Chapter 348 : The Power of the Glass Divine Art (2)

Chapter 348: The Power of the Glass Divine Art (2)

‘What kind of technique is that?’

Yong Hwarin couldn’t help but be shocked after witnessing it.

That was because the Veiled Woman’s level had already reached the realm of Qi-Vision he had only just achieved himself.

‘She’s reading the flow of her opponent’s qi perfectly. That’s how she’s able to evade attacks and find openings to counter, subduing her opponents in just three seconds. A master at that level… Just who is she?’

Yong Hwarin became deeply curious about the true identity of the Veiled Woman.

Suddenly, Jo Heon spoke up, a thought flashing across his mind.

“Was it perhaps Jeokyeon you ignited that made this possible?”

Man Inhwa looked at Jo Heon with a face full of admiration.

“As expected, it’s you—Wind and Moon Flow Through the Heavens.”

When Man Inhwa admitted it, Jo Heon asked once again.

“Then this martial art… is it either the Moonlight Divine Art or the Flowing Glass Divine Art?”

Man Inhwa grinned slyly.

“It is this palace’s Flowing Glass Divine Art. Does it meet your standards?”

“Is Jeokyeon required for the Flowing Glass Divine Art?”

“That’s a secret. You’ll find out if you fight her yourself. Flowing Glass Priestess! Subdue him.”

The Veiled Woman lowered her head again and approached Jo Heon.

Jo Heon smirked.

“You think that’s enough to take down this old man? Let’s see just how great this Flowing Glass Divine Art of Ihwa Palace really is.”

The moment he finished speaking, Jo Heon vanished.

“Huh?”

Man Inhwa shivered.

She was shocked that a human could move that fast.

Thud!

The Veiled Woman’s shoulder shook, and she staggered a step backward.

And Jo Heon had returned to his original position as if he had never moved.

“How about that? Isn’t this enough to make it worth your while?”

Man Inhwa clapped her hands.

Clap clap clap!

“As expected of Wind and Moon Flow Through the Heavens. Such swift movements, like the wind itself. But to move like that must consume a tremendous amount of true qi, doesn’t it? How long can you maintain that? My Flowing Glass Priestess doesn’t die so easily. She’s trained in the Undying Art, so no matter how much she’s injured, she won’t die. I can guarantee the one who’ll collapse from qi depletion will be you, Master Jo.”

Jo Heon sensed that this young girl’s temper was anything but ordinary.

“Aaagh!”

From the left, a warrior of the Dark Heart Heavenly Force let out a scream and collapsed. One of the Five Guardians of Ihwa had fallen, and fewer than ten warriors of the Dark Heart Heavenly Force remained.

There were only two options.

To retreat and wait for another opportunity…

Or to fight with his life on the line and bring down the Veiled Woman.

Jo Heon, out of pride, chose the latter.

Shiiik!

He moved again.

So fast that the Veiled Woman couldn’t even sense his movements.

Her body shook as if struck like a drum. Jo Heon’s punches made her entire frame shudder with each hit.

But after about ten seconds, the Veiled Woman began to dodge his attacks.

When she reached the point of narrowly evading his strikes, Jo Heon grew anxious.

His specialty lay in movement.

He’d gained his current fame through a footwork technique regarded as the fastest and most exquisite in the world.

Jo Heon’s movement art originated from Floating Toad Steps—the Wind-Horse Flashing Step. It was a footwork based on the motions of dogs and horses, a martial art originally created by Hwaunggae, a legendary figure of the Beggars’ Sect.

That’s why the characters Pyo Pyo (猋驫) even depicted three dogs and horses.

But instead of being passed down to the Beggars’ Sect, it was fortuitously inherited by Jo Heon during his youth through a miraculous encounter.

He moved so fast that one couldn’t even see how he moved. In truth, Floating Toad Steps was a method that used both arms like legs, allowing one to run on all fours.

