Chapter 100
A man with a completely different atmosphere stood there.
It was as if he were a completely different person.
Yeo Un-hwi walked leisurely and stood beside Jongpal, Doil, and Myeonghyeon.
Then he slowly scanned the entire arena.
His actions were so natural that everyone fell silent and simply stared at him.
Jongpal, Doil, and Myeonghyeon were no different.
*Just why is he…*
Had they been wrong to think he was an ordinary man who knew no martial arts?
They couldn't make any sense of what was happening.
But even if this unidentified man stepped forward, they didn't think he could change the current situation.
Because the opponent before them was not some back-alley thug, but the infamous Phantom Divine Monarch, one of the Ten Great Masters.
Only the Twelve Venerables of the World were stronger than the Ten Great Masters. They were called the Ten Great Masters because, aside from those twelve, they were absolute masters who would never lose to anyone else in the Murim.
So who here could possibly harm him?
It was impossible.
It would be no different for this slender young man, whose face was half-hidden by his hair.
In truth, from the moment they had stepped into this underground arena, there had been no way out of this hell.
Once entangled with the Phantom Divine Monarch, there were only two ways to escape.
One was to hope that he, for whatever reason, had a change of heart and let them go willingly. The other was to die at his hands and leave this place as a corpse.
But right now, the latter seemed far more likely.
A change of heart was not something that would happen with him.
If he were that kind of person in the first place, he would never have ordered people to be kidnapped.
*Damn it!*
Thinking about it again, the situation was just as bleak.
Though their breathing had returned to normal and they had recovered some of their stamina, Jongpal, Doil, and Myeonghyeon didn't even entertain the thought of attacking the Phantom Divine Monarch.
It was only natural.
They had been defeated by his subordinate, the Blood-faced Ghost.
The Phantom Divine Monarch was a being they could not possibly handle in their current state.
And yet, what on earth was that man relying on to act like that?
*What is his identity? Or has he gone mad with fear?*
As each of them became lost in thought while looking at Yeo Un-hwi, the man himself wore an unconcerned expression.
Soon, he opened his mouth.
“So you’re the Phantom Divine Monarch?”
“How dare you, you bastard! Do you know where you are!”
The Vice Palace Lord, the Blood-faced Ghost, drew his sword.
It was a truly astonishingly fast sword.
And yet the sword of the Blood-faced Ghost, who had previously subdued the Martial Dragon, Doil, stopped in an instant, right before Yeo Un-hwi’s neck.
“Wait.”
The Phantom Divine Monarch stopped the Blood-faced Ghost.
The Blood-faced Ghost paused and asked the Phantom Divine Monarch.
“Why do you stop me?”
“Because I’m suddenly curious. It’s as if that man is saying he came here of his own free will to find me.”
As he spoke, a look of interest appeared on the Phantom Divine Monarch’s face.
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“What do you say? Am I right?”
“Well, I suppose?”
Yeo Un-hwi answered as if it were nothing.
*Hoh.* A flicker of mild surprise crossed the Phantom Divine Monarch’s face.
This one certainly had some guts.
Though he didn't know what he was relying on.
“Alright. If that’s the case, then tell me. For what reason have you come all this way to find me?”
“There’s something I need to get from you. It would be nice if you handed it over peacefully.”
“Something to get?”
When the Phantom Divine Monarch showed a puzzled reaction, Yeo Un-hwi nodded.
“I’m talking about the Guardian Mirror. I heard you have it, right?”
“What did you say?”
At the words ‘Guardian Mirror,’ the Phantom Divine Monarch’s eyes widened at once.
Soon, the face that had been relaxed all this time twisted like a demon’s.
In that moment,
*H-He’s insane! To say the one thing that should never be said in front of the Palace Lord!*
The Blood-faced Ghost’s face turned deathly pale.
The words ‘Guardian Mirror’ were never to be spoken in front of him.
It was the Phantom Divine Monarch’s treasure, one he would never let anyone take from him.
