Chapter 178
…Ruuuumble. Rumble.
Normally, the surrounding area would have been in an uproar as if a mountain peak had collapsed or an earthquake had struck, but no such thing happened.
It was because Yeo Un-hwi spread an Energy Membrane over the area after the two absolute masters fully unleashed their power and clashed their swords for the first time.
Because of this, the shockwaves and sounds generated between the two could not escape outside the Energy Membrane.
“Good!”
Thanks to this, the Black Emperor Dokgo Yeong could pour his power into this sparring to his heart’s content.
“Hahaha!”
Laughter burst out naturally.
How long had it been since he had fought someone with all his might like this?
He felt a thrilling tingle all over his body.
It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
The sensation felt almost awkward, making him realize just how long he had forgotten what it was like to pour everything into a battle.
Anyway,
“He truly is amazing, simply amazing.”
Putting all those emotions aside, what surprised him more than anything was Yeo Un-hwi, who didn’t budge an inch even against attacks poured out with all his might.
BOOOOM!
CRAAAAASH!
Dokgo Yeong stepped back slightly, looking at Yeo Un-hwi, whose breathing wasn’t disturbed in the slightest even after taking a series of fierce attacks.
Rather, it was Dokgo Yeong who needed to catch his breath after using consecutive heavy attacks.
“Good. Then I will come at you this time.”
Yeo Un-hwi, who had been leisurely blocking Dokgo Yeong’s attacks all along, took a stance.
“Huff. Huff.”
His heart was pounding.
It was a moment where the feeling of being alive was felt more intensely than anything else.
The corners of Dokgo Yeong’s mouth curled up.
“Come at me with all you have!”
He was happy.
Happy that even at this age, he still desired so passionately to become stronger.
There was still something left for him that he desperately wanted to protect.
And in this moment, he was feeling the pure joy and excitement as a martial artist that he might become even stronger than he was now.
Like that, their sparring continued, making them lose track of time.
And then,
“…Thank you.”
Before they knew it, the sparring had ended, and the two stood facing each other.
“For what?”
“You could have ended it in a single blow, but you were considerate enough to let the sparring drag on for this old man’s sake.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Haha. I am not that dull.”
Someone else might have had their pride hurt, but Dokgo Yeong was sincerely grateful.
“I will take my leave first, then. I have some friends I need to meet.”
“Yes. Yes. Go on. I will rest here a bit longer before heading down.”
“You seem to really like it here.”
“Indeed. I’m thinking I should look around the Demonic Alliance when I get back to see if there’s a similar place.”
Yeo Un-hwi chuckled at Dokgo Yeong’s good-natured words.
“Yes. Well then.”
“Yes. Yes. Hurry along.”
As soon as Yeo Un-hwi lightly leaped away and disappeared,
“Phew!”
Dokgo Yeong immediately sprawled out on the ground.
As if he couldn’t care less about his dignity.
Then again, there was no one here to watch him.
“Right. There really was a heaven above heaven. This makes the title of the Twelve Venerables truly embarrassing. Hahaha!”
Staring blankly at the sky, Dokgo Yeong burst into loud laughter.
However, despite his words, his voice was not filled with embarrassment.
Rather, he seemed somewhat delighted.
It had been a long time since he reached his current realm and felt frustrated because he could no longer see the path upward.
But for a very brief moment,
“I saw it, that path. Finally!”
It was only a single sparring session, but Dokgo Yeong had gained something truly immense.
Soon, his laughter filled the mountain peak.
At this very moment, a giant who had dominated an era has broken out of his shell anew.
It was as if to say his challenge was only just beginning.
“It is truly nice to have this kind of time after so long.”
“Yes. Father.”
Peng Do-hwan was having a light cup of tea with his father, Elder Peng Gyeong-ho.
They had been so busy lately that it was a rare moment of father-son time.
But somehow, it seemed his father’s aura had changed a lot during his trip to the Demonic Alliance.
This was the same father who had always been displeased that Yeo Un-hwi was the Commander of the White Wolf Squad, constantly badgering him about when he would push him out and take the position.
“Son.”
“Yes. Father.”
“Always make sure to serve our Commander with all your heart.”
“Pardon?”
Our Commander?
Regardless of his son’s blank face, Peng Gyeong-ho took a sip of tea and continued speaking.
“He is a precious person who will make our Peng Family the Number One Family Under Heaven in this generation. A very, very precious person. Yes, indeed.”
“Father?”
This was not the father he knew.
Gone was the man who always seemed anxious and full of jealousy; instead, Peng Gyeong-ho wore an incredibly benevolent smile on his face.
Why such a change?
He had seen it clearly with his own eyes.
In that moment of worst crisis, when he thought the Peng Family was truly finished, he saw how Yeo Un-hwi appeared and saved them.
Had he ever been that surprised in his entire life?
Shock turned into astonishment, and astonishment soon became respect and admiration.
To Peng Gyeong-ho, Yeo Un-hwi was no longer a pathetic, useless, and incompetent slacker who had stolen the position of the White Wolf Squad Commander, but the guardian deity protecting the Peng Family.
He was relieved. No, he was proud.
He was proud that his son was under such a person.
Now, he only hoped that instead of aiming for a petty Commander position, his son would leave his mark as one of the heroes who would go down in the history of Murim under Yeo Un-hwi.
“So, if you trust and follow him, you too will become a great figure. Do you understand?”
“Haha. Yes. I-I understand.”
Peng Do-hwan understood his father’s change better than anyone, but he couldn’t help letting out a hollow laugh.
