I Obtained Guan Yu's Martial Arts - Chapter 48
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Gained Gwan Hui’s Martial Art 048
Hwang Cheon (3)
“Phew.”
Jang Choshan rose from his seat, exhaustion blooming across his face.
“All the formations are down. Those bastards had laid quite a few of them.”
While Gwan Hui and his party fought Yi Baek’s disciples, Jang Choshan alone battled some thirty formations in bloody combat.
It wasn’t a fight where blood flowed and physical strength drained away—but rather an intense struggle that wrung him dry of sweat and mental power.
Of course, Gwan Hui’s group had no way of understanding such things.
“How long does it take you to dismantle a formation, anyway?”
Jang Seong, his clothes torn to tatters and looking like a beggar, grumbled irritably.
“If you’d been any slower, we’d all have been dead before you finished.”
“Dismantling a formation is no simple task. Each one is a battle to the death.”
When a Daoist dismantles another Daoist’s formation, they stake their very life on it.
It is no different from a martial artist’s mortal struggle.
“And we fought that struggle against over two hundred disciples.”
…….
Jang Choshan turned his gaze away from Jang Seong’s stare.
He had long since learned that no amount of explanation would stop the complaints.
“It was slow, I’ll grant you that.”
“We managed to handle things ourselves while you were at it.”
Yet at the following words from Gwan Hui and Hwang So-so, Jang Choshan could no longer contain his grievance.
“Over thirty formations! Formations that made their Qi infinite, formations that deceived the eyes with illusions, formations that wrought natural calamities—how many dangerous ones there were!”
Jang Choshan beat his chest with his hand, brimming with indignation.
“And by nature, martial artists fight with movement while Daoists fight with stillness!”
A battle between a Daoist and a martial artist cannot help but differ.
From the outset, martial arts exist to fight and kill others, whereas Daoist arts are merely principles that harness nature.
“If all those formations had fully unfolded, we wouldn’t have landed a single blow before being overwhelmed.”
“I understand. Calm yourself.”
Jang Seong nodded, looking somewhat taken aback.
He had never imagined the old Daoist could be so indignant.
“Hm. Do not underestimate formations. Because I dismantled every last one, you were able to fight freely.”
“I understand. You’ve worked hard. So we’re clear of the formation problem now, yes?”
“Of course. I devoted my entire effort to dismantling every single formation, so there’s nothing to worry about—”
Ku-ku-ku-ku!
The earth convulsed, and waves of undulating force began spreading across the land.
The ground bloomed in blood-red light, and the sky thick with black clouds heaved and twisted.
It was as if one were witnessing the heavens themselves in furious wrath.
An utterly unreal sight, by any measure.
A formation was clearly unfolding, and they were clearly trapped within it.
……?
Jang Seong stared at Jang Choshan in silence.
His eyes unmistakably demanded an explanation.
“Jang Choshan. What did you just say?”
…….
Jang Choshan deliberately avoided the gazes of all three.
He had no words, even if he’d had three mouths.
* * *
“……A Blood Erosion Demonic Formation.”
Jang Choshan’s complexion darkened to the gray of storm clouds.
“Is it dangerous?”
At Gwan Hui’s question, Jang Choshan nodded heavily.
“A scattering-energy type formation that disperses a martial artist’s Internal Energy.”
“It was aimed at us, then.”
“I apologize. It was my oversight. I never thought they’d tear and scatter the formation like this.”
“There’s no use assigning blame now.”
Gwan Hui gripped the Crescent Moon Blade tighter, his expression hardening.
In the distance, the three sect leaders of Hwang Cheon were walking toward them with ease.
“Nothing changes. We simply kill the three of them before our Internal Energy runs out.”
For a martial artist, Internal Energy is as vital as life itself.
Despite facing a grave crisis in which he couldn’t fully harness his Internal Energy, Gwan Hui’s expression remained composed.
In some ways, he looked almost indifferent, as though observing another’s affair.
“……Sect Leader. Aren’t you afraid?”
Jang Seong’s question, made uglier by anxiety.
Gwan Hui stared directly at him before answering.
“Jang. Does anything really change?”
“What?”
“In the end, only one thing changes. Whether you’ve drawn your sword or set it down.”
“……!”
Those words sent a tremor through Jang Seong’s being.
