Chapter 117

• The Final Duel between the Ice Soul Phoenix and the Clear Snow Jade Sword Woman

Is it a sword flower scattered in the sky?
Or is it a sword rain offered to the ground?
Two swords and swords harmonized, scattering an unimaginably
beautiful sword ki.

"Waaaaaaaaaah!"

An enthusiastic cheer erupted from the spectator seats.

Na Ye-rin's sword tip, displaying a myriad of transformations, rushed towards Gwan Seol-ji. Indeed, as a woman who possessed the two ultimate techniques of the Four Great Sword Gods in one body, her sword was filled with a sharp sharp energy and a deep profound energy. But the sword ki of the opponent who was responding to it was also not to be trifled with. Na Ye-rin's final opponent was none other than Gwan Seol-ji, who was called the Clear Snow Jade Sword Woman.

She was also the only daughter of the Ice Sword, Gwan Cheol-su, one of the five great swordsmen of the world. She had a unique appearance that anyone could see, and that was because of her hair. Uniquely, her hair was a color close to a light navy, as if it had been bleached, and it gave a very mysterious feeling.

The First Line Fairy of Mount Hua, Jeong Ha-gyeong, who had been aiming for the glory of winning the Sword Empress Exhibition, had unfortunately been broken under Gwan Seol-ji's sword in the semifinals.

It was already the finals. There was only one obstacle left to block Na Ye-rin's sword. This was the last confrontation. Her senior sister, Dokgo-ryeong, had not participated in this competition in preparation for 'that' which would be held next year. She was in a position where she had to save and save her strength for that which would be held next year.

That festival of only the strongest was not such an easy competition. How could a competition to select a person to represent the righteous path be easy? Even if one prepared for a year in advance, there would never be enough time.

"White Thunder Falling Flower!"

Once again, a pure white sword light was emitted from Na Ye-rin's sword tip. The final duel had already started a long time ago. Indeed, the White Soul Sword Thunder Heavenly Sword Style was powerful. It was a splendid and strong sword form, as if a hundred bolts of lightning were falling at once. But Gwan Seol-ji's sword, which was facing it, was also by no means easy.

She had been concentrating on defense silently, without once being in a difficult situation, even against Na Ye-rin's sword forms that were pouring down like a flash arrow from the beginning until now. If Na Ye-rin's sword was a spear, Gwan Seol-ji's sword was a shield.

"Ice Spirit Protecting Soul!"

Gwan Seol-ji's sword, which was filled with a cold ice energy, was even frightening, as it contained an extremely cold chill that was enough to freeze the body even without directly touching the flesh. Just getting close to it felt as if one had fallen into an ice cave. Even for Na Ye-rin, she could not approach carelessly.

But no matter how cold that ice cave was, there was no chance of winning if she did not break through it. Na Ye-rin paid her respects to the opponent's sword technique and swung her sword with all her might.

"Flashing Thunder Piercing the Sun!"

The sword technique that the Ice Soul Phoenix, Na Ye-rin, was unfolding today was fast, strong, and sharp, unlike her nickname. Whenever she unfolded her sword, it felt as if a faint thunder sound was ringing out and lightning was flashing. A strong sword form, as if lightning were striking the ground, was continuously being emitted from her sword tip. There was not a single one that was not an ultimate technique. Gwan Seol-ji's sword technique, which was facing it, also had no ordinary forms, as if to match the level.

The reason why the winner was not easily decided even though such a high-level and powerful sword ki was clashing in one place was probably because the sword ki of the two were harmonizing together, as if yin and yang were harmonizing. One side was the sword of attack, the other side was the sword of defense! Spear and shield! That's why the winner was not decided quickly, and the winner was not decided even after more than 100 seconds had passed.

"Indeed, they are worthy of being the ones who have inherited the true teachings of the Sword Empress and the Alliance Leader. To think that they can wield such a peak sword skill with a woman's body. Every form they unfold is full of profound energy."

It was not unreasonable for the old masters who were sitting in the judges' seats to be bursting with admiration. Na Ye-rin's martial prowess was strong enough to overwhelm a man, and she, who was unfolding it, was emitting an incomparably noble grace. The Clear Snow Jade Sword Woman, Gwan Seol-ji, was also the same.

The duel between these two was as beautiful and enchanting as if a heavenly goddess were holding a sword and dancing a sword dance. The beautiful figures that were exuded in the sword dance of the two women were to the point where even the killing intent in the swords was melted and forgotten.

It was not unreasonable for not only men but also women to be watching with lost minds.

"Be careful!"

The one who had let out a shout, raising her sword ki, was Na Ye-rin. She was even giving a warning before she executed the sword form.

