The next day, the tournament to select the successor began at the Divine Beast Palace.
At the first gate stood a massive black panther, a silver wolf, a lion with a red mane, a hawk with golden wings, and a giant bear the size of a house.
It was a test to obtain the submission of the five divine beasts that symbolized the power and legitimacy of the Divine Beast Palace.
The eldest, Dae Mukgang, stepped forward first.
He erupted with a powerful momentum, pressuring the divine beasts.
The divine beasts growled and stepped back, pushed by that momentum, but they did not appear to truly submit.
It was merely forcing them to yield with power, not true obedience.
Dae Mukgang stood beneath the high altar overlooking the gate.
He glanced at Palace Lord Dae Gon, who was sitting with an indifferent expression, and wore a satisfied look.
The world of beasts was the survival of the fittest, and it was natural for the weak to submit to the strong.
Afterwards, the brothers who stepped forward in turn each exuded their momentum and subdued the animals.
However, no one subdued all five animals at once.
"Dae Guhwi! Step forward."
It was the final turn.
Wearing a bitter expression, Dae Guhwi reluctantly entered the gate.
He deliberately did nothing.
He merely stood quietly and looked at the five divine beasts.
Then, an unbelievable sight unfolded.
Grrrrr.
The divine beasts, which had been constantly howling low,
Whine.
As if they had met their long-lost master.
Did they not bow their heads voluntarily before him, letting out affectionate whimpers?
―'It is the Power of the Beast King!'
The disciples of the Divine Beast Palace shouted upon seeing that sight.
―'It is the incarnation of the Beast King!'
'Damn it.'
Dae Guhwi sighed inwardly.
While being active in the Martial Soul Society all this time, he had received strict guidance from his master Nae Bihon, and had also been passed down the martial arts techniques of the Central Plains from Bing Hanpung and Do Cheonlin.
In the meantime, he had unknowingly reached an incredibly high realm, so even though he had not deeply trained the Divine Beast Arts.
He had naturally become able to exert the Power of the Beast King, capable of subduing ten thousand beasts.
Murmur, murmur.
Blood drained from the brothers' faces at that sight.
The problem was that they had been blinded by jealousy.
They had lost all reason and forgotten their own limits.
If they had thought normally?
They would have realized that Dae Guhwi's abilities far surpassed their own and quietly stepped back.
However, even after seeing the manifestation of the Power of the Beast King, they lost their composure and instead harbored killing intent toward Dae Guhwi.
"Don't be too happy. The next gate is a martial arts duel!"
Dae Mukgang let out a shout that was tantamount to a declaration of war.
―'Begin the duel!'
As the seven brothers of the Divine Beast Palace stepped onto the dueling stage.
Except for the third brother, Dae Unpung, all the brothers surrounded Dae Guhwi as if they had made a pact.
"Haaap!"
Kicking off the ground in unison, they rushed at Dae Guhwi and began pouring out attacks.
Pabababak!
Sharp fist winds like a fierce tiger's claws tearing through the air, finger techniques like a wolf's fangs piercing the heart, massive palm forces like a bear crushing bones with sheer brute strength...
Every single one of them unleashed only ferocious and cruel killing moves, pouring out the profound mysteries of the Divine Beast Arts as befitted the successors of the Divine Beast Palace.
Sss, sss.
In contrast, Dae Guhwi's movements were bizarrely quiet and fluid.
He accurately found the gaps in the attacks rushing in like angry waves and leisurely slipped through.
That series of movements was not meant to dodge the attacks, but to twist their fist trajectories so that the brothers' attacks would not be directed at each other.
He wrapped his palms around the fists flying toward him and deflected them to the side.
He twisted his body to block the fist so it wouldn't strike the face of another brother standing behind him.
When a sharp kick aimed for his waist, he leaned back to dodge it by a hair's breadth.
At the same time, he extended his sleeve to push away the kick so another brother wouldn't get caught in it.