Thus, the mere mention of it would cause the Phantom Divine Monarch to react with explosive violence.
He remembered it had become much worse ever since the Spear Ghost, one of the Twelve Venerables, had tried to take it from him.
But perhaps because he was conscious of the distinguished guests invited to the underground arena,
The Phantom Divine Monarch suppressed his anger as much as possible and spoke calmly.
“So you’re saying you came to take the Guardian Mirror from me?”
“Well, if you hand it over nicely, that won’t be necessary. But either way, I have no intention of leaving quietly.”
“Ha!”
Whether he gave it or not, he wouldn't leave quietly.
Was he trying to play word games right now?
A hollow laugh escaped the Phantom Divine Monarch’s lips.
Of all the things he had experienced recently, today was the most preposterous.
For a very brief moment, the Phantom Divine Monarch imagined inflicting immense pain on Yeo Un-hwi and killing him cruelly in tens of thousands of ways.
“Hah. I don’t know how you found out, but do you really think you can take it from me?”
“That’s why I came, right? And now that I’m here, it doesn’t look all that difficult.”
Yeo Un-hwi replied with a smile.
As if asking why he was asking the obvious.
At that sight, the Phantom Divine Monarch lost all desire to deal with this clueless fool any longer.
Dealing with him further would be a waste of time.
“Tsk, just a madman. Kill him.”
“Yes!”
As if there was nothing more to see, the Phantom Divine Monarch’s order fell, and the Blood-faced Ghost, who had briefly sheathed his sword, swung it again.
*Swoooosh!*
With the same incredible speed as before.
Soon, this intruder’s head would fall to the floor.
Just as it always had.
But,
*Tak.*
The unbelievable happened.
Yeo Un-hwi caught the Blood-faced Ghost’s lightning-fast sword with incredible ease.
The Blood-faced Ghost’s eyes shot open.
“H-How?!”
As he stuttered in shock, Yeo Un-hwi let out a smirk.
“How? Is it that surprising? That I caught this pathetically slow sword?”
“Wh-What did you say? You bastard!”
The Blood-faced Ghost, incensed, tried to retrieve his sword, but Yeo Un-hwi was a step faster.
*Twang.*
Yeo Un-hwi flicked the sword with his finger.
The vibration from the sword struck the Blood-faced Ghost directly.
Soon, the Blood-faced Ghost spewed dark red blood.
*Bleeech!*
With just a single flick of a finger, the Blood-faced Ghost was made to vomit blood, and the arena fell silent.
It was unbelievable.
Though he was the Vice Palace Lord, the Blood-faced Ghost was a peak master whose name was listed among the Hundred Great Masters of the Martial World.
It was for good reason that Doil, known as the Martial Dragon, had been defeated by him.
But the one most bewildered by the situation before his eyes was none other than the Blood-faced Ghost himself.
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, he looked up at Yeo Un-hwi in disbelief.
His face was blank.
*What on earth is this guy?*
Where had a man like this suddenly appeared from?
Was this a level of martial prowess that a man he had never even heard of could possess?
Just then,
“What are you doing!”
The Phantom Divine Monarch screamed, his face contorted.
He was furious.
For his right-hand man, the Blood-faced Ghost, to be defeated so pathetically was no different from a complete humiliation in front of the distinguished guests who had come here today.
*D-Damn it!*
The Phantom Divine Monarch’s fury snapped the Blood-faced Ghost back to his senses.
He, too, feared the Phantom Divine Monarch’s anger more than anything.
The Blood-faced Ghost soon glared fiercely at Yeo Un-hwi, who had brought this shame upon him.
No matter how strong that bastard was, he thought that if he fought seriously without letting his guard down, he would never lose.
“I’ll kill you!”
Having composed himself, the Blood-faced Ghost unleashed the Blood Rain Sword Art with all his might.
The Blood Rain Sword Art was the Unique Sword Art that the Blood-faced Ghost prided himself on, the very technique that had made him who he was today.
