Chapter 298 : The Power of the Four Great Divine Arts

Chapter 298: The Power of the Four Great Divine Arts

“I’ll return this pain to you bastards.”

Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji simultaneously kicked off the ground and launched their attack on the martial artists of the Amcheonmun.

Geum Yujin, stunned by the sisters’ astonishing assault, could only watch blankly for a moment.

Even without the Vermilion Bird Blood Chalice, the Vermilion Grand Flame Art unleashed by them was formidable. That was because the technique drew upon its innate energy of fire.

In contrast, he himself felt pitiful, unable to fully exert his strength without the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.

He was supposed to wield a variety of techniques with the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm, but once he held a sword, the power of the Black Tortoise Lunar Art inevitably weakened.

“How desperate must you be to release your Forbidden Restriction and fight? Yujin! You need to pull your weight too.”

Geum Myeongryeol felt ashamed watching the Jeong Family Manor sisters fighting so fiercely.

He couldn't shake the thought that they, the men, were the ones dragging the Jeong Family Manor down.

In that instant, a realization dawned on Geum Yujin.

‘The Jeong Family Manor sisters unleash overwhelming power with the Vermilion Grand Flame Art even without a divine item. That’s not just the nature of the technique—it’s a difference in will.’

Realizing that, he reflected on his own martial arts.

‘The Black Tortoise Lunar Art uses the energy of water and cold, but I’ve always tried to link it to divine items. But there’s clearly a way to fight without them, like they do.’

The Three Chivalrous Sisters had mastered the use of the Four Great Divine Arts even without divine items through countless real battles.

It was possible because they were rich in experience.

However, having focused only on isolated training, Geum Yujin lacked real combat experience and therefore couldn’t manifest the Four Great Divine Arts without a divine item.

Seeing it with his own eyes, he recognized his own shortcomings.

Geum Yujin looked around.

He was searching for water.

But there was none to be found anywhere.

Then his eyes landed on the trees spread throughout the forest.

Geum Yujin struck a nearby tree with internal strength.

Thunk!

The bark peeled away and a dent formed, causing sap to seep out.

He pressed his palm against it and absorbed the energy of water.

As a transparent energy shimmered on his palm, the sap enveloped his fist.

When he grabbed his sword in that state, the sap wrapped around the blade.

“Haap!”

He shouted and thrust his sword, and droplets of water splattered from it.

Swish!

The moment the water splashed, surprisingly, the martial artists struck by the droplets collapsed instantly.

Because of the Black Tortoise Lunar Art, the droplets were imbued with qi and had become hidden weapons.

Having confirmed the result of his idea, Geum Yujin slashed another tree with his sword and absorbed more of the sap.

Watching him now fight the Amcheonmun martial artists using water, Geum Myeongryeol felt tears welling up in his eyes.

“Now you finally seem to understand our sect’s martial arts.”

And he regretted confining him like a greenhouse flower to only train in martial arts.

“Martial arts can’t be mastered through theory alone, yet I only had him focus on isolated training. No wonder he couldn’t grasp the true essence. The reason the Jeong Family Manor sisters outshine my son is because they’ve had more real combat experience, and I blindly taught only theory. No wonder his skills never improved.”

Now that the Jeong Family Manor sisters and Geum Yujin were unleashing their Four Great Martial Arts freely, they were no longer being overwhelmed like before.

Rather, the power of the two Four Great Divine Arts overwhelmed the Amcheonmun, cutting them down one by one with no resistance.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

Geum Yujin, having used the Black Tortoise Lunar Art, staggered as his stamina was depleted.

He had become so excited without realizing it that he used his full strength.

Due to his lack of real combat experience, he hadn’t learned the importance of conserving qi and stamina during battle.

In contrast, Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji showed no signs of fatigue.

They clearly knew how to manage their stamina.

After finishing off all the martial artists of Amcheonmun, Jeong Suji spoke.

“Let’s get out of here. We must head directly to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.”

After catching his breath, Geum Yujin replied.

“Will going there make any real difference?”

To that, Jeong Suji responded a bit sharply.

“It will. The only one who can protect us right now is Young Master Yong. And my sister surely would’ve headed to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union as well. If we want to be rescued, meeting Young Master Yong is our best chance.”

Jeong Suji’s reasoning was so sound, there was no room to refute it.

“Let’s do that.”

Geum Myeongryeol also agreed with Jeong Suji, and the group immediately leapt in the direction of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

But suddenly, sharp hidden weapons flew toward them from behind, forcing them to turn around and draw their swords to block them.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Five flying daggers sliced through the air and fell to the ground.

No person was in sight, and it was impossible to tell where the daggers had come from.

“I can’t believe it! Were those thrown from there?”

Jeong Suji murmured in shock.

The thrown dagger, hurled from a place where one’s eyes couldn’t even discern a human form, carried the same force as one thrown at point-blank range.

That meant the person who threw the dagger possessed exceptional internal energy.

“He’s a master! Stay alert!”

Even though they tried to escape, the Jeong Family Manor party couldn’t flee—an old man had already appeared before them.

Only two elders had arrived, yet they exuded the same oppressive pressure as the thirty men of Amcheonmun.

Jo Gyeongmae stepped forward and clasped her fists in a respectful greeting.

She was trying to identify their level of cultivation through formality.

“I am Jo Gyeongmae, the head of the Jeong Family Manor. Might I dare ask for the names of the seniors?”

