyeonnyeo herself, their weight and meaning were different.

Yeomdo and Binggeom realized how great a sin they had committed against their master. Their chests felt constricted, and a surge of indignation rose from the depths of their hearts, along with unbearable shame.

*Swoosh!*

Hot tears of regret streamed from Yeomdo and Binggeom's eyes.

Gucheon Hyeonnyeo said with a cold, disdainful smile,

"Regretting it now is too late. Do you think I will be defeated by such immature fools whose left and right hands work independently? Your master truly had no foresight, no foresight at all!"

"Do not insult our master!" Yeomdo shouted with a voice filled with indignation.

"We don't care if you insult us. But we cannot bear to hear insults against our master!" Binggeom said, glaring at Mwahwa.

"If we are truly dishonoring our master, we will gladly give our lives! So please do not insult him." Yeomdo and Binggeom shouted with grave voices.

"Foolish ones! It is you, not I, who are insulting your master!"

As Mwahwa raised the Dark Sword of the Profound Heaven, a silent but heavy killing intent emanated from her.

*Cough! Gurgle! Bubble! Grumble!*

Strange screams echoed from all around, as if in a chorus. Several warriors forming the encirclement, unable to withstand the terrifying pressure, foamed at the mouth and fainted.

"Very well, then receive my single sword!"

Yeomdo and Binggeom tensed their bodies, watching the jet-black wooden sword, the Dark Sword of the Profound Heaven, that she slowly raised. The sharp edge, like that of a divine weapon, was not felt from the sword. The pressure suppressing their spirits came from the depth of Mwahwa's swordsmanship.

Mwahwa had her eyes closed quietly, as if this were their last encounter, as if she were tidying up her past with them.

After a moment, her closed eyes slowly opened. Then, deep black pupils revealed themselves within.

Gucheon Hyeonnyeo slowly drew the Dark Sword of the Profound Heaven backward. It was such a slow movement that each of her actions seemed to be imprinted in their eyes. Mwahwa slowly brought the sword, which she had drawn back, forward.

By then, black flames were flickering around the wooden sword. It was the harmony caused by the Profound Heaven Dark Scale Qi.

The tip of the Dark Sword of the Profound Heaven, wrapped in dark Qi, slowly, very slowly, approached them.

It was a single sword so slow that it was tiring to watch. Yet, for some reason, it seemed impossible to evade that one move. All directions seemed to be dominated by the sword's tip.

If evasion was impossible, there was only one method left.

'Dangerous! I must block!'

A chilling tremor, a warrior's instinct, shrieked a warning through their nerves.

Yeomdo moved Hongyeom.

'Huh?'

Strangely, his body felt heavy. As if it weighed a thousand pounds, his body moved late.

'Was Hongyeom always this heavy?'

Hongyeom had never felt this heavy before. It felt like holding a heavy iron pillar. At this rate, the black flames enveloping the wooden sword would pierce his heart before he could even lift Hongyeom.

*Grind!* Yeomdo gritted his teeth. Then, with all his might, he swung Hongyeom wide.

'Move!'

*Crack!*

For a moment, Hongyeom felt lighter, then drew an arc of flames.

True Red Seventeen Flames

Sword Flame Qi

Supreme

Eighteen Arcanum

Crimson Lotus Wall

The arc of Hongyeom enveloped them, forming a wall of crimson lotuses. Its power was incomparable to the shield Hongyeom had used against the twins.

As the crimson lotus wall surrounded them, Binggeom felt the pressure crushing him slightly weaken. Seizing that fleeting moment, Binggeom swung Bingbaek.

Ice Spirit Water Flow Sword

Sword Chill Qi

Supreme

Eighteen Arcanum

Extreme Light Star Connected Wall

Rainbow light, like an extreme light, flickered from the tip of Bingbaek, and along with it, sword energy like a blizzard from the North Sea shot out, creating a wall of ice as hard as diamond around them.

A dual barrier of flame and ice.

'No sword strike can break this defense!'