Still, it was a relief that he wouldn’t be nagged by his father anymore thanks to this.
“I would like to set aside some time with you soon to seriously ponder how best to serve him. To start with what comes to mind right now, I would like to share the following.”
Hmm… No, maybe it wasn’t a relief after all?
Fleeing from his increasingly overbearing father, Peng Do-hwan soon headed somewhere as if running away.
To the place where they always gathered.
After finishing his sparring with Dokgo Yeong and descending the mountain peak first, Yeo Un-hwi headed straight for the training ground where the White Wolf Squad would be gathered.
“Commander!”
Sure enough, all the White Wolf Squad members were already gathered there, focusing on their training.
Seeing them diligently training on their own without needing to be told, one could find not a trace of their former laziness.
A smile spread across Yeo Un-hwi’s lips before he knew it.
Because so much had happened over the past few days, he hadn’t been able to properly talk with the returned White Wolf Squad.
And now, he finally had some free time.
They hadn’t been apart for that long, but everyone had truly missed this time together.
“I’ll say it again: you all worked hard coming all that way back.”
At Yeo Un-hwi’s words, everyone in the White Wolf Squad beamed with smiles.
Soon, they each chimed in with a word.
“What did we even do? You were the one who suffered, Commander.”
“Still, you have no idea how happy we were to hear on the way that the Peng Family was safe.”
“That’s right. Our steps felt light on the way back.”
“Hey, Gi-sang. For someone who felt that way, you whined an awful lot the whole way here, didn’t you?”
“Ah, Sister. Do you really have to throw cold water on such a touching moment?”
“That’s because you’re spouting nonsense.”
“This is a white lie filled with sincerity.”
“What are you even saying?”
Anyway, they were all the same as ever.
Seeing the members like this somehow kept Yeo Un-hwi smiling.
However, he didn’t know.
The eyes of the White Wolf Squad members looking at him were shining with a deeper respect than before.
It was only natural.
Wasn’t their Commander the hero who flew all that way back to Hebei alone, wiped out all the powerful enemies of the Demonic Cult, and saved the Peng Family?
They felt it too.
The way everyone in the Peng Family looked at Yeo Un-hwi had completely changed.
Everyone had finally realized it.
The true nature of the man named Yeo Un-hwi.
So how could they not be proud?
Furthermore, they even began to wonder if there was anything truly impossible for this person.
A figure that seemed almost non-human, like a God of War.
Like that, the White Wolf Squad’s eyes were shining, ready to willingly follow Yeo Un-hwi’s words no matter what they were.
It was then.
Someone appeared at the training ground where the others were.
A woman with a completely unfamiliar face.
It was Jujak.
“Ah. You’re here.”
Yeo Un-hwi grinned and introduced her.
“This is a new member who will be joining the White Wolf Squad from now on. Say hello.”
“I am called Hongyeon.”
At Yeo Un-hwi’s words, everyone wore blank expressions.
A new member was suddenly joining this?
“Actually, although she belongs to the White Wolf Squad, Hongyeon won’t be able to participate in most training or group missions due to her usual escort duties.”
“Pardon? Escort duties? Whose, by any chance?”
“She is Yul’s escort.”
“Pardon? Eeeeeeeh?”
Everyone in the White Wolf Squad, who had been obediently listening to Yeo Un-hwi until then, was shocked.
Among them, Gi-su and Gi-sang couldn’t hold back and stepped forward.
“N-No, Commander. A rookie who just joined the White Wolf Squad is taking on such a precious mission?”
“Even so, what about the people who have been lining up for that mission for a long time? Why would you make such an extreme and sad decision! Besides, how could you do this without even consulting us…?”
No, why would I need to consult you guys about assigning Yul-i’s escort mission in the first place?
A scolding rose to his throat, but Yeo Un-hwi very naturally tried to ignore the two brothers.
If he entertained them, there would be no end to it.
However,
“Commander! We absolutely cannot let this stand! No, we absolutely cannot accept this.”
“What is it now?”
“We are still her seniors, after all. Since it’s not just any task but the escort mission for Young Lady Yul, she must go through a verification process.”
“Verification?”
“Yes! We still need to see what level of skill she has.”
“Haa. Stop it. You’d better hold back.”
“Ey. Don’t worry too much. Would we really treat a rookie so roughly on her first day?”
“Of course. We’ll go easy on her.”
“No, I was worrying about you guys.”
“Haha! What a joke.”
They’re not listening, not listening at all.
Yeo Un-hwi tried his best to stop the two tiger moths throwing themselves toward the jaws of death, but Gi-su and Gi-sang showed no intention of backing down.
Guys, you’ll die. You’re going to die.
Just as Yeo Un-hwi was about to try stopping them once more.
“How amusing. Very well.”
Jujak, who until then had been quietly listening to the nonsense of the brothers Gi-su and Gi-sang, stepped forward.
“Then I shall ask my seniors to teach me a thing or two?”
Haha. This is a disaster, a total disaster.
Before he could even stop them, Jujak was already standing face-to-face with the brothers Gi-su and Gi-sang.
It looked like it was too late to stop them now.
Ah. I don’t care anymore. I definitely warned them!
“Oh. Commendable courage! Good, junior. Today, I will teach you that there is a heaven above heaven! Hahaha!”
Completely unaware of the terrible future that was about to unfold, Gi-sang laughed heartily.
Heaven above heaven, my foot. What’s waiting for you is probably a sky full of stars.
And not long after,
“Kueeeek!”
The training ground was filled with the screams of the two brothers.