His ferocious sword force rushed swiftly toward Yeo Un-hwi.
But,
“Still too slow.”
Yeo Un-hwi dodged the Blood-faced Ghost’s sword with incredible ease.
At Yeo Un-hwi’s words, the Blood-faced Ghost’s pride was so wounded that his eyes became bloodshot.
“Shut up! Let’s see if you can still say that after seeing this!”
Soon, the Blood-faced Ghost brought out his Ultimate Technique.
\[Soul-Summoning Ghost Spirit Sword\]
In the moment it felt as if they had heard the eerie sound of a wailing ghost, the Blood-faced Ghost’s sword split into several blades and flew toward Yeo Un-hwi’s neck.
The Blood-faced Ghost was certain.
Even the arrogant bastard would not be able to dodge this.
How many necks had he severed with this Ultimate Technique until now?
And yet,
*Swish.*
In an instant, Yeo Un-hwi’s figure vanished as if he had sunk into the ground.
And then,
“I don’t particularly dislike someone with a bit of grit. However...”
“T-The fuck!”
Yeo Un-hwi appeared right behind the Blood-faced Ghost, who was looking around in shock.
Following that,
*Tuk.*
Just as he thought Yeo Un-hwi’s fist had lightly touched the Blood-faced Ghost’s stomach.
*KUUWAAAAANG!*
A massive shockwave erupted behind the Blood-faced Ghost.
*Guuuaaaargh!*
With that one punch, the Blood-faced Ghost’s eyes rolled back into his head.
“A disgusting bastad with grit is different.”
The Blood-faced Ghost collapsed, planting his face in the ground, and moved no more.
He was dead.
In just two moves.
The infamous Vice Palace Lord of the Joy Palace and one of the Hundred Great Masters of the Martial World had met an all too hollow end.
“…Who are you?”
Unlike before, the Phantom Divine Monarch’s face was now hardened and cold.
“Me? I told you earlier. I’m the one who came to retrieve the Guardian Mirror from you.”
As Yeo Un-hwi grinned, the Phantom Divine Monarch felt a chill run down his spine.
How could a smiling face be so bone-chilling?
It was unsettling.
But that didn't mean he was afraid.
He just wanted to get him out of his sight quickly.
Fear and unease.
There was a big difference between these two emotions.
The Phantom Divine Monarch glanced at the Blood-faced Ghost, who had become a cold corpse, and scoffed.
“You seem to know a few petty tricks. Is that skill what you’re relying on?”
The Phantom Divine Monarch looked at Yeo Un-hwi as if he were pathetic.
“I’ll admit, for your age, your skill is quite decent. But you chose the wrong opponent this time. Even the Spear Ghost couldn’t do anything to me. Yet you dare to challenge me?”
The moment he brought up the story of the Spear Ghost, a look of smug pride spread across the Phantom Divine Monarch’s face.
And Yeo Un-hwi did not miss it.
“Hahaha!”
Yeo Un-hwi suddenly burst into loud laughter.
*He’s laughing?*
The Phantom Divine Monarch’s face twitched.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s funny, of course?”
“What is so funny?”
“Your pathetic state, obviously.”
“What did you say?”
“Isn’t it? A man who is one of the Ten Great Masters is bragging about not being killed by someone else. How could that not be funny? Do you have no pride?”
As Yeo Un-hwi laid out his words, the Phantom Divine Monarch’s face gradually contorted.
He had hit a nerve.
It was the moment Yeo Un-hwi exposed his hidden true feelings, which no one had known.
“How dare you!”
The Phantom Divine Monarch ground his teeth, his face flushed red.
“Hah. What a letdown.”
The smile that had been on Yeo Un-hwi’s face was now gone.
“I had some expectations since you’re one of the Ten Great Masters, but to think you were just a dog who tucked his tail and ran.”
A look of contempt flashed in his eyes as he looked at the Phantom Divine Monarch.