By crawling like a dog or a horse, the body appeared to halve in size and vanish. Powered by the true qi emitted from the Yongcheon acupoints on the soles of the feet and the Laogong points in the palms, it allowed for movement too fast to follow with the naked eye.

But Floating Toad Steps had one flaw: it consumed an immense amount of true qi, so even a master at the Cycle Completion Stage couldn’t use it for more than ten seconds.

However, Jo Heon had no need to use it beyond that. He could defeat most opponents within two or three seconds.

But this time, he had met the Flowing Glass Priestess, who had reached the realm of Indestructible Vajra, and was forced to expend his true qi to the limit using Floating Toad Steps.

‘The head! If I crush the head, not even the Indestructible Vajra Body can survive that.’

Jo Heon expelled his qi through all four limbs, sprinted forward on all fours, and launched himself off the ground.

He gathered all the remaining qi into both hands and struck down toward the Veiled Woman’s head.

Thwack!

A mixture of shock and delight flashed across Man Inhwa’s face.

The reason was that Jo Heon’s left hand had touched the Veiled Woman’s head—yet his right hand had been caught by hers.

Ssshh!

The bamboo hat and veil the Veiled Woman wore crumbled into ashes and fluttered down.

Jo Heon’s Heat Yang Energy had burned away the hat and veil, but her head remained unscathed.

“Ugh!”

When Jo Heon tried to strike again with his left hand, the Veiled Woman caught that one too.

“Kh!”

After both his arms were seized and the Veiled Woman’s strange energy entered his body, Jo Heon could no longer move.

Yong Hwarin was greatly shocked upon seeing the revealed face of the Veiled Woman.

It was someone he hadn't expected at all.

‘To think the Veiled Woman is Hoi Soyu. So Hoi Soyu has learned the Flowing Glass Divine Art of Ihwa Palace. But… she doesn’t appear to have any will of her own.’

The Flowing Glass Divine Art was a martial art that retained only the bare minimum of intellect to allow obedience to commands.

The reason it left only a minimum level of intelligence was that the Flowing Glass Divine Art was a technique that required Qi-Fusion into One Body.

Jeokyeon served as the medium for achieving that fusion.

The Jeokyeon that Hoi Soyu had released was a substance called Spiritual Connection Powder. Once inhaled, the user's qi would become one with the Flowing Glass Priestess, enabling her to naturally exhibit the effects of the Qi-Vision Realm.

When the Flowing Glass Divine Art was fully mastered, one could achieve Qi-Fusion even without the use of Spiritual Connection Powder.

However, since Hoi Soyu had not yet mastered the Flowing Glass Divine Art to its peak, she could only achieve fusion by using the powder.

And yet, even that allowed her to reach a level akin to the Qi-Vision Realm, making her an opponent Jo Heon couldn’t handle.

‘Impressive. Even in its incomplete form, the Flowing Glass Divine Art allows one to reach a realm similar to Qi-Vision. That means one could gain experts nearing the Unintentional State. If many people learned the Flowing Glass Divine Art, Ihwa Palace would be unstoppable. Fortunately, the Moonlight Divine Art and Flowing Glass Divine Art are heavily restricted and not something just anyone can learn.’

Unless one suffered from Meridian Blockage like Seok Unjeong or had a special constitution, Ihwa Palace’s divine arts were inaccessible.

If not for that, Ihwa Palace would have already conquered the entire Murim world.

Man Inhwa approached Jo Heon, whose face was twisted in agony.

“Well? How does it feel to witness the Flowing Glass Priestess of this palace?”

“What’s so impressive about a mere Jiangshi?”

“Ohohohoho!”

Man Inhwa burst into laughter.

“How can you compare the Flowing Glass Priestess to some undead corpse? You just don’t want to admit it—that the Flowing Glass Divine Art is truly extraordinary.”

As Jo Heon remained held by Hoi Soyu, the Dark Heart Heavenly Force warriors who had been fighting the Five Guardians of Ihwa all attacked Hoi Soyu at once.

Man Inhwa responded by striking Jo Heon hard on the back.