But…

*Swoosh.*

Gucheon Hyeonnyeo's wooden sword pierced through the crimson lotus wall with astonishing ease. It was such a light movement that there was no time to be surprised. A large hole, as if carved out, appeared in the crimson lotus wall. It was as if the wooden sword had consumed it. Mwahwa's figure was nowhere to be seen; only the wooden sword, engulfed in black flames, seemed to exist.

*Whoosh!*

The Dark Sword of the Profound Heaven pierced through the ice fortress of the Extreme Light Star Connected Wall with equal ease. Binggeom was utterly shocked. His absolute defense, which had been solely focused on defense, had been so easily pierced.

'How can this be! I feel no resistance! How is this possible!'

When something collides, there should be a reaction, a resistance. Yet, even as the Dark Sword of the Profound Heaven approached him as if it were piercing a wall of air, he felt no resistance, which was truly strange. However, his thoughts could not continue further.

"How clumsy! Die beneath the Sword Heaven!"

Mwahwa's stern voice echoed as if from afar.

Nine Heavens Profound Profound Divine Skill

Eighth Heaven

Sword of Gucheon Hyeonnyeo

Dark Scale Profound Profound

*Jeeeeng!*

From the tip of the slightly vibrating Dark Sword of the Profound Heaven, black flames exploded outwards.

In an instant, Yeomdo and Binggeom's vision was covered in pitch-black darkness. It was as if the sky had been shrouded in a black curtain. They could not tell where the sword strikes were coming from.

Everything was black. It was as if light had disappeared from the world.

Only an abyss of darkness, evoking profound and deep fear, spread around them.

Then, the next moment.

An immense shock struck Yeomdo and Binggeom's bodies.

"Kyahhhhhhhhhh!"

Their insides churned, and blood erupted with a tragic scream.

It felt as if their lives were being torn apart in all directions.

Amidst the shock of their bodies being ripped apart, their consciousness ceased.

Everything turned dark.

It brightened as if light had fallen into the pitch-black darkness. When their vision cleared again, Yeomdo muttered unconsciously,

"Is this the afterlife…?"

He heard Binggeom groaning beside him.

"To fall into the same place as you, this must truly be hell."

Yeomdo grumbled in a tone mixed with subtle resignation and displeasure.

"Wherever I am with you, it's hell anyway."

The moment he heard Binggeom's retort, an immense pain shot through his body.

"Cough, cough!"

Yeomdo vomited blood.

"Even though I held back at the end, you're quite dramatic."

Gucheon Hyeonnyeo's stern voice was heard from somewhere.

The two forced themselves to stand up. It felt like dozens of needles were stabbing their bodies, causing them to involuntarily groan. As they managed to stand up with sheer will, Mwahwa commanded again with a stern voice,

"Kneel!"

The two obediently knelt at her command.

It was the most tragic defeat since they had appeared in the martial world.

Mwahwa's gaze, as she looked down at the two kneeling on their own spilled blood, held a chillingly cold light.

"You have wasted even this last chance."

"…"

Yeomdo and Binggeom could not answer. What could they say when they were so ashamed?

Gucheon Hyeonnyeo, who had been watching them with stern eyes, slowly raised her hand, forming a sword.

"Do you have any last words? The only reason I didn't kill you with a single sword was because I wanted to ask that, so you have no regrets."

Dark light gathered in her hand, shining mysteriously, and then formed a sharp blade. It was Su Gang, the highest realm of the art of long distance, capable of slicing through steel as easily as tofu.

"I ask again. Do you have any last words?"

Mwahwa asked again in a low voice.

The blade of Qi, formed like the blackness of midnight on her fair white hands, looked like a guillotine shining on an execution ground. Yeomdo and Binggeom closed their eyes as they gazed at the blade that shone like the night.

"Kill us."

What words could the defeated have to say? They were only regretful that they could not restore their master's honor.

The tip of Gucheon Hyeonnyeo's eyebrow twitched slightly.

Past connections had briefly shaken her heart.

She never thought she herself would be the one to sever his lineage.

