Chapter 169: Rainy Day Victory 3

Cheonryong retorted with a look of fury at Baek Mujin’s words. That fury was directed not only at Baek Mujin but also at the Sixteen Yaksha Gods who had ignored his command.

“I will deal with Baek Moo-jin and hold you all accountable too. Not by the laws of Cheonryongsa, but by the laws of the lowly.”

Though Baek Moo-jin couldn’t see the expressions of the Sixteen Yaksas, their faces had all darkened.

As the atmosphere turned chilly, Baek Moo-jin turned his head slightly. Suddenly, the golden chain of the Heavenly Dragon had already closed in, striking down upon Baek Moo-jin’s head.

It was a surprise attack, combining astonishing speed with immense force.

But Baek Moo-jin already gripped the golden scepter’s head with his left hand. As Cheonryong summoned his inner energy, his robes billowed and his expression turned murderous.

Baek Moo-jin clicked his tongue and said.

“A surprise attack… You’re a monk who broke his vows?”

“You bastard!”

Chen Long’s left palm erupted.

It was the Mighty Vajra Palm. A palm so enormous it completely blocked Baek Moo-jin’s vision suddenly shot forward.

Baek Moo-jin countered directly with his own palm strike. With a thunderous roar, it was Cheonryong who was sent flying. The shockwave created by the impact sent the rainwater pooled on the floor flying, splashing onto the faces of the Sixteen Yaksas. Instantly, the Sixteen Yaksas simultaneously shook off their palm strikes and flicked the rainwater away from their faces.

The movement was so perfectly synchronized, as if by prior arrangement, that even Baek Moo-jin was astonished.

‘They were masters who wielded formidable coordination.’

The martial prowess of a single individual would certainly not match that of a Martial King or a Martial Emperor. Yet, it was impressive how their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they had trained together for an extremely long time.

The Heavenly Dragon, pushed back, snorted disdainfully and came to a halt, stamping its golden feet on the ground.

“Baek Moo-jin, you truly possess the skill to kill the Demon Lord. Even the greatest demon lord of this age would be no match for you.”

Baek Moo-jin replied indifferently.

“You flatter me. You are also a formidable monk who has broken his vows.”

Baek Moo-jin’s persistent teasing about him being a fallen monk kept loosening the atmosphere, which should have been serious. As a result, the Sixteen Yaksha watching reacted differently according to their own personalities. Some clicked their tongues, some stifled laughter, some sighed. It was a strange experience even for the Sixteen Yaksas, whose lifelong mental discipline was shaken by mere words. This was partly because they had lived lives devoid of emotion.

Baek Moo-jin continued.

“With skills like these, had you stepped forward when the Iron Blood, the Nine Heavens, and the Demon-Spirit Hybrids were running rampant, sentient beings would have been greatly aided. Where on earth were you, and what were you doing?”

Baek Moo-jin was accusing them of inaction during his battles against the Celestial Dragon Sect and the Fallen Heaven Sect. He demanded,

Bicheon, what the hell kind of people are you?

Baek Mujin was not one to make hasty judgments about matters he didn’t fully understand. Yet, the more he learned about Bicheon, the more he felt they were a twisted group. Baek Mujin’s impression of Bicheon could be expressed like this.

‘I don’t know if they were white-robed monks, but… they sure are rotten scum.’

In an instant, a gust of wind blew as the Heavenly Dragon leapt off the ground, swinging its golden sword to attack. Its massive frame made it seem like a giant boulder was thudding around.

How could such a massive creature move so swiftly?

Baek Moo-jin dodged the spear, then belatedly drew his White Mist Sword to deflect it.

Clang!

With a single counterattack, the Heavenly Dragon seized the trembling golden spear, using its grip strength to steady the vibrations. It then carefully deployed its footwork, glaring at Baek Moo-jin.

The two walked in a circle for a moment, drenched in the rain.

Chen Long addressed the Sixteen Yaksas once more.

“……Behold. The strength of this demon horse…… It’s not too late, even now. Attack Baek Moo-jin.”

Baek Moo-jin sighed.

“What a bunch of nonsense…”

As Baek Moo-jin spoke, Cheonryong kicked a puddle of water aside and immediately swung his Golden Sword to attack.

For some reason, Baek Moo-jin didn’t freeze the flying rain but dodged it instead, thrusting his White Cloud Sword toward the Golden Sword Captain.

Clang!

Sparks flew… and the two men’s ki waves scattered the rainwater.

Chen Long swung the Golden Spear with one hand, deflecting the White Mist Sword. He swept the ground with his left leg and unleashed a surge of force. The masters of the Five Clans were no match for him, and even the Demon Lords possessed martial prowess so formidable that they could not be easily defeated. Yet, the more Chen Long displayed his strength, the more dissatisfied Bai Muzhen became.

He wondered if joining forces with such individuals might have minimized the damage further.

Baek Moo-jin, his twin flames ascending to the heavens, poured his full internal energy into the White Cloud Sword and brought the Golden Sword down. No matter how strong Cheonryong was, he couldn’t withstand the level of internal energy Baek Moo-jin possessed. Baek Moo-jin moved as if practicing sword techniques, using only pure internal energy without resorting to the White Flower Divine Art.