The secret meaning of the White Soul Sword Thunder Heavenly Sword Style, the Heaven-Cutting Dancing Thunder.

Finally, a peak sword form was emitted from Na Ye-rin's sword tip. It was a powerful sword strike that was of a different class from what she had been unfolding so far. It was a momentum like a thunderbolt that would tear the sky. It was a powerful sword ki that was unimaginable to have been emitted from the body of an endlessly elegant and slender woman. A strange light flashed in Gwan Seol-ji's eyes. Her two eyes were full of the will not to lose.

The secret meaning of the Ice Spirit Flowing Water Sword, the Sword Cold Ki, the twenty-fourth form, the Cold Ice Wall!

Na Ye-rin's sword turned into a lightning bolt that tore the sky and stretched out without mercy, and Gwan Seol-ji's sword tip, which was responding to it, split into dozens of strands and emitted a cold ice energy. Na Ye-rin was caught in the illusion of facing a huge ice wall. It felt as if cold ice knives had popped out from all sides and had built an ice wall in front of Gwan Seol-ji's body.

As the ultimate forms of the two great sword techniques clashed in one place, the momentum was quite fierce. It was the Sword Cold Ki that Gwan Seol-ji had inherited from her father. Even if it was not yet complete, its power was amazing. Na Ye-rin's sword form had not yet been able to break the cold sword net she had cast.

It was a defense that was worthy of being called an iron wall. In fact, it was the Ice Spirit Flowing Water Sword, the unique sword technique of the Ice Sword, Gwan Cheol-su, which she was now unfolding, that showed an excellent harmony in defense more than any other sword technique.

It was a sword technique that had been created with a focus on defense, along with Yeomdo's Crimson Seventeen Flames, which had been created with attack and destructive power in mind from the beginning. The mysterious use of defending the body as coldly and hard as a ten-thousand-year ice wall was contained in it as it was. It was one of the strongest sword techniques in a defensive posture.

The Ice Spirit Flowing Water Sword, which Gwan Seol-ji had been taught by her father, the Ice Sword, Gwan Cheol-su, was a unique sword technique that defeated the opponent through defense. It was also a sword technique that had the opposite martial principle to Yeomdo's saber technique, which crushed everything with a destructive power that surpassed the limit.

The cold ice energy that rose from the tip of the sword and crossed over the sword and the sword slowly paralyzed the opponent's nerves without them knowing. If one continued to make a reckless attack without knowing that their own movements had become dull, they were likely to be in a difficult situation by receiving an attack like the water that secretly flowed under the thick ice in winter. It was a frightening martial art that slowly gnawed at the opponent's body and nerves.

"Wow! There's a lot to see!"

People were about to have their eyes roll around from watching. The fierce battle of the two beauties, who moved gracefully like a butterfly and sometimes exchanged offense and defense as swiftly as a swallow, was a splendid and rich spectacle that made one's mouth water just by watching from the side.

Their sword ki was also outstanding, befitting their beauty, and was making the duel stage shine even more, so it was natural for men to bet their lives on them.

It was not only Na Ye-rin who had followers. There was such a thing as a difference in taste in the world, so there were also a considerable number of groups who followed the Clear Snow Jade Sword Woman, Gwan Seol-ji.

Na Ye-rin had her own personality and beauty, and Gwan Seol-ji had her own. Besides, wasn't their martial arts so amazing that it was difficult to easily determine their superiority?

Na Ye-rin was surprised twice today, which was unlike her. She was surprised once by Gwan Seol-ji's sword ki, which was so extremely cold that it made one shiver, and which was blocking her sword so perfectly, and she was surprised twice by the mystery of the sword technique, which made the ability of the Dragon's Eye half useless. It felt as if her sword ki was being sucked into the net she had cast.

For Na Ye-rin, who had not had a rival for a while, it was a good match she had met after a long time. She had no choice but to acknowledge Gwan Seol-ji's excellence in her heart. The sword technique, which was like an iron wall and yet had sharp thorns hidden, had flustered Na Ye-rin.

Although she had not wanted to use it, she might have lost if she had not used the ability of the Dragon's Eye, which was being used naturally, and if she had not used the Cold Injury Jade Spirit Divine Sword. Besides, the opponent was also not using their full strength yet. It might be that both the opponent and she herself were deliberately leaving some room at the tip of their swords.

No matter how much she had the Dragon's Eye, that ability was not absolute. In fact, the Dragon's Eye was strong in grasping the opponent's attack, but it was weak in reading the moves of defense. In other words, if she was in the position of attacking, she could only exert about half of her original power. Because defense had a strong passive tendency that changed according to the attack. At best, the most effective use of her ability was to capture the moment when a defensive posture changed to an offensive one.

