“There are many tricks, but they aren’t too much of a threat.”
This was how Grid evaluated the daoist immortal, Yeo Yulan.
No one agreed with this.
Yeo Yulan’s technique, described by Grid as a ‘noisy fuss’ or described by Huroi as ‘messy and with little substance,’ placed the members of the Overgeared Guild in all sorts of difficulties. It was strange and complicated, but the gaps were as small as tiny holes in the dam. They had to devote a great amount of time and strength to finding a way to break through.
Grid dismissed it as ‘doesn’t cause any bleeding’ and Huroi said that the ‘damage will be small if you allow it once or twice,’ but Yeo Yulan’s offensive sent chills down the spines of the members of the Overgeared Guild several times.
It was because it had a high destructive power and an ability to impede the speed and resilience of the target. The members of the Overgeared Guild would be partially incapacitated as long as they allowed even one attack. Their abilities were weakened in many ways, so it was practically fatal.
Contrary to Grid’s assessment, the daoist immortals were very powerful existences. It was natural. A daoist immortal was special just from the background of their birth.
A transcendent who ascended to heaven after attaining enlightenment. The reason they were daoist immortals was because they were really close to being a god. In fact, they were classified as half-gods.
The old man in front of them seemed to have a higher rank than Yeo Yulan. Yeo Yulan was thought to be the best of the daoist immortals, but as always, the world was wide.
Hwang Gildong suggested, “Even if the two of us cooperate, the odds of winning seem to be small… isn’t it better for you to sacrifice yourself? Sword Saint, you handle him while I will look for the imoogi.”
“Will you be able to take on the imoogi alone if you find it?”
“How can I know that? The imoogi has always been treated as a de facto divine creature in legend. Due to the many twists and turns in the oral story passed down over the years, it is almost impossible to gauge its skills.”
“If you are unsure about the odds against the imoogi, then let’s fight here together. Isn’t it better for the two of us to work together?”
“You seem to have a temper compared to your calm tone. Does a Sword Saint only think about fighting? The reason why I studied the teachings of my ancestors and carved them into my heart was to gain the wisdom to resolve all types of situations peacefully. There is no guarantee that I will meet and fight the imoogi.”
The old man warned them, “Stop thinking about stealing the imoogi. It isn’t something that can be coveted by a clumsy person.”
“When did I say that I am going to steal it? Daoist immortal, don’t misinterpret my longing for peace. No, why is the Sword Saint looking at me like this? Is it possible that you are so caught up in his technique that you can’t tell the difference between enemies?”
Hwang Gildong reacted very sensitively to the word ‘stealing.’
The culprit was always the most embarrassed one.
Kraugel stared at him indifferently before raising his sword at an angle. The orange divinity forming a sunset on the sword splashed like lightning. It was affected by the waves of sword energy. The amulets flooding toward Hwang Gildong were immediately torn to shreds when intercepted by the sword.
The eyes of the self-righteous old man were piercing as he said, “This is an achievement that your predecessors wouldn’t have gained at your age.”
“Of course.”
Kraugel’s Twilight was different from Grid’s Twilight. Due to the deterioration in the quality of the materials, it was clearly one grade below. However, it had a few strengths that Grid’s Twilight didn’t have. It was spirituality. Kraugel’s Twilight developed special abilities several times in the process of growing with its master.
One of them was the ability to use overwhelming cutting power to disrupt the very essence of the target. It strengthened the power of the Sword Saint to ‘cut anything’ to the limit.
It was the cause of instantly destroying the magic contained in the amulets in an instant. It was due to being overgeared.
Kraugel enjoyed the effects of Grid’s items from the beginning, while Biban and Muller only came into contact with them in their later years.
Therefore, the old man misunderstood when hearing him answering ‘of course.’ He said, “Your crazy personality has also surpassed your predecessors.”
“You are misunderstanding. I don’t think this is an attitude that someone who has ascended to the heights of enlightenment should show.”
Hwang Gildong must be feeling a bit unfair…
It was Kraugel who realized this and formed a strange consensus. The old man was indifferent. He waved his hands through the air while maintaining his consistent expression.
Hundreds of amulets responded. Some amulets shot water bombs to make the ground that Kraugel was standing on muddy. Other amulets created a blade-like wind that slightly softened the Sword Saint’s sword energy.
The weather kept changing. It was doing what Mother Nature did on a local scale.
The difference between Lauel’s abilities and his abilities was obvious. Lauel’s ability to affect the weather was simply to bring rain or typhoons. In return for affecting the battlefield range, it had a few hours of cooldown every time the weather changed.
On the other hand, the old man adjusted the weather more finely. The temperature, humidity, and wind direction all adversely affected Kraugel.
‘The power of law..’
The wet ground froze. The hand holding the sword was covered in sweat. The dopo fluttering in the wind unfortunately obstructed his vision.
“…!!!” Kraugel’s eyes widened.
The moment the old man drew his ‘sword’ and held it. Kraugel thought it would be easy to fight, but this was a misjudgment.
A Sword Saint should naturally have the upper hand in a battle between sword and sword, but he was pushed back from the first blow. It was due to strength draining from his wrists and fingers in the aftermath of blocking the old man’s sword, which was flooded with blue clouds. It felt like he was possessed by a ghost.
‘What?’
The old man didn’t give Kraugel time to think.
Kraugel took a long breath and quickly removed his sword. However, every time he defended against a blow, Kraugel’s grip weakened. It reached the point where he almost let go of his sword.
It was different from Grid’s Sword Breaker. Sword Breaker was a technique that destroyed the sword itself while the old man made the ‘hand holding the sword’ weaken. It was the feeling of forcibly releasing the sword. If it wasn’t Kraugel, most people would’ve been forcibly ‘disarmed’ the moment they clashed swords with the old man.