“Heh heh, you must be Jo Gyeongmae, one of the Three Beauties of the South from twenty years ago. Indeed, you still retain that beauty from back then.”

As old monsters, they recognized Jo Gyeongmae.

“Are you from Cheonmamul?”

“Yes, I mooched food from that place for years, so calling me part of that household wouldn’t be wrong.”

“Have you come to capture us?”

“I was asked to. Asked to capture you.”

“May I ask for your aliases?”

“My, what a voluptuous body you have.”

Rather than answering, the man’s eyes roamed over Jo Gyeongmae’s sensuous figure.

But the other elder answered.

“Twenty years ago, they used to call us Tai Chi Twin Swords.”

At that statement, Jo Gyeongmae’s expression hardened.

She suppressed her shock so it wouldn’t show.

But that alias had once been so infamous that it could make a crying child fall silent.

Tai Chi Twin Swords (太極雙劍) sounded like a Taoist title at a glance, but it originated from their martial arts style—these were demonic masters who had once ascended to the Six Demon Lords during the Wujeong Era.

Contrary to their elegant-sounding alias, their cruelty had made them pariahs in the Murim.

“If you know who I am, this will be easy. Will you follow us quietly, or will you fight boldly and be dragged off like a dog?”

Geum Yujin shouted with bold defiance.

“Even if I die like a dog, I’d rather die fighting with pride!”

At those words, the Tai Chi Twin Swords responded indifferently.

“Very well, then.”

Though they had been told to capture them alive, they gladly accepted the challenge to battle.

In their entire lives, they had rarely spared anyone who resisted them.

However, they also had the odd quirk of not laying a finger on those who obediently complied.

This left Jo Gyeongmae in deep thought.

‘We can’t win against those monsters with our current strength. If we fight them, we won’t survive. But we also can’t be taken away like lambs. Should I plan for the future instead?’

As these thoughts swirled in her head, Geum Yujin raised his momentum, prepared to fight the Tai Chi Twin Swords.

Having just awakened the Four Great Divine Arts, he was riding a high.

There were only two opponents—he felt confident that if he combined forces with the Jeong sisters, they could suppress the two elders.

Seeing Geum Yujin unafraid, Geum Myeongryeol spoke up.

“They’re demonic figures once known by a fearsome name during my years in the Murim. They are extremely dangerous. Don’t act rashly.”

Jo Gyeongmae followed with a calm warning.

“We must all attack together. That’s the only way we might stand a chance.”

They had once been part of the Six Demon Lords.

No one could imagine how much stronger they might be now.

Even Jo Gyeongmae, who had cultivated martial arts her entire life and reached its peak, had no confidence.

“Good, come all at once. It’ll make the fight more worthwhile.”

As the Tai Chi Twin Swords muttered, Jo Gyeongmae and Geum Myeongryeol launched a coordinated assault from the flanks.

Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji charged in from the front and back.

The Three Chivalrous Sisters had long trained in joint attacks, so their coordination was flawless.

Geum Yujin rushed in behind them.

As the Four Great Divine Arts unfolded, they pressed the Tai Chi Twin Swords back.

“Excellent!”

The Tai Chi Twin Swords drew their swords and unleashed sword qi.

Whoosh!

Geum Myeongryeol and Geum Yujin, thinking it was just ordinary sword qi, pushed their internal energy to the maximum—only to be horrified upon realizing it exceeded three levels of peak force.

Boom!

The black-robed elder unleashed an immense force, and the white-robed elder followed, releasing the same devastating energy toward the Jeong Family Manor members.

They truly seemed intent on killing them.

Rumble!

Thunder roared and blue energy exploded outward in all directions.

“Graaaaagh!”

“Aaagh!”

Screams echoed from all sides before even groans ceased.

As the dust cleared, the Tai Chi Twin Swords calmly swept the ground with satisfied expressions.

Two warriors from the Jeong Family Manor and three from the Geum Clan had been killed, their bodies riddled with gaping holes.

Jo Gyeongmae and her two daughters, who had resisted using the Four Great Divine Arts, collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.

Geum Myeongryeol and Geum Yujin were barely standing, yet more gravely injured than those who had collapsed.

Surviving the peak-level strike was only possible thanks to the protection of the Four Great Divine Arts.

“Heh heh heh, I used my full strength to grant you a painless death, yet you fools didn’t take the hint.”

The black-robed elder muttered, and the white-robed one added,

“Death would have been preferable.”

Jo Gyeongmae realized in a single clash that they were no match for the two monsters.

‘They’ve become even stronger than they were twenty years ago. How can we block power beyond three and a half levels of peak cultivation?’

The only consolation was that, though some warriors had died, her two daughters were still alive.

Jo Gyeongmae realized she had one final duty as a mother.

“You two must leave.”

“What do you mean?”

asked Jeong Suji, and Jo Gyeongmae snapped irritably.

“I’ll handle things here. You two escape.”

Jeong Suji forced herself to stand and replied.

“Mother, if we flee and die at the hands of those monsters, we’ll carry the guilt of having abandoned you. Even if you stall them, we cannot escape those two.”

Jeong Daji spat blood from her mouth and added,

“My sister’s right. We can’t give those monsters such satisfaction. Even like this, we’re known as the Three Chivalrous Sisters, the most famed heroes of Seomseo. We won’t turn our backs and become objects of ridicule. Mother, if escape is impossible, let’s die fighting with pride.”