But coincidentally, Gwan Seol-ji's sword was a sword of defense, not a sword of attack. And it was a sword technique that had a depth that was second to none in the field of defensive sword studies. Especially the sword curtain she unfolded was as cold, hard, and thick as a ten-thousand-year ice wall. There was no gap to break through. It was the first experience for her to face this kind of sword technique.

It was the same for Gwan Seol-ji. Although she had heard about it through rumors, the sword ki of Na Ye-rin, which she had experienced directly, was at an unexpectedly amazing level. Wasn't this almost at a level that surpassed the old masters! Besides, she knew. The fact that there was a sword technique that Na Ye-rin had sealed and was not using!

That's right, there was a sword technique that Na Ye-rin was not using. From the beginning, she had been unfolding the White Soul Sword Thunder Heavenly Sword Style, a strong sword of attack all the way, which did not fit her body well. As far as she knew, Na Ye-rin's real sword technique was not that.

The sword technique that had been passed down from the number one swordswoman, the Sword Empress, Lee Ok-sang!

The Cold Injury Jade Spirit Divine Sword!

The sword technique that the one who had inherited the true teachings of the Sword Empress should naturally possess had not yet been unfolded once from her hand.

"Why don't you use it? That sword technique?"

Gwan Seol-ji asked with curiosity, catching her breath for a moment.

The fact that she was not getting angry and running wild, saying, 'Why don't you use it!', 'Are you ignoring me!', 'Let's die today!', was a different appearance from most men.

"I'm sorry. I can't use it carelessly without permission either."

Na Ye-rin slightly bowed her head and expressed her apology. She felt sorry for a moment. Because it could give the impression that she was looking down on her if she was not careful. But she was not looking down on her at all now. Rather, she was in a state of being nervous. It was just that she was restraining herself because she could not use the ultimate technique of her sect carelessly without permission.

The sword technique she was using now, although it was said not to fit a woman's body, was the unique sword technique of Na Baek-cheon, the leader of the Murim Alliance, one of the Four Great Sword Gods. There was no way its foundation would run away.

"It's a pity! But since it's the order of the sect, it can't be helped. We'll have to postpone it to the next opportunity... Then shall we try again?"

Gwan Seol-ji shouted with a bright smile. It was a great fortune that her personality did not resemble her father's, which was as cold as an ice awl. Once again, the swords of the heavenly fairies were harmonizing and playing together.

"At this rate, the winner won't be decided..."

In Bi Ryu-yeon's view, it seemed that the winner would not be decided easily. Besides, it seemed that neither of them had the heart to decide the winner enthusiastically. No fighting spirit was felt at all. The appearance of the two now was like that of people who were promoting friendship or exchanging martial arts.

"Wow! Looking at their sword techniques, I'm so ashamed of what the men have been doing these days!"

Hyo-ryong, who was watching with Bi Ryu-yeon, was also busy exclaiming in admiration. At a glance, their swordsmanship skills were so outstanding that they could look down on a group of men, so a majority of the men had to feel ashamed of their own achievements.

"What else can we do but train like crazy!"

It was Bi Ryu-yeon, who threw out a word as a passing remark. The duel was increasingly flowing as Bi Ryu-yeon had predicted. If it went on like this, there was only one conclusion.

As the winner was not decided even after more than 300 seconds had passed, a sign of whispering was felt from the judges' seat, and the right hand of Hyeonhak Jin-in, the former elder of the Wudang Sect and an elder of the Cheonmu Academy, was raised. At that, the judge raised the two flags he was holding in both hands and declared. Bi Ryu-yeon's prediction had been right.

"Stop!"

The judges, who had felt that the winner could not be decided at this rate, had declared a draw. It was judged that it was better to stop it before it became more dangerous. The fact that they were not using any more ultimate forms even after more than 300 seconds had passed was considered to indicate that they themselves had no intention of deciding the winner by force. If they had been men, they might have tried to see the end even if blood and flesh were splattered.

As soon as the stop signal sounded, the two stopped their swords as if they had been waiting and returned to the place where they had been facing each other.

"Hahaha! The fact that two such phoenixes have appeared is a great joy for the Cheonmu Academy and a great blessing for the Murim! As a result of the agreement of the five old masters here, including myself, it has been judged that it is impossible to determine the superiority of the skills of the two young ladies, so it has been decided to declare a draw, although it is a pity."

It was a statement that Hyeonhak Jin-in, who was sitting as a representative in the judges' seat, had made, standing up as a representative with a generous smile. Neither of them had any complaints. If it went on like this, it would be difficult to decide the winner unless they were determined to throw their lives away.

"Waaaaaaaaaah!"

A roar that seemed to leave the hall rang out. It was a reaction that was even better because one of the two beauties had not suffered a humiliating fate.