Despite this, the Heavenly Dragon’s limbs grew increasingly dizzy.

Moreover, each time he deflected the White Lotus Sword, a pain like his palms were being torn apart surged through him.

Baek Moo-jin deliberately refrained from using the White Flower Divine Art.

He was lulling him into complacency. The White Flower Divine Art, used just once at the right moment, could shatter an opponent’s judgment.

Especially on a rainy day like this.

Swirling flames, Baek Moo-jin lashed out at the Golden Sword Captain, sweeping it low like Cheonryong had done.

Swoosh! Rainwater splashed out with a sound…

Chen Long, soaring in the air, brought the golden sword he gripped with both hands down vertically.

Baek Moo-jin feigned blocking the White Mist Sword horizontally before retreating backward. Yet, the moment Cheonryong landed on the ground, he staggered.

Baek Moo-jin had frozen the floor.

Baek Moo-jin wasn’t one to miss such an opening.

A swift thrust pierced the Dragon’s chest. In desperation, the Dragon grabbed the White Cloud Sword with his bare hand, spinning the golden spear while twisting his own body to attack Bai Wuzhen’s vital points.

In that instant, Baek Moo-jin thrust the White Cloud Sword into the head of the sword, adorned with intricate patterns, and immediately planted it into the floor.

As the sword head embedded itself into the floor…

Cheonryong let out a battle cry and unleashed his twin palms.

This time, a colossal Dae-ryeok Geumgangjang poured forth, so immense that even the Sixteen Yaksas watching had to dodge.

A deafening roar erupted near Baek Moo-jin’s body.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The Sixteen Yaksas couldn’t even see Baek Moo-jin’s form. They merely watched in awe as he neither dodged nor blocked the Great Power Vajra Strike. Another deafening roar erupted.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

2.

Piercing through the deafening roar, Baek Moo-jin’s words flowed out clearly.

“Let’s stop now. With that level of skill, you would have struggled even against the Demon King.”

But how could a celestial dragon submit to a mere word? Having never seen a master withstand the Great Strength Vajra Palm, they couldn’t help but find Baek Moo-jin’s stubborn blocking pathetic.

Where Baek Moo-jin stood, calamity poured down. The ground split open as if a natural disaster had struck, and boulders scattered in all directions.

The Heavenly Dragon, who had been unleashing fierce attacks, concentrated his mind. As soon as he channeled his entire body’s energy into his twin staffs, he prepared his Demon-Subduing Zen Staff with a peculiar hand movement—overlapping the left staff behind the right—as if determined to end this situation. Though outwardly small, it embodied the essence of the Demon-Subduing Palm—an internal heavy-hand technique capable of shaking the very core of its opponent.

But how could Bai Muzhen just stand by and watch?

While blocking the Great Strength Vajra Palm, Baek Moo-jin anticipated that Cheonryong must have an even more dangerous move up his sleeve. Though he didn’t know what technique it was, the moment Baek Moo-jin began drawing up his full internal energy, he unleashed the Cold Moon Palm Technique, deflecting the rain pouring down from the sky.

Thwack!

No one knew what Bai Muzhen had done with his fingers.

Yet, the faint object piercing through the rain was clearly visible to the eye.

The rainwater along the straight line where Baek Moo-jin’s finger had struck froze horizontally, and the coldness of the Cold Moon Technique clung to Cheon Ryong’s palm.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud! Whoosh!

It was nothing short of miraculous.

Before the Hangma Sword could even spring forth, Cheonryong, his palm frozen solid, tried to pierce through the cold and unleash his palm strike. But Baek Moo-jin’s figure appeared, seizing Cheonryong’s slowed wrist.

Baek Moo-jin and Cheonryong locked eyes.

Just as Cheonryong was about to unleash his dragon power, Baek Moo-jin’s martial energy poured forth.

Chen Long’s fist flew in a semicircle.

Baek Moo-jin seized even that fist, unleashing the icy cold of the White Flower Divine Art from his entire body. Instantly, the spot where Baek Moo-jin and Cheonryong had stood froze solid.

In an instant, Cheonryong’s knees buckled to the floor.

Chen Long’s internal energy was profound, preventing his entire body from freezing instantly. Yet the gap in their internal energy levels was undeniable. Chen Long cried out urgently.

“Sixteen Yaksha!”

“…”

Cheonryong mentioned another name.

“Chungbo! You bastard! I’ll make you pay for your transgressions…”

As he spoke, Cheonryong’s lower body froze solid, turning pure white. Yet, at the word ‘wrongdoing,’ one of the Sixteen Yaksha waiting in the wings leapt skyward from a seated position. Spinning mid-air, he swung his iron club, aiming for Baek Mujin’s back.

It felt like every ounce of power was packed into that single strike.

The trajectory was peculiar.

Did he truly believe Baek Moo-jin would fall to such an attack?

The moment the wind stirred, Baek Moo-jin leapt into a somersault, landing on the opposite side, and instinctively shouted.