Crack!

His spine caved in. Jo Heon could no longer stand.

“Flowing Glass Priestess, kill them all!”

The moment Hoi Soyu released his hands, Jo Heon collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Then she turned and charged toward the Dark Heart Heavenly Force.

Yong Hwarin watched Hoi Soyu slaughter the warriors and fell into contemplation.

‘Should I save Jo Heon?’

But from Yong Hwarin’s perspective, he had no reason or justification to rescue Jo Heon. The only reason for hesitation was the possibility of using Jo Heon to negotiate with the Azure Dragon Three Marbles.

He knew just how much Hong Ayul valued Hwachung’s Top Three.

‘He’s definitely valuable enough for a deal with the Azure Dragon Three Marbles.’

With this judgment, just as Man Inhwa was about to smash Jo Heon’s skull, Yong Hwarin flicked a large needle using Dragon Scale Finger.

The large needle flew precisely toward Man Inhwa’s forehead.

She hadn’t even sensed it coming.

But Hoi Soyu blocked it with her palm.

Pik!

Though the needle pierced through her palm, its tail caught on her hand and couldn’t penetrate any further.

Man Inhwa turned pale as she realized she’d nearly died from a hidden weapon.

“Who’s there?!”

But then, realizing the Flowing Glass Priestess stood beside her, she shouted boldly. No matter who it was, she believed they’d meet the same fate as Jo Heon.

—Instructor Mo, retrieve the fallen one while I deal with the Flowing Glass Priestess.

—That’s too dangerous.

—Someone like the Flowing Glass Priestess is within my ability to handle. Don’t worry, just focus on getting him out. He’s vital for negotiating with the Azure Dragon Three Marbles.

Hearing the name Azure Dragon Three Marbles, Mo Biyoung shut her mouth, abandoning her protests.

—Understood. But if it becomes dangerous, I’ll join the fight myself.

Yong Hwarin smiled. For a brief moment, he felt motherly warmth from her.

Her desire to protect him despite knowing how strong he was reminded him of the motherly love he had long forgotten.

—Alright.

His warm response made Mo Biyoung suddenly blush at the strange emotion that welled up inside her. It was a rare expression for someone usually so composed and rational.

After exchanging a glance with Mo Biyoung, Yong Hwarin leapt toward Man Inhwa.

Man Inhwa flinched upon seeing who it was.

It was the face that tormented her in her dreams.

“Yong Hwarin!”

She shouted his name, then screamed with venom in her voice.

“You bastard! I’ve been waiting for this day! I’ll kill you and end my nightmares! Soyu, kill him!”

Hoi Soyu rushed to meet the charging Yong Hwarin head-on.

As he sprinted, Yong Hwarin wrapped his body in Protective Energy.

Then, cloaked in that energy, he rammed into Hoi Soyu.

Boom!

Hoi Soyu was thrown back ten jang from the recoil of the protective energy. Yong Hwarin felt his barrier shatter and his qi tremble from just that one clash.

‘Incredible. Just how tough is she to break through my Protective Energy like that?’

Suddenly, he understood why Jo Heon’s attacks had been ineffective.

Hoi Soyu immediately sprang back up.

At that moment, Mo Biyoung hoisted the bleeding Jo Heon onto her back and left the arena.

The Five Guardians of Ihwa pursued her.

Yong Hwarin launched a large needle at them using Dragon Scale Finger.

Backed by the strength of a Cycle Completion master, the needle’s power and speed were unimaginable.

Seeing its force, Man Inhwa screamed the moment Yong Hwarin flicked his finger.

“Hidden weapon! Watch out!”

Though the guardians turned at the warning, three were struck by the needle and fell to the ground.

Fortunately, they had managed to avoid vital points at the last second, but the internal damage from the needle’s embedded force left them unable to move.

One remained standing, hesitated briefly, then resumed the pursuit of Mo Biyoung.

Mo Biyoung gently set Jo Heon down and drew her sword to confront the charging guardian.