A draw! It was a match where the winner was not decided.

A moment later, the Clear Snow Jade Sword Woman, Gwan Seol-ji, was surprised by a sudden situation while she was coming down from the duel stage, receiving the cheers of those around her.

A burly man had appeared and had grabbed her slender shoulder. It had happened so suddenly that there was no time to react.

"So-un!"

It was a word that the burly man who had grabbed her shoulder had spat out as if shouting.

She also seemed very surprised at first, but she soon calmed her mind. Because she knew well who the opponent in front of her was. Red hair, red beard, red eyebrows! There would probably be only one person in the Murim with such a unique appearance. It was none other than Yeomdo.

It was not only Gwan Seol-ji who was surprised. Her followers who were watching from the side were also surprised. Especially the surprise of Cheong-heun, who was watching from a distance, was greater than anyone else's.

Cheong-heun, who was about to shout, 'What is this?', shut his mouth after seeing the opponent's face. He was not a person to shout carelessly at. But anyway, the hand that was grabbing her, which looked painful even from the side, had to be removed first.

At that time, there was a person who had solved Cheong-heun's worries at once.

Pasha!

Bi Ryu-yeon, who had been watching from the side, had unhesitatingly committed an act that would make one faint. Bi Ryu-yeon had struck Yeomdo's wrist with his hand knife with all his might.

Yeomdo's head snapped towards Bi Ryu-yeon.

The original meaning was 'Do you want to die?', but that meaning did not work exceptionally for Bi Ryu-yeon.

"What is this? If you suddenly shove such a rough face in front of a young lady's nose, the young lady will be surprised. It's a great fortune that she didn't faint!"

It was Bi Ryu-yeon's words, mercilessly rebuking Yeomdo's mistake. The people who were watching were so surprised that their hearts almost jumped out of their throats. Who would dare to use such an insolent (of course, the words were right, but) speech and behavior against the world's Yeomdo? Everyone who was watching thought that Yeomdo would immediately pull out Bi Ryu-yeon's tongue and twist his neck. But Yeomdo was not saying a single word to Bi Ryu-yeon and was taking his hand off Gwan Seol-ji's shoulder. It was a mysterious thing.

Yeomdo realized his mistake and quickly took a step back. But even in the midst of that, his gaze was not taken off her for a moment. How could he not be agitated when the woman he had not been able to forget even in his dreams had appeared in front of him after 20 years?

Gwan Seol-ji's beauty was very outstanding, perhaps because she resembled her mother. Her skin was like a dazzling white jade, and her two pupils were reminiscent of the black pearls of the deep sea. Uniquely, her hair color was faintly bleached and had a navy tint. It must be a trace of having trained the martial art she had inherited from her father. Yeomdo's heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

"What is your mother's name?"

Yeomdo asked with a trembling voice. It was an appearance that was unlike his usual self.

"It is Hyeok, So, Un!"

It was the answer as expected. Although he had been prepared, a shock as if he had been hit on the back of the head with a blunt weapon assailed him. Although he had expected it to some extent, the shock seemed to be indescribably great when the confirmation came directly from her mouth.

For a moment, his head was dizzy and confused. It felt as if the sky and the earth were impudently changing places without permission.

"I see! Are you So-un's daughter?"

It was a voice that was somehow dejected. Was it just an illusion of the eyes that his shoulders seemed to be drooping? It was such a lonely appearance, not at all like Yeomdo.

Yeomdo's gaze, which had been looking up at the sky, turned to Gwan Seol-ji again.

"Is your mother healthy?"

Looking at his two eyes, which were flickering with memories, which did not match his appearance that was reminiscent of a red ghost, Yeomdo looked pitiful for some reason.

"Yes! She is still hale and hearty."

"Is that so..."

After hearing just one word, it was Yeomdo, who had closed his mouth again and had gone into silence. That appearance was so unlike Yeomdo that it was frustrating to watch.

'Hmm...'

Bi Ryu-yeon's gaze was looking at Yeomdo and Gwan Seol-ji alternately with an interested look. What on earth was the reason? Although he had a personality that could not stand it if he was curious, he thought that now was not the time.

"Come on, come on! Let's not do this and go see the semifinal match where that punk Hwi is competing. Even though he looks so cold, he might be surprisingly lonely!"

Of course, it was a groundless story. But there was no way that the basis was important for a story to change the atmosphere. Yeomdo's shoulders, who was moving his steps, looked heavy for some reason. And as if to prove that he was a human who had no relationship with loneliness at all, Moyong Hwi easily defeated his semifinal opponent and advanced to the finals. The long-awaited confrontation with the Three-Section Sword, Cheong-heun, was just around the corner.