“Stop!”

In that instant, the iron mace aimed at Baek Moo-jin crashed into the back of Cheon Ryong’s head, whose lower body was frozen solid. With a thud, Cheon Ryong’s body collapsed to the ground.

Chungbo, one of the Sixteen Yaksas, watched Cheonryong fall, his expression twisted. With a clang, Chungbo dropped the iron club to the floor, raised both hands toward the sky, and addressed the Sixteen Yaksas brothers.

“It wasn’t intentional… Return and await punishment…”

Chungbo kicked off the ground and began fleeing with incredibly nimble movements, deploying his lightness skill. The remaining fifteen Yachas rose and started pursuing Chungbo. But before that, Baek Moo-jin moved first.

He never intended to kill Cheonryong in the first place.

The battle with Bicheon required a ‘just cause’. Baek Moo-jin deliberately exercised patience, choosing to fight with reason first, showcasing his political acumen. Bicheon sensed that Baek Moo-jin had the support of the Baekdo faction, no matter what anyone said.

By immediately offering the Heavenly Dragon Sect as a sacrificial pawn to Baek Moo-jin… then… if Baek Moo-jin killed the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s masters, Bicheon would gain a rather plausible justification.

Therefore, Baek Moo-jin was looking further ahead and preparing for a fight with Bicheon. However, since a member of the Sixteen Yaksha committed murder and fled, seemingly to cover up his own transgression, Baek Moo-jin had no choice but to step in.

What master of this age could shake off Baek Moo-jin’s pursuit?

Slipping and sliding through the rain-soaked path, Baek Moo-jin took two or three strides, then stretched out horizontally across the ground, striking the fleeing figure’s back with the Cold Moon Technique.

After landing the Cold Moon Strike, Baek Moo-jin moved slowly, as if the situation were already over.

Chung Bo, struck by the Cold Moon Technique, charged forward with fierce momentum before gradually slowing. He screamed, collapsed to the ground, and began trembling violently.

Baek Moo-jin approached with his arms crossed, looking down at the trembling man. Soon, all fifteen yakshas ran over, grabbing Chung-bo and pulling him up. But Chung-bo was overcome by chills throughout his body, unable to utter a single coherent word. Two yakshas restrained him as if to take him away, while the rest looked at Baek Moo-jin and sighed.

One of the Sixteen Yaksha, who had mentioned Baek Moo-jin’s words made sense, spoke up.

“Lord Baek, I am Cao Fengwei, the Sixteenth Yaksha. The others are my disciples. From what we observed, the Abbot’s negligence was grave. Moreover, this wretch was the very one the Abbot shielded… How could he do such a thing…”

The Sixteenth Yaksha, arriving last, approached Zhao Fengwei and said.

“Master… What should we do? Master has died. There’s no way to explain this to the Heavenly Emperor.”

Baek Moo-jin, who had been listening, spoke.

“Was this matter Bicheon’s will? Or was it Cheonryong’s independent judgment?”

Zhao Fengwei replied.

“It’s ambiguous. Only Master Sa-suk communicates with Bicheon, so it’s impossible to tell if this was an order.”

Baek Moo-jin nodded and said.

“First, tidy up this place and come to me. I will go check on my comrades first.”

Baek Moo-jin, who had been taunting Cheonryong so relentlessly, now spoke to the yakshas with such politeness it was as if he’d never done such a thing. They stared at him with stiff expressions and nodded.

“Understood.”

At that moment, Jo Pung-wi, as if having made a decision, addressed several priests.

“Priests Gon, Yi, and Cheol, go assist Lord Baek. I will… handle the aftermath and follow.”

“Understood.”

After Baek Mujin disappeared, Jo Pung-wi looked around at the priests, then glared at Chung Bo, who was still trembling, and approached him.

Jo Pung-wi said.

“I don’t know what you did, but you’ve done something far worse. What does it matter if we’re lowly or from Cheonryongsa? To a creature worse than a beast…”

As he approached Chungbo, Jo Pung-wi couldn’t finish his sentence. He lashed out with a palm strike, hitting Chungbo squarely on the forehead. With a thud, Chungbo collapsed to the floor as if crumbling. The other yakshas sighed. It was a moment of utter helplessness.

“Brother, what shall we do? Now…”

Jo Pung-wi answered.

“We must hide. How could we possibly make Bicheon understand? It’s clear he won’t listen…”

“Where can we hide from Bicheon?”

Jo Pung-wi shook his head.

“We can hide.”

“How?”

Zhao Fengyi said, gazing at the spot where Bai Muzhen had vanished.

“I suspect he’ll be busy fighting Lord Baek. Let’s gather Master’s remains and head to Lord Baek for now. Hearing Lord Baek’s words, the frustration I’d felt lately seemed to ease a little. How could I have lived without realizing this simple truth… It’s nothing short of astonishing.”

The other yakshas shared the same sentiment as their senior brother.

Only now did the yakshas suddenly realize they were soaked through by the rain.

It was damp and unpleasant.

They began to think that their days as lowly beings were no different.

Victory in the Rain 3 End