The blue clouds surrounding the old man became thicker. Kraugel saw that it was the high-ranking martial art of ‘True Clouds’ that he had learned from the East Continent in the past.
Kraugel’s body exploded and he bounced back. The elasticity of the sword that pierced through the clouds was tremendous.
‘…Sword Immortal.’
The owner of a swordsmanship that separated the Sword Saint from his sword. It even obscured the Sword Saint’s ‘authority’ to read the target’s sword trajectory. There couldn’t be many such beings in the world…
Kraugel realized this and his fighting energy faded like it was a lie.
He suppressed himself.
It wasn’t because he was intimidated by this technique that was close to an illusion technique, became humble from feeling the pure power or because he had fallen in love with this person’s swordsmanship.
Kraugel just thought logically. He vaguely understood why the old man in front of him, who was so great that he was reminiscent of an Absolute, was protecting the imoogi. “I was taught that daoist immortals don’t get involved in the affairs of the world.”
“It is because I shed my personal identity myself.”
“It seems like you value the rules more than life. I even glimpsed a faint madness from your attitude of willingly watching the common people being manipulated by the false gods.”
“I see. It must be that the nature of a madman, who is obsessed with enlightenment until ascending to Shangri-La, hasn’t been completely erased. It is a lack of discipline.”
“But you have suppressed your madness and been active in the world. Is the secret protection of the imoogi here directly related to protecting the world?”
“Have I reached the point of discussing the world with a layman? The price of dipping my foot into the world is great.” The expression of the old man as he expressed his dissatisfaction was still calm. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem offended. “In conclusion, it is the correct answer. The imoogi living in this place is contributing greatly to the security of the continent.”
Kraugel wondered, “Are you supporting the world? It seems to be a great divine creature that should be prioritized over the Four Auspicious Beasts sealed by the gods of the Hwan Kingdom.”
“It isn’t a divine creature, it is a monster. It is a monstrous god whose existence itself is a sin.”
“Yet you are protecting it?”
“You can’t think of this imoogi as separate from the Hwan Kingdom.”
Kraugel was a person with extraordinary brains. Through the short conversation, he immediately grasped most of the situation. “Imoogi… Aren’t the gods of the Hwan Kingdom also aiming for the yeouiju?”
“……”
The old man didn’t answer. He affirmed it with silence.
He reminded Kraugel of an old tree. It was hard to fathom how long he had been watching this place alone. Yes, alone.
The remote area of the eastern end of the continent. It was filled with swampy areas that emitted a lung-dissolving mist and was completely cut off from foot traffic. The evidence was that it hadn’t been incorporated into the Overgeared World. There was no one here to worship Grid, so Grid’s myth didn’t reach here.
“……”
Kraugel turned to Hwang Gildong. He gave a look to tell Hwang Gildong to persuade the old man with his characteristic rhetoric. However, Hwang Gildong was quiet. He had been maintaining a silence that didn’t suit him.
Kraugel was reminded of the saying that things usually considered insignificant couldn’t be found when urgently needed. In the end, Kraugel had to persuade this person himself.
First of all, the situation was explained. He didn’t say anything about Bunhelier. He just revealed that a great god called Grid wanted the yeouiju. He persuaded the old man that if the yeouiju was entrusted to him, the Hwan Kingdom would no longer be able to target the yeouiju.
However, it didn’t work. There was a fundamental problem.
The old man said, “I’m well aware of his feats. It was told through the thoughts of the people carried by the wind.”
Had he reached the peak of Natural State? It happened the moment when Kraugel grasped one more aspect of the old man’s condition…
“But not for Chiyou.” The old man presented a problem with no answer. “You might know this, but the Hwan Kingdom is under Chiyou’s protection. Even if Chiyou’s usual attitude isn’t cooperative, it is likely that the yeouiju will be an exception. It is the ultimate goal of the Hwan Kingdom and Hanul. The moment the yeouiju’s whereabouts are revealed, Hanul will use all means and methods to move Chiyou.”
Everything was equal in front of Chiyou. The old man thought that Grid’s high reputation and force were useless.
“……”
It was around the time that Kraugel left for the elemental world under the guidance of the daoist immortal, Bentao. Kraugel had been looking forward to meeting the Sword Immortal at the Peach Blossom Spring. There was an expectation that he could learn all sorts of things and hidden quests would pop up.
Then the meeting that took place today was less than expected. He didn’t get anything…
‘I have no choice but to bring Grid here in person.’ It happened the moment when Kraugel made this judgment and bowed his head to step down…
Flop!
Hwang Gildong collapsed. Was it an ambush? But he couldn’t even read it with his Super Sensitivity? The rarely surprised Kraugel spread out his energy detection far and wide. The same was true of the old man. Before they knew it, they were standing back to back. They subconsciously recognized each other as dependable people.
It was a time when intense tension dominated the space.
“I found it! I found the location of the imoogi!” In the distance, Hwang Gildong shouted and waved his hand. Hwang Gildong, who had collapsed a moment ago, was losing its form like a lie.
“Since when?”
“It is an incredible achievement.”
Doing this around a Sword Saint and Sword Immortal? They were surprised by Hwang Gildong’s skill in replicating himself and clicked their tongues for different reasons.
The old man moved quickly. He didn’t ignore this intruder who recklessly found the imoogi’s whereabouts.
Kraugel pursued him, but it was useless.
Suddenly, an arrow flew from high above and exploded on Hwang Gildong’s head.
Both the old man and Kraugel stopped in place.