But she shook her head again. Hadn't she sworn? That she would not stop, no matter what, until her revenge was complete.

The sorrow of losing another son surged, shaking her heart fiercely. Before the pain of her heart tearing into a thousand pieces, her hesitation disappeared.

"Farewell."

Mwahwa brought down her hand, raised like a black guillotine.

The black guillotine fell.

However, Yeomdo and Binggeom's necks were still attached to their shoulders.

Mwahwa slightly frowned. Then, she looked at the person who had stopped her hand. When had they arrived? Saran was already holding her wrist.

Towards Mwahwa, who was looking at her with a reprimanding gaze, Saran quietly shook her head.

"Not yet."

As Saran spoke, her eyes held many stories.

"Why?"

"These two are still useful. And… "

"And?"

"This will have a bad influence on you, older sister, more than anyone else, so I feel uneasy."

"It's your 'uneasy feeling' again."

However, no one in the Demonic God Sect ignored Saran's 'uneasy feeling.' They knew well that it was a warning born from her deep and vast intuition.

Saran added in a calm voice,

"If the time comes when they must be killed, I will take their lives on your behalf, older sister."

After a moment of silence, Mwahwa slowly opened her mouth.

"As you say. These brats are lucky today."

Then, she let out a long, held breath.

"This is their destiny."

*Splash! Splash!*

Yeomdo and Binggeom, who had been kneeling like criminals, had their faces snapped to the side. Feeling their cheeks burn, they stared blankly at her. They had never been hit like this in the past twenty years. However, they could not protest. Gucheon Hyeonnyeo's gaze, looking at them, silenced them.

"This is done on behalf of him. If you decided to kill them, fine, but since you decided to spare them, a decree must be issued. You foolish, idiotic bastards! Weren't you his right and left arms? What do you intend to achieve by your left and right hands fighting? Can you imagine how sad he would be if he knew about this?"

At her scolding, Yeomdo and Binggeom's hearts felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Especially when their master was mentioned, they felt like the most wicked and disloyal wretches in the world.

"Hyohong, bring the Dragon Vein Rope."

"Yes, Mother. Here it is."

The second of the Eight Immortals, Gal Hyohong, came forward with a rope of unusual material held in both hands and presented it respectfully. Her steps were very modest and somewhat shy.

Normally, the attributes of one's martial arts and one's temperament were in line. This was because martial arts influenced them, and they also chose martial arts according to their temperament. Therefore, those who practiced Yeomyeom-based martial arts were passionate like a blazing fire, but often hot-tempered and prone to outbursts when angered.

However, she, called Hyohong, seemed strangely calm.

Even with her hair turned red, indicating a deep mastery of Yeomyeom-based martial arts, she appeared so calm and modest that she didn't seem like a woman who had mastered Yeomyeom-based martial arts to the highest level.

"Tie them."

Mwahwa commanded.

"How can I… tie a man's body… my skills are lacking, but if it is your command, I will obey."

Though Hyohong replied with a blush, as if embarrassed, she tied Yeomdo and Binggeom tightly with surprisingly skillful hands. It was done in the blink of an eye.

"They are all tied, Mother. I did my best with my inexperienced skills." Hyohong said, her face still tinged with red.

"You've worked hard. You may withdraw." Hyohong stepped back with a slightly disappointed expression.

"Try to untie it. I guarantee you won't be able to break that rope."

Mwahwa said, looking down at the two who were tightly bound.

'A rope like this… like rotten straw, in an instant…'

*Grrrr!*

Yeomdo exerted himself until his face turned red like heated iron ore.

He struggled for a long time, but apart from his face turning red, nothing else happened. As if steam was rising from Yeomdo's entire body, it quickly subsided.

'How can this be!'

While Yeomdo was making a fuss, drawing attention to himself to break the rope, Binggeom, who had been secretly trying to cut it, was shocked.

'My Zhenqi isn't circulating properly!'

Yeomdo, who was next to him, was already drenched in sweat and panting.