A sudden clarity bloomed in his eyes as understanding dawned.
“……I see. I understand now. That’s what it was.”
Understanding is something only the seeker themselves can grasp.
Rather than speak, Gwan Hui simply gave a light nod.
“All of you—remember the horrors we witnessed.”
The sight of hundreds of villagers shrieking, their limbs severed—arms, legs, other body parts lost.
That alone was reason enough to wield the blade.
Mystical Iron and such things no longer mattered.
“Which of the three is strongest?”
“Tian Jiao is the first. Then Tian Bao and Tian Liang in order.”
Gwan Hui nodded and walked toward Tian Jiao.
“I’ll handle Tian Jiao. Jang, you take Tian Bao. And you, Miss Hwang, take Tian Liang. As for you, Daoist Jang—I need you to break down their Formation.”
“Understood.”
“Understood.”
The two worn travelers from their endless battles nodded calmly.
Jang Seong wiped the blood from his blade and steadied his breathing, while Hwang So-so pulled an arrow from a corpse and slipped it into her quiver.
“……Forgive me. I’ve asked for your help, yet I cannot even stand as your equal. I’ll stake my life on breaking their Formation.”
Jang Choshan bit his lips hard enough to draw blood and crossed his legs in meditation.
Shame was written plainly across his face.
It tormented him that he’d sought aid from these young Martial Artists, yet could barely provide meaningful help in return.
“Just hold on a little longer. Just a little more…….”
Watching the three sect leaders charge toward them, Jang Choshan clenched his fists in desperation.
* * *
Daoists are different from Martial Artists.
While Martial Artists can draw upon strength they’ve cultivated freely at any moment, Daoists can only unleash tremendous power when Celestial Qi aligns favorably.
In other words, the slightest discord in Celestial Qi, the slightest misalignment of the Five Elements, reduces them to second-rate.
But when thorough preparation is made, the story changes entirely.
A Daoist who has completed their preparations beneath a superior Formation becomes as formidable as a natural calamity.
That is to say, these three brothers now exceed what Gwan Hui and his companions—mere Late-Stage masters themselves—could possibly handle.
“Hgh!”
Hwang So-so’s face twisted like crumpled paper as she retreated steadily.
Crack!—
A palm formed from gathered gravel and stone smashed the ground where she’d stood only moments before.
Stone shards tore at her garments and left shallow wounds, but Hwang So-so paid them no mind, calmly drawing her bowstring taut.
Fwip!—
An arrow launched along the fully drawn string shot toward Tian Liang.
But before the arrow could reach him—
Whoosh!—
A violent gust of wind swept it far away.
Daoists are those who command nature itself by their will.
Tian Liang, supplied with endless Celestial and Terrestrial Essence through the Formation, manipulated nature as he pleased—a truly formidable foe.
Though Tian Liang was the youngest and weakest of the three brothers, to Hwang So-so he seemed like a master of Four Honored Ones caliber.
‘I cannot win.’
Archers are those who maintain Mirror-Like Mental Clarity and read the tide of battle faster than anyone.
Hwang So-so quickly grasped that all she could do now was endure.
She determined it would be impossible until the Formation was broken and they lost their Daoist Power.
‘I have to hold on no matter what.’
But the enemy was no fool either.
Confirming that Jang Choshan sat meditating, Tian Liang charged forward with a bloodthirsty smile.
“Do you think you can hold out?”
Jang Choshan, the Great Sage Daoist, was a daoist whose power was enough to dominate the three brothers.
Tian Liang knew that given time, Jang Choshan would dismantle the Blood Erosion Demonic Formation.
“I’ll kill you before then. Go on—struggle all you like.”
Tian Liang wielded his staff with leisure, pressing down on Hwang So-so.
On a day like this, when the sky hung heavy with dark clouds and the Celestial Qi grew murky, daoists were at their weakest.
Which meant Jang Choshan would need far longer than usual to dismantle the formation.
In that long stretch of time, absorbing this foolish boy’s Internal Energy and then killing Jang Choshan would be as easy as eating rice cakes while lying down.
The three brothers, strengthened by the formation’s power, would make Gwan Hui and his lot seem like insects crawling in the dirt.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Tian Liang swung his staff, sharp winds shaped like beast claws engulfed Hwang So-so.