His appearance was closer to a solo dance than a duel.
It was impossible to perfectly evade the attacks constantly pouring in from all directions.
Pat!
Eventually, the nails of the second brother, Dae Moksan, grazed his shoulder and drew a red line.
As blood seeped out, the brothers' eyes glinted even more as they lost their reason.
"That bastard is nothing special either!"
"Attack more fiercely!"
The attacks grew even more persistent and cruel.
Fearing his brothers would get hurt, Dae Guhwi could not block with all his might or counterattack, and the price was carved completely onto his body.
Thud!
At that moment, Dae Mukgang's fist accurately dug into his flank.
If one properly mastered the martial arts of the Divine Beast Palace, even a child without a single ounce of inner energy could beat down a martial arts master.
Let alone Dae Mukgang's single punch, which had mastered the essence of the Divine Beast Arts; it was truly enough to smash even a Bronze Man.
As that terrifying fist force spread,
Crackle! Bzzzt!
Thunder Spirit Energy was spontaneously activating from Dae Guhwi's body.
'No, I can't.'
If the Thunder Spirit Energy was unleashed, Dae Mukgang would be heavily injured by the repulsive force.
Dae Guhwi cut off his breath for an instant and forcefully suppressed the Thunder Spirit Energy.
Trickle.
In the end, fresh blood trickled from his mouth.
The Thunder Spirit Energy he had absorbed was on a level that never fell behind Nae Bihon's. Having forcefully turned that power back, he suffered no light internal injuries.
"Now!"
The frenzied brothers judged that Dae Guhwi had suffered internal injuries from Dae Mukgang's punch, and cheering in delight, they poured out their attacks even more persistently.
Thud! Sss! Bam!
As time passed, wounds increased one by one on Dae Guhwi's body.
His forearms were cut, and dark blue bruises formed along his back. As the impacts accumulated, his agile movements gradually began to faintly falter.
Even so, Dae Guhwi did not counterattack a single time.
He merely dodged, blocked, and deflected silently.
'If I activate the Thunder Spirit Energy, I will smear mud on our palace's honor.'
The Thunder Spirit Energy was the very power of one of the Four Gods of the Central Plains. It absolutely could not be revealed at a venue to select a successor.
'If I lose vaguely, it will only draw suspicion.'
Below the dueling stage, all the disciples and key figures were watching this fight.
Since he had made up his mind to lose anyway.
Dae Guhwi decided to stall for time by pretending to fight fiercely, then lose heroically.
"Hahahaha!"
"You can't even counterattack!"
As Dae Guhwi was beaten helplessly, they poured out their attacks triumphantly.
The gaze Dae Guhwi cast upon such brothers was filled with sorrow and pity, rather than resentment or anger.
Because it was just like himself in the past.
When he resented the Palace Lord and resented the world.
Stagger.
Dae Guhwi eventually dropped to one knee with an expression as if he could no longer withstand the accumulated impacts.
He deliberately created an opening for his brothers to deploy their final resorts.
"Now!"
The brothers, consumed by madness, did not miss that fleeting opening.
In an instant, Dae Guhwi's eyes snapped wide open.
Five moves were unleashed all at once.
Iron Horn Crashing Heaven, Giant Bear Opening Mountain, Divine Ape Exploring Hand, Poisonous Scale Crushing Bone, Golden Eagle Cannon Light...
Were they not the most vicious moves among the Divine Beast Arts, killing techniques meant to take a life?
Paaat!
In a flash, pure white lightning glinted in Dae Guhwi's eyes.
'It wasn't enough to just defeat me.'
There was no longer any brotherly love in their eyes.
They were only filled with a frigid killing intent to eliminate the thorn in their side that threatened their positions.
'…Did you plan to kill me?'
They thought of Dae Guhwi as an unstable element who could return at any time.
That was why they had plotted to join forces and kill him altogether in an official dueling venue.
However, an unexpected situation occurred.
Boom!
Suddenly, Dae Unpung blocked Dae Guhwi's front and spun his body fiercely.
He unleashed the move of Black Dragon Spinning Pearl, intercepting the attacks aimed at Dae Guhwi in his stead.
Thud, thud, thud.
But with his skills, it was woefully insufficient to block the five brothers' killing moves.
In the end, his entire body was battered to a pulp.
"Brothers! Aren't you going too far?"
Dae Unpung shouted loudly.
"Hasn't Guhwi clearly shown that he has no intention of rising to Palace Lord with this much?"
"Get out of the way!"
They shoved Dae Unpung aside and stepped forward again.
Watching that sight, Dae Guhwi wore a devastating expression.
"If I hadn't intended to help the Society Leader's great undertaking, I would have gladly died for you."
Straightening his body again, he slowly rose to his feet.
"But I cannot die here."
"Stop spouting nonsense!"
As Dae Mukgang charged, Dae Guhwi slowly took a stance.
It was not the Divine Beast Arts, but the starting form of the Heavenly Thunderbolt Divine Thunder Fist taught by his master and adoptive father, Nae Bihon.
By using the martial arts of the Central Plains' Thunder God rather than the Divine Beast Arts.
He was once again announcing his lack of qualification to be the Divine Beast Palace Lord, while simultaneously.
Clearly revealing the gap in their skills, preventing his brothers from unleashing any more killing moves.
Kwaa!
Dae Mukgang twisted his five fingers and clawed at Dae Guhwi's face.
It was the vicious move of White Wolf Breaking Snow.
Swoosh!
Meanwhile, the second brother, Dae Moksan, used the ultimate technique of Fierce Tiger Biting Heart and dug into his lower abdomen.
Kwang!
At that moment, two bolts of lightning flashed, and pure white palm forces poured into the two men's chests.
It was the first form of the Heavenly Thunderbolt Divine Thunder Fist, Heavenly Thunder Opening the World.
"Keok!"
The two of them shuddered as if struck by lightning and retreated backward.
Even though it was a light blow, their bodies were paralyzed due to the Thunder Spirit Energy contained within it.
"You use bizarre demonic arts!"
As the furious Dae Mukgang shouted, Dae Moksan beside him echoed his words.
"Can you not win without the demonic arts you learned while kissing the asses of the Central Plainsmen?"
Dae Guhwi let out a sigh.
'To think my brothers have been ruined to this extent?'
Since he had used Central Plains martial arts, it would be over if they just demanded he be stripped of his successor position.
To think they were whining that he used demonic arts?
Even in the past, they had been hot-blooded, but they hadn't been this dense and foolish.
'Did our palace's stable situation ruin my brothers?'
The Divine Beast Palace had continually built a stable faction as the hegemon of Namman.
However, as those peaceful days continued and their prestige grew, the children had become greenhouse plants.
'Palace Lord...'
Dae Guhwi looked at Palace Lord Dae Gon, who was sitting silently on the altar.
'He knew everything.'
Dae Gon sat like a rock, wearing no expression whatsoever.
However, all that could be seen in his eyes was a hollow emptiness and indifference.
'It was all because of me.'
In an instant, Dae Guhwi realized.
That the Divine Beast Palace becoming like this was entirely his fault.
'Because I was ruined while competing... the Palace Lord felt guilty and put a stop to any further mutual destruction.'
Originally, the Divine Beast Palace made the successors compete, allowing them to grow stronger and learn about the world through that competitive spirit.
But because of the First Lady, who was burning with competitiveness.
He lost his beloved third wife and also lost the talent of his exceptionally bright youngest son.
Following that incident, Dae Gon stopped his children from competing and shedding blood.
As a result, the brothers became immature brats, unable to distinguish shit from piss even at the venue to select a successor.
They were conspiring so openly, putting on a disgraceful display akin to playing house.
'If so.'
Dae Guhwi looked at Dae Unpung, who was panting with major injuries after intercepting the attacks pouring down on him.
Unlike the other brothers, he had quickly come to his senses and knew just how shameful this kind of situation was.
Although he had not cultivated outstanding martial arts.
If he formally became the Young Palace Lord and learned the Divine Beast Palace's secret arts, he could become a splendid Palace Lord.
"Very well."
Concluding his thoughts, Dae Guhwi slowly drew a breath, and at that moment, it grew quiet as if the world had briefly held its breath.
Kwaaang――!
Along with an explosion, a blinding shockwave spread out like a storm centered around his body, and Dae Guhwi's hair and clothes fluttered wildly in the gale.
A lightning-like light flashed in his eyes.
From the beginning, he had been born with an outstanding Power of the Wild that even Dae Gon acknowledged.
Furthermore, after earnestly learning Central Plains martial arts, he had reached a level capable of compensating for the weaknesses of the Divine Beast Palace's martial arts.
Kwang!
Closing the distance in a single breath with the move of Mountain Boar Breaking City.
He unleashed the moves of Dragon Fang Severing Muscle and Ice Tiger Wild Fang toward Dae Mukgang, who was still in a defenseless state.
"Uwaah!"
Dae Mukgang screamed without an ounce of dignity.
Both of his shoulders were dislocated.
Normally, it was a move meant to crush the joints, but because he could not bear to cripple his brothers.
He merely dislocated their joints.
"Brother! I'll help you!"
Crack.
Dae Moksan, who popped Dae Mukgang's shoulders back into place, spoke to his brothers.
"Let's hit him all at once!"
What they were doing now was a farce hard to see even in a neighborhood martial arts hall.
However, oblivious to shame.
And to Dae Guhwi showing leniency.
Failing to realize their own lacking abilities as well.
They swarmed and attacked as if throwing a tantrum.
Dae Guhwi wore a devastating expression.
His brothers had degenerated into a mess far worse than he expected.
'…!'
At that moment, he felt Palace Lord Dae Gon's gaze from behind him.
Dae Guhwi instinctively hunched his shoulders and turned around.
"Haaap!"
Then, excluding Dae Unpung.
Catching the opportunity for a surprise attack, Dae Mukgang and the other five brothers pounced all at once.
The terrifying aspect of the Divine Beast Palace's martial arts was.
Alongside the fact that they could use the Power of the Wild to exert mighty strength even without inner energy.
It lay in their movements that defied martial logic, making it impossible for any master to predict their motions.
'My brothers have learned our palace's martial arts in vain.'
In Dae Guhwi's eyes.
How the five brothers would move and what ultimate techniques they would use were clearly visible like slow afterimages.
'There's no other way.'
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Dae Guhwi sequentially crushed the knees of the five brothers, starting with Dae Moksan, using the moves of Iron Bear Smashing Break and Iron Horn Piercing Heaven.
―'Aaaaargh!'
As their knees were shattered, they screamed and began rolling on the ground.
He had ultimately rendered their legs useless.
After knocking down all five brothers, Dae Guhwi turned his body.
"Dae Unpung!"
Suddenly letting out a thunderous shout like a beast's roar.
He dashed toward Dae Unpung and used the move of Mad Crocodile Severing Hand.
"Ugh."
As Dae Guhwi's sharp five fingers tried to grasp his heavenly pivot acupoint.
Flustered, Dae Unpung instinctively leaped into the air.
He then naturally unleashed the ultimate technique of Flying Eagle Striking Blood, aiming for Dae Guhwi's Baihui acupoint.
This series of movements were moves that countered the Mad Crocodile Severing Hand.
They were things that any disciple of the Divine Beast Palace had naturally ingrained into their bodies.
Thud.
At that moment, an unexpected situation occurred.
Did Dae Guhwi not simply take the hit to the head from the move of Flying Eagle Striking Blood?
Pat! Thump!
Ultimately, Dae Guhwi collapsed unsightly to the ground, bleeding from his head.
Trickle.
Without even wiping the profusely flowing blood, Dae Guhwi barely managed to rise and extended both hands toward Dae Unpung.
"I yield, Brother."
To concede the successor position to Dae Unpung, he had deliberately taken the hit without dodging the move.
"Winner, Dae Unpung!"
―'Waaaaah!'
Cheers erupted as the winner was decided.
However, those cheers did not last long, and the disciples' faces were not bright.
It was because, having watched everything, they realized just how negligently the successors had been living.
As the shouting died down, only a bleak wind lingered in the dueling grounds.
The current Divine Beast Palace... was definitely heading in the wrong direction.
* * *
Dae Guhwi quietly prepared to leave the Divine Beast Palace.
The lengthy succession feud finally ended with Dae Unpung's victory.
Since the knee joints of his other brothers were shattered.
They would never again be able to commit the foolish act of joining forces to threaten Dae Unpung.
It was a somewhat cruel solution that did not suit Dae Guhwi's personality... but it was an unavoidable choice for the future of the Divine Beast Palace.
Creak.
Quietly exiting the main gate of the Divine Beast Palace, Dae Guhwi gazed at the distant sky.
Along with the relief that a successor had been decided, he felt an apologetic heart toward the Palace Lord.
If it were up to his thoughts, he wanted to stay in the Divine Beast Palace and assist the Palace Lord, but...
'I have already made my decision.'
It wasn't that he disliked becoming the Divine Beast Palace Lord.
It was just that while traveling the martial world with Bu Eunseol, he had experienced the vastness of the world.
And while being in the Martial Soul Society, he had merely made up his mind to do greater things, to do more righteous things.
All the plans Bu Eunseol was currently progressing with.
Were not power struggles within the martial world, but tasks to save countless people.
"Are you leaving?"
At that moment, a dark shadow stepped out from in front of a massive old tree. It was Dae Unpung.
Knowing that Dae Guhwi was leaving quietly, he had been waiting to see him off.
"Brother. How did you."
"I figured you would leave without saying goodbye like you are now."
As Dae Unpung showed an awkward smile, Dae Guhwi also offered a comfortable smile.
"From now on, please take good care of the Divine Beast Palace, and the Palace Lord."
Unlike the composed Dae Guhwi, Dae Unpung could not bear to face his younger brother's face and dropped his head.
"This position originally should have been yours."
Dae Unpung wore an ashamed expression.
"I have stolen your seat."
"Not at all. I am not cut from the cloth to handle it."
Dae Guhwi laughed and changed the subject.
"Please explain well to the Palace Lord that I am leaving without giving him a final farewell."
Palace Lord Dae Gon had locked himself in his quarters and gone into seclusion the moment the duel ended.
Was he displeased with the results of his children's bloody fight?
Even though Dae Unpung had formally become the successor, he remained silent without a single word of congratulation.
"The Palace Lord must also be greatly disappointed. Because he always hoped you would become the Palace Lord."
Bitterness tinged Dae Unpung's words.
Dae Guhwi did not continue speaking any further, and bowed his waist deeply to express a final courtesy.
"Well then, I will take my leave."
"Please take care of yourself. And, do come back again."
Dae Unpung gently, yet firmly grasped Dae Guhwi's two hands.
A brother's warm heat transmitted through his palms. Dae Guhwi remembered that warmth as his final memory and turned away.
Rumble, rumble.
The carriage provided by Dae Unpung left the Divine Beast Palace and was driving a considerably long way.
How much time had passed?
Coincidentally, the sky grew heavy with dark clouds, and soon began spewing fierce winds and rain.
Outside the window, pouring rain lashed the world, and the sky unleashed deafening roars that shook heaven and earth along with flashing lights.
"Lightning."
Dae Guhwi, who was absentmindedly watching the lightning outside the window, had a thought that flashed through his mind like a bolt of light.
In an instant, a shiver ran through him as if freezing water had swept from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes.
'When I was hit by the final attack, I did not restrain the Thunder Spirit Energy.'
He had come to obtain the Thunder Spirit Energy along with Bu Eunseol during the process of Nae Bihon regaining his strength.
Afterwards, he had become able to control it to some extent through Nae Bihon's teachings, but.
Due to not yet having reached the Transcendent Realm, unless he intentionally suppressed his energy.
He could not stop that power from overflowing out of his body.
Especially when his skin made contact with another while he was raising his inner energy.
A function akin to discharging a powerful electric shock would activate spontaneously.
During the duel, he constantly suppressed the Thunder Spirit Energy to protect his five brothers.
But when he deliberately took Dae Unpung's attack, he had completely forgotten about it.
However, Dae Unpung had acted as if nothing was wrong, and didn't even show a minor spasm.
Even if he had achieved great mastery of the Divine Beast Arts, it would have been normal for him to feel some degree of tingling and frown his brow.
'Fourth Brother...'
Cold sweat ran down Dae Guhwi's spine.
'He is accumulating an intimidating amount of inner energy, enough to remain unfazed even when exposed to my Thunder Spirit Energy.'
He couldn't understand it.
Despite possessing that much inner energy.
Why had he endured being persecuted and ignored by the other brothers?
With that level of skill.
Taking the successor position of the Divine Beast Palace would have been a piece of cake even without his help.
Why had he shown a fragile side to him?
Rumble, rumble.
At that moment, the sound of the carriage wheels rolling at a constant speed grated on his nerves.
It was too mechanical, and too quiet.
'He's not there.'
The coachman's seat was completely empty.
No matter how deep in thought he was, considering his martial arts level?
A coachman could not possibly deceive his eyes and ears and vanish stealthily.
And at that moment,
Kwaaang!
It occurred from within the carriage alongside a massive explosion.
It was not a simple explosion of gunpowder.
A treasure of the Fire Spirit Palace said to possess a power diametrically opposed to the energy of nature.
They had detonated the Extinguishing Ultimate Flame Crystal, which even the world's greatest master could never block unless they evacuated the spot before it exploded.
Kwauuu!
A silver flash erupted through the heavy rain, instantly devastating several dozen jang in the surroundings.
The spot where the carriage had been turned into a massive crater.
Unquenchable flames blazed even in the rain, melting the ground.
Along with the explosive roar, the carriage, and Dae Guhwi who was riding inside it, vanished completely without a trace.
As if there had been nothing there from the beginning.
* * *
Divine Beast Palace, Black Fang Pavilion.
In this pavilion where only the successor could stay, Dae Unpung was looking out the window.
He narrowed his eyes as if lost in deep thought.
"I have handled it."
In the darkness where no light entered.
Behind Dae Unpung, who was looking out the window, a black shadow prostrated deeply and spoke.
"We used over thirty Extinguishing Ultimate Flame Crystals at once, so he has disappeared without a trace."
Dae Unpung said nothing.
Staring out the window for a long while, he narrowed the corners of his eyes.
"I expected it to fail, but it's a pity nonetheless."
And he muttered lowly in a heavy, dreary voice.
"At least it is fortunate that I made arrangements in advance to enter the Ten Thousand Beasts Pavilion and deal with the Palace Lord."
"Pardon?"
The prostrated shadow wore a puzzled expression.
"That man Dae Guhwi is dead. Now there is no one left to interfere with the plan, so why..."
Those words did not continue to the end.
Slice.
A strange sound echoed inside, and a red bloodline was drawn near the prostrated shadow's neck.
Spurt.
Blood spurted up as his head rolled gruesomely on the floor.
Flash!
At that moment, lightning struck outside the window.
And in sync with it, a shadow flashing with tiger-like eyes slowly stepped out from the darkness near the bookshelves.
Dae Guhwi.
He had not died even in the carriage explosion, and had quietly infiltrated all the way to the pavilion where Dae Unpung was staying.
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