"It's no use. Second Sister's rope-tying technique is unparalleled. It's a special technique that combines tying and acupoint sealing." Gal Hyohye, one of the women who had been watching Yeomdo's antics without any particular restraint, explained in a gentle but terrifying smile.

"Besides, as you must have experienced by testing it, this rope is no ordinary object. It's not called the Dragon Vein Rope for nothing."

If Zhenqi couldn't be used, he tried to rely solely on brute strength, but the rope stretched just enough not to break when he applied force, and returned to its original state when he released the force, making it impossible to exert proper strength.

On the other hand, Hyohong seemed quite surprised to see Yeomdo, who was tied with her 'Wishful Binding Technique,' exert himself.

"Um, Auntie. I think I tied them a bit loosely because I'm soft-hearted. Should I tie them again? I didn't expect them to move…" Second daughter Gal Hyohong said, raising her hand as if embarrassed.

'How much tighter can you possibly tie them?!'

Yeomdo and Binggeom cursed inwardly. If they were tied any tighter, they felt they would be strangled by the rope. The rope, wrapped tightly around their entire bodies, dug into them with immense force, like a living dragon.

"No, it's fine. That's enough, leave them as they are."

Second daughter Hyohong, with a hint of regret, bowed and retreated.

Thus, the two were captured and forced to accompany them.

The possibility of rescuing Na Baekcheon, the leader of the Jeongcheon Alliance, further diminished.

"Great Lady! It's a disaster! The inn is empty!"

As soon as Yeomdo and Binggeom were captured, Son Danju, who had entered to search, ran back and reported.

"We had completely surrounded the area, how could…"

Since he was the one in charge of the encirclement, his face was pale with guilt and fear. However, even at the news that the inn was empty, neither Samdae Nangrang nor Shipjiseonnyeo Gal Hyohye showed any signs of agitation.

"That's good."

"Y-yes? Y-you mean good?"

Ignoring Son Danju, who was startled by the unexpected answer, she muttered to herself.

"Of course, it's good. Everything is according to plan."

A terrifying smile, like a blade, appeared on the face of Shipjiseonnyeo Gal Hyohye.

"…"

While Son Danju was utterly confused about what that meant, Gucheon Hyeonnyeo Mwahwa, who had been standing quietly, spoke.

"Is the preparation complete?"

Gal Hyohye replied respectfully.

"Yes, Mother. We have already sent the sixth Hyomin and seventh Hyohyo. By now, they should be in position with the second unit of the Black Dog Brigade at the exit of the secret passage and waiting."

Upon hearing this, Binggeom and Yeomdo's expressions changed. It seemed the number of the Eight Immortals of Demonic Gods was short, but this was the reason.

"Yes, your arrangements are always meticulous and without redundancy."

Mwahwa nodded with satisfaction at Hyohye's unwavering answer.

"Yes, Mother. Everything is proceeding as planned."

A deep smile remained on Gal Hyohye's face as she said that.

* * *

"…Now what, Ryu Yeon?"

After secretly escaping, having witnessed Yeomdo and Binggeom being captured without resistance, Mo Yonghwi asked with a stiffly frozen expression. His face was as pale as if he had seen a ghost. The emotional impact seemed immense.

Yeomdo and Binggeom, who boasted of near invincibility, had been defeated.

This was a profound shock to the rescue team from Cheonmu Academy, who had relied on them for their peace of mind. Especially to Mo Yonghwi, who considered the two as another master.

"Well, this is truly unexpected."

The possibility of Yeomdo and Binggeom being captured helplessly had not even existed in Biryu Yeon's predictions.

"We have to go rescue them, don't we?"

Mo Yonghwi was ready to rush out the moment Biryu Yeon nodded. Biryu Yeon pondered, resting his chin on his hand. It seemed they were indeed in quite a predicament.

"Hmm, what to do…"

At this moment, Yeomdo and Binggeom's fate rested on Biryu Yeon's words, so to speak. And finally, a conclusion was reached.

"Alright! I've decided!"

Biryu Yeon exclaimed, clenching his fist.

"Let's run!"