Slash!
She dodged one, but the other raked across her back, leaving crimson streaks of blood.
So-so unfurled the Bow Rainbow Flying Step to flee, but Tian Liang employed Space Folding, closing the distance with relentless precision.
Besides, being trapped inside the formation, there was nowhere to run anyway.
“Tsk, tsk. Keep struggling, then.”
Tian Liang swung his staff with ease, tearing fresh wounds into Hwang So-so.
Though he could have ended it at once, he toyed with her—ripping her garments, savoring her humiliation.
Grit.
Hwang So-so’s face flushed with shame as she bit her lip until it bled.
Fury clawed its way up to the crown of her head.
The moment she saw that charlatan’s revolting face, the images of children screaming as they died overlaid her vision, and her rage became unbearable.
She wanted nothing more than to plant an arrow between his brows and watch him fall.
‘Just a little longer… just hold on a little longer.’
Hwang So-so’s jaw set tight as she leaped skyward to evade a boulder the size of a house that crashed toward her.
In that moment suspended in air, her eyes found Jang Seong.
.
.
.
Clang! Clang!
Jang Seong, master of the Absolute Shadow Blade Technique, wielded his Long Blade savagely, cutting down foes before him.
“Die! Fall and perish!”
With bloodshot eyes and ragged breath, Jang Seong swung his blade with wild ferocity.
Surrounding him were Ho U, whose eyes held the cunning of a fox, and a dozen other followers, hemming him in on all sides.
Each bore a vivid gash at the throat, black pupils drowning in blood tears that streamed down their faces.
They stared at Jang Seong with resentment, murmuring something wordlessly.
“Why did you do this to us…”
“Why did you kill us…”
“Shut your mouths! Silence!”
Jang Seong thrashed his blade and stumbled backward.
No matter how furiously he swung to slay them, these cursed things would not die.
He could not cut what he could not touch—it was as if he faced ghosts.
“Damn these wretches. Useless in life, they torment me even in death.”
Jang Seong drew ragged breath and poured his energy into the blade.
The blade light that bloomed wavered like a candle flame before the wind—unstable, frantic.
To any observer, he had lost all composure, sliding into a state approaching Demonic Delusion Entry.
This was the work of the Illusion Formation that Tian Bao had woven, ensnaring both his eyes and his mind.
“Tsk, tsk. You wield it quite well.”
Tian Bao sat sprawled across a boulder, stretching lazily.
It was his philosophy that there was no need to actually fight these brutish martial artists.
Let them battle false enemies born of illusion, let them crumble—that was enough.
Why exhaust oneself with real combat?
“Go on fighting endlessly, then.”
Right now, Jang Seong fought against opponents conjured by his own Inner Demon, deploying various Absolute Techniques in desperation.
There was only one way for him to escape this formation.
To collapse, utterly drained of Mental Power, stamina, and Internal Energy.
“The youngest seems to be managing well enough. No need for concern.”
Tian Bao, watching Tian Liang pressure the archer woman, smiled with satisfaction.
He had worried that Tian Liang, the weakest of them, might struggle.
“As for the eldest brother—he’ll be fine, no doubt.”
He had never worried about Tian Jiao, the eldest and self-proclaimed Heavenly General, from the outset.
He was the only one of the three brothers who had mastered martial arts, and his command of Daoist Arts far surpassed that of his two siblings.
He was simply not an opponent that some mere fledgling martial artist could hope to face.
“So once we dispose of that master, we’re done?”
While the Illusion Formation spread, Tian Bao, who had grown restless, pushed himself up from the rock.
He was ready to deal with the master, who was still struggling to maintain the Formation.
The process of sustaining a Formation was like Breath Circulation and Regulation — even the slightest external disturbance would inflict catastrophic internal injury.
“Tsk, tsk. Kill the master, absorb his Internal Energy. Could there be a better day than this?”
Confident in victory, he advanced toward the master with leisurely steps when—
Boom!—
A deafening roar erupted, as if artillery had detonated.
“……?”
Following the primal instinct of any living creature who hears such a sound, Tian Bao’s head turned instinctively to the right.
“……This… this can’t be real?!”
His eyes went wide enough to split.
There stood Tian Jiao, the Heavenly General, staggering and bleeding profusely.
“